Enemy Types

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For reference

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UB ENCOUNTER BUILDING

UB Encounters are based on a few simple building blocks
A) Number of PCs
B) Their Level
C) "Standard" (Std) Enemies

A simple (ie relatively easy) encounter is simply PCs facing an equivalent number of Std foes, of the same level.
Eg 4 L3 PCs vs 4 L3 Std
Eg 6 L3 PCs vs 6 L3 Std

To make an Average Encounter, increase the Std level by 1 per 5 levels of PCs (round up), and add one Std if there are 4 or more PCs, and one more if 6 or more PCs.
Eg 4 L3 PCs vs 5 L4 Std
Eg 6 L3 PCs vs 8 L4 Std
Eg 5 L7 PCs vs 6 L9 Std

Edit (20 Oct 2020) : Number for average increased, +1 for 4, then again at 6.

From there, adjust the enemy levels and number of Std enemies to increase the difficulty.

Note the Std Level above is an average. Not all foes need be the same level, as long as the average enemy level is about right. It maybe however more complex for a new GM or improviser to run foes of different levels.

Note that the Level Gap of 1 per 5 levels of PCs is a starting measure. You can adjust this base "Gap" to account for overall party optimisation, including reducing it if party is really subpar.

EASY/SIMPLE FIGHTS

If you wish to have an easy filler fight, you can also reduce enemy numbers to as low as half the number of Std foes. Combat should take no more than 2-3 rounds.
Eg 4 L3 PCs vs 2 L3 Std

Note that Easy up to Simple fights are not generally recommended as
- it takes time to set up and roll inits
- many small combats take time off Roleplaying
- there is virtually zero chance of losing
- roles such as Slayers shine, while Tanks and especially Healers languish
- PCs typically regain all their HP upon resting
- players may get complacent and less cooperative with each other as its so easy anyway, why need to work together and help each other?

STD REPLACEMENTS

Now that we know how many Stds comprise an Average Encounter, you can replace Stds accordingly.

MINIONS (1/4 Std)

1 Std can be replaced by 4 Minions. Minions have same defenses as a Std, but have only 1 HP, and deal half the damage of a Std. Because they have 1 HP, Minions never take damage from an attack that deals half damage on a miss. Usually, to save time, Minions deal a fixed amount of damage, with no random component.

Minions usually de-emphasise Slayers, buff AoE characters, and help Healers (who buff defenses) and especially Tanks shine most. Using Minions tends to introduce a metagaming aspect of no random damage dice, 1 HP, and subsequent willingness of Players to take on vastly superior numbers.
Eg. "4 of us against 24 Orcs? Well, they're probably all Minions, let's do it!" And players get their behinds handed to them, nobody ends up happy. For this reason, i usually discourage use of Minions and typically do not use them in my campaigns.

MOOKS (1/2 Std)

1 Std can be replaced by 2 Mooks. Mooks have same defenses as a Std, have half the HP of a Std, and deal Adjustment less damage per hit. Mooks usually go in up front and use flanking tactics to get their foes unguarded, and may deal Adjustment more damage (ie same damage as a Std) when hitting unguarded foes. Mooks may also provide cover fire at times.

Mooks are a generally useful enemy type that gives opportunity for virtually all roles to shine. An optimised single target Slayer may drop a Mook or almost kill it in one hit, an AoE Slayer can soften clusters of Mooks, a Healer is usually required to mitigate the damage from many incoming d20 rolls, and a Tank has to typically take the point or they may overrun the PCs. Mooks are dangerous in large numbers and while individually considerably weaker than PCs (effectively about 4-6 levels lower), they encourage players to be realistic in terms of what they can take on.

Note that Mooks have no Brute or Lurker subtypes, they only derive from Standards.

BRUTES (1 Std)

1 Std can be replaced by 1 Brute.
Brutes are beefy, hard-hitting type of enemies. Examples of brutes in fantasy setting would be barbarians, ogres, trolls, etc. Brutes have 2 less AC than Std, same overall FRW, where they usually have higher Fortitude and lower Will, or maybe Reflex, making them more susceptible to control abilities that affect their mind or mobility. Brutes also have more HP (instead of x8, they are x10, ie 25% more HP), and their Attack bonus is 1 less (ie slightly less accurate), but deal Adjustment more damage. Brutes usually target player AC, do not have AoE options, and where they do have ranged options, it deals Adjustment less damage (ie same damage as a Std). This makes them generally melee-based enemies, possibly serving as living meatshields for those firing or raining explosions from behind.

Brutes are best used as the frontline of a coordinated enemy attack, or as disposable bodyguards of an enemy leader, or simply as pure monster encounters. It is not advisable to use an all-brute encounter against low level parties (below Level 4) especially if players are still learning the game, as a string of decent rolls can render two or more PCs unconscious in a single turn, and new players may not have positioned well enough or have the healing abilities necessary to recover from such a setback.

The presence of a few brutes in a combat usually improves visibility of nearly all aspects of party cooperation. Single target Slayers put out the damage necessary to take out the brutes, AoE Slayers help to soften them up or reposition, Tanks (and those with control abilities) help to keep them busy and off the squishies, and Healers help mitigate their high damage where they land hits. The downside is that an uncoordinated party can be glaring and might result in a much harder battle than anticipated. In general, a frontline of brutes shielding ranged enemies might result in some PCs aiming the back, while others try to take out the front, which nearly always turns out badly. With new players, GMs might discourage half measures and encourage collective decisions, if they wish to let the Tanks and/or control abilities (prone, daze, slow) keep the brutes at bay while the rest take out the enemy backline, or focus fire and take out the brutes as quickly as possible.

LURKERS (1 Std)

1 Std can be replaced by 1 Lurker
Lurkers are enemies that usually strike hard while hidden, then retreat to safety before striking once more. They are the diametric opposite of brutes - lurkers have less HP than Std (instead of x8, they are x6, ie 25% less HP), and have same AC FRW defenses as a Std, usually having high Reflex and low Fortitude. Lurkers generally target only unguarded foes, thus gaining +2 Attack bonus and dealing Adjustment damage more when making such attacks, and possibly debuffs (attack or damage reduction, slow, daze, etc). Lurkers are usually ranged, sometimes melee, utilising no AoEs or only as Signature Attack abilities.

At about L6, as players damage go up, Lurkers usually have same HP as regular standards.

Traditional fantasy enemies such as rogues and assassins are stereotypical lurkers... perhaps at low levels, maybe. For a creature to qualify as a lurker in UB, it MUST be capable of either hiding its known position, or being generally unassailable (due to terrain or other reasons), at least every other round (eg pop out of wall/floor, attack. Next turn, attack and pop into wall/floor). As such, even devices such as retractable gun turrets, or archers firing out of a distant window they close every other turn, qualify as potential lurkers, whereas a rapier-using rogue in an alleyway is *NOT* a lurker (unless he has some way of continually being hidden, such as being able to become invisible as a swift action and then move to hide). If in doubt, do not apply the HP reduction to the creature, leave it as a mobile, skirmishing Std.

Lurkers emphasise the role of single target Slayers most strongly, in taking them out in a very small span of time, and those with control abilities (prone, daze, immobilize, blind) that may help prevent lurkers from escaping or being effective. AoE Slayers might also help take out or finish off lurkers who are invisible or in a nearly unassailable location (eg "I use an enlarged Entanglement at the far end of the long alleyway, hoping to catch the sniper who retreated around the corner"). Healers help mitigate incoming damage and maybe help recover from debuffs a lurker might inflict. Tanks are left very much out in the cold, but those with persistent Marks and/or high mobility and/or defensive CMs might have success forcing a lurker to target him or prevent it from fleeing. The typical "cooperation" when a lurker makes a re-appearance is to focus fire it down, but may sometimes give the players a tough choice - take out an existing foe who is already bloodied or switch to the (possibly) fresh lurker.

The general best use of lurkers is one to two lurkers, adding damage into the encounter and then retreating as their allies are taken out. This speeds up combat resolution as there are less foes to finish off, and might gradually create a sense of hatred for the lurkers, which is good for player immersion ("Omg they got away again! Next time, we must make them pay...") Consequently, lurkers make for good recurring villains, be they a group (eg the Shadow Thieves) or an individual (eg Linvale the assassin with his hallmark red hood and scarlet arrows). All-lurker encounters are not recommended, as they can be potentially very frustrating for players, but can occasionally make for interesting "puzzle" fights such as activating a device that would reveal all the lurkers, or be part of a "let's get out of here!" gauntlet where players are better off simply running past/through the terrain the lurkers can hide in, forcing them to either give up, or chase the PCs and be exposed.

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ELITES (2 Stds)

2 Stds can be replaced by 1 Elite.

Elites attack twice, have +2 to all saving throws, twice the HP as compared to a Std. +2 to all defenses (AC FRW) as compared to a Std. For FRW, Elites always have one glaring FRW weakness, which is noticeably lower than the other two, ie where a Lv5 Std has avg FRW 15, hence 16 15 14 from best to worst, an L5 Elite Std of the same creature type would have more pronounced differences, with avg FRW 17 becoming 19 17 15 ; similarly a Std with FRW 16 16 13 becomes Elite FRW of 18 18 15. An Elite has the same Attack bonus and deals the same damage as a Std.

Note that an Elite can be a Std, a Brute, a Lurker, with the same attack and damage. For purposes of this section, they are all treated as "Std", but the defenses and HP notes above apply to the base type (so an Elite Brute with +2 AC for being an Elite, would have the same AC as a reguar Std of the same level). The attack type limitations also generally apply, a Brute Elite should not have AoEs, typically only as Burst around it, or a Trample.

Most Elites use their standard action to make two attacks. At high levels, if both attacks hit, some additional effects may occur (eg a Shambling Mound may swallow the target). Due to the limitation of using their standard action in this way, if an Elite charges, they usually can only make one attack at the end of the charge, thus losing one attack, unless they have an ability that indicates otherwise.

Most Elites also have rechargeable Burst, Blast, Area Signature attacks, which they can use a standard action. Since this replaces a standard action, this standard action attack should count as two attacks worth, thus should the same damage as each of the Elite's usual two attacks. Elites typically have abilities on par with players, notably Interrupts, perhaps some abilities that help them recover from negative conditions (that they are generally quite susceptible to), and more. Such details to be covered under Enemy Design.

A less common Elite uses its standard action to make a more damaging attack (typically adjustment more damage, probably with some effect like prone or grab or ongoing damage), and then uses its swift action to make a less damaging attack (typically less/no effect, like a basic attack). Another type of Elite acts as a Std, but has two initiatives; note that such Elites would have supreme ease in fleeing the party in terms of raw speed, and should typically be used only as guardians. Perhaps the most difficult Elite is a backline healer/commander, who heals allies and directs them to attack the PCs, or has aura/abilities that buff their allies, in which case one or both of their attacks could be replaced by allowing one of their allies to attack.

Elites are usually leaders of a group of enemies, and may either hang back slinging spells or hiding and firing, or lead from the front, cutting a swathe into the party's line. An Elite's prowess is best showcased as a single Elite in an encounter, or at most two Elites ; there should be very few all Elite encounters (except where it makes sense, eg two Trolls or two Shambling Mounds). The presence of Elites allows single target Slayers and Tanks to shine, as well as debuffers, in fact the tanks and debuffers generally get "value for ability", since a single debuff affects effectively two enemies (an Elite counts as two Stds). Unless marked by tanks or controlled by debuffs, and even sometimes despite that, Elites with their AoE attacks, buffs, auras can put out considerable damage, and Healers will help mitigate that. The AoE Slayer however is left out in the cold. For this reason, combining an Elite with a large number of Mooks (which allows AoE slayers to shine), perhaps one or two Stds can give a very nice organic feel to an encounter, and everyone cooperates to defeat the enemies. At lower levels, Elites are probably the more memorable opponents your party will encounter, and it might be quite a challenge to take out a backline Elite before he flees ; if players are getting vehement about nailing that recurring (Elite) villain, do feel free to remind them there is this resource called Willpower.


SOLOS (5 Std / Adjustable)

5 Stds can be replaced by 1 Solo.

Note Solos can be complex, and this is a relatively cursory introduction to Solos (more covered under Enemy Design).

Solos attack 4 times, most have an offturn interrupt they may use to negate an incoming attack or to make an attack, and have +5 to all saving throws. They have identical defenses as an Elite, and have twice the HP of an Elite, ie 4 times the HP of a Std. Solos also have the same exaggerated FRW weakness as Elites. Like Elites, Solo have the same Attack bonus and deal the same damage as a Std. All Solos may, twice per encounter, take an extra standard action during their turn (note they make NOT take TWO extra standard actions during the same turn), and these may be used to pace the encounter if it feels too easy.

Like an Elite, a Solo also may be either a Std, Brute, or Luker. All Solos should have ranged options (for adjustment less damage if they are melee based) or a similar ability, such as being able to move up to its speed and make a melee attack. Much like all-Brute encounters might be dangerous for beginners or less optimised parties, Solo Brutes should only be used against relatively optimised parties. Much like all-Lurker encounters, Solo Lurkers might tend to be either frustrating or too easy for parties, and you may wish to incorporate some mechanism or skill challenge to disabling/ negating the "invisibility" of the Solo Lurker.

The simplest Solos have two standard actions, that are each used to make two attacks or one AoE (ie burst blast or area), and note that a Solo may only convert/downgrade ONE of his standard actions to a move action. Most Solos have a way to get their opponents unguarded, perhaps when they strike the same enemy twice in a turn, the target is knocked prone, dazed, cannot see the Solo, or otherwise unguarded against the Solo. Some Solos may deal certain ongoing damage when they hit, and then foes who have ongoing damage on them are unguarded against the Solo.

At lower levels, most Solos have a rechargeable interrupt that can be used to either negate an incoming attack, or be used to make an attack. At higher levels, this becomes a common Interrupt, usable as long as the Solo has an interrupt action. When adjusting a Solo to replace 4 Std (instead of 5 Std) worth, make the Interrupt only recharge when bloodied, and/or replace two of the attacks with one very hard hitting attack (adjustment more damage). If there are more than 5 players, you can add the ability to make a basic attack as a Swift action to adjust for 6 players, or add a third standard action to adjust for 7 players. Alternatively, you can simply add other Std or Mooks to support the Solo.

All Solos are incredibly resilient and recover very quickly from status effects. This is commonly labelled as Solo Recovery, which gives all of the following three options. Firstly, a Solo that is dazed, dominated, stunned or any other effect that negates its entire turn (eg being removed from play) may expend its standard action immediately end all such effects on it (no saves, ALL such effects automatically end). Secondly, a Solo may expend a standard action to save against each individual effect on it, ending the status on save (which has a +5 bonus to it). Thirdly, after a Solo takes a standard action, it may then expend its move action to end one negative effect on it that lasts until end of its or the user's next turn, or make a saving throw against one save ends effect. Note that none of the three Solo Recovery options can be used to end any marks that are on the Solo.

All Solos when bloodied recharge all their Signature abilities, immediately get a free use of a Solo Recovery (as per the standard action), and then take a standard action as a free action. They do this once more when they are reduced to one quarter of their HP, but the GM may at his discretion, forgo the 25% effect (if the encounter looks too hard or simply to save time). You may opt/choose to treat this extra action as a use of the Solo's twice per encounter extra Standard action, hence I usually suggest holding off use of the extra Standard action until after the Solo is bloodied or close to bloodied. This gives a better assessment of what the party can handle and how well they are doing, and helps pace the encounter.

Some Solos may have means to lay Tanks low, gaining an attack bonus (+2 to +4) and adjustment more damage to melee attacks against a creature who marks them; be sure to describe this the moment when the Solo is marked, or at very least when it attacks the Tank.

Players may be understandably shocked by the resilience, and it is up to you as GM to inform them accordingly, especially if you know that stacking debuffs on a Solo is likely to expend the party's resources, do give in game hints such as "You think it will shake off the existing effect shortly, and it might be good to hold back the debuff to weaken it the next turn." A Solo's standard action is worth that of two Stds, so causing the Solo to be debuffed/expend a standard action to end a status is arguably worth it, and do remind the players accordingly.

What are Solos anyway? Typically a Solo is a creature over 10 levels higher than the party; theoretically, rather than having them be unhittable, they simply have more HP and attacks to make up for the party missing. Common Solos are dragons, but they may also take the form of planetars, or perhaps vampires/werewolves for low level parties. A formidable spellcaster many levels up with defensive buffs (that reduce incoming damage) might also take up the profile of a Solo, as might that of a legendary warrior that is incredibly deadly and difficult to hit. Generally speaking, players should not be misled into thinking a Solo opponent is anything less than it is. At 10 levels higher, the difference in power should be palpable, and the numerical advantage the players should only serve to even the odds. Some Solos may deliberately wish to conceal their power, but once it takes its first turn in combat, it should be blatantly clear to the players that what they are facing is a dangerously challenging opponent.

It may be reasonable to have a Solo retreat if at 1/4 HP it looks like most of the party is still up, and they make good recurring villains. To the opposite tune, facing an enemy out of your league in most table top games usually results in at least one or two players left behind or slain, but Solos make it easy to demonstrate the difference in power without causing deaths or leaving anyone behind (a Solo is likely to KO someone, but a Heal is just a swift action), provided the party has an escape route. A combination of the two can showcase how far the party has grown - an L4 party may flee the wrath of a Solo necromancer Valdemort as he demolishes their home village, but by the time they are L12 for the showdown in his lair, Valdemort might be no more than an Elite, signifying how far they have grown relative to their nemesis.

An encounter with a Solo emphasises all party roles except the AoE Slayer. Single target Slayers are very important, but even with the high damage output, they still need enough time to take out the Solo. A Tank will be needed to hold out, but he will go down very quickly, possibly from full HP in unconscious in one turn if the Solo has decent rolls. Healers will be needed to keep everyone functional for as long as possible. AoE Slayers are diminished in a Solo encounter, but if a Solo has supporting Mooks / Stds, and/or defensive abilities that involve concealment and/or blindness, they may help in terms of putting out consistent damage while others are struggling to hit. Solo encounters should generally be memorable events, do remind players to use Willpower if they have forgot to do so. If push comes to shove, the party can try to retreat or plead for their lives - most Solos (like Bond villains) should have more devilish ends in mind for the players than simply killing them outright.

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( TO BE UNDER ENEMY DESIGN, just FYI on more Solo types than apparent )

A different type of Solo has the profile of an Elite, but takes two turns at two different initiatives (you can roll once for initiative, apply +5 for its first turn, and -5 for its second turn, so it 10 initiative steps apart). Just like similar Elites, such Solos can be incredibly, unreasonably difficult to chase and corner, so make sure to apply these only to Solos who have something to guard and a reason to face off the party.

An enraging Solo is similar in concept to a Hydra ; as it gets more injured, it gains more attacks, but such a Solo normally does not have an Interrupt with which to make extra attacks or negate damage. An enraging Solo starts with 1 Std action it can use to make two attacks/one AoE, and 1 Swift action attack, for 3 attacks worth in all. When it loses 1/4 of its HP, it gains another Std action, but cannot use its Swift action attack, for 4 attacks in all. After losing 1/2 of its HP, it regains the usage of Swift action attack, for 5 attacks in all. After losing 3/4 of its HP, it gains a third Std action, but loses the Swift action attack, for 6 attacks in all. When fielding such a Solo, it is important to emphasise the increasing number of attacks the creature is putting out so the players can keep their important abilities (and WP) for the last push to defeat the creature before it destroys them.

Some Solos have a summoner profile, where they only have one Std action (which can be used to make two attacks), but come with what appears to be 2 Std enemies (or 4 Mooks) of the same level. They can then use a Swift action to expend their HP to create 1 Std (or 2 Mooks), up to a certain maximum, which depends on the number of players ; for 5 Stds worth, the cap should be 2 Std foes. The accompanying Std / Mook should have means to help the Solo's accuracy, such as any enemy flanked by the Std / Mook is automatically unguarded against the Solo, or they inflict ongoing damage that causes the target to be unguarded against the Solo. When summoning, the HP expended by the Solo is always half that of the creature summoned. Eg An L9 Solo summons L9 Stds with 96 HP ; so it would cost the Solo 48 HP to summon a 96 HP Std enemy, (if it matters, that is 1/8 of the Solo's HP). This makes it more efficient to try to get rid of the summoning Solo rather than the summoned creatures, while giving room for AoE to shine.

Solos have a defensive profile (AC FRW) that is identical to an Elite, so by blurring the line between them, can make for even more variants.

A variant of the dual-initiative Solo is what appears to be two separate Elites acting on the same (or even different initiatives, but not ideal), with very similar or themed/synergised abilities, that help buff each other attacks by inflicting statuses that render the target unguarded against each other. These Elites each have their own interrupt and HP pool, have only +2 to all Saves, but they may as a swift action transfer HP to each other (typically evening out both their HP), and when first bloodied, they each recharge all abilities, benefit from Solo recovery and take a std action. Such "paired-Elites" are common tropes in stories and programs, such as partners who have been working long together, have developed some mystical bond, or twin siblings, and they count as 4 Stds (not 5) due to weaknesses as below. They are more vulnerable to single target slayers as bursts of high damage can take out one of them before they can "transfer HP" in, so be sure to include decent Interrupts to stop that. Tanks will also find it much easier to tank an Elite than a Solo, so dont be afraid to focus fire down the tank as needed. Their main strength over a regular Solo is their extra Interrupt, which can be used offensively to push damage/status and turn hits into misses. The GM may also allow skill checks and abilities use to disrupt their HP transfer temporarily, or simply using terrain or abilities to make it difficult for them to have line of effect to each other, in order to interrupt HP transfer.

At higher levels, when the party has more healing, an Elite may become a Solo mid-battle. It may also help theme some encounters, where the leader of an enemy group consumes weakened allies to "power up". Encounters with undead spectres that may join up, or robots that harvest/ join up with injured/fallen brethren, or voracious aliens with a hive-mind consciousness may have such components. In such encounters, the creature starts as an Elite that is in relative safety (and should have defensive interrupts to reduce odds of a premature demise), with Stds assisting. When an ally is heavily injured, the Std returns to the Elite which consumes it using a Swift action. This causes the current and max HP of the Elite to increase by 50% (ie the same value as a Std), and it can use a swift action to make an attack (effectively going from 2 to 3 attacks). Be sure to describe the process to make it clear it is not good to let it occur again; players may then wish to make sure they thoroughly finish off all Std foes before they can be consumed, or to ignore all remaining Stds and focus on destroying the "Elite" that is gaining power from the party's success. After the "Elite" consumes the second Std in this way, it gains another current/max HP increase of the same amount, thus having up to twice its original HP (which is the same ratio as an Elite against a Solo's HP), and loses the swift action attack but gains an extra standard action, Solo Recovery and its saving throw bonus increases to +5. At this point it has effectively "matured" into becoming a Solo, facing a party that has expended resources in the first few rounds in combat, hence can be challenging for parties that do not have sufficient healing and other resources (such as Willpower) for a sustained battle. The GM may allow the New Solo to consume fallen Stds, but in such situation make clear to players focusing down the Stds does not weaken the Solo (unless it actually does, of course). Variants of such Elites-turned-Solos might be an Elite supported by a ritual/power-up systems, that if left undisrupted boosts him from an Elite to a Solo status (and perhaps if disrupted can power him down).