3.5e Glossary

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The glossary contains rules categories for homebrew material on the wiki. This includes, but is not limited to, new feat types, creatures types and subtypes, status conditions, and creature abilities.

Feat Types

Unlike other tables on this page, the feat types listed here may link to an SRD page. In these instances, the SRD page contains the listings for homebrew feats of these types.

Table: 3.5e Feat Types

Name	Description
Aberrant	Aberrant feats were originally presented in Lords of Madness. They represent your character evolving to be closer to the aberration type.
Abyssal Heritor	Abyssal Heritor feats are representations of an abyssal bloodline or power source beginning to manifest itself.
Alchemurgic	These are feats pertaining to the use of Alchemurgic Items.
Ambush	Ambush feats were originally presented in Complete Adventurer. They allow you to sacrifice some of your sneak attack dice in exchange for special status effects.
Anarchic	Anarchic feats grant special like benefits to Chaotic characters.
Anti	Anti-feats are for characters that just don't stand up to the average standard.
Arcane Combat	Arcane Combat feats grant magical abilities through various combat styles and techniques. The classes which get them usually have no spellcasting ability of their own. All arcane combat feats are also fighter bonus feats, and many require fighter levels.
Archetype	These feats help define who the character "is".
Autoplate	Autoplate feats are a class based feat type, generally only used by characters with levels in Autoplate Pilot or Autoplate Pilot, Variant.
Axiomatic	Axiomatic feats grant special like benefits to Lawfull characters.
Bardic	Bardic feats open up new option for characters with the bardic music feature. The category already exists under WotC rules.
Bending	Bending feats enhance or otherwise adjust the abilities of a character with levels in a bending class.
Bloodline	Bloodline feats grant additional spells to spontaneous caster, based on their magic heritage.
Bomb	Bomb feats are those that grant or improve bombs, as the Pathfinder Alchemist's or Grenadier (3.5e Class)'s class features of the same name.
Celestial	A feat with the [Celestial] tag can only be taken by a creature who is a Celestial.
Combat	Combat feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on your Base Attack Bonus.
Combat Form	Combat Form feats are used to represent a peculiar clarity in combat, and the benefits that come with it.
Cooperative	Cooperative feats are designed to work with allies in specific circumstances to produce powerful effects.
Curse	Curse feats grant powerful extraordinary or supernatural ability to character who take them, however they also possess their share of drawback.
Deformity	Deformity feats are a subset of [Vile] feats based around the Willing Deformity feat originally presented in Book of Vile Darkness.
Domain	These feats, added in Complete Champion, work once per day and are usually dependent upon your Domain.
Draconic	Draconic feats, introduced in Complete Arcane, are a type of sorcerer bloodline feat path.
Elemental	Feats of the [Elemental] type represent a connection to an elemental energy source, and the expression of that power.
Equilibrium	Equilibrium feats grant special like benefits to neutral characters.
Essence
Exalted	Exalted feats grant saint like benefits to good characters.
Fiend	A feat with the [Fiend] tag can only be taken by a creature who is a Fiend.
Fury	Fury feats are designed to augment a barbarian's rage or similar class features involving anger (such as a berserker's rage).
Grim	Grim feats enhance or alter the features of a Grim.
Heritage	Heritage feats represent power drawn from your ancestry.
Hex
Hivemaster	Hivemaster feats update and expand the Aspect of the Vermin class feature of a Hivemaster.
Incarnum	These feats, added in Magic of Incarnum, increase your essentia pool and can be invested with essentia.
Innate	Innate feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on your total levels in supernatural classes.
Job	Job feats are a type of feat that grant abilities reminiscent of multiclassing.
Leadership	Leadership feats let you have and command minions.
Luck	Luck feats deal with rerolls, second changes, or other effects which allow you to manipulate random chance. They were originally created in Complete Scoundrel.
Mantra	A series of feat from the Untapped Potential book by Dreamscarred Press. These psionic feats are related to the use of Psionic Focus and the Concentration skill.
Metabreath
Metacombat	Metacombat feats are like metamagic for melee classes. You take some form of attack penalty, and gain special bonuses and effects on your attacks.
Metamaneuver	Metamaneuver feats are like metamagic feats for initiators.
Metaphrase	Metaphrase feats allow a truespeaker to alter their phrases in slight ways.
Minion	First introduced in Liber Demonica, these feats indicate service to a higher (or lower...) power.
Monk	Monk feats are feats that a monk can take as a monk bonus feat. They may dictate what level they are available as a bonus feat, but many allow pre-requisites to be ignored if taken as a monk bonus feat.
Monstrous	Monstrous feats are for non-humanoid characters.
Multiclass	Multiclass feats help mitigate the level-dependent penalties of multiclassing.
Necromantic Creation
Order	Order feats grant benefits based on your monk's level, a character may only have a single order feat.
Pact	Pact feats augment a binder's soul binding class feature.
Pokémaster	Pokémaster feats affect a Pokémaster's or Monster Tamer's ability to capture and control monsters.
Prowess	Prowess Feats are general style feats that closely interact with the Tome of Prowess revised skill system.
Racial	Feats tied to one's racial identity.
Regional
Reserve	Reserve feats draw upon the magic inherent in a caster's body and soul, utilizing (but not consuming) energy from available spells to augment the character's already prodigious magical talents.
Salient Ability	A salient divine ability is a special sort of feat which only deities with divine rank can take, as according to the rules spelled out in Complete Epic. It gives a deity a new capability or improves one that the deity already has.
Setenall
Shifter	These feats, added in Races of Eberron, allow you to shift more often along with another benefit, usually related to shifting.
Skill	Skill feats are a type of scaling feat that grant increasing bonuses based on your ranks in a specific skill.
Speed	Feats that improve your movement options.
Spell Stance	Spell stance feats are much like reserve feat, giving combat abilities based on spell available for casting.
Spellcasting	Spellcasting feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on the highest spell level you can cast.
Spelltouched	Spelltouched feats allow a character to interact with magic cast at them in unexpected ways. They were originally presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Style	A style of feats which allow a character to perform various deeds when equipped with particular weapons..
Subsidy
Surge	Surge feats enhance the surges of a surge fighter or enable him to do things with his surge points that he couldn't do before. As an added bonus, all of them grant him bonus surge points as well!
Symbiotic
Tactical	Tactical feats were first presented in Complete Warrior. Feats with this type provides several thematically similar and rather specific options or abilities that generally require some setup or a specific weapon set to utilize.
ToP Skill	ToP Skill feats are a type of scaling feat that grants increasing bonuses based on your ranks in a specific skill in the Tome of Prowess skill system.
Torture	Torture feats grant new abilities with which to wring information or compliance out of people.
Undead	A feat with the [Undead] tag can only be selected or used by a character who is undead.
Videogame	Videogame feats are meant to imitate common and non-specific abilities of videogame characters.
Vile
Warforged	Warforged feats are available only to Warforged, and modify their structure to provide different armor or abilities.
Weather	Weather feats are feats which interact with or change the local environment around you. You may only have one active at a time, and can switch which is active as a 1 round action.
Weaving
Wild Magic	Feats that let your magic go wild!!!
Wordcasting	Wordcasting feats use a rule that is dependent upon the Wordcasting subsystem.
Xenotheric	Feats for Xenotheric creatures

Creature Types

Table: 3.5e Types

Name	Description
Entity	Neither organic nor artificial. Not a creature of this world or of any other world. Their origins are inscrutable and their minds are leagues beyond comprehension. They don't follow any rules that you or I would easily understand and the only word in any language that could accurately describe them is "Entity".
Fey	In many cases, fey are the physical embodiment of some natural force, whether it be the land itself or the emotions and souls of those who inhabit it. Others are creatures with just a bit too much mysticism and power to be called humanoids. Commonly fragile in stature but strong in magical ability, making them very difficult opponents.
Fungus	Now fungus creatures have their own unique type
Giant	Giants are massive humanoids born with deep reserves of supernatural power, granting them their customary size and strength, variety of forms, and even magical abilities.
Magical Beast	Magical beast is practically a catch-all category for the multitude of creatures whose origins cannot be explained by nature or the Outer Planes.
Naught	A Naught is a creature that has lost a part of itself and was banished to the Void in the process. Trapped in a half-life, they suffer for nigh eternity.
Ooze	Oozes are large masses of sludge and goop that have strange powers and a primitive intelligence, despite the fact that they look like something from a toxic waste dump.
Plant	Plants with a bit more pizzazz.
Undead	Undead come in two varieties: Primeval and Converted, each of which are given as subtypes. While the former is created from scratch solely as undead monsters, the latter is a transitional type applied to something that was previously of another type. This entry covers both separately.
Variant Outsider	An outsider is a creature partially (or wholly) composed of the essence of a plane other than the Material Plane, but not of an elemental energy.

Creature Subtypes

Table: 3.5e Subtypes

Name	Description
Abomination	Horrible half-deity half-monsters, these unloved abomination are anathemic to the divine.
Acid	Creatures with the Acid subtype are infused with corrosive energies or materials, and often are composed of caustic slime, decaying matter, or corrosive vapors.
Anthro	This subtype pertains to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature who appears to be based largely and in part on making an animal anthropomorphic.
Aroghin	Aroghin separated their bloodline from humans long ago, moving their civilization far from any others, isolating themselves.
Avatar	Avatar creatures are like elementals in that they are made of the things they are born from, and represent this thing, being a raw manifestation of it, and everything it represents.
Beholderkin	The sybtype for all things beholderly.
Bomb
Bot	Invented by Octoxeno to help compensate for there frail bodies. Bots are mindless aberrations and constructs, that have been built for a specific task, and have multiple modes of servitude.
Cactuar
Cait Sith
Chocobo Esper
Clockwork	Clockwork creatures are constructs whose main function comes from technology rather than animating a solid mass of stone. They are made of complex gears, pipes, pulleys, and quasi-magical computer chips which grant them a unique intellect over their typically mindless kin.
Cockatrice
Construct	Construct-subtype creatures are beings which were formed from inanimate matter, but which have the properties of living (or undead) beings rather than the Construct type.
Damned	The damned subtype represent mortals being turned into devils after their passing.
Deathless	This subtype pertains to undead that have gained the Deathless template.
Draconic	These are the most quintessential and badass creatures in D&D (depending on who you ask).
Dragonblooded
Dreamborn	Dreamborn creatures are only partially real, made out of the stuff of dreams and nightmares.
Eldritch	The eldritch subtype applies to horrifying Lovecraftian creatures from beyond the veil. These creatures almost always cause dark insight and mindbreak simply by their presence.
Electricity	Electric-subtype creatures are infused with the elemental power of electricity, and usually have electrical abilities.
Elemental Spirit	During the early battles between celestials and fiends, their conflicts raged into the inner planes. Those who fell would respawn in their home planes, but only sometimes. From time to time, fiends and celestials alike would be reborn as elemental creatures, neither proper outsider nor elemental entity.
Esper	Espers are generally large and powerful Outsiders, native to the Astral Plane but with strong ties to the Material Plane.
Everlasting	Everlasting are powerful almost divine creatures resembling humans, they have the duty of protecting and shepherding humanity no matter the cost.
Gear	This subtype pertains to the 'Gear' family of constructs, beings of gears and clockwork that give them certain strengths and weaknesses.
Goblin
Incorporeal	Creatures with this subtype are not completely there, often ghosty, spirit-like, or immaterial.
Kaiju	Creatures of colossal size and power, these beings carry some unique traits common amongst them.
Kirin
Legacy	This subtype pertains to creatures with the legacy template.
Living Dead	As living constructs are to constructs, the living dead are to the undead. They are undead who possess more living traits than normal at the loss of some of their abilities.
Logos	Semi-mechanical outsiders usually associated with the lawful upper planes (and especially Arcadia), they are the "grunts" and utilities of the outer planes. They live, yet these beings lack free will of their own.
Maita	Soul devouring outsiders, these beings feed off them rather than simply trade them.
Menos	Within the ranks of fiends, certain spirits were born with a disruptive effect on the spells and spell-like abilities of others. Seeking opportunity, ancient fiends took the aberrant evolution and engineered from one an entire race of magically resistant fiends.
Mindflayer
Paint	A subtype designating a creature made of or otherwise tied to the energy of the Art Flow.
Plushie	Plushies are sentient dolls given animated life. They are usually associated with the God-King Lord Eiji.
Pokemon Traits	For Pokemon d20, adding the Type based traits for Weaknesses etc.
Pokémon	Pokémon are wondrous creatures with unique capabilities; a special class of monsters in and of themselves. This subtype encompasses all monsters on the D&D Wiki that are designated as Pokémon — officially or otherwise.
Positive	Creatures with this subtype contain positive energy, and can endure it as a result.
Replicator	This subtype pertains to the 'Replicator' family of constructs, beings consisting of numerous small and identical components known as monads.
Sapblood	Sapblood creatures exist at the crossing point between plant and animal, gaining some but not all the features of plants.
Semi-Corporeal	A semi-corporeal creature has an actual physical presence, but more often than not that presence is comprised of countless smaller objects, like stones, dust or smaller composite creatures that move contiguously and are bound to the spirit's will.
Shiva
Siege	Siege-subtype creatures have the Siege Weapon special attack, and deal extra damage to inanimate objects. They typically have a reload time which can be reduced by increasing the number of creatures used to reload them. The details vary between siege weapons.
Siren
Slime	Sentient, squishy oozes that are a premium XP source for beginning adventurers.
Spiritfolk	Spiritfolks are feys that are quite less magical than all the others, or humanoids that have fey-like traits.
Swarm	A cooler swarm subtype that fixes some of the problems of the original.
Sylph
Tonberry
True Celestial	This subtype pertains to celestials that make up the Coelesti Hierarchia and that inhabit the various celestial spheres that exist in this and any other cosmology (such as the hierarchy of angels, the devagati, and other such places).
Unicorn
Unliving	A subtype from Tome of Necromancy, for undead with a constitution modifier.
Vehicle	Vehicle-subtype creatures have the ability to carry cargo, and have a multitude of defensive abilities.
Xenoblooded	This subtype pertains to the Xenoblooded family of creatures very much related to the xenotheric, which hail from planes associated with aberrant lifeforms.
Xenotheric	This subtype pertains to the Xenotheric family of outsiders, which hail from planes associated with aberrant lifeforms., Certain lifeforms have the capacity to generate large amounts of metabolic energy that can be used for many different purposes.
Zodiac	These creatures are spiritual manifestations of the constellations in the sky.

Effect Descriptors

Table: 3.5e Descriptors

Name	Description
Animal	A descriptor for spells and effects that deal with animals.
Curse	A descriptor for curses and things that remove or empower them.
Metal	A descriptor for spells that interact with metals or items made from metal.
Paint	A descriptor for effects powered by the Art Flow.
Plant	A descriptor for things like Plant Growth, Blight and other plant-affecting spells.
Poison	For spells an effects that utilize toxins.
Time	A descriptor for stuff that messes with time or creatures' perceptions of it.

Creature Abilities

Table: 3.5e Creature Abilities

Name	Description
Ability Damage Reduction	Ability damage needs to break through the ability damage reduction first before a creature is dealt ability damage.
Adaptive Regeneration	Adaptive Regeneration is a special kind of regeneration which adapt to damage.
Air Jump	A creature with this ability can perform a series of midair jumps.
Animate Fire Breath	Level 3 ability of the Lava Dragon sphere
Bio-Energy	Certain lifeforms have the capacity to generate large amounts of metabolic energy that can be used for many different purposes.
Bloody Mauling	Creatures with this ability will cause foes to bleed alot when they attack
Breath Ability	A category of abilities involving breathing on people.
Bright-light Vision	Bright-light vision is a supernatural ability that allows creatures to see in conditions of bright or blinding light.
Choking Constrict	Creatures with this can choke foes to death and not just crush them.
Damage Susceptibility	Creatures take more damage from certain sources.
Daunt	Lacking the will to fight saps one's power as much as the misery of fighting an army of the undead.
Double Jump	Some creatures can jump while in the air. This works a lot like jumping from the ground, except it's done while in midair (hence the other common name of this ability, "Midair Jump"). While it can enable the user to maneuver in midair better than most other creatures, it is not flight; it is far more limited.
Energy Absorption	You aren't just immune to an element, but are healed by it.
Energy Anti-Resistance	Just because you have energy resistance/immunity doesn't mean you're always safe! Anti-resistance enables its bearer to treat some or all of a target's energy resistance like it wasn't even there!
Energy Charge, Revised	This supernatural ability sends a burst of vital energy through a touch, which can help the living or harm the undead.
Fatten	This ability allows the user to expand their mass.
Guard	Can stop a set amount of damage from specific types every round
Hinder Energy	Hinder Energy (also known as Energy Hindrance or Damage Hindrance) grants a creature a percentage resistance to a given energy or damage type.
Hover	Hover is a mode of movement similar to flight, except that the hovering creature can not fly higher than its natural reach.
Hyperjump	This special ability cover extreme jumping abilities
Immunity Hardness	Immunity Hardness a special ability that provide a degree of resistance to immunity and resistance piercing effects.
Impact Zone	Impact Zone is a special ability that is usually applied to creature who are huge or larger, making their physical attacks area of effect.
Improved Toss	Creatures with this ability briefly grab and throw opponents away from them.
Inner Fire	Level 3 ability of the Lava Dragon sphere
Jump Speed	A Jump Speed allows you to move in a straight line, even if that line is going through the middle of the air.
Jumpscare	This ability allow the monster to make a demoralize opponent check as a swift action against flat-footed opponent.
Keen Scent	Scent so keen, it may as well be blindsight.
Lifesight	Allows detection of living creatures.
Light Sensitivity	Dazzled by sunlight and daylight.
Low Gravity Frame	Creatures with this ability may be able to move well in light gravity, but are impaired in heavier condition of gravity.
Maneuver-Like Abilities	Some creatures have inherent use of martial maneuvers.
Martial Defense	The extraordinary ability to avoid being affected by maneuvers and maneuver-like abilities.
Metal Scent	Level 1 ability of the Lava Dragon sphere
Multitarget	The opponent has multiple body parts which can all be targeted separately.
Oblong	Oblong creatures are non-flexible, unusually long, wide, or tall creatures that do not fit in just one square.
Partial Incorporeality	A Partially Incorporeal creature is able to pass through solid objects and mundane attacks have a chance of missing them.
Pounce, the bluez's variant	Like normal pounce, but more balanced.
Psychosis	As a reaction to stress, or often magical manipulation, creatures can fall prey to various mental afflictions. They range from harmless quirks to devastating behavioral changes and can be difficult to remove.
Rapid Healing	A midway point between fast healing and ordinary healing; too slow to be of much use in combat, but fast enough to make life easier.
Reinforced Plating	Reinforced plating is a special quality that can be added to a creature of the Construct type.
Resilient	While damage reduction tends to mess with characters that have many attacks per round, few things can stand up to someone who does incredible amounts of damage with a single strike. Until now.
Scent Lure	A creature with this ability can use its good-smelling scent to distract others.
Segmented	Segmented creatures are flexible, unusually long, wide, or tall creatures that do not fit in just one square.
Self-Repair	Basically, fast repair is fast healing, but for constructs, objects, and undead.
Shield	A shield defends the creature it envelopes and has the ability to soak damage of most any kind.
Space Adaptation	A creature with this ability is able to withstand the dangers of deep space.
Spell Dampening	Spell dampening (and subsequently power dampening) reduces the caster level of the incoming spell for the purposes of determining how it affects the creature with SD, reducing its effectiveness, duration, range and other effects.
Statue Form	This ability allows the user to perform the uncanny trick to become a statue.
Sturdy	A sturdy creature always gains the maximum hit points from its hit dice.
Thermalsight	Thermalsight gives creatures the ability to sense heat sources visually.
Tremorsight	Tremorsense, but even more accurate.
Ward	A warded creatures is very hard to hit with supernatural touch attacks.
Youthdrain	A variant of energy drain which sap away mortality.

Status Conditions

Table: 3.5e Status Conditions

Name	Description
At Bay	A status effect which makes it difficult to go all-out.
Aura Seal	A curse that makes it impossible to benefit from buffs.
Baffled	A condition that describes a speechless and confused creature
Bleedout	Build up "bleed" until you lose a large chunk of your health!
Blight	Blights are like supernatural diseases, only much, much worse.
Broken	This condition is applied to items rather than creatures
Burned	Charizard uses Flamethrower. Wild Pidgey has suffered a burn!
Burning	While burning, characters quickly lose health as their HP plummets.
Clumsy	A clumsy creature trip over itself and automatically miss more easily.
Concussion	When you get hit hard several times in a row, you can get Staggered, or even knocked out.
Cramped	A cramped creature finds it harder to act.
Dread	Build up "fear" until you are struck by debilitating debuffs.
Enraged	Creatures afflicted who are under the effect of this status effect may only target a limited number of creatures.
Frightened, Revised	An updated and more fair Frightened condition.
Guard	Can stop a set amount of damage from specific types every round
Hazed	Not quite mindless.
Headache	A pain in the head hampers your ability to focus.
Hypnotized	A powerful supernatural fascination effect, an hypnotized act as a fascinated one but is harder to bring back to sound mind.
Immobilized	The character afflicted with this condition is unable to move from the spot where he stands.
Intoxicated	When you've had one beer too many.
Maddened	The subject is overcome with confused hysteria, unable to act normally.
Mana-Burned	A mana-burned character loses control of the arcane energies inside him, causing his own spellcasting to injure him.
Migraine	Serious head pain which lasts for a long time, a more severe form of headache.
Mindbreak	Mindbreak represents the assimilation of harmful eldritch knowledge.
Numbed	A state in which a creature's motor functions are heavily impaired, and their body responds very badly to muscle commands.
Ongoing Damage	Damage that occurs over multiple rounds.
Panicked, Revised	An updated and more fair Panicked condition.
Poisoned	Being poisoned has extra effects on you
Psychosis	As a reaction to stress, or often magical manipulation, creatures can fall prey to various mental afflictions. They range from harmless quirks to devastating behavioral changes and can be difficult to remove.
Scorched	Whenever you are exposed to fire and flames you could remain burned.
Semiconscious	A semiconscious creature's actions are inhibited and it risks falling unconscious if it overexerts itself
Shaken, Revised	An updated and more fair Shaken condition.
Spellstrained	Spells cast are less potent.
Susceptible	Creature is easily affected by spells.
Tinnitus	You may not be deaf, but you have a mighty hard time hearing anything over the cacophony in your head.
Uncentered	Unable to use martial stances.
Uncomfortable	Some awkward feeling keeps you from doing as well as you otherwise should be.
Zombified	A variant of the zombie template as a condition.

Skills

Table: 3.5e Skills

Name	Description
Appraise
Attack	A skill meant to replace the Base Attack Bonus.
Craft Artifice	A Craft skill for crafting minor magic items without needing to spend a half-dozen feats.
Craft Cooking	Cooks of the world unite! Now your useless flavor ability has an actual impact!
Craft Explosives	An engineer merges knowledge gained from pyromania and trap making into making explosives., A remote detonator can be used to detonate traps and explosives up to a mile away.
Craft Xeno-	This skill allows a creature to use substances and technology not of this world. This skill is like other craft skills in that it is a conglomerate of a few different skills, each purchased separately.
Craft, Rebuilt	A rebuilt version of the SRD Craft skill.
Heal - Advanced Medical	Advanced forms of healing allow you to perform surgeries, patch wounds in an instant, determine health and vitality, and even reattach limbs.
Heal, Rebuilt	A rebuilt version of the SRD Heal ability that does not instantly negate any poison and disease anyone has and provide benefits for those with magical healing.
Knowledge Math & Physics	The knowledge devoted to mathematics and the science of movement and energy.
Knowledge Xeno	The knowledge devoted to operating technology, learning about aliens, and forbidden creatures from other dimensions.
Pactcraft	A skill that involves knowing how pact magic works, how vestiges operate, and what the vestiges are like.
Pilot	This skill allows a creature to operate a construct especially designed to be driven.
Profession Pilot	With this skill you can operate flying vehicles, and pull off all manner of tricks.
Program	A skill that involves working with computers and creatures with the Bot subtype.
Scent	Use this skill to identify objects, people, creatures, or plants by smell or identify smells carried on the wind.
Seduction	You use your sensuality and your physical assets to convince and persuade others.
Teamwork	With this skill, learn to work in a team, and to strengthen group cohesion.
Truespeech	This skill allows a creature to speak truespeech phrases and to identify such phrases and their effects.
Witchcraft

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