Goodman Games

I plan to run a world that has no orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, etc... I've even cut the traditional zombie, skeleton, ghoul, (etc) escalation with undead. But, coming up with 100% unique monsters is a chore, so I'm working on a system of monster "classes." I don't mean PC/NPC classes in the traditional sense, but more groups of creatures. So, for instance, with undead I have:

Undead
- Mindless
- Feral
- Living Dead
- Masters

Within that context, I plan to build a little generator for each sub-group that has a range of AC bonuses, HD, attacks/damage, and some "gotcha" power or two. That way the monster is familiar but not hackneyed. Though it might represent a bit more work than the old standard list of D&D monsters, it at least gives me a starting point for monster creation. Big bosses will still be 100% unique, though I may use this system as a base.

For my campaign, I have the following monster "classes" defined: Animal, Beast, Shapeshifter, Undead, Giant, Fey, Wyrms and Demons. For demons, I'm basically going to use something similar to the old "hordling" generator from 1st edition.

It sounds a little too uniform for my liking, but I will definitely check out what you end up with. If you need ideas, James Raggi put out an excellent monster creation booklet through Goodman Games.

I don't know yet, but I doubt I will do anything radical with monsters. I like a good mix of 1 in 6 strange (unique, unprecedented and alien) monsters, 2-3 in 6 beasts and 4-6 humanoids. Humanoids should be defeatable with good tactics (they are weak, but have great numbers). Monsters will be defeatable if the players learn their weaknesses and instincts (they are tough, but single-minded). Strange monsters are only beatable if the players figure them out, and each one will require a unique approach.

But even within these general types, I think most monsters should act very differently. While they are both "beasts", giant carnivorous toads simply do not fight in the same way as pythons or mutant bumble bees, and they are not similarly susceptible to attacks.

What about DCC monster's variants? isnt that the same as "clases"?