Planetary Ecologies

Building on previously posted lists of "otherworldly creatures," one can start to build ecologies for different planets in a space fantasy campaign setting. 

-Nate 

Sun-Blasted Desert Inspired by Mercury, this world orbits too close to its primary star for much of any life to exist on it. CR Monster 2 Thoqqua 7 Magma ooze 8 Shard slag

Homeworld In order to highlight the unique nature of the creatures living on other worlds, this planet should be stocked with familiar monsters from fantasy, folklore and mythology.

Cold Red Desert Based upon Mars, these selections were made both due to their aesthetic qualities and because they seemed to fit that planet's environment. CR Monster 1 Dossenus 1 Giant solifugid 2 Blindheim 2 Cave fisher 3 Ankheg 3 Grick 3 Pech 4 Aranea 4 Dust digger 4 Faceless stalker 4 Albino cave solifugid 4 Shriezyx 6 Cytillipede 6 Death worm 6 Xorn 7 Bulette 7 Remorhaz 8 Behir 11 Carnivorous crystal 12 Somalcygot 13 Azruverda

Weird World (Brown's Planet) These weird monsters, not a part of Earth folklore, instead can inhabit a world with a similar climate but a very different native population. CR Monster ½ Kasatha ½ Stirge 1 Brain mole 1 Carbuncle 1 Flumph 1 Krenshar 1 Skulk 1 Zoog 2 Axe beak 3 Digmaul 3 Pard 3 Shasalqu 3 Snallygaster 4 Decapus 4 Voonith 4 Shobhad 5 Brain mole monarch 5 Doppledrek 6 Ahuizotl 9 Auromvorax 8 Baku 8 Destrachan 8 Moonflower 9 Yrthak 12 Scitalis 15 Popobala 16 Gegenees

Frozen Geyser Moon Inspired by the moon Enceladus, all of these monsters are ones appropriate to aquatic or arctic environments, but ones that wouldn't be native to Homeworld. CR Monster ½ Grindylow 1 Echeneis 1 Reefclaw 2 Inctulis 2 Skum 2 Slurk 3 Adaro 3 Bunyip 3 Ceratioidi 4 Devilfish 4 Sea cat 5 Cecaelia 5 Grodair 5 Tizheruk 5 Tojanida 6 Karkinoi 7 Aboleth 7 Charda 7 Chuul 7 Qallupilluk 8 Iku-turso 10 Abaia 10 Siyokoy 10 Ursikka 11 Cameroceras 11 Lukwata 12 Frost worm 13 Akhlut 13 Cetus 15 Stormghost 16 Ningen

Other There creatures are either ones that inhabit the void of aetherspace, or else interstellar travelers that have been exiled from their home planets or that do business between different worlds. CR Monster ½ Kasatha ½ Reptoid 1 Akata 1 Grioth 3 Cerebric fungus 4 Otyugh 5 Brethedan 5 Mercane 6 Lunarma 6 Mi-go 6 Rhu-chalik 6 Seugathi 6 Witchwyrd 6 Xill 7 Aatheriexa 8 Intellect devourer 8 Neh-thalggu 8 Shantak 9 Yithian 10 Colour out of space 11 Moon-beast 13 Carnivorous blob 14 Body thief 14 Vemerak 14 Xanthoi 15 Neothelid 16 Oma 16 Plasma ooze 17 Bhole 18 Astral leviathan 19 Shoggoth Var. Aether elemental Var. Formians Var. Outer dragons

Deadworld This planet draws inspiration from the idea of one on which civilization once developed and flourished, but that has long since descended into degradation. These are creatures that lurk in the darkness, waiting to prey on the unwary, or that relish in death and destruction for their own sakes. CR Monster 1 Darkmantle 2 Choker 2 Morlock 4 Tentamort 5 Cloaker 7 Black pudding 7 Chaos beast 8 Gray render 8 Mihstu 9 Ahool 10 Gug 12 Athach 13 Ghorazagh Var. Lurking rays Note, too, that many different types of undead—the remains of those who originally lived here—could also be appropriate for inhabiting this world, at the GM's discretion.

Sylvan Planet Loosely inspired by Proxima Centauri, this is a world on which plant life has evolved and run amok, along with a few native sentient inhabitants. CR Monster ½ Grippli ½ Vegepygmy ½ Xtabay 1 Leaf ray 2 Boggard 2 Garden ooze 2 Slime mold 2 Tsaalgrend 2 Weedwhip 2 Yellow musk creeper 3 Phantom fungus 3 Violet fungus 4 Mandragora 4 Myceloid 4 Phycomid 5 Ascomid 5 Basidirond 5 Vodyanoi 6 Hodag 6 Shambling mound 9 Stranglereed 10 Mobogo 11 Nulmind 13 Alraune 13 Froghemoth