Help:Writing an article about a creature
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This help article needs updating for Pathfinder Second Edition. |
On PathfinderWiki, the term "creature" refers to any species, race (in Pathfinder First Edition), ancestry, or heritage (in Pathfinder Second Edition) in the Pathfinder campaign setting. Articles about a specific or named member of any species or race should have a person article, even if they are of a monstrous species, such as a dragon. For help with this, see Help:Writing an article about a person.
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Summary
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Template
Begin the article by using the {{Creature}} template. Visit that template page, copy the text from the usage box, and paste this at the beginning of your article, then fill in the blanks. The template automatically knows only to display the information that you fill in, so if you leave any of the fields blank, they simply are not displayed. See the example template for the white dragon by editing this page.
The {{Creature}} infobox template includes Source and Page parameters. Use these to cite the source of content in the infobox. If content in the infobox differs from this source, cite them using normal source citations.
Sections
There are no hard-and-fast rules on what sections should and should not exist within an article, although there is some logic to the convention that has built up with the creation of many articles about creatures. The sections for a typical playable race are different from those of a creature that serves as cannon-fodder for adventurers.
You might consider using, but are not forced to use, the following sections in your article:
- Appearance
- A physical description of the creature. Listing here coloration, body shape, size and defining features of a typical member of the species or race, as well as any variations among subspecies. If these subraces are too distinctive, though, it might be best to create a different article for each one, such as is done for dragons.
- Abilities
- Without delving into "crunch", describe the capabilities of the creature and its defining abilities. This would include special attacks and defenses, but should not present any quantifiable information that would allow someone to use these abilities without the source material.
- Ecology
- The creature's environments and behaviors, such as where and how they live. A subsection, or alternatively a standalone section, named "On Golarion" can delve into traits unique to the campaign setting, as opposed to a creature's general tendencies.
- Known examples
- If specific examples of the creature exist in the setting, this is an appropriate place to list them, along with a brief description of their characteristics. It should provide a link to the relevant person article for their full information.
In the case of a ancestry, heritage, or race rather than a species, the following sections are appropriate, though not required:
- Appearance
- Similar to the appearance section for any creature, this should describe the physical qualities of the race and their defining common features.
- Society
- For races with complex societies, describe the workings of their civilization here.
- History
- Some races have distinct histories which are separate from the general history of Golarion. Describe any major historical events or eras here.
- Religion
- If the race has specific religious beliefs, detail them here.
- Inhabitants
- Since most races will have far too many specific examples to list, simply providing a link to the related racial category should be sufficient. Feel free to link to especially prominent or iconic examples, however.
Categorization
Although the following list is not exhaustive, generally an article about a creature should be categorized according to its nature, abilities, mechanics (such as traits, creature type and subtype, and alignment), history, and status.
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The {{Creature}} infobox template, unlike many other infobox templates, does not automatically add many of these categories for you. Creatures are often too complex to accommodate automatic categories. For more information, see {{Creature}}. |
Truly unique creatures
Some creatures do not belong to a type or ancestry, or are so unusual or individually distinctive that they do not easily fit into one—they are truly one of a kind. Some examples include Spawn of Rovagug and individual kaiju. These creatures can be categorized as Category:Unique creatures.
If a creature has a name but is otherwise not significantly distinct from any race or species, see Help:Writing an article about a person.
Pathfinder First Edition
Type
Include the creature type and any subtypes. This allows for easy searching for a specific type of creature. For example, a creature with the humanoid type and the goblinoid subtype would belong in the Category:Humanoids and Category:Goblinoid subtype creatures categories.
Challenge rating
All Pathfinder First Edition creatures have a base challenge rating, and this should be noted both in the {{Creature}} template as well as through inclusion in a category. A slurk would thus be included in the Category:CR 2 creatures category.
Alignment
Include the creature in the related alignment category or categories based on its normal alignment, such as Category:Lawful evil creatures.
A creature that is aligned to an axis—for instance, one that is always evil but has no inclination toward law, neutrality, or chaos—would be included in the axis's category, such as Category:Evilly aligned creatures.
If a creature can be of any alignment, categorize it in Category:Any alignment creatures.
Environment
Be sure to include the article in a category that reflects its natural environment. An example of this would be placing the example white dragon in the Category:Cold mountain creatures category. If it has the "Any" environment descriptor, categorize it as Category:Any environment creatures.
Note that some creatures have inferred environments not explicitly described in a stat block. Inferred environments are allowed, but might be removed if a later canon source determines that such an inference isn't appropriate for that type of creature.
Template
If the article covers a template that can be applied to another creature, include it in only the categories that apply to the templated creature, not the base creature. Also, add the article to the Category:Creature templates category.
Pathfinder Second Edition
Traits
Include all traits listed for a creature in the traits parameter, using the {{2eTrait}} template. For example, a creature listed in a Pathfinder Second Edition work with the
traits would have the following traits listed in the infobox traits parameter:
| traits = {{2eTrait|Uncommon}}{{2eTrait|LN}}{{2eTrait|Humanoid}}{{2eTrait|Fey}}
The infobox automatically categorizes the creature appropriately.
If no frequency trait is listed in the source work, the creature is assumed to be common, and you should include {{2eTrait|Common}} in the infobox's traits parameter. The infobox categorizes the creature appropriately and intentionally hides the Common trait tag.
Alignment
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While the Pathfinder Remaster removed alignment from Pathfinder Second Edition mechanics, you should still include alignment when listed for people who appeared in works prior to the remaster or in Pathfinder First Edition works. |
As in Pathfinder First Edition, include the creature's alignment if listed.
Conflicts and tiered stats
Some creatures change across multiple publications, especially as Pathfinder Roleplaying Game mechanics evolve within and across editions, while some creatures have tiered statistics for different situations.
For tiered creatures, note all pertinent statistical variations (such as CR) in the infobox, and add categories for each tier. For creatures with different forms, use your best judgment, follow the examples of other articles (such as how white dragon handles juvenile and adult dragon forms, or compare how bat handles dire bats to how dire corby is handled), or ask Project:administrators or on the Discord chat for help.
Infoboxes and article content should reflect the current state of a creature, but even when content is explicitly updated to resolve a conflict, please do not delete categories related to the deprecated content. Not all visitors have access to all avenues of updates, including current books, and those categories primarily serve to help visitors discover content.
Use the {{Conflict}} template in accordance with the canon policy to note when a creature's stats or information have changed in a way that results in a direct conflict, or when a Paizo staff member explicitly describes an older mechanical description as invalid.
Creature variants
Some creatures are merely variants of another creature and can be mentioned in the same article as their primary representative. For example, a woolly rhinoceros is merely a variant of a rhinoceros.
However, such variants might require their own categories, whether for existing in another part of Golarion or for having different game mechanics and traits. Instead of adding multiple infoboxes and categorizing all variants on a single article, instead create a redirect from the variant's name to the primary article and add the appropriate categories to the redirect.
Doing this lists the variants in the appropriate creature categories, aiding in discovery and association between related subjects, while keeping the primary article's categories clearly relevant to its primary subject.
On such redirects, also add the Category:Creature redirects with functional categories category to aid in their maintenance.
Unsure about categories?
If you have written an article and are unsure about which categories to apply, or simply want your categories double checked, add Category:Please check categories by including this text at the bottom of your article in this format:
[[Category:Please check categories]]
This flags to others that the article's categories need checking or adding. We hope that, soon thereafter, another wiki member will be along to help.