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Enemies

In Last Odyssey, every character that is capable of fighting the player characters in combat is called an enemy. Not every NPC is an enemy, but any NPCs that also have a set of corresponding combat statistics and give the player characters XP when they die count.

Each enemy on the battlefield has combat statistics and a set of active and passive abilities. Enemies can also take any of the basic set of actions outlined in the Combat Round subsection of the Combat Rules, with the exception of Summon Eidolon. The GM is responsible for narrating and controlling enemy behavior during battle. However, rather than simply treating a battle as a chess match between them and the players, GMs should instead play them like characters. This is especially important because learning enemy abilities and behavior is an intended part of the experience of playing Last Odyssey. Here are some principles the GM should stick to when narrating combat:

1. Provide context. Combat in Last Odyssey is an abstract representation of a fight rather than a straightforward simulation. All actions taken by participating characters should also be things that they do in the narrative. For example, rather than stating that an enemy uses the Fire Burst ability, the GM should describe its appearance.
2. Hide enemy statistics. The Scan ability and the mechanics around information assume that players will be ignorant of the current HP, MP, Shell, statistics, and abilities of an enemy unless they put effort into learning them, and thus the GM should not reveal them unless the right conditions are met.
3. Tell players what they’ve done, and what’s been done to them. GMs should tell them how much damage they are doing to enemies, what statuses have been inflicted on all characters, and how much damage they are taking.

Enemies differ from player characters in a few important ways. First, enemies begin with a Shell of their elemental type in addition to their HP. Enemies also count as their elemental type for the purpose of calculating the damage they receive. Finally, each enemy has a creature type, which is a single word that describes what kind of being it is. In the base game, there are ten creature types:

• Humans are creatures that are or are approximate to human beings.
• Constructs are creatures that were deliberately created by another being.
• Fairies are magical creatures that possess the power of charm and illusion.
• Animals are ordinary living beings that have a place in the ecosystem.
• Demons are creatures born of sin whose powers stem from corruption.
• Angels are creatures that embody virtue, and live in the heavens.
• Elementals are creatures of pure elemental power.
• Undead are creatures that were created from the reanimated souls of the dead.
• Dragons are creatures of sheer willpower that usually resemble reptiles.
• Horrors are creatures that are twisted, bent, or otherwise uncategorizable.

An enemy’s description in the Monster Manual will list their tier, their creature type, their elemental type, and whether they are Normal, Elite, or an Antagonist for the purposes of XP calculation. The header for every monster will look like this: ((XP Type) (Tier), (Creature Type), (Elemental Type)). This will then be followed by their combat statistics and their abilities.

GMs who need to fill combat encounters with enemies for their campaign should consult the following sections:

• Encounter Creation: A guide to creating and roleplaying combat encounters.
• Enemy Creation: A step-by-step process for creating custom enemies.
• Antagonists: Special enemies that move the plot forward, and can wield Anima.
• Example Enemies: Ready-made enemies to put into your game world.