Ever looked at a monster stat block and thought, "That's cool… but what if it was full of wasp parasites, haunted by Victorian metaphors, and could bend reality like a jaded demigod?" Well buckle in, because Keith Ammann—monster maestro and author of Making Enemies—is back to teach us how to create RPG nightmares smarter than your party's wizard, sneakier than a rogue with reliable talent, and more layered than a Dark Souls boss.

Buy Keith's Books

Keith Ammann's books, including The Monsters Know What They're Doing, Live to Tell the Tale, How to Defend Your Lair, and now Making Enemies, are all available through your friendly local game store or online via your favorite bookseller. Find more at themonstersknow.com—and level up every system at your table. Get your own copy of Making Enemies and start building smarter monsters today!

Support local shops first, but if they don't have it in stock? Use the affiliate link in our show notes and help us keep the show going too! Buy it here! (affiliate link)

Show Notes

The Monsters Know author Keith Ammann returns for his third masterclass to discuss his new book, Making Enemies. We explore everything from designing creatures with realistic biological traits, to metaphorical monsters rooted in culture, to how to mess with your most OP players using quirks and weaknesses. Keith breaks down monster creation for five game systems: D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2e, Cypher System, Call of Cthulhu, and Shadowdark—and why your eldritch beast might benefit from wasp logic or a cursed Victorian metaphor.

• Making Enemies (affiliate link)
• Keith Ammann
  • TheMonstersKnow.com
  • Keith's Existing Books
    • The Monsters Know What You're Doing (affiliate link)
    • Live to Tell the Tale (affiliate link)
    • MOAR The Monsters Know What You're Doing (affiliate link)
    • How to Defend Your Lair (affiliate link)
• RPGBOT.Podcast Episodes
  • KEITH AMMANN STRIKES BACK (Remastered)
  • How to Defend Your Lair with Keith Ammann
  • MOAR The Monsters Know What They're Doing with Keith Ammann

Key Takeaways

• Making Enemies works as both a practical toolkit and a design philosophy for creating smarter, more thematic monsters in tabletop RPGs—across multiple systems from D&D to Cypher.
• Keith talks about using real-world biology and evolution (think wasps, cephalopods, and parasitoids) to create monsters that defy typical humanoid/mammal tropes. It's unsettling... and that's the point.
• Monsters as metaphors: Your horrors can represent societal fears, personal anxieties, or moral dilemmas—but choose stories your table wants to confront and conquer, not retraumatize.
• Phased monsters (like Dark Souls bosses) add tactical and narrative depth—now adapted for multiple RPG systems and not just legendary D&D bosses.
• Weaknesses and Quirks: Make monsters memorable by letting players discover and exploit lore-backed vulnerabilities—not just AC and HP pools.
• Magic in Monster Design: Keith breaks down four ways monsters wield magic—spellcasting, innate magic, psionics, and reality-bending—each with different narrative implications.

Listen Back: Previous Keith Ammann Episodes

You can hear Keith talk more about monster decision-making, smart combat encounters, and defeating TPK machines like a pro in our earlier interviews:

• Masterclass #1 – The Monsters Know What They're Doing

• Masterclass #2 – How to Defend Your Lair

• Bonus – Combat Tactics, Intelligence Checks, and Mastering Boss Fights

Catch up on all Keith episodes at RPGBOT.net/podcast or wherever you get your shows.

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Meet the Hosts

• Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix.

• Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme.

• Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy.

Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos.

How to Find Us:

In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net

Tyler Kamstra

• BlueSky: @rpgbot.net
• TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET

Ash Ely

• Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games
• BlueSky: @GravenAshes
• YouTube: @ashravenmedia

Randall James

• BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG
• Amateurjack.com
• Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link)

Producer Dan

• @Lzr_illuminati