monster size increase

[maniacalmojo]

So in the MM i find a table for increasing monster size and it says sometimes by hit die a monster will increase in size but for the life of me cannot find when that happens.

At what point does a monster's size increase when improving hit die?

[Thurbane]

Whenever the DM says. It is a tool for DMs to make monsters tougher opponents. There is no direct aging link to advancing hit dice.

Some rare monsters will increase hit dice under specific circumstances (such as the Barghest).
Misread the question.

[Broken Crown]

It's normally listed under the monster's individual entry, under "Advancement."

For example, the Cockatrice (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/cockatrice.htm) is normally a Small magical beast with 5 HD. They remain Small if advanced up to 8 HD. However, cockatrices with 9 to 15 HD also increase to Medium size, with the associated changes to their stats.

[maniacalmojo]

Specifically i am looking at the black bear http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Black_Bear

It says advancment 4-5 so does that mean that at Racial hit die 5+ it can become large?

Its for a companion familiar if that changes anything.

[Thurbane]

A black bear never becomes Large from HD increase. Only creatures that have a size increase listed next to HD in advancement increase in size this way.

A tiger, for instance, goes from Large to Huge at 13+ HD.

[HunterOfJello]

Based on that monster entry, a black bear will never grow to be Large in size.

Also, never use DnDwiki. It's terrible.

~~~

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/direBear.htm

The Dire Bear is an example of a monster that will increase in size once its hit die has gotten high enough. Once it hits 17 HD the size increases to Huge and the monster gains the benefits and drawbacks of that new size category.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Don't use dandwiki, most of it is unofficial/unusable made-up BS that's indiscernible from the legitimate stuff. d20srd.org (http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm) is the reliable source you should be using, and dndtools (google it) sticks to just content from official rulebooks published by WotC.

A Black Bear (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/bearBlack.htm) does not have a built-in advancement that increases its size. It's a mundane animal, based on something from the real world, and black bears in the real world don't get that big. For an example of an animal that can grow fantastically large, take a look at just about any of the Dire animals (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/direAnimal.htm).

[maniacalmojo]

oh so it list it, alright, thank you :)

[lytokk]

Also, as pointed out to me, animal companions don't increase in size due to companion HD increases. Going to try and find the link that someone showed me a little while back

*edit found it*

The druid bonus gives Bonus HD, you're not advancing the wolf via Monster Advancement. You get what's in the table, ie no size increase.

From the FAQ: When you add Hit Dice to a druid’s (or ranger’s) animal
companion as the master’s level goes up, does the animal
get any bigger? For instance, when a druid has a wolf
companion, the wolf starts out with the standard 2 Hit Dice
and is size Medium. By the time the druid is 3rd level, the
wolf has 2 bonus Hit Dice. According to the wolf entry in
the MM, an “advanced” wolf with 4 Hit Dice would be
Large. Is the example companion wolf also Large?
An animal companion doesn’t get bigger when it adds extra
Hit Dice for the master’s levels. The advancement entries for
creatures, and the rules for advancing monsters, refer to
unusually powerful specimens that are simply tougher (and
perhaps bigger) than normal for their kinds.