A monster’s speed tells you how far it can move on its turn. For more information on speed, see the Player’s Handbook.
All creatures have a walking speed, simply called the monster’s speed. Creatures that have no form of ground-based locomotion have a walking speed of 0 feet.
Some creatures have one or more of the following additional movement modes.
Burrow
A monster that has a burrowing speed can use that speed to move through sand, earth, mud, or ice. A monster can’t burrow through solid rock unless it has a special trait that allows it to do so.
Climb
A monster that has a climbing speed can use all or part of its movement to move on vertical surfaces. The monster doesn’t need to spend extra movement to climb.
Fly
A monster that has a flying speed can use all or part of its movement to fly. Some monsters have the ability to hover, which makes them hard to knock out of the air (as explained in the rules on flying in the Player’s Handbook). Such a monster stops hovering when it dies.
Swim
A monster that has a swimming speed doesn’t need to spend extra movement to swim.
More Rules
Explore other rules in the same category
Size
A monster can be Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan. The Size Categories table shows how much space a …
Modifying Creatures
Despite the versatile collection of monsters in this book, you might be at a loss when it comes to finding …
Type
A monster’s type speaks to its fundamental nature. Certain spells, magic items, class features, and other effects in the game …
Tags
A monster might have one or more tags appended to its type, in parentheses. For example, an orc has the …
Alignment
A monster’s alignment provides a clue to its disposition and how it behaves in a roleplaying or combat situation. For …
Armor Class
A monster that wears armor or carries a shield has an Armor Class (AC) that takes its armor, shield, and …