Open5e API

Base URL

https://api.open5e.com

Authentication

No key or account. The API is open source and self-hostable if you would rather not depend on the public instance.

Rate limit

No rate-limit headers are returned. The content is static between publisher releases, so fetch and cache rather than querying live.

Pricing

Free and open source. The underlying content is published under open licences.

CORS

Enabled — callable directly from browser JavaScript

Official docs

Read the docs

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-21, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

curl 'https://api.open5e.com/v2/creatures/?limit=1'

const res = await fetch("https://api.open5e.com/v2/creatures/?limit=1");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

res = requests.get("https://api.open5e.com/v2/creatures/?limit=1", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

{
  "count": 3541,
  "next": "https://api.open5e.com/v2/creatures/?limit=1&page=2",
  "previous": null,
  "results": [
    {
      "key": "a5e-mm_aboleth",
      "name": "Aboleth",
      "document": {
        "name": "Monstrous Menagerie",
        "key": "a5e-mm",
        "type": "SOURCE",
        "display_name": "Monstrous Menagerie",
        "publisher": {
          "name": "EN Publishing",
          "key": "en-publishing"
        },
        "gamesystem": {
          "name": "Advanced 5th Edition",
          "key": "a5e"
        },
        "permalink": "https://enpublishingrpg.com/collections/level-up-advanced-5th-edition-a5e/products/level-up-monstrous-menagerie-a5e"
      },
      "type": {
        "name": "Aberration",
        "key": "aberration"
      },
      "size": {
        "name": "Large",
        "key": "large"
      },
      "challenge_rating": 11.0,
      "proficiency_bonus": null,
      "speed": {
        "walk": 10,
        "unit": "feet",
        "swim": 40
      },
      "speed_all": {
        "unit": "feet",
        "walk": 10,
        "crawl": 5,
        "hover": false,
        "fly": 0,
        "burrow": 0,
        "climb": 5,
        "swim": 40
      },
      "category": "Monsters",
      "subcategory": null,
      "alignment": "chaotic evil",
      "languages": {
        "as_string": "Deep Speech, telepathy 120 ft.",
        "data": [
          {
            "name": "Deep Speech",
            "key": "deep-speech",
            "desc": "Typical speakers include aboleths and cloakers. It is only spoken."
          }
        ]
      },
      "armor_class"

countinteger

Total records matching the query across all pages, not the number in `results`.

next / previousstring | null

Absolute URLs for pagination, null at the ends. Follow them rather than building page numbers by hand.

results[].keystring

Stable slug in v2, prefixed by its source — `a5e-mm_aboleth`. The v1 equivalent field is called `slug` and has no prefix.

results[].documentobject

Source provenance: `name`, `key`, `display_name`, a `publisher` object and a `gamesystem` object. Read this before assuming a record is SRD content.

results[].challenge_ratingfloat

A float, so CR 11 arrives as `11.0` and low-CR monsters as `0.25`. Format for display rather than printing raw.

results[].speed / speed_allobject

`speed` holds only the movement modes that apply plus a `unit`; `speed_all` includes every mode with zeros and a boolean `hover`. Use `speed_all` when you need a uniform shape.

results[].languagesobject

Both an `as_string` rendering for display and a `data` array of language objects for structured use.

results[].proficiency_bonusinteger | null

Null on records from systems that do not use it — a good reminder that fields vary by source document.

• Build a monster search for a virtual tabletop or DM screen
• Look up spell descriptions in a campaign companion app
• Filter encounters by challenge rating for a party of a given level
• Compare SRD and third-party versions of the same creature
• Seed a homebrew tool with openly licensed base content