The Monster Club got together to work out a system for classifying different monsters. We came up with 7 different classes, which we hope you can add to, or refine, for your own club.

Class I: Ethereal Entities

Defining Traits: Non-corporeal beings formed from spiritual, psychic, or residual energy.
Sub-types:

  • Intelligent Spirits – Ghosts with awareness; communicate through EVP, manipulation, or apparitions.
  • Residual Hauntings – Energy “recordings” replaying events on a loop.
  • Poltergeists – Chaotic energy beings; fueled by emotion or trauma.
  • Shadow Entities – Possibly interdimensional or negative human remnants.
  • Death Omens – Apparitions that foretell tragedy (e.g., banshees, phantom hitchhikers).

Ecology: Found in places charged with emotion or death. Thrive on belief, memory, and electromagnetic energy.

Danger Level: 🟡 Moderate — psychological and emotional harm more likely than physical injury.

Class II: Corporeal Cryptids

Defining Traits: Physical creatures not recognized by modern science; often linked to folklore.
Sub-types:

  • Anthropoids – Sasquatch, Skunk Ape, Yeti.
  • Aquatics – Lake monsters, Kraken, sea serpents.
  • Chimeras – Mothman, Jersey Devil, Goatman.
  • Relicts – Supposed prehistoric survivors (Thunderbirds, Megalania).

Ecology: Remote wilderness, deep waters, or isolated ecosystems.

Danger Level: 🔴 High — strong, territorial, unpredictable.

Class III: Infernal Entities

Defining Traits: Non-human intelligences, often ancient, malicious, and parasitic.
Sub-types:

  • Demons/Daemons – Spiritual predators seeking hosts.
  • Cursed Objects – Inanimate vessels holding corrupted energy.
  • Malevolent Familiars – Spirit animals or avatars of evil.

Ecology: Thrive on fear, sin, and ritual; often attached to locations or objects.

Danger Level: 🔴 Severe — can cause physical and psychological harm.

Class IV: Elemental Manifestations

Defining Traits: Spirits tied to land, water, fire, or air; ancient pre-human consciousness.
Sub-types:

  • Land Wights – Guardians of forests and mountains.
  • Water Spirits – Nøkk, kelpies, rusalki.
  • Fire/Storm Entities – Will-o’-the-wisps, lightning beasts.

Ecology: Found in undisturbed wilds or liminal natural spaces.

Danger Level: 🟠 Variable — often benign unless disrespected.

Class V: Dimensional Anomalies

Defining Traits: Beings or events that break physical reality.
Sub-types:

  • Time Slips – People or places briefly displaced in time.
  • Interdimensional Visitors – Shadow people, Men in Black.
  • Energy Parasites – Entities that feed on consciousness.

Ecology: Areas of geomagnetic fluctuation, UFO hotspots, or haunted portals.

Danger Level: 🟣 Unknown — depends on manifestation.

Class VI: Human Monsters

Defining Traits: Flesh and blood beings whose actions cross the boundary between human and monstrous.
Sub-types:

  • Occultists & Summoners – Humans who traffic with infernal or elemental forces to gain knowledge, wealth, or control.
  • Mad Scientists & Alchemists – Experimenters who twist life or death through unethical science.
  • Murderers & Serial Killers – Their violence imprints psychic energy on locations, turning crime scenes into sites of residual or intelligent hauntings.
  • Cult Leaders & Prophets – Charismatic figures who create spiritual monsters through manipulation, mass fear, or blood sacrifice.
  • The Damned – Individuals so corrupted by their own deeds that they return as restless spirits or demonic avatars.

Ecology: Found wherever greed, power, or obsession thrive. Places like laboratories, isolated towns, sacred ruins, or urban sprawl.

Danger Level: 🔴 Severe — Human cunning and malice make them unpredictable; their creations can persist beyond their lifetimes.

Class VII: Artifacts & Relics

Defining Traits: Inanimate objects that have absorbed psychic, spiritual, or infernal energy.
Sub-types:

  • Haunted Heirlooms – Jewelry, dolls, mirrors, or toys carrying emotional residue from past owners.
  • Cursed Objects – Items bound through ritual or vengeance. Possess the ability to harm, deceive, or compel.
  • Relics of Power – Artifacts linked to ancient faiths, magic systems, or forgotten technologies.
  • Spirit Vessels – Contain a trapped consciousness or summoned entity.
  • Architectural Anchors – Buildings, clocks, and furniture that hold the echo of violent events or death.

Ecology: Found in antique shops, attics, museums, and burial sites.

Danger Level: 🟠 Variable — harmless curios at first glance, but capable of triggering hauntings or possession if disturbed or mishandled.

Thanks for reading our monster blog. If you have any feedback on other classes we missed, let us know in the comments below. Take care!

Discover more from Puget Sound Monster Club

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.