gurps characters gurps magic gurps dungeon … doesn't have monsters. ... racially, but what...

GURPS doesn't have monsters. That's what I keep hearing from various DF fans who bemoan the lack of a bestiary. Strictly speaking, however, this is not true. GURPS is loaded with monsters, if you know where to look for them. To just name a few:

GURPS Characters: Dragons, VampiresGURPS Magic: Zombies, Skeletons, Mummies, Wraiths, Liches, Demons, Elementals of all four varieties. Thaumatology adds even more Elementals.GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Gargoyles, Trolls, Dark Ones, Shadow Elves, giant bug people, lizard men, and many more.

Even more options exist in GURPS Fantasy (including a chapter dedicated to monsters), GURPS Banestorm (loads of racial templates), and other sources, if you care to dig around.

The problem isn't the lack of monsters, though, it's the lack of detail on these monsters. Most of these are racial templates. It's all fine and well to know what a Vampire or a Dragon is like, racially, but what sorts of skills, weapons and powers does he actually have? We have no quick-and-easy way to toss together a disposable monster to unleash on the table.

Astute veterans of GURPS will point out that we simply slap on whatever skills and such that we find appropriate and move on, but I would caution that you could do the same with racial templates themselves, that the average DF player isn't interested in wholesale world-building, but prefers some kind of quick-start guide, the equivalent for monsters what DF 1 is to dungeoneers.

So, at the request of my Dungeon Fantasy GM, I put together what follows in this thread: a list of "occupational" templates that can be quickly applied to a monster to give it a role within combat, and a large list of example monsters, ready for any dungeon.

Disclaimer

This work is insufficiently playtested.

I'm a veteran GURPS GM, running on 15 years of experience now, and I created this document for another GM, who promptly used it for his DF campaign which ran for several sessions, but not for long as campaigns are measured. My experience with it suggests that it works. However, the best of us make mistakes all the time. We mean things that we don't say. We forget a rule, or over- or underestimate player capability. I bet Kromm himself has some embarrassing stories to tell about "obvious" mistakes that only turned up after a thorough playtesting. This work has not had the kind of fisking necessary to work out all the chinks. While I'm sure further posters in this thread will help to refine it, understand that this work should be regarded cautiously and taken with a grain of salt. Consider it a work-in-progress

How This Works

Dungeon and Dragons 4e included "roles" for its monsters, a guide on how to use a monster and what sort of tactics they designed it for. This document does the same. Each role has a list of associated templates that, if applied to a racial template, should help you put together a monster ideally suited to that sort of tactic in combat. The standard templates are worth roughly 50 points, the "Greater" templates are worth 100 points, and the Epic templates are worth 150. "Core" templates are worth 50 points, and every monster should have at least one, to provide a solid basis of skills. Beyond that, no limitations or prerequisites apply (You're just making a monster, not carefully balancing a character).

Furthermore, each role has a set of "strange" templates, which represent unique powers associated with that role. Strange templates always have a power modifier. The most common power modifiers for monsters are:

• Magical: The powers can be nullified with counter-magic effects and do not work in no-mana zones • Unholy: The powers do not work in areas of High (Holy) Sanctity, and might not affect "faithful" characters • Biological: The power is always a manifestation of some interesting internal organs, which the players may harvest

after the battle. Generally, these organs provide bonuses to appropriate alchemy and invention rolls. Minion organs provide +1, Worthy organs provide a +2, and Bosses generally have multiple harvestable organs with +2.

I haven't always explicitly outlined how the templates are constructed, because I feel the average DF GM is more interested

in knowing how a monster works, rather than looking at a list of advantages and modifiers. If you want to know how I did something, feel free to ask. I bet I can still remember.

Every core template has a list of associated disadvantages, which I discuss in each section. Sometimes, these disadvantages are described beyond their normal, PC context. That's because a monstrous disadvantage that does not disadvantage the monster isn't interesting or worth mentioning. These disadvantages exist to allow players to come up with clever solutions to defeating their foe, and thus must represent real vulnerabilities. Where possible, exaggerate these weaknesses and make sure the players are aware of them.

Wait, Points? What do you mean Points?

GURPS Sages will carefully recite the hallowed mantra "don't use points when designing monsters" Dungeon Fantasy 2 itself offers this tid-bit of wisdom. Points unnecessarily slow down monster creation, and they won't necessarily balance the encounter. After all, 250 points of carefully nuanced player character is no match for 250 points of pure, distilled lethality.

However, points still have their place. While points won't necessarily balance a monster for an encounter, that's primarily because of the existence of non-combat traits (15 points of Empathy just isn't as useful in a fight as 15 points of DR or even 10 points of High Pain Threshold). Combat traits, however, tend to be fairly well balanced against one another. Thus, a 50 point combat monster should measure up nicely against another, differently designed 50 point combat monster, so points do give us nice "ball park" figures for balance. Moreover, certain advantages and aspects of the system demand points, things like summoning and shape-shifting. By noting the points involved, if a player sees a demon he likes and asks to summon it in the next adventure, the GM can swiftly give him a total Energy Cost associated with that demon, for example.

I have a few caveats regarding these point-costs, however. Monsters need to be kept simple. They don't need to worry about things like perks, and you don't have the time to worry about fatigue cost this and recharge time that. Thus, those who carefully reverse engineer my templates might discover that not everything adds up exactly to the described point value, because monsters are too simple to worry about the small change. Moreover, points do not trump good monster design. Kromm's advice on page 27 of DF 2 remains very valid and pertinent. A 250 point "worthy" monster who has 200 points of DR (DR 40 or so, more with limitations) isn't very fun to fight because you can't actually hurt it. When we design monsters, we want to create interesting fights, so consider what your players have at their disposal before you sic a particular beastie on them. If your goal is an unbeatable monster that your players cannot escape from, these rules won't prevent you from succeeding, but all you'll have really designed is a unique invitation to write up new characters. If done too often, you're really telling your players not to invest emotion into their characters or, worse, not to invest interest in your game.

In general, I have found that a minion needs only one or two templates (no more than 100 points) to be an acceptable "quick" challenge, and about 5-10 per player is enough. Worthies generally take 3 to 5 standard templates (150-250 points), and one to two per player is enough. I find bosses need at least 500 points worth of templates (often at least one epic for truly awesome fights), and you only need one per group of players.

Final Notes

Where possible, I have discarded any reference to fatigue, but when it comes to spell-casting monsters, or powers that attack fatigue, players will want to know how much fatigue a monster has. For the purpose of these rules:

• Minions have sufficient fatigue to cast one effect. Don't worry about the exact cost, they just get to cast one spell or use one fatigue-based ability.. Any fatigue damage will knock them unconscious

• Worthies have normal fatigue, but should they run out of fatigue, they automatically fall unconscious, without rolling.

• Bosses use the normal fatigue rules.

This document offers no tips or suggestions for equipment. Generally, monsters have access to items that suit their skill set: a monster with Broadsword 15 will have a broadsword, and a monster with Traps 12 will have some traps. Don't bother with minor stuff, like rations or rope, except perhaps as loot for the players. When it comes to equipment quality, don't worry about wealth and simply give the monsters whatever gear you think is suitable remembering that players will loot them after they defeat the monster. Giving a goblin minion an Very Fine Enchanted fire sword is really just handing the players a Very Fine Enchanted fire sword for free. Monsters are certainly allowed to wear armor (provided they don't have some ability that precludes it), again, with the note that players can and will loot said armor at the end of the fight.

Oh, and on a very final note, I'd like to eventually collect all this into one big downloadable PDF, but I'd need some art for that. If any of your artistically inclined folks out there wanna donate any, I won't say no :D

(Be patient with me, this involves alot of typing)

Dire BeastsSome monsters, such as the Dungeon Fantasy Dire Wolf, are really just vicious wild animals grown far too large because of the effects of strange magic or... whatever. Pedants will note that “Dire Wolves” were actually smaller than modern-day wolves, but we won't let details get in the way of our fun.

Dire Beasts gain +4 ST, +1 DR (With the Tough Skin limitation) and +1 Size Modifier. This is worth approximately as much as a standard template.

Giant Beasts gain +10 ST, +2 DR (with the tough skin limitation) and +2 Size Modifier. This is worth approximately as much as a Greater template.

KillersMonsters are lethal. They have long claws, sharp fangs, dangerous spines and the touch of death. People fear monsters because monsters murder, and Killers epitomize this fact. Whether they are knife-wielding assassins or marauding berserkers, these monsters focus on dealing damage.

The primary stats for a Killer are his Strength and Dexterity. This makes Killers surprisingly well-rounded fighters. Their high Strength grants them plenty of damage to defeat a foe, and plenty of HP to survive his counter attack. His higher Dexterity allows him to both evade attacks and to ensure his own attacks land home. Killers focus primarily on melee combat, wading into the players and attempting to inflict as much damage as possible, representing a very clear threat to everyone.

When using Killers, be careful that they don't overwhelm the players too quickly. Because of their high damage and accurate attacks, Killers bring with them the very real possibility of a PC death (and, in fact, this occurred during one of our practice fights). Killer Bosses, in particular, can be extremely lethal. On the flip side, they're not as tough or as agile as other monsters, and their lack of solid defenses often means that if they do not overwhelm the players, the players will defeat them quickly.

Attributes: ST +1 [10], DX +1 [20]

Advantages: Choose either Combat Reflexes [15] or +1 ST and +1 Striking Strength for [15]

Disadvantages: Choose one of the following: Bad Temper (12), Berserk (12), Bestial, Bloodlust(12), Bully(12), Easy to Read, Life Bane, Obsession (Killing members of a particular race or religion), all [-10]

Skills: Choose one of the following packages:

• Brawl at DX+5 [16] • Brawl at DX+3 [8] and one of the following: Knife at DX+3 [8] or Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Two-Handed

Axe/Mace, Two-handed Sword or Wrestling at DX+2 [8] or Flail or Two-Handed Flail at DX+1[8]

Notes: Most Killers should generally take Combat Reflexes unless they already have it as part of a racial template. Killers with Bad Temper must always test to resist rushing the first hero to insult them or call them out.Berserk Killers should always use All-Out Attacks.Bestial Killers only kill when hungry and can easily be distracted with some spare meat or the player can negotiate with them with an Animal Handling roll.Killers with Bloodlust operate more like they have a "Murder addition." Theyshould always stop to finish someone off, especially their own fallen allies (With players, they might prefer to kidnap them and “finish them off later, when they can enjoy it”). He must roll to keep from killing his own off if he has nothing to do.

Bully Killers must roll to resist the temptation to mistreat andgenerally alienate allies on his own side. Players can easily trick them into turning on their own. Easy to Read Killer wear their lethality on their sleeve, and suffer a -4to trick delvers into thinking they're going to do something else. If the monster is the sort that wouldn't try to trick the delvers anyway, he suffers a -4 to feintattempts as well. Life Bane Killers always give away their presence with dead plants or dark vibes. In addition to the +2 to detect their presence, even Delvers who aren't actively looking for a stealthy target should get a roll to detect their presence. Obsessed Killers always target their obsession first. They'll disregard anyone that isn't part of their obsession until they've finished off their favored foes first.

Additional Killer Templates

Elegant KillersElegant Killers use high DX and skill to slide past their opponent's defenses. They typically use more tact and cunning than most of their Killer brethren, often using Feints and Deceptive attacks to breach a foe's skilled defense.

Attributes: DX +2 [40]

Skills: Increase weapon skill or Brawl by +2 [8], or alternatively, replace weapon skill with Polearm or Shortsword at DX+4 [16], Brawl with Karate at DX+3 [16] (or DX+5 if Brawl was your only combat skill), or Wrestling with Judo DX+3 [16]

Greater Elegant Killers Greater Elegant Killers resemble their Elegant Killer kin, but have completely mastered the use of a particular weapon. This template includes the Elegant Killer Template.

Attributes: DX+2 [40]

Advantages: Choose either Weapon Master (Single Weapon) [20] or increase DX by +1 [20]

Skills: Increase weapon skill or Brawl by +8 [32], or replace weapon skill with Polearm or Shortsword at DX+10 [48], Brawl with Karate at DX+9[48], or Wrestling with Judo at DX+9[48]

Swift Killers Swift killers use speed over power to kill their opponents as quickly as possible. They often blur into a pack of enemies, slashing wildly. Multi-armed creatures make for good Swift Killers Their Extra Attack means they get a minimum of two attacks every turn. For All-Out Attacks or Rapid Attacks, only increase total available attacks by 1.

Secondary Attributes: Basic Speed +1 [20]

Advantages: Extra Attack (Multi-strike) [30]

Greater Swift Killers Greater Swift Killers expand on their speed to supernatural proportions, killing their foes before they can even act. This template includes the Swift Killer template. A Greater Swift Killer's Accelerated Time Rate allows him to gain 10 seconds where he has two turns for every second that passes. He may only activate this ability once during a fight.

Secondary Attributes: Basic Speed +2 [40]

Advantages: Extra Attack (Multi-Strike) [30], Accelerated Time Rate (Maximum Duration 10 seconds -75%) [25]

Power KillersPower Killers sacrifice their speed and grace in favor of making devastating attacks. Power Blow requires several turns to activate and costs 1 fatigue (so minion Power Killers may only use it once), but once it hits, it doubles the Killers ST for the purposes of damage.

Attributes: ST +4 [40]

Secondary Attributes: Basic Speed -0.5 [-10]

Skills: Power Blow Will+4 [20]

Greater Power Killers Greater Power Killers merely expand upon the skill and capability of their Power Killer brethren, gaining sufficient skill in Power Blow to activate it instantly. This template includes the Power Killer template.

Attributes: ST +6 [60]

Secondary Attributes: Basic Speed -0.5 [-10]

Skills: Power Blow Will+10 [44]

Strange Killers Magical, mutant or unholy Killers display deadly attacks when their weapon or hand connects with their foe. They may only use their strange attack 3 times in a fight, and it always requires a successful melee attack (declared before hand). If a Strange Killer chooses to take a second, Alternate Attack as part of his package, he may only use both of his attacks a total of 3 times.

Advantages: Choose one power below.

Skills: Either increase Brawl or a weapon skill by +2 [8], or gain a second power as an alternate ability [8]

Special Powers: Choose one of the following:

• Burning Touch: The killer ignites his target in a fiery attack. Ideal for sheer damage. Inflict 3d Burning damage on a successful blow, and Follow-Up immediately with 2d Burning, which further cycles every turn for the next 3 seconds.

• Icy Touch: The killer freezes his foe in place. Ideal for eliminating lesser Delvers from the fight. Inflict 2d Freezing Fatigue damage, and the target must roll HT (with a penalty equal to the damage inflicted) or be Paralyzed for the remainder of the fight. This paralysis might be removed with a careful thawing.

• Flaying Touch: The killer rends skin and sends fire coursing along nerves in this devastating attack. Ideal for weakening a strong foe. Inflict 3d Impaling damage, and the target must roll HT (with a penalty equal to the damage inflicted) or suffer Terrible Pain (-6) for the remainder of the battle.

• Corrupting Touch: The killer imparts a lethal disease, poison, or simply a entropic energy that slowly dissolves the target. Ideal for scaring players after the fight is finished, and forcing them to come up with solutions. Inflict 4d toxic damage and the target must make a HT roll or suffer an immediate Follow Up of 2d toxic damage, that also cycles every minute for the next ten minutes. Depending on the nature of the attack, Cure Disease, Neutralize Poison or simple Esoteric Healing (either Druid or Holy) will purge the victim of the taint that besets him.

StalkersMonsters are sneaky. They don't play by the rules everyone else plays. Instead, they hide in the dark with their snatching claws, lurk behind walls or scuttle across ceilings. They move swiftly and grab what they want, harrying heroes before racing away to hide once more. These monsters focus on stealth, mobility and battlefield control.

The primary statistic for a Stalker is his Dexterity. Agile, swift and mobile, they use their high dexterity and basic move to stay out of the reach of the adventurers, often attacking with ranged weapons, or using their superior stealth to slip around behind adventurers and ambush them. In a stand-up fight, though, they don't usually fair so well, so Stalkers work best when they use the terrain to their advantage.

Stalkers have two flaws. Poorly equipped players may find themselves constantly outmaneuvered, unable to mount an

effective defense to such a fluid enemy. Stalkers might be a bad match for slow-moving, primarily melee characters, unless you want to make a point about the importance of maneuverability. On the other hand, Stalkers don't fare well when the player's finally pin them down, so you have to place them in positions that will suit their talents: wide open areas with plenty of hiding places or strange terrain that they are well-suited for. Remember, including Stalkers in your encounters changes the rules of engagement from a straight up brawl to one of mobility and awareness.

Stalkers generally work best as minions, which suits the stalker stereotype of a cowardly, sneaky beast that dies easily when you pin it down. Worthy or Boss stalkers tend to work best as "assassins."

Also, remember that creatures with a move higher than 10 get a step of 2 or more.


Secondary Attributes: Perception +1 [5]

Advantages: Night Vision 3 [3]

Disadvantages: One of HT-1, Will -2, Bad Smell, Cowardice, Dread (Light), Easy to Kill -5, Fearfulness -5, Loner (6, -4), Low Pain Threshold, Paranoia all at [-10]

Skills: Stealth at DX+2 [8], and one of the following packages:• Brawl DX+2 [4] • Knife DX+2 [4], or Shortsword or Spear at DX+1 [4] • Both Knife DX+1 [2] and Thrown Weapon (Knife) DX+1 [2] or both Spear or Axe/Mace DX [2] and Thrown

Weapon (Spear or Axe/Mace) DX+1 [2] • Bow or Sling, both DX [4] • Innate Attack, DX+2 [4]

Stalkers should only take Innate Attack if you plan on giving them a Strange template. Smelly Stalkers can be detected by anyone with a good nose (and automatically fail any Stealth rolls against someone with Discriminatory Smell). Cowardly Stalkers should do everything they can to avoid a direct conflict with the heroes. Harrying them from a distance is fine, but they'll run the instant the heroes close in. Furthermore, they suffer a -2 to Fear checks. Stalkers with Dread will avoid bright light, and cower (rather than fight) should they be trapped in a sudden blaze of light. Optionally, you can instead inflict a -2 or -4 penalty on all their rolls while in bright light. Easy to Kill is only appropriate to Stalker Bosses. Loner Stalkers suffer from Bad Tempers whenever they are around lots of other monsters, and must roll to keep from violently lashing out at them. Low Pain Threshold is not appropriate for minion Stalkers. Paranoid Stalker must roll to avoid believing anything dark and malicious said about their comrades, and generally prefer to fight alone. They can be turned against their own with some successful trickery (or good Fast-Talk rolls)

Additional Stalker Templates

Cunning StalkersCunning Stalkers defeat their foes with their intellect and traps rather than direct confrontation. Before the fight, consider secretly rolling Tactics to allow the Stalkers to know and exploit one of the party's weaknesses, and consider allowing the Stalker to roll traps to set up a trap of their own (or two!). Beyond that, their main asset is their ability to see through the delvers' trickery.

Attributes: IQ +1 [20]


Skills: Tactics IQ+3 [12], Traps IQ+2 [8]

Swift Stalkers

Swift Stalkers rely on mobility and use their terrain to the best of their advantage. Swift Stalkers are, in fact, a wide category of various subsets. Some Swift Stalkers are quick swimmers or deft climbers or race through tree branches to avoid their foes. Make sure you have some interesting terrain to give them the most of their advantages.


Secondary Attributes: Move +2 [10]

Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15], Surefooted (Choose one) [1]

Skills: Choose one of the following: Swimming HT+2 [4], Acrobatics DX [4], or Climbing DX+1 [4]

Assassin StalkerA Stalker's Stalker, the Assassin Stalker uses stealth and combat skill to his greatest advantage, slipping behind his foes and eliminating them ruthlessly. As all Assassin Stalkers have access to the poison skill, consider allowing them to slather their blades or arrows with some deadly poison. Worthy or Boss Assassin Stalkers often carry a spare vial of poison on them that the heroes can loot.



Advantages: Silence 2 [10]

Skills: Increase Stealth by +1 [4] and one weapon skill by +2 [8]. Gain Poison at IQ [2]

Greater Assassin StalkerTruly deadly Assassin Stalkers perfect their already considerable stealth and become nearly as proficient with their weapon as most Killers are, making him a terror in his own right. This template includes the Assassin Stalker template:



Advantages: Silence 2 [10]

Skills: Increase Stealth by +4 [16] and one weapon skill by +5 [20]. Gain Poison at IQ [2]

Strange StalkersMagical, mutant and unholy stalkers can manipulate their environment in strange fashions or unleash terrible blasts upon their foes.

Special Powers: Choose on of the following powers

• Shadow Casting: These creepy Stalkers drag shadows around them to deepen the darkness, where they feel most comfortable. Inflict darkness on an area up to 32 yards around the Stalker (generally, an entire room), enough to inflict a -4 on all rolls regarding vision. Replace Nightvision with Dark Vision

• Blink: The Stalker vanishes from one point and arrives at another in an instant. The Stalker may use Warp to a distance of up to 10 yards up to 3 times a day. He gains +6 to his roll, but for practical purposes, he should spend 1 turn concentrating, and then assume a success.

• Invisibility: The stalker vanishes from view! He has Invisibility, which he may switch on and off automatically, and allows him to carry up to Light Encumbrance.

• Thorny Blast: The stalker snipes his foes with poisoned darts. The attack has Acc 3 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1. On a hit, inflict 3d Impaling damage and the target makes a HT roll with a penalty equal to the damage dealt. Failure Stuns the target and inflicts 1d toxic damage for the next 3 seconds.

• Fire Blast: The stalker unleashes an explosive blast of fire! The attack has Acc 3 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1. On a hit, inflict 5d Burning damage. Everyone within 1 yard of the target takes 2d burning damage, and everyone within

2 yards of the target takes 1d burning damage. Even on a miss, the target might take some burning damage from the explosion (Roll for scatter).

• Storm Casting: The stalker summons wind and lightning to buffet and blast his targets. The attack has Acc 3 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1. On a hit, inflict either 6d(2) Burning damage with the Surge modifier, or inflict 2 yards of Knockback if you successfully roll higher than the target's ST-2 on 3d6 (4 yards if you double his ST). Note that the air blast is mainly useful to position targets.

TrickstersMonsters are deceptive. They wear human skins and walk among men. They seduce, lie, cheat, steal and always have some trick hidden up their sleeve. Only a fool would trust a monster, and yet some monsters are so capable, so cunning, that people find themselves falling for their lies anyway. These monsters focus on supporting other monsters, social skills and defeating their foes via non-combat tactics.

Tricksters focus on IQ as their primary attribute. As a result, they often lack the raw, physical power of other monsters. They tend to make up for this by supporting other monsters in battle, or finding a way to engage the players outside of typical combat, such as disguising themselves as a helpless maiden, or dazzling the characters with Awe or Terror.

Ideal Tricksters tend to be worthies or, better, bosses who force the players to deal with their foe in an unusual manner. Unlike most other monsters, they're quite happy to negotiate, and quite good at it as well. If the players choose not to play the Trickster's game, the fight can be over very quickly, so you should have some back up ideas in case the players just ignore the beast's honeyed words and just attack. Generally, this involves either some convoluted trickery (the monster is at the far end of a very acoustic labyrinth), making the Trickster enormously powerful in combat by adding other templates (motivating the players to play the Trickster's games rather than fight him), or including additional monsters under the Trickster's command. Combat-obsessed delver groups might not appreciate the finer points of a Trickster, but a party who enjoys talking to monsters, especially a party with social characters like Bards, will appreciate the challenge more.


Advantages: One of Empathy, Will +3 or Perception +3 [15]

Disadvantages: One of Compulsive Lying (12), Overconfidence and Impulsive; Lecherousness; Sadism; Trickster; Vow (Harm none who can answer my riddles); All [-15]

Skills: One of Brawl or Knife at DX+1 [2], Rapier, Smallsword, Shortsword, Staff or Broadsword at DX [2]; One of Acting or Fast Talk at IQ+2 [8], Sex Appeal at HT+2 [8] or Intimidation at Will+2 [8]

Notes: Overconfident and Impulsive Tricksters always assume that they can handle the heroes. Unlike the rest of their Trickster kin, they don't spend time plotting, but merely leap into the fray to test their wits. They should never be allowed to plan in advance. Lecherous Tricksters can easily be persuaded or distracted by attractive members of the opposite sex, and will often seek to kidnap or befriend said characters. Naturally, Lecherous Tricksters are attracted to any Attractive delver, regardless of race. Sadistic Tricksters have to attempt kidnapping, rather than kill, their prey and then monologue endlessly while they torture and tease their prey (often loudly, giving the players a chance to recover their missing party member). Trickster Tricksters focus on non-violent pranks over actual combat, and might prefer to create convoluted puzzles to confound the players, and admit defeat when the puzzle is solved. Finally Tricksters with the Vow (Harm none who can answer my riddles) must attempt to riddle with the players before going into combat with them. Successfully “outriddling” such a trickster effectively defeats him.

Additional Trickster Templates

Clever TricksterClever Tricksters are broadly useful, more capable in combat and adept at social skills. They tend to be deceptive, but often focus more on warfare than pure trickery. They make excellent leaders for lesser monsters. With their tactics, you should give patient Tricksters a chance to “plan ahead” and exploit the weaknesses of heroes. With their Psychology, consider letting them know the emotional weaknesses of a player, and play off of them. With Leadership, consider letting them roll to

overcome the mental disadvantages of other monsters and bring them together to defeat the delvers. As with Cunning Stalkers, consider allowing Clever Tricksters a roll ahead of time to discover and exploit a player's weakness, and a roll ahead of time to establish some traps.


Skills: Tactics IQ-1 {2}, Traps IQ [2], your choice of +1 to Fast Talk or Acting, or gain either Leadership or Psychology at IQ+1 [4]. Finally, Add +1 to a single combat skill [2].

Luscious TricksterSome monsters are just plain sexy. Even relatively ugly monsters can be gorgeous if they turn out to be Luscious Tricksters. The Luscious Trickster uses her (it's usually a her, but doesn't have to be) beauty to disarm the players, often posing as a victim or a damsel, or simply offering them a night in her bed, before striking. If that doesn't work, she hammers them with Awe.

When applying this template to a normally ugly monster, disregard that monster's ugliness.

Advantages: Beautiful (Universal +25%) [15], Awe [30]

Skills: Increase Sex Appeal by +1 [4] (But remember that her Beauty gives her an additonal +3)

Nightmarish TricksterThe opposite of the Luscious Trickster, the Nightmarish Trickster revels in his monstrosity. He is the mind-numbing terror that makes the weak-minded go still. He still prefers to talk, but from the position of strength that his chilling visage brings. Most Nightmarish Tricksters are Impressive, but you can ignore that advantage for an ugly species, and instead improve the Terror to a -2 to rolls, if you wish.

Advantages: Attractive (Impressive, Universal) [5], Terror (-1 to Fright Check) [40]

Skills: Increase Intimidation by +1 [4] (But don't forget to add the bonus from Impressive Looks for an addition +1)

Strange TrickstersMore than any other type of monsters, Tricksters are likely to exhibit strange abilities. Magical, mutant or unholy tricksters can deceive the senses, the mind, or even hoodwink fate.

Special Powers: Choose one of the following:• Hypnotic Voice/Eyes: 3 times per day, the Trickster can attempt to control the mind of another who can hear his

voice or sees his eyes (Choose one when taking this power). This is Mind Control. Concentrate, and then roll IQ +2 vs the Target's will. If the Trickster wins, he can control his target for one minute per point he won the quick contest by. Incapacitation or forcing the target to do something they would not (such as violating a Sense of Duty) forces another Quick Contest. Furthermore, the Hypnotic Trickster gains +1 to IQ for [20] points.

• Dream-Weaving: You can manipulate what others think they see and hear. After concentrating, roll IQ+2 vs the target's will. Success allows you to control what they see and hear. Your illusions may be anything, but they cannot directly harm the target (an illusion of an arrow striking him does no damage), and they still have control over their body. They can always choose to ignore what they see and hear and “fight blind.” Thus, most Tricksters choose to create subtle illusions, so the target doesn't realize he's being tricked

• Mimic: The Trickster can change its form to imitate what it sees. By spending a turn concentrating, it can shifts its form to match whatever it can see (in general terms: if it sees humans, it can choose to exactly mimic the humans it sees, or it can choose to become a general human). It gains none of the powers of the creature it changed into. It must retain its mass and it can only change into other “animals,” but it may appear to be any creature it sees otherwise.

• Luck Shifter: The Trickster can rewrite chance to a limited degree. Once per 30 minutes of game play, it may force any roll (its own or others made it its presence) to be rerolled twice, and it chooses the roll it likes the most. It can use this to force others to fail, or to force itself to succeed. It may not use its power against a very specific subset of people (for example, people that know its name, or people wearing the color blue, etc). Determine this limitation ahead of time.

BrutesMonsters are tough. They ignore the lesser blows of mortal men, armored in plates of demonic steel, slabs of greasy flesh or alien carapaces. Even if you do kill them, they just rise from the grave, hungry for flesh and revenge. Only the blessed blade of heroes can hope to defeat these monsters.

Brutes focus on Strength and Health as their primary attributes. This makes them extraordinarily tough fighters who can be dangerous as well, making them vital for a "tanking" role, acting as a living wall of meat for their monstrous allies. In general, they simply wade into battle and harry the delvers, forcing them to pay attention to them while other, less durable monsters are free from danger. Brutes have more than just physical durability, however. They're often treated with mental and spiritual durability as well, making them tough on spell caster and social characters too.

Brutes make for poor minions, for obvious reasons. As worthies, Brutes do what they can to distract the players, and work well if they are dangerous, but if the players can ignore them to go after more interesting targets, then the Brute has failed in his defensive role. Design him accordingly. Brute Bosses make excellent adversaries, however, as their durability forces the players to problem-solve if they want to defeat him.

Advantages: ST +1 [10], HT +1 [10]

Secondary Attributes: HP +4 [8], Will +2[10]

Advantages: High Pain Threshold [10], +1 ST [10] or +1 HT [10]

Disadvantages: Choose one of Perception -2, Berserker, Bestial, Sense of Duty (A specific group of monsters or followers of a Religion), Gullibility (12), Gluttony (6), Vow (To Defend a particular spot eternally) or Vulnerability (x2 damage from a Rare substance, defaults to Silver) all worth [-10]

Skills: One of the following packages:• Brawling DX+2 [4] and Wrestling DX+2 [8] • Wrestling DX+1 [4] and one of the following weapon skills: Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Staff, Spear, Two-Handed

Axe/Mace, Two-Handed Sword at DX+2 [8] • Shield DX+2 [4] and one of the following weapon skills: Broadsword, Axe/Mace, Spear at DX+2 [8]

Notes: While this and all the other templates lists odd hit point values, when your final values are determined, consider rounding to the nearest 5 for ease of dealing with the huge Brute HP totals. Remember the rules of High HP and Shock (419) and High HP and Natural Recovery (424), as Brutes will often enjoy those benefits.Berserk and Bestial Brutes behave much like their Killer counterparts. Dutiful Brutes go out of their way to protect their kin and can easily be persuaded or negotiated with if it becomes clear that the heroes will kill everyone the Brute intends to protect. Gluttonous Brutes must roll to resist their disadvantage if, while negotiating, they are offered food. Brutes with a Vow will never consciously leave the side of the thing they have vowed to protect, and no negotiation is possible. However, players can generally avoid them by avoiding the protected item. Finally Vulnerable Brutes provide an opprotunity for players to get around their huge defenses more easily. The vulnerability can be anything rare, but silver is the default, because “silver weapons” are synonymous with attacking monstrous vulnerabilities. However, you may use something else similarly appropriate.

Additional Brute Templates

Graceful BruteWhile many Brutes rely on their sheer HP totals to get them through their fights, the Graceful Brute prefers to rely on his speed and skill to prevent injury to himself. They force players to use Feints and Deceptive attacks to get past his solid parries and dodges.


Advantages: Combat Reflexes or Enhanced Dodge [15], Enhanced Parry (One Melee Weapon) +2 or Enhanced Block (Shield) +2 [10]

Skills: Increase one Weapon Skill, Brawl or Shield by +1 [4]

Greater Graceful BruteThis Brute has honed its skill with a weapon to complete perfection, creating a wall of flashing steel that keeps any foe at bay, and allows him to slip past the defenses of unprepared foes. This template includes the Graceful Brute template.


Advantages: Combat Reflexes or Enhanced Dodge [15], Enhanced Parry (One Melee Weapon) +2 or Enhanced Block (Shield) +2 [10]

Skills: Increase one Weapon Skill, Brawl or Shield by +7 [28]

Hardy BruteThe Brute's Brute. The Hardy Brute is just tougher than everyone else, with more hit points than any single monster has the right to. They lack elegance, charging forward and letting their massive meat-bodies absorb all damage.

Attributes: ST+1 [10], HT +1 [10]

Secondary Attributes: HP +12 [24]

Advantages: Damage Resistance 2 (Tough Skin -40%) [6]

Greater Hardy BruteEven tougher than his Hardy Brute kin, almost nothing can put a Greater Hardy Brute down. Ideal for absurdly tough Bosses. This template includes the Hardy Brute

Attributes: ST +2 [20], HT +2 [20]

Secondary Attributes: HP +16 [32]

Advantages: Damage Resistance 5 (Tough Skin -40%) [15], Hard to Kill +3 [6]

Stolid BruteNot all fights are about HP or Parry values. Sometimes the battle is won by a resistance to any and all influence attempts. The Stolid Brute focuses tirelessly on the goal at hand, never wavering.

Secondary Attributes: Will +4 [20]

Advantages: Indomitable [15], Unfazeable [15]

Mana Breaker BruteLike the Stolid Brute, the Mana Breaker focuses on something other than physical durability. In his case, spiritual durability, resisting the powers of mages and clerics alike.

Advantages: HT +2 [20]

Secondary Attributes: Will +4 [20]

Advantages: Magic Resistance +5 [10]

Strange Brutes

Magical, mutant or unholy Brutes display unnatural tenacity and hardiness, forcing the players to problem solve on how best to defeat such a monstrosity. Each Strange Brute, in addition to the Power Modifier, has a vulnerability that heroes can exploit.

Disadvantages: Choose either Vulnerability (Rare (Default: Silver), x2) or Increase current Vulnerability to (Rare, x4) or (Occasional, x2). Occasional Vulnerabilities might include: Magical Weapons, non-magical weapons, steel, wood.

Special Powers: Choose one of the Following

• Vampiric Aura: Everyone within a 2 yard radius of the Brute loses 1 HP per turn, which increases the Brutes HP by a similar amount.

• Invulnerability: Choose one type of damage or one broad weapon type (Steel, Wood, Cutting Damage, Crushing Damage, Impaling Damage). The Brute gains +4 DR vs that damage type, and any remaining damage is reduced to one-fourth before it is applied to the Brute's HP.

• Pain Aura: Everyone within 2 yards of the Brute must roll HT or be wracked by Terrible Pain (-6). This pain lasts for 1 minute, or until the Brute is killed

• Greater Armor: The Brute is sheathed in powerful armor (a magical shield, a potent carapace, runic platemail). It prevents him from wearing any additional armor, but grants a DR of 20.

• Regeneration: The Brute focuses his inner energies and unleashes enormous healing potential, his flesh knitting before the eyes of the Delver. It grants him 10 seconds of Extreme Regeneration (requires 1 turn of concentration, 3 uses per day), and an additional +10 HP.

CastersWhile not in the first version of my monster book, we quickly discovered that you must have magical monsters in a dungeon fantasy game, and so I put together some Caster templates.

Like Tricksters, Casters focus on IQ, but where Tricksters are leaders and social characters, Casters focus entirely on scholarly pursuits and magic spells. Casters are well suited for warlocks, liches, witches, cultists and demi-gods. They perform the same basic roles that casters do in a party: the harry the enemy, support and heal their allies, and cast powerful attack spells.

The primary problem with casters is that they are hard for the GM to track. They have many spells, they must spend turns casting and track fatigue. As a result, I recommend having no more than one or two casters per encounter, simply for your own sanity! In general, I offer the option of taking Wild Car Spell Colleges, and I recommend you take it. It's not necessarily well balanced, but it's alot easier to note that a monster has Fire Magic! at 16 than it is to list his various and sundry fire spells. If you choose to use Caster minions, remember that each can cast one spell once, and that's it. No worrying about Fatigue.

I have a table of "quick references" for common spells that monstrous casters might use, including page numbers (not the actual effects: gotta by the Magic book for that :P), a prerequisite count (for use with the Wild Card Magic), which I might post at the end, provided I have time.

Attributes: IQ+1 [20]

Secondary Attributes: Fatigue +2 [6]

Advantages: Choose one of the following• Magery +1 [15] (Or, if your race begins with Magery 0+, gain +1 Magery and +1 Will) • Clerical Investment [5] and Power Investiture 1 (Holy or Unholy) [10] • Perception +1 [5] and Power Investiture 1 (Druid) [10]

Disadvantages: Choose one of: ST -1, Bully (12), Cowardice (12), Dread (Holy Symbols, 1 yard), Easy to Read, Frightens Animals, Life Bane, Megalomania, Paranoia, or Phantom Voices (Disturbing), all worth [-10]

Skills: Choose one of Innate Attack or Knife, both at DX+2 [4] or Staff at DX+1 [4]; Choose one of Occultism at IQ+1[4]

or Theology at IQ [4]

Spells: Choose twelve spells at IQ-1* for [1] each, or choose one Spell College! Skill at IQ* for [12]

Notes: Casters can resemble Wizards, Clerics or Druids when it comes to their magic, and generally learn equivalent spells. They have a wide assortment of disadvantages available to them, many of which have already been discussed or need no further explanations. Easy to Read Casters suffer -4 to all rolls to try to trick the delvers, or to resist any attempts to discern his real motives or interests. Casters that Dread Holy Symbols will not willingly approach within a yard of one (cheap holy symbols work, improvised do not). Megalomaniacal Casters behave exactly as you might expect they would.

Additional Caster Templates

ArchcasterMore advanced casters often bury their noses into books or spend all their time praying to their dark god, and thus master the fine art of their magic. These casters have high skill levels, or very broad powers, providing them with numerous options in a fight. You may take this template repeatedly.


Advantages: Magery +1 or Power Investiture +1 (Holy, Unholy, Druid) [10]

Skills: +2 to Innate Attack, Staff, Knife, Occultism or Theology[8]

Spells: 12 points divided among spells, +1 to Spell College!, or gain a new Spell College! At IQ+1* [12]

Power CasterSome casters are innately powerful. They bear the gift of their dark god, or magic burns bright in their dark, twisted soul. While these casters lack the proficiency of their Archcaster cousins, they more than make up for it in sheer power. Their enormous fatigue reserves allows them to cast the more powerful of spells more often, thus laying waste to the party with sheer, brute spiritual might. You may take this template repeatedly.

Secondary Attributes: Fatigue +10 [30]

Skills: +2 to Innate Attack, Staff, Knife, Occultism or Theology[8]

Spells: 12 points divided among spells, +1 to Spell College!, or gain a new Spell College! At IQ+1* [12]

Wild CasterSome casters use their magic innately, calling on their ancestral heritage or the very power of the air in their lungs and the ground beneath their feet. Three times per session, they may cast any single spell, regardless of prerequisites or capability, by rolling IQ + Magery. They must still pay the appropriate energy costs and spend the appropriate time casting. You may take this template repeatedly, each time adding three more uses. This template is ideally suited to magic users whose spell lists the GM doesn't want to work out ahead of time, merely casting "whatever is appropriate."

Advantages: Wild Talent 3 (Magic Spells only -20%) [48]

Blood CasterBlood Casters have a special pact with their dark god, or have unlocked malicious, necromantic secrets that allow them to power their magic with the souls of the recently slain. Either way, once per session, if they kill one of their own comrades in a gruesome, ritual fashion (generally fodder), they instantly gain 25 fatigue that they may use to power a single spell. You may take this template repeatedly, each time adding an additional (unique, non-stackable) use of the sacrificial power. This sort of caster is ideal for scaring the crap out of the players with vast displays of power, but also gives them a chance to prevent the caster from unleashing his enormous spell by stopping him from killing a minion.

Secondary Attributes: +25 Fatigue (Once per day (Usable for one spell) -40%, Requires a sacrificed minion -10%) [50]

Epic MonstersSome monsters are well and truly beyond the run of the mill horror that stalks the land of Dungeon Fantasy. You can't just run up to them and hit them over and over with your sword until they die. They're beyond that. Space and time are toys in their hands. They are immortal, god-like, unkillable. Facing an Epic Monster is the sort of deed that men record of in their legends and myths.

Be warned: These Epic templates are designed to make the monster "unbeatable." They force the players to "think outside the box" and approach the battle in some round-about way. Use these templates sparingly. Orcs and goblins should never be epic, but dragons and elder gods usually are. Epic Templates work best with bosses, but certain amazing worthies might be Epic too. I can't fathom an epic Minion. The very thought terrifies me.

Epic Destruction

The greatest of monsters kill with as little as a touch or a glance. Often, their foes don't even know what killed them. Whether it's the Gorgon's stony gaze or the Reaper's icy tough, facing a monster with these powers is to face the certainty of death.

When using monsters with Epic Destruction powers, understand that you bring to the table the very real possibility that a player character will die. He'll slip up, or he'll fail to kill the monster in time, or he'll do something stupid in a battle with no margin for error. Be prepared to either accept the consequences of that, or have some plans established that will let the players live without diminishing the threat of the epic monster you have so carefully crafted.

In addition to being extremely deadly, Epic Destruction powers change the face of the battlefield. They force the players to fight in new ways or under new circumstances. This is the real purpose of the Epic Destruction powers (and really all of the Epic Powers): to force the players to approach the situation in a novel fashion.

• Stone Visage: Any who look upon the face of the monster must instantly roll HT or turn to stone. Mechanically, being stoned is identical to being in a coma: Your character cannot move or act until he is “healed” either by a Stone to Flesh spell, or by having the “Curse Dispelled” or having his statue returned a place of healing. A statue weighs twice as much as the original person did, for the intents of encumbrance. You can look at the reflection of the monster, but anyone who looks at the monster directly must make the HT roll.

• Doom: Three times per day, the monster may cast a Malediction upon one of his foes. Take a concentration action and roll Will, subtracting the distance between the target and the monster in yards as a penalty. The target must win a quick contest against the monster's roll with the lower of his HT-3 or his Will-3. Failure results in the character's death, something the target instantly knows. This death sentence is delayed by 1 minute. If at the end of that minute, the monster who inflicted the curse is still alive, the character dies. Doom is ideal for adding a hard time limit and a sense of desperation to the fight.

• Armageddon: Once per battle, the monster unleashes a wave of complete and total destruction that completely rewrites the battlefield. First, the monster must Ready his attack over the course of 4 turns. The fact that he's powering up a major attack is readily obvious to anyone who glances his direction (glowing balls of energy, intense auras, the trembling roar of his power). When he has finished readying his power, he attacks, unleashing an explosive 20d blast of burning (or crushing, if you prefer) damage. This strikes everything within a twenty yard radius, though each yard between the target and the monster reduces the dice of damage by 1. After the smoke clears, the battlefield has changed in some profound way that the monster has no control over (it is set on fire, or covered in ice, or filled with rivulets of magma or torn apart and filled with cracks and gulleys, whatever is appropriate for the “element” of the attack). This should involve a new map in tactical combat, or new movement rules in normal combat.

Epic Mastery

The greatest of monsters unleash sweeping disasters that cover a vast area. Dragons call up flames or storms. Serpents summon floods. Demons rewrite space and time so entire villages just vanish. To face these monsters is to have the very ground pulled out from under your feet.

Epic Masteries focus on making broad changes to the battlefield. As a result, they are among the “safest” of the Epic Monster Powers to use, as they are suitably flashy to impress the delvers with the severity of the enemy without completely overwhelming them. Still, battling a monster with one of these powers is an exercise in creativity, for they rewrite the rules of the battle in their own favor.

• Swallowing Void: The monster casts everything into complete and total darkness. An area up to 32 yards in radius plummets into complete (-10) darkness. He may move this area about, shifting the shape of the shadow radius, or even casting it far away from him. The borders of the area aren't clear, representing vague twilight areas that trick a person into walking deeper into the shadowy mist. Furthermore, the Void-Caster has Dark Vision (which allows him to see perfectly well in his unnatural shadows) and Silence +4, so nobody will hear him coming.

• Typhon's Grasp: The monster can control the weather, summoning a vast and terrible storm that covers an area of up to 1000 yards in radius (over a mile wide). He concentrates and then makes an IQ roll. If successful, he summons the storm. Every turn, the monster my direct the winds and rain to offer a +2 or a -2 to anyone (for example, impeding vision or ranged attack rolls) he wishes. Furthermore, every turn he gets a two free attacks, in addition to his normal actions. The first is a lightning blast (3d(2) burning) and the second is a sweeping wind (3d force that causes x2 knockback and no wounding). The powerful storm threatens to escape the monster's grasp, though, and anytime something unusual or surprising happens, the monster must roll Will or temporarily lose control of the storm.

• Path Breaking: The monster reaches out and shatters the tenuous ties of space that bind reality together, leaving a wild, shifting mess of strange pathways and weird, spatial distortions. The monster concentrates and then makes an IQ roll. If successful, he breaks space and may redirect space for the next minute. He may grant a +5 or -5 to any move action or to ranged attacks (as things turn out to be closer or farther than one expected) by concentrating for a turn. Furthermore, broken space doesn't “work” properly. The GM should decide the new ways players might navigate (doors lead to new rooms, the way to get up the stairs is to go down, etc) to get around the room. If the GM is using tactical combat, consider "shuffling" some of the miniatures around, or changing maps, to represent the rewritten paths of space.

Epic Manipulation

The greatest of monsters can manipulate the very nature of reality. The rules of the conflict shift around them in their favor, but subtly, sometimes imperceptibly. The Faerie plays with time, and the mad thing from beyond the borders of reality steals people's sanity. To face one of these monsters is to struggle to maintain your grip on reality.

Epic Manipulations resemble Epic Masteries in that both are relatively safe, but interesting powers that complete change the nature of the fight. Epic Manipulations tend to be more subtle, internal and direct than Epic Masteries, however. They focus on changing the rules for an individual, rather than for the entire battlefield.

• Madness: The monster utters a dark word or unveils its real form as an attack action, and everyone within 8 yards must make a Will Roll -4 to resist. For every yard between themselves and the monster, add +1 to their roll as the distance between them keeps them safe. Furthermore, only those who see or hear (choose one when creating the monster) are affected. Those who fail gain a -15 point mental disadvantage of the GM's choice, which lasts for 1 minute per point the player failed by. GMs are encouraged to be creative with the insanity they inflict on the players: rather than knocking them into catatonia, use it as a chance to force them to be creative around their newly acquired derangement.

• Reality Rewrite: The world does not work around the monsters as it should. Everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. The monster gains Serendipity 3 (Wishing) and Extraordinary Luck (Wishing), which allows him to force any roll in his presence to be rerolled twice, with him choosing the result he likes best, once every thirty minutes of gameplay, and he may have three “lucky” events occur in his favor whenever he wishes, and in whatever form he wishes.

• Grandfather Clock: The monster manipulates time. He may unleash a Malediction upon anyone he wishes by rolling Will (penalized by distance as normal), which the target resists with IQ (IQ-1 for Decelerate). If the target fails, the monster may inflict Accelerated Time Rate 1, Decelerated Time Rate 1, or Paralysis on his foe. He may do this as often as he wishes, but he may only have one such effect active at a time. To start a new effect, he must end a previous effect (Thus, a monster who has first paralyzed someone and now wishes to Accelerate someone else must first release the paralyzed target).

Epic Durability

The greatest of monsters cannot die. Hero after hero may try, but their arrows bounce off of unbreakable scales, or the monster merely rises from the grave again and again and again. Not even Hell is strong enough to keep these monsters down.

Epic Durability presents a challenge to the players who must determine a way to best kill the monster, because without clever tactics, they can't. To make this sort of encounter work, you must make the defeat of the monster imperative, lest the players choose to fight something altogether more mortal. Further, such an encounter can be exceedingly frustrating as all their efforts go to nothing. Be prepared to reveal the monster's vulnerable point or move the story along before it drags down into endless futility.

• Immortal: The monster is Supernaturally Durable, which means it ignores stunning and penalties until it reaches 0 HP, and only suffers ½ movement penalties when it reaches -1 x HP. The monster can only die if a single attack inflicts 10 x HP in damage, or targets the monster's vulnerability, which must be chose before hand (Suggestions: Magic Weapons, Steel, Wood, Silver, Ornate Weapons)

• Total Regeneration: The monster heals as quickly as its opponents damage it. Every turn, the monster heals 10 HP (remember the rules for high HP and healing: So a 50 HP monster heals 50 HP per turn). Furthermore, the monster has +10 HP, and either a vulnerability (x2 damage from an occasional material, or x4 from a rare, such as Silver), or its Regeneration has a dependency limitation, requiring the presence of Mana or Unholiness or “remaining in touch with the ground” or something similar.

• Dark Reincarnation: Upon dying, the monster instantly regenerates to full health and manifests a new, even more powerful form. This new form has +5 ST, +1 DX, +1 SM, and gains 150 points worth of templates (1 epic Template, a greater template and a standard template or three standard templates). The monster only does this once per battle. If the players slay the Dark Reincarnation form, the monster truly dies.

Making MonstersCreating a monster is as simple as taking a racial template and slapping some templates on it. Want an orc worthy? How about giving him the Killer, Swift Killer, and Hardy Brute templates? Want a Dragon? Just add Brute, Armored Brute, Killer, and an Epic Template or two.

Making monsters this way is fun. I discovered things I never knew before about how particular templates work, or what a race of monsters might look like. What follows are some example monsters made with the above system. I've included suggestions about their power level (whether they should be treated as minions, worthies or bosses), and further suggestions about roughly how powerful they are (Lesser monsters aren't much of a challenge, greater monsters are certainly a challenge, and Epic monsters either have an Epic template, or are just plain powerful). "Generic" templates are racial templates collated into "monster stat box" form, for easier use with the above system. They're not generally intended to be used "as is," though in some cases, they can be.

Oh, and some changes were made between creating these monsters and posting this here. I think I transferred all those changes appropriately, but if there is wonkiness among the stats, that's why.

(Now, how to get a monster stat box to work...)(Bah, that's the best I can do, sorry :( )

DemonsThe servants of hell who want nothing but the dissolution and damnation of mankind. Demons aren't generally inherently destructive. They prefer the conquest and enslavement of mankind. If they face the monstrosities from beyond reality, they often set aside their differences with humanity and fight to protect the world they hope one day to own.

Demons are summonable. All demons listed here can be conjured by a necromancer with the Summon Demon spell. Other options for demons include the (un)Holy Servitors from Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies.

Demons are dangerous. Very dangerous. They should not be treated as a “generic threat” until the Delvers have achieved very high power levels.

Demon (Generic, Worthy)

This demon represents a generic, summonable demon from GURPS Magic. While it isn't the only possible demons heroes might face, it's serviceable as a foe and stands as a good basis for demons.

Code:

ST: 17/19* HP: 25 Speed: 6.5DX: 12 Will: 10 Move: 6/17*IQ: 10 Per: 10HT: 14 FP: 14 SM: +0Dodge: 9 Parry: 10 DR: 5

Claws (14): 2d-1 CuttingSharp Teeth (14): 2d-2 cuttingBroadsword (12): 2d impaling, 3d+3 cutting

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Bloodlust (12), Bully (12), Callous, Cannot Harm Innocents (Only prevents direct harm to truly good or holy folk), Flight (Winged, +5 movement), Fragile (Unnatural), Immune to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity to Mind-Affecting Magic, Night Vision 5, Sadism (12), Selfish (12), Striking Strength +2

Skills: Acting IQ-1 [1]-9, Brawling DX+2 [4]-14, Broadsword DX [2]-12, Fast-Talk IQ+2 [4]-12, Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) IQ-1 [1]-9, Intimidation Will+2 [4]-12, Stealth DX [2]-12

Class: Demon

Notes: Generic 200 point Demon. Costs 20 energy to summon. Variations can exist. All too willing to negotiate. Truly Evil.

Imps (Generic Fodder)These tiny, black, winged monstrosities with over-sized ears, lashing tails and sharp-toothed grins, spill free of hell whenever they get the chance to wreak havoc on the local area by stealing chickens, pulling on hair and generally making a mess of things. While wildly inept, they can be dangerous if there's enough of them, or they have the right training.This represents the generic imp. They can certainly be improved upon by adding a template. Imps tend to be Stalkers, Tricksters or very minor casters. They tend to resemble their larger cousins, only less viciously cruel and more curious, impulsive and mischief-prone.

Code:

ST: 7/8 HP: 5 Speed: 6DX: 12 Will: 10 Move: 6/12*IQ: 10 Per: 10HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: -4Dodge: 9 Parry: NA DR: 0

Claws (14): 1d-3 cuttingSharp Teeth (13): 1d-4 cutting

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Bloodlust (12), Bully (12), Callous, Cannot Harm Innocents (Prevents Direct harm of the truly good and holy folks only), Curious, Flight (Small Winged), Fragile (Unnatural), Immune to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity to Mind-Affecting Magic, Impulsive (12), Magery 0, Night Vision 5, Selfish (12), Striking ST +1, Trickster (12)

Skills: Brawl DX+2 [4]-14, Escape DX-1 [2]-11, Fast Talk IQ [2]-10, Stealth DX+1 [4]-13

Class: Demon

Notes: Can be summoned in large batches (10 to 20 at a time) for 20 energy points, if, uh, they're what the caster wants. With a template, 20 energy points will summon about 4 imps. Willing to negotiate while its buddies get into your stuff and steal half of it! Truly evil. And mischevious.

Succubus (Greater Worthy)The haunting, legendary sex demon that tempts men to their doom. This is a Demonic Luscious Trickster, and she'll attempt to use her wiles and her charms to defeat the heroes first (and note her considerable social skills). If that fails, she can certainly fall back on her demon traits for combat skills. She makes a decent boss level monster too, against beginning players.

Code:


Claws (14): 2d-1 CuttingSharp Teeth (14): 2d-2 cuttingBroadsword (13): 2d impaling, 3d+3 cutting

Traits: Appearance (Beautiful, Universal), Awe, Bloodlust (12), Bully (12), Callous, Cannot Harm Innocents (Only prevents direct harm to truly good or holy folk), Flight (Winged, +5 movement), Fragile (Unnatural), Immune to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity to Mind-Affecting Magic, Lecherousness (12), Night Vision 5, Sadism (12), Selfish (12), Striking Strength +2

Skills: Acting IQ-1 [1]-11, Brawling DX+2 [4]-14, Broadsword DX [4]-13, Fast-Talk IQ+2 [4]-14, Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) IQ-1 [1]-11, Intimidation Will+2 [4]-17, Sex Appeal HT+6* [8]-20, Stealth DX [2]-12

Class: Demon

Notes: 300 point Demon. Costs 30 energy to summon. Will attempt to use Awe and Sex Appeal in negotiations. Truly Evil.

Pit Fiend (Greater Worthy)These fiery demons have flaming skulls and stunningly magnificent wings. They strike with all the fury of hell, disregarding their own safety as they explode their enemies in devastating flames.

Pit Fiends frenzy in battle, trying to land one of their burning blows as quickly as possible, and then finish their enemies with their claws.

Code:


Claws (21): 2d-1 CuttingSharp Teeth (21): 2d-1 cuttingBurning Touch (21): 3d burning, + follow up 2d burning for the next 3 seconds (3 uses per fight)

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Berserk, Bloodlust (12), Bully (12), Callous, Cannot Harm Innocents (Only prevents direct harm to truly good or holy folk), Flight (Winged, +5 movement), Fragile (Unnatural), Immune to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity to Mind-Affecting Magic, Night Vision 5, Sadism (12), Selfish (12), Striking Strength +2

Special Powers: Burning Touch (Unholy)

Skills: Acting IQ-1 [1]-9, Brawling DX+8 [4]-21, Broadsword DX [2]-13, Fast-Talk IQ+2 [4]-12, Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) IQ-1 [1]-9, Intimidation Will+2 [4]-12, Stealth DX [2]-13

Class: Demon

Notes: Generic 300 point Demon. Costs 30 energy to summon. Willing to negotiate before battle, after it has engaged, it's a lost cause. Truly Evil.

Hell Knight (Lesser Boss)These powerful, armored demons serve as the captains of Hell's legions. While not as intelligent as some of the greater demons, they are more than capable of holding off an entire band of experienced delvers on their own. With sufficient DR to stave off even the most powerful weapons and complete mastery of their blade, a party of Delvers should think twice before taking one on.

Hell Knights take to the front-lines, using their considerable defenses to hold off the Delvers while his other demons do the necessary work to take the players down. He's also very capable of killing off players.

Code:


Claws (19): 2d-1 CuttingSharp Teeth (19): 2d-2 cuttingHell-rune Dark-sword (21): 2d+5 impaling, 4d+3 cutting (Fine, Unbreakable, Cursed)

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Bloodlust (12), Callous, Cannot Harm Innocents (Only prevents direct harm to truly good or holy folk), Combat Reflexes, Flight (Winged, +5 movement), Fragile (Unnatural), Immune to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity to Mind-Affecting Magic, Life Bane, Night Vision 5, Sadism (12), Sense of Duty (Demons), Striking Strength +2, Vulnerability (Holy Weapons x2)

Skills: Acting IQ-1 [1]-9, Brawling DX+4 [12]-19, Two-Handed Sword DX+6 [24]-21, Fast-Talk IQ+2 [4]-12, Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) IQ-1 [1]-9, Intimidation Will+2 [4]-14, Stealth DX [2]-15

Class: Demon

Notes: 400 point Demon. Costs 40 energy to summon. Willing to Negotiate if not on a mission. The Hell-Rune Dark-sword is lootable (the dark armor is not): treat it as a fine, unbreakable Greatsword with a curse on it, determined by the GM. The curse often seems beneficial when it really isn't. Truly Evil.

Asmodai (Epic Boss)Asmodai broods upon his obscene throne of iron, while flesh copulates and undulates all around him. He has violet skin and long, silken black hair, with graceful limbs and powerful muscles. His long, regal features contemplates all around him as he looks at the world through black, sparkling, star-filled eyes. His feet are cloven, and long talons extend from his fingers. He wears a black iron cross on his chest, huge and heavy, and bears a massive axe with a long chain that binds his weapon to his thick, leather belt. Despite his elegant stature, he looms surprisingly tall, standing nearly 8' in height.

Asmodai is one of the lords of hell, a minor noble who commands a suitably vast army and owns a sufficient swathe of the inferno to gain the respect of his peers. He rarely ventures to the mortal world, but when he does, he seeks out the love (or just the pleasure) of a mortal woman. The pure and chaste fascinate him, but his impulses inevitably taint her, so he discards his bride and broods, pondering how to acquire a new one.

Code:

ST: 28/30* HP: 50 Speed: 7DX: 12 Will: 17 Move: 7/20*IQ: 12 Per: 102HT: 16 FP: 18 SM: +0Dodge: 11 Parry: 12 DR: 10

Claws (17): 3d CuttingSharp Teeth (17): 3d cuttingChained Great-Axe (20): 5d+7 cutting (Very Fine Meteoric Great Axe, Unbalanced)

Traits: Appearance (Handsome), Bloodlust (12), Bully (12), Callous, Cannot Harm Innocents (Only prevents direct harm to truly good or holy folk), Combat Reflexes, Flight (Winged, +5 movement), Fragile (Unnatural), High Pain Threshold, Immune to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity to Mind-Affecting Magic, Lecherousness (12), Night Vision 5, Terror (-1 to check), Sadism (12), Selfish (12), Striking Strength +2, Vulnerability (Silver, x2)

Special Powers: Armageddon, Dark Reincarnation (Gain +15 ST, +3 DR, +3 SM, and the Fire Casting special power and Terror -1 increases to Terror -3 and forces a new check)

Skills: Acting IQ-1 [1]-11, Brawling DX+5 [16]-17, Two-Handed Axe DX+4 [20]-16, Fast-Talk IQ+2 [4]-14, Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) IQ-1 [1]-11, Intimidation Will+3 [8]-20, Sex Appeal HT+4*[8]-20, Stealth DX [2]-12

Class: Demon

Notes: Costs 75 energy points to summon. All too willing to negotiate. After he is slain, he erupts into his true form as a vast, malefic being lashing out with bolts of explosive fire. His Armageddon resets if he reincarnates. His Chained Great Axe is lootable. Truly Evil.

Dire BeastsDire Beasts are really big animals with nasty tempers. They consist of generic animals with the Dire or Giant template slapped on them, making them astonishingly easy to create. For creepy mutant animals or cunning animals, consider tossing a further template on, just for fun.

Animals, Mutant Animals, Giant Animals and Dire Animals are all affected by Animal spells, Animal Empathy, and Animal Handling skills. Hybrid animals must be affected by special subsets of the Animal Spells, but otherwise are identical to other animals.

See also the Basilisk, the Gryphon and the Strix (GURPS Campaigns), and the Rukh and Chimera (GURPS Fantasy). Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies contains many interesting beasts.

Titan Spider (Worthy)Some old caverns give rise to some very large, very strange creatures. The Titan Spider is one particularly noteworthy monstrosity, vastly larger than any mundane spider, growing to nine feet across and astonishingly intelligent for a beast. Titan spiders often lay careful traps for their larger prey, and if that prey just happens to be delvers... fortunately, these glistening, black-carapaced monsters are frightened of light, and will flee from a powerful light spell.

Code:

ST: 15 HP: 20 Speed: 6.5DX: 14 Will: 10 Move: 6IQ: 8 Per: 12HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: +1Dodge: 9 Parry: 11 DR: 2

Fangs (17): 1d impalingSilk (16): Binding, range 10, no range penalties

Traits: Ambidexterity, Bestial, Binding 5 (Engulfing, Jet), Clinging, Dread (Light), Extra Legs (8 legs, cannot kick), Night Vision 3, No Physical Attack (arms), Semi-Upright, Super Climbing 3

Skills: Brawl DX+3 [8]-17, Innate Attack (Projectile) DX+2[4]-16, Stealth DX+4 [12]-18

Class: Giant Animal

Notes: Willing to give up one batch of food for another. Surprisingly cunning.

Roc (Worthy)This enormous bird has a huge, twenty-foot wingspan, able to carry away a human without much trouble. Some fly with winged elves or reside on mountains with Hill Elves, serving as their mounts. They prefer to use their flight to their advantage in battle, gliding high and then pouncing on their foes with a dive. Use Aerobatics when dodging.

Code:

ST: 23 HP: 25 Speed: 7DX: 14 Will: 11 Move: 3/15/30IQ: 6 Per: 14HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: +2Dodge: 10 Parry: NA DR: 3

Bite (16): 2d+1 Large PiercingClaws (16): 2d+1 Cutting

Traits: Acute Vision 4, Enhanced Move (Air), Flight (Winged), Foot Manipulators, Ham-Fisted -2

Skills: Aerobatics DX-1 [2]-13, Brawling DX+2 [4]-16, Flight HT+1 [4]-13

Class: Giant Animal

Notes: Animalistic. Willing to negotiate if someone in the party can deal with or handle animals. Makes a fantastic mount. See also the Rukh (GURPS Fantasy)

Snow Serpent (Worthy)Snow Serpents are strange, massive and deadly snakes found in the frigid Northlands. Northlanders value them for their deadly venom and sturdy leathers.

Code:

ST: 17 HP: 17 Speed: 5.75DX: 12 Will: 10 Move: 4IQ: 4 Per: 10HT: 11 FP: 11 SM: +1Dodge: 9 Parry: NA DR: 2

Bite (13): 1d+2 Impaling (Requires a HT-4 roll to avoid taking 3d damage once a day over the next 4 days)

Traits: Constriction Attack, Vermiform

Skills: Stealth DX [2]-12, Wrestling DX+1 [4]-13, Brawl DX+1 [2]-13

Class: Dire Animal

Notes: Animalistic. Willing to negotiate if someone in the party can deal with or handle animals. Successful bite counts as a “hand” for grapple. Hide can be harvested for high quality leather that is resistant to the cold.

DragonsNothing terrifies adventurers like the whispered names of dragons. Vastly powerful, almost godlike, some dragons are even worshiped in some parts of the world. They collect vast hoards of gold, steal away virginal maidens and pluck cattle right out of a field. Whenever a Dragon appears, the world calls out for a hero to slay it, and their amazing hoards certainly

tempts heroes to do just that, but more than one foolish hero has grossly underestimated the prowess and cunning of his draconic foe.

Dragons are always bosses. If you want worthy or fodder Dragons, use Dragon-Blooded. Even a generic dragon benefits from the inclusion of a single template, but tossing an epic template atop a dragon makes it an unholy terror.

Dragons always come with hoards, its value measured in thousands of GURPS dollars, sometimes millions. The GM should consider simply raising the wealth value of everyone who succeeds in capturing a Dragon hoard by 1 for free, as well as handing out magical items and such.

Dragon (Generic Boss)

This is generic Dragon, modified from GURPS Fantasy. Lacking skills, it really needs at least one basic template to round it out, but the inclusion of just one is sufficient to make this boss a solid challenge for an entire party of Delvers. Many Dragons are Brutes.

Code:

ST: 40 HP: 40 Speed: 6DX: 12 Will: 13 Move: 6/24IQ: 10 Per: 13HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: +4Dodge: 9 Parry: 10 DR: 10

Long Talons (12): 4d+5 cutting, 4d+5 impaling, Reach C-4Fangs (12): 4d Impaling, Reach C-3Tail (12): 4d+1 Crushing, Reach C-5 (Equivalent to 8 lb weapon)Fire Breath (12): 5d Burning, Cone: 1/D 10, Max 20, width 5, 6 uses per day.

Traits: Bad Grip 3, Discriminatory Smell, Eidetic Memory, Extra Attacks (1), Extra Legs (4), Gluttony (12), Greed (12), Horizontal, Miserliness (12) Winged Flight, Hard to Kill +5, Magery 1, Night Vision 8,

Skills: N/A

Class: Mundane (Dragon)

Notes: This Dragon lacks any skills, and relies on its DX to strike targets. Needs a basic Template. Extra Attacks means that it gets 2 attacks for free every turn. Magery means that dragons make good casters.

Chevalier (Epic Boss)Chevalier is the breathtakingly beautiful noble protector of dragons. Scintillating, pearlescent scales cover his powerful, sinuous muscles and his eyes gleam with an inner beauty. The Dragon-Blooded worship him as a saint and guardian.Chevalier is noble and just. He often arbitrates between disputes and protects those dragons weaker than himself. He considers humans and other mortal creatures far beneath his interests, but if they can amuse him in conversation, they may grow in his esteem until they're a valued pet.

In battle, Chevalier is terrifying. His eyes gleam with predatory death and his roar summons devastating storms. His magnificent scales are nigh impenetrable by anything but the most beautiful of weapons.

Code:

ST: 41 HP: 55 Speed: 6.5DX: 12 Will: 22 Move: 6/24IQ: 14 Per: 17HT: 14 FP: 14 SM: +4Dodge: 9 Parry: 10 DR: 30

Long Talons (16): 4d+6 cutting, 4d+6 impaling, Reach C-4Fangs (16): 4d+1 Impaling, Reach C-3Tail (16): 4d+2 Crushing, Reach C-5 (Equivalent to 8 lb weapon)Fire Breath (12): 5d Burning, Cone: 1/D 10, Max 20, width 5, 6 uses per day.

Traits: Appearance (Handsome, Impressive +3), Bad Grip 3, Code of Honor (Chivalry) Discriminatory Smell, Eidetic Memory, Extra Attacks (1), Extra Legs (4), Gluttony (12), Greed (12), High Pain Threshold, Horizontal, Miserliness (12) Winged Flight, Hard to Kill +5, Lecherousness (12), Magery 1, Night Vision 8, Sense of Duty (Dragon-Kind), Vulnerability (Ornate Weapons x2)

Special Powers: Typhon's Grasp

Skills: Brawling DX+3 [8]-16, Wrestling DX+2 [8]-14, Intimidation Will+1 [4]-23, Savoir-Faire IQ+2 [4]-16, Tactics IQ-1 [2]-13, Traps IQ [2]-14, Leadership IQ+1 [4]


Notes: Chevalier is certainly willing to negotiate (he prefers it to combat), especially if the party has a pretty woman, especially a maiden. If he defeats the party, he'll attempt to keep the woman as a conversational partner. Chevalier never starts a fight unless protecting a charge, or he feels his opponents are worthy. And yes, between his extra attacks and Typhon's Grasp, he's attacking four times a turn. Have fun.

Tenebrous (Epic Boss)

The mention of Tenebrous's name stills even the tongues of dragons. If Chevalier is their lord and protector, then Tenebrous is their devil, their terrifying assassin. Jet black scales seem to swallow the light around him as he moves with a sleek, serpentine grace, long fangs flashing as he speaks, forked tongue dancing and, pale, maggot-white eyes with long, snake-like slits watching unblinkingly.

Tenebrous is cruel and lethal. He silently whispers to cultists everywhere, promising them power, wealth and knowledge if they follow him, and he's built quite a band of Dragon-Blooded thieves and quietly works to make inroads in human criminal organizations. Tenebrous wants wealth, food, and to listen to the screams of his victims.

Tenebrous's sins have shorn him of the draconic protection against death. He lacks the impossible durability of even his lesser kin, so he uses dirty tactics to win. His eyes miss nothing, not even in the deepest of darkness, and his sinuous grace ensures that his blows strike home accurately. When he screams his unearthly scream that makes the very soul tremble, shifting shadows fall wherever he calls them, often around himself, shrouding everything in complete darkness. Within this shadow, he makes no sound, not even the softest slither, as the massive, reptilian assassin stalks his prey, occasionally letting the shadows fall away so his victim gets one last look into his terrifying, white eyes before dying.

Code:


Long Talons (19): 4d+5 cutting, 4d+5 impaling, Reach C-4Fangs (19): 4d Impaling, Reach C-3Tail (19): 4d+1 Crushing, Reach C-5 (Equivalent to 8 lb weapon)Fire Breath (18): 5d Burning, Cone: 1/D 10, Max 20, width 5, 6 uses per day.

Traits: Appearance +1 (Attractive, Impressive, Universal), Bad Grip 3, Dark Vision, Discriminatory Smell, Eidetic Memory, Extra Attacks (1), Extra Legs (4), Gluttony (12), Greed (12), Horizontal, Miserliness (12) Winged Flight, Magery 1, Sadism (12), Silence +6, Terror (-2 to Fright Check)

Special Powers: Swallowing Void

Skills: Innate Attack (Breath) DX+2 [4]-18, Brawl DX+4 [16]-19, Fast Talk IQ+2 [8]-14, Intimidation Will +2* [4]-17, Stealth DX+3 [20]-18,


Notes: Tenebrous is willing to, and very capable of, negotiating, but he may use the time to learn of the delvers' weaknesses and set up an ambush. Truly Evil.

Sylvaine (Epic Boss)

Deep in the wildest of forests where the faerie folk frolic and the sun casts golden, dappled shadows upon the forest floor, there lurks a great and powerful beast. Her scales glimmer with the brightest of greens and blues and just a hint of soft violet. Magnificent, fetching eyes reflect dozens of fascinating colors in their jeweled depths, and her huge, colorful wings spiral with pastel patterns. Her slim body moves gracefully, flowing through the trees as she treads lightly on her claws, her faerie and shoulder dragon entourage clearing the way for her queenly passage.

Sylvaine, like many dragons, has a hoard, but she collects less based on a base lust for gold (though she does enjoy the weight of it in her claws) and more for an indelible fascination for beauty. She collects everything that catches her fancy. While she can be reasoned with (and, indeed, enjoys a good conversation), she doesn't really consider mortals worth listening to... unless they too are beautiful, in which case she often snatches them up and flies them away. When she isn't collecting works of art or fascinating people, she's gathering occult secrets or writing illuminated grimoires.

Sylvaine is understanding and gentle, if somewhat greedy, and very well-learned. Those who think she cannot be roused into a rage, however, will find themselves facing her implacable occult might, her reality twisting magics and swiftly learning that her claws are as deadly as that of any dragon! She tends to save her greatest rage for Chevalier, though, whom she feels is as pompous as he is beautiful.

Code:


Long Talons (14): 4d+5 cutting, 4d+5 impaling, Reach C-4Fangs (14): 4d Impaling, Reach C-3Tail (14): 4d+1 Crushing, Reach C-5 (Equivalent to 8 lb weapon)Fire Breath (12): 5d Burning, Cone: 1/D 10, Max 20, width 5, 6 uses per day.Traits: Appearance (Beautiful, Universal +3), Awe, Bad Grip 3, Discriminatory Smell, Eidetic Memory, Empathy, Extra Attacks (1), Extra Legs (4), Gluttony (12), Greed (12), Horizontal, Miserliness (12), Obsession (Gathering beautiful things), Winged Flight, Hard to Kill +5, Magery 2, Night Vision 8,

Special Powers: Wild Caster, Reality Shift

Skills: Brawl DX+2 [4]-14 Diplomacy IQ+2 [8]-15, Occultism IQ+1 [4]-14

Spells: Illusion Spells! IQ+1* [12]-14


Notes: Sylvaine is a good example of a non-physical dragon, using her beauty, her sophistication and her occult prowess to secure victory. While she isn't the sort of malevolent monster that heroes normally face, she certainly has a conflict of interests with delvers, whom often want to acquire beautiful and powerful objects from the same dungeon she might be plundering. And her treasure trove certainly holds all sorts of wonders... Willing to negotiate.

Elder ThingsBeyond the stars, beyond reality as the human mind can fathom it, lurk unspeakable beings. Their forms flow and shift across multiple dimensions, shaped into impossible geometries and biologies. These blasphemous things sometimes leak across the barrier between worlds and spill from theirs into ours, where they casually crush unsuspecting humans beneath

their feet as a man might crush an ant. Elder Gods aren't necessarily malevolent, just inimical to life as we know it, and maddening to the mind.

Elder Gods are summonable with Planar Summons (but they are not subject to banishment!), and often mad cultists call them up and unleash them on the world for unfathomable reasons. While delvers might negotiate with them, the Elder Gods are alien, and their minds work nothing like mortal minds. At the GM's discretion, negotiating with Elder Gods might require suitable mental disadvantages.

The Dark Ones and the Void-Spawned are further examples of Elder Gods and their influence on the world.

Elder God (Generic Boss)This template offers a generic Elder God for use in a game. Elder Gods are always bosses. This template requires at least one basic template to function, but generally Elder Gods will have considerably more power than that.Elder Gods vary a great deal. This template deals with the wriggling, tentacled horror sort of Elder God. Others certainly exist.

Code:


Tentacle (13): 2d-1 crushing, Reach C-5Fleshy Maw (13): 2d-2 crushing

Traits: 360° Vision (Multiple Eyestaks, -6 to hit), Appearance (Horrific, Universal), Callous, Compartmentalized Mind, Constriction Attack, Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Sleep, Double Jointed, Extra Arms (8 Arms, Flexible, Long), Extra Attacks 3, Fragile (Unnatural), Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (Homogenous), Invertebrate, Magery 0, Terror (or Confusion) (-3 to Fright/Confusion Check), Unfazeable, Universal Digestion

Skills: NA

Class: Elder Thing

Notes: Extra Arms add +2 to grapples for each past the first used. Once it has bitten a delver with its Fleshy Maw, it may begin its constriction attack. Fragile represents its inability to stay in our world if sufficiently damaged. Extra Attacks means it has 3 extra attacks, Compartmentalized Mind means it has one additional mental actions, which means the Elder God has 5 total actions per second. Only beings with appropriate mental disadvantages (ie Insanity) may negotiate with an elder god. An Elder God costs 50 energy points to summon. Truly Evil.

The Star-Voice (Epic Boss)

The Star-Voice is but an appendage of the great Void Beast, Ha-Agifatha, worshiped by mad cults in the deserts of the south. When summoned to this world, the Star Voice resembles a floating, obscene mouth surrounded by flailing tendrils and floating eyes eyes that sparkle with starlight. It has violet and blue skin. When it speaks, those who hear it go mad... and then the begin to understand his words. He enacts with the will of Ha-Agifatha upon the world, hoping one day to let the hands and feet of the great Void Beast roam the world, looking for something succulent to snack on.

Code:


Tentacle (15): 2d+1 crushing, Reach C-5Fleshy Maw (15): 2d crushing

Traits: 360° Vision (Multiple Eye Stalks, -6 to hit), Appearance (Horrific, Universal), Callous, Compartmentalized Mind, Confusion (-3 to Confusion Check), Constriction Attack, Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Sleep, Double Jointed, Sense of Duty (Cultists of Ha-Agifatha), Extra Arms (8 Arms, Flexible, Long), Extra Attacks 3, Fragile (Unnatural), High Pain Threshold, Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous), Invertebrate, Magery 0, Unfazeable, Universal Digestion,

Special Powers: Regeneration (Requires Unholy Ground), Madness (Requires speech).

Skills: Brawling DX+2 [4]-15, Wrestling DX+2 [8]-15

Class: Elder Thing

Notes: The Star-Voice is the same as the Elder God, except that it may use its voice to inflict insanity on all who hear it, and it may grow silent and draw upon Ha-Agifatha's strength to regenerate its body (healing 60 HP a turn). It may not speak when it is devouring someone. Truly Evil. The Star-Voice can be summoned for 80 energy points.

The Prince in Azure (Lesser Epic Boss)The king and prophet of the Dark Ones, the Prince of Azure has walked among the Elder Things and returned, his true heritage finally realized. He lives among his people now, an elder god barely constrained in the flesh of a mortal, which writhes beneath his handsome, dark, dark blue skin. He wears snow-white robes, matching his pallid hair, and carries a sacrificial dagger. His hunger for death and the madness of the stars are in his black eyes, and his very approach weighs down those around him with fear.

The Prince in Azure is a classic example of how an Epic Boss can be created from a non-epic template. Simply piling heavy, powerful templates on a simple Dark One is sufficient to create an imposing villain to face.

Code:

ST: 11 HP: 11 Speed: 5.25DX: 11/13 Will: 15 Move: 5IQ: 12 Per: 12HT: 10 FP: 10 SM: +0Dodge: 9 Parry: 11 DR: 0

Sacrificial Knife (14): 1d-2 ImpalingFlaying Touch (15): 3d Impaling, plus Side-Effect (Terrible Pain), 3 uses per day.

Traits: Appearance (Attractive +1), Bloodlust (6), Combat Reflexes, Elder Gift 2, High Manual Dexterity 2, Impulsiveness (12), Magery +1, Night Vision 1, Overconfidence, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3),Terror (-1 to Fright Check)

Special Powers: Dark Reincarnation, Flaying Touch (Unholy), Path Breaking

Skills: Brawl DX+4 [12]-15, Knife DX+3 [8]-14, Fast Talk IQ+2 [8]-14, Intimidation Will+1 [4]-16

Class: Elder Thing

Notes: The Prince in Azure will use Path Breaking to divide a party up, and then stalk them down one by one while the delvers struggle to figure out how to help their comrades. Note that his Bloodlust has a resistance score of 6, rather than 12. The Prince in Azure isn't terribly tough, but he doesn't want to be. Once he's been killed or knocked unconscious, he instantly changes into an Elder God. He uses the Elder God base template, but keeps his skills (his mental skills increase by 1 and his physical skills increase by 3), Flaying Touch and Path Breaking, and increases ST to 25, DR to 1 and SM to 4. He fully regenerates. Willing to negotiate (very skilled at it too). Truly Evil.

Dark One Assassin (Worthy)Not all elder things are mighty, unnatural gods from beyond reality. Some are small, parked in our backyard, pretending to be one of us.

The Dark One Assassin looks like anyone it wants, carefully retaining the forms of those around him, living among humans

while pretending to be one, or walking among dwarves while wearing their skin. Once the Assassin is close enough to his target, he strikes, and then vanishes into the darkness as quickly as he can, sowing confusion among his enemies. Dark One Assassins are often seen among other monstrous races, acting as quiet emissaries for the will of the Elder Gods, where their suspicious nature something breeds treachery.

Code:

ST: 10 HP: 10 Speed: 6DX: 13/15 Will: 12 Move: 6IQ: 12 Per: 17HT: 10 FP: 10 SM: +0Dodge: 9 Parry: 11 DR: 0

Short sword (16): 1d-2 impaling, 1d cutting

Traits: Bloodlust (12), Elder Gift 2, High Manual Dexterity +2, Night Vision 4, Paranoia (12), Resistant to Metabolic Hazards +3, Sadism (12), Silence 2,

Special Powers: Mimic (Unholy)

Skills: Shortsword DX+3 [12]-16, Stealth DX+3 [12]-16, Acting IQ+2 [8]-14, Poison IQ [2]-12

Class: Elder Thing

Notes: A Dark One Assassin always approaches his prey silently, or disguised in some fashion. After striking, he'll retreat and use his stealth and his mimic to confuse the rest of the party. He especially enjoys doing this in a prison full of people, frustrating his pursuers until they start butchering innocent people. Willing to negotiate. Truly Evil.

Dark One Cabalist (Worthy)The Elder Gods are too grand and incomprehensible to appreciate worship the way most gods do, but for the Dark Ones, who know their way of thinking, their language, Elder Gods can acknowledge the generosity of new victims and bestow their unnatural blessings upon the worthy.

The masters of the Dark One cults are tall and imposing, cowled and clad in pristine white, wearing gloves of crimson and black leather that never stain no matter how much blood they shed. Their power radiates around them so strongly that animals rise up and flee and mortals can sense their imminent arrival.

Dark One Cabalists generally serve as attachés to other monster groups, much like Dark One Assassins (Though far more personable... at least, until the elder god hungers...), casting spells to support their allies. They have the capacity to call upon their dark masters with a potent sacrifice that grants them enormous power all at once.

Code:

ST: 10 HP: 10 Speed: 5DX: 10/12 Will: 12 Move: 5IQ: 12 Per: 12HT: 10 FP: 12 SM: +0Dodge: 8 Parry: 8 DR: 0

Sacrificial Dagger (12): 1d-3 impaling

Traits: Bloodlust (12), Clerical Investment, Elder Gift 2, Frightens Animals, Night Vision 1, Power Investiture +2 (Unholy), Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3),

Special Abilities: Blood Caster

Skills: Knife DX+2 [4]-12, Occultism IQ+3* [4]-15, Theology IQ+1 [8]-13

Spells: Unholy Spells! IQ+2* [24]-14

Class: Elder Thing

Notes: Willing to negotiate. Truly Evil.

ElementalsBits of the primordial aspects of nature sometimes break off and wander the world in purified, sentient form, or magicians will conjure and create elementals by distilling mana into one of its many, elemental states. Either way, the result are these capricious, strange creatures, more force of nature than genuine person. They generally resemble rough-hewn men, women or children constructed from their element. They concern themselves with guarding their element and... little else. Generally, if a delver encounters an elemental, it follows the commands of a mage.

Mages can summon elementals. The elementals here are derived from GURPS Magic. Even the “Example Monster” Elementals listed here can be summoned by mages, for the listed cost. Elementals don't need templates (indeed, they aren't summoned with any), but they lack skills, so certainly benefit from the inclusion of at least one. Generally, more powerful elementals take the Dire or Giant template (for +5 and +10 energy points, respectively)

Air Elemental (Generic Fodder)This small sylph resembles either a legless, armless tornado, or it resembles a misty, feminine child with diffuse legs. A single blow never does more than 1 point of damage to the Air Elemental, and it can float on the wind.

Code:

ST: 6 HP: 8 Speed: 4DX: 9 Will: 8 Move: 4/8*IQ: 8 Per: 8HT: 7 FP: 7 SM: -1Dodge: 7 Parry: NA DR: 0

Gusting Punch (9): 1d-5

Traits: Doesn't Breathe, Eat/Drink or Sleep; Flight (Lighter than Air), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Diffuse), No Fine Manipulators, No Legs, Vulnerability (Vacuum, Wind-Based Attacks x2)

Skills: NA

Class: Elemental

Notes: Default Air Elemental summoned for 4 energy points. Willing to Negotiate.

Greater Air Elemental (Worthy)The Greater Air Elemental is human sized and just as powerful. The Sylph has learned stealth, and lingers on the edges of mankind's world, watching carefully and slipping away when confronted. When she is forced to fight, her form clouds into a stormfront and she unleashes terrible winds and bolts of lightning.

Code:

ST: 10 HP: 10 Speed: 4.5DX: 11 Will: 8 Move: 4/8*IQ: 8 Per: 9HT: 7 FP: 7 SM: +0Dodge: 7 Parry: NA DR: 0

Lightning Blast (13): 6d(2) Burning (Acc 3, 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1)Wind Blast (13): 3dx2 Knockback (Acc 3, 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1)

Traits: Doesn't Breathe, Eat/Drink or Sleep; Flight (Lighter than Air), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Diffuse), No Fine Manipulators, No Legs, Vulnerability (Vacuum, Wind-Based Attacks x2)

Special Powers: Storm Casting (Magical)

Skills: Stealth DX+2 [8]-13, Innate Attack (Projectile) DX+2[4]-13

Class: Elemental

Notes: Can be summoned for 20 energy points. Willing to negotiate. Often playful.

Earth Elemental (Generic Fodder)Gnomes (no relation to dwarvish gnomes) resemble either a humanoid collection of rocks, or a stoney, rough-hewn statue of a fat little boy. They move slowly and strike hard, but are the dullest of the elementals.

Code:

ST: 11 HP: 13 Speed: 4.5DX: 8 Will: 6 Move: 4IQ: 6 Per: 6HT: 10 FP: 10 SM: -1Dodge: 7 Parry: 7 DR: 3

Punch (8): 1d-1

Traits: Doesn't Breathe, Eat/Drink or Sleep, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Homogenous), Striking Surface

Skills: NA

Class: Elemental

Notes: Default elemental. Can be summoned for 4 energy points. Willing to negotiate. Easily tricked. Takes half damage from piercing and impaling weapons.

Greater Earth Elemental (Worthy)Greater Earth Elementals resemble giant men roughly hewn from stone. They can absorb enormous amounts of damage, but move very slowly and think just as slow. In battle, he wades through his foes, ignoring how their blades chip as his massive, stoney hide, and slamming his foes with power, uncoordinated attacks.

Code:


Punch (11): 2d+1

Traits: Doesn't Breathe, Eat/Drink or Sleep, High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous), Striking Surface

Skills: Brawl DX+3 [4]-11

Class: Elemental

Notes: Can be summoned for 20 energy points. Willing to negotiate. Easily tricked. Takes half damage from piercing and impaling weapons.

Fire Elemental (Generic Fodder)Salamanders resemble mobile flames with arms and legs, burning lizards with molten red and black spotting, or gold and scarlet children whose form flickers and dance like a fire. Fire Elementals are fascinating to look at and appealing to the senses, but tend to cause a great deal of trouble in the short time of their existence.

Code:

ST: 7 HP: 10 Speed: 4DX: 9 Will: 8 Move: 4IQ: 8 Per: 8HT: 7 FP: 7 SM: -1Dodge: 7 Parry: NA DR: 0

Burning Aura (9): 2d Burning, Aura, MeleeBurning Punch (9): 1d-4 crushing + 2d Burning

Traits: Charisma +1, Doesn't Breathe (Oxygen Combustion), Doesn't Eat/Drink or Sleep, DR 10 (only vs Fire/Heat), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Diffuse), No Fine Manipulators, Weakness (water, 1d/min)

Skills: NA

Class: Elemental

Notes: Default Elemental. Can be summoned for 4 energy points. Willing to negotiate.

Greater Fire Elemental (Worthy)Greater Salamanders burn in tall, human-sized pillars, with their face bright inside the tongues of flame. They remain fascinating and warm, but now unleash devastating attacks on their foes. Touching one of the children of the inferno invites disaster.

Code:

ST: 14/16 HP: 14 Speed: 4.25DX: 10 Will: 8 Move: 4IQ: 8 Per: 8HT: 7 FP: 7 SM: +0Dodge: 7 Parry: 10 DR: 0

Burning Aura (16): 2d Burning, Aura, MeleeBurning Punch (16): 1d+2 crushing + 2d BurningBurning Touch (16): 3d Burning + 2d burning follow-up and cyclical for 3 seconds. 3 uses per fight.

Traits: Charisma +1, Doesn't Breathe (Oxygen Combustion), Doesn't Eat/Drink or Sleep, DR 10 (only vs Fire/Heat), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Diffuse), No Fine Manipulators, Weakness (water, 1d/min)

Special Power: Burning Touch (Magical)


Class: Elemental

Notes: Can be summoned for 20 energy points. Willing to negotiate.

Water Elemental (Generic Fodder)Undines resembles either humanoid globs of water, or carefully shaped liquid children (often feminine). The can be hard to see, as they are transparent, and they can reshape themselves quickly to flow through small spaces.

Code:


Water Slam (8): 1d-4 crushing

Traits: Amphibious, Chameleon 1, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Sleep, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Diffuse), Invertebrate, Slippery 5, Vulnerability (Dehydration)

Skills: NA

Class: Elemental

Notes: Default Elemental. Can be summoned for 4 energy points. Willing to negotiate.

Greater Water Elemental (Worthy)Greater Undines resemble beautiful women with flowing hair of white, blue and green. Their transparent form catches and reflects the light, fascinating and hypnotizing those who watch the perfect grace of the greater Undine.

Code:

ST: 13 HP: 13 Speed: 4DX: 8 Will: 9 Move: 4IQ: 9 Per: 9HT: 8 FP: 8 SM: +0Dodge: 7 Parry: 9 DR: 0

Water Slam (11): 1d crushing

Traits: Amphibious, Awe, Beautiful (Universal +25%), Chameleon 1, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Sleep, Empathy, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Diffuse), Invertebrate, Slippery 5, Vulnerability (Dehydration)


Class: Elemental

Notes: Can be summoned for 20 energy points. Willing to negotiate.

Faerie FolkDeep in the forests, high in the mountains, where nature lays long untouched by man, strange things grow and wander. The Faerie Folk hold their courts beneath the bows of majestic, ancient oaks and in underwater palaces or in the secret spaces beneath the floorboards of old temples. When humans and Faerie Folk meet, anything can and often does happen, ensuring the event is memorable, fascinating and frightening for both parties.

The Faerie Folk aren't monsters, necessarily, but their strange ways and their mercurial natures often puts them on the wrong side of a delver's sword. Uncivilized and weird, Faerie Folk can justify using monster templates due to their unusual approaches to combat. Still, they shouldn't be treated as completely mindless monsters. More than most, Faerie Folk have a reason for what they do, it's just bizarre reasons.

The Faerie Folk racial templates can be found in Dungeon Fantasy 3: the Next Level. Below are some monsterized versions.

Faun Knight (Worthy)Sturdy Fauns are all too willing to “safeguard” faerie princesses and rush out, heading out into battle for the sheer pleasure of the dance. Still, Faun Knights take their role as Faerie guardian very seriously, and have mastered the art of the shepherd's crook to perfection, wielding it with impossible skill.

Code:

ST: 11 HP: 16 Speed: 6.5DX: 13 Will: 12 Move: 6IQ: 10 Per: 13

HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: +0Dodge: 10 Parry: 19* DR: 0

Horns (15): 1d crushingHooved Kick(15): 1d crushingShepherd's Crook (22): 1d crushing, 1d+2 crushing

Traits: Acute Hearing +2, Animal Empathy, Combat Reflexes, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Enhanced Parry (Spear) +2, Lecherousness (12), Musical Ability 2, Sense of Duty (Faeries) Sense of Duty (Nature)

Skills: Acrobatics DX [4]-13, Brawling DX+2 [4]-15, Staff DX+9 [36]-22

Class: Faerie

Notes: Willing to negotiate. Especially with hawt chicks. Or hawt whatever.

Leprechaun Pranksters (Greater Fodder)These pint-sized, angry, green-wearing pranksters love to stick it to those snooty, arrogant humans. They'll climb up onto tables, waving their shillelaghs angrily while shouting insults in their thick brogue to anyone that will listen. As soon their opponents round on them, they race away, clutching at their hats, relying on their Ridiculous Luck while they and their comrades cast Charms on their foes, completely hampering their ability to fight.

When they can be asked to join forces with other Faerie kin, they lend their magical strength, while relying on strength in numbers to keep their own alive against dangerous delvers.

Code:


Shillelagh (13): 1d-2 crushing or 1d-3 crushing

Traits: Bad Temper (12), Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Magery 1, Ridiculous Luck, Sense of Duty (Nature) Trickster (12)

Skills: Broadsword DX+1 [4]-13, 3 Spells at IQ-1[2]-11

Class: Faerie

Notes: Can be reasoned with (if drunk), otherwise, really pissed off and only going to negotiate with you in an effort to get your guard down. Leprechaun Charms mean all the little bastards have three spells. A list of favorites include: Beast Summoning (not control, just summoning) Clumsiness, Fumble, Explosive Fireball, Perfect Illusion, Flash, Invisibility, Animate Object, Curse, Drunkenness, Forgetfulness, Winged Knife, Blink, Tangle Growth, Animate Plants, Plant Form Other, Shapeshift Others. For the interest of expediency, assume all Leprechaun fodder have the same three spells. Remember, one fodder only has enough fatigue to cast one spell once. Often drunk.***

***Ha ha, yeah, you think these guys are cute. But if you throw a mob of Leprechauns at your party, and they end up drunk with a lampshade on their head, staring stupidly at their sword, running from rampaging bears, tripping over their own sandal-laces, and making out with a pole that it mistook for a beautiful woman, don't come running to me to complain about it. Kromm gave them the Charms and Ridiculous Luck, I just slapped a template on it. I put "Greater" in their tag for a reason, so don't say I didn't warn you.

River Queen (Worthy)Also called Forest Queens (or Kings), the mind-numbingly beautiful nymph nobility don't bother to fight. They do have swords, but really, they have people for these things. The princes and princesses of the rivers, lakes and forests move elegantly, trailing a long gown or cloak grown out of leaves and flowers, or woven together with strands of river water, with their long hair cascading behind them. When they face delvers, they don't draw their weapon or go on the offensive, they just ask the delvers to leap off cliffs or come join them beneath the lake. That's all.

River Queens often lead other Faeries into battle (by asking them, of course). They personally detest violence, probably because they're so bad at it.

Code:

ST: 10 HP: 10 Speed: 5.25DX: 10 Will: 13 Move: 5IQ: 13 Per: 13HT: 11 FP: 11 SM: +0Dodge: 8 Parry: 8(F)DR: 0

Faerie Rapier (10): 1d-1 Impaling

Traits: Appearance (Transcendant, Universal +5), Awe (-1 to Awe Resistance), Charisma +5, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Impulsive (12), Overconfident, Sense of Duty (Nature),

Special Powers: Hypnotic Voice (Magical)

Skills: Rapier DX [2]-10, Diplomacy IQ+1 [8]-14, Sex Appeal HT+6* [4]-17

Class: Faerie

Notes: Prefer negotiation, because they're at their most dangerous when they can talk. If the heroes aren't interested, they'll use Awe to slow them down long enough to start talking.

Pixie Soldiers (Fodder)Swarms of brightly colored pixies wearing gaudy uniforms occasionally accompany Faerie Royalty or engage in raids against human settlements. The minute squads arrange for perfect ambushes, intent showering their foes with miniature (poisoned) arrows, when their impulsiveness ruin their plans as they suddenly rush forward, eager to engage the enemy before his comrades do, crying out in shrill, hummingbird voices about how they are a better shot than a rival pixie, before getting splattered by the heroes.

Code:

ST: 5 HP: 1 Speed: 6.25DX: 15 Will: 10 Move: 6/12IQ: 10 Per: 11HT: 10 FP: 10 SM: -6Dodge: 10 Parry: NA DR: 0

Pixie Shot (15): 1d-4 impaling (Acc 1, Range 50/75, RoF 1(2))

Traits: Appearance (Attractive +1), Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Enhanced Dodge, Impulsive (-10), Flight (Winged), Magery 0, Night Vision 3, Sense of Duty (Nature)

Skills: Stealth DX+2 [8]-17, Bow DX [4]-15

Class: Faerie

Notes: Willing to negotiate, especially if they receive praise from the heroes. Always have access to venom of some kind.

Goblin-KinHeroes expect to face the Goblin-Kin in battle. The gruesome tusks and growling faces of orcs loom luridly in dungeons and the fate of kidnapped damsels is written in the dull, ugly features of Half-orcs. Goblins scurry and growl beneath the feet of their heavier kin and massive hobgoblins tower and roar before the horde that stands ready, like a black and green tide, to rampage through human civilization.

Goblin-kin run the gamut from civilized to monstrous, with Orc cities and Goblin merchants standing side-by-side with bone-filled, graffiti marked orcish dungeons filled with barbaric kin. The monsters detailed here are the latter sort and do not represent the whole of goblin-kind. These are the brutish, nameless green-skin masses that die by the dozens on heroic blades.

While many listed here will be Worthy, consider lowering them to Fodder as the heroes rise up the ranks. Orcs seldom challenge heroes forever, except for other, orcish heroes. Eventually, they dwindle to mere foot soldiers of evil while the heroes ride out to face graver threats.

Goblin Skirmisher (Lesser Fodder)The smaller (though not tiny), frightened lesser kindred of the Orcs, Goblins aren't good for much but running away, so some clever Orcs gave the most cowardly some bows and arrows and asked them to at least shoot arrows while they were running away.

Goblin skirmishers play to their strengths, carefully laying ambush and then attack, but the instant anything goes south, the goblins will panic and run. Some have been known to panic and run at the sight of the heroes, who are bewildered by the sudden sight of brush and trees erupting with well-armed, previously hidden goblins racing the other direction screaming and waving their arms in panic.

Code:


Sharp Teeth (12): 1d-3 cuttingShort Bow (12): 1d-2 impaling, (Acc 1, Range 100/150, RoF 1(2))

Traits: Appearance (Ugly), Cowardice (6, -4 Fright Checks), Infravision, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3),

Skills: Stealth DX+2 [8]-14, Bow DX [4]-12

Class: Mundane (Goblin-Kin)

Notes: Goblins are as likely to simply collapse out of terror when struck, and quite a few will “survive” death. Consider rolling stealth to see how well they fake it. Always willing to negotiate, and in fact, only fight at all because bigger goblins force them to.

Goblin Berserker (Fodder)Some Goblins choose a different solution to their cowardice: the get so hopped up on mushrooms that they foam at the mouth and rush their foes in a berserker frenzy, dying even while kicking and screeching at their foes. The sight of a short goblin wielding a club nearly as big as itself strikes many delvers as so humorous that they the actual lethality of their blows takes them by surprise.

Code:

ST: 12/13 HP: 11 Speed: 5.5DX: 11 Will: 10 Move: 5IQ: 9 Per: 10HT: 11 FP: 11 SM: -0Dodge: 8 Parry: 9* DR: 0

Sharp Teeth (14): 1d cuttingBig Club (12): 1d+6 crushing, unready after attacking, -1 due to lack of strength.

Traits: Appearance (Ugly), Berserker, Cowardice (12 -2 Fright Checks, mitigator: mushrooms), Infravision, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3),

Skills: Brawl DX+3 [8]-14, Two-Handed Axe/Mace DX+2[8]-13


Notes: Goblin Berserkers rush their foes, giving no thought to defense, and always All-Out Attack, usually Strong or Determined, rather than Double (as they wield unbalanced weapons). Incapable of negotiation while drugged. If the players manage to end or outlast the berserk rage, the goblins are again subject to cowardice and generally just scream and run away.

Goblin Taskmaster (Lesser Worthy)Goblins are smart, at least compared to other goblin-kin. Half the reason they're so scared all the time is that they know they're gonna die and really would rather not. Hence goblins tend to prefer cushy positions such as conjurers, performers and merchants, generally anything less lethal than “necromancer's henchman.”

Still, occasionally one of the brainy goblins finds his way into the service of some dungeon master, and his fellow goblin-kin hand him the reigns to power, giving him dominion over the rest of his goblin brothers (though never the orcs or kobolds. Perish the thought!). Unfortunately, nobody listens to him. At least he gets a big, pointy hat to wear while shouting orders that everyone ignores before his own survival instinct kicks in and he goes racing away. Big, pointy hats are nice.

Code:


Sharp Teeth (10): 1d-3 cuttingGoblin Dagger (12): 1d-3 impaling

Traits: Appearance (Ugly), Cowardice (12 -2 Fright Checks), Infravision, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3),

Skills: Knife DX+2 [4]-12, Fast Talk IQ+3 [8]-16, Tactics IQ-1 [2]-12, Traps IQ [2]-13


Notes: If Goblin Taskmasters have time to prepare ahead of time, allow them to make a tactics roll to exploit the heroes disadvantages, or a trap roll to set up a clever trap. Goblin Taskmasters know the strength of Goblin Infravision, so will prefer to set up night-ambushes. Perfectly willing to negotiate, especially if pinned down. Very good at it too.

Orc Warrior (Worthy)These are the orcs people expect to see in battle: ruthless, furious, tough and deadly, raging across the battlefield swinging a huge axe and carving his way through soldier and civilian alike until he grows bored and carts away his prize in loot and women. These hulking warriors take up the front line in goblin hoards, smacking the heads of unruly goblins and urging the hobgoblins forward.Many Orc Warriors are weaker fodder. This represents a skilled orc warrior.

Code:

ST: 13 HP: 20 Speed: 6.75DX: 11 Will: 12 Move: 6IQ: 9 Per: 10HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: -0Dodge: 10 Parry: 11* DR: 2*

Punch (15): 1d crushingGreat Axe (15): 2d+2 cutting (Unready after attack)

Traits: Appearance (Ugly), Bad Temper (12), Bully (12), Combat Reflexes, Extra Attack (Multi-Strike), Infravision, High Pain Threshold, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3), Sense of Duty (Orcs)

Skills: Brawl DX+4 [12]-15, Two-Handed Axe/Mace DX+4 [16]-15


Notes: The warrior's huge axe can only attack once before it needs to ready, so spend the orc's main action readying his axe, and his extra attack swinging with it, meaning you get an attack every turn. Don't worry about parrying with it: that's what you have dodge, high pain threshold and 20 HP for. Generally unwilling to negotiate. Generally wears leather armor (heroes may loot). Great Axe is cheap.

Orc Hunter (Worthy)Not every orc is a death-dealing warmachine at the front of the army. Some have more cunning and grace. These are grim orcs with black eyes and grimy skin that vanish into the shadows to stalk their prey. These orcs, sometimes called black Orcs, tend to creep out other orcs, which is fine by them, as they don't prefer the company of their kin. Just corpses. Steaming, hot, freshly killed corpses.

Code:

ST: 12 HP: 14 Speed: 6.25DX: 14 Will: 10 Move: 6IQ: 9 Per: 13HT: 11 FP: 11 SM: -0Dodge: 10 Parry: 12* DR: 0

Punch (17): 1d-1 crushingThrowing Axe (18/16): 1d+4 cutting, (Acc 2, Range 14/21, RoF 1(1))

Traits: Appearance (Ugly), Bully (12), Bloodlust (12), Combat Reflexes, Infravision, Loner (6), Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3), Silence 2,

Skills: Stealth DX+3[8]-17, Axe/Mace DX+4 [16]-18, Brawl DX+3[8]-17, Thrown Axe/Mace DX+2 [4]-16


Notes: The throwing axe can be used in melee too, but it can't parry and attack in the same turn (“Unbalanced”). Generally unwilling to negotiate (and you shouldn't see him coming in any case). Like to ride dire wolves.

Hobgoblin Breaker (Worthy)These enormous, hulking hobgoblins stare in simplistic rage at all they see. Bred and fed from young ages on the blood of enemies and the fury of warfare, they have become mindless killing machines which fellow orcs can carefully point at their enemies and then prod forward, to kill and slay all that he sees. They may be simple, dangerously unbalanced, prone to killing entire swathes of their own comrades in a fit of rage, but they're some of the best the orcs have (and hey, what's a few goblins between friends?)

Code:

ST: 19/12 HP: 25 Speed: 5.5DX: 11 Will: 12 Move: 5IQ: 8 Per: 10HT: 13 FP: 13 SM: -0Dodge: 8 Parry: 10* DR: 3*

Tusks (14): 2d-1 impalingGreat Axe(15): 4d+2 cutting (Unbalanced)

Traits: Appearance (Ugly), Bad Temper (6), Berserk, Infravision, High Pain Threshold, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3),

Skills: Brawl DX+3 [12]-14, Two-Handed Axe/Mace DX+4 [16]-15, Power Blow Will+4 [20]-16


Notes: Never parries with its axe. Often wears bits of scavenged chain, leather and plate for a total of +3 DR. Both axe and armor are Cheap. His great axe is unbalanced rather than unready due to his great strength. Unwilling to negotiate. Truly stupid.

UndeadOnly the undead can rival the Goblin Kin in the race to see who is most hated in the world. Dungeons crawl with the undead, who rise from their crypts to serve a necromancer, or rouse themselves in response to dark curses laid on secret places. Needing no food or sustenance, the dead simply shuffle through their dungeon-like graves, waiting and watching with dull, empty eye-sockets for some heroes to interrupt their monotonous existence so they can moan and clatter as they shuffle forward to tear their victims apart.

The Undead here are found in GURPS Magic, creatures summoned by Necromancy to serve a dark sorceror. They are unlike Hoard Zombies (DF 2), who rise from plague and disease. Still, many similarities do exist: both can be turned by the true faith of a cleric, for example. For more undead options, check out Pyramid Issue #3-1, particularly for the “Improved Zombie” template. GURPS Fantasy has Vampires and Ghosts too, neither of which appear here (Unfortunately). Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level contains Corpse Eaters, who are not, strictly speaking, undead, but are often found in their number.

Zombie (Generic Fodder)The rotting stench and flaccid corpses of the recently dead send a shiver up the spines of the best of us. To see them up, gases issuing up their throats in hollow groans while their head lolls back, jaw agape, hands lifted to grapple their prey, is enough to make anyone collapse in terror.These zombies represent generic zombies, recently raised from the dead. They would benefit from a template mainly to gain skills, though you'll have to explain how they learned them, as zombies cannot learn. The most likely explanation is that the necromancer “enhanced” them in some way.

Code:

ST: 11 HP: 11 Speed: 5DX: 10 Will: 8 Move: 5IQ: 8 Per: 8HT: 10 FP: 10 SM: +0Dodge: 8 Parry: NA DR: 0

Clutching Hands (10): 1d-2 crushing

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Automaton (Reprogrammable), Bad Smell, Cannot Learn, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breathe, Eat/Drink or Sleep, Fragile (Unnatural), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity (All mind control), Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving), No Sense of Smell/Taste, Single-Minded, Temperature Tolerance 10, Unfazeable, Unhealing (Total)

Skills: No Mental Skills Allowed. NA.

Class: Undead

Notes: Do not negotiate. Only fixate on their master's goal. Unaffected by Mental Magic or social skills, but affected by Necromancy and Pentagrams. Will eventually rot into a skeleton. Truly Evil.

Corpse Titan (Lesser Worthy)Sometimes one corpse just isn't enough. Sometimes a necromancer stitches together five or more corpses together, creating a towering monstrosity that he unleashes on his foes.Corpse Titans vary in form and figure, but most are either corpulent and overwhelmingly fat with guts spilling from their rent gullet, or they're tall and imposing, steely men in heavy coats that have a fetish for suddenly hammering through walls to roar at escaping mortals. Either way, theyloom over the battlefield, absorbing untold amounts of damage at the behest of

their masterCode:

ST: 18 HP: 40 Speed: 5DX: 10 Will: 10 Move: 5IQ: 8 Per: 8HT: 13 FP: 13 SM: +1Dodge: 8 Parry: 9* DR: 6*

Punch (12): 1d+1 crushingMace (12): 3d+3 crushing (Unbalanced)

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Automaton (Reprogrammable), Bad Smell, Cannot Learn, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breathe, Eat/Drink or Sleep, Fragile (Unnatural), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity (All mind control), Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving), No Sense of Smell/Taste, Single-Minded, Temperature Tolerance 10, Unfazeable, Unhealing (Total)

Skills: Brawling DX+2 [4]-12, Axe/Mace DX+2 [4]-12

Class: Undead

Notes: Does not negotiate. Does not deviate from its master's task. Unaffected by mental magic or skills, but is affected by necromancy and pentagrams. All that DR comes from its own tough skin (and is thus flexible). Truly Evil.

Skeleton (Generic Fodder)With clattering teeth and rattling joints, these undead warriors stagger towards their foes wearing the discarded arms and armor of fallen warriors. Time has picked their bones clean and silenced their voices, leaving nothing but dust, ash and bone. They know only have the will of their master driving them forward.

These skeletons represent the generic skeletons raised by necromantic magic. They would benefit from a template mainly to gain access to skills, but being unable to learn, they need some alternate method to improve their capability, such as necromantic meddling.

Code:

ST: 9 HP: 9 Speed: 6.5DX: 12 Will: 8 Move: 6IQ: 8 Per: 8HT: 10 FP: 10 SM: +0Dodge: 9 Parry: NA DR: 2*

Rending Finger-bones (12): 1d-3 crushing

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Automaton (Reprogrammable), Cannot Learn, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Doesn't sleep, breathe or Eat/Drink, Fragile (Brittle, Unnatural), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity (All Mind Control), Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Brain, Eyes, Vitals, Unliving), Mute, No Sense of Smell/Taste, Skinny, Single Minded, Temperature Tolerance 10, Unfazeable, Unhealing (Total), Vunlerability (Crushing Attacks x2)

Skills: May not have mental skills. NA.

Class: Undead

Notes: Skeletons don't negotiate. They can't even speak. They focus only on their master's task, and nothing else. They are immune to magical mind control and social skills, but not to necromancy or pentagrams. Their Skull only has a DR of 2, and they cannot float. Truly Evil.

Black Rune Skeleton (Lesser Worthy)Standard skeletons are far too weak for most necromancers. Some take their time, however, carefully scribing powerful

runes and staining the bones a glistening, wet black in powerful ink. When complete, they raise the skeleton with great care and effort, creating a Black Rune Skeleton.

These powerful servants resist the effects of magic. Furthermore, they drain the life of all nearby, drawing it into them while plants die and children wail. Often, they seem dead or on the verge of death when they rise again from a pile of bones, restored by their aura. Necromancers often reinforce their lesser skeletons with a scattering of these durable creations.

Code:

ST: 10 HP: 15 Speed: 6.5DX: 12 Will: 16 Move: 6IQ: 8 Per: 8HT: 13 FP: 13 SM: +0Dodge: 9 Parry: 10 DR: 2*

Rending Finger bones (12): 1d-3 crushingOld Scimitar (14): 1d+1 cutting

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Automaton (Reprogrammable), Cannot Learn, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Doesn't sleep, breathe or Eat/Drink, Fragile (Brittle, Unnatural), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Immunity (All Mind Control), Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Brain, Eyes, Vitals, Unliving), Magic Resistance 5, Mute, No Sense of Smell/Taste, Skinny, Single Minded, Temperature Tolerance 10, Unfazeable, Unhealing (May heal with Vampiric Aura), Vunlerability (Crushing Attacks x2)

Special Powers: Vampiric Aura (Magical)

Skills: Shield DX+2 [4]-14, Broadsword DX+2 [8]-14

Class: Undead

Notes: Black Rune Skeletons are mechanically identical to normal skeletons except for their improved combat capability, magic resistince and vampiric aura. Do not negotiate. Truly evil.

Mummy (Generic Fodder)The carefully preserved dead offer a necromancer a smarter, tougher soldier for his legions of dead, and are thus highly valued. Ancient mummies wear wrappings decorated in hieroglyphs and smell of the desert that contains their tombs, while newer mummies are covered in tight leather straps, the stitchings of surgery and the stink of formaldehyde. Both still carry their flesh on their bones, dried by the passage of time, and their sunken black eyes still glisten with intellect chained to the will of its master.

These mummies represent generic mummies raised with necromancy. They could benefit from the application of a template, but they cannot learn skills, so they need some reason or excuse to do so, either from the meddling of the necromancer, or a cunning escape from under his control, or even rising on their own.

Code:

ST: 11 HP: 15 Speed: 5DX: 10 Will: 10 Move: 5IQ: 10 Per: 10HT: 10 FP: 10 SM: -0Dodge: 8 Parry: 11* DR: 0

Fist (10): 1d-2 crushing

Traits: Appearance: Monstrous, Automaton (Reprogrammable), Cannot Learn, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breath, Sleep or Eat/Drink, Fragile (Unnatural, Combustible), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards and Mind Control, Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (No Brains, No Blood, No Vitals, Unliving), Single-Minded, Unfazeable, Unhealing (Total)

Skills: May not have mental skills. NA.

Class: Undead

Notes: Mummies are smarter than the other undead, but they still lack volition and refuse to negotiate, only carrying out the will of their master. They are not affected by mind-control magic or social skills, but they are affected by necromancy and pentagrams. Truly Evil.

The Sand Prince (Lesser Boss)Once upon a time, a handsome prince fell in love with a fine princess, until raiders slew his beloved. Destitute, he ordered himself to be buried at her side, laying in her corpse's embrace as the sands of time poured over them. One day, a necromancer came and brought the Sand Prince's mummified remains to life. Eventually, the Sand Prince's soul reawoke within the shuffling remains of his corpse, and he threw off the control of the minor necromancer and murdered him. He returned to his tomb only to find his beloved gone. Infuriated, the once regal Sand Prince gathered together a cruel and eclectic army of bandits, ghosts and black-skinned lizardmen as he rampages across the desert, seeking the fate of his princess.

The Sand Prince is tall and thin, his sunken, leathery skin visible between his tattered bandages. He wears ragged regalia atop his leather robes, and his dark eyes gleam beneath his mop of dirty black hair.

The Sand Prince is an example of what might happen if you modify the mummy template some. He has discarded Automaton and Cannot Learn and rapidly expanded his own skills and capabilities. Now he's a sufficiently tough threat to challenge an entire party of delvers.

Code:

ST: 14 HP: 35 Speed: 6DX: 11 Will: 19 Move: 6IQ: 14 Per: 14HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: +0Dodge: 10 Parry: 11 DR: 2*

Fists (16): 1d crushingCorrupting Touch (16): 4d toxic, + follow up 2d toxic for the next 10 minutes (3 uses per fight)Flashing Scimitar (16): 2d+2 cut (Fine)

Traits: Appearance: Monstrous, Bad Temper (12), Combat Reflexes, Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breath, Sleep or Eat/Drink, Fragile (Unnatural, Combustible), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards and Mind Control, Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (No Brains, No Blood, No Vitals, Unliving), Life Bane, Single-Minded, Unfazeable, Unhealing (Total)

Special Powers: Corrupting Touch (Magic), Invulnerability (Cutting) (Magic)

Skills: Brawl DX+5 [16]-16, Broadsword DX+5[20]-16, Intimidation Will+2[8]-21, Leadership IQ+1 [4]-15, Tactics IQ-1 [2]-13, Traps IQ [2]-14

Class: Undead

Notes: Willing to negotiate. Not affected by mind magic or social skills, but willing to listen to reason, provided he isn't angry. Affected by necromancy and pentagrams. He wears an amulet that protects him from blades, but in the hands of a delver, it only supplies the benefit of a Turn Blade enchantment. Not truly evil, but registers as such to spells that detect evil.

Wraith (Generic Epic Worthy)The greatest weapon in the arsenal of a Necromancer, the wraith is a mortal enchanted with a magic item, a ring or a crown or an amulet, that turns him into one of the undead. These unkillable champions of the dead serve as the necromancer's knights, assassins and lieutenants. Their eyes burn a dull blue or red, and their voices hiss and rattle inside the armor that eternally encases them. Even outside of armor, wraith looks haunting and terrifying, more ghost than man, with spirit infused with undying flesh. It's an immortality, after a sort.

This represents a generic wraith created with Necromancy. But seriously, these guys are bad enough as it is, coming equipped with Supernatural Durability right out of the box. A template is only useful to add skills. Anything more than that,

and Wraiths begin to move into solid Epic Boss territory.Code:


Clutching Fingers (10): 1d crushing

Traits: Appearance (Horrific), Bloodlust (12), Callous (12) Dependency (Wraith Item, Constantly), Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breathe, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerence (No Blood, Brains, Vitals, Unliving), Magery 1, Night Vision 9, Supernatural Durability (Can be killed by spells, magic weapons), Temperature Tolerance 10, Unfazeable, Unhealing (Can heal with Steal HT)

Skills: Deathtouch IQ+5* [20]-15, Steal Health IQ+5* [20]-15, Ethereal Body IQ+5* [20]-15

Class: Undead

Notes: Generic, Epic, Worthy. Crazy. They don't negotiate. Ever. Truly Evil.

The Bride in Black (Lesser Epic Boss)The Bride in Black defies the typical notions of a Wraith, with flawless pale skin, blood-stained lips, hauntingly beautiful eyes and long, silken white hair. She wears baroque, black plate mail that conforms perfectly to her form, as though forged for her. The small slip of a girl wields a massive sword as long as she is as though it weighed as much as a feather.

According to legend, she was a prized princess of a now forgotten kingdom who was kidnapped before her wedding and locked into the ruby-adorned choker that now rests on her neck, forcing her to become a wraith in the necromancer's service. Now she serves as his chief lieutenant, commanding his forces in his stead, leading the forces from the front, carving through her foes with breathtaking ease. Sometimes, in battle, tears leak down her unemotional face.

Nobody remembers her real name.Code:

ST: 15 HP: 20 Speed: 6.25DX: 12 Will: 13 Move: 6IQ: 10 Per: 10HT: 15 FP: 15 SM: +0Dodge: 10 Parry: 15 DR: 10*

Great Sword (22): 1d+6 impaling, 2d+8 cutting (Ornate, Fine)

Traits: Appearance (Beautiful +2/+4), Bloodlust (12), Callous (12) Combat Reflexes, Dependency (Wraith Item, Constantly), Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breathe, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerence (No Blood, Brains, Vitals, Unliving), Magery 1, Night Vision 9, Supernatural Durability (Can be killed by spells, magic weapons), Temperature Tolerance 10, Terror, Unfazeable, Unhealing (Can heal with Steal HT), Weapon Master (Two-Handed Sword)

Skills: Intimidation Will+1 [4]-14, Two Handed Sword DX+10 [48]-22, Deathtouch IQ+5* [20]-15, Steal Health IQ+5* [20]-15, Ethereal Body IQ+5* [20]-15

Class: Undead

Notes: Never negotiates (unless it's dramatically interesting). Might not be Truly Evil, but registers as such. In case you missed it in the big block of text: Weapon Master and Terror

Lich (Generic Boss)

Powerful necromancers who work with death on a daily basis know well the limits of mortality and often fear death. Those who do sometimes seek inhuman immortality in the form of a lich. Once they have transformed themselves, their form now skeletal and thin with eyes that burn with magical power and voices that crackle and grate, their ambition and fear of death does not abate. Instead, their unleashed minds almost always go mad with magical power, making liches some of the most terrifying of necromancers.

The Lich listed here is derived from GURPS Magic, and he has no templates at all, making him unsuitable for use without additional tinkering. Generally, a lich will be a caster with necromancy, as well as a few more colleges of spells, and generally sit at the front of a powerful army of the dead.

Code:

ST: 9 HP: 12 Speed: 7DX: 12 Will: 10 Move: 7IQ: 10 Per: 10HT: 12 FP: 15 SM: +0Dodge: 10 Parry: NA DR: 2*

Rending Finger Bones (12): 1d-3 crushing

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Doesn't Breath, Eat/Drink or Sleep, Fragile (Brittle, Unnatural (Mitigated by monthly potion)), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Brain, Eyes, Vitals, Unliving), No Sense of Smell/Taste, Skinny, Temperature Tolerance 10, Unfazeable, Vulnerability (Crushing Attacks x2)

Skills: +1 to Thanatology.

Class: Undead

Notes: Can and often do negotiate. Often much higher in intelligence and know spells. Can be affected by Pentagrams and turned by True Faith. Skull has a total of 2 DR. Truly Evil

Lord Carrion (Lesser Epic Boss)Hundreds of years ago, a royal wizard struggled to defend his nation against the onslaught of a powerful empire. As he struggled to defeat his enemies and preserve his people from the terrible rage of the empire's cruel paladins, he grew to hate the church that had caused his misery and reached for magics best left forgotten and forged a dark pact with a Reaper, a master of the dead. His sacrifice came too late, however, and his kingdom fell. Alone, he struggled to master these secrets or death, hoping one day to bring back his dead kingdom, only to find himself running short on time, so naturally, he sought and gained immortality. Now his goals and desires have twisted. Now he wishes to resurrect those that fell in this forgotten war in a necromantic parody of the home he once loved.

Lord Carrion is a gaunt figure, shrouded in his regal black and silver cloak and cowl. He moves with the grace of a pretender-king and when he waves his skeletal hands, the dead lift their hands in silent adulation. Only holy clerics and paladins frighten him now, and in time, even they too shall turn to dust, and then they will belong to him.

Code:

ST: 9 HP: 12 Speed: 7DX: 12 Will: 13 Move: 7IQ: 13 Per: 13HT: 12 FP: 35 SM: +0Dodge: 10 Parry: 10 DR: 2*

Rending Finger Bones (15): 1d-3 crushingAcid Jet (18): 1d-1 corrosive to 3d-3 corrosive

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous), Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Doesn't Breath, Eat/Drink or Sleep, Dread (Holy Symbols), Fragile (Brittle, Unnatural (Mitigated by monthly potion)), High Pain Threshold, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Megalomania, Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Brain, Eyes, Vitals, Unliving), Magery 3, No Sense of Smell/Taste, Skinny, Temperature Tolerance 10, Unfazeable, Vulnerability (Crushing Attacks x2).

Special Powers: Doom

Skills: Brawl DX+3 [8]-15, Innate Attack (Jet) DX+6[20]-18, Occultism IQ+3*[12]-16

Spells: Necromantic Spells! IQ+3 [24]-16, Water Spells! IQ+2 [12]-15, Meta Spells! IQ+2 [12]-15, Protection Spells! IQ+2 [12]-15

Class: Undead

Notes: Willing to negotiate, but not with clerics or paladins. Is frightened by the sight of holy symbols, even cheap ones. Can be affected by pentagrams and True Faith. Skull has a total of 2 DR. Truly Evil

Other MonstersThe world of Dungeon Fantasy brims with monsters that defy classification. Ogres, trolls, gargoyles, coleopterans, mutants, maggot-men, sea-serpents, centaurs, minotaurs, giants, dark gods, werewolves, vampires and more all swarm across the surface off the world and squirm beneath its skin. If you seek more interesting monster, you can peruse GURPS Fantasy, Banestorm, or the many Creatures of the Night supplements available on e23. Further, GURPS itself lets you create or design any monster you like. Be sure to post them online for the rest of us to use!

Below are a few more common, miscellaneous monsters often found within dungeons.

Ogre Brute (Greater Worthy)Not all Ogres are “civilized” enough to be delvers. In fact, most aren't. The Ogre Brute represents the typical Ogre found in many dungeons and caves, snacking upon the bones of human children, covered in furs and stolen clothes, staring at heroes with fat, drooling lips and empty, vacant gazes, before bellowing and striking with their massive clubs.

These ogres are meat-shields, pure and simple. They charge, they attack, they throw their considerable weight around, and they smash heroes in a single swat, if their clumsy blows strike home. Smarter dungeon monsters tempt them into service with promises of nice food and, uh, pretty ogres?

Other ogres might include... oh, who am I kidding, this is pretty much all ogres out there.Code:

ST: 24/25 HP: 40 Speed: 5.5DX: 10 Will:9/12 Move: 6IQ: 7 Per: 7HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: +1Dodge: 8 Parry: 9 DR: 4

Fist (13): 2d+2 crushingMaul (14): 5d+3 (Unbalanced*)

Traits: Appearance (Hideous), Bestial, Fearlessness +3, Gluttonous (6), High Pain Threshold, Magic Resistance 2, Night Vision 5

Skills: Brawl DX+3 [8]-13, Wrestling DX+1[4]-11, Two-Handed Axe/Mace DX+4 [16]-14

Class: Mundane (Ogre)

Notes: Willing to negotiate, but only on their level (Food, women, territory, simplistic praise), easily tricked. Maul is “unbalanced” rather than “Unready” due to strength. Truly evil.

Troll Creeper(Worthy)Unlike many of the large, beastly monsters of the world, trolls are slim, graceful and crafty. Their glittering eyes and ferocious grins haunt the nightmares of many travelers more than the loud roars of orcs or the moan of zombies. Trolls believe in subtly, ruthlessness and having fun when killing. With their brightly colored hair and ugly, strange wrinkles, they

are the clowns of the monster world, and they don't mind.

Trolls tend to be broadly flexible as monsters, and creepers embrace this notion, having honed his regenerative prowess, practiced his stealth and increased his lethality, allowing him to flit from the role of Brute, Killer and Stalker with ease.

Code:

ST: 11 HP: 16 Speed: 6DX: 14 Will: 10 Move: 6IQ: 10 Per: 13HT: 11 FP: 11 SM: +0Dodge: 10 Parry: 11 DR: 0

Sharp Teeth (17): 1d-1 cuttingSpear (16): 1d+2 impaling, (Acc 2, Range 12/18, RoF 1(1))

Traits: Appearance (Ugly), Bad Temper (12), Bloodlust (12), Combat Reflexes, Discriminatory Smell,, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3), Universal Digestion, Vulnerability (Fire, x2)

Special Powers: Regeneration (Not vs Fire or Acid) (Biological)

Skills: Brawl DX+3 [8]-17, Spear DX+2 [8]-16, Stealth DX+2 [8]-16, Thrown Weapon (Spear) DX+2 [4]-16

Class: Mundane (Troll)

Notes: Night Adapted Vision -5. Might be willing to negotiate, if its clear he can't win.

Troll Witch (Worthy)Peculiar among their race, Troll Witches are surprisingly attractive. They lack the wrinkles and lop-sided features that plague many trolls, though they retain the long, wildly colorful hair, the sharp teeth and the long limbs. Their beauty haunts both trolls and delvers alike, though Troll Witches seem more fascinated with attractive delvers than hideous trolls.

Troll Witches continue the trollish tradition of flexibility and cunning in battle. She employs a variety of curses meant to befuddle and confuse the minds of travellers so they slip a little closer to her and her kin... for supper.

Code:


Sharp Teeth (12): 1d-4 cuttingLong Knife (13): 1d-3 impaling

Traits: Appearance (Atractive), Awe, Bad Temper (12), Discriminatory Smell, Empathy, Lecherousness (12), Magery 1, Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3), Universal Digestion, Vulnerability (Fire x2)

Skills: Brawl DX+1 [2]-12, Knife DX+2[4]-13, Occultism IQ+1[4]-14, Sex Appeal HT+3*[8]-14, Mind Control Spells! IQ [12]-13

Class: Mundane (Troll)

Notes: Night Adapted Vision -5. Willing to negotiate, especially with boys, but it might be a trick.

Appendix 1: Spell ReferenceMany of the monsters in this bestiary use Spell College Wild Card Skills to represent their magical prowess, simply for ease

of use. This appendix notes several useful spells for a given college, their page reference (always GURPS Magic unless stated otherwise) and the prerequisite count and associated penalty when used with a Wild Card skill, in case you want to simply glance at a list and know what spells such a character might cast.

This does not contain all possible, useful spells. It mainly has an eye towards spells immediately useful in the midst of combat, as we don't care how the necromancer got his zombie hordes, we only care about what he will do in one particular fight. I include this because I, personally, find a simple reference to a college to be insufficient to know what a particular mage can do. It helps me to see a list. So, here you go.

Arcane Magic

Air SpellsShape Air, p 24, 2(-1)Walk on Air, p 25, 3(-1)Body of Air, p 24, 3(-1)Windstorm, p 25, 3(-1)Devitalize Air, p 25, 3(-1)Concussion, p 26, 5(-2)

Body Control SpellsDebility, p 36, 0 (-0)Might, p 37, 1 (-0)Clumsiness, p 36, 2 (-1)Grace, p 37, 3(-1)Fumble, p 38, 3(-1)Agonize, p 40, 5(-2)Deathtouch, p 41, 7(-2)

Communication and Empathy SpellsSense Foes, p 44, 0 (-0)Persuasion, p 45, 2(-1)Mind-Sending, p 47, 4(-1)Compel Truth, p 47, 4(-1)Control Person, p 49, 5(-2)

Earth SpellsShape Earth, p 50, 0 (-0)Flesh to Stone, p 51, 2(-1)Stone Missile, p 52, 3(-1)Rain of Stones, p 53, 3(-1)Body of Stone, p 54, 6(-2)Steelwraith, p 54, 7(-2)

Fire SpellsCreate Fire, p 72, 1(-0)Deflect Energy, p 73, 2(-1)Flame Jet, p 73, 3(-1)Flaming Weapon, p 75, 4(-1)Explosive Fireball, p 75, 4(-1)Fire Cloud, p 75, 7(-2)Body of Flames, p 76, 8(-3)

Illusion SpellsIllusion Shell, p 96, 1(-0)Illusion Disguise, p 96, 1(-0)Know Illusion, p 97, 1(-0)Perfect Illusion, p 96, 3(-1)Dispel Illusion, p 97, 4(-1)

Phantom, p 97, 7(-2)

Knowing SpellsIdentify Spell, p 102, 1(-0)Mage Sight, p 102, 1(-0)Wizard Eye, p 104, 2(-1)Seeker, p 105, 2(-1)Astral Vision, p 105, 6(-2)

Light and Darkness SpellsDarkness, p 111, 2 (-1)Dark Vision, p 111, 2(-1)Flash, p 112, 2(-1)Blur, p 113, 3(-1)Sunbolt, p 114, 6(-2)Invisibility*, p 114, 6(-2)Body of Shadow, p 114, 7(-2)

Making and Breaking SpellsShatter, p 116, 6(-2)Animate Object, p 117, 6(-2)Rejoin, p 116, 7(-2)Explode, p 118, 8(-3)Sharpen, p 118, 9(-3)Weapon Self, p 119, 12(-4)

Meta SpellsCounterspell*, p 121, 0(-0)Great Ward*, p 122, 1(-0)Spell Shield, p 124, 8(-3)Dispel Magic, p 126, 13 (-4)Curse, p 129, 20 (-7)

Mind Control SpellsFoolishness, p 134, 0 (-0)Terror, p 134, 1(-0)Bravery, p 134, 1(-0)Forgetfulness, p 135, 1(-0)Mental Stun, p 135, 2(-1)Drunkenness, p 136, 3(-1)Mass Sleep, p 137, 4(-1)Charm, p 139, 8(-3)

Movement SpellsHaste, p 142, 0 (-0)Great Haste, p 146, 1(-0)Glue, p 142, 1(-0)Winged Knife, p 145, 2(-1)Flight, p 145, 2(-1)Blink, p 148, 5(-2)

Necromantic SpellsDeath Vision, p 149, 0 (-0)Stop Healing, p 153, 6(-2)Evisceration, p 154. 6(-2)Rotting Death, p 154, 9(-3)Animate Shadow, p 154, 9(-3)

Protection and Warning SpellsSense Danger, p 166, 0 (-0)Shield, p 167, 0 (-0)Armor, p 167, 1(-0)Return Missile, p 168, 3(-1)Iron Arm, p 169, 4(-1)Force Dome, p 170, 10(-3)

Sound SpellsSound Vision, p 171, 1(-0)Hush, p 172, 2(-1)Mage-Stealth, p 172. 3(-1)Concussion, p 26, 5(-2)Wizard Ear, p 174, 6(-2)

Water SpellsShape Water, p 185, 2(-1)Body of Water, p 185, 3(-1)Icy Weapon, p 185, 2(-1)Ice Slick, p 186, 4(-1)Flesh to Ice, p 190, 8(-3)Rain of Acid, p 191, 7(-2)Acid Jet, p 192, 10(-3)

Weather SpellsFog, p 193, 4(-1)Lightning, p 196. 6(-2)Shocking Touch, p 196, 7(-2)Lightning Weapon, p 198, 7(-2)Hail, p 195, 8(-3)

Holy SpellsArmor, p 167, 1(-0)Bravery, p 134, 1(-0)Might, p 37, 1 (-0)Awaken, p 90, 2(-1)Command, p 136, 2(-1)Major Healing, p 91, 3(-1)Flaming Weapon, p 75, 4(-1)Sunlight, p 114, 4(-1)Turn Zombie, p 152, 5(-2)Astral Vision, p 105, 6(-2)Strengthen Will, p 136, 6(-2)Sunbolt, p 114, 6(-2)Wisdom, p 135, 6(-2)

Unholy Spells

Debility, p 36, 0(-0)Armor, p 167, 1(-0)Terror, p 134, 1(-0)Weaken Will, p 136, 1(-0)Clumsiness, p 36, 2 (-1)Command, p 136, 2(-1)Darkness, p 111, 2 (-1)Dark Vision, p 111, 2(-1)Icy Weapon, p 185, 2(-1)Agonize, p 40, 5(-2)

Control Zombie, p 152, 5(-2)Deathtouch, p 41, 7(-2)Curse, p 129, 20 (-7)

Nature SpellsAnimal Control, p 30, 1(-0)Beast Summoning, p 30, 1(-0)Master, p 30, 1(-0)Shape Earth, p 51, 0 (-0)Shape Air, p 24, 2(-1)Shape Water, p 185, 2(-1)Windstorm, p 25, 3(-1)Beast Possession, p 32, 4(-1)Fog, p 193, 4(-1)Tangle Growth, p 162, 4(-1)Lightning, p 196, 6(-2)Shapeshift, p 32, 6(-2)Animate Plant, p 164, 7(-2)Body of Wood, p 165, 7(-2)Hail, p 195, 8(-3)Body of Wind, p 27, 10(-3)

Appendix 2: Example MonsterSJGAMES FORUM EXCLUSIVE!!1!

This is an enormous amount of information to take in all at once, and I think it's easy to be overwhelmed by it all, so I want to take the moment to bring you back and point you back to the monster templates at the beginning, and show you how these work.

I don't like the Orc Warrior I included in my bestiary. As I pasted him down, I noted that he's too similar to the Hobgoblin in role and armament. Originally the Hobgoblin was the meatshield and the Orc was the damage-dealer, but since then, I added the Ogre as the primary meatshield, and the Hobgoblin morphed into a weapon of mass melee destruction, sorta like a siege engine made out of skin and bone. Thus, the role of Orc Warrior as big axe-swinger sorta fades.

I still like the idea of an orc wielding an ax, but a more "frontline" warrior makes more sense: perhaps a shield and an axe, a durable fighter who rushes forward and soaks up the damage while goblin skirmishers and orc hunters harry with ranged attacks, and the Hobgoblin lays in a swathe of destruction.

So, the first order of business: we need the orc template. It can be found on page 11 of DF 3.

Next, we look at our templates. We're making a worthy, so somewhere between 3 and 5 templates is enough. Orcs are tough, at least all the orcs I've ever seen in literature (and this matches their template), we'll make them a Brute, a Hardy brute at that. That's 2 templates. They're also lethal, so we'll make them a Killer. Beyond that, Orcs have never been known for their elegance, and the Hobgoblin is already a power killer. The strange templates don't fit Orc Warriors, so that just leaves us with Swift, but I don't feel particularly inspired to take it (despite taking it last time). So, Killer, Brute, Hardy Brute. That makes an orc warrior worth about 165 points, give or take, which makes him good either as a worthy or a fodder, fitting for the descriptions of Orcs.

Then we just take the templates and add up all the numbers. We start with ST 10, Orcs get +1, Killers get +1, Brutes get +1, and even Hardy Brutes get +1, so we're looking at an ST of 14. We do the same for other states, collect all the advantages together, choose our disadvantages. For Killer, Bad Temper seems to fit best, but Easy to Read might be more fun, as Orcs are a little on the stupid side, and this would make their dirty tricks and feints more obvious. Lowering Bully to 6 would be fun, but probably more appropriate for a mean Orc boss. For Brute, only Sense of Duty (Orcs) makes sense, as Orcs sometimes have a reputation of being "noble savages," and this will emphasize that.

Finally, we note our skills, adding up point totals when we end up with two of the same skills. For example, we take the second Killer Package (Brawl and 8 points of Axe/Mace), and the third Brute skill package (Shield and 8 points of Axe/Mace), which gives us a total of 16 points for Axe/Mace.

Then we just note it all down, discarding any advantages or disadvantages that aren't pertinent to a dungeon fight (for example, Orcs have a social stigma. Well, who cares?! This is a monster!)

The result:

Orc Warrior (Worthy)

Blah blah blahCode:

ST: 14 HP: 30 Speed: 6.75DX: 11 Will: 12 Move: 6IQ: 9 Per: 10HT: 12 FP: 12 SM: -0Dodge: 10 Block: 12 DR: 4*

Axe (15): 2d+2 cut (Unbalanced)

Traits: Acute Hearing 2; Infravision; Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3); Combat Reflexes; High Pain Threshold; Appearance (Ugly); Bully (12); Easy to Read; Sense of Duty (Orcs).

Skills: Brawl DX+4 [12]-15, Axe/Mace DX+4 [16]-15, Shield DX+2 [4]-13

Class: Mundane (Orc)

Notes: 2 points of DR comes from tough hide, remainder comes from cheap leather. Medium shield, cheap axe and leather armor all lootable.

gurps characters gurps magic gurps dungeon … doesn't have monsters. ... racially, but what...

Documents