new creatures for gurps

8/12/2019 New Creatures for GURPS

1/11

New Creatures for GURPSBronze Skeletons

Magical Monsters

or Machines?by Robert Collins

Bronze skeletons look like actual human (or other) skeletons formed of solid bronze darkly glinting, or greenish and corroded, as the case may be. Typically, they are usedas guardians of great treasures or dangerous items. They can also be used as menialservants, carrying or moving things. They may occur either in science fiction or fantasycampaigns. In a fantasy situation, they are magical, created by a variation on the Golemspell. In a SF scenario, they are elaborately-designed robots.

They may be "programmed" either for combat or for simple work, but not for both.Combat-programmed skeletons can be set either to attack anything within range (nomore than five yards), or to attack specific targets. They can carry one weapon and ashield, or two weapons. Fantasy skeletons won't use missile weapons; robotic skeletonsare usually not programmed for anything but primitive hand weapons, but occasionallythere are surprises!

Skeletons may also be set for menial labor, following very simple instructions, like "Pushthat," or "Pick that up and carry it over there." They may be set to follow anyinstructions, any instructions prefaced with a code word, any instructions given by acertain person . . . If labor skeletons are ordered to attack, they will, but the attack will

be clumsy (see below) and weaponless.

Fantasy skeletons will continue to fight until destroyed, or unless hit with a Dispel Magicspell.

SF skeletons will fight until destroyed, but can be slowed by jamming a joint or jointswith a small metal object, like a small knife or a nail. This requires a DX-4 roll in closecombat. There may also be special gadgets that can halt or disable them.

Skeletons of all types can be knocked down; if downed, a combat skeleton will flail atanything "hostile" that comes close, but will be unable to stand easily. A skeleton must

make a DX-4 roll to stand, and will try to stand on any turn that there is no target withinrange.

Because of their open structure, bronze skeletons are immune to impaling damage fromprimitive weapons. Even bullets bounce off without effect unless the skull is targeted,then PD is 6. Lasers and other impaling beam weapons can attack them, but their PDagainst such weapons is 6.


2/11

Bronze Skeleton Statistics

ST 16, DX 10, HT 13, IQ 8 (for sense rolls).

Metal body has PD 3, DR 2; PD 6 against fire, laser and similar damage; skull PDagainst bullets is also 6. The "brain" of a metal skeleton may be either in the skull or thechest; if it is the skull, decapitation, or 7 hits of head damage, will immobilize theskeleton. If it is in the chest, 10 hits of torso damage will destroy it.

Base weapon skill 14; second weapon or shield 12.

Weaponless skeletons strike at DX level for 1d-1 crushing damage. Some have alsobeen known to bite with sharpened or even poisoned teeth; this is up to the GM!

Bestiary: The Yrl-TreeAn Enlightening Encounter

by Scott Maykrantz

Yrl-Trees, also known as World Trees, are incredibly old, solitary plants. No one has yetdiscovered more than one Yrl-Tree on a single planet, nor have any Yrl-Trees smallerthan 500 feet tall been found. No one knows how Yrl-Trees are born. Very, very fewpeople have ever encountered an Yrl-Tree; the experience is said to be of an almostreligious quality.

ST: n/a Move/Dodge: / Size: 75 (1,000' tall)DX: n/a PD/DR: 7/45 Weight: HugeIQ: 20-35 Damage: Origin: SFHT: 21/400 Reach: Habitat: Forest

Each Yrl-Tree is incredibly intelligent, but its thought pattern is radically different fromthat of humans, or any kind of animal life. Yrl-Trees "think" slowly and fully , with aperception of the universe much like that of a Zen master who has reached the highestlevel of consciousness. An Yrl-Tree may be located at the center of a village ofprimitives, who worship and protect it. In turn, the Tree will use its powers to protect the

primitives.

Yrl-Trees need rich soil, sunshine and water like normal plants. They do not havemouths, faces, or brains, and cannot move their limbs or walk on their roots. An Yrl-Treelooks like nothing more than an unbelievably huge, old tree. Each Yrl-Tree can live aslong as the planet on which it makes its home.


3/11

Each Yrl-Tree is highly telepathic. Each has Telepathy Power 23 (see pp. B 165-171,and pp. 46-49 of GURPS Sup ers ) and the following telepathic skills: Emotion Sense,Illusion, Mental Blow, Psi Sense, Suggest, Sleep, Telereceive, Telesend, Telescan. Allskill levels are equal to the Yrl-Tree's IQ.

The Yrl-Tree can use its telepathic ability to protect itself. Illusions, Mental Blows,Suggestions and Sleep can persuade or deter characters or animals that can damagean Yrl-Tree.

But the Yrl-Tree also uses its telepathic abilities to contact and enlighten other intelligentbeings. When intelligent creatures approach, the plant will scan their minds and get anidea of the basic nature of each individual. This lets the Yrl-Tree know if the visitorsintend to do it harm or if they come in peace. If they are violent or may cause harm tothe Yrl-Tree, it will try to protect itself using its telepathic abilities. Or, if it detects theintruders before they see it, it will hide by creating an Illusion that it is not there.

If the visitors do not intend to harm the Yrl-Tree, it may decide to telepathically contactthem, initiating a mind-to-mind conversation. Because of the "higher" thought processesof the Yrl-Tree, anyone with an IQ less than 21 will be mentally stunned during thistelepathic contact. The Yrl-Tree will ask the visitors about themselves; it will not sayanything about itself except "I am the Yrl-Tree."

The Yrl-Tree then tells them about the planet they are on, giving them some helpfulinformation. For example, it may tell them where to find a place they are searching for,or it may tell them about dangerous people or animals nearby. The visitor will sense,through the telepathy, that the Yrl-Tree has great knowledge, much more than it iswilling to tell them.

If they ask for more information or harm the Yrl-Tree, it will break the contact and thenuse its telepathic abilities to send them away. If they thank the Yrl-Tree for theinformation but do not ask anything of it, it will enlighten them.

Enlightenment from the Yrl-Tree will give the enlightened character some insight intohimself and the world around him. This enlightenment is a sort of awakening of the innersenses, allowing the character to see his life a little differently and to tap into special,previously unknown reserves in the soul.

The game effect is this: each player, after his character is enlightened by the Yrl-Tree,

has 20 character points which can be used to buy off a mental disadvantage or to buy anew mental (or mind-related) advantage. The player cannot spend the points on morethan one advantage or disadvantage.

For example, someone suffering from an Addiction may find himself able to control hisurges as a result of being enlightened he buys off an Addiction worth 20 (or less)points. Or perhaps one of the characters establishes a mind-body link as a result of theenlightenment, allowing him to make better use of his senses he gains 4 levels of
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Supers/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Supers/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Supers/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Supers/3e/


4/11

Alertness. The most common use of the points is to buy two levels of the TelepathyPower. If the player cannot decide how to spend the points, the GM can let thecharacter "discover" some new abilities later.

Each Yrl-Tree can sense if a visitor has made contact with another Yrl-Tree in the past;

if so, the Yrl-Tree will not enlighten them again. However, it would be very unlikely foranyone to meet more than one Yrl-Tree in a lifetime.

Of course, giving each character 20 free points is not recommended for every gamesession! Keep in mind that an encounter with an Yrl-Tree is a rare, highly significantevent in a person's life, and does not always result in enlightenment.

("Yrl" is pronounced "eer-ull," beginning with the same sound as "eerie." This article wasinspired by Viking folklore.)

Norse TrollsMonstrous Foes for Viking Adventureby Graeme Davis

In GURPS Viking s (rush out and buy it now!) I made the conscious decision to restrictmyself to sources from the Viking Age. This cuts out a lot of wonderful stories from laterScandinavian folklore and literature, right up to Peer Gynt and The Three Billy-GoatsGruff .

This article presents a miscellany of information and ideas based on post-VikingScandinavian folklore, which can easily be incorporated into a Vikings campaign. Mostof it could be used in a GURPS Fantasy campaign, as well.

Troll Types

The Troll race seems to have undergone a period of great diversification shortly afterChristianity became widespread in their homelands. This may be the effect ofChristianity driving them to the edge of extinction, or a depleted gene-pool causing wild-card mutations, or it may be that the word "Troll" was erroneously applied to othercreatures. Be that as it may, here are a few possible sub-races:

Cliff Trol ls

Cliff Trolls vary in size, but are little seen; possibly they have some kind of natural ormagical camouflage, or have developed great stealth and hiding skills. They are alsohighly skilled climbers, as might be expected. They specialize in throwing people offcliffs; their favorite tactic is to cut the ropes of egg-collectors, although they will also
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Vikings/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Vikings/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Vikings/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Fantasy/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Fantasy/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Fantasy/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Fantasy/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Vikings/


5/11

seize people who wander too close to a cliff-edge, and throw them to their doom on therocks below.

No one has ever had a close look at a Cliff Troll; the most that anyone ever sees is ahairy arm reaching out from behind a rock. They will avoid cliffs which have been

blessed by a Christian priest, but it is wise to leave them one area of cliffs which theycan call their own; if they are entirely robbed of their home, they become vicious and thesituation can end up in outright war. With their stealth and concealment skills, Cliff Trollsmake deadly terrorists.

Sea Troll s

Sea Trolls generally live in sea-caves, and lay claim to a stretch of water surroundingtheir homes. They are fully amphibious, and can grow to immense size; some tales tellof a pair of arms reaching out of the water and crushing the hull of an eight-oaredfaering , or dragging it under with a single pull. Like the Cliff Trolls, Sea Trolls avoidbeing seen, and most people will only see a pair of huge, hairy arms reaching up out ofthe water.

Lesser Trol ls

These vicious little creatures were mentioned in passing in GURPS Viking s . Much likeGoblins, they are small, individually weak and cowardly, and prefer to attack in largenumbers (and, if possible, from ambush), overwhelming a single victim. Their precisesize and shape varies widely: some have tails and/or animal legs, some look like uglylittle humans, and some can have multiple forms, often masquerading as a child or farmanimal to cause chaos.

Greater Trolls

Some of the Trolls of folklore grow to enormous size at least as big as the true Giantsof Norse mythology. These Greater Trolls tend to be rather slow and stupid, but theirstrength is immense. They can pick up buildings (especially churches) and throw themseveral miles, and they can do the same with building-size boulders. They can drink awhole lake at a single draught, or create a new one by leaving a footprint across thecourse of a river. They are mainly used in folklore to explain geographical features, butcould make a deadly opponent for Viking PCs in a mythic campaign

Advantages and Disadvantages

GURPS Fantasy Fo lk lists several new racial advantages which would be appropriatefor folklore Trolls. Because of the extreme diversity of the race, however, not all of themare suitable for all Trolls this is the reason for omitting any Fantasy Folk -style listing
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/FantasyFolk/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/FantasyFolk/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/FantasyFolk/


6/11

of advantages and disadvantages. Weaknesses are discussed in detail below; the restcan be listed in two categories those which most Trolls will have, and those whichsome Trolls will have.

Common advantages include Damage Resistance, Dark Vision, Claws (+2) and Early

Maturation (9 years).

Occasional advantages include Regeneration and Re-growth (see below), andIncreased Strength.

Common disadvantages include Dying Race, Phobia (Christianity), Reduced IQ, Ugly Appearance and Weakness (Sunlight).

An occasional disadvantage is Inconvenient Size; this is most common among trollswith Increased Strength. Some Trolls have an actual Weakness with respect toChristianity.

A Note on Regeneration

Ever since the first days of roleplaying, it has been an accepted truth that Trolls alwaysregenerate. This, along with the green skin, impressive warts and three-foot nose withwhich Trolls are commonly depicted, seems to have originated in Poul Anderson'sfantasy novel The Broken Sword , better known as Three Hearts and Three Lions .

Some Trolls from Scandinavian myth and folklore do have rapid healing abilities, butmore often they have phenomenally high DR and PD scores. Regeneration andRegrowth are suitable advantages for some Trolls, to be sure, but the GM should beaware that, in Scandinavian tradition at least, they are optional rather than mandatory.

Weaknesses

In post-Viking folklore, Trolls have two outstanding weaknesses sunlight andChristianity. The precise effects vary from individual to individual; sometimes a Troll canactually enter a church without suffering more than a little discomfort, while other Trollsare turned to stone by the sound of church bells. Similarly, some Trolls are wounded bysunlight, while others are petrified or killed. GURPS Fantasy Fo lk covers the Weaknessdisadvantage on a racial basis, but Trolls are a diverse lot, and the GM might decidethat although the race as a whole invariably suffers from one or both of theseweaknesses, the level can vary from Troll to Troll.

For readers without GURPS Fantasy Folk , here's a summary of Weakness:

A creature with a Weakness suffers actual damage through exposure to a certainsubstance or condition. The value of the disadvantage is a function of the amount ofdamage (or the rate at which damage is accrued) and the rarity of the cause. 1d per


7/11

minute is worth -20 points, 1d per 5 minutes is worth -10, and 1d per 30 minutes isworth -5. This base value is halved if the damage caused is Fa-tigue rather than hit

points. It is also halved if the cause is very rare, and doubled or even tripled if the causeis common. The amount of damage, and whether it comes from Fatigue or hit points, isa matter for the GM to determine, and will vary from Troll to Troll.

Sunlight is pretty common, but can be avoided by adopting a nocturnal lifestyle, so adoubling of the base disadvantage value would be appropriate.

Christianity spreads over time it is very rare (half value) prior to about AD 900, andmoderately common (normal value) between 900-1000. After 1000 it becomes verycommon (double value). A rarer weakness is to the sound of one's own name. Thiswould appear to be a terrible disadvantage, but it only seems to take effect when thename is pronounced by a Christian. A whole adventure could revolve around the task offinding out the name of a Troll who is terrorizing a community.

Troll Magic

Several stories feature Trollish magic, giving a rather mixed set of spells to work from.I've made no attempt here to integrate these effects into the GURPS magic system; thisis up to the individual GM. In many cases they are better used as major plot elementsrather than as day-to-day NPC magic.

Lure

This spell can be used to draw a victim to the Troll's lair from a distance of severalmiles. The caster must have some idea of the victim's identity (e.g. Rolf Gunnarson, orthe farmer by Gudbrandsdal, or the priest of Slingsby). If the victim is a devoutChristian, or if prayers are said for the victim by a devout Christian (and note thatdevoutness has only a slight connection with Clerical Investment!) the victim has abonus to resist the spell. This bonus should be in proportion to the Troll's magical abilityand the GM's estimation of the devoutness of the Christians involved. If the spell is notresisted successfully, the victim enters a kind of trance, and makes his way to the Troll'slair unless forcibly restrained until dawn.

Curse

A Troll with magical ability can curse a place or person to barrenness. A cursed field willbear no crops (in extreme cases, nothing at all will grow there not even weeds), acursed lake or stream will become empty of fish, and a cursed person or animal willbecome completely sterile. This spell is also available to hedge-wizards, wise womenand mystics.


8/11

Fog

Trolls can call down a fog so thick that visibility is literally zero. It covers a comparativelysmall area no larger than a single field, usually but the fog is so dense that they canapproach a cart under its cover and abduct someone from a cart without anyone in thecart noticing until the fog clears.

Stocks

Trolls are very fond of kidnapping humans especially children (for eating) and youngwomen (for a worse fate). Some species of Trolls, like the Kunal-Trow of Norse Orkney,must actually take a human wife, because the troll-wives are infertile. A favorite trick todelay discovery and pursuit is to leave a stock behind in place of the victim. This is acunningly-carved wooden replica of the victim, which is good enough to fool mosthumans although priests can sometimes recognize them for what they are.

The victim is abducted at night. The stock is found and assumed to be their corpse.Funeral arrangements are made for the person who "died in the night," and it is notusually until the stock is about to be buried that the officiating priest notices that it ismade of wood. This gives the Trolls a good head start (up to a couple of days) beforeany rescue attempts are made.

(To recognize a stock, roll vs. any medical skill, or its default, at a -6. A Christian gets a+2. A modern physician would get no extra bonus; this is magic, not science! Anyonewith Magery would have their normal chance to detect the stock as an enchanted item,but the only thing they would be likely to think would be "That corpse is enchanted."They still wouldn't realize it wasn't real unless they made the medical roll.)

Errata from Ro leplayer #25: The article on Norse Trolls states that The BrokenSword is also known as Three Hearts and Three Lion s . This proves not to be thecase; they're different books. The regenerating troll appears in the latter.

The SnaggerA Surprise for Science Fiction or Fantasy Campaigns

by Charles Oines

ST: 15-20 Move/Dodge: 0/3* Size: 7DX: 12 PD/DR: 1/1 Wt: 150-200 lbs.IQ: 3 Damage: * Origin: SFHT: 12/20 Reach: C, 1 Habitats: F, J


9/11

Snaggers resemble large bushes, though they are not plants. They are sessile,carnivorous animals, consisting of one radial three-toed foot planted firmly in theground, a large, round body covered with extended leaf-like scales, and three radiallyplaced triple-jointed claw, each ending in a single scimitar-like poison claw. The armsfold into grooves under the scales.

A snagger can attack any target within 3 hexes of its center hex with either one or twoarms. Each claw attack does Thrust-1 impaling damage. If the claw penetrates armor, avery quick-acting blood agent is injected, inflicting 3d damage, or 1d if the victim makeshis HT roll. The effects take 2d seconds to appear. Once the victim is incapacitated, thesnagger will drag the victim underneath its fronds and inject it with a digestivesubstance that breaks down the bones and tissues. Within a week, the snagger's rootswill have "drunk" all the remains except for indigestible clothing, armor, bionics and soon.

Snaggers can "uproot" themselves and move about very slowly (an hour to root or

uproot, and a hopping movement of less than one foot per second). They will plantthemselves by game trails or water holes, and usually move after a few good kills or aweek without success. They will mimic the local vegetation, and they don't all look likethe same kind of bushes, so constant care is necessary to identify them, rolling onSurvival or Naturalist skill at a penalty determined by the GM.

Snaggers may appear in either a fantasy or SF background. In a fantasy background,they are a good source for spell components and a useful poison. In a SF backgroundthey are still a poison source, and the enzyme that breaks down the victim's flesh mayhave medical uses (legitimate or otherwise). In any background, a snagger is ediblethough not particularly tasty.

Baby snaggers, one hex in size, may also be seen. They will not attack human-sizedprey unless molested, but chopping one down, or just pushing roughly past it, is enoughto invite a poison claw. The baby would do only Thrust or Thrust-1 damage, and thevictim resists with a HT +1 roll, but the effects are otherwise the same.

The WolfmasterA Feral Fiend from French Folklore

by Andrea Sfiligoi

A Wolfmaster is a human being with the ability to call wolves and mind-control them. Heusually lives in a rural area or small village, under a fairly normal identity usuallysomeone who works at night, like a baker. He is the one and only wolfmaster in hisarea, and won't tolerate any intrusion by other wolfmasters, or by werewolves. He islikely to have a family, who may know about his secret identity; upon his death, his sonwill take on his role as a Wolfmaster.


10/11

His true nature is a well-guarded secret, since wolfmasters are universally consideredevil creatures who can only be killed in their human form. In the Middle Ages, a personsuspected of being one was often cast out of the village or sentenced to death. Theyare powerful, but the rumors about their invulnerability are false they can be killed,albeit with difficulty.

The wolfmaster's powers come from a small bottle of unknown (demonic?) origin. Thebottle produces a potion that the wolfmaster drinks every night the liquid is magicallyformed every morning. It will work for anyone; if a person finds the bottle and drinks thepotion even once, he becomes a wolfmaster. (A Remove Curse would dispel the ability,with its attendant drawbacks, but it would be harder or impossible to remove the cursefrom one who had deliberately become a wolfmaster, or who had drunk the potionrepeatedly.) If the potion is taken out of the bottle and stored, it becomes clear waterwith no powers. The bottle can be detected as magic, but any attempt to identify it is at -2.

If the wolfmaster fails to drink his potion for a week, he will lose his powers, but willregain them as soon as he takes another drink. If he fails to drink his potion for a year,he will soon be attacked and killed by wolves. Of course, he's not likely to forget for ayear . . . but if his magic bottle is lost or stolen, the result is the same.

From sundown to dawn, a Wolfmaster is able to summon all the wolves living in thearea, generally numbering from six to 36. He usually leads the wolves around a bigbonfire located somewhere in a forest, and they all "dance" in a circle around the fire,awaiting their master's orders. Wolves under his command are somehow moreintelligent than normal ones the telepathic link with their master enhances their IQ to8. They are absolutely loyal to him. If he is killed, they will try to avenge his death.

Once per month, a Wolfmaster can attempt to summon "special" wolves with demonicpowers. To do so, he must roll vs. IQ; he gets one special wolf for each point by whichthe roll is made. These may be treated as Shadow Wolves (see Fantasy Bestiary , p.65) with IQ 8 and no venom, but invulnerable to all damage except to magic spells,enchanted weapons and silver blades. They are able to cast Breathe Fire (skill 15, noenergy cost, 1d+1 fire damage hitting on a DX-2 roll). They vanish at dawn.

Wolfmasters have normal human statistics, but often have high IQ and Magery. They allhave the Night Vision and Doesn't Sleep advantages. They cannot directly attackanyone with "holy" status, but have been known to kidnap and kill innocent children.They are sometimes shapeshifters as well, with the ability to become a large wolf, butonly after midnight; in some cases, their transformation is uncontrollable. They all revertto human form if their blood (even a few drops of it) is drawn.

They usually force those unfortunate enough to meet them, to "feed the wolves." Anunlucky traveler who stumbles upon a wolfmaster must run home without stumbling; ifhe falls to the ground the wolves will be on him. If he reaches home, the traveler mustfeed the wolves that have followed him. He must also give them a gift for their master
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/FantasyBestiary/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/FantasyBestiary/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/FantasyBestiary/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/FantasyBestiary/


11/11

perhaps a basket full of French bread, or a small sum of money. If he fails to do so, hewill be killed by a wolf pack attack within one year.

The French word for wolfmaster is "meneur des loups," and the legend is still believedin some rural parts of France making the wolfmaster a perfect addition to a present-

day Horror campaign, as well as to a fantasy game.
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Horror/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Horror/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Horror/3e/http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Horror/3e/

new creatures for gurps

Documents