GURPS 4th edition. Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1

41 Pages·2011·6.087 MB·English

by  Peter V. Dell’Orto, Sean Punch

TM
Written by PETER V. DELL’ORTO and SEAN PUNCH
Illustrated by IGOR FIORENTINI, JOYCE MAUREIRA,
ROD REIS, BOB STEVLIC, and JACOB WALKER
An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS®
STEVE JACKSON GAMES
®
Stock#37-0322 Version1.0–June2011
C
ONTENTS
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . 3 GIANTAPE..................16 SWORDSPIRIT ...............29
AbouttheAuthors .............3 ActingLikeanApe ............16 LiveBytheSword.............29
AboutGURPS.................3 KingoftheApes ..............16 DieBytheSword..............29
GLADIATORAPE ..............17 THROTTLER .................30
1. THE MONSTERS. . . . . . 4 BattleRage...................17 FullThrottle..................30
ReadingMonsterStats ..........4
CestusIsBestest..............17 It’sNotEasyBeingGreen.......30
BRONZESPIDER...............5 HORDEPYGMY ..............18 TROLL .....................31
Spiders?TryCockroaches! .......5
Nasty,Brutish,andShort.......18 Killin’Trolls..................31
AlongCameaSpider............5
IslandofthePygmies ..........18 ...andTrollsKillin’...........31
BUGBEAR ....................6 HORRIDSKULL ..............19 UNDEADSLIME ..............32
LairoftheBugbear.............6
It’saTrap! ...................19 EnduranceEvent..............32
CIUACLÁ.....................7 UnholyHandGrenade .........19 CageFight ...................32
KillingDeath..................7 ICEWYRM ..................20 VOIDBRUTE ................33
CORPSEGOLEM ...............8 IcingtheWyrm ...............20 ServingtheMasters............33
Not-Quite-LifeIsCheap .........8 LairoftheIceWyrm...........20 BerserkVoidBrutes............33
That’sJustSickle!..............8 KARKADANN.................21 WATCHERAT
DEMONFROM SoothingtheSavageBreast .....21 THEEDGEOFTIME........34
BETWEENTHESTARS .......9 KarkadannPride..............21 TimeIsonTheirSide ..........34
HarassersFrom LEAPINGLEECH..............22 Hero-Killers..................34
BetweentheStars............9 HarmlessNuisance............22
HelloDarknessMyOldFriend....9 ...orDeadlyTrap.............22 2. MONSTER TRAITS. . . . 35
DEMONOFOLD ..............10 LICH.. .....................23 NEWMONSTERADVANTAGES ....35
OldiesbutBaddies ............10 ANotetoUndead-Slayers.......23 DamageReduction............35
OldDemonChainTricks .......10 OBSIDIANJAGUAR ............24 IndependentBodyParts .......35
DINOMAN ...................11 Teclá........................24 MONSTERPREFIXES ..........36
Dinomeals...................11 TheJaguarComes Berserker....................36
Dinomob....................11 intheNight ...............24 Chaos.......................36
DRAUG .....................12 ROCKMITE .................25 Determined..................37
Re-KillingDraugr .............12 LairoftheRockMites..........25 Distorted....................37
TheDraugLord...............12 IAmaRock .................25 Elemental ...................37
ThemeDungeons..............37
ELECTRICJELLY..............13 SLORN .....................26
Ghostly .....................37
AnElectrifyingExperience......13 RidersontheSlorn............26
Juggernaut ..................38
InSuper3D..................13 LizardBreath.................26
Possessed....................38
EYEOFDEATH ..............14 SLUGBEAST .................27 BossMonsters................38
DeathFromAbove ............14 Slughemoth..................27 PsychoKiller.................38
BewaretheFlyingEye..........14 SquishingtheSlug ............27 Ravenous....................38
FLAMELORD ................15 SPHEREOFMADNESS .........28 Undead .....................38
MediumHeat.................15 FeartheSphere...............28
FlameFriends................15 Spheresvs.Eyes ..............28 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
MONSTERINDEX .............39
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GURPS,Warehouse23,andtheall-seeingpyramidareregisteredtrademarksofSteveJacksonGamesIncorporated.Pyramid,DungeonFantasy,DungeonFantasyMonsters,e23,
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C 2
ONTENTS
I
NTRODUCTION
A “monster” is any fantastic or unnatural creature – either Unholylens,and/orembodysuchelementsasChaos,Darkness,
sapient,likeadragon,ornonsapient,likeaflesh-eatingslime– Death,Deception,Disease,Evil,Fear,Fire,andWar.
thatlacksacivilization. • Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts offers two evil spirits
–GURPSBasicSet thatlurkintreasureinsteadofguardingit.
• Everything in Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners – but
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is about killing monsters and
especially the demons and undead – is as likely to be sum-
takingtheirstuff.Forthattowork,youneedmonsters–lotsof
monedtofightadventurersastoassistthem.
monsters!Therearealreadymanysuchcritterslurkingwhere
• Even Dungeon Fantasy 10: Taverns gets in on the act,
youmightnotexpectthem:
presenting a wyrm and rats of unusual size (and hinting at
• Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeonsoffers19creaturesthat statsforkillerbunnyrabbits).
existtomangle,poison,andburntreasure-hunters.
Butyoucanneverhavetoomanymonsters!
• ManynonhumanracesinDungeonFantasy3:TheNext
The Dungeon Fantasy Monsters supplements – starting
Level are “civilized” on a technicality, becoming monsters
withthisone–givetheGMentirelynewthreatswithwhichto
when armed and placed in the heroes’ path. Corpse-eaters,
challengecockyheroeswhoarenolongerafraidofas-Sharak,
ogres, reptilians, and trolls actually have Social Stigma
demonicclouds,andhellhounds(orwhoseplayershaveread
(Monster).Thenthere’sorcs...
toomanyDungeonFantasybooks!).
• Encountered in a dungeon, the entities in Dungeon
Fantasy 5: Allieswouldservedelversforlunchbeforeserving
A A
themasdotingpets.The13druidicalliesand10animalfamil- BOUT THE UTHORS
iarswouldbesavagebeastsinmostcontexts.Theninefantastic
Peter V. Dell’Orto was born and raised in New Jersey. He
familiars are lesser supernatural monsters, some of them
startedroleplayingin1981,withDungeons&Dragons,andhas
evil.Anddivineservitorswouldbecalleddemons,ElderThings,
played GURPS since Man to Man. Active as a GURPS
or undead if unbound – especially if they have the Horrific or
playtester,editor,andwritersince1996,he’sthe
author of numerous GURPS articles for
Pyramid magazine and several e23 items
About GURPS (including GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 12:
Ninja), and a coauthor of GURPS Martial
Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS players. Arts and GURPS Low-Tech. Peter loves to
OuraddressisSJGames,P.O.Box18957,Austin,TX78760.Pleaseinclude invent fantasy monsters, so these pages
aself-addressed,stampedenvelope(SASE)anytimeyouwriteus!Wecan includeafewchoicebeastiesunleashedonhis
alsobereachedbye-mail:[email protected]: hapless players over the years. He’s also an
enthusiastic martial artist, and has fought
Newsupplementsandadventures.GURPScontinuestogrow–seewhat’s
amateurMMAintheSHOOTOorganization
newatgurps.sjgames.com.
in Japan and insubmission grapplingin the
e23.Oure-publishingdivisionoffersGURPSadventures,playaids,and
U.S. He currently trains Kachin Bando and
supportinPDFform...digitalcopiesofourbooks,plusexclusivematerial
holdsashodanrankinKendo.Hisotherhob-
availableonlyone23!Justheadovertoe23.sjgames.com.
biesincludereading,strengthtraining,paint-
Pyramid(pyramid.sjgames.com).OurmonthlyPDFmagazineincludes
ingminiatures,andstudyingJapanese.
new rules and articles for GURPS, systemless locations, adventures, and
Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch set out to
muchmore.Lookforeachthemedissuefrome23!
becomeaparticlephysicistin1985,endedup
Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.com for
theGURPSLineEditorin1995,andhasengi-
errata,updates,Q&A,andmuchmore.TodiscussGURPSwithourstaffand
neeredrulesforalmosteveryGURPSproduct
your fellow gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. The web
since.Hedeveloped,edited,orwrotedozens
page for GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 can be found at
of GURPS Third Edition projects between
gurps.sjgames.com/dungeonfantasymonsters1.
1995 and 2002. In 2004, he produced the
Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bibliographies, and
GURPSBasicSet,FourthEditionwithDavid
we’reputtingthemonline–withlinkstoletyoubuytheresourcesthatinter-
Pulver. Since then, he has created GURPS
estyou!Gotoeachbook’swebpageandlookforthe“Bibliography”link.
Powers(withPhilMasters),GURPSMartial
Errata.Everyonemakesmistakes,includingus–butwedoourbesttofix
Arts (with Peter Dell’Orto), and the GURPS
our errors. Up-to-date errata pages for all GURPS releases, including this
Action, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, and
book,areavailableonourwebsite–seeabove.
GURPS Power-Ups series . . . and the list
RulesandstatisticsinthisbookarespecificallyfortheGURPSBasic keepsgrowing.Seanhasbeenagamersince
Set,FourthEdition.PagereferencesthatbeginwithBrefertothatbook, 1979. His non-gaming interests include cin-
notthisone. ema,cooking,andwine.HelivesinMontréal,
Québecwithhiswife, Bonnie,andtheirtwo
cats,BansheeandZephyra.
I 3
NTRODUCTION
C O
HAPTER NE
T M
HE ONSTERS
Thesemonstersarepresentedwithoutcommentastohow Thus,it’suptotheGMtodecidehowmanyofwhatmon-
appropriatetheymightbeforagivenadventure.ThefairGM sterstouse,andwhatloottheyguard.Thesearejustthestats!
should ensure that delvers only have to battle monsters that
theyhaveachanceofdefeating–butrememberthatcombat
isn’ttheonlyoption.AdeadlymonstermightoccupyRoom#1
of the heroes’ first dungeon if there’s a way to sneak past it, They saw there as well the
negotiatewithit,ordefeatitwithaploy.
AndwhilethescariestThingscustomarilyhoardthebiggest strangest thing lying prone near
treasures, this is mainly because they can extort wealthfrom
their leader on the field: the flying
less-scaryThings.Abossmonsterthatresidesfarfromvillages
andthelairsoflessercreatureswouldhavefewopportunities
fire-drake, fearsome and grisly
toplunder.Conversely,foddermonstersmightdwellinamine
fullofdiamondsthattheyregardasworthlessrocks.Incases fiend, all scorched with flames.
likethelatter,ofcourse,theremustbesomereasonwhyother
delvers(orbossmonsters!)haven’tconfiscatedthegoodiesyet: – Beowulf
curses, numbers, rough terrain, traps . . . preferably several
thingsatonce.
Reading Monster Stats
The creatures in Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 use Forafflictions,curses,venoms,etc.,it’stheresistanceroll,
the stats format on p. 21 of Dungeons. Unlike those in whichmightbeasimpleattributerolloraQuickContest
Allies and Summoners, their character-point values against the victim’s score. Damage scores are final, and
aren’tshown.That’sbecausetheyaren’tintendedasAllies alreadyconsiderbonusesfortheBrawlingskill,theClaws
orAlternateForms,andsometimeshaveabilitiesthatare orStrikeradvantage,etc.
annoyingtoreplicatewithadvantages(althoughtheGM Traits: Advantages or disadvantages important in dun-
is quite welcome to try, if he prefers doing math to run- geonfantasy.Forbrevity’ssake,DRandattacksaren’tlisted
ningadventures). a second time, and “color” traits don’t appear at all. If it
mattersthatamonsterspeaksElvishorsuffersfromJeal-
ST,DX,IQ,HT,HP,Will,Per,FP,Speed,andMove:These
ousy,theGMcanaddthis.
basic attributes and secondary characteristics mean
Skills:Anyskillspossessedbyallmonstersofthistype.
exactlywhattheydoforheroesandeveryothercreaturein
Exceptional specimens might have different skill lists.
GURPS.CreatureswithST0aren’ttangibleandcan’tpick
Those with IQ 6+ are sapient and capable of learning
upobjects,graborbegrabbed,etc.,whilethosewithIQ0
almostanyskill!
arevegetablesthatreactreflexivelyanddon’tusetactics.
Class: Animal (Giant if huge, Dire if mutant; all are
SM:Thisaffectsallrollstohitthemonster.Multiplythe
affectedbyAnimalHandlingandAnimalspells),Construct
energy cost to cast Regular spells on it by (1 + SM). The
(entirely incorruptible), Demon (evil, and subject to the
statsalreadyreflectothereffects,suchasincreasedReach.
Banishspell),DivineServitor(treatasdemons,butnotnec-
Dodge and Parry: These defenses are prefigured from
essarily evil), Elder Thing (insane, and not vulnerable to
DX, Basic Speed, and combat skills, and already include
Banish), Elemental (affected by Banish and Control Ele-
bonuses for Combat Reflexes and Enhanced Defenses –
mental), Faerie, Hybrid (as Animal, but requires a special
don’taddtheseagain.
subset of Animal spells), Mundane (has vital areas), Plant
DR:ThisistotalDRfromnaturalandartificialsources.
(affected by Plant spells), Slime (diffuse, and immune to
Onlycreaturesnotedaswearingarmorhaveit.TheGMis
most Animal and Plant spells), or Undead (can be turned
free to add more DR if, say, an evil wizard casts Armor
withTrueFaith).
spellsonorrivetsmetalplatestohisguardianmonsters.
Notes: Anything else of importance – including excep-
Attacks: These are listed by attack name. For strikes
tionstolistedstatsortheseguidelines.
andgrapples,thenumberinparenthesesiseffectiveskill.
T M 4
HE ONSTERS
B S
RONZE PIDER
These eight-legged jumping spiders are constructed from
sacredbronzeandanimatedwithdivinepower.Whileintelli-
gent,theirmindsarealienandcoldlymechanical.Consensus
amongclericsisthattheywereforgedtopatrolandmaintain
the secret tunnels to a divine realm – some say the lair of a
bizarreclockworkgod.Incombat,theyclingtowallsandceil-
ings,jumpinggreatdistancesandattackingfromweirdangles
(-2 to enemy defenses). Their stone-cutting “mandibles” are
intendedforworkingondungeonwallsbutareequallygoodat
slicingupfoes.Otherthanoutwardappearance,theyhavelit-
tleincommonwithgenuinespiders;notably,theylackvenom
anddon’tspinwebs.
Spiders?
Try Cockroaches!
Bronze spiders are tough opponents for beginners!
TheirDR6isasgoodasplatearmor.Asthey’reHomoge-
nous,impalingdamageishalved(notdoubled)afterDR
tofindinjury,makingarrows,spears,etc.somewhatinef-
fective. Prodds, slings, and other piercing weapons fare
worse:injuryisamere1/5ofpenetratingdamage.More-
over,thespiderslackweaknessestotargetforextrainjury
(no neck, skull, or vitals), have redundant legs (while a
paltry2HPapiecetocripple,thissimplyreducesMoveby
1 per leg), and can’t be gassed, poisoned, etc. (Doesn’t
Breathe and Immunity to Metabolic Hazards). Being
machine-like, they might stop at 0 HP (15 points of
injury),butrollvs.HT13toavoidthatfate.
Fortunatelyfordelvers,Fragile(Unnatural)meansthe
spidersfallapartat-15HP.Ofcourse,thattakes30points
ofinjury!
ST:15 HP:15 Speed:7.00
Along Came a Spider DX:15 Will:9 Move:8
IQ:9 Per:12
With Clinging and Dark Vision, bronze spiders are HT:13 FP:N/A SM:0
built for attack from above in the dark. Roll a Quick
Dodge:10 Parry:N/A DR:6
Contest: their Stealth (15) vs. the delvers’ Vision. A PC
not specifically watching out above has -2 (looking up Mandibles (15): 2d+1 cutting. Reach 1. Treat as a weapon
gives -2 to notice danger underfoot, like pits); darkness (Striker),notasabodypart.
modifiers also apply. If unmodified Hearing would be
better, use that instead. Victory for the spiders gives Traits:CannotLearn;Clinging(Move4);DarkVision;Doesn’t
theirvictimsnodefenseagainstthefirstattack,notjust Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Duty (To
-2forattackfromabove. ancientgods);ExtraLegs(8legs);Fanaticism(Maintaining
Theinitialleapfromaboveisapounce(p.B372):+4to holy places); Fragile (Unnatural); High Pain Threshold;
hitandanextrayardofreach.Thisletsaspiderhitsome- Horizontal; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Indomitable;
oneupto10yardsdownatunnelateffectiveskill19.Given Injury Tolerance (Homogenous, No Blood, No Neck); No
the typical dungeon corridor’s height, this delivers 2d Fine Manipulators; Pressure Support 3; Striking ST 4 (ST
crushingdamage;thespidersuffers(target’sHP)/10diceof 19); Super Jump 1 (9-yard jump); Unfazeable; Unhealing
crushingdamage,roundedtothenearestdie.Ifthespider (Total);VacuumSupport.
dealshigherdamagethanitsprey,thevictimmustrollvs. Skills:Stealth-15.
DXorfalldown.Hefallsautomaticallyifthespiderdidat Class:Construct.
least twice his damage! The spider must roll vs. DX 15 Notes:Despiteitsresemblancetoabeast,Animalspellswon’t
regardless,withfailuremeaningitneedsaturntostandup. work.Animatedbydivineenergies,notbymagic.Unwilling
tonegotiate.Remainsyield300lbs.ofscrap,worth$1d¥30
intown;seeScrap(Dungeons,p.15).
T M 5
HE ONSTERS
B
UGBEAR
These are burly, hairy humanoids with fangs.
They’re invariably found toting a large bag full of
organs. Each bugbear prefers to collect – and eat – a
different organ from its victims. Some like hearts,
some like livers, and some like spleens or brains or
evenlesstypicalchoices.Theykeepthesebitsintheir
sack,mixedinwithanytreasurethey’vecollected...a
squishy,nastymess.
Bugbearsaren’tbrave,orevenaterriblydangerous
threat face-to-face, but they are clever, sneaky, and
ruthless.Theymissnoopportunitytoslipinandattack
theunwary.Theirfavoritesportistostealuponstrag-
glingdelversandgarrotethemorbashtheirheadsin.
Thenthey’llquicklycarveouttheirfavoriteorganwith
theirclawsandsneakaway.
In very rare cases, a bugbear will find a mate and
they’ll work together for a time, garroting and eating
delversbeforematingandsplittingup.
ST:14 HP:14 Speed:6.50
DX:14 Will:10 Move:6
IQ:10 Per:12
HT:12 FP:12 SM:0
Dodge:9 Parry:11 DR:0
Bite(16):1dcutting.ReachC.
Claw(16):1dcutting.ReachC.
Garrote(18):Mustfirstattacktheneck(-5)atReach
C.ThenrollaQuickContest:thebugbear’seffective
ST17vs.thebetterofthevictim’sSTorHT.Dam-
ageequalsthemarginofvictory;multiplydamage
that penetrates DR by ¥1.5 (for the neck) to find
injury.Seealsop.B405.
KnobbedClub(16):2d+1crushing.Reach1.
Traits: Chameleon 2; Cowardice (12);
Dark Vision; Hard to Kill 2; Loner
(12);Silence2.
Lair of the Bugbear
Skills: Axe/Mace-16; Brawling-16;
Garrote-18; Stealth-16 (18 vs.
Bugbears typically dwell in tunnels. A bugbear might dig these itself, or it
Hearing or Vision if moving, 20 if
may appropriate mining tunnels, natural fissures and cracks, or the lairs of
motionless); Tactics-12; Traps-12;
long-deadtunnelingcreatures.Accessisviaaconcealedtrapdoor(-2tospot),or
Wrestling-16.
two,orthree...Bugbearsdon’tlikeunexpectedcompany,sotheyendeavorto
Class:Mundane.
concealtheentrancestotheirdensandtheyalwayshaveanescaperoute.
Notes:EffectiveSTforgrapplingis16
Insidethelairwillbeanumberoflethaltraps.Pits,hangingnoosesabove
due to Wrestling skill. Carries a
suddendrop-offs,andtripropesnearsharpenedstakesaretypical.Bugbearsare
cheapknobbedclub($8)andarope
far from fastidious; their tunnels are usually infested with rats or roaches or
garrote ($2). Preserved or dried,
both,andlitteredwithgnawed-onbones,feces,bitsoffurandrustedjunkfrom
bugbearspleensareausefulingredi-
victims,andsoon.Valuablesarelikewisescatteredabout;asthebugbeargrows
entforvariouspotions,worth$100
bored with the shiny bits of gold and silver, it leaves them strewn around its
each. They can also be consumed
homelikesomuchjunk.
raw and fresh. Make a HT roll to
Bugbearsarerarelyfoundaboveground.Ifonedoeshaveatopsidelair,the
keepitdown:Successmeans+1dto
entranceswillbeconcealedbehindpricklyorpoisonousplants,preferablynear
CamouflageandStealthskillsforan
darkandforbiddingruinsorthick-canopiedforeststhatkeepeverythinginthe
hour;failuremeansyoucan’teatit;
dark.Sinceit’sdifficultforoutdoor-dwellingbugbearstosneakindaylight,they
and critical failure means vomiting
operatenocturnally.
for 2d seconds and then -1 to all
attributesfor10minutes.
T M 6
HE ONSTERS
C
IUACLÁ
Thisskeletaldivineservitorisinhumanlystrongandtough,
and seems “feminine” despite lacking flesh. It wields what
Killing Death
appearstobeastiffenedserpentasastaff,ameretouchfrom
which delivers venom capable of afflicting the best-armored
Offensively,ciuaclánaredangerous.TheirhighStaff
man.Ifdroppedorbroken,thisweaponbecomesathousand
skill enables a Deceptive Attack for -3 to the heroes’
tiny worms that squirm back to their owner, reforming as a
activedefenses–oralternatively,aRapidStrike–ata
staff in one second! Out of combat, the serpent dwells coiled
respectable 12 or less. Any blow that lands might
withintheciuaclá’sribcage.Ciuaclánresembleanimatedskele-
removeaPCfromthefight.The3d+2crushingattack
tons but aren’t undead (as clerics and holy warriors may dis-
averages12or13damage,enoughtodefeatevenDR
cover the hard way). They’re usually encountered in groups,
6-7 plate armor and a DR 5 Armor spell. The 1d+4
guardingsomedeathgod’stemple.
toxicdamagemeansanother5-10HPofinjuryregard-
ST:18 HP:18 Speed:7.50 lessofDR.IfbothhalvesofaRapidStrikeland,this
DX:14 Will:12 Move:7 cankill.
IQ:10 Per:12 Ciuaclán are also good defensive fighters. Their
HT:12 FP:12 SM:0 staffsletthemkeeprivalsatadistancewhilegranting
Parry 14 – and ciuaclán will retreat to maintain their
Dodge:10 Parry:14 DR:4
reach advantage. Engaged individually, they’ll retreat
VenomStaff(18):3d+2crushing+follow-up1d+4toxic.Toxic whileparrying(for+1,or15);ifmobbed,they’llparry
damageisCosmic,andignoresallDR!Reach1,2. thefirstattackat14andthenretreatfromthenextone
with a dodge (for +3, or 13). Attacking the staff to
Traits: Cannot Float; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink;
negateitsreach,lethality,anddefensiveedgeislogical
Doesn’tSleep;DR8(Limited,Cutting);Fragile(Unnatural);
but pointless; it will rematerialize in the ciuaclá’s
High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards;
handsasecondlater.
Evenifthedelversdohit,ciuaclánarehardtokill.
They get DR 12 vs. cutting attacks – and because
they’re Unliving, impaling attacks receive no bonus
injury (wounding modifier ¥1), while piercing
weapons such as slings inflict just 1/3 of penetrating
damage as injury. On seeing “skeletons,” crushing
weaponsmightcometomind...butciuaclánhaveno
vulnerability there. Blows to the apparent eyes, skull,
andvitalsdonothingspecial,either.Heroesdeducing
from this that they’re fighting freakish-but-living
humanoids will discover the fruitlessness of poison
andstrangulation,too.
Thedelverswilllikelyhavelittlechoicebuttobat-
ter the ciuaclán down to -HP (36 points of injury) –
where Fragile (Unnatural) will dispel them – while
avoiding deadly strikes. Thus, these creatures make
poor fodder. A squad of them would be an excellent
bossagainstevenseasonedadventurers,though!
Immunity to Mind Control; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance
(No Blood, No Brain, No Eyes, No Vitals, Unliving); No
SenseofSmell/Taste;Skinny(-2STandHPvs.slamsand
knockback); Temperature Tolerance 10 (35°F to 210°F);
Unfazeable;VacuumSupport.
Skills:Fast-Draw(Serpent)-18;Staff-18.
Class:DivineServitor.
Notes: Unwilling to negotiate with anyone who doesn’t make
anOccultismrollat-5toknowwhatitis,followedbyasuc-
cessfulInfluencerollagainstReligiousRitualtoappeaseit
...initsobscurelanguage.Abilitiesaredivine,notmagical.
Serpentstaffswon’tworkfornon-ciuaclán,butcanbesold
toalchemistsintownfor$1,000apiece!
T M 7
HE ONSTERS
C G
ORPSE OLEM
Noteverythingthatlookslikeazombieisazombie.
Corpse golems are an excellent example. These con-
structs are made of rotting bits of destroyed undead, Not-Quite-Life Is Cheap
stitchedtogetherandreanimated...again.Theresult
is about as effective as any other golem, but fouler. Despite looking scary, corpse golems are easy opponents for
CorpsegolemsaremostlyfodderinthelegionsofEvil, well-prepareddelvers.Iftheycouldfeelpainorsurrender,they’d
where they’re sometimes favored over zombies be“fodder”asdescribedonp.27ofDungeons.Theirmaindefen-
because they’re not susceptible to the abilities of sivetraitsarethatthey’reUnliving(nobonusinjuryfromimpaling
annoying clerics and holy warriors. A side benefit is attacks)and–likemostunlivingthings–theydon’thavetoworry
that adventurers often waste precious time trying to aboutpoison,suffocation,lice,taxes,etc.Otherwise,they’resim-
use sacred powers on the things, which sure do look plyfighterswithdecentSTandsharpweapons.TheGMmaywish
undead. The telltale clues are sickles in lieu of hands touselots...thelegionsofEvilgetadiscountforbuyinginbulk.
and the way their evil master cackles when they use
thisweaponrytocutacleric’shighholysymbolinhalf.
ST:15 HP:18 Speed:6.00 Hook (14): Sickles can “grapple” by hooking at Reach C, 1.
DX:12 Will:8 Move:6 Thisdoes1d-1cuttinginitiallyandforfreeeveryturnafter
IQ:8 Per:8 thatuntilvictimescapes.
HT:12 FP:N/A SM:0 Sickles(14):2d+1cuttingor2d+1impaling.Reach1.Swung
toimpale,asicklemaybecomestuck;seep.B405.
Dodge:9 Parry:10(¥2) DR:0
Traits: Automaton; Bad Smell; Cannot Learn; Doesn’t
Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Fragile
(Unnatural); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Meta-
bolic Hazards; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No
Blood, Unliving); No Fine Manipulators; Reprogram-
mable;Single-Minded;Unfazeable;Unhealing(Total).
Skills:Axe/Mace-14;Stealth-12.
Class:Construct.
Notes:RollHiddenLore(Undead)orThaumatologyat-5to
realizethatacorpsegolemisaconstructandnotsome
zombievariant;seeRecognition(Dungeons,p.9).Hasa
sickleaffixedtoeachwristinplaceofahand;thesemight
bepoisoned,magical,orboth(seeboxbelow).Oftenclad
inarmor,withDR2tannedcorpse-leatherbeingtypical.
Nogolemwillnegotiateorrevealusefulinformation.
That’s Just Sickle!
ThelegionsofEvilmightarmsomecorpsegolemsbetter: Meteoric:Ignoresmagic!Worth$800–or$9,000,ifbig.
Poisoned: Monster drool (roll HT to avoid 2 points of
Big:Thesickleisaslarge(andcostly)asasword.Add
injury), bladeblack (roll HT-5 to avoid 6d injury), or any-
+1tocuttingdamage.Removetheimpalingoption.
thinginbetween.SeeAdventurers,pp.28-29.
Fine:Akeensicklegets+1todamage.Worth$400–or
$1,800,ifbig. Delvers will doubtless sell or keep nice sickles. Sickles
Magical: Crackling, Flaming, Icy, Mighty, Penetrating, requiretheAxe/Maceskill,andhavethesestats:
etc.;foreffectsandcosts,seeAdventurers,p.30.
Weapon Damage Reach Parry Cost Weight ST Notes
BigSickle sw+1cut 1 0U $450 3 10
or thr-2cut 1 0U – – 10 Hook.[1]
Sickle swcut 1 0 $40 2 8
or swimp 1 0U – – 8 [2]
or thr-2cut 1 0U – – 8 Hook.[1]
[1]Countsasagrapple.Inflictsthrust-2cuttingonhitting,andagaineveryturnuntilvictimbreaksfree.
[2]Maygetstuck;seePicks(p.B405).
T M 8
HE ONSTERS
D F
EMON ROM
B S
ETWEEN THE TARS
Ancienttomeshavenoshortername Life-Draining Touch (15): 1d+1
fortheDemonsfromBetweentheStars toxic.ThisCosmicattackignores
–that’ssimplywhatthey’vealwaysbeen allDRandhealstheDemonthe
called. Given that these entities are same number of HP that it
Elder Things rather than demons, the inflicts!ReachC.
monikerismisleadingaswellasannoy-
Traits: Berserk (12); Chameleon 5
ingly wordy. The vaguely humanoid
(Only in darkness); Dark Vision;
Demons appear to be made of pure
Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Sleep;
darkness,althoughtheyaretangibleand
Fragile (Unnatural); High Pain
can’twalkthroughwallsoruseShadow
Threshold; Immunity to Meta-
Form; when enraged, their eyes glow
bolic Hazards; Indomitable;
likestars.They’reaboutasintelligentas
TemperatureTolerance10(-30°F
apes, savage, and engulfed in a field of
to155°F);Unfazeable.
chilling “night energy” that absorbs
Skills: Stealth-15 (in the dark,
blowsandsucksenergyfromtheliving.
becomes 20 if moving or 25 if
They’re most often found guarding lost
stationary).
Elder Thing sites, and nearly always
Class:ElderThing.
attackfromdarkness.
Notes: For the spellcasting leaders
ST:14 HP:21 Speed:7.00 mentioned in ancient writings,
DX:15 Will:12 Move:7 raise IQ to 10+, add Power
IQ:6 Per:12 Investiture (Elder), and give
HT:13 FP:13 SM:0 them spells at IQ + Power
Investiture level; see Hello Dark-
Dodge:10 Parry:10 DR:4
nessMyOldFriend(box).Unwill-
(unarmed)
ingtonegotiate.Trulyevil.
Harassers From with two life-draining touches at effective skill 13. Heroes
canavoidthisbykeepingtheirbackstowallsoreachother,
Between the Stars butthatmeanstheycan’tretreatfromorpresstheDemons,
whowillfleefrontalcombatunlessBerserkkicksin.
DemonsfromBetweentheStarsmustfightcunningly
to threaten barbarians with many HP, wizards with big Hello Darkness
power items, and so on. They have fodder-level active
defenses (Dodge and Parry 10), a mediocre DR 4, and My Old Friend
onlythestandardimmunitiesofextradimensionalThings
(poison,Sleepspells,suffocation,etc.).Whiletheirattack Spellcasting Demon leaders can ensure that fights
bypasses DR, it’s weak (1d+1). The GM should exploit happen in the dark thanks to spells enabled by Power
theirstrengths: Investiture(Elder),whichreplacetheclericspellsonp.19
ofAdventurers.
• They have 21 HP and can take 42 points of injury
before Fragile (Unnatural) sends them home. However, PI1:Darkness,DeathVision,Debility,DetectMagic,Dull
everyblowtheylandrestores1d+1HP!Theycanlastalong Vision,Fear,Frailty,Gloom,SenseLife,andShade.
timeiftheyhitandrun... PI2: Blackout, Blur, Fog, Panic, Shape Darkness, Steal
• They’re very good in darkness, where they can see Energy,StrikeBlind,andTerror.
(DarkVision)andhaveaneffectiveStealthskillof20when PI3:BodyofShadow,Cold,DevitalizeAir,Hide,Madness,
moving. There, they can try Backstabbing (Dungeons, MysticMist,SeeInvisible,andStealVitality.
pp.11-12)repeatedlyagainstavictimwhocan’tignore-5or PI4:AnimateShadow,Curse,Deathtouch,Dehydrate,Dis-
moreindarknesspenalties.Vanishingfromsightrequiresa pelMagic,Frostbite,Nightmare,andPestilence.
fullMovemaneuverandaStealthrollat-5,foreffectiveskill PI5:Invisibility,Lure,RottingDeath,andSuspendMana.
15 in the dark. The turn after, the Demon can strike from PI6: Drain Mana, Planar Summons (Demons from
behindattheusual+4forthistrick,makingaRapidStrike BetweentheStars),andPermanentMadness.
T M 9
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D O
EMON OF LD
These demons date to time out of memory. The gods sup-
posedly banished them from the mortal sphere, but they still
lurk in places that escaped divine wrath, such as ruined
primevalcitiesandancientdungeons.Theylooklikedemons
are“supposed”tolook:muscularredbruteswithhorns,claws,
barbed tails, and eyes like molten lava. Contrary to popular
myth,however,theypreferhookedchainstotridents.Theonly
surewaytodefeatoneistorunitthroughtheheart–makea
HiddenLore(Demons)rolltolocatethis.
ST:20 HP:20 Speed:7.00
DX:12 Will:16 Move:7
IQ:10 Per:10
HT:12 FP:12 SM:+1
Dodge:11 Parry:12(hand)/10(chain) DR:4
Oldies but Baddies
DemonsofOldlackstrangepowers–they’retoughphysical
opponents.With20HPandUnkillable,apartywithoutHidden
Lore(Demons)mayhavetodeliver220HPofinjurytobeatone
downto-10¥HPanddefeatit,allwithoutthebenefitofwound-
ingmultipliersforneck,skull,or(conventional)vitals.Ademon
at0HPorbelowmightbedispelled(“fallunconscious”)sooner,
butHT12makesthisunlikely.
These demons have many attacks capable of killing lightly
armoredheroes.Andtheydofighttokill–BloodlustandSadism
aren’tjustsuggestions.IfaPCgoesdown,everydemonstanding
willgivehimanextrawhackunlesshisalliesintervene.
Fortunately, while the demons are immune to mortal weak-
nesseslikepoisonandasphyxiation,theycanbekeptmorethana
chain’slengthawaybyaboldlypresentedholyobject.Ofcourse,
they’lluseAll-OutDefense(IncreasedDodge)toduckmissilesat BarbedTailorHorns(16):2d+3impaling.ReachC,1.
effectiveDodge13untilsomebodycomestofightthem. Chain (16): 3d+4 crushing. Reach 1-4. Parried at -4,
blocked at -2, and may entangle or disarm if par-
Old Demon ried.Treatasakusari(p.B406).
Foot Talons (14): 2d+1 cutting or impaling. Reach
Chain Tricks C,1.
HandTalons(16):2dcuttingorimpaling.ReachC,1.
Combatoptionsbesidesthoseonp.B406include:
Traits: Bloodlust (12); Callous; Combat Reflexes;
Grapple: The demon grasps the chain by the ends – a Ready Detect(Life);Doesn’tBreathe;Doesn’tEatorDrink;
maneuver.Afterthat,achaingrappleisanattackat-2;ReachisC- Doesn’tSleep;Dread(Holyobjects;5yards);High
2.Thegrapplecountsastwo-handed,givingthedemon+5toST Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards;
againstattemptstobreakfree(p.B371).Onlaterturns,thedemon Indomitable; Infravision; Injury Tolerance (No
canchoke(p.B370)at+2toSTforthechain,attemptatakedown Blood,NoBrain,NoNeck);Lifebane;Sadism(12);
(p.B370),orreelinitsquarry(rollasforatakedown,butvictory Temperature Tolerance 10 (40°F to 215°F); Unkill-
haulsthevictimayardcloser). able1(Diesonlyat-10¥HP;AchillesHeel,Blowto
ReturnStrike:At-5toskill,thedemoncanstrikethebackof vitals).
someone closer than the chain’s current Reach. Treat this as an Skills:Brawling-16;Kusari-16;Wrestling-16.
attack from the side – giving -2 to defend on top of the defense Class:Demon.
penaltiesvs.achain–andapplytheDRonthevictim’sback. Notes: Effective ST when grappling is 22, thanks to
Snap: To avoid ready times – one turn at Reach 2, two at Wrestling;applySMdifferencetoattackrollswhen
Reach 3-4 – the demon can snap his chain end-first. Damage grappling(+1vs.SM0humans).Someuseachain
becomesthrust(2d-1crushing). ofmeteoriciron(Adventurers,p.27),worth$1,400!
Unwillingtonegotiate.Trulyevil.
T M 10
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