GURPS Monster Hunters 5: Applied Xenology

[PK]

Not all myths are old;
Not all knights come from the past;
Evil's time is now.

— Not Your Usual Poet

The champions of GURPS Monster Hunters have long been embracing the supernatural in order to combat it. Holy crusaders and wise witches fight alongside well-equipped commandos and techies to save our world from demons, vampires, and worse. But The Enemy is not limited to creatures from ancient myth and legend . . . and hunters can find more to draw upon than paranormal power.

GURPS Monster Hunters 5: Applied Xenology gives your game new options -- some focusing on the scientific side of The Mission, but others existing just to expand your horizons! Upgrade your champions with new lenses and choices: Play a commando obsessed with unraveling conspiracies . . . or a sage who's brilliant with a soldering iron instead of a spellbook . . . or a warrior who relies on just one signature weapon (perhaps a TL10 superfine vibroblade?) rather than being a master of all.

If you're a fan of Ritual Path magic, whether from Monster Hunters or GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic, prepare for a high-tech upgrade with technomagic. Technomages code their spells as programs, empowering their computers to do the casting for them. These spell-scripts can be emailed to friends, stored by the hundreds on removable media, and (with luck and skill) run multiple times before losing their energy. Technomages may be the perfect fusion of modern gear and ancient power; underestimate them at your peril.

Of course, this all wouldn't be as much fun without things trying to kill you, and Applied Xenology offers The Enemy in spades. If you prefer intelligent aliens to hang conspiracies on, the Greys, Nordics, and Reptoids are custom-made for that. Perhaps you just want terrifying space monsters like the Devourers, Insectoids, and Phasites? Should the Stalkers turn the tables on your champions by hunting the hunters? Or are the most terrifying threats the unseen plagues, like the Brain Flu, Cybercytes, or Husk Virus? Heck, we've even included advice on meshing the old-school monsters with these modern ones, in case the GM is worried about genre clashes. And needless to say, all of these horrifying aliens can be used in any campaign -- consider the second half of this work "GURPS Monsters from Space" if you will.

The setting of Monster Hunters is finally fleshed out along both the "supernatural" and "scientific" axes -- the latter covering everything from Aliens to Predator to Primeval -- all in the ready-to-use format that you're used to. The world just became a scarier place; you're already used to looking around you for threats, now get used to looking to the sky as well.

—

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[ham2anv]

If this had included cryptids, it would be literally everything I've wanted since The Enemy came out. As it is, it's still 100% awesome.

[Langy]

Excellent stuff. I saw a lot of the influences going into it, and I liked what I saw. This really makes me want to make an X-Files/X-COM hybrid game (one I had already planned out a little tiny bit way back when but never got around to playing); always a good sign.

[PK]

Originally Posted by ham2anv

If this had included cryptids, it would be literally everything I've wanted since The Enemy came out. As it is, it's still 100% awesome.

Since I've already gotten on the subject of MH books I'd like to see, it's worth mentioning that I didn't do cryptids here because I really think they deserve their own book. That way, they're in their own "grab-n-go package" so gamers can use them independently of the "supernatural and/or extraterrestrial threats?" question.

In fact, I'll just throw out some of my suggestions for what I think MH6+ could be, including stuff that I don't feel like I have to be the writer for. MH5 is the last book that I insisted on writing, since adding aliens has been part of my plan since Day One. Everything else is wide open for other writers, including these suggestions!

• Cryptids, as mentioned immediately above.

• Elder gods and TMWNMTK, as mentioned a few posts up.

• Open threats and heavy ordnance -- for when champions don't have to keep things secret or low-key. Think, "The demon king was summoned somewhere in the Amazon an hour ago; we estimate 11 hours until he reaches civilization and things go from bad to worse." This would be one part advice, both on using the occasional "open hunt" in a normal game and on running an entire game where The Secret is out -- and two parts gear list: heavy weapons, armored vehicles, etc.

• Power-ups. Adding more cool abilities to the three powers, nifty racial tricks for inhumans, magical power-ups, and training-specific power-ups (maybe based on their wildcard skills?) for the normal humans.

• Area-specific mythologies. For example, MH: Indian Myth, which focuses on monsters from Indian lore and legends, but also has new Hindu-based rules for mysticism, Indian-flavored RPM rituals, etc. (India is strictly an example here; substitute any country or region and the results will be interesting!)

And all that is just what's rolling around in my mind. I'm sure any interested writers have a few cool ideas of their own.

The only thing I know we're not looking to do is to reframe the context of Monster Hunters (or any of the worked-genre series). Things like "Monster Hunters in Space" or "Victorian Monster Hunters" call for either (A) a quick conversion summary and a bit of GM advice, which better fits a Pyramid article, or (B) rethinking the assumptions from the ground up, which calls for its own series. (Kromm explained this better and in more detail here.)

If anyone else has ideas for what they think the next amazing MH books should be, please feel free to share. Even if you're not up for writing it, someone who is may read your post, get inspired, and send in a proposal!

[PK]

Side note: My original thoughts on MH6 were "either more inhuman racial templates, or a small book on just the fae (both as inhumans and foes)" . . . but during our "only Pyramid" phase, I split that concept with Ghostdancer during the creation of Pyramid #3/45: Monsters. So that issue of Pyramid will always be "MH6" to me. :)

[lwcamp]

I would definitely be interested in a book on cryptids, and on many area specific mythologies (such as many of the Amerind myths - giant flying anthropophagous heads? How much weirder can you get?).

Luke

[PK]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

I would definitely be interested in a book on cryptids, and on many area specific mythologies (such as many of the Amerind myths - giant flying anthropophagous heads? How much weirder can you get?).

Yeah, exactly! Make sure they're tough enough to be a challenge for some champions, and you've got one hell of an interesting foe there. I realize that Monster Hunters doesn't make "mythological accuracy" its #1 priority, but across the board, I've tried to include foes that pull from the actual myths and legends of familiar cultures. So adding less familiar cultures to that mix is just fun.

I tried to do that in "Elemental Xia Champions vs. the Shenguai" (from Pyramid #3/70: Fourth Edition Festival) -- I researched a few actual Chinese monsters and demons to include as foes. I'm curious from those who love MH and also read that article: Assuming that those monsters were unfamiliar and strange to you, did that make them more interesting? Or did it make them less accessible and thus less interesting?

[aesir23]

On the topic of Lovecraftian Horror and GURPS MH dream projects, I'd love to see the MH version of Delta Green. I'd use the templates from Sidekicks, or go even lower power (new templates for 150pt government agents).

Originally Posted by PK

• Cryptids, as mentioned immediately above.

• Elder gods and TMWNMTK, as mentioned a few posts up.

• Open threats and heavy ordnance -- for when champions don't have to keep things secret or low-key. Think, "The demon king was summoned somewhere in the Amazon an hour ago; we estimate 11 hours until he reaches civilization and things go from bad to worse." This would be one part advice, both on using the occasional "open hunt" in a normal game and on running an entire game where The Secret is out -- and two parts gear list: heavy weapons, armored vehicles, etc.

• Power-ups. Adding more cool abilities to the three powers, nifty racial tricks for inhumans, magical power-ups, and training-specific power-ups (maybe based on their wildcard skills?) for the normal humans.

• Area-specific mythologies. For example, MH: Indian Myth, which focuses on monsters from Indian lore and legends, but also has new Hindu-based rules for mysticism, Indian-flavored RPM rituals, etc. (India is strictly an example here; substitute any country or region and the results will be interesting!)

All of these would be awesome. MH is such an exciting line.

This could probably be covered in Pyramid articles, but I'd love to see MH books covering earlier historical periods (I'd love to run a Renaissance/Early Modern Campaign, and Victorian (or Steampunk) Monster Hunters would also be awesome.

Come to think of it, steampunk and Monster Hunters would go together like Chocolate and Peanut Butter. Maybe when I'm done with my MFA I'll have to try to write that one myself!

[Tinman]

Excellent job Rev PK! I love the book. I'm still digesting a lot of it.
I too am eager to see a Cryptid book.
Also, I'd like to see an expansion of the powers of the champions.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by PK

Since I've already gotten on the subject of MH books I'd like to see, it's worth mentioning that I didn't do cryptids here because I really think they deserve their own book. That way, they're in their own "grab-n-go package" so gamers can use them independently of the "supernatural and/or extraterrestrial threats?" question.

In fact, I'll just throw out some of my suggestions for what I think MH6+ could be, including stuff that I don't feel like I have to be the writer for. MH5 is the last book that I insisted on writing, since adding aliens has been part of my plan since Day One. Everything else is wide open for other writers, including these suggestions!

• Cryptids, as mentioned immediately above.

• Elder gods and TMWNMTK, as mentioned a few posts up.

• Open threats and heavy ordnance -- for when champions don't have to keep things secret or low-key. Think, "The demon king was summoned somewhere in the Amazon an hour ago; we estimate 11 hours until he reaches civilization and things go from bad to worse." This would be one part advice, both on using the occasional "open hunt" in a normal game and on running an entire game where The Secret is out -- and two parts gear list: heavy weapons, armored vehicles, etc.

• Power-ups. Adding more cool abilities to the three powers, nifty racial tricks for inhumans, magical power-ups, and training-specific power-ups (maybe based on their wildcard skills?) for the normal humans.

• Area-specific mythologies. For example, MH: Indian Myth, which focuses on monsters from Indian lore and legends, but also has new Hindu-based rules for mysticism, Indian-flavored RPM rituals, etc. (India is strictly an example here; substitute any country or region and the results will be interesting!)

And all that is just what's rolling around in my mind. I'm sure any interested writers have a few cool ideas of their own.

The only thing I know we're not looking to do is to reframe the context of Monster Hunters (or any of the worked-genre series). Things like "Monster Hunters in Space" or "Victorian Monster Hunters" call for either (A) a quick conversion summary and a bit of GM advice, which better fits a Pyramid article, or (B) rethinking the assumptions from the ground up, which calls for its own series. (Kromm explained this better and in more detail here.)

If anyone else has ideas for what they think the next amazing MH books should be, please feel free to share. Even if you're not up for writing it, someone who is may read your post, get inspired, and send in a proposal!

Votes for (3) and (4). I'd be especially excited about (4) if it included some big-ticket power-ups for higher-powered games. The existing Monster Hunters is already somewhat super-heroic, and I'm interested in seeing that pushed further. Maybe 200-point lenses for 600-point games (or patient PCs in a long-running standard game willing to save up the points), big-ticket attack and defense abilities designed to be used alongside the gear in "open threats and heavy ordnance," that sort of stuff.