GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 4: Dragons

[Kromm]

Instead of fire, ice
As well as might, sorcery
Not one head, but two

— The old man at the tavern

Yours Truly, coauthor of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 and author of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2: Icky Goo, is back from safari with yet more creatures that love dungeon delvers – especially as snacks. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 4: Dragons redresses a 10-year oversight in the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series, bringing the King of the Monsters to your gaming table in five easy pieces:

• Chapter 1 provides stats for small, medium, large, and gargantuan dragons – plus systematic instructions for scaling up to any size you like!
• Chapter 2 devotes an even larger page count to dragon's breath, offering eight clouds, eight cones, and ways to change them up, like less-lethal weapons and jets of vermin.
• Chapter 3 discusses special abilities beyond size and breath. Because nothing is scarier than knowing for sure that "big and breathes gunk" is the only thing you know for sure . . .
• Chapter 4 gives concrete advice for setting up dragon encounters and using dragons to their full potential in battle. Dragons don't fight fair, so neither should the GM.
• And the closing appendix presents Jonas, Ssythoxx, Thrice, and the Annihilator: four ready-to-use encounters that show just how diverse dragons can be.

This isn't GURPS Dragons reskinned. It's a guide to monsters that are every bit as optimized for hacking and slashing as the heroes who would challenge them – a no-holds-barred bestiary of opponents intended to teach a lesson to anyone who sees a dragon as nothing more than a pile of Hit Points to butcher into fancy armor on the way to the treasure. It's full of nasty surprises and dirty tricks calculated to make "There's a dragon!" cause for adventurers to think with their heads and not their weapons.

For those who have the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game: While these dragon are based on those ones, they are described in greater detail, are available in more sizes, and can have a wider range of breath weapons and special abilities. The added information requires only minimal conversion and would be an excellent way to step up your game!

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Store Link: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-0346

[b-dog]

I got this book and I think this is my favorite way to make monster books; focus on one type of monster and then have a lot of options and sample monsters. I would have liked some treasure hoards included with the sample dragons but the book was well done and useful. Hopefully there will be more books like this with ways to customize your monsters. I think fairies would be useful, especially ones with ogres, trolls and goblins which are true fairies instead of the AD&D style humanoids that are pretty much a meaningless encounter with 250 point DF PCs. Undead would also be cool and of course Lovecraftian Elmer Things.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by b-dog

Lovecraftian Elmer Things.

Conjures images of squid-faced beings made of colorful construction paper...

[zuljita]

It's a great book. There's some recycled material from DFRPG as Kromm acknowledged but for the low cost of entry, it'll spice up your dragons quite nicely.

[Mister Negative]

Originally Posted by Dalin

Conjures images of squid-faced beings made of colorful construction paper...

I was thinking of Fudd the Unspeakable.

[Refplace]

My review is up here