Difficult monsters

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by pgb

Pyramid 3/101, last March, was on exactly that.

I can't believe I forgot that! Here's the link, for those who missed it. But still . . . no clowns.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by tbone

You must.

(So. What issue of Pyramid will we see it in? : )

No idea. But I must write it. It...calls to me.

Originally Posted by Kromm

Of course Hell Gnomes need a few changes from regular gnomes:

Hell Gnome

Racial Cost: 20 points

—
Hell Gnomes superficially resemble their hill-dwelling cousins but differ in several important respects. They're uniformly unpleasant (if not actually evil) and utterly mercenary, selling traps and curses to anyone who can afford them, without regard for what those things might be used for. They just about always live deep underground, and are chummy with the fabled shadow elves and perhaps even certain Elder Things. And they are to the last gnome mages, though they rarely cast combat spells, preferring instead to work on slow, long-term enchantments such as Evil Runes.

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM ‑1; FP+3 [9]; Basic Move-1 [‑5].
Advantages: Magery 0 [5]; Night Vision 6 [6]; Resistant to Poison 5 [5]; Troublemaker* 4 [20].
Disadvantages: Callous [-5]; Greed (12) [‑15].
Features: Armor interchangeable only with that of SM ‑1 races.

Special Hell Gnome Traits
—
Magery 0: If you're a wizard, this overlaps Magery and you can spend the 5 points on other professional advantages. If you belong to another profession, you can sense mana and magic items. You can also learn (and cast!) wizardly spells that don't require Magery 1+, if you meet the spells' other prerequisites – but you'll need to find a teacher in play. If you're a bard, cleric, or druid, list spells learned through Magery 0 separately, as they obey the rules for wizards, not your profession; e.g., a Hell Gnome who learned Silence as a wizard would get no Bardic Talent bonus but wouldn't need to sing to cast it.

Troublemaker: You are a master of creating things that hurt people: curses, dangerous architecture, poisons, traps, and so on. Add +1 per level to the Alchemy, Hazardous Materials, Poisons, Thaumatology, and Traps skills. Also add +1 per level to the damage inflicted by your traps, including magical ones such as alchemical gunk and Evil Runes. All Hell Gnomes are born with the maximum level of this trait but may also learn up to four levels of the Widget-Worker trait of regular gnomes, for 5 points/level!

SWIPE.

Originally Posted by Kromm

Not that I can recall . . . which is too bad, because I have a carnie (clown) profession for GURPS Dungeon Fantasy that's just waiting to find a home other than in Chistopher's closet.

...No.

Originally Posted by Kromm

I can't believe I forgot that! Here's the link, for those who missed it. But still . . . no clowns.

...Uh-uh.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Not that I can recall . . . which is too bad, because I have a carnie (clown) profession for GURPS Dungeon Fantasy that's just waiting to find a home other than in Chistopher's closet.

Just change the labels, and the coulrophobes will be none the wiser, right?

"Copperwise the Jester..."

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by tbone

Just change the labels, and the coulrophobes will be none the wiser, right?

"Copperwise the Jester..."

I actually had a creepy carnival in my last fantasy campaign. While it was strictly speaking an elaborate outdoor encounter (it moved around, and the PCs never ran into it a second time) rather than an adventure, it had many of the hallmarks of a dungeon: "circus animals" that were in fact monsters, "games" that mostly involved fighting those monsters, and "prizes" that provided the treasure. The superficially human circus folk were of course unnerving and not what they appeared to be. And the PCs were offered a chance to run away and join the circus, but fortunately turned it down. Fun times!

[Celjabba]

Originally Posted by zuljita

Or one kid goblin who was being accidentally left behind during a winter pilgrimage. Home alone DF sounds like fun.

I think I now have my scenario for next month convention...

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by tbone

Just change the labels, and the coulrophobes will be none the wiser, right?

"Copperwise the Jester..."

...No.

But secretly, I love clowns! Send in the clowns!

[ArchonShiva]

I think this deserves a topic split. It is a fantasticly inspiring discussion, but we’re certainly not talking about difficult monsters anymore, and I think both* topics deserve proper discussion space.

*Or all three, depending how finely you slice it.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by ArchonShiva

I think this deserves a topic split. It is a fantasticly inspiring discussion, but we’re certainly not talking about difficult monsters anymore, and I think both* topics deserve proper discussion space.

*Or all three, depending how finely you slice it.

I've split off Gnome Alone (split from Difficult monsters) as its own thread for those who want to discuss the idea at greater length. I've left the posts here as well to maintain thread integrity, but I'd prefer to use this thread to talk about difficult monsters.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I actually had a creepy carnival in my last fantasy campaign. While it was strictly speaking an elaborate outdoor encounter (it moved around, and the PCs never ran into it a second time) rather than an adventure, it had many of the hallmarks of a dungeon: "circus animals" that were in fact monsters, "games" that mostly involved fighting those monsters, and "prizes" that provided the treasure. The superficially human circus folk were of course unnerving and not what they appeared to be. And the PCs were offered a chance to run away and join the circus, but fortunately turned it down. Fun times!

For those that played D&D3.5, Sword and Sorcery Press's Scarred Lands setting included a whole nation of creepy clowns and similar things rolled into a bayou setting.
It wasn't usually played as being as horrific as it could have been because, well, D&D ... but had lots of potential. On sale at DriveThru and doubtless other places as well.

[zuljita]

Originally Posted by Kromm

water elemental: Drown attack is very, very dangerous but easy to avoid. Except in the water, where this monster can kill just about anyone.

We had a dozen of them in a room last night and would have had a TPK if the party hadn't ran and sealed the door behind them. I want to make sure I ran them properly.

I had them move and attack rushing into close range, using watery blow (and triggering an automatic engulf). From that point they have PC's pinned right? That means the PC has to roll a quick contest vs a 24 to escape from being pinned and only once every 10 seconds? If I've got that right, as many water elementals as player characters is very dangerous regardless of locale.