Monster Hunters by Gaslight - Whitechapel, London, Hell?

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Hmmm... while that much of a size increase seems egrerious, just demonic chickens has possibilities. If they're faster, fiercer and stronger than they've any right to be, as well as being small, agile and hard to hit, they could be a significant and oddly horrific threat. Who wants to have his tendons pecked out while he's trying to defend himself from a flying gargoyle or a Spring-Heeled Jack?

Buitreraptor maybe?

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Buitreraptor maybe?

Yeah.

Unfortunately, GURPS Animalia only stats velociraptors, so I'd have to stat the mutated chickens myself.

[Icelander]

So for the unnaturally foggy and dimly-lamplit streets of Whitechapel, once the PCs have left the town house of Dr. Stanley, we've got ideas for raptor-esque twisted chickens/hens, shantok-esque draft/carriage horses, animated scarecrow-esque laundry or garbage piles, fast zombie-esque people in touch with their animalistic natures, the old standby of demonic gargoyles*, packs of twisted hounds** and of course Spring-Heeled Jack***.

What are other good ideas for monsters?

*If any house in Whitechapel even has rooftop gargoyles...
**Col. H.E. Wilkinson does not like dogs. And there was a pack of rotting and jackal-headed dogs in the wine cellar of the town house, which inexplicably now resembled a cross between a tomb and outdoors graveyard.
***Of which the PCs have already met one and did not like him at all.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Yeah.

Unfortunately, GURPS Animalia only stats velociraptors, so I'd have to stat the mutated chickens myself.

The world-record holding chicken had a weight of a bit over 10 kg, which isn't too far from a velociraptor - might be appropriate for a boss chicken. Chickens are more typically closer to 3 kg.

I'd say, take Animalia's velociraptor stats, reduce ST/HP to 4 and SM to -4, and get rid of the crushing striker and you're good to go. Optionally, don't reduce ST/HP - they're supernaturally strong, supernaturally tough demon chickens!

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Icelander

So for the unnaturally foggy and dimly-lamplit streets of Whitechapel, once the PCs have left the town house of Dr. Stanley, we've got ideas for raptor-esque twisted chickens/hens, shantok-esque draft/carriage horses, animated scarecrow-esque laundry or garbage piles, fast zombie-esque people in touch with their animalistic natures, the old standby of demonic gargoyles*, packs of twisted hounds** and of course Spring-Heeled Jack***.

What are other good ideas for monsters?

*If any house in Whitechapel even has rooftop gargoyles...
**Col. H.E. Wilkinson does not like dogs. And there was a pack of rotting and jackal-headed dogs in the wine cellar of the town house, which inexplicably now resembled a cross between a tomb and outdoors graveyard.
***Of which the PCs have already met one and did not like him at all.

Mutated butterflies, twisted turtles, rats gone bad..., and mummers who are worships of the Great God, imports from Egypt could be Albino Alligators or chupacabras,

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Varyon

The world-record holding chicken had a weight of a bit over 10 kg, which isn't too far from a velociraptor - might be appropriate for a boss chicken. Chickens are more typically closer to 3 kg.

I'd say, take Animalia's velociraptor stats, reduce ST/HP to 4 and SM to -4, and get rid of the crushing striker and you're good to go. Optionally, don't reduce ST/HP - they're supernaturally strong, supernaturally tough demon chickens!

I was thinking that I'd use velociraptor, reduce their size, but still retain ST 5, which would make them suitably demonic. 1d-2[0.5] cut bite and 1d-3 cut/imp talons is not peanuts, at least not if the SM -4 foe can target leg tendons at skill 14. And Brawling at DX+2 or higher would certainly make for a shocking surprise from chicken-sized foes.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Mutated butterflies, twisted turtles, rats gone bad..., and mummers who are worships of the Great God, imports from Egypt could be Albino Alligators or chupacabras,

The wolpertinger write-up notes that those hit by the "breath" attack must make an HT roll, with adjustments for acute/no sense of smell... but never defines what the effect is. I assume it's coughing/retching on account of the stench?


More usefully, here's an idea for a monster that might work. It would probably be more appropriate in a game with an earlier date, but may work here.

This might overlap a bit with your idea of Spring Heeled Jack, but how about some chimneysweeps? They'd be emaciated, soot-covered boys of around 8-10 years old, possibly with some nasty claws and teeth (and certainly with things like Clinging and Super Climbing). They'd likely climb out of chimneys in the area and try to pounce on the characters below (alternatively, they fall down into the fireplace when characters go inside). As the practice of using young boys as chimneysweeps was outlawed in 1875, these would be those who died, making Injury Tolerance: Unliving appropriate. Optionally, a coating of creosole beneath the soot would make the chimneysweep flammable.

Chimneysweeps would be between SM-2 (short boys) to SM-1. Realistic HP for a living chimneysweep would be somewhere between 6 (27 lb; young and emaciated) and 8 (64 lb, appropriate for a healthy 10-year-old, which a chimneysweep probably isn't).

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Varyon

The wolpertinger write-up notes that those hit by the "breath" attack must make an HT roll, with adjustments for acute/no sense of smell... but never defines what the effect is. I assume it's coughing/retching on account of the stench?

Dang it, it got cut off. I fixed it. Yeah, retching. ;-)

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Icelander

What are other good ideas for monsters?

Backyard pigs gone extremely feral. Cats that are smart as well as sadistic, and co-operating with the rats. Swarms of demonic parakeets.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Backyard pigs gone extremely feral.

Hellhogs are, of course, a natural development. Hogs are extremely demon-like already. And a demonic hog would be awesome.

Originally Posted by johndallman

Cats that are smart as well as sadistic, and co-operating with the rats.

Cats, of course, require no changes except a slight power boost to be perfect demons tormenting humans for their twisted amusement.

Originally Posted by johndallman

Swarms of demonic parakeets.

Were there enough parakeets in London in 1888 for that to be valid? And even if there were, would they have been found in poorer neighbourhoods?