What do you do with a Skeletal Duck

[Lorinan]

So quick summary: Due to having players that love to just run rampantly random while exploring, our halfling thief now has a skeleton duck in their backpack. The duck ended up being a random acquisition resulting from good (though extremely random) Roleplay coupled with extremely good rolls, so I don't want to just have it waddle off after what the thief went through to acquire it. Now I need to figure out how to make this somewhat useful to the thief without giving him an overpowered item (though I'm sure he'll figure some way to twist whatever I do). I'm figuring that it'll be a companion of sort, but I can't find any references in Monsters 1 and 2, or in even the old DF Gurps materials for what kind of stats a skeletal duck should have.

Any direction someone can point me in for finding possible stat blocks for it would be greatly appreciated.

On a side note, as a fledgling GM, I have learned that even when you have 3-4 paths planned to get the party to where you want them going, they will apparently always manage to find a 5th option you have to go off the cuff for.

[martinl]

Originally Posted by Lorinan

...I need to figure out how to make this somewhat useful to the thief without giving him an overpowered item .

As the "Duck of Doom" exists as a curse in Munchkin, presumably this is a cursing item. I'd go with

As an action, sic the DoD on an enemy. The next crit success that enemy scores against you becomes a regular failure instead. Once of DoD converts a crit this way it must rest overnight in the offal of an intelligent creature before it can do it again.

Ominous "Quack."

[Lorinan]

Originally Posted by martinl

As the "Duck of Doom" exists as a curse in Munchkin, presumably this is a curing item. I'd go with

As an action, sic the DoD on an enemy. The next crit success that enemy scores against you becomes a regular failure instead. Once of DoD converts a crit this way it must rest overnight in the offal of an intelligent creature before it can do it again.

Ominous "Quack."

Alright. I love this. Not too overpowered since it adjusts crits, and it's guaranteed to annoy him with the recharge, which makes it perfect.

[Dalin]

Love it.

If you need stats, you could crib some from this page at the GURPS Repository:
http://gurpswiki.wikidot.com/rt:skeleton-playable-race

You'll also need base stats for a duck. I can't find any off-hand, but there's probably some sort of bird out there that you could use as a model. (Most biologists, after all, refer to ducks as talonless floating eagles with bills instead of beaks... right?)

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by Dalin

You'll also need base stats for a duck. I can't find any off-hand, but there's probably some sort of bird out there that you could use as a model. (Most biologists, after all, refer to ducks as talonless floating eagles with bills instead of beaks... right?)

Donald's and Daffy's stats are in GURPS Low-Tech Companion, p. 15. Runequest-style ducks would have ST -2 [-20], DX +1 [20], HT +1 [10], SM -1, Basic Speed -0.50 [-10], Amphibious [10], with the features Cannot wear non-flexible armor and Webbed feet.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Dalin

Love it.

If you need stats, you could crib some from this page at the GURPS Repository:
http://gurpswiki.wikidot.com/rt:skeleton-playable-race

You'll also need base stats for a duck. I can't find any off-hand, but there's probably some sort of bird out there that you could use as a model. (Most biologists, after all, refer to ducks as talonless floating eagles with bills instead of beaks... right?)

Checking body weights, a wild mallard is 1.5-3.5 lbs., which would be 3 HP and ST 3. I would make it HT 12, like most wild animals. Assuming it's as smart as a hawk would give IQ 3. I'm not so sure of DX, but DX 11 (like a domestic dog) is probably about right.

Ducks are a bit aggressive, so I'd probably go for Will 11. Per 11 would probably be reasonable.

GURPS Template Toolkit 2: Races has guidelines on turning a living being into a skeleton.