Mountains that Walk [Fantasy/Horror/Spacecraft]

[AlexanderHowl]

The other day, I was designing giant monsters, and I had a question. Would it be better to represent them as creatures with templates or spaceships with robotic arms and legs? In the former case, you tend to end up with 1,000+ CP templates, especially above SM+6. In the latter case, you end up with what are effectively biological spacecraft of TL10+ or TL^ (depending on the nature of the creature).

What do you think? Do you represent giant creatures as high value templates or as biological spacecraft? If they are not going to be PCs, is there any particular reason to represent them as one or the other?

[The Colonel]

What are you envisaging the PCs doing about them? Presumably if they are going to engage them with naval gunnery, building them as ships might be a good idea … with more esoteric solutions, is it worth statting them at all?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

I understand that some people like to adhere to some sort of generation system when building monsters, but I find that it's quite unnecessary. Is any player going to be playing a walking mountain character? Purchasing and modifying one? If not, then save yourself a lot of work and don't bother with either and just assign stats. Points and limitations imposed by design systems are for players, not you. You, the GM, are unlimited and can do as you like.

[ericthered]

When when such things are PC's, I like to build them as pilots in large vehicles rather than making them pay points.



TBC has a good point about not needing to build them either way. They have the stats they have. Of course, they'll still effectively have a list of gurps traits, just like a horse or elephant (which are not normally built with points).



I do like to reference spaceships for assigning SM's as tonnage. Once you have that, the normal HP equation gives better results (SM 0 spaceships have ST 30), and are easier to convert to square root strength, if you desire.


Once you have the base stats, you can of course figure out the point cost if you wish.

[Andreas]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I understand that some people like to adhere to some sort of generation system when building monsters, but I find that it's quite unnecessary. Is any player going to be playing a walking mountain character? Purchasing and modifying one? If not, then save yourself a lot of work and don't bother with either and just assign stats. Points and limitations imposed by design systems are for players, not you. You, the GM, are unlimited and can do as you like.

Well, character points are used a bit broader than that. Even if no player ever plays (or shapshifts into) one, it can matter for Allies, Enemies, Dependents, Patrons, Enemies, Afflictions, and for certain spells. If you assign them stats anyway, then it is often not much more work to calculate their points as well. Especially if it is a monster which you might want to reuse in other games.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

The other day, I was designing giant monsters, and I had a question. Would it be better to represent them as creatures with templates or spaceships with robotic arms and legs? In the former case, you tend to end up with 1,000+ CP templates, especially above SM+6. In the latter case, you end up with what are effectively biological spacecraft of TL10+ or TL^ (depending on the nature of the creature).

What do you think? Do you represent giant creatures as high value templates or as biological spacecraft? If they are not going to be PCs, is there any particular reason to represent them as one or the other?

I ask myself "How are the PCs going to interact with them?". If they are going to fight them in vehicles designed with Spaceships, then portraying them with Spaceships makes sense. If they are going to be fighting them in anime giant battle robots built as characters then making the monsters characters as well makes sense. If they are just going be trying to avoid getting stepped on, then designing them is like designing a hurricane. What's the point?

[AlexanderHowl]

Well, the issue is that they may be able to interact with them more directly than with a hurricane. It is not unreasonable that a human could gain the notice of something the size of a blue whale, it would just be difficult without appearing to be a threat that needed to be squashed. Of course, superheroes often punch above their weight class, so to speak, so having a team of superheroes going up against a SM+6 giant rat that is lost in downtown Manhattan may just be the thing.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Andreas

Well, character points are used a bit broader than that. Even if no player ever plays (or shapshifts into) one, it can matter for Allies, Enemies, Dependents, Patrons, Enemies, Afflictions, and for certain spells. If you assign them stats anyway, then it is often not much more work to calculate their points as well. Especially if it is a monster which you might want to reuse in other games.

Godzilla makes a great Patron but an even better Dependent.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Godzilla makes a great Patron but an even better Dependent.

...there was, I recall, a certain Godzuki who was meant to bridge the gap.

[ericthered]

6 Size modifiers isn't particulary out of interaction range. that's about the size difference between a human and a mouse, and those certainly can attract your attention, hurt you, or even have a relationship with you. It's also the difference between humans and big whales, and hunters have been killing whales with boats and sticks for hundreds of years.

12 size Modifiers is harder to deal with, but Technology can make up for a lot.

Alexander is correct though: the point costs of ST for these scales is both enormous and not really worth it. Of course, that issue comes up long before sm 6