Request: Better Monster Signal:Noise or Information Design

Anthony · 02-07-2023, 07:05 PM

I do agree that there are a lot of traits that don't actually need game mechanics, because NPCs don't need point scores and usually don't make self-control rolls, they just do whatever the GM wants them to do (it could in theory matter if a PC tries to provoke some disadvantage). For the draug, you could perfectly put well bad smell, bad temper, bloodlust, frightens animals, hidebound, intolerance, and single-minded into a description and leave it out of the stat block. You could probably do the same with dependency, doesn't eat or drink, and unhealing, as the first two mostly influence where you're going to encounter the creature, and the third only applies if you run into the same draug more than once.

That leaves Combat Reflexes; Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No Blood; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Temperature Tolerance 5 (Heat); Unhealing (Total); Vulnerability (Fire x2). All of those traits might actually come up in a combat encounter.

02-07-2023, 07:05 PM	#8
Anthony Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Berkeley, CA	Re: Request: Better Monster Signal:Noise or Information Design I do agree that there are a lot of traits that don't actually need game mechanics, because NPCs don't need point scores and usually don't make self-control rolls, they just do whatever the GM wants them to do (it could in theory matter if a PC tries to provoke some disadvantage). For the draug, you could perfectly put well bad smell, bad temper, bloodlust, frightens animals, hidebound, intolerance, and single-minded into a description and leave it out of the stat block. You could probably do the same with dependency, doesn't eat or drink, and unhealing, as the first two mostly influence where you're going to encounter the creature, and the third only applies if you run into the same draug more than once. That leaves Combat Reflexes; Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Disease; Immunity to Poison; Indomitable; No Blood; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Temperature Tolerance 5 (Heat); Unhealing (Total); Vulnerability (Fire x2). All of those traits might actually come up in a combat encounter. __________________ My GURPS site and Blog.