Ancient Near Eastern Monsters (with Serpentine, Reptilian and Dragonic themes)

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Icelander

For no particular reason, has anyone got a suggestion of where to find the GURPS 4e stats for cinematic/RPG versions of raptors like the deinonychus?

Well, rpg-viable probably just means crank the stats up to whatever starts being dangerous. Take the generic Deinonychus and crank up ST, DX, HT, basic speed, weapon skill, etc. I suggest around ST 19 so it's kicking for 2d+1.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Icelander

For no particular reason, has anyone got a suggestion of where to find the GURPS 4e stats for cinematic/RPG versions of raptors like the deinonychus?

Lands Out of Time, being a cinematic "cavemen and dinosaurs" setting, has what you're looking for, I think. It's definitely got both deinoychus and velociraptor, and they're certainly more along the lines of cinematic portrayals (particularly the velociraptors, which are the human-sized pack hunters of Jurassic Park, not the dog-sized beasts that the paleontological record suggests.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Another possible oddity is Ušumgallu, which is apparently a 'lion-dragon' and also a horned snake. I can't find a lot of detail about exactly what it is, though.

Most likely because no one seems to know.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Most likely because no one seems to know.

In that case you can conveniently make stuff up and no-one will know better. I might start with something like a D&D dragonne.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Well, rpg-viable probably just means crank the stats up to whatever starts being dangerous. Take the generic Deinonychus and crank up ST, DX, HT, basic speed, weapon skill, etc. I suggest around ST 19 so it's kicking for 2d+1.

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

Lands Out of Time, being a cinematic "cavemen and dinosaurs" setting, has what you're looking for, I think. It's definitely got both deinoychus and velociraptor, and they're certainly more along the lines of cinematic portrayals (particularly the velociraptors, which are the human-sized pack hunters of Jurassic Park, not the dog-sized beasts that the paleontological record suggests.

Anyone care to guess what sound a pack of the dog sized raptors would make as they attacked and/or as they were wounded?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Anyone care to guess what sound a pack of the dog sized raptors would make as they attacked and/or as they were wounded?

Well, depends on to what degree you want to emphasize them being lizard-like. We don't know (though there's various speculation), but the closest modern analogue is probably an ostrich.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Anthony

In that case you can conveniently make stuff up and no-one will know better. I might start with something like a D&D dragonne.

The guy the PCs suspect of being behind the reptilian, serpentine shenanigans was referred to as Kur-Ušum-Gallu by one NPC earlier in the campaign and is alleged to be a son of the local chthonic, serpentine Mother of Monsters / Queen of the Underworld type being, Ereshkigal/Dimme/Lamashtu, though he apparently favours the more powerful and better known Tiamat over the mythological power said to have birthed him.

Good note on the Dragonne, by the way. Had slipped my mind entirely and as a previous adventure (about ten years ago real time) featured one from this part of the world, but no local name was ever heard, I think Ušumgallu fits them perfectly.

[Icelander]

Featherless, scaly velociraptors/deinonychus (mid-sized between them, 50-80 lbs.) with tails ending in venomous serpent heads (and the occasional specimen having serpent heads emerging from the shoulders as well), did not prove popular. Shouldn't wonder, really, they were also Fiendish. Hard to like a fiend.

One PC breathed fire over most of the pack, burning them to crisps, fiendish fire resistance or no. He then spent far too many seconds trying to deal with the few who remained with his Main-Gauche, roundly cursing high DX, high Basic Speed and, especially, high Dodge. The irony of doing so while easily Dodging any and all counterattacks by the raptors, due to his DX 19 and Basic Speed 9.00, escaped him entirely.

The long time it took to deal with the smaller raptors was so painful because two Serpentflesh Golems were attacking the rest of the adventuring party and it turns out that bards, exotic dancers and choir-singing priestesses are perhaps not the ideal opposition for unintelligent, mindless, magic-immune constructs with no vitals, weak points or anywhere to stab knives, fencing blades or other finesse weapons.

A lion-bodied lamassu was able to handle one golem, knocking him down with a pounce and then clawing and raking with abandon, but the other was a struggle. When a ST 13 ranger with a shortsword is the closest you've got to a heavy fighter capable of inflicting massive tissue damage, you've got problems. ST 13 is fine against mortal humans, but it's well below what you need against golems.

[lwcamp]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Monitor lizards in real life seem pretty unlikely threats to armoured men. What do you suggest for a fantasy version who can threaten legendary heroes?

I have no idea whether it would make sense for them to attack in a group, for example. And what kind of fantastical replacement for teeth ought I saddle a monitor lizard monster with, if it could penetrate at least DR 4 and ideally up to DR 10 on an All-Out Attack (Strong) and high damage roll?

The obvious answer is to make them bigger. The Hydrus of Pliny that can overturn canoes and other small craft might be at least 5 meters long (a typical Nile monitor is about 1.5 meters, and the largest one ever measured was a bit shy of 3 meters).

The African monitors, like the Nile monitor, are known for their incredibly powerful bites, able to crush hard shelled prey. In the real world, this means they have blunt teeth, because the bladed, serrated teeth of most monitors, which act like miniature steak knives and deliver horrible wounds to flesh, would snap under the pressure. But if you gave the hydrus teeth strong enough to withstand their crushing bite (maybe they're made of metal or something), you could get good penetration and excellent wounding ability.

To up the threat level, use the recent research that shows that monitor lizards are venomous. Of course, with most species of monitors, the venom won't do much to a person and you mostly have to worry about the mechanical aspects of the wound it gave you. But the best studied of the monitor venoms comes from the Komodo dragon, which delivers a slew of anticoagulants and vasodilators. In combination with the gaping wound, this encourages bleeding while also dropping blood pressure, a nasty combination that sends its prey into shock.

Also keep in mind that the layer of osteoderms under a monitor's skin makes for pretty good armor. If you are giving them metal teeth (and maybe claws), then maybe they can have metal osteoderms as well, so they have the protection of mail armor. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8VPAvbHzJM (especially the last part, where the monitor simply doesn't care that the possum is chomping on it).

Then throw in magic powers inspired by actual North African beliefs about the desert monitor - that a lash from its tail can cause sickness and withered limbs, its glare is deadly, and even its close presence can inflict impotence.

And Nile monitors have been observed on several occasions to work together to obtain crocodile eggs. Female crocodiles are fearsome guardians of their nests. One monitor will act as a decoy, luring the mother away so the rest can descend on the nest and devour the eggs. Komodo monitors have also been observed making cooperative mob attacks on large prey. So having a pack of cooperative, clever monitors is not too far out of the realm of plausibility.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Rock pythons and Nile crocodiles are probably among the eggs the PCs find. What kind of fantastical abilities or changes do you recommend to make such creatures less 'boring real world animals' and more 'monstrous dungeon denizens who can kill delvers in magical armour, with superhero abilities'?

The obvious power with mythological correlates is extreme venom. Surround your python with a choking miasma, burning the eyes and lungs of any who approach within its cloud of death. Make their mere touch poison and blight, killing off crops, poisoning wells, sickening livestock, and of course burning an withering the flesh on any who directly contact them.

And the emphasize the ability of both pythons and crocodiles to attack from surprise. Shakespeare wrote of "the dragon more feared than seen." That which is mysterious, of which the players only catch a glimpse, or see a small part of its body, can be much more frightening. Even at the moment of attack - the monster explodes out of the water, grasping one of the characters and submerging him. The rest see only a vague flash of a massive scaly body and flashing white teeth and then roiling turbulence under the brown muddy surface, the victim only catches glimpses of a scaled leg and paw or thrashing tail as he is savaged amidst the bubbles and murky water. Think of the critter in the trash compactor in the original Star Wars. This not only ups the psychological game, but separates the victim from his companions, making it a more even challenge for the monster.

Luke

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by lwcamp

The obvious answer is to make them bigger. The Hydrus of Pliny that can overturn canoes and other small craft might be at least 5 meters long (a typical Nile monitor is about 1.5 meters, and the largest one ever measured was a bit shy of 3 meters).

From how the PCs have handled previous threats on this quest, 'bigger' is a bit of a double-edged sword. While it makes the monster more capable of threatening the PCs with raw damage and grappling, it also makes them less likely to hit and much easier for PCs to target.

Most importantly, perhaps, it plays havoc with their tactical flexibility. Make the creatures too large for most of the tunnels and the PCs can anticipate where they can attack.

That's not to say that big monsters are inappropriate, just that I need to mix them with smaller threats which can go anywhere. Hence the pack of attack dog sized deinonychus/velociraptors.

Originally Posted by lwcamp

The African monitors, like the Nile monitor, are known for their incredibly powerful bites, able to crush hard shelled prey. In the real world, this means they have blunt teeth, because the bladed, serrated teeth of most monitors, which act like miniature steak knives and deliver horrible wounds to flesh, would snap under the pressure. But if you gave the hydrus teeth strong enough to withstand their crushing bite (maybe they're made of metal or something), you could get good penetration and excellent wounding ability.

Most of them eggs that the PCs found are somehow being infused with dragonic or serpentine elements, like the scales, serpentine tails and venomous snake heads added to such creatures as chimeras, hydras and the small dinosaurs.

In setting, dragon bone, cartilage, teeth and other hard parts are regarded as one of the strongest substances available. How could they not be, when they have to be light enough to allow winged flight, but strong enough to absorb the impact of tons of dragon landing?

Dragon teeth can bite through steel with ease. If the lizards have some dragonic elements, I imagine that their teeth could penetrate anything.

Of course, I had planned on the opposition having only recently acquired eggs from true dragons. But perhaps there was a dragonic creature of a breeding age acquired earlier that could have desirable characteristics...

Originally Posted by lwcamp

To up the threat level, use the recent research that shows that monitor lizards are venomous. Of course, with most species of monitors, the venom won't do much to a person and you mostly have to worry about the mechanical aspects of the wound it gave you. But the best studied of the monitor venoms comes from the Komodo dragon, which delivers a slew of anticoagulants and vasodilators. In combination with the gaping wound, this encourages bleeding while also dropping blood pressure, a nasty combination that sends its prey into shock.

Nice! Venom that afflicts Hemophilia.

Originally Posted by lwcamp

Also keep in mind that the layer of osteoderms under a monitor's skin makes for pretty good armor. If you are giving them metal teeth (and maybe claws), then maybe they can have metal osteoderms as well, so they have the protection of mail armor. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8VPAvbHzJM (especially the last part, where the monitor simply doesn't care that the possum is chomping on it).

Excellent. The dragonic elements will aid them here.

Originally Posted by lwcamp

Then throw in magic powers inspired by actual North African beliefs about the desert monitor - that a lash from its tail can cause sickness and withered limbs, its glare is deadly, and even its close presence can inflict impotence.

Sounds good. Rasul Khamsin Mubtasim would know of these beliefs and certainly fears impotence more than death.

Originally Posted by lwcamp

And Nile monitors have been observed on several occasions to work together to obtain crocodile eggs. Female crocodiles are fearsome guardians of their nests. One monitor will act as a decoy, luring the mother away so the rest can descend on the nest and devour the eggs. Komodo monitors have also been observed making cooperative mob attacks on large prey. So having a pack of cooperative, clever monitors is not too far out of the realm of plausibility.

All these creatures are created by magic and plausibility, as such, need not apply. More important is that they fit into some framework of belief and myth. That is, if locals know a given creature as a solitary hunter, it might not be appropriate for the monstrous version to be a pack hunter.

But if Nile monitors can cooperate, so can fiendish, dragonic Nile monitors.

Originally Posted by lwcamp

The obvious power with mythological correlates is extreme venom. Surround your python with a choking miasma, burning the eyes and lungs of any who approach within its cloud of death. Make their mere touch poison and blight, killing off crops, poisoning wells, sickening livestock, and of course burning an withering the flesh on any who directly contact them.

That's an interesting idea. Poison is scary and while one PC has an amulet made from a stone recovered from a dragon's digestive system that protects him from all toxins, the rest are unprotected. The lamassu that serves one PC due to his status as a divine emissary can cure poisonings, but not easily or without reducing his ability to perform other divine miracles.

And given that the lamassu and one other member of the party probably already have lots of venom in their blood from bites and other wounds inflicted by the Serpentflesh Golems and the serpentine raptors, the odds are that any poison cures will be spent by the time new monsters are encountered.

Originally Posted by lwcamp

And the emphasize the ability of both pythons and crocodiles to attack from surprise. Shakespeare wrote of "the dragon more feared than seen." That which is mysterious, of which the players only catch a glimpse, or see a small part of its body, can be much more frightening. Even at the moment of attack - the monster explodes out of the water, grasping one of the characters and submerging him. The rest see only a vague flash of a massive scaly body and flashing white teeth and then roiling turbulence under the brown muddy surface, the victim only catches glimpses of a scaled leg and paw or thrashing tail as he is savaged amidst the bubbles and murky water. Think of the critter in the trash compactor in the original Star Wars. This not only ups the psychological game, but separates the victim from his companions, making it a more even challenge for the monster.

The chamber with the Tree of Life was verdant and alive, with plenty of hiding places. Unfortunately, the PCs left it and are now in fairly bare tunnels, a dry river passage through the soft stone and a bisecting passage that might be adjusted or created by magic.

There is a cavern above it, very large, with fulgurite and glassy sand on the ground and many stalactites on the ceiling. While that cavern may once have been an aquifer, it's dry now and has been dry for quite a while.

The PCs are near the ocean and well below sea level, but ancient magical protections that once defended the city above from flooding still function in some places, creating areas underground where rivers flow out into the sea, but the sea cannot get through the magical fields and fill up any caverns below the sea level. The whole city is built around a river delta and there are many areas below ground where old sewers or sunken riverbeds are seasonally flooded.

As far as the PCs can tell from their defaults to Geology, the whole area they are in should be filled with water from the river above, even if magic prevents the ocean from filling it. Possibly the magic may also redirect fresh water flow in certain areas, however, or it may be that whoever is making serpentine creatures wanted certain areas kept dry, if only because visiting the hatchery in the chamber with the Tree of Life would be inconvenient if it meant a 500 yard swim instead of a climb (or slither, judging from the way that the shaft had been shaped to make traversing it easier and surer, but not for bipedal, humanoid creatures).

So it's entirely possible that going up through the dry aquifer may eventually land the PCs in wetter, swampier surroundings.