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Old 02-08-2021, 10:36 AM   #1
phiwum
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
Default Gargoyle hunting

Hey ho.

I've been thinking about gargoyle gallbladders, as one does. I'm figuring that some folk must go a-hunting for these things, though at $50 per, it's not a very lucrative endeavor. Gargoyles are also pretty darned tough, with natural armor, ridiculously good HTH damage and the ability to drop on the party wizard with impunity (assuming, of course, you've found a wizard so desperate that he'd join on a hunt).

I'm considering a little side story involving a group of such hunters (which is a nicer word than murderers). I don't want the group to be too large and I want their prospects for monetary gain to be reasonable. Perhaps there's a group of gargoyles that are temporarily lightly defended. Maybe the warriors are away. Let's suppose only the womenfolk (my gargoyles are patriarchical I guess) and the urchins are left behind with two guards. Still, untrained gargoyles have a 2d punch in HTH and so a garden-variety gargoyle is a tough beast. To make the hunt worthwhile, you need to get several of these in one go.

How could you do it? I've thought about netting at the entrance of their cave, but I'm not sure that gargoyles ought to be cave dwellers. Seems to me that they're comfortable on an apex in the elements. As well, forcing them out of the cave into the netting is not all that easy. Lone gargoyles are easily defeated by a small number of folks, but it would take a lot of time in the mountains to find enough for a profit. There's already a considerable cost in getting into the mountains so one or two gallbladders isn't worth a several day journey. (Gates would solve this problem, but I'm thinking of a group of down and out desperate hunters, not someone with the financial wherewithal to create a gate for long term financial gain.)

So, how would you do it? A small band of hunters, say no more than six, have learned of a lightly defended settlement of gargoyles and they want to cash in. What's your plan? (And no offense intended, but goblin witches aren't fitting into my picture here...)

Thanks.
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Old 02-08-2021, 10:58 AM   #2
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

Wizard inside a cave cast Calling. Gate at the entrance of the cave whisks gargoyles off to the kill room.

Here's my more mundane take on hunting for alchemists: https://www.hcobb.com/tft/safari/index.php
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Old 02-08-2021, 12:16 PM   #3
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

Quote:
Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Wizard inside a cave cast Calling. Gate at the entrance of the cave whisks gargoyles off to the kill room.

Here's my more mundane take on hunting for alchemists: https://www.hcobb.com/tft/safari/index.php
Wizards capable of creating gates aren't the kind of desperate degenerates that murder gargoyles for a pittance in my world. I guess I should have said so.

Calling is a good way to hunt most anything, to be sure. Same IQ as Create Gate (IQ 15), which still doesn't fit the way I was going with this hunting party, but it only costs 5 ST to cast. Perhaps I'll consider a skid row high IQ wizard learning to earn a bit of cash with a small group of fighters.

I'm a little surprised that Calling works on intelligent beings.

Inside a cave is good, too, since it nerfs the gargoyle's flight benefits. You'd usually get only one gargoyle at a time (usually), so the party can be smaller. The spell description is unclear on what happens when the Called critter is attacked. I'd reckon that breaks the effect if the attack is at the general location of the wizard, allowing a gargoyle to escape if the ambush is triggered outside the cave.

I appreciate pointing me at Calling, which is a spell I had forgotten. That is hunting made easy. Beats a varmint call.

Last edited by phiwum; 02-08-2021 at 12:26 PM.
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Old 02-08-2021, 12:39 PM   #4
hcobb
 
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

Great Voice + Gargoyle Tongue + various Word of Command spells?
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Old 02-08-2021, 12:56 PM   #5
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Great Voice + Gargoyle Tongue + various Word of Command spells?
Not sure what I can do to convince you that IQ 20 wizards in my world have more efficient means of earning coin than gargoyle hunting. I'm thinking a young but bright wizard with a serious drinking problem might be tempted to go on an odd job like this.
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Old 02-08-2021, 01:41 PM   #6
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

I suspect that most gallbladders are from gargoyle children that wander away from the next and get poached. That and gargoyle PCs who insist on going into towns full of itchy trigger fingers.

At least the gargoyles can get $300 for each fresh human head in revenge.
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Old 02-09-2021, 11:30 PM   #7
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

Hi Phiwum,
Sounds like you are looking to have a small group of NPC fighters where most will be beginning fighters.

Some design points:

Fighting gargoyles leads to HTH so armor is good and DX not so much (since the +4 DX in HTH). Also fine daggers will help in HTH, and having the dagger ready would be good too.

Also they should try to outnumber the gargoyles so that some can attack from outside of HTH into the pile. This would mean missile weapons are out, mostly. Also means the melee weapon is best to do high damage to deal with the armor. And it also means a pole weapon user won't be getting engaged, so he can back up and charge again.

Also consider a utility person with a missile weapon in case they are flying to avoid combat.

So this is a squad of four such hunters. They would lead with the two sword men while the crossbow and halberd play back to avoid getting into HTH. Also, they would want a physicker at base camp.



Thug leader 34 pt fighter

ST 14
DX 11(9)
IQ 9

Leather(-4*)
Bastard Swd
Very Fine Dagger (+2 damage) (1+4 in HTH)
Talent: *Toughness x2 (4 cost)
Has sword and dagger in each hand. Thus will not need to chance drawing the dagger when engaged in HTH.


All others: 32 pt Gargoyle Hunter Thugs (limit to $1000 of equipment each)
===============================================
ST 13
DX 11
fine Halberd (+1 damage)
fine Dagger (+1 damage)

===========

ST 12
DX 12(9)
Chain (-3)
Broad Sword
fine Dagger (+1)
Has sword and dagger in each hand. Thus will not need to chance drawing the dagger when engaged in HTH.

===========

ST 12
DX 11 [14 with crossbow]
IQ 9
No Armor (-1*)

Lt Crossbow (can fire twice a turn)
fine Broad Sword (+1 damage)
fine Dagger (+1 damage)

Skills: Knife(1), Sword(1), Crossbow(1), MissileWeapons(3), Toughness1(2)*

=============

They are not perfect but they fit the bill as group of gargoyle hunting thugs.
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Old 02-10-2021, 01:50 AM   #8
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

Quote:
Originally Posted by Axly Suregrip View Post
ST 12
DX 11 [14 with crossbow]
IQ 9
No Armor (-1*)

Lt Crossbow (can fire twice a turn) {$50}
fine Broad Sword (+1 damage) {$800}
fine Dagger (+1 damage) {$100}
Then 20 Quarrels $20

So no clothing, backpack, food, water, light sources, etc.

They'll do fine in the mountains.
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Last edited by hcobb; 02-10-2021 at 01:55 AM.
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Old 02-10-2021, 06:11 AM   #9
Axly Suregrip
 
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

Henry,
The guy in Chain spent only $380. So, he can cover the miscellaneous costs.

BTW, that physicker may also consider getting naturalist and woodsman.
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Old 02-10-2021, 06:25 AM   #10
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Default Re: Gargoyle hunting

Quote:
Originally Posted by Axly Suregrip View Post
Henry,
The guy in Chain spent only $380. So, he can cover the miscellaneous costs.

BTW, that physicker may also consider getting naturalist and woodsman.
I thought the crossbowman inherited the quarrels from his uncle Schmedly, tragically taken from us in the unfortunate mallard incident. Three hours of keening from the bridge on the duckpond is 180 minutes for 20 quarrels works out to 9 minutes per quarrel, which is a discount, but since he's family we'll let it slide.
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