RPM Animating Inanimate Matter

[nick_coffin]

Question for RPM gurus:

How do you stat out the creature created by bringing inanimate objects to life? For example, take the example ritual in Monster Hunters: Champions that turns stone lions into the real thing - what stats do these lions have? Does it matter what size they are - would an animated giant statue of a lion have more ST than a realistically sized one? Does it matter what the original material is?

What about magical constructs like golems? How would one stat these out? Assuming that no extra effects like Bestows a Bonus (ST) is added to the spell, how strong would a traditional clay golem (of large but within the realm of human size) be? Would it be stronger if created at a larger size?

[Refplace]

Not a guru but my two cents...
Lot of ways just as with most ideas.
Control matter would use HP and ST based on the underlying material and have nothing to do with what it represents. So a stone lion would be stronger then a paper lion. Of course your paying more for subject weight as well.
You would then add Create mind or Create Spirit for the animating mind/spirit and probably want to control it as well.
I would go with Strengthen to toughen the beastie up physically and possibly altered traits if I wanted to give it special abilities beyond the shape of the original object.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by nick_coffin

Question for RPM gurus:

How do you stat out the creature created by bringing inanimate objects to life? For example, take the example ritual in Monster Hunters: Champions that turns stone lions into the real thing - what stats do these lions have? Does it matter what size they are - would an animated giant statue of a lion have more ST than a realistically sized one? Does it matter what the original material is?

What about magical constructs like golems? How would one stat these out? Assuming that no extra effects like Bestows a Bonus (ST) is added to the spell, how strong would a traditional clay golem (of large but within the realm of human size) be? Would it be stronger if created at a larger size?

Lots of ways to do this, but I'll just put down two for you:

1). Guess. Find stats for something close to what you are animating and then ignore its ST/HP and derive that from the standard GURPS Update rules for how much a creature weighs. That is - ST = 2 x (cube root of weight in pounds). So a 1,000 lb. lion statue has stats similar to a lion (p. B456), but has a ST of 20. This is the quick and dirt method.

2) Plan ahead. If a caster is going to go around animating stuff, ask him to have a few templates already written up. For that clay golem you mentioned, I highly suggest you take a look at Powers: Divine Favor - it's a damn useful book for more things than what it actually covers.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Additionally, if you are trying to find a balance on how powerful a animated/summoned being might be, look at my post here. And here is a example of those rules in action:

Summon Kinzoku Samurai
Spell Effects: Greater Create Matter + Lesser Create Mind + Lesser Control Matter.
Inherent Modifiers: None.
Greater Effects: 1 (x3).

This spell conjures a animated suit of O-Yori armor that does your bidding for the next hour. It has an IQ of 5 and can understand most simple commands. It’s point total cannot exceed 25% of a static point total (200 points).

Typical Casting: Greater Create Matter (6) + Lesser Create Mind (6) + Lesser Control Matter (5) + Duration, 1 hour (3) + Subject Weight, 300 lbs (3) + Summoned Being, 100% of static total (20). 129 energy (43×3).



Kinzoku Samurai
An animated suit of armor inhabited by a kami of metal.

ST: 12 HP: 20 Speed: 6.00
DX: 12 Will: 12 Move: 6
IQ: 5 Per: 12 Weight: 300 lbs.
HT: 12 FP: N/A SM: 0
Dodge: 10 Parry: 10 DR: 12 (Cannot Wear Armor)

Punch (14): 2d+3 crushing. Reach C.
Katana (16): 3d+11 cutting or 2d+6 impaling. Reach 1, 2.
Kick (12): 2d+4 crushing. Reach C, 1.

Traits: Automaton; Cannot Float; Cannot Learn; Combat Reflexes; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Fragile (Unnatural); Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity to Mind Control; Immunity to Pain; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous; No Blood; No Eyes; No Neck); Lifting ST+8; Mute; Pressure Support 3; Reprogrammable; Sealed; Single-Minded; Striking ST+7 (Broadsword or Karate only); Striking Surface; Social Stigma (Monster; Valuable Property); Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Vacuum Support; Wealth (Dead Broke); Weapon Bond (Katana); Weapon Master (Katana).
Skills: Broadsword-14; Karate-14; Lifting-12.
Notes: Has an Eye and Neck hit locations, but no special vulnerabilities there. Neither has nor uses FP, but can burn HP for extra effort. Usually carries a very fine balanced katana. The golem’s massive armor is a part of it’s person (it’s a ¼ inch of steel) and cannot be worn by others (it was not constructed that way).

[DangerousThing]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

Lots of ways to do this, but I'll just put down two for you:

1). Guess. Find stats for something close to what you are animating and then ignore its ST/HP and derive that from the standard GURPS Update rules for how much a creature weighs. That is - ST = 2 x (cube root of weight in pounds). So a 1,000 lb. lion statue has stats similar to a lion (p. B456), but has a ST of 20. This is the quick and dirt method.

2) Plan ahead. If a caster is going to go around animating stuff, as him to have a few templates already written up. For that clay golem you mentioned, I highly suggest you take a look at Powers: Divine Favor - it's a damn useful book for more things than what it actually covers.

ROTFL!

Another way might be to treat HP as damage in the table. If you choose three dice of damage, you would roll them, and the results become the HP of the creature. I'm sure there is a table that would work for ST.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by DangerousThing

ROTFL!

Another way might be to treat HP as damage in the table. If you choose three dice of damage, you would roll them, and the results become the HP of the creature. I'm sure there is a table that would work for ST.

That might be doable, but I have no idea how it might work in game play. I suppose you could use Altered Traits, but that might get expensive for what you are doing...better to go with templates.

[PK]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

That might be doable, but I have no idea how it might work in game play. I suppose you could use Altered Traits, but that might get expensive for what you are doing...better to go with templates.

Yeah, charging for Subject Weight and then adding some sort of "hit point tax" like that seems like double-charging to me. If he animates a lion, it has the stats of a lion (p. B456) for free. If he animates a lion statue, then the GM might throw in Homogenous and DR 8-13 (Ablative/Semi-Ablative, see p. B559) as well.

Anything more than that should be paid for via Altered Traits; for example, if you want your animated lion to get +5 ST, then you add Altered Traits, ST+5 (50 energy).

[VulpesFulva]

I'm too lazy to do my calcs right now, but how do Ghostdancer's "Summoned" mods compare to "buying an ally with altered traits?"

And I'd presume this is also where a GM can tweak costs for magic rather easily.

After all the reference point total for Summons don't have to be based on the PC's starting point total.

If Reference Total > PC Starting Points;
then Monsters getting away from their summoners is a lot more dangerous.

Conversely, a GM can make the reference total lower if he wants to deprecate "summoning."