That's what I keep hearing from various DF fans who bemoan the lack of a bestiary. Strictly
speaking, however, this is not true. GURPS is loaded with monsters, if you know where to look for them. To just name a
few:
GURPS Characters: Dragons, Vampires
GURPS Magic: Zombies, Skeletons, Mummies, Wraiths, Liches, Demons, Elementals of all four varieties. Thaumatology
adds even more Elementals.
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Gargoyles, Trolls, Dark Ones, Shadow Elves, giant bug people,
lizard men, and many more.
Even more options exist in GURPS Fantasy (including a chapter dedicated to monsters), GURPS Banestorm (loads of racial
templates), and other sources, if you care to dig around.
The problem isn't the lack of monsters, though, it's the lack of detail on these monsters. Most of these are racial templates.
It's all fine and well to know what a Vampire or a Dragon is like, racially, but what sorts of skills, weapons and powers does
he actually have? We have no quick-and-easy way to toss together a disposable monster to unleash on the table.
Astute veterans of GURPS will point out that we simply slap on whatever skills and such that we find appropriate and move
on, but I would caution that you could do the same with racial templates themselves, that the average DF player isn't
interested in wholesale world-building, but prefers some kind of quick-start guide, the equivalent for monsters what DF 1 is
to dungeoneers.
So, at the request of my Dungeon Fantasy GM, I put together what follows in this thread: a list of "occupational" templates
that can be quickly applied to a monster to give it a role within combat, and a large list of example monsters, ready for any
dungeon.
Disclaimer
This work is insufficiently playtested.
I'm a veteran GURPS GM, running on 15 years of experience now, and I created this document for another GM, who
promptly used it for his DF campaign which ran for several sessions, but not for long as campaigns are measured. My
experience with it suggests that it works. However, the best of us make mistakes all the time. We mean things that we don't
say. We forget a rule, or over- or underestimate player capability. I bet Kromm himself has some embarrassing stories to tell
about "obvious" mistakes that only turned up after a thorough playtesting. This work has not had the kind of fisking
necessary to work out all the chinks. While I'm sure further posters in this thread will help to refine it, understand that this
work should be regarded cautiously and taken with a grain of salt. Consider it a work-in-progress
How This Works
Dungeon and Dragons 4e included "roles" for its monsters, a guide on how to use a monster and what sort of tactics they
designed it for. This document does the same. Each role has a list of associated templates that, if applied to a racial template,
should help you put together a monster ideally suited to that sort of tactic in combat. The standard templates are worth
roughly 50 points, the "Greater" templates are worth 100 points, and the Epic templates are worth 150. "Core" templates are
worth 50 points, and every monster should have at least one, to provide a solid basis of skills. Beyond that, no limitations or
prerequisites apply (You're just making a monster, not carefully balancing a character).
Furthermore, each role has a set of "strange" templates, which represent unique powers associated with that role. Strange
templates always have a power modifier. The most common power modifiers for monsters are:
Magical: The powers can be nullified with counter-magic effects and do not work in no-mana zones
Unholy: The powers do not work in areas of High (Holy) Sanctity, and might not affect "faithful" characters
Biological: The power is always a manifestation of some interesting internal organs, which the players may harvest
after the battle. Generally, these organs provide bonuses to appropriate alchemy and invention rolls. Minion organs
provide +1, Worthy organs provide a +2, and Bosses generally have multiple harvestable organs with +2.
I haven't always explicitly outlined how the templates are constructed, because I feel the average DF GM is more interested
in knowing how a monster works, rather than looking at a list of advantages and modifiers. If you want to know how I did
something, feel free to ask. I bet I can still remember.
Every core template has a list of associated disadvantages, which I discuss in each section. Sometimes, these disadvantages
are described beyond their normal, PC context. That's because a monstrous disadvantage that does not disadvantage the
monster isn't interesting or worth mentioning. These disadvantages exist to allow players to come up with clever solutions to
defeating their foe, and thus must represent real vulnerabilities. Where possible, exaggerate these weaknesses and make sure
the players are aware of them.
Final Notes
Where possible, I have discarded any reference to fatigue, but when it comes to spell-casting monsters, or powers that attack
fatigue, players will want to know how much fatigue a monster has. For the purpose of these rules:
Minions have sufficient fatigue to cast one effect. Don't worry about the exact cost, they just get to cast one spell
or use one fatigue-based ability.. Any fatigue damage will knock them unconscious
Worthies have normal fatigue, but should they run out of fatigue, they automatically fall unconscious, without
rolling.
Bosses use the normal fatigue rules.
This document offers no tips or suggestions for equipment. Generally, monsters have access to items that suit their skill set:
a monster with Broadsword 15 will have a broadsword, and a monster with Traps 12 will have some traps. Don't bother with
minor stuff, like rations or rope, except perhaps as loot for the players. When it comes to equipment quality, don't worry
about wealth and simply give the monsters whatever gear you think is suitable remembering that players will loot them after
they defeat the monster. Giving a goblin minion an Very Fine Enchanted fire sword is really just handing the players a Very
Fine Enchanted fire sword for free. Monsters are certainly allowed to wear armor (provided they don't have some ability
that precludes it), again, with the note that players can and will loot said armor at the end of the fight.
Oh, and on a very final note, I'd like to eventually collect all this into one big downloadable PDF, but I'd need some art for
that. If any of your artistically inclined folks out there wanna donate any, I won't say no :D
(Be patient with me, this involves alot of typing)
Dire Beasts
Some monsters, such as the Dungeon Fantasy Dire Wolf, are really just vicious wild animals grown far too large because of
the effects of strange magic or... whatever. Pedants will note that Dire Wolves were actually smaller than modern-day
wolves, but we won't let details get in the way of our fun.
Dire Beasts gain +4 ST, +1 DR (With the Tough Skin limitation) and +1 Size Modifier. This is worth approximately as
much as a standard template.
Giant Beasts gain +10 ST, +2 DR (with the tough skin limitation) and +2 Size Modifier. This is worth approximately as
much as a Greater template.
Killers
Monsters are lethal. They have long claws, sharp fangs, dangerous spines and the touch of death. People fear monsters
because monsters murder, and Killers epitomize this fact. Whether they are knife-wielding assassins or marauding
berserkers, these monsters focus on dealing damage.
The primary stats for a Killer are his Strength and Dexterity. This makes Killers surprisingly well-rounded fighters. Their
high Strength grants them plenty of damage to defeat a foe, and plenty of HP to survive his counter attack. His higher
Dexterity allows him to both evade attacks and to ensure his own attacks land home. Killers focus primarily on melee
combat, wading into the players and attempting to inflict as much damage as possible, representing a very clear threat to
everyone.
When using Killers, be careful that they don't overwhelm the players too quickly. Because of their high damage and
accurate attacks, Killers bring with them the very real possibility of a PC death (and, in fact, this occurred during one of our
practice fights). Killer Bosses, in particular, can be extremely lethal. On the flip side, they're not as tough or as agile as other
monsters, and their lack of solid defenses often means that if they do not overwhelm the players, the players will defeat
them quickly.
Attributes: ST +1 [10], DX +1 [20]
Advantages: Choose either Combat Reflexes [15] or +1 ST and +1 Striking Strength for [15]
Disadvantages: Choose one of the following: Bad Temper (12), Berserk (12), Bestial, Bloodlust(12), Bully(12), Easy to
Read, Life Bane, Obsession (Killing members of a particular race or religion), all [-10]
Skills: Choose one of the following packages:
Notes: Most Killers should generally take Combat Reflexes unless they already have it as part of a racial template.
Killers with Bad Temper must always test to resist rushing the first hero to insult them or call them out.
Berserk Killers should always use All-Out Attacks.
Bestial Killers only kill when hungry and can easily be distracted with some spare meat or the player can negotiate with
them with an Animal Handling roll.
Killers with Bloodlust operate more like they have a "Murder addition." Theyshould always stop to finish someone off,
especially their own fallen allies (With players, they might prefer to kidnap them and finish them off later, when they can
enjoy it). He must roll to keep from killing his own off if he has nothing to do.
Elegant Killers
Elegant Killers use high DX and skill to slide past their opponent's defenses. They typically use more tact and cunning than
most of their Killer brethren, often using Feints and Deceptive attacks to breach a foe's skilled defense.
Attributes: DX +2 [40]
Skills: Increase weapon skill or Brawl by +2 [8], or alternatively, replace weapon skill with Polearm or Shortsword at
DX+4 [16], Brawl with Karate at DX+3 [16] (or DX+5 if Brawl was your only combat skill), or Wrestling with Judo DX+3
[16]
Swift Killers
Swift killers use speed over power to kill their opponents as quickly as possible. They often blur into a pack of enemies,
slashing wildly. Multi-armed creatures make for good Swift Killers Their Extra Attack means they get a minimum of two
attacks every turn. For All-Out Attacks or Rapid Attacks, only increase total available attacks by 1.
Secondary Attributes: Basic Speed +1 [20]
Advantages: Extra Attack (Multi-strike) [30]
Power Killers
Power Killers sacrifice their speed and grace in favor of making devastating attacks. Power Blow requires several turns to
activate and costs 1 fatigue (so minion Power Killers may only use it once), but once it hits, it doubles the Killers ST for the
purposes of damage.
Attributes: ST +4 [40]
Secondary Attributes: Basic Speed -0.5 [-10]
Skills: Power Blow Will+4 [20]
Strange Killers
Magical, mutant or unholy Killers display deadly attacks when their weapon or hand connects with their foe. They may only
use their strange attack 3 times in a fight, and it always requires a successful melee attack (declared before hand). If a
Strange Killer chooses to take a second, Alternate Attack as part of his package, he may only use both of his attacks a total
of 3 times.
Advantages: Choose one power below.
Skills: Either increase Brawl or a weapon skill by +2 [8], or gain a second power as an alternate ability [8]
Special Powers: Choose one of the following:
Burning Touch: The killer ignites his target in a fiery attack. Ideal for sheer damage. Inflict 3d Burning damage on
a successful blow, and Follow-Up immediately with 2d Burning, which further cycles every turn for the next 3
seconds.
Icy Touch: The killer freezes his foe in place. Ideal for eliminating lesser Delvers from the fight. Inflict 2d
Freezing Fatigue damage, and the target must roll HT (with a penalty equal to the damage inflicted) or be
Paralyzed for the remainder of the fight. This paralysis might be removed with a careful thawing.
Flaying Touch: The killer rends skin and sends fire coursing along nerves in this devastating attack. Ideal for
weakening a strong foe. Inflict 3d Impaling damage, and the target must roll HT (with a penalty equal to the
damage inflicted) or suffer Terrible Pain (-6) for the remainder of the battle.
Corrupting Touch: The killer imparts a lethal disease, poison, or simply a entropic energy that slowly dissolves
the target. Ideal for scaring players after the fight is finished, and forcing them to come up with solutions. Inflict 4d
toxic damage and the target must make a HT roll or suffer an immediate Follow Up of 2d toxic damage, that also
cycles every minute for the next ten minutes. Depending on the nature of the attack, Cure Disease, Neutralize
Poison or simple Esoteric Healing (either Druid or Holy) will purge the victim of the taint that besets him.
Stalkers
Monsters are sneaky. They don't play by the rules everyone else plays. Instead, they hide in the dark with their snatching
claws, lurk behind walls or scuttle across ceilings. They move swiftly and grab what they want, harrying heroes before
racing away to hide once more. These monsters focus on stealth, mobility and battlefield control.
The primary statistic for a Stalker is his Dexterity. Agile, swift and mobile, they use their high dexterity and basic move to
stay out of the reach of the adventurers, often attacking with ranged weapons, or using their superior stealth to slip around
behind adventurers and ambush them. In a stand-up fight, though, they don't usually fair so well, so Stalkers work best when
they use the terrain to their advantage.
Stalkers have two flaws. Poorly equipped players may find themselves constantly outmaneuvered, unable to mount an
effective defense to such a fluid enemy. Stalkers might be a bad match for slow-moving, primarily melee characters, unless
you want to make a point about the importance of maneuverability. On the other hand, Stalkers don't fare well when the
player's finally pin them down, so you have to place them in positions that will suit their talents: wide open areas with
plenty of hiding places or strange terrain that they are well-suited for. Remember, including Stalkers in your encounters
changes the rules of engagement from a straight up brawl to one of mobility and awareness.
Stalkers generally work best as minions, which suits the stalker stereotype of a cowardly, sneaky beast that dies easily when
you pin it down. Worthy or Boss stalkers tend to work best as "assassins."
Also, remember that creatures with a move higher than 10 get a step of 2 or more.
Attributes: DX +2 [40]
Secondary Attributes: Perception +1 [5]
Advantages: Night Vision 3 [3]
Disadvantages: One of HT-1, Will -2, Bad Smell, Cowardice, Dread (Light), Easy to Kill -5, Fearfulness -5, Loner (6, -4),
Low Pain Threshold, Paranoia all at [-10]
Skills: Stealth at DX+2 [8], and one of the following packages:
Brawl DX+2 [4]
Knife DX+2 [4], or Shortsword or Spear at DX+1 [4]
Both Knife DX+1 [2] and Thrown Weapon (Knife) DX+1 [2] or both Spear or Axe/Mace DX [2] and Thrown
Weapon (Spear or Axe/Mace) DX+1 [2]
Bow or Sling, both DX [4]
Innate Attack, DX+2 [4]
Stalkers should only take Innate Attack if you plan on giving them a Strange template.
Smelly Stalkers can be detected by anyone with a good nose (and automatically fail any Stealth rolls against someone with
Discriminatory Smell).
Cowardly Stalkers should do everything they can to avoid a direct conflict with the heroes. Harrying them from a distance is
fine, but they'll run the instant the heroes close in. Furthermore, they suffer a -2 to Fear checks.
Stalkers with Dread will avoid bright light, and cower (rather than fight) should they be trapped in a sudden blaze of light.
Optionally, you can instead inflict a -2 or -4 penalty on all their rolls while in bright light.
Easy to Kill is only appropriate to Stalker Bosses.
Loner Stalkers suffer from Bad Tempers whenever they are around lots of other monsters, and must roll to keep from
violently lashing out at them.
Low Pain Threshold is not appropriate for minion Stalkers.
Paranoid Stalker must roll to avoid believing anything dark and malicious said about their comrades, and generally prefer to
fight alone. They can be turned against their own with some successful trickery (or good Fast-Talk rolls)
Additional Stalker Templates
Cunning Stalkers
Cunning Stalkers defeat their foes with their intellect and traps rather than direct confrontation. Before the fight, consider
secretly rolling Tactics to allow the Stalkers to know and exploit one of the party's weaknesses, and consider allowing the
Stalker to roll traps to set up a trap of their own (or two!). Beyond that, their main asset is their ability to see through the
delvers' trickery.
Attributes: IQ +1 [20]
Secondary Attributes: Perception +2 [10]
Skills: Tactics IQ+3 [12], Traps IQ+2 [8]
Swift Stalkers
Swift Stalkers rely on mobility and use their terrain to the best of their advantage. Swift Stalkers are, in fact, a wide category
of various subsets. Some Swift Stalkers are quick swimmers or deft climbers or race through tree branches to avoid their
foes. Make sure you have some interesting terrain to give them the most of their advantages.
Attributes: DX +1 [20]
Secondary Attributes: Move +2 [10]
Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15], Surefooted (Choose one) [1]
Skills: Choose one of the following: Swimming HT+2 [4], Acrobatics DX [4], or Climbing DX+1 [4]
Assassin Stalker
A Stalker's Stalker, the Assassin Stalker uses stealth and combat skill to his greatest advantage, slipping behind his foes and
eliminating them ruthlessly. As all Assassin Stalkers have access to the poison skill, consider allowing them to slather their
blades or arrows with some deadly poison. Worthy or Boss Assassin Stalkers often carry a spare vial of poison on them that
the heroes can loot.
Attributes: DX +1 [20]
Secondary Attributes: Perception +2 [10]
Advantages: Silence 2 [10]
Skills: Increase Stealth by +1 [4] and one weapon skill by +2 [8]. Gain Poison at IQ [2]
Strange Stalkers
Magical, mutant and unholy stalkers can manipulate their environment in strange fashions or unleash terrible blasts upon
their foes.
Special Powers: Choose on of the following powers
Shadow Casting: These creepy Stalkers drag shadows around them to deepen the darkness, where they feel most
comfortable. Inflict darkness on an area up to 32 yards around the Stalker (generally, an entire room), enough to
inflict a -4 on all rolls regarding vision. Replace Nightvision with Dark Vision
Blink: The Stalker vanishes from one point and arrives at another in an instant. The Stalker may use Warp to a
distance of up to 10 yards up to 3 times a day. He gains +6 to his roll, but for practical purposes, he should spend 1
turn concentrating, and then assume a success.
Invisibility: The stalker vanishes from view! He has Invisibility, which he may switch on and off automatically,
and allows him to carry up to Light Encumbrance.
Thorny Blast: The stalker snipes his foes with poisoned darts. The attack has Acc 3 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1. On
a hit, inflict 3d Impaling damage and the target makes a HT roll with a penalty equal to the damage dealt. Failure
Stuns the target and inflicts 1d toxic damage for the next 3 seconds.
Fire Blast: The stalker unleashes an explosive blast of fire! The attack has Acc 3 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1. On a
hit, inflict 5d Burning damage. Everyone within 1 yard of the target takes 2d burning damage, and everyone within
2 yards of the target takes 1d burning damage. Even on a miss, the target might take some burning damage from the
explosion (Roll for scatter).
Storm Casting: The stalker summons wind and lightning to buffet and blast his targets. The attack has Acc 3 1/2D
10, Max 100, RoF 1. On a hit, inflict either 6d(2) Burning damage with the Surge modifier, or inflict 2 yards of
Knockback if you successfully roll higher than the target's ST-2 on 3d6 (4 yards if you double his ST). Note that
the air blast is mainly useful to position targets.
Tricksters
Monsters are deceptive. They wear human skins and walk among men. They seduce, lie, cheat, steal and always have some
trick hidden up their sleeve. Only a fool would trust a monster, and yet some monsters are so capable, so cunning, that
people find themselves falling for their lies anyway. These monsters focus on supporting other monsters, social skills and
defeating their foes via non-combat tactics.
Tricksters focus on IQ as their primary attribute. As a result, they often lack the raw, physical power of other monsters. They
tend to make up for this by supporting other monsters in battle, or finding a way to engage the players outside of typical
combat, such as disguising themselves as a helpless maiden, or dazzling the characters with Awe or Terror.
Ideal Tricksters tend to be worthies or, better, bosses who force the players to deal with their foe in an unusual manner.
Unlike most other monsters, they're quite happy to negotiate, and quite good at it as well. If the players choose not to play
the Trickster's game, the fight can be over very quickly, so you should have some back up ideas in case the players just
ignore the beast's honeyed words and just attack. Generally, this involves either some convoluted trickery (the monster is at
the far end of a very acoustic labyrinth), making the Trickster enormously powerful in combat by adding other templates
(motivating the players to play the Trickster's games rather than fight him), or including additional monsters under the
Trickster's command. Combat-obsessed delver groups might not appreciate the finer points of a Trickster, but a party who
enjoys talking to monsters, especially a party with social characters like Bards, will appreciate the challenge more.
Attributes: IQ +2 [40]
Advantages: One of Empathy, Will +3 or Perception +3 [15]
Disadvantages: One of Compulsive Lying (12), Overconfidence and Impulsive; Lecherousness; Sadism; Trickster; Vow
(Harm none who can answer my riddles); All [-15]
Skills: One of Brawl or Knife at DX+1 [2], Rapier, Smallsword, Shortsword, Staff or Broadsword at DX [2]; One of Acting
or Fast Talk at IQ+2 [8], Sex Appeal at HT+2 [8] or Intimidation at Will+2 [8]
Notes: Overconfident and Impulsive Tricksters always assume that they can handle the heroes. Unlike the rest of their
Trickster kin, they don't spend time plotting, but merely leap into the fray to test their wits. They should never be allowed to
plan in advance.
Lecherous Tricksters can easily be persuaded or distracted by attractive members of the opposite sex, and will often seek to
kidnap or befriend said characters. Naturally, Lecherous Tricksters are attracted to any Attractive delver, regardless of race.
Sadistic Tricksters have to attempt kidnapping, rather than kill, their prey and then monologue endlessly while they torture
and tease their prey (often loudly, giving the players a chance to recover their missing party member). Trickster Tricksters
focus on non-violent pranks over actual combat, and might prefer to create convoluted puzzles to confound the players, and
admit defeat when the puzzle is solved.
Finally Tricksters with the Vow (Harm none who can answer my riddles) must attempt to riddle with the players before
going into combat with them. Successfully outriddling such a trickster effectively defeats him.
Additional Trickster Templates
Clever Trickster
Clever Tricksters are broadly useful, more capable in combat and adept at social skills. They tend to be deceptive, but often
focus more on warfare than pure trickery. They make excellent leaders for lesser monsters. With their tactics, you should
give patient Tricksters a chance to plan ahead and exploit the weaknesses of heroes. With their Psychology, consider
letting them know the emotional weaknesses of a player, and play off of them. With Leadership, consider letting them roll to
overcome the mental disadvantages of other monsters and bring them together to defeat the delvers. As with Cunning
Stalkers, consider allowing Clever Tricksters a roll ahead of time to discover and exploit a player's weakness, and a roll
ahead of time to establish some traps.
Attributes: IQ +2 [40]
Skills: Tactics IQ-1 {2}, Traps IQ [2], your choice of +1 to Fast Talk or Acting, or gain either Leadership or Psychology at
IQ+1 [4]. Finally, Add +1 to a single combat skill [2].
Luscious Trickster
Some monsters are just plain sexy. Even relatively ugly monsters can be gorgeous if they turn out to be Luscious Tricksters.
The Luscious Trickster uses her (it's usually a her, but doesn't have to be) beauty to disarm the players, often posing as a
victim or a damsel, or simply offering them a night in her bed, before striking. If that doesn't work, she hammers them with
Awe.
When applying this template to a normally ugly monster, disregard that monster's ugliness.
Advantages: Beautiful (Universal +25%) [15], Awe [30]
Skills: Increase Sex Appeal by +1 [4] (But remember that her Beauty gives her an additonal +3)
Nightmarish Trickster
The opposite of the Luscious Trickster, the Nightmarish Trickster revels in his monstrosity. He is the mind-numbing terror
that makes the weak-minded go still. He still prefers to talk, but from the position of strength that his chilling visage brings.
Most Nightmarish Tricksters are Impressive, but you can ignore that advantage for an ugly species, and instead improve the
Terror to a -2 to rolls, if you wish.
Advantages: Attractive (Impressive, Universal) [5], Terror (-1 to Fright Check) [40]
Skills: Increase Intimidation by +1 [4] (But don't forget to add the bonus from Impressive Looks for an addition +1)
Strange Tricksters
More than any other type of monsters, Tricksters are likely to exhibit strange abilities. Magical, mutant or unholy tricksters
can deceive the senses, the mind, or even hoodwink fate.
Special Powers: Choose one of the following:
Hypnotic Voice/Eyes: 3 times per day, the Trickster can attempt to control the mind of another who can hear his
voice or sees his eyes (Choose one when taking this power). This is Mind Control. Concentrate, and then roll IQ +2
vs the Target's will. If the Trickster wins, he can control his target for one minute per point he won the quick
contest by. Incapacitation or forcing the target to do something they would not (such as violating a Sense of Duty)
forces another Quick Contest. Furthermore, the Hypnotic Trickster gains +1 to IQ for [20] points.
Dream-Weaving: You can manipulate what others think they see and hear. After concentrating, roll IQ+2 vs the
target's will. Success allows you to control what they see and hear. Your illusions may be anything, but they cannot
directly harm the target (an illusion of an arrow striking him does no damage), and they still have control over their
body. They can always choose to ignore what they see and hear and fight blind. Thus, most Tricksters choose to
create subtle illusions, so the target doesn't realize he's being tricked
Mimic: The Trickster can change its form to imitate what it sees. By spending a turn concentrating, it can shifts its
form to match whatever it can see (in general terms: if it sees humans, it can choose to exactly mimic the humans it
sees, or it can choose to become a general human). It gains none of the powers of the creature it changed into. It
must retain its mass and it can only change into other animals, but it may appear to be any creature it sees
otherwise.
Luck Shifter: The Trickster can rewrite chance to a limited degree. Once per 30 minutes of game play, it may
force any roll (its own or others made it its presence) to be rerolled twice, and it chooses the roll it likes the most. It
can use this to force others to fail, or to force itself to succeed. It may not use its power against a very specific
subset of people (for example, people that know its name, or people wearing the color blue, etc). Determine this
limitation ahead of time.
Brutes
Monsters are tough. They ignore the lesser blows of mortal men, armored in plates of demonic steel, slabs of greasy flesh or
alien carapaces. Even if you do kill them, they just rise from the grave, hungry for flesh and revenge. Only the blessed blade
of heroes can hope to defeat these monsters.
Brutes focus on Strength and Health as their primary attributes. This makes them extraordinarily tough fighters who can be
dangerous as well, making them vital for a "tanking" role, acting as a living wall of meat for their monstrous allies. In
general, they simply wade into battle and harry the delvers, forcing them to pay attention to them while other, less durable
monsters are free from danger. Brutes have more than just physical durability, however. They're often treated with mental
and spiritual durability as well, making them tough on spell caster and social characters too.
Brutes make for poor minions, for obvious reasons. As worthies, Brutes do what they can to distract the players, and work
well if they are dangerous, but if the players can ignore them to go after more interesting targets, then the Brute has failed in
his defensive role. Design him accordingly. Brute Bosses make excellent adversaries, however, as their durability forces the
players to problem-solve if they want to defeat him.
Advantages: ST +1 [10], HT +1 [10]
Secondary Attributes: HP +4 [8], Will +2[10]
Advantages: High Pain Threshold [10], +1 ST [10] or +1 HT [10]
Disadvantages: Choose one of Perception -2, Berserker, Bestial, Sense of Duty (A specific group of monsters or followers
of a Religion), Gullibility (12), Gluttony (6), Vow (To Defend a particular spot eternally) or Vulnerability (x2 damage from
a Rare substance, defaults to Silver) all worth [-10]
Skills: One of the following packages:
Brawling DX+2 [4] and Wrestling DX+2 [8]
Wrestling DX+1 [4] and one of the following weapon skills: Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Staff, Spear, Two-Handed
Axe/Mace, Two-Handed Sword at DX+2 [8]
Shield DX+2 [4] and one of the following weapon skills: Broadsword, Axe/Mace, Spear at DX+2 [8]
Notes: While this and all the other templates lists odd hit point values, when your final values are determined, consider
rounding to the nearest 5 for ease of dealing with the huge Brute HP totals. Remember the rules of High HP and Shock
(419) and High HP and Natural Recovery (424), as Brutes will often enjoy those benefits.
Berserk and Bestial Brutes behave much like their Killer counterparts.
Dutiful Brutes go out of their way to protect their kin and can easily be persuaded or negotiated with if it becomes clear that
the heroes will kill everyone the Brute intends to protect.
Gluttonous Brutes must roll to resist their disadvantage if, while negotiating, they are offered food.
Brutes with a Vow will never consciously leave the side of the thing they have vowed to protect, and no negotiation is
possible. However, players can generally avoid them by avoiding the protected item.
Finally Vulnerable Brutes provide an opprotunity for players to get around their huge defenses more easily. The
vulnerability can be anything rare, but silver is the default, because silver weapons are synonymous with attacking
monstrous vulnerabilities. However, you may use something else similarly appropriate.
Additional Brute Templates
Graceful Brute
While many Brutes rely on their sheer HP totals to get them through their fights, the Graceful Brute prefers to rely on his
speed and skill to prevent injury to himself. They force players to use Feints and Deceptive attacks to get past his solid
parries and dodges.
Attributes: DX +1 [20]
Advantages: Combat Reflexes or Enhanced Dodge [15], Enhanced Parry (One Melee Weapon) +2 or Enhanced Block
(Shield) +2 [10]
Skills: Increase one Weapon Skill, Brawl or Shield by +1 [4]
Hardy Brute
The Brute's Brute. The Hardy Brute is just tougher than everyone else, with more hit points than any single monster has the
right to. They lack elegance, charging forward and letting their massive meat-bodies absorb all damage.
Attributes: ST+1 [10], HT +1 [10]
Secondary Attributes: HP +12 [24]
Advantages: Damage Resistance 2 (Tough Skin -40%) [6]
Stolid Brute
Not all fights are about HP or Parry values. Sometimes the battle is won by a resistance to any and all influence attempts.
The Stolid Brute focuses tirelessly on the goal at hand, never wavering.
Secondary Attributes: Will +4 [20]
Advantages: Indomitable [15], Unfazeable [15]
Strange Brutes
Magical, mutant or unholy Brutes display unnatural tenacity and hardiness, forcing the players to problem solve on how
best to defeat such a monstrosity. Each Strange Brute, in addition to the Power Modifier, has a vulnerability that heroes can
exploit.
Disadvantages: Choose either Vulnerability (Rare (Default: Silver), x2) or Increase current Vulnerability to (Rare, x4) or
(Occasional, x2). Occasional Vulnerabilities might include: Magical Weapons, non-magical weapons, steel, wood.
Special Powers: Choose one of the Following
Vampiric Aura: Everyone within a 2 yard radius of the Brute loses 1 HP per turn, which increases the Brutes HP
by a similar amount.
Invulnerability: Choose one type of damage or one broad weapon type (Steel, Wood, Cutting Damage, Crushing
Damage, Impaling Damage). The Brute gains +4 DR vs that damage type, and any remaining damage is reduced to
one-fourth before it is applied to the Brute's HP.
Pain Aura: Everyone within 2 yards of the Brute must roll HT or be wracked by Terrible Pain (-6). This pain lasts
for 1 minute, or until the Brute is killed
Greater Armor: The Brute is sheathed in powerful armor (a magical shield, a potent carapace, runic platemail). It
prevents him from wearing any additional armor, but grants a DR of 20.
Regeneration: The Brute focuses his inner energies and unleashes enormous healing potential, his flesh knitting
before the eyes of the Delver. It grants him 10 seconds of Extreme Regeneration (requires 1 turn of concentration, 3
uses per day), and an additional +10 HP.
Casters
While not in the first version of my monster book, we quickly discovered that you must have magical monsters in a dungeon
fantasy game, and so I put together some Caster templates.
Like Tricksters, Casters focus on IQ, but where Tricksters are leaders and social characters, Casters focus entirely on
scholarly pursuits and magic spells. Casters are well suited for warlocks, liches, witches, cultists and demi-gods. They
perform the same basic roles that casters do in a party: the harry the enemy, support and heal their allies, and cast powerful
attack spells.
The primary problem with casters is that they are hard for the GM to track. They have many spells, they must spend turns
casting and track fatigue. As a result, I recommend having no more than one or two casters per encounter, simply for your
own sanity! In general, I offer the option of taking Wild Car Spell Colleges, and I recommend you take it. It's not
necessarily well balanced, but it's alot easier to note that a monster has Fire Magic! at 16 than it is to list his various and
sundry fire spells. If you choose to use Caster minions, remember that each can cast one spell once, and that's it. No
worrying about Fatigue.
I have a table of "quick references" for common spells that monstrous casters might use, including page numbers (not the
actual effects: gotta by the Magic book for that :P), a prerequisite count (for use with the Wild Card Magic), which I might
post at the end, provided I have time.
Attributes: IQ+1 [20]
Secondary Attributes: Fatigue +2 [6]
Advantages: Choose one of the following
Magery +1 [15] (Or, if your race begins with Magery 0+, gain +1 Magery and +1 Will)
Clerical Investment [5] and Power Investiture 1 (Holy or Unholy) [10]
Perception +1 [5] and Power Investiture 1 (Druid) [10]
Disadvantages: Choose one of: ST -1, Bully (12), Cowardice (12), Dread (Holy Symbols, 1 yard), Easy to Read, Frightens
Animals, Life Bane, Megalomania, Paranoia, or Phantom Voices (Disturbing), all worth [-10]
Skills: Choose one of Innate Attack or Knife, both at DX+2 [4] or Staff at DX+1 [4]; Choose one of Occultism at IQ+1[4]
or Theology at IQ [4]
Spells: Choose twelve spells at IQ-1* for [1] each, or choose one Spell College! Skill at IQ* for [12]
Notes: Casters can resemble Wizards, Clerics or Druids when it comes to their magic, and generally learn equivalent spells.
They have a wide assortment of disadvantages available to them, many of which have already been discussed or need no
further explanations.
Easy to Read Casters suffer -4 to all rolls to try to trick the delvers, or to resist any attempts to discern his real motives or
interests.
Casters that Dread Holy Symbols will not willingly approach within a yard of one (cheap holy symbols work, improvised
do not).
Megalomaniacal Casters behave exactly as you might expect they would.
Additional Caster Templates
Archcaster
More advanced casters often bury their noses into books or spend all their time praying to their dark god, and thus master
the fine art of their magic. These casters have high skill levels, or very broad powers, providing them with numerous options
in a fight. You may take this template repeatedly.
Attributes: IQ +1 [20]
Advantages: Magery +1 or Power Investiture +1 (Holy, Unholy, Druid) [10]
Skills: +2 to Innate Attack, Staff, Knife, Occultism or Theology[8]
Spells: 12 points divided among spells, +1 to Spell College!, or gain a new Spell College! At IQ+1* [12]
Power Caster
Some casters are innately powerful. They bear the gift of their dark god, or magic burns bright in their dark, twisted soul.
While these casters lack the proficiency of their Archcaster cousins, they more than make up for it in sheer power. Their
enormous fatigue reserves allows them to cast the more powerful of spells more often, thus laying waste to the party with
sheer, brute spiritual might. You may take this template repeatedly.
Secondary Attributes: Fatigue +10 [30]
Skills: +2 to Innate Attack, Staff, Knife, Occultism or Theology[8]
Spells: 12 points divided among spells, +1 to Spell College!, or gain a new Spell College! At IQ+1* [12]
Wild Caster
Some casters use their magic innately, calling on their ancestral heritage or the very power of the air in their lungs and the
ground beneath their feet. Three times per session, they may cast any single spell, regardless of prerequisites or capability,
by rolling IQ + Magery. They must still pay the appropriate energy costs and spend the appropriate time casting. You may
take this template repeatedly, each time adding three more uses. This template is ideally suited to magic users whose spell
lists the GM doesn't want to work out ahead of time, merely casting "whatever is appropriate."
Advantages: Wild Talent 3 (Magic Spells only -20%) [48]
Blood Caster
Blood Casters have a special pact with their dark god, or have unlocked malicious, necromantic secrets that allow them to
power their magic with the souls of the recently slain. Either way, once per session, if they kill one of their own comrades in
a gruesome, ritual fashion (generally fodder), they instantly gain 25 fatigue that they may use to power a single spell. You
may take this template repeatedly, each time adding an additional (unique, non-stackable) use of the sacrificial power. This
sort of caster is ideal for scaring the crap out of the players with vast displays of power, but also gives them a chance to
prevent the caster from unleashing his enormous spell by stopping him from killing a minion.
Secondary Attributes: +25 Fatigue (Once per day (Usable for one spell) -40%, Requires a sacrificed minion -10%) [50]
Epic Monsters
Some monsters are well and truly beyond the run of the mill horror that stalks the land of Dungeon Fantasy. You can't just
run up to them and hit them over and over with your sword until they die. They're beyond that. Space and time are toys in
their hands. They are immortal, god-like, unkillable. Facing an Epic Monster is the sort of deed that men record of in their
legends and myths.
Be warned: These Epic templates are designed to make the monster "unbeatable." They force the players to "think outside
the box" and approach the battle in some round-about way. Use these templates sparingly. Orcs and goblins should never be
epic, but dragons and elder gods usually are. Epic Templates work best with bosses, but certain amazing worthies might be
Epic too. I can't fathom an epic Minion. The very thought terrifies me.
Epic Destruction
The greatest of monsters kill with as little as a touch or a glance. Often, their foes don't even know what killed them.
Whether it's the Gorgon's stony gaze or the Reaper's icy tough, facing a monster with these powers is to face the certainty of
death.
When using monsters with Epic Destruction powers, understand that you bring to the table the very real possibility that a
player character will die. He'll slip up, or he'll fail to kill the monster in time, or he'll do something stupid in a battle with no
margin for error. Be prepared to either accept the consequences of that, or have some plans established that will let the
players live without diminishing the threat of the epic monster you have so carefully crafted.
In addition to being extremely deadly, Epic Destruction powers change the face of the battlefield. They force the players to
fight in new ways or under new circumstances. This is the real purpose of the Epic Destruction powers (and really all of the
Epic Powers): to force the players to approach the situation in a novel fashion.
Stone Visage: Any who look upon the face of the monster must instantly roll HT or turn to stone. Mechanically,
being stoned is identical to being in a coma: Your character cannot move or act until he is healed either by a
Stone to Flesh spell, or by having the Curse Dispelled or having his statue returned a place of healing. A statue
weighs twice as much as the original person did, for the intents of encumbrance. You can look at the reflection of
the monster, but anyone who looks at the monster directly must make the HT roll.
Doom: Three times per day, the monster may cast a Malediction upon one of his foes. Take a concentration action
and roll Will, subtracting the distance between the target and the monster in yards as a penalty. The target must win
a quick contest against the monster's roll with the lower of his HT-3 or his Will-3. Failure results in the character's
death, something the target instantly knows. This death sentence is delayed by 1 minute. If at the end of that
minute, the monster who inflicted the curse is still alive, the character dies. Doom is ideal for adding a hard time
limit and a sense of desperation to the fight.
Armageddon: Once per battle, the monster unleashes a wave of complete and total destruction that completely
rewrites the battlefield. First, the monster must Ready his attack over the course of 4 turns. The fact that he's
powering up a major attack is readily obvious to anyone who glances his direction (glowing balls of energy, intense
auras, the trembling roar of his power). When he has finished readying his power, he attacks, unleashing an
explosive 20d blast of burning (or crushing, if you prefer) damage. This strikes everything within a twenty yard
radius, though each yard between the target and the monster reduces the dice of damage by 1. After the smoke
clears, the battlefield has changed in some profound way that the monster has no control over (it is set on fire, or
covered in ice, or filled with rivulets of magma or torn apart and filled with cracks and gulleys, whatever is
appropriate for the element of the attack). This should involve a new map in tactical combat, or new movement
rules in normal combat.
Epic Mastery
The greatest of monsters unleash sweeping disasters that cover a vast area. Dragons call up flames or storms. Serpents
summon floods. Demons rewrite space and time so entire villages just vanish. To face these monsters is to have the very
ground pulled out from under your feet.
Epic Masteries focus on making broad changes to the battlefield. As a result, they are among the safest of the Epic
Monster Powers to use, as they are suitably flashy to impress the delvers with the severity of the enemy without completely
overwhelming them. Still, battling a monster with one of these powers is an exercise in creativity, for they rewrite the rules
of the battle in their own favor.
Swallowing Void: The monster casts everything into complete and total darkness. An area up to 32 yards in radius
plummets into complete (-10) darkness. He may move this area about, shifting the shape of the shadow radius, or
even casting it far away from him. The borders of the area aren't clear, representing vague twilight areas that trick a
person into walking deeper into the shadowy mist. Furthermore, the Void-Caster has Dark Vision (which allows
him to see perfectly well in his unnatural shadows) and Silence +4, so nobody will hear him coming.
Typhon's Grasp: The monster can control the weather, summoning a vast and terrible storm that covers an area of
up to 1000 yards in radius (over a mile wide). He concentrates and then makes an IQ roll. If successful, he
summons the storm. Every turn, the monster my direct the winds and rain to offer a +2 or a -2 to anyone (for
example, impeding vision or ranged attack rolls) he wishes. Furthermore, every turn he gets a two free attacks, in
addition to his normal actions. The first is a lightning blast (3d(2) burning) and the second is a sweeping wind (3d
force that causes x2 knockback and no wounding). The powerful storm threatens to escape the monster's grasp,
though, and anytime something unusual or surprising happens, the monster must roll Will or temporarily lose
control of the storm.
Path Breaking: The monster reaches out and shatters the tenuous ties of space that bind reality together, leaving a
wild, shifting mess of strange pathways and weird, spatial distortions. The monster concentrates and then makes an
IQ roll. If successful, he breaks space and may redirect space for the next minute. He may grant a +5 or -5 to any
move action or to ranged attacks (as things turn out to be closer or farther than one expected) by concentrating for a
turn. Furthermore, broken space doesn't work properly. The GM should decide the new ways players might
navigate (doors lead to new rooms, the way to get up the stairs is to go down, etc) to get around the room. If the
GM is using tactical combat, consider "shuffling" some of the miniatures around, or changing maps, to represent
the rewritten paths of space.
Epic Manipulation
The greatest of monsters can manipulate the very nature of reality. The rules of the conflict shift around them in their favor,
but subtly, sometimes imperceptibly. The Faerie plays with time, and the mad thing from beyond the borders of reality steals
people's sanity. To face one of these monsters is to struggle to maintain your grip on reality.
Epic Manipulations resemble Epic Masteries in that both are relatively safe, but interesting powers that complete change the
nature of the fight. Epic Manipulations tend to be more subtle, internal and direct than Epic Masteries, however. They focus
on changing the rules for an individual, rather than for the entire battlefield.
Madness: The monster utters a dark word or unveils its real form as an attack action, and everyone within 8 yards
must make a Will Roll -4 to resist. For every yard between themselves and the monster, add +1 to their roll as the
distance between them keeps them safe. Furthermore, only those who see or hear (choose one when creating the
monster) are affected. Those who fail gain a -15 point mental disadvantage of the GM's choice, which lasts for 1
minute per point the player failed by. GMs are encouraged to be creative with the insanity they inflict on the
players: rather than knocking them into catatonia, use it as a chance to force them to be creative around their newly
acquired derangement.
Reality Rewrite: The world does not work around the monsters as it should. Everything that can go wrong, does
go wrong. The monster gains Serendipity 3 (Wishing) and Extraordinary Luck (Wishing), which allows him to
force any roll in his presence to be rerolled twice, with him choosing the result he likes best, once every thirty
minutes of gameplay, and he may have three lucky events occur in his favor whenever he wishes, and in
whatever form he wishes.
Grandfather Clock: The monster manipulates time. He may unleash a Malediction upon anyone he wishes by
rolling Will (penalized by distance as normal), which the target resists with IQ (IQ-1 for Decelerate). If the target
fails, the monster may inflict Accelerated Time Rate 1, Decelerated Time Rate 1, or Paralysis on his foe. He may
do this as often as he wishes, but he may only have one such effect active at a time. To start a new effect, he must
end a previous effect (Thus, a monster who has first paralyzed someone and now wishes to Accelerate someone
else must first release the paralyzed target).
Epic Durability
The greatest of monsters cannot die. Hero after hero may try, but their arrows bounce off of unbreakable scales, or the
monster merely rises from the grave again and again and again. Not even Hell is strong enough to keep these monsters
down.
Epic Durability presents a challenge to the players who must determine a way to best kill the monster, because without
clever tactics, they can't. To make this sort of encounter work, you must make the defeat of the monster imperative, lest the
players choose to fight something altogether more mortal. Further, such an encounter can be exceedingly frustrating as all
their efforts go to nothing. Be prepared to reveal the monster's vulnerable point or move the story along before it drags
down into endless futility.
Immortal: The monster is Supernaturally Durable, which means it ignores stunning and penalties until it reaches 0
HP, and only suffers movement penalties when it reaches -1 x HP. The monster can only die if a single attack
inflicts 10 x HP in damage, or targets the monster's vulnerability, which must be chose before hand (Suggestions:
Magic Weapons, Steel, Wood, Silver, Ornate Weapons)
Total Regeneration: The monster heals as quickly as its opponents damage it. Every turn, the monster heals 10 HP
(remember the rules for high HP and healing: So a 50 HP monster heals 50 HP per turn). Furthermore, the monster
has +10 HP, and either a vulnerability (x2 damage from an occasional material, or x4 from a rare, such as Silver),
or its Regeneration has a dependency limitation, requiring the presence of Mana or Unholiness or remaining in
touch with the ground or something similar.
Dark Reincarnation: Upon dying, the monster instantly regenerates to full health and manifests a new, even more
powerful form. This new form has +5 ST, +1 DX, +1 SM, and gains 150 points worth of templates (1 epic
Template, a greater template and a standard template or three standard templates). The monster only does this once
per battle. If the players slay the Dark Reincarnation form, the monster truly dies.
Making Monsters
Creating a monster is as simple as taking a racial template and slapping some templates on it. Want an orc worthy? How
about giving him the Killer, Swift Killer, and Hardy Brute templates? Want a Dragon? Just add Brute, Armored Brute,
Killer, and an Epic Template or two.
Making monsters this way is fun. I discovered things I never knew before about how particular templates work, or what a
race of monsters might look like. What follows are some example monsters made with the above system. I've included
suggestions about their power level (whether they should be treated as minions, worthies or bosses), and further suggestions
about roughly how powerful they are (Lesser monsters aren't much of a challenge, greater monsters are certainly a
challenge, and Epic monsters either have an Epic template, or are just plain powerful). "Generic" templates are racial
templates collated into "monster stat box" form, for easier use with the above system. They're not generally intended to be
used "as is," though in some cases, they can be.
Oh, and some changes were made between creating these monsters and posting this here. I think I transferred all those
changes appropriately, but if there is wonkiness among the stats, that's why.
(Now, how to get a monster stat box to work...)
(Bah, that's the best I can do, sorry :( )
Demons
The servants of hell who want nothing but the dissolution and damnation of mankind. Demons aren't generally inherently
destructive. They prefer the conquest and enslavement of mankind. If they face the monstrosities from beyond reality, they
often set aside their differences with humanity and fight to protect the world they hope one day to own.
Demons are summonable. All demons listed here can be conjured by a necromancer with the Summon Demon spell. Other
options for demons include the (un)Holy Servitors from Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies.
Demons are dangerous. Very dangerous. They should not be treated as a generic threat until the Delvers have achieved
very high power levels.
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6/17*
SM: +0
DR: 5
HP: 5
Will: 10
Per: 10
FP: 12
Parry: NA
Speed: 6
Move: 6/12*
SM: -4
DR: 0
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6/17*
SM: +0
DR: 5
Speed: 6.75
Move: 6/17*
SM: +0
DR: 5
Notes: Generic 300 point Demon. Costs 30 energy to summon. Willing to negotiate before battle, after it has
engaged, it's a lost cause. Truly Evil.
Speed: 7.5
Move: 7/20*
SM: +0
DR: 25
Speed: 7
Move: 7/20*
SM: +0
DR: 10
Dire Beasts
Dire Beasts are really big animals with nasty tempers. They consist of generic animals with the Dire or Giant template
slapped on them, making them astonishingly easy to create. For creepy mutant animals or cunning animals, consider tossing
a further template on, just for fun.
Animals, Mutant Animals, Giant Animals and Dire Animals are all affected by Animal spells, Animal Empathy, and Animal
Handling skills. Hybrid animals must be affected by special subsets of the Animal Spells, but otherwise are identical to
other animals.
See also the Basilisk, the Gryphon and the Strix (GURPS Campaigns), and the Rukh and Chimera (GURPS Fantasy).
Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies contains many interesting beasts.
HP: 20
Will: 10
Per: 12
FP: 12
Parry: 11
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6
SM: +1
DR: 2
Roc (Worthy)
This enormous bird has a huge, twenty-foot wingspan, able to carry away a human without much trouble. Some fly with
winged elves or reside on mountains with Hill Elves, serving as their mounts. They prefer to use their flight to their
advantage in battle, gliding high and then pouncing on their foes with a dive. Use Aerobatics when dodging.
Code:
ST: 23
DX: 14
IQ: 6
HT: 12
Dodge: 10
HP: 25
Will: 11
Per: 14
FP: 12
Parry: NA
Speed: 7
Move: 3/15/30
SM: +2
DR: 3
HP: 17
Will: 10
Per: 10
FP: 11
Parry: NA
Speed: 5.75
Move: 4
SM: +1
DR: 2
Bite (13): 1d+2 Impaling (Requires a HT-4 roll to avoid taking 3d damage once a day over the next 4 days)
Traits: Constriction Attack, Vermiform
Skills: Stealth DX [2]-12, Wrestling DX+1 [4]-13, Brawl DX+1 [2]-13
Class: Dire Animal
Notes: Animalistic. Willing to negotiate if someone in the party can deal with or handle animals. Successful bite
counts as a hand for grapple. Hide can be harvested for high quality leather that is resistant to the cold.
Dragons
Nothing terrifies adventurers like the whispered names of dragons. Vastly powerful, almost godlike, some dragons are even
worshiped in some parts of the world. They collect vast hoards of gold, steal away virginal maidens and pluck cattle right
out of a field. Whenever a Dragon appears, the world calls out for a hero to slay it, and their amazing hoards certainly
tempts heroes to do just that, but more than one foolish hero has grossly underestimated the prowess and cunning of his
draconic foe.
Dragons are always bosses. If you want worthy or fodder Dragons, use Dragon-Blooded. Even a generic dragon benefits
from the inclusion of a single template, but tossing an epic template atop a dragon makes it an unholy terror.
Dragons always come with hoards, its value measured in thousands of GURPS dollars, sometimes millions. The GM should
consider simply raising the wealth value of everyone who succeeds in capturing a Dragon hoard by 1 for free, as well as
handing out magical items and such.
HP: 40
Will: 13
Per: 13
FP: 12
Parry: 10
Speed: 6
Move: 6/24
SM: +4
DR: 10
HP: 55
Will: 22
Per: 17
FP: 14
Parry: 10
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6/24
SM: +4
DR: 30
Traits: Appearance (Handsome, Impressive +3), Bad Grip 3, Code of Honor (Chivalry) Discriminatory Smell,
Eidetic Memory, Extra Attacks (1), Extra Legs (4), Gluttony (12), Greed (12), High Pain Threshold, Horizontal,
Miserliness (12) Winged Flight, Hard to Kill +5, Lecherousness (12), Magery 1, Night Vision 8, Sense of Duty
(Dragon-Kind), Vulnerability (Ornate Weapons x2)
Special Powers: Typhon's Grasp
Skills: Brawling DX+3 [8]-16, Wrestling DX+2 [8]-14, Intimidation Will+1 [4]-23, Savoir-Faire IQ+2 [4]-16,
Tactics IQ-1 [2]-13, Traps IQ [2]-14, Leadership IQ+1 [4]
Class: Mundane (Dragon)
Notes: Chevalier is certainly willing to negotiate (he prefers it to combat), especially if the party has a pretty
woman, especially a maiden. If he defeats the party, he'll attempt to keep the woman as a conversational partner.
Chevalier never starts a fight unless protecting a charge, or he feels his opponents are worthy. And yes, between his
extra attacks and Typhon's Grasp, he's attacking four times a turn. Have fun.
HP: 40
Speed: 7
Will: 15 Move: 7/26
Per: 22
FP: 12
SM: +4
Parry: 12 DR: 10
Notes: Tenebrous is willing to, and very capable of, negotiating, but he may use the time to learn of the delvers'
weaknesses and set up an ambush. Truly Evil.
HP: 39
Will: 17
Per: 16
FP: 14
Parry: 10
Speed: 6
Move: 6/24
SM: +4
DR: 10
Elder Things
Beyond the stars, beyond reality as the human mind can fathom it, lurk unspeakable beings. Their forms flow and shift
across multiple dimensions, shaped into impossible geometries and biologies. These blasphemous things sometimes leak
across the barrier between worlds and spill from theirs into ours, where they casually crush unsuspecting humans beneath
their feet as a man might crush an ant. Elder Gods aren't necessarily malevolent, just inimical to life as we know it, and
maddening to the mind.
Elder Gods are summonable with Planar Summons (but they are not subject to banishment!), and often mad cultists call
them up and unleash them on the world for unfathomable reasons. While delvers might negotiate with them, the Elder Gods
are alien, and their minds work nothing like mortal minds. At the GM's discretion, negotiating with Elder Gods might
require suitable mental disadvantages.
The Dark Ones and the Void-Spawned are further examples of Elder Gods and their influence on the world.
HP: 40
Will: 13
Per: 13
FP: 10
Parry: NA
Speed: 5.75
Move: 5
SM: +4
DR: 0
HP: 65
Will: 15
Per: 13
FP: 13
Parry: 10
Speed: 6.5
Move: 5
SM: +4
DR: 5
Traits: 360 Vision (Multiple Eye Stalks, -6 to hit), Appearance (Horrific, Universal), Callous, Compartmentalized
Mind, Confusion (-3 to Confusion Check), Constriction Attack, Disturbing Voice, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Sleep,
Double Jointed, Sense of Duty (Cultists of Ha-Agifatha), Extra Arms (8 Arms, Flexible, Long), Extra Attacks 3,
Fragile (Unnatural), High Pain Threshold, Indomitable, Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous), Invertebrate, Magery 0,
Unfazeable, Universal Digestion,
Special Powers: Regeneration (Requires Unholy Ground), Madness (Requires speech).
Skills: Brawling DX+2 [4]-15, Wrestling DX+2 [8]-15
Class: Elder Thing
Notes: The Star-Voice is the same as the Elder God, except that it may use its voice to inflict insanity on all who
hear it, and it may grow silent and draw upon Ha-Agifatha's strength to regenerate its body (healing 60 HP a turn). It
may not speak when it is devouring someone. Truly Evil. The Star-Voice can be summoned for 80 energy points.
HP: 11
Will: 15
Per: 12
FP: 10
Parry: 11
Speed: 5.25
Move: 5
SM: +0
DR: 0
while pretending to be one, or walking among dwarves while wearing their skin. Once the Assassin is close enough to his
target, he strikes, and then vanishes into the darkness as quickly as he can, sowing confusion among his enemies. Dark One
Assassins are often seen among other monstrous races, acting as quiet emissaries for the will of the Elder Gods, where their
suspicious nature something breeds treachery.
Code:
ST: 10
DX: 13/15
IQ: 12
HT: 10
Dodge: 9
HP: 10
Will: 12
Per: 17
FP: 10
Parry: 11
Speed: 6
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 0
HP: 10
Speed: 5
Will: 12 Move: 5
Per: 12
FP: 12
SM: +0
Parry: 8 DR: 0
Elementals
Bits of the primordial aspects of nature sometimes break off and wander the world in purified, sentient form, or magicians
will conjure and create elementals by distilling mana into one of its many, elemental states. Either way, the result are these
capricious, strange creatures, more force of nature than genuine person. They generally resemble rough-hewn men, women
or children constructed from their element. They concern themselves with guarding their element and... little else. Generally,
if a delver encounters an elemental, it follows the commands of a mage.
Mages can summon elementals. The elementals here are derived from GURPS Magic. Even the Example Monster
Elementals listed here can be summoned by mages, for the listed cost. Elementals don't need templates (indeed, they aren't
summoned with any), but they lack skills, so certainly benefit from the inclusion of at least one. Generally, more powerful
elementals take the Dire or Giant template (for +5 and +10 energy points, respectively)
HP: 8
Will: 8
Per: 8
FP: 7
Parry: NA
Speed: 4
Move: 4/8*
SM: -1
DR: 0
HP: 10
Will: 8
Per: 9
FP: 7
Parry: NA
Speed: 4.5
Move: 4/8*
SM: +0
DR: 0
Lightning Blast (13): 6d(2) Burning (Acc 3, 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1)
Wind Blast (13): 3dx2 Knockback (Acc 3, 1/2D 10, Max 100, RoF 1)
Traits: Doesn't Breathe, Eat/Drink or Sleep; Flight (Lighter than Air), Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury
Tolerance (Diffuse), No Fine Manipulators, No Legs, Vulnerability (Vacuum, Wind-Based Attacks x2)
Special Powers: Storm Casting (Magical)
Skills: Stealth DX+2 [8]-13, Innate Attack (Projectile) DX+2[4]-13
Class: Elemental
Notes: Can be summoned for 20 energy points. Willing to negotiate. Often playful.
HP: 13
Will: 6
Per: 6
FP: 10
Parry: 7
Speed: 4.5
Move: 4
SM: -1
DR: 3
HP: 25
Will: 6
Per: 6
FP: 11
Parry: 9
Speed: 4.75
Move: 4
SM: +1
DR: 5
ST: 7
DX: 9
IQ: 8
HT: 7
Dodge: 7
HP: 10
Will: 8
Per: 8
FP: 7
Parry: NA
Speed: 4
Move: 4
SM: -1
DR: 0
HP: 14
Will: 8
Per: 8
FP: 7
Parry: 10
Speed: 4.25
Move: 4
SM: +0
DR: 0
HP: 7
Will: 7
Per: 7
FP: 8
Parry: NA
Speed: 4
Move: 4
SM: -1
DR: 0
Traits: Amphibious, Chameleon 1, Doesn't Breathe, Doesn't Sleep, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury
Tolerance (Diffuse), Invertebrate, Slippery 5, Vulnerability (Dehydration)
Skills: NA
Class: Elemental
Notes: Default Elemental. Can be summoned for 4 energy points. Willing to negotiate.
HP: 13
Will: 9
Per: 9
FP: 8
Parry: 9
Speed: 4
Move: 4
SM: +0
DR: 0
Faerie Folk
Deep in the forests, high in the mountains, where nature lays long untouched by man, strange things grow and wander. The
Faerie Folk hold their courts beneath the bows of majestic, ancient oaks and in underwater palaces or in the secret spaces
beneath the floorboards of old temples. When humans and Faerie Folk meet, anything can and often does happen, ensuring
the event is memorable, fascinating and frightening for both parties.
The Faerie Folk aren't monsters, necessarily, but their strange ways and their mercurial natures often puts them on the wrong
side of a delver's sword. Uncivilized and weird, Faerie Folk can justify using monster templates due to their unusual
approaches to combat. Still, they shouldn't be treated as completely mindless monsters. More than most, Faerie Folk have a
reason for what they do, it's just bizarre reasons.
The Faerie Folk racial templates can be found in Dungeon Fantasy 3: the Next Level. Below are some monsterized versions.
HP: 16
Will: 12
Per: 13
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6
HT: 12
Dodge: 10
FP: 12
SM: +0
Parry: 19* DR: 0
HP: 4
Will: 13
Per: 12
FP: 10
Parry: 9
Speed: 5.5
Move: 5
SM: -4
DR: 0
River Queens often lead other Faeries into battle (by asking them, of course). They personally detest violence, probably
because they're so bad at it.
Code:
ST: 10
DX: 10
IQ: 13
HT: 11
Dodge: 8
HP: 10
Speed: 5.25
Will: 13 Move: 5
Per: 13
FP: 11
SM: +0
Parry: 8(F)DR: 0
HP: 1
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 10
Parry: NA
Speed: 6.25
Move: 6/12
SM: -6
DR: 0
Pixie Shot (15): 1d-4 impaling (Acc 1, Range 50/75, RoF 1(2))
Traits: Appearance (Attractive +1), Dependency (Mana, Constantly), Enhanced Dodge, Impulsive (-10), Flight
(Winged), Magery 0, Night Vision 3, Sense of Duty (Nature)
Skills: Stealth DX+2 [8]-17, Bow DX [4]-15
Class: Faerie
Notes: Willing to negotiate, especially if they receive praise from the heroes. Always have access to venom of some
kind.
Goblin-Kin
Heroes expect to face the Goblin-Kin in battle. The gruesome tusks and growling faces of orcs loom luridly in dungeons and
the fate of kidnapped damsels is written in the dull, ugly features of Half-orcs. Goblins scurry and growl beneath the feet of
their heavier kin and massive hobgoblins tower and roar before the horde that stands ready, like a black and green tide, to
rampage through human civilization.
Goblin-kin run the gamut from civilized to monstrous, with Orc cities and Goblin merchants standing side-by-side with
bone-filled, graffiti marked orcish dungeons filled with barbaric kin. The monsters detailed here are the latter sort and do
not represent the whole of goblin-kind. These are the brutish, nameless green-skin masses that die by the dozens on heroic
blades.
While many listed here will be Worthy, consider lowering them to Fodder as the heroes rise up the ranks. Orcs seldom
challenge heroes forever, except for other, orcish heroes. Eventually, they dwindle to mere foot soldiers of evil while the
heroes ride out to face graver threats.
HP: 11
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 11
Parry: NA
Speed: 6
Move: 6
SM: -0
DR: 0
HP: 11
Will: 10
Per: 10
FP: 11
Parry: 9*
Speed: 5.5
Move: 5
SM: -0
DR: 0
HP: 11
Will: 14
Per: 17
FP: 11
Parry: 8
Speed: 5.25
Move: 5
SM: -0
DR: 0
HP: 20
Will: 12
Per: 10
FP: 12
Parry: 11*
Speed: 6.75
Move: 6
SM: -0
DR: 2*
HP: 14
Will: 10
Per: 13
FP: 11
Parry: 12*
Speed: 6.25
Move: 6
SM: -0
DR: 0
HP: 25
Will: 12
Per: 10
FP: 13
Parry: 10*
Speed: 5.5
Move: 5
SM: -0
DR: 3*
Undead
Only the undead can rival the Goblin Kin in the race to see who is most hated in the world. Dungeons crawl with the
undead, who rise from their crypts to serve a necromancer, or rouse themselves in response to dark curses laid on secret
places. Needing no food or sustenance, the dead simply shuffle through their dungeon-like graves, waiting and watching
with dull, empty eye-sockets for some heroes to interrupt their monotonous existence so they can moan and clatter as they
shuffle forward to tear their victims apart.
The Undead here are found in GURPS Magic, creatures summoned by Necromancy to serve a dark sorceror. They are
unlike Hoard Zombies (DF 2), who rise from plague and disease. Still, many similarities do exist: both can be turned by the
true faith of a cleric, for example. For more undead options, check out Pyramid Issue #3-1, particularly for the Improved
Zombie template. GURPS Fantasy has Vampires and Ghosts too, neither of which appear here (Unfortunately). Dungeon
Fantasy 3: The Next Level contains Corpse Eaters, who are not, strictly speaking, undead, but are often found in their
number.
HP: 11
Will: 8
Per: 8
FP: 10
Parry: NA
Speed: 5
Move: 5
SM: +0
DR: 0
their master
Code:
ST: 18
DX: 10
IQ: 8
HT: 13
Dodge: 8
HP: 40
Will: 10
Per: 8
FP: 13
Parry: 9*
Speed: 5
Move: 5
SM: +1
DR: 6*
HP: 9
Will: 8
Per: 8
FP: 10
Parry: NA
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 2*
runes and staining the bones a glistening, wet black in powerful ink. When complete, they raise the skeleton with great care
and effort, creating a Black Rune Skeleton.
These powerful servants resist the effects of magic. Furthermore, they drain the life of all nearby, drawing it into them while
plants die and children wail. Often, they seem dead or on the verge of death when they rise again from a pile of bones,
restored by their aura. Necromancers often reinforce their lesser skeletons with a scattering of these durable creations.
Code:
ST: 10
DX: 12
IQ: 8
HT: 13
Dodge: 9
HP: 15
Will: 16
Per: 8
FP: 13
Parry: 10
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 2*
HP: 15
Will: 10
Per: 10
FP: 10
Parry: 11*
Speed: 5
Move: 5
SM: -0
DR: 0
Notes: Mummies are smarter than the other undead, but they still lack volition and refuse to negotiate, only carrying
out the will of their master. They are not affected by mind-control magic or social skills, but they are affected by
necromancy and pentagrams. Truly Evil.
HP: 35
Will: 19
Per: 14
FP: 12
Parry: 11
Speed: 6
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 2*
HP: 20
Will: 10
Per: 10
FP: 15
Parry: NA
Speed: 6.25
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 4
HP: 20
Will: 13
Per: 10
FP: 15
Parry: 15
Speed: 6.25
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 10*
Powerful necromancers who work with death on a daily basis know well the limits of mortality and often fear death. Those
who do sometimes seek inhuman immortality in the form of a lich. Once they have transformed themselves, their form now
skeletal and thin with eyes that burn with magical power and voices that crackle and grate, their ambition and fear of death
does not abate. Instead, their unleashed minds almost always go mad with magical power, making liches some of the most
terrifying of necromancers.
The Lich listed here is derived from GURPS Magic, and he has no templates at all, making him unsuitable for use without
additional tinkering. Generally, a lich will be a caster with necromancy, as well as a few more colleges of spells, and
generally sit at the front of a powerful army of the dead.
Code:
ST: 9
DX: 12
IQ: 10
HT: 12
Dodge: 10
HP: 12
Will: 10
Per: 10
FP: 15
Parry: NA
Speed: 7
Move: 7
SM: +0
DR: 2*
HP: 12
Will: 13
Per: 13
FP: 35
Parry: 10
Speed: 7
Move: 7
SM: +0
DR: 2*
Skills: Brawl DX+3 [8]-15, Innate Attack (Jet) DX+6[20]-18, Occultism IQ+3*[12]-16
Spells: Necromantic Spells! IQ+3 [24]-16, Water Spells! IQ+2 [12]-15, Meta Spells! IQ+2 [12]-15, Protection
Spells! IQ+2 [12]-15
Class: Undead
Notes: Willing to negotiate, but not with clerics or paladins. Is frightened by the sight of holy symbols, even cheap
ones. Can be affected by pentagrams and True Faith. Skull has a total of 2 DR. Truly Evil
Other Monsters
The world of Dungeon Fantasy brims with monsters that defy classification. Ogres, trolls, gargoyles, coleopterans, mutants,
maggot-men, sea-serpents, centaurs, minotaurs, giants, dark gods, werewolves, vampires and more all swarm across the
surface off the world and squirm beneath its skin. If you seek more interesting monster, you can peruse GURPS Fantasy,
Banestorm, or the many Creatures of the Night supplements available on e23. Further, GURPS itself lets you create or
design any monster you like. Be sure to post them online for the rest of us to use!
Below are a few more common, miscellaneous monsters often found within dungeons.
HP: 40
Will:9/12
Per: 7
FP: 12
Parry: 9
Speed: 5.5
Move: 6
SM: +1
DR: 4
Troll Creeper(Worthy)
Unlike many of the large, beastly monsters of the world, trolls are slim, graceful and crafty. Their glittering eyes and
ferocious grins haunt the nightmares of many travelers more than the loud roars of orcs or the moan of zombies. Trolls
believe in subtly, ruthlessness and having fun when killing. With their brightly colored hair and ugly, strange wrinkles, they
are the clowns of the monster world, and they don't mind.
Trolls tend to be broadly flexible as monsters, and creepers embrace this notion, having honed his regenerative prowess,
practiced his stealth and increased his lethality, allowing him to flit from the role of Brute, Killer and Stalker with ease.
Code:
ST: 11
DX: 14
IQ: 10
HT: 11
Dodge: 10
HP: 16
Will: 10
Per: 13
FP: 11
Parry: 11
Speed: 6
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 0
HP: 9
Will: 13
Per: 15
FP: 13
Parry: 8
Speed: 6.5
Move: 6
SM: +0
DR: 0
of use. This appendix notes several useful spells for a given college, their page reference (always GURPS Magic unless
stated otherwise) and the prerequisite count and associated penalty when used with a Wild Card skill, in case you want to
simply glance at a list and know what spells such a character might cast.
This does not contain all possible, useful spells. It mainly has an eye towards spells immediately useful in the midst of
combat, as we don't care how the necromancer got his zombie hordes, we only care about what he will do in one particular
fight. I include this because I, personally, find a simple reference to a college to be insufficient to know what a particular
mage can do. It helps me to see a list. So, here you go.
Arcane Magic
Air Spells
Shape Air, p 24, 2(-1)
Walk on Air, p 25, 3(-1)
Body of Air, p 24, 3(-1)
Windstorm, p 25, 3(-1)
Devitalize Air, p 25, 3(-1)
Concussion, p 26, 5(-2)
Body Control Spells
Debility, p 36, 0 (-0)
Might, p 37, 1 (-0)
Clumsiness, p 36, 2 (-1)
Grace, p 37, 3(-1)
Fumble, p 38, 3(-1)
Agonize, p 40, 5(-2)
Deathtouch, p 41, 7(-2)
Communication and Empathy Spells
Sense Foes, p 44, 0 (-0)
Persuasion, p 45, 2(-1)
Mind-Sending, p 47, 4(-1)
Compel Truth, p 47, 4(-1)
Control Person, p 49, 5(-2)
Earth Spells
Shape Earth, p 50, 0 (-0)
Flesh to Stone, p 51, 2(-1)
Stone Missile, p 52, 3(-1)
Rain of Stones, p 53, 3(-1)
Body of Stone, p 54, 6(-2)
Steelwraith, p 54, 7(-2)
Fire Spells
Create Fire, p 72, 1(-0)
Deflect Energy, p 73, 2(-1)
Flame Jet, p 73, 3(-1)
Flaming Weapon, p 75, 4(-1)
Explosive Fireball, p 75, 4(-1)
Fire Cloud, p 75, 7(-2)
Body of Flames, p 76, 8(-3)
Illusion Spells
Illusion Shell, p 96, 1(-0)
Illusion Disguise, p 96, 1(-0)
Know Illusion, p 97, 1(-0)
Perfect Illusion, p 96, 3(-1)
Dispel Illusion, p 97, 4(-1)
Holy Spells
Armor, p 167, 1(-0)
Bravery, p 134, 1(-0)
Might, p 37, 1 (-0)
Awaken, p 90, 2(-1)
Command, p 136, 2(-1)
Major Healing, p 91, 3(-1)
Flaming Weapon, p 75, 4(-1)
Sunlight, p 114, 4(-1)
Turn Zombie, p 152, 5(-2)
Astral Vision, p 105, 6(-2)
Strengthen Will, p 136, 6(-2)
Sunbolt, p 114, 6(-2)
Wisdom, p 135, 6(-2)
Unholy Spells
Debility, p 36, 0(-0)
Armor, p 167, 1(-0)
Terror, p 134, 1(-0)
Weaken Will, p 136, 1(-0)
Clumsiness, p 36, 2 (-1)
Command, p 136, 2(-1)
Darkness, p 111, 2 (-1)
Dark Vision, p 111, 2(-1)
Icy Weapon, p 185, 2(-1)
Agonize, p 40, 5(-2)
Nature Spells
Animal Control, p 30, 1(-0)
Beast Summoning, p 30, 1(-0)
Master, p 30, 1(-0)
Shape Earth, p 51, 0 (-0)
Shape Air, p 24, 2(-1)
Shape Water, p 185, 2(-1)
Windstorm, p 25, 3(-1)
Beast Possession, p 32, 4(-1)
Fog, p 193, 4(-1)
Tangle Growth, p 162, 4(-1)
Lightning, p 196, 6(-2)
Shapeshift, p 32, 6(-2)
Animate Plant, p 164, 7(-2)
Body of Wood, p 165, 7(-2)
Hail, p 195, 8(-3)
Body of Wind, p 27, 10(-3)
Finally, we note our skills, adding up point totals when we end up with two of the same skills. For example, we take the
second Killer Package (Brawl and 8 points of Axe/Mace), and the third Brute skill package (Shield and 8 points of
Axe/Mace), which gives us a total of 16 points for Axe/Mace.
Then we just note it all down, discarding any advantages or disadvantages that aren't pertinent to a dungeon fight (for
example, Orcs have a social stigma. Well, who cares?! This is a monster!)
The result:
HP: 30
Will: 12
Per: 10
FP: 12
Block: 12
Speed: 6.75
Move: 6
SM: -0
DR: 4*