Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #458
Don't Be Afraid To Modify Your Monsters
Contents:
This Week's Tips Summarized
Don't Be Afraid To Modify Your Monsters
Johnn Four's GM Guide Books
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A Brief Word From Hannah
Monsters in the News
I was reading the news the other day and stumbled across
this.
It's a picture of what's supposed to be the perfect pet,
but the first thing I thought when I saw it was, "So what's
the to-hit bonus on its melee basic attack?"
Someone really needs to throw that thing at their players.
If that someone is you, email me and let me know how it
went.
Also in the news are plants that are going to kill us all.
Pitcher plants have been killing insects for quite some
time, but the new ones they found in the Philippines are
big enough to kill rats. When vegetation is taking out our
fellow mammals, I think it's time we get worried.
Apocalypse-heralding pitcher plants
Real Life Adventure Spot
Google Earth plus Wikipedia is a glorious thing. Today I
stumbled across Clipperton Island. There isn't much to the
island - just a lagoon with no entrance to the sea. And did
I mention there's sulphuric acid down at the deepest part
of the lagoon?
Sounds like something that belongs in an adventure to me.
And read up on the island's history - civilians stranded
in the middle of a war, their sovereign country refusing
them aid, more and more of them dying, and finally the
island descends into barbarism. Any point during that would
be a good time for adventurers to step in and straighten
things out.
Clipperton Island
Hannah Lipsky
hannah@roleplayingtips.com
AIM: DemonIllusionist
Website: chaoticshiny.com
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Don't Be Afraid To Modify Your Monsters
by Scott J. Compton
Tired of the same old monsters? Want to try something new
that's familiar but uses the same game rules?
If you're playing in any fantasy setting where magic is
possible, then why not deviate from the norm? It's quite
funny that, as gamers, we often stick to the same types of
monster templates.
We do this for many reasons, but often because we have some
rules-lawyer players, and their expectations are that we are
giving them monsters straight out of the books. You know
what I mean: "But orcs can only move at so and so rate, not
faster than that," or, "I know that monster has the ability
to do such and such, so I'm going to cast such and such
spell."
Expectation is a catch-22. If you deviate from a known
behavior, players often get upset. But if you give them
enough visual or behavioral clues about the change from the
standard template, you'll always keep them on their toes.
So here is the solution. Why not tweak your monsters? Not
only will you be able to give more personality to your
baddies, but the players will have to rethink their
strategies in how to deal with the monster.
Below is a set of guidelines I use in my campaigns.
- Removing Normal Traits
Some of the best ways to modify your monsters is to think in
terms of disadvantages. Removing wings from a dragon, or
taking away the regeneration from a troll might cause the
monster to change its tactics, such as sticking more to the
shadows and only coming into melee range when it's safe to
do so.
To keep the monster balanced, think of something else
advantageous that could replace it. In the case of the
dragon, don't rule out the possibility of giving it a Ring
of Flight. When the PCs are confident they are fighting a
lamed dragon known to be wingless, and then halfway through
the battle it takes flight, they'll be jumping for cover.
For the troll, do something different like giving him a
special weapon that he's extremely skilled with. What about
a whip that can deal an electrical discharge or a knife that
always returns to his hand after throwing it? Or give him a
strange abnormality: he can only regenerate when he drinks
the blood of his victims.
Additions based on the removal of an ability makes that
monster memorable to the players.
- Genetic Abnormality
Use genetic changes to create new monster types. If the
ancient Greeks could do it with gorgons, centaurs and
minotaurs, why not expand upon it even more?
In a magical world, bloodlines can easily cross to produce
sterile offspring. Cross a dragon with a horse or a unicorn
with a demon. Then find the averages between the numbers and
decide which abilities to leave and which to save.
This is ripe for creating specialized monsters that are one-
of-a-kind and are named uniquely because of the genetic
accident. If you're in a sci-fi setting, you also have
scientists that can perform various genetic experiments to
produce unexpected results.
- Disease, Acid, Poison, Foodstuff or Magic
We all know about cursed items. But a curse can be a
blessing for the introduction of fun traits to monsters. It
gives us the needed lore and explanation as to how Monster A
changed into Monster B.
Disease, acid and poison effects also make for good changes.
Anything consumable can potentially cause an alteration,
either temporary or permanent.
Magic is a given for creating a new abnormality, and there
could many legends around how a magical spell, device or
even regional area could influence or change a creature
permanently.
- Faking Abnormalities and Changing Tactics
Throw in an occasional trick to make the player believe on
the surface something is different about this particular
foe.
For example, have the monster always lean on a spear for
support, making it look weaker when in fact it's not hurt at
all.
Older monsters can also be misleading, looking frail and
weak, when in reality it just had been injured in a previous
battle.
Monsters might also have learned new battle techniques,
traps or tricks from other opponents.
Play around with idea that the monster has the mindset of
another monster type, and see how it plays out.
Changing the monster's behavior can seem weird, but it will
make perfect sense so long as you provide a reason for it.
* * *
Scott has been a video game and RPG designer for the past
14 years. His profile can be found here at IMDB.
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For Your Game: 10 Guards
by Cheka Man with permission from Strolen's Citadel
- The Snitch
This guard is all too ready to tell tales about his fellow
guards whenever they break the rules in even a small way.
As a result, he is deeply unpopular with them, to the point
where one or two sometimes wish they could murder him.
The rest would not be quick to hurry to his aid if there
really was trouble, and wish that he were sent down to
guard the oubliette. His superiors despise him, but know
that his type might be useful to them. No one knows how he
would fare in a large battle.
- The Adventurer
A frustrated former adventurer who joined the King's
Guard, he finds it very hard to stick to his post. He has
secretly explored the entire palace from top to bottom and
has investigated many places where he shouldn't have been.
If found by other guards or nobles, his excuse is he is on
patrol. So far the excuse has worked. Despite his
wanderlust, he is an honest man who would never let his
friends down in battle.
- The Eavesdropper
A spy for a hostile power, this guard tends to have his ear
pressed up against the door he is supposed to be guarding.
He has discovered several juicy secrets, but hasn't been
able to get them out without arousing suspicion. On more
than one occasion, he has filched secret plans without
anybody finding out.
The eavesdropper is a more dangerous warrior than the
average guard, but hides his true abilities until he really
needs them. If the King goes to war, he will try to give
battle plans to the other side.
- The Braggart
Like many of the Royal Guard, he was a former soldier in the
legions and has survived several major battles. He has many
tales to tell, which he does continually and incessantly,
until his fellows can take no more and order him to shut up.
He has a very high opinion of himself, even though it was
merely luck that made the crossbow bolts miss him and saved
him from being skewered. Despite that, he is a capable
fighter and is good at his job.
- The Bored
This guard finds being a guard deeply boring, to the point
that he wishes assassins or rebellious subjects would attack
the palace so he would have something exciting to do. He has
dozens of books he likes to read when off-duty (and when he
can get away with it on duty too).
He has fallen asleep on duty more than once and was very
lucky his officers did not find out, or he would have been
heavily punished. He stays in the job for the pay, but prays
daily he can go out to battle.
- The Moonlighter
This guard moonlights as a bodyguard/bouncer. He has seen
and participated in his share of bar fights, and is one of
the more capable fighters.
He also has loose ties to the criminal elements of the city
and is willing to overlook certain things for a price, as
long as there is no danger the royal children would be
killed, kidnapped, or otherwise harmed. He has been known to
filch small items, like the odd pair of silver candlesticks,
to boost his salary.
- The Drugged
This guard would be sacked or imprisoned if his superiors
knew what he has been doing. He has a severe addiction to
potent Silverspider venom, and most of his pay goes to
obtaining it.
When off-duty he has shoplifted, mugged people and burgled
houses. When on duty he manages to pretend to be a dutiful
Royal Guard, but his days are numbered. Sooner or later he
will either die from his habit, get arrested or otherwise
mess up.
- The Revolutionary
This guard is a secret revolutionary. He has a deep hatred
for members of the aristocracy, and has made getting this
job his life's work, with the sole intention of
assassinating members of the royal family when he gets the
chance.
So far he has been unsuccessful, first because he needed to
gain their trust and then because he has never had the
chance - other guards have always been in the right place at
the right time.
He did once use poison, but the result was not fatal for the
target, who put it down to badly cooked food and sacked two
of the royal cooks.
In battle, he would try and kill as high-ranking a noble as
he could. And if he could get away with it, a noble on his
own side.
- The Acolyte of Ma-O
This guard is the best friend of the revolutionary and
pretends to him that he shares his ideals. However, he just
wants to cause trouble, and if possible, civil war for it's
own sake and for the sake of his evil god, Ma-O.
On the surface, he is willing, hardworking, and always does
what his superiors tell him. Privately, he is wondering if
there is some way he could kill several members of the royal
family at once and get away with it. In a war he would stab
the King in the back.
- The Casanova
Despite living in a largely sexist country, this guard
believes in female equality and is always courteous and
interested in female company. He is also good looking.
His looks and views have won the hearts of many girls,
ranging from those of noble birth to poor servants. Many
noblewomen have risked being disinherited or worse by having
secret affairs with him. He often sneaks away from his
sentry box for secret liaisons.
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Johnn Four's GM Guide Books
In addition to writing and publishing this e-zine, I have
written several GM tips and advice books to inspire your
games and to make GMing easier and fun:
How to design, map, and GM fresh encounters for RPG's most
popular locales. Includes campaign and NPC advice as well,
plus several generators and tables
Advice and tips for designing compelling holidays that not
only expand your game world but provide endless natural
encounter, adventure, and campaign hooks.
Critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning guide to
crafting, roleplaying, and GMing three dimensional NPCs for
any game system and genre. This book will make a difference
to your GMing.
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