Saturday, February 29, 2020

Dark Creeper & Dark Stalker Racial Templates

Another consequence of running Carrion Crown in GURPS has been making a racial template for Dark Creepers. Dark Creepers are sort of neat. Their original Fiend Folio entry is very fun and illuminating. In Pathfinder, the Dark Creepers and Dark Stalkers have an interesting story in how they came to be. While I was making the Dark Creepers, I decided that it wouldn't be much more difficult to go ahead and make the Dark Stalkers. It felt wrong to make the Dark Creepers and leave the Dark Stalkers unmade. I don't mind not making the other sub-races though. Dark Stalkers and Creepers were made together, so it's only right that I include them both.
I did a mostly faithful conversion of the black smear present in Pathfinder, but I didn't bother converting their light blindness because it's tedious to figure out what that is and it was never mentioned in earlier entries. I followed the Enraged Eggplant's example in separating some of the creature's advantages to highlight them as their special abilities. Making the poison proved to be somewhat difficult for me.

Dark Creeper (102)
ST-1 [-10] DX+2 [40] HT+1 [10]; SM-1 Speed +0.25 [5] Move -1 [-5].
Advantages: Dark Vision [25], Detect Magic [10]

  • Darkness: Obscure Vision 9 (Magical -10%) [17]
  • Death Throes: Affliction 1 (Accessibility: Only upon death, -60%; Disadvantage: Blindness, +50%; Trigger: death, -60%; Vision-Based, +150%) [18]
Disadvantages: Bad Smell [-10]
Notes: They are usually 4 ft tall and generally weigh 80 pounds.
Typical Stats
ST 9 DX 12 IQ 10 HT 11; thr 1d-2 sw 1d-1 Lift 16 HP 9 Will 10 Per 10 FP 11; SM-1 Speed 6 Move 5; Dodge 9 Parry 10
Traits: Affliction 1 (Accessibility: Only upon death, -60%; Disadvantage: Blindness, +50%; Trigger: death, -60%; Vision-Based, +150%), Bad Smell, Dark Vision, Detect Magic, Obscure Vision 9 (Magical -10%).
Skills: Feint (Knife)-16, Knife-14, Poisons-10, Targeted Attack (vitals, knife thrust)-13 Stealth-13
Long Knife (14) 1d-2 cutting or 1d-2 impaling, Reach C, 1, P0, 1.5 lbs. Likely dipped in a dose of Black Smear.
Dark Creepers are generally pretty dangerous, though only for their poison-delivery. Probably only the lieutenants or gang-leaders would have Feint, though all of them would have the Targeted Attack.
When a dark creeper is slain, its body combusts in a blinding flash of bright white light, leaving its gear in a heap on the ground. Dark Creepers, having an elemental connection to shadow and darkness, have an unnatural ability to see in darkness (ergo Dark Vision rather than Night Vision 9). Dark Creepers generally wear layered cloth armor. It's considered cheap, although for dark creepers doesn't have any DR limitation. Dark Creepers also generally have Poisons at least at IQ.

Dark Stalker (165)
ST+1 [10] DX+2 [40] IQ+1 [20] HT+1 [10]; Speed +0.25 [5].
Advantages: Dark Vision [25], Detect Magic [10]

  • Deeper Darkness: Obscure Vision 10 (Magical 10-%)[18]
  • Death Throes: Affliction 1 (Accessibility: Only upon death, -60%; Disadvantage: Blindness, +50%; Trigger: death, -60%; Vision-Based, +150%) [18]
  • Fog Cloud: Obscure Vision 5 (Area Effect (8 yards) +100%, Costs 1 FP -5%, Magical -10%, Ranged +50%) [14]

Disadvantages: Skinny [-5].
Notes: Dark stalkers are 6 feet tall and weigh 100 pounds.
Dark stalkers are tall, frail humanoids with incredibly pale skin. They constantly wear multiple layers of dark cloth and black leather armor, yet unlike their lesser kin, a dark stalker's garb is always clean and spotless. Each dark stalkercarries a pair of short swords—they prefer these weapons to all others.
Typical Stats
ST 11 DX 12 IQ 11 HT 11; thr 1d-1 sw 1d+1 Lift 24 HP 11 Will 11 Per 11 FP 11; Speed 6 Move 6 Dodge 9
Traits:  Affliction 1 (Accessibility: Only upon death, -60%; Disadvantage: Blindness, +50%; Trigger: death, -60%; Vision-Based, +150%) [18], Dark Vision [25], Detect Magic [10], Obscure Vision 5 (Area Effect (8 yards) +100%, Costs 1 FP -5%, Magical -10%, Ranged +50%) [14], Obscure Vision 10 (Magical 10-%)[18], Skinny.
Skills: Feint (rapier)-16, Rapier-14, Poisons-10, Targeted Attack (vitals, rapier thrust)-13 Stealth-13
Edged Rapier (14) 1d+1 cutting or 1d impaling, Reach 1, 2 P0F 3 lbs.

Black Smear (TL1): A follow-up poison with a one minute delay and a HT roll to resist. Inflicts 1d-3 fatigue damage (minimum 1), repeating at 15-minute intervals for twelve cycles. Once injured by the poison, a victim suffers -2 ST before suffering any further ST reduction. A victim who loses 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 FP has -4, -6, or -8 ST, respectively. $250/dose, $10/dose in underdark. LC1.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Carrot Launcher (Large Carrot-Shooting Revolving Rifle)

This is probably going to be a bit of a strange, cutsie little post. I just posted it on my Mastodon and figured that I may as well also sha...