GURPS 3d edition. Bestiary 1556344120

Table of contents :
Contents
Introduction
About the Authors
About GURPS
Animal Statistics
Page References
About This Book
Technical Terms
1. Creatures of the Wild
Domestic Animals
Vermin
Prehistoric Animals
Mythical and Legendary Creatures
Speculative Creatures
2. Game Mastering Animals
Abilities and Skills
Advantages and Disadvantages
Skills
Training
Hiring a Trainer
Sensing Abilities
Obedience
Horseshoes
Horses
Biting to Grapple
Combat
Damage
Close Combat
Knockback and Slam
Parrying Animal Attacks
Injuries
Shock
Recovery from Injury
Assorted Hazards
Pack Tactics
Acceleration and Turning
Turning Radius
Herd Animals
Hit Locations for Animals
Parts of the Body
Going for the Throat
Critical Misses
Other Animals
Shots to the Vitals
Wounded and Cornered Animals
Animal Reactions
Mothers
3. Hunting and Trapping
Hunting
Preserving Meat
Animal Empathy
Craftiness
Fishing
Trapping
Types of Traps
Forked Sticks
Live Capture
Methods of Capture
Transporting Animals
Game Animals
4. Creating Animals
Stats
Creating Creatures Quickly
Knowledge
Special Abilities
Special Defenses
Sensing Abilities
Behavior
Ecology
Demonic Animals
Giant and Miniature Animals
5. Animal Characters
Being an Animal
Taboo Traits and Features
Animal Mages
Beasts of Burden
Quick-and-Dirty Shapeshifting
Animal Companions
Pets and Trained Animals
Ripper
Dr. Alvin O’Verra
Isaac
Animal Combatants
Johnny Dino
Wild Animals as Companions
Specialist Modupi
Aquiring Animal Companions
Market Value
El DelfÍn Diabólico
Creating Animal Templates
Gann “The Attentive”
Hushaar
NtsaaÍgÍÍ
Sample Animal Templates
Alligator
Caryae
Cat
Chimpanzee
Deinonychus
Dog
Jacques
Dolphin
Elephant
Rat-Thing
Giant Rat
Grizzly Bear
Skeeto
Leopard
Parrot
Rabbit
Sea Lion
“Our Forest Friend”
Spotted Hyena
Warhorse
Wolf
Shariputra Gurung
Yeti
Advantages, Disadvantages, and Skills
Advantages
Al Kurikai il ’arim
New Advantages
Disadvantages
New Disadvantages
Quirks
Skills and Training
6. Animals in Folklore
Animal Legends
Master of the Animals
Anomalies
Animal Spirits
Animal Gods
Mana Organs
Animal Curses
Totemism
Familiars
Catalyst Creatures
Spell Components
Castor (Elixir of Horse Taming)
Alphabetical Chart
Habitat Chart
Index

Citation preview

GURPS BESTIARY

No matter where or when your campaign is set – from prehistoric times to the jungles of modern Africa – GURPS Bestiary provides all the creatures of fact and fantasy you need to bring your world to life. So come on – take a walk on the wild side!

GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition Revised and Compendium I: Character Creation are required to use this book in a GURPS campaign. GURPS Bestiary can also be used as a sourcebook for any roleplaying system.

Inside this third edition, you’ll find:

THE BEAST MASTERS:

Complete descriptions of more than 150 real and imaginary creatures, from Antelope to Water Buffalo, from Agropelter to Yeti.

Written by

STEFFAN O’SULLIVAN Revised by

Expanded information for creating an animal character – how to build a racial template from bestiary stats and adapt the template to a character for your campaign.

HUNTER JOHNSON Edited by

MONICA STEPHENS, STEVE JACKSON, AND JEFF KOKE Cover by

KEN KELLY Illustrated by

KENT BURLES, DAN CARROLL, AND SEAN MURRAY

Suggestions for inventing new creatures to keep players on their toes.

THIRD EDITION, FIRST PRINTING PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2000

A complete set of habitat tables, showing where each species is most often found and giving their important stats at a glance.

ISBN 1-55634-412-0

®

STEVE JACKSON GAMES www.sjgames.com

9!BMF@JA:RS PQPoY`ZfZdZnZ` SJG01995 6011

Printed in the U.S.A.

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Guidelines for using animals in your campaign, including detailed rules for hunting and trapping, venom, animals in combat, and animal companions.

GURPS BESTIARY

No matter where or when your campaign is set – from prehistoric times to the jungles of modern Africa – GURPS Bestiary provides all the creatures of fact and fantasy you need to bring your world to life. So come on – take a walk on the wild side!

GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition Revised and Compendium I: Character Creation are required to use this book in a GURPS campaign. GURPS Bestiary can also be used as a sourcebook for any roleplaying system.

Inside this third edition, you’ll find:

THE BEAST MASTERS:

Complete descriptions of more than 150 real and imaginary creatures, from Antelope to Water Buffalo, from Agropelter to Yeti.

Written by

STEFFAN O’SULLIVAN Revised by

Expanded information for creating an animal character – how to build a racial template from bestiary stats and adapt the template to a character for your campaign.

HUNTER JOHNSON Edited by

MONICA STEPHENS, STEVE JACKSON, AND JEFF KOKE Cover by

KEN KELLY Illustrated by

KENT BURLES, DAN CARROLL, AND SEAN MURRAY

Suggestions for inventing new creatures to keep players on their toes.

THIRD EDITION, FIRST PRINTING PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2000

A complete set of habitat tables, showing where each species is most often found and giving their important stats at a glance.

ISBN 1-55634-412-0

®

STEVE JACKSON GAMES www.sjgames.com

9!BMF@JA:RS PQPoY`ZfZdZnZ` SJG01995 6011

Printed in the U.S.A.

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Guidelines for using animals in your campaign, including detailed rules for hunting and trapping, venom, animals in combat, and animal companions.

Written by Steffan O’Sullivan Revised by Hunter Johnson

Monsters, Beasts, and Companions

Third Edition

Additional material by Stephen Dedman, Ann Dupuis, Jeff Koke, Chris McCubbin, Janet Naylor, David L. Pulver, S. John Ross

Edited by Monica Stephens, Steve Jackson, Jeff Koke Cover art: Ken Kelly Cover design: Alex Fernandez Page Design: Philip Reed and Jeremy Zauder Production: Alex Fernandez and Jeremy Zauder Illustrated by Kent Burles, Dan Carroll, David Day, Topper Helmers, Sean Murray, and Pat Ortega Additional illustrations by Russell Hawley, Dan Smith, and John Zeleznik GURPS System Design by Steve Jackson Managing Editor Alain H. Dawson GURPS Line Editor Sean Punch Production Manager Russell Godwin Art Director Philip Reed Print Buyer Shawn Havranek Errata Coordinator Andy Vetromile Sales Manager Ross Jepson

Playtesters: Anthony Affrunti, Lon Banderbob, Frederick Brackin, Donald Brodale II, Benedict Chapman, J. C. Connors, The Critter Corps, Ann Dupuis, Skip Elmer, David Engberg, Shawn A. Fisher, Cisco Lopez Fresquet, J. David George, Robert Gilson, Dan Glick, Terry Glick, Beverly Hale, Ron Hauser, Tim Hempleman, Ron Kesler, Ben V. Kloepper, Jonathan Lang, Troy Leaman, Tonia Lopez, Phil Masters, Scott McMillian, Lance Myxter, Steve Noel, Sam Patton, David L. Pulver, Dale Roberts, Jeff Roberts, Tim Robinson, Justin Schardin, William D. Seurer, Melinda Spray, Christopher J. Stoddard, George Thorsted, Paul Toney, Paul Tuck, Gale Turner, Brandon Volbright, Aaron Yeater, Andrew Zorowitz.

New creatures and characters: David Ackermann, Shawn A. Fisher, Krista Fix, K. David Ladage, Shawn Lockard, Thom Jones-Low, Phil Masters, Stephen Miller, and the Critter Corps (Andy Fix, Leonardo M. Holschuh, David Morgan-Mar, T. Carter Ross, Emily Smirle, Brian Smithson, and David Starner).

GURPS and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPS Bestiary is copyright © 1988, 1993, 1994, 2000 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Some art copyright www.arttoday.com. ISBN 1-55634-412-0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

CONTENTS About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . .3 Page References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Technical Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

ANIMAL STATISTICS . . . . .4

1. CREATURES OF THE WILD . . . . . . . . .5 DOMESTIC ANIMALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 VERMIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 PREHISTORIC ANIMALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 MYTHICAL AND LEGENDARY CREATURES . . . . . . . .57 SPECULATIVE CREATURES . . . . . . . . . . .65

Going for the Throat . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Critical Misses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Other Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Shots to the Vitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Wounded and Cornered Animals . . .80 ANIMAL REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Mothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

3. HUNTING AND TRAPPING . . . . . . .83

HUNTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Preserving Meat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Animal Empathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Craftiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 FISHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 TRAPPING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Types of Traps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Forked Sticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 LIVE CAPTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Methods of Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Transporting Animals . . . . . . . . . . .88 GAME ANIMALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

4. CREATING ANIMALS . . . . . . . . . . .90

2. GAME MASTERING ANIMALS . . . . . . . . . . .70

ABILITIES AND SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Advantages and Disadvantages . . . .71 Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Hiring a Trainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Sensing Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Obedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Horseshoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Horses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Biting to Grapple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 COMBAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Close Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Knockback and Slam . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Parrying Animal Attacks . . . . . . . . .74 INJURIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Shock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Recovery From Injury . . . . . . . . . . .76 Assorted Hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Pack Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Acceleration and Turning . . . . . . . .77 Turning Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Herd Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 HIT LOCATION FOR ANIMALS . . . . . . . . .78 Parts of the Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

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STATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Creating Creatures Quickly . . . . . . .91 Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Special Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 SENSING ABILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Special Defenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 BEHAVIOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 ECOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Demonic Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Giant and Miniature Animals . . . . .94

5. ANIMAL CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . .96

BEING AN ANIMAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Taboo Traits and Features . . . . . . . .97 Animal Mages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Beasts of Burden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 QUICK-AND-DIRTY SHAPESHIFTING . . . .98 ANIMAL COMPANIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 Pets and Trained Animals . . . . . . . .98 Ripper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 Dr. Alvin O’Verra . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Isaac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100 Animal Combatants . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Johnny Dino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 Wild Animals as Companions . . . .102 ACQUIRING ANIMAL COMPANIONS . . . .102 Specialist Modupi . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Market Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103 El Delfín Diabólico . . . . . . . . . . . .103 CREATING ANIMAL TEMPLATES . . . . . .104 Gann “The Attentive” . . . . . . . . . .104 Hushaar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Ntsaaígíí . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 SAMPLE ANIMAL TEMPLATES . . . . . . . .107 Alligator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Caryae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Chimpanzee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Deinonychus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Jacques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108 Dolphin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Elephant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Rat-Thing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Giant Rat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Grizzly Bear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Skeeto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Leopard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Parrot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Rabbit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Sea Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 “Our Forest Friend” . . . . . . . . . . .111 Spotted Hyena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Warhorse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Shariputra Gurung . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Yeti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Al Kurikai il ’arim . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 New Advantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 New Disadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Quirks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 Skills and Training . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

6. ANIMALS IN FOLKLORE . . . . . . .120

ANIMAL LEGENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Master of the Animals . . . . . . . . . .121 Anomalies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 ANIMAL SPIRITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Animal Gods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Mana Organs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Animal Curses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121 Totemism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 FAMILIARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Catalyst Creatures . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Spell Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122 Castor (Elixir of Horse Taming) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

ALPHABETICAL CHART . . . . . . . . . . . .123 HABITAT CHART . . . . .126 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . .128

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

“But, gentle reader, you must consider that, since Adam went out of Paradise, there was never any that was able perfectly to describe the universal conditions of all sorts of beasts.” – Edward Topsell, A History of the Four-Footed Beasts, 1607

A bestiary is an encyclopedia of beasts. The earliest bestiaries included not only real animals, but mythical ones as well. They also included a lot of nonsense about the behavior of real animals – such as antelopes cutting down trees with their saw-shaped horns, snakes only biting tourists (we tell that one in New Hampshire, too) and remoras bringing ships to a dead stop. GURPS Bestiary is no exception; it contains not only real animals, but also mythical creatures and a lot of nonsense. I have translated an incredible amount of ancient lore, biological fact, and speculation into gaming terms. I have tried to remain as true to the original material as possible, though this was not always easy. Often the original sources conflicted with each other. GURPS tries hard to be a unified system, even in areas not subject to reality checking (such as magic). So I had to bend some legends – like the gumberoo, which hurls arrows back at its attackers – to fit the game. The gumberoo still repels missiles, but the mechanism has been defined in GURPS terms – which do not totally agree with all legends. The GM may disagree with my treatment of certain animals. If so, he may change them freely, using what I’ve written as rumor – rumors abound in all ages. The GM can decide for himself exactly what the creatures do. During my extensive research for this book, I came to know and love my subjects a little better (except for certain members of the order Diptera). Eventually, it occurred to me that I was writing a book about animals which, among other things, attack people. The truth is that few animals are any threat at all to humans. In fact, the opposite is far more true – we are pushing more than 100 species a year into extinction, a figure that experts feel can rise as high as 100 species a day by the year 2000. For this reason, I dedicate this book to all animals in all universes . . . long may we thrive! I also commit 10% of any money I make from this book to the World Wildlife Fund (1250 24th St., Washington, DC 20037), which is devoted to saving as many species as possible. It will be a sad day when there are no more tigers or leopards, yet that day is rapidly approaching unless we act now to prevent it. – Steffan O’Sullivan

ABOUT GURPS

Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of the GURPS system. Our address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us! Resources now available include: Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid). Our online magazine includes new rules and articles for GURPS. It also covers the hobby’s top games – Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Traveller, World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun, and many more – and other Steve Jackson Games releases like In Nomine, INWO, Car Wars, Toon, Ogre, and more. And Pyramid subscribers also have access to playtest files online, to see (and comment on) new books before they’re released. New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow, and we’ll be happy to let you know what’s new. A current catalog is available for an SASE. Or check out our Web site (below). Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all GURPS releases, including this book, are always available from SJ Games; be sure to include an SASE with your request. Or download them from the Web – see below. Q&A. We do our best to answer any game question accompanied by an SASE. Gamer input. We value your comments. We will consider them not only for new products, but also when we update this book on later printings! Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.com for an online catalog, errata, updates, and hundreds of pages of information. We also have conferences on Compuserve and AOL. GURPS has its own Usenet group, too: rec.games.frp.gurps. GURPSnet. Much of the online discussion of GURPS happens on this e-mail list. To join, send mail to [email protected] with “subscribe GURPSnet-L” in the body, or point your World Wide Web browser to gurpsnet.sjgames.com/. The GURPS Bestiary Web page is at www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/bestiary.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Steffan O’Sullivan lives in central New Hampshire. His other roleplaying books include GURPS Swashbucklers, GURPS Fantasy Bestiary, GURPS Bunnies & Burrows, Fudge, and Sherpa. He donates a portion of his royalties to organizations devoted to saving the environment, such as The Peaceable Kingdom Project (4353 East 119th Way, Thornton, CO 80233). You can read more about Steffan, and read his reviews of games, on his Web page at www.io.com/~sos/. Hunter Johnson lives in Dayton, Ohio. His previous roleplaying book is GURPS Japan, Second Edition. He and his wife, Lori, have had a second son, Derek Scott Johnson, since the blurb in that book was written. You can find Hunter on the Web at www.donet.com/~jhunterj/.

INTRODUCTION

I gratefully acknowledge that this book would not exist without the following people: Joyce Bruce, Dean O’Sullivan, Mrs. Donald Otto (Hi, Mom!), Dr. Larry Spencer, Ann Thurston, Glenn Van Valkenberg and the patient staff of Lamson Library, Plymouth State College, NH. – Steffan O’Sullivan

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PAGE REFERENCES

See GURPS Compendium I, p. 181, for a list of abbreviations for GURPS titles, or for the most recent list, visit our Web site at www.sjgames.com/gurps/abbrevs.html. Page references that begin with a B refer to the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition Revised; e.g., p. B22 refers to page 22 of the Basic Set. CI refers to GURPS Compendium I, CII to Compendium II, BT to Blood Types, FB to Fantasy Bestiary, CM to Celtic Myth, G to Grimoire, J to Japan, M to Magic, MIT to Magic Items 2, ME to Mecha, P to Psionics, R to Religion, UN to Undead, UTT to Ultra-Tech 2, VO to Voodoo, and WI to Wizards.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The bulk of this book is made up of creature descriptions, organized alpha betically. Certain creatures are listed separately. This book also contains rules and guidelines for the interactions of PCs with animals – Game Mastering Animals, Hunting and Trapping, Animal Characters, and Creating Animals. Finally, at the back of the book are an Alphabetical Chart, Habitat Table, and Index. The Alphabetical Chart lists all the creatures in the book in alphabetical order, with their statistics. The Habitat Chart lists each animal by habitat, with page numbers so they can be easily located.

TECHNICAL TERMS

Arboreal: At home in the trees, no DX penalty for tree movement or actions. Biome: A community of plants and animals living together in a geographic region having a certain type of climate. Carnivore: A flesh-eating animal. Diurnal: Active by day. Gregarious: Sociable, living in herds, groups, or flocks. Habitat: The natural abode or locality of an animal. Herbivore: An animal that eats plant matter. Nocturnal: Active by night. The creature has the Night Vision advantage. This is distinct from the Nocturnal disadvantage (p. CI103) – nocturnal animals are not comatose during the daylight hours. Omnivore: An animal that eats both plant matter and animal flesh. Solitary: Living or being alone.

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ANIMAL STATISTICS

ST, DX, IQ, HT. HT will often have two numbers separated by a slash (e.g., 15/35). The first number is the actual HT score; the second number is hit points (see p. CII152). ST and hit points are usually given as a range. DX, IQ, and HT are given as single numbers; they may vary by a point or so in either direction for any species. If the listing indicates an attribute as