Tolkien-style Huorns for GURPS

Huorns (Grumpy, evil, barely sentient trees)

ST: 16 1d+1 imp, 2d+2 cr	HP: 16 X 4 (homogeneous)	Speed: 5.00
DX: 8	Will: 11	Move: 2
IQ: 6	Per: 10
HT: 12	FP: 12	SM: +3
Dodge: 5 (trunk), 8 (limbs)	Parry: 10	DR: 3 (Trunk), 1 (limbs)

Traits: Callous, Dislike (animals), Terror I

Skills: Brawling-14, Wrestling-15, Wrestle(Sweep)-14

Gears: Huorns are gearless.  They have a face, which can be spotted at Per-3 and then targeted. The face contain one seeing eye. Without this eye, Per goes down to 8 and is based on motion alone. 

Tactics: They use their limbs to either impale (thrust), sweep, crush (swing) or grapple. Against multiple foes, they will use sweep to hit many in one attack (up to 3 linear yards). If they impale, they will use the impaling limb to exert control points (CP) on their victim (for those of you using GURPS MA:Technical Grappling). If there is a need to hit hard, they can use their limbs to cause a 2d+2 crushing. If advantageous, all attacks can be considered to be coming from above, except for sweeps. 

Why they are awesome: Multiple limbs! A Huorn is made of a trunk (2 X base HP) and three limbs (16HP each).  Killing the trunk neutralizes the huorn, even though it doesn't destroy it. Consider the limbs to be freely moving around the creature at an angular speed of 1/2 rotation per game turn (This means a full slam from one side to the other. All three limbs can perform independent attacks as if they were three individuals. This makes the huorn a potent foe. 

A Huorn was featured in the session report of Reclaiming Khazad-dum's "The botanical Educations of dwarves".

A Snow Elemental for GURPS

A Snow Elemental for GURPS

Principle

Shapithui is a voxel-based monster of size SM +3. It is a lich-form wraith which manifest itself as a 50 cubic yard animated entity of snow and ice. It isn't bound to specific snow/ice, but cannot exists in a smaller volume. Once a given cubic yard is possessed, Shapithui can use it to move like an amoeba: remove a block from somewhere and grow it back somewhere else. Shapithui's main strategy is to trap and smother its foes under pillars or walls of ice.

Shapithui's heart is one block (1 cubic yard) in which the tribal totem of the elders of Mulkan was inserted centuries ago. This allows elder Tiani to communicate with Shapithui as a fellow tribe member. Tiani's grip on Shapithui is not as good as the lore claims: the demon considers the Southron Stones to be his own, but cannot harm the Lossoths of his own tribe and thus must let them keep the stones for the time being. Shapithui is immortal, he is a patient demon.

An account of this snow elemental is found here. The PCs ended up fighting the demons as wraiths, which wasn't exactly planned when I designed the creature. 

Statistics

ST 18, DX 10, IQ 8, HT 10, FP:- HP: special, Per:8, Will:10, SM+3, Move:(7, amoebic)

Traits: Unliving, Homogeneous, Controled by Magic, blind (Perceive auras at +4), 

Made of 50 blocks: 49 X HP39 1X1X1yd + 1 heart HP 20 DR5(semi-ablative)

Fighting against an Elemental

Moving

Shapithui must maintain a connection to the snow/ice pack at all time. He can extend over rocks and pavements, but cannot "disconnect" from the frozen ground. Shapithui can move up to 7 blocks of snow/ice per turn:

• Release one block and claim a new one from existing snow or ice which is in contact with its own body. This is is main mode of movement where he can snake under the snow or in ice without being seen. Hearing the creaks is an easy (+2) hearing check or a hard (-3) vision check.
• Absorb one block (remove from board) and grow another one above ground level (add a block). The growth must be in contact with the body, but can either be placed above or to the side of an existing one. The Absorption cab be done from under the feet of opponents.
• Break away one stack of blocks and pivot it such that the blocks fall to the ground. This counts as a single move, regarless of the size of the stack.

Slamming 

Each block is made of 64lb or snow, ice, rocks, branches and bones scraped from the ground. Each has 32 HP and is considered homogeneous for the purpose of damage multipliers (X 1/2 impaling, etc.).  The damage cause varies with the block's position in the stack. Blocks falling from:

• 1 yd: 1d-1
• 2 yds: 1d+1
• 3 yds: 1d+2
• 4 yds: 1d+3
• 5 yds: 2d
• 6 yds: 2d+1, and so on...

The damage type caused by a falling block depend on the block's content: roll 3d6: 

• 6 or less : impaling (Ice, bones, branches)
• 7,8,12,13 : cut (Ice, assorted blade fragments)
• 9-11: crushing (stones, bulk snow) 
• 14+: Pi++ (bones, branches)

 Choking

Once that a player has been slammed into the ground by falling snow by failing a dodge, the character is itself buried under. The character will be disoriented and must succeed a Per-2 check to figure out which way to dig in order to pull out. There is no need to check if the head or at least half of the body isn't buried. As per normal rules, a suffocating character incurs 1FP of damage per second while either the head or chest are buried. 

Breaking free is resolved similarly to a grapple against a ST 13 foe. Add +1 ST per block on top of a character (ST 14 if buried under two blocks). Others may assist if they succeed the a quick contest against the appropriate ST. In all cases, pulling out from Shapithui incurs 1d-2 damage (determine the type as described above). 

Moving over Shapithui

Shapithui growing a pillard to strike the wraiths.

All movement over Shapithui are done in rough footing (-1 to attack, -2 to defend), which may not be such a big deal since all snow and ice environment are already rough footing. Climbing 1 yds during a move action costs 2 MP, or 1 to end-up kneeling (SM0, SM1) or Lying down (SM-1). SM2 foe are not significantly affected by a 1 yd step. Standing up while a block is absorbed or grown requires a DX or acrobatic (whichever is better) or end kneeling (lying down on critical fails). 

Attacking Shapithui

Each block has 32 HP of homogeneous material. The elemental doesn't feel pain nor has any organs other than for the heart block. A major wound, causing 15 HP in one blow, expels the spirit from the block and also to all other blocks that depended in the collapsed block to connect to the heart. Discard all these blocks for the rest of the engagement. If there is enough snow or ice to be claimed around, Shapithui will regain these blocks at a rate of 2HP per day (16 days per blocks). If Shapithui is caught on pavement or rock, the loss of block is permanent. 

The company are going after Shapithui's heart.

The Heart is a special block which occurs randomly within the creature. The creature isn't aware of the position of its heart until it is struck and that it can feel pain. The position of the heart will be determined randomly. Seeking the heart is done at Per-3 if a character is actively searching for it and more than 1/2 of the blocks are in LOS to the character. If only 25 blocks are visible, the check is Per-4, 12 blocks mean Per-5, Per-6 for 6 blocks, Per-7 for 3 and Per-8 for 1 blocks only. If a character is not taking a concentrate action, the check is done at a -2 penalty. Finding the heart shouldn't be an easy feat and require a lot of agile footwork. Once a block is found, mark it as such.

The heart of a solid piece of clear ice which can be covered with dirt and snow at its surface. The heart itself has 20 HP and a semi-ablative DR5. Penetrating damage will expose the totem, which can be removed with a quick contest vs ST 13. Further penetrating damage reduces the ST by 1 each time. Shapithui will feel pain if the heart is struck. Suffering shock and attempting to bury its heart for 1 turn before becoming oblivious of its location again. If the heart is destroyed, Shapithui will return to the ground and regroup at the same rate as  described. The heart forming first.

Ripping the totem

Removing the totem from the heart will free the demon to do what he wants. And what he wants is to absorb the masterstone of Amon Sul as its new heart. Devoid of tribal affiliations, Shapithui would certainly enjoy a little retribution against Mulkan before vanishing deep into the frozen wastes of Forodwaith. 

Replacing the totem by shoving another one in its heart will make Shapithui oblivious to the tribe members, but in absence of a controlling elder, Shapithui will proceed on its own free will.

  

The GURPS Middle-Earth Wraith

The Wraiths in Middle-Earth

Principle

Wraiths are the souls of once living beings that are denied entry into Halls of Mandos. They can still be seen in the shadow world, and affect any living creatures that project into this world. If you wonder what is the shadow world, think of the parallel plane in which Frodo and Bilbo transferred to when they put on the One ring. 

Who is liable to be affected by pure wraith

For once, elves are immune to wraiths in their pure form. Wraith are oblivious to elves as if they were under the permanent effect of a Avoid-18 spell. 

Other creatures can be affected to the extent that they project into the shadow world. Only creatures and objects that are blessed by the Valars can seen and attacked by pure wraiths. Wraith must have a physical form to interact and see in the physical world. 

Giant Walruses in Middle-Earth

The Giant Walrus of Forochel

Background

In the terrifying region of Forochel, only the toughest creatures stand a chance of survival. The Giant Walrus is an example. They live in colonies of 100 to 400 beasts and feed on open-water fishes. At night, they escape the muderous waters of Forochel and spend the night tighly packed on the shore.

Statistics

ST 19, DX 11, IQ 4, HT 13, Will 11, Per 10, Sp 6.0, Mv 2(land)/6(water), dodge 8(head), 5(body)
SM +1 (5yd), HP 30, FP 15, DR 6(body), 4(Face)
Skills: Wrestling-12 (Grapple with tusks, Slam dmg:1d-3), Brawling-10 (striking with tusks, dmg:2d+1), Intimidation-14 (Effective 16 with in colonies)

Tactics

1. Move until 2-3 yards away.
2. Group intimidation to surprise/paralyse their predator/foes.
3. all-out attack with Giant Step (1FP) [Their active defense is useless... so might as well.]
1. Grapple if ends in reach 1
2. Slam if ends in reach 0 (Slam counts as a grapple, but with their huge bodies.
4. Follow-on actions
1. Strike pinned/choking opponents 
2. Pin slammed/Grappled foes (+6 SM+1, +9 SM-1)

Walruses use an aggressive tactic designed to protect their females and pups. Once threatened, they concentrate the weak elements inside the colony and form a solid wall of mature males all around. They will remain tightly packed as to avoid being attacked from the side or the rear. Once a predator gets in range (2 yards or so), they will coordinate a group stomp-and-scream (Intimidation-14 (individual), Intimidation-16(group)), which margin of success is applied as a penalty to a Fright check. They will repeat this maneuvers a few more times during an attack on the colony. The collective stomping is also liable to weaken the ice underneath their body. If the colony feels that it cannot repel the predator, it will endeavor to shatter the ice under their body in order to drown the threat. This has a downside to them, as plunging in the dark waters at night expose them to the terror. They won't resort to this unless they females and pups are endangered.

Engaged, the Walrus will charge and attempt body slams (Wrestling-12). Their main strategy is to pin foes to the ground and smother them. In case of imminent danger in doing so, they will resort to crushing attack with their strikers. This is more a plan B for them. They will often gang up 2-3 walruses to attempt to overwhelm a predator. Once a foe is pinned, the walruses will strike with their tusk to finish their victim. 

During the day, they will tend to flight if a few walruses are killed. At night, they will fight aggressively until the ice under their feet is shattered. They will not fly into the dark waters of Forochel. 

The GURPS cinematic Middle-Earth Orcs

Background

Orcs were created by Morgoth by torturing and mutilating first borns (elves) during the first age. Their biology is mysterious, and certainly non-traditional. They can only multiply in large nests that are created by powerful wizards, and requiring the bodies of living elves to seed. Their birth is more akin to a cystic process than what we understand to be childbirth. 

The Ravens of Erebor

The ravens of Erebor have once enjoyed a special relationship with the dwarves under the mountain. First of all, they can speak Westron at the accented level. They live freely, but are strongly motivated by the promise of getting rewards from their dwarven mate. They will pay close attention to what their mate tells them, and make the best possible effort to find bits of information that will get them a shiny reward. Once trained, however, they are treated as free agents: they will cater to the most generous and consistent dwarven mate with no particular sense of loyalty.

The Stone knights of Arthedain

Background

The increasingly esoteric Arthedain kings began to worry about their culture's survival as the threat from Angmar began to loom. The King commissioned the most talented mystiques to enchant stone knights to protect important places such as treasure vaults and barrows. 

Few believed that this kind of magic could be done, but the most brilliant minds of Arnor were brought together to create these undying guardians.  The cost was high: the soul of a tribute of high birth and valor had to be bound to a stone lich-form. Because of this high price in time of war, only a few of these knights were created.

The GURPS Middle-Earth Dwarf

Overview

The dwarves in this post refer specifically to Dunrin's folks, or the descendants of the Longbeard clan. During the third age, dwarves were held back by pessimism [-5], which has come to pass in the fourth age. They now have the outlook of a race reborn (overconfidence [-5]). However, most non-dwarf folk still see them as a race in decline (Social Stigma (race in decline) [-1]). 

The GURPS Middle-Earth elf

Overview

The elf of Middle-Earth is an unaging [15] creature that belongs to a civilization in decline. This makes them incurious to the affairs of men and other races  [-5] . They mature for 50 years into very handsome [16] individuals that are known to be  immune to diseases [10]. They are renowned for their accute vision 4 [8], a legendary tolerance to temperature (Temperature tolerance 1 [1]), and the most bizarre property preventing them from trampling whatever they set foot on: snow, leaves, flowers, etc (Silence 1 [5]).

The GURPS Middle-Earth Troll

Background

Trolls were created by Morgoth in the First age to be oversized fighting minions. They were fashioned from stone, and have the fatal flaw to revert back it when exposed to direct sunlight (overcast skies are fine, but seen as unpredictable). Although bred for fighting, many sub-population of trolls have diversified and defined culture of their own. As trolls are not very intelligent, and usually hungry, the bulk of their culture is centered on eating and hoarding. The late because they are big, the former as a remnant of their design as pillagers. 

The GURPS hobbit

I wonder if there are apple pies East of the Misty
Mountains

Overview

The hobbit needs no introduction. It is a mysterious Middle-Earth creature, and an interesting kind of folk to roleplay. There used to be three kinds of hobbits: the stoors, the harfoot and the fallohide. Today, they are all known as Shire-folk or Bree-folk, although each hobbit has to select one of three sets of character traits which relates to these distant ancestries.

Giant Eagles

Giant Eagles are nice... when they come to help. However, they were created for another purpose: to kill  two legged critters that are destroying Iluvatar's great work.

Statistics

ST 18; DX 12; IQ 8; HT 25

HP 18, FP 20, Will 10; Per 12; Speed 4, Dodge 8; SM +5; 

Traits : Acute Vision 5; Flight (wing; Air move 12); No fine manipulator, sharp beak (1d pi+), sharp claws (1d pi+), Westron (accented, spoken)

Skill: brawling-16 

GMing notes

The Giant Eagle are created in this campaign world as part of one of Araliniel's dream and will not behave as allies, and not particularly rationally. They can fly very high in the sky and spot minute details on the ground. When attacking, they attempt a grapple with their claw and lift the victim off the ground. They then climb and drop their victim from a height of 30 yd, at a speed of 24, this causing a collision at a speed of 50, for HP 4d6 of crushing damage. Such charge must takes at least 1d6 + 2 seconds to setup (including turning, aligning diving). Eagles will use their beaks only when cornered, or to deal with a struggling "cargo"  (they will simply drop prematurely if they fail a Will check, or get hurt).