| Volume 1: Issue 3: Winter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Radioactive Mutant Horror : Giant Blob : Giant Lizard : Giant Insect : Humanoids |
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Enormous Monsters for your Gamma World 5th ed. game Derek Winston Who wants industrial-size, B-grade, darn near invincible monsters in their campaigns? We do!!! A long-time standby of Japanese monster movies, these creatures destroy cities, waffle-stomp heavy military hardware, and battle other monsters to the death (or at least to a sequel). Below are a few monstrously large mutant creatures too big for one mutant, or even one party of mutants, to handle alone. These beasts should be used sparingly, and should act more like a force of nature than an ordinary monster- there should be no rhyme or reason to their destructive rampages, save maybe to find and fight another monster. PCs will have difficulty fighting and defeating these monsters on their own, even with powerful weapons. Scenarios involving these beasts should revolve around getting themselves (and others) out of their destructive paths, distracting them from certain targets ("If the creature destroys the dam, the village will be flooded!"), or maybe even being involved in a doomed attack against one (The tanks roll over the hill to fire on Godzilla- to no effect! Godzilla trashes tanks and moves on......). Many Radioactivists die as a result of their devotion to the Glow- their's is a hard, dangerous faith with few survivors. A few, however, do survive and mutate many times, to become enormous, slobbering monstrosities. They grow to titanic proportions, sprouting extra limbs, heads, gaping mouths, etc. These monsters only stabilize once they develop an immunity or extremely high resistance to radiation. This transformation drives the victim completely insane, almost without exception; they become little better than screaming, slime-dripping eating machines wandering the irradiated wastelands that spawned them. Radioactivists worship these creatures, seeing them as validation of their beliefs. They even make sacrifices to them by turning loose live victims in it's territory- this is also regarded as a kind of entertainment. There are no hard and fast rules for creating a mutant monstrosity, as they are highly unique due to their very nature. For inspiration on their body shapes, look to the vile creatures of the Cthulhu Mythos or the chaos spawn from the Warhammer world. Stats for an "ordinary" monstrosity run along the lines of- Radioactive Mutant Horror Game Data
Durability 24/24/12/12 Action Check: 5+/4/2/1
Attacks Skill Roll Damage Type Defenses Skills Description- Radioactive mutant horrors are huge, terrifying creatures, seemingly all tentacle and maw. Their method of locomotion varies (multiple legs, slug- or snake- like movement, etc). They are enormously powerful, always hungry and armored as well as a man in a body tank. Most attack solely with their natural weaponry, although some retain enough of a dim intelligence to wield a number of melee weapons. It is rare that an observer can even tell what genotype it originally was. Radioactive mutant horrors roam the radioactive wastelands, attacking and devouring everything in their path. They are often former Radioactivists, and are worshiped by members of that cult as gods. Encounter- These mutants will almost never surprise PCs- they have no sense of subtlety, their howls can be heard for miles around, and their enormous bulk (often as tall as a man, and up to 40' long) makes it difficult for them to hide. These monsters attack anything they see, desiring only to feed their ravenous hunger. They can shrug off most attacks, and use their appendages (tentacles, arms, etc.) to pull victims toward their deadly jaws. It takes a well-armed party or an extremely powerful (and usually long-range) weapon to defeat these monsters. Giant amoebas have terrified B-grade movie fans for decades. Their slow, ponderous movement, their acidic slime, and their dogged (if slow) pursuit of prey can have your PCs fleeing in terror as well! Giant Blob Game Data
Durability 20/20/10/10 Action Check 5/4/2/1 Attacks Skill Roll Damage Type Defenses Skills Description- Big, slimy, and nasty. Blobs are usually about 25-40' across, and leave a trail of acidic slime wherever they go. These creatures have no apparent sensory organs, but can find their prey with unnerving accuracy. Encounter- Unlike most other large monsters, blobs are completely silent killers and prefer to attack prey from an ambush. Their normal method of attack is to lash out with acidic pseudopods to grasp prey, and pull them into their membranous bodies for absorption. May giant blobs will grow even larger after absorbing a certain number of meals- GMs may wish to add to a blob's STR, CON, durability, damage, etc. after a certain number of creatures are absorbed. Ranging from dinosaurs to Godzilla, giant lizards have always fascinated moviegoers. Here's a base set of statistics for you to use and modify as you wish to create your own city-destroying monstrosity. Giant Lizard Game Data
Durability 24/24/12/12 Action Check 6/5/2/1 Attacks Skill Roll Damage Type Defenses Skills Description- A towering (100' tall plus) lizard with huge jaws, thick scales, and an enormous appetite. Many of these monsters also have various ornaments such as horns, beaked jaws, spiky tails, back ridges, etc. Encounter- PCs will rarely be surprised by these monsters- they are often preceded by much running and screaming by the local populace, as well as the splintering crash of falling buildings and chatter of useless gunfire. Giant lizards spend much of their time on land destroying cities and fighting other large monsters before heading back to sea. Only the strongest and best armed characters have a chance of catching the monster's attention, much less destroying it. Monstrous locusts, giant tarantulas, the huge ants from Them! . What's not to like about insectoid monsters? And remember that bugs are like enemies- they come not as single spies, but in battalions. The statistics given below are for a typical giant insect- it is up to the GM to add features such as wings, stingers, hypnotic buzzing, etc. to make his creation truly unique. Giant Insect Game Data
Durability 20/20/10/10 Action Check 6/5/2/1 Attacks Skill Roll Damage Type Defenses Skills Description- Most giant insects travel in groups, destroying everything in their path. The average size of a giant insect described by these statistics stands 2-3 meters tall and about 5 meters long. Encounter- Encounters with these monsters are not with one, but with many. Giant insects swarm their targets, biting and stinging, and drag off dead prey for consumption later. Most building are left alone, so long as no morsels are inside that the insects need to get to. Humanoids - Make your own Giant Mutant! Giant humanoid monsters are a staple of anime films. These titanic, deformed beasts are mindless rampagers, destroying everything in their path until they themselves are destroyed. Here's how to make them! 1) Create a mutant or mutant animal character as per the normal rules. 2) Adjust for size. 3) Turn it loose on Gamma Terra! |
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