Pyramid 3-072 - Alternate Dungeons

Stock #37-2672
Contents
®
In This
From the Editor....................................... 3
Pointless Slaying and Looting. ................ 4
by Sean Punch
Dungeons of Mars.................................. 14
by Phil Masters
From the Bottom Up. ............................. 22

by Matt Riggsby
Issue
Everyone loves good old-fashioned crypt-crawling, espe-
cially as exemplified by the best-selling GURPS Dungeon
Eidetic Memory: Good Dungeons. .......... 27 Fantasy line. But sometimes you want to shake things up. Do
by David L. Pulver things differently. Take your crypt-crawling capers into new
and exciting directions. This month’s Pyramid is here to help.
Dungeon Fantasy Video Gaming.............. 30 Are GURPS character points getting in the way of having
by Christopher R. Rice fun right now? Then get rid of them, and get on with Pointless
Slaying and Looting! GURPS Line Editor Sean Punch pres-
Random Thought Table: ents a new system for creating characters without character
To Conjure the Unknown.................. 38 points (“pointless” – get it?). Although specifically geared for
by Steven Marsh, Pyramid Editor Dungeon Fantasy campaigns, it also provides tips for design-
ing your own trait packages, plus sample archetypes, abilities,
About GURPS...................................... 40 flaws, and wildcard skills.
For a fantasy game that’s out of this world, explore the
Dungeons of Mars. Phil Masters – GURPS Thaumatology:
Alchemical Baroque author – examines the key features of
All orc and no play planetary-romance adventures, including technology, pow-

ers, characters, monsters, and locations.
Why should good guys have all the fun? See how the fod-
makes Jack a dull der half lives and work your way to the top, From the Bottom
Up! Matt Riggsby – the city planner of GURPS Locations:
boy . . . Hellsgate – shows you how to become a Dungeon Fantasy
monster-adventurer, with seven new GURPS templates and
lenses, plus suggestions for making monstrous campaigns.
Not all crypts and dungeons were created by sinister
masterminds or long-dead evil cults, as this month’s Eidetic
Memory reveals in its exploration of Good Dungeons. David
L. Pulver – the lone surviving scribe of a trip to GURPS
Article Colors Banestorm: Abydos – ponders the numerous reasons why
good guys would want to hole up underground, and why any-
Each article is color-coded to help you find your
favorite sections. one would want to raid their hiding places.
When lots of people hear “RPGs,” they think “computer
Pale Blue: In This Issue games.” Now you can really blur the lines and bring elec-
Brown: In Every Issue (humor, editorial, etc.) tronic roleplaying to the tabletop with Dungeon Fantasy Video
Gaming. Frequent Pyramid tinkerer Christopher R. Rice serves
Green: Columnist
up GURPS game mechanics for over a dozen video-gaming
Dark Blue: GURPS Features tropes, including a new template, new abilities, and more.
Purple: Systemless Features This month’s issue wraps up with a look at the big pic-
ture from Random Thought Table. Whether you’re seeking
Cover Art to play a Martian, monster, or multifaceted mimic, this issue
Eric Wilkerson of Pyramid will have you playing faster, roaming farther, and
having more fun than you ever thought possible!
Editor-in-Chief z STEVE JACKSON Art Director z SAMUEL MITSCHKE Chief Operating Officer z PHILIP REED
GURPS Project Manager z STEVEN MARSH Production Artist & Prepress Checker z Managing Editor z MIRANDA HORNER
GURPS Line Editor z SEAN PUNCH NIKOLA VRTIS Marketing Director z KALI DUGAN
Assistant GURPS Line Editor z Art Direction z MAXINE CLONTZ Director of Sales z ROSS JEPSON
JASON “PK” LEVINE Page Design z PHIL REED & JUSTIN DE WITT
Pyramid Magazine 2 October 2014

From the
Editor
A Totally New Experience! Opera” theme for Pyramid, because there isn’t a cemented
notion of what would be in a space-opera issue that could be
(Still With Elves, Of Course) rallied against; “space opera with steampunk-flavored ships”
would still be recognizable as space opera.
Whenever polls are done of what gamers like – and which
However, “alternate dungeon fantasy” gaming does leave
sales figures seem to bear out – almost invariably the hier-
a lot of room for ideas and experimentation, and we’re proud
archy has fantasy gaming at the top. There are certainly a
to present some amazing ideas here for shaking things up
couple dozen humanities/sociology paper topics around the
while maintaining those aspects of fantasy that gamers seem
reasons of why that is; a good starting point is noting that
to love . . .
few modern-day problems can be resolved by hitting them
. . . mostly starting with the ability to solve problems by
with swords.
hitting them with swords.
Regardless, fantasy is king, and folks like dungeon-fantasy
gaming . . . and based on the popularity of GURPS Dungeon
Fantasy, you really like dungeon-fantasy gaming with GURPS.
But sometimes you want to push the limits of what “dungeon
Write Here, Write Now
fantasy” means. This issue is here to help, by starting with the So, was our trip to the dungeon alternate enough for
baseline foundation of crypt-crawling treasure-hunters and you? Was there something you especially liked . . . or
going from there. something that should be locked at the bottom of a
What’s interesting is that the “dungeon fantasy” foundation dungeon? Let us know how, via a private scribe directed to
is so strong, the mere evocation of it conjures specific ideas and pyramid@sjgames.com, or the mad magi working publicly
trappings. It’s unlikely we could do – say – an “Alternate Space around the clock at forums.sjgames.com.
Pyramid, GURPS, Warehouse 23, the all-seeing pyramid, and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. Pyramid is copyright © 2014 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.

Pointless
Slaying and
Looting by Sean Punch
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy condenses GURPS a lot but Agile

doesn’t eliminate the game’s most complex rules concept:
You’re very dexterous and speedy, and reasonably fit. This
character points. There’s great flexibility in optimization,
suits assassins, martial artists, and light skirmishers.
fiddling with enhancements and limitations, and fine-tuning
with tiny purchases (perks, background skills, etc.), but this Attributes: ST 11; DX 14; IQ 10; HT 11.
comes at a substantial cost in time and character-sheet clutter. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.;
Worse, pushing points around becomes a game in itself, with HP 11; Will 10; Per 10; FP 11; Basic Speed 6.00; Basic
players extracting power at the cost of flavor, often taking dis- Move 7.
advantages to pay for “just one more ability” rather than for
roleplaying reasons. Brainy
GURPS doesn’t need the character points, however! In
play, characters require target numbers (for success rolls), You’re smart, mainly – but also sufficiently agile, fit, and
resources (like FP, HP, and cash), reaction modifiers, damage quick to survive dungeon crawls. This befits sages and spell-
dice, and a few other details. But like the animals and mon- casters of all stripes.
sters in the GURPS Basic Set and Dungeon Fantasy, they can Attributes: ST 10; DX 11; IQ 13; HT 11.
get by just fine without point totals. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP
The system that follows allows adventurous gamers to scrap 10; Will 13; Per 13; FP 11; Basic Speed 6.00; Basic Move 6.
points, create characters quickly, and start playing. It reduce a
lot of complexity to a modest list
of wildcard skills (p. B175) that
encompass not only dozens of
ordinary skills, but also the role Create new characters faster than ever!
of Talents and other advantages,
from Magery to Weapon Mas-
ter. Concepts from GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys lend
a hand, eliminating disadvantages and making those wildcard Brawny
skills more interesting. Attribute, advantage, and skill choices You’re muscular and tough, and agile enough to exploit
interact to only a limited degree, largely removing optimiza- that in a fight. This is good for toe-to-toe fighters like barbar-
tion from the equation. ians and knights.
One warning: This system isn’t compatible with using
points (though there is advice to the GM on how to use points Attributes: ST 14; DX 12; IQ 10; HT 12.
to build on it). Pick one approach or the other! Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d/2d; BL 39 lbs.; HP 14;
Will 10; Per 10; FP 12; Basic Speed 6.00; Basic Move 6.
Archetype Versatile
Each hero starts life as an Archetype: a set of attributes and You’re equally capable of feats of precision, intellect, and
secondary characteristics that loosely define a broad group athleticism. This is good for rogues who plan to do more than
of roles. Individual scores are adjustable using Abilities leap and stab.
(pp. 5-7) but not directly. Though only four traditional
options appear here, the GM is welcome to create others; see Attributes: ST 10; DX 12; IQ 12; HT 12.
Other Archetypes (p. 5). Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP
10; Will 12; Per 12; FP 12; Basic Speed 6.00; Basic Move 6.

Abilities Energetic. HT +1 and FP +6.
Evasion 1-2. Each level gives Basic Speed +1.00 and Basic
Next, the delver must choose Abilities. The recommended Move +1. Evasion 3 is allowed with [Chi Mastery].
number of starting Ability slots is eight, but the GM makes Fearless. Will +1 and Unfazeable (p. B95).
the final call. Major Abilities occupy two slots apiece; Minor Heroic Archer. See Adventurers, p. 14. All rolls use Archery!
Abilities use up just one. (p. 9).
An Ability’s write-up describes the standard traits that it Intuitive. Intuition (p. B63) and +1 Destiny Point Limit.
bestows. In Basic Set terms, benefits might include attribute Lay on Hands 1-2 [Theurgy]. Grants Healing (p. B59),
bonuses, secondary characteristic bonuses, advantages, perks, restricted to restoring HP and crippled limbs. Lay on Hands
skills, or techniques. These work normally except as noted, 1 further limits this to other people and can at most cure 12
and subject to a few blanket exceptions: HP per use (costs 6 FP). The second level lets you heal yourself
and has no HP limit.
• Attribute bonuses change secondary characteristics (and
Linguist. Accented comprehension of any language, one
Basic Speed bonuses alter Basic Move) only where spelled
language at a time. Built as Comic Power (4 points; Limited,
out explicitly. Otherwise, they don’t! For instance, “IQ +1”
Languages, ‑50%); see p. B71.
means just +1 to IQ – not to Will or Per – while an Ability that
Lucky 1-2. Lucky 1 gives Luck (p. B66) and +1 Destiny
improves IQ as in the Basic Set would explicitly indicate “IQ
Point Limit. Lucky 2 doubles the benefits: Extraordinary Luck
+1, Will +1, and Per +1.” There’s no math to do beyond adding
and +2 Destiny Point Limit.
the visible modifiers to the Archetype baseline.
Mental Fortress. Mind Shield 5 (p. B70).
• Techniques with a “!” have no fixed skill base and work
Negotiator. Cultural Adaptability (p. B46) and Social Cha-
with any Wildcard (pp. 9-13) that makes sense.
meleon (p. B86) eliminate all social penalties for class, culture,
• Some Abilities affect the Destiny Point Limit (p. 13).
and race. Further gives +1 to all reaction rolls.
Many Abilities come in levels. Higher lev- Nimble 1-2. Each level gives DX +1 and Basic Move +1.
els provide larger benefits. The number of
levels permitted to starting adventurers is
limited, but the GM may waive Ability lim-
its during character creation or in play. Other Archetypes
Some Abilities or Ability levels require The GM can offer as many archetypes as he wishes. The canonical four
others as prerequisites. They’re strictly obey these rules:
off-limits to heroes without the enabling
Abilities. Such requirements appear in 1. Each is built with 100 points.
brackets in boldface; e.g., [Druidism]. 2. Minimum ST and IQ are 10, as on almost every standard Dungeon
Fantasy template.
3. Minimum DX is 11 and minimum Basic Speed is 6.00, to avoid com-
Major Abilities plete combat incompetence.
These Abilities consume two Ability 4. Minimum HT is 11, to prevent easy character death.
slots apiece.
Only the first rule is immutable. The GM is free to disregard the others.
Beast Whisperer [Druidism, Minor Wiz-
ardry (Animal), or Wizardry]. Speak with
Animals (p. B87), but not with hybrids or
other unnatural creatures. Resistant Caster [Druidism, Minor Wizardry, Theurgy,
Chi Mastery. An Unusual Background granting access to or Wizardry]. Magic Resistance 4 (Improved, +150%);
other Abilities and Chi Control! (p. 10). see p. B67.
Clinging [Chi Mastery]. See p. B43. Run and Hit [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training]. As
Conjured Companion [Demonologist, Druidism, Minor Power-Ups, p. 12, but works with all melee attacks – the Run-
Wizardry, Thanatologist, Theurgy, or Wizardry]. Ally (Pow- ning Attack technique becomes Running Attack!
erful supernatural entity about equal to PC; 12 or less; Sum- Scent Tracker. Per +1 and Discriminatory Smell (p. B49).
monable, +100%); see pp. B36-38. Serendipitous 1-4. Each level gives a level of Serendipity
Coordinated 1-3. Each level gives DX +1 and Per +1. (p. B83) and +1 Destiny Point Limit.
Daring. Daredevil (p. B47) and +1 Destiny Point Limit. Shoulder Checker. Per +1 and Peripheral Vision (p. B74).
Defender [Warrior Training]. Armor Mastery and Shield Situational Awareness. Combat Reflexes (p. B43) and +1
Mastery; see Power-Ups, p. 29. Destiny Point Limit.
Demonologist. Detect (p. B48), Medium (p. B68), and Spirit Sixth Sense. Danger Sense (p. B47) and +1 Destiny Point
Empathy (p. B88) – all specialized strictly to demons and Limit.
demonic forces. Smart 1-3. Each level gives IQ +1, Will +1, and Per +1.
Detect Evil [Theurgy]. Uses the rules for Detect (p. B48). Swift Strike 1-2 [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training]. Extra
Druidic Energy 1-3 [Druidism]. Each level gives Energy Attack 1-2 (pp. B53-54) with one specific Wildcard. Specify this
Reserve 7 (Druidic); see The Next Level, p. 39. Wildcard when selecting the Ability.
Druidism. An Unusual Background granting access to other Thanatologist. Detect (p. B48), Medium (p. B68), and
Abilities and the capacity to cast druidic spells using Magical Spirit Empathy (p. B88) – all specialized strictly to ghosts
College! specialties (p. 11). and undead.

Theurgic Energy 1-3 [Theurgy]. Each level gives Energy Minor Abilities
Reserve 7 (Holy); see The Next Level, p. 39.
These Abilities consume one Ability slot apiece.
Theurgy. An Unusual Background granting access to other
Abilities and the capacity to cast clerical spells using Magical Alertness 1-2. Each level gives Per +2.
College! specialties (p. 11). Decide if this counts as Clerical Animal Companion. Ally (Impressive beast about half
Investment (p. B43); if so, you acquire Religious (p. 8) on top as powerful as PC; 12 or less; Summonable, +100%); see
of your other Heroic Flaws. pp. B36-38.
Turn Undead [Theurgy]. True Faith (Turning, +65%) – per Arctic Survivor. Damage Resistance 1 vs. cold and ice
Adventurers, p. 22 – but strictly limited to genuine undead (pp. B46-47), Temperature Tolerance 2 toward cold (p. B93),
(GM’s decision as to what counts!). and Terrain Adaptation (Ice) (p. B93).
Two-Weapon Fighter [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training]. Backstabber 1-2. The power-up on p. 35 of Power-Ups, but
Ambidexterity (p. B39) and Dual-Weapon Attack! (p. B230) at in two levels instead of three. Backstabber 1 erases ‑5 in Stealth
full skill remove all penalties to wield a weapon in each hand. penalties for Backstabbing (Dungeons, p. 11), and gives +1 to
Unarmed Master [Chi Mastery]. Four existing limbs – nor- hit and +1 to ST when you first strike afterward. Backstabber
mally two arms, two legs – become crushing Strikers (p. B88) 2 wipes a total of ‑9 to Stealth, and adds a net +3 to hit and +3
that count as weapons when parrying or parried, and get +1 to ST. Benefits any Wildcard that can act as Stealth.
per die to punching and kicking damage. Also gives Enhanced Blessed Agility 1-2 [Theurgy]. Each level temporarily gives
Parry 1 (Unarmed) (p. B51). +1d to DX, per Blessed (Heroic Feats) (p. B41).
Uninterrupted Flurry [Chi Mastery]. See Power-Ups, p. 30. Blessed Hardiness 1-2 [Theurgy]. Each level temporarily
Wild Talent 1-4. Each level allows one roll for any non-wild- gives +1d to HT, per Blessed (Heroic Feats) (p. B41).
card skill per session. Use your best Wildcard level and the Blessed Might 1-2 [Theurgy]. Each level temporarily gives
usual controlling attribute; in effect, the Wildcard temporar- +1d to ST, per Blessed (Heroic Feats) (p. B41).
ily encompasses the skill. Heroes with Druidism, Theurgy, or Blessing [Theurgy]. As Elder’s Blessing (Power-Ups,
Wizardry (not Minor Wizardry) can use unknown Magical p. 33), but make an IQ-based roll against Faith! (p. 10) to
College! specialties; the level is the higher of IQ or an IQ-based place the blessing.
roll on Arcane Lore! (p. 9). See pp. B99-100. Bow Fencer [Heroic Archer]. See Power-Ups, p. 32. Use
Wizardly Energy 1-3 [Minor Wizardry or Wizardry]. Archery! (p. 9) in place of Bow.
Each level gives Energy Reserve 7 (Magical); see The Next Cat’s Eyes. Night Vision 9 (p. B71).
Level, p. 39. Catfall. See p. B41.
Wizardry. An Unusual Background granting access to other Channeling [Demonologist, Minor Wizardry (Necro-
Abilities and the capacity to cast wizardly spells using Magical mantic), Thanatologist, Theurgy, or Wizardry]. See p. B41.
College! specialties (p. 11).
New Abilities
The GM is encouraged to invent new Abilities – espe- • Bonuses to standard skills (e.g., “+1 to Stealth”),
cially campaign-specific ones. Some may be available priced as racial bonuses; see p. B452. These benefit all
during character creation; others might have to be earned Wildcard rolls for that one skill.
in play. • Techniques, usually at triple cost to make them “wild-
Minor Abilities are packages of traits that add up to 10 card techniques” that benefit all applicable Wildcards.
points, ±1 point. Major Abilities are bundles that sum to • Destiny Point Limit, at 5 points per +1.
20 points, ±2 points. Exploit this built-in room for error to • Equipment, at 1 point per +50% starting cash in
accelerate campaign prep – don’t sweat one or two points! value; see Extra Money (Adventurers, p. 23).
Abilities can consist of anything that costs points, • Power-ups from Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power-Ups.
including: These often require rebalancing; e.g., to make Master at
Disarms (Power-Ups, p. 12) useful with any combat Wild-
• Attribute levels, with or without secondary charac-
card, Disarming (H) Skill+5 [6] might become Disarming!
teristic improvements.
Skill+5 [18], and Striking ST 2 (Only to disarm with one
• Secondary characteristic levels.
combat skill, ‑60%) [4] might become Striking ST 1 (Only
• Advantages, vanilla or with modifiers. When not
to disarm, ‑40%) [3], for 21 points – close enough.
using points, Allies become tricky; the GM may build
them on points “behind the scenes.” Regardless, treat an
Ally about equal to the PC as a Major Ability – either Ally
Greater Abilities
(Equal to PC; 12 or less; Summonable, +100%) [20] or Ally Some gamers may regret the absence of gifts whose
(Equal to PC; Constantly) [20] – and for simplicity’s sake, smallest cost exceeds 20 points. No problem! The GM can
make “About half as powerful as PC” half as valuable, a introduce Greater Abilities that consume any number of
Minor Ability. Ability slots, giving capabilities worth 10 points per slot.
• Perks, though these can be “free” except where These make excellent rewards to be earned in play – but
unusually useful. that, too, is up to the GM.

Charm 1-2. Each level gives +2 to all reactions, all the time Recovery. See p. B80.
due to a combination of appearance, conduct, voice, or even Resistant. Resistant to Metabolic Hazards (+3) (pp. B80-81).
supernatural compulsion. Spirit Empathy [Minor Wizardry (Necromantic),
Combat Medic. As Combat Medic 2 (Power-Ups, p. 22) – Theurgy, or Wizardry]. See p. B88.
one-second bandaging at ‑1 (no penalty with a kit) – with any Strong 1-8. Each level gives ST +1 and HP +1.
Wildcard that includes Esoteric Medicine or First Aid. Strong-Arm. Arm ST 2 (p. B40) in two arms.
Desert Survivor. Damage Resistance 1 vs. heat and fire Swift Sprint 1-2 [Chi Mastery]. Swift Sprint 1 gives
(pp. B46-47), Temperature Tolerance 2 toward heat (p. B93), Enhanced Move 0.5 (Ground) (p. B52), while Swift Sprint 2
and Terrain Adaptation (Sand) (p. B93). gives Enhanced Move 1 (Ground).
Dismissive Wave [Theurgy]. As Dismissive Wave (Pow- Toughness 1-2 [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training]. Each
er-Ups, p. 22) with any Wildcard that allows Exorcism. level gives HT +1, FP +1, Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin)
Eagle Eyes. Telescopic Vision 2 (p. B92). (pp. B46-47), and Hard to Kill 1 (p. B58).
Empath 1-2. Empath 1 gives the roll noted for Empathy Warrior Training. An Unusual Background granting access
(p. B51) at IQ-2, and +2 to all Wildcard rolls for Body Lan- to combat Abilities.
guage, Detect Lies, Diplomacy, Fortune-Telling, and Psychol- Weapon-and-Shield Fighter 1-2 [Warrior Training]. Each
ogy. Empath 2 improves the Empathy roll to full IQ and the level gives Enhanced Block 1 and Enhanced Parry 1 (p. B51) –
skill bonus to +4. but only when armed with a shield and a one-handed weapon.
Fitness 1-2. Fitness 1 gives HT +1, FP +1, and Fit (p. B55). If either is missing, you get no bonus!
Fitness 2 improves Fit to Very Fit. Weapon Specialist 1-2 [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training].
Foe of Evil 1-3 [Theurgy]. Each level gives a level of Higher Each level gives +1 to hit (above and beyond Wildcard level),
Purpose (Slay Demons) and Higher Purpose (Slay Undead) Enhanced Parry 1 (p. B51), and Striking ST 1 (pp. B88-89)
(p. B59), granting +1 per level to all rolls – attack, defense, with one specific melee weapon – axe, broadsword, halberd,
damage, resistance, etc. – to defeat demons and undead. katana, maul, nunchaku, pick, quarterstaff, rapier, spear, etc.
Forceful Strike [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training]. Strik- For this purpose, all knives count as one weapon.
ing ST 2 (pp. B88-89).
Fortunate 1-8. Each level gives +2 Destiny Point Limit.
Gear 1-8. Each level gives an additional $5,000 worth of Heroic Flaws
starting equipment. Each hero must choose five Heroic Flaws. These aren’t dis-
High Pain Threshold. See p. B59. advantages, but words or short phrases describing the delver’s
Iron Will 1-2. Each level gives Will +2. weaknesses – in a sense, quirks (pp. B162-165) writ large. By
Jack of All Trades 1-3. See Power-Ups, p. 28. If none of your paying Destiny Points (p. 13) to the player, the GM can invoke
Wildcards would cover a mundane task, forcing a default roll, these to cause problems in either of two ways:
add your Jack of All Trades level to your default. This cannot
raise the default above attribute-2 before situational modifiers. • He can pay DP to use Buying Success (p. B347) to improve
No effect on supernatural tasks or skills your Wildcards cover. enemies’ success rolls – or to invert that rule to worsen success
Learned 1-2. Each level gives IQ +1. rolls made by the delver or someone trying to aid him – as long
Loyal Henchman. Ally (Henchman about half as powerful as the bad results befit the Flaw.
as PC; Constantly); see pp. B36-38. Pick an Archetype, four • He can inflict ‑10 points of suitable disadvantage effects
Ability slots, five Heroic Flaws, and five Wildcard levels. Gets that aren’t simply success-roll modifiers – say, Fright Checks
no Destiny Point Limit boost from Wildcards, only from Abil- for Phobias, or reaction penalties for Odious Personal Habits
ities – but can temporarily accumulate DP from Heroic Flaws. – per DP paid. All effects end after one “scene”: battle, search
Magic-Resistant. Magic Resistance 5 (p. B67). of a room, social encounter, etc.
Massive 1-2 [Warrior Training]. Each level gives HP +5. These DP go to the player, who can spend them later,
Medium [Minor Wizardry (Necromantic), Theurgy, or though never to offset ongoing effects of a Heroic Flaw. How-
Wizardry]. See p. B68. ever, when the GM makes an invocation, the player may
Mighty Leap 1 [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training]. Super instead pay out DP equal to the GM’s offer in order to avert
Jump 1 (p. B89). Mighty Leap 2, giving Super Jump 2, is the disaster in the first place; e.g., if the GM offers 3 DP to turn
allowed with [Chi Mastery]. success into critical failure, the player could take the 3 DP and
Mimicry. See p. B68. critically fail or pay 3 DP and keep the success.
Minor Wizardry. An Unusual Background granting access Below are sample flaws with examples of “suitable disad-
to other Abilities and the capacity to either cast wizardly spells vantages.” These are simply suggestions . . . if the shoe fits, the
with one specific Magical College! (p. 11) or use Spellsmith! GM can ask the hero to wear it. If it doesn’t, the GM should
(p. 12). Choose the specialty when selecting the Ability. be kind.
Pack Mule. Lifting ST 3 (pp. B65-66).
Perfect Recovery. See Power-Ups, p. 12. Works with any Avaricious: Disaster results from being distracted by valu-
Wildcard that allows Acrobatics. ables. Suitable disadvantage effects include Greed, Kleptoma-
Photographic Memory. See p. B51. nia (when valuables are to hand), and Miserliness.
Prepared. Each level gives Gizmos 2 (pp. B57-58). Maxi- Cantankerous: Any social situation invites disaster, usu-
mum level is one plus the Wildcard bonus for Artificing! ally due to arguing. Suitable disadvantage effects include Bad
Rage [Chi Mastery or Warrior Training]. Temporarily Temper, Intolerance (especially of stupid people!), No Sense
gives +1d to ST, per Blessed (Heroic Feats) (p. B41). of Humor, and Stubbornness.

Close-Minded: Disaster results from ignoring information. Man-Mountain: Disaster results when you try to squeeze
Suitable disadvantage effects include Hidebound, Incurious, into/around anything, cross thin ice, etc. Suitable disadvan-
Stubbornness, and any Delusions needed to remain ignorant. tage effects include Fat and Gigantism – plus Gluttony to feed
Clumsy: Disaster results from trying to use DX precisely. your bulk.
Suitable disadvantage effects include Ham-Fisted, Klutz, Mean: Any social situation invites disaster, usually due to
and Noisy. borderline-evil behavior. Suitable disadvantage effects include
Cursed: Disaster results from a supernatural curse; the GM Bully, Callous, Sadism, and reaction penalties akin to Odious
will match effects to the entity that cursed you. Suitable dis- Personal Habits.
advantage effects include Divine Curse, Frightens Animals, Murderous: Disaster results from ignoring everything else
Unluckiness, and Weirdness Magnet. in order to slaughter your enemies. Suitable disadvantage
Dark Side: Disaster results from being somewhat Evil, and effects include Bad Temper, Bloodlust, Callous, and Intoler-
typically affects social or supernatural situations. Suitable ance of monsters or enemy groups.
disadvantage effects include Frightens Animals, Phobia (Sun), Mystical: As Religious (below), but your tradition is more
Social Stigma (Excommunicated), and glimpsed Supernatu- internal.
ral Features. Naive: Disaster results from being a predictable rube, eas-
Foreigner: Any social situation invites disaster, usually due ily shaken by the delving life. Suitable disadvantage effects
to misunderstanding. Suitable disadvantage effects include include Easy to Read, Gullibility, Post-Combat Shakes, Squea-
Odious Personal Habits, Social Stigma (Minority Group), and mish, and Truthfulness.
low literacy in the common language. Nature Boy: Disaster results from putting bunnies and trees
Gung Ho: Disaster results from leaping before looking. ahead of your survival. Suitable disadvantage effects include
Suitable disadvantage effects include Delusions of compe- Intolerance (Urbanites), Odious Personal Habit (Unwashed),
tence, Impulsiveness, Overconfidence, Short Attention Span, Phobia (Crowds), and Sense of Duty (Nature).
Vow (Never refuse a challenge), and bouts of On the Edge Nervous: Disaster results from being jumpy – BOO! Suit-
whenever hope seems lost. able disadvantage effects include Cowardice, Paranoia,
Post-Combat Shakes, and almost any Phobia
when creepy things happen out of the blue.
O ptional ule R :E xchanges

Nutter: Disaster results from being crazy.
Suitable disadvantage effects include Delusions,
A key goal of these rules is to avoid the wheeling and dealing that Paranoia, Phantom Voices, Pyromania, and any
comes with character points. Still, the GM may want to be somewhat combination of Disturbing Voice and Odious
flexible – if only to support interesting character concepts – by allow- Personal Habits (“It puts the lotion on its skin.”).
ing some or all of the following trades at character creation: Obsessed: Disaster results from always put-
ting some personal quest first – name it! Suit-
• One Ability slot for one fewer Heroic Flaws. able disadvantage effects include Compulsive
• Two Ability slots for three Wildcard levels. Behavior, Delusions, Fanaticism, Obsession,
• Three Wildcard levels for two Ability slots. and Vows.
• Half starting money (start with $500) for one Ability slot.* Old: Disaster results from not being as spry
• All starting money (start with $0 and a set of filthy clothing) for two as you were 40 (50, 60, . . .) years ago. Suitable
Ability slots.* disadvantage effects include Absent-Minded-
* This puts the Gear and Prepared Abilities off-limits! ness, Bad Sight, and Hard of Hearing.
Primitive: Disaster results when dealing with
cities, grooming, machines, writing, etc. Suit-
able disadvantage effects include Innumerate,
Hardened: Disaster results from ignoring polite con- Low TL, Odious Personal Habits (like “Scruffy primitive”),
duct to do what needs doing. Suitable disadvantage effects Phobia (Machinery), Social Stigma, and low literacy.
include Bloodlust, Callous, Loner, No Sense of Humor, and Religious: Disaster results from putting faith before prac-
even Low Empathy. tical concerns. Suitable disadvantage effects include religious
Honorable: Disaster results from following a code too Code of Honor, Disciplines of Faith, Fanaticism, Sense of
rigidly (specify whether you’re a knight, ninja, samurai, etc. Duty, and Vow.
so the GM knows how to tease you). Suitable disadvantage Saintly: Disaster results from putting Good and Right ahead
effects include Code of Honor, Compulsive Vowing, Honesty, of breathing. Suitable disadvantage effects include Charitable,
Sense of Duty (Nation), and endless Vows. Compulsive Generosity, Honesty, Selfless, and Sense of Duty.
Inquisitive: Disaster results from ignoring trouble to sat- Scummy: Any social situation invites disaster, especially
isfy your curiosity. Suitable disadvantage effects include around genteel folk. Suitable disadvantage effects include
Absent-Mindedness, Curious, and Xenophilia. reaction penalties consistent with Odious Personal Habit and
Ivory-Tower Academic: Disaster results from being ill-pre- Social Stigma (Criminal Record), and being bound by Code of
pared for real life. Suitable disadvantage effects include Honor (Pirate’s).
Absent-Mindedness, Clueless, Gullibility, and Oblivious. Self-Important: Disaster results because you believe your
Loyal: Disaster results from being distracted by friends social position absolves you from wrong and even harm. Suit-
– especially friends in need. Suitable disadvantage effects able disadvantage effects include Delusions of grandeur, Jeal-
include Chummy, Gregarious, and Sense of Duty. ousy, Selfish, and occasional Megalomania.

Self-Indulgent: Disaster results from being distracted by For the Wildcard bonus, use the highest bonus among the
life’s pleasures. Suitable disadvantage effects include Com- relevant Wildcards. Never sum Wildcard bonuses or calculate
pulsive Carousing, Gambling, and Spending – not to mention a bonus from a sum. In the example, the bonus would be +1
Gluttony, Laziness, and Lecherousness. for level 3 – not +2 for two level 3 bonuses, much less +4 for
Troublemaker: Disaster results from courting it. Suitable the total Wildcard level of 6!
disadvantage effects include Compulsive Lying, Kleptomania,
and Trickster. Wildcard List
True Believer: Disaster results because you put a cause
Wildcards allow all uses of the indicated skills except where
ahead of yourself – name it! Suitable disadvantage effects
qualified, plus any other application the GM deems thematic.
include Fanaticism, Intolerance (of rival causes), and Sense
of Duty (Nation). Arcane Lore! Alchemy, Hazardous Materials (Magical),
Untrusting: Disaster results from focusing on threats that Occultism, and Thaumatology. Also, Connoisseur to evaluate
aren’t there rather than ones that are. Suitable disadvantage magic items; supernatural specialties of Hidden Lore (that’s
effects include Loner, Paranoia, and reaction penalties due to most of them!); Physiology, Surgery, etc. to find or extract
Odious Personal Habits. monsters’ mana organs; Research in magical libraries; and
Savoir-Faire when dealing with wizards. Users with Wiz-
Wildcards ardry get a Per-based roll to recognize magic items on seeing

or touching them, and may add their Wildcard bonus to all
Wildcards are enhanced versions of wildcard skills (p. B175). uncontested rolls to see through magical tricks such as illu-
Like those skills, they replace sets of ordinary skills. However, sions. Delvers with Demonologist or Thanatologist may make
they also raise the Destiny Point Limit (p. 13), and many grant Will-based rolls for Exorcism vs. demons or ghosts, respec-
bonuses elsewhere, such as to damage or reaction rolls. tively; with Wizardry, the attempt is allowed but at ‑4.
Wildcards aren’t the skills on p. 18 of Adventurers. They Archery! Bow, Crossbow, Sling, and related Fast-Draw. Also,
correspond to tasks rather than templates. Players are chal- any use of Armoury or Connoisseur to recognize, evaluate, or
lenged to invent novel niches by taking the combinations they repair suitable weapons, and any Per-based skill (Observation,
find interesting! Scrounging, etc.) when the goal is to locate spent arrows or
Most important, Wildcards replace the standard skills in well-shaped sling stones; a single Per-based roll after battle
the Basic Set, which become tasks that can be accomplished will recover and repair one used arrow, plus one per point of
using Wildcards, not traits bought independently of them. success. Archers with Heroic Archer or Warrior Training add
Wildcards come in levels. The recommended starting num- the Wildcard bonus to ST when using relevant weapons, and
ber of Wildcard levels is 10, but the GM is free to vary this. to Will rolls to keep Aim with them. Those with Heroic Archer
Levels work as shown on this table: may further make IQ-based rolls for Zen Archery, and not only
add Acc when they don’t Aim, but also get extra Acc equal to
Wildcard Wildcard
half the Wildcard bonus when they do Aim! Finally, users with
Level Skill Roll Bonus Half Bonus Druidism, Theurgy, or Wizardry may cast Spell-Archery (The
1 Attribute-1 0 0 Next Level, p. 41) using the lower of Archery! or the pertinent
2 Attribute 0 0 Magical College!
3 Attribute+1 +1 +1 Artificing! Armoury, Architecture, Engineer, Jeweler,
4 Attribute+2 +2 +1 Knot-Tying, Leatherworking, Smith, and any other craft-
5 Attribute+3 +3 +2 ing skill. Also, Fast-Draw (Gadget and Potion), Lockpicking,
6 Attribute+4 +4 +2 Scrounging to find parts, and Traps to set or disarm (though
+1 +1 +1 +1/2 (round up) never to spot) a trap. This cinematic trait replaces Quick Gad-
Wildcard Level: The number of levels dedicated to the geteer, and enables its use as described on pp. 4-5 of Sages. In
Wildcard. Visualize this as an advantage level, not a skill level. that capacity, it works as Alchemy, too.
The GM sets the maximum number of starting levels allowed Assassination! Blowpipe, Crossbow, Garrote, Holdout,
in any one Wildcard; five is recommended. Knife, Poisons, Shadowing, Thrown Weapon (Knife), and
Skill Roll: The target to roll against for a task. “Attribute” Traps. Also, Acting or Stealth for the specific purpose of get-
means the usual controlling attribute for the skill governing ting close enough to make a surprise melee attack, definitely
that task. For instance, somebody with three Wildcard levels including Backstabbing (Dungeons, p. 11); any melee-weap-
might roll vs. DX+1 for Stealth or IQ+1 for Shadowing. Block on-related Fast Draw; and Streetwise for contacting the
and Parry are 3 + [(DX-based skill roll)/2]. underworld to buy poisons, traps, etc. Add the Wildcard
Wildcard Bonus: Used to assess certain benefits of high bonus to ST when wielding weapons covered by this talent,
Wildcard levels. or to damage when deploying poisons or traps. After using
Half Bonus: Some powerful benefits, like reaction bonuses, Assassination! to surprise a victim, it can stand in for any
use half the Wildcard bonus, rounded up. Melee Weapon skill for the roll to hit – and add its Wildcard
bonus to ST – for the first strike.
Bardic Arts! Dancing, Mimicry (Speech), Musical Compo-
Using Wildcards Together sition, Musical Instrument, Performance, Poetry, Singing,
If several Wildcards can stand in for a skill for the task at and Ventriloquism. The user may add half his Wildcard bonus
hand, total their levels for the roll. The attribute modifier will to the next reaction roll made by or Influence roll he attempts
be the total level, minus two; e.g., two Wildcards at level 3 act on anybody who witnesses a successful performance.
as level 6, for a roll of attribute+4.

We are all serving a life-sentence in the dungeon of self.
– Cyril Connolly
Bards with Wizardry can further use Bardic Arts! for Hypno- to recognize, evaluate, or repair suitable weapons; and any
tism, Musical Influence, and all Enthrallment skills (Wildcard related Fast-Draw. In courtly situations, the GM may permit
level replaces Charisma level for determining audience size). DX-based rolls for Dancing, IQ-based ones for Heraldry and
Basic Combat! Intimidation, Knife, Shield (Buckler), Short- Savoir-Faire, and other genteel applications. Heroes with War-
sword, Sling, Staff, Throwing, and Thrown Weapon (Dart and rior Training add the Wildcard bonus to ST (theirs or their
Knife). Also allows Brawling and Wrestling moves in unarmed mount’s!) when fighting with this talent.
combat, and permits DX-based use to attack and defend with Con-Man! Acting, Carousing, Counterfeiting, Disguise,
plain, unadorned branches, sticks, and rocks – and tools (axe, Fast-Talk, Forgery, Gambling, Holdout, Propaganda, Smug-
hatchet, maul, scythe, etc.) – at no penalty for these items gling, and Streetwise. Also, Fortune-Telling when needed as
being “improvised weapons.” Adventurers with Chi Mastery part of a con, plus Savoir-Faire when posing as a member of
or Warrior Training add the Wildcard bonus to ST when fight- polite society. Add the Wildcard bonus to all rolls to spot or
ing with this talent. resist nonmagical deception – including most rival uses of
Battlefield Weapons! Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Crossbow, Con-Man!
Flail, Intimidation, Polearm, Shield, Shortsword, Spear, Tac- Dungeoneering! Specifically in the dungeon, acts as Area
tics, Two-Handed Axe/Mace, Two-Handed Flail, and Two- Knowledge in a previously explored tunnel system; Cartog-
Handed Sword. Also, Armoury or Connoisseur to recognize, raphy when mapping; Forced Entry for kicking in doors;
evaluate, or repair suitable weapons; any related Fast-Draw; Observation to find hidden doors, identify the more-traveled
and Forced Entry when wielding such armament. Heroes with corridor, etc.; Prospecting; Traps to set simple noise-makers
Chi Mastery or Warrior Training add the Wildcard bonus to around camp; and any skill the GM calls for to manage march-
ST when fighting with Battlefield Weapons! ing order, lighting, or trains of loot-laden mules. Also allows
Beastmaster! Animal Handling, Disguise (Animals), Fal- Per-based rolls for any skill required to recognize the dun-
conry, Mimicry (Animal Sounds and Bird Calls), Packing, geon’s nature (Dungeons, p. 17): Architecture for buildings,
Riding, Teamster, and Veterinary, along with all uses of Nat- Hidden Lore for labyrinths built by lost civilizations, Natu-
uralist concerning animals. Shapeshifters can further use it ralist for warrens, Streetwise for prisons, Urban Survival for
as Flight and Mount when in beast form. Add half the Wild- sewers, etc. Add the Wildcard bonus to all Per rolls to listen at
card bonus to reaction rolls when interacting with animals . . . doors or spot dungeon oddities – and add half of it to “saving
but heroes with Beast Whisperer can waive this to attempt an throws” against dungeon traps.
Influence roll using this capability. In a hostile encounter with Faith! Meditation, Philosophy, Religious Ritual, and The-
a mundane IQ 1-5 animal, Beastmaster! works in concert with ology. Also, Fortune-Telling, Hidden Lore, and Occultism
combat Wildcards to increase effective skill. pertaining to divine or demonic entities, spirits and undead,
Burglar! Climbing, Escape, Filch, Forced Entry, Lock- curses, possession, and similar matters of Good and Evil,
picking, Search, and Stealth. Also, Acrobatics for negotiating higher realms, and the afterlife; Leadership, Public Speaking,
ledges and reducing falling damage; Architecture for assess- and Teaching when shepherding the faithful; and Savoir-Faire
ing building access and finding secret rooms; Crossbow and to deal with temple officials. Faithful with Theurgy can further
Throwing for lobbing grapnels (but not fighting); Observation make Will-based rolls for Exorcism, and receive Per-based
for “casing the joint” ahead of time; Streetwise for contacting rolls to recognize holy items (and may use Faith! as Religious
the underworld to trade in thieves’ tools or swag; and Traps Ritual to pray to learn the details of such relics). Such folk
specifically to spot or disarm traps. Add the Wildcard bonus add half their Wildcard bonus to reaction rolls when dealing
to ST for all purposes related to break-ins – battering down with allied entities, or to Will when resisting the evil powers of
doors, bending window bars, lifting gates, etc. – and to Per opposed entities.
rolls to notice guards. Fast Hands! Filch, Knot-Tying, Pickpocket, and Sleight of
Chi Control! Meditation and Philosophy. More important, Hand. Also, Escape when untying knots; every sort of Fast-
users with Chi Mastery – usually the only delvers who take Draw, not merely to ready weapons but also to sheathe them,
this Wildcard – can attempt any chi skill (Adventurers, p. 22) as for Quick-Sheathe (Power-Ups, p. 11), and to juggle them
based on its usual attribute, with the exception of Throwing between hands, all as free actions; Holdout for small, hand-
Art and Zen Archery (Hurled! and Archery!, respectively, cover held items; Search for pat-downs or as a prelude to palming
those feats). To combine two skills – such as Breaking Blow loot (roll once for the entire procedure); and any use of Traps
and Power Blow – use the longest time requirement, roll once the GM deems DX-based. The Wildcard bonus adds to raw
at ‑1 per skill past the first, and combine FP costs. DX rolls to snatch items, as when swiping trapped treasures
Chivalry! Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Flail, Lance, Riding, or rolling Quick Contests to grab something first; to DX rolls
Shield, Tactics, and Two-Handed Sword. Also, Animal Han- to catch things thrown to you by allies; and to all rolls to grasp
dling when dealing with a war mount; Armoury or Connoisseur ledges or ropes to save yourself (e.g., from a pit).

Fixer! All uses of Carousing, Connoisseur, Current Affairs, Leader! Diplomacy, Leadership, Public Speaking, Savoir-
Merchant, Propaganda, Scrounging, Smuggling, or Influence Faire, Strategy, and Tactics – and also Intelligence Analysis,
skills (notably Streetwise) to buy, evaluate, locate, move, or if the GM uses it. Your side adds your Wildcard bonus to rolls
sell goods; find jobs, rumors, or sponsors; or advertise the par- to hear you, and whenever they must make Fright Checks or
ty’s availability for quests. If any of this depends purely on resist mind control (use the best bonus among the group’s
reaction rolls – not skill rolls – add half the Wildcard bonus leaders). Finally, you may coordinate any effort involving
to reactions. Finally, Wildcard level (not bonus) sets effective two or more other people, adding half your Wildcard bonus
Wealth when selling goods: 1-2 is Comfortable, 3-4 is Wealthy, to any rolls they must make in a situation where No “I” in
5-6 is Very Wealthy, and 7+ is Filthy Rich. This Wildcard is “Teamwork” (Dungeons, p. 11) applies.
mostly for town but also aids dealings with caravanserais, Magical College! Each college of magic is a separate Wild-
merchant caravans, dungeon-based shops, etc. card, allowing someone with Druidism, Theurgy, or Wiz-
Green Thumb! Any and all skill uses where plants are piv- ardry to cast suitable spells; e.g., with IQ 14, Druidism, and
otal, including Camouflage and Survival in jungle, swamp, Body Control! at level 2, you could cast any Body Control
and woodlands; Hazardous Materials when handling danger- spell at 14, subject to the rules for druidic magic. Allowed
ous flora; Hidden Lore, Occultism, Physiology, Psychology, colleges and spells are as usual for Dungeon Fantasy, and
etc. to identify plant monsters and deduce their weaknesses; three non-colleges qualify: Demonology! permits those with
all plant-related uses of Naturalist; Pharmacy (Herbal); and Demonologist, Minor Wizardry (Demonology), or Wizardry
Poisons when preparing plant-based poisons. Users with Dru- to cast Demonology Spells (Summoners, p. 8); Shamanism!
idism append Esoteric Medicine (Druidic) and Herb Lore to lets delvers with Druidism, Minor Wizardry (Shamanism),
the list. Add half the Wildcard bonus to all reaction rolls made Theurgy, or Wizardry cast Shamanic Spells (Summoners,
by intelligent plants and nature-loving entities. Against IQ 0-5 p. 19); and Thanatology! enables people with Minor Wizardry
plant monsters, Green Thumb! works in concert with combat (Thanatology), Thanatologist, or Wizardry to cast Deathly
Wildcards to increase effective skill. Spells (Summoners, p. 15). Make DX-based rolls for Body
Healer! Diagnosis, First Aid, Pharmacy (Herbal), Surgery, Sense or Innate Attack when casting. Where Magery deter-
and Veterinary. Also, Alchemy and Herb Lore for anything mines a spell’s maximum effect, use half the Wildcard level,
involving healing or antidote preparations, and Poisons for rounded up.
the specific purposes of identifying poisoning and find-
ing antidotes. Healers with Chi Mastery, Druidism, or
Theurgy can attempt the associated forms of Esoteric
Medicine, too. Add the Wildcard bonus to the 1d-3 HP Optional Rule: Closed Spell Lists
restored to others by bandaging, any similar roll for HP The GM who prefers the narrower clerical and druidic
healed by this capability, and to patients’ HT rolls to spell lists in standard Dungeon Fantasy might rule that
recover after treatment with this talent. Druidism and Theurgy are Minor Abilities that have six lev-
Huntsman! Blowpipe, Bolas, Camouflage, Disguise els, each granting access to spells of the matching Power
(Animals), Falconry, Fishing, Lasso, Net, Spear, Stealth, Investiture level . . . but also that such magic uses a single
Thrown Weapon (Harpoon, Stick, and Spear), and Track- Wildcard (Druid Spells! or Cleric Spells!). For instance, a
ing. Also allows Per-based Survival rolls to set traps for cleric who desires PI 6 spells would use six Ability slots for
IQ 0-5 prey (though not general use of Survival or Traps), Theurgy 6 and cast all of his spells with Cleric Spells! The
and all Naturalist, Poisons, and Survival rolls specifically GM could also do this for shamanic spells, but those are so
to find or extract useful animal products from carcasses. few that it’s fairer to allow Shamanism! as a single skill to
Add the Wildcard bonus to ST when using weapons this anyone with standard Druidism, Theurgy, or Wizardry.
talent covers.
Hurled! Make a DX-based roll to throw anything,
including a projectile that calls for Bolas, Dropping, Spear
Thrower, Throwing, or any specialty of Thrown Weapon. Also Martial-Arts Weapons! Jitte/Sai, Kusari, Thrown Weapon
allows Armoury and Connoisseur to recognize, evaluate, or (Shuriken), Tonfa, and Whip. Also, Axe/Mace for a kama,
repair throwing weapons; any Fast-Draw for throwable items; Broadsword and Two-Handed Sword for a katana, Flail for a
Parry Missile Weapons against thrown attacks; and Scroung- nunchaku, Shortsword for a ninja-to, Smallsword for a short
ing or similar Per-based skill rolls to find stones for throwing. staff or jo, Staff for a longer staff or bo, and anything else the
Add the Wildcard bonus to ST when using this talent – and GM allows for strangely named weapons; all uses of Acrobat-
also to all rolls for Catching (p. B355). For delvers who can ics and Jumping in combat; Armoury or Connoisseur to rec-
cast Missile spells, Hurled! works in concert with Magical Col- ognize, evaluate, or repair suitable weapons; and any related
lege! to improve attack rolls. Fast-Draw. Those with Chi Mastery or Warrior Training add
Investigator! Body Language, Current Affairs, Detect Lies, the Wildcard bonus to ST when fighting with this talent.
Interrogation, Observation, Research, and Search. Also, Crim- Mobility! Acrobatics, Body Sense, Climbing, Escape, Jump-
inology, Forensics, and Intelligence Analysis, if the GM uses ing, Running, and Stealth. Can also be used for a Feint, just
those skills; Diagnosis and Poisons to identify causes of death; as if it were a combat skill. Add the Wildcard bonus to any
and any Influence skill when the specific goal is to obtain basic attribute roll related to movement, including ST rolls
information (not aid, combat concessions, goods, or loyalty). to break free of enemies or bonds; DX rolls to avoid falling
Add the Wildcard bonus to raw IQ or Per rolls to notice any- down, evade foes or traps, or negotiate bad footing; HT rolls
thing or to resist mundane deceptions (Fast-Talk, Pickpocket, to avoid FP losses to athletics; and Will rolls to use extra effort
Sleight of Hand, etc.). for movement.

Monsters! Hazardous Materials, Heraldry, Hidden Lore, set or disarm) traps. When actively observing or looking for
Naturalist, Occultism, Physiology, Poisons, Psychology, Sur- things, add the Wildcard bonus to all basic Per rolls to notice
gery, Survival, and Thaumatology for the specific purposes details and IQ rolls to understand them.
of identifying monsters, recognizing their symbols and Sea Dog! Boating, Fishing, Knot-Tying, Navigation (Sea),
spoor, recalling their weaknesses, and finding and extracting Seamanship, Survival (Island/Beach), Swimming, Thrown
materials from their corpses. For most delvers, the Wildcard Weapon (Harpoon), and Weather Sense. Also, any Acrobat-
bonus merely cancels any extra penalty to target monster ics or Climbing roll involving ropes; Area Knowledge in pre-
vitals – but for heroes with Theurgy, it also adds directly viously visited ports; Carousing and Streetwise in coastal
to damage when battling entities specifically opposed to towns and pirate havens; and naval uses of Tactics. Add the
their deity (as personified by the GM), while Demonologist Wildcard bonus to DX and HT rolls for rocking decks, sea-
or Thanatologist grants this bonus against demons or sickness, and similar shipboard hazards – and add half the
undead, respectively. bonus to noncombat reactions in nautical encounters (with
Outdoorsman! Boating, Camouflage, Fishing, Hiking, aquatic races, pirates, etc.).
Navigation, Prospecting, Riding, Skating, Skiing, Survival, Socialize! Acting, Body Language, Carousing, Detect Lies,
Swimming, Tracking, and Weather Sense. Also, Area Knowl- Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Intimidation, Panhandling, Public
edge in regions previously explored by the user; Naturalist to Speaking, Savoir-Faire, Sex Appeal, and Streetwise. The user
find shelter, water, etc. (but not to identify strange plants and may add half the Wildcard bonus to the next reaction roll made
animals); and Traps in any capacity related to classic outdoor by anyone he successfully affects with one of those skills.
threats such as deadfalls, pits, and snares. Spellsmith! Lets adventurers with Wizardry or Minor
Sage! Cartography, Research, Speed-Reading, Teaching, Wizardry (Spellsmith) use the power-up of this name
and Writing. Also, Hidden Lore specialties for mundane top- (Power-Ups, p. 18) to modify magic items and other arti-
ics (but not divine, magical, or otherwise supernatural ones); facts of power, as well as the Artifact Lore power-up (Power-
Savoir-Faire when dealing with priests, wizards, and fel- Ups, p. 17) to identify and analyze such articles. This always
low sages; and any IQ/H “knowledge skill” the GM requires, involves an IQ-based roll with Spellsmith!, never Artificing!
including Naturalist and skills only rarely needed in Dungeon or Magical College! This Wildcard also stands in for all uses
Fantasy: Archaeology, Cryptography, Expert Skill (Natural of Alchemy.
Philosophy), History, Literature, Mathematics, Philosophy, Street-Savvy! Carousing, Forced Entry, Gambling, Intim-
etc. Add the Wildcard bonus to all basic IQ rolls pertaining to idation, Panhandling, Streetwise, and Urban Survival. Also,
learning, memorization, or recall. all uses of Area Knowledge and Current Affairs in previously
Scouting! Body Language, Camouflage, Lip Reading, visited towns, plus Observation, Scrounging, Shadowing,
Observation, Running, Shadowing, Stealth, and Tracking. Stealth, and Tracking in any town. Add the Wildcard bonus
Also, Area Knowledge in areas previously scouted by the user; to basic IQ or Per rolls to notice trouble (physical, social, or
Cartography to map a scouted area; Gesture and Mimicry otherwise) in town, and add half the bonus to all reaction rolls
(Bird Calls) to signal fellow scouts; and Traps to spot (but not made by town-based scum.
Under the Hood

For tinkerers, here’s the hidden math: Points, Destiny Points aren’t sorted into skill-specific
bins that refresh fully each game session. To balance the
• An Archetype is a 100-point attribute set.
fact that they fill the same bucket and can be spent any-
• Minor Abilities bestow traits worth approximately
where, they behave like what Impulse Buys also calls
10 points; Major Abilities, approximately 20 points.
Destiny Points: they recharge at 1 DP/session and cost 5
The recommended eight Ability slots therefore add up to
points/level as Abilities.
80 points.
• Heroic Flaws collectively replace the ‑50 points of That totals 100 + 80 ‑ 50 + 120 = 250 points.
disadvantages on most standard templates. Since they Exchanges (p. 8) honors these point equivalences with
do nothing until invoked and always generate the same two exceptions. First, it equates two Ability slots [20] to
degree of effect in return for DP payouts, they’re all cre- three Wildcard levels [36] to curb optimization abuse
ated equal. It’s fair to think of them as being worth ‑10 – one of this system’s goals! Second, it handles halved
points apiece. starting money as Wealth (Struggling) [‑10], giving an
• Wildcards are priced as wildcard skills (p. B175), extra Ability slot [10], and simply doubles this for no start-
starting at attribute-1 so that each level costs 12 points. ing gear.
Thus, the suggested 10 levels are worth 120 points. The For lower-powered characters, give out less stuff.
Wildcard bonus replaces damage bonuses for Karate and Half-powered Allies get an Archetype [100], four Ability
Weapon Master, reaction bonuses from Talents, etc. slots [40], five Heroic Flaws [‑50], and five Wildcard levels
• Destiny Point Limit is mostly a zero-cost side effect [60], and “sell back” their Destiny Point Limit from Wild-
of wildcard skills – the equivalent of Wildcard Points from cards [‑25], totaling 125 points. The GM could do this for
GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys. Unlike Wildcard low-end PCs, but might let them keep their DPL – it’s fun!

Swordplay! Broadsword, Cloak, Knife, Main-Gauche, – typically clearing a dungeon or completing a quest – earns a
Rapier, Saber, Shield (any), Shortsword, Smallsword, and benefit. If the objective is huge, completion might confer sev-
Thrown Weapon (Knife). Also, Acrobatics and Jumping in eral benefits.
combat; Armoury or Connoisseur to recognize, evaluate, or What qualifies as a benefit? That’s up to the GM, who might
repair one-handed blades; Brawling to whack someone with want to alternate, say, Wildcard level, Minor Ability, Wildcard
a sword pommel; and any related Fast-Draw. Heroes with Chi level, Minor Ability, Wildcard level, Major Ability . . . ad infini-
Mastery or Warrior Training add the Wildcard bonus to ST tum. Alternatively, he could assign each monster, trap, and
when fighting with this talent. Swordplay! is considered a treasure a fine-grained “experience point” value, and have
fencing skill: encumbrance penalizes all attacks and parries experience points buy benefits; e.g., 1,000 for a Minor Ability,
with one-handed blades, but retreating parries get +3 (not +1) 1,200 for a Wildcard level, and 2,000 for a Major Ability. If
and penalties for multiple parries are halved. the GM wants to favor skill growth, he can make Wildcard
Teamwork! This capability only matters when working levels more common in an alternating scheme (insert extra
with one or more teammates. It counts as Body Language and Wildcard levels between Ability awards), or use math like
Gesture to “read” and signal allies; First Aid to bandage them; that in Exchanges (p. 8) with experience points; e.g., 1,200 for
and Climbing, Hiking, Stealth, or any other mundane skill a Wildcard level, 1,800 for a Minor Ability, and 3,600 for a
in a scenario where the whole team must roll and you lack Major Ability.
another applicable Wildcard. In Part of the Solution or Part of The GM may want to give out incidental awards specific
the Problem situations (Dungeons, p. 11), you always count as to quests, too. Without character points to worry about,
if you “know the skill.” In With a Little Help From My Friends there’s no question of cost! If the reward for saving the Elf
(Dungeons, p. 11) circumstances, an IQ-based roll enables Forest is a “Defender of the Elves” Ability that gives +1 reac-
you to “do something useful” – and you give your friend half tions from elves and 1 HP/hour Regeneration in forests, then
your Wildcard bonus, if better than the standard complemen- just write it down. And if the gods want somebody to have
tary skill bonus. Finally, add the full Wildcard bonus to your +1 DPL, make it so – there’s no need to worry about Abilities
rolls to spot impostors in your party. or Wildcards.
Unarmed! Any barehanded strike, grapple, or defense cov- Finally, be aware that the suggested limits on maximum
ered by Boxing, Brawling, Judo, Karate, Sumo Wrestling, Ability and Wildcard levels are for starting characters.
Wrestling, or basic DX. Add your Wildcard bonus to ST in Wildcards have no upper limit in play. This is probably too
unarmed combat. Parries with Unarmed! have +3 (not +1) generous for Abilities, but the GM can certainly allow high-
when retreating, and no penalty against weapons. Also replaces er-than-starting levels – if only as incidental quest awards.
Acrobatics and Jumping in combat; Forced Entry
when kicking in doors; and Intimidation against
unarmed opponents.
Nonhumans?
Destiny Points
In pointless Dungeon Fantasy, racial templates are packages
of mandatory Abilities, Heroic Flaws, and Wildcards. Nonhumans
Delvers have a Destiny Point Limit (DPL) equal are also good candidates for Other Archetypes (p. 5). Members of
to their total number of Wildcard levels (normally those races must take these racial traits; only the slots remaining
10), plus any Ability bonuses granted by Daring, after doing so are discretionary. For instance, if a race has two
Fortunate, Intuitive, Lucky, Serendipitous, Situa- Minor Abilities, a Heroic Flaw, and three Wildcard levels, then
tional Awareness, or Sixth Sense. They start play a PC built using the recommended power level would have six
with Destiny Points (DP) equal to this limit. Ability slots, four Flaws, and seven Wildcard levels left to choose.
Destiny Points can be spent in place of char- To compensate for reduced flexibility, the GM may allow levels
acter points on Buying Success (p. B347) and or Abilities that are off-limits to humans; e.g., Toughness 3 or
Last Ditch (Dungeons, p. 15). The GM may allow Infravision (a Minor Ability).
options from GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse
Buys, too; see p. 20 of that supplement for what’s
fitting. If no DP remain, no DP can be spent – DP
can’t go negative. Spent DP refresh at the rate of 1 DP at the
start of each game session until the DPL is reached.
About the Author
Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch set out to become a particle
As explained in Heroic Flaws (pp. 7-9), the GM can also give physicist in 1985, ended up the GURPS Line Editor in 1995,
the player DP to invoke Flaws, while the player can spend DP and has engineered rules for almost every GURPS product
to avoid these invocations. A hero’s DP total can exceed his since. He developed, edited, or wrote dozens of GURPS
DPL as a result of this. However, DP above the DPL only last Third Edition projects between 1995 and 2002. In 2004, he
until the end of the game session, at which point DP in excess produced the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition with David
of DPL evaporate. Use ’em or lose ’em! Pulver. Since then, he has created GURPS Powers (with Phil
Masters), GURPS Martial Arts (with Peter Dell’Orto), GURPS
Improvement in Play Zombies, and the GURPS Action, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy,
and GURPS Power-Ups series . . . among other things. Sean
Removing character points does complicate the matter has been a gamer since 1979. His non-gaming interests include
of character advancement. The time-honored solution is a cinema, mixology, and Argentine tango.
“level-up” system in which completing each major objective

Dungeons
of Mars
by Phil Masters
There are two parts to dungeon fantasy – dungeon and fan- Nonetheless, classic planetary romances don’t tend to be
tasy. The “dungeon” part is about combat specialists rushing very hard science fiction. They’re about the wonders of the
into restricted environments, picking fights with monsters, world and its people, not the technology used to get there
and taking their stuff. The “fantasy” part mostly means or gritty scientific explanations of the local ecology. Hard-
“classic” pseudo-medieval fantasy, full of wizards in pointy science-fiction stories about the natures of alien worlds exist,
hats and swordsmen in clanking armor. The two halves go but they don’t tend to be very “romantic,” whereas planetary
together well, but it’s possible to separate them and play romances are traditionally a bit flamboyant and garish. Also,
around with the details. hard-science-fiction “world stories” often lose interest in the
The pairing of ideas that makes up dungeon fantasy has planet after just one story.
many roots, but a big part of its origin can be traced back One of the earliest authors of planetary romances was
to the pulp-magazine fantasy stories of the first half of the Edgar Rice Burroughs, especially in his Barsoom series,
20th century. Characters such as Conan the Barbarian are key set on Mars and mostly starring the heroic John Carter. The
archetypes, and Conan did his share of rushing into somewhat general idea was borrowed by various other pre-WWII writ-
dungeon-like environments, stabbing monsters, and taking ers, often in the pulp magazines, before spreading through
their stuff. But classic pulp adventure fiction extends beyond science fiction and fantasy in variant forms. A few modern
pseudo-medieval sword-and-sorcery, so let’s take a look at one science-fiction and fantasy stories can count as planetary
of the other big pulp-era fantastical genres and how to use it romances, but they tend to take the theme in new directions;
as a dungeoneering campaign theme. this article is about the core stereotype, which fits well with
the “dungeon adventuring” idea.
Planetary Romance As a Campaign Theme

Terminologies are always a bit debatable, but a “planetary
A brief look at the traditional planetary-romance form
romance” can broadly be defined as a type of fantastical story
suggests that it makes a good alternative to classic fantasy as
set on some specific world, in which the world in question
a setting structure for dungeoneering, even disregarding the
becomes an important part of the tale – almost a character
extent to which the two overlap. Planetary-romance worlds
in its own right. Planetary romance worlds are almost always
tend to be not only wild and exotic (because that makes them
well-populated by one or more sapient races from the start
more “romantic” and suited to adventurous exploration), but
of the story; these aren’t tales about colonization. Indeed, the
also full of strange creatures and nonhuman races (because
populations tend to be well-established, with complex societ-
that makes them interesting in their own right). Likewise,
ies for heroes to interact with.
the heroes of planetary romance, going right back to John
Generally the world seems bigger than any one story could
Carter, are often mighty warriors, comparable to the brawny
describe; the planet’s interest doesn’t end just because one
barbarians of sword-and-sorcery fantasy – although sci-
question is answered or one mystery is solved. If the world is
ence-fiction heroes may manage a little more thoughtfulness
actually Earth, as happens occasionally, it is Earth in the very
on average. Likewise, planetary-romance worlds frequently
far future, or perhaps a fantastic distant past, and more or less
incorporate the sort of constrained settings that can function
unrecognizable as our own world.
as “dungeons.”
Planetary romances are usually science fiction, or at least
GURPS offered a few supplements (all for Third Edition)
science fantasy (that is, fantasy that uses the trappings of sci-
that focused on the planetary-romance genre. Some were
ence and technology rather than leaning purely on the overtly
based on licensed settings: GURPS Planet Krishna is set on
supernatural). Some fantasy stories look a lot like planetary
L. Sprague de Camp’s world of Krishna, and GURPS Planet
romances, especially when the author puts a lot of work
of Adventure features Jack Vance’s Tschai. GURPS New
into detailing the world, but part of the point of a planetary
Sun, which deals with Gene Wolf’s tales of Urth, describes
romance is often that this is known to be one world among
a sophisticated planetary-romance set on a far future Earth.
many, which usually implies a science-fictional sort of back-
GURPS Blue Planet serves as an example of hard science fic-
ground – especially if the protagonist is a visitor from another
tion with a touch of planetary romance about it.
world (which may actually be Earth).

Third Edition also had one original planetary-romance as much as possible out of the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy
setting: “Dying Mars,” detailed in chapter 7 of GURPS Mars. series and twists it to fit.
The rest of the article uses that as a worked example.
Note that there’s a lot more to planetary romances
than fighting monsters in underground maze. As
those GURPS supplements listed above demonstrate, Bring a touch of science fiction to
all sorts of stories and adventures can be set within
the genre. However, this article is about merging the
your next Dungeon Fantasy campaign!
form with dungeon fantasy, and it deliberately pulls
Exotic Powers and

Lost Technology
Dungeoneering games traditionally involve low technol- with a lot of TL3 areas, and pockets of higher technology.
ogy, so that heroes must fight toe-to-toe with monsters rather Quite a few Cave Martians have one or two levels of High TL,
than just shooting them down on full automatic. They also enabling them to run TL5 or TL5+1 workshops and operate
exhibit some kind of exotic powers – magic, in the case of con- advanced gadgets. Science Priests can buy levels of High TL
ventional dungeon fantasy – which make things more varied equal to their Religious Rank, which can advance up to 6.
and interesting, empower some exotic monsters, and grant Members of the First Race can take up to High TL 7, although
some crucial abilities. (The most crucial is healing, which not all bother. Starting PCs should probably not be permitted
makes dungeoneering a slightly less insanely dangerous pro- to take more than a couple of levels of High TL, whatever
fession, and allows adventures to keep going even if some of their background.
the protagonists get a little unlucky in a fight.) Planetary- A lost age of really high technology can also provide a source
romance worlds can manage some of this, but they tend to of weird powers, or a passable substitute, to stand in place of
do things a little differently. magic. (Or alongside it; see Tekumel, the world of the classic
roleplaying games Empire of the Petal Throne and Tékumel,
Technology or the Dying Earth of some of Jack Vance’s earlier stories in

that series.) If the old technology hit TL11+ in GURPS terms,
Leaving aside any pure fantasy planetary romances, the and maybe featured a bit of superscience, Clarke’s Law kicks
genre tends to assume relatively high technology, up to and in; this is the sort of sufficiently advanced technology that’s
including interstellar travel. However, this technology is often indistinguishable from magic. Local experts can know just
very unevenly distributed. In fact, it’s hard to sustain many enough about the old technology to recognize some common
classical planetary romance plots given widespread advanced types of gadget, read the labels (if any) on the controls, and
technology. The plots tend to involve lengthy cross-country maybe guess how some things will interact, but there’s no
journeys, bringing the protagonists into contact with all way they can really understand these things. Similarly, if the
sorts of interesting inhabitants and bits of scenery, and those planet is in contact with an interstellar culture that restricts
inhabitants often live in isolated communities with idiosyn- local access to its technology, their devices may be seen as
cratic cultures. This isn’t so easy if everyone can fly around in similarly wondrous – although visitors should have a better
aircars, or watch television broadcasts from central stations. clue about them, and can deny that they’re “magic” if asked.
Hence, many planetary-romance worlds are relatively low- A new Expert Skill – Advanced Technology – can help bridge
tech. If there are off-world visitors with higher technology, the gap a little, if the GM permits it; see p. 17.
they may have rules against spreading it around too freely.
(See L. Sprague de Camp’s Krishna novels for such a set-up.) Power Sources
Sometimes, local communities are divided and quarrelsome;
A shortage of useful energy sources may be a way of keep-
those groups who have high technology refuse to distribute it,
ing high technology under control. However, if the campaign
perhaps out of sheer spite, and they may have difficulty main-
will feature some ultra-tech devices, perhaps standing in for
taining an adequate industrial base. (See Jack Vance’s Planet
“magic items,” it also needs a workaround for that problem.
of Adventure novels for something on these lines.) In other
Old or imported devices that the GM wants to keep in play
cases, the world has a geological shortage of important min-
indefinitely can, say, have built-in “cosmic power units” rather
erals or energy sources, with any imports being prohibitively
than power cells, allowing them either to ignore questions of
expensive. This is sometimes combined with the idea that the
power supply or to recharge rapidly between uses from “ambi-
world is declining or has suffered a catastrophic social col-
ent energies.” That said, if many useful devices require power
lapse. If “ancient ones” used up most of the metals and fossil
cells, those cells are difficult or impossible to recharge, and a
fuels, the current population will have trouble maintaining a
fair but not infinite number of spare cells are available, gaining
high-tech culture, even if they have libraries of textbooks.
access to a cache of spare cells can be a nice discovery in itself.
“Dying Mars” in GURPS Mars exhibits these ideas to
They can be used to keep the PCs’ fancy gadgets working, or
various degrees. As a result, it is functionally a TL4 setting,
sold for high prices in emergencies.

Weapons that cover only one part of the body; the GM should then
apply hit location rules, of course. This can lead to interest-
In dungeon adventuring, one of the most important options
ing details in fights scenes, as skilled fighters who normally
for technology is destruction. Seriously deadly advanced tech
go for head shots are forced to diversify against opponents
can play havoc with dungeoneering games, but fortunately for
wearing “magic” helmets.
the GM, weapons encounter special problems in a technolog-
“Dying Mars” is a setting that’s notably light on armor;
ically declining or restricted society. High-tech weapons may
by the book, most non-nobles are limited to leather or bone
need expendable ammunition that isn’t at all easy to manufac-
armor. (Bone armor is discussed in GURPS Low-Tech; even if
ture, or they could consume insane amounts of power. Very-
Martian craftsmen can treat it to avoid it being semi-ablative,
high-tech weapons also may have built-in “access control”
it still only gives DR 3 while being fairly heavy.) Players might
systems that make them unusable for adventurers who just
want to fudge this a little for dungeoneering adventures; dun-
happen to pick them up (see GURPS Ultra-Tech, p. 150).
geon survival for frontline fighters is all too often dependent on
All this in turn means that high-tech weapons that are
decent protection. Adventurers in the setting may gain access
designed for low-tech use or circumstances of minimum sup-
to metal armor, as a necessity of their profession, though they
port or supply will be the equivalent of highly desirable magic
might have to pay more for it – which in turn might mean
items, e.g., the partisan needler on p. 140 of Ultra-Tech.
more of them choosing to operate as “swashbucklers” rather
“Dying Mars,” for one example, has strong effective lim-
than “knights.”
itations on firearms: severe shortages of both metals and
chemicals suitable for explosives manufacture (see GURPS
Mars, p. 116). The setting has some guns, but most are TL4
– single-shot weapons that won’t cause too much trouble in
Other Powers
dungeon games, especially given that they fire lightweight Relic or imported gadgets aren’t the only possible source of
clay or glass bullets with abysmal armor penetration. The exotic abilities, even in the absence of magic.
setting also has a few weird-tech options courtesy of the
Cave Martians. For reference, see the table below for two rel- Psi
atively common Martian sidearms; check GURPS Mars for Given the soft-science-fiction/science-fantasy mode of
more explanation. many of these stories, psionics are another option. Psionic
adepts may well be the “wizards” and “clerics” of the setting
Armor – natural talents with lengthy specialist training, from either
Advanced armor could be an even bigger problem than secular colleges or religious seminaries, which unlocked
high-tech weapons; even the fanciest high-TL body armor their psionic gifts. Alternatively, psionic power may be a side
doesn’t necessarily require power cells, rarely has security effect of lengthy training in exotic physical disciplines, mak-
locks, and can have DR values that make the wearer func- ing adepts more like monkish martial artists who can add psi
tionally immune to swords and arrows. The GM just may powers on top of their combat skills.
have to declare that it’s very rare, perhaps because offense If psi is going to, in effect, replace magic for most adventur-
regularly outpaces defense in ultra-tech societies, so that ers’ purposes, a wide range of effects should be available. Raid
armor is seen as pointless among the people who might oth- GURPS Psionic Powers and its supporting material, rather
erwise have made it. Also, very advanced societies may end than merely employing the limited psi powers documented in
up equipping all their troops with complex power armor, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level or GURPS Dun-
which does require power cells and difficult maintenance. geon Fantasy 14: Psi. It will often fit the feel of these sorts
(And if only the king has a working suit of the old stuff . . . of settings best to split Animal Telepathy out from Telepathy,
don’t annoy the king, okay?) If advanced armor does show up and to divide Psychic Healing into Biokinesis and Psychome-
anyway, it can always be limited to a few individual pieces tabolism, as discussed in Psionic Powers.
Martian Weapons
Guns (Pistol) (DX-4 or most other Guns-2)
TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl Cost Notes
4 Flintlock Pistol 1d-1(0.5) pi++ 2 20/210 1.3/0.005 1 1(20) 7 -2 2 $250 [1]
5+1 Peroxide Pistol 1d imp 2 66/720 0.85/0.002 3 10 8 -1 1 $450 [2]
Notes generally. Similarly, ammunition and propellant should cost

[1] The flintlock pistol is already fine (accurate and reliable) $10 per 125 darts. Even so, these prices may only apply in
quality, with an Acc bonus that bends the rules in GURPS areas where TL5+1 equipment is generally available – mean-
Low-Tech (Martian gunsmiths are very experienced, and have ing mostly the Underground Empire and the trade quarters
access to unusual materials), and can’t be upgraded to fine of the larger Marineris city-states. In areas where the per-
again. It has Malf. 15. A very fine (reliable) version would cost taining technology is strictly TL4, multiply all these costs by
$375, and would have Malf. 16. four. Of course, that doesn’t stop the pistol from being popu-
[2] The cost of the peroxide pistol has been increased to lar among wealthy Martians. The cost of poisons to go on the
bring it into line with firearms in GURPS Fourth Edition darts is up to the GM.

Psionics and weird technology can be combined in the the pulp horror to the pulp-science-fantasy mix, often with
form of “psi-tech,” providing a setting that uses psionics as a healthy dose of Lovecraftian tentacled terror; extradimen-
a substitute for magic with its own very wondrous “magic sional creatures don’t usually look human, think like humans,
items.” GURPS Psi-Tech has a number of broadly appropriate or care much for human concerns. It also provides a good
devices, psi-drugs, and ideas, although many of the items in excuse for the more exotic and unnerving sorts of wildlife
that supplement are too bulky for adventurers to carry around that can show up in games; those species too may be extradi-
with them. Instead, the gear can show up as fixtures in lab- mensional introductions.
oratories owned by mad scholars, or amazing
still-functional systems in dusty sealed under-
ground installations dating from an ancient lost
age of knowledge. See Power Sources (p. 15) for
some problems to consider here. E xpert kill S
Planetary-romance psi-tech should gen-
erally be described as looking really cool and (A dvanced echnologyT )
steampunk-baroque, with lots of brass and In a setting where advanced technology exists but isn’t widely avail-
crystal in the construction and probably super- able, or at least isn’t really understood, characters may be permitted
fluous twiddles in the design. Meanwhile, psi- to learn this Expert Skill (p. B193), which allows them to get some use
drugs can be the products of quasi-alchemical out of it regardless.
science, or perhaps sometimes prepared by You have a broad but very shallow knowledge of any science and
very skilled herbalists from rare and obscure technology from above your personal TL (p. B22) that may turn up
sources such as orchid pollens or underground in your society. This skill can substitute for any relevant technology
fungi (or, for darker effect, from substances operation or repair skill, and even occasionally for engineering or sci-
extracted from the brains of psionic creatures ence skills – but only for the simplest purposes. For example, even if
– or people). you come from a society with no electrical engineering of its own, you
may have the same sort of vague understanding of what electricity is
Extra-Dimensional Incursions that any ordinary child will acquire in higher-TL settings. You also
A pulpish-science-fiction or science-fantasy know some very basic jargon; if you are literate, this can easily be
setting may feature other dimensions in addi- a lifesaver, as on a successful roll, you know when to take “Danger”
tion to other worlds. This suggests another signs especially seriously (e.g. when the next word is “Radiation”).
source of exotic powers – creatures from other Other successes may enable you to recognize common devices (e.g.
universes might be capable of almost anything. guns, radios, or cars), and to say what they can do (“cause lethal dam-
People who can somehow communicate with age to things they’re pointed at,” “receive sounds from other radios,”
them, perhaps using weird science, might gain “move fast on reasonably smooth surfaces”). They may even allow you
indirect access to those powers. For that mat- to perform the sort of routine tasks that someone from a higher-TL
ter, merely being able to shift in and out of real- world could perform without a roll (e.g. pressing an on-switch, even
ity can be a formidable power itself. A fair bit of if it isn’t labeled).
overlap exists with the whole theme of psionics Obviously, this skill can never substitute for a higher personal TL.
here, as in conventional dungeon fantasy. However, it can sometimes give useful access to technology from sev-
This sort of thing isn’t quite so common in eral levels higher than your personal level. The only drawback is that
stories, and if it’s used as a source of character critical failures can be good for comedy, as you may have some terri-
powers, it has either to be very slow and indi- bly misguided ideas.
rect, or just look like some traditional form of
magic – but it’s an option. It adds a touch of
Characters
With the basic parameters of the setting established, the thieves can be found in ancient, decadent, complex cit-
GM can say what kinds of characters will be suitable. There ies. Barbarians could travel from regions of the planet that
are all sorts of possibilities in planetary romance in general, have fallen furthest from the heights of sophistication – or
but as this article is about setting dungeoneering games there, never got there in the first place. These templates can mostly
let’s take the archetypes defined by the templates in GURPS be used as-is, with a little commonsense adjustment to
Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers as reference points. remove any references to magic as such and to allow some
higher-tech skills.
Fighters Martial artists may be possible if chi abilities or something
analogous exist in the setting; alternatively, strike out every-
Planetary romance traditionally has plenty of scope
thing relating to those abilities, and spend the points this frees
for warriors. Knights could hail from the great rural
up on psionic abilities that are taught to these ascetic adepts.
areas between the ancient ruins. Scouts might wander the
(The Psychometabolism power can be used to produce very
exotic-monster-infested wildernesses. Swashbucklers and
chi-like effects.)

Holy warriors are relatively unlikely, but they might rep- Talent, Bard-Song abilities (although those could actually
resent a group of warriors with a sideline in minor psionic be quasi-telepathic), and spells into the Telepathy power or
powers, focused by intense mental, physical, and moral dis- maybe Dream Control. A “druid” might be a psionicist who
cipline and mystical ideas. Strike out the Holy abilities and has refined his abilities while alone in the wilderness, far from
replace them with psionic abilities – perhaps from just one or the babble of other sapient minds, and developed a bond with
two powers that fit the style, such as Anti-Psi or Biokinesis. the natural world in the process. Transfer the points from his
magical abilities and spells into Animal Telepathy, Biokinesis,
“Spellcasters” and Psychometabolism.
If magic is being replaced by something else, you’ll need
If magic is replaced by psionic powers, there are a number
to take another approach again; for, say, a setting with lots of
of options for replacement “magic-using” templates: Adapt
old technology and improvisational superscience, characters
the spell-casting templates in Dungeon Fantasy 1, use a vari-
based on the artificer from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages
ation of the mentalist in Dungeon Fantasy 14, or build a tem-
might work quite well, perhaps with some points diverted to
plate or two to fit the specific setting. For those who want to
raise their personal TL well above the campaign baseline.
preserve a lot of the classic dungeoneering flavor, it might be
best to transform the two primary spellcaster templates from
Dungeon Fantasy 1 into psionic specialists of various kinds,
rather than relying only on the mentalist and the baggage that
Nonhuman Races
Planetary-romance worlds typically have multiple sapient
comes along with that adventuring type.
races – maybe implausibly many, in some cases, though there
“Wizards” would be secular scholars who master powers of
is usually some kind of explanation in the background. Most
the mind through abstract meditation, deep knowledge, and
of them may, say, turn out to be descended from off-world
natural talent. Strike out Magery, all the spells, and any mag-
colonists, or the products of ancient mad science.
ic-related skills that are simply inapplicable in the setting, and
The nonhumans of a planetary romance world are more
spend the points thus freed up on psionic powers and skills,
likely to be present as interesting “NPC” encounters for human
and maybe on Expert Skills such as Advanced Technology
protagonists, rather than themselves providing protagonists
(p. 17) or Psionics.
for the story, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Still, these
“Clerics” would be priests who learn psionics through stud-
races are perhaps likely to be radically nonhuman, rather than
ies in a temple or seminary that gives the instruction a dis-
resembling the near-human elves, dwarfs, and halflings of typ-
tinctly spiritual air. The points for their psi abilities come from
ical dungeon fantasy. Again, this isn’t a rigid rule; near-hu-
losing Power Investiture, Holy abilities, and spells.
man races may be explained as having evolved from human
To preserve niche protection in the classic dungeoneering
stock over the world’s long history, or as having been created
mode, give wizards and clerics access to different sets of pow-
by genetic tinkering at some point, or as the result of some
ers. Animal Telepathy, Astral Projection, Dream Control, and
kind of mutation. Still, they probably won’t be called “elves”
Telepathy might be allowed to either or both. “Wizards” might
or “dwarfs.”
be the only ones with access to Ergokinesis, ESP, Probability
A lot of planetary-romance nonhumans also have societies
Alteration, Psychic Vampirism, Psychokinesis, Psychometab-
and psychological profiles that are just as dramatically non-
olism, and Teleportation. Similarly, only “clerics” might be
human as their physical forms, again making them better as
allowed Biokinesis or maybe Anti-Psi. Any of these powers
exotic encounters than as protagonists. As adventurers, those
alternatively might be limited to other character types.
with nonhuman minds may have their own peculiar motives
Bards and druids usually fit less well into a planetary
for dungeoneering. “The egg-queen finds it amusing!” or
romance milieu, but something akin to either might exist. A
“Cleansing the land of our ancient foes ensures me a supe-
“bard” could be a wandering adventurer with skills enhanced
rior reincarnation!” could be just as good a reason as “For the
by a touch of telepathic ability; divert points from Bardic
loot,” after all.

Hence, several of the nonhuman templates in Dungeon Upland Martians: ST ‑1 [‑10]; HT +1 [10]; Code of Honor
Fantasy 3 may fit into these sorts of games, but in this case, (Pirate’s) [‑5]; Fit [5]; Martian Language (Native/Accented)
the weirder ones may actually be best. Delete any references [‑1]; Proud [‑1]. ‑2 points.
to magic, or switch them for something related to psionics or Cave Martians: ST ‑3 [‑30]; DX +1 [20]; Night Vision 8 [8].
unusual knowledge of advanced technology, as fits the setting. ‑2 points.
Coleopterans and lizard men would definitely fit in some sorts Sand Martians: ST ‑2 [‑20]; DX +1 [20]; HT +1 [10]; Claws
of planetary romance, for a start. (Talons) [8]; Ham-Fisted 1 [‑5]; Limited Camouflage (Mar-
tian Desert)† [1]; Low TL 3 [‑15]; Martian Language (Native/
The Martians None) [‑3]; Nictitating Membrane 1 [1]; Night Vision 6 [6];
Social Stigma (Uneducated) [‑5]; Survival (Martian Desert)
“Dying Mars” presents a number of races (see GURPS
(A) Per [2]. In a lowlands-based campaign, add Social Stigma
Mars, pp. 109-110). In Fourth Edition terms, tweaked for dun-
(Minority Group) [‑10]. 0 or ‑10 points.
geoneering games, these have the following templates.
* Works much like Honest Face, but is based on respect
The First Race: ST ‑2 [‑20]; IQ +1 [20]; Above Suspicion* [1];
rather than real trust. Other Martians will tend to assume that
Attractive [4]; Immunity to Disease [10]; Laziness (12) [‑10];
one of the First Race will be acting in a legal, appropriate, or
Status 2 [10]. (Remember that being Unaging is not consid-
necessary way, because the First Race define what’s “correct.”
ered a significant feature in dungeoneering games – nor for
† Gives +2 to Camouflage and Stealth when you are posed
that matter is being a member of a dying race.) 15 points.
stationary and unclad against a background of the Martian
Lowland Martians: ST -2 [‑20]. ‑20 points.
desert surface.
The Azurites
The races of “Dying Mars” lack one thing that dun- Biologically, the Azurites are a puzzle to scholars. They
geoneering games tend to demand, so we can add an extra are the one Martian race who are completely incapable of
race, the Azurites, to meet that need. interbreeding with any of the others. Some students of
Azurites are found in limited numbers everywhere biology among the Science Priests believe that the first
on Mars that the other races live, but do not have their Azurites may have been created by the First Race from a
own lands. They do not dominate any Martian commu- long-extinct order of Martian animals to serve as slaves or
nity larger than a small village, but are often seen in the warriors, although if that is true, their creators neglected
great cities of Marineris and along the world’s more active to design them for obedience. Their own, obscure origin
trade routes. They are an odd-looking race to other Mar- myths make numerous mystical references to the Blue
tians’ eyes, with five-fingered hands and tiny eyes. They Star, which would seem to link them to some branches
are also short – rarely as tall as even a full-grown Lowland of Acidalian theology, but both groups reject any sugges-
Martian – but burly and physically powerful, with a range tion of a connection, and Acidalian priests are frequently
of skin tones from pink-tinged ivory to dark brown. They very hostile to Azurite folk-beliefs. The very few Azurite
frequently work in freelance occupations, as merchants, citizens in the Theocracy have to engage in ostentatious
mercenary guards (in small bands), traveling entertainers, displays of piety to avoid periodic accusations of heresy
or adventurers. The smartest of them play on the fact that from their neighbors.
most members of the other races see them as neutral and It costs no points to play an Azurite.
fairly harmless, while respecting their physical strength.
The Dungeons
Dungeoneering also needs dungeons – those constrained armories, or treasure-houses, some stuff may somehow have
environments full of hostile entities, with some incentive for been left over. This is not to say that defenses against intru-
heroes to visit, if only the ever-popular rooms full of treasure. sion will always have been neglected – or always remembered.
Planetary-romance settings can feature any of the catego- Some of these complexes may also still exist under ruined
ries of “dungeon” mentioned in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: and abandoned cities. For that matter, those abandoned cities
Dungeons (pp. 16‑17), with occasional twists. In particular, may themselves make interesting adventuring environments,
cities in planetary romances tend to be big, old, and compli- especially if they were built of rugged high-tech materials, so
cated, which means that the cellars, sewers, and any other that the walls and roofs are still largely intact.
subterranean spaces beneath them can get really interesting. The “Dying Mars” setting has plenty of examples of all of
Many will have been built up over centuries or millennia, this. The Marineris cities are old and big, and doubtless have
with older buildings in effect becoming the foundations for interesting underground levels (including perhaps places the
new construction, their internal spaces becoming cellars and Cave Martians have established a local outpost to their own
dungeons. If those spaces were originally temples, shrines, taste). Countless ruins and lost cities are out in the wilderness.

In some cases, these may be associated with the canal sys- can become sufficiently advanced and eccentric robots or
tem, and the desire to keep that running as well as possible androids with very little trouble.
may provide a justification for “dungeoneering” expeditions: Of the creatures listed in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2:
A party might be hired by the Science Priests to escort a small Dungeons, the acid spider, crushroom, dire wolf, erupting
engineering team who are needed to restore a pumping sta- slime, foul bat, frost snake, giant rat, siege beast, and triger
tion located under an abandoned city. (They’re welcome to all fit right into a planetary-romance setting. The mindwarper,
keep any treasures they find along the way, but shouldn’t get peshkali, and toxifier could work as extradimensional hor-
too sidetracked.) rors. The golem-armor swordsman and the stone golem are
There also might be things to investigate (and plunder) distinctly magical automatons, but could serve as inspirations
under the great pyramids outside the city of Cydonia, or under for creations of advanced mad science.
the nearby Face of God, but good luck evading the Inquisitors
and their hordes of fanatical guards on the way in or out of The Undead and Unliving
there. Mars also has a whole underground civilization, in the
The ever-popular “undead” category of monsters may
form of the Underground Empire. It’s generally unwise and
seem a poor fit to science-fantasy settings, being traditionally
impolite to treat that as one giant dungeon to plunder, as the
very supernatural in their justifications. But actually, many
Cave Martians are technically a civilized race, but they’re
can be changed to fit, especially the material types. After
also warlike slavers, so sneaking in and out of their territory
all, there are plenty of “zombie” movies that give their meta-
on secret missions may sometimes be a useful idea – just not
bolically unconventional horrors a nonmagical justification
a safe one.
Sufficiently advanced and (more importantly) deranged and
depraved technology can help here, as can alien neural para-
The Monsters sites or horrible self-propagating diseases. GURPS Zombies
has a whole range of categories of “zombie” on pp. 90-107.
The GM may have to design a lot of monsters from scratch
Any of the nonsupernatural variants could show up in some
to fit the style and history of their own chosen romantic planet.
planetary-romance dungeon somewhere. In particular, the
However, with a little tweaking and adjustment of appear-
three types listed in the “Constructs” category have exactly
ances, it’s quite possible to convert available dungeon-fantasy
the sort of steampunk-gothic mad-science style that suits
creatures into something a bit more appropriate for science
the sub-genre. More powerful, free-willed material undead
fiction. Anything too blatantly magical can be a problem,
might seem harder to justify, but many of these could be the
unless the magic can be tweaked into “psionics” or “mutant
tragic-horrific products of unwise experiments in immortal-
powers” with a sufficiently straight face. Many “constructs”
ity. (“The treatment maintains the nervous system with full
function, and empowers the metabolism with etheric
energy. But to preserve the flesh in the absence of con-
ventional nutrition, it renders it inflexible and reduces
Martian Creatures its volume, and the power systems extract further
energy from any living thing with which it comes in
GURPS Mars provides a small array of dangerous and contact.”) Also, these days, dropping in the word “nan-
quite dungeon-worthy creatures for “Dying Mars.” Adjust otech” can excuse a multitude of dubious creature fea-
them for Fourth Edition as follows. tures while adding a token contemporary touch.
Sand-Sharks: Change ST (and HP) to 18, but sand-sharks Immaterial undead (and for that matter, other
have Striking ST 5, so bite damage becomes 2d cut with Reach immaterial monsters) are a little harder to excuse, but
C, 1, while Dodge becomes 9. Will is 10, Per is 12, Speed is they can always be explained as “psionic remnants,”
6.50, and SM is 2. “energy creatures built on the template of a living thing
Riding-Lizards: Change ST (and HP) to 20; bite damage that was destructively scanned,” or extra-dimensional
becomes 2d‑2 cut with Reach C-2, trample becomes 2d‑1 cr entities that cannot entirely complete the transition to
(1d‑2 cr on an overrun), and Dodge becomes 9. Will is 10, our reality. Or they could just be ghosts and specters;
Per is 11, Speed is 6.25, and SM is 3. Riding-lizards have the planetary romances do sometimes tip into magical fan-
Cold-Blooded disadvantage at the ‑5 point level; a full set of tasy, and a touch of the gothic and inexplicable may
properly fitted furs effectively gives them two levels of Tem- sometimes be warranted.
perature Tolerance.
Night Horrors: Change ST to 14 (and HP remains at the
same value), and Dodge becomes 10. Night horror talons do About the Author
1d‑1 cut or imp on a punch, 1d cut or imp on a kick, while Phil Masters is a long-time roleplaying game writer,
their sharp teeth do 1d‑1 cut; all their attacks have Reach C,1. the Transhuman Space Line Editor, and the author
Will is 11, Per is 12, Speed is 7.00, and SM is 1. Night Horrors or co-author of GURPS books from Arabian Nights to
have Night Vision 8. Thaumatology, including GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7:
Clerics, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners, and
Also, of course, sneaky and devious Cave Martian slavers the upcoming Discworld Roleplaying Game, Second
with clockpunk trap technology, or Sand Martian bandits, are Edition. He’s made a number of appearances in the
always good for hostile encounters. third incarnation of Pyramid, and he had a number of
articles in previous versions.

From the
Bottom Up by Matt Riggsby
The traditional dungeon crawl has a band of human-ish around: Monsters come up from the depths of the dungeons
adventurers going down deep holes in search of treasure, to raid the surface world for loot and strike back against those
fighting tougher monsters, and getting bigger rewards the who come down to attack them. These guidelines let you do
deeper they go. But almost from the beginning of fantasy role- just that. Be a thing! Defend your stuff! And work your way to
playing games, there’s been a desire to do it the other way the top, from the bottom up.
Monster Characters
To play a monster character in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, Skin, -40%) [9]; and Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) [100].
it helps to have character templates. These fall into three cat- • 30 points chosen from among Acute Senses [2/level],
egories. A few are cheap racial lenses, which may be applied Amphibious [10], Doesn’t Breathe (Gills, -50%) [10],
to the regular adventurer templates normally. Most monsters, Peripheral Vision [15], Stretching [6/level], additional
though, are more expensive. Several cost too much to reason- Binding [2/level], additional Chameleon [5/level], or addi-
ably apply to the standard templates. But they can be added tional Damage Resistance (Tough Skin, -40%) [3/level].
the cheaper templates from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 15: Disadvantages: Bad Grip 1 [-5]; Increased Consumption
Henchmen, turning supernumeraries into capable monsters. 1 [-10]; Invertebrate [-20]; No Legs (Slithers) [0]; Social
Finally, a few are sufficiently expensive that they require full- Stigma (Monster) [-15]; and Weakness (Salt, 1d/minute)
blown templates of their own. [-20]. • -30 points chosen from among Bad Grip 1 [-5], Bad
Temper [-10*], Bestial [-10], Curious [-5*], Gluttony [-5*],
Blob or Odious Personal Habit [-5 to -15].

Primary Skills: Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]-15; Camouflage (A)
250 points IQ+1 [4]-11; Stealth (A) DX+1 [4]-14; and Wrestling (A)
The blob is a sentient entity related to slimes, oozes, and DX+2 [8]-15.
similar jellied hazards. Unlike its corrosive brethren, it relies Secondary Skills: Four of Forced Entry or Swimming, both
on mere physical force. A blob’s usual approach is to sneak (E) DX+1 [2]-14; Climbing (A) DX [2]-13; or Observation,
up on its prey (for a large mass of protoplasm, it’s remark- Survival (any), or Tracking, all (A) Per [2]-12.
ably stealthy), grab it, and crush it to death or encase it with a Background Skills: Four of Shield (E) DX [1]-13; Axe/Mace or
fast-hardening secreted resin for later consumption. Shortsword, both (A) DX-1 [1]-12; Holdout (A) IQ-1 [1]-9;
Blobs are very hard to hurt with regular weapons; they have or spend 1 point on any unchosen secondary skill at one
a thick skin, but if pierced, the undifferentiated protoplasm level lower.
within simply flows back together and the wound quickly * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
seals itself. They can extend pseudopods to manipulate tools,
albeit clumsily. Though they have slightly odd personalities,
their ability to move quietly and observe their surroundings in
Blob Power-Ups
detail makes them good scouts. They’re not great combatants, Possible power-up for blobs include a more sophisticated
but they do a reasonably good job of hiding, which allows network of light-sensitive spots (360° Vision); external diges-
them to act as traps. tive processes (Innate Attacks, notably corrosive ones); the
ability to split into independent bodies (Duplication (No Sympa-
Attributes: ST 16 [60]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20]. thetic Injury, +20%; Shared Resources, -40%) [28/duplicate]);
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d+1/2d+1; BL 51 lbs.; and extra limbs in the form of Extra Arms and Strikers.
HP 16 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 12 [10]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed Blobs have no upper limit on ST. However, as they get stron-
6.25 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. ger, they get bigger, occasionally increasing their SM. Use the
Advantages: Ambidexterity [5]; Binding 2 [4]; Chameleon 1 Growth advantage as a guideline to determine maximum ST
[5]; Constriction Attack [15]; Damage Resistance 3 (Tough for any given SM.

Dragon [1]-12; or spend 1 point on any unchosen secondary skill
at one level lower.
250 points Features: Dragons have Born Biter (GURPS Dungeon
Dragons are, first and foremost, big and strong. They start Fantasy 3: The Next Level, p. 15). Dragons can wear armor
at SM +1, and between that and their lack of fine manipulators, tailored for them, but not on their wings; see Winged Races
ST is exceptionally cheap for them. They’re also quite versa- in The Next Level, p. 7.
tile. They fly and have multiple attack modes that have decent * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
damage, as well as a formidable breath weapon. Moreover, † Allows Karate damage bonus to apply to bites.
unlike many other monsters, they’re not particularly vulnera-
ble to conditions of holiness, low magic, etc.
Their main drawback is that they’re all but non-technolog- Dragon Power-Ups
ical. It’s very difficult for them to use any kind of equipment, Although they can acquire a great deal of historical lore and
so they must rely on innate abilities. They’re also quite venal, may pursue intellectual pastimes, dragons mostly get bigger,
with personalities balancing arrogance and acquisitiveness. stronger, and tougher. They may increase their DR, buy off
Despite a certain sophistication, dragons are perhaps clos- the Flexible limitation, increase the strength of their Burning
est to the barbarian template: Large size means difficulty in Attack, add enhancements such as Cone and Area Attack, buy
armoring, but high ST (and high HP) gives them durability versions of it as Alternate Abilities (for example, separate Area
and high carrying capacity. Modest skills but other good traits Attack, Cone, and Jet versions), upgrade their claws to Talons
mean that they’re not combat specialists, but are able to hold or Long Talons, and so on. Like blobs, dragons have no upper
their own. Both are also at their best when they’ve got room limit on their ST and get bigger as they get stronger.
– barbarians in the outdoors, dragons in places
where they’ve got room to fly.
Attributes: ST 23 (Size -10%; No Fine Manipu- Do You Really Want to Live Forever?
lators -40%) [65]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 12 [40]; HT
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy ignores the Unaging trait, since centu-
12 [20].
ries-long survival is rarely an issue. However, several of these mon-
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 2d+1/4d+1;
sters can last for a very, very long time. Should it become relevant,
BL 106 lbs.; HP 23 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0];
dragons, liches, specters, and vampires should have Unaging. The lack
FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.25 [0]; Basic Move 6
is particularly ironic for liches, who go to a lot of trouble to escape the
[0]; Aerial Move 12 [0].
bonds of mortality.
Advantages: Biting Mastery† [1]; Burning
Attack 4d [20]; Claws (Sharp) [5]; Damage
Resistance 4 (Flexible, -20%) [16]; Extra
Legs (Four Legs) [5]; Flight (Winged, -25%) [30]; Striker
(Tail; Crushing) [5]; Strikers (Two Wings; Crushing; Weak,
C ave pe A
-50%) [5]; and Teeth (Fangs) [2]. • 25 points chosen from
-10 points
among Alertness [5/level], Combat Reflexes [15], Danger The cave apes, recognized by their pale fur and wide eyes,
Sense [15], Dark Vision [25], Discriminatory Smell [15] are sometimes regarded as halfway between relatively clever
or Discriminatory Smell (Emotion Sense, +50%) [23], but still unintelligent animals such as gladiator apes on one
Extra Attack [25], Hard to Kill [2/level], Hard to Subdue side and intelligent peoples on the other. They’re smart, but
[2/level], High Pain Threshold [10], Infravision [10], Mag- just barely. Consequently, they run into slightly less dis-
ery 0 [5], Magery 1-6 [10/level], Nictitating Membrane dain than many other monster-ish races. They’re sometimes
[1/level], Night Vision 1-9 [1/level], Peripheral Vision [15], unclear on the idea of dividing up treasure (or, indeed, having
additional Burning Attack [5/level], or additional Damage it), but they’re very good at hitting things until they fall over.
Resistance (Flexible, -20%) [4/level]. Cave apes are large but broad rather than tall, particularly
Disadvantages: Greed (12) [-15]; Horizontal [-10]; No Fine with their stooped posture, so they’re just barely SM +0. This
Manipulators [-30]; and Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]. • lens can be applied to any standard delver template. It works
-20 points chosen from among Bad Temper [-10*]; Berserk best with knights and barbarians, but a cave-ape martial artist
[-10*]; Bloodlust [-10*]; Bully [-10*]; Callous [-5]; Jeal- can be an interesting twist.
ousy [-10]; Laziness [-10]; Megalomania [-10]; Miserliness Attribute Modifiers: ST+3 [30]; IQ-2 [-40].
[-10*]; or Selfish [-5*]. Advantages: Acute Hearing 1 [2]; Brachiator [5]; Damage
Primary Skills: Aerobatics (H) DX [4]-13; Innate Attack Resistance 2 (Tough Skin, -40%) [6]; Night Vision 5 [5];
(Breath) (E) DX+3 [8]-16; Intimidation (A) Will [2]-12; and and Striking ST 2 [10].
Karate (H) DX+1 [8]-14. Disadvantages: Berserk (12) [-10]; Bestial [-10]; Ham-Fisted
Secondary Skills: Seven of Forced Entry (E) DX+1 [2]-14; 1 [-5]; Semi-Upright [-5]; and Social Stigma (Savage) [-10].
Dropping or Stealth, both (A) DX [2]-13; Connoisseur (Jew- Racial Skills: Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]; Climbing (A) DX+3 [4]*;
elry), Hidden Lore (Dragons), or Navigation (Air or Land), and Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4].
all (A) IQ [2]‑12; Flight (A) HT [2]-12; Survival (any) (A) Per Features: Cave apes are shaped differently enough from
[2]-12; or Detect Lies (H) Per-1 [2]-11. other humanoids that they cannot wear the same armor
Background Skills: Five of Diplomacy (H) IQ-2 [1]-10; Fast- and clothing.
Talk (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ
* Includes +2 from Brachiator.

Cave Ape Power-Ups Advantages: Affliction 1 (HT; Extended Duration 10¥, +40%,
Follow-Up to striker, +0%; Paralysis +150%) [29]; Claws
Cave-ape characters get most of their power-ups from their
(Sharp) [5]; Damage Resistance 6 [30]; Extra Legs (Six
template, but there are few other things they might pick up:
Legs) [10]; Peripheral Vision [15]; Striker (Tail; Impal-
Arm ST [5/level], Discriminatory Smell [15], an extra point of
ing) [8]; Striking ST 6 (Tail Only, -60%) [12]; and Teeth
DR for the skull for better head butts (Skull only, -70% [2]),
(Sharp) [1].
and more Night Vision and Striking ST.
Disadvantages: Bad Temper (12) [-10]; Laziness [-10]; and
Social Stigma (Monster) [-15].
Lich Features: A scorpiman occupies two hexes. It cannot use
armor and clothing made for other races, but can use the
+5 points same weapons and other tools.
Some wizards are so obsessed with pursuing their goals
that they’re willing to die for them. Of course, they only do so
in order to come back and continue that pursuit without being
Scorpiman Power-Ups
interrupted by such petty annoyances as eating, drinking, In addition to power-ups appropriate to their template,
sleeping, and breathing. A wizard who ritually kills himself scorpimen may enhance their sting with further Striking ST
only to return as an undead skeleton of himself becomes a lich. (Tail Only, -60%) [2/level] or with Armor Divisor (2) for +4
A dead wizard is still a wizard. Use a wizard template or points. They can improve their venom with further Extended
the necromancer template from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9: Duration (+2 points for 30¥, +4 for 100¥, etc.) or by upgrading
Summoners with the lens below. A variant lich might be based Paralysis (+150%) to Coma (+250%) for a net +10 points.
on an evil cleric rather than a wizard, replacing Dependency
on Mana with a Weakness based on Sanctity. Liches based on
other templates are a theoretical possibility, but, say, a lich- Specter
knight or a lich-martial artist is a terrible idea. +188 points
The specter is a usually insubstantial entity that is tied to
Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+1 [20].
the physical world. It appears as a person-shaped figure in
Advantages: Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10];
ragged gray robes. It can use a poltergeist-like telekinesis to
Doesn’t Sleep [20]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30];
move physical objects, cast spells at material targets if the
and Injury Tolerance (No Blood; No Brain; No Eyes; No
individual specter has that ability, or even manifest (at great
Vitals; Unliving) [40].
effort and greater risk) to manipulate items. However, their
Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana; Very Common; Con-
most notable ability is the power to possess living creatures
stantly) [-25]; Fragile (Brittle) [-15]; No Sense of Smell/Taste
(attempting this costs 2 FP; success costs a further 1 FP per
[-5]; Skinny [-5]; Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]; Unhealing
minute to maintain).
(Partial) [-20]; and Vulnerability (Crushing ¥2) [-40].
Their personalities vary, but they’re all . . . a little off. They
Features: Liches are affected by Pentagrams. The player and
all seem a little mad, preoccupied with their own thoughts, or
GM must work out the specifics of Unhealing.
obsessed with achieving their own goals.
The specter lens should be applied to one of the 62-point
Lich Power-Ups bargain henchman templates from Henchmen.
A lich can take power-ups from its underlying template,
Advantages: Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10];
but it may also work toward traits in the lich monster descrip-
Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance
tion in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 23 (Dark
(Unliving) [20]; Insubstantiality (Affect Substantial, +100%;
Vision, Unkillable, etc.).
Usually On, -40%) [128]; Possession (Costs Fatigue, 2 FP,
-10%; No Memory Access, -10%; Spiritual, -20%) [60]; and
Scorpiman Telekinesis 3 [15]. • 30 points chosen from Will +1 to +6
[5/level], Affliction [Varies], Dark Vision [25] or Night Vision
+125 points [1/level], Terror [30], or additional Telekinesis [5/level].
The scorpiman is a large, intelligent scorpion. The fore- Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana; Very Common; Con-
claws are fully functional manipulators, but they retain an stantly) [-25]; Dread (Holy symbols; 6 yards) [-15]; Frag-
edge that allows them to do cutting damage. A scorpiman has ile (Unnatural; Combustible) [-55]; and Social Stigma
armored scales, formidable mandibles and a powerful sting- (Monster) [-15]. • -15 points chosen from among Chronic
tipped tail arching over its back. The tail carries a poison that, Depression [-15*], Confused [-10], Delusions [-5 to -15],
on a failed HT roll, paralyzes the target for 10 minutes times Hidebound [-5], Impulsiveness [-10*], Indecisive [-10],
the margin of failure. Scorpimen enjoy long periods of inactiv- Lunacy [-10], or Obsession [-5* or -10*].
ity, but are easily provoked and very fast in combat. Features: Specters are affected by True Faith and Pentagram.
Though they have a horizontal posture (that is, longer than
they are tall), their limbs are arranged so that they don’t walk * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
using their first pair of limbs. Thus, they don’t qualify for the
Horizontal trait. This lens should be combined with a 125- The Friendly Ghost
point template from Henchmen. For a spectral ally, reduce the specter’s 30 points on optional
Attribute Modifier: DX+2 [40]. advantages to 29, spend some of them on skills, and you’ve got
Secondary Characteristic Modifier: Basic Speed+0.5 [10]. a 187-point henchman. See Other Optics, Henchmen, p. 36.

Specter Power-Ups Features: Unknowable Things cannot use armor and clothing
meant for other races.
Specters tend toward growth in their optional advantages,
such as Telekinesis and Night Vision. They may also buy a * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.
special Energy Reserve (Only to Become Substantial, -80%
[0.6/level, rounded up], which can keep them substantial Unknowable Thing Power-Ups
longer and the Can Carry Objects enhancement (starts at
+10% for No Encumbrance). In addition to sage and psi power-ups, Unknowable Things
can develop further Extra Arms (and Extra Attack [25/level]);
Amphibious [10] and Doesn’t Breathe (Gills, -50%) [10]; and
Unknowable Thing Regeneration [Varies].
250 points
The Unknowable Thing is a very minor relative of Elder
Things. It’s not clear if their relationship is as allies, pets, prey, Other Monsters
or parasites, and the Unknowable Things have yet to provide A number of races in The Next Level are suitable
answers that make sense (they’re not trying to be obtuse; they for monster-centric campaigns as-is. They include cole-
just can’t help it if other beings don’t understand that penum- opterans, corpse-eaters, Dark Ones, gargoyles, all of the
bral scorn putrefects the meridian’s bleeding gref sidely, Ia! goblin-kin, minotaurs, ogres, reptilians, and trolls. A
Ia!). Their behavior does make sense, though, as an attempt few exceptional members of other races might be used
to gather information. All of it. They seem unconcerned about in such a campaign, but they’d likely be outcasts from
what that knowledge will be used for (an invasion of Elder their own people or at best from an outcast group.
Things?), but feel compelled to learn as much as they can.
An Unknowable Thing has no legs (imagine a sort of faun,
only half-slug rather than half-goat), four ramified tentacles
instead of two arms, sticky surfaces that allow it to walk on
walls and ceilings, a corrosive second tongue, eyes on stalks,
Vampire
psionic powers, and a profound indifference to others. Weird +125 points
and off-putting as they may be, they’re functionally something Vampires can be a diverse lot, but what they have in
between a psi and a sage, but with very peculiar mobility and common is the need for the blood of intelligent humanoid
fighting modes. creatures – humans, elves, dwarves, etc. All the races in The
Next Level are equally nutritious, though individual vampires
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 10 [0]. may have strong taste preferences. Since they lose HP on a
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP daily basis, they must have blood regularly in order to survive,
10 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5.50 which keeps them out and adventuring.
[0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. This template is a minimalist vampire. It is strong, resis-
Advantages: 360° Vision (Easy to Hit, -20%) [20]; Book- tant to a range of environmental threats, and can turn into a
Learned Wisdom 2 (4, 4) (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: bat. It is also vulnerable in various ways to sunlight, holiness,
Sages, p. 8) [26]; Clinging [20]; Corrosive Attack 2d (Melee and garlic. It is not capable of infecting others with vampir-
Attack, Range C, -30%) [14]; Extra Arms 2 [20]; Psi Talent 3 ism, turning into a mist, or hypnotizing potential victims. It
[15]; and Unusual Background (Psionics) [10]. • 35 points should be combined with one of the 125-point occupational
in Psionics abilities (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psi, templates from Henchmen.
pp. 5-11). • Another 20 points chosen from among Will +1
to +4 [5/level], Amphibious [10], Slippery [2/level], Unfaz- Attribute Modifier: ST+6 [60].
able [15], Vibration Sense [10], or more psi abilities. Secondary Characteristics Modifiers: HP+2 [4]; Per+3 [15].
Disadvantages: Cold-Blooded (50°) [-5]; Low Empathy [-20]; Advantages: Alternate Form (Bat) [15]; Dark Vision [25];
No Legs (Slithers) [0]; Obsession (Gather knowledge) (12) Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30];
[-10]; and Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]. • -10 points cho- Injury Tolerance (Unliving) [20]; Unkillable 2 (Achilles
sen from among Berserk [-10*], Bloodlust [-10*], Fright- Heel, Wood, -50%) [50]; and Vampiric Bite [30].
ens Animals [-10], Megalomania [-10], No Sense of Humor Disadvantages: Draining (Blood of sentient humanoids)
[-10], or Odious Personal Habit [-5 to -15]. [-10]; Dread (Garlic) [-10]; Dread (Holy symbols; 5 yards)
Primary Skills: Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-13; Hidden Lore (Elder [-14]; Supernatural Features (No Body Heat; No Reflec-
Things) (A) IQ [2]-13; Mental Strength (E) Will+1 [2]-13; tion) [-15]; Uncontrollable Appetite (Blood of sentient
Mind Block (A) Will+1 [4]-14; and Wrestling (A) DX [2]-12. humanoids) [-15]; Unhealing (Partial) [-20]; and Weakness
Secondary Skills: Stealth (A) DX [2]-12. • Three of Shield or (Sunlight, 1d/minute) [-60].
Thrown Weapon (any), both (E) DX+2 [4]-14; or Cloak, Features: Vampires are affected by True Faith and Pentagram.
Saber, or Shortsword, all (A) DX+1 [4]-13.
Background Skills: Four of Forced Entry (E) DX [1]-12; Vampire Power-Ups
Hazardous Materials (Magical), Heraldry, Occultism, or Some obvious power-ups include the ability to infect oth-
Prospecting, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Architecture, Naturalist, ers (Dominance) and the ability to turn into a mist (Insubstan-
Poisons, or Tactics, all (H) IQ-2 [1]-11; Thaumatology (VH) tiality). If they live long enough, some vampires can become
IQ-3 [1]-10; Swimming (E) HT [1]-10; Intimidation (A) powerful magicians, so Magery and spells are a reasonable
Will-1 [1]-12; or Survival (any) (A) Per-1 [1]-12. thing to allow.

Monster Campaigns
In a monster-centric campaign, things are a bit backward. about “paging Dr. Acula,” the GM may be reluctant to allow
The lowest levels of the dungeon are the least challenging. holy men repulsed by their own holy symbols). That might be
This makes some logical sense; they’re farthest away from the all right for a one-shot adventure or a short campaign, where
food supplies and other resources available closer to the sur- ongoing survival isn’t an issue, but for long-term play, it’s
face, while the upper regions are plagued by monster-fight- worth strongly considering the monsters from The Next Level
ing adventurers. Those creatures not strong enough to resist or even a non-monster race to fill the healer role. Perhaps a
invaders from the surface would have to flee below, resulting particularly broad-minded cleric has descended into the deep-
in a population of monsters who can’t make it anywhere else. est dungeons to do missionary work. Otherwise, the dungeon
Almost all of the templates here and several of those should be stocked with lots of healing potions.
from The Next Level have Social Stigma (Monster). Each Treasure must also be carefully tailored to an adventuring
can interact with its own kind without problems (see Almost party. Most monsters are unable to wear the most common
Monsters, The Next Level, p. 11), but social interaction with armor and garments, and a number of them have trouble with
other, different monsters is still an issue. Going to town for other tools. However, anyone can use magical items such as
healing and supplies is problematic, since few monster races wands, amulets, rings, potions, and scrolls, and everyone can
are sociable enough to have towns, let alone allow other mon- cash in jewelry. A GM might want to come up with special
sters in. However, powerful subterranean entities may control treasures suitable for a monster party, such as:
semi-neutral markets or temples for reasons of their own.
• Armored bags for blobs.
Dungeon Fantasy monsters seem to like a good fight,
• Armor designed for dragons, cave apes, scorpimen, and
even if they’re not much on other interactions. Unintelligent
Unknowable Things.
monsters will take on anybody, and even intelligent ones are
• Preservatives that keep blood fresh for vampires, and
frequently ill-tempered, if not compulsively violent. Few have
ointments or garments that protect them from the sun (GURPS
any particular reason to work together. A party of adventuring
Magic Items has several items that could be adapted).
monsters, who have presumably overcome any interpersonal
• Items that allow specters to materialize for longer peri-
issues, can fight other monsters just as easily as more typical
ods of time, and gear that can go insubstantial with them.
adventurers can. Likewise, they can fight those more typical
• Repair kits for Unhealing monsters.
adventurers. Most character templates can be used to build
opponents for a monster party; low-level adventurers from A monster campaign provides the GM with an unusual
Henchmen might constitute fodder “monsters.” opportunity to go at the same territory in different ways. For
Whether monster-delvers face other monsters or sur- example, a brief monster-centric campaign, where the adven-
face-dwellers, the opposition must be carefully selected. turing monsters come up from the depths to take over shal-
Immunities and injury tolerances are rife, making it tricky to lower tunnels or a temple or fortress on the surface, might
find a mode of attack to which at least one monster will not precede another campaign wherein a group of more conven-
be highly resistant, if not invulnerable. A specter, for example, tional delvers explore the earlier location and fight its current
can wreak terrible havoc on a group of opponents who can’t occupants; that is, the previous set of PCs. If the second cam-
do anything about insubstantial creatures. Dragons can drop paign is set directly after the first, it can quickly lead to a direct
rocks at will on outdoor enemies with poor ranged capabili- confrontation between two batches of PCs; the GM may want
ties, while blobs and liches laugh at swashbucklers and scouts to tweak the monsters a bit in order to provide the players
who have built up their skills enough to regularly target eyes with some surprises. If it’s set significantly later (say, after a
and vitals. generation or two of monster occupation), the monsters may
However, many monsters also have a lot of weaknesses that be descendants or followers of the now significantly more
can get in their way. The templates have a number of obvious powerful monsters, who can serve as bosses.
ones: Liches are hard to heal when damaged, vampires can be
driven away by holy symbols, Unknowable Things are sensitive
to climate, and so on. Some problems, though, are less obvi-
ous. For example, a number of monsters have at best modest Take note of your special weaknesses.
skills, and while they may have good stats and/or interesting
bonuses and special effects (poisons, corrosion, fire, etc.), they
may not do as much raw damage or have as much base skill as
a party of focused adventurers with excellent equipment.
Another problem with a monster party is that while they’re
About the Author
great at bloody violence and a properly constituted group can Matt Riggsby has been playing roleplaying games since the
have significant logistical support, there’s a big hole when it only game in town came in three poorly typeset tan booklets
comes to healing. None of the monster races here are particu- in a white box, using cheap dice that slowly converted them-
larly well-suited to being a cleric. Cave apes aren’t very smart, selves from icosahedrons to spheres. Having been educated in
liches use the wrong kind of supernatural abilities, and other the lore of lost civilizations, he still kills things and takes their
monsters require too many points to take the cleric template. stuff while working a day job for artificers of engines of great
At best, a few can use the Initiate template from Henchmen, healing. The marching order for the rest of his party includes
notably the scorpiman and the vampire (and ignoring jokes a sorceress, a sixth-level rogue, and a pack of dogs.

Eidetic
Memory
Good Dungeons
by David L. Pulver
When dungeon-fantasy PCs face the same kinds of mon- artificers (from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages). If cap-
sters all the time, it can be a struggle to keep things interest- tured, these also make great treasures.
ing. I’ve found one way to occasionally shake things up is to In addition to dwarves, denizens could include mag-
replace traditional foes like orcs or zombies with a class of ical-mechanical constructs created by dwarf artificers,
creatures parties rarely fight: “good” monsters such as elves, gnomish allies, or even a human sorcerer studying dwarf
dwarves, or holy servitors. In fact, an entire dungeon oriented magic. Strong-backed giants, earth elementals, or industri-
around the theme of a “stronghold for good” can be an exiting ous insect-people may be hired to work as miners, or a fire
change of pace for adventurers – and not just for champions elemental could be bound into their forges. Maybe there
of evil! are tame or chained-up dungeon monsters like siege beasts
pressed into service as underground watch dogs! There might
also be a prison holding captive enemies (orcs, elves, etc.) who
would be grateful allies if rescued.
In a fantasy or weird-science setting,
survivable conditions may extend far Earth Temples
deeper, into vast caverns or a hollow Earth gods and goddesses worshiped by humans or other
world, perhaps inhabited by exotic races may have a benign nature, and the natural location
creatures or civilizations – and intrepid for their temple complex would be an underground dun-
geon-cavern complex. (An island in an underground river or
adventurers may explore those realms. lake could even have a water god’s temple!) An Earth temple
– GURPS Underground could have a labyrinth, healing wells, caverns filled with nat-
ural gemstones, libraries of holy scrolls, quarters, oracular
Adventures chambers (with hallucinogenic vapors), and burial crypts for
the priests and faithful.
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics offers many options
Why Lurk Underground? for creating variations on priests and holy warriors with
unique powers and divine servitor allies. A temple to a god of
Dwelling in darkness is usually associated with evil crea- “Earth, War, and Fire” is quite different from one devoted to
tures, but there are many justifications for a subterranean “Earth, Peace, and Love.”
stronghold of benign entities. Other creatures associated with temples could include
earth elementals, snake women (naga), and minotaurs.
Besides serving as personal allies, divine servitors make good
Dwarf Strongholds solo monsters to stock a temple’s rooms, especially if using the
Dwarves are the good race most noted for establishing option to create animal servitors, e.g., a pack of holy hounds
underground lairs or mines filled with gold, jewels, magic or serpents whose aspects are Fear, Earth, and Good and
items, and other valuables. These dwarf encounters come in who exist to strike terror into evildoers! Nor should undead
various types: axe-wielding warriors, pick-armed miners, a be neglected even in a “good” dungeon: a temple’s crypts can
proud clan-lord in a throne room, artificers armed with gadgets include ghosts (or even mummies) of former clergy or holy
or explosive devices, and temples with clerics who serve earth warriors that are bound to protect it if disturbed. A visiting
and fire gods. An allied gnome-inhabited section of dungeon is angelic emissary or mighty spirit of place can be a powerful
a great excuse to go nuts with both exotic traps and gadgeteer- “boss monster” for a temple’s inner sanctum.
steampunk-style constructs created using the rules for

Elf or Faerie Stronghold monstrous, such as fiery serpents, multi-heated giants, or
sword-wielding griffons.
These sylvan folk are associated with wilderness adven-
tures, but can also dwell in dungeons. Mountain elves might
have underground halls, and a huge tree in the forest could Occupied Territory
have a door in its trunk that leads down to a wood-elf- or A classic trope is the dwarf stronghold that is now occupied
faerie-owned complex sprawling beneath the great tree’s roots. by a dragon or orcs, but why not reverse this? Have a mon-
This could be connected to a mix of animal burrows and natu- strous dungeon that was recently cleansed of evil inhabitants,
ral caves beneath the woods that provide alternative entrances. but that is now newly garrisoned by the forces of good (a cadre
Besides elves and their kin, woodland creatures that might of holy warriors, dwarves, clerics, or rangers, for example).
have dens or rooms underground include animated plants, Naturally, ill-gotten treasures and relics of evil might not have
normal or talking animals, cat-folk, fauns, half-spirits, lepre- been removed yet (and perhaps some evil secrets wait to be
chauns (well known for their treasure!), nymphs and dryads, exposed). Meanwhile, surviving villains scheme to retake it.
unicorns, pixies, druids and their holy servitors, and shifters Perhaps a villain that escaped the attack will offer to sell a
like werebears or wereboars. “back door” secret passage into the dungeon to a group of
mercenary adventurers . . .
The Good Stuff Why Raid

Loot in a good dungeon is often more “themed” than random,
as its occupants are less likely to have stolen it. Many good enti-
the Good Guys?
The easiest answer is a party of anti-heroes or
ties (like dwarves or elves) are renowned as crafters, so rooms
villains – if the dungeon’s worth looting, who cares
often have beautiful and valuable furnishings (usually well lit,
who the occupants are? Good folk may be weaker!
as well). Good beings often prize knowledge, so rare books and
However, for adventurers with scruples, what could
scrolls are likely. Of course there, may well be a central treasury
motivate an assault on a “good” dungeon?
full of gold and jewels! Personal magic items and, for temples,
artifacts such as holy relics (see Clerics) are major prizes.
Ethical Rogues
Adventurers may not support a violent assault
on a good-inhabited dungeon, but rogues might be
Good Wizard’s Cellar okay with a dungeon raid to steal valuables or an artifact
without slaughter. An emphasis on stealth, minimal violence,
The basement of good mages (particularly if they recently and non-lethal fighting techniques or spells would give it a
passed away!) might be a dungeon full of wonders and ter- unique flavor.
rors. These could include magical artifacts they were study-
ing or locked away for safe keeping (some good, some evil,
some just weird), prized grimoires, ongoing enchantment Racial Conflicts
projects dangerous in the wrong hands, gates to other dimen- In many fantasy worlds, rivalries exist between “good” races
sions, familiars (perhaps now breeding out of control), mag- that occasionally flare into open conflict – a classic example
ical creations such as snow maidens, or an alchemical lab. being dwarf-elf feuds. For example, an uninvited dwarf mine
The mages may have set up defenses such as magical traps, encroaching in a mountain elf territory could motivate a party
golems, and the like. However, a good wizard’s traps may be of elves, half-elves, and human allies to launch an assault on
intended more to frighten off, discourage, or expel intruders the clan’s dungeon stronghold.
(tricks like fearsome illusions or teleporting them naked into
a nearby cesspool). It’s also quite likely that things like major All’s Fair in War
artifacts of evil being held here to “keep them out of the
A simple good/evil dichotomy can fall by the wayside in
wrong hands” be protected by deadly wards such as mighty
a world with rival kingdoms or factions divided by politics
golems or spirit swords.
rather than morality. If war breaks out and the good dungeon
A variation on the good wizard’s cellar is the fortified
is part of enemy territory – for example, a stronghold of the
underground library complex built to house forbidden knowl-
other kingdom’s court wizard, the lair of an enemy-allied crea-
edge, perhaps manned by an order of scholar-knights, schol-
ture, or a prison holding POWs who need to be rescued – then
ar-clerics, or scholar-martial artists. Stock it full of the items
an attack on it falls under the rules of war!
described in Sages, like exotic manuals, spell books, maps,
and scrolls.
Oops
Monster Lairs The guardian monster may be a “good” dragon or other
creature, but no one told the PCs! For a one-off adventure, a
A dungeon complex could be built around a benign but
good party might raid a good monster’s lair only to learn at
frightening nonhuman monster, such as a “good” dragon.
the last minute (or after the fact) that their target wasn’t evil.
Such creatures often hoard knowledge or beautiful things,
Perhaps the adventurers were duped by jealous rivals or prej-
making them tempting targets. Historically, angels assigned
udiced villagers who wanted its treasure. (But don’t do this too
to guard powerful treasures or holy sanctuaries were often
often, or your players may get annoyed.)

The Greater Good
What if a powerful artifact is held by one “good” fac-
tion in a subterranean temple or stronghold, but another,
Other Residents
equally good group believes they require it to bring about Not all denizens of a “good” dungeon need be benign
their noble goals? If negotiations fail but the stakes are creatures, of course. Any underground complex may have
high, they may feel justified in launching a raid to take it by its share of wandering dungeon vermin who just happen
force. As with Ethical Rogues, this may require minimum to live in odd corners or side passages, such as giant rats,
force. A classic conflict between good factions is in Tolkien’s oozes, or spiders.
Lord of the Rings where disputes over the One Ring (use as
a weapon, hide it, or destroy it?) breed betrayal.
the dungeon to thwart the evil plan or stop the corruption
before it can spread. Or they might have been taken captive
Corruption and have to fight their way out of the dungeon.
A wizard, demon, vampire, or evil artifact with mind-con-
trol or possession abilities could take over the inhabitants
of a “good” dungeon and subtly turn them to evil. Now they
Blackmail
must be stopped! It may be unnecessary to control every den- Suppose a powerful, greedy, or evil entity has the party
izen: Possessing or controlling the leader, or impersonating over a barrel, having captured one of their members or loved
him (via shapeshifting) might be enough, if the followers are ones, or having something else they desperately need for the
blindly loyal. The party may be employed to infiltrate or attack greater good. They might be offered a deal: In exchange for
what the adventurers want, they have to
raid a “good” dungeon and steal a partic-
ular treasure.
The Undercover
Dungeoneer
What if the PCs have to infiltrate or spy
on an evil cult, band of marauders, wicked
baron, or dark lord, posing as ruthless
mercenaries? While undercover, they may
have to participate in some minor villain-
ies to build credibility, such as raiding a
good dungeon. The characters’ challenge
is to appear evil, or at least cunning and
ruthless, while reducing any loss of life
against their innocent targets. This may
require throwing fights, allowing enemies
to “barely escape” and carefully misdirect-
ing their pretend-allies while not being
killed for real by their good opponents.
About the
Columnist
David L. Pulver is a Canadian free-
lance author. An avid science-fiction fan,
he began roleplaying in junior high with
the newly released Basic Dungeons &
Dragons. Upon graduating from uni-
versity, he decided to become a game
designer. Since then, David has written
over 70 roleplaying game books, and he
has worked as a staff writer, editor, and
line developer for Steve Jackson Games
and Guardians of Order. He is best known
for creating Transhuman Space, co-au-
thoring the Big Eyes, Small Mouth anime
RPG, and writing countless GURPS
books, including the GURPS Basic Set,
Fourth Edition, GURPS Ultra-Tech, and
the GURPS Spaceships series.

Dungeon
Fantasy
Video Gaming by Christopher R. Rice
Early video games had their roots in earlier roleplaying most popular lines, Dungeon Fantasy. Why try to emulate a
games. As this trend continues, the lines between video games video game in a tabletop role-playing game? Why not just play
and roleplaying games have blurred. a video game? The answers to these questions vary from per-
This article explores 10 such video game tropes that work son to person, but the most likely answer is that it would be
well in tabletop games and how to use them in one of GURPS’ totally cool.
Not One, But All

Video game series like Disagea and Final Fantasy feature • 125 points in a higher level of Emulation, bigger tem-
a “job system,” allowing players to create a character who is plate pool, or Imitation abilities (see p. 31). • A further 30
incredibly multitalented, but not all the time. The following points in additional improvements from the previous list,
new template can be used alongside the standard templates, or, increased attributes or secondary characteristics, or Cul-
more radically, it could be the only template in the campaign. tural Familiarity [1/culture] or Cultural Adaptability [10],
Eidetic Memory or Photographic Memory [5 or 10], For-
Imitator gettable Face† [1], Gizmos 1-3 [5/level], Honest Face [1],
Language Talent [10], Languages (any) [2-6/language],
250 points Luck or Extraordinary Luck [15 or 30], Signature Gear
Your friends call you a “mimic.” Technically, that’s true. [Varies], Wealth [varies], Wild Talent 1 (Retention, +25%;
Given enough time, you can “become” any character template Focused, Skill must appear on a Emulated character tem-
(with all that entails). You might even be good at imperson- plate’s list, -20%) [21].
ation, acting, and similar mimicry-related skills. When you’re Disadvantages: Unusual Biochemistry [-5‡]. • ‑20 points
not imitating other character templates, you’re rather boring, chosen from among Absent-Mindedness [-15], Chummy
with few discernible features and abilities of your own. You’re or Gregarious [-5 or -10], Compulsive Lying [-15*], Curi-
always welcome in delving parties due to your skill at becom- ous [-5*], Delusion (“I’ve always been a [emulated tem-
ing any type of adventurer they might need. plate]!) [-10], Frightens Animals [-10], Impulsiveness [-10*],
Your abilities might be due to strange alchemical or bio- Increased Consumption 1 [-10], Loner [-5*], Magical Sus-
logical powers (the default assumption), spiritual gifts (you’re ceptibility (Body Control, Communication and Empathy,
a special kind of medium who channels long-dead adventur- or Mind Control spells only, -70%) 1-5 [0.9/level], Obses-
ers), or simply “remembering” abilities (either from some sort sion (Master all character types) [-10*], Odious Personal
of specialized collective racial memory or drawing memories Habit (Bland or Boring) [varies], Overconfidence [-5*],
from another time stream). If this changes, the Imitation Sense of Duty (Adventuring companions) [‑5], Short Atten-
power modifier (p. 31) changes as well. tion Span [-10*], Split Personality [-15*], Trickster [-15*],
Unnatural Features 1-5 [-1/level], Weirdness Magnet [‑15].
Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 10 [0]. Skills: None! But earned character points or points from
Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d‑2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP quirks may be spent on the following: Savoir-Faire (E)
10 [0]; Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5.00 IQ [1]; Acting, Disguise, and Streetwise, all (A) IQ-1 [1]‑9;
[0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Mimicry (Speech) (H) IQ-2 [1]-8; or Body Language (A)
Advantages: Emulation 2 (Two templates of choice; 150 Per-1 [1]-9.
points) [170] (see pp. 31-33) and Imitation Talent 1 [5].
* Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.

† This perk lets you really blend in. Your face is hard to pick as if you had ingested a drug not designed for you; see p. B160
out or remember. You get +1 to Shadowing in crowds, while for the effects.
others have -1 to rolls made to recognize you from a lineup or
mug shots – or even to recall meeting you! Imitation Abilities
‡ In addition to drugs and other chemical concoctions, this
Alternate Form (Humanoid race; Cosmetic, -50%; PM,
includes alchemical potions, strange alcoholic brews, etc.
-10%) [6/form]; Elastic Skin (PM, -10%) [18]; Emulation (see
below) [Varies]; Flexible or Double-Jointed (PM, -10%) [5 or
Customization Notes
14]; Growth 1 (PM, -10%) [9]; Hermaphromorph (PM, -10%)
Although the imitator allows the ultimate in customiza-
[5]; Metabolism Control 1-3 (PM, -10%) [5, 9, or 14]; Mimicry
tion, there are three possible focuses.
(PM, -10%) [9]; Resistant to Transformation Effects (+3), (+8),
The jack of all trades specializes in breadth of character
or Immunity (PM, -10%) [2, 3, 5]; Protected Power (PM, -10%)
templates, rather than depth. Higher levels of Emulation are
[5]; Shrinking 1-6 (PM, -10%) [4.5/level].
de rigueur for such characters, but don’t neglect putting points
into the template pool.
The master of disguise specializes in traits that allow him Imitation Talent
to blend in no matter where he is. Invest points in Mimicry, 5 points/level
Acting, and so on. Imitation Talent adds to rolls to use all Imitation abili-
The expert specializes in two or three particular character ties (above). It also adds to the imitator’s IQ for determining
templates. Spend the most points on the template pool. how many character templates he can learn when his Emu-
Quirks carry over to emulated character templates, so imi- lation level reaches 6. Finally, it adds to all rolls for disguise
tator players should choose ones that can best fit in with all of or impersonation.
the preferred template choices.
New Imitation Ability:

Emulation
Outside the dream 10 points/level, plus template pool
world, life can be harsh, Prerequisite: Imitation Talent 1.
By meditating for an hour, you can assume the
even cruel, but it is life. traits of another character template, adding them to
your own. This allows you to be exceptionally mul-
– Auron, titalented. When you acquire or improve this advan-
tage, “spend” the points from your template pool on
in Final Fantasy X a different character template: its improved attributes

and characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, skills,
and powers. (Select only -25 points in disadvantages,
and make sure they don’t conflict with your own.)
Whenever you assume this template, you gain these
specific traits; you don’t get to choose new ones every time you
Imitation Power swap! There is no visible component to your change unless a
specific trait forces a change; you still look like you.
Imitators derive their powers partly from their strange
With Emulation 1-5, you can learn a number of templates
metabolism (also see p. 30) and partly from their studies. They
equal to your Emulation level. You can acquire multiple vari-
are by their very natures observers and imitators; this allows
ants of the same template (e.g., an “assassin bowman” scout
them to become others.
and a “nature boy” scout), but each counts as its own tem-
plate. Adding a new level of Emulation requires you to study
Power Modifier: Imitation the template you’re adding for at least an hour (in addition to
-10% spending the character points); this usually means watching
Your abilities are partly tied to your unique body chem- someone in action, but the GM may allow book learning to
istry. You must have Unusual Biochemistry (p. B160); if count as well. Once you reach Emulation 6 (the maximum),
you ever roll a 4-5 for that disadvantage, the drug or potion you can learn a number of templates equal to your (unmodi-
in question works, but the “harmful effect” is always losing fied) IQ plus Imitation Talent and you may choose to forget a
access to all of your Imitation abilities for 1d minutes. With known one in order to study a new one.
Emulation, you don’t lose the traits that you’re currently emu- Denote this ability with the templates you know and your
lating, but you cannot begin meditating to change your tem- total template pool; e.g., “Emulation 3 (Bard, Knight, Wizard;
plate until you recover. Before you spend points on any new 250 points) [280]. Your template pool must be at least 150
ability, you must spend extra time studying. This time is one points; there is no limit on how large it can be, and its size is
hour per 10 character points the ability costs. Finally, because not tied to your Emulation level. If you have the points, you
of your odd digestive tract, you pay 50% more to get special can add a profession lens to an assumed template, though this
rations, exotic spices, etc. Failure to do so requires a roll just requires GM permission.

Under the Hood: The Imitator’s Powers
The imitator makes use of a new modifier for If you can only assume new character templates, this
Shapeshifting. costs +0%. If you can change your racial template as
well, this costs +50%. This enhancement is incompat-
Shapeshifting ible with most Morph limitations (Mass Conservation,
Retains Shape, etc.) unless you can also change your
see pp. B84-85 racial template.
The following new modifier is useful for cinematic Optionally, the GM could require that imitators emu-
polymaths, telepaths, alien metamorphs, etc. late specific templates before others, creating a prereq-
uisite chain such as the one below.
New Special Enhancement Lenses have been omitted from the table because they
Occupational-Shifting: Instead of assuming a new already allow a character to have multiple professions. If
racial template, you can assume a new character tem- the GM wants imitators to be able to choose lenses as a
plate. Any time that you first assume a new template, part of their emulated character templates (and is using
choose the advantages, disadvantages, skills, etc. nor- this chart), then he should require that the imitator have at
mally. Whenever you assume this particular template, least the Basic version of the profession he is lensing into.
you use these traits (you can’t choose new ones every To conserve space, references abbreviate Dungeon
time you change “forms”). If your game includes disad- Fantasy volumes as boldface, italic numerals preceded
vantage limits (p. B11), then any disadvantages from this by “DF.” For example, “(DF1, p. 5)” is short for “page 5
acquired template count against it. If you have a charac- of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers.” Issues of
ter template, this does not subsume that one (you keep Pyramid are abbreviated to just the volume and issue num-
all of that template’s traits). This is similar to Modular ber. For example, “(#3/47, p. 20) refers to p. 20 of Pyramid
Abilities (p. B71). #3/47: The Rogue’s Life.
Imitator Prerequisite Chain

Basic Expert Advanced
Agent (DF15, p. 4) Bard (DF1, p. 5), Innkeeper (DF10, p. 8), or Monster Slaver (#3/47, p. 20) or Justicar
Thief (DF1, p. 12) (#3/10, p. 4)
Apprentice (DF15, p. 6) Wizard (DF1, p. 13) Demonologist, Elementalist, Necromancer
(DF9, p. p6, 9, 13), Grey Necromancer,
Infernal Diabolist (#3/50, p. 9), or
Mystic Knight (#3/13, p. 16)
Archer (DF15, p. 8) Knight or Scout (DF1, pp. 8, 10) Demolisher*, Musketeer (#3/36, pp. 4, 17),
or Mystic Knight (#3/13, p. 16)
Brute (DF15, p. 9) Assassin (DF12, p. 9), Barbarian (DF1, p. 4), Mystic Knight (#3/13, p. 16)
or Knight (DF1, p. 8)
Cutpurse (DF15, p. 10) Assassin (DF12, p. 9) or Thief (DF1, p. 12) –
Dwarf (#3/50, p. 4) Demolisher* (#3/36, p. 4). –
Elf (#3/50, p. 6) Scout or Wizard† (DF1, p. 13) Mystic Knight† (#3/13, p. 16)
Initiate (DF15, p. 12) Cleric‡, Druid, Holy Warrior‡ (DF1, pp. 6-7) Shaman (DF9, p. 16)
Killer (DF15, p. 14) Assassin or Ninja (DF12, pp. 8-9) –
– Mentalist (DF14, p. 15) –
Sage (DF15, p. 15) Artificer or Scholar (DF4, pp. 4, 8) Demolisher or Musketeer (#3/36, pp. 4, 17)
Skirmisher (DF15, Martial Artist (DF1, p. 9), Ninja (DF12, p. 9), Musketeer (#3/36, p. 17)
p. 16) or Swashbuckler (DF1, p. 11)
Squire (DF15, p. 17) Holy Warrior or Knight (DF1, pp. 7-8) Mystic Knight (#3/13, p. 16)
* Requires the dwarf racial template (GURPS imitator’s character templates is the elf as a profession
Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level, p. 6) unless one (Pyramid #3/50, pp. 6-8).
of the imitator’s character templates is the dwarf as a ‡ This includes unholy clerics/warriors, variants (see
profession (Pyramid #3/50: Dungeon Fantasy II, pp. 4-6). GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics), elder clerics/war-
† Requires the elf racial template (GURPS Dungeon riors (Pyramid #3/43: Thaumatology III, pp. 11-12), and
Fantasy 3: The Next Level, pp. 6-8) unless one of the saints (Pyramid #3/50: Dungeon Fantasy II, pp. 8, 16).

Advantage: Alternate Form (Immediate Preparation You can change your racial template in addition to your
Required, 1 hour, -75%; Occupational-Shifting (p. 32), +0%; character template. This may be any “humanoid” template
Once On, Stays On, +50%; PM, -10%) [10/level]. Level 6 that the GM allows (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The
replaces this with Morph (Immediate Preparation Required, Next Level, p. 4) in his campaign. The race’s character point
1 hour, -75%; Needs Sample, Must study template, -5%; Occu- cost comes out of your template pool normally.
pational-Shifting (p. 32), +0%; Once On, Stays On, +50%; PM,
Advantages: Emulation 6 replaces Occupational-Shifting
-10%) [60]. The template pool is in addition to these costs,
(+0%) with Occupational-Shifting, Racial, limited by Acces-
using the standard rules for assuming more powerful forms
sibility, Playable humanoid races only (a net +45%), for
via Shapeshifting (pp. B83-85).
45 points.
Imitator Power-Ups Secret Stash

Imitators can spend any number of points in their Emula- 8 points for level 1, 7 points per additional level
tion ability at any time. They also have the following options. Prerequisite: Emulation 1, Imitation Talent 1+.
• Energy Reserve (Imitation) [3/level], with no upper limit. You can store up to 10 lbs per level in a pocket dimension
This can be used for any skill, spell, ability, etc. that is a part of that you can easily access. This allows you to carry a multi-
a currently Emulated character template or used through Wild tude of different types of gear for your various Emulated char-
Talent, regardless of type; e.g., it could fuel a druidic spell, acter templates.
then a deathly (necromancer) spell, and finally Power Blow.
However, it can’t be used for permanently learned abilities! Advantages: Payload 5 (Cosmic, Doesn’t count against
• Jack of All Trades 1-3 (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy encumbrance, +50%; Imitation, -10%) [7/level]. Feature:
11: Power-Ups, p. 28). Weight limit is based on a static BL of 20 lbs. instead of
• Ridiculous Luck [60]. using actual ST.
• Wild Talent (Retention, +25%; Focused, Skill must appear Perk: Packrat [1*].
on an Emulated character template’s list, -20%) [21/level], * When the GM assesses a ready time longer than a second
with no upper limit. The GM might also allow the Wild Ability – such as the times on p. B383 – for a gewgaw in your pocket
(GURPS Powers, p. 90) or No Advantage Requirements (1d sec.), pack (2d sec.), or room (1 minute), halve this, round-
(GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages, p. 9) enhancements, ing down. Retrieving items from your Payload usually only
enabling imitators to use any skill or ability at any time. takes one second.
Finally, the GM may permit imitators to have any trait
(including disadvantages) that appear on any character tem- New Equipment Modifier: Chimerical
plate they’ve emulated as the trait “bleeds through.” This can be added to any item. Pick two or more pieces
of gear that are similar in nature (suit or armor or clothing,
Impersonator broadsword or mace, and so on). Whenever you emulate a
5 points/level character template, you may also switch your chimerical
equipment to best match it. This costs +3 CF plus +3 CF per
This talent gives +1 per level (maximum four levels) to
switch beyond the second. Use the most expensive item to
Acting, Body Language, Detect Lies, Disguise, Mimicry, and
determine the base cost, but add 80% of the cost of all other
Savoir-Faire. You get no reaction bonus, but do get a +1/level
items. Switching forms takes 10 seconds and uses the weight
in Contests to resist the above skills.
of its current form.
For example, a imitator who can emulate both knight
Racial Emulation and wizard might have a set of robes (cloth armor) that can
45 points transform into a mail shirt. This would take 10 seconds, cost
Prerequisite: Emulation 6 and Imitation Talent 3. $522, and weigh 16 lbs. or 6 lbs. depending on its form.
You weren’t thinking of calling yourself

the Overlord without first settling things
with moi, were you?
– Mid-Boss, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Video-Game
Achievements Unlocked
Beyond new types of characters and abilities, there are as a network of gates or portals in the campaign setting.
plenty of other ways to infuse the video-game spirit into your Optionally, the following ability could be used instead (which
Dungeon Fantasy campaign. might also be a campaign feature if the GM allows).
Point-to-Point Teleport: Warp (Accessibility, Must have been
5’ Corridors to location previously, -20%; Blind only, -50%; Cannot Blink,
-50%; Extra Carrying Capacity, Extra-Heavy, +50%; Gyro-
and 10’ Ceilings scopic, +10%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute,
Many games feature “mini-maps” or “radar screens” that -30%; Reliable 10, +50%; Special Portal, Warp points, -40%)
allow players to see enemies, items, places of interest, and so [20]. Notes: This allows the user to travel through a series of
on. In GURPS, this is best defined as the Para-Radar Scanning portals or warp points that he has previously visited. He must
Sense advantage (p. B81). spend a minute preparing first, but is subject to the usual rules
for Warp. He also cannot evade attacks, doesn’t need to make
Mini-Map: 3D Spatial Sense [10] + Para-Radar (Always On, a Body Sense roll, and can carry up to his Extra-Heavy encum-
-10%; Extended Arc, 360°, +125%; Nuisance Effect, cannot brance with him.
be used to target unseen targets with supernatural abilities,
-5%; Penetrating, +50%; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%) [92] +
Shtick (Character’s “footprints” can be “seen” on Para-Radar) Quick, Save the Game!
[1]. Notes: This ability lets you “see” everything 20 yards from Video games often allow players to save their game at fixed
your current location from a 360º arc. It works in any envi- points or before specific events. In GURPS, this best trans-
ronment and is effectively undetectable. You always know lates as Extra Life (Copy, -20%) [20]. In a more meta-gaming
which way north is and receive bonuses to certain skills (see sense, The GM could require that players keep records of their
3D Spatial Sense, p. B34). When in an enclosed area, make an character as they are when they “save the game.” Some games
IQ roll – Engineer (Mining) if underground, Architecture or allow an infinite number of lives – but they cost gold or other
Urban Survival if in a building. Success allows you to build tangibles. In such games add, “Cosmic, Point cost is deducted
a mental map of the area, even if you’ve never been there. from character’s equipment and/or money” (+50%). This is
Finally, you always know where you’ve been in an area and calculated as $12,500 (or 2.5 ¥ Average Starting Wealth for
can follow your mental footprints to and from any location the campaign). If the character doesn’t have enough money or
you’ve visited with no roll. It cannot be used to target detected gear to cover the cost, he can instead go into debt (if the GM
subjects. 103 points. allows) or removes the advantage from his character sheet.
If all player characters or important NPCs have this ability, If a specific location or area is required to “save” your char-
this is simply a design switch. acter, add “Accessibility, Save point” (-20%). In such games,
the GM should permit players to purchase any
number of levels of Extra Life or set a hard
limit. One level of Extra Life per 100 points is
We Need to Go Deeper fair, allowing most delvers to have up to two
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy is at its nature “beer and pretzels” gam- levels. If you can “autosave” your character at
ing and may not suit all gaming groups. Of course, the GM could easily specific points, this is a +20% enhancement.
change this by using additional game mechanics. He could even run a Another option might allow characters to
traditional fantasy game with some Dungeon Fantasy elements. For have “unlimited lives.” This would be Unkill-
example, a setting with virtual-reality or similar technology (along with able 3 [150] plus Regeneration (Fast; Unkill-
magic or psionics) could present a game within a game. The characters able only, -40%) [30]. The character would
take the roles of players in a high-fantasy video game where their ava- then “re-form” at a predetermined spot, but
tars use the iconic template from Dungeon Fantasy 1. This allows the without his gear. If he has any Signature Gear,
GM to run two types of games at the same time. It would require more these re-form with him.
work during character creation and “leveling up” would become more The GM might design dungeons or the town
complicated, but it offers a greater variety of potential challenges. to have specific “respawning points” where
dead characters come back to life instead of
where they last saved the game. If the GM is
using warp points (see Dots on a Map, above), both warp points
D ots on a M ap and save points should be in the same area. He could even
In many video games, overland travel is boring, so the extend this to monsters. For instance, all slain monsters in a
designers create a way to justify avoiding it in game. This usu- particular dungeon might “respawn” every couple of hours.
ally takes the form of some kind of teleportation, often called If all of this is too complicated, the GM could simply rule
“warp points.” From a game perspective, this is best designed that the Resurrection spell costs less than normal.

Leveling Up Your Sword Undead Bane, Level 4: Crushing Attack 3d (Affects Insub-
stantial*, +10%; Armor Divisor (2)*, +25%; Cosmic, Unheal-
Dungeon Fantasy is all about the gear. Resource manage- ing Damage*, +50%; Double Blunt Trauma*, +10%; Double
ment is a big part of the genre, but most video games abstract Knockback*, +10%; Incendiary*, +5%; Linked, Mace, +10%;
gear. That isn’t to say that they don’t still use equipment, but Side Effect, Stunning*, +25%; Symptom, Negated Injury Tol-
they do it differently. A common trope is increasing a weap- erance (Unliving), Supernatural Durability, Unkillable 3, 2/3
on’s potency and your skill with it as you use it. The latter is HP, +160%; ) [61] + Modified Mace Damage (Affects Insub-
easy – delvers just increase their skill levels. The former . . . stantial*, +10%; Armor Divisor (2)*, +25%; Cosmic, Unheal-
not so much. ing Damage*, +50%; Double Blunt Trauma*, +10%; Double
A few options exist to improve weapons. The first is the Knockback*, +10%; Incendiary*, +5%; Side Effect, Stunning*,
Named Possession perk (GURPS Power-Ups 2: Perks, p. 19), +25%; Symptom, Negated Injury Tolerance (Unliving), Super-
which lets you purchase magical enchantments on your natural Durability, Unkillable 3, 2/3 HP, +160%) [45] + Rest in
weapon based on your achievements. To see how this works Pieces [1]. 107 points.
in Dungeon Fantasy, see Imbued Weapon on p. 19 of Pyramid
#3/13: Thaumatology. The second is Imbuement Skills, which * Limited with the modifier “Only on Undead, -50%.”
affect all weapons you can use with a particular skill;
see GURPS Power-Ups 1: Imbuements for further
details. Another option, albeit more complicated, Give me a good fight, like you
is to use the rules for Modifying Existing Damage
(GURPS Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, p. 9) for a always do!
specific weapon. For example, battling a particular
type of monster using the same weapon repeatedly – Sigma, Mega Man X7
might give it special powers, as described by the new
power-up, Bane Weaponry.
New Power-Up: Bane Weaponry Über Powers

Having access to powerful abilities, enhanced attributes,
Varies
or better skills as a character loses health is a common trope
Prerequisite: Signature Gear and either Named Possession
of many video games. In GURPS, this is best represented
or Imbued Weapon, all for a particular weapon.
as the Trigger limitation, “Trigger, Must be at 1/3 HP or
Your weapon is instilled with the power to fight a par- less” (-30%). Also consider Character Point-Powered Abilities
ticular creature class, such as Demons or Constructs. If you (GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys, p. 13); this requires
choose Mundanes, you must choose a specific race like elves, the expenditure of at least one character point per use, but
dwarves, and so on. The cost varies with the weapon you’re divides cost by 5.
using; see Modifying Melee Weapon Damage rules (Power-Ups
Example: Ruehalik the Red is a Barbarian that was blessed
4, pp. 10-11). You don’t actually spend character points on this
by his primitive gods. The more blood he sheds in combat,
power-up, instead you use character points gained from your
the stronger he gets. His player purchases this as ST+5 (Size,
Named Possession or Imbued Weapon perk.
-10%; Trigger, Must be at 1/3 HP or less, -30%), for 30 points.
Advantage: Varies; see below for an example.
He could optionally add Costs Character Points, reducing the
The following is an example for Bane Weaponry. All sta- cost to a mere 6 points, but he must spend a character point
tistics assume a fine-quality mace (p. B271) and an ST of 14. per minute every time he wishes to use his enhanced ST.
Undead Bane, Level 1: Crushing Attack 3 points (Affects
Insubstantial*, +10%; Incendiary*, +5%; Linked, Mace, +10%)
[6] + Modified Mace Damage (Affects Insubstantial*, +10%;
Blue on Blue Fire . . . ball
A common trope of video games is that your attacks can
Incendiary*, +5%) [3] + Rest in Pieces (Power-Ups 2, p. 19)
only hurt your enemies, not your allies or bystanders. For
[1]. 10 points.
such worlds, use the following optional rule.
Undead Bane, Level 2: Crushing Attack 1d (Affects Insub-
stantial*, +10%; Double Blunt Trauma*, +10%; Double No Friendly Fire: In your world, your attacks only hurt ene-
Knockback*, +10%; Incendiary*, +5%; Linked, Mace, +10%) mies. Whenever you accidentally hit another PC, a friendly or
[8] + Modified Mace Damage (Affects Insubstantial*, +10%; neutral NPC, or anybody but a genuine opponent, you inflict
Double Blunt Trauma*, +10%; Double Knockback*, +10%; no injury – even with “instant” death attacks or explosives!
Incendiary*, +5%) [6] + Rest in Pieces [1]. 14 points. Depending on the campaign, knockback still may occur (mak-
Undead Bane, Level 3: Crushing Attack 2d (Affects Insub- ing friendly explosives a handy means of travel), and deliber-
stantial*, +10%; Armor Divisor (2)*, +25%; Double Blunt ate shots may hurt (if not, then you can even shoot allies to
Trauma*, +10%; Double Knockback*, +10%; Incendiary*, signal them). Calculate damage normally for such situations,
+5%; Linked, Mace, +10%; Side Effect, Stunning*, +25%) and apply knockback or a shock penalty if applicable. You
[20] + Modified Mace Damage (Affects Insubstantial*, +10%; might even be able to “turn” this off, if both you and your
Armor Divisor (2)*, +25%; Double Blunt Trauma*, +10%; target agree. Even more optionally, the GM may designate
Double Knockback*, +10%; Incendiary*, +5%; Side Effect, some areas as “player kill player” territory, meaning this rule
Stunning*, +25%) [13] + Rest in Pieces [1]. 34 points. is turned off there as well . . .

Gaming Combat Illogical Loot
and Combat Gaming Many video games, especially rogue-likes and MMORPGs,
feature “treasure drops.” The players can get new gear by sim-
Many RPG video games have a “battle system” that gives ply fighting a monster, even if the monster could not ratio-
players plenty of time to make decisions about what they nally have the item on them! The best way to handle this is
want their characters to do. In GURPS, this is best repre- to simply use GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables.
sented as Enhanced Time Sense (Combat Only, -20%) [36]. The GM might modify die rolls for powerful monsters
This grants all the benefits of Enhanced Time Sense (p. B52), or “boss” creatures. For example, instead of a 1d, 1d, 1d roll,
but only when combat begins. The GM could make this an the GM could roll 1d+3, 1d, 1d rolls for particularly danger-
Unusual Background (Very Important Player) or a feature that ous encounters.
all adventurers get for free.
Eating Souls for Revive, Restore,

and Rejuvenate
Fun and Profit GURPS assumes a realistic level of HP restoration for
In some video games, opponents that are killed disappear those without special advantages. But what if the standard
in a flash of light or puff of smoke and leave behind items or rate of healing was greater than the norm? The GM will first
globes of energy that heal those that touch them. This is some- have to decide if this affects only PCs and important NPCs, or
times called an “essence drop.” everyone in the game world (except their enemies). Use the
For GURPS, this could be treated in the following way: following optional cinematic rule.
Whenever a delver kills a monster, he rolls on the chart below,
“harvesting” his foe (which typically appears as a glowing orb Cinematic Rejuvenation: You can heal much more quickly
or similar). This is a free action if he standing in the same than normal; the GM decides how much faster this is. Most
hex as the target or touching it. The globes last for 1d sec- comic books and cinematic movies would support a rate of 1
onds before fading away, and effects are determined when you HP per 12 hours. Most action movies support 1 HP per hour.
“pick up” the orb. Most of the time, the delver gains (or loses) Anything faster is appropriate for “realistic” for cartoons
a few HP or FP, but might occasionally receive temporary where coyotes constantly fall off cliffs, but end up with little or
boosts to traits (which last for 1d minutes) – or even perma- no damage. The GM may permit a similar rule for FP if it suits
nent ones if he’s lucky. the campaign. In such cases, most comic books and cinematic
The GM may also vary the roll for how “important” a mon- movies support an FP regeneration rate of 1 FP per 5 minutes.
ster is. For example, a horde of doomchildren might allow rolls Action movies might allow up to 1 FP per minute!
of 2d+6, while a “boss” mindwarper might give a roll of 1d!
Essence Harvest Table

I’m Tired of Using a Sword
Some video games enable players to “rewrite” their game
Roll Result* character’s character sheet at a price. The GM can allow the
3 Permanently acquire 1d points of the target’s following new cinematic rule.
traits (GM’s decision).
4 Permanently acquire 1 point of the target’s Trait Respecialization: If you possess a character template,
traits (GM’s decision). you may opt to go back and make different choices in
5 Temporarily acquire 1d¥5 points of the target’s advantages, disadvantages, skills, etc. By default this doesn’t
traits (GM’s decision). cost anything, but takes 10 minutes per point of traits changed.
6 Temporarily acquire 1d point of the target’s This might be different for some campaigns, depending on the
traits (GM’s decision). rewards and how much the GM wants to encourage PC bonus-
7 Completely restore HP and FP†. point spending. For example, in Dungeon Fantasy, you might
8 Completely restore HP or FP†. have to pay $40 per point shifted, just as if you were buying
9 Restore 2d HP and FP†. new capabilities on your character template.
10 Restore 1d HP and FP†.

11
12
Restore 2d HP or FP†.
Restore 1d HP or FP†. About the Author
13 Restore 1d-1 HP or FP†. Christopher R. Rice is an old skool video gamer in
14 Restore 1d-2 HP or FP†. addition to his love of tabletop role-playing games. From
15 Restore 1 point of HP or FP†. Portsmouth, Virginia, he dreams of being able to write full-
16 Lose 1 point of FP or suffer 1 point of injury. time, or at least eke out a living doing it. He wishes to thank
17 Lose 1d-1 FP or suffer 1d-1 of injury. L.A., his own personal muse, as well as the rest of his gam-
18 Lose 1d-2 FP or suffer 1d-1 of injury. ing group; Antoni Ten Monrós; Beth “Archangel” McCoy, the
“Sith Editrix”; Emily “Bruno” Smirle; Timothy “Humabot”
* The GM can treat traits gained in this way as bonus points Ponce; and Scott “Rocketman” Rochat, for being most excel-
or use them instead of normal rewards. lent sounding boards.
† This also includes other personal energy sources, such as
an Energy Reserve (see Powers, p. 119).

Random
Thought Table
To Conjure
the Unknown
by Steven Marsh, Pyramid Editor
There are many classic Dungeons & Dragons adventures personal note, this adventure also has the distinction of being
(Advanced or otherwise), and probably at least as many “best the first standalone adventure I ever purchased, after the
of” lists that attempt to classify and rank them. I’m not going original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set; it made next-to-no
to do that here, entrusting the abilities of you – gentle reader sense (having been designed for a different game system), but
– to sate your curiosity with Google. However, when you go it made up for what it lacked in comprehensibility with more
over some of the adventures that consistently appear on those “this is awesome!” bits than my pre-teen brain could handle.
lists, you see one common element: They all bring something
This isn’t to say that adventures that hew close to dun-
new to the table.
geon-fantasy conventions can’t be fun or classic. In fact, I’d
• Ravenloft takes place mostly within a detailed castle – you argue (and have, elsewhere) that diversions need a strong
know, those generally safe locales where heroes receive quests foundation of “baseline” expectations, so that whatever ends
from kindly nobles, not meet their doom. The adventure was up being changed makes a greater impression. The Empire
also unique for its time at having a central antagonist – Strahd Strikes Back is a fondly remembered gut-punch where the
von Zarovich – who was given arguably more background, heroes get their butts kicked at almost every turn, but if every
motivation, and personality than any previous adversary. The installment of the Star Wars series was The Good Guys Lose for
entire adventure felt deliberate, forsaking the seemingly ran- Two Hours, it’d probably be unwatchable. Still, classic dun-
dom rooms filled with 3,872 orcs and whatnot. geon-crawling vaguely Renaissance Faire-type adventuring
• Dragons of Despair – the first Dragonlance adventure – has many decades of imprinting upon our collective gaming
was an attempt at an entirely different kind of game world. It consciousness, so it should be safe to shake up its expectations
had enough familiar elements to feel safe but enough dispari- as much as desired without fear of losing anything.
ties to shake players out of their comfort zone. It was also the In thinking of our expectations of “alternate dungeons,”
first attempt at bringing an epic-feeling Lord of the Rings-style there are three broad categories where ideas can originate:
storyline to the gaming table, rather than the one-and-done subtractive, additive, and transformative.
adventures or loosely connected adventure series that had
been the game’s bread and butter.
• Expedition to the Barrier Peaks takes place within Subtractive
the confines of a crashed spaceship, with the heroes finding In a subtractive alternate-dungeon campaign, you remove
robots, laser weapons, and other ultra-tech oddities. From element(s) you don’t want from the game. This can be for
my perspective, one of the most interesting elements of the game-functionality purposes (such as getting rid of equipment
adventure was the great lengths it employed to “stay in char- lists and item costs because none of the players enjoy virtual
acter,” with game mechanics to figure out the contraptions, shopping) or for setting-related purposes (such as removing
and descriptions that couch everything in medieval low-tech all deities and other-planar elements, resulting in no cleri-
terms. For example, plastic keycards are described as “heavily cal magic or extradimensional meddling). Really, the core
leaded panes of colored glass.” GURPS Dungeon Fantasy ideal is “subtractive” of the entirety
• Queen of the Demonweb Pits takes the heroes on of a GURPS Fantasy campaign, paring away most social and
crossplane adventures to the abyss, in a climactic adventure realistic-simulationist options from a realistic GURPS game.
against a goddess and her mechanical spider ship. (Really, Some crazier options to spark your imagination:
it’s even crazier than any brief description can allow.) On a
• No gods. (See above for possible effects.)

• No equipment shopping. Maybe heroes are all supplied hand-waved away; you’re also opening up new adventure and
with the gear they’ll need (or can acquire during an adven- campaign possibilities: “There’s a monstrous ritual that’s set
ture), like James Bond or a Starfleet agent. to go off in these five cities, and you only have an hour to stop
• No fighters/magicians/whatever. Pick a profession, and it!” Adding the ability to shuffle damage allows for more tac-
just say it doesn’t exist on this world: “There are no mages, tical choices in combat, but it might also result in one of the
because magic is outlawed.” Alternatively, only that profession heroes being the “point” in any combat, with the rest being his
exists in this setting. (A campaign where all the PCs are var- “batteries” (which may or may not be desirable). In a world
ious flavors of mages would be very interesting, as GURPS with bonded animal companions . . . well, that’s just plain cool
Magical Styles: Dungeon Magic demonstrates.) – but it might also result in gaming possibilities that require
• No overland threats. There aren’t flying dragons, rocs, the players taking the roles of their animals at certain times.
dinosaurs, or any other nonmundane threats on the land or
in temples/castles/etc. aboveground; all dangers are under-
ground, in dungeons or catacombs. Transformative
Perhaps the trickiest – but also the most satisfying –
technique is to transform one element in a dungeon-fan-
The More, the Merrier

tasy game into another. For example, in Spiderweb
Software’s computer RPG Geneforge (which I had the
Some alternate campaigns can use two or even three of privilege of beta-testing for its first few installments),
these methods and still resemble a dungeon-crawling cam- most technology and equipment has been replaced with
paign. For example, in a campaign I ran, I set all of the adven- bioengineered . . . things. Ranged weapons are these
tures in one city, where magic was illegal but clerical powers needler-like sac shooters, “experience” is replaced with
were not. My assumption was that many adventures would gene-activating serums you can find, all the “monsters”
have a strong socio-political/diplomatic element, with the are these horrific lab experiments, and so on. The entire
heroes torn between various factions. experience at once feels entirely familiar (you can play
Thus I subtracted the usual “roam the lands in search of a fighter or rogue, wandering around killing monsters
dungeons” trope, I added political elements, and I transformed and uncovering the secrets of a story featuring robe-
the nature of magic in the world. (It turns out the Church sup- clad “wizard”-types) and very fresh and alien. The same
pressed magic because it was trivially easy to perform com- company also makes the Avernum series (which I also
pared to clerical magic; what if everyone could fling a fireball, playtested some of), which casts the fantasy heroes as
as often as they like, just by saying the right magic phrase and attempting to escape a vast underground “prison” world
making the right hand gestures?) It was a fun setting, which that houses undesirables.
felt very different from the usual but still very much a “dun- In the case of transformative dungeon-fantasy ideas,
geon fantasy” campaign. think of what elements you can tweak, and how. You
might alter the setting, selecting a different culture other
than the traditional “vaguely European Ren Faire.” You
might change the environment, making predominant
Additive locales more desert, swamp, or ocean-based.
One aspect that hasn’t received much official expansion is
Alternatively, take a stock dungeon-fantasy campaign, and changing the motivation of dungeon-crawling. The traditional
add stuff to it. This trend started perhaps in earnest with the assumption is that the heroes are gathering loot, to afford
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons setting material for Second better gear and training, to tackle tougher dungeons, to get
Edition, with things like Spelljammer (add pulpy science-fan- more loot, etc. However, what if you transform that assump-
tasy), Ravenloft (add gothic horror), and Planescape (add tion into something else? Perhaps the heroes need to find
extraplanar travel and intrigue). The permissive license of the orichalcum chips (about the size of coins) in deep dungeons
d20 System at the turn of the millennium caused an explo- to power their exotic equipment; in this case, treasure isn’t an
sion of these, resulting in dungeon fantasy being welded to exchange-rate medium for cool powers, but a direct source
things like steampunk, Lovecraftian horror, dragon-riding, of them. Or maybe the top of the disc-shaped world is slowly
and mecha. getting closer to the Sun-Disc, resulting in discal warming; the
Just about anything you think could be cool can be added; heroes might be exploring deeper and deeper dungeons not
dungeon fantasy is the Platonic Ideal for being able to say for material reward directly, but to find a solution, or possibly
“a wizard did it” and have it be appropriate. Give all heroes an escape route to the legendary Flipside.
the ability to teleport between any known population center If you need even more ideas, flip through this issue – it’s
with more than 1,000 people? Sure! Bonding with animals is packed with them!
very easy, and the “powering up” of adventurers is split evenly
between the human and animal? Neat! All heroes are linked
so that they can shuffle damage and energy around between About the Editor
them? Wild! Steven Marsh is a freelance writer and editor. He has con-
When adding elements to a dungeon-fantasy campaign, tributed to roleplaying game releases from Green Ronin, West
it’s best to have a firm idea of why you’re doing so, and End Games, White Wolf, Hogshead Publishing, and others.
what you’re hoping to accomplish. In the case of teleporting He has been editing Pyramid for over 10 years; during that
between cities, you’re speeding up the “get from one place to time, he has won four Origins awards. He lives in Indiana with
another” parts of a campaign that are frequently minimized or his wife, Nikola Vrtis, and their son.

About GURPS
Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fellow gamers,
of GURPS players. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. The Pyramid
18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self-ad- web page is pyramid.sjgames.com.
dressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us! Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bib-
We can also be reached by email: info@sjgames.com. liographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to
Resources include: let you buy the resources that interest you! Go to each
book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” link.
New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to
Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but
grow – see what’s new at gurps.sjgames.com.
we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata pages
Warehouse 23. Our online store offers GURPS adven-
for all GURPS releases, including this book, are available
tures, play aids, and support in PDF form . . . digital cop-
on our website – see above.
ies of our books, plus exclusive material available only on
Warehouse 23! Just head over to warehouse23.com. Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the
Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that
sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, and much more. begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
STUCK FOR AN ADVENTURE?

NO PROBLEM.
Warehouse 23 sells high-quality
game adventures and supplements
in print and PDF formats.
l Free downloadable adventures for GURPS, In Nomine, and Traveller!

l Fun gaming accessories – shot glasses, shirts, specialty six-siders, and more!
l PDFs from Atlas Games, Amarillo Design Bureau, Pelgrane Press,
Goodman Games, and many others – plus gems from the up-and-comers.
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from Kenneth Hite, Phil Masters, David Pulver, Sean Punch, and
William Stoddard!
l Fully searchable files of GURPS Fourth Edition supplements.
l Digital editions of out-of-print classics, from Orcslayer and the complete run
of ADQ to GURPS China and GURPS Ice Age.
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Stock #37-2672

From the Bottom Up. ............................. 22

All orc and no play planetary-romance adventures, including technology, pow-

Pyramid Magazine 2 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 3 October 2014

GURPS Dungeon Fantasy condenses GURPS a lot but Agile

Pyramid Magazine 4 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 5 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 6 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 7 October 2014

O ptional ule R :E xchanges

Pyramid Magazine 8 October 2014

Wildcards ardry get a Per-based roll to recognize magic items on seeing

Pyramid Magazine 9 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 10 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 11 October 2014

Under the Hood

Pyramid Magazine 12 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 13 October 2014

Planetary Romance As a Campaign Theme

Pyramid Magazine 14 October 2014

Exotic Powers and

Technology or the Dying Earth of some of Jack Vance’s earlier stories in

Pyramid Magazine 15 October 2014

Notes generally. Similarly, ammunition and propellant should cost

Pyramid Magazine 16 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 17 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 18 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 19 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 20 October 2014

Blob or Odious Personal Habit [-5 to -15].

Pyramid Magazine 22 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 23 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 24 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 25 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 26 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 27 October 2014

The Good Stuff Why Raid

Pyramid Magazine 28 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 29 October 2014

Not One, But All

Pyramid Magazine 30 October 2014

New Imitation Ability:

in Final Fantasy X a different character template: its improved attributes

Pyramid Magazine 31 October 2014

Imitator Prerequisite Chain

Pyramid Magazine 32 October 2014

Imitator Power-Ups Secret Stash

You weren’t thinking of calling yourself

Pyramid Magazine 33 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 34 October 2014

New Power-Up: Bane Weaponry Über Powers

Pyramid Magazine 35 October 2014

Eating Souls for Revive, Restore,

Essence Harvest Table

Pyramid Magazine 36 October 2014

Pyramid Magazine 38 October 2014

The More, the Merrier

Pyramid Magazine 39 October 2014

STUCK FOR AN ADVENTURE?