The Roleplaying Game of Heroic Adventure in the - Mazes ...

Building Creatures
The Creature Compendium (third book of the
Revised M&M rules) will give you the characteristics
of more than 100 creatures - but to illustrate how
these rules work in practice, let us build two sample
creatures from scratch: the Satyr from Greek myth
and the dreadful Crawling Gorgon!
Sample Creature n°1: Classic Satyr
Satyrs are the classic man-goat hybrid from myth.
Taxonomy: Satyrs are Folks.
Size: Even though their height tends to be slightly
shorter than the human average, Satyrs are clearly
Medium-sized beings.
Ferocity: Satyrs are Peaceful (if lusty) creatures.
Cunning: Satyrs are usually quite Clever (+2).
Mystique: Their hybrid morphology as well as their
connection to the primeval forces of nature give
Satyrs a Weird Mystique (+1).
Special Abilities: Satyrs are often noted for their
Uncanny Agility and Supernatural Vigor. These
creatures are also Lightning Fast (which raises their
basic Movement allowance to 80’). They are also
able to Grapple or use Missile Weapons such as
javelins, slings or even bows.
These various characteristics and abilities give our
horned, hooved friend the following scores:
Initiative: The Satyr’s Ferocity (0), Cunning (+2),
Lightning Fast speed (+4) and Uncanny Agility (+2)
give him a final Initiative score of 18 – which makes
him very quick on his feet.
Melee: His Peaceful Ferocity (0) and Uncanny
Agility give the Satyr a Melee attack modifier of +1.
Since neither their hooves nor their horns really
qualify as natural weapons, Satyrs have to use
melee weapons (usually spears) to fight.
Missile: Satyrs can use missile weapons, with a
Missile mod equal to the sum of their Ferocity and
Cunning modifiers (+2).
Defense Class: His Weird Mystique (+1) and
Uncanny Agility (+2) give the Satyr a final Defense
Class of 15. This could be increased by a shield or
breasplate, but Satyrs do not normally wear such
items (since it would encumber them too much).
Hits Total: Their Medium Size (4 Basic Hits, Hit
Factor 4), Peaceful Ferocity (0) and Supernatural
Vigor give Satyrs a final Hits Total of 8.
Detection / Evasion: His Clever Cunning gives the
Satyr a basic Detection / Evasion of +4. His Evasion
is increased by his Lightning Fast speed (+4) and
Uncanny Agility (+2), for a final mod of +10.
Well, I couldn’t make it as a character class in the Revised
rules… but at least I get to be Sample Creature n°1 .
Mystic Fortitude: His Weird Mystique gives the
Satyr a Mystic Fortitude modifier of +2.
Sample Creature n°2: Crawling Gorgon
Crawling Gorgons are similar to regular Gorgons,
except that they have the lower body of a giant
snake and often use bows against their enemies (in
addition to their petrifying gaze): you can see one of
these creatures masquerading as Medusa in the
movie Clash of the Titans.
Taxonomy: Crawling Gorgons are Monsters.
Size: Even though her serpentine half makes her
quite large (or, more properly, quite long), her upper
humanoid body clearly qualifies the Crawling
Gorgon as a Medium-sized creature. This gives her
a Hits Factor of 4, a damage roll of 1d6 and a
Movement allowance of 60 feet.
Ferocity: The Crawling Gorgon is Deadly (+3).
Cunning: The Crawling Gorgon is Clever (+2).
Mystique: Her hybrid body, petrifying gaze and
supernatural origins make the Crawling Gorgon
more than Weird: Unearthly would probably be too
much, so we rate her Mystique as Eldritch (+2).
Special Abilities: Fearsome, Grapple (with her
snake-like tail), Invulnerability, Missile Weapons,
Petrification (20’ range), Poison (sting, death in 1d6
battle rounds), Sixth Sense, Stealthy and, of course,
Supernatural Vigor.
Her various characteristics and special abilities give
the Crawling Gorgon the following scores:
Initiative: The Crawling Gorgon’s Ferocity (+3),
Cunning (+2) and Fearsome looks (+2) give her a
total Initiative score of 17.
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