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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Some Dude" data-source="post: 7857737" data-attributes="member: 6980080">CHAPTER 7: LIBER MALUMChapter 7 of Main Gauche is an interesting and ambitious undertaking: the Liber Malus, which presents the Creature Creator, as well as the Non-P{layer Character Creator. At 60 pages, this could easily have been a separate supplement. It shows GMs how to design Creatures and NPCs. While the Bestiary from Zweihander's Core Rulebook devoted four pages to this topic, what we get here is a far more in-depth look at how a GM can populate their campaign world. In addition, we get a look behind the curtain, so to speak. Because while the section in the Corebook's Bestiary was sufficient to scale or re-skin creatures from it to better suit your games, Liber Malus gives you a step-by-step walkthrough of the process for creating fully fleshed out, balanced NPCs and Creatures. This approach, in my opinion, showcases three of Zweihander's strengths: completeness, balance and utility. As I said in my last post, this Chapter is the second longest in the book. It takes the reader, step by step, througfh the process of creating a non-player Character or Creature that preserves Zweihander's meticulous balance. It is a bit of a lengthy process, and I'm sure some will be content to continue re-skinning or scaling creatures from the Bestiary in their home games. But for those who wish to create friends and foes that are perfectly suited to their own needs and campaigns, there is Chapter 7. Which is a guide in ten parts to making your own. There is also a Creature Profile Sheet in the back of the book, and it can apparently also be downloaded. I will now give an overview of the Ten Steps in the Creature Creator. In the book, each Step is accompanied by a piece of the Creature Profile Sheet, which grows larger as parts are filled in along the way. The example Creature is a Demodog.Step 1: Influences & Classification - This is where you think about your Creature's basic concept. What is your inspiration? The Evil Dead movies? The Resident Evil games? Gothic/splatterpunk horror novels (probably dating myself a bit with these references)? Also, you need to decide which of the six Classifications  (Abyssal, Animal, Beast, Humanoid, Mutant or Supernatural)most suits your Creature. If you're not sure about this last one, it is recommended that you look at the examples in the Core Book's extensive Bestiary. There is also a sidebar here about preserving the mystery of your creatures. Keep your creations secret and safe. Don't let the thrill of discovery be spoiled by that one friend who always sits around reading your Monster Manuals, and foils every meticulously planned encounter you run by excitedly elbowing the player to his left and exclaiming, "That only has 3 Hit Dice! Let's Kill It!" Dammit, Robbie, I'm tired of you pulling that crap, and while we're on the subject of things that irritate me, if you want to piss all over the toilet seat, do it when you're hosting! And how come you never chip in for Pizz- oh. Uh, sorry. Wrong group.Step 2: Creature Size - This is exactly what it sounds like, and lays out the effects of larger and smaller Sizes (easier/harder to hit, deal less/more Damage, effects on Dodge and Parry actions, etc.). There are a few other considerations laid out as well.Step 3: Risk Factor & Notch - If you'll recall, Foes in Zweihander are broken down by Risk Factor, which corresponds to the Character's Tier (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced), and further by Notch, which gives an idea of the level of challenge (Low, Medium, High) posed by that Foe to PCs of the same Tier. Frex, Intermediate (Low), meaning Low Risk for an Intermediate Character, or Basic (High), meaning High Risk for a Character in the Basic Tier..Step 4: Primary Attributes - This is where the Creature's Primary Attributes are entered. Creatures have the same "stat block" as PCs. This section provides a brief overview of the Attributes and their Bonuses, and offers suggestions for assigning these Attributes based on Risk Factor.  Step 5: Role - This is a re-presentation/overhaul of the scaling/re-skinning rules from the Corebook's Bestiary, as mentioned earlier. There are four broad classifications that your Creature can fall into: Normal (whatever normal is for your undead fiend, toilet-dwelling demon or gigantic, burrowing carnivorous sloth), Underling (mooks, cannon fodder), Magician (which seem to have the most rules concerning their creation), or Boss. Normals and Underlings get a brief set of instructions, and are generally going to get fewer advantages. Bosses, as one might expect, get beefed up  quite a bit (the higher the Tier, the beefier the Boss). Magicians must be crafted in fairly specific ways, I'm assuming for the sake of balance and ease of running them for the GM. However, they do get a lot of attention. Magick-using creatures will always invoke Chaos Manifestations, even if using Divine Magick. Speaking of Magick, all of it is listed here. Every Spell in this game, from both of the books released so far, has been compiled and put into tables, from which you may select or roll randomly at your whim. It's a very cool and handy  reference, which, like the combined Archetypes tables in the first Chapter, merges the material from the first two books in a seamless and very useful way. Oh, I also forgot, this Step also lists the number of Spells, by Tier that each Magician-Role Creature should have, along with general reminders about Reagents, plus a couple of other guidelines.Step 6: Skill Ranks - Guidelines for how to assign Skill Ranks to your Creature, according to their Risk Factor and Notch. Includes specific instructions for Magicians, and a listing of all Skills (remember, the same Skills apply, and they are all in the Zweihander Corebook) and their relevant Primary Attribute.Step7: Bonus Advances - Bonuses, the little numbers that stack up high. Bonuses, you will of course remember, are used for all kinds of things, from determining Damage to calculating Secondary Attributes such as Damage and Peril Thresholds. Here, there are suggested Bonus Advances, also broken down by Risk Factor/Notch. Secondary Attributes, and how to assign them, are covered here as well.Step 8: Traits - Just like PCs, Creatures have Traits, or unique situational advantages they can use. These are a defining feature of Zweihander. They are a lot of fun, and can sometimes stack in unexpected and awesome ways. There are nearly 300 of them listed and described here, as well as instructions on how to assign them, and how many to give. Step 9: Attack Profile - This is where you list the Weapons, Traditional or Natural, that the Creature will use to thoroughly wreck your Players' naughty word. Each Classification of Creature has certain Natural Weapons available to it, and if you decide your Creature will use these instead of (or in addition to, heh-heh) Traditional Weapons, they are all listed here, according to Creature Classification. Again, there are guidelines for how many to assign, based on Risk Factor and Notch.Just like Traditional Weapons, Natural Weapons have Qualities. The Qualities from both books are presented here, in a big, useful table. Like Traits, qualities can combine to make each Weapon unique and interesting or give it advantages and drawbacks for balance and flavor.Step 10: Final Considerations - The finishing touches: Dodge and Parry values, Taints of Chaos, Trappings and Treasure, and a reminder to complete and review any final adjustments that are necessary. All done? Good, get out there and TPK!This section ends with a fully filled out, full-page Demodog Creature Profile. It's been building bit by bit in the sidebars of this section, and is a Creature of Intermediate(Medium) Risk Factor. Aaaaaand, that's all for tonight. This section is unbelievably meaty, and I have some comments. But I'm going to save them, because this Chapter is only half-finished. You see, there is a Non-Player Character Creator, as well. It has fifteen Steps. I'll be going over that next. Two and a half more Chapters to go. We're making progress. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it.</blockquote>

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