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This week's first COTW is a monster in more ways than one,
an exercise in gladiatorial savagery, and all on a
budget...
Tik'Clik; insectoid gladiator
(c) copyright 2001 Samir
Total Points: 150 Points
Age unknown; 6'2"; 180 pounds; a lean and muscular
four-armed insectoid warrior, bristling with weapons and
armour, his chitinous hide criss-crossed with hideous
scars.
ST 13 [10] - thrust 1d, swing 2d-1
DX 14 [45] - basic speed 8*, move 8, dodge 10**
parry (spear) 10**, parry (shortsword) 10**
block (medium shield) 14**#
IQ 9 [-] - senses 12, reaction speed
18
HT 11 [-]
WL 9 [-] - fright check 11##
*includes Running bonus
**includes +1 from Combat Reflexes and +1 from Passive
Defence
#includes +3 from Medium Shield
##includes +2 from Composed
ADVANTAGES: Alertness +3 [15]; Combat Reflexes
[15]; Composed [5]; Damage Resistance 3
[3].
DISADVANTAGES: Appearance (Monstrous) [-20]; Enemy
(Slavers and Gladiator Guilds, 9-) [-30].
QUIRKS: Collects gems, jewels and sparkly things; Dislikes
Orcs; Sharpens his weapons frequently; Won't attack an
opponent who has gone down, unless ordered to; Hates wearing
leg irons. [-5]
SKILLS: Artist-6 [.5]; Acrobatics-13 [2];
Crossbow-16 [4]; Gesture-8 [.5];
Jitte/Sai-13 [1]; Karate-15 [8]; Running-14
[24]; Shield-18 [16]; Shortsword-13
[1]; Spear-13* [4]; Spear Throwing-14
[1].
*includes -2 to DX for Southern-Tiger Forks
LANGUAGES: Insect-Man (native)-9 [0]; Common
Tongue-9 [2].
RACIAL PACKAGE: Insect-Man Warrior (50 points, p.FF99).
Insect-Man Warriors have ST +2 [20]; IQ -1
[-10]; and HT +1 [10]. They have the
advantages DR +2 [6]; Extra Arms x2 [20];
Full Coordination x1 [50]; PD +1 [25]; and
Secret Communication [20]. They have the
disadvantages Appearance (Unattractive) [-5]; Mute
[-25]; Short Lifespan [-10]; Slave Mentality
[-40]; Status -1 [-5]; and Sterile
[-5]. They have the racial quirk Secretive
[-1].
EQUIPMENT
Tik'Clik's equipment is an impressive arsenal of weapons and
armour: he carries a pair of Southern-Tiger Forks of very
fine quality (2d-1 impaling per tine; p.MA117 or p.Cii33), a
pair of composite crossbows (2d+1 impaling; p.Cii23), a fine
quality parang (2d+1 cutting; p.Cii31), a Legionnaire's
Helmet (PD 3, DR 4 to hit locations 3-4; PD 3, DR 3 to hit
location 5; p.Cii41), Segmented Armour (PD 3, DR 5 to hit
location 9-11; PD 2, DR 3 to same location against impaling
attacks; p.Cii42), a Galerus on each of his four arms (PD 3,
DR 4 to hit locations 6,8; p.Cii46), Greaves on his lower
legs (PD 3, DR 3 to hit locations 12-14 only from front;
attacks hit unprotected thighs on 1-2 on d6; p.Cii46) and a
Medium Shield (PD 3).
BIOGRAPHY
An insect warrior stolen from the underground hive he called
home, Tik'Clik was raised by slavers for the gladiatorial
ring. His childhood was a warrior's training, his body
subjected to rigours of strength-building and toughening. He
developed terrible scars over his body that make even the
toughest fighter gulp in horror.
One night during a slave uprising, an escaping slave mage
freed Tik'Clik, rounding up the insect-man's gear and
leading him off into the night. The mage was not Tik'Clik's
friend, but knew his chances for survival would be greatly
increased if he took the insectoid combat monster with him
for protection. The plan worked, but the mage was not
interested in any long-term partnership, and abandoned
Tik'Clik in the closest large city. As luck would have it,
notices were just being posted for most of the escaped
slaves - Tik'Clik included - and he knew he had to get out
of town. So Tik'Clik randomly chose a group of
decent-looking adventurers, and followed them out of the
city.
Tik'Clik's new friends were aware that the Slavers Guild was
looking for him, and knew there was a reward. But they also
saw no reason to turn him in, so they kept him on as their
"mascot" and combat-monster. He continues to travel with
them, offering his prodigious fighting talents; they, in
turn, keep him healed, hidden and wanting for nothing.
ENCOUNTERED
Tik'Clik's tactics are to wait - whenever possible - with a
pair of loaded crossbows, one held at the ready in two
hands, another held in one hand, his fourth hand holding a
shield. While still at long range, he fires, and then
quickly switches the second loaded crossbow to two hands. He
fires again, making a called shot if possible. If his
opponent is still alive, he changes to a pair of
tiger-forks; with these, he always takes shots at the torso.
He uses the shield to block and one tiger-fork to parry,
striking with the second. If the foe is particularly nasty,
Tik'Clik will strike with both tiger-forks. (He has four
arms; the fourth hand can carry a small shield, or
shortsword, if needed.)
(Note that the tiger-fork has the ability to deliver
multiple hits per strike, depending on the number of tines
that hit. This is explained in more detail on p.MA117 and
p.Cii33.)
Outside of combat, Tik'Clik's inability to speak limits his
interaction with others. He has, however, been making
attempts to circumvent this weakness. His Gesture and Artist
skills represent his attempts to teach himself non-verbal
methods of communication. Via hand signs or by drawing on
the ground, he makes his feelings known to his travelling
companions. (His skill levels are still low, however, so
there is frequently confusion.) There are a handful of
particular "drawings" (really more like crude pictograms or
icons made of scribbly lines) which he has done frequently
enough for his friends to recognise them; these include
"incoming monsters", "trap", "well" and several others. (If
Tik'Clik is being played by the GM and an NPC, it would be
most effective if the GM kept a pre-made stack of sketches
at hand, so he could show them to the players when something
was being communicated. If a Tik'Clik is used as a PC, his
player can do the same thing, and should try to limit his
own drawing skill to mimic Tik'Clik's presently crude
renderings.)
CANONICALITY
Tik'Clik adheres to standard GURPS rules, with the exception
that he has -50 points in disadvantages.
WHAT IF?
Tik'Clik is something of a combat monster, and his uses in
the standard fantasy campaign are specialised. In a campaign
in which the action occurs in and around gladiatorial games,
he would be most at home. Outside the arena, he could be a
mercenary, or the grog to a powerful or influential mage. He
is deadly, and might make a better ally than enemy. If
Tik'Clik is used against the PCs, it is recommended that he
is used only if the GM is insistent on running a harsh
killer campaign, or if the GM needs an NPC to really put
some hurt on the players.
In realistic or gritty campaigns, Tik'Clik is powerful, but
still manageable. If adapted to a cinematic campaign, his
combat deadliness can be expanded with advantages like
Weapon Master and Trained by a Master, and he would be an
excellent candidate for a dazzling variety of manoeuvers and
combinations.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Wanted, Dead: The PCs have been sitting pretty since
Tik'Clik joined their ranks; he's helped them dispatch their
enemies with great deftness. And when the occasional lone
bounty-hunter has come along, they've been more than happy
to send him packing. But what happens when a large,
organised posse shows up demanding the insect-man's head?
They outnumber the PCs five-to-one... Do the PCs just let
them take Tik'Clik? They've only known him for a month or
two, after all. But handing him over isn't right; they might
as well plunge the knife into his heart themselves. But is
he worth dying for?
- written by Samir (samir@chisp.net)
- edits & additional material by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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