Giant Monster? I Hardly Know Ster! (GLOG Challenge: Fighting/Playing Kaiju)

The GLOG channel on the OSR Discord has a new challenge, issued by Arkos from Tome of Dreams; "rules to fight and play as giant monsters in the GLOG". This is a counterpart to the earlier mech challenge (an example of which can be found here at Words for Yellow). Below are some giant monsters and the people who can fight them.

Source: La Planete des Monstres

First, a note on the stats of city-destroying giant monsters.

Move: Most Kaiju are highly mobile. Ungainly and slow as they are their size lets them eat up distance. Fliers are faster. The worst are both nimble and huge, dancing from block to block and effortlessly avoiding danger.

Attack: Giant monsters attack at a different scale. Instead of damaging HP, their attacks usually target HD (that is, if a monster has a 1d6 fire breath attack and rolls a 4, four people will die). PC's may count their levels as HD. Most monster attacks don't actually roll to-hit; some attacks may allow Saves, while for others you are either in cover or not. If you need to convert HD damage to HP damage (say, if someone barely survives a bite from the Tarasque) you can multiply the sum by 4.

Form: The appearance of this giant monster, its potential weaknesses, its strengths, its immunities. Most monsters don't need an attack roll to hit them (too large to miss), though their huge HP pools make it difficult to seriously harm them. Assume that the appearance of a Kaiju demands Morale checks from hirelings.

Desire: The reason this monster is here, and what will make it go away.

1d8 Terrible Foes:

The Book Thief

Source in image.

Move: Careful steps, each as long as a man can run in a full combat round. Prone to standing still while ravaging libraries and laboratories, but capable of moving six times faster than a human.

Attack: Open-hand swats like a mother cat fending off a kitten. Deals 1d6 HD of damage if the Thief crushes you against the ground, or throws you 1d6*20 feet if it tosses you sideways. If you hit an obstacle take damage as if you had fallen the remaining distance. If you fly the full distance without colliding with anything, save or take 1d6 HP damage as you slide and roll to a stop.

Form: A withered androgynous body standing about thirty-five feet tall. Its flesh is fired brick and its head is crowned with iron thorns. The Book Thief has 100 hitpoints, ignores all damage sources which deal fewer than 6 points, and takes half damage from non-magical weapons. It is immune to fire, acid, cold and lightning. It does not need to breathe. It is immune to charm and agony, and reacts to fear with psychotic violence.

Desire: Knowledge, especially of time travel or non-continuous space. The Book Thief eats documentation, resources and specialists. It is intelligent enough to recognize threats and always prioritizes its own safety. Survivors of its attacks notice the great care it goes to to avoid stepping on non-threats or damaging unrelated property, and the ferocity with which it answers interference.

    This discretion would lead some to say the Thief is not a true Kaiju, except for the scope of its attacks. The primary target is always an article, book or newsletter on time travel or spatial manipulation, which the Thief eats. The secondary target is the author. If the Thief is not interrupted, its tertiary target is the printer. Then the readers. Then the families of the authors, the families of the printers, the families of the readers... The first few attacks destroyed entire cities, until the Task Forces learned to focus with explosions and massive impacts, and to scatter potential targets to keep the Thief busy.

Abaddon, King of Birds

Source: Undead Pilgrimage III by JJCanvas

Move: Flight, presumably, or some mode of conveyance which takes "him" through the air. Assume there is a one-in-six chance of Abaddon hanging in the sky a few hundred feet above the party, and check every ten minutes.

Attack: Abaddon does not directly attack humans, and may not be aware that they exist. Instead, anyone who looks at "him" directly immediately loses 1d6 points from Wisdom, Intelligence or Charisma (whichever is highest). If a 6 is rolled, those points are lost permanently and the die explodes. It is not possible to hit him with a ranged attack while your eyes are closed.

    Abaddon's arrival is heralded by a storm of darkness and hatred, which occludes the sun and extinguishes fires. Summoning circles and magnetic prisons are disrupted by "his" presence. During this storm, all attacks made against non-magical creatures have advantage, along with any check to escape a bond, break a promise or unseal a gate.

Form: Something like an immense bird whose silhouette changes as "he" moves. Scholars believe the entity we call Abaddon is a shadow cast on our reality from something beyond; whatever "he" is, Abaddon has 50 HP and cannot be damaged by anything less dense than iron. No mind-altering magic works on Abaddon.

Desire: Unknown and possibly unknowable. While most famous for "his" attacks on major cities, there are reports of Abaddon appearing over sparsely- or totally un-inhabited territory. This would support the theory that "he" is unaware of our world. Either way, Abaddon remains in an area for weeks, or until driven away with sufficient damage.

The Tarasque

Source: T is for Tarasque by Deimos-Remus

Move: Scuttling like a beetle, leaping like a cat. The Tarasque is easily capable of running down a man on horseback, though he is slightly slower and clumsier than a tiger.

Attack: With his powerful jaws (1d6 HD) or his stinger-tail (1 HD at up to 100 feet). If you let the Tarasque get close enough to bite, you don't get a save. The launch of a poisonous stinger is a normal attack at +4 to-hit. Someone who is struck by the stinger and survives must save against the horrific poisons, which cause total paralysis within moments and last for 1d6 days. On a 6 the paralysis is permanent. The Tarasque prefers to bite his opponents face-to-face, and reserves his stingers for dishonorable challengers such as wizards and archers.

Form: A cross between a scorpion, a lion and a huge turtle. The Tarasque is twenty feet long, with six powerful legs and a pair of human-like arms all tipped with sharp claws. He uses these legs to propel himself on the horizontal and vertical plane (the Tarasque is well-suited for urban environments), and uses his hands to manipulate tools and machinery as a human would. He is intelligent and can understand any language. Sometimes he even deigns to speak.

    The Tarasque has 50 HP and an AC as plate. He does not need to breathe, and cannot be charmed or frightened. Agony effects reduce him to impotent sputtering rage.

Desire: To negotiate a trade deal between himself and the human race. The Tarasque considers himself the overlord of the world's rivers and coastlines. Human traders are pirates who unlawfully deprive him of his fees and dues, which obligates him to capsize boats and slaughter sailors. The Tarasque could talk it all out if he could find the person in charge of mankind. Unfortunately, everyone he has spoken to insists that mankind doesn't have one central leader. He will kill until this facade is broken and the true overlord of the world appears.

Larval Grendel

Source: Grendel by GuthrieArtwork

Move: As fast as a human can run. Has difficulty turning, or entering small (and very sturdy) passageways.

Attack: Its own bulk, augmented by the horn-like protrusions of shell around its mouth. On its turn the Larval Grendel may move 60' forward into a rectangular area of twenty feet by forty feet, turning up to 45° from its current orientation. Anyone in the path of the movement or on the periphery of the target area may make a dexterity check to throw themselves out of the way of the charge. Anyone who fails this check instantly dies. Anyone inside the target area instantly dies. The Larva will then spend several minutes consuming the corpses.

Form: The larval stage of an immense deep-sea predator, about forty feet long. Most Larval Grendel, through the kindness of Providence, are consumed by their brothers and sisters. Only one out of every few hundred larvae make it to the surface to plague mankind.

    A Larva has 60 HP, ignores all damage sources which deal fewer than 8 points, takes half damage from all sources (magical or otherwise), and is immune to fire and cold. It breathes both air and water and is immune to charm.

Desire: To eat the brains of intelligent creatures. While most of the Larva's diet consists of krill and other small sea creatures, it cannot metamorphosize without several nutrients which can only be found in highly evolved brainmatter.

Imaginal Grendel

Source: Grendel's Mother by GuthrieArtwork

Move: Twice as fast as a human, clambering or flying. The Grendel flies fast, and its long arms make it extremely maneuverable in city blocks too dense for its eighty-foot wingspan.

Attack: Slashes (1d6 HD) with its claws as it passes by, or simply landing with a thud on a ten-by-ten area. Anyone in the area must pass a dexterity check to throw themselves out of the way; otherwise they are killed instantly. Dropping to the ground makes the Grendel vulnerable, and it will avoid using this attack unless necessary.

Form: The imago of the Grendel species. The fully formed Grendel has burst from the cooling body of the land-bound pupa, and has taken to the skies to hunt its foes as a forty-foot long parody of a dragon. In this form, the Grendel has 100 HP, ignores all damage sources which deal fewer than 6 points, and is immune to cold. Its delicate wings must be protected from fire. The Grendel breathes air and water and is immune to charm. It is as intelligent as a human, though it does not understand language.

Desire: Like its larval stage, the Imaginal Grendel attacks human cities to eat human brains. The nutrients contained therein are essential for the health of the thousands of eggs it holds in its body.

A Death

Source in the image.

Move: Not at all, once it appears over a city.

Attack: All saves in the affected city automatically fail. Anyone who leaves the city dies and cannot be resurrected. Anyone who remains in the city experiences vivid hallucinations of the actions they most regret in their life. Anyone who has taken a life (such as most PCs) will experience flashbacks to the killing. Anyone who has been resurrected feels a strong but not overwhelming desire to kill themselves.

Form: Humanoid, several hundred feet tall, wrapped in a pale cape. A Death has at least 1 HP and is immune to all damage. It does not need to breathe. It is immune to all mental effects.

Desire: For a specific individual to die. The systems that Deaths use to determine their targets is unknown, but they seem to hold a grudge against people who have narrowly avoided dying in the past. Sometimes they target dangerous criminals, other times they target seemingly innocent people. They will not leave, and cannot be driven away, until their target is dead, at which point they vanish instantly. The appearance of a Death usually leads to panic and rioting. The trapped population of the city quickly turns on itself until eventually the target dies. The party could speed this along by finding the "guilty" person. If not, the city will starve or burn and eventually the Death will leave on its own.

Gold-Hunter

Source: Spider Dragon by Phill-Art

Move: Awkward movement on eight squamous legs, or erratic flight on four gossamer wings. Easily catches a human in open terrain, easily avoided by that human in a more crowded environment.

Attack: A pressurized blast of toxins that destroy organic material (2d6 HD, thirty foot cone, toxins linger on ground). This blast automatically hits anyone not behind full cover. The Hunter may use this attack once every ten minutes. Up close it attacks with its claws (1 HD, no save). If it expects an assault, it will also attempt to lay traps with sticky webbing (strength check to escape, once per round per strand for every strand you are in contact with). It prefers to save its toxins until several viable targets are trapped and exposed.

Form: An abominable combination of the arachnid and reptile families, Gold-Hunters are rare variants of the much more common Giant Spider. Presumably, some long-forgotten mad wizard created them in a laboratory. Presumably, he regretted doing so. They are as large as normal dragons and just as strong. A Hunter has 40 HP, AC as plate, and is immune to its own toxins. It cannot swim, but it can see in the dark and can hunt by scent.

Desire: Gold-Hunters are burdened with the instincts of both the dragon and the spider, driving them to collect precious metals and to assemble useless webs. While usually content to make their nests in the wilderness and prey on larger fauna, a Hunter will occasionally attack settlements in an attempt to seize gold. Serious physical damage will drive it away.

Slaver Team

Source: Cyclops by barontierie.

Move: The slaver moves as a human, the guard-ape moves three times that speed and can climb as a giant ape (slavers often ride their apes). They are bound at the wrist and throat respectively by thirty feet of unbreakable chain, and cannot be separated while alive.

Attack: The guard-ape deals crushing blows for 1d6 HD, clearing out whole crowds in one swipe. PC's may make dexterity checks to duck the wild blows. Against single, low-value targets, it snatches them up (no save) and throws them 1d6*10 feet.  If you hit an obstacle take damage as if you had fallen the remaining distance. If you fly the full distance without colliding with anything, save or take 1d6 HP damage as you slide and roll to a stop.

    The slaver carries a staff of Paralysis, and will attempt to tap high-value targets with it. Those who touch the staff except on its leather-wrapped handle must save or be paralyzed for 1d6 days or until tapped again. The guard-ape will stash paralyzed targets in a large sack.

    The pair is smart enough to perform shenanigans with the chain, and they do so with obvious delight. It may be possible to bait them with an opportunity.

Form: A huge (twenty feet tall) ape and a small (five feet tall) humanoid, both wearing sackcloth masks. The ape has 40 HP, AC as chain, and responds only to orders delivered by the slaver. The slaver has 10 HP, AC as chain, and hides behind the guard-ape when threats appear. The ape is immune to mind-altering effects, the slaver is not. They both need to breathe air. The slaver understands human languages but will not speak.

Desire: To retrieve special people for an unknown purpose. Sometimes they target political leaders, sometimes the rich and powerful, and sometimes they might even target PCs. 2d6 pairs will attempt to seize the same number of targets simultaneously. Pairs that face heavy resistance will break off to assist others. Slaver Teams do not allow themselves to be captured alive.

Who is brave enough to stand up to such horrible monstrosities? Who is bold enough to face down such monstrous horrors? Why it's a —

Super Sentai Member

    You're a world-traveling warrior with attitude, hunting down Kaiju as they appear and protecting mankind. You use your training and high-tech equipment to support your teammates and survive dangers which would overwhelm anyone else. Be proud, be strong, and be ready for action at any time.
    For every template in this class you gain +1 Save, reflecting your growing experience with terrible danger. If you have at least one template in Super Sentai, you cannot fumble while using any weapon, and can wear any type of armor.

Skills: 1. P.E, 2. Hip-Hop Dancing, 3. Computers

Starting Equipment: Cheerful spandex (AC as leather), slightly stupid melee weapon (see below), another Radical Gizmo.

• A Karate Power, Time Travel, +1 to-hit
• B Plot Armor, +1 defense
• C Style Mastery
  
• D First Law of Resurrection

Karate Power
    Your hands and feet are light weapons. You can run on walls with a successful move check, but you must begin and end your turn on solid ground. You may scream "KIAI" while doing this but it will not effect your roll. Other Karate dudes will address you as "grasshopper" even if they have never met you before.
Time Travel
    You've come from the future to protect the present from the past. Once per day, press a button on your wrist-computer to rewind time by six seconds (or to the start of a combat round). You can't do this if you're dead, but you can do this if a teammate dies. If you do this in combat you forfeit your turn as you recover from temporal chrono-distortion dislocation Summoning Sickness something something effects (you can still yell out a warning to someone).

Plot Armor
    You're too important to get swatted aside like a mook. When relevant, you have one extra HD. 1 HD Kaiju attacks deal 1 HP damage to you, but you still suffer any secondary effects. If your DM calculates Kaiju attacks some other way, ignore the first 3 points of damage from a Kaiju attack.

Style Mastery
    Your Karate skills have reached their zenith; you are no longer the grasshopper, but the master. Jump distance and height is doubled. You gain +1 to-hit for every teammate within cheering distance, up to a maximum of +4. If they are also Super Sentai Members you gain the same bonus to melee damage. You may attack twice on your turn if both attacks are unarmed.
    You lose all these abilities until your next long rest if you forget to address lower-level characters as "grasshopper".

First Law of Resurrection
    When calculating your HD, you now have two extra. You are never permanently harmed by secondary effects. If your DM calculates Kaiju attacks some other way, ignore the first 6 points of damage from a Kaiju attack.

1d20 Radical Gizmos

1. Cheerful Spandex. Brightly colored form-fitting armor, as leather. Conceals your face so you can still go to a normal highschool. You can probably get it as chain or plate for comparable costs.


2. Big Fake-Looking Sword. A medium weapon. Folds up small enough to fit in your pocket. ⅓ slot.


3. Big Chunky Laser Gun. A medium ranged weapon. Doesn't consume ammo, but on a natural 1 the battery runs out. No maximum range. 2 slots.


4. Ordinary Assault Rifle. A medium ranged weapon. The magazine holds 20 rounds. You can switch to automatic and fire 2d6 shots for +1 to-hit and damage. If the automatic fire consumes more ammunition than you have, you miss. 2 slots for the gun, ⅓ slot for spare magazines.


5. Grapple Gun. Fires at a surface within thirty feet and clings. You can reel yourself up, or use it to swing across gaps. Pendulum motion is basically the same as a freefall, (i.e. if you slam into a wall after swinging 90° on thirty-foot rope, it's the same as falling thirty feet). 2 slots.


6. Hoverboard. Lets you move about as fast as you can run, but you don't have to touch the ground. If you hold onto the back of another vehicle you can follow it (though you may need to make strength or dexterity checks to remain attached when cornering at high speeds). The battery lasts six hours from a full charge. 2 slots.


7. Electrobike. Lets you move about as fast as a horse. The electrobike can drive on vertical as well as horizontal surfaces, though it can't quite cling to ceilings. The battery lasts one hour from a full charge.


8. Poison Gas Mine. Can be set up to detonate remotely or upon proximity. Everything with ten feet which needs to breathe takes 4d6 poison damage, saving for half. The cloud of poisonous gas burns exposed flesh, and the screams of the dying incite Morale checks from all present.


9. Psychospatial Energetic Mechanophysical Backpack. Despite its fashionably small size, it holds 6 slots of items. If you put one P.E.M.B inside of another your legs just fall right off. Right off. 1 slot.


10. Jump Boots. Look kind of like ski boots. They give you a twenty-foot vert and make comical "sprooii-OING" sounds.


11. Electric Saw. As a medium weapon. Using this on a living person incites Morale checks from his friends and your hirelings, and may be useful at permanently damaging cohesion of either side. When you roll a natural 1 the battery runs out. 1 slot.


12. GPS Beacon and Tracker. The beacon sticks to any surface and the tracker reports its exact position in 3D space. 1 slot each.


13. Friendly Robot Buddy. Looks like a monkey or a little dude. As a hireling with 3 in every stat, but never rolls for morale and makes cheerful mechanical squawks instead of talking.


14. Sack of Cannabis. A lot of shitty Mexican brick weed in a ziploc bag. Probably not worth the effort of selling it, but might be useful as a gift. 1 slot.


15. Switchblade. As a light weapon, +1 damage, can't be thrown. ⅓ slot.


16. Cool Headset Radio. Fits inside of a helmet and lets you talk to other radios within a mile.


17. Bulletproof Vest. Halves damage from bullets and shrapnel. Surprisingly ineffective against slashing and tearing, mostly useless against a proper piercing attack.


18. Electrodog. Stats as a dog, but electrical. His battery lasts for six hours.


19. Girdle of Masculinity and Femininity. Unfortunately, only comes in bright yellow, and must be built into your Cheerful Spandex in order to function.


20. Crippling Fentanyl Addiction. Oh G_d. Fail all initiative rolls while under the influence, but immune to mind-altering effects (fear, agony, charm, among others). Fail all saves against mind-altering effects while sweating it, and impose a -2 penalty to all Morale checks made in your presence.