Workshopping More Impressive Boss Fights

     GURPS is fickle when it comes to bosses. Yes, you could have an unkillable warrior who is dedicated to ripping apart anyone who stands in their way, but that would mean the players are completely unable to fight against them. In this short article, I will describe how I've created a scheme to provide cinematic boss fights in my games, without outright dominating the battlefield.

    The first step, is one often repeated. USE HENCHMEN. No battle is complete without grunts on the battlefield. There are two interesting ways to do it. One is to have a few warriors that are well armored but provide protection to the boss preventing them from being damaged. The other has respawning grunts that keep coming to attack the party but are weak and just distractions.

    Two is to not have the boss have tricks up their sleeves. One I have experimented with recently after a Battle Brothers fight gone wrong against some barbarians is to utilize "Heroic Feats of ####". In this specific scenario, the barbarian boss would activate both HF:BS and HF:ST to overwhelm a cocky player, but it will only last for three or so seconds. Use this time to let the boss refresh themselves and ward off the player, but give them hints about this newfound power. It is bad practice to suddenly whip out changes halfway through the fight without warning or informing the players.

    Finally, make the boss use the environment to their advantage. Large red barrels, hidden traps, weak columns, turrets, or healing shrines. The environment is an important part of the fight, but make sure you let the players use it too. It is completely fair for a player to use their intuition to shoot the red barrel next to the boss if they have been using the barrels to blow up areas the entire fight. I hope that today's post helps you guys make more fun and interesting boss fights. If it doesn't, thank you for reading on regardless!

Fantasy Monsters - the Hru, the Gargu-Khanu, and the Greater Ivashu

         The Hru, Gargu-Khanu (Orcs, Greater), and the Ivashu are all excellent picks for fantasy monsters to be integrated into your world. While I will not provide any stat blocks yet, I will explain why they are interesting. These are all ripped from the Harn setting, which I am still on a kick of, as previously mentioned. First, we will look at the Hru. 

    "The Hru is a gentle rock giant that typically stands 12 feet tall and weighs three tons, although some attain fifteen feet in height and four tons in weight. They are nocturnal, and transform during the day into a large boulder, or pile of rocks. At night the Hru’s earth–shaking stride has frightened many a traveller. They are fairly sociable creatures and may be found in colonies of up to forty. The strange rumbling songs they use to converse send shivers down the spines of most who hear them. Their voices are at the lowest pitch of human hearing which adds to the discomfort of human listeners."

        As mentioned above, the Hru is an interesting take on the classic fantasy giant. They are found in highland regions and are generally only antagonists to those who wish to disturb their habitat. To protect their territory, they are known to kill miners and foresters. Otherwise, they are mostly friendly and rather sociable. They might clash with the Garguns/Orcs of the area, however, as they live in foul caves and often raid and desolate local areas. Next up is the Gargu-Khanu.

    "The black or great orcs, at an average height of 4’2”, are the largest and most murderous of the Gargun. Their fur is black or dark brown. They justifiably regard themselves as the “warrior elite” of the Gargun. Strong for their size, the Khanu have little fear of humans; they are the most likely Gargun to mount raids on human settlements. Fortunately for the rest of the world, the Khanu breed far more slowly, and kill each other far more readily, than any other sub-species. With these checks on their population, Khanu are the least likely of all Gargun to swarm. The Khanu prefer to fight with maces or handaxes. When faced with death, these willful fighters are more likely to become berserk than flee."

        Reading the above, I get many evil inspirations for villainous plots in my world. Something not mentioned above is that they keep other Garguns as slaves, primarily the Brown orcs and Small orcs, which are smaller subraces of orcs. They also tend to raid and pillage the homes of these "lesser" orc subraces, taking over as colony leaders. Garguns tend to take over abandoned mines, caverns, or desolate dwarven fortresses (which have most likely already been assaulted by Garguns).    

        These orcs might not pose a threat, but when you have ranking orders with parties starting at eight to ten orcs (only two or three of which being Khanuns), it becomes extremely dangerous for party members to be traveling through the orcish territory, especially at night. A plot point that could be interesting to the players is a territorial war between dwarven miners, Gargu-Khanun, and Hru, all fighting for a viable cavern rich with resources. Finally, is the Ivashu, the grouping that the Hru belong to.

    "Ivashu are Ilvir’s creatures, known as the Fatherless Multitude by the faithful, or the Accursed Beasts of the Barren Circle by non-believers. Ilvir creates the Ivashu at Araka-Kalai, making use of a limited number of souls over and over again. Some Ivashu are fairly common, because they have proved most adaptable to survival, or because they are the easiest to create. However, Ilvir also enjoys experimental lifeforms and can produce any conceivable beast in some quantity. Many varieties are unique, created to perform a specific task, or just to amuse the deity"

     Ivashu is an interesting concept for any world. They originate at Araka-Kalai, returning there after death to be reborn once again as another Ivashu. Having an entire unending group of people, literally created just because a god wants mischief in the world is absolutely amazing, and is a concept I have been tossing around, especially once you get into creatures like generic evil, necromancers, zombies, etc. I hope that this article helps you expand the roster of evil monsters in your world! I cannot thank you enough for reading this; it means the world to me.

The Bard's Magical Music

At last, the long awaited "Magical Music System" has arrived! I've worked really damn hard on this, even if it doesn't show. I have gone through at least three itterations, including one where you had to specialize by music *genre*! Despite all that, I finally got it out. At a basic level, this is a tool-kit for bard characters to make spells interesting, by making them compose music, which has effects through character point values.

Now, there is one new addition to character sheets with this, but you don't need to track it too often. It is called MP, or Musicality Points. It's supposed to represent your character's creativity, will to work, and everything else like that. It is ten, generally, though you can change it for +/-2 points. It has a maximum of your Will, and a minimum of five. They are explicitely used in the "composition process", not for spellcasting. MP restore at a pace of one per day. (Though if you want you could have an increased rate of this, with a low-cost advantage, at your GM's discretion.)

Onto the juicier bits, now. To compose music, first determine what you are attempting to compose. Come up with a title that encapsulates what you are going to do with your magical song. For example, a song that heals a companion could be called "Song of Restoration". Then, you must make a roll against your Musical Composition skill to determine your points available for your composition, as well as declaring how many of your MP you are expending.

If you fail this roll, you get refunded half your MP (minimum of one), but you cannot try a composition until tomorrow. Otherwise, you multiply your Magery by your used MP, to get your CMP, or Cost of Magical Piece. Despite the name, that value is the maximum of the value, NOT the current value, which starts at zero. You can then build the song's effects using traits, though work closely with your GM to determine what you can and cannot use. Afflicting a disadvantage on someone else costs points equal to the negative point value. Format the CMP score as "current(maximum)."

Some specific types of songs (like resurrecting someone that has died, making them under your control) might be banned, if it falls under a pre-existing magical college. Another example is that a song that creates a blast of fire would be banned in a society that has banned Pyromancy. Once you've made the spell, it's effects, and all else, move onto the next step.

Determining the length, cost, and skill. Length is easy is easy, as you can make it as short or as long as you want. You must make a concentration roll consisting of your Musical Skill (see third part here) plus any relevant bonuses. Cost is determined by dividing your point total by ten, with a minimum of one. Every five seconds of playing, you lose another one FP (NOT your full cost.) A critical success makes you lose only one FP, or zero if you have a cost of one FP.

Skill is just a simple determination of what you want to do. It is either singing or a specific musical instrument, or both, which means you'd roll against the lower first, add the MoS/F, then roll against the other skill. Doing this makes you lose two FP per five seconds. Continue this step for bands of players; whoever has the highest skill gets to roll with everyone else's MoS/F added onto their skill.

Example A: Sir Marvy has a song called "Strength of a Bull", with a CMP of 20(20), cost of two, and skill of Singing-15. He is currently in combat, singing for his companion Sir Benjamin. He rolls a 14 (5+5+4), meaning his song succeeds for this second. Until he breaks concentration or fails a roll at the end of the next five seconds, Harry has the trait Increased Strength 2.

Example B: Sir Marvy now sets out to make another song, called "Silence of Winter", which is attempting to make someone mute. This requires a minimum of CMP 25. He has Magery 3, expending ten MP, meaning a CMP of 30. He succeeds his composition roll, getting CMP 25(30). His song works, though the enemy must roll against their Will, just like any other spell being cast on them.

Example C: Harry is being hit with a spell called "DEATH METAL", a spell that causes someone to get a heart attack and decrease their basic move. The spell itself is extremely expensive, being cast by an evil Bard named Jaethorn. Jaethorn succeeds his Musical Instrument+Singing roll, although Harry succeeds his Will roll, negating the death. (Warning: This is a reach, as that spell is insanely powerful and might not get accepted by a GM.)

Game Updates: 9/1/25

     Hey all! I decided to create a new format for updating people on the games that I run. Both Mithogardt and Traveller are in good spots currently; I am just sorting things out before those start. I am also preparing a HarnWorld game using GURPS, but I am still looking for players and some preparations. Now, onto the meat and potatoes.

    The Adventure into Myria is going smoothly, for the most part. The players worked together to solve puzzles to get into the locked mines, finally entering a portal to the mines. The mines themselves are decrepit and filled with beasts. They explored around, found a key, then reached a gate. Inside the gate, was a purple crystal shard that they needed, surrounded by two large bronze statues. A player eagerly opened the gate, with the statues coming to life! Some unfortunate rolls left both his shield and sword being destroyed, as well as the party routing! They got lost while running in the dark, where they are now in a room where they can't think straight. Very excited to see how this goes!

    A Mercenary's Life has just begun, so there isn't much to tell. Lucan, Vylion, and Olaf sailed down the coast from their small village to find a bandit camp that was reported to be southeast of the Stony Shores, in the Rills. They managed to get lost along the coast, eventually moving inland to find an abandoned castle that they are poking around. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong for them!

    End of an Age has the players narrow escaping the accidentally-proclaimed "shit-goblins", with the town being mostly destroyed! They managed to aid a group of refugee children from the town, who gave the group a map to a barrow not long after. If they manage to get to the barrow, they were told other survivors were meeting up there, but that this group was going to recapture the city. Charon also made a small creature from the flesh-clay substance that the creatures melted into when they died.

    Other than some pre-game stuff for HarnWorld and Traveller, that's all I got! I apologize for not having much background on these games, but I can go into some detail on their backstories later. I have been battling a sickness, which is believed to be Walking Pneumonia, but I am not sure. I will get that magic system I have been talking about hopefully by next Thursday, though it still needs editing.

The World of Mithogardt - Part Two

     Mithogardt is a realm of wonder. Despite what I had posted previously, the world isn't all that mundane. Magic (which is called Magick, with Magic being only a small subset), Undead, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, and other creatures and peoples existing. Magical weapons, powerful artifacts, dank dungeons, ancient beings that hold unknown knowledge, and even spiritual "gods". The list of playable races (though, really only humans should be allowed) is huge, with a total number of eleven, though technically you could play thirteen different races if you were to include "Foul-Dwarves" and Dragons. 

    There are two large plans for the world, which I will not entirely reveal yet, but one is political and one is adventure. They are both games, with the first starting soon. The players are a group of powerful peoples, each playing a critical role in the civil war and border war, with one even being the captain of a Sutherlinga (people of the south) mercenary band. I will give more updates when I can, but I am slowly working on developing and editing a new system that I have drafted up for magic.

The World of Mithogardt - Part One

    Today marks the start of a series that details the world of my creation, various in-depth things about it, and events, based on the events happening in the world. It is going to span multiple one-shots, campaigns, and world events that most likely have the players to blame. Welcome, to Mithogardt.

"Now, Mithogardt is a large place with a deep history, including many people that still influence the world into today. Ancient strongholds that bury deep into the earth, hoards of gold kept by Lindwyrms, the Dragon Riders of the North, Magick, and many more bizarre things. Though, this world isn’t like these bizarre things all the time, as those are dirty, frivolous things that make you uncomfortable and unable to sleep in your comfortable bed.

Nay, the world is more complex and interesting than that. Yes, there may be these outrageous events in far away lands, but in the small nook of Thaslydas, most civilians are safe. While the world itself is chaotic, Thaslydas seems to be the last bastion of normality. The little enclave off the coast of the Mishtos Sea is a medium nation compared to the behemoth of the Empire, but in its golden age, was a medium sized nation compared to its neighbors.

It encompasses less than half of the almost five-hundred mile stretch of coastline to the east of mainland Mishtos, which is the name of the region in the north-east of Mithogardt. To the west, is the massive Empire of the Dragon, which is a strange nation led by a King who is, in fact, a Dragon. The King’s title is Sky-Lord, though most just call him Dragon-King.

North of our lands is Ravanya, which takes up almost the entire other half of the coast line, though the rest is uncharted and to the south. It is another strange place, though much like ours, as it is somewhat feudal. Their lord is the same as ours, a King, called the König, but below him are three Jarls, which each control vast forces of Karls, which are said to be peasants like the freemen of Thaslydas. As well as that, they practice Slavery (a slave being called a Thrall) as opposed to Serfdom and Sharecropping. To the west of Ravanya, lies Thelirea, the Elven Lands. It borders the empire, along the Inen River. It has three tribes which make up its tribal society. There are three leaders, called Chieftains, which together form the council to protect their lands, as they are united to protect their ancestral lands against the warmongering empire.

To our south-west is the ever-cooperative Khazhyt, the Dwarven People. Inside their lands, are the four Dwarven Clans, each inhabiting a different location. While each clan has their own leader (called an Ironbound), they have been assimilated into our culture, being a City-State, having the same privileges of a Noble House. Unlike our people, when one of them does a wrongdoing, they send them south into the uncharted lands, to either fight or join the tribes of the south.

Finally, that leaves us with the lovely nation of Thaslydas. While it is a small nation compared to others, being only fifty-thousand square miles (not counting Khazhyt land), it still is a powerhouse of a nation. The five noble houses of the lands, which includes the House Kazahan of the Dwarves, work mostly in harmony, up until recently. Two houses, House Acan and House Martur have been in territorial disputes with each other over land gained near the Khazhyt River, which ends along the south Mishtos Coast.

This has led to full-blown military conflict, though the King refuses to stop the fighting, as it provides jobs and experience to soldiers, which Thaslydas desperately needs. Besides that, the five houses, being House Kazahan, House Acan, House Martur, House Kunau, and House Thansyl, have lived in complete cooperation and harmony for centuries.

Current events in the major region of Mishtos are mostly mundane and usual. To the north, House Kunau fights off Jarl Lindholme’s forces in a border skirmish. In the Kazahan lands, an import ban of Inenwood rocks the runecarving and enchanting business that caters to Thaslydas Nobility."