(TFT) Monster creation

["David Michael Grouchy II" <david_michael_grouchy_ii@hotmail.com>]

    MONSTER CREATION

    "The area of Monster Building is generally a Chaotic leaning but anyone 
can get the Monster to "DO GOOD".   However a Failure will result in loss of 
Popularity."
	- - Dave Arneson, First Fantasy Campaign, Page 76

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    Curse:  Through the use of a strong enough curse one could make  any 
creature into just a nuisance creature.  A nuisance being anything with low 
ST,DX, or IQ.  To be doubly cursed would be to have below 7 in two 
attributes.  This is beastly.  Triple curse, low in all three, is 
monsterous.  The thing would probably be killed by a fall off of its porch.  
For this reason curse is not an effective way for making monsters.  If the 
GM will let one curse a specific talent or spell, instead of an attribute, 
then monster creation is possible.  For instance a person with a cursed 
charisma would be disliked and attacked frequently.
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    Shapeshifting:  The problem with shape shifting is that while it can 
turn someone into any known monster, it can?t be used to create some kind of 
new monster.  Even worse is the fact that shapeshifting them into a demon 
does not give them infinite MA, or an attribute total greater than the one 
they had.  The most effective use of shapeshifting in monster creation is to 
make a simulacra.  Something that looks exactly like person one wishes to 
send them against.  This startles and alarms players.
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    Subjective deconstructionism:  My Psychologist friend says this is 
brain washing, my Islamic friend says it is the making of a Hashisian or 
assasin, and Britanic.com says it is the relationship of mythology to place 
. . .

    ?The monster symbolizes the strangeness and awesomeness occurring when 
a new land or space is occupied. The "monster" of the place is the 
undifferentiated character of the space and must be immobilized before the 
new space can be established.?
www.britanica.com

    An example of creating an ogre, would be to make its old mythology true 
in some location.  Ogres are know for eating people.  Thus canibalism 
reintroduced as a cultural norm.  To make canibalism not taboo, one would 
have to have theologian.
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    Cryptozoology: The use of half-breeds to make radically new creatures.  
For instance to make a feather snake, I suggest the roc, and the apep.  Take 
the starting attributes of each race and average them.  For something like a 
Chimera, take three races and average them.  This takes two generations.
    Animal to human transplants:  A great ape?s heart in a man.  The claws 
of a eagle on a goblins hands.  In this type of monster creation, only one 
attribute is averaged like ST with the ape, or HTH with the goblin.  This 
requires an Alchemist lab, as many many healing poitions are needed.
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    David Michael Grouchy II

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