Stats of Cthulhu!

[The Vorpal Tribble]

'Elder Evils' is supposed to be coming out this December.

Please, please explain to me how this is possible? The way they were described in Lords of Madness is that they are beyond the gods themselves and don't grant any kind of domain or spells or anything. They are beyond mortal ken.

So, in the light of this, what kind of book are they likely to make of it?

[Woot Spitum]

Hopefully, one that builds on the whole "otherworldly environment" that started in Lords of Madness.

[SpiderBrigade]

Possibly they'll do something like they've been doing for demon lords and gods with, what are they called, Aspects?

[Khantalas]

No, we have to stat Hastur.

Hastur, Hastur. What's the deal with him- *is killed in a most painful fashion*

[SpiderBrigade]

"You don't wanna stat out Hastur? Wassa matter, are ya yellow?"

[Jack Mann]

Yes. It's from liver failure, after years of drug and alcohol induced "visions."

[Raistlin1040]

Stronger than gods or different then gods?

[Jack Mann]

The answer is yes.

[TheOOB]

How can you create rules and statistics to something that is so alien that you go insane simply from catching a glimpse of it?

I know, stat out the creature using a different PnP system. "You deal 200 hp worth of damage, unfortunatly he doesn't have hp and rather has wound boxes, and I don't see a wound damage code on your weapon *evil cackle*"

[Fax Celestis]

What domains does Cthulhu grant?

[Amotis]

1d6 Adventurers per round.

'Nuff said.

[Delcan]

Why, Good and Healing, of course. Which did you expect?

[Dervag]

If you can stat it, you can kill it. That sort of goes entirely against the entire premise of Lovecraftian horror, which is that we can no more combat these monstrosities directly than my goldfish can combat me.

[SpiderBrigade]

I know, stat out the creature using a different PnP system. "You deal 200 hp worth of damage, unfortunatly he doesn't have hp and rather has wound boxes, and I don't see a wound damage code on your weapon *evil cackle*"

That is...genius! You could even use this for lower-level, but still "OMG you will all die" type monsters. Start the encounter by laying out dozens and dozens of D10s, and let your players figure out wtf those are for...

[Belteshazzar]

If you can stat it, you can kill it. That sort of goes entirely against the entire premise of Lovecraftian horror, which is that we can no more combat these monstrosities directly than my goldfish can combat me.

Not necessarily. The Tarresque for example is imposable to kill without wish or miracle and I doubt either of these could finish off an eternal sleeper or such. It is not unusual to imagine a simple unkillable yet containable or avoidable horror such as Great Chluhlu. As for domains give the old ones Dream, Darkness, Madness, Ooze, BadAssery and a few others. I for one would love to see a good god or demi-god go up against some of them the nordic gods in particular have a fatalistic view of the universe (fire or ice either will suffice the passion of flame to die untamed yet always remember that ice is twice and thrice the...) Anyways the nordic gods wouldn't mind going up against something like that and it would be nice to see the Elder Ones earn their keep.

[Fax Celestis]

If you can stat it, you can kill it. That sort of goes entirely against the entire premise of Lovecraftian horror, which is that we can no more combat these monstrosities directly than my goldfish can combat me.

Even the old Chaosium Cthulhu statted the Elder Gods.

Not that he was remotely killable unless you happened to have six or seven people with anti-tank weapons who succeeded on their sanity checks by large margins and rolled maximum damage.

[Cybren]

Even the old Chaosium Cthulhu statted the Elder Gods.

Not that he was remotely killable unless you happened to have six or seven people with anti-tank weapons who succeeded on their sanity checks by large margins and rolled maximum damage.

Like it matters? Just lead him in a circle and then he'll fall asleep when he gets tired. Even if you kill him it's the same thing as sleeping to him anyway.

[SpiderBrigade]

Plus with something like Cthulhu, who knows what "killable" even means. You round up your squad of sanity-check machines, and they pulp him with LAWs...come on. You know he'll be back.

[Belteshazzar]

Exactly I mean wasn't Cthluhlu taken out of action in the original story for at least a few minutes by some simple sailors (1srt or third level experts at most). Granted they rammed a whole steamer into his bulbous head but it did incapacitate him for a few minutes

[Fax Celestis]

I also remember that, if you did kill him, he turned to mist and reformed some 1d10+5 (or something) minutes later, angrier.

[AngelSword]

I prefer to run Gods (Elder or otherwise), Great Old Ones, and their ilk as nigh-unkillable, so any stats produced for them are useless to me. Although, the Great Old Ones were written up in the "Call of Cthulhu d20," where domains are listed in their type line. Weird.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

I want that book more than I want the blood that runs through my veins right now. *drooling*

[Jack Mann]

Hmm. How much blood are we talking about?

[Thomas]

"You don't wanna stat out Hastur? Wassa matter, are ya yellow?"

Baby, I am the King in Yellow.


Anyway, Cthulhu & all had D&D stats in the CoC d20 book (not CoC d20 stats; for CoC d20 use, they are beyond having stats). Not to mention the old BRP CoC books...

Even the old Chaosium Cthulhu statted the Elder Gods.

Not that he was remotely killable unless you happened to have six or seven people with anti-tank weapons who succeeded on their sanity checks by large margins and rolled maximum damage.

And it'd still regenerate itself back in no time.

Cthulhu can obviously be "killed" - in fact, it's "killed" in the short story, by having a steamship blow into it - but it will just put itself back together.

[Demented]

So, in the light of this, what kind of book are they likely to make of it?

A physics book, obviously.

Attacks will come in the form of joules applied across an area. Damage will be measured in the form of how far your hopeless sack of an abdomen is flung. Health will take the form of your weight and average density, as necessary to calculate how many specimen bags you will have to be collected in.

[clarkvalentine]

Anyway, Cthulhu & all had D&D stats in the CoC d20 book

As I recall, the art on that page had the Great Cthulhu ripping Tordek a new one while Mialee takes leave of her sanity.

[Amotis]

Oh jeez, now I need that book.

[Cybren]

Cthulu is already dead.
"Deep in sunken Ryleh, Dead Cthulu lays dreaming"

[Jack Mann]

That is not dead which can eternal lie / And which strange aeons even death may die.

[SpiderBrigade]

As I recall, the art on that page had the Great Cthulhu ripping Tordek a new one while Mialee takes leave of her sanity.

Oddly enough she's managing to get a spell off. Must be that wizardly Will save? Or the drugs.

Baby, I am the King in Yellow.

that made me happy.

Hmm. How much blood are we talking about?

Like...if you went to hell...and it was full of blood, and that blood was on fire, and it was raining blood, then maybe THAT would be enough blood. But, uh... probably not.