This huge lion was the scourge of Nemea until Hercules killed it. Unable to be harmed by mortal weapons, it took Hercules great strength to snap the creature’s neck. Afterward, he’d skinned the beast with one of its own claws and wore it on the rest of his labors. In GURPS, “invincibility” is not something easy to stat out and depends entirely on the campaign setting. Take the highest damage a average person can inflict with the setting’s handheld weaponry and multiply it by six to determine its DR.
For Any Setting…
ST: 30 HP: 35 Speed: 8.00
DX: 16 Will: 14 Move: 14/28
IQ: 8 Per: 18 Weight: 1,200 lbs.
HT: 16 FP: 20 SM: +2
Dodge: 12 Parry: 14 DR: 72 (Cosmic)
Bite (16): 4d+5 impaling. Reach C-1. This attack ignores DR and is treated as a Striker, not a body part. Made as a Deceptive Attack (-1 to defend against).
Claw (16): 4d+5 cutting. Reach C-2. This attack ignores DR and is treated as a Striker, not a body part. Made as a Deceptive Attack (-1 to defend against).
Torso Grapple (16): No damage, but on further turns can squeeze (Choke or Strangle, p. B370) as ST 40. Treat this as a two-handed grapple.
Traits: Catfall; Combat Reflexes; Compulsive Man-Eating (6); Discriminatory Smell; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground); Extra Attack 2; Fur; High Pain Threshold; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction 2); Limited Camouflage (Dense Vegetation and Shadows); Night Vision 9; Penetrating Voice; Perfect Balance; Silence 4; Striking ST+5 (Bite only); Super Jump 2; Temperature Tolerance 20; Terror 10 (Hearing); Unfazeable; Very Fit; Very Rapid Healing; Vibration Sense (Air).
Skills: Brawling-18; Climbing-20; Jumping-18; Stealth-18; Survival (Plains)-18; Swimming-16; Wrestling-18.
Notes: Its DR or Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction) can only be negated by the hands of gods, demi-gods, or weapons especially blessed by a deity (in person!). It also doesn’t apply to fatigue damage such as that inflicted by a choke hold or through suffocation. If the GM is using Intrinsic Fright Check from GURPS Horror (p. 139), the Nemean Lion has a modifier of -6.
For Dungeon Fantasy…
ST: 30 HP: 35 Speed: 8.00
DX: 16 Will: 14 Move: 14/28
IQ: 8 Per: 18 Weight: 1,200 lbs.
HT: 16 FP: 20 SM: +2
Dodge: 12 Parry: 14 DR: 24 (Cosmic)
Bite (16): 4d+5 impaling. Reach C-1. This attack ignores DR and is treated as a Striker, not a body part. Made as a Deceptive Attack (-3 to defend against).
Claw (16): 4d+5 cutting. Reach C-2. This attack ignores DR and is treated as a Striker, not a body part. Made as a Deceptive Attack (-3 to defend against).
Torso Grapple (16): No damage, but on further turns can squeeze (Choke or Strangle, p. B370) as ST 40. Treat this as a two-handed grapple.
Traits: Catfall; Combat Reflexes; Compulsive Man-Eating (6); Discriminatory Smell; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground); Extra Attack 2; Fur; High Pain Threshold; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction 2); Limited Camouflage (Dense Vegetation and Shadows); Night Vision 9; Penetrating Voice; Perfect Balance; Silence 4; Striking ST+5 (Bite only); Super Jump 2; Temperature Tolerance 20; Terror 10 (Hearing); Unfazeable; Very Fit; Very Rapid Healing; Vibration Sense (Air).
Skills: Brawling-22; Climbing-20; Jumping-18; Stealth-18; Survival (Plains)-18; Swimming-16; Wrestling-22.
Combat Effectiveness Rating: 264 (OR 141 and PR 123).
Combat Effectiveness Rating: 264 (OR 141 and PR 123).
Class: Dire Animal and Servitor of Evil.
Notes: Its DR or Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction) can only be negated by the hands of gods, demi-gods, or weapons especially blessed by a deity (in person!). It also doesn’t apply to fatigue damage such as that inflicted by a choke hold or through suffocation. Its golden hide can be skinned from it and requires either a Survival-10 or Professional Skill (Butcher)-10 roll to remove without ruining it. Do note that you need to have a weapon that can actually skin it in the first place (its claws are perfect for this). Failure ruins it as armor. Success means the hide was removed in such a way that it can be turned into armor through the usual means, albeit at a -10 penalty to skill rolls. It provides 3 levels of DR per point of margin of success (up to DR 24). Such DR is not as tough as the lion’s was while alive, but has three levels of Hardened (critical success brings this to six levels). This fits a SM+0 delver; critical success lets it fit SM+1 delver!
For Monster Hunters…
ST: 30 HP: 35 Speed: 8.00
DX: 16 Will: 14 Move: 15/30
IQ: 8 Per: 18 Weight: 1,200 lbs.
HT: 16 FP: 20 SM: +2
Dodge: 12 Parry: 14 DR: 72 (Cosmic)
Fright Check: -10
Bite (16): 4d+5 impaling. Reach C-1. This attack ignores DR and is treated as a Striker, not a body part. Made as a Deceptive Attack (-4 to defend against).
Claw (16): 4d+5 cutting. Reach C-2. This attack ignores DR and is treated as a Striker, not a body part. Made as a Deceptive Attack (-4 to defend against).
Torso Grapple (16): No damage, but on further turns can squeeze (Choke or Strangle, p. B370) as ST 40. Treat this as a two-handed grapple.
Traits: Catfall; Combat Reflexes; Compulsive Man-Eating (6); Discriminatory Smell; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground); Extra Attack 2; Fur; High Pain Threshold; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction 2; Homogeneous); Limited Camouflage (Dense Vegetation and Shadows); Night Vision 9; Penetrating Voice; Perfect Balance; Regeneration (Regular); Silence 4; Striking ST+5 (Bite only); Super Jump 2; Temperature Tolerance 20; Terror 10 (Hearing); Unfazeable; Very Fit; Very Rapid Healing; Vibration Sense (Air).
Skills: Brawling-24; Climbing-20; Jumping-18; Stealth-18; Survival (Plains)-18; Swimming-16; Wrestling-24.
Notes: Its DR or Injury Tolerance can only be negated by the hands of gods, demi-gods, or weapons especially blessed by a deity (in person!). It also doesn’t apply to fatigue damage such as that inflicted by a choke hold or through suffocation. Use the skills listed under Cryptids in the Know Thy Enemy box in Monster Hunters 1 (p. 16). The Nemean Lion is a powerful boss monster and a team will need serious preparation to take it out.