RIP Ray Harryhausen & the Ebony Death Goddess

Thanks Ray. Without you, I wouldn't write crazy stuff like this.


Ebony Death Goddess

A golem-like construct in the form of 6’ midnight-black statue of a six-armed nude woman. It is made of some unknown stone-like material. Usually found guarding dark temples, or springing from magical statuettes made by some unknown creator. They project a magical field around their swords that allows them to shear through armor with ease. The swords, however, are usually mundane.

ST: 20 (2-1/3+2)    HP: 20      Speed: 7.50
DX: 15                 Will: 12    Move: 8
IQ: 8                    Per: 12
HT: 15                 FP: N/A    SM: +0

Dodge: 11+DB 2   Parry (x4)/Block (x2): 14+DB 2    DR: 5

Scimitar (20) (x4): 3d+3 (2) cutting or 2d (2) impaling; Reach 1. Usually launched as Deceptive Attacks -2 (4 in 6, effective skill 16) or Deceptive Attack -4 (2 in 6, effective skill 12).

Traits: Automaton; Cannot Learn; Combat Reflexes; Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Extra Attack 3; Fragile (Unnatural); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous, No Blood); Pressure Support 3; Reprogrammable; Unfazeable; Unhealing (Total); Temperature Tolerance 10; Vacuum Support.
Skills: Broadsword-20 and Shield-20.
Class: Construct.
Notes: Cannot negotiate. Carries four scimitars and two indestructible medium shields (DB 2). Dull-witted but they fight intelligently. While it will engage multiple foes, it will generally try to attack one target as much as possible. Can and will use Cross Parry (see GURPS Martial Arts, p. 131) to deal with heavy attacks or if it needs a +2; Disintegrates into dust when destroyed, leaving only four normal quality scimitars (each $600, 3 lbs.); its shields are made of the same mysterious material as the statue and will disintegrate with it.


Designer's Notes: This is probably my most Harryhausen-inspired monster. GURPS has the Peshakli, a form of six-armed demon, but I wanted a humanoid figure like the walking statue of Kali in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

I converted a Reaper mini into one, so the rest of the stats matches what I had - a six-armed figure with four swords and two shields. (I chopped off the original mini's weaponry and armed her further, then painted her gloss black with silvery swords. The form can easily be changed - a hulking statue is the same but SM+1 and probably should get more ST. A snake body can be added - add No Legs (Slithers), Put it on a spider body for way too many limbs (add Horizontal and Six Legs).

I've used these both as guardian statues (in a place my players never went to) and as a magical item - a one-shot statuette, which, when thrown down and commanded to live, grows instantly into the monster above and fights on behalf of the owner, following verbal commands.

Enjoy this and the rest of the Ray Harryhausen gaming blogfest.