引言
数不尽的生物将格拉里昂视作它们的家园,在它们之中存在极少数实打实的硕大无朋、令人生畏而又无与伦比之物,威胁着周边的一切。每位怪物猎人都知道这样的野兽难以被猎杀——但这些生物确实是至高无上的猎物。怪物猎人手册为寻猎这些恶性生物的角色提供了许多新选项。
何为"怪物"? WHAT IS A MONSTER? 几乎所有生物都能被称之为怪物,所有怪物猎人——根据他们的背景——对此事皆有其独门见解。许多怪物猎人将该术语应用于威胁其社区的生物,而其他怪物猎人则将该术语用于那些加害他们或对他们十分重要的特定生物类型。实际上,有多少怪物猎人就有多少种为生物打上怪物标签的原因。
诸多具有高度智能的威胁——例如龙类,巨人及吸血鬼——的确可以被称为怪物(见第20-23页),但本书主要侧重于象征原始的恐惧与毁灭的生物,如黑布丁、沼喉怪、紫虫、飞龙,乃至骇人的泰拉斯奎兽。本书所讨论的怪物涵盖各式生物类型。微弱的智能、凶猛的力量、强大的能力和制造灾害之能——一些异怪、动物、精类、魔法兽、泥怪和异界生物往往因为这些而被定义为怪物。狩猎构装体、植物和虫类的挑战性也同样受到证实,但娴熟的怪物猎人通常基于其几乎无心智的天性将它们视作恼人之物,而非真正的怪物。
怪物并不常占据智能的顶端,然而它们中的大多数都会采取狡猾的行动而非战或逃——利用环境发挥自身优势来躲避、妨害,最终击败敌人。许多怪物趋于独行,这使得它们的社交性受限,也导致即便它们确实具有文化,许多类人生物也不相信这一点。那些社会性发达的怪物仅与邻近的类人生物保持着基本的联系,因而强化了作为冲突导火索的异类感。
剧透 - :
WHAT IS A MONSTER?
Almost any creature can be called a monster, and every monster hunter has her own definition of the term informed by her background. Many monster hunters apply the term to creatures that threaten their communities, whereas other monster hunters give the term to particular types of creatures they regard as having wronged them or those important to them. In truth, there are as many reasons for labeling a creature as a monster as there are monster hunters.
While many highly intelligent threats such as dragons, giants, and vampires can indeed be called monsters (see pages 20–23), this book focuses primarily on creatures of primal dread and devastation, such as black puddings, froghemoths, purple worms, wyverns, or even the terrifying Tarrasque. The monsters discussed in this book cover a wide array of creature types. Aberrations, animals, fey, magical beasts, oozes, and outsiders are typically defined by their modest intelligence, ferocious strength, powerful abilities, and capacity to inflict harm. Constructs, plants, and vermin can also prove to be challenging to hunt, but skilled monster hunters often consider these to be nuisances more than true monsters due to their mostly mindless natures.
Monsters aren’t always the apex of intelligence, but most have the cunning to act beyond fight or flight, using the environment to their advantage to hide from, hinder, and ultimately defeat foes. Many monsters tend toward a solitary existence, which can stunt them socially and lead many humanoids to believe the creatures have no culture, if indeed they do. Those monsters with more developed societies maintain only basic relations with neighboring humanoids, reinforcing a sense of otherness that can spark conflict.
猎手与猎物 PREDATORS AND PREY 文明之边界长久受到怪物入侵的威胁,因此怪物猎人不可避免地面临挑战。无论是寻求荣誉、增长名望或者谋取知识,每位怪物猎人都有其猎杀怪物的动机。以下为怪物猎人的常见背景及适宜这些背景的专长。
挑战者 CHALLENGER 许多怪物猎人为个人成就、赏金回报或追求刺激而投身狩猎,挑战者热衷于弑杀怪物,依赖经验与直觉去放倒目标。此类怪物猎人大多于林诺姆诸王国、蒙蒂维、苏比亚与瓦瑞西亚的土地上奔波。
怪物挑战者(战斗):你将打倒可怖的野兽视为己任。在异怪、动物、龙类、精类、魔法兽、泥怪和虫类中选择两种,你在使用生存技能追踪所选生物类型时可以忽视减值全速移动。
剧透 - :
Many monster hunters hunt to gain a personal trophy or a monetary reward, or simply for the thrill of it. Challengers have a passion for slaying monsters, relying on experience and instinct to bring down their quarries. Many of these monster hunters frequent the wilds of the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Mendev, Thuvia, and Varisia.
Monster Challenger (Combat): You have made it your mission to bring down a fearsome beast. Choose two of the following: aberrations, animals, dragons, fey, magical beasts, oozes, and vermin. You can move at full speed without penalty while using Survival to follow tracks left by your chosen creature types.
探究者 SCHOLAR追迹者 STALKER生还者 SURVIVOR