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From: lasko@regina.DEC
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Galactic Dragons
Message-ID: <3972@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 26-Oct-84 00:39:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3972
Posted: Fri Oct 26 00:39:06 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Oct-84 14:56:53 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
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(If someone has already put this on the net already, I apologize)

Ah, the Galactic Dragon.  I will also nominate it for the most powerful
creature ever published by anyone.  It was published in an amusing little
bood titled "Booty and the Beasts" in 1979 by Fantasy Art Enterprises
Erol Otus, Mathias Genser, and Paul Reiche III are the authors listed.  The
centerfold of the book has a picture of the Galactic Dragon dwarfing a 
good sized space fighter.  

This is the text of the description (which is, of course (c) Copyright 1979
by Fantasy Art Enterprises):

GALACTIC DRAGON: Hit Dice 272.  Armor Class 0.  Dexterity 12.
Movement light speed.  Feared even by Gods, this
extremely rare and legendary beast can be found roaming
through interstellar space, foraging for debris, small asteroids,
starships, and other fodder.  Using its vast fins to catch the solar
winds, and its ability to manipulate gravity, the Galactic
Dragon is able to sail up to light speed, but remains in space, nevere landing
or entering atmosphere for fear of damaging its frail body.  The Galactic
Dragon feeds by breathing, up to three times per day, a 20 foot diameter
blob of diffuse anti-matter that expands to a one-mile diameter
blob at the range of five miles, which then dissipates.  Everything
caught within the blob must make a save at its base level with no
pluses, protects, or resistances.  If the saving throw is failed, the object
is totally anhillated, needing 1-10 simultaneously cast wishes performed 
at the place where the object was anhillated to retrieve that which was
lost.  If the saving throw is made, one of the following will occur,
determined randomly:

     1.  Teleport 1-10 light years away.
     2.  Move away at light speed.
     3.  Disintegrate
     4.  Become anti-matter.

The energy released by the matter-anti-matter reaction is
collected by the collosal fins that wreath the Galactic Dragon's body.
(NOTE: the matter-anti-matter reaction will not destroy the universe
or have any other effects than those listed.)  In addition, once per melee
round, the Dragon may use its fins to focus light into beams,
hitting as AC 9, and delivering 20-400 points with each
of the two large fins and 7-42 points of damage with each of the
eight small fins.  A save results in half damage for both large
and small fin attacks.  Finally, the Galactic Dragon is capable
of biting antagonists with its massive maw, easily engulfing objects the size of a 
Lunar Landing Module, doing 15-300 points of damage to those bitten.
The Galactic Dragon saves vs. everything on a 6 to no effect regardless of
minuses, cuts, and resistances, and is immune to energy, heat, cold
disintegration, poison gas, diseases, gravity attacks, and all 
charms and controls.

***end of text***

Whew!  All of the creatures mentioned in "Booty and the Beasts" are of
an equally incredulous, if not as gigantic, nature.  Some other favorites
of mine from this book are the Neutronium Golem (40 HD, immune to practically
everything, and attacks by it's massive gravity for 16-160 points at worst)
Sea Slime (1200 cu. ft. of sentient, immunity-laden, deadly slime), Floaters
(15 HD clouds gone nightmarish), and Sky Fungus (87 HD, flying saucer
shaped vacuum cleaners.

Of course, the burning question is how to get rid of the Galactic Dragon:
I can think of a few creative applications of wishes, and/or sending a
good sized chunk of anti-matter in it's general direction, but the
text presents several Technological Items that FRPers could supposedly
find, and two of them could concievably kill the Galactic Dragon.  The
Particle Beam Weapon which shoots "high speed gamma particles" causing
the victim to save vs. ??? or age at 5x normal speed, and vomit until
you die.  Of course, gamma particles could be viewed as energy....
The other weapon that could affect it is the Deionizer which "negates
the ionic charges involved with neural processes.  In other words, the
target is completely paralyzed--he dies." unless it makes a saving throw.

Hmmm.  This sounds like the germ of another contest:  "How to kill the
Galactic Dragon" using only published sources....

tim lasko      
Digital Equipment Corp.   
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