GURPS Dinosaurs Pseudo-Conversions: Ceratopsians

It was hard to choose what creatures should go up first on the docket of conversions from GURPS Dinosaurs. Go with the most popular and choose Tyrannosaurus and kin? Start at the beginning with some Palaeozoic sea life? Do the easiest thing and convert the hominid racial templates? Throw a complete curve ball and do some random small ornithopods?

The end answer I decided on was “none of the above”, and went with a charismatic group of well-known herbivores: the ceratopsians. This post covers all nine (technically eleven, but two are just brief mentions with “use the stats of this other dinosaur” at the end) ceratopsians featured in GURPS Dinosaurs, from central and eastern Asia’s ‘sheep of the Cretaceous’ to the famous three-horned face that stared into the final waning moments of the long and storied reign of the dinosaurs.

General Ceratopsian Traits

Most large ceratopsians share a general body plan: a relatively short tail, vaguely parrot-like beak in front of a battery of plant-shearing teeth, a frill that can be short or long depending on the lineage, and some manner of horns or a nasal boss. There are smaller and geologically earlier ceratopsians such as Psittacosaurus, however, that buck one or more of these trends. Like most non-coelurosaur dinosaurs, ceratopsians had monocular vision that could most likely discern color. Endrocranial studies have also suggested that ceratopsians had an above-average sense of smell (though not in every case; the thick-nosed Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai apparently had a less developed olfactory bulb compared to other dinosaurs in general) and hearing that was at the very least not particularly important, if not necessarily poor.

Buoyancy simulations by Donald Henderson of the Royal Tyrell Museum suggest that the large ceratopsians of the Late Cretaceous were too top-heavy for their own good when it came to swimming, their heads dunking under the water far enough to prevent their eyes and nostrils from staying above the surface as they impotently floated along, tails on the opposite end not being large enough to provide counterbalance or help paddle. In lieu of the more restrictive “Cannot Float” (which wouldn’t be correct in this case anyway; they could float, just not in a way that would do them much good), I’ve given most of the ceratopsians here the quirk Incompetence (Swimming) (GURPS Basic Set, pg. 164), to reflect poor paddling power.

Another big thing to note about these large ceratopsians is their frills. While certainly impressive, the idea of them as a one-on-one analogue for shields is full of holes: two holes found side by side in the frill, known as parietal fenestrae. This isn’t to say that they had no function in defense – there are fossils of ceratopsian frills that have been damaged and healed before the animal’s death, and the parts of the frill around the holes were probably decently sturdy – but they were most likely primarily a tool of sexual selection, and it seems like GURPS Dinosaur’s frill statistics of Damage Resistance 5 or 6 on top of extra Personal Defense (a system that isn’t in GURPS Fourth Edition, meaning that the DR would theoretically be even higher to compensate) might be a bit overkill. I’ve decided on the following quick ability instead, usually (but not always) a rank lower than the DR originally provided in GURPS Dinosaurs:

  -Ceratopsian Frill (-20%): Damage Resistance (Top layer; Directional, front only, -20%) [4]. 4/level.

Notes: A ceratopsian frill is counted as a rigid head structure for purposes of the Head Butt technique (GURPS Martial Arts, pg. 74). Most ceratopsians already have horns or nasal bosses on their head that renders the technique moot, but it is relevant for some of the smaller hornless ceratopsians.

While some ceratopsian genera such as Centrosaurus have well-catalogued bone beds containing mass numbers of individuals, some have questioned the sociability of ceratopsians as a whole. Suggestions have ranged from proper mass herds to small herds or normally solitary animals that congregate during a particular season. There’s also the consideration that ceratopsian genera, or even sex within a species, might not necessarily have the same behavior. You could potentially have one genus living in small family groups in the deep forests, another thundering across the plains en masse, and yet a third with large matriarch-led female groups but lone belligerent males akin to today’s African bush elephants.

Anchiceratops [7 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +19 [57]; DX +2 [24]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +2 [20].

Secondary Characteristics: SM +3; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 4 [16], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 2 (Hide, middle layer) [10], Discriminatory Smell [15], Horns [5], Monocular Vision [15], Sharp Beak [1].

Perks: Long-Range Smell* [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

  *Source: GURPS Powers: Enhanced Senses, pg. 26.

---

Average Anchiceratops

ST: 29
DX: 12
IQ: 3
HT: 12

HP: 29
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 12

Speed: 6
Move: 6
Weight: 1.4 tons
SM: +3

Dodge: 9

Parry: 9

DR: 2 (4 from front-facing attacks; 2 on bones)

Horns (13): 3d+3 impaling.
Bite (13): 3d-1 large piercing.
Kick (11): 3d+3 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 13, Wrestling 13.

---

Anchiceratops was a square-frilled chasmosaurine ceratopsian from the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous, around 72 to 70 million years ago (MYA), in what is now Canada. Anchiceratops had a short tail, even by ceratopsian standards, as well as robust legs and a relatively long neck. Some palaeontologists, such as Jordan Mallon and Robert Holmes, have suggested that the famous specimen CMN 8547 shows anatomical features that suggest it led an amphibious lifestyle not unlike that of the common hippopotamus, but this remains a theory considered unlikely by the majority of palaeontologists. Estimates on maximum length for Anchiceratops range wildly from 10 to 20 feet, with CMN 8547 being at a median of around 15 feet according to measurements performed by Gregory S. Paul; the statistics above go with the upper limit, with a variant below reflecting Gregory S. Paul’s estimates. These statistics can also be used for the closely related ceratopsian Arrhinoceratops, which was contemporaneous with Anchiceratops in both time and place.

• Variant, Smaller Anchiceratops [+11 Points]: An Anchiceratops with its length based on specimen CMN 8547 as measured by Paul. Due to the decreases Size Modifier, its lessened ST score actually increases in price! Change size modifier to +2 and ST to +17 [11].

Centrosaurus [30 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +26 [78]; DX +2 [24]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +2 [20].

Secondary Characteristics: SM +3; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 4 [16], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 2 (Hide, lower layer) [10], Discriminatory Smell [15], Horn [5], Monocular Vision [15], Sharp Beak [1].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

---

Average Centrosaurus

ST: 36
DX: 12
IQ: 3
HT: 12

HP: 36
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 12

Speed: 6
Move: 6
Weight: 3 tons
SM: +3

Dodge: 9

Parry: 10

DR: 2 (4 from front-facing attacks)

Horns (14): 4d+3 impaling.
Bite (14): 4d-2 large piercing.
Kick (12): 4d+3 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 14, Wrestling 14.

---

A resident of Canada from 76 to 75 MYA in the form of several species, the 20′ long Centrosaurus has given the world of palaeontology numerous specimens and even the name of one of the two main families of the ceratopsid (late stage) ceratopsians: the centrosaurines, or “short-frilled ceratopsids”. Its medium-length nasal horn changes with age, slowly bending from a slight inward curve at a young age to a slight outward curve later in life, and two curling spikes adorn the top of its short frill. Mass bone beds of drowned Centrosaurus suggest that they may have traveled in large herds.

Chasmosaurus [9 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +18 [72]; DX +2 [24]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +1 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: SM +2; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 4 [16], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 2 (Hide, lower DR layer) [10], Discriminatory Smell [15], Horns (Short) [2], Monocular Vision [15], Sharp Beak [1].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

---

Average Chasmosaurus

ST: 28
DX: 12
IQ: 3
HT: 11

HP: 28
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 11

Speed: 6
Move: 6
Weight: 1.5 tons
SM: +2

Dodge: 9

Parry: N/A

DR: 2 (4 from front-facing attacks)

Horns (13): 3d+2 impaling.
Bite (13): 3d-1 large piercing.
Kick (11): 3d+2 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 13, Wrestling 13.

---

The 16′ long Chasmosaurus is the namesake of the subfamily opposite of the centrosaurines: the chasmosaurines, also known as “long-frilled ceratopsians”. And it does, in fact, have a long rectangular frill to back up that subfamily name. It also happened to live alongside Centrosaurus, meaning that the namesakes of both lineages were Campanian Canadians. Like Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus had several species over the million or so years of its lineage. Its statistics can also be used for the similar genus Agujaceratops, which wandered the verdant lowlands of Texas around 77 MYA.

Montanoceratops [-7 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +7 [35]; DX +3 [36]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +1 [10].

Secondary Characteristics: SM +1; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 2 [8], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 1 (Hide, bottom layer) [5], Discriminatory Smell [15], Monocular Vision [15], Sharp Beak [1], Striking ST 2 (Bite only, -60%) [4].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

---

Average Montanoceratops

ST: 17
DX: 13
IQ: 3
HT: 11

HP: 17
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 11

Speed: 6
Move: 6
Weight: 600 lb.
SM: +1

Dodge: 9

Parry: N/A

DR: 1 (2 from front-facing attacks)

Head Butt (14): 1d+1 crushing.
Bite (13): 2d-2 large piercing.
Kick: (11): 1d+3 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 13, Running 12, Wrestling 13.

Techniques: Head Butt (Brawling) 14.

---

Montanoceratops was around 10′ in length and lived about 70 MYA in what is now Montana and southern Alberta. At the time of GURPS Dinosaurs, it was assumed that Montanoceratops had a small nasal horn; since then, however, it has turned out that this ‘horn’ was actually a displaced cheek protrusion. Instead, this cow-sized ceratopsian’s main defenses were more likely to be its strongly-muscled beak and the option to run away if all else failed.

Pentaceratops [60 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +35 [105]; DX +2 [24]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +2 [20].

Secondary Characteristics: SM +3; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 4 [16], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 3  (Hide, bottom layer) [15], Discriminatory Smell [15], Horns [5], Monocular Vision [15], Sharp Beak [1].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

---

Average Pentaceratops

ST: 45
DX: 12
IQ: 3
HT: 12

HP: 45
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 12

Speed: 6
Move: 6
Weight: 6 tons
SM: +3

Dodge: 9

Parry: 10

DR: 3 (4 from front-facing attacks)

Horns (14): 5d+10 impaling.
Bite (14): 5d+4 large piercing.
Kick (12): 5d+10 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 14, Wrestling 15.

---

Pentaceratops is a heavily built 21′ long chasmosaurine ceratopsian that roamed New Mexico around 76 to 73 MYA. Its main claim to fame is a rectangular frill that blows almost all others out of the water, being able to nearly reach the base of the tail if it arched its neck back. Its genus name translates as “five-horned face”, referring to its two brow horns, nose horn, and two horn-like protrusions on its cheekbones.

Protoceratops [-35 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +5 [30]; DX +3 [36]; IQ -7 [-140].

Secondary Characteristics: Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 2 [8], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 1 (Hide, bottom layer) [5], Discriminatory Smell [15], Monocular Vision [15], Night Vision 3 [3], Sharp Beak [1], Striking ST 4 (Bite only, -60%) [8].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

---

Average Protoceratops

ST: 15
DX: 13
IQ: 3
HT: 10

HP: 15
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 10

Speed: 5.75
Move: 5
Weight: 400 lb.
SM: +0

Dodge: 8

Parry: N/A

DR: 1 (2 from front-facing attacks)

Head Butt (13): 1d crushing.
Bite (13): 2d-2 large piercing.
Kick (11): 1d+2 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Night Vision 3, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 13, Wrestling 13.

Techniques: Head Butt (Brawling) 13.

---

The 6′ long Protoceratops, native to Mongolia from 75 to 71 MYA, is perhaps one of the most famous ceratopsians other than Triceratops in the popular consciousness, thanks in no small part to their famed role in originally being the purported owners of the first dinosaur eggs ever found (which have since turned out to actually belong to the theropod Oviraptor; proper Protoceratops nests were eventually unearthed in 2011) and prominent cast members of the lavishly-illustrated children’s book series Dinotopia. Like many non-ceratopsid ceratopsians, its big head carried equally big jaw muscles that probably would have given it a pretty powerful bite for its size. Protoceratops had large scleral rings, indicating it had fairly keen night vision. Rather than being nocturnal, however, comparisons to the scleral rings of modern birds seem to suggest that Protoceratops was cathemeral; that is to say, active at random points in the day based on various external circumstances such as food availability, weather, and temperature.

Styracosaurus [31 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +27 [81]; DX +2 [24]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +2 [20].

Secondary Characteristics: SM +3; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 4 [16], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 2 (Hide, bottom layer) [10], Discriminatory Smell [15], Horns [5], Monocular Vision [15], Sharp Beak [1].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

---

Average Styracosaurus

ST: 37
DX: 12
IQ: 3
HT: 12

HP: 37
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 12

Speed: 6
Move: 6
Weight: 3 tons
SM: +3

Dodge: 9

Parry: 10

DR: 2 (4 from front-facing attacks)

Horns (14): 4d+8 impaling.
Bite (14): 4d+3 large piercing.
Kick (12): 4d+8 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 14, Wrestling 13.

---

This 18′ long ceratopsian from 75 MYA in Canada has a notably well-armed frill design, with four to six long horns protruding menacingly from its edges in addition to its long nasal horn. Even considering the presence of fellow ceratopsians Chasmosaurus and Centrosaurus, it would still have been very easy to spot Styracosaurus in a crowd. These statistics can also fit another stocky horn-frilled ceratopsian known as Rubeosaurus, which popped up in Montana about half a million years after the time of Styracosaurus.

Torosaurus [37 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +36 [72]; DX +2 [24]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +3 [30]

Secondary Characteristics: SM +4; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 4 [16], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 3 (Hide, bottom layer) [15], Discriminatory Smell [15], Horns [5], Monocular Vision [15], Sharp Beak [1].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1].

---

Average Torosaurus

ST: 46
DX: 12
IQ: 3
HT: 13

HP: 46
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 13

Speed: 6.25
Move: 6
Weight: 6 tons
SM: +4

Dodge: 9

Parry: 10

DR: 3 (4 from front-facing attacks)

Horns (14): 5d+12 impaling.
Bite (14): 5d+6 large piercing.
Kick (12): 5d+12 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 14, Wrestling 15.

---

One of the ceratopsians that lived at the twilight of the dinosaurs 68 to 66 MYA, Torosaurus was a 26′ long ceratopsian with a truly immense head that stretched 9 feet from the tip of the beak to the back of the frill. Like its fellow ceratopsian standing at the edge of the end of days, Triceratops, Torosaurus had a range that overlapped with Tyrannosaurus rex. While weaker prey such as young hadrosaurs or the occasional bit of carrion would have been far more frequent targets, it probably didn’t hurt to have a titanic head to swing around as a warning to an overzealous tyrant on the prowl. The frill’s size and possibly colorful surface would have also been a pretty big draw during the mating season, too, presuming that sexual selection was the primary reason for ceratopsian frills.

Triceratops [68 Points]

Meta-Traits: Quadruped [-35], Wild Animal [-30].

Attributes: ST +38 [76]; DX +2 [24]; IQ -7 [-140]; HT +4 [40].

Secondary Characteristics: SM +4; Will +7 [35]; Per +8 [40].

Advantages: Ceratopsian Frill 6 [24], Claws (Blunt) [3], Damage Resistance 3 (Hide, bottom layer) [15], Discriminatory Smell [15], Horns [5], Monocular Vision [15], Rapid Healing [5], Sharp Beak [1].

Perks: Long-Range Smell [1], Scales [1].

Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10], Short Lifespan 2 [-20].

Quirks: Incompetence (Swimming) [-1]

---

Average Triceratops

ST: 48
DX: 12
IQ: 3
HT: 14

HP: 48
Will: 10
Per: 11
FP: 14

Speed: 6.5
Move: 6
Weight: 9 tons
SM: +4

Dodge: 9

Parry: 10

DR: 3 (6 from front-facing attacks)

Horns (15): 5d+12 impaling.
Bite (15): 5d+6 large piercing.
Kick (13): 5d+12 crushing.

Traits: Discriminatory Smell, Incompetence (Swimming), Long-Range Smell, Monocular Vision, Quadruped, Restricted Diet (Herbivore), Short Lifespan 2, Wild Animal.

Skills: Brawling 15, Wrestling 16.

Techniques: Aggressive Parry (Brawling) 10.

---

Another denizen of western North America from 68 to 66 MYA, Triceratops is almost indisputably the most famous ceratopsian of them all, having achieved notoriety in both the public consciousness and popular culture ever since it was scooped out of the soil of the Badlands in 1887. Beyond its 26′ to 30′ frame and familiar three-horned visage, however, it is somewhat of an odd duck, being a relatively short-filled member of the long-frilled ceratopsians and completely lacking any parietal fenestrae. Instead, its frill is a hunk of bone packed with fibromellar material that would have aided in healing from injuries. There are also a relatively high number of Triceratops specimens with injuries to their horns and frills. While, once again, sexual selection is the most likely primary use of frills, these facts together seem to suggest that Triceratops might have been more rough and tumble with their heads than other ceratopsians.