Tales To Flabbergast Presents... THE DUMBFOUNDING DISCO DEVIL!!!

DISCO DEVIL

STATISTICS

F              EX (20)

A             RM (30)

S             TY (6)

E             GD (10)

R             TY (6)

I               TY (6)

P             TY (6)

Health:  66

Karma:  18

Resources:  GD (10)

Popularity:  TY (6)

BACKGROUND

Real Name:  Buck Sorensen

Occupation:  School bus driver 

Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record...yet

Identity:  Secret

Other Known Aliases: None

Place of Birth:  St. Louis, MO

Marital Status:  Divorced

Known Relatives:  Dr. Katherine "Kitty" Beemis-Sorensen-Dudek-Huang (ex-wife), Thelma Sorensen (teenage daughter)

Base of Operations:  Campaign City, USA

Past Group Affiliations:  None

Present Group Affiliation:  PC Team

KNOWN POWERS

Pyrotechnic Pitchfork:  Like a spear, it's made of Good material and possesses Good strength.  Grants wielder:

• Fire Generation at Incredible rank.
• Light Manipulation at Incredible rank.
• Sound Generation at Typical rank.

Rocket Skate-boots:  Grant Lightning Speed at Excellent rank, both forward and backward.

Talents:  Driving, Occult Lore, Performer (Roller Boogie), Repair / Tinkering

  

Contacts:  Crime ("Big Hoagie" McLean, bookie), Medicine (Ex-Wife, veterinarian).

ADDITIONAL NOTES

If mustaches had power ranks, his would be Unearthly.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES

Disco Devil took to superheroing to gain the respect of his family and peers (and maybe make some scratch—heroes get paid, right?), but being a chronic underachiever means he's always thiiiiiiiis close to supervillainy.  His heart's in the right place, but that place is lazy, shady, and kinda sleazy.  [Think "Scott Lang 's deadbeat uncle".]

Disco Devil boasts that his expertise (*snort*) of All Things Supernatural comes from mystic mastery over the Pyrotechnic Pitchfork, but he really just watched a lot of In Search Of... as a kid.

HISTORY

Perpetually down-on-his-luck school bus driver Buck Sorensen drove the fateful day of the incident at Rick Jones' Locker.  He made off with a demonic trident, a pair of high-tech skates, and a mirrored ball.

Sorensen knew these contraptions were His Big Chance, but he struggled for weeks because the trident didn't do squat, and the skates were damaged.  He mulled and pondered and stewed, but it wasn't until he was drunk in the tub as Alison Blaire's breakthrough song came over clock radio that inspiration struck like a laser on fog machine clouds.  Sorensen modified the trident with karaoke equipment from his defunct DJ business and "borrowed" car parts, and fixed the skates (which housed hidden mini-engines, which was boss).  With the addition of his championship "Mr. Groove-Thang '77" duds (they still fit!) and the remainders from a pop-up Halloween store, lo, the Disco Devil arose!

(Oh, and the ball?  Sorensen hung it proudly in his studio apartment to help the plentiful lava lamps "make panties melt even faster".  Ugh.)

FROM THE BULLPEN!

If there's two things coded into my DNA, they're disco and Satanism.  Blame terrible 1970s parenting.

My random stat rolls were:  TY, GD, FE, TY, EX, TY, RM.  Legit diced a 94 (excellent!) and a 98 (remarkable!), which was a great counterbalance to the 06 that came up Feeble.  I pumped that sad boy with the +2 Reason Column Shifts granted by a Hi-Tech origin, bringing my brains up to a whopping Typical.  And couldn't be happier with how the Power Ranks shook out, either—ol' Buck clearly rolled ridiculously well on his Repair / Tinkering rolls!

The four Talents were a total surprise.  Trying to fill the slots generated the backstory and personality..

Buck's long-suffering ex, Katherine, is a Proud Black Woman Who Is Sick Of His Nonsense, but she has a soft spot for the lug.  When he eventually shows up on her doorstep beaten and bloody (like he did plenty before ever donning a costume), she'll tear him a new one but still treat his wounds with pet meds.  Buck's daughter, Thelma, adores and supports him, even if she thinks he's ridiculous.

In my head-canon, Disco Devil, Razorback, The Hypno-Hustler, and Stunt-Master have a regular poker game spawned from sharing the same bookie.  Gambling winnings account for Sorensen's Good Resources.

Buck looks amazing for a man in his sixties, like he just stepped out of a copy of Playgirl.  Maybe the trident had some residual mojo after all...?

SIX DEGREES OF...

• The Son Of Satan is a Defender --> Hulk is a Defender --> RICK JONES!!!
• Dazzler dated The Beast --> The Beast is an Avenger --> RICK JONES!!!
• Blue Streak fought Captain America --> Captain America is a certain someone's mentor!!!

Campaigns That Never Were... Marvel Super Heroes Edition!

About (at least?)  a decade ago, Official Friend Of The Field Guide Theron Bretz tossed out a random campaign idea just as casual as you please...

What Lies In The Bottom Of Rick Jones' Locker?!!!

...with only the tersest descriptor beyond the logline:  "hoodlums break into Rick Jones' storage unit; hijinks ensue."  A specific system wasn't even mentioned (though I suspect Icons would've been the ruleset, given the timeframe and HERO System / Mutants & Masterminds fatigue).

Tragically, that campaign never materialized, but Theron's few words triggered an avalanche of ideas in Yours Truly.  (He's the Grant Morrison of gaming that way, and it's a privilege to float in his gaming pool.)   I've obsessed with Rick Jones' trophies and junk the entirety of these long ten years, conjuring concept after concept, iPhone note after iPhone note, and doodle after doodle.

THE NEXUS OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE!!!

I'm particularly riding high on Marvel vibes, what with Avengers:  Endgame and funnybook titles The Immortal Hulk, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and The Amazing Spider-Man (particularly the "Hunted" arc) rocking my socks.  In that spirit, I'm going to be posting characters that've been rattling around in my brain, and basing them on how I'd run What Lies In The Bottom Of Rick Jones Locker?!!! myself.

—

The 1990s were unkind to us all.

My version!

The Concept:  Kids on field trip hear explosion at nearby storage facility; hijinks ensue.  (This allows for teenage characters of the non-hoodlum variety, plus adults like bus driver, teacher, security guard, storage manager, wino , etc.)

The Engine:  TSR's Marvel Super Heroes.  Ol' school, y'all!

Character Concept:  Your character must tie into the world of Rick Jones in some form or fashion.  Given that he's been sidekick to The Hulk and Captains America and Mar-Vell, plus the honorary Avengers mascot, a hero of his own, and deceased (with all that entails in a funnybook milieu), if you're stuck, you should turn in your Merry Marvel Marching Society membership manifesto, effendi.

Revisiting this treasure was a  blast.

Character Generation:  A tweaked version of the Advanced Set rules, combining both random elements and choose-your-own.

• Pick your Origin.
• Roll FASERIP stats randomly, but slot as desired.
• Pick up to 4 powers, rolling Ranks randomly but slotting as desired.
• If you roll randomly for powers, you may potentially get more than four (per the charts), plus you get a free bump to one power of your choice's Rank.
• Acquire fiddly bits (Talents, Resources, and Contacts) as normal, but no sell-downs allowed unless you plead your case.
• No rules-lawyers or munchkins allowed.  Y'all know who you are.

If the above is gibberish, you can legally download the MSH rules (plus genuine and fan-made material old and new) right here to follow along!

So, stay tuned for my own long list of PCs That Never Were, true believers!

"G" is for "Godzilunan"

Godzilunan

No. Enc.:  1d3
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  90' (30')
      —Swim:  180' (60')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  22
Attacks:  4 (2 claws, 1 bite, 1 tail-slap)
Damage:  2d8 / 2d8 / 1d12 / 3d10
Save:  L18
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  21,250

Freakish, semi-aquatic hybrids of surly radioactive reptiles and insectoid slave-laborers from deepest space, godzilunans roam the wastelands with but one purpose:  destruction.

And rampant destruction, at that.

Godzilunans stand 30' tall, and their bodies are covered with thick scales and chitinous segments that make them nigh-impervious to *all* armaments  (meaning they suffer only one-third damage, no matter the weapon type).  Their bulbous, distended crania throb with menace.

A godzilunan can exhale a blast of pure radiation every three rounds that does 12d6 damage.

After a particularly satisfying rampage, godzilunans bury themselves underground or inside icebergs, going dormant for months or years at a time.  They inevitably awaken at the most inopportune times for local settlements.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Radiation, x3), Mental Barrier, Reflective Epidermis (Cold, Heat, Radiation)

—

"What happens when you combine a Godzilla with a Mutant?" — The Question Posed By My Four-Year-Old That Prompted This Ridiculous Entry

"E" is for "Eelwolf"

Eelwolf

No. Enc.:  2d6 (3d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  180' (60')
      —Swim:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  7 (See Below)
Hit Dice:  4
Attacks:  1
Damage:  1d10
Save:  L4
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  355

Equally at home on land or in water, the predatory eelwolves are encountered in forests, jungles, and swamps.  Their gurgling, rasping howls echo across the wasteland nightscape.

Eelwolves' agile canine builds, combined with sinuous musculature and sleek, slimy skin, grant the creatures an AC of 4 in melee (while being AC 7 at range).  Their diverse coloration also tends to match their environs, granting them Surprise on 1-4 on 1d6 and +1 to Initiative.  When pursuing prey, and eelwolf can compress and wriggle through an opening one-fourth its size.

Eelwolf hides can be made into leather armor (AC 7) that grants a +1 to DEX and an immunity to electrical-based attacks.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Electricity), Enhanced Vision (Night), Reflective Epidermis (Electricity)

Mutant Crawl Classics: More Manimal Mayhem!

My Kickstarter'd heap of Mutant Crawl Classics goodies arrived this week, and I'm digging it like crazy.

I'm also starting the homebrew hacking process!

Take the official chart for starting Manimal PCs:

There's key omissions, with no chance for, say, gatoroids or hippoids or kangaroids, and that just won't do!

So here's my tweaked version:

Also downloadable in PDF form right here!

"P" is for "Prongalope"

Prongalope

No. Enc.:  1d6+2 (2d10)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  210' (70')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  5
Attacks:  2 or 1 (x2 weapon, or 1 gore)
Damage:  by weapon x2, or 1d6
Save:  L5
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  VII
XP:  1,100

Prongalopes are man-sized, nomadic giraffoids with horns that coruscate with green electricity.  They travel the wastelands in tigh-knit clans, living off the lands and bartering for what they can't scavenge...and if negotiations fail, prongalopes are not above taking what they need..

Fast and frenetic, prongalopes strike twice per round with the same weapon, melee and ranged alike.  Their natural agility gives them a base AC 5, which can be improved by shields and tech.

Prongalopes settle tribal rivalries with elaborate dance contests, and their mutations are ideally suited to this purpose..  Once a year, the beings gather by the thousands to resolve debts, disputes, divorces, and all manners of conflicts via the art of "serving".  Prongalopes will gladly "step to" PCs and "take them to the prairies" in place of combat.

Mutations:  Combat Empathy, Energy Ray (Electricity), Fragrance Development, Increased Balance, Precognition 

"Gonzo Crawl Classics"... Meh, That Needs Work

Here's another from the deep cesspit of derelict projects, a Dungeon Crawl Classics-esque background list for 0-level morts.

I have some scribblings for a goofy corresponding adventure.  Maybe make it a zine?  You kids today are into zines, right?

Sample Preview!

Grab it here, or from the list on the side.

And Now To Find Out What This Project REALLY Is!

Presenting...

The Mutant Future Version!

Check it out here.

--

Going forward, I'll post whatever gaming stuff strikes my fancy, meaning I may ease up on the "almost entirely post-apoc" theme.  As I said, I have plenty of half-baked scrawlings, including stuff for Dungeon Crawl Classics, "PCs That Never Were", and further Savage Worlds nonsense over at my other neglected blog.

Sorry it's been so long, and I hope you'll come back around.

Tap, Tap, Tap... Is This Thing On?

Apeocalypse, Wow!

The esteemed Trey Causey, Official Friend Of The Field Guide, is running a nifty 1970s ape-thang.

Here is my character, created as a Pure Human with the Mutant Future rules (with added skills via Stars Without Number; I think we're also maybe using the default D&D ability mods?). Stats were generated via "4d6, drop the lowest, place, and ignore the +3 Pure Human attribute bonuses", so don't begrudge me his rockin' scores.

—

Dr. Conrad "Rip" Ripper
Two-Fisted Space-Psychiatrist

Character Type:  Mission Specialist
Alignment:  Heroic Impulsive

Level:  1
Hit Points:  78
Armor Class:  Whatever A Spacesuit Is (7?)
Movement:  Towards The Action

Abilities
STR:  14 (+1)
DEX:  11  (-)
CON:  15  (+1)
INT:  17  (+2)
WIL:  15  (+1)
CHA:  15  (+1)

Skills
)  Perception
)  Profession (Psychiatry)
)  Science!
)  Tech (Medic)

Modifiers
) To Hit / Damage (Melee) / Forcing Doors:  +1
) To Hit (Missile):  -
) AC:  -
) Technology Rolls:  +10%
) Reaction Adjustment:  -1

Saving Throws
Energy Attacks:  15
Poison / Death:  12
Stun Attacks:  14
Radiation:  13

Mutations:  None

Attacks/Weapons
)  Fists (1d3+1)

Equipment
)  All-Purpose "Space Gear" (looted from our stasis-satellite)
)  Pipe and Tobacco

XP:  None Yet (but plenty earned at The Med School Of Hard Knocks)

Description

Dr. Conrad "Rip" Ripper believes in handling problems head-on, whether they're deeply-rooted neuroses, mouthy drunks, or jaguars / robots / Commies / aliens / ape-men that need barrels thrown at their heads.

And while he may first lay you flat, Rip will gladly discuss your feelings, life choices, and maternal figures that led you to such an unfortunately necessary comeuppance.  See, he truly wants to help you, even if it requires a prescription-strength sock to the jaw.  This sometimes gets him into trouble when patients don't want his vigorous brand of therapy.

Rip is never without his trusty pipe [he unofficially has skill levels in "Smoking"], DSM-II (7th printing, 1974 edition), and journal in which to inscribe his insightful musings.

Mutants In The News — "Doc-In-A-(Big)-Box" Edition

NPR has a great article / podcast about the Strategic National Stockpile, those super-secret storehouses chock full o' medical machines, vaccines, and everything in between!

Each overstuffed site is apparently bigger than two Super Walmarts smashed together, with jumbo flags hanging from the ceilings.  You don't get much more American than that.

Just add renegade robots, killer fungi, and sentient cockroaches, and you have yourself a megadungeon just begging for a looting!

Mutants In The News — "See Ya Later, Alligator" Edition

For years, like some unhinged coot that warns strangers away from woodland cabins and summer camps, I've bellowed about the serpentine scourge afflicting Florida's swamps.

Turns out things are even worse than I prophesied, though, as it's been confirmed (via the awesome powers of SCIENCE!) that families of Nile crocodiles are inhabiting the region.

Yep.  The native alligator's bigger, meaner, deadlier cousins have taken up residence.

At this rate, there's really only one way The Everglades situaish can play out.  The Gods help us all!

"S" is for "Splicesaur — "Styracula"

Splicesaur — Styracula

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  13
Attacks:  1 (gore or crush)
Damage:  2d8 + special, or 3d6
Save:  L7
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  VII
XP:  7,800

Styraculas are freakish hybrids of ceratopsians and bats.   Throbbing veins and arteries criss-cross their bodies, and stunted, expressive chiropteric wings adorn their brows.  The enormous beasts communicate in screeches and squeaks.

Styraculas feed on the blood, which they drain from victims via hollow snout horns. Anyone gored suffers an immediate 2d8 damage and becomes impaled and incapable of movement, and suffers an automatic 1d10 leeching damage per round.  Impaled victims can't escape on their own, and it requires two allies performing successful Ability Checks Vs STR to rip them free (which inflicts an additional 1d6 damage).  Styraculas can both Charge and Trample.

As a styracula feeds, the blood pumps visibly through the creature's frill.

—

Mutations:  Echolocation, Increased Sense (Hearing), Shriek

Mutants In The News — "Everyone Needs More -OIDs!" Edition

There's new mutant minis afoot!

EffinCoolMinis has a new Kickstarter for Official Metamorphosis Alpha minis.

There are multiple tiers that include such mutalicious menaces as "Techno Terrors", "Human Survivors", "Anthro Aggressors", and "Mutant Monsters".

Metamorphosis Alpha creator Jim Ward himself will be writing an adventure and a bestiary for the project, too!

Have some prototypes!

Mr. Ward is an Official Friend Of The Field Guide, so I'm always happy to put money in his pocket.

(And there's even a pie chart of how the finances break down.  Licensing fees always interest me.)

Anyhow, give them some moolah.  Even if you don't need minis, a measly $10 still gets you both PDFs of Mr. Ward's scribblin's!

"Blackmail Is Such An Ugly Word. I Prefer 'Extortion'. The 'X' Makes It Sound Cool." — Bender Bending Rodriguez

The Star Wars juggernaut is upon us, and there's no escaping it's Force-choking clutches.

My household is pretty pumped about the upcoming flick, and The Woman expressed interest in Fantasy Flight's current rpg line.

So what better way to check out the SW: Edge Of The Empire game than by making a character?

—

11-H8

Species:  Droid

Career:  Bounty Hunter

Specialization:  Assassin

Obligation:  Criminal (starting 10 points; +5 additional)

Motivation:  Ambition (Greed)

Characteristics

Brawn: 2, Agility: 2, Intellect: 2, Cunning: 3, Willpower: 1, Presence: 2

Figured Characteristics

Soak: 3, Wounds: 12,  Strain: 11, Defense:  0 / 0

Combat Skills

Brawl: 1, Melee: 2

General Skills

Athletics: 1, Medicine: 2, Perception: 1, Piloting (Planetary): 1, Skulduggery: 2, Stealth: 1, Streetwise: 1, Vigilance: 1

Talents

Enduring, Lethal Blows, Stalker

Weapons / Equipment

Vibro-scalpel, "Med Kit" (Anaesthetic (2), Avabush Spice, Neurotoxin), Binders (2), Comlink, Utility Belt, 5 credits

—

Haughty and egotistical cosmetic surgery droid 11-H8 grew to despise his vapid, dull-witted clientele, and decided to remove more from them than cellulite.  He extracted secrets from his quasi-anaesthetized patients, and began a campaign of blackmail, extortion, and thievery...

...which completely blew up in his faceplate, as his clients were some of The Empire's richest, mightiest, and most unforgiving plutocrats.

Hijinks ensued... fleeing-and-going-underground-and-turning-to-even-more-crime-to-survive-related hijinks.

11-H8 now specializes in fugitive-reclamation, leg-breaking, and assassination, gleefully using his medical expertise in ways counter to his factory programming.

—

He has "LV" engraved on his left claw-knuckles, and "H8" on the right.

"I" Is For "Isothrope"

This entry is based on a monster model kit I painted up all post-apocalyptic.  And there wasn't a decent pic of the box art on The Interwebs, so consider my personal scan a gift for the masses!

Isothrope

No. Enc.:  1 (1d4)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  11
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  1d8 / 1d8 / 2d6+4
Save:  L6
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  VII
XP:  10,800

By day, isothropes are feral Pure Human derelicts who haunt the wastelands... but beneath the Mutant Future's shattered full moon, they transform into corrupted creatures akin to those of Ancient mythology.

Isothropes glow a scintillating neon, and their eyes burn with blue radioactive rage.  Their blackened, cracked skin sloughs off in sheets.  Tainted blood seeps from every orifice. Isothropes are always clad in the tattered remnants of radiation suits.

Isothropes are immune to radiation, toxins, and disease, and all weapons inflict only half damage [to simulate their hyperactive healing].  The creatures spread their infectious metamorphic condition as per the lycanthropy disease [Labyrinth Lord Core Rules, p. 86].  

Mutations:  Increased Senses (Hearing, Smell, Taste, Vision), Metamorph (Modified), Optic Emissions (Gamma Eyes), Regenerative Capability, Toxic Weapon ("Isothropy")

"What's Nuked, Scooby-Doomsday?" — Ghastlynaut

Ghastlynaut  ("Space Kook")

No. Enc.:  1 (1)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  75' (25')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  13
Attacks:  2 (2 fists)
Damage:  2d6 / 2d6
Save:  L13
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  XV
XP:  7,800

Ghastlynauts are 8'-tall, armored, skull-faced horrors from beyond the stars.  Their bone-chilling cackles are the soundtracks of nightmares, and their helms flash hellish red in syncopation with their wails.

The beings feed on fear, and channel it back through debilitating psychic assaults [Mind Thrust].  Though plodding and ponderous, ghastlynauts stalk inexorably and unerringly towards their quarry, and emit both a pulsing glow and low-frequency hum while doing so (meaning they never Surprise when on the prowl).  That said, hiding does no good, for they always find you...and you'll always know they're coming!!!

Ghastlynauts can take control of electricity-based machinery, vehicles, and artifacts and operate them from afar, no matter the condition of the contraption.  Control extends to only one device at a time, and said gadget must remain within a half-mile radius to function.  Ghastlynauts also surround themselves in combat with 3d6 illusory duplicates that mask their true location on the battlefield.  All opponents with visual senses (including robots) are susceptible to the effect.

Ghastlynauts travel in dilapidated "haunted saucers" that are essentially rocket-powered spookhouses.

Mutations:  Enhanced Vision (Night), Fear Generation, Know Direction, Mind Thrust, Unique Mutations ("Holographic Replication", "Overriding"), Unique Sense ("Stalker-Sense")

—

Inspired by Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode #15, "Spooky Space Kook" (1969).

And for the Savage Worlds version, click here!