Saturday, October 26, 2013

Devastation Drive-In 3-D — 'Alien Contamination' (1980)




Martian Cyclops

No. Enc.:  0 (1)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  0' (0')
Armor Class:  8
Hit Dice:  15
Attacks:  2 (2 tentacles)
Damage:  2d10 / 2d10
Save:  L15
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  XXII
XP:  6,000

Explorations to the Martian surface were always frought with peril, but still The Ancients delved ever deeper into the planet's cavernous intertior...

...WHICH PROVED DISASTROUS, AS THEY UNLEASHED A SLIMY, CYCLOPEAN CONQUEROR INTENT ON DEVOURING EVERY LIVING THING ON EARTH!!!

Martian cyclopses are 15'-20' tall, sedentary, corpulent masses of quivering green flesh that dwell in isolated, warm, humid dens:  volcanic caverns, jungle ruins, swampy sewers, wrecked ships, and the like.  They exude ichor from every orifice (of which there are many, including dual wheezing nasal slits across their torsos), and floor-to-ceiling "webs" of slime crisscross their lairs.

Martian cyclopses are so bloated that they can't move under their own power, so they mentally enslave others to do their bidding (which explains how they hitched starship rides to Earth in the first place).  Once settled planetside, a Martian cyclops enslaves a prime "disciple" that orchestrates and implements its master's horrible scheme:  the wide-scale dissemination of eggs that cause all nearby to explode!

Said eggs are gooey, pulsating, 2' long ovoids that glow from within.  If an egg is touched, handled, jostled, and/or disturbed in any way, it bursts 2 rounds later in a geyser of blistering Class 18 fluid that covers all in a 15' radius.  Anyone not wearing a hazmat suit (or similar self-contained enviro-gear that covers the entire body) must immediately make a Saving Throw Vs Poison; failure indicates the victim swells for 2 rounds before erupting in gory chunks, and success means a mere 8d6 acid damage.

Flamethrowers are the most effective means of safely destroying Martian cyclops eggs, and freezing renders them inert for safe handling and transportation.

A Martian cyclops feeds on humanoids, making its meals come to it via mind-controlling Empathy.  The creature commands hypnotized thralls to approach, and then it crushes them with tentacles as thick as tree trunks.  A successful hit by either tentacle means that the victim is ensnared, and suffers automatic crushing damage each round...and once the victim is pulped, the tentacles reveal sucking maws to better inhale the broken remains!

A called shot to the eye [at whatever penalties deemed appropriate by the Mutant Lord] kills a Martian cyclops instantly...and its main minion explosively (as if exposed to an egg above) expires as well 1d6 rounds later.

Mutations:  Empathy, Mental Barrier, Mind Thrust, Neural Telepathy