GALAXY LASER TEAM, CONVERGE!!!

Starraider

Hit Dice:  8
Frame:  Biomorph
Locomotion:  Legs (120'/40')
Manipulators:  Advanced Hands
Armor:  Duraplastic (AC 5)
Sensors:  Class 1 (-2 To Hit)
Mental Programming:  Programming
Accessories:  Vocalizer
Weaponry:  Starmitar (1d8+8 damage)
XP:  1,560 (+ 500 per implant)

The elite shocktroopers of the Cosmic Caliphate, starraiders are man-sized constructs that resemble mechanical versions of the Cosmic Caliph himself.  They function as soldiers, enforcers, and peacekeepers, and attack with overwhelming numbers and efficient brutality.

Each starraider is equipped with a starmitar (clearly derived from warp-field technology) that runs for 45 minutes on a minifusion cell.

The standard, expendable starraiders are made from white duraplastic.  Specialized variants include the pink radraiders (designed for irradiated wasteland environs; equipped with Gamma Eyes implants), green leafraiders (jungle warriors with Increased Sight and Hearing implants; Surprise on a roll of 1-4 on 1d6 in verdant environs), and black noxraiders (assassin-bots equipped with Night Vision implants; Surprise on a roll of 1-5 in darkness).

Starraiders all speak in the same synthesized, computerized monotone.

The Brutal Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland Is All About Scavenging...

...which is the polite way of saying "shameless theft."

Gavin at the snazzy O.M.E.G.A. Future World blog posted a link to a nifty animation called Ruin, by OddBall Animation studios.



I'm cross-posting it here, not only because it's a hoot, but to remind me to keep up with future updates.  (I tends ta get a mite distracteds, ya see.)

And you can check out test footage and other info at Oddball Animation's very own site.


Thanks, Gavin!

"M" is for "Megrilla"

Megrilla

No. Enc.:  1 (1d3)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  10
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 fists, or 1 bite)
Damage:  1d10 / 1d10, or 2d8
Save:  L5
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  XII
XP:  3,800

The arboreal megrillas are massive, 10' tall beasts with black fur on their bodies and blue on their underbellies.  Their bullet-shaped snouts always point upwards, revealing expansive maws lined with rows of razored teeth

Megrillas never win Initiative in their first combat round, as they perform antagonistic threat displays to intimidate their foes (which causes all seeing them to suffer a -2 to Morale checks).  Anyone/anything that flees will be promptly chased down and devoured.

If a megrilla successfully strikes the same target with both fists in the same round, it immediately shoves the victim in its jaws, getting a free biting attack for 2d8 damage.  A megrilla cannot both move and attack in this fashion in the same round.

Mutations:  Increased Sense (Smell), Simian Deformity [D]

"S" is for "Slammoth"

Slammoth

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  12
Attacks:  1d4+1, or 2, or 1 (1d4+1 bludgeons, or 2 tusks, or trample)
Damage:  2d6 per bludgeon, or 2d4/2d4, or 4d8
Save:  L6
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  6,800

Slammoths are massive, lumbering, 12' plants in pachyderm form, with barky bodies draped in moss and "tusks" comprised of gnarled woody growths. They dwell in dense forests and jungles, feeding off of overgrown lichens and fungi.

Each slammoth possesses 1d4+1 trunk-like tendrils that end in thorny bulbs.  15% of any given bulbs inject poison (Poison Class determined at random) with a successful strike.

Slammoths are sometimes (20%) infested with 1d6 leafbleeders.  These surly hangers-on use the slammoths for locomotion, and better access to prey.

Mutations:  Abnormal Size, Animal Limbs/Organs, Epidermal Photosynthesis, Free Movement, Full Senses, Natural Armor (Plant)

GALAXY LASER TEAM, CONVERGE!!!

Chiklak  ("Lobsturtle")

No. Enc.:  1d4 (2d8)
Alignment:  Any
Movement:  75' (25')
      —Swim:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  11
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 claws, or 1 head-butt)
Damage:  2d6 / 2d6 or 1d8
Save:  L11
Morale:  10
Hoard Class: V, XIV
XP:  5,200

From the mucky swamp-seas of the bogworld Morassmus-Prime come the Chiklaks, a tribal race of 9' tall fluorescent reptoids.  Mighty warriors, they possess crushing pincers, armored carapaces, and beam-projecting antennae.  Their primitive villages are comprised of mud-domes connected by extensive tube networks running above and below the mire.

Chiklaks can telescope their necks up to 10' in length, providing a +1 bonus on Initiative rolls if surveying an area for foes.  They also use this maneuver in combat, doing 1d8 ramming damage and knocking targets prone with a successful strike.

The Chiklaks' claws prevent them from utilizing weapons and technology effectively; they suffer a -4 To Hit penalty when doing so.

Chiklak PCs have d10 HD per point of CON, gain +3 STR, lose -5 DEX and -3 INT, and possess the full suite of racial Mutations.  25% (determined at character creation) of all such PCs suffer from Albinism [D],  and are generally shunned by their fellows.

Mutations:  Energy Ray, Natural Armor (Extreme) (x2)

Radioactive Review — 'Wisdom From The Wastelands' #3: High-Tech Weapons

Issue #3 of Wisdom From The Wastelands focuses on every post-apocalyptic player's favorite toys:  the weapons!  Six brand-new categories of Ancient armaments are introduced to the Mutant Future arsenal:

) Flamers (flamethrowers, duh)

) Micro-Missile Guns (gyrojets)

) Nerve Rippers (super-tasers)

) Rail Guns (handheld bolt-throwers!)

) Sliver Casters (flechettes a'plenty)

) Scramblers (anti-robot guns)

Each type gets several paragraphs, with relevant descriptions and game effects.  While I've made no secret about my preference for the "less is more" approach, I can't find fault with all the info here, as the Core Rules detail the fancier tech-weapons at length.

These gizmos are welcome—and, even better, fun—additions to the Mutant Future-verse. I've always loved gyrojet launchers since I learned of them from my Star Frontiers boxed set, so I'm giddy to have them here.  And the other gadgets bring flash and pizzazz to the post-apocalyptic proceedings, what with all the fire and electricity and metal fragments and such. I'm usually a pretty low-tech GM when it comes to my Gamma World-ing screen-monkeying, and most games fall apart before getting to the really cool Artifact hoards.  But I'd love to deck out some antagonists with these gadgets, and let my PCs fend for their lives.

(Oh, yeah...as has been par for the course for the WftW series, this 5-page, 99¢ supplement is neat and clean, with appropriate art to break up the text.)

In summary, this is an awesome addition to the Mutant Future-verse.  Buy it.  And given the quality of the first 3 WftW releases—and they're up to 6, as of today—and my glowing reviews, I'm afraid I'm going to sound like a Skirmisher Publishing shill.

"F" is for "Fogdog"

Fogdog  ("Miasmutt")

No. Enc.:  1d8 (2d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  165' (55')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  3
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d6 + drain
Save:  L3
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  155

The 5' long, 3' tall, hexapodic fogdogs are the companion beasts of the invading Uranians. They are used primarily to guard the gas giant methane generators, but also serve as scouts and hunting guides.

Upon a successful hit, a fogdog's siphoning snout continuously drains both 1d6 Hit Points and -1 CON per round, leaving its victim a withered husk.  Only the fogdog's death releases its hold.  (CON points recover at a rate of 1d4 per week, with proper hydration and rest.)

While deaf, their hypersensitive snouts and all-seeing eyes more than make up for any deficiencies.  Fogdogs are never Surprised, and can flawlessly track even the faintest trails.

Fogdogs share the same sensitivity to oxygen as their Uranian masters.

Mutations:  Extra Parts (Eyes, Legs), Frailty ("Oxygen Toxicity") [D], Increased Sense (Smell, Vision), Reflective Epidermis (Cold)

Mutants In The News — "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Robot..." Edition

The BBC reports that DARPA has created the fastest robot yet on four legs.

Appropriately enough, it's named Cheetah.

I guess they needed something to chase down and eliminate all those robotic ostriches.

Read the article for the video, and links about dogmechs and lizardroids.

GALAXY LASER TEAM, CONVERGE!!!

Bokka  ("Space Yeti")

No. Enc.:  1d4 (2d4)
Alignment:  Any
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  9
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 fists, or weapon)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6, or by standard melee weapon +2, or by technological weapon +4
Save:  L9
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  XV
XP:  4,500

Hailing from the glacial wastes of Koowie (fifth planet of the Gelid Rim), the Bokka (singular and plural) are 7' tall, shaggy humanoids known throughout the cosmos for their technological prowess and psionic abilities.  They make masterful pilots, engineers, and combat physicians.

A Bokka's highly sensitive antennae are the sources of its mental might.  When Bokka are captured by slavers or the Cosmic Caliphate's press-gangs, their antennae are surgically removed; any such mutilated lose all Mental Mutations, -5 WIL, and -3 CHA...but also gain a Morale of 12 when dealing with those responsible.

Out of sensitivity to the modesty—and pride—of other sentient races, the Bokka always wear pants.

Bokka PCs have 1d8 Hit Points per point of CON, gain +3 to WIL, and the full suite of racial Mutations.

Mutations:  Intellectual Affinity (Tinkerer), Metaconcert, Mind Thrust, Neural Telepathy, Reflective Epidermis (Cold)

Mutants In The News — Hunkerin' For A Bunkerin' Edition

I know lists are easy and kinda hacky—and shamelessly reposting them is even worse—but io9.com just compiled the Top 10 Places To Ride Out The Apocalypse.

I think a site like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault—particularly an IRRADIATED Svalbard Global Seed Vault—would make a crazy-go-nuts-ly awesome megadungeon.

"U" is for "Uranian"

Uranian  ("Gasgoon")

No. Enc.:  1d4 (2d10)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  60' (30')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  11
Attacks:  2 (2 claws-n-saws, or 2 ranged saws)
Damage:  1d6 + 1d12 / 1d6 + 1d12, or 1d12 / 1d12
Save:  L11
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  XXI, XXII
XP:  6,000

Enjoy your last gasps of sweet oxygen, puny Earthlings...for you shall never breathe again!!! 

Hailing from the Seventh Planet, the cunning Uranians are grotesque, 7' tall beings with 3 eyes, 3 snouts, and floppy ears.  Their arms end in sharp pincers that open to reveal even sharper organic "buzzsaws" that can cut through foot-thick steel.  These saws also extend outwards to engage foes up to 15' away.

The Uranians seek to conquer and colonize Earth, but first they must terraform the planet so that its atmosphere mimics that of their homeworld.  To this end, the Uranians and their robo-drones construct enormous, 200' tall methane generators (dubbed gas giants) that pump out ammonia and methane.  These towers convert the surrounding landscape into inhospitable, gaseous wastelands at a rate of an ever-expanding 2 miles per day.

Oxygen is poisonous to Uranians—they die within 1d4+1 rounds of exposure—so they will only be encountered within the aforementioned vapor-zones, or within their own spacecraft or strongholds.  PCs wanting to engage the towers and/or the Uranians themselves must wear the appropriate environmental gear (advanced armors, environmental armors, etc).

The flowing, shimmering robes worn by Uranians not only harmlessly absorb laser blasts, but successfully re-direct such attacks at a target of choice on a roll of 1-3 on 1d6.  [Rolls of 4-6 mean the blasts reflect in a random direction, as determined by the Mutant Lord.]

Uranians keep fogdogs as companion beasts.

Mutations:  Extra Parts (Eyes, Snouts), Frailty ("Oxygen Toxicity") [D], Increased Sense (Smell, Taste), Reflective Epidermis (Cold), Unique Mutation ("Saw-Claws")

"P" is for "Plantis"

Plantis

No. Enc.:  0 (2d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  210' (70')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  3
Attacks:  2 (2 kicks, or 2 thorns)
Damage:  1d6 / 1d6, or 1d4 / 1d4
Save:  L2
Morale:  7
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  110

The favored mounts of desert tribes and raiders, plantises are quadrupedal plants with insect-like gaits and thick, woody carapaces of diverse colors.  They extract ground moisture through the tips of their spiky "hooves".

Angry or cornered plantises lash out with frenzied kicks, or launch 2 thorns per round at a range up to 25'

A plantis can carry up to 300 lbs while moving at full speed, and 600 lbs at half-speed.

There are rumors of larger, carnivorous plantis species that dwell in overgrown forests and jungles.

Mutations:  Free Movement, Full Senses, Natural Armor (Moderate), Projectile Thorns

"G" is for "Groak"

 Groak

No. Enc.:  1d6 (1d10)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  120' (40')
  —Swim:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  7
Attacks:  1 (bite or specific weapon)
Damage:  1d8 or 2d6+1
Save:  L7
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  XIV
XP:  1,140

Found in swamps, lakes, and humid caves, groaks are lanky, 7' tall amphibioids with slick yellowish skin and blue stripes.  They usually eschew technology, and their only weapons are customized broad, razored blades atop long hafts [two-handed, +1 To Hit, 2d6+1 damage, 7 lbs].  How they procure them is unknown.

Groaks have an ancestral hatred of Pure Humans, and attack them on sight.  After slaying such victims, groaks slice open the body cavities and remove all the organs and innards, placing them in neat, specific piles next to the corpses.  The exactness of this ritual is universal amongst all groak-kind.

Groaks can spit venom up to 15' away, which causes Blindness for 1d6 hours upon a failed Saving Throw Versus Poison.  And when agitated or in battle, a groak raises its neck hood to intimidate foes.  Those seeing the threat display suffer a -2 penalty on all Morale checks.

One of the most grievous insults in the Mutant Future is telling someone that "their mother licks groaks."

Mutations:  Toxic Weapon (Spittle)

"G" is for "Gnawberry"

Gnawberry

No. Enc.:  0 (6d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  3' (1')
Armor Class:  9
Hit Dice:  1 hit point
Attacks:  See Below
Damage:  See Below
Save:  L1
Morale:  12
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  7

Master mimics, gnawberries are slugs that nest amidst ordinary (a fluid definition in the Mutant Future, to be certain) edible berries found on shrubs, brambles, and vines.  They can shift to any color, texture, and flavor, and assume any shapes up to 3" long.

Easy to chew and swallow, a gnawberry spends 1 full turn inside inside the stomach merging and healing its separated parts...and then begins devouring from within.  Each gnawberry consumed does 1d3 damage per round.  [If a PC eats a "handful" of the creatures, the Mutant Lord should randomly determine the quantity on 1d6+3.]  Upon the host's death, the creatures burrow forth from the body and slither back to the plant on which they were plucked.

Gnawberries cannot be distinguished from ordinary fruit by the naked eye; specialized mutant senses or advanced technologies are required.  However, grinding up a gnawberry reveals its true nature, as it leaks a rancid yellowish slime.  (This goo isn't present when the creatures are eaten, though, as saliva negates its production.)

Consuming salt pills [p. 124 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] will kill off a gnawberry infestation, as will receiving 2 back-to-back filter-dose injections [p. 125].

Mutations:  Chameleon Epidermis (Modified)

Radioactive Review — 'Wisdom From The Wastelands' #2: Monsters That Improve With Age

Full disclosure:  At Houston's OwlCon a few weeks back, I ran into Michael O. Varhola, the delightful Editor-In-Chief of Skirmisher Publishing.  You know Skirmisher.  They put out neat Mutant Future-compatible products like the Creatures Of The Wastelands series of books, and D-∞ Magazine...and the new Wisdom From The Wastelands weekly.

We got to chatting, and I told him how much I enjoyed his material, and how I owned almost all of it...and he kindly put me on the reviewer comp list for upcoming material.

So...issue #2 of the Wasteland Weekly publication is the first of my comps.  There's no funny business going on here.

Now on to the review!

—

Like Issue #1, Wisdom From The Wastelands #2:  Monsters That Improve With Age is a five page PDF (six, with OGL; I gander this is going to be the standard format).  The layout is also identical, with clean formatting and plenty of evocative pictures.  Same price point, too:  99¢.

Per author Derek Holland, the purpose of this supplement is to provide "age chart[s]...to scale monster encounters so that they are commensurate with the powers and artifacts possessed by the player characters."  

Several chart types are included, such as the Standard (the older the monster, the higher its number of Hit Dice and Mutations), the Variant (the older the monster, the higher its Hit Dice...plus corresponding changes in Movement, Damage, AC, etc.), the Multiple (breaks down monsters into distinct "classes" like Workers, Soldiers, Warriors, etc., with age-based abilities), and the Metamorphic (with creatures that change into "new" forms as they age, also with age-based abilities).

Examples of these charts tie into four new Monsters:  the Grape Mass (strangling plants), Lazra ("asymmetrical mutant moles"), Giant Green Crayfish (hive-based crustaceans), and Dekodecs (nasty ants that far surpass the standard Giant ones in the Mutant Future Core Rules).

The new monsters are really well done, with lengthy descriptions, and detailed charts.  And I'm a known sucker for mutant moles and crawdads.  This product is pretty much right up my alley.

Except...

...well, the material provides just "too much" for my own sensibilities.  Too much detail.  Too much elaboration.  Too much work.

Lemme 'splain.

Part of what got me into Mutant Future in the first place (and the whole OSR thing by default) is that I wanted a return of some simplicity in my RPGs.  I'd both GMed and played Champions for the better part of a decade, and that game makes you detail everything...and when HERO System 6th Edition came out, I recoiled at having to re-learn some rules I never thought needed changing in the first place.  (Not that there was THAT much difference between HERO 5th and 6th; it's just that the changes were significant enough to vex me.)

And I've tried to maintain that "OSR vibe" simplicity in my own blog here, by keeping my monster descriptions brief, and with plenty of wiggle-room for other GMs to customize them as they see fit.  (As to whether I've succeeded is up to you readers.)

What these Age Charts do is essentially turn each monster into a Dragon from the classic Monster Manual, with every variance in age corresponding to new "stuff".  And the charts are thorough, with some including not only months and years of the monsters' lives, but weeks and hours.  That's not really something I need.  (I confess to having one monster—my Armigo—that corresponded thematically to the Age Chart concept, but  that write-up irritated me halfway through typing it out.)

I guess what I'm saying is that I like the minimalistic elegance of the Monsters in the Mutant Future core book.  And if I need to toughen them up for players?  I'll just add more Hit Dice and Mutations and such as appropriate.

Waitaminute.  

I guess that means that, yes, I'd end up in the same place as if I'd used the Age Charts, after all.  

Hurm.

—

In conclusion:

If you like more detail in your Mutant Future critters, pick it up.

If you like neat ideas to spice up your own beasties, pick it up.

If you like mutant crawdads, or moles, or both...DEFINITELY pick it up.

"C" is for "Crodillo"

Crodillo

No. Enc.:  1 (1)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  60' (20')
  —Burrow:  90' (30')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  11
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  2d6 / 2d6 / 2d8
Save:  L6
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  4,400

Crodillos are mighty, lumbering, 12' tall bipeds with wicked claws, nigh-impenetrable hides, and snapping jaws powerful enough to crush rock and steel.  Their writhing antennae both detect electrical impulses and fire radioactive beams.

Crodillos burrow through the earth, and burst forth to grab unsuspecting prey (gaining +1 to both Surprise and Initiative rolls, and a +2 To Hit bonus, in the process).  Such victims are dragged underground to be devoured.

Territorial loners, crodillos only gather during the rainy mating season.  The bellows from their primordial wallowing and rutting drive away all game and mounts within a 3 mile radius.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Radiation), Reflective Epidermis (Lasers/Light), Unique Sense ("Electro-Sense")

"M" is for "Malignid"

Malignid

No. Enc.:  2d4 (3d6)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  165' (55')
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  5
Attacks:  4 (2 claws, 2 bites)
Damage:  1d4+1 / 1d4+1 / 1d6 / 1d6, + Poison
Save:  L5
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  VIII (x3), 3 Foodstuffs / Junk
XP:  500

Malignids are screeching, scurrying, aggressive insects that nest in tainted areas such as glowing waste dumps and seeping landfills.  They reach 4'-5' high at the shoulders of their powerful, ape-like forelimbs, and their bizarrely-jointed back legs provide great speed and leaping ability.  The angrier the malignid, the more its tympanic membranes throb and flutter.

Malignids are ferocious combatants, with rending claws and dual sets of razored mandibles. And everything about them is toxic, as their nails inject a Class 10 paralytic agent, and their bites a Class 4 venom.

For reasons unknown, malignids hoard refuse, trinkets, and broken artifacts.  And some claim that they've seen the creatures using tools....

Mutations:  Toxic Weapon (Venom) (x2)

"Who Will Save New Jersey?"

Saturday night, I took The Woman to see The Toxic Avenger musical in beautiful downtown Houston.  Front row, center seats, final performance.  I even put on cologne.  Yeah, I knows how to show a broad a good time.

It's a gloriously giddy piece of Pop Culture trash, and the game and energetic cast deserves praise by the rusted, leaking drumful (particularly Nancy Opel, who does a rowdy dueling duet with herself that involves ridiculous 2-second costume changes.)  I'm not qualified to review Theatre-with-a-capital-T, but we had a great, great time.

And I think my favorite part was watching the mink-stole-and-tuxedo bluebloods laughing themselves silly at what may have been their very first encounter with Troma.  I would love to be a fly on the wall of their home theatres if they rushed out and bought the original movie.

If you like mutants, music, and mayhem, go see it if a roadshow comes to your town.

I'm Delirious For Experience

Journey Master Tim said we'd get extra XP if we drew up our characters in Encounter Critical! style.

Ask any kid who attended Ford Elementary with me:  I'm a sucker for Extra Credit.  (No, wait—DON'T.  Those stories about my Safari Cards bonus reports are EMBARRASSING.)

Anyhoo, here's Creighton-9, in all his candelabra-clubbing glory.