Devastation Drive-In: The Final Cut — 'At The Earth's Core' (1976) (Part 1)

Brontog

No. Enc.:  1d2 (1d2)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  15
Attacks:  3 or 1 (2 claws, 1 bite, or 1 gore)
Damage:  1d8 / 1d8 / 2d10, or 4d6
Save:  L8
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  2,400

Via their mole-machines, The Ancients discovered, beneath their very feet, an amazing world of breathtaking beauty and unknown wonders...

...AND A MALEVOLENT MENAGERIE OF MONSTERS MOST MURDEROUS!!!

Brontogs are mighty, 15' tall bipeds with massive heads, toothy jaws, piercing horns, and shaggy crests.  They have a particular fondness for Pure Human meat, and target such PCs first in combat.

If a brontog strikes successfully with both claws in the same round, it gains a free bite attack (no To Hit roll required) not only that round, but each round thereafter.  The victim must make an Ability Check Vs STR to break the hold.

Highly territorial, brontogs attack each other on sight, and frequently attempt to steal their fellows' kills.  They always fight to the death.

Mutations:  None

—

Ignitroad

No. Enc.:  1d4 (1d4)

Alignment:  Neutral

Movement:  90' (30')

Armor Class:  5

Hit Dice:  4

Attacks:  1 (bite)

Damage:  1d6

Save:  L3

Morale:  9

Hoard Class:  None

XP:  245

Ignitroads are bovine-sized beasts that thrive in volcanic environs.  Every other round, they can exhale 20' long, 10' wide conical gouts of flame that do 5d6 damage to all targets.

Immediately upon dying, an ignitroad erupts in an 10d6 explosion with a 30' radius area of effect.  Those caught in the blast may make a Saving Throw Vs Energy for half damage.

Mutations:  Reflective Epidermis (Fire / Heat)

Devastation Drive-In: The Final Cut — 'The Brain' (1988)

Carnobellum

No. Enc.:  1 (1)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  7 (see below)
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  2d8, or 5d6 (see below)
Save:  L6 (see below)
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  XX
XP:  3,590 (see below)

The Ancients were obsessed with their televisions, and consumed hour after hour of inane daytime talkshows and self-help programs hosted by quack gurus...

...BUT LITTLE DID THEY REALIZE THAT THEIR SHOWS WERE CONSUMING THEM IN RETURN!!!

Carnobella are extraterrestrial beings that enslave planets to not only feed on the populace's psychic energies, but also the populace themselves!  They are aided by an inhuman servant that mimics a standard Pure Human, and the two jointly employ, bully, and / or enthrall other denizens to aid in their sinister agenda (meaning a carnobellum has 1d6+1 attendants at any given time).  The "prime servant" can be killed instantly with but a simple blow to the face, which sends its head flying and reveals its gooey otherworldly origins.

A carnobellum first appears as a watermelon-sized brain, but upon consuming a sentient victim, it metamorphoses into a horrific, fanged, man-sized beast!  For each being devoured thereafter, the carnobellum gains 2 HD (with corresponding increases in Saves and XP), and grows in girth and mass.  Carnobella keep larders full of bodies in case they can't secure live prey.

Carnobella slither after victims on their long spinal "tails", and attack with chomping jaws and lashing 20'-long tongues.  Anyone struck by a tongue attack is reeled in 1d3 rounds later for a free bite attack; however, a To Hit roll of a natural 19-20 means the target is yanked into the mouth immediately for a horrific 5d6 savaging!

A carnobellum requires elaborate electronics systems to enact its schemes, so it lairs in ruined studios, radio stations, military installations, etc.  Not only does it use such equipment to communicate with its lackeys, but it also broadcasts its Mental Mutations over vast distances over TV carrier waves.  Furthermore, anyone watching a carnobellum-powered broadcast must resist a Mental Attack as if from a WIL of 18, or lose 1d4 WIL points themselves...and when a victim's WIL drops to below 3, they become a slack-jawed mind-thrall.

Carnobella become furious with those strong-willed enough to resist their enslaving powers, and target such individuals with horrific Mental Phantasms to drive them to suicide, or send thrall-assassins their way.  In fact, rashes of unexplained suicides and violence are warning signs that a village may be facing a looming carnobellum threat.

Carnobella can "see" remotely through skeletons and skulls.  And the creatures are particularly vulnerable to sodium, dying instantly in sizzling showers of sparks if the substance enters their maws.

Mutations:  Empathy, Frailty ("Sodium Vulnerability"), Increased Willpower, Mental Phantasm, Metaconcert, Mind Thrust, Unique Mutations ("Broadcast Domination", "Skeletal Surveillance")

Devastation Drive-In: The Lost Footage!!!

I'll spend the next few weeks catching up on wayward entries from this October's mishap-laden Devastation Drive-In event.

Now's the perfect time to enjoy something from our concession stand!

"R" is for "Rhinosaurus"

Rhinosaurus

No. Enc.:  0 (1d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  13
Attacks:  1 (bite or gore or trample)
Damage:  2d6 or 2d12 or 5d8
Save:  L7
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  4,200

Rhinosauruses are elephantine, not-at-all-reptilian bugs that inhabit both arid wastelands and lush jungles. Their iridescent carapaces are so dazzling, anyone attacking them in melee without protective eyewear / lenses suffers a -2 To Hit.  The beasts Trample [p. 58 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] more often than not, but they also channel powerful prismatic beams through their horns.

Shields and armor made from rhinosaurus hide are immune to lasers and other photonic attacks.

Hardy and trainable, rhinosauruses are favored mounts of wasteland tribes.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Laser / Light), Reflective Epidermis (Laser / Light)

Please Accept These Passes For A Free Future Admission

Cherished Patrons:

We here at The Devastation Drive-In would like to apologize to you for the numerous projection difficulties this Halloween season. And given how this was to be the very last of our celebrated sojourns into the sordid cesspools of sinister celluloid—it was billed as The Final Cut, after all—we are particularly pained by the anticlimactic experience.

So many pictures went un-screened, like the promised Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde and Killer Klowns From Outer Space. And many other secret features fell by the wayside.

While we ultimately accept full responsibility for the operations at our theatre, in our defense, there were exigent circumstances. How could we predict some selfish louts would birth a baby right in the middle of the parking lot?  Had they no decency, no modesty, no simple consideration for their fellow film enthusiasts?

To rectify this shamefully disappointing and disappointingly shameful situation, we promise to present the remaining films at a later date before the year's end.  We haven't decided if some will randomly trickle out over the course of the next two months, or if they'll be part of another annual seasonal celebration.  Your input is certainly appreciated.

Again, we offer our most sincere apologies.  Please accept these passes for free future admission (with valid purchase, of course) and a complimentary snack at our concession stand.

Your humble servants in cinema,

The Management

Devastation Drive-In: The Final Cut — 'Ticks' (1993)

Ziptick

No. Enc.:  7d10 (20d20)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  150' (50')
Armor Class:  1
Hit Dice:  1
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d4
Save:  L1
Morale:  12
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  40

To better harvest certain "recreational pharmaceuticals", Ancient horticulturists used mysterious chemical brews to facilitate plant growth and elemental resistance...

...BUT IN DOING SO, INADVERTENTLY CREATED A BREED OF LEAPING, LEECHING, AND ALTOGETHER LETHAL NIGHTMARES!!!

Zipticks are hyper-aggressive, saucer-sized arachnids found in wooded and overgrown environs.  They possess armored hides and powerful jaws, and dash and leap (standing 10'; running 20') with such speed that all ranged attacks directed their way suffer a -2 To Hit penalty.  Zipticks cling to, and move across, vertical surfaces and ceilings with ease, and often drop down on those below (Surprising on a 1-3 on 1d6).  They also surge across the landscape to attack in swarms.

Zipticks lay clutches (containing dozens—if not hundreds—of eggs) almost anywhere in their habitat...and while many masses are blatant, others rest within hollow logs and ruins, and dangle from trees, and coat the undersides of bulky artifacts / wreckage, etc.  When clearing out egg-festations, adventurers have to be extra cautious and triple-check the area. Accidentally brushing up against an egg wakes up the tick within, and the creature gets a free biting attack as it bursts free.

Speaking of bites, zipticks clamp with mighty fangs.  A successful bite allows a ziptick to burrow its head deep into the victim, and the beast freely drains 1d6 damage per round after. Zipticks inject a powerful hallucinogenic toxin with each bite; a failed Saving Throw Vs. Poison results in Confusion  [p. 57 of the Mutant Future Core Rules] from twisted visions for 1d4 Turns.  Getting exsanguinated while tripping is a horrible way to perish, indeed.

Removing a ziptick requires an Ability Check Vs. STR at a +2 penalty, and successfully pulling it free inflicts an automatic 1d8 damage.  But one risks being too successful, as making the aforementioned Ability Check by 5 or more means that the body is ripped free, but the head stays embedded, doing free damage each round as above!  Dealing with a detached head involves cutting it out of the victim with a bladed weapon, which inflicts base equipment damage plus and additional 1d10 for trauma.

If a ziptick bites with a Natural 20, the creature actually burrows into the victim, and devours the unfortunate soul from within!  (Damage is the standard 1d4 + 1d6 per round.)  Death is agonizing, and bystanders can see the tick(s) hideously squirming under the skin.  Those that expire from an "internalized tick" suffer even after death, as 1d10 rounds later, their corpses are rent asunder as a man-sized ziptick bursts forth!  These abominable, fang-ier specimens [XP: 1,700] have 5 HD, AC -1, and inflict 2d8 damage with each bite...and natural To Hit rolls of 18-20 sever limbs!  Fortunately, these giant zipticks don't drain blood...but unfortunately, it's because they're too busy devouring flesh and bone.

Standard zipticks explode when touched by open flame (even something as small as a lit match), and  that's the easiest way to remove them.  They actively flee fire, too, and their Morale drops to 5.  Giant zipticks don't die instantly like their smaller brethren, but do take double damage per fiery attack.

Zipticks are incredibly strong and tenacious for their size, and given enough time, can gnaw and dig through earth, wood, and even metal in pursuit of prey.

Mutations:  Toxic Weapon (Hallucinogenic Venom)

—

Designer's Notes:  This film never got a proper theatrical release, so no official poster exists (necessitating use of the DVD cover).