Thursday, December 1, 2011

"B" is for "Blitzfin"

Blitzfin

No. Enc.:  0 (2d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  0' (0')
     —Swim:  165' (55')
Armor Class:  7
Hit Dice:  2
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d6 (+1d8)
Save:  L1
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  65

Blitzfins are 3'-4' long, silvery, carnivorous fish found in bodies of fresh- and saltwater (particularly near ruined dams and power plants).  Electricity continuously arcs along their bodies, and their teeth crackle with energy.

Anyone bitten by a blitzfin suffers the initial bite damage, and takes an additional 1d8 jolting damage (unless otherwise immune).  Furthermore, those immersed in water and targeted by a blitzfin's Energy Ray or Energy-Retaining Cell Structure take an additional 1d6 conductivity damage per attack.

Like shockroaches and drearwigs, blitzfins can be used as "living dynamos" by those with the technical expertise.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Electricity), Energy-Retaining Cell Structure, Reflective Epidermis (Electricity)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

"X" is for "Xerix"

Xerix

No. Enc.:  1 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  105' (35')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  5+1
Attacks:  1 (gore)
Damage:  1d10
Save:  L4
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  VI
XP:  1,260

Xerices are 20' serpents that inhabit scrublands and savannahs, lurking in pits, craters, and abandoned animal dens.  They gore their prey with antlers, and with a successful hit, follow up with constriction for an additional 2d8 damage.  This damage continues on subsequent rounds.

And from the nodules on its head, a xerix can expel a cloud of acrid blue gas 20' in diameter that hyper-dehydrates all matter within its confines.  Against wooden weapons, items, armor, and "ordinary" plantlife, the gas acts as the Disintegration Mental Mutation (with the xerix having an effective WIL score of 8+1d4).  Mutant Plants and plant-based creatures take 8d6 damage, but may make a Saving Throw Versus Poison for half damage; Pure Humans, Mutant Humans, and Mutant Animals suffer 4d6 damage, and make the same Save.  Androids are completely immune to the gas.  The cloud lasts 1d4 rounds, and the effects are continuous until it dissipates.

A xerix's multiple eyes are highly sensitive.  While xerices are Surprised only on a roll of 1 on 1d6, they are also terrified by the flashiness of laser pistols, blaster rifles, and similar weaponry.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Natural Weapon—Antlers), Extra Parts (Multiple Eyes), Phobia (Ranged Energy Weapons) [D], Toxic Weapon ("Desiccating Cloud")

Thursday, November 24, 2011

"S" is for "Stymphalian Turkey"

Stymphalian Turkey

No. Enc.:  1d4 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  16
Attacks:  3 or 1 (2 claws, 1 bite, or 1 trample, or 1 volley)
Damage:  2d8 / 2d8 / 2d6, or 4d8, or See Below
Save:  L8
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  XXI
XP:  6,900

The 20' tall, flightless monstrosities known as Stymphalian turkeys owe their origins to the most demented of Ancient experimentation.  Instead of natural tailfeathers, they possess serrated metallic facsimiles 8'-10' in length.  Ocular implants and diamond-tipped cyber-claws add to their freakishness.

Stymphalian turkeys can launch their oversized feathers up to distances of 150', with an area of effect radius of 20'.  Each volley fires 1d6+1 feathers that do 3d6 damage each.  Those struck in the impact radius can make a Saving Throw Versus Death for half damage.  The birds also Trample those underfoot.

A Stymphalian turkey's Hoard Class represents the alloys and electronic components salvageable from its corpse.  And a deceased specimen can feed a medium-sized village for 1d4 months.

Mutations:  Energy Ray (Implants), Gigantism, Increased Sense (Vision) (Implants), Spiny Growth (Extra-Large) (Implants)






Designer's Notes:  I dusted these beasties off from my longest-running Champions campaign.  The Stymphalian turkeys were the crazed creations of a team-up most terrible between supervillains The Cassowary, that feathery femme fatale, and The Gourmand, the corpulent culinary crook.  The demented duo unleashed the baleful birds during Fair City's annual Thanksgiving parade, and only the valiant heroes of Vanguard could stop them!  From that battle,  The Gourmand became one of Troubadour's  most hated foes!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

"Q" is for "Quelagar"

Quelagar

No. Enc.:  1d6 (2d8)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  120' (40') 
Armor Class:  4
Hit Dice:  6
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 claws, or 1 weapon)
Damage:  1d4 / 1d4, or by weapon
Save:  L6
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  VII, VIII, XIV
XP:  1,820

The Quelagar (both singular and plural) are a race of bipedal, 5' tall reptoids with rounded, hunched, spiky bodies and narrow tails.  They favor arid climes, hunting and scavenging in desert wastes and dry cavern complexes.  Though they will trade with outsiders, quelagar are amongst the most dour, gruff, and altogether crabby peoples of the Mutant Future.

When provoked, a quelagar can squirt a jet of blood from its tearducts at a distance of 15'.  This acrid fluid causes those struck to suffer -3 on all To Hit rolls for 1d6 rounds on a failed Saving Throw Versus Stun...and a -1 penalty if successful.

A quelagar can also revert into a previous stage of evolutionary development, taking the shape of a giant, 10' long horned lizard [use the statistics for the giant tuatara from p. 81 of the Mutant Future Core Rules].  Its Toxic Weapon is usable in this form, and there is a 25% chance that any given specimen possesses the Energy Ray mutation while metamorphed.

Due to their coloration, quelagar are nigh-invisible in sandy and rocky environs, and Surprise foes on a 1-4 on 1d6.

Mutations:  Force Screen (Greater), Mental Barrier, Metamorph, Spiny Growth (Medium), Toxic Weapon ("Blood-Burst")




Tuesday, November 22, 2011

"E" is for "Eyemoth"

Eyemoth

No. Enc.:  1d4 (1d6)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  30' (10')
         —Fly:  180' (60')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  8
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d8
Save:  L4
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  VII
XP:  4,560

Eyemoths, ravenous and indescriminate carnivores and scavengers, are nauseating, 6' long insects found in ruins, cave systems, and sewers.  Their moist, fleshy wings reach 15' across...and each is covered in 2d6 bulbous, leaking eyeballs.  Eyemoths are never surprised.

While flying, eyemoths can sling their optic fluids in a 20' long, 15' wide cone, and anyone caught in the spray must make a Saving Throw Versus Stun or be both Blinded and Paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds.

Eyemoths suffer an extra +1 damage per die from cold-based attacks.

Mutations:  Combat Empathy, Enhanced Vision (Night Vision), Epidermal Susceptibility (Cold-Based Attacks) [D], Extra Parts (Multiple Eyes), Force Screen, Toxic Weapon ("Mucilage"), Weak Will [D]

Friday, November 18, 2011

"B" is for "Benthak"

Benthak

No. Enc.:  0 (1d8)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  45' (15')
  —Swim:  75' (25')
Armor Class:  2
Hit Dice:  8
Attacks:  3 (2 claws, 1 bite)
Damage:  2d8 / 2d8 / 1d8
Save:  L4
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  1,060

Benthaks are chitinous, multi-legged, ill-tempered crustaceans the size of Ancient rhinoceroses.  They prowl the floors of the deepest oceans, devouring anything they encounter.

Benthaks employ their claws with blinding speed, stabbing and smashing their prey to pieces.  And said claws secrete a chemical that disrupts metal at the atomic level, providing +2 To Hit and Damage against submersible vehicles, robots, and targets encased in metallic armor.

There are tales of great Ancient undersea bases being overrun with benthaks.  The beasts sheared their way through steel and duralloy once thought impregnable to get at the occupants inside...whose horrifying final fates involved swirling vortices of crushing waters, snapping jaws, and gore.

Mutations:  Toxic Weapon ("Subatomic Claws")

Thursday, November 17, 2011

"R" is for "Robostrich"

Robostrich

Hit Dice:  10
Frame:  Biomorph
Locomotion:  Legs (Pair)
Manipulators:  Jaws
Armor:  Duralloy Armor (AC 3)
Sensors:  Class II
Mental Programming:  Programming
Accessories:  None
Weaponry:  See Below
XP:  1,700

Robostriches are 9' tall robots that resemble nothing less than Ancient flightless birds, with long necks, powerful legs, and insulating rubber feathers (making them immune to electricity-based attacks).  They are powered by minifusion cells housed in their sternums.

Designed for combat, robostriches dash nimbly across the landscape at speeds up to 100 mph, biting (1d8 damage), kicking (2d10), and/or Charging all in their path.  And powerful gyroscopes ensure they never stumble, even over the most unforgiving terrain.

Rogue A.I.s with a sadistic sense of humor often dispatch "flocks" of robostriches against their foes.






*Inspired by current advances in Gamma World-ian studies!!!


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

"B" is for "Blastodon"

Blastodon

No. Enc.:  0 (2d8)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  120' (40')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  14
Attacks:  2 (2 projectiles, or 1 bite, 1 trample)
Damage:  3d6 / 3d6, or 1d6 / 4d8
Save:  L7
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  5,100

The massive blastodons are belligerent, cruel, and destructive pachyderms with a seething ancestral hatred for humanity.  Wrathful herds often lay siege to Pure Human and Mutant Human settlements, or ambush caravans and military convoys.

Once every other round, a blastodon can launch 2 balls of explosive plasma (one from each hollow tusk) up to a range of 100'.  Each does 4d6 damage in a blast radius of 15', and deafens those caught in the explosion for 1d4+1 rounds upon a failed Saving Throw Versus Stun.  Different targets may be chosen for each attack.  In close combat, blastodons Trample with abandon.

Blastodons feed by lapping up their victims' obliterated remains with their trunk-maws.

As a side effect of their thunderous abilities, blastodons' ears have scarred over into cartilagineous lumps.  This renders the beasts effectively deaf, but their footpads and snouts remain highly sensitive to vibrations.

Mutations:  Sensory Deficiency (Deafness) [D], Unique Mutation ("Plasma Pulses"), Unique Sense (Detect Vibrations)

Monday, November 14, 2011

I've Bought Super-Bouncy Balls, Press-On Tattoos, And Rubber Monsters From Gumball Machines That Cost More

While prowling the knickknack tables at Houston's annual Arcade Expo on Saturday, I found this:


The staples are rusty, the top of the cover has slight water staining (but, strangely, no wrinkling), and the page edges have turned "gamer-grubby brown" from extensive handling...but it's otherwise in dandy shape. 

The 45-something guy in the X-Wing Pilot uniform and helmet who sold it to me clearly loved—and, even better, used—the book.

This is the best 50 cents I've ever spent.  Score!

PS:  Gamer-Grubby Brown needs to be an official Crayola color.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

"W" is for "Warpwolf"

Warpwolf

No. Enc.:  2d4 (3d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  180' (60')
Armor Class:  3
Hit Dice:  3
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  2d6
Save:  L2
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  110

Warpwolves are deep indigo canines that stalk the radioactive wastes of the Mutant Future.  They are cunning pack hunters, and doggedly pursue prey over any distance.

Packs of warpwolves use their teleportation to maximum effect in combat, blinking in and out of existence around the target to disorient it; consequently, groups of 3 or more warpwolves collectively receive +2 To Hit when attacking the same foe.  And their bites are particularly savage, as they clamp down and teleport a short distance away...tearing away large chunks of flesh in the process.

Raising and training warpwolf cubs is extremely difficult, but the beasts are highly prized as loyal companions.

Mutations:  Enhanced Vision (Night Vision), Reflective Epidermis (Radiation), Teleport

"Ratzen-snitzen-fratzen-ratzen...!!!" — Muttley


I noticed a glaring error in my Devastation Drive-In document:  a blank page where Robot Monster stuff should've been.

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

So, I fixed that, and tweaked a mutation or two to bring them in line with my modified versions (changing Night Vision to Enhanced Vision (Night Vision), for example.)  I also added a few extra stills.

The new version is already uploaded.

Sorry, all.  How humiliating.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Secret Scrawlings and Wasteland Writings (or, PDF = Pretty Danged Fancy)

Credit where credit is due:  Cyborg Trucker clued me into a dandy little widget that lets you download documents directly from your blog.

That lit the fire to get my assorted charts and lists all PDF'd and ready for use, as there have been kind people (like Messrs. Brutorz Bill and Radioactive Ape) who've asked for my material in a less-bloggy format.

So, this is for you, dear readers!

And not only that, but...


...I compiled all of the Devastation Drive-In material into one convenient movie mutant manual.

So take a gander at my behind the scenes screen scribblings over on the Field Guide Documentation sidebar, and tell me what you think.

Next project?  Getting the rest of this blog's muties done up in similar fashion.  Only about 80% more to go!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Friday, November 4, 2011

"M" is for "Manataur"

Manataur  ("Slomad")

No. Enc.:  1d4 (2d6)
Alignment:  Any
Movement:  60' (20')
     —Swim:  60' (20')
Armor Class:  6
Hit Dice:  10+2
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 fists, or 1 weapon)
Damage:  1d8 / 1d8, or by weapon
Save:  L10
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  XXII
XP:  5,200

The husky, hardy Manataur (both singular and plural) are a race of 10' tall, half-ton humanoids with smooth, rubbery gray hides.  Due to their unique suite of mutations, they can be found in any environment, locale, and/or structure across the Mutant Future.

The Manataur possess a collective penchant for travel, exploration, and discovery.  Those of Lawful dispositions act as ethnographers, historians, and philosopher-missionaries, while the more Evil are mercenaries, zealots, spies, and conquerors.  No matter their leanings, all Manataur are methodical planners who delight in new cultural experiences, particularly of the culinary varieties.

Some Manataur have been known to permanently reside in the bodies of those they Possess, and live out their days in the ultimate, most intimate research quest of all:  the journey into the true depths of another person's being.

Mutations:  Body Adjustment, Extra Parts (Dual Hearts; +2 HP per HD), Know Direction, Plane Shift, Possession, Slow Mutant [D]





Thursday, November 3, 2011

"C" is for "Crubber"

Crubber

No. Enc.:  0 (1d4)
Alignment:  Neutral
Movement:  90' (30')        
        —Fly:  See Below
     —Swim:  90' (30')
Armor Class:  5
Hit Dice:  4
Attacks:  1 (bite)
Damage:  1d8+2
Save:  L2
Morale:  9
Hoard Class:  None
XP:  465

Crubbers are almost identical to ordinary Ancient crocodiles [as per p. 68 of the Mutant Future Core Rules], except for one glaring exception:  their hides, flesh, and organs are freakishly comprised of a resilient, rubbery compound.

While susceptible to Mental Mutations, crubbers are nigh-invulnerable to harm.  Conventional melee weapons and firearms just bounce off their hides, and they are fully immune to electricity-, explosive-, and chemical-based attacks; every other type of physical assault does only one-third damage.

Crubbers can spring and bounce great distances, and they easily pluck unsuspecting prey from higher elevations (or the air!) by pinballing off of objects and terrain.  The Mutant Lord should treat this bouncing as if crubbers possess a Fly movement rate of 180' (60'), but they must launch from a flat surface, and can only maintain their "flight" for a maximum of 2 consecutive rounds before landing.  Crubbers also get +2 to Damage, due to their momentum.

Mutations:  Aberrant Form (Rubbery Body)





Designer's Notes:  These critters are loosely based on a 2010 nature special I just learned existed, 'The Crocs That Turned To Rubber'.  Apparently, river pollution in South Africa's Kruger National Park is killing off nile crocodile populations by solidifying the animals' body fats into a semi-solid gel.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Mutants In The News — "Gamma World Is Now!!!" Edition

At first, the super sharks were dangerous enough for having mastered the ability to tromp about on land...

...but now, they're even deadlier...

...BECAUSE THEY CAN BURROW UNDER IT!!!




 Evolution in action, baby.

(And by looking at the beastie in the trailer, someone has CLEARLY played Gamma World.)


I totally want to steal that "being on motorcycles and chased by sharks" bit for a game session, too.


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Closed For The Season




The Devastation Drive-In is now closed.  Please throw your trash in the appropriate recepticles as you leave the theater.

Whew.  21 movies, and their respective 21 mutants, in a little over 21 days, all for your haunted holiday pleasure.  (Yeah, yeah...I missed getting Robot Monster in there on October 31st by about 45 minutes, but I think it can slide since it's right between Halloween and Mexican Halloween Día de los Muertos.)

Some random musings:

) It was a hoot revisiting old favorites (Blood Freak, SlithisThe Children, Piranha II)...and a joy to finally watch fright-flicks I never got around to renting in the glory days of the mom & pop video stores.   Case in point, The Being.  I clutched its clamshell and poured over its text and images many, many times as a kid, but never actually saw the movie until last week.  And I'm glad I did, because it is utterly insane.  Inept film-craft, slumming celebs (and I'm not even talking about Martin Landau or Ruth Buzzi, but...The Unknown Comic!  And Kinky Friedman!), and a monster whose powers randomly come and go:  all made it a highlight of this month's viewings.

) Because I watched each and every movie (at least) twice to get each entry juuuuuuust right, I didn't have time to get to stat out everything I had in mind.  So, next Halloween, expect theatrical threats and celluloid spooks from the likes of The Green Slime (1968), Night Of The Lepus (1972), Shivers (1975), Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes (1978), Chopping Mall (1986), Demonwarp (1988), The Terror Within (1989)...and more!!!

) Entries of my regular run-of-the-mill mutants will be sporadic over November.  Not only do I really want to curl up with a good book (or five), but I've received several requests over the last few weeks to get my collective blog beasties organized into a convenient PDF.  So I'm gonna be working on that, and get it posted as soon as I can.

) Oh, yeah...my favorite thing?  Introducing readers to genre films they didn't know existed.  There's a ton of great B-features out there, and definite gems amongst the glorious trash.  I've said it before, but I can't say it enough:  Go give Something Weird Video all your filthy lucre.


I really enjoyed this month-long diversion.  As always, thanks for reading, y'all.



Monday, October 31, 2011

Devastation Drive-In — 'Robot Monster' (1953)



Setting Seeds:  Robot Monsterpocalypse

Once The Ancients unlocked the secrets of atomic energy, it was only a matter of time until they discovered the most powerful weapon in the known universe:  the Cosmic Ray!  Intergalactic beings known as the Ro-Mans took notice, however...

...and decided that it was necessary to neutralize the threat posed by homo sapiens...

...BY ANNIHILATING THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE...AND THEN DESTROYING THE EARTH ITSELF JUST TO BE THOROUGH!!!


An entire Mutant Future setting can be designed around an apocalyptic invasion from space by the Ro-Mans.  The ape-bodied mechanoids hail from the farthest reaches of space, and wield wondrous technologies that seemingly defy all scientific laws and principles:  teleporters, infinite-distance sensors and communicators, planet-eradicating weaponry, and even time machines.

In one potential Mutant Future, the Ro-Mans landed and laid waste to entire cities with their calcinator beams (or C-Rays), which instantaneously caused all of Earth's cities to crumble, and all life forms "above lepidoptera level" within to perish.

The only defense against the effects of the calcinator beam is an innoculation from an extremely rare antibiotic serum that makes the recipients immune to all diseases...and, inadvertantly, to death-rays from space.  So, those given the injections are now the last people on the planet, eking out meager existences in the ruins of civilization...all the while hiding from the Ro-Man hunters sent to exterminate them!











Ro-Man

No. Enc.:  1 (1)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  60' (20') 
Armor Class:  -2
Hit Dice:  350 hit points
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 fists, 1 beam)
Damage:  2d10 / 2d10, or special
Save:  L20
Morale:  10
Hoard Class:  XVI, XVII, XIX, XXI, XXII
XP:  20,000

A Ro-Man is a stocky, 7' tall extraterrestrial construct with a gorilla-like body and a helmet-like head.  They have computerized minds and sensors.

Ro-Mans [sic] are powerful physical combatants, pummeling with mighty fists...and if both fists successfully hit in the same round, they can squeeze its target for an additional 2d12 damage.  But their brute strength is almost an afterthought when compared to their godlike powers. 

A Ro-Man can detect and focus on any and all sentient life on a planet, right down to the specific location of any given individual.  It is immune to all attacks and damage from any man-made weapon ("the arms of the entire world tried and failed..."), and all forms of disease, poison, and energy.  And one cannot forget their individual calcinator rays, which burst forth in a 100' radius and kill everything larger than a moth not treated with a special vaccine...with no Saving Throw allowed.  Ro-Mans are immune to the effects of their fellows' C-Rays.

There are only 3 ways to defeat a Ro-Man:  bypass its logic core with philosophical musings and emotional quandaries (in other words, teach it how to be "a hu-man"), entice it with a female Pure Human with a CHA of 13+, or have it be destroyed at the hands of its commanding officer, a being known as a Great Guidance....

Mutations:  Unique Mutation ("Calcinator Beam"), Unique Sense ("Life-Sense")










Ro-Man — Great Guidance

No. Enc.:  1 (1)
Alignment:  Chaotic
Movement:  60' (20')
Armor Class:  -4
Hit Dice:  550 Hit Points
Attacks:  2 or 1 (2 fists, or 1 beam)
Damage:  3d10 / 3d10, or special
Save:  L20
Morale:  11
Hoard Class:  XVI, XVII, XIX, XXI, XXII
XP:  40,000

A Great Guidance is the intergalactic commander of the Ro-Mans.  It possesses all of a typical Ro-Man's abilities and defenses, plus three unique powers.

First, a Great Guidance's C-Ray not only has twice the radius, but it is powerful enough to instantly slay a Ro-Man.

Second, a Great Guidance can unleash Cosmic Tube Rays, which open vortices into the prehistoric past and draws forth 2d10 dinosaurs into the present.  These reptiles berserkly devour every living thing—animal and vegetable—they encounter.

And, lastly, a Great Guidance can bombard a planet with "cyclotronic vibrations" strong enough to "knock [it] out of the universe."  These beams can shatter an Earth-sized planet to dust in only 3d4 rounds.

All of the above powers have no maximum range, and can be broadcast across space, and through communications media (vid-screens, etc.).

Unfortunately, the computers governing the Great Guidances are the most advanced in the cosmos, so appeals to emotion, reason, or philosophy go ignored.  Great Guidances are beings of pure intellect and drive, and never fall prey to human manipulations.

Mutations:  Unique Mutation ("Calcinator Beam"), Unique Mutation ("Cyclotronic Vibrations"), Unique Mutation ("Cosmic Tube Rays"), Unique Sense ("Life-Sense")