Review & OSR Commentary On RPGPundit Presents #26: Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun For Your Old School Wasteland Campaigns

So today it wad great anticipation that I grabbed a copy of Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun. 

I asked for this copy of what looks like Rpg Pundit's dip into the OSR  post apocalyptic rpg scene with the Last Sun setting. Sort of a Dying Earth meets gonzo OSR rpg style game setting, Dungeon Crawl Classic or Mutant Crawl Classic players are going to feel right at home here as will Mutant Future rpg fans. There's also a good shot of Tolkein's Middle Earth playing to the strains of some weird Eighties sound track here. None of this is a bad thing for the OSR zine presentation of this setting;

" In the gonzo world of the Last Sun, human beings are an endangered species. After the Great Disaster, human numbers have steadily declined throughout the world. Although a few areas still contain a human majority (like the city of Arkhome, detailed in RPGPunditPresents #16 and #20), true humans are a very rare breed throughoutmost of the world.
While humans have been hunted to near-extinction in some areas (like the Middle-Northern Wildlands, detailed in RPGPundit Presents #15), it was mostly mutation rather than depredation that
has apparently doomed humanity. The time of the Great Disaster, when the Dark Ones entered the world of the Last Sun and waged war against all life, caused an enormous amount of ecological damage to
the world. The disappearance of the Ancients, crash of G.O.D. into Emergency Mode, and rebellion of the AI Daemons meant that there was no central control. The loss of the Dwarven Machineholds to the
servants of the Dark One also meant that all the machinery that kept strict control over the climate of the world was no longer accessible.
The war of the Pythian Elves and their allies against the Dark Ones on the surface of the world created devastation, both technological (radiation and other toxic effects) and magical. As a result of all this,
not only did many humans die, but many more were mutated into horrific monsters and monster-races, like the humanoids usually described as goblin-kin. A majority were changed into what are now
simply referred to as mutants—they are human-like, but no longer human creatures"
So basically Rpg Pundit is steadily working on an OSR post apocalyptic rpg and testing the waters of the marketplace with a slick mutant race generator with a strong eye towards the gonzo end of the spectrum. This product clocks in at eighteen pages & is full of random generators for everything from your mutant's tribal factional background, powers, type, color, & potential additional physical qualities. In addition there's a psychic powers system built into the product that can work in a wide variety of OSR products. Finally there's a random mutant quirky qualities & weirdness table. And there's actually a couple of pieces of pretty decent artwork along with the usual quality layout to the product line. 




Mutant generators walk a very fine line when it comes to execution they have to have enough useful information & lots of great random tables without taking away from the tool box nature of the product. Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun succeeds in that regard. The three dollar price tag means that the dungeon master can roll up a wide variety of NPC mutants without breaking the bank. It also means that the players have addition customization tools right at their finger tips. There's enough meet on the Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun eighteen pages to give a good idea of the direction of the product without boxing the players completely and utterly into the setting.
There's just enough guidance to randomly determine if your PC is a mutant, and what kind of classes he can play without strong arming the player into a corner of dead ends & penalties that many other OSR & old school post apocalyptic products have done in the past. Yes I'm looking at you Ares section of Dragon magazines of ages past.
There's a lot here that can be done with Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun

from factional NPC mutant characters to full fledged psychic mutant PC's whose presence won't destroy your wastelands.
The inclusion of a working psychic powers system is a nice addition for only three dollars & I can see using this generator for creating humanoid mutant alien species as well. This generator would work well for creating mutant tribes & NPC's on failed colony worlds for science fiction or science fantasy worlds. There's enough here to add mutant PC's to a wide variety of OSR games. The three dollar price tag makes this a nice & solid product for use with OSR games. I don't know if the Last Sun setting is for me but the Rpg Pundit Presents 26 Mutant Hordes of the Last Sun is a welcome addition to the post apocalyptic Dungeon master's arsenal. So this one is a five out of five in my book!

GRAB RPGPundit Presents #26: Mutant
Hordes of the Last Sun RIGHT HERE

The Children of Tekeli - A New Lovecraftian Monster For Your Old School Campaigns

The madness and monstrosity lay in the figures in the foreground—for Pickman’s morbid art was preëminently one of daemoniac portraiture. These figures were seldom completely human, but often approached humanity in varying degree.
Pickman's Model H.P. Lovecraft 

The Children of Tekeli are ape like cannibalistic humanoids prone to destruction,rapine,destruction, and incredible acts of horror and they have secretly been with us since the very beginning of our evolution upon this Earth. Ages ago they were called the Shaggoths, named after the protoplasmic horrors who served the Elder Things in ages past. They call themselves 'The children of Tekeli' and were created by the Elder Things in one of the long forgotten cycles of Earth's ages past. The children served the Elder Things during the Age of Mammals when their masters were in sharp decline, they destroyed the last Atlantian colonists  that had come back from their colonies on Uranus. They added their magick power, their gene pool, and forbidden technologies to their own damned heritage. This act occurred near the Black Forrest of Germany and even today is remembered through the collective unconsciousness of humanity. 

The Children of Tekeli carved out a massive empire through the under Earth touching upon all corners of the world that we know. These mad beast like thing's rise to power was chronicled in the so called Grey Necronomicon chapters  penned by Abdul Al Hazard. 

The Children of Tekeli are cannibalistic, brutal, dangerous, completely amoral and capable of the most heinous acts imaginable. They are the inheritors of both Uranian forbidden technologies and the foul alien sorcery of the Great Old Ones from the ancient days of Lemuria and Atlantis. Their vast underground former empire honey combs throughout the world of man. They are completely distinct from Lovecraftian ghouls and the Morlocks of H.G. Wells, though they share many characteristics with both species and are distantly related.

The Children have vast underground empires beneath the Earth and they are both long lived as well as partially undead in nature. The number between thirty to fifty million and use humanity as both a stable food source and a secondary gene pool. They have vast underworld complexes and hidden lairs behind our own world's facade, it is known that they employ undead minions to record daily activities and strange details of our own world. The tribes of the child have contacts and cults throughout the world and employ thousands of dedicated minions who often help them kidnap modern men and keep vast slavery rings. These activities stretch back thousands of years into the remotest epochs of the past.

The Children of Tekeli

Frequency : Uncommon 

Number Appearing: 2-8

Armor Class: 5

Move:14"

Hit Dice: 7

% in Lair 20% 

Treasure Type : O,P,Q

Number of Attacks: 3 

Damage : 1-4/1-4/1-8

Special Attacks: Rending 

Special Defenses: Nil 

Magic Resistance : Standard 

Intelligence: High

Alignment: Lawful Evil 

Size : L (7'+ , Very Broad )

Psionic Ability : Nil 

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil 

The Children of Tekeli attack humans and have a very heavy appetite for human flesh, they have supernaturally keen senses of hearing, smell, and keenly developed infrared sight for their nearly light less environment. They are only surprised on a roll of one. If the child strikes with both claws it does an additional 1-8 hit points of rending damage.
For every 1d30 children there will be a wizard or priest of at least third level or higher. These black hearted and evil damned souls choose spells from the Gray magic schools and the black lists of spells. These monsters are subject to all forms of attack but are immune to sleep and charm spells. The children may be turned by priests and other religious types. Circles of protection will keep these horrors at bay.


Many cults across the history of mankind have had dealings with the Children of Tekeli and the monsters could be encountered anywhere. In the past the race has had several incidents of activity in the Black Forrest of Germany during the 'Thirty Year War' and have had connections to many of the witch cults of the area. 

The Children also have incredibly complex Earthworks in the New Amsterdam colony in the New World and have have several under Earth tribal warfare incidents with Drow, Elves, and Ghouls in the New England area as well. Several skirmishes with other legendary New England monsters has also happened. These affairs have become a part of occult myth and legend. 

Artifacts & Magick  of the Children of  Tekeli 

For Your Old School Campaigns 

The Children of Tekeli make extensive use of the schools of necromancy, summoning, and many other of the blackest arts of magick and dark occult power.
Rods of summoning often will have the 'contact other plane' spell bound into them. Wizards who have gotten a hold of these items have often found them to be very dangerous indeed. Demons, devils and insane things from Outside our mundane world are often summoned. Usually such items have eight or more charges roll a 1d8 to see how many charges remain.



The Children of Tekeli have extensive tunnels systems that blanket the Earth and have access to several technologies of the Great Race of Yith as well. This includes devices for traveling to alternative dimensions and different planes of existence. There are several Prime material planes where the Children of Tekeli have come to rule the world as their numbers have grown to invasion force size and they have swarmed across the planet. These individuals often use unusual energy weapons that do 3d6 points of damage with a range of some 30 feet, they can be used one handed and have about 8 shots before needing the energy cells replaced.
The Children of Tekeli have extensive colonies surrounding several Antarctica islands hidden within satellite blind spots up to the present day. These colonies were active through the early Seventies and may have served as a landing point for the alien allies of the Child. There is speculation that these alien allies may be servants of the soul of the Outer Gods Nyarlathotep and have aided the various tribes of the Children for more then four thousand years. There have been reports of a hybrid servant race which passes among mankind unseen. These individuals gain +3 to intelligence -1 on wisdom, and have an almost animal like cunning, they often serve as assassins,scouts or spies for the Children. These hybrid spies may be found anywhere across the face of Creation and report back to their masters from time to time as needed.
The Children it is known also operate in several alternative worlds including far into the future after several post apocalyptic events. There is even evidence to suggest that these horrors operate far into the future when Earth's sun has expanded and has turned into a red dying star. But there is rumor that this is only mere speculation.

Several orders of knights and crusaders have made it their life's work to eradicate the Children of Tekeki but so far their efforts have been all for naught. 

The 'Pay What You Like' OSR Resource - "100 Oddities for a Thieves' Guild" From Skirmisher Publishing For Your Old School Sword and Sorcery Campaigns

Grab It Right Over
HERE

Clint Staples and William T. Thrasher as well as the Skirmisher crew turn out another very interesting supplement on the 'pay what you want' scale. This one is really a must for any sword and sorcery DM. Seriously, this is one your not going to want to miss. Thieves guilds have been a staple of sword and sorcery ever since Fritz Leiber put type writer keys to paper back in the 40's. These organizations are the back bone of OD&D going back to when the thief class was first introduced and guilds have always been one of the most popular bits of adventures and PC's.
This book gives you that extra interesting edge when exploring items found in that safe house,ware house, guild hall, or other area where the guild's members have trodden with their ill gotten gains. This book puts odd right into the center of the guilds. This  book is filled with ten pages of high handed weirdness with items that can add that extra push into the zone of madness but its more then that.
This pdf proves the DM with a nice set of  items to encounter and add that special little bit of twisted humor and set dressing to use as a prime adventure hook. With a few tosses of the dice and suddenly you've filled that locker under the NPC's bed, the vault in the vile villains den, the chest out in the middle of that pox filled ruin, and so forth.

The lists here are brisk, weird, and original enough to include in my favorite sword and sorcery games, this makes this particular list extra nice for a game such as Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hypborea where the thieves guild is such a part of the underworld of the setting but this isn't the only place in which that this list can be used.
The items are truly unique and interesting, and with a bit of imagination could be used for everything from a Call of Cthulhu cult's head quarters to a museum as well as the standard fantasy menu
The Skirmisher crew knows their material and this is another product where they've went out of their way to bring a sense of the original and strange into back drop of these lists. With a bit of work this list could be used to create a quick and dirty warehouse space in anything from ancient Rome to Cimmeria itself. Or it could be used in a more modern police warehouse sort of evidence catch basin for investigators to look for vital clues for a horror style investigation adventure.
Is this pdf worth your time? In a word in my opinion yes. Because it sets off to really add another layer of tools to a part of a DM's palette that's needed; the devil being in the details of what's found and what's used by a party. Not everything needs to be +4 sword of sharpness. Sometimes a smoking bottle of demonic essence left from a magical duel will draw your party deeper into the doorway of adventure. Basically this is a nice solid and vital piece of old school gaming goodness that your going to be using again and again to generate more treasures, adventure opportunities, loot, and most of all fun items that will have adventurers wandering down new and exciting pathways of adventure and plots involving the local thieves guild and its members. All in all this is an essential book for anyone wanting to add another layer to their DMing of a life of crime and making their PC's pay for it one odd random  item at a time. 

North Wind Adventures To Launch A New Kickstarter Featuring Three New Hyperborea Adventure Modules

Well for the past couple of months I've been quietly watching the progression of the artwork, look, and redefinition of  the new adventures for the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg system. The three modules will be having their own Kickstarter soon and their as follows: 
Beneath the Comet™, Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess™, Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes™
The new look of the series really captures the comic book and magazine sword and sorcery source material from the 70's and 80's. 

The first title in the series is beneath the Comet and it looks pretty damn brilliant in my estimation. 
The plot is going to go something like this: 

For weeks the Comet has blazed in the sky above Hyperborea, inspiring widespread superstitious dread and fear of some star-borne contagion. Under the light of this harbinger from the Black Gulf, the PCs have come to Bogrest, following a magical treasure map that reveals great wealth buried in the Lonely Heath north of the village. Finding that treasure will be no simple matter, however, for Hyperborea is a weirder and deadlier place than ever beneath the Comet. 

Beneath the Comet is an adventure for from four to six characters of 6th through 9th level, for use with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™ and other traditional fantasy role-playing games.

The one that really interests me is this one, the 'lost world' theme really captures some of the Robert Howard Conan 'Red Nails' theme quite nicely. 

Love,love, the cover art on this one as well 

I can easily see running this one at a convention or for a large group such as my buddy Peter's players. 

More than a month ago, your party found itself in Port Zangerios, where you heard of an Esquimaux thief selling a treasure map. Low on wealth but high in courage, you sought him out. The man turned out to be a fearful ex-slave who had “acquired” the map from his Ixian master. The map is incomplete but shews the Isle of the Serpent in far-off Lemuria, where rests a fabulous treasure called the Feathered Crown of Nanasa (or so thought the Ixian). Pooling your money to purchase the unfinished map, you bought passage on an Amazonian trade ship. After passing through tempests and torrential rains that shimmered with auroral light, you have come to the great city of Jhaman Ket. Now you must seek out the location of the Isle of the Serpent.

Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess is an adventure for from four to eight characters of 5th through 7th level, for use with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™ and other traditional fantasy role-playing games.

The final adventure I've been following for months via the OD&D forums right over HERE  when it was first announced and keeping up with it on the new AS&SH forums HERE.

Many of the ideas in this one are straight out of the sword and sorcery adventures from the 30's and 40's, so my interests are peaked for this one. Not a bad premise for a module at all. 

Somewhere in the depths of Diamond Desert lie the skeletal remains ofYmir’s Serpent, a legendary Viking longship. In days of yore, Sigtrygg Forkbeard led his company upriver, piercing the desert’s hostile heart. There the Vikings unearthed a lost mine brimming with green diamonds, but the River Æolus desiccated as the Serpent prepared for launch, and the ship was swallowed by the dunes. Forkbeard and his company were never seen again, but tales of a shimmering Viking ghost ship gliding over the dunes persist to this day.

Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes is an adventure for from four to six characters of 2nd through 4th level, for use with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™ and other traditional fantasy role-playing games.

You can find out more about these modules on the new AS&SH website. Some damn fine resources are also their for the game as well. Right over HERE

The Giant Leopard Seal For The Astonishing Swordsmen And Sorcerer of Hyperborea Rpg

Number Encountered: 1(1d4)

Alignment: Neutral Evil.
Size: L 

Movement:30(60 swim)

Dexterity: 9 

Armor Class: 5 

Hit Dice: 5 

Number of Attacks: 1 bite

Damage 2d6 

Saving Throw: 14 

Morale: 9 

Experience: 400 

Treasure: -- 

A superior predator on the ice and water surrounding the arctic seas of Hyperborea, the giant leopard seal is without peer on or below the ice. They are dangerous and vicious creatures who are superior prime opportunists who stalk, hunt, and bring down prey of an incredible variety.
These monsters were originally bred as a food source by the Elder Things and used for centuries  as a stock animal. These vicious animals  that roamed the seas only to be brought down by Elder Thing hunting parties as sport. With the virtual extinction of the Elder Things these giant horror's numbers have exploded. 

These monsters are far more vicious and dangerous then their none gene engineered smaller brethren upon whom they feed as well. They are a vicious and dangerously vindictive animal with a mean streak about them. Some of the locals believe that they retain a bit of the tainted magic of their Elder Thing masters because of their almost malignant hunting habits. They never give up once they find easy prey. Packs have been known to pursue a man across the ice for days at a clip and never seem to give up the hunt.
These monsters are highly prized for their blubber, fat, and bones by locals in the polar areas.
The monsters stalk prey, hunt namely human and surrounding tribes in the areas where they live, and the mutant penguins of the polar regions of the Hyperborean seas.

'Beyond The Silver Threshold' - A Supernatural Horror Adventure Encounter For BASH & Call Of Cthulhu

Sitting on a shelf in a back water museum in a small New England Town is a terrible secret surrounding a centuries old Pictish artifact taken by Viking raiders in the 6th century. This silver artifact is part of ancient hoard containing ancient secrets including the location of a legendary monster god thing and its Viking warrior servants. Discovered in Nova Scotia and taken back to the small New England town museum of your choice. This piece has been stolen and is now up on the auction block. The theft has activated a strange curse summoning back the brine drenched ghosts and guardians of the god thing to slain whomever comes in contact with the artifact. Now its a race against time as the silver artifact passes from hand to hand spreading its blood curse to those who would defy the ancient god serpent monster. The thing who even now feeds upon the souls of those its minion slay in its name. There have been eight victims of the drowned Viking king and his warriors. The police seem helpless to stop the trail of bloodshed. 

Photo by Johnbod 

The last person to handle the item is Lowel Henderson, a local historian and antique dealer. He's been found slain in his west side home by neighbors who found the beloved historian with multiple stab wound and the police are at a loss. The players are called in to help identify strange symbols and whirls found made with his blood. Mr. Henderson has a book underneath some splintered book shelves which might offer a clue about the legend of the silver plaque called 'Viking Mysteries and Legends of Nova Scotia - An Account of the Supernatural Myths and Legends Of Vikings In The New World'. This book was written by Mr. Henderson's great grand father who tangled with the so called 'Drowned Kings and Warriors of Old'. The book goes on to describe that the Drowned Kings are servants and victims of the supernatural evil of the Sea Wyrm forever tied spiritually to the thing for all time due to the curse. Henderson was trying to trace down the 'whirl map' made up of the mystic symbols on the plaque that lead to the supernatural realm of the sea wyrm! But the drowned kings ended his life before he could open a gateway to the sea wyrm's realm & lift the curse. The silver plaque is part of a cursed Pict hoard of stolen silver artifacts and booty. The hoard bares a blood curse upon it for the terrible evil done for its possession whose betrayers fled to the New World but whose souls were pledged to the Sea Wyrm. They serve the thing beyond the grave even now and for all eternity.
The small silver plaque has been stolen by one of the neighbor's children who found the body. The magick of the blood curse compelled little Jimmy Throghu to take the shiny silver plaque because of its incredible shiny and supernaturally intricate design. The ghostly undead Viking warriors things are even now on their way.

Tracking down little Jimmy shouldn't be too hard at all as a dangerous and horrid storm of supernatural aspect moves into the neighbor hood surrounding  the Throghu household. The storm increases as the Veil between worlds begins to thin and the warriors move in.
A supernatural rip between worlds has been created as schism is created leading to the storm lashed sea  world where the wyrm waits to claim its latest victim's soul. The PC's must return the silver Pict plaque to the world of the Wyrm in order to end the curse. Or the blood shed will continue or worse will happen.

Returning the silver plaque to the realm of the Sea Wyrm will end the blood curse for now but there are many other artifacts from the hoard of the 'Drowned Kings' still circulating out in the world. The cycle of blood shed and supernatural slavery won't simply end with the saving of one or two lives. The PC's may have only seen the tip of the supernatural iceberg.

The Sea Wyrm for  Call of Cthulhu 

STR     85

CON    60

SIZ       80

INT      20

POW   30

DEX     12

HP       85

Armour:  8 points of scaly skin

Move:  4/ 12 Swimming

Damage Bonus: +9d6          

Weapons: His Majesty may bite each round, unless it is attempting to initiate a Grapple. Ongoing Grapple checks do not prevent His Majesty from biting.

Bite – 60%, 2d8+ Damage Bonus, If a target is bitten and survives, His Majesty will attempt a STR vs. STR roll to pull the unfortunate victim into its coils to Grapple, and  ‘Crush’.

Crush – His Majesty can automatically Crush each round that it maintains a grapple on an individual. It can also automatically Grapple any object, including boats with Hit Points up to ½ its SIZ. Use the Vehicle table on p. 285, of ‘Call of Cthulhu, 6 ^th edition, as a guide for judging the Hit Points for Marine craft. A ship that is ‘Crushed’ sustains half of the rolled damage bonus each round. When all of the ship’s Hit Points are gone it breaks up and begins to sink.

Swallow Whole – On a special or critical hit a target that is size 20 or smaller may be swallowed whole, in which case it takes half
More details on this monster can be found on Clint Staples blog HERE

For Call of Cthulhu the silver plaque is an artifact of the Draugr of Woden-lithi with deep ties to a particularly disgraced clan of these undead sorcerer warriors. Not merely undead viking warriors these things are something far more dangerous with ties to the Sea Wyrm and a deep as well as abiding curse upon them. 

STR 28

CON 25

SIZ 16 [for bloated/ gigantic, add +4d6]

INT 17

POW 27

DEX 15

APP 2

HP 21 [for bloated/ gigantic, add half of therolled 4d6 for greater SIZ]

Move 7

Damage Bonus: _2d6 ot +3d6 depending on SIZ.

Weapons: Witchbronze Blessed Keening Blade [Enchanted with Enchant Cane] 90%, 1d10+1 Damage + damage bonus.

Armor Points - Dead Flesh 3 AP + 1d10 – Skin Charm.

Skills: Astronomy 80%, Cthulhu Mythos 51%, Hide 55%. Antideluvian History, 50%, Mining 80%, Bronzesmithing 90%, Occult 84%, Sneak 69%;

Spells – Augur, Black Binding, Bless Blade, Cause/ Cure Blindness, Call Nightgaunt, Contact Nodens, Death Spell, Evil Eye, Dominate,
You can also find out more about these supernatural sorcerer things right over HERE

'Viking Mysteries and Legends of Nova Scotia - An Account of the Supernatural Myths and Legends Of Vikings In The New World'.

This book is the vanity press creation of Dr. D.D. Henderson from 1919 from his deep studies of the Pictish hoards taken from the wilds of some of the isle settlements  surrounding Norway taken by the Vikings and certain artifacts found in Nova Scotia. 

It contains the accounts of mythological legends concerning the dealing of the Vikings with the Draugr of Woden-lithi, Nodens, Odin, and the god thing known as the Sea Wyrm. The book is part archaeological journal, part occult treatise, and part sea account chronicling the author's journey into the world of the supernatural and his confrontation with the Sea Wyrm.  There were only twenty three copies at the time of pressing. Only four remain in the world. 

Spells Within The Viking Mysteries The book contains some very intricate spells drawn from antiquity mapped and steeped in deep symbolic language of the original author's view of the occult. There are spells such as call/dismiss Draugr of Woden-lithi, Contact Nodens, Call Odin, Bless Blade, Contact Sea Wyrm, Create Doorway To The Realm. 

There are still more secrets within the Mysteries and the DM can add in more mysteries as he sees fit to the book.
Special thanks To Clint Staples for his creations and conversions of the film Ragnarok

1d10 Random Encounters With Lovecraftian Horrors From The Outer Darkness Table For The Astonishing Swordsmen And Sorcerers Of Hyperborea Rpg System

On the outer edges of Hyperborea  where the darkness washes against the edge of the world dwell things that should not be that often come to sup upon the marrow of the peoples of world. Here are a small selection of encounters with some of these minor dwellers in the darkness that can be devil your PC's. 

1d10 Encounters With Lovecraftian Horrors From The Outer Darkness Table

1. A collection ancient and old ghostly souls left over from the Green Death that have fused together in one massive ectoplasmic ball of pulsing undeath horror and nastiness ready to suck the souls from any they come across. There are 1d20 ghosts within this cloud of horror. 
2. A strange jelly like substance that belongs to some other older order of beings that once fed upon the marrow of Old Earth and now hungers after the life force of humanity. Use the stats for a Shaggoth for this horror. There are 1d8 pieces of raw undigested metal if this thing should be killed. There is a 10% chance of it having a random artifact or piece of gold or silver mixed in with the material. 
3. The animated collection of animal and human organs turned inside out and melded together with demonic energy from the Outer Darkness. This thing is a giant ball of flesh and ancient memories. These it uses to hunt down its old haunts for new flesh and souls. 
4. This ancient shadow is on the hunt for a brand new person to possess and take on their form for great evil in the world. The thing is a minor demon with delusions of insanity and dreams of horror that it wishes to share. Use the stats for a minor demon. 
5. This strange collection of bone and decayed flesh is about the size of a small ox and seeks a sorcerer to serve but it lacks any proper form and seeks to create itself from the dreams and nightmares of others. Once per day it may teleport without error into a new location. The thing is infected with a dangerous form of the Red Death. 
6. This is a weird collection of technological horror that is on the hunt for souls to fuel its return to the Outer Darkness. It wishes to exchange a minor artifact for a brand new sacrifice. The thing will sing its replies in ancient and forbidden verses. 
7. A weird pulsing glowing unreal colour from beyond space time seeks out an innocent to cause the ancient soul of a long dead Hyperborean sorcerer to be reborn into a new body. The thing will kill anyone who gets in its way. The same stats as a Colour from Outer Space. 
8. A weird glowing sword is actually the imprisoned form of a pit fiend. This thing seeks a worthy hand to wield it but in fact is a prince of lies and seeks a sacrifice for its dark obscene master and will lie about its entire history. 
9. A demonic strange mount with a wounded ancient demonic warrior seeks to pass on its curse to a worthy human so that he or she may fight in its stead at the last battle place. 
10. A wounded spawn of Cthulhu will land and become a toxic waste hazard of vileness and insanity where its blood spreads along with its soul warping madness that surrounds the thing. Others of its kind are hunting it right now. 
    

1d10 Random Minor Treasures From The Hoard Of The Vampire Kings Table For The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers Of Hyperborea Rpg System

'Know ye now that in ancient times when the Green Death came down from the North, the ancient kings of undeath and splendor watched in horror as their subjects turned to dust before their very eyes. They secreted themselves away under the Earth and slumber still. Their power and magic await the coming of the moons of Hyperborea when the stars are right again and demon winds howl for the blood of the cosmos. Beware oh man their coming by tooth, fang, and claw. For what was theirs shall be again & your blood shall be their life.'
- From The  Chronicles of Qalos The Wanderer -



1d10 Random Minor Treasures From The Hoard Of The Vampire Kings Table 

1. An ancient jade and silver sacrificial  knife enchanted to glow with the strength of the blood of the victim. The edge is shod with silver and enchanted razor sharp. There are Atlantian demon bats worked into the artwork on the handle. Those handling this blade will taste copper like metallic bits upon their tongue. +1 knife 
2. A strange blood red jewel about the size of a human fist that beats with its own internal fire. There is a strange bat demon trapped within its confines, the hell thing can't escape but will teach and as well as sanity shattering spells to the owner. It will whisper them in dreams and nightmares. 
3. This weird sword is edged with swirling ruins and glyphs of ancient Old Earth. It sings its ancient owners history even as it draws blood from its victims. A +1 sword of sharpness known as Blood Teller. It seeks its original vampiric lord to once again be held in its maker's claws. It tells tales of violence and ancient forbidden gods in whispered dreams. 
4. This cup is made from the skull and helm of an ancient Roman general of Old Earth. When filled with fresh blood it will create a restorative 'cure light wounds' potion within. But the stuff reeks of old battles and decayed flesh even as it cures. 
5. A convex lens made from the eye of some long forgotten demonic creature that has been slain by the ancient kings. This thing will show scenes of old glories and ancient battles of far away planes. The thing will want to lodge itself within the skull of the living and is cursed with the powers of the undead.  Once per day the eye may summon a giant bat for the owner to ride. They will be turned into a minor mindless undead zombie within 1d8 months of owning the eye.
6. A copper plate etched with the ruins and glyphs of kings long forgotten by Hyperborea. This plate enables one to commune with the powers of the Abyss especially Orcus himself. Once per day the owner may summon 1d8 insect headed ghouls who will serve the owner. But there is a demand of blood which the plate will accept and devour with a wet, red sound. The plate must have its sacrifice or demons will come to take the fool away to the Abyss. 
7. This ancient silver and gold rod has the most ancient writings across its surface of the Kings of the Night. The owner may summon a pack of demonic hounds once per week but must master them lest they try to tear him apart. A charisma roll is needed to bring these horrors to heel each time these savage curs are summoned. 
8.  This is the book of ten thousand damned, it contains on copper the contents for ten thousand souls. It is an ancient demonic contract. The thing can be used to summon 1d30 vampiric specters from beyond the Outer Darkness to make prophetic songs of love and damnation. The owner may cast a mass charm on an audience when this item is within his hands but he must pay in a price of blood and warfare. 
9. A solid metal dagger of pitted meteor metal forged from a single piece of a star of the damned. This knife may be used to summon a shade of the ancient kings of the Outer Darkness whose appetites will consume a single soul once per new moon. Their ancient rites will enter into the owner's mind when he first picks up this dagger and a single drop of blood falls on the blade. 
10. A carved soap stone doll of a child, this thing is actually a spawn of the old gods in disguise. It will attach itself to one it chooses and make obscene spells known to the owner so that its brothers and sisters might be let loose from beyond the vale of time and space. 

1d10 Minor Treasures Of The Ancient Barbarian Kings Table For Your Old School Campaigns

From down below the barrows and the tombs ancient warriors and kings come a plethora of minor treasures that show up in hoards and as the spoils of war across the planes. Who were these ancients now long turned to dust in the far past? Who can say but their legacy and magics are still potent.

1d10  Random Minor Treasures Of
The Ancient  Barbarian Kings Table

1. The Golden Torc Of Beth Mortha - This torc protects against the curses and arrows of misfortune and danger. The torc will will vibrate when danger approaches within 200 yards of the wearer. The magic of the torc gives the user insight into the unseen world and once per day grants the wearer a vision of the world beyond. The user may see invisible things and beings around him. This ability is fickle and its magic may appear at the DM's discretion.
2. The Gold Feather Of Shea - This metal feather once belonged to a long forgotten warrior priest. It grants its user the ability of +1 damage to any ordinary arrow, the magic of the feather runs through the flesh of the user. They will develop sensitive ears and be attuned to the wind's direction. Once per new moon the feather can act as a compass for the user and point the direct of the best game. 
3. The Medallion Of Clan Ferro - This clan symbol of some long forgotten and extinct clan of warriors grants +2 to the Charisma of the user. They will have the silver tongue that this clan was renowned for. But the user will crave to know legends and forbidden secrets, the medallion may call upon myths and legends from previous owners when the owner visits an adventure's location. The user may also be compelled to seek out legendary treasures. 
4. The Golden Leaves Of Autumns Past - These golden leaves once belonged to a curse race of fairies now long gone. These leaves will seemingly move with unseen winds from the Outer World. The user may once per day use these leaves to find doorways & gateways into 'The Otherworld'. A single leaf may be inscribed with an enchantment to open such a doorway. 
5. The Key Of Loc Shea - This finely wrought green soap stone key will allow the user to open ancient barrows of the Kings Of Loc Shea. The key will grow warm in the hand of the owner when a treasure of the Loc Shea is near by. The key will also grow cold in the user's hand when a curse or trap of the clan is nearby. Within forty a yard radius if such a trap awaits the poor fool is the range that the key has. 
6. The Egg of The Dain - This ivory and golden egg will turn as black as pitch in the presence of Undead and necromatic magic. The egg will glow with an internal fire and do 1d6 points of damage to any undead that it touches. The user will remain unharmed from its effects. Once per new moon it may cast a Cure Light Wounds spell if the spirit of the item allows it. 
7. The Golden Dagger Of Wur - This finely wrought ankle dagger allows the user to stab the shadow soul of a victim and cause incredible pain to the target unless a save vs wands is made. The victim will be at -3 on all actions until the dagger is removed from the shadow of the victim. The dagger can also damage ghosts, specters, spooks, and spirits but the blade will glow red hot during such encounters and may burn the own for 1d4 points of damage. 
8. The Chalice of Sanru - This finely jeweled chalice allows the owner to create a drought of wine from air once per day. This wine will free the imbuer from the effects of any minor mind effecting spells. The chalice may also create a dram of holy water should the 'chant of Sanru' be uttered once per week. No undead or vampire may ever hold this cup for it will burn their flesh if they should try. 
9. The Talon Of Cnjui - This finely preserved talon from some ancient monster allows the owner to strike at +2 damage any infernal creature. The Cnjui line were crusaders and warriors against such creatures and their souls can not abide such horrors and they may visit the owner in dreams to grant visions of nearby horrors. The talon is shod with a silver tip. 
10. The Hand Of The Ancient King - This preserved hand allows the owner the ability to find and pass among the ancient barrows and their horrid guardians. The owner will be recognized as one of the royal line and allowed access to the treasures of such barrows.  Once per day the hand can cast fire ball as per the spell. 

1d10 Minor Treasures of Ancient Sorcerers Table For The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers Of Hyperborea Rpg

1d10 Random Minor Treasures of Ancient Sorcerers Table

1. Dagger of mother of pearl handle made from the collected tears of a thousand innocents. The dagger causes despair and melancholy in those it cuts. The dagger can also be used to cut away bits and pieces of the human soul. The dagger drips tears every 1d4 rounds and must be looked after. 
2. A bag of twelve gold coins of some foreign currency that can be used as passage to the lands of dead. The coins actually belong to a minor demon who has taken them from the fillings of a fallen god. The coins allow one passage to the exact soul that user wants to find. The demon is content to allow them to keep them in circulation. It keeps his name within the realms of the living. The coins are kept in a pouch made from the skin of a king. 
3. A key used in festival that may unlock the desires of the forbidden. The key will conform to a lock after it is rubbed across the mechanism. This key once belonged to rather unsavory wizard who is still looking for it. 
4. The jeweled eye of a demon of the Outer Darkness that grants the sight of ages. The user may know how to use and see how to use a forgotten treasure of Atlantis, Mu, or Lemuria. The eye must be implanted within the user's  socket however and their own eye sacrificed to the demon before it can be used. Its other powers are nebulous at best. 
5. A jar containing the pickled heart of an innocent that beats in time to the Outer Darkness and lets a mage know the best time to sacrifice a supplicant to make the stars right temporarily. 
6. A stone tablet that contains the sliced remains of an serpent man's soul. The thing is still alive after a fashion and suffering. It will answer any sorcerer's questions put to it to the best of its ability. Its an ancient old thing of devious and evil aspect however. It will seek to corrupt those it contacts. 
7. A mysterious silver mechanism whose function is unknown and whose configuration changes every 1d4 rounds. A noisy little thing of magic and forbidden sciences that twists this way and that way. 
8. The lock of a succubus's hair and some nail clippings in an envelop of velum sealed with wax and a rune of old times. 
9. A claw of some ancient Lovecraftian beast shod in gold and silver as a drinking horn. The thing glows with colours from beyond the ken of mankind. Its function unknown. 
10. A page from a proto Necronomicon with weird and strange diagrams that twist and whirl as you look at them. There is hidden writing on the thing that shows in moonlight. Translation unknown.  

1d10 Weird Random Minor Treasure Table For Your Old School Sword and Sorcery Campaigns

There are weird treasures that are unearthed across the face of Hyperborea, strange finds that make their way to bazaars, markets, and shops across the whole of the world. Many of them are from before the Green Death plague that swept across the world. All of them carry with them strange and odd patterns of magic or worse. Here are a quick selection of such items for your adventurers to find.

1d10 Weird Random Minor Treasure Table 

1. A silver torc that contains the soul of a great Celtic chieftain, he will bestow upon a fighter a + 1 to all damage rolls but in the midst of heavy combat, he may try to possess the owner. Worth 200 gold pieces because of the incredible workmanship of the piece. 
2. A golden dagger that carries with it, a strange curse for anyone using the weapon. The owner's flesh becomes a part of the spirit world enabling the owner to wound spirits and ghosts but eventually, the owner will become a specter of evil aspect himself. A pack of the previous owners of this weapon will welcome him into their ranks in the realms of the dead. Worth 150 because over the centuries the heavy toll of use has damaged the weapon. The dagger carries the name Wither Sharp in High Hyperborean tongue on the blade. 
3. A single well preserved eye of an unknown type of giant makes up the center jewel of this bronze and gold ring. The ring allows the owner to spy upon any magical rites or rituals happening within a four mile radius of the ring. The owner may hurl a minor 2d6 damage lightning bolt three times per day from within the fragments of the giant's soul at a target within fifty yards. Each time this is done however the owner's skin turns a pale shade of blue for 1d8 days. If done more then three times per day there is a 30% chance of this mutation becoming permanent . There is also a chance of the owner being possessed by the soul of giant king whose eye this ring was made from.
4. This metal cube contains the third eye of a wizard preserved and locked with a jeweled matrix. This device enables the owner to stare deeply into a target's soul and three times per day know a great truth about the target unless a save vs spell is made. The device may also allow the owner to freeze the target in place for 1d8 days in a stasis time lock. The device once belonged to a cult of assassins who wish it back and will hunt down the owner to get this device back once its been found. 
5. An iron crown which once belonged to a great king has within it the soul of his lord chamberlain who can advise the target on matters of state. The chamberlain is of an evil aspect and will begin to steer the owner toward building a small empire based upon evil and brutality. The owner will become a minor chaotically evil warlord over time. The crown also acts as a mass charm spell once a week. This minor artifact once had a great name but it has long since rusted away. 
6. A small rod that contains a bound fire elemental was once the heart and soul of a great forge and furnace. Three times per day this rod may cast a fire ball spell, or a flame strike. The elemental is a minor noble among its kind and is waiting for a worthy owner to pass along its ancient knowledge of the riddle of steel and the metal workings of the gods.  If the rod's owner is not worthy the road will erupt into a gout of pure elemental flame for 3d6 points of damage per round and consume the soul of the owner. 
7. This small black ring contains the power of a dead star within its iron confines and once per day open a door to the realm of the dead. The secret to shutting it has been lost, 1d8 souls of damned will emerge to torment and harry the owner. A demon will come to collect the souls and unless the owner can convince the dead otherwise; it will kill the owner for allowing the gates of Hell to be breached. Only certain spellbooks of the damned contain the secret for closing the door. 
8. This staff belonged to a star gazer and court astrologist who once charged the heavens of Hyperborea. Those holding the staff will know the position of every star within the sky. The owner's consciousness will expand within 1d8 months and they fade into the fabric of eternity unless they make a save vs staves and rods once a week after staff's trial period. Those who do will become astrologists of an almost divine aspect, able to cast charts for royalty.
   The staff contains an onyx map of the heavens in miniature. The staff is worth 1000 gold pieces. It once had a great name but it has been lost to eternity. 
9. This tablet of soap stone contains seventeen passages of the names of the dead kings of Hyperborea from the ancient past. These names may be used to banish certain types of demons from Hell and the Outer Darkness. The tablet though contains a curse of damnation and insanity. 
10. This minor astrolabe contains the jeweled planets of the Great Old Ones and their demons. Once per stellar alignment if their true name is known a wizard may call one down. Those names have been lost to the decay of the ages making this a 500 gold piece curiosity of the damned but nothing more. 

Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea- As Source Material For Your Sword And Sorcery Campaign

Way, way, back in the nineties this classic came out and it now one of the classics of anime. This was a joint venture from France and became an afternoon staple on Nickelodeon from 1990.  

This makes a great resource for a sword and sorcery campaign much of the artifact and technology was interesting as well as very original. I hate to say this but I used this material for a OD&D Hallow World campaign.  Much of what follows is from the Wiki entry on the series. 

"Ever since the time of the Great Cataclysm, the Arkadians have lived deep in the center of the Earth. They believed they were the only survivors of this great devastation. Their civilization thrived under the power of their sun, the Tehra...until it began to fail. In desperation, the children of Arkadia broke the law and entered the forbidden Archives, searching for a solution. What they discovered gave them hope. Anxiously, they used their special powers and created a messenger to the people above. They named her Arkana...'

The lost city of Arkadia (named for Arcadia) resembles a small Alderson Disk, and is home to an ancient civilization which escaped a Great Cataclysm by relocating deep within the Earth's crust. Unaware that life continued on the Earth's surface, and hoping to keep their people safe, the elders sealed all records of their past in the city's Archives.

Arkadia survives by the light of an artificial sun, the Tehra (Shagma), which is dying. A group of Arkadian children defy the law and enter the Archives. With information about the world above, they create a messenger, Arkana, and send her above to find help.

Arkana encounters two children from the surface, Matt and his sister Rebecca, and brings them back through the underground strata to save Arkadia. They travel in a living turtle type spaceship called Tehrig, along with Spartakus (a mysterious wanderer) and Bic and Bac (a pair of pangolin-like creatures), Arkadia's mascots.

Arkana: The Arkadian children created her out of stone with the help of the Tehra's rainbow light, as an avatar of the Arkadians. As she was made in the image of the surface dwellers, having legs, unlike the Arkadians themselves. She is a well-meaning but naïve magician, capable of telekinetic feats and projecting illusions. Her mission is to seek help from above in repairing the Tehra. She is referred to by the show's villains as the "supergeophysical gal."

Bic and Bac: Among the oldest living things in Arkadia, these two happy little animals are the best of friends, and enjoy dancing to their song, the "Flashbick." They are a kind of pangolin anteater, but unlike their real-life relatives, they have no scales or claws. They are affectionate, clever and playful, and can make fire by rubbing their noses together.

Matthew "Matt" (Bob) and Rebecca: Brother and sister, these children from above ground join Arkana and Spartakus on their quest to save Arkadia. Matt is the older of the two, and tries to protect his overeager sister, whom he affectionately calls "half-pint."

Spartakus: Formerly a gladiator in the city of Barkar, this young man escaped slavery following a revolt. His gauntlet conceals a magic crossbow and grappling hook, and can cause reactions when in close proximity to Arkadian artifacts. He remembers very little about his past, but often hums the songs his father taught him. His character is based on the historical Spartacus.

Tehrig (ShagShag): The only creature allowed free access to the Archives was Tehrig, an intelligent robotic vehicle vaguely shaped like a giant trilobite a.k.a. a turtle. It secretly helped the children of Arkadia gain entry to the records and serves Arkana and her friends as a transport. Though its computer brain dates back to before the Great Cataclysm and possesses an encyclopedic database, there are large holes in its memory. It also contains a number of tiny robots called Triggies (Shaggies) that it can mobilize to distract enemies or repair itself.

The Pirates of the Seas: Members of the Interstrata Marine Pirate Federation, these "punk pirates" roam the strata seeking helpless voyagers to rob or enslave, and they frequently show up to menace the show's heroes. Their appearance is marked by a recurring theme song and dance performance. Their society is structured in the guise of a democracy controlled through mass media.

• Nasty Max (Maxagaze pun with "Masque à gaz" (gas mask)) has a large blue mohawk and leads the vicious band.
• Mighty Matt (Mattymatte), a simple-minded pirate with a small red mohawk, is Max's sidekick.
• Massmedia is Max's girlfriend and broadcasts station FIPIRATE from her radio craft. Her mohawk is blonde.
• Sleazeappeal (Seskapil pun with "16K pille (the french for battery)"), a sophisticated pirate with a green mohawk.

Recurring characters[edit]

Brigands of the Fjords: The Pirates of the Seas' rivals throughout the series. The only identified member is their leader, Ringmar, who frequently competes with Nasty Max for leadership of the nested worlds' rogues.

Shagmir and Loria: Are the two of Arkadia's elders. Arkana was presented to them and sent on her quest to the surface world. They tended to not believe the existence of any life on the surface.

The Inquisitors of the Living Crystal: This three-person tribunal of blue-skinned judges is first seen in the second episode of the first season, "Le cristal vivant" ("The Living Crystal"). They try to make Galileo renounce his claims of a world beyond the Living Crystal. They have the group captured and psychologically tested to convince them that they are beings who were caught in the Living Crystal and are suffering "a deformation of time". They are even prepared to re-crystallize Tehrig if Galileo does not renounce his beliefs. They are seen again in the second episode of the second season, "L'échiquier des mondes" ("The Most Dangerous Game").

Arkshag: Spartakus' nemesis and guardian of the Prisoners of the Lost Time.

Minor characters[edit]

Emperor Qin: The ruler of a Chinese-like empire within the strata. He marched out to conquer Arkadia. He was eventually killed amongst his army of clay robot-like warriors.

Galileo: A strata version of the real-world Galileo; he lives in the Living Crystal. When he discovers the group imprisoned in a crystallized Tehrig, he breaks them free. Their existence proves the prohibited theory that there is life outside of the living crystal. After being forced to deny the truth, he was allowed to leave with the group, but at the last moment returned home.

Gog and Magog: two monstrous creatures sharing the same body. They are unintentionally released to rage havoc by Arkana, who is misled by the Phoenix into using her powers. In the end they are both forced back to their own world.

Demosthenes: A famous spokesman, kidnapped by Nasty Max in order to help him learn the art of speaking and thus win election as leader of the Interstrata Pirate Federation. He was banished from his country because he did not have the walls repaired.

The Mogokhs: A nomadic warrior people who oppress and steal from others. They are notable for their invincibility. They never get down from their mounts for fear of being trampled to death.

Méo and Myra: A grandfather and his granddaughter who live in a village pillaged by the Mogokhs. They seek aid from the group, who help them overcome the Mogokhs.

Starkus: A scientist and Star Healer on board a space ship, he investigates and tries to "cure stars". He met with Rebecca and Matt and welcomed them. Upon hearing that they were accompanied by Spartakus and Arkana, he immediately disappears. Later, when the group returns to their own time and place (in the episode "Star Healer"), he contacts them via Tehrig and informs the surprised Arkana and Spartakus that they are his ancestors.

Thot: A strange creature that lives in the ancient ruins of a long-destroyed city. He kidnaps Arkana, but without intending to hurt her. He is shot by Spartakus when he tries to protect Arkana, but is only slightly wounded.

Rainbow: Spartakus's younger brother, he grew up in luxury as the adopted son of the Lanista (trainer of gladiators) of Barkar. Unlike his brother, Rainbow is cruel and nihilistic. After the Lanista was overthrown, Rainbow began to wander the nested worlds.
For a kids show this one had a ton of stuff going on and many of the themes were way, way, ahead of their time. From the creation of artifical life to the struggles of Spartakus. There was a lot going on here. Much of the material is easily adaptable. Arkana bares a striking resemblence to the goddess upon the Hallow World campaign box.

For a sword and sorcery campaign there is a ton to mine from this one. I could spend at least three blog entries on this classic.
 Much of the material and ideas of  the series was layered in such a way as to reveal one minor thing after another to lead the PC's on. The ruins, technology, and setting kept building on itself whist dealing with the struggles of the characters themselves. I was always partial to the fact that the minor artifacts never over shadowed the characters.