The Accursed Temple-City of Klovoyga

"...A titanic walled complex of rotting monolithic mottled gray stone wreathed in reeking yellow vapours, dating back to the time of The Elder Races. The Temple-City of Klovoyga is said to be a nest of blasphemous alien Sorcerers and their hideous inhuman servitors..."

Illustration by Fat Cotton., also check out his vaguely Planet Algol-related Temple of Set work-in-progress.

Sentient Beings of Planet Algol

Just a little list-making exercise while I try to hash out languages for the players in my campaign.

True Men
Algol Men
Ancients (almost completely extinct)
Earth Men

Semi-Men
Ancients (some varieties)
Apemen
Cactoids
Cavemen
Cyborgs
Degenerated Serpent Men
Deodands
Dryads
Ghouls
Hybridoids
Lamia
Maggot People
Morlocks
Monoclopians
Mutants
Pallid Croakers
Saucer Men
Synthoids
Vampires

Un-Men
Algoid
Androids
Crabmen
Draala
Gillmen
Hssu
Lizardoids
Gnoles
Gyraphonts
Mulg
Phraint
Robots
Space Aliens
Xorn

Elder Races
Aboleths
Deep Ones
Demons
Flying Polyps
Grey Martians
Hluss
Mind Eaters/Brain Lashers
Mi-Go
Primordial Ones
Serpent Men
Shoggoth
Shunned Ones
Slaad
Ssu
Star Spawn
Yithians

The Elder Races

The Elder Races were various powerful, inhuman races that range from hundreds of millions to billions of years old; almost all of alien or extradimensional origin. Their civilizations sprawled across Algol in prehuman times. The reason for their decline is unknown. Nowadays there are only a few scattered populations of the Elder Races on Algol, hidden in remote or inhospitable regions.

The Elder Races may be responsible for many of the bizarre anomalies of Planet Algol, by virtue of their puissant sorcery and science they were capable of warping the planet to suit their inhuman whims.

Their abilities with technology and magic were far more powerful than anything achieved by man; although survivors of the Elder Races may seem to be gods compared to men, they are only the wretched, degenerate descendants of the true Elder Races who only possess scraps of their unthinkable knowledge and might.

Known examples of the Elder Races include:

• Grey Martians
  
• Gug
• Hluss
  
• Mi-go
• Mind Flayers
  
• Primordial Ones
• Serpent Men
• Slaad
• Ssu
  
• Yithians
  

Planet Algol Character Race/Class - Cactoid

The Cactoid

(racial class)

Armor: any (a Cactoid must clip off it's spines to wear armor)
Shield: any
Weapons: any
Oil: yes
Poison: yes
Starting Gold: 5d4 x 10 gold pieces
Weapon Proficiencies: 3 starting proficiencies (otherwise same as a fighter)
Starting Age: 20 + 1d4 years
Attack Matrix:: fighter
Saving Throw Matrix: fighter, +4 to saves against poison
Requirements: strength 9, constitution 13 (a Cactoid must have an intelligence of 13 and a wisdom of 14 to use Cactoid Magic).
Prime Requisite: Strength and Wisdom (+10% to earned experience if both 15 or higher)

Cactoids, also known as Cactus Men, are a race of plant humanoid that appear human aside from their tough, hairless, spiny green skin.

Cactoids roam the deserts and barrens of Algol in small nomadic bands. They eat the same foods as humans as well as snacking on sandy soil, they need only small amounts of water but also require sunlight for photosynthesis. Due to their skills at living off the land, and their low water requirements, they are able to get by in most wilderness areas (with exception for radioactive, frozen, poisoned, etc. environments) without the need to rations or water-skins.

Their spines will inflict 1 point of damage to creatures that grab or bite them, or 1-2 points of damage/round if grappled, constricted, etc. by a creature with an armor class greater than 6. If the Cactoid is being held in the mouth or stomach the creature's armor class will not prevent damage.
Due to their vegetable body structure Cactoids have a +4 on saving throws versus poison, and also take half damage from piercing weapons such as arrows, spears, picks, stingers, etc.
Cactoids have a natural armor class of 7. They are unable to wear armor, aside from shields, unless they clip off their spines, which if allowed, will take one month to regrow.

Cactoids with an Intelligence score of 13 and a Wisdom of 14 can use Cactoid Magic. Cactoid Magic uses spells from the Druid spell lists (aside from Detect Evil), and is cast without any verbal, somatic or material components. Cactoids use and prepare spells the same way a druid does. Cactoids that are capable of using magic are known as "Wise Ones" in Cactoid society.

CACTOID SPELL TABLES

1st Level
1. Animal Friend
2. Detect Magic
3. Entangle
4. Invisibility to Animals
5. Locate Animal
6. Predict Weather
7. Shillelagh (enchants the Cactoid's forearm instead of cudgel)
8. Speak With Animals

2nd Level
1. Barkskin
2. Charm Animal
3. Detect Evil (2nd level magic-user spell)
4. Feign Death
5. Locate Plants
6. Warp Wood

3rd Level
1. Cure Disease
2. Hold Animal
3. Neutralize Poison
4. Tree

Experience Points Level 8-Sided Hit Dice Attacks/Round 1st Level Spells 2nd Level Spells 3rd level spells
0 1 2 1 - - -
2,251 2 3 1 - - -
4,501 3 4 1 - - -
10,001 4 5 1 - - -
20,001 5 6 1 - - -
40,001 6 7 1 - - -
90,001 7 8 1 - - -
150,001 8 9 3/2 1 - -
225,001 9 10 3/2 1 - -
325,001 10 11 3/2 2 - -
650,001 11 11+2 3/2 2 - -
975,001 12 11+2 2 1 -
1,300,001 13 11+4 3/2 2 1 -
1,625,001 14 11+6 3/2 2 2 -
1,950,001 15 11+8 2 2 2 -
2,600,001 17 11+12 2 2 2 2

Aeon of the Ancients, Earth Men and the Elder Races

AEON OF THE ANCIENTS

Although scholars dispute the exact dates, the consensus is that the Aeon of the Ancients ended tens of thousand years ago, and began some several million years past. The Ancients is used to refer to the numerous prehistoric civilizations that existed on Algol. Not much is know about them, but these facts are generally accepted as true:

• The Ancients were human or human-like.
• Their civilization did not arise naturally, as Elder Races interfered in their development and possibly their evolution. Many sages posit that the original human of Algol were brought here from Earth by some Elder Race or vice versa.
• They had much knowledge in both science and sorcery, more advanced than anything known to present day humanity of both Algol and Earth
• The Ancients had contact with prehistoric Earth civilizations (Atlantis, Lemuria, Hyperborea, Mu, etc.), possibly the Ancients came to Algol from Earth, or perhaps the Atlanteans, etc., came to Earth from Algol.
• Their civilizations came to an end in a planet-wide war involving terrible weapons of massive destruction and reality-tearing nature. Much of the surface of Algol is scarred, poisoned and tainted from this. Almost all of the knowledge and works of the Ancients was lost in this holocaust or the decline into barbarism, savagery, or decadent degeneration that followed.

EARTH MEN

Earth Men are technologically advanced humans from our world (commonly referred to as Terra on Algol). The Earth Men, also called Terrans, have been sending rockets to Algol for hundreds of years; but as they do not possess the technology to travel faster than light speed, and with Algol being 93 light-years from Earth, they have had to use such measures as:

• robot crews
• automated facilities to grow clones and implant memories
• generation ships
• cryogenics
• time dilation or stasis technology
• longevity treatments

There are a few Earth Man bases and settlements on Algol, as well as a couple of orbiting space stations. Many have “gone native”, assimilating into local cultures or beginning the process of establishing their own.
Although more technologically advanced than present day humanity, the science of the Ancients and the Elder Races far outstrips that of the Earth Men.
While the Algol term is “Earth Man” or Terran for the language they speak, it is actually Esperanto, which is taught to all Algol explorers in order to facilitate communication between different expeditions.

ELDER RACES

The Elder Races were various powerful, inhuman races that range from hundreds of millions to billions of years old; almost all of alien or extradimensional origin. Their civilizations sprawled across Algol in prehuman times. The reason for their decline in unknown. Nowadays there are only a few scattered populations of the Elder Races on Algol, hidden in remote or inhospitable regions.

The Elder Races may be responsible for many of the bizarre anomalies of Planet Algol, by virtue of their puissant sorcery and science they were capable of warping the planet to suit their inhuman whims.

Their abilities with technology and magic were far more powerful than anything achieved by man; although survivors of the Elder Races may seem to be gods compared to men, they are only the wretched, degenerate descendants of the true Elder Races who only possess scraps of their unthinkable knowledge and might.