Neutral Mass Weapons - A Black Code Weapon For Your Retro Future Old School Game

Neutral Mass Weapon 
This weapon  nails the target with an anti planar beam of high density Anti Zeta Rays causing horrific wounds.The effects aren't pretty doing 1d10 points of damage that only cure light wounds or better spells will heal. They have range of 200" though & can distort the local time space continuum 

Another affect the weapon has is the way it attacks the target, absorbing whatever light is in its path, increasing its power, then completely and fusing the opening and exit wounds.There are other qualities these weapons possess. 

1. The weapons is made of an undetectible material.
2. The weapon is illegal on Earth and because it was used only for Off-World combat.
3. They may only be purchased in some of the more exotic alien markets such as CH're & SEREW The so called Siren's World. 

These weapons show up in the hands of assassin droids,replicants, & far worse. They are also part of the standard armaments of some. 

These weapons have a black code against them on many worlds & have far reaching  time pollution issues. Many local areas are affected after long term wars where these types of weapons were used.
Finally the ammo for this weapon is expensive at 200 credits a piece for a clip of 10 rounds 

Local Random Time Pollution Effects Table 1d10 

1. Those with a 20" radius of the battle site must make a dex or saving throw or be sucked into the astral through a planar hole 
2. The local arrow of time is slightly bent & use must repeat any actions for 1d3 rounds before the action actually takes place 
3. Puddles of liquid time are here & there around the battle site anyone touching these clear, silvery liquid puddles must make a saving throw or be aged 1d20 years 
4. Planar Shredding The area has mirco planar fractures that do 1d8 points of damage to those caught in them! Bits & pieces are randomly teleported around the cosmos. There is a blue hazing effect when this happens 
5. The area creates a sphere of annihilation which will track anything within a  200 yard radius. Living things cause the sphere discomfort which it will try to remove asap 
6. Time crystals grow around the area causing weird rainbow time distortions lose 1d10 minutes, hours, days. The crystals can be harvested if you can get close to the electrical arches between them. 1d4 points of damage from each strike 
7. Toxic time spheres float in the air. They will reverse the aging process & erase 1d6 memories from your character unless a saving throw is made. Take your highest attribute & drop it by 1 point every 3 rounds. A lightning bolt can shatter these weird purple pink spheres! 
8. Undead Time Gnomes Out For Blood! 1d4 # appearing count as wights! Can be killed with fire or magic. 
9. The entire area within 1d100 yards has a zone of silence & antimagic around it. The place attracts mutant predators into it. Only a druid pure of heart may heal the land 
10. A combination of 1d3 above 

Rocket Ship X-M 1950 - A Science Fiction Sunday - Space Opera Encounter For Your Classic Science Fantasy Retro Clone

Rocketship X-M (1950) was the second of the American science fiction feature films of the space adventure genre begun in the post-war era, in 1950. It gets no respect today which is way too bad because its got a cracking plot that can be used for any number of old school science fiction, post apocalypse, or space opera games. 

Plot : 

Four men and a woman, all scientists, blast into space aboard the RXM (Rocketship Expedition Moon) on humanity's first expedition to the Moon. About halfway to their destination, the RXM's engines shut down because of a fuel problem. They solve it with a new fuel mixture, the engines reignite and the RXM tears off on a new direction, directly towards Mars. Regaining consciousness after a short burst of acceleration, the crew finds the ship has traveled about 50,000,000 miles. Mars is now only 50,000 miles away; this causes Dr. Karl Eckstrom to "pause and observe respectfully while something infinitely greater assumes control," which made everything work to guide them there.

The RXM passes through the alien atmosphere to land on the planet. There they find evidence of a once-powerful civilization, with evidence like an art-deco wall-hanging and a backdrop of a dynamo shaped building. A long time ago there has been a planetary nuclear war. They meet a modern descendant of the civilization: a mute woman with enormous black pupils. She is pursued by savage cavemen, other descendants, who attack the team by throwing boulders at them. Armed only with a rifle and revolver and one load of ammunition for each weapon, the astronauts hit no one and two of them are killed and one injured by the flying rocks. Their return voyage is only a partial success: the RXM makes it back to Earth orbit but doesn't have enough fuel to land. The surviving crew members contact their base by radio and pass on the information about Mars and the destruction of the civilization there. 

Our intrepid crew for this secret first manned spaceship launch consists of ship designer Dr. Exum Scientist 4th level (John Emery), navigator Floyd Graham Astronaut 4th level(Lloyd Bridges), engineer Major William Corrigan Scientist 3rd level  (Noah "Rockford's Dad" Beery, Jr.), some less important guy played by Hugh O'Brian Adventurer 2nd level, and brilliant female chemist Dr. Lisa Van Horn Scientist 3rd level (Osa Massen).

Rocket Ship X-M 

Rocket Ship X-M 
Hit Points: 55 
Crew: 5 
Drive: Atomic Fuel Mix 


This bullet shaped 80 foot long rocket, is bullet shaped with 4 tail fins hugging the sides. The hatch is part way up the side of the ship. A ladder reaches the ground. This style of craft is used mainly for inter system exploration & prospecting. A great craft for adventurers. 

The Trailer 

The Complete Movie  Is Within The Public Domain

The Martian  Ruins 
There is more then enough room here for a Dm to run just about anything. This is a perfect location for mega dungeons. The blasted out ruined landscape is perfect for setting up a Mutant Future style game. There are scores of deserted cities, weird buildings, & tribes of degenerate red men neanderthals. I can her you saying in the movie they encountered no monsters at all. Not a problem. They weren't there long enough really. Take your copy of  A Princess Of Mars add your favorite holocaust of atomic proporations & your ready to rock & roll. Or don't. You can do an X plorer's style game with little.

 Since a second expedition is planned the characters have a very cool story hook & adventure for this style of game. There's lots of potential with this world.  

Day Time Random Weird Wasteland Encounters 1d10 

1. Sand Rays 2 hit points each 
2. HG Wells Martian Scout Machines -Walkers 3 hit points 
3. Martian Flyers # 1d6 3 hit points each. Heat rays 1d4 damage 200 ' range 
4. Lizard Men riding hovercycles with hand flamers 2 hit points each 1d3 damage 40' range 
5. Degenerate Red men neanderthals raiding party 4 hit points, spears 
6. Psychic Death Storm Elemental 4 hit points 
7. Damned Martian Soldiers ( undead, 3 hit points,22 century armor), hover tanks 
8. Mockers of Order Outer Planar Demons 4 hit points 
9. Giant Cloud Monster 3 hit points, Lighting attacks as the spell 
10. Sail Barge Battle Ship - Floater 20 crew, martians 

Night Time Random Weird Wasteland Encounters 1d10 

1. Degenerate Red men neanderthals raiding party 4 hit points, spears 20% of mutant powers 
2. Mutant Plant Monsters Cloud 1d10 hit points, spore implantation attack 1d4 damage 
3. Mutant Raiding party 1d10 hover cars, 1d4 hit points 40% mutant powers 
4. Dust Demon 4 hit points, level drain attack 
5. Veterans of The Psychic Wars - Recruiting & looking for a fire, food, etc
6. Hallucination Dealer - Time Lost ,2 hit points 6 bodyguards, 3 hit points each 
7. Night Wolves 3 hit points ~ wolves 1d10 # powers as per blink dogs 
8. Damned Soldiers~ 3 hit points,# 1d10 on Nightmares armed with machine guns 1d4 damage 
9. Sonic Attack UFOS 1d3 # ,3 hit points, sonic attack 1d4 
10. Degenerate Red men neanderthals raiding party 4 hit points, spears 20% of mutant powers 

Talousian Brain Scavenger - A Monster For Your Retro Future Space Opera

Talousian Brain ScavengerNo. Enc.: 1 (1d6)
Alignment: Alien (Chaotic tendencies)
Movement: 60' 
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 4+
Attacks: 2
Damage: 1d6/1d4 tentacle (or parry)
Save: MU4
Morale: 9 

 The Talousian Brain Scavenger is hold over from the Psychic Wars, these attack animals were artificially bred from the Talosusian stock themselves. These creatures are cloned gut cells spliced with the cerebral material of this ancient race. The scavenger has no real fixed shape & creates for itself a predatory shape based on 3 billion stored templates. The creature can sense sentient thought from over 25 miles away & homes in those thought patterns. The monster will then seek out the mind & try to absorb its prey. 

The monster is immune to all mind influencing attacks because it has no mind at all. This is a single celled organism grown to 10 foot long proportions. The creature has a very advanced nervous system but no central brain to control it until it acquires one from its prey.  The creature in the meantime uses a very advanced form of photosynthesis to feed itself between meals. The creature will gain sentient after feeding for 1d20 days. This self awareness will fade & its overriding animal tendencies will take over once again. These creatures will use any spells or psychic powers the victims had. They will have access to surface thoughts & use these to form more solid means of dispatching prey. They will also use pack tactics when hunting larger groups of prey. Such as human & near human colonies.

These monsters reproduce by fission & will have 1d10 young which will be ready for hunting within 1d6 hours from time of budding. The Brain Scavenger is on Ward's List of Dangerous Weapons but these creatures still bring a profit of 300 credits each for each creature. There are rumors of pirates hunting these monsters down only to become prey themselves.  

 They can be found practically anywhere & are often used in a large variety of theaters & climates as they are weapons of war. 

The Forgotten Lovecraftian Monsters - The Venusian Reptile Men - For Any Old School Space Opera

"I doubt if they even have a real language—all the talk about psychological communication through those tentacles down their chests strikes me as bunk. What misleads people is their upright posture; just an accidental physical resemblance to terrestrial man."

"When they drew nearer they seemed less truly reptilian—only the flat head and the green, slimy, frog-like skin carrying out the idea. They walked erect on their odd, thick stumps, and their suction-discs made curious noises in the mud."

H.P. Lovecraft & Kenneth J. Sterling, In the Walls Of Eryx
 

On the lush sub tropical planes of Venus are the,Eryx, or the Erycinian Highland. This  is a vast plateau on Venus. Unlike the actual planet, Lovecraft's Venus has a tropical climate and is filled with lush, swampy jungles, though its atmosphere is poisonous to humans, while at the same time not so dangerous as to require hermetically sealed space suits.
 Here prospectors have discovered vast energy sources sacred to the Eryxian Reptile men. The reptile men have the ability to create invisible structures with the abilities of a Hallucinatory Terrain (pg.23) & Invisibility II (pg.24). These structures are placed on the normal pathways & traffic areas of humans. A large energy crystal is placed as bait & the reptile men wait. Those who fall into the trap die a slow death offered up as  a sacrifice for the forbidden gods of the the reptiles. The Venusians are -2 on all saves involving flame attacks as it dries out the porous membranes of their breathing shoots.
These peoples are found on other planets & are quite adapt at using so called "light envelops"  to sail between the stars.  

They are quite well adapted to swamp like worlds & found on the light side of many terra- formed Venus like planets. 

They have a form of very limited telepathy that works through the chest tentacles they have. These are actually very sensitive telepathic receptor organs & attached via sub ganglia to their 9 lobed minds. They are at a +3 against all mind influencing spells or powers.  They're minds are far more alien then the average lizard man.

Alignment: Alien(With Choatic Tendencies) 
Armor Class: 5(14)

Hit dice: 2+1 

Attacks: claws,spell, sword(1d6)

                  Special: Undermurk (may spend 12 hours in swamp waters of Venus like worlds)

Move: 6(12 when swimming) 

HDE/XP:2/30
 For the best illustrations of this beasty please visit this blog Here. I didn't want to copy the artist's hard work but this is my definitive impression of the creature. Its a pretty cool version of  them.