[Thundarr Thursday] Notorious NPCs: Capt. Kordon, Queen of the River Pirates

Captain Kordon - Queen of the River Pirates
9th Level Pure Human

STR: 12 --- INT: 15
DEX: 18 --- WIL: 13
CON: 10 --- CHA: 16
HPs: 58 --- AC: 7
Mutations: none

Described by Thundarr thusly: "As evil as she is beautiful." Captain Kordon is an old-world pirate in a new world. Known as the Queen of the River Pirates, Kordon does not patrol the oceans and seas, rather sailing and pillaging up and down the widest rivers of the ruined earth. (In the Thundarr universe, it is hinted that she terrorizes the Ancient river once called the Mississippi.) In the truest sense, she is a deadly opponent who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Captain Kordon has trained herself in the ways of swordfighting and fencing, seeing it as the "true" way of fighting as her pirate ancestors did. When fighting with her rapier, Kordon receives a +2 damage bonus when she strikes. She is also incredibly dexterous and fast, making two attacks per melee round.

Kordon has had a very successful career as a pirate thanks to her ruthlessness and cunning. She sails the rivers on a modified craft created from parts from a naval shipyard. An aircraft carrier platform and towers have been mounted to a wooden log frame. Her ship is propelled by the wind only (25 MPH max speed). This huge craft has a battery of firearms and primitive weapons available to the crew, but the real arms lie in the six "fire lances" she has at her disposal - Ancient surface-to-air missiles that can be launched via catapult. But rather than waste these valuable destructive weapons, Kordon prefers to use the catapults to fire large hives with mutant killer wasps as well as flaming barrels of oil at her enemies.

To run her ship and to do her bidding, Capt. Kordon has a small army of 50 minions. Many of these pirate lackeys dress in a skindiver's rubber suit with a large stylized skull and crossbones painted on the chest. Others dress in a stereotypical pirate fashion. These minions are mostly pure humans (though there could be some mutants working for her). They have very basic fighting skills, preferring instead to overpower a foe in sheer numbers. They are not particularly loyal to Kordon and will break and run if a battle is turning against them. However, while on board the ship, they are fearless as the craft is the largest, most powerful water vessel known.

Captain Kordon is always pillaging for Ancient weaponry with which to strengthen her ship and her standing as the most dangerous force on the water. If a party encounters Captain Kordon, they'd better be prepared to face a clever tactician, a master swordsman, many armed minions, and the most powerful ship they will likely ever encounter.

NOTE: This villain was inspired by the episode "Treasure of the Moks" from the classic Ruby Spears post-apocalyptic cartoon "Thundarr the Barbarian." Stay tuned each week for "Thundarr Thursday"!

MF Races vs. LL Classes or "What You Are vs. What You Do"

(Bear with me on the intro. I swear I'll bring this back to Mutant Future in a moment...)

One of the more hotly debated issues of Labyrinth Lord's design is the matter of "race as class." In the RPG, demi-humans are a class defined by their race. Humans can be clerics, fighters, magic-users, and thieves, whereas dwarves, halflings, and elves can be - well - dwarves, halflings, and elves. In LL, there are no "dwarven clerics" or "halfling thieves." Although is vastly simplifies the system, it isn't loved by all players, feeling that it limits character construction. Dan Proctor - the game's designer - has addressed this issue in the past, offering several ways to split the races away from the classes. Off the top of my head, he's discussed it in "Breaking Up Can Be So Hard" in Scribe of Orcus Vol. 1, Issue 3 (available at RPGNow), as well as at his blog.

Now to bring this issue back to Mutant Future. In MF, characters are designed in an opposite manner - based on a "race" rather than a "class." Characters are not defined by what they can do or what they were trained in ala thievery or magic-casting. Rather they are defined by how they were born and/or created (for our robotic characters). In much the same way as "race as class" feels limiting in LL, I feel that "class as race" is limiting in MF. So what options might we have to expound upon this?

I've given this some thought, and here is a rough, not-fully-fleshed-out concept I have. "Race" is obviously more important in MF than it is in LL since your race defines the number and extent of your mutations - pretty much the basis of the game. So if "Classes" were introduced into MF, I see them being defined as "an additional set of unique skills and abilities that a character has been trained and/or educated in." Your born into a race, but you've been trained into your class.

For example, after a character has been rolled up (a mutant hamster with pyrokinesis named "Herman"), there could be an additional class selected by the player. Herman studied mechanics and Ancient artifact repair and is now classified as a "tinkerer." As a tinkerer, Herman gets an additional +10% to identify and repair Ancient tech. He may also be trained to "MacGyver" a needed item out of junk on-hand once per week. So we still have a mutant fire-throwing hamster, but he now has a special set of skills that helps define the character. (So he won't be confused with all of the other fire-throwing hamsters in the Mutant Future!)

So, in this vein, here are some sample "Classes" that could be introduced into the Mutant Future:

• Tinkerer - Good at repairs and inventing. Receives a bonus to ID/fix Ancient tech. May be able to create devices at a moment's notice.
• Scavenger - Knows where to go to find any needed item in the junklands. Receives bonuses when scavenging or making trades with traders. May be able to find hidden things and/or find the best routes through Ancient ruins.
• Brute - Is good at hitting things with other things. Trained in hand-to-hand combat. Gets a bonus to hit with close-combat weapons. Can build weapons.
• Marksman - Same as a Brute only with ranged weapons.
• Scholar - Can read Ancient languages and/or knows more of Ancient history than most. May not be able to fix tech, but can more easily tell you what it is, what it does, and how to turn it on. Knows where to go for information. May even know how to use Ancient computers for research.
• Wheelman - Can fix/repair vehicles as well as drive them well. May even start with a small vehicle.
• Medic - Familiar with first aid techniques on biological lifeforms. May know how to use most Ancient medical tech. Can "heal" injuries, allowing characters to regain hit points more quickly.
  

You get my drift. Classes would simply define those areas that they were trained in, giving them some minor benefits to their abilities as well as opening up the game for additional role-playing opportunities. Perhaps I'll hammer out this concept into some future supplemental material. If you have input or ideas or additional classes, I'd love to hear 'em.

Dangerous Encounter: Meet DAN-1-L

This encounter should take place in a fairly isolated area near a massive amount of junk, scrap, and refuse. As they traverse the ground, avoiding any tumbling debris from above, they will come across a robot collapsed in a heap. The robot seems to be made out of junk itself, having mismatched parts from various other 'bot models incorporated into its structure. It has three arms - two ending with manipulators (hands) and one with and arc welder. As they approach it, it will slowly turn its head to them and ask for their help. It will then weakly point to a power cell on the ground nearby before it shuts down completely - its power depleted.

If the party puts the freshly-charged power cell in place, the robot will power up and pull itself to its "feet." The robot will tell the party that its identification designation is DAN-1-L. "But you may call me Daniel," he'll happily say. It explains that, many years ago, it was a mining robot. The miners kept him running by using whatever parts they could scavenge. Daniel is now on his own. He was nearly out of juice when it detected the spare power cell in this scrap field, collapsing just as it reached it. It falls over itself thanking the party and offering to help them with any task they have at the time. Daniel comes across as incredibly subservient. But looks can be deceiving.

In actuality, Daniel is a Cannibal Robot (new creature, click here for a description). Daniel's many parts and upgrades have come from other robots he has attacked, destroyed, and taken parts from. Daniel has already assessed the party's materials and has plans for their destruction so he can improve himself even further.

DAN-1-L (Cannibal Robot) (1) (AL N, MV 120’ (40’), AC 6, HD 60 hit points, #AT 3 (fist, arc welder, laser pistol), DG 1d6, 1d8, 6d6, SV L6, ML 5, mutations: none)

Any party member who is robotic in nature will be particularly fawned over by Daniel. He'll ask about they're parts and abilities, explaining that he's just interested in a fellow AI. (Actually he's sizing them up.) Daniel will attempt to befriend the party while leading them someplace he can ambush them from. Daniel has a laser pistol hidden in a cavity on his right side which he will bring out once the fighting begins.

The Mutant Lord can run the encounter in several ways:

• Daniel may offer to lead them out of the scrap lands. He will instead lead them to a cul de sac where he will make his attack. (He will only do this if he feels he can directly take on a small or weaker party.)
• Daniel will suggest visiting his camp where he has some extra tools and parts with which to do repairs. Once there, he will attack. (This way he doesn't have to drag the materials back. He will also be able to start immediate disassembly and integration.)
• Daniel may attempt to break up the party, hoping to get his "primary target" away from the others.

Regardless of how it pans out, Daniel should be played as cunning, deceitful, and ruthless. If Daniel's camp is found, the party will discover tools and various robot parts he has stashed away for future "upgrades." The party will also discover an electronically responsive notation instrument ("Ernie"), a motion detector, and an autograpnel - all of which were going to be integrated into Daniel's system next.

[Thundarr Thursday] Savage Menagerie: Dreadlon

No. Enc.: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: Swim: 240' (80')
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 20
Attacks: 5 (bite, four tentacles)
Damage: 4d8, 2d8, 2d8, 2d8, 2d8, 2d8
Save: L9
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: None

A dreadlon is an incredibly giant sea creature with the head and body of a giant lizard and tentacles like a squid. It is often brought into existence by very powerful wizards, though they can be encountered naturally in the ocean. Dreadlons are gilled water-breathers only encountered in oceans or seas. They feed on underwater sealife and have the appetite of a whale crossed with a shark. They have been known to come up from the ocean depths to attack large ships on the surface.

A dreadlon attacks first by biting at its target. Due to its incredible size, a dreadlon will inflict 4d8 hit points of damage with a single bite. If a natural 20 is rolled, the target is either swallowed whole (if human-sized or smaller) or an additional 1d8 hit points of crushing damage is inflicted from its massive jaws. The four tentacles of a dreadlon surround its midsection. It uses these to grasp prey and/or crush ships or obstacles. A tentacle can crush for 2d8 hit points of damage. Due to their size, they have an incredibly high hit dice pool and morale. It is very difficult to hurt or drive away a dreadlon once it begins its attack.

The only saving grace of a dreadlon attack is that it cannot stay above the waterline for very long as it needs to submerge to breathe again. It will also quickly grow bored or frustrated with an attack if it lasts too long, preferring larger prey to eat or prey that doesn't put up much of a fight. So a dreadlon will only attack for 2d12 rounds before it breaks off and goes back underwater.

Dreadlons are huge unstoppable monstrosities and should only be introduced to increase tension or to "herd" a party in a certain direction.

Mutations: none

NOTE: This creature is inspired by the episode “Island of the Body Snatchers” from the classic Ruby Spears post-apocalyptic cartoon “Thundarr the Barbarian.” Stay tuned each week for “Thundarr Thursday”!

NaNoWriMo, Other Projects Taking Precedence

Hey gang,

Just a note that the month of November is a busy time for me writing-wise. I participate in National Novel Writing Month each November and hitting a daily 1,670-word target is difficult enough without other projects fighting for my attention. I'm also working on some Mutant Future-specific writing projects that I plan to uncover later this year, but the material is not for use on this site. Ergo, I'll be posting a little less frequently for the next 30, but I still plan to keep the weekly Thundarr Thursday in place as well as one or two posts a week. Thanks!

Dangerous Encounter: Poached Eggs

This encounter could happen during some lengthy downtime for the PCs. While resting up between adventures, a trader will come into the village set up his booth. The PCs are encouraged to check out his wares. Perhaps they can find a few minor pieces of equipment to barter for. While shopping, the trader can be seen checking them out and sizing them up. Once he's satisfied that they're "the ones for the job," he'll approach and make them the following offer:

"On my way here, I noticed some Hemofowls (MF rulebook, pg. 75) circling overhead. I'll bet they've got a nest near some old Ancient pumping equipment about 2 miles south of here. I'm running mighty low on Hemofowl eggs, so I'll tell ya what. I'll pay ya 10 gold pieces for each one you bring to me. I might even let ya take something from my wagon for half-price for your troubles."

The location of the Ancient pumping station should be known to the PCs if they're from the area. If not, it's a simple matter of walking two miles south, then following an overgrown path that leads off of the main road. As described by the trader, there are a pair of Hemofowls circling high over head.

Hemofowls (2) (AL N, MV 90’ (30’), Fly: 180' (60'), AC 6, HD 5, #AT 2 (beak, special), DG 1d6, SV L6, ML 7, mutations: toxic weapon)

If the party watches the Hemofowls for a while, they'll just see them circling and circling, refusing to come down. Particularly cautious PCs (or any with a mutation that allows them to hear over long distances) may hear a hissing sound in the distance.

When the PCs get to the pumping station, that hissing sound will be even louder (any who had not heard if before will notice it now). The hissing sound seems to be keeping the Hemofowls away. With a little bit of searching, the PCs will find a nest on the ground with a few green leathery eggs inside it. Observant PCs will realize that these are not Hemofowl eggs. The hissing becomes an angry snarl and two Crocotinae (new creature, click here for a description) will come charging out of the brush, angry that their nest has been disturbed. Using their metaconcert mutation, they will call forth six other Crocotinae who will arrive in five rounds. All of the Crocotinae will fight to the death defending their nest.

Crocotinae (8) (AL N, MV 70’ (30’), Fly: 140' (60'), AC 7, HD 2, #AT 1, DG 1d8, SV L2, ML 7, mutations: metaconcert)

Once the Crocotinae are dealt with, the Hemofowls (who were driven from their nesting area by the highly aggressive snapping waddlers) may decide to fly in and land at their nest which is nestled in a nearby tree bough. Otherwise the PCs will have to try to find the nest on their own. The Crocotinae nest has five eggs in it and the Hemofowl nest has seven eggs. The Hemofowl nest also has 25 gold pieces in it.

The trader had no idea that there was a flock of Crocotinae keeping the Hemofowls at bay and he will pay 20 gold pieces for each Crocotinae egg the PCs bring back. (Crocotinae fledglings can be trained to be excellent "watch-ducks," he'll explain.) He will also make good on his 10 gp per Hemofowl egg offer as well as a 50% discount on any one item on his wagon.

Everyone Loves Free T-shirts and Hats

A friend of mine pointed out this special online offer. A company known as Corporate Casuals is a supplier of custom printed and embroidered shirts, hats, and what-not. As part of a "get to know us" promotion, they will custom print one t-shirt or embroider one hat for free (you pay $5.99 shipping though). I ordered the shirt pictured here. Arrived within 4 days after ordering and it's pretty nice. The free shirt offer is pretty basic - you can only use a white shirt and their logo appears on the back (or it can cost you an extra $3 to go without the logo). The online design program gives you a selection of 6 or 7 fonts to use and there's a bunch of clipart to choose from too. You can also upload a high-rez picture of your own for the design. Hats are limited to a simple embroidery of a line of text. Anyway, it's a pretty good deal that I wanted to share. Here are the links: Free hat offer or free t-shirt offer.