Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I Got Mine. You Got Yours?

Have you ordered your Mutant Future Revised Edition rulebook yet? New cover! New art throughout! Text and rules errata updated! Shiny! And in case you're still hedging, how about a 25% off coupon code for your Lulu print order? Enter WINTER305 at checkout for 25% off through Jan. 5.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

[Notorius NPC] Satan Nick

Satan Nick (AKA "Klawz")
4th Level Mutant Human

STR: 17 --- INT: 17
DEX: 18 --- WIL: 17
CON: 21 --- CHA: 7
HPs: 119 --- AC: 2
Mutations: aberrant form (thick reptilian hide); ability boost-CON; know direction; echolocation; negative empathy; vision impairment

"He sees you when you're sleeping.
He knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good,
So go hide for goodness sake!"

Satan Nick is an evil misshapen mutant who has been terrorizing the ruins and villages dotting the Mutant Future landscape for years. Little is known about Ol' Nick, except for the fact he enjoys spreading terror and fear throughout the lands during the days of the winter solstice.

Satan Nick (a perversion of the name "Saint Nick") has become the thing of legends and nightmares. No one knows where he lives; no one has ever spoken to him (and lived); and no one knows why he shows up at the same time every year at some random community for the sole purpose of terrorizing the inhabitants. Nick spreads his own twisted form of "Xmas cheer" by dropping down chimneys and slaying the residents; leaving booby-trapped candy and gifts scattered around the village; and other deadly pranks and activities. It's said that when Nick arrives, "the Yuletide will run red."

Satan Nick is a very powerful, diabolically intelligent opponent with numerous mutations that help him on his spree of horror. His echolocation and know direction mutations ensure that no one can hide or escape from his wrath. His increased constitution, high dexterity, and reptilian hide makes him very difficult to hit and to injure. He has a +2 bonus to hit and to his handheld damage. He receives a +3 to any saves vs. poison and +2 to saves vs. radiation. In essence, he is very nearly the perfect survivor in the Mutant Future wastes. However, his negative empathy mutation gives others a hint of his presence as a general feeling of unease and dread will settle over the town prior to his arrival. Also, Satan Nick cannot see at all in daylight and is effectively blinded by it, explaining why he only shows up at night and during the long evenings of the solstice. (Due to his green skin, red/white fur uniform, and anti-solstice activities, some survivors refer to him as "The Grinch" in honor of a similar creature from before the Final Wars.)

Satan Nick is said to travel on the back of a large savage Braindeer that attacks upon command, but this rumor has not been confirmed. When first spied, he may also be confused with a member of San Tass Helpers. People do not make that mistake twice. The PCs may be enlisted by a targeted village to deal with this menace once and for all. (A rather sizable bounty has been on Nick's head for years.) However, all who have tried have failed, as Nick only appears on one night each year in a random location. And even if they can predict where he will strike, there's no guarantee they will be able to defeat him. The Mutant Lord should play up the "unstoppable force of evil" that is Satan Nick. Children cry at the mention of his name. Adults fear him. Even wasteland survivors shudder at memories what they've seen him leave behind upon one of his midnight visits.

NOTE: I realize this is REALLY dark for a holiday post, but I've been planning on unveiling this twisted Father Christmas for a while. Merry Christmas to All and to All, "Good Luck!"

Friday, December 24, 2010

[Savage Menagerie] Psyeti

No. Enc.: 1d6 (2d4)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 3 (2 claws, bite)
Damage: 1d6/1d6/1d8
Save: L2
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None

The Psyeti (pronounced SI-yet-tee) is a 12-foot-tall, fur-covered biped found in arctic or snow-covered wastelands. They are snow-white with beady pink eyes caused by their albinism mutation. They are often found in underground caves and caverns as they are blinded by bright sunlight (-2 combat penalty when outdoors).

Psyetis attack with two formidable claws and a sharp-toothed bite for 1d6/1d6/1d8 points of damage, respectively. Psyetis are difficult to harm in mental combat due to their mental barrier mutation, giving attackers a -4 penalty when attacking mentally. They can also sense others with a mental mutation and will try to avoid them in combat. Psyetis can also use their control weather mutation to whip up a blinding snowstorm or blistering freezing temperatures. If a Psyeti is forced out of its lair and into the outdoors, it will immediately throw up a blizzard in hopes of blinding its opponents, equaling the odds.

Psyetis are not prone to attacking strangers in their domain, although they will defend their lairs to the death if invaded. It is often difficult to know if a region has a Psyeti lair, however, due to the private nature of these beasts. But if a PC spies a shadowy figure on a mountainous hillside from a distance, odds are good that a Psyeti lair is near.

Mutations: albinism, mental barrier, control weather

Thursday, December 23, 2010

[Thundarr Thursday] World of Thundarr Sourcebook Updated

Merry Christmas! OK, so it's not Christmas yet, but it is the one-year anniversary of the initial release of The World of Thundarr the Barbarian Sourcebook. In the past year, this book has grown into a 60-plus page tome that I'm quite proud of. To celebrate, I have updated the sourcebook with the following new material:
  • Werewolf
  • Yondo's Nega-Sword
  • Lava Troll

That brings the contents of the supplement up to:

  • 63 pages of Thundarr/Mutant Future goodness
  • 3 Character Races
  • 7 NPCs
  • 10 Dangerous Devices
  • 28 Creatures
  • And 4 full adventures in the Thundarr world!

As always, my plans are to update the sourcebook with any new material added, so this will always be up-to-date. Announcements (like this one) will be made whenever an updated file is posted. The full sourcebook will always remain free and available for download over there in the right-hand column. Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

NaGa DeMon Status Update

As per my announcement of intent last month, I'm treating the month of December as my own personal National Game Design Month. I have several Mutant Future projects in the works (and one for Mini Six) that I'm working on and I shall post my status reports on a weekly basis. (I've found I'm more productive when I feel folks are watching me.):
  • "A Year In The Savage AfterWorld" -- A compendium of Mutant Future micro-adventures and creatures. Fifty-two Dangerous Encounters; enough for a full year's worth of weekend role-playing. (STATUS: 50% written; well over 30 one-page encounters with full-page stats for a dozen new creatures.)
  • "Antique Americana" -- A mini-setting for Mini Six as the PCs become retrievers of historical artifacts. (STATUS: 50% written; setting fleshed out and written; artifacts and enemies now being constructed.)
  • "Dead In The Water" -- A full-length Mutant Future adventure taking place on a fiery manmade island overrun by mindless mutants...or are they? (STATUS: 30% written; decided to redesign the format of the adventure so I need to remap some major encounters.)
  • "The Wackyworld War" -- A full-length Mutant Future adventure as the PCs find themselves between warring factions. (STATUS: 10% written; in the conceptual stage only; will be the first to go if time runs short.)
  • And, of course, there will be another update to "The World of Thundarr the Barbarian Sourcebook." (STATUS: Will be an easy release for December as the material is compiled from Thundarr posts on this website.)

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Mutant Future Revised Edition Coming In Late December

Goblinoid Games has announced that a revised edition of Mutant Future is coming in just a few short weeks! According to Dan Proctor, Mutant Future co-creator and Goblinoid Games' overlord, the revisions are going to be mostly cosmetic as the stock and public domain artwork is being replaced with shiny new illustrations by Mark Allen and Steve Zieser, although I assume some niggling errors and typos will be tackled as well. The revised edition is being released as a prelude for Mutant Future to enter general distribution! That's right -- spidergoats are about to invade your local Friendly Neighborhood Game Store!

I'll close with a preview of the new cover as drawn and designed by Mark Allen:

Start saving up your plasteel coins!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

My Project(s) For December's NaGa DeMon

As per my announcement of intent last month, I'm treating the month of December as my own personal National Game Design Month. I have several Mutant Future projects in the works (and one for Mini Six) that I've just not found the time or drive to finish up. So, during December, in the spirit of NaGa DeMon, I shall be trying to churn out the following:
  • "A Year In The Savage AfterWorld" -- A compendium of Mutant Future micro-adventures and creatures. Fifty-two Dangerous Encounters; enough for a full year's worth of weekend role-playing.
  • "Dead In The Water" -- A full-length Mutant Future adventure taking place on a fiery manmade island overrun by mindless mutants...or are they?
  • "The Wackyworld War" -- A full-length Mutant Future adventure as the PCs find themselves between warring factions.
  • "Antique Americana" -- A mini-setting for Mini Six as the PCs become retrievers of historical artifacts.
  • And, of course, there will be another update to "The World of Thundarr the Barbarian Sourcebook."
Will I be able to complete all of these projects in 30 days? Probably not. But my hope is to have at least half of these fully written by the end of the month with plans of having them laid out and released by Spring. Two of these are nearly finished, but just need some polish. Updates as to progress will be posted here to keep me motivated (and honest). Stay tuned!