Savage Menagerie: Hummingoat

No. Enc.: 2d10
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 240' (80')
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1
Attacks: 1 (butt)
Damage: 1d6
Save: L1
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None

If a mutant suddenly feels as if he's being pelted with large rocks, there's a good chance he's being accosted by a Hummingoat swarm. A Hummingoat is a small (2" long), quick bird that has developed the head of a ram. The Hummingoat's head is topped by two curved stone-like horns, which the Hummingoat uses to attack.

When a Hummingoat feels threatened or intruded upon, it will buzz around the head of the interloper, building up speed until it has reached its maximum movement rate. (To the mutant, it will seem as if a large insect is buzzing about his head.) When its top speed is reached, the Hummingoat will ram itself into the mutant, inflicting 1d6 points of damage upon impact. It takes one round for the Hummingoat to recover after ramming its enemy.

Although this attack may seem easily shrugged off, a Hummingoat is seldom encountered alone. There are usually 2d10 Hummingoats encountered in a swarm. If a party encounters the body of a mutant who appears to have been bludgeoned to death, it's best to be cautious of a potential Hummingoat swarm in the area.


Mutations: none

Point Your Browser To SavageAfterWorld.com

In just two weeks, The Savage AfterWorld turns three years old. In honor of this milestone, I thought it was time to give this blog a degree of permanence. So, without further ado, please be sure to bookmark my newly dedicated URL...

www.savageafterworld.com

Official Gen Con 2012 Mutant Future Schedule

Hey Gang,

I'll be running three Mutant Future games at Gen Con this year (the only Mutant Future games, it appears). If you'll be in Indy and would like to traipse through the wastelands with yours truly, here are the events I'll be running:

RPG1230160 - Thundarr the Barbarian: Across the Dimensional Divide
Mutant Future - 6 players - 4 hours
Thursday, August 16 at noon
Location: Marriott :: Indiana Ballroom C :: Table 1
Demon Dogs! A dimensional time-rip has appeared near "Indeenapliss". It must be the work of an evil wizard, but who? Join Thundarr, Ookla, and Princess Ariel as they try to save the world of 3994 AD!

RPG1230159 - Gimme Shelter II: The Rushmore Salvage Job
Mutant Future - 6 players - 4 hours
Friday, August 17 at 10 a.m.
Location: Marriott :: Indiana Ballroom C :: Table 2
NOW HIRING: Barter John needs up to 6 mutants to help secure and move four very large Ancient busts near the village of Blackhill. Must be OK with heights. Tools supplied. No mants need apply.


RPG1230158 - Weed World
Mutant Future - 6 players - 4 hours
Saturday, August 18 at 10 a.m.
Location: Marriott :: Indiana Ballroom C :: Table 2
Within the last month, the growth of vegetation has accelerated, threatening to overrun your post-apocalyptic village. Does a children's story of "The Devil's Greenhouse" hold the key to survival?

And don't forget that the First Annual Labyrinth Lord Society Meet-and-Greet will be held during the Gen Con "Stink"! (Yours truly will be hosting as well!) Come out and meet other folks who enjoy Goblinoid Games' offerings! Swag to be had, pick-up games to plan, and plenty of other games and merriment will be going on! (Did I mention they have a bar too?)


ENT1229591 - Stink 9: Apocastink
Entertainment Event - 400 attendees - 2 hours
Wednesday, August 15 at 6 p.m.
Location: Union Station :: Grand Ballroom
Kick off Gen Con with the 9th Annual Stink party: APOCASTINK! The original Wednesday night event where you can meet gaming groups, socialize with gamers from around the world, see friends you haven't seen in a year, and play unique games!

Event registration opens May 20 at noon. Hope to see some of you there!

Ancient Armory: Brain Wrap

Brain Wrap is a thin -- but dense -- heavy metallic foil. When this material is wrapped around the cranium, it has a profound dampening effect on mental mutations.

"Brain Wrap" is actually a lead-osmium alloy, pressed into thin sheets and stored as rolls of a foil-like substance. Made out of two of the densest materials on Earth, this alloy foil was used in Ancient Days as a spacecraft insulator for its ability to stop most forms of radiation and cosmic rays, as well as microscopic particles. It was also used to line reactor chambers, hazmat suits, and other places where hazardous energies were present. It wasn't until the days after the Apocalygeddon that some clever mutant discovered it could also protect against mental energies as well.

If Brain Wrap is wrapped around the cranium of a mutant, it effectively protects the mutant from all mental attacks. Their minds cannot be read. They cannot be possessed or manipulated. They cannot be controlled and they will not be fooled by mental illusions. They are, in effect, immune to any direct mind attacks from another mutant. However, the same is true for the Wrap-wearing mutant. They will be unable to use any of their own mental mutations while wearing Brain Wrap.

Some mutants may get the bright idea to wear Brain Wrap all of the time as a form of mental combat protection. This plan is doomed to fail for the following reasons:

1. Although dense, Brain Wrap is very thin and easily torn. The slightest tear will render the Brain Wrap ineffective. (The ML should roll a save every time the mutant does anything to potentially tear the fragile material.)
2. Wearing Brain Wrap is like having a wet towel wrapped around your head. It's heavy, awkward, and uncomfortable. It also is hard to keep in place if the wearer is actively moving around a lot.
3. Brain Wrap is ineffective unless it is making physical contact with the cranium of the user. Also, it loses its effectiveness if it is covered in some manner. In other words, lining a helmet with it will not work.
4. Because Brain Wrap absorbs energies rather than deflecting them, that roll of Ancient lead-osmium foil could have been used in a leaking reactor and thus be contaminated by lethal amounts of radiation. Wrapping your head with radiation-emitting foil is a "bad thing."

First Annual Labyrinth Lord Society Meeting At Gen Con 2012

Attention all Labyrinth Lord Society members (and those interested in joining...)

The Labyrinth Lord Society will hold its First Annual Meet-and-Greet at Gen Con 2012. Ever wanted to meet fellow LLS members? Want to discuss Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, and other Goblinoid Games RPGs with like-minded fans? Want some cool swag?

The First Annual Meet-and-Greet will be held during the Gen Con "Stink" (the annual kick-off party for the convention). 

Date: Wed Aug 15
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Place: Union Station in the Grand Ballroom

There is a lot of activity going on during the Stink -- lots of folks meeting each other, swag being tossed about, pick-up games, drinking (there's a bar here), etc. The LLS will have a table set aside, so stop on by and introduce yourself!

Tickets are available for the Stink (it's a free event), although a ticket is not required to get in. (The Stink is an "unofficial" event, though Gen Con likes to know how many people attend, hence the tickets.) Be sure to sign up when Event Registration goes live on May 20th.  And more info about the Meet-and-Greet will be posted as we approach the date! I'll be spearheading the event, and I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Issue 13 of Wisdom From the Wastelands Now Out

Issue 13 of Wisdom From the Wastelands has been released. The Mutant Future-themed supplement is now released in a bi-weekly format.

Issue 13 - Medical Devices: Fantasy has spells and potions to heal injuries and resurrect the dead. Science fantasy has similar ways of curing what ails, but through technology. Although the Mutant Future core book describes a plethora of drugs, there were only a handful of medical devices available as technological treasure. This issue provides several new pieces of medical equipment that Mutant Lords can use as rewards, or characters can use to help survive another day.

The issue is only 99 cents and available at Drive Thru RPG.

Wizards Mutants Laser Pistols No. 1 Review

Alex over at Wizards, Mutants, Laser Pistols was kind enough to send me Issue 1 of his new zine. The 22-page zine is geared for use with the Labyrinth Lord system (and thus Mutant Future), but the ideas and concepts I found within could work with just about any system where you wanted to introduce some bizarreness. The editorial says in part: "It will be weird and quirky, mixed up and cross-genred..." And that's pretty accurate from what I've seen here. What's within? Well:

• From the Wizard's Lab -- Alex discusses how he first became introduced to role-playing and introduces his plans for the zine. (He even manages a Thundarr the Barbarian reference!)
• The Animator -- If you can draw it, it becomes real when you play this magic-wielding artist. Using special techniques and inks, the Animator's sketches become three-dimensional. Draw a door on a wall, and open it to enter the next room. Draw a weapon, and pull it from the page as you wade into combat. Seven levels of "spells" are described as well as the requirements needed to play this new character class. I got a real Warner Brothers feel from this article.
• Beneath the Ruins -- This is "level one" of an ongoing adventure campaign that takes place in the ruins of Kihago where the Luminites battle with their rivals, the Tribe of Yrtuk. Although this beginning adventure is steeped in the fantasy tropes, there is plenty of potential gonzo here to satisfy sci-fi gamers. (Mutated humans, ancient technologies, forgotten ruins, forbidden genetic experimentation, and lasers-lasers-lasers!) There are 11 new monsters to play with too.
• The Web Walker -- Beware of this new creature that can best be described as a "cobweb golem." Using webs from a phase spider and arcane rituals brings one of these sticky humanoids into being. They are very strong, very intelligent, and very evil.
• Module Mania! - A crossword puzzle based on classic D&D module titles.

So there's a LOT of good OSR stuff for $3.50. And there was nothing I'd qualify as "typical," as the material presented is creative and unusual enough that anyone could get a good idea or three just from one casual read-through. So for that alone, I'd recommend picking it up.

However, as a professional editor who works for a textbook publishing house, I can't help but comment on several design flaws that detract from the readability of the zine. The fonts are all over the place -- sometimes changing up in the same article. Pick one and stick with it -- it makes it much easier on the reader. Misspellings and grammar issues can be found throughout, and even the Table of Contents has a problem as two of the five articles are reversed in the listing. Even though I enjoy and can get behind the "kitchen table" feel of the zine, I gotta ask for just a bit of "editorial polish" for Issue Two.

In summary, this is a fun first effort with a lot of good unusual content. Reading it made me feel like I had dropped through a timewarp to my parents' basement circa 1983. (It reminded me of my own first gaming zine, AQ: Adventurer's Quarterly.) Sniderman suggests you pick up your own copy from Alex by clicking this link right here.

Showing Off Some New Toys...

I've gotten a few things in the mail in the last few days that I'm quite pleased with. Wanted to play a bit of "Show and Tell," much like a kid who got new toys for Christmas. So just indulge me a bit here...

Finally got my hands on the VixenTor "Rusty Tower" post-apocalyptic dice tower. I wrote about it back in August 2009 and have been tracking one down off-and-on since then. Due to a series of misfortunes, it appears VixenTor is out of business. But I stumbled across this one -- still new -- at Noble Knight Games.

Speaking of dice, I got a whole bag full of custom Savage AfterWorld dice from Chessex. These are earmarked to be given out at Gen Con 2012. If you see me, ask for one!

It will be easy to see me, in fact, 'cause I'll be wearing one of these two caps at the convention. I had the custom Savage AfterWorld embroidered cap made by Zazzle, and the radioactive symbol cap was a gift from Justin over at A Field Guide to Doomsday. Thanks again, Justin!

Alex sent me the premiere issue of his zine Wizards, Mutants, Laser Pistols. I've read it front to back a few times, and I'm really digging the old school feel of this thing. There's some truly gonzo stuff in here that, although geared for Labyrinth Lord and those Other Fantasy Games, would be right at home in the Mutant Future. Look for a review soon! Thanks Alex!

I tried to take several pictures of this last item I acquired, but my digital camera was crapping out on every close-up I took. So I had to grab a photo from the eBay auction I won. By way of explanation, I never wear a watch. But, at conventions, I'm CONSTANTLY asking for the time as I always need to be someplace at some time. (As opposed to my regular home/work life...) So I needed a watch specifically to be worn only at game cons. And I found the perfect watch:

Lords of Light, it is awesome. (And cheap too.) Want one? Here's the link.

Savage Menagerie: Cortella (AKA "Brainblabla")

No. Enc.: 1 (1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: None

Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: Special
Damage: Special
Save: F3
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: VII

The Cortella is a large, immobile, gooey, brain-shaped creature. It is about 5 feet from end to end and 4 feet tall at its highest peak. The Cortella (or "Brainblabla" as it's sometimes called) is often found in sterile Ancient environments, often research laboratories or medical facilities. It is immobile, usually found laying in a massive lump on the floor, although some have been found clinging to walls and ceilings. It is unknown if these mutants are the results of failed mental experiments or if the Cortella seeks out these environments for the silence and cleanliness.

The Cortella feeds primarily on the mental energies of sentient creatures, although it also can absorb and feed upon its physical form as well. When a Cortella first "senses" a sentient being in the area, it uses its mental phantasm mutation to hide its presence. Thus disguised, it then uses the mutation to make the area more appealing and attractive to the victim -- they may see Ancient artifacts scattered about, or food and water if they are hungry. Whatever appeals to the victim at that moment is seen in their "mind's eye."

Once they are lulled into a false sense of security, the Cortella will then use its possession mutation to take control of the nearest victim. Unless stopped, the victim will approach the Cortella and plunge their head directly into the fleshy mass. The Cortella will begin absorbing the victim -- mind and body -- for 3d10 hit points of damage per round until completely consumed. Other PCs can try to pull the victim from the Cortella, but if interrupted or attacked, the creature will turn its possession mutation onto another creature, using them to attack the would-be rescuers. (For all of the Cortella's mental attacks, assume the creature has an average WIL of 14.)

If the illusions are detected or if the Cortella's mental link is broken, it is fairly powerless as it cannot move or communicate. PCs may find some miscellaneous coins and trinkets scattered about the Cortella -- the remnants of the Cortella's earlier victims.

Mutations: mental phantasm, possession

NOTE: The Cortella was inspired by a Metamorphosis Alpha game run by Jim Ward I played in at Gary Con IV.