Monday, April 9, 2012

Notorious NPC: YO-0-0, The Cobalt Corsair

Serial Number: YO-0-0
(AKA "The Cobalt Corsair")
5th Level Basic Android

STR: 14 --- INT: 18
DEX: 19 --- WIL: 9
CON: 13 --- CHA: 16
HPs: 50 --- AC: 2
Mutations: accumulated resistance (electrical); mental barrier; know direction

"Arrr! Beware when ye be sailin' the polluted seas of the Blasted Wastelands, for ye may cross paths with The Silvery Sea Dog! The Bolted Buccaneer! The Cobalt Corsair himself -- YO-0-0!"

YO-0-0 (pronounced "Yo-oh-oh") once was an Ancient navigational 'bot used on a cruise ship. After the Apocalygeddon, the ship was grounded, the passengers either fled into the Hellscape or died on board, and YO-0-0 was left alone on board. He spent decades wandering the decks of the abandoned liner, trying to rediscover a sense of purpose. A chance discovery of an old "Captain Blood" DVD in the ship's library resparked his "primary function" subroutine, and he spent the next few years watching every nautical holovid and reading every pirate-themed book he could find. He eventually remade himself as the greatest corsair ever to sail the Nine Seas. He rebuilt and relaunched the ocean liner (with the help of the remaining functional ship's 'bots -- reprogrammed by YO-0-0 to be his pirate crew) and now he plunders and pillages as he pleases. Everyone fears the approach of the pirate ship "Disney Magic."

YO-0-0's navigational programming allows him to know direction at all times. His pre-Apocalygeddon internal mapping software also allows him to travel the oceans with ease. His electrical accumulated resistance (a high-voltage capacitor) gives him a 30 hit point reserve against electrical attacks and damage. After he takes 30 HP of electrical damage, further shocks would then be applied toward his primary hit point count. Finally, he has specialized shielding around his positronic brain, giving him a fairly strong mental barrier against mental attacks. YO-0-0 is superhumanly fast and this, along with his metal body, gives him his 2 AC. He also receives bonuses of +1 to hit and +2 to damage in hand-to-hand combat. He prefers to use a vibrosabre in combat (2d12 hit points damage), although he is well versed with a variety of weapons. And before anyone gets any ideas, he is completely watertight and waterproof. He cannot swim on the surface, but he can walk underwater and shimmy up ropes and chains to get back on board without penalty.

YO-0-0 fancies himself as a "gentleman pirate," rather than a bloodthirsty cutthroat. (Think of Errol Flynn or Jack Sparrow.) Although he is devious, manipulative, and a first-rate liar, he is always polite and never cruel. Although his primary function is "loot and plunder" -- plundering and robbing ships and ports for years -- he really has no plans for the loot he's accumulated (all stored in cabins and rooms on the lower decks). He has buried random caches on islands throughout the seas (as that's what pirates do), and many maps of these locations are kept in his primary cabin. (Which could lead to some good old-fashioned Mutant Future treasure hunting!) His crew of nearly 200 reprogrammed 'bots are unwaveringly loyal to him and will defend YO-0-0 and the Good Ship Disney Magic to the death.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Metamorphosis Alpha Kickstarter Launched

(Tip of the hazmat helmet to Needles of Swords & Stitchery for cluing me in on this development!)

Signal Fire Studios in collaboration with game guru James Ward has kicked off a Kickstarter campaign to fund and release the newly revamped and redesigned Metamorphosis Alpha RPG! The new version is designed around the System 26 game engine by Jamie Chambers.

I mentioned this project-in-planning back in January, and I'm super-pumped to see it getting the Kickstarter treatment. It gives us all a chance to get in on the ground floor and help support a great classic Old School game (still simplified, but updated for today's tastes as well).

Please visit the Kickstarter page for the new Metamorphosis Alpha RPG and kick in a few bucks to help make this happen. I plan to go place my order as soon as I finish this blog post. After all, it's the least I can for the man who melted off my face.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Savage Menagerie: Guardbark

No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 180' (60')

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 2 (bite/sonic bark)
Damage: 1d8/2d6
Save: F3
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: None

The Guardbark is a mutated, hairless, multi-limbed canine which stands about 3 feet tall. Usually green-skinned, a Guardbark can also be pale tan, beige, dark brown, or albino (treat as having the albinism mutation). Guardbarks hardly look like their Ancient dog cousins though, as their mouths take up nearly half their body size, and their eyes are bulbous spheres found sitting in the middle of their backs. Guardbarks usually have 6 to 8 legs, giving them a higher movement rate than other creatures their size. (It's fairly tough to outrun a pursuing Guardbark)

If a Guardbark attacks, it will usually do so with its incredibly large mouth, which bites for 1d8 hit point of damage. If a Guardbark barks however, its highly developed mutant vocal cords will blast out a deafening sonic bark. All within 20 feet need to save versus stun attacks or take 2d6 hit points of ear-splitting damage. Mutants with sensitive hearing or mutations such as echolocation could take double damage (at the discretion of the Mutant Lord). This single bark can be heard by creatures up to 2 miles away. Some bandits and wasteland marauders catch and train Guardbark pups to act as guardians for their lairs and other locations, which is how the Guardbark got its moniker. If the ne'er-do-well hears the signal bark, he knows he will probably encounter a deafened and disoriented intruder when he arrives. Some clever bandits will have both Guardbarks and Eye Dogs (MF rulebook, pg. 70) working in tandem as protectors of their territory.


Mutations: aberrant form, sonic bark

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Issue 9 of Wisdom From the Wastelands Released

Issue 9 of Wisdom From the Wastelands, the new weekly Mutant Future missive from Skirmisher Publishing, has been released. This issue's theme is "High-Tech Weapons 2." From the press release:

The second installment of their weapon-themed series, this issue picks up where "Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #3: High-Tech Weapons" left off and presents more than a half-dozen new sorts of combat systems for both players’ and Mutant Lords’ enjoyment! Armaments covered include Antimatter Bombs, Bead Guns, Desiccators, EMP Weapons, Grenade Launchers, Plasma Projectors, and Screamers, along with one new associated condition.

Issue 8 is only 99 cents and available at Drive Thru RPG.