OSR Wasteland Weirdness Encounter - Old Friends - Actual Play Event With Commentary

In tonight's adventure the PC's found the wizard's laboratory and began to search it and that's when things got really weird. After getting taunted by an invisible telepathic presence the PC's found a Crystal Egg and an undead sorcerer under the influence and control of some evil strange psychic essence. They were able to free the sorcerer from the evil influence but the party was continue to be taunted from beyond. They discovered a magic ring was the control for the sorcerer, one of the mutant adventurers decided to destroy the ring and almost destroyed himself in the process. He barely escaped as the ring exploded in a fiery burst of deadly weird radioactive  energy.



A search of the lab in the ruins revealed lots of low level  weird radiation energy crystals, jeweler's vices, archaic weird science devices, alchemy equipment, and several weird seemingly alive red weed like plants under glass. I read the players a quick excerpt from the Crystal Egg by HG Wells;
"It occurred to Mr. Cave that this was not in accordance with the laws of optics as he had known them in his younger days. He could understand the rays being refracted by the crystal and coming to a focus in its interior, but this diffusion jarred with his physical conceptions. He approached the crystal nearly, peering into it and round it, with a transient revival of the scientific curiosity that in his youth had determined his choice of a calling. He was surprised to find the light not steady, but writhing within the substance of the egg, as though that object was a hollow sphere of some luminous vapour."


Orcs from Otherwordly Miniatures


They decided to dump the egg into the moat of lava just outside the ruinous dungeon after throwing a table cloth over it. The party managed to toss the thing into the lava just before a small cell of oak warriors showed up dragging a sack with someone in it behind them. They were armed with primitive laser weapons. And that's when the walkers and tripods showed up across in the tree line from the ruined fortress. The party got into it hot and heavy with the orcs and ultimately it was an over lorded energy cell in a laser rifle that turned the tide in the party's favor. But they've faced Marsvaders before and retreated back inside the ruins after the energy cell exploded like a grenade. What weird secrets do the Martian Tripods hold in store for our heroes? Only time will tell. Tune in next week for more old school fun.

1d20 Random Marsvaders War of The Worlds Finds Table

1. 1d6 Martian energy cells that will power a weapon or heat ray gun for 1d20 shots. Worth about 50 gold pieces. 
2. A piece of alien ground glass that can refract laser or energy weapon fire. Worth 70 gold pieces or more to the right collector. 
3. A black smoke grenade that causes targets within a 30 foot radius to save vs poison or start choking and coughing for 1d20 round. Exposure for more then four rounds causes 1d4 points of minor flesh dissolving damage. 
4. A broken tripod tendril that can be used as a the basis for a make shift cybernetic limb. Worth 300 gold pieces to the right collector or wizard. 
5. A Crystal Egg with a minor stand 
6. Martian blood draining equipment minor worth 100 gold pieces to the right collector 
7. Martian surgical instruments and alien medical kit worth 200 to 400 gold pieces to the right collector 
8. Weird Martian probe unit with multi phasic and dark vision unit built within its cyclopedia eye  set up. It floats four feet off of the ground and will be in telepathic rapture with certain wizards or psychic PC's a successful wisdom roll is needed to telepathically contact the thing.
9. A mini heat ray weapon with 1d10 charges in it capable of doing 2d6 points of damage to certain flesh types and metals within a 40 foot radius. Worth 300 gold pieces to the right collector 
10. A pack of 1d10 Martian energy cells worth 500 gold but sell them fast for they're highly unstable. They'll do 1d8 points of damage when they go off creating a minor radioactive hazard in addition to the damage. 
11. A giant artificially created ruby lens capable of taking a special charge from a Martian weapon. Worth 600 gold pieces. 
12. Minor tool set capable of being used by humans but more suitable for the tendrils of a Martian worth about 500 gold pieces for a scientist or wasteland technician that wants to work on Martian technology. 
13. A Martian Ether radio set up perfect for those wanting to follow and eavesdrop on Martian warrior army movements. Worth 1000 gold pieces to the right collector. 
14. A set of phasic lens that can be adapted to the human eye to see into the dark vision range of the Martian eye. Worth about 2000 gold pieces to the right collector. 
15. A set of telepathic helms capable of blocking the psychic weapons of the Martians. Worth 500 gold pieces if the receiver units are removed. Used by the Martians for herding certain prized slaves around. 
16. A minor Martian diamond blade +1 capable of slicing through bone and tendons with ease. Worth 700 gold pieces to the right collector. 
17. Slave collar with all of the circuits and guts removed perfect for a human spy or tech thief to move among certain levels of Martian society undetected. 
18. Light like device which is capable of showing the hidden symbols and writing of the aliens. Worth 800 gold pieces especially to wizards and the like. 
19. A telepathic device capable of reading Martian medical instruments and science storage units. Priceless to mad scientists and wasteland wizards. 
20. A Martian bio computer unit made from human brain and animal tissue.Capable of telepathically broad casting the totality of the alien omni mind. A save vs death is needed to avoid being put into a 1d20 day coma from the sheer volume of information. 

The players are unaware of the dangerous adventure location that is half buried in the nearby woodlands. A ship from the inter system war has been secretly buried there for centuries but a recent earthquake uncovered it. The Martians would love to get their tendrils on it.

Glynn from Monkey Blood Design did a map of the Iron Pigeon that's perfect for this adventure location coming up. Well this design and artwork from the  pen of +MonkeyBlood Design 
is going to be perfect and I can't wait to use it. 
http://osrtoday.com/2016/04/04/map-monday-iron-pigeon/