New Monster - Sel'cruro - The Corrupt Snatchers Of The Ashen Glamour For Your Old School Space Based Games

  The Sel'cruro - The Corrupt Snatchers

 Of The Ashen Glamour For Stars Without Numbers rpg first edition 

Number appearing : 1d4  small raiding party

or 1d10 in hyperspace raiders for larger ships

Armor :6

Hit Dice 3

Attack Bonus +6 

Damage 1d6 sting 

Special: poison,psychic blast ( see below)

Saving Throw 13+ 

Movement 20'

Morale: 10

These insectoid horrors sometimes teleport themselves onto star ships in transit in hyperspace. These horrid insectoids waylay star ship crews and kidnap them. Teleporting victims across vast interstellar distances to their hyperspace hive structures in the so called 'Ashen Glamour' region of hyperspace. A place of vast psychic disturbances and weird tele planar disruptions. Victim's souls and life forces are slowly leeched off by the monsters to create vast psychic crystal matrices which feed the young of the Sel'cruro.

The Sel'cruro are heavily armored horrors some less then a meter tall while others are spindly  and spiky thin at three meters in height each type is specially bred for a specific role in their hyperspace hives.

It has been speculated that the Sel'cruro are all that remains of a once noble and cosmic race of insectoid beings that went extinct thousands of years go. They retain a vastly alien mind set and instincts but little in the way of what human and near humans might call conscious thought at all. They are part of an instinctual telepathic hive mind closely linked together through tight psychically bound minds each sharing impulses and thought waves through out the collective of the hives.

1d10 of these insectoid warriors and marauders will teleport aboard a ship in hyperspace or even real space near a naturally occurring star gate or hyperspace corridor. Sometimes if hyperspace drives aren't properly shielded the Sel'cruro can be attracted to the hyperspace signature of the space craft. 

The  Sel'cruro attack through a combination of psychic and physical assault upon their victims. The victim is assaulted by a sanity shattering blast of psychic energy followed by a series of poisoned stings across the body. The psychic assault does 1d8 points of damage as the victim's mind is assaulted by a mass of insane and corrupt soul wrenching sensations that assault the poor fools. A series of barbed stingers in the front fore claws carries a dangerous neuro toxin, those hit during an attack must save vs poison or death or suffer paralysis with 2 rounds. The Sel'cruro might also use a fatal neuro toxin mix instead if they feel that the opposition is too strong. The victim must save vs death in such cases or die as the poison breaks down and sets on fire nerves, the major blood vessels, and attacks the vital organs then shutting them down in rapid succession.

Those taken by the Sel'cruro are then bound in silicon webbing secreted by these horrors and teleported back to the hive. The monsters can teleport three times per day back to the Ashen Glamour region of hyperspace. Those have escaped and survived the experiences of the Sel'cruro's hive report a virtual region of insane horror.

The victims are webbed into complex hive structures and drained of life force as well as their souls into pseudo psychic matrix crystals which are used to feed the larva young of the Sel'cruro.

Often times victims of these monsters will be cocooned and placed into a deep hibernation trance for later retrieval by hive forces. Often time ships that fall victim to these types of raids will be seen drifting in hyperspace or real space just waiting for the Sel'cruro to pick up the victims.

There are daring and foolish adventurers who make a living invading the hives of the Sel'cruro to retrieve certain victims whose wealthy families pay handsomely for the return of their loved ones. These fools seldom return from the escapades of invading a multi leveled Sel'cruro hive.

 The Sel'cruro's history 

There is a school of thought among certain super scientists that the Sel'cruro are all that remains of the once proud Selenite race that inhabited Earth's moon & had an extensive interstellar empire that fell into decline & decadence. After the fall of the Selenite interstellar empire at the tendrils of the various Martian and other races. Selenite sub species were left on their own and evolved various coping mechanisms. One of the results of these events have been the Sel'cruro.
Studies of the Sel'cruro have turned up several anomalies to their behavior. Such as the taking of trophies and other mementos of their raids which decorate their hives. The ability to plan and coordinate raids, tactics, and offensive plans point to a level or reasoning  ability  that is never able to be explained by psychics or  super science. There is also evidence of these horrors making war upon one another and taking other alien insectoid victims as well. There is also evidence of some ability to adapt their genetic matrices to various atmospheres, planetary conditions, and even being able to teleport across planar destinations.
A few times Sel'cruro have been found planet side on various primitive or low tech worlds where they reside in ancestral ruins and even meg dungeon structures.
The Sel'cruro hives  often contain weird psychic crystal matrices and psych crystal structures of unknown purposes with weird properties. 

For Bandits and Battle Cruisers 

Number Appearing : 1d4 or 1d10 for large ship infestations 

Size : Normal/Big 

Armor class: 6

movement: 25

New Monster - Sel'cruro - The Corrupt Snatchers Of The Ashen Glamour For Your Old School Space Based Games

 The Sel'cruro - The Corrupt Snatchers
 Of The Ashen Glamour

For SWN
Number appearing : 1d4  small raiding party
or 1d10 in hyperspace raiders for larger ships
Armor :6

Hit Dice 3

Attack Bonus +6 

Damage 1d6 sting 

Special: poison,psychic blast ( see below)

Saving Throw 13+ 

Movement 20'

Morale: 10

These insectoid horrors sometimes teleport themselves onto star ships in transit in hyperspace. These horrid insectoids waylay star ship crews and kidnap them. Teleporting victims across vast interstellar distances to their hyperspace hive structures in the so called 'Ashen Glamour' region of hyperspace. A place of vast psychic disturbances and weird tele planar disruptions. Victim's souls and life forces are slowly leeched off by the monsters to create vast psychic crystal matrices which feed the young of the Sel'cruro.
The Sel'cruro are heavily armored horrors some less then a meter tall while others are spindly  and spiky thin at three meters in height each type is specially bred for a specific role in their hyperspace hives.

It has been speculated that the Sel'cruro are all that remains of a once noble and cosmic race of insectoid beings that went extinct thousands of years go. They retain a vastly alien mind set and instincts but little in the way of what human and near humans might call conscious thought at all. They are part of an instinctual telepathic hive mind closely linked together through tight psychically bound minds each sharing impulses and thought waves through out the collective of the hives.
1d10 of these insectoid warriors and marauders will teleport aboard a ship in hyperspace or even real space near a naturally occurring star gate or hyperspace corridor. Sometimes if hyperspace drives aren't properly shielded the Sel'cruro can be attracted to the hyperspace signature of the space craft. 

The  Sel'cruro attack through a combination of psychic and physical assault upon their victims. The victim is assaulted by a sanity shattering blast of psychic energy followed by a series of poisoned stings across the body. The psychic assault does 1d8 points of damage as the victim's mind is assaulted by a mass of insane and corrupt soul wrenching sensations that assault the poor fools. A series of barbed stingers in the front fore claws carries a dangerous neuro toxin, those hit during an attack must save vs poison or death or suffer paralysis with 2 rounds. The Sel'cruro might also use a fatal neuro toxin mix instead if they feel that the opposition is too strong. The victim must save vs death in such cases or die as the poison breaks down and sets on fire nerves, the major blood vessels, and attacks the vital organs then shutting them down in rapid succession.
Those taken by the Sel'cruro are then bound in silicon webbing secreted by these horrors and teleported back to the hive. The monsters can teleport three times per day back to the Ashen Glamour region of hyperspace. Those have escaped and survived the experiences of the Sel'cruro's hive report a virtual region of insane horror.
The victims are webbed into complex hive structures and drained of life force as well as their souls into pseudo psychic matrix crystals which are used to feed the larva young of the Sel'cruro.
Often times victims of these monsters will be cocooned and placed into a deep hibernation trance for later retrieval by hive forces. Often time ships that fall victim to these types of raids will be seen drifting in hyperspace or real space just waiting for the Sel'cruro to pick up the victims.
There are daring and foolish adventurers who make a living invading the hives of the Sel'cruro to retrieve certain victims whose wealthy families pay handsomely for the return of their loved ones. These fools seldom return from the escapades of invading a multi leveled Sel'cruro hive.

 The Sel'cruro's history 
There is a school of thought among certain super scientists that the Sel'cruro are all that remains of the once proud Selenite race that inhabited Earth's moon & had an extensive interstellar empire that fell into decline & decadence. After the fall of the Selenite interstellar empire at the tendrils of the various Martian and other races. Selenite sub species were left on their own and evolved various coping mechanisms. One of the results of these events have been the Sel'cruro.
Studies of the Sel'cruro have turned up several anomalies to their behavior. Such as the taking of trophies and other mementos of their raids which decorate their hives. The ability to plan and coordinate raids, tactics, and offensive plans point to a level or reasoning  ability  that is never able to be explained by psychics or  super science. There is also evidence of these horrors making war upon one another and taking other alien insectoid victims as well. There is also evidence of some ability to adapt their genetic matrices to various atmospheres, planetary conditions, and even being able to teleport across planar destinations.
A few times Sel'cruro have been found planet side on various primitive or low tech worlds where they reside in ancestral ruins and even meg dungeon structures.
The Sel'cruro hives  often contain weird psychic crystal matrices and psych crystal structures of unknown purposes with weird properties. 

For Bandits and Battle Cruisers 

Number Appearing : 1d4 or 1d10 for large ship infestations 

Size : Normal/Big 

Armor class: 6

movement: 25

New Artifact - Phasic Shashka Sword For Your Old School Science Fantasy Campaigns

Photo by Hanna Zelenko - Photo made by EugeneZelenko's mother, Hanna Zelenko

A super science  variation of the traditional  Shashka saber from Old Earth, a a special kind of sabre; a very sharp, single-edged, single-handed, and guardless sword with a special self regenerating phasic generator and used in conjunction with a special super science artifact  dagger as well. The sword is based upon the Caucasus type.
Many Uralian pirate clans exclusively use these weapons at their side when battling planet side or in certain ship to ship boarding actions. They regard the blades as almost scared weapons and will kill anyone who owns one of these blades unless under the 'known' protection or as a member of a pirate tribe or guild. These weapons do 1d8 +2 in Stars without Number damage and use Str and Dex exclusively as their attribute base.  More Information on the Uralian pirates faction  can be found HERE

The blade's hilt contains a micro Phasic generating device whose secret construction give the blade a +1 cutting edge, other more expensive and better constructed swords gain more pluses as the blades were often laser etched and created from mono molecular materials. The scabbards were often of alien and exotic woods that can hold the special blades. The Phasic Shashka Sword's construction were almost all based upon the Ancient Caucasus Russian traditions. Many spacer pirates and scavenger tribes often used the best available exotic and super science materials for their constructions. 
  Like most medieval and then imperial Russian weaponry of the time that these weapons based upon,  the shashka and its scabbard were very ornately decorated, with gold and silver engravings, embedded gems and stones placed into, and figures carved out of or into, the hilts.
According to some ancient internet sources such as Wiki : 

Caucasus type where the handle almost sits inside the scabbard, this type was used by Kuban Cossack and tribes from Caucasus. Only one problem was with this type of shashka that during rain water could go down into the scabbard, but this type of shashka was very light 300-400 grams, very flexible, strong and sharp. The best and most famous shashkas of this types were Gurda (strong and sharp like bulat), Volchek (running wolf symbol on the blade). 


There is far more information upon the weapons that the Phasic Shashka Swords are based right
HERE

From time to time Phasic Shashka Swords have been found in old Russian Martian colony ruins on various alternative post apocalyptic alternative Martian locations. Uralian pirates pay quite handsomely for the return of these blades. Or if approached wrong have destroyed adventurers looking for their troubles.



In the Bandits and Battlecruisers rpg terms a Phasic Shashka Sword is right within Star Child levels of technology and closely associated with space pirate clans. The weapons are a sure sign that the PC's are scoundrels and space scum and the authorities aren't going to take very kindly to a PC possessing one. They will be the subject of much scrutiny and observation by space and planetary authorities. There is also the possibility as well for PC's possessing one for being detained and arrested for merely having these weapons.

 

Revisiting The Pay What You Want OSR Space Fantasy Source Book - Bandits And Battle Cruisers For Your Old School Campaign

Grab It Right Over 

HERE

I stumbled across the fact that Bandits and Battle Cruisers an old school pulp and comic based inspired space opera add on and cap system for your old school retroclone or OD&D system had gone to 'Pay What You Want Status'. This makes some of the comments about the original price tag of 10.00 originally pointless. 

Bandits And Battle Cruisers is from the same author who does the Underworld Kingdom blog and the highly successful free OSR 'space opera' retroclone OD&D add on Terminal Space. Terminal Space was partially inspired by Lovecraftian horror and science fictional themes there's a Mi Go Warrior as a PC racial class for parties. 
Bandits and Battle Cruisers takes the themes, ideas, and systems that were in Terminal Space and expands on them systemically.  If you've been following my blog here then you've seen me offer free Charlton space comics, 1950's free teen  science fiction and more free science fictional sources  for use with your old school or retroclone systems. 
This is one of those systems that allows you to graft those resources and run a solid evening's pulp science fiction or science fantasy adventure campaign as a one shot or a complete game campaign.
Bandits and Battle Cruisers has many of the systems that you'll need to fully flesh out your old school or retroclone campaign setting with its own rules set but really this is a great add on for a retroclone or OD&D based rpg campaign. 

From The Drivethrurpg blurb : 

PAY WHAT YOU WANT!

BANDITS + BATTLECRUISERS = ADVENTURES IN SPACE

Bandits and Battlecruisers is an Old School Role Playing Game, based on Bandits & Basilisks mini-game and the classic Terminal Space supplement. On its 140 pages you will find:

• Detailed character creation rules;
• Monster creation aids (plus 18 monsters - not the well-known monsters from the Original Game);
• Complete rules for creating star sectors, star systems, planets, moons and space stations;
• Five 100-keyword tables, helpful in designing monsters, robots, civilizations and planets;
• 100 random space encounters and 100 random space stations;
• Tools helpful in creating treasure hoards and artifacts (plus 16 sample artifacts);
• Over thirty random tables;
• Chapter with a detailed starship creation sequence and starship combat rules (plus over twenty sample spaceships).
  

Does this game supplement do what it says on the tin? The answer here is yes it does in spades. This system is highly oriented towards pulling from both its comic book and pulp resources and giving you the DM quite a few of the resources that you'll need to fill out the rank and files of a star ship crew in that tradition. Where in Hulks and Horrors is more weird dungeon crawling in space with a crew of aliens. Bandits and Battle Cruisers is more oriented toward dealing up a Flash Gordon or Tom Corbett crew of heroes capable of dealing with some really nasty and dangerous space pirates, cosmic menaces, and the like. This isn't to say that you couldn't use both resources together but it would take some shoe horning of systems.   

For example the B&B system includes a free form PC creation system with mutations to add a flare of the alien if you want to. Why because many of the space heroes of yesteryear were unique heroic individuals with very different traits that created them. Space Heroes from comics and pulps are often one shot rugged individuals who didn't come off of an assembly line. This book allows one to create such PC's and add in a flare of the dramatic. 

There isn't a psionic system and instead we get a spell based backed system which adds in to the OD&D basis for this book and makes things much easier on a DM to add this into a Labryth Lord, Swords and Wizardry campaign or other OD&D based retroclone of their choice. I don't see this as a weakness but a plus.  B&B isn't going to work well with OSRIC without some extensive work but it its generic enough for many of the systems presented to be used with a space based AD&D first edition adventure.

The starship rules are killer and have a whole back section of the book before the page after page of random charts that allow a DM to generate who sections of adventure based locations from space hulks to space stations and other weird as well as woolly star based locations.
This isn't a perfect set of rules and the PDF isn't cross indexed but there's enough material here for me to be forgiving. And while I've read several reviews of the book that point out that there isn't an example adventure included in the B&B rules. I have to ask why? Anyone whose read an old science fiction comic from the 1950's through 1970's has an excellent grasp of what this material is all about. Just put this together and go run this for your players. There hasn't been a better time to be an old school science fiction gamer. B&B even offers a few things that might appeal to a Stars Without Number DM and because of the free form nature of the book I can see using B&B with a number of existing retroclone game systems to create a long sustaining campaign quite easily. 

Can you tell that I want a physical copy of this book instead of a pdf? Yeah its that useful to a DM like me and one that adds in a whole other level of pulp based excitement. Make no mistake this is a shiny pulp tool box that does a wonderful job of creating and generating hours of fun and nastiness right out of the gate. From Flash Gordon to a Guardians of the Galaxy style campaign this one is solid. So glad I took the time to look back into this pdf after so very long.