Rise of Moltar -Hyperborea Rpg From Marvel's Saga of Crystar 1983 Comic Book Series & Action Figures Line -Session Report

 During tonight's Hyperborea Rpg session our party was supposed to save an Ixian merchant and his daughter from the clutches of bandits. Little did we realize exactly what were getting ourselves into! We made ourway into the belly of an extinct volcano & ran smack into Lavamen! We made our way into what we thought was an extinct volcano but all around were ruined suits of lava covered armor twice the size of our adventurers. And then we came to a pool of lava. From out of the depths came the face of evil & Chaos incarnate! Moltar and his warriors arose! 

In DM Paul's version of Hyperborea the time of Ragnork attracted the forces of Chaos and this included the armies of Moltar The Ruthless!  And apparently the bastard servant of Chaos has been there ever since. For some reason he has awokened now! We did not stick around to find out why. And simply saved the merchant and his daughter then left! 

We made our way back to a local village to drop off the merchant & saw swaths of destruction left by Moltar and co. This included wrecked cottages, burnt farms, and cleared out temples. We were in no shape to tangle with any horrors at this time. So we hid and camped for the night. 

Free Mars Resource For Your Old School Science Fantasy Campaign - Barsoom! From Heavy Metal Magazine By Richard A Lupoff

 

  This is not the article's artwork but its a favorite classic Amazing stories cover featuring one of my
favorite Burroughs stories

Grab It Over
HERE

With the Warriors of the Red Planet retroclone due any day now I need a fast way to reintroduce Barsoom to a few jaded old school friends. Some of these folks had never read the Edgar Rice Burroughs classics of Barsoom!  I didn't want to get into a whole lot of hassle but how to give the highlights and put my players in the spirit of the books?
Heavy Metal Magazine had exactly what I needed with this article about Edgar Rice Burroughs and Barsoom. All of the highlights are touched on and there's some excellent old school artwork by Clyde Caldwell in the article as well.
According to the Internet Archive :
Article about author Edgar Rice Burroughs, published in September 1982 issue of Heavy Metal magazine. Illustrated by Clyde Caldwell.
 All of the quick highlights of Barsoom are touched on and the artwork covers most of the major characters, creatures, and Martian races. All in all its not a bad introduction to ERB's Barsoomian adventures and it's a quick read as well. So I thought I'd share with you folks. 
This post is for entertainment and educational  purposes only and no violation of the author nor the artist's trade marks or copy rights is being implied here.
Thank you. 

The Medusae Mechanism Artifact for Your Old School Campaigns

 'What is it we seek oh master?' the sniveling voice of Ashton the mutant shook within the remains of the wizard's tower.

'Come you wretch & be quick about it I have no wish to meet up with that pair of Martian scum this night' Shatock The Mad a wizard of no small power was poking around the ruins of what was once one of the wizard's guild fortresses that was along the Neo Calonian border.
'Bring the torch here you fool I think I have found what I seek' the words were spat out as much as said by the black wizard. He hovered over a particular pile of garbage and offal. 

'Clear that bit there sniveling slave' with the command Aston cleared a particularly scummy pile of debris. He was confronted by the white skin & dead blue eyes of a young woman. The eyes rolled forward & regarded Ashton with pure hatred & malice born of centuries of suffering.
'What is this master? Will she turn me to stone?'
'No wretched coward that would have happened by now. Grab her by the wires, snakes, what passes for hair.'
'Set her on yonder table'
'As I live & breath a Medusae Mechanism, you have no idea how many centuries I have been looking for one such as you my dear.' Shatock The Mad spoke the words without any touch of irony.
'Now Ashton we must find out her name?!' The look of hatred seemed grow on the mechanism's face by degrees.

A legendary class of relic the head of the medusae automaton is unknown but there has been speculation that they once belonged to a twisted type of pleasure mechanism of the so called 'Ancient Ones'. These heads have been found all over the 'Old Solar System'. They are often mistaken for the heads of the mythological and quite deadly medusa species which is one of the reasons why these artifacts are often intact and operational.
Each head is actually a quite lethal and accurate weapons system of super science with 1d20 charges when found. The head of medusae mechanism will sense through an almost supernatural quality when its owner wishes it to activate. The mouth will open, the eyes will come to life, & its interior oral cavity will fill with deadly laser energy. A bolt capable of doing 1d6 +3 points of damage will shoot out towards the target with a radius of thirty feet. The mechanism will briefly come to life for the split second it takes to eject its lethal ammo into its target. The mechanism is capable of firing three shots in rapid succession within a round. Creatures not normally capable of being affected by normal weapons will be hit & damage  by the laser energy of the medusae mechanism head.


There are further benefits to owning a mechanism head for each individual Medusae may still possess its living brain unit. The Medusae mechanism often served as personal secretaries & pleasure units to twisted black wizards of the wastelands of 'Old Earth'. They were privy to all kinds of black magick secrets & sometimes 1d6 black magick spells. A 'read technology' spell will unlock most of the simple secrets of these dangerous automatons. Because of their association with wizards of the most horrid stripe it is assumed that purges against these relics of super science and their masters were carried out.


In addition to the simple super science qualities that the Medusae Mechanism have, with the relic's proper name a magician or super scientist can unlock another strange quality of the artifacts. The mechanism may know the location of 1d10 caches of super science relics that their masters secreted away. With the application of their true names these mechanisms are compelled without trickery to give the locations of any such caches that they are privy too. These were some very sophisticated pieces of super science and they have lived for thousands of years in unliving torment and torture in a world that has literally passed them by. Those seeking the true names of these mechanisms will have a difficult task ahead of them. A quest to no less then five construct consultants and alchemists costing as much as 9,000 gold pieces must be undertaking to unlock such a true name. In addition there may be 1d30 additional secrets that the owner must ask about. These mechanisms are notoriously difficult to get to devulge any of their secrets even with the true names available. Each head is worth to a qualified wizard at least 800,000 gold pieces.

1d6 Random True Names Table

For The Medusae Mechanism Artifact

1. Glenda Provonich A lady of noble birth that's what she's programmed to believe. 
2. Patrica Barvrov - A wizardress of no small measure this lady was once a master of the black arts. She does not believe that she is a mechanism. 
3. Sarah Eronvich - Sarah is a lady of the circus and once existed as a side show attraction. She is woman of means that believes in marriage and family. 
4. Gradus The Concubine - She is a being that knows what she is and where she came from. 
5. Brousrina Sherouvich - A black wizard that knows many Lovecraftian entities on a first name basis and uses her knowledge as a bargain chip with her owners. 
6. Peterina The Brave - This black wizardress is one of five witches that once served a very dangerous cunning man in the heat of the night. She knows many secrets of black magick.

O lovely demon, half-divine!
Hemlock and hydromel and gall,
Honey and aconite and wine
Mingle to make that mouth of thine—

Thy mouth I love: but most of all
It is thy tears that I desire—
Thy tears, like fountain-drops that fall
In gardens red, Satanical;

Or like the tears of mist and fire,
Wept by the moon, that wizards use
To secret runes when they require
Some silver philter, sweet and dire.

The Tears of Lilith  (1917) 
by Clark Ashton Smith

Free Old School Pulp Download 'The Martian Circe' By Ramon F Jones From the Summer 1947 issue of Planet Stories magazine For Your Old School Martian Campaign

 

You can download the novella here. 

Mars has been my imagination's home since I was a kid & many a night was spent working my way through piles of my uncle's ancient Pulp magazine collection. And that brings up 'The Martian Circe' By Ramon F Jones  From the Summer 1947 issue of Planet Stories magazine. 'The Martian Circe' echoes through with the Pulpy voice of Ramon F. Jones & his Mars is an almost settled colonial world on the edge of the solar system; 

 'Who was this sweet-voiced singer weaving a spell of dreams and drugs that drove men mad and threatened to smash the System? SBI Captain Roal Hartford dared the death of the Thousand Minds to learn her dreadful secret!' 

So we've entered the world of Captain Roal Hartford agent of  the Solar Bureau of Investigation. And his is the world of the Martian underworld & therefore the  perfect foil for adventurers & scoundrals. But who was Ramon F. Jones?! According to his wiki entry; "Raymond Fisher Jones (November 15, 1915, Salt Lake City, Utah - January 24, 1994, Sandy, Salt Lake County, Utah) was an American science fiction author. He is best known for his 1952 novel, This Island Earth, which was adapted into the 1955 film This Island Earth and for the short story "The Children's Room", which was adapted for television as Episode Two of the ABC network show Tales of Tomorrow, first aired on February 29, 1952.'

'Jones' career was at its peak during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. His stories were published mainly in magazines such as Thrilling Wonder Stories, Astounding Stories, and Galaxy. His short story Noise Level is known as one of his best works. His short story "The Alien Machine", first published in the June, 1949 Thrilling Wonder Stories, was later expanded into the novel This Island Earth, along with two other short stories, "The Shroud of Secrecy", and "The Greater Conflict", known as The Peace Engineers Trilogy, featuring the character Cal Meacham. Jones also wrote the story upon which the episode "The Children's Room" was based for the television program Tales of Tomorrow in 1952. " 

'The Martian Circe' concerns a phantom tavern 'the Starhouse' the venue for The Queen of the Silver Stars'  that has been drifting around the Martian cityscapes & taking out the souls & sanity of solar system miners. Harmeena is a gas like agent of the Martian Harm plant that causes those who inhail its gases to save vs poison or suffer horrifying visions as per a Fear spell.  And 'Starhouse' operates out of one of the Martian Capital cities  Heliopolis. Heliopolis is the center of the wizened and withered Martians of Mr. R Jones tale. The Jones Martians as I've taken to calling them are +3 to their Constitution, +1 on Intelligence, -2 on Charisma, & +1 on Wisdom as they are an ancient race of Mars. And they barely tolerate humanity on their end of Mars. And the Jones Martians  lead deeply into the mystery of the phantom singer Alayna The Queen of the Silver Stars. 
And this makes it perfect as a folio for an Infinite Mars campaign which is a combination of Stars Without Number and Worlds Without Number combined with Warriors of the Red Planet. 

Humanity produces a subtle radiation that is harmful to the Jones Martians & the Martians are planning on using Harmeena as one of the weapons of conquest. Any human who has exposure to the drug for more then two months becomes open to Martian telepathic mind control. And this is the secret of Starhouse, the tavern is an illusion that can be projected onto any human mind anywhere on Mars. And this is all due to the Thousand Minds. The Thousand Minds is the secret & highly advanced psionic ruling  body on Mars of the Jones Martians. The Thousand Minds can see through & control every Jones Martian on Mars. The Thousand Minds are the real masters of the Jones Martians & for the moment only use the 'Starhouse' to distribute Harmeena among every facet of human society including rich humans & gamblers who are looking for the seedier side of Mars. 
The situation in Heliopolis & the other Jones Martian human cities is a ticking time bomb and only he destruction of the Thousand Minds will save humanity. They are located in a series of Jones Martian  burrows outside of Heliopolis bout five miles or so from the city. 
The Martian capital cities  of  Heliopolis is actually an old Welysan city state that was taken over by the Jones Martians. The Jones Martians themselves are products left behind by the Welysan super science prototypes  in the wake of the failed Earth invasion of the early 19th century. Jones Martians gain +1 on Intelligence & can automatically transition into the psychic discplines of Stars Without Number. They gain -2 on all physical attributes. Jones Martians are a subrace of the Martian humanoid races artificially created more then 10,000 years ago by the Welysans as a genetic test bed for the impending Earth invasion. The genetic cloning templates were abandoned and left in the ruins of the city states various underground labs.
Humanity resurrected these genetic clones and has used them as workers, scientists, etc. Now Mars itself is on the verge of rebellion and this gives opportunities for adventure. 

Free Old School Pulp Download 'Under the Sand-Seas' January 1941 issue of Super Science Stories For Your Old School Post Apocalpytic Solar System Campaign

"Six hundred miles of devouring red desert lay between them and the nearest city -- and the bust of a long-dead Martian smiled with the knowledge that could get them there!"

It's been a long while since we've looked at 'Under The Sand Seas' by  Oliver E.Saari from the January 1941 issue of Super Science Stories magazine before. But this time we're going to dive in deeper into the nineteen page novellette. 

"Under The Sand Seas' follows the crew of an air plane on a Sciencitific expediation deep into the 'Sand Seas' when their plane crashes into an enourmous magnetic anomly. The plane doesn't survive and begins to take on sand. All around the crew there are tumble weed like Martians. And the magnetic anomaly is in  point of fact actually an ancient Martian crypt opened by telepathy. 
The Sand Sea is incredibly dangerous capable of swallowing a man whole easily without a trace. The weeds are a race of semi intelligent wind evolved beings who are blown about by the fierce winds of the Sand Sea. The only hope is the battery powered five or six man sled the party has w
The Sand Sea itself is the blasted remains of the Ancient Ones one of the first races of Mars ruled by Tarum of the last of the Scientist Kings. Tanrum the Last perfected infinite atomic energy using the element of gold as it's atomic fuel. And that infinite energy was used a Super Science weapon and the result was the Sea of Sand! The weapon caused the  complete destruction of the Ancient Ones civilization. 
And the expediation worries that it might cause destructive issues upon the Earth. 
What are the OSR game applications of Under The Sand Seas' by  Oliver E.Saari? Quite a few actually. The infinite atomic energy weapon systems are very dangerous. And that brings up the defense capabilities of the systems themselves. The fact is that these weapons systems must have been designed to kill some very dangerous monsters or an evil race. And this is where the Hyperborea rpg comes into play. Not only does the Sea of Sand have other artifacts within it but the sea itself must have areas of extreme radiation due to atomic weapons being tested or deployed. Now it be that these infinite atomic energy systems were created by the Ancients to combat the Hyperboreans?! It's possible given the time frame and the fact that the Professor discovered the atomic generation's secrets within Tanrum the Last's crypt. The fact that those secrets were spelled out on the writings on the walls of the crypt. 

You can download 'Under the Sand-Seas' January 1941 issue of Super Science Stories here 

Using OSR Pluto For Your Old School Campaigns Updated

 

So of course Pluto has been in the news every single night this week with some incredible and awesome images from the New Horizen's probe. According to NASA,

 "After a decade-long journey through our solar system, our New Horizons spacecraft made its closest approach to Pluto today, about 7,750 miles above the surface -- roughly the same distance from New York to Mumbai, India - making it the first-ever space mission to explore a world so far from Earth. For details and the high-res image, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/1L5MiF5"

Now everyone is jumping on the band wagon of using Pluto as a possible adventure location, now this Outer World has been appearing in Sci Fi going back to the Nineteen hundreds. And there already has been a ton of material written by HP Lovecraft regarding Yuggoth.

Yuggoth... is a strange dark orb at the very rim of our solar system... There are mighty cities on Yuggoth—great tiers of terraced towers built of black stone... The sun shines there no brighter than a star, but the beings need no light. They have other subtler senses, and put no windows in their great houses and temples... The black rivers of pitch that flow under those mysterious cyclopean bridges—things built by some elder race extinct and forgotten before the beings came to Yuggoth from the ultimate voids—ought to be enough to make any man a Dante or Poe if he can keep sane long enough to tell what he has seen...

—H. P. Lovecraft, "The Whisperer in Darkness"

According to Wiki: Yuggoth is the planet where the extraterrestrial Mi-go have established a colony. The Mi-go's city sits at the edge of a pit wherein dwells an ancient and horrifying entity feared by the Mi-Go. They periodically abandon the city on those occasions when it rises from the pit and can be seen directly.

The being Cxaxukluth, along with Tsathoggua and his parents, migrated to Yuggoth from Xoth. A dysfunctional family in their own right, Cxaxukluth's progeny abandoned their patriarch and sought refuge deep in the bowels of Yuggoth, owing to Cxaxukluth's cannibalistic tendencies. Soon thereafter they fled Yuggoth, though Cxaxukluth still dwells there to this day. This also includes a very special metal,

On Yuggoth, the Mi-go mine a strange metal known as tok'l. Tok'l-metal is used in the manufacture of the Mi-go's notorious "brain cylinders", but it also has other ritual uses as well.Nithon is a cloud-laden moon of Yuggoth. It is covered by fungi and has luminescent clouds that block all sunlight

Thog and Thok are twin moons of Yuggoth. Very little is known about these moons, though Thog is said to be a pitch-black world. On the surface of Thog is the fabled Ghooric Zone—a green-litten subterranean cavern containing a putrid lake where "puffed shoggoths splash"

There already is a great OSR module that includes a  perfect adventure set up to have your PC's end up on the wrong side of a brain cylinder. This is a pay as you go module as well called YS1 The Outpost of the Outer Ones From Jeremy Reaban. Its available right over HERE 

An old school module with a very straight forward and yet complicated plot. There already is a review for it right over HERE

Now when it comes to using a ready made pop up Pluto for your old school space games or space opera, you might need a map and Captain Future by Robert Hamilton has you covered with a great old school retrofuture Pluto! Add in adventure locations and perhaps a Lovecraftian monster or two and your ready to go!

If humanity moved onto Pluto looking into the remains of the Mi Go cities then they might be in for disappointment because of the fact that Yuggoth itself isn't on Pluto but might have been in deep orbit near pluto. According the H.P. Lovecraft wiki's entry on Yuggoth;"

Yuggoth has its own mini-solar system including Zaman, Nithon, the binary planet Thog and Thok, and the Ghooric Zone. It orbits at ninety degrees from the plane of the elliptical. It is the natal home of an "Elder Race" of Yuggothians who died out (perhaps due to the cannibalistic habits of Cxaxukluth?) before the planet became an “outpost” of the Mi-Go territory. Relics of the Elder Race exist including, according to The Revelations of Gla'aki, a city of green pyramids, and a pit that might be “the Pit of Shoggoths”. A dark inhospitable world; its surface is ravaged by high winds, while its "seas" and "rivers" consist of a warm, oily substance that flows sluggishly under basalt bridges. Cities, towers, and mines exist on both land and sea." So this begs the question where did the Mi Go?! As the favored ones of the Old Ones & the Outer Gods they might have had advanced warning to leave the solar system decades ago. Mankind is going to be scrubbing all of Pluto, it's moonlets, and other objects for any signs of the Mi Go. There's far more dangers in the darkness of those worlds then they might be expecting. The cult of Hastur at the top eschelons of certain corporate positions has bounties on any Mi Go that humanity runs across but this only known in certain occult  circles. 

More WWI Mecha For Your Old School Post Apocalypse Campaigns

 

The Radium Destroyer 

Engine: Diesel Tank Carbine 40 mph max speed, cruising speed 30 mph 

Power/Fuel Source: Atomic Furnace  Engine (300 year lifespan)

Body Style: Giant Tank , Off Road 

Handling: Excellent, Dex +3 

Frame: Under Water Tank , 50 HP

Structure: Sturdy, 6 AC

Modification Allotment: 10 hard points 

Most Hard Points Are Used For Energy Weapon Mounts

Retro Enginnered Martian Tank Used By Various Fanatical Powers Of The World During The Extended War 

Canal Defense Force Beam Weapons & Anti-gravity Platforms.
These Red Martian Defense Platforms are arrayed along the canals of Mars mostly in defense of the major capital cities. Each Pyramid runs on broadcast power from the central radium fusion reactors & uses a combination of  fusion beam search lights & heat ray batteries. Each one has a range of 50 miles & does 1d10 points of damage. The heat ray batteries do 1d6 points of damage per burst.
The pyramids are serviced by anti-gravity defense platforms each equipped with a simulated Red Martian brain. These tactical defense units are capable hurling a lethal heat ray for 1d6 points of damage 2 miles or more. There are usually 6 in attendance for each pyramid. They each have a range of 10 miles. They are capable of intricate patterns & tactics. The Psychic crystal matrix of each pyramid are responsible for the control & defense of a 3 square grid pattern around their canal areas. 

 

The Tesla Destroyer 

 Nikola Tesla's macroscopic charged particle beam projector. The device was based upon a large Van de Graaff generator of unique design and a special type of open-ended vacuum tube. It comprised a system for the acceleration of minute tungsten or mercury particles to a velocity of about 48 times the speed of sound. The projectiles were propelled out of the tube by electrostatic repulsion.

 Does 1d10 to anything within a 100 mile range not protected by a force field or psychic mind barrier. 

 

Gyro - Electric Destroyer 

Engine: Diesel Tank Carbine 50 mph max speed, cruising speed 30mph 

Power/Fuel Source: Atomic Engine (300 year lifespan)

Body Style: Giant Tank , Off Road 

Handling: Excellent, Dex +3 

Frame: Tank , 50 HP

Structure: Sturdy, 4 AC

Modification Allotment: 8 hard points 

The big brother of the Trench Destroyer, these weapons saw extensive use in the theaters of Europe, China, the far East & Antarctica. They are know for a hall mark of sturdy design, lethal firepower  & devastating hit & run tactics. 

They have the special quality of being able to keep their weapons upright no matter the circumstances of the obstacles within their way. Today their are very few of these monsters left. They saw action in every single conflict within the Extended War. These monsters were designed to over come many of the tench war fare sieges common during those conflicts. Today those that remain are found with in the hands of collectors & within museums. They usually mounted conventional fire arms & energy weapons when needed. 

Diabolical Ray Cannon Truck Unit 

Engine: Atomic Ellen Motor ,70mph

Power/Fuel Source: Atomic Engine (300 year lifespan)

Body Style: Utility Truck, Rough Terrain

Handling: Standard, Dex -1 

Frame: Heavy Duty, 20 HP

Structure: Standard 

Modification Allotment: 3 hard points usually armed with a  2 teleforce cannons & radium generator 

These weapons saw extensive action in the 3 War Of The Worlds after Nicola Tesla reverse engineered the Martian technology. The truck takes 7 rounds to set up. These weapons do 1d8 points of damage to anything hit by them. Force fields will protect against the effects of the  rays however.  They are very delicate & take 1d3 days of down time & repair between combats. They are set up around the perimeters of many state capitals & provide a measure of anti air support in addition to more conventional weapons. 

Free Old School Pulp Download 'The Martian Circe' By Ramon F Jones From the Summer 1947 issue of Planet Stories magazine For Your Old School Martian Campaign

You can download the novella here. 

Mars has been my imagination's home since I was a kid & many a night was spent working my way through piles of my uncle's ancient Pulp magazine collection. And that brings up 'The Martian Circe' By Ramon F Jones  From the Summer 1947 issue of Planet Stories magazine. 'The Martian Circe' echoes through with the Pulpy voice of Ramon F. Jones & his Mars is an almost settled colonial world on the edge of the solar system; 

 'Who was this sweet-voiced singer weaving a spell of dreams and drugs that drove men mad and threatened to smash the System? SBI Captain Roal Hartford dared the death of the Thousand Minds to learn her dreadful secret!' 

So we've entered the world of Captain Roal Hartford agent of  the Solar Bureau of Investigation. And his is the world of the Martian underworld & therefore the  perfect foil for adventurers & scoundrals. But who was Ramon F. Jones?! According to his wiki entry; "Raymond Fisher Jones (November 15, 1915, Salt Lake City, Utah - January 24, 1994, Sandy, Salt Lake County, Utah) was an American science fiction author. He is best known for his 1952 novel, This Island Earth, which was adapted into the 1955 film This Island Earth and for the short story "The Children's Room", which was adapted for television as Episode Two of the ABC network show Tales of Tomorrow, first aired on February 29, 1952.'

'Jones' career was at its peak during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. His stories were published mainly in magazines such as Thrilling Wonder Stories, Astounding Stories, and Galaxy. His short story Noise Level is known as one of his best works. His short story "The Alien Machine", first published in the June, 1949 Thrilling Wonder Stories, was later expanded into the novel This Island Earth, along with two other short stories, "The Shroud of Secrecy", and "The Greater Conflict", known as The Peace Engineers Trilogy, featuring the character Cal Meacham. Jones also wrote the story upon which the episode "The Children's Room" was based for the television program Tales of Tomorrow in 1952. " 

'The Martian Circe' concerns a phantom tavern 'the Starhouse' the venue for The Queen of the Silver Stars'  that has been drifting around the Martian cityscapes & taking out the souls & sanity of solar system miners. Harmeena is a gas like agent of the Martian Harm plant that causes those who inhail its gases to save vs poison or suffer horrifying visions as per a Fear spell.  And 'Starhouse' operates out of one of the Martian Capital cities  Heliopolis. Heliopolis is the center of the wizened and withered Martians of Mr. R Jones tale. The Jones Martians as I've taken to calling them are +3 to their Constitution, +1 on Intelligence, -2 on Charisma, & +1 on Wisdom as they are an ancient race of Mars. And they barely tolerate humanity on their end of Mars. And the Jones Martians  lead deeply into the mystery of the phantom singer Alayna The Queen of the Silver Stars. 

Humanity produces a subtle radiation that is harmful to the Jones Martians & the Martians are planning on using Harmeena as one of the weapons of conquest. Any human who has exposure to the drug for more then two months becomes open to Martian telepathic mind control. And this is the secret of Starhouse, the tavern is an illusion that can be projected onto any human mind anywhere on Mars. And this is all due to the Thousand Minds. The Thousand Minds is the secret & highly advanced psionic ruling  body on Mars of the Jones Martians. The Thousand Minds can see through & control every Jones Martian on Mars. The Thousand Minds are the real masters of the Jones Martians & for the moment only use the 'Starhouse' to distribute Harmeena among every facet of human society including rich humans & gamblers who are looking for the seedier side of Mars. 
The situation in Heliopolis & the other Jones Martian human cities is a ticking time bomb and only he destruction of the Thousand Minds will save humanity. They are located in a series of Jones Martian  burrows outside of Heliopolis bout five miles or so from the city. 

Updated Dragon's Foot OSR Free Adventure - LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick By Claude M. LeBrun For Your Old School Campaigns

 

GRAB IT RIGHT HERE

Good evening kids, your uncle Eric is back with another bit of commentary this time we go back to Dragon's foot for a free adventure download with lots of potential. I'm speaking of LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick By Claude M. LeBrun. This is a free fifteen page AD&D 1st edition style adventure that takes full advantage of its PC levels right out of the gate. There is an element of danger and the adventure involves some humanoid races that don't get much air play these days and this is an adventure that takes the old school investigative style and pumps it up by an order of magnitude;"Many years ago Ronan Haverstack was an apprentice to the count’s personal wizard Jax Narhl. Ronan was an excellent student, working as hard as he could to learn all the tricks of spell casting. Ronan with a large thirst for knowledge would spend hours reading and studying all the tomes and spell books in Jax’s library. Jax kept one tome magically locked in a strongbox and would not allow Ronan to look at it. “I keep that tome locked away to prevent its evil from ever seeing the light of day”, Jax would say. Ronan coveted that book, and eventually figured out how to break the magical seal. Jax caught Ronan removing the book from the strongbox and tried to take it away. A fight ensued which ended in Ronan killing Jax. It wasn’t long before Jax’s murder was discovered and Ronan had to flee the kingdom. To avoid discovery Ronan Haverstack changed his name to Gandilor. Gandilor wandered for several months and eventually found refuge in a fishing village on the southern coast."  Things only get worse from this point and that's where your PC's get involved.The adventure picks up right from here and pulls your party of adventurers into the deep wasters of the plot of LG1: Terror in the Forest .The module places the PC's right into the middle of the action right out of the gate and keeps them there with a series of demanding and solid encounters. Its also an adventure that can be customized as you need to and its perfect for a DYI side quest or campaign opener;"Locate the hobgoblin’s lair in any forest in a non-populated area near a rural community, farmland, or village. Place in this area a few farms and settlements that have been raided by the hobgoblins." Believe it or not for a fifteen page adventure there actually is a subplot to this adventure and it has a ton to do with the background and history of the  Forest of Gizzick. Because of the nature of this adventure I was wishing there was more to it.


There are enough twists and turns to take this adventure in many different directions depending upon the retroclone system that your using at your table. The idea here is that LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick could be used in a Dark Albion setting especially on the outer fringes of the empire of Albion and the like. Or it could be used in the mythic and twisted lonely places of the Lamentations of the Flame Princess retro clone system. There is enough meat on the bones of this adventure to adapt it into the back end of an old school campaign so that it can be used as a jump off point or as a side quest for the PC's. There is enough here to take the adventure down a dark and dangerous path. But is it worth the download?
The short answer is yes but the longer one is where do you as the dungeon master want to place this adventure. There are several dangerous and strong NPC's in this adventure and that could work to a DM's advantage if they wish to write a bit more to suit their own campaign. There are several opportunities for a dungeon master with a bit of a DYI D&D streak to take full advantage of these horrors, opportunities, and NPC's and make them their own.
While it is a fun adventure many of the more understated sword and sorcery elements in LG1: Terror in the Forest of Gizzick  might need to be brought forward for front and center to really move the plot along and get the DM's own campaign elements to take center stage.
All in all this is a great free module with lots of potential for a fully created and staged side quest or this adventure could be used to launch a great side campaign of the DM's own design. For a free module its pretty damn sweet and well constructed.

Crystar Champion of Order - Crystar Champion of Order & Forces of Crystallium For Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea From Marvel's Saga of Crystar 1983 Comic Book Series & Action Figures Line

 Created ages ago on the plane of  Crystallium,  Crystar the Crystal Warrior  was one of two twin brothers who sided with the forces of Order  through the second Chaos Wars. He & his followers were turned into elemental Order warriors servants of Order forever more by the wizard of Order &  light Ogeode . Crystar as a champion of Order  have roamed the planes in the service of Order  when & where needed. Crystar's twin brother Moltar  serves the forces of Choas & always seems drawn to oppose his brother. Crystar's  elemental queen of  order & good Ika is never far from his side. The warriors of Crystar  are often seen acting as mercenary muscle for the forces of Order throughout the planes. Crystar  is a 9th level fighter & champion of order with all of the abilities appropriate to his level. Crystar's forces   act as  3rd level fighters. Warbow Crystar's champion of order acts as his right hand & scout (See Warbow's blog entry). 

Crystar Champion of Order - 
 Crystar  Champion of Order & Forces of Crystallium


No. Encountered: 1 (2d6)

Alignment: Lawful Good 
Size: L
Movement: 20 (swim 30)
Dexterity: 14
Armour Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4
Attack Rate: 1/1 Crystal Sword 
Damage: 1d6 (1d8) or by weapon
Saving Throw: 15
Morale: 9
Experience Points: 30
Treasure Class: P
Specials -Crystal Spell Scatter -once per day because of the crystaline nature of Crystar he is able to magically ignore one spell up to third level. Crystar's elemental magically infused body grants him the following: 
darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, immunity to cold, vulnerability to fire, once per day Crystar  can summon a crystaline dragon mount. 

Because Crystar as a champion of Order,he is so attuned to & apart of the plane of  Crystallium he is mystically infused with supernatural power. Crystar  is sought out by dark wizards & their followers to be rendered down once slain as a fine mystically powdered drug. This horrid occult infused  drug adds +2 to all combat rolls, -3 on all intelligent & wisdom rolls. This occult drug  allows a dark wizard to cast spells at 2 levels higher then their actual level.  The price is terrible indeed the wizard or follower loses one point of wisdom & constitution permanently under the occult influence of this drug. Such users of this drug are subject to 1d4 chaotic mutations as well. The drug is worth 100 gold pieces for each dose to dark wizards & their followers. 
This however is not the end of Crystar himself. Any & all reminds of the champion can be gathered & taken to a powerful wizard of light with access to the entity that lives beyond  the Prisma-Crystal mirror. The wizard must be of 10th level or better, a dangerous occult ritual is performed & Crystar shall be returned to life to fight another day. 

The Saga Of Crystar - As Influence On Your Sword And Science Fantasy Campaign

 

Way back in 1983 there was a comic book series that seems to have faded into the background of the pop cultural landscape. The other day I was looking into my comic bins and came across this cultural relic from the Mighty House of Marvel.
I'm speaking of course of Crystar Crystal Warrior one of a wave of comics that came out during the height of the sword and sorcery craze of 1983.
According to Wiki : 

The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior was a 1983 11-issue fantasy-based Marvel comic book with an associated toy line from Remco, consisting of seven figures, some vehicles and accessories.

The plot : 

Years ago, The Demon Lord sent his demon armies to conquer the world of Crystallium. The King of Crystallium led the fight against the Demon Lord in the Chaos War, but he was killed during the war. The forces of Order then sent the wizard Ogeode and the Prisma-Crystal to drive away The Demon Lord's minions and the forces of Chaos. In his defeat, the Demon Lord made the "Prophecy of Chaos", that he would one day send another of his servants to divide the planet against itself and bring ruin to all.

After the end of the Chaos War, the wizards Ogeode and Zardeth visited two princes, the brothers Crystar and Moltar, who had to decide whether their people would ally with Chaos or Order. Crystar chose Order and its champion, Ogeode. As Moltar considered Chaos, their uncle Feldspar tried to convince him that Chaos was evil. Moltar, feeling that his uncle had always favored Crystar, became enraged and fought Crystar, injuring Feldspar in the process. Leaving them for dead, Moltar led his followers to the Fountain of Fire to find the wizard Zardeth and ally with Chaos.

Ogeode saves Crystar's life by merging him with the great Prisma-Crystal, rendering the prince's body into crystalline form. Similarly, at the Fountain of Fire, Zardeth magically transforms Moltar and his followers with the power of lava. Moltar and his magma men then attempt to conquer the city of Galax. Crystar and his warriors, feeling that flesh and blood would prove ineffective against the transformed armies of Moltar, selected an elite group to be transformed into crystal form like Crystar: Koth, Stalax, and Kalibar.

 The weird thing was that Crystar never had a cartoon show, but there were a boat load of action figures, and he never had any appearances in any really major Marvel comic book series except Alpha Flight and a few of the Marvel second stringers appearances. They were great Marvel second stringers but still. 

The comic book series was set parallel to the Marvel Universe and featured guest appearances by Doctor Strange, Nightcrawler and Alpha Flight.|

The comic only lasted eleven issues and there was a ton that Marvel was trying to do be hind the scenes with the property. It was a time when toy properties with synergistic multi-media marketing tie ins were the word. Remember this was the Eighties 

Who's Who On Crystallium

 The following is a quick overview from Wiki :

Order[edit]

• Crystar - One of the twin princes of Crystallium. Leader of the Crystal Warriors for Order.
• Ambara - Former valet to Lavour. During the conflict between the princes, Ambara and Crystar develop a romantic relationship.
• Warbow - Crystal Warrior. Warbow shot Zardeth in the left eye with an arrow. Losing the eye, but otherwise unfazed by the injury, Zardeth shot out Warbow's left eye in return, leaving Warbow mortally wounded. Ogeode used the Prisma-Crystal on Warbow as he did on Crystar to save his life. Warbow secretly has romantic feelings for Ambara.
• Koth - Crystal Warrior with a ribald sense of humor.
• Stalax - Youngest of the Crystal Warriors.
• Kalibar - Crystal Warrior.
• Ogeode - Wizard champion of Order. An old man with a bald head and white beard. Father of Ika, whom he willingly sacrificed to become a crystal being in an experiment to learn the secrets of the crystal warrior physiology (so that he might learn how to heal one of Crystar's injured followers). Frequently, Ogeode claims to be of diminished mystical ability and of little use to the Crystal warriors thanks to the strain of turning the tide during the great war, yet manages to perform mystical feats during times of crisis.
• Ika - Half-enchantress daughter of Ogeode. Ika was compelled by her father to undergo a transformation to turn her body into crystal so that he could learn the secrets of the Crystal Warrior physiology.

Chaos[edit]

• Moltar - One of the twin princes of Crystallium. Leader of the Magma Men for Chaos.
• Zardeth - Wizard leader of Chaos. Lost his left eye in an altercation with Warbow.
• Lavour - Betrothed to Crystar before the princes went to war. After she thought Crystar was dead, Lavour allied herself with Moltar for the opportunity to become queen of Crystallium.
• Magma Men - The rank and file of Moltar's army.

Feldspar[edit]

• Feldspar - The appointed regent of Crystallium since the death of his brother, the King of Crystallium. Uncle of Prince Crystar and Prince Moltar, Feldspar has taken authority over the planet until the princes have settled their conflict. He arranged for both Ogeode and Zardeth to alter his body into a partly crystalline and partly molten form to symbolize neutrality in their dispute.

Using Crystar For Your Old School Sword and Science Fantasy Campaign 

Crystar Is weird sword and sorcery comic with lots of potential. There are elements here of the struggle of Law vs Chaos with warriors transformed into Quisi Elemental creatures from the pages of the Monster Manaul II or they might be giants. I've had these races as giants transformed by the powers of Law and Chaos.
In a recent Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea some of my PC's ran across Moltar and his crew. They counted as Fire Giants and if you take a look at the scale of the figure compared to Crystar. They're fire giants alright at least in the AS&SH universe.



Crystallium itself is a demi plane that shifts its position throughout multiverse. I had the Evil Elemental princes( from the Fiend Folio) try to take over the demi plane 

Crystallium which caused an alliance among the forces of Chaos and Order. There are also loads of artifacts left over from the Chaos Wars still on the demi plane guarded by both Crystar and Moltar's minor minions. They're just begging to be taken. All in all most folks have forgotten about Crystar which gives the DM ample opportunity to trot out this relic world and its crystal inhabitants. The fact is that the these brothers are cursed to fight forever after all they're made from the very forces of Chaos and Order itself. What is thirty years to these poor souls. 

On line support :
Every Thing You Ever Wanted To Know Crystalium
Crystar Himself
Moltar
Zardeth Chaos Wizard
Oegeode The Wizard Of Order
Once again this is a fan based entry and for entertainment purposes only. This is not a challenge to Marvel, its trademarks, copyrights, or anything of the kind. Crystar and its characters belong to their respective copyright and trademark holders.