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. 

Monday Anime Cinema: Sol Bianca For Your Old School Space Opera

 

Back when I was fortunate enough to go to Anime nights down to game store 30 or so miles away on a Saturday night. I got the chance to see this OVA on VHS. There has never been a DVD release of the movie within the American market. Anyhow I used this series as the basis for a Buck Rogers Rpg game that never made it.

 There were myriad reasons for using this OVA. The technology in this anime was light years ahead of anything out at the time. The whole series took place within the solar system so like Buck it was restricted to the nine planets. There was a land mate mecha already within the series. The party were space pirates. There was a weird ending(if you can even find it.The ending is pretty Legend of  The Overfiend)

Anyhow for one reason or another the OVA never made it into the main stream. Even the VHS tapes are getting harder to find. 

So they remade the series into 

So they remade the whole thing into  Sol Bianca: The Legacy. Which i personally haven't seen. 

Here's how wiki breaks the whole thing down. 

l Bianca (ソルビアンカ Sorubianka^?) is a two-volume original video animation (OVA)anime series released in 1990 and 1992 by director Katsuhito Akiyama in association with AIC. Sol Bianca: The Legacy is a remake of this series.

The name of the OVA is also the name of the ship that serves as both the home and the interstellar headquarters for an all-female band of notorious pirates. Thanks to a stowaway who hides herself aboard their ship following one of their raids, they learn of the ultimate treasure: the Gnosis (pronounced "G'Nohsis" in dialogue), an artifact reputedly from old Earth itself.

Unfortunately for them, the Gnosis happens to be in the hands of Emperor Batros, the brutal ruler of the planet Tres (pronounced "trez" in dialogue) who is executing great numbers of enemies, real or speculated, as a result of his military occupation of the neighboring planet Uno. Armed with a little luck, a sniper gun that can shoot from orbit, and a technologically advanced ship, the crew of the Sol Bianca are about to make a run for the greatest prize of all.

Characters - 

• April Bikirk: (Rei Sakuma/Kim Sevier) A skilled pilot and a crack shot, she is the first officer of the Sol Bianca. A headstrong and honorable individual, she will often fight to help others. April and Feb were the ones who discovered the Sol Bianca. April is thoughtful of her actions, but is also as impulsive as Janny when cornered. Most of the time she plays the mother and leader to the crew when Feb isn't sober. She appears very protective of everyone on board. She wears a red battle armor. Her favorite weapon is usually a laser whip/knife or a pistol.
  In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is the one who inherits the control pistol, recovered the ship and June. As the owner she is the captain.

• Feb Fall: (Yohko Matsuoka/Laura Chapman) Captain of the Sol Bianca and oldest of the group. A woman of mystery, She is a calm and rational person, preferring to find a peaceful solution, but is capable in her own right. Feb is also cunning and a master at tactics and strategies. In the Sol Bianca 2 it is reveal that she and April discovered the starship. She usually carries a short shotgun. She is also good with a sniper laser. She wears light gray armor.
  In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is a lot more fond of drinking.

• Janny Mann: (Minami Takeyama/Sue Ulu) Heavy gunsmith with all sorts of weapons. She's a hot tempered, foul-mouthed young woman that is easily irritated by many people. She's familiar with any kind of weapons, armor suits and vehicles. Naturally, she usually directs the ship's weaponry on her bridge station, but she also can fly the ship when necessary. Most of her past is unknown but when June hacks into her diary in Sol Bianca 2, a few pictures of Janny's previous life are revealed. She wears slate-gray armor. She and June do not get along very well and are constantly bickering with each other.

• June Ashel: (Yuriko Fuchizaki/Tiffany Grant) Hologram expert with computer skills. She is a selfish young teen who worries over her hair, and steals fancy dresses out of cargo containers. In Sol Bianca 2 it is revealed that June has an empathic link with the ship and its computer, even feeling its internal pain. Most of the time she drives the cargo truck that sucks up all the goodies they steal from cargo freighters or is called upon to infiltrate enemy computer systems. She has a sister like relationship with Mei.
  In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is found inside the Sol Bianca by April. She is the last remaining member of the original crew. June has a very strong connection to "G", the ship's artificially intelligent computer, and may even be apart of it in some way. She also has a holographic device that creates Sancho (who looks like a genie) that is linked to "G" and has the ability to access and manipulate other computer systems.

May Jessica: (Miki Itou/Kimberly Yales) The youngest member of the crew. She likes frilly clothes, and is the ship's genius chief engineer responsible for the ship's maintenance and repairs. She cares about all the members of the crew who are like family to her. Being so young and isolated, she sometimes views the world fairly simply, and seems to have crush on Rim. May usually hangs out with June. The two are often left in charge of the ship when the others are out. She pilots a powered and heavily armored battlesuit (apple-green and red), similar to a Landmate, for work.

In Sol Bianca: the Legacy she is a stowaway on the ship. April decided to help her find her parents on Earth, only to find out from her uncle and aunt that May's parents have been killed by another group of pirates. She then decided to go with April and the others as a new and youngest crew member. On-board she attends a holographic simulated school life. She is usually lively, and somewhat immature person. She is often more preoccupied with having fun than with getting her homework done.

[edit]

Sol Bianca / OVA 1

• Rim Delapez: (Daisuke Namikawa/Jay Zeidman) The young boy who stows away aboard a cargo crate, and is found by the Sol Bianca crew. He asks the crew to help him rescue his mother from the planet Tres.

• Dr. Delapez: (Tesshou Genda/John Swasey) Rim 's father, he works with the leaders of the Uno Resistance.

• Emperor Batros: (Takeshi Aono/Tristan MacAvery) The Evil Emperor of the planet Tres. He is the antagonist.

[edit]

Sol Bianca 2 / OVA 2

• Gomez: (Daisuke Kyouri) Leader of the pirate gang the Sol Bianca crew encounters. His treatment of women is bad.

"Yuri Shuraba": (Shuuichi Ikeda) A mysterious man who claims to be someone from Feb and April's past. A major foreshadow for the events to come in Sol Bianca 3.

 Sol Bianca & The OSR 

  Sol Bianca is the perfect model for an old space game. Well minus the tentacle sex/rape stuff. The whole thing is padded out to the perfect adventuring campaign . 

1. The unique prototype star ship that the party uses for adventuring. The way that the anime handles hyperspace is unique & very much what I'd like to see in my games. 
2. Landmates are in evidence & are always welcome as an edition in my games
   

 In case your wondering what a landmate is go Here

3. The fact that this model for the break down of a party is great. You could use this for X plorers, Terminal Space , & it really goes well with the Stars Without Number Idea.. 

4. With a little bit of work these ideas can be transferred into my 40s science fiction campaign

Bottomline I'm going have to end up checking out Legacy & see where I go from there

Mutant Madness - Notes On Mutants

Note that this blog entry came from the annals of 2011. Before the release of Deadpool & Deadpool II. And since then the Marvel Xmen movies are now owned by Disney. The information still applies to an upcoming personal project of mine.

 Mutant Madness

So  X-Men First Class opened over the weekend & others have covered it in their blogs. Needless to say that over the weekend I printed out the Mystery Men Rpg from Here. I've only glanced at it but none the less it looks pretty damn good. The stats look as if I'm going to have no problem with any super hero antics. There will be more about the game later.  My recent experience with mutants comes about because of the Mutant Future game. This Gamma World inheritor is built on the on the labyrith lord core rules. Its been out for quite sometime now & if  you want to take a look then down load it here .Mutant Future. 
There have been countless reviews Review Grognardia 
Instead I want to talk about one of my favorite threads that appeared on the old Mutant Future Forums!
This one! Media Monsters! Make sure you turn down your volume on your computer. Here you will find pretty much everything you need to make your own faux  X men style rpg campaign. From Wolverine's tribe to a nightcrawler want to be. This was all done by one guy! There are far too many supports to list for the game. Note that that one guy was my buddy Chris Van Deleen! Thanks Chris! 
Now I want to mention something about mutants from the old school science fiction stories. Most of what I've found lurking within the internet isn't very much at all for the early science fiction. The Man Of The Year One Million 1893 isn't out there. Only Well's Time Machine is easy to find. Edward Hamilton's The Man Who Evolved 1931 is very similar to the film Altered States  except that one uses cosmic radiation & the other drugs.
Odd John was pretty well covered by the Old School Heretic.You can down load here Odd John  Odd John is the mutation after man born within the confines of a civilized world.
Many of the early science fiction mutants don't belong anywhere! They are doomed to die because they're unbalanced, unnatural, & enviromental monsters! Does this mean that they can't be used  in a game? Heck no, there are plenty of places to use these man monster types. Simply roll your favorite mutations, give him, her, or it a hidden agenda with some evil intention & go from there.

Slan by  A. E. van Vogt is the perfect old school x style mutation before the word mutant came into being. From Wiki: Slans are evolved humans, named after their alleged creator, Samuel Lann. They have the psychic abilities to read minds and are super-intelligent. They possess near limitless stamina, "nerves of steel", and superior strength and speed. When Slans are ill or seriously injured, they go into a healing trance automatically.
There are two kinds of Slans. One has tendrils and can read the minds of ordinary humans and telepathically communicate with other Slans. The tendrils are golden in colour thus making it easy to spot a slan. These Slans are hunted to near extinction. The other type of Slan is tendrilless. They are still super intelligent but do not have psychic capabilities, only the ability to hide their thoughts from the first type of Slan. Kier Gray is the leader of the human society and promises to exterminate the Slans. As the novel begins, Jommy Cross (a telepathic Slan of the first type) is brought with his mother to the capital, Centropolis. They are both discovered, and Jommy's mother is killed. Jommy is only nine years old and manages to escape. Jommy Cross is not only the heir to the brilliant inventions of his father, but he represents the last hope of his race to save it from genocide. Because of the importance of his mission, he is opposed by various enemies. 
Anyhow this book has everything you've come to expect from a "mutant spieces". A rebellion,  Magneto style speeches, etc. All here. Tract this one down. Its a pulpy classic. 
So what does all this have to do with old school space gaming? How can I use mutant humans? Well there are several options. The usual trope of  humans visiting a planet full of mutants comes to mind. There's the lost colony 
bit, post apocalypse planets & alien worlds are certainly an option. There are really unlimited fields here.
Mutant Event Table Roll 1d10 

1. There is a signal coming from a lone space craft. The design hasn't been seen since the 3rd World War. A mutant overlord is aboard! 
2. A ruined space station is encountered aboard are the bodies of several mutant aliens. These are actually home to some mind slugs ala The Puppet Masters 
3. The character's ship is mistaken for combatants in an intergalactic genetic arms race. If the party loses they become a genetic resource for one of the combatants 
4. Genetic Pirates! A band of evolutionary pirates wants the genome of the party for sale on the open market. Their unique genetic codes are very valuable 
5. Cosmic Messiah  Missionaries - Convert or Die. These missionaries are part of a genetically descended race of mutants who want to convert or kill anyone they run across. 
6. The Cure - A band of mutants signals the characters & wants to hire them to help them find a "cure" for their race's sudden wide spread mutation. 
7. You are one of use now. A band of humanoid mutants wants to spread its genetic seed to other races. One of the party is a target  
8. Mutant riders- A signal comes into the character's ship. A group of friendly humanoids wants to trade. The traders are actually a mutant alien life form that needs a new host 
9. A group of mutant children is fleeing from a hostile power, will you help them? 
10. The party is hunted down by a Star Child entity who wishes to evolve them to the next level of their race's ultimate form. 

High Tech Mysticism & High Caliber Adventure Encounter - The Kerouac Wilderness

"I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all. The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling. Ecstasy, even, I felt, with flashes of sudden remembrance, and feeling sweaty and drowsy I felt like sleeping and dreaming in the grass"

The Dharma Bums (1958)
By Jack Kerouac

Elijah in the Desert, 1818, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Introduction 
Down in the darkest parts of the lower viberational planes of dream locked between the Burroughs/Bakshi realms are the wilderness of consciousness. These are lands of incredible beauty & absolute horror. Here the possible futures of mankind & the absolute pasts of peoples dreams are woven together to form the patch work landscape of a world of deep dreamings. Here creatures of dream feed on the magick of mankind & adventurers who brave this place are in constant danger.



This patch work mini plane of dreams & peusdo history touch a variety of planes making it the perfect but dangerous trail world through the subconscious. Here many wizards come to set up a temporary abode to observe the ever change chaos of the dreams of trillions of beings throughout the planes. The ever changing landscape can drive men insane as bits of this reality change with each & every day. Dream cancer is a problem as the chaos of the place eats at order brought into it. 



Flora dedicated to feeding on the semi conscious thoughts of beings thrive here as the weird pesudo thought forms & dreams drip through the cracks of dimensions. A billion thoughts can sustain the plane for days on ends as the skies alight with the crashing of electrical phenomenon caused by the dying of dreams.This is a place where the forces of chaos are the rule & norm. The power of the mind is king & there are peoples of incredible skill & passion who live here. They are insane by conventional standards but thrive here in the thought  shadows of man.



Mankind is like dogs, not gods — as long as you don't get mad they'll bite you — but stay mad and you'll never be bitten. Dogs don't respect humility and sorrow.

Some of the Dharma (1997
Jack Kerouac
The Quallan barrens are a place of stable instability where dwell the insane tribes of Qullan who are masters of this part of the world. They breed in the hills & communicate in the signs of chaos. Their ever sharp blades are able to cut through most creatures but they will occasionally work with a wizard totally dedicated to Chaos. They only respect strength but their insanity twists & turns them as it will & they will eat anyone should the mood take them.

1d10 Encounters Within The 

 Wilderness of Consciousness & Dream

1. A band of dream traders combing the wilderness for dream selves of suicides & fools to be taken to the forges of the witch men & turned into enchanted items & potions
2. 1d4 mad sage quadruplets who are all the same conscious split by the dreaming of magick. It or they know 1d6 spells of 6th level & are glowing with the magic of dreams. 
3. 1d8 adventurers who have survived an encounter with a wizard of chaos & his Quallan minions.  
4. 1d10 dream goblins on their way to getting a potion from a wizard deep in the dream worlds. They have 1d6 small items for trade & will engage in gossip. 
5. A giant sentient slug thing that is on its way to a conference but has need of adventurers for a small quest. Willing to pay in gold or dream currency. 
6. 3 skull faced Formorians on a raiding mission armed with club,bows, & arrows. They are not impressed with humans they've run across. 
7. An Elven wilderness scout whose looking for a good home for his people who have been recently displaced. 
8. Band of 1d8 Greyhawk adventurers who are utterly lost & yet their wizard is pressing them deeper into the wilderness 
9. 1d8 priests of the dream gods on holy mission to gain new recruits for a mission deep into the wilderness 
10. A young dragon on a mission of gaining a spell from his ancient master who lives deep in this realm but now he's utterly lost. A gang of slavers is looking to take him. You arrive just in time to help him.
    
    Needless to say that some of the most dangerous Fey & Fairy call these realms home. The deeper wildernesses are their homes & they will destroy any human or near human intruders they run across. Enchanted sleep is the least of their punishments.
    
    
    
    Tribes of Gremlins & the smaller humanoids will ambush, kill, & eat intruders. There are rumors that these sections of the wildness were the home to the empire of the elves but this mere rumor. The first sign of a satyr & his charges is usually too late for a party of adventurers.
    
    
    
    Here in these ruins are supposedly gateways to the future when the gods have died, other gateways to the dungeons of a great castle that was destroyed on the world of the hawk, & other gates that lead to fantastic treasures. The wilderness of consciousness is not a place to adventure for the faint of heart. 

High Tech Mysticism & High Caliber Adventure Encounter - Burroughs/Bakshi Fantasy Mash Up

'After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'
William S. Burroughs
Introduction

At the very edge of human consciousness is a place where reality bleeds into the deepest abysses of the artistic places of the human genius & roll into forbidden & terrible dreams. Places that exist as mini planes that float between the astral storms of the dream streams & the greater Astral. These uncharted realms are the Burroughs/Bakshi realms. The remains of once mighty what ifs, what might bes, & the city blocks of yet to exists. In some worlds  magic works & others it has become a second place citizen to the laws of  physics  of the hustler, the city goer, & the urbanity of the city dwellers  



Black magic operates most effectively in preconscious, marginal areas. Casual curses are the most effective.
William S. Burroughs
 
Burroughs/Bakshi Realms are accessible by certain rituals & rites which allow the user to see these  new realms & realities as if they were their own. A level three spell grants the passage over threshold of  these realms.
They aren't for the faint of heart though. The darkness of  malevolence has its fingers firmly in the pie of reality here.
Fae & the kindly races have their families of races in these realms as well. All battle against the great wheel of circumstance. 



Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape.
William S. Burroughs

Random encounters within Burroughs/Bakshi Realms 1d10 

1. Spectral Warrior party 1d4 5 hit points each with level drain abilities
2. Mugwump cultists looking for escapees. 4 hit points 2nd level fighters armed with machine pistols 1d4 damage 30 yard range 
3. Soulless Android Warriors 1d4 2 hit points each armed with ray guns 1d3 damage 20 yard range. Looking for esper slaves. Has psi sensors 
4. 1d6 Elven Scouts Scouting the Outer Fringes of The Dream Realms 3 hit points Bow & Arrows 1d3 50 yard range. 3 sleep spells, 1d4 poison arrows 
5. 1d4 Humanoid rabbit hustlers 2 hit points each with 1 3rd level fighter as leader. Armed With automatic pistols 1d4 damage 50 yard range 
6. 1d6 Mutant Soldiers 4 hit points armed with machine guns 1d4 damage 50 yard range 10 shots. Hostile & looking for trouble 
7. 1d6 Gang Of 2nd level thieves from 'Cool World' utterly lost but still looking for the big score! 3 mutations each & very chaotic 
8. 1d6 hobbits 3rd level fighters armed with magic blades but hopped up on hobbit pipe weed. Stoned completely & utterly 
9. 1d10 orc warriors scouting the Outer Dream realms. Armed with swords, shields, & side arms. Automatic pistols 1d4 damage range 70 yards 7 shots each 
10. A group of 1d10 neanderthals armed with spears & shields . 2 hit points each 2nd level fighters. Slavers looking for prey!

The Realms Of The Fifth Dimension 
The face of evil is always the face of total need.
William S. Burroughs

There are realms below where the Burroughs/Bakshi  spaces are. These are places where time  & deadly magics drip down through the spaces between the planar continuum. They act as a sort of waste catch system. 
Demons, mutants, trolls, & all sorts of fell creatures live here. The place attracts the desperate, the lonely, the crazed, & they all come here. These are realms of total chaotic anarchy where only the stone will of alien wizards & elder gods can hold the landscape & its inhabitants together.


Folks who disappear from their home cosmos often end up here between the cracks in reality often as slaves food, experiments or worse!


Wizard warlords often use these slaves as food & make matters far worse by employing spectral warriors, mutant soldiers & other forces of the damned!

The spectral warriors come for the blood lust as well as the challenge. They fight the forces of one warlord or other. They often switch sides as the rising & falling of one of these bastards is always taking place. 


Mutant soldiers are often employed to guard the vast fields of alien plants, strange alien animals, & much weirder things that will become the ingredients for weird manufactured drugs that are sold in other universes. 


Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy.
William S. Burroughs
 
A List of Junk From Beyond The Fifth Dimension 

1. The Black Meat of The Aquatic Giant Centipede -This strange flesh creates within its user a +2 on all attributes for 1d4 hours. The user gains 1d3 extra spells & is able to perceive weird realms beyond normal space time.  The user will be at -2 on all specs once the high ends. Must be eaten or injected. 20 gold pieces for 3 doses 
2. Fey Brain Juice - Made from the ground up brains of certain types of lawful fey this stuff allows one to cast 1d4 magic spells, read magic, & create 2 realistically illusions per day. The user however will be despised by the fey & they will seek him out! User's breath smells of rotten fairy flesh. Comes in 3 indigestible doses.  300 gold pieces 
3. Hobbit Weed - Smoking this stuff has a soothing effect on the nerves. The user is able to create illusions from deep within their minds & others may see these illusions as if they were real. Other effects include being immune to all fear based attacks & not prone to panic. Anyone under the effects of this stuff will have to eat 1d4 pounds of food when the dose ends within 1d3 rounds 30 gold coins for 1d3 doses 
4. Stem Juice - Created from the pulped up brain stems of humans, humaniods, & others this stuff allows one under its influence to learn 1d4 extra skills or 1d4 spells  from the memories & experiences of the victims of its makings. The effects last for 1d3 day but the person takes 1d4 points of damage at the end of the period. 300 gold pieces for 1d3 doses.
5. Fairy Dust - This strange glowing powder allows those who are under its influence to fly as a levitation spell. Bad fairy Dust however will induce the most vivid nightmares imaginable for 1d3 days! 20 gold pieces per small sack

Michael Ploog's Nazgul concept

The Twisted Ones 
 Every man has inside himself a parasitic being who is acting not at all to his advantage.
William S. Burroughs

The incredible magic which courses through the realms is often harnessed by the wizard warlords of the area to create better, stronger, faster, deadlier forces!



Genetic Magical  Tailoring Of  The Twisting 

1. Partially Elemental - The creature's body becomes one with a particular element giving +2 to all traits. The downside is that the element's opposite number does double damage 
2. The Devil Inside - The creature becomes the host for a spirit of the damned. This might be a dead human, demon, or other. +2 to intelligence but able to be turned as undead 
3. The Plants Among US -The creature becomes part plant & may be able at 20% chance have 1d6 plant mutations. Fire does double damage 
4. The Fires of Undeath - The creature becomes a minor undead with all of the benefits of their state. However they are subject to all of their weakness as well 
5. The Animal Inside - The creature gains 1d6 characteristics of a random animal but is subject to -2 as there is a 30% of it going berserk when entering combat 
6. Thousand Psychic Wars - The creature gains 1d6 mental mutations but will be stunned if they fail their saving throw when engaging other psychics in combat. There is a 10% of their heads exploding if they use a particularly powerful esper ability.

Twisted Treasures 
Hustlers of the world, there is one mark you cannot beat: the mark inside.
William S. Burroughs

1. Glimmering Silver - This foul melted silver is made from the run off of nuclear war remains .It glows with an inner fire but gives +2 on all necromancy related rituals or spells. However there is a 60% of a radiation hazard each time it is used 300 gold pieces worth
2. Liar's Gold - This beautiful gold was created from the gold fillings of Atomic War victims that has run together. Here & there bits of teeth & bone can be seen. Anyone seeing this stuff will be affected by gold fever. The stuff is perfect however for creating illusions of treasure or for finding more really valuable gold. There is a 40% of others wanting to desire it & they will do anything to possess it. Anything.. 400 gold pieces 
3. Gene Works - This strange twisted machinery will allow the creation of 1d3 twisted troops from scratch within 1d6 weeks. The machinery weights in access of over 20 tons however & requires a very pricey set of magically powered reactors to power it. 400000 gold pieces 
4. The Hustler's map - This magical map will allow a thief or other to find the perfect 'mark' within 1d4 miles of them. It will show date time & location 600 gold pieces 
5. The Junky's Key - This strange key will open a dimensional door to alien realms of perception & weirdness there is a 40% of encountering an astral raider party who wish to recover these keys. Why is unknown. Value unknown 

Cities 
Here & there  the entire landscape is dotted with cities that resemble New York or Detroit surrounded by mile after mile of abandon houses & strange underground works. These cities are home to humans, humanoids, & talking animal humanoid species. 



The original artwork for this post comes from Here 
So why prey tell are there Carcosa, Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, Retroclones, &  Terminal Space listed for this. Because this is a mini plane these planes are easily reachable via spell. If you want to send your players into a tail spin then introduce the party to a realm with technology, machine guns, & Detroit,etc.
These movies are some of my earliest influences on my games. It worked for the original Star Trek series  & it can work for you!