The Kree sentry for the Cepheus Engine role-playing game & Other 2d6 Classic Science Fiction rpg

 To bring the classic cosmic menace of a Kree Sentry (like Sentry 459) into your Cepheus Engine space campaign, we have to scale it as a highly durable, high-Tech Level (TL 15+) heavy security unit.

A Kree Sentry on Guard. Source: Avengers Alliance 2 Wikia - Fandom

In Cepheus Engine terms, this is a giant, heavily armored humanoid combat robot designed to watch over lost alien outposts, survive for millennia, and crush intruders with energy blasts and sheer physical force.

Cepheus Engine Stat Block

• Designation: Imperial Sentry Unit (Kree Sentry)

• Tech Level: 15 (Ultra-Tech)

• Chassis: Giant Humanoid Combat Chassis (Height: 4.5 meters / 15 feet)

• Weight: 3.5 tons

• Armor Value (AV): 16 (Equivalent to super-dense battle dress plating)

• Hit Points (Structure/System): 90 / 90 (Takes the place of physical characteristics)

Characteristic	Score	Modifier
Strength (STR)	22	+5
Dexterity (DEX)	9	+0
Endurance (END)	—	—
Intelligence (INT)	6	+0
Education (EDU)	8	+0
Social Standing (SOC)	0	-2

• Skills: Melee Combat (Unarmed) 3, Gunner (Energy Weapons) 2, Athletics 2, Sensors 2, Tactics 1.

• Traits & Software:

  • Hardened Electronics: Immune to standard electromagnetic pulse (EMP) interference, psionic effects, and basic electronic hacking.

  • Self-Repair Protocol: Heals 5 HP of physical damage per hour of inactivity by scavenging local metallic resources.

  • Interstellar Comm-Array: Quantum-entangled transceiver capable of transmitting basic distress/status alerts instantly across interstellar distances back to Hala.

Offensive & Defensive Systems

Optical Disintegration Ray (Eye Beams)

A head-mounted, high-intensity plasma projector.

• Range: Personal (150m) / Extreme (400m)

• Damage: 5d6 Energy (ignores first 6 points of Armor)

Pneumatic Shock-Blasts (Palms)

Built-in atmospheric exhaust turbines in the hands that can compress and release hurricane-force kinetic blasts.

• Range: Close (10m) / Short (30m)

• Damage: 3d6 Kinetic (does not penetrate armor, but target must roll DEX or be knocked prone and pushed back 2D6 meters).

Sentry Melee (Fists/Stomp)

Massive metallic limbs striking with hydraulic-driven momentum.

• Range: Melee

• Damage: 3d6+5 Bludgeoning

Impenetrable Force Field (Colloidal Barrier)

The Sentry can project an energy dome up to 10 meters in diameter around itself or a targeted containment area to trap foes.

• Mechanic: Creates a physical barrier with 50 temporary HP. The Sentry cannot fire its Optical Disintegration Ray while maintaining this field.

Tactics & Campaign Use

• The Sleeping Giant: A standard hook involves the Travellers exploring an ancient, seemingly dead moon or a lost temple in a remote star system. When they attempt to salvage high-tech alien components, their tools trigger a silent alarm, and the stone-like monolith in the center of the chamber begins to glow with cold blue light.

• Implacable Pursuit: Kree Sentries have basic programming: Observe, report, and eliminate threats to the outpost. If the Travellers steal an artifact, the Sentry will hunt them back to their starship, ignoring non-lethal weapons and shrugging off laser rifle fire like rain.

• The Beacon: Striking down the Sentry should feel like a major victory, but the real threat is its final transmission. In its dying moments, it broadcasts a high-priority distress signal directly into deep space. Within 2D6 days, a Kree Scout or Cruiser will jump into the system to investigate.

A d100 Dark Artifact table for The Clement Sector role-playing game especially for The Unmerciful Frontier: The CCA Sourcebook Third Edition

 Because the Clement Sector leans heavily into grounded, human-centric hard sci-fi, "Dark Artifacts" in this setting aren't supernatural or magical items. Instead, they represent terrifying pre-Collapse human military experiments, highly illegal genetic or cybernetic technology, lost subsector projects, or deeply unsettling remnants found on worlds that look suspiciously terraformed by an unknown, absent precursor race. This blog post picks right up from OSR Commentary - The Clement Sector rpg & Space Western campaigns & 

A D20 Space Wreck Complications & Eviromental Hazards Table & A d100 table of random table of space wrecks, ruins, and derelicts For The Cepheus Engine Rpg or Classic 2d6 Science Fiction Rpgs

Here is a d100 table designed to introduce high-stakes, ethically compromised, or hazardous technology to your campaign.

d100 Dark Artifacts

d100	Artifact Name	Description & Game Effect
01–05	The Siren Matrix	A modified Subsector Hub black-box drive. When plugged into a ship's computer, it increases computing power by 50% but occasionally transmits synthetic, agonizing audio direct to the crew’s comms.
06–10	Casper Array	A heavy, backpack-sized cybernetic hacking rig built by a long-dead Earth corporate black-ops division. Grants $+3$ to hacking checks, but forces a daily END check to avoid progressive neural scarring (permanent $-1$ EDU per failure).
11–15	The Thalarion Phial	A sealed glass cylinder containing an oily, iridescent fluid recovered from an unmapped, terraformed world. If opened, it instantly dissolves local synthetic fibers and plastics within a 10-meter radius.
16–20	Grave-Link Collar	An illegal, experimental medical neck brace. If placed on a recently deceased person (within 10 minutes), it forces the brain to fire for 1d6 minutes, allowing them to answer questions before structural collapse.
21–25	The Red Planet Lattice	A metallic, geometric carving found in deep Martian-style desert ruins. It emits a low electromagnetic pulse every 24 hours that shorts out all civilian-grade sensors within 100 meters.
26–30	Morozov's Ledger	A high-density data crystal from a pre-Collapse corporate colony. Contains blackmail, deep-fake AI templates, and financial codes that could ruin three major Sector corporations—but triggers an automated bounty-hunter alert when accessed.
31–35	Ghost-Drive Regulator	A heavily shielded, highly illegal jump-drive component. Bypasses standard safety limiters to cut jump time by 24 hours, but leaks low-level radiation that causes chronic fatigue and hair loss to the engineering crew.
36–40	The Chimera Serum	A pristine, pre-Collapse genetic engineering kit. Can cure any physical illness or genetic defect, but causes the user’s DNA to slowly incorporate random, non-human structural traits over the next 1d6 months.
41–45	Null-Zone Projector	A bulky, tripod-mounted military device. When activated, it blankets a 50-meter area in complete radio, laser, and satellite silence, making all remote communication impossible.
46–50	The Judas Comm-Link	A sleek, unmarked personal handheld communicator. It functions flawlessly and intercepts local police bands, but secretly records and transmits the user’s exact coordinates to an unknown subsector relay.
51–55	Black-Vane Nanites	A canister of military-grade medical nanobots designed for severe trauma. They heal the user instantly to full health, but permanently bond to the nervous system, inflicting a $-2$ penalty to all social interactions due to physical tremors.
56–60	The Phobos Aegis	A lightweight tactical vest woven from an unidentified polymer. Stops all ballistic and laser fire completely (Armor $+12$), but degrades by 1 point permanently every time it takes a hit, releasing a toxic chemical smell.
61–65	Sovereign Bio-Key	A severed cybernetic hand preserved in a stasis field. Its integrated interface chips can bypass any corporate electronic lock in the sector, but corporate security teams treat its possession as a capital offense.
66–70	The Echo Box	A small, black metallic cube with no seams or buttons. If left in a room, it perfectly replicates the ambient whispers, voices, and footsteps heard in that room exactly 24 hours prior.
71–75	Vanguard Targeting Monocle	A military cybernetic eye modification meant to be worn externally. Grants a $+2$ to all ranged combat rolls, but floods the user's vision with strobe-like tactical data, causing violent migraines and a $-1$ to all non-combat checks.
76–80	The Conduit Fragment	A jagged piece of dense, exotic mineral allegedly harvested near the wormhole before the Collapse. It alters local gravity slightly; loose objects within 2 meters drift toward it as if in zero-g.
81–85	Hades-Class Override	A software exploit stored on an old military slate. It allows a ship to spoof its transponder to match a high-ranking naval vessel, but triggering it immediately places the ship on the sector's automated "Shoot on Sight" registry if scanned closely.
86–90	The Dream-Weaver Cradle	An experimental, pod-like medical bed used during long-range colonization. Users experience intensely vivid, hyper-realistic dreams of an Earth that never existed, making returning to reality highly depressing (daily WILL check to willingly leave the pod).
91–95	Apex Combat Stim-Injector	A brass, multi-needle injector filled with a banned pre-Collapse compound. Grants double actions in combat for 3 rounds, followed by an immediate physical crash causing total paralysis for 1d6 hours.
96–100	The Obsidian Core	A spherical, pitch-black engine component discovered on a lifeless, terraformed border-world. When installed in a starship, it reduces fuel consumption to zero, but the ship's internal AI begins speaking in an unidentifiable language, slowly locking out human control systems.

How to Use This Table in Your Campaign

• The Cost of High Tech: In the Clement Sector, these items should always feel like double-edged swords. They offer massive advantages but carry heavy physical, legal, or social consequences.

• The Shadow of Earth: Many of these items highlight the divide between the high-tech corporate power of pre-Collapse Earth and the gritty, isolated survival reality the players live in now.

Meditations on the classic In Search of the Unknown (Module B1, written by Mike Carr in 1978) module Adapted To OSR Rpg systems especially The Adventurer, Conqueror, King Second Edition - Part 7

 Baron Vraka the Unbroken views the upper levels of Quasqueton not as a monument to dead wizards, but as an encroaching geopolitical threat. The Orc Vanguard currently occupying Level 1 has begun choking off the ventilation shafts and blocking the surface access points that the Chitin Regime uses for light smuggling. This blog post picks right up from 

Meditations on the classic In Search of the Unknown (Module B1, written by Mike Carr in 1978) module Adapted To OSR Rpg systems especially The Adventurer, Conqueror, King Second Edition - Part Six

Rather than wasting his own shock troops on a surface-fringe skirmish, the Baron offers the party a formal, binding Underworld Compact.

 The Iron Compact: Terms of Agreement

1. The Mandate (The Party's Obligation)

The characters must completely break the military capability of the Orc Vanguard on Level 1 of Quasqueton.

• Success Metrics: The party must execute or drive out the Orc Chieftain (and his immediate lieutenants) and reduce the active orc fighting force by at least 80%.

• Proof of Completion: The party must deliver the Chieftain’s iron-spiked battle standard and the heads of his line-captains to the Citadel guards at the Spark-Spire within 21 days of signing.

2. The Consideration (The Baron's Reward)

Upon verification of the task, Baron Vraka grants the party a Lesser Underworld Mining and Harvesting Charter, fully recognized by the courts of Krag-Ghar.

       [ THE COMPACT SIGNED ] -> [ ORC VANGUARD CLEARED ] -> 

[ THE CHARTER GRANTED ]
          (21-Day Deadline)         

 (Deliver the Standard)       (15% Production Yield)

• The Domain Grant: The charter cedes exclusive extraction rights to a 1-mile hex of unworked limestone tunnels located 3 miles northeast of the Sunless Sea. This hex is rich in Glow-Paste Slime and Unrefined Iron Ore.

• ACKS II Domain Mechanics:

  • This charter allows the party to establish an Underworld Extraction Venture (a tier-0 domain asset).

  • Once per month, the venture generates a base revenue of $1d6 \times 100\text{ gp}$ worth of raw trade goods, representing harvested alchemical compounds and iron ore.

  • The Baron's Cut: The Chitin Regime waives standard water-tolls on the party's skiff for cargo originating from this specific mine, taking a flat 15% tax on monthly production yields instead of the usual 30% foreign tariff.

 System Risks & Hidden Clauses

In ACKS II, political favors from chaotic or tyrannical rulers always carry systemic friction. The party must weigh the economic windfall against two critical complications:

The "Squatter's Rights" Problem

The mining site granted by the Baron is explicitly listed as unoccupied. However, local intelligence at The Blasted Crucible reveals that a migratory nest of 3x Cave Locusts and an isolated family of Troglodyte outcasts currently use those fissures for shelter. To actually build the mining camp and begin generating income, the party will have to personally clear the hex or hire an extra squad of mercenaries (costing roughly 120 gp in upfront monthly wages) to secure the perimeter.

Surface World Alignment Penalties

Accepting a formal, stamped iron charter from an Underworld tyrant permanently alters the party’s reputation.

• The Mechanical Penalty: The party suffers a permanent -1 penalty to Reaction Rolls when dealing with Lawful surface authorities (such as the Marcher Lords or the Church of the Holy Light) if the charter is discovered on their person.

• To surface civilizations, trading mining rights with the deep Troglodytes looks remarkably like treason or dark-cult collusion. The party will need to smuggle their mined ore through black markets or use a front-merchant to launder the coin.

Executing the Contract

If the party accepts, the Baron's scribe seals the iron scroll using molten lead stamped with Vraka's personal sigil. The Baron slides a small leather pouch across the stone table containing an advance of 2x Flasks of Vitriol (Acid) from the city vaults—a tactical tool to help the party melt through any iron reinforcements the Orcs have erected on Level 1.

This infiltration scenario is structured for a low-level party using ACKS II metrics. It treats The Maw—the vertical gladiator shaft at the tip of Krag-Ghar—not as an open combat arena, but as a stealth and structural puzzle with a ticking clock.

The Objective

Your valued surface hireling, Darvin the Torchbearer, was ambushed on the docks and is currently locked in the holding pens beneath the arena floor. He is scheduled to be thrown onto the lower iron grate in 3 hours (18 Exploration Turns) to face a starved Giant Cave Locust for the amusement of the Foundry workers.

1. The Blueprint of The Maw

The Maw is a vertical shaft slicing straight through the bottom tip of the stalactite city.

[ LEVEL A: THE ANTECHAMBER & CRANES ] -> Overlooks the 40ft drop 

to the cage.
                |
    (2x Rusted Chain Lifts)
                v
[ LEVEL B: THE ARENA GRATE ] ---------> Heavy iron mesh over the boiling mud.
                |
       (Iron Barred Gate)
                v
[ LEVEL C: THE HOLDING PENS ] --------> Damp, sulfur-choked rock cells.

• Level A: The Spectator Antechamber: An open gallery where bettors gather. Two massive windlasses control the iron cages that lower combatants down to the arena floor.

• Level B: The Arena Floor: A 40-foot-wide circular iron grate suspended 60 feet above the boiling mud sump. The rising heat creates a constant haze, giving characters a +1 bonus to Hide throws but imposing a -1 penalty to ranged attack throws due to shimmering thermal drafts.

• Level C: The Under-Pens: A series of cramped, damp rock alcoves cut into the stone directly beneath the spectator gallery, level with the arena grate.

2. Infiltration Vectors (The Tactical Puzzles)

The party can approach the rescue through three distinct entry points, depending on their skills and gear.

Vector 1: The External Rigging (The Thief's Route)

The party bypasses the spectator guards entirely by climbing the exterior of the stalactite from the Sump-Ring docks, using ropes to swing into the raw ventilation slits feeding into the Under-Pens.

• The Check: Requires a successful Open Locks or Proficiency check (Climbing/Acrobatics) to secure the anchors silently.

• The Complication: The wind outside is fierce and sulfurous. Slipping forces a Save vs. Paralysis to catch a lower rigging line, or the character drops into the mud sump.

Vector 2: The Broker's Bribe (The Charisma Route)

The party enters the gallery as wealthy surface merchants looking to purchase slaves for work in Quasqueton. They approach the Master of the Pit, a greedy Beastman named Gorg.

• The Check: A Bribery or Deception proficiency throw.

• The Cost: Gorg will fake Darvin's "death" in the arena logs and look the other way for a flat bribe of 250 gp or a permanent magic item/alchemical asset (like a flask of Vitriol).

Vector 3: The Gladiator Front (The Fighter's Route)

The party’s heaviest combatant signs up for an open-entry blood match, using the entry process to get legally escorted straight down into the holding pens.

• The Play: While the combatant draws the attention of the guards and the crowd in the bullpen, the party's Thief utilizes the distraction to slip away and pick the locks on Darvin's cell.

3. The Denizens & Opposition

• The Pit Boss: Gorg the Flesh-Factor (Level 3 Thug, AC 3, hp 18, Morale +1). He carries the heavy iron ring holding the keys to the pens.

• The Pen Guards: 4x Beastman Grunts (AC 2, HD 1+1, hp 7 each, Morale +0). They are lazy, distracted by dice games, and currently suffering a -1 penalty to surprise checks due to the deafening roar of the spectator crowd above.

• The Beast: 1x Giant Cave Locust (AC 5, HD 2, hp 11). It is kept in a wooden drop-box above the grate, starved and agitated.

4. Executing the Escape (The Mechanical Clock)

Once the party enters the Under-Pens, the Referee tracks time using a strict 6-Turn Countdown before Darvin's match begins.

[ TURN 1-2: Locate Cell ] -> [ TURN 3-4: Pick the Lock ] -> [ TURN 5-6: The Alarm / Flight ]

1. Locating Darvin (Turns 1–2): The pens are a maze of screaming prisoners and roaring beasts. A character must succeed on a Hear Noise check to track Darvin’s voice over the din.

2. Sprinting the Lock (Turns 3–4): Darvin’s cell is secured with a crude iron latch. A Thief can attempt an Open Locks throw. Alternatively, a character can use a flask of Vitriol (Acid) to melt the lock instantly and silently over 1 turn. Smash-heavy solutions (crowbars/axes) work instantly but automatically alert the 4 Beastman guards.

3. The Extraction (Turns 5–6): Darvin is dehydrated and exhausted; his movement rate is halved, and he carries an automatic 1 Stone encumbrance penalty as dead weight if he needs to be carried.

 The Alarm Complication

If the party is spotted or takes too long, Gorg pulls the lever to release the Giant Cave Locust early while sealing the main exit gates. The party must either fight their way across the vibrating arena grate while the crowd cheers, or blow the floor winches to drop the holding cages into the Sunless Sea below, hoping their skiff is positioned perfectly beneath the stalactite tip to catch them.

D100 Kull Era Atlantean Relics and Monster Encounter Tables For A Sword & Sorcery Sword of Cepheus 2nd edition Part II

 

D100 Primeval Monster & Hazard Encounters

The wilderness of the Kull era is untamed, featuring prehistoric beasts, dying elder races, and cosmic horrors that predate humanity.

d100	Encounter	Description & Threat Profile
01–15	The Serpent Man Infiltrator	A single assassin disguised as a trusted ally or local noble. Tactics: It waits for a moment of vulnerability to strike with a poisoned dagger (3d6 damage + Lethal Poison). It will attempt to flee using illusion magic if discovered.
16–30	Pack of Ghost-Swamp Hyenas (3d6)	Emaciated, pale-furred beasts that hunt in the mist-shrouded lowlands. Tactics: They use pack tactics to flank characters (DM+1 to attack when outnumbering a target). Their eerie, mocking laughter forces a SOC/Sanity check to avoid being Shaken for the first round of combat.
31–45	Prehistoric Dire Ape	A massive, silver-backed behemoth standing 4 meters tall. Tactics: Aggressive and territorial. It uses brawling attacks (3d6+2 damage) and will attempt to grab a character to fling them into terrain or crush them. It has an Armor rating of 3.
46–60	The Living Slime of Commoria	An amorphous, translucent grey mass sliding along dungeon floors or ancient ruins. Tactics: Completely immune to piercing and slashing weapons. It attacks by engulfing targets, dealing 2d6 acid damage per round to armor and flesh alike. Vulnerable only to fire and sorcery.
61–75	Valusian Blood-Bat Swarm	A cloud of leather-winged, red-eyed pests filling a corridor or jungle canopy. Tactics: They attack as a single entity, targeting all characters in an area. They deal low damage (1d6) but cause continuous bleeding (1 damage/round) until a First Aid check is made.
76–85	The Shadow of the Elder Dark	An incorporeal horror summoned by ancient, forgotten rituals. Tactics: It cannot be harmed by mundane weapons. It attacks a character's mind and soul rather than their physical body, forcing an INT check each round. Failure inflicts 1d6 points of permanent Sanity damage.
86–95	Ancient Atlantean Automaton	A towering guardian made of bronze and stone, still functioning after millennia. Tactics: Armed with a massive stone blade (4d6 damage) and boasting an Armor rating of 6. It moves slowly but relentlessly, pursuing its designated targets until destroyed.
96–00	The Thing from the Stars	A cosmic aberration that has slipped through a tear in reality. Tactics: Its sheer presence forces a Sanity check (DM-3) for all who look upon it. It attacks with writhing tentacles (3d6 damage, 4 attacks per round) and can warp space to teleport short distances.

The pre-cataclysmic world of King Kull’s Atlantis is a brutal, sun-drenched, and blood-soaked era where civilization is a thin veneer over primeval chaos. In Sword of Cepheus 2nd Edition, these elements focus heavily on lethal physical stakes, ancient sorcery, and high-risk exploration. This blog post picks right up from D100 Kull Era Atlantean Relics and Monster Encounter Tables For A Sword & Sorcery Sword of Cepheus 2nd edition

Here are the custom d100 tables for Atlantean relics and monster encounters, tailored to the gritty, career-based mechanics of Cepheus.

D100 Atlantean Relics & Sorcerous Artifacts

These relics represent the peak of pre-cataclysmic forging and forbidden alchemy. In Sword of Cepheus, many of these carry hefty costs to a character's Sanity or physical attributes.

d100	Relic	Mechanics & Effects (Sword of Cepheus 2E)
01–10	Valusian Serpent Glass	A heavy, obsidian-framed mirror. When a humanoid passes in front of it, the glass reflects their true form. Effect: Instantly reveals shape-shifted Serpent Men, bypassing any illusion or magical disguise. Seeing the true horror requires a SOC Check (DM-2) to avoid a temporary 1-point loss in Social Standing due to sheer shock.
11–20	Heart of the Moon Gem	A flawless, milky-white sapphire that pulses with a cold light. Effect: Can be crushed as a minor action. It instantly restores 2d6 points across wounded physical characteristics (STR/DEX/END). However, the user’s eyes turn solid white for 24 hours, giving a DM-2 to all visual Recon checks in daylight.
21–30	Lemurian Brass Lotus	A mechanical, pocket-sized brass flower. When wound, it emits a faint, hypnotic chime. Effect: Targets within 5 meters must make an END check (DM-1) or fall into a deep stupor for 1d6 rounds. It draws heavily on the user's life force, dealing 1 point of temporary STR damage per use.
31–40	Obsidian Shamshir of Grond	A heavy, dark-glass blade that never dulls. It functions as a Broadsword (3d6 damage) but uses the wielder's raw hatred to strike. Effect: Grants DM+2 to Melee (Blades) checks against sorcerers and supernatural beasts. On a natural combat roll of 2, the blade chips, dealing 1d6 damage directly to the wielder's END.
41–50	Thurian Iron Torc	A thick, unadorned neck ring worn by ancient warlords. Effect: Grants the wearer a +2 Armor rating against all physical attacks and makes them completely immune to mundane poisons. However, it cannot be removed unless the wearer enters a state of Near-Death (any characteristic reduced to 0).
51–60	Urn of the Silent Wind	A sealed clay urn etched with pre-human glyphs. Effect: Opening the urn releases a localized, choking vacuum. For 3 rounds, no sound can be made, and no verbal spells can be cast within a 10-meter radius. Characters inside must make an END check each round or suffer 1d6 damage from asphyxiation.
61–70	Scroll of the Seven Sunken Cities	A tattered, water-resistant vellum map. Effect: Grants a permanent DM+2 to all Navigation and Survival checks when exploring ruins or wilderness. Reading the scroll requires an INT check (DM-2); failure results in a permanent 1-point loss of Sanity as the reader glimpses the true timeline of the world.
71–80	Jade Mask of the Ever-Living	A terrifying, stylized green jade mask. Effect: While worn, the user does not age, bleed, or feel pain. They gain +3 to END checks to resist injury. The cost is severe: while wearing the mask, the user cannot heal naturally, and any magical healing applied to them is halved.
81–90	Blood-Forged Ring of Atlantis	A ring made of an unknown red alloy that bonds to the wearer's skin. Effect: Allows the wearer to cast any sorcerous spell they know without spending Life Force/Mana. Instead, the spell drains 1 point of STR per spell level. The STR recovers at a rate of 1 point per full day of complete rest.
91–00	The Skull of Commoria	The silver-plated skull of an ancient king. Effect: Once per day, the wielder can ask the skull one question about local history, geography, or defensive traps. The skull answers truthfully but demands a sacrifice of blood equivalent to 2d6 damage dealt to a thrall or companion.