Adapting Gary Gygax’s classic 1980 TSR module S1: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks to Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) transforms a gonzo sci-fi/fantasy dungeon crawl into a high-stakes Expedition with domain-level, military, and tech-securing implications.
In ACKS II, the crashed starship is not just a loot run—it is a repository of Ancient Tech capable of disrupting regional domain power dynamics, introducing new martial proficiencies, and altering the Mortal & Monster economy.
Key Mechanics & Conversions
1. Tech Identification & Safety
In ACKS II, high-tech devices act as specialized magic items requiring Proficiency Tests or Wondrous Item Manipulation. Characters without the Ancient Lore or Engineering proficiency risk catastrophic misfires.
| Device Type | ACKS II Functional Analogue | Identification Threshold | Failure / Misfire Result |
| Laser Pistol | Wand of Fireballs (Single Target) | INT / Ancient Lore check (11+) | Cell Vent: User takes $2\text{d}6$ fire damage; cell drained. |
| Blaster Rifle | Wand of Lightning Bolts | INT / Ancient Lore check (13+) | Explosion: Explosive rupture dealing $4\text{d}6$ damage in 10' radius. |
| Needler | Poisoned Repeating Crossbow | INT / Ancient Lore check (9+) | Jam/Self-Dose: User must save vs. Poison or collapse. |
| Power Armor | Golem-Armor / Apparatus | INT / Engineering check (15+) | Lockdown: Armor locks up; occupant trapped inside until powered down. |
Power Cells: Treat as charges. Standard chemical batteries hold 10–20 charges; nuclear/antimatter packs hold 100+.
Security Cards: Act as "passkeys" for domain control. Possessing color-coded security badges provides bonus modifiers to bypass ship defenses and computer terminals.
Creature Profiles
Vegepygmy (Worker / Soldier)
Vegepygmies (Russet Mold origin) do not use traditional morale checks against normal humanoids, but suffer penalties when targeted by fire or cold.
Armor Class: 3 (13)
Hit Dice: $1\text{d}8$ (Worker) / $2\text{d}8+2$ (Chief/Guard)
Attacks: Claws ($1\text{d}4$) or Spear ($1\text{d}6$)
Save: F1
Morale: +1
Special: Immature Russet Mold infection on claw critical hits; immune to electrical/piercing damage (takes half damage).
Worker Robot
Heavy-duty maintenance construct. In ACKS II, construct immunities apply (immune to sleep, charm, hold, poison).
Armor Class: 7 (17)
Hit Dice: $8\text{d}8$
Attacks: 2 Vices/Clamps ($2\text{d}6$ each)
Move: 90' (30')
Save: F8
Morale: Directives (12)
Special: Grab & Crush (if both clamps hit, target is pinned and takes automatic $2\text{d}8$ crushing damage per round).
Police / Security Robot
Tactical law-enforcement construct designed to suppress ship uprisings.
Armor Class: 9 (19)
Hit Dice: $12\text{d}8$
Attacks: 2 Laser Cannons ($3\text{d}6$ fire) or Stun Ray (Save vs. Paralysis or incapacitated $1\text{d}4$ hours)
Move: 120' (40')
Save: F12
Morale: Unflinching (12)
Special: Integrated Force Field (absorbs first 30 points of damage before depleting).
Campaign Integration & Domain Impact
Integrating the starship into an ACKS II campaign shifts the game from low-level dungeon crawling to high-level faction warfare:
Expedition Mechanics: Approaching the crashed ship in the Barrier Peaks requires managing Supply Tracks, cold weather survival, and high-altitude wilderness travel using ACKS II Campaign & Expedition rules.
Domain Disruption: Securing functional blasters or power armor elevates a Ruler's domain power score significantly. Surrounding realms (and rival Syndicate/Guild factions) will dispatch spies and mercenary armies to seize the wreck once rumors spread.
Scavenging & Crafting: High-level Mages and Tinkers can salvage scrap metal, circuitry, and energy cells to construct unique automaton units or construct-hybrid war engines for mass combat.
This d100 High-Tech Salvage and Treasure Table is tailored for ACKS II domain mechanics, inventory management, and market integration.
In ACKS II, salvaged tech items are categorized into Functional Artefacts (ready to use or weaponize), Consumables / Power Sources (energy storage and medical supplies), and Scrap & Raw Materials (convertible to gold piece value or used by high-level Mages/Tinkers to build constructs and war machines).
D100 High-Tech Salvage & Treasure Table
| d100 | Item / Salvage Found | ACKS II Category | Value / Yield | Operational & Domain Effects |
| 01–05 | Damaged Wiring & Copper Bundles | Scrap Material | 50 gp | Can be melted down or used in construct manufacturing. |
| 06–10 | Spent Power Cells (Chemical) | Scrap / Component | 100 gp | Rechargeable by a Lightning Bolt spell ($1\text{d}4$ charges restored per spell level). |
| 11–15 | Shattered Glasteel Fragments | Raw Material | 200 gp | Material component for crafting Shield or Wall of Force magic items. |
| 16–20 | Color-Coded Security Card (Green) | Access Key | 300 gp | +2 to identification/override checks on Deck 1–2 airlocks and maintenance stations. |
| 21–25 | Emergency Medical Spray (2 Canisters) | Consumable | 400 gp | Acts as Cure Light Wounds ($1\text{d}6+1$ hp) when applied to skin/flesh; cures bleeding. |
| 26–30 | Circuitry & Processing Modules | Specialist Scrap | 500 gp | Essential component for building ACKS II Automatons; reduces build cost by 10%. |
| 31–35 | Laser Pistol (Empty) | Artefact (Weapon) | 750 gp | Requires Chemical Power Cell. Deals $2\text{d}6$ fire damage; ignores normal armor AC. |
| 36–40 | Anti-Gravity Belt (Discharged) | Artefact (Apparatus) | 1,000 gp | Allows Fly spell effect for 1 hour per power charge. Requires INT check to operate. |
| 41–45 | Color-Coded Security Card (Yellow) | Access Key | 1,200 gp | Bypasses Deck 3–4 security doors; grants command access over Worker Robots. |
| 46–50 | High-Density Chemical Batteries (x4) | Power Source | 1,500 gp | Full charges (20 charges each). Compatible with all handheld sci-fi sidearms. |
| 51–55 | Radiation Counter & Bio-Scanner | Artefact (Tool) | 1,800 gp | Detects poison, disease, and radiation within 60' radius automatically. |
| 56–60 | Needler Pistol w/ Paralytic Rounds | Artefact (Weapon) | 2,200 gp | $1\text{d}4$ damage; target must Save vs. Poison or be paralyzed for $2\text{d}4$ turns. |
| 61–65 | Alien Alloy Plate Hull Segment | Structural Material | 2,500 gp | Equivalent to 1 unit of Rare Metal for domain construction; grants +2 AC to siege engines. |
| 66–70 | Micro-Fusion Cell (Intact) | Power Source | 3,500 gp | Powers heavy weaponry or ship sub-systems; holds 100 charges. Highly explosive on critical hit. |
| 71–75 | Color-Coded Security Card (Red/Gold) | Access Key | 4,000 gp | Master access to Security Decks and Command Bridge; can override Police Robots (INT check 11+). |
| 76–80 | Blaster Rifle (Loaded) | Artefact (Weapon) | 5,000 gp | Deals $3\text{d}6+2$ electricity/fire damage in a line; treats target AC as 0 (ignoring armor). |
| 81–85 | Stun Cannon Unit | Vehicle/Mounted Tech | 6,500 gp | Can be mounted to an ACKS II War Wagon or Galley; fires 30' cone (Save vs. Paralysis). |
| 86–90 | Regeneration Nanite Capsule | Consumable | 8,000 gp | Acts as Heal or Regeneration spell; can restore lost limbs or cure incurable diseases instantly. |
| 91–95 | Intact Scout/Police Robot Core | Automaton Core | 10,000 gp | Can be installed into a realm's stronghold defenses or used to animate a custom Golem. |
| 96–99 | Suit of Powered Armor (Damaged) | Artefact (Armor) | 15,000 gp | Grants AC 10 (20), Strength 18(+3), and environment seal; requires nuclear pack to run. |
| 100 | Intact Starship AI Terminal Module | Major Domain Relic | 25,000+ gp | Acts as an Oracle/Library; grants ruler +4 to Domain Research and Machine Lore checks. |
Salvage Rules & Market Integration
Liquidating Tech Scrap: High-tech scrap cannot be sold in standard villages or towns. Finding a buyer requires a Market Class I or II City with specialized Mages, Alchemists, or Dwarven Craftsmen interested in ancient lore.
Failure & Misfire Risks: When testing an unidentified item (d100 roll result 31+), rolling a nat 1 on the INT/Proficiency check triggers an immediate misfire or explosion dealing energy damage proportional to the item's gp value ($1\text{d}6$ per 1,000 gp value).
To seamlessly blend sci-fi salvage into ACKS II (Adventurer Conqueror King System II), you need custom proficiencies and rigorous sub-rules. These mechanics bridge the gap between fantasy adventurers and ancient alien tech while preserving ACKS II's balance regarding domain economics, mortal limits, and item creation.
Custom Proficiencies
Ancient Tech Lore
Class Allocation: Mage, Specialist, Nightblade, Dwarven Craftpriest
Type: General / Knowledge
Effect: You possess esoteric knowledge of the fallen starship's systems, terminology, and symbology.
You gain a +2 bonus on all checks to identify, comprehend, or safely operate sci-fi devices.
You can decipher technical manuals, color-coded security schematics, and terminal logs.
Cyber-Engineering
Class Allocation: Specialist, Dwarven Vaultguard, Craftpriest
Type: Class / Practical
Prerequisite: Engineering
Effect: You understand the mechanical, electrical, and structural principles of high-tech constructs and energy devices.
Allows you to perform Salvage, Repair, and Retrofit operations on sci-fi technology (see sub-rules below).
You can construct or repair Automatons and Robots at half the standard time if sufficient high-tech scrap is provided.
Sub-Rules: Scavenging, Repairing & Retrofitting
[Salvage Phase] ──(Engineering Check)──> [Raw Components & Power Cells]
│
┌───────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┐
▼ ▼
[Repair Operations] [Retrofit & Integration]
(Restores broken/depleted tech) (Adapts tech for fantasy domain)
1. Scavenging & Harvesting Tech Scrap
When characters encounter disabled robots, destroyed security consoles, or ruined ship compartments, characters with Cyber-Engineering or Engineering can spend 1 turn (10 minutes) searching and harvesting scrap.
Base Yield: Roll $1\text{d}6 \times 100\text{ gp}$ worth of High-Tech Scrap per HD of the destroyed robot or per deck level of the room.
Proficiency Test: Make an INT-based Engineering / Cyber-Engineering check (Target: 11+).
Success: Full yield harvested.
Critical Success (Nat 20): Doubled yield, or uncover $1\text{d}4$ intact chemical power cells.
Failure: Standard yield, but 50% is ruined into common scrap (copper/iron value only).
Misfire (Nat 1): Triggers a residual power discharge dealing $1\text{d}6$ electrical or fire damage per HD of the wreckage.
2. Repairing Sci-Fi Technology
Devices recovered from the Barrier Peaks are often depleted, jammed, or damaged. Repairing an item requires a workshop setting (or a field kit with appropriate tools), high-tech scrap components, and time.
Cost: Repairing an item requires spending High-Tech Scrap equal to 25% of the item's total base value.
Check: At the end of the repair period, make a Cyber-Engineering check based on complexity:
| Device Complexity | Example Devices | Proficiency Check Target |
| Low | Scanners, Chemical Batteries, Needler Pistols | 9+ |
| Medium | Laser Pistols, Stun Cannons, Force Fields | 11+ |
| High | Blaster Rifles, Power Armor, Worker Robots | 14+ |
| Artifact / Ship Core | Police Robots, AI Terminals, Main Generators | 18+ |
Misfire Result: If the check fails by 5 or more, the components spent are consumed, and the device permanently breaks (rendered unsalvageable).
3. Retrofitting & Domain Integration
The true power of sci-fi tech in ACKS II lies in adapting it for fantasy troops, strongholds, and warfare. Retrofitting allows characters to mount high-tech weapons on siege towers, wire power cells into domain strongholds, or armor troops with alien alloys.
Mounting Tech to War Engines / Vessels:
Converting a sci-fi heavy weapon (like a Stun Cannon or Laser Emplacement) into a fixed siege mount requires 1 week and 1,000 gp in fitting/bracing materials.
Requirement: Must be supervised by an engineer with Cyber-Engineering.
Arcane Power Cross-Integration:
High-level Mages can substitute high-tech power sources for expensive magical components when crafting magic items or animating constructs.
Conversion Rate: 1 Micro-Fusion Cell (or 10 fully charged Chemical Cells) counts as 2,500 gp toward the magic item creation cost, provided the item involves lightning, fire, force, or construct animation.
Troop Equipment Retrofitting:
Sci-fi armor or weaponry can be issued to elite units in ACKS II Mass Combat. Adapting a suit of Power Armor or alien alloy plating to fit human or dwarven elite champions requires 2 weeks and a successful Cyber-Engineering check (11+). Failure destroys the armor's power interface, reducing it to non-powered plate armor (+8 AC).
In S1: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, the crashed warden starship functions as a mega-dungeon ecology divided into three main active factions: Automated Ship Constructs (Robots), the Fungal Mutation Collective (Vegepygmies), and Unbound Alien Fauna (Escaped Biological Specimens).
For ACKS II, these factions govern wandering monster tables, morale modifiers, and domain-level espionage/clearing operations across the ship's six main decks.
Ship Deck Faction Matrix
| Deck Level | Primary Faction | Secondary Faction | Wildcards / Apex Predators | Dominant Faction Goal |
| Deck 1: Lounge & Gardens | Vegepygmies (Russet Mold Hive) | Worker Robots (Sub-routines active) | Froghemoth, Horrid Plants | Expand fungal spread; harvest organic debris and intruders for spore-incubation. |
| Deck 2: Officers & Crew | Security Robots (Automated Isolation) | Vegepygmy Foragers | Mind Flayer (Isolated Scout) | Contain organic bio-hazards; eliminate unbadged biological entities on sight. |
| Deck 3: Cargo & Maintenance | Maintenance / Worker Constructs | Escaped Alien Fauna | Intellect Devourers, Aurumvorax | Repair hull breaches and reactor conduits; scavenge materials for ship restoration. |
| Deck 4: Security & Prisons | Heavy Combat Robots | Androids / Rogue Constructs | Displacer Beasts, Strangle Weeds | Enforce strict quarantine lockdowns; exterminate unauthorized lifeforms in brig areas. |
| Deck 5: Science & Research | Alien Fauna (Apex Predators) | Rogue Lab Constructs | Mutated Doppelgangers, Ray Cats | Hunt for territory, food, and breeding grounds across broken bio-domes. |
| Deck 6: Command & Engineering | Mainframe Core AI / Defense Grid | Elite Security Droids | Cyborg Security Chief (Undead/Construct) | Preserve ship power systems; repel all external domain incursions and faction expansion. |
Inter-Faction Relationship Table
[ROBOTS / CONSTRUCTS]
/ \
/ \
Hostile / \ Hostile
(Quarantine) (Containment)
/ \
v v
[VEGEPYGMIES / MOLD] <───────> [ALIEN FAUNA]
Predatory
(Territorial)
1. Robots vs. Vegepygmies
Status: Active Extermination / Containment
Dynamic: Security and Worker Robots view Vegepygmies and Russet Mold as an invasive biological contamination hazard.
ACKS II Rule: When Robots encounter Vegepygmies, Robots never check Morale. Vegepygmies will retreat unless led by a Chieftain or if defending a Mold Patch, as fungal spores cannot infect metal construct hulls.
2. Vegepygmies vs. Alien Fauna
Status: Territorial Skirmishing / Predatory
Dynamic: Large alien fauna (such as the Froghemoth, Aurumvorax, and Displacer Beasts) treat Vegepygmies as primary food sources. Vegepygmies use ambush traps, poison needles, and sheer numbers to defend their spore garden territories.
ACKS II Rule: In encounters involving both factions, roll a Reaction Check at -2 for the fauna. On a hostiles result, the fauna attacks the largest biological group (usually the Vegepygmies) before noticing the adventuring party.
3. Robots vs. Alien Fauna
Status: Suppression & Neutralization
Dynamic: Security Robots operate on ancient programming designed to keep specimens locked in Deck 5 bio-domes. Escaped creatures actively crush or destroy smaller Worker Robots that stray into their territory.
ACKS II Rule: Maintenance Robots ignore non-threatening fauna unless attacked. Security Robots prioritize target threat levels based on size: Large/Huge specimens (HD 8+) are targeted with lethal force; smaller specimens with non-lethal stun fire.
Adventurer Interaction & Faction Exploitation
In ACKS II, a party can leverage these diplomatic and ecological tensions to conquer or clear ship decks:
Security Badge Manipulation: Possessing a Yellow or Red Security Card changes a Robot's reaction from Hostile to Neutral/Obedient. Adventurers can lead Security Robots directly into Vegepygmy gardens to let the constructs clear the room for free.
Biowarfare & Spore Traps: Smart parties can lure aggressive Alien Fauna into active Russet Mold patches, relying on the mold to kill or weaken the beast—though this risks creating fungal-zombie variants of dangerous monsters.
Power Grid Sabotage: Cutting power to specific deck sectors disables the Robot defense grid, allowing the Vegepygmy hive to overrun the section—converting an area of hard-hitting ranged laser threats into a swarm of low-AC melee enemies.
