Adapting Lovecraft’s Elder Things (or Old Ones) for a Cepheus Engine (or 2d6 Sci-Fi) campaign turns a cosmic horror story into a fascinating "Xeno-Archaeology" or "First Contact" sandbox. This blog post picks right up from
Elder Things: Lovecraft's Ancient Aliens For Stars Without Number rpg & Cepheus Engine rpg
Since they are essentially biological machines with a star-faring past, they fit perfectly into the "Ancient" trope, but with a more visceral, organic twist.
The Elder Thing Stat Block
In Cepheus Engine terms, these creatures are incredibly hardy, prioritizing physical endurance and high intelligence over social standing.
| Characteristic | Range | Description |
| STR | 12 (+2) | Massive, barrel-shaped bodies with powerful tentacles. |
| DEX | 6 (+0) | Methodical but somewhat clumsy in high gravity. |
| END | 15 (+3) | Amphibious, vacuum-sealed, and biologically immortal. |
| INT | 14 (+2) | Master scientists and engineers. |
| EDU | 16 (+3) | Millions of years of accumulated cultural data. |
| SOC | 0 (-3) | Incomprehensible to most humanoid civilizations. |
Armor: 4 (Leathery, radial hide).
Traits: Flyers (in low-G or vacuum), Amphibious, Vacuum Survival, Biologically Immortal.
Attack: Tentacle lash (2d6) or Tool/Weapon (as per tech level).
City Layout & Architecture
Elder Thing cities aren't built for bipeds. Their architecture is based on five-fold symmetry and decagonal geometry.
Radial Design: Rooms are often circular or pentagonal. There are no stairs—only smooth, inclined ramps or vertical shafts designed for winged flight or tentacle-crawling.
The Bas-Reliefs: Every wall is a data storage device. Detailed, mile-long carvings act as a "History" skill check for players. A successful Edu or Science (History) check can reveal star maps or the location of dangerous "Shoggoth" pits.
Acoustics: Their cities are built to echo their "piping" whistles. Sound travels long distances through specific ventilation shafts.
Colony Types & Locations
1. The Deep-Sea Spires (Aquatic Colonies)
Before they moved to land, the Elder Things built massive undersea metropolises.
Location: Found on Ocean worlds or under the ice of moons like Europa.
Atmosphere: High Pressure / Underwater.
Adventure Hook: The players’ submersible is pulled into a magnetic docking bay of a city that has been silent for three million years—but the lights are still on.
2. The Barren High-Plateaus (Atmospheric Colonies)
Like the city in At the Mountains of Madness, these are built on the highest, most inhospitable peaks of a planet.
Purpose: Usually astronomical observation or launch sites.
Key Feature: Massive "Cylindrical Towers" that reach into the upper atmosphere.
Danger: If the Elder Things are gone, their "Shoggoth" slaves—now feral—might still be lurking in the sub-levels.
3. The Dyson-Husk (Spaceborne Colonies)
In a Cepheus Engine high-tech setting, the Elder Things may have carved cities directly into asteroids or "rogue planets."
Environment: No atmosphere, zero gravity.
Technology: They don't use electronics; they use Biological Engineering. Their "computers" are specialized brain-molds, and their "ships" are genetically modified space-faring organisms.
Technology: Bio-Engineering
The Elder Things don't manufacture; they grow.
The Shoggoth: (The ultimate hazard). In Cepheus Engine, treat a Shoggoth as a Vehicle-scale creature with the Amorphous trait. It is nearly immune to non-energy weapons.
Cyst-Torches: Bioluminescent organisms that provide light.
Memetic Records: Instead of data pads, they use crystalline structures that vibrate when touched, projecting images directly into the mind (requires a SOC or PSY check to avoid a headache).
Integrating into your Campaign
If your players find an Elder Thing colony, don't treat it like a dungeon crawl. Treat it like a tomb of a superior mind.
Note: The Elder Things aren't "evil." They are scientists. If the players encounter a living one, it might treat them as interesting biological specimens to be dissected rather than enemies to be fought.
To populate an Elder Thing city in Cepheus Engine, remember that these spaces are multi-dimensional. Ceilings are just "upper walls," and the decor is a mix of high-tech lab and fossilized museum.
Roll 1d100 (or 2d10) to determine what the Travellers stumble into:
Elder Thing Room Contents (d100)
| Roll | Room Type | Description & Features |
| 01-10 | The Hall of Records | Walls covered in recursive, 5-fold bas-reliefs. A Science (History) check reveals the rise and fall of a star system. |
| 11-15 | Biological Vat Room | Massive stone cylinders filled with stagnant, nutrient-rich "primordial soup." May contain a dormant or malformed Shoggoth-embryo. |
| 16-20 | Acoustic Auditorium | A massive, funnel-shaped room designed to amplify "piping" voices. Sounds from elsewhere in the city are perfectly audible here. |
| 21-25 | Dissection Theater | Stone slabs with grooves for fluid drainage. Might contain the perfectly preserved (or taxidermied) carcass of a local alien species. |
| 26-30 | Navigation Spire | A room with a transparent, ultra-hard resin ceiling. A holographic "Star Map" made of glowing spores activates if touched. |
| 31-35 | Hibernation Crypt | Rows of star-shaped niches. There is a 5% chance an Elder Thing is inside in a state of suspended animation. |
| 36-40 | The Waste Recycler | A dark pit filled with a specialized, acidic sludge. It is actually a mindless, proto-Shoggoth designed to eat trash. |
| 41-45 | Botanical Conservatory | Glowing, bioluminescent fungi and crystalline "plants" that have survived for millennia on geothermal heat. |
| 46-50 | Equipment Cache | Contains strange, five-handled tools. Treat as TL 15 scientific gear, though bipedal use incurs a -2 DM. |
| 51-55 | The "Window" Room | A room with no exits, only accessible via flight shafts. Features a massive "telescope" that uses gravity-bending lenses. |
| 56-60 | Hydroponic Trenches | Salt-water channels once used for farming aquatic life. Now filled with toxic mineral deposits or blind cave-fish. |
| 61-65 | Memetic Archive | Shelves of vibrating crystals. Touching one requires a Psychology check; failure causes 1d6 Stun damage from sensory overload. |
| 66-70 | Transit Hub | A vertical shaft with magnetic rails. If the power is restored, a stone "elevator" pod may still function. |
| 71-75 | Chemical Laboratory | Rows of glass-like jars containing pressurized gases or rare isotopes. Some may be pressurized and explosive (3d6 dmg). |
| 76-80 | The Mural of War | A specific room detailing the Elder Things' brutal war against the "Star-Spawn." Sanity-shaking to view. |
| 81-85 | Gravity Anchor | A humming, basalt pillar that maintains local gravity. If damaged, the room (or section) enters Zero-G. |
| 86-90 | Domestic Quarters | Lacking furniture as we know it; instead, there are indentations for wing-folding and "hooks" for sleeping. |
| 91-95 | The Shoggoth Kennel | A reinforced room with heavy, iris-style stone doors. The interior is covered in a black, oily residue. Smells of musk and decay. |
| 96-00 | The Throne of Logic | A central command dais. Provides a +4 DM to any Computer or Science checks regarding the city's systems if successfully interfaced. |
A Quick Note on "Loot"
Elder Thing technology is biological and mechanical, not electronic. Travellers won't find "credits" or "hard drives." Instead, they might find:
The Pipe-Flute: A tool that mimics Elder Thing vocalizations, allowing limited control of ancient machinery.
The Living Lens: A handheld organism that acts as a 100x microscope and thermal imager.
The Star-Map Cube: A heavy stone cube that, when vibrated, projects the location of other colonies in the sub-sector.
In the Cepheus Engine, a Shoggoth isn't just a monster; it’s a biological industrial accident. They were engineered by the Elder Things as "all-purpose" construction tools—shapeless masses of protoplasm capable of mimicking any tool or organ—that eventually gained a terrifying, hive-mind sentience.
The Shoggoth (Biological Automaton)
In combat, a Shoggoth is a "boss-level" encounter. It doesn't have a front or back, and it doesn't "die" from conventional trauma.
| Characteristic | Score | Modifier |
| STR | 30 | +8 |
| DEX | 6 | +0 |
| END | 40 | +10 |
| INT | 4 | -2 |
| INST | 12 | +2 |
| PACK | 0 | - |
Armor: 10 (Amorphous Resilience).
Movement: 6m (Slither/Climb/Swim).
Weight: 10–50 Tons (Variable).
Special Traits
Amorphous: A Shoggoth has no vital organs. It ignores the first 10 points of damage from any non-energy weapon (bullets, blades, etc.). It can squeeze through any opening larger than a human head.
Reactive Evolution: As a Minor Action, the Shoggoth can sprout 1d6 eyes, mouths, or tentacles. It can mimic the sound of any creature it has heard (usually the "Tekeli-li!" piping of its former masters).
Engulf (Attack): Instead of a standard strike, the Shoggoth can attempt to move into a human-sized target's space.
The target must make a DEX check. Failure means they are pulled into the mass. Inside the Mass: The victim takes 3d6 damage per round from crushing pressure and digestive enzymes. Escaping requires a STR check at -4 DM.
Vulnerabilities
While nearly immune to physical trauma, Shoggoths are susceptible to "high-energy" interference that disrupts their cellular cohesion:
Thermal/Plasma Weapons: These ignore its Armor rating.
Sonic Weaponry: If a Traveller uses a sonic stunner or industrial resonator, the Shoggoth must make an END check or be stunned for 1d6 rounds as its protoplasm liquefies.
Chemical Defoliants: Since they are biological, high-concentrate acids or herbicides deal double damage.
The "Tekeli-li" Effect (Psionic Hazard)
The sound of a Shoggoth is a psychic "stain." Any Traveller who hears the piping shrieks of a Shoggoth in a confined space must make a Difficulty (8+) PSY or END check.
Failure: The Traveller is Shaken (-2 to all rolls) for 1d6 x 10 minutes due to the unnatural resonance vibrating in their bone marrow.
Shoggoth Variants for your Sector
| Type | Adaptation |
| The Void-Slick | Adapted for vacuum; looks like a patch of sentient oil on an asteroid. Deals cold damage. |
| The Hive-Mind | A Shoggoth that has consumed a high-INT computer or scientist. It can operate technology and set traps. |
| The Feral Tool | Found in ruins; it takes the shape of a massive, biological "crane" or "drill" even when attacking. |
How to Run the Shoggoth
In Cepheus Engine, combat is deadly.
Phase 1: The players hear the piping echoes in the vents.
Phase 2: They find "scuff marks" where the stone has been polished clean by a massive, acidic weight.
Phase 3: The Shoggoth appears, filling an entire hallway.
Pro-Tip: If the Travellers have a vehicle or a ship, the Shoggoth will attempt to "clog" the engines or wrap itself around the hull to crush it.
In Cepheus Engine (and many 2d6 sci-fi systems), witnesssing something that defies biological logic—like a mountain of sentient, iridescent protoplasm—should have a mechanical impact beyond physical damage.
When a Traveller first encounters a Shoggoth or spends significant time in an Elder Thing "Meat-Lab," have them roll a Mental Save: 2d6 + END or INT (whichever is higher) against a Difficulty of 8+.
The Shoggoth Stress/Sanity Table (2d6)
If the Traveller fails the save, roll 2d6 and add the amount by which they failed (the "Effect" as a positive number) to determine the psychological fallout:
| Roll (2d6 + Effect) | Result | Mechanical Effect |
| 2-5 | Primal Revulsion | The Traveller is Shaken. -1 DM to all actions for 1d6 rounds. |
| 6-8 | Vestibular Distortion | The shifting geometry of the creature causes vertigo. All movement is halved; -2 DM to all Ranged attacks. |
| 9-10 | Hysterical Blindness | The brain refuses to process the image. The Traveller is effectively Blind for 1d6 minutes. |
| 11-12 | "Tekeli-li" Mimicry | The Traveller begins compulsively whispering the creature's piping cries. -4 DM to Stealth and Social checks for 1d6 hours. |
| 13-14 | Catatonic Freeze | Total nervous system shutdown. The Traveller cannot move or act for 1d6 rounds (or until physically struck). |
| 15+ | Biological Dysmorphia | The Traveller becomes convinced their own limbs are alien. Permanent -1 INT or -1 EDU until specialized psychiatric TL 12+ medical care is received. |
Recovering from the Trauma
The Elder Things’ legacy isn't just physical; it’s a "cognitive hazard."
Short-term: A successful Medic check or a dose of Anxiety Suppressants (TL 9+) can clear effects rated 2-10.
Long-term: Spending a week of "Down Time" in a high-tech (TL 12+) medical facility or a natural, earth-like environment allows a Traveller to attempt a new check to clear permanent stat losses.
Environmental Stress Modifiers
Apply these DMs to the initial Mental Save to reflect the horror of the situation:
In a well-lit lab: +2 DM (It’s just a specimen).
In total darkness/using flares: -2 DM (The shadows are moving).
Watching a crewmate get "Engulfed": -4 DM (The horror is personal).
The Shoggoth is speaking in a dead friend’s voice: -6 DM (The horror is intelligent).
Refining the Encounter:
Keep the Shoggoth "off-camera" as long as possible. Use the Acoustic Auditorium (from the Room Table) to let the players hear the Tekeli-li sounds miles before they see the source.
In the Cepheus Engine, finding Elder Thing artifacts is the ultimate "High Risk, High Reward" play. Most of these items are TL 15+ Organic Technology—they aren't made of circuits and plastic, but sculpted protein, crystalline lattices, and gravity-warping geometry.
Selling these items to a MegaCorp or a University is lucrative, but remember: carrying them might be illegal (or dangerous).
Elder Thing Salvage Table (d100)
| Roll | Artifact Name | Description | Base Value (Cr) | Market Demand |
| 01-10 | Vitreous Data-Shard | A green, glass-like spike containing 500TB of star-charts. | 5,000 | High (Naval/Scout) |
| 11-20 | Bioluminescent "Cold-Light" | A handheld organism that provides light for 10,000 years. | 2,500 | Medium (Collectors) |
| 21-30 | Five-Fold Surgical Kit | Organic scalpels that never dull; grants +2 DM to Medic. | 15,000 | High (Medical) |
| 31-40 | Resonance Pipe-Flute | A musical tool used to "program" Shoggoths. | 25,000 | Very High (Xeno-Labs) |
| 41-50 | Gravitic Stabilizer Sphere | A heavy basalt ball that creates a 3m "Static-G" field. | 50,000 | High (Engineering) |
| 51-60 | Crystalline Neural Bridge | A headset that allows telepathic link with xeno-tech. | 85,000 | Risky (Black Market) |
| 61-70 | Preserved Shoggoth-Tissue | A sealed canister of dormant protoplasm. Extremely Dangerous. | 120,000 | Illegal (Research) |
| 71-80 | Star-Spawn "Trophy" | A preserved claw/organ from their ancient enemies. | 40,000 | Medium (Museums) |
| 81-90 | Atmospheric Condenser | A small device that generates breathable O2 from any gas. | 200,000 | Very High (Colonial) |
| 91-98 | Elder Thing "Brain-Jar" | A life-support canister containing a preserved ET mind. | 750,000 | Extreme (Megacorps) |
| 99-00 | The Star-Stone Map | A master-key to a Dyson Husk or hidden Star-Gate. | 2,500,000+ | System-Changing |
The "Appraisal" Challenge
In Cepheus Engine, you don't just know what this stuff is. Selling it requires effort:
Identification: Requires a Science (Xenology) or Broker check (Difficulty 10+). Failure means you undervalue it (sell for 25%).
Transport: Many items are radioactive, psycho-active, or fragile. Roll 1d6 for every week of travel. On a 1, the item "activates" or degrades, causing a shipboard emergency.
The "Finders Fee" Trap: If the Travellers try to sell a Brain-Jar or Shoggoth-Tissue at a standard starport, they might trigger a Law Level check. If they fail, the local government seizes the "hazardous biological material" without compensation.
Modified Sale Price (2d6 + Broker/Persuasion)
When the Travellers find a buyer (MegaCorp, Rogue Scientist, or the Imperial Museum), roll on the following table to see the final offer:
2-5: "It’s a paperweight." (10% of Base Value)
6-8: "Standard archaeological find." (50% of Base Value)
9-11: "A breakthrough in our field!" (100% of Base Value)
12+: "A bidding war has started!" (200% of Base Value + 1 Friend in the scientific community)
Plot Hook: The "Warranty"
One of the items the players sold (Roll 1d10 on the Salvage Table) wasn't actually dead/inert. Two weeks after the sale, the buyers stop answering their comms, and a "Biological Hazard" alert is issued for the station.
Adapting the Mi-Go (The Fungi from Yuggoth) for the Cepheus Engine shifts the tone from the grounded, ancient ruins of the Elder Things to a high-tech, paranoid interstellar cold war.
While the Elder Things are biological "ancients," the Mi-Go are extra-dimensional industrialists and miners.
The Mi-Go Stat Block
Mi-Go are fungoid/crustacean hybrids.
| Characteristic | Score | Modifier |
| STR | 8 | +0 |
| DEX | 12 | +2 |
| END | 10 | +0 |
| INT | 15 | +2 |
| EDU | 14 | +2 |
| SOC | 0 | -3 |
Armor: 2 (Resilient fungal chitin).
Movement: 6m (Walk), 12m (Fly—even in vacuum via etheric wings).
Traits: Vacuum Survival, Radiation Immunity, Trans-Dimensional (Cannot be photographed or recorded by standard TL 7-11 digital sensors; they appear as blurry smudges).
Attack: Pincers (2d6) or Electric Projector (3d6, treats Armor as 2 points lower).
Mi-Go Colonies: The Mining Outposts
Mi-Go don't build "cities" for comfort. Their colonies are utilitarian extractive refineries located in places humans cannot easily reach.
1. The Oort-Cloud Hives (Deep Space)
Hidden inside hollowed-out comets on the freezing edge of a star system.
Environment: Vacuum, Low-G, Cryogenic.
Layout: A labyrinth of pitch-black tunnels coated in a sticky, resinous fungus.
The "Brain Farm": A specific wing containing hundreds of Cylindrical Brain Jars. These are the Mi-Go’s "databases"—living sentient minds (human and alien) kept alive to provide local data or entertainment.
2. The Gas Giant Refineries
Floating platforms suspended in the crushing high-pressure layers of a gas giant.
Purpose: Extracting rare isotopes and "heavy water."
Defenses: Powerful electromagnetic dampeners that make ship sensors go haywire within 1,000km.
Adventure Hook: A corporate "Gas Miner" ship goes missing. The players find it docked at a Mi-Go platform, the crew still alive but their brains removed for "inventory."
3. The "Black Mountain" Mines (Terrestrial)
Small, secretive outposts on habitable worlds, usually inside dormant volcanoes or remote peaks.
Cover: They use human collaborators. A local cult or a desperate mining corp provides "security" (and test subjects) in exchange for Mi-Go technology.
Mi-Go Technology (TL 16+)
Mi-Go tech is terrifying because it bridges the gap between surgical horror and advanced physics.
| Item | Effect |
| The Brain Jar | A metallic cylinder that keeps a brain alive indefinitely. Can be plugged into "Speech" or "Vision" modules. |
| Bio-Armor | A living suit that heals 1 hit point per round but requires the wearer to eat double rations to feed the suit. |
| Mist-Projector | A weapon that fires a cloud of freezing, sub-zero vapor. (3d6 Cold Damage, ignores physical Armor). |
| The Long-Range Gate | A trans-dimensional portal. Traveling through it requires an END check to avoid 2d6 permanent STR loss from molecular stress. |
Mi-Go "Diplomacy"
The Mi-Go rarely fight fair. If a Traveller crew becomes a nuisance, the Mi-Go won't glass the planet; they will:
Abduct the ship’s Pilot.
Replace the Pilot’s brain with a Mi-Go operative's mind.
Send the ship back to a Starport to sabotage the local government from within.
Random Mi-Go Outpost Discovery (d10)
What do the Travellers find in a Mi-Go mining tunnel?
1d6 Brain Jars (One is screaming via a speaker).
A pile of "discarded" biological parts (Human, Aslan, K'kree).
A cache of "Strange Matter" (High value, highly radioactive).
A Mi-Go "Surgeon" mid-operation on a local wildlife specimen.
A recording device that plays back the Travellers' own private conversations from the last 24 hours.
A map of the sector, but with several stars "crossed out" (Targeted for extraction).
A bio-mechanical "Drone" (Treat as a small, flying Shoggoth).
A sensory-deprivation chamber used for "interrogating" human minds.
A shipment of TL 15 medical drugs (Cures any disease, 20% chance of mutation).
A Mi-Go Elder who is willing to trade—for the "loan" of one of the player's memories.
Mi-Go technology in the Cepheus Engine is a unsettling blend of TL 15+ biotechnology, crystalline computation, and extra-dimensional physics. Unlike the Elder Things, who built for permanence, Mi-Go tools are often modular, portable, and terrifyingly efficient.
To a human scientist, these items don't look like machines; they look like metallic fungi, porous carapaces, or humming geodes.
Mi-Go Artifact Table (d100)
| Roll | Artifact Name | Description & Mechanical Effect | Base Value (Cr) |
| 01-10 | Bio-Luminescent Spore Case | A small, pulsing pod. When squeezed, it releases spores that illuminate a 20m radius for 24 hours. | 500 |
| 11-15 | Vibration-Dampening Resin | A canister of gray goo. When applied to a surface (boots, gears), it grants +4 DM to Stealth for 1 hour. | 4,000 |
| 16-20 | The Electric Projector | A weapon shaped like a crustacean limb. Damage: 3d6 (Stun). Ignores cloth/leather armor. | 25,000 |
| 21-25 | Cerebral Interface Patch | A wet, parasitic patch. Allows a Traveller to "think" at a computer. +2 DM to Computer checks, but deal 1 point of INT damage per use. | 15,000 |
| 26-30 | Vacuum-Wings (Chitinous) | Biological membranes that allow flight in Zero-G or Vacuum via etheric propulsion. | 35,000 |
| 31-35 | The Mist-Projector | A heavy, twin-tubed weapon. Fires a cloud of sub-zero vapor. Damage: 4d6 (Cold). Area effect. | 50,000 |
| 36-40 | Crystalline Recording Cylinder | Captures 4D sensory data. To humans, it looks like a glowing opal. Requires a Mi-Go reader to play. | 8,000 |
| 41-45 | Empty Brain Jar (Standard) | A metallic cylinder with life-support hooks. Highly sought after by unethical medical corps. | 120,000 |
| 46-50 | Bio-Regenerative Ointment | A jar of smelling salts and fungus. Heals 2d6 damage instantly, but causes a permanent "fungal scar." | 10,000 |
| 51-55 | Dimensional Compass | A floating, multi-faceted jewel that points toward the nearest "Thin Spot" in reality or Jump-Point. | 90,000 |
| 56-60 | Surgical "Tick" | A tiny, multi-legged robot. It can perform any surgery perfectly (Medic-4), but there is a 10% chance it "tags" the patient for abduction later. | 65,000 |
| 61-65 | The Harmonic Resonator | A handheld device that vibrates stone until it shatters. Ignores 10 points of Structure on buildings/tunnels. | 110,000 |
| 66-70 | Etheric Comm-Link | Allows FTL communication across a single system. It "whispers" directly into the user’s auditory nerve. | 200,000 |
| 71-75 | Gravity-Null Anchor | A 1kg device that, when activated, becomes immovable in space. Can hold up to 50 tons. | 150,000 |
| 76-80 | The Living Map | A jar of sentient mold that grows into a perfect 3D replica of the surrounding 5km of terrain. | 45,000 |
| 81-85 | Radiation-Eater Spores | A canister that, when opened, clears a room of high-level radiation in 1 turn. The spores then die. | 30,000 |
| 86-90 | The Neural Scrambler | A defensive "grenade." Any creature within 10m must make an INT save or be confused/violent for 1d6 rounds. | 40,000 |
| 91-95 | Occupied Brain Jar | Contains a sentient mind (Roll 1d6: 1-2 Human, 3-4 Alien, 5-6 Mi-Go). Highly illegal. | 500,000+ |
| 96-99 | Yuggothian Plutonium | A strange, glowing isotope used in Mi-Go "Gates." Worth a fortune to a Power Plant engineer. | 1,000,000 |
| 00 | The Gate-Key | A pulsating, black stone that opens a wormhole to a Mi-Go colony world (Yuggoth). | Priceless |
The "Alien Tech" Penalty
Mi-Go items are designed for creatures with pincers and electromagnetic sensors.
Usage: Unless a Traveller has the Science (Xenology) or Jack-of-all-Trades skill, they suffer a -4 DM when trying to activate or use Mi-Go tech.
Malfunction: On a Natural 2 during a check to use an artifact, the device "misfires." The user takes 1d6 damage as the device attempts to "sample" their DNA or interface with their nervous system.
The "Black Market" Complication
Selling Mi-Go gear is significantly harder than selling Elder Thing relics.
Corporate Interest: Any sale of a Brain Jar or Gate-Key will immediately alert a Megacorp like Sternmetal or SuSAG. They won't just buy it—they might send a "Recovery Team" to take it and eliminate the witnesses.
Tracking: Mi-Go tech often emits a "ping" on a frequency humans can't hear. Roll 2d6 every jump; on a 12, a Mi-Go scout ship (or a "Controlled" human ship) finds the Travellers to reclaim their property.
In the Cepheus Engine, a Mi-Go collaborator isn't usually a wild-eyed cultist; they are often someone terrifyingly practical—a terminal patient, a disgraced scientist, or a corporate executive who views "humanity" as a temporary, flawed state.
Meet Director Aris Thorne, a perfect antagonist or morally grey patron for your campaign.
NPC: Director Aris Thorne
Title: Regional Liaison for "The Fungi from Yuggoth" (and former CEO of Thorne Bio-Aeronautics)
Thorne is a man in his late 60s who looks suspiciously healthy. He wears high-collared, expensive suits to hide the surgical scarring around his spine and brain stem. He speaks with a slight, buzzing monotone—a side effect of the Mi-Go vocal resonators implanted in his throat.
Thorne's Stats (Cepheus Engine)
| STR | DEX | END | INT | EDU | SOC |
| 6 (-1) | 9 (+1) | 10 (+0) | 13 (+2) | 12 (+2) | 11 (+1) |
Skills: Admin-3, Broker-2, Computers-2, Science (Xenology)-2, Deception-3, Medic-1.
Augmentations:
Mi-Go Comm-Link: Can "hear" radio waves and Mi-Go vibration-speech.
Synthetic Dermal Weave: Armor 2 (hidden under skin).
Cerebral Insurance: If Thorne is killed, a "extraction drone" will attempt to recover his head within 1d6 minutes to place his brain in a jar.
Thorne’s Motivation: The Great Trade
Thorne doesn't worship the Mi-Go. He has struck a bargain:
His Role: He manages the "human interface" for Mi-Go mining operations. He uses his corporate shell company to buy mining rights, hush up local disappearances, and provide "raw biological materials" (political dissidents or the homeless) for Mi-Go labs.
His Reward: The Mi-Go have promised him a "Permanent Voyage." When his current body fails, they will put his brain into a TL 15 Life-Support Cylinder and take him to see the wonders of the Crab Nebula. To him, this is the ultimate retirement plan.
Ways to Introduce Thorne
1. The Shady Patron
Thorne hires the Travellers to "recover a stolen shipment of medical isotopes" from a rival corp. In reality, the isotopes are Yuggothian Plutonium, and the "rival corp" is actually a group of Sector Rangers who realized what Thorne was up to.
2. The "Fixer"
If the Travellers find a Mi-Go artifact and try to sell it, Thorne is the only buyer with enough credits. He meets them in a high-end lounge on a High-Tech station. He is polite, professional, and warns them: "My associates are very protective of their property. You would be wise to take my offer before they come to collect it themselves."
3. The Reveal
During a raid on a Mi-Go mining outpost, the players find a luxury living suite in the middle of the fungal tunnels. They find Thorne there, casually sipping 50-year-old scotch, watching the "monsters" work through a viewing portal. He isn't a prisoner—he’s the Manager.
Thorne’s "Bodyguards"
Thorne rarely travels alone. He is usually accompanied by 2-4 "Socially Reconstructed" humans.
The Reconstructed: These are humans who have undergone Mi-Go neurosurgery. They are calm, fearless, and have a +2 DM to all combat checks, but they lack any personality. They obey Thorne (and the Mi-Go) without question.
Adventure Seed: The Extraction
Thorne contacts the players because a Mi-Go "Research Lead" (a Brain Jar) was stolen by a group of space pirates. He needs the players to get the jar back without opening it.
The Twist: The brain inside the jar is Thorne’s daughter. She didn't want the "Permanent Voyage," but Thorne "saved" her anyway. She is currently using her psychic interface to beg the players to kill her.
In the Cepheus Engine, the Mi-Go are the ultimate tempters for the desperate and the ambitious. They don't offer "magic"; they offer high-tier technology and biological immortality, things every Traveller and Scout has dreamed of at 3:00 AM in the dark of a jump-space void.
When your players interrogate a collaborator or find a terminal log, roll 1d100 to see how they justify their betrayal of humanity.
The Collaborator’s Excuse Table (d100)
| Roll | The Excuse | The Twisted Logic |
| 01-10 | The Terminal Patient | "The Med-Sloanes said I had three months. The Fungi gave me three thousand years. Who cares if I don't have a pulse?" |
| 11-15 | The Scientific Purest | "Human science is a cave painting. They showed me the 11th dimension. I’d kill every man in this sector just to see it again." |
| 16-20 | The Ecological Zealot | "Humans are a virus on the ecosystem. The Mi-Go are just... harvesting the excess. I'm helping the galaxy 'prune' itself." |
| 21-25 | The Debt-Ridden | "Do you know how many Credits I owed the Tukera family? One brain-jar shipment and my debt was 'deleted' from every bank in the Imperium." |
| 26-30 | The Grieving Parent | "My son died in the Frontier Wars. They... they let me talk to him. He’s in a cylinder now. He sounds happy. He needs more 'fuel' to stay awake." |
| 31-35 | The Malthusian Prophet | "A Great Filter is coming. The Mi-Go are the only ones with a life-boat. I’m just securing my seat." |
| 36-40 | The Coward’s Peace | "Resistance is statistically impossible. I’m making their occupation 'orderly' to prevent unnecessary bloodshed." |
| 41-45 | The Neuro-Addict | "They touched my brain with a probe. I felt... everything. Normal life is a gray fog now. I’ll do anything for another 'session'." |
| 46-50 | The Corporate Ladder | "Thorne Bio-Aeronautics was failing. Now we have 90% market share in synthetic organs. Don't ask where the 'prototypes' come from." |
| 51-55 | The Xenophile | "Humanity is so... boring. Crude. Bipedal. The Mi-Go are art. I just want to be part of the masterpiece." |
| 56-60 | The Political Puppet | "With their 'whispering technology,' I can win any election. I’m the Governor now. I just have to let them mine the asteroid belt." |
| 61-65 | The Transhumanist | "The flesh is a prison of calcium and meat. The Mi-Go offer the ultimate liberation: pure consciousness in a durable alloy shell." |
| 66-70 | The Accidental Traitor | "I didn't know what they were! I thought they were just weird miners! By the time I saw the Brain Jars, I was already an accomplice." |
| 71-75 | The Spiteful Underdog | "This planet treated me like dirt for forty years. Now, I’m the one holding the Mist-Projector. Let them scream." |
| 76-80 | The Religious Convert | "They aren't aliens. They are the Angels of the Outer Dark. Our scriptures were just... mistranslated." |
| 81-85 | The Genetic Archivist | "Our DNA is degrading. The Mi-Go are 'saving' our genetic sequences before we blow ourselves up in another war." |
| 86-90 | The Bored Aristocrat | "I’ve seen every pleasure the Core Worlds have to offer. Inter-dimensional travel is the only thing that makes me feel alive." |
| 91-95 | The Hostage | "They have my entire colony’s brains in a locker. If I stop providing 'volunteers,' they’ll crush the jars." |
| 96-99 | The Nihilist | "Nothing matters. The universe is cold and indifferent. Why not help the biggest monsters on the block?" |
| 00 | The Truth-Seeker | "They promised to show me what’s behind the 'Black Hole' at the center of the galaxy. I just had to sign over my soul." |
The "Collaborator" Gameplay Mechanic
In Cepheus Engine, social interactions can be just as deadly as combat. If a Traveller tries to "de-program" or persuade a collaborator to turn against the Mi-Go:
The Check: Difficulty (10+) Persuasion or Psychology.
The Penalty: If the collaborator has a Mi-Go Neuro-Link (common in 40% of cases), they suffer a Cerebral Feedback if they try to betray their masters. They take 2d6 damage and must make an END check to avoid a seizure.
The Reward: If successful, the collaborator can provide +4 DM to finding a hidden Mi-Go outpost or the "Passcode" to bypass automated Mist-Turrets.
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