Humanoids
Rakasta: Simbasta live in the Arypt, Caracasta, Servasta, Pardasta and Ocelotl are also found on Davania. Cloud Pardasta are found in the Empire of Tangor.
Pachydermion: One of the largest Stone Cities of the Pachyderminons is found on Davania.
Hyena-men: Another name for Gnolls
Zebrataurs (described in the Arica fan articles)
Minotaur, Wildebeest: It is unknown whether these humanoids are actually related to Minotaurs, but they are somewhat similar in appearance.
Dryad, Omilayo: These creatures resemble beautiful Tanagoro women.
Athach, davanian: This is a dark skinned three armed giant. They often dress in lion skins and wield brutal looking clubs.
Treant, Baobab: These tall Savannah Trees are intelligent creatures related to Treants.
The Oard
Oard Infiltrators and Bioengineered Monsters
by Rodger Burns Oard InfiltratorArmour Class: 0 (or 9 – see below)
Hit Dice: 6+3****
Move: 120’ (40’), fly 60’ (20’)
Attacks: Variable (see below)
Damage: By weapon (see below)
No. Appearing: 2d4 (1d4+1)
Save As: Dwarf 10
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: Special (see below)
Intelligence: 14-18
Alignment: Lawful
XP Value: 1550
Infiltrators are the most common type of oard to appear on Mystara, and the closest in appearance to natural humanity. They are slightly under six feet in height, and appear slight and wiry but have a mass of more than five hundred pounds due to the density of the machinery and circuitry placed within their bodies. Of all the oard types, they will try hardest to ‘appear’ human, but do so only poorly, adopting bizarre facsimiles of expression or posture and committing frequent faux pas when with humans.
Like all oards, infiltrators are immune to ESP and charm spells, and receive a +4 bonus to saves against hold, confusion and feeblemind effects and all illusions. An infiltrator can use its connection to eschaon to ‘unstick’ itself from the normal flow of space-time for short periods, leaving it unable to take any offensive action for 1 round but negating any and all attacks and spell effects that might normally target it. This ability can be used but three times per day.
Oard infiltrators also possess access to certain advanced technology, as follows. These items can generally only be used by oards, though a wish spell might allow 1-4 uses of a single device.
- Protection Belt: This device improves the wearer’s AC to 0, and provides the benefit of protection from normal missiles, resist fire, and resist cold. It also allows use of levitation for a period of 6 turns per day.
- Ray Glove: This weapon fires blasts of energy similar to magic missiles, allowing three attacks per round dealing 1d6+1 damage each. Each blast must roll to hit versus a target of AC 9 – Dexterity and magical bonuses improve this value, but normal armour does not.
- Concussion Gem: This odd metal egg can be thrown up to 240’, exploding on contact to inflict 4d6 fire damage and 4d6 damage from metal shrapnel. Targets can save vs. Dragon Breath for half damage. The gem is destroyed after one use.
- Antimagic Coil: This device looks like an odd crystalline cylinder some 2’ high and 6” in diameter, and requires one full round to set up in a stationary position and activate. The round after it activates, the coil emits a dispel magic effect (as a 15th-level caster) with a range of 20’, and for the next 2d4 rounds has a 50% chance to suppress any other magical effect coming within 20’. It can be disabled if 20 points of damage are inflicted upon it, but if recovered intact can be sold as jewellery for a value of 2,000 gp.
- Image Amulet: This disguises the oard’s appearance, voice and equipment to appear as that of another humanoid creature. Specific individuals can be mimicked, but only if the target can be studied carefully for at least 24 hours beforehand, and even after this is accomplished individuals familiar with the target can realise the deception with a successful Intelligence check. Physical contact, or an attack made by the oard, will nullify the disguise effect.
- Transport Beacon: This is a small cube of bronze like metal and ceramic, about 3” on a side. It can be placed in an area, hidden in a human’s belongings, or thrown through the air, and allows the oards to use eschaon to teleport to the beacon’s location, bypassing all normal barriers and defences against such magic. This is only good for arrival, though, not departure - the latter generally requires use of large, bulky and fragile equipment, not found outside oard outposts.
- Speech Bracelet: This is a two-way communication device, with a range of 50 miles.
Bioengineered Monstrosity
Armour Class: Per creature –4 or 0
Hit Dice: Per creature
Move: Per creature
Attacks: Per creature +1
Damage: Per creature
No. Appearing: 1d6 (1d4)
Save As: See text
Morale: 11
Treasure Type: Nil
Intelligence: 2
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: Per creature + 1 asterisk
These creatures are animals or monsters native to Mystara but captured and enhanced by the oards. They can be used as guard animals, scouts, or most often assassins.
An oard-bioengineered monstrosity looks much like the original stock creature, but is always recognizably changed – its coloration muted into a dull, ominous grey, its body and musculature marred with odd lumpy protrusions buried beneath the skin, and any spark of intelligence replaced with a low animal cunning and bloodlust. No matter the intellectual level of the original creature, a bioengineered monstrosity will be only barely beyond animal intelligence, able to understand only simple commands and unable to speak, use spells or appreciate tactics beyond the most basic of frontal assaults.
The process of making a bioengineered creature offers many improvements. The creature’s AC is improved to 0, or by 4 points if the creature was originally AC 4 or better; the creature also gains one additional attack per combat round, at the best damage capability available (a creature that could claw/claw/bite for 1d4/1d4/1d6 damage would gain a second bite attack, also for 1d6 damage) and becomes immune to sleep and hold effects (though it can still be charmed). However, the creature’s saves are often reduced – the creature saves as a Fighter of a level equal to half its hit dice only. Also, any spellcasting ability, energy drain or breath weapon attacks the creature once possessed are lost. Normal and giant animals, magical beasts, monsters and lowlifes are most often turned into bioengineered monstrosities – humanoids, planar monsters and dragon-kin receive this treatment only rarely, and undead and constructs cannot be bioengineered at all.
Commentary: Making up new oard stats makes the adventure more accessible to players without access to CM6 or the Creature Crucible. It also lets me make up new toys to surprise those who've already played the original module and think they know all the surprises already.
Bioengineered monsters, meanwhile, are an excuse to throw weird and bizarre stuff at the PCs, often with a powerup attached.
Up Next: I try to actually use some of this stuff in an adventure write-up, titled 'Forestkiller'.
Meks
Meks
by Cab Mek: OpabiniaAC: -4
HD: 14**
Mv (swimming): 120' (40')
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d8x10 + stunning shock
No. Appearing: 1 (1)
Sage as: F36
Treasure Type: Special
Intelligence: Not rateable
Alignment: Lawful (with master) or Chaotic (without)
XP value: 3500
(for images see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opabinia )
While the standard (or Hallucigenia) type mek is the standard amphibious model for combat and transport, many others were constructed over the years. The first, and perhaps most common in the early era was the submersible, ocean going opabinia model.
Being upwards of 20' long and around 6' high, with a flattened, streamlined segmented shape, and a 'v' shaped tail, the opabinia mek can either operate independently or as a means of transport for many hallucigenia. A long (10') proboscis with a small but powerful claw extends from the metal body, and can grasp at any creature in an arc in front of the mek. If an attack hits, the target must make a saving throw vs. paralysis or be trapped, taking damage from the claw again each round until dead or the mek chooses to release it.
The mek may also activate a strong electric field within 20' of its body, requiring all within range to save versus paralysis each round or be paralysed for 1d3 turns.
Like all meks, the opabinia is immune to all spells except for cold based attacks (which cause no damage but reduce it to half speed) and disintegrate.
Mek: Waptia
AC: -7
HD: 19***
Mv: 90' (30') Swimming: 60' (20')
Attacks: 2 feelers + poison cloud or stunning shock
Damage: 1d6x10/1d6x10 + stunning shock
No. Appearing: 1 (1)
Sage as: F36
Treasure Type: Special
Intelligence: Not rateable
Alignment: Lawful (with master) or Chaotic (without)
XP value: 7650
(for images see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waptia)
Waptia is a multi-terrain capable machine constructed for a single purpose; to destroy all species other than hallucigenia.
Typically 25' long and around 8' high, vaguely shrimp like, metallic creature has two prominent, flexible feelers stretching for 10' in front of its body. Each can attack a separate target. In water, the waptia may use a stunning shock in the same manner as opabinia meks, and on land a poison class attack like a standard (hallucigenia) mek.
Like all meks, the waptia is immune to all spells except for cold based attacks (which cause no damage but reduce it to half speed) and disintegrate.
Mek: Rhyniognatha
AC: -4
HD: 14***
Mv Flying: 180' (60') Crawling: 60' (20')
Attacks: 2 pincers or breath (fire)
Damage: 1d6x10/ 1d6x10 or special
No. Appearing: 1 (1)
Sage as: F36
Treasure Type: Special
Intelligence: Not rateable
Alignment: Lawful (with master) or Chaotic (without)
XP value: 3500
The first flying model designed by Hallucigenia, being based on the body form of a very primitive may fly, one of the earliest to be common on Mystara. Hallucigenia developed this Mek to first to carry his followers from body of water to another, but as more creatures developed on land flying Meks became an invaluable means for waging war.
Typically 15' long and with a wingspan of 20', with large compound eyes positioned on either side of the head, this mek is difficult to surprise (1 on 1d6). A pair of powerful pincers are found on the front the head, and these can be used twice per round to deliver a terrible crushing bite. Instead, the Mek may up to 6 times per day breath a cone of fire, 30' long and 30' wide at the far end.
Like all meks, the Rhyniognatha is immune to all spells except for cold based attacks (which cause no damage but reduce it to half speed) and disintegrate.
Mek: Haikouichthys AC: -1
HD: 14***
Mv Swimming: 180'(60')
Attacks: 1 gnaw or stunning shock
Damage: 1d8x10 or special
No. Appearing: 1 (1)
Sage as: F36
Treasure Type: Special
Intelligence: Not rateable
Alignment: Lawful (with master) or Chaotic (without)
XP value: 3500
(see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haikouichthys )
Burgeoning populations of other species in the sea caused Hallucigenia to inhabit the land and to delve into the deepest ocean trenches; the early vertebrate jawless fish were inspiration for this monstrosity, being in the region of 20' long with a breadth of 7', Haikouichthys was designed specifically to reach the deepest, darkest regions of the ocean where no other animals could go.
The mek may also activate a strong eclectic field within 20' of its body, requiring all within range to save versus paralysis each round or be paralysed for 1d3 turns. It cannot bite as such, but it possesses a sharp, rasping mouth that may be used for a terrible gnawing attack.
Like all meks, the Haikouichthys is immune to all spells except for cold based attacks (which cause no damage but reduce it to half speed) and disintegrate.
