Looking for artifacts in a cave

Well, I'd hoped to get up more content before having to post this, but I lost a notebook and then kind of hit a post semester wall of sloth, and now its too late... for a while, anyway. I am an Archaeologists* (3rd year grad student) in real life and the field season is upon me.
I leave Sunday for six weeks in Northern Spain and my internet access will be, at best, sporadic, so it's not likely that I'll have much chance to post.
Anyway, I wanted to assure everyone that the long absence is a matter of necessity and not the result of a loss of interest on my part. Posting will resume in August, although this is a comps** year so I'll likely continue to post sporadically for the foreseeable future.
So for the next little while I'll be looking for artifacts in a cave, as opposed to pretending to look for artifacts in a cave.
Have a good summer, badasses.

*My particular area of interest is the Middle/Upper Paleolithic
**big exam that determines if I can go on past my MS and work towards a PhD

Critters 1

Screamers

AC: 0 [19]

Special: see below

HD:7

Move: 15

Attacks: claw

HDE: 11/1,700

Diseased looking, red-eyed, skeletally gaunt humanoids of giant stature, Screamers gain their name from their most fearsome attack. Once per day a screamer may release special howl which hypnotizes all within a 60’ radius. Save or paralyzed for 2d6 rounds. Screamers prefer to eat their prey while it is still alive, paralyzed and helpless. Hungry, these monstrosities roam the wastelands, continually on the lookout for fresh meat. Screamers can run fast and have the stamina to cover very long distances and they never give up. Often they hunt in packs. Due to their thick hides screamers cannot be harmed by normal melee weapons.

Zetoan

AC:4 [15]

Special: prettifying gaze

HD: 6

Move: 12 (float)

Attacks: Bite

HDE: 8/800

Extra dimensional beings that look like giant tentacled eyeballs. Anyone who meets the gaze of a Zetoan is turned to glass. Zetoans sometime construct elaborate labyrinthine gardens full of glass figures. Zetoans are irrational beings with alien motives. They communicate with telepathy.

Cave Maggots

AC: 4 [15]

Special: none

HD 1+1

Move: 12

Attacks: bite

HDE: 1/15

Meter long carnivorous iridescent worms. Cave maggots often lure prey close by clustering into a “doorway” shape along the walls of dark caves. This produces the illusion of a lit entrance way, curious animals wander close. Will glow for up to 1d6 after death and can be used as a light source. Given time they can borrow throw solid rock and subsequently are often a problem in greenshafts.

Sparkling ooze

AC: 6 [13]

Special: acidic

HD: 10

Move: 6

Attacks:1d3 pseudopod

HDE: 11/1700

Sparkling ooze was originally designed to be a self directed cleaning agent by its forgotten creators. Often found in ruined cities, this semi intelligent translucent slime is the ultimate solvent, dissolving conventional materials on contact. Conventional weapons and armor will dissolve with one successful hit. Sparkling ooze will fission if hit by energy weapons. Some sparkling oozes emit a soothing gentle noise like wind chimes or elevator music.

Slaard

AC:5 [14]

Special: Burrowing

HD: 4

Move: 12/10 (borrowing)

Attacks: Bite

HDE: 5/ 240

The green blooded, red scaled Slaard is neither arthropod nor reptile, but possess characteristics of both. While they dig, Slaard continually emit an ultrasonic pulse which destabilizes the solid rock before them and makes it possible for them to burrow at incredible rates. Slaard live and hunt in rocky badlands, often tracking their prey from beneath the surface.

Ape, Crypt

AC: 4 [15]

Special: Crushing embrace/ breath weapon

HD: 6

Move: 12

Attacks: Strike

HDE: 7/600

Voracious scavengers, Crypt Apes live under ground in the forgotten necropolises which honeycomb the subterranean space of the ancient earth. Despite their predilection for dead flesh, crypt apes will not turn away from a a chance at fresh meat. Instead of striking with its powerful fist, the crypt ape can grab hold of an enemy for 2d6 damage. ST -2 for escape. The crypt ape can also breath on anyone it catches hold of. If the victim fails their saving through (-2) they spend the next 1d4 rounds incapacitated, vomiting. This only works once per attack, per victim. A favorite tactic of crypt apes is to lay in wait for unwary grave robbers inside of empty sarcophagi.

Centauripedes

AC:3 [16]

Special: none

HD: 4

Move: 18

Attacks: Weapon

HDE: 5/240

Half distorted manthing, half centipede, Centauripedes live in savage tribes hostile to outsiders.

Trilon

AC: 9 [10]

Special: radiation

HD: 2

Move: 13

Attacks: bite

HDE: 2/ 30

Similar in appearance to a trilobite, the trilon is a mutant arthropod about the size of a dinner plate. Its bite is radioactive; anyone bitten must make a saving throw (+4 mod to their roll) or contract radiation sickness. If untreated, radiation sickness will lead to death in 4 days -25% hit points each day.

Trilon, large

AC: 5 [14]

Special: radiation

HD: 2

Move: 15

Attacks: Bite

HDE: 4/240

Larger Trilon, weaker radiation; +6 to victim’s saving throw.

Trilon, Giant

AC: 0 [19]

Special: radiation breath

HD: 5

Move: 18

Attacks: Bite

HDE: 7/500

Huge (20’ long), fast moving engines of destruction. Giant trilon can project a stream their own irradiated blood in cone for 15’ (five foot wide at the base). Anyone inside of the come must make a save (with a +4 modifier for the victim). Those that fail the save take 3d6 damage and contract radiation sickness (see Trilon, small); those that make the ST take 3d6 in damage. Giant Trilon are sometimes used as mounts by the soldiers of Ssaur, but only the shae beast masters know the secret of their gentling.

Devilgoat

AC: 2 [17]

Special: breathes fire, ram

HD:9

Move: 20/ 22 (when jumping)

Attacks: Bite, stamp

HDE:11/ 1700

Huge, intelligent and evil predators. Devilgoats hate everyone and every thing. They live to kill and destroy. In addition to their bite and stamp (1d6 each), Devilgoats can breathe fire 3 times a day in a 45 foot cone, 15 feeet wide at its base. Anyone caught in cone takes 3d8 damage, (1/2 damage with a successful ST). Devilgoats can jump 100 feet horizontally and 30 feet vertically.

Iron serpent

AC: 0 [19]

Special: Bite turns victim into iron.

HD: 5

Move: 10

Attacks: bite, crush

HDE 7/ 500

Snake made of living metal. Any one bitten takes 1d6 damage and must make a ST or they will turn into iron.

THE OUTSIDER

An Outsider might be a Lizard Man from the Jungle of Nool; a human warrior sent out from the Enclave on some unknown mission, or a time-lost warrior robot from the future with a sinister agenda. The possibilities are endless.

Examples: Tarzan, Conan, Taarna, Den, John Carter, Nausicä, Kamandi, Mad Max, Severian, The Terminator and Flash Gordon.

Members of the Outsider class are powerful warriors from beyond the known world. They travel for a reason. Sometimes they are looking for a place, maybe their lost homeland; other times they travel for the opportunity it provides to help the people they meet on the way; an Outsider might seek vengeance, a way home, an escape from shame, penance, the secrets of time and space, treasure or any number of other things. The character's point of origin and purpose should be mainly up to the player, although input from the referee should not be completely ignored.

Class abilities:

Select one of the following at 1st Level:

• Animal Companion (1d6)

1. Mount

2. Flying Mount

3. Small animal (e.g. monkey, lizard, bird)

4. Medium predator

5. Large Predator (6hd)

6. Two large predators (6hd each)

• Tech Savvy: +2 to all technology related ST.

• Alert: Never surprised
  

• Wilderness Survival: +2 survival ST

• +10 hit points

• Combat Bonus: +1 to hit with weapon of choice.

Select one of the following at 4^th level:

• Stealthy: +1/3 levels to stealth related saves

• Turn undead (as cleric)

• Combat bonus B: +1 against preferred enemy.

• Combat machine as in S/W core book.

• May also select from table 1.

At 7^th level select again from the 1^st level list

At level 12 select one from the 4^th level list.

Starting hit points= Constitution + 1d6 +3/ level (Using the alternate system).

Money and Equipment:

Outsider characters begin at first level with no money and must roll on the table below:

Starting Equipment (1d8)

1-4. Nothing: character begins the game naked in the wilderness.

5. 1d3 Simple weapons; clothes and camp gear (10 Zorm value).

6. 1d3 simple weapons, leather armor, camp gear.

7. Energy weapon; clothes and gear.

8. Energy weapon; technological armor

Combat progression is as a fighter.

The Whitebox, Savage Swords of Athanor and Equisite Corpse

Some short and honest reviews:

The S&W White Box: The art is nice. The cover image is easily my least favorite of the new images, but still it's pretty neat. I liked the Mullen cover. The lower box is flimsy. I wish the box was about an inch or so thicker, so I could put some of my other digest sized booklets inside of it. The trim job on the covers is less than perfect. All my books have overlap; one of them (Book III Monsters) is kind of sloppy. It took too long to get here. The Old School Primer shouldn't be in the set. The included adventure looks pretty cool, if a bit short. I won't use it anyway. The layout is very good. I like the digest sized books. Over all, I'm glad I bought it, but I have some reservations.

Savage Swords of Athanor is an imaginative planetary romance setting for Swords & Wizardry. The book has lots and lots of typos and a few confusing and awkward sentences. Aside from two maps, there is no interior art. In every other way, though, it is excellent. I am especially fond of the mutation tables and the magical mishap tables. The monster section is nice too, providing, among other things, a groovy selection of strange vat creatures and dinosaurs. The player character races are original, weird and cool. There's also a neat little system for character skills. The author's blog can give a you a more in depth idea of what the setting is all about. If you aren't overly bothered by typos or spider people with German surnames I recommend this without reservation.

Exquisite Corpses is a funky little spiral bound book. The bulk of the book is made up of full frontal body shots of monsters divided in three sections (head, torso, legs) by dotted lines. Cutting the drawings at the dotted lines allows one to mix and match the body parts of different creatures. There are guidelines explaining how to stat up the creatures. The book also includes some sample creatures and a bunch of nifty random tables for making your monster special. I like this book. It is great idea well executed. I'm told it's fun to look at while one is chemically enhanced. Furthermore, there are naked tits. Recommended.


Notes:
1. More actual content next week. Two words: Metal Space.
2. I will not engage in any discussions regarding the Old School Primer here. I wont delete your comments, but I've said what I have to say elsewhere (mostly at The RPG Haven).
3. I'm not sure I'll ever review anything ever again.

End of semester Hiatus

Too much to do. Back in a few weeks.

Food and Water Part 1 of ?

Greenshafts, an introduction.

One of the primary reasons that people tend to stick close to the cities is the easy availability of edible foodstuffs. Consumables found in even (if not especially) the most fecund parts of the wilderness are often unsafe to eat (for an in

depth look at how unsafe, see Part II).

Agriculture is predominantly practiced underground in natural or fabricated subterranean complexes known as greenshafts, which are usually located within cities or in close proximity to the same. Because of the frequency of curse squalls in most areas, this is a necessary and beneficial practice. However, it is unknown which came first curse squalls or greenshafts.

To put things in perspective, outdoor agriculture is unknown in most places, and you might have trouble convincing people that anyone has ever engaged in it. At best it is viewed by civilized people as something that was left behind long ago.

Within the greenshaft, agricultural production is accomplished through a variety of technologies, the power for which is usually drawn from the earth itself in the form of geothermal heat.

Areas of the greenshaft hold corral pools for hron, a species of domesticated aquatic mammal. Hron are valued for their milk (and the cheese that is made from it) and meat. Furthermore, hron hide can be used to fashion both warm and water resistant clothing. Hron meat is mostly a luxury of the elites. Additional meat is grown in vats.

Tower of The Changer 1pg Dungeon

Get it HERE.

Okay, the idea here was to create a training ground to teach a group how to think about dungeon exploration without killing them outright. The levels I'm working on now will be considerably more lethal and should be done sometime around 2015 at the rate I'm going.


Edit: there were two small mistakes in the original version. I fixed them and re-uploaded. Sorry.


Edit #2: 04/07 Once again, I've uploaded a new version. this time with a better lay out and some links and shit.