1d8+DB

For a 'less Disney-cute' version of Ducks you could always go with them as diminutive hadrosaurs (duck-bill dinosaurs). Hmmm, this perhaps suggests some relationship with Dragon-newts.

"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the spell took hold." As a 'Child of the 70s' I've had a similar idea. For a mis-mash of Lovecraftian horror, political paranoia, and the excesses of drug culture during that period there's The Damned Highway Its not a great book, the energy of its maniac premise runs out long before the book ends, but it is entertaining.

So apparently no love for 'The Laundry' on this forum. What did you eventually end up doing?

Within the D100 family, the most CAS influenced product probably is Design Mechanism's "Monster Island": cursed ruins in the jungle; lost, degenerate races; baleful sorceries, its the kind of place where Eibon would feel right at home. A little further afield in actual game mechanics, there's "Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea" : Review of Astonishing Swordsmen...

The Somnambulist (The Cabinet of Dr Caligari) Legends speak of lost souls lost in an eerie sleep, who can only be awoken by an sinister mystic/mesmerist, who can than command the sleeper as a puppet, which can be sent forth on evil deeds. Characteristics As established for the sleeper's race, with the following modifications: the Somnambulist is cable of astounding and freakish feats of athleticism; they receive between 4 and 8 levels of Super Characteristics for STR and DEX (+4 to +8 to the characteristic). They have no effective POW of their own, as there are animated solely by the will of the mesmerist controlling them. Hit Points As normal, but the Somnambulist ignores Major Wound effects. They are also immune to Fear/Insanity effects. They see through all illusions. Any magics that target their mind are either ineffectual or resisted with an effective POW of 24 (GM's decision). Skills The Somnambulist uses the base Skill level for all skills. They can sometimes be programmed by their mesmerist/controller to utilize skills known by the mesmerist/controller. The mesmerist/controller must expend 1 Magic Point per 5% of the skill to be imparted. Waking the Sleeper The usual state of the Somnambulist is a profound and unnatural sleep. They can be woken and sent forth to do their master's will; this requires that the mesmerist/controller expend 1 Magic Point per 5 minutes that the Somnambulist will be active and awake. The mesmerist can maintain his control/link with the Somnambulist within an effective range of 100 meters times her POW. San Loss If encountering a Somnambulist that was known previously to the character, before their mysterious sleep claimed them, there is a chance of SAN loss: 0/1d3. Rescuing the Somnambulist Two things must happen to free a person from this uncanny curse: first the mesmerist/controller must be forced to release their victim, and then the Somnambulist most be awoken from their weird sleep. If the mesmerist/controller is either driven off, slain, or willingly relinquishes her control of the Somnambulist, then the sleeper must brought back to normal consciousness. The method of doing so might vary between games; but normally someone must, through means esoteric, enter a shared dream state with the consciousness of the sleeper. The sleeper's consciousness is usually the prisoner of malevolent forces within that dream state, and it must be helped to escape. Such attempts to free such a sleeper are not without danger; the would-be rescuer, could also find himself trapped in the dream, and then be unable to awaken himself! An awoken Somnambulist usually faces a SAN loss of 1/1d8. They gain 1d3+1 points of POW from the experience, which usually wakens latent mystic talents in the Somnambulist. If the campaign uses any kind of Oneiric (Dream) Lore skill, they receive a +25% rating in that skill.

So it's October, so its time for the monsters! This was largely inspired by The Monstrumologist The Anthropophagi Monstrous devourers of human flesh STR 3d6+3 CON 2d6+6 SIZ 2d6+10 INT 1d6+1 POW 2D6 DEX 3D6 HP 13 (average) DB +1D4 (average) Powers and Mutations: Hardy (vs. Impaling weapons; as per minor mutation) Leap (3 levels) Super Sense (Infra-vision) Weapon Attack Damage Claws (2) 40% 1d4+2+DB* Bite 55% 1d8+3+DB *Pull to maw. If a victim is successfully attacked with a claw, the anthropophagi will attempt to draw the victim close, so the creatures' maw can begin worrying its flesh. The character being dragged in this way must resist the anthropophagi in a contest of STR to avoid this. Skills: Climb 40+1d8%, Dodge 30+1d6%, Sneak 50+1d10%, Tunneling 30+1d10%. Description: Roughly humanoid, but lacking a head or neck, the grotesque anthropophagi have a maw of wicked fangs in the center of their torso, and eyes on their shoulders. These bestial creatures have an horrendous lust for human flesh. They were first described by the Greek Herodotus, who placed their homeland in the steppes of central Asia.

The Gatherer of Nightmares A stunted humanoid, with huge crimson eyes, and upper limbs that are both a kind of ragged wing and net, the Gatherer of Nightmares feeds on the fear generated by particularly powerful nightmares, gathering the dread in its membrane-like upper arms. STR 2d6+2 CON 3d6+3 SIZ 2d6+3 INT 1d8+2 POW 2d6+8 DEX 3d6 Magic Points Equal to POW +1d6 Hit Points 8-10 Damage Bonus -1d4 (usually) Armor Points 2 point leathery skin Move: 6/10 (walk/flight) Weapon Attack % Damage Bite 30+1d4% 1d6 Seed of Fear – See below. Powers: Seed of Fear: At the cost of 4 magic points the Gatherer can attempt a kind of psychic assault upon a foe. Its target must meet its gaze as a condition of the attack. If the target fails a POW vs. POW contest with the Gatherer, there is no immediate effect; but when the target next attempts to sleep they must roll their POW or less on 1d100 or suffer a horrible nightmare. The Gatherer feeds upon the terror created by these nightmares, which it converts into Magic points (1d3 MP/nightmare). Each night there is a 30% chance that the Gatherer is lurking nearby (within d100 meters), basking, with its wing-nets spread wide, in the emanations of fear. Each nightmare costs the afflicted d20+5 points of FATIGUE, and necessitate a 0/1d3 SAN check. If FATIGUE rules are not being used it used it is recommended that the afflicted character be required to make Stamina tests after every five rounds of strenuous activity or immediately collapse from exhaustion for every 24 hour period after suffering a nightmare. The nightmares will continue until the Gatherer is slain, or some very powerful magic is applied. There is a psychic link between the Gatherer and all victims in which it has planted a 'Seed,' allowing it to use its Tracking skill to find its victim's resting place. Immateriality: The Gather can make itself incorporeal, at at the cost of 2 MP/round. While incorporeal it can pass through all solid barriers, that are not magically warded. Additionally, it can only be targeted by magical weapons while in this state. Skills: Spot 30+1d6%, Stealth 35+1d10%, and Tracking 40+1d6%. Notes: Has a marked aversion to cats, and will flee their presence. The ragged strips of skin that make up its upper limbs are prized by some sorcerers.

Personally, for gods and 'cosmic' entities, I prefer the approach of defining 'environmental' effects that they cause when they intrude upon the mortal plane: "for every round that Wuwuuwu the Wobbly is present, all 'unbelievers' within a 100 meters of the god, must make a dodge, or take 2d6+3 damage in 'divine wrath.'" A full stat block infers that there is a possibly of combat with the god, and the possibility of the god/titan/great old one being slain by the player characters. It think it is better to treat them as 'forces of nature', that you might be able to survive, or even be enriched by, rarely; but in no way can you 'fight' them.

As I see it game-play demands that there be a way off the island. The story though argues against such a fact. I see three possible solutions. "Ace in the Hole": The final night in their cells, before they are teleported to the dreaded island, the characters receive a mysterious visitor, who tells them of a teleportation gate that the authorities are unaware of. Who is this mysterious benefactor, and what is his interest in helping the player characters would be a significant part of the game's back-story. "The Hack": The authorities regularly visit the island, probably to 're-stock' it with dangerous beasts. The gates though are secured , and only the authorities have the activation codes. Except of course for the players characters, who somehow have gotten a hold of one of the codes (perhaps through a mysterious figure, see above). Or there is some way that they just might be able to overcome the gate's security to use them for themselves. "Only the Worthy": So the whole battle on the island has religious overtones, and is seen as kind of a trial by ordeal; anyone who survives to reach the gate is considered to the "Chosen" and cleansed of their past sins. In this permutation it is expected that at least one group who is sent to the island will return, triumphantly.

Not sure why the "powers that be" would provide an escape route at all; much easier if it is a one-way trip for your other-wise unwanted riff-raff. Now if it is some kind of martial contest, like some gladiatorial version of 'Survivor', than yes, there would have to be some possibility of getting off the island.

In Thomas Pynchon's satirical novel 'The Crying of Lot 49' there is a sinister, alternate mail system called the Trystero ,a kind of postal service for the Illuminati. If you wanted to play a very literary and somewhat Pythonesque game you could use this strange cabal. In a digital era updating the bizarre spam that regularly shows up could actually be coded messages directing agents, or, perhaps even spells.

The Bad Seed Children are bright rays of sunshine, bright-face innocents who charm us with their endearing lack of guile; except of course when they are actually hell-spawned fiends cunningly wearing the guise of sweet innocence. STR 7 CON 7 SIZ 7 INT 15 POW 17 (9+8) DEX 13 APP 15 Hit Points 12 (7+5) DB: -1d4 Psychic Powers: Emotion Control, Empathy, Intuition, and Telekinesis. Sorcery Spells known: Sorcerer's Soul (4), Sorcerer's Armor (4), Sorcerer's Talons (4), Refutation (4), and 1d6 points as the GM decides. Powers: Extra POW (2 levels) and Extra Hit Points (5 levels). Special Ability Curse: At the cost of one point of POW, the Bad Seed can curse an enemy. The target of the curse can successfully resist the Curse with a POW:POW resistance roll. If failed, the victim is cursed for a number of days equal to 2x the Bad Seed's POW (at the time that the curse was laid). The accursed must make a Luck roll every-time she attempts a test of her abilities that carries serious consequences (like combat); if she fails, for the duration of that contest the following penalties apply: Her skills suffer a -20% circumstance modifier. She fumbles on a roll of 90-100 (for skills less than 100%), or 97-100 (for skills greater than 100%). If she's in combat, any damage rolls made against her gain a +2 modifier. The Bad Seed must have some personal item of hers, or better yet, something like a strand of her hair, in order to curse. The Bad Seed can have as many as his POW/3 number of curses operating concurrently. If the initial attempt to curse a subject fails, the Bad Seed must wait a number of days equal to the victim's POW, before again attempting to curse the victim. Weaknesses: Animal antipathy: Natural animals sense the corruption that lurks in the Bad Seed, and will either shun the Bad Seed, or attack him! Bad Seeds do however often have animal companions, however these creatures are not mortal animals, but familiars sent from the underworld to serve the Bad Seed. Holy Icons: The Bad Seed has an aversion to the symbols and icons of righteousness, and must make a roll equal to or less than the sum of their (POW + INT) x2% to remain in the presence of such symbols for any length of time. The astute might observe the strain that the Bad Seed suffers, when attempting to maintain its composure in the presence of an icon, or religious relic; and thus discern its true nature. Bad Seeds appear as children of angelic beauty, who always, at least publicly, display an unnatural calmness and maturity.

So here is how I would run the foraging/supply aspect of this. Granted it is fairly abstract, and perhaps you want something that's more precise. So first of all, determine how much time it takes to thoroughly search an area. I'm thinking at least a minimum of four hours. The relevant skill is Spot. When characters are actively 'foraging', they must decide whether they're completely focused on their search, or whether they're trying to remain somewhat alert to dangers from outside of their area of immediate focus (either they take a negative modifier to their Spot skill, or their Listen/Sense skill; ideally some characters should concentrate on foraging while others provide over-watch security). Now you've already decided if there is some hazard in the area (zombies, other survivors, wild animals) and whether there is a special 'find' there (the portable generator, the survivalist's weapon cache, the professor's note-books). Each area would have a rating: 1. Percentage Modifier %/Foraging Points. 2. PM % /FP 3. PM%/FP... The number of entries in the rating is the number of times that foraging can be done in that area. The mall might have a dozen of check-boxes, the woods only 1 or 2. After all the check boxes are filled, only critical successes would allow anything to be found there. The Percentage Modifier, is the of course the Spot skill modifier: either a positive or negative modifier. It would of course go down along with the 'visit' number. The first check box for the mall might be 50%/10 FP. The fifth one might -10%/3 FP. Foraging points are an abstraction that the Player Characters can exchange for needed supplies/materials. For instance, potable water, enough to sustain one person for a day, might cost 5 FP. Alternatively you could base FP on the degree of success (1 FP for each 5 percentiles that the Spot roll was made by), or just roll randomly (1d10 FP). I wouldn't really worry about how much space the supplies take up; unless the Player Characters are collecting AFVs (armored fighting vehicles). Obviously this works best for smaller groups. If the Players are running a whole community, you can always abstract it further (how many people at any one time in the community are foraging/farming, providing security, crafting items/preparing food: the number foraging/farming determines the number of FP produced each day). There are some good scavenging tables/rules in the D20 Apocalypse book: http://www.amazon.com/d20-Apocalypse-Modern-Supplement/dp/0786932732. Also here: http://radioactiveapedesigns.com/ (and this is free!)

Manors in Pendragon, at least the core rules, are extremely abstract. They provide a bit of background color for your character, they're a place for your character to 'hang out' in the off-season (Pendragon characters are pretty much castle-bound in the English winter), and they are a source of spending money for your character. There are good reasons for checking out the game, but as a source-book for post apocalyptic foraging, you should probably pass. There are a number of post apocalyptic forums out there. I'll ask my survivalist friend which one he recommends. I thought that there might be a GURPS Apocalypse book available, but apparently no. For source books you simply can't beat GURPS. There is a GUPRS Zombie book, which you might want to look at.

Hmmm. There's Yeti in the "Build a Better Monster II" post.

Well, there are actually two Monsters of Legends books. The creatures of Book II are based on an OGL D&D 3.5 release, and are mainly constructs and extra-planar creatures. There no Glorantha references in either book.

Drawing a blank on murder mystery scenarios. Hmm. That would be perhaps be an interesting idea for a Chaosium monograph, three to four short 'drawing room' murder mysteries. You know you wouldn't really need anything in the way of fully 'statted' NPCs, as it isn't likely that your mini-scenario is going to end in a huge gun-fight: just 'types' really, the Professor, the Heiress, the Colonel, etc. Then you choose one to be the Murderer, one to be the Victim. Set a motive, and the method. Decide what the Clues will be, and how they will be found. I do have say I'm not a big fan of the 'filler scenarios' within a larger campaign: while it does seem that the characters in a Pulp adventure have murder and mayhem break out everywhere they go1, it does seem to stretch the credulity envelope a little and it seems to me that they could potentially dilute the impact of the whole. 1. "And we wonder why we never get invited anywhere!"

Sixtystone Press' publishes the excellent 'Investigator's Weapons Guides', obviously, with an emphasis on arming COC cult-busters. D101's The Company has an extensive list of modern fire-arms. I for one like the Modern Equipment Catalog , though I admit its highly specialized, and there are probably not a lot of campaigns that are going to need to have such questions answered as 'How much does a GieserLab Bullet Hole Test kit cost' or 'What device would I use to make sure that all outgoing calls from this phone get mis-routed to a wrong number'. It does complement The Company rather well.

Not so much a monster, here is the Super Martial Artist of wuxia cinema. Super Martial Artist (171 points) STR 15 CON 13 SIZ 8 INT 14 POW 17 DEX 20 APP 11 EDU 11 HP 14 db +0 Mutation1: Metabolic Improvement and Double-jointed. Psychic Powers: Danger Sense (passive), Dead Calm, and Empathy. Powers: Diminish Characteristic: CON (3 levels | 15 pts.), Diminish Characteristic:DEX (3 levels |15 points), Leap (5 levels | 5 points), Extra Characteristic: POW (+5 | 5 points), Extra Characteristic: DEX (+8 | 8 points), Super-movement: Lightfoot (10 points), Super-skill:Climb (+40% | 4 points), Super-Skill: Dodge (+40% | 4 points), Super-skill:Escape Artist (+40% | 4 points), Super-skill: (+40% | 4 points), Super-skill:Martial Artist (+50 | 5 points), Super-skill: Sleight of Hand (+20% | 2 points), and Unarmed Combat (5 levels | 100 points). Skills (with bonuses): Brawl 50%, Climb 90%, Dodge 90%, Escape Artist 90%, Grapple 50%, Sleight of Hand 70%, Projection: Nerve-point manipulation 50%, and Martial Artist 100% Metabolic Improvement |Not an actual physical mutation: through training and meditation the super martial artist has attained an amazing level of control over her metabolic processes; allowing her to slow them down to such an extent that they seem to stop entirely. Through this technique the damages due to poisons, toxins, or environmental effects can be slowed down or halted, until the danger has passed. Diminish Characteristic: CON |Through the manipulation of nerve-points the super martial artist can cause a fatal disruption of chi energy within a foe's body. Diminish Characteristic: DEX | As above, though the intent is to induce temporary paralysis. Escape Artist | Due to their flexibility and body control, the super martial artist is at -3 to SIZ for squeezing into tight and confining places.

So you're interested in porting some of the WHFRP/WH40K mechanics into BRP? Rather than using the settings in BRP. The two mechanical elements that to me really differentiate the two from BRP (and co.) is the magic(Psyker Powers) and the Hordes rules (from the later WH40K books). Magic in the WH system is almost more dangerous to its practicioneers than their opponents: pretty much every failed roll, not just fumbles, have potential to loose ravening mayhem from the warp. Hordes (mook swarms) would be a neat addition to BRP: with a single statistics block representing large numbers of opponents. The CON could represent the total number of combatants in the horde, and each successful hit versus the Horde would reduce the CON by 1.

Have to think the jungles of Bangalla are a little more dangerous that the crypts beneath a Paris Opera house. Besides, only one of the pair has a pet wolf.

Uh, yeah. HQG, that's the ticket!

It's on page 86.

Anybody know when this might be out?

Yeah, Eclipse Phase, while a great setting, and a fantastic piece of world-building, is not at all related to BRP, other than the fact that they both use a d100 mechanic (and percentage based skills).