Post by gloriousbattle on Oct 2, 2010 9:35:18 GMT -6
Please let me know what you think of the following. I think it follows thew spirit of Burroughs in that the lost Martian technology can do amazing things, while making a good mix with the magic items of D&D. All may not agree.
MARTIAN SUPER-SCIENCE
Devices of Martian super-science are many and varied, and the secrets of constructing most of them are lost to the ages. To keep things simple, we'll assume they function as D&D magic items, but the forms they take are numerous. Also, the FX on certain items should be changed (an efreeti bottle would not be a bottle, and would not contain an efreet, but might be some sort of psionic focus that caused the user's subconscious mind to take physical form and serve in a similar manner, including self-destructive impulses that would mirror the efreet's vengeful nature).
Table For Describing Indescribable Martian Artifacts (1d12 is rolled for each column):
Shape/Material/Color/Other
1 Tesseract*/Protoplasm**/8th or 9th Ray***/Intelligent****
2 Ribbon/Liquid/Green/Malleable
3 Irregular/Multiple/Multiple/Odor
4 Circular/Transparent/Yellow/Rough
5 Cuboidal/Fabric/Orange/Slick
6 Spherical/Metallic/Silver/Flexible
7 Rectangular/Several/Several/Smooth
8 Cylindrical/Plastic/Black/Rigid
9 Irregular/Ceramic/Blue/Sticky
10 Tubular/Translucent/Red/Striated
11 Tetrahedral/Organic/White/Filaments
12 Flat/Unknown/Gold/ Magnetic
Result of Several indicates roll two times on this table.
Result of Multiple indicates roll three times on this table.
Result of Several indicates roll two times on this table.
Result of Multiple indicates roll three times on this table.
*This item's four-dimensional nature may give it strange additional powers or drawbacks at the determination of the game master.
**This item is alive and must be fed (GM decides what and how often) or it will die, however, there is a 1 in 6 chance each year that it will reproduce by fission, making a copy of itself.
*** Color is indescribable to humanity, but, in addition to the item's other powers, it functions with the power of one of these two rays (random).
****The item contains a psionic-intelligence. Additional powers are determined as per an Intelligent sword.
The above table gives physical characteristics and the general appearance, that information which may be obtained by picking up and looking. If characters choose to investigate further, the referee may provide further information. Items may break, disassemble, give off or absorb light, heat or other vibrations.
Discovering the function of any item of ancient Martian super-science is a function of investigation.
Hurried Investigation: Hurried adventurers (maybe they are foolish, or maybe a whole tribe of white apes is minutes behind them, and they need something now) can take 1d6 rounds for a Hurried Investigation and roll 1d20 against intelligence at a -2 penalty (1 always succeeds, 20 always fails). On a successful roll, the function is discovered. On a failed roll, roll 1d6: 1-2= the item is undamaged, but must use the Research Procedure (see below) to discover the item's use, and no further Hurried Investigation is possible. 3-4= the item is destroyed and useless. 5= the item is undamaged, and the function is discovered, however, this happens because one randomly determined party member takes the full effect of anything the item might do in a negative sense (such as being ground zero for a fireball, being paralyzed by the equivalent of a wand of paralyzation, having his head cut off by the equivalent of a vorpal sword) and if the item can effect more than one party member, it does. After this, the device can be used normally. 6= the item explodes for 1-6 d6 concussive damage; all party members may save for half, and the device is destroyed and useless.
Research Procedure: This is safer, but costlier and more time consuming. The party must have a laboratory (costs 1d6 x 1,000 tanpi, takes 2d6 weeks to construct) and further spend 1d6 x 100 tanpi and 1d6 weeks experimenting on any item. Then roll as per Hurried Investigation, above, but with no penalty to the Intelligence check. The normal 1d6 roll is made if the Intelligence check is failed, but the players cannot be harmed by the result, and, as long as the item is not destroyed in the process, they can keep spending 1d6 x 100 tanpi and 1d6 weeks in the laboratory until they get it right or the item is destroyed.
No items of Martian super-science are class-based, and they can all be used by anyone (this is compensated for by the ease with which they can be destroyed and the cost and time as well as the damage they can do the party in attempting to figure them out).
NOTE: Sorry about the crummy table, but I just can't get it to format correctly
. Hopefully, it is at least legible.
MARTIAN SUPER-SCIENCE
Devices of Martian super-science are many and varied, and the secrets of constructing most of them are lost to the ages. To keep things simple, we'll assume they function as D&D magic items, but the forms they take are numerous. Also, the FX on certain items should be changed (an efreeti bottle would not be a bottle, and would not contain an efreet, but might be some sort of psionic focus that caused the user's subconscious mind to take physical form and serve in a similar manner, including self-destructive impulses that would mirror the efreet's vengeful nature).
Table For Describing Indescribable Martian Artifacts (1d12 is rolled for each column):
Shape/Material/Color/Other
1 Tesseract*/Protoplasm**/8th or 9th Ray***/Intelligent****
2 Ribbon/Liquid/Green/Malleable
3 Irregular/Multiple/Multiple/Odor
4 Circular/Transparent/Yellow/Rough
5 Cuboidal/Fabric/Orange/Slick
6 Spherical/Metallic/Silver/Flexible
7 Rectangular/Several/Several/Smooth
8 Cylindrical/Plastic/Black/Rigid
9 Irregular/Ceramic/Blue/Sticky
10 Tubular/Translucent/Red/Striated
11 Tetrahedral/Organic/White/Filaments
12 Flat/Unknown/Gold/ Magnetic
Result of Several indicates roll two times on this table.
Result of Multiple indicates roll three times on this table.
Result of Several indicates roll two times on this table.
Result of Multiple indicates roll three times on this table.
*This item's four-dimensional nature may give it strange additional powers or drawbacks at the determination of the game master.
**This item is alive and must be fed (GM decides what and how often) or it will die, however, there is a 1 in 6 chance each year that it will reproduce by fission, making a copy of itself.
*** Color is indescribable to humanity, but, in addition to the item's other powers, it functions with the power of one of these two rays (random).
****The item contains a psionic-intelligence. Additional powers are determined as per an Intelligent sword.
The above table gives physical characteristics and the general appearance, that information which may be obtained by picking up and looking. If characters choose to investigate further, the referee may provide further information. Items may break, disassemble, give off or absorb light, heat or other vibrations.
Discovering the function of any item of ancient Martian super-science is a function of investigation.
Hurried Investigation: Hurried adventurers (maybe they are foolish, or maybe a whole tribe of white apes is minutes behind them, and they need something now) can take 1d6 rounds for a Hurried Investigation and roll 1d20 against intelligence at a -2 penalty (1 always succeeds, 20 always fails). On a successful roll, the function is discovered. On a failed roll, roll 1d6: 1-2= the item is undamaged, but must use the Research Procedure (see below) to discover the item's use, and no further Hurried Investigation is possible. 3-4= the item is destroyed and useless. 5= the item is undamaged, and the function is discovered, however, this happens because one randomly determined party member takes the full effect of anything the item might do in a negative sense (such as being ground zero for a fireball, being paralyzed by the equivalent of a wand of paralyzation, having his head cut off by the equivalent of a vorpal sword) and if the item can effect more than one party member, it does. After this, the device can be used normally. 6= the item explodes for 1-6 d6 concussive damage; all party members may save for half, and the device is destroyed and useless.
Research Procedure: This is safer, but costlier and more time consuming. The party must have a laboratory (costs 1d6 x 1,000 tanpi, takes 2d6 weeks to construct) and further spend 1d6 x 100 tanpi and 1d6 weeks experimenting on any item. Then roll as per Hurried Investigation, above, but with no penalty to the Intelligence check. The normal 1d6 roll is made if the Intelligence check is failed, but the players cannot be harmed by the result, and, as long as the item is not destroyed in the process, they can keep spending 1d6 x 100 tanpi and 1d6 weeks in the laboratory until they get it right or the item is destroyed.
No items of Martian super-science are class-based, and they can all be used by anyone (this is compensated for by the ease with which they can be destroyed and the cost and time as well as the damage they can do the party in attempting to figure them out).
NOTE: Sorry about the crummy table, but I just can't get it to format correctly
. Hopefully, it is at least legible.
