The Ygòthlaq

Elder Ygothlàqi

History: Ygòthlaq (sing. Ygothlàqi) are one of the most mysterious sentient species of Yaqqothl. They claim to be the last descendants of an eons ancient society, which mastered the secrets of the universe since its dawn. They left their dying planet about a thousand years ago, and wandered through the galaxy looking for a new place to call home. They eventually reached Yaqqothl, and decided to settle down. Nowadays Ygòthlaq have lost most of their powers and knowledge, and rely on powerful hallucinogens and odd rituals to perform their magic. Few as they are, they live isolated from the other primitive forms of life, safe in their unreachable cities of shining metal and led by the Councils of the Elders.

Ecology: Ygòthlaq are all men. They have no sexual organs, and reproduce by means of a weird plant native of their home world, which they technologically refined during the course of many eons. This plant they call Klaq'kàdu is a proper symbiont for the Ygòthlaq: it feeds on their blood, and produces big, slimy eggs which mature during the course of a year giving the birth to a new Ygothlàqi. One of the main problem they are facing on Yaqqothl is that for some reason, their life span decreased drastically. If on their home world the average life span for a Ygothlàqi was hundreds of thousands of years (so that some of the Elder Ygòthlaq still remember much of their old native planet), nowadays is slightly higher than the one of a Terran, which is unbearable to them. This is the reason why more and more young leave their houses and rebel to their master, preferring to seek fortunes and glory among the lesser species, rather than dedicating their lives to the study and uncovering of the most precious secrets of the Ygòthlaq.

Statistics:

• +1 to Wisdom and Intelligence, -2 to Constitution;
• Always treat Knowledge (Technology) as Class Skill;
• Natural +2 bonus on Spell Save DC (only Sorcerers.)

Addendum: I guess Ygòthlaq should work fine also for Humanspace Empires, so if you want to write a more Tékumel-ian variant of this race, please do it!

Mutants, An Improved Algol Race for [O][A]D&D

Fact #1: I suffer from a really bad case of GADD. Fact #2: Using Mutant Future mutants out of the box doesn't work (way too many and too powerful mutations.) Fact #3: Blair already had the "definitive" idea on this topic, but actually never posted a complete race (I mean, with the attribute tables and so on.) Consequence: While I was having a shower and thinking about all the dungeon levels that await me, I came up with the idea of merging Blair's take with what is already provided by Mutant Future to come up with something great, virtually edition neutral (although marked for use with AD&D.) Thus, here I am speaking about a new race while I was supposed to be working on lots of dungeons for the upcoming saturday night game. Sigh.

Note: You will need to download Mutant Future (don't worry, it's free.)

Also: Someone should really develop a DIY logo like the one Thomas developed for the OSR.

And: You should really listen to Kyuss while reading this.

The Mutant
No need to explain to anyone what a mutant is I hope. Regular mutants are "human mutants", but you may also add special abilities and modify stuff so as to also have mutant elves, dwarves, hobbits, whatever is in your campaign. Mutants can be of any class except Paladin, Cleric or Druid (again, if you're not a pure human, you have no soul.)

Roll Ability Scores: Mutants roll 1d20 for each ability, assigning results in straight order. This will make for wild and weird results, as we'd expect. If you roll a 1-2 on a physical ability (STR, CON or DEX), or on a mental ability (INT, WIS, CHA), round it up to 3 and pick a physical/mental drawback. If you roll a 19-20 on a physical ability (STR, CON or DEX), or on a mental ability (INT, WIS, CHA), round it down to 18 and pick a physical/mental mutation. Scale down mutations as you see fit (for example, gigantism is totally out of scale.)

Final Note: If you're using BtB AD&D psionics, mental mutations may create some issues in your game.

The Goblin, a Playable Race as Class for Labyrinth Lord

Labyrinth's Goblins

Getting on with preparing for my Birthday Party in the Caves of Chaos, I've made a Barbarian Class for LL+AEC and am now working on an Half-orc version for Labyrinth Lord. I've called this race as class Goblin instead of Half-orc for a number of reasons. Firstly, I love the very concept of Goblins. Secondly, the word Goblin in Tolkien was used to identify Orcs in The Hobbit. Thirdly, if I say to any of the people I know "Would you like to play a Goblin?" they would immediately think either of the 80's Warhammer Fantasy Goblins or the warg riders in The Two Towers movie, which are both hideous images to me. I can assure you that the following Goblin Race as Class has nothing to do Labyrinth (the movie), for I hate that fucking shit with all the strength of my little heart, and I wish David Bowie would die a horrible death.

Goblins
Requirements: Dex 9
Prime Requisite: Dex
Hit Dice: d6
Maximum Level: 11

Weapons: Goblins can use any weapon except regular two-handed and other very large ones. Still, they can use some large regular weapons (such as a Long Sword) two-handed.
Armor: Goblins can use any armor. If wearing something more than studded leather they can't use their thievery abilities.
Creatures of the Sunset: Playable Goblins are not exactly the anti-sun creatures of the dark as their more evil cousins. They will suffer the -1 penalty only when in direct summer midday sunlight, and have infravision up to 60'. They still don't like direct sunlight that much, anyway.
Stupid: Goblins love tricks and fooling around with people. They have a nasty sense of humor and most people find them annoying at best. They are not limited in Q.I. and are generally very good at inventing weird and dangerous devices for the fun of it. They are totally unpredictable: sometimes they run laughing hysterically toward certain death, sometimes they run like hell from not so dangerous situations. They are definitely schizoid.
Sneaky: Goblins have the same Backstab, Pick Locks, Pick Pockets, Move Silently and Hide in Shadows abilities as a Thief of the same level.

Progression
Experience Level HD
1,500 1 1
3,000 2 2
6,000 3 3
12,000 4 4
24,000 5 5
50,000 6 6
100,000 7 7
150,000 8 8
200,000 9 9
250,000 10 +1 hp*
300,000 11 +2 hp*

*Constitution bonus no longer applies

Other Statistics
Saving Throws: Same as Dwarves.
To Hit: Same as Hobbits.

A Question About Elves and Rangers

Right now I've two kinds of elves available as playable races: Wood Elves and Noldor (or High Elves). The first don't use magic, while the second have access to clerical-type magic. Now, Elves are definitely very powerful in Middle-earth, and Noldor are the highest representatives of the glory of their kind. They definitely have the powers of cure disease and remove curse, along with many others. I would, however, find it limiting to confine them to the role of "pseudo clerics", and all in all I should remove Cure Light Wounds from their spell list, since there is no hint of such a spell in Tolkien, as far as I can see. By the way, they look perfect from a pre-supplement OD&D point of view, where all the classes and monsters are over simplified (just look at the Balrogs!) So I'm a bit undecided whether or not to allow Noldor only as NPCs.

Also, I've removed all the spell capabilities of Rangers when I imported them into Supplement VII. I did it because, while Aragorn seems to be able to use at least a little bit of magic, it is my strong belief that this was because of the fact that he is the heir of Isildur, and other Rangers may not have his abilities. By the way, re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring, it is clear that since all Rangers are Dúnedain of the highest and finest lineage, the purest of the Núménoreans that still live in Middle-earth, they probably do have some magic abilities (at least at high levels.) So what to do? I guess I need advice from people wiser than me.

The Ghoul, a Playable Race for Labyrinth Lord and Advanced Edition Companion/OSRIC

Ghouls

“These figures were seldom completely human, but often approached humanity in varying degree. Most of the bodies, while roughly bipedal, had a forward slumping, and a vaguely canine cast. The texture of the majority was a kind of unpleasant rubberiness.”

“It was a colossal and nameless blasphemy with glaring red eyes, and it held in bony claws a thing that had been a man, gnawing at the head as a child nibbles at a stick of candy. Its position was a kind of crouch, and as one looked one felt that at any moment it might drop its present prey and seek a juicier morsel. But damn it all, it wasn’t even the fiendish subject that made it such an immortal fountain-head of all panic—not that, nor the dog face with its pointed ears, bloodshot eyes, flat nose, and drooling lips. It wasn’t the scaly claws nor the mould-caked body nor the half-hooved feet—none of these, though any one of them might well have driven an excitable man to madness.”

The Pickman's Model, H. P. Lovecraft

As requested by Blair at Planet Algol and Booberry at American Barbarica, here is a Ghoul Advanced Race and Racial Class, both inspired by infamous Lovecraft stories The Pickman's Model, The Unnamable and The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. Thus, you'll find some small differences between my Ghouls and the RoCC's Ghouls. I plan to use it in my Forbidden Isle of Doom/Kandahal Megadungeon campaign too.

Ghoul

For all we know, most Ghouls were once human. Normal people like you and me, although very often cultured, who were contacted by other Ghouls and convinced to abandon the Earth. They are borderland creatures between our reality and the Dreamlands, and can easily be found in cemeteries or at mass graves, where they feed on dead bodies. Younger Ghouls remember much of their human lives, and can be trustworthy fellows. They are, however, unearthly and alien, and most humans can't stand their presence. Only humans who have decided to become Ghouls by their own free will are eligible as PCs.

Abilities for Both Class Versions
Ghouls cannot abide sunlight, although on the Isle they are well protected by the everlasting mist and can go out even during the daytime, although they can see only 90' at such times. They have Infravision, and they can see in darkness as humans do in daylight. Ghoul speak common, ghoul, and their alignment language.

Ghoul (Advanced Class)
Requirements: INT 13
Ability Modifiers: STR +1, WIS +1, CHA -2
Ability Min/Max: STR 9/18, DEX 9/18, CON 9/18, INT 9/18, WIS 7/18, CHA 3/12
Available Classes: Cleric (8), Fighter (8), Thief (Unlimited), Magic-User (Unlimited)

Bonuses and Penalties to Thief abilities:
Move Silently: +5%
Hide in Shadows: +10%
Pick Pockets: -15%
Climb: +5%

Starting Age
25+1d30 (the age the Ghoul reached as a human) + 1d100 (years elapsed as a Ghoul)

Note on Ghoul Aging: Ghouls are virtually immortal, and they don't have to face the decay of their bodies. However, apply the modifiers due to aging based on the age they reached as a human (25+1d30).

Ghoul (Racial Class)
Requirements: INT 9
Prime Requisite: STR, DEX
Hit Dice: d10
Maximum Level: 7

This Race/Class combines the abilities of a fighter and a thief. Ghouls attack as Fighter of one level higher, but can wear no armor and use no shield. Ghouls can use Thief abilities as a thief of the same level, and use the saving throws of Magic-Users or Thieves, whichever is higher.

Ghoul Level Progression
XP – Level – Hit Dice
3,001 – 1 – 1
6,001 – 2 – 2
12,001 – 3 – 3
24,001 – 4 – 4
50,001 – 5 – 5
100,001 – 6 – 6
150,001 – 7 – 7

Footnotes
Whether or not a Ghoul's bite causes the victim to become a Ghoul is left to the DM. Ghouls can use their natural weapons (bite, claws) as described in RoCC, but still attack only once. Note that Ghouls have no Alignment restriction, and can even be Lawful Good.

Thinking about Races on Yaqqothl

In a science fantasy campaign race is always an issue. I can see about five ways to handle the problem, i.e.:

1. The Arduin Grimoire approach: tweaked standard races plus gonzo additions (Amazon, Phraint, etc.);
2. The McKinney approach: numerous colored races of man;
3. The Planet Algol approach: colored races of man plus gonzo additions (Lilim, Cactoids, Mutants);
4. The China Miéville approach: normal men plus funky races (Mutants, Cactoids, Khepri, etc.);
5. The Jack Vance approach: only normal men (at least, in The Dying Earth).

I love all of those approaches, but thinking about simplicity, I'm inclined to go with 2) or 5). I do have some weird races ready to go (Replica, Molemen and Elders) but I can limit their use to NPC only or convert them to use as monsters. I also have a Table of Weird Traits for those players bothering to play one of the standard races. Mumble, mumble...