The Brain (for Mutant Future)
Among the many reasons I’m thankful for Canada, my national neighbor to the north, is the gleefully awful movie The Brain. The plot, such as it is, revolves around the evil machinations of Dr. Blakely (B-movie icon David Gale), the host of television’s Independent Thinkers, a pseudo-religious self-help program that serves as an alien brain’s platform for world domination. Fortunately for the people of Earth, high-school prankster Jim Majelewski (played by then 23-year-old Tom Bresnahan) can resist the Brain’s hypnotic powers. Unfortunately, resisting the Brain’s hypnotic powers causes bizarre hallucinations, which for prankster Jim often involve a topless nurse.
Brilliant!
Alien Brain
Number Encountered: 1
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90′ (30′)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 12+12
Attacks: 1 (tongue-tacle or bite)
Damage: 1d6 tongue-tacle or 4d4 bite
Save: L10
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XIX
XP: 4,400
Mutations: Mental Phantasm (unique), Neural Telepathy, Possession (unique)
An alien brain has remarkable Intelligence and Willpower (20 and 18, respectively). In melee combat, it lashes out with its barbed tongue-tacle, which has a range of 15 feet. If the tentacle hits, it grabs the victim and draws him 10 feet per round toward the alien brain’s huge, tooth-filled mouth. There is a 2 in 6 chance to break free from the tongue-tacle, modified by Strength, and the attempt counts as an attack. The alien brain swallows its prey whole on a roll 4 higher than the needed number, or if the alien brain rolls a natural 20. It can swallow anything the size of a man or smaller. A swallowed victim suffers 2d8+2 hit points of damage per round inside the alien brain’s digestive tract. The damage stops if the alien brain is killed.
The alien brain’s most insidious attack is its unique possession mutation. If the alien brain’s psionic energies are broadcast and received via technology, the Brain can affect dozens (or even hundreds or more!) of intelligent creatures at once. It can broadcast a simple instruction to all affected creatures, or it can specifically take over one creature, as normal for the possession mutation. A creature who resists the alien brain’s mental control is automatically subjected to mental phantasms, the nature of which are drawn from the victim’s subconscious.
