Spes Magna Games

So, I’m just going to pretend that I haven’t posted anything since July 2025. That’s easier than making excuses.

Ludi Fabularum, the game club I facilitate where I teach, continues to grow. I’ve got more than 20 middle school boys playing Castles & Crusades in a shared campaign world. The boys are divided into four groups. After Thanksgiving break, these groups branch out from Junnmiv, the campaign’s central community, ready to investigate various problems ranging from livestock-stealing stealth humanoids to a city in the mountains that is said to have appeared from nowhere. Three 8th graders help with the GMing.

At home, my Storm Clouds Gather and Heroes of Tejas City campaigns have run into issues. The former is down to two players as our third has had to drop out due to Real Life. The latter has gone into suspended animation because I kept running into a lack of time to prep for the sessions. The heroes did manage to defeat the machinations of Pulcinella and his cabal of villains, but Pulcinella escaped capture.

Since I’m off work this week, tomorrow I’m heading over to a friend’s house with my son Christopher to run a post-apoc game that combines 1978’s Gamma World with elements from Kevin Crawford’s Ashes without Number and Wolves of God. Everything Kevin Crawford writes is RPG gold. If I had few hundred extra dollars just laying around, I’d likely spend it on Sine Nomine Publishing print-on-demand books.

And, since it’s been a few years since I posted anything B-movie related, here’s a new mutant animal inspired by 1957’s classic The Monster That Challenged the World. If you’ve not seen this one, you own it to yourself and all your friends to host a viewing to thrill at the only movie ever made with both giant, flesh-eating sea snails and Chekov’s thermostat.

Syrinx
No. Appearing: 1-10
Armor Class: 2 or 6
Movement: 3/6 swimming
Hit Dice: 12

The syrinx is an enormous sea snail. Fully grown, its shell is about 2 meters across. Attacks against the shell are versus AC 2 and only inflict half damage. The syrinx’s body is slimy and caterpillar-like, capable of extending 3 meters from its shell. The body’s rugged hide is AC 6, and attacks against it inflict normal damage. The syrinx has ultravision. Its powerful mandibles bite for 1-12 points of damage. The mucus that covers its body is an intensity 12 poison that kills by asphyxiation. Each syrinx is a hermaphrodite, capable of fertilizing itself. A syrinx lays a clutch of several hundred eggs over a period of several days in the late summer months.

Tags: B-Movies, Gamma World, monsters

Today is the first day of my summer vacation, and so it’s time to hit the beach and witness the destruction wrought by Ray Harryhausen’s giant octopus, the true star of 1955’s atomic mutant monster classic It Came from Beneath the Sea.

Cephalopod, Titanic

A titanic cephalopod staggers the imagination. Its tentacles stretch more than 300 feet. Its mantle is 30 yards across. Its massive beak can crush boulders. The monster’s weight is incalculable. Strange energies imbue its invertebrate body with the strength and durability needed for its form to withstand its own mass. Perhaps worst of all, a titanic cephalopod can survive for a few hours on land, and it possesses an uncanny degree of problem-solving ability.

Init -2; Atk tentacle +20 melee (2d10) and beak +25 melee (4d12); AC 25; HD 20d12; MV crawl 40′ or swim 80′; Act 8d20; SP crush, regeneration, swallow whole; SV Fort +21, Ref +11, Will +11; AL N.

A titantic cephalopod regenerates 2d12 points of damage at the end of each round, including the round it’s killed. If reduced to a number of negative hit points so great that it cannot regenerate to at least 1 hit point in a single round, a titanic cephalopod dies. Wounds inflicted to its interior anatomy regenerate before other wounds.

A titantic cephalopod is so large that it cannot effectively deploy its tentacles or beak attacks against creatures giant-sized or smaller. On land against such prey, it simply shifts a portion of its massive bulk to crush its targets. This attack affects a 45-foot radius within 100 feet of a titantic cephalopod, inflicting 10d12 points of damage to affected creatures, each of whom may attempt a DC 30 Fort save for half damage. In water, a titanic cephalopod sucks in thousands of gallons of water, affecting a 60-foot-wide, 40-foot-long cone. Creatures in the cone that fail a DC 30 Ref save are swallowed whole. A titantic cephalopod’s digestive enzymes rapidly dissolve soft tissues, inflicting 2d7 points of damage per round. It might be possible to quickly hack one’s way out of the monster’s digestive cecum to less toxic parts of its interior anatomy.

Tales claim that sailors swallowed whole by a titanic cephalopod have survived by living within the beast’s non-digestive organs, there encountering strange marine creatures, survivors of lost vessels, et cetera. The truth of these tales is suspect.

Tags: B-Movies, DCC, monsters

1957 saw Not of This Earth hit U.S. movie theaters. Roger Corman, B-movie genius, brought together the talents of blocky Paul Birch and platinum-blond Beverly Garland in a movie with a truly chilling premise executed with an almost total lack of any sort of tension or character development. Several scenes that are meant to evoke awe or dread instead induce eye-widening impatience for the scene’s end. The theatrical version’s 67-minute running time seems to drag on and on. Still, Not of This Earth is not without its charms, which is par for Corman, who manages to make his trademark amateurishness both irritating and engaging at the same time.

And so today we adapt Paul Birch’s alien Mr. Johnson for DCC.

Davannians

Scholars aren’t quite sure where Davanna is. It could be a distant kingdom, or a parallel dimension, or an alien world. Whatever the truth, Davannians appear very much like humans, except for their eyes, which are milky white with pale gray pupils. Some time past, terrible wars ravaged Davanna, contaminating the very air with harmful but invisible energies. Because of this, the Davannians are a dying race, afflicted with a strange disease that slowly turns their blood from liquid to fine powder. The only way to stave off death from this condition to consume human or demihuman blood.

Since Davannians are both highly intelligent and deeply pragmatic, they acquire this blood by capturing inferior species (defined as anyone not a Davannian), transporting these captives to blood farms. The captives are kept telepathically sedated and mechanically restrained while systems of needles, tubes, and glass jars pump nutrient-rich fluids in and healthy blood out.

Init +4; Atk weapon +4 melee or ranged (by weapon type); AC 10 (unarmored); HD 4d8; MV 30′; Act 1d20; SP death glare, sensitivity to loud noises, telepathy; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +4; AL L.

Davannians are competent fighters, but they prefer to use their strange powers against enemies. Davannians communicate via telepathy, which transcends language barriers. The initial range of their telepathy is only 30 feet and requires line of sight, but once contact is established, a Davannian can communicate with the target over distances measured in miles. Davannian telepathy can also induce paralysis (lasting 2d3 minutes), erase or modify memories, or implant post-hypnotic suggestions. These effects require line of sight and have a range of 60 feet. They also permit a DC 16 Will save to resist. There is no fixed duration for telepathically altered memories or implanted suggestions, but killing the Davannian ends the effects.

The Davannians’ most potent weapon is their fearsome glare. This is not a gaze attack. The target need not meet the Davannian’s stare to be effected, but the target must be visible and within 30 feet. The glare can crack stone or shatter glass. Against a creature, the glare forces a DC 16 Will save to avoid being immediately rendered unconscious and reduced to 1 hit point, and the following round suffering 1d6 points of damage from massive internal trauma. If the Will save versus the glare succeeds, the target suffers no ill effects.

Davannians have exceptional hearing, making them difficult to surprise but vulnerable to loud noises. They suffer a -4 penalty on saving throws versus sonic attacks. A loud noise, such as a scream, within 5 feet forces a Davannian to make a Fort save to avoid being stunned for 1 round. The GM determines the DC of this saving throw. A shrill scream ought to have a DC of at least 12.

Davannians use strange devices, such as blood extractors carried in small boxes and metallic frames that permit both telepathic communication over vast distances and the teleportation of objects and creatures to and from Davanna.

Tags: B-Movies, DCC, monsters

Rarely, on a clear night, a piece of the sky falls from the limitless void, visible as a fiery streak racing downward. Most often, the sky-piece burns up before striking the ground. When it doesn’t immolate, it most often shatters into dust. But so infrequently that most astrologers believe the incidents purely mythical, the sky-piece not only makes landfall intact, but also carries within it an alien creature of horrible power and malevolent intent.

Yes, that’s right. For Dungeon Crawl Classics, here comes The Blob, that astonishingly successful B-movie that made at the box office a sum more than thirty times the film’s budget.

Star Ooze

Pulsing, transluscent near its edges, light red darkening to the color of black blood in its center, the star ooze starts its terrestrial life as a globule somewhat larger than a man’s fist. It moves via spasmodic convulsions, rolling or sliding or oozing, traveling across terrain as easily as it moves up a wall or across a ceiling. The star ooze moves slowly, steadily most of the time, but it is capable of short bursts of speed so as to strike against nearby prey. As it consumes the living tissue of warm-blooded creatures, the star ooze grows, possibly to such enormous dimensions that it could engulf an entire building.

Init -2; Atk slam +1 melee (1d3 plus grab); AC 10; HD 1d8+3; MV 15′, climb 15′; Act 1d20; SP alien mind, blindsight 60 ft., immune to damage, surge; SV Fort +3, Ref -2, Will +0; AL N.

The star ooze cannot be harmed by means either mundane or magical. Weapons pierce, slash, or bludgeon its gellid form without effect. Energy attacks, such a lightning or fire, are ineffective. Cold attacks do not cause damage, but may freeze the monster. If the star ooze’s hit points are reduced to zero by cold attacks, the creature freezes solid. Should it thaw, it then resumes its ceaseless pursuit of living flesh to consume. The star ooze seems at least marginally intelligent, capable of problem solving or learning from its mistakes. It does not communicate, and its mind is completely alien and thus impervious to charm, fear, et cetera.

The star ooze once per round may surge up to 30 feet to attack, slamming into its victim. It latches onto a larger victim or completely engulfs smaller victims, its acidic secretions melting flesh to be absorbed for nourishment. It takes the ooze 1d3 minutes to totally consume a small creature, 1d6+1 minutes for a medium creature, 1d8+2 minutes for a large creature, et cetera. Once a creature is totally consumed, the ooze gains hit points equal to one-fourth the consumed creature’s hit points. For every 5 hit points consumed, the ooze gains 1 HD and grows larger. Its attack bonus equals its HD. Increase its slam damage by +1d for each increase in size. The star ooze gains a +1 bonus to Fortitude saving throws for every two HD it gains.

Tags: B-Movies, DCC, monsters

The Erosians are human-like aliens who travel between worlds in saucer-shaped vehicles. At the core of Erosian beliefs lies a mysterious substance they call solaronite. Erosians believe that countless invisible, tiny particles compose light, especially sunlight, and that solaronite can cause these particles to explode. The result would be an unstoppable chain reaction capable of destroying entire kingdoms, maybe even entire worlds.

Since non-Erosian creatures — especially humans — are stupid and untrustworthy, the secrets of solaronite must be kept at any cost. Thus, the Erosians have developed reanimation rays specifically for the purpose of creating zombie armies to eradicate populations believed too close to uncovering the truth of solaronite.

In short, what follows is retooled from Plan 9 from Outer Space, the king of B-movies, for use with Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Erosian

Erosians are virtually indistinguisable from normal humans. They are highly intelligent, quixotic, and effete. Their society has a deep respect for bureaucratic decison making and bizarre, often elaborate plans of conquest. It is rare to encounter a single Erosian or Erosians in odd-numbered groups. They prefer to travel in male-female pairs, or in groups with equal numbers of males and females.

Init +1; Atk probe +1 melee (1d4 plus paralysis) or ray gun +2 ranged (2d6 or paralysis); AC 12; HD 1d8+1; MV 30′; Act 1d20; SP half damage from cold and fire; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +3; AL L.

Erosians seldom engage in hand-to-hand combat or even resort to direct violence. Their loose-fitting, flouncy clothing provides a degree of protection from harm.

An Erosian probe is a combination melee weapon and exploratory medical instrument. It has a hilt with a flippable switch and a “blade” consisting of a flexible, curled wire. A creature struck by the probe suffers an electrical shock and must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for a number of hours equal to the points of damage suffered from the attack.

A Erosian ray gun fires a concentrated bolt of electrical energy. The ray gun has two settings. One forces a DC 12 Fortitude save to avoid paralysis for 1d4 hours. The other inflicts serious wounds. A creature that is reduced to zero hit points by a single ray gun bolt glows brightly for a second or two and then crumbles to gray powder.

Reanimation Ray Gun

A group of Erosians will possess a single reanimation ray gun. This weapon fires an audible but invisible beam that affects a 60-foot long cone that is 30-feet wide at its terminus. Dead humanoids within the beam animate as Erosian zombies. If the reanimation ray gun is destroyed, any Erosian zombies animated by it crumble into a pile of bones. The ray gun also serves as an Erosian zombie control unit.

Erosian Zombie

Shambling and stiff-limbed, an Erosian zombie results from the effects of a reanimation ray gun on a humanoid corpse. If left uncontrolled, an Erosian zombie will wander about, bumping into things, and attempting to kill living creatures, especially creatures that are of the same type of humanoid the Erosian zombie was in life.

Init -3; Atk pummel +3 melee (1d5+2); AC 12; HD 2d8; MV 20′; Act 2d20; SP choke, infravision 60′, mindless; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N.

An Erosian zombie is slow but strong. It attacks with its bare hands. If it hits a creature with both hands in a single round, it locks its steely fingers around the creature’s throat and chokes for 1d5+2 points of damage each round thereafter (no attack roll necessary). Being mindless, Erosian zombies cannot be affected by magic that requires a living mind on which to work.

Tags: B-Movies, DCC, monsters