Thursday, January 28, 2010

FLAMING TELEPATHS

Inspired by Blue Oyster Cult, Juicers and Borderlands.
# Appearing: 1-6
Armor Class: 5 or 9 versus mindless opponents
Movement: 12"
Hit Dice: 3+3
Attacks: flaming fists for 1-4/1-4 or by weapon with an additional 1-4 points of fire damage is melee attack
Special: - wreathed in flames, attackers striking with hand-held weapons (aside from spears, pole arms and the like) take 2-8 damage on a hit or 1-4 damage on a miss
- ignores the first 10 points of damage from heat/fire attacks and takes half damage from the rest or no damage on a successful save
- can use the ESP (as the 2nd-level magic-user spell) at will with 9" range
- can use Hold Person (as the 3rd-level magic-user spell, duration of 2 rounds) 1/day
- immune to backstabs and has no penalty to armor class when attack from the rear or flank by non-mindless opponents
- cannot be surprised by non-mindless or non-mentally shielded opponents
- surprises on 1-3/d6
- if not under the influence of any intoxicants Armor Class is 9; Hit Dice is 1; no flaming fists or additional fire damage with melee attacks; cannot use any special abilities aside from ESP 1/day
Intelligence: Very-High (insane)
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Size: Medium
In the turmoil the presaged the fall of the Ancients, there was a conflict known only as "The Psychic Wars." The Flaming Telepaths were engineered by an unknown faction of the Ancients as living weapons for The Psychic Wars.
Flaming Telepaths appear to be emaciated, hairless Humans with a mottled pink and black skin composed of burn scars and an oversize , bulging cranium. They're eyes are a featureless deep, dark blue and they have a third eye, composed of a featureless black orb, located in the center of their foreheads. They were engineered to use Stimulant Intoxicants in order to enhance their mental powers are are dependent on them to use their pyrokinetic abilities and to prolong their lifespan (Flaming Telepaths are unable to reproduce and are thousands upon thousands of years old). While under the influence of stimulants they are able to use mental powers including the pyrokinetic ability to wreath their bodies and weapons in flames.
Flaming Telepaths lurk in the wastelands where they use ESP to probe travelers, primarily in search of stimulants. They prefer to inject stimulants into their third eye.
Particularly powerful Flaming Telepaths may possess additional mental powers, especially those of pyrokinteic nature.


11 comments:

  1. I loved Psychic Wars when I was 14. Mostly, I imagine, because it was penned by Moorcock.
    Doesn't age that well, but it is fun in a nostalgic way.

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  2. I've often thought that there's a whole campaign setting in BOC songs.

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  3. Don't give Blair any ideas! On Algol, we'd sooner be eaten by Godzilla than find the Black Blade :)

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  4. Lester, I'll have you know that if the party suffers a TPK due to a giant radioactive spewing mutant dinosaur it will be because you entered it's hex!

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  5. And that is totally fair dude, I concur.

    It does make exploring more interesting when you don't know if you're totally "balanced" to take on an opponent.

    Again, I think Gamma World nailed this better than D&D ever did.

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  6. Now BOC, Planet Algol just keeps getting better by the day! Awesome post!
    I love kicking back and listening to classic BOC, all those weird little stories.
    Heavy Metal: Black and Silver and Vengeance (the Pact) would fit into Planet Algol quite well, too.

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  7. Cities on Flame With Rock And Roll.

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  8. Woh, you could use the Mistress of the Salmon Salt ot the Great Sun Jester as NPCs

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  9. Tyranny and Mutations is a pretty great description of Algol as a whole. And Don't Turn Your Back is good advice for any Algol Adventurer

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