In additional to the new martial classes, Warriors of the Red Planet provides GMs with two alternatives to the tradional Cleric and Wizard for their Mars/Venus/Center-of-the-Earth/etc campaigns: the mind-bending Mentalist, featured in last week's preview, and the Scientist, master of inventions and gadgets of wonder and terror. This week you get a sneak peek at just a few of the Scientist's wide array of potential accoutrements. See if you can guess which Sorceries these Sciences replace!
Nightray Lenses
Science, 3rd Level
Range: 40 ft
Duration: 24 hours
Charge: 1/day
When activated by manipulating a small dial behind the left eyepiece, these midnight-blue, wire-frame lenses allow the wearer to see in total darkness for 24 hours.
Death Ray
Science, 6th Level
Range: 240 ft
Duration: Instananeous
Charge: 1/day
This outlandish looking contraption looks like a multi-barreled Irradium Pistol covered in tubes and wires. When activated, the 60’ cone of sickly-green energy waves can kill up to 2d8 creatures of 6HD or less.
Lightning Thrower
Science, 3rd Level
Range: up to 240 ft
Duration: Instantaneous
Charge: 1/day
This rod-mounted, wire-and-crystal sphere emits a bolt of lighting almost ten feet wide, up to 240’. Anyone in its path suffers 1d6 points of damage per level of the Scientist (half with a successful saving throw). The bolt always extends a minimum of 60 ft, even if this means that it ricochets backward from something that blocks its path.
Raygun
Science, 1st Level
Range: 150 ft
Duration: Immediate
Charge: 5/day
The standard sidearm of the well-equipped scientist, this pistol-like item emits a purplish ray of energy that unerringly strikes its target for 1d6+1 points of damage. At 5th level, the ray causes 2d6+2 points of damage, and at 9th it causes 3d6+3.
Invisibility Generator, Personal
Science, 2th Level
Range: Personal
Duration: Until wearer is hit or attacks someone else.
Charge: 2/day
This mountable gadget-box, covered in small brass dials, causes light to bend around a person or a thing, rendering it invisible. If the Referee is using the invisibility rules unchanged, the result is that an invisible creature cannot be attacked unless its approximate location is known, and all attacks are made at -4 to hit. If the invisible creature makes an attack, the effect is ended. Otherwise, it lasts until the gadget is turned off by the Scientist.
Disease Antimogrifier
Science, 3rd Level
Range: Touch
Duration: Immediate
Charge: 3/day
This small box of tubes and glass bulbs comes with a hose-attached syringe. If used to withdraw a sample of a diseased individual’s blood, it generates a colored capsule. Taking the capsule cures the diseased individual of their ailment.
I must say that you have gotten me to re-read these books that I haven't touched in 20+ years and they are still a viable, if a little weird, read.
ReplyDeleteMasterminds is one of my Barsoom faves. A+
ReplyDelete(Still gotta figure out how to work Barsoom into my little sandbox. At least for a session or two.)