Mutant Future: The Sixth Column (Faction)

Group Goals and Beliefs: The Sixth Column have embraced the super being named Stardust the Super Wizard (see History) as the savior of humanity. They believe that justice must be meted out, even if it runs contrary to local morals and laws. Vigilantism in pursuit of moral rightness is seen as a holy cause, and wrongdoers need to be punished in as extravagant a manner as is possible.
Identifiers: All members of the Sixth Column wear skin tight super-suits that have a sun or star motif of some kind. These suits can be worn under clothing, and usually are so as to catch evil-doers unaware.
Group History: Ages ago, before the tragic events of the Transgenic Wars (aka The Apocalypse) a powerful being known only as Stardust appeared in the Solar System. This super-being was/is the living avatar of a sentient star, created to perceive and interact with other sentient creatures, including the humans it was modeled after. Stardust used his awesome abilities to manipulate matter to dispense his own form of justice and he was accepted into the ranks of the superheroes.

New recruits

Understanding that children are the future of the human race, Stardust set up youth clubs across the Earth and the Solar System, encouraging young people to help spread his ideology and carry on his crusade. He gave the boys uniforms similar to his own, as well as high tech equipment which replicated a number of his own abilities. The boys, given these abilities, began to dispense their own form of justice in Stardust's name.
After his epic battles with the supervillain known as "The Great Question", Stardust was seen less and less in Known Space, finally returning to his "private star" for reasons unknown. In the years following the Sixth Column has tried their best to continue the cause of Stardust.
Game Information: The Sixth Column are zealots that perform "super-heroics", hunting down "bad guys" whenever and wherever they can. This might sound like a great thing, but these guys have a black and white view of things (though older members are more "batman" than superman), and can be a bit tiresome. Still, they do pack a punch. On Mars the Sixth Column act much like Paladins, travelling between Utopian Domes and Wilderness regions hunting evil-doers. A number of them operate off planet or are in the service of leader who they see as good. Such Sixth Column members are frequently hunting bigger game such as extra-planar monsters of supernatural threats.
Membership: To join the Sixth Column a character that is either a mutant human with NO drawback mutations or a Pure Human Sorcerer. The character must be of Neutral Alignment (LG, LN or LE). Entry into the ranks of the Sixth Column requires a passionate and ruthless zeal to punish evildoers by whatever means are necessary. Members of the Sixth Column gain a skintight Star Metal Suit and Thought Recording Collar (see below for details).

Star Metal Suit 
Originally created by Stardust himself, these skin-tight costumes are made of an indestructible "star metal" that is silky soft and very light. A Star Metal Suit grants the wearer an AC 2, and weights only 2lbs. Designs vary, but all of these suits have a star or sunshine motif. Non-members who somehow acquire a Star Metal Suit will find that is offers no special protection, though it will still make for indestructible underwear.

Thought Recording Collar 
This is a collar designed in a starburst or sunlight motif. The collar grants the wearer the Neural Telepathy mental mutation. If a non member of the Sixth Column wears the collar, it acts only as jewelry, with no special powers. A thought-recorder collar weighs nothing, hinting at the weird energies used in its making.

A powerful member of the Sixth Column.

The Sixth Column are inspired by the adventures of Stardust: The Super Wizard beginning in Fantastic Comics #14 published by Fox Feature Syndicate and created by Fletcher Hanks. 

Mutant Mars: The Brain Men of Mars

The Brain Men of Mars

No. Enc.: 1d10
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 1 (weapon)
Damage: As weapon
Save: L4
Morale: 6
Hoard Class: XVII
The Brain-Men of Mars (or Skomah) are brilliant humanoids with yellow skin, huge heads and skinny bodies. The Brain-Men are highly intelligent and technologically advanced with an insatiable curiosity concerning new gadgets and the behavior of other races. The Brain Men have a mutually beneficial relationship to Tripods (see Mutant Future page 100) which often act as transport and soldiers for the Brain Men. All Brain Men come equipped with mechanized exoskeletons (see below) to help their small bodies support the weight of their gigantic heads. Brain Men typically come equipped with Laser Pistols (Mark 2), and 1d4 trained Giant Ants or Giant Bats, Giant Lizards or Mansquitos.
In earlier ages of Mars the Brain Men had their own civilization located in underground cities. They ruled over most of Mars only occasionally venturing onto the surface and travelling to other planets (including Earth) to collect samples and victims for experiments. Though they have leaders (called the Great Skomahs), all of which are inventors of great renown, they are not normally an ambitious people. The Brain Men want to conduct research, tinker with new devices, and to be left alone.
Now in the era of Mutant Mars, the Brain Men have surfaced to be technicians for hire, merchants and wandering gadgeteers. These odd creatures can be found in any moderately advanced city, particularly Utopian Domes where they happily trade their knowledge and services for coin and a chance to test out their individual theories.
Mutations: Bizarre appearance (huge heads and tiny bodies), frailty, increased sense (touch), intellectual affinity (tinkerer), quick mind, plus 1d4-2 mental mutations.


Brain Men (Race)
Hit Dice: 1d4 per point of CON
Mutations: Bizarre appearance (huge heads and tiny bodies), frailty, increased sense (touch), intellectual affinity (tinkerer), quick mind, plus 1d4-2 mental mutations.

The Brain-Men of Mars (or Skomah) are brilliant humanoids with yellow skin, huge heads and skinny bodies. The Brain-Men are highly intelligent (+2 INT) and technologically advanced with an insatiable curiosity concerning new gadgets and the behavior of other races.  The Brain Men have a mutually beneficial relationship to Tripods (see Mutant Future page 100) which often act as transport and soldiers for the Brain Men. All Brain Men come equipped with mechanized exoskeletons (see below) to help their small bodies support the weight of their gigantic heads.
Brain Men adventurers and NPCs tend to be technicians for hire, merchants and wandering gadgeteers. These odd creatures can be found in any moderately advanced city, particularly Utopian Domes where they happily trade their knowledge and services for coin and a chance to test out their individual theories.

Mechanized Exoskeleton 
These gadgets act as a Power Beltpack that self-recharges at a rate of 1d4 discharges a day and corrects the effects of the Simian Deformity and Slow Mutant disadvantages. These exoskeletons can be worn under clothing and armor. These exoskeletons can be purchased only from Brain Men and must be specially fitted, costing 200 gp (100 for fellow Brain Men), and weigh a mere 5 lbs.


The Brain Men of Mars are inspired by the adventures of Stardust: The Super Wizard found in Fantastic Comics #6 (page 52-59) published by Fox Feature Syndicate and created by Fletcher Hanks. 

Mutant Mars: Map In Progress

Just wanted to post the Mutant Mars map in its present stage of development. There is still a great deal to detail and name, but it is shaping up.

Mutant Mars: A New Campaign Setting for Mutant Future!

New Campaign! Due to an old gaming buddy being back in town I am throwing together a campaign setting for Mutant Future. As I LOVE to tinker with campaign settings, I am not going to be using my Atomic Dawn setting for the game. Rather I am trying something a bit different for our post-apocalyptic fun. As follows:

MUTANT MARS
The game will be set on a Terraformed Mars that was established as a colony world shortly before Earth was plunged into a devastating war that cut off the Mars colonies from the homeworld. Of course as numerous nations and corporate powers worked together (as weird as that is) to terraform the Red Planet, these groups got into fights as well.
So long after the dust has settled, Mars is a savage world. The adapted ecosystem of the planet reacted strangely since the groundwork, and along with cosmic radiation and the uncertainties of bio-engineered life-forms, mutation is rampant. Culturally Mars is dotted with city-states, petty kingdoms and nomads with only a few cities holding to a higher standard of culture.
Players can play any of the races other than Mutant Plants, and will be beginning at 3rd level.
Players of Mutants have the option of using Mutant Packages.
Also, characters have the option of playing Magic Users (call them Wizards, Sorcerers, Priests etc) by using these rules. Such characters will have to have a cool back-story and/or belong to a spellcasting society. More on those very soon.

Below is a map of the beginning campaign region:

Candor: A massive city near Mariners River-Valley. The city is built around a Utopian Dome and is home to a large and diverse populace. The city is mostly composed of tiered slums interspersed with barbarian splendour and advanced technology. The city has many industries, but the largest is the processing of Martian Ore from Nickel-Iron Meteorites.
Ignarh: A barbarian city that maintains a trade route across the plains. It is a rough place full of cutthroats and thieves. Ideal for adventurers.
Lakkdarol: This city-state is a dusty but prosperous trade town.
Lockyer: Industrial town that maintains the other end of the Ignarh trade route. A society of mystics rules here, communing with ancient gods of Mars.
Paleveria: A republican and capitalist state with class divisions. Ruled by a wizard elite and styled much like Roman philosopher-leaders. Thursia - A learning center of Paleveria.

Mariners Valley: A deep gorge larger and more frightening than the Grand Canyon. Cliffs and cave networks are numerous here as are a number of cliff loving monsters and bat-riding madmen. Travelers beware.

Sorcerers in Mutant Future

Magic has its place in the strange world of Mutant Future, though what that place is varies from setting to setting. Clearly the Ancients of The Mutant Future world were delving into some pretty strange sciences. Powers such as Plane Shift in particular point to some pretty wild developments and can easily explain the kind of reality-warping effects that spellcasters use.
In the Atomic Dawn and Mutant Mars settings, we embrace Comic Book Physics. That is to say that if it happened in Golden and Silver Age comics, it could have happened in the setting at one time or another. Aliens, super-powered mutants, cyborgs, mad science, sorcery, giant robots, parallel dimensions, and atomic monsters all have had an influence in the post apocalyptic world of Mutant Future.
So here is my take on a spellcaster in Mutant Future:

Sorcerer (Race)

Hit Dice: 1d6 per point of CON

Ramses Doubleday. Sorcerer/Priest

Mutations: none (replaced by magic, see below)
Maximum Level: 12
Sorcerers are the magic-wielders of the Atomic Dawn and Mutant Mars settings. They are able to draw upon mystical forces, bending, shaping, and warping them to their will. They are able to cast spells of an offensive, defensive, healing, and/or destructive nature. Sorcerers are powerful, yet sometimes feared by humans as the source of their powers is usually in question. How the sorcerer uses his or her powers makes a huge difference of course. Some embrace the wizard motif with robes and wild beards, while others are more like mad scientists or inventors. Many still mix these extremes in the pursuit of power.
Sorcerers appear to be Pure Strain Humans unless they have suffered additional mutations via radiation or magical mishaps. Due to their training and study of the magical arts, Sorcerers gain a +2 when rolling for Intelligence and Willpower. Sorcerers do not initially have any mutations, but can mutated as Mutant Humans when exposed to radiation. Unfortunately, some sorcerers will willingly expose themselves to radiation in the hopes of gaining additional powers, leading to warped flesh and minds.
Sorcerers have a fascination with Ancient culture as Sorcerers study the Ancients during their training in the mystical arts. The ML is encouraged to allow a Sorcerer PC to choose one facet of the Ancients that he has studied (technology, history, language, etc.).
Sorcerers are able to cast spells just as if they were of the same level of an Elf in Labyrinth Lord, casting Magic-User spells, but still able to wield any weapon and wear any armor. However a Sorcerer MUST have at least one free hand to cast spells. If a Sorcerer's hands and arms are bound or otherwise immobile, a spell cannot be cast. The magical powers of Sorcerers are drawn from the same source as Mental Mutations and therefore susceptible to anything that would remove or hamper mutations (like Ancestral Form).
Reaching 9th Level: When a Sorcerer reaches the 9th level, he is able to create Artifacts of his or her own design, including Vehicles and Robots. Also, a sorcerer may build a stronghold, often a great tower, when he reaches level 11th level. He will then attract sorcerer apprentices (1d6).

Spell List: Sorcerers have access to the following spells (see Labyrinth Lord for details).
1st Level- Bless/Curse, Charm Person, Detect Magic, Floating Disc, Hold Portal, Light, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Read Languages, Read Magic, Shield, Sleep, Ventriloquism.
2nd Level- Arcane Lock, Continual Light, Detect Evil, Detect Invisible, ESP, Invisibility, Knock, Levitate, Locate Object, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force, Web.
3rd Level- Animal Growth, Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic, Fire Ball, Fly, Haste, Hold Person, Infravision, Invisibility 10' radius, Lightning Bolt, Protection from Evil 10' radius, Protection from Normal Missiles, Water Breathing.
4th Level- Arcane Eye, Charm Monster, Confusion, Dimension Door, Hallucinatory Terrain, Massmorph, Plant Growth, Polymorph Others, Polymorph Self, Remove Curse, Wall of Fire, Wall of Ice.
5th Level- Animate Dead, Cloudkill, Commune, Conjure Elemental, Contact Other Plane, Feeblemind, Hold Monster, Insect Plague, Magic Jar, Passwall, Telekinesis, Teleport, Transmute Rock to Mud, Wall of Stone.
6th Level- Animate Object, Anti-Magic Shell, Control Weather, Death Spell, Disintegrate, Geas, Invisible Stalker, Lower Water, Move Earth, Part Water, Project Image, Reincarnation, Stone to Flesh.

Game Info 
Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord use the same basic OSR game rules, with only thematic changes. Still, there are times when things can become confusing.
Saving Throws: Comparing saving throws is very straight forward. Saving throws always use Character Level rather than Hit Dice when spells are cast by and on player characters and NPCs. When spells are cast of creatures, use the creature's Hit Dice to determine saving throws.
When converting saving throws between Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord, refer to the table below for the direct equivalent:
Labyrinth Lord Mutant Future
Breath Attacks                    Energy Attacks
Poison or Death Poison or Death
Petrify or Paralyze                Stun Attacks
Wands                               Radiation
Spells or Spell-like Devices *See below
*There is no Mutant Future equivalent to Spells or Spell-like Devices. Use the equivalent level from the Fighter saving throw table for Spells or Spell-like Devices in Labyrinth Lord.