Monstrous Mondays: The Serpent Men of Lemuria

 Today marks the 95 anniversary of the birth of American author Lin Carter.  I didn't plan it this way, but I have been going back and rereading some of Carter's work, especially his entries in Gygax's Appendix N. So today I want to revisit a favorite bad guy of mine, the Ophidians or Snake Men/Serpent Men, and recast them as "The Serpent Men of Lemuria." 

I am not trying to cling to one particular idea here. This is a pastiche of many sources. Lin Carter, Robert E. Howard, Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and others. 

This recasting is not designed to be incompatible with my previous post on Ophidians, but rather an enhancement to it. 

Serpent Men of Lemuria (Ophidians)

Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 2–20 (nobles 1–4; lesser 2–100; emissaries 1–10; abominations 1–8)
Armor Class: Varies (see below)
Move: 12" (Swim 12")
Hit Dice: Varies (see below)
% in Lair: 60%
Treasure Type: Varies (see below)
No. of Attacks: Varies
Damage/Attack: Varies
Special Attacks: Poison, charm, constriction, magic
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: High to Genius
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Size: M to L (5' to 15' long)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil 

The Serpent Men of Lemuria are the degenerate remnants of an ancient pre-human empire that once ruled the world from their black ziggurats of Lemuria. Worshippers of forgotten serpent gods, they are a deeply hierarchical species whose society is divided into castes: Nobles, Emissaries, Lessers, Abominations, and the rare Progenitors.

The Serpent Men dwell in lost cities, endless deserts, and jungle-cloaked ruins where the bones of their former empire still stand. Their society is steeped in sorcery, cruelty, and ancient blood magic.

Lesser Serpent Men (Rank & File)

Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 3+1
No. of Attacks: 2 (weapons) or 1 (bite)
Damage/Attack: Weapon (usually scimitars 1d8) or bite 1d6 + poison
Special Attacks: Poison (save vs poison or die in 1d4+2 rounds)
Special Defenses: Immune to snake venom
Treasure Type: Q×10 (minor trophies, jewelry)

Description: The Lesser caste are the numerous warrior-slaves of the Serpent Men, with humanoid torsos and snake-like lower bodies. They wield cruel curved blades and favor ambush tactics. Though not highly intelligent individually, they are cunning pack hunters.

Noble Serpent Men (Ruling Caste)

Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 9+3
No. of Attacks: 1 (weapon or bite)
Damage/Attack: Weapon (1d8) or bite 1d6 + poison
Special Attacks: Poison (save vs poison or die in 1d4+2 rounds); Command lesser castes
Special Defenses: Immune to snake venom; immune to petrification (basilisks, medusae)
Treasure Type: H, S (temple hoards)

Description: The Nobles rule through bloodline purity, cruelty, and mastery of ancient secrets. With humanoid heads covered in fine scales, they resemble blasphemous parodies of men. Their venom is deadlier than the Lesser caste, and their minds sharp with sorcerous knowledge of the old gods.

Emissary Serpent Men (Sorcerer-Priests)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 6+2
No. of Attacks: 1 weapon or spell
Damage/Attack: Weapon (usually dagger 1d4+1) or by spell
Special Attacks: Charm (victims save at −1); spells as 5th-level Illusionist
Special Defenses: Immune to snake venom; partially resistant to charm (save at +1 vs charm attempts)
Treasure Type: O, R (spell components, magical items, rare scrolls)

Description: Emissaries are the sorcerer-priests of the Ophidians, acting as the voice of the nobles to the outside world. Though appearing nearly human, they bear forked tongues, scaled skin, and slitted eyes. Their spells manipulate the minds of humans, making them ideal infiltrators and agents.

Abomination Serpent Men (Spawn of Forbidden Unions)

Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 10+2
No. of Attacks: 2 slams and bite
Damage/Attack: 1d6+3 / 1d6+3 (slams), bite 1d6+3 + poison
Special Attacks: Constriction (if both slam attacks hit same target); poison bite (save vs poison or die in 1d4+1 rounds)
Special Defenses: Immune to snake venom; berserk rage grants +2 to hit when wounded
Treasure Type: None

Description: The Abominations are cursed progeny — bloated masses of serpentine horror, many-limbed or many-headed, each uniquely malformed. Used as shock troops, they know only hatred for all life. The nobles use them as living engines of slaughter.

Progenitor Serpent Men (Ancient Mage-Priests)

Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 9
No. of Attacks: 1 weapon or spell
Damage/Attack: By weapon or spell
Special Attacks: Cast as 5th-level Magic-User and 4th-level Cleric
Special Defenses: Immune to snake venom; difficult to detect (treat as continuous nondetection spell)
Treasure Type: Q, S, U (ancient relics, rare spellbooks, forbidden lore)

Description: The Progenitors are the oldest of the Serpent Men, their bodies concealed by illusory human skins. They are few, paranoid, and driven by a desire for immortality. Most nobles seek to destroy them out of fear.

Ecology and Religion

The Serpent Men worship ancient pre-human serpent deities, long forgotten by man. Whether these are true gods or eldritch cosmic entities is unknown. In their black ziggurats, sacrifices are made to these dark powers, feeding the Ophidian sorceries that sustain their dwindling bloodlines.

The Cult of The One Who Remains

In the lost jungles and steaming lowlands of ancient Lemuria, where black ziggurats rise like broken teeth through the mists, the Ophidian Serpent Men whisper prayers to a god few mortals dare name. The humans who know of it call it The One Who Remains; the Serpent Men call it Ssath Ur-Raa, He Who Waits Beyond All Coils.

To the Serpent Men, all things, kingdoms, races, even the gods themselves, are as molted skins, discarded and forgotten. After all, they watched the Old Ones rise into power and then fall into their deep cosmic slumbers. Only the great cosmic serpent at the center of all existence endures. They believe that when the final sun gutters out and the last star grows cold, The One Who Remains will still exist, coiled at the center of the void, the last and eternal devourer. It is not death, but endless, unbroken continuation. Not life, but consumption without end.

Within their ancient temples, deep beneath the crumbling ziggurats of Lemuria, the Serpent Men enact terrible rites in its honor. Victims are dragged screaming into stone chambers and placed upon altars of obsidian and jade. There, their lifeblood is spilled, seeping into channels cut into the floor, flowing in great spirals that mimic the infinite coils of their god. Blood is both offering and currency, traded for visions, power, and the brief illusion of immortality.

The priesthood of The One Who Remains is layered like the coils of their god. At its center sits the High Oracle of the Last Coil, always one of the ancient Progenitors, older than memory and rumored to have gazed directly into the eyes of the Sleeper Beneath the Last Coil. Around the Oracle gather the Lords of the Black Coil, drawn from the most ancient noble bloodlines. It is they who oversee the Abomination-Births, deliberately breeding the most monstrous of their kind as offerings and as weapons in their ceaseless wars. Beneath them are the Coilspeakers, the Emissaries who master the ancient arts of dream-sorcery and illusion. With whispered words and flickering gestures, they cloud the minds of men and bend them to the will of their Ophidian masters.

Even among the Lesser caste, faith in The One Who Remains is absolute, though their understanding is crude. They serve as the laborers, the warriors, and the butchers of the faith. For every sacrifice, for every abomination birthed, for every rival enslaved or destroyed, the Serpent Men believe themselves one coil closer to their god’s embrace.

Yet it is not merely blood and flesh they offer. The Coilspeakers enter trances where they seek visions from the outer reaches of the world, glimpsing patterns spiraling into infinite madness. Those few who return speak of collapsing worlds, of unraveling realities, and of other realms where The One Who Remains reaches through fractured dimensions to consume entire existences. Whether these are prophetic glimpses or delusions born of their own degeneracy, none can say.

To the Ophidians, all is a spiral, the twisting of bloodlines, the coiling of bodies in ritual embrace, the spiraling glyphs carved into the temple stones. And at the center of every spiral is The One Who Remains.

Even now, as the last of their ancient cities crumble, and humanity rises beyond the jungles they once ruled, the Ophidians believe that all victories of man are but passing skins. In the end, when all is uncoiled and the world breathes its final breath, only their god shall remain.

--

I have been hanging on to The One Who Remains for many years now. Trying to find good ways to sneak it into various writings. He made his first appearance in my Buffy RPG adventure "The Dark Druid" and he is the "something else" I mentioned in Fear Dorich's stats. 

Who, or what, is The One Who Remains? That is a much more complicated question and deserves a careful answer. In the future. 

Kickstart Your Weekend: Tales Valiant and Chilling

 Had to switch my Friday posts here, was going to do this one next week and have a Fantasy Friday for today, but fell down a rabbit hole and ended buying three more games to talk about. That's fine I have Kickstarters today that seem to be speaking to me directly.

Up first, Tales of the Valiant.

Player's Guide 2: New Power for 5E and TOV Players

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deepmagic/players-guide-2-new-power-for-5e-and-tov-players?ref=theotherside

Tales of the Valiant is Kobold Press' 5e-compatible RPG sans the OGL. I don't play a lot of 5e these days, but I do keep my eye out. And this one grabbed me. I already detailed Tales of the Valiant in previous Fantasy Fridays.

You can easily see why if you download their preview. 

Yup. That's right, a 5e-compatible Witch class. Now I have played a lot of 5e witches thanks to DMsGuild and other sites. Some are great, some less so. But this one looks like a lot of fun, really. Honestly, I don't really care what else the book has, that is enough for me. There are three new classes here and sub-classes for all the base classes. That's 16 classes total for ToV. There is a witch and a warlock. 

Vanguards are featured in the preview and remind me of Pathfinder 2's champions or even the Cavalier of old. Yes, I already have a character in mind to make for this. In fact, he is perfect since it was Kobold Press' Shadow Fey book that made me want to make the character in the first place. With this book I could actually do Scáthaithe, Larina, and their daughter Taryn all in the same system for a change. In my Fantasy Friday coverage of ToV I mentioned that there were no good options to do Larina with. That changes with this.

The Kickstarter is funded, so they don't need my help at all. But there are a lot of good add-ons and stretch goals. I think I am going to get the fancy-looking limited edition cover. I am a slut of a book with a ribbon.

Sadly, it won't be out till January of 2026. 

I have the Tales of the Valiant books in PDF. I'll need to get those in hardcovers, too, now. 

I already featured this one, but I want to do it again. 

Frightshow Classics LIVES!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frightshowclassics/frightshow-classics-lives?ref=theotherside

This Kickstarter will feature a lot of art from the late Jim Holloway. They have been working with Jim's family to get this art out there in remembrance of him and the game he did so many illustrations for, 1st Edition Chill.

This round also features an adventure adapting the famous gothic story "Carmilla" for use with this system.

What system is that? Good of you to ask! The adventures are overtly for Chill first Edition. The Pacesetter version. BUT these adventures can be played on their own with no extra rule book since everything you need is included in the adventure itself. You can even move them over to your system of choice.

I wrote a couple for this line, The Golem and The Nightmare.

I even provided a video tribute featuring my favorite Jim Holloway art. 

Why D&D 5.5 (2024) Needs a New Campaign World, Part 2

Last month, I made the claim that D&D 5.5/2024 Edition should have its own campaign world. This generated some very lively discussions. However, more than a few people were confused as to the purpose of that post.

Yes. You can make your own game world. Everyone can. Everyone does.

But that post wasn't about that.

It was about Wizards of the Coast making a new world. A product for sale and a marketing tool. Something to help emphasize and feature the new rules and vision of the D&D 2024 game. A flagship setting that tells the players, “This is what this edition is for.”

So, to be up front, here are the objectives of this post:

To identify what makes the 2024 Edition of D&D 5e different, and what a campaign world should do to support these new rules and views.

So, what should a world for D&D 5.5/2024 look like?

A world that welcomes heroes of every species, that speaks the same bold language as the rules and art? It shouldn't just retrofit old kingdoms, it should feel like the start of a new mythology. Not a museum for nostalgia, but a canvas for discovery.

What is the Point of View of the New Game?

The new D&D game is not the same Sword & Sorcery game rooted in the pulp epics of R.E. Howard, the epic fantasy of Tolkien, or the weird horror of Lovecraft. Sure, those roots are still there, but they’ve become fertilizer for something new. D&D fantasy is now its own genre, just as recognizable and distinct as High Fantasy or Grimdark.

D&D 2024 is Heroic Fantasy, Reforged.

The rules assume you are powerful, competent, and connected to a world that matters. This isn’t about crawling through dungeons looking for 14 copper pieces and a rusty dagger. This is a game where characters shape the world, not just loot it.

And the world they shape should reflect that.

This quote from early in the Player's Handbook (p. 4) sets the tone.

“There’s no winning and losing in D&D, at least not the way those terms are usually understood. Together you and friends create an exciting story of adventurers who confront perils. Sometimes an adventurer might come to a tragic end. Even so, the other adventurers can search for powerful magic to revive their fallen comrade, or the character’s player might create a new character to carry on. No matter what happens, if everyone has a good time and creates a memorable story, they all win.”

This new world is not the Realms. It is not Greyhawk. It is not born of Dragonlance’s epic saga or Eberron’s intrigue. Modules or boxed sets from the 1980s don't hold this world together. It doesn't need to be. It can stand on its own, because the new edition does. This new world draws on all of those, but it is, or should be, its own new thing.

D&D 2024 is no longer just inspired by existing fantasy genres; it has become its own unique blend: a fusion of classic fantasy, modern storytelling, video game logic, and collaborative heroism. Most of the players of this game have never read any of the books in Appendix N, nor do they need to. It's not required reading, it's not homework. 

The 2024 Rules Philosophy: Why This Edition Feels Different

The 2024 edition does not simply revise the math or tidy up the rulebooks. It reflects a new philosophy that reshapes how players engage with the game world:

• Heroic from Level 1: Characters are competent, capable, and connected from the start. They are agents of change, not fragile wanderers.
• Background Defines Destiny: Backgrounds carry some mechanical weight, adjusting ability scores, granting a starting feat, and shaping a character’s narrative role.
• Species, Not Race: The old assumptions are gone. Every ancestry is valid, integrated, and part of the world’s core mythology from the beginning.
• Epic Play Is Expected: Epic Boons and expanded high-level content create long arcs where characters leave permanent marks on the world. Bastions given them a place to grow.
• Rest and Recovery Shift: Revised rest rules and healing mechanics de-emphasize attrition gameplay and resource management in favor of narrative pacing.
• Inspiration & Heroic Dice: The system encourages cinematic moments, rewarding bold choices and emotional storytelling.
• Moral Complexity Over Alignment: The world emphasizes choices, consequences, and motivations rather than rigid alignment tags.
• Collaborative Worldbuilding: Bastions, crafting, and political influence give players tangible ways to build and shape the world around them.

This isn’t just new mechanics; it’s a new gameplay rhythm. The world that supports this edition must reflect these values: vibrant, inclusive, and full of heroic possibility.

A Place for Everyone

Last time, I mentioned that human-centric is no longer the norm. Tieflings, kenku, rabbitfolk, genasi, and goliaths are not "weird options," they are the foundation. We’re not explaining their presence as magical accidents. They are the world’s people. Full stop.

And that means designing a world where they belong from the start.

This is not just a question of species, but of society. The world needs to be built from the ground up as a multicultural setting. Not a monoculture with elves here and dwarves over there, but a place where cities are melting pots, just like our own. Diverse, imperfect, growing, and alive.

The landscape must reflect this (we are not drifting too far afield here):

• Forests for Elves, Firbolgs, and Gnomes.
• Mountains for Dwarves, Goliaths, and Dragonborn.
• Elemental zones, volcanoes, storm-swept coastlines, and crystal deserts for Genasi (and maybe Dragonborn too).
• Planar-infused regions where Githyanki, Tieflings, and Aasimar emerged from divine or infernal events not exiled, not feared, but part of the world’s mythic history.
• Underground realms and deep caverns, not evil hives, but mysterious cultures for Svirfneblin, Kobolds, even Goblinoid societies.

You don't explain these people as oddities or invaders. You explain them as native to this world’s story.

And yes, it must use 'species,' not 'race.' Background and culture shape identity as much or more than biology. This is a world that embraces the idea that what you choose matters.

By everyone, I don't just mean "Characters" but "Players" as well. A new world would not just serve veteran players looking for a fresh canvas; it would provide an accessible, self-contained starting point for brand-new players who are being drawn into D&D through its growing cultural presence.

A Place for Bastions, Magical Shops, and More

Blame Skyrim, Minecraft, Animal Crossing, or Critical Role, modern players want to build. The 2024 edition's rules for Bastions are a direct response to this.

So the world must support that mechanic. Not just as a gimmick, but as a narrative engine.

• Frontier zones and wild lands for players to reclaim and shape.
• Urban districts where old guildhalls, mage towers, or abandoned temples can be refurbished into faction bases.
• Political factions that reward player heroes with lands, titles, or responsibilities.
• Magical areas, ripe for discovery and filled with mystery and potential.

A Bastion isn’t just a stronghold; it’s a symbol of the character’s impact on the world. A forge, a sanctuary, a school, a demiplane, it should reflect the kind of hero, and the player, who built it.

And magic items? They’re not just loot anymore, they’re craft. The world should have rare components, legendary artificers, and magical economies that support the idea that players make as much as they take.  Characters no longer search for a magical weapon, they search for the items, rare and wonderful, to craft this magical weapon. 

A Place for Heroes, Not Murder Hobos

This is maybe the most important shift of all.

D&D 2024 assumes that the characters will be heroes from the start. The world should provide the challenges to allow them to do that. 

In that vein, while the emphasis on alignment is lessened, the heroic deeds of the characters, informed by their backgrounds and motivations, is pushed to the front. 

That means the world must reinforce heroism:

• Villains have goals, not alignment tags. They make choices that harm others, threaten communities, or disrupt the world’s spiritual balance, and heroes rise to challenge them.
• NPCs matter, not just as quest-givers or obstacles, but as people whose lives improve (or suffer) depending on what the heroes do.
  
• Monsters have new and updated lore. A new world needs to feature the unique abilities, behaviors, and updated lore of the 2024 monsters as integral parts of its ecosystems and mythos. Old "evil" species have new motivations, and old "heroic" creatures have new purposes. All of these have to have a place in the world
• Factions reward good deeds not only with gold and magic but with respect, stories, and influence.

When characters act heroically, the world should respond. They gain allies. They inspire others. They become part of the land’s living mythology.

This is a world that expects heroes to rise, and needs them to.

Don't get me wrong here, I have seen D&D 5e characters do things that can be classified as war crimes, but characters are always going to that. This is about the world that the new rules tries to build and how the PCs can build within it. 

A Place Worth Saving

Lastly, the world itself must be beautiful.

Not just dangerous or mysterious, it is those, but also wondrous. Filled with things worth protecting.

• Floating islands with gardens tended by treants and air genasi.
• A continent slowly awakening after a divine slumber, its forests singing with echoes of lost gods.
• Cities built in the bones of giant beasts, their spires crafted from dragonbone and crystal.
• A golden river that flows backward, carrying visions of future destinies.
• Hidden portals, ancient mysteries, new lands still becoming.
• A world that has a unique, even special, place in the D&D Multiverse.

Because players want to care. And caring starts with wonder.

Honorable Mentions

I would be remiss if I did not mention some campaign worlds that can do all of this in one form or another.

Eberron did for 3e what this new world should do for 5e. Can it do all of this now? I don't know Eberron is the world I am the least knowledgeable about.

The Forgotten Realms can also do this. And in many significant ways, it does do this. The Forgotten Realms of the Baldur's Gate 3 game does at least and still balances what the old-school gamers like. Take the questline in Act 1 for example. You need to wipe out a camp of goblins. Mind you, you are not doing this just because they are Goblins. You are doing it because they are worshippers of the evil Cult of the Absolute, bent on tyrannical conquest. If you take them out, then a group of tieflings can get to safety (in theory). The different species and factions don't have to get along in this new world.

We will be getting an updated Forgotten Realms campaign setting later this year.

Points of Light of Nentir Vale tried to do this with D&D 4e, but that had many issues of its own to deal with. That world had a mish-mash of all the previous worlds before it in a grand experiment of sorts, but it never took off as well as I think WotC wanted it to do. 

Mystara does this well. Like the Forgotten Realms, nearly every hex on this world (and in it!) has been explored or at least discussed. But my refrain for the last 30 years has been "Mystara can do that" anytime someone asks if a world can do X, Y, or Z. Mystara can do all of the above. Though there are no Gods in Mystara. This may or may not be an issue for some. Certainly, D&D 5.5 can support this, but players like their characters to have gods. 

Exandria is the world from the Critical Role actual plays and supported by four rule books. This world does in fact do all the above and has a place for all sorts of humanoids in the world.  It even has some gods from all over the D&D multiverse, including a few from Pathfinder. It was more or less custom-made for D&D 5 (2014 edition) by Matt Mercer. It is even mentioned in the new 2024 DMG. Its biggest drawback is that it is very much Mercer's world. Unless something changes, we are not likely to see any more Exandria for D&D 5. Mercer and crew have their new Daggerheart game out now, and they are going to want to support that. 

I like Exandria. I love Mystara, and I have grown to love the Realms. But maybe we do need something new. 

Why a New World Matters

A brand-new setting would do more than showcase the rules. It would define the cultural and creative identity of this edition, just as Greyhawk, Dragonlance, the Realms, or Eberron defined their eras. For new players entering through the 2024 gateway, it becomes their first mythology, one unburdened by decades of inherited continuity. 

A world that says: This is what D&D means now.

The Witches of Appendix N: Edgar Rice Burroughs

 Today, let's take a look at one of the key authors from Appendix N: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Gygax himself lists him, citing the Pellucidar, Mars, and Venus series. Burroughs' influence on early D&D is evident in many aspects, including weird monsters, lost civilizations, Hollow Earth settings, and pulp action. But what about witches? Do we find any in his works?

Well… not really. But that absence is interesting in itself.

Where are Burroughs' Witches?

Burroughs doesn’t give us many witches in the traditional sense. No crones stirring cauldrons, no hags in the wilderness, and very few spellcasters as we'd recognize them. Instead, his worlds are filled with cults, priesthoods, ancient science, and psionics, powers adjacent to witchcraft, but rarely crossing the line.

Barsoom: Psychic Powers and Cults

The Barsoom novels (beginning with A Princess of Mars) give us a world rich with ancient cultures and bizarre religions. The white-robed Therns and black-skinned First Born present us with sinister religious orders, but their power lies in manipulation, deception, and lost technology rather than magic. The Lotharians use mental projection to summon phantom armies, an ability that feels more psionic than arcane.

Women like Dejah Thoris, Thuvia, and Tara are formidable, but not witches in a magical sense, or in any sense really. Barsoom lacks the archetype of the spellcasting sorceress; its dangers are physical, political, and technological.  

I will point out that the "goddess" Issus reminds me a lot of the Githyanki Lich-Queen Vlaakith.  Like the Barsoomians, the Githyanki are egg-laying humanoids. The Githzerai, in fact, remind me a lot of Therns and Lotharians. The Githzerai’s ascetic discipline echoes the mental control of the Lotharians and the secretive religious structure of the Therns.

Now I love the Barsoom books. They are great pulpy reads and a lot of fun. Squint and you can see the roots of both Dune and Star Wars here. Their morality is very much black & white. There are no shades of gray. Evil is Evil with a capital "E" and good is always righteous. 

Tarzan: Witch Doctors and Jungle Sorcery

The Tarzan novels get closer to something resembling witchcraft, featuring witch doctors, shamans, and tribal magicians. These characters, as filtered through Burroughs’ colonialist lens, often serve as either dangerous manipulators or comic foils. Occasionally, they seem to exhibit powers that might be called magical, curses, rituals, spirit summoning, but most of the time it's left ambiguous whether their abilities are real or elaborate fakery.

In D&D terms, you might think of them as hedge witches, low-level druids, or non-player character wise men with access to rituals and charms.

Pellucidar and Venus: Weird Science Over Sorcery

In Pellucidar (Hollow Earth) and Amtor (Venus), we again see lost civilizations, bizarre creatures, and strange cults. But again, no true witches. The high priests and priestesses here serve more as political or religious authorities than practitioners of magic. Burroughs always leans toward "lost science" as an explanation for the strange phenomena of these worlds.

I enjoyed the Pellucidar series quite a lot, the Venus ones less so. No reason really, I just think the Venus ones paled in comparison to the Mars tales.

Why No Witches?

Burroughs was far more interested in physical adventure than in metaphysical horror or occult mystery. His heroes battle monsters, topple tyrants, and rescue lost princesses, but they rarely confront dark sorcery or the supernatural. It is possible that he was more of a product of early 20th-century American Rationalism. However, this was also a time of unprecedented expansion in claims of the supernatural, the emergence of new religions, and spiritualism. To be more blunt, ERB just wasn't into that. Perhaps it had something to do with his Military father and his Chicago upbringing, as well as his move west to Idaho as a young man. 

Where Howard or Leiber fill their worlds with sinister witches and warlocks, Burroughs replaces that with forbidden science, hypnotic mental powers, and decaying civilizations clinging to ancient secrets.

Nothing at all wrong with Weird Science. The pulp serial reels of movie houses were filled with them. I would argue that he was one of the driving forces behind the pulp serials of the 1930s and 40s. Same two-fisted action, same blend of heroes, damsels in distress, and lots of strange science. John Carter is the godfather of Commander Cody as much as he is of Luke Skywalker. This is even more evident in the Tarzan movies.

Conclusion

Though witches are virtually absent in Burroughs' works, his settings offer plenty of material for pretty much anything else you can do in D&D. His influence on D&D is undeniable, but primarily through setting and adventure rather than through magic systems. 

Adaptation

Ok, just because ERB doesn't have any sort of magic in his Barsoom books, that doesn't mean I am not going to use them. 

I have always been fascinated with Mars. Either reading about the planet or looking up at it through my old telescope, Mars is fascinating. ERB has his Barsoom tales, Clark Ashton Smith had his tales, and lets not forget H.G. Wells. Mars is a place I keep wanting to go back to. I'll have to expand this thread more.

The Return of Frightshow Classics!

 It's not a Kickstart Your Weekend, but honestly, I couldn't wait for this one. My friend, Yeti Spaghetti, has a new Kickstarter to support the next batch of Frightshow Classics adventures.  Since I wrote a couple of these in the past I guess that makes me one of the friends of "Yeti Spaghetti and Friends!"

Frightshow Classics LIVES!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frightshowclassics/frightshow-classics-lives?ref=theotherside

This Kickstarter will feature a lot of art from the late Jim Holloway. They have been working with Jim's family to get this art out there in remembrance of him and the game he did so many illustrations for, 1st Edition Chill.

This round also features an adventure adapting the famous gothic story "Carmilla" for use with this system.

What system is that? Good of you to ask! The adventures are overtly for Chill first Edition. The Pacesetter version. BUT these adventures can be played on their own with no extra rule book since everything you need is included in the adventure itself. You can even move them over to your system of choice.

I wrote a couple for this line, The Golem and The Nightmare.

I even provided a video tribute featuring my favorite Jim Holloway art. 

So check it out.

Maybe I should extend my "Year of Fantasy RPG" to include some "Urban Fantasy!"

It's June! Time for some Summer Gaming

Bowing out of a Monstrous Monday post for today since it is the start of June. 

Historically, around here, June has been my time to devote to D&D, with a particular focus on B/X and BECMI D&D. This year, I was going to focus on FRPGs that were not D&D, but I am going to bend my own rules a little here. I do have a few non-D&D Fantasy RPGs I'll cover this month (3 or 4, looking over my notes), as well as some D&D-related content.

Another theme coming up for me is "1985." Including a few projects I am working on that have that as a connecting theme. One you already know about, you just didn't know that was a theme of it yet. My 1357 DR Forgotten Realms campaign is taking on a solid "1985" feel to it.  Since the campaign setting came out in 1987 and is assumed to be 1357, I am setting by "game feel" for how I was playing in 1985-1986. 1987 was a very different sort of year for me, gaming-wise, so I opted for something more mid-80s in feeling. Plus, my son and I were talking a lot about music from that time (he is really getting into the Talking Heads), so I made a new 1985 playlist for background noise. 

June, of course, always reminds me of summers playing D&D (and some Chill, and some DC Heroes). It was a great time. Yeah, I was also working all the time. I started saving for college in 1984, but it was still a great time. 

Posts this month are going to be around this loose theme and moving me closer to completion for a couple of new projects. Among these are a new OSE "Classic Classes" release, a couple more "Myths & Monsters" for 1st Ed. And a few ideas I have been mulling over that are not really ready for the light of day. This is all still part of my efforts to finish up some of the started, but never completed, projects sitting on my hard drives. 

I am rather looking forward to it all.

Larina Nix for d20 Dark•Matter / Urban Arcana

 I was talking to my oldest about my desire to maybe, just maybr running a d20 Dark•Matter game sometime. He laughed at me. I asked him why and he asked if I remembered what a a pain in the ass d20 Modern was at higher levels. Characters having at least three classes, feats all over the place, a recording nightmare. He was right, but undaunted I jumped in. I figure I'd create a few characters. I have three characters from my WitchCraft game that I'd love to get back too. Then there were two others from a Cinematic Unisystem game set in Chicago, brother and sister private eyes, that I always thought migth be fun to revist. 

Yeah. That didn't work out really.

Now, to be fair, I am really, really out of practice building a d20 Modern Character, but damn I don't remember it being like this. In the end, I only did one (sorry, Scott and Heather) from my WitchCraft game. 

While I set out to try to do a fairly straightforward translation of the Alternity material to d20, that also didn't work out really. So in the end I did a "spiritual translation" of Larina's Alternity Dark•Matter version to d20.  They started out the same, but they drifted a bit apart.

I also could not find Scott's and Heather's sheets from my 1999 WitchCraft game, so at this point, I'd be basing them on their D&D alter egos, which may or may not be the best. Heather is a half-elf in D&D after all. I did find Eric MacAlister, Larina's ex-husband. But in truth, I never really did anything else with the guy after the 1999 game. She always worried that he would come after her, and he had kind of forgotten her. Plus, he was unable to fly post Sept. 11, 2001, due to all the restrictions. 

So here is my witch. She took a long time to build here, and I am not 100% sure I got her correct.

Larina "Nix" Nichols

Human Charismatic Hero 5 / Mystic 7

Strength 8 (-1)
Dexterity 12 (+1)
Constitution 12 (+1)
Intelligence 17 (+3)
Wisdom 17 (+3)
Charisma 19 (+4)

Hit Points 66

Speed 30ft.

Defense 17, touch 17, flat 16

Init +1

Fort +9
Ref +8
Will +10

BaB/Grap +5 / +5
Melee/Ranged +5 / +6

AP 115 (lifetime)
Rep +7

Academic (starting occupation) University Librarian
Decipher Script
Knowledge (arcane lore)

Feats
Alertness
Attentive
Creative
Endurance
Educated (+2 on two knowledge skills)
Meticulous
Iron Will
Simple Weapon Proficiency [free]
Trustworthy
Toughness x1
Wild Talent (Psionic, Far Hand [TK])

Talents
Coordinate
Inspiration
Great Inspiration

Skills

Skill Name	Key Ability	Skill Modifier	Ability Modifier	Ranks	Misc. Modifier
Balance	Dex*	1 =	+1
Bluff	Cha	12 =	+4	+8
Climb	Str*	-1 =	-1
Computer Use	Int	6 =	+3	+3
Concentration	Con	9 =	+1	+8
Craft (Structural)	Int	3 =	+3
Craft (Visual Art)	Int	3 =	+3
Craft (Writing)	Int	3 =	+3
Decipher Script	Int	13 =	+3	+10
Diplomacy	Cha	16 =	+4	+6	+2 [bluff] +2 [Knowledge, history] +2 [trustworthy]
Disguise	Cha	6 =	+4	+2
Drive	Dex*	1 =	+1
Escape Artist	Dex*	1 =	+1
Forgery	Int	5 =	+3		+2 [meticulous]
Gamble	Wis	3 =	+3
Gather Information	Cha	6 =	+4		+2 [trustworthy]
Hide	Dex*	1 =	+1
Intimidate	Cha	6 =	+4		+2 [bluff]
Jump	Str*	-1 =	-1
Knowledge (arcane lore)	Int	19 =	+3	+14	+1 [Academic] +1
Knowledge (behavioral sciences)	Int	9 =	+3	+6
Knowledge (current events)	Int	7 =	+3	+4
Knowledge (earth & life sciences)	Int	7 =	+3	+4
Knowledge (history)	Int	8 =	+3	+5
Knowledge (popular culture)	Int	5 =	+3	+2
Knowledge (theology)	Int	12 =	+3	+8	+1
Listen	Wis	9 =	+3	+4	+2 [alertness]
Move Silently	Dex*	1 =	+1
Navigate	Int	3 =	+3
Perform (Act)	Cha	4 =	+4
Perform (Dance)	Cha	4 =	+4
Perform (Keyboards)	Cha	6 =	+4	+2
Perform (Percussion)	Cha	4 =	+4
Perform (Sing)	Cha	8 =	+4	+4
Perform (Standup)	Cha	4 =	+4
Perform (String Inst.)	Cha	4 =	+4
Perform (Wind Inst.)	Cha	8 =	+4	+4
Research	Int	10 =	+3	+7
Ride	Dex	1 =	+1
Search	Int	5 =	+3		+2 [meticulous]
Sense Motive	Wis	5 =	+3		+2 [attentive]
Spellcraft	Int	15 =	+3	+10	+2 [Knowledge, arcane]
Spot	Wis	5 =	+3		+2 [alertness]
Survival	Wis	3 =	+3
Swim	Str**	-1 =	-1
Treat Injury	Wis	3 =	+3

Spells

0-Level
Detect Magical Aura, Haywire, Light, Mending, Read Magic

1st-Level
Bane, Cause Fear, Comprehend Languages, Instant Identify, Sanctuary, Trace Purge

2nd-Level
Augury, Darkness, Daylight, Hold Person, Shatter

3rd-Level
Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Magic Circle, Secret Pocket

4th-Level
Divination, Greater Magic Weapon, Via Negativa

Incantations
Bibliolalia, Cast into Shadow, Dedicate Site, Mystic Veil, Quartz Compulsion

Equipment

Knife [1d4, crit 19-20, range inc 10ft., 1lb., one-handed, piercing]
Taser [1d4 special, crit --, range 2ft., 3lb., electricity]
First Aid Kit [Treat Injury DC 15, one use, negates normal -4 to Treat Injury checks, 3lb.]
Vampire Slayer Kit [Mossberg, 5 wood stakes, 5 phos. shls, silver holy symbols, hand xbow, 5 wood bolts, metal mirror, garlic necklace, alum. case, 20lb.]
Business Clothing [3lb.]
Casual Clothing [2lb.]
Overcoat [3lb.]
Digital Camera [connects to computer, 0.5lb.]
Notebook Computer [5lb.]
PDA [connects with computer, 0.5lb.] Portable Occult Library
Total Weight Carried: 41lb. (medium load)

2005 Volkswagen Beetle (Purple) ARCANIX Illinois License Plates.

Larina Nichols

Human Female
Alignment: Independent (Agent of A.R.T.E.M.I.S.)
DoB: 10/25/1969 (36 in 2006)
Place of Birth: Carbondale, IL
Current Residence: Chicago, IL

Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 127 lbs

Handiness: Right* (can write with Left hand, with difficulty)

Aliases: Larina MacAlister, Larina Nix, "Nixie."

So. This is a good build, I can't say I am 100% happy with it. There is so much customization you can do with d20 that the combinations and permutations are practically endless. 

I both miss and hate, at the same time, d20's multiclassing. I love how flexible it is and how you can combine all sorts of classes to get the exact character you want. But it is also tedious. I mean I could have gone down the path of Occultist, or Acolyte, or even going into the various Prestige classes. There is so much choice. 

I showed this to my son when he got off work Wednesday night/Thursday morning. He just laughed and reminded me yet again why we tend to play 5e, AD&D 1st ed and Basic D&D instead.

This exercise has also reminded me that I wanted to do a lot more with A.R.T.E.M.I.S. as well.