The party is in an underground fortress where the elves of a fallen civilization once kept artifacts that were deemed too dangerous to be allowed out. One of those artifacts belonged to a spacefaring mind flayer.
I want to show the players a picture of this device. I have no idea what the device should look like, except that it should be fairly lightweight and usable with one or two hands. I don't want its appearance to suggest its function, even to the players, i.e., a ray gun might be confusing to a character but not to a player. I want something that makes the players scratch their heads.
If it helps, the device can be multi-functional, but I do know one thing it does if activated in just the wrong way: it acts as a beacon to other mind flayers.
I may revisit D&D module S3 for ideas, but one of my players is an old school guy. It would be better if I could just point to some insane looking thing off the internet and have them go "Wut?"
Anyone got anything I can use?
TL;DR Link me to pictures of confusing sci-fi devices.
I would use the old Merlin game from 1978:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_%28game%29
Give it a few different functions from pressing the buttons, particularly things like it doing a Calm Emotions spell or other things mindflayers would find pleasant in a personal handheld device which is basically one of their cell phones, game players and personal organizers. And of course, the mind flayer beacon is the useful "dial 911" function any sensible mindflayer would program in.
I'd also have one function where it would deeply disturb humans around it by telepathically beaming some mindflayer's twitter feed. Think of the mindflayer equivalent of Paris Hilton going, "Omigod! I just ate the most luscious brain ever! It's thoughts tasted like this--om nom nom nom!"
I would use the old Merlin game from 1978:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_%28game%29
Give it a few different functions from pressing the buttons, particularly things like it doing a Calm Emotions spell or other things mindflayers would find pleasant in a personal handheld device which is basically one of their cell phones, game players and personal organizers. And of course, the mind flayer beacon is the useful "dial 911" function any sensible mindflayer would program in.
I'd also have one function where it would deeply disturb humans around it by telepathically beaming some mindflayer's twitter feed. Think of the mindflayer equivalent of Paris Hilton going, "Omigod! I just ate the most luscious brain ever! It's thoughts tasted like this--om nom nom nom!"
I saved up for a month to get one of those.
How about this?
http://www.loupiote.com/photos_m/3801718959-alien-technology-electromechani cal-art-carl-pisaturo-san-francisco.jpg
Perfect for a mind flayer : http://www.greenlaunches.com/other-stuff/cthulhu-the-eightlegged-solar-powe red-bugbot-gets-spooky.php
I would use the old Merlin game from 1978
...
I'd also have one function where it would deeply disturb humans around it by telepathically beaming some mindflayer's twitter feed.
I had one of those! I'm betting the old school player did too, but I can find out.
Twitter feed as psionic attack = sweet!
Perfect for a mind flayer : http://www.greenlaunches.com/other-stuff/cthulhu-the-eightlegged-solar-powe red-bugbot-gets-spooky.php
That link isn't working for me, but is this what you were pointing to? http://www.greenlaunches.com/2009/01/index.php?page=4
How about this?
http://www.loupiote.com/photos_m/3801718959-alien-technology-electromechani cal-art-carl-pisaturo-san-francisco.jpg
Definitely had me scratching my head!
EDIT: spelling.
This is either the worst idea ever, or the best. Frankly, I don't know if I am comfortable with a mindflayer version of twitter. It would be called Gurgle(tm), and the posts would be called gleeks(r).I would use the old Merlin game from 1978:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_%28game%29
Give it a few different functions from pressing the buttons, particularly things like it doing a Calm Emotions spell or other things mindflayers would find pleasant in a personal handheld device which is basically one of their cell phones, game players and personal organizers. And of course, the mind flayer beacon is the useful "dial 911" function any sensible mindflayer would program in.
I'd also have one function where it would deeply disturb humans around it by telepathically beaming some mindflayer's twitter feed. Think of the mindflayer equivalent of Paris Hilton going, "Omigod! I just ate the most luscious brain ever! It's thoughts tasted like this--om nom nom nom!"
I would suggest "Gleemax" but that's already trademarked.
GDR ;)
That link isn't working for me, but is this what you were pointing to? http://www.greenlaunches.com/2009/01/index.php?page=4Perfect for a mind flayer : http://www.greenlaunches.com/other-stuff/cthulhu-the-eightlegged-solar-powe red-bugbot-gets-spooky.php
Yes, I was. Sorry for the broken link.
...and BenignFacist wins the thread.
Resurrecting this thread from the dead just long enough to mention that I ultimately used this one, and here is the story of how it has been used (so far):
Homeschool RPG: Scenes from the Panopticon.
In case anyone is wondering, the "bridge golems" mentioned in the first paragraph of the recap are just clockwork golems, shaved down to approximately CR 7 stats. In this particular dungeon they act as a means for people to cross chasms separating the main areas. In other words, the golems are like transformers, changing into bridges when the proper conditions are met.
Nice. Also, a very cool and original game setting you devised there! I may steal a few ideas...
Nice. Also, a very cool and original game setting you devised there! I may steal a few ideas...
Thanks for the props! The beauty of it, for me at least, is that it affords me an almost unlimited variety of monsters. The way I'm running it, if bodily fluids are exchanged (usually via injury or bite) during the long incubation period of the disease, then the victim physically morphs into whatever bit him. For example, the warden was bitten by a spider and became what we would normally call a drider; an elf monk was attacked by ochre jelly and became a kung fu brawler with ooze traits; and a stalwart defender grew natural armor and loads of legs when he became a half elven giant whiptail centipede. When the party gets to the city, they'll find roving gangs of elves riding twisted centaurs bound in s&m-like gear.
The dire bat mentioned in the adventure recap was the centipede defender's little brother. Not really a dire bat at all.