Thundarr the barbarian D20 Apocalypse

Had this Idea for a long time and forgot about it until now. Just got D20 Apocalypse and thought that the thundarr thing would be fun but I my self work a lot and would need some help completing the campaign. Can not remember a lot about the cartoon so I need your help any ideas are welcome.

Here is what I have so far.

http://www.rpglibrary.org/settings/thundarr/

using the above info from that sight I came up with these ideas.

Relics and Ruins: use rules from d20 apocalypse for scavenging.

Stormy Weather: Death Storms (with red acid rain that dissolves rock), use the environmental hazards in d20 apocalypse, Negastorms (which look much the same as a Death Storm, but with "negative lightning" instead of acid rain) Ghost storm in d20 apocalypse, toxic mists (found in a variety of colors, usually glowing) fallout cloud in d20 apocalypse.

Artifacts: placed by DM using high level tech from d20 future.

ClassesBarbarians: talent trees from 22 taent trees an another 22 talent trees.Sorcerers and Sorceresses: The occultist from modernWizards: The mage from modern added requirement non lawful and mutation of some sort remove summon familiar replace with arcane focusWitches and Warlocks: maybe the mystic from d20 urban arcana?

NonhumansApe People: Moreau OvertCarocs: lizard man.Desert People: GnomesGroundlings: Moreau OvertHawk People: Moreau OvertLittle People: halflingsMoks: were from d20 futureMutants use those in d20 apocalypse.

Monstersexample of this is the Lava Worm: purple worm with breath weapon and fire subtype.

Hows that for starters? any other ideas welcome

The World The world of 3994 is a pretty damned primitive place. Other than the wizards and their war machines, the population of the Earth is reduced to subsisting off whatever debris is still around 2000 years after cosmic destruction cast civilization into ruins. Which brings up a good point: just how did all this stuff survive 2000 years, anyway?

Relics and RuinsEven if 2000 years' worth of scavengers had not stripped the ruined cities bare by now, wouldn't everything from 1994 long since have crumbled to dust? Apparently not. We can ascribe the availability of Old Earth clothing, objects, and buildings to two important facts. First of all, the "runaway planet" responsible for the cataclysm of 1994 stripped away a large portion of Earth's atmosphere, meaning that far more cosmic and solar radiation reaches the Earth's surface. In addition to the mutagenic effect this had on plant and animal life, this may have also had the

effect of making Earth's atmosphere less corrosive. Certainly the iron girders holding Manhatt's ruined towers aloft would have long since rusted to dust were this not so. Secondly, the passing of the runaway planet cracked the Earth's moon into several pieces: the tidal effects from this and the runaway planet itself both had a devastating effect on Earth's geology. It is possible that the instability of the Earth's crust results in large deposits of Old Earth relics - even whole cities - periodically being brought to the surface, protected from decay and in serviceable condition.

Stormy WeatherThe above-ground environment of the Earth offers its share of obstacles to our brave adventurers, too. There are Death Storms (with red acid rain that dissolves rock), Negastorms (which look much the same as a Death Storm, but with "negative lightning" instead of acid rain), toxic mists (found in a variety of colors, usually glowing), and of course the tried-and-true hazards of Old Earth: murky swamps, impenetrable forest, and trackless waste as far as the eye can see.

ArtifactsThere are a lot of things kicking around in Thundarr's world that obviously weren't around in 1994. In Master of the Stolen Sunsword, for example, the wizard Yando calls Thundarr's Sunsword "the most powerful weapon in all the planet." We have good reason to doubt Yando's qualifications to make that assessment, but there's no doubt the Sunsword is pretty damned impressive. Also in that episode we see a Pool of Power that can be used to recharge the Sunsword; from Ariel's tone we can infer that Pools of Power can be found elsewhere, as well. There are also more enigmatic artifacts, like the Black Pearl which stymies the wizard Gemini's power in Secret of the Black Pearl; the humans who stole it from Gemini don't know who made it, and they don't know how to make another one. It seems like every other village has an item like this hanging around, and the wizard Kublai had a vault full of stuff like this.

Where did all this stuff come from? Who made it? There's no telling. Maybe a few high-tech conclaves survived the cosmic devastation long enough to manufacture these gizmos. Maybe they survive still. Perhaps the wizards are the literal or philosophical descendants of these survivors. However, even the wizards seem unable to duplicate the more potent of these artifacts. This suggests another possibility, that these artifacts come from another time or place. At least two wizards (Vashtar in Prophecy of Peril, and Crom in Portal Into Time) have access to time travel (or did, until Thundarr and company came along). Surely there are others who have this ability, as well.

CivilizationVillagersMost of the people Ariel, Thundarr, and Ookla run into are Human villagers living barely above a stone-age level of development. Civilization fell to pieces 2000 years ago and people still haven't recovered. They dress in rags dating from the late 1900's, they live in ruined buildings from the late 1900's, and they generally look like refugees from a war zone. This may be because they are, in fact, refugees.

Thundarr and friends frequently run across ancient artifacts and relics that are nonetheless more advanced than what existed in 1994. Surely, not all of civilization was destroyed by the tidal waves and earthquakes of the cataclysm, at least not immediately. So some of these peasants may only have been reduced to savagery for a few generations. Also, the most primitive Human tribes are those constantly under attack by wizards or marauders (most of whom appear to be working for or in conjunction with wizards). It is conceivable that the level of progress among Human villages is kept intentionally stunted by the intervention of wizards.

BarbariansWhile not encountered as often as villagers, barbarians are also common in the world of 3994. Barbarians are typically portrayed as primitive and uncouth individuals who do not have even the veneer of civilization clung to by their ragged village-dwelling counterparts. However, barbarians are repeatedly shown to be more self-sufficient than the villagers, and better able to survive in the harsh world under the broken moon. There are several indications that barbarians may actually be the vanguard of the rebuilding of Earth's civilization. Thundarr, obviously, is a barbarian who

survives without preying upon others. When, in the episode Raiders of the Abyss, Thundarr is asked, "What manner of man are you?" he replies with fierce pride: "Free!" He then proceeds to kick the butt of the aforementioned Raiders: "Humans are not your prey!"

Thundarr never mentions his family life or upbringing, but we must assume that the tribe that produced him probably produced other honorable individuals, as well. The young barbarian woman Shara in Den of the Sleeping Demon demonstrates an ethical awareness that, despite her barbarian "virtues" of arrogance and well-nigh suicidal overconfidence, speaks well of her as a person.

TradersIn the opening scene of Master of the Stolen Sunsword, Thundarr and friends encounter a caravan of camel-riding traders. Yando, the local wizard, can't abide this, of course, and demands "tribute from all who enter my domain" - taking vengeance on anyone with the temerity to refuse. The traders are no match for the wizard, but our barbarian hero and his companions are not about to let innocent traders be assaulted and robbed, and quickly tackle the thieving wizard and his goons (not too successfully, but Yando gets his comeuppance eventually).

In fact, a piece of compelling evidence that the barbarians may hold the future of humanity is the fact that when the wizard Kublai seeks a barbarian to oppose Thundarr in the episode Battle of the Barbarians, he looks not in a primitive thatched-hut village or a crude settlement living among ruins, but in a roadside tavern - a commercial enterprise. In order for commerce to survive, a certain minimal level of civilization must exist (primarily, the recognition of private property). In order for civilization to survive and technology to advance, tyrants and wizards must not be allowed to interfere with the trade of free people. The people who seem to cling most fiercely to their freedom are the barbarians, and it is among the barbarians that we see the beginnings of the return of civilization, as crude and as violent as they may be. With some breathing space from wizard attacks, it seems hopeful that Humankind (and the other species that have arisen in the last two millennia) will be able to regain the civilization their ancestors worked so hard to attain.

MagiciansSorcerers and SorceressesSorcerers and sorceresses are individuals (usually Humans) who have studied magic and make its use their profession. Since the vast majority of Humans are not sorceresses, we must assume that most Humans are not capable of using magic. Magic was evidently nonexistent prior to the cataclysm in 1994, but sorcerers from the present can still use magic if they are transported to that ancient time: we must assume that magic was possible then, but that effectively no one was capable of using it. This implies that the ability to use magic is a rare mutation introduced into the Human species (among others) as a consequence of the runaway planet's passing, possibly a result of increased cosmic radiation due to the loss of much of the Earth's atmosphere.

WizardsWizards and their pawns are the most common adversaries Thundarr and friends encounter in their travels. Wizards differ from sorceresses primarily in temperament: wizards are frequently irritable, hostile, and obsessed with the conquest of every primitive village within a day's travel of their stronghold. Wizards also seem to be mentally unstable, and have problems evaluating threats and formulating appropriate responses; on more than one occasion, Thundarr and company were no match for the local wizard in a straight fight, but the wizard chose to pursue a course of action that gave Thundarr and company the upper hand. Since the overwhelming majority of magic-using individuals encountered by Thundarr and company are wizards, we can assume that this mental instability is typical of those who can use magic, either stemming from the same mutation as the magic ability itself, or as a result of the wizard's magical manipulations. The relatively sane (or at least benign) sorcerers and sorceresses are the rare exceptions: wizards are the rule.

There is also evidence that a society of wizards exists, and much of their apparently irrational behavior stems from their social interactions with each other. On more than one occasion, a wizard refers to other wizards which may be watching his activities, the implication being that a

social hierarchy among wizards exists (the wizard Artemis in Trial by Terror refers to a "council of wizards" who are watching his actions). If so, the behavior of wizards toward the primitive settlements in their vicinity may be indicative of one way in which social advancement among wizards is accomplished. However, it is noteworthy that the more powerful wizards seem to be less concerned with attacking stone-age villages, and more concerned with protecting their power, strongholds, and domains from perceived threats and from each other.

MutationsThe most obvious distinguishing characteristic of wizards is physical mutation or alteration. Why and how this mutation occurs is unknown, but it is a fact that the more powerful wizards have frequently mutated into a monstrous form that is scarcely recognizable as Human. At the mild end of the scale, this mutation commonly takes the form of unnatural skin color and/or exaggerated physical features, such as blue skin, shark-like teeth, or blazing eyes. At the extreme end of the scale, the wizard may be a bodyless head, have mechanical tentacles for arms, have dozens of eyes, or any of a host of other horrific physical deformities. You pretty much know a wizard when you see one.

Strongholds and Death ShipsA universal undertaking among wizards is the construction of enormous strongholds and vast death machines (also variously "land machines," "war machines," and "death ships"). How wizards manage to erect these enormous structures with only unskilled labor as assistants is a mystery. It is known that some of these strongholds and death ships are actually artifacts found by the wizards and repaired or reactivated, rather than constructed from raw materials. It is also known that several wizards create their strongholds and death ships with magic, sometimes using rare elements and ancient artifacts to power the vast structures. It is possible that the arcane energies empowering these structures are related to the mutations and mental instability endemic to wizards. This theory is supported by the fact that none of the sorcerers and sorceresses appearing in the series have strongholds or death ships.

ArtifactsMany wizards are partially or completely dependent upon artifacts for their powers. The wizard Kublai was rendered powerless when his ruby was drained of power, while the wizard Vashtar was similarly made impotent by the destruction of his crystal by the three women of the Prophecy of Peril. Some wizards are granted their powers by these artifacts; thus, anyone who gained possession of these artifacts could be similarly empowered. Other wizards have intentionally made themselves dependent upon these artifacts, increasing their magical power but making themselves vulnerable in the process: nearly every empowering artifact shown in the series has a legendary counter-artifact capable of destroying it or rendering it inert. Still, it would appear that dependence upon such artifacts is common among wizards.

Witches and WarlocksWitches are rarely referred to in the series, leading us to believe that they are rarer even than sorceresses. From Ariel's reaction when one wizard called her a "witch," we can infer that both wizards and sorceresses consider witches to be beneath them in terms of power level or ethical basis (possibly both). Since wizards are unlikely to deride an opponent for moral impropriety, it is safe to deduce that witches are thought to be less powerful or less skilled than sorceresses and wizards. However, the one witch we see in the series is Circe, in Island of the Body Snatchers, and she's certainly no slouch. In Den of the Sleeping Demon, the aspiring wizard Judag attempts to revive the "sleeping demon" in hopes of allying with it and obtaining a portion of its power. This may give us a clue as to the nature of witches and warlocks: they derive a portion of their power from a third party, in return for certain considerations (obedience, worship, the witch's "soul," etc.). However, from all appearances such efforts do not typically meet with success.

NonhumansThe Earth of 3994 is full of nonhuman creatures, a number of which are large, ugly, and not too friendly. Giant rat-things live under cities, giant bear-lizards live in swamps, absolutely huge fire-breathing lava worms burrow through the deep earth, and so on. It's a dangerous place. Fortunately, the dynamics of carnivore biology prevents these creatures from being abundant.

Prey always has to outnumber the predators by a wide margin, even under the broken moon. Still, some of the prey are dangerous in their own right, particularly those that compete with Humans for resources.

Ape PeopleApe People (a.k.a. "Man-Apes") look like lean, furry humanoids with long arms and heads like monkeys (thus the name). They aren't terribly bright, but they have a knack with technology and are capable of repairing devices that they could never build on their own (as in Valley of the Man-Apes). Ape People tend to be jealous of and hostile toward Humans, and they are easily roused to violence, but they are just as easily scared off if their victims don't prove to be easy prey.

CarocsCarocs are long-tailed reptilian humanoids with scaly green skin, flattened oval heads on their neckless shoulders, and lots of sharp nasty teeth. They are slightly tougher than Humans on average, and they are just as mechanically inclined, making them competent competitors for scavenged resources. They generally consider Humans and other mammalian species inferior to them, and are prone to enslave any other creatures they consider worth enslaving, such as Moks (as in Harvest of Doom).

Desert PeopleDesert People are squat little humanoids around 60 centimeters tall; they are secretive and dangerous despite their diminutive size. They speak a mumbling, murmuring tongue which is structurally similar to the language of Moks, and usually understandable by Moks. Desert People live in tunnel complexes deep underground, although they occasionally come up to the surface world to scavenge supplies or hunt for food.

GroundlingsGroundlings are rat-people, depraved and vicious. They typically live in crowded underground warrens. Like Ape People, Groundlings tend to be jealous of and hostile toward Humans, but Groundlings lack even the Ape People's proficiency with technology. Most Groundlings are morally bankrupt: they won't build or create anything if they can steal it, and they enjoy seeing what others have worked for destroyed. Groundlings prefer to attack from ambush, and only if the odds are significantly in their favor, but once they commit to an attack they are persistent and difficult to drive away. They groom themselves constantly, so at least they don't smell bad.

Hawk PeopleHawk People (a.k.a. "Hawk Mutants") appear to be brown-feathered humanoids with hawk-like heads. They speak Human, but have annoying screeching voices. They are (surprisingly for a fantasy cartoon) wingless, but they have large clawed talons on their hands and feet which allow them to climb swiftly. They also are able to leap great distances, implying a higher muscle mass to weight ratio than is typically found in Humans. Understandably, Hawk People seem to prefer living in rocky areas, and they like heights.

Hawk People aren't fond of cumbersome clothing (and being feathered, they don't really need it), but they typically wear backpacks to carry their personal belongings. In fact, Hawk People seem to be more civilized and technically inclined than most mutants, although this doesn't imply a higher moral awareness than is found among (for example) Humans. A favorite weapon among Hawk People is a metal staff with a crescent-shaped pincer on the end. The points of the pincer can stab an opponent, or the Hawk Person can use the pincer to grab and immobilize an opponent (to capture them, or just to keep them out of arm's reach).

Little PeopleLittle People are squat little humanoids around 60 centimeters tall, possibly related to Desert People. Unlike Desert People, Little People are relatively friendly and outgoing, and live in small villages aboveground. They are industrious people, every bit as mechanically inclined and morally developed as Humans. They can also be just as dangerous when threatened, and tend to be less likely than Humans to capitulate when faced with a superior force.

MoksMoks are primitive-looking creatures that resemble furry, hulking Humans with thick manes similar to that of male lions. Their facial fur is black, in a pattern that gives Moks a ferocious skull-faced appearance, made all the more frightening by the Moks' large canines and cat-like eyes. Moks speak a guttural, growling language that is difficult for other species to speak. The massive musculature and growling speech of Moks sometimes gives the impression that Moks are uncivilized and brutal, but Moks greatly enjoy music and are generally no less artistic in temperament than Humans. They are, unfortunately, not very good dancers. A significant difference between Moks and Humans is that Moks hate water, and would rather face overwhelming odds in battle than wade across a stream to safety. Moks do catch fish for food, but all fishing is done with nets cast from shore. Moks tend to have a strong, musky smell.

Moks are a physical people, quick to display anger and joy in a rough-and-tumble fashion. Among themselves, injury from such horseplay is rare, but among other species Moks have a reputation for being casually violent and dangerous to be around. Despite their powerful builds, ferocious appearance, and fearsome reputation (or, more likely, because of these traits), Moks live in relative peace with their neighbors. There are malevolent, belligerent Moks just as there are malevolent Humans, but like Humans the majority of Moks prefer to live peacefully, raise a family, grow their crops, and trade honestly with their neighbors.

Named Mok characters have 1d6 armor from their tough Mok hide.

MutantsThundarr and company run across mutants all the time. Most of the time they are in the employ of the local wizard, but sometimes they have a valued (if not exactly respected) position in the human community (like the Pig Mutant deputies in Trial by Terror). Most of the nonhuman communities in Thundarr's world probably started out as groups of similar mutants that joined together for company and mutual protection.

Making mutants is easy. Start with a human being, add some animal characteristics, and drop the IQ about 20%: instant mutant. Keep it away from sharp objects and power-hungry wizards, and it should do fine.

MonstersThere are too many monsters tromping through Thundarr's world than I can inventory here. Pick a normal Old Earth animal, make it the size of a house, stick some scales and claws on it, maybe some spikes, and you've got a typical monster. Once in a while, toss in a monster with the trait "Resistant to Magic (U/T)" at one or two dice. This can make the monster harder for Thundarr and Ariel to hit by imposing penalty dice to their attack rolls, or might give the monster some additional armor against Thundarr's Sunsword and Ariel's magic (depending on the GM and the monster in question). Don't do it too often, and make sure there's some way for the players to take out the beast by using their wits. A good example of this is the Lava Worm in episode The Brotherhood of Night: it was the size of a passenger train, breathed fire, and seemed to be pretty much immune to every attack Thundarr and the gang could throw. However, there was a wooden bridge nearby. Thinking quickly, Thundarr lured the Lava Worm onto the bridge, where it burned through and fell into the river far below.

The Heroic Trio These are not beginning characters.

Ariel"Thundarr, no! You can't just rush in! .... Outvoted again."

Ariel was raised by grandfather, who taught her sorcery and Old Earth History. She seems to be of Asian descent, and mentions once to Thundarr that her ancestors may have lived in a place much like the Chinatown area they visit in Battle of the Barbarians. She is called "Princess Ariel" throughout the series, but princess of what and where we don't know. We also don't know when she met up with Thundarr and Ookla, but it appears from the credits that she helped them escape

from the wizard who enslaved them, and she's apparently been traveling with them ever since. She has a pretty obvious crush on Thundarr, but it's hard to tell if he's aware of it or if he returns her feelings.

Languages: Human, understands Mok

Attack: 4d6 (Sorceress), usually damage factor x2

Defense: 3d6 (Quick-witted), or 4d6 (Sorceress)

Hit Points: 21 (Quick-witted)

Magic Pool: 14 (Sorceress)

Traits:

Sorceress (Central, T/U): 4d6 (crystal on forehead, tight blue bodysuit, clean hair)

Old Earth History (NS): 4d6 (always relates people/places/events to Old Earth)

Technology (T/U): 3d6 (quick to voice her assessment of every device she sees)

Quick-witted (S): 3d6 (bright, inquisitive gaze)

Flaws:

Doesn't take danger seriously (makes jokes when facing dire peril)

Must have hands free to cast spells (holds hands over head while casting spells)

Thundarr"Humans are not for hunting!"

Thundarr is a barbarian who was enslaved by a wizard (we don't know which one). We don't know how long he was enslaved, but we see in the opening credits that he seized the opportunity to escape, and along with Princess Ariel and Ookla the Mok he kicked the wizard's goons asses all over the place, and might have kicked the wizard's ass as well. Since then he has a made a career of helping any Humans he finds and foiling the plans of any wizards he runs across. Thundarr seems to something of a bigot, actually: he most definitely shows a pro-Human bias, but hey, who can blame him? Once a non-Human demonstrates a basic sense of right and wrong, though, he does his best to defend them just as he does Humans. Thundarr is stubborn and tends to act without thinking (that's an understatement), but he's basically a good person who wants to make the world a better place.

Languages: Human, understands Mok

Attack: 4d6 (Barbarian), damage factor x6 with that awesome Sunsword

Defense: 5d6 (Indomitable Will), 1d6 armor from thick furs

Hit Points: 35 (Indomitable Will)

Traits:

Barbarian (Central, S): 4d6 (wears thick, shaggy fur)

Indomitable Will (S): 5d6 (frowns and looks serious most of the time)

Amazingly Lucky (S): 4d6 (sword hilt on left bracer)

Acrobatic Feats (T/U): 2d6 (massive thigh and calf muscles, no pants)

Flaws:

Oblivious to Danger (charges right at danger, sword-a-swinging)

Obstinate (walks/runs/rides off while people are making suggestions)

Ookla"Raarrrraarrrraarrrraarrr!"

Ookla was a slave of the same wizard who enslaved Thundarr, and escaped with him. Ookla is one scary guy: he can face down some pretty nasty beasts with just a growl and a flex of those gargantuan muscles. He can back up the threat, too: in more than one episode he picks up a car and swings it around. At heart, though, Ookla is a softie. He is Thundarr's stalwart companion, and never in the entire series does he let the Barbarian face a threat alone - unless he's guarding Ariel, that is. Nothing pisses Ookla off faster than threats to Ariel, and nothing makes him happier than getting her back safe (although food comes a close second). Ookla's bow is made for Moks, and anyone with less than 4d6 in a strength-related trait won't be able to draw it.

Languages: Mok, understands Human and Desert People

Attack: 5d6 (Brawny), damage factor x2 with a club or x3 with blunt arrows (some time in the show's second season Ookla acquired stun arrows, which do x5 but don't cause any lasting damage)

Defense: 5d6 (Brawny), 1d6 armor from tough Mok hide

Hit Points: 35 (Brawny)

Traits:

Outdoorsman (Central, S): 3d6 (bow and arrows)

Brawny (S): 5d6 (huge bulging muscles)

Fearless (S): 4d6 (growls angrily at anything big and scary)

Flaws:

Impatient (he's a good sport for a while, then smashes things when he gets frustrated)

Character Creation

Hints

1. Create a character that engages you, someone you care about or identify with in some way.

2. Create a character who is danger-worthy. Getting routinely creamed is not any fun.

3. Use your imagination!

4. Follow the GM's lead. Develop a character that fits the series the GM has in mind.

5. Be independent. Don't depend on other PCs or limited events in the game world.

6. Be cooperative. Create a character that allows others (other PCs) to help you and work with you.

Character Creation Checklist

Your character includes:

Concept: Who or what you are.

Traits: One of these three traits is your "superior" trait; the other two traits are "good".

One central trait: general profession or character type

Two side traits: specific skills or abilities

NPCs: Named non-player characters might have fewer traits than this, or (on rare occasions) more, at less or greater levels of ability. The vast majority of NPCs have two or three "average" traits, but these are unnamed characters and don't really matter.

Trait Category Average

Good

Superior Monstrous

T/U: Technical/Unusual (doctor, electronics, sorceress)

- 2d6 3d6 4d6

NT/U: Narrow (Noncombat) Technical/Unusual (dentist, robotics, wizard etiquette)

- 2d6 4d6 6d6

S: Standard (gladiator, agile, brilliant)

2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6

NS: Narrow (Noncombat) Standard (patient, double-jointed, Old Earth history)

2d6 4d6 6d6 -

Flaws: Flaws should be something meaningful, preferably something related to the character's personality. Don't waste a flaw on something silly. Player characters should have some reasonably common flaw, but NPCs can have esoteric, plot-dependent flaws. You can have more than the minimum number of flaws if you like, but you don't get any extra (or better) traits for it.

One standard flaw: e.g., "Relentlessly curious," "Driven to protect Humans," "Obstinate," "Prone to reckless overconfidence," "Megalomaniac"

One magical flaw (if the character uses magic): e.g., "Bodyless head - must be carried from place to place," "Must have hands free to cast spells," "Can only use stage-style magic," "Cannot magically affect anyone holding the Black Pearl"

NPCs: Named non-player characters will have at least this many flaws, and quite possibly more.

Signs:

A sign for each trait: e.g., "Gladiator (brawny and scarred)," "Sorceress (one eye like a jade green billiard ball)"

A sign for each flaw: e.g., "Obstinate (frowns a lot)," "Must have hands free to cast spells (holds hands over head while casting spells)"

Hit points: 2d6 x (score of survival-relevant trait), 14 minimum. This goes up by 2d6 whenever the trait its associated with goes up (which won't be bloody often).

Magic pool (if the character uses magic): 1d6 x (score of magic-relevant trait), 7 minimum. This goes up by 1d6 whenever the trait its associated with goes up (which also won't be bloody often).

Experience pool: Starts at one die, and the GM will give you more.

Plot Hooks: Stuff that makes it easier for the GM to run games with your character in them (this is a good thing).

Motivation: Why you do what you do

Secret: A thing you don't want others to know

Important person in your past: Someone who affected your life

Drawing: Draw your character, at least a rough sketch.

Name, Background, Equipment, Finances, etc.: Be reasonable.

Mechanics

When you use a trait, you roll a number of dice equal to its score (usually three dice, or four dice for your superior trait). The typical unnamed character gets two dice each for their central and side traits. The sum of all these dice is the "roll result."

You compare your roll with a difficulty factor, or a roll made by the GM, usually representing a NPC's traits. You succeed if your roll result is higher than the difficulty factor or the GM's roll. If the roll is for a skill attempt not opposed by an animate opponent, the GM will generally roll two dice. If the roll is for a magic spell not cast against an animate opponent, the GM will generally roll one die. If the skill attempt is not terribly important, or is well within the character's abilities, then you probably don't need to roll at all.

Difficulty Factor

Task Difficulty Factor

or Dice to Roll

Easy 4 1

Moderate 7 2

Hard 11 3

Really difficult 14 4

Pack it in and go home 18+ 5-6

If you get a bonus die (by having some advantage), you roll an extra die along with your normal dice and then drop the lowest die out of the bunch. If you have to roll a penalty die (from having some disadvantage), roll an extra die along with your normal ones, but drop out the highest one.

If you roll all 1's, you botch (very bad).

If you roll all 6's, you blow the top off (very good). You get to roll an additional die. If that is a 6, you roll an additional die (and so on).

If you want to take multiple actions in one round, you can take one extra action, but you incur a penalty die on each action. With two extra actions, you get one fewer dice to roll. Three extra actions, two fewer dice, and so on.

Combat

Movement: 1 round = 3 seconds (give or take).

Movement km/h m/round

Walking 3 2.5

Hurrying 6 5

Jogging 9 7.5

Running steady 12 10

Running fast 18 15

Sprinting 24 20

Initiative: Roll a combat, agility, or speed trait at the beginning of a combat. Actions proceed each round from the highest roller to the lowest.

Normal Attack: Roll a combat, strength, agility, or similar trait. The typical unnamed character gets two dice for a basic attack. Add the dice together: this is the "roll result." Compare attacker's roll result to the defender's roll result. A non-combat trait (like magic-related traits) can only be used for attack or defense each round, not both. You hit your opponent if your roll result is higher than your opponent's defense roll result.

Magic Attack: Roll a magic-related trait. Compare roll result to the defender's roll result. As a non-combat trait, a magic-related trait can only be used for attack or defense each round. You hit your opponent if your roll result is higher than your opponent's defense roll result.

Normal Defense: Roll a combat, agility, or similar trait. A non-combat trait (such as all magic-related traits) can only be used for attack or defense each round. The typical unnamed character gets two dice for a basic dodge. You get one defense roll for each attack made against you.

Magic Defense: Roll a combat, agility, or magic-related trait. Rolls using traits not magic-related are generally assigned a penalty die when used to defend against magic, unless the defender has some offsetting advantage such as a magic weapon. The typical unnamed character gets two dice for a basic dodge. Magic-related traits (like all non-combat traits) can only be used for attack or defense each round. You get one defense roll for each attack made against you (or against someone else, if you are using your magic to protect someone else from attacks instead of protecting yourself).

Rolling a magic trait to defend against an attack does not give you armor, per se, but it does reduce the chance of being hit, which also has the effect of reducing the damage you take if you are hit. So it sort of does give you armor, but only for the instant that you're making the trait roll, and the effect it has comes before the attack result is multiplied by the weapon's damage factor, rather than after. Don't think too hard about it.

Ranged Attack Defense Modifiers:

Weapon +1 die +2 dice +3 dice

Thrown, balanced * 8m 16m 32m+

Thrown, awkward ** 6m 8m 10m+

Bow, Crossbow 20m 40m 80m+

* Such as a ball or throwing knife.** Such as a sword or sausage grinder.

Situation Extra Defense

Cover 1 or 2 dice

Target moving 1 die

Attacker moving 1 die

Darkness, fog, etc. 1 or 2 dice

Target dodging (not attacking at all) 2 dice

Damage: On a successful hit, subtract the defense roll result from the attack roll result. Multiply the difference, the "attack result," by the weapon's damage factor to calculate the "damage result." Attack result may also determine the degree of success of a magic spell (it's up to the GM to decide exactly how).

Example:

Moog attacks Karnack. Moog rolls 4d6 to attack, Karnack rolls 3d6 to defend. Moog's roll result is 13, Karnack's roll result is 12. The attack result is 1 (13 - 12 = 1). Moog is using a sword (x3 damage factor), so Moog gets a damage result of 3 (1 x 3 = 3).

Note: This is all just the number-crunching. The really important part is where Moog's player describes how she leaps headfirst at Karnack and tries to kneecap Karnack with her sword, and Karnack's player describes how he does a backflip into a tree to dodge the blow.

Armor: The defender determines armor protection: usually 1 point for casual leather, 1 die for basic armor, and 2 dice for really good armor. Roll the armor dice and subtract this protection value from damage result to get damage taken. Walls, wrecked cars, magic barriers and so on have armor too, sometimes as high as 4d6! (But keep in mind that inanimate objects only get 2d6 for a defense roll, if they get one at all.)

Unnamed Characters: If an unnamed character takes more than 7 points of damage from an attack, that character is out of the fight. If an unnamed character takes less than 7 points of damage from an attack, they ignore the damage.

Lost Hit Points: If the target of an attack is a named character, subtract the damage taken from the target's hit points. If the target is at half hit points or below, they take a penalty die on further actions. If at 0 hit points or below, the target is out of the fight. If at a level of hit points equal to the negative of their normal hit points (e.g., -21 for a character with 21 hit points), they are out of the game until the GM decides they can come back (if ever).

Recovery: After a chance to rest and recuperate (maybe half an hour), a character recovers two-thirds the hit points they’ve lost from punches, kicks, and general brawling damage, and one-half the damage they've taken from weapons, magic, or other more serious attacks. After that, they recover only by rest or magic.

Magic Pool: This is how many spells a magician may cast per day.

Equipment

This is obviously not exhaustive, and is only intended as a general guideline.

Weapon TypeDamage Factor

Unarmed Combat x1

Throwing Knife x1

Brass knuckles, cesti, gauntlets x1.5

Knife, lead pipe, throwing axe x2

Sword, axe, railroad tie x3

Average energy weapon x3

Good energy weapon x4

Large (superior) energy weapon x6

Huge (monstrous) energy weapon x8

Stun ray, stun arrow (All damage from a stun ray or stun arrow is temporary. Record it separately; it all comes back when the character recovers)

x5

Armor Type Protection

Comfortable leather 1 point

Average armor (heavy leather, furs, Mok hide) 1d6

Good armor (hard leather, metal/plastic reinforced) imposes 1 penalty die on attack rolls

2d6

Superior armor (heavy metal, plastic, ceramic) imposes 2 penalty dice on attack rolls

4d6

Experience

All characters start with one die in their experience pool, but this will change as time goes on.

Gaining Experience

Generally, the GM awards one experience die per worthwhile game session. On rare occasions the GM may award an extra die for outstanding role-playing, completion of a long-term goal, an ingenious player idea, and so on.

Using the Experience Pool

You can use each die in your experience pool to improve one roll per game session. The dice from your experience pool act as bonus dice. Once you use an experience die as a bonus die, you cannot use it again in that session. As you play, you can acquire more dice for your pool.

Adding and Improving Traits

If you spend experience dice to add or improve a trait, you lose those experience dice permanently (unlike using them as bonus dice).

Advancing to... Requires...

1 die (new trait) 5 experience dice (possibly with training)

2 dice 5 experience dice

3 dice 5 experience dice

4 dice 10 experience dice + 6 to 12 months training

5 dice 15 experience dice + extensive training

6 dice 20 experience dice + a hell of a long time

For central traits, double the time and number of experience dice required.

To increase the character's Magic Pool, spend 2 experience dice for each point.

Magic

In the world of 3994, magic frequently looks like high technology, and vice versa. The difference between the two isn't really important most of the time. For example, a creature or character that has the trait "Resistant to Magic (T/U), 2 dice" (giving the character 2d6 armor against magic attacks or two penalty dice to attacking wizard's rolls, depending on the circumstances) is also resistant to energy weapons and other obviously high-tech weapons (such as Thundarr's Sunsword). Even unmistakably mechanical constructions and robotic warriors may in fact be magical fabrications which vanish when they are damaged.

Spell Modifiers

This is (although longer than I'd intended) obviously not exhaustive, and is meant only as a guideline. Unless otherwise noted, duration is typically attack result in minutes, and range is typically attack result times 10 meters.

Offensive Spells Damage Factor Modifiers

Average offensive blast x1 1 bonus die

Average offensive spell with special effect (entangling, imprisoning, mutating, etc.)

(x1) 1 bonus die

Good offensive blast x2 none

Good offensive spell with special effect (entangling, imprisoning, mutating, etc.)

(x2) none

Superior offensive blast x4 1 penalty die

Superior offensive spell with special effect (entangling, imprisoning, mutating, etc.)

(x4) 1 penalty die

Monstrous offensive blast x8 2 penalty dice

Monstrous offensive spell with special effect (entangling, imprisoning, mutating, etc.)

(x8) 2 penalty dice

Stun ray (All damage from a stun ray is temporary. Record it separately; it all comes back when the character recovers)

+3 to damage factor (x2 becomes x5)

as above

Magic Barriers Modifiers

Average magical barrier (which has 1 die of armor) 1 bonus die

Good magical barrier (which has 2 dice of armor) none

Superior magical barrier (which has 4 dice of armor) 1 penalty die

Telekinesis Modifiers

Telekinesis, move stuff or a person around, ood strength 1 bonus die

Telekinesis, move stuff or a person around, superior strength none

Telekinesis, move stuff or a person around, monstrous strength 1 penalty die

Teleportation Modifiers

Teleportation, magician can teleport herself and her stuff to her stronghold, at a range up to the attack result in kilometers

none

Teleportation, the magician can teleport stuff or a person to her stronghold, at a range up to the attack result in kilometers

none

Teleportation, the magician can teleport stuff or a person up to the attack result times 100 meters

1 penalty die

Mental Spells Modifiers

Scan for minds, range is everywhere within wizard's stronghold, or attack result in meters if outside of the wizard's stronghold

none

Telepathic communication, range is attack result times 10 meters if the magician does not know the target, or the attack result in kilometers if the magician knows the target

none

Domination, bends another person to the magician's will, duration is indefinite if target is unnamed, attack result in minutes if target is named, range as for Telepathy

none

Clairvoyance, range is everywhere within wizard's stronghold, or attack result times 100 meters outside of the wizard's stronghold

none

Retrocognition, range is attack result in hours (accuracy +/- 10d6 minutes) none

Retrocognition, range is attack result in centuries (accuracy +/- 1d6 years) 1 penalty die

Technomancy Modifiers

Activate or deactivate a machine with which the magician is familiar, duration is indefinite

1 bonus die

Activate or deactivate a machine with which the magician is marginally familiar, duration is indefinite

none

Activate or deactivate a machine with which the magician is unfamiliar, duration is indefinite

1 penalty die

Summoning and Animating Modifiers

Summon from elsewhere... Create from nothing... Animate an object as... an average unnamed creature, duration is indefinite, maximum number of creatures = wizard's magic pool

1 bonus die

Summon from elsewhere... Create from nothing... Animate an object as... a good creature, duration is attack result in hours

none

Summon from elsewhere... Create from nothing... Animate an object as... a superior creature

none

Summon from elsewhere... Create from nothing... Animate an object as... a monstrous creature

1 penalty die

Counterspells Modifiers

Undo/Cancel a spell cast by another magician, rolled as if other magician is the target of the spell

1 penalty die

Various Modifiers Modifiers

Spell is needed to advance plot or improve game Spell succeeds

Spell is illusionary (all damage from an illusion is temporary: record it separately, it all comes back when the character recovers)

2 bonus dice, or +3 damage factor

Spell only affects non-living, non-magical material (if spell could otherwise be used on living things)

1 bonus die

Spell affects a large area or a group of unnamed targets 1 penalty die

Spell is subtle 2 penalty dice

Spell derails plot or ruins game Spell fails

The Amazing Thundarr Episode Guide

The species of characters is noted in parentheses after their names, along with their quality (e.g., average, good, superior). If a name appears in parentheses, then the character or monster isn't given a name in the series, and I've just called it something descriptive. None of the spells are in parentheses, because no one ever bothers announcing what spell they're casting.

Episode 2: Harvest of Doom

Episode 3: Raiders of the Abyss

Episode 4: Mindok the Mind Menace

Episode 20: Master of the Stolen Sunsword

Episode 21: Trial by Terror

2: Harvest of Doom

Tai: "They better not wreck my train!"

Thundarr and friends encounter a train somewhere in Mexico (or possibly South America). Trying to slow the train down and look at it, Ookla rips a door off a box car and reveals mounds of bright red flowers. The red blossoms are death flowers being transported by Carocs to a wizard who wants to use the flowers to enslave Humans (what else?). The Carocs aren't happy about the interruption, of course, and promptly get their scaly tails kicked when they defend their train from our heroes. Unfortunately, the leader of the Carocs has a death flower pollen gun, and uses it to put our heroes to sleep. The Carocs have no use for Thundarr and Ariel (being mere Humans), but they keep the mighty Ookla to use as a slave in the death flower fields.

     After escaping from some big furry snakes, Thundarr and Ariel enlist the aid of swamp urchin Tai to track the Carocs back to the pyramid entrance to their valley. All Tai wants in return is the train the Carocs are using. Once in the valley of the Carocs, Thundarr and Ariel rescue Ookla and burn the death flower fields. Then they follow the Carocs back to their train, chase off the Carocs, and repair the train track for Tai (what good is a train without a track?).

     Thundarr and friends never even see the wizard the Carocs are working for; this episode would make a good introductory adventure for an Under the Broken Moon campaign.

Characters

The Wizard (Wizard, good?): We don't know the name of the wizard for whom the Carocs are cultivating the death flowers, and we don't know what he's giving the Carocs in return for the flowers. All we know is what he looks like (an old Human in red robes and a tall grey hat), and that he wants the death flowers to conquer the Humans beyond the swamp.

Caroc Leader (Caroc, good): The Caroc leader is slightly less reptilian than his followers (he actually has a neck!). He's smarter than the other Carocs, and he's a bit tougher, too.

Tai the Swamp Urchin (Human, superior): Tai is a pale, spunky little blonde girl around thirteen, an orphan who lives in the swamp. She's not a combat character, but she's tougher than she looks. She's at home in the dangerous swamps, and has influence with at least one of the creatures living there. For example, a big bear-like thing named Arak does what she tells it to do, even in the heat of combat with Thundarr. This isn't mind control: she has to get to know a creature and get to be friends with it before it will do what she tells it. Tai is a fun character, and one of only two recurring characters in the series (other than Ariel, Ookla, and Thundarr): she and her train reappear in Last Train to Doomsday. (If this was a Japanese cartoon, Tai would be the main character.) Fun fact: Tai was played by Nancy McKeon, of "Facts of Life" fame, where she played another scrappy character, Joanna "Jo" Marie.

Languages: Human

Attack: 2d6 (Scrappy)

Defense: 4d6 (Swamp Urchin)

Hit Points: 26 (Swamp Urchin)

Traits:

Swamp Urchin (Central, S): 4d6 (short ragged dress... she just looks like a swamp urchin)

Speak with Animals (T/U): 2d6 (feral "wild child" vibe)

Mechanical Aptitude (T/U): 2d6 (clear, keen eyes)

Flaws:

Obstinate (pouty lips)

Monsters

(Leopard Serpent, good): These two furry snake creatures are really no match for Thundarr. Their heads are about the size of a normal Human's, and they're only about eight meters long. They have huge fangs but they aren't venomous, and prefer to squeeze their prey to death.

Arak (superior): This shaggy orange creature looks like a cross between a grizzly bear and a huge ape, with big bony plates on its back. It shrugs off Thundarr's Sunsword (Invulnerable, T/U, 6d6), and it is as comfortable under water as it is above it. When Tai tells it to go home, it just sinks under the surface and vanishes.

Spells

Yellow blast (average offensive, group): Ariel hits a half-dozen Carocs with this when they attack her at the train. This doesn't knock any of the Carocs unconscious, but it does chase them away. 1 use.

Brown mist teleport (teleportation): After the wizard is done talking with the Caroc leader, he casts this spell to go back home. A thin trail of brown mist spirals around him a few times, and he vanishes. 1 use.

Blinding flash (average illusion, area): Ariel casts this at the Carocs to hold them off while Thundarr is on his way. The bright light upsets them and distracts them, which is probably the effect she wanted. 1 use.

Still and quiet (superior offensive stun ray): Ariel casts this at a Caroc with a wave of her hand to keep him (you guessed it) still and quiet while Ariel and Thundarr sneak into the valley of the Carocs. It looks like translucent threads that wrap around the Caroc and keeps him from moving or making any noise, but in practice it acts like your basic stun ray. 1 use.

Disintegrate scythes (average offensive vs. inanimate, group): Disintegrating inanimate objects is no big deal. Ariel holds up her hands and three Carocs' scythes glow and crumble. 1 use.

Blue sleep (superior offensive stun ray): Ariel casts these blue rays at Ookla to put him to sleep when she and Thundarr are unable to snap him out of the death flower trance. In practice it acts like your basic stun ray. 1 use.

Levitate (good telekinesis): Ariel lifts her hands and the unconscious Ookla rises into the air. This is much easier than carrying the big unconscious lug around. 1 use.

Disintegrate death flowers (average offensive vs. inanimate): Again, disintegrating inanimate objects is no big deal. Ariel sends neon tendrils of energy at the mounds of flowers and they wither up. 3 uses (one per train car).

Cool Stuff

Tai's train: The locomotive has one coal car and three boxcars.

Death flower (3d6, damage factor x5): The pollen of this bright red bloom has the power to numb the Human (and Mok, apparently) will. The pollen seems to have an initial soporific effect (it puts our heroes to sleep when the Caroc leader hits them with it), but the will-numbing doesn't last very long and must be periodically refreshed (at least, when used on named characters). To resist casual exposure to the death flower pollen, a character exposed to it must attempt a defense roll using a willpower-related trait against the death flowers' 3d6. If the death flower causes enough "damage" to take the character out of the fight, the victim will go to sleep about an hour, and after she wakes up she will obey the person who exposed her to the death flower pollen.

     How long the character will remain under the sway of the death flowers is largely plot-dependent. Unnamed characters will remain dominated indefinitely, while named characters will recover from the death flower pollen in a matter of hours (perhaps quicker if the victim has friends trying to snap her out of it).

Death flower pollen gun (5d6, damage factor x5): The leader of the Carocs carries this bong-like gun loaded with death flower pollen. The Caroc leader blows in the gun and a concentrated cloud of yellow pollen surrounds the target (who then must resist the death flower pollen as described above).

The Golden Pyramid: This ancient step pyramid is the only entrance to the hidden valley of the Carocs. It's full of passages, traps, and sliding walls, not to mention Caroc guards, and our heroes come close to being trapped within it by the Carocs.

Caroc barge: This appears to be a diesel powered barge that the Carocs use to transport their death flower harvest to the train parked at the other side of the swamp.

3: Raiders of the Abyss

Garth: "What manner of man are you?"

Thundarr: "Free!"

In the badlands, a coastal area of crags, canyons, rocky outcroppings, a scraggly group of Humans lives in the remains of an ocean liner that sits impaled on a spike of mountain far above the ground. Our heroes arrive on the scene just in time to witness an attack on the Humans by over a dozen brown-robed Raiders riding on giant bats. Thundarr and friends manage to drive off the Raiders, but not before the Raiders have captured several of the Humans. According to Garth, the leader of the Humans, the Raiders have been plaguing his people for generations: when the moon is full, the Raiders come. This just won't do, of course, and the trio sets out to rescue the captives and put a stop to the raids.

     Back at the abyss (the cavern stronghold of the Raiders), the captives are strung up next to what appears to be a SST. Green vapour surrounds the captives, making them shrivel up and shrink to about half normal size. The vapour then turns red and surrounds the wizened old Raiders, restoring them to a semblance of youth and vitality.

     Our heroes find the entrance to the abyss: a river that goes underground into a cavern. They swim down into the cavern, but of course Ookla isn't happy about it. Several unconscious bodies later our heroes find their way to the Raiders' dining room, and they proceed to kick Raider butt. Unfortunately, the Raiders manage to kidnap Ariel in the fray, and string her up to steal her vitality, but Thundarr swings in to save her just in time (she shrivels a bit, but she gets better). The slaves of the Raiders (who help Thundarr and Ookla get away from the Raiders) are not so lucky. They need the cure for the Vapours of Life for their strength and youth to be restored, but they know where it can be found: the wizard who created the Vapours of Life would certainly have the antidote for their effects. Thundarr and the gang head out to find the wizard. Ariel manages to convince the wizard to give up the secret by animating his chair to put the squeeze on him (of course, she plays it off like it was no big deal when she gets back to Thundarr).

     When the trio gets back to the slave quarters with the cure, the Raiders are ready and attack them. Morag melts the exterior entrance to the slave cavern with his energy rod to prevent Thundarr and friends from escaping (as if). Of course, the Raiders are defeated and the Humans are rescued. As they leave the slave cavern,. Thundarr melts the entrance with his Sunsword, and the Raiders are trapped in their cavern. When the get back to the liner, Thundarr advises the Humans to move out of the sideways ocean liner to another home, "where they can live in freedom, and right side up."

Characters

Unnamed Raiders of the Abyss (Mutated Human, average): The creepy Raiders act pretty much like a cult: they dress alike, they all shave their heads, and they have unsavory religious practices. On the other hand, they might not even be Human: it's possible that they are all just naturally bald. The only obvious physical difference between the Raiders and Humans is that the Raiders are bald and have pointed ears. The Raiders also have pale blue skin, but their skin turns a normal-looking (for Caucasoids) pink when the Vapours of Life restore their vitality. The Raiders are apparently nocturnal and are happy to live underground, unlike Humans. However, all of these traits are most likely the result of the long-term effects of using the Vapours of Life.

Garth (Human, average): Garth, the leader of the Humans, wears the hat and ragged uniform of the ocean liner captain. He's grey-bearded and obviously past his prime: either his wisdom is

respected by the other Humans, or they superstitiously honor the trappings of the ship's captain (probably a little of both). He seems like a nice enough guy.

Morag (Raider, good): Morag, the leader of the Raiders, is the only one with any hair. He has male pattern baldness, but his goatee sort of balances his hairline for a cool sinister look. He wears a gold circlet on his brow which is probably a symbol of his authority (none of the other Raiders wear one). He knows how to call forth the Vapours of Life, and he seems to be a pretty canny customer, but he doesn't appear to have any real magical ability.

The Wizard (Wizard, superior): The wizard who once took refuge in the abyss (refuge from whom, we do not know), and from whom the Raiders stole the secrets of the Vapours of Life, lives a short distance away from the Raiders (just a short ride down the wasteland and across a suspension bridge). He isn't willing to help the Humans without some encouragement from Ariel (in the form of being crushed by his idol-like chair), but at least he isn't out building war machines and enslaving villages. He's a curmudgeonly old guy in a big brown hat and red robes, and his sanctum is a primitive-looking tree house high atop what appears to be an immense palm tree, the base of which is surrounded by big thorny vines.

Monsters

(Giant bat, average): The Raiders ride on these horse-sized bats. They are capable of hovering, and they have long naked tails like rats. They screech audibly, which means they probably do not have echolocation ability (but you never know).

Spells

Light bridge (good telekinesis): This is one of Ariel's signature spells. She creates a bridge of light from her location to the impaled ocean liner (at least 100 meters), and all three characters ride across the light bridge on their mounts. She uses it each time they come or go from the liner. 2 uses.

Yellow blast (average offensive, group): Ariel hits a half-dozen Raiders and their giant bats with this during the first attack on the Humans. This doesn't knock any of the Raiders or giant bats unconscious, but it does chase them away. 1 use.

Bubble of trouble (good offensive, area): While Thundarr and Ookla wrestle with a pair of Raiders underwater, Ariel casts this spell and a stream of bubbles shoots from her outstretched hands to surround the Raiders. The small bubbles combine into one big bubble, which rises past the surface of the water into the air. The bubble floats in the air above the river with the Raiders trapped inside, and it carries them away as it drifts downstream. 1 use.

Yellow ring of holding (good offensive entangling, area): Ariel casts this at three Raiders just before she gets grabbed. A yellow ray shoots from her palm and wraps around the three raiders like a big ring, squishing them together. 1 use.

Sparkly teleport (teleport): Ariel raises her hands overhead and casts this spell to teleport herself from the nearby cliffs into the sanctum of the wizard. Just after she vanishes and just before she reappears, the air is full of sparkles. 1 use.

Red blast (superior offensive): The wizard is understandably annoyed at Ariel's intrusion, and tries to zap her with this spell. She dodges it each time. 3 uses.

Animate idol (superior animation): Ariel shoots a yellow ray at the head of the idol-like chair in which the wizard is sitting, and it comes to life and grabs him (pinning his arms to his sides). From the way he yells and from the speed with which he capitulates to Ariel's demands, it must hurt quite a bit. 1 use.

Cool Stuff

Energy rods (damage factor x5, stun, touch only): According to Ariel, these rods were fashioned by sorcery and are pretty good pieces of work. Most of the Raiders are armed with these meter-long blue crystalline rods, with which they touch their victims to immobilize them. Once a victim is stunned, another Raider then captures the stunned Human in a net and carries her off. Morag also uses an energy rod to melt the entrance to the slave cavern (damage factor x5), and shoots this blast at Thundarr a couple of times, but this may be something that only his rod could do, because none of the other Raiders uses this blast against our heroes. Also, Morag's is the only

energy rod that Thundarr's Sunsword doesn't slice right through (although he does slice through it eventually).

Vapours of Life: The Raiders know the secret of the Vapours of Life. They call forth the vapours from an ornate cauldron, and the green vapours drift up to the Humans (or whatever other prey is handy). The victims of the vapours

shrivel up and shrink to half normal size. The vapours (now red in color) then drift down to the people that called the vapours forth, and restore them to full strength and vitality. When Ariel pours the cure into the cauldron, the vapours turn yellow, and restores the shrunken Humans to normal.

4: Mindok the Mind Menace

Mindok: "I am Mindok, supreme among wizards. I have taught this to Zoa. Now Thundarr, too, must learn."

This is without a doubt one of the best Thundarr episodes. Our heroes arrive on the scene just as General Zoa and the goon squad park their humongous war machine next to the NASA Space Center and head inside. Thundarr and gang follow, but the goons attack them once they get inside. General Zoa and the goons are defeated and leave in the war machine, heading back to Mindok's stronghold.

     Our heroes find the "ice people" that Zoa and the goon squad were looking for, and wake the three NASA scientists from their cryogenic suspension. Mindok is peeved that Thundarr got to the ice people first, so he imprisons Zoa and the goon squad in a fist-sized crystal ball as punishment. Mindok heads to the Space Center himself, where he zaps the scientists away from our heroes right in front of them, teleporting them back to his island stronghold. He warns Thundarr and the gang not to try to follow, but of course they do anyway.

     After wrestling with some fire whales, Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla arrive at Mindok's island stronghold. Mindok is ready for them, though, and traps them in a crystal ball with little trouble. By this time the scientists that Mindok mind-controlled into building him a big robot body have completed their work. With his new body and his enormous brain-powered flying warship (which he had prepared ahead of time), Mindok is now ready to rule the world. And he could have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those nosy adventurers!

     Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla join forces to break out of the crystal globe. They follow Mindok's warship to the nearby Human village where he is in the process of (what else?) conquering the stone-age Human peasants living there. Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla ride their horses onto and into the ship, and face off against Mindok in his control room. Mindok's mighty robot body tosses Ookla across the room like a rag doll, but Thundarr cuts off one of Mindok's hands and both legs with his Sunsword. Mindok falls into the control panel and smashes it, sending the warship out of control and heading into orbit. Our heroes (and their horses) jump off the ship just in time. Mindok laughs all the way into space.

Characters

General Zoa (Mutant, good): Zoa leads Mindok's goons. He's even taller than the other goons (about one goon-head's worth), and he talks big, but he's a pushover for Thundarr (literally: Thundarr pushes him over and takes away his ruby sceptre).

Unnamed goons (Mutant, good): Mindok's goons look like really ugly Humans a meter taller than Thundarr. They have solid green eyes with no pupils, and their hands have three digits and an opposable thumb. They look really brutish and tough, but they are not as tough as they look, and they are intellectually about on par for your run-of-the-mill mutants. They aren't called "goons" in the episode, that's just what I call them. They are all obviously the same species, and they aren't obviously some kind of Human-animal mutation, so "goon" seemed as good an appellation as any.

The Ice People (Human, good): These three Humans (two women, one man) were cryogenically frozen before the great catastrophe. They have great amounts of scientific knowledge and technical skill (they build a powerful robot body for Mindok in a matter of hours), but they aren't any stronger-willed or better in a fight than an average Human. Two of them introduce themselves when they are freed from their frozen sleep (Doctor Craft is the dark-skinned woman, and the man

is named Doctor Harris), but they are never referred to by name again. In a game, they would probably be treated as unnamed characters.

Traits:

NASA Scientist (Central, T/U): 3d6 (lab coat)

Robotics (NT/U): 4d6 (lab coat)

Mindok (Wizard, monstrous): Mindok is downright awesome. He starts out as a brain riding around in a space helmet with a mirrored faceplate, wearing a purple robe over a hovering robot body that looks like a rocket-powered propane tank with little mechanical hands. Eventually he has a big, powerful robot body (which makes him much more powerful physically, but drains some of his magical ability because the body is powered by his brain). He was injured 2,000 years ago before the world fell into ruin, and his brain has been kept alive in his life-support suit since then. His brain is now apparently immortal (hey, it survived this long). He calls himself "supreme among wizards," and this may very well be so.

Languages: Human

Attack: 5d6 (Wizard), or 6d6 (Superhuman Strength) in big robot body

Defense: 4d6 (Immortal), or 6d6 (Superhuman Strength) in big robot body, 3d6 armor in big robot body (no penalty die to attack rolls)

Hit Points: 30 (Immortal)

Magic Pool: 22 (Wizard)

Traits:

Wizard (Central, T/U): 5d6 (purple robe), or 4d6 (big robot body)

Technology (T/U): 3d6 (artificial body)

Immortal (T/U): 4d6 (talks about "waiting 2,000 years" for this and that)

Superhuman Strength (S): 6d6 (big robot body, when he gets it)

Flaws:

Underestimates others (doesn't pay close attention to what others are doing)

Just a brain with no body, not even a skull (artificial body)

Monsters

Fire whale (superior): This is a mutant sperm whale with lots of teeth, a horn on its forehead, and bony spikes on its back and sides. Unlike normal whales, a fire whale has a flamethrowing tube where its blowhole should be, and its tail fin is vertical rather than horizontal. Our heroes run into a gang of four of the beasts. They are tough, but not invulnerable. Ookla head-butts one that charges him, which takes both the Mok and the fire whale out of the fight.

Spells

Light (average illusion, area): Ariel holds up her hand and it radiates light bright enough to see by. Very handy. 1 use.

Disintegrate flame-thrower (average offensive vs. inanimate): Ariel bounces a yellow ray from one hand off the other, and then it hits one of the goons' flame-thrower. The flame-thrower glows yellow and fades away into nothing. 1 use.

Blocking blast (defensive magic trait roll): Ariel blocks an energy bolt from Zoa's ruby sceptre. Later she uses the same spell to block a crackling yellow blast from Mindok. 2 uses.

Whirlwind (good telekinesis, group): Ariel blows in her hand and makes a little tornado. It grows big and sucks up Mindok's goons, then carries them all the way outside and dumps them at the door of the war machine. 1 use.

Mindok's mirror (clairvoyance): Mindok shows General Zoa and the goon squad what is going on back at the Space Center, where the ice people have been freed by Thundarr. 1 use.

Crystal globe (superior offensive entangling, area): In a fit of peeve, Mindok imprisons Zoa and his goons in a fist-sized crystal globe. It appears that they will remain trapped in the sphere indefinitely. Later, he casts the same spell at our heroes, and Ariel's magic and Thundarr's Sunsword are individually powerless to damage the sphere from the inside: they must all three strike together to break out of the sphere. 2 uses.

Lightning teleport (teleport, group): Mindok teleports all three scientists, simultaneously, from the Space Center to his island stronghold. 1 use.

Light bridge (good telekinesis): Ariel creates a bridge of light in front of her when she is charged by a fire whale. The whale slides up the bridge and over Ariel's head, and crashes into another whale. Later on, she casts a light bridge so she and Ookla can catch up to Thundarr (who jumped from some skyscraper-rubble to the ship on his horse). 2 uses.

Mind control (domination, group): Mindok hits the three scientists in the eyes, simultaneously, with a yellow beam from his mirrored helmet, and they are instantly obedient. 1 use.

Binding serpents (superior offensive entangling, group): Three big snakes emerge from Mindok's mirrored faceplate, and wrap around our heroes. Presumably at least Ookla and Thundarr could have broken free, but on the next round Mindok imprisons them all in a crystal ball. 1 use.

Crackling yellow blast (superior offensive): When our heroes break into Mindok's control room, Mindok tries to blast them with crackling yellow energy beams from the antennae of his big robot body. 1 use.

Cool Stuff

War machine: This thing is huge, and I do mean huge. The buildings of the Space Center are no bigger than the depth of the tread on its enormous wheels. It's also submersible: it travels underwater to get back and forth from Mindok's equally-huge bitchin' island fortress. It could conceivably hold an army (or several armies), but we know it takes no more than a handful of people to operate it because there are only a handful of Mindok's goons on it at any one time.

Flame-thrower (damage factor x6): Many of Mindok's goons are armed with these rifle-like weapons. They fire basketball-sized balls of fire, but they are slow to fire and don't seem very accurate (fires every other round, 1 penalty die to attack roll).

Ruby sceptre (damage factor x4): General Zoa carries this thing around. It looks like a fist-sized ruby on the end of a wooden cane. He shoots at Thundarr with it, knocking the Sunsword out of his hand. He also shoots Ookla with it, which seems to daze Ookla for just a second but doesn't take him out of the fight. Thundarr takes it away from Zoa and snaps it in two.

Mindok's warship: Mindok calls this immense flying war machine the "mightiest warship of them all", and Mindok should know. It fires superior energy blasts (damage factor x6) from ports on its underside, and it has superior armor (4d6). It is powered by the mind of Mindok (and it goes out of control when he stops controlling it to deal with our heroes).

20: Master of the Stolen Sunsword

Ariel: "This poor village was once called Beverly Hills, Thundarr. It was one of the wealthiest cities in the world."

Thundarr: "What of it? It's the wizard and my Sunsword that matter now."

The people of the village of Beverly (formerly Beverly Hills) are terrorized by the wizard Yando, who uses his magic and his mutant thugs to extort the hard-earned income of the villagers. Thundarr insists on ending this tyranny, and with Ariel and Ookla attempts to deal with him. However, the Sunsword is damaged when Thundarr is struck by the "Scarlet Lightning" (a.k.a. "Negative Lightning"); Thundarr, of course, is as good as new after resting for a while. While our heroes are trying to find the Pool of Power to recharge the Sunsword, Yando manages to steal the Sunsword and take it to Griffith Observatory, where he recharges it from the Pool of Power himself. However, a cave-in interrupts his plans. Yando loses the Sunsword, Thundarr recharges it (only the person who charges it can activate it), and our heroes proceed to go kick wizard butt. It

turns out Yando wasn't a real wizard after all: he was just a stage magician with some pretty amazing special effects and ugly mutant assistants.

Characters

Yando (Wizard, superior): Yando wears flowing white and lavender-grey robe over lavender-grey slacks (snappy dresser). His low boots are dark blue, and his demon mask is dark blue with black horns. Under the mask, Yando is the village scholar, Wolnak, a wimpy little guy with male pattern baldness and a pair of Birkenstocks. Yando's stronghold is the Magic Palace, which appears to be the remains of a stage-

magic oriented night club. Even though Yando doesn't know "real" magic, he manages to be pretty darn effective with what he does know (a combination of stage magic and electrical/mechanical skills), and he's smart enough to pick his battles and make good use of his thugs and animals. He's also clever enough to restrain Ariel's hands as soon as our heroes show up at his stronghold.

Languages: Human

Attack: 3d6 (Stage Magic), but he doesn't cause any direct damage with his magic tricks

Defense: 3d6 (Nimble)

Hit Points: 19 (Nimble)

Magic Pool: 8 (Stage magic)

Traits:

Scholar (Central, T/U): 3d6 (wrinkled brow)

Stage Magic (T/U): 3d6 (fidgety fingers)

Nimble (S): 3d6 (stands on the balls of his feet)

Flaws:

Poor self image (doesn't take criticism well)

Imperfect understanding of magic (sometimes thinks a stage magic trick will have real results)

Erlo (Human, average): Erlo is a trader who apparently has a respected position in the village of Beverly. He has long white hair and wears a ragged grey tuxedo and white tennis shoes.

Unnamed thugs (Mutant, good): Yando has two unnamed mutant thugs. One is a Wolf Mutant (or maybe a Dog Mutant), and the other looks vaguely like an iguana.

Monsters

Giant Sky Dragon (average): This creature looks like an enormous earwig with vaguely dragonfly-like wings. It is blue, with big red eyes. Yando and his two mutant thugs ride one throughout the episode. It doesn't seem to have much special going for it other than being the size of a stretch limousine and being able to fly.

(Centaur Beetle, superior): This resembles a big black beetle with its two foremost legs ending in pincers. The front half of its van-sized body raises up somewhat, giving it a somewhat centaur-like posture. It's pretty tough: our heroes don't defeat it so much as they manage to knock it down and get away from it (3d6 armor).

(Lizard Bunny, superior): The grizzly-sized Lizard Bunny looks like a big green rabbit with scales on its nose, ears, and down its back and long un-bunny-like tail. It has huge claws (damage factor x3), eye beams that knock Ookla across the room (damage factor x4), and can leap a dozen meters with its big bunny legs. Yando pulls the Lizard Bunny out of a hat in an attempt to get away from Thundarr's righteous anger, to no avail. Ariel blasts it through a wall, and it hops away when it gets the chance.

Spells

Ring trick (average offensive entangling): Yando throws brass rings around Ariel as soon as she shows up in his stronghold, effectively preventing her from using magic until she gets out of it. It doesn't take her very long to wriggle free, though (maybe 5 rounds, tops). 1 use (stage magic).

Scarf trick (good offensive entangling): Yando can make long scarves flow from his sleeve to wrap up his target. This trick ties up the target better than the ring trick, but it doesn't have as much range (a couple of paces, at most). 2 uses (stage magic).

Coiling club (superior offensive entangling): Ariel casts this at the Wolf Mutant that charges her. His club stretches and wraps around him, wrapping him up tight. 1 use.

Floating blue (good telekinesis, group): Ariel casts this at both of Yando's mutants simultaneously. It makes them glow blue and lift slightly off the ground (where they flail helplessly). 1 use (she tries casting it again later at Thundarr, but Yando blocks it with his Negasword).

Serious blast (superior telekinesis): Ariel wastes no time toying with the Lizard Bunny: as soon as she gets the last of Yando's rings off, she blasts the critter right through a brick wall. 1 use.

Disintegrate mask (average offensive vs. inanimate): Disintegrating inanimate objects is no big deal. Ariel points at the mask, it glows yellow, and it fades away: it's just that simple. 1 use.

Cool Stuff

Pool of Power: Ariel knew that the Pool of Power was nearby, but Thundarr didn't even seem to be aware that the Sunsword could be recharged. The Pool of Power itself is a small glowing lake in an underground cavern beneath Griffith Observatory. From Ariel's tone, it sounds as though Pools of Power can be found elsewhere, as well.

Negasword: Yando connects a fencing foil to a car battery and charges it with Red Lightning (a.k.a. Negative Lightning). The resulting weapon can shoot good energy bolts (damage factor x4), and holds its own against the Sunsword until Thundarr clips the wires.

21: Trial by Terror

Thundarr: "Enough talk! Thorak's life is in danger!"

Korb (fat, stupid sheriff) and his deputies (fat, stupid Pig Mutants) are in cahoots with Artemis to steal the walled village of Atlanta's precious fuel. Korb frames Thundarr's buddy Thorak for the crime to avert the villagers' suspicion, but Thundarr stops their evil plans, saves Thorak, and makes Artemis look really silly (which really isn't too hard, to be honest). There are some Cannonball Run style chases tossed in for good measure.

Characters

Artemis (Wizard, good): The blue-skinned Artemis has a (how can I say it?) a foppish air. He has light blue skin and dark blue hair in a style reminiscent of the British Invasion. He wears a loose white shirt and tan slacks, knee-high brown boots, and a yellow cape with epaulets and a high collar. He's apparently in the early stages of his wizard career: he's pretty good at magic, and he's tougher than he looks (and sounds), but he has yet to complete his death ship, and his stronghold is just an old antebellum mansion (even Yando had a better stronghold). And he really needs to work on his intimidation skills.

Languages: Human

Attack: 2d6 (Wizard), usually x2

Defense: 2d6 (Wizard), or 2d6 (Dodge) if Wizard dice are used for attack

Hit Points: 29 (Fashion - hey, anyone who dresses that fancy has to be tough)

Magic Pool: 10 (Wizard)

Traits:

Wizard (Central, T/U): 2d6 (blue skin)

Technology (T/U): 2d6 (smell of petroleum)

Fashion (NS): 4d6 (cape w/ epaulets)

Flaws:

Unimpressive (takes a penalty die to intimidation attempts)

Insecure (worries constantly about what other wizards and even Humans think)

Thorak (Human, good): Thorak is a muscular long-haired human with male pattern baldness. Thundarr describes Thorak as his "old friend," a "man of honor." Thorak has a peg-leg: his left leg ends just below the knee. It's possible that Thorak and Thundarr used to travel together before he suffered this injury.

Korb (Human, average): Korb is the fat, stupid, corrupt southern sheriff in cahoots with the local wizard. His is chubby, but not so fat as his deputies, and he has shoulder-length red hair. His one saving grace is his bandolier of various badges and emblems (at least he knows how to accessorize).

Unnamed deputies (Pig Mutants, average): These are your basic fat, ugly, average quality unnamed thugs that look like pigs (various shades of dark grey). There are about a half-dozen of them.

Monsters

Swamp Worms: (superior): The Swamp Worms look like enormous green snakes, with two clawed arms up near the tooth-filled Volkswagen-sized head. When a Swamp Worm takes enough damage to take it out of the fight, it splits into two fresh and eager-to-fight Green Things. Ariel dazzles them with magic while Ookla and Thundarr ride them and make them fight each other. This apparently reverses the process and makes them both disappear.

Spells

Yellow teleport (teleportation): Artemis teleports behind Thundarr and Ariel while they look down into a hole that Ookla fell into. It looks like he appears in a cloud of glowing yellow smoke. He uses the same spell to get away when things don't go his way. 3 uses.

Blue bolt (good offensive stun ray): Artemis hits both Thundarr and Ariel with this from behind, making Ariel fall into the pit with Ookla. Thundarr, however, is not stunned by the attack: he plays possum and surprises Artemis when the wizard comes to look at the fallen barbarian. 2 uses.

Green bolt (good offensive vs. inanimate): Artemis recovers from his surprise at seeing Thundarr awake, and twice tries to hit Thundarr with a green bolt. Thundarr blocks both times, so Artemis instead disintegrates the ground under Thundarr's feet. 3 uses (not including the first two that Thundarr blocked).

Summon Swamp Worm (monstrous summoning): Artemis casts this spell to summon a Swamp Worm, a monstrous quality creature. 1 use.

Immobilize (good telekinesis): Ariel casts this at two of the Pig Mutants simultaneously. It makes them glow yellow and stop moving. 1 use.

Levitating sphere (good telekinesis): Ariel uses this to levitate herself, Ookla, and Ookla's equut out of the aforementioned hole. 1 use.

Seek (clairvoyance): Ariel uses her magic to find Artemis' stronghold. She uses a similar spell to lead Thundarr to her once she's found it. 2 uses.

Bound (good telekinesis): Ariel casts this at a Pig Mutant. His arms and legs are bound with a white rope-like energy. 1 use.

Dazzling lights (average illusion, area): Ariel casts this at the two Swamp Worms simultaneously, causing streaks of magical fire to zoom around and around their heads. It upsets them and distracts them, which is probably the effect she wanted. 1 use.

Fire barrier (good offensive vs. inanimate, area): Ariel casts this behind her as she, Thundarr, and Ookla are riding away from Korb and his deputies. One of the deputies' car runs into it, which stops the car and makes it fall apart. 1 use.

Magic shield (defensive magic trait roll): Ariel blocks a whole bunch of energy bolts from the deputies' blaster batons. 1 use.

Rejuvenate boat (activate familiar machine): Ariel casts this spell to restore a decrepit outboard motorboat to original condition. She casts a similar spell to start the boat going. 2 uses.

Neutralize rocket packs (deactivate marginally familiar machine): Ariel casts this spell and makes three of the flying Pig Mutants fall out of the sky. 1 use.

Melt metal (superior offense vs. inanimate): Ariel casts this at one of Artemis' death ship's chicken feet, melting it into a nub. 1 use.

Cool Stuff

The Geyser: The geyser that Korb tries to fry Thorak with erupts twice a day. It seems like a sloppy way to execute people, but Korb and his deputies (and the rest of the villagers, for that matter) don't seem too bright, so maybe it's the best they can do. Thundarr does knock the death ship out of the sky with it, so it must pack a pretty good punch (damage factor x8).

(Blaster batons): Korb and the deputies carry around average quality energy weapons, which they probably got from Artemis (damage factor x3). They look kind of like short metal baseball bats that fire like blasters.

(Communication box): Korb uses this box to talk to Artemis: it displays a little image of Artemis above the box (about 10 centimeters tall from head to foot). If anything can make Artemis less impressive, seeing him 10 cm tall does.

Death ship: As death ships go, Artemis' is mediocre. It looks a bit like a flying saucer with wings and chicken feet, and it lasts all of a minute before Thundarr and crew knock it out of the sky. It fires superior energy blasts (damage factor x6) from its chicken feet, and has good armor (2d6).

Rocket packs: When Artemis shows up in his death ship, a squad of flying Pig Mutants zips out to terrorize the townsfolk with blaster batons.