The Warp Warrior

Eminently severe in the work of violence...

It's mostly Slaine, part Cronenberg and part Warhammer. Enjoy!

A barbaric warrior, skilled in harnessing the raw energies of Chaos to augment his berserker state and gain temporary, advantageous mutations.

As Fighter/Warrior but restricted to light armour only, as well as being unable to use “civilized” weaponry such as crossbows.

Experience points needed as Magic-user.

Warp Spasm: You can enter the enraged state of a berserker, granting +2 to hit and to damage. In this state you also channel the twisted energy of Chaos into your own physical form, warping and mutating it.

Your ability to harness this energy allows you to utilize the warp spasm without terrible consequences at least once at first level, with the number of warp spasms increasing by one at 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th level. The berserk state and mutations last for 1d3+level rounds.

To determine the mutations gained during each warp spasm, roll 1d6 on the following example table or use the physical mutations chart of your choice.

Example Mutation Table:

1. YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING: Your eyes can see all sorts of weird shit (through illusions, see invisible creatures, things hiding between dimensions, etc.). Most importantly, your enhanced perception allows you to more accurately strike the weaker points of your opponent’s body, giving you +level to your crit range.

Manifestations (1d4):

1. Your eyes force themselves out of your eye sockets and orbit your head, glowing different unearthly colours each round.

2. Your eyes appear milky white. If anyone else looks closely into your eyes, they can see the reflection of their own soul in them.

3. Your eyes bug out, literally.

4. Your eyes seem to shrink back into your skull and are replaced with burning stars. The stars burn more brightly each time you slay a foe.


2. WELL FUCKING ARMED: One of your arms (determine randomly) twists and mutates into a bizarre bodily weapon. The “weapon” deals 1d8 + 1/3rd level (rounded down) damage and counts as a magic weapon for the purposes of striking creatures immune to mundane weaponry.

Manifestations (1d4):

1. Overlapping, growing flesh solidifies on your hand to become a large club.

2. The flesh and muscle on your arm strips away and the sides of the remaining bone become incredibly sharp.

3. Your fingers and thumb bend backwards and are absorbed into your hand. In your palm a toothless circular mouth opens, allowing you to gush out of it a stream of boiling blood towards your enemies.

4. As the second result but instead of your arm bones becoming sharp at the sides, they fuse into a bone spike.


3. SCREAMING HEAD BUSTER: You have a singular, hideous shriek within you that you can unleash whenever you want. Those around you in a 10’ radius must save or suffer deafness for 1d4+4 rounds as well as 1d4+level damage (save still only halves the damage).

Manifestations (1d4):

1. A parasitic creature with an infant’s face has grown in the back of your throat. You must open your mouth and let it emerge, xenomorph style, to let it scream.

2. You allow a grieving soul to inhabit your body, warp your own features into that of the spirit and emit a terrible wail.

3. Your very soul is sick of this warping shit! You let it loose from your body (not incapacitating the character in their battle trance!) and it screams before returning to you.

4. You place your hand on the back of another party member’s head, your fingers burrowing into their skull, and they let out a scream in your own voice. This is oddly painless for the other character and the small holes heal quickly.


4. TROLLING THEM: Your wounds heal extremely quickly, healing 2HP per round, and any lost body parts will grow back instantly. You can still die or get Highlandered though.

Sound advice.

Manifestations (1d4):

1. Little flesh imps emerge from your wounds and stitch them flawlessly with extraordinary speed. With regards to severed limbs or lost body parts, flesh imps will emerge from the wound and fuse together to create a new body part.

2. Your wounded flesh rots off to reveal new, unharmed flesh underneath. A severed body part will wither immediately while a fresh part emerges.

3. You are gelatinous, kinda. You look normal enough but, when struck, your fluid form regenerates much like the T-1000. Intense glare is optional.

4. Your regenerated body parts and flesh become that of a different race! Get your favourite reincarnation chart and hope to God/The DM that you don’t get one normal leg and one Halfling.


5. HEADS UP: Your head becomes…

(1d6): 1. A dragon’s. 2. A maggot’s. 3. A grinning, ghoulish skull. 4. Yours with a swirling void instead of an actual face. 5. Your own face but aged fifty years. 6. A snarling hell hound’s.

This head can breathe/spit/vomit/whatever… 1. Acid. 2. Fire. 3. Decay. 4. A torrent of enraged spirits. 5. A smaller, screaming head. 6. Insects (50% chance to be just bees).

Damage is 1d8+level, save for half, and you can use this "breath weapon" thrice.

Manifestations (1d4):

1. Your normal head just falls off and a new one pops up from the stump.

2. You crack your own head open and it falls to pieces, revealing the new head inside.

3. It's actually a second head on your shoulder that emerges. It can talk too and is probably very bitter about being relegated to an extra head.

4. You peel your face off like a mask, revealing the new head.



6. SKINTIGHT (Courtesy of Eric from The Goblinburg Notebook): Your skin functions as heavy armour. Any armour you were wearing is destroyed. Don't expect many clothes either after you're done warping. Not that you would care much anyway, you fucking savage, but the city guard might take offense.

Manifestations (1d4):

1. Your bones grow through your flesh and turn into spikes that fall off painfully afterwards.

2. Everything you were wearing fuses with you skin and muscle, growing into a number of thick protective layers. If you weren't wearing enough clothes or armour, you have to touch someone's and absorb it. They will get it back in unusable, bloody bits.

3. You grow d3 heavy, clawed, furry wings that shield you from harm. If you have two, you can attempt flying for a short distance.

4. Your skin melts off and your muscle tissue oozes acid. Any weapon that touches you is -1 cumulative to damage every time it connects. This includes the weapons you are wielding, which take -1 to damage every round. The DM says if the weapons can be fixed.


Warp spasms past the limit: If the player wishes to warp spasm above their normal limit, they must roll a save (DC 15 or more for DCC, maybe save vs. Magic for everything else?) or suffer one of the following consequences (1d6):

1: Permanent (affects appearance, with none of the benefits) mutation relating to first warp spasm mutation roll.

2-3: Lose 1d6 WIS (or equivalent) and go berserk on everyone nearby, including allies! 0 Wisdom means that you are permanently mad.

4-5: Lose 1d6 points from a randomly determined physical stat and the ability to warp spasm for 1d4+1 days.

6: Lose the ability to warp spasm for this day and the next. Stat damage recovers as per system of choice, or one point per day of rest.

Cu Chulainn from Irish mythology was the original warp warrior. 
No, seriously. 

D8 OSR/D&Dables Inspired by Strange Aeons

Strange Aeons is a brilliant campaign mod for Doom released in 2015 by Impie. It retains the basic Doom gameplay but has a great atmosphere and many elements heavily influenced by the works of HP Lovecraft, particularly "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath". This strong emphasis on theme, the blend of horror elements and action coupled with very enjoyable and interesting level design make it an excellent Doom campaign well worth playing for fans of the Lovecraftian mythos and DOOM alike.

The imaginative application of Lovecraft's mythos into Doom inspired me to think about how its interesting bestiary and settings could serve as inspiration for an RPG. Here are some examples:

1. The King/Duchess/Person of High Authority's genius alchemist/inventor mysteriously disappeared right before finishing a grand invention. Coincidentally, a cult has recently emerged and is gaining great power through the use of their strange "boomstick" weaponry.

I completely support having the higher ranked members
of the cult wielding one or two sawed off shotguns.

Quality inspiration for how to portray
the alchemist/inventor character.

2. Having the dungeon/adventure area transform before the players or reveal an alternate (possibly more horrific) version of itself is a great way to surprise a party that is confident about its layout and denizens.

1D4 Dungeon Transformation Examples:

1. Classic horror film "everything gets fucking horrible" mode (Walls bleeding, dead creatures rise as walking dead, etc.)

2. Area reverts to the time period right before what made it a horrific dungeon happens (before unleashing the Balrog, starting a war between races and so on). The players now have a chance to try to prevent it but they will probably be opposed by the original inhabitants who believe that what they are doing is sensible/profitable/necessary to win the war/etc.

3. BIZARRO DUNGEON: Dungeon layout is flipped horizontally, all alignments for creatures are reversed (possibly make creatures the opposite of what they are), etc. There are clones of the party with reversed alignments and goatees.

4. Put the party in another adventure's dungeon.

3. Tall, imposing scaly creatures that blend in perfectly with the darkness. They greatly resemble Deep Ones but loathe being compared to them. They can breathe green flames and can also cause themselves to burst open and let loose the souls they've devoured as murderous, fiery apparitions. The ghosts disappear after 1D3 rounds of trying to murder the party. They are known to locals as "Shadow Fiends" due to their ability to disappear into the darkness but their true names are unknown.

Rough example stats: As Ogre, with 1-3 surprise chance in darkness, a breath weapon that deals 2d8 (save for half) damage, and upon death releases 1d4 fiery soul bastards (HD 2, AC 5 [14], 1d8 damage, incorporeal).

4. A fire demon resembling a huge red spider. It desires to escape the underworld so that it may burninate and raze settlements to the ground. It can also, through dreams, insinuate ideas and images into a mind it is aware of.

HD: 12.

AC: 0 [19].

Attacks: 1 spit jet of flame (2d6+2) or bite (1d10).

Special: Engaging it in melee without proper protection against its blazing heat results in 2d6 damage per round. It can insinuate insidious ideas and missions through the dreams of others, treat as the spell Suggestion but with a duration of a year instead of a week. Immune to mundane weaponry.

Movement: 60'.

Alignment: Chaotic Evil.

The Strange Aeons monster is actually
this fine fellow.

5. Shattered City: A strange sky realm that is a huge archipelago of the floating fragments of a once great city. Ladders, long nets for catching falling people and ten foot poles for pole vaulting are the most commonly used tools. Falling off any landscape causes you to continuously fall from the sky to the "floor" of the realm surprisingly slowly in a loop. Travel between distant settlements is possible through the aid of a sky ferryman who has learned not only how to sail the sky currents, but also navigate around dangers such as prideful hawkmen warriors and the Snatchers Through Time.

I personally imagine the Snatchers being like Floormasters
from Zelda.

6.  The Goliath: A huge, rectangular steel structure on tank treads. It is essentially a mobile dungeon/fortress, a remnant of a prior age of super science and sorcery. What's driving it forward and why? Here's 1D4 possible answers:

1. Cultists! They've got slaves and initiates in the Goliath and are bringing them to a sacred place for nefarious reasons.

2. Cyborgs! They are one with the machine and wish to "bless" a nearby settlement with this unity.

3. A random humanoid warband! They found this thing one day, somehow activated it and are trying to bring it back to their lair to orchestrate a siege.

4. Itself! It's gone full on batshit AI Blaine The Mono insane and is moving towards the nearest city. It is trying to find its original creator and question why it was built to have a mind so limited. The creator him/herself has been dead for centuries.

7. A race of leonine humanoids wander the earth, seeking to bring justice to all the sinful. They are fully armoured, throw bolts of radiant energy and can divine all the sins you have committed. They have an extremely strict understanding of what constitutes a sin and thus are usually a danger for all but the most virtuous of people. Some sages theorize that they are the last shreds of the Prime Lamassu's divine power, manifested upon this earth after its death.

HD: 3 (7 for leaders).

AC: 2 [17].

Attacks: 1 sword (1d8) or radiant bolt (1d10).

Special: Throws goddamn bolts, Divine Sins.

Movement: 60'.

Alignment: Extremely Lawful Good.

This guy but armoured and much more judgemental.

8. Spawn of Gla'aki (resembles a sickly green slug, 4 feet tall and covered with metallic spines).

HD: 4.

AC: 4 [15].

Attacks: 1 Spine (1d10, Save versus Zombification).

Special: Spine injects fluid into the victim and produces abysmal growths throughout the body, turning them into an undead slave controlled by the Spawn. It can have up to four zombies at a time.

Movement: 90' in water, 30' on land.

Alignment: Chaotic Evil.

Seriously, Gla'aki rules and would make for an awesome adversary regardless of setting. Next time you think about using one of the more popular Great Old Ones in an adventure, use Gla'aki instead.

Darkwood Inspired Leveling for Fighters

In Darkwood there is a leveling system where you attain abilities as you'd expect. Interestingly, you also must choose a drawback alongside it. This really adds to the depth and feel of the game and I thoroughly enjoy it. For fun, let's do something similar for Fighters with an example table (one roll on each table per every third level):

1d8 GOOD

1. Adrenaline (boost melee damage die by one step when below half health).

2. Weathered ol' Bastard (+1 AC, +2 to saves versus the elements).

3. Ravenous Hatred (Name a thing you fought that harrowed you, you get +2 to hit and boost your damage die when you deal with them).

4. No Train Left Unsuplexed (Once per day, you can attempt a feat of strength otherwise considered impossible by the DM). Thanks to Claytonian for inspiring this one.

5. War Cry (Once per day, you may let out a fearsome yell that causes 1d6+level foes with a HD equal to your level to Save or flee/surrender).

6. Gunslinger/Crossbowman (You have a knack for crossbows/guns. Instantly reload your weaponry).

7. Thaumaturgical Tennis (You can attempt to strike back magic with your sword once per day with an additional use every third level. Yes. You must declare this, then attempt to strike the magic with your weapon. The DM will decide the difficulty number, I'd do either 10+the caster's level or 10+twice the spell level. If it works, it is sent back to them and they must deal with it as normal).

8. ATATATATATATATATATA and so on (Once per day, you can do half your level in additional strikes).

1d8 BAD/UGLY

1. Marked for Death (You are cursed by... something. -1 to Death Saves per two levels, you also shiver at night from an unearthly cold).

2. Shaky Hands (-1 to hit and -1 to initiative, assuming a d6 based initiative system, with all ranged weaponry. Please explain why you are like this).

3. Traumatized (Remember those goblins that fucked up your party? You need to pass fear saves to deal with a certain type of creature or foe that has tormented you before).

4. The Will is Strong but the Flesh... (You heal at half the rate, including magical means).

5. OH NO, IT'S MY RIVAL/SHADOW REALM DOUBLE/SIBLING! (You have an exceptionally arrogant and/or haughty rival. They are a level above you but they generally prefer to smugly vex you instead of outright killing you. Unless circumstances permit otherwise, of course).

6. You'll Wish You Were Marked for Death (Your favourite NPC/Pet/hireling/lover? They're going to die. In 1d6 adventures' time. The DM rolls secretly but they can foreshadow it clearly if they wish).

7. Bent Double, Like Old Beggars Under Sacks (Your encumbrance limit is halved, rounded up).

8. DON'T GO OUTSIDE AT NIGHT (Seriously, don't. Something's waiting especially for you).

Optionally, if you find these drawbacks too harsh you could allow the player to attempt to complete a perilous quest or journey to find a solution.

Dream Scenes/Sequences

Brilliant film, one of my favourites.

So when a PC in the middle of combat is rendered unconscious by something, be it drugs, enchantment, etc., they are unable to participate until the duration of the effect ends. How can we provide an alternate take on this that not only keeps the PC and player engaged but also allows their unconscious rounds to flow into the combat or threat the party is facing? Dream sequences/scenes!

When the round turns to that player they must struggle with a dream sequence to bring themselves to consciousness. If they fail, they remain unconscious until the combat or threat is over. Let's be fancy and call the level of the dream scene the INTENSITY. The intensity is generally decided by the DM (based on how strong the drug, gas, or other trap was, etc.) but for enemy spell casters affecting a PC you may use the caster's level to determine it.


What the heck kind of dream sequence is this? (1d4)

1. A significant scene from the character's distant past. A scene of childhood, their first magic training, and so on. Let the player describe it and why it is significant to them.

2. An earlier section of the dungeon/adventure. Something feels wrong, it is dark, but each step towards success will bring light and clarity to the dream scene.

3. A cave/weathered home containing a horrible revelation. The Vader sequence strikes back.

4. The future of the dungeon/adventure is glimpsed in some way in this dream scene. Success may give a useful hint, failure leaves you in the dark.



Okay, what do I have to deal with to wake up? (1d4)

1. 1+intensity challenges, pertaining to the character's skill set and background. Remember, these dream scenes do not require an extreme amount of detail and each challenge should be treated with the same speed as combat rounds.

2. An inner demon or some other manifested memory tries to "kill" you and drag you deeper into your slumber. It's level is equal to the intensity and you must slay it to wake up.

3. The DM will ask you 1+intensity questions about details your character has closely experienced in the campaign such as the names of people or towns, a description of particular heraldry they have seen, etc. One question per round. I'd personally limit it to a maybe a session or two ago in terms of how far back these questions are derived from.

4. An intensity number of THINGS (hints of future foes, perhaps?) pursue you. You are completely unarmed. Run. OR, if it's easier to run, you are pursued by a single invincible thing for intensity+1 rounds.

Darkwood is great.  It's like S.T.A.L.K.E.R and
Dark Souls meets David Lynch... in a forest.

Claytonian of Kill It With Fire! pointed out to me that this is basically a tabletop adaptation of an anime trope, and offered the following extra rule to reflect this: the PC gains a +1 to their roll this round for each of cry of pain that another party member makes upon getting hit.  Cue Goblin Slayer's eye glowing...