Monster Monday: Ohmadillo

All right!  After enjoying a wonderful Memorial Day among real monsters in the mountains of north Georgia, it looks like I'm going to get another one in under the wire for #MonsterMonday!

Here's another "Chinasaur"...another Underground Elemental Beast...and another from my own childhood collection...the Ohmadillo:

Armor Class  16
Hit Dice  6d8+3 (30 Hit Points)
Speed  25 ft.
Damage Vulnerability  Fire
Challenge  1
XP  200

Actions:

Thunderclap -- Melee Attack +6 // 10 (2d8 + 1) thunder damage
Lightningslap -- Melee Attack +6 // 10 (2d8+1) lightning damage

The Ohmadillo is charged with the element of lightning.  Its beak and antennae constantly emit crackles and sparks, especially after a large meal (typically grubs and worms).  Electronic equipment within 30 feet of a live Ohmadillo has a 20% chance of failing.

Ohmadillos frighten easily and are quick to defend themselves.  Their stubby but strong forelegs attack with the power of thunder and lightning.

Unfortunately, Ohmadillos are confused by modern vehicles and are all too easily killed on the highways when they find themselves stranded on our world.

(It may be clear that I'm working my way through the damage types of 5E for the "elements" of the Beasts.  I doubt I'll include all of them, but thunder and lightning seemed like good ones to include next.  Also, I made this one vulnerable to fire based on the increasing resistance of an electrical current with increasing temperature...if I'm right on that...)

A Monstrous Matter: Plan 9 cemetery to be recognized

Thanks to Armand Vaquer over at Monster Island News for pointing out that the cemetery featured in Plan 9 from Outer Space is set to be honored with a plaque in a ceremony tomorrow.  You may recall that Plan 9 came in at #3 in the Top 5 Alien Invasion Movies That I'd Like to Game.  (I'm kidding, I know you don't recall that.  Point is, I'm a fan, so it's cool to see it get recognized!)

Saturday Evening Cartoon: TIE Fighter

Another extremely well-done animated fan film here.  If the creator isn't an agent of the Empire, she or he is certainly a sympathizer...

5E Microlite

I think I mentioned earlier that I'm working on a little "project."  Said project has me paying more and more attention to Fifth Edition, and I can't help but think about how its rules might be distilled.  I know that there have already been some takes on a Microlite version of 5E, but I didn't find anything yet that was exactly to my liking.  Not that any version could be exactly to my liking (even my own version), as all Microlite games have to make some sacrifices.

At any rate, I took some bits that I've seen, mixed in a few useful but unoriginal ideas, and generated this version that's just a single page (so it's nano!) plus OGL.  I figured I'd post it here in case anyone else can get some use out of it.

Plus, I have that gamer disease where I assume that everyone else is interested in my own personal take on the rules.

Click below to check out NanoNext.  (The text link goes to the doc in Google Drive...which is now updated for grammar, by the way.  I suppose you could also read the tiny little jpeg of the original first page below, but it might be a bit of a chore.)  Any and all feedback is welcome!!

EDIT:  I'm getting some great feedback on this and hope to have a new version up before long.  Thanks for looking!

NanoNext

Monster Monday: Iglana

Here's my second entry for #MonsterMonday...another creature pulled from that iconic set of cheap plastic "dinosaurs" and commonly used in Undergroud Elemental Beastfighting.  The rules below are for 5E (pretty much...I think I covered all of the really important stuff).

(See last week for the first Underground Elemental Beast "card," of the Charchaeopteryx.  Oh...and this week's picture is actually of my own figure that I've had since I was a kid!)

Iglana

The Iglana is a fierce reptile imbued with cold elemental energies.  It is usually found in frozen environments and seeks shelter for hibernation during warm seasons.  It's not unusual for adventurers to encounter a family of 7-10 Iglanas in accessible underground areas.  Iglanas stir easily while hibernating and are quick to return to full capabilities if they sense a threat.

Armor Class  14
Hit Dice  5d8+3 (25 Hit Points)
Speed  30 ft.
Damage Vulnerability  Fire
Challenge  1
XP  200

Actions:

Chill-gore -- Melee Attack +5 // 10 (2d6 + 3) cold damage

Any creature hit by an Iglana attack loses all actions (including reactions and bonus actions) and movement for one round.  (They may still perform an action if an ability is used to grant an additional action for the round.)

Iglanas are really cold!  After hitting the Iglana with a metal weapon, the attacker must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or drop the weapon.  This effect may be mitigated by gloves or other insulation for the hands.

Saturday Evening Cartoon: Darwyn Cooke's Batman 75th Anniversary Short

To honor the passing of comic creator Darwyn Cooke one week ago, here's the Batman Beyond short he made for the Dark Knight's 75th Anniversary in 2014:

EDIT:  Tim over at the Other Side has included this very same cartoon in his tribute to Mr. Cooke, along with some great artwork.  Justin at Halls of the Nephilim also posted a nice series of Darwyn's works earlier this week.  They're both worth a click!

Dogwood City Regrets: Apes! (Part 2)

In the first edition of Dogwood City Regrets, I lamented the dearth of apes that I managed to put into my month-long journey through a comic book setting.

It's really a shame.

It's even more of a shame considering that I discovered one simian character that was almost too amazing to exclude.  This is the Six-Gun Gorilla:

And he's pretty much exactly what you think he is.

Turns out he's looking for revenge on the Strawhan Gang, a bunch of Old West bandits who murdered his owner.  As his name implies, he achieves this using a six-gun.  So simple.  So perfect.

6GG, as he lets me call him, ultimately didn't make the cut for Dogwood City due to the fact that I shied away from Western characters that wouldn't have a huge impact on the present.  He also appeared as a feature in the British story paper The Wizard, while I focused on more traditional comic book characters.  However, he's definitely filed away for the day I decide to explore the Weird Western history of Dogwood City.

I suppose I should have been familiar with this ape, as he apparently had a couple of comic book appearances in 2013, including one from BOOM! Studios.  I somehow missed those, or...if I saw them...didn't get the historical significance at the time.  I'd love to know how they are, if any of you have read them.

By all means, check out Six-Gun Gorilla on the PDSH Wiki and especially at the website of geek extraordinaire Jess Nevins, who very kindly scanned and posted the serial.