Topic: Chariots of the Dogs

I have been thinking lately of doing my own LotFP-adventure instead of relying on adventure modules of others.  Weird horror pulp sucked through Basic D&D straw is fairly specific thing and there is definetly sort "feel" that this games adventures have.

To start the adventure player characters are travelling somewhere and see strange lights on the nigh sky and with sudden flash of light lose their consciousness. They have just been abducted by aliens! There is random flashes of terrible things happening to them in hands of snarling naked dog-headed men, rolled of course randomly on table. Organ removals, wriggling alien worms pushed with forceps through their nose to their brains, tracking chips akin to mechanical scarab beetles placed under skin etc. To provide motivation for PC's to escape and freak the players.

Characters come to their senses in some sort of steel walled egyptian mummyfying chamber with their stuff in loose piles nearby. They are onboard ancient alien spaceship shaped like a pyramid. They have been abducted and intent of their captors was to harvest them for their organs. Spaceship shares similarity to pyramid in that it is also a tomb, though dog-headed men are guarding a thing that can never truly die.

Walls, ceiling and floors are steel plates cold to touch and the walls have been pressed with hieroglyphic writing. If plates are wrenched loose behind them is black ice, layer upon layer of thick slabs of it. 

Players characters are assumed to start messing with things and exploring the corridors in attempt to escape, it's a dungeon adventure but in spaaaace! Dungeon aesthetics inspired by Enki Bilal's works rather than Stargate though.

So fellow fanboys what do think of the idea so far?

Last edited by MutieMoe (2014-02-03 15:05:07)

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Should there be chance for actually escaping like by finding a portal in the another end of the dungeon? Ideal outcome of course would be PC's crashing the spaceship down to Earth in shower of fire. Escape through portal would of course not lead them exactly back home but to post-apocalyptic undead wasteland where the Sun is red and dying because Apep is devouring it. Turns out that instead of being unconscious for short indeterminated time they have been placed in cryonic sleep sarcofagi for centuries and have been resuscitated only just recently.

Last edited by MutieMoe (2014-02-03 14:29:13)

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

In the beginning of the adventure characters lie paralyzed and unable to defend themselves, die is rolled once per each character on the following table. These are things purely to set the tone and not to gimp characters before players can have active part in their own characters demise.

Disturbing things (d10):
1. Wriggling alien worm is pushed with forceps through the characters nasal cavity and in to the brain.
2. Characters whole body is shaved as preparation to surgery.
3. Character is tattooed with hieroglyphs.
4. Unknown type of organ or tumor is extracted out character while paralyzed but feeling everything.
5. Character is thoroughly examined with clammy hands.
6. Mechanical scarab, about inch long is inserted under characters skin. It wriggles around and will try to burrow deeper if someone tries to remove it by cutting it out.
7. Character watches paralyzed as vivisection is performed to an another abductee.
8. Characters soul is sucked out as ghastly screaming immaterial thing and placed inside a jar.
9. Tubes are inserted to characters gastrointestinal tract and strangely colored liquids are pumped in.
10. Character is questioned in guttural alien speech and has vague recollection of answering back in the same language.

Last edited by MutieMoe (2014-02-03 16:54:51)

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

This sounds like an amazing idea... I might just steal it.

Do they actually have technology, or do they use advanced magic?

Definitely needs a good random encounters table for wandering around the pyramid.

How would mummies be represented? Human, alien, or both?

Maybe there are other human captives/slaves that the players can free... unleashing a chaotic series of events (which could lead to crashing the pyramid back to earth).

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Also, I think it would be cool if the structure of the pyramid were not made of steal but some unidentifiable material that seems like stone but acts like steal.

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Thanks for suggestions CironeAE and pondering on those questions has really began to shape the adventure idea in my head.

Also when thinking about horror adventure "visuals" are important in building atmosphere, steel walls are perhaps too straight scifi. Walls of dry black ice carved with hieroglyphs and strange cold lights that emit no heat would be better than Expedition to Barrier Peaks style corridors.

Last edited by MutieMoe (2014-02-04 10:35:23)

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Just an idea: instead of being abducted for their organs (which begs the question-why are they still alive?) What about being captured for being in an alien menagerie.  All the horrific things done could be justified as some sort of tagging/health assessment (even vivisection-we kill one to understand and keep the others alive).  Plus you can have all sorts of other weird alien creatures in separate cells/rooms that the adventurers can crash into and fight/rescue them.  All the while still having the dog men overloards of the flying zoo-pyramid.

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

hunggokyan, I like how that idea leads to having lots of interesting creatures on the pyramid... especially if what allows the players to escape their cell also causes all the other creatures to be freed! Could make for some crazy random encounters.

However, I think that the players being alive after having organs removed fits perfectly with a weird fantasy vibe... how does it work? Well, maybe the players will be able to discover that, or maybe that process is a secret only the dog-headed men know.

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

I like your idea hunggokyan, that alien menagerie is pretty solid idea to build the dungeon advanture around. Structure for the GM.

It makes me think best idea though is not to represent function of the dungeon to players, they can only guess and encounters might suggest it. Their guesses will be as good explanation as they will ever get. Are they in alien petting zoo, are people used as spare parts to patch aliens rotting bodies or do they harvest humans for their intergalactic fast food franchise? Definete aswer should not be given.

CironeAE there definetly needs to be switches that release all sorts of bizarre beasties because this is as good excuse as any for me to crank up some weird critters.

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

This does vibe with Barrier Peaks, which is essentially a menagerie-in-space come to Oerth. But instead of discs in a cylinder, you have steps in a pyramid.

If you're concerned about the SF walls being too obvious, give them creepy incomprehensible angles or tubules. That part is largely cosmetic. Not less important, mind; just more about descriptive trappings than functional core. (A laser pistol is also a wand of heat rays after all.)

This is a totally solid idea.

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Legion wrote:

This does vibe with Barrier Peaks, which is essentially a menagerie-in-space come to Oerth. But instead of discs in a cylinder, you have steps in a pyramid.

If you're concerned about the SF walls being too obvious, give them creepy incomprehensible angles or tubules. That part is largely cosmetic. Not less important, mind; just more about descriptive trappings than functional core. (A laser pistol is also a wand of heat rays after all.)

This is a totally solid idea.

These cosmetic details can pretty much make or break the adventure. You have a good point on how to describe these things


I made the map with Gridmapper and MSpaint yesterday, I was looking at old modules like Tomb of Horrors and the like and more I looked at them they looked like bizarre circuitboards or pipes, this is not intended as large scale dungeon but rather as one evening games entertainment and if players don't explore every nook of it I'm as happy if they did.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GKdXzTk3ed0/UvKXlNyPuLI/AAAAAAAABEk/S1y1mwUaNI8/s1600/map.jpg

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

MutieMoe wrote:

Ideal outcome of course would be PC's crashing the spaceship down to Earth in shower of fire.

And if and when they survive the crash and before they are relieved that they survived... Carcosa happens! This sounds like a fun introduction adventure how LotFP characters end up in planet Carcosa.*

*Disclaimer: Just bought and got that book so... CARCOSA!

"Man has come to dominate the planet thanks to two essential traits. One is intelligence. The other has been the absolute willingness to kill anyone and anything that gets in his way." (Stephen King)
My blog: cradleofrabies.blogspot.com

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Thaumiel_Nerub wrote:

Carcosa happens!

*Bam* Carcosa happens!

Excellent idea, and definetly it should lead to that, I'm currently imagining how awesome swords & planet adventure would come out hakkapeliittas on Carcosa, but I'll better finish this one first.

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Yeah, High Road to Carcosa is a wicked idea!

You know MutieMoe, you might benefit from looking over some Classic Traveller starship deck plans.
And the Death Star and a Borg Cube Ship are both megadungeons in space when you get right down to it. Also, aren't there pyramid ships in Stargate (the movie) and at the end of 10,000 BC? (I might be remembering that wrong, check for yourself.)

Re: Chariots of the Dogs

Legion wrote:

Yeah, High Road to Carcosa is a wicked idea!

You know MutieMoe, you might benefit from looking over some Classic Traveller starship deck plans.
And the Death Star and a Borg Cube Ship are both megadungeons in space when you get right down to it. Also, aren't there pyramid ships in Stargate (the movie) and at the end of 10,000 BC? (I might be remembering that wrong, check for yourself.)

I'm not really that in to megadungeons, but that is cool idea though.

On another topic I rolled couple of monsters for the menagerie using The Random Esoteric Creature Generator and interpreted them to my adventure's demands and gave them names so I can refer to them in my notes in sensible way like say sphinx instead of monster in room 16.


Swarm
AC: 15
HD: 1 (HP: 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 2)
Move: 40' Fly: 40'
AT: 1
D: 1d6+poison

Six red shelled humanoid insects, they are four feet tall and have bodies covered in coarse black bristles, their transluscent wings give out constant droning sound. They attack by poisonous bite, if save is failed death follows instantly. They are semi-intelligent predators driven insane by hunger and will attack anything that moves.

Sphinx
AC: 12
HD: 5 (HP: 25)
Move: 40'
AT: 1
D: 1d6+level drain

Sleek quadrupedal avian creature with body resembling that of great feline predator, it is covered in black feathers, it's bright blue tongue darts out of it's needle-like beak as it sits on it's haunches. It has golden hieroglyph on it's forehead. It attack's with it's whip-like tongue that will drain 1 experience level per hit. It will attack anything that is not a dog-man, if let loose it will stalk the corridors untils brought back to it's chamber by it's masters.

Hater
AC: 14
HD: 3 (HP: 11)
Move: 30'
AT: 3
D: 1d6 each

Disgusting pile of quiwering chitinous limbs oozing clear liquid that drags itself forward on the ground, damage dealt by it's flailing limbs can not be healed by magic and it will try to attack spellcasters before any other opponents. It is motivated only by hate of magic and especially magic-users.

Arcturian Mistletoe
AC: 16
HD: 5 (HP: 31)
Move: 10'
AT: 1
D: 1d10

Rhino with symbiotic alien plant growing out of it's body, strange purple branches with black leafs pierce it's thick hide from within. It is intelligent but quite passive, it will start following characters if let out. If touched it engages in telepathic contact with images of alien forest worlds flowing in to to mind of the contacted.

Claw
AC: 17
HD: 5 (HP: 22)
Move: 50'
AT: 1
D: 1d10+1

Bipedal reptilian beast 12 feet from head to tail, it looks like a komodo dragon crossed with gorilla and has bony growths asymmetrically over it's body, it's tiny head darts constantly from left to right. It attacks with enormous claws on it's hands. This beast can only be hurt by magical weapons. It will by innate gift know which opponents are weakest (have lowest hit points at the moment) and will always attack them. It seeks humanoid prey to build a nest out of their corpses as it's ready to lay eggs.

Cerebrus
AC: 12
HD: 4 (HP: 23)
Move:40'
AT: 1
D: 1d8

Humanoid aardvark 10 feet tall, it will pound anyone coming in to it's sights with it's meaty fists until dead, it's mind is consumed with berserk rage and it will no retreat from combat. It has silvery technological device attached to it's skull that actually controls it, giving it immunity to mind-affecting spells and abilities.

Cavesong
AC: 15
HD: 2 (HP: 13)
Move: 50'
AT: 1
D: 1d8

Pale man-sized beast resembling enormous albino frog with beak. If cornered it will defend itself but for now it is content to sing strange hauntingly beautiful bird-songs.

Last edited by MutieMoe (2014-02-09 11:38:58)