YOUR OWN... PERSONAL... FORCE FIELD

*turn on your tranceiver, I'll make you a believer... just try to touch me!*
If you're gonna crawl across an alien landscape, ya gotta have a personal EFG. Where else are you gonna clip your Raygun, your loincloth? Gnoob!

ENERGY FIELD GENERATORS
Harness/Webgear apparatus with Power Pack (25 ch)

TYPE/CH per TRN/EFFECT
1. Mirror 1 Reflects/Dissipates Lasers
2. Electro 1 20 HP/rnd Shield vs Electric
3. Sonic 2 30' radius Silence
4. Kinetic 3 10 HP/rnd Shield vs Physical
5. Cloak 2 Invisibility
6. Holo 3 Illusory Projection
7. Force 4 30 HP/rnd Shield vs (any) Energy
8. Antigrav 1 Levitate/Feather Fall
9. Antirad 4 Negates Radiation (only)
10. Nullfield 5 Impervious Shield
11. Displacer 1 -2 AC, first AT auto misses
12. Enviro 1 Filters viruses, disease, gas

Figure each has an on/off switch, possibly an input for a larger, backpack Power Pack (50ch)
Also thought it might be cool to have "modular" EFGs; the more-or-less standard basic harness and Power Pack, but with a selector switch (on/off/output A, output B, output ALL) the type of field generated dependent on which type(s) of emitter modules are attached. This could be fun... possibly a harness and emitter module could be found at separate times/locations... a player could be seeking additional new modules to add to his gear... "I'm not messing with this one - he's got four different emitters attached to that thing!"

"NEGATE WOUND"

I thought a cool idea for a variant Healing option would be an item or spell that would completely heal any ONE wound received, no dice roll involved.  For ex: our hapless PC has run afoul of two sword-thrusts, doing 10HP and 7HP damage, respectively, and also a stray arrow for 3HP.  He decides to down his Potion of Wound Negation, which completely heals his worst unhealed wound, and so negates the first sword thrust and he is healed for 10HP.  Of course, players will try to hoard this one, but that's what dinosaurs are for.

DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT

HOUSERULE - SPELLCASTING
Wanted an alternate to automatically losing the Spell if struck during casting.  These rules allow the possibility of completing the Spell despite being hit, if the Player chooses to take the risk, and also provides for a chance of a more severe penalty to occur...

If caster is struck for damage prior to starting the Spell, the
Spell cannot be cast, but is not lost.  If caster is struck after beginning, but prior
to completing a Spell, a save vs Spells may be (Player option) made to determ if casting may be completed (-1/Spell lvl).  If failed, the spell is lost, and if the fail result is "1" or less, caster is subject to the Spellcasting Failure Table.  Damage greater than 1/2 of the Spellcaster's HP negates the option of saving, Spell is lost, no other effect.

SPELLCASTING CRITICAL FAILURE (d6)
1. Spell attempted affects caster, and possibly others
    in area of effect (save, if any, applies)
2. 1d4 additional random Spells memorized also lost
3. Auto Stunned 1d4 rnds
4. Unable to employ Spells for 1d4 trns
5. Unconscious for trns = to lvl of Spell attempted
6. Feebleminded, save -4, permanent until Dispelled, a successful 
    Save requires a second roll on this table, using a d4

Athanor has the best take on this I've seen, I just wanted something less extensive.

MAGIC RINGS

Like anybody needs another Ring Table, but here's the one I'm using for Gnarth, which incl the classics, some variants, some restrictions and clarifications, and removes those I just didn't like

RINGS (d50) * = up to 10 Charges or 1/Day, Duration (if any), 1 turn

1. FLYING up to 6 trns/day
2. FREE ACTION immune Webs, Holds, Sleep
3. PROTECTION bonus to AC (1 in 10 Displacement +2)
4. WATER WALKING/BREATHING/ACTION
5. WIZARDRY memorize one additional spell of ea lvl
6. SPELL TURNING % as per Dispel Magic at 12th lvl
7. SPEAKING w/ANIMALS
8. SHOCKING TOUCH +1d4 dam by contact, 1/trn
9. ULTRAVISION 12"
10. HASTE*
11. HEALTH immune disease/sickness
12. LONG YEARS age at 1/2 normal rate, immune to unnatural aging
13. HYPNOTISM one sentient creature at any one time, of =/< HD/lvl
14. INVISIBILITY*
15. HEALING as Heal spell *
16. ALERTNESS improved/bonus to Initiative, Surprised 1 in 8, immune to Sleep
17. FEARLESSNESS immune Fear
18. SUSTENANCE need not eat/breathe for # weeks/days = to lvl
19. FREE WILL immune mental influence/control such as Charm, Hypnosis, etc
20. FIRE (or other) RESISTANCE as Scroll
21. TRUTH auto Detects Lies, user unable to lie
22. MAGIC MISSILES 2d4+1 missiles/day, fire up to 3/rnd
23. MAGIC DETECTION* glows if previously undetected magic enters w/in 10'
24. LIGHT & DARKNESS as Light spell, unlimited, plus Darkness 10' rad, 1/day
25. UNSEEN SERVANT 1/day
26. KNOCKING*
27. MIRROR IMAGES* 1d4 images
28. ETHEREALITY 1d4+2 charges
29. POLYMORPHING* 1d4 forms, predetermined &/or selectable
30. NON-DETECTION immune to scrying or detection
31. VENOM NEUTRALIZATION*
31. JUMPING*
32. BURNING HAND*
33. BLESSING* (1 in 10 apllies to 1" radius)
34. LUCK bonus to saves (1 in 10 auto Save, 1/day)
35. BLINKING*
36. FEATHER FALLING
37. TONGUES*
38. TALKING DEAD*
39. SHIELDING as Shield Spell
40. GAINFUL REST regenerate 1HP/hr, while sleeping only
41. COLOR SPRAY*
42. CHANGE SELF*
43. ESP 30’ range
44. WOUND NEGATION* completely heals any one specific wound/strike
45. IDENTIFICATION 10 charges
46. GASEOUS FORM*
47. STRENGTH* STR of 18
48. TRAP DETECTION*
49. ABILITY BONUS adds to Primary Ability, lowest Ability, or specific Ability
50. DM SPECIAL (new Ring, roll twice, etc, possibly limited ch &/or uses)

GNARTIAN "ARTIFACTS"

In my Carcosa/Algol-influenced world of Gnarth, the term "Artifact" is used specifically to refer to polyhedral, psychically controlled magic items. Most need further detailing.

ELDER ARTIFACTS (d24)

Exceptionally powerful magic items of the Elder Species, always in the form of a sphere,

cube, or other polyhedron, though of varying material. Some contain charges, some usable only

by Spellcasters, possible side effects, all very rare. Often hover/float as GNARN stones (many

operate while levitating), and may in fact be large GNARNS. Some Artifacts "bond" with a specific

user, some charged items are Level Variable; # charges = to user's lvl (subtract 1 ch per use,

gain one ch per XP lvl advance), plus 1d10 ch.

1. CUBE O' FORCE Hematite, Projects Energy Fields, 6ch/day, 1 trn dur, Type &
Cost/Trn: 1. Cloak, 2. Hologram/Illusion, 3. Anti-grav, 4. Kinetic (20 HP/r), 5. Force, 6. Nullfield

2. SPHERE O' ANNIHILATION Ultrablack metallic sphere, creates Antimatter copy which auto

interposes between user and any one attacker, and attacks 1/rnd as user, save vs. Disintegration.

User must save vs INT on d20 ea time used, or Orb floats 10'/rnd random direction for 10+1d10 rnds

3. PYRAMID O' RESURRECTION Smoky crystal "scans" corpse, restores life, removing all BM,

as well as 1d4 GM, no loss of XP, Save vs 1 lvl Drain when first grasped, thereafter has level-

variable ch

4. CUBIC GATE Bronze cube composed of 27 smaller cubes, Allows instantaneous access to

predeterm or previsited site, 1/wk (d6): 1. on Klaatu, 2. on Verrada, 3. on Nikto,* 4. 1000'

Teleport, 5. predeclared Recall Point, 6. Random Location (useable anytime)

5. ORB O' IMPRISONMENT Dull gray stone sphere, effect as Spell, # ch lvl variable, Save for no

effect/no loss of ch, 1/day

6. PRISMATIC PYRAMID Multicolored crystal, Prismatic Sphere 1/wk, Prismatic Spray #ch lvl

variable, Color Spray 1/day

7. SHINING TRAPEZOHEDRON Metallic, Doubles first level spells, increases Spell effects as

if +4 XP lvls, can recall Spells cast, total # Spell lvls/day recalled = to XP lvl

8. ORB O' NULLIFICATION Deep purple stone, No Magic, Mutations, or Energy Devices will

work w/in 100' rad of user, duration/day 1trn/XP lvl

9. OMNISCIENT OCTAHEDRON Pale blue dbl pyramid Answers any question fully, 1/wk, and

allows consult table 1/day/XP lvl with ANY question, will be answered as best as possible from

following possibilities, 1 in 8 uses results in completely random response (d8): 1. As I see it, Yes

2. Signs point to Yes 3. You may Rely on it 4. Ask Again Later (24 hrs) 5. Concentrate and Ask

Again 6. Don't Count on It 7. Sources say No 8. Outlook Bad

10. CELESTIAL STAR Translucent diamond-like twelve-pointed crystal, "Turns" Undead as Cleric

of XP lvl +2, sheds light causing 1d6 dam/rnd to Undead w/in 10', 1 trn/day, 1/day Undead

Disruption beam, 100', save vs Spells

11. CUBIC KEEP Rough, dull white stone, enlarges to impervious 10' cube, Phasedoor 5'x5'

only bearer can activate, 20 cubic foot interior; load it up!

12. ORB of the ALL-SEEING EYE White crystal with floating "eye", total of 3 uses/day, any

effect(s), dur 1 trn; Clairvoyance 100', Find Traps, Detect Magic, Secret/Concealed/Hidden,

Invisibility, Illusion

13. ICOSAHEDRON O' INFLUENCE Multi-colored ceramic, allows "re-roll" of any d20, #ch/day=

to lvl

14. DECAHEDRON O' HEALING White metal, Completely Heals all wounds, 1/day(?)

15. OCTAPLEX O' SUCCESS 24-sided flat yellow stone, allows substitution of d24 for d20 for

self or others w/in 60, 1 ch/day/XP level, max 12/day

16. HYPERCUBIC MAZE Dolm Tesseract, Hypnotizes, and if successful, target can be

commanded to enter extra-dimensional Maze for 1d4 trns

17. GLOBE O' INVULNERABILITY Orange crystal grants constant Minor Globe (unaffected by

spells lvls 1-3) 1/day, Anti-Magic Shell (5' rad) 1/wk

18. DODECAHEDRON O' DOOM Black stone riven with random crimson "cracks", can call down

a Meteor Strike doing 10d10 dam, roll for ea w/100' diam area, 1 use/month,ea drains 1,000 XP

19. THE GRAND RHOMBIC TRIACONTAHEDRON none living know the exact nature/powers of

this 30-sided golden Artifact... some postulate that it is a weapon of inconceivable might,

possibly a Doomsday device designed to extinguish the sun, while others believe it to be an

Omega-13 device which alters/amends the flow of time itself...

20. PYRAMID O' PLAGUES Calls forth the Creeping Doom, a swarm of 101-500 biting/stinging

creepy-crawlies (determ total by 1d4 for # of hundreds, +1d% additional), ea does 1 HP auto

damage, once ea attacks, it dies, first use summons an uncontrolled swarm, attack all w/in 10",

ch = to lvl (w/o addit 1d10ch)

21. RUNIC CUBE Mottled, rough stone, each face can project a Symbol (Discord, Fear, Insanity,

Hopelessness, Pain, Sleep), two uses/day, total

22. DEATH STAR Dark gray six-pointed star, control Undead as Cleric of same XP lvl, beam

drains 1d4 XP lvls, and when these equal 2x bearer's lvl, he transforms into an Undead himself

23. ASTRAL OCTAHEDRON "Appears as a piece of the night sky", allows out-of-body,

"Silver Cord"-style Astral travel, 1/day

24. HENAGONAL SINGULARITY The first person to view this impossible 1-sided thing must

save vs INT (minus 1d4) on a d20, or thereafter be afflicted with a drooling, gibbering form of

Feeblemind, if successful, can call upon the HS to fulfill one Wish, whereupon it collapses in upon

itself and disappears from normal space

* the three Moons of Gnarth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyhedron

INTO THE GREAT WIDE-OPEN

 Also a good idea

Few weeks back I forgot to pack my trusty DM screen, and was having difficulty using a loaner, so I cleared my end of the gaming table, set my adventure/map notebook on my lap, and rolled 'em for all to see.  The lack of a physical barrier has made a noticeable difference in the game which is difficult to describe, but it seems more of a group effort, as opposed to an "us against that guy with the screen" dynamic.  Anyhow, its back in my D&D bag, but now it lies flat on the table.  I say, ditch the screen!

However, if you like your screen, here's a 10GP idea for ya: get some of those black spring-steel paper clips, and attach a few to the bottom when setting up.  Bigger clips provide a broader base, and the added weight keeps it upright even under the impact of a wildly-flung d30.  These will tend to mar the screen over time, but you could prob wrap them with duct tape to provide a cushion between the cardboard and the metal, or maybe sandwich the screen between two additional layers of cardboard before clipping.

"GNARTH"

THE WORD "GNARTH"
So I started working on this campaign world, and needed to name it. I wanted something simple, no more than one or two syllables, which would be easy to pronounce and would somehow evoke the spirit of a pulp sci fi world, possibly based on the word "Mars". An examination of "Cthulhu mythos celestial bodies" led me to Kynarth, "A mysterious celestial body located past Yuggoth (or Pluto?) on the edge of the solar system," which sounded kinda cool, but I wanted a more original name, without a Wikipedia listing, so I toyed with K'narth, which incl the sci-fi/fantasy vocab cliche of an apostrophe instead of a vowel, which in turn suggested Knarth (with another cliche, the silent consonant!), and I thought of a dungeon I created years ago, the "Maze of Gnar", and I said, yeah... Gnarth! Sounds like a Gnarly version of Mars+Earth, cool! My natives would be called "Gnartians"! To be sure it wasn't already a bargain-bin novel or B-movie, I Wikied "Gnarth", and was asked "Are you sure you didn't mean Garth?" I had my own original name! Or so it seemed...
Halfway through designing Gnarth I was on the Urban Dictionary, and just for giggles I entered the name of my new world, and that's when I realized there really isn't anything new under the sun. Any sun.

GNARTH (buy gnarth mugs, tshirts and magnets) Can mean pretty much anything depending on the context it's used in. "oh man I totally gnarthed that test today."

and there was more... much more...

I'm planning to use all of these in the campaign! The puns will be merciless. Party on, Kane. Party on... Gnarth.

Oh, there's this thing, too. I like it. Needs OSR stats.

SUPER-SIMPLE RANDOM BEASTIES

Easy system for producing weird, random-assembly monsters/mutants.

1. BASIC STRUCTURE Determ creature's body structure & appearance by
combining the features of two or more Random Monsters (d6): 1-3 combine two, 4 or 5 combine three, 6 combine four. Select any features you like, get an idea of appearance, attack forms & damage, movement, abilities. Average combined HD and AC. I like to mix AD&D, Gnarth (my own campaign), Gamma World, and Mutant Future

2. APPEARANCE Modify size and outward appearance, if you like. Size is best
left to discretion; most are Large, while a small number are Medium, Huge, or
even Gigantic.

APPEARANCE/EXTERIOR (d6)
1. Hairy (shaggy, matted, patchy, scruffy, dreaddy)
2. Scaly (reptilian, fishy, overlapping, plated)
3. Skin (leathery, wrinkly, warty, lumpy, bumpy)
4. Spiky (bristly, horny)
5. Exoskeleton (carapace; partial or full, "shell")
6. Slimy (covered, oozing, trailing)

3. SPECIAL ABILITIES Add 1-4 Mutations &/0r Attributes of Interest.
Apply any features already selected toward these totals, or tack on additions

ATTRIBUTES OF INTEREST (d50) Detail as you like

1. Displaced; -2 TH, first AT auto miss 26. Bio-luminescent
2. Plant-like feature(s) 27. Prehensile tongue/tail
3. +1d4 HD 28. +1d4 AC
4. Specific Weakness 29. Contagious/Infectious
5. Ability Score/level Drain 30. Changes color to suit mood or blend
6. +1d24 HP 31. +1d4 Save vs Magic or other
7. Increased/Special/Weird Movement 32. Weird fascination with...
8. Detects Invisibility or other 33. Ultravision/Extra sense
9. Duplicates/Splits when hit 34. Corrodes/Dissolves
10. Spell Casting Ability 35. Random spell, 1d4/day
11. STR bonus, +1d4 36. Berserker!
12. Slime producing 37. Acidic Blood
13. Poison (AT, Contact, Ingested) 38. Wounding, Unhealing
14. Immune or Aura - Heat or Cold 39. 1/2 dam from Blunt weapons
15. - Spells, lvls 1-3, or specific 40. Thief Skill (Backstab, CW, MS, HN)
16. - Lasers, other Energy 41. Vampiric, gains HP by AT
17. - Radiation 42. Specific enmity (Wizards, Mutants, etc)
18. - Mental Influence, general/specific 43. Increased rate or # of AT
19. Highly territorial 44. Odd, disturbing, or scary noise
20. Sticky (weapons, etc adhere) 45. Regenerate 1d4/rnd
21. Magic Resistance 46. Damaged by Magic only
22. Vorpal, Amputating, Withering 47. Takes extra damage from ?
23. Detects &/or Dispels Magic 48. Able to employ weaponry
24. Speaks the tongues of men 49. Ability as Magic Potion, 1d4/day
25. Elongated/retractable neck/limbs 50. Pick One or New Idea

VIEW ASKEW

 

    "You've got a bit of red on you"

So my buddy Dan inquires about purchasing darts for his Fighter while they're in a town, which was kinda weird, but OK, sure.  Next thing I know, his low-lvl Fighter is getting 3AT/rnd, and sure, they are only doing 1-3/1-2 damage, but here's the kicker: cumulative STR bonus!  Tarkas has  +3 STR bonus, meaning his damage is 4-6/4-5, per dart!  With a long bow, albeit at much longer range, he could conceivably do 12 HP dam/rnd, if both arrows strike, while at shorter range, three dart hits (ea at +1!) could more easily deal out 18!
So... if your character has a Girdle of Giant Strength, ask about buying some darts next time you're in town!

                                             Or sell them on E-bay

MAGIC WAND

"Wand of Affixing"  an idea stolen from Jack Vance; tap any item, and it can be permanently affixed/joined/bonded to another, as if somehow "glued".  Figure a Bend Bars roll or something similar might break this bond.  A second tap negates a previous bonding.  (1charge/tap)  Does NOT work on living creatures... but no one has tried it on an Undead, yet...  Current party uses it primarily to "lock" dungeon doors by affixing door to frame, esp. when trying to rest/recoup in a dungeon setting... oddly, no one has yet used it to keep a door permanently OPEN...

Link o' Day:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magonia_(mythology)