A character in Eternia could have pretty much any items that would be found on the item lists for most fantasy RPGs, along with quite a variety of "steam punk" or retro future kinds of items. In addition, some items were featured in different episodes and I felt them worth listing. Use this list to add a certain Eternia flare to your items lists or maybe a character will run across these unique tools. Or, maybe they'll be key to solving a mystery or puzzle as part of a mission.
Eternia Items List (d20)
1. Iron vine: Indestructible rope (S1, E56)
2. Water from well of forgetfulness (S1, E58)
3. Water from fountain of life... grants powers and saves lives (S1, E59)
4. Com Link... wrist communicator (S1, E10)
5. Robot Bird... Can be used to spy on others (S1, E11)
6. Scanner... Used to detect life forms, even through walls (S1, E13)
7. Flash Ball... Grenade that is basically just a bright flash of light (S1, E14)
8. Perma Powder... makes things permanent? (S2, E76)
9. Electro Compass... Helps the wielder find a power source (S2, E82)
10. Sleep Spray... Gun that shoots a cloud of sleeping gas (S2, E89)
11. Weakness Helm (S2, E97)
12. Duroplast Cage (S2, E105)
13. Energy Cuffs... Really strong handcuffs. Looks like a big blocky vest. (S2, E123)
14. Ice Crystal... Puts out fire and freezes all around it (S2, E114)
15. Heat Gun... melts through walls (S2, E116)
16. Bee pollen of Bee people... has healing properties (S2, E122)
17. Radarscope... can be adjusted to hone in on electrical signals, fitted on a vehicle
18. Mesotronic bomb... disintegrates stuff (S2, E110)
19. Reductor Ray... shrinks people (S2, E105)
20. Laser Mines... basically, a land mine (S2, E116)
Some items on Eternia have special properties because what the thing is made of is not of Earth. Here I've listed some of the elements unique to Eternia, each listed with the episode it was mentioned in so you can check that out if you're extra curious.
Eternia elements (d6)
1. Photanium... strong metal from Phantos (S1, E5)
2. Elastium... stretchy and very hard material on Eternia (S2, E72)
3. Corithium... Impenetrable stone (S2, E93)
4. Gambite... Crystal, when held, makes the wielder invulnerable (S2, E116)
5. Corodite... ore that provides power and is volatile when mixed with
selenium. A corodite ray can even weaken He-Man (S2, E107)
6. Rainbow Quartz... Found in Snake Mountain. Can be used to power some electronics (S2, E88)
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Villains list
Here is the big list of villains. Although, it's actually two lists. The first is more common foes of the heroes, mostly Skeletor's minions. I also wanted to make a list of more rare villains, ones that maybe only appeared in an episode or two. They were some of the more colorful characters from MOTU and I think enhanced the show a lot, and broke up the monotony of He Man vs. Skeletor happening all the time. It could be said that using them would require a little more research on the part of the GM because it's likely somebody at the gaming table wouldn't of heard of them. So, where I had notes, I've included episodes that they can be found in...
Keep in mind that these villains often worked together. Depending on what you're going for, you can roll multiple times. Sometimes you can come up with some fun team ups that can even help drive your plot. Or, if you want to make sure an include a particular villain, maybe start by automatically selecting him/her and then roll for supporting cast.
VILLAIN LIST (d20)
1. Skeletor
2. Hordak
3. Evil Lyn
4. Beast Man and/or Trap Jaw
5. Modulock
6. Dark Dream (S1, E46)
7. Count Marzo (S2, E112)
8. Merman
9. Skunkor
10. Clawful
11. Triclops
12. Faker (S1, E2)
13. Negator (S1, E54)
14. Webstor
15. Batros
16. Whiplash
17. Icer (S2, E76)
18. Cobra Khan
19. Spikeor
20. Two Bad
Here's that list of more rare villains I mentioned...
RARE VILLAIN LIST (d20)
1. Jarvan (S1, E10)
2. Backul (S1, E6)
3. Cragox The Terrible (S1, E61)
4. Game Master (S1, E61)
5. Shadow Wing (S1, E60)
6. Monteeg (S1, E57)
7. Strong Arm (S1, E5)
8. Fang Man (S1, E8)
9. Serpentoids (S1, E13)
10. Energy Beast (S2, E67)
11. Lord Todd (S2, E69)
12. Shi'Gora (S2, E75)
13. Krull (S2, E78)
14. General Tateran (S2, E81)
15. Prankster (S2, E93)
16. Kothos (S2, E102)
17. Malbragg (S2, E107)
18. Jitsu/Chopper
19. Morgoth (S2, E73)
20. Arachna (S2, E70)
21. Mangor the Horrible (S2, E123)
22. Targon (S2,E114)
23. Morningstar (S2, E114)
24. Hexon (S2, E115)
25. Toy Maker (S2, E124)
26. Angast (S2, E125)
27. Byte (S2, E68)
28. Sticky Fingers (S2, E90)
29. Slavemaster (S2, E109)
30. Evilseed (S1, E25)
There are others that are not included here. But, it's also fun to make up your own. Check these out, do a little searching and learn about what made them great MOTU villains, then make up your own to inhabit your version of Eternia. Happy Gaming.
Keep in mind that these villains often worked together. Depending on what you're going for, you can roll multiple times. Sometimes you can come up with some fun team ups that can even help drive your plot. Or, if you want to make sure an include a particular villain, maybe start by automatically selecting him/her and then roll for supporting cast.
VILLAIN LIST (d20)
1. Skeletor
2. Hordak
3. Evil Lyn
4. Beast Man and/or Trap Jaw
5. Modulock
6. Dark Dream (S1, E46)
7. Count Marzo (S2, E112)
8. Merman
9. Skunkor
10. Clawful
11. Triclops
12. Faker (S1, E2)
13. Negator (S1, E54)
14. Webstor
15. Batros
16. Whiplash
17. Icer (S2, E76)
18. Cobra Khan
19. Spikeor
20. Two Bad
Here's that list of more rare villains I mentioned...
RARE VILLAIN LIST (d20)
1. Jarvan (S1, E10)
2. Backul (S1, E6)
3. Cragox The Terrible (S1, E61)
4. Game Master (S1, E61)
5. Shadow Wing (S1, E60)
6. Monteeg (S1, E57)
7. Strong Arm (S1, E5)
8. Fang Man (S1, E8)
9. Serpentoids (S1, E13)
10. Energy Beast (S2, E67)
11. Lord Todd (S2, E69)
12. Shi'Gora (S2, E75)
13. Krull (S2, E78)
14. General Tateran (S2, E81)
15. Prankster (S2, E93)
16. Kothos (S2, E102)
17. Malbragg (S2, E107)
18. Jitsu/Chopper
19. Morgoth (S2, E73)
20. Arachna (S2, E70)
21. Mangor the Horrible (S2, E123)
22. Targon (S2,E114)
23. Morningstar (S2, E114)
24. Hexon (S2, E115)
25. Toy Maker (S2, E124)
26. Angast (S2, E125)
27. Byte (S2, E68)
28. Sticky Fingers (S2, E90)
29. Slavemaster (S2, E109)
30. Evilseed (S1, E25)
There are others that are not included here. But, it's also fun to make up your own. Check these out, do a little searching and learn about what made them great MOTU villains, then make up your own to inhabit your version of Eternia. Happy Gaming.
Plot Generator List
This list is extremely simple, but has been helpful for me with play testing none the less. After watching so many episodes of MOTU, I noticed some plot tendencies. Although, there have been many different variations on them, certain themes have popped up over and over. What was that old saying though, about how Shakespeare only used a handful of plots? And every story written since has used some variation of those? So, here you go. You'll have to inject some creativity into it, but at least you'll have a starting point, which I think can often be the hardest part of GMing, especially if you're new to the craft.
PLOT LIST (d10)
1. Kidnapping: One of the heroes, or a friend of the heroes, has been kidnapped by a villain and must be rescued. The fate of all of Eternia could be at stake!
2. Mysterious danger from space threatens Eternia. An evil force from space? Or, just some misunderstanding? Something with the Cosmic Enforcers? You decide. The heroes must intervene to save the planet.
3. Powerful Item in the hands of evil. Something has gone missing! Or, stolen! And, who has it? Skeletor or one of his minions! Was it one of Man-at-arms inventions? Or, an ancient artifact? The heroes must get it back before things get out of hand.
4. A new leader prepares for war! One of the races of Eternia has a new leader (roll on the races chart if you want) and that leader is prepared to start a war! For power? For revenge? The heroes must intervene and stop it before it starts.
5. Quest for Granymere. The ancient dragon Granymere has once again awoken from a long deep slumber. He has a quest that only the heroes can fulfill. To another dimension? To the far side of Eternia?
6. A civilization in peril. One of the races of Eternia faces imminent danger (roll on the races table if you want). The heroes must save the day. Is it a natural disaster? Did Skeletor cause some unforeseen problem through one of his plans? Is it a newly unleashed monster?
7. Experiment gone awry. One of the scientists of Eternia (Man at Arms and Modulock come to mind) has conducted an experiment and it did not go as planned (or, did it?) and now there's a danger in the mix. The heroes must stop it.
8. Uncovered ancient civilization. Robots or an ancient spirit, or something else, has been unearthed and now threatens the land. The heroes must rise to the challenge. (The MOTU episodes with Melaktha, the royal archeologist, come to mind) (S2, E66 is one. He was also in the first season).
9. Evil from another dimension. Something is coming through the gate and the heroes must stop it, or find out what it needs/wants. Did Skeletor unleash it? Is it something that shows up only every thousand years, or something? From Trolla? Or, wherever Clawful is from? Or from Etheria (Horde)?
10. A couple of those above... roll a couple times and mix up the plots!
I've found that coming up with 3-4 "scenes" once I have a plot has been helpful. For example, I once rolled 5, Quest for Granymere. Then, I rolled on the Villain selector list (to come later) and rolled Webstor. Very quickly, I decided that long ago Granymere had entrusted the Ignan (fire people race) to guard a crystal that can control dragons. He didn't want to go after it himself because the crystal could be used against him. The crystal was stolen by Webstor, who was trying to take it to some mountain to create an army of dragons to take over Eternia, under his control. Here were the scenes I made:
1. The Ignan, ignorant to the destruction they caused, were searching villages and burning them to the ground. The heroes had to intervene and communicate with the Ignan or stop them, or be creative, near the Whispering Swamp. Somehow, through this, they found out that Webstor had the crystal (talking with the Ignan, describing a "spider" human? Or, to a villager who saw it? Or, there's lots of options). So, they know where to go next... to Cave Mountain (I made that place up) where there's tons of dragons.
2. Cave Mountain. Dragons attack the heroes as they approach. There are great battle possibilities here. (We ended up having some heroes in a wind raider, others could fly, and had an epic battle at the base of the mountain).
3. Webstor flees. Webstor, now that he knows the heroes are after him, decides to flee to his pre set up trap... the Swamp Maze where he's friendly with all the spiders there. This can be a fairly simple maze, or more complex, whatever you want it to be. But, there could be some spider encounters or a web trap, or something... all leading to a final confrontation with Webstor who could have any number of spider minions depending on how big the party of heroes is and how tough you want it to be.
In the end, the heroes recover the crystal, return it to Granymere, who's grateful (but, not too grateful! It is Granymere, after all). So, that should give you some idea of where you might go, or some ideas. I will have some Eternia monster random lists, as well as some other helpful GM lists, in the future.
Happy gaming.
PLOT LIST (d10)
1. Kidnapping: One of the heroes, or a friend of the heroes, has been kidnapped by a villain and must be rescued. The fate of all of Eternia could be at stake!
2. Mysterious danger from space threatens Eternia. An evil force from space? Or, just some misunderstanding? Something with the Cosmic Enforcers? You decide. The heroes must intervene to save the planet.
3. Powerful Item in the hands of evil. Something has gone missing! Or, stolen! And, who has it? Skeletor or one of his minions! Was it one of Man-at-arms inventions? Or, an ancient artifact? The heroes must get it back before things get out of hand.
4. A new leader prepares for war! One of the races of Eternia has a new leader (roll on the races chart if you want) and that leader is prepared to start a war! For power? For revenge? The heroes must intervene and stop it before it starts.
5. Quest for Granymere. The ancient dragon Granymere has once again awoken from a long deep slumber. He has a quest that only the heroes can fulfill. To another dimension? To the far side of Eternia?
6. A civilization in peril. One of the races of Eternia faces imminent danger (roll on the races table if you want). The heroes must save the day. Is it a natural disaster? Did Skeletor cause some unforeseen problem through one of his plans? Is it a newly unleashed monster?
7. Experiment gone awry. One of the scientists of Eternia (Man at Arms and Modulock come to mind) has conducted an experiment and it did not go as planned (or, did it?) and now there's a danger in the mix. The heroes must stop it.
8. Uncovered ancient civilization. Robots or an ancient spirit, or something else, has been unearthed and now threatens the land. The heroes must rise to the challenge. (The MOTU episodes with Melaktha, the royal archeologist, come to mind) (S2, E66 is one. He was also in the first season).
9. Evil from another dimension. Something is coming through the gate and the heroes must stop it, or find out what it needs/wants. Did Skeletor unleash it? Is it something that shows up only every thousand years, or something? From Trolla? Or, wherever Clawful is from? Or from Etheria (Horde)?
10. A couple of those above... roll a couple times and mix up the plots!
I've found that coming up with 3-4 "scenes" once I have a plot has been helpful. For example, I once rolled 5, Quest for Granymere. Then, I rolled on the Villain selector list (to come later) and rolled Webstor. Very quickly, I decided that long ago Granymere had entrusted the Ignan (fire people race) to guard a crystal that can control dragons. He didn't want to go after it himself because the crystal could be used against him. The crystal was stolen by Webstor, who was trying to take it to some mountain to create an army of dragons to take over Eternia, under his control. Here were the scenes I made:
1. The Ignan, ignorant to the destruction they caused, were searching villages and burning them to the ground. The heroes had to intervene and communicate with the Ignan or stop them, or be creative, near the Whispering Swamp. Somehow, through this, they found out that Webstor had the crystal (talking with the Ignan, describing a "spider" human? Or, to a villager who saw it? Or, there's lots of options). So, they know where to go next... to Cave Mountain (I made that place up) where there's tons of dragons.
2. Cave Mountain. Dragons attack the heroes as they approach. There are great battle possibilities here. (We ended up having some heroes in a wind raider, others could fly, and had an epic battle at the base of the mountain).
3. Webstor flees. Webstor, now that he knows the heroes are after him, decides to flee to his pre set up trap... the Swamp Maze where he's friendly with all the spiders there. This can be a fairly simple maze, or more complex, whatever you want it to be. But, there could be some spider encounters or a web trap, or something... all leading to a final confrontation with Webstor who could have any number of spider minions depending on how big the party of heroes is and how tough you want it to be.
In the end, the heroes recover the crystal, return it to Granymere, who's grateful (but, not too grateful! It is Granymere, after all). So, that should give you some idea of where you might go, or some ideas. I will have some Eternia monster random lists, as well as some other helpful GM lists, in the future.
Happy gaming.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
List 7: Special List
This is the list to accommodate all the odd and strange and unique, unexplainable characters from MOTU, such as Modulock or Two Bad. Have some fun if you roll this one, because it doesn't work without a little creativity. Here goes...
List 7: Special List (d2)
1. Roll For 2: Go back to List 1 and roll twice. That means, you could make a robot/insect character or something crazier. If you roll this again, go back and roll for extra one. Keep adding to the craziness!
2. Roll again from List 1, but when you get a result, add an extra appendage(s): 1) Extra Arm(s), 2) Extra Leg(s), 3) An extra head, 4) Any or all of 1-3. You choose!
List 7: Special List (d2)
1. Roll For 2: Go back to List 1 and roll twice. That means, you could make a robot/insect character or something crazier. If you roll this again, go back and roll for extra one. Keep adding to the craziness!
2. Roll again from List 1, but when you get a result, add an extra appendage(s): 1) Extra Arm(s), 2) Extra Leg(s), 3) An extra head, 4) Any or all of 1-3. You choose!
LIST 2: Animals
Your character is based around being a humanoid animal, think Skunkor, Batros, or Spout Snout.
LIST 2 Animals (d40)
1. Skunk
2. Wolf/dog
3. Bat
4. Platypus
5. Frog
6. Elephant
7. Weasal
8. Dolphin
9. Bear/Grizzly or Polar or Black or Brown?
10. Condor
11. Moose/Elk/Deer/something else along those lines
12. Crocodile
13. Porcupine or Hedgehog
14. Monkey or Gorilla
15. Pig or Boar
16. Impala/Gazelle
17. Raccoon
18. Bison/Buffalo/Cow
19. Anteater
20. Kangaroo
21. Armadillo
22. Rabitt
23. Tortoise
24. Horse
25. Lion/Tiger/Cat
26. Salamander
27. Angler Fish
28. Lemur/Sloth
29. Chicken/Turkey
30. You Pick!! or, reroll... or make something up.
31. Lobster
32. Octopus/Squid
33. Crab
34. Goat/Ram
35. Rodent
36. Shark
37. Dinosaur
38. Mythical... think! Or, use the internet to find something. Chimera/Cerberus/Roc/those are a few
39. Dragon
40. Eel
Now you're ready for LIST 8
LIST 2 Animals (d40)
1. Skunk
2. Wolf/dog
3. Bat
4. Platypus
5. Frog
6. Elephant
7. Weasal
8. Dolphin
9. Bear/Grizzly or Polar or Black or Brown?
10. Condor
11. Moose/Elk/Deer/something else along those lines
12. Crocodile
13. Porcupine or Hedgehog
14. Monkey or Gorilla
15. Pig or Boar
16. Impala/Gazelle
17. Raccoon
18. Bison/Buffalo/Cow
19. Anteater
20. Kangaroo
21. Armadillo
22. Rabitt
23. Tortoise
24. Horse
25. Lion/Tiger/Cat
26. Salamander
27. Angler Fish
28. Lemur/Sloth
29. Chicken/Turkey
30. You Pick!! or, reroll... or make something up.
31. Lobster
32. Octopus/Squid
33. Crab
34. Goat/Ram
35. Rodent
36. Shark
37. Dinosaur
38. Mythical... think! Or, use the internet to find something. Chimera/Cerberus/Roc/those are a few
39. Dragon
40. Eel
Now you're ready for LIST 8
Eternia Races: List 4
Your character is of one of the races native to Eternia. If you're not as familiar with the world, you may need to do a little bit of internet research. Don't fret, though, you'll quickly have an image of what your character looks like and that alone will hint at his/her abilities. Better yet, watch some of the old series. I've included a season and episode number (from the original He Man MOTU series), where possible. For example: (S1, E3) would indicate, Season 1, Episode 2.
Some examples include, Buzz Off, Stratos, Lizard Man, or Orko. Merman, Cobra Kahn, and Clawful are examples of villains.
Eternia Races: List 4. (d30)
1. Human
2. Elves (S2, E70)
3. Undead
4. Aquatican (S1, E51)
5. Rock People (S1, E56)
6. Kimera (S1, E58)
7. Orc (S1, E59)
8. Centaur (S1, E60)
9. Silani: Fairy folk (S1, E63)
10. Ogre (S1, E63)
11. Bird Men (S1, E65)
12. Fish Men (S1, E6)
13. Fire People, Ignan (S1, E7)
14. Lizard (S1, E5)
15. Insect People (S2, E106)
16. Cat People (S2, E66)
17. Troll (S2, E76)
18. Kroom: Pig Race (S2, E77)
19. Goblin (S2, E81)
20. Bellat: subterranean race (S2, E82)
21. Space Pirate (S2, E90)
22. Sylcon: ancient race that's now extinct (S2, E97)
23. Taikan: insect race that loves honey. (S2, E103)
24. Poltee: ancient insect race that is peaceful (S2, E118)
25. Repton: snake race (S2, E130)
26. Trollan (S2, E77)
27. Widgit (S2, E107)
28. Scorpion Folk.... Clawful's race
29. YOU CHOOSE
30. Optonid... Mantenna from the She Ra series is one of this race (I couldn't resist!)
Now you're ready for LIST 8
Some examples include, Buzz Off, Stratos, Lizard Man, or Orko. Merman, Cobra Kahn, and Clawful are examples of villains.
Eternia Races: List 4. (d30)
1. Human
2. Elves (S2, E70)
3. Undead
4. Aquatican (S1, E51)
5. Rock People (S1, E56)
6. Kimera (S1, E58)
7. Orc (S1, E59)
8. Centaur (S1, E60)
9. Silani: Fairy folk (S1, E63)
10. Ogre (S1, E63)
11. Bird Men (S1, E65)
12. Fish Men (S1, E6)
13. Fire People, Ignan (S1, E7)
14. Lizard (S1, E5)
15. Insect People (S2, E106)
16. Cat People (S2, E66)
17. Troll (S2, E76)
18. Kroom: Pig Race (S2, E77)
19. Goblin (S2, E81)
20. Bellat: subterranean race (S2, E82)
21. Space Pirate (S2, E90)
22. Sylcon: ancient race that's now extinct (S2, E97)
23. Taikan: insect race that loves honey. (S2, E103)
24. Poltee: ancient insect race that is peaceful (S2, E118)
25. Repton: snake race (S2, E130)
26. Trollan (S2, E77)
27. Widgit (S2, E107)
28. Scorpion Folk.... Clawful's race
29. YOU CHOOSE
30. Optonid... Mantenna from the She Ra series is one of this race (I couldn't resist!)
Now you're ready for LIST 8
List 5: Plants
Your character is plant based. This has been a particularly fun one when I've had players roll it. They've got to choose how that plant interacts with them and what they can do with it to make it a cool power. The most obvious example from the show is Moss Man.
Where the list entry isn't specific enough, the player should choose.
List 5: Plants (d20)
1. Venus Fly Trap
2. Moss
3. Fern
4. Vines
5. Poison Oak
6. Darlingtonia (pitcher plant)
7. Fruit tree
8. Vegetable
9. Conifer tree
10. Flower
11. Water Plant
12. Weeds
13. Cactus
14. Bamboo
15. Succulent
16. Palm Tree
17. Olive tree or nut tree
18. Deciduous tree
19. Grasses
20. choose or re roll, or come up with one of your own
Now you're ready for LIST 8
Where the list entry isn't specific enough, the player should choose.
List 5: Plants (d20)
1. Venus Fly Trap
2. Moss
3. Fern
4. Vines
5. Poison Oak
6. Darlingtonia (pitcher plant)
7. Fruit tree
8. Vegetable
9. Conifer tree
10. Flower
11. Water Plant
12. Weeds
13. Cactus
14. Bamboo
15. Succulent
16. Palm Tree
17. Olive tree or nut tree
18. Deciduous tree
19. Grasses
20. choose or re roll, or come up with one of your own
Now you're ready for LIST 8
List 6: Insects/Bugs
Your character is a humanoid insect/arachnid! Some examples from the show are: Webstor, Buzz Off, and Arachna.
List 6: Insects/Bugs/Arachnids (d30)
1. Spider
2. Beetle
3. Mosquito
4. Flea
5. Ant
6. Butterfly (watch She Ra for about ten thousand examples of this one!!)
7. Dragonfly
8. Worm
9. Slug/Snail
10. Centipede
11. Leech
12. Tick
13. Termite
14. Hornet
15. House Fly/Fruit Fly
16. Cockroach
17. Mantis
18. Larva (Of What?!)
19. Cicada/Grasshopper/Cricket
20. Stick Bug
21. Earwig
22. Water Strider/Water Boatman
23. Cranefly
24. Rolly Polly/Potato Bug
25. Mite
26. Scorpion
27. Bacteria/Virus (My players made me add this one! A "bug", right?)
28. Moth
29. Glowy Bug/Explosion Bug/Firefly
30. YOU CHOOSE
Now you're ready for LIST 8
List 6: Insects/Bugs/Arachnids (d30)
1. Spider
2. Beetle
3. Mosquito
4. Flea
5. Ant
6. Butterfly (watch She Ra for about ten thousand examples of this one!!)
7. Dragonfly
8. Worm
9. Slug/Snail
10. Centipede
11. Leech
12. Tick
13. Termite
14. Hornet
15. House Fly/Fruit Fly
16. Cockroach
17. Mantis
18. Larva (Of What?!)
19. Cicada/Grasshopper/Cricket
20. Stick Bug
21. Earwig
22. Water Strider/Water Boatman
23. Cranefly
24. Rolly Polly/Potato Bug
25. Mite
26. Scorpion
27. Bacteria/Virus (My players made me add this one! A "bug", right?)
28. Moth
29. Glowy Bug/Explosion Bug/Firefly
30. YOU CHOOSE
Now you're ready for LIST 8
List 3: Robots
Your character is a robot, or has a robotic body part. Roboto is the prime example from the show. But, Fisto is another example, with his amazing fist. Or, maybe Ram Man, the way he could jump (robotic legs??). Or, Mechaneck with his long mechanical neck. Trap Jaw is an example of a villain with robotic parts. When rolling on this list, a character could be all robot, with enhancements to the listed part, or just partially robot like a cyborg.
List 3: ROBOTS
Start with the bold list (d2)
1. Total Robot... roll (d4) below for the kind of robot
1. Humanoid
2. Animal (Roll for Animal: List 2 )
3. Eternia Race (Roll for Eternia Race: List 4 )
4. Insect (Roll for Insect: List 6)
2. Robot Body Part.... roll (d20) below:
1. Hand
2. Eye
3. chest
4. Ears
5. Feet
6. Nose
7. Jaw/Teeth
8. Brain
9. Skeleton or Bones
10. Digestion
11. Arms
12. Lungs
13. Fingers
14. Tendons
15. Hair
16. Skin
17. Neck
18. Shoulders
19. Roll for 2 Or, you get to choose one from the list
20. Roll for 3 Or, you get to choose 2 from the list.. Or, make up one of your own!
Now you're ready for LIST 8
List 3: ROBOTS
Start with the bold list (d2)
1. Total Robot... roll (d4) below for the kind of robot
1. Humanoid
2. Animal (Roll for Animal: List 2 )
3. Eternia Race (Roll for Eternia Race: List 4 )
4. Insect (Roll for Insect: List 6)
2. Robot Body Part.... roll (d20) below:
1. Hand
2. Eye
3. chest
4. Ears
5. Feet
6. Nose
7. Jaw/Teeth
8. Brain
9. Skeleton or Bones
10. Digestion
11. Arms
12. Lungs
13. Fingers
14. Tendons
15. Hair
16. Skin
17. Neck
18. Shoulders
19. Roll for 2 Or, you get to choose one from the list
20. Roll for 3 Or, you get to choose 2 from the list.. Or, make up one of your own!
Now you're ready for LIST 8
List 9: Warrior
You are a warrior! That means you are tough and awesome because of your fighting prowess, right? Well, yes, and because you have cool equipment. The best example of this kind of hero is He Man himself. Although, lots of characters in MOTU don't use magic, and lots of them it's because of some gadget or other cool thing that they're tougher or unique. It is unlikely that any character is going to be as tough as He Man, that doesn't seem that great to play in an RPG anyway, in my opinion. Instead, you've got to earn and build your way to fame, skill, and power. Nobody's going to give you a magic sword that makes you as super as He Man on day one. So, without further ado.
List 9: Warrior list of Special Weapon/Equipment (d12)
1. Bow and/or arrows
2. Arm Guns
3. Sword or other similar hand held weapon
4. Grappling hook or grappling hook and rope body part
5. Helmet
6. Staff/Trident
7. Belt/Harness/Girdle
8. Gauntlets
9. Ring
10. Animal (Roll on the Animal Companion Chart, below)
11. Wings and Jets
12. Roll for 2
Animal Companion Chart (d12)
1. Horse/Unicorn
2. Cat/Tiger/Panther/Lion/etc. Choose something
3. Giant Insect (Choose from 3 rolls on the insect List 6)
4. Bull
5. Dinosaur
6. Bear
7. Elephant
8. Dragon
9. Griffon or Pegasus
10. Wolf
11. Undead version... roll again on this list
12. Robot version... roll again on this list
Yes, that means you could conceivably have a couple magic weapons and an undead robot dinosaur mount, however unlikely it may be. I like that the potential is out there. It will be up to players and GM's to agree upon what the special weapon/equipment does in game and how its powers work. This will largely be determined by what kind of game the GM wants to run and how powerful players can be.
Now you're ready for FINISHING TOUCHES
List 9: Warrior list of Special Weapon/Equipment (d12)
1. Bow and/or arrows
2. Arm Guns
3. Sword or other similar hand held weapon
4. Grappling hook or grappling hook and rope body part
5. Helmet
6. Staff/Trident
7. Belt/Harness/Girdle
8. Gauntlets
9. Ring
10. Animal (Roll on the Animal Companion Chart, below)
11. Wings and Jets
12. Roll for 2
Animal Companion Chart (d12)
1. Horse/Unicorn
2. Cat/Tiger/Panther/Lion/etc. Choose something
3. Giant Insect (Choose from 3 rolls on the insect List 6)
4. Bull
5. Dinosaur
6. Bear
7. Elephant
8. Dragon
9. Griffon or Pegasus
10. Wolf
11. Undead version... roll again on this list
12. Robot version... roll again on this list
Yes, that means you could conceivably have a couple magic weapons and an undead robot dinosaur mount, however unlikely it may be. I like that the potential is out there. It will be up to players and GM's to agree upon what the special weapon/equipment does in game and how its powers work. This will largely be determined by what kind of game the GM wants to run and how powerful players can be.
Now you're ready for FINISHING TOUCHES
List 10: Wizard
You're making a Wizard character! Awesome. That means you have some magical or mystical power that you can use to manipulate the world around you. A couple of wizard characters in MOTU include The Sorceress, Evil Lyn, and Skeletor. It will be up to players and the GM to decide exactly how the power works.
List 10: Wizard powers (d20)
1. control wind
2. control earth
3. control fire
4. control water
5. control plants
6. control animals
7. hypnosis
8. necromancy
9. electricity
10. alchemist recipes
11. cleric/healing
12. teleportation
13. ice creation and control
14. powerful scents... good and/or bad
15. lycanthrope/shape change
16. clones... make copies of ones self to do bidding
17. sound. blast sounds/ manipulate sounds/ make sounds
18. Illusionary
19. size... get big or get small
20. roll again AND roll on either the animal companion list or special weapon list: List 9
Now you're ready for FINISHING TOUCHES
List 10: Wizard powers (d20)
1. control wind
2. control earth
3. control fire
4. control water
5. control plants
6. control animals
7. hypnosis
8. necromancy
9. electricity
10. alchemist recipes
11. cleric/healing
12. teleportation
13. ice creation and control
14. powerful scents... good and/or bad
15. lycanthrope/shape change
16. clones... make copies of ones self to do bidding
17. sound. blast sounds/ manipulate sounds/ make sounds
18. Illusionary
19. size... get big or get small
20. roll again AND roll on either the animal companion list or special weapon list: List 9
Now you're ready for FINISHING TOUCHES
List 8: Warrior/Wizard?
After watching tons of MOTU I came the determination that character of the heroic style, that is, the true Masters of the Universe, are either warriors or wizards. This is cool, though, because there's huge variety within those two categories. I did toy with the idea of adding in the options to become a Space Pirate or Cosmic Enforcer, but gave it up when it was too tough to make compatible with other players in a quick way. I do think there's potential there, however. Can you imagine a campaign where all the players are Cosmic Enforcers? A bunch of Zodaks running around and saving Eternia (or not?!)? For the time being, though. Here's the list:
LIST 8: Wizard or Warrior (d2)
1. Warrior... go to List 9
2. Wizard... go to List 10
LIST 8: Wizard or Warrior (d2)
1. Warrior... go to List 9
2. Wizard... go to List 10
Finishing Touches
So, now before you is a list of qualities that start to define your character. Now it's up to the players and GM to work together and fit them into the rules set that you've chosen. Most tabletop RPGs are fairly flexible, but it may be necessary to make up some rule (or 3) so that your character is playable. It's important to remember that nothing is set in stone. If you try playing and something doesn't feel right, is too over/under powered after a session, it's okay to try and adjust it. The characters in MOTU show are powerful and they should be that way in the RPG, too.
Another tip I learned through play testing is that it's important to remember that characters usually are starting young and they need somewhere to build to. It's okay if a power is at a "step one" and that next level, there's going to be a "step 2", and so on, where the power can get better. Or, maybe that's not the goal and it doesn't matter if the characters are beefcake from the beginning. This set of lists has helped to run "one off" games, as well as longer campaigns. Although, admittedly my players have loved rolling on the lists and have often wanted to make new characters.
Anyway, you should be able to roll up a character in whatever system you choose and just fill in the racial and class categories with what you gathered from the lists. So, have fun and be sure to post your exploits in the comments. Also, anything you add to the lists is great for me to hear about. If you want a homework assignment, go and watch a couple episodes of MOTU and feel some 80's nostalgia, or enjoy them for the first time. They're classic and will provide all the inspiration you could need to run a great swords and planets RPG night on Eternia.
Example Characters:
Plaayt-o
A duck billed platypus warrior with arm guns for special equipment. The GM and player agreed he would also have a venom attack, due to being a platypus.
Meadow Morph
A Grass plant based hero. He was a warrior with a helmet that, depending on a roll, could create a shield that could protect him and one ally. He could also hide and meld into the ground and appear as a patch of grass.
Madam Umbra
She was a Glow Bug wizard with Illusion magic, the proclaimed "mystical firefly guardian of Eternia". Her glow bug feature gave her a lightning attack and she could create illusions (list of spells the player made up for her and GM approved: fantastic blindness, tracing blinks, waking dream, and epic phantasm) to distract or redirect enemies with her illusions. She also had wings so she could fly.
Centitaur Hypnogaze
The player rolled the centipede insect for race and had the hypnosis wizard power. The player decided that the character would be a kind of centipede centaur. Strangely enough I had another player, in another session, roll similar characteristics and create a similar kind of character... that character was named "Man-e-Arms".
Shell Shock
The player rolled the tortoise on the animal list and then electrical powers on the wizard table. He was a turtle that could generate an electrical field. This was one of my personal favorites!
Another tip I learned through play testing is that it's important to remember that characters usually are starting young and they need somewhere to build to. It's okay if a power is at a "step one" and that next level, there's going to be a "step 2", and so on, where the power can get better. Or, maybe that's not the goal and it doesn't matter if the characters are beefcake from the beginning. This set of lists has helped to run "one off" games, as well as longer campaigns. Although, admittedly my players have loved rolling on the lists and have often wanted to make new characters.
Anyway, you should be able to roll up a character in whatever system you choose and just fill in the racial and class categories with what you gathered from the lists. So, have fun and be sure to post your exploits in the comments. Also, anything you add to the lists is great for me to hear about. If you want a homework assignment, go and watch a couple episodes of MOTU and feel some 80's nostalgia, or enjoy them for the first time. They're classic and will provide all the inspiration you could need to run a great swords and planets RPG night on Eternia.
Example Characters:
Plaayt-o
A duck billed platypus warrior with arm guns for special equipment. The GM and player agreed he would also have a venom attack, due to being a platypus.
Meadow Morph
A Grass plant based hero. He was a warrior with a helmet that, depending on a roll, could create a shield that could protect him and one ally. He could also hide and meld into the ground and appear as a patch of grass.
Madam Umbra
She was a Glow Bug wizard with Illusion magic, the proclaimed "mystical firefly guardian of Eternia". Her glow bug feature gave her a lightning attack and she could create illusions (list of spells the player made up for her and GM approved: fantastic blindness, tracing blinks, waking dream, and epic phantasm) to distract or redirect enemies with her illusions. She also had wings so she could fly.
Centitaur Hypnogaze
The player rolled the centipede insect for race and had the hypnosis wizard power. The player decided that the character would be a kind of centipede centaur. Strangely enough I had another player, in another session, roll similar characteristics and create a similar kind of character... that character was named "Man-e-Arms".
Shell Shock
The player rolled the tortoise on the animal list and then electrical powers on the wizard table. He was a turtle that could generate an electrical field. This was one of my personal favorites!
Character Concept Creation & List 1
So, what's the deal with all these lists?
Probably the most memorable part of the MOTU series is the unique cast of characters that inhabit the world. Aside from He Man, who's actually pretty plain in my estimates compared to others, there are some tendencies and themes that reoccur. I wanted to come up with a way to create MOTU style heroes and villains that were different from the cast in the episodes, yet had a MOTU feel to them. To do that, I made lists. Following, you'll find them and some guidelines on how to use them.
Very quickly I think you'll notice that there are many more possibilities for these lists than I and the silly group of friends I solicited for help came up with. You should adjust and improve and add to and get crazy with them, if you want to. Otherwise, work with what you got here. There's plenty to come up with great variety. I've play tested with them and the characters my players have come up with have been quite varied. The lists end up being the starting point.
Here's my rules for my players...
1. You can re roll, yes, but you must start at the very very very beginning.
2. I'm not going to help you come up with a name. Do it yourself. Use the concepts you rolled to come up with something silly or cool, and fitting. Look to MOTU character names for inspirado!
3. If you come up with an idea that fits around your character rolls, even if it seems kinda crazy, I want to hear it. If it makes the game more fun, I'm gonna go with it!
Okay, now come the lists. Just follow along. They should walk you through.
A note about dice rolling. In parentheses next to the name of the list is the kind of dice you need to roll for that list. In most cases a d6 (six sided dice) or d10 (ten sided dice) may be sufficient. In other cases, you may have to roll a d40, or something. Either roll on a digital dice where you can choose the number of sides, or just roll a percentile until you get that number or lower.
Also, if a list entry has more than one item listed, the player gets to choose!
So, get a pencil and paper and prepare to create Eternia's next hero.
LIST 1 This roll tells you what list to roll on as you progress... (d6)
1. Animal (LIST 2)
2. Robot (LIST 3)
3. Eternia race (LIST 4)
4. Plant (LIST 5)
5. Insects/bugs/etc. (LIST 6)
6. Special (LIST 7)
Probably the most memorable part of the MOTU series is the unique cast of characters that inhabit the world. Aside from He Man, who's actually pretty plain in my estimates compared to others, there are some tendencies and themes that reoccur. I wanted to come up with a way to create MOTU style heroes and villains that were different from the cast in the episodes, yet had a MOTU feel to them. To do that, I made lists. Following, you'll find them and some guidelines on how to use them.
Very quickly I think you'll notice that there are many more possibilities for these lists than I and the silly group of friends I solicited for help came up with. You should adjust and improve and add to and get crazy with them, if you want to. Otherwise, work with what you got here. There's plenty to come up with great variety. I've play tested with them and the characters my players have come up with have been quite varied. The lists end up being the starting point.
Here's my rules for my players...
1. You can re roll, yes, but you must start at the very very very beginning.
2. I'm not going to help you come up with a name. Do it yourself. Use the concepts you rolled to come up with something silly or cool, and fitting. Look to MOTU character names for inspirado!
3. If you come up with an idea that fits around your character rolls, even if it seems kinda crazy, I want to hear it. If it makes the game more fun, I'm gonna go with it!
Okay, now come the lists. Just follow along. They should walk you through.
A note about dice rolling. In parentheses next to the name of the list is the kind of dice you need to roll for that list. In most cases a d6 (six sided dice) or d10 (ten sided dice) may be sufficient. In other cases, you may have to roll a d40, or something. Either roll on a digital dice where you can choose the number of sides, or just roll a percentile until you get that number or lower.
Also, if a list entry has more than one item listed, the player gets to choose!
So, get a pencil and paper and prepare to create Eternia's next hero.
LIST 1 This roll tells you what list to roll on as you progress... (d6)
1. Animal (LIST 2)
2. Robot (LIST 3)
3. Eternia race (LIST 4)
4. Plant (LIST 5)
5. Insects/bugs/etc. (LIST 6)
6. Special (LIST 7)
Welcome
Hello.
Finding this makes it likely that you've had some similar thoughts to those of my own, that playing a He Man/Eternia/MOTU tabletop RPG would be super fun. Maybe you've looked around for one and had no luck. Maybe you found something, but it wasn't exactly what you were looking for. Whatever the tale may be, I hope this is the place for you to find that gem of an RPG that you've been looking for.
A bit about me... in relation to Masters of the Universe (MOTU)...
I've been a fan of MOTU since childhood. Growing up in the 80s made this nearly impossible to avoid. The show was on a lot and I was drawn in by the swords and planets genre, the positive messages, the heroics, and the cast of colorful characters. Of course, I loved the toys, too. They were unlike any other action figure and, despite the oddity of them (I mean, who thought up those bow legs and over sized torsos?? That perpetual thumbs up?) they were awesome. A lot of hours were spent playing with them.
Since then, I've watched every episode of the original He Man series, the She Ra series, and the He Man and the Masters of the Universe series. I've taken some notes and kept track of characters. In my posts here, I may reference specific episodes and you can track them down if you want. I think this game can only be enhanced by the players/GM's increased familiarity with the shows. Some of my favorite characters are the lesser known ones.
My disclaimer...
After all of that, it should be mentioned that this site and the posts contained herein are not affiliated with Filmation, Mattel, or any other agency or person that owns copyright over the brand. This is strictly a fan site. It is for personal use only and no monetary gain should be made over any of the work here. I made it strictly because I am a huge MOTU fan and I also love tabletop RPGs. So, please enjoy.
Rules for playing my MOTU game...
The rules system you use is totally up to you. I provide here a foundation for making a character or making a character from an existing rules set more MOTUish. I think the info I've worked on will help the GM make a world feel more Eternia-esk, but Eternia is basically a swords and planets style world that is a little more heavy on the fantasy elements. There are a lot of places on-line and elsewhere that you can find some pretty sweet maps of Eternia or Etheria.
When I've played this game it's been to achieve a "beer and pretzels" style and I'm very familiar with 2nd Ed. AD&D, so that's the rules set I've typically used. Coming up with basic rules for the powers has been a fun and quick project for my players and hasn't hindered the game at all. I've preferred a fast and loose style of play for this type of game and it has worked. Hopefully, as you read further, you'll get a sense of what I mean.
Other systems I think would be easy to incorporate include FUDGE (check out Gatecrashers, specifically), Risus: The Anything RPG, or Chaosium's Basic Role Playing system (BRP). Otherwise select a system you're familiar with and fill in the blanks, you can do it. Have fun. That's the most important thing.
Cheers
-Jason
Finding this makes it likely that you've had some similar thoughts to those of my own, that playing a He Man/Eternia/MOTU tabletop RPG would be super fun. Maybe you've looked around for one and had no luck. Maybe you found something, but it wasn't exactly what you were looking for. Whatever the tale may be, I hope this is the place for you to find that gem of an RPG that you've been looking for.
A bit about me... in relation to Masters of the Universe (MOTU)...
I've been a fan of MOTU since childhood. Growing up in the 80s made this nearly impossible to avoid. The show was on a lot and I was drawn in by the swords and planets genre, the positive messages, the heroics, and the cast of colorful characters. Of course, I loved the toys, too. They were unlike any other action figure and, despite the oddity of them (I mean, who thought up those bow legs and over sized torsos?? That perpetual thumbs up?) they were awesome. A lot of hours were spent playing with them.
Since then, I've watched every episode of the original He Man series, the She Ra series, and the He Man and the Masters of the Universe series. I've taken some notes and kept track of characters. In my posts here, I may reference specific episodes and you can track them down if you want. I think this game can only be enhanced by the players/GM's increased familiarity with the shows. Some of my favorite characters are the lesser known ones.
My disclaimer...
After all of that, it should be mentioned that this site and the posts contained herein are not affiliated with Filmation, Mattel, or any other agency or person that owns copyright over the brand. This is strictly a fan site. It is for personal use only and no monetary gain should be made over any of the work here. I made it strictly because I am a huge MOTU fan and I also love tabletop RPGs. So, please enjoy.
Rules for playing my MOTU game...
The rules system you use is totally up to you. I provide here a foundation for making a character or making a character from an existing rules set more MOTUish. I think the info I've worked on will help the GM make a world feel more Eternia-esk, but Eternia is basically a swords and planets style world that is a little more heavy on the fantasy elements. There are a lot of places on-line and elsewhere that you can find some pretty sweet maps of Eternia or Etheria.
When I've played this game it's been to achieve a "beer and pretzels" style and I'm very familiar with 2nd Ed. AD&D, so that's the rules set I've typically used. Coming up with basic rules for the powers has been a fun and quick project for my players and hasn't hindered the game at all. I've preferred a fast and loose style of play for this type of game and it has worked. Hopefully, as you read further, you'll get a sense of what I mean.
Other systems I think would be easy to incorporate include FUDGE (check out Gatecrashers, specifically), Risus: The Anything RPG, or Chaosium's Basic Role Playing system (BRP). Otherwise select a system you're familiar with and fill in the blanks, you can do it. Have fun. That's the most important thing.
Cheers
-Jason
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)