Looking for Aberrant/Far Realm/Lovecraftian theme resources/material/recommendations.

My story hour ties together several Lovecraftian elements into a whole: http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-...ns-treasure-runs-updated-daily-july-11-a.html

* It posits that Cthulhu and Hastur are half-brothers and oppose each other in a sort of ying/yang, thereby keeping the other in check.
* It draws on several Lovecraftian scenarios, from Tatters of the King (a 1920s campaign book for Call of Cthulhu) to Ripples from Carcosa (CoC Monograph) to the Dungeon Magazine scenario "And Madness Followed."
* Arcanis itself has several Lovecraftian elements, including a mysterious being known as Umor who helped destroy the elven gods (that I equated with the Unspeakable One).
* Freeport is chock-full of Hastur-related material, which I use a lot in the story hour. Black Sails Over Freeport specifically involves the defeat of a Cthulhu-like entity -- it even has a quote from Call of Cthulhu in the chapter where it appears.
* Arcanis is interesting because one scenario posited that the forces of chaos (Hastur and beings from Carcosa, in my interpretation) are opposed by demons, which are used as servitor foot-troops to combat them.

Apparently the next issue of 'Level Up', Goodman's 4E magazine, will have Lovecraftian monsters in it for 4E. I didn't get the first one, but definitely looking forward to the second one for these Cthulhu tie-ins. Since Goodman and Chaosium are all buddy-buddy, let's hope a Lovecraftian sourcebook or campaign setting is right around the corner. Wahoo.

Also, Elder Evils is supposed to get the 4E update later this month in Dragon. More Eldritch horror goodness.

And that Last Breaths of Ashenport adventure is worth checking out- it could plop right down in a Lovecraftian setting.

Dragon 358 had the Ecology of the Kaorti [far realm Colonists]

Dragon 330 is a real good far realm issue
paizo.com - Dragon Issue #330

paizo.com - Dungeon Issue #83 Has a lovecraftian flavoured adventure

Compilation of the Far Realm materials [Archive] - Wizards Community

I know it was already mentioned, but here is a link and the bullet points of content.

Goodman Games

• Villains of Eberron, by James Wyatt
• The Stars Are Right: 4E stats for the creatures of H.P. Lovecraft
• Shadows of the Deep: a level 12 “Cthulhu Crawl Classics” adventure for 4E
• PC Pearls: Redeemed Races
• GM Gems: Treasures of the Tyrant Queen’s Empire
• Amethyst: Choices & Consequences
• Regular features, including Azagar’s Advice for Adventurers, A Picture Tells 1,000 Words, Dear Archmage Abby, D20 Questions, and more!

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+1 for the Ilithiad. And you should also check out "the sunset World" in dragon # 150 (a Mindflayer Ecology), it´s very moody!

Olli

Unveiled Masters - A Guide to the Mind Flayers by Paradigm Press. Good luck finding it, but it was a great supplement. It was a 3e supplement that complemented the 2e Illithiad well.

Fiction-wise, I'd say the most ... er ... "Lovecraftian" (as we use the term nowadays) of Lovecraft's stories are...

* The Call of Cthulhu
* The Dunwich Horror
* The Shadow out of Time
* The Whisperer in Darkness
* At The Mountains of Madness

You don't need to pore through everything the guy wrote to get a good sense for it. I'd say the above are probably the best for what you're looking for. Some of them start slowly for modern readers, but all of them pick up quite a bit.

-O

Unveiled Masters by Paradigm Concepts. A mindflayer sourcebook 3e OGL D&D.

Rifts by Palladium books. Post apocalyptic magical supertech future earth with extradimensional horror creatures from portal rifts invading, lots of the sourcebooks have super powerful tentacled horror beings. Uses the Palladium game system, similar to 1e AD&D with parrying and a skill system. Fantastic art and concepts.

Cthulhutech A future Cthulhu setting by Catalyst games where extradimensional horrors have invaded the world and people fight back with mechs. I think it uses its own system.

Shadows of Cthulhu Another future war against the mythos setting, soldiers are equipped with mind wipes to erase the traumas of encountering the mythos. Uses the True20 rules, like 3e but damage save instead of hp, no iterative attacks or attacks of opportunity and a few other changes (no D&D classes).

For 3.5 Alien Far realmsish monsters I like the full color exotic monster art from Complete Book of Denizens by Inner Circle Games and the more twisted sort of art style of Todd Morasch in Complete Minions by Bastion Press. Inner Circle's website has the art in a gallery so check that out.

For mind flayer alternatives there is the parietophage in the abovementioned Complete Minions, Int the Black by Bastion Press/Dragonwing Games, and Classics of Fantasy Iconic Bestiary by Lion's Den Press which has alternatives to beholders, mindflayers and other Monster Manual monsters that were not included in the OGL SRD.

Ronin Arts has a small sourcebook I think called Possessors on mind flayer replacements, basically psionic cave octopi who drop on your head, eat your brain, then keep attached to the body and control it until it wears out.

Book of Fiends by Green Ronin has a lot of demons and daemons who fit the tentacled madness inducing feel as does Slayer's Guide to Demons by Mongoose Publishing (check out the alternative non tanari demon families).

Green ronin's Freeport series has strong Cthulhu elements. Check out the Pirate's guide for the city sourcebook setting, The trilogy for a module series that involves mythos stuff, and Cults of Freeport, two of the cults are Cthulhu entities.

Pelgrane Press has their Trail of Cthulhu game system. I really liked the Dying Earth stuff they did and I've heard great things about their horror monster sourcebook The Book of Unremitting Horror (OGL d20 Modern and Gumshoe versions available) and their Cthulhu and esoterrorist stuff.

It is hard to go wrong with Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu line of RPG books. CoC modules are designed to be killers for normal human investigators. I find this translates well to a good challenge for D&D heroes and module conversion to D&D is surprisingly not too difficult if you want that investigation theme with horror flavor in your D&D.

Vault of Tsathar Rho Dungeon Crawl Classics #2 module by Goodman Games for 3.5 D&D is a pretty good low level dungeon crawl with mutated/warped monsters and evil alien outsider threat.

firesnakearies said:

So, anyone have some ideas to throw at me?

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Since I haven't seen anybody mention it, there's one thing I'd suggest. Art. Even if you don't use the actual images, having something to base your descriptions on can increase their authenticity.

You can look in the remaindered sections of your local book stores, or at your library, there should be at least a few books on surrealism and other such art styles.

And of course, you can watch Porky in Wackyland, or the remake in color, or the Tiny Toons versions.

Mouseferatu said:

Well, I wrote an adventure for Dungeon (the online version) called "The Last Breaths of Ashenport" that might work for you.

[sblock]It was inspired, in part, by Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth," and while some of what it deals with is demonic, as opposed to aberrant, the themes are all there. Heck, it uses worshipers of Dagon, and while he's a demon lord in D&D, you don't get much more Lovecraftian when it comes to evil cults. [/sblock]

It was published in Dungeon 156, which I think is one of the free issues, though I'm not positive.

Dungeon #156 Table of Contents

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Just a quick note to recommend this one. It is a great adventure and hits the notes you are looking for.