New Blog Post Astral Waylayers Part One of Two

[geneweigel]

These were originally intended for Rob Kuntz's planar monster extravaganza with Greg "GT" Timm who is also very rare in frequency. These were my own unique played out monsters that were going to fit in the book that never was. There is a lot more of that coming to the blog.

In my campaign, the Moon Men are associated with more astral crawls which I will do at a later point.

justkeeponrollin.blogspot.com/2023/02/as-above-part-two-astral-waylayers.html

Thanks to Yesmar (Of Knights & Knaves Alehouse Forum) for proofreading this over the past few days.

[foster1941]

Very good stuff as always. I could easily see using all three of these in a game. But, confess, were the Moon Men inspired by that “Mac Tonight” commercial from the 80s?

[geneweigel]

Ha! No, although its in the same vein.

There was a hanging relief statue in my grandmother's hallway that was spooky but I think it was some golden age comic that was in the family "country house" library where the "Moon Men" took the guy to the moon at the end.

I had several D&D and Gamma World moon adventures in the 80's featuring different versions of "Moon Men" (And used the "aspis" selenite ripoff from A1 SLAVE PITS OF THE UNDERCITY) but the inspiration for the particular spherical "moon-shaped" form was from THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1988) when he sails to the moon. I had the players do that then I imagined the monster for the next outing.

[Scott]

More good stuff, Gene. And the perfect level for where my players are now.

[GRWelsh]

Nice set of astral bastiches. The hellmouth reminds me of some old toys like maybe a handpuppet toy of a dragon or dinosaur head... Also, was there a video game in the 1980's of a giant head chasing you around? Anyway, I like the idea of a monster whose body is a tunnel back to some lower plane... That's pretty nasty.

Found it: Sinistar ("I hunger!")!

[geneweigel]

I was a big Sinistar player one because it was the first 3d detail looking game but secondly it reminded me of my favorite talking pinball "Gorgar" from 1979.

The concept of the hellmouth I got from reading about the origins of clowns as demons in shows (Remember my friend Eddie's recollection of the 1982 ghost in the abandoned house he said was a man dressed as a clown?) They had these plays in the medieval period called "mystery plays". At the end, the characters are sentenced to hell and a moving "hell mouth" comes onto the stage to claim them.

[geneweigel]

Finishing touches on the hell mouth parallel monster so maybe tomorrow. Here is my teaser:

www.instagram.com/reel/CobiaUQoPN7/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

[geneweigel]

Blog post AS ABOVE..SO BELOW PART II: ASTRAL WAYLAYERS PART II featuring the more earthbound counterparts of the creatures posted a few days ago.

justkeeponrollin.blogspot.com/2023/02/so-below-part-ii-astral-waylayers.html

[GRWelsh]

I like the new monsters. The wolf running along moonbeams reminded my of these lines from "The White Ship" by H. P. Lovecraft:

Out of the South it was that the White Ship used to come when the moon was full and high in the heavens. Out of the South it would glide very smoothly and silently over the sea. And whether the sea was rough or calm, and whether the wind was friendly or adverse, it would always glide smoothly and silently, its sails distant and its long strange tiers of oars moving rhythmically. One night I espied upon the deck a man, bearded and robed, and he seemed to beckon me to embark for fair unknown shores. Many times afterward I saw him under the full moon, and ever did he beckon me.

Very brightly did the moon shine on the night I answered the call, and I walked out over the waters to the White Ship on a bridge of moonbeams.

It looks like you use digital coloring over hand-drawn art. Why don't you color it or paint it by hand?

[geneweigel]

I like the effects of the lighting as it brings what I'm seeing faster and more vivid that I could use for the in-game visual. It really started with the greater troll drawing I sat on it for years with just my computer at work during observation times where I was allowed to have timed intervals to do whatever in the dark at the computer screen so that is how the sketch processing style started just fucking around with that troll image. Trying to color it or make it look more distinct.