Monday, October 29, 2012

Monstrous Monday: The Dragon's Domain

http://johnkennethmuir.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/
the-horror-mythology-of-space1999/

More than any other SF horror of the 1970s (or thereafter), the British SF series Space: 1999's episode Dragon's Domain by Christopher Penfold haunted my youth... rather like it its draconic monster haunted Captain Tony Cellini of the Ultra Probe mission.

The Dragon is a recurrent monster, appearing, disappearing, and reappearing in both space and time. It's feeding habits create Space Sargassos. And each new visitor drawn to the mystery of the Sargasso brings it new prey.

http://www.space1999.net/catacombs/
main/epguide/t23dd.html

The creature doesn't look like a dragon, other than having green skin and a fiery maw. It has one giant white glowing eye, numerous tentacles arrayed around the eye, and a maw... the most terrifying maw of my youth. Worse than the fiery maw of the Doomsday Machine, which is itself pretty bad. It draws you in, and a second or two later slides you out as a charred, desiccated corpse.

http://johnkennethmuir.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/
the-five-scariest-episodes-of-cult-television-1970-1980/

It can't be detected by instruments that look for and/or record "life signs."

The ONLY sign that the Dragon is coming is a whirling shimmer of lights in the air:

http://www.tvrage.com/shows/
id-5271/episodes/159785/recap

The creature appears out of nowhere, usually in a doorway or airlock. It can take down even the most determined crew.

http://www.corrieblog.tv/2007/12
/whatever_happen_3.html

The Dragon's will-sapping psionic powers certainly help with that. Crew member after crew member may simply give up the will to fight and walk toward its tentacles and fiery maw. Don't waste your time with energy weapons. Bring an axe, and strike true and well with it.

You can watch the entire episode here.


OGL MECHANICS


Tentacled Alien Cyclops

Scale 2 (Small)
Physical Stress: 5 (Body) + 3 (Eye)
Composure Stress: 5
Fate Points: 5

ASPECTS: *
  • Doesn't register on our equipment
  • Abandon your reason and understand
  • It will test your will...
  • It's fond of space...graveyards
  • A dragon with tentacles
  • Never truly alive... and never really dead?
SKILLS:
  • 1 Great (+4): Exude Energy
  • 2 Good (+3): Absorb Energy, Fists
  • 3 Fair (+2): Alertness, Intimidation, Teleportation
  • 4 Average (+1): Intimidate, Might,  Resolve
STUNTS:
  • Absorb Energy Weapons (Absorb Energy skill, pp. 251-252)
  • Flames (Exude Energy skill, p.250)
  • Oversized (Intimidation skill, p. 259)
  • Regeneration (Endurance skill, p. 257) 
  • Tentacle (Fists skill, p.258)
Weaknesses:
  • Eye - If the eye is struck with a hand weapon such as an axe, the creature may die immediately (treat the eye as having three stress boxes; if these three are filled, the creature dies)
*Some of these Aspects were inspired by John Kenneth Muir's post on the episode.


6 comments:

  1. I remember this episode. It really was one of the better ones I've gotten a chance to watch over the years. This is a really tough critter to fight with the usual weapons or in the typical fashion, which makes it a great challenge to toss at a group that is on the verge of becoming a bit too complacent about having all those technological toys and terrors at their disposal. Now I might have to go watch some more Space 1999 episodes...

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  2. Lovely, now you've got me looking for lights.

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  3. Fantastic! I loved Space:1999 but I totally forgot about this episode. Now I'll have to go find it on DVD.

    Thanks so much for joining in the blogfest.

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  4. Awesome pick. Makes me want to watch that show again.

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  5. I love the clever adaptation of a mythical monster to space.

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  6. It's been so long since I watched that series, I don't remember the space dragon.

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