#white ape

[manyworldspress]

Gino D’Achille, cover illustration for The Master Mind of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1928; Ballantine Books, 1973).

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[damientorresart]

The first piece I had done for Atomic Mass Games’ Marvel Crisis Protocol: M’Baku. The art of the team tactics card, Jabari Chieftain.

[journeytothewestresearch]

Sun Wukong's theft of immortal peaches

Here is an article on the origins of the immortal peach-stealing episode from Journey to the West. The Monkey King's theft is likely based on the respective stories of the Han-era trickster Dongfang Shuo (東方朔) and a magic white ape from Song-era material.

Origin of the Immortal Peach-Stealing Episode from Journey to the West

I’ve previously mentioned that the Monkey King has six layers of immortality in Journey to the West (Xiyouji, 西遊記, 1592; “JTTW” hereafter).

[oldschoolfrp]

Wandering monsters in OD&D, from Dungeons & Dragons Vol 3: The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures by Gygax and Arneson, TSR, 1974:

Each movement turn in the underworld is 10 minutes, at the end of which the referee rolls 1d6. A wandering monster encounter occurs on a "6." (Note the use of "referee" throughout the original rules. The term "dungeon master" was introduced in the California gaming scene and made its way back to Lake Geneva by 1975.)

Monsters are divided into 6 "monster levels" for purposes of determining the encounter type. The referee first rolls 1d6 to determine which monster level table to consult, then rolls a different die to determine the exact monster type. It is possible to encounter a level 4 monster like a group of ogres on dungeon level 1, or a level 2 monster such as zombies on dungeon level 3.

Many of the encounters are with NPCs, described by the titles of different classes and character levels -- Thaumaturgists, Myrmidons, Superheros.

The "Thoul" on the level 2 table was not mentioned anywhere else in the original OD&D set. Moldvay's Basic Set (1981) seems to be the first core book in any version of D&D to describe this "magical combination of a ghoul, a hobgoblin, and a troll."

Among the level 4 monsters we find "White Apes," the 6-limbed creatures of Barsoom in Burroughs' John Carter stories that also could occur in the wilderness, and which still exist in 5e as the girallon. (Edit: Stats & descriptions of these also are missing from these rules, leaving the referee to adapt them from literature. Moldvay included white ape stats in his 1981 Basic rules, though he did not describe them having extra arms.)

The "Balrogs" on the level 6 table are one of several references to balrogs, hobbits, ringwraiths, etc that TSR mostly removed from reprints after receiving notice from the Tolkien estate, though some mentions in tables were overlooked and remained through all printings.

Further rules explain how to adjust monster numbers to suit the party level and size, when surprise occurs, how the party might avoid combat, and possible reactions of intelligent monsters to the party.

[the-gershomite]

Tarzan art by Ken Kelly

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"THE GREEN MEN OF MARS FEAR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING SAVE THE WHITE APES THAT LURK IN THE VAST, ABANDONED CITIES..."

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on cover art to the 1977 republication of "The Mastermind of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the sixth novel set upon the realm of Barsoom. Artwork by the late, great Gino D’Achill (1935-2017). Ballantine Books.

"The green men, Tars' people, fear absolutely nothing save the white apes that lurk the vast, abandoned cities dotting the shores of Mars long-since evaporated seas. The apes have a keenly developed taste for the flesh of green Martian youths. It is their habit to steal the hapless youngsters from their caretakers and drag them into the bowels of derelict buildings of the ancients, where they are devoured with deliberation and great relish."

-- JOHN CARTER (script by Arvid Nelson)

Resolution at 1375x2048 & 958x1600.

Sources: www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/54113632999646310, X, various, etc...

[skadi-gemini]

Reblog if George of the Jungle was your first introduction to himbos! He definitely helped a lot of us realize the kind of romantic partner we’d want to be with and dream about. 😌

[balu8]

Dejah Thoris by Aaron Lopresti