Retro Gear #3: The Loc-Nar

Ok, most of us remember the animated Heavy Metal movie from the early 80s, even if you saw it much later.  Now, whatever you think about that film, it did offer up some very interesting ideas (I found the magazine much better, along with its American cousin, the great Epic Illustrated), all of them excellent fodder for your own fantasy campaigns, which is this week's topic...

And while an early 80s film, it really represents a throwback to some bedrock 1970s sensibilities.

This Retro Gear installment is not just a thing, but also an actual villain to introduce into your games, perhaps a recurring one!

The Loc-Nar is a cosmic entity of uncertain origin, although it describes itself as the "sum of all evils" when it chooses to speak at all, noting that it generally prefers to manifest as an object, exploiting human greed and/or lust for power.

The Loc-Nar possesses incredible
destructive power and has wrought great evil... 

Per the above, the Loc-Nar appears as a green, glowing sphere of variable size and power, normally, about the size of a baseball and passing for a strange (magical or technological) artifact to be found and utilized by those who seek to locate it.  On one occasion, however, it has grown to truly monstrous proportions and directly meddled in the affairs of an entire race of people.

In short, the Loc-Nar allows itself to be found and uses its considerable power to sew evil and discord which is, apparently and by its own admission, its sole mission in life.  To this end, it offers its "owners" the following power:

(1) Completely dissolve any living/mortal entity within 10' of it, a valuable way of controlling who possesses it, although any targets above 3rd level enjoy saving dice. 

(2) Raise up any number of corpses within 120' as zombies.

The fabled Taraakians could
sometimes defeat the terrifying Loc-Nar...

(3) Set into a staff, allows the casting of any spell at 9th level, once per round so long as the item is possessed (it can do this independently should events require).

(4) Possess any target that fails its saving dice, awakening its inherent evil (good adds +2 and neutral/evil types -3), adding 1d6+1 levels to the victim, changing their alignment, and either raising one attribute to maximum or granting (or doubling) an attribute when using Pits & Perils or any similar system.

Note: The latter happens when the Loc-Nar acts as an autonomous, independent agent and reveals itself to others.  To quote the wicked artifact (agent/entity) itself...

"Do not try to escape. You are 

in my control. Look at 

me: I am the sum of all evils. Look 

carefully. My power infests all times, all 

galaxies, all dimensions. But 

many still seek me out; a green jewel 

they must possess. But see how I destroy their lives..."

Despite its great power, the Loc-Nar is opposed by, and greatly fears, the legendary Taarakians, a race of skilled warriors dedicated to the protection of the weak and the destruction of evil, being perhaps the only things capable of destroying it.  One such warrior, Taarna, is said to have sacrificed herself to defeat it and ensured the preservation of her people.  And perhaps they live on within your own campaign.  The possibilities are literally endless!