Red + Blue = Death

Blame it on the Sleestak.

Perhaps the only positive result of Hollywood deciding that the world craved a re-imagination of "Land of the Lost" as a comedy starring Will Ferrell was that marketing synergy deemed it necessary to release the entire original series on DVD. That release has allowed me to be able to relive the Saturday mornings of my youth whenever the desire strikes me. I’ll make no apologies for being a fan of the 1974 Sid & Marty Krofft version. For me, the show scratches the itch that Doctor Who does for others, possibly for similar reasons: no budget, cheesy special-effects, acting of a questionable caliber, and sometimes surprisingly good writing. But "Land of the Lost" isn’t what we’re talking about today. Instead, we’re going to cover the game trope of combining diverse elements to produce unforeseen effects.

Fans of "Land of the Lost" will remember that the series featured “light crystals” – gemstone of alternate hues that, when combined, produced an array of various effects. LotL was not the first to introduce this concept, as anyone who was ever given a chemistry set as a birthday present can attest. It’s an idea that has sturdy legs though, and it has become a gaming trope. If I remember correctly, one of the later Ultima titles required players to mix various reagents to manufacture spells, and players of Resident Evil can tell you that, while green + green is good, green + red is even better. Completing the LotL/gaming Ouroboros is Un’Goro Crater in World of Warcraft, which is a homage to "Land of the Lost" and features power crystal combination to produce in-game effects.

This concept appeals to me because I’m a fan of encouraging players to monkey around in the dungeon. While I primarily rely on random tables to produce the results of such environmental interaction, the idea of using combinations of materials to achieve the same results fits snuggly in the old school gaming mentality. There’s no skill checks involved, no following explicit directions, and no necessary rhyme or reason to why things happen. The only way to find out what happens next is to cross your fingers and go for it. If the results are bad, at least the survivors have learned something.

What follows is a generic chart for referees wanting to spice up their games by introducing this trope. Although the inspiration for it was the light crystals, colored gemstones aren’t the only option. It could easily be used to produce the effects of mixing powders of different colors in an alchemist’s workshop, combining potions of various hues discovered in a wizard’s laboratory, or even what happens when levers of alternate colors are thrown in conjunction. The results of such combinations are broadly defined with suggestions as to the actual game effects provided afterwards. All you need to impliment it is to throw in a few multicolored geegaws and let the party start combining them willie-nilly.

Color	Blue	Green	Yellow	Red
Blue	Mental Effect	Protective Effect	Damage Effect	Fatal Effect
Green	Protective Effect	Physical Effect	No Effect	No Effect
Yellow	Damage Effect	No Effect	No Effect	No Effect
Red	Fatal Effect	No Effect	No Effect	Damage Effect

Effect Possibilities

Damage Effect: Explosion, electrocution, conflagration, or poisoning. A quick rule of thumb is that this combination does (1d6)d6 damage with a save for half damage allowed.

Fatal Effect: Death ray, turned to stone, dissolve into puddle of goo, deadly poison created. Save or die.

Mental Effect: Beneficial effects include gaining a point of Intelligence or Wisdom, gaining temporary ESP, telepathy, or telekinesis (duration of 2d6 turns), learning a new language, or learning a new spell. Detrimental mental effects might result in the loss of a point of Intelligence or Wisdom, become feebleminded, go insane, uncontrollable thought projection (attracts wandering monsters or makes surprise impossible), or become possessed.

No Effect: Nada, zilch, *sad trombone*

Physical Effects: Beneficial effects could be gaining a point of Strength, Dexterity or Constitution, gaining a level, temporary increased STR, DEX, or hit points, hasted, spider climb ability, invisibility, flight capability, or increased size. Detrimental effects might be losing a point of STR, DEX or CON, level loss, polymorphed into a harmless animal, lycanthropy, slowed, or paralysis.

Protective Effect: Temporary bonus to AC and/or saving throws, immunity to poison, protection from evil, magic, or other effect as protection scrolls, immune to charm, surrounded by force field, protected from normal weapons, or blessed.