But I was looking over some of my adventures I have laying around and I noticed a theme.
For 1st Ed I have the Bloodstone Wars modules.
For 3rd Ed I have a bunch of stuff from Necromancer Games.
For 4th Ed I have the HPE series of nine modules.
And now for 5th ed I have Into the Abyss.
What do they all have in common?
 |
| Looking pretty damn scary in his new 5e form. |
Well, in the broadest terms they all deal with destroying the Demon Prince Orcus.
(ok 5e is about all demons)
Or at the very least stopping his machinations.
I mean, I get it. Orcus is the most metal of all the demon lords.
Back in the day we gleefully killed him in H4 Throne of Bloodstone. I was looking forward to doing it again under 4e in E3 Prince of Undeath. So there is an allure.
So how about you all?
Did you ever run/play a game where the PCs went after Orcus?
If yes, what adventure did you use?
If no, would it be something you would consider?
Bonus question. Why doesn't Demogorgon get any of this attention?
Orcus Links (I have talked about this before)
- Orcus for Unisystem, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2010/04/orcus-for-unisystem.html
- Orcus as the Boss, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2010/11/orcus-as-boss-immortal-level-d-whats-my.html
- Generational Mega-plots, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2010/06/revised-plan-generational-mega-plots.html
- Orcus and Vanth, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2013/09/orcus-and-vanth.html
- So...Have you ever killed a God?, http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2010/11/sohave-you-ever-killed-god.html
6 comments:
I am suddenly jarred that in all my demonic DMing plots over the years I have never used Orcus nor any other mods you present. It may be that I spent an inordinate amount of time having players chased by Graz'zt or tooling around in the TOEE after Zuggtmoy. Orcus and ye,s Demogorgon seem like the most satisfying demon lords to tangle with though. I must fix this someday!
Demogorgon was the focus of the Savage Tides ap that was in Dungeon during the Paizo era.
Sorry that you're feeling sick. Hope you're all well soon.
Orcus is the main baddy in my 4e Loudwater game, http://frloudwater.blogspot.co.uk/ - most pics by mutual friend Kimberly Pauley :) - but my big 1e campaign back in the day centred around Graz'zt.
You stole my next post idea! I'm in the process of reviewing and reading the 4E books, and Orcus (and 4E's place for the Prince) is fascinating.
However...to your question:
In the glorious Monty Haul days of my youth (when we were gleefully combining B/X with the Monster Manual), DEMOGORGON was ALWAYS our "Big Bad;" Orcus was a secondary consideration at best. Oh, Asmodeus got some love, though he was more someone to interact with than "fight." And fights with demon princes, even in those days of God-like heroes wearing Invulnerable Coats of Arnd and wielding +5 Defender swords, etc. were pretty one-sided (in the Princes' favor).
When we "got our act together" and played 1E AD&D (RAW), Lloth was, of course, a major antagonist, as was (later, with the MM2 and S4 module) Graz'zt (though there was never any direct conflict with Big G). No one was stupid enough that they wanted to try taking on Demogorgon or Orcus, not even the Lawful Good cleric with a level in the high teens or the similar wizard. The treasure hoard, large as it was, wasn't worth the risk, and I wasn't designing adventures for 'em.
I had good friends in high school that ran the entire Bloodstone series, but I wasn't a part of that campaign. Later, I picked up H2 and H4, but I've never had a chance to run them. I prefer H2 of the two.
And our 3rd Edition games...no, they never approached that level of play.
we were 16 playing games at home, school, library and wargaming club
old wargamer appalled by running by me took over and had orcus kill all our 16th lv first characters
ive seen a skit like this on a utube
he also played a paladin who found a characters (chaotic nuetral cat-spirit ninja wujen) orphange for monster kids fron years of play. the paladin burned it and killed them all why cat lady went to shops. This guy was 40 and was in military and had been a fanatic wargamer. He would lend me cool game stuff so i could run it and he would get to play and take over dm when he felt i was kind or heroic storytelling or something. I realized later most adults got sick of him and wouldn't put up with this shit.
So yeah a big bully power gamer who picks on weak, justifies it is for the best
while sitting on bone throne palanquin eating some gore and welcomes you to join him.
His champions are promised eternal death as a sentient unbound free roaming undead from the moment they die. By feasting with Orcus most low level arise as zombies. Higher level ones become what Orcus desires at moment and he justifies his treachery with self. He craves followers dedicate the souls of you murder victims to him and spreading his cause. Most Importantly and follow the path of chaos and evil.
"The undead that carry the palanquin are mixed,
enthralled, enslaved and resentful which pleases him
they wear filthy tattered rags and remnants of royal and great raiment
they swarm out and attack - they are constantly replaced and countless
he will tempt you with return of your ancestors souls or power
his chaos priesthood lurk in dungeons and spread seed of undeath
to seize the worlds dungeons and then use as bases to destroy all life"
Real and a false wand both sentient and hate each other claiming to love Orcus more
each have a cult. The false one is a titan mattock or maul with death touch, power word kill three times a day and sentient and controls non Orcus users increasingly. The other one is a divine artifact. Other subcults include ones specializing in each undead type, necromancy, horned templars, grave robbing thieves and a mostly harmless funerary workers cult. This last sect portray him as a harmless underworld guardian but really are a secret demon cult. They take a tithe of all families of grave goods and bodies for Orcus and protect the rest. Outsider grave robbers are eaten by ancestors of locals which seems ok. Many sorcerers male and female dedicated to Orcus like to wear the severed heads of their dead spouses hanging around their necks and continue to talk to them.
Some dawn age portrayals of him before the fall he is a minor fertility god with a sikcle in service of the earth. This he saw as a demotion and fall from heavens, becoming a unruly drunken murdering beastman. Some time in long night he cut ties with gods and became a kingdom maker in the eternal underworld. It is a ancient underworld land of darkness and ruin, scattered with sprawling necropolises. Even its forests are dead. Dismembered corpses hanging in trees. Undead beasts and horrors mimicking life.
doh! ive said too much, orcus will be mad
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