I have put my massive War of the Witch Queens on pause for a little bit to focus on my 1st Edition Forgotten Realms game. It is fine, since I am using it to build up some of the myths and legends that War of the Witch Queens will rely on. While my current War of the Witch Queens uses Old School Essentials, I have been enjoying it a lot, but...I am running into some issues. Well. Issues of my own creation.
Limitation #1: Level Caps and Limits
Limits on levels. I love OSE, but one of its selling points/strengths is its limiting issue for me. Sure, 14 levels is a lot, but I am running into ideas that I want to run for characters of 15+ level. 17th level comes up a lot for me. This is also one of the reasons why I dropped Hyperborea early on for this reason too.
This campaign isn’t just a dungeon crawl or hex-crawl, it's a mythic saga that spans worlds, timelines, and divine destinies. Characters in this game aren't just heroes; they are on the path to becoming legends, saints, or even immortals. And I keep finding myself writing material that expects 15th level and beyond. More and more often, 17th-level content crops up in my outlines. That’s not a comfortable fit for OSE without some heavy modification.
Not to mention level limits on any demi-human species. Of course Hyperborea had not demi-humans at all.
Limitation #2: Multi-Classing
I love OSE. But one place it really falls down is Multi-classing. Yes, there are some rules, but the elegance of the system is lost when you try to do it. It's not my strongest reason, but it is a reason all the same.
Limitation #3: Multiversal Storytelling
I want to explore various worlds and settings. OSE can do this, it can even do it well, but I want to go a little beyond the norm.
OSE can absolutely be used to tell stories that span worlds. In fact, it does it better than many modern systems, since its rules are modular and light. But for War of the Witch Queens, I want to go beyond the norm. I’m not just talking about visiting the elemental planes or spending a session in Ravenloft. I’m talking about fully developed worlds with unique metaphysics, rules of magic, and mythic gravity, all of them linked by a larger cosmological mystery, the Witch Queens, their empowered thrones, and the shadow of The One Who Remains.
OSE can be made to do this. But I need a system that does this out of the box.
Solution: Wasted Lands
When I was participating in the 2025 Character Creation Challenge, I was reminded of how flexible Wasted Lands/O.G.R.E.S. really is.
Wasted Lands is mythic fantasy turned up to eleven. It was designed for heroes who become gods, for magics that shape and warp reality itself, and for worlds so ancient they crumble under the weight of memory. The core assumption of Wasted Lands is that the characters matter in a way that changes the cosmos, which aligns exactly with my vision for War of the Witch Queens.
Why Wasted Lands Works for War of the Witch Queens
No Arbitrary Level Caps
Characters in Wasted Lands are meant to grow in power until they ascend to the ranks of the divine. There’s no artificial ceiling to limit storytelling or advancement. If I want characters to bind a dying god to a black star, I don’t need to “homebrew” Epic Levels; I just use the Divine/Heroic Touchstone system as written.
Built-In Mythic Scope
Wasted Lands expects multiversal and mythological play. Characters can literally change the nature of reality. That’s not just compatible with War of the Witch Queens; that’s the point of the entire campaign.
Flexible Mechanics for Multiple Worlds
O.G.R.E.S. is modular, allowing me to shift between gritty sword-and-sorcery realism, dreamlike metaphysics, or high-magic cosmic horror as needed. That’s ideal when a single session might take place in ancient Atlantis, the post-apocalyptic future, or a faerie world frozen in regret.
Ties to Night Shift and Thirteen Parsecs
Since Wasted Lands is cross-compatible with Night Shift (another system I use for witchy, modern supernatural tales), I can link stories and characters across eras and genres. My witches don’t just belong in this kind of cosmology; they thrive in it.
While the Wasted Lands mythology will certainly be in play here, I may or may not set any of these adventures in the time of The Dreaming Age or even the Earth of the Dreaming Age. I'll use this more as my Rosetta Stone to translate between all the various games I'll be using.
So What Happens Next?
While I’m still using my Forgotten Realms game to build some of the core myths behind War of the Witch Queens, I’ll be shifting the main campaign engine to Wasted Lands going forward. I may still post some OSE conversions or support for it, especially early-level material, but to experience War of the Witch Queens the way I envision it, it will live and breathe in the mythic realms of the Wasted Lands.
This also gives me an instant hook into my multiversal threat, The One Who Remains. I will already be featuring this threat in my Forgotten Realms game, and absolutely for War of the Witch Queen.
One of my conceits of the War of the Witch Queens was to "adopt" all sorts of witches from various games, settings, and the like, and bring them into this campaign. Given the Sword & Sorcery roots of Wasted Lands, I wanted to grab some witches from various S&S games. Some of these are familiar to you all here since I have already mentioned them in conjunction with War of the Witch Queens before: Methyn Sarr, Miriam, and newcomer, Tamsin Shalles. I will feature their native games tomorrow.
Each of these characters is found on different worlds in vastly different times. But the wonderful thing about Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age is that versions of these characters can exist at the same time and place. Wasted Lands, Barbarians of Lemuria, Hyperborea, and Sword & Sorcery Codex all share enough of the same DNA to be cousins. I will say this: anyone playing one of these games can get a lot out of playing, or at least owning and reading, the other three.
I am also going with a pure D&D feel to these, so humans are humans and not the proto-humans of the Dreaming Age. I have already done Wasted Lands stats for Larina, Aradia, Darlessa, Kersy the Sea Witch, Skylla, Tanith Winters, and for two of Grenda's Forgotten Realms witches, Rhiannon and Briana Highstar. And of course, the current Big Bad of the War of the Witch Queens, Kelek the Cruel.
Note: The sorcerer of Wasted Lands is mechanically the same as NIGHT SHIFT's witch. But I am going to call them witches here. Also, since I am moving away from Hyperborea and OSE for this, I can go beyond their level limits of 12 and 14, respectively.
Each also has a homeland in the Wasted Lands that is the closest analogue to their lands in their original games.
Methyn Sarr, Witch Queen of the Fire Coast
From Barbarians of Lemuria
I have mentioned Methyn Sarr here before; she is a great character and one of my favorite things about Barbarians of Lemuria.
Class: Sorceress (Witch) / Necromancer
Level: 10 / 5
Species: Human
Alignment: Dark Evil
Background: Cult
Homeland: Lemuria (West coast)
Abilities
Strength: 10 (0)
Agility: 12 (0)
Toughness: 10 (0)
Intelligence: 17 (+2) N
Wits: 16 (+2) N
Persona: 18 (+3) A
Fate Points: 1d12
Defense Value: 4 (Battle Harness)
Vitality: 55
Degeneracy: 11
Corruption: 2 (Eyes turned yellow, Aura of discomfort)
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +7/+4/+3
Melee Bonus: +3 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Spell Attack: +5
Saves: +3 to Spells and Magical effects (Sorcerer)
Sorcerer Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers: Beguile Person, Enhanced Senses, Succubus, Psychic Power: Pyrokinesis
Necromancer Abilities
Channel the Dead (43%), See Dead People, Summon the Dead (65%), Command Spirits, Protection from Spirits, Death Knell, Suggestion (Spirits), Protection from Undead, Taste the Grave
Sorceress Spells
First Level: Arcane Darts, Command, Drain Vitality, Mystical Senses
Second Level: Defile, Eternal Flame, Invoke Fear, Subtle Influence
Third Level: Concussive Blast, Dark Lightning, Globe of Darkness
Fourth Level: Beguile Monster, Kiss of the Succubus, Protection against the Deeper Dark
Fifth Level: Dominate Other, Shadow Armor
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: Unique Mode of Defense (Battle Harness)
2nd Level: Additional Vitality Points
3rd Level: Charm Creatures
4th Level: Magical Recovery
5th Level: Great Power (Fire)
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Magic, Evil
Gear
Blood Dagger of Zaggath (adds +1d6 damage due to dripping fire blood), Battle Harness, crown
I gave her levels of Necromancer in this version to replicate her levels of "Druid of Zaggarth" from Barbarians of Lemuria. I figure she gets a Heroic/Divine Touchstone every 3 character levels.
Miriam, Witch-Queen of Yithorium
From Hyperborea
Miriam is the name I have given to the Witch-Queen of Yithorium from the Hyperborea RPG. Though she is seriously viewed through the lens of Greyhawk. She is rather great, and I love using her. I have also decided that her loyal Cowan is a mighty warrior (10th level) named Zavoda.
Class: Sorceress (Witch)
Level: 15
Species: Human
Alignment: Dark Evil
Background: Scholar
Homeland: Hyperborea (Near the Blood Sea)
Abilities
Strength: 12 (0)
Agility: 12 (0)
Toughness: 13 (+1)
Intelligence: 18 (+3) A
Wits: 16 (+2) N
Persona: 18 (+3) N
Fate Points: 1d12
Defense Value: 9
Vitality: 68
Degeneracy: 6
Corruption: 1 (Aura of discomfort)
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +7/+4/+3
Melee Bonus: +3 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Spell Attack: +8
Saves: +4 to Spells and Magical effects (Sorcerer).
Sorcerer Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (5): Astral Projection, Succubus, Psychic Power: ESP, Beguile, Shadow Walking
Sorceress Spells
First Level: Beast Speech, Command, Chill Ray, Night Vision, Drain Vitality
Second Level: Invoke Fear, Animal Summoning, Subtle Influence, Defile, See Invisible
Third Level: Dark Lightning, Curse, Clairvoyance, Globe of Darkness
Fourth Level: Black Tentacles, Protection against the Deeper Dark, Forbearance of Dimensional Travel, Kiss of the Succubus
Fifth Level: Banishment, Create Soul Vessel, Dominate Other, Shadow Armor
Sixth Level: Destroy Undead, Shadow Duplicate, Uluation of the Deeper Dark
Seventh Level: Wave of Mutilation, Widdershins Dance
Eighth Level: Gaze of the Abyss
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: Sense the Presence of the Deeper Dark
2nd Level: Luck Benefit
3rd Level: Spirit Guide
4th Level: Magical Recovery
5th Level: Glamour
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Magic, Evil, Deeper Dark
Gear
Leather Armor, dagger, crown
Miriam has evolved some since I first stated her up. She has been moving to a witch of the Old Ones for some time now. In the Wasted Lands she would likely be that witch trying to bring the Old Ones back.
Tamsin Shalles
From Sword & Sorcery Codex
Tamsin is a new one for me. I have been playing around with the Sword & Sorcery Codex (see tomorrow), and it is a great system and has a lot to offer in terms of feel and style. It can do about 80% of what I want. She is not as powerful as the other two, not yet anyway.
Class: Sorceress (Witch) / Renegade
Level: 5 / 2
Species: Human
Alignment: Dark Evil
Background: Barbarian
Homeland: Fennokarelia
Abilities
Strength: 11 (0)
Agility: 13 (+1) N
Toughness: 13 (+1)
Intelligence: 16 (+2) N
Wits: 14 (+1)
Persona: 16 (+2) A
Fate Points: 1d8
Defense Value: 8
Vitality: 30
Degeneracy: 2
Corruption: 0
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+2/+1
Melee Bonus: +2 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +2 (base)
Spell Attack: +x
Saves: +2 to Spells and Magical effects (Sorcerer).
Sorcerer Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (2): Beguile Person, Succubus
Renegade Abilities
Improved Defense, Ranged Combat, Stealth Skills, Climbing, Danger Sense (1-2), Perception, Vital Strike x2
Stealth Skills
Open Locks: 25%
Bypass Traps: 20%
Sleight of Hand: 30%
Sneak: 30%
Sorceress Spells
First Level: Summon Familiar (Imp), Mystical Senses, Armor of Earth
Second Level: Vampiric Augmentation, Eternal Flame
Third Level: Oily Cloud of the Deeper Dark
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: Psychic Power: Glamour
2nd Level: Additional use of Beguile
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Magic, Summoning
Gear
Dagger
She isn't quite there yet, but her specialty will be demon summoning and control. Right now, she relies on her charms (natural and supernatural) along with her renegade skills to cheat and con her way through most situations.
I gave each of them the Beguile and Succubus powers to cover the levels of "Temptress" both Tamsin and Methyn have, and I assume Miriam would have. Beguile to well...beguile, and succubus to cause the up close damage.
These women are all evil and up to no good and I can't help but love them all. If they could put aside their mutual hate, they could team up and be a force to be reckoned with.
I kinda want a mini-series of War of the Witch Queens now to just cover these three and their drama. They are not responsible for the death of the High Witch Queen, but they are all vying for her throne.
Doing these reminds me how much fun Wasted Lands really is.
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