Saturday, November 20, 2010
Orcus as the Boss? Immortal level D&D? What's my End Game?
In my game multiverse Orcus used to be a Primal God. In 4e I am fine with this being called a Primordial, but now he is a demon. He is a demon prince and a very, very powerful one, but an over arching plot seems a bit cerebral for him. I am thinking that maybe Orcus is nothing more than the weapon being used by someone more powerful, but behind the scenes. But who and for what ends?
I mean Orcus is no dummy, but as a demon he is more concerned with destruction than labyrinthine plots.
Here are some thoughts on some potential players.
Vecna - God of evil knowledge and a lich, but what does Orcus have that Vecna wants? What could Vecna be using Orcus for?
Asmodeus - The Blood War may be in cold war mode now, but maybe the Arch duke of Hell needs Orcus to get the seed of evil.
Tharizdûn - This one is easiest. Tharizdûn wants out of his prison. While everyone thinks Tharizdun is imprisoned either in the Abyss or the Astral, he is in reality imprisoned in the lowest point in Hell. Asmodeus is still his jailer. I would make him a bit like Lucifer in Dante's Inferno, chained to very bottom of hell. Asmodeus thinks he is draining power off of Tharizdûn, which is why he is a god-like power now. Tharizdun is allowing this knowing that he gains a little more control over Asmodeus. Who is using who? Well I guess that depends on who wins in the end.
Iggwilv - The Witch Queen wants the Abyss, and Orcus is one of the big things in her way. I have been dying to use her is some way.
So here is my plan.
Iggwilv and Asmodeus are working together to manipulate Orcus. He is being propped up as this huge threat so the PCs take him out. Iggwilv is directing the PCs to do this while also working on Orcus telling him that doing this will make him a god. The plan is to have the PCs kill Orcus and deliver his wand somewhere it can be destroyed. The PCs end up in Hell and hand over the Wand to Asmodeus. Asmodeus has told Iggwilv that he wants the extra shard and she can keep the Abyss. In truth Asmodeus is being manipulated by Thaizdun. Orcus' Wand and Asmodeus' Rod together will free him.
Yes, this is bit much for a D&D plot, especially a D&D4 one, but I like the idea. If the PCs play this right they could defeat Orcus, Iggwilv and Asmodeus all in one fell swoop.
The old AD&D adventure H4 Throne of Bloodstone is an influence here since the goal there is to destroy the Wand. The E1-3 series for D&D4 focuses on Orcus wanting to become a god. So I will merge them a bit. The whole Tharizdun bit is a bit recycled from the Gygax "Dance of Demons" book, but that is fine really.
Part of this though also depends on something else.
To defeat Orcus in the E series takes the characters right to 30th level. To then take on Iggwilv, Asmodeus AND Tharizdun then is something else altogether.
So I had yet another idea. What about Immortal Level D&D. Reading over the Mentzer D&D BECMI set I do see how well Immortal level play can work and that is something Immortals would do, stop the imbalance of Tharizdun coming back into play. I am just not quite sure how to do that in D&D4 just yet. I am sure I'll figure it out. Though I did ask about it on RPG.Net.
Presently I am working on finishing my 3.x campaign. Since the 4e characters are the kids of the 3.x ones I can start planting some seeds now. Drop the name Tharizdun and Iggwilv. Mention Orcus' and Asmodeus' rise to power. Might need to figure out how Vecna and Raven Queen fit into all of this. Maybe once Orcus is dead Vecna becomes the new patron of the Undead. Am I ready to get rid of Orcus once and for all?
Hmm. Interesting thought.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Question of the Day: Anyone run/play a fight against Orcus
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
Saturday, April 9, 2016
A to Z of Adventure! H is for High Level / Bloodstone
The H series is an odd one, even in a group that includes a lot of odd ones. There is a connecting story, of sorts; dealing with the interference of Orcus, but there are other things going here.
The first adventure, H1 Bloodstone Pass was for 1st edition AD&D but was also part of their new Battlesystem mass warfare rules. H2 Mines of Bloodstone is more of a straightforward adventure. H3 brings us back to Battlesystem and finally H4...well, let me get to H4 in just a bit.
H1 Bloodstone Pass 13–17
H2 The Mines of Bloodstone 16–18
H3 The Bloodstone Wars 17–20
H4 The Throne of Bloodstone 18-100
H4 The Throne of Bloodstone was fairly notorious back in the day. It was another adventure I bought and then gave to my DM with screams of "run this!" We ran it the first summer I was home from college.
The basic plot is that all the trouble caused in the previous modules was not just due to a cult of the Demon Prince Orcus, but Orcus himself. In H4 the characters went to his lair in the Abyss and killed him. Ok...where to begin with this one!
Well let's start with that cover.
This is the only adventure in the series that is labeled for the Forgotten Realms. The first, H1, assumed any world. There is Orcus himself coming out of the mouth hell or something (the Abyss really). Oh and the recommended levels...let's see, 18 to 100! 100th level characters?
I have to admit that was one of the reasons why I grabbed this. We had been playing a LONG time and I have many characters well past the by-the-book levels. AD&D at the time really only went to about 25th level, but figuring out higher levels was not that big of a deal. Generally speaking, adventures topped off at 20th level.
So I took some characters, right around 20th - 25th level...and a couple of them died right away! This was not an adventure to screw around with.
The other thing you notice with this adventure is that it is long. The module itself is like 96 pages and tons of maps. I seem to recall it took us a while to get through it too, most of the summer I was home from college.
You do get to fight Orcus in the end, as well as Tiamat, Baphomet, a giant Red Dragon, and potentially Asmodeus. It is just a deadly, deadly module.
After this, I retired all the characters that went through. After all what was left for them to do?
Fighting Orcus is a theme that D&D would come back to again and again. The HPE series for 4e, especially the Epic modules. In 2nd edition, the events of this module would later play out as part of the Dead Gods' adventure.
For me, today, this adventure is a template for other high-level adventures. While the module said up to 100th level, there are not really many qualitative differences between a 25th level character and a 100th level one. Fighters top off in attacks. Clerics top off on undead turning at 14th level and so on. I was a little disappointed that the AD&D designers did not take a page from the D&D team in this case. At this point in time AD&D and D&D were two different, but similar, systems. D&D characters could go to 36th level and even become immortal. Some of that would have been helpful here.
Much like the E modules, this module is likely to use as a source of material, but not so much as the adventure itself. Still...running it could be a lot of fun.
In truth fighting Orcus is always a good idea. He is a demon, he wants to destroy everything AND in the E series, he desires to become a god. This H series and the E series only scratches the surface when it comes to fighting Orcus. And even if you do kill him there is still the Dead Gods adventure that deals with him coming back from the dead. In fact, there is no lack of products out there to let you match up against the Demon Prince Orcus.
This is certainly an end-game adventure after this buy that castle in southern Nyrond, hang your +5 Holy Avenger over the mantle, hire some Valley Elves to make some wine and kick up your heels and smoke pipeweed to end of your days.
Monday, November 16, 2020
Monstrous Monday: Daughters of Iggwilv
Today's monster comes from a variety of sources. First, there is Iggwilv-Louhi connection that I talked about it in the Finish Mythos. Louhi, despite being an old witch is said to have lovely maiden daughters that the heroes often seek out. By extension shouldn't Iggwilv have some daughters too?
If we go with "yes" (and I always go with yes) then there are two issues, what are they like and who is the father. Let's go with the father question first. Among the candidates of "people" she has been involved with include the Demon Prince Fraz-Urb'luu, the half-demon Arch-Mage Tsojcanth, the wizard Zagig Yragerne, even Mordenkainen himself is a possibility and of course the Demon Prince Graz'zt.
We know all about Iggwilv's love affair with Graz'zt. We know from other sources, chiefly the Gygax Greyhawk novels, that Iuz is the offspring of Iggwilv and Graz'zt. Or maybe not. In the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting entry for Iuz it is suggested that he is "some by-blow of Orcus." I personally liked the idea that Orcus had mortal agents in the world. While this idea was later dropped it became an element of the Forgotten Realms, where I think it works out a little better. But it still is a tantalizing idea.
While Louhi might have daughters known as "the Maidens of Pohjola" I am not expecting Iggwilv's daughters to be so innocent. Her only other daughter, Drelnza, was a vampire, described as a "false Disney Princess" (she is not the damsel in distress, she is the monster), and most certainly not the offspring of Graz'zt. Going back to the Louhi/Lovitar connection for a bit, Lovitar is known as the mother of the Nine Diseases. Nine is a good number.
I think I have something.When Iggwilv was defeated by Graz'zt the former master was now the slave. Graz'zt had intended to keep the fallen Witch Queen in the Abyss to have her suffer an eternity of imprisonment as she had kept him. Iggwilv however was more clever than the Demon Prince knew and soon she went from prisoner to consort, to confidant to his main advisor. While she was rising in the ranks of Graz'zt courts she was "traded" to the Demon Prince Orcus over a loss Graz'zt had suffered at the hands of the Demon Prince of undead.
Taken from Azzagrat in chains she arrived in Thanatos at the feet of the Lord of Undead to serve a tredecim (13 years) of service between CY 503 and CY 516.
Enraged, Iggwilv plotted revenge on both Graz'zt and Orcus. Her carefully constructed lies and seductions learned from Fraz-Urb'luu that were so effective on Graz'zt held no sway on Orcus. Save for the occasional bit of violence Orcus showed no interest in the Witch Queen other than to deprive Graz'zt of her. Within that century though Iggwilv gave birth to nine daughters that she was able to keep secret from both Orcus and Graz'zt. These nine daughters were all of the same fierce, dark beauty as their mother, but had the taint of undeath like their father. In secret, Iggwilv taught her daughters the ways of witchcraft and fashioned Abyssal weapons for each of them. Once they were grown their curse of undeath took hold and they became something akin to vampires. Iggwilv sent them into the world to cause as much havoc and chaos as they could and, most importantly act against the designs and will of both Graz'zt and Orcus.
Noidan Tytär
Medium Undead (Demonic)
Frequency: Unique (only 9 are known to exist)
Number Appearing: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic [Chaotic Evil]
Movement: 240' (80') [24"]
Fly: 180' (60') [18"]
Armor Class: -4 [20]
Hit Dice: 14d8+42**** (105 hp)
Attacks: by special weapon, claw/claw, or by magic or special
Damage: 1d10+6, 1d4+4 x2, special
Special: Magic required to hit (+2 or better), Vampire abilities, Witch spells, Undead
Size: Medium
Save: Monster 14
Morale: 12
Treasure Hoard Class: Special, see below
XP: 5,150
The Noidan Tytär, or Daughters of the Witch, are a unique group of undead demonically spawned creatures. These creatures, as beautiful as they are powerful, evil and deadly, are thankfully very, very rare. In fact, only nine are known to exist. Thankfully they also never work together by order of their mother the Witch Queen.
Each of the Noidan Tytär is a skilled fighter and possesses both superior arms and armor. Typically magical plate mail of etherealness +2, and a bastard vorpal sword +2 that they wield with one hand due to their preternatural strength.
In addition to their fighting ability, the Noidan Tytär are also undead akin to vampires. Magic is required to hit them and they are immune to charm, hold and sleep magic as well as any mind-affecting magics. Unlike vampires, they do not require blood to survive but drain the life energy (Constitution points) at the rate of 2 points per touch. They can go long periods without feeding but it will cause them to go into a deep stupor until a victim can be found. They can not enter a personal dwelling or holy/blessed land like a vampire and holy items can keep them at bay and cause damage. They are however immune to the effects of garlic. A stake through the heart will destroy them, but if the stake is removed they will reform in one round. They can become gaseous, but cannot assume the shapes of animals. They can fly as per the spell.
They can be Turned as Special (14 HD) by a cleric of high enough level. Any result of a D only discorporates them until the next new moon. The only way to truly destroy them is stake them, remove their head, and burn both the body and head in separate pyres. An exorcism or cleanse spell must then be used to force their spirits back to the Abyss.
Additionally, each Noidan Tytär can cast spells as a 7th level witch of the Mara Tradition.
The Noidan Tytär are often used as mercenaries for powerful chaotic rulers, demon lords, and evil cults. Secretly they work to undo the efforts of Graz'zt and Orcus.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Orcus is mine!!
There is Orcus next to Aspect of Orcus and the figure I use for my paladin. It is very cool.
I already stated up Orcus for Unisystem, and I was comparing his 3.x stats with the newer 4.0 stats and it looks like he got weaker, 3.x had less hitpoints, but more hit dice than 4.0 does. Anyone notice this?
Anyway there was something else I noticed while taking the pictures.
Left to right: Destroyah, a little Destroyah, Aspect of Orcus, Orcus.
The sizes are just about exactly the same. I can have a Destroyah and an Aspect of Destroyah in a game. I think if I did that I'd go with the idea that Destroyah is female. Orcus' mate maybe? More like a rival demon.
BTW that 6.5 Destroyah lists for 12 bucks. We got it for 6 at Toys R' Us. The little Destroyah came in a pack of a bunch of Godzilla monsters.
My fellow Eden Fan, Majin Gojira, has done up Angel/Ghosts of Albion stats for Destroyah (and others) over at the Eden boards. I have also seen 3.5 d20 stats for Destroyah, but I think these are a tad high, though in line if she was an Elder God and not a demon. She does seem to be more in line power with the likes of Cthulhu.
Of course as I am writing this my two boys are trying figure out what they need to fight both of them.
I remember being a young munchkin too!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Revised Plan; Generational Mega Plots
So a while back I posted a plan for the adventures I wanted to run with my family using 4E.
Well since that time, some gaming has happened, some looking over various adventures and some tests on my part has brought me to the conclusion that I can't run some of those old school modules under 4E after all. Certainly I am still working on my current 3.x adventures with my kids.
Now mind you, this is not a bad thing nor is it reflective of the modules, 4e or "Old School".
But it has forced me to change my plans.
So for the "Dragon Slayers" game I am running I'll add some of those classic modules. The characters are all right around 13th level now, with one just on the verge of 10th. The ultimate goal of this game is to defeat Tiamat in the "Graveyard of Dragons". What can I say, my kids like the old D&D cartoon. The rules are under 3.x edition, which has an odd mix of D&D 3.0, with some 3.5, minor bits from Pathfinder, BESM d20 and Star Wars d20 (the revised one that came out after Attack of the Clones).
Also some of these modules are going to be played by me under Pathfinder in either my "Big Kids Group" or the "Little Kids Group". Currently the LKG is going through "B2 The Keep on the Borderlands". I have already used bits of "X1 Ilse of the Dread" and "B4 The Lost City". I know that in the one of the Pathfinder groups we will go through the GDQ series at some point, most likely the Little Kids Group. I will be running "C2 Ghost Tower" under the Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space game.
After that those characters will retire and their descendants will complete a new Quest. The defeat of Orcus.
I'll run this one under D&D 4E and I do plan on it taking many years.
I am not 100% certain how the adventures will pan out, but I do want to use the D&D4 ones for ease.
- H1 Keep on the Shadowfell
- H2 Thunderspire Labyrinth
- H3 Pyramid of Shadows
- P1 King of the Trollhaunt Warrens
- P2 Demon Queen's Enclave
- P3 Assault on Nightwrymn Fortress
- E1 Death's Reach
- E2 Kingdom of the Ghouls
- E3 Prince of Undeath
Part of this is my desire to have them battle Orcus at the end. Plus I like to overall plot of involving the Raven Queen vs Orcus and Orcus getting a hold of some ancient artifact of Tharizdûn.
Those modules will get them from 1st to 30th level. But I might want to add a couple here and there. Not sure yet since I have not read them all in detail. I also know some people have had issues with these modules, both in terms of how they fit together, plot and playability. So I want to get things that are out now, and then tweak them as I need. Afterall, if this is about fighting Orcus who gets an artifact from ancient Tharizdûn then I can lay some ground work in my 3.x game now for that.
So after all that I have some modules left over.
- B3 Palace of the Silver Princess, levels 1-3 (using bits from both the "Green" and "Orange" versions).
- L1 The Secret of Bone Hill, levels 2-4
- X2 Castle Amber, levels 3-6 (place it in the Shadowfell, which is the new Ravenloft anyway)
- I6 Ravenloft, levels 5-7. That is if I don't use it as a convert Ghosts of Albion adventure. Use some of the Ravenloft campaign/world setting stuff here too.
- S2 White Plume Mountain, levels 5-10
- I10 Ravenloft II, House on Gryphon Hill, levels 8-10.
- S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (with some of the info from the 3.5 update), levels 6-10
- WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, levels 5-10
- S1 Tomb of Horrors, levels 10-14 (though I might just wait for the new D&D4 version)
- S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, levels 8-12
- CM2 Death's Ride, levels 15-20.
- H1 Bloodstone Pass, levels 15+
- H2 The Mines of Bloodstone, levels 16-18
- H3 The Bloodstone Wars, levels 17-20
- H4 The Throne of Bloodstone, levels 18-100
Like the E series for D&D4, these send you to Orcus's layer to defeat him. Of the lot, H4 would be the best one to use, maybe as a buffer between E2 and E3. The others seem more suited for the Dragon Slayer's Pathfinder game. Of course, I could convert the H1-H4 Bloodstone series to feature Tiamat instead of Orcus. S4 and WG4 are linked and deal with Iggwilv, her Demonomicon and Tharizdûn. They are good to set up the history of Orcus and Tharizdûn. They can happen in either game. In the 4th Ed game I'd stick it in between H and P. CM2 Death's Ride has some cool stuff in it. Good to set up the whole Orcus wants to be a God thing in the 3.x game. Plus it would give me a good arch-nemesis for the characters to fight throughout.
The Ravenloft ones would be great for the Sunsword (a good weapon against the undead) but there is the Board Game coming out and I want it. Plus I'd rather run Ravenloft these days under True20. So I might have to find something similar. If I use the new Tomb of Horrors then I could place a good aligned sword there. There is a D&D4
There is a lot to do and figure out here. But I see this as a good thing. Look at all the time I have. I can plan out a mult-year arc of adventuring that would take my kids all the way to college. Wouldn't have died to have done something like that?
Though I do need to figure out a way to get more dragons into the 4th Ed game for my oldest.
Now this is my attempt to bring Old Schoolers and New Schoolers together.
NEW SCHOOLERS: What things should I be aware of when running the HPE series?
OLD SCHOOLERS: What classic, epic modules are a "must run" for a group of kids that were not even alive when Clinton was in office, let alone Carter. What memory of "D&D" is a must have? Barrier Peeks? Tomb of Horrors?
Clarifications on Games being Played
- "Dragon Slayers" is a 3.x game that I play with my two sons and sometimes my wife joins us. The goal of this game is to defeat Tiamat.
- "Big Kids Game/Group" is a Pathfinder game where I play a Paladin. In this group are my kids and the DM's kids (6 players, 1 DM)
- "Little Kids Game/Group" is a Pathfinder game where I play a Witch (same witch as I do in Dragon Slayers). This is the group with the Problem Player.
Both Pathfinder games have the same DM.
- "Untitled 4th Ed Game" is a 4e game where the players are the same as Dragon Slayers, but the characters are their children or descendants. The goal of this game is to defeat Orcus.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
A to Z of Adventure! E is for Epic Level Adventures (4th Ed)
Fourth Edition gets a bad rap from a lot of gamers, especially old-school gamers. Which is really a pity to be honest. There is a fun game there. There is even a fun D&D game there. But alas it is also a game I am not likely to ever play again despite my investment of time and money in on it.
What I did like the most about 4e though were the HPE modules. These were a series of three adventures for each "tier" of play; H for Heroic (1st to 10th level), P for Paragon (11th to 20th level) and finally E for Epic or 21st to 30th level of play. Now while most D&D games stick to 20 levels, 4th edition went to 30. Well...1st had an assumed cut off at 20 and D&D BECMI went to 36th and beyond. But I'll get to that.
The Epic level adventures were truly epics. The adventure plot was discovering that Orcus, the Demon Prince of the Undead (and the cover boy on Prince of Death), desires to be a god and he sets out to kill the new Goddess of Death, the Raven Queen. The E series had you confront Orcus in a reality-spanning quest to stop a mad demon with the powers of an ancient evil artifact. It was a plot that appealed to me. The series featured three modules.
- E1 Death's Reach (21st to 24th level)
- E2 Kingdom of the Ghouls (24th to 27th level)
- E3 Prince of Undeath (27th to 30th level)
Over the last couple of years I have come up with some fairly rough algorithms for 4e conversion. So here are my current thoughts.
Plan 1. Use bits of this plus bits of H4 Throne of Bloodstone to fold into my Come Endless Darkness campaign. This is the most likely really.
Though I would still LOVE to use ALL these adventures someday. Play all nine, ten or eleven if you count the ones that came with the 4th ed basic set and Ghost Tower of the Witchlight Fens. I doubt I will ever run it under 4e, but stranger things have happened.
But I could convert it.
Plan 2. Convert for use for another game. There is some good stuff here really and I would still love to play all of them out. Conversion could solve my issues, but how do I convert it?
Well if I am playing 2nd, 3rd or 5th ed then levels are about to 2 to 3. So if the adventure says it is for 6th level then I take 4th level characters through and replace the monsters appropriately.
If I am playing B/X/C or BEMCI (aka "Basic") version of D&D or AD&D 1 then I add 5 levels to the characters. B/X/C and BEMCI assumes that the characters, well, human characters, will advance to 36th level. And your average 1st level 4e character is still more powerful than your average 4th-5th level character.
I am more likely to try it under Basic; going from 1st to 36th level. I am not really sure how well it would work to be honest. But I will also admit this is my conversion of choice. It allows me to use all the cool OSR toys I have and use a system am very familiar with. I would adopt some of the 4e trappings like conditions, especially "bloodied" and ideas like minions.
I have already converted 1st and Basic-era luminaries as Emirikol the Chaotic, Aleena and Morgan Ironwolf to 4e, so going backwards is not that difficult.
There are a couple of conversion guides out there too. WotC has one as does Sly Flourish. But none that I have found so far back-converting.
If you are new to this and want to learn how to play 4th Edition D&D and see the first part of the HPE saga you can get H1 Keep on the Shadowfell & Quick-Start Rules for 4e for free.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Of Orcus and Generalists
Orcus vs. Demogorgon
If this were the demonic throwdown then Orcus overwhelms Demogorgon. Far more comments and hits. I have to say though a large part of that is because of the Tod Lockwood art. But even when I have something similar in the past Orcus usually wins too. I like Demogorgon and think there is tons of untapped horror there and even something that makes him more demon than Orcus. But Orcus looks like he could be on the cover of an 80's metal album. Yeah I can see than, some band out of England in the 80's or a Death Metal band out of Norway or Finland today. Name them Orküs or something like that. Some one get Raggi on the phone, he would know.
Generalist vs. Specialists
Generalist seems to be the rule of the day here too. But that is also not a surprise given the population that reads this blog. I throw out stats for Unisystem, WitchGirls, d20, D&D of all shapes and size. You all must like that stuff. The Specialists have their own blogs. There are also seem to be dabblers. People that are Specialists in one or two systems and fluent in a dozen more.
I still wish though that I had a better name for Generalist.
More later including a "new" game for me...Rifts.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Orcus and Vanth
But who is this?
Her name is Vanth and she is another Etruscan chthonic god depicted as a demon and she adorns funerary art.
What is their relationship other than the obvious historical one?
Well I also read a lot of science blogs and this picture of the largest trans-Neptunian objects came up (in a discussion of the Oort cloud.)
Vanth is the moon of Orcus.
I can't even begin to tell you how many ideas came flooding in on that one!
Vanth orbits Orcus in a tight precise circle and they are tidal locked. Vanth is never far from Orcus then and she always keeps her face toward her master.
Mythological Vanth shares a role similar to that of Charon. She brings the souls of departed to the underworld. She has a torch to light her way, a key to unlock the gates of the underworld, a scroll with the information on the deceased and a sword. According to myth Vanth appears as woman, much like an Erinyes and described as young and vibrant.
There is a Pathfinder creature called a Vanth, but it lacks some of the charm of this demon.
No I think I prefer Vanth to be a vassal of Orcus. Responsible for bringing him the choicest souls to be corrupted into foul undead. In truth that picture of Orcus above should be reversed, Vanth (the woman) should be the one presenting the skeleton to her lord.
It could be that this unique Vanth has many of the lesser vanths at her disposal. Maybe the souls her lord rejects become part of her own army.
I also saw this picture of Stephanie vanRijn that had me thinking of the relationship between Thanatos and Eros. Maybe this what Vanth looks like to humans.
Vanth
Hit Dice: 11+15** (70 hp)
Armor Class: 1 [19]
Attacks: 1 sword (1d10+4)
Special: Flight, Magic resistance (55%), regenerate (3 hp/round), +2 or better weapons to hit.
Move: 24' / 60'
Save: F12 (Basic) 12 (S&W)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Challenge/XP: 11/3,000
I will have to develop here more later.
http://amusedgrace.blogspot.com/2013/08/this-is-other-piecei-did-earlier.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanth
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/psychopomp/psychopomp-vanth
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Demogorgon for Unisystem
And by them stood Orcus and Hades, and the dreaded name of Demogorgon.
- Milton, Paradise Lost.
It is contended by some that this demon prince is supreme. His hatred for Orcus is immense and unending, followed closely by his hatred for Grazzt.
- Gygax, Monster Manual
Demogorgon, The Great Fiend, Prince of Demons.
Note: Like Orcus, some of this information is based on previous works, some of it is based on historical records, and some more is completely made up.
Demogorgon is the Prince of Fiends. He (and it should be noted here and now that he is only used as a convenience, it is possible that Demogorgon is a she or an it or a both or neither, sages simply do not know) is the greatest of their number and is their ruler.
Much mystery surrounds the being known as Demogorgon. His name comes from the late Latin meaning Terrible Demon, but there are claims that he is a Greek chthonian god, or even something far more primal.
What is known is this. Demogorgon is ancient. He was old even in the pre-history of humankind. He has taken upon himself the mantle of The Prince of Demons, though there are very few that can actually challenge him in this role. In addition he is known as The Great Fiend, Lord of the Abyss, and The Great Beast. When the angels fell and took up lordship in Hell, Demogorgon was already there. He (and Orcus) greeted Lucifer and his angels. It is likely that he was kicked out since he now resides in Chesed. It is possible that his wars with Orcus and Belial began here.
Unlike other demonic creatures, Demogorgon is not a fallen angel or god. He has always been a fiend. As he has aged and evolved he has become more demon like. Or, if as speculated, he is the original demon and the fallen angels became more like him. Some occult scholars have even speculated that he might belong to that quasi-mythical group known as Proto-demons, which puts him closer in nature to likes of Pazuzu than Lucifer.
Motivations and Goals
Like most fiend lords, Demogorgon is obsessed with spreading his power. However the Great Fiend has had his share of battles. For example his war with Orcus is legendary and the populations of entire worlds have been spent in this never ending war. There was a time when it seemed Demogorgon had the upper hand, but he has been dealt a number of crushing reversals of late. He and Orcus are once again at a standstill, with Orcus possibly having the upper hand. He is also know for his battles with the Abat-Dolor demons whose leader is Grazzt, and those battles have picked up once again after some time of reduced activity. Grazzt covets Demogorgons title as Prince of Demons, something he sees himself as. Orcus and Demogorgon simply hate each other.
Less well know are his battles with the Fallen Angel/Arch Devil Belial, also known as Beliar. Though that war has been at a standstill for a number of centuries.
But more than anything Demogorgon is about change. He evolves and changes to fit the needs of the times. Some claim this is due to his dual brained nature of his two independent heads, others say it because he has been around for so long he has seen evolution in action and understands it at a level that even the Creator does not comprehend. What ever the case one factor is for certain, in their epoch stretching war Orcus has never gained a major victory despite a never end supply of undead minions. Minor ones yes, but never a major one. Demogorgon has reigned supreme or at the very least had minor setbacks.
Even among the fiend lords Demogorgon has a peculiar hobby, he has spent millennia breeding different species of man, animal and fiend to produce new races. There seems to be no purpose in this other than the pursuit itself. Nearly every imaginable combinations and abominations can be found roaming free in his realm. Demogorogon has kept Mendelan like records that go back thousands of centuries on his successes, failures, reattempts, all with a methodical meticulousness that makes the handful of scholars that have seen them believe the theory that this is just one, extremely old creature.
Though it is whispered, there is another theory. That Demogorgon is in fact a title and not the Great Fiend's name. That over the wastes of time there have been many Demogorgons, one taking over when the previous one dies, all taking similar form, and maybe even the true essence (and Essence) of the Prince of Demons. This theory could help explain the seeming contradictions in his character. While dismissed by older sages and occultists there is a growing number of younger occult scholars that have embraced this idea and have taken to calling the creature The Demogorogon. There are at least two creatures, both extremely powerful fiends that occult scholars point to as examples. The greater fiends Aameul and Hethradiah (known as his right hand) were known to be powerful lieutenants of Demogorgon that were either killed (and unravelled), absorbed into the Demon Prince, or became The Demogorgon.
Regardless of which interpretation is true, there is no way to know for sure and all contact with Demogorgon is only likely to be with one entity in particular. Unless of course one is present when this theorized transfer of power occurs, and that is only likely if the cast are the main sacrifices or on the menu, or both.
In nearly all cases and examples throughout time, Demogorgon prefers to work through his cults (even if he pits these cults at cross purposes) rather than become directly involved. You wont see full manifestations of The Prince of Demons in the streets of New York either Pre- or Post- Rekoning (WitchCraft).
Appearance
The renowned sage Gygax described the Great Demon thusly, Demogorgon appears as an 18-foot tall reptilian-humanoid. He has two heads that bear the visages of baboons. His blue-green skin is plated with snake-like scales, his body and legs are those of a giant lizard, his twin necks resemble snakes, and his thick tail is forked. In place of arms, he has two huge tentacles.
Demogorgon can change his form at will, depending on his mood. While he will typically appear as described above, he can alter that facade. Changes can be subtle, mandrill or hyena heads for example, or to a more sinuous body like that of a snake rather than a reptile. Demogorgon can also appear human as he wills. His most common guise is that of a tall man of indeterminate age and race (eye witnesses always differ on accounts) with two notable features, his eyes are always yellow tinged with red and he stands before them naked, clothed only in shadow and bald. Scholars speculate that this could be the Dark Man of many Wicce ceremonies (a notion that the Wicce universally deny). Other point out that until knowledge of Demogorgon's war with the demon Grazzt was known that there were no manifestations of Demogorgon beyond the classical fiendish one.
Those encountering the Great Demon report an overwhelming feeling of fear and dread. They describe feeling that they are in the presence of an ancient and alien evil. Those that have communicated with him describe a tumult of voices, of different ages, nationalities, genders, and description, but all cruel and evil. One occult scholar wrote that two voices, male and female, were foremost, but thousands of others could be heard in the background.
The Lair of Demogorgon
Like most fiendish realms, the Lair of Demogorgon is located in the Sephiroth of Chessed. The lair of the Great Fiend resembles an infinite lush topical rainforest full of every manner of life, both mundane and fiendish. Visitors from Malkuth (Earth) are reminded of the primal forests of South America or the jungles of India and Africa. Yet even the terrene dangers of those places are paled with the horrors of the jungles of Demogorgon. Other areas resemble great fetid bogs that stretch for miles and whose depths have never been explored, and great flat deserts of salt where the creatures survive beneath a white-hot sun by drinking the fluids of anything (or anyone) they capture.
Know by some as Abysm, Ungurth Reddik, and to others as The Gapping Maw, it is the home not only to Demogorgon and several thousand lesser fiends, but also to the two primary branches of Demogorgons cult (the third is situated wholly on Earth), many species of primates and reptiles of varying degrees of intelligence, dinosaurs and ancient reptiles, but also to several thousand humans stuck in a tribal state of development. It appears that the humans sole purpose for being here is to provide sport for the cultists of Demon King.
The Cult of Demogorgon
Demogorgon supports three very active (respective to their areas of control) cults. While separate and most time even ignorant of each other, the cults operate in similar fashions and all three, whether known or not, have the same goals; destruction, violence and the promotion of the will of Demogorgon.
The Blood Apes
The largest cult of Demogorgon, is a cult of intelligent Gifted apes. They are often referred to as The Blood Apes due to their habit of bathing in the blood of fallen enemies and comrades. These cultists actively worship Demogorgon as their god and attribute to him all spoils. The doctrines of the cult emphasize destruction and violence. In Apeworlds that feature these cultists they are most often intelligent baboons, mandrills, gibbons and sometimes gorillias. All are carnivores and keep human or (where appropriate) chimpanzee slaves. It is even whispered among the human populations that some humans are kept in an attempt by Demogorons Heirophants to breed true a race that features the most terrible qualities of both ape and man. Others claim they have already succeeded.
The Ophiacodontids
Constantly at war with the Blood Apes are the Ophiacodontids. Each cult believes there are the only true followers of the Great Fiend. The Ophiacodontids might have the edge in shear age, but the Blood Apes outnumber them 20 to 1. The Ophiacodontids are a race of intelligent synapsids that have, over the millennia of a carefully controlled eugenics program have assumed more upright and human-like form.
The Ophiacodontids were the first worshippers of Demogoron, living during the primeval dawn of the Earth during the Permian Period some 250-290 Million years ago. Their astrologers saw the end of the Permian Period that ended in the extinction of close to 90% of all life, a time we now call The Great Dying. The previously cold and scientific race turned to a doomsday religion with Demogorgon as their God. Demogorgon took the Ophiacodontids to his realm and there they continued their epoch long degradation as a species.
Wars between the two cults are a frequent occurrence with the Blood Apes pitting brutal and effective savagery against the Ophiacodontidae calculated cruelty. The only time they do not fight each other is when both tribes hunt humans for food or slave labor.
The symbol of the Ophiacodontids is the Amphisbaena, a great serpent with heads on both ends.
The Humanist Ecological Liberation League
The third and most radical of Demogorgons cultists is a group of Gifted humans living on Earth known as the Human Ecological Liberation League, or HELL. True to their name, they are a radical group of ecological terrorists and even the radical ELF (Earth Liberation Front) has disavowed them. HELL has claimed responsibility in billions of dollars in property damage to developers working in areas they have deemed protected, including the destruction of an off-shore oil rig that was drilling through a coral reef, a lumber company burned to the ground in South America and the destruction of computers used in a Midwestern America coal strip mining firm. They are also believed have been involved in various murders and disappearances of various persons from corporate executives down to a group of factory workers processing wood.
The members are for the most part the sons and daughters of Baby Boomers who instilled the ideas of activism into them, but not the restraint. Many hail from various Associations, with the Wicce being predominant. The various Wicce groups are quick to denounce them and reiterate that methods of HELL are not that of the Wicce. Even the Rosicrucians side with the Wicce on this issue and consider HELL to be the single greatest threat to exposure. Given that HELLs tactics are as subtle as a sledgehammer, both groups also agree that there is no way they could be part of the Combine.
The fact is the members of HELL, despite what they might believe themselves, are not Wicce or Rosicrucians at all, but in fact a cult dedicated to Demogorgon. Demogorgon is known to upper echelon of the cult, but the rank and file do not. The leaders commune with the Great Fiend, who appears to them as the Wicce Dark Man.
The upper ranks believe that Demogorgon represents nature, raw and untouched by man, and that centuries of human dogma has demonized him. They honestly believe they are doing the work of a wronged divine being. HELL is only vaguely aware of the other cults, and those that do believe that they were pre-historic antecedents (which is true) that died out epochs ago (which isnt true).
Demogorgon in Your Games
As with any super-powerful fiend care must be taken about how Game Masters introduce him to their game. The Casts primary contact with the Great Fiend should be through rumor only. The appearance of two headed snakes and frogs are common signs. Dealing with his cult, especially HELL could provide enough for an entire series of episodes. The cast can get to the top of a local HELL cell, only to discover that there is much more and all of it is controlled by a fiend that very few legends even mention.
Roleplaying Demogorgon versus The Demogorgon
Demogorgon has the potential of being the most ancient, powerful and dangerous entity the characters or the players have ever encountered. If He has been around since the Permian times that would equate to 240 to 290 Million Years, that is at least 2.4 to 2.9 Million levels of Age. Even if he was down for more than half that time (say he was only active when there were active worshipers) that is still about 40 million extra skill points! Obviously he cant have that much. But there are still problems with dealing with such an ancient, alien creature. One option is to cut him down to size.
Explore the possibility that Demogorgon is in fact a title given to most powerful fiend in existence. When that fiend is killed, or dies for whatever reason, a new Demogorgon is appointed. This would be the biggest secret in all the infernal realms, and quite an adventure for the Cast that discovers it. Maybe the current Demogorgon is ancient and a new fiend has challenged him to rule over all the fiends. A fight ensues and the younger fiend emerges victorious! Only to be subjected to a painful transformation where he becomes the new Demogorgon. Maybe Orcus did defeat Demogorgon once, only to be transformed to the new one.
Another possibility for adventure is a current demon adversary manages to learn the secret and becomes, through duplicity, the new Demogorgon. Now the cast is really in trouble.
WitchCraft
Demogorgon has been pulling in races from as far back as the Permian times from the continent of Pangaea. One could only imagine the knowledge he has collected from Lemuria, Atlantis, Hyborea or other long lost lands of occult wisdom. Imagine the surprise of your Immortal Templar when a creature looking like a cross between a toad and a monkey appears and starts talking about the flying mind ships of his ancestors. It is quite certain that Demogorgon has in his possession knowledge of the Greater Keys of Solomon. And his interactions with the Wicce and Rosecrucians have already been noted.
It is also during this time that HELL is most active.
Demogorgon, when he rarely ventures to Earth, can remain for 16 days.
Armageddon
Demogorgon is of a mind to take advantage of the situation and unleash new hells on the Earth. Most associations would disdain contact with him, even those aligned with the Infernal Realms. While mostly low-profile during the pre-Reckoning, Demogorgon sees the post-Reckoning world as the means to gain control. While not stopping the Cult of Leviathan, he is not working with them either.
In the Post-Reckoning Demogorgon can remain in the mortal world for 80 days at a time.
AFMBE (D&Z)/Terra Primate/Army of Darkness
Demogorgons lair itself, despite its supernatural placement, can be used as a fantastic Ape / Dead World. Follow the Lost Continent example from Terra Primeate (after all what continent is more lost than Pangaea?) Humans, intelligent apes, even some intelligent bipedal reptiles can be created here in their daily struggle for life, not against the forces of darkness, but from within the heart of darkness itself. Travelling to the lair is the kind of stuff that makes legends out of characters in Dungeons & Zombies (remember Queen of the Demonweb Pits?) and Army of Darkness.
Ghosts of Albion (and other CineUnisystem games)
Scientific thought is embracing the world. Industry is growing and the world is shrinking. The gap between those that have and those that have not has never been more profound. Sounds ripe for fiendish influence. To date Demogorgon has shown no interest in Ablion (or Alba or Éire for that matter either), but the defeat of Balberith has sent a ripple through the supernatural world and now everyone's attention is on the tiny isle of Albion. After all two-siblings, barely adults even by human standards, defeated one of Lucifer's most powerful lieutenants, they cant be lucky all the time.
Unisystem Stats
Demogorgon
Other names: The Great Fiend, The Demon Prince, Lord of the Brine Flats, Lord of the Gapping Maw, The Demon King.
Type: Greater Fiend (Demon)
*Though a Fiend, Demogorgons nature is closer to demonic.
Attributes
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 18
Willpower: 16
Secondary Attributes
Endurance: 340
Speed: 58
Armor: 28
Essence: 228
Vital Essence: 456
Channelling level: 9
Life Points (when Manifested): 430
Qualities
Acute Senses (all)
Age +40* (best estimate)
Ambidextrous
Charisma +4
Essence Channelling +9
Hard to Kill +20
Increased Essence Pool +13 (+65 Essence Points)
Increased Life Points +12 (+120 LP)
Natural Toughness
Nerves of Steel +4
Greater Fiend
Supernatural Senses (including see Invisible)
Drawbacks
Adversary (lots, powers of good and evil) 10
Attractiveness 2
Covetous, Greedy 3
Cruel 3
Delusions of Grandeur -3
Obsession, genetic experimentation 4
Paranoia 4
Taint Vulnerability
Zealot
Skills
Languages (all) +10
Theophany skill
Brawling +18
Bureaucracy +12
Cheating +9
Craft, Weapons +12
Craft, ritual items +10
Dodge +10
Hand weapons, sword +16
Hand weapons, others +10
Magic Theory +16
Magic bolts +15
Myths & Legends, Greek +16
Myths & Legends, Pre-historic +16
Notice +16
Occult Knowledge +18
Questioning +14
Rituals (Wicce, Rosicrucian) +15
All other skills at +5
Metaphysics
Bad Luck 9
Destroyer 8 Destruction
Dark Vision
Essence Drain Demogorgon can drain 10 points of Essence per touch.
Essence Shieldings
Gaze Attacks
- Beguiling (left head), victim must make contested Willpower check to avoid catatonic stupor for number of turns equal to the difference in Willpowers.
- Hypnosis (right head), victim must make contested Willpower check to avoid following Demogorons wishes for number of turns equal to the difference in Willpowers.
- Insanity (both heads together), victim must make a contested Willpower check or go insane.
Regeneration Regenerates his current CON in LP per minute. Drained Essence can be added to Life Points or Essence (Vital or Pool).
Rotting Touch - Any living creature touched by Demogorgons tentacles must make a Constitution (doubled) check, or its flesh and bones begin to rot. The victim takes 1d4(2) points of Constitution damage immediately and 1 point of Constitution damage every hour thereafter until it dies. Any healing invocation will halt the damage, but lost points return only with natural healing and cannot be restored with magic.
Keys of Solomon
As the Prince of Demons Demogoron also has access to the Keys of King Solomon.
He will typically use the following:
Key of the Seraphim* (can only use it on demons)
Key of the Spirit (can only use it on fiends)
Key of War
Combat
Melee, bite, 2 attacks, bonus: +33, damage d4(2)x16, poison
Bite Poison strength rating 6, damage 2d6(6)+6.
Melee, tentacles, 2 attacks, bonus: +33, damage: d6(3)x18, Essence Drain, Rotting.
Melee, tail, 1 attack, bonus: +31, damage d6(3)x19, Essence Drain.
Demogorgon can summon 4-24 fiends to aid him. These fiends regard him has their lord and will obey him without question.
He can also summon up to a dozen lesser demons and fiends to aid him. These demons and fiends are less loyal, and will flee if the fight is going against them.
Blood Apes
Strength: 5-6
Dexterity: 3-4
Constitution: 5-7
Intelligence: 3-4
Perception: 3
Willpower: 3
Essence: 22-27
Life Points: 56-68
Qualities: Gift, Hard to Kill 2
Skills: Brawling 5, Handweapon (sword) 3
Metaphysics: Invocations
Blood Apes appear as any intelligent ape type found in Terra Primate, save that these creatures also wield magics. Most are Lesser Gifted, with a few tribal leaders as Gifted. Mundanes, if sufficiently brutal in other forms of life are allowed to live.
Ophiacodontids
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 3-5
Constitution: 3-4
Intelligence: 4-7
Perception: 4
Willpower: 6
Essence: 24-30
Life Points: 41-45
Qualities: Gift, Hard to Kill
Skills: Brawling 3, Handweapon (sword) 4
Metaphysics: Seer powers
Opiacodontids are a race of bipedal synapsids that have evolved under Demogorgons guidance. They consider the Great Demon to be their god. They do not differ much in terms of physical size and strength from humans. They tend to be a bit smarter on the average and have stronger wills.
Opiacodontids also posses Seer/Psychic powers with the vast majority Lesser Gifted and an elite minority Gifted. Mundane creatures are killed at birth.
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 6, Room 27
Archway 3, Room 27: The Chamber of the Vampire Queen Altar to Orcus
The central passage way leads you to the grand temple dedicated to both the Vampire Queen and to Orcus. Though one only needs to look at the walls to see the main veneration here is to Darlessa the Vampire Queen.
There are bodies of shadow elves, centuries dead covering the floors. There is not enough here to determine what killed them.
The columns of this room are all carved to resemble the Vampire Queen as if she is holding up this temple. The back wall is dedicated to a large statue of Orcus, though his features here are more shadow elf in nature.
In front of the statue of Orcus are Urnu and Runu from earlier in the adventure (Room 13). They are standing admiring the statue. When they hear you come in they turn and ask you to come and admire it with them. When the party gets to them there are three shadow elves dead on the ground.
They tell you that they killed the guards, adherents to an ancient religion forgot even to the high elves. They point to the statue and claim it was carved from a single piece of stone and that the artist apon completion marveled at it for many days straight unmoving. At the end of the seven day he took out a knife and cut his own throat knowing he would never do something again as magnificent. (if asked how they know, they will say it is a common enough story among shadow elves.)
They point to one ruby eye remaining. They will show the party the way to next level, they have no desire to get involved with the Vampire Queen, but they want the eye. They can't get it themselves due to a religious taboo that prevents them. (this is mostly true).
They is trapped and difficult to get too.
A thief will need to climb the statue and find and remove the two traps guarding it.
The eye itself will need to be pried loose.
Urnu and Runu want the eye. It is very magical and has a strong aura of necromancy about it. They tell the party they wish to return it to their own homeland where it can be put back where it came from. This is all true, but the eye is an evil artifact all the same. They promise to show the party where the secret exit is.
If the party agrees they take the eye and they show them to Room 30.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Sol Invictus: The Unconquered Sun
as the children of the sun began to awake.
It's not easy pulling off a large mono-theistic religion in a FRPG, especially one where the world not only has a lot of pantheons, but also where all these goods are assumed to be real.
Fortunately there are plenty of examples from the real world. Especially in the Christ-like figure of Mithra or Mitra and the similar Sol Invictus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraic_mysteries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ine
I think a god like Mithra would be interesting in D&D.
The Church of Sol Invictus
In my Mystoerth world the Church of Sol Invictus seeks to unite the faiths of the world under the banner of one Sun God. They have a lot of influence in the temples of Pholtus, Pelor, St. Cthubert and Ixion. There are many similarities to this faith and the one of Taiia in 3rd Edition.
Proponents of Sol Invictus believe that their god is the only true god and all others are false gods or even worse elevated demons or mortals.
But the Church of Sol Invictus has a number of other, deeper secrets.
In addition to only recognizing the sun gods of various faiths as the only true god, they believe that these gods are really only aspects of a much greater god.
The high priests and the leader of the faith, known as "His Brilliance", feel that these aspects are in fact aspects of the god known as "He Who Was".
He Who Was was an ancient powerful god whose chief lieutenant was Asmodeus. At the behest of Tharizdun, Asmodeus tricked and betrayed this god. He was ambushed by Orcus, Demogorgon and a third demon whose name has been erased. He Who Was managed to kill this other demon and even split Demogorgon into two. Demogorgon later regenerated into his current form, each half of his head regenerating in to two complete heads. Orcus killed He Who Was and in a further act of desecration used his skull and spine as the the great Wand of Orcus.
The clergy of Sol Invictus believe then that by combining these aspects of the Sun God and destroying Orcus forever they can have their god reborn. They believe that this rebirth will make their god more powerful than he ever was.
In my larger world St. Aleena was also a follower of this philosophy and the Church of Law and Order in City of Dolmvay is just another aspect of this faith.
The major foes of this Church are followers of Orcus and pretty much any demonic cult. Also feared and mistrusted are the faiths that follow the Moon.
The Church of Sol Invictus are among the main witch-hunters in my world.
I am planning to work elements of this church into my current game, but not sure how much detail the players are actually going to get. The use a word my wife hates, I am going to let it grow "organically".
Some of this organic growth began when I first started pulling all this together for 4e. It was building the 4e version of Aleena that got this idea rolling again. I guess this is one of the reasons I have not let go of my 4e books. A lot of the fluff is still compatible with what I am doing in 5e.
Not everything is figured out though.
Given that I grew up in the 70s I would love to add some more left-over hippy shit to it all. I would love to add something like 12 houses to the faith, something along the lines of orders. Or 7 orders and break them down by color. The 7 orders actually fits better with some other things I had done in the past. Each order representing a different aspect of the faith. I had already figured out Red (Military might) and Blue (Knowledge/learning). It should not be too hard to come up with something else. Obviously Green could be related to growing things. Violet could be Guidance. Why? Well it brings in a group I had created separately that could work into this faith. Maybe they absorbed them. I could even have a "Black" for the secret police within the faith.
I will give this some thought. But yeah this could be fun.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
All Hail the Prince of Demons!
Sat Sable-vested Night, eldest of things,
The Consort of his Reign; and by them stood
Orcus and Ades, and the dreaded name
Of Demogorgon
— John Milton, Paradise Lost II. 961-965
Ever since I first picked up the Monster Manual way back in 79 (or 78, I started playing in 79) there were some names that jumped out at me as an invitation to use them in some way; Orcus, Tiamat, Asmodeus, and Demogorgon.
Back when 4e was the new hotness I picked up the Orcus mini. No surprise, he is the bad guy of not one, but two campaign capstone adventures. He is also the "mascot" of both Necromancer Games and Goblinoid Games. So yeah, he is pretty popular.
Before that, I picked up the Mage Knight Apocalypse Dragon to stand in for the full Tiamat. Works well.
For Asmodeus, I figure just about any devil will do really. He doesn't even really need to be big.
I have my Tharizdûn and my Lolth.
What I didn't have was a good Demogorgon.
Until now.
Last year I picked up a Demogorgon last year at AdeptiCon. Earlier this year I grabbed the Classic Creatures Collection from WotC which had two Demogorgon figures; a full size and an aspect.
I was ok, though I wished all of them were bigger. THEN I discovered the Loot Crate DX Demogorgon. Well, I wished I hadn't because I became obsessed with finding one.
Finally, this weekend my quest ended.
He is huge!
As you see he compares nicely to 4e Gargantuan Orcus.
He compares even better to his smaller "aspects". That is my demon-hunter paladin there. I hope he is ready!
None are exactly the same and that is a good thing. Demons, especially this demon, should have shifting forms.
Right now I have him hidden. My kids know all about the older Demogorgons (and Orcus and Tiamat), but this one will be a surprise.
My wife saw it too and I told her what I was doing and she is very excited. I can't wait to pull this bad boy out!
Now I all I need is a good Graz'zt mini.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Checking in on my Plan
For D&D 3.x I was content to take anything as it came, make stuff up and generally going towards a stopping the cult of Tiamat plot. It was/has been fun and we are nearing the end of that.
For the new adventures I was looking at 3rd, then 4th, then 1st and now 5th Edition as the primary game system.
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-have-plan.html
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2012/02/lets-play-1st-ed-dad.html
http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-kids-are-awesome.html
At the present here is where I am.
- B1 Into the Unknown, levels 1-3
- B2 Keep on the Borderlands, levels 1-3
- L1 The Secret of Bone Hill, levels 2-4
- X2 Castle Amber, levels 3-6 (where we are now!)
- I6 Ravenloft, levels 5-7
- A0-5 Slave Lords, levels 4-7
- G123, Against the Giants, levels 8-12 (I also have the Stone Giant one from Dragonsfoot, just need to find it)
- D12,3 Against the Drow, levels 8,9-14
- Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits, 10-14
- CM2 Death's Ride, levels 15-20. (Again, unless I use it in my current 3.x game which the boys want me to do)
- H1 Bloodstone Pass, levels 15+
- H2 The Mines of Bloodstone, levels 16-18
- H3 The Bloodstone Wars, levels 17-20
- H4 The Throne of Bloodstone, levels 18-100
And he would have gotten away with it too had it not been for those meddling PCs.
Friday, October 14, 2022
100 Days of Halloween: Adventure Module V3 - Toil and Trouble (and the V Series)
Tonight I am going to cover the "V Series" of modules by Joseph Bloch and BRW Games. While I will review all three it is likely that only the last one, Adventure Module V3 - Toil and Trouble, will be used in my campaign. The reasons will be rather obvious.
This is, essentially from my point of view, an alternate reality Oerth. This is good since the game they are designed for is Adventures Dark and Deep RPG which is an alternate reality AD&D 2nd Edition. Though can easily be used with AD&D 1, 2, Basic D&D, or any clone.
They are low-level enough that they can be easily used with just about any form of D&D including 5e.
Each module is done in what I would call the middle phase of modules or ones from the early 80s. Not quite the rough around the edges of the earliest ones from the 1970s nor the more polished Dragonlance/Ravenlofts of the near mid 80s. No, these are solid 1982-1983 in feel and form.
Adventure Module V1 - The Hamlet of VolagePDF. 13 pages (+ covers). Color cover, black & white interior art.Designed for 4 to 6 characters of 1st to 3rd level.
This is where we get our "V" in the V series; the Hamlet of Volage (not to be confused with the Village of Hommlet a few miles over). This adventure introduces the players (and characters) to Volage which in the middle of a battleground between two warring covens of witches. The Cloven Hoof Coven (Diabolic) and the Dark Star Coven (Demonic).
Though the adventure does not start that big. It begins rather with a rivalry between local families and accusations of witchcraft.
Much like the adventures this is an homage too, we get a nice selection of memorable NPCs. Tables of rumors (some true, some false) and a village.
In this first adventure, you have to deal with the witches (here a subclass of Cleric) of the Cloven Hoof coven. Their patron is Dispater. Nice, great choice. Though there is a note that if you have BRW Games product Darker Paths 2 - The Witch you can use that for these NPCs.
There are some new spells and two new magic items.
It feels like it can be played in an afternoon or longer setting, maybe 6 hours. Faster if the PCs figure out what is going on.
Adventure Module V2 - Red in Tooth and ClawPDF. 12 pages. Color cover, black & white interior art.
Designed for 4 to 6 characters of 2nd to 3rd level.
This one takes place six months after the first adventure in the series. Following the pattern laid down at the time of the earliest adventures this one now includes some hex-crawling with some random encounters. These are encountered before the party returns to Volage. Indeed this module is very explicitly a hex crawl to investigate the area around the Hamlet of Volage. So there is no true purpose or "victory condition" nor should there be. The purpose is the exploration of the surrounding area. Though there is the threat of the Dark Star Coven. Details have to be uncovered before the next adventure can take place. There is a nice little teaser about the "Queen of Witches."
I will admit I not 100% sure why it has to be 6 months later except to allow a season to pass.
The most fun here are the werewolves in the woods.
Adventure Module V3 - Toil and TroublePDF and softcover book. 20 pages. Color cover, black & white interior art.
Designed for 4 to 6 characters of 3rd to 5th level.
For this one I have both the PDF and softcover versions. Also, we are given our first real and proper introduction to the "Witch Queen" none other than Natasha. It has everything a good adventure should have. Plots and intrigue, a ruined tower, cultists, caves, giant bugs, new monsters and new spells.
In this one, you have to stop the Dark Star coven dedicated to Natasha.
Again the witches of Natasha are presented as clerics or you can use the BRW Witch class.
I also admit I find the modules colored in Red, Blue, and Green to be very esthetically pleasing.
Use with my War of the Witch Queens
Given the events here I think I would combine this all into one "Super-module." They can be easily combined and it would work well. For me I would need to decide if I needed another Iggwilv stand-in or not. I love that the first adventure uses Dispater. In my own games there is something of an open war between Dispater and Orcus. I could convert these Natashian witches into Mara or Demonic witches following Orcus. I would need to up the undead, but that is never a bad idea. Of course, I bought these BECAUSE they featured Natasha/Iggwilv. I could insert a Witch Queen as a proxy for Orcus, much like Natasha is an intermediary for the demons worshiped by the Dark Star Coven.
Ok...so this adventure is located in the Vesve Forest, sorry the Sesve Forest. That is near the Yatil MountainsYahdel Mountains where part of the third adventure takes place. Hmm.
Ok here is what I am doing. Everything is largely the same, but I am swapping out Natasha for Xaltana, the Vampire Witch Queen. She combines elements of Iggwilv and Drelzna. Though I currently have her as a Hyperborean Witch Queen. Well, that is not a problem since I still have The Witch-Queen of Yithorium and Methyn Sarr and they are too busy fighting each other to worry about others.
Xaltana is a dead/undead Witch Queen. When the High Witch Queen is murdered she stirs enough to be able to gather followers again. She is this Oerth's Natasha (see note about an alternate reality) instead of Graz'zt/Grash’t as her paramour it will be Orcus.
This all gives me:
- A chance to use Xaltana and a reworked Lost Caverns of Acheron later on.
- A chance to play out my rivalry between Dispater and Orcus, something I will detail later.
- Frees up Iggwilv/Natasha to do other things.
- Helps differentiate Xaltana from Darlessa another Vampire Witch Queen.
- Gives me an excuse to add more demonic powers to Xaltana.
Given this is going to be an "Alternate Universe" I might even make Adventures Dark and Deep characters for my group that are the alternates of their OSE characters. Not too difficult really. The purpose would be to make the players also feel a bit out of sorts. The rules are close enough to use for this and yet different enough.