October Horror Movie Challenge: BloodRayne (2005, 2007)

I have been playing a lot of Baldur's Gate 3 with my oldest recently and it has been an absolute blast. We are having the best time. He asked me one night what was the last video game I had enjoyed as much as this. A few came to mind, but I had to say the first BloodRayne PC Game I played in the early 2000s. He asked if I still had it and I told him not my originals (no idea what happened to them) but I did have the "updated" versions that came with the the two Uwe Boll movies. That got us talking about the movies and Uwe Boll...and here we are. I checked at found it odd that I had not watched them for my October Horror Movie Marathon before. Well. I had, but never here, save for the third movie. 

So. Let me correct that.  I am pulling the wild card and taking "Video Game Movie" today.

Yes. I own both of these.

BloodRayne (2005)

This one stars Kristanna Loken as the titular dhampir Rayne. Ok. Let's get to this right now. This is an Uwe Boll movie. Don't expect much. BUT along the way I discovered the secret of Uwe Boll. They guy is not Spielberg, or Scorsese, or even Corman. He is though a guy that likes to have a movie with a lot of over-the-top violence to level of cartoon and maybe tell a fun story. Once you get that, settle in with some corn and enjoy.

Ok Kristanna Loken has the right look to be honest so I can buy into her as Rayne. The story is similar enough to the video game with some interesting details. First Rayne is not yet the bad ass she is in the game. Secondly instead of this taking place in modern-day America and Europe, it is in Easter Europe of the 18th Century. Ok. Honestly, I am cool with that.  Ben Kingsley plays the master Vampire Kagan in only what can be described as "I got bills to pay too."  Michael Madsen is here playing Michael Madsen. Michelle Rodriguez is also here because I think her and Loken were a thing at the time. But none of that matters because we also get some great cameos. Bill Zane is here at his Billy Zaniest. I am guessing his request was "can I play an arrogant count?" Udo Kier is here, because...well why not, I mean if you need a creepy priest member of a secret cabal dedicated to stopping vampires and Mads Mikkelsen is busy. And Meat Loaf (credited as "Meat Loaf Aday") here as a vampire count. I am guessing his request was "I want to be a pompous vampire lord. Oh. and I want 6 or 7 naked women in bed with me."

Surprisingly, even given the game, there is not a lot of gratuitous nudity (save for the above-mentioned scene) here. Lots and lots of gratuitous violence and lots of fake blood everywhere. Hell. The last 10 minutes is just a slow-mo super cut of grisly deaths from the movie. 

The story is simple. Rayne is a dhampir. Her vampire father Kagan wants to rule the world. He wants the relics of Beliar (here a super vampire, in the game a demon) to become unstoppable. The Brimstone society is hunting them both. 

Don't go looking for a bigger plot than that. 

BloodRayne 2: Deliverance (2007)

Up next is BloodRayne II. Also from Boll. But this time our heroine is played by former model-turned-actress Natassia Malthe.  Now set in the 19th century and headed out to the American West. Rayne must stop the most dangerous vampire on the American frontier. Billy the Kid. Played by Zack Ward.  Because let's be honest here. When the casting director gets request for Vampire Billy the Kid the list likely begins or ends with Zack Ward. Since Michael Madsen's character died in the last one we go to the next name on the list and bring in Michael Paré. I'll be honest here. They sold me on it. Yeah. 

Would I have bought this DVD if it didn't have the PC game included? Probably not, but I am glad I did because like the 1st and 3rd movies it was just a lot of over the top blood and gore and silly fun.

But also like the other two in the "BloodRayne Trilogy" (that's right. That's what I am calling it!) there is a kernel of a good idea here.

Vampires wanting to take over Eastern Europe with the power of a near-mythical relic? Great!

Vampires wanting to take over the American frontier with an army of vampires? Yeeh hah!

Vampires wanting make a race of immortal vampire Nazis? Sure!

I mean the execution leaves some to be desired, but that is fine really. 

Natassia Malthe is not as good as Kristanna Loken (now there is a sentence you don't get to type a lot) but no one here is winning awards for acting and honestly, Rayne is a video game character.

Like I have said before. This is a slider, don't pretend it is steak.

As far as I can tell. The "Unrated" bits are largely due to blood and violence.

--

Since my kid and I talked about these I figure I might as well have some fun. So here is my Rayne for Baldur's Gate 3.

Right now a dual-wielding Ranger. Yes. Those are katanas. If you are going to cheese, go extra cheesy. I even know a place in the game where I can get her eye replaced with a magical one, just like the first video game (and first movie). I'll do some more with her, give her some levels in Rogue (Assassin) and maybe some undead fighting buffs. Perfect for when I take on the vampires in Act 3!

There are solid connections here. Laura Bailey was the voice for Rayne in the video game and now is better known for her Critical Role participation (Vex, Jester).  And Michelle Rodriguez was in the first movie and the D&D movie, playing more or less the same character.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 15
First Time Views: 8

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 12

 The first door on the right is locked.  An open locks roll at a 15% penalty is needed to open it.

Opening the door will trigger a gate spell which will summon a huge Hellhound to protect this crypt. This Hellhound has 8 HD and maximum hp.

It has no treasure of its own, but it protects Type C, G, and Q x5.

October Horror Movie Challenge: The Haunted Mansion (2023, 2003)

 One of my all-time favorite Disney attractions has to be The Haunted Mansion. I have been to it many times at both Disney World and Disneyland. Even to the point of riding on it by myself when others would not.  So when tonight's subject "For the Kiddos" came up I knew I had to watch the new one.

The plot of both movies is roughly the same. Haunted house. 999 ghosts. Edward Gracey, Madame Leota. The plot or even the story is not as important to me as seeing how much of the attraction I can recognize in the moves.

Haunted Mansion (2023)

This is the newest one and has a great cast. Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Dan Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, hell, even Jared Leto.  LaKeith Stanfield plays an astrophysicist whose new lens can also take pictures of ghosts. He is laughed out of his job and then his wife is killed in an accident. So he has ghost issues already. Rosario Dawson plays Gabbie who moves into the Gracey Manor to set up a bed and breakfast. She and her son play out the old Eddie Murphy joke about horror movies. As expected, the movie can't end there because if you know from the ride, the ghosts will follow you home.

So again, the plot doesn't matter here. Everyone puts on a great show. Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito are playing versions of the characters they always play, but who cares, they are great at it. Jamie Lee Curtis is in as Madame Leota. Even Jared Leto works here as the big bad evil ghost. Though hidden under so much CGI it's hard to tell what he is. 

My wife and I kept pointing out scenes we recognized. It was fun.

Can you watch it if you have never been on the ride? Sure, it is still a fun popcorn movie. 

Is it scary? Not really. But you could strip out the comedy and have a scary movie here.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

So 2003 was a watershed year for Disney. Pirates of the Caribbean was killing it at the box office and their next Attraction to the Big Screen was next, the fan-favorite Haunted Mansion.

Well...let's just say it didn't do as well. Oh. It made back it's money, but it was weak and critics hated it.

The movie is not great, BUT it is far better than I remembered. Again, you don't watch this one for the plot, you watch it to see how much of the attraction you can spot.

In some ways it does better than the 2023 movie and in some, it is worse. But neither are bad movies.

I think time has been kinder to this movie.

Watching these two I get the same feeling I did when watching Bob Hope's "The Ghost Breakers" followed by the Martin & Lewis "Scared Stiff."  Maybe I should do those for tomorrow night. I will admit I was disappointed there was no cameo by Eddie Murphy as a ghost in the end. 

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 13
First Time Views: 6

D&DGII The Black Forest Mythos: The Mother Goddesses Herde Oberin, Mutter Natur and Großmutter

Three more Goddesses today for my Black Forest Mythos. All are "mother" Goddesses and have quite a lot of control. Herde Oberin is the wife of Unser Vater and represents the home and hearth. She has aspects of Juno/Hera and Frigg as well as Hestia. Mutter Natur, or "Mother Nature" is the anthropomorphized Nature.  The last is Großmutter or "Grandmother", who is Gaia in the Greek myths. She is the mother of the Gods but is also the mother of many of the other creatures in these myths, including the Álfar.  

I am undecided whether Großmutter and Mutter Natur are not aspects of the same goddess. Often times you see gods and goddesses getting reduced as the pantheons age.  BUT also you see gods and goddesses splitting off.  In this case, I am keeping them separate for now but keeping in mind they might in fact be the same being.  Mutter Natur could be an aspect of Großmutter that is in an easier-to-understand concept for these people.

Herde Oberin

Herde Oberin is the wife of Unser Vater and one of the trinity of Goddesses which includes Liebhaberin the Maiden and Helga the Crone.  She represents the Mother aspect of the trinity and is the protector of the home and hearth and the family.  She is responsible for all things that happen within the home.  Unser Vater may be the chieftain of the gods, but in the home, her word is law. Spells and prayers to protect a home or children always invoke her name.

She combines aspects of Frigg/Frigga, Hera/Juno, and Hestia. She is not a jealous sort as is Hera/Juno because she is the regal queen who knows how to get what she wants/needs through her own power. 

HERDE OBERIN (Queen of the Gods)
Greater Goddess

ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12" 
HIT POINTS: 350
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Magic
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Commanding Presence
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 75%

SIZE: M (5' 6")
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good
WORSHIPER'S ALIGN: All (mostly Good)
SYMBOL: Distaff
PLANE: Himmel

CLERIC/DRUID: 20th level Cleric
FIGHTER: Nil
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: Nil
THIEF/ASSASSIN: Nil
MONK/BARD: Nil
WITCH/WARLOCK: Nile
PSIONIC ABILITY: II
S: 15 I:20 W: 23 D: 20 C: 20 CH:25

Herde Oberin is the Queen of the Gods, wife to Unser Vater, and mother to many of the younger gods. She is the rule of the home and hearth where her word is law. She provides order and calmness to the gods and their dealings. She is the peacemaker between the gods, but they all fear her wrath. 

She prefers not to attack anyone, god or mortal, but when threatened, she can. She can cast any cleric spell at the 20th level of ability. She also wields a distaff that she can use to strike anyone for 3d7 hp of damage. Within her home on Himmel she also has a Commanding Presence. She can speak and any mortal who hears her will obey. Gods and other divine beings are allowed a saving throw. Undead, constructs and other creatures normally immune to the effects of mind-affecting magic are destroyed when she uses her commanding voice.  Likewise, she can use any Power Word spell once per day.

Herde Oberin is part of a Trinity of Goddess who see the well-being of mortals from birth to death. Liebhaberin the Maiden sees life begin, Herde Oberin the Mother sees life grow and flourish, and Helga the Crone sees life end and takes the souls beyond.  In this manner, they interact with the Fata Norne.

Animal: Dog or cat
Rainment: (Head) circlet or crown (Body) Simple garments
Color(s): White, 
Holy Days: Summer and Winter Solstices
Sacrifices: A small bit of food and drink left out at night
Place of Worship: The home

Mutter Natur

The Goddess of Nature and the Earth. She is the Mother of Ôstara, and she holds the same place in these myths as Demeter/Ceres. Likewise she has a mystery cult dedicated to her as Demeter did with the Eleusinian Mysteries. From the Germanic/Norse people she takes on aspects of Frigg (like Herde Oberin) but also of Woden/Odin due to her mystery cult. As Odin knew many secrets, so too does Mutter Natur. 

Mutter Natur is the goddess that druids would worship. Her mystery cult is comprised of a type of early European Celtic type of Druid adapted from the La Tène culture of Europe.

MUTTER NATUR (Goddess of Earth and Nature)
Greater Goddess

ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 18" / 24"
HIT POINTS: 300
NO. OF ATTACKS: See below
DAMAGE/ATTACK: See below
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Blight/Bless
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Blight/Bless
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 60%

SIZE: M (6' 1")
ALIGNMENT: Neutral 
WORSHIPER'S ALIGN: All (Farmers, Druids, Mystery Cultists)
SYMBOL: A circle
PLANE: Prime Material

CLERIC/DRUID: 25th level Druid
FIGHTER: Nil
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: Nil
THIEF/ASSASSIN: Nil
MONK/BARD: Nil
WITCH/WARLOCK: Nil
PSIONIC ABILITY: II
S: 11 I:20 W: 24 D: 25 C: 20 CH:20

Mutter Natur is the Goddess of the Earth, Nature, and all growing things. If Herde Oberin is the Goddess of Domestic life then Mutter Natur is the Goddess of all things wild. She is the daughter of Großmutter and the mother of Ôstara. She waxes and wanes with the seasons. 

She does not attack, but she can summon any weather of her choosing to hinder or even destroy anyone that would cause her harm. This can include spells like Gust of Wind or Lightning Bolt. She can also cast spells as a Druid of the 25th level.  At her choosing, she can also have a continuous Blight or Bless aura about her that extends to 60'.

Mutter Natur has a mystery cult. This cult resembles the practice of Druids and Shamans. Here, great secrets are revealed to the members and only the members.  To divulge these secrets results in a loss of all status and power. Some even say that the Earth itself will open up and swallow anyone before they can reveal these secrets. To date no one knows what these secrets are outside of her cult and none within will risk her wrath.

Animal: All
Rainment: (Head) circlet of flowers in the spring, leaves in the fall (Body) Simple garments
Color(s): Green
Holy Days: Equinoxes
Sacrifices: Animal sacrifice at the Equinoxes. Animals are then eaten by congregants.
Place of Worship: Any open space

Großmutter

While she is called Grandmother, she is more appropriately the mother of the Gods,  Die Hüne, and many of the other creatures in this myth. She is equal to the Greek Gaia and the ancient Tiamat. Her brother/husband/lover Großvater is destroyed by their son Vater Hüne to make the night sky. Großvater is equal to Uranus/Ouranos in Greek and Roman myth and Ymir in Norse.

GROẞMUTTER (Goddess of Creation)

Intermediate Goddess

ARMOR CLASS: NA
MOVE: NA
HIT POINTS: Infinite
NO. OF ATTACKS: NA
DAMAGE/ATTACK: NA
SPECIAL ATTACKS: NA
SPECIAL DEFENSES: NA
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 100%

SIZE: Varies
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
WORSHIPER'S ALIGN: None
SYMBOL: Infinity sign
PLANE: All

CLERIC/DRUID: Nil
FIGHTER: Nil
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: Nil
THIEF/ASSASSIN: Nil
MONK/BARD: Nil
WITCH/WARLOCK: Nil
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
S: - I: - W: - D: - C: - CH: - 

Großmutter is the creatrix goddess and has no physical form save for all the Earth people walk on. She can communicate to others via dreams or other sending. It is said she can talk directly to gods, but her voice would destroy any others that hear it.

It is believed that Mutter Natur may be her aspect in an anthropomorphic form, and this is one of the many secrets learned in her secret Mystery cult.

--

Links

• One Man's God Special: Syncretism Part 3, the Roman-Norse Pantheon
• My overview and rules for these postings
• Unser Vater, Father of the Gods
• Sisters of the Dawn, Liebhaberin and Ôstara

This is another post for my RPG Blog Carnival Horrors, Gods, and Monsters.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 11

 Getting past the bronze doors the party will see a long corridor with doors to either side.  Magical torches light up. 

There is a 1 in 6 chance that a wandering monster will appear. The monsters will be taken from the Undead table.  Any result of "Vampire" or "Mummy" should be rerolled or use a unique undead under 10 HD.

Mummies and Vampires should be reserved for specific encounters.

The corridor is 100 feet long. There are 10 doors, 2 on either side, 5 deep, about 20 feet apart.

October Horror Movie Challenge: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Another one that has been on my list for a bit is 2016's The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Also, because of its director, this time André Øvredal, who gave us the wonderfully fun Trollhunter (2010).  This movie is often classified with other Body Horror movies, and I see why, but it is more of a supernatural horror movie.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

The nude body of an unidentified woman is found in the basement of a grisly crime scene and Sheriff Burke (Michael McElhatton of 'Game of Thrones') wants some answers. The body is taken to the father and son medical examiners Tommy (Brian Cox) and Austin Tilden. They are to discover the cause of death by morning.

The woman, Jane Doe (played with exceptional skill by Olwen Kelly, more on her in a bit) has no outward physical signs of death. Her body is slightly cooler than room temperature, her waist is usually small for her frame, and her limbs are still pliable. On close examinations though, things begin to make less and less sense. Her wrists and ankles are fractured, her eyes are milky white, her tongue has been cut out and she is missing a tooth. Again, with no outward signs like bruising.

As they proceed, the local radio station tells us about a huge storm coming (like last night's movie!), and the power goes on an off. Austin cancels his date with his girlfriend to help his dad, and things start getting really creepy.  He thinks he can see "Jane" in mirrors but turns, and she is not there. He hears things, and his dad's cat is found dead.

Moving on to the internal exam, they find her lungs are blackened like she had been burned, her tongue had been cut out, she has lacerations on her heart, poison flowers in her stomach, writing on the inside of her skin, and tearing inside her vagina; not trauma, but tearing. Someone had tortured this woman. They also find a bit of rolled parchment with "ritual" symbols on it and her missing tooth.  Later on, they also discover that her brain is still alive.

The power goes out due to the storm, and when they get it going again, they discover the other corpses are gone, and something is inside with them.  Thinking it was one of the corpses reanimated they kill it with an axe (same as last night!) only to discover it was actually Emma, Austin's girlfriend.

We discover by piecing together the clues that the ritual symbols and Roman numerals are a reference to Leviticus 20:27, and the "1693" is a reference to the Salem Witch trials. They figure she was tortured as a witch and left undying as a means to punish witches. Now she gets people around her to suffer the same pain as she does. So Tommy, to save his son, asks Jane to take him. His wrists and ankles break, he can't talk, and is breathing smoke. Tommy tries to cut out his own tongue but Austin kills him in a mercy. Soon after, he sees his dad's corpse behind him, and he falls to death.

In the morning, the Sheriff returns to three more bodies killed in a similar way as the ones from yesterday. He wants the body of Jane, now whole again, transferred out of his county. We also learn there have been no storms at all. 

We see the medical transport taking her away and as the film ends, her toe twitches.

--

This movie shares a number of common elements with last nights The Lighthouse. Both are from directors whose previous movies I enjoyed. Both feature minimal casts where the claustrophobia of the setting is as key as any of the supernatural elements. Both deal with death. 

Both also feature minimal, performances from their female costars with no dialog. Olwen Kelly as Jane Doe spends the entire movie laid out on an autopsy table nude and never says a word. She can't even emote, but there is a sense of both vulnerability in her performance and in the end, malice. She might have had the hardest job in the whole cast. 

I am not 100% happy with the ending. The witch angle is fun (and I can do a lot with it) it doesn't explain how or why all of these things were done to her. 

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 11
First Time Views: 5

Mail Call: The Wasted Lands

 Got a nice surprise in my mailbox this weekend. 

Jason Vey's The Wasted Lands has begun shipping. And the books are fantastic!

I feel this game has a good chance of replacing D&D 5e for the games I run. I have been doing playtests on it for months (longer if you count NIGHT SHIFT which uses the same rules) and have been using it to help detail some my gods in my Deities & Demigods II project.  Though I am thinking of pulling together some threads and starting a new campaign (or, rather, making one I have been doing here and there official) and calling it "The War at the Gates of Dawn."

You can get your copies, including the nice leather ones, at Elf Lair Games' website. If you backed the Kickstarter, then your games are on the way. I got mine early because I was a "test subject" for their new mailing system. I grabbed extra copies for our Sunday group since they helped play-test it.

You can also get your Wasted Lands books as PDF if you like. 

• Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age Role-Playing Game (Core Rules)
• Wasted Lands: Campaign Guide and Gazetteer of the Dreaming Age
• Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age Quick Start Rules
• Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age Character Sheet
• Wasted Lands: Bundle

This is a great game and I really want everyone to give it a try. 

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 10

 Entering this grand mausoleum, torches are magically lit. Ahead there is a solid brass door there are two statues of dwarven lords nearly 15' tall. As you approach the door the statues stand at attention and dar your way with their axes.

The statues are Brass Golems. 

They will not let anyone in unless they know proper password, which is the Dwarven word for "mourning."

If there is a dwarf in the party give them a chance based on Intelligence or Wisdom to know this. They get three tries.

The dwarves will attack on the last failure. The key to open the doors is in the hand of the statue to the party's left.

October Horror Movie Challenge: The Lighthouse (2019)

 This one has been on my "to-watch" list for a while now. Figure with today being "Slow Burn," this would be a great night for it. Plus Robert Eggers (who gave us the amazing "The Witch") does this sort of tale well.

The Lighthouse (2019)

Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) is sent to work as a "Wickie" on a remote lighthouse on the New England coast with Thomas Wake (William Dafoe). The movie starts out moody and even a little claustrophobic in Black & White and 4:3 aspect ratio. Plus, there is no talking until we are 7 mins into the film.

It is obvious from the start that Winslow and Wake will not get along. Wake has Winslow doing all the menial tasks while he saves the prestigious task of manning the light (often completely naked) for himself.

The tension between the two builds throughout Winslow's two-week stay. It builds to head when after two weeks of abuse (and maybe some hallucinations) Winslow finally has a drink with Wake.  There is a storm coming and things get worse between the two men. Winslow keeps seeing a mermaid (Valeriia Karaman), getting attacked by seagulls, and even seeing a large tentacle in the light room.

They also continue to drink and when the alcohol runs out, and the secret stash as well, they switch to drinking turpentine and honey. The last few days become a strange mix of paranoia and hallucination. We learn that Winslow's real name is Thomas Howard and that he let his former boss the real Ephraim Winslow, die.  

The weather and their attitudes worsen. Winslow/Howard finds the head of his predecessor in the lobster trap. He reads Wake's logbook and discovers that Wake has be saying it is Winslow who is abusive and wants to not pay him for the last two weeks. They run out of food.

Eventually, it all comes to a boiling point. Wake tries to kill Winslow/Howard with an axe, but he manages to kill Wake. He goes up to the light and opens the lens only scream in horror and fall down the steps.

We end with nearly dead Winslow/Howard lying on the rocks as seagulls pick at his insides.

It was certainly a slow burn with more happening in the last few hours of the story than the first two weeks. Eggers does a great job on building tension and suspense. Plus you are never exactly sure what is going on which is also quite effective.

Glad I finally took the time to watch it.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 10
First Time Views: 4

Monstrous Mondays: D&DGII Dökkálfar and Ljósálfar

One of the main features of the Black Forest Mythos is the ever-present forest. Things and things live there, and they are not meant for human eyes.  Something we forget in our age of Google Maps and GPS is how frightening the unknown is to people. Still is, but there was so much more of it then. The forest was the home to goblins, witches, and even the Devil himself. So, reading over the myths and fairy tales of the time it behooves me to include some of the inhabitants.

Dökkálfar and Ljósálfar

These are the "dark" elves and "light" elves (respectively) of the Norse and Germanic myths. I kept their names intact because they felt different enough for, yet close to, "Dark Elf" and "Light Elf." I have discussed the Dökkálfar before, and they are worth revisiting. For this, I wanted to return to an idea I had in the late 1980s of a "Progenitor Species" of all the elves and faerie creatures. It's something similar to what the Sidhe and the Eladrin have done in my games after and especially in the 2000s. This is returning to that idea shed of the connotations connected to the Sidhe. 

This is also something I am developing for my Wasted Lands campaign, which I'll be talking about more and more.

For these myths, I am also combining bits of the Greek nymphs and Roman Genius loci into a single idea. Thus these people are very specific to their environment, so the Light vs. Dark bifurcation.  I am purposely trying to avoid distinctions like Seelie vs Unseelie courts. That is another part of the world (though close by) and centuries away. 

The Álfar

The Álfar were a race of immortal, nearly divine people that some claim existed before the gods. Their origins vary, but almost all agree they are the children of the Earth (Großmutter).  One group lives above ground and cherishes the light (Ljósálfar) and another lives underground and loves the dark (Dökkálfar).

It is believed that these creatures are the progenitors of all nature spirits (elves, nymphs, dryads) and other earth creatures (kobolds, dwarves, gnomes). Like their forebears the have no souls but are not immortal.

ÁLFAR
FREQUENCY:  Very Rare
NO.  APPEARING:  1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 18" 
HIT DICE:  10+10 (55 hp)
%  IN  LAIR:  90%
TREASURE  TYPE:  Q (x10)
NO.  OF  ATTACKS:  2
DAMAGE/ATTACK:  Sword (1d8+3) or by spell
SPECIAL  ATTACKS:  Spell
SPECIAL  DEFENSES: +1  or  better weapon to hit
MAGIC  RESISTANCE:  45%
INTELLIGENCE:  High
ALIGNMENT:  Chaotic Good (50%) or Chaotic Evil (50%)
SIZE:  M  (6')
PSIONIC ABILITY:  Nil

The Álfar are the progenitor race of all elves and other faerie races. Some also claim that dwarves and gnomes can trace their ancestry to these people. They are divided into the Ljósálfar (Light) and Dökkálfar (Dark) depending on where they live: above or under the ground, respectively.

Regardless of their Light vs. Dark viewpoints, they are still the same species.

Álfar can attack with a sword twice per round or cast spells as a 10th-level magic-user. They have access to all magic-user spells and many unique ones as well. 

Courtesy is tantamount to the álfar. They will not attack someone honoring the rules of hospitality, but these rules must be adhered to strictly. They have been known to curse mortals that displease them for even the smallest of slights, and reward them with powerful magic for those that treat them with courtesy and respect. 

The Dökkálfar live underground and are often considered to be evil. The Ljósálfar live above ground in a "land beyond the forest" and are most often thought to be good but no less dangerous to deal with.

Links

• One Man's God Special: Syncretism Part 3, the Roman-Norse Pantheon
• One Man's God series
• Monstrous Mondays: D&DGII The Monsters of the Black Forest Mythos
• My overview and rules for these postings

This is another post for my RPG Blog Carnival Horrors, Gods, and Monsters.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 9

 The end of this plane is a wall of stone. Carved into this stone is a huge Dwarven Mausoleum. 

The door to this structure is sealed shut and requires a combined strength of 40 to open. 

Once open, the characters in the doorway need to save vs. Death or take 2d6 hp of damage (save for half).

October Horror Movie Challenge: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

 I was talking to my wife about tonight's theme, Horror Comedy, and how I wasn't quite in the mood for that. I wanted to watch Pet Sematary again before the new Paramount channel series. Talking with my wife she asked if I had ever reviewed Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, a movie she knew I loved. As it turns out, Amazon Prime has it.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

This movie is an old one. So instead of going over it detail (I mean, everyone has seen this one right?) let's talk about what it has going on.

Béla Lugosi is back as Dracula, a role he has been playing at this point for 20 years. This was one of his last major roles before his alcohol and drug addiction made getting roles more difficult. He also was very typecast at this point. I always liked him in this role and I think this is one of the first depictions of Dracula as a mad scientist. Something that would become more prevalent later on.

Lon Chaney Jr. is also back as Lawrence Talbot / The Wolf Man. This role I think really was the first time it sold me on the idea of lycanthropy as a curse. This movie was also one of the many of the Frankenstein-Dracula-Wolfman crossovers of the last four or so years. Were these the origin of the Vampires vs. Werewolves in the movies? Maybe.  This was also the last appearance of the Wolf Man in the Universal Studios movies.

Lenore Aubert plays Sandra Mornay, our mad scientist. She is the one bringing Frankenstein's monster back to left and just needs Lou Costello's brain to do it. Fairly progressive for 1948.

This movie also has a special guest at the end, Vincent Price as the voice of the Invisible Man. A nice start to his career in horror.

The movie is fun. It was one of the first "monster movies" I can remember watching with my dad.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 9
First Time Views: 3

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 8

 Moving past the area where the Ankou and his undead cows are "grazing," the party will encounter three wandering vampire girls. They look young but are many centuries old. 

They will claim to be thralls of the Vampire Queen and want to help the party. 

In truth, it is far simpler. They were thralls and now they are bored. They come back here because they are still drawn to their Queen.

They have no idea if the Queen is living or dead. They have not been able to get below this level. They will try to strike up a bargain with the party to get to the lower levels. They have no idea how to get to lower levels, nor even what is there. 

They have every intention of killing the party as soon as they can.

October Horror Movie Challenge: Night Teeth (2021)

Teen Angst. Yeah, that covers a lot of Horror Movies, but nothing I was in the mood for tonight. So I checked the Teen Horror Halloween movies and found this one. Looked fun.

The voiceover in the beginning informs us that humans and vampires have had a truce for years. 

We see 

Benny (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) is a driver...well, not really, he is subbing in for his brother Jay, and he is hired to drive around two young socialites, Blaire (former Disney kid Debby Ryan) and Zoe (Lucy Fry, playing her second Vampire).  The girls have a list of parties they want to hit and the last one has to be reached before morning.

Blaire and Zoe are vampires going on a killing spree, killing people against the truce.  Beeny discovers this and soon discovers that the cops are going to be no help to him. 

We learn they are working Victor (who also grabbed Jay's girlfriend in the beginning) killing everyone in Eva (Sydney Sweeney) and Grace (Megan Fox) network. Jay is a vampire hunter who was supposed to help them, but Jay wouldn't help.

The girls go through LA killing vampire bosses, dragging Benny with them. 

Jay confronts Victor to kill him, but Victor already had his girlfriend Maria killed. 

At the last stop Zoe is shot with a crossbow so they go to Victor's.  Knowing he is about to be killed Beeny crashes the car into the house, killing Zoe with sunlight. Jay tackles Victor but not before Benny is bitten.

Benny, dying is given some blood from Blaire. At first it looks like maybe Benny isn't a vampire, but when he is later picked up by Blaire you can see his fangs.

--

So not a bad flick really. Certainly, part of the modern Vampire mythos of vampires as the rich and powerful. Other recent examples include Day Shift (2022) and go back to the Blade and Underworld movies. Sure it has been part of Vampire myths for a while, with the prime example coming from the Anne Rice books.  This newest crop also features organized and funded (though not as well as the vampires) vampire hunters.

This one wasn't very "Teen" but still a fun flick. It was great seeing Debby Ryan in something other than a Disney series (I had little kids back then). 

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 8
First Time Views: 3

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 7

 Beyond the tomb of the Blood Goblins, there is a 40% chance that the party will encounter the Ankou and his undead herd.

The Ankou is a farmer who was caught between the Vampire Queen and the dwarves when she grabbed their mountain and transported it here.

The Ankou uses the same stats as a Mummy. It can only transmit its disease with its mowing scythe.

The 12 undead cows use the same stats as a horse.  The cows are turned as Ghouls. The Ankou is turned as a mummy. 

October Horror Movie Challenge: The House That Dripped Blood (1971)

 This one has been on my mind a lot lately, and when I saw that today's movie was Anthology (and I rechecked!) I knew I was going to pull this one out. It has been years since I have seen this.

The House That Dripped Blood (1971)

Vampires, Witches! Psycho killers, Weird waxworks! Peter Cushing! Christopher Lee! Ingrid Pitt! and Jon Pertwee? Ok. What sort of alternate universe Hammer film has all of these Hammer Horror mainstays in it?  Well...it's not a Hammer film, but rather by Amicus Productions. Or the Hammer that Americans made while in England. I am not trying to dismiss Amicus, but that is a good way to describe them.  This might be one of their best in a genre they were pretty well known for.  

This is movie is a classic for many reasons. You can see it's DNA in everything from the Horror anthology shows of the 1980s, especially one like Friday the 13th the Series to the American Horror Story season Murder House. 

There are four stories of goings-on in the house, each leading to murder and death with the framing story of a missing actor Paul Henderson, played over the top by Jon "The Third Doctor" Pertwee either when he just got the Doctor Who role or just before it.

I could go over all four stories, but you can read about them anywhere, instead, I want to talk about the movie as a whole.

First off we do not get Cushing, Lee, and Pitt in the same scenes, which is a freaking crime, really. Each one is in their own tale.  

Secondly. The movie is worth watching just for this scene alone.

Robert Bloch wrote the movie screenplay, but the individual stories came from various Pulp-era magazines like Wierd Tales and Unknown. So if these feel like, say Creepshow the Movie or Tales from the Crypt there is good reason.

A few other points. "Sweets for the Sweet" is one with Christopher Lee and features the cutest little witch this side of Wendy the Witch. Reminded me a little of the Twilight Zone episode The Most Toys. 

Watching this and knowing Pertwee was in it I thought about Peter Cushing's role as "Dr. Who" and thought we really, really needed a movie with his Doctor and Christopher Lee as the Master. Typecasting? Maybe, but I would have loved it.

I am pretty sure I have seen this house in other movies.

Pertwee commented on Dracula and how he like Lugosi but not "the new guy" who of course was Lee.

The owner of the house was "A.J. Stoker" something that even Pertwee's character remarks on.

This was a fun flick. Not a scary one, but a foundational one for any horror buff.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 7
First Time Views: 2

Kickstart Your Weekend: The Crooked Moon

 A quick one today and perfect for the first properly chilly day we have had this fall here in Chicagoland.

The Crooked Moon: Folk Horror in 5E by Legends of Avantris

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legendsofavantris/the-crooked-moon-folk-horror-in-5e?ref=theotherside

Honestly, this one looks really damn cool. It has everything I love. I want the dice, the tarot cards, the minis, and the special edition core book.  I am just not 100% sure I'll ever get around to playing it.

But damn. It looks so great.

If they had an OSE version or even a Swords & Wizardry one I'd grab it in a heartbeat.

Anyway, check it out!

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 6

 Beyond the dragon and his horde the opening to an underground crypt can be found. The crypt itself is down about 15 feet into the ground and about 100 feet long, 30 feet wide.  

The door is locked and sealed.

This crypt is the resting place for a group (10) of Blood Goblin (Hæmogoblin) from the last Great Dwarf-Elf War. These goblins where created by the elves to fight the dwarves. These were the "survivors".

These goblins do not have a master anymore and they are erratic to a point of insanity. Even the Vampire Queen didn't want to deal with them.

Each has a short sword +1/+3 vs Dwarves.

October Horror Movie Challenge: Drácula (1931)

Ok. So LAST night was supposed to be Foreign Language and tonight was supposed to be Twist. I got them reversed.

It works out because when I was planning on watching Spanish language movies, there was one that I knew I HAD to watch. The 1931 Universal Studios Spanish language Drácula.

Drácula (1931)

I watched this one all the way back in 2010. I wanted to rewatch it this time just listening to the Spanish. I have to admit, I was very, very pleased.

First, it flows better. Reading the English captions caused me to miss so much the first time.

Secondly, I am pleased with how my Spanish is progressing. 

Here is part of my original take on the movie, if anything, it is even more true now.

The differences are subtle but still noticeable.

This production for example seemed to learn from the mistakes of the previous day's shooting.  Also, because the censors didn't care about the Spanish version, they got away with more sex appeal.  For example, the dresses revealed more cleavage, and Lupita Tovar's performance as Eva (Mina) in general. There is a great documentary feature on the DVD with Tovar where she talks about how she liked her costumes more than the "conservative" American ones.

I am glad I finally got to see it. Carlos Villarias will never really get mentioned in the same breath as Bela Lugosi, save as a comparison, and his acting was not great.  But there is something about the roll that he also made his own; despite what looks and sounds like a Bela Lugosi impression. In Spanish.

I give Villarias some more credit now that I could actually understand what he was saying. But the set was just amazing.

Now I want a Dracula/Zorro crossover set in 1836 where Dracula decides to first go to Alta California before his trip to Victorian England.  "El Conde Drácula contra el Zorro!"

ETA: I guess this was a comic in the 1990s! Though this time Dracula and Zorro meet each other halfway in Spain. Makes sense to me.

Have to remember that tomorrow night is Anthology.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 6
First Time Views: 2

D&DGII The Black Forest Mythos: Sisters of the Dawn, Liebhaberin and Ôstara

Two sister goddesses today who might, in fact, be the same goddess depending on who you talk to and when you talk to them.  I'll detail that more below, but let's discuss them as two separate Goddesses for now.

These Goddesses cleave closer to their ancient roots than their Norse ones. In addition to Roman and Greek influences, these Goddesses can be traced back to their Mesopotamian antecedents, with Astartē, Ishtar, and even Isis as their inspiration. Primarily, this is due to the vital importance Spring has had throughout time to an agricultural society.

Ôstara

She is the goddess of spring, rebirth, and the dawn. She is the daughter of Mutter Natur and one of the gods that has retained her old name.  Her title is "Geliebte," which means "beloved." She is celebrated on the Spring Equinox when she rises with the dawn to wake up the world from its long winter slumber. She goes to the underworld in the Fall and world weeps and sleeps, but not before her bounty is brought into the world in form of her harvests.

Ôstara is one of the overtly Pagan goddesses in this pantheon. She retains much of her earlier character and strongly aligns with Persephone/Proserpina in the Spring and Dionysus/Bacchus in the Autumn. 

ÔSTARA (Goddess of Spring)
Intermediate Goddess

ARMOR CLASS: 1 / -5
MOVE: 18" / 24"
HIT POINTS: 200
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d10/1d10 
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Radiance of Dawn
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Blinding Defense
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%

SIZE: M (5' 4")
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good
WORSHIPER'S ALIGN: All (mostly Good)
SYMBOL: An egg or rabbit
PLANE: Himmel

CLERIC/DRUID: 15th level Druid
FIGHTER: Nil
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: Nil
THIEF/ASSASSIN: Nil
MONK/BARD: 7th level Bard
WITCH/WARLOCK: 8th level Witch
PSIONIC ABILITY: II
S: 17 I:18 W: 18 D: 20 C: 20 CH:24

Ôstara is the Goddess of Spring and Rebirth. She is the maiden that heralds the dawn and new beginnings. She is a peaceful Goddess but terrible to her enemies. She always appears as a young woman wearing a garland of flowers and dressed in bright yellows and blues.

She can charm any animal as per the spell with no chance of saving throw, they will all do her bidding to defend her if she but asks, even to the death. Afterward, she will raise them back from the dead to perfect health and maximum hp. She can also raise dead on any mortal once per day.

She prefers not to attack, but if she is she can cast her Corona of Dawn once per day. This power blinds all within 100' of her and deals 6d6 fire damage to those within 30' of her. Any who make their saves take half damage.  This power also acts as a shield, providing her with -5 AC.  She can also strike with a beam of searing light for 1d10 points of damage twice per round. 

While she would rather not attack any living creature, she has no such qualms against the undead or demons.

She is the wife of Jäger and sister to Liebhaberin. She is honored by druids and witches who look to the return of spring.

Ôstara grows the Golden Apples of Immortality. Her sister then will give them to gods or mortals of her own choosing. 

Sphere of Control: Spring

Animal: Lambs, Rabbits
Rainment: (Head) Bare (Body) Simple white garments
Color(s): White, Green
Holy Days: Spring Equinox
Sacrifices: Burning incense and apples.
Place of Worship: Any open area, fields of grains

Liebhaberin

The goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. Where Ôstara brings life back to the land, Liebhaberin brings it to young lovers. She is the ever-young, ever-beautiful goddess of spring. She is the morning star seen after the Spring Equinox. She has aspects of Aphrodite/Venus and aspects of both Freya and Iðunn. She, along with Ôstara, keeps the Golden Apples that keep the Gods forever young and immortal. No human (likely rendered "No Man") may eat of them. (To further confuse the myths here I am going to say that because of the "No Man" statement, a woman may eat of these apples and give them to a man. That's how they explain away Adam and Eve.) 

Liebhaberin is also the patron goddess of all nymphs and dryads. Her retinue is occupied only by the most beautiful nymphs. 

LIEBHABERIN (Goddess of Beauty, Love, and Sexuality)
Intermediate God

ARMOR CLASS: 3
MOVE: 18"
HIT POINTS: 220
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Emotional damage
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Charming 
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Pact of the Beloved (see below)
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%

SIZE: M (5' 6")
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good
WORSHIPER'S ALIGN: All (mostly Good; lovers)
SYMBOL: The Morning Star
PLANE: Himmel

CLERIC/DRUID: 10th level Cleric
FIGHTER: Nil
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 4th level Illusionist
THIEF/ASSASSIN: Nil
MONK/BARD: 9th level Bard
WITCH/WARLOCK: 6th level Witch
PSIONIC ABILITY: II
S: 16 I:16 W: 18 D: 18 C: 20 CH:25

Liebhaberin is the Goddess of Beauty, Love, and Sexuality. She is the ever-young maiden. While her sister Ôstara stirs life back into the Earth and nature, she does the same for lovers.

She can appear as whatever the person viewing her most desires and can charm any mortal with no save. 

Due to ancient pacts between the gods and all living things, no mortal or immortal that has ever been loved can bring her harm in any way. This includes direct attacks and even area-of-effect magics. Since everyone has been loved by someone at least at one point, this effectively makes her invulnerable. Undead, constructs, and mindless elementals are immune to this. Demons are also immune to this and are enraged by this.

Like her sister she is loathe to engage in violence. She can touch a person and they feel whatever emotion she chooses. Her tactic is often to calm an aggressor or make them fall in love with her or someone nearby. She can also cause jealousy and rage; a common tactic when she dealing with a number of hostile mortals. 

She keeps the Golden Apples of Immortality, which are hers to give to whoever she pleases. 

Many Gods, Goddesses, and mortals claim to be her lover, and this is all likely true, but she can't limit herself to just one lover.

Sphere of Control: Sex, love, beauty
Animal: Rabbit
Rainment: (Head) Bare (Body) Simple white garments or bare
Color(s): White, Red
Holy Days: Mornings, Weddings
Sacrifices: Libations
Place of Worship: Any area of natural beauty, the bedroom.

One Goddess or Two?

One of the crucial things to consider when making a new pantheon, even one with historical basis, is that gods are not compartmentalized easily. For example, Apollo is the God of music, archery, and the Sun. Pan is also the God of music. Hellios is also the God of the sun. This is because we are looking back at these myths through our times. Apollo rose and fell (but mostly rose) in importance over the centuries. This is even more true of the Egyptian myths. Gods rose, fell, were merged, split apart, and more.  

What does this have to do with these two?

Simple, these two goddesses could have been one goddess. They could have been aspects of the same goddess.  They could be sisters, mother and daughter, or something else. Gods can be a lot of things at the same time that mortals can't be.  I had considered making them Divine Twins, but that role is being served elsewhere.

So, where does that leave me? Simple I go back to my rules. I follow what would work best for an AD&D game. I will keep them separate for now, but knowing full well, they could be combined into one goddess as time goes on.

I like my gods to be messy and have some unnecessary overlap. 

Plane

Until I come up with something better, the Plane these Gods all live on is called Himmel, the German word for Heaven. 

Where is Himmel? Well if you ask the worshipers, they will look at you strangely and point up. Beacuse where else would it be? 

Consequently, the land of the dead and the place of evil is Hölle (Hell, but it also sounds like hole).

Where either of these is on the Great Wheel cosmology is anyone's guess. I am not sure yet myself. I *like* the great wheel, but I am not beholden to it. At least I don't think I need to be even if not using it violates my Rule #1.

Links

• One Man's God Special: Syncretism Part 3, the Roman-Norse Pantheon
• One Man's God series
• Deities & Demigods II: Part 1, Hecate (stat block construction)
• Monstrous Mondays: D&DGII The Monsters of the Black Forest Mythos
• My overview and rules for these postings
• Unser Vater, Father of the Gods

This is another post for my RPG Blog Carnival Horrors, Gods, and Monsters.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 10, Room 5

 Beyond the River of Blood roams a Purple Dragon, aka an Arcane Dragon.  It is attracted to the necromantic energies here to feed. But it never misses the chance to snack on the occasional dwarf or human.

There is a 65% chance that the dragon will not attack first, living creatures are a rare event here and it will be sizing the party up. Even going as far as stalking the party from the shadows. There is an additional 35% it will even talk with the party.

Regardless of attitude or outcome, it fully intends to eat the party. That is not to say it won't first seek out what the party can offer it.

October Horror Movie Challenge: Carnival of Souls (1962)

 Carnival of Souls from 1962 was always "that one movie" for me. That one I had heard so much about. That one I had always wanted to see. I finally got around to it sometime after 2000 when  The Criterion Collection released their 2-DVD set of it. I have to say that it lived up to all the hype for me. Rewatching it again 20+ years after that, it still holds up.

It is also a perfect move for tonight's "What a Twist" theme.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Mary (Candace Hilligoss, who is haunting in this) is in a street race with her two friends against two other guys. The guys, in an attempt to win, nudge the girl's car and they fly off a bridge into a muddy river somewhere in Kansas.  Hours later Mary walks out of the river with no memory on how she survived.

We followed up with Mary as she moved to Salt Lake City to get a job as an organist in a church. She has some minor, rather mundane adventures, except she keeps seeing this ghoulish-looking man everywhere she goes. Mary thinks she is going crazy and no one else can see the man. She is also oddly interested in a run-down old building that used to house a carnival, a building she has been told never to enter.

Finally, she can't help herself and she goes to the building where she sees not just the Ghoulish man and other ghouls, but a ghoulish version of herself dancing with the man. She runs off and is chased by the ghouls.

What a Twist: The last scenes are back in Kansas where the car is finally pulled up from the river. Inside are all three girls, including Mary, dead.

The movie is slow, but it is a slow burn creeping horror. Sure there is plenty of evidence that Mary is dead from the start, but much like "Sixth Sense" you don't notice it until the end. Indeed this movie is the spiritual ancestor of The Sixth Sense.

The vibe of this movie is also just really creepy. Everything seems slightly off and nothing looks or feels exactly right. There is a solid Twilight Zone feel to it. The fact that it is in Black & White only enhances this feeling. 

Worth noting is the haunting organ soundtrack throughout the whole movie. It adds to this feeling.

This movie is a classic for good reason. It might not be the scariest movie I have seen, but it is a very satisfying one.  

October Horror Movie Challenge 2023
Viewed: 5
First Time Views: 2

Reviews: I'm Going to Hell!

 It's October, and my thoughts turn to scary things. And honestly, what could be scarier than a trip to Hell? There are a lot of great adventures to take your characters through. I can't review them all, but here are a few.

I DO still want to do my "A Barbarian in Hell" adventure sometime. These will help me out. 

So come with me. Let's go to Hell!

666: The Number of the Beast

PDF, 20 Pages, DMsGuild. $6.66

This one is fun. It's 20 pages long, and it takes its inspiration from both Dante's Inferno and Heavy Metal music. Sounds like my kind of mix, to be honest! This one also takes cues from a few different video games. This works if you imagine that your characters are already dead and in Hell and not traveling there as a "Soujurn in Hell."

This PDF sets up seven "boss battles" for characters in Hell. It can be used as described or as a supplement to an ongoing campaign in Hell, which is what I am using it for.

This is obviously for D&D 5e via the DMsGuild.

Nine Hells Adult Coloring Book

PDF, 48 Pages. B&W art (by design). $6.95 PDF / $8.98 Print

This is overtly a coloring book, but it is also a great resource for the Pathfinder version of Hell and stat blocks for the rulers of each level. Again this could be in the form of a "boss battle" or as a resource. Buy it for the coloring book, but stay for the backgrounds, lore, and stat-blocks.

The art from Jacob E. Blackmon is excellent as well, and there are some pieces here that would be a lot of fun to color. Now, where did my kids leave their crayons?

 

Emirikol's Guide to Devils

PDF, 246 Pages. Color art. $15.00

From Sean McGovern, of The Power Score RPG blog.  So right away I knew this was going to be a well-researched product. Sean has been one of the best at deep lore D&D research in the blogging scene for years. He is meticulous and encompassing on any topic he tackles.

This is a massive volume at 246 pages and covers the Hells and its inhabitants. It takes D&D lore from as far back 1st/2nd Edition (I noticed that details from "Politics of Hell" are not really included though, but everything else is) and tries to bring them all together. It leans heavily into the 5th edition versions of Hells (naturally), and the book is presented like many of the newer 5e books, with notes from Emirikol the Chaotic and Natasha the Dark. 

The information makes for a great read, and there are some details I really enjoy. I like how the author explains the shift from Demon to Devil to Fiend for Succubi. There are plenty of stat blocks, which is good if you don't have all the devils and Archdevils. And there are plenty of new devils and backgrounds on playing characters associated with devils and the Hells.

The art is a mixed bag, as with any DMsGuild product, and I am not 100% on board with all the lore choices made here.  But there is enough text and information here to keep me busy. Plus any choice I don't like I can simply say "well, Emirikol got it wrong" or even "This was from Natasha when she was younger and not yet Iggwilv."

In any case, it is good to have multiple points of view on something as complex as the Nine Hells.

I do wish there was a printer-friendly version. This would be nice in my big red binder of devil information.

Dalor's Guide to Devils & Demons

PDF, 127 pages, Color art. PDF $19.99 / Print $34.99

Now this one was a bit of a pleasant surprise to me.  It is for 5e so I was expecting something akin to the DMsGuild products I had been reviewing. But this one reminds me of the best of the OSR in terms of look and feel, with solid 5e design and layout. Really the best of both worlds. The vibe I get from it is like the old Mayfair Demons series.

This book gives you a ton of new demons and devils and plenty of background and lore for them. There is even a fiendish language and alphabet. I am a little surprised this one doesn't have more sales because it is just a treasure trove of great stuff.

There are new demon lords, new arch-devils, cults and contracts, and even a new class. A little bit of everything really. 

--

See you in Hell!