Going back to Room #2 and taking the last passageway on the right. This passageway leads to a hard right (and down, as detectable by Dwarves) to a chamber filled with fire.
Once inside, one of the fires jumps out to attack the party.
The attacker is a fire elemental with instructions not to let anyone pass. It has been doing this for 1000s of years.
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Tonight's monster and encounter was inspired by my "new" Monster Manual now sitting on top of my reading pile.
Another concept that comes up is the Demon Spawn that tries to do good. These characters often appear in comics with magic as a theme and they are a great choice for a Wasted Lands game since there is likely to be a lot more interaction with demons.
This character could be a lot of different things, and "demon" might even be an alien, say in the case of Karolina Dean from Marvel's Runaways. But my example here will be borrowing heavily from DC's Teen Titan, Raven.
Now there are a lot of ways to do Raven. We have Psychics, Sorcerers, and even Necromancers. But Raven's primary powers come from her empathic abilities and astral projection with some spells. So I am going with Psychic for her here.
The Demon's Daughter
Class: Psychic (Persona Aspect)
Level: 6
Species: Human-Demon
Alignment: Twilight Good
Background: Student
Abilities
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 13 (+1)
Toughness: 14 (+1)
Intelligence: 15 (+1) N
Wits: 15 (+1) N
Persona: 17 (+2) A
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: None 10
Vitality: 30 (d6)
Degeneracy:
Corruption: Unnatural Parlor
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+2/+0
Melee Bonus: +2 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +2 (base)
Saves: +3 to Persona based saves
Psychic Powers
Supernatural Attacks, Sixth Sense, Empathy, Psychokinesis (Telekinesis, 2d6+1), Temporal Sense, Shadow Walking, Astral Projection
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Rebilous Child of older God/Demon
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Mystical Senses (as Sorcerer spell)
Level 2:
Level 3: Additional Movement: Fly
Level 4:
Level 5: First-level Sorcerer
Level 6:
Spells
1st Level: Protection from Evil
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends. You likely will not use all of these on one character. I'll have some less-super examples coming up.
She has fewer to reflect that she is still just a teen or young adult. This also more likely the speed in which people will want to hand out the Divine Touchstones.
Moving on from room #12 the party enters a large spherical room 50' in diameter. The walls of the room are polished obsidian. The center of the room features a large monolith of the same material. Stalactites and stalagmites break up the otherwise uniform blackness of this room.
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Free Art Assets - Grey Gnome Games - Jason Glover |
This monolith radiates evil and necromantic energies. It doesn't take a magic-user to figure this out, all the characters can feel it.
Touching the monolith a character hears a voice. The monolith is known as the Monolith of Evil. It brags that it is 1000s of years old and was worshipped by 1000s of acolytes. Offerings of blood and lives kept it powerful. But now it is drained of all power, the Vampire Queen drained came and took all of its power.
It lets the characters know that if they could just kill their fellows it will be able to grant them the power to kill the Vampire Queen.
The monolith has no idea is the Vampire Queen is still active or not.
There is no magical compulsion here, save for being creepy it has no real power left.
In D&D, they would be a paladin or some other knight in shining armor. They are the bright reflection of the Dark Avenger. Thankfully they both have the Amazon Warrior Princess to help balance them out. One of many reasons why this unlikely trio works so well together.
The Paragon
Class: Warrior
Level: 14
Species: Human
Alignment: Light Good
Background:
Abilities
Strength: 22 (+5) A
Agility: 17 (+3)
Toughness: 17 (+2) N
Intelligence: 15 (+1)
Wits: 15 (+1)
Persona: 16 (+2) N
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: Plate (7)
Vitality: 75 (d8)
Degeneracy: None
Corruption: None
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +6/+4/+2
Melee Bonus: +5 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +5 to all saves
Warrior Skills
Combat Expertise, Improved Defense, Increased Damage, Melee Combat, Master of Battle (90%), Ranged Combat, Spell Resistance (36%), Supernatural Attacks (Melee), Tracking, Extra Attack (x4)
Improve Defense: -4
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Justice, Hope
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Mystical Senses (as Sorcerer spell)
Level 2: +1 to combat rolls
Level 3: Additional Movement: Fly
Level 4: Increased Ability Score (Strength +2)
Level 5: Divine Smite
Level 6: Gout of Flame (as Sorcerer spell), as Heat Vision (unique mode of attack)
Level 7: Divine Aura
Level 8: Damage Immunity from missile fire
Level 9: Increased Ability Score (Strength +2)
Level 10: Half Damage from Mundane slashing
Level 11: Chill Breath (as Ray of Frost Sorcerer spell)
Level 12: Unique Attack, Heat Vision 60' line
Level 13: Down But Not Out
Level 14: Divine Recovery
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends. You likely will not use all of these on one character. I'll have some less-super examples coming up.
This one looks great. And don't tug on his cape.
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Heading back to Room #2 and taking the next tunnel on the right. The party does not get very fare into the next chamber when they encounter a group (five) of large and piggish-looking orcs.
These orcs are infected with the Wearboar Lycanthropy and are known as War Pigs. They stay in hybrid form but once wounded they can go into their berserk rage.
They have food and water for five for a week, but it is generally unpalatable and smells terrible. It is however completely edible.
They also have Treasure type C x5.
This character's drive is not Vengeance (like the Dark Avenger) or even Justice (like the upcoming Paragon) but rather the most good possible. In a lot of ways she is also an emissary of a more enlightened, but still warrior, culture.
In both the cases of Wonder Woman and Xena they have a relationship to the Gods, the Greek Gods in particular. In the Wasted Lands then she would come the same culture that the warriors Zeus and Ares come from. But godhood is not her goal.
The Amazon Princess
Class: Warrior
Level: 12
Species: Human
Alignment: Light Good
Background: Nobility
Abilities
Strength: 20 (+4) A
Agility: 18 (+3) N
Toughness: 17 (+2) N
Intelligence: 16 (+2)
Wits: 16 (+2)
Persona: 16 (+2)
Fate Points: 10
Defense Value: Studded Leather (7)
Vitality: 60 (d8)
Degeneracy: None
Corruption: None
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +5/+3/+2
Melee Bonus: +4 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (base)
Saves: +4 to all saves
Warrior Skills
Combat Expertise, Improved Defense, Increased Damage, Melee Combat, Master of Battle (90%), Ranged Combat, Spell Resistance (36%), Supernatural Attacks (Melee), Tracking, Extra Attack (x4)
Improve Defense: -4
Stealth Skills
Danger Sense 1-3 (d6)
Perception: 40%
Vital Stike: x2 damage +4 to attack
Superhero (Divine) Archetype: Justice, Truth
Divine Touchstones
Level 1: Unique mode of Defence, -1 vs. Missile attacks
Level 2: +1 to combat rolls
Level 3: Charm humans
Level 4: Increased Ability Score (agility +2)
Level 5: Level 1 of Renegade
Level 6: Unique mode of Attack (lasso) +1 and Detect Lie
Level 7: Ceases to Age (Natural)
Level 8: Divine Aura
Level 9: Signature Item, Lasso.
Level 10: Half Damage from Mundane slashing
Level 11: Transporation mode: Fly
Level 12: Restore Corruption
The Divine Touchstones are really what separated the normal people from the heroes and the heroes from the legends.
This one works out quite nicely, I think!
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A secret door behind the statue leads to a small room. The room is filled with steam.
Inside there are four small demons, Steam Mephits.
Steam Mephit: HD 3; AC 5 [14]; THAC0 16 [+3]; Atk 2 claws (1d3); Move 120' (40') [Fly 240' (80')]; Save D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (2); Morale 10; AL C; Special: Breathe steam cloud (2d6, save for half), gaseous form.
The mephits are playing in the steam. They attack the party.
Their morale is 10, but they are at 8 for this encounter. They were attracted by the energies from here to the elemental plane of fire.
