Mad genius Mark Taormino is back with another Maximum Mayhem Dungeon!
Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #8: Funhouse of the Puppet Jester
What can I say here? Mark does great work, and these adventures are always fun.
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Mark: I am going to need a bigger box for the adventures now!
I got to thinking about these experiments, and I realized that I had yet to try converting a druid. I am a huge fan of druids, both as a concept and as a character class, with the 1st Ed AD&D one near the top of my list. I have done more than a few Bards, but no druid yet.
This also got me thinking about which Druid to use. I have plenty, including a few that have never seen "print" on these pages. But in the end, I am opting for an atypical druid. I am going to build Fear Dorich, the Dark Druid.
Fear Dorich has a history in my games. I stated him up once for Castles & Crusades for a previous Character Creation Challenge, and he was the main antagonist of the Buffy adventure The Dark Druid. He is a great character with quite a lot of history with me.
Fear Dorich, and that is not his name, It means "Dark Man," is or was a normal Druid. But in my games he is fighting the rising tide of Christianity. So he has taken it upon himself to keep the worship of the new God to a minimum by killing all the new worshipers. It is a losing battle, we all know, but that is the character I am playing here. So he is not about grabbing what power he can to achieve those ends.
Class: Sorcerer
Level: 5
Species: Human
Alignment: Dark
Background: Animistic
Abilities
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 16 (+2)
Toughness: 14 (+1) N
Intelligence: 18 (+3) N
Wits: 17 (+2) A
Persona: 18 (+3)
Fate Points: 1d8
Defense Value: 8
Vitality: 25
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 1
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +3/+2/+1
Melee Bonus: +1 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +1 (base)
Spell Attack: +3
Saves: +4 (+2) to Spells and Magical effects (Sorcerer), +2 to Persona saves, -2 to magic saves if far from a source of Radiance
Sorcerer Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (2): Wild Form, Shadow Walk
Sorcerer Spells
First Level: Armor of Earth, Bless, Restore Food and Water
Second Level: Beguile Person, Invoke Fear
Third Level: Dark Lightning
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: +1 to combat, Scimitar
2nd Level: Precognition Power
Animistic Background
Animal Summoning 1
Speak with Plants and Animals
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Death
Gear
Scimitar
Wasted Lands Druids
This is Fear Dorich early into his career of killing members of the new faith. He already has a 1 point of corruption, and I am expecting a lot more.
Wasted Lands does an excellent job with druids; to be honest, you just have to choose your arcane powers and divine touchstones well.
He also fits in well to something else I am working on, but maybe more on that next week or even later down the line.
You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.
I want to get some more Forgotten Realms this month, and this has me thinking about my *other* native Forgotten Realms character, Lady Nida. But maybe before she was a "Lady."
When I did stats for Nida a while back for AD&D 2nd Ed, I wanted her to be a combination of the witches that I didn't play back then: a Witch of Hala and a Witch of Rashemen. To be a witch of Hala, though, you have to start out in a non-spell-casting class. Fine! I wanted her to start out as a rogue/thief beforehand anyway, so that works. I also knew that Nida, along with Sinéad, were going to be part of a party of characters. Playing Sinéad, though, in Baldur's Gate 3 changed some of my ideas about her. So now some of these ideas that don't work as well for Sinéad are going over to Nida.
I want to focus on her Rogue/Thief/Renegade side for this build in Wasted Lands. She has some magic already, which might be the reason Sinéad joins up with her band of adventurers, and also why Sinéad has part of her hair shaved off and wears a lot of black leather; she is emulating the friend she met when she first left home. Maybe I'll even use a "Quantum Cat" version of Johan as the party's cleric. It would be a different version of course, but maybe the same as my Baldur's Gate 3 run. Note: I DO have a Baldur's Gate 3 version of Nida as well, but I want to try out something different for her in another run, maybe.
But for now, her job is to be a bad influence on Sinéad.
Class: Renegade
Level: 4
Species: Human
Alignment: Twilight
Background: Sorcerous (Grew up in Rashemen)
Abilities
Strength: 11 (+0)
Agility: 16 (+2) A
Toughness: 16 (+2)
Intelligence: 17 (+2) N
Wits: 13 (+1)
Persona: 18 (+3) N
Fate Points: 1d6
Defense Value: 5
Vitality: 23
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +3/+2/+0
Melee Bonus: +2 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +2 (base) +2
Spell Attack: +0
Saves: +3 vs Death effects (Renegade), +2 to Persona saves (Sorcerous background)
Renegade Abilities
Improved Defence, Ranged Combat, Stealth Skills, Climbing, Danger Sense (1-3), Perception, Vital Strike x3, Read Languages, Stealth Skills
Stealth Skills
Open Locks: 30%
Bypass Traps: 25%
Sleight of Hand: 35%
Sneak: 30%
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: Arcane Power: Detect Thoughts
2nd Level: Luck Benefit 1d6
Sorcerous Background
Bonus Arcane Power: Precognition
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Magic
Gear
Dagger, Leather Armor, thieves tools
Wasted Lands Renegades as AD&D Thieves
Nida here is not "Lady Nida" yet, but she is a good thief. In fact, the Wasted Lands Renegade stacks up well to the AD&D thief. Now, if I were in a min/maxing mood, I could have given her Sage and used the divine touchstones to improve her thief's skills. But that didn't ring true to who I think this character is. While she grew up in Rashemen, she is not a sage. She doesn't have spells just yet, but she will stop being a thief soon and switch over to being a Sorceress or Witch.
I'll come back to both Nida and Sinéad and whatever other characters I come up with for my Forgotten Realms exploration.
You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.
Both the Wasted Lands and the "I" of D&D BECMI offer paths to godhood and/or immortality. While the Immortal rules have some, well, issues they are still a fascinating glimpse into one possible end game for D&D characters.
The path to immortality is better defined in the pages of the Wasted Lands, but no less complicated for the character (the player has an easier time understanding). Indeed, there are very, very few characters that can make it to immortality. One of my own immortal characters, Johan I, got his forever-ever-after as a Saint.
But I do have another immortal character, one that "went through the hoops" in BECMI to get there. Granted, not a Player Character but rather an NPC. The Witch Kersy.
When my characters meet Kersy for the first (and likely last) time she is already an Immortal. She is from the adventure, M1 Into the Maelstrom, so I guess that makes her Bruce Heard's character, but even he admits she is just a thinly veiled version of Circe. That's where I come in.
Kersy's Background
In the module, we are introduced to a nascent Immortal, Kersy. She is using her human guise as a 30th-level magic User, and she is the ruler of the Island of Turkeys. If you think she sounds a lot like Circe and her Island of Pigs, then you are correct. But. Doing some deeper research into Kersy gives me a stranger tale. Over at the Vaults of Pandius, they have expanded on her background a bit more.
She is described as the distillation of the would-be immortal Koryis's own unwanted thoughts, urges, and feelings.
Koryis is the Immortal Patron of Peace. While on his epic quest, he sought to purge himself of evil in impure thoughts. He was successful, and that "impurity" manifested itself as Kersy.
At least, that is what his mythology says.
We learn from M1 that she is a "beautiful maiden" and a "30th level magic-user." But other details are scant. From the Vaults of Pandius, we learn that she is beautiful with long raven-black hair and amber-colored eyes. She is the Patroness of Witchcraft and Charms. Certainly, she is more than just some cast of skin of evil.
She is also described as having "milky-white skin" (boring!), but I have been looking for an excuse to use Vanessa Williams as a witch since 1997.
Back in 2020 I got her stated up as a 31st level Witch, just on the cusp of her own immortality.
Today I am going to try her out as a starting witch with Immortality very, very far away. Now, in canon Kersy likely started out "life" as a 31st level witch or whatever it was that Koryis was. But here I recast her as a lower level witch and working her way back up to power. She has no idea who or what she is save she is drawn to the sea and to Koryis, whom she both hates and loves.
Once again, I can only see a young Vanessa Williams as Kersy. Halle Bailey (from the live-action Little Mermaid) would also be great.
Class: Sorceress (Witch)
Level: 14
Species: Human
Alignment: Twilight
Background: Sorcerous
Abilities
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 16 (+2)
Toughness: 14 (+1)
Intelligence: 18 (+3) N
Wits: 17 (+2) N
Persona: 18 (+3) A
Fate Points: 1d10
Defense Value: 1
Vitality: 60
Degeneracy: 1
Corruption: 1
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +6/+4/+2
Melee Bonus: +2 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +2 (base)
Spell Attack: +7
Saves: +7 (+8) to Spells and Magical effects (Sorcerer), +1 to all saves
Sorcerers Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (5): Beguile, Detect Thoughts, Enhanced Senses, Pre-Cognition, Subtle Influence
Sorceress Spells
First Level: Arcane Darts, Beast Speech, Command, Predict Weather, Sleep
Second Level: Beguile Person, ESP, Invoke Fear, Paralyze Person
Third Level: Breathe Water, Cure Disease, Curse, Dispel Magic
Fourth Level: Befuddlement, Control Temperature, Illusory Landscape, Metamorphose Other
Fifth Level: Comand Winds, Dominate Other, Summon Elemental
Sixth Level: Evoke Weather, Invisible Servant, Part the Seas
Seventh Level: Mass Metamorphosis, Widdershins Dance
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: 1st Level Spell: Glamour
2nd Level: Control Water, Minor
3rd Level: Mode of Movement: Water Walk
4th Level: Magical Recovery
5th Level: +1 to all checks, attacks, and saves
6th Level: Immunity to Spell damage
7th Level: Increased Glamour
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Magic, Witchcraft
Gear
Wand, Bracers of Defence
Wasted Lands as D&D BECMI
If I were to ever run a pure BECMI game again, I would use Wasted Lands as part of it. Much like Hyperborea yesterday, BECMI and Wasted Lands feel right together.
Kersy, here in this version, makes for a great Sea Witch and growing in her power on her track to immortality. For these reasons I gave her a Heroic/Divine touchstone every other level.
You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.
It's still cold outside. So another winter-themed character is needed, and nothing is more winter than the Winters family of witches and my current character, Tanith Winters.
Tanith is a great character to test for Wasted Lands. For starters, I have been playing her in both D&D/OSR clones and for three editions of Hyperborea. I also have used her in NIGHT SHIFT as part of the modern versions of the Winters family.
Wasted Lands and Hyperborea have similar DNA and can be used to play very similar sorts of games. The biggest difference between them setting-wise is that the Wasted Lands takes place in the distant past, and Hyperborea is in the far future.
Both games are solid in their Old-School sensibilities and feel. Both games are a lot of fun for that Dark Fantasy mixed with horror overtones with more than a little influences of Howard, Lovecraft, and Smith.
Class: Witch (Sorcerer)
Level: 12
Species: Human (Hyperborean)
Alignment: Neutral
Background: Barbarian
Abilities
Strength: 10 (+0)
Agility: 12 (+0)
Toughness: 14 (+1) N
Intelligence: 16 (+2) N
Wits: 12 (+0)
Persona: 16 (+2) A
Fate Points: 1d10
Defense Value: 5
Vitality: 53
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +5/+3/+2
Melee Bonus: +1 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +1 (base)
Spell Attack: +6
Saves: +5 to Spells and Magical effects (Sorcerer), +2 to Toughness saves (Barbarian), +1 to Cold (Touchstone)
Sorceress Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (4): Familiar: Owl Psychic Power: Cryokinesis, Enhanced Senses, Supernatural Senses
Sorceress Spells
First Level: Arcane Darts, Chill, Protection from Good/Evil, Armor of Ice
Second Level: Create Wated, Cool Metal, Lock, Unlock
Third Level: Slow, Dark Lightning, Dispel Magic, Curse
Fourth Level: Control Tempature, Life Drain, Control Ice
Fifth Level: Blight, Elemental Wall
Sixth Level: Invoke Weather, Disentergrate
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: +1 Saves vs. Cold
2nd Level: +1 attacks w/ Cold
3rd Level: Magical Recovery
4th Level: Defense Cold
5th Level Ray: Ray of Cold
6th Level: Cold Immunity
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Winter
Familiar: Snowy Owl, "Beira."
Gear
Cloak of Winter
Wasted Lands & Hyperborea
Both the Wasted Lands and Hyperborea scratch a similar itch for me. I would have to say that I can play many similar games with both games. The tenor is different enough that playing the same sorts of adventures do feel different.
I'd love to try out a set of adventures, maybe even featuring the Winters family, in both Wasted Lands and then millions of years later in Hyperborea.
Character wise, this version of Tanith is great. Hyperborea has a few more choices in spells than Wasted Lands, but there is also a big difference in size of the rule books. Granted, the spells are also largely interchangeable.
Links
You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.
It is frigid outside. But we are in the middle of winter, so I guess that is expected. It did get me thinking about a few of my winter-themed characters. So let's start this one off with one of my favorites, Jassic Winterhaven, the gnome bard/warlock.
Wasted Lands has rules for using characters other than the proto-humans of the Dreaming Age. I have done some elves and half-elves, but let see what we can do with a gnome.
Jassic here is a bit of fun character. In D&D 4e he was a test run of the hybrid class rules of a Bard and a Warlock. Later on he became a more traditional Bard/Warlock multiclass in D&D 5e. Both worked remarkably well and loved how well Bard and Warlock work with each other. I did do this in Baldur's Gate 3, but not as Jassic.
Wasted Lands does not have a proper Warlock class. Night Shift does. Also, neither game has a true bard. But there is the Sage, which so far has played very Bard-like.
So, who is Jassic, and how should I re-build him in Wasted Lands? Taking the Sorcerer and saying he has magic but needs to play an instrument to use it is easily done. No extra rules are needed. Sage would cover his languages and his lore and even grant his some extra spells as well as some Renegade/Rogue abilities. So that is all great. Perform? Well, that is a sort of Persona check. Bardic inspiration? Ah, that one is trickier. But let's see what I can do with some Heroic Touchstones.
Class: Sorcerer / Sage
Level: 4/2
Species: Gnome
Alignment: Light
Background: Gnome
Abilities
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 12 (+0)
Toughness: 12 (+0)
Intelligence: 14 (+1) N
Wits: 16 (+2) N
Persona: 18 (+3) A
Fate Points: 1d8
Defense Value: 6
Vitality: 23
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Check Bonus (A/N/D): +4/+2/+1
Melee Bonus: +0 (base)
Ranged Bonus: +0 (base)
Spell Attack: +2
Saves: +3 to Spells and Magical effects (Sorcerer), +1 to Wits and Persona saves (Gnome)
Sorcerer Abilities
Arcana, Arcane Powers (2): Beguile, Precognition
Sorceress Spells
First Level: Arcane Darts, Beast Speech, Prestidigitation
Second Level: See Invisible, Unlock
Gnome Abilities
Night Sighted
Sage Abilities
Languages (14), Lore, Suggestion, Mesmerize Others, Renegade skills at level 1
Sage Spells
First Level: Chill Ray
Heroic/Divine Touchstones
1st Level: Bonus Skill: Performance
2nd Level: Luck benefit
3rd Level: Additional Luck
4th Level: Magical recovery
Heroic (Divine) Archetype: Wanderer
Gear
Shortbow, shortsword, leather armor,
Wasted Lands Bards
For starters, suggestion helps with some Bardic abilities. The Luck Benefit from the Heroic touchstones also gives a good replacement for Bardic Inspiration. I can have him take it again at higher levels for more use in the day.
I'd have to play this character some more to see how he works out.
You can get the Wasted Lands RPG and the NIGHT SHIFT RPG at Elf Lair Games.
Instead of freezing my ass off, I am poking at my Deities & Demigods II. I have all the text in the layout, but I am in a quandary. I love the work I have done on it, but I can't in good conscience sell it anymore or even give it away for free using AI-generated art.
I am going still play around AI art for personal fun, but not for publishing this particular project.
This is an issue since the Black Forest Mythos has two dozen gods and a dozen or so monsters. I need to find some art. I really don't want to spend a ton on art and not see a return on it. I am fine not making a profit for this sine I was doing it for fun (and potentially for free) but I would like to recoup any money spent on art now.
So. Trying to figure out my next steps.
