Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MDosantos 07-23-07, 03:22 PM	Just that, I've seen the name mentioned in various posts and I just don't have a clue of who he is... Thanks in advance for your time :D
Need_A_Life 07-23-07, 03:30 PM	He is Dr. Frankenstein... Basically a high-level sorcerer who experiments with living subjects. He sews limbs on creatures that don't need them. Basically, stay clear of him. He's described in detail in Explorers Handbook, IIRC.
Bluebrush 07-23-07, 03:39 PM	Mordain is an Elf Wizard/Transmuter who currently resides in Droaam, experimenting with the magic of the Daelkyr to make all sorts of weird and nasty things. He's old (for an elf even), a high level mage and even the Hags of Droaam have decided to leave him alone, which should tell you he's majorly bad news. He's also a former member of The Twelve, (The Dragonmarked Houses' co-operative magic advancement organisation. In meta-game terms, in addition to being a good high-level opponent/patron, he's also a good way to introduce weird and dangerous new monsters into the game. He hasn't been detailed at length in any of the books, but he's got a few good mentions in some online articles, like Eberron Expanded.
The White Sorcerer 07-23-07, 03:58 PM	Old Mordy is, IMHO, the wizard of Eberron, comparable to Mordenkainen, Raistlin, Elminster, and Dumbledore.
Amaril 07-23-07, 05:05 PM	Here's a Dragonshards article on him (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20050725a). Personally, I'd give him levels in the Fleshwarper PrC from Lords of Madness.
Nived 07-23-07, 10:06 PM	He's the highest level known living spellcaster who is not a dragon, giant, or being from another plane of existance in the setting.
yrogerg 07-23-07, 10:42 PM	He's the highest level known living spellcaster who is not a dragon, giant, or being from another plane of existance in the setting. Or a Tree. Or a little girl.
Nived 07-23-07, 11:21 PM	Or a Tree. Or a little girl. Granted on the Tree bit... Jaela we can debate whether its her or the flame (which is an outsider) doing the casting since its just in flame keep.
Nerdicus 07-29-07, 06:47 PM	HOw do you guys see Mordain? I see him as hugely fat and bloated. He rides a strange insectoid/chair like thing and is served on hand and foot by various deformed creatures. The chair thing is a beetle like thing with no outer shell and a soft form fitting area to be sat on. I also see him using a face mask on a stick that is the stretched features of someones face. When he holds in front of his face and speaks it moves as if speaking, but it moves in a tortured way, making a parody of the emotions. When he is happy it splits in a gruesome wide grin, sad is horribly sad, and so on. Also I feel that he would surround his tower with his creations with the instructions to fight anyone who draws near. Friend or foe, you have to fight your to him, and when you get there, he wants to know what you came up against, and what you thought of it. Genuinely an artist in his own mind, he loves to hear how people feel about his creations. He will lavish those who make it to him with feasts hoping to entice them into going into great detail about their experience with his "weavings" as he calls them, embracing the name given to him. How do you guys see him?
Darth Syntax 07-29-07, 07:36 PM	For me, Mordain is a thin nervous fellow with a habit of speaking to himself and punctuating his statements with light titters of laughter. He is obsessed with conquering what he sees as the weaknesses inherent in being alive and as modified himself extensively so that he heals rapidly, is immune to disease and poison, never tires, never needs to eat, and never ages. He will eventually, he hopes, discover a means of staying alive forever. Oddly, Mordain sees himself as something of a philanthropist. He would like to share his gifts with the rest of the world, and thus cure all disease, prevent pain, and cheat death. But he must first perfect them. To do this he needs to perform experiments, and needs living, sentient subjects. He had no problem with inflicting horrific pain in the name of his science nor does he care much what happens to his failed experiments. He simply takes notes of what went wrong and tries a new experiment.
Nived 07-29-07, 07:59 PM	I conversely see him completely different. My version of him has him as a rather healthy elderly elf, almost regal. He warps things and uses forbidden knowledge, experiments on living things and makes absolute nightmares, but to look at the guy he seems like a nice old fellow. In this way he's not unlike Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lector. He's cultured, polite, and an absolutely psychotic. He wont think twice of turning you inside out if you don't mind your manners, but if you don't give him a reason he'll be courteous. Perhaps he has experimented on himself and this outer persona is merely a use of Alter Self. I mean the guy is the most powerful transmuter in the world... he looks exactly as he wants to. His work his research is all, everything else he really doesn't matter to him, if the PCs want something from him, they better be able to give him something of equal value, not only of what they seek from him, but more importantly for taking up his valuable time. If the PCs actively interfere in his work, he will make a point of punishing them in a very creative way.
Rechan 07-29-07, 08:03 PM	Mordain, for me, would be completely "normal" if you saw him on a street in Sharn. He appears perfectly stable, healthy, and too-perfect. Except for his face, no skin is presented - all high collars and pretty gloves. Behavior-wise, he would stare intensely at you, as though trying to stare into or through you. As he talks, he'd walk around whoever he's talking - looking them up and down in a clinical fashion. He might say to himself, "Weak chin" or "Left eye inch too lateral", and appear completely oblivious to the fact that the subject can hear this. Even as someone tries to talk to him, his responses are half-hearted, like he's more interested in looking at his guests rather than talk, even if he gives sufficient answers. Eventually he will zero in on One part of the subject's body - their hands, their teeth, or the slope of their jaw. At this point, he smiles for the first time and will compliment the individual on the perfection of that aspect. At this point he snaps out of his intense scrutiny, and I would expect him to behave just as Nived proposes. The true contrast to Mordain is that he is surrounded by his creations. Bodyguards naturally, but he also has a creature that is always writing down every note he says aloud about the subject's characteristics. I will agree with the second paragraph of Darth Syntax's, although I also think that once Mordain is satisfied with an experiment and a creation, he grows a certain sort of fond favoritism towards it. The flesh golem that he creates would be treated like his butler, with the same level of cordial respect and familiarity. Some of them may even be seen in the same light that a father views a son, or a master sees a pet. I will say, however, that Nerdicus's presentation is awesomely freaky; I will have to commandeer that for something else.
Nerdicus 07-29-07, 08:13 PM	:devil:
Adrez Nesnsid 07-30-07, 07:25 PM	Old Mordy is, IMHO, the wizard of Eberron, comparable to Mordenkainen, Raistlin, Elminster, and Dumbledore. What about Erandis d'Vol???
Vharuck 07-30-07, 11:44 PM	What about Erandis d'Vol??? He's 4 levels above Vol in wizard, so he could school her. Magically, I mean. Those 4 levels aren't as important when Vol is both a half-dragon and a lich. And in command of a lot of powerful undead.
taski 07-31-07, 06:11 AM	I would posit that Vol's wizardly library is more extensive, as she's had millennia over Mordain's centuries to assemble it. Mordain's collection of transmutations, however, would be unsurpassed (except by the Daelkyr, whose work must not be written of).
Nived 07-31-07, 09:49 AM	Agreed, while Vol's libraries of general and necromancy would be larger, Moradin's would probably contain nearly every transmutation spell in the game. (Significant for games where DMs will restrict certain add on books as rare or hitherto unknown spells.) Also his library would contain such blasphemous tomes as the Codex Anathema. For his build I wouldn't make him a fleshwarper PRC as Amaril suggested, just a matter of taste, I'd drop Master Transmuter (Complete Acrane) and maybe Archmage on him. Simpley because I wouldn't want to have him sacrifice any caster levels.
The White Sorcerer 08-01-07, 01:07 PM	What about Erandis d'Vol??? Lady Vol is a clear villain and Mordain is a higher-level wizard. That's why.
Nerdicus 08-01-07, 04:21 PM	I have never seen Mordain as a bad guy so to speak, more...misunderstood. Unlike Vol who is pretty much your evil mastermind/monster lady. Mordain just wants to learn as much as he can about flesh shaping and transmutation, and doesn't mind playing god to do so.
Rechan 08-01-07, 07:16 PM	I have never seen Mordain as a bad guy so to speak, more...misunderstood. Unlike Vol who is pretty much your evil mastermind/monster lady. Except she is quite the sympathetic villain if not a tragic figure. After all, her original sin was merely being BORN; that caused her House and everything she knew to be pretty much obliterated. Now it's payback and generally to renew her House.
DBlizzard 08-02-07, 12:28 AM	He's also a former member of The Twelve, (The Dragonmarked Houses' co-operative magic advancement organisation. Hmmm...that's an angle I hadn't considered. As a member of the Phiarlan family he has ties to the Mark of Shadow (if not actually possessing the mark). While not directly relevant to him now, the family certainly shaped his past, which shaped him into what he is now. Hmmm...I can see a lot of potential here. Phiarlan is tied to illusion. Illusion and transformation magic are pretty close from a philosophical POV. With the various stories of what he looks like, perhaps he is using transformation magic, or perhaps he has innate illusionary abilities (or both). After all, her original sin was merely being BORN; that caused her House and everything she knew to be pretty much obliterated. That we know about. I think there is a missing part of the story here and don't think it was just a case of Vol being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nived 08-03-07, 10:21 AM	Well Vol is actively evil she has goals as far reaching as destroying Aerenal, and the Dragons of Argonessen, ruling Khorvaire, and bring back the House of Vol. Mordain... whatever goal he is working towards with his terrible experiments, he's content to do it in the privacy of his own tower and not bother people if they don't bother him. Of course, if you bother him you're going to end up vivisected in jars on a shelf.
DBlizzard 08-03-07, 12:40 PM	Of course, if you bother him you're going to end up vivisected in jars on a shelf. If you are lucky. "Did that bizarre creature we fought seem familiar to you?" "Yeah, it did." "Have you guys seen Redgar?"
DwarfPcfan 08-03-07, 04:33 PM	I play Mordain a with a touch of Hugo strange in Dc but however you play him, there's no questions there are many ways. But remember just one thing: He is a very...very... very...very sick man Hell Ive even pulled some of my old Malkavian quotes from Vampire the Maquerade as inspiration...
Esgay 08-04-07, 06:15 PM	He is most likely the cause of owlbears in eberron IMO
yrogerg 08-06-07, 08:15 PM	He is most likely the cause of owlbears in eberron IMO Seconded. I like how the MM description literally reads, "Here's a creature that makes no sense. A wizard must have done it."
BoneLord_of_Skullthrone 08-06-07, 11:48 PM	I pictured as a handsome young-looking man with dark hair dressed in a red, blue, and purple noble outfit complete with a cape. His chest is left exposed by the deep V cut of his outfit which shows off the Trueseeing eye graft on his chest that stared for long periods of time, studying each party member individually before blinking. He has eyes grafted on the back of each hand too, and on his back are grafted 2 or 3 Otyugh tentacles. This body, the caster, is only half of Mordain. The other half is his Brain in a Jar self which resides in the belly of a similarly modified flesh golem. The golem wears Admantine full plate to conceal and protect the brain. The brain is the primary residence of Mordain's mind and soul. It uses psionics to control the Spellcaster body and the golem body at the same time without limiting its capabilities. Naturally, Mordain has several of these specialized clone bodies. Each is an extention of him and his will. He may grow as many as he wants, and each has a different set of alterations and abilities. Any one of them can be a residence for his mind and soul. In order to truly kill Mordain, all the bodies must be destroyed, as well as his brain, and the living factory at the heart of his spire where these clones are created. It is very fortunate that Mordain has not dedicated himself to conquest or war...yet...
Rekko 08-08-07, 03:06 PM	Since he can chose to appear as he wished to, I'd make him polymorph into a Daelkyr to show his admiration to the true fleshmakers. Obviously, the first time he did so, Daelkyr minions came to him to ask for respect. It was not wise to assume that form. However, Mordain showed his abilities and the aberrations decided to make him meet one Daelkyr. The Daelkyr could have planted a symbiont into Mordain's head whose effect would be similar to the Mind Seed power. This obviously turned Mordain quite mad, but gave him further transmuter power than he never dreamed of. The Daelkyr Gift, as he calls it. Mordain has now a double personality: his own and a Daelkyr's.
Jimmifett 08-08-07, 03:54 PM	The Daelkyr could have planted a symbiont into Mordain's head whose effect would be similar to the Mind Seed power. This obviously turned Mordain quite mad, but gave him further transmuter power than he never dreamed of. The Daelkyr Gift, as he calls it. Mordain has now a double personality: his own and a Daelkyr's. Dr. Strangelove I presume. "Based on the findings of the report, I concluded that such a creature would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must seem all too obvious"