As an aside, I was coincidentally just reading the Dragonshard that talks about Mordain, and I was revisiting the idea of the Fleshwarper PrC from Lords of Madness as part of Mordain's build. Fleshwarpers also get a reserve similar to artificers, which is a nice thematic parallel.
I will FRizes that one day.
His location sounds cool, in a 4e game i can see the Fleshweaver location as a high tier Heroic or Paragon tier adventure. In a 3e game, I would use lots of stuff from Lords of Madness and Fiend Folio (the graft ruleset, lots of templates and Fleshwarper prestige class). Very nasty location to adventure in.
sounds like the Gigori Rasputin of Eberron.
His location sounds cool, in a 4e game i can see the Fleshweaver location as a high tier Heroic or Paragon tier adventure. In a 3e game, I would use lots of stuff from Lords of Madness and Fiend Folio (the graft ruleset, lots of templates and Fleshwarper prestige class). Very nasty location to adventure in.
Really? I'd see it closer to epic tier. In 3e, he was one of the strongest wizards in Khorvaire, even higher level than Vol. And that's just his levels. He probably has applied several templates to himself, and add that in to the dangers of traveling to his lair, and whatever might be in his lair (I wouldn't be surprised if he's got his own Daelkyr bound with magic and byeshk or at least some mind flayers and beholders.)
sounds like the Gigori Rasputin of Eberron.
His location sounds cool, in a 4e game i can see the Fleshweaver location as a high tier Heroic or Paragon tier adventure. In a 3e game, I would use lots of stuff from Lords of Madness and Fiend Folio (the graft ruleset, lots of templates and Fleshwarper prestige class). Very nasty location to adventure in.
Yep. He does have the Rasputin story when they say how many times they "thought" they killed him. Pretty neat. A villain that can only ever be beaten, but never for long.
Loved it. From the flowers to the tryyl and, above all, those ghastly skinweavers and their equally work, a wonderful nightmare indeed.
It's like Kieth wants someone to write a "The Trouble with Tryyl" adventure.
I took one look at the skinweavers image and felt more creeped out then when I watched Event Horizon at 1am in the morning. Those things are 3vil!!!
Cool article Keith, this DM is sicking the tower on the group the moment they get powerful enough to survive (or maybe a little earlier, they've gotten rowdy lately
)It's like Kieth wants someone to write a "The Trouble with Tryyl" adventure.
Complete with mad political maneuvering and grain poisoned by 'diplomats' from Darguun? :P
It's like Kieth wants someone to write a "The Trouble with Tryyl" adventure.
Glad to see I wasn't the only one who thought of that too.
Now, am I the only one actually seriously planning it?
:D
It's like Kieth wants someone to write a "The Trouble with Tryyl" adventure.
Hah ha. It seems that way eh?
Really? I'd see it closer to epic tier.
Depends on what the players plan to do. The forest can definitely be a high heroic adventure. However if they plan to kill Mordain, then yes you're talking significantly higher levels.
Not sure if I like him being immortal though, as I always figured he just fled, not that he couldn't be killed by acid or being turned to stone.
Perhaps I'm overlooking something, but doesn't he just sound like a Lich? He's Cold, scheming and hungers for more knowledge to create new creatures. The only thing that doesn't fit is the worship of Orcus, although I don't know that Eberron lichs would have to worship Orcus.
I know Lichs are traditionally drawn as skeletal beings. But I don't see any real need for that to have to be the case. And even if he is a skeleton, I'm sure he could either use his skills to create a new flesh shell for himself or to cast a simple illusion. I'd also say a powerful enough lich would be able to either hide his phylactery well enough from the Twelve or hide his nature well enough from the Twelve.
That being said Mordain has been stated specifically as not a lich, I suggest checking out this article for more information on him.
I think his level will probably be in the 20's. He is definitely more dangerous than your average mind flayer.
Its a good example of how someone can have powers that aren't in their stat blocks. He probably cant turn people into twisted aberrations in the middle of a fight, so that's not going to be in his stat block. However, he can take over the world with poisonous rabbits, so don't F*** with him. Unless your invited.
Just throwing that out there.
What if Mordain isn't just an accomplished wizard, but also a scientist? People will thing what he has done is magic, but it's all science - something that is not found in Eberron, as magic does everything that science could. Nobody would understand what he does, and therefore couldn't replicate it because there wouldn't be any magical explanation for it. The nice thing is that means you can leave all kinds of weird experiments and 'rituals' out and the players wouldn't have a clue on how to use them.
Also as a side not, I see Mordain having a large number of flesh Golems at his disposal.
Now, some side adventures for Mordain could be that a friend of the party is found murdered, however his head and right hand are missing. It the players follow the clues, they could be lead on a trek to track down what happened only to come face to face with some skinweavers, one wearing the ring of the deceased friend, but even more disturbing is the one that wears the face of the same friend.
I don't know if anyone watched the show Supernatural, but there was an episode where they brothers (Sam & Dean) end up fighting this doctor from the 1800's that has found a way to immortality, however, not one bit of it is supernatural - what this doctor does that is. It turns out that the doctor has found a way to prolong his life by replacing organs, and such.
What if Mordain isn't just an accomplished wizard, but also a scientist? People will thing what he has done is magic, but it's all science
I love that show, unfortunately I missed the last fifteen minutes of that episode.
Also, I don't know if it's what you intended, but this as starting to sound a bit like H.P. Lovecraft's Reanimator, and that isn't necesarily a bad thing.
Its a good example of how someone can have powers that aren't in their stat blocks. He probably cant turn people into twisted aberrations in the middle of a fight, so that's not going to be in his stat block. However, he can take over the world with poisonous rabbits, so don't F*** with him. Unless your invited.
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Actually, he can. Balreful Polymorph, he could make you anything he wants.
Hmm... I tend to think of Mordain in the same light as Orochimaru (from Naruto). There are several parallels between their backgrounds and motivations, and I've found that picturing Orochimaru has always helped get me into the right mindset when I portray Mordain in my campaign.
Just throwing that out there.
That you i thought i was the only one that looked at Mordain in that way (be like Orochimaruthat is)
I don't think lich would be appropriate. This guy isn't about necromancy. Fleshweaving is the only appropriate name, or maybe Carnimancy.
I think his level will probably be in the 20's. He is definitely more dangerous than your average mind flayer.
Its a good example of how someone can have powers that aren't in their stat blocks. He probably cant turn people into twisted aberrations in the middle of a fight, so that's not going to be in his stat block. However, he can take over the world with poisonous rabbits, so don't F*** with him. Unless your invited.
He is like that guy from the Hellboy movie. His blood is dust and just cannot be killed.
-Joni