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Does anyone else find it strange that after eleven adventures, we have yet to see a cleric of Kyuss other than Bozal Zahol, the tiefling from Champion's Belt? It seems to me that all of Kyuss' followers are sorcerers, undead, dragons, or clerics of Vecna, Erythnul, or Hextor. Looks like Kyuss is picky about who he gives spells to. One would assume that there are clerics of Kyuss out there. So what exactly are they doing whilst their prophecies are coming to fruition? I imagine that any cleric of Kyuss far away from the action would be spending his time making as many undead as possible.
Does anyone else find it strange that after eleven adventures, we have yet to see a cleric of Kyuss other than Bozal Zahol, the tiefling from Champion's Belt?
Avolakia, lots and lots of Avolakia in Into the Wormcrawl Fissure.
Anarch of Creepy Worm-things
You know what'd make a great encounter? A reappearance of Rain Barrel Man in Alhaster, as a Cleric of Kyuss. Somehow Kyuss 'spared' him from the disaster that befell the Free City (if that happened in your game), and now he has been following the party, using his new powers to inconvenience and delay the heroes as much as possible...
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Hmmm. For some reason, I thought all those Avolakias were sorcerers. Still, I'm surprised Kyuss doesn't have more followers amongst the 'sane' races. Sheesh, even Tharizdun has human followers.
Avolakia, lots and lots of Avolakia in Into the Wormcrawl Fissure.
I think it's partly the structure of the campaign. The first arc of the campaign (up through A Gathering of Winds or so), you're fighting the Ebon Triad, not Kyuss and his agents. Arguably the lich in Spire of Long Shadows could be a cleric of Kyuss, but considering the race, an arcane caster probably makes more sense. The second arc of the campaign is then all about hunting down Dragotha as much as anything else. It's not until the final segment that you face off against actual agents of Kyuss again.
Plus, it would get a little monotonous fighting clerics all the time. I'm pretty happy that AoW has so few clerics in it when all is said and done. They tend to be over done as enemies in my opinion, even when it makes sense (e.g., Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil).
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I think it's partly the structure of the campaign. The first arc of the campaign (up through A Gathering of Winds or so), you're fighting the Ebon Triad, not Kyuss and his agents. Arguably the lich in Spire of Long Shadows could be a cleric of Kyuss, but considering the race, an arcane caster probably makes more sense. The second arc of the campaign is then all about hunting down Dragotha as much as anything else. It's not until the final segment that you face off against actual agents of Kyuss again.Plus, it would get a little monotonous fighting clerics all the time. I'm pretty happy that AoW has so few clerics in it when all is said and done. They tend to be over done as enemies in my opinion, even when it makes sense (e.g., Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil).
That actually makes a lot of sense. I ran part of RttToEE a few years ago and the clerics did become monotonous. Still, I would have expected a greater presence in Greyhawk other than Raknian and the tiefling.
Creative Director
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The main reason you don't see more non-avolakia clerics of Kyuss is simple; there aren't many clerics of Kyuss at all. Getting more worshipers in other races is one of his primary goals, and is also one of the reasons they needed to build the Ebon Triad.
It's a similar situation that Zuggtmoy faced in the original "Tomb of Horrors." It's hard to get people to sign on to a gross cult. You need to use existing cults to springboard your yucky worm or mushroom cult into popularity.
I think the lack of clerics of Kyuss is a nice touch. The cult is not widespread at all, and that means hardly anyone knows what's going one. Even assuming that the apostle was seen by thousands (who may or may not have become wights shortly thereafter), people still don't have a clue about the Age of Worms or Kyuss.
The more clerics you have, the more opportunities for the ubiquitous band of adventurers to stumble on the plot. When most people happen onto the plots it is likely the Ebon Triad that they face. It makes the PCs special. They were in the right place at the right time, so they ran afoul of Loris Raknian, which led them to really see the Kyuss connection.
It's a similar situation that Zuggtmoy faced in the original "Tomb of Horrors." It's hard to get people to sign on to a gross cult. You need to use existing cults to springboard your yucky worm or mushroom cult into popularity.
Wasn't that the "Temple of Elemental Evil"? ;-) I certainly understand your point however.
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Creative Director
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It's a similar situation that Zuggtmoy faced in the original "Tomb of Horrors." It's hard to get people to sign on to a gross cult. You need to use existing cults to springboard your yucky worm or mushroom cult into popularity.Wasn't that the "Temple of Elemental Evil"? ;-) I certainly understand your point however.
Little Known Fact: The metric spelling of "Temple of Elemental Evil" looks a lot like "Tomb of Horrors."
It's weird, but true.
What is "metric spelling"?
What is "metric spelling"?
I think it's Editor speak for "Oops."
And I thought it was a slam on Canadians... :)