Death can be a tricky thing to handle. One of my players, who's been in the AP from the very begining, has lost his second character, and in a very permenant way. We're in "Dawn of a New Age", and having new characters join seem almost implausible at this point. We were both kind of at a loss since I owe the player the right to play through the last three sessions of the Path, yet having "Merlock the Magnificient (or equally presumptious name for an instant 20th level guy)" appearing out of thin air, especially in a city where everyone's fighting for their very lives, seems...well, too unrealistic for a fantasy game (never thought I'd say that).
Anyways, since we're both DMs and regular Dungeon readers, he pulls forth the issue with Warduke on the cover and says, "How about him?" At first, visions of potential abuse flowed through my mind, yet looking at his stats and gear, I found that he was quite on par, if not slightly below the power level of 20th-21st level PCs. Since there's only three sessions left (Dungeon of Death, The SPire's Defenders, then Kyuss) I think I'm gonna run with it. Warduke will help them fight the forces of Kyuss...for the right price! Is this too utterly cheesy? Does Warduke even have a chance? I guess we'll find out, though if anyone else has ran/played with him, advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
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As long as Kyuss doesn't summon some goofy teenagers from Earth, Warduke should do fine. Kyuss isn't his brand of "evil" and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Use the stats and just rename Warduke to something else (a Russian name to key into the Soviet era may do the trick), to avoid D&D Cartoon tangents that could derail the game. If someone recognizes him as Warduke, just give them a knowing wink and move on.
Heck I would not even rename Warduke. In fact in my gaem Warduke has already made an apperance (as he has in other games, search the other posts and see). He has showed up as a Prince (2nd highest rank) among the Knights of the Crimson Law, a Order of Knights devoted to Hextor (one player is a Paladin of Hextor).
In fact Warduke could have an alterior motive for going after Kyuss, and being in Alhaster. He was a heirarch in the Horned Society as I recall, one of the leaders, or at least thats they retconned him. So.... with Iuz having conquered the Horned Lands and killed most if not all of the other Heirarchs, WArduke could be thinking about starting his own little reconquista beginning in Alhaster, to retake the Horned Lands (I realize that the Redhand was never part of the Horned Society but it is next door, and would be good, easy, pickings to take from Iuz, putting the finger to the old man, and acting as staging grounds for a future invasion of the Horned Society Lands).
Now I could be wrong about the current history of the Horned Society, it could be that since most of the Greyhawk history I have read was published, that it could have finally slipped out from Iuz's grasp, but if it has, I have never read such.
Anyhow, I think that you are right in your reading that Warduke is about on par with 20th-21st level PCs. If you want, just add up his equip cost and compare to the other PCs in the group. I know he has an artifact or two, but just try and roll up the artifact as a magic item and compare. I suspect he will be just about on par. If he is low, then just give the PC some gold to spend. If he is high, well he is the Warduke after all.
Good luck to your players on the worm hunting!
Its a slam-dunk. Go for it!
Our campaign illustrated what I already thought of my favorite iconic character Warduke, that he isn't quite as powerful as he could be with the introduction of new expansion material. I would give him a couple perks - say a few action points or maybe a cool ability that would otherwise be outside of the ordinary realm of 3.5 rules.
I use a rule of thumb: if it's too cool of an idea to ignore, it's already too late to pass it up! It should certainly be memorable, and how often does anyone have a chance like that?
I'm sure he won't be too powerful--I say this, not having seen his abilities, but...I've found that any new character is already at a disadvantage, tactically, as he/she has yet to develop a combat role/cohesion that the party likely already has at large.
BTW, just to satisfy my sick curiosity, what happened to the unfortunate character, whom Warduke is replacing?
The replacement character was killed by a Broodfiend, IMO the nastiest monster in the whole AP, possibly rivaled by the WormDrake. Back to back breath weapons coupled with a decision to cast Harm on it spelled the PCs doom. He was playing a Ghost of a PC that died against Dragotha from the Ghostwalker book, and as I understand it, once a ghost character dies, that's it...he's gone. I thought it was a cooler alternative than resurrection, as is Warduke.
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I'll answer that. Hope my DM doesnt mind.My character BLack Wolf a half orc spiritshaman has died twice. Once in the Arena in Grewhawk and then he came back from the spirit world (useing some ghostwalk rules) and has died again.Killed by a Brood Fiend.So I thought that now my characters spirit has been destroyed.What next and well WARDUKE was top on my list...I had the same idea as one of the earlier posts about retakeing some of the Horned lands. Ahlester was once in there domain I think.And I think it is up for grabs at the end of this path and if I am right then Ahlester ,the Rod of 7 parts(2 pieces) and the Hand of Vecna will all belong to WARDUKE HAHAHAHAHAHHHHHAAAAA!!!!!!
I use a rule of thumb: if it's too cool of an idea to ignore, it's already too late to pass it up! It should certainly be memorable, and how often does anyone have a chance like that?
I'm sure he won't be too powerful--I say this, not having seen his abilities, but...I've found that any new character is already at a disadvantage, tactically, as he/she has yet to develop a combat role/cohesion that the party likely already has at large.
BTW, just to satisfy my sick curiosity, what happened to the unfortunate character, whom Warduke is replacing?
The replacement character was killed by a Broodfiend, IMO the nastiest monster in the whole AP, possibly rivaled by the WormDrake.
The broodfiend is nasty (getting an honorable mention in a seperate thread) - HOWEVER -
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Re-review the encounter with the Blessed Angels. There are three of them; in my campaign I had six (I had six PCs) Angels. They have improved crit with vorpal weapons. Killed two PCs on te spot; they teleported adjacent to an enemy and next round took 5 attacks each. Sooner or later a head is rolling.
Also, Maralee (again, in our capaign Loris Raknian) deals some of the most raw damage in the entire campaign. Drop a crit on someone (like I did, twice in fact) and your scoring between 150 - 180 points of damage depending upon your Power Attack choice. Did I mention a nasty gaze attack to boot? Ouch! He didnt kill a PC, but he did remove a Gated Solar Angel (CR23) in two rounds.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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They have improved crit with vorpal weapons.
Note that one of the changes between 3.0 and 3.5 is that vorpal weapons only decapitate on a natural 20, not on a crit threat. Strange but true.
Vorpal: This potent and feared ability allows the weapon to sever the heads of those it strikes. Upon a roll of natural 20 (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit), the weapon severs the opponent’s head (if it has one) from its body.
Russ
Just a note Professor. As I mentioned earlier, Alhaster was NOT part of the Horned Lands pre-Zeech, as the Horned lands did not extend past the Ritensa River. However, as the Horned lands are now part of the Empire of Iuz (since the Greyhawk Wars) along with , nominally, the Bandit Kingdoms (which were also annexed by Iuz during the Greyhawk Wars), so they are now both part of the same evil empire.
Technicalities yes. But, as I said, Warduke could be in Alhaster looking for a good port city, nearby the Horned Lands, to start his Reconquista from. He would not be there seeking to retake his old stomping grounds, as Alhaster was never that. Before Zeech came to power, Alhaster was part of the Shield Lands, a kingdom ruled by Paladins of Heironeous (or at least protected by them) and had no affiliation, in fact was allied against the Horned Lands and the Heiarchs such as Warduke.
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Sorry Didnt have my map with me,forgot about the shield lands being next to the old horned lands and the bandit kingdoms....its close though.my greyhawk history is slipping.....
. Alhaster As I mentioned earlier, s NOT part of the Horned Lands pre-Zeech, as the Horned lands did not extend past the Ritensa River.
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Keep in mind there are a few mistakes in Warduke's statblock, especially with his skill points if I remember correctly. I felt compelled to fix them and give him a 3.5 update for future use in Age of Worms as a villain. Check out the Dread Heirarch at Lilith's site. I also used a few feats from the Player's Handbook II to beef him up a bit.
Note that one of the changes between 3.0 and 3.5 is that vorpal weapons only decapitate on a natural 20, not on a crit threat. Strange but true.
Russ
Oops. :)
sORRY BUT I've always wondered who the warduke was....anyone?
sORRY BUT I've always wondered who the warduke was....anyone?
WHAT?!?!?!? Turn in your dicebag now! You are hereby stripped of all D&D privileges!
Heh, just kidding--I'm starting to realize just how old I am when younger gamers have no idea what I'm talking about. Warduke was THE COOLEST D&D action figure from that line during the 80s. He looks like a badass. He IS a badass. He even has his own Dungeon cover (can't remember which, same issue as the Deathnet minigame).
He also made an appearance in the D&D cartoon from the early/mid-80s. All cartoons back then were about groups of meddling kids (target market, you know) which is what one of the posts above was referring to.
Warduke....good old Warduke. I owned the action figure way back in the day. I also owned Strongheart, as I recall his name was, along with the ultra-cool Fortress of Fangs (which would be a damm cool setting for a future AP mayhap eh?).
Koay, but more seriously lets talk about Warduke... baby, lets talk about Kyuss and me, lets talk about the dead times and the undead times that will be, lets talk about Warduke.
Quoth Wikipedia:
"In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Warduke is a powerful human warrior and a Hierarch of the Horned Society. He sometimes works as a bounty hunter and assassin, and is heartless, cruel and short-tempered."
"Description: Warduke is a muscular human, equipped with a skull-motif shield, a half-suit of blue chainmail, and most remarkably, a helmet complete with 'bat wing'-like ridges. His favored weapon is Nightwind, a +3 anarchic flaming burst human bane bastard sword. He also bears a fearsome eye fiendish graft."
"History: Warduke's early life is unknown, as is his true identity, though rumors abound. One states that he was once firm friends with a noble paladin, until Warduke's descent into evil forced them to become fierce enemies.
Warduke came to prominence after the Greyhawk Wars, spreading terror among the soldiers, fighting societies, and mercenaries of the Flanaess, from the Solnor Ocean to the Barrier Peaks. Warduke was quickly recruited by the Unnameable Hierarch to aid in rebuilding the Horned Society, and was eventually made a Hierarch himself."
"Creative origins: Warduke originated as a character for the Dungeons & Dragons toy line in the 1980s. Warduke originally appeared as a D&D action figure along with such other characters as Strongheart the paladin, Elkhorn the dwarf fighter, and Zarak the half-orc assassin. In a module featuring many of the characters from the toy line, Warduke and Strongheart were depicted as once having been good friends, until Warduke turned to evil.
It is worth noting, however, that a (unnamed) figure with warduke's distinctive headgear appears on the cover of Dragon Magazine #17, published by TSR, Inc. in 1978.
He often was seen teamed with the villanous sorcerer Kelek, and even once appeared on the Dungeons & Dragons animated TV series. In 2003, the staff of Dungeon magazine retconned Warduke into Greyhawk continuity."
"The Shady Dragon Inn: The Dungeons & Dragons accessory, The Shady Dragon Inn, provides a number of details on Warduke and other characters in the D&D and AD&D toy lines. However, as this accessory was published long before the character's retcon into Greyhawk, it is uncertain how accurate this information is in regards to canon.
Originally a close friend of Strongheart the paladin, the two became mortal enemies when exposed to a magical item called the Heartstone, which brought Warduke's cruel nature to the fore. He is a close ally of a woman named Skylla, an evil wizard. Warduke is loved by one woman, a formerly good cleric named Raven, and hated by another, a good cleric named Mercion."
"Collectibles: Warduke collectibles include:
* First series AD&D action figure (1983)
* Second series AD&D action figure, with "battle mattic" action (1984)
* A miniature unarticulated figure
* "Nightmare," Warduke's steed (1983)
* Warduke pencil sharpener, never released, though prototypes have turned up
* Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Coloring Book: The Lost Wand (1983), featuring Warduke on the cover
* Warduke Halloween costume
* Dungeons & Dragons Lazer Blazers, the "Warduke Collection," 3-D holographic stickers (1985)
* Dungeons & Dragons Colorforms Adventure Set
* An AD&D "puffy sticker" featuring Warduke
* Dungeons & Dragons Puzzleforms
* Dungeons & Dragons Shrinky Dinks
* A Warduke Paint Master sculpture
* A Paint by Number set featuring Warduke
* In March of 2006 a 'Warduke' miniature figurine was released in the War Drums set of the collectable miniatures game Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures."
Here is another referance for Warduke:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/alumni/20060414a&pf=true
Anyhow, as it is Warduke has more history than most D&D icons, outside of the Circle/Citadel of Eight (and their direct enemies) and the Forgotten Realms folks. He also has enough convoluted storylines, reworked stats, and retconning to make him an honorary member of the X-Men.
But damm ain't he cool!
Here's the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warduke
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WarDuke was sick today and missed most of the fight.(It was his players fault aka me, who had to much Savage Tide and BEER)But he still got to put the killing blows on 2 brood fiends. He missed the fight with Lashonna. But he is Ready to Kick some Kyuss ass next week.Warduke is doing fine in the path and is hitting for about 20-25 points of damage per hit or more after resistances and all that.He has hardly even been hurt by the so called Spawns of Kyuss .The Dm and myself are useing him as is save for upping his weapon to +5, and his ring to +5, and his armor to +5.Warduke has yet to really unleash on a monster and I am afraid that when he does Kyuss wont soon forget who put the woop down on him .........
Despite the seeming permenance of Lashonna's death, ask the other players if she didn't seem to go down too easily...There's a reason for this, and you will see her again during the last session.
For non-players of my game...
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Good old Astral Projection...
Warduke!?
Sorry, I heard that and needed to make my comments known.
I've said it once and I've said it again, I think Warduke rules, and I'm not even a veteran.
I think it has to do with the fact that most of the iconic NPCs from Greyhawk are all Wizards and such. Rary, The Mordster, Tenser, all Wizards. I think it's nice to see an NPC with real impact in the game world that doesn't rely on magic. Warduke has this self-reliance edge against other NPCs. I would dare say he is the Drizzt of Greyhawk.
Using Warduke as a replacement player is a pretty good idea. As long as the player understands the concept and doesn't abuse it, it sounds like a good idea.
Warduke plays an important role in my campaign world, so he definitely will be playing a part in the AoW.
Warduke and the aformentioned paladin and a couple other companions of thiers were old school basic dnd iconic characters. They had done the whole Bloodstone thing, in which they all saw into thier own souls, and became what was stongest there (BASICALY) and so Warduke became evil, while the paladin became even more handsome and paladiny (exalted before they had the usage :) Basicaly, he was origonaly from Mystara, but, I for one and a huge fan of them bringing him into Greyhawk, was very cool, and well done I think.
My appologies, it was the Heartstone, not Bloodstone.
Cool idea! Of course, one might argue if Warduke belongs into GH, but hey, if you are not too fussy about canon, its all right.
Regarding other non-wizard iconic GH characters of high level, you might take Sir Robilar into account.
Stefan
If I'm not mistaken, Warduke (along with Braveheart) first appeared in an expert rules dungeon called Quest for the Heartsone. They were on the cover and written up as pre-generated characters. It was a pretty good dungeon from what I remember, but I don't recall using the heartsone to peer into their souls part. Was this something that happened later in 2nd edition? Just curious...