Just noticed something in my copy of Dragon #329, in the 'Demonomicon: Pazuzu' article.
It mentions on page 61 under 'Pazuzu's Cult' that he is sometimes worshipped under other names "like Pazrael or Ghlaunder".
I was just wondering if this meant that Pazzie was in any ways related to the Ghlaunder we find in Gods & Magic, who is dexcribed as a god of vermin, insects, and plague -- all three of them being right up Pazuzu's alley.
And if so, what happens when his old girlfriend Lamashtu finds out that Pazuzu has been rebuilding his cult right under her muzzle?
No, I'd say that the King of the Wind Demons is "just" a Demon Lord, and Ghlaunder is a demigod, and they're not the same in Pathfinder Chronicles.
Ghlaunder was inadvertently freed from his cocoon by Desna, and they have been rivals ever since. I don't think Pazuzu would actively oppose an enemy of Lamashtu - better to make sure Desna harries Lamashtu as much as possible, for every moment the two are in each others' hair is a moment Pazuzu can further his goals, both in the Abyss and on Golarion (he's an aggressive one, fond of possessing mortals. If you consider yourself innocent, better not speak his name, especially not unknowingly)
Creative Director
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Just noticed something in my copy of Dragon #329, in the 'Demonomicon: Pazuzu' article.
It mentions on page 61 under 'Pazuzu's Cult' that he is sometimes worshipped under other names "like Pazrael or Ghlaunder".
I was just wondering if this meant that Pazzie was in any ways related to the Ghlaunder we find in Gods & Magic, who is dexcribed as a god of vermin, insects, and plague -- all three of them being right up Pazuzu's alley.
And if so, what happens when his old girlfriend Lamashtu finds out that Pazuzu has been rebuilding his cult right under her muzzle?
Those two versions of Ghlaunder are not related; that's just me dropping an easter egg from my own homebrew campaign (where Ghlaunder is a big mosquito god of parasites, as he is in Golarion) into the first Demonomicon I wrote.
In Golarion, Pazuzu and Ghlaunder are two very different things; Pazuzu's a demon lord, and Ghlaunder's a god (and much more powerful than Pazuzu as a result).
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Those two versions of Ghlaunder are not related; that's just me dropping an easter egg from my own homebrew campaign (where Ghlaunder is a big mosquito god of parasites, as he is in Golarion) into the first Demonomicon I wrote.
That's interesting... I know Marvel Comics owns whatever characters or ideas a writer creates for them, I guess the work in the magazines did not fall under a similar clause for WotC?
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Creative Director
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That's interesting... I know Marvel Comics owns whatever characters or ideas a writer creates for them, I guess the work in the magazines did not fall under a similar clause for WotC?Those two versions of Ghlaunder are not related; that's just me dropping an easter egg from my own homebrew campaign (where Ghlaunder is a big mosquito god of parasites, as he is in Golarion) into the first Demonomicon I wrote.
That's why the Ghlaunder in Dragon and the Ghlaunder in Golarion are distinctively different things, actually. I suspect that, in the large amount of writing & editing I've done for WotC in their books and the magazines, a dedicated searcher can find a few other names I've accidentally "recycled" here and there as well. I even recycled the town of Sandpoint, which I first mentioned in "Villains" from Bastion Press several years ago. I suspect I used the name Rovagug once as well in Dragon or Dungeon somewhere, but I'm not sure, and if I did, it was in a different context than as a big bug god.
What appeared in Dragon belongs to WotC, yes. Some of that content, like Pazuzu, is based on mythological or public domain content, and as such belongs to no one. In the case of Ghlaunder in Dragon, that's not really any different than when an author sneaks in an Easter Egg such as naming an NPC after his favorite character (which I've also done several times).
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Interesting, I didn't know this amount of creative recycling went on (or was allowed for that matter). James, do you still play in your homebrew or has Golarion taken that role?
In the case of Ghlaunder in Dragon, that's not really any different than when an author sneaks in an Easter Egg such as naming an NPC after his favorite character (which I've also done several times).
Now I'm curious, can you give some examples?
Now I'm curious, can you give some examples?
"Ameiko" was a NPC name in the Shackled City adventure where you go to the Lucky Monkey. Shensen is also in that same adventure (which happens to be somebody's WoW character ;) ).
Pazuzu's a demon lord, and Ghlaunder's a god (and much more powerful than Pazuzu as a result).
Really? Ghlaunder is "just" a demigod, so he's still in the area where mortals can, at least in theory, harm and destroy him. And if Achaekek is representative, demigods are roughly in the CR30 area. That means Pazuzu with his CR of 32 could give him a run for his money.
To say it without numbers: Demigods aren't quite divine enough to be invincible against non-divine beings, and Demon Lords have something akin to a divine spark - they're able to grant divine spells and it is said (or at least strongly implied) that you cannot permanently kill a full-fledged Demon Lord.
To me, that seams that the most powerful demon lords (and Pazuzu probably is one of the most powerful demon lords) and demigods are seldomly more than one league apart, and can be equal (and the demon lord might even have more raw power)
Or is the power range for demigods that large? Is there a lower limit? An upper limit? Would you give Ghlaunder a CR and if yes, can you give us a ballpark figure?