Designing Elric of Melnibone

[mvincent]

I recall that the "Thrall of Blackrazor" (from the Unhallowed DDM statcard) was effectively 3e's version of Elric.

Also, the original Deities & Demigods actually had AD&D 1e stats for Elric:
S:6(15) I: 18 W:17 D:17 C:3(15) CH: 18
10th level cleric/5th level druid/15th level fighter/19th level magic-user/10th level illusionist/1Oth level assassin

The Ring of Kings:
acts as a ring of many spell storings and aids in summing creatures and controlling them (similar to a rod of rulership)

Stormbringer:
+5 longsword (intelligence of 18 and an ego of 20). On a successful hit it will either drain all or one half of its opponent's remaining levels (50% chance of either). Any creature killed by Stormbringer has its soul or spirit as well as its energy levels sucked out and devoured. No creature so killed can be raised, resurrected, reincarnated, or brought back). For every two levels stolen Elric gains 5 hit points and 1 strength point. Elric's strength can be increased to a maximum of 23, but the only limit to the amount of hit points he can acquire is that the sword will only drain 200 levels before it becomes sated (this satiety lasts 8 hours).

 

[Garthanos]

Description is just description. An MBA w/melee training could represent quite a wide variety of descriptive attacks, possibly quite odd or exotic depending upon which stat it's working off of.

Sure but the quantity of your attacks are basica versus what quantity are at-wills? - neither may be great after you get higher level.(so it could be a moot point) But Elric is throughout his career a front line character and both His blade and patron demanded blood and souls in a direct way. A warlock using Eldritch strike useable as a basic attack and an at-will (swapped out for Eldritch Blast) - gets a lot closer...boosting it with fun white lotus moves (or other things which boost his arcane attacks) give a route to improvement that is not available otherwise.

Of course, there's a simulationist benefit to going to the other way, and using regular MBA and a few STR-based powers via MC/hybrid. Elric was a fearsome warrior when stormbringer was feeding him superhuman STR. A build that could safely ignore STR wouldn't get that across as viscerally.

The strength he expressed is not necessarily that different than what I call hysterical strength... and related to spirit(cha) rather than (str).

When Cu Culain or Slain (Celtic primal characters gets all wild and whooly his body becomes all swollen and distorted muscles bulging..) and when Elric does the same his eyes gleam and his face gets maniacle etc..

Simulation sometimes is an interpretation... there is a strength in madness...that is not of the body. And Elric probably has a tough time using that strength for anything but an attack or speed of pursuit.

 

[Garthanos]

Built him at level 12 ... early paragon... Well I cheated on stats (gave him the same number of points as WOTC built one of there characters Geran Hulmaster 29 ) mainly to get him up to wearing mail(it matches some of the art of the character anyway)..started him with enough CON to get the armor grumble grumble... and ignored expertise feat tax on purpose... used windrise ports without any regards to reason inorder to get a fuller trained skill set but maybe I should have gone with Born under a bad sign for the hitpoints he desparately needs ;-). Imyr is atleast a mercantile port city right? hehe.

He is really missing elemental powers... lots of compromises in here... I probably missed more than a couple things... and its not an optimizers build I am certain of that.. but also looks like it has lots of fun...
and invokes the White Wolf of Imyr in an interesting way... Im hoping other builds might be posted ;-)

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Elric, level 12
Tiefling, Warlock, Life-Stealer
Build: Scourge Warlock
Eldritch Pact: Infernal Pact (Stormbringer)
Eldritch Strike: Eldritch Strike Charisma
Twofold Pact: Dark Pact (Arioch)
Background: Born Under a Bad Sign, Windrise Ports (Windrise Ports Benefit)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 14, Con 13, Dex 14, Int 19, Wis 15, Cha 21.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 13, Con 10, Dex 13, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 16.


AC: 26 Fort: 18 Reflex: 19 Will: 22
HP: 80 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 20

TRAINED SKILLS
Insight +13, Bluff +18, Intimidate +16, Arcana +15, Nature +13

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +7, Diplomacy +11, Dungeoneering +8, Endurance +6, Heal +8, History +10, Perception +8, Religion +10, Stealth +9, Streetwise +11, Thievery +7, Athletics +7

FEATS
Learned Spellcaster: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Learned Spellcaster
Level 2: Weapon Proficiency (Fullblade)
Level 4: Blade Opportunist
Level 6: White Lotus Riposte
Level 8: Blade Initiate
Level 10: Battle Awareness
Level 11: Twofold Pact
Level 12: Blood Thirst

POWERS
Power User Choice: Eldritch Strike
Warlock encounter 1: Vampiric Embrace
Warlock daily 1: Your Glorious Sacrifice
Warlock utility 2: Beguiling Tongue
Warlock encounter 3: Cloud of Flies
Warlock daily 5: Armor of Agathys
Warlock utility 6: Life Siphon
Warlock encounter 7: Howl of Doom
Warlock daily 9: Feast of Souls
Warlock utility 10: Ambassador Imp

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Stormbringer, Darkforged Finemail +3

 

[Garthanos]

Hmmm the Paladin Warlock with MC wizardry, nothing really house ruled on....(if you wanted to up stats like the previous one I would just add 2 to Charisma which would match the house ruling) ... paladin armor. Stormbringer cast as a lifedrinker blade (should also be a Berzerker blade). Almost feel like the Warlock ingredient could be dropped in favor of more wizardry but its harder to skin divine stuff as dark as things like the Warlock and the Eldritch Strike with smash back is rather nice even when the other at wills are getting boosted by divine feats.
Bonded Summoner is more elric... Let Stormbringer take credit for the soul stealing the soul stealer pp doesnt quite work for me.

Yup I built it as a human first as I like the extra at-will and feat just works so nice in hybrids.. Elric was halfblood and showed considerable human concience... his friends amongst his people seemed to become infected by his strange thinking (anyone buy half-elf? nah me either).

But the Deva angle as Eternal Champion (Reincarnating forever across the dimens).

Domains of Arioch:???
Power of Madness - may not be perfectly Arioch but certainly possible lots of his attacks seem to induce it.
Arioch seems to favor Change and Strife and Skill maybe Arcana and Destruction or even Freedom.

Aberrant Mark of Terror... works nicely to represent the horror in Elrics bigger magics especially the "divine" ones
For Arioch I would recast all radiant as being necrotic or alternately mix in acidic... (dissolution)

The summoned creatures should be skinned as elemental as possible...

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Elric of Melnibone, level 12
Deva, Warlock|Paladin, Bonded Summoner
Eldritch Pact (Hybrid): Infernal Pact (Hybrid)
Eldritch Strike: Eldritch Strike Charisma
Hybrid Warlock: Hybrid Warlock Reflex
Hybrid Paladin: Hybrid Paladin Will
Hybrid Talent: Paladin Armor Proficiency
Arcane Implement Proficiency: Arcane Implement Proficiency (heavy blade group)
Background: Born Under a Bad Sign (Born Under a Bad Sign Benefit)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 9, Dex 11, Int 19, Wis 16, Cha 20.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 11, Con 8, Dex 10, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 17.


AC: 30 Fort: 17 Reflex: 23 Will: 22
HP: 88 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 22

TRAINED SKILLS
Bluff +18, Diplomacy +16, Intimidate +16, Arcana +15

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +2, Dungeoneering +9, Endurance +1, Heal +9, History +12, Insight +9, Nature +9, Perception +9, Religion +12, Stealth +2, Streetwise +11, Thievery +2, Athletics +3

FEATS
Learned Spellcaster: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Hybrid Talent
Level 2: Learned Spellcaster
Level 4: Remembered Wizardry
Level 6: Arcane Implement Proficiency
Level 8: Acolyte Power
Level 10: Aberrant Mark of Terror
Level 11: Weapon Proficiency (Fullblade)
Level 12: Power of Madness

POWERS
Hybrid Paladin at-will 1: Enfeebling Strike
Hybrid Warlock at-will 1: Eldritch Strike
Remembered Wizardry Spellbook: Summon Shadow Serpent
Remembered Wizardry Spellbook: Wall of Fog
Remembered Wizardry Spellbook: Summon Hammerfist Crusher
Hybrid encounter 1: Heedless Fury
Hybrid daily 1: Your Glorious Sacrifice
Hybrid utility 2: Beguiling Tongue
Hybrid encounter 3: Pipes of Winter
Hybrid daily 5: Hallowed Circle
Hybrid utility 6: Wrath of the Gods
Hybrid encounter 7: Howl of Doom
Hybrid daily 9: Feast of Souls
Hybrid utility 10: Accursed Souls

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Implement, Rod, Heavy Shield, Black Iron Layered Plate Armor +3, Lifedrinker (Berzerking) Fullblade +3 ( up to +6 as Elrics power grows so does Stormbringers)

 

[Ryujin]

Be prepared for extra cheese.

Your comment regarding how Stormbringer gains levels along with Elric gave me an idea. Given that Stormbringer is demonstrated to be an entity itself throughout the books, how about scaling back on Elric himself a bit; perhaps as Paladin multi to Wizard (Summoner)? Then create Stormbringer as a separate entity. This gives a great deal of flexibility in the way that you can build it. Dark or Star Pact Warlock with Cleric or Warlord multi, to simulate the ability that Stormbringer has to physically bolster Elric...?

 

[Garthanos]

I admit have been ignoring actually Artifact rules but I guess hand waving Stormbringer isnt really that possible with Elric... we have an elephant in the kitchen.

Given Stormbringer takes humanoid form at the very end ... what kind of Roquefort Cheese is that you are building? Stormbringer having his own actions... to up the number of attacks the pair get? He really is a ummm Elite/Solo hero so...---- OK build me Stormbringer... I was thinking I really want more wizardly goodness and even just making SB a Lifedrinker / Berzerk weapon helped the feel

Paladin powers need be properly tainted to carry the flavor of Arioch? Domains like Madness (and the Mark of Terror feat help too - I already started using them above.) Technically the Wizardry even multi-classed in doesnt have to be that incredible as long as we make sure he gets nice Rituals. Although the battlefields summonings certainly are in there. And it needs to be Elemental in flavor.

A Fighter/warlock bits could be Yrkoons Shtick -- he couldnt connect with Arioch.... and had no problem interacting with lesser demons more directly instead.

 

[Garthanos]

Ryujin did you have a follow up on your cheese thought?

 

[Ryujin]

Sorry, I forgot to check back in this thread. I was thinking about exactly the scene you mentioned, in which Stormbringer changes form and flies off.

My thought was to skil Elric as a Paladin with any and all Wizard multi feats, then create Stormbringer as something like a Dark Pact Warlock. In item form Stormbringer would be unable to initiate actions, itself, that would require movement. Well for the most part anyway, though there were cases where it literally forced Elric's hand. Perhaps "preferring" not to take actions contingent upon movement might be a better way to put it. I was thinking that minor actions to curse or for the use of specific utility powers would be reasonable, as would any power that it could trigger on a held action. Elric hits; Stormbringer releases a Reaper's Touch with a couple of curse damage dice, for good measure, skinned as "life draining."

By considering the two to be separate characters it would account for the power they have together, while not making Elric into a godlike creature himself. I really hadn't fleshed it out much beyond that, but the concept of having to make Elric a physical powerhouse for the build to work just rankles at my sensibilities. If Stormbringer is an entity, which is repeatedly stated throughout the stories, then it makes sense to simply build it as such.

 

[Garthanos]

Sorry, I forgot to check back in this thread. I was thinking about exactly the scene you mentioned, in which Stormbringer changes form and flies off.

Stormbringer was able to fly back to Elrics armory all by itself for instance when he abandoned it in the ocean... or return to Elrics hand when he wanted it. It was captured once by a Pantangian sorceror? and being examined.... Elric was able to warlord like call out to it and break its sluggishness and force it to awaken and come to him. That is skinning the event as SB being an entity and not that different than how it reads... Swordmage imagery aside.

Stormbringer becoming like lifeless steel if it doesnt get life force when fighting the hoards of D&D undead (or the bird like ancestral primitive people of Elrics world) for instance ( a limit on its infernal pact bond that makes it a more powerful bond and it uses shared bond to (shared pact boon?) to share the benefits with Elric.)

I am kind of liking the ideas as wierd as it is.

 

[Ryujin]

Stormbringer was able to fly back to Elrics armory all by itself for instance when he abandoned it in the ocean... or return to Elrics hand when he wanted it. It was captured once by a Pantangian sorceror? and being examined.... Elric was able to warlord like call out to it and break its sluggishness and force it to awaken and come to him. That is skinning the event as SB being an entity and not that different than how it reads... Swordmage imagery aside.

Stormbringer becoming like lifeless steel if it doesnt get life force when fighting the hoards of D&D undead (or the bird like ancestral primitive people of Elrics world) for instance ( a limit on its infernal pact bond that makes it a more powerful bond and it uses shared bond to (shared pact boon?) to share the benefits with Elric.)

I am kind of liking the ideas as wierd as it is.

One advantage of skinning it this way is you could have a dual CON/CHA build Warlock in this particular package, by not having to boost the other attributes. There are a fair number of necrotic damage powers out there that could be obtained if both attributes were available but even if limited to just CHA, there are a few that qualify.

It's been many years since I read the books but I seem to recall cases in which, for want of a better description, Stormbringer sucked the life out of the room. For that you could use Cursebite and Cursegrind, from the Dark Pact. The life sucking could come from reskinning pretty much any melee touch power for necrotic damage though.

If you wanted to give it a set of racial traits then I would suggest Revenant, for the virtual unkillability.