some Moorcockian entities

[Khisanth the Ancient]

I'm currently reading the Elric series and thought that some of those entities might be fun to stat up.

I'm thinking most of the Lords of the Higher Worlds are in the Demideity to Lesser Deity (4E: Level 25-33 Solo) range, with the most powerful (Arioch and Donblas) reaching Intermediate (4E: ~Level 35 Solo) range.


Checkalakh, the Burning God

Level 22 Solo Brute XP 20750

Large immortal magical beast
Initiative: +19
Senses: Perception +23, darkvision
HP: 1060; Bloodied: 530
AC 36, Fortitude 38, Reflex 37, Will 34
Immune fire; Resist radiant 10
Saving Throws +5
Speed 10
Action Points 2

Powers
Searing Tendril (standard; at-will; basic attack)
Reach 2, +25 vs. AC, 2d6+8 damage.

Conflagration Attack (standard; at-will)
Reach 2, +25 vs. AC, 2d6+8 damage and 15 ongoing fire damage (save ends).

Pulse of Fire (standard; recharge 5 6)
Close burst 5, +23 vs. Reflex, 4d8+8 fire damage and 10 ongoing fire damage (save ends).

Ekpyrotic Charge (move; recharge 4 5 6)
Reach 4, +25 vs. AC, 3d6+8 damage and Checkalakh may shift up to 4 squares.

Resurgent Flames (immediate reaction; when first bloodied)
Checkalakh regains 106 hit points and may shift up to 4 squares.

Alignment Chaotic evil

Skills Endurance +25, Intimidate +25

Str 29 (+20) Dex 26 (+19) Wis 24 (+18)
Con 28 (+20) Int 13 (+12) Cha 17 (+14)

Notes: Checkalakh is a much-diminished being, so is merely a Hero- or Quasi-deity equivalent, on par with weaker abominations.

Checkalakh is a fiery Lord of Chaos, appearing as a bonfire in humanoid form. Imprisoned by Donblas, one of the chiefest Lords of Law, beneath the forsaken city of Nadsokor, Checkalakh has gone mad with imprisonment and become little more than a super-powerful beast, burning all those unlucky enough to encounter him in his prison tunnels.

 

[Upper_Krust]

My Legends & Lore 1E should be around here somewhere - it has the 1e D&D stats for most of the Moorcockian Entities...annoyingly it didn't have stats for Mabelode, Rhynn or Qwll though.

If I can find the book (amidst the deluge) it should be easy to convert from the listed HP/HD to get the 4E Level...

Ha ha - found it!

Elric - 69th-level, but that converts to 35th-level in 3rd Edition, L33 elite, 4e
Moonglum - 32nd-level, converts to 20th, L20 4e
Arioch (Intermediate God), 379 hp = 63 HD, L34 solo 4e
Assassinator of the Gods 100 hp = 25 HD monster
Clakar: 8 HD monster
Darnizhaan (Lesser God), 300 hp = 50 HD, L32 solo 4e
Dharzi Hunting Dog: 5 HD monster
Donblas (Greater God), 400 hp = 100 HD, L38 solo 4e
Elenoin, 55 hp = 13 HD monster
Fileet (Demigod), 176 hp = 31 HD in 3E, L27 solo 4e
Grahluk, 70 hp = 17 HD monster
Grome (Lesser god), 335 hp = 55 HD, L32 solo 4e
Haaashastaak (Demigod), 197 hp = 32 HD, L27 solo 4e
Kakatal (Lesser god), 289 hp = 48 HD, L32 solo 4e (Imix anyone?)
Kelmain: variable
Meerclar (Demigoddess), 152 hp = 38 HD, L28 solo 4e
Misha (Lesser God), 189 hp = 47 HD, L32 solo 4e
Mist Giant: 12 HD monster
Mordagz...storm giant
Myrrhyn: 4 HD monster
Nihrain Horse: 10 HD monster
Nnuuurrrr'c'c (Demigod), 300 hp = 37 HD, L28 solo 4e
Nuru-ah (Demigod), 200 hp = 33 HD, L27 solo 4e
Oonai: 10 HD monster
Pyaray (Lesser God), 250 hp = 41 HD, L32 solo 4e
Qualnargn, 150 hp = 37 HD, L20 solo
Roofdrak (Demigod) = 36 HD, L28 solo 4e
Straasha (Lesser God) 189 hp = 47 HD, L32 solo 4e
Theleb Karna, 23rd-level, converts to 17th-level
Vampire Trees: 12 HD monster
Vulture Lion: 15 HD monster
Xiombarg (Intermediate Goddess), 376 hp = 62 HD, L34 solo 4e
Yyrkoon, Level 37, converts to 23rd-level

A few things of note, converting in this manner may lead to results 2 levels lower than they should be - I'll have to go over the data again.

As I recall, Simon converted Arioch, Xiombarg and Mabelode so they would be Lesser, Intermediate and Greater (or Lesser, Greater and Pantheon Head as they were back then). If I was converting his interpretation I'd maybe go with 55, 77 and 99 HD. Which converts to L32, 35 and 38 solos...although as I said, the conversion table may be giving results 2 levels below what they should be.

 

[Khisanth the Ancient]

Elric - 69th-level, but that converts to 35th-level in 3rd Edition, L33 elite, 4e

Wow. I hadn't figured him at that powerful, epic tier sure, maybe high epic tier...

Arioch (Intermediate God), 379 hp = 63 HD, L34 solo 4e
Donblas (Greater God), 400 hp = 100 HD, L38 solo 4e

Hmm. Wonder why Donblas is rated at stronger than Arioch?

Straasha (Lesser God) 189 hp = 47 HD, L32 solo 4e

Hmmm. Seems to overvalue the elemental lords a bit vs. the Lords of Chaos, whom they seem to fear to some degree at least.

Vampire Trees: 12 HD monster

Would have made these more powerful.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Wow. I hadn't figured him at that powerful, epic tier sure, maybe high epic tier...

I haven't read too much Elric (though I do have the Walt Simonson drawn graphic novel), I prefer Corum myself.

Hmm. Wonder why Donblas is rated at stronger than Arioch?

The powers of both wax and wane in correspondence to the respective power of Law and Chaos in those realms.

Hmmm. Seems to overvalue the elemental lords a bit vs. the Lords of Chaos, whom they seem to fear to some degree at least.

The only greater powers listed are Arioch, Xiombarg and Donblas.

The rest are Demigods and Lesser Gods.

Would have made these more powerful.

Perhaps. HD in 1E wasn't the same as it is now, in 1E the maximum 'HD' (for to hit purposes) was 16. I think putting the Vampire Trees in and around the Level of Treants in 4E would work well.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey guys!

Okay, I have looked at my conversion table

Immortality

and I think there are two flaws.

Firstly, it converts two levels too low.

Secondly, its converting monsters based on 1 PC = 1 standard rank opponent of same level, when it should be converting 1 PC = 1 elite rank opponent of the same level. However, this is only a phantom flaw since I'll be moving the parameters for divinity down 5 levels to match them.

So for instance Demogorgon (Level 34 solo), would be a level 39 elite rank monster and equal to a level 39 PC. But he'd still be a Lesser god.

One question at the moment is whether I'll have:

Demigod = 31-35 PC (or elite rank)
Lesser God = 36-40 PC
Greater God = 41-45 PC
Elder God/Pantheon Head/Supreme God = 46-50

Hercules: Level 35 Elite Brute
Druaga: Level 34 Solo Soldier (Leader)
Hel: Level 45 Elite Lurker
Odin: Level 50 Elite Controller (Leader)

This sort of hijacks the old D&D nomenclature where the Pantheon Heads were listed as Greater Gods but really were a bit more powerful. 2E introduced Intermediate Gods, but then it just kept on assigning Greater Godhood to non-Pantheon heads so the distinction was a tad blurred.

Its notable that the D&D Pantheon doesn't really have a defacto leader as such rather than a collection of Greater Gods, Lesser Gods and Exarchs. Perhaps Tharizdun was their most powerful deity? I'm actually planning to stat Tharizdun (under a different name naturally) in the Vampire Bestiary part 3.

 

[Alzrius]

I don't know for certain, but...didn't the idea of the deity (or small cadre of deities) that's head of the pantheon is stronger than other gods of the same divine strata go by the wayside with 1E?

2E didn't have stats for gods at all, just avatars. I know 3E, and while the pantheon heads were strong, they weren't any stronger than gods of comparable divine ranks that I recall. I don't know 4E well enough to say for certain, but that doesn't seem to be true there either.

Aren't you kind of bending the system to take into account a distinction that no one is making anymore, U_K?

 

[Khisanth the Ancient]

Pyaray

Level 30 Solo Controller XP 95000

Huge immortal magical beast
Initiative: +26
Senses: Perception +29, darkvision
HP: 1380; Bloodied: 690
AC 46, Fortitude 42, Reflex 46, Will 44
Immune necrotic; Resist acid 10, fire 10
Saving Throws +5
Speed 8, swim 12
Action Points 2

Powers
Tentacle Bash (standard; at-will; basic attack)
Reach 3, +35 vs. AC, 3d8+10 damage.

Flesh-Warping Tentacle (standard; at-will)
Reach 3, +35 vs. AC, 2d8+10 damage and 15 ongoing necrotic damage.

Burst of Death (standard; recharge 5 6)
Close burst 10, +34 vs. Reflex, 4d10+9 necrotic damage and targets are dazed (save ends).

Mutating Blast (standard; recharge 4 5 6)
Close burst 5, +34 vs. Fortitude, 4d10+9 damage and 10 ongoing necrotic damage (save ends).

Flesh-Dissolving Ray (standard; recharge 6)
Range 30, +35 vs. AC, 5d12+9 damage and 15 ongoing necrotic damage (save ends); creatures that die from this damage become chaos corpse minions

Inconstant Shape (move; recharge 6)
Pyaray may shift up to 4 squares and regains 50 hit points.

Animating Energies (minor; recharge 5 6)
Close burst 15; dead creatures within the burst become chaos corpse minions

Alignment Chaotic evil

Skills Arcana +31, Diplomacy +31, Endurance +29, Intimidate +31

Str 26 (+23) Dex 33 (+26) Wis 28 (+24)
Con 28 (+24) Int 32 (+26) Cha 33 (+26)

Pyaray is a Lord of Chaos who dwells in the deepest ocean, appearing as a monstrous octopoid creature with a large jewel atop him. He commands a great fleet, the Chaos Ships, which is crewed by the drowned dead. He is a great enemy of Straasha, king of the water elementals, and they often war over territory in the ocean. Pyaray's influence warps the flesh of mortals, mutating them horribly.


Chaos Corpse

Level 26 Minion XP 2250

Medium immortal animate
Initiative: +19
Senses: Perception +13, darkvision
HP: 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 40, Fortitude 37, Reflex 37, Will 30
Resist necrotic 10
Speed 8, swim 8

Powers
Cutlass (standard; at-will; basic attack; weapon)
+31 vs. AC, damage 11.

Chaos Blast (standard; encounter)
Range 20, +29 vs. AC, damage 11.

Flesh-Flowing Evasion (immediate reaction; when missed; encounter)
The chaos corpse shifts up to 4 squares.

Str 23 (+19) Dex 23 (+19) Wis 10 (+13)
Con 24 (+20) Int 1 (+8) Cha 4 (+10)

These horrific mutated walking dead are those created directly by Pyaray personally; those merely formed from drowned men, forming most of the crews of the Chaos Ships, are far less powerful.

 

[Khisanth the Ancient]

The powers of both wax and wane in correspondence to the respective power of Law and Chaos in those realms.

True. Though it could be argued that that might actually be a factor of the Avatars/Aspects that appear, and that the power of the true beings is fixed. Not sure how exactly that would be represented... Maybe in the Moorcock multiverse, Avatars/Aspects aren't always one-half/one-quarter of the HD [3e] or 10/20 levels [4e] less than their parent entity, but how much of the parent entity's power is present instead varies according to the proportion of Law/Chaos in that world?

I think putting the Vampire Trees in and around the Level of Treants in 4E would work well.

They're supposed to be the trapped souls of angels or minor gods. I'd say they're a bit more powerful than that, given how supercharged Elric gets when he steals their soul.

I don't know for certain, but...didn't the idea of the deity (or small cadre of deities) that's head of the pantheon is stronger than other gods of the same divine strata go by the wayside with 1E?

I think so, but I don't see why it shouldn't be brought back.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hiya mate!

I don't know for certain, but...didn't the idea of the deity (or small cadre of deities) that's head of the pantheon is stronger than other gods of the same divine strata go by the wayside with 1E?

Pantheons Heads were simply listed as Greater Gods, but they were the only ones allowed to have 400 hp. A few of the Cthulhu entities also were given 400 hp and later on so was Nerull in the Greyhawk Boxed Set - although he was otherwise pretty weak.

Simon had several home brewed gods with more than 400 hp.

I think I hypothesised:

Elder = 600
Overgod = 800
First One = 1200
etc.

I do seem to recall Simon giving Tharizdun 10,000 hp, but I think 1200, was probably a bit more balanced.

2E didn't have stats for gods at all, just avatars. I know 3E, and while the pantheon heads were strong, they weren't any stronger than gods of comparable divine ranks that I recall. I don't know 4E well enough to say for certain, but that doesn't seem to be true there either.

Aren't you kind of bending the system to take into account a distinction that no one is making anymore, U_K?

You could say that to a degree. But then the question should be why are Pantheon Heads not more powerful? Should Odin not be more powerful than Loki? Should Zeus not be more powerful than Ares?

Personally I think they should. If there is an argument as to why they shouldn't then I am happy to hear it. As far as I can tell there are no Pantheon Heads in the D&D pantheon as it stands right now, with Tharizdun being the closest to someone filling that gap (although its also possible he could be more powerful).

 

[Upper_Krust]

True. Though it could be argued that that might actually be a factor of the Avatars/Aspects that appear, and that the power of the true beings is fixed. Not sure how exactly that would be represented... Maybe in the Moorcock multiverse, Avatars/Aspects aren't always one-half/one-quarter of the HD [3e] or 10/20 levels [4e] less than their parent entity, but how much of the parent entity's power is present instead varies according to the proportion of Law/Chaos in that world?

Perhaps a simple way to do that may just be to change the gods rank.

So it might be a solo on a high Chaos world/plane, Elite where Chaos is equal to Law, and only Standard when Law is stronger.

They're supposed to be the trapped souls of angels or minor gods. I'd say they're a bit more powerful than that, given how supercharged Elric gets when he steals their soul.

If we assume they are Vampire Treants then they would convert to in and around Level 15 solo monsters - or more appropriately Level 20 elite monsters.

Level 15 elite*, + Vampire Template (Elite) becomes solo.

*off the top of my head trying to remember the treant.

 

[Khisanth the Ancient]

Perhaps a simple way to do that may just be to change the gods rank.

So it might be a solo on a high Chaos world/plane, Elite where Chaos is equal to Law, and only Standard when Law is stronger.

Quite possible. That seems to be an awfully broad gap; but that does make sense -- the Law gods seem fairly absent (Donblas did bind Checkalakh, but Checkalakh was a minor deity and Donblas the leader of Law, so I think that makes up for it).

If we assume they are Vampire Treants then they would convert to in and around Level 15 solo monsters - or more appropriately Level 20 elite monsters.

Level 15 elite*, + Vampire Template (Elite) becomes solo.

*off the top of my head trying to remember the treant.

Makes sense, though they're weird enough that they maybe should be totally separate monsters.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Quite possible. That seems to be an awfully broad gap; but that does make sense -- the Law gods seem fairly absent (Donblas did bind Checkalakh, but Checkalakh was a minor deity and Donblas the leader of Law, so I think that makes up for it).

Working on two new articles for the website. One is about Demogorgon, but also touches upon the nature of Chaos Gods in general. So I plan to mention the Moorcockian Chaos Gods as well as those from Warhammer in my attempt to bring a bit of (game related) order to Chaos Gods.