A Forgotten Realms sideblog that's mostly Drizzt stuff and hot takes on drow lore, especially Vhaeraun / Ciarán / 29 / he/they Currently reading: Boundless, The Devil You Know Ask for an updated Drizztcord link!
An inclusive community for fans of the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore. LGBTQIA+ friendly and featuring D&D adventures! | 134 mem
I decided to make a new Legend of Drizzt discord server after some issues with the two existing ones. This server does not tolerate bigotry, and is thus intended to be a more inclusive alternative for those wishing to have a safe place to talk about the Drizzt books.
Come join us to talk about everyone's favorite renegade drow and friends, and build up our community!
Also, if you're an adult and you like Vhaeraun, read my fanfiction!
a little preview of the Jarlaxle art I've been working on over the past week. both were drawn for a dnd zine, so I'll be posting the full-size versions only after the zine is finished and sent out... which won't be anytime soon
Jalynfein! (✧ω✧)
I still wonder who would have been the more powerful wizard if Jalynfein had been in the Drizzt saga.
And what could have happened to him anyway? Did he find a way to heal his face? Did he go live on the surface in Luskan?… (・・?)
I am once again complaining in a terrible and overly melodramatic way about the way the Slayer is depicted in the games when I could've had the original tabletop version.
There is an image in my mind's eye: a divine corpse levitates, motionless and silent in the dead sky, haloed by the shattered and broken bones of the murdered dead - a jagged ring of daggers that spins and twists. Blood like tar drips from its eyes, its ears, the corners of its mouth, every laceration on its pallid flesh; it weeps this divine ichor upon the ground below, where the legions gather beneath it - the growing number of lurching corpses and horrified souls of those it has murdered, chained to its will; those who hear its call, maddened with hate and bloodlust - a growing army marching forth to bring violence and death upon the world, as those it kills join its ranks.
But nooo, I get a fucking lizard with too many teeth and I'm expected to think it's in any way powerful or impressive when I could have been an eldritch abomination angel of horror commanding an army of the damned and spreading hate like a plague wherever it goes.
The brain is OK and had a similar look, but it's not the same thing. Illithid just lack the charisma of the undead.
@hatlesshatter Faiths and Avatars, page 45. On reread I realise that the souls of the murdered would in fact be part of the halo, not the army, but honestly that might be an improvement for me.
"The Slayer looked like a human corpse with a feral face, ivory-white skin, and deep lacerations that endlessly wept black ichor that vanished before it struck anything."
"The Slayer could levitate at will and walk on air. His movements were always silent, and his voice soft, menacing, and cold. In battle, the Slayer wielded one of the infinite number of bone daggers hidden on his person or that he could conjure out of thin air. Body parts wounded by those wielded daggers would wither. […]"
"The body of anyone slain by one of these animated daggers could - if the Slayer desired - become a zombie under his command or be made to burst apart, all its bones shattering and joining any bone daggers the Lord of Murder had already animated to become a blade barrier of bone shards [which] lasted as long as the Slayer willed [it can be left behind when the Slayer leaves as a permanent feature]. If the Slayer created a permanent bone-shard blade barrier, the spirit of the slain beings remained in the affected area as part of the animating force affecting the bones."
"The Slayer could also [at will] awaken an urge to slay [tapping into the hatred within a person, according to Dragon Magazine #322 - causing the target to rush and attack whatever target directed to, with whatever weapon came to hand, moaning and sobbing uncontrollably with its need to take a life], or cast attraction [replaces any negative emotions the target has towards the caster with positive emotions; hatred becomes love.]"
For some reason the mood took me to compare the Slayer in all five of its iterations, including Bhaal's actual avatar vs the various forms he's taken while possessing his spawn.
To reiterate: I will kill Isobel for you when you stop ripping me off, old man.
Bhaal, the genuine article Slayer:
The Slayer is a levitating 'corpse with a feral face, ivory-white skin, and deep lacerations that endlessly wept black ichor that vanished before it struck anything.' Also came with free murder knives made of the bones of its victims, hate plagues where you kill your neighbours and family while blindly loving it, and a zombie apocalypse.
– Rogue 32/Fighter 27
– Str 24, Dex 24, Con 22, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 17
– Magic resistance 90%
– Damage: 1d4+16 points of damage a round via bone daggers (2 of which is cold damage), attacking up to 12 times a round for a maximum total of 240 points of damage every round.
– HP 212
– AC 26
– Movement Speed: 75ft per minute/round
Things slain rise as zombies or form a blade barrier by exploding into bone shrapnel. Living flesh hit by his blades withers and becomes useless, depriving them of limbs and brain function depending on the location. The Slayer can drive those around him into homicidal frenzies, and force people to love him and do his bidding by touching them. Bhaal can also just generically create any undead which will answer to him just by touching the corpse of people who have been murdered, he just prefers skeletons.
[Murder in Baldur's Gate]
The 'Bhaalspawn Slayer':
'...hulking, blood-soaked, corpse-like form...'
It's listed as a medium humanoid, much like the real Slayer, so it hasn't changed shape that much and mostly resembles the original.
Appears to paralyse its opponents and then eat them alive. Or just really likes biting. Apparently that fine evening in Baldur's Gate Bhaal manifested in one child and then ate the other one in front of a watching crowd...
Notably the possessed Bhaalspawn was not intended to survive this transformation.
5e stats:
– AC 14
– HP 30 (4d10+8)
– Speed 40ft
– Darkvision 60ft
– Str 14 Dex 17 Con 15 Int 11 Wis 11 Cha 13
– Immunities: Disease and poison
– Can climb and jump as part of normal movement and doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.
– Attacks by clawing (2d4+2, causes paralysis) and then, once you're paralysed starts biting (2d8+2, stuns the target).
– If hit in combat and caused to bleed, the Slayer proceeds to become even more murderously aggressive.
[Baldur's Gate 2]
Charname:
'A violent, powerful creature made of teeth and claws.'
Some kind of giant red insect? With spikes.
Using this form slowly destroys the users' psyche as Bhaal begins to take over (represented as taking physical damage in-game). Likewise the errosion of self as Bhaal begins to strengthen within causes you to radiate evil and murder that causes people to view you with fear and hostility: '...even those who do not witness the event can sense the corruption caused by giving yourself over to instinct.'
Becoming the avatar for a god is also taxing on a mortal body, and causes fatigue.
– Strength and Dexterity set to 25
– Effective AC set to -9 [AC 29]
– Magic Resistance set to 40%
– Saving Throws set to 2
– Attacks per round set to 4 (+5 damage, 1d8 crushing, 2 cold)
– +100 Hit Points
– Immunity to imprisonment, level drain, stun, and missile attacks
[Dragon Magazine]
Generic Bhaalspawn who aren't Charname or Durge:
'...a twisted and demonic-looking version of itself that has aspects of the murderous avatar of Bhaal.'
More like the Slayer proper, but comes with claws, for some reason.
Sustaining the form is still taxing, and causes temporary constitution damage over time when in use (1 per round).
- An extra +6 to base AC
- +8 to Strength
[Baldur's Gate 3]
The Dark Urge:
It's a lizard.
One thing we can say for it is that as far as I'm aware, unlike other Bhaalspawn, Durge is not taking damage or being taxed by taking avatar form.
(I'll use the level 10 version)
- Str 25, Dex, 14, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8
- HP 153
- AC 16
- Movment Speed: 35ft
- Multiattack 1d4
- The ability to make things around you bleed and flee for their lives by growling at them
- And healing by absorbing or drinking your enemy's blood or something, I'm not sure on the details past opening your enemy's arteries and healing.
