Ravnica for Goblins
The Azorius Top Ten Most Wanted
Navigating the social dynamics of a city where demons run nightclubs, lich run food stamps, ghosts run banks, and a dragon runs utilities can be a daunting & confusing experience. One can’t roll initiative every time one sees a minotaur in a china shop, or a vampire at the post office, or a giant covered in barbed wire and blood in a dark alleyway. These are everyday occurrences in Ravnica and odds are if you attack any of them on general principle, it is you the cops will be arresting. You don’t want to find yourself in the situation where you’ve attacked a Medusa shopping on Tin Street and they inform the Azorius Arresters that they will be pressing charges against you.
But fear not! For there are still plenty of threats one can absolutely go to town on! All of the individuals listed below are recognized as wanted criminals by the Azorius Senate. Meaning bringing any of them in can bring one renown among the lawmages, reputation on the streets, and/or coin in the pocket. This could be your ticket to recognition and glory! Just make sure you know what you’re getting into with these individuals. The reward means little if you’re dead.
#10 Ritjit, aka "Ogre Jailbreaker"
Affiliation: Guildless
Crimes: Break-in at Vitu-Ghazi (Selesnya Guildhall), destruction of Tin Street, and escape from Udzec Maximum Security Prison. Target is considered armed and dangerous, but not particularly intelligent.
Ritjit wrecked 81% of Tin Street’s market stalls in under 20 minutes, meaning he’s both faster and more destructive than your average ogre. He’s also a notch above your average ogre in terms of intelligence. While that isn’t saying much, believe me when I say you will prefer your ogres stupid. This is the difference between an animal and an animal that’s discovered how to use tools. Ritjit’s iron ball & chain combines range and destructive power. Expect serious property damage, substantial speed, and a whopper of a multiattack.
Recall the old adage, “I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee”, but replace “arrow” with “100lb iron ball” and “be an adventurer” with “have legs”. Give the #10 spot the respect he deserves.
Last seen in the vicinity of Selesnya’s Saproling Nursery.
#9 Ruzi & Kuma
Affiliation: Formerly Selesnya Conclave
Crimes: Theft & destruction of Azorius files, arson, assault with trained wolf as a deadly weapon, transportation of contraband across rooftops.
A single Ledev Guardian isn’t that great of a threat. What you’re essentially fighting is a Knight riding a Dire Wolf. Their true strength comes in numbers, formation, and cooperation. A Ledev acting alone must rely on stealth and precision to gain the upper hand in a situation, so count on some serious Stealth and Investigation skills. Speed and Acrobatics as well, given their escape via rooftops. Odds are, any encounter with these two will be less of a fight, more of a chase.
Ruzi & Kuma are rogue operatives on a mission pertaining to the Cult of Rakdos. The exact details are unclear, as the fires used for distraction and escape caused damage to much of the floor, thus complicating the process of which files were taken and which burned. Speculations that it has to do with the massacre of Selesnyan missionaries in the Rubblebelt by a Rakdos assassin are, just that, speculations.
Current whereabouts unknown.
#8 "Lotleth Troll"
Affiliation: Golgari Swarm
Crimes: Non-ritualistic cannibalism, resisting arrest.
The Lotleth Troll is a former corpse eater who decided to save a step and eat other corpse eaters, then random citizens, then law enforcement officers attempting to bring him in. His hunting has effectively shut down all nighttime transport in the Canal District, and his use of the Ravnican pipes system has allowed him to evade capture.
Picture a Troll. Now strip back some skin, add in some Golgari Fungi providing both protection and camouflage, and throw in a trapper-spider method of stalking prey. Now make him a cannibal. Congratulations, you now have pure nightmare fuel for the average Ravnican citizen.
What we have here is an ambush predator that combines savagery, tenacity, durability, and elusiveness. If you fail to take it down in one shot, it breaks for the sewers and pipes. Its troll genes will allow it to regenerate quickly so that by the time you chase it down, it’s back to full health, has homefield advantage, and has gained the element of surprise you’ve lost. High strength for grappling prey, inherent stealth, easy navigation of its surroundings, and if there’s a nastier way to die than being eaten alive in a sewer pipe, I don’t want to know what it is.
The one light in this darkness is that the creature is not particularly choosy about its victims. Its career began out of impatience, so drawing it out may be the easiest part of dealing with it. That said, few want to volunteer as bait for a rogue corpse eater.
#7 Senka, aka "Stealer of Secrets"
Affiliation: Unknown
Crimes: Breaking & entering, theft (contents unknown), agitating the wildlife.
The one called Senka is a Guildless operative with the nerve to rob House Dimir. While the shadowy Guild claim the Dinrova building to be open to the public, in reality only the lobby has full access. The higher floors and particularly the basement are strongly warded to prevent intruders of all caliber.
And this woman slipped passed them all, walked out of the building with a lumpy parcel described as moving, and set loose a Horror kept in the basement to cover her escape. It tore through the lobby, broke out into the streets, and devoured a passing Orzhov Debt Transport (think bulky, land-based Nazgul).
What we have here is clearly someone with extensive knowledge of Arcana, Perception, Stealth, Sleight of Hand, and apparently some remarkable Animal Handling. Tracking her down is hard, nigh-impossible, as even the Dimir haven’t found her. If one does manage to find her, however, she is likely not difficult to bring down.
The real issue will be whatever she had in that bundle. Her loosing of the Horror kept in the basement suggests an affinity for these Undercity monsters, meaning she might well be raising a baby Skitter Horror as her loyal pet. That would be top-quality Bad News.
#6 Bori Andon
Affiliation: Izzet League
Crimes: Destruction of Orzhov cathedral, disintegration of Orzhov theater, partial explosion of Orzhov bank, excessive & reckless experimenting, mass property destruction, and illegal launch of a Viashino.
The Orzhov Syndicate is willing to pay top coin for this one’s head. That said, he’s well-respected within the Izzet League, who consider reckless experimenting a solid asset to one’s resumé and personality.
What you’re likely dealing with is a variant Blastseeker whose most dangerous feature is probably going to be his experiments and laboratory. Izzet labs are prone to explosions, Wild Magic, random bursts of elemental energy, and an unhealthy level of encouragement for any experiment, no matter how dangerous, as long as it produces “results”.
Izzet labs also tend to reflect their owner’s personality and “quirks”, so with Bori’s preoccupation towards propulsion, expulsion, and explosion; there’s a solid chance his lab will try to eject you several hundred feet in any given direction. If the lab is on a high enough floor, this could prove instantly fatal to any character unable to levitate, teleport, or sprout wings. Ravnican buildings range from small office buildings to cloud-piercing skyscrapers. Minimum, 5 stories. Maximum.... there are buildings & structures almost a mile high. Buildings. Plural.
#5 Krenko, Mob Boss
Affiliation: Guildless, Foundry Street Gang
Crimes: Theft from Ghost Council quarters (contents unknown), illegal use of a portal, illegal use of a thrall as an incendiary device, instigation of a riot in Sawtooth Prison, and violent escape from Azorius arresters during transfer to Udzec Maximum Security Prison. Target is to be brought in alive for questioning. Any attempts at unsanctioned questioning or interrogation of subject will result in immediate imprisonment by Azorius authorities.
Krenko’s jacket is mostly available in the GGtR. While he’s not a particularly difficult fighter (he’s a final boss for a Level 1 campaign), getting to him can still be a nuisance. Krenko isn’t a lone troublemaker you can just corner; his main power comes from his connections to Ravnica’s criminal underworld. It’s a fairly simple matter to upgrade his contacts to reflect the party’s level. Thugs, brutes, cutthroats, crooked guards, officials on the hook, and, of course, the mysterious “Mr Taz”.
The real trouble comes from getting involved with one of Mr Taz’ personal projects/associates. This would make Krenko a loose end. The Azorius Senate will only pay up if Krenko is brought in alive for questioning. Under no circumstances is the goblin boss to be questioned independently, and if either of these requirements isn’t met, you’ll find yourself in hot water with the Senate. However, if he starts talking to try and bargain his way out, you can expect to find yourself green-lit by House Dimir.
What does that mean? It means you’re going to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Give up on sleeping at night, you’ll make it too easy for them. Every NPC you encounter, every random citizen you pass on the street, the members of your own guild; anyone could be a Dimir agent. Every dark alley, every shadow on the wall, every noise you hear in the night could be a deadly threat. Or nothing at all.
Best case scenario when they get to you, they wipe your memory. It’s standard Dimir protocol, but it can only affect memories from within the last 24 hours. So if you’re already passed that threshold, your options get dicier. Get Feebleminded, get killed, or get on the hook. If you have information, authority, or renown that can be exploited, they will use you to cause serious damage to your guild. If you don’t comply, they green-light your friends & loved ones.
Krenko might be the easiest on this list to physically wrangle, but he comes with a lot of bad attention from scary people. Unless taking on House Dimir is one of your campaign goals, his bounty to the Azorius is not worth the Dimir’s bounty on you.
#4 “The Cozen”
Affiliation: Orzhov Syndicate
Crimes: Unsanctioned executions, bribery of Azorius officials, illegal use of Detention Sphere for purposes of torture.
Real name unknown. Contract killer for the Orzhov Syndicate, trademark is “creative interpretation of contracts”, see below:
The contract specified an appendage for a missed payment. Read the fine print: the head is an appendage.
So, start with an Orzhov Giant. Give him (or her or them) a respectable boost in ability scores, particularly in the Charisma department. Throw in at least a couple of powerful magic items to reflect the high standing of a powerful enforcer within a guild that revolves around both hoarding and grand displays of wealth. Include an Advokist (aka Mage) or two for that sense of organization and official-ness the Orzhov always try to project in their dealings. Have some Azorius NPCs on the take to negotiate targets to the desired location/killspot. Last but not least, fashion yourself a Detention Sphere magical item; most likely an item holding charges for various flavors of confinement, restraint, and submission. These potential spells will probably go all the way up to Force Cage and/or Imprisonment. However, as this is a modified Detention Sphere, each spell also comes with the ability to inflict pain on the target.
All things considered, this will be one of the easier and more straightforward targets to locate. While storming Orzhov property is certainly no walk in the park, The Cozen is a pretty active figure in Orzhov debt collection, meaning one could conceivably see them out on the streets. The main concern one should have is to avoid the Detention Sphere, as being immobilized will turn the encounter into an execution. It’s highly unlikely The Cozen will have the opportunity to perform multiple executions in a single combat, but it’s even more highly unlikely that any member of the party will volunteer for instant death. That said, this one is certain to drop some sweet loot.
#3 Damir, aka "Voidwielder"
Affiliation: Guildless
Crimes: Opening spatial rift without a permit, erasure of evidence, conspiracy against Ravnica, conspiracy against Guilds, conspiracy against Guildpact.
Welcome to the Top 3. Each of the individuals listed is designated as “Kill on Sight” to reflect the extreme dangers they pose, both to individual victims and to Ravnica as a whole. Taking down any of these three will grant city-wide recognition, a massive boost to one’s renown within their guild, and the most sincere gratitude of the Azorius Senate. But be warned, all of these figures have remained at large because they’ve slaughtered, petrified, or erased anyone who’s stood against them.
The renegade mage known as Damir owes allegiance to no guild, no group, no organization, nor even to Ravnica itself. He is a madman even the Izzet won’t touch or defend. He holds a grudge against the Guildpact and has accused every guild of mass murder. Through use of portals and rifts, he seeks to reverse time itself. The rifts are of particular danger to airborne creatures of limited intelligence, like drakes, who fly into these sparkly ripples in the atmosphere without care. On the ground, his trademark method of dealing with anyone who interferes with his work is banishment, obliterating all evidence of his crimes from existence.
You’re definitely looking at an Archmage here, for starters. With a focus on the School of Conjuration, because he’s definitely the sort of guy who’s thinking with portals. As far as “How do I turn a 20ft doorway into a weapon?”, the answer lies in where the portal goes. A Gate to the Fire Plane is effectively a 20ft tall FLAMETHROWER. A Gate to the Water Plane is a tsunami focused into a geyser. A Gate to Nowhere is like opening an airlock in deep space. Given Damir’s general contempt for humanity, he definitely seems the sort of mad mage who would prefer uninhabited planes for his terrorism, but whose to say he doesn’t open up a Gate to one of the nastier Realms of existence and all the beasties within if he wants to? Odds are he hasn’t had much of a dialogue with anyone besides himself and his Unseen Servant(s) in a long time. Who’s going to talk him out of anything?
Damir is smart, extremely smart. Given most portal spells require concentration, the ability to concentrate on more than one spell at a time feels appropriate for maximizing his destructive potential. While it’s true that only the Gate spell can actually reach other Planes, once you have it up, you can pop an Arcane Gate inside that Gate and give yourself another 10ft tall elemental disaster at a location of your choosing. Better yet, Gate lasts only a minute, but Arcane Gate, once set up, lasts for 10. Time Stop seems like a given, but since Damir’s goal is reversing time, as opposed to just stopping it, saving that 9th level spell slot for Gate seems more effective. Let Time Magic be the plot device, not an actual spell. In addition, lots of teleporting for evasion (Misty Step is your friend), and you definitely wanna give him Chromatic Orb so he can do the void magic attack on his poster. Furthermore, while Banishment seems to be the logical choice for, well, banishing anyone who interferes, in actuality it lasts only a minute and can only send creatures to their home plane of existence. It’s more of a delaying tactic than anything. If you really want to maximize portal magic, Plane Shift or Scatter are much more permanent. Counterspell to prevent other mages from interfering. As far as other offensive spells, Evard’s Black Tentacles and Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere both feel very in-character. Especially if combined....
You could also open up a portal to the Past, but since, as mentioned in earlier posts, most of Ravnican history before the last 100 years is an absolute nightmare to figure out, make sure you’re prepared before you jump into it. Plus side, if Damir’s plan is to go back to before the Guildpact, your party might get to see dragons! Downside, your party will be walking into a 10-way war.
Already stated this, but, yeah, it’s worth stating again, kill on sight.
#2 "The Unseen"
Affiliation: Golgari Swarm
Crimes: Plagiarism of Azorius statutes for the purpose of phlebotomy and murder.
Murder of Judge Azka by heart removal
Murder of Arbiter Zivan by bloodletting
Murder of slumlord Branko One-Ear by extraction of brain
Prime Suspect in disappearance of Arbiter Relov
To some, an urban legend. To others, a secret cult. Whatever the identity, the assassin known on the streets as “The Unseen” has been steadily acquiring followers to mesh out their perverted sense of justice on present and former members of the Azorius Senate.
So, yeah, Vraska has a grudge against the Azorius. In all fairness, it’s pretty justified. Think V from V for Vendetta, except it’s a Gorgon Planeswalker Assassin Pirate Queen of the Undercity. So, yeah, think really hard before getting involved in this particular dispute. However, if you are determined to step into this ugly situation....
Vraska, as stated previously, combines all of the most lethal features of an Assassin, an Undercity Medusa, a Pirate, and a Planeswalker. Vraska’s stats should reflect those of a Guildmaster. Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma scores at-or-above 20. Legendary Actions, Legendary Resistances, Assassinate/Surprise Attack, Sneak Attack, Evasion, Cunning Action, and a Petrifying Gaze that brought down Isperia, Gargantuan Sphinx Guildmaster of the Azorius Senate. Just so you can properly understand the ramifications of that takedown; that means Isperia’s +11 Constitution (with Advantage) failed the save either by 5 once or by any amount twice. Basically, Vraska is a walking/slithering deathwish either by damage or by instant petrification.
So, step one in surviving against her is to make sure you surprise her, not the other way around. Step two is making sure she goes down, instead of planeswalking away. Meaning when you hit her, you hit hard, and you leave no chance at survival. Don’t go for the kill, go for the overkill. Plus side, although Vraska has considerable influence and followers within the Golgari Swarm, she still values her privacy & secrecy. So, if you can find her Lair, you can conceivably get the jump on her. Get that surprise round, take advantage of her squishier Hit Points as a Rogue, hit her with everything you’ve got, and pray.
Or you could just leave her alone and live a bit longer.
#1 "Massacre Girl"
Affiliation: Cult of Rakdos
Crimes: Murder, mass murder, unsanctioned execution, inciting chaos, inciting riots, massacre of Selesnyan missionaries in Rubblebelt. Prime suspect in 47 open murder cases. Additional information lost during fire at South Records Hall.
Vraska may be the toughest on this list, but the crazed murderer known only as “Massacre Girl” definitely holds the highest body count. She has openly promised to kill any official who investigates or detains her and is a favorite follower of Rakdos the Defiler. Whether she performs under orders or just for her own twisted delight, no one can say. Her trademark is high body counts.
Build-wise, you’re looking at a Rogue/Fighter combination. High Dexterity, Charisma, Stealth, Deception, Sleight of Hand, and every buff the Cult of Rakdos can offer someone. Surprise Attack, Sneak Attack, any ability that involves blood could work. But in order to really let Massacre Girl live up to her reputation, give her as many opportunities to attack as physically possible. Multi-Attack, Bonus Action, Reaction, or possibly even Legendary Actions. With Massacre Girl, quantity is going to be key, as her main weapons are only likely to be a spiked chain and a magic dagger of some rarity. Multi-Attack should include at least 3 Dagger attacks, possibly even up to 5. Utilizing the spiked chain for a Bonus Action to grab potential victims could work, as could leaving behind caltrops or other sharp objects while disengaging or dashing.
Her driving goal will be to inflict as much damage on as many targets as possible. Meaning she’s most likely to turn up somewhere with lots of innocent bystanders and immediately start slaying people. Much of the difficulty in dealing with her will be in getting through the crowds of people running away, and not losing sight of her in the chaos. If she gets behind you, you’re looking at a nasty flurry of stabs with advantage. Make no mistake, she’s going to do everything in her power to turn the encounter into a bloodbath, and no matter how hard you try, someone is going to die.
While you bury the last of her victims, let the knowledge that Ravnica no longer has to live in fear of this murder-crazed psychopath help you find peace.