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Planars: On the Road to Evermaw
🕑 Added 2021-01-04 21:56:06 +0000 UTCHere continues the ongoing discussion and design of original planars, the various denizens of the multiverse, for Midgard—by Scott Gable (Warlock Editor):
So last year, you may remember that we ran a poll to discuss some aspects of the Midgard multiverse, specifically what plane to start with. And while the Infinite Halls has come far since then, Evermaw had held strong the entire time, so that's where we're starting...
Into the Evermaw
Undead it is…! It would seem our presumptive winner for the location of our first planar creature build would be the Evermaw, so let’s talk about that. (And we've already got some common ground established for this with Warlock 8, with the article "Dry Lands: Plane of Undeath" by Wolfgang Baur.)
As for my pitch to you, I suggest, rather than be undead itself, for the creature to be an aberration and that it must enter into a symbiotic relationship with an undead creature. Perhaps they have innate necromantic magics and are able to create/summon undead in addition to “riding” them. Mindless undead they would control outright when riding, but with intelligent undead, they act more as trusted councilors and secret weapons. The creature needs the undead—not being able to exist long on its own—so it makes itself useful.
If you want to take a turn for the weird(er), I could totally see this creature being adaptable as a PC character option: the character would inhabit corpses, effectively a ghoul or the like, but with innate necromantic abilities… and a surprise inside!
And necrotech! Let’s open this up to necrotech to expand their influence and utility and versatility. (Richard Green recently statted up two necrotech beasties for Warlock 15 for example.) Being outsiders (in the sense of being outside the greater political body of the undead throughout Midgard and beyond, if we make them aberrations), they would be able (and very much interested!) to do things that many undead wouldn’t consider as they build their engines of undead flesh to serve themselves—and their undead allies. Suits and vehicles of twisted, rancid meat to level against all that would stand in their way…!
Ahem…
So where to from here?
We’ve got choices to consider.
- What do they look like? Perhaps wormlike? Would certainly fit with the "living off the dead" bit.
- What are they called?
- What kinds of abilities do they have? Are their different types and what might they be?
- What have I not considered?
- What questions do you have or directions would you like to go?
Let us know what you think. Help feed the Creativity Engine and build some cool creatures by leaving a comment (or several!).
