Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Halloween '19: A Winged Necromancer in Avernus





Thought of this idea on Monday; but life got in the way. Details of which are beyond the scope of this blog. This is a sequel blog entry to my blog post on whether to play an aasimar or tiefling during Season 9 of Adventurers League.

I've come to loggerheads over the aasimar PC largely because I can't quite figure out, which Xanathar's sub-class to select for the PC. Right now, there's about five. The diversity of abilities intrigues me especially because I think I can emulate some feat abilities without needing feats. However, we're talking no ability score increases or feats until after 13th level at the earliest. Not much in power level above third level in any single class too. More of a novelty character.

But I digress...

The winged necromancer whose the subject for today is...

A tiefling.

Not just any tiefling though.

A tiefling based on my very first tiefling PC.

My tiefling PC who ran around Sigil fighting Paladins from the Prime when he wasn't attending to the Mortuary as a member of the Dust Men. He also was Specialist Wizard focusing on the study of Necromancy.

Yes, a tiefling Necromancer from the days of AD&D 2E Planescape!

Since Season 9 of Adventurers League is a tie-in to the Descent into Avernus Hardcover Module during which the PCs travel to the first layer of the Nine Hells, I decided it would be a hoot to recreate the old Planescape PC for a story arc that occurs on another plane and utter obscure, to the other players, Planescape references!

Not to mention playing a winged character to boot.

The aasimar concept was winning out though. I really hadn't brushed up on Planescape Cant though. Playing a mere tiefling character felt too generic; and I wasn't sure I wanted to create a single classed necromancer. We're talking five to six levels before the concept can come to life (ha! life!) here. The novelty aasimar concept depends on playing the character during Season 9 too in order to use Xanathar's. Playing a necromancer - even a winged one - isn't too unusual to win the novelty war.

Planescape tieflings didn't have wings./

However, on Monday, the proximity of Halloween must've served as a stroke of inspiration.

He'd be a descendant of my Planescape Tiefling who grew up on the Prime, i.e. Faerun. He'd hold many of the Dust Men beliefs; yet wouldn't be a Dust Men. Like his ancestor, he'd be an evil Necromancer; but a lawful one. Not saying he wouldn't be a member of a faction. Adventurers League mandates faction membership for evil characters. The Zhentarim is the obvious for such a macabre character.

His name or what he's called is: The Mortician.

Like his Dust Men ancestor, The Mortician takes care of the dead. He also holds many of the same Dust Men beliefs such as the True Death. He's a necromancer because necromancy aids his task since animating dead bodies eliminates the need to hire help to move them. The Mortician is much too weak to move them otherwise. The Faction Agent background will be modified to include to the Medicine skill, as he's familiar with anatomy, and alchemical supplies due to knowledge of embalming and the like.

Once The Mortician is high enough in level, he'll employ an army of the animated dead against the fiends from Avernus. Just imagine a group of skeletons or zombies dogpiling one! So what if it's a local's deceased loved one? The Mortician is taking care of the corpse albeit not how they envisioned. He is Lawful Evil after all - and one step closer to True Death.

A mortician of fiendish heritage flying with leathery wings commanding a squad of undead when is about as much a Halloween concept as it gets! Commanding them against fiends from and on Avernus itself is the D&D equivalent of Creature Commandos!

Halloween is tomorrow.

Happy Gaming!


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