Wizards are Weird: Some Visual Aids

I went rummaging around the internet trying to find some good examples of odder wizards, the wizards of the type you would've seen more of in the old days.

Firstly, let's start with Speculese. This is a guy from the sadly short lived Cartoon Network Short Korgoth of Barbaria. He's a weirdo. He lives in a castle. He, presumably masturbates to a dancing golden goblin wind up. He also makes ugly men make out for fun, and ends up transmogrifying his head onto the decapitated body of a beautiful slave girl.

You might also notice he's got amazing fashion sense. Bare chests seem to be a thing for the more pulpy wizard. I presume because some of them want to show off their pecs, but, with Spec here, well..

 Speaking of pecs..

This piece of artwork. Helpfully titled 'We Are Not Bringing the Wizard" comes from a Deviantart page belonging to an artist called MattRhodesArt.

I love this piece. Its kind of a perfect example of wizard as 'freaking weird guy.'   Again topless, surrounded by odd accoutrements, and seemingly not very well versed in social niceties.

And for a more modern take..

Arthur Brown.

Just.. Just whenever I watch this. I think pulpy wizard.

 I'm just going to leave that there. Especially the dance moves. Don't forget the 'tiny minds' nonsense either.

Just imagine your heroes breaking down the doors to a castle, and they have to watch this guy dance and caper like an idiot before he starts incinerating them with fireballs. Or if his dancing and capering is how he's incinerating them.

Musical Inspiration Challenge 2! Part 11 -. The Final Battle.

Freeze (Part IV of Fear) by Rush

Rush is a common thing in my lists, and as progressive rockers they have themes and stuff all over the place. Freeze occupies a fun little place. See its part 4 of a trilogy of songs, based on Fear.

Rush indicated that they had never intended for Fear to be an actual trilogy, but on three albums they worked their way back on other songs based around it.

The other songs in the series are the Enemy Within, Witch Hunt, and The Weapon. The idea behind the trilogy was that of a man’s ‘theater of fear’ where he was attempting to posit his philosophy that mankind’s driving emotion was not love, but fear. Each of the songs, as evidenced in an interview with Neil Peart represents how fear affects us differently whether it be how fear works within us (The Enemy Within), how it’s used against us (The Weapon) or how it functions with society (Witch Hunt). Freeze came out eighteen years after the first part though. What its meant to represent, I’m not one hundred percent sure about.

Anyway, our lyrics..

 (from songlyrics.com)

The city crouches, steaming
In the early morning half light
The sun is still a rumor
And the night is still a threat
Slipping through the dark streets
And the echoes and the shadows
Something stirs behind me
And my palms begin to sweat

Sometimes I freeze...until the light comes
Sometimes I fly...into the night
Sometimes I fight...against the darkness
Sometimes I'm wrong...sometimes I'm right

Coiled for the spring
Or caught like a creature in the headlights
Into a desperate panic
Or a tempest of blind fury
Like a cornered beast
Or a conquering hero

The menace threatens, closing
And I'm frozen in the shadows
I'm not prepared to run away
And I'm not prepared to fight

I can't stand to reason
Or surrender to a reflex
I will trust my instincts
Or surrender to my fright

Sometimes we freeze...until the light comes
Sometimes we're wrong...and sometimes we're right
Sometimes we fight...against the darkness
Sometimes we fly...into the night

Blood running cold
Mind going down into a dark night
Of a desperate panic
Or a tempest of blind fury
Like a cornered beast
Or a conquering hero

Sometimes I freeze
Sometimes I fight
Sometimes I fly
Into the night

We’re not doing song exegesis here, but it seems to be about the choice of how to react to fear. Whether you give in, surrender, fly or fight. Based on this, our primary foe’s final encounter should be one to revolve around fear.

Fear is usually a bad mechanic in D&D style games. Compelling emotions out of players is difficult, and they rankle when their characters are forced to feel things they don’t. Still, strange imagery, illusions, and the ‘trappings of fear’ can make for a fun or compelling encounter.

I’d probably make this encounter occur in some dark underground treatment center. A forgotten hospital wing or something similar, and allow for the encounter to range across a wider area to convince the heroes to spread out.

Our final throw down with our bad guy should occur at the darkest part of the old folks home / deathcamp/ asylum, and should involve him attempting to use the fears of the party (and any awakened elderly heroes) against them.

With his own fear, the fear that ultimately there is a judgment, ultimately being brought to bear against him.

Musical Inspiration Challenge 2! Part 10 – The Second Encounter.

The Oracle by Van Canto

Van Canto’s an odd one. They’re a mostly acapella metal band. Mostly acapella because apparently they originally intended to have a guy beatboxing to provide the drumline, but the guys they kept auditioning kept on passing out because of that whole humans-need-to-breathe thing.

The Oracle is part of the Voices of Fire album, which is a kind of rock opera thing about bards and dragons. So its suitable for fantasy stuff, but can we take any use out of it? Well..

On to the lyrics (from genius.com).

[Choir:]
Once for all!
Hear your call!
Dragonfall!
Create an army, unite in harmony

No escape!
Face your fate!
Save the eight!
Fulfill your purpose, your voice is precious

Rise up and fight your misery
Step right into your destiny
Defend our holy legacy
Create an army, unite in harmony

Rise up and face your enemy
Invoke the bard's integrity
Unite your skills for victory
Fulfill your purpose, your voice is precious!

[Voice:]
We come in peace to seek your advice
Too blind to see we beg for your eyes
Is there a hidden prophecy
To figure out this mystery?
Is there a little chance to survive this war?

(a war)
Out of my mind
Left far behind

[Choir:]
The dragon is rising
The islands colliding
The savior in hiding
The empress not guiding
Ash to ash – dust to dust
Our star will combust
Not to fail is a must
Raise your voice to be free
Harmony is the key!

[Voice:]
I need a little faith in my voice (don't rail against your fate, young bard!)
I cannot seem to have any choice (defeat the coward you have empowered!)
I want to hide behind armour plates (you can't escape – accept your lot!)
My inner voice is conquered by hate (rise like a phoenix, out of the ashes!)

[Choir:]
Fight with a mighty heart
And we will sing aloud of dragons we fight

[Voice:]
This line of fate decides on my heart (don't lose heart!)
I'm cut into pieces, like the islands
I am drifting apart
No gallantry inside my soul (call the bards!)
All valour vanished in my memory
And a long long way from home

Out of my mind
Left far behind

Don't you fear your tryst with destiny
Put your faith in your own melody!
I will join up into harmony

[Choir:]
Raise you voice to be free
Harmony is the key!
The dragon is rising
The islands colliding
The savior in hiding
The empress not guiding
Ash to ash – dust to dust
Our star will combust
Not to fail is a must
Raise your voice – built on trust!

[Voice:]
I need a little faith in my voice (don't rail against your fate, young bard!)
I cannot seem to have any choice (defeat the coward you have empowered!)
I want to hide behind armour plates (you can't escape – accept your lot!)
My inner voice is conquered by hate (rise like a phoenix, out of the ashes!)

[Choir:]
Rise up and face your enemy
Invoke the bard's integrity
Unite your skills for victory
Fulfill your purpose, your voice is precious!

[Solo]

Fight with a mighty heart, and you will
Raise your voice to be free
Harmony is the key!

[Voice:]
I need a little faith in my voice (don't rail against your fate, young bard!)
I cannot seem to have any choice (defeat the coward you have empowered!)
I want to hide behind armour plates (you can't escape – accept your lot!)
My inner voice is conquered by hate (rise like a phoenix, out of the ashes!)

[Choir:]
Fight with a mighty heart
And you will find your own path
Look upon the start
Shining in the dark
And we will sing aloud of dragons we fight. [4x]

[Voices:]
Fighting my heart
Losing my path
A star in the dark
For thee
I learn to fight!
Fighting my heart
Losing my path
A star in the dark
For thee

And we’re back to the issue of rising up against an insurmountable foe. There is also the bard-angle where it speaks of songs and the strength of voices. Mighty hearts. That refusing to surrender is itself a victory.

In many ways this ties in with what we’ve been aiming for. So how do we make this an encounter? Also, how do we make it a non-consecutive encounter? Reminding ourselves that climactic encounters in an adventure don’t always flow A to B.

Let’s imagine now more about our bad guy. He’s doing terrible things to these people to attempt to prove to himself that there is no final judge or arbiter, while simultaneously wishing that there were. This is positively diabolical. Tie in with that though, he’s been running what’s essentially a death camp of the soul for old folks. Suicide, death, euthanasia and all of those terrible things.  

Pathfinder has an entity referred to as an allip, it’s a being of mindless madness and despair made from the insane who take their own lives, perhaps that’s our enemy. The asylum or old folks home is overwhelmed by entities and spirits of despair, so the heroes must defeat them with the desperate human power of hope. Re-enacting a story or singing a glorious song together, or working together and remembering where they came from and why they can’t stop.

Also, having to punch incorporeal monsters flooding on them. Let’s see how our final battle music pans out before we finalize though.