Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

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thekristhomas
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by thekristhomas »

It seems to me that there's not a huge overlap in what he is (undead man-beast with issues about his duality) and what he does (use and abuse women)

If his seeking undeath was an attempt to reconcile his duality, then I would expect his approach to the necessities of undeath, feeding and the like, to reflect, or be informed by, the nature of that reconciliation. If he sought to expunge the beast, are the brides some sort of test for himself? Like an alcoholic who puts a bottle of whiskey on a shelf and swears to himself not to drink it, does he hope that this time he will stop himself? Does he maybe take false hope from stories of vampires who gained greater self control as they aged, and this is why he takes brides regularly
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Carrion Crow »

I did sort of cover this on this thread

http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... f=1&t=9682

But playing a riff on the whole "Beauty and the Beast" thing might be a different way to look at it. Perhaps von Kharkov is trapped in the hybrid Beast form and has some kind of magical amulet that allows him to swap his soul with others, but it only works on women. The bridal lottery could then be his way of escaping the curse, as in 'Beast' form he gifts his new 'bride' with the amulet, swaps souls with her and then gallivants off in her body. She's trapped in this hulking bestial form and hides away in the castle. However, the curse is on von Kharkov's soul and his borrowed female body starts to sprout hair where it shouldn't. He races back to the castle, swaps bodies back and then kills the unfortunate (and probably now insane) hairy cat-girl. He then waits for the next lottery...
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Five »

Others, and myself, have also scratched the surface of the Baron in this thread: http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... n+valachan

There may be a quarter in that couch, I dunno.
"A very piteous thing it was to see such a quantity of dead bodies, and such an outpouring of blood - that is, if they had not been enemies of the Christian faith."

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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Skyrock »

Kharkov’s backstory is terribly convoluted only to result in a type of Darklord of which there are already more than plenty in Ravenloft (vampires), and none of it is ever likely to be actually found out and learned by the players.

I’d just turn him into a werepanther and drop the whole vampirism thing. He would still be a bland darklord, but at least he would be a bland darklord of an underutilized monster type.
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Five »

Skyrock wrote:Kharkov’s backstory is terribly convoluted only to result in a type of Darklord of which there are already more than plenty in Ravenloft (vampires), and none of it is ever likely to be actually found out and learned by the players.

I’d just turn him into a werepanther and drop the whole vampirism thing. He would still be a bland darklord, but at least he would be a bland darklord of an underutilized monster type.
Myself, I'm still torn on what I want him to be.

As written, I find I need to provide a lot of assumptions (through motives) to make all of his aspects enjoyable from a villain point of view.

As mentioned in the thread I provided above, one way to justify all aspects is to have him idolize/emulate Azalin. From a developing human persona pov, King Azalin would be the pinnacle of human society. Lich Azalin (revealed through Kharkov's time spent in the Kargat) would be the pinnacle of undead society (arguably a superior society, given the rank and file). Enhanced by animalistic social values, the Baron's need to become "apex" (an assumption based on the fact that he later became a Dark Lord) would be satiated. His need to "de-victimize" himself could be the drive for Kharkov to become all that he is written to be. Yet to tie that all in we would have to develop the competitive relationship between Valachan and Darkon. At least the groundwork. The pace could be ultra slow, given the immortal aspect of both rulers.

On the other hand, if we drop the vampire aspect then we have a good chance at purifying Kharkov into a true apex predator (that would make him more unique to RL, I feel). I see it easy to superimpose traits of Marvel's Kraven the Hunter into the Baron. A supreme hunter (through focus on his animal aspect), a collector of everything huntable (displayed in his personal re-living room), a savage creature that can barely maintain the charade that was original fused into his being. His realm would be a sort of afterthought (backwaterish), his people nothing more than (boring) livestock that serves only to feed his need to hunt and crouch over a truly challenging kill (PCs)...

Unfortunately, this take clashes somewhat with Verbrek. A vicious border war tie-in (like the cat versus dog mentioned in that thread I referenced) would be needed to help beef up Kharkov in that case. At least, to help Kharkov/Valachan retain some sense of originality. So I think with that.

As I said, I'm torn on how I want to actually use Kharkov. It's easy enough to blend it all together, and use the Baron as written, implied, and interpreted, yet sometimes I find it best to isolate the geopolitical from base horror. Or vice versa.

A few quick thoughts anyway.
"A very piteous thing it was to see such a quantity of dead bodies, and such an outpouring of blood - that is, if they had not been enemies of the Christian faith."

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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

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thekristhomas wrote:It seems to me that there's not a huge overlap in what he is (undead man-beast with issues about his duality) and what he does (use and abuse women)

If his seeking undeath was an attempt to reconcile his duality, then I would expect his approach to the necessities of undeath, feeding and the like, to reflect, or be informed by, the nature of that reconciliation. If he sought to expunge the beast, are the brides some sort of test for himself? Like an alcoholic who puts a bottle of whiskey on a shelf and swears to himself not to drink it, does he hope that this time he will stop himself? Does he maybe take false hope from stories of vampires who gained greater self control as they aged, and this is why he takes brides regularly
I believe in the source material, Kharkov got pulled in by a (possibly inadvertent) pro-Kargatane propaganda campaign in the form of several overly romanticized/glamorized bardic tales of the Kargantane and the wonderful immortal existences they lead. Coming off of what happened with Silena, Von Kharkov is likely not to have been thinking too clearly. Immortality would give him enough of a chance to find his new Silena (see below) and avenge her death upon those that had wronged them.

Remember too that he doesn't necessarily feed on his bride. He got most of his blood nourishment from his shallow feedings The murder of and cruelty toward his brides is not somrthing that is necessarily planned but rather something that happens when bitterness and paranoia consume the relationship (although on some subconscious, instinctual level he realizes it will occur, but refuses to admit it.) As I've said, I think he believes he will find salvation through the transformation one of his brides will have on him, even if they don't think so. In essence, relying on his bride's purity to remove the darkness within. Of course, by putting her up so high on a pedestal he is paradoxically relegating her to the role of object by turning her into merely his tool. Perhaps he is trying to atone by finding the perfect "new" Selena such that
a) he can have her back
b) he can, with her support, remove his inner beast, (like what happened in Beauty and the Beast, as cleverly mentioned above.)

Von Kharkov can be played as the quintessential entitled white knight. Although he is a monster, his rule certainly seems less monstrous than that of some nearby lords (Verbrek and Sithicus, for example). He might be thinking, "why do these peasants resist me? Can't they see I raise them out of qualor? And yes, I'm a monster, but I'm trying to get better! Why are they insists I stay a monster?" And sometimes that answer will come from within: "Fine if they want me to be a monster, I'll show them what a REAL MONSTER is."
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Five »

The Lesser Evil wrote:Von Kharkov can be played as the quintessential entitled white knight. Although he is a monster, his rule certainly seems less monstrous than that of some nearby lords (Verbrek and Sithicus, for example). He might be thinking, "why do these peasants resist me? Can't they see I raise them out of qualor? And yes, I'm a monster, but I'm trying to get better! Why are they insists I stay a monster?" And sometimes that answer will come from within: "Fine if they want me to be a monster, I'll show them what a REAL MONSTER is."
And if Lady Adeline can get her hands on Soth's memory mirror(s) and reveal to Kharkov his true self, and hear her "master" roar, then may the gods help the folks of Valachan and Sithicus (and maybe even Verbrek). Or, Sithicus (maybe Verbrek), depending on her machinations.

Alternately, her designs may include keeping Kharkov despondent, trapped in memories of his past, for a deft and subtle power shift. She may want Sithicus for herself but needs Kharkov's Black Leopards and the Cat's Claws to help usurp control...

?

That's another carry-over from that old thread, and the idea was first brought in by Rotipher I believe.
Last edited by Five on Fri May 27, 2016 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
"A very piteous thing it was to see such a quantity of dead bodies, and such an outpouring of blood - that is, if they had not been enemies of the Christian faith."

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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Nemesio »

Here is a version I made to use in my own Pathfinder campaign. I basically built him up from a leopard's stats, polymorphed, and awakened. The Obyri template I used is basically Ryan Naylor's version of the daywalker vampire, or old school Ravenloft Nosferatu, in lieu of the Pathfinder Nosferatu... I thought a panther/man vampire with some swashbuckler panache was also fitting.

DARKLORD OF VALACHAN

BARON URIK VON KHARKOV (Human Form), CR 12 (XP 19,200)
Male human (polymorphed awakened panther) mature obyri swashbuckler 11
LE Medium undead (augmented animal)
Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., sense disruption; Perception +27
DEFENSE
AC 34, touch 24, flat-footed 21 (+9 Dex, +6 natural, +4 dodge, +4 armor, +1 deflection)
hp 194 (5d8+11d10+107), lunar healing (7 under crescent moon, 8 under half moon, 10 under gibbous moon, 12 under full moon)
Fort +14, Ref +24, Will +8
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +6, charmed life (+5, 5/day), nimble +3; DR 10/magic and silver; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10, electricity 10
Weaknesses daylight powerlessness, obyri weaknesses
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee Piranha Strike with +2 speed rapier +25/+25/+20/+15 (1d6+21/15-20)
Melee Piranha Strike with 2 claws +20 (1d6+17)
Ranged +4 huntsman composite longbow +23/+18/+13 (1d8+8/x3); Range Increment 110 ft.
Special Attacks blackout, blood drain, closing the borders, children of the night, create spawn, dominate (DC 23), swashbuckler weapon training +2
STATISTICS
Str 24, Dex 28, Con —, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 20
Base Atk +14; CMB +21; CMD 40 (42 vs. attempts to disarm Urik’s rapier while he has at least 1 panache point)
Feats AlertnessB, Combat ReflexesB, DodgeB, Fencing Grace, Improved InitiativeB, Improved Natural Attack (claw), Lightning ReflexesB, Piranha Strike (-4/+8), Skill Focus (Stealth), ToughnessB, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite), Weapon Focus (claw), Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (bite), Weapon Specialization (claw)
Skills Acrobatics +22 [+26 jumping], Bluff +13, Climb +20, Diplomacy +18, Escape Artist +22, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (local) +16, Knowledge (nobility) +11, Perception +27, Ride +13, Sense Motive +27, Sleight of Hand +22, Stealth +20, Survival +6 [+10 to track creatures damaged by +4 huntsman composite longbow in the past day], Swim +12; Racial Modifiers +8 Bluff, +8 Perception, +8 Sense Motive, +8 Stealth
Languages Vaasi, Balok, Darkonese, Mordentish
SQ change shape (panther, beast shape IV), deeds (derring-do, evasive, opportune parry and riposte, swashbuckler’s grace), favored class (swashbuckler; 11 hit points), feline spies, gaseous form, mastery +5, restful sleep, panache 5, shadowless, sinkhole of evil, spider climb, swashbuckler finesse
Gear bracer of armor +4, cloak of resistance +2, +4 huntsman composite longbow (Str 18) and 20 arrows, ring of protecton +1, +2 speed rapier, noble’s outfit
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Blackout (Su) If Urik successfully uses his blood drain ability on a creature, that creature immediately suffers a blackout when it escapes the Baron’s grapple. The creature forgets all that occured in the 5 minutes leading up to and including Urik draining it, as if the spell modify memory had been used on it. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect.
Blood Drain (Su) Urik can suck blood from a grappled opponent; if he establishes or maintains a pin, he drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage. Urik heals 5 hit points or gains 5 temporary hit points for 1 hour (up to a maximum number of 180 temporary hit points) each round he drains blood.
Charmed Life (Ex) Urik has a knack for getting out of trouble. Four times per day as an immediate action before attempting a saving throw, he can add a +5 modifier to the result of the save. Urik must choose to do this before the roll is made.
Children of the Night (Su) Once per day, Urik can call forth 2d4 panthers (use leopard statistics), as a standard action. These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve Urik for up to 1 hour.
Closing the Borders (Su) When Urik wishes to seal his domain, the land itself subtly shifts to redirect travelers back into Valachan. Regardless of their bearing, travelers become confused in the forest and journey back into the domain.
Create Spawn (Su) Urik can create spawn out of those he slays with blood drain, provided that the slain creature is of the humanoid type. The victim rises from death as an obyri in 1d4 days. This obyri is under the command of Urik, and remains enslaved until his destruction. Urik may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than 32 HD; any spawn he creates that would exceed this limit become free-willed undead. Urik may free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, an obyri or obyri spawn cannot be enslaved again.
Curse of Lycanthropy (Su) Any humanoid hit by Urik’s bite attack in panther form must succeed a DC 18 Fortitude save or contract werepanther lycanthropy.
Daylight Powerlessness (Ex) Although Urik is not directly harmed by sunlight, he cannot use any of his supernatural abilities between sunrise and sunset. If Urik is actually exposed to direct sunlight, he must sleep in his coffin for 8 full hours to regain his powers. If Urik is caught in an alternate from at daybreak, he is trapped in that form until it regains he his powers.
Deeds (Ex) Urik spends panache points to accomplish deeds. Most deeds grant him a momentary bonus or effect, but some provide longer-lasting effects. Some deeds remain in effect while Urik has at least 1 panache point, but do not require expending panache to be maintained. Unless otherwise noted, a deed can be performed multiple successive times, as long as Urik has or spends the required number of panache points to perform the deed.
Derring-Do: Urik can spend 1 panache point when he makes an Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Ride, or Swim check to roll 1d6 and add the result to the check. He can do this after he makes the check but before the result is revealed. If the result of the d6 roll is a natural 6, he rolls another 1d6 and adds it to the check. He can continue to do this as long as he rolls natural 6s, up to 9 times.
Evasive: While Urik has at least 1 panache point, he gains the benefits of the evasion and improved uncanny dodge rogue class features. He uses his swashbuckler level as his rogue level for improved uncanny dodge.
Opportune Parry and Riposte: When an opponent makes a melee attack against Urik, he can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. Urik makes an attack roll as if he were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than Urik, he takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If his result is greater than the attacking creature's result, the creature's attack automatically misses. Urik must declare the use of this ability after the creature's attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if he has at least 1 panache point, Urik can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack he parried, provided that creature is within his reach.
Swashbuckler's Grace: While Urik has at least 1 panache point, he takes no penalty for moving at full speed when he uses Acrobatics to attempt to move through a threatened area or an enemy's space.
Dominate (Su) Urik can crush a humanoid opponent’s will as a standard action. Anyone he targets must succeed on a Will save DC 23 or fall instantly under his influence, as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 12th). The ability has a range of 30 feet.
Feline Spies (Su) Urik can place his mind inside that of any feline creature anywhere in Valachan. “Feline creature” in this case applies to anyting from a house cat, to a werepanther in hybrid or panther form, to a dire tiger. He cannot control the animal in any way, but he experiences everything that the cat experiences. His human body lies comatose and unaware of its surroundings during this period, which lasts until the Baron is wounded, decides to return to his body or that of another cat, or magic jar is cast on the affected cat. Feline familiars, animal companions, and bonded mounts receive a DC 23 Will save to resist the Baron’s spirit. If they succeed, they are aware of the attempted possession.
Gaseous Form (Su) As a standard action, Urik can assume gaseous form at will (caster level 5th), but he can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect manoeuvrability.
Nimble (Ex) Urik gains a +3 dodge bonus to AC while wearing light or no armor. Anything that causes Urik to lose his Dexterity bonus to AC also causes him to lose this dodge bonus.
Obyri Weaknesses (Ex) Garlic and mirrors do not affect Urik. He may freely enter any building in Valachan without being invited. He can cross running water at will, but he still suffers damage if immersed. Wooden stakes are useless against him—his heart must be impaled on a stake made of sharpened bone.
Panache (Ex) More than just a lightly armored warrior, Urik’s is a daring combatant. He fights with panache: a fluctuating measure of a swashbuckler's ability to perform amazing actions in combat. At the start of each day, Urik gains 5 panache points. His panache goes up or down throughout the day, but usually cannot go higher than 5, though feats and magic items can affect this maximum. Urik spends panache to accomplish deeds (see below), and regains panache in the following ways.
Critical Hit with a Light or One-Handed Piercing Melee Weapon: Each time Urik confirms a critical hit with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon, he regains 1 panache point. Confirming a critical hit on a helpless or unaware creature or a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half Urik's character level doesn't restore panache.
Killing Blow with a Light or One-Handed Piercing Melee Weapon: When Urik reduces a creature to 0 or fewer hit points with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon attack while in combat, he regains 1 panache point. Destroying an unattended object, reducing a helpless or unaware creature to 0 or fewer hit points, or reducing a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half Urik's character level to 0 or fewer hit points doesn't restore any panache.
Restful Sleep (Ex) So long as he has at least 1 hit point, Urik heals 16 hit point per hour that he spends lying in its coffin.
Shadowless (Ex) Urik casts no shadows and shows no reflection in a mirror.
Spider Climb (Ex) Urik can climb sheer surfaces as though under the effects of a spider climb spell.
Swashbuckler Finesse (Ex) Urik can use his Charisma score in place of Intelligence as a prerequisite for combat feats. This ability counts as having the Weapon Finesse feat for purposes of meeting feat prerequisites.
Swashbuckler Weapon Training (Ex) Urik gains a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls with one-handed or light piercing melee weapons. While wielding such a weapon, he gains the benefit of the Improved Critical feat.

BARON URIK VON KHARKOV (Panther Form), CR 12 (XP 19,200)
Male human (polymorphed awakened panther) mature obyri swashbuckler 11
LE Medium undead (augmented animal)
Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, sense disruption; Perception +27
DEFENSE
AC 35, touch 24, flat-footed 22 (+9 Dex, +7 natural, +4 dodge, +4 armor, +1 deflection)
hp 194 (5d8+11d10+107), lunar healing (7 under crescent moon, 8 under half moon, 10 under gibbous moon, 12 under full moon)
Fort +14, Ref +24, Will +8
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +6, charmed life (+5, 5/day), nimble +3; DR 10/magic and silver; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10, electricity 10
Weaknesses daylight powerlessness, obyri weaknesses
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee Piranha Strike with 2 claws +20 (1d6+17), bite +22 (1d6+19 plus curse of lycanthropy)
Special Attacks blackout, blood drain, closing the borders, children of the night, create spawn, dominate (DC 23), pounce, rend (2 claws +24, 1d6+7), swashbuckler weapon training +2
STATISTICS
Str 24, Dex 28, Con —, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 20
Base Atk +14; CMB +21 (25 grapple); CMD 40 (44 vs. trip)
Feats AlertnessB, Combat ReflexesB, DodgeB, Fencing Grace, Improved InitiativeB, Improved Natural Attack (claw), Lightning ReflexesB, Piranha Strike (-4/+8), Skill Focus (Stealth), ToughnessB, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite), Weapon Focus (claw), Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (bite), Weapon Specialization (claw)
Skills Acrobatics +22 [+26 jumping], Bluff +13, Climb +28, Diplomacy +18, Escape Artist +22, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (local) +16, Knowledge (nobility) +11, Perception +27, Ride +13, Sense Motive +27, Sleight of Hand +22, Stealth +20 [+24 in undergrowth], Survival +6 [+10 to track creatures damaged by +4 huntsman composite longbow in the past day], Swim +12; Racial Modifiers +8 Bluff, +8 Climb, +8 Perception, +8 Sense Motive, +8 Stealth [+12 in undergrowth]
Languages Vaasi, Balok, Darkonese, Mordentish
SQ change shape (panther, beast shape IV), deeds (derring-do, evasive, opportune parry and riposte, swashbuckler’s grace), favored class (swashbuckler; 11 hit points), feline spies, gaseous form, mastery +5, restful sleep, panache 5, shadowless, sinkhole of evil, spider climb, swashbuckler finesse
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by The Lesser Evil »

Five wrote:[

And if Lady Adeline can get her hands on Soth's memory mirror(s) and reveal to Kharkov his true self, and hear her "master" roar, then may the gods help the folks of Valachan and Sithicus (and maybe even Verbrek). Or, Sithicus (maybe Verbrek), depending on her machinations. .
That's cool, great idea. For that matter, it might be interesting to pursue a plot where the Apparatus is sought. After all, Mordent is also right next door.

And speaking of Verbrek, on the other thread I mentioned an animosity/antagonism between Alfred Timothy and Baron von Kharkov, as the placement of their domains next to each other is a very excellent choice. Both are two sides of the same coin. Aflred Timothy is a man who wants to be a beast but cannot discard his reason nor his humanity. Baron von Kharkov embraces the full totality of being human but cannot totally escape his emotions or feral instincts. This sets them both up as natural antagonists for each other.

Earlier I had mentioned that Timothy's missing shadow (for whatever eason that's part of his curse) might go to Von Kharkov (who does not have one being a vampire.) Such a plot for Timothy's wild shadow abandoning him for his human frailty and seeking out Von Kharkov would probably make for an epic adventure or two. (it could, for example, try to plant itself onto a player character first before ultimately being thrown off and eventually migrating to Von Kharkov.)

And what if the shadow transfer granted the some kind of empathic link or maybe just an intimate familiarity with each other? That would be an excellent way to stoke the flames of hatred between them.
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by brilliantlight »

The Lesser Evil wrote:
thekristhomas wrote: I believe in the source material, Kharkov got pulled in by a (possibly inadvertent) pro-Kargatane propaganda campaign in the form of several overly romanticized/glamorized bardic tales of the Kargantane and the wonderful immortal existences they lead. Coming off of what happened with Silena, Von Kharkov is likely not to have been thinking too clearly. Immortality would give him enough of a chance to find his new Silena (see below) and avenge her death upon those that had wronged them.

Remember too that he doesn't necessarily feed on his bride. He got most of his blood nourishment from his shallow feedings The murder of and cruelty toward his brides is not somrthing that is necessarily planned but rather something that happens when bitterness and paranoia consume the relationship (although on some subconscious, instinctual level he realizes it will occur, but refuses to admit it.) As I've said, I think he believes he will find salvation through the transformation one of his brides will have on him, even if they don't think so. In essence, relying on his bride's purity to remove the darkness within. Of course, by putting her up so high on a pedestal he is paradoxically relegating her to the role of object by turning her into merely his tool. Perhaps he is trying to atone by finding the perfect "new" Selena such that
a) he can have her back
b) he can, with her support, remove his inner beast, (like what happened in Beauty and the Beast, as cleverly mentioned above.)

Von Kharkov can be played as the quintessential entitled white knight. Although he is a monster, his rule certainly seems less monstrous than that of some nearby lords (Verbrek and Sithicus, for example). He might be thinking, "why do these peasants resist me? Can't they see I raise them out of qualor? And yes, I'm a monster, but I'm trying to get better! Why are they insists I stay a monster?" And sometimes that answer will come from within: "Fine if they want me to be a monster, I'll show them what a REAL MONSTER is."
That is interesting and it makes sense. Instead of a vampire like Strahd who doesn't care he is a villain (unless he is chasing his red headed love interest, and that only because he can't woo her as an obvious monster) Urik actually tries.
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Talum »

I haven't used him yet, but in my head-cannon he's not a vampire nor a were-whatever, just a human with a panther form, background remains roughly the same.

I also make him and Valachan Iberian-ish (with the name changed to Don Uriel Carrascon, which I saw suggested in an older thread in this forum and i really liked) because there are already enough eastern european and french-ish domains but no Spain/Portugal
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by Deewun »

Personally, Von Kharkov is one of my absolute favorites. Here are the things I always end up focusing on whenever I end up using him:

He's a caged animal, thrice over - Not only a panther turned into a man, but a man turned into a vampire, but on top of that, a vampire turned into a Darklord. He, and Valachan by extension in some regards, is a private cage for a wholly unique animal. I like to think he is a personal favorite of the Dark Powers. Von Kharkov didn't do much to deserve his state, especially when you consider he never had a soul to begin with as a cat (hypothetically). A cat who must play a man, who in turn must adhere to his curse, trapped inside a domain filled with people that he is sovereign to. All he wants is freedom. Freedom to just be ... himself again. But ...

Ignorance was bliss - He cannot be a cat again. No matter what, he is now a man. He is now a leader, a ruler. He is now forced to live the life thrust on him in his cage. If he ever got what he wanted, he wouldn't be able to enjoy it. And he cannot enjoy the things he does have. This makes him infertile, impotent. A man that cannot find joy, because there is none for him.

He can never have his revenge - Valachan is as far away from everything in the Core as possible, while still close enough that he can hear of those he despises. And taking it out on others gives him no sensation. And letting out his animalistic rage is all sound and fury.

And most importantly, he is resigned to his fate. He is hopeless. And that makes him cold. I always love looking up characters alignments and figuring out why they are the way they are. And a wild animal turned man turned vampire ... that's Lawful Evil? That's incredibly interesting. For me, it means that he is a poor, zooed up panther, stuck. And he knows it. He has to feed, he created a system that everyone believes. EVERYONE believes in the disease. He can't even get joy from the misery, because it is merely accepted. Much like he has accepted his place.

All of this is INCREDIBLY interesting to me ... because all he needs is some "catnip." He just needs a little hope. Imagine a house cat that is as unhappy as can be. The instant a door opens, it bolts. If it can get out a door, it is GONE! But if it can't, it doesn't even try. That's Von Kharkov. And that hope, that is where good stories lie.

Maybe a twisted Beauty and the Beast meets Hunger Games, where a woman in fact volunteers to be his bride. Or he mauls her, as he always does, but somehow she survives! Or some item MacGuffin appears. Or a magical storm. Or a Pocket Domain overlays with Valachan. Or the PCs actually need something from HIM without saving the day or being heroes. These are the stories where the light in Von Kharkov's eyes burns again, for just an instant. Because there is nothing more terrifying than a caged beast that thinks it may suddenly have found freedom.

My two cents.
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The Lesser Evil
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Re: Challange make Urik Von Kharkov interesting.

Post by The Lesser Evil »

Deewun wrote:Personally, Von Kharkov is one of my absolute favorites. Here are the things I always end up focusing on whenever I end up using him:

He's a caged animal, thrice over - Not only a panther turned into a man, but a man turned into a vampire, but on top of that, a vampire turned into a Darklord. He, and Valachan by extension in some regards, is a private cage for a wholly unique animal. I like to think he is a personal favorite of the Dark Powers. Von Kharkov didn't do much to deserve his state, especially when you consider he never had a soul to begin with as a cat (hypothetically).
I agree that he is a very tragic villain that might not deserve becoming a darklord of his own. I think part of Drakov's tragic nature is intentional but may be exaggerated because the details of his evil actions prior to becoming a darklord have varied quite a bit across sources. (There's a lot of stuff in the Darklords sourcebook and the Tales of Ravenloft: Von Kharkov short story that didn't make it into later sources.

It is known that he sought to become a vampire of his own free choice in order to gain control of "the Beast" within. (He didn't count on becoming enslaved at the same time.) As a Kargat, he used vampiric control to justify extra brutality above and beyond what he needed to as a vampire slave. After his master was destroyed, he ran into the mists and killed any souls he came across.

The short story mentioned above describes his experience from his own vantage point, so some of it may open to interpretation. However, shortly before becoming a darklord, he encounters a Cormyrean woman resembling his lost love Selena. The Beast regains control of him, and he kills her. In his mind, this act replays itself a hundred times, which one might interpret as him submitting to the Beast and redoing the act a hundred separate times with no variation. Von Kharkov also encounters Morphayas and commits a new transgression: for the first time, ardently giving himself to the inner monster he hated so much in order to kill the external he hated even more.
A cat who must play a man, who in turn must adhere to his curse, trapped inside a domain filled with people that he is sovereign to. All he wants is freedom. Freedom to just be ... himself again. But ...
Agreed. In conjunction, I think that freedom also implies control. Urik was used as a pawn and slave twice, once by Morphayas his wizard "creator" and then again by the Kargat vampires. Perhaps as a result of this, he may equate freedom with not only the power to be in control of himself but also in control of other people. This is a damning desire he shows very often after becoming a darklord, with the shallow feeding/mind control and the taking of brides, etc. The Dark Powers have given him the control over other people he has desired, yet not the control over his own circumstances (and perhaps not even his own inner nature), which is what true freedom his.
Ignorance was bliss - He cannot be a cat again. No matter what, he is now a man. He is now a leader, a ruler. He is now forced to live the life thrust on him in his cage. If he ever got what he wanted, he wouldn't be able to enjoy it. And he cannot enjoy the things he does have. This makes him infertile, impotent. A man that cannot find joy, because there is none for him.
Very true. Once you pull the self-awareness genie out of the bottle, it's not so easy to put back in. An analogous example would be Gunter from Futurama, except without the option of going back.
He can never have his revenge - Valachan is as far away from everything in the Core as possible, while still close enough that he can hear of those he despises. And taking it out on others gives him no sensation. And letting out his animalistic rage is all sound and fury.
It must be said that his vampiric Kargat master was killed before he left Darkon. And in the Tales of Ravenloft: Von Kharkov he kills Morphayas in the Mists shortly before he becomes a darklord. But on a more general level, I agree. He can't strike out at secondary enemies (Azalin, other Kargat, the Cat of Felkovic, possibly nearby domain lords, the Dark Powers if he even comprehends their nature, etc.) as well as pursue his more general sorts of hatred (wizards, vampires).

But, more generally, I agree. He can't get revenge on many of his demons because they are internal and a part of him. ("The Beast", as he calls it in the above mentioned short-story, represented a loss of control to him)
And most importantly, he is resigned to his fate. He is hopeless. And that makes him cold. I always love looking up characters alignments and figuring out why they are the way they are. And a wild animal turned man turned vampire ... that's Lawful Evil? That's incredibly interesting. For me, it means that he is a poor, zooed up panther, stuck. And he knows it. He has to feed, he created a system that everyone believes. EVERYONE believes in the disease. He can't even get joy from the misery, because it is merely accepted. Much like he has accepted his place.
I agree, on some subconscious level, he realizes he is helpless, particularly during his periods of grieving after inevitably killing one of his brides. I don't think he ACCEPTS his fate, as that would preclude denial (a behavior you imply he does below).
All of this is INCREDIBLY interesting to me ... because all he needs is some "catnip." He just needs a little hope. Imagine a house cat that is as unhappy as can be. The instant a door opens, it bolts. If it can get out a door, it is GONE! But if it can't, it doesn't even try. That's Von Kharkov. And that hope, that is where good stories lie.

Maybe a twisted Beauty and the Beast meets Hunger Games, where a woman in fact volunteers to be his bride. Or he mauls her, as he always does, but somehow she survives! Or some item MacGuffin appears. Or a magical storm. Or a Pocket Domain overlays with Valachan. Or the PCs actually need something from HIM without saving the day or being heroes. These are the stories where the light in Von Kharkov's eyes burns again, for just an instant. Because there is nothing more terrifying than a caged beast that thinks it may suddenly have found freedom.
Very astute. To add to this, I see looking for these outs as his way of denying his circumstance by finding end-runs around it. I like how you use the word "catnip" here, as it implies some euphoric or intoxicating quality about these sensations/experiences. I also like it because it gives behavior (and therefore, scenarios/adventure hooks) that puts his nature into concrete form that the players can interact with (his "acting out" and various plots to try to find these bits of catnip)

You've given me a thought: much of what Von Kharkov is dealing with is about control and the grieving process (of losing Silena and the humanity he presumes he never had). If we were to model his state on the five stage model of grief, he is stuck rocketing between denial, anger, bargaining, and sadness. But he can't quite make it to acceptance, because that would mean accepting (and therefore, admitting) a loss of control over his current circumstances due to a past (and current) refusal to accept responsibility
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