Café de Nuit

So, I'm busy running a Ravenloft campaing where I've cheerfully chucked most of the Darklords for my own creations (save Azalin - I've had too much fun rewriting his stats as The Ultimate Necromancer). My players are walking through Invidia right now (which resembles Rennisaince Italy); I'm using fiends a bit here, but I need another flavor of evil.

I'm thinking of using Galatia, Pygmalion's statue, as a Darklord. In essence, think a lovely female statue crafted by a Leonardo daVinci character, who went the wicked way that all Ravenloft constructs go. She killed "Davinci" because he could not make her fully human or return her love, and now hunts for someone who can make her human.

I'm hunting for ideas on how to flesh this out. What sort of stats do I give this woman/creature? The stone golem is a place to start, but my players are investiagtors and not warriors; I want to go lighter on power and higher on menace. Maybe a bard or aristocrat character class? What extra powers should I give her? The "slow" power of stone golems makes little sense to me in this context; any idea for a replacement?

I'm opening the field here; if this sort of idea piques your creativity, toss out some ideas and helpt me roll this stone.

I think she needs a more unique creature type then just stone golem. When i think of a stone golem I think of large brutes and that is far from the look Galatia should have.

I throw out that she should be a new golem type -Porcelain- with the following powers:

Crushing grasp (Su): Porcelain golem ignores the first 10 points of hardness when atacking objects.

Polished form (Ex): All ray type spells cast at Porcelain golem are reflected back at caster.

Sonic susceptibility (Su):Any spell or abilty that does sonic damage to Porcelain golem does an extra point of damage.

Perhaps Galatia is capable of temporarily becoming human...
Only through petrifying those who truly love her?

Kinda a Neolithic Midas?

She may be an artist herself, but lacks any skill, she is forever the subject and inspiration. As she petrifies those who adore her she has what limited creativity she well ever have -in the posing of their hardening flesh.
It may also red herring the players into assuming they are facing some manner of medusa.

Irving the Meek wrote:So, I'm busy running a Ravenloft campaing where I've cheerfully chucked most of the Darklords for my own creations (save Azalin - I've had too much fun rewriting his stats as The Ultimate Necromancer). My players are walking through Invidia right now (which resembles Rennisaince Italy); I'm using fiends a bit here, but I need another flavor of evil.

I'm thinking of using Galatia, Pygmalion's statue, as a Darklord. In essence, think a lovely female statue crafted by a Leonardo daVinci character, who went the wicked way that all Ravenloft constructs go. She killed "Davinci" because he could not make her fully human or return her love, and now hunts for someone who can make her human.

I'm hunting for ideas on how to flesh this out. What sort of stats do I give this woman/creature? The stone golem is a place to start, but my players are investiagtors and not warriors; I want to go lighter on power and higher on menace. Maybe a bard or aristocrat character class? What extra powers should I give her? The "slow" power of stone golems makes little sense to me in this context; any idea for a replacement?

I'm opening the field here; if this sort of idea piques your creativity, toss out some ideas and helpt me roll this stone.

I LOVE the idea - our Invidia has a VERY similar feel, with Karina more of a city-stae than a backwater... I love it!

Now, to get back to the suggestions -

1. If we go with the mythic story, Pygmalion's statue was made of ivory, I think.
2. Stats-wise, I would go with an NPC class - possibly aristocrat?... or, if a PC class, bard might be best - after all, she APPEARS human and her beauty might inspire other artists as well... (there was a feat somewhere called Muse or something to that effect. )

Also, in the myth, Aphrodite changes her to a real woman at Pygamlion's urgins and they are rewarded with a happy life... so there should definitely...

I GOT IT! Why don't you have her trying to find great artisans to sculpt her some kids? Give her a family? A husband? But she's kidnapping "models" for the scultures? Just an idea. I'll contribute more if it comes to me...

Not much to add here, but just to say that I love the idea. My campaign has also revolved around a "DaVinci"-esque figure and his golem creation (clockwork rather than sculpture). The important thing to me has always been the golems desire to be human but not really "getting" what that means. The possibility of a happy peaceful life is there, if he would just realize how to take it, but he always falls back on the easy, violent path.

gonzoron wrote:Not much to add here, but just to say that I love the idea. My campaign has also revolved around a "DaVinci"-esque figure and his golem creation (clockwork rather than sculpture). The important thing to me has always been the golems desire to be human but not really "getting" what that means. The possibility of a happy peaceful life is there, if he would just realize how to take it, but he always falls back on the easy, violent path.

That a riot, Barbarossa and I were just chatting the other day about how badly Ravenloft needs a "Da Vinci". We've got a Frankenstein (doctor and monster), we've got Jekyll&Hyde, Dracula, a Machiavelli or two, and even an Indiana Jones (VR).

I love the statue idea by the way, much potential there. I'm not familar with the myths surrounding Galatia (great name), but it sounds like the right flavor. The notion of having "attractive" members of that domain be abducted for their looks is also very solid. I'm not sure what other angles I could suggest.

Perhaps it is not her loved ones she petrifies but rather their hearts. Imagine a person droping dead from their heart suddenly turning into a lump of stone.

On a related note, a twisted Aphrodite Dark Lord/NPC might be jsut what the doctor ordered.

Oooh. Heart of stone, what a wonderfully literal and wicked way to kill someone.

What if she absorbs artist's creativity in order to fuel her own artistic power? (Charisma damage?)

I think Galatia was marble, not ivory, but I'll look online for a retelling of the myth and post a link.

EDIT: Huh. Well, waddaya know. Galatea was ivory, not stone:

http://www.loggia.com/myth/galatea.html

Doesn't matter; I think my Galatea will be marble. Too many cool derivatives from that idea - petrification, the "heart of stone" killing blow... and it's durn hard to get that much ivory in Ravenloft anyway.

Irving the Meek wrote:Oooh. Heart of stone, what a wonderfully literal and wicked way to kill someone.

What if she absorbs artist's creativity in order to fuel her own artistic power? (Charisma damage?)

I think Galatia was marble, not ivory, but I'll look online for a retelling of the myth and post a link.

EDIT: Huh. Well, waddaya know. Galatea was ivory, not stone:

http://www.loggia.com/myth/galatea.html

Doesn't matter; I think my Galatea will be marble. Too many cool derivatives from that idea - petrification, the "heart of stone" killing blow... and it's durn hard to get that much ivory in Ravenloft anyway.

It's all the same, anyways. Ravenloft demands that we morph the influences anyways, so marble/ivory... It's all the same. (But yeah - marble feels right for DaVinci... although BRONZE might be neat. Maybe she's still greaming bronze, save for two rivers of tarnished green that fall from her eyes... maybe it's too much, but it's neat anyways.)

I really like the charisma damage, though. I think that's the right feel.