My stats (such as they are) for Mazrikoth are here. (Links to another post further down this same page.)
After leafing through a few TSR 1992 collector's cards, I found an interesting reference to Mazrikoth, who is apparently a very high level priest in the employ of Azalin.
I don't have the card itself, but I found a website that reproduces it online:
Mazrikoth
TSR 1992 Fantasy Collector Card 326
18th-level Priest
RACE: Human (undead)
ARMOR CLASS: 0
THACO: 10
MOVEMENT: 6
HIT POINTS: 135
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
EQUIPMENT: Staff of thunder & lightning, book of vile darkness, scarab of death, talisman of ultimate evil, unholy symbol
BACKGROUND: Mazrikoth is a foul creature who serves Azalin, the lich lord of Darkon. His power is great, drawn from the darkest of evil deities, but his allegiance it to Azalin.
So, Azalin has an 18th level clerical undead working for him! This certainly changes the magical resources at his disposal. Does anybody have any plot hooks for this guy? Has anybody undertaken a magical analysis of clerical spells? Perhaps somebody has 3E or 3.5 restats for him?
Last edited by HuManBing on Fri May 09, 2008 8:37 am, edited 3 times in total.
Hrm. Hey, there's a thought. What if he was the mummy Van Richten, Shaunten, et all defeated at the beginning of Van Richten's Guide To The Ancient Dead? That'd explain why we haven't seen him in a while, and fir the scarab of death accessory.
Somehow I remember him as a lich, but I'm not sure where i got the notion. Perhaps the picture on the card. I distinctly remember his face as skeletal.
Note that there are quite a few high level NPCs among the TSR cards, some of which are a bit hard to fit into the Ravenloft we know. See for example Bilkon the Invoker, who is also on site i linked to above. Interestingly these two NPCs seem to have bought at the same staff-discounter where Staffs of Thunder & Lightning must have been on sale.
Hey, guys, I recently bought a set of the 1992 trading cards on eBay, and I discovered that there's actually another reference to this fellow, that's hiding among the non-Ravenloft cards.
Cards #146 and 304 are generic AD&D cards about (respectively) one of those hokey gender-reversal belts from 1E and 2E, and a poor schlub named Kerisis who's trying to get it (and his involuntary sex-change to female) removed. According to card #146, Kerisis found his/her self in Ravenloft for a while, where (s)he tried to get help from Bilkon (#456) to no avail. In desperation, (s)he also tried to convince Mazrikoth to undo the magic item's curse ... but not only did Mazrikoth refuse to do so, he actually made a heavy pass at him/her!
While we could write this off as a show of the juvenile sense of humor that the trading cards' designers often exercised -- it's not the only cheap sex-gag in the deck -- it's also possible that we could use this to salvage one of the dumbest scenes in the Ravenloft novel series. In Tower of Doom, there's a female Kargat wereleopard who allegedly (ick! ) lets Azalin fondle her, and catches something nasty from his undead flesh. HMB loathes that scene, and I fully agree with him in that regard: it's gratuitous, unnecessary, and completely out of character for the lich-king.
But what if the wereleopard had actually been meeting with Mazrikoth, not Azalin? Perhaps the lich had other things to do, and sent one of his underlings to the meeting in his stead. The lecherous Mazrikoth then pretended to be Azalin in order to seduce the Kargat agent, so he's the one who infected the unwitting lycanthrope (who never met the real Azalin at all) with mummy rot.
Of course, the lich-king may have gotten ticked off when he found out that Mazrikoth was impersonating him for such sordid purposes, and had destroyed a useful agent in the process. So perhaps the reason Van Richten and his allies found Mazrikoth off by himself, and so vulnerable to destruction, is that Azalin kicked the mummy out of his entourage for his despicable behavior.
"Who [u]cares[/u] what the Dark Powers are? They're [i]bastards![/i] That's all I need to know of them." -- Crow
I had hoped to do a write up of an 18th level clerical mummy to reflect Mazrikoth's stats. That may have to wait but I'll get round to it later this week.
It's entirely possible that Mazrikoth's clerical powers were granted for a time by the Dark Powers themselves. I'm wondering about a Mazrikoth/Eternal Order crossover as well. Whether Mazrikoth occasionally attributes his spells and powers to the false religion.
(This could lead to interesting places because my homebrew Darkon campaign is proceeding on the assumption that an Atropal Scion in the Black Vault is responsible for granting the Eternal Order's powers.)
Either way, the simplified version of the backstory I typed above goes:
Mazrikoth was a lustful hypocrite who was able to hoodwink most of the church while we was alive. Azalin keeps him around because he's an eloquent speaker and accomplished diplomat, in a way that Azalin himself recognizes he doesn't have the patience to be. Mazrikoth is still lustful, though it's doubtful whether he can actually do anything about it given his undead condition. That doesn't stop him from reaching out and infecting living creatures with a terrible form of disease when he chooses, however.
Well, if Mazrikoth is also the mummy Van Richten and Shauten destroyed (or did they? did its demise really take?) at the start of VRGttAD, the doctor recognized markings on the creature's garments as the symbols of an unspecified "unholy" power. If Mazrikoth did adopt a new patron deity from the Eternal Order's pantheon of death-gods, it must have been one that even the EO's morbid doctrine -- which Van Richten would have grown up with; he was a Darkonian, after all, even if his own moral principles made him prefer foreign or outlander faiths to his homeland's own -- depicts as exceptionally malign.
"Who [u]cares[/u] what the Dark Powers are? They're [i]bastards![/i] That's all I need to know of them." -- Crow
That sounds right. It's possible that the Eternal Order is a bit like how Lovecraft depicted its Cthulhu worshippers - people who had given over their worship to an admittedly dark power but as a calculated move to ward off even darker powers.
The Eternal Order could be the sort of fatalistic religion that acknowledges that their god is a brutal and arbitrary one - but is still far preferable to allowing the forces of death to swamp the entire Demiplane. (A similar argument to why it's better to live under Azalin's rule than, say, Death?)
I have the TSR 2nd ed card now. It makes for interesting reading. I'll hopefully through together some stats for a L18 undead cleric and then post it online in a few days' time.
Same goes for stats for Gloom in the other thread.
I've made some progress on this project, which I hope to close out by the end of this week. This Mazrikoth entry will go into my "Audience with the King" netbook on Azalin and his servitors, and that will probably be my last work with the d20 system before I start searching in earnest for an alternative game engine.
I'm thinking of giving him a PrC from Complete Divine, possibly Ur-Priest (which will allow him to cast spells without actually having a deity). This is important solely for my own backstory requirements, which hold that he betrayed his faith through his hypocrisy, and then that Azalin later destroyed his faith when it was sucked whole into Ravenloft. The Eternal Order borrowed much of the infrastructure and religious creed of the dead faith.
Mazrikoth may possibly draw his divine powers from an Atropal Scion that Azalin left cautiously in the Black Vault, but I understand that may be outlandish for some. Ur-Priest gives a slightly more mundane (and dare I say atheistic) take on Mazrikoth's beliefs.
None of this prevents him from being an efficient diplomatic advocate for the Eternal Order, which itself is a purely artificial construct by Azalin.
Ur-Priest is out. One of the prestige class requirements is that you lose all divine spellcasting ability before you start it. *shakes fist at WotC hacks*
I'm toying with the idea of making him an Evangelist instead. Mazrikoth was an accomplished hypocrite and a seamless liar when he was alive. Azalin probably has the greatest use for him as a means of inspiring people to work with the Eternal Order. (Second, perhaps, only to the usefulness of his clerical spellcasting abilities.)
However, the Evangelist Prestige Class requires a lot of ranks in Bluff, Perform (Oratory), Sense Motive, and Gather Information. Guess what? They're all cross class skills for a cleric! *shakes fist at WotC hacks*
So this is what I'm doing to make Mazrikoth comport with the Rules As Written.
He's going to start off as a Bard for 3 levels (think: poor boy picked up by the temple to sing in their choir and to strum a lyre for their cause). Then he'll have 12 levels of Cleric (after he took on the robes and strove for advancement and advantage in the temple). Then he'll have 3 levels of Evangelist.
Bard and Evangelist do not grant greater divine spellcasting power, so that will prevent Mazrikoth from being a powerful enough spellcaster to rival Azalin. However, Bard and Evangelist give Mazrikoth a very powerful dimension of influencing other people.
I will also apply the "Risen" (i.e. mummy) template as created by Dicefreaks. I am going to make Mazrikoth a Rank 4 mummy, which would roughly correspond with how a high priest of a religion might well have been disposed of with full templar honors after his death.
Because Mazrikoth is a very active agent around Darkon (comparatively speaking), he needs to be even more careful about the illusion of humanity than Azalin does. Mazrikoth spends most of his time wrapped in powerful illusions (both bardic and divine) and most frequently stays unseen, although his powerful voice and compelling speeches often ring out from pulpits and confessionals around the nation.
I'm giving Mazrikoth the same exacting treatment as I gave Azalin, in terms of calculating Skill Points, etc. This requires me to calculate at which levels he put ability bonuses into which abilities, and also at which levels he advanced an age category. (I'll have him down at a Venerable age at time of death, which essentially means -6 to all physical attributes and +3 to mental stats). The Dicefreaks Risen template also gives some pretty strong bonuses to Wis and Cha, meaning that Mazrikoth will be even wiser and charismatic than Azalin himself. (This should not come as a surprise to anybody who thinks of Azalin as a somewhat unpersonable ruler who prefers to avoid contact with his people.)
It would be interesting if Mazrikoth had no status or portfolio within the Kargat at all - he is purely Eternal Order. This could lead to interesting conflicts of loyalty. It may also explain why he was eager to humiliate and violate Jadis while pretending to be Azalin.
Last edited by HuManBing on Tue May 20, 2008 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I've come up with a series of stats for Mazrikoth. This has taken me about 38 hours to do. I figured out his career as a human, factoring in aging effects for Int and skill points so I could get a very exact idea of his stats.
Here's the primary crunch so far. I've used the Dicefreaks Risen template, rank 4, which is in places even more powerful than the Dicefreaks Lich template, rank 2, which I gave to Azalin. (The difference is that Azalin can still increase in ranks after several centuries. Mazrikoth as a mummy will never get more powerful ranks.)
Mazrikoth, Ancient Dead, Voice of the Eternal Order
Male human Risen Rank 4 (Ancient Dead) Bard 3, Cleric 12, Evangelist 3: CR 22; Size M undead (5’9” tall); HD 18d12; hp 112; Init -2; Spd 20’; AC 32 (+20 natural, +4 profane, -2 Dex), (touch 12, flatfooted 32); BAB: +13/+8/+3; Atk: +14/+9/+4 melee smash (1d8 +10 [Will save for half DC 29] negative energy and 2d6 Con, 2d6 Cha unless Fort save DC 29, counts as epic weapon) or +11 ranged touch (by spell); SA damaging touch, despair aura [Will save DC 29 or paralyzed for 4d4 rounds], cleric spells [DC 19 + spell level], bard spells [DC 19 + spell level]; SQ undead, damage reduction (16/–), immunities (cold, electricity, mind-affecting, polymorph, turning, cold), fast healing 20, turn resistance 14, damage reduction 16/–, energy resistance 10/acid and 10/electricity, vulnerable to fire (double damage), despair, rebuke undead at +2; AL LE; SV Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +23; Str 12, Dex 6, Con –, Int 17, Wis 28, Cha 31.
Skills [Skill name (ranks + ability mod + [synergy/racial/feat]) = final bonus]: Bluff (12 +10 Cha +2 Persuasive feat = +24), Climb (0 +1 Str +8 racial = 9), Concentrate (15 +10 Cha [not Con] = 25), Diplomacy (18 +10 Cha +2 Bluff synergy +2 Sense Motive synergy + 2 KnNobility synergy +2 Negotiator feat = 36), Disguise (6 +10 Cha +2 Bluff synergy = 18), Gather Info (6 +10 Cha = 16), Heal (3 +9 Wis = 12), Hide (0 –2 Dex +8 racial = 6), Intimidate (9 +10 Cha +2 Persuasive feat +2 Bluff synergy = 23), KnArcana (15 +3 Int = 18), KnNobility (6 +3 Int = 9), KnReligion (15 +3 Int = 18), Listen (6 +10 Wis +8 racial = 24), Move Silently (6 –2 Dex +8 racial = 12), Perform Oratory (11 +10 Cha = 21), Perform Sing (6 +10 Cha = 16), Sense Motive (15 +9 Wis +2 Negotiator = 26), Sleight of Hand (0 –2 Dex +2 Bluff synergy = 0), Spellcraft (15 +3 Int +2 KnArcana synergy = 20), Spot (0 +9 Wis +8 racial = 17).
Feats: Persuasive, Negotiator, Extra Turning (turn +4 times a day), Leadership (minions), Master Manipulator (can use Diplomacy skill vs. Will or opposed Dip check to give -4 to foe’s Listen/Spot/Sense Motive, affects up to 11 targets within 20’; also can use Dip check, after foe fails to lie using Bluff, for 1 minute to find out useful clue), Blessing of the Godless (EoE) (6 minute ceremony – Pact: gives pool of hp equal to 18 x # of participants, and all participants can draw on that pool; Anoint: gives +4 morale bonus to all against Intimidate and saves vs. fear; Shield: gives all +4 saves vs. divine spells, and when any one is targeted by divine spell, all participants in 60’ get +1 to hit and damage for 1 round), Mask of Gentility (EoE) (alignment scries as Neutral, Sense Motive checks must succeed against DC 30).
Risen Salient Powers (4): Touch of Death does 1d8 +10 damage (Will save DC 29 for half), Rejuvenation (can spend 1 full round action to heal 100 hp), Greater Rejuvenation (even if hp lowered to 0, reappears in 3 days), Mummy Rot (Incubation period 1 round, damage 2d6 Con and 2d6 Cha. DC 28 CL check in order to heal with any conjuration magic, also DC 28 CL check to break enchantment or remove cure before can be cured). Despair aura upon sight paralyzes foes 4d4 rounds (DC 29 Will).
Cleric Class Abilities: Rebuke undead (+2 KnReligion synergy +10 Cha = 12) (2d6 + 28 total HD undead) 14 times a day,
Bard Class Abilities: Countersong (Perform check, 10 rounds), Fascinate (90’ Perform check as DC Will save, -4 to foes’ skills 4 rounds), Inspire Courage (+1 to allies’ save vs. charm/fear, to allies’ attack/damage, duration of singing +5 rounds), Inspire Competence (+2 to allies’ skill check).
Evangelist Class Abilities: Inspire Dread (-4 to Will saves within 30’ while talking +3 rounds after), Fast Talk (can rush Diplomacy as full-round action with just a -5 penalty, for total modifier of 31), Inflame the Righteous (allies in 30’ get fire shield spell, while speaking +3 rounds after).
Languages: Darkonian, Draconic, Infernal, Outworlder.
Cleric Spells per Day: Base DC = 19 + spell level.
Bard Spells per Day: (6/6) Base DC = 20 + spell level. Often casts Comprehend Languages, Disguise Self, Hypnotism, Silent Image, Undetectable Alignment, and Ventriloquism.
Ability modifications:
All level ability boosts went into Cha
Became middle aged at L9, old age at L12, venerable at L18.
Str: 12 prime, -1 midage, -2 old, -3 venerable, +6 ancient dead = 12
Dex: 12 prime, -1 midage, -2 old, -3 venerable, +0 ancient dead = 6
Con: irrelevant, undead.
Int: 16 prime, +1 midage, +1 old, +1 venerable, -2 ancient dead = 17
Wis: 17 prime, +1 midage, +1 old, +1 venerable, +8 ancient dead = 28
Cha: 18 prime, +4 levels, +1 midage, +1 old, +1 venerable, +8 ancient dead = 33
HuManBing wrote:Ur-Priest is out. One of the prestige class requirements is that you lose all divine spellcasting ability before you start it. *shakes fist at WotC hacks*
I don't understand the UrPriest bit. Wouldn't loosing all spellcasting to to his alignment slipping to evil suffice?
As for Evangelist requirements the Emissary of Barachiel PrC from Book of Exalted Deeds apparently has the required class skills.
Bard 3, Cleric 15, Evangelist 3 ... HD 18d12
There's something wrong here. To many class levels or not enough HD?
-- it's also possible that we could use this to salvage one of the dumbest scenes in the Ravenloft novel series. In Tower of Doom, there's a female Kargat wereleopard who allegedly (ick! 
) lets Azalin fondle her, and catches something nasty from his undead flesh. HMB loathes that scene, and I fully agree with him in that regard: it's gratuitous, unnecessary, and completely out of character for the lich-king.
