Café de Nuit

HuManBing wrote:This canon interpretation you quote is probably my most-disliked aspect of Drakov's character

Drakov's a bass ackwards fool who's too proud to admit failure. He's also old--physically and in terms of usefulness to the game. I could see one of his descendents taking up the mantle of darklord, with his curse to never fully have the same grip his father had. Falkovnia in constant revolt.

Toben, Toben, Toben...what's not to like? He (it?) is completely insane, playing mind games with people, able to move among a legion of grinning zombies, and represents the kind of threat players can't just bash into gore. Throw in that sick sense of humor and it's a question of whether folks are laughing because he tickles their funny bone on some deep, dark level, or they're going hysterical.

Hazgarn wrote:Mostly boredom would be my guess. Also, he's afraid of Vistani for reasons believed to be tied to his (unknown) origins.

And if Toben ever wound up with more bodies in Darkon than anywhere else, he would be under Azalin's control, which is why he's stays out of that domain whenever possible.

Oh yes, I guess that should have been obvious because Azalin controls undead right?

Also has there been any additional speculation as to that Vistani business? Sounds like he may have been cursed by them somehow? Though the nature of the curse would seem.... I don't know what it seems like. It feels like he's turned it into something humorous or not very hindering. (looking for the right words...) That is if it is a Vistani curse.

Just had a curious idea.... can you curse yourself in ravenloft? No doubt the Dark powers would try and twist it if you were trying to benefit from a curse, but o.O' weird idea.

A Vistani curse is one of the possible origins for Toben's existence, the specific story is given in VRGttWD. But there's also stories about his being an experiment or being a failed attempt at lichdom. His origin is very much up to the DM, if they even decide they want to pin it down at all.

High Priest Mikhal wrote:

HuManBing wrote:This canon interpretation you quote is probably my most-disliked aspect of Drakov's character

Drakov's a bass ackwards fool who's too proud to admit failure.

See my above post. Both for the bit saying I completely oppose this canon interpretation of his character, and the bit saying there are better threads elsewhere to get into that discussion, if you're serious about it.

Zilfer wrote:Do they give any thought as to why he doesn't just spread out and encompass the whole population?

I can think of a few reasons being laying low from Azalin since he apparently fears him, though to what end I do not know. Also that if he were to control everyone he'd be very bored with himself after awhile. (though he may not know this at first because chasing down and having fun with the last bit of survivor's would prove very entertaining i would think. xD

The reason they provided IIRC is... he doesn't care to do that. He just wants to spread misery and play pranks, not take over the world.
All he's afraid of are the Vistani (they made him so with a curse) and Azalin Rex, since if many of his bodies go to Darkon, Azalin will be able to take control of him with his darklord abilities.

alhoon wrote:

Zilfer wrote:Do they give any thought as to why he doesn't just spread out and encompass the whole population?

I can think of a few reasons being laying low from Azalin since he apparently fears him, though to what end I do not know. Also that if he were to control everyone he'd be very bored with himself after awhile. (though he may not know this at first because chasing down and having fun with the last bit of survivor's would prove very entertaining i would think. xD

The reason they provided IIRC is... he doesn't care to do that. He just wants to spread misery and play pranks, not take over the world.
All he's afraid of are the Vistani (they made him so with a curse) and Azalin Rex, since if many of his bodies go to Darkon, Azalin will be able to take control of him with his darklord abilities.

All true, and Toben the Many is...well, psychotic. Whatever he does only makes sense to him.

No, HMB, I think I'll pass discussing Drakov. Here I just want to discuss a villain I've admittedly not given enough attention. Come to think of it, how long has Toben the Many existed? If he's old enough I've got a place for him in a protracted battle with the avolakia, its erstwhile ally and true necromancer Sonia Blackleaf, and the protag. An intelligent zombie apocalypse, mobile to boot, I'm kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner.

I'm glad to have broughten up an old topic?^ xD

Is there a limit to what Toben can possess? I'm guessing most PC races but can he "infect" other creatures like animals, or other monsters? o.O' really anything not affected by disease i guess?

Sorry to double post but I just had an interesting Idea. He takes over a kid and start's a game of hide and seek, and first it seems innocent but the more kids he finds the more of them that start to become him, and then when the grown up's realize something funny's going on they have to play Toben hide and shriek as well. Well the party either hears something weird from the village up ahead or receives a message that the children are evil or something cryptic of the sort. on the way there they run into 'Jimmy'(insert random name) (thriller plays in background.... wow xD). A child still playing hide and seek possibly the last one and won't "give up" until his friend Toben admits he "gives up." You know that if he says with them it will be easier to find him, and that he'll be "it" since he's the last in the game, so he's got to win the game.

Party gets to town and they realize everyone in town seems to be going through everything looking everywhere. Before long a few of the party members are seen and the person(s) point and say. "I found you!" Then they attack. Well you attack them with enough to make them possibly start playing this hiding and seek or at least being a bit avoiding. If they choose to leave the town or you think they've had enough of all the fun Toben might be having trying to find places 'jimmy's' been hiding. They finally go to the middle of town and call out that the games over. "Jimmy's won."

>.> I don't know about you but i'd suddenly be like "Oh **** the kid wont know any better."


<.< sound Kinda Tobenish? No?

The idea of Toben using all those bodies just to try and find one kid and actually having fun doing it is definitely an interesting idea, especially if you highlight to the PCs the fact that each child who got "tagged" suffered a very cruel and violent death in order for Toben to overtake them, and that is what "losing" would mean for Jimmy.

If I were going to play this scenario, though, I'd have the players encounter Toben or an uninfected adult first, that way they now have the tense situation of having to try and find the boy before Toben does.

Definately a different way to go about it. Though I like introducing the kid first and than the kid running away and then them realizing that they shouldn't have let him run away. xD But to each his own right?

Can Toben control his infectious aura and choose not to infect those around him for a time? or is it always on?

I remade Tobens infectious aura, as it kind of ruined the game for me.

So I made him retain the aura, but the effect was just possessing the individuals and giving them Toben zombie appearance/thinking etc. Toben could be exorcised from possessed victim by successful turning undead. Possession lasted as long as Toben was around or 1-3 days.

Other powers remained the same.

It gave an interesting kick to the game and possibility for priests to have fun .

I'm pretty sure Toben can possess only humanoids. Let me fish out my GttWD and check who can have the template of Toben zombies.

Hmmm... it just says creature and doesn't comment on the type of creature. Well, narrowing it to humanoids, monstrous humanoids and giants seem best IMO.
Although I have recurring image of a grinning red dragon that I can't shake off.

alhoon wrote:Although I have recurring image of a grinning red dragon that I can't shake off.

That, or the cruel idea of leaving the druid wondering just what's wrong with fluffy lately... Pet Semetery anyone?

*shudder*

alhoon wrote:

Zilfer wrote:I can think of a few reasons being laying low from Azalin since he apparently fears him, though to what end I do not know. Also that if he were to control everyone he'd be very bored with himself after awhile.

The reason they provided IIRC is... he doesn't care to do that. He just wants to spread misery and play pranks, not take over the world.

It'd probably also get pretty darn lonely for Toben if he actually converted everyone in the world. So long as he has living people around, he can maintain the conceit that each zombie he recruits is somehow different from the others: it has specific relatives he can harass, a history the living may remember, looks that could disturb particular people more than others, etc. Once everyone in the world is part of him, there'd be no one to react to his components as if they were individuals, so all he'd be left with is a horde of generic husks, as indistinguishable as ants in an anthill.