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• Dec 7, 2025

  Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Lalali-Puy

  

  The Lore

  Lalali-Puy is the Sorcerer-Queen of Gulg, which is possibly the greenest city-state in Athas. Out of all the Sorcerer-Kings, she’s also the most personally beloved by her subjects, who call her Oba or Forest Goddess.

  She uses her magic to bring rain to Gulg, and to protect it from threats both external and internal. She also owns everything in Gulg, and is responsible for seeing to its even distribution among the dagadas (communities) in which its people live. If you’re a citizen of Gulg, everything you wear and eat, all the livestock you tend and the land it grazes on, all belongs to Oba, who graciously allows you to use it.

  Of course, being a Sorcerer-Queen, Lalali-Puy has further dark secrets unknown to common citizens. The description of her capabilities above might read as “epic druid” to someone familiar with standard D&D, but that’s a lie. The reason she has so much power over her kingdom is because she keeps its primal spirits enslaved through arcane magic. And the spirits hate her for it. Given the smallest opportunity, they’d devastate Gulg’s dagadas in revenge.

  Despite her villainy, Lalali-Puy is described as the most accomplished ritualist on Athas. Many of the arcane and primal rituals on her extensive library are unknown to even the other Sorcerer-Kings. PCs might find themselves having to ally with her in exchange for a specific ritual… or plotting a heist to steal it from her vaults.

  The Numbers

  We’ll take a look at some of Lalali-Puy’s servants here, and then at the Sorcerer Queen herself.

  Nganga

  This is one of Lalali-Puy’s templars, known as ngangas (witch doctors). When a citizen is selected for nganga training, they’re completely removed and isolated from society. From that point on, they only appear in public wearing scary demonic masks enchanted with fear powers.

  The nganga we have here is clearly some sort of human warlock pacted to their Queen. They’re Level 11 Artillery with 90 HP and Speed 6. They fight in melee by bonking people with a spirit rattle that also serves as their implement. Their basic ranged attack is a Ghost Lance (ranged 20 vs. Fortitude) that deals necrotic damage. They can also use Spectral Jaws (Range 12 vs. AC) that deal force damage and immobilize (save ends).

  The fear enchantment on the Devil Mask serves as a good keep-away power: Close Blast 3 vs. Will, deals psychic damage and pushes 3 squares. At the start of the target’s subsequent turns, the nganga can choose to push them 3 squares (save ends).

  Finally, they can curse someone with a minor action with Curse of the Oba. The curse lasts until the end of the encounter, and they can keep cursing multiple people. They also really want to do that, because when the nganga deals damage to someone other than the cursed victim, the victim takes the same amount of damage. If the PCs aren’t quick to deal with the nganga, they’ll soon find their whole party being “focus-fired” at once.

  Judaga

  Judagas are the most elite warriors in Gulg. Like ngangas, they’re mostly isolated from society, though instead of masks they wear special enchanted leopard pelts preserved from the Green Age. Lalali-Puy has a honor guard of judagas with her at all times, and they can also be seen moving among the populace when she or the ngangas feel physical threats entering Gulg.

  The example judaga here is a human, and a Level 25 Skirmisher with 231 HP. Their speed is the usual 6, but they also have Forest Walk and a +2 to saves against Charm and Fear effects.

  Judagas fight with scimitars that do level-appropriate damage, and their Leopard’s Fury maneuver lets them shift 6 squares and perform a special attack at any point along the movement. This does a bit less damage than the basic strike but also inflicts 15 ongoing damage (save ends) and pushes 2 squares.

  Lastly, if the judaga happens to be within 6 squares of Lalali-Puy herself (meaning they’re acting as a bodyguard) they can shift as a minor action.

  The book explicitly calls judagas out as willing to perform a coup-de-grace on a downed PC in the middle of a fight, which makes them a lot more dangerous than their short list of abilities indicates.

  Lalali-Puy, Sorcerer-Queen

  The Oba herself is a human, and a Level 28 Solo Controller with 1032 HP and the Leader tag. She has a ground speed of 6 and a teleport speed of 3.

  Lalali-Puy is surrounded by Ravenous Ghosts (aura 5) that give a damage boost to the melee attacks of any allies within the aura. Her Oba’s Ambition makes her regain one of her 2 solo action points whenever an enemy cursed by her drops to 0 HP.

  As that description indicates, Lalali-Puy fights like a warlock. In a way, she’s a “role model” for an epic-level warlock - someone who has long surpassed whatever entity taught her magic in the first place, and who now makes pacts with others to teach them magic in exchange for service.

  Let’s begin with the curse-related powers, because those are the core of her tactics. She can use Oba’s Curse once per turn as a minor action. This is exactly the same curse the ngangas can use, the one that mirrors melee or ranged damage inflicted on other enemies to the cursed victims. However, it’s (save ends) instead of lasting the whole encounter, because Lalali-Puy’s attacks are much stronger. Still, a string of bad save rolls could still have her “focusing down” the whole party a once.

  Oba’s Vengeance makes that a scenario a certainty when the PCs manage to bloody her: this is a Close Burst 15 attack that affects enemies, deals necrotic+psychic damage, and stuns for a turn on a hit. It also curses every target as an effect (save ends).

  Oba’s Blessing is a free action power that lets Lalali-Puy remove her curse from a victim to end an effect on her or on an ally within 20 squares, so here’s her stunlock protection.

  Keep that damage mirroring effect in mind as we look at her “normal” attacks. All of them have additional things they do to curse victims.

  Repelling Touch is the melee basic attack. It deals force damage, pushes the target 5 squares, and then pushes all other enemies cursed by her 2 squares as an effect. Spirit Maw is the ranged basic attack. It deals force damage, slides 4 squares, and slides every other cursed enemy 2 squares as an effect.

  Spirit Gale is a fireball-like attack (Area Burst 2 within 15). It targets Will, deals necrotic+psychic damage, and immobilizes (save ends). This downgrades to “half damage and slowed for a turn” on a hit, but as an effect, it lets her slow one cursed enemy she can see (save ends). The first failed save from that enemy makes them stunned (save ends).

  Her one power without any curse bonuses is Oba’s Punishment a reaction that triggers when she’s hit by an attack from an enemy within 15 squares. It’s a counterattack that deals psychic damage and teleports the target 10 squares on a hit. Since this is written as a Close Burst, it doesn’t benefit from damage mirroring, but it will still trigger pretty often.

  Encounters and Final Impressions

  I love Lalali-Puy’s mechanics. If the PCs end up fighting her, she will have an honor guard of judagas with her to use as distractions, all of which probably benefit from Ravenous Ghosts. And then she’ll curse as many people as she can and focus her single-target attacks on the weakest of them.

• Dec 5, 2025

  Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Jossi the Juggler

  

  The Lore

  Jossi gets a mention in the description of the city of Tyr in the Campaign Setting book, and a full writeup here. She’s a member of Tyr’s Eyes, which was originally a group of beggars, street performers and thieves who banded together for mutual support. Nowadays they also act as a kind of freelance spy agency, keeping an eye on what goes on in the city both to improve their own chances of survival and to sell the juiciest gossip to whoever has the money to pay for it.

  Jossi is known as a street performer, doing a pretty impressive routine on the markets of Tyr. She supplements her income with theft and information broketing. I think both books’ emphasis on her might mean they intend Jossi to be the PC’s first point of contact with Tyr’s Eyes during your typical campaign.

  The Numbers

  Jossi is an elf, though her speed is only 6 and they forgot to add her low-light vision. After so many sorcerer-kings, it’s interesting to find a plain old Level 4 Skirmisher with 55 HP in the Personages of Athas section.

  She fights with the same Daggers she uses in her juggling act, and her Juggling Slash technique lets her target Reflex instead of AC, deal the same damage as a basic attack, slide the target 2 squares, and shift 2 squares. This is at-will, making her very annoying to fight. On any turn where Jossi shifts as a move action, she also gains a bit of bonus damage courtesy of her Fancy Footwork.

  As soon as she realizes the odds are against her, Jossi will try to escape. Distracting Toss helps with this: when someone makes a melee attack against her, the can shift her speed as a reaction to reach any square on the map that has any amount of cover or concealment, and then make a Stealth test with a +5 bonus (total +16) to become hidden.

  Encounters and Final Impressions

  Mildly interesting, I guess. Jossi is clearly more on the “possible ally” than on the “enemy” side of the balance, so unless the PCs go out of their way to be assholes or to antagonize Tyr’s Eyes, they won’t be fighting her. If that ends up happening, though, Jossi will not be alone. You should assemble a team of the many “low-Heroic street scum” stat blocks available here and in other books to act as the fellow Eyes members who come to her aid.

  It could be interesting to have Jossi as an active ally in one or more fights, using these stats. Juggling Slash has hilarious synergy with what PC rogues can do, and Distracting Toss is a good way to quickly leave the fight in case her HP starts to run low.

• Dec 4, 2025

  Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Haneth Tsalaxa

  

  The Lore

  If you’re following the RPG.net thread with the Campaign Guide reading, you will already have seen a description of House Tsalaxa on this post. They’re one of the dodgier merchant houses with a presence in Tyr.

  House Tsalaxa: Based in Draj and known for blackmail and spycraft, trades in
  rope, grain, and previously owned cargo. Emblem: two glaring, bestial eyes.
  

  Haneth Tsalaxa is the head of their Tyr branch, and he has a very unpleasant reputation amongst his neighbors. He apparently has tons of dirt on everyone in the city. Most of his fortune comes from blackmail and information brokering. If you see him darkening your doorstep, prepare for an unpleasant conversation.

  The secret of his success, which no one but him knows, is that he has a natural ability to change his shape. He has no idea why: changelings are apparently unheard-of in Athas, making him possibly the only one. He does exploit this power as much as he can, disguising himself to better infiltrate private places and overhear all sorts of interesting gossip. In addition to blackmail, he’s also willing to do espionage and assassination for hire, though his prices are ridiculously high.

  The Numbers

  Haneth is either a 4e changeling or mechanically indistinguishable from one: he’s a Medium Natural Humanoid with the Shapechanger and Changeling tags, and a Level 9 Elite Lurker with 154 HP.

  He fights with a Short Sword that deals standard physical damage and inflicts ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends) if he has combat advantage, and can also throw Daggers that target Reflex and deal decent damage. His Slick Swordplay lets him make 2 sword attacks and shift 3 squares before, between, or after them.

  He’s improved upon the classic “pocket sand” technique and can throw a Handful of Poison (recharge 5+) in a close blast 3, dealing poison damage and blinding on a hit (save ends).

  He also has a couple of classic changeling minor actions: Changeling Disguise lets him change chape to appear like any Medium humanoid. His clothing and equipment remain the same, so it might be a bit hard to use in combat, but it does help a lot when assembling a disguise. He can copy specific individuals, but only if he’s seen them before. Haneth’s Trick (recharge 6+) can make one enemy automatically grant combat advantage to him for a turn.

  There is no DC to pierce the Changeling Disguise. Presumably you can use the default rules and roll a contest of his Bluff of +12 against the Insight of any investigators.

  Encounters and Final Impressions

  Haneth’s ability spread makes him more of a skirmisher with reduced AC and HP than a proper lurker. The ongoing poison damage from combat advantage is better than nothing, but be lacks something like a Sneak Attack or a really strong ambush power.

  Good thing he always has plenty of bodyguards around whenever he’s not in disguise. He’s a major employer of unscrupulous Mixed Groups of People. Gotta spend money to make money.

• Dec 2, 2025

  Let's Read the 4e Creature Catalog: Hamanu

  

  The Lore

  Hamanu is the Sorcerer-King of Urik. He looks like a big strong man, and is known to be deeply invested in the success of his city-state. He spends the days governing it and training with his soldiers, and the nights deep in arcane study since he no longer has any need for sleep. For Hamanu is the Sorcerer-King who most genuinely cares about his state and its people.

  I’m sure there are some tech billionaires in today’s real world that would read the above paragraph and think “this guy is goals”. And they would not change their opinions if they learned that he’s also the most totalitarian of the Sorcerer-Kings as well. The price for his “love” is constant supervision and total submission.

  Despite being a very classically-trained wizard, Hamanu loves physical combat and is quite good at punching people to death. He’s managing his gradual draconic transformation so that the signs remain subtle for as long as possible, so most of the time they consist of golden eyes and slightly long teeth. When wounded in combat, however, be transforms into a big lion-dragon-thing.

  Urik templars live spartan lives, but do get to enjoy the perks of their station, chief among which is the right to push the common people around.

  The Numbers

  We get stats for Hamanu and for a typical templar.

  Toil Templar

  Unlike the templars we saw in previous entries, this isn’t a high-ranking officer who spends their days next to their king’s throne. Instead, this one is drawn from the lowest ranks of Urik’s templars, the one responsible for managing its enslaved population. It’s a Level 14 Controller with 133 HP, meaning the PCs are likely to tussle with them long before they ever come face-to-face with Hamanu himself.

  Toil Templars are armed with a whip and a rod, which is very thematic. The whip is Reach 2 and its attacks damage and push the target 2 squares on a hit. The rod is used as an implement for their spells: Eldritch Scourge (ranged 5) deals force damage and knocks prone; Dazing Bolts (encounter, ranged 10) deals lightning damage and dazes for a turn; and Sulfurous Detonation (encounter; area 2 within 10) is a fancy name for a fireball that leaves a stinky zone lasting a turn and dealing 5 poison damage to any enemy who ends their turn inside.

  Hamanu, Sorcerer-King

  The man himself is a Level 27 Solo Controller with 693 HP, Speed 6, and Darkvision. He exhudes a Regal Presence (aura 2) which inflicts a -2 attack penalty on any enemy who starts their turn inside. This lasts until the start of the enemy’s next turn, so it remains for that long even when they leave the aura.

  Hamanu’s basic melee attack is done with his Mighty Fists, whose 6d6+14 damage is the envy of every 2e and 3e monk but is typical for a creature of his level.

  He also has a big selection of “classic”-feeling spells. Thunderous Command is an at-will close blast 5 that deals thunder damage, pushes 3 squares, and knocks prone. The next three are all big blasty encounter spells:

  • Sulfuric Bolts (ranged 5) targets up to 5 enemies, deals fire damage, and inflicts ongoing 10 fire+acid damage (save ends). Until the target saves, any of the target’s allies that ends their turn next to it takes 10 acid+poison damage. Stinky!

  • Life Drain (close burst 5, enemies only) deals necrotic damage and inflicts ongoing 15 necrotic damage. Every time a target takes that damage, Hamanu gains 15 temp HP.

  • Hamanu’s Whisper (area 2 within 10, the fireball template) is an “acidball” that deals immediate and ongoing acid damage (save ends). It leaves a zone behind that inflicts a -4 penalty to saves on any enemy inside. This lasts for a turn but Hamanu can sustain it with minor actions and move it around with move actions.

  As a minor action he can use an Invasive Glare (ranged 5) that deals heavy psychic damage and stuns (save ends). This recharges whenever Hamanu bloodies an enemy or reduces an enemy to 0 HP.

  If an adjacent enemy targets him with a melee attack, Hamanu can interpose a Cerulean Shield spell as an interrupt, gaining 15 temporary HP just before the attack is rolled. If someone manages to daze or stun him, he can use Mental Fortress as an interrupt to roll an immediate save against the effect, even if it would not normally allow one. On a success, the triggering enemy takes 15 psychic damage and the effect never happens.

  When bloodied, Lion of the Desert automatically triggers with no action required. This pushes every enemy in a close burst 2 squares, and attacks their Fortitude to knock them prone on a hit. And then Hamanu turns into the eponymous beast, which is going to be a nice surprise to any PCs who thought he had spent all of his tricks already. The Lion has its own stat block, below.

  When the Lion form is reduced to 0 HP, Hamanu returns to his human form with the same HP he had when he transformed into the Lion. When he reaches 0 HP, he uses Lion of the Desert again, one last time.

  Lion of the Desert

  Hamanu’s beast-form is a big lion-dragon hybrid, probably created by hiding all of his ugliest draconic mutations in one metaphysical place. It’s a Level 27 Solo Brute with only 125 HP because it’s a stage in the bigger fight against Hamanu and not something that can appear independently. On the bright side, it cannot become bloodied, even when reduced below half HP. It has a Speed of 8, and retains Darkvision.

  Its basic attack is a Reach 2 Claw that deals heavy physical damage, and Double Claw lets him use it twice against different targets. It can also use a Reach 2 Corrosive Bite that deals a little less damage but inflicts ongoing 15 acid damage (save ends). Lion’s Fury is an encounter power that lets him pull off an old-school claw/claw/bite attack sequence.

  If an enemy misses the Lion with a melee attack, its Warding Tail slams them as a reaction, damaging and pushing them 3 squares on a hit.

  Encounters and Final Impressions

  As a character, Hamanu seems to be what you get when you leave most of your settings at default, the very first picture that comes into your mind when you read the general description of what a Sorcerer-King is. The surprises only start when it’s time to actually fight him, because “muscle wizard” is probably not the very first thing that comes to your mind, and neither is “lion-dragon monster”.

  In a fight, Hamanu will likely want to alpha strike as soon as possible, using Hamanu’s Whisper and Sulfuric Bolts as soon as enough targets are in range and then wading in to catch people in his aura and let them catch his hands. He will sustain the zone from Hamanu’s Whisper and then use Invasive Glare on the PCs that are inside it, too. Cerulean Shield and Mental Fortress give him plenty of extra durability for these tactics. As he approaches his bloodied value, make him look like he’s on the ropes and out of tricks, and then spring the Lion on the PCs.

  The book doesn’t specify whether the uses of Hamanu’s many encounter powers should be tracked across his transformations. I’m guessing that the human form’s spells should be, but Lion’s Fury should not, meaning it will be ready for a second use when he transforms again.

• Dec 1, 2025

  Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Dregoth

  

  In our narrative present, everyone in Athas believes the Dragon of Tyr is the only dragon on the planet. Even the Dragon himself.

  But there is one other.

  The Lore

  Every Sorcerer-King wants to ascend in the same way their buddy Borys did, but for some of them that feels more like a side project. They all have other things going on, lands to rule, vices to indulge. Dregoth, on the other hand, made “I shall become a god!” his whole personality. While they partied, he studied defiling magic.

  Dregoth completed his draconic transformation ahead of everyone else except Borys (who had help!). He created a whole new species in his image (the dray), and was in the process of perfecting their design and teaching them to worship him when Abalach-Re decided to see what he was up to and became terrified.

  She warned the others, and they banded together to eliminate the threat because the community of Sorcerer-Kings works exactly like a bucket of crabs. The ensuing battle was titanic. Dregoth was slain, and his city of Giustenal was shattered, scattering the survivors and flooding the spirit world with the souls of the dead (many of whom haunt the ruins).

  And then Dregoth got better. He returned in secret as an undead dragon, setting up in a giant cavern far beneath the surface and calling his surviving loyalists there. Every inhabitant of this New Giustenal is required to undergo transformation into a dray, if they weren’t one already.

  The plan remains the same: gather enough worshippers to undergo apotheosis and become a real god. By now, centuries after his death, Dregoth has a sizable army of dray, undead, and other creatures under his command. Real Soon Now (TM), he’s going to invade the surface to get revenge on his former “buddies” and gather all the worship he needs to finally complete his unlife’s work.

  Dregoth’s undeath works like that of a lich. His soul is hidden in an artifact somewhere in New Giustenal, and if he’s killed he will reform next to that artifact within three days. The only other person who knows this is Absalom, his high priest. Absalom used to be human, and was one of the first of Dregoth’s subjects to be transformed into a dray after Giustenal’s fall. Dregoth then killed him and raised him as a unique undead being, which explains why he’s still around.

  Absalom is a competent high priest, but his true loyalty is to the dragonborn of New Giustenal. Should he ever have to choose, that’s whom he’ll pick. Canny epic-tier PCs might be able to discover this.

  The Numbers

  As usual, let’s see them in order of level.

  Absalom

  The high priest is a Medium Natural Humanoid with then Shapechanger, Undead, and Dragonborn tags. He’s a Level 22 Elite Soldier with 414 HP, Speed 8, and Darkvision. Like many undead, he’s immune to disease and poison, and has 15 Resistance to both fire and necrotic damage.

  His main weapon is an ancient Bastard Sword that’s probably made of metal. Its blows do light damage for his level but inflict ongoing 10 damage (save ends). Slicing Maneuvers lets him attack twice and make his move action between these attacks. At range he can use Spirit Siphon (range 20, recharge 4+) to inflict 45 ongoing cold+necrotic damage (save ends both). Each time an enemy takes damage from the power, Absalom or a nearby ally gain 10 temporary HP.

  Instead of running like a pleb, Absalom can use Dread Wings as a move action to teleport 8 squares and gain a flight speed equal to his speed for a turn. This is at-will, so it can be the movement he does between Slicing Maneuvers.

  His soldierly skills live in his minor and triggered actions. Overshadowing Oath marks a visible enemy within 20 squares for a turn, and can be used multiple times per round. If a marked enemy ends their turn in a square that’s not adjacent to Absalom, they take 20 damage as a reaction and grant combat advantage for a turn. This means the high priest wants to stay away from marked enemies, generally.

  Other minor actions include Swirling Breath (recharge 6+), which does a blend of necrotic and fire damage, and slides 3 squares on a hit; and Change Shape, which lets him shift between his natural undead form, a disguise as a living dragonborn, or a specific individual he’s seen. Equipment and clothes don’t change. The DC to pierce the disguises is 41, though I imagine it would be lower if he turns into a specific individual without changing out of his robes.

  Absalom is a strong melee combatant, but he’s much better as a ranged nuisance. Mark someone at the limit of his Oath’s range and then stay away from them while attacking with Soul Siphon. When someone gets close, use Slicing Maneuvers to stab them, and teleport to a distant squishy to stab them too.

  Dregoth, Sorcerer-King

  The scale of that illustration is a bit misleading: Dregoth is a Huge Natural Magical Beast with the Undead and Shapechanger tags. Interestingly enough he doesn’t have the Dragon tag, so maybe he isn’t quite done with his transformation yet. It could also be an oversight, as he has pretty much everything he’d need to be a dragon in his stat block.

  Dregoth is a Level 30 Solo Controller with 1072 HP. His ground speed is 8, his flight speed is 10, he’s immune to disease and poison and has 20 resistance to both fire and necrotic damage. His special senses include darkvision and Blindsight 5.

  He projects a Soul Defiler aura with a radius of 3, which is a lot given he’s Huge. Whenever an enemy starts their turn inside, they take 10 damage and Dregoth gets to roll a save if he needs one.

  He has a reach 2 bite that damages and inflicts ongoing 10 necrotic (save ends), and a reach 3 claw that does the same and also slows. He can attack at range 20 with a Defiling Gaze that deals necrotic damage and dazes (save ends). Dread King’s Wrath lets him do a bite/claw or claw/claw combo, though the fact that it has both “ranged” and “melee” icons next to it seems to indicate he could replace one of those attacks with a Gaze too. I wonder which version (melee only or melee and ranged) is the right one.

  Anyway, his Breath Weapon (encounter) is a close blast 5 that deals a blend of cold and necrotic damage, immobilizes, and inflicts a -4 penalty to AC and Fortitude (save ends both). Supreme Defiling (encounter) covers a Close Burst 3, deals heavy untyped damage, and crits on a 17-20.

  As a move action, he can use Nightmare Travel (encounter) to become insubstantial and phasing, and shift 8 squares. If he passes through a creature’s space during this movement, the creature takes 15 psychic damage and is knocked prone.

  So many encounter powers, that means he becomes a lot less dangerous once they’re all used up, right? No, because he can use Spellmaster (recharge 5+) as a minor action to recover any of them. He can also Change Shape to appear as a Medium dragonborn, or as a specific individual he’s seen before. The DC for seeing through such a disguise is 47.

  When Dregoth is hit by an attacker within 4 squares he can use a Tail Riposte as a reaction. This does some damage, inflicts 15 fire+necrotic damage, and slides the target 5 squares.

  Being in melee with Dregoth is extremely dangerous, because it puts you within easy reach of nearly all of his attacks. Plus the more PCs are inside his aura, the better he is at shrugging off negative conditions. Trying to snipe him from a distance works better, but he’s very mobile and his gaze attack can make it hard to maintain that distance. And if he has any idea at all that the PCs are coming for him, he’ll be smart enough to pick a battlefield that forces them to stay close.

  Encounters and Final Impressions

  I like that Absalom is a unique undead being that you can’t easily slot into any classification. Dregoth is technically one too, though the individual components of his schtick are more familiar. He is a dragon who is a lich, but he’s not a dracolich. Savvy?

  In any case, he feels to me like better villain material than the Dragon of Tyr. The Dragon and the other Sorcerer-Kings mostly want to maintain the status quo, while Dregoth has an intrinsinc motivation to shake things up. At least, he would make much better villainous speeches about how he’s going to Show Them All than any of the others.

  Any campaign with Dregoth as an active antagonist will have the PCs meet his troops much earlier. They’re mostly dray, both alive and undead, who tend to be evil assholes and consider themselves superior to those who have ties to the old Giustenal. They often have the Psionic Adept monster theme (more on Monster Themes later).

  Absalom is dangerous, but his level is so much lower than Dregoth’s you’re not likely to meet both of them at once. He’s either the guy you convince to ally with you against Dregoth, or the guy you defeat on the way to enlisting Dregoth’s aid to fight the Dragon of Tyr.

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