ELFRIC SERPENT-EYE (from Slaine/2000AD) for Basic Games

 

This handsome fellow from 2013, as opposed to David Pugh's monster, Massimo Belardinelli's bloke, or Dermot Power's & Glenn Fabry's blue imp in Demon Killer.
Art: Glenn Fabry.

From the Slaine comic strip in 2000AD. This is Elfric from first appearance in Time Killer, up to the solo gamebook adventures. System is approximately BX/OSE, with later-edition shading.

* = more optional than usual.

Elfric Serpent-Eye

Triple-eyed, blue (or yellow) - skinned extra-dimensional sybarite and sadist; changeling 'son' of the King of Norway, shape-shifter, connoisseur of horrors, equal-opportunity despoiler and degenerate, favoured lieutenant of the Cythrons, personal friend of the Emperor Nero.

Armour Class Unarmoured = Chain + DEX  Hit Dice 6+3  Movement Normal Human Morale 12

Charisma 16, Constitution 15, Dexterity 18, Intelligence 16, Strength 18, Wisdom 15

Elf 6 / Evil Outsider

Hit Dice: roll hp for a 6th level character plus CON adjustment and for a 6+3 HD monster, keep the higher total.

Elf: By name and by nature. All abilities of a 6th level Elf character (or multi-classed Elf Fighter/Magic User). 

*Consolidate/pick-and-choose class/race abilities for Elf characters/monster across available/compatible editions/systems.

Outsider: Elfric is from Els-Where, a dimension at right-angles to our own (get it?). This is where he returns to regenerate if slain on the mortal sphere; he can also return here at any time of his choosing.

Revise for your setting cosmology if you don't want to further muddy the dimensional waters.

*Reclassify Elfric as Fey if you want - he's one of Slaine's world's faerie folk, even if that means something different outside of D&D-ish.

Weapons and Armour: Elfric can use any weapon available, including those he's been impaled on.

Sometimes wields a scythe-axe, the equivalent of Slaine's axe, Brainbiter, but can impale on a crit.

No problems dual-wielding. Probably finds firearms amusing.

Treats armour as costume and cosplay (because - see below) but can improve AC by shield, magical plusses and/or armour better than Chain.

Invulnerable Monster vs. mortals wielding normal weapons (3^rd level or less), and half damage from weapons wielded by 4^th level or higher (including magical ones).

Fabry/Talbot (1985)

Immune to crits, decapitation, dismemberment, impales, massive damage effects and poison/venom.

Immune to 1st - 3rd level spells.

Vulnerable to Iron: Still only causes half damage, but the weapon doesn't need to be enchanted, nor wielded by a Hero.

In Els-Where (his native plane), an iron weapon will bypass his invulnerability and inflict double-damage. 

Cannot Be Killed: He regenerates/reincarnates in 2d6 rounds. 

Elfric even comes back from being impaled and energy-drained by Grimnismal (nine-dimensional dark god of the Cythrons).

Slaine never decisively defeats Elfric, despite slaying him on several occasions. 

Spells: Elfric does not need to prepare spells in advance, requires no components, patrons or spell book, and casts by thought (lowest possible casting time). He has slots equal to a caster of his level (plus bonus for Ability Scores, if applicable).

Prefers bondage, fear and trickery over simple destruction and mass damage.

*Select spells from any class/list, from any edition or supplement, from any compatible system.

Third Eye: As a Cythron's optical leyser, but only once per round, stun vs. 3rd level or less, and melts/shatters the weapon/device you're using against him on a crit. Can be used in melee.

Massimo Bellaridinelli (1985)

Shape-shifter: Can take on the appearance of a known or unknown person. It is sometimes said he cannot transform his third eye, but must physically disguise it.

*Treat as alter self or change self spell from AD&D, or as a Doppelganger (eg. OSE or BFRPG).

*I can't remember Elfric taking non-humanoid or animal form, but that doesn't mean he can't.

*Further Elaboration.

Law of Macrocosm: If you defeat Elfric three times, you have proved yourself immune to him, and he can no longer directly harm you.

He will, however, take delight in causing as much indirect harm to you as he can thereafter - especially via those people and things you value the most. Up to and including atrocities against your descendants, or even the future nation state that encompasses your homeland.

(This is doesn't feature again after the end of Time Killer, as far as I can tell, and maybe can be explained as only applying in Els-Where).

David Pugh (1985).

Summoning: Elfric is several times shown calling up monsters - Elementals at Clontarf; a swarm of bat-things in Els-Where; Diluvials in Roman Britain.

You can give him summoning abilities as a Vampire, reskinning the rats, bats and wolves or swapping them out for similar HD equivalents.

The Elementals are mindless, monstrous and hungry. They will stop what they're doing to feast on fallen mortals 1-2 on a d6 each round. They're more like Hordlings than D&D-ish elementals.

Favoured lieutenant of the Cythrons: It's not wholly clear (from my reading) whether Elfric's form and powers are entirely his, or whether they are gifts of the Cythrons.

Having been defeated three times by Slaine, Elfric asks the Guledig not to be sent back to Els-Where, that he enjoys human form, implying that both his form and freedom of movement are at the Guledig's sufferance.

The Fetch: Elfric can appear as the double of his chosen enemy, a traditional omen of death.

Being equally matched, the original cannot defeat the Fetch except by special means.

Mechanically, this is a lot easier than mythic narrative allows, but maybe rule that Elfric is otherwise completely immune to your attacks unless you are using a gae bolga (a traditional 'secret weapon' of Celtic myth) or a tathlum.

*El-Stones: Something like the amulet/talisman of a 1e AD&D devil or demon?

Not established as being part of the lore in the early stories featuring Elfric.

*El-Women: By no means as tough as Elfric (adding to the idea that some of his power is granted by the Cythrons), you can just use Drow stats and abilities with the vulnerability to iron added.

When you kill them they turn back into weird slug-like creatures - presumably also their and Elfric's original form. They don't regenerate.

Commentary.

Out of the 19 (maybe more now) Slaine comic books, Elfric's in only 2 as major antagonist - I had him down as Slaine's eternal nemesis and that's how I prefer to think of him. But that's what happens when you read in an achronological narrow band.

That the Replicant of Slaine in The Secret Commonwealth isn't Elfric, from my perspective, is a wasted opportunity - I have other criticisms, but that's my main one.

Slaine and Elfric are evil twins. Elfric is Slaine with no ties, no restraints - but compare the atrocities they commit during Demon Killer. Slaine thinks he is right. Elfric just likes it.

Elfric's queer-coding is all over the place, and doesn't leave a very good taste in the mouth. Slaine and Elfric do at least snog at one point (depending on choices made in a solo adventure).

My pet theory is that the reason the lore of Slaine is inconsistent is because of Elfric and Slaine's appearance at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 (and presumably Elfric was embedded in the Norwegian royal family for at least some time before), and the paradoxes that spin-off from it.

Pretty sure this is by Glenn Fabry, but Dermot Power started his run during Demon Killer (1993).

He was yellow-skinned in the collected US reprints of Time Killer, but I think Pat Mills probably had good reasons for why he would be blue.

THE DARK JUDGES (FEAR, FIRE and MORTIS) (2000AD) for Old School Fantasy & Horror.

 

Kev O'Neill

Eternal co-conspirators and bosom chums of Judge Death. 

In terms of basic mechanics/stats, treat the Dark Judges much the same as Judge Death.

Asterisk (*) indicates optional.

Morale: 10 (they're not self-destructive idiots) or 12 (they're indestructible super-fiends).

*Hit Dice: If they're not equal to Judge Death (and this could also depend on the host body and whether it's been treated with Dead Fluids), then they are probably no more than a step behind in terms of total HD, size of die used, or number of hp per die.

Invulnerable Monsters: In addition, Judge Fire is immune to fire and vs. magical (and dragon) fire, takes half or no damage.

*Fire and Mortis can also have damage/weapon resistances like Skeletons.

*Fire is immune to web, entangle and similar. Because he's on fire.

Attack with Filthy Claws: You're guaranteed to contract Mummy disease when fighting Mortis.

Fire does not harbour Mummy disease, but you take d8 hp fire damage per round of melee. Because he's on fire.

Grasp Heart: As Judge Death. Judge Fear only.

Stench of Death: As Judge Death. Judge Mortis only. 

*Fire smells like a conflagration in an overcrowded prison, with the same effects as the Stench of Death except: does not make you sick on a crit; you can't gain immunity.

Mournful Charm: As Judge Death. The other three Dark Judges lack Death's barely-controllable compulsion to kill charmed victims.

*Fire doesn't use this ability; it's not his style.

*Superhuman Strength: as optional for all or each of them as it is for Judge Death.

You Cannot Kill That Which Does Not Live: In gaseous form, they only have the ability to attempt possession.

Fire's disembodied spirit is especially threatening, because he looks like a roving fireball (or Skullghast) - but he can't set anything alight like this, and gives off no heat (he might not even cast illumination, just outlined in the dark as with faerie fire).

*No worries if you want to give them Mournful Charm and/or Stench of Death in this form, though - they are super-fiends after all.

Judge Fear - Special Rules.

Brian Bolland

Mantraps: carries at least two at all times; thrown weapons; regular rules for mantraps or mancatchers or grapple-at-range. 

Damage as for Filthy Claws +1.

Padlock: hold portal and wizard lock on any door, gate, hatch etc. Effective enough against normal humans and low-level psychics/spell-casters.

An object from a low-magic universe, attuned to a powerful supernatural being: it is Fear's willpower you challenge, not an intrinsic enchantment.

Gaze Into The Face of Fear: Fear can open his helmet and expose his face to a single target, who must immediately save or die.

If you're unlevelled, you survive only a crit success; if levelled, you survive on a normal success and are immune to the effect for the rest of the encounter on a critical success.

*If 4th level or above, you are immune (rest of the encounter) on a success. If 8th level above, immunity is permanent.

Judge Fire - Special Rules.

Greg Staples

Beneficiary of nominative determinism, arson-inclined mortal Judge Fuego became Judge Fire.

Flaming Trident: Base damage and properties as a regular trident with adjustments/effects as a flame tongue sword.

An object from a low-magic universe, it could be alien, magi- or necro-tech rather than enchanted.

The trident can be thrown as a 2d6 fireball (normal fire), and can project a 20' line or 10'x10' cone of flames for the same amount of damage. Normal saves apply.

Anyone who gets hold of Fire's trident can potentially use it, but will suffer d8 hp damage per round because it's ON FIRE! 

Judge Fire is attuned to the trident so he knows where it is, if someone else is using it, and can call it to him if nearby (strength/grapple contest if you're wielding it when he does so).

Special Vulnerability: Takes unsoakable non-lethal damage from water and fire extinguishers – you can subdue him this way, but it won’t stop him reigniting later and it won’t force him into gaseous form.

*Combustible Hosts: Unless treated with Dead Fluids, a host body burns at a rate of d8 hp per minute  then flares up as a 2d6 fireball (normal fire) at 0 hp. The host is reduced to ash and Fire assumes gaseous form.

Judge Mortis - Special Rules.

Carlos Ezquerra

Death, Fear, Fire and Mortis has a good rhythm to it, but why not just Judge Decay? That is his schtick after all.

Based on a reading of the character in Fall of Deadworld, Mortis is an aesthete (and enthusiast) of death and decay.

Maybe he chose the Mortis nom de guerre out of respect for Death?

Touch of Decay: Mortis makes a touch attack equivalent to the attack of a Mummy (d12 rot/necrotic damage, plus infection with horrible rotting disease - no save).

Claw damage stacks with the touch attack.

Special Vulnerability: Weapons of pure metals, such as gold or silver, bypass his Invulnerability (for half-damage).

Contact does not discomfort or harm him; they're just unaffected by his touch.

*Decomposing Hosts: Unless treated with Dead Fluids, a host body rots at a rate of d12 hp per minute. The host is reduced to dust/slime and Mortis assumes gaseous form.

*Further Elaboration.

Judge Fear’s Helmet is also Warduke’s helmet (XL1 Quest for the Heartstone: gives infravision to 60’).

If Fear is on the same plane, he knows where it is, and will seek out the wearer to possess them. 

He will whisper to them in dreams to encourage them to do horrible things ("Hey - why is this parent-friendly commercial tie-in fantasy villain being so relentlessly edgy and grimdark?").

While Fear will possess Warduke if possible, he’d rather possess Warduke’s conqueror and spend a bit of time pretending to be the villain back from the dead before reverting to type and trying to bring his necrotic buddies along.

Perfect opportunity to turn Greyhawk into your local Deadworld.

Commentary.

Jim Murray

I'm not saying it's definitely the reference.