| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Roseweave |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 01:46:53
Writing a story where I'm looking for something a bit like a Malaugrym, but now i want to use a Malaugrym for another story and don't want to double up. I want one of them to be something else. Somewhat of a Loki-like figure, I suppose. Any suggestions? |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 30 Nov 2015 : 02:48:04
The perfect fit for what you asked for would be the Randara. You can find them in the entry for shapeshifters in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium, as well as 3 other shapeshifters. As everyone else noted, dopplegangers could work - but they have certain shapeshifting limitations that Malaugrym and Randara do not. As for the Batrachi - I find it best to leave the creator races buried in the past, or else they become less ancient legends and more hack and slash beasties.
If you lack that source, you could also choose an evilly aligned "changer savant" Irda. Irda are a race from Dragonlance that are mostly wiped out. They are rarely evil. The changer savant bit comes from their monstrous compendium entry, which states that Irda can learn to improve their ability to take the form of humanoids and demi-humans to the ability to shapechange as the spell.
There are also numerous races that use Illusion to conceal their true identities and to entrap enemies. The most common of these I would say is the Rakshasa, but many races fit this description, including the Bandalar which are also in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium.
As far as the Malaugrym working with others the answer is no. They do dominate/charm monsters and humans, but by nature they are xenophobic - they hate anyone who is not one of them. They even tend to hate other Malaugrym, but that is due to internal power struggles and not racial superiority. For more on them you should really read Ed's "Shadow" novels which involves them heavily.
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| Baltas |
Posted - 29 Nov 2015 : 05:32:53
Haask, now part of Haask, Voice of Hargut, is an example of a Batrachi doppelganger, who still survives, and had survived in his Batrachi-doppelganger form untill relativelly recently(after the fall of Netheril, but before the ascension of the Dead Three).
Now he's something...different
Here is the full story, by the great Brian R. James:
http://archive.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drrl/20071107a
[EDIT]
Also, what may interest you, is that Nadezhda was an empire of batrachi doppelgangers that was in the location of modern-day Maztica, according to Brian R. James. Another close batrachi country was to South, in Lopango, although it ma be a extension, or colony of Nadezhda.
Batrachi were also masters of portal making, with even Imaskari aparently reverse engineering some of batrachi magitech ad magics. It's possible the fact Toril has so many connections to Earth, and other worlds, is in a large part a work started by batrachi. |
| Roseweave |
Posted - 29 Nov 2015 : 01:01:10
Barachi sounds interesting but finding it hard to find stuff about them. This one story is actually set in an aquatic kingdom so makes sense. |
| Roseweave |
Posted - 28 Nov 2015 : 20:00:19
Are there other monsters that tend to show up with/work with Malaugrym? They seem to be pretty isolated. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 13:49:10
succubus? That is if a female works. |
| Baltas |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 07:46:13
Well, the Batrachi, specifically a Batrachi-Doppelganger might fit. Batachi-Doppelgangers had the abilities of a Greater Doppelganger, and Batrachi are strongly implied to have been a at least somewat Chaotic society, with them being tied to Slaadi, and worshipping Ramenos.
While I don't think Batrachi were ever stated, the Batrachi-Doppelganger probably would have stats of a Greater Doppelganger, with a Slaad-like or Bullywug-like default form.
[EDIT]
Also, Wolfweres can take on any human, demi-humanor humanoid form, that's more or less their size, regardless of their own original sex/gender. Wolfweres in fact, often morph into the race of their future pray, usually of the opposite gender than their pray, in order to lure them, kill, and eat them. Wolfweres are also in fact Chaotic(Evil).
Wolfweres' in general seem to me like a very malovelent, lupine version of kitsunes... |
| xaeyruudh |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 07:08:16
Ah... perhaps an ethereal doppelganger, or an unusual variety of lycanthrope? Or a canomorph... I don't remember seeing any of those in novels. |
| Roseweave |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 06:33:45
It's sort of a high level individual antagonist but i want it to be some variation of an existing monster. |
| xaeyruudh |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 06:13:18
Do you need a whole race, or just an individual antagonist? An individual could be as simple as a spellcaster (or magic item user) of any race.
There's doppelgangers and lycanthropes, of course. There's also barghests/worghests, mimics, jackalweres and wolfweres, changelings and shifters, selkies, yochlols, pterafolk, beasts of Malar, grimalkin, at least three types of canomorph, protean scourges, uthraki, and my favorites: aranea, ghaunadans, and phasms... and perhaps the ultimate shapeshifters: hagunemnons. And then there's all the ones I missed. 
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| Bane of the Harpers |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 03:44:20
Some kind of slaad would be perfect.... |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 27 Nov 2015 : 02:17:08
Quasit might serve you well. It is a little smaller, however still a shape shifter. |
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