Mid-Week Musings: Listening to the Body & The House of Fire
Welcome, my fellow monsters!
I have to be honest with you all: this morning finds me a bit knocked off my feet. After getting back from our regular Wednesday morning breakfast gathering at Lovewell, my stomach decided to stage a full rebellion. Between dealing with nausea, throwing up, and fighting off lower tract cramping that started acting up while I was out, my body sent a very loud, clear signal that today was meant for resting and taking things slow.
It got bad enough that I had to call it early and head straight back home to the cabin, which is where I’m writing to you from now.
Today was supposed to feature our latest session running the House of Fire campaign, but sickness won the coin toss, forcing me to cancel the run. Luckily, my players completely understood. The silver lining is that while we were still sitting around the table at breakfast, everyone managed to get their player monster characters updated and their Adventure Points sorted out. Even when the game itself gets postponed, the prep work never truly stops!
Since the table had to wait, I wanted to give everyone a full look under the hood at what this explosive campaign is all about.
Campaign Spotlight: House of Fire — The Caldera of Volcanis & The Double Fire Incursion
Introduction: When Stars Burn Twice
The year 2026 marks the arrival of Bing Wu—the rare and volatile Double Fire Year of the Fire Horse. Throughout the multiverse, planar barriers weaken under the strain of cosmic heat, celestial rifts ignite across distant galaxies, and the subterranean foundries of the Tygerian Isles roar with unprecedented fury.
On the T-shaped island of New Tuslan, nestled within the world of Zimrala, the vertical caldera city of Volcanis stands as the undisputed House of Fire. Suspended over an endless sea of bubbling magma, tiered basalt battlements, steam foundries, and iron catwalks hum with industrial life. Far below in the white-hot primordial mantle slumbers Madame Pele, the colossal Ancient Red Volcano Dragon who rules this domain. Above, the city's trade, laws, and military might are held in the iron grip of the Tygerian Fire Lord Daimyo.
This campaign overview chronicles the explosive arrival of an off-world warband, the political powder keg of the caldera's markets, and the dark trade threatening to freeze the city's molten veins from within.
The Dimensional Rift: A Cosmic Detonation
The campaign opens not with a quiet arrival, but with an apocalyptic shockwave. Fleeing an alien invasion that laid waste to their distant homeworld, a battered band of powerful planar refugees wrenches open an emergency rift through time, space, and reality itself.
The planar breach detonates on the Obsidian Threshold of Volcanis like a towering, cylindrical conduit of churning white-hot plasma. Ribbons of raw magma weave around blinding violet lightning, ripping a searing scar across the multiverse before collapsing with a concussive boom.
Stepping through the smoke is an unorthodox strike force of battle-hardened survivors:
Helinox: An Adult Red Volcano Dragon from an off-world bloodline. A proud, war-tested apex predator carrying the scars and fury of his destroyed home.
Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Playtest Character Sheet
Character Name: Helinox Player name Tamarcus Adams
Kindred: Adult Red Volcano Dragon (Off-World Lineage)
Archetype / Class: Planar Dragon Lord / Spell-Sword / Prince Consort of Volcanis
Level: 25
Total AP: 0 (Current Campaign Cycle)
Status: Active Playtest
Core Attributes & Multipliers (Beast / True Dragon Form)
Strength (ST): 300 — Massive physical crushing power, tail sweeps, and rending claw strikes.
Intelligence (IQ): 150 — Centuries of planar travel experience, ancient draconic history, and high tactics.
Luck (LK): 50
Constitution (CON): 300 — Colossal volcanic endurance and dense dragon vitals.
Dexterity (DEX): 85 — Deceptive aerial maneuvers and sweeping tail precision.
Charisma (CHR): 180 (Regal Draconic Presence / Sovereign Majesty)
Speed (SPD): 35 (Ground) / 90 (Winged Flight)
Wiz / Moon Crystal Reserve (WIZ): 150
Intuition (INT): 150
Power (POW): 180
Combat Ratings & Defenses
Monster Rating (MR): 6,000
Deadliness Rating (DR): 8 (Demigod/Dragon Sovereign Class)
Combat Dice Pool: All-D6 Pool based on active ST/CON bracket with high-impact adds.
Natural Armor: Hardened volcanic scales absorbing 100 hits of mundane damage per attack.
Magical Applied Resistance (MAR): 40 MAR against opposing hostile spellcraft.
Elemental Resistances:
Fire / Magma: Absolute Immunity (Absorbs intense heat and magma to heal and fuel crystal magic).
Planar Frost / Void-Cold: Standard kinetic defense only; vulnerable to true Spite Damage from Void-Tainted Ether-Crystals.
Magic System: Zimralan Moon Crystal & Metabolic Sorcery
Helinox channels his Moon Crystal reserves through internal volcanic catalysts and arcane draconic runes, specializing in scale shifting and primal fire manipulation:
Metabolic Form Shifts:
Shrinktify: Allows him to compress his colossal draconic bulk into a humanoid/dragon-kin size to walk the corridors, bazaars, and council chambers of Volcanis without shattering the basalt walkways.
Bigger is Better: Expands his mass back to true apex beast proportions for open-air caldera combat and siege breaking.
Combat Spells:
Call Element (Fire): Summons torrents of raw caldera flame and magma plumes.
Curse Weapon with Fire: Enchants his natural claws, fangs, or allied armaments with living dragon flame that inflicts ongoing Spite Damage.
Die, Demon, Die!: Focused, lethal arcane bursts directed at planar horrors, alien invaders, and void parasites.
Detect Magic: Senses active crystal resonance, planar breaches, and unnatural cold leaks across the city.
M.A.S.T. (Monster Adeptness Skills & Talents)
Adeptness — Apex Flight & Wing Buffets: Mastery of vertical caldera thermals, high-speed dives, and concussive wing attacks.
Talent — Planar Navigator: Intuitive sense of dimensional rifts, rift decay, and off-world planar coordinates.
Talent — Royal Dragon Presence: Commands immediate obedience and morale checks from lesser drakes, wyverns, and reptilian kindred.
Adeptness — Spell-Sword Combat: Fluidly weaves melee rending attacks and breath attacks alongside instant-cast Moon Crystal spells.
Talent — Molten Survivalist: Navigates, swims, and rests inside liquid mantle without losing orientation or bearing.
Special Abilities
Volcano Dragon Breath: Expels a massive cone of superheated plasma and molten slag, forcing high DEX saves and delivering crushing Spite Damage across all targets in the blast zone.
Tail Sweep & Cleave: Sweeps his barbed tail across a 180-degree rear arc to stagger and knock prone all medium or smaller combatants.
Terrifying Roar: Emits a concussive draconic battle roar echoing through the caldera, forcing immediate fear saves on opposing troops.
Primordial Regeneration: While submerged or touching raw volcanic magma, recovers CON points directly every combat turn.
Artifact Armament & Possessions
Consort’s Basalt Torque: An ornate neck ring forged of volcanic gold and Zimralan star amethysts, marking his high royal standing in Volcanis.
Planar Rift Shard: A fractured remnant of the dimensional gate that brought him and his warband to Zimrala, faintly humming with multiversal energy.
Domain & Political Standing
Title: Prince Consort of Volcanis, Off-World Dragon Lord, Anchor of New Tuslan.
Status in Volcanis: Honored by Taisho Raiden and the Tygerian Fire Tigers upon arrival; operates with high autonomy across the upper caldera and the Citadel of the Iron Vent.
Current Campaign Mission: Coordinating the newly formed monster party to hunt down the syndicate trafficking Void-Tainted Ether-Crystals and defend the molten veins of the city.
Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Playtest Character Sheet
Character Name: Heliox
Kindred: Dwon (Demon-Dwarf Hybrid / Monsterary of Zimrala, p. 131)
Archetype / Class: Dwon Gem Caster / Master Jeweler & Arcane Lapidary
Level: 1 (Active Campaign Playtest)
Total AP: 0
Status: Active Playtest
Core Attributes & Multipliers
Calculated strictly using official Dwon kindred multipliers from MoZ p. 131 (STR ×2, CON ×5, DEX ×1, SPD ×1, INT ×1, WIZ ×1.5, CHR ×2, LK ×0.5):
Strength (ST): 36 (Rolled Base 18 × 2 Kindred Multiplier) — Tremendous physical leverage packed into a dense 3-foot frame; effortlessly works heavy anvils and stubborn volcanic ores.
Intelligence / IQ (INT): 20 (Rolled Base 20 × 1 Kindred Multiplier) — Genius-tier understanding of gem geometry, metallurgic alchemy, and runic containment.
Luck (LK): 7 (Rolled Base 14 × 0.5 Kindred Multiplier) — Relies on absolute craft and precision rather than chance.
Constitution (CON): 90 (Rolled Base 18 × 5 Kindred Multiplier) — Massive five-fold dwarven/demonic bodily resilience; shrugs off heavy workshop trauma, toxic fumes, and concussive blowback.
Dexterity (DEX): 18 (Rolled Base 18 × 1 Kindred Multiplier) — Surgical precision with jeweler's chisels, microscopic setting prongs, and fine gem faceting.
Charisma (CHR): 28 (Rolled Base 14 × 2 Kindred Multiplier) — Striking demonic features, swept horns, and intense artisan presence that commands respect.
Speed (SPD): 12 (Rolled Base 12 × 1 Kindred Multiplier) — Low center of gravity with deliberate, grounded footing at the workbench and anvil.
Wiz / Magic Reserve (WIZ): 33 (Rolled Base 22 × 1.5 Kindred Multiplier) — Deep arcane reservoir channeled directly through cut and faceted stones.
Intuition (INT-U): 18 (Rolled Base 18 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Power (POW): 25 (Rolled Base 25 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Combat Ratings & Defenses
Monster Rating (MR): 75 (8D6 + 38)
Universal Deadliness Rating (UDR): 3/10 (Elite Artisan-Artillerist / MoZ p. 131)
Combat Dice Pool: 8D6 + 38 (Plus custom weapon and gem dice).
Armour Protection:
Artisan's Treated Leather Apron & Mail: Absorbs 4 hits of damage every combat turn.
Demonic Resilience: Unaffected by smoke inhalation, toxic sulfur vapors, and scalding steam.
Magical Applied Resistance (MAR): 18 MAR against hostile hexes, dispels, and containment wards.
Elemental Resistances & Immunities:
Flame & Magma Immunity (MoZ p. 131): Completely unharmed by natural or magical flame; can dance in the middle of a blazing campfire or molten hearth without taking damage.
Planar Frost / Void-Cold: Pierces his dwarven hide; slows his hand-movement and chisel precision for 1 combat turn.
Inherent Kindred Traits & Special Powers (MoZ p. 131)
Physical Form: Stands 3 feet tall, exceptionally well-muscled, with demonic skull shape, pointed ears, swept obsidian horns, glowing eyes, and a muscular prehensile tail tipped with a spade-shaped barb.
Prehensile Spade-Tail: Can manipulate delicate jeweler's tools or lash out in melee with its razor-sharp spade barb for 1D6 physical damage.
Summon Flame & Inherent Fireballs: Naturally summons fire directly from ambient air, hurling small fireballs (1D6 damage) at will with no WIZ cost.
Partly Telepathic & Polyglot: Naturally understands and speaks whatever language is being spoken in his presence; can communicate telepathically for silent battle coordination.
Gem-Facet Spell Channeling: Channels raw spellcraft and his high WIZ through cut and faceted Zimralan gemstones mounted on his jeweler's tools, rings, and loupe.
Master Lapidary Art: Enchanted Gem Cutting & Crafting
Cutting Works of Magical Art:
Tumarcus takes raw, volatile planar crystals and cuts them into harmonized facets that permanently store, regulate, and amplify high-circle spells without destabilizing.
Masterwork Creation — Necklace of Fireballs: Precision-cuts clusters of Zimralan fire rubies and strings them on braided platinum wire into wearable magical jewelry. Each individual faceted bead can be detached and hurled to detonate into full-scale fireballs (ranging from 6D6 to 10D6 blast radius depending on gem karat).
Artifact Socketing for Allies: Cuts and tunes socketed gem sets for party weapons and armor (such as Ignok’s Seismic Club, Pyra’s focus staff, and Torvald’s Frost & Flame shield) to anchor permanent wards and spell-storing reservoirs.
Natural Weapons, Armament & Combat Attacks
Jeweler's Chisel & Arcane Hammer:
Dice / Damage: 4D6 + Personal Adds (Melee).
Precision Sundering: Strikes structural weak points, rivets, and natural plate seams to crack enemy armor wide open.
Inherent Dwon Fireball (MoZ p. 131):
Dice / Damage: 1D6 Fire Damage (Ranged, at will).
Rapid Volley: Weaves quick flame bursts between hammer strikes to keep skirmishers at bay.
Faceted Gem-Casting Barrage:
Dice / Damage: 6D6 + WIZ bonus (Ranged Arcane Blast).
Prismatic Shard Spray: Channels spellcraft through a faceted ruby or sapphire to fire a searing spread of hard-light crystal darts.
Prehensile Spade-Tail Sting:
Dice / Damage: 1D6 Spite Damage (Close Quarters / Off-hand).
Surprise Sting: Strikes behind him or beneath an enemy's shield guard while his hands are occupied at the forge or workbench.
M.A.S.T. (Monster Adeptness Skills & Talents)
Adeptness — Master Gem Cutter & Lapidary Enchanting: Carves, facets, and polishes raw crystals into explosive bead-strings and permanent arcane talismans.
Adeptness — Arcane Metallurgy: Alloys and tempers heat-resistant metals for jewel settings, runic collars, and weapon mountings.
Talent — Mineral Fault Appraisal: Accurately reads fractures, crystal inclusions, and hollow stone walls with a light tap of his hammer.
Adeptness — Inscribed Explosive Glyphs: Carves quick-detonating runes into stone tunnel walls to collapse passages on pursuing enemies.
Talent — Grand Arcade Market Network: Deep connections across Volcanis artisan guilds, granting rapid access to rare uncut stones and raw planar reagents.
Domain & Political Standing
Title: Master Gem-Caster of the Grand Arcade, Chief Artisan of the Under-Caldera.
Allegiance: Aligned with the Egyptos against demonic incursions; works in close alliance with Madame Kalia Hoa and the Balrukh Lord's strike team as chief artificer and logistics master.
Campaign Mission: Equipping the warband with resonance-tuned gemstones and wearable magical ordnance, tracking smuggled Void-Tainted Ether-Crystals by their crystalline frequency, and keeping the party's enchanted gear in fighting trim.
The Flame Troll Pyromancer: A master of raw, volatile combat of Elemental Hell Fire who regenerates effortlessly in the extreme heat of the caldera.
Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Playtest Character Sheet
Character Name: Pyra (Angela’s Character) Kindred: Flametroll (Monsterary of Zimrala, p. 104) Archetype / Class: Pyromancer War-Mage / Arcane Guardian / Chosen Herald Level: 1 (Campaign Arrival State) Total AP: 0 Status: Active Playtest
Core Attributes & Multipliers
Strength (ST): 240 (Base 60 × 4 Kindred Multiplier) — Tremendous physical crushing power and devastating staff leverage.
Intelligence / IQ (INT): 23 (Base 45 × 0.5 Kindred Multiplier) — Ancient arcane geometry, runic calculations, and fire glyph lore.
Luck (LK): 15 (Base 15 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Constitution (CON): 340 (Base 85 × 4 Kindred Multiplier) — Dense troll sinew and massive volcanic mass that regenerates rapidly.
Dexterity (DEX): 19 (Base 28 × 0.67 Kindred Multiplier) — Deceptive reach with claws, volcanic missile precision, and staff sweeps.
Charisma (CHR): 16 (Base 8 × 2 Kindred Multiplier) — Hulking, soot-stained volcanic presence, yet surprisingly amiable with allies.
Speed (SPD): 12 (Base 12 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Wiz / Moon Crystal Reserve (WIZ): 33 (Base 65 × 0.5 Kindred Multiplier)
Intuition (INT-U): 20 (Base 40 × 0.5 Kindred Multiplier)
Power (POW): 55 (Base 55 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Combat Ratings & Defenses
Monster Rating (MR): 580 (Derived from physical pool)
Deadliness Rating (DR): 5 (High-Tier Monster / Vanguard Mage)
Combat Dice Pool: All-D6 Pool based on active ST/CON bracket (Adds +6 extra combat dice when armed with her heavy artifact staff).
Natural Armor: Hard rocky skin absorbs 4 points of damage every combat turn.
Magical Applied Resistance (MAR): 22 MAR against hostile enemy spellcraft.
Inherent Regeneration: Naturally regenerates 10% of her CON (34 hits) every combat turn in ambient heat or fire.
Elemental Resistances: Fire & Magma: Absolute Immunity (Absorbs flame to fuel crystal casting and body repair). Planar Frost / Void-Cold / Acid: Pierces natural hide; halts her regeneration for 1 full combat round.
Inherent Kindred Abilities (MoZ p. 104)
"Flame On" Reaction: Whenever she suffers more than trivial wounds (8 or more damage in a single combat turn), there is a 50% chance she automatically bursts into living flame. Her rocky skin glows white-hot, directing or throwing fire up to 8 feet away to ignite structures, enemies, and materials. Unleashes 3D6 (DARO) fire damage against any flying creatures or foes overhead. Flames persist for several minutes even if knocked unconscious.
Fiery Head Butt Spite: Any time an opponent suffers spite damage during close combat with her while she is "flaming on," there is a 1-in-6 chance (rolling a 1 on 1D6) that she delivers a devastating rocky head butt. This strike doubles the spite damage and sets the opponent's gear and clothing on fire.
Magic System: Zimralan Flame Ruby Sorcery
Having arrived through the rift, she bypassed traditional Kremm in favor of Zimrala's Moon Crystal resonance, channeling all magic through cut Flame Rubies:
Exclusive Fire Casting: Channels strictly fire evocations, heat shields, and volcanic transmutations.
Sculpted Arcane Flames: Intuitively carves safe channels through her fire blasts so friendly allies in the blast radius take zero damage.
Overchannel Core: Once per battle, can push an evocation to inflict maximum possible damage on every die; pushing beyond that taxes her inner constitution.
M.A.S.T. (Monster Adeptness Skills & Talents)
Adeptness — Flame Ruby Arcane Channeling: Focuses volatile thermal crystals mounted upon her staff to cast high-yield fire evocations without depleting her personal stamina.
Talent — Thermal Inversion Regeneration: Instinctively regenerates 10% of CON per round as long as ambient volcanic heat or fire is present.
Adeptness — Heavy Staff & Brawling Smash: Seamlessly alternates sweeping one-handed or two-handed staff strikes with claws, heavy kicks, and fiery head butts.
Adeptness — Volcanic Glass Manifestation: Instantly coalesces molten heat and mineral vapor from her open palm into razor-edged throwing shards.
Talent — Caldera Scent Tracking: Tracks prey through thick sulfur smoke and steam vents by reading scent and thermal air currents.
Talent — Amiable Hearth-Keeper: Naturally disarms tension and bonds easily with familiar companions around a meal or camp.
Artifact Armaments, Weapons & Possessions
The Staff of Volcanic Ruin (Combined Staff of Fire & Power): A massive quarterstaff carved from petrified caldera ash-wood, reinforced with volcanic brass bands, and balanced to be wielded with one hand or two. It is topped with a fist-sized Zimralan Flame Ruby.
The Apex Flame Ruby: Functions as her primary casting battery and focus, storing independent Moon Crystal charges so she does not drain her personal WIZ.
Weapon Impact: Grants +6 combat dice in battle and absorbs +5 hits of incoming physical damage.
Fire Disruptor Core: Can strike the staff against the stone to unleash an anti-fire shockwave, dispersing hostile enemy flame spells and purging encroaching cold auras in a 20-foot radius.
Integrated Staff Spells & Evocations:
Blasting Power (Fire): Unleashes a high-velocity, armor-piercing kinetic beam of compressed caldera plasma that punches straight through kinetic barriers and heavy armor.
Fireball: Hurls an explosive sphere of roiling flame that detonates on impact; can be sculpted around allies.
Wall of Fire: Erects a towering curtain of white-hot volcanic fire to cut off corridors, block retreats, or scorch incoming enemy waves.
Burning Hands: Channels a wide cone of clinging sheets of flame directly from the staff's brass fittings.
Flaming Sphere: Summons and mentally directs a rolling ball of magma across the battlefield to flush out entrenched targets.
Volcanic Glass Shards (Innate Missile Weapon):
Mechanism: Formed directly in her palm by flash-cooling magma essence into glowing red, razor-edged volcanic glass.
Range: Effective throwing range up to 30 feet.
Blast Effect: Upon impact, the crystal detonates into a fragmentation burst of superheated glass and concussive heat covering a 10-foot diameter area of effect. All hostile targets caught within the 10-foot radius take full shrapnel and burn damage, while flammable materials ignite instantly.
Domain & Political Standing
Title: Arcane Vanguard of the Planar Refugees, Master Pyromancer, Chosen Herald of the Deep Flame.
True Identity (Inner Court Secret): While she publicly crossed the Obsidian Threshold alongside the off-world refugees, Pyra is actually native to the volcanic caldera of Volcanis. Only Madame Kalia Hoa herself and the absolute highest tier of the Inner Court know who and what she truly is. To the rest of the city, the Dwon unions, and even her traveling companions, she appears to be merely an amiable, displaced Flametroll war-mage who survived the crossing.
Status in Volcanis: Welcomed among the new arrivals under the protection of the Tygerian Fire Tigers. She has quickly embedded herself with the Dwon artisans in the Grand Arcade, leveraging her genial disposition, heat immunity, and gem affinity to keep her ear to the ground.
Public Campaign Mission: Providing heavy arcane artillery and fire support for the warband, actively hunting down the syndicate smuggling cold-radiating Void Ether-Crystals through the lower aqueducts.
Secret Mission (The Divine Mandate of Madame Kalia Hoa): Handpicked and dispatched into the multiverse by Madame Kalia Hoa (the ancient Pele Volcano Dragon Goddess), Pyra was tasked with scouting the planes to recruit a fiercely loyal warband and bring back a worthy dragon to stand as the goddess's mate. Having successfully located Helinox, bound the strike team together, and guided them home through the rift, her sacred covenant is well underway while her true allegiance remains veiled in shadow.
Here is the corrected, standalone character sheet for David’s Balrukh with the header updated to properly reflect M.A.S.T.:
Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Playtest Character Sheet
Character Name: Lord of the Under-Caldera (David’s Character)
Kindred: Balrukh (Lesser Volcanic Demon-Lord)
Archetype / Class: Under-Caldera Overlord / Mine Sovereign
Level: ?
Total AP: 0
Status: Active Playtest
Core Attributes & Multipliers
Strength (ST): 700 (Base 35 × 20 Kindred Multiplier) — Effortlessly wields two-handed colossal weaponry in a single hand.
Intelligence (IQ): 480 (Base 24 × 20 Kindred Multiplier) — Master strategist, architect of subterranean defenses, and macro-economist.
Luck (LK): 12 (Base 12 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Constitution (CON): 7,400 (Combined Toughness & Bulk 370 × 20 Kindred Multiplier) — Immense physical endurance capable of surviving tectonic shifts and direct volcanic pressure.
Dexterity (DEX): 125 (Base 25 × 5 Kindred Multiplier) — Deceptive, lightning-quick precision with blade and whip.
Charisma (CHR): Negative / Dread
M.A.S.T. (Monster Adeptness Skills & Talents)
Adeptness — Master of the Deep Mines: Unmatched command over subterranean tunnel engineering, gemstone vein extraction, basalt quarrying, and magma diversion.
Talent — Subterranean Logistics & Amethyst Tariffs: Complete administrative oversight and intuitive auditing of raw mineral flow entering the Dwon craft-unions and upper caldera markets.
Talent — Planar Rift Warfare: Tactical battlefield coordination against extra-dimensional, alien, and off-world incursions.
Talent — Sovereign Intimidation & Dread: Natural authority that bends lesser demons, subterranean laborers, and caldera beasts to his command.
Adeptness — Colossal Dual-Wield Mastery: Seamlessly pairs towering, heavy-edge two-handed weaponry in one hand with flexible, multi-target reach weapons in the off-hand.
Adeptness — Flame Ruby Lapidary & Scrying: Precision craft in attuning, cutting, and focusing heat-resonant gems for long-range surveillance and command.
Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Playtest Character Sheet
Character Name: Ignok the Shatterer (David’s Enforcer)
Kindred: Giant Flametroll (Volcanic Sub-Titan / Monsterary of Zimrala, p. 104 scaled)
Archetype / Class: Under-Caldera Enforcer / Sovereign Executioner
Level: 1 (Active Campaign Playtest)
Total AP: 0
Status: Active Playtest
Core Attributes & Multipliers
Strength (ST): 596 (High-MR Bracket Base 149 × 4 Kindred Multiplier) — Massive physical crushing power; swings a giant two-handed greatclub one-handed with ease.
Intelligence / IQ (INT): 10 (Base 20 × 0.5 Kindred Multiplier) — Direct, brutal cunning, tunnel awareness, and ruthless enforcer tactics.
Luck (LK): 14 (Base 14 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Constitution (CON): 596 (High-MR Bracket Base 149 × 4 Kindred Multiplier) — Massive slab of dense volcanic basalt and sinew; shrugs off heavy tunnel collapses.
Dexterity (DEX): 16 (Base 24 × 0.67 Kindred Multiplier) — Wide, sweeping reach with stable footing on narrow volcanic ledges.
Charisma (CHR): 24 (Base 12 × 2 Kindred Multiplier) — Booming, terrifying physical presence that commands total submission from mine laborers.
Speed (SPD): 14 (Base 14 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Wiz / Moon Crystal Reserve (WIZ): 10 (Base 20 × 0.5 Kindred Multiplier) — Relies primarily on his club's internal crystal matrix to fuel spellcasting.
Intuition (INT-U): 10 (Base 20 × 0.5 Kindred Multiplier)
Power (POW): 20 (Base 20 × 1 Kindred Multiplier)
Combat Ratings & Defenses
Monster Rating (MR): Derived from UDR 3 Bracket (Baseline MR 60 floor / MR 149 ceiling for STR & CON).
Deadliness Rating (DR): 3 (Matching the MoZ p. 104 Flametroll Universal Deadliness Rating).
Combat Dice Pool: All-D6 Pool based on active ST/CON bracket (Adds +6 base Flametroll weapon dice, plus +6 artifact weapon dice, plus +3D6 TARO Hellfire dice).
Natural Armor & Immunity:
Physical Invulnerability (Artifact Effect): The wielder never takes damage from physical attacks and mundane weapons (blades, arrows, axes, bludgeons, and kinetic strikes cannot harm him).
Vulnerability: Has no protection from magic from this effect; hostile spellcraft, planar cold, and supernatural assaults affect him normally.
Magical Applied Resistance (MAR): 18 MAR against hostile opposing magic.
Inherent Regeneration: Naturally recovers 10% of his CON (60 hits) every combat turn while standing in heat, steam, or magma.
Elemental Resistances:
Fire & Magma: Absolute Immunity (Absorbs liquid heat; lava accelerates his tissue repair).
Planar Frost / Void-Cold / Acid: Halts his natural regeneration for 1 full combat turn.
Inherent Kindred Abilities (MoZ p. 104)
"Flame On" Reaction: Suffering 8+ points of damage in a single round triggers a 50% chance to ignite into a walking inferno:
Outer rocky hide glows blinding red and throws sheets of flame up to 8 feet away, setting foes, dry wood, and gear blazing.
Deals 3D6 (DARO) fire damage against any aerial combatants or leaping foes overhead.
Fiery Head Butt Spite: Any time an enemy takes spite damage in melee with him while he is "flaming on," roll 1D6. On a 1, Ignok delivers a thunderous rocky head butt that doubles the spite damage and sets the target on fire.
M.A.S.T. (Monster Adeptness Skills & Talents)
Adeptness — Versatile Greatclub Mastery: Fluidly alternates between one-handed sweeping smashes (leaving an off-hand free to grab, choke, or throw enemies) and gripping the haft two-handed for earth-shattering kinetic slams.
Talent — Tectonic Intimidation: Cracks the stone at his feet to force instant morale and retreat checks on rebellious miners or infiltrators.
Talent — Thermal Inversion Regeneration: Automatically repairs smashed rock-flesh in ambient caldera heat.
Adeptness — Tunnel Warfare & Breaching: Expert at using his club to collapse ceilings on pursuers or clear cave-ins with a single strike.
Talent — Loyalty of the Under-Caldera: Utterly incorruptible bond with the Balrukh Lord; immune to mental charm or bribery from surface merchants.
Artifact Armament: The Seismic Magma Club
Forged from dense petrified iron-wood and capped in enchanted black basalt and volcanic brass, this weapon holds all the kinetic shockwave powers of Bobby’s legendary club, combined with ancient Hellfire enchantment and a core Zimralan Flame Ruby:
Effect: The wielder of this weapon never takes damage from physical attacks and weapons, but has no protection from magic.
Increases the Damage of the Weapon (Hellfire Weapon): The flames of hell encase the weapon and its wielder, contributing 3D6 (TARO) of extra damage to the combat total. ALL damage rolled by the weapon is Spite Damage.
Example: Using his greatclub in combat, a roll of 28 would do 28 points of spite damage that takes effect in spite of any defense the antagonist might have.
Bobby's Seismic Shockwave:
Ground-Slam Tremor: Striking the floor unleashes a directional earthquake that rips open fissures in solid stone, knocks entire ranks of enemies prone, and shatters barricades, stone gates, and iron doors.
Kinetic Deflection: Can strike incoming physical projectiles (boulders, ballista bolts, falling debris) to blast them into harmless dust mid-air.
Tunnel Breaker: Delivers focused concussive force that can smash through miles of rock without setting off an uncontrolled ceiling collapse.
Integrated Fire Spells: Driven by the embedded Flame Ruby, the club allows Ignok to cast:
Blasting Power (Fire): Fires a high-impact lance of compressed magma plasma.
Fireball: Hurls exploding spheres of fire into entrenched smuggler nests.
Wall of Fire: Slams the ground to erect a searing fire barrier across mine tunnels to trap fleeing targets.
Burning Hands: Sprays an 8-foot fan of flame from the club's crown.
Wielding Mechanics:
One-Handed: Allows his massive off-hand to grapple, choke, or drag targets into magma while retaining full Hellfire spite.
Two-Handed Grip: Doubles the kinetic shockwave radius and ground-tremor footprint.
Domain & Political Standing
Title: Enforcer of the Lower Deeps, Chief Balrukh Sledge.
Allegiance: Serves directly at the right hand of David's Balrukh Lord of the Under-Caldera. Answers to no surface law, paying heed only to his master and Madame Pele.
Current Campaign Mission: Serving as the frontline muscle and tunnel-clearer for the warband, cracking open fortified smuggling dens in the lower basalt aqueducts and crushing Void-Crystal syndicates before they can freeze the city's veins.
Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Playtest Character Sheet
Character Name: Torvald the Ashen (Barbarian Vanguard)
Kindred: Fire Peoples (Volcanis Cinder-Human / Barbarian Sub-type)
Archetype / Class: Caldera Barbarian / Frontline Slayer
Level: 1
Total AP: 0
Status: Active Playtest
Core Attributes & Multipliers
Modifiers applied from Barbarian template (STR × 2, CON × 2, DEX × 1.5, LK × 1.5, CHR × 1.5, SPD × 1.25, INT × 1, WIZ × 1):
Strength (ST): 28 (Base 14 × 2 Modifier) — Heavy cleaving power and explosive shield-charge momentum.
Intelligence / IQ (INT): 10 (Base 10 × 1 Modifier) — Sharp subterranean instinct, tunnel acoustic awareness, and ambush cunning.
Luck (LK): 18 (Base 12 × 1.5 Modifier) — Remarkable survival fortune dodging magma geysers and cave-ins.
Constitution (CON): 28 (Base 14 × 2 Modifier) — Heat-tempered sinew, cinder-lung resilience, and high wound tolerance.
Dexterity (DEX): 18 (Base 12 × 1.5 Modifier) — Deft footwork across cracked basalt plates and fluid parrying transitions.
Charisma (CHR): 15 (Base 10 × 1.5 Modifier) — Grim, soot-streaked tribal intensity that commands respect on the battlefront.
Speed (SPD): 15 (Base 12 × 1.25 Modifier)
Wiz / Magic Reserve (WIZ): 10 (Base 10 × 1 Modifier)
Intuition (INT-U): 10 (Base 10 × 1 Modifier)
Power (POW): 10 (Base 10 × 1 Modifier)
Combat Ratings & Defenses
Average Combat Total: 45
Weapons Dice Pool:
Hand-and-a-Half Sword: 7D6
Shield Spike Strike: 1D6
Combined Total Armed Pool: 8D6 + Adds
Armour Protection:
Spiked Shield Armor: Absorbs 6 hits of damage every combat turn.
Hardened Cinder-Hide Leathers: Treated with magma beast oil for flexible physical protection.
Magical Applied Resistance (MAR): 12 MAR against enemy hexes and spells.
Inherent & Artifact Elemental Defenses:
Fire Peoples Heritage: Born amidst sulfur and lava vents; naturally shrugs off ambient cinder sparks, boiling steam, and caldera heat exhaustion.
Shield of Frost and Flame (Artifact Protection): Completely shields him from sub-zero cold, freezing blizzards, and winter environments, radiating an internal thermal ward that keeps him comfortably warm even in deep subterranean freezes or Void-chilled mines.
M.A.S.T. (Monster Adeptness Skills & Talents)
Adeptness — Hand-and-a-Half Sword Mastery: Effortlessly shifts between one-handed slashes behind his shield wall and two-handed crushing arcs that split heavy armor.
Adeptness — Spiked Shield Pounding: Can drive the shield's 8-inch hardened spike into enemy vitals on a charge (1D6 spite strike).
Talent — Thermal Equilibrium: Moves across slick sulfur frost or blistering magma shelves without losing footing or battle momentum.
Talent — Void-Chill Scenting: Uses his acclimated volcanic senses to instantly detect unnatural drops in temperature and cold-radiating smuggler caches.
Talent — Blood of the Fire Tribes: High morale resistance against dread, panic, and magical terror effects.
Artifact Armament & Possessions
The Shield of Frost and Flame: A heavy teardrop war-shield forged from caldera bronze and banded in rune-etched iron, half-rimmed in frost-engraved silver and half in volcanic brass, centered with a wicked steel spike:
Cold Ward: The wielder never takes damage or penalties from freezing temperatures, frostbite, or bitter winter surroundings; radiates a continuous warm hearth-aura.
Dual Protection: Deflects incoming searing flame jets as well as piercing planar frost.
Spike Strike: Rolls 1D6 weapon damage in close brawling.
Armor Protection: 6 points of solid damage absorption.
Hand-and-a-Half Sword (Bastard Sword): 7D6 damage. Forged in the lower smithies of Volcanis from folded slag-steel, holding a razor-sharp, heat-tempered edge.
Cinder-Tribe War Gear: Ashen war cloak, insulated leather harness, climbing spikes, and sulfur torches.
Domain & Political Standing
Title: Champion of the Cinder Tribes, Vanguard of the Caldera.
Kindred Allegiance: A proud son of the Fire Peoples who dwell along the upper basalt rims and lava tubes of Volcanis. Unlike common surface humans, his kin revere the great dragons and work hand-in-hand with the Dwon and Flametrolls.
Role in the Warband: Chosen to fight beside the Balrukh Lord, Pyra, and Helinox. Because his Shield of Frost and Flame makes him completely impervious to unnatural freezing cold, he serves as the primary breach-leader sent down into the freezing aqueducts to smash the Void-Tainted Ether-Crystal smuggling cells.
The Red Cinder Werewolf Warg: A lethal hybrid stalker trailing embers with every stride, specialized in tracking prey through thick sulfur smoke.
Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 Playtest Character Sheet
Character Name: Shadow
Kindred: Cinder Were-Warg Hellhound (Warg / Werewolf / Hellhound Amalgam)
Archetype / Class: Planar Shadow-Stalker / Caldera Dread Hound
Level: 1 (Active Campaign Playtest)
Total AP: 0
Status: Active Playtest
Core Attributes & Multipliers
Built using Warg base modifiers (STR ×8, CON ×8, DEX ×0.50, SPD ×1, INT ×0.67, WIZ ×0.50, CHR ×3, LK ×0.50), maintaining an INT of 14 (above the 13 threshold for voluntary were-shapechanging):
Strength (ST): 160 (Base 20 × 8 Kindred Multiplier) — Massive jaw-clamping power and bipedal tearing force.
Intelligence / IQ (INT): 14 (Base 21 × 0.67 Kindred Multiplier) — Exceeds the INT 13 threshold; possesses voluntary shapechanging control, cruel battlefield cunning, and understands human speech.
Luck (LK): 10 (Base 20 × 0.50 Kindred Multiplier)
Constitution (CON): 160 (Base 20 × 8 Kindred Multiplier) — Deep infernal endurance combined with rock troll sinew.
Dexterity (DEX): 12 (Base 24 × 0.50 Kindred Multiplier) — Explosive pounces, neck-snapping lunges, and ripping claw sweeps.
Charisma (CHR): 45 / Dread (Base 15 × 3 Kindred Multiplier) — A towering, horse-sized silhouette of smoke, crimson fur, and hellfire eyes that projects sheer terror.
Speed (SPD): 18 (Base 18 × 1 Kindred Multiplier) — Blinding pursuit speed through narrow tunnels and over broken slag heaps.
Wiz / Magic Reserve (WIZ): 10 (Base 20 × 0.50 Kindred Multiplier)
Intuition (INT-U): 18 (Keen senses)
Power (POW): 25 (Hellfire core)
Combat Ratings & Defenses
Monster Rating (MR): 200 (21D6 + 100) — Fuses the Hellhound baseline of MR 200 with the Warg’s 16D6+75 chassis.
Universal Deadliness Rating (UDR): 5/10 (High-Tier Were-Beast / Infernal Predator).
Base Combat Pool: 21D6 + 100
Armour Protection:
Matted Ash & Rock Fur (Warg): Absorbs 3 points of damage every combat turn.
Infernal Ash Dispersion: While partially in smoke form, mundane physical projectiles pass through harmlessly.
Rapid Regeneration (MoZ Were-Creature & Troll Traits):
Rapidly regenerates up to 1/2 his active Monster Rating at the beginning of the next combat round.
Vulnerabilities / True Death: Only magical disintegration, dismemberment, or burning with acid or cold-iron halts this rapid healing.
Elemental Resistances:
Fire & Magma: Absolute Immunity (Absorbs flame; body temperature is scorching hot to the touch).
Planar Cold / Void-Frost: Halts regeneration for 1 round; pierces his smoke shroud.
Inherent Kindred Traits & Special Powers
Living Smoke Form (Invisibility & Stealth):
Outside of combat, Shadow discards solid physical mass to become a drifting, semi-translucent silhouette of billowing sulfur smoke and ash.
Gains total Invisibility when standing still in shadowed caverns, sulfur steam vents, or dark alcoves.
Drifts silently through iron bars, portcullises, and narrow volcanic vents.
"Flame On" Ambush Strike:
Stalks completely unseen in smoke form until the precise moment of attack.
When he pounces, he instantly solidifies and Flames On with roaring hellfire bursting from his hide and pupils, forcing immediate surprise and morale checks on his targets.
His opening strike out of smoke deals automatic double spite damage from the explosive brimstone ignition.
Voluntary Shapechanging (MoZ p. 125):
Because his INT is 14 (greater than 13), he shifts forms voluntarily:
Dire Hell-Warg Form (Quadruped): Stature of a large horse (10 to 12 feet long). Built for raw pursuit speed, crushing head-bites, and carrying an ally across lava tubes.
Cinder Werewolf Form (Bipedal Hybrid): Stands 12 to 14 feet tall on digitigrade legs, gaining sweeping claw rakes and the ability to wield oversized hand axes.
Ash Smoke Drift (Incorporeal Form): Pure scouting and vent-infiltration state.
Hellhound Touch & Heat (MoZ p. 140):
Searing Contact: Normal creatures that physically touch or grapple his fur take immediate burning damage from his scorching infernal body heat.
Were-Curse Transmission (MoZ p. 125):
Any bite wound that draws blood infects the surviving victim with the Zimralan were-curse.
Keen Wolf Senses (MoZ p. 124):
Wolfish scent and hearing grant a permanent +3 talent bonus to all tracking tests.
Natural Weapons, Armament & Combat Attacks
Because Shadow can fight as a colossal horse-sized quadruped or an upright 14-foot bipedal terror, he alternates between savage beast attacks and brutal troll-forged weaponry:
Primary Head-Clamp Bite (Hellhound / Warg / Werewolf):
Dice / Damage: 8D6 + Personal Adds.
Head-Hunter Priority: True to his Hellhound blood, Shadow instinctively targets the head, neck, and face.
Hellfire Ignition: Clamping down injects pure hellfire directly into the wound, setting the target ablaze.
Were-Curse Transmission: Any bite drawing blood infects surviving victims with the Zimralan were-curse.
Crushing Throathold: On any spite roll, the target is pinned, dragged to the ground, and begins suffocating in boiling brimstone.
Searing Talons & Rake (Werewolf / Hellhound Claws):
Dice / Damage: 6D6 + Personal Adds (Twin claw strikes).
Ash Rake: In hybrid bipedal form, his elongated claws slash through armor and leave festering, ember-scorched wounds that resist natural healing.
Superheated Contact: Any creature grappling him takes direct burning damage from his furnace-like body temperature.
Twin Warg Hand Axes (Oversized Slag Cleavers):
Dice / Damage: 7D6 + Personal Adds (Melee or Thrown).
Weapon Style: In bipedal Werewolf stance, Shadow wields massive, crude hand axes forged from volcanic basalt and iron bands. He can chop through shields in close quarters or hurl them with bone-shattering force down narrow mine tunnels.
Nostril Hellfire Snort & Cone (MoZ p. 140):
Dice / Damage: 5D6 Fire Damage (Bypasses non-magical armor).
Area of Effect: A 15-foot cone of searing brimstone and roaring flame snorted straight from his snout. Used to clear swarms of lower-tier tunnel vermin, melt barricades, or flush out entrenched smugglers.
The Smoke-To-Flame Ambush Pounce:
Surprise Strike: When solidifying out of invisible smoke form to "Flame On," his opening attack (Bite or Claws) hits with automatic double spite damage and forces an immediate DC 18 Morale/Panic check on all nearby enemies witnessing the sudden inferno.
Communication & Pack Dynamics
Languages: Fluent in Grharrg (Rock Troll / Warg tongue), Hellspeak, and Wolf-communion.
Comprehension: Understands spoken Common and Dwarven far better than he can vocalize.
Telepathic Link: Bound via telepathy and ancient pact to the strike team and Madame Kalia Hoa's inner circle, preventing the mindless pack-slaughter frenzies typical of wild wargs.
M.A.S.T. (Monster Adeptness Skills & Talents)
Adeptness — Smoke-Step Stalking: Bypasses frontline defenses through steam vents and cracks in the basalt to materialize behind high-value targets.
Talent — Scent of the Void: Pinpoints cold-radiating Void Ether-Crystals and freezing smugglers through thick rock walls by thermal disruption.
Adeptness — Savage Throathold: Clamps onto enemy heads and necks to drag armored foes down into magma channels or off narrow catwalks.
Talent — Crystal Resonance Glow: His matted fur and hellfire pupils pulse with raw Zimralan crystal luminescence when angered, illuminating dark tunnels for his warband.
Domain & Political Standing
Title: The Living Cinder, Hound of the Under-Caldera.
Allegiance: Bound as a permanent hunting companion to the strike team under the Balrukh Lord and Pyra, answering ultimately to Madame Kalia Hoa.
Campaign Mission: Serving as the vanguard infiltrator and silent assassin, drifting ahead of the warband through the lower aqueducts as living smoke to butcher Void-Crystal lookouts before they can alert the smuggling syndicate.
Rather than being cut down by gate guards, the party is met with the sounding of volcanic conch shells (pลซ). Led by Taisho Raiden, Captain of the Tygerian Fire Tigers, the local garrison salutes the arrival of an off-world dragon lord whose coming was written in the celestial omens of the Double Fire Year.
Factions of the Caldera
Navigating Volcanis requires understanding the delicate balance between ancient dragon slumber, military rule, and high-stakes commerce:
The Slumbering Crown (Madame Pele): The ancient matriarch of Volcanis rests deep in the planetary mantle. Her will is absolute, but direct audiences are impossible without proving one's honor and standing in the city above.
The Military Citadel (The Tygerian Fire Lord Daimyo): The secular trade and military ruler of Volcanis. From the Citadel of the Iron Vent, he commands the garrison, sets tariffs, and maintains the city's geothermal defenses with cold, tactical pragmatism.
The Tygerian Fire Tigers: Elite volcanic shock-troops and samurai led by Captain Taisho Raiden, patrolling the battlements alongside saber-toothed war cats coated in living flame.
The Dwon Craft-Unions: The working backbone of the city. Stocky, horned half-demon, half-dwarf smiths and lapidaries who harness geothermal steam vents to forge weapons and cut raw amethysts.
Foreign Merchant Caravans: Visiting dignitaries seeking rare minerals. The most prominent is Merchant Prince Malik al-Zahab, a haughty Efreeti magnate who moves across planar markets with levitating brass pavilions and volatile, off-world cargo.
The Campaign Arc: The Cold Creep in the Deep Vents
While Volcanis thrives on surface heat, an insidious threat festers in the darkness of the lower basalt aqueducts. Foreign smugglers, backed by rogue syndicates, have begun trafficking Void-Tainted Ether-Crystals—contraband that radiates planar frost capable of cracking geothermal pipes, solidifying magma flows, and triggering localized caldera cave-ins.
Recruited by the Fire Lord Daimyo to clean up the aftermath of an explosive trade accident at the Dwon Exchange, Helinox and his companions are thrust into the center of a subterranean shadow war:
Phase 1: Securing the Upper Rings. The party establishes their foothold, clears out rogue automata and void parasites, and secures forge rights in the Dwon Grand Arcade for their Gem Caster.
Phase 2: Purging the Basalt Aqueducts. Working under the Daimyo's Fire Tiger warrant, the crew plunges into the maze of lower steam pipes and aqueducts to track down smugglers dealing in dangerous off-world void ore.
Phase 3: The Mantle Descent. As the conspiracy deepens, threatening to destabilize the entire volcano, the party must lead a descent into the primordial core to awaken Madame Pele before the House of Fire freezes from the inside out.
Mechanical Framework
This campaign is built for Ken St. Andre’s Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 rules engine:
All-D6 Mechanics: Streamlined combat dice pools, high-impact adds, and brutal Spite Damage that cuts right through heavy armor.
The Double Fire Resonance: During the Year of the Fire Horse, fire spells, dragon breath, and heat-based Kremm abilities gain surging Chaos Factors and heightened deadliness.
Amethyst Economy: Traditional gold gives way to Zimrala's native amethyst currency, giving the Dwon Gem Caster unmatched value as a crafter and merchant.
Wrapping Up at the Cabin
For now, I'm keeping things quiet, letting the stomach settle, and giving the body the downtime it needs so we can hit the table hard when this bug clears out.
How does your gaming group handle unexpected planar incursions—or unexpected sick days? Drop your thoughts, favorite volcanic hazards, or monster party builds in the comments below!
Product Identity & Legal
The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, the Tygerian Isles, the island of New Tuslan, the city of Volcanis, the Tygerian Fire Tigers, the Dwon kindred, and the characters Helinox, Taisho Raiden, and the Tygerian Fire Lord Daimyo.
The Monsterary of Zimrala (MoZ) is the official campaign setting and monster book for Zimrala created by Ken St. Andre. Monsters! Monsters!™ and Humans! Humans!™ are trademarks of Ken St. Andre and Trollgodfather Press and are used with permission. The statistics, lore, and game mechanics provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest and campaign material. © 2026 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
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