ORIGINAL CREATURES
LENNART'S VENGEANCE
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 35 STR 25 16- Lift 3200 kg; 7d6 HTH Damage [0] 14 DEX 8 12- 25 CON 15 14- 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- 18 EGO 8 13- 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 5 OCV 10 5 DCV 10 3 OMCV 0 6 DMCV 9 4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 8 PD -2 Total: 8 PD (8 rPD) 8 ED -2 Total: 8 ED (8 rED) 8 REC 4 50 END 6 20 BODY 10 50 STUN 15 Total Characteristics Cost: 137 Movement: Running: 0m Flight: 24m/48m Leaping: 0m Swimming: 8m//16m Cost Powers & Skills 15 Made Of Wood: Does Not Bleed 10 Made Of Wood: No Hit Locations 17 Tireless: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) applied to STR 16 Longsword: HKA 1d6+1 (2 ½d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1) plus +1 OCV; OAF (-1) 5 Longsword: a second longsword (for a total of 2) 35 Ship's Anchor: HKA 2 ½d6 (4d6+1 w/STR), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1) 3 Anchor Chain: Stretching 6m, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1), Always Direct (-¼), Limited Body Parts (anchor chain; -¼), No Noncombat Stretching (-¼), Range Modifier Applies (-¼) 31 Summon Storms: Change Environment (create stormy weather) (-3 to Sight Group PER Rolls, Long-Lasting (weather patterns return to normal as per usual once the creature stops paying END) 1 Day), Area Of Effect (8m Radius; +½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), MegaScale (1m = 1 km; +1); Extra Time (1 Turn, Only to Activate, -¾), No Range (-½) 24 Body Of Wood: +8 PD, Resistant (+½) plus +8 ED, Resistant (+½) 4 Body Of Wood: +4 PD, Resistant (+½); Only Works Against Crushing/Piercing Attacks (-½) 30 Body Of Wood: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 60 Single-Minded: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75% 6 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -6m 20 Wings Made From Broken Timbers: Flight 24m, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Restrainable (-½), Can Only Reach An Altitude Of About 10m (-¼) 0 No Legs: Leaping -4m (0m total) 0 No Legs: Running -12m (0m total) 3 Vanishes Below The Waves: Swimming +4m (8m total), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 12 The Ocean Is Her Home: Swimming 32m, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Surface Only (-1) 5 Wings Made From Broken Timbers: Extra Limbs (2), Inherent (+¼); Limited Manipulation (-¼) 40 Body Of Wood: Life Support: Total (including Longevity: Immortality) 5 Can See In The Dark: Nightvision 0 5 Can See In The Dark: UV Perception (Sight Group) Talents 3 Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty) Skills 32 +4 with HTH Combat 5 Fast Draw (HTH Weapons) 13- 5 Rapid Attack; HTH Multiple Attacks Only (-1) 5 Two-Weapon Fighting; HTH Multiple Attacks Only (-1) 2 WF: Common Melee Weapons Total Powers & Skill Cost: 398 Total Cost: 535 175+ Matching Complications (50) 10 Negative Reputation: terror of the high seas, Frequently (Extreme; Known Only To A Small Group[pirates]) 10 Physical Complication: Large (roughly 3-4m tall, +2 OCV to hit, +2 to PER to Perceive) (Infrequently; Slightly Impairing) 15 Psychological Complication: Hatred For Pirates, Privateers, Sea Reavers, and so on (Common; Strong) Total Complications Points: 50 Experience Points: 360
Background/History: A long time ago, the sorcerer-artificer Lennart commenced construction of a great seagoing vessel. Kaija he called it, and it was the greatest ship of its age, as mighty as the Mary Rose, as beautiful as the Sovereign of the Seas, as ornate as the Vasa. A master of woodcraft, Lennart built much of the ship himself, aided by numerous golems he’d constructed for that very purpose. Things he couldn’t make himself, such as the sails, ropes, and metal fittings, he inspected carefully, often sending them back for flaws both real and imagined. Few he contracted with complained however, for Lennart paid in gold—and paid well.
Then came the day when the Kaija slipped into the sea. She rode the waters well, even after being filled with goods and cargo destined for ports around the world. Lennart intended the Kaija to be a ship of discovery, exploration, and trade. A ship to take him to new markets for his artifice creations, to new lands, to new magics and treasures. Crewed by the very golems that had constructed her, the Kaija set sail, glittering in the bright sun, canvas billowing with air while pennants and flags snapped in the breeze.
For many years the Kaija served Lennart well, carrying him across the many seas and oceans, surviving fierce storms, strong currents, and monstrous waves. As the ship’s fame grew, so did the legends about what it contained. Gold, silver, precious gems, magical artifacts of wondrous power.... Many tried, and many died, assaulting the ship, cut down by the golems crewing it, or by Lennart's spells. Finally, the Sea Lords of Idel, self-appointed masters of the sea, decided to take the Kaija once and for all.
Assembling an armada of triremes and quinquiremes, the Lords of Idel cornered the Kaija, trapping her in a wide bay. While deck-mounted ballista smashed any golems on deck and shredded the sails with their bolts, archers darkened the skies with forked arrows, severing lines and ropes. Meanwhile Idelian wizards assailed the ship with waves that battered the hull, fires that burned more golems, and lightning that shattered masts.
Eventually the once-beautiful and proud Kaija was a dismasted wreck adrift in the water. Ships of Idel surrounded it on all sides, securing themselves with grappling hooks and sending forth legions of marines to slay all they found. The decks soon ran red, for Lennart's golems weren't all destroyed, and enacted a terrible toll of the invaders. But the Lords of Idel were not to be denied, and soon Lennart found himself driven below decks, mortally wounded and pursed by armed men and cunning magicians. Feeling his life starting to leave him, he made his way into the depths of the fo’c's’le, eventually reaching the part of the hull where the keel curved up from the ocean to form the prow of the ship. As Idelian soldiers smashed down the hatch behind him, Lennart put the last of his life energy and magical power into the Kaija, asking it to seek vengeance on the Idel.
The Idel troops tore down the hatch in time to see Lennart cast his last (and possibly greatest spell), before he collapsed dead on the deck. Their triumph was short lived as a tremendous splintering crash made the ship shudder from stem to stern. As they watched in amazement and fear, the entire bow of the ship tore away from the hull. It hung there for a moment, the ragged sections of timber flexing slowly, before slowly turning to face them.
The sight of the ship’s figurehead having come to life froze the men for only a minute or two, but it was enough. With seemingly casual ease, the ship’s figurehead, Kaija herself, reached for two men, crushing them to her wooden breast in a lethal embrace. Dropping their limp bodies into the waves below her, she then plucked the swords the two marines had left embedded in her body and lay into the rest of Lennart's pursuers.
It is said that those who survived have vowed never to venture forth on a ship again. Many fell to the figurehead before the rest retreated into the depths of the ship. Stymied by the Kayli's close quarters, the figurehead then made her way down the hull, first slashing at the lines securing the Kaija to the other ships, then turning her attention to them. Those on the Kaija soon found their fate all too apparent—venture forth on deck and be killed by the figurehead, stay in the now-sinking ship (and drown), or risk the open water, which was rapidly filling with sharks attracted by the blood and flesh of the slain.
The Kaija is long since gone, its timbers rotting on the sea floor. The Idelians are gone too. Their power smashed, they fell prey to other raiders, and now the Idel Isles are the domain of someone else. But the figurehead, she’s still out there. She haunts the waters of the world, accompanied (it is said) by thick fogs and bad weather, her swords bright and thirsty for the blood of sea-reavers of all sorts. She is a legend among those who live on the sea, and many refuse to speak of her, or will only do in whispers while safely on land. She is the prow of the ship Kaija, she is Lennart’s Vengeance.
Personality/Motivation: Lennart’s Vengeance is driven by one overwhelming desire—to seek revenge for the death of her creator, Lennart. She cares for little else, and doesn’t seem to know (or care) that the Idel are, for the most part, gone. Instead, she will readily assault any sort of water pirate, often rising out of the water, supported by the creaking timbers that serve her as wings, to bring mass slaughter to sea wolves of any stripe. Once committed, Lennart’s Vengeance will not stop until she’s dealt with the entire ship’s crew, and no amount or manner of threats, promises, or bribes will stay her. Mercifully, she usually can tell hostages, slaves, and captives from the regular crew... usually.
Quote: None, Lennart's Vengeance is mute.
Powers/Tactics: Lennart's Vengeance is much like any golem—immensely strong, hard to hurt, tireless, and utterly immune to any sort of mental manipulation. Even worse, Lennart's Vengeance seems to be far more intelligent than normal golems and can think for herself. She has been known to take foes by laying traps, waiting in ambush, and disabling boats and ships before striking herself.
When engaging in battle, Lennart's Vengeance will either rise out of the water or drop down from the air. Her first target is normally the stern and the steersman—from there she will work her way up the ship, killing all who oppose her. As she is virtually invulnerable to most weapons, she almost never blocks attacks, instead striking out at two (or more) targets each Phase. Once a foe is down, she’ll then head on to the next one. Only if in single combat will she do more than simply strike, and even then her tactics are still fairly basic—block with one sword, strike with the other, try a disarm with one sword and then strike with the other, or hack the shafts of polearms in two.
About the only time Lennart's Vengeance goes beyond simple sword play is when she first appears. She often seems to make sure her first contact with a foe maximizes her reputation—such as rising out of the water in front of a ship, or coming up just aft of the stern. The sight of Lennart's Vengeance, dripping with sea water, wings slowly creaking back and forth, is enough to give even the bravest warrior pause, during which she will hurl the anchor and chain still attached to the remains of the bow, anchoring her to the ship. Once so secured, the attack will begin in ernest.
Appearance: Lennart's Vengeance is a broken section of a ship's bow, made of splintered hull timbers, the keel, and what's left of the snapped-off bowsprit. Mounted to this is the figurehead, which appears as a woman in an ornate, flowing, dress. Time and the elements have weathered Lennart's Vengeance into a mostly dull silvery-gray shade, although some spots of color remain. The figurehead, Kaija herself, wields two long swords, while a length of anchor chain winds around her body and connects to a ship's anchor hung up on the remaining hull.
Designer's Notes: Lennart's Vengeance is based on a figure from Reaper Miniatures called the “Dark Maiden.” I'm not sure of the story behind the original miniature, although I do know she’s part of some sort of undead pirate army they have. Going just off the visuals, I created the character you see here, using the Wood Golem found in The HERO System Bestiary as a basis. I find it interesting that a Reaper rep at GenCon stated he really liked my origin story for the figure.
To make Lennart's Vengeance more powerful increase it's DEX, CV, Defenses, and Damage Reduction.
Lennart's Vengeance Hero Designer File
(Character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
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