I'm gonna start a Witchlight campaign this winter, and since my players already know the Zibilna twist I'm making some changes and thought maybe I could write them here in case any of you, good people of the internet, might find it useful or amusing, or even may have any suggestions I could add. In my game, Baba Yaga made a pact with three powerful sorceresses for arcane knowledge in exchange for their firstborn, and then she used a spell to make those baby girls happen (effectively making her the "father"), due to this, the girls are TRUE daughters of Baba Yaga, unlike the Hourglass Coven hags (who where born in the traditional hag way), and that is why they hate the three sisters. The three sisters are: Iggwilv, the Demonologist (True Name Igranne): The cruelest, most ambitious, and most talented of the three, she may be Chaotic Evil, but she'll burn the world (or two) if someone hurts her baby-girls. Tasha, the Dark (True Name Natasha): The most studious and the favorite of Baba Yaga, she is inventive and loves to toy with spells and invent new ones in her laboratory, as the Chaotic Neutral middle child she has become the mediator between her two sisters (she invented Tashas Hideous Laughter to cheer up her sisters). Zybilna, the Fair (True name Sybilla): The youngest and most innocent and considerate of the three, always trying to help (and comically failing more times than not), she eventually realized that she did not fit well with her moms and elder sisters morally dubious ways, so she took off in an adventure hoping to avoid widening the rift between them. During her adventures, she matured (a bit) and gained her own Domain of Delight in the Feywild where she hoped to establish herself as a kind and benevolent archfairy-godmother, but she didn't count with two things: 1º She had royally pissed off her knight and retainer Isolde by turning her from her sword to her jester (that is how Isolde saw it, in truth Zybilna hoped to quell her bloodthirst by putting her in charge of the Witchlight Carnival, this did not work). And 2º Now that she was on her own in the Feywild, far from Baba Yaga and her sisters, the trusting Archfey was easier prey for the lying hags of the Hourglass Coven, so they hired a team of Evil adventurers, made a Pact with Isolde and put their plan in motion.
Okayyyyy FINALLY someone who dives headfirst into the Fey and Feywild! As a HUGE fan of that realm in D&D (and in irl mythos) I really appreciate that you are helping others to flesh it out in a more meaningful way than "very pretty/scary place where fairies live" which is what most youtubers relegate it to. Thank you!!!
I like Witch as an offspring of Zibylna and Graz'zt. He could have been spirited away by Graz'zt and hidden in the Shadowfell. Zibylna is a demon summoner, so you could easily bring up a variety of demons during that fight or introduce Graz'zt through a portal. Tasha or he could also detect Mr. Witch's presence through them or a variety of other interactions that necessitate combat or distracting them in some way. A rare male born to hag through Graz'zt's will. Could make it a whole quest to defend or kill him depending on how the players react.
I really like that! I hadn’t considered actually making Graz’zt the father, which could add its own drama if he was angry over Witch’s parentage. But Graz’zt being able to sense the presence of his children could create all kinds of chaos in the right hands.
For the toy chest, what if when the toys are assembled, the players are transported into the minds of the company of Seven, Iggwilv's old adventuring party) and have to raid a quick dungeon. Just fast and loose, nothing major. But when she wakes/comes out of her frozen-in-timeness, she has an unfounded fondness for your players as they have a shared history, even though it was just the players reliving one of her memories. Bassically make it a mini sidequest to help convince her to grant the wish at the end of the campaign.
Very interesting. I made some changes too to the adventure background about Zybilna / Tasha. I didn't like that Ellywick, the gnome bard disappeared after the Carnival, so I made her reappear just outside of Palace of Heart's Desire. She she changed shape in front of the party, revealing to be Elena the Fair, Natasha's sister (ignored by this module background) and explained that she had swore a magically enforced oath to her sister not to enter her castle, nor reveal her true name. But she could give some clue and a piece of advice or two! She was polimorphed at the Carnival in order not to be recognized by the witches' spies.
“Where did you come from Where did you go? Where did you come from…” ‘Oh no, how do I complete this rhyme?’ “… Tattoed Eyed…” ‘Wait, nope. Abort, Abort!’ “… Tasha.”
Man, this video came just in the nick of time! I am getting ready to run Witchlight this month. Question: How has running the Hourglass Coven been going for you? Reading their descriptions, they just don't seem like very interesting or present bad guys.
My party isn’t the kind to negotiate, so I haven’t really changed them much. I’ve made them as creepy as possible, gave the second hag a child and some spy ravens, but I’m definitely expanding on the last one and changing her negotiations. I think she’ll be in unwilling relationship with the Queen of Air and Darkness, who wants better scrying access to one of the party members, and she’ll certainly be more frightening than the others. I’m also going to make the havoc she’d wreaked more obvious in that realm, make her presence felt a bit more. I wish I had especially added to the second realm; some spore zombies were not enough to really make it interesting!
I'm gonna start a Witchlight campaign this winter, and since my players already know the Zibilna twist I'm making some changes and thought maybe I could write them here in case any of you, good people of the internet, might find it useful or amusing, or even may have any suggestions I could add.
In my game, Baba Yaga made a pact with three powerful sorceresses for arcane knowledge in exchange for their firstborn, and then she used a spell to make those baby girls happen (effectively making her the "father"), due to this, the girls are TRUE daughters of Baba Yaga, unlike the Hourglass Coven hags (who where born in the traditional hag way), and that is why they hate the three sisters.
The three sisters are:
Iggwilv, the Demonologist (True Name Igranne): The cruelest, most ambitious, and most talented of the three, she may be Chaotic Evil, but she'll burn the world (or two) if someone hurts her baby-girls.
Tasha, the Dark (True Name Natasha): The most studious and the favorite of Baba Yaga, she is inventive and loves to toy with spells and invent new ones in her laboratory, as the Chaotic Neutral middle child she has become the mediator between her two sisters (she invented Tashas Hideous Laughter to cheer up her sisters).
Zybilna, the Fair (True name Sybilla): The youngest and most innocent and considerate of the three, always trying to help (and comically failing more times than not), she eventually realized that she did not fit well with her moms and elder sisters morally dubious ways, so she took off in an adventure hoping to avoid widening the rift between them. During her adventures, she matured (a bit) and gained her own Domain of Delight in the Feywild where she hoped to establish herself as a kind and benevolent archfairy-godmother, but she didn't count with two things: 1º She had royally pissed off her knight and retainer Isolde by turning her from her sword to her jester (that is how Isolde saw it, in truth Zybilna hoped to quell her bloodthirst by putting her in charge of the Witchlight Carnival, this did not work). And 2º Now that she was on her own in the Feywild, far from Baba Yaga and her sisters, the trusting Archfey was easier prey for the lying hags of the Hourglass Coven, so they hired a team of Evil adventurers, made a Pact with Isolde and put their plan in motion.
Okayyyyy FINALLY someone who dives headfirst into the Fey and Feywild! As a HUGE fan of that realm in D&D (and in irl mythos) I really appreciate that you are helping others to flesh it out in a more meaningful way than "very pretty/scary place where fairies live" which is what most youtubers relegate it to. Thank you!!!
Thank you SO much! I really appreciate your encouragement!
I like Witch as an offspring of Zibylna and Graz'zt. He could have been spirited away by Graz'zt and hidden in the Shadowfell. Zibylna is a demon summoner, so you could easily bring up a variety of demons during that fight or introduce Graz'zt through a portal. Tasha or he could also detect Mr. Witch's presence through them or a variety of other interactions that necessitate combat or distracting them in some way. A rare male born to hag through Graz'zt's will. Could make it a whole quest to defend or kill him depending on how the players react.
I really like that! I hadn’t considered actually making Graz’zt the father, which could add its own drama if he was angry over Witch’s parentage. But Graz’zt being able to sense the presence of his children could create all kinds of chaos in the right hands.
For the toy chest, what if when the toys are assembled, the players are transported into the minds of the company of Seven, Iggwilv's old adventuring party) and have to raid a quick dungeon. Just fast and loose, nothing major. But when she wakes/comes out of her frozen-in-timeness, she has an unfounded fondness for your players as they have a shared history, even though it was just the players reliving one of her memories.
Bassically make it a mini sidequest to help convince her to grant the wish at the end of the campaign.
More!
Very interesting. I made some changes too to the adventure background about Zybilna / Tasha. I didn't like that Ellywick, the gnome bard disappeared after the Carnival, so I made her reappear just outside of Palace of Heart's Desire. She she changed shape in front of the party, revealing to be Elena the Fair, Natasha's sister (ignored by this module background) and explained that she had swore a magically enforced oath to her sister not to enter her castle, nor reveal her true name. But she could give some clue and a piece of advice or two! She was polimorphed at the Carnival in order not to be recognized by the witches' spies.
Interesting take
One of my players is a secret daughter of her and Graz'zt it'll be a cool reveal if they ever figure it out
“Where did you come from Where did you go? Where did you come from…”
‘Oh no, how do I complete this rhyme?’
“… Tattoed Eyed…”
‘Wait, nope. Abort, Abort!’
“… Tasha.”
Man, this video came just in the nick of time! I am getting ready to run Witchlight this month. Question: How has running the Hourglass Coven been going for you? Reading their descriptions, they just don't seem like very interesting or present bad guys.
My party isn’t the kind to negotiate, so I haven’t really changed them much. I’ve made them as creepy as possible, gave the second hag a child and some spy ravens, but I’m definitely expanding on the last one and changing her negotiations. I think she’ll be in unwilling relationship with the Queen of Air and Darkness, who wants better scrying access to one of the party members, and she’ll certainly be more frightening than the others. I’m also going to make the havoc she’d wreaked more obvious in that realm, make her presence felt a bit more. I wish I had especially added to the second realm; some spore zombies were not enough to really make it interesting!
Mittie Trail