Henson Inspired Campaign(dnd 3.5)

[sambouchah]

I just watched Jim Henson's the Labyrinth, and wanted to try and run a campaign using iconic characters from his movies.
The movies I would like to use most(being that they are dark and fantasy driven) are the Dark Crystal, the Labyrinth, and maybe even Fraggle Rock.

I can manage the world and story and such, I'm just not sure where to start with statting out the creatures. Also I'm having trouble coming up with key items for the world. The Dark Crystal, obviously, possibly the spheres Jareth uses.

Any suggestions on creatures I could refluff/where to start statistic wise, specific items for the world, etc?

Thanks so much for any help!
,Sam

[Kennisiou]

Houserule that Anthropomorphic Toad has no wisdom bonus, instead it gains its wisdom bonus as a charisma bonus and takes a wisdom penalty equal to its prior charisma penalty. Make its favored class bard.

[Cruiser1]

I just watched Jim Henson's the Labyrinth, and wanted to try and run a campaign using iconic characters from his movies.
To start with the movie "Labyrinth":

Jareth: CE human sorcerer with feat Spell Thematics (spheres). His crystal balls aren't magic items, but visual effects of his magic. For example, the ballroom Sarah went to after eating the peach is a Mage's Magnificent Mansion with a crystal ball theme.
Sir Didymus: LG anthropomorphic fox paladin
Ludo: CG ogre(?) with Animate Objects spell like ability to "call the rocks". :smallsmile:

[Cruiser1]

Spells play a major role in the movie "Labyrinth" too. Here are various Sorcerer spells Jareth casts:


Polymorph: Jareth turns himself in and out of Owl form. I suppose he could be a druid and that's his preferred wild shape, but CHA based arcane casting fits him much better.
Greater Plane Shift: How Jareth transported himself and Sarah to the demiplane containing the Labyrinth in the first place.
Illusory Wall: Permanent version cast over sections of the side of the endless hallway, that the anthropomorphic Worm had to tell Sarah about for her to pass through it.
Wall of Stone: Trap version of this was set off when Sarah entered the chamber with Alph and Ralph (the truth telling and lying guards) closing off her way of escape.
Hideous Laughter: In the novel, Sarah tried the door knocker with the ring in his ears (because the one with the ring in his mouth wouldn't let her open it at first). Behind the first door was an idyllic forest setting that quickly caused uncontrollable laughter.
Dimension Door: Jareth teleports at various time, such as to and away from Hoggle when giving him the peach to give to Sarah.
Daze: The peach Sarah ate had a long term Daze effect attached to it (since she willingly ate it, she got no save). The peach also had a contingent Plane Shift to send her to the Mage's Magnificent Mansion i.e. ballroom. Once Jareth tried to kiss her, Sarah got a saving throw, and so was able to escape.
Spider Climb: Jareth is able to walk on whatever surface of the Escher room he wants. :smallsmile:

[Gildedragon]

Jareth has the fey type tho: Unseelie Fey (no wings)
Rather than Spell Thematics, they are his spell components or animate items from which he casts spells (knowstones or the like)
Owl got via Divine Minion (of himself)

[Kazudo]

Jareth has the fey type tho: Unseelie Fey (no wings)
Rather than Spell Thematics, they are his spell components or animate items from which he casts spells (knowstones or the like)
Owl got via Divine Minion (of himself)

He could be psionic and use a refluffed psicrystal.

[Doc_Maynot]

Jareth confirmed as StP Erudite, who used genesis to make the plane. Also, I think Chaotic Evil is a bit to harsh. He wanted an Heir to his throne and SHE is the one who asked him to take the baby away. He even gave her a chance to get the baby back. In the end though, he just wanted her to give into him. So, I'd think more Lawful Evil.

[Kazudo]

Jareth confirmed as StP Erudite, who used genesis to make the plane. Also, I think Chaotic Evil is a bit to harsh. He wanted an Heir to his throne and SHE is the one who asked him to take the baby away. He even gave her a chance to get the baby back. In the end though, he just wanted her to give into him. So, I'd think more Lawful Evil.

But that's if you use Henson's Labyrinth. If you take the concept, maybe less Jareth, and generate one with your own feel then it's pretty much just an urban setting which is treated as a dungeon.

[The Glyphstone]

Does he even count as Evil? He seems more like the personification of CN...he's utterly selfish and self-absorbed, with somewhat of a warped sense of humor, but he's not really outright malicious and does keep his word in the end. Though it's been a long time since I saw the movie, and haven't read the novel, so there may be nuances I was missing.

[Kazudo]

Does he even count as Evil? He seems more like the personification of CN...he's utterly selfish and self-absorbed, with somewhat of a warped sense of humor, but he's not really outright malicious and does keep his word in the end. Though it's been a long time since I saw the movie, and haven't read the novel, so there may be nuances I was missing.

No, I think you might be right there. Sometimes a Lawful Evil control freak and a Chaotic Neutral Self-Absorbed Jerk can look awfully similar. I had typically seen Chaotic Neutral as more of a Jack Sparrow kind of character though. But maybe they're different ends of the spectrum on that one alignment (which seems notoriously hard to get right).

[Chronos]

Jack Sparrow wasn't CN, he was CE, with a high enough Cha to keep anyone from noticing. Anyone willing to sacrifice the souls of a hundred innocents to save themselves is evil.

[Cruiser1]

Jareth has the fey type tho: Unseelie Fey (no wings)
Indeed, it's common in fandom for Jareth to be considered fey. It's unknown whether Jareth being "King of the Goblins" means he has some physical relation to the goblins he rules, or whether he was some humanoid with magic powers who came in and took over. For all we know Jareth is a goblin himself, and is using Alter Self to appear as a human, to get a Diplomacy bonus when convincing people to give up their babies. Note in the early movie script (http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/script.txt), when defeated Jareth actually reverts into an "undersized, ineffective, snivelling little goblin"! :smalleek:

Rather than Spell Thematics, they are his spell components or animate items from which he casts spells (knowstones or the like)
Maybe, but it seems like his crystal balls are the spell effect itself, rather than spell components (which would stay on his person and disappear), or magic items (which are fixed objects you protect on your person). For example, when summoning the "Cleaners", Jareth magically produced a crystal ball in his hands, then threw it down the tunnel, and the crystal ball itself appeared to turn into the slashing machine (which seems like a crystal ball spell theme). When creating the ballroom, Jareth blew a crystal ball out of his hands toward Sarah, and inside the crystal ball itself could be seen the ballroom, which Sarah then was teleported inside (which also seems like a spell effect theme).

[Cruiser1]

Also, I think Chaotic Evil is a bit to harsh.
I still vote CE for Jareth. He's not evil like a fiend, but definitely selfish, hedonistic, unpredictable, malicious, and somewhat lazy given the ramshackle and dirty goblin city and throne room. His giving Sarah 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth could be considered some fey contract he's lawfully following. However in the early script (http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/script.txt), he gave Sarah 13 hours on a random whim, for his own amusement:

"In fact, he likes being with goblins so much, I'm considering turning him into one... But let's make it interesting. I won't do it for... thirteen hours. If you make it to the castle before then you might be able to save him. If not, well, I think little Freddie will make an adorable goblin prince, don't you?"
Also, Sarah seems to think of Jareth as Chaotic. The Labyrinth novel (http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/novel.txt) has the following, which treats Jareth in a Jack Sparrow-ish manner:

"How could she be expected to have any respect for Jareth? He was dangerous and powerful, obviously, but he was too aware of it -- a show-off, really -- and mean, a cheat. He had a certain style about him, she could concede that much. He was not unattractive. But how could you respect, still less admire, someone like him? The best word she could think of to describe him was cad (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cad)."

[Gildedragon]

CE all the way.
The ballroom seems to me more than a magnificent mansion a variant on the Maze spell
Orbs as Psicrystals and Iounstones is genius
Spell thematics does work though; no reason why not both.

[Chronos]

Oh, and even though we never see him using them in the movie, he should probably have Resilient Sphere and/or Telekinetic Sphere, too. They just fit too well.

[sambouchah]

Wow, thanks for all the great replies! Greatly appreciated!

No suggestions on the Dark Crystal?:smallfrown:

I want to use the theme of the movies while having notable NPCs in the campaign.

Again, thank you all so much!

[atomicwaffle]

Spells play a major role in the movie "Labyrinth" too. Here are various Sorcerer spells Jareth casts:


Polymorph: Jareth turns himself in and out of Owl form. I suppose he could be a druid and that's his preferred wild shape, but CHA based arcane casting fits him much better.
Greater Plane Shift: How Jareth transported himself and Sarah to the demiplane containing the Labyrinth in the first place.
Illusory Wall: Permanent version cast over sections of the side of the endless hallway, that the anthropomorphic Worm had to tell Sarah about for her to pass through it.
Wall of Stone: Trap version of this was set off when Sarah entered the chamber with Alph and Ralph (the truth telling and lying guards) closing off her way of escape.
Hideous Laughter: In the novel, Sarah tried the door knocker with the ring in his ears (because the one with the ring in his mouth wouldn't let her open it at first). Behind the first door was an idyllic forest setting that quickly caused uncontrollable laughter.
Dimension Door: Jareth teleports at various time, such as to and away from Hoggle when giving him the peach to give to Sarah.
Daze: The peach Sarah ate had a long term Daze effect attached to it (since she willingly ate it, she got no save). The peach also had a contingent Plane Shift to send her to the Mage's Magnificent Mansion i.e. ballroom. Once Jareth tried to kiss her, Sarah got a saving throw, and so was able to escape.
Spider Climb: Jareth is able to walk on whatever surface of the Escher room he wants. :smallsmile:


you forgot the spell Maze :P