Characters of Wrath of the Serpent Goddess

One of my favourite games is Dungeoneer by Thomas Denmark and published by Atlas Games. I own every Dungeoneer set released, and I'm reviewing them one by one. In this post, I'm looking at the characters in the Wrath of the Serpent Goddess set.

Non-player characters

There are several named non-player characters in Wrath of the Serpent Goddess.

Gwildor

Gwildor was a paladin, possibly one that ascended to godhood or was born a demigod. The Plate of Gwildor card says:

Gwildor slew more demons than any other paladin in history.

In the Haunted Woods of Malthorin set, the Potion of Invigoration flavour text says:

The high priests of Omnisus call this potion the tears of Yondara, the holy mother of Gwildor.

Omnisus is an important god of Tarnys, so if his high priests consider Yondara holy then she must be a significant figure. In this set, the Potion of Rejuvination card says:

In times like these, may Yondara, the holy mother of Gwildor, rejuvenate you.

Ramalith

The villain and mastermind of Vault of the Fiends, Ramalith is mentioned on the Command Fiend card:

Ramalith learned the dark secret of creating these abominations, but I have learned how to command them.

Player characters

There are 6 heroes in this set, some of whom are also in other sets. None of the character cards have flavour text, so all we know of them is from flavour text in other sets or the mechanics that define their abilities.

Bel Brewspirits, Human Apothecary

A human apothecary, Bel is skilled almost exclusively with magic (she's 7 Magic and 1 Melee at Level 7). Mechanically, her magic is expressed largely through re-rolls. The Magic Aptitude ability grants her a Magic re-roll in exchange for Glory, and Arcane Expertise grants a free re-roll of 1 or 2 in Magic combat.

Elendus Sular, Elf Arcane Archer

Originally appearing in Haunted Woods of Malthorin, Elendus is an elf, possibly from Dunwin.

She was depicted in that set's Elven Cloak card, with the flavour text "Elves are masters of creating magical objects that blend with nature," suggesting that Elendus used everyday magic items to give her the advantage in battle. In this set, Elendus is an Arcane Archer and uses magic to set her bow and arrows alight.

Her Master Fiend ability grants her the ability to turn a Fiend into her minion by paying an amount of Glory equal to a Fiend's cost. Her Rapid Spell ability grants +2 wounds to a successful Magic combat attack.

Grognar the Bold, Dwarf Barbarian

One of the few playable dwarf characters, Grognar is classically dwarven. He's strong (5 Melee at Level), a little slower than other heroes, and powerful. His Rage ability exchanges Glory for points on a Melee attack roll. Rapid Strike grants +2 wounds to a successful Melee combat attack.

Nord Fimble, Gnome Spellweaver

Originally appearing in Vault of the Fiends, Nord Fimble establishes what a gnome is in the Dungeoneer world: An impish creature, skillful at finding hidden places and at hiding in the shadows. Nord was called an Illusionist in that set, and a Spellweaver in this one.

Nord starts with Magic 4 at Level 7, but it increases to 6 by Level 8. His Melee is 4 at Level 7 and increases to 5 at Level 10.

His Magus ability exchanges Glory for points on a Magic attack roll. His Rupture ability deals 2 wounds on every successful Magic attack, every time, for free.

Roderik Talus, Human Paragon

Roderik Talus

A knight in full plate armour, probably from one of the kingdoms south of Gabrell (which is to say, he's not a barbarian) and possibly related to the legendary Galik Talus. In Call of the Lich Lord, Roderik is a Champion, and in this set he is listed as a Paragon.

His Holy Fear ability imposes -1 to attacks from Undead and Demons. Thanks to Holy Protection, Roderik can't be wounded in a Melee attack by Demons or Undead.

Tanin Shadefoot, Darkling Robber Baron

Tanin is a Darkling (presumably a halfling, but in the grim dark world of Dungeoneer) originally appearing in Call of the Lich Lord. He was a Master Thief then, but he's a Robber Baron now.

His Master Thief ability is the same as before. When Tanin challenges another hero and scores a wound, you can steal a readied card from the player character's inventory instead of dealing a wound. The new Burgle ability allows you to challenge an opponent using your Move attribute. If you win, then you can steal a card from the player's hand.

Gods

The cosmology of Dungeoneer continues to evolve with this set.

Nakari

Nakari is the titular Serpent Goddess.

The text on the back of the Call of the Lich Lord box refers to the "dark god of death and magic" but never identifies this entity. The Blessings of Nakari card in that set calls Nakari the "Queen of Darkness," which is similar at least in spirit to "dark god of death and magic," so it may be that Nakari is also the goddess that raises the Lich Lord back to undeath.

Her card in Wrath of the Serpent Goddess emphasises that she is a god known by many epithets:

Nakari has many names: Queen of the Darkness, Serpent Goddess, Infernal Mother.

So it could be that "dark god of death and magic" is yet another among many.

There's evidence that Nakari is skilled in magic (although there's the counter-argument that presumably all gods would be.) The Curse of Nakari card reads:

Darkness enveloped me. When I awoke the world had changed in subtle, disturbing ways.

The change actually isn't so subtle. The effect of the card is that all players pass their hands to the left.

Nakari's daughter

We don't know her name, but the demonic daughter of Nakari and a corrupted knight (either of Ilbor or Dolmaranthuz, or both if those are the same place) hates the inhabitants of Tarnys with all her being.

The artwork on the Nakari's Daughter card only shows her face, which is human. We don't know whether her physical form is entirely humanoid or part serpent.

Nepiron

Nepiron is the god of fortune, as established in the Roll the Bones quest in Call of the Lich Lord: "Fortune depends on the whims of Nepiron, the god of luck."

It's possible that Nepiron has sisters or daughters or hand maidens, because the Cloak of Luck card says:

The sisters of fate and fortune have smiled upon my path.

This implies that Nepiron is one of a few gods of fortune. However, fortune in this context may be distinct from luck. Possibly the emphasis is the word fate, which implies something inevitable, making fortune just a reference to fate with a positive result.

It could be that there are sisters of fate with no direct relationship with Nepiron, and that Nepiron's domain are moments of good fortune and luck that possibly alters a hero's fate.

Omnisus

By now, we're familiar with Omnisus as a god of healing. Omnisus remains as detached from the events of this set as ever, making it all the more noteworthy that Omnisus bothered to send Celeistials to aid in the fight against Cholizar in the Realm of the Ice Witch.

Oriella

The Queen of Dimensions and ruler of the Ethereal Void. Warps in time and space are her domain.

Eldritch Lords

The Eldritch Lords are dark spectres in the backdrop of the Dungeoneer universe. They're present in all sets, each one revealing a little of their lore. In Wrath of the Serpent, there are a few cards that mention them.

The Eldritch Lord card, arguably the most understated inclusion in an already exciting set, says:

The Eldritch Lords once ruled the world until they tore it asunder with their warped magic.

The Legendary Spell Focus card says "I have surpassed even the Eldritch Lords." and grants +3 Magic and HP for each point of Magic your hero has at the time of casting.

The Extra-Planar Rift card says:

The chaos caused by the Eldritch Lords has even affected the infernal realms.

Notably, it's revealed in this set that Nakari herself has aided the Eldritch Lords. The flavour text for Anti-Magic Field II says:

Nakari taught dark secrets to the Eldritch Lords.

Creatures, monsters, and phenomena

Nakari has recruited an army of monsters to populate her dungeon.

• Armored rat beast: "Strange rat beasts came with Nakari into our world from the Abyss."
• Benevolent vortex: A blessing of unkown origin, the very rare benevolent vortex removes Peril and grants Glory.
• Constrictor: A large magical snake that squeezes its victim to death.
• Corrupted knight: Once revered knights of Dolmaranthuz, a corrupted knight has been transformed into an evil snake men.
• Elder snakeman: Lurking in any Passage, the elder snakeman is revealed on the Riddle of the Elder Snakeman quest card. Known for his treacherous riddles, he presumably demands that you pay for an incorrect answer with your life.
• High priestess: The high priestess of Nakari has mental control over the corrupted Knights of Ilbor.
• Scaled demon: Summoned by Nakari's priestesses.
• Slith: A creature found in the Chamber of Channeling. The Defeat the Slith quest card says, "This is the mother, and father, of the tentacle beast."
• Slithering horror: A fiendish monster, probably a giant or deformed serpent.
• Snake man: Snake-human hybrids. "Those men who have served Nakari for too long begin to change."
• Snakes: As you might expect, there are lots of snakes in the temple of the serpent goddess. The hissing of the snakes are enough to drive weak heroes mad, and is said to be the voice of Nakari herself.
• Priestess of Nakari: Human priestesses of Nakari. "Beautiful, seductive, and deadly…but mostly deadly." It's notable that priestesses apparently do not transform into snake creatures.
• Torchier corpse: An undead and deadly flaming corpse. Seemingly out of place in the serpent temple, its presence supports the theory that the domain of death and undeath belongs to Nakari (note that it is Undead, not a Fiend or Demon.)
• Vermillion Wyrm: A legendary dragon. Note that it is spelt "Vermillion" not "Vermilion".

Wrath of the Serpent Goddess

This is a fun dungeon, and it holds a lot of excitement for any fan of Dungeoneer lore. The focus is on Nakari, obviously, but I find it amusing that the set casually drops an Eldritch Lord into the deck. That means you can not only kill the legendary Nakari (who's mentioned in a fair few sets), you can also (theoretically) kill an actual Eldritch Lord (who are mentioned in literally every set.)

Whether or not you vanquish the serpent goddess (or an Eldritch Lord, for that matter), this dungeon is an exciting location in the world of Dungeoneer. It's an advanced ("Legendary") set, so it's not for low-level characters. If you're up for the challenge, though, you can descend into the temple of Nakari and try your luck. You might die, but it'll be to a worth it.