Combining ideas from TfW and DoM (with Spoilers)

[bluejay]

Anyone who is following my 'Wedding' thread will have seen that I'm planning on making Mogdred a personal enemy for one of the PCs. I noticed that there's an option in DoM for Mogdred to die and be returned using some dark necromancy (see 'There Was Something Else At Work...', DoM p60).

Now I'm also incorporating the plans of the Gibbet King and some of the scenarios from TfW. Ostensibly my campaign is set in the Vales of Anduin and venturing east into Mirkwood. The first time I ran through DoM and TfW I based the campaign from Esgaroth and it's been fun to take this perspective. It does mean however that I feel the last two adventures from TfW don't fit quite so well with the rest of the campaign.

With this in mind and the fact that one of the PCs will definitely end up killing Mogdred I was wondering if I couldn't combine these ideas. The Nazgul use the Gibbet King's essence to infuse Mogdred's dead body. He could make for an interesting captain of troops for much of the campaign.

Just wondering if anyone had gone through anything similar and also if anyone had suggestions for what kind of qualities to give Mogdred. I was thinking of using a Wight as the basic kind of template here.

All thoughts welcome!

[Otaku-sempai]

I'm wondering if perhaps you should transform Mogdred into a Fell Wraith. I did something similar with a former captain of Arthedain who now haunts the ruins of Annúminas seeking artefacts for his master, the Witch-king. As a Wight, I think that his original mind and personality would be replaced by the spirit of the Gibbet King. He might be a more interesting character as a Wraith.

[Finrod Felagund]

Another idea is to make him like Gollum - a schizophrenic character who is sometimes the Gibbet King and sometimes Mogdred. You have the two sides of his personality continuously negotiating with each other and having an external dialogue as they try to decide what to do. This situation is ripe for some humour, but I think you would need to be careful about this because both sides are fundamentally cruel.

If you want a more complex, conflicted character, you could have the Mogdred element of the personality repent. The new Wight becomes more than just a standard baddie because one part of his personality is sick at what it's being forced to do - there's some tragedy here actually. The PCs could appeal to the Mogdred part to help defeat the plans of the Gibbett King. This seems Tolkien-ish to me, but it may not work for you.

[bluejay]

I absolutely love the joint personality idea! Spectacular! That would fit really well. I love the idea of repentant Mogdred fighting against the influence of the Gibbet King.

[Finrod Felagund]

I absolutely love the joint personality idea! Spectacular! That would fit really well. I love the idea of repentant Mogdred fighting against the influence of the Gibbet King.

Glad you like it!

[Mim]

You guys have some great ideas!

I especially love how you've taken some of "There Was Something Else At Work…" on DoM page 60.