In Memorium: Priest from Dark Rituals - Malleus Maleficarum

 

Fun fact, I haven't played D&D (or any roleplaying game) as a player character in some twenty years or more. I have been DM'ing for that long. So recently one of my players wanted to DM a one-shot D&D adventure using the D20 rules light system that I use. Sweet! This was my first chance to play as a PC in ages and I jumped to it. My character was a 1st level Cleric, Father Benedictus from the Abby of St Peter and St Paul (Cadfael reference there everyone!).

My PC spent much time trying to convince NPC's of their need to get baptised and even almost managed to get a witch dunked. Turned out she was trying to trap me. So, as all evil must be destroyed, our party ended up killing her. Sadly though, we didn't get to build a bridge out of her or see if she weighed the same as a duck (Python reference there!).

Good ol' Father Benedictus found himself often in the front lines with our party fighter and never shied away from a fight when evil had to be confronted. The miniature here is the priest from the Dark Rituals - Malleus Maleficarum board game. Father Benedictus ended up spending much of his second paying session with just 1 hit point. A testament to his devotion to smiting evil.

At one point he was given two bottles of odd liquid and told never to mix the two substances. So, he dutifully wrapped them in his woollen hose and linen tunic and stuffed them in his satchel bag that was slung over his shoulder. This will be relevant later kids, so pay attention.

At one point we realised that two baddies (more witches!) were holed up in a forest and so we proceeded to set that place ablaze. One of the witches kept flittering between the trees, using her magic to extinguish the flames, before shooting long wooded stakes at us. 1 hit point by now remember.

Amazingly our party, which always seems to act as a group of individuals and never as a team, actually worked together for once in an attempt to take the hag down. On a nearby mountain side there was a giant of some description that was allied to said witch and he didn't take too kindly to us burning her forests and less so to us attempting to kill her.

With 1 hit point left, I cried out to the LORD to smite our enemies and then rolled my attack. Natural 20!!!

I torched that hag to a cinder in one hit. It was glorious!

Next thing we hear a roar on the mountain side and see a massive bolder hurled into the air. We scatter but all but one of us then got crushed under that huge bolder. Remember those bottles kids? Well, it turns out that they contained extremely volatile liquids that, when my character was crushed, shattered and mixed, setting off a small nuclear explosion. Up went the forest, the remaining witch within the forest, the mountainside, and the one surviving player character. THAT was truly magnificent!

In his death, Father Benedictus took out the remaining evil dudes, levelled and torches the forest and made a spectacular exit from this mortal coil. In heaven, he would now have bragging rights about how he saved the innocent by destroying the evils that threatened them with one final act of self-sacrifice. It was only Father Benedictus second play session, but in those two gaming sessions, he left an indelible mark on me as one of my most favourite player characters of all time. Fare you well Father Benedictus! May flights of angels carry thee to the LORD's side. You will be fondly missed.