Adam
Adam is a character from the Dungeons & Dragons horror themed setting "Ravenloft". Like many horror archetypes featured in the game setting, the character is heavily inspired by Frankenstein's Monster (the novel version in particular). Both creatures are very strong and intelligent flesh golems who became vicious killers after being rejected by people.
Adam is the darklord of Lamordia, one of the various countries in the Demiplane of Dread.
Adam is the greatest creation of Doctor Victor Mordenheim, a scientist obsessed with the creation of life, but he's the one who caused him most grief because Adam reduced Mordenheim's wife, Elise, into a comatose state and apparently killed the doctor's adopted daughter Eva.
After this event, the Dark Powers decided to punish Adam by making him the darklord of Lamordia. Since his greatest desire is to be accepted by people, Adam's curse is to be forced to live in a castle full of reflections of his hated creator, meaning his own realm rejects him.
Adam's life is also bound to Doctor Mordenheim. The doctor has Adam's immortality and in exchange, the creature has the doctor's angst.
Description[]
Adam is a patchwork of body parts from different human corpses - each part perfect, the whole grotesque. Large, raised scars crisscross his body and face. This enormous, tremendously powerful man stands more than seven feet tall.
Adam's pale, gray skin is too thin to conceal the play of muscles and arteries underneath. His raven black hair flows long and wild, and at the edge of his eyes and mouth, the skin is bluish and shrivelled. Thin, straight, black lips frame his perfect, pearly white teeth. His small, watery, blue eyes seem loosely anchored in their sockets, barely covered by his eyelids.
History[]
Dr. Victor Mordenheim created Adam from the parts of many dead men and gave him life. At first, the creature acted childlike, but Mordenheim had unknowingly infused it with an evil spirit. As Adam grew older, he became increasingly violent. Finally, the dark powers drew Lamordia into the Demiplane of Dread when Adam murdered the doctor's wife Elise, kidnapped their adopted daughter Eva, and fled into the Mists. That night, he became the true lord of Lamordia, and the land welcomed him.
As the most powerful being in his domain, Adam has complete control of its borders. He is not Lamordia's political leader and is even considered to be nothing more than a tale told to frighten naughty children. Adam lives as a recluse, usually dwelling in his castle on the Isle of Agony. He is immune to cold and needs little food or water to sustain him. Hence, he can live as wildly and freely as an animal. However, he does not want to be a beast; he wants to be human. He is bitter and frustrated, and sometimes his pent up emotions give way to death and destruction.
Adam despises Dr. Mordenheim but cannot bring himself to harm his creator. The dark powers have bound them together in both body and spirit. The monster feels the doctor's physical pain, and the doctor, in turn, shares the monster's eternal anguish.
Powers & abilities[]
As the true lord of Lamordia, Adam has been granted many powers by the land. He is immune to natural cold and electricity, but suffers half damage from magical attacks of this type. Other damaging spells harm him normally. He absorbs spells that do not cause immediate damage, using their energy to regenerate hit points. Adam is also immune to normal weapons and physical attacks. Only magical weapons can harm him.
The monster resembles neither a common flesh golem nor a lumbering dolt with neck bolts. He is extremely nimble, swift, and cunning, using the terrain to superb advantage. He is also willing to retreat if danger is present, allowing the land and its shadows to conceal him. Time is meaningless to Adam, and he can always return another day.
Adam prefers guerilla tactics over full frontal assaults. Like a rogue, he can hide in shadows and move silently. He can also detect noise and climb walls with ease. While moving silently, his movement rate is halved. If his magic resistance blocks an opponent's spell, he may pretend that the spell has worked, using the falsehood to position himself for an escape or surprise attack.
Adam is tightly linked to his creator, Dr. Mordenheim. He can feel any pain inflicted on the doctor, though it does not affect his ability to fight or move.
When Adam wishes to seal his domain, a driving blizzard hurls back any who attempt to leave. These frigid storms have been known to rage even at the height of Lamordia's short summer.