DCC Lankhmar: The Patrons of Lankhmar

DCC Lankhmar: The Patrons of Lankhmar was written by Michael Curtis. It contains art by Doug Kovacs, Brad McDevitt, and Stefan Poag. It was published by Goodman Games, and authorized by the estate of Fritz Leiber.

Disclosure: I have done some writing for the final DCC Lankhmar set, including the patron spells for Mog the Spider God.

The product contains abbreviated patron write-ups for 6 of Lankhmar's supernatural beings, including everything but patron spells (or their names). In addition, Mr. Curtis kindly provides a list of where more information can be found. Discerning readers will note that the number of patrons mentioned in the introduction is both "a half-score" (10) and "six", suggesting that previous drafts may have included other patrons.

The patrons included are:

• Death
• Issek of the Jug
• Mog the Spider God
• The Rat God
• The Sea King
• Sheelba of the Eyeless Face

Ningauble of the Seven Eyes is mentioned, but the reader is directed to Mr. Curtis' Through Ninguable's Cave. A list of stories for further information on Ningauble is also provided.

From experience, I can tell you that writing patrons is one of the most difficult tasks that a Dungeon Crawl Classics writer or judge may face. Writing patrons from literary sources, without losing the tone or feel of those entities is doubly challenging. This is yet another case where Mr. Curtis shows mastery of the craft, as well as a deep understanding and love for Fritz Leiber's material.

Most of these patrons are transferable to non-Nehwon game milieus without any work at all. Issek of the Jug, and particularly Sheelba of the Eyeless Face, may require some tweaking. You should be able to find some use for the Rat God or Mog in any campaign milieu whatsoever, and Death is omnipresent. That the Death of Nehwon is a relatively "minor death" in Dungeon Crawl Classics terms does not necessarily make him less impressive.

For the record, my own Belshar of the Five Eyes was intended as a take on a Lankhmarian patron in the style of Sheelba and Ningauble. Umwansh, Father of the Waves, was intended to convey more of Michael Moorcock's Straasha than Fritz Leiber's Sea King.

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