Indeed! A classic. I think that is the literal Medusa and in my case the only Medusa. If used as a monster then I am more open to them having other forms like one might think of a vampire infected by Vlad himself. Invaribly a lovely lady that draws the gaze!
@@michaelwest4325 Greek mythology had variations, so some stories are different than other stories. As far as I know, the main classic tradition was that Medusa was the youngest of 3 sisters, and the only mortal of the bunch.
@glenncox9128 a reason I tend to put my witches in threes, or oracles, or such, and I make them stronger in that combo than singular, but I like riffing on old mythos alot. I used the oracles in a Norse setting, gave them the medusa stone, had them gorgeous and turning lusty men to stone, so a lot of greek pieces inside a less familiar to make it feel fresh.
@@michaelwest4325 Indeed! Mixing and matching the mythos can keep the more well-read players on their toes. Do you plan all of it out in advance or sometimes make some adjustments on the fly?
Had a thief sneaking ahead in a cavern. Spotted the Medusa and snuck away. I asked the party "Anybody got a mirror". They all looked furiously through their sheets and said nope. To which I responded "This is gonna be a tough one without some kind of mirror". So we decided that it was best if we left now before we all became statues. We went back to the nearest town and picked up 2 mirrors, small ones like a hand mirror. It got one of us before we could kill it. The one thing that we hadn't planned on was how to get a statue out of the caverns and back to the town. So we had to leave it there and try to figure out if we could even get someone to cast a Stone to Flesh spell. Unfortunately we couldn't find a mage to cast the spell and just left him there for eternity.
Speaking of _Clash_ , I dunno if anyone remembers but MS had an RTS game called Age of Mythology, and if you played the Greeks, one of your Hero units was Perseus. He was carrying around Medusa's head and would randomly petrify opposing units. It was SO fun to see a Leviathan, or Fire Giant, or some other giant monstrosity your opponent spent the whole game building up to, just turn to stone, lol!!
The Monster Manual's break with Greek mythology for this monster confused me for a long time. Medusa was a woman who was cursed to be a gorgon, but the MM treats "medusa" & "gorgon" as completely different monsters. Apparently, the MM's gorgon (a fire-breathing bull) came from a medieval bestiary.
Gaze attacks always bugged me, because it was confusing and hard to judge what is occurring. What is actually going on for the attack? 1) Are they looking at you? 2) Are you looking at them? 3) Or, are you both looking at each other, making eye contact? Also, is the attack effect continuous & constant, or is it activated by their will? Also, if the gaze can be reflected by mirrors, how do Medusae look at each other? 2 or 3 Medusae will eventually stone each other! And then you can’t use a mirror to attack them without looking directly at them as Perseus did in the movie. Finally, according to the movie & Greek legend, the severed head still has the power to petrify……. So, there’s potentially a lot of different complications to work out with gaze attacks, and the various creatures in the MM (and other books) seem to be all over the map on gaze attacks (cf. Catoblepas). Is there any well defined and consistent rule sets on gaze attacks, perhaps in Dragon magazine or 2nd edition AD&D? All I get out of the MM is enough confusion to make me cross eyed! 🤪
Earlier this year our gnome fighter illusionist was turned to stone by a medusa before I took her out with a really well rolled lightning bolt. My (magic user) character was talking about bringing him back to put in his front garden but then the party decided to get a favor from a Marid we had freed in another part of the dungeon so I lost my garden gnome.
I have a faction in one of my dungeons that is primarily made up of Medusae and Maedar, with there being a four-armed queen, three (technically four) Noble Medusae daughters known as the Scaled Duchesses, and the rest of the medusae are the normal human-legged medusa. The Maedar act as spies due to phasing through stone and informants. The rest of the faction is made up of the "Stone Blessed", which are essentially partially petrified humanoids loyal to the Queen, since she is the only onw that knows the alchemical recipe to create Stone Blessed from petrified victims, and thus she is the one that gave them that new form. There is a second faction of Medusae led by the final daughter who thinks herself a queen after stealing the recipe for the special oil to create Stone Blessed. Her Mother's faction is very hostile to her, and so they fight on sight. My players were trying to decide between helping the Queen and Duchesses, with each duchess basically being a miniature faction, or helping the self-proclaimed victim daughter against the Queen. One of the players ended up pledging herself to the Black-Scaled renegade daughter and becoming Stone Blessed, while others (As this was a Westmarch style game with lots of players not all affiliated with each other) sought to gain favor with the Queen.
I have had Medusa having to choose if their appearance would turn someone to stone or not. This way the players could talk/negotiate with the Medusa. It was the thief and other shady characters that spoke and made a deal with the Medusa to steal from the local cathedral a group of statues it wanted. They did greedily enjoy the token items and coin the Medusa tossed their way as well, until, they learned the statues were the "ignition keys" to a weapon.
If she can't turn the petrification gaze on & off, could a Medusa wear tinted spectacles or goggles that conceal her eyes? That way she could venture out of her lair, visit towns & cities.
@@RobertWF42. This seems like a plausible work around. Still, it fundamentally depends on how the DM chooses to rule the power works in the first place. Now, I’m wondering if their gazes kills in the Ethereal Plane. I believe I’m thinking of Basilisks.
How much would it cost a character to create a large mirrored shield, not so much for standard combat but so that everyone could form a shield wall while blindfolded and go face off against a Medusa? Would that strategy even work in your game?
Used a medusa in my ShadowDark Greek mythos campaign. When they were Level 2/3 ( 7 players ) only petrified one of them. They made short work of her. Mythos....Medusa was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena. Athena turned her into a gorgon as a punishment.
I use them like Matt Colville suggested in one of his videos, the bite reverts one to flesh, so statuary garden or temple littered with broken, partial and bitten from stone statues. Another way I did it was a Medusa Amulet that worked when the beautiful priestess soothsayer gazed into your eyes and if you lie it turns you to stone. She has no cure. That is the hook after the hook to rescue soneone who went to seek phophesy and never returned. Next I might make it a cursed princess, keeps her eyes covered, or face but so beautiful it is a save vs to not unmask her! Or just the need to find a break of curse always risking her gaze somehow. Many ways to subvert or use classic monsters but in new skins so it isn't totally familiar.
Thanks for the video! The Harryhausen depiction will always flavor how I run a Medusa as a DM.
Indeed! A classic. I think that is the literal Medusa and in my case the only Medusa. If used as a monster then I am more open to them having other forms like one might think of a vampire infected by Vlad himself. Invaribly a lovely lady that draws the gaze!
@@michaelwest4325
Greek mythology had variations, so some stories are different than other stories.
As far as I know, the main classic tradition was that Medusa was the youngest of 3 sisters, and the only mortal of the bunch.
@glenncox9128 a reason I tend to put my witches in threes, or oracles, or such, and I make them stronger in that combo than singular, but I like riffing on old mythos alot. I used the oracles in a Norse setting, gave them the medusa stone, had them gorgeous and turning lusty men to stone, so a lot of greek pieces inside a less familiar to make it feel fresh.
@@michaelwest4325 Indeed! Mixing and matching the mythos can keep the more well-read players on their toes. Do you plan all of it out in advance or sometimes make some adjustments on the fly?
Had a thief sneaking ahead in a cavern. Spotted the Medusa and snuck away. I asked the party "Anybody got a mirror". They all looked furiously through their sheets and said nope. To which I responded "This is gonna be a tough one without some kind of mirror". So we decided that it was best if we left now before we all became statues. We went back to the nearest town and picked up 2 mirrors, small ones like a hand mirror. It got one of us before we could kill it. The one thing that we hadn't planned on was how to get a statue out of the caverns and back to the town. So we had to leave it there and try to figure out if we could even get someone to cast a Stone to Flesh spell. Unfortunately we couldn't find a mage to cast the spell and just left him there for eternity.
Speaking of _Clash_ , I dunno if anyone remembers but MS had an RTS game called Age of Mythology, and if you played the Greeks, one of your Hero units was Perseus. He was carrying around Medusa's head and would randomly petrify opposing units. It was SO fun to see a Leviathan, or Fire Giant, or some other giant monstrosity your opponent spent the whole game building up to, just turn to stone, lol!!
The Monster Manual's break with Greek mythology for this monster confused me for a long time. Medusa was a woman who was cursed to be a gorgon, but the MM treats "medusa" & "gorgon" as completely different monsters. Apparently, the MM's gorgon (a fire-breathing bull) came from a medieval bestiary.
Well, it takes every unique monster from myth and turns it into a species, but we're free to make them unique at our tables.
Gaze attacks always bugged me, because it was confusing and hard to judge what is occurring.
What is actually going on for the attack?
1) Are they looking at you?
2) Are you looking at them?
3) Or, are you both looking at each other, making eye contact?
Also, is the attack effect continuous & constant, or is it activated by their will?
Also, if the gaze can be reflected by mirrors, how do Medusae look at each other? 2 or 3 Medusae will eventually stone each other! And then you can’t use a mirror to attack them without looking directly at them as Perseus did in the movie.
Finally, according to the movie & Greek legend, the severed head still has the power to petrify…….
So, there’s potentially a lot of different complications to work out with gaze attacks, and the various creatures in the MM (and other books) seem to be all over the map on gaze attacks (cf. Catoblepas).
Is there any well defined and consistent rule sets on gaze attacks, perhaps in Dragon magazine or 2nd edition AD&D? All I get out of the MM is enough confusion to make me cross eyed! 🤪
This was another issue with AD&D's organization. The rules for gaze attacks are in another monster's description in the Monster Manual.
@ It goes beyond that. There are DIFFERENT RULES for DIFFERENT MONSTERS.
To me the Medusa I think of in D&D is the one in B2, Keep on the Borderlands.
I was thinking about that one also.
What no spoiler ??
@MceDMD for a 40+ year old module?
Nice! Thanks for sharing.
Earlier this year our gnome fighter illusionist was turned to stone by a medusa before I took her out with a really well rolled lightning bolt. My (magic user) character was talking about bringing him back to put in his front garden but then the party decided to get a favor from a Marid we had freed in another part of the dungeon so I lost my garden gnome.
Oh yeah, Tony, don’t forget about the system shock for changing form! Just the change can kill you!
I am constructing a dark lich's library built as a maze ( like in The Name of the Rose) in the ethereal plane which is tended/patroled by medusas.
Absolutely love 1981 Clash of the Titans!
I have a faction in one of my dungeons that is primarily made up of Medusae and Maedar, with there being a four-armed queen, three (technically four) Noble Medusae daughters known as the Scaled Duchesses, and the rest of the medusae are the normal human-legged medusa. The Maedar act as spies due to phasing through stone and informants. The rest of the faction is made up of the "Stone Blessed", which are essentially partially petrified humanoids loyal to the Queen, since she is the only onw that knows the alchemical recipe to create Stone Blessed from petrified victims, and thus she is the one that gave them that new form.
There is a second faction of Medusae led by the final daughter who thinks herself a queen after stealing the recipe for the special oil to create Stone Blessed. Her Mother's faction is very hostile to her, and so they fight on sight. My players were trying to decide between helping the Queen and Duchesses, with each duchess basically being a miniature faction, or helping the self-proclaimed victim daughter against the Queen. One of the players ended up pledging herself to the Black-Scaled renegade daughter and becoming Stone Blessed, while others (As this was a Westmarch style game with lots of players not all affiliated with each other) sought to gain favor with the Queen.
Thank you for the high level video! Can you give some more tips on high level campaign design? Encounters? Thank you!
Medusa in a hall of mirrors would just be a statue. Correct?
I’m not going to comment on the correctness, but I do like the way you’re thinking. It highlights the potential problems with certain assumptions.
Look for the Ecology of the Maedar by Ed Greenwood in Dragon Magazine 106.
Do the beholder next!!!😊😊😊
I have had Medusa having to choose if their appearance would turn someone to stone or not. This way the players could talk/negotiate with the Medusa. It was the thief and other shady characters that spoke and made a deal with the Medusa to steal from the local cathedral a group of statues it wanted. They did greedily enjoy the token items and coin the Medusa tossed their way as well, until, they learned the statues were the "ignition keys" to a weapon.
I like the concept of the power not being continuous & automatic, but a selective attack mode. It gives the monster flexibility.
If she can't turn the petrification gaze on & off, could a Medusa wear tinted spectacles or goggles that conceal her eyes? That way she could venture out of her lair, visit towns & cities.
@@RobertWF42. This seems like a plausible work around. Still, it fundamentally depends on how the DM chooses to rule the power works in the first place. Now, I’m wondering if their gazes kills in the Ethereal Plane. I believe I’m thinking of Basilisks.
Would a stone to flesh potion reverse this effect? Thanks for the share!!
How would they swallow the potion? I would allow it as an oil or salve.
Could brew it as an oil of StF and the party would just rub it all over the petrified character.
How much would it cost a character to create a large mirrored shield, not so much for standard combat but so that everyone could form a shield wall while blindfolded and go face off against a Medusa? Would that strategy even work in your game?
I would let highly polished shields work as a shield wall but no on the blindfolds.
I thought it was going to be the entry for humans... LOL j/k
Used a medusa in my ShadowDark Greek mythos campaign. When they were Level 2/3 ( 7 players ) only petrified one of them.
They made short work of her.
Mythos....Medusa was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena. Athena turned her into a gorgon as a punishment.
I use them like Matt Colville suggested in one of his videos, the bite reverts one to flesh, so statuary garden or temple littered with broken, partial and bitten from stone statues.
Another way I did it was a Medusa Amulet that worked when the beautiful priestess soothsayer gazed into your eyes and if you lie it turns you to stone. She has no cure. That is the hook after the hook to rescue soneone who went to seek phophesy and never returned.
Next I might make it a cursed princess, keeps her eyes covered, or face but so beautiful it is a save vs to not unmask her! Or just the need to find a break of curse always risking her gaze somehow.
Many ways to subvert or use classic monsters but in new skins so it isn't totally familiar.
👍🏻😎🗡🪓⚔️
6th 👍