Stat Jareth the Goblin-King [3.5]

[DementedFellow]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering how one would create this character in-game. He can fudge with time, owns his own demiplane, has tons of subjects, throws out illusions, creates magical items and can turn into an owl. How would you stat him up?

All I ask is this, please make it interesting. So please no "Factotum 20" or "Wizard 20" responses. If you feel the need to go this route, then please at least explain how he is able to do the various tricks at his disposal with that class.

Bonus points for the build that can do this earliest.

[The Mentalist]

I have stats for him at 11th (Bard/Sorcerer) minus the make the demi-plane bit. I figured he inherited it.

I'll have to pull him out.

[Analytica]

Beguiler, perhaps? Gets Time Stop at level 18. With some PRC that gives bardic music though, since he obviously uses it a few times. The demiplane he might get just by a scroll of Genesis, which he can UMD. The shapeshifting is a problem, though. Recaster or Wyrm Wizard can grant extra spells, otherwise perhaps an Arcane Disciple domain with Alter Self on it? On the other hand, he also seems to be able to plane shift...

EDIT: Oh, and definitely Leadership. Mooks and minions.

[Analytica]

I suppose he might also be built as a bard 2/druid 3/green whisperer 5/arcane hierophant X - bard spells, bardic music and wild shape. Putting the chaotic into chaotic neutral. Lacks time control and planar travelling though, unless there are obscure druid spells that does that.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

You could net him Owl form with Divine Minion (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a). Just have him be the divine minion of David Bowie or Ziggy Stardust or himself and give him Owl form, for +0 LA (though for something as awesome as being David Bowie's divine minion, I'd probably have to say it's not suitable for PCs...).

[Urpriest]

Hengeyokoi would also do it, I think there's an owl one. His exotic eastern origins would explain his taste in eye makeup.

[The Rabbler]

I'm not familiar with the character, but this does sound like a high level wizard. fudging with time is time stop, demiplane comes from genesis, tons of subjects from leadership, illusions are arcane spells, crafting items is something wizards do pretty well, and turning into an owl could simply be polymorph (maybe a limited polymorph?)

[The Glyphstone]

I'd say a Bard/Sublime Chord before a Wizard, myself. He's obviously got ranks in Perform and a whopping CHA bonus, and SC can get plenty of top-end arcane spells for those big effects.

[DementedFellow]

I'm not familiar with the character, but this does sound like a high level wizard. fudging with time is time stop, demiplane comes from genesis, tons of subjects from leadership, illusions are arcane spells, crafting items is something wizards do pretty well, and turning into an owl could simply be polymorph (maybe a limited polymorph?)

I should have said who Jareth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jareth) is. In the movie Labyrinth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth_(film)) he is portrayed by David Bowie. For a children's movie it's pretty deep. I'm sure a couple of you who read that previous sentence gave a derisive snort, so I'll point you to this website (http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/lorelei/labyanalysis.html).

[Kalaska'Agathas]

I'd say a Bard/Sublime Chord before a Wizard, myself. He's obviously got ranks in Perform and a whopping CHA bonus, and SC can get plenty of top-end arcane spells for those big effects.

I second this with the aforementioned Divine Minion (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a) for the at will Owl form.

Now, what race is our dear Goblin King?

Edit: and if I gave a snort, titter, or giggle, it's a respectful one; never would I give a derisive one. At least, not concerning Bowie.

[Xefas]

...tons of subjects from leadership...

David Bowie's cohort would, of course, be David Bowie's Crotch (aka "The Area").

While his cohort holds a general alliance and is more than happy to take orders, he does however fight determinedly for screentime (as many of the more powerful cohorts are tempted to do).

In all seriousness, though, Jareth isn't really the kind of character that's meant to be statted out in D&D (Nothing in Labyrinth is, really). Don't get me wrong, I love Labyrinth. I love it, but he's a product of an adolescent girl's hormonal fantasy, that, for all of his "power", is defeated by her rejecting him.

If we're working under the assumption that everything that happened in the movie was real, then if Jareth was a level 1 Any Caster, the plot would have lasted about 4 minutes.

<intro, fast forward to Sarah meeting Jareth for the first time>
Jareth: You're a level 1 commoner, right?
Sarah: That's correct.
Jareth: So your Will save is probably somewhere between -1 and +1. Hmmm...would you like to come to my kingdom and fawn over me for all time?
Sarah: Not really.
Jareth: Charm Person. How about now?
Sarah: Yeah, okay.
<the end>

One of the more abstract systems would be more appropriate. One where you can actually play as an invulnerable creature with cosmic (if strategically limited) power whose one weakness is an angsty teenager turning you down, and someone else can play an insufferably whiny and angst-filled teenager with no useful traits or skills, and the system accommodates and allows for conflict without it being one-sided.

[Delcan]

I wouldn't worry too much about the power level difference between Jareth and Sarah. You'll notice that Jareth never actually takes any direct action against Sarah in the movie - he always acts through deception, minions, or illusion, and never lays a finger (figuratively speaking) on her. That sort of thing seems less like power limitations and more like a different sort of limitation. Perhaps he can't act directly against human interlopers to the Labyrinth. Or perhaps he prefers the indirect approach, to make the game more interesting... clearly Jareth's approach to the whole plotline is that it's a sort of game to play. A villain ensuring that nobody will get to him builds an impenetrable fortress; a villain who wants to play a game builds a Labyrinth for his foes to get lost in, and maybe, just maybe, come to his front door for a visit.

We can also leave the Labyrinth itself out of Jareth's character build, I think. It's the sort of thing that has a life and mind of its own; statting out the Labyrinth would be another thread entirely.

Just sticking with core, I would make Jareth a rogue/sorceror gestalt, with lots and lots of socially-focused skill ranks and spells of illusion and suggestion. He'd probably end up around 12th level or so, just to have Plane Shift to come into and out of the Labyrinth; other than that, there's plenty of room for interpretation. If you go out of core, you could go for beguiler and probably do just as well. Don't build him to win combats; build him to get on top of social situations and stay there, without out-and-out dominating his targets - that's what his goblins are for. Not that they're any good at it, mind you, but they're not supposed to be anyway.

Although you do need to max out Sleight of Hand, unless Jareth has Leadership and his cohort is his hand double. :smallwink:

[Analytica]

David Bowie's cohort would, of course, be David Bowie's Crotch (aka "The Area").

While his cohort holds a general alliance and is more than happy to take orders, he does however fight determinedly for screentime (as many of the more powerful cohorts are tempted to do).

+1 for this. If you really, really want, stat it out as a symbiont creature. :smallbiggrin:


In all seriousness, though, Jareth isn't really the kind of character that's meant to be statted out in D&D (Nothing in Labyrinth is, really). Don't get me wrong, I love Labyrinth. I love it, but he's a product of an adolescent girl's hormonal fantasy, that, for all of his "power", is defeated by her rejecting him.

If we're working under the assumption that everything that happened in the movie was real, then if Jareth was a level 1 Any Caster, the plot would have lasted about 4 minutes.

<intro, fast forward to Sarah meeting Jareth for the first time>
Jareth: You're a level 1 commoner, right?
Sarah: That's correct.
Jareth: So your Will save is probably somewhere between -1 and +1. Hmmm...would you like to come to my kingdom and fawn over me for all time?
Sarah: Not really.
Jareth: Charm Person. How about now?
Sarah: Yeah, okay.
<the end>

One of the more abstract systems would be more appropriate. One where you can actually play as an invulnerable creature with cosmic (if strategically limited) power whose one weakness is an angsty teenager turning you down, and someone else can play an insufferably whiny and angst-filled teenager with no useful traits or skills, and the system accommodates and allows for conflict without it being one-sided.

I respectfully disagree. In my mind, he is extremely powerful, but also quite insane, so much so that he cannot use his powers in any kind of strategic manner, and so much that rejection will make him too angsty to fight back...

[Saintheart]

Quaere: if he's the Goblin King, that would seem to suggest that, notwithstanding his human appearance, he's actually a member of the goblinoid species more or less permanently polymorphed to human, or at least half-goblin, half-hobgoblin, or half-bugbear. This perhaps needs to be factored into the build as well.

[FelixG]

Well, i would say he could have the leadership feat use his cohort to get an artificier or some other kind of caster who can either create his demiplane for him OR make him an item capable of casting it?

[kestrel404]

If I were going to stat out Jareth, I'd go with:
Goblin Bhuka (sandstorm) Druidic Avenger 5/Planar Shepherd 7
Stats: Str 12/Dex 18/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 10/Cha 18
He's put most of his skill points into Perform and Bluff. The time manipulation is from a magic item.

Yes, seriously.

[Debihuman]

I've had this on my computer for ages. However, it is NOT my creation and credit is listed below.

Jareth the Goblin King
Medium Humanoid (Human Wiz 5)
Hit Dice: 5d4 (14 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 dex, +2 cloak of protection), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: +1 Cane +3 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: +1 Cane +3 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spells
Special Qualities: Spells, cloak
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 15
Skills: Concentration +8, Craft (alchemy) +10, Decipher Script +8, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (local) +11, Listen +3, Spellcraft +13, Spot +3
Feats: Alertness, Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Scribe scroll
Environment: Goblin Lands
Organization: Solitary (Unique) or with 2d12 goblins
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: As wizard
Level Adjustment: +0

Spells: Jareth Knows the following spells:
(0th level) Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Flare, Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Touch of Fatigue
(1st level) Alarm, Animate Rope, Cause Fear, Charm Person, Color Spray, Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall, Grease, Hold Portal, Hypnotism, Identify, Mage Armor, Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement, Silent Image, Sleep, Summon monster I, Ventriloquism
(2nd Level) Pyrotechnics, Invisibility, Rope Trick, Scare, Shatter, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Web, Whispering Wind, Summon Monster II
(3rd level) Blink, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Deep Slumber, Displacement, Major Image, Polymorph child to goblin*, Ray of Exhaustion, Suggestion.
*New spell described below.

Jareth’s cloak of polymorphing: Jareth’s magical cloak functions as a cloak of protection +2, and allows him to polymorph into a white owl once per day.

New Spell

Polymorph Child to Goblin
Transmutation [evil]
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting time: 1 hour (preparation takes an additional 12 hours)
Range: Touch
Target: Infant humanoid touched
Save: Will Negates
Spell resistance: Yes

This spell involves an elaborate ritual that takes 12 hours to set up, lasts an hour, and requires at least two goblins to participate. Preparation includes the mixing of various ingredients that must be boiled for hours until they are reduced to a fine paste. These components are fed to the baby during the ritual itself, which lasts an hour includes the singing and dancing of jubilant goblins. If the ritual goes uninterrupted, and the child fails their will save (assume most children to have a will save of +0) the child is polymorphed permanently into a goblin.

Components: Five strands of Sphagnum Moss from the bog of eternal stench, a drop of goblin blood, a toad stool from a fairy mushroom circle, a thimble-full of green slime mucous. These components are used up in the casting of this spell.

Credit: Author: Matthew E. Kaiser. Based off of the Jareth character from the 1986 movie Labyrinth directed by Jim Henson and starring David Bowie, and on the original children’s book of the same name by Maurice Sendak. Jareth was portrayed by David Bowie.

[sciencepanda]

Well here's the thing. He's the Goblin King in the sense that he is King of the Goblins, not necessarily that he is a goblin who is king. The movie is deliberately vague as to he species, although personally I would think some sort of fey is appropriate, possibly pixie. Also in some of the supplementary material, it is vaguely implied that he used to be human, so that might work as well.

[herrhauptmann]

Shouldn't Jareth also have the spell 'Otto's Irresistible Dance' or at least an item that creates the spell? Also a 'mass jump' :)

[Urpriest]

Shouldn't Jareth also have the spell 'Otto's Irresistible Dance' or at least an item that creates the spell? Also a 'mass jump' :)

Maybe he's a Half-Ogre Pixie?

[Akal Saris]

I'd just make him an outsider 20/rank 0 deity. He's pretty much unstoppable in his own demiplane except by rules of his own making.

[The Tygre]

We seem to be woefully lacking on fae discussion here. Remember, standard IRL goblins are more connected to faireis than Tolkien's monstrous humanoids. It would also explain why Jareth never directly attacks or tries to charm Sarah; the Fair Folk have to play by rules, even in their own kingdoms. It's one of their defining features.

[herrhauptmann]

Maybe he's a Half-Ogre Pixie?

I need brainbleach

[Kalaska'Agathas]

We seem to be woefully lacking on fae discussion here. Remember, standard IRL goblins are more connected to faireis than Tolkien's monstrous humanoids. It would also explain why Jareth never directly attacks or tries to charm Sarah; the Fair Folk have to play by rules, even in their own kingdoms. It's one of their defining features.

The lack of Fey creatures is one of the unfortunate things about 3.5 in my opinion. I could see Jareth as a LeShay, but mostly for practicality's sake rather than because it fits really well.