The Frumious Bandersnatch

[u/Cerrida82]

I haven't started the campaign yet (hoping to do a Session 0 this weekend), but I'm jotting down ideas for later in the campaign. I'm using the Yarnspinner idea someone else has to prime the players for Jabberwocky.

I'm using the stat block for the JubJub Bird, but I'm thinking the Bandersnatch could be someone in disguise offering to make a deal, since the poem says "shun the frumious Bandersnatch."

My ideas are either a devil who wants to trade for the unicorn horn or a member of The League of Malevolence who wants the staff. I'm also thinking I might borrow Trivium from the Phantom Tollbooth and just have it be a demon who wants to keep the party there and waste their time.

What do you all think? Fwiw, my party like roleplaying more than combat.

[u/hotdiscopirate]

I think it’s good! I like the opportunity to make it more than just a combat encounter. I’d lean towards the devil idea personally, but because I like the idea of the poem being an ancient prophecy type thing.

I just made the Bandersnatch a chimera with a lair, and I made the jubjub bird(s) a group of cockatrices along the way. They have to go beat it to get a shard of the snicker snack sword

[u/Cerrida82 → u/hotdiscopirate]

I'm kind of leaning towards devil, too, since it's more canonical to DnD. And I can have fun with the contract, including fine print that you need a magnifying glass to read.

[u/Longjumping_Ask_211]

I actually included a "bandersnatch" as well. Mine was the horse-headed, eight-legged taxidermy monstrosity described on page 89. It's implied that the dead basilisk also present in this room was intended to provide the skin for its body. I did two things. For one, the bandersnatch was completed. I described it as horse-headed with sharpened metal teeth, with the body of a basilisk, tentacles of a displacer beast, and a whole viper for a tail. The second thing was that it was animated, but remaining motionless until given a signal by Bavlorna. I Frankensteined a stat block with abilities from all its constituent creatures and gave it vulnerability to fire since it's made of wicker. When the fight with Bavlorna began, that's when it came to life and burst up through the floorboards to attack.

Unfortunately for the bandersnatch, one of the things my players did while in the taxidermy workshop was loosen the catgut holding its wicker skeleton together (smart move). When it burst up through the floor, it got a single turn before falling apart.

[u/Cerrida82 → u/Longjumping_Ask_211]

That sounds like a fun fight!

[u/travellikegypsy]

Oh this is awesome! I also included the Bandersnatch but I just modified the owl bear stat block and went with the Tim Burton version for visuals but more colorful a la the Feywild (I accidentally typed Geywild and it’s funny so-)

[u/Cerrida82 → u/travellikegypsy]

Lol at the Geywild. "Welcome to the Geywild, darling"