[Thundarr Thursday] Notorious NPCs: Queen Stryia

Stryia - Wizardess Queen of the Amazons
8th Level Sorcerer

STR: 13 --- INT: 15
DEX: 16 --- WIL: 18
CON: 11 --- CHA: 9
HPs: 49 --- AC: 6
Mutations: water breathing

Queen Stryia is a very powerful denizen of the deep. She is the current leader of the Amazons - an aquatic race of women warriors - as well as a powerful wizard. Her plans are to raise an army of Amazons and then strike and conquer the land as she has the sea. Queen Stryia usurped the throne from Queen Deona - the rightful Amazon ruler. As Amazon leader, she has an underwater palace that she rules from as well as a large number of Amazon warriors who will follow her orders unquestioningly. However, Queen Deona and a small rebel band hope to one day wrest the throne away from this powerful foe (which could be the plot hook that leads the PCs to their first encounter with her).

Queen Stryia has many of the features of a shark including a mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth. To enhance her shark-like appearance, she wears a wetsuit that has dorsal fins on the head and back. Her hands are both clawed and webbed. Since she is an Amazon, she has the mutation of water breathing, which allows her to breathe both underwater as well as on dry land. She can also swim very quickly, doubling her normal movement rate when underwater. When in the water, she and her warriors ride bull sharks (MF rulebook, page 94) as mounts. These sharks are well-trained and will join in underwater combat if commanded to do so.

As an 8th level wizard, Queen Stryia has the following number of spells and levels memorized: three 1st level spells; three 2nd level spells; two 3rd level spells; and two 4th level spells. The Mutant Lord should use the magic-user/elf spells list from the Labyrinth Lord rulebook. When fighting hand-to-hand, Queen Stryia receives a +1 to hit and +2 to damage when using a handheld weapon.

Although she is a skilled warrior and has powerful magic at her command, Queen Stryia prefers to let her Amazon army do her fighting instead. She may confront another sorcerer though, just to test her own power against another spell-slinger. But if the tide begins to turn against her, she'll retreat to her underwater lair where she shall regroup and plot her revenge...

NOTE: This villain was inspired by the episode "Attack of the Amazon Women" from the classic Ruby Spears post-apocalyptic cartoon "Thundarr the Barbarian." Stay tuned each week for "Thundarr Thursday"!