Best TTRPG for Wizard of Oz
There are two urban fantasy classics that would be perfect for your next the Untrodden Ways roleplaying campaign — the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis and the Oz series by L. Frank Baum. Today we’ll look at The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. All the elements of Urban Fantasy are here — humans from the modern world, far off mystical lands, forest folk, and evil witches. Take these story elements plus the game mechanics from the Ironsworn Game Engine, and you have the best TTRPG for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Oz Role-Playing Setting
Novel, Musical, or Wicked?
The first decision you need to make for a fantasy role-playing setting based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is to follow the musical or the novel. While both media follow the same general plot, the musical deviates to serve a broader audience. The Baum novel is darker and presents a vast universe terrorized by powerful witches. For this blog, we are going to follow the classic novel.
Wicked Table Top RPG
Fans of the Wicked series, a 1995 dark fantasy novel by American writer Gregory Maguire, could also use the Wicked novels/movies as source material. Although the names are same, the characters and story are significantly different than the original Baum novel or classic musical.
Primary Characters of Oz
For those unfamiliar with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the novel has many colorful characters.
- Great Wizard of Oz – human from Omaha. Ventriloquist and Balloonist
- Dorothy Gale – almost Galahadian in her purity of thought and motivation.
- Scarecrow – magical construct from Munchkinland
- Tin Man – cursed cyborg from the woodlands west of Munchkinland
- Lion – speaking lion
- Guardian of the Gates – halfling from City of Emeralds
- Green Girl – halfling from City of Emeralds
- Green-whiskered Soldier – halfling from City of Emeralds
- Toto – Dorothy’s dog
- Aunt Em and Uncle Henry
- Soldier Girl – Glinda’s warrior
- Queen of all the Field Mice – speaking mouse
Creatures and Inhabitants of Oz
The Land of Oz is rich in magic which is best represented by all the speaking animals -- lions, mice, and storks, oh my. Halflings are the prominient humanoids of Oz. They color code themselves by region often using locale specific names like Munchkins (blue), Winkies (yellow), or Ozians (green).
Speaking wolves
Wild crows
Giant black bees
Winged Monkeys
Winkies
Ozians
Munchkins
Quadlings
Fighting Trees
Giant Spiders
Porcelain People
Hammerheads
Should the Witches of Oz be the Hags of Oz?
Dorothy’s first impression of the witches of Oz may have been the correct one. “But I thought all witches were wicked,” said the girl [Dorothy], who was half frightened at facing a real witch.
A closer look at the four witches, suggests that they weren’t as noble as Glinda and the Witch of the North proclaim themselves. When thinking about the Witches of Oz, consider these points.
- Given how quickly she arrived on the scene, the Witch of the North may have caused Dorothy to visit Oz. At minimum, she lied to Dorothy about the silver shoes pushing Dorothy to travel Oz gathering champions for the Witch of the North.
- The Witch of the East was a powerful enchantress creating items like the silver shoes. She may have been the most powerful witch in Oz.
- The Witch of the South, Glinda, is said to use magic to maintain her youth — the same type of magic one would expect of a hag to use on the Untrodden Ways. Her kingdom was also guarded by at least one huge spider creature.
- The Witch of the West collected magical artifacts. She may have been the weakest magically of the witches relying on enchanted items like the flying monkey’s golden cap and Dorothy’s silver shoes.
History of Oz from the Untrodden Ways
The history of Oz on the Untrodden Ways varies from the novel. Fifty years ago, Oz traveled through a way-portal in his balloon from Omaha and found the Lands of Oz to be a filled with gullible people ripe for conquering.
Using his wiles and mechanical knowledge, Oz convinced the halflings to build him an air force of steampunk balloons. He used this air force to conquer the Winkie lands.
With two kingdoms under his sway, the Wizard forced the halflings to build him two fortresses, the Winkie castle and the City of Emeralds. The Great Wizard held his kingdoms against all invaders until the witches.
The Wizard was corrupted by his nearly limitless political power. In his obsession with the color green, the Wizard forced the fanatical Ozian halflings to wear green spectacles at all times.
Dorothy and the Witches of Oz
When Dorothy arrives, the lands controlled by the Great Wizard have been under assault from witches. In the west, the one-eyed witch used her power over the flying monkeys to take the Winkie Kingdom for herself. In the process, she destroyed the Great Wizard’s air fleet.
In the East, the Witch assumed control of the Munchkin lands with no opposition from the Great Wizard.
To the north and south, the witches held their kingdoms separate from Oz. Their magical might was too strong for the Wizard to attempt any type of military action.
Some have speculated that the Witch of the North used her magical power to call a Kansas prairie warrior, Dorothy, to Oz to break the dominion of Great Wizard and the other witches — ushering in the era of Ozma of Oz.
Ironsworn Campaigns for the Land of Oz
There are many ways you could insert your character into a role playing campaign set in the Land of Oz. Your adventures in Oz will be legendary.
- Follow the novel or the musical’s plot. It is easy to remember or reference.
- Assemble your own band of unlikely heroes (like Dorothy does).
- Break into the City of Emeralds for profit or to learn the secrets for the Wizard
- Steal the gold cap from the flying monkeys
- Defend the Porcelain People from the Hammerheads (Helm’s Deep style adventure)
- Follow the yellow brick road around the Land of Oz offering your skills for hire and adventure
- Vow to help Dorothy get home to Kansas.
Asset Cards for the Wizard of Oz
Asset cards available in The Untrodden Ways Quick Quests fit the Land of Oz setting.
| Companion: Wolf | The Voice of Death |
| Enchanted Item: Gold Shoes | Kari Woodengown |
| Enchanted Item: Mothers Whistle | Farmer Weatherbeard |
| Spell to Summon Flock of Ravens | Farmer Weatherbeard |
| Tool: Hatchet | Marvelous Musician |
| Weapon: Glittering Axe | Marvelous Musician |
Story Starter for Wizard of OZ DND Campaign
You and your best friends are traveling across mid-America on your way to the concert of a lifetime, when the largest storm in a century turns the horizon black as night. The rain and the wind are so strong you can’t see anything outside the car. There’s a roar like an oncoming train. It is so loud it overpowers your music. You don’t see the cyclone when it picks up your car, but you feel it as the world turns upside-down and you black out.
When you wake, the storm is gone and the skies are blue. When your ears stop ringing, you hear screaming. One of your friends has a mangled leg crushed under the side of the car. There’s blood everywhere All around you are these little people looking at your friend in horror.
One of them turns to you and says, ‘I can save him.’
You mumble through stunned lips, ‘do it’.
The little man runs off returning with an ax as large as he is. To your horror, the little man chops your friend’s leg off, but instead of more blood, the wound heals turning to metal.
Welcome to Oz.
References
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