Dr. Nikidik, I Presume?

While Baum was not famous for consistency within the Oz stories, the differences between the two appearances of the Powder of Life were significant enough to affect how they were represented in the rules of AiO. But were they really intended to be the same?

David Maxine does accurately point out that while Dr. Nikidik's Celebrated Wishing Pills are indeed a product of Dr. Nikidik, the Powder of Life isn't necessarily. Though the connection is strong enough for Gregory Maguire to have Nikidik's appearance in Wicked include a demonstration of a prototype Powder of Life.

In The Road to Oz, we learn some more details of the fate of the Crooked Sorcerer. He apparently fell off of a precipice and died (this is apparently before Baum instituted the "no death" rule), leaving his possessions, including a small batch of the Powder of Life, to a distant relation named Dyna. This Powder was used to accidentally animate a blue bearskin rug, creating a rather pathetic creature.

But in The Patchwork Girl of Oz, we meet Dr. Pipt, who claims to be the inventor of the Powder of Life. He also claims that he gave Mombi (and ultimately Tip) the batch that was used to animate Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse and the Gump. He doesn't mention the Wishing Pills, so it's certainly possible that Dr. Pipt and Dr. Nikidik are two different people.

However, this does not tell us who died and left the Powder of Life to Dyna. Did Dr. Nikidik fake his own death? Or did he actually try to kill himself only to be thwarted by the magic of Oz? Maybe the bearskin rug knows. But without the lungs he used to have, he is rather unable to speak.

Although when you think about it, many things without lungs are able to speak in Oz. Maybe it's actually a curse of silence. So lifting the curse may be the first step in unraveling the mystery. Where it leads is up to you.

Oz Character of the Month: Ojo the Lucky

I know that I didn't post a character last month, as I wanted to start out with some New Year's Resolutions and then I got distracted by some other stuff and went into cynical mode (which I do a little too often lately). But this month, there is definitely a character for you, as well as a slightly amusing story.

You see, as I was acquiring artwork for my character pack, I asked S. P. Maldonado for some illustrations. He came through grandly, with some really neat stuff. He also gave me a little more than what I had asked for. Namely, an illustration of Ojo the Lucky.

I was sorely tempted to use him, but I already had the two examples of the "Child in Oz" template that I needed, and I wanted to make sure that every template got fair representation. So I resolved to make him my next Oz Character of the Month. And so, without further ado, here's Ojo!

Name: Ojo the Lucky
First Appearance: The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Template: Child in Oz

Size: 3

Athletics: 3
Awareness: 3
Brains: 1
Presence: 2
Sneaking: 4
Wits: 4 (helping others)

Traits: None

Friends List: Dr. Pipt OR Unc Nunkie

When choosing Friends for write-ups like this, I tend to go with the most invokable option. In this case, it would be Dr. Pipt who gives Ojo a basket of vaguely defined goodies. I even used that as an example in the rule book (page 28 if you don't believe me) of how Friends and Oz Points work. But there are those who prefer to stick with Friends that the characters have a clear closeness with, in this case Unc Nunkie. So I give you a choice with this one.

The Crimes of Dr. Pipt

Dr. Pipt is a character who showed up in The Patchwork Girl of Oz and is the creator of the titular heroine. He is also known as the Crooked Magician because his body is rather crooked and he practices magic in defiance of the laws of Oz.

As I was reading the story as research for AiO, it felt a little jarring to have Dr. Pipt's magic stripped from him at the end of the story. He's not a villainous character, nor is he unsympathetic, and yet Ozma treats him much like a criminal in the climax of the story. So what did he do that was so terrible?

1) Improper storage of magical liquids. This is what creates the main thrust of the story, as the Liquid of Petrifaction is spilled on Unc Nunkie and Margolotte which requires Ojo to undertake his journey in the first place. But it's not his only crime. Read on.

2) Improper use of magic to solve a mundane problem. Bungle the Glass Cat was originally created to catch mice around the Pipt home. To drive home this particular lesson, it backfired on him. Bungle has no stomach with which to digest mice and her other features are notable enough that she's rather pay attention to those. (Baum repeats this theme in a conversation between Dorothy and Ozma in Glinda of Oz)

3) Animation with intent to enslave. Probably a strong term there, but it's accurate. Scraps was intended to be a servant. Her original batch of magical brains was intended to make her competent and complacent in her role as maid. It was Ojo's additions that made her a unique and independent character.

4) Animation and abandonment. This is poor Vic, the living phonograph. He was brought to life when Scraps knocked the Powder of Life from Dr. Pipt's hand. He likes to do what he has been built for, which is to play the record on his turntable, but it's a horrible record and so he is cast out by Dr. Pipt.

Oz Character of the Month: Bungle the Glass Cat

Maybe I'm just a bad liar, or I'm not into the elaborately silly pranks that people try and pull on April 1st. But mostly, I only stat up one character a month and I gave you a non-Oz character last month and, as much fun as it would be to write up The Terminator for AiO, you should get something Ozzy this month.
Name: Bungle the Glass Cat
First Appearance: The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Template: Small Animal
Size: 1

Athletics: 3
Awareness: 3
Brains: 3
Sneaking: 3 (glass body)
Presence: 2
Wits: 3

Traits: Crafted, No Arms

Friends List

Scraps the Patchwork Girl

According to Dr. Pipt, her creator, Bungle is indeed a bungle. Created to catch mice, she has no stomach to digest them with, and is more interested in her own unique (and beautiful, in her view) appearance. Her body is glass with spun glass for fur, with emerald eyes, a ruby heart, and whirling pink marbles for brains. For a while, a spell cast by the Wizard made these features invisible, making Bungle a rather ordinary glass cat, but the magic didn't seem to stick.

Oz Character of the Month: The Woozy

The last two months, I've been somewhat accidentally posting character stats for Adventures in Oz. In December, I posted stats for Santa (in homage to something Wizards of the Coast did a number of years ago for D&D). Then in January, I tried to encourage you all to make characters of your own for Adventures in Oz, and wound up writing up the Tin Soldier.

This month, I'm doing it intentionally. If it goes over well, I may even make this a regular feature of the blog.
Name: The Woozy
First Appearance: The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Template: Large Animal
Size: 4

Athletics: 4
Awareness: 3
Brains: 1
Presence: 2 (Eyes that flash fire)
Sneaking: 2
Wits: 2

Traits: Crafted, No Arms

Friends List

Ojo the Lucky

Description: The Woozy is a curious creature that seems to be made of blue building blocks. He used to think he had a fierce growl, but later discovered that he was mistaken. His hide is remarkably tough and his eyes flash real (not artificial) fire when he is angry. The easiest way to make him angry is to shout "Krizzle-kroo!" because he has no idea what it means. His favorite food is honeybees. This got him into some trouble with some Munchkin beekeepers who were quite upset at having their bees eaten. So they built a fence and trapped the Woozy within it.

He would have been there forever if it wasn't for Ojo (then "the Unlucky") discovering him and helping him get free from his cage. In exchange for this freedom, Ojo demanded the three hairs on the Woozy's tail to save his Unc Nunkie, who had been petrified in marble. Since the hairs refused to come out of his impervious hide, Ojo offered to take the Woozy as a traveling companion. When the party arrived in the Emerald City, the Woozy chose to remain there while Ojo gathered the other magical ingredients needed to reverse Unc Nunkie's spell.

(I realize that the Woozy does not fit the typical definition of a Crafted character. I gave him that trait to represent his impenetrable hide.)