Machine of Lum the Mad
Encyclopedia
The Machine of Lum the Mad is a powerful artifact in many campaign setting
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
.
(1976).
.
. The Planescape
accessory The Inner Planes also claims Lum the Mad might be the creator of the otherworldly craft known as the Avenger
.
#162 featured Lum's Engine, another artifact said to have been created by Lum. This artifact channels energy from the Far Realm
, among other properties.
Lum's reign approached its twilight when his formally loyal subordinate, General Leuk-O, discovered the Mighty Servant artifact in the Belching Vortex that would become known by his name. Some believe the Mighty Servant and the Infernal Machine were created by the same otherworldly artificer, and the appearance of them both so close together was no coincidence. With the power of the Mighty Servant, Leuk-O gathered a host that matched Lum's own. The two armies clashed many times before their final battle, when Lum disappeared. A mysterious mist appeared, and Lum plunged through a dimensional rift to the plane of Limbo
, where he waited for centuries, his connection to the machine leaving him unable to die.
The machine itself was housed in the fortress Rifter, near Rauxes, until the latter city was destroyed in 586 CY, quite likely due to the machine's wild influence.
, as being imprisoned in Watcher's Keep, and briefly at the end of Planescape: Torment
when the final boss refers to a time when the Nameless One "danced sorceries with Lum the Mad."
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The Machine of Lum the Mad first appeared in the fourth supplement to the original D&D rules, Eldritch WizardryEldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...
(1976).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The Machine of Lum the Mad was also mentioned in the original 1979 Dungeon Master's GuideDungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The Machine of Lum the Mad was further developed in 1993's Book of ArtifactsBook of Artifacts
The Book of Artifacts is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This book, published by TSR, Inc. in 1993, details 50 different artifacts, special magic items found within the game at the Dungeon Master's...
. The Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
accessory The Inner Planes also claims Lum the Mad might be the creator of the otherworldly craft known as the Avenger
Avenger
Avenger may refer to:-Military:* Avro Avenger, biplane fighter design* The SP 17pdr, A30 , a variant of the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger British self-propelled gun* Avenger-class escort carrier, a British aircraft carrier...
.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
A 4th-edition adventure in DungeonDungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#162 featured Lum's Engine, another artifact said to have been created by Lum. This artifact channels energy from the Far Realm
Far Realm
The Far Realm is a plane found in various settings in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Creative origins:The Far Realm is a mix of horror, madness, and Lovecraftian geometries....
, among other properties.
In-game history
Baron Lum the Mad, while exploring a castle his armies had conquered, came across the Machine that would bear his name, a horseshoe-shaped nightmare of black metal, festooned with levers, dials, sockets, wires, and plugs. Through trial and error, he learned to manipulate it, learning more about its functioning than even the wisest sages have since then. If he was mad before, the blasphemous technology of the device drove him over the edge, but it also brought him great power. With his disciplined troops and his new powers, he carved out a mighty fiefdom. It is said that, with the machine, he brought no fewer than 50 new species of monsters into the world.Lum's reign approached its twilight when his formally loyal subordinate, General Leuk-O, discovered the Mighty Servant artifact in the Belching Vortex that would become known by his name. Some believe the Mighty Servant and the Infernal Machine were created by the same otherworldly artificer, and the appearance of them both so close together was no coincidence. With the power of the Mighty Servant, Leuk-O gathered a host that matched Lum's own. The two armies clashed many times before their final battle, when Lum disappeared. A mysterious mist appeared, and Lum plunged through a dimensional rift to the plane of Limbo
Limbo (Dungeons & Dragons)
In Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy role-playing game, Limbo or more fully, the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo, is a chaotic neutral-aligned plane of existence...
, where he waited for centuries, his connection to the machine leaving him unable to die.
The machine itself was housed in the fortress Rifter, near Rauxes, until the latter city was destroyed in 586 CY, quite likely due to the machine's wild influence.
Other media
Lum and his Infernal Machine have been featured in the computer games Baldur's Gate II: Throne of BhaalBaldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is the expansion pack for the computer role-playing game Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and is the final chapter in the Baldur's Gate series. It adds a multi-level dungeon called Watcher's Keep to the game and completes the main plot...
, as being imprisoned in Watcher's Keep, and briefly at the end of Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
when the final boss refers to a time when the Nameless One "danced sorceries with Lum the Mad."