Investigating the Scrumptious Scoundrels of Dimension 20: The Ravening War Character Analysis

The Ravening War is at hand. After the first explosive episode of Dimension 20: The Ravening War, the sequel to 2019's A Crown of Candy, not only do we have a much better idea of the state that Calorum is in prior to The Ravening War, but we also got to meet our colorful cast of scrumptious scoundrels. Whether a fighter made of Meat or a master of secrets, with their stats revealed we now know so much more of the cast.

In this Ravening War Character Analysis guide we plan to take a look at the main cast of The Ravening War, and look at some of their actions made, spells cast, and interactions had to learn a bit more about who they are and what other tricks might be up their sleeves. 

This feature contains spoilers for Dimension 20: The Ravening War Episode 1

The first party that we meet consists of Lady Amangeaux Epicee Du Peche, the former queen of Vegietania, Karna Solara the whisperer of the courts, and Bishop Raphaniel Charlock. As a queen, a spy, and a holy man walk into this story. you might make some assumptions but you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Lady Amangeaux Epicee Du Peche by Anjali Bhimani

Lady Amangeaux is a level 4 Rogue with relatively high stats across the board, her lowest being Constitution at 12 and her highest is Dexterity at 18. As a Rogue, her stats follow an expected build with a focus on Dexterity and Intelligence. As The Ravening War is a story rife with political intrigue. leaning into Charisma for persuasion is also to be expected.

As an Arcane Trickster, we know that Lady Amangeaux will have access to Mage Hand as well as two other Wizard cantrips. Mage Hand also has its own enhancements allowing her to use it to throw an object, take a container, or pick a lock from a far range. She also must know three 1st-level spells, two of these are enchantments and another is an illusion. Adding to her repertoire of abilities is Telepathic which not only allows for telepathic communication but also the ability to cast Detect Thoughts once per long rest. For a Queen on the run, unsure of who she can trust, these abilities are a must.

While on first watch I did think Lady Amangeaux could be a Variant Human, mastering two feats by Level 4, it seems that all of the party members have a feat lending to the idea that each character was allowed an additional feat during character creation. One final aspect of her character to keep an eye out for, coming from nobility and wealth, we will probably get a chance to see other magical items like her Ring of X-Ray Vision that so nearly stumped Mercer.

I'm expecting Lady Amangeaux to be a wild card for the season, though she swings between a cool and calm demeanor and sings shouting to block others' words out, the telepathic surprises and surprise magical item make me believe there will be a few situations where they party will be in dire straits before Lady Amangeaux pulls out a proverbial Reverse Uno card. The high dexterity and positive constitution will ensure that, even if someone does manage to hit her, she'll be able to take a few hits and dish it out.

Karna Solara by Aabria Iyengar

The chili pepper master of secrets Karna Solara is a fantastic addition to the traveling band willing to work with the group when it's beneficial, but will also head out on her own when there's mischief to be made. For being a master of secrets, we do know a bit more about Karna from her telepathic discussions and questions to the DM. Solara's high Charisma pairs with her Actor feat.

When we spoke with Anjali Bhimani last week about Lady Amangeaux she teased at the time that there was one relationship she had that she didn't want to spoil, but that she wasn't sure who she could trust. Karna thought to herself "I love the queen so much, but that's been the biggest boon selling knowledge to the nobles."

Iyengar and Bhimani discussed a number of times just who Karna was looking like at any point in time. While we haven't seen this ability yet, it's likely that Karna could be based on a Changeling, or a simpler idea would be that she's got her hands on a Disguise Kit. The way that Karna could have entered a conversation after a long period of time having been disguised leads me to believe that it's not the Disguise Self spell. Ironically, the multiple times Iyengar revealed Karna to the party, she didn't disguise herself accordingly. I was happy to see that Provolone and Katzon didn't suffer the same fate as the Carrot Knight who saw Karna's true form.

For a character introduced as a master of whispers, I was very surprised to see no Rogue on her statblock, but with the College of Whispers Bard to help her seed misinformation through a crowd and the Pact of the Great Old One in Warlock, not only will her persuasion be a formidable skill to count on, but there's a number of eldritch abilities that she'll have up her sleeve.

Bishop Raphaniel Charlock by Brennan Lee Mulligan

The final member of the Queen's entourage is Bishop Rephaniel Charlock. While I was already surprised to see a spy character without an ounce of Rogue in them, the Bishop of Greenhold as a Rogue and Bard is a fantastic flip on the status quo.

Mulligan was not lying when he states "I am so good at lying, built this character to lie". Not only are there incredible Charisma, Wisdom, and Intelligence stats on this beet, but Mulligan has also picked up a few extra tricks to empower him. In the first episode alone we see Raphaniel using Subtle Spell as a Metamagic Option (Second option still to be seen) to cast Detect Thoughts. This has revealed to his traveling companions that he too has telepathy. He rolled a 3 on deception that became a 20 "because I can't get below a 20," Mulligan announced as he pointed to his camera and winked. This is the Silver Tongue feature of the College of Eloquence Bard.

Cloaks and voices, but they do seem to have secrets don't they? says Bishop Raphaniel Charlock telepathically "Sometimes when you let the fox take you in it's mouth, it will lead you back to it's den"
"Oh my god this Bishop is so cool" Karna internalizes

Where I expect to see some shakeup with Bishop Raphaniel is in the Rogue aspects of his character and how he might leverage Expertise, Sneak Attack, and Thieves' Cant. The hint to a horrific past and the brief flash of a PTSD episode on the sight of the Carrot Knight with a broken… arm… also makes me wonder what the good Bishop is capable of. 

Thane Delissandro Katzon by Lou Wilson

Lou Wilson is playing a thick slab of beef in The Ravening War. Even with an Intelligence of 9 and Wisdom of 11 Delissandro is the one holding the brain cell in his adventuring troup. Chieftess Cleva Katzon relies on him to be patient and organized, while Colin Provolone can't be relied on for anything. Wilson plays this Fighter proud and strong, making respectful moves towards his treatment of others and his importance in meeting his grandfather at the gathering.

As a Fighter, Dellisandro is stacked for Strength, and by taking Shield Master, he can not only enjoy an incredible AC of 20, but allow that AC to be added to Dex saving throws and other harmful effects. Coupling this with Champion's Crit Hit on a 19 or 20, it seems Lou's plan is to be the tank of the party and control the central field whether he be standing firm, shrugging off hits, and dealing easy Crit Hits, or pushing people around with his Shield to get them in opportune positions.

While the majority of Delissandro's abilities are geared toward combat, it's hard to miss that Charisma is his second-highest stat. Even for a meat head the importance of political decorum is present. Delissnadro is going to be entertaining to watch in a social situation, but once there's a chance for a skirmish this character will shine!

Colin Provolone by Zac Oyama

Last and certainly not least is Colin Provolone, Oyama's cheese man for hire. As Oyama himself explained it, Provolone is "not exactly the first hire someone would make". Provolone is a Rogue Fighter who seems to be taking advantage of not only a high Strength but also a high Dexterity. In comparison to all other characters who thought to add some major points into Charisma, Colin sitting at a 6 helps to reinforce that he's the odd-man-out in this high society adventure.

Oyama plays this 6 Charisma character absolutely fantastically. From his early interactions with Delissandro, leaving half the table speechless while the other half is rolling in laughter, to trying to cheer dried meats at a high society party his character exudes charm.

Provolone will be working to control the battlefield at every opportunity allowing him to capitalize on low-level rogue feats (including a sizeable stealth stat), the ability to maneuver around the battlefield with Battle Master, and increased movement and flexibility in encounters with the Mobile feat. I expect this character to be the very definition of failing forward.

This team dynamic, while filled with plenty of multiclassing and strong characters in their own right will be a terrifying force when working together. Wilson and Oyama teaming up to shield bash and move opponents or cover one another will allow even the most at-risk members of the team to stay in the game. The persuasive powers across the table also give us hope to see these characters talk their way out of combat and avoid potentially fatal encounters.