Padmund Pondhop

Padmund Pondhop
Official art of Padmund, by Toff Mazery from "Welcome, Campers!" (WWx01).
Type	Player Character
Actor	Brennan Lee Mulligan
Character Information
Pronouns	he/him
Creature type	Humanoid[presumed]
Race	Bullywug
Class	Wizard
Age	14 to 16 (in 844 PD)
Languages	Common, Bullywug[presumed]
Place	Menagerie Coast, Wildemount
Family	Unnamed parents
Connections	Wildemount Wildlings Kai (best friend) Archibald (familiar) Soltryce Academy
Status
Status	Alive
Stats
Level	1
HP	7
AC	11
DC	13
Str	21
Dex	12
Con	13
Int	17
Wis	15
Cha	10
Appearances
First seen	"Welcome, Campers!" (WWx01)
Last seen	"Wilde Out" (WWx03)
Stream	Wildemount Wildlings (3 episodes)

“

By the nine secret algaes of the great pond of shadows...

”

– 

Padmund ritually casting a spell.

[!h]

Padmund Pondhop is a bullywug teenage wizard and one of the campers attending Wildemount Wildlings. He is played by Brennan Lee Mulligan.

Description

Appearance

Padmund is a short (2′ 8″) bullywug boy of big eyes and green skin with black dots. He wears glasses and carries his spellbook everywhere.

Personality

He is easily distracted, tending to hyperfocus on the things he likes instead.

Biography

Background

Padmund grew up in the Menagerie Coast as the son of a rich sailor, in a villa southeast of Nicodranas with several rooms and servants. At some point he became a fan of the Mighty Nein, and when he learned about the Wildemount Wildlings camp his parents paid so he could attend (while they were on vacation) in 844 PD. The original idea was to go there only half of the summer, and to accompany his father in one of his journeys the other half; however, when he overheard him telling his wife that the boy would be a liability on the ship, Padmund pretended to change his mind in order to be at camp the entire season, thus avoiding an uncomfortable situation. When he arrived there he mistakenly believed it was an adventure-themed camp rather than a place in which adventurers were formed, so when he realized he didn't fit in, he focused instead on the activities he started developing a card game about the Mighty Nein, with some help from Kai, who became his illustrator.

At one point during the summer other campers started mocking Padmund because his moist skin made his pants constantly drop, so he took a belt from the shed to solve it, discovering later that it was a Belt of Hill Giant Strength.

"Welcome, Campers!" (WWx01)

Fan art of the campers, by Julia Stark.

By the end of the summer, both Padmund and Kai had ended up in the OLGA cabin (along with Jessep Nimblethorp and Sky) for not having earned a single badge at camp. However, on the last day, Veth Brenatto gave them one last chance, leaving them with Beauregard Lionett and Yasha Nydoorin to guide the four teenagers and help them earn at least one badge before the end of the day. Padmund was very excited about meeting two of the members of the Mighty Nein and started making questions about their abilities to include them in his card game; however, as they were walking he overheard Veth describing the group as "losers", which made him feel bad.

Fan art of Padmund casting Gust, by Elaine Tipping.

Their first activity was to try to steal a pinecone from one of the veteran adventurers. Padmund was the last one to participate, facing Yasha, and since there wasn't a time limit, he decided to use his magic through 30 minutes of rituals: first, he Identified a pinecone Kai had taken from Beau (confirming it wasn't magical beyond its odd, translucent appearance); then, he cast Find Familiar to create a frog with hair and human teeth (which introduced itself as Archibald); finally, he cast Unseen Servant. He then faced Yasha and tried to move her with Gust, and seeing it didn't work, he challenged her to an arm wrestling match; the barbarian accepted, but was poisoned by the bullywug's skin, who then used his familiar's assistance and his Unseen Servant to take the pinecone away from Yasha. When they were done with the activity Padmund told the adults he required to spend some minutes submerged in water before continuing, but when he added that he also had to take a nap after that, and that he had a note from his mother, they didn't believe him (and Kai apologized because the note he had forged wasn't good enough). The wizard told Jessep (who had been struggling with her sorcerous powers) to focus on other emotions instead of letting her anxiety take control. He also noticed that Archibald had carved "P ♥ A" on a tree with a dagger; its summoner told it that even if that was true, it was too soon, although immediately after he put the frog on his shoulder and gave it a little kiss.

The second activity was "Tug of Peace" (renamed by Yasha), in which the couple would pull the rope against the four teenagers. During the struggle Padmund cast Floating Disk to tie their side of the rope to it; however, at one point Beau ran over the kids' heads, confusing them and causing the young wizard to lose motivation, and he felt even worse when Sky got poisoned trying to comfort him with a hug. They ended up winning after Kai distracted the adults by screaming pretending to be hurt; when Padmund, still a bit sad, told the others that Veth had called them losers, his friends comforted him and Beau encouraged them, since they were making actual progress.

The third activity was "Hide and Seek", and it was decided that Yasha would be the one hiding. While counting, Padmund cast Unseen Servant again, and then teamed up with Kai. He convinced him they should check the cabin in which the documents were kept; they found a window, and the young rogue grabbed Archibald (as it talked about valuing the limited time that they had in Exandria) and threw it towards the glass, successfully breaking it, but destroying the frog's physical form in the process. Padmund was angry about it at first, but Kai apologized and the wizard admitted that if he cast the spell again he would be able to bring Archibald back, perfectly healthy. Inside (after Padmund Mended the window) they found documents that, according to Kai, would help them improve the card game; they even found their own files, although they weren't very flattering.

"Into the Wilde" (WWx02)

When Sky and Jessep found the other two adventurers and explained what had happened, Padmund panicked and started to walk away, determined to return home rather than face a monster capable of defeating two legendary heroes; however, Kai convinced him to stay by mentioning that if they managed to defeat the pig, the wizard would be a hero too and could have his own commemorative card. Using flattery and some bribery involving the promise of her own card in Padmund's game, the campers convinced Mishi, the Curfew Creature, to tell them where the pig was, and they went there. They found the area of the cabins covered in food, and when Padmund noticed that it looked like his mom's shoofly pie recipe, he declared it had to be fake, since there was no way she had come to the camp to prepare it; however, when he tried it, he got some additional health, and a strange feeling of homesickness that made him go inside a maze. His friends followed him, trying to avoid traps, but at one point a flash of magical light made the wizard remember his dad complaining about him, and while he was distracted, the room started filling with lava; since he was completely overtaken by the memory Sky and Jessep tried to use spells to get his attention, but that failed, so Kai used his Ring of Jumping to rescue him. Padmund regained his senses and helped rescue Jessep, after which Kai hit him to completely free his mind from the influence of the food. They continued, and eventually found a stranger guarding the exit, but Padmund immediately disintegrated his form by hitting him with his staff; after that he felt oddly good, declaring that maybe violence was more useful to solve problems than he had initally thought.

They arrived to the Magic Meadow, finding it filled with strange monsters. Padmund cast Detect Magic and Unseen Servant to enhance his senses and steal some magic items from the area (including a pressed flower, a clue of Yasha's presence), while they focused on distracting shark-like guards; they convinced the latter to let them pass, but then decided to ran towards the shed while avoiding the monsters. When they reached the hatch Padmund revealed the powers of his belt and tried to use his enhanced strength to open it (something Sky managed to do seconds later). When they were about to go in, a monster produced a psychic scream that knocked both Kai and Jessep unconscious; Padmund grabbed the latter to take her inside.

"Wilde Out" (WWx03)

The four campers were in a dark tunnel, unable to see; since Kai and Jessep were unconscious and they needed assistance, Padmund decided to lit his manuscript of the card game on fire, so that they could find health potions for their friends. They were all very impressed with the wizard's sacrifice, and Kai called him a hero for that and told him he would be willing to keep working with him on the game. They walked (finding some potions on the way, one of which Padmund drank to heal his wounds) until they found two doors; although the bullywug asked if to spend some minutes to ritually learn more about the doors, his friends preferred to keep moving. They opened one of the doors, which led to a dark world of madness, and they closed it immediately, after which Padmund declared that he would ask his parents to pursue legal action aganst the camp after all that had happened. The second door brought them to the waiting room of "Wok Wok". Padmund deduced that that space (as well as most of the things they had seen that day) had a strange aura around it, as if it was out of place, so he declared it was all false and refused to lose time interacting with any of it; when someone attacked them with fire, Kai reacted fast to move him out of harm's way. They reached a giant kitchen in which they found Beau and Yasha, as well as Wok Wok, a giant pan-like monster. A battle ensued, and Kai disguised as health inspector to intimidate their enemy, to Padmund's surprise, but it didn't work. The young wizard wanted to leave, not caring about the promise of badges, but Sky encouraged to stay, and added that if he left there was a possibility that his illustrator would die, so Padmund had to agree with her. The wizard then focused on Wok Wok and started to shout at it as if it was his father, hitting it with his staff and making it fall; the bullywug focused on keeping the enemy down, but when he noticed that Jessep was getting anxious, he blew some oolong leaves in her direction so the fragrance helped her calm down. Eventually Wok Wok was defeated, and Padmund and Kai joined their friends to kick their enemy's fallen form.

They were brought back to the camp by Mishi, and they told Veth and the other campers what had happened, causing them to receive a lot of praise. When Padmund asked if any of the things they had witnessed was real, Yeza Brenatto admitted they were likely a side effect of the fumes of a dunamantic potion hitting Yasha, and causing some of her ideas to become temporarily real. The young wizard then threatened to sue the camp so Veth tried to bribe him; although Padmund rejected it at first, Kai entered the negotiation, getting at least one benefit for each of the members of his group (Archibald was summoned again to see if he wanted anything, but he just wanted love, and was satisfied when Sky gave him a magazine). The OLGA campers received their Friendship Badge (created following Sky's suggestion) and they were officially promoted to Threebelows; they also got a free reservation to attend camp the following summer.

Later life

Padmund eventually became a student in the Soltryce Academy, as Veth had promised him. She also helped him distribute his card game, Mysterium: Battle Cards of Wildemount, using her contacts.

Relationships

Kai

Fan art of Kai persuading Padmund, by Elaine Tipping.

Kai and Padmund are close because of the interest the former took in the latter's card game. The older teenager seems to appreciate working in the project, even drawing Padmund himself. Although he takes advantage of their connection to convince the wizard to do things, such as sneaking in cabins with him, he also use that trust to encourage him and make him feel better.

Once Padmund convinced Kai to try a mushroom as a way to develop poison resistance, but it made him sick.

Archibald

Archibald developed an affection for Padmund within minutes of being summoned, and while the wizard was initially somewhat distant and went so far as to declare that the frog was not technically real, he quickly grew accustomed to its presence, although showing some concern for its existential crises.

Character information

Notable items

Fan art of Padmund, by Ed Palhares.

• Spellbook with the logo of the Mighty Nein
• Glasses
• Pin with the letters "WW", which acts as an arcane focus
• Cards
• Quarterstaff
• Belt of Hill Giant Strength

Abilities

Bullywug abilities

Fan art of Padmund, by Sabira Langevin.

Padmund describes himself as a bullywug, although both his appearance and some of his abilities are those of a grung:

• Amphibious
• Speak with Frogs and Toads
• Poisonous Immunity
• Poisonous Skin
• Standing Leap
• Water Dependency

Wizard abilities

• Spellcasting (Intelligence-based ability)
• Ritual Casting
• Arcane Recovery

Wizard spells

Spell level	Spell	Notes
0 (cantrip)	Gust
1st	Comprehend Languages	Not cast, suggested
1st	Detect Magic
1st	Illusory Script
1st	Identify
1st	Find Familiar	See Archibald.
1st	Unseen Servant	An elemental called "Invisiboy".
1st	Floating Disk

Appearances and mentions

• Wildemount Wildlings
  • "Welcome, Campers!" (WWx01) (first appearance)
  • "Into the Wilde" (WWx02)
  • "Wilde Out" (WWx03)

Quotations

• "When magic fails, let might avail."

Trivia

• His name is a modification of Edmund, and retains the last element of the word, meaning "protection" in Old English. Both his name and his surname contain elements connected to the habitats and behaviors of amphibians (pad, pond, hop).
• His appearance resembles that of one of the morphs of the strawberry poison-dart frog.
• Brennan Lee Mulligan explained that the spells Padmund knows (rituals and non-offensive cantrips) are focused on solving day to day problems instead of causing harm, since the wizard doesn't want to be an adventurer; he was quite surprised when he learned that both Eden Riegel and Libe Barer had deliberately chosen to limit their own characters' spellcasting, making Padmund the best magic user regardless.
  • Padmund's approach to magic, as a ritual caster who uses his powers as a civilian, resembles the magewrights of the world of Eberron.
• Although adult bullywugs are Medium-sized creatures, Padmund, as a teenager with grung traits, is Small-sized.
• He wants to create a 'collectable card game' based on the Mighty Nein. This could be a joke and a reference to Wizards of the Coast (which has the card game "Magic: The Gathering" as one of its most famous products), since Padmund himself is a 'Wizard of the [Menagerie] Coast'.
  • This was indirectly referenced by Brennan (who has "Mysterium: Battle Cards of Wildemount" as a similarly styled name for Padmund's game) and later addressed by Sam Riegel, who joked about how they had invented Magic: The Gathering in Exandria.
• Padmund has a Strength score of 21, impossible at this level without the use of the Belt of Hill Giant Strength magic item. He demonstrated his strength first by arm wrestling Yasha in the first episode, and in the following episode Padmund revealed his possession of the Belt.
• He shares the lowest AC and HP stats with Jessep, at 11 and 7 respectively.
• His favorite food is shoofly pie that his mother makes with real flies.
• He goes to bed very early.
• Aleks Le drew Padmund and his familiar together in the table, just as his character had done.

References

Art: