Gear: Alarm Earring (See Below), Belt of Giant Strength +6, Amulet of Health +6, Gloves of Dexterity +6, Cloak of Resistance +5, Mithral Breastplate +5, Noob Splitter’s Namesake (See Below), Ring of Freedom of Movement, Ring of Protection +5, Solid Platinum Full Plate (See Below)
Alarm Earring: This is a small sapphire worn in the ear. It takes up to “head” slot of magic items. As long as it is worn, the wearer is constantly surrounded by a version of the alarm spell. This version only extends five feet around the wearer and only alerts with the silent version.
Noob Splitter’s Namesake: This axe is longer than most ogres are tall. The blade is blacker than the blackest drow. In the side of the blade, a picture is etched. The picture is of a really be ogre. He is stepping on a very small halfling. The ogre is very happy while the halfling is not.
Noob Splitter is a Large Admantium Mighty Cleaving +5 Greataxe. In addition, the Noob Splitter has special powers when used against certain characters. The Noob Splitter despises multiclass characters, understanding that the true path is picking one class and sticking with it. As such, the wielder of the Noob Splitter receives a +1 divine bonus for each class in addition to the first a character has levels in (monster hit dice do not count). This divine bonus is added to the characters Armor Class and Saves against attacks from the character and to hit and damage rolls made with the Noob Splitter against the character. Additionally, the Noob Splitter particularly hates Prestige Classes and for each prestige class the character has levels in, the wielder gains a +1 profane bonus to the same rolls in addition to the divine bonus from having multiple classes.
However if the person wielding the weapon is a mutliclass character or has a prestige class, they take the same total bonus number in negative levels as long as they wield the weapon.
Weapon cost: 199,000 gp
Solid Platinum Full Plate: This functions just like a normal set of masterwork full plate, but costs 100 times the usual amount.
Appearance: Noob Splitter really big, even though he is an ogre which is usually really big, he is bigger. Three halflings standing on each others shoulders are as tall as him. One guy tried to count how many muscles he had, but his eyes feel out before he could finish. The Noob Splitter is also really good looking, but no one ever notices because he is too much of an ogre. His head massive and his hair is puffed out into the biggest afro that anyone has ever seen. It was once said that no man can see if Noob Splitter decides to sit in front of them and so far, no man has.
Noob Splitter is very confident in himself. He walks proudly and wears all of his gear prominently. His cloak of resistance is made from the pelt of the most ornery dire bear ever seen. Some say the bear was so angry at everyone, that he once ate a rock because it looked at him funny. Noob Splitter’s armor is as shiny as a mirror. Sometimes, he takes it off to admire his good looks, but usually he wears it so that his enemies don’t accidentally hit him.
History: Noob Splitter is not Noob Splitter’s real name. His real name was Anthony, but he forgot it when he discovered his purpose. Noob Splitter was manly, manlier than even the manliest ogre in his tribe. He was better than any other ogre, even though he was only two years old. But, Noob Splitter was also real smart. He understood early that the only way he could become stronger was to beat up people weaker than him. He started with rats, than goblins and kept getting stronger and stronger. He kept doing this and soon become unstoppable on his mountain, so he left.
Over his years, Noob Splitter found things he liked. He found he liked hitting things and seeing how far he could make them fly. He liked looking at women, especially those with really big breasts. But not everything was good. He saw that other creatures understood the secrets of power. They went around beating up things weaker then them and they did it in groups. They were called adventurers. These things needed to be split in half before they got as strong as Noob Splitter. So, Noob Splitter made sure to get rid of them while they were still weak. In Giant, Noob is the word for someone who is weak, which is where his name comes from.
This pastime fulfilled his love of making things fly, but did little for his love of women with big breasts. Even though Noob Splitter is very harsh, he does not take advantage of people that he doesn’t need to kill. So, Noob Splitter has a second job of party organizer. He has no skills in doing it, so he just bullies other people into doing the job. When he is doing this job, he pretends to be Sir Largeous Mannus, a really tall man from a far away country, but everyone knows it is really Noob Splitter. Sir Largeous Mannus wears full plate made from pure platinum even though it is uncomfortable. He thinks it makes him look professional and disguises his appearance, but neither of these are true. The women think he is a very good party planner, because no matter how unreasonable they are, Noob Splitter finds the right person to make it happen. He is very in demand, but he is very selective about his clients. He researches them thoroughly to make sure they are hot or have lots of hot friends. He also never accepts clients who are gnomes or halflings because they are too small. He rarely accepts elves for that same reason. Although some people think this makes him a jerk, Noob Splitter does not know this because everyone is afraid to tell him.
Personality: Noob Splitter has a very good sense of humor, though people tend to be too scared of him to laugh at his jokes. This is unfortunate, because Noob Splitter hates people with no sense of humor. Even though he is smart for an ogre, he is not that smart and also gets upset when people tell jokes above his head. In either case, it is possible that a head may be lost if the proper apologizes and addresses of attractive female friends are not handed over immediately.
Although not religious, Noob Splitter has a profound respect for clerics and druids. No one understands why this is so.
Noob Splitter has no respect for people who cheat. This includes people who use magic to disappear, people who fly and people who make invisible walls to trap him. These people are noobs and need to learn how to fight. Cheaters like this are the reason why Noob Splitter prefers to attack people in dark allies when they are just getting out of the bar, totally wasted. In these cases, the noobs rarely have the chance to cheat him before getting split.
Noob Splitter has great taste in babes, but no woman has ever tamed him. Noob Splitter likes to travel a lot and can’t be tied down. He travels alone, because he hates sharing stuff. Although many people’s lives could have been saved by a man as manly as Noob Splitter, he never helps other people, even the sexiest woman with the biggest breasts ever. Noob Splitter understands that the true path in life is to live for Noob Splitter and as such is always living for himself. He takes everything for himself, which is why he has so much awesome gear. Noob Splitter does know that people sometimes say important things, so he tries to talk to people who might know about noobs in need of splitting. Noob Splitter does not tell his secrets, but he does give good advice at times, including:
“If you’re gonna be a noob, you’re gonna get split.”
“Being a real man is about picking one thing and sticking to it. Even if you’re going to be a noobish wizard, you gotta at least only be a noobish wizard.”
“If you travel in a pack, you gotta know that just means bigger monsters will try an eat you and you gotta split the meat.”
“Don’t fall for them elves. You’ll think you got a hot babe and than you find it’s a dude.” (This is a true story)
How do I use this most awesome character?
Noob Splitter is really good for any game. Here are just a few awesome uses:
Kill an annoying PC: Sometimes, certain players just get on your nerves. Instead of doing something lame like telling them a 5,000 pound rock fell on their character, have Noob Splitter split them. He hits harder than a 5,000 pound rock and can say something bodacious like “You noob, I owned you for free” over the corpse of the jerks character. All of the other players will immediately know you mean business and may even worship the awesomeness that is Noob Splitter. His domains are Strength and War and his favored weapon is the Greataxe. If the characters do not worship his awesomeness, you probably didn’t introduce him well enough and should have him kill the second most annoying players character and try again. You can repeat this until they are all dead if needed.
Beat Something Up: Sometimes the players aren’t being annoying, but they are total noobs and are getting whooped by a goblin or something else stupid and you really don’t want them to die because that would be lame. You can have the Noob Splitter run into the fight and split the goblin. The PCs should all get soaked in its blood as Noob Splitter totally cuts it in half (unless he rolls a run which would not rule in the least). Than the Noob Splitter can introduce himself and the players can roleplay how impressed they are with him for fifteen minutes until he gets bored and does something else.
Party Planner: If one of the PCs is a hot babe who is throwing a party, they might hear of a man called Sir Largeous Mannus that can help them. The players should have a blast roleplaying with Noob Splitter who swears no one knows who he is and totally has no clue what he is doing. But, it is important to remember that no matter what, he can totally make it happen, even if they ask for four succubus cage dancers HE CAN FIND A WAY.
Conquering the Unconquerable: At some point, the players might find out that the Noob Splitter is totally the man and try to be more the man then him by finding a way to defeat his greatness. There should be an epic showdown with lots of awesome music and special effects. If the players beat him, his body will explode for some reason, but his gear will be all there’s to take. But, if the PCs have to cheat to beat him (which they probably will), Noob Splitter’s ghost will haunt them until they admit they cheated and stab themselves to death with Noob Splitter’s Namesake, making for a cruel twist ending that no one would expect. The players will deserve it and they will know better next time.
Conclusion: This just might be the best NPC ever, so I hope you liked it.
In Homage to My Hero, Deshawn Williams The Number One Tira Groupie
This character is very specific as it is something i have worked on for my campaign setting i am running. The notes at the end describe ways to change the character in order to take away the specifics to be more general and to allow him to be inserted into any setting.
Darkstar the Assassin
Also known as the Shadow less and once called Blayn Illes’Duran, who was destined by the prophets of the old times to bring destruction upon the nations of the Shadow Elves. __________________________________________________________________________
In the realm of the gods it is believed by men that there are two beings that lords on high hold in much esteem who serve their will with unquestioned loyalty, these beings are known as the Stars and the Darkstars. Stars, which are beings of immense light, are said to serve the gods of good coming to mortal realm to guide the holy in the fight against evil. In contrast are the Darkstars, voids of darkness, are thought to serve the evil gods, beings that would see the end to life of all mortals who do not follow their path. One such god was called Male’sherro, who was jealous of his brother Elysnar a god with much more power then his own who created, among many things, the Shadow Elves. Male’sherro tried to aid in the forming of the world but his creations where so meager, so disgusting not even Male’sherro would admit to producing such things. Instead he decided he would bring all sort of pain to the Shadow Elves, the first chosen of Elysnar.
Many millennia later, during a great golden age for the Shadow Elves a prophecy was foretold. It spoke of a man of half elven and half human blood, the first of his kind in fact, which would cause the nation of the Shadow Elves to fall apart and wrought destruction across the lands. This became known as The Darkstar Prophecy as it was believed that it was a champion of Male’Sherro that would bring an end to their nation. From that day the Shadow Elves became a reclusive nation, barely trading with the other nations especially those of the humans, because of this their golden age waned and their power and influence in the world as well. ____________________________________________________________________________
Mylis Illes’Duran was a respectable noble and ambassador from the Shadow Elves to the nation of Odin-Tor, a young nation founded by Lord Odin Stonart who was exiled from the kingdom of the dwarfs though whose influence was so great that thousands of his countrymen went into exile with him. The new nation’s political and military influence grew swiftly as wars in the west caused a great influx of refuges into the new nation. Lord Illes’Duran was sent to gain insight into the plans of this new nation and to make peace for the future, and it was here he met his love. Delila Briconus, she was the daughter of Lord Briconus, a human lord who ruled the Province of Reverof in the nation of Odin-Tor. Delila was the most brilliant and attractive human girl that Mylis had ever met, and though it went against his peoples traditions he took here as his wife in a secret marriage so that no one would discover his secret.
Mylis stayed in Odin-Tor as a long term ambassador an advisor to King Odin. He and his wife had one child, Blayn Illes’Duran, who they raised in secret for three years. One day a group of knights came, Shadow Elves, lead by a Sorcerer named Ultherous. Through dark magic and with the aid of demons Ultherous tracked down Blayn. He was the only person who knew of the marriage and waited until they had a child before he told the king of the forbidden union. He wanted the child for his own purposes and while he was sent to kill the child he did not intend to do that. When the Knights came Mylis and his personal guards fought bravely and where not for Ultherous’ magic they would have been victorious. Delila sent Blayn away with a trusted friend, an old man named Naral, while she went to see if Mylis was ok. Ultherous dealt with Delila just as mercilessly as he had Mylis and went in search of Blayn who was already far gone.
Naral and Blayn traveled from city to city, heading west never staying in any place for long. As he grew older Blayn’s anger for his parents’ death slowly turned his heart dark. When he was 15 he met a man named Dakoas Baleheart who leader of a secret guild of thieves and assassins. Dakoas heard Blayn’s tale and knew he could be trained and would be a great asset to the guild. Blayn bid farewell to Naral who did not try and stop him, deciding that if everything prophesied where true he would Blayn find out for himself. Blayn himself knew of the prophecy but believed it to be only superstition.
For 5 years Blayn worked as an assassin for Dakoas’ guild and learned everything he could about sorcery, swordsmanship, and every aspect of his trade. When finally he had enough power to suit himself he left the guild and changed his name to Darkstar, a way he felt to mock the people that had killed his family and to whom he would bring his wrath. Dakoas did not try to stop Blayn from leaving, normally the guild would not allow this but he knew Blayn’s anger and need for revenge was strong. That was not an enemy that they needed to try and fight against.
Soon after he left the guild and began his quest Naral returned bringing Darkstar a gift. It was a small crystal sphere only 5 inches in diameter which he called the Orb of Souls. It was said to be an ancient artifact crafted by a shadow elemental. Naral informed Darkstar where he could find Ultherous, the man who had killed his family, and told him of a spell that would activate the Orb of Souls and allow him to destroy his enemy. So with his new weapon Darkstar headed to the land of the Shadow Elves and quickly tracked down Ultherous who was high chancellor to the king. The fight that ensued brought Ultherous’ tower to rubble, Ultherous escaped and fled the kingdom of the Shadow Elves and Darkstar found himself changed. The orb, instead of taking Ultherous’ soul, had instead taken his own and was now bonded to him. Addition to taking his soul the orb displaced Darkstar’s shadow making it its own being, a force that vowed to retain its body even if it must kill Darkstar in order to remove the orb and break the spell.
Darkstar has since searched fifty odd years for Ultherous who he believes has begun to influence the politics of his birth nation Odin-Tor. In this time Darkstar gained a name for himself as an outcast of society, he has been the suspect of countless assassinations of noble men he believes to be in league with Ultherous. It is in this time that he met Princess Rune Sianna, the new ambassador from the Shadow Elves. Darkstar was commissioned to kill the Princess but it was a trap to capture him. He easily escaped but was enthralled with Rune’s beauty and would return several times there after explaining to her his tale and why he was killing those he believed to be corrupt. ___________________________________________________________________________
Darkstar stand five and a half feet tall and has the features of any half-elf. His ears are slightly pointed and his skin is pale. His face holds many small nicks and scars from marks that have given him a run for his money. His hair is short and a dark brown, his eyes a similar shade. He wears black leather armor with buckles crafted from a black stone. Over his armor he wears an oversized black cloak that he always has on except when on a job. Most of the time his face is kept hidden with a black scarf wrapped around his head. Often he is seen with a small crystal orb floating around his body which of all his gear is his most obvious call sign. Under his cloak he has a sheath strapped to his back which holds his trusted blade made from obsidian.
Str 15 Hit Points 88 Dex 20 AC 22, Touch 18, Flat 18 Con 12 Init +9 (+5 dex, +4 Imp. Init) Int 13 BAB +10 Wis 11 Speed 30ft Cha 7 Saves Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +8
Spells per day: Sorcerer 6/4 Spells known: Level 0- Resistance, Detect Poison, Daze, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic. Level 1- Hold Portal, Obscuring Mist, Flame of Shadows*.
Gear: Scourge (+3 Keen longsword of Wounding), Shadow Leather Armor +2 (+10 hide checks), Masterwork Thieves’ Kit, Ring of Climbing (+10 climb checks) Boots of Speed, The Orb of Souls.
Scourge: This is a longsword made from obsidian with an iron hilt wrapped in red leather strapping. It was crafted by wizard in payment for a job he did ‘dispatching’ a lord that was charging obscene taxes for a tower the wizard had built in his city. Because of his reputation most thought of the assassination has just another enemy of Darkstar taking any blame away from the wizard.
The Orb of Souls: Where this powerful artifact came from is a mystery to most, Naral claiming it was made by Shadow Elementals is the closest to any theory about the item. Its complete powers are unknown to Darkstar but the orb has granted him great skills affecting him as his soul would will. The primary function of the orb is to steal the souls of any that die in a close area around it. When it is first activated, and doesn’t currently have a living owner, the orb will entrap the soul of its user and give itself up to the bearer’s mental control. Unless command else wise the orb with gravitate around the head of the user as would an Ioun stone. Any soul that has ever been taken by the orb I still within it, trapped in a void of nothingness drifting alone. Some souls within the orb have discovered ways to speak with the bearer and can aid or bother him. Each time a soul is taken into the orb it gives the user strength and can sometimes steal traits from them to enhance the user.
The current effects granted to Darkstar from The Orb of Souls: +2 will save, +15 hit points, +3 deflection bonus to AC, Regeneration of 1 hp per hour, and the ability to blink per the wizard spell 3/day as if cast by a wizard of equal level. It has also affected his pet Yashall granting her some qualities of shadow.
As well as these abilities Darkstar has used the power of the orb to create the Flame of Shadows Spell.
Flame of Shadows Evocation [Shadow] Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 Free Action Range: Personal / weapon Duration: 1 round/level
This spell makes a flame to strike out from the casters shoulder and run down his arm and onto his weapon. The flame is a dark black and appears to be shadows flickering off the casters body. The flame stays along the casters arm and weapon until the spell runs out or is dispelled. The spell gives additional d4 shadow damage per level (5d4 max) to melee attacks made with the engulfed weapon. Only one weapon the caster wields can be enhanced at a time. Creatures immune to shadow damage are unaffected by the spell and the weapon counts as a magic weapon to overcome damage reduction. Additional the caster can use the enhanced arm to defend himself gaining a damage reduction of 1/+1 per caster level (5/+1 max) against attacks made in the front or on the flank to which the Flame of Shadows is in effect.
Combat: Darkstar is an assassin, brute combat is not his specialty and he will try to avoid it if possible. If he must battle he will put his spells and powers to good use, generally opening with Flame of Shadow and keeping his front and his protected flank toward his enemies. If over power he will use his Blink spell to get out of combat and attempt to move into a position to get a sneak attack on his enemy. The wounding effects of his blade Scourge can be used to take down an enemy who has already been hurt severely. To do this Darkstar will use his defensive abilities in order to give himself time until his enemy falls. If losing Darkstar will always keep one Blink abbility ready to flee from battle.
Yashall, Darkstar’s panther companion
Yashall was once a normal panther kitten, given to Darkstar in secret as a gift from Princess Rune. Prolonged exposure to the effects of Darkstar’s Orb of Souls has gifted Yashall with powers of Shadow.
Medium-Size Beast Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (45 hp) Initiative: +6 (+2dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 40 ft. AC: 15 (+2 dex, +3 natural) Attacks: 2 claws +9 melee, bite +4 melee Damage: Claw d8+6; bite 2d6+3 Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Pounce, improved grab, rake d8+3 Special Qualities: Shadow Blend, Scent Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Balance +6, Listen +6, Move Silently +9, Spot +6, Swim +11 Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative Alignment: TN CR: 6
Combat: As Darkstar’s usual combat involves assassinations Yashall doesn’t get into fights a lot. When she does she stays to Darkstar’s rear defending him unless told else wise. If Darkstar is unconscious she will attempt to awaken him if in danger and will defend him till she dies if he does not arise. Shadow Form (su): During any condition other than full daylight, Yashall can take form into a shadow, giving nine-tenths concealment. Artificial illumination short of a daylight spell will not stop this effect. This effect is identical to the Shadow Blend ability of the Shadow Mastiff.
Notes: The history of Darkstar is a very detailed one that I wanted to show here in full. Following this total description is not needed to add Darkstar into a campaign. Following is suggested changes to add Darkstar into your world.
1) Cut his history down to only those pertaining to his family being murdered and part of his on going goal as an assassin is to track down the killer. Because of his dark past and chosen profession you can easily change Darkstar’s alignment to any combination depending on how you wish him to carry out his acts. If he will not take any job that is against people that are good he could be NG, if he accepts any job and will kill anyone for personal gain towards his goals he could be NE or CE.
If you drop his past, you may include dropping the history about Princess Rune Sianna. Yashall can then be a panther he bought in an exotic market, or he found while traveling in a forest from one city to another.
2) The creatures of Stars and Darkstars are to my setting as angles would be in christianity. Instead of this Darkstar can be a name that Blayn gave himself as a metaphor of darkness for his sorrow. While stars are pure light, a darkstar would be the opposite.
3) If he is to powerful for you needs the Orb of Souls can be dropped, in exchange giving him some minor magic items to enhance his ability of stealth.
4) Shadow Elves are a race of elves custom to the world I play in. Any other elves can be used in place of this type and the history of Darkstar being the first of his kind need not be used.
5) All names used are names from my own campaign setting, fill free to change any of them to fit your own.
Calista “The Ice Queen”: Female Human Sorcerer 3; Medium-size Humanoid; 3d4+3; HP 11; Init +0; Speed 30ft.; AC 10; Base Attack Bonus +1; Attack +2 melee (Ice Dagger 1d4+1+3 Cold) ; SQ Summon Familiar; AL NG; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +3; Str 12, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12.
Possessions: Cold Weather Outfit, Broken Knife (hilt), Backpack, 300gp, Chunks of Meat, Flint and Steel
Spells Known - 5/3: o level: Resistance, Ray of Frost, Detect Magic, Ghost Sounds, Light; 1st level: Burning Hands, Endure Elements, Calista's Icy Dagger Spell Per Day - 6/5
New Spell
Calista’s Icy Dagger Conjuration (Creation) [Cold] Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, F Casting Time: 1 minutes Range: Personal Effect: One dagger of ice Duration: 10 minutes + 1 minute per levels Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No This spell creates a functional dagger of ice that is as strong as steel. It functions as a normal dagger accept it deals 1d4+1 cold damage per level (max +3). If casted in freezing temperatures it tends to last for a longer period of time (20 minutes + 1minute per level) but it still melts in to a puddle of water after set amount of time. Focus: A dagger’s hilt with no blade attached
Animal companion
“Winter’s Wind” The Snowy Owl; Tiny Magical Beast; 3d8; HP 5; Init +3; Speed 10ft fly 40 ft.; AC 19 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 16; Base Attack Bonus +1; Attack +4 Melee (Claw 1d4-3/20); SQ Alertness, Low-light Vision, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Empathic Link, Deliver Touch Spells ; AL N; SV Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4; Str 4, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 4. Skill and Feats: Listen +14, Move Silently +17, Spot +6*; Weapon Finesse
*They have a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks in areas of shadowy illumination.
Physical Description
Calista Stands about 4’10” and weight only about 75lbs. She has white shoulder length hair and her skin is pale as if she been in the cold to long. She typically wares a parka made from artic dwelling animals and a backpack that hangs from her shoulder. Calista always shivers as if she’s cold even in warm places and usually stand hugging her self try to stay warm.
History
Calista’s life started out normal she live with her father who was a taxidermist, and her older sister in a small house in the town of Belloc. It was a small town farther north then any other. It was always cold there so cold that the river running thru it always had a thin sheet of ice on it. It was a very peaceful place to live until the day the bandits came. Calista and her family were at the market when they came riding thru town kill every one in the path. The family tried to run to their house but made it only as far as the bridge before they were cut of by an orc bandit. Her father tried to protect her and her sister from him but was kill in the attempt. Lying there dead at her feet she noticed his favorite knife in his belt. She bent down and grabbed the knife, ran at the orc and tried to stab him but the knife blade broke against his armor. The orc pushed her and she fell in to the river and she was carried by the current until she past out.
She regained conciseness washed up on shore with a small owl in her face. The little owl would hoot and pull on her jacket until she stood up it then started to fly away. She didn’t know why but something in her head told her to follow that owl. She followed it for a week thought the forest until she came to a small barbarian village.
The village elder took her in as his own daughter and taught her the ways of cyromancy. Over the year she developed a bond with the little white owl that save her life and studied her magic Until the day that her adoptive father died of old age and she tool on the role of village protector. In honor over her real father she developed a new spell that allows her to form a blade on to the old hilt of his favorite knife.
Adventure Hooks
1. Over the years Calista has found out were the bandits that killed her family came from and is willing to pay for help in getting revenge. 2. Calista always been able to protect the village but recently attacks have been more frequent and organized. She’s willing to pay to get someone to figure out who’s behind the attacks.
Medium Humanoid (Human) Hit Dice: 12d6+12 (58 hp) Initiative: +1 (-2 disfigurement, +3 Dex) Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares) Armor Class: 10 (+1 Dex, +8 full plate) Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+7 Attack: dwarven urgrosh +3 melee (1d8+3 or 1d6+3) or heavy mace +2 (1d8+3), or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+2) Full Attack: dwarven urgrosh +3/+3/+0 melee (1d8+3 or 1d6+3, 1d6+2 {off hand} and 1d8+3 or 1d6+3), or heavy mace +7/+2 (1d8+3), or javelin +6/+1 ranged (1d6+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: spells (see below) Special Qualities: Disfigured (right eye blinded) Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +12 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 10 Skills: Concentration +8, Heal +12, Knowledge (nature) +2, Spellcraft +5, Survival +10 (+8 if tracking) Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Dwarven Urgrosh), Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus (Dwarven Urgrosh), Leadership, Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defense Challenge Rating: 11 Alignment: CN Equipment: +1 Vicious Strike Dwarven urgrosh, +1 Moderate Fortification Chitin and Conch Shell Full Plate Armor(alternative materials make the armor bulkier than it would normally be, but no heavier), Silver Holy Symbol, Trade Items (GM's Discretion, see "How to Incorporate..." below).
DESCRIPTION Hafa Adai looks like a lunatic. Although he is quite sane, he is definitely a zealot. [Had he been a PC, he would definitely have been a cleric or paladin.] He is also the only source of trade on the small tropical island of Ombaba-Maomao. His Hair, black and curly, is worn in an enormous Afro, piled high upon his head, and bound upwards like a broom, with twine. His face is practically hairless. His body is covered from neck to ankles in an ill-fitting and bizarre suit of plate armor that appears to be fashioned from the chitin and shells of several sea creatures. His feet are bare, and thickly calloused. He has several javelins stored in a quiver woven from palm fronds and seaweed, and reeks of fish and seaweed at all times. Despite this, he seems to have an almost supernatural quality of leadership, as the "Loyal" tribe followers demonstrate. He uses a wicked-looking dwarven urgrosh as a walking stick, and as his primary weapon. His face is a maze of tribal tattoos and scars. One major scar runs from the top of his forehead straight down through his right eye and halfway down his cheek. His right eye is milky white, and obviously blind. The good eye seems to penetrate right through you when he looks at you. His speech, although lowborn, is very wise, belying his apparent age.
Hafa stands just over 6 feet tall, and weighs in around 230. His apparent age is late twenties, though he often seems much older (he is in fact about 28 years old). He wears a silver holy symbol (choose a god/goddess of strength from your pantheon).
COMBAT Hafa Adai will call his followers forth in combat to buy him a few rounds. He expects them to lay down their lives for him when the going gets tough. Meanwhile, he will cast two for one as soon as possible, swap out urgroshes with the copy, cast bull's strength on the copy, and send it into battle as his "avatar." From there, he will supplement his allies with aid and himself with magic vestment, and then wade in with whatever offensive spells he has prepared (such as lightning bolt, scorching ray, or sleep. If he has time to prepare, he will cast enlarge person on Uda, and spell immunity upon himself before entering combat. If his copy is dispelled, he will call a retreat and flee with his followers. Hafa always wields his urgrosh two-handed, so the strength modifiers have been adjusted accordingly. His use of armor that he isn't proficient with has been a hindrance to his combat prowess, which is why he will always cast bull's strength on the copy.
Spells Known: (prepares 3/4/4/3/1)prepared spells are bold 0th Level: create water, cure minor wounds, detect magic, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, touch of fatigue.
1st Level: bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, endure elements, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law, sleep.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, minor creation, polymorph, restoration, stoneskin, two from one*, wall of fire.
*New Spell: Two From One Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 3, Cl 3, Adept 4 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 1 round/level (D) Two from one is a reduction of the psionic power fission. (You do not need access to that power's description to use this spell in your campaign.) Two from one causes a duplicate of the caster to magically step out of the caster. The "copy" is an exact physical duplicate of the caster, except that it does not retain any spells, spell-like abilities, or other magical or psionic powers the caster might have, nor does it possess the same magic items that the caster has. All non-magical equipment is duplicated exactly (even masterwork items), and any magical equipment is duplicated with non-magical (but still masterwork) copies. The caster can choose to swap equipment with the copy if time permits.
The copy cannot use magic devices that require caster or manifester abilities, unless the caster has the Use Magic Device skill, and the copy makes the check successfully. The copy is also borrowing a portion of the life essence of the caster, so the caster and copy share a single hit point pool, from which any damage can be spread between the caster and the copy as a free action during the caster's turn. Should a single blow reduce either the caster or the copy to zero or lower hit points, the copy is immediately dispelled, and all remaining hit points return to the caster. This means if the caster received the mortal wound, he is injured but not unconscious, and the copy is dispelled, and if the copy received the mortal wound, the caster is injured but not unconscious, and the copy is dispelled. All rules for massive damage apply to the caster regardless of whether the copy or the caster received the massive damage. Any equipment swapped between the caster and a dispelled copy is dropped in the last position of the copy, and copy equipment in the caster's possession disappears.
Disfigured: Hafa Adai suffered an injury that resulted in the loss of vision in his right eye. The result of this loss is a -2 penalty to any actions undertaken that require the use of both eyes. The following are all affected by this disfigurement: Appraise, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Forgery, Open Lock, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, and Survival (for tracking only) skill checks, initiative rolls, Dexterity checks, ranged attacks, and Reflex saves. Should Hafa receive a cure blindness spell or other regenerative effect that returns his sight permanently, adjust these check modifiers accordingly.
BACKGROUND Some visitors have suggested that Hafa Adai has a dwarven bloodline, and although he is not short, or particularly thick of build, he does exhibit many outwardly dwarven behaviors, especially in his love for his chosen weapon, the dwarven urgrosh. He won the urgrosh from a traveling dwarf in a trade of mythical proportions between the tribe and the dwarf's adventuring party. It was this trade that also falsely convinced Hafa of his prowess as a trader, in spite of the fact that he has never honed his skills in that regard.
Since then, Hafa trained with the dwarven urgrosh almost to the exclusion of other, more accepted, tribal weaponry, and has excelled with it. During one of many heated battles with the neighboring sauhaugin Hafa was maimed, losing the use of his right eye. In spite of his ability to wield healing magic, the eye was never repaired. Hafa welcomes the disfigurement, showing his tribe that strength comes not from wholeness of body, but from the determination to use what you have to its greatest effect. The sauhaugin were later persuaded to become allies with the human tribe, though their relations remain tense. The sauhaugin have great respect for Hafa and his tribe, though, and will quickly side with them against a common threat.
The tribe made a huge trade with the sauhaugin for the magnificent enchanted conch-and-chitin full plate armor suit that Hafa wears. He wears it reluctantly, and only at the insistence of his tribe. He feels it belittles his strength and makes him look weak to hide behind such armor, no matter how magnificent it might be, but the tribe insists on his protection, even if it slows him down a little. He tries to incorporate the armor into his intimidation, but it doesn't really work, since he has no idea how to really utilize armor to its greatest advantage.
Hafa is not the most intelligent being in his tribe, nor is he the strongest, but his status as a witchdoctor makes him nigh untouchable. Because of this, the tribe pretty much lets him do whatever he wants, including run their trade (albeit badly). His trades are often highly inequitable, although they are at times equally bad for his tribe and for those he trades with. Fortunately for the tribe, most folk have little or no interest in the island of Ombaba-Maomao, so trade is a pretty limited function. Tribesmen will attempt to negotiate trade on their own behalf, but if Hafa is present, or appears during negotiation, the tribesman will defer completely to Hafa, even if he gets a rotten deal as a result of Hafa's involvement. This is considered to be the tribe's price for having a powerful witchdoctor--even if he doesn't act like one most of the time. Although he is not actually crazy (in spite of the eccentricity), he does suffer from an acute inability to tolerate liars or oath-breakers. He will do business with anyone, as long as they seem to remain unfailingly honest to him. If he feels he is being duped in any way, there will be a fight.
While it is not a true alter ego, Hafa does act as a trader in most of his daily activities. He resorts to being a witchdoctor only when the necessity arises, and then only when he is sufficiently pushed by his tribe. His tribe tolerates this “alternative lifestyle” only because he is so highly esteemed.
HAFA'S COHORT AND FOLLOWERS Cohort: Uda, Male Human Barbarian 4/Adept 5; CR 8; HD 4d10+5d6 (hp 48); Init +2; Speed 30 ft.; AC 18 (T 13, FF 16); Base/Grapple +6/+9; Attack +10 Mace (1d8+4), or +9 Greatsword (2d6+5, 19-20, -2 to AC for no shield), or +8 Javelin (1d6+3, x3, 30'); Full Attack +10/+5 Mace (1d8+4), or +9/+4 Greatsword (2d6+5, 19-20, -2 to AC for no shield), or +8/+3 Javelin (1d6+3, x3, 30'); SA Spells; Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +8; Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 10; Skills: Climb +9, Concentration +6, Handle Animal +6, Heal +9, Knowledge (nature) +7, Listen +6, Ride +5, Spellcraft +6, Spot +6; Feats: Point Blank Shot, Far Shot, Precise Shot, Power Attack, Cleave; AL CN; Possessions: +1 heavy mace, MW heavy wooden shield, MW greatsword, +1 hide armor, 1 MW javelin, 2 javelin of lightning, silver holy symbol, trading goods (GM's Discretion). Spells prepared: cure minor wounds, read magic, purify food and drink, bless, cause fear, obscuring mist, cure moderate wounds, scorching ray
Uda is powerful, but Trylia is far more likely to succeed Hafa as the next witchdoctor of the tribe. Uda is too devoted to following Hafa Adai to successfully branch out on his own as a leader, and will probably at some point sacrifice himself to save Hafa, if things ever went badly for the tribe. His worship of Hafa Adai is unnerving, even to the other tribesmen. He is far more likely to revert to the use of the sword than to rely on his spiritual powers. This is not to say that he will ignore these tools, but they are more like tools to him than a spiritual connection. His true worship is of Hafa Adai, and only the strength of his faith in his leader grants him the spiritual powers he has. He continues to advance in both warrior and adept, claiming that one day he will combine the rolls of tribal chieftain and witchdoctor (though he frankly has no such aspiration, and is content with following Hafa into the grave). He is slowly learning the talents of leadership that make Hafa Adai so irresistible to others.
Followers: Trylia, Female Human Adept 2; CR 1; HD 2d6 (hp 9); Init +4; Speed 30; AC 10 (T 10, FF 10); Base/Grapple +1/+2; Attack +3 Heavy Mace (1d8+1) or +1 Javelin (1d6, x3); Full Attack +2 Heavy Mace (1d8+1), or +1 Javelin (1d6, x3, 30'); SA Spells; Saves: Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +6; Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 13; Skills: Concentration +5, Craft (alchemy) +7, Heal +3, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (religion) +7, Spellcraft +7; Feats: Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shop; AL CN. Possessions: MW heavy mace, 3 javelins, wooden holy symbol, scroll with burning hands, cure light wounds, spell components, trading goods (GM's Discretion). Spells prepared: cure minor wounds, light, mending, cure light wounds
Hafa Adai is honing Trylia as a spiritual weapon. In spite of this, she continues to train with the warriors--perfecting her ability with the javelin is her long-term goal. Trylia lacks the physical dexterity to handle the dwarven urgrosh though, which is fast-becoming the weapon of choice for the tribe. Instead, she concentrates on maximizing her spiritual power. Although young (she is barely of majority age), she is very intelligent, and will not take foolish risks. Hafa values her counsel most of all his loyal followers. Trylia is the only one that Hafa knowingly allows to deal in trade when he is present, and unlike her mentor, she is trying to actively learn the arts of appraisal and diplomacy. If she meets a player character that demonstrates those skills, she will offer trade of service for service, and try to learn these skills from that character in exchange for crafting alchemical substances or other services. She does share Hafa Adai's disdain for liars and will treat them with the same violence as her mentor would.
and
Ten Human Warrior 1 (7 male/3 female); CR 1/2; HD 1d10+2 (hp 12); Init +1; Speed 30 ft.; AC 14 (T 11, FF 13); Base/Grapple +1/+4; Attack +4 Heavy Mace (1d8+3), +4 Dwarven Urgrosh (1d8+3 or 1d6+3), or +1 Javelin (1d6+3, x3); Full Attack +4 Heavy Mace (1d8+3), or +1 Javelin (1d6+3, x3, 30'); Saves: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; Abilities: Str 16, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 10; Skills: Climb +7, Intimidate +4, Listen +1, Spot +1, Swim +7; Feats: Combat Reflexes, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Dwarven Urgrosh); AL CN. Possessions: Heavy Mace, 3 javelins, dwarven urgrosh, trading goods (GM's Discretion).
These warriors practice a growing trend within the tribe, the use of the witchdoctor's spear, or the dwarven urgrosh. This trend is leaning towards feats that maximize the use of the double weapon. The urgrosh will probably replace the heavy mace as the weapon of choice for the tribe within a generation. Hafa Adai's followers make up about 25% of the tribe's total combatants.
HOW TO INCORPORATE THIS CHARACTER AND HIS FOLLOWERS INTO YOUR GAME Any adventures that take the party onto an island can easily incorporate this character and his tribe, (obviously, the name of the island doesn't have to be "Ombaba-Maomao" for this to work). Hafa can be used as a plot device to offer in trade items your party will need for upcoming encounters, or he can simply be a red herring, or mini-encounter prior to the main event, if he chooses to doubt the honesty of the party (or if his Wisdom checks as substitution for untrained sense motive checks actually catch someone behaving dishonestly).
If you don't want him to be an islander, he will work equally well in any coastal environment. Moving him inland will force some changes to the armor, and to the back-story of how the armor was acquired (the neighboring tribe might be goblins that provide him with a suit of hobgoblin armor, for example). These changes are relatively minor, and have no impact to the overall character.
Trade Items: The GM Should give each character standard treasure for their character level. At least 2/3 of this treasure should be in actively used equipment, but the remainder can be "trade items." This is a euphemism, meaning "anything the GM might want the islanders to trade to the PCs." Remember, Hafa and crew are plot devices that can be used to equip or strip PCs useful items, so this aspect should not be overlooked in role-playing these characters. Do not let the PCs buy items from the islanders. They operate strictly on the barter system, and have no interest in piles of soft metal coins or other "currency," although they might trade finished jewelry (unset stones are NOT jewelry) or other artwork for goods the PCs want.
It's important to note a few things: Any encounter with nearby sauhaugin while wearing Hafa's armor will automatically go bad for adventurers, as they consider Hafa's tribe friendly, and understand the consequences of someone else wearing his armor. The other thing to consider is that for the combatants represented here, the GM should include at least 30-35 more combatant warriors, and an additional 50-60 non-combatant commoners or experts, as the remainder of the tribe. They need not ever be presented to the players, but the GM should consider the actions of this NPC and his followers based on their tribe's survivability, and not have this NPC or his followers throw away their lives meaninglessly.
Possessions: quarterstaff +1, cloak of charisma +2, ring of mind shielding, bracers of armor +1, artisan's outfit, artisan's tools, spellbook*, component pouch, golden seal with jade embossing and platinum filigree (800 gp value)
*Adanar’s spellbook is “written” in a Braille-like language.
Elven Traits: -Medium: As Medium creatures, half-elves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. -Half-elf base land speed is 30 feet. -Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects, and a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells or effects. -Low-Light Vision: A half-elf can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. -+1 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. -+2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks. -Elven Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-elf is considered an elf. -Automatic Languages: Common and Elven. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic). -Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass half-elf takes an experience point penalty, her highest-level class does not count.
Blindness: The character cannot see. He takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class, loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), moves at half speed, and takes a -4 penalty on Search checks and on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Spot checks) automatically fail. (These penalties have been applied to the character already)
Physical Description: At 5' 7" and 136 pounds, Adanar is a very slight man. He has fine, shoulder length hair, brown but prematurely graying. He sports a wispy, well-kempt beard and sharp facial features that strongly evince his elven heritage. He generally wears common, ill-fitting artisan's clothing which hangs loosely from his bony frame. A white cloth bandage is always wrapped around his damaged eyes (though this is primarily for effect - as the damage to his eyes is mostly internal, they appear relatively healthy). He voice is firm but kind, his gait slow and deliberate. All together, he appears frail and harmless.
Personality: Put bluntly, Adanar is a sociopath. It's not clear whether this is a result of his bond to the Shankyar basilisk or if it's something he developed on his own, but this is of little consequence to his many victims. Over the years, he has become quite skilled at concealing his true self - spinning lies, gathering blackmail, even casting charms on his patrons. He seldom stays in one place for more than a few months, so he travels very light - generally "converting" his income into gems or pieces of art which can be sold later.
Background: Adanar was born Gideon Zar to a human father and an elven mother. His mother, Eadre Shalias, was a healer and enchantress with a small group of nomadic elves. His father, Tyren Zar, was an elementalist who traveled with ships on particularly treacherous voyages to ensure safe passage. Tyren and Eadre met on a colonial galleon on which Eadre's family had stowed away. While returning to the mainland with the Shalias family, Tyren spent much time with Eadre, and by the end of the voyage, they had fallen in love. Being quite the persuasive sort, Tyren was not only able to convince his superiors to pardon the Shalias family, but was equally successful in convincing Eadre's family to allow her to marry him. Gideon was born shortly thereafter.
Being the son of mages, Gideon was encouraged to pursue a career in the wizardly arts. At the age of 15, he entered the High Maeleon Society, a premiere college of wizardry. He dabbled in a variety of magical disciplines, but his true passion was the school of divination. An inquisitive sort, Gideon enjoyed using his magic to gather information on his peers, carefully recording each fact for posterity. He had no particular interest in blackmail. Knowing things about his friends made him feel powerful, something which gave great comfort to the frail young man.
As his powers developed, he delved further and further into his pursuit of knowledge. No longer focusing just on his classmates, he started researching professors, shopkeepers, constables - everyone he'd ever met became a subject of his scrying. For the first time, people were truly intimidated by the scrawny boy. Students were cautious around Gideon - no one knew the extent of his knowledge, and no one wanted to risk angering him lest their secrets be revealed. Indeed, it's safe to say that by the end of his collegiate career, a considerable portion of his classmates were outright scared of him.
Outside the controlled environment of the Society, Gideon found himself without direction. At first, he worked as a detective, selling his services to merchants and artisans. This work bored him - he considered it beneath him to use his considerable magical prowess to spy on people's spouses and children. After a year as a detective, he gathered his belongings and set out into the world to find his true calling.
Over the next few years, he tried his hand at a variety of jobs. He worked as a house diviner for two high-class gambling halls, as a background examiner for a warrior's guild, as a researcher for several different academic institutions, and a scribe for a eclectic wizard. He even spent a brief stint as a spy for a small nation state. After that, he sold information to thieves and assassins, barely escaping the law on several occasions. Ultimately, none of these jobs satisfied him. He never felt the kind of power he remembered from his youth.
His last and favorite job was one Gideon stumbled upon by accident. Desperate for work, he traveled to a guild hall, hoping to sell his skills to one of the locals. Instead, he received an offer from one of the guild members, a warrior named Roderick Scarron. Roderick's adventuring party had received the location of a long-ruined crypt which supposedly housed a great vault containing the accumulated wealth of an infamous thief. The information he had received was spotty, and he was sure that the vault would be guarded with traps, wards and illusions. Surely, the services of a diviner would be tremendously useful to him and his party. His terms were very generous - 350 gp up front, plus 10 percent of whatever they found in the crypt. Gideon accepted without hesitation.
The adventure was a success. Though the haul was not as great as Roderick had predicted, Gideon's cut still amounted to more than he'd ever made at any of his previous jobs. Even better, however, was the thrill he got out of it. For the first time since his youth, he felt truly powerful. The party relied on him - they put their lives in his hands, and were grateful for it. Having finally found his calling, the ecstatic Gideon wasted no time in joining the guild. He no longer had to seek employment - now, the work came to him. As the only diviner in his guild, he was very popular, and he was never without work for long.
Unfortunately, Gideon's perfect job was what ultimately doomed him to a life of homicidal madness. The job was the biggest Gideon has ever taken. A group of nobleman treasure hunters were after a legendary gem, a blue diamond known as Shankyar's Avarice. The gem was said to be cursed, as no man who had entered the Shankyar Maze in pursuit of the Avarice had ever returned to the surface. The treasure hunters were not particularly concerned about the curse or any traps the builders of the maze may have set. They had but one concern. The Maze was said to be home to a particularly territorial and exceptionally dangerous breed of basilisk. To protect themselves from the dread lizard, the hunters had planned on leaving their lanterns cold for most of the expedition. Naturally, the prospect of stumbling blindly through the darkness was not ideal; Gideon's role would be to use his magic to guide them through the darkened maze. In exchange, he would receive 10,000 gp, plus 100% of any other treasure they found.
Needless to say, the offer was tremendously attractive to Gideon. It would be more wealth than he'd ever seen in one place - but, on the other hand, it was also the most dangerous offer he'd ever received. Still, the prospect of gaining fame by recovering the cursed diamond was too enticing for him to pass up. He accepted the job.
On the day Gideon and the nobles had planned to travel to the Shankyar Maze, the weather unexpectedly turned foul. His more superstitious friends considered the storm to be an omen, but Gideon put no stock in such ramblings. Braving the rough weather, the party trekked to the Maze. It was nothing like the other dungeons that Gideon had explored - just a hole in the ground which led to a sprawling underground complex. He felt nervous, but he set aside his emotions as he entered the Maze. Once inside, the hunters dimmed their lanterns, plunging the complex into darkness. Suddenly, Gideon was in charge. At his suggestion, the hunters had bound themselves to Gideon with rope - they were like extensions of his own body. Never in his life had he held so much power. His nervousness turned to bravado as he guided the group through each room, dodging the Maze’s traps as though he’d built it himself.
As they neared the holding chamber of Shankyar’s Avarice, Gideon’s bravado dealt him a crushing blow. He entered a room without applying his powers, hand pressed against the wall, confident that he’d finished the task. He turned to inform his party of their success, when all of a sudden he felt a nip at his hand. He yelped, and the hunters lit their lanterns to see what had happened. At that moment, two things happened. Gideon saw the glimmer of the lanterns for a moment before his vision went white. The others were not so lucky as to just lose the use of their eyes. All around, Gideon could hear the screams of his companions as they went to their deaths. Finally, there was only silence. Gideon was alone.
From out of nowhere, Gideon felt something. It was odd - it felt like there was another presence. Feeling through the darkness, his hand scraped against a scaly creature. It was the Shankyar basilisk. The dread lizard had obliterated his party, but he had been spared - his sudden blindness had saved him from the lizard’s gaze. The feelings in his head, his serendipitous accident - he wasn’t sure, but he believed that he had been chosen by the basilisk. How, he wasn’t sure, but his future was with the beast.
Something about the incident unleashed Gideon’s inner demons. His plan was simple - get back at the world for ignoring his gifts. As soon as he escaped the Maze, he snuck back into town and, using disguises and a bit of sneaking about, reported his own death. That task completed, he headed to a secluded spot in the nearby mountains. That was the last time that anyone heard from “Gideon Zar.”
Three months later, a stranger came down from the mountains and purchased a shop. He was a soft-spoken, unassuming man who referred to himself as “Adanar the Lifesculptor.” His shop was filled with remarkably lifelike statues of wildlife, but most astounding of all, the sculptor was totally blind. Offers came in from miles around - every merchant and land baron wanted his likeness carved by the Lifesculptor. Oddly, the first two people who sat for a statue vanished without a trace, and before any investigation could begin, Adanar was gone. All that remained were a few statues, including two remarkably lifelike carvings of the missing people.
Understanding Adanar: Adanar is a serial killer, and an exceptionally skilled one at that. He lures victims into his shops with displays of wildlife sculpture (always sculptures of local fauna, for reasons that should be abundantly clear). He takes care in selecting his victims, though his M.O. has never been discovered. He begins by making a big show out of a few simple carvings. As he has no artistic talent or training, this is accomplished by simple magical trickery. Once he has deceived his victims and their relations, he strikes. At one of his sittings, the Shankyar basilisk slips out from under his cloak, and with a quick glance, the process is complete.
Adanar has never been caught because he is cautious to a fault. His shop is warded against magical scrying during critical times, while heavy curtains keep out prying eyes. He is a skilled liar who uses magic and his quick tongue to entrance the curious. Against more determined searchers, such as the local authority, he uses his wealth of accumulated blackmail. When the locals get too close to the truth, he vanishes, carrying his belongings to a distant city.
Combat: Adanar is very frail and has few combat spells or skills. If attacked, he will release the basilisk and flee, using spells like solid fog and persistent image to hamper and misdirect his pursuers. After being attacked, he will not return to his last shop unless the basilisk fails to return to him. If he is cornered or pursued for a long period of time, he will attempt to bargain for his release. As a diviner by trade, Adanar has access to a wealth of information about the neighborhood and its inhabitants. He will begin by offering to release 1d4+1 pieces of information to the party, including (but not limited to) blackmail, trade secrets, information on recently committed crimes, and security weaknesses in nearby buildings. If that fails, he will offer his captors any items of value he possesses. If that fails, he will try to fight his way out. Adanar will die before he allows anyone to imprison him.
Size/Type: Small Magical Beast Hit Dice: 5d10-5 (23 HP) Initiative: +2 Speed: 15 ft. Armor Class: 21 (+7 natural, +3 dex, +1 size), touch 13, flat-footed 18 Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+1 Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d6) Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1d6) Base/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: Petrifying gaze, poison Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Low-light vision, telempathy Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +3 Abilities: Str 11, Dex 16, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 17 Skills: Listen + 5, Spot + 5 Feats: Blind-Fight, Weapon Finesse (bite) Environment: Underground Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 7 Treasure: None Alignment: Always Neutral Advancement: 6-9 HD (Medium); 10-17 HD (Large) Level Adjustment: -
Combat: The Shankyar basilisk is much more aggressive than its larger cousin. Though it hunts mainly smaller prey, it hates and fears humanoids (particularly in groups) and will attempt to stave off encroachment in any way possible. It starts by using its gaze, but if its opponents avert their eyes or otherwise prove resistant to petrification, it will approach and attempt to bite, hoping to blind its prey and therefore keep its lair a secret. Once all its opponents are petrified, blinded or dead, it retreats to hiding.
Petrifying Gaze (Su): Turn to stone permanently, range 30 feet; Fortitude DC 15 negates. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Poison (Ex): Injury, DC 11, Initial/Secondary damage temporary blindness (1d3 days). If both saves fail, the blindness is permanent.
Telempathy (Su): The Shankyar basilisk can project its emotions into the mind of any intelligent creature within 30 feet. This effect does not change the subject’s disposition; it is used only as a simple form of communication.
Applications: Adanar is a rather specialized NPC, though he could appear as a curiosity in any large city. He can serve as the central factor of a combat-light, story-heavy side adventure. Though he lacks the power and spectacle to be a BBEG, he could be the cohort of one (see plot hooks).
Plot Hooks: Living Stone - A wealthy mage purchased some statues for his main hall. While arranging them, he discovered that one of them was not a regular statue, but a human (or other humanoid) who’d been turned to stone. He wants to find the source of the statue, but the sculptor vanished without a trace days before. He’s now interested in hiring adventurers to track down the sculptor - and all that they have to go on are the statues he left behind.
The Artistic Assassin - Lately, wealthy men have been vanishing without a trace. They have only two connections - they were the enemies of a particularly powerful merchant, and they all sat for carvings for a well known sculptor. For this plot hook, Adanar has been recruited (either willingly, by blackmail or by trickery) to kill the enemies of an exceptionally wealthy and powerful man. (Alternately, the man behind Adanar could be a crime lord, a power-mad governor, a subversive from a rival kingdom, etc.)
Melee masterwork greatsword -1 (2d6/19-20) and Melee bite +0 (1d4) or Melee 2 claws +2 (1d4) and Melee bite +0 (1d4) or Ranged small light crossbow +3 (1d6/19-20) Base Atk +2; Grp +2 Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 5th): 2nd (3/day) -- alter self, bull's strength 1st (5/day) -- disguise self, mage armor, magic missile, true strike 0 (6/day) -- ghost sound, light, mage hand, message, prestidigitation, resistance __________
Abilities Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 8, Cha 16 SQ summon familiar (no familiar currently summoned) Feats Mounted Combat, Multiattack (B), Ride-By Attack Skills Bluff +7, Concentration +4, Hide +7 (+11 in rocky/underground settings), Intimidate +7, Ride +5
Kalumtax's Stat Block
Kalumtax CR 5 Male very young red dragon CE Large dragon (fire) Init +0; Senses Listen +13, Spot +13, superior low-light vision, darkvision 120 ft., blindsense 60 ft. Languages Draconic __________
AC 18 (-1 size, +9 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 18 hp 95 (10 HD) Resist immunity to fire, paralysis, and sleep Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +7 __________
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), fly 150 ft. (poor) Melee bite +16 (2d6+6) and Melee 2 claws +15 (1d8+3) and Melee 2 wings +15 (1d6+3) and Melee tail slap +15 (1d8+9) Base Atk +10; Grp +20 __________
Abilities Str 22, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 15 Atk Options breath weapon (60-foot cone, once every 1d4 rounds, 4d10 fire, Reflex DC 18 half), Flyby Attack SQ vulnerability to cold Feats Flyby Attack, Improved Multiattack, Multiattack, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Concentration +16, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (local) +13, Listen +13, Search +13, Spot +13
Information
Standing 2'3" tall with gray-brown scales, Jormak is as puny as a typical kobold. What sets him apart from other kobolds is the vicious greatsword, even longer than he is, that he carries slung across his back.
As a sorcerer of fair skill, Jormak commanded the respect of the other kobolds in his tribe, but he left his tribe in search of more profitable climes. He journeyed into a fairly tame range of hills to the south of the forest where he grew up, and quickly encountered of one the area's more powerful residents: Kalumtax, a very young red dragon. Just before Kalumtax mauled him, the kobold fell to the ground, begging Kalumtax to spare him; for Jormak had a plan that would grant him and Kalumtax wealth beyond compare. The dragon was suspicious of Jormak, but reluctantly agreed to cooperate with the kobold, and even promised him one-tenth of the bounty that they gained.
Using the spells alter self, disguise self, bull's strength, and mage armor, Jormak assumes the form of a hulking troglodye, the Dragonblood Warlord. With gleaming black scales, eyes that glow with infernal fire, and a suit of spiky black admantite fullplate, the illusion is fearsome indeed, and even those who disbelieve it are still intimidated by the Warlord's ferocious natural form-- not to mention his mighty draconic mount. Flying from hill to hill, the Warlord has exorted gold and valuables. from orcs, goblins, and even the occasional ogre. Meanwhile, Kalumtax collects his profits. He finds Jormak a useful ally, but is prepared to eat him if he ever tries to usurp Kalumtax's hoard.
If Jormak is attacked while alone, he flees, surrendering if his attackers refuse to yield. However, when in the form of the Dragonblood Warlord, Jormak is a relentless combatant. He dives at the opponent from Kalumtax's back, brandishing his masterwork greatsword intimidatingly. He never attacks unless he has cast true strike the turn before; this helps him maintain the illusion of competence. Kalumtax breathes fire whenever possible. Otherwise, he uses his Flyby Attack feat to rip past opponents and keep Jormak from harm's way if in open terrain. In close quarters, he unleashes his devastating full attack.
Kalumtax's hoard is hidden in the hills, and consists of 876 gp, three beautiful golden yellow topazes (400 gp each), a suit each of full plate and half-plate armor, an arcane scroll of bear's endurance, and potions of invisiblity, mage armor, and barkskin +2. If defeated, Kalumtax or Jormak may be coerced into telling their captors of this stash. Kalumtax will not offer this information willingly, but Jormak might if captured or threatened in exchange for his freedom.
Notes
Jormak uses the default NPC stat array of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 9; Kalumtax uses the default monster stat array of 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8.
If you have the Draconomicon, you may wish to alter Jormak's feats to make him into even more of a terrifying combatant. Replace his Weapon Focus (bite) feat with Awaken Frightful Presence.
Pricilla Warrior, Female 5th-Level Expert Medium Humanoid (Human) Hit Dice: 5d8 (38 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 30 ft. Armor Class: 12, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (she has no dex mod to speak of so she can’t loose it) Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+4 Attack: Sword, Two bladed (Masterwork) +1 melee (1d8/1d8+1 19-20/x2) Full Attack: Sword, Two bladed (Masterwork)+1 -6/-8 melee (1d8/1d8+1 19-20/x2 and 1d8/1d8+1 19-20/x2) Space/Reach: 5-ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: - Saves: Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +3 Abilities: Str 11, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 12 Skills: Appraise +8 (weapons/armor) Bluff +2, Craft (Weapon/armor) +8, Intimidate +9, Perform Lie) +3, Profession (smith) +5, Feats: Proficiency (light armor/simple weapons), Iron will, Lightning reflexes Environment: Broken sword (name of her shop), any area on or near large bodies of water Organization: Solitary or militia (6-8 members including her and one 3rd-level warrior captain) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure/Inventory: Sword, Two bladed (Masterwork) +1, leather armor (light); Broken sword and its wares; 2d6gp, 1d10 sp, 1d10 cp Alignment: Neutral Languages: Common, Aquan, and Orc
Physical Description
Everyone knows what a human looks like, so I'll focus on the details. Pricilla is about 5’8” and weighs about 140lbs. She has green eyes and light brown hair. Her skin is slightly tanned and reddens quickly when she’s angered. She’s slightly more built than a male. She has the look of someone who has been in the gym so to speak for a while; her profession as a smith accounts this for. She’s usually wearing some sort of leather tunic and leather pants. Should the need arise her leather armor stashed in the back of her shop. Should she be lied to and she finds out about it she has a temper that would humble a Red Wyrm. It’s easy to see (and hear) from her that the sea was big part of her life; from the nautical setting of her shop to the way she uses sailor slang to describe things.
On most days one can find her in her shop working on some piece of metal or another. Her outlook on life is as such that she is always happy and greets everyone that enters her small shop with a cheery smile and a firm handshake. Her shop is a small one and a half story house, the front part being the shop, All of the first level and some of the second level is taken up by the normal items that a blacksmith/armorsmith needs to run a shop in her work place.
History
Pricilla was the daughter of a long line of navel merchants. For as long as she can remember she hasn’t liked the sea as much as her father and her grandfather and so on and so on. But to keep her father happy she pretended to like it even learned a few things. Always waiting for the perfect moment to do something grander than be a sea merchant’s wife or worse become a merchant herself. She did learn one valuable thing from her father, and that was how to run a company.
From about the time she was 12 she started to hang out at the blacksmiths shop and help the master smith out. He consequently took her under his wing teaching her everything he knew. Not having his own kids he thought of her like is daughter and started to take care of her every need. As time passed she started to spend more and more time at his shop and learn even more about the trade she was growing to love so much. On her 16th birthday her father was looking for her and found her covered in soot working some metal into a sword. A fight broke out between the two and after it was all said and done her father had disowned her and kicked her out of his home. Of coarse the master smith had heard the fight and he offered her his back room behind the forge, which she of coarse accepted.
Time passed and she got ever better at her newly chosen profession. When she was celebrating her 22nd birthday her adopted father had a massive heart attack and died shortly after the party. Heartbroken she had nowhere else to go until the smith’s attorney approached her and informed her that everything was left to her including his personal double bladed sword and a second shop he had in a village three months travel away. Wanting as fresh start she closed shop and moved everything she could to the second shop. When she got there the people of the town assumed that she must have been a sailor because of the way she talked and most of her personal effects. Not having the heart to talk about it she soon went with the flow and started to tell the towns folk the same stories her father and grandfather had told her as a little girl. Now at the age 32 she’s virtually a master smith herself and a member of the town guard. Her work is known around the area as the finest detailed work in the land (as far as the township is concerned.) She still harbors the deep fear that someone will find out that she isn’t a sailor or worse one of her father’s friends will come to town and pronounce her a fraud. Because of that fear she remains an old maid not marrying and not letting anyone close enough to find out.
Nitpicking details: When making Pricilla’s shop I gave her a self-contained shop that had all the niceties of a master smith. In the game I used her in, she had almost any simple weapon and a few of the marital weapons for sale. She’s very good and detail work on any weapon and is willing to even to do murals on your sword if you have the money. She’s quick to anger if you insult her work and only slightly forgiving if you scorned her in the past. She will offer to identify any unknown weapons the party has for a small price and is usually very accurate given the time. If asked about her past she will always bluff about and or intimidate if need be about her being a merchant sailor.
As for more into her history add what you feel if you want to use her in your game. I left it pretty open for anyone to add to.
Spells Typically Prepared: 4/5/4/4/3 0 level: Read Magic x 2, Mage Hand, Mending 1st level: Alarm, Hold Portal, Mage Armor, Unseen Servant, Sleep 2nd level: Protection from Arrows, Detect Thoughts, Invisibility, Scorching Ray 3rd level: Mindsight x2, Lighting Bolt, Dispel Magic 4th level: Stoneskin, Dimension Door, Black Tentacles
Possessions: Force Ring, Masterwork Quarterstaff, Spellbook, Blue Wizard Robes, Black Blindfold, Spellcomponent Pouch.
Iwran can speak Common, Elven, Dwarven and Gnome
Arravillar, Iwrans raven Familiar Tiny Animal Hit Dice: 1/4 d8 (10 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average) Armor Class: 18 (+2 size, +2 Dex, + 4 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 16 Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–13 Attack: Claws +4 melee (1d2–5) Full Attack: Claws +4 melee (1d2–5) Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft. Special Attacks: — Special Qualities: Low-light vision, Speak Language (Common), Familiar Saves Hit Die and Hitpoints, Familiar Alertness, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Emphatic Link , Deliver Touch Spells, Speak with Master, Speak with Animals of its Kind. Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +8 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 6 Skills: Spot +5 Skills inherited from Master: Concentration + 3, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (Arcana) + 10, Knowledge (Geography) + 10, Knowledge (History) +10, Knowledge (Local) + 4, Knowledge (Religion) +5, Knowledge (The Planes) + 10, Listen + 13, Spellcraft +10 Feats: Weapon Finesse
Appearance: Iwran is 5’9 tall, has black hair that reaches his neck and a slender body. He has a rather long nose. He usually wears blue coloured robes. His skin is rather pale and his ears are small for a human. His eye sockets are completely empty and he usually wears a black blindfold over them.
Arravillar looks like a typical raven except cleaner.
Personality: Iwran likes to have control, and he controls people through fear. He does not hesitate to cast a minor spell to remind people of what he can do but he rarely casts them on people as that all to often results in them coming after him with bloodshed in mind. When he wants to he can be very polite and pleasant and enjoys a good conversation a lot. He is bothered by people of below average intelligence and may not always be able to hide this fact when he meets someone of below average intelligence. He spends a lot of time researching spells and learning the secrets of magic, usually in his house with a few dusty tomes.
He typically prepares the Mindsight spell twice and casts one just when he has finished preparing his spells and casts the other as the seconds runs out, this allow him to have vision 24 hours a day.
He prefers to avoid direct conflict with spell casters as a single dispel magic could remove his vision.
Background:
Iwran was born in the small town of Elkfields. His mother was a house wife and his father was a wealthy blacksmith. When he was young his parents sent him of to the Academy, which is a temple of Boccob that has taken upon themselves to teach young people very little about magic but a lot about the world, students with rich parents (for attending the Academy was expensive) come from far and wide to attend its classes. Iwran discovered he liked to study, he was a great student and he learned a lot about Geography, History, Religion and the planes. Iwran had no social problems either, he made many friends (although he lost contact with all of them when they graduated from the academy). He also started to control other students for his own benefit, he controlled them with fear. He quickly found out that a few well thought out threats could cause people to don almost anything and he took advantage of this during all his time at the academy. He never went very far with the threats though and so never had to suffer retribution.
Once he graduated (at the age of 14) he was approached by one of his teachers, an old wizard, and offered apprenticeship. Fond of the old man and willing to learn the art of magic he gladly accepted. The apprenticeship took 12 years. During the apprenticeship Irwan learned the basics of using magic and creating a familiar, he created Arravillar the raven. Irwan and Arravillar made up a lot of mischief to the old wizards dismay.
After finishing his apprenticeship Irwan made a living doing whatever job he could and continued to work on his magic whenever he had time. Once he master how to, he made a living selling wands he had crafted. He also sold magic items he had acquired, how is not known but through intimidation or worse can be assumed.
One day when he was 32 he heard from someone that a group of adventurers was coming to town and one of them had acquired a powerful magical sword called Firegods Wrath. Greedy as he was he decided he wanted to acquire it. He managed to “persuade” a barmaid in the bar they where celebrating in into telling them to meet her in an alley. Drunk and not clearly thinking the party of 5 male human adventurers went to the alley where they where ambushed by Irwan. Irwan was overconfident in his abilities and had assumed he would put them all to sleep with a single spell, but one resisted and ran and was out of reach before Irwan could get his second spell off. Realizing the trouble he was in he ignored the sword that one of the adventurers had dropped when he was put to sleep Irwan fled home and grabbed Arravillar, his books and some essentials and sought to flee the town. But too late when he opened the door a large group of angry peasants was already waiting for him. They had never liked him and his tendencies to intimidate and blackmail people, although he had never done anything major so the people tolerated him mostly out of fear for his capabilities (sure there where other more powerful wizards at the Academy but they where not sure they could stop him before he had burned their homes to the ground should they incur his wrath). But now Irwan had gone to far, and wisely he surrendered without trouble.
He was quickly prosecuted by the town council and since he had not hurt anyone (just put them to sleep) and never stole anything his punishment was to be mild. They cut his eyes out.
Not wanting to live in the town anymore Irwan moved to the city of Irkans Folly. He continued to make a living by selling wands but he was now dependant on Arravillar to read for him and even the act of preparing his spells took very long time compared to normal. After about a year of research Irwan had managed to create a spell he called Mindsight that allowed him to bypass most of the limitations imposed by his blindness. He now spends his time improving his magic and plotting his revenge on Elkfields.
Using Irwan in your Campaign:
Changing the names of the places is easy enough and recommended that you to fit your setting. What role should he play? He could be a villain having designed a plan to get revenge on Elkfields, or perhaps he could hire the PCs to find a rare material component he needs to make his Mindsight spell permanent?
Mindsight Divination Level: Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, S Casting Time: 5 Minutes Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 12 hours
You gain a special form a vision that functions as long as you are conscious, even if you are normally blind. The sight comes from the middle of your forehead and if it is covered the mind sight is blocked. This vision has the same range as regular vision and it sees everything as if it was lit by daylight, even if it is lit by brighter or dimmer light. This means that when you use this vision you ignore any concealment the enemy may have due to non-magical darkness and they cannot hide in it either, but you also take a –6 penalty to hide checks when attempting to hide in darkness unless you have a way of perceiving it. This spell has the ability to alert you of things that you see that might be of importance, any spot checks you make when this vision is used gains a +1 bonus per caster level (maximum +10).
You may not use this and normal vision at the same time, although you can freely switch between mindsight and normal vision as long as this spell is active. Switching to normal vision or mind sight requires a full action.
A hush settles over the crowd as the lights in the ampitheatre slowly dim. Before long, only a few candles illuminate the vast, bowl-shaped arena. A low-pitched, rumbling sound begins, starts to pick up speed, and becomes a ricasso of deep bass drumming. A horn sounds, high, clear, leaping in staccato rhythms. The music swells until a loud screaming chord rips through the tension.
A 3 foot tall dynamo leaps onto the stage, glowing with furious lights and crackling electrical discharge. Colors and sparkle play about in a chaotic halo around the gnome, as he opens his mouth to sing. The blue enameled guitar in his hands erupts into another echoing, long, impossibly loud chord, and the bardic experience begins.
"Boz" The Lizard Prince Bozalishtel Mortapungish Swalla'tel Spern'jaa
Gnomish Male Bard 5 CN Small humanoid Init: +1 Senses: Listen +3, Spot +1, Low-Light Vision Languages:Common, Gnome, Elf, Halfling
AC:17 (+1 size, +1 dex, +5 armor) {+4 vs. Giants} Flat Footed 16, Touch 12 HP:32 (5d6+10) Fort+3, Reflex +5, Will +3 (+5 vs. illusions)
Possessions:Combat gear plus Cloak of Charisma +2, Circlet of Persuasion, Glamered Chainshirt +1 (looks like performer’s tunic), disguise kit, Mwk. Guitar (Gwendolyn), 55gp, 10sp, 15cp.
Obtained late in his career, Boz's shocker lizard familiar has proven himself an extremely useful companion, even if only powering the amplify spell Boz loves so much. (Obtain Familiar feat from Complete Arcane allows for Bards, Warmages, Warlocks and the like to acquire a familiar as if they were a wizard or sorc of their level. Improved Familiar is in DMG pg. 200)
Stunning Shock (Su) Once per round, a shocker lizard can deliver an electrical shock to a single opponent within 5 feet. This attack deals 2d8 points of nonlethal damage to living opponents (Reflex DC 13half). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Lethal Shock (Su) Whenever two or more shocker lizards are within 20 feet of each other, they can work together to create a lethal shock. This effect has a radius of 20 feet, centered on any one contributing lizard. The shock deals 2d8 points of electricity damage for each lizard contributing to it, to a maximum of 12d8. A Reflex save (DC 10 + number of lizards contributing) reduces the damage by half.
Electricity Sense (Ex) Shocker lizards automatically detect any electrical discharges within 100 feet.
Alertness (Ex) While a familiar is within arm’s reach, the master gains the Alertness feat. Improved Evasion (Ex) When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).
Empathic Link (Su) The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated. Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su) If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the "toucher." The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.
Speak with Master (Ex) If the master is 5th level or higher, a familiar and the master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.
Boz, an itinerant gnomish bard, grew weary of the adventuring life very soon after beginning it. Some say it was the long weeks and months away from his beloved fans, and their coin. Others say it was the hardships, the poor meals, the cold wet nights. Yet others suggest a darker, more sinister reason behind his retirement. In truth, none of these are correct.
Boz is a coward, short and simple. He hates the idea of melee combat, and would sooner wet himself in public (in front of Gnomes, even) before setting foot in a dungeon again. So, to make ends meet, and keep in the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed, he began to entertain for a living.
Boz has played for nobles, aristocrats, heads of mercantile houses, and even once for the King. (He wow-ed them at the palace, too, to hear him tell of it.) But these venues, for all their stature and prestige, did not offer Boz what he really craved. Adoration, and money. In that order, and preferably with some rather buxom and adoring young women.
Setting out on the path to greater events and larger venues, Boz hit upon a snag. The loudest instrument could only carry so far, and to achieve the effects desired, ALL the music must be heard, not merely a distant rumbling of noise. So, with much study and diligence, he managed to create the amplify spell (detailed below). Soon to follow was the Spectacular Stage Presence, after he lost an all-too important bardic-competition to a human cleric/bard with the divine inspiration spell.
Swearing to never be outshined again, Boz took his new spells, along with his recently acquired personal defense lizard, Klout, out on the road. He has hit ever major city on the Great West Road (or wherever there is a large concentration of cities in your campaign world- Waterdeep and Sharn are particularly appropriate venues for Boz), and will be returning before too long.
Appearance 3'3" tall, 55lbs, Boz stands about average for a Gnome. He favors bright red and black clothing, but changes often to suit current fashions. Brown hair and dark green eyes mark him as average, and he uses his disguise ability and spells to "dress up" to suit the occasion.
Notes for DM Boz is not intended as a combatant. If forced into conflict somehow, Boz looks for the first chance to escape, not hesitating to use his magic to delay, confuse, or charm would-be-attackers. Klout is his "ace in the hole" and he will usually command him to attack with a stunning shock, followed by a split retreat by the two. If separated, Boz will go to ground and call Klout to him when he is more comfortable.
For performances, Boz typically has 2 support musicians, hired from local talent. A drummer and a horn player (or more, if the venue is large enough) enter before him, while he uses his inspire competence ability to increase their perform skills. He will amplify their instruments prior to entering the stage, then does the same for himself. Just before walking on stage, Boz casts Spectacular Stage Presence and steps on stage in a big way. (total perform mod = +32, assuming 2 backup musicians each providing a +2 bonus to his check)
However, if the party needs someone talked to, or some kind of question answered in town, Boz is the guy to talk to. If there are any aspiring musicians in the party, they can possibly hire on to back up Boz, or even open up for him (although watch out for outshining him...he is a vengeful type). He is an excellent resource to use again and again, since he is so likely to be encountered wherever there are people, and is likely in SOME kind of trouble. Again.
Possible Plot Hooks
*Boz is on the lookout for some new musicians. It seems his last band up and disappeared, the night before the big show. The PC's must find the band, or come up with some replacements, or the show may just flop.
*Following a show, the crowd starts getting ugly. A friendly night of singing and entertainment becomes the focus for a strange ritual, and everyone listening to the music is becoming a raging beast, set on destruction.
*A rival bard is spreading tales of Boz's cowardice and vice. He has hit to close to the truth for comfort, and Boz hires the party to find out how and why this competitor is tracking him.
Amplify Enchantment Level:Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1 Components:V, S, F Casting Time:1 standard action
Range:Touch Target:Up to 1 creature or object/ lvl Duration:10 min./level (D) Saving Throw:Will negates (harmless) or Will negates (harmless, object) Spell Resistance:Yes (harmless) or Yes (harmless, object)
This spell amplifies the natural sounds emanating from an object or person. This increases the volume of any speech, song, or music approximately 10 fold. All listeners within 300 ft gain a +15 to their listen check to hear the sounds. Since the spell enhances sounds already being generated, loud instruments, combined with good acoustics and favorable winds, the sounds are capable of being heard from much farther than that.
Arcane Focus: A small charge of electricity, such as alchemical spark, a shocking grasp type spell, or similar.
Spectacular Stage Presence Enchantment Level:Brd 2 Components:V, S, M Casting Time:1 round Range:Personal Duration:10 min./level (D) Saving Throw:Will negates (harmless) or Will negates (harmless, object) Spell Resistance:Yes (harmless) or Yes (harmless, object)
This spell channels raw magical energy through you, enhancing your performance with semi-seen visual and auditory effects. Slight reverberation, glints of light from your skin, and a slight halo alter your appearance and sound.
You gain an enhancement bonus to your perform rolls equal to your bard lvl + your charisma bonus +5. (for example, a 7th lvl bard with a 17 charisma would receive a +13 enhancement bonus to his perform checks)
At the end of the spell’s duration, you are fatigued. If you would be otherwise fatigued, you become exhausted.
Material Component: Oils and Libations costing 50 gp.
Norgar Stronghammer: Dwarf Ftr 3/ Sor 4; CR 7; Medium humanoid (dwarf); HD 3D10 + 4D4 + 14; 42 hp ; Init + 1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10; Base Atk + 5; Grp + 8; Atk + 8 melee ( 1D10 + 1D6 + 3/ x3, + 1 flaming dwarven waraxe) or + 7 ranged ( 1D8 + 2/x3, masterwork longbow); Full Atk + 8 melee ( 1D10 + 1D6 + 3/ x3, + 1 flaming dwarven waraxe) or + 7 ranged ( 1D8 + 2/x3, masterwork longbow); SA -; SQ darkvision 60 ft., stability, weakened arm and hand , empathetic link, share spells, familiar; AL CN; SV Fort + 4, Ref + 2, Will + 5; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 13
Skills and Feats: Climb + 10, Spot +5, Cleave, Improved Familiar, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (dwarven waraxe). Weakened Arm and Hand: - 4 penalty on Climb, Heal, Open Lock, Disable Device, Swim, Use Rope, and Strength checks, may not wield a weapon in off hand or a two handed weapon.
Empathic Link (Su): Norgar Stronghammer may communicate telepathically with his familiar at a distance of up to one mile. Norgar Stronghammer has the same connection to an item or a place as the familiar does.
Share Spells (Su): Norgar Stronghammer may have any spell cast on the caster also affect the familiar if they are within five feet of each other. Norgar Stronghammer may also cast spells with a target of ‘you’ on the familiar.
Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/4; save DC 11 + spell level): 0- resistance, detect magic, read magic, light, mage hand 1st- mage armor, charm person, expeditious retreat 2nd- strengthen limb**
Fiendish Owl Familiar: This creature grants Alertness on its master as long as they are within 5 feet of each other, and a + 3 bonus on spot checks in shadows. The familiar’s statistics are summarized below. Fiendish Owl Familiar: CR-; Tiny magical beast; HD 4; 21 hp; Init + 3; Spd 10 ft., fly 40 ft.; AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +0; Grp - 11; Atk + 8 melee (1D4 - 3, talons); Full Atk + 8 melee (1D4 - 3, talons); Space/Reach 2-1/ 2 ft./ 0 ft.; SA smite good; SQ darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, resistance to cold 5 and fire 5, spell resistance 9, granted abilities; AL NE; SV Fort + 2, Ref + 5, Will + 5; Str 4, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 4 Skills and Feats: Listen + 14, Move Silently + 17, Spot + 6*, Weapon Finesse Smite Good: 1/day the familiar can make a normal melee attack to deal + 4 damage against a good foe. * Owls have a + 8 racial bonus on spot checks in shadowy illumination.
** New Spell Strengthen Limb Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 2 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Self Targets: Caster Duration: 1 min/level Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless) A phantom limb takes the place of an injured limb, lessening all penalties by 2. If the limb is completely unusable than the use of it is restored, with the reduced penalty. A subject can benefit from more than one Strengthen Limb spell at a time. These effects do not stack. The spell must be used on a different injured limb with each casting. Material Component: a few pieces of stone mixed in with healing salves.
Back-story: When Norgar Stronghammer was young a raid by a mysterious necromancer killed his mother, and his father disappeared. Seeing his plight a mercenary school ‘adopted’ the boy. With singular determination the basics were quickly mastered and the young adventurer departed to find the mysterious necromancer.
A cleric of Pelor joined Norgar on this quest, seeking to defeat the undead priest in a quest for atonement. The rumors of their exploits, far exceeding reality, thought that nothing could defeat the duo. These rumors reached the ears of the one they hunted, making the band of adventurers in unexpected danger before they were ready.
Eventually, when examining a mansion for possible habitation, the band of adventurers discovered who they were hunting. Arcane magic transformed Norgar Stronghammer to stone. Knowing that the power they were facing was too much for them now the cleric fled with the statue.
On the way back to a town with the statue Pelor’s devotee encountered another dangerous encounter which tore of some of the stone arm on the dwarf, when the High Priest of Pelor returned Norgar Stronghammer to life his arm was less defined with a melded hand and bulging elbow making movement impossible.
Retreating into hiding Norgar learned of his talent as a sorcerer, which may have developed from the large amount of magical affects used upon him at that time. Most of the spells were designed to overcome the disability inflicted upon him.
Personality: Some may say the dwarf is devoted to killing the necromancer, but most think of him as slightly insane. He conducts strange experiments in his lab, and will run as quickly as possible to anything he sees as in control of undead. The villagers have learned to avoid him for his mutterings, which commonly curse undead, humans, necromancers, and rust monsters. When a stranger comes to town they often are somewhat scared of the dwarf.
Description: Norgar Stronghammer is a dwarf with a tidy beard and an overwhelming feeling of competence. A bloated arm on his left almost comes to a hand before the fingers meld together. The arm is hidden in a cloak and scowls and angry mutterings greet whoever rests their eyes on the deformity to long.
Adventure Hooks: • Norgar Stronghammer asks for help in defeating the necromancer. • After a raid on the city Norgar’s mind snaps and he goes insane. The players are charged with capturing him. • An employer orders the assassination of Norgar Stronghammer; the players eventually find out that the employer was controlled by the necromancer.
