Name: Harland Goldwright Gender: Male Race: Dwarf Class: Fighter 4/ Expert 1 Challenge Rating: 4 Size and Subtype: Medium Hit Dice and Hit Points: 4d10 plus 1d6; 31 Initiative: +0 Speed: 20 ft Armor Class: Unarmored: 9 (-1 Dex), touch 9, flat footed 9; Armored 17 (-1 Dex, +8 full plate) touch 9, flat footed 17 BAB/Grapple: +4/7 Attack: +9 melee (1d8/1d6 +2 MW Dwarven Urgrosh) Full Attack: +5 melee (1d8 +2 MW Dwarven Urgrosh Axehead) +1 melee (1d6+2 MW Dwarven Urgrosh Spear) or +5 melee (1d6 +2 MW Dwarven Urgrosh Spear) +1 melee (1d8 +2 MW Dwarven Ugrosh Axehead) Special Qualities: All Dwarven racial bonuses Alignment: CG Saves: Fort +7, Ref 0, Will +3 Ability Scores: STR 16, DEX 8, CON 16, INT 10, WIS 10, CHA 14 Skills and Feats: Climb (6+3), Intimidate (8+2), Profession: Innkeeper (6+0); Weapon Focus: Dwarven Urgrosh, Weapon Specialization: Dwarven Urgrosh, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder
Description: Harland stands 4’1” tall with large shoulders and a round chest. His long brown hair falls braided behind his back, and his brown beard is well cut but braided into two braids, hanging to approximately mid chest. He has a large smile and a boisterous laugh although he is quick to temper especially if he’s had one too many drinks or if someone starts a fight in his inn/tavern, Peg Leg’s. His normal attire consists of baggy brown breeches, a yellow shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a stained brown apron that is almost always around his neck. He does have a set of perfectly polished, full plate armor which normally stands as decoration against the wall of his tavern, but can be worn if need be. Harland has one major distinction that makes him stand out to all in the town. He walks with a very noticeable limp due to his missing leg which has been replaced with a peg leg.
History: Harland was born 115 years ago deep in the mines of Mount Spindlewick but his adventurous spirit eventually pulled him from deep within the mines and to the surface world where he set off for a life of adventure. His journeys took him to a small town named Rosethorn which he now calls home. He immediately fell in love with the people and the laid back way of life. After a few years of adventuring, the joy of Rosethorn beckoned and he would return back “home” as he began to refer to Rosethorn. After time, his journeys away from Rosethorn became shorter and shorter as his love for home began to blossom.
His returns home would often turn into joyous celebrations as he always returned with stories of adventure, of majestic scenery, frightening monsters, and tales of treasure. He often brought back small trinkets which he would give to various townspeople or to the town itself. It was during one of these visits that his life took on a defining twist.
Late one night, Harland was awakened by the sounds of battle. He leapt into his armor and rushed out of his small home brandishing his Dwarven Urgrosh. He was surprised to find the town being overrun by several bands of Orcs. Angered by their brash attack, Harland ran headfirst into battle, fighting till the early dawn alongside the local militia. After what seemed like hours, Harland came face to face with the snarling Orc captain and a furious battle ensued. Harland began to wear down the Captain and victory seemed at hand until he was distracted by the cries of a small boy.
He turned his head from the battle and noticed a small boy lying on the ground with an orc atop of him. Forgetting his foe for a moment, Harland dove at the orc knocking him off of the small boy and bringing his urgrosh down across its thick neck. This distraction was all the orc captain needed to create an advantage and he sliced Harland’s leg off above the knee.
Harland howled in pain and turned to face his attacker who stood above him laughing and with his axe raised. Harland desperately searched for his weapon, finally spotting it well out of reach. Legend has it, that Harland kicked out, tripping the orc to the ground. He grabbed his own severed leg and began to beat the Orc into submission in a fit of anger. Now legend being legend, this is probably more fantasy than fiction, but it makes for a great story that the townspeople never tire of hearing and Harland never tires of telling. Either way, Harland did overpower the Orc who he managed to hold long enough for the rest of the militia to capture him.
Harland was quickly taken to the local priests who desperately worked their healing and magics, and while they were able to bring him back from the brink of death, his leg was lost forever. Ever grateful for his assistance in the battle and feeling responsible for his loss, the town of Rosethorn begged him to stay on and make Rosethorn his home. The town offered him anything he desired as reward.
Harland, knowing his adventuring days were over, gratefully accepted their offer and asked only one thing, for the town to build a small inn and tavern for him to run for the rest of his life. His request was granted and Harland now runs Peg Leg’s Inn and Tavern. He can be found most any day behind the counter of Peg Leg’s, his noticeable limp but joyous laugh a common fixture in the small town.
Personality: Harland has a joyful smile and a loud boisterous personality. He loves to regale his customers with his tales of adventure. His stories include tales of beautiful vistas, huge giants, evil spiders, and treasures aplenty, but the towns favorite tale by far is the tale of Harland Goldwright and his defeat of the Evil Orc Captain using only his own severed leg. Harland often gets so excited telling this tale that he will dance around the room, his peg leg clumping across the floor, and occasionally leap upon a table as he reenacts the tale.
While Harland has a friendly smile and a personality which has grown endearing to the town, he still possesses a great temper which shows itself quickly should a customer get out of hand and attempt to start a fight in his tavern, fighting being strictly against his rules of the tavern, and he will not hesitate to pull his old Urgrosh down from the wall where it hangs above the counter and use it to intimidate a problem customer. His old full plate armor also stands by the door as a decoration but ready to be worn again should his beloved town find itself under attack.
Adaptability: Harland can easily be dropped into any small town which has an inn or a tavern offering a colorful personality for the often dull and bland owner of the establishment. Feel free to increase or decrease his levels of either Fighter or Expert to meet your needs of the campaign. Harland can stand as either a colorful innkeeper or also be pulled into battle where he dons his armor and retrieves his urgrosh if he finds his beloved town in need again as he would gladly fight to the death for it.
Adventure Hooks:
1.) Harland can be as simple as the local innkeeper/tavern operator, with an interesting and colorful personality to bring some levity to a dark campaign.
2.) Harland often finds himself as the center of town gossip as locals and travelers often attempt to outdo his stories themselves or even spill secrets that shouldn’t be leaked. Use Harland for his knowledge of the town.
3.) Harland can find his town again in danger of attack where he requests the PC’s assist him in protecting his beloved home. If need be, he can join them in the fight as he still has some adventurer blood within him and would love to don his armor and take up his weapon again.
Shautha Pleasant, Female 4th-Level Expert Medium Humanoid (Orc) Hit Dice: 4d6+4 (18 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 30 ft. Armour Class: 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10 Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4 Attack: Axe, Orc Double +0 melee (1d8+1/x3) Full Attack: Axe, Orc Double -4/-8 melee (1d8+1/x3 and 1d8/x3) (two-weapon fighting) Space/Reach:5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +4 Abilities:Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 16 Skills: Bluff +12, Diplomacy +10, Gather Information +10, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (Local) +9, Profession (Bartender) +10, Sense Motive +7, Speak Language +3, Spot +4 Feats: Skill Focus [Profession (Bartender)], Persuasive Environment: Monster's Cave Inn; if not, in town of Pleasant Hills Organization: Solitary or militia (6-8 members including her and one 3rd-level warrior captain) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure/Inventory: Axe, orc double; Monster's Cave Inn and its wares; 2d4x5 gp, 1d10 sp, 1d10 cp Alignment: Neutral Languages: Common, Orc, Gnoll, Dwarven, Elven, Sylvan, Gnome
For more information on Orcs, check out the Monster Manual, pages 203-204 (hint: it's the one everyone has seen before and can probably name off by heart).
Physical Description Everyone knows what an orc looks like, so I'll focus on the details. Shautha stands at a height of 176 cm and weighs 91 kilograms (or about 5'10 and 200 lbs). Her skin is darker than average, making it deep gray, and her eyes have a distinct red tint. She's leaner than an orc male, but still visibly strong. She wears a black shirt and dark trousers, although she may also don an apron if she's cooking a meal for a customer. With her hair, Shautha looks as though she's trying to appear somewhat human. She's dyed her hair to a firey red colour that would be obviously unnatural even if she was human, but still makes her look less like an orc. She keeps it short, but has long enough bangs to try and hide her low forehead. Shautha's posture is fine, unlike the stooping figure of many orcs. Shautha has scars on her upper arms and about her chest and back, though you're not likely to see them.
History (Warning, very long! A summary will be at the end.)
Shautha - for she was only known as Shautha then, or "girl" - was born and raised in an orc tribe similar to any other. This similarity includes their treatement of females which, if you'll check the DMG, is not fun for the females involved.
Shautha was relatively lucky in that she was born to the one orc in the tribe responsible for brewing their ale. It was little more than foul, self-sterilized fluid roughly equivalent to modern-day rubbing alcohol, but it was the only booze around and enough to entertain the tribe. Shautha's luck was that, in order to produce and serve enough alcohol for the pack, her father had to put her to work instead of trading her off to any orc that made an offer. Though still not comfortable, preparing and serving drinks to the men in the tribe protected Shautha from the harsh, horrible life that awaited property of most orc males.
But Shautha's greatest advantage from birth was her own self - or rather, her own mind. This was her greatest asset - for a human, she posessed a rare intellect and charisma, but for an orc, she was extraordinary. She spent her life carefully studying her father's work out of the corner of her eye, mentally taking notes on what could be improved. She bided her time for an opportunity to make her name, set herself up in an independent existence where she could be respected.
She did get that opportunity, though it was probably not what she had in mind. One day in the springtime a squad of elves rode through and tore the tribe to shreds. In the holy name of Corellon Larenthian they cut down warriors and noncombatants alike, all creatures of irredeemable evil for the orcish blood in their veins. It took six elves to cut down the entire tribe of orcs. Shautha was the sole survivor of the tribe and escaped through nothing more than her superior mind and the fact that all but one of the elves underestimated her - failing to take into account the cleverness of the "orc savage". Shautha excaped with nothing more to her name than the crude clothes on her back and a double axe carried by one of the nimbler warriors.
Shautha wandered alone for many days before coming upon the small beginnings of a small human town: Pleasant Hills. This was Shautha's second time of incredible luck in her life. If the town had included any race but humans, or had a strong good-aligned religious inclination, Shautha would have been struck down on the spot - for being an orc, and therefore undeniably evil. As it was, however, the thorp had lost some of its skilled settlers to a tragic accident and were terribly understaffed. To not use every resource to come along could cost all of them their lives, and so, Shautha was warily welcomed and watched to become a (probably temporary) part of the community.
It would be here that Shautha could put her canniness to good use. She immediately opened a bar, producing well-made alcohol to put the settlers at rest and making food to keep them going. Using everything she had learned from her father's profession, she soon became a thriving and then the thriving force behind the town. Shautha named the bar the "Monster's Cave Inn" and scored a double goal; not only did she show the townspeople she was willing to have a laugh at her own expense, but also gave the bar a stamp on its exotic nature, sure to bring in the travellers for a night's stay and pay.
It was at this time that Shautha took a last name - Pleasant, from the town itself. "This place is my family, now," she said. "It is by this town I am born again."
It was after Pleasant Hills became a small but successful town that brigands raided. Shautha had no fighting experience, but had been unwilling to discard the double axe from her tribe. It was that night that she took it out again. As theives plundered and ravaged the townspeople around her, two men came into the Monster's Cave Inn while Shautha was in the kitchen. They started demaning money from those at the tables, smashing stuff and basically doing what raiders do. Then Shautha came out of the kitchen, whirling the axe and screaming common and orcish threats in what she could only hope was a bloodthirsty cry - for it was a bluff, an intimidation, and her guts were icy with fear that they wouldn't buy it.
They bought it. The two bandits saw a howling orc with a monstrous weapon coming at them and fled for their lives. When the sun rose the next morning, two buildings had remained safe from the brigands. One was that of an ex-soldier. The other was the Monster's Cave Inn.
News of Shautha's "incredible martial prowress" spread quickly through the town - maybe people wanted to believe they had a fighter on their side, or maybe people wanted to believe that the orc was an agressive killing machine after all. Whatever the reason, Shautha found herself irreversibly placed in the town's minds as a combat champion, and when the militia was formed soon after, there was no way she couldn't join.
(Summary: Orc, lived in tribe, learned how to make booze. Tribe killed, she ended up in town of Pleasant Hills and started bar, the Monster's Cave Inn. Has no fighting ability, but gained reputation after intimidating two brigands out of her bar. Built herself up from nothing, basically.)
Today
Today, Shautha Pleasant's duties outside of bartending include both defending the town and cracking down on criminals. She uses her race, charisma, and reputation to intimidate people into backing down without a fight. So far, this has served her, but as soon as she runs into someone she can't beat this way, she's screwed.
If it comes down to it, Shautha will use one end of the axe in a fight. Any way you split it, though, a fight on even terms will kill her.
Name: Adrian Seawolf Gender: Male Age: 29 Race: Merfolk Class: Ranger 4 Size and Subtype: Medium Humanoid (Aquatic) Hit Dice and Hit Points: 4d8+4; 25 HP Initiative: +2 Speed: land 15 ft, swim 30 ft Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 Studded Leather +1), touch 12, flat-footed 14 BAB/Grapple: +4 / +5 Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft. Attack: +6 melee (1d8+1, x2, Piercing, Masterwork trident) or +7 ranged (1d8+1, x2, Piercing, Masterwork trident) or +7 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2, Piercing, Masterwork light crossbow) (underwater range increment is 20 ft.) Full Attack (only listed if different from standard attack action): +5 / +5 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2, Piercing, Masterwork light crossbow) (underwater range increment is 20 ft.)
Special Qualities: Partially Amphibious*, Low-light Vision, Favored Enemy +2 (Animals), Wild Empathy, Split Tail Fin** Alignment: Neutral Good Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +2 Ability Scores: Str 12, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12 Skills: Swim +16***, Survival +8, Listen +10, Spot +10, Knowledge (underwater geography) +7, Knowledge (nature) +7
*** Including the merfolk’s +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. Furthermore, a merfolk can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. Fianally, it can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Feats: Track, Rapid Shot, Endurance, Alertness, Rapid Reload Languages: Common and Aquan Spells Prepared: (1; save DC 11 + spell level): 1st – continuous rehydration****
New Special Qualities
* Partially Amphibious: Instead of being able to breathe both air and water (like a normal merfolk) Adrian’s lungs are only semi-functional underwater. As such, he can only stay underwater for 8 times his constitution score (in his case 96 rounds or 9.6 minutes). After this time his expired, he has to make constitution checks to prevent drowning like any other creature.
** Split Tail fin: Instead of a normal fishtail, Adrian has two leg-like tail fins, with flippers at the end of both. This deformity allows him to walk, which increases his land speed from 5 (for a normal merfolk) to 15 ft. However, it reduces his swim speed from 50 (for a normal merfolk) to 30 ft.
New Spell
**** Continuous Rehydration: Abjuration Level: Drd 1, Rgr 1, Water 1 Components: S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Target: Creature touched Duration: 1 day / level Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless) Continuous rehydration protects the skin of aquatic creatures from the dangers of life on dry land. Any such creature protected by continuous rehydration finds that its skin stays moist and cool. As such, these creatures suffer no ill effects from skin dehydration. However, continuous rehydration offers no protection from any other environmental dangers, such as normal dehydration or fire damage. If continuous rehydration is cast on a non-aquatic creature, it keeps the skin of this creature young and moisturized.
Physical Description: Adrian Seawolf stands approximately 6 foot tall. His long blond hair cascades over his shoulders, and his eyes are a somewhat greenish blue color. His skin consists of scales and looks like he just stepped out of the water and glitters in the sun. His muscular torso is adorned with studded leather armor and several tattoos. He typically carries a trident and a light crossbow made out of fish-bones.
Instead of the normal fishtail of a merfolk, Adrian has two leg-like tail fins, with flippers at the end. This deformity allows him to walk, albeit slowly and rather clumsy. Despite his unusual appearance, Adrian’s face looks friendly. His default expression is a broad and charming smile.
History: Adrian Seawolf was born in the dark depths of an ocean. He was, however, not a happy merfolk. Ever since he was born, he had severe problems breathing underwater due to malfunctioning lungs. Furthermore, he also had troubling swimming, due to an unusual double tail fin. As a result of both deformities, he has always been an outcast among the merfolk.
Besides being a loner, Adrian probably also is the most curious creature anyone is likely to meet. Adrian wants to know everything there is to know and is always intrigued about what lies behind that next reef. As such, life as a ranger became natural to him. At first, he started exploring the depths of the ocean and made long trips along the many reefs of the deep-sea. A large part of these trips were spent hunting aquatic animals, mainly sharks. He hunted several Locathah as well, and he still uses a crossbow he took from one of his victims.
As Adrian aged, the malfunctioning of his lungs became more and more severe. On one of his many trips, he was forced to go to the surface because he couldn’t get enough oxygen underwater. After breaking the surface, he spotted an island several miles away. Adrian then took a decision that would change his life forever. He went ashore for the first time. During his first few paces on dry land, Adrian discovered that his split tail fin allowed him to walk. At first, he clumsily stumbled over the beach but after some practice he could walk at a slow pace, without falling over every few yards. After more practice, has was able to walk as fast as a small child. His first trip ashore had some negative consequences. The sun dehydrated his skin and almost burned him alive. Adrian was just able to make it back to the water. This setback came as a huge blow to him. He felt like he wasn’t at home in the water or on land. It took him several weeks to gather enough courage to explore the island again. After several trips, he had explored the entire island. The dry land had fascinated him, and he was inclined to found out more about it.
During all of his exploration activities on dry land, he was confronted with the effect of the sun on his scaly skin. He decided not to accept yet another limitation of his body. With a mighty effort of will, he created a magical effect that kept his skin hydrated and cool, even in the sun. After some experiments, he was able to control this magical effect. Being able to protect his skin finally allowed him to stay on land for longer periods of time. He then took a second life-changing decision, he left the sea forever. He spent several weeks looking for inhabited land. When he finally found it, he walked out of the ocean and began a new life. Adrian settled in a small village and worked as a pearl diver. Soon, he became known (at least locally) as the best pearl diver ever. His swimming skill, combined with his ability to hold his breath for almost 10 minutes allowed him to dive deep and bring the largest pearls to the surface. Furthermore, he taught all the little children in the village how to swim. Doing so made him a rather popular, albeit somewhat strange looking, inhabitant of the village.
The latest application of the spell he developed has made him even more popular, especially among the young women of the village. His continuous dehydration spell makes the skin of humans look very soft, moist and young. As such, any time he is not adventuring (and therefore doesn’t need his spell himself) he casts the spell on one of the village’s young women.
Adrian still visits his parents and family in the ocean occasionally. However, to do so he needs the potions of water breathing he buys from a travelling merchant. He spends most of his time, however, exploring the surroundings of the village he lives in. He is still intrigued by the concept of dry land and all its secrets.
Personality: Adrian is an extremely friendly creature. He is thrilled to have found a community that has accepted him as one of its members and is even happier about being able to teach children how to swim, since he loves children. He holds no grudge against other merfolk, despite against a few who teased him a lot during his childhood perhaps. On the whole, Adrian really has a heart of gold. If approached by strangers, he will always give them the benefit of the doubt and be friendly to them. His default facial expression is a broad and charming smile.
When confronted, Adrian is more likely to run for the water and flee, than he is to fight. The only exception is when one of the members of the village is attacked. Adrian considers all inhabitants of the village as family and will always fight on their side if necessary. When forced to fight, Adrian will always try to use his crossbow at maximum efficiency and keep as much distance between him and his opponents. If this is impossible, he switched to a trident and engages in a melee fight.
Due to his innate curiosity, Adrian is always interested in information on about almost anything. In return, he can offer vast amounts of knowledge about the underwater world. Adrian is almost always interested in such a trade of knowledge, unless he feels that it might harm the interests of the merfolk in general.
Application in Your Game: Adrian can be included in several ways. Here are just some of the many possibilities: - Adrian holds some knowledge about the underwater world the characters might need, such as the location of the wreck of a ship. - The characters need a good diver to retrieve something from the bottom of the sea. Since Adrian is known as the best pearl diver ever, his reputation makes him an obvious candidate for the job. - The characters might encounter a merfolk several miles land inwards (a strange sight indeed) and might become intrigued by its stories. - Perhaps one of the children has drowned during the swimming lessons of Adrian. Adrian is now confronted with the wrath of the village he loves so much. The characters might be called in to settle the case. Whether or not he is guilty is for you to decide, but it certainly will have an impact on Adrian’s life. - The stories about a spell that can keep the skin young and moist have reached a large city. Now all rich women in the city are willing to pay to get their hands on the spell. The characters are hired by some noblemen to get the spell. (note that if asked nicely Adrian is perfectly willing to share the spell with others)
"Sing it again!" called the drunken elf from the back of the tavern as he flung a handful of silver coins towards the stage at the front of the room. Obediently, the singer began singing the latest ballad to circulate about the renowned explorer, Jolethuam Fendarin, and his exploits in the sunken temple of Ghaunadar the Ooze Lord. The elf grinned and conducted the performance with his wineglass, obviously pleased.
"Gods, you vain," opined his tablemate, taking a large swallow from his tankard of ale. "Sometime I tink you do all dis nonsense jus' so you get to listen to da song after."
"You're one to talk. Call yourself 'Big Thunga' all you like--I know your real name is Terrence," sniffed the elf. "And don't think that I don't know what a thunga is in Orc. I speak the language as well as you do. It’s disgusting, and it’s keeping you from meeting a nice girl."
"It jus . . . advertisin', dat's all," objected the half-orc, adding in defensive tones, "An' anyway, Jolly. I gotta advertise, on accounta me not bein' a elf what is pretty as a girl."
"Er. Right," agreed the elf, drowning his discomfort in a swallow of wine before changing the subject, "Anyway, it's a good ballad, even if it is about me. No vanity there."
The half-orc just sighed, and agreed, "No vanity dere. But have da girl sing sumtin' else next, eh? I been tryin' ta forget da part where der giant ooze tries ta suck me offa da ledge aroun' its pool, an' dis song is not helpin' me at all."
Variously characterized as a "treasure hunter," "explorer," "thief," "scoundrel," and "archaeologist," Jolethuam Fendarin is among the best in the business when it comes to finding ancient ruins and then divesting them of any valuable items which may still lie within their ageless precincts. The motives behind his actions are unclear; some of his escapades were obviously at the behest of various parties who wished his services in retrieving some artifact from the bowels of one ancient tomb or another, but the proceeds of other expeditions have been simply put up for auction on the open market. Still other pieces from Fendarin's expeditions have never passed from his hands or those of his adventuring companions. The only common denominator in Fendarin's choices of expedition destinations is that they are dangerous places to visit.
The truth behind Fendarin's apparently nonsensical behavior is simple; Jolethuam (or Jolly, to his friends) is the living exemplification of everything that authority figures hate about adventurers. He and his compatriots are perfectly willing to scale cliffs, hack their way through jungles, wade through swamps, fight off entire tribes of monstrous humanoids, and do battle with wrathful necromancers if it means that they can loot the corpses of their fallen enemies and ransack the whatever dark temple of a fallen god lies at the end of the journey. Jolethuam and his friends meddle in that which is none of their business, break laws as often as most citizens change their socks, and occasionally engage in activities which are not illegal because nobody has thought of them yet. Jolethuam himself also takes good care to play off of his status as a celebrity and troublemaker in order to attract impressionable young women, usually to the intense displeasure of their parents, and he has at least two illegitimate children. To his credit, Jolethuam has provided for his offspring, setting aside enough money in their names to ensure that their futures are secure.
Jolethuam began his career in exploration and artifact retrieval as a ranger in the forests of his elven homeland, where his uncertain morals eventually got him into trouble. He ceased his activities as a woodsman and began to study magic instead, proving surprisingly adept with conjuration spells, and soon garnered a broad but formidable knowledge base on all manner of topics. His previous employment as a scout and wilderness guide combined with his studies to produce an unusual sort of wizard: Jolethuam quickly recognized that he is uniquely suited to the task of finding, entering, and escaping alive from ancient treasure vaults. Motivated by a love of adventure as much as by a healthy enjoyment of the luxuries that money can buy, he has amassed a considerable reputation for himself despite his relative youth.
The elf's partner in crime is a half-orc who calls himself Big Thunga. The half-orc fills in several gaps in Jolethuam's training—notably, Jolethuam suffers from weaknesses when it comes to sheer, brute force and when faced with complex mechanisms. Big Thunga's expertise extends to precisely these two areas; if he cannot disarm a trap or pick a lock, he can usually manage to break down a door or to survive springing a trap. He also displays the penchant for mindless brutality which is the hallmark of all half-orc berserkers, making him a valuable asset to Jolethuam when stealth and cunning run short and it becomes necessary to cut a pathway to an objective.
For Big Thunga's part, Jolethuam represents a kindred spirit; Jolethuam judges his orc-blooded friend by his words and deeds rather than by appearances, and Big Thunga appreciates him for his perceptiveness. The pair also share a love of carousing, gambling, and danger, which helps to make them inseperable whether they are in battle or in a brothel. Nor does it hurt that both men recognize that they can make a great deal more money together than as independent operators.
Jolethuam Fendarin Male elf con 8/rng 4: CR 12; Medium humanoid; Hit Dice 4d8+4 plus 8d4+8; hp 50; Init +3; Spd 30 ft. (6 squares), AC 15, 14 touch, 12 flat-footed; BAB/Grapple +8/+10; Atk +11 melee (1d8+4/19-20, +1 two-bladed sword), +11 melee (1d8+3/x3, +1 adamantine warhammer), or +11 melee (1d6+3/19-20, +1 cold iron shortsword), or +12 ranged (1d8+3/19-20/x3 +1 mighty composite longbow [+2 Str]); Full atk +9/+4 melee (1d8+3/19-20, +1 two-bladed sword) and +9 melee (1d8+2/19-20, +1 two-bladed sword), or +9/+4 melee (1d8+3/x3, +1 adamantine warhammer) and +9 melee (1d6+2/19-20, +1 cold iron shortsword), or +10/+10/+5 ranged (1d8+3/19-20/x3 +1 mighty composite longbow [+2 Str]); SA spellcasting; SQ +2 racial bonus to saving throws vs. enchantment spells and effects, +2 racial bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot checks (included below), animal companion, empathic link, familiar, favored enemy aberration +2, immunity to magic sleep effects, link, low-light vision, portal sense, share spells, wild empathy +5; AL CN; SV Fort +7, Reflex +9, Will +7; Abilities Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 11, Cha 12. Skills and Feats: Bluff +4, Climb +4, Concentration +12, Craft (bowyer) +7, Diplomacy +5, Handle Animal +5, Hide +10, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (nature) +9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +9, Knowledge (planes) +9, Listen +9 (+2 within 5 ft. of familiar), Move Silently +10, Search +11, Speak Language (Common, Draconic, Elven, Orc, Undercommon), Spellcraft +17 (+2 dealing with conjuration spells, -5 dealing with necromancy or illusion spells), Spot +9 (+2 within 5 ft. of familiar), Survival +7 (+2 in aboveground natural environments, underground, or in planar environments, and +2 to avoid getting lost), Use Rope +5; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Two-Bladed Sword), Leadership, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Scribe Scroll, Track, Two-Weapon Fighting. Wizard Spells Prepared: 0th—acid splash, detect magic, light, prestidigitation, read magic; 1st—expeditious retreat, feather fall, grease (DC 15), mage armor, shield, Tenser's floating disk; 2nd—glitterdust (DC 16), knock, spider climb, web (x2) (DC 16); 3rd—dispel magic (x2), haste, phantom steed, stinking cloud (DC 17); 4th—arcane eye, confusion (DC 18), dimension door, Evard's black tentacles. Spellbook Contents: 0th—all except disrupt undead, ghost sound, and touch of fatigue; 1st—expeditious retreat, feather fall, Fendarin's belayer*, grease, jump, mage armor, shield, sleep, summon monster I, Tenser's floating disk, unseen servant; 2nd—glitterdust, knock, spider climb, web; 3rd—clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, haste, lightning bolt, phantom steed, stinking cloud; 4th—arcane eye, confusion, dimension door, Evard's black tentacles. * New spell; see below. Possessions: +1 mighty composite longbow [+2 Str], +1/+1 two-bladed sword, +1 adamantine warhammer, +1 cold iron short sword, amulet of natural armor +1, Heward's handy haversack, ring of protection +1, 3 potions of cure moderate wounds, 5 +1 bane arrows*, 30 arrows, 20 cold iron arrows, 20 alchemical silver arrows, 10 adamantine arrows, 5 flasks of alchemist's fire, 5 flasks of acid, 4 flasks of holy water, bowyer's tools, 100 ft. of silk rope, grappling hook. * Jolethuam uses his Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat to outfit himself or his companions with bane arrows appropriate to whatever he expects to encounter on an expedition; fill in the appropriate type for this item in his possessions list. He is also capable of crafting sleep arrows and shock arrows, and does so if he expects to need to subdue people without killing them or to fight creatures vulnerable to electricity damage.
Ssthrip, Jolethuam's familiar Male viper: Tiny magical beast; Hit Dice 12; hp 25; Spd 15 ft. (3 squares), climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.; Init +3; AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 18; BAB/Grapple +7/-4; Atk +12 melee (1 plus poison, bite); Full atk +12 melee (1 plus poison, bite); SA poison; SQ deliver touch spells, empathic link, improved evasion, scent, share spells, speak with master, speak with reptiles; AL CN; SV Fort +6, Reflex +9, Will +8; Abilities Str 4, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 2. Skills and Feats: Climb +13, Balance +11, Concentration +11, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +4, Hide +22, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (geography) +4, Knowledge (nature) +4, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +4, Knowledge (planes) +4, Listen +11, Move Silently +14, Search +4, Spellcraft +12, Spot +11, Survival +7 (+2 in aboveground natural environments, underground, or in planar environments, and +2 to avoid getting lost), Swim +5; Weapon Finesse. Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 16, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Woort, Jolethuam’s animal companion Female owl: Tiny magical beast (augmented animal): HD 1d8; hp 4; Spd 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average); Init +3; AC 17, 15 touch, 14 flat-footed; BAB/Grapple +0/+11; Atk +5 melee (1d4-3, talons); Full atk +5 melee (1d4-3, talons); SQ bonus tricks, link, low-light vision, share spells; AL CN; SV Fort +2, Reflex +5, Will +2; Abilities Str 4, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4. Skills and Feats: Listen +14, Move Silently +17, Spot +6*; Weapon Finesse. Skills: Woort has a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks and a +14 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. *She has a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks in areas of shadowy illumination. Tricks: Woort knows the attack, down, fetch, guard, heel, seek, and track tricks.
Big Thunga Male half-orc brb 4/rog 4: CR 8; Medium humanoid (orc); Hit Dice 4d12+8 plus 4d6+8; hp 56; Spd 40 ft. (8 squares); Init +7; AC 20, 14 touch, 20 flat-footed; BAB/Grapple +7/+11; Atk +12 melee (1d6+5/18-20, +1 adamantine scimitar), or +11 melee (1d6+4/19-20, cold iron short sword), or +11 melee (1d8+3, alchemical silver heavy mace), or +10 ranged (1d6+4/x3, mighty composite shortbow [+4 Str]); Full atk +12/+7 melee (1d6+5/18-20, +1 adamantine scimitar), or +11/+6 melee (1d6+4/19-20, cold iron short sword), or +11/+6 melee (1d8+3, alchemical silver heavy mace), or +10/+5 ranged (1d6+4/x3, mighty composite shortbow [+4 Str]); SA rage 2/day, sneak attack +2d6; SQ darkvision 60 ft., evasion, fast movement, improved uncanny dodge, orc blood, trapfinding, trap sense +2, uncanny dodge; AL CN; SV Fort +7, Reflex +8, Will +2; Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 11. Skills and Feats: Appraise +3, Climb +10, Bluff +5, Disable Device +5, Hide +10, Intimidate +9, Jump +10, Listen +3, Move Silently +10, Open Lock +7, Search +5, Speak Language (Common, Giant, Orc), Spot +3, Survival +7, Swim +10; Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Initiative. Possessions: +1 adamantine scimitar, +1 studded leather, +1 buckler, mighty composite shortbow [+4 Str], 30 arrows, cold iron short sword, alchemical silver heavy mace, ring of protection +1, 2 potions of cure light wounds, thieves' tools, 100 ft. of silk rope, grappling hook.
8 1st-level followers: Mirthin Itch-Sole (CN halfling female adp 1 of Fharlanghn) serves Jolethuam's company as a healer (she has maximum ranks in the Heal skill to augment her spellcasting ability), and alchemist. Working for Jolethuam allows her to satisfy her religion's requirements for continual travel, as well as her own fondness for exploration.
Robbert Spensen (N male human war 1) is a former employee of one of Jolethuam's late competitors, whose expedition to explore the ruins of a yuan-ti temple ended in disaster. Thanks to Jolethuam, Robbert survived. It was Jolethuam's good fortune that Robbert also comes from a vast, close-knit extended family; several of the former mercenary's cousins and brothers have also joined the company after hearing of Jolethuam's excellent treatment of his followers.
Skripti Scrolleater (N male kobold exp 1) followed Jolethuam after the elf butchered most of his small tribe just in time to prevent them from sacrificing him to a young red dragon which they had begun to worship as a god. Since he has always been a misfit among his own species, Skripti finds Jolethuam's company rather pleasant; Jolethuam encourages the kobold's curiosity, and benefits from his knack for languages, ciphers, and translation.
Gerli Hundrabbak (CN male dwarf ari 1) became Jolethuam's boon companion after the explorer sheltered him from the vengeful relatives of a dwarven maiden whose seduction (Gerli swears it was willing and mutual) led to the young lord's exile from his clan mine. He often conducts negotiations and appraisals on Jolethuam's behalf.
Combat Jolethuam's tactics in combat depend heavily on where he is and who is with him. Most of the time, he and Big Thunga are the only members of the company to face significant danger, since Jolethuam adamantly insists that none of the other company members enter an exploration site until he is sure that there is no danger beyond what they are capable of dealing with on their own.
The overall hallmarks of Jolethuam's tactical sense revolve around his training as an archer; Jolethuam's spellbook contains a variety of spells which prevent his foes from maneuvering freely about the battlefield, and he tries to cast them as early in combat as possible. Once he has immobilized his enemies, Jolethuam picks them off with his bow. Big Thunga joins him, but if one of them breaks free of Jolethuam's restraints he is prepared to drop his shortbow and rush into melee in order to prevent injury to Jolethuam.
When possible, Jolethuam prefers to fight on his terms, and he often uses Big Thunga (whose fast movement ability allows him a better chance to escape cleanly) as a decoy to draw his enemies into a position which allows him to take advantage of the terrain. In the event that he is cornered, Jolethuam swaps his composite longbow for a two-bladed sword, and tries to dispatch his foe as quickly as possible by repeated full attack actions, relying on Big Thunga to flank for sneak attack damage if at all possible. Jolethuam's preference for the two-bladed sword stems from his understanding that it's harder to disarm someone wielding a weapon in both hands. Holding onto one's weapon in a fight is an important key to survival, so he has taken the extra time and effort needed to master an unusual weapon that allows him to combine a higher rate of attack with a higher chance of resisting sunder and disarm attempts. Jolethuam prepares mage armor on a daily basis; the spell lasts 8 hours and he casts it first thing in the morning for a +4 bonus to the listed AC rating in his stat block.
In the event that Jolethuam has to fight while his other companions are nearby, he tries to arrange matters so that they can fight at range. On several occasions he has led them to a hilltop or ridge and shrouded its sides with web spells just in time to forestall attack by irate warbands belonging to tribes in the areas surrounding his expedition sites. The warriors in his company are equipped with guisarmes in order to help them fend off attackers who, despite Jolethuam's best efforts, get too close.
Jolethuam tries very hard to avoid having his animal companion, Woort, or his familiar, Sthrip, get into combat at all. He prefers to use them as scouts, since Woort can fly and sees well even in dim light, and since Sthrip is stealthy and can fit through spaces that Jolethuam or Big Thunga cannot. Many are the sentries whose last sensation was the sting of Sthrip's fangs--the little viper's status as a familiar has greatly increased the potency of its venom, to the point that a single bite from Sthrip can stiffen up the average humanoid like a plank. Between the two of them, Jolethuam's animal friends have greatly improved the elf's ability to avoid more battles than he fights.
Fendarin's Belayer Conjuration (Creation) Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, F Casting Time: 1 round Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) Effect: One invisible, mindless, shapeless belayer Duration: 10 min./level (D) Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No
You create an invisible, mindless, shapeless force that helps you to use a rope to avoid mishaps while climbing. When you use a Use Rope check to secure a grappling hook to a wall or other vertical surface, the force grants you a +10 circumstance bonus to your check, and there is no special penalty for failure by 5 or more--if you fail the check by this margin, the grapple simply fails to catch instead of catching only to come free 1d4 rounds after you begin to climb. In the event that you fall (whether you fall after failing a Climb check from taking damage, or after failing a Climb check to progress further up a wall), the force grants you a +10 circumstance bonus on any subsequent Climb check made in an attempt to catch yourself. If you fail to catch yourself, the force nevertheless allows you to treat your fall as if it were 10 feet shorter than it actually is. Arcane Focus: A silk rope at least 50 ft. long.
Jolethuam uses this spell to help his less-athletic companions scale cliffs and other obstacles with less chance of injury.
Using Jolethuam and Company in Your Game: This is a simple matter--Jolethuam and his companions can be useful in a large variety of ways because, as amoral adventurers par excellence, they can show up almost anywhere, doing almost anything. They shy away from the most dastardly of acts (so you won't find Jolethuam knowingly procuring humanoid sacrifices or murdering people, for example), but theft and sabotage are certainly not beyond them. In general, Jolethuam and his friends are unlikely to participate in any activities which are punishable by execution, or which involve friendly contact with evil outsiders--but this is more a matter of self-preservation than a moral issue.
Jolethuam and Big Thunga, along with their followers, make excellent rivals to the PCs, especially if they are placed in a situation in which the PCs have to race against them to acquire something important. Jolethuam's thirst for fame and recognition make him particularly useful in this role if the PCs possess a similar thirst for fame; nothing is so annoying to a glory-hound PC as having some NPC steal your press.
Jolethuam is also useful as a "safety net" in case the PCs get into trouble in a dungeon crawl. It is easy to have him pop up, looking for the same thing that the PCs are looking for. Jolethuam's usual method of operation when he finds a beleaguered adventuring group in this position is to get them out of immediate danger, retrieve whatever he came looking for, and then to taunt his rivals with his success and their failure before he lets them loose. This tendency has not made him many friends, but it has certainly helped to spread his reputation. Annoying people get talked about.
Adaptation: This entry is almost entirely core material, with the exception of Jolethuam's new spell, detailed above. As such, it should be easy to import him into almost any game. Jolethuam is particularly suitable to the Eberron campaign setting, and plays to that setting's sense of swashbuckling adventure. But his seat-of-the-pants adventuring style is fundamentally suitable for shaking up any campaign world.
The entry is easy to adapt for level; Jolethuam advances henceforth as a conjurer; his prohibited schools are necromancy and illusion. Adding CR to him is a matter of adding levels of conjurer. Removing CR from him can be accomplished by removing levels of conjurer first, and then ranger.
Big Thunga advances by alternating levels of barbarian and rogue. His next level is up to the DM's choice. Lowering his CR can be accomplished in the same manner, and his next level is also the DM's choice.
Jolethuam's followers are not detailed in their entirety; if a class and race breakdown is not given, assume that they are human 1st-level warriors. Jolethuam's named and described followers have been with him the longest, and should be retained unless his level is reduced sufficiently to make him unable to possess so many companions.
overview: magical firepower from an unlikely source, Nicholas can easily throw opponents for a loop, as he definitely breaks the mold. sourcebooks: the Standard Reference Document, covering the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual.
Description: gender: male age: 27 height: 6’ 2” weight: 210 lbs. complexion: medium hair: medium-length black with a short beard and mustache eyes: hazel general appearance: "A tall, muscular man in full armor stands before you, hefting a softly glowing sword the size of an oar over his shoulder. From behind a visored helm, discriminating eyes sweep the entire area with suspicion." Nicholas’ most outstanding feature is his size- he is notably tall and well built (like a football player or pro wrestler). He wears well-made full plate armor, though careful attention would notice that it doesn’t seem to wear quite right, interfering with his movement more than expected. Over his armor he wears adventurer's gear- a long cloak with hood, heavy boots, and a tabard with belt.
Combat: ”He adopts a defensive stance, sword held at the ready. However, he then begins to speak in a strange language, familiar to those practiced in arcane studies. Suddenly, a magic bolt flies from his position, even though he didn’t let his guard down for an instant.” For all of his equipment, Nicholas isn’t actually a warrior. He is actually an arcane caster. He wears heavy armor for the superior protection it provides, and wields a greatsword just to be imposing. It has taken a great deal of practice and research to allow him to cast spells while in armor, but he is willing to give up a slight edge on magical firepower for defense. He also likes to take advantage of the surprise and confusion caused by what appeared to be an armored knight suddenly starts flinging bolts of magic.
Personality: Nicholas is cautious to the point of paranoia, his conversation skills sometimes hampered by sneaking suspicions that someone is out to get him. He never takes action without a thought out plan, and tries to think several moves ahead. While his plans tend to emphasize survivability, he does make provisions to keep the rest of whatever group he is adventuring with alive as well. Nicholas can be slow to trust people, but he always prefers to work in a group rather than on his own.
Background: As a kid growing up as a dockhand, Nicholas Shem was used to physical exertion day-in, day-out. Years spent carrying around crates and barrels built up his muscle and endurance, but his real interest was knowledge and study. He would stay up nights reading and rereading old tomes by candlelight, especially those concerning magic. During meal breaks, he would practice with the arcane formulae he had studied the night before, eventually unlocking the most basic of spells. Without a steady supply of arcane components, he has had to modify his spellcasting so that he can go without a supply of some of the more simple materials.
His big break came when a startup adventuring group came his town, signing him on as arcane support. Things had gone well over several small adventures- going to cities and towns blasting zombies, frying monstrous insects, and zapping ruffians. However, one day Nicholas and the group were ambushed by group of goblins, and a lucky javelin thrown by one of them struck Nicholas badly and nearly killed him. Since then, Nicholas has always had a preoccupation with protection, as well as watching and listening for things that try to go unnoticed (even if there is no reason for any to be around).
After recovering from his near-mortal wound, he took all of the adventure money he had earned and bought the best suit of armor possible. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the first clue on how to wear it properly, and worse still, it disrupted with his spellcasting with alarming frequency. Spending months in study, he worked out how to modify his spells so that they wouldn’t be affected by his armor, even coming up with new ones that didn’t require the somatic components typical to most arcane spells. He is not very concerned with the armor’s detrimental effect on his physical combat, and so he hasn’t bothered to set aside time to practice how to wear it more effectively.
Nicholas has noticed that since he started wearing armor, opponents have stopped engaging him in the same way, and were often quite surprised when he cast a spell. Deciding to play up the perceived role of a warrior, he traded his staff for a sword, even though he wasn’t practiced in its use. The prospects of contending with what looked like an armed and armored fighter has often kept foes at bay long enough for Nicholas to unleash a devastating spell, weakening them to the point where the rest of the group can easily finish them off. He has picked up the nickname “the iron-skinned mage” from his allies who have gotten used to seeing him in his characteristic full plate armor blasting away at foes.
Recently, Nicholas has developed the skills needed to permanently empower his equipment. His progress towards more powerful magic has stalled because of this, as he has spent much of his time and energy enchanting his armor and weapons rather than continuing to adventure. But he views the benefit of better protection and a more intimidating weapon (he purposefully ensured that his enchanted sword glows, obviously marking it as a magic weapon) as worth it.
Statistics: name: Nicholas Shem race: human level/ class: wizard 5 alignment: lawful neutral size/type: medium humanoid
Abilities: Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Nicholas is proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with his arcane movements, which can cause spells with somatic components to fail.
Spells/day (arcane) caster level: 5 save DCs: 13 +spell lvl 0th: 4 (4 base) 1st: 4 (3 base +1 Int) 2nd: 3 (2 base +1 Int) 3rd: 2 (1 base +1 Int)
Spellbook: all 0-level spells 1st: burning gaze (see below), burning hands, magic missile, expeditious retreat, feather fall 2nd: darkness, flaming sphere, scorching ray, shatter 3rd: displacement, spell refraction (see below)
New Spells: Burning Gaze Evocation [Fire] Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Effect: Ray Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: Yes A fiery beam of light erupts from your eyes. This does not affect your vision in any way. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack with the ray to deal damage. The ray deals 1d6 fire damage, plus an additional 1d6 for every two levels past first, for a maximum of 5d6 fire damage at 9th level.
Spell Refraction Illusion (Figment) Level: Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, F Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Short (25 ft. +5 ft./2 levels) Target: Self Duration: 1 round/level (D) Saving Throw: Will disbelief Spell Resistance: No This spell can only be cast upon yourself. While this spell’s duration is active, any other spell you cast may appear to originate from a point within range that you designate. All visual, auditory, olfactory, and thermal effects associated with the spell appear to originate from this spot, rather than you. You need a line of sight to this spot, however, and you still need the normal line of effect to the target. Anyone perceiving the cast spell is allowed a will save to determine the spell’s true origin. This spell does not mask your spellcasting actions, so opponents who see or hear you cast a spell can still notice that you cast a spell. Focus: a small mirror.
Feats: 5 (2 from levels +1 racial bonus +2 class bonus) Eschew Materials- Nicholas can cast any spell that has a material component costing 1 gp or less without needing that component. The casting of the spell still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. If the spell requires a material component that costs more than 1 gp, he must have the material component at hand to cast the spell, just as normal. Combat Casting- Nicholas has a +4 bonus on Concentration checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability while on the defensive or while you are grappling or pinned. Scribe Scroll (item creation)- Nicholas can create a scroll of any spell that he knows. Still Spell (metamagic)- A stilled spell can be cast with no somatic components. Spells already without somatic components are not affected. A stilled spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level. Craft Magic Arms and Armor (item creation)- Nicholas can create any magic weapon, armor, or shield whose prerequisites he meets. He can also mend a broken magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield if it is one that he could make.
Equipment: a suit of +1 full plate with a locked gauntlet (right hand), a +1 greatsword (sheds light equivalent to a light spell) he has named "Tools of the Trade", a +1 light crossbow (in case he runs out of spells), 50 crossbow bolts, a backup dagger, a backup backup dagger, a leather backpack that he keeps his spellbook hidden in, a vial of antitoxin, and an explorer’s outfit (generally worn over his armor).
Implementation: Nicholas works best as part of a “bait and switch”, teamed up with a lightly armored but effective combat character like a monk or ranger. As part of such a group, opponents would hopefully mistake the lightly armored individual as the arcane caster, going after them rather than the fully-armored individual who is actual spellcaster. As an potentially allied NPC, Nicholas is always looking for a group, being unwilling to risk going solo. And while other mages might have more offensive ability, Nicholas is likely more survivable. He would probably be available because of all of the time he has spent recently enchanting his equipment, having fallen behind any previous groups because of all of the experience points that have gone into item creation. As a hostile NPC, a more evil Nicholas would hire out a hapless commoner to stand around in a robe and staff, waving their arms and babbling nonsense in an attempt to draw attention away from the real spellcaster. He would always have an escape plan, whether through magic or more mundane means like a secret passage or smoke bombs.
Scaling: For higher levels, Nicholas would pick up at least a sixth level of wizard, so that he could enchant his equipment to higher bonuses. However, multiclassing a level of fighter and then taking up the Eldritch Knight prestige class would allow him to alleviate his proficiency issues (though this would disqualify him from one of the design criteria). Alternatively, he might go for one of the “armored wizard”-style PrCs such as the Spellsword from Complete Warrior (I think that’s where it is). Otherwise, he would go with single-classed wizard, so as to get higher-level spell slots. He would pick up feats that can apply to all of his spells like Spell Focus (evocation) and Spell Penetration. He might also take Quicken Spell, once he has 5th or 6th level spells. As for the spells themselves, his first choice would be spells normally without somatic components, such as those given below, followed by offensive spells (mostly evocation) and then “special effect” spells like defensive illusions or utility spells.
As for lower levels, anything below 5th means he does not have his self-enchanted magic equipment, and the character concept doesn’t work so well below 3rd level, where he doesn’t have the Still Spell feat or the higher level spell slots to make much use of it.
Horace Blick, Senior Custodian, 3rd Class, and (secretly) Grand Marshall of the Armies of Archmagus, Erascamb Silverbeard (2)
If you saw Horace Blick on most days, you probably wouldn’t remember it. For fifteen years now, since his apprenticeship at the age of 13, Horace has mopped the floors within the Cabran Imperial Academy of Arcane Arts. However, none would suspect that when Archmagus Erascamb attends any official event Horace always follows shortly behind.
Part 1: A Historie Of Events as They Came to Bie, er… Be. When the academy was founded, centuries ago, the Archmagus was chosen by his peers by anonymous ballot and served for life. As the academy grew, the position garnered more power and prestige. As often happens, the more power and prestige the position granted, the shorter the life spans of the Archmagi became.
Soon, Archmagi, as well as any potential candidates, saw the benefit of hiring heavily armed and well trained personal guards. These companies of guards could often be seen marauding through the academy halls, since the life spans of the Archmagi had not improved (3). After one particularly bloody semester (4), budgetary concerns forced an uneasy peace (5). The surviving faculty agreed that from that point onwards, each Archmagi or candidate would only be allowed a single guard and that open combat on academy grounds would simply not be done (6).
The limit on guards had its desired effect. The halls became much safer (7), and for a time, the life spans of the Archmagi improved. While open combat became rare, assassinations still occurred like clockwork (8) This period of general, relative (9) peace lasted until someone realized that bodyguards could be bribed (10). Archmagi began dropping like flies since good bodyguards also make good executioners and assassins (11).
Part 2: Whereby the Author Finallie Gets to Ye Olde Pointe The current Archmagus, Erascamb Silverbeard, achieved his exalted position in atypical manner. The Academy chefs had served a nice meal of roast turkey. As usual, such a meal quickly had most people dozing soon thereafter. When the faculty met at 1:30 for the weekly election meeting, Professor Erascamb Silverbeard, Emeritus: Illusions and Charms, was absent. He had eaten well and overslept. Thus, with no voice with which to remove his candidacy (12), he was elected Archmagus for Life. A page was immediately dispatched to inform Professor Silverbeard, E: I &C, of his victory. A few hours later, when the boy no longer resembled a small toad (13), Archmagus Erascamb learned his fate and decisively came to the conclusion that roast turkey ought to be reserved for evening meals.
Archmagus Erascamb knew that just because none of his former peers actually want the job, there would still be a variety of attempts on his life (14). Before even appearing before the faculty to accept his robes of office, Erascamb went in search of a bodyguard. By this time, the fate of his predecessor was already passing through the academy like last week’s egg nog. It seems the former Archmagus had been beheaded by his own guard (15).
As Erascamb wandered the halls, he pondered the conundrum of having a bodyguard suitable for intimidating any attackers who would also be unwilling, or at least unable, to harm him (16). He was so deep in thought that he collided with something as he turned a corner. That something quickly helped him up, brushed him off and apologized for being so rude as to be standing where the honored sir might wish to travel (17).
As Archmagus Erascamb inspected this something, he quickly realized it was actually a someone (18). In fact, it was a someone who was cowering a fumbling for a mop and overturned bucket.
“Who are you?” asked Erascamb. “Horace Blick, your wizardship sir. I was just here mopping the floors, trying very hard not to be turned into a frog or anything, when I clearly stepped in your way. I’m very sorry and I do apologize.” (19)
Shortly after noticing that Horace was, in fact a who and not a what, Erascamb also noticed that the upturned bucket had been altered. Cut into its side were a series of slits and it bore a chin strap. There was also a significant lack of puddle as one would normally get from an upturned mop bucket (20). The man before him also seemed to be clad in some sort of shiny, slightly crumpled suit of metal, tin perhaps.
“You weren’t mopping the floor. You were wearing a bucket on your head,” Erascamb said. “Yes, right,” replied Horace, “Quite deft of you sir. I was checking the inside for rust. Hate to spread rust on the floor, sir. It would leave them all, ah, erm, rusty.” “Rust! In an academy issued bucket?” bellowed Erascamb. “What I meant to say, sir, was that it was my own personal bucket. Trying to save the academy a few coin, sir. Hey! Wossat behind you!” at which point, Horace fled.
Erascamb hadn’t actually turned to look behind him. He was fairly sure that if there was something behind him, he didn’t really want to see it coming (21). When, an oddly short time later, Horace reverted back to human form, Erascamb demanded the truth of the story. It turned out that Horace was one of the custodians. He had a romantic mindset (22) and had been pretending the basements of the academy were a dungeon (23) and that he was a hero sent to vanquish the evil within (24). Erascamb had found his bodyguard.
Horace was quietly taken to the armory and outfitted with arms and armor chosen to intimidate (25). The armor not only hid his face well but hid him entirely. It bore a variety of spikes that would ward off most who would try to knock him over (26). Then Horace chose a nasty looking heavy axe with a pointy bit at the end of the handle (27). Erascamb picked out a cloak that would help ward off any magical attacks and then looked upon his new bodyguard.
The image was rather terrifying. Horace was not a small man. With the armor and dwarven axe, however, he looked ready to wade into battle. Satisfied that Horace would be able to walk in the heavy gear, Erascamb bade him follow and went to accept his promotion.
Thyngse Ase Theye Stande Todaye Any time Erascamb must spend time in public or with large numbers of the faculty, Horace is summoned to the Archmagus’ quarters to don his armor, cloak, and axe. Erascamb has spread rumors that his bodyguard was once a vile and ruthless murderer now held in thrall by a powerful charm. Wizards, even those able to blast dragons into ash, fear what unseen dangers lurk in the shadows. The rumors have, of course, taken a life of their own (28) and all fear the man they believe wears the armor.
Inside the academy, the livery and manner of a servant renders him nearly invisible. Thus, there is much speculation as to how Erascamb’s guard can appear and disappear so easily. Some believe the Archmagus summons otherworldly assistance (29) while others suspect illusion. Those who use their magics to divine Horace’s true identity succeed, but dismiss their findings as a clever diversion of their spells. Those who have tried to charm or control Horace while acting as bodyguard discover that by the time he understands what they want, Erascamb has already countered their control with a spell of his own. In effect, Horace, by shear lack of any notable aptitude at all, is the perfect bodyguard.
To the wizards of the academy, Horace is an enigma (30). The wizards, by their nature, expect to be able to investigate and understand anything they set their minds to. In the case of Horace Blick, the simple truth is too simple. The explanation is too easy, and thus can’t be correct.
Archmagus Erascamb’s ruse seems to be working. There have been no successful assassination attempts for nearly five years and most of the faculty have given up trying. None of them particularly want to be the Archmagus anyway and Erascamb seems uninterested in dying of natural causes(31).
Thee Lyfe AnD tYmes of Horace Blick Horace Blick was born in Cabras. He has never left the capitol city and likely never will. At the tender age of 13, he was handed over for by his parents for training as a custodian at the academy. Horace was the eight child of twelve (32) and it was simply time for him to be fed by someone else. He quickly proved to be of mediocre wit and was put to work with a mop. After that, he was forgotten for five years. Horace would quietly take his meals in the kitchen and then return to work. It was soon discovered that he’d racked up nearly fifty gold in back pay. Rather than actually pay the young man, he was offered room and board. Horace quickly accepted the room (33) but quietly stated he could do without extra bits of wood cluttering things up. From then until his fateful meeting with the Archmagus, Horace mopped floors and vanquished the shadows in the basements.
Horace is very proud of his secret assignment. He thanks whatever gods he can remember for the foresight to assemble his old armor from bits of discarded tin. He does doze off now and then, but his clever lord has installed latches in the armor joints that keep him upright. After being chased from the potato bin a few times, he learned to sleep without snoring, so no one ever seems to notice. Horace takes his duties very seriously. He is proud that the Archmagus believes in him and hopes his newly expanded service will one day earn him a promotion to Senior Custodian, 2nd Class, with it’s accompanying increase in salary to six copper a day.
Horace Blick, Senior Custodian, 3rd Class Male human Com3; CR2; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d4+3+3; hp:14; Init +0; Spd 30ft; AC 10 (touch 10, flat-footed 10); BAB +1, Grapple: +2, Melee: -2 Mop (+1BAB, +1 Str, -4 improvised weapon) 1d6+1, x2; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; AL TN; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 11. Skills and Feats: Knowledge (local) +5 [OC, 3 ranks (6 pts), -1 Int, +3 Skill Focus], Profession (custodian) +4 [5 ranks, -1 Wis], Profession (guard) +0 [1 rank, -1 Wis], Weapon Proficiency (knife)[class feature], Great Fortitude, Skill Focus (Knowledge Local), Toughness. Languages: Common Special Qualities: SR 15, Morphic Stability* Possessions: Three academy issued custodian’s livery. Keys to all rooms in the north wing, plus the kitchen, servant’s outhouse, and his quarters. Scrap-tin armor (see adaptability notes).
Horace Blick, Grand Marshall of the Armies [Note changes to CR, speed, AC, weapons, saves, and Str due to loaned equipment] Male human Com3; CR5; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d4+2+3; hp:14; Init +0; Spd 20ft; AC 23 (touch 15, flat-footed 23); BAB +1, Grapple: +3, Melee: -3 Dwarven Urgrosh +3 (+1BAB, +2 Str, +3 enhancement, -4 not proficient w/ weapon, -5 armor non-proficiency penalty) 1d8+5/1d6+5, x3; SV Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +3; AL TN; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 11. Skills and Feats: Knowledge (local) +4 [OC, 3 ranks (6 pts), -1 Int, +3 Skill Focus], Profession (custodian) +4 [5 ranks, -1 Wis], Profession (guard) +0 [1 rank, -1 Wis], Weapon Proficiency (knife)[class feature], Great Fortitude, Skill Focus (Knowledge Local), Toughness. Languages: Common Special Qualities: SR 15, Morphic Stability* Possessions: Spiked Full Plate +5, Dwarven Urgrosh +3, Gauntlets of Ogre Power +2, Cloak of Resistance +4
*Morphic Stability: Any effect that changes Horace’s shape, form, or true appearance (such as polymorph, but not illusions) is reduced in duration. Downgrade the unit of measure of any duration (Permanent to days/caster level, days to minutes, minutes to turns.). If the duration is already listed in turns, divide duration by ten, rounding up.
Adaptability notes: While Horace’s background is solidly set in the Cabran Arcane Academy, he can serve in any situation where a leader has historically been subject to assassination attempts. He can be found serving any sort of leader, though they will usually be the type who don’t concern themselves with things like good vs. evil and have little problem manipulating a poor old sod too dim to understand he’s being used as a dupe.
There is absolutely no mechanic that actually grants the spell resistance or the Morphic Stability quality. For thematic consistency, they needed to be there. One simply does not spend a decade and a half working in an arcane academy without being subject to miscast, misaimed, or simply cruelly targeted spells. These are more a matter of self-preservative adaptation as a result of constant arcane bombardment than something willfully developed by Horace. Since the rules don’t give any way to grant these abilities, they can be removed at DM whim.
Horace’s scrap-tin armor has no value whatsoever. It doesn’t impede his movements, has no effect on the ability to cast arcane spells, weighs about a pound and offers no protection at all. In fact, it looks rather silly.
Horace wears spiked full plate armor while acting as Erascamb’s bodyguard. He is proficient with neither armor nor spikes. The armor acts to hide Horace’s identity and intimidate would-be assassins.
Horace is a commoner and has no aptitude for combat at all. Any success is more likely to happen by accident than intent as he is actually worse with the magical Urgrosh (34) than he is fighting with his mop. His success is entirely due to the intimidating factor of the spiked armor and the statement by Erascamb that Horace is a dangerous and ruthless man.
If you don't like funny games, turn this into a tragedy. A poor old man forced into servitude from which he can't escape. He knows he's doomed if anyone finds out he's so weak, but who will rescue him?
Footnotes: 1. My apologies, in advance, to Mr. Pratchett, whose style I have respectfully attempted to steal… er… copy. No, wait! Emulate! Yes. Whose style I have tried to emulate. 2. There are, in fact, no armies of the Archmagus. However, the title “bodyguard” was deemed too mundane for someone who guarded a man of such status as the Archmagus. After all, you would not be particularly impressed by someone who defended the leader of a group of doddering old men and the half-grown adolescent offspring of lords with more money that wits in their heads. 3. To the taste of the reigning Archmagi, at least 4. Involving the deaths of twenty-six Archmagi, forty-seven students, six faculty, seventeen staff, and one duck. 5. Since it is tuition fees that fill the academy coffers and the students seemed to be dying faster than the Archmagi 6. This seemed enough, as all considered themselves reasonable men, and any further restriction might be expanded to include all combat, and no one wanted that. 7. The only thing killing students, faculty, and staff were errant spells, loose demons, and random holes in the fabric of the universe [A]. A. Which, for the Arcane Academy, is normal 8. Since the Academy traditionally served lunch a noon, the faculty would usually be napping until about 1:15. Thus, most assassination attempts were made at 1pm, coining the phrase: “Better late for lunch than never making it to dinner” which has been shortened by the general public. 9. If one were related to, say, a pack of cannibalistic goblins. 10. Wizards, while extremely bright people, are not always the most worldly of people. This is due partly to spending years studying in safeguarded libraries, partly to their great intelligence invoking a certain degree of arrogance, and partly to the fact that anyone sane enough to understand the implications of messing with the unknown powers of the universe generally avoids anything to do with magic[B]. B. Adventurers, wizards, and most types of dog are agreed to lack most signs of sanity. 11. Especially around 1pm 12. Of which he was fully unaware 13. One does not startle a master wizard without risking certain morphic inconveniences. 14. It was, after all, tradition. Wizards enjoy celebrating tradition. Especially when it involves someone else’s misfortune. They’re nearly human that way. 15. Who was known to be very good at his job, so it was unlikely the old Archmagus had known what was happening unless, by some miracle, he’d noticed the time when awoken by an odd whooshing noise. 16. He also pondered fleeing to the catacombs below his mother’s manse near the warm shores of the south, be decided the catering would probably be sub-par. 17. Such things are never a wizards fault. No one ever accuses a wizard of not looking where they’re going, usually due to a lack of vocal chords capable of more than a plaintive ‘ribbit.’ 18. Wizards are intelligent people and notice such things. 19. Normally, Horace would not have been able to rub two multi-syllabic words together. However, Master Housekeeper Earl Von Tuputschzeestapf was a very practical man who made a point of not hiring anyone incapable of memorizing this particular speech. He had learned, long ago, that frogs, toads, rats, and other assorted small creatures simply lacked the work ethic to properly clean a hallway floor. 20. Erascamb was, at the time, understandably wary. In some regions of the world, upturned mop buckets do not result in puddles. These areas tend towards extremes of temperature such as ‘colder than a witches hat’ or ‘dryer than the dust from an old woman’s cabinet’ which would have made this particular person a foreigner and everyone knows that foreigners are never up to any good. 21. He hoped, in fact, that not seeing something coming would decrease the time spent worrying about death and whether anything had been left undone, like leaving the kettle to boil dry or the iron on his good Sunday robes. 22. Romantic in the “sword and sorcery, save the princess and slay the dragon” sort of way, not the “oh my love, where whouldest thou kiss me now that the sores have faded” sort of way. 23. In fact, the eight academy basements were often referred to, by some, as dungeons, and, by others who will not be quoted again, as “Shirly.” 24. Horace was particularly proud of the word “vanquish”, though in fact, he thought it meant “scold severely until very sorry they ever set hand to princess in the first place”. 25. He had, actually, protested quite loudly until Erascamb noted that he would serve just as well if turned to stone. 26. Which is the preferred method for defeating a man clad in more steel than can be comfortably worn when one does not have a convenient dragon, large falling rock, or can opener. 27. Horace felt it would be easier to rest on since it was unlikely to slip out from under him with the spike set in the floor. 28. As things tend to do when large amounts of emotion combine with equal or greater parts of raw, loose magical energy such as, for example, in the halls of a renowned Arcane Academy. At this time, there have only been two unexplained deaths, so it hasn’t really caught anyone’s attention. 29. In fact, to the wizards of the academy, the life of a servant IS another world, so this is not entirely without truth. 30. Though saying so in his presence will bring objections that he is, quite proudly, a local. 31. Which, for Archmagi, include poison, knives in uncomfortable places, falls from windows and loose stairs, and neckties worn far too tightly. 32. Preceded by Arthur, Beatrice, Charles, Dennis, Ethel, Francis, and Quagmire 33. It was, after all, a notable improvement to sleeping in a potato bin. It can be very uncomfortable undressing in front of so many eyes. 34. With the armor check penalty [C] C. Damn, this footnote thing can be addictive.
Grimgore Bloodbeard/ Cesario the Charmer/ Viola Massaline
. In the 2nd regiment of his Majesty's Royal Army is a dwarven strategist named Grimgore Bloodbeard. He is a quiet and vicious dwarf whose brilliant strategies and nose for danger have won remarkable victories and repulsed some of the best laid ambushes in history. He trods around in heavy dwarven plate covered with dwarven runes bearing an enormous dwarven urgosh covered in dwarven runes. He lives by the speak softly and carry a big axe philosiphy. He his prone to cursing and its been said that on the battlefield he's uttered some of the vilest language that enemies have turned and ran (Fear), even dropped stark dead (Phantasmal Killer). No arrow, bolt, or stone has ever penetrated his armor. Some say that its a testament to dwarven craftsmanship, others to Bloodbeard's thick skin. Either way, he's a vicious bugger with no patience for slacking.
. Unbeknownst to the army and the rest of the world Bloodbeard is really Cesario the Charmer. An elven Wizard of unknown power and a vicious patience. Only the chief advisors of the Royal army and the General of the Second Regiment are aware of his duplicity. He can spy an enemy trap and garners all the necessary information required for any siege or assault. Most often he infiltrates a town days before any military action is to take place, mapping it by day and attempting to access forbidden areas by night.
. During the day Cesario sets up shop as a snake charmer, performing for audiences and attempting to garner coin for it, he moves his show throughout the town. Though he has no talent for snake charming, Sebastian, his obedient familiar plays the role well. Should other snakes be introduced, Sebastian speaks to and commands them to mimic his movements. The show is very effective. At night Cesario prepares silented spells and moves through the guarded areas, quietly going places he is certainly not supposed to be, sabatoging crucial defensive points or stealing essential bits of information. Usually the night before an infiltration Cesario sets up his snake charming act so one of the night guards attends, more if possible. Then using the snake charming act as a guise for his wild movements and language, casts Hypnotism on the guard, suggesting afterward that he should enjoy the night about town, despite his prior obligation to work. Or set himself in a position to fall into some sort of trouble so that the guard must swiftly rescue him, repeating the suggestion and offering a coin reward for his daring deed. Then at night using his alter voice spell while invisible to the other guard from just around a corner with beckons in the tone of the AWOL guard.
. Cesario is well respected amongst the 2nd regiment for both his severe loyalty and willingness to put himself in danger. Everyone who know's Cesario's true identity as Grimgore Bloodbeard actively participates in the charade, explaining away and inquiries as "oddities of dwarven culture" and saying that "Bloodbeard is a representative of an eccentrict dwarven clan, so he's got a few odd rituals and tendencies." Cesario's identity is a fiercely guarded secret, because many enemies know that the King's Second Regiment has an expect infiltrator.
. Known only to the Royal Family and the King's Spymaster, Cesario the Charmer is actually the disguise of Viola Massaline, most faithful retainer of the Royal family who reports directly to the King's Spymaster or the King himself through magically encrypted letters and messages.
. Viola Massaline is the third daughter of Duke Massaline, a minor noble. The duke had no sons so he sent his daughters out to be edjucated. Her eldest sister turned to religion and became a minor priestess somewhere. Her second eldest sister maitains her fathers money affairs, having been very mathematically talented and organizationally inclined. Having a distant blood relation to the King's Royal Wizard, Viola was apprenticed with many other young mages to the Wizard. She was an absolutely brilliant young lady, quickly unraveling puzzles and magical solutions. Unlike many other apprentices she has a good common sense in her and capable of winning people over with well placed words and body language. Being mentally well rounded she advanced quickly to the Wizard's top apprentice.
. The young wizardess learned early on the knowledge was power in the court. Family secrets and personal indescretions were barganing chips. She assisted the Royal Wizard in dozens of information collections, using both her magic and her mind to gain access to some of the most well kept secrets. They were all reported directly to the King, and were a crucial element to keeping his servants in line.
. Because of the Royal Wizard's unflagging loyalty to the Royal Family, Viola bound herself to the Royal Family with iron bands. She kept track of every movement of possible usurpers as she best could. With her limited power she was frightfully effective, creating her own methods where none had existed before. Her resourcefulness quickly got the attention of the King's Spy Master, who took her to training.
. While she trained under the King's Spy Master Viola learned to create convincing false identities as well as subtle means of communication. She studied who to use her spells quietly without drawing attention to herself, as well as methods to blatently casting a spell without drawing suspicion to oneself. It is these methods she has used for a long time in order to keep from being detected for what she is.
. After rumors of the threat of a military coupe reached the King, Viola was given a special assignment, to go under a guise as a diviner and gain the confidence of the army. She has done so for two years and is yet to be discovered. Soon after Viola Massaline was dismissed from the King's Court to return to her father, Cesario the Charmer was secretly appointed as the chief diviner to the second regiment of the King's Army, under the guise of a stumpy eccentric dwarf, Grimgore Bloodbeard. There he has been a crux point for the success of a dozen skirmishes, sieges, and battles.
. Viola has had no direct communication with her family for two years. She has had a tempered correspondence with her father, but mostly gains information about them from passerbys and passed on information from the King. The only people who actively know about all Viola's secret identities are the immediate King and Queen, the Royal Wizard, the King's Spy Master, and her father and two sisters. All of them bear the strictest loyalty to the undercover wizardess and are aware of fragility of her disguise. Any others that do know aren't supposed to and when found out are either disposed of or convinced of a different truth.
In Disguise When disguised as Bloodbeard, Viola wears her Belt of Dwarvenkind to grant her all the special bonuses as described. She usually wears her circlet of persuasion as the Dwarf is accepted with all his oddities already, and she can afford a little leeway with her disguise amongst the men of her unit. When she enters combat the dons her hat of disguise beneath her fullplate, just incase her disguise is damage in battle the magic can cover the flaws in the disguise. Sebastian coils himself around Viola's arm when she poses as Grimgore and pretends to be a snake shaped arm bracelt located just above her bicep, there he remains motionless whenever in public.
As Cesario, Viola always uses her hat of disguise to hide her Eyes of the Eagle, Gloves of Dexterity, and Ring of Sustinace which she uses to imitate Elven vision, agility, and lack of sleep. She counts on her knowledge of architecture to help her uncover secret doors as elves do. She always keeps Sebastian within reach to maintain their Alertness ability to imitate elven ears.
[Viola Massaline] Female Human Wizard (Diviner) 8th level Neutral Good
Str 12 +1 Dex 8 -1 (13 +1 with Gloves of Dexterity) Con 10 +0 (12 +1 with Belt of Dwarvenkind) Int 17 +3 Wis 16 +3 Cha 14 +2
Hit Points 21 (29 with Belt of Dwarvenkind) AC 21 (10 + 1 Dex (w/ Gloves of Dex), +10 +2 Fullplate) Touch 11, Flat 20 Init +1 BAB +3, Grap +4 Speed 30ft, 20 (In fullplate) Saves Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +9 Special Qualities: +3 Bluff (snake familiar), Alertness (when familiar is within arms reach)
Attacks +4 Melee, +1 Dwarven Urgosh +1/-3, 1d8+2/1d6+1, 20x3 -1 Melee, +1 Dwarven Urgosh -4/-8, 1d8+2/1d6+1 20x3 (in Full Plate) +5 Ranged, Masterwork Heavy crossbow, 1d10, 19-20/x2, 120'r
Languages *Common *Dwarven *Elven *Draconic
Skills (number of ranks in brackets) Bluff: +10 (10cc) Concentration +10 (10) Diplomacy: +7 (6cc) Disguise +4/+6 when acting in character (4cc) Knowledge: Arcana +13 (10) Knowledge: Architecture & Engineering: +8 (5) Knowledge: Local +8 (5) Spellcraft: 13 (10)
Human Traits Medium: As Medium creatures, humans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. Human base land speed is 30 feet. 1 extra feat at 1st level. 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level. Automatic Language: Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic). See the Speak Language skill. Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass human takes an experience point penalty, his or her highest-level class does not count.
Alter Voice Transmutation Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 partial action Range: Touch Target: One creature capable of communicating Duration: 2 min./level or 1d4 hours
. Viola created this spell very early in her training in an attempt to keep from being disciplined for being out and about where she wasn't supposed to be. She would change her voice to someone in charge and order whoever was looking for her to leave or be in serious trouble. Later on she discovered it had much more flexible uses in combination with disguises. . You may change the sound of your voice to any other voice. To change it to the voice of a specific creature you must have heard the creature speak clearly and understood what they were saying. There are two ways to use the spell, using a single voice or mimicing any voice, either way esing Alter Voice to assist a disguise grants a +5 circumstances bonus against detection. You may also use alter voice to improve a vocal performance and gain a +2 bonus to the check. . At the time of casting you may choose to change your voice to a single voice the spell lasts for the period of an 1d4 hours. . Or you may choose to be able to alter your voice into any voice you desire for the duration. If you do so the spell lasts only 2 min/level.
Material Component: A tuning harp, the harp is not consumed in the process.
Breachwall Divination Level: Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 full round action Range: Touch Area: 1ft diameter circle Target: One Wall Duration: 1 min./level (D)
. Viola created this spell while working in the Palace in order to gather information from nobles in their secret meetings. She found often times that while an individual was warded against detection, a room was not. So she would gather mundane information as to where nobles were meeting and then spy on the room while invisible. . A 1ft diameter circular window appears in any wall less than a foot thick. The window only works one way and is undetectable by normal sight on the other side of the wall. Through this window you can see, hear, and smell anything on the other side as though there were an open window. Nothing can physically pass through the window. At your choice the Window may be visible only to you or to everyone, which must be decided at the time of casting. . Even the thinnest sheet of lead blocks this spell. . Detect Magic reveals the shimmering outline of a circle.
Material Component: A handful of powdered glass from a window which cost roughly 5 silver, to be traced around the area of effect.
Equipment +2 Full Plate +1 Dwarven Urgosh Masterwork Heavy Crossbow Gloves of Dexterity +4 Amulet of Nondetection Belt of Dwarven Kind Ring of Sustinance Eyes of the Eagle Hat of Disguise Disguised Scroll Book (see below) Disguised Spellbook Traveler's Clothes (Dwarven Styled) Traveler's Clothes (Elven Styled) Performer's Clothes Clay Pot Flute Disguise Kit
Disguised Scroll Book: For portability and secrecy Viola's scrolls are scribed into a small book, appearing no more than a novel for pleasure reading. The book itself has 150 pages, of which only 15 or 20 will be filled at a time, mostly with utility spells like Knock, Whispering Wind, Detect Secret Doors, or the like.
Familiar Sebastian Tiny Cobra HD: 8 Hit: Points: 10 Init: +7 Speed: 15, Climb 15, Swim 15 AC: 21 (+2 Size, +3 Dex, +6 Nat) Attack: Bite +5 1, Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +7 Str 4 Dex 17 Con 11 Int 9 Wis 12 Cha 2 Skills: Balance +11, Climb +11, Hide +15, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +6 Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse (Bite only) Familiar abilities: +4 nat armor, Int 9, Alerness, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Empathic Link, Deliver Touch Spells, Speak with Master, Speak with Snakes
Physical Description . Viola Messaline stands five feet tall from the tip of her hair to her sole. She has kinked brown hair to her upper back. One of her eyes is deep green while the other is pale blue which is her most defining mark, one which she has never managed to change with her disguises or magics. Her skin is a deep ruddy brown from working in the hot sun. Viola has a strong, moderately bulky physique. Her limited muscles are toned enough to be noticed but not enough to mark her as special. The face of Viola is unremarkable in most ways, not ugly nor handsome, aside from her unique eyes. Her voice is somewhat monotone, rather sterotypical of a droning wizard.
. Grimgore Bloodbeard is an exceptionally tall five foot Dwarf. His hair is tangled and split into two large braids like his beard that usually rest on his chest. Both the hair and beard are a dark reddish-orange. His face is scrunched up and usually squinting. He is muscled enough to be noticed but not mark him as special. Grimgore is a bulky man, quite prone to swearing in dwarven, or common, whichever. The most remarkable thing about him is that one of his eyes is pale blue while the other is deep green. Grimgore's voice is rarely heard unless cursing, probably because of his shame that it squeeks sometimes. Other than that it is a deep, burly voice, stereotypical voice of a Dwarven warrior.
. Cesario the Charmer is an average height elf about five feet tall, with straight brown hair tied in a tail and a tasteful moustache that is thin and superbly kept. He is tanned like an elf who is prone to working with the earth. He is not extremely muscled, enough to be noticed but not enough to make him special, although he a slight bit bulkier than the average elf. Cesario has a rather lilting and typical of an Elven wanderer. The most unique thing about the eccentric elf is that his eyes are different colors, one is pale blue, the other is deep green.
Combat
. It is rare that Viola enters combat at all, as she takes great pains to be prepared for all situations through her divinations. When thrust into an unexpected conflict she becomes rather terse, making use of whatever spells she has prepared, seeking to disengage and return with either reinforcements or an aptly prepared spell set. . When prepared Viola is a nightmare. She will use her magic to gather information and disguise herself as one of the targets friends, family, or aquiantences, preferabley some sort of spellcaster to better hide her motives. If according to her intelligence, the target is vulnerable, she will feign a reason to cast a "detection spell" and attempt to finish it quickly with her Phantasmal Killer. Failing that she uses hypnotism to convince the target to lay down next to her and close their eyes, at which point she produces a dagger and makes a coup de grace. Viola does everything to delay her targets realization that she is their enemy. If they do realize she is not reserved about fleeing and rengaging at another time. . Viola has a brilliant mind and is sharp on her feet and should be played as such. She's not bashful about her magic out of disguise and perfers subtle means to victory, using spells and scrolls liberally, and targeting the opponents weaknesses as best she can figure.
Grimgore is well trained in combat, spending the first few rounds firing bolts into enemies while his fellow soldiers hold the line. Against a cavalry charge he'll fire his loaded bolt at the head rider and then set his Urgosh against the charge. If forced into melee Grimgore always fights defensively, even taking a full defence if necessary. He makes slight blows if possible but does everything he can to avoid being hit.
Cesario never actively seeks out or engages in combat, escaping via Invisibility, Hypnotism, Expedious Retreat, Fear, or whatever scroll is in his book at the first possible moment. Cesario may attempt to intimidate his opponent down using Sebastian and describing the slow and painful effects of the cobra's poison. Sebastian also fights defensively with a sharp dagger and maneuvers himself to best make a get away with a well timed Expedious Retreat, but hides his magical talents until necessary to use them.
Gather Information Checks -DC10: The Second Regiment has a Dwarven Emissary in it. Probably part of some trust treaty or whatnot with the Dwarves. Maybe we've sent some of the King's men over there too. -DC15: Grimgore Bloodbeard is quite a dwarf. He doesn't smell stone so well but when it comes to an ambush his nose is better than a dog's! The Second Regiment hasn't been successfully ambushed in two years, not even a harmless one. Can't fight though, Bloodbeard. -DC20: There used to be an apprentice in the Royal house that could never keep her nose to herself. She would get places others couldn't. Strange lass, had one light blue eye and one deep green eye. -DC20: The Royal Family has a long reach and big ears. Word has it they even keep spies within their own military. Best be careful who you talk to when you're talking. -DC25: Theres a strange snakecharmer who always seems to show up in towns before they're seiged by the Kings Army. But he always makes it out of town before the Army arrives. Goes by the name Cesario, creepy guy kind of, his eyes are different colors. -DC25: Theres something a little queer about Grimgore Bloodbeard, his voice squeeks all the time and some of the things he crafts aren't of Dwarven make. They're more like Wizard tokens. -DC30: The Second Regiment has a special infiltrator that always gets into towns before they're taken down. Its like they always have a map of the city, including all the secret routes. And no one ever see's Bloodbeard for at least 5 days prior to a siege. -DC35: Everyone thinks Viola Massaline got dismissed from the court and went home to her father, but she hasn't been back in years. Shes actually still in the service of the King but she's not working as Viola Massaline. -DC40: Bloodbeard isn't really a dwarf at all. He's an Elf, the Second Regiments' chief advisor on military strategy. But I think theres something more about him than that that even the General doesn't even know, Cesario sends secret letters directly to the Royal palace. -DC45: Theres an uncanny similarity between Grimgore Bloodbeard, Ceasario the Charmer, and that disappeared Wizard girl, Viola massaline. They've all got the same eyes. One light blue, the other deep green.
Hooks for Viola/Cesario/Grimgore
Viola could become a contact for the PCs on a mission from the Royal Spymaster or even the king himself. The may even be referred to her in one of her disguises.
The PCs could also stumble on the snakecharmer at work in a city prior to a siege and be enlisted to help or hinder him with his spying. They may or may not even know what they're doing.
One of Viola's old flames from her hometown could be looking for her, having been lead in a beaurocratic circle over and over, and have hired the PCs to seek her out, armed with the knowledge that she has two different colored eyes, one light blue the other deep green.
Bloodbeard may enlist the PCs to carry an encrypted secret message with all haste to the King. Attempting to read it could only spark their interest as it is guarded with a combination of available magics.
The one of the General's advisors has become jealous of Cesario's attention from the general and has hired the PCs to dig up some dirt on him under suspicion of treason, but quietly. Putting them in a world in which Viola is versed and at home.
Adapting Viola to your campaign
Viola is completely core, so may not need much adaptation. But if there is no King she could operate for a noble lord or anyone in a position of power.
If the King doesn't have a set up network of spies then Viola would report directly to the King and her training would have been kept to that of her apprenticeship and personal studies.
Cesario and Grimgore are simply disguises used by Viola that have an entire identity. She could technically have any number of disguises and false identities. If dwarves are not grumpy in your campaign for example, Grimgore would be less grumpy and more full of jokes. What is important that her disguises fit as close to stereotype as possible.
Talinias: Pawnbroker, Fence, and Investigator of Interesting Objects
History: Born into a long line of less-than-honest merchants, Talinias grew up learning how to see the profit inherent in any given situation. His grandfather was one of the best salesmen in the land. And rumor has it that if half of what Talinias’ granddad had promised of the products he sold had been true, the poor man wouldn’t have had to find a new town to live in every few months. His father was a well-known importer who was often called upon to transport valuable products by other merchants. What was not so well known is the fact that he was also a smuggler, using his shipping business to move stolen goods from one city’s thieves’ guild to another city’s guild. While Talinias’ older brother, Tarlok, has taken over their father’s business, Talinias is still a part of it, though not a legal part. Talinias runs a rather famous pawnshop. Adventurers and less fortunate folk come to him to cash in their valuables. He is also the biggest fence in the entire kingdom. Most of the local thieves’ guild delivers up any of their more recognizable swag. Oddly, this is neither how Talinias started out, nor where he intended to wind up.
As a young man, Talinias ran with the children of other thieves, and quickly learned the art of theft. It was great fun to pick pockets in the middle of the market, or slip in to a house unseen. Talinias got more pleasure out of the actual stealing than the loot he acquired. To him it had all become a great game. After all, his father made more than enough money. Stealing was just a pastime. He had become rather accomplished at stealing things before very long, but it started to bore him. Even the few times he had been chased through the streets hadn’t been enough to get his heart pounding. He had considered going on the road with one of those adventuring parties folks are always seeing, when one of his friends was nearly killed during a simple burglary. The strange part was that the house had long been abandoned. It seems that whoever had once lived in the house had used some type of magic to prevent thieves from taking the contents of a certain chest. This intrigued Talinias. Something that other thieves couldn’t steal. Finally, a challenge!
He used what money he had saved up and paid an old hedge wizard to show him the basics of magic. In the months that he studied, four more thieves had either been injured or killed by the mysterious chest in the old abandoned house. When he was finally ready to investigate the mysterious chest, he too broke into the old house as so many before him had done. But what was to happen next was not planned. He used what spells he had learned, but nothing aided him in opening the chest, or even learning anything more about it. He knew some of those who had been injured were more skilled than he, so he left the chest alone, and started looking around the house. To his amazement, he found that all the other thieves had ignored much of the rest of the house. In fact, there, on the mantle, right where anyone could have found them, were several books. Spellbooks, research notes, alchemical formulae, and other interesting and valuable tomes. Talinias had found a real treasure after all.
Over the next several months, Talinias began putting together his new magical abilities with his more felonious talents. It wasn’t too long before his friends began to notice that he was able to use his magic to make their jobs much easier, whether by masking their sounds, discovering hidden rooms, or just having his raven familiar Miser keep watch. Before he knew it, Talinias was being invited on every two-bit robbery job in the city. But he wasn’t interested in most of the work offered him. He was more interested in figuring out more about magic and how it could be used to turn a greater profit than his father had ever imagined.
He spent as much time trying to find ways to combine magic and thievery. He started spending more time at home than out filling his pockets. That didn’t stop his friends from coming by with questions about an item’s potential worth every few night, though. He welcomed the distraction from his experiments, seeing as how he had only ever managed to invent a few spells, most of which were rather unimpressive. He only ever took a few minutes to determine the value of most things, and was even able to determine what items were magical thanks to his spellcasting abilities. After a few months of failed experiments and new, but wholly unsatisfying spells, he started to get depressed. He found new ways of performing his thieving skills at a distance. He even managed to open the cursed chest in the old abandoned house, but was only happy for the little while it took him to figure out what neat, new trinkets he had plundered. His friends still came over to have him appraise things, and when they noticed how depressed he was. They mentioned that he was only ever smiling when someone presented him with a challenge and suggested he start appraising all the swag he could from as many of the local thieves as possible. Just as he was about to reject the idea as silly, he realized that an entertaining diversion was exactly what he needed to clear his head. So he agreed to leave the lab for a while and set up shop helping his former colleagues determine the value of their ill-gotten gains.
To his amazement, rogues from around the city flocked to him. It seemed to him that almost every cutthroat in town had some trinket or bauble that they had wondered about, and now that someone who wasn’t about to turn them over to the authorities had agreed to see what magic these items held, they were now willing to shell out a small fortune for that information. As often as not, the items were useless to their current owners, but Talinias was more than happy to purchase these things, if only to study them. Occasionally, someone would even hire him to assist in adding a bit of magical muscle on certain jobs, though he charges a hefty price for this type of service. His abilities and his reputation grew by leaps and bounds. He soon had to open a legitimate pawnshop just to keep the authorities from asking too many questions about the large number of people he was working with. He named it The Puzzled Coin. There is even a picture of a coin with a jigsaw-like piece missing from the center hanging over the door.
Today, Talinias finds little reason to leave his shop. A large potion of the city knows that he is a talented wizard who will examine, appraise, and identify just about anything for the right price. He will even buy or sell magically infused items. His raven familiar, Miser, can be found perched right over the door. Folks jokingly suggest that the bird is there to catch thieves, but more than a few people suspect that the joke may not be far from the truth. His research laboratory is in the back of the shop, but he rarely goes in there any more, having long since determined that he is less an inventor and more an investigator. He occasionally hires adventurers to seek out ingredients or components for his experiments, but that’s a rarity. He’s somewhat more likely to hire such people to find a rare tome or interesting artifact he’s heard of. He is most interested in things that he has to really work at to identify. He has even been known to waive portions of his fee just for the opportunity to spend more time with an interesting piece. He is known for trading or buying unusual spells from other wizards, and even stocks a handy assortment of spellbooks for that particular type of clientele. One never knows what kinds of goodies are available in The Puzzled Coin, since the selection changes every few days. What few spells he has developed since opening his shop are aimed at aiding him in the other half of his business, the unofficial half. With such deep roots in the city’s underbelly, it’s only natural that he is the largest fence in town. He turns many times the profit on dealing in stolen goods that he ever would running the pawnshop. He even works with his brother to move a portion of these illicit items to other cities. For a kid who used to run the streets and whose greatest ambition at one time was to drive smuggled goods between cities for his father, he sure has come a long way.
Use in a game: Many times, when PCs return from an adventure and want to sell their equipment, there is just a generic exchange of swag for cash. DMs blurt out what an item is to save time and effort. And the occasional stolen piece of property that the party rogue needs to dispose of can lead to a rather uninteresting exchange. Talinias’ Puzzled Coin is here to change all that! While hardly what one would call an honest businessman, he’s not very likely to steal form his customers. At least not while they’re in the shop. He’s also useful as a plot hook, since he occasionally hires adventuring parties to go find things for him. And finally, since he and his brother are members in good standing with the local thieves’ guild, he’s an excellent contact person for anyone needing to join that particular institution.
While preparing his spells isn’t really necessary, as he’s not likely to cast more than a couple in the party’s presence, it should be noted that perhaps 2/3 of them would be divinations on a normal day. Remember, with all the magic items he has available, you should feel free to customize his equipment to fit the role he is intended to play in your campaign. By raising his levels, he is becomes more useful, and therefore more expensive, to parties, especially when he gains legend lore, though lowering them by more than a couple is likely to prevent him from aiding in the identification of rarer items.
Description: Always quick with a joke, Talinias is a pleasant enough fellow, though there is something about him that makes you want to never quite turn your back on him. Maybe it’s his eyes. They have a slight greenish glow to them, at least in daylight they seem to if you aren’t looking straight at them, but when you do look straight at them, they look just like any other green eyes. His hair is rather long, black, and kept in a single tail that runs to between his shoulder blades. Perhaps 5’10”, and maybe 180 lbs, he seems a bit slight of build, though a few minutes spent watching him shows a limberness that is almost preternatural. The most notable thing about him, other than his eyes, is the fact that he has a habit of addressing the large black bird that perches above the door, the one who is apparently named Miser. It’s not even the habit of addressing it, but the way he seems to think it’s responding to him when it squawks. Puts one in mind of a madman, but then again, he is reputed to be a wizard, and most of them talk to some type of creature or another.
Stats: Talinias Male Tiefling (Medium Outsider (Native)) Rogue 3/Wizard 5/Arcane Trickster 2 Alignment: CN Hp: 31 Init: +10 (Dex +6, Improved Init +4) Speed: 30 AC: 22 (Flatfooted: 16 Touch: 18) (Dex +6, natural armor +1, armor +3, deflection +2) BAB +5 / Grapple +5 Abilities: STR 10, DEX 22, CON 11, INT 18 (+2), WIS 13, CHA 14. Saves: Fort +2, Ref +13, Will +9 SA: Darkness (Sp) SQ: Darkvision (Ex): 60 ft., Resistance: Cold (Ex): 5, Resistance: Electricity (Ex): 5, Resistance: Fire (Ex): 5 Attack: +6 melee (1d6+1, +1 short sword,); +13 ranged (1d6+2, +2 shortbow) Skills: Appraise +12, Balance +7, Bluff +7, Concentration +8, Decipher Script +12, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device +15, Disguise +4, Escape Artist +13, Forgery +6, Gather Information +5, Hide +20, Knowledge (Arcana) +11, Knowledge (History) +6, Knowledge (Religion) +6, Listen +5, Move Silently +20, Open Lock +17, Profession (Gambler) +4, Profession (Merchant) +7, Search +14, Sense Motive +3, Sleight of Hand +9, Spellcraft +13, Spot +3, Tumble +8, Use Magic Device +3.
Possessions: +1 short sword, +2 shortbow of seeking, masterwork thieves` tools, bracers of armor +3, ring of protection +2, headband of intellect +2, amulet of natural armor +1, boots of elvenkind, cloak of elvenkind
Familiar: Miser Male Raven, Tiny magical beast ; HD 10d8; hp 15; Init + 2; Spd 10, Fly, 40 (average); AC 17; BAB +5; +7 melee (1d2-5, Claw); SQ: Low-light Vision (Ex); AL N; SV Fort + 2, Ref + 6, Will + 7; STR 1, DEX 15, CON 10, INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 6. Skills: Appraise +12, Balance +7, Bluff +7, Concentration +8, Diplomacy +4, Disguise +4, Escape Artist +13, Forgery +6, Gather Information +5, Hide +20, Listen +5, Move Silently +20, Search +14, Sense Motive +3, Spot +5. Feats: Weapon Finesse.
Unique Spells: The following spells have been developed by Talinias over the years. He refers to himself as the first true numismancer, and his particular family of spells as numismancy. Others simply refer to it as coin magic.
Bargain Sealing Divination [Lawful] Level: Clr 2, Sor/Wiz 2, Components: V, S, F, DF Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Touch Target: Two willing creatures Duration: See text Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless) When cast upon two normal gold coins at the time that a contract or promise is made in good faith on the part of both parties, the coins breaks in half. From this point on, until the contract is fulfilled, each party carries half of each coin. Should either party renege on their portion of the agreement, the other party will find both coins made whole, alerting them to the breaking of the contract, but not necessarily to the reason, allowing them to act upon this knowledge accordingly. If one half of the contract is filled, the party that fulfills their portion of the contract has one of his coins made whole again, the other party knowing from their missing half that the first party has met all of the conditions of the agreement. This is especially useful in conditional contracts where the second party is waiting for the first to perform a specified act. Should both halves of the contract be met, each party will find only one coin, made whole again. Focus: Coins being used for spell.
Coin of Enhanced Emotion Enchantment [Mind-Affecting] Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, F Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Target: All viewing creatures Duration: 1 round/level Saving Throw: Will negates (see text) Spell Resistance: Yes This insidious spell has many applications. When cast, the mage determines what emotional aspect he wishes to enhance: greed, sympathy, generosity, etc. Those who view the coin while feeling the specified emotion will have that feeling grow, sometimes to overwhelming proportions if it was strong to begin with. Beggars placing a ‘sympathetic’ copper in their bowl find people more open to his plight; a bribe made with a with a ‘talkative’ or ‘lazy’ aspect may garner more information or a faster trip through a customs house; a tip with a ‘friendly’ coin has been known to bring fantastic service. Only one coin in a given transaction need be so enchanted, but the number and value of the coins can often make the effect more difficult to ignore. A person being chased by the city guard need only apply ‘greed’ to one of the coins he throws behind him to have a crowd race into the path of the guards to grab them. The DC for the Will saving throw is modified by the value/number of coins based upon their appropriateness in a given situation. A single copper in a beggar’s bowl is more effective than a handful of gold, but the reverse is true when bribing guards. The DM should feel free to modify the DC up or down accordingly. Focus: Coin being used in spell.
Golden Razors Transmutation Level: Asn 1, Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Target: One coin/3 levels Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No This spell changes a single coin into a tiny weapon. An additional coin may be so transformed for every 3 levels, to a maximum of four such weapons. Whether a shuriken, knife, or razor, all deal 1d3 damage. Contrary to the spell’s name, it need not be gold. This spell has recently seen much use in assassinations where carrying a weapon is not possible, such as a peace treaty where all in attendance are searched before hand, but seldom would such dignitaries be asked to give up their money. The occasional adventurer has been known to use this to create silver weapons on short notice, but this is rare. Material Component: The coins being transformed.
Instant Minting Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, F Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft/2 levels) Target: Up to 1 lb./level of metal Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: See text Spell Resistance: No While an average object, like a golden jewelry box, is worth many times its weight in coins of the same metal, there are times when being caught with an object that is obviously stolen is worse than the loss of value one would find converting the object to coins, such as when said box belongs to a noble and is clearly identifiable as such. This spell allows the caster to transform an amount of platinum, gold, or other metal into coins. Non-magical objects are destroyed in the process. Magical objects are allowed a saving throw to avoid being altered (see Damaging Magic Items, DMG). For every 1 lb. of material affected, 50 coins are produced. Raw ores generally yield 1/2 or less the normal amount of coins, as this spell must remove any impurities in the ore (the DM must determine the purity of the ore being transformed). Focus: A coin of the appropriate type. All coins made with this spell will be exact replicas of this original.
Messenger’s Coin Transmutation Level: Asn 1, Brd 1, Clr 1, Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, F Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Touch Target: Coin touched Duration: 1 month or until activated Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No Though originally intended as a way of communicating covertly among thieves, its potential applications range from military to espionage to romance. When cast, the spellcaster gives the coin a command word and speaks a short message, up to one minute in length. Later, when someone holding the coin utters the command word, the message is spoken aloud from within. Armies use this spell to authenticate written messages to those who would recognize the speaker’s voice, spies use it to pass information in dead-drops through beggars or merchants, and lovers or conspirators may use it to pass notes without the bearer being able to learn the true nature of the message. Learning the password through divinatory spells is difficult at best, making this an extremely secure form of communication. Focus: Coin used to transmit message.
Quick Gilding Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 full round Range: Touch Target: One object or 20 pieces of ammunition Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: No Spell Resistance: None Developed as a means of pawning off inferior goods by dressing them in precious metals, this spell tends to be found in the seedier market places of many realms. Using a coin or two, one can quickly and easily make a thin coating from the coin’s metal. The gilding flakes off easily, and can be detected by people with good appraisal skills. Weapons so coated will quickly loose their gilding in combat after just a few uses. In fact, there is a 20% cumulative chance that the silvering is removed with each successful hit. Even so, there are some legitimate shops that use this spell to silver ammunition, reasoning that if an arrow works once, it has performed as promised. Material Component: 1 coin per cubic foot to be covered or per 20 pieces of ammunition.
Screaming Coin Abjuration Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Target: A single coin Duration: 1 day/level or until discharged (D) Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No Bane of pickpockets everywhere, this spell causes a common coin to scream a single word, such as “Thief!” when touched by anyone except the caster. The caster of this spell knows which coin he has affected, even by touch, and can dispel its effects at will if he must actually spend the coin. The volume of this spell is such that in a crowded bazaar, even the best cutpurse will have very little chance of absconding with his ill-gotten gains (the volume is such that it provides a +20 circumstance bonus to Listen checks).
Voyeur’s Token Divination (Scrying) Level: Asn 2, Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: 1 mile (see text) Target: One coin or Fine object Duration: One week (See text) Saving Throw: No Spell Resistance: None This spell allows the caster to scry through a previously prepared coin or other Fine object. This item is then given to or planted upon the person you wish to scry upon. When activated, the caster knows which direction his token is from his current location and can point to it unerringly, as long as it is still on the same plane. He can also see and hear in a 20-foot radius from the coin or object in question as long as he concentrates. This spell is a favorite of spies, as they need not know the location of secret meetings as long as their token is present. The token can be activated up to one week after casting and the scrying effect lasts 1 minute/level when activated. The caster must be within 1 mile of the sensor to activate its scrying ability. Material Component: A small piece of broken mirror.
Standing before you is a smallish orc clearly on the defensive. A strange curiosity plays in his eyes as if waiting on your action. A wolf, at the ready, sits at his ankles. Both have gray-brown hair and wild blue eyes. However you notice that the Half-orcs left eye is a tad gray as well with a large scar running from temple to chin. He awaits your move. Name: Trekk Osru Gender: Male Race: Half-Orc Class: Ranger 4th level /Barbarian 2nd level Size and Subtype: Medium Humanoid Hit Dice and Hit Points: 4d8+4 plus 2d12+2 (40hp) Initiative: +5 or +7 – See DM notes Speed: 30ft. (6 squares) or 40ft. (8 squares) – See DM Notes Armor Class:18 (+3 Dexterity, +5 Mithral Chainshirt+1) Touch 13, Flat Footed 15 BAB/Grapple: +6/+9 Attack: +10/+5 Two bladed sword +1 (one handed) (1d8+4), or +8/+3 Two bladed sword +1 (two handed) (1d8+4/1d8+2) or +10/+5 masterwork shortbow (1d6), +6/+1 Cold iron longsword (1d8+3) Full Attack: +10/+5 Two bladed sword (one handed) (1d8+4) or +8/+3 Two bladed weapon (two handed) (1d8+4/1d8+2) or +10/+5 Masterwork shortbow (1d6), +9/+4 Cold iron longsword (1d8+3) Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 5ft. Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: Illiteracy, Fast movement, Rage 1/day, Uncanny Dodge, Favored Enemy (Orc), Wild empathy, Darkvision 60 ft., Orc Blood Alignment: Chaotic Good Saves: Fort: +8 Ref: +7 Will: +2 Ability Scores: Str: 16, Dex: 14 (16 w/ Gloves of Dexterity+2), Con: 12, Int: 10, Wis: 12, Cha: 10 Skills and Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency – Two bladed sword, Track, Two-Weapon fighting (combat style), Improved Initiative, Endurance, Die Hard
Languages: Common (broken), Orc Spells Prepared:Speak with animals CR:6 Possessions:Mithral Chainshirt +1, Gloves of Dexterity +2, Two-Bladed Sword +1, 2 potions of Cure Light Wounds, Survival Pack*, Masterwork Short Bow w/50 arrows, 25 gp, 10 sp (located in separate pouch in Survival Pack*), 3 daggers *Survival Pack: A Survival Pack includes the following items: Backpack (26 lbs. total) -- Bedroll -- Flint and Steel -- Signal whistle -- Fishhook -- Waterskin -- Acid Flask -- Camouflage Kit (10 uses) (as found in Complete Adventure – see notes below) -- Hemp Rope 50 ft. -- Blessed Bandage (as found in Heroes of Battle – see notes below) Notes for Survival Pack Camouflage Kit(pg. 122 Complete Adventurer) – This kit has 10 uses and takes 1 minute to apply. The kit provides a +2 bonus to all Hide checks. Blessed Bandage (pg. 131 Heroes of Battle) – This bandage takes a standard action to apply. It instantly stabilizes the person applied to but heals no damage. The rest of the Survival Pack’s equipment can be found in the Players Handbook, pages 128 and 129. Special Qualities Illiteracy(pg. 25 PHB)- Despite taking class levels in Ranger Trekk is still not fully literate. Any text can be read in Orc however the Common tongue is still confusing to Trekk. An Intelligence check, the DC set by the DM, must be made before reading any text in the common tongue. This quality may, of course, not be used at the DMs discretion. Fast Movement(pg. 25 PHB)- While not wearing heavy armor or under heavy encumbrance Trekk adds 10 to his base movement speed. Trekk suffers using this quality as covered in DM Notes. Rage (pg. 25 PHB) – Trekk can fly into a Rage once a day giving Trekk a +4 to Strength and Constitution while granting a +2 on Will saves. Trekk suffers a -2 to his AC while raging. The following is Trekks raging modifiers: Rage: 6 rounds Will Save falls to +0 Constitution rises to 16 which grants Trekk 4 HP Strength rises to 20 which give a +2 to damage and base attack modifiers above Trekk’s AC lowers to 16 Uncanny Dodge(pg. 26 PHB) – Trekk retains his dexterity bonus if caught flat footed or struck by an invisible attacker. Trekk still loses his Dexterity bonus to his AC if immobilized. Favored Enemy (Orc)(pg. 47 PHB) - Trekk gains a +2 to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival and a +2 to damage rolls when dealing with Orcs. Wild Empathy(pg. 47-48 PHB) - Trekk may change the attitude of an animal by using body language and the spoken word. Just like the Diplomacy skill Trekk may change the attitudes of animals. The check is 1d20+4. If the beast is magical in nature with an Intelligence of at least 1 or 2 Trekk suffers a -4 on the check. Darkvision(pg. 19 PHB)– Trekk can see in normal darkness up to 60 ft. Orc Blood(pg. 19 PHB) – For all intents and purposes Trekk is considered an Orc. Trekk, if so inclined, can use magic items only usable by orcs. Similarly Trekk is vulnerable to any special effects that affect orcs.
Animal Companion (as per 2nd level Druid) (pg. 36 PHB and pg. 283 of the Monster Manual) Noko – Female Wolf Medium Animal Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares) Armor Class:[b] 14 (+2 Dex, +2 Natural) Touch 12, flat-footed 12 [b]Base Attack/ Grapple: +1/+2 Attack: Bite +3 Melee (1d6+1) Full Attack: Bite +3 Melee (1d6+1) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5ft. Special Attacks: Trip Special Qualities: Low-light vision, Scent, Link, Shared Spells Saves: Fort +5 Ref +5 Will +1 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1 Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite) CR: 1 Combat Trip: Noko may attempt a trip (+1) if he hits with his bite attack as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Skills: Noko gains a +4 to Survival checks when using the scent ability to Track. Additionally she has been taught to Defend both Trekk and Trianna (as per page 75 of the Players Handbook) Link (Ex): Trekk is linked to Noko in such a way that to handle her is a free action, pushing her is a move action. Trekk also gets a +4 to his Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks with regards to Noko. (pg. 36 PHB) Share Spells: If within 5 feet at casting time and if Trekk so chooses any spell cast may affect Noko as well. This does not include spell like abilities. (pg. 36 PHB)
Physical Description Trekk is not as broad as other half orcs or as tall either. Standing only at 6 ft. even, Trekk weighs 210 pounds. Trekk is lean and well muscled and walks with grace clearly unlike other orcs and most half orc’s as well. Trekk has gray-brown hair that lightly covers his body. Trekk’s most notable characteristic is a large scar that covers almost the entire left side of Trekks head. The scar runs from temple to chin and causes Trekk a few vision problems which will be covered in the DMs Notes section below. Noko is a typical wolf with a silver and white coat and sky blue eyes. Trekk dresses in muted browns and dull greens. A wide belt with 3 daggers sheathed covers his well kept and armor.
History Growing up Trekk always knew that he was different. He felt different not only in size, stature and appearance; but different too in regards to insights and thoughts. For a better part of a decade Trekk tried to fit in with his tribe and tried to learn their ways however, instead of reckless abandon, he used both stealth and calculation. Often Trekk would speak of the benefits that the forest could bring to their tribe and just as often his Orc brethren would laugh him away. Trekk even learned the tribe’s difficult fighting style with the two bladed sword and continued to try and fit in.
In time the tribe Osru lost majority power to tribe Dekmak and Trekks fellow tribesman were not happy. They wanted to show the new chieftain that tribe Osru was still in power, Trekk wanted to leave and integrate into the rural town that was not far from his tribe’s current location. As fate would have it the town was just the place that the tribe Osru would regain their power. The plans were made and banquets were served all with Trekk preaching caution and the dangers that attacking a human settlement would bring. His brethren laughed, taunted and worse called him a coward. Days later he was told that he would lead the charge or be killed. It was time for Trekk Osru to make a decision.
His breath formed ghostlike clouds as he exhaled the cold early morning air. Trekks vision, which he always treasured, saw the two sentries no more than sixty feet ahead and as he began to wave his piece of white tablecloth Trekk swore he heard a heavy foot fall behind him. Turning, he heard the word “traitor” and saw a brief flash of blade arc down on him. What Trekk heard was he sentries cry of alarm, his tribes shouts of battle. What Trekk tasted was blood what he felt was sadness.
Expelling air in a in a hurried wheeze Trekk realized he was on his back and his immediate surroundings were silent. He heard a female scream break the morning silence. Standing Trekk gathered himself and took survey. His eyes quickly focused on his three tribesmen brutally ripping the clothes off of a human female that could not have seen twenty summers. Trekk made his decision at that moment, his decision would probably be death but he would be free of the yoke that he had been carrying for over two decades. Grabbing his treasured two bladed sword a growl of frenzy escaped his lips and, judging by his tribesman posture, the growl didn’t just surprise Trekk either. Trekk thought he heard “Stop the traitor!” but couldn’t be sure.
Trianna Dowser was frightened beyond belief, she tried to hide as her father had told her but she couldn’t just sit around and wait for the dreaded orcs to kill her town for pleasure. She wanted to help. Through the morning she tended to her townsfolk as best as she could in her house which quickly filled with broken and cut bodies. It seemed almost immediate when the sounds of battle subsided and just as quick when her door was kicked open by three orcs who leered at her while finishing off her fellow man.
As hard as she could she fought. Trianna was scared, no doubt about it, but when they begin ripping off her clothes she became downright hysterical and begin to furtively try to break free. Suddenly a downed orc stood and looked slowly looked in their direction. As he grabbed his wicked two bladed sword he let out an animal like growl which immediately froze her attackers. Forgetting her for the moment they dropped her to the ground and said something to one another in the orc tongue. The three quickly closed on the lone, small orc and the lone orc accepted the challenge.
What Trianna saw next was a spectacle that to this day even she still cannot believe. The small orc became a spinning monster of steel and fur. Numerous hits were scored on the strange orc but he just would not fall. The lone orc spun and faked a thrust low while slicing high, spinning backwards and driving a bladed end deep in the belly of an orc. He fought in calculating moves, gracefully and made short work of the three bigger orcs. However the small orc was breathing heavily and was clearly fatigued when he made his way to her. Trianna quickly realized that this was a half-orc. Not sure if it was a question or statement she heard the half-orc speak “You OK” followed by a “Trekk is too….sorry.” With that the half-orc fell to Trianna’s feet.
Trianna nursed Trekk back to health and Trekk feels deeply obligated to her and now they travel together. She is slowly teaching him more of the common tongue and he is teaching her more of the Orc language.
Adaptability and putting Trekk Osru in your campaign Trekk travels with Trianna who is the only person he will speak too casually, although hushed. Trekk also has found another friend, a wolf companion that he has named Noko, whom he will talk too via his Speak with Animals spell. Otherwise he will just wait in silence playing with Noko. If spoken to directly Trekk will speak in blunt tones and short sentences and will clearly be shy and uncertain (Sense Motive DC 5).
Trekk and Trianna usually can be found in frontier towns and will serve as guides or sources of information of the surrounding areas. Alternatively they can be found working as a two person scout/track team for a good aligned militia if your campaign is more battle orientated. If you wish to have Trekk alone it is suggested that he be found watching the party at distance, following them through the terrain, guessing at their intentions. If attacked first Trekk will speak in common, usually a pleaded “No, No”, but will attack if pressed. Trekk, being the introverted half orc that he is, will help a party in any way possible if they are friendly towards him and Noko. If Trianna is used too then the party must be equally kind to her too. Trekk will follow Trianna’s orders beyond any other. Trekk will wade into any battle fiercely but will fall back and aide Trianna if she is in danger. Trekk will not fall into a Rage unless a (trusted) party or Trianna finds themselves at significant loss or danger. Trekk fancies himself above such vulgar tactics unless severely pressed.
Trekk’s favored enemy is Orc so if the party finds themselves up against that foe in particular than this trio will happily assist in any way possible. Trekk will almost always attack Orc enemies encountered first irregardless of other enemies present. However if a trusted party member is in danger, or Trianna instructs something different, then Trekk will defer to that action. Trekk will use battle tactics, such as flanking, when it is more advantageous to him and not necessarily to others. Noko usually fights alongside, and defends, Trianna.
DM Notes The following is optional and can be discarded at the DMs discretion. When Trekk was attacked that early morning he lost partial loss of vision in his left eye. This causes some problems for him. Because of the loss of full visual acuity Trekk suffers a -2 penalty to all Spot checks and moves at a speed of 30, instead of 40, so he can properly maintain balance. Additionally when moving silently Trekk must move at 15 and not 20 or suffer a -2 to his Move Silently checks in addition to any other penalties that may arise. If Trekk decides to move at his full rate of speed (40 ft.) then he takes a -2 to all Initiative rolls at the beginning of combat. If moving at 30ft. Trekk does not suffer the penalty. Optional NPC Name: Trianna Dowser Gender: Female Race:[B/] Human [b]Class: Expert 2nd level / Fighter 1st level Size and Subtype: Medium Humanoid Hit Dice: 2d6+2 plus 1d10+1 (18hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 30ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 14 or 15 vs.1 opponent (+2 Dexterity, +2 Leather +1, Dodge) Touch 12, Flat Footed 12 BAB/Grapple: +2/+3 Attack: +4 Longspear or +3 Falchion or +5 Light Crossbow Full Attack: +4 Masterwork Longspear (1d8+1 x3) or +3 Falchion (2d4+1 18-20/x2) or Light Crossbow +1 (1d8+1 19-20/x2) Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 5ft. or reach 10ft. when wielding the Longspear Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: - Alignment: Neutral Good Saves: Fort: +3 Ref: +2 Will: +5 Ability Scores: Str: 12, Dex: 14, Con: 12, Int: 12, Wis: 14, Cha: 10 Skills and Feats: Skill Focus – Heal, Dodge, Negotiator Appraise +6, Climb +2, Concentration +2, Diplomacy +5, Handle Animal +2, Heal +10, Hide +3, Knowledge Local (wherever Trianna is from in the campaign) +4, Move Silently +4, Profession (Gemologist) +6, Ride +5, Sense Motive +6, Speak Language 1 (Orc), Survival(cc) +3, Use Rope +5 Languages: Common, Dwarven, Orc CR: 2 Possessions:Survival Pack (as above), 2 sunrods, Leather armor +1, Light Crossbow +1, Masterwork Longspear, Falchion, 1 Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Healers Kit (5 uses remaining), 27gp/4sp/16cp in pouch located in backpack Physical Description Trianna stands at 5ft. 6 inches and weighs a lean 120lbs. She has poorly cut short brown hair and green eyes. She is of average looks but has a smooth tongue which aides her in negotiations. Trianna wears earth tones and standard adventurers garb with a green cloak.
Adaptability and using Trianna Dowser in your campaign Trianna, before her town was attacked, was a gemologist and senior coordinator of trade with the dwarves that lived in the nearby mountains. Trianna now uses her negotiating skills to secure contracts and move around cities in a much easier fashion. Additionally Trianna learned how to help treat wounds which came in handy when the Dwarves would drink in her towns tavern a bit too early into the morning. Now she uses those skills to help bandage Trekk, herself and trusted party members.
Trianna is an optional NPC that travels with Trekk. Hooks -- The PCs need a guide in a land that they know nothing of or simply lack a Ranger in the party. -- The party needs some help, or information, finding a raiding orc tribe. -- The PCs find some rare gems and that need to be identified. -- There have been raiders in the forested area nearby and Trekk (with or without Trianna) has not reported back in. -- Two Dwarves meet the PCs asking about Trianna or her friend “the half breed orc” also letting them know that they are lost. Something is afoul in their kingdom and they need Triannas help.
Description: Ellie is 5’1 109 pounds. She has straight, silky, blond/brown hair, which she’ll often disguise as dark or red with her spells or disguise skill. Her eyes are a dark green. However, she is often in disguise and she’ll often go as a blond. She is clear faced. She tends to favor “peasant” clothing when not in disguise with a dash of bright color in her skirt, belt, or hat. Rumsiel the Raven often uses her shoulder as a perch. Unknown to Ellie, her hair was originally black but it was changed through her “mother’s” magic. Her favorite activities include swimming in the various lakes along the journeys she takes, telling stories, and “acting” with her bluff and disguise skills. She also really enjoys spell research, seeing it as a “puzzle” to crack. She will often make intuitive leaps, realizing what needs to be done and start to do it without bothering to explain to those around her.
History: Ellie for long as she can remember has been one of the traveling folk, a people (very much like gypsies) who travel from town to town, surviving on the wrong side of the law as smugglers, petty thieves, con men, entertainers and fortunetellers. Of course, Ellie only remembers the last seven years of her life. At that age she almost died of Marsh fever, and it burned away her memories. At least that’s what her mother and brothers tell her. While there might be more to the story, indeed Ellie suspect there is, she is not overly concerned about it. They must have a very good reason for keeping the secret, if there is one. Ellie has been the only girl in a family with four brothers. Until recently, they often work as a team. Her typical roll was that of spy and lookout, getting close to marks, finding out what they have which would be worthwhile and letting her brothers have at it. She also worked as a fortuneteller, and though she had now skill at per se, she could usually fool townsfolk into believing what she had to say. Of course the fact that those fortunes tended to be uncommonly accurate was mere chance. That talent for this brought was noticed by her mother, a one of the traveling folks foremost witch women. She cultivated that talent, training using stolen spell books and magic. Ellie’s sharp mind took to the training, particularly spell design, indeed she positively loves the puzzle of figuring out a strange text she or her brothers have stolen or inventing a spell herself (indeed she revels in it). This has led to a problem. She has come to sympathize too much with her victims, or at least some of her victims. She has no problem stealing from a rich merchant or prosperous landowners, but she does mind stealing the last cow from a poor peasant. Her heightened empathy has caused her understand things she was better off not understanding, at least as a thief. As a result, she targets those who have more then they need, like dishonest merchants, landowners, nobles, adventurers flush with wealth and anyone who has what she deems a “selfish” because of the pain and suffering their greed causes others. She has made it a point to encourage her family to target the the same targets with mixed results. On her own initiative she, has started to give away gold and silver to those who have less, after all she can always steal more and nobody needs all that gold and silver for themselves anyway….right (magic items are another matter of course)? This attitude change has been noted and, while no one has said anything to her, it has led to some awkwardness. Recently, she has traveled on her own for weeks at a time, sometimes with non travelers. Slowly, as she embraces strangers, working and living besides them, she is beginning to wonder, can she ever go home? Privately, she knows she must come to terms with what she is to decide what it will mean for her future. She was told one thing. Avoid the lands of a certain noble.
Her secret (that even she does not know)--
Once, Ellie’s mother Maag had a daughter, who was not Ellie. She loved this girl very much (traveling folk never mention the names of those who are dead). Once, when traveling through the lands of an Aristocratic landowner that daughter was kidnapped. Maag had her, husband and sons, through trickery and magic tracked their daughter, to the estate of the noble. But it was too late. The noble had killed the girl, and then raised her as a zombie; a gift to his daughter so that she might have a playmate… and that she might learn to feel comfortable around dead things. This was a gift the girl, a twelve year old named Elizabeth loved greatly, thankful to her "dear papa". Maag, disguised as a scullery maid watched the pair for a week in horror. Before she acted. She noted Elizabeth, a selfish child, who looked at the world as her father taught her. Others we’re lesser beings whose only value was what she got out of them. She was spoiled, rotten to the core, a rot fostered by her father, but a pretty child. One night she snuck into the girl’s room and slipped on a ring she had gotten from a very powerful wizard. It was said it had a single wish. She looked at the child, and the dead thing that had once been her daughter. She considered her own child whom she had loved and how the girl before her who was being twisted. She made her wish—
I wish this rich man’s daughter, forgets and dislikes, the life she now adores, becoming now as if raised traveler by birth, adopted, my child, forever more
She then destroyed the zombie, and took this sleeping girl to raise among her people. That girl became Ellie. She woke up in her parents wagon, with a case of “marsh fever” which she remembers. Thus revenge was taken, daughter for daughter, and inhumanity was returned with humanity.
Tactics--
On her own, Ellie avoids battles, especially when alone. She'll flee, often with a grease or obscuring mist to discourage pursuit. If forced to fight she typically uses non lethal spells first. She will try typically to talk her way out trouble, using bluff and sense motive to tell the person what they want to hear.
When working with others she often uses her skills and spells to make herself a scout or to study people for future thievery, using disguise liberally. Her targets tend to be the wealthy as already mentioned, but also the evil and lawful. She tries to avoid sentimental items or items that belong to those she deems innocents, even passing over easy targets to do so. As time goes on, she counts on her magic more and more. She is increasingly interested in new spells, magic items, and scrolls. She also gives away much of what she steals to whoever catches her fancy, particularly those who have dreams of another life then the one they have now. Gold has little value to her, she after all has multiple ways of getting more. This has earned her allies at convenient times. She also tell fortunes, using her sense motive, knowledge arcane, and bluff to empty the pockets of those who can afford her price. She typically charges based off what she thinks you can afford and how much she likes you. If someone argues, she doubles the price. If threatened, she never give a fortune to that person again.
Stat Block, (Note: Modifications due dispelling the Wish are in parenthesis). Name: Ellie Gywn (Lady Elizabeth) Gender: Female Race: Human Age: 19 Class: Rogue 2 / Diviner 4 Hit Dice: 2d6+3d4+5 Hit Points: 24 Initiative: +6 Speed: land 30 ft Armor Class: 12 (+1 dex, +1 Bracers Touch 11, Flat footed 10, With Mage Armor 16) BAB: 3 Saves: Fort: +2 Ref +5 Will +6 Attack: 1d4 dagger Class Abilities: Sneak Attack+1d6, Trapfinding, Evasion (rogue), Summon Familiar (wizard) Special Abilities: Ellie shares all traits of the human subtype. Also, she has Amnesia about her first twelve years of life have essentially vanished. This might be slight advantage under unusual circumstances. It would take a wish or greater restoration to restore them. Spell book: 0: all non necromancy 1: Alarm, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret Doors, Disguise self, Discern*, True Strike, Expeditious retreat, Grease, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist 2: Detect Invisibility, Glitterdust, Hypnotic Pattern, Locate Object, Levitate, Sense*
*unique spells by Ellie. Spells per day: 0:4, 1:4+1 2: 3+1, the +1 must come from the Divination school, forbidden school, necromancy. Why: Walking dead things are “icky”. As a Diviner, Ellie knows this very well.
* Only applies when acting in character, #Alertness feat, +familiar bonus
Feats: Scribe scroll, Alertness, Improved Initiative, Eschew Materials, Silent spell Languages: Common, Elvish, Gnomish, (undercommon) Alignment: Chaotic Good (Lawful Evil) Equipment: Bracers of Armor +1, Hand of the Mage, 2 healing potions, 1 hide from undead potion, 2 daggers (one in an ankle sheath) 100 gp, four scrolls with the following spells1) Detect secret doors, Identify, Comprehend languages 2) Mage Armor, Magic Missile x2 3) Grease, Expeditious Retreat, Disguise Self 4) Levitate, Locate Object, Hypnotic Pattern
Ellie has designed two spells to help her in her life.
Discern
Divination Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 1 Components: V, M Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 10 minutes per level
This spell attunes the senses to noticing small details about the behaviors, motives and goals of those around her. The person gains +10 to all sense motive checks for the duration of the spell. The material component is incense which she uses to focus.
Ellie uses this spell to target for future crime victims, casting it in her wagon and then intermingling with the people, she figures out who is hiding stuff, carrying money etc. She also uses it along with bluff to tell fortunes, giving good advice if she likes you telling you what you want to hear and bilking you for as much money as she can get away with if she does not.
It has also affected her in an unforeseen ways, directly leading to her drift from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Good over the last two years she has had this spell.
Sense
Divination Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2 Components: V, M Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 10 minutes per level
This spell allows the caster to intuitively “pick out” the important factors in the world around them. The caster gains a +8 on all Spot and Listen checks for the duration.
Ellie often uses the spell to case an area for her allies to break into. She is often also a lookout (often in disguise or hidden), using either a message spell or Rumsiel to keep in contact with her allies.
Familiar Name: Rumsiel Gender: Male Race: Raven Size and Subtype: Tiny magical beast Hit Dice: 6d8 (12 HP) Initiative: +2 Speed: 10 ground 40 flying AC 16 (14 flat footed, 12 touch) BAB: 3/+5 melee Attack/Grapple: +4 claw (1d2-5) Special Qualities: Low Light Vision, Alertness, improved evasion, share spells, empathetic link Alignment: Chaotic Good Saves: +2 fort, +6 Reflex, Will +7 Feats: Weapon Finesse Abilities: Str -1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 7 Wis 16 Cha 6 Skills: Appraise +2 Bluff +3 Concentration +7 Decipher Script +3 Gather Information:+3 Hide +7 Knowledge Arcane +3, Knowledge: Geography: 1 Listen +10 Move Silent +6 Sense Motive+ 8 Spell craft +5 Spot +10 Survival +4 Rumsiel speaks common.
Rumsiel the raven was found on the side of the road and taken in. The young girl adopted him as a pet early. He eventually bonded with Ellie as her familiar. He is often used as an extra set of eyes when casing a place. He also likes to play tricks on dumb humans, and is a bit of a smarty pants. If asked he’ll also tell you how Ellie is the greatest human in existence. The two are best friends, though what that means to a raven is anyones guess.
Adventure hooks with Ellie:
Ellie is designed to fill many roles, which can certainly be used in combination.
1) Ellie can be a potential romantic interest of a party member who they don’t feel bad about leaving for lengths of time (she is also an “adventurer” doing her own thing). This is particularly good for a roguish character or a mage but on another level Paladins.
2) Hunting Ellie is a potential goal. Either her father wants her back and will “restore her to her proper place in society”, or for crimes she has surely committed. If the circumstances of her life are known, she presents a moral quandary for Paladin types in particular. On one hand she is a kidnap victim. On the other hand, but to restore to her father might be an act of murder of a person who has delevoped and changed on her own and is now a decent person.
3) Good gone bad: If she is restored and the party has gotten to know her, she could turn into a long term villain, trying to kill those who took her life or knew of the old her. Elizabeth, if she had never been subject to the wish would now be an Aristocrat 2/Necromancer 4. If she were to be restored with her memories of the last few year intact, she would have the skills of Ellie but the attitudes of Elizabeth and would certainly be angry at those who had interrupted her “proper” path. That might include PC's.
4) Aid. Ellie has no problems breaking any law she deems foolish. She’s useful for taking on actions which would split the party, particularly if she is known to he party but not of the party. She’s also very good at avoiding situations. For example: A rogue could “loan” her an item he wants smuggled through a checkpoint that more lawful types would object to. The rogue could then swear he didn’t take the item through the checkpoint (Because he gave it to Ellie to take through).
5) Ellie or her family could be interested in acquiring the same item the party wants. This could lead to negotiations, friendships, etc.
6) Her Amnesia might be a useful trait when dealing with specific, unusual situations, like a monster that feeds off childhood nightmares.
7) She could target party members for robbery, particularly lawful types.
8) Ellie tells the fortune of a character, later that fortune comes true. This could either be design or by chance. Either way, this will attract the interest of the party.
Options for tweaking Ellie and design notes:
Unearthed Arcana: In many ways Ellie’s role as a traveler styled on Gypsies and Traveling folk is fits the Wilderness Rogue variant on page 56 adapting this would alter some of her skills and actually cut down on her purchase of cross class skills. Also, some of her feats choices were inspired by the second of three Diviner variant options on page 60.
Complete Arcane: I picture her as a caster whose “style” uses a lot of intuition and instinct to fill in gaps in formal training she would have gotten at a “Wizard’s School”. Therefore replacing some of her feats with “sudden” options is good. Also, Practiced Spell caster (Page 82/Complete Divine Page 82) lessens the effect of multiclassing on her. Secondly, Programmed Amnesia (Page 118) is the spell I originally considered having her a victim of. I went with Wish to keep it core and because it had a poetic value. But this gives you an idea of what I was thinking.
Unofficially, I would tweak her skills if she were “restored” to her original mindset. As Elizabeth, adding things like Knowledge: Nobility to her list of skills and lowering other skills to reflect her change of mindset makes sense. She would not dance with the same vigor, pay attention to the things that make her as good of spotter, use the intuition that makes her a good spell designer. I therefore do not make her an aristocrat NPC. This option I toyed with when considering the use of Programmed Amnesia. I thought that option would endlessly complicate matters and take away from the overall presentation. I mention it here as an option for DM’s never the less.
All of those things IMHO justify shaving a point here and there from her skills. The RAW have no rules for doing this. Therefore I do not include it. If I were a DM using her I’d do it in a heartbeat, under the right circumstances.
I deliberately left her parentage vauge so she could fit into any game.
Finally, she is not designed as a stand up combatant but as someone who can evade party members. Also, she was designed as a person first and foremost and so she has some non-optimal options from a technical standpoint. She is versatile, with some points of strength but not overly powerful. She is designed therefore with an eye toward “realism” rather then over the top heroics.
She fulfills these two contest requirements.
1: The NPC is a spell caster that has created at least one new spell. A full spell description block must be included in the entry.
3: The NPC has a cohort, animal companion, mount or familiar that is also detailed (including a full stat block) in your entry.
Alternately she might be considered to meet option 6, but that is open to interpretation.
6: The NPC leads a double-life, but he has no real skill at performing the needed duties of his other life (such as a person with no ranks in the Open Lock or Disable Device skills posing as a master locksmith). An explanation must be provided as to how this NPC succeeds at leading this double-life.
She does have a double identity, but how that identity would play out is totally based off of how that identity is "restored".
Nani?]Ellie Gwyn (formerly Lady Elizabeth)
Description: wrote:
Ellie Gwyn (formerly Lady Elizabeth)
[color=Blue]Description: Ellie is 5’1 109 pounds. She has straight, silky, blond/brown hair, which she’ll often disguise as dark or red with her spells or disguise skill. Her eyes are a dark green. However, she is often in disguise and she’ll often go as a blond. She is clear faced. She tends to favor “peasant” clothing when not in disguise with a dash of bright color in her skirt, belt, or hat. Rumsiel the Raven often uses her shoulder as a perch. Unknown to Ellie, her hair was originally black but it was changed through her “mother’s” magic. Her favorite activities include swimming in the various lakes along the journeys she takes, telling stories, and “acting” with her bluff and disguise skills. She also really enjoys spell research, seeing it as a “puzzle” to crack. She will often make intuitive leaps, realizing what needs to be done and start to do it without bothering to explain to those around her.
History: Ellie for long as she can remember has been one of the traveling folk, a people (very much like gypsies) who travel from town to town, surviving on the wrong side of the law as smugglers, petty thieves, con men, entertainers and fortunetellers. Of course, Ellie only remembers the last seven years of her life. At that age she almost died of Marsh fever, and it burned away her memories. At least that’s what her mother and brothers tell her. While there might be more to the story, indeed Ellie suspect there is, she is not overly concerned about it. They must have a very good reason for keeping the secret, if there is one. Ellie has been the only girl in a family with four brothers. Until recently, they often work as a team. Her typical roll was that of spy and lookout, getting close to marks, finding out what they have which would be worthwhile and letting her brothers have at it. She also worked as a fortuneteller, and though she had now skill at per se, she could usually fool townsfolk into believing what she had to say. Of course the fact that those fortunes tended to be uncommonly accurate was mere chance. That talent for this brought was noticed by her mother, a one of the traveling folks foremost witch women. She cultivated that talent, training using stolen spell books and magic. Ellie’s sharp mind took to the training, particularly spell design, indeed she positively loves the puzzle of figuring out a strange text she or her brothers have stolen or inventing a spell herself (indeed she revels in it). This has led to a problem. She has come to sympathize too much with her victims, or at least some of her victims. She has no problem stealing from a rich merchant or prosperous landowners, but she does mind stealing the last cow from a poor peasant. Her heightened empathy has caused her understand things she was better off not understanding, at least as a thief. As a result, she targets those who have more then they need, like dishonest merchants, landowners, nobles, adventurers flush with wealth and anyone who has what she deems a “selfish” because of the pain and suffering their greed causes others. She has made it a point to encourage her family to target the the same targets with mixed results. On her own initiative she, has started to give away gold and silver to those who have less, after all she can always steal more and nobody needs all that gold and silver for themselves anyway….right (magic items are another matter of course)? This attitude change has been noted and, while no one has said anything to her, it has led to some awkwardness. Recently, she has traveled on her own for weeks at a time, sometimes with non travelers. Slowly, as she embraces strangers, working and living besides them, she is beginning to wonder, can she ever go home? Privately, she knows she must come to terms with what she is to decide what it will mean for her future. She was told one thing. Avoid the lands of a certain noble.
Her secret (that even she does not know)--
Once, Ellie’s mother Maag had a daughter, who was not Ellie. She loved this girl very much (traveling folk never mention the names of those who are dead). Once, when traveling through the lands of an Aristocratic landowner that daughter was kidnapped. Maag had her, husband and sons, through trickery and magic tracked their daughter, to the estate of the noble. But it was too late. The noble had killed the girl, and then raised her as a zombie; a gift to his daughter so that she might have a playmate… and that she might learn to feel comfortable around dead things. This was a gift the girl, a twelve year old named Elizabeth loved greatly, thankful to her "dear papa". Maag, disguised as a scullery maid watched the pair for a week in horror. Before she acted. She noted Elizabeth, a selfish child, who looked at the world as her father taught her. Others we’re lesser beings whose only value was what she got out of them. She was spoiled, rotten to the core, a rot fostered by her father, but a pretty child. One night she snuck into the girl’s room and slipped on a ring she had gotten from a very powerful wizard. It was said it had a single wish. She looked at the child, and the dead thing that had once been her daughter. She considered her own child whom she had loved and how the girl before her who was being twisted. She made her wish—
I wish this rich man’s daughter, forgets and dislikes, the life she now adores, becoming now as if raised traveler by birth, adopted, my child, forever more
She then destroyed the zombie, and took this sleeping girl to raise among her people. That girl became Ellie. She woke up in her parents wagon, with a case of “marsh fever” which she remembers. Thus revenge was taken, daughter for daughter, and inhumanity was returned with humanity.
Tactics--
On her own, Ellie avoids battles, especially when alone. She'll flee, often with a grease or obscuring mist to discourage pursuit. If forced to fight she typically uses non lethal spells first. She will try typically to talk her way out trouble, using bluff and sense motive to tell the person what they want to hear.
When working with others she often uses her skills and spells to make herself a scout or to study people for future thievery, using disguise liberally. Her targets tend to be the wealthy as already mentioned, but also the evil and lawful. She tries to avoid sentimental items or items that belong to those she deems innocents, even passing over easy targets to do so. As time goes on, she counts on her magic more and more. She is increasingly interested in new spells, magic items, and scrolls. She also gives away much of what she steals to whoever catches her fancy, particularly those who have dreams of another life then the one they have now. Gold has little value to her, she after all has multiple ways of getting more. This has earned her allies at convenient times. She also tell fortunes, using her sense motive, knowledge arcane, and bluff to empty the pockets of those who can afford her price. She typically charges based off what she thinks you can afford and how much she likes you. If someone argues, she doubles the price. If threatened, she never give a fortune to that person again.
Stat Block, (Note: Modifications due dispelling the Wish are in parenthesis). Name: Ellie Gywn (Lady Elizabeth) Gender: Female Race: Human Age: 19 Class: Rogue 2 / Diviner 4 Hit Dice: 2d6+3d4+5 Hit Points: 24 Initiative: +6 Speed: land 30 ft Armor Class: 12 (+1 dex, +1 Bracers Touch 11, Flat footed 10, With Mage Armor 16) BAB: 3 Saves: Fort: +2 Ref +5 Will +6 Attack: 1d4 dagger Class Abilities: Sneak Attack+1d6, Trapfinding, Evasion (rogue), Summon Familiar (wizard) Special Abilities: Ellie shares all traits of the human subtype. Also, she has Amnesia about her first twelve years of life have essentially vanished. This might be slight advantage under unusual circumstances. It would take a wish or greater restoration to restore them. Spell book: 0: all non necromancy 1: Alarm, Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret Doors, Disguise self, Discern*, True Strike, Expeditious retreat, Grease, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist 2: Detect Invisibility, Glitterdust, Hypnotic Pattern, Locate Object, Levitate, Sense*
*unique spells by Ellie. Spells per day: 0:4, 1:4+1 2: 3+1, the +1 must come from the Divination school, forbidden school, necromancy. Why: Walking dead things are “icky”. As a Diviner, Ellie knows this very well.
* Only applies when acting in character, #Alertness feat, +familiar bonus
Feats: Scribe scroll, Alertness, Improved Initiative, Eschew Materials, Silent spell Languages: Common, Elvish, Gnomish, (undercommon) Alignment: Chaotic Good (Lawful Evil) Equipment: Bracers of Armor +1, Hand of the Mage, 2 healing potions, 1 hide from undead potion, 2 daggers (one in an ankle sheath) 100 gp, four scrolls with the following spells1) Detect secret doors, Identify, Comprehend languages 2) Mage Armor, Magic Missile x2 3) Grease, Expeditious Retreat, Disguise Self 4) Levitate, Locate Object, Hypnotic Pattern
Ellie has designed two spells to help her in her life.
Discern
Divination Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 1 Components: V, M Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 10 minutes per level
This spell attunes the senses to noticing small details about the behaviors, motives and goals of those around her. The person gains +10 to all sense motive checks for the duration of the spell. The material component is incense which she uses to focus.
Ellie uses this spell to target for future crime victims, casting it in her wagon and then intermingling with the people, she figures out who is hiding stuff, carrying money etc. She also uses it along with bluff to tell fortunes, giving good advice if she likes you telling you what you want to hear and bilking you for as much money as she can get away with if she does not.
It has also affected her in an unforeseen ways, directly leading to her drift from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Good over the last two years she has had this spell.
Sense
Divination Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2 Components: V, M Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 10 minutes per level
This spell allows the caster to intuitively “pick out” the important factors in the world around them. The caster gains a +8 on all Spot and Listen checks for the duration.
Ellie often uses the spell to case an area for her allies to break into. She is often also a lookout (often in disguise or hidden), using either a message spell or Rumsiel to keep in contact with her allies.
Familiar Name: Rumsiel Gender: Male Race: Raven Size and Subtype: Tiny magical beast Hit Dice: 6d8 (12 HP) Initiative: +2 Speed: 10 ground 40 flying AC 16 (14 flat footed, 12 touch) BAB: 3/+5 melee Attack/Grapple: +4 claw (1d2-5) Special Qualities: Low Light Vision, Alertness, improved evasion, share spells, empathetic link Alignment: Chaotic Good Saves: +2 fort, +6 Reflex, Will +7 Feats: Weapon Finesse Abilities: Str -1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 7 Wis 16 Cha 6 Skills: Appraise +2 Bluff +3 Concentration +7 Decipher Script +3 Gather Information:+3 Hide +7 Knowledge Arcane +3, Knowledge: Geography: 1 Listen +10 Move Silent +6 Sense Motive+ 8 Spell craft +5 Spot +10 Survival +4 Rumsiel speaks common.
Rumsiel the raven was found on the side of the road and taken in. The young girl adopted him as a pet early. He eventually bonded with Ellie as her familiar. He is often used as an extra set of eyes when casing a place. He also likes to play tricks on dumb humans, and is a bit of a smarty pants. If asked he’ll also tell you how Ellie is the greatest human in existence. The two are best friends, though what that means to a raven is anyones guess.
Adventure hooks with Ellie:
Ellie is designed to fill many roles, which can certainly be used in combination.
1) Ellie can be a potential romantic interest of a party member who they don’t feel bad about leaving for lengths of time (she is also an “adventurer” doing her own thing). This is particularly good for a roguish character or a mage but on another level Paladins.
2) Hunting Ellie is a potential goal. Either her father wants her back and will “restore her to her proper place in society”, or for crimes she has surely committed. If the circumstances of her life are known, she presents a moral quandary for Paladin types in particular. On one hand she is a kidnap victim. On the other hand, but to restore to her father might be an act of murder of a person who has delevoped and changed on her own and is now a decent person.
3) Good gone bad: If she is restored and the party has gotten to know her, she could turn into a long term villain, trying to kill those who took her life or knew of the old her. Elizabeth, if she had never been subject to the wish would now be an Aristocrat 2/Necromancer 4. If she were to be restored with her memories of the last few year intact, she would have the skills of Ellie but the attitudes of Elizabeth and would certainly be angry at those who had interrupted her “proper” path. That might include PC's.
4) Aid. Ellie has no problems breaking any law she deems foolish. She’s useful for taking on actions which would split the party, particularly if she is known to he party but not of the party. She’s also very good at avoiding situations. For example: A rogue could “loan” her an item he wants smuggled through a checkpoint that more lawful types would object to. The rogue could then swear he didn’t take the item through the checkpoint (Because he gave it to Ellie to take through).
5) Ellie or her family could be interested in acquiring the same item the party wants. This could lead to negotiations, friendships, etc.
6) Her Amnesia might be a useful trait when dealing with specific, unusual situations, like a monster that feeds off childhood nightmares.
7) She could target party members for robbery, particularly lawful types.
8) Ellie tells the fortune of a character, later that fortune comes true. This could either be design or by chance. Either way, this will attract the interest of the party.
Options for tweaking Ellie and design notes:
Unearthed Arcana: In many ways Ellie’s role as a traveler styled on Gypsies and Traveling folk is fits the Wilderness Rogue variant on page 56 adapting this would alter some of her skills and actually cut down on her purchase of cross class skills. Also, some of her feats choices were inspired by the second of three Diviner variant options on page 60.
Complete Arcane: I picture her as a caster whose “style” uses a lot of intuition and instinct to fill in gaps in formal training she would have gotten at a “Wizard’s School”. Therefore replacing some of her feats with “sudden” options is good. Also, Practiced Spell caster (Page 82/Complete Divine Page 82) lessens the effect of multiclassing on her. Secondly, Programmed Amnesia (Page 118) is the spell I originally considered having her a victim of. I went with Wish to keep it core and because it had a poetic value. But this gives you an idea of what I was thinking.
Unofficially, I would tweak her skills if she were “restored” to her original mindset. As Elizabeth, adding things like Knowledge: Nobility to her list of skills and lowering other skills to reflect her change of mindset makes sense. She would not dance with the same vigor, pay attention to the things that make her as good of spotter, use the intuition that makes her a good spell designer. I therefore do not make her an aristocrat NPC. This option I toyed with when considering the use of Programmed Amnesia. I thought that option would endlessly complicate matters and take away from the overall presentation. I mention it here as an option for DM’s never the less.
All of those things IMHO justify shaving a point here and there from her skills. The RAW have no rules for doing this. Therefore I do not include it. If I were a DM using her I’d do it in a heartbeat, under the right circumstances.
I deliberately left her parentage vauge so she could fit into any game.
Finally, she is not designed as a stand up combatant but as someone who can evade party members. Also, she was designed as a person first and foremost and so she has some non-optimal options from a technical standpoint. She is versatile, with some points of strength but not overly powerful. She is designed therefore with an eye toward “realism” rather then over the top heroics.
