Arvormeigh, Nixie Rogue

Monday, March 1, 2010

Illustration by Concept Art House

Here's a bit of bonus material for the Pathfinder Module Realm of the Fellnight Queen. The RPG Superstar 2009 adventure by Neil Spicer originally featured this character in one encounter, but she ended up on the cutting room floor to make the adventure fit the page count. Now she's back and ready to annoy some PCs!

Spoiler:
Arvormeigh originally appeared in the Upper Pool area of the Dead Man's Drop encounter, along with an allied Large water elemental (CR 5), for a CR 7 encounter. If your PCs are especially tough, you could add her to the encounter as presented in the adventure, resulting in a CR 8 encounter.

ARVORMEIGH CR 5
XP 3,200
Female nixie rogue 5; (Pathfinder RPG Bonus Bestiary 15)
NE Small fey (aquatic)
Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 11 (+6 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size)
hp 43 (7 HD; 2d6+5d8+14)
Fort +3, Ref +13, Will +4
Defensive Abilities evasion, uncanny dodge; DR 5/cold iron; SR 12
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee short sword +11 (1d4/19–20)
Ranged +1 shortbow +12 (1d4+1/x3)
Special Attacks lure (as harpy's captivating song, DC 16), sneak attack +3d6 plus 3 bleed
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +16)
3/day—charm person (DC 16)
1/day—water breathing
TACTICS
Before Combat Arvormeigh observes intruders from the pool while in fish form to discern their intent. Then she reverts to her natural form to drink her potion of resist energy before swimming to the water's surface to speak with them. A Sense Motive check (DC 22) detects the nixie stalling for time during the conversation—she waits only long enough for the next obscuring mist from the wardstones before attacking (see Hazard).
During Combat Arvormeigh knows the pool well enough to time the waves of mist to her advantage. On any round while her vision remains unimpeded, she keeps her distance, rising from the water to shoot opponents with her bow and making sure to use her Deadly Aim feat and bleeding attack ability if possible, selectively targeting spellcasters with sleep arrows. During rounds with the obscuring mist in place, Arvormeigh uses her lure ability instead, drawing victims into the pool and the waiting vortex of her elemental ally. She uses sneak attack underwater on anyone left in the pool.
Morale As the final guardian of the wardstones, Arvormeigh fights to the death, only temporarily retreating to drink her potion of cure moderate wounds before resuming the attack.
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 22, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 21
Base Atk +4; CMB +3; CMD 19
Feats Deadly Aim, Dodge, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +14, Bluff +12, Craft (jewelry) +5, Diplomacy +12, Escape Artist +15, Handle Animal +12, Knowledge (nature) +10, Linguistics +5, Perception +8, Perform (dance) +12, Perform (sing) +12, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +17, Swim +17
Languages Aquan, Elven, Sylvan
SQ amphibious, change shape (Small or Medium aquatic creature, beast shape I), rogue talents (bleeding attack, combat trick), trapfinding, trap sense +1, wild empathy +13
Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of resist energy (electricity) ; Other Gear +1 shortbow, sleep arrows (6), cold iron arrows (20), short sword, aquamarine necklace worth 250 gp with matching bracelets worth 50 gp each

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Concept Art House Fey Monsters Pathfinder Modules Rogues RPG Superstar Web Enhancement
Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

A great encounter I'd happily drop anywhere. I hope to see more of this kind of material in the blogs. Sometimes having an encounter can be handy (either to throw in an adventure or to build an adventure around).

Also kudos to Mr Spicer for making a fun and tactically interesting encounter.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

1 person marked this as a favorite.

HAH!

I am so, SO glad to see Arvormeigh revealed. She was the one element I most hated to see hit the cutting room floor. Thanks so much for getting her back out there as bonus content via the blog, Sean!

DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:
...I hope to see more of this kind of material in the blogs...

I'm not sure how often Paizo has the time to do it, but it is cool to see material made available via the blog and not necessarily through a full-blown web enhancement.

DM_aka_Dudemeister wrote:
Also kudos to Mr Spicer for making a fun and tactically interesting encounter.

Thank you. I always strive to provide something interesting in every encounter. Check out the Kingmaker adventure path for my next attempt. The fourth adventure ("Blood for Blood") has a few more encounters you may find tactically interesting, as well.

Dark Archive

Pretty awesome sauce. Oh my gravy I can't wait to use her in an adventure.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

NSpicer wrote:
I'm not sure how often Paizo has the time to do it, but it is cool to see material made available via the blog and not necessarily through a full-blown web enhancement.

Actually, doing things like this on the blog are relatively low-impact for us. They don't require as in-depth an editing process as a web enhancement, since they can be very short. And they require NO layout work from our art staff.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber
James Jacobs wrote:
NSpicer wrote:
I'm not sure how often Paizo has the time to do it, but it is cool to see material made available via the blog and not necessarily through a full-blown web enhancement.
Actually, doing things like this on the blog are relatively low-impact for us. They don't require as in-depth an editing process as a web enhancement, since they can be very short. And they require NO layout work from our art staff.

So how about more of it. Lots more, if there is any to be had. I love seeing the "deleted scenes".

Liberty's Edge

Kvantum wrote:
So how about more of it. Lots more, if there is any to be had. I love seeing the "deleted scenes".

+1

Paizo is great for these additional tidbits!

Sovereign Court

I think her CR is off... it looks like it should be CR 7 to match the 3,200 xp award.

Just an FYI, cause this is a great NPC who I'm definitely yoinking for my game this weekend!!!

--Johnny Vrockets

Liberty's Edge

Githzilla wrote:
Kvantum wrote:
So how about more of it. Lots more, if there is any to be had. I love seeing the "deleted scenes".

+1

Paizo is great for these additional tidbits!

+2

More Please! :D

Sovereign Court

King of Vrock wrote:

I think her CR is off... it looks like it should be CR 7 to match the 3,200 xp award.

Just an FYI, cause this is a great NPC who I'm definitely yoinking for my game this weekend!!!

--Johnny Vrockets

She is CR 5. The 3,200 XP award is from the original encounter (which is hidden under the spoiler tag), which has a total CR of 7. But if she's just by herself, then yeah, she's CR 5, 1,600 XP.


This is not Arvormeigh, this is Cachee from "Into the Haunted Forest"!

I knew I had seen this art piece before, ruffling through my collection, I found and opened the old TC1

Contributor

The art piece is a pick-up from the Pathfinder Bonus Bestiary, which may have been picked up from an earlier book.


Yeah, Into the Haunted Forest, right? It's a good illo.


Indeed a very good piece of art, I did not mean anything wrong by mentioning TC1.

I had forgotten about the Bonus Bestiary, yep, it is there for the Nixie entry.

Sovereign Court

Rob McCreary wrote:
King of Vrock wrote:

I think her CR is off... it looks like it should be CR 7 to match the 3,200 xp award.

Just an FYI, cause this is a great NPC who I'm definitely yoinking for my game this weekend!!!

--Johnny Vrockets

She is CR 5. The 3,200 XP award is from the original encounter (which is hidden under the spoiler tag), which has a total CR of 7. But if she's just by herself, then yeah, she's CR 5, 1,600 XP.

Really? Looking at the advancing monsters stuff, she'd be a CR 2 Nixie (being the evil variant with Lure and change shape abilities) and then 5 levels of Rogue on top, assuming a Nixie is a Skill Role means it's a 1 for 1 adjustment for her CR of 7... looking at the monster creation table she is kind of all over the place. CR 4 hp's but CR 7 ability save DC's, CR 7 attack numbers but CR 5 damage. I'm not being picky, just trying to get the hang of monster creation and assigning CR.

--Alfred HitchVrock's the Birds


Lord Slaavik wrote:

Indeed a very good piece of art, I did not mean anything wrong by mentioning TC1.

I had forgotten about the Bonus Bestiary, yep, it is there for the Nixie entry.

I don't see how you could be wrong. TC1 came first.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

King of Vrock wrote:
Looking at the advancing monsters stuff, she'd be a CR 2 Nixie (being the evil variant with Lure and change shape abilities) and then 5 levels of Rogue on top, assuming a Nixie is a Skill Role means it's a 1 for 1 adjustment for her CR of 7...

Originally, I wrote her up as CR 7 using those exact same guidelines. So I'm curious as well...mostly so I apply the rules correctly my next go-around.

Contributor

It's one of those things that can swing ±1 depending on how you think it through.

But really, you're talking about the difference between a 2,400 XP award (CR 6) and either 1,600 XP (CR 5) or 3,200 XP (CR 7), which is just 800 XP, which is 200 XP per character in a party of 4... and where the PCs need to gain 8,000 XP to move from the bottom of level 5 to the bottom of level 6. It's not enough of a difference to waste time nitpicking about it; the time is better spent making some other part of the adventure cool.

Sovereign Court

Well CR has always been more art than science...

I do think she is a wonderful NPC and I'll be tossing in 2 Large water elementals with her, but then again my 6th level party has 7 PC's! It'll be touch enough for them having to attack her in the water with a Vortex going and a rogue wave power attacking away!

--Vrock'em Sock'em Robots!

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

King of Vrock wrote:
I do think she is a wonderful NPC and I'll be tossing in 2 Large water elementals with her, but then again my 6th level party has 7 PC's! It'll be touch enough for them having to attack her in the water with a Vortex going and a rogue wave power attacking away!

Proof once again that a creature in its own element can pose a serious threat to those who underestimate it. ;-)

Grand Lodge

Fantastic! Count me in as another vote for more of this!

Scarab Sages

hehe, I finally clicked on the link to this and now I can see why Neil hated to see this thing go.

This even makes my evil DM mind consider using this creature in my LoF campaign. I was needing a fey element for a character story arc in the End of Eternity AP#22. This could prove most useful... :D


Pathfinder Adventure, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Looks awesome, I have a party coming to the pools over the next week or two and I am looking forward to making the experience memorable.


I wish they kept her in the module, poor nixies, they never get any love, you can't summon them, can't get them as cohorts,familiars, or player characters. But it would be nice to more npc ones like this one and the one in kingmaker.

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