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So I've got a couple of players in my group who particularly dislike Torch, and are wanting to try to kill him, lol.
So I decided I'd stat him up, so if they try I can give them an actual shot at it, instead of just handwaving away their loss.
Anyway, here is what I've come up with. I made him using PFS rules (thought I know npcs have different rules), and gave him 82,000gp to use, no more than 41,000 in a single item (per the old rules for Ruby Phoenix), since he is level 11.
Please let me know what you think, if I made any math mistakes you can see, or if you think something ought to be changed flavor-wise.
Edit: He should be a legal PFS character, other than the fact that I did give him the age modifiers for being middle aged. Also, I didnt take into account his burn scars, for whatever you might think that would do to/for him.
Grandmaster Torch
Male human Bardic Archivist 6/ Charlatan Rogue 5
N Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses Perception +11
Defense
AC 10, touch 10, flatfooted 10
hp 80 (11d8+22)
Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +10
Immune Detect Thoughts, Discern Lies
Resist Fire 20
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 dagger +7/+2 (d4/19-20)
Special Sneak Attack +3d6
Spells Known (CL 6th; Concentration +11)
2nd (4/day) — Blistering Infective, Detect Thoughts, Enthrall, Invisibility
1st (6/day) — Charm Person (DC18), Identify, Innocence, Share Language
0 — Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Message, Open/Close, Read Magic, Sift
Statistics
Str 9, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 24
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 16
Feats Antagonize, Eschew Materials, Iron Will, Lingering Performance, Skill Focus (Knowledge: Local), Spellsong, Voice of the Sibyl
Skills Appraise +10, Bluff +27, Diplomacy +27, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (Arcana +11, Dungeoneering +11, Engineering +11, Geography +11, History +11, Local +24, Nature +11, Nobility +11, Planes +11, Religion +11), Linguistics +8, Perception +11, Perform(Oratory) +26, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +8(+11 to identify magical items or decipher scrolls), Use Magic Device +20
SQ Bardic Knowledge, Bardic Performances (21/day; Countersong, Distraction, Fascinate, Inspire Competence, Naturalist, Lamentable Belaborment),Cantrips, Magic Lore, Lore Master (1/day), Sneak Attack (+3d6), Evasion, Rogue Tricks (Convincing Lie, Honeyed Words, Rumormonger), Uncanny Dodge
Traits Canter, Resilient
Languages Chelish, Common, Draconic, Elven, Kellish, Osiriani
Treasure +1 dagger, Bag of Holding (Type 1), Belt of Mighty Constitution +2, Cape of the Mounteback, Circlet of Persuasion, Headband of Alluring Charisma +4, Ring of Energy Resistance Major (Fire), Ring of Mind Shielding, 2618gp
Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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I think he was always meant to be the bad guy in charge of the Shadow Lodge. Somewhere along the line, the debate about whether players should be allowed to join the Shadow Lodge became very lively, and it was decided to make him a sympathetic figure, instead. I'm sure I could be reading things incorrectly, but after seeing all the hints that are spread throughout the later Season 1 and earlier Season 2 scenarios, this is my opinion. Not that it matters, I suppose.
Regarding the stat block: the only thing that jumps out at me is the Circlet and the Headband. Seeing as they both occupy the head slot, he can't have them both active.
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I think he was always meant to be the bad guy in charge of the Shadow Lodge. Somewhere along the line, the debate about whether players should be allowed to join the Shadow Lodge became very lively, and it was decided to make him a sympathetic figure, instead. I'm sure I could be reading things incorrectly, but after seeing all the hints that are spread throughout the later Season 1 and earlier Season 2 scenarios, this is my opinion. Not that it matters, I suppose.
Regarding the stat block: the only thing that jumps out at me is the Circlet and the Headband. Seeing as they both occupy the head slot, he can't have them both active.
Actually, I had the same erroneous belief. Head and Headband are separate slots.
And goggles, you can put a LOT on your noggin
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Owner - Enchanted Grounds, President/Owner - Enchanted Grounds
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I think he was always meant to be the bad guy in charge of the Shadow Lodge. Somewhere along the line, the debate about whether players should be allowed to join the Shadow Lodge became very lively, and it was decided to make him a sympathetic figure, instead. I'm sure I could be reading things incorrectly, but after seeing all the hints that are spread throughout the later Season 1 and earlier Season 2 scenarios, this is my opinion. Not that it matters, I suppose.
Regarding the stat block: the only thing that jumps out at me is the Circlet and the Headband. Seeing as they both occupy the head slot, he can't have them both active.
Actually, I had the same erroneous belief. Head and Headband are separate slots.
Really?
::Checks PRD::
Huh. My oracle just got the green light for a new toy...
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Don't forget about his Kukri Wielding Half Orc Body Guards.
Also I see Torch at this point to be much more likely to escape from danger rather than meet it head on.
The real challenge in going after Torch would not be the actual fight, but the cunning scheme that draws Torch into his own doom.
That's kinda what I was going for with him. Considering he hasnt shown any kind combat prowess at all, I figured Id abandon the idea almost entirely (almost meaning I didnt give him a 7 in any physical stats, and he does have a magical dagger).
I figured his main tactics would be to try to talk you out of attacking him. If it doesnt look like it's going to work, he can weave a spell into his conversation with Spellsong (good luck making the Bluff roll to notice he's casting at the same time, lol) and either set you on fire with Blistering Investive or turn invisible, and then use his Cape of the Mounteback to get away.
The ring of fire protection is cause of the burns. I figure whatever did that to him might have caused some mental and emotional scarring as well as physical, lol.
Not really sure what to do with the hald-orcs.
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Not really sure what to do with the half-orcs.The ones you see are 6th level barbarians,
The ones you don't see are 12th level shadowdancers... ;-)
Hah- I love that. Yes, The Torch didn't get where he is today by playing fair- remember that when designing your encounter.
When I run modules with Torch, I portray him as a somewhat benevolent crime boss who I always imagined to be like "Icepick" from the Magnum PI series. I hinted in a recent module that he might be a Sorcerer or that his "curse" has given him the ability to spontaneously burst into flame (he used a flaming finger to light a Candle of Truth).
Good luck with your session- I hope the players enjoy it.
WJ
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I would have also tried to fit in Pathfinder Delver for:
Left for Dead (Su)
Once per day, a 5th-level Pathfinder Delver can cheat death. If he would be killed by a melee attack, ranged attack, or an effect that requires a saving throw, he is instead reduced to –1 hit points and knocked unconscious, but is stable. The delver appears dead (though a DC 25 Heal check or life-tracking abilities such as deathwatch reveals he is not), but becomes conscious 1 minute later unless awakened sooner.
Considering Torch's back-story involves being left for dead it seems hard not to fit in this ability.
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A bard? Really? (At least that is what I assume a "bardic archivist" is...it is getting to the point where PFRPG is feeling very late 3.5 with all the power creep and stupidity that accompanied that).
This is very much a case where a notable NPCs doesn't really fit into the mold of a combat-centric character class.
GM Torch is an influence peddler. He sits in his tub being slathered with rare salves and unguents pulling strings, weighing motives, and manipulating the powerful undercurrents of Absalom and Golarion
I would give him several levels of Expert (Influence Peddler/Fixer) and maybe some rogue levels.
He doesn't cast spells and he doesn't fight because he doesn't have to. He probably has a whack-load of protections cast on him by his pet wizard (sight unseen). And he can buy and sell pretty much anyone he comes into contact with.
When I NPC him he is Golarion's Baron Vladamir Harkkonan -- floating in a pool rather than suspended by lift belts.
His mental stats would be high but he probably has no physical stats worth mentioning. Should he ever need to "get physical" he can probably find someone to transform him enough to take care of business (he might even have this as a back-up plan).
In short, by stat'ing him out he becomes less of a figure of mystery -- which I think is sad. But I understand why you might want to do it (in a home campaign). Not sure how relevant or necessary it is in the shared PFS campaign.
CJ
WA VC
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I actually like Grandmaster Torch and it kind of sucks that you made him so weak by multiclassing him. If you really must make him into a Bard, make him a full Bard at least. I suppose that makes sense since he's an information broker.
Maybe Bard works, but I think he could also be a Rogue with maybe 1-4 levels of Shadow Dancer. I haven't seen enough information about him to get a strong idea though.
I don't think GT would fight, I think he would just want to get away from the PCs.
Btw, how are you going to write that as a story when he's the leader of the SL faction?
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I actually like Grandmaster Torch and it kind of sucks that you made him so weak by multiclassing him. If you really must make him into a Bard, make him a full Bard at least.
A bard? Really?
One of the scenarios he appears in (the first one, maybe?) specifically says he is a 6 Bard(some 3.5 archetype, I think)/5 Rogue.
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I actually like Grandmaster Torch and it kind of sucks that you made him so weak by multiclassing him. If you really must make him into a Bard, make him a full Bard at least.A bard? Really?One of the scenarios he appears in (the first one, maybe?) specifically says he is a 6 Bard(some 3.5 archetype, I think)/5 Rogue.
I also says in the field guide that he is 6 bard/ 5 rogue.
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As to carrying a dagger? why bother?
Specifically? The figure Paizo released of him has a dagger on the hip.
Aside from that, I always like for a character to have some kind of weapon on-hand even if they never plan on using it, specifically for the off-chance of the character being disarmed (whether voluntarily or not). If you are carrying a weapon that the enemy can take from you, then I think they might be less likely to assume you are able to do anything without a weapon. A completely unarmed guy who doesnt look like he could hold his own in melee and walks around with adventurers would likely be assumed to be a caster of some sort. If he is using a crossbow instead, the person doing the disarming might make the mistaken assumption that they are just an archer.
Kinda cheesy, I know, but you never know when it might come in handy.
If nothing else, Torch could use it as a letter opener. :P
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Um... Attacking a faction head would result in instant expulsion from the Society, methinks. The "cooperate" part of "explore, report, cooperate" seems to suggest it's a bad idea, but the only time it's happened before, the guilty party was not only exiled, but is still being actively hunted by the faction who lost its head.
If they want to try it,I would remind them of this, and then give them the choice again. They would have, at most, one round before Torch teleports away. If they kill him, I'd have to say those characters are now evil and therefore dead to the campaign, though.
Not a good idea overall.
Hwever, I am going to use Torch in a home campaign as well, and I expect this is exactly the sort of thing my players will try then.
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I also says in the field guide that he is 6 bard/ 5 rogue.Fair enough, however if you're doing some homebrew thing of your own, specifically killing a faction leader, you can pretty much make up any stats you want. If I were doing it, I wouldn't feel limited by that.
This isnt for homebrew. This is for reportable-for-realz-PFS-Play, cause at least one player told me (and Im paraphrasing here), that he wants to Intimidate Torch and then beat the crap out of him.
So when we play The Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch this coming Saturday (which I think is the scenario he is featured in which gives the most provocation for such a response), if he wants to try it, I'm more than welcome to allow him the chance, lol.
No, I have no intention of killing him (for real, anyway) with the body guards, but if they want to fight it out, that's fine with me, lol. I'd probably revert everyone back to their beginning states (charges, spells, hp, etc) and just say that Torch was displaying how the fight would run down in their minds, so they shouldnt even bother trying it for real. :P
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Not really sure what to do with the half-orcs.The ones you see are 6th level barbarians,
The ones you don't see are 12th level shadowdancers... ;-)
Alright, here are the half orc bodyguards. Barbarian by suggestion, wielding kukri's and 'heavily armored' (though I went with medium, so as to not have to take the feat or the archetype to get HAP) thanks to text from The Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch:
Half-Orc Invulnerable Rager Barbarian 6
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
Defense
AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +7 Chain)
hp 71 (6d12 + 18 Con + 6FC)
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +3
DR 3/-
Resist Fire 1
Offense Speed 30ft. (40ft. base)
Melee +1 kukri +11/+11/+6 (d4+5/18-20)
Statistics Str 20, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 7
Base Atk +6/+1; CMB +12/+7; CMD 24
Feats Double Slice, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (kukri)
Skills Acrobatics +5, Intimidate +8, Perception +7
SQ Darkvision 60ft., Intimidating, Orc Blood, Orc Ferocity, Weapon Familiarity, Fast Movement, Rage, Rage Powers (Clear Mind, Powerful Blow, Surprise Accuracy), Invulnerability, Extreme Endurance
Traits Brute, Reactionary
Languages Common, Orc
Treasure 2x +1 Kukri, +1 Chain Mail, Belt of Mighty Constitution +2, 584gp
Raging
Defense AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +7 Chain, -2 rage)
hp 83 (6d12 + 30 Con + 6 FC)
Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +5
Offense Speed 30 ft. (40ft. base)
Melee +1 kukri +13/+13/+8 (d4+7/18-20)
Special Rage 17 rounds/day; Rage Powers – Powerful Blow (+2), Surprise Accuracy (+2)
Statistics Str 24, Dex 15, Con 20, Int 7, Wis 13, Cha 7
Base Atk +6; CMB +14/+9; CMD 26
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Also, here is the shadowdancer, cause I had been considering something similar before it was suggested, lol. I dont think Torch is the kind to have just a pair of bodyguards.
Human Rogue 5/ Shadowdancer 7
N Medium humanoid (human)
Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15
Defense AC 28, touch 19, flat-footed 21 (+6 Dex, +7 Chain, +1 Dodge, +2 Natural, +2 Ring)
hp 104 (12d8+24 Con + 5FC + 12 Toughness)
Fort +7, Ref +16, Will +6
Offense Speed 30ft., Climb 20ft. (as Spider Climb)
Melee +2keen scimitar +17/+12 (d6+8/15-20)
Special Sneak attack +3d6, Bleeding Attack
Spell-like Abilies (CL 7th)
(2/day) – shadow conjuration (DC 17)
(3/day) – silent image (DC 14)
(at-will) – dimension door (80ft), invisibility
Statistics Str 14, Dex 22, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +8/+3; CMB +10/+5; CMD 26
Feats Combat Reflexes, Dervish Dance, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Martial Weapon Proficiency (scimitar), Mobility, Toughness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (scimitar)
Skills Acrobatics +21, Bluff +18, Disable Device +21, Escape Artist +21, Knowledge (Dungeoneering +8, Local +8), Linguistics +9, Perception +15, Perform (Dance) +8, Sleight of Hand +22, Stealth +21
SQ Sneak attack +3d6, Trapfinding, Evasion, Rogue Talents (Bleeding Attack, Defensive Roll, Finesse Rogue, Offensive Defense, Slippery Mind, Weapon Training(Scimitar)), Trap sense +1, Uncanny Dodge, Hide in plain sight, Darkvision, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow, Shadow Call, Shadow Jump 80ft.
Traits Child of the Streets, Reactionary
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Kellish, Orc
Treasure +2keen scimitar, +3 mithral shirt, amulet of natural armor +2, belt of physical perfection +2, cloak of resistance +3, handy haversack, headband of alluring charisma +2, ring of Invisibility, ring of protection +2, slippers of Spider Climb, mwk composite (+1 Str) longbow, 20 arrows, 10 daggers, 3265gp
Shadow Companion
N Medium undead (incorporeal)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8
Defense
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+2 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 52
Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +5
Defensive Abilities incorporeal, channel resistance +4
Immune undead traits; cannot be turned or commanded
Offense
Speed fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee incorporeal touch +10/+5 (1d6 Strength damage)
Statistics
Str —, Dex 14, Con —, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 15
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 23
Feats Dodge, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Fly +11, Perception +8, Stealth +8 (+12 in dim light, +4 in bright light); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth in dim light (–4 in bright light)
Special Abilities
Strength Damage (Su) A shadow's touch deals 1d6 points of Strength damage to a living creature. This is a negative energy effect. A creature dies if this Strength damage equals or exceeds its actual Strength score.
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This is a lot of work to appease your players when you could just let them kill him only to find that he is a doppleganger posing as Grandmaster Torch or a disguised henchman filling in.
I like your build though!
Of course, you could just "borrow" inspiration from the scenario where the goal of the NPCs is to kill Grandmaster Torch (2-26: The Mantis' Prey, IIRC)
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Venture-Captain, Missouri—Cape Girardeau
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Might be the scenario to run for them in the future, Seth! I remember a group of my players wanted to burn down the Blakros Museum after playing through The Penumbral Accords. I reminded them that the building is made out of stone; the Alchemist said, "Even stone can burn if you try hard enough!"