RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
|
More specifically, for skills, I think I'll be aiming for a +4 Intelligence modifier at first level, which comes out to 7 ranks as a human wizard:
Spellcraft
Knowledge: arcana, history, local, nobility, planes
For my last skill rank, I could cover knowledge (religion). Maybe just leave some of those other histories with 1 rank. But linguistics might be an important skill in Cheliax. Other social skills might be nice, but I can't really afford them. Maybe that's part of the reason why her noble house has fallen. :P
More specifically, for skills, I think I'll be aiming for a +4 Intelligence modifier at first level, which comes out to 7 ranks as a human wizard:
Spellcraft
Knowledge: arcana, history, local, nobility, planesFor my last skill rank, I could cover knowledge (religion). Maybe just leave some of those other histories with 1 rank. But linguistics might be an important skill in Cheliax. Other social skills might be nice, but I can't really afford them. Maybe that's part of the reason why her noble house has fallen. :P
Like a good little paladin, I'll cover diplomacy. :)
It just occurred to me that it would be a shame not to pick up Perception, with my good Wisdom score. MechaPoet will probably not have the skill points for it, and Fabian might not have a stellar Wisdom score. To put it all on the shoulders of the rogue doesn't seem wise. Besides, I'd make a terrible cleric of Shelyn if I didn't have eyes and ears for all the beauty in the world. :P
That would settle some things for me. I would pick the Conspiracy Hunter trait for Perception, and Silver-tongued for Bluff. Keeping those two skills maxed, I could also add knowledge Religion as maxed skill, if necessary. That leaves me with one or two floating skill points per level, for dabbling in Heal, Diplomacy, other knowledges, Sense Motive, Perform and Spellcraft.
Also, here’s the first two diary excerpts to form the basis for my background.
Desnus 14th, 4795 AR
Today was my birthday, and it was marvelous! Mama had made the cake herself, with six candles of course. Papa gave me a recorder flute as a present. He could see that I was disappointed. I don't want a stupid flute, I want to play the violin, just like mama! He gave me a lecture as well, that I shouldn't try playing the Symphony of Stars immediately, and that you don't fall into a play during act three. He means well, but the flute is just so boring. Ugh! Kental made up for it, though. He had bought me fireworks, which we lit after dark. They were just beautiful. What's funny, is that this is my first birthday where I'm bigger than he is, and he says he's pretty tall for a halfling. That must mean I'm almost a grown-up. Maybe I should apologize to papa…
Arodus 23rd, 4796 AR
Papa and mama are at the Opera today. They're playing in the premier of The Archduke’s plume. I tried to sneak out after dinner. Surely they'd let me in if I told them that my papa plays the lead role? I just wanted to see him and wish him luck. Kental caught me, though. I'm not sure how he does it, but he was suddenly behind me when I tried to open the front door. He's usually funny to be around, not like he's just the our family’s butler. Like a weird uncle, or something… But I think papa told him to look out for me especially, to keep me out of trouble. He sure wasn't funny tonight, when he caught me. He got all serious, and told me it's really not safe outside. Monsters and shadows and ghosts, and all that. He made it sound real scary, like he wouldn't even want to go outside himself. I thought they said those things just to keep me out of trouble, but he looked like he meant it.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Giuseppe: are we doing 20-point buy? Anything else for character creation from a crunch POV?
I think I have some time this weekend and I'd like to get this PC well on its way to being finished.
Game on!
Catina’s diary
Good stuff!
I've settled on a name: Lorenzo Mancini.
Here's a brief scene from his recent past.
Day 13, Month of Arodus (August), Year 4708
Vaeno Dioso, Westcrown, Cheliax
The sledgehammer went up and came down. SLAM! Stone chips flew everywhere.
Lorenzo wiped sweat from his brow and hefted his sledgehammer again. He was smiling. This was good honest work. Although he sometimes lacked the patience for fine stonework, none could say he did not put his back into this type of work.
And it was the destructive part of his craft that he really enjoyed. So his dwarven boss, Master Stonemason Oleg, always allowed him that satisfaction. Most stone repair work usually started with some sort of minor demolition and Lorenzo relished that part. SLAM!
After a few hours of breaking things, it was time to build them back up. Master Oleg called Lorenzo over and started chipping away at large stone blocks to make them fit the archway they had just demolished. It was slow and tedious work and the dwarf knew that Lorenzo had much to learn in that aspect of the craft.
Lorenzo’s hands were not ideal for hefting a small hammer and stencils. His calloused hands felt more comfortable around the pommel of a longsword or around the shaft of a heavy hammer. Still, this was good honest work and he needed to the money to feed his two younger sisters now that his mother passed away. And Oleg wasn’t bad at all, even if the old dwarf sometimes went on with crazy stories of the past. Of Westcrown’s glory days.
The dwarf just finished showing him how to polish a stone to a smooth surface, ”You know son. This could have been all yours?”
Lorenzo scoffed, ”What? The cobblestones? You didn’t get paid by the master of the house again. Master Oleg, you know I need to buy food for me and my sisters. I can’t make soup from the stones.”
”Be quiet, silly boy. You’ll get paid this week, like always even if I don’t.” He pointed to the manor house just beyond the archway. ”I mean all of this. This vaneo used to belong to the Lord Mancini, your grandpa.”
Lorenzo blew on a stone to remove the dust and examine his work product, ”No disrespect sir, but I think one of my chips hit your head or something. I knew my grandfather and he was a penniless beggar. He was a drunk who couldn’t even hold down a decent job down.”
”Be quiet, silly boy. OK so maybe he was your great grandpa or your great-great grandpa. I don’t know. But this should be yours by right.”
It had been a hot day and Lorenzo’s fuse was short, ”Listen Master Oleg. I’m getting tired of your fanciful tales and stories about what it was like in the old days. I am Lorenzo Mancini, a stonemason, a good stonemason that’s trying to become better so I can provide well for my sisters and future family. Don’t you think if this were mine, I would know about it? You know there are deeds and books that keep track of who owns things, especially things like a vaneo.”
The master stonemason smiled, his teeth barely visible through his heavy beard, ”You’re reading the wrong books.” He looked about and whispered, ”Listen son. I am old and have lived here for almost two hundred years, ever since I came from the Five Mountains with my father. I know what it was like and I also know about the thrice dammed house.” The dwarf spat on the floor to ward off evil spirits or bad omens. ”Their scribes write new history every day.”
Lorenzo was intrigued, ”New history? How can there be new history? You don’t make sense.”
”And you’re just a silly boy. Now get back to polishing your stones. Bring those blocks from over there here. My legs and back ain’t what they used to be.”
As the boy left, the dwarf whispered after him, ”Silly boy or Lord Mancini…”
Looks good, Fabian. Nice and down-to-earth for a paladin. :)
You mentioned earlier that maybe you would have done work at the orphanage, and they could have been how we met. That seemed a bit 'forced' to me. How about you had a job rebuilding part of the opera house? Catina has plenty of reason to be loitering about there. :)
Giuseppe: I know you list it in the Character Creation Document but is the Westcrown Gazeeter, found in the Book 1 of the AP, character knowledge or player knowledge?
Do our PCs know that info or is that player knowledge to come up with a better background?
The Gazeeter is intended for GM use, but you can read it and exploit it in order to acquire a better knowledge of the campaign setting. There are some info, in it, that your character would know personally (ie, noble families' names) and others that your character probably does not know and you must consider as player only information. Of course, the discerning criterion is left up to you, but I'm sure you'll use this source wisely.
For the nobility, I see from the readings that there are several old noble houses in Westcrown. Are any of these appropriate to choose from for my background? Or should I invent my own family name for a fallen noble house?
There are some good choices among the noble families introduced in our sources. If I understood your character idea correctly, it must be an old noble family which has lost much of his influence, power and wealth after Thrune rose to power. As a result, many of the families presented in our sources are not suited for your needs, but I believe that families Xerysis, Chillarth, Rustachas, Mironeth, Ici, Jhaltero, Ucarlaar, Chard, Nolmon, Atenaar, Vitaron and Missepe might be a good pick. In particular, I would suggest to choose from the following shortened list based on what families will feature preminently in the AP and would enable me to involve your character in the story:
- Xerysis (Drovenges' beholden family)
- Chillarth (Salisfers' beholden family)
- Atenaar (Rosalas's beholden family)
Giuseppe: are we doing 20-point buy? Anything else for character creation from a crunch POV?
I think I have some time this weekend and I'd like to get this PC well on its way to being finished.
Game on!
15 points for this one. I want to keep encounters fair and interesting without having to occasionally power up your enemies. Furthermore, I would like to see how you deal with a lower stats array: I hope it will boost our roleplay experience. Encounters are pretty easy in CoT anyway, so do not be afraid :)
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
|
15 points for this one. I want to keep encounters fair and interesting without having to occasionally power up your enemies. Furthermore, I would like to see how you deal with a lower stats array: I hope it will boost our roleplay experience. Encounters are pretty easy in CoT anyway, so do not be afraid :)Giuseppe: are we doing 20-point buy? Anything else for character creation from a crunch POV?
I think I have some time this weekend and I'd like to get this PC well on its way to being finished.
Game on!
In our other game you disallowed dropping ability scores below 8 at character creation. Do you plan to do that here as well?
In our other game you disallowed dropping ability scores below 8 at character creation. Do you plan to do that here as well?
I always find that most players don't roleplay diminished 'social stats' (INT, WIS, and CHA) properly. Someone with subpar social abilities in those areas may not really be 'hero material' anyways and, if played properly, could be a hindrance to the group.
Or you could just take it to pump up another stat with mechanical effects for your particular class and forget about it. :)
Gisueppe's game...
What's a good trait for human paladin?
Is there something that could provide a bonus to a profession skill?
In our other game you disallowed dropping ability scores below 8 at character creation. Do you plan to do that here as well?15 points for this one. I want to keep encounters fair and interesting without having to occasionally power up your enemies. Furthermore, I would like to see how you deal with a lower stats array: I hope it will boost our roleplay experience. Encounters are pretty easy in CoT anyway, so do not be afraid :)Giuseppe: are we doing 20-point buy? Anything else for character creation from a crunch POV?
I think I have some time this weekend and I'd like to get this PC well on its way to being finished.
Game on!
Case by case basis. If you want to dump your Strenght, I might allow it.
Another two pieces of the puzzle, for my character. First, I've updated the profile with a preliminary stat block. Second, I read a post yesterday, about how the Golarion gods were designed to be flawed, even the good ones. This got me thinking about Catina's perception and experience of Shelyn's teachings, which would logically also be a bit different from the canon that we players read in the campaign setting. I've written something about that, below.
Feedback on the stat block and/or the character so far would be appreciated. :)
Personality, interpretation of Shelyn's faith, and use of magic
Since coming to grips with her "Week from Hell" (as she's come to call it in her mind), Catina has had a liberal relationship with the truth. Her fabrications are sometimes a defense against that which is too painful, occasionaly a way to avoid real harm or get something she wants, and mostly white lies just to feel a bit better about herself
.
Since her mentor has not called her out on this dishonesty, Catina has gotten the impression that Shelyn is something of a trickster goddess, condoning such behaviour if not actively encouraging it. Her first experiences with Shelyn's magic have strengthened her thinking in that regard: She found quite early in her training that she could enchant others to actually like her. This has led her to believe that Shelyn's magic works by deveiving the targets of her spells. Hopefully, she'll eventually realize that the magic does no such thing. It only prompts the target to recognize the caster's true beauty, and coaxes out the kind of love which comes from that awareness.
This isn't the only useful application of Shelyn's magic that she's found, of course. With a touch she can distract a person , which has proven quite helpful on several occasions. If she would have experience the effect herself, she would have found that the distraction is really a momentary revelation of the target's surroundings, leaving them in rapture of life's qualities.
Something she is struggling with, is a recent assignment from her mentor. She has been tasked with seeking bits of beauty in others and giving them sincere compliments. Naturally distrusting of others and shunned by a large part of society, Catina has found this quite hard. She has held to the notion that Shelyn could see the redeeming qualities even in her brother, despite his horific acts.
She knows on an intellectual level that there must be truth in that, but she hasn't accepted what that means for her and for the people she's surrounded by. She has made a cautious but sincere effort to find beauty in others and compliment them on it. When she does, she's mostly met by derision. However, she has found on occasion that her words actually produced a smile and seemed to boost her target's confidence .
Another two pieces of the puzzle, for my character. First, I've updated the profile with a preliminary stat block. Second, I read a post yesterday, about how the Golarion gods were designed to be flawed, even the good ones. This got me thinking about Catina's perception and experience of Shelyn's teachings, which would logically also be a bit different from the canon that we players read in the campaign setting. I've written something about that, below.
Feedback on the stat block and/or the character so far would be appreciated. :)
I like your reskinning and take on Shelyn's faith. That's what roleplaying is all about; keep the crunch and adapt the fluff to a character concept.
Stats look good, solid tank and damage dealer.
BTW: Apart from tie-ins to other PCs and some other minor stuff, I've pretty much finished Lorenzo (alias) so feedback is welcome.
If the game doesn't start soon, I'll probably a scene or two just to keep the PC fresh in my mind.
Game on!
|
Here's the alias for my conjurer!
(Maybe I should throw a 'Lady' on the front of her name to sound more noble.)
I did end up deciding to dump Strength with the following stat line:
STR: 7 DEX: 12 CON: 14 INT: 17 WIS: 10 CHA: 14
The alias has the base, there are still a number of details to work out. But I figured I may as well give you all a face and name for (Lady?) Faustinia Xerysis!
Love your choice of avatar, mechaPoet. Stern, sophisticated, not unkind. Lovely. :)
Fabian, I think your paladin is coming together quite nicely. He has a really 'grounded' quality, which I think makes him quite likeable. If you're up for it, we could describe his meeting with Catina together, once I have here fully fleshed out. We could each move the encounter forward a bit at a time, me by writing Catina's diary. Just like a movie, where you get shown a meeting from two perspectives, one interlaced with the other.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Fabian, I think your paladin is coming together quite nicely. He has a really 'grounded' quality, which I think makes him quite likeable. If you're up for it, we could describe his meeting with Catina together, once I have here fully fleshed out. We could each move the encounter forward a bit at a time, me by writing Catina's diary. Just like a movie, where you get shown a meeting from two perspectives, one interlaced with the other.
Sure that would be fine. I think the meeting between the PC is definitely something I can work on.
I'm assuming you'll be starting this. Do we do it on this board or via PM?
Game on!
I think we can do it here, if the others don't mind. I don't think it'll have to be overly long; by looking at the encounter in flashback we don't have to write out every sentence said. Indeed, I'll start. Just need to get some stuff out of the way first, to finish the character:
The things I've been mulling over the last few days is appearance. I'd like her heritage to have been unknown at birth, so nothing too blatant. On the other hand, it has to stand out. If I could just pretend to be human, that defeats the whole point of having a tiefling in the party. Some things I've been considering:
- Smallish horns, as per the avatar. She had severe headaches leading up to her ninth birthday, when the horns broke through.
- Really long fingers. They just kept growing. Would also explain why she's never be a good violin player.
- Ashen gray skin, maybe with blisters and scars in the form of Abyssal script.
I'd add more if necessary, but I'm not sure it would add anything. Thoughts?
Ok, so starting from today I'm going to begin review your characters. I'm going to start with Catina. More to come soon.
So, Iff, Catina is coming together as a great character in my opinion. I appreciate the idea of having a halfling in your background, and love the way you justified your special abilities, particularly those domain powers. I'm completely fine with your reskinning of the luck domain, of course.
To be sincere, I personally like the avatar.
One question: where did Catina takes her DR 2/silver from?
As far as traits goes, I believe you've made an excellent choice. Bluff and Perception are two skills the party will have good use for.
There's another thing I didn't understand about your character: why does she speaks Abyssal? And why you mention scars in the form of Abyssal script? I believe that, since you have the Devil-Spawn alternative Heritage, Infernal would be more appropriate. Besides, Infernal will prove much more valuable during the course of the campaign if compared with Abyssal. So I strongly recommend you to switch Abyssal to Infernal.
As for the rest, I'm very pleased of how your character is taking shape, so keep up the good work!
Thanks for the review, Giuseppe. Nice to know we're on the right track. To answer your questions:
- I got the DR 2/Silver ability from the Variant tiefling abilities table, as a consequence of taking the Fiendish Heritage feat. I rolled them earlier in the thread, when it became 100% sure that I would go with Devil-spawn tiefling. (Link). Was that OK?
- You're absolutely sure about Infernal instead of Abyssal as language, and script from the scars. Infernal was definately the intention, and I'll change the sheet to reflect that. I get those two languages and concepts mixed up many times. Somehow, I tend to lump all evil things together and associate it with the Abyss. Pretty embarrassing, for an AP taking place in Cheliax. :*)
Kind of quiet here...
Everyone still on board?
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
|
I'm still on, but my computer's having some trouble lately. I can post pretty easily from my phone, but I saved the character sheet I was working on to my laptop, which I can't get to charge properly. Looking into alternatives for now, but mostly my precise character background is a work in progress. Just got to get it written down. c:
Yep. Just very busy with work and study, I hope I'll be able to answer a few still unanswered questions in the weekend!
Ok, good to hear.
Just checking. :)
Game on!
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
|
Oh, I have a question. I'm not sure if I'll use my starting gold on this yet, but can I use my Scribe Scroll feat to produce some scrolls before the adventure starts?
Additionally, how much good do we start with? I'm been assuming the average class starting gold (so 70 for a wizard).
Oh, I have a question. I'm not sure if I'll use my starting gold on this yet, but can I use my Scribe Scroll feat to produce some scrolls before the adventure starts?
Additionally, how much good do we start with? I'm been assuming the average class starting gold (so 70 for a wizard).
Since this is an AP, and we're in for the long run, I have no problems in allowing you to scribe some scrolls before the adventure starts. In other terms, you can purchase any scroll of spell your characters knows (and are in her spellbook) at their crafting cost (so half the normal price).
And yes, you're going to start with the average starting treasure for your class (70 gp in your case). Remember that you don't need to pay for your spellbook, which you acquire for free at character creation. Also, remember that every character begins the game with a dress worth 10 gp or less, and doesn't need to pay for it. I usually like my players to purchase some clothes during the course of an AP to mirror their progresses and for realism's sake, but keep in mind that even armored characters needs to wear a dress underneath their armors.
As a general rule, I'm going to allow each character who has Item Creation feats and skills that allow to create items (such as Craft) to craft some items before the campaign actually starts, paying only for their crafting cost.
If a skill check is required, we will assume that your character took 10 on his check. So this means that your characters can craft only items whose associated skill check's DC is equal to or less than 10 + their associated skill modifier.
I'm still here. With writing the background, I've come at the pivotal point of Catina's history. I've been trying to get into a good mindset to write that, and need to finish a solid block of time to do so. Should have something up later this weekend, along with the start of her meeting with Lorenzo.
So part of the background I'm working on involves being a runaway from a particularly cold and harsh Noble family.
I'm still working through the readings but if you have any suggestions GM guiseppe I'd appreciate it.
I want to risk here a little, and suggest you to go with the Drovenge family, which is going to play a huge role in the campaign. I suggest we discuss it in private, though, so I can give you some spoiler-free information about the family and what you know about it. For now, you can assume that the Drovenge are the cold and harsh noble family your character worked for. I would suggest that your PC was a home servant or something along that line.
Coming to more general suggestions, I would like you to create a connection with Jemet Winterbole, a NPC featured in Cheliax, Empire of Devils. If you do own that handbook, you're encouraged to read his entry (it is on page 29); otherwise, just let me know and I will provide you with all the information you need about him.
Connection with Jemet: Jemet has spent his entire life as a slave—at least on paper. He lives with his master, the aged patriarch of Salisfer family, living in a manor east of Westcrown. His quick wits and the senility of his master allow him to sneak away, sometimes for
a week at a time, during which time he does his best to impede the workings of the empire, usually in small and whimsical ways.
You could have met him while he was buying food for his master at The Floating Market , just like you (this is a very common task for house servants in Westcrown, provided they have completed their cleaning duties).
Jemet could be a suitable mentor for your PC, and you can even go on and expand your relationship with him by assuming that during the days in which he sneaks away from his master's manor, Jemet has taught you the tricks of the trade...of a rogue.
Later in the campaign, Jemet could prove an interesting hook and a connection to the Bellflower Tiller faction, as well as an useful ally.
___________________________
The Floating Market: Also known as Miratanza, “The Floating Market” allows islandbound servants to shop for food and goods for their noble masters. Anchored in place, the numerous platforms allow vendors to rent spaces or simply sell directly from their own craft. The condottari keep all transactions and business within the Miratanza, taking a commission on all goods sold inside the four red-and-black marble arches that vault over the canals leading to it.
Other suggestions for Xynen.
Actors' Family - Even though Catina also has created a tie to the performers of Westcrown, I still believe that having actors as parents and family members would be a great RP hook for you character, one that could allow him to feel involved in the campaign as it progresses and perhaps also aid you in establishing an early commong ground with Catina herself. As a consequence, I would suggest to put at least 1 rank in Perform (act).
Interest in history - As suggested in the Character Creation Document, I would suggest you to make your character interested in Westcrown story. This will allow him to be involved in the campaign's event, but also create an early commong ground with Faustinia, since that would be a shared interest. Perhaps your character is not interested in history in itself, but in a particular aspect of Westcrown's story, such as history of dramas, history of halflings and so on.
Faith - I don't know enough about your character, but from what I can see judging only on the basis of your class and race, I think that Desna would be a suitable deity for your halfling.
Ties with the Society - I can see your character becoming more and more interested in joining the Pathfinder Society as the adventure progresses. I'd suggest, however, just not to create a direct tie with the Society from the start, since you're going to meet an important Society's contact later in the adventure. If you want to justify your future interest, my suggestion is to have your character interested in the history of Delvehaven. One of the only lodges of the Pathfinder Society to remain openly active in Cheliax after the ascension of House Thrune, this walled vira was abandoned under mysterious circumstances in 4676 AR. Its gates permanently barred and chained by the dottari, the manor molders under a pall of mystery and rumor. None can say what brought such a curse down upon the lodge, what happened to the Pathfinders who once maintained the house or to the exotic treasures that once lay within, but few believe Delvehaven’s fall and the rise of the shadowy beasts that nightly stalk the streets are unconnected.
|
|
Most of the suggestions on that first post actually fit in extremely well with the background I was already making so that's perfect. If you could PM me some of the family information if appreciate it.
I was planning on having him be a runaway slave, would it be more beneficial to start the AP still a slave?
I've gotten round to writing the summary of Catina's background, along with a description of her appearance and personality. It's in the character profile, and below, spoilered for length.
Background
Catina Bon Durati had little to complain about when she was young. With a famous Wiscrani actor as a father and a gifted violinist as a mother, the girl spent her early years listening to them both rehearse, safe from the dangerous times in the outside world. She liked to sing along with them, and her parents encouraged her, claiming a bright future in the operas. This all changed during one horrible week, when she was anticipating her ninth birthday. First came the headaches and the itches on her skin. Then one night came the fire, which not only torched her family’s house, but also revealed Catina’s fiendish heritage in a way that could not be ignored. The headaches had been a sign of horn breaking through the skin on her forehead, and her itching skin had reacted to the fire by showing signs and runes in the languages of devils.
That same night, upon seeing the girl, her father sent Catina away to an aunt, without explanation. A few days later, her parents vanished without a trace. To make matters worse, her aunt left her in an orphanage two days later, claiming to have urgent business in Egorian. Confused and lonely, left in a harsh environment, the young girl became convinced that her family abandoned her because of her stained ancestry, that they couldn't face the fact of what she had always been.
The girl grew up having to fend for herself, growing up lonely and bitter. She tortured herself occasionally by playing the violin, a battered old thing that she had taken out of the trash somewhere. She couldn’t actually play well with her overly long fingers, and it hurt to confront herself with that fact every time, but she still found some solace in playing for herself, remembering the better times. About a year ago, while playing the violin, she was noticed by a kind priest of Shelyn. He took her under his wing and introduced her to the temple and to Shelyn's teachings of beauty and love. The young woman was reluctant and skeptical of this attention, but found comfort in the warmth of the temple attendants. She's just started on the path to healing, to building confidence in herself and in reconciling with her past.
Appearance
Catina’s status as a tiefling is unmistakable. Two straight horns stick out from her forehead among the straight auburn hair, jutting straight out at around three inches each. Her face, round in shape is marred by two scars along her cheeks. The scars also show on the rest of her body, obscene writing in Infernal that she is thankfully able to cover up with long-sleeved clothing.. The final marker of Catina’s infernal descent are her fingers, which extend for about an inch beyond what is normal.
The Shelynite girl isn’t tall, reaching only up to 5’ 2”. Her burly physique, the result of a youth spent doing hard work, enhances the impression that she’s short. When working, she’s dressed on drab and practical clothing. For those precious hours when she’s free to roam the city, she has clothing of better quality: a dress of green wool with matching slippers. The dress comes with a shrug in blue to hide her arms, and a cloak in a darker shade of green, with a large hood for when she doesn’t want to be noticed. Unfortunately, that means she wears the hood up most of the time.
For services at the temples, Catina has been gifted a white acolyte’s robe, along with a multicolored sash to fasten it. Because the robe is sleeveless, she dislikes wearing it.
Personality
Catina’s personality is very much in flux. She was a bit of a dreamer when she was little, living comfortable detached from the ugly world around her, in a happy family with her parents and their halfling butler. The next nine years had been quite different, a rude awakening, that has taught Catina to have low self-esteem, be distrustful of others, and not to expect any good things from life. The second big chance came a year ago, when she was introduced to the faith of Shelyn. She isn’t convinced yet that such a life, with its blessing, can be real for her, but at least it’s rekindled her hope that she might be accepted by others one day. She isn’t exactly eager, trying new things only after some consideration before eventually diving in headfirst, the only way she’s learned to overcome her reserves.
Throughout the years, she has never lost an innate gentleness, a willingness to solve things peacefully, or walk the other way if necessary. Along with that, she is easily swayed, although that is also a function of her low self-esteem and might change if she manages to better accept herself.
Also, I've written the beginning for her meeting with Lorenzo. As described earlier, Fabian, I hope you could write your point of view on the events I've described so far. Then take the action a bit further, so that I can fill in Catina's point of view for the events you've described. And so forth.
Catina's diary, sometime in 4809 AR
I was up at the opera again this morning. The renovation of the north wing is coming along pretty well. It seems the mayor is really spending a lot of money at it. The guy with the white shirt was there again, as well. He was quite handsome, but I wrote that last time as well. I’m sure Shelyn doesn’t mind me noticing, even though it’s pretty shallow. I think he saw me staring as well, even though I had tucked myself away in a corner of the plaza. I was going to run away when he looked at me, but at that time one of his tools broke. He was working on some column with intricate carvings. There was really nothing I could do except to go to him and ask him if I could repair his chisel. What kind of Shelynite would I be if I walked away when someone was in trouble creating a thing of beauty, when She’s given me the magic to fix that? I didn’t want to be yelled at, though... I’m not even sure what I said anymore. Probably I blurted out why I walked up to him without even introducing myself, like some stupid goat.
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
|
It got a bit long, but hopefully that's a good thing. I didn't want to gloss over too much of a 50 year old life, but I think it's come together well. I can post some diary entries later as well for the characters Faustinia would have met. I know she helped Lorenzo with some family history research, but I don't remember if I ever worked out anything specific with the others.
Anyway, Faustinia!
Lady Faustinia Xerysis was born shortly after the end of the civil war, a conflict that her family survived with their lives and noble status intact - but without much else. The once prestigious House Xerysis enjoyed little of the wealth, status, and power that defined their legacy before the war and before the Thrune ascendancy. A mere shadow of its former glory, House Xerysis struggled to maintain their traditions, beholden to the still impressive House Drovenge like a pack of purebred dogs clamoring for table scraps.
Despite her family's hardships, Faustinia grew into a sharp young dilettante with an interest in history and local gossip. She managed to stay clear of the Order of the Rack, never delving too deep into forbidden or likely to be redacted materials, and her knowledge of local politics and goings on surpassed even her natural charm. Knowledge alone didn't prove enough to stop the continual decay of the Xerysis estate, though. Their once great manor home in the Crown Sector of the Parego Regicona, sharing the island of Impriax with the Drovenge family, fell into disrepair as her family lost most of their servants when they simply couldn't afford to keep them anymore. With the Xerysis family whittled down to Faustinia, her parents, a few tenuously connected cousins, and a tiny staff of human servants and enslaved halflings, it seemed inevitable that their legacy would dwindle to nothing.
Faustinia looked for power where she could find it. She researched tomes of noble bloodlines for connections to other families who might have retained their wealth and glory after Thrune seized the Crown. She put her keen mind to the household’s economy, helping to keep it financially afloat despite her family's expensive tastes. She even briefly considered joining the church of Asmodeus. An answer came in an unexpected form: Florio Lepidus. A young man from an old Taldan merchant family, Florio met Faustinia at a gala and pestered her with romantic advances. Faustinia dismissed him at first, scoffing at his new money and attempts to rise socially by virtue of his wealth instead of his blood. He was charming and quick-witted enough to keep up with Faustinia, though, and she begrudgingly called this would be noble a friend. When he proposed to her, she weighed the options: stoop to marry one beneath her, or let her family's legacy die penniless in a deteriorating estate. She swallowed her pride and did what she had to: she married him.
So Florio joined his money to Faustinia’s noble name, and the Xerysis family looked poised to rise again. It would never be the same, having gone so low as to join with a mere merchant family for survival, but they would survive, even improve - for a time. Things changed when the shadows fell on Westcrown. People started to disappear, and the streets weren't safe at night. Faustinia was pregnant for the first and only time, and she feared bringing up a child in such dangerous times. When the child came, she knew something was wrong before she saw it. A little girl, but with solid black eyes, a long barb-tipped tail, and cloven hooves with black fur for feet. The first tiefling born to the Xerysis family, as far as Faustinia knew. In her fear and shame, she sobbed and shouted, refused to touch the infant, and insisted it be removed from her sight. Florio paid the midwives to keep this mistake secret, took the baby into the night, and never returned. With Florio and the new child gone without a trace, Faustinia fell apart - and so did the estate. Her aging parents were no help, and cousins and servants alike fled the broken house.
Faustinia grieved for years. The time came, however, when she had to force herself to get back to a semblance of her old self. At least enough to stop her house from crumbling to nothing. She hardened her heart, retreated into her books, and managed the nearly empty estate so that the Xerysis family name would live on. Over the years, her father Auloxus died and her mother Sabina lost touch with much of the outside world, left to the care of her daughter and an old halfling servant named Orra. The family survived, but with no heir save the aging Faustinia and no particular influence or importance. Though Faustinia was well into her middle age, she still hungered for her family's past greatness.
She had never existed in a Cheliax not ruled by Thrune. Her family was prominent before, but lagged and floundered after the war. If Faustinia were going to make a grab for power, she would snatch it from the pits of Hell if she had to - and she had to. She saved money so that she could hire tutors from Egorian, collected books on magic and fiends, and began the path toward wizardry even at her advanced age. Her tutors were skeptical about teaching someone already in her forties, but she proved a capable student with an adaptable mind. Just recently having turned fifty, Faustinia is confident in her abilities, and already quite capable of calling on fiends to do her bidding. Mostly she has tested out her newfound power in maintaining her estate, but she plans to make a return to the upper eschelons of power in Westcrown. She just needs an opportunity, and she knows she'll find one if she seeks it out; soon Xerysis will rise again.
Faustinia has always been bookish, with a love of history and a knack for quick study. However, she can easily converse with scholar and noble alike, having a comfortable ease in nearly all social situations. She never says more than she means to, however, and carefully constructs a witty but controlled persona. The overall effect when speaking to her is that she conveys an air of guarded confidence, even superiority, that she is pleasant but untouchable. Older folks who knew her when she was young say that she was always sharp minded and amiable in public, but her guarded and aloof tendencies followed her Unpleasantness in the ‘70s.
Those who are closer to Faustinia know there is an ambitious hunger in her. She respects her family's history, Cheliax’s history, and the propriety of the time, but something burns in her eyes that shows that she'll do what it takes to get what she wants. Of course, this group of people includes mostly family that have died or gone missing, but she has a few friends - or at least temporary allies - who she opens up to. Her most recent studies into magic have opened her eyes to the power that Thrune wields. Of course diabolism had always had its place as long as Faustinia had been alive. But she now understands the feeling of control, the rush of power at commanding Hell's own minions to do her bidding. She has just started - imagine what she could do with real mastery.
Aside from that, Faustinia’s joys are traditionally Chelish. She loves to learn about Chelish history and gossip (and what's the difference between the two except time?), walking the city to admire the historic architecture, lively canals and markets, and of course the opera. If it demonstrates Chelish cultural superiority and power, Faustinia likely enjoys it.
A human woman of mixed Chelish and Taldan ethnicity, Faustinia maintains a noble mien into her middle age. Her silver hair, maintained in an appropriately stylish manner for her age and station, frames her dignified face. Her height is average and her body slight, but her posture impeccable. Her scholarly robes can't match the elegant dresses of her youth for splendor, but she wears them neatly with not a stray thread out of place.
Her carefully crafted and meticulously maintained presentation paint an image of control and dignity. However, she can't completely erase the story her face tells. Her mouth usually rests in a polite and confident smile, her gray eyes attentive and sharp. There burns a desire there, though, which threatens to consume her if she relinquishes control to it. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth are products of age, but within them lies a guarded sadness, a history of tragedy and survival kept locked away from prying eyes.
|
|
I got my computer to work, so my stat block should be on the profile now, as well as the information from the above post.
Literally the only thing I haven't done (unless I missed something) is decide what to do with my Favored Class Bonus. That d6 hit die could use the extra hit point, but the extra skill rank could be nice for Linguistics or Perception. Speaking of Linguistics, what other languages would be good? I picked Common, Elven, Halfling, and Infernal already.
That's some excellent writing, mechaPoet. Really enjoyed reading it. I'm very interested to see how she'll react to Catina, having distanced herself from her only child when it turned out to be a tiefling.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Ouch,"
Lorenzo instinctively brought his thumb to his mouth and sucked on it for a few seconds until the blood stopped.
Distracted by Oleg's fanciful tales of the Mancini House, he failed to pay attention to the column he was restoring. And he didn't like to do that work anyway. He never had the patience nor the skill for it. He was much more comfortable with a large sledgehammer but Oleg kept insisting on him learning this other part of the craft. And who could convince a stubborn dwarf otherwise.
He bent to pick up the chisel and frowned as he saw it broken. Then the girl picked it up and spoke a few words and fixed it. Just like that. Right in front of his eyes.
She handed it to him and he just stood there, staring at her. Well not her exactly but staring at the horns protruding from her head. I wonder if she feels anything or they are just like my nails. A moment later and he noticed her long fingers.
Lorenzo stammered, "Uh thank- thank you. That was... neat."
He wiped sweat from his brow, leaving dust on his face and his dark hair with salt-n-pepper look.
He excused himself, "I didn't mean... I didn't mean to stare. I'm one of the stone masons."
Realizing how stupid he was for stating the obvious, he tried again, "I'm Lorenzo..."
Oleg was right next to him, "So boy, whadda pay you for? For talking to the girls, eh? Get back to work!"
tag?
It got a bit long, but hopefully that's a good thing. I didn't want to gloss over too much of a 50 year old life, but I think it's come together well. I can post some diary entries later as well for the characters Faustinia would have met. I know she helped Lorenzo with some family history research, but I don't remember if I ever worked out anything specific with the others.
Anyway, Faustinia!
Very nicely done!
Just a very minor comment; I think you are saying that she's in her 70's in her personality when she's really in her 50's, right?
|
|
It got a bit long, but hopefully that's a good thing. I didn't want to gloss over too much of a 50 year old life, but I think it's come together well. I can post some diary entries later as well for the characters Faustinia would have met. I know she helped Lorenzo with some family history research, but I don't remember if I ever worked out anything specific with the others.
Anyway, Faustinia!
Very nicely done!
Just a very minor comment; I think you are saying that she's in her 70's in her personality when she's really in her 50's, right?
She's 50, but she had her child and lost her husband in the '70s, i.e. shortly after 2676 AR when the shadow beasts started to prowl the city at night.
Today I'm going to review Faustinia. In the next few days, I'll do the same for Lorenzo, then I'll start over again with Catina ;)
First off, my compliments Mechapoet. I completely fell in love with your writing style and the plot behind your character's story. It's absolutely amazing! It's greatly tied to Cheliax and Westcrown, it features a lot of interesting hooks for me to develop as we play and mirrors the campaign setting as I imagine it perfectly. Great!
Good languages options: I'd suggest Aklo for story reasons, although you might want to know that I'm usually a tad tight on how a summoner interacts with his conjured minions. I usually do not allow a conjurer to impart specific orders to his summoned minions unless both him and his minions share a language. Those creatures must be able to understand orders, if they're supposed to carry them out. If you just want them to attack your enemies you don't need to talk to them, but if you plan to give them more specific orders, you should consider to invest in Linguistic and get all the languages your favored summoned creatures speak in order to be able to establish a line of communication with them. As such, I suppose that Celestial and Abysall would be a good choice, but this choice largely depends on which types of creature you plan to summon most frequently.
Working good motivations in an amazing story: As I said above, your background is amazing, and I'm tempted to say that I wouldn't add nothing to it. Anyway, since I'm not only a reader but a GM, I think there are a few things you can improve. First off, I would like you to carefully consider Faustinia's motivations and extend them beyond personal ambition. I would suggest that Faustinia dislikes Westcrown current state of moral and civil decay, blaming Thrune for the capital's displacement to Egorian. Perhaps, you can work in her personality a strong patriotism which leads Faustinia to despise Cheliax's current state. This should take the form of a strong sense of disdain against those who caused Westcrown to gradually decline in a crumbling city of ruins haunted by shadows. What I want here is to ensure that Faustinia really cares not only for herself and her family's name, but also for her home city, which once was the center of the world. Faustinia should be eager to restore her city to its former glory, at all costs. This should help you in having a strong motivation during the course of the entire Adventure Path.
A suitable mentor: The only thing I can see lacking in Faustinia's background is a living and known NPC who she knows personally when the campaign starts. If you own the Cheliax, Empire of Devils handbook, I'd suggest you read the entry for Nicklod Starweather. If you like him, I think he might be a plausible tutor for Faustinia in her wizardry studies. Nicklod is ambitious just as she is, specialized in summoning magic and thinks along her same lines in regard to using hell's power in order to gain what one wants.
A dangerous discovery: I think we can add yet another twist to Faustinia's story. She recently discovered an old book in her family's library. A tome which her mother always kept secret. The tome details the history of her family, but in it are featured several events that are not officially recognized as truly happened by Egorian's most recent historical revision. When the campaign starts, Faustinia has the book with her (she does not need to pay for it, but she should have it in her inventory). She has not decided what to do with it yet, whether to keep it with herself and risk it all, or to just give it to the Asmodean Inquisition. The final decision about the book should be taken during the course of the Adventure Path.
Of halflings and men: Faustinia's family is vassal of the Drovenges, and Xynen's character has worked for the Drovenges. Maybe he was a former house servant of Faustiniaìs family, or maybe his parents were. His parents or himself should have been treated well by Faustinia's family, especially if compared with how they're treated by the Drovenges. This should be a good background connection with another PC.
Equipment matters: My next suggestion is that you mirror Faustinia's amazing story in her equipment.
Westcrown natives generally bear some mark of their heritage: an old signet ring, encoded documents without a cypher, a key to an unknown lock, or a battered but beautiful dagger. Though they may not know the significance of these heirlooms, most believe the items will show their importance at some point.
I suggest that you add one or more of this kind of items to her equipment, in order to give me further story hooks for the future.
The Council of Thieves: As a member of a noble family, Faustinia should know the following information about the fabled Council of Thieves.
Crunchy Suggestions: As far as your character's sheet is concerned, I've already highlighted a few remarks on my part concerning equipment. Here I wish to expand a little more on this subject. What do you think about actually applying age modifiers to Faustinia? After all, I suppose that due to her age, she should be lacking in physical stats but also have some advantages when it comes to mental abilities. I would suggest that you apply the modifiers for a middle-aged character (–1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha). This would add a touch of realism to your crunch, but I want you to be the one who has the last word on this matter.
Arcane bonds: As much as I was happy upon learning that you chose a bonded item instead of a familiar as your arcane bond, I want to know that I think that story-wise it would be much more effective to have a familiar instead of a bonded item. You could gain an imp as an improved familiar, further adding to our RP options, for example. But I'm also aware that familiars are usually pretty difficult to handle, especially in a PbP game, so I really want you to choose freely here.
***
Ok, I thing that's all for now. I'll be reviewing Faustinia again before we actually start, so if anything else comes to my mind I'll let you know.
Keep up the good work!
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
|
Aww, thanks for all the compliments everyone!
Languages: I think I'll go with Aklo for now, and pick up more ranks and languages as I need them. I can only summon animals for now, anyway.
Motivation: Good suggestions! I'll make some revisions to emphasize her civic pride.
Mentor: I'll take a look at Nicklod. He should be a good addition.
Family history book: That definitely sounds like something she could find. In addition to putting her in danger with the Order of the Rack, she could end up discovering it when she helps Lorenzo discovery his past as well.
Halfling relation: Another good connection I could work in. Do you know if the widespread enslavement of halflings was common before Thrune took control? My gut says it was probably in place even before Aroden died, but I'm not sure.
Equipment and arcane bond: Oops! I felt like my background was getting long, and I totally forgot about including the arcane bond! I meant to, but it must have slipped my mind. A familiar makes sense with the potential for an imp, or other devil. However, mechanically I prefer the flexibility of the bonded item. I think combining the item of heritage with the arcane bond makes sense, and I've given her an amulet. I will add in the amulet as a heritage symbol and its awakening power as her bonded item.
Age: I'll consider the aging adjustments. I might rework my stats a bit, since I don't like to have too many odd numbers. I'll do some point buy math and see if I come up with a stat line that is good and interesting. I could squeeze a bit more intelligence onto my build, for instance, but will I do it at the cost of having 6 strength? We'll see. ;)
Age: I'll consider the aging adjustments. I might rework my stats a bit, since I don't like to have too many odd numbers. I'll do some point buy math and see if I come up with a stat line that is good and interesting. I could squeeze a bit more intelligence onto my build, for instance, but will I do it at the cost of having 6 strength? We'll see. ;)
Since 'aging' favors a wizard's stat array, I think you'll find that you will end up with a higher point buy than the 15-point buy.
|
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
|
I think if I do use the age adjustments, I'd want to emphasize the extremes ends of it. So something like this:
STR: 6 DEX: 10 CON: 14 INT: 19 WIS: 10 CHA: 14
It's pretty close to my current scores, but dumps strength even harder and gives up some dexterity to really push the intelligence score. I'm wary of going too low on Constitution, but maybe I could make done sacrifices in the name of a semblance of more balanced stats. So I could do something like this instead to emphasize her devotion to study and socializing over physical pursuits:
STR: 7 DEX: 10 CON: 12 INT: 18 WIS: 14 CHA: 14
I think I like that second array a lot actually. Kind of the opposite of my other PbP character right now. :P
I like that last stat array, as well. The increased Wisdom makes here seem more like someone with actual intellectual prowess, someone who knows what she's doing. It also symbolizes her drive and willpower to get things done, I think, coûte que coûte.
Fabian, I'll try to get around to the next part of our meeting tomorrow. Haven't had too much time the last few days.
|
|
Okay! I updated my character sheet with my new stats. I also updated my background. New or changed parts are in bold.
I also added a section called "Recent History" which I'm using like the character meeting diary entries. I've just got the meeting between Lorenzo and the discovery of her unedited family history so far.
Female human conjurer 1
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses Perception +2
====================
====================
AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
hp 7 (1d6+1)
Fort +1, Ref +0 Will +4 (+1 vs mind-affecting from devils)
====================
====================
Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger -2 (1d4-2/19-20)
Ranged crossbow +0 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks Acid dart +0 (1d6, 30ft., 6/day)
Conjurer spells prepared (CL 1st; concentration +7)
1st: grease (DC 16), mage armor, summon monster I (school spell)
0th: detect magic, prestidigitation, read magic
Opposition Schools enchantment, necromancy
Spellbook
1st: burning hands, color spray, comprehend languages, feather fall, grease, mage armor, summon monster I
0th: all, except enchantment and necromancy schools
====================
====================
Str 7, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 14
Base Atk +0; CMB -2; CMD 8
Feats Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning
Traits Desperate Focus, Diabolist Raised
Skills Knowledge (arcana, history, local, nobility, planes) +8, Linguistics +8, Spellcraft +8; (+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive vs Wiscrani nobility)
Languages Aklo, Common, Elven, Halfling, Infernal
SQ arcane bond (amulet)
Combat Gear none; Other Gear backpack, dagger, light crossbow (10 bolts), masterwork amulet (bonded item), quarterstaff, scholar’s outfit, scroll of comprehend languages, spell component pouch, spellbook, sunrod (2), unrevised Xerysis family history
Coins 0 pp, 1 gp, 0 sp, 0 cp
====================
====================
Arcane Bond (Bonded Object) Wizards who select a bonded object begin play with one at no cost. Objects that are the subject of an arcane bond must fall into one of the following categories: amulet, ring, staff, wand, or weapon. These objects are always masterwork quality. Weapons acquired at 1st level are not made of any special material. If the object is an amulet or ring, it must be worn to have effect, while staves, wands, and weapons must be held in one hand. If a wizard attempts to cast a spell without her bonded object worn or in hand, she must make a concentration check or lose the spell. The DC for this check is equal to 20 + the spell's level. If the object is a ring or amulet, it occupies the ring or neck slot accordingly.
A bonded object can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the wizard has in her spellbook and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the wizard, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the wizard's level. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities. The bonded object cannot be used to cast spells from the wizard's opposition schools (see arcane school).
A wizard can add additional magic abilities to her bonded object as if she has the required item creation feats and if she meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a wizard with a bonded dagger must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat in Feats). If the bonded object is a wand, it loses its wand abilities when its last charge is consumed, but it is not destroyed and it retains all of its bonded object properties and can be used to craft a new wand. The magic properties of a bonded object, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the wizard who owns it. If a bonded object's owner dies, or the item is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.
If a bonded object is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the wizard prepares her spells. If the object of an arcane bond is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per wizard level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous bonded item. A wizard can designate an existing magic item as her bonded item. This functions in the same way as replacing a lost or destroyed item except that the new magic item retains its abilities while gaining the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a bonded item.
Arcane School: A wizard can choose to specialize in one school of magic, gaining additional spells and powers based on that school. This choice must be made at 1st level, and once made, it cannot be changed. A wizard that does not select a school receives the universalist school instead.
A wizard that chooses to specialize in one school of magic must select two other schools as her opposition schools, representing knowledge sacrificed in one area of arcane lore to gain mastery in another. A wizard who prepares spells from her opposition schools must use two spell slots of that level to prepare the spell. For example, a wizard with evocation as an opposition school must expend two of her available 3rd-level spell slots to prepare a fireball. In addition, a specialist takes a –4 penalty on any skill checks made when crafting a magic item that has a spell from one of her opposition schools as a prerequisite. A universalist wizard can prepare spells from any school without restriction.
Each arcane school gives the wizard a number of school powers. In addition, specialist wizards receive an additional spell slot of each spell level she can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a wizard can prepare a spell from her specialty school in that slot. This spell must be in the wizard's spellbook. A wizard can select a spell modified by a metamagic feat to prepare in her school slot, but it uses up a higher-level spell slot. Wizards with the universalist school do not receive a school slot.
Summoner's Charm: Whenever you cast a conjuration (summoning) spell, increase the duration by a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your wizard level (minimum 1). This increase is not doubled by Extend Spell. At 20th level, you can change the duration of all summon monster spells to permanent. You can have no more than one summon monster spell made permanent in this way at one time. If you designate another summon monster spell as permanent, the previous spell immediately ends.
Acid Dart: As a standard action you can unleash an acid dart targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The acid dart deals 1d6 points of acid damage + 1 for every two wizard levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. This attack ignores spell resistance.
Spellbooks: A wizard must study her spellbook each day to prepare her spells. She cannot prepare any spell not recorded in her spellbook, except for read magic, which all wizards can prepare from memory.
A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from her prohibited schools, if any; see Arcane Schools) plus three 1st-level spells of her choice. The wizard also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to her Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new wizard level, she gains two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new wizard level) for her spellbook. At any time, a wizard can also add spells found in other wizards' spellbooks to her own (see Magic).
Lady Faustinia Xerysis was born shortly after the end of the civil war, a conflict that her family survived with their lives and noble status intact - but without much else. The once prestigious House Xerysis enjoyed little of the wealth, status, and power that defined their legacy before the war and before the Thrune ascendancy. A mere shadow of its former glory, House Xerysis struggled to maintain their traditions, beholden to the still impressive House Drovenge like a pack of purebred dogs clamoring for table scraps.
Despite her family's hardships, Faustinia grew into a sharp young dilettante with an interest in history and local gossip. She managed to stay clear of the Order of the Rack, never delving too deep into forbidden or likely to be redacted materials, and her knowledge of local politics and goings on surpassed even her natural charm. In her studies, she sought out everything she could about her own family's history. Even among the heavily edited archives she could find, she found that the Xerysis name was well respected and instrumental in the day to day affairs of Westcrown before the war. It had been a splendid city, poised to become the jewel of a divine empire - but then Aroden’s death plunged Cheliax into a mere shadow of its former glory. Knowledge alone didn't prove enough to stop the continual decay of the Xerysis estate, though. Their once great manor home in the Crown Sector of the Parego Regicona, sharing the island of Impriax with the Drovenge family, fell into disrepair as her family lost most of their servants when they simply couldn't afford to keep them anymore. The Drovenge family offered their “gracious” help by offering to purchase the majority of their halfling slaves - at a nearly insulting price. But they were beholden as vassals to the still powerful family, and the money was enough to at least slow their descent into oblivion. With the Xerysis family whittled down to Faustinia, her parents, a few tenuously connected cousins, and a tiny staff of human servants and enslaved halflings, it seemed inevitable that their legacy would dwindle to nothing.
Faustinia looked for power where she could find it. Surely a house that had once been as glorious as hers could rise again, to take control of Westcrown and restore it to the shining example of Chelish virtue it used to be. Not a city in twilight after Egorian’s diabolists seized the capital. She researched tomes of noble bloodlines for connections to other families who might have retained their wealth and glory after Thrune seized the Crown. She put her keen mind to the household’s economy, helping to keep it financially afloat despite her family's expensive tastes. She even briefly considered joining the church of Asmodeus. An answer came in an unexpected form: Florio Lepidus. A young man from an old Taldan merchant family, Florio met Faustinia at a gala and pestered her with romantic advances. Faustinia dismissed him at first, scoffing at his new money and attempts to rise socially by virtue of his wealth instead of his blood. He was charming and quick-witted enough to keep up with Faustinia, though, and she begrudgingly called this would be noble a friend. When he proposed to her, she weighed the options: stoop to marry one beneath her, or let her family's legacy die penniless in a deteriorating estate. She swallowed her pride and did what she had to: she married him.
So Florio joined his money to Faustinia’s noble name, and the Xerysis family looked poised to rise again. It would never be the same, having gone so low as to join with a mere merchant family for survival, but they would survive, even improve - for a time. Things changed when the shadows fell on Westcrown. People started to disappear, and the streets weren't safe at night. Faustinia was pregnant for the first and only time, and she feared bringing up a child in such dangerous times. When the child came, she knew something was wrong before she saw it. A little girl, but with solid black eyes, a long barb-tipped tail, and cloven hooves with black fur for feet. The first tiefling born to the Xerysis family, as far as Faustinia knew. In her fear and shame, she sobbed and shouted, refused to touch the infant, and insisted it be removed from her sight. Florio paid the midwives to keep this mistake secret, took the baby into the night, and never returned. With Florio and the new child gone without a trace, Faustinia fell apart - and so did the estate. Her aging parents were no help, and cousins and servants alike fled the broken house.
Faustinia grieved for years. The time came, however, when she had to force herself to get back to a semblance of her old self. At least enough to stop her house from crumbling to nothing. She hardened her heart, retreated into her books, and managed the nearly empty estate so that the Xerysis family name would live on. Over the years, her father Auloxus died and her mother Sabina lost touch with much of the outside world, left to the care of her daughter and an old halfling servant named Orra. The family survived, but with no heir save the aging Faustinia and no particular influence or importance. Though Faustinia was well into her middle age, she still hungered for her family's past greatness.
She had never existed in a Cheliax not ruled by Thrune. Her family was prominent before, but lagged and floundered after the war. If Faustinia were going to win back her family’s and her city's honor from the upstarts in Egorian, she would snatch it from the pits of Hell if she had to - and she had to. She saved money so that she could hire a tutor from Egorian, collected books on magic and fiends, and began the path toward wizardry even at her advanced age. Her tutor, a man named Nicklod Starweather, was skeptical about teaching someone already in her forties, but she proved a capable student with an adaptable mind. Nicklod proved to be a capable teacher as well as a kindred soul. He, too, was from an old family that fell into ruin after the war, and his crumbling estate lie inaccessible among the ruins to the north. She offered Nicklod a place to stay in the Xerysis manor in exchange for lessons, so that together they might learn to exploit the magic that let Thrune rise instead of them. In her studies, Faustinia unlocked the power of an old family heirloom: a cameo necklace featuring an ivory carving of her grandmother set in silver. She has taken her heirloom’s awakening as an auspicious sign: her legacy would soon reveal its potential as well.
Just recently having turned fifty, Faustinia is confident in her abilities, and already quite capable of calling on fiends to do her bidding. Mostly she has tested out her newfound power in maintaining her estate, but she plans to make a return to the upper echelons of power in Westcrown to restore her family, city, and country to glory untainted by corruption and shadowy death. She just needs an opportunity, and she knows she'll find one if she seeks it out; soon Xerysis will rise again.
Lorenzo Mancini. The name sounded familiar. The young man said he was an apprentice stonemason, although Faustinia saw something more. Despite his rough hands and shabby clothes, the boy had a certain bearing about him. Inviting him in, Faustinia led him through the barren halls of the Xerysis manor to her meticulously organized library. Picking through the shelves, loading stacks of books into the young man's arms, she called for a pot of coffee and began her research. Eventually she found mention of the Mancini family, and a promising connection to Lorenzo. Much of the family had been followers of Iomedae, knights and worshippers when she was still Aroden's herald. Her hunch was confirmed: Lorenzo was more than a simple laborer; there was nobility in his veins.
Among the tomes she pulled down, Faustinia also found a humble book bound in black leather. Not recognizing it, she skimmed the inside and discovered a forgotten history of her family: a relic from before Thrune, unedited by the redactors, and very illegal. In a rush of excitement and terror, she shoved a stack of books into Lorenzo’s arms - histories, family bloodline records, and an ancient copy of The Acts of Iomedae - before shooing him from her library and locking herself in for a night of study. This was too important and too dangerous to simply lock up or make copies of. She would simply have to keep it with her at all times.
Faustinia has always been bookish, with a love of history and a knack for quick study. However, she can easily converse with scholar and noble alike, having a comfortable ease in nearly all social situations. She never says more than she means to, however, and carefully constructs a witty but controlled persona. The overall effect when speaking to her is that she conveys an air of guarded confidence, even superiority, that she is pleasant but untouchable. Older folks who knew her when she was young say that she was always sharp minded and amiable in public, but her guarded and aloof tendencies followed her Unpleasantness in the ‘70s.
Those who are closer to Faustinia know there is an ambitious hunger in her. She respects her family's history, Cheliax’s history, and the propriety of the time, but something burns in her eyes that shows that she'll do what it takes to get what she wants. Of course, this group of people includes mostly family that have died or gone missing, but she has a few friends - or at least temporary allies - who she opens up to. Her most recent studies into magic have opened her eyes to the power that Thrune wields. Of course diabolism had always had its place as long as Faustinia had been alive. But she now understands the feeling of control, the rush of power at commanding Hell's own minions to do her bidding. She has just started - imagine what she could do with real mastery: restore Westcrown and her family to the glory they are due.
Aside from that, Faustinia’s joys are traditionally Chelish. She loves to learn about Chelish history and gossip (and what's the difference between the two except time?), walking the city to admire the historic architecture, lively canals and markets, and of course the opera. If it demonstrates Chelish cultural superiority and power, Faustinia likely enjoys it.
A human woman of mixed Chelish and Taldan ethnicity, Faustinia maintains a noble mien into her middle age. Her silver hair, maintained in an appropriately stylish manner for her age and station, frames her dignified face. Her height is average and her body slight, but her posture impeccable. Her scholarly robes can't match the elegant dresses of her youth for splendor, but she wears them neatly with not a stray thread out of place. A polished silver necklace with an ivory cameo pendant competes the ensemble.
Her carefully crafted and meticulously maintained presentation paint an image of control and dignity. However, she can't completely erase the story her face tells. Her mouth usually rests in a polite and confident smile, her gray eyes attentive and sharp. There burns a desire there, though, which threatens to consume her if she relinquishes control to it. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth are products of age, but within them lies a guarded sadness, a history of tragedy and survival kept locked away from prying eyes.
So, I worked the magic and repaired his chisel, which he had dropped. He seemed quite uncomfortable, but that’s nothing new. At least he didn’t start yelling. He just seemed very embarrassed by my being there, staring at me like that. He even tried to act friendly by giving his name, as if that would make it less awkward. I think it was Lorenzo, which kind of suits him, I suppose.
Anyway, I couldn’t well say nothing to that, so I was going to introduce myself. I really was. Until his boss barged in and gave him a hard time. When it was me who came up to him. Typical. I try to do the right thing for an honest stonemason, and he catches flak for it. I sort of mumbled an apology to the boss and was turning to go, when he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me from leaving. I hope I didn’t flinch too noticeably...