About Gardolf the GreatA celestial being of fire and light, both human and elf, sent by the powers of Good to oppose the forces of Evil and help guide the realms of Golarion into a new age of wisdom and enlightenment. Also, grumpy wizard. Name Gardolf the Great
Background:
Long, long ago-- before there were angels and demons and archons and daemons and azatas and devils and agathions and asuras-- there was only one kind of being that lived in the outer planes. Back then, there was only one enormous world on the other side of the astral plane, so it might make sense to call these creatures "astrals," but perhaps "paragons" is more descriptive. In any case, they were the templates that the first deities used to create the first humanoids. Their traits were highly mutable, similar to the fey of the First World, and their shapes often changed with their moods and activities.
When the great divide between good and evil and law and chaos occurred, most of these paragons declared a "side," and over time their shapes and that of their progeny solidified into what we now think of the different outsider subtypes. However, some of these paragons died in the earliest battles of the conflict, before they had changed much. It is said that the great powers of the various planes keep these remains in their boundless realms, possibly forgotten over long eons. Since this was long before the Boneyard, their souls have never passed on. Gardolf is one of these "lost paragons." For whatever reason, the powers that inhabit the celestial realms have sent his soul back to the prime material plane and reincarnated him into a mortal body, perhaps to balance a similar evil that has awakened in the world. He remembers no more than flashes of his previous life, like fireworks exploding in a night sky, but he can sometimes latch on to these images and recall important information when he meditates and smokes his pipe. His earliest memories of this life are living in Kyonin as an orphan, his mortal parents having fallen in battle against Treerazer. He is determined to make the most of his limited time on Golarion, and it irritates him that his mortal lifespan is so short. He has made a point to seek out and learn from the greatest arcane minds he can find, and so far he has journeyed to Absalom and the great temple of Nethys, Kaer Maga to become initiated in the secrets of hemotheurgy (his title "The Great" is an ironic nod to his extraordinarily round shape), and the Mwangi Expanse to study the preserved wisdom of Old-Mage Jatembe. He believes he knew the Empyreal Lord Ragathiel in ages past, and during his time spent in Magnimar he joined the archangel's cult for the opportunity to speak to him and receive his counsel and support. For many years Gardolf has wandered Golarion, preparing himself for the great task that he believes lies before him. Description:
Gardolf is rotund, to put it bluntly-- almost as wide as he is tall. His skin is weathered and brown, and he has a long, white beard. He hides his balding head beneath a wide-brimmed floppy hat, and he wears a voluminous cloak and an overstuffed pack on his back that makes him look a bit like a deranged Santa Claus. His voice is harsh and his demeanor generally prickly. He waddles with a gnarled staff that is blackened with fire and carries a sword with a red jewel in the hilt at his belt.
His familiar typically rides on his shoulder-- a lyrakien azata that looks very much like a tiny celestial elf. She has butterfly wings and a surprisingly deep and rich voice for such a small creature. Goals:
Gardolf believes he is in the world to defeat a great evil, as insidious as it is powerful, and he thinks the best way to fight it is by guiding others to join his cause. To that end, he wants to establish a worldwide order of good-aligned advisors, what he calls the Council of Light, to encourage mages of all varieties and nationalities to work together.
As part of this goal he will need to travel, to bring the offer of membership to the great magic-wielders across the continents. He hopes to visit as many places of arcane significance that he can, to broaden his horizons and widen his circle of influence. And of course, he wants to send every fiend that has found its way into this plane back to where it came from, especially Asmodeus and the agents of his corrupt church. His obsession with evil outsiders sometimes gets the better of his senses, but he has too many wisps of memory detailing the last time the forces of evil triumphed, and he cannot bear the thought of them succeeding again on his watch. If he had one specific wish, he would ask to restore his formal heavenly glory and regain his lost celestial form (ideally gaining the angel subtype). He believes that the respect that goes along with the patronage of a recognizable empyreal lord would help overcome some of the resistance that he has encountered in trying to unite an order of good-aligned wizards. Race Traits:
Base race: Half-Elf
Type Humanoid (elf, human) [0 RP]
Ability Score Modifiers
Defense Racial Traits
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Magic Racial Traits
Other Racial Traits
TOTAL: 20 RP Size Medium Space 5' Reach 5' Str 25 (+7) (17[base]+4[enhancement]+2[levels]+2[race])
HP 130* (100[10d10]+40[CON]-10[Oath of Ritual], +20[*rage]), fast healing 5 AC 28**** (10+4[armor enhancement]+6[CHA, soul shield]+2[deflection]+3[STR, Force Redirection Technique]+1[natural armor]+2[natural armor enhancement], +4[*armor, Armored Magic], +2[*shield, Armored Magic], -1[*charge], -2[*rage])
Damage Reduction 1/– Initiative +14 (+6[CHA]+4[familiar]+2[race]+2[trait]) Speed 30' (20[medium load]+10[fast movement]) Fortitude +20* (+7[base]+4[CON]+6[divine grace]+3[resistance], +2[*rage])
BAB +10
Weapons
"Fiend-Hammer" (furious cold iron mithral bastard sword)
ranged weapons
Armor
Half-Elf Adaptability, Alert for Betrayal, Darklands Guide, Dual Minded (+2 Will saves), Elf Blood, Elven Immunities, Kindred-Raised, Mordant Envoy (+1 CL Transmutation), Multidisciplined (+1 CL in two classes, max level), Round Ears (Skilled, +4 Disguise to appear human) Favored Class Bonus +10 bloodrage rounds (Bloodrager) Traits Curator of Mystic Secrets (Magical Exemplar, cast spontaneous metamagic spell without increasing time 5/day), Elven Reflexes (Race, +2 initiative), Hedge Magician (Magical, crafting magic items costs 5% less), Impatient (Drawback, can't delay/ready, -1 penalty on combat checks when going last), Magical Knack (bloodrager) (Magical, +2 CL for one class, max level), Meticulous (Drawback, -2 all untrained skills), Spark of Creation (Magical, +1 Craft, crafting magic items costs 5% less), Voices of Solid Things (Spellcraft) (Region, use CHA for Spellcraft) Feats Additional Traits (level 1), Combat Expertise* (EitR), Deadly Aim* (EitR), Eschew Materials* (Sorcerer 1), Magical Aptitude* (background feat), Planar Heritage* (aasimar) (background feat), Power Attack* (EitR), Skill Focus* (Spellcraft) (race), Weapon Finesse* (EitR); Bloodmage Initiate* (oaths), Spell Focus (Evocation) (level 2); Recovered Rage (level 3); Heighten Spell* (Bloodrager 4), Rage Casting (level 4); Flumefire Rage (level 5); Noble Scion* (Herald of War) (oaths), Persistent Spell* (Bloodrager 6), Vital Strike (level 6); Emergency Attunement (level 7); Magic Trick (fireball) (level 8); Aligned Class (sorcerer) (level 9), Widen Spell* (Bloodrager 9); Choral Support* (oaths), Selective Spell (level 10); Dreamspace* (*when familiar is within reach); Skills Acrobatics -1 (1[ranks]-2[DEX]+3[class]-3[ACP]), Appraise +3 (1[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]), Bluff +10 (1[ranks]+6[CHA]+3[class]), Climb +8 (1[ranks]+7[STR]+3[class]-3[ACP]), Craft (alchemy) +13** (10[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]+1[trait], +2[*familiar], +2[*lab]), Craft (armor) +4* (1[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]+1[trait], +2[*familiar]), Craft (weapons) +4* (1[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]+1[trait], +2[*familiar]), Diplomacy +10 (1[ranks]+6[CHA]+3[class]), Disguise +4* (0[ranks]+6[CHA]-2[Meticulous], +4[*race, appearing human]), Escape Artist -7 (0[ranks]-2[DEX]-2[Meticulous]-3[ACP]), Fly -1 (1[ranks]-2[DEX]+3[class]-3[ACP]), Handle Animal +4 (0[ranks]+6[CHA]-2[Meticulous]), Heal +1 (0[ranks]+3[WIS]-2[Meticulous]), Intimidate +19 (10[ranks]+6[CHA]+3[class]), Knowledge (history) +12 (10[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]), Knowledge (nobility) +5 (1[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]+2[Noble Scion]), Knowledge (planes) +12 (10[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]), Knowledge (other) +3 (1[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]), Linguistics +3 (1[ranks]-1[INT]+3[class]), Perception +16 (10[ranks]+3[WIS]+3[class]), Perform (sing) +12 (3[ranks]+6[CHA]+3[class]), Profession +1 (0[ranks]+3[WIS]-2[Meticulous]), Ride -1 (1[ranks]-2[DEX]+3[class]-3[ACP]), Sense Motive +7 (1[ranks]+3[WIS]+3[class]), Sleight of Hand -7 (0[ranks]-2[DEX]-2[Meticulous]-3[ACP]), Spellcraft +29*** (5[bonus ranks from Alchemy]+5[ranks]+6[CHA]+3[class]+4[Magical Aptitude]+6[Skill Focus], +2[*familiar], +2[*lab], +1[*trait]), Stealth -1 (1[ranks]-2[DEX]+3[class]-3[ACP]), Survival +7 (1[ranks]+3[WIS]+3[class]), Swim +8 (1[ranks]+7[STR]+3[class]-3[ACP]), Use Magic Device +23 (10[ranks]+6[CHA]+3[class]+4[Magical Aptitude]) Languages Common, Elvish, Mwangi Bloodrager (Enlightened Bloodrager / Hemophage* / Metamagic Rager) 10 absorb bloodline*, blended training* (every level), bloodline (Shapechanger), bloodrage, casting* (Low-Caster), casting tradition* (Staff Sorcerer), fast movement, martial tradition* (Staff Savage), martial tradition (swap out proficiencies, two [discipline] talents), spell pool* (level x 2 + CHA); uncanny dodge; divine grace (replaces blood sanctuary); blood casting, enlightened bloodrage, enlightened spellcasting, spells (CL 7+3), sphere blood casting*; meta-rage; blood havoc; DR 1/- Quasi-Gestalt Legendary Sorcerer (Crossblooded / Eldritch Scrapper) 6+4 arcane edge, aura of power, bloodlines (Shapechanger, Solar), drawbacks, force of personality, magical expression (Shapechanger: +1 CL with transmutation spells that affect self only; Solar: +1 damage per die with [fire] spells, ignore resistance, half damage vs immune, +1 DC [fire] or [light] spells), soul shield, spells (CL 10); martial flexibility (one feat as move, two feats as standard; 3+half level/day), heart of arcana (Mysterious Heart: 2 bonus spells); bloodline gift (Mutable Flesh 1/day, 1h/level) Quasi-Gestalt Bloatmage 4 blood pool, bloat (2d4) 2/day, hemophilia; corpulence +1 Special Ability:
I Smoke And I Know Things: Gardolf smokes his pipe and meditates on a problem for at least ten minutes and then subsequently receives one of the following benefits:
• He can take 20 on any associated ability or skill check undertaken before the next time he rests and regains his spells. When doing this, he may retry a skill check that he has previously failed, even if said check cannot normally be retried, and he does not have to be trained in the skill to use it in this way. Gardolf can activate this power while engaged in an extended activity like crafting or gathering information. • He can swap out one of his spells known for another spell of the same level or lower. This spell must be on his spell list or must either appear on the druid spell list or have the [good] or [light] descriptors. This exchange lasts until the next time he rests and recovers his spells. • He can swap out one of his feats for any other feat for which he qualifies, as long as the lost feat is not a prerequisite for another feat he retains. This exchange lasts until the next time he rests and recovers his spells. • He can swap one of his combat or magic talents for another talent for which he is qualified to take. This exchange lasts until the next time he rests and recovers his spells. • He can cast comprehend languages, divination, find the path, identify, legend lore, locate creature, locate object, nature's paths, tongues, or true seeing as spell-like abilities with caster level equal to his character level. In addition, Gardolf treats all skills as class skills, and all of his spells known as both bloodrager and sorcerer spells known. When he casts a sorcerer spell, it counts as casting a bloodrager spell and vice-versa. Combat Talents (Spheres of Might)
Staff Savage tradition:
"Hit it with my stick" is a very common tactic among martial magical types, and some of them have developed an aggressive combat form around it.
Bonus Talents: • Equipment: Staff Mastery
Alchemy [formulae] sphere* (from tradition), Formulae
Beastmastery sphere* (from tradition)
Berserker* sphere (from tradition), Brutal Strike
Dual Wielding sphere, Dual Attack
Equipment sphere
Magic Talents (Spheres of Power)
Staff Sorcerer tradition:
Many mages are dependent on their magic staves for boosting their arcane power. Even though sorcerers and bloodragers generally have fewer restrictions, Gardolf was trained by wizards with more traditional limitations. Also, Gardolf has difficulty hiding his celestial associations when he is infused with magic, causing him to produce an aura similar to a paladin of his same level whenever he spherecasts a spell.
Magic Type: arcane
Caster Level +8** (+2[*Destruction/Light/Protection (Blackstaff, when enhanced)], +1[*Destruction/Light, Bloatmage Initiate])
Blood sphere, Blood Control (Coagulate [still])
Destruction sphere, Destructive Blast
Light sphere, Glow (Bright Light)
Protection sphere, Aegis)
Oaths Forbidden Knowledge (Mania: evil outsiders) [2 OP], Oath Against Artifice [1 OP], Oath of Burdens [1 OP], Oath of Candor [1 OP], Oath of the Cryptkeeper [1 OP], Oath of Honor (Code of the Council of Light) [2 OP], Oath of Loyalty (Ragathiel) [1 OP], Oath of Ritual [1 OP] Oath Boons Accelerated Recovery [3 OP], Bonus Feats [4 OP], Bonus Talents [3 OP], Enhanced Abilities [free], Enhanced Armaments [free], Enhanced Defenses [free x2], Inhuman Resilience [free], Shielded Form [free] Code of the Council of Light:
• Never commit an evil act.
• Respect legitimate authority; councilors are advisors, never leaders. • Act with honor (do not cheat, lie, steal, poison, etc.) • Be clean in body and soul (avoid gluttony, remain chaste). • Help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil ends). • Show mercy to those who may redeem themselves whenever possible. • Oppose those who harm or threaten innocents. Spell-Like Abilities (Mordant Envoy)
Spells (Bloodrager|Sorcerer)
cantrips (∞|∞): arcane mark, create water, detect fiendish presence, detect magic, enhanced diplomacy, guidance, know direction, mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation, purify food and drink, spark, stabilize, sunray* (6|9 known) 1st (4/day|8/day): burning hands [DC 19], enlarge person, expeditious retreat, heightened awareness, moment of greatness, mount, produce flame, reduce person, searing light*, shillelagh*, sure casting, true skill (5+1|5+1 known) 2nd (3/day|8/day): ablative barrier, alter summoned monster, ashen path, consecrate*, full pouch, lesser angelic aspect, lesser restoration*, light prison* [DC 20], pyrotechnics [DC 18], scorching ray, see invisibility (4+1|4+2 known) 3rd (3/day|7/day): burning entanglement* [DC 21], daylight*, fireball [DC 21], fly, greater magic weapon, heroism, paragon surge (2+1|3+1 known) 4th (-|6/day): emergency force sphere, flaming aura [DC 21], healing flames* [DC 21], restoration* (2+2 known) 5th (-|4/day): cleansing fire*, grand destiny (1+1 known) Equipment alchemist's fire x15 [100 gp, crafted], alchemy crafting kit [25 gp], alchemy lab [200 gp], backpack [2 gp], basic Fate wand [1,000 gp], belt pouch [1 gp], belt pouch (tiny) [1 gp], "Blackstaff" (furious quarterstaff) [8,300 gp], canteen [2 gp], cord of stubborn resolve [15,000 gp], "Fiend-Hammer" (furious cold iron mithral bastard sword) [3,023 gp, crafted], handy haversack (tiny) [2,000 gp], pipe [1 gp], potion of enlarge person (50 gp), rope (500') [10 gp], smokestick x15 [100 gp, crafted], tangleburn bag [50 gp, crafted], tanglefoot bag [17 gp, crafted], tent (medium) [15 gp], tobacco [1 gp, crafted], traveler's outfit [free], vial of arcane blood x3 [12 gp, crafted], vial of celestial blood x7 [28 gp, crafted], vial of destined blood x3 [12 gp, crafted], 32,000 gp remaining Expended Items:
potion of enlarge person [50 gp] Blackstaff:
Custom magic staff (based on oaken staff)
• furious quarterstaff [2,000 gp]
Belladhriel (Familiar):
Type Outsider (azata, chaotic, extraplanar, good)
Alignment CG Size Tiny Space 2.5' Reach 0' Str 5 (-3) (5[base])
HP 80 (70[half master's hp]+10[CON]) AC 21** (10+4[DEX]+5[natural armor]+2[size], +4[*armor, Armored Magic], +2[*shield, Armored Magic])
Damage Reduction 5/evil
Initiative +4 (+4[DEX]) Speed 30' (30[light load]), fly 80' (perfect) (80[light load]) Fortitude +8 (+7[base]+1[CON])
BAB +10
Weapons
ranged weapons
Armor
Lyrakien azata darkvision 60', low-light vision, starlight blast, traveler's friend Feats Choral Support* (teammate), Combat Advice (retrained Agile Maneuvers), Combat Expertise* (EitR), Cooperative Crafting* (Valet 1), Deadly Aim* (EitR), Power Attack* (EitR), Swift Aid (retrained Improved Initiative), Weapon Finesse* (EitR) Skills Acrobatics +10 (creature skill), Appraise +3 (1[ranks]+2[INT]), Bluff +11 (creature skill), Climb +1 (1[ranks]-3[STR]+3[class]), Craft (alchemy) +15* (10[ranks]+2[INT]+3[class], +2[*lab]), Craft (armor) +6 (1[ranks]+2[INT]+3[class]), Craft (weapons) +6 (1[ranks]+2[INT]+3[class]), Diplomacy +11 (creature skill), Fly +20 (1[ranks]+4[DEX]+3[class]+8[maneuverability]+4[size]), Handle Animal +6 (1[ranks]+5[CHA]), Intimidate +15 (10[ranks]+5[CHA]), Knowledge (history) +12 (10[ranks]+2[INT]), Knowledge (planes) +15 (10[ranks]+2[INT]+3[class]), Knowledge (religion) +8 (creature skill), Knowledge (other) +3 (1[ranks]+2[INT]), Linguistics +5 (3[ranks]+2[INT]), Perception +16 (10[ranks]+3[WIS]+3[class]), Perform (sing) +11 (3[ranks]+5[CHA]+3[class]), Perform (string) +11 (creature skill), Ride +5 (1[ranks]+4[DEX]), Sense Motive +4 (1[ranks]+3[WIS]), Spellcraft +12 (10[ranks]+2[INT]), Stealth +18 (creature skill), Survival +4 (1[ranks]+3[WIS]), Swim +1 (1[ranks]-3[STR]+3[class]), Use Magic Device +15 (10[ranks]+5[CHA]) Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; truespeech Improved Familiar (Dream Guide / Valet*) 10 able assistant*, deliver aid*, deliver touch spells*, dreamer, dream with you, empathic link, improved evasion, lead the dream, magical manipulation*, natural armor adj +5, share spells, speak with master, teammate*, valet skills* Spell-like Abilities (CL 3rd; concentration +8)
Action Summary:
Full round
• cast metamagic-boosted spell • charge • full attack • withdraw Standard
Move
Swift
Immediate
Free
Free (on any turn)
Other
Tricks and Strategies:
• Most of the time, Gardolf just wants to smash face. This is pretty straightforward: rage, Brutal Strike, Power Attack, Vital Strike. He generally does more damage with Dual Attack, taking advantage of the quarterstaff's double property, than by hitting two-handed. He also tries to keep a Destructive Blast stored in his staff, to increase the initial damage. He rarely fights with his bastard sword, but he wears it prominently all the same.
• Perhaps Gardolf's best tricks are with fireball. By spending 12 rounds of rage, he can cast a widened fireball as a 3rd level spell, thanks to meta-rage. While raging, he can boost the DC with Rage Casting (taking 3d6 damage). Magic Trick (fireball) lets him concentrate fire and cluster bomb, focusing even more damage on one 5' radius area. All told this is five 5' radius mini-fireballs that deal 5d6+10 damage each (and possibly even more with Flumefire Rage). Or he can cast a 3rd level heightened (+6) fireball for 18 rounds of rage, which produces eight 5' radius fireballs that deal 3d6+6 damage each. He can add alchemist's fire as a material component to cause 10 targets who fail their Reflex save to catch fire, and saltpeter (at no cost, thanks to Eschew Materials) to add 1 fire damage to each fireball. • Using this same meta-rage feature, Gardolf can spend 8 rounds of rage to summon a heightened mount, which counts as a 4th-level summoned monster. Then, by casting alter summoned monster, he can transform it into a celestial giant eagle that lasts just as long as the original spell (20 hours). This is how he prefers to travel long distances. • Gardolf can cast paragon surge, and once per day he can increase the duration of a Transmutation spell that targets only himself to hours/level. This means he can take a crafting feat with the spell and it lasts long enough for him to use it to craft. He also has the Emergency Attunement feat, which says that with a Spellcraft check and a standard action he can swap the free feat for something else. This is a good way to quickly gain a new spell known (via Expanded Arcana) without waiting for his special power. • Using his martial flexibility ability, Gardolf can take Extra Blended Talent to temporarily gain magic talents as necessary. This is particularly useful to gain new [aegis] or [energy type] talents in response to new information or special circumstances in combat. Other useful feats he can gain from this ability include: Cornugon Smash, Furious Finish, Muscular Reflexes, or Spell Attack. • Gardolf's familiar has several useful tricks as well. She carries most of Gardolf's crafted alchemical items to use against enemies, and especially Focusing Formulae that she can administer to Gardolf as a standard action. She can also use Choral Support to turn Gardolf's fire spells into sonic spells. With constant detect magic and detect evil, she can advise Gardolf when invisible or fiendish enemies are near. She can give Combat Advice as a move action, and she can aid Gardolf in combat using deliver aid, or with Swift Aid if she has her reach increased with Encompassing Light. (Gardolf retrained her feats using Purposeful Training.) She also carries a Fate spell engine that she can activate with Use Magic Device. • The spell ashen path cast on Gardolf's allies, combined with pyrotechnics, is an especially effective long-range debilitator against enemies who have been set on fire with a fireball. This also works at close range with a smokestick dropped by his familiar, or on an alchemist's fire she throws. Unfortunately, ashen path only lasts about 15m, so it must be cast with other more immediate preparation spells like expeditious retreat, moment of greatness, reduce person (on his familiar), shillelagh, fly and flaming aura. With slightly more time to prepare, Gardolf can buff himself with several effects that last 10m/level: Glow/Encompassing Light, heightened awareness, see invisibility, ablative barrier, and heroism. • Gardolf has attuned his staff, making it a Destruction implement and giving it the Spell Storing ability and the Extra Sphere ability twice (Light and Protection). Most mornings he enhances both his staff and his sword with greater magic weapon. He stores a Destructive Blast (Energy Strike/Searing Blast) in the staff, and he keeps a potion of enlarge person in his system with Manipulate Alchemy. He also casts Plexing Aegis and Armored Magic twice on himself and his familiar. And, he always casts paragon surge at the beginning of his day, though what feat he takes with it varies depending on his plans. • Since Gardolf always worries he will encounter fiends, he almost always swaps his alter self spell for consecrate and takes Consecrate Spell as his paragon surge feat. If he is crafting, he will instead swap sure casting for crafter's fortune and take a crafting feat with paragon surge. At the end of the day and before going to sleep, he often swaps Widen Spell for Extend Spell and uses his blood pool to cast extended heightened versions of his daily buffs, so that they will last through the next day. Casting extended versions of Plexing Aegis on his allies is also a worthwhile use of leftover spell points. • While sleeping, Gardolf and his familiar craft his Alchemy sphere formulae within his dreamspace. This is also generally where he works on other crafting projects, though he can bring his equipment back and forth for days when he has additional downtime during waking hours. He occasionally crafts other alchemical items for his familiar to use; a trick he sometimes uses is to cast a heightened full pouch that increases the DC of the alchemical copies created by the spell. He also crafts oils of shillelagh and potions of enlarge person to keep on hand. |
