Harmony Mai d'Valois's page

(Mascot Monkey Familiar)
N Tiny animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5

DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 natural, +2 Dex, +2 size)
HP 21/21 (Half Harmony)
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +6

OFFENSE
Melee bite +6 melee (1d3–4)

Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

STATISTICS
Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 5
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 8

Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills: Acrobatics +10, Climb +10, Perception +5;
Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Familiar: The master of a monkey familiar gains a +3 bonus on Acrobatics checks.
Mascot Skills: A mascot treats all Perform skills as class skills.
Affinity for my team: A mascot is the heart and soul of its team. At first, the team consists of only the familiar and its master, but at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter, a mascot can add an additional member to its team. A mascot’s empathic link extends to all members of its team. A mascot can add or remove one team member over the course of a day.
This replaces alertness and alters empathic link.
Lucky Mascot: Whenever a mascot uses the aid another action to improve a team member’s attack roll or AC, that team member also gains a +1 luck bonus to AC for 1 round.
This replaces improved evasion.
Share Spells: The wizard may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his familiar (as a touch spell) instead of on himself. A wizard may cast spells on his familiar even if the spells do not normally affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).
At 3rd level, spells that target a mascot via its share spells ability function at its master’s caster level – 2. The mascot also benefit from the spells of any team member when it is using share spells.
This alters share spells.
Empathic Link: The master has an empathic link with his familiar to a 1 mile distance. The master can communicate empathically with the familiar, but cannot see through its eyes. Because of the link’s limited nature, only general emotions can be shared. The master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
Deliver Touch Spells: If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the “toucher.” The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master would. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.
At 5th level, spells delivered by a mascot’s deliver touch spells ability function at its master’s caster level – 2. The mascot can deliver the touch spells of any of its team members.
This alters deliver touch spells.
Speak with Team: At 7th level, a mascot gains the ability to speak with all members of its team verbally as if using speak with master. This replaces speak with master and speak with animals of its kind.

Cohort: 5th level (capped at 8th). Followers: 10x lvl 1's, 1x lvl 2.

Countersong (Su): At 1st level, a bard learns to counter magic effects that depend on sound (but not spells that have verbal components.) Each round of the countersong he makes a Perform (keyboard, percussion, wind, string, or sing) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the bard (including the bard himself) that is affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack may use the bard’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use the bard’s Perform skill check result for the save. Countersong does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Countersong relies on audible components.
Distraction (Su): At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to counter magic effects that depend on sight. Each round of the Distraction, he makes a Perform (act, comedy, dance, or oratory) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the bard (including the bard himself) that is affected by an illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack may use the bard’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the Distraction is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous illusion (pattern) or illusion (figment) magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it sees the Distraction, but it must use the bard’s Perform check result for the save. Distraction does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Distraction relies on visual components.
Fascinate: At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with him. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear the bard, and capable of paying attention to him. The bard must also be able to see the creatures affected. The Distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. For every three levels a bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability.
Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature’s saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.
Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.
Inspire Courage +2 (Su): A 1st level bard can use his performance to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive the bard’s performance. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.
Inspire Competence +3 (Su): A bard of 3rd level or higher can use his performance to help an ally succeed at a task. The ally must be within 30 feet and able to see and hear the bard. The ally gets a +2 competence bonus on skill checks with a particular skill as long as she continues to hear the bard’s performance. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the bard has attained beyond 3rd (+3 at 7th, +4 at 11th, +5 at 15th, and +6 at 19th). Certain uses of this ability are infeasible, such as Stealth, and may be disallowed at the GM’s discretion. A bard can’t inspire competence in himself. Inspire competence relies on audible components.
Suggestion: A bard of 6th level or higher can use his performance to make a suggestion (as per the spell) to a creature that he has already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not disrupt the fascinate effect, but it does require a standard action to activate (in addition to the free action to continue the fascinate effect). A bard can use this ability more than once against an individual creature during an individual performance.
A Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 bard’s level + bard’s Cha modifier) negates the effect. This ability affects only a single creature (but see mass suggestion, below). Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability and relies on audible components.
Dirge of Doom: A bard of 8th level or higher can use his performance to foster a sense of growing dread in his enemies, causing them to take become shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet and able to see and hear the bard’s performance. The effect persists for as long as the enemy is within 30 feet and the bard continues the performance. The performance cannot cause a creature to become frightened or panicked, even if the targets are already shaken from another effect. Dirge of doom is a mind-affecting fear effect, and it relies on audible and visual components.
Inspire Greatness: A bard of 9th level or higher can use his performance to inspire greatness in himself or a single willing ally within 30 feet, granting extra fighting capability. For every three levels a bard attains beyond 9th, he can target one additional ally while using this performance (up to a maximum of four at 18th level). To inspire greatness, all of the targets must be able to see and hear the bard. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply the target’s Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells that are Hit Dice dependent. Inspire greatness is a mind-affecting ability and it relies on audible and visual components.
Soothing Performance: A bard of 12th level or higher can use his performance to create an effect equivalent to the mass cure serious wounds, using the bard’s level as the caster level. In addition, this performance removes the fatigued, sickened, and shaken condition from all those affected. Using this ability requires 4 rounds of continuous performance, and the targets must be able to see and hear the bard throughout the performance. Soothing performance relies on audible and visual components.

12 Arodus, 4719. “Empress Eutropia enthroned! Confirms new senate, filling two hundred seats.”
18 Arodus, 4719. “Heroes of the Succession honoured. Former bodysnatcher appointed People’s Tribune. Lady d’Valois granted first new hereditary senate seat.

6 Calistril, 4720. “Lord Merosett resigns as Senate Princeps. Progressive Alliance leader d’Valois elected in landslide.”

28 Rova, 4720. “Crime rates in Oppara halved. Grand Princess Eutropia praises Princeps d’Valois and new crime laws for improvements in city governance.

31 Erastus, 4721. “Grand Princess confirms pregnancy. National holiday declared! Senatorial Justice Commission appointed to review state laws. Princeps d’Valois calls move ‘a momentous chance to change Taldor for the better’.

3 Neth, 4721. “Society News: Princeps d’Valois and Lady d’Valois confirm that they are expecting their second child. It is widely understood that the Princeps will be carrying the child herself, and insists she will keep a full working schedule throughout the pregnancy.”

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Harmony d’Valois is the oldest child and heir to two of Taldor’s most famous women – Melodie and Zhi d’Valois. Two of the Succession Heroes, Melodie and Zhi reaped arguably the greatest material reward from their supporting the Grand Princess Eutropia’s rise to the throne.

Since Zhi was heavily pregnant with Harmony when the War for the Crown came to a head it was Melodie, along with Martella Lotheed, who stage-managed Eutropia’s coronation and in return was given a seat in the senate, inheritable by any child of her blood – a point the empress was keen to emphasise in public.

The birth of a daughter was therefore a source of both personal joy and political satisfaction and Harmony was famous almost from the moment she was born. By the time she was two years old Melodie was Princeps of the Senate and busy overseeing a complete revision of Taldor’s bloated bureaucracy and law code, while Zhi had completed a thorough and largely bloodless coup, consolidating almost all of Oppara’s ‘less-than-reputable’ businesses into an empire of her own. Being the daughter of two such powerful women kept Harmony in the limelight and, as a naturally precocious child, Harmony was charming politicians and nobles in her own right from almost the moment she could speak.

As she grew up, and was joined by her younger brother Louis, Harmony lacked for nothing. Both her parents were attentive and loving, always carving out time to put her to bed and help Harmony through the trials of childhood. This parental concern was great while Harmony was young, but as she grew up and entered her teenage years she began to chafe at her circumstances. Privilege made life boring and Harmony actively cultivated friends from outside the other noble children she spent much of her time with. One of these was Contessa Steele, the daughter of a fencing master cum ambassador, recently returned from a semi-official diplomatic mission to Arcadia. Tessa was a few years older than Harmony, bold, capable with a blade and to the twelve-year-old Harmony infinitely sophisticated. Tessa was responsible for introducing Harmony to a lot of new semi-illicit experiences, apparently without the knowledge of either set of parents, including an infamous incident with a beautiful high spirited mare belonging to Maria Greyson, another of the Succession Heroes. Harmony ended that particular episode with a broken arm although she stubbornly insisted that it was her fault and that Tessa had nothing to do with it.

Harmony’s arm was left to heal naturally, without magic, and in the process she and Tessa became close friends, developing nicknames for each other – playing off Tessa’s burgeoning love of shoes and Harmony’s dramatic, heterochromatic eyes. When Tessa’s father was recalled to Arcadia the fifteen-year-old Harmony and eighteen-year-old Tessa swore eternal friendship and promised to never forget each other.

Inspired by her friends memory Harmony continued to live her life to the full, enjoying the privileges of wealth and power, as well as the understanding of two parents who were not all that much older than she herself. She explored a variety of pleasures, with both boys and girls, taking full advantage of the exotic looks inherited from her Tian mom and the easy charm and natural grace of her changeling mother but, by the time she turned eighteen, life in Oppara was beginning to turn stale. A voracious reader and consumer of stories Harmony had grown up on tales of the War for the Crown and her parent’s fairy-tale (in her mind at least) romance and she chafed at how ‘safe’ and ‘unexciting’ her life was.

As Louis’ eighteenth birthday approached his godfather Bartelby Lotheed named the young man as his heir and indicated his intent to retire from political life, leaving his godson a senate seat and the title of Duke of Taldor. This was the last straw for Harmony. Now confirmed as her parent’s only heir, since Louis now possessed an inheritance of his own, she made the snap decision to get out of Oppara and see the world before responsibility came and ‘trapped’ her in Taldor permanently. Reacting to a throw-away comment at dinner one night about a possible sighting of her old friend Tessa, Harmony packed her things and boarded a ship in the dead of night, headed south to Mediogalti and the Shackles.