About Ilystria LeafheartResource Tracking:
2nd Level Spells 4/4
1st Level Spells 3/5 Arcane Reservoir 8/11
Halfling Sharpstones 10/10
Ilystria Leafheart
Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +9)
The Last Laugh (50/100 pages used)
Points from the arcanist reservoir are used to fuel many of the arcanist's powers. In addition, the arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir as a free action whenever she casts an arcanist spell. If she does, she can choose to increase the caster level by 1 or increase the spell's DC by 1. She can expend no more than 1 point from her reservoir on a given spell in this way. Arcanist Exploits By bending and sometimes even breaking the rules of magic, the arcanist learns to exploit gaps and exceptions in the laws of magic. Some of these exploits allow her to break down various forms of magic, adding their essence to her arcane reservoir. At 1st level and every 2 levels thereafter, the arcanist learns a new arcane exploit selected from the following list. An arcanist exploit cannot be selected more than once. Once an arcanist exploit has been selected, it cannot be changed. Most arcanist exploits require the arcanist to expend points from her arcane reservoir to function. Unless otherwise noted, the saving throw DC for an arcanist exploit is equal to 10 + 1/2 the arcanist's level + the arcanist's Charisma modifier. Potent Magic (Su) Whenever the arcanist expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the caster level of a spell, the caster level increases by 2 instead of 1. Whenever she expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the spell's DC, it increases by 2 instead of 1. Sonic Blast (Su) The arcanist can loose a deafening blast of sonic energy by expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir and succeeding at a ranged touch attack against any one target within 30 feet. The blast deals an amount of sonic damage equal to 1d6 + the arcanist’s Charisma modifier, plus an additional 1d6 points of sonic damage for every 2 levels beyond 1st (to a maximum of 10d6 at 19th level). The target is also deafened for 1 minute. The target can attempt a Fortitude save to halve the damage and negate the deafness. Aura of Good (Ex) A collegiate arcanist radiates an aura of good as if she were a cleric of a level equal to her class level (see the detect good spell). Background Skill (Craft (Clothing), Handle Animal (x4), Knowledge (Geography) (x2), Linguistics, Sleight of Hand (x2)) Beast Bond (Handle Animal) You share a close bond with animals. You gain a +1 bonus on Handle Animal checks and Ride checks. One of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you. Bower Born Some gathlain sprout beautiful but delicate hibiscus flowers on their vines and emit a seductive pheromone. Gathlains with this trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Handle Animal checks. This racial trait replaces natural armor. Brigand You hail from the River Kingdoms or the more lawless reaches of Brevoy. Life has been hard for you. Perhaps your parents and siblings were crooks and con artists, or maybe your rough, lonely life lead you to fall in with thieves and worse. You know how to ambush travelers, bully traders, avoid the law, and camp where no one might find you. Recently, you've run into some trouble, either with the law or with other bandits, and you're looking to get away to somewhere no one would ever think to look for you. An expedition into the rugged wilderness seems like a perfect way to lie low until the trouble blows over. You begin with an extra 100 gp in ill-gotten gains. You also gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks when dealing with brigands, thieves, bandits, and their ilk. Cantrips Arcanists can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume spell slots. As with her other spells, these spells are not expended when cast. Consume Spells (Su) At 1st level, an arcanist can expend an available arcanist spell slot as a move action, making it unavailable for the rest of the day, just as if she had used it to cast a spell. Doing this adds a number of points to her arcane reservoir equal to the level of the spell slot consumed. She cannot consume cantrips (0 level spells) in this way. Points gained in excess of the reservoir's maximum are lost. Gathlain Magic Gathlains can cast entangle and Halcyon Spell Lore (Su) At each class level, she chooses one spell from the druid spell list or one spell with the good descriptor from the cleric spell list. The spell must be of a spell level that she can cast, and cannot be a spell that already appears on her arcanist spell list. A Collegiate initiate can cast a spell that she has chosen with this ability as if it were on her spell list and prepared by expending a number of points from her arcane reservoir equal to half the spell’s level (minimum 1) and expending a spell slot of the spell’s level. At 4th level and every 2 levels thereafter, a Collegiate initiate can choose to lose a spell that she has chosen with this ability in exchange for a new spell of the same spell level that meets the same requirements. This ability replaces the arcanist exploits gained at 1st, 9th, and 17th levels. Low-Light Vision (Ex) A creature with low-light vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of dim light. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. A spellcaster with low-light vision can read a scroll as long as even the tiniest candle flame is next to her as a source of light. Characters with low-light vision can see outdoors on a moonlit night as well as they can during the day. Oblivious Whether because you are an avid daydreamer or you are accustomed to everything being handed to you and spelled out for your benefit, you pay little attention to your surroundings and other people. You take a -2 penalty on Sense Motive and sight-based Perception checks. Shaper of Reality You can mimic the Eldest's ability to reshape the world. Once per day, you can cast either a conjuration spell or a transmutation spell at +1 caster level. Spell MasteryAt 5th level, a collegiate initiate gains Spell Mastery as a bonus feat. Her arcanist levels count as wizard levels for the purpose of satisfying feat prerequisites, both when selecting this bonus feat and when selecting feats gained from character advancement. If she uses her arcanist level to satisfy the prerequisites for Spell Mastery, she can prepare spells selected with this feat as arcanist spells without referring to a spellbook, but not as wizard spells. The collegiate initiate can also select Spell Mastery as a feat gained from character advancement, allowing her to select the feat multiple times. In addition, if the collegiate initiate gains levels in the collegiate arcanist prestige class, her prestige class levels stack with her arcanist levels when determining the number of points in her arcane reservoir (though not the effectiveness of arcane exploits based on class level). A collegiate initiate who takes levels in collegiate arcanist and gains the spontaneous spell mastery class feature can use that ability to instantly lose one of her prepared spells and immediately prepare a different arcanist spell of the same level or lower that she has mastered with Spell Mastery, rather than spontaneous spell mastery’s normal effect. She is still limited to the same number of times per day she can use spontaneous spell mastery. This ability replaces the arcanist exploit gained at 5th level. Spell Mastery You have mastered a small handful of spells, and can prepare these spells without referencing your spellbooks at all. Each time you take this feat, choose a number of spells that you already know equal to your Intelligence modifier. From that point on, you can prepare these spells without referring to a spellbook. Titled Certain gathlains play at the games of courtly intrigue that dominate much of Fey World culture, assuming titles that other fey may or may not recognize. These gathlains treat Bluff, Diplomacy, and Knowledge (nobility) as class skills. This replaces the feather step spell-like ability. Unnatural Resilience Your unnatural nature infuses your body, letting you resist assaults against it in unusual ways. Choose Intelligence or Charisma. You use the chosen ability score in place of Constitution as a modifier to your Fortitude saves. Weapon and Armor Proficiency Arcanists are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with an arcanist's gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
Above all, there is a definite aura of "otherness" around the diminutive fey creature. Ilystria has spent precious little time among the creatures of the Mortal Realm, and as such, many of their concepts and subtle interactions are lost on her. She has no grasp of things like sarcasm or innuendo, often leaving her to look obtuse or naïve when such styles of communication are employed in her presence. Like many fey, Ilystria is also deeply in tune with her emotions and the emotions of those around her. As such, she is often prone to seemingly irrational displays of sentiment or flights of fancy and often finds herself bewildered at how the mortal races can act in ways contrary to how they feel.
Ilystria instantly became intrigued by the games these fey would play—the guileless gathlain mistaking the sometimes cruel ways of politicking the kings and queens employed as good-natured pranks—and so endeavored to join them. Although possessed of no artistic talent or creative ability which the Elder Fey could exploit for their amusement or gain, the noble ones nonetheless reveled in the emotional torment of the unsuspecting Ilystria. They would invite her to court, building her hopes up and heightening her anticipation, only to unkindly dismiss her after having grown bored with their game, thus stealing a piece of her happiness as they watched the heartbroken gathlain leave. Time and again they played this game with her, until Ilystria had no more happiness for them to take. On that day, Ilystria returned to the wilds. In spite of leaving the courts of the fey behind her, it was clear that Ilystria's time among the nobility had affected her deeply. Days spent without purpose were no longer blissful, the beauty of the natural world had faded, and she yearned for the creature comforts of civilization at night when she lay down to sleep on beds of grass and leaves. She was no longer content for she had glimpsed the joys courtly life could bring, if only she were worthy enough to join the nobility. Time passed with only Ilystria's misery to keep her company, until one day when a large will-o'-wisp happened upon the gathlain sulking in a secluded grove. After much cajoling, the wisp was able to pull the story behind Ilystria's sadness out of the reticent fey and, whether motivated by pity or whimsy, he set about to the task of restoring Lily's stolen happiness. While wary of another deception at first, the wisp proved to be an invaluable companion, his very presence soon able to lift the gathlain from the depths of her despair. The wisp was clever, too; more clever than the Elder Fey and all their noble couriers. The wisp taught her the secrets of the Shapers and how to bend reality to suit her whims with just a few pretty words and a little focus. But, more importantly, he taught her how to laugh again. Lily wished she could stay in that grove with her friend, but nothing in the First World stays the same forever. Eventually, the wisp told her that their time together was drawing to an end. But before he left, he gave Lily one last gift: an idea. If the Elder Fey thought her unworthy of joining their courts, she ought to claim a territory for herself and create a court of her own. But she would face too much opposition from the noble fey if she tried to build a rival court in their backyard. Thus, it would be better for her to grow her court in the Mortal Realm rather than the First World. Convinced of the merit of the wisp's plan, Lily said farewell to her friend and the only home she'd ever known before stepping through the swirling portal the wisp conjured. The new world she found herself in was vastly different from her own. In time, she learned from one of the native sproutings that the land she arrived in was known as the Narlmarches, and so Lily declared herself Queen of the Narlmarches and set about establishing her court. Her courtiers were the gentle woodland creatures that recognised her as a child of nature and a few of the more intrepid sproutings from the surrounding environs. Tiressa, the only other fey the gathlain has met in her time in the Mortal Realm, was also invited to join her court, although the dryad rarely had time to attend. Elder mortals were often not welcome in her demesne, as time spent surreptitiously following them through her forest and listening to their conversation had convinced Lily that they were—invariably—a joyless bunch. Such mortals, if they were not so careless as to immediately stir the fey queen’s ire, would be lead out of the forest by faerie lights or indistinct whispering. But those who managed to slight Lily in some manner would often be sent into an enchanted sleep, only to wake later and find they were missing some valuable item—Lily having taken these baubles as her due tribute for allowing them to leave her territory otherwise unharmed. But the mortals grew bolder, trespassing freely in order to poach off of her lands and cut down her trees. She tried to fight back against what she saw as their hostile encroachment, enchanting nature to turn against the invaders, but she was too vastly outnumbered to protect her demesne. At a loss for what to do, she sought the counsel of Lady Tiressa who advised the would-be queen that if she wanted to save her forest, she ought to seek out a group of mortals who had established a new settlement in the nearby lands and make peace with them. |
