Menophotine picks up one of the flasks and checks it for magic and alchemy.
Detect Magic
Search Posts
I'm going to be pretty swamped until next Thursday, with spotty ability to update.
Menophotine holds her fauchard at the ready as the drake speaks. "Aye, and you? Are you truly the High Druid?"
If it still appears to be conscious, just stunned: Menophotine casts her Rimed Frostbite and moves up to 60 ft to be within reach and preferably flanking it. She strikes, attempting to hit nonlethally: attack roll is at +2 if flanking and an additional +3 if her Scout action a few rounds ago was successful. No sneak attack since the weapon isn't made to deal nonlethal. [+2 if flanked, +3 if scouted]
As a swift action, she'll Mark Target to touch it and give it the Battered condition and a -3 penalty on perception checks.
Battered:
Battered (condition)
Heavy blows have left a creature with this condition vulnerable to further attacks, imposing a -2 penalty to the creature’s CMD and preventing them from taking attacks of opportunity provoked by a creature performing a combat maneuver. Some talents have different effects or activation times against battered creatures. The battered condition can be removed by taking the total defense action, or through the restore ability of the Life sphere (see Spheres of Power), the lesser restoration spell, or similar effects. When inflicting the battered condition on a target that is already battered, the rounds stack when determining duration 5/7 inspiration used, 1/8 rimed frostbite touches used. I don't think that the frostbite would trigger on Mark Target's touch attack, but that may be open to debate. If the drake is already out, I'll find something else to do.
I'm usually good for at least daily, I was holding off earlier for Lady Z.
I'm not sure why but my last two posts seemed to have switched their order. Kelenarkios's diplomacy probably makes more sense in context with the roll. And all the yelling.
Menophotine moves up another 60 ft (150 ft total) and casts Displacement. Kelenarkios attempts another diplomacy check on his Leshy.
Don't ask me how you deal non-lethal damage with a club the size of a tree. Very tenderly.
The Silvanshee agathion will attempt to calm the leshy down diplomatically. . "It's okay, we're here to stop them and set things right....hey...calm down?!
Menophotine moves up 60 more feet (total 90) and uses barroom brawler to also learn Shapeshifter's Foil. As a swift action, she Scouts the Drake:
Kelenarkios flies off to find the nearest animals fleeing the area and asks them (speak with animals) "When did that creature get here? Have you seen Quercus? Has there been anyone else here?"
It might take me another couple rounds to get there if I do this, but I can barroom brawler to get Shapeshifter Foil with a 15-20 crit range to deny it a save, if that frees you up to do other stuff that would be just as productive. Sense motive can be used to get a hunch someone is under the effect of mind-affecting magic, right? Or maybe we should look for magical effects? Yep! Good call.
Doesn't Warrior Spirit default to a standard action since no other action type is listed? Or was that erratad?
"Splinter drake! Watch the thorns, they're poisonous! It may be High Druid Vetos." Menophotine moves up 30 feet and casts shield. As as swift action, ddhe spends an arcane point to enhance her weapon to +2 keen. Kelenarkios joins her and casts guidance on her.
Menophotine waves to the minotaur."Gosor! Glad you could make it. Still answering the call." Kelenarkios glances at the assembled heroes, speeding towards their destination, and makes a grim face. "I'll scout ahead and report back.". At this, he flies off towards the source of the fire.
The young tiefling bounds up the hill, cloak flapping behind her and the large black cat loping along at her heels. She nods to Astrapios, familiar enough with him as another of the city's heros, especially those who tend to operate at night. She mentally makes a note to check up on the local gossip after all this is through to find any names that were conspicuously absent and update Astrapios's page in her notebook. She casts an apprising look at the newcomer as well, scanning his defenses and searching her memories for any stories she might have heard of such a figure.
She keeps moving as she gets to them, pulling out a wand and casting Mage Armor on herself. The cat leaps ahead of her, urging them all onwards. "The master is waiting, let's not dally"
Menophotine sleepily groans and blindly swipes at whatever had hit her on the face.
Her eyes open a crack, letting in the soft light of early morning. The light is swiftly overwhelmed by the hellfire of her own irises, projecting a promise of violent retribution upon whomever disturbs her slumber. Her gaze meets another pair of eyes mere inches from her face, cold lavender and deeply hooded. The bloody vengeance in her stare beats furiously against the impenetrable mild disinterest that can only come from a cat’s gaze, lasting only a few heartbeats before settling to a simmer. She opens her mouth to speak and
”Ye gods, I'm awake! She swipes away at the cat's paw, just too slow to stop it from battering her face a fourth time. She groggily gazes out the window and continues, ”It’s been, what, three hours at most since I got back from my patrols?” Two and a half by my count. I don't know why that's important, the Master has summoned you.” Kelenarkios, her sleepless feline Silvanshee familiar, chastises the sleepy tiefling from his vantage point floating several inches above her sheets. ”I heard.” She lays still, staring at the cieling for a moment as she calculates how long it will likely take some of the other Pharossi to reach the Thousandborn, and how much sleep she might be able to make up in the difference. ”I’m going to drag you out of bed if you lie there any longer, child.” The cat floats demurely as Menophotine rolls her eyes and shifts up onto one elbow. ”Fine, grab my things and I will get ready.” The black cat floats off into her lab as she gets up and freshens up with a quick application of prestidigitation. As she folds and drapes a simple blue silk chiton about herself, she calls out ”You know, he’s lucky I didn't need to dip into my spells last night. I could have really been caught out here. Spent.” The silvanshee floats back through the lab doorway carrying a flask-laden leather belt with a small rucksack attached. She takes it and fastens the blue garment around her waist with it. His mouth now free, Kelenarkios responds, ”Lucky, or unfathomably wise.” Throwing on sandals, a dark cloak, and grabbing her horacalcum blade Hekation Crescent, soon Menophotine and Kelenarkios are out the door and walking the short distance to the gardens, two swift shadows on the early morning streets.
Howdy. I'm more interested in a dedicated-GM campaign at this point but if that falls through, I'm definitely interested in the round-robin GM experiment. I have a few ideas for how things might play out, and a handful of ideas for short adventures.
Sounds fun! And given Golarion's kitchen sink/sandbox nature, probably won't be too far off what little is presented for Iblydos.
I'd certainly prefer to play in a game with a dedicated GM, but I've also been mulling a few short adventure ideas over just in case.
Monster of the Week being the tv-show "format" where the protagonists generally encounter a brand new monster or similar obstacle every week, overcome it, and wrap things up neatly within the span of the episode. Basically, a loosely-connected series of one-shots. Research further on tvtropes if you dare.
I'd be interested in that as a backup plan. Monster-of-the-Week sort of format, yeah? I've done a bit of co-op GMing over AP volumes and I've run a decent amount of PFS which is kinda similar, but I haven't run any PBPs on before. But I like the idea, if the original campaign doesn't end up panning out.
"Quercus, a few days can seem like a long time for the shorter-lived folk who count every year as precious and indispensable. That's what makes them so industrious."
That's a good video. I'd also say, let's not buy into the stormwind fallacy here.
Those save values due seem pretty crazy high if you're trying to hit all of them.
That, or you get struck by lightning so many times you just start shrugging it off. Fire's probably more common on average though.
Depending on what you're looking for from bard and what you're looking for from archery, an Arrowsong Minstrel Bard/Hooded Champion Ranger would have some decent synergy. It would end up being more archer than bard though, more than likely.
My familiar gets the restorative touch Restoration Domain power once per day, which can remove the dazed, fatigued, shaken, sickened, or staggered condition with the healing power of
That's pretty dang intimidating. I like it, that would set me up nicely for Shadows of Fear sneak attacks. I made a picture! Since I've been digging the character. Also, with the Gestalt martial tradition giving up ALL proficiencies, I hope to trade ninjutsu's monk weapon training for the custom weapon training (Fauchard, short sword, sarissa, pilum, gastraphetes) rather than for Rogue weapon training.
That sounds awesome, I like it. Just...no goodberry jokes, please? Okay, maybe a couple goodberry jokes. @Menophotine: You haven't seen Nerita's out-of-combat healing. XD I'm pretty sure she can heal, like, twice anyone's max health over a few minutes with each cast. There would be no worries there. I hadn't, but yeah that's looking great!
I picked up a wand of infernal healing to top up, but even that won't last long with the kinds of health pools we're sporting, even if Menophotine's on the low end of that. I'm mostly going to try to not get hit, although I assume that's not going to be a realistic long-term plan. Also, I've played a life Oracle in PFS and got to apply some mythic for an adventure around 5th level, and that alone was very impressive. Life link and channels that can bring people back from the dead were amazing. Adding paladin self-healing on top of that would just be bonkers, especially when you can add in all the seats and items that support better channeling, and potentially also Greater Mercy and the like.
Ooh, I'd missed that. I have one from unchained rogue, so interested in the answer.
@gm, I'd chosen ninjutsu as a martial tradition for the scouting and thieving that it represented better than the thief training does, but I'm not so into the martial arts aspect of it. Premission to swap out the monk weapon training for rogue weapon training? Not that I plan on really using the weapon Proficiencies from either, but it seems to be a more appropriate choice for her background.
As members of particularly long-lived races who have been working in Aelyosos for decades if not longer, Menophotine, Ethana, and Quercus would probably have a fairly long history of working together to fight off some of the larger monster threats to the city in recent times. They'd possibly know (or at least know of) Jevireth as well, and may have some experience fighting alongside him. I like it. A smart gold dragon would be invalua let in discovering ways to find people to give stuff back to after a few decades. I can imagine Menophotine's reaction to Aenias. Gods! That brat had a growth spurt! If only he were a little older, she could have shown up to hand him a piece of candy like one he'd "lost" when he was just a baby.
I've been thinking a bit about potential relationships with other applicants. There are some pretty obvious links - Gosor and Ethana would likely have had a hand in Menophotine's martial training. Gosor for the specific weapon itself, and Ethana in the finesse-built spear-dancing Hoplite style of fighting. In turn, Menophotine could have easily had a hand in refining the spell/combat blending aspects of Ethana's VMC Magus. Gosor and Menophotine have likely worked together on taking out some cults of Baphomet throughout the city. As members of particularly long-lived races who have been working in Aelyosos for decades if not longer, Menophotine, Ethana, and Quercus would probably have a fairly long history of working together to fight off some of the larger monster threats to the city in recent times. They'd possibly know (or at least know of) Jevireth as well, and may have some experience fighting alongside him. Those are the more obvious possible connections I've looked at, anyway, without delving too deeply into personalities meshing or anything like that.
Menophotine's in a similar boat there. Not full-BAB classes, but her two main classes took more martially-focused archetypes so it starts to catch up through abilities and debuffs (that consequently help the rest of the party more too). Where it really hurts her is hit points. But she has a ton of utility outside of combat too. I wanted to assemble a versatile toolbox, and gestalt made that really easy to do. It's a good spreadsheet, thanks for putting it together! Aside from the rules making martial classes easy, the archetypal Greek heroes were primarily martial characters, so I think it makes sense that a lot of people are gravitating towards that. Even if you look at Lord of the Rings, an attempt at bringing that deep mythology to England, even the "Wizard" and the "Rogues" show off quite a bit of martial prowess throughout the story.
Hah, thanks for taking the time to read through the background, glad you enjoyed it. For a limited number of tricks per day, sure - Kensai spellcasting only goes so far though, and the alchemy is mostly there for a few situational emergencies. I was aiming for versatility to be able to contribute in most situations. And with all the buffs up she'll be tough to hit, sure, but she has about half the hp that Quercus does! So overall, limited staying power. Quercus is going to be a hell of a tank! I'm seeing a lot of the same kind of versatility there too.
Okay! I've added Nono's familiar in, added a physical description, and significantly revamped her backstory to fix some things that werent jiving very well. I'm a lot happier with this version. Might end up bumping her alignment to NG to reflect it as well. Everything's in this profile, and I'm spoilering here for reference as well. Intro:
Menophotine thoroughly enjoys her position amongst the Pharossi. The coalition gives her a productive outlet for her numerous skills and challenges her all while serving the people of Aelyosos and the Hero-God who saved her. Although she is rarely in the spotlight, Menophotine, or Nono has been instrumental in rooting out and destroying several dark cults throughout Aelyosos. Her knowledge, magic, and skills at subterfuge have also seen her travel throughout Iblydos and beyond when necessary to clandestinely defeat foreign threats to Aelyosos at their source. She excels when working amongst a team of heroic Pharossi, when she can provide guidance and support to the team and take full advantage of the distractions that they present to their mutual foes.
Nono's most obvious physical attributes are the two large greenish-black horns that jut from her wild mane of curls behind her slightly-pointed ears and curl forward to frame her forehead. Adorning her back are a long prehensile tail the color of clotted blood and two stunted, leathery bat wings of the same color but barely large enough to hold an actual bat aloft. Slit pupils bisect the hellish inferno of her pupils,and her eyes usually convey that she knows far, far more than you want her to. If not for these tell-tale signs of fiendish provenance, Menophotine would look like a rather plain Iblydan girl in her early twenties. She gives away little in her expressions that she doesn't want to. She dresses in a simple but well-appointed dyed linen chiton, the thin wrapped fabric secured with two belts at her waist and a stylized shield-shaped clasp at each shoulder. One belt carries several alchemical vials in easy reach and a small haversavk full of useful sorcery. Simple sandals adorn her feet but leave no tracks even on tghe softest sand. She carries an ancient fauchard with an impossibly rare blade hammered from Horacalcum. The time-bending coppery metal blade is shaped like a thin crescent moon and adorns an olive haft worn smooth from centuries of use. Following her, sometimes from blocks away and sometimes directly underfoot is a black and grey striped cat, her silvanshee agathion familiar Kelenarkios.
Backstory:
Menophotine enjoyed a prosperous childhood in Hoimpeira as the only child of a successful (human) textile merchant family. Hair the color of moonlight marked her as different as a child, but for her earliest years it was nothing more than a curiosity. She excelled in her scholarly and esoteric studies and developed an early talent for blending magical and mundane arts, quickly confounding the best tutors her family could afford. Overall, her life was happy and easy until adolescence hit her like a Balor. Almost overnight she sprouted large horns, wings, and a long prehensile tail. Her comfortable life changed to one ruled by fear and uncertainty as rumors and prejudice started circling the merchant house. This period did not last long, however, as inquisitors and enforcers of Thonis of the Thirty Columns soon knocked down their gates, claiming to have proof that Nono's father had traded with an agent of Mephistopholes to gain his early fortune. Menophotine feared that she might be part of that proof and fled the house and the city during the ensuing clash as flames began to engulf the compound. She proved to be too slippery for Thonis's troops and was soon on a boat heading out of the city. What followed were several decades of scrabbling and stealing just to get by.
Nono hasn't been back to her family's home since it was raided. She never saw any proof presented for the claims of Mephistophelean dealings, and in more recent years she has questioned the actual motives for Thonis's strike against her family. Though it's entirely possible that the agents spoke the truth, there may have been political motives behind the strike. Or perhaps Thonis foresaw the destiny of this particular child? Eventually, Aelyosos became the home of the vagabond Tiefling. She faced far less prejudice in the city than she had experienced elsewhere and she blended into the cosmopolitan population well. Furthermore, the shining jewel of Iblydos was plump with riches ripe for the taking. As her skills developed, Nono progressed from well-intentioned stealing food to survive, to stealing lovely objects for the thrill of it as she maintained a wealthy but hidden lifestyle of finery and luxury. She convinced herself that if no one was ever injured, and nobody saw her thievery, then nothing truly bad was resulting from her greed. While run-ins with the authorities were an inevitable consequence of her pickpocketing and larceny, her blend of magic and good old fashioned skullduggery let her constantly evade and confound her pursuers. Eventually, however, her reach exceeded her grasp. Her mark, a physical specimen of a man in simple but expensive finery strolling past the docks, seemingly oblivious to the bustle around him. While she knew him well by reputation, the young tiefling failed to recognize him and had much to learn about attention to detail. Nono, completely oblivious to the deference being shown to him by all those around him, had one of his gilded armbands most of the way off before his other hand closed around her wrist. Fearful, she tried to bolt, missing the kindly smile and greeting that he proferred. She loosened her grasp on the prize, but when he similarly released her, she surprised the man by slipping the armband off of him anyway and running. She ran straight into a group of guards who had suddenly appeared to protect this person of some importance. She accounted well for herself, evading some of the guards with an impressive display of defensive acrobatics and wielding an improvised broom with alacrity to stymie the rest, and eventually she judged that she had lost her pursuers. She was halfway through the doorway to her apartment when one of the Pharossi grabbed her. This time, detention was different. These captors were smarter, better, and had measures in place to stop all of the escape attempts she tried. Her biggest surprise was learning from her gaoler that she had taken the armband from a god among mortals, Kelksiomedes himself. That made her immensely proud while she sat terrified of the punishment that must follow such blasphemy. She stewed in the cell for a week, her only company a striped cat that would silently watch her through the bars for hours at a time. Eventually, her cell door opened and she faced her victim again. He carried the pilfered headband. She met him with her head held high, but he greeted her sternly. He spoke of her living quarters and the contraband it was filled with. He listed the punishments for theft and burglary in cities near and far. But in the end, he surprised her. He told her that while her ways were wicked, her heart was not. And he told her that she was not yet forgiven for her crimes, but in time she could be. Then he lifted her up and cast off her bindings. He led her from the jail and bid the Pharossi to let her go, that they had been mistaken and that the armband had been his gift to her. Again surprised, she questioned his trust and the Hero-God responded that she would need it in the days to come. Kelksiomedes walked the girl back to her home, and the cat followed. As they stood surrounded by her ill-gotten gains, he charged her with a trial that would take her years to complete and test her to her limits and beyond: to return all that she had stolen to those she had stolen from. As she balked, he beckoned for the cat to join her. The cat, Kelenarkios, would aid her in the quest and guide her towards a righteous heart. As the cat turned to greet her, Kelksiomedes left. Menophotine next met Kelksiomedes 9 years later, having sought an audience with the rulers of the city. Clad in a simple rough chiton with nothing else but a small sack and her feline agathion companion, she cut a stark contrast against the finery of the court and her former self. She told the gods of her quest; returning the greater portion of her wealth had been easy, valuable objects returned to wealthy people. Many of the items had been replaced before she even returned. More mundane articles had been more difficult, but still hadn't posed a great challenge. Her task was 90% complete within the first year. Money and food had been the most difficult. Remembering, let alone tracking down, everyone had been beyond her abilities, so she improved herself. Kelenarkios provided divine guidance when able, but Menophotine found herself searching through the past through intense magical research and even alchemical dabbling. She delved into her own mind and learned a mindfulness and attention to detail that she had previously lacked. She learned to canvass the citizens around her to find the people she needed. Some had moved on beyond Iblydos, and she found them as well. She learned that some of her victims had passed on, and in those cases she repaid their next of kin. There were a scant few who left none to claim her penance, and that money went to the alms house to provide for those who truly have nothing. Early on, she had sold Kelksiomedes’ armband to pay for what she no longer had, her research, her travels. He had been right that she would need it. And now, before the gods, she had only one more debt to pay. 5 platinum pieces, 7 gold, 46 silver and 12 copper was the balance she had to repay to the Hero-God for his armband. She offered up her service until her debt for the armband was paid in full. Kelksiomedes closed her hands around the coins and forgave her, for himself and on behalf of those who could not, reminding her that the gold had been a gift. As Menophotine started to beg the gods’ leave, the two divine beings shared a few quiet words. For the first time during the audience, Psomeira spoke. Impressed by the young tiefling’s drive and thoroughness, she offered a few terse words of praise and a request. The dedication Menophotine had demonstrated on her trial, the Divine General hypothesized, could master any art or conquer any challenge if suitably guided and trained. Producing an ancient polearm with an olive haft and a beaten coppery blade the shape of a sliver of the moon, she said that Aelyosos would have a need for heroes in the days to come. Menophotine caught her reflection in the blade, an image out of time of herself approaching to take the weapon. She nodded to the two gods and knelt before them. Stat Block:
Menophotine
Female Tiefling Gestalt [Kensai Magus 8//Canny Scoundrel URogue 6/Empiricist Investigator 2] 8 N Medium Outsider (native) Init +13; Senses Perception +17; darkvision 60', Trap Spotter -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 34, touch 24, (+4 mage armor, +4 shield, +1 deflection, +7 Dex, +2 natural, +0 dodge, +6 Canny Defense) (+2 vs traps, +2 vs AoOs from movement) hp 88 (8d8+24) Fort +9 Ref +16 Will +7 (+2 vs. traps) Resistances Cold 5, Electricity 5, Fire 5 Special Defenses Evasion, Uncanny Dodge -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft Space 5 ft Reach 5 ft (10 ft Fauchard) Melee Hekation Crescent [+1 Horacalcum Fauchard, arcane pool +1 keen] +17/+12 (1d10+13, 15-20/×2) or Hekation Crescent Spell Combat +15(/+15)/+10 Ranged Special Attacks Sneak Attack +3d6, Debilitating Injury, Bleed 3, Slow Reactions, Flensing Strike; Spell Strike; Spell Combat, Improved Spell Combat; Marked Target; Inimical Gaze (60 ft, DC 19 Will save or be Scouted) Special Abilities Arcane Pool (10), Enhance Weapon +2, Perfect Strike, Prescient Attack; Inspiration (7); Martial Flexibility 1/day; Rogues Edge: Intimidate; Scout, Find Gap Spells (Magus CL 8, concentration +14) Prepared Spells 3rd Displacement, Vampiric Touch 2nd Bladed Dash, Defending Bone, Frigid Touch, Glitterdust, Invisibility 1st Rime Frostbite, Shield, Shocking Grasp, True Strike, Vanish Cantrips Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation Alchemy (CL 2)
--------------------
Spoiler:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A kensai is proficient in simple weapons and in a single martial or exotic melee weapon of his choice (Fauchard). A kensai is not proficient with armor or shields and suffers normal arcane spell failure chance when casting magus spells while armored.
Canny Defense (Ex): At 1st level, when a kensai is wielding his chosen weapon, he gains the canny defense ability. This is identical to the duelist prestige class ability of the same name (Core Rulebook 382), save that his chosen weapon may be of any type. Weapon Focus (Ex): At 1st level, a kensai gains Weapon Focus with his chosen weapon as a bonus feat. Spells: A magus casts arcane spells drawn from the magus spell list. A magus must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the magus must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a magus's spell is 10 + the spell level + the magus's Intelligence modifier. A magus can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see the Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells Table). A magus may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying his spellbook. While studying, the magus decides which spells to prepare. Spellbooks: A magus must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook except for read magic, which all magi can prepare from memory. A magus begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level magus spells plus three 1st-level magus spells of his choice. The magus also selects a number of additional 1st-level magus spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to his spellbook. At each new magus level, he gains two new magus spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new magus level) for his spellbook. At any time, a magus can also add spells found in other spellbooks to his own (see Arcane Spells). A magus can learn spells from a wizard's spellbook, just as a wizard can from a magus's spellbook. The spells learned must be on the magus spell list, as normal. An alchemist (see the Alchemist description) can learn formulae from a magus's spellbook, if the spells are also on the alchemist spell list. A magus cannot learn spells from an alchemist. Diminished Spellcasting: A kensai may cast one fewer spell of each level than normal. If this reduces the number to 0, he may cast spells of that level only if his Intelligence allows bonus spells of that level. Arcane Pool (Su): At 1st level, the magus gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that he can draw upon to fuel his powers and enhance his weapon. This arcane pool has a number of points equal to 1/2 his magus level (minimum 1) + his Intelligence modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the magus prepares his spells. At 1st level, a magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves. At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal. Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's base price modifier (see the Magic Weapon Special Ability Descriptions). These properties are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. These bonuses and properties are decided when the arcane pool point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the magus uses this ability. These bonuses do not function if the weapon is wielded by anyone other than the magus. A magus can only enhance one weapon in this way at one time. If he uses this ability again, the first use immediately ends. Cantrips: A magus can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted in the table above under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Spell Combat (Ex): At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield his weapons at the same time. This functions much like two-weapon fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). If he casts this spell defensively, he can decide to take an additional penalty on his attack rolls, up to his Intelligence bonus, and add the same amount as a circumstance bonus on his concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still take the penalty. A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks. Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon's critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier. Magus Arcana: As he gains levels, a magus learns arcane secrets tailored to his specific way of blending martial puissance and magical skill. Starting at 3rd level, a magus gains one magus arcana. He gains an additional magus arcana for every three levels of magus attained after 3rd level. Unless specifically noted in a magus arcana's description, a magus cannot select a particular magus arcana more than once. Magus arcana that affect spells can only be used to modify spells from the magus spell list unless otherwise noted.
Perfect Strike (Ex): At 4th level, when a kensai hits with his chosen weapon, he can spend 1 point from his arcane pool in order to maximize his weapon damage. Don’t roll for damage—the weapon deals maximum damage. This affects only the weapon’s base damage dice, not additional damage from sneak attack, magical weapon properties, spellstrike, or critical hits. If the kensai confirms a critical hit, he can instead spend 2 points from his arcane pool to increase his weapon’s critical multiplier by 1. This ability replaces spell recall. Bonus Feats: At 5th level, and every six levels thereafter, a magus gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat, item creation, or metamagic feats. He must meet the prerequisites for these feats as normal. Fighter Training (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a kensai counts his magus level –3 as his fighter level for the purpose of qualifying for feats (if he has levels in fighter, these levels stack), but forfeits the benefit of such feats with weapons other than his favored weapon. This ability replaces knowledge pool. Iaijutsu (Ex): At 7th level, a kensai applies his Intelligence modifier as well as his Dexterity modifier on initiative rolls (minimum 0). A kensai may make attacks of opportunity when flat-footed, and may draw his favored weapon as a free action as part of taking an attack of opportunity. This ability replaces the medium armor ability. Improved Spell Combat (Ex): At 8th level, the magus's ability to cast spells and make melee attacks improves. When using the spell combat ability, the magus receives a +2 circumstance bonus on concentration checks, in addition to any bonus granted by taking an additional penalty on the attack roll. Rogue Class Features
Spoiler:
Proficiencies: Canny scoundrels are proficient with simple weapons, as well as light armor and bucklers. In addition, if this is this character’s first level in any class, they may select a martial tradition of their choice.
This modifies weapon and armor proficiencies. Sneak Attack: (3d6) If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The rogue’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every 2 rogue levels thereafter. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. This additional damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit. With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (such as a sap, unarmed strike, or whip), a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack—not even with the usual –4 penalty. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with total concealment. Combat Training (Ex): A canny scoundrel is considered an Adept practitioner, gaining spheres and talents as appropriate, and uses the higher of their Charisma or Intelligence as their practitioner modifier.
Keen Blades, Keen Eyes, and Keen Wits: At 1st level the canny scoundrel gains the Scoundrel and Scout spheres as bonus spheres, as well as Finesse Fighting from the Equipment sphere, even if she would not normally qualify for it. If she already possesses one or more of these spheres, she may instead choose any talent she qualifies for from the corresponding sphere.
Finesse Training (Ex): At 1st level, a rogue gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, starting at 3rd level, she can select any one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (Fauchard via Spear Dancer sphere talent). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever she makes a successful melee attack with the selected weapon, she adds her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the rogue from adding her Strength modifier to the damage roll, she does not add her Dexterity modifier. The rogue can select a second weapon at 11th level and a third at 19th level. Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, a rogue can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she succeeds at a Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion. Rogue Talents: As a rogue gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes. Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels of rogue attained after 2nd level. A rogue cannot select an individual talent more than once.
Danger Sense (Ex): (+2) At 3rd level, a rogue gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. In addition, she gains a +1 bonus on Perception checks to avoid being surprised by a foe. These bonuses increase by 1 every 3 rogue levels thereafter (to a maximum of +6 at 18th level). This ability counts as trap sense for the purpose of any feat or class prerequisite, and can be replaced by any archetype class feature that replaces trap sense. The bonuses gained from this ability stack with those gained from trap sense (from another class). Debilitating Injury (Ex): At 4th level, whenever a rogue deals sneak attack damage to a foe, she can also debilitate the target of her attack, causing it to take a penalty for 1 round (this is in addition to any penalty caused by a rogue talent or other special ability). The rogue can choose to apply any one of the following penalties when the damage is dealt. Bewildered: The target becomes bewildered, taking a –2 penalty to AC. The target takes an additional –2 penalty to AC against all attacks made by the rogue. At 10th level and 16th level, the penalty to AC against attacks made by the rogue increases by –2 (to a total maximum of –8). Disoriented: The target takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls. In addition, the target takes an additional –2 penalty on all attack rolls it makes against the rogue. At 10th level and 16th level, the penalty on attack rolls made against the rogue increases by –2 (to a total maximum of –8). Hampered: All of the target’s speeds are reduced by half (to a minimum of 5 feet). In addition, the target cannot take a 5-foot step. These penalties do not stack with themselves, but additional attacks that deal sneak attack damage extend the duration by 1 round. A creature cannot suffer from more than one penalty from this ability at a time. If a new penalty is applied, the old penalty immediately ends. Any form of healing applied to a target suffering from one of these penalties also removes the penalty. Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 4th level, a rogue can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does she lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A rogue with this ability can still lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against her. If a rogue already has uncanny dodge from a different class, she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead. Rogue’s Edge (Ex): At 5th level, a rogue has mastered a single skill beyond that skill’s normal boundaries, gaining results that others can only dream about. She gains the skill unlock powers (see page 82) for that skill as appropriate for her number of ranks in that skill. At 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, she chooses an additional skill and gains skill unlock powers for that skill as well.
Spheres of Might
Spoiler:
6th level Adept Practitioner (4 talents), Int-based, DC 19
Martial Tradition: Ninjutsu Equipment Sphere: Finesse Fighting (Feat tax rules) Spear Dancer (Ninjutsu Bonus) - You may treat any spear or polearm you wield as though it had the finesse weapon special feature, and may wield it as a one-handed weapon. Spears and polearms include weapons like the amentum, boar spear, doru, elven branched spear, glaive, guisarme, harpoon, lance, longspear, naginata, pilum, planson, shortspear, sibat, spear, tiger fork, and trident or other weapons based on GM approval. Monk Weapon Proficiencies (Ninjutsu) - You gain proficiency with all weapons with the monk special feature. Polearm Mastery (lvl 2) - When wielding a reach weapon, you may attack targets within your natural reach, but suffer a -2 penalty when doing so. At +10 base attack bonus, you also threaten all squares within your natural reach when wielding a reach weapon, but still suffer a -2 penalty to attacks of opportunity made in this fashion. Scoundrel Sphere (Rogue): Swift Hands (base) - You may use your Dexterity in place of your Strength when attempting a dirty trick or steal maneuver and may use your ranks in the Sleight of Hand skill in place of your base attack bonus when determining your combat maneuver bonus to perform a dirty trick or steal maneuver. In addition, you may apply any enhancement bonuses to your unarmed strikes to your dirty trick and steal combat maneuvers. Mark Target (base) - You may make a melee touch attack against a creature as a swift action; if this attack is successful, the creature is battered and takes a -1 penalty on Perception checks for 1 round. For every 4 ranks in Sleight of Hand you possess, this penalty is increased by 1. Misdirected Attack +2 (Ninjutsu Bonus) - Whenever you provoke an attack of opportunity due to leaving a creature’s threatened square, you gain a dodge bonus to your AC equal to 1/4 your ranks in Sleight of Hand (minimum 1). If an attack of opportunity provoked in this way misses you, you can expend an attack of opportunity to choose to redirect the attack to a creature within the attacker’s reach (other than the attacker themselves), adding a bonus to the attack roll equal to the dodge bonus granted by this talent. Improved Grifting +3 (lvl 3) - You gain a +1 competence bonus to your dirty trick and steal combat maneuver checks, as well as to your CMD vs. those maneuvers. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 ranks in Sleight of Hand you possess. This bonus does not stack with the bonus to these maneuvers provided by the Improved or Greater Dirty Trick or Improved or Greater Steal feats. Associated Feats: Improved Steal, Improved Dirty Trick. Scout Sphere (Rogue): Scout (base) - As a swift action, you may identify a creature’s weaknesses (DC 10 + creature’s CR) as described under the Knowledge skill, but may substitute a Perception check for the appropriate Knowledge check at a -5 penalty. This only reveals the target’s weaknesses, or lack thereof, (such as damage reduction types and vulnerabilities), and does not reveal any additional information about the target. Once you have succeeded at a scout attempt or Knowledge check against a target, any talents or effects that require you to scout a target may be used against the target for the next 24 hours; after this period you must successfully use the scout ability against the target again to continue benefiting from related effects. Lurker (Ninjutsu Bonus) - Creatures using unusual forms of sensory perception such as blindsight, greensight, or tremorsense cannot automatically foil your use of Stealth; such creatures must make a Perception check as normal to detect you when you make use of the Stealth skill. Lurker foils divination spells and Divination sphere sense abilities in the manner described above, but has no effect on spell, sphere, spell-like, or supernatural abilities specifically used to uncover information about you rather than enhancing the user’s perception, such as when scrying or using the Divination sphere‘s divine abilities. Find Gap -3 4 rds (lvl 4) - Whenever you successfully use the scout ability against a creature, you treat their AC as 1 lower than it actually is for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your ranks in Perception (minimum 1). For every 4 ranks you possess, treat their AC as an additional 1 point lower. Inimical Gaze (lvl 6) - Prerequisites: Scout sphere, Perception 5 ranks. The scout ability granted by the Scout sphere is now a gaze attack that can affect any creature within 60 ft. You may activate this gaze as a free action and it stays active until the end of your next turn. Any creature subject to the gaze that fails a Will save is automatically scouted by you. Investigator Class Features
Spoiler:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Investigators are proficient with simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, short sword, and sword cane. They are proficient in light armors, but not shields.
Alchemy (Su): Investigators are highly trained in the creation of mundane alchemical substances and magical potion-like extracts. When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, an investigator gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on the skill check. In addition, an investigator can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions as if using detect magic. He must hold the potion for 1 round to attempt such a check. Like an alchemist, an investigator prepares his spells by mixing ingredients and a tiny fraction of his own magical power into a number of extracts, and then effectively casts the spell by drinking the extract. These extracts have powerful effects, but they are also bound to their creator. Extracts behave like spells in potion form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by dispel magic and similar effects, using the investigator’s level as the caster level. An investigator can create only a certain number of extracts of each level per day. His base daily allotment of extracts per day is given on Table 1–8: Investigator. In addition, he receives bonus extracts per day if he has a high Intelligence score, in the same way a wizard receives bonus spells per day. When an investigator mixes an extract, he infuses the chemicals and reagents in the extract with magic siphoned from his own magical aura. An extract immediately become inert if it leaves the investigator’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to his keeping—an investigator cannot normally pass out his extracts for allies to use. An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before losing its magic, so an investigator must reprepare his extracts every day. Mixing an extract takes 1 minute of work. Creating extracts consumes raw material, but the cost of those materials is insignificant—comparable to the valueless material components of most spells. If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is expended during the consumption of that particular extract. Extracts cannot be made from spells that have focus requirements; extracts that duplicate divine spells never have a divine focus requirement. An investigator uses the alchemist formula list (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide 32) to determine the extracts he can know. An investigator can prepare an extract of any formula he knows. To learn or use an extract, an investigator must have at least an Intelligence score equal to 10 + the extract’s level. The saving throw DC for an investigator’s extract is equal to 10 + the extract’s level + the investigator’s Intelligence modifier. An investigator may know any number of formulae. He stores his formulae in a special tome called a formula book. He must refer to this book whenever he prepares an extract. At 1st level, an investigator starts with two 1st level formulae of his choice, plus a number of additional formulae equal to his Intelligence modifier. At each new investigator level, he gains one new formula for any level that he can create. An investigator can also add formulae to his book just like a wizard adds spells to his spellbook, using the same costs, pages, and time requirements. A formula book costs as much as a spellbook. An investigator can study a wizard’s spellbook to learn any formula that is equivalent to a spell the spellbook contains. A wizard, however, cannot learn spells from a formula book. An investigator can also learn formulae from another investigator’s or an alchemist’s formula book (and vice versa). An investigator does not need to decipher arcane writing before copying that formulae. Inspiration (Ex): An investigator is beyond knowledgeable and skilled—he also possesses keen powers of observation and deduction that far surpass the abilities of others. An investigator typically uses these powers to aid in their investigations, but can also use these flashes of inspiration in other situations. An investigator has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). An investigator’s inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without expending a use of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill. Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration each time from the investigator’s pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action. Trapfinding: An investigator adds 1/2 his level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device checks (minimum 1). An investigator can use Disable Device to disarm magical traps. Ceaseless Observation (Ex): An empiricist’s ability to notice the minutiae of almost everything that happens around him allows him to make shrewd and insightful calculations about people and even inanimate objects. At 2nd level, an empiricist uses his Intelligence modifier instead of the skill’s typical ability for all Disable Device, Perception, Sense Motive, and Use Magic Device checks. He can also use his Intelligence modifier instead of Charisma on any Diplomacy checks made to gather information. This ability replaces poison lore and poison resistance. Favored Class Bonus Magus, +8 hit points
Familiar: Kelenarkios Male Silvanshee Agathion Emissary Familiar [Emissary of Kelksiomedes] 8 NG Tiny Outsider (agathion, extraplanar, good) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10 Defense AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural, +2 size) hp 44 Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +8; +4 vs. poison DR 5/evil or silver; Immune electricity, petrification; Resist cold 10, sonic 10; SR 13 Offense Speed 30 ft., fly 90 ft. (good) Melee bite +10 (1d3–4), 2 claws +10 (1d2–4) Special Attacks heroic strength, pounce Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd; concentration +3) Constant—know direction, speak with animals At will—dancing lights, prestidigitation, stabilize, guidance 1/day—dimension door (self plus 5 lbs. of objects only) 1/week—commune (6 questions, CL 12th) Statistics Str 3, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 13 Base Atk +6/+1; CMB +2; CMD 14 (18 vs. trip) Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +17, Bluff +12, Climb +7, Craft (alchemy) +7, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +7, Escape Artist +9, Fly +6, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (local) +11, Knowledge (planes) +7, Knowledge (religion) +4, Linguistics +8, Perception +16, Sense Motive +12, Sleight of Hand +9, Spellcraft +11, Stealth +25, Use Magic Device +9; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; speak with animals, truespeech SQ cat’s luck, flight, lay on hands (1d6, 1/day, always as a 2nd-level paladin), spectral mist, share will, restorative touch Special Abilities
Heroic Strength (Su) Once per day, a silvanshee can grant itself a +8 enhancement bonus to Strength for 1 minute. Spectral Mist (Su) A silvanshee can assume an eerie, mist-like form roughly the size and shape of a cat. This ability has the same effect as a gaseous form spell, except the silvanshee retains its own DR and supernatural abilities and can move at its normal speed. It can remain in mist form up to 5 minutes per day. This duration does not have to be consecutive, but it must be used in 1-minute increments. Share Will (Su) Whenever an emissary or its master fails a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect that affects only one of them, the other can attempt the saving throw as well. If this second saving throw is a success, treat the original result as a success, and the emissary and its master can’t use this ability again for 24 hours. On a failure, both the emissary and its master suffer the effects of the failed saving throw, even if one of them wouldn’t ordinarily be a valid target. Restorative Touch (Su) You can touch a creature, letting the healing power of your deity flow through you to relieve the creature of a minor condition. Your touch can remove the dazed, fatigued, shaken, sickened, or staggered condition. You choose which condition is removed. You can use this ability once per day.
Ugh, I ran into this yesterday just working in my alias profile to add rules text into my statblock, which lost me a ton of time. Definitely went to editing in a Google doc after that. Good advice.
@GM Hey, glad you're back! Thanks for the clarification on familiars. I've since given it some thought, and I've settled on a Silvanshee familiar for her. It's just one step away, NG-TN, and I plan on taking the Emmisary archetype on it, as a familiar introduced to her by Kelksiomedes as a good influence on her. I'm sorely tempted to name it something that she can shorten to "Narc" but that might not fit in well with the epic feel that this campaign is going for :D Still, I should have that statted up and ready to go later today some time, along with some backstory for the familiar and how they tie into Menophotine's backstory and growth. I'm also updating her statblock to make things more clear and I'd like to do a bit of a rewrite to her backstory to clean up a few things that aren't sitting quite right with me. In light of the Silvanshee being an emissary though, do the Hero-Gods give sub-domains? I'm specifically interested in whether or not Kelksiomedes would grant the Restoration subdomain, (it seems logical from my take on him, but ymmv) but other subdomains for other Hero-Gods would probably be useful to others too.
Based on this, his initiative should be +5 rather than +1. Other than that, looking good!
If I'm sad about anything it's that harpoons are exotic weapons other than polearms, and I just don't have the feats to use them as my ranged attack for when I'm forced to take make them. For 1500, you can get a flawed opalescent white pyramid to gain weapon familiarity, which for a fighter is just as good as proficiency. It'd definitely be thematic for Gosor!
Allowed to s+*% into Major Form when moving at least 10' or as part of a chargeHaha, I think you misspelled "shift" when you were copy/pasting. Otherwise, that's a VERY different ability. "I will purge the humanity from my body, leaving only tiger to remain! Hrrrrgggfh!"
If people are in the mood to give a second set of eyes, I'd appreciate a sanity check on my entry in this alias. This is my first time in a long time building a gestalt character.
As far as exotic proficiencies go, I got fauchard for free from Kensai. Would the feat tax turn that into a weapon group proficiency? Or would that just stay as exotic? @GM- Are the alignment restrictions for improved familiars in place?
Zefig here, I've put together the basic stat block for my entry, the Tiefling magus//rogue/investigator. Mechanically, she's a skillsy sneak who covers the "traditional" rogue role pretty handily. She has a few ways to fairly reliably pull off sneak attacks, can deal some decent burst damage between sneak attack and spell combat, and she can dish out quite a few debuffs (entangled, shaken, staggered, bleeding, sickened, battered, no AoOs, natural armor penalties, plus dirty tricks). As far as face skills go, she has a +17 in intimidate, bluff, and sense motive, but diplomacy is not her strong suit. Background:
Menophotine thoroughly enjoys her position amongst the Pharossi. Although she is rarely in the spotlight, Nono has been instrumental in rooting out and destroying several dark cults throughout Aelyosos. Her skill set has also seen her travel throughout Iblydos and beyond when necessary to clandestinely protect Aelyosos and its interests. She excels when working amongst a team of heroic Pharossi, when she can provide guidance to the team and take full advantage of the distractions that they present to their foes. From her fiendish nature and her life before joining the Pharossi, she also contributes a moral flexibility in working towards the greater good that many of the city-state's protectors and leadership lack. Perhaps because of this, she enjoys indulging in the protection and status afforded to her as "one of the good guys." Nono enjoyed a prosperous childhood in Hoimpeira as the only child of a successful(human)textile merchant family. Hair the color of moonlight marked her as different as a child, but it was nothing more than a curiosity. She excelled in her studies and developed an early talent for blending magical and mundane arts. Overall, her life was happy and easy until adolescence hit her like a Balor. Almost overnight she sprouted large horns, wings, and a long prehensile tail. Her comfortable life changed to one ruled by fear and uncertainty as rumors and hatred started circling the merchant house. This period did not last long, however, as inquisitors and enforcers of Thonis of the Thirty Columns soon knocked down their gates, claiming to have proof that Nono's father had traded with an agent of Mephistopholes to gain his fortune. Menophotine feared that she might be part of that proof and fled the city during the ensuing clash as flames began to engulf the compound. She proved to be too slippery for Thonis's troops and was soon on a boat heading out of the city. What followed were several decades of scrabbling and stealing just to get by. Nono hasn't been back to her family's home since it was raided. She never saw any proof presented for the claims of Mephistophelean dealings, and in more recent years she has questioned the actual motives for Thonis's strike against her family. Though it's entirely possible that the agents spoke the truth, there may have been political motives behind the strike. Or perhaps Thonis foresaw the destiny of this particular child? Eventually, Aelyosos became the home of the vagabond Tiefling. She faced far less prejudice in the city than she had experienced elsewhere and blended into the cosmopolitan population well. Furthermore, the shining jewel of Iblydos was plump with riches ripe for the taking. As her skills developed, Nono eventually built back up to a similar standard of living that she had enjoyed as a child. While run-ins with the authorities were an inevitable consequence of her thieving lifestyle, her blend of magic let her constantly evade and confound her pursuers. Eventually, however, her reach exceeded her grasp. Her mark, a physical specimen of a man in simple but expensive finery strolling past the docks, seemingly oblivious to the bustle around him. Nono, completely oblivious to the deference being shown to him by all those around him, had one of his gilded armbands most of the way off before his other hand closed around her wrist. His eyes met hers as she looked up and he greeted her with a warm smile. "Come now, little one, you don't need to do that anymore," he said as she loosened her grasp on her prize. But when he similarly released her, she surprised the man by slipping off the armband anyway and running. She ran straight into a group of guards who had suddenly appeared to protect this person of some importance. She accounted well for herself, fending off the guards with an impressive display of defensive acrobatics and wielding an improvised broom with alacrity to stymie others, and eventually she lost her pursuers yet again. When she returned to her apartment, the statuesque man was waiting for her with a hafted weapon laying across his lap. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, young one, since you clearly don't know who I am. I am Kelksiomedes of Aelyosus, and that," he said, pointing to the armband in her hands, "is yours now. You've earned it. But I suspect you've earned everything else in this apartment in a similar fashion, and that's disappointing to see for one of such skill as you." His kindness drew her in as they conversed, and before he left, the Hero-God offered Menophotine a choice. She could take his gilded armband and leave his city forever, or she could return all of her remaining ill-gotten gains and then join the Pharossi. In addition, he offered a bond of trust: in return for his gilded armband, if she joined the Pharossi, he offered her a weapon to use against those who would threaten his city. The polearm had an ancient, weathered haft and a copper blade shaped like a sliver of the moon, forged from impossibly rare Horacalcum. Left to the city by a hero-god of old, he called the weapon the Hekation Crescent. As Menophotine battled her greed and sense of self-preservation over the choice, she stared into the time-bending metal of the ancient blade. She saw a reflection of herself reaching out to accept the trust of her new-found patron, and she looked up at him and smiled. I have a bit of flexibility on the feats and can change a few out depending on how the party pans out. I also have a familiar baked into the build that I haven't worked in yet. The possibilities I'm looking at for now are a Shadow Drake, a Nosoi, or a Voidworm. |