Yeah, same here. COVID is still a thing, I hope he isn't sick.
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Same here as with Lilianne. I'm waiting on a response from the GM as to the party's questions. Still around though!
"Ooh, if there is a caravan ready to travel the Moonsea Ride soon, we could join them and try to lure out the attackers! Wouldn't be the first time I've posed as a harmless traveling scholar." Although last time ended... badly. Zhents don't usually come this far south, though. Right? "It's always easier to find an enemy when they come to you."
Yay, our GM is back! Best of luck getting your laptop repaired properly.
Rissa whips out a leather-bound journal and a slim wooden box from her backpack. She heads over to a low coffee table, about the right height for a gnome sitting on the floor, and opens the box to retrieve a gnome-sized quill pen and a brass traveling inkwell. "Give me a moment or two to write all of this down. Don't worry, I always write in Gnome, and not many bigfolk bother learning our language." The wizard pulls a pillow off the couch to serve as a seat and begins writing in tiny, neat letters. "There we go! No need to rely on memories, which tend to change over time." She taps the end of the quill on her chin, thinking. "Who would we contact to find cargo manifests for these caravans? Obviously someone wanted what they were carrying. If we can determine what, exactly, the assailants wanted, that might be a clue as to who they are."
Still alive and kicking! No thanks to my professors this semester. One of them assigns these ridiculously time-consuming labs that are worth... wait for it... a whole ten points each! AAAAAAHHHH. Why do I have to bust my buns for a measly ten points? If he's going to assign this kind of work it should at least be worth a more significant part of the semester's grade. /rant
Oh no! Don't worry about us, the game will still be here when you get your laptop fixed.
Rissa brightens at High Councilor Malorn's description of his problem. Rather than being daunted at the prospect of tracking down caravans that vanished into thin air, she is obviously excited. "If you want to find that which cannot be found, you've come to the right gnome! This sounds like an excellent job for a diviner. Eirissanelyndel Farseer, at your service. Call me Rissa." She bows to the High Councilor with an even more dramatic flourish of her cloak than she gave to the rest of the party.
That thought makes him look around and check the other assistants. "We've got quite the adventuring party here" he says, if only to soothe things a bit, though he actually has a look at the potential companions. Well, that was one of the more awkward reunions Rissa has seen in a while. Clearly the two elves have unresolved business between them. And just as clearly, it's something private, hence Corwynt's attempt to change the subject. Rissa steps forward and bows to the gathered adventurers with a flourish of her deep green cloak. "Indeed we do! I am Eirissanelyndel Farseer, a diviner and scholar of many fields. Call me Rissa. I'm delighted to meet all of you!" She makes sure to catch Mia's eye and stress the word 'all' ever so slightly. From the tiefling's reaction, Rissa probably was staring earlier. Oops. "Does anyone have an idea of why the High Councilor called us here? There are so many possibilities."
Ugh, so much rain. And mud. There are days when Rissa misses the more arid climate of High Dale. But hey, she's finally reached Ashabenford and the house of the High Councilor! The gnome dismounts and hands the reins of her beasts to the stablehand, then joins the rest of the group as they wait for the guard to get back. My goodness, there are certainly a lot of elves here! And is that a tiefling? Rissa barely manages to suppress a squeal of excitement. Planetouched are so rare in the Dales! What an excellent opportunity to learn more about tieflings! Of course, one mustn't generalize too much, planetouched are said to be a very diverse lot, but still! Oh no. Am I staring? I hope not. The wizard turns away slightly and casts a quick spell to clean the mud off her clothes. She's tempted to introduce herself, but it looks like a couple of the elves are having a reunion of sorts. It would be rude to interrupt them.
If necessary Rissa can prepare a couple acid arrows, and she has her wand of magic missile. At this level, though, I find it more effective to play control/debuff as a primary arcane caster and let the martial types take care of damage.
Whoops, I should have specified that the shopping list means Rissa is ready to roll! Provided I didn’t screw up the math, of course.
Shopping 2, electric boogaloo! Crafted Magic Items:
1000 handy haversack
2000 pearl of power (2nd) -------------------------------------- Total 3000 gp Shopping List:
7500 gp
-3000 crafted magic items -1500 travel cloak -1000 vest of resistance +1 -250 traveler's any-tool -75 ioun torch -335 masterwork light crossbow, small -20 alchemical silver crossbow bolts x10, small -45 pony, combat trained -20 military saddle -480 2nd level spells x12 (summon monster II, minor image, mirror image, alter self, burst of radiance, spider climb, web, acid arrow, merge with familiar, make whole, disguise other, page-bound epiphany) -160 1st level spells x16 (true strike, endure elements, thunderstomp, auditory hallucination, disguise self, expeditious retreat, magic weapon, monkey fish, summon monster I, comprehend languages, reduce person, crafter's fortune, feather fall, burning sands, detect undead, sure casting) -375 wand of magic missile (25 charges) -100 potion of cure light wounds x2 -100 scrolls of identify, comprehend languages, expeditious retreat, monkey fish -15 spare spellbook (blank) ------------------------------------------------------- 25 gp left Items under 10 gp: Spellbook
Spell component pouch, small Dagger, small Bolts x10 in quiver, small Bolts x20 in haversack, small Cold iron bolts x10, small Donkey Pack saddle Bit & bridle x2 Saddlebags Feed x10 Buckets x2 Bedroll Blankets x3 (1 small) Waterskin x2, small Explorer's outfit x2 Cold weather outfit x2 Cooking kit Mess kit Flint & steel Grooming kit Silk rope, 50 ft Grappling hook Sacks x12 Journal Scrivener's kit Scroll case w/10 sheets parchment Signet ring, silver and red jasper (engraved with Rissa's arcane mark) Sealing wax (red) Chalk x10 A couple chunks of semiprecious stone, Craft (Jewelry) projects in progress Silver & agate holy symbol of Oghma
That’s the kind of character, I was aiming for, so it’s good to know that I succeeded! It’s so nice not to have to minmax to make a viable wizard. Is that the Travel Cloak from Magic of Faerun? If so, I’m going to buy one too! Never occurred to me to ask for 3.5 content. (Beyond my future tressym familiar, of course.)
Wow, thank you GM! My brain is too fried to redo my math tonight though, I'll have to do it tomorrow.
I’ve always had to buy scrolls in order to get more spells at the beginning of the game. It would be great to just pay copying costs, but I’ve never encountered that before.
Okay, here we go. I spent a LOT of gold on spells for my spellbook, but there's never any such thing as enough spells for a wizard! Crafted Magic Items:
1000 handy haversack 2000 pearl of power (2nd) -------------------------------------- Total 3000 gp Shopping List:
7500 gp -3000 crafted magic items -1000 cloak of resistance +1 -250 traveler's any-tool -75 ioun torch -335 masterwork light crossbow, small -20 alchemical silver crossbow bolts x10, small -190 summon monster II to spellbook -190 mirror image to spellbook -190 minor image to spellbook -190 alter self to spellbook -190 burst of radiance to spellbook -190 spider climb to spellbook -190 web to spellbook -190 acid arrow to spellbook -35 true strike to spellbook -35 endure elements to spellbook -35 thunderstomp to spellbook -35 auditory hallucination to spellbook -35 disguise self to spellbook -35 expeditious retreat to spellbook -35 magic weapon to spellbook -35 monkey fish to spellbook -375 wand of magic missile, 25 charges -225 wand of shield, 15 charges -25 scroll of identify -25 scroll of expeditious retreat -25 scroll of magic weapon -25 scroll of monkey fish -100 potion of cure light wounds x2 -45 pony, combat trained -20 military saddle, small -50 antiplague -50 antitoxin ------------------------------------------------- 55 gp left Items under 10 gp: Spellbook (61 pages used)
Spell component pouch, small Dagger, small Bolts x10 in quiver, small Bolts x20 in haversack, small Cold iron bolts x10, small Donkey Pack saddle Bit & bridle x2 Saddlebags Feed x10 Buckets x2 1 man tent, small Bedroll Blankets x3 (1 small) Waterskin x2, small Rations x5, small Explorer's outfit x2 Cold weather outfit x2 Cooking kit Mess kit Flint & steel Grooming kit Silk rope, 50 ft Grappling hook Sacks x12 Journal Scrivener's kit Scroll case w/10 sheets parchment Signet ring, silver and red jasper (engraved with Rissa's arcane mark) Sealing wax (purple) Chalk x10 A couple chunks of semiprecious stone, Craft (Jewelry) projects in progress Silver & agate holy symbol of Oghma
@GM: Perfect timing, I just sat down to work out my gear! 3000 gp it is. I plan to only craft items where I can pass the Spellcraft check by taking 10. As far as martial characters go, I'm fine with the group the way it is. I'll just scribe summon monster II into my spellbook and make sure to keep it prepared in case Lilianne and Mia start getting overwhelmed.
Fair enough, illusions are fun! Another thing Mia and Rissa can bond over. I'm still working on my gear. It's been a long, long week.
Woohoo! Thank you, GM! In that case I’ll switch out Dodge for Craft Wondrous Item. How much crafting am I allowed to do with my 7500 gp? @Mia, I’m curious about something. Why Eldritch Scoundrel when we have so many spellcasters in the party already?
I am on Mountain Standard Time, and currently attending graduate level university classes with a pretty heavy workload. I can't always predict when I'll be online, but I make an effort to check in on my games and post if necessary every day. I also am looking forward to this. I am definitely looking forward to how Rissa is played differently than your other character, Katrine. A curious gnome compared to a mostly-silent ranger! Oh hey, Pelipe! I didn't recognize your user name right away. Yeah, I underestimated the amount of politics and diplomacy in that game. Poor Katrine is a small town girl way out of her depth and has been trying not to make a fool out of herself. But now that she is officially the Marshal, that will provide lots of opportunity for her to learn and grow as a character. :) Rissa will be so stoked to have all these elves to observe firsthand. Normally elves kind of hold themselves aloof from other races, so this is a golden opportunity! And a tiefling too? Score! As far as gameplay goes, Rissa excels at early warning and gathering information. She has at least one rank in every Knowledge skill, being especially good at Arcana with her Scroll Scholar bonus, plus a rank in Linguistics and max ranks in Spellcraft. While she doesn't have any ranks in Stealth, she has a +7 modifier thanks to Dex and size, and she knows invisibility. In combat, I envision her as a controller type, using illusions and such to distract and confound enemies. I might go the summoning route given our lack of a heavy frontliner. Free Archetype:
I went with Scroll Scholar. It's not a terribly powerful archetype, but it fits Rissa's character perfectly, and the boost to Knowledge checks should come in handy. And let's be honest, wizards are plenty powerful without an archetype. ;) Race Build:
I love, love, love the fact that our GM gave gnomes the Int bonus they so richly deserve! Seriously, they're supposed to be genius inventors and unparalleled illusionists, how do they not have at least an alternate race option for +Int instead of +Cha?
Small: +1 AC, +1 attack rolls, -1 CMB & CMD, +4 Stealth, 20 ft speed
@GM: I got to thinking, and speak with animals is a quintessentially gnomish spell, as well as being far more on-brand for a diviner than charm animal. Can Rissa have speak with animals for Charming Diviner instead of charm animal? Feat Progression: [S = secondary feat]
Scribe Scroll (wizard 1) Combat Casting (1) Precise Shot (S 1) Improved Initiative (S 2) Spell Focus (Divination) (3) Dodge (S 4) I definitely want Improved Familiar at 5th level because TRESSYM. Beyond that, Spell Penetration for sure. Maybe Spell Focus (Illusion) if our enemies have too easy a time breaking free of Rissa's illusions, Greater Spell Focus (Divination) if she starts having trouble with opposing saves. If I end up using summoning spells to make up for our lack of a tank, Summon Good Monster and Augment Summoning (plus its prerequisite Spell Focus [Conjuration]) are good options. Or I could use shadow conjuration to fake summons and take Resilient Illusions instead. Could I take item creation feats as secondary feats, since they aren't directly useful in combat? Given how small most towns in the Dales are, we'll probably run into availability issues with magic items.
Hurray! I’m so stoked to be here, thank you for choosing me. :D It’s been quite some time since I got to play in the Realms. What’s your policy on buying scrolls to add to my spellbook before the game begins? How about scribing scrolls?
Ah yes, the joys of rural living. I live in the country myself, so I get it.
”Hello? What about me? …Look down.”
Okay, here is the entire sheet, complete with spellbook and spells prepared! I don't have her melee or ranged stats since we have yet to buy gear, including weapons. Crunch:
Eirissanelyndel "Rissa" Farseer Tavarlunn
Female rock gnome foresight wizard (scroll scholar) 4 NG Small humanoid (gnome) Init +9; Perception +10, low-light vision -----------------------------------------
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 11
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Speed: 20 ft
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Str 9, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 12
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Forest Senses (Racial, Gnome): When in any unsettled, uncivilized terrain, you gain a +2 trait bonus on Perception checks to act during a surprise round, and take no penalty on Perception checks while sleeping.
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Small: +1 AC, +1 attack rolls, -1 CMB & CMD, +4 Stealth, 20 ft speed
Spellbook:
Cantrips:
Resistance Acid Splash Detect Fiendish Presence Detect Magic Detect Poison Read Magic Dancing Lights Flare Light Ray of Frost Spark Ghost Sound Haunted Fey Aspect Mage Hand Mending Message Open/Close Scrivener's Chant Arcane Mark Prestidigitation 1st level:
2nd level:
Spells Prepared:
(S) = school slot
Cantrips:
1st level:
2nd level:
Background:
High Dale isn't much of a dale. It's basically a flat spot along a pass through the Thunder Peaks, with several valleys branching off. This makes it perfect for people who don't want to be bothered by the outside world, such as gnomes. The valley of Hidden Vale in High Dale is home to the Dales' largest gnome community, where the Forgotten Folk mine, farm, and craft in peace. This is where Eirissanelyndel Tavarlunn was born sixty-five years ago to the renowned gemcutter Barveyrondden "Barvey" Crystalgleam Tavarlunn and the equally renowned magesmith, Ormilandrianna "Andri" Sparkfingers Tavarlunn. Rissa is their younger child; her brother Williverundelan "Willin" Cleverhands Tavarlunn is twenty-five years older. Her parents envisioned young Rissa following in one of their footsteps, especially once Willin decided to become an engineer instead.
They were half right. Rissa showed a keen intellect and a talent for magic early on, although she also enjoyed cutting gems and making jewelry with her father. But her curiosity was remarkable even for a gnome. Rissa wanted to know everything and anything, and decided to specialize in divination rather than her mother's school of transmutation. By the time she was fifty-five years old- still young for a gnome, especially one studying a difficult field such as wizardry- she couldn't contain her curiosity about the wider world any longer. Accompanied only by her weasel familiar Chiktikka, Rissa set out for Battledale. Surely a place with that kind of name would have plenty of work for adventurers! Battledale does indeed have work for adventurers, as do several other dales. Over the next eight years Rissa wandered from Battledale to Deepingdale, where she made friends with the priests of Oghma at the Leaves of Learning temple, to Cormyr, Sembia, Archendale, Harrowdale, Mistledale, and finally Shadowdale. By then the diviner had made a name for herself, which caught the attention of Lord Mourngrym. He offered Rissa a very lucrative but risky job. Many bigfolk underestimate gnomes, especially scholarly gnomes, and the Lord of Shadowdale wanted to capitalize on that. She was to spy on the nearby Zhent towns of Voonlar and Teshwave under the guise of a historian researching lost Teshendale, sending Lord Mourngrym information on Zhent military movements. Rissa wavered for a bit, but the prospect of learning more about the Zhents and Teshendale, as well as the generous amount of gold involved, won her over. The gnome spent a little over a year in Zhent territory. Sure enough, all she had to do was babble excitedly about Dales history and the locals wrote her off as an eccentric but harmless gnomish scholar. (It helped that Rissa truly is interested in all sorts of history.) But eventually she pushed her luck a little too far. A Zhent army officer caught Chiktikka snooping around and recognized the weasel's behavior as that of a wizard's familiar. He shot and killed Rissa's beloved companion, then started investigating to see who had a weasel familiar. She knew something terrible had happened the moment she felt the bond break, and fled back to Shadowdale one step ahead of the Zhents. Lord Mourngrym honored his word and paid the grieving wizard what he had promised and then some. Rissa knew she was in no shape to go adventuring for a while, so she traveled to Highmoon and had a gnome-sized house built with her reward money. She had meant to establish a base of operations there for a while, since the Leaves of Learning is there and Deepingdale is near the road to High Dale. The gnome spent several months in her new home, mourning her lost familiar, making friends with her new neighbors, and doing research. Now she feels ready to venture forth again. (Also, she needs money. Arcane research isn't cheap.) The Lord of Mistledale has called for adventurers, so Rissa has traveled to Ashabenford to see what he has in mind. Appearance:
Rissa is a fairly typical rock gnome, three feet tall with pale blonde hair, tan skin, and blue-gray eyes. She's considered reasonably attractive by gnome standards if she puts some effort into her appearance, which she usually doesn't. Her everyday attire is a sturdy ensemble of brown trousers, dull green shirt, dark green cloak, and brown many-pocketed vest, with dark brown tooled leather boots and belt. She always wears a silver pendant set with an agate cameo depicting Oghma's open book symbol in white on a reddish-brown background. Her hair comes to mid-back when she lets it down, but she prefers to put it up in a variety of travel-friendly styles.
For weapons, Rissa carries a light crossbow with a quiver of bolts and a dagger at her waist. These are just for emergencies, though. In regular combat, the gnome prefers to rely on her spells or the wide assortment of scrolls and wands tucked into her vest and cloak pockets. Personality:
Above all things, Rissa is curious. About anything and everything, no matter how obscure or useless a topic may appear to others. This being the case, the school of divination was a perfect fit for her. While she is willing to take risks in the pursuit of knowledge, her foresight helps to curb her more reckless impulses. A ten year adventuring career in the Dales, Cormyr, and Zhent territory has also contributed to this; Rissa has had to learn some lessons the hard way.
Despite this, the gnome remains cheerful and optimistic. She's sure that she can figure out a way around just about any problem, given time, information, and resources. She enjoys the company of most other races, welcoming the opportunity to learn about their culture and way of life. However, Rissa respects her relatives' wish for privacy. She does not use her family name outside High Dale, nor does she say much about the gnomish community there other than to encourage people interested in gnomish crafts to visit the weekly market in Highcastle. Rissa has learned over the years that other races don't appreciate the fine art of the prankster. She saves those impulses for her enemies, making use of divination and illusion magic to play with their minds. When angered, though, the gnome has been known to play nasty tricks on the perpetrator. She is a patient person with a long fuse, but that fuse does have an end. Like most gnomes, she enjoys crafting, although she chooses not to do it for a living. Her craft of choice is jewelry, both gemcutting and setting those gems in gold or silver. Rissa always carries a piece or two of semiprecious stone to carve in the evenings after making camp. Of course, she also carries several journals to write down interesting things she's learned that day. Her faith is both multifaceted and casual. While Rissa identifies most with Oghma as god of knowledge (and thinks that spending the afterlife in the multiverse's biggest library sounds pretty great), she also venerates Mystra and the gnomish pantheon, including Gond under the name Nebelun. The gnomes of Faerun believe that Nebelun Wonderbringer was originally a gnomish deity whose worship was adopted by the big folk. She wears her agate holy symbol as a reminder of her parents who made it for her, and to convince the Oghmanyte priests at Highmoon's Leaves of Learning temple that she really is one of their faith so she can get the Oghmanyte discount on library services. Contacts: Parents, Barveyrondden "Barvey" Crystalgleam Tavarlunn and Ormilandrianna "Andri" Sparkfingers Tavarlunn: Residents of Hidden Vale in High Dale, a gemcutter and magesmith (transmuter wizard specializing in creation of magic items) respectively. They are proud of their daughter's magical prowess and scholarly knowledge, but wish she would come home and settle down as part of the community. Adventuring is so dangerous!
Older brother, Williverundelan "Willin" Cleverhands Tavarlunn: Twenty-five years older than Rissa, Willin is a journeyman engineer with their uncle. He makes all manner of clockwork devices, trap kits, and weapons for sale to bigfolk merchants. Willin doesn't understand Rissa's drive to explore the outside world, but he loves her and defends her choices to the rest of the community regardless. Former divination teacher and aunt, Tamzinnadruendri "Zinna" Stareye Merfannis: Zinna had Rissa pegged as a wanderer early on. She recognized that there would be no keeping her apprentice at home once she was confident in her skills. Thus she taught Rissa the combat and defensive applications of magic, as well as drilling her in the crossbow and perception exercises. Zinna herself is an ex-adventurer who decided to retire back home and raise a family. High Priest Danali the Indexer, Leaves of Learning temple: The Leaves of Learning in Highmoon, capital of Deepingdale, is the region's largest temple to Oghma. Danali enjoys Rissa's enthusiasm and love of knowledge, especially given that the Leaves of Learning eschews any books of magic. The fact that she donates copies of any books she finds certainly doesn't hurt. Lord Mourngrym Amcathra of Shadowdale: He sent Rissa on her ill-fated mission to Zhent territory. While he regrets the death of her familiar and its impact on the wizard, the information she sent him was invaluable. Tanathriel Moonsong: A half-elven conjurer and one of the few wizards in Highmoon other than Rissa. She was curious about the gnome-sized house being built near her home and made friends with her fellow student of the arcane. Tanathriel is a quiet and unassuming sort of woman who often lets Rissa take the lead in social situations. She'll help when Deepingdale is threatened, but prefers not to travel much. Zhents: By now, they've probably figured out that they're looking for a female rock gnome scholar. Rissa used an alias while she was in Voonlar and Teshwave, but it wouldn't be a far stretch to assume that the spy they're looking for has ties to Shadowdale and/or the Leaves of Learning in Highmoon.
Spellplague? No such thing. I refuse to acknowledge its existence. There is no Spellplague in Ba Sing Se.
Whew, finally got the fluff done! All I have left to do for crunch is pick out her spells. For her familiar, I decided that poor Chiktikka the weasel was killed about a year ago. Rissa has been mourning her, and is thinking about bonding a new familiar. Once she hits 5th level I plan to take Improved Familiar and have her travel to Deepingdale to bond with one of the tressyms living at the temple of Oghma. Background:
High Dale isn't much of a dale. It's basically a flat spot along a pass through the Thunder Peaks, with several valleys branching off. This makes it perfect for people who don't want to be bothered by the outside world, such as gnomes. The valley of Hidden Vale in High Dale is home to the Dales' largest gnome community, where the Forgotten Folk mine, farm, and craft in peace. This is where Eirissanelyndel Tavarlunn was born sixty-five years ago to the renowned gemcutter Barveyrondden "Barvey" Crystalgleam Tavarlunn and the equally renowned magesmith, Ormilandrianna "Andri" Sparkfingers Tavarlunn. Rissa is their younger child; her brother Williverundelan "Willin" Cleverhands Tavarlunn is twenty-five years older. Her parents envisioned young Rissa following in one of their footsteps, especially once Willin decided to become an engineer instead.
They were half right. Rissa showed a keen intellect and a talent for magic early on, although she also enjoyed cutting gems and making jewelry with her father. But her curiosity was remarkable even for a gnome. Rissa wanted to know everything and anything, and decided to specialize in divination rather than her mother's school of transmutation. By the time she was fifty-five years old- still young for a gnome, especially one studying a difficult field such as wizardry- she couldn't contain her curiosity about the wider world any longer. Accompanied only by her weasel familiar Chiktikka, Rissa set out for Battledale. Surely a place with that kind of name would have plenty of work for adventurers! Battledale does indeed have work for adventurers, as do several other dales. Over the next eight years Rissa wandered from Battledale to Deepingdale, where she made friends with the priests of Oghma at the Leaves of Learning temple, to Cormyr, Sembia, Archendale, Harrowdale, Mistledale, and finally Shadowdale. By then the diviner had made a name for herself, which caught the attention of Lord Mourngrym. He offered Rissa a very lucrative but risky job. Many bigfolk underestimate gnomes, especially scholarly gnomes, and the Lord of Shadowdale wanted to capitalize on that. She was to spy on the nearby Zhent towns of Voonlar and Teshwave under the guise of a historian researching lost Teshendale, sending Lord Mourngrym information on Zhent military movements. Rissa wavered for a bit, but the prospect of learning more about the Zhents and Teshendale, as well as the generous amount of gold involved, won her over. The gnome spent a little over a year in Zhent territory. Sure enough, all she had to do was babble excitedly about Dales history and the locals wrote her off as an eccentric but harmless gnomish scholar. (It helped that Rissa truly is interested in all sorts of history.) But eventually she pushed her luck a little too far. A Zhent army officer caught Chiktikka snooping around and recognized the weasel's behavior as that of a wizard's familiar. He shot and killed Rissa's beloved companion, then started investigating to see who had a weasel familiar. She knew something terrible had happened the moment she felt the bond break, and fled back to Shadowdale one step ahead of the Zhents. Lord Mourngrym honored his word and paid the grieving wizard what he had promised and then some. Rissa knew she was in no shape to go adventuring and wouldn't be for a while, so she traveled to Highmoon and had a gnome-sized house built with her reward money. She had meant to establish a base of operations there for a while, since the Leaves of Learning is there and Deepingdale is near the road to High Dale. The gnome spent several months in her new home, mourning her lost familiar, making friends with her new neighbors, and doing research. Now she feels ready to venture forth again. (Also, she needs money. Arcane research isn't cheap.) The Lord of Mistledale has called for adventurers, so Rissa has traveled to Ashabenford to see what he has in mind. Appearance:
Rissa is a fairly typical rock gnome, three feet tall with pale blonde hair, tan skin, and blue-gray eyes. She's considered reasonably attractive by gnome standards if she puts some effort into her appearance, which she usually doesn't. Her everyday attire is a sturdy ensemble of brown trousers, dull green shirt, dark green cloak, and brown many-pocketed vest, with dark brown tooled leather boots and belt. She always wears a silver pendant set with an agate cameo depicting Oghma's open book symbol in white on a reddish-brown background. Her hair comes to mid-back when she lets it down, but she prefers to put it up in a variety of travel-friendly styles.
For weapons, Rissa carries a light crossbow with a quiver of bolts and a dagger at her waist. These are just for emergencies, though. In regular combat, the gnome prefers to rely on her spells or the wide assortment of scrolls and wands tucked into her vest and cloak pockets. Personality:
Above all things, Rissa is curious. About anything and everything, no matter how obscure or useless a topic may appear to others. This being the case, the school of divination was a perfect fit for her. While she is willing to take risks in the pursuit of knowledge, her foresight helps to curb her more reckless impulses. A ten year adventuring career in the Dales, Cormyr, and Zhent territory has also contributed to this; Rissa has had to learn some lessons the hard way.
Despite this, the gnome remains cheerful and optimistic. She's sure that she can figure out a way around just about any problem, given time, information, and resources. She enjoys the company of most other races, welcoming the opportunity to learn about their culture and way of life. However, Rissa respects her relatives' wish for privacy. She does not use her family name outside High Dale, nor does she say much about the gnomish community there other than to encourage people interested in gnomish crafts to visit the weekly market in Highcastle. Rissa has learned over the years that other races don't appreciate the fine art of the prankster. She saves those impulses for her enemies, making use of divination and illusion magic to play with their minds. When angered, though, the gnome has been known to play nasty tricks on the perpetrator. She is a patient person with a long fuse, but that fuse does have an end. Like most gnomes, she enjoys crafting, although she chooses not to do it for a living. Her craft of choice is jewelry, both gemcutting and setting those gems in gold or silver. Rissa always carries a piece or two of semiprecious stone to carve in the evenings after making camp. Of course, she also carries several journals to write down interesting things she's learned that day. Her faith is both multifaceted and casual. While Rissa identifies most with Oghma as god of knowledge (and thinks that spending the afterlife in the multiverse's biggest library sounds pretty great), she also venerates Mystra and the gnomish pantheon, including Gond under the name Nebelun. The gnomes of Faerun believe that Nebelun Wonderbringer was originally a gnomish deity whose worship was adopted by the big folk. She wears her agate holy symbol as a reminder of her parents who made it for her, and to convince the Oghmanyte priests at Highmoon's Leaves of Learning temple that she really is one of their faith so she can get the Oghmanyte discount on library services. Contacts: Parents, Barveyrondden "Barvey" Crystalgleam Tavarlunn and Ormilandrianna "Andri" Sparkfingers Tavarlunn: Residents of Hidden Vale in High Dale, a gemcutter and magesmith (transmuter wizard specializing in creation of magic items) respectively. They are proud of their daughter's magical prowess and scholarly knowledge, but wish she would come home and settle down as part of the community. Adventuring is so dangerous!
Older brother, Williverundelan "Willin" Cleverhands Tavarlunn: Twenty-five years older than Rissa, Willin is a journeyman engineer with their uncle. He makes all manner of clockwork devices, trap kits, and weapons for sale to bigfolk merchants. Willin doesn't understand Rissa's drive to explore the outside world, but he loves her and defends her choices to the rest of the community regardless. Former divination teacher and aunt, Tamzinnadruendri "Zinna" Stareye Merfannis: Zinna had Rissa pegged as a wanderer early on. She recognized that there would be no keeping her apprentice at home once she was confident in her skills. Thus she taught Rissa the combat and defensive applications of magic, as well as drilling her in the crossbow and perception exercises. Zinna herself is an ex-adventurer who decided to retire back home and raise a family. High Priest Danali the Indexer, Leaves of Learning temple: The Leaves of Learning in Highmoon, capital of Deepingdale, is the region's largest temple to Oghma. Danali enjoys Rissa's enthusiasm and love of knowledge, especially given that the Leaves of Learning eschews any books of magic. The fact that she donates copies of any books she finds certainly doesn't hurt. Lord Mourngrym Amcathra of Shadowdale: He sent Rissa on her ill-fated mission to Zhent territory. While he regrets the death of her familiar and its impact on the wizard, the information she sent him was invaluable. Tanathriel Moonsong: A half-elven conjurer and one of the few wizards in Highmoon other than Rissa. She was curious about the gnome-sized house being built near her home and made friends with her fellow student of the arcane. Tanathriel is a quiet and unassuming sort of woman who often lets Rissa take the lead in social situations. She'll help when Deepingdale is threatened, but prefers not to travel much. Zhents: By now, they've probably figured out that they're looking for a female rock gnome scholar. Rissa used an alias while she was in Voonlar and Teshwave, but it wouldn't be a far stretch to assume that the spy they're looking for has ties to Shadowdale and/or the Leaves of Learning in Highmoon.
Rissa here is going to be a controller/utility kind of wizard. At least one rank in every Knowledge skill, with an arsenal of divination, illusion, and conjuration spells to help her friends and ruin her enemies' day.
Okay, here's Rissa's appearance and personality! I'm still working on her background and contacts. Coming up with appropriate gnomish names for her relatives is hard. Appearance:
Rissa is a fairly typical rock gnome, three feet tall with pale blonde hair, tan skin, and blue-gray eyes. She's considered reasonably attractive by gnome standards if she puts some effort into her appearance, which she usually doesn't. Her everyday attire is a sturdy ensemble of brown trousers, dull green shirt, dark green cloak, and brown many-pocketed vest, with dark brown tooled leather boots and belt. She always wears a silver pendant set with an agate cameo depicting Oghma's open book symbol in white on a reddish-brown background. Her hair comes to mid-back when she lets it down, but she usually puts it up in a variety of travel-friendly styles.
For weapons, Rissa usually carries a light crossbow with a quiver of bolts and a dagger at her waist. These are just for emergencies, though. In regular combat, the gnome prefers to rely on her spells or the wide assortment of scrolls and wands tucked into her vest and cloak pockets. Personality: Above all things, Rissa is curious. About anything and everything, no matter how obscure or useless a topic may appear to others. This being the case, the school of divination was a perfect fit for her. While she is willing to take risks in the pursuit of knowledge, her foresight helps to curb her more reckless impulses. A ten year adventuring career in the Dales, Cormyr, and Zhent territory has also contributed to this; Rissa has had to learn some lessons the hard way.
Despite this, the gnome remains cheerful and optimistic. She's sure that she can figure out a way around just about any problem, given time, information, and resources. She enjoys the company of most other races, welcoming the opportunity to learn about their culture and way of life. However, Rissa respects her relatives' wish for privacy. She does not use her family name outside High Dale, nor does she say much about the gnomish community there other than to encourage people interested in gnomish crafts to visit the weekly market in Highcastle. Rissa has learned over the years that other races don't appreciate the fine art of the prankster. She usually saves those impulses for her enemies, making use of divination and illusion magic to play with their minds. When angered, though, the gnome has been known to play nasty tricks on the perpetrator. She is a patient person with a long fuse, but that fuse does have an end. Like most gnomes, she enjoys crafting, although she chooses not to do it for a living. Her craft of choice is jewelry, both gemcutting and setting those gems in gold or silver. Rissa always carries a piece or two of semiprecious stone to carve in the evenings after making camp. Of course, she also carries several journals to write down interesting things she's learned that day. Her faith is both multifaceted and casual. While Rissa identifies most with Oghma as god of knowledge (and thinks that spending the afterlife in the multiverse's biggest library sounds pretty great), she also venerates Mystra and the gnomish pantheon, including Gond under the name Nebelun. The gnomes of Faerun believe that Nebelun Wonderbringer was originally a gnomish deity whose worship was adopted by the big folk. She wears her agate holy symbol as a reminder of her parents who made it for her, and to convince the Oghmanyte priests at Highmoon's Leaves of Learning temple that she really is one of their faith so she can get the Oghmanyte discount on library services.
YES, a tressym! ...boo, the FR book says I have to wait until 5th level. But I always thought it was a jerk move to abandon your faithful familiar, who is utterly devoted to you and has followed you into mortal peril, just because something new and shiny comes along. :( I was going to try and sidestep the issue by starting with a tressym, but according to RAW that won't work. What to do, what to do... Thanks for clarifying the race builder stuff! I think I have all of that in order now.
Rolling for HP! I think I'll use my favored class bonus for more Prescience rather than HP, considering how nice our GM is being about making sure we have enough to not die instantly. Full HP at level 1: 6 + 3 Con
34 HP, not bad at all for a wizard.
Decided to change my subschool from Scryer to Foresight, after a second look at the Divination subschools. Both Prescience and Foretell look quite useful. Stat spread used: 17, 16, 14, 14, 12, 9 as per the GM's first post.
I'm working on the fluff! I have a good idea of where she came from, why she went adventuring (intensely curious even by gnome standards, hence Divination), and what kind of person she is. I just need to write it all down in a coherent fashion.
Okay, I'm going to throw my hat into the ring, number of applicants notwithstanding. Rissa here will be a rock gnome wizard, diviner school and scryer subschool, with the scroll scholar archetype. Hope that's okay. @TheLastGhost:What do you mean by "Defensive Training, Lesser" vs. "Defensive Training, Greater" in your ancestries document? Not that it matters for a wizard, but I would like to make sure I have all the numbers correct in my sheet. Also, I would like the alternate racial trait Charming Diviner. Am I correct in assuming that's 2 RP? And Fey Thoughts is 1 RP? (Why did they pair charm animal with +1 CL divination spells? That's pretty random. Also, can I use Int rather than Cha? If not, no big deal, I don't see myself using it much anyway.) |