As if to add extra weight to her sister's words Ssarilla shuffles after her. She looks like she was just ran over by a bulette or some such, something she doesn't even have to fake.
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"It's mother. Or actually, it isn't mother. She's gone. Torn away. I think she did it herself. I'm not sure." For a moment it looks like she is about to start crying but it fades as quickly as it came up. "My mind is so empty now. So silent. I had forgotten what it was like to be alone in there." Her gaze appears to trail off into the distance.
"Yes. It feels like.. Like she tore herself out of my skull, or something else tore her out. I don't know." She slowly shakes her head as if trying to get things back into place. "It's so.. so silent."
Ssarilla breathes heavily as she lays bunched up, arms wrapped around her head. She gently shakes her head at her brother's question. The fact that the only gnome in sight is a child also makes it unlikely. It takes several more moments before she manages to maneuver into a sitting position, staring blankly into the distance. "She's gone."
Ssarilla simply nods before she turns to leave. This wasn't the way she would have done it. Taking out the dwarf and then subjugating the svirfneblin was much more her style. She's barely out of sight from the negotiations when she collapses, letting out a scream and clasping her head as she does.
As said by those above me, take all the time you need.
Happy new year guys In that case I'll drop Hunter altogether. Instead I'll be going for a Psychic using the Psychic Marauder archetype and the Sorrow Discipline. Only question coming with that is, would you allow Variant Multiclassing?
Merry Christmas all! If you don't do Christmas, Merry Monday!
DM, any answers for my questions above?
I'm actually still figuring out which way I'll build Ssarilla. Do I want her to be a melee combatant or a ranged combatant? The latter basically eats up all my feats for the foreseeable future and the latter either leaves me squishy or with a less than ideal weapon.
A great advantage of melee is that it leaves me with free feats, evolved companion being very high on the list. Tinkering with a companion is really fitting for a Drow I think. It would make the Web Tyrant more combat viable or give the Solifugid more utility (it's between those two now).
It actually won't be the Giant Spider. That one is horrible. It tries to be a combatant and fails miserably. Everything it does the scorpion does better, climbing being the only exception. On the utility front the web tyrant outclasses it as web has many different uses (attack, trap and rampart/climbing tool. Oh, and crafting material). Heck, the web tyrant even is a better combatant. All it misses is the tremorsense. So the choice would be between utility, with the web tyrant, and combat, with the scorpion or the solifugid. The choice between those two would be between a big, dumb fighter (scorpion) or a fast, pouncing skirmisher (solifugid). So yes, I'm going for the Courtly Hunter. A question though: Would you allow me to add the Roof Runner archetype as well?
Something to consider when mulling over animal companions or familiars, your patron is the goddess of arachnids. I know. When looking at arachnid companions there are the giant spider, giant scorpion, web tyrant spider and giant solifugid. They still have the issue of being next to useless until 4th level because they lack an Int score (except as Courtly Hunter). As for the plant companion I'm looking it, it's the Corpse-Eater Fungus, it is described as looking like a fungal spider with a giant maw instead of a body. Figured that would also fit.I also thought about rebelling against the demonic patron by picking something big that eats spiders. I'd only do that in the Druid case to help accentuate she'd be the only Neutral Evil sibling. EDIT: The latter would also be a way of further rebelling against mother, who my character was still very close with (forced or otherwise). EDIT2: The reason I'm posting this here is because I'd also like input from you guys, if you have any. Not guaranteeing anything along the lines of following your advice but ideas and feedback is welcome.
I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with Ssarilla. One thing I have been looking at is a Hunter with the Courtly Hunter archetype. In part because I like it and think it fits a Drow and in part because it fixes a massive issue for vermin companions: no Int score before lvl 4, and as such no feats.
Another idea would be to go Druid. An issue for me there is that the Cave Druid, very fitting for their environment, has a thing for oozes but doesn't care for vermin. The archetypes that do work with vermin on the other hand don't really fit a Drow or the area. Using a plant companion for either a Druid or a Hunter could also be fun but that requires specific archetypes. I've also been looking at my new favorite rogue archetype, the Sylvan Trickster, but I'm not quite sure that's a flavor hit. I mean, it trades away Knowledge (Dungeoneering) for Knowledge (Nature). There are several other ideas running through my mind, like a ranged martial character, but I'm not sure on any of it.
Hello all, Ssarilla will actually get more of a redesign than just an archetype. How and what I'm not sure yet but I'm toying with some ideas, some more unconventional (for this game) than others. As for the Mesmerist archetypes, I prefer Cult Master over Vox. Part of that is that the Vox gets verbal components back on it's spellcasting. Have you checked the Material Manipulator? It trades Consummate Liar and some of it's support abilities for more spell versatility and the ability to change people's bodies. The latter is generally more flavor (until you get to use polymorph at lvl 14) but adding all illusion (glamer & shadow) and transmutation spells from the wizard list to your spell list is quite nice.
As Ssarilla starts to undo the small belt holding her rapier's scabbard mother starts to curse at the back of her mind. "What do you think you are doing? No proper child of mine gives her weapons to such cretins! You should kill them for even asking!" Ssarilla sighed as she handed the rapier to the guard, a smile on her lips which did not reach her eyes. "Shush mother. You know this is required. You also know that rapier isn't my greatest weapon. Calm down and let us handle this." The thoughts seemed to calm mother a little as she turned to muttering instead of shouting.
A merry Christmas or any other holiday you might be celebrating round about now!
To which I'd add "but only to summon spiders" EDIT: I'll add that Ssarilla isn't very devout. She follows the tenets purely out of personal interest and all attention she pays to Phenex is in order to not end up dead.
Elven: Ssarilla grinned while the voice in the back of her mind laughed a hysterical, crazy laugh.
"Mother and class? Don't make me laugh. She was a first class actress but she had no class." "As for mother, I think she can walk around while we talk but I'm not quite sure it would be as productive. I can't project my senses to her while we're doing negotiations."
"I can send mother in. She can easily pass for a ghost if needed. It just means I need to remain hidden at the town's outskirts or risk losing contact." It was a suggestion but even if none approved she'd do it. "I'd also like to join the meeting. Mother would of course remain bottled up during that." Her eyes then shifted from Siobhan to Sh'assaria and back.
Elven: [b]"And risk turning him into a tame pooch? I'd rather find some slaves for him indulge his cravings every once in a while."
Ssarilla had dismissed mother's phantom before they started moving again, knowing it would just put the soldiers off. When they arrived at the army she just remained silent and just walked along the rows, starting with what appeared to be the officers. Her sisters would do the talking but she'd inspect them.
My choices: Virtues:
Exult in the planning of vengeance, the journey to it, as much as you exult in the deed itself for all are holy pursuits. Vengeance is a dish best served cold; the best webs are masterwork crafting jobs that require quite some time to be produced. The Patron enjoys when a well constructed, long-term payback plan is put into practice and succeeds. Sins
To allow another to impugn your character, or that of your house, family, etc., and not put into motion plans for vengeance. Stepping out of a confrontation for fear or forgetting someone else's wrongdoings towards you are shameful, but worse yet is to truly forgive someone. Plan your revenge carefully but engage in it, or you shall be punished by your unworthiness.
EDIT: I'll be making a separate alias for mother for mother for RP situations and keep her in Ssarilla's posts for combat. Just can't do it now as I'm at work/internship.
Sin:
Mercy. Unless it serves as part of a greater scheme that does more harm of course Virtue: Patience and long term planning. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold and it takes patience to trap or ambush prey (like many arachnids do)
"Mother" gave Siobhan a vile look as she ordered Ssarilla to stay but quickly fixates her gaze in the baroness' general direction once more. "You do remember it isn't truly mother, don't you? Not entirely at least. It is but a shred of her consciousness, or subconsciousness more likely." She gave the phantom an appreciative smile though saying it was warm would be wrong. "All that remains of her memories are vague imprints of how they made her feel. The amount of things she truly remembers is minimal."
Ssarilla hardly listened while "aunty" spoke. The moment the hag came within sight mother had started screaming profanities within her mind and it required all her focus to keep herself from uttering.
Mother calmed down a bit the moment they all left the room. She simply mumbled now instead of screaming. It was a welcome change. "I'd worry if there wasn't at least some trickery involved here." She sits down and starts focusing her will in order to expel mother from her mind. The moment the phantom arrives in the material world she rambles, "Must kill her. When I get my hands around her throat. Despicable harlot." When she realises she is summoned and sees Ssarilla's eyes fixed upon her she falls silent, instead casting baleful glances in the general direction of the baroness's quarters.
The fact her connection to mommy dearest is closest of all doesn't mean Ssarilla is particularly fond of her. On another note, I'd like to change my Phantom emotion from Despair, as originally linked to mom, to Hatred. I think that's a better fit and I quite frankly like it more. It would show differently when she is summoned though, with mother doting on Ssarilla and being intensely protective of "her little girl". Another note: The instability described in my character's personality is due to sharing her mind with the phantom. When the phantom is manifested, so outside her mine, Ssarilla is calm and even gentle and friendly(at least by Drow standard).
Hello all From the other end of the Atlantic here, all the way over in the Netherlands. I'm a molecular biologist and I'm now training to move into education. For patrons: Vengeance (I'm seeing a theme here)
The last one is hard to pick Shadows (probably fits best)
"I'm afraid I can't help you there, I'm not from here. I arrived about a week ago, thinking I'd only stock up here. I could point you to father Zantus, the local priest. He is the one that got me the job at the festival." She smiled. The man had a heart of gold and had recognized her as a follower of Kurgess by the symbol she wore around her neck. "I'm sorry for the loss of your mother, that could not have been easy to deal with."
"You have no idea, not even close." The first year. For her it had been every year after her fourth that she had felt out of place. Before that she did wonder why she was grey while her mother and older brother were not but the biggest changes to her physique came creeping in after. She downs the remaining half of her ale in one gulp, "I'm just happy the father here chose to help me and allow me the chance to work at the festival." Feeling wanted was a good thing, even if it only lasted for the duration of the upcoming festival.
Marchesa laughs heartily at the barely veiled threat, "Some say I am purely because of the curse that runs through my veins. Then again, there are others who call me Ogre and I'm clearly not one of those." She taps on the bar with her long, black talons. She sighs, "Maybe I am a witch, maybe I'm not. I could not tell you for I do not know the answer. All I do know is that I have no issue with you but if you insist that blood must flow I will oblige." She draws one nail over the bar, forming a thin curl of wood as the nail drives into it.
"It is no war paint, these are the marks of my ancestors." She sits down next to the man who was actually several feet shorter than she herself. "Ale will do I guess, though some whisky would have done as well." "What issue do you have with witches?" She did not consider herself one, more a shaman or priestess if anything, but some did assume she'd have to be a witch purely based on her appearance.
A massive woman with grey skin and long black hair walks into the inn, her hands ending in wicked looking, black tipped claws. The tattoos on her shoulder and upper arm mark her as Shoanti though she has very few compared to the image most people have of the Shoanti. She slowly moves towards the bar, keeping an eye on any reactions to her entrance. Despite what one would expect her voice is smooth and more befitting an Elven maiden than someone of her appearance, "Is this a place where a gall could get herself a stiff drink? Not too much, mind you, father Zantus still expects me to keep watch later."
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