Well, on the bright side, I managed to get dropped from this game twice. ...Which is some kind of an accomplishment, I suppose. I hope things go better for you soon, Samnell!
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"Better purify this place, too. I'll remain near here to keep the exit open." Valissa muttered. Holy power glimmered near her fingertips a moment later - Jehotek's energies, ready to smite any evil creature that showed itself.
Valissa followed behind the bulk of the group, her Detect Fiendish Presence spell active and scanning the area. She had no interest in being on the front lines, but that was no excuse to get sloppy and let her guard down. There was, frankly, no such thing as 'too paranoid' when it came to dealing with otherworldly horrors possessed of strange magical powers.
"For now, let us move on. The more we dawdle, the more time they have to prepare, and I'd rather not give them more opportunities than necessary." Valissa said, gesturing to the next door.
"Even traitors get a chance to surrender." Valissa noted as Galin jogged her memory. "'Tis part of what separates us from the demons, because we must be better than they are if we are to succeed without losing ourselves. But should he fail to do the wise thing, which I suspect is rather more likely, then by all means let us deliver him unto Pharasma for judgment."
"A moment, please." Valissa said, carefully making sure all of the bodies were in range before gesturing the others back. A circular mark of salt and ash appeared on her forehead and flashed brightly - as it did, a column of holy fire erupted on top of the bodies. Hopefully, it was enough to break them apart in their entirety and leave naught but ashes behind.
"I'll not have enchantments on those bodies to make them rise and strike against people from behind." she said quietly. "It is difficult to be too cautious when dealing with demons - they've tried such tactics before. We shall give all the fallen here a proper funeral when the fortress is free."
Lemme know how much you need. Pretty sure I had resources yesterday that could be used, too. XD
Speaking of, Blink still has low HP on their quick-reference bar... do you, uh, need healing? Because I have healing.
"They do hate giving ground without a fight." Valissa agreed. "Let's be sure they don't hurt anyone else." Magic pulsed near her fingertips, and she kept her palm open, ready to send out a burst of power if need be. For the moment, however, she was content to follow the others - she was a supporter, not a leader.
"Oh, we are gonna sanctify this place so hard..." Valissa muttered under her breath. "Are any of those spectres left?"
Valissa let Blink move ahead - the sylph seemed quite good at what she was doing, and it was a good chance to start evaluating the capabilities of those still here. She focused slightly as they got close, and when she opened her eyes again, they glimmered with magical energies that helped detect the wicked.
Valissa smirked slightly at Blink's comments. "You get used to it." she said. "I've been working with spirits for decades, though, so I'm used to their... quirks. Mostly they just want to ride along and experience the mortal view of things." Her own mind was rather more crowded than it seemed, with no less than three entities besides herself currently occupying it. Fortunately, since she hadn't drawn on their powers much yet, they were pretty quiet.
"One of the celestial spirits who gives power to me. It's a contract of sorts, and if accepted, his will can influence your behavior a bit. It's like a little voice in your ear, giving you suggestions on what to do. Fear not, he's a goodly sort with unimpeachable credentials, but sometimes a bit too quick to forgive... even if he does particularly hate the fiends of the Abyss. But then, I suppose not letting our hatreds dictate our behavior is part of what separates us from the demons, so I can't think it's all bad. I don't think fostering love and compassion is quite the right approach for the things still in that fort, though, so don't accept that when he asks unless you're really sure about it."
After ensuring there were no problems with Ubro, Valissa moved on to continue her pact with Jehotek, a somewhat more powerful spirit. After swapping the seals for the ceremony - each spirit had its own - she swirled a bit of holy water around in a vial and chugged it. A moment later, holy water streamed down her face as golden light briefly enveloped her and a voice called out something in Celestial.
Refilling the vial, Valissa passed her hand over it, and it glimmered slightly as the power of Jehotek transformed it into blessed water she could used for the next ceremony. She broke apart some rations into six pieces a moment later, and each glowed as her hand passed over them. "Here." she told everyone who'd be involved in the main assault. "Eat these before the main fight begins - for the next seven minutes or so after you do, it will give a blessing to your aim and your courage. It'll last a whole day if you let Jehotek affect you a bit more, but I don't recommend that."
She'd have preferred to go in the same day, but... well, it was what it was. As was her habit, she spent the first bit of the morning looking around for potential problems...
...before pulling out a piece of chalk and tracing a symbol on the ground for her first ritual of the day, blindfolding herself and lighting a bit of incense. <"Come, Ubro. A healer's touch will be needed this day.">
Hmm... are we about ready to continue? o wo
Yeah, they all seem reasonable enough. Amazing Initiative, in particular, is easy to just replace. Action Economy is already the most valuable resource in the game, and player parties tend to have more of it than enemies. XD Of course, I have it pretty easy because Valissa is more of a support character and she's really not *meant* to abuse any mythic powers too much (lookin' at you, Mythic Vital Strike). I would consider adding Mythic Class Abilities, though, from Legendary Games' stuff. They can help make class abilities more interesting. (And there aren't any MCA's for my classes, so I can't benefit from this suggestion. XD It's for everyone else.)
"Captain Andoran." Valissa said without missing a beat. "I'm pleased to see you've lent the efforts here your aid. This force has accomplished a great deal, but much remains to be done." she smiled slightly. "And I must say, I'm rather looking forward to helping drive this spearpoint into the demons' heart."
*Points up* Under the spoiler button.
For everyone's convenience, here's the text of the improvements. Spoiler: Chance Encounter: The PC gains a +2 trait bonus on Reflex saves. By expending one use of mythic power, the PC can take 20 on an Acrobatics, Bluff, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth check without an increase in the time required to make the check.
Child of the Crusades: The PC gains a +2 trait bonus on Will saves. Whenever he successfully saves against a mind affecting effect from a demon, as an immediate action the PC can expend one use of mythic power to cause the demon to become staggered for a number of rounds equal to the PC's mythic tier. The demon can reduce this effect to 1 round by making a successful Will save (DC = 10 + the PCs' mythic tier + the PC's Charisma modifier). Exposed to Awfulness: The PC gains +3 hit points per level. When she is reduced to negative hit points by an attack or effect from a demon, as an immediate action the PC can expend one use of mythic power to heal damage equal to 2d6 + twice her mythic tier. This healing occurs after the damage is done-if the damage is enough to kill the PC, she cannot activate this ability. Riftwarden Orphan: The PC gains a +4 trait bonus on caster level checks to penetrate a demon's spell resistance. Once per day, he can recharge a charged magic item by expending one use of mythic power. Doing so adds a number of charges equal to 1d10 + his mythic tier to the item, up to its normal maximum number of charges. Stolen Fury: The PC gains a +2 trait bonus on Fortitude saves. By expending one use of mythic power as a swift action, she can ignore a single demon's damage reduction for 1 minute, and increases the critical multiplier of any weapon she wields against that demon by 1. Touched by Divinity: The PC can select a second domain granted by his affiliated deity. He can use the 1st-level spells of both domains as spell-like abilities a number of times per day each equal to his mythic tier. By expending one use of mythic power, he may use any of these two domains' spells as a spell-like ability, but may only use spells of a level equal to or less than his mythic tier.
Oh, Valissa was definitely alive and around then. XD Immortality is handy that way. It's up to you whether or not they'd actually have met, though. Valissa occasionally headed out with an army, but she really is more of a supporter than a warrior, so she spends most of her time at headquarters or traveling with the queen.
"Hmm... I'm going to assume there's a reason you couldn't occupy the floors." she glanced up at the injured heroes, noting the visible wounds on display. "I don't want to give them too much time to get back on their feet or seize the initiative - or benefit from any reinforcements. Their ability to teleport armies around has been no end of trouble since this whole mess started, and the Queen's trying to keep their attention right now, but that won't last forever. If we get you healed up, do you think we can push in and finish them off?"
@Hope: Each campaign trait has an extra bonus gained when players go mythic (Worldwound Incursion, p. 54-55) if you pick the "right" mythic path. The bonuses aren't listed in the player's guide and were skipped on d20pfsrd (probably *because* they're not in the player's guide). The recruitment post said to ignore the "right" bit and that all traits should function regardless of the path you take. I figured that was also referring to the second stage of the traits... thooooough it's possible we're not using those. *Glances at the GM* @Steave: That would depend entirely on how notable/taked about your character was. If the alchemist's program was sanctioned by the Mendevian crusade's leadership, Valissa probably knew about it (as a tactician, knowing the current and potential resources of the crusade is kind of important for giving advice to the people who actually make decisions), and she'd have heard of most exploits that got talked about all the way to the army's leadership. ...There's also the fact that while Valissa isn't the most legendary fighter around, she knows a whole freaking lot of things, including miscellaneous trivia. XD Pactmakers are probably one of the best knowledge-using classes in the game. I suppose we could roll History and see what turns up?
My Exposed to Awfulness trait gives +3 HP/level. It adds up pretty fast. XD Also, I see you have three... should I have another?
Well, since we probably traveled together, yes. XD Further back is basically optional, but looking at what you've got... when you brought back the Mendevian survivors, Valissa would have been one of the people in favor of an audience and wouldn't have been shy about mentioning it. She's pretty meritocratic - if you do something noteworthy and word spreads, she notices and values your accomplishments and will absolutely try to arrange things so the crusade as a whole gets the most from your abilities.
o wo/ I'm also back from my trip! Yay. 'Course, Christmas to New Years tends to be pretty quiet. XD
Valissa perked up at the news. "Well, now. That's an excellent start. Can you sketch out what you know of their defenses? I may be able to come up with a few ways to... limit their effectiveness." she glanced back towards the imposing fortress. "Preferably without bringing the whole place down..."
*Checks* Hmm... poor Fort *and* Will saves? Yeah, that's gonna lead to a lot of conditions landing. I can extend an aura (as Protection From Evil) to disrupt a lot of mental effects... and we might want to invest in a good Cloak of Resistance for you sometime soon.
Valissa didn't speak at first as the crusaders returned to camp - she was staring at the walls of Drezen, and nodded slightly when she was done looking at whatever she'd seen. "The fighting has intensified in the south, but Queen Galfrey wanted to give as much help as possible to your efforts here." she explained. She rarely bothered with too many niceties - there was a war to fight, after all. "I'm Tactician Valissa." A recognizable name in the war for those who paid attention to such things, though not for heroic deeds. Rather, there were two things that tended to stick out in the minds of others. First, she'd advised commanders up to and including the Queen... and second, she'd been doing it since nearly the start of the war, which was now several crusades ago. In all that time, she hadn't seemed to age a day. That was a sharp contrast to the queen's regular need for youth-inducing elixirs. "What's the situation here?"
Hello! I'm Rednal, and I'll be playing Valissa. As an Outer Channeler Medium, Valissa summons a variety of angels into her head - and sometimes outside of it, too, with Summon Monster Spells. As a Pactmaker, she also summons a variety of spirits into her mind (currently up to two at a time), and on relatively short notice can ready a wide selection of abilities for the rest of the day. As you might imagine, it gets pretty crowded in there, which may explain why she's good at Will saves (and outright immune to mental domination - thanks, angels!). She also has completely absurd knowledge skills, so if you want to know the details on anything we're fighting, she probably has the answers. She also has a bunch of occult skill powers, which may come in handy. Fluff-wise, Valissa is an immortal mythic character who's been helping the war as a tactician since its early stages - any character who knows the "who's who" of notable figures will definitely have heard of her. It is, however, worth noting that she's a tactician, not a general or a warrior. She doesn't command so much as advise and support. She's rather sharp towards people she thinks are failing and not pulling their weight, but has no complaints when people (i.e. the rest of the party) have demonstrated results. Valissa has a particularly flexible build, so please don't hesitate to ask if there's any kind of support or utility you want. Given a couple of minutes to prepare, there's a good chance she can provide it. ^^ I don't think she can deal damage like a combat-focused mythic character can, but for most kinds of support and utility, she has oodles of tricks.
More stuff going on?
"I can track well enough, and I'm not interested in the small fry." Valissa answered calmly. "They're treacherous, opportunistic beasts, but even hobgoblins will at least leave an area before changing commanders if you keep killing who's in charge." With that, she turned around and headed towards the Imperial Road, not especially interested in conversing with the man further. Instead, she went for the method she'd been using before - stay off the road to avoid main ambushes while randomly warping forward to break off her tracks and make it hard for anyone to stay on her trail. A few days out in the wild she could handle, too - that was part of her profession, after all, and soldiers learned to deal with it. The sooner she could get to fixing that keep properly, the better off they'd all be.
Valissa merely raised an eyebrow, then gestured - and the coins rose into the air before floating over towards him. Ah, the many uses of telekinesis. "Fear is healthy. The ones who completely ignore it are usually the first to die." she observed calmly.
You doing all right?
"Where they are, what kind of forces they have, and what their commander's like." Valissa said. "I have my own reasons for being out here, and the presence of thugs like them is inconvenient, so I plan to drive them off - which means you and your own land will be safer as well." she pointed out. "You risk nothing but a few minutes of time by telling me what I want to know, and stand to benefit quite significantly if I succeed. I'd say that's already a pretty good trade."
"Well, that's a nice way to treat a stranger." Valissa said, keeping her voice audible. "I'm not here to cause trouble for you or your hounds - I'm just looking for some information on the hobgoblins, and then I'll be on my way."
Valissa promptly stepped off the road, though she was intending to keep it in view even as she searched for Jorr's house. He supposedly lived at the edge of the forest, so he wouldn't be too hard to find - and every now and then, she simply teleported a good distance, an old habit that helped to break up her trail and make it all but impossible to follow her. You weren't being paranoid when there really were marauders that wanted you dead.
I believe she's heading into the forest to talk to the guy you mentioned earlier. XD Not much else I can say until she gets there and sees what it's like.
"I see. Seems he's the one to talk to, then." Valissa mused, nodding to the man before turning and heading off towards the forest. Information was often the key to success or failure, and she had every intention of gathering what knowledge she could before setting off to drive the hobgoblins away.
"And who is this... Jorr?" Valissa asked, tapping her foot and bracing herself for another long spiel. It was just a peasant, it was just a peasant... responsible people didn't yell at them when they weren't in active danger, and she was responsible. Mostly. Kind of. Usually.
Contrary to popular belief, getting drunk was not the ideal start to a day... especially when you were going to need your wits about you. After getting breakfast downstairs and filling her stomach - she didn't really care what it was, as long as it wasn't going to cause problems - she began asking around for more information. At the very least, she wanted to know where people figured this... camp of Hobgoblins... was located. She wasn't too fond of the Mayor, but that was no reason to allow innocent people to be hurt if there was something she could do about it.
Valissa stretched widely as she woke up, doing a few exercises to keep her body loose and ready for the day. After a bit of prayer and meditation - something people who didn't know her well were often surprised to learn she did at all - she headed downstairs with the goal of getting some breakfast. After that, well... there were some hobgoblins to eliminate, weren't there? Once that was done, she could see about getting that old fort set up properly.
Valissa has this... thing... with provincial authority figures. XD The conversations don't usually end well. At the moment, her plans are actually to go find that camp of hobgoblins, locate the leader, try to assassinate him, and... uh... leave a message for the others. She does want to keep things from escalating too much - as a solo character, she actually can't do as much as a larger, more capable team would. She's pretty good for independent missions, not so good a large-scale incidents, and would indeed like to try and avert that. XD
Valissa simply nodded and watched him leave, then returned to her bed, intending to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be... interesting. On the bright side, she knew exactly what she wanted to do - she just had to find a way of making it happen.
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