Variel Alarin's page

Consume Life (Su)

By wresting a soul from life to death, a twilight sage gains a slightly deeper understanding of mortality, fueling her curiosity and eldritch power. As a full-round action, she can consume the life energy of a helpless living creature, killing it.

This creature must have 2 or more Hit Dice and be below 0 hit points. The twilight sage adds 2 points to her arcane reservoir if the creature's Hit Dice equaled or exceeded the sage's character level, or 1 point if the creature's Hit Dice equaled at least 1/2 her character level.

This ability is a death effect.

This ability replaces consume spells.

Necromantic Focus (Ex)

Twilight sages consider their research into life and death to be paramount, beyond all other concerns. Each day, a twilight sage must prepare at least one necromancy spell of each spell level she can cast.

Twilight Barrier (Ex)

A twilight sage's arcane barrier differs from those of other arcanists, as it draws upon both negative and positive energy to protect the sage. At 1st level, a twilight sage must choose the arcane barrier exploit as her first arcanist exploit. Whenever an attack removes the last temporary hit point from the twilight sage's arcane barrier, the barrier's negative energy lashes back at the attacker, dealing an amount of negative energy damage equal to the barrier's maximum temporary hit point capacity.

This ability alters the arcanist exploit gained at 1st level.

Twilight Transfer (Su):

At 11th level, a twilight sage's mastery over life and death allows her to transfer life energy into a fading vessel. Once per day, she can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir while touching a creature that died within the past round to affect that creature as if it had received a breath of life spell, using her arcanist level as the caster level. At the same time, a willing or unconscious living creature within 300 feet that has a number of Hit Dice equal to or greater than the recipient's instantly dies. This ability is a death effect, and if the victim doesn't actually die (such as if it was summoned or is immune to death effects), the recipient doesn't receive the breath of life effect.

Exploits:

Quick Study (Su):

The arcanist can prepare a spell in place of an existing spell by expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir. Using this ability is a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The arcanist must be able to reference her spellbook when using this ability. The spell prepared must be of the same level as the spell being replaced.

Potent Magic:

Whenever the arcanist expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the caster level of a spell, the caster level increases by 2 instead of 1. Whenever she expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the spell's DC, it increases by 2 instead of 1.

Flame Arc:

The arcanist can unleash an arc of flame by expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir. This creates a 30-foot line of flame that deals 1d6 points of fire damage + the arcanist's Charisma modifier, plus an additional 1d6 points of fire damage for every 2 levels beyond 1st (to a maximum of 10d6 at 19th level) to each target in the line. Creatures in the area of effect may attempt a Reflex saving throw to halve the damage.

Counter-spell:

By expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir, the arcanist can attempt to counter a spell as it is being cast. She must identify the spell being cast as normal. If she successfully does so, the arcanist can attempt to counter the spell as an immediate action and by expending an available arcanist spell slot of a level at least one higher than the level of the spell being cast. To counterspell, the arcanist must attempt a dispel check as if using dispel magic. If the spell being countered is one that the arcanist has prepared, she can instead expend an available arcanist spell slot of the same level, and she receives a +5 bonus on the dispel check. Counterspelling in this way does not trigger any feats or other abilities that normally occur when a spellcaster successfully counters a spell.

Dimensional Slide:

The arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir to create a dimensional crack that she can step through to reach another location. This ability is used as part of a move action or withdraw action, allowing her to move up to 10 feet per arcanist level to any location she can see. This counts as 5 feet of movement. She can only use this ability once per round. She does not provoke attacks of opportunity when moving in this way, but any other movement she attempts as part of her move action provokes as normal.

School Understanding: (Control Undead)

The arcanist can select one arcane school from any of the schools available to a character with the arcane school wizard class feature, but does not have to select any opposition schools. The arcanist gains one ability of that arcane school as though she were a 1st-level wizard, using her Charisma modifier in place of her Intelligence modifier for this ability. The ability must be one gained at 1st level and is limited in its use per day to 3 + the arcanist's Charisma modifier. As a swift action, the arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir to bolster her understanding, allowing her to treat her arcanist level as her wizard level for the purpose of using this ability for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). During this time, she also gains use of the other ability gained at 1st level for her selected school. She does not gain any other abilities when using this exploit in this way, such as those gained at 8th level. If the arcanist already has an arcane school (or gains one later), taking this exploit instead allows her arcanist levels to stack with the levels of the class that granted the arcane school when determining the powers and abilities of her arcane school.

Consume Magic Item:

The arcanist can consume the power of potions, scrolls, staves, and wands, using them to fill her arcane reservoir. She can use this ability a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Using this ability is a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity. When using this exploit, the arcanist adds a number of points to her arcane reservoir equal to 1/2 the level of the spell contained in the item (o-level and 1st-level spells do not recharge the arcanist's arcane reservoir). If used on a potion or scroll, the item is destroyed. If used on a wand, the wand loses 5 charges; if it has fewer than 5 charges, the wand is destroyed and the arcanist gains no benefit. If used on a staff, it loses 1 charge and the arcanist gains a number of points to his arcane reservoir equal to the level of the highest-level spell the staff can cast using only 1 charge; if the staff has no spells that require only 1 charge, the arcanist cannot consume that staff 's magic. No more than 1 charge can be drawn from a staff each day in this way. Points gained in excess of the arcanist's reservoir's maximum are lost. This exploit has no effect on magic armor, weapons, rings, rods, wondrous items, or other magic items besides those noted above.

He stumbled upon a grimiore of the Dark Arts and saw the power it held within. Power enough to possibly gain his revenge. So began his studies. To him, necromancy isn't just about what many make it to be, the raising of dead and binding of souls or even the eventual process of turning oneself into one of the dead. Honestly the idea of the later disgusts Variel. Variel sees the necromantic arts as more of the controlling and manipulation of life energy. The same way Evocation wizards bend and control the elements, or like conjurers and transmuters manipulate and bend the physical world to their desires, so too does a necromancer bend and control the very energies of life(or unlife).

The power gained from the Dark arts is no more or less evil than the others, it is but a tool. A potent tool in which he sees the chance to not only gain his vengeance, but do it in a bit of irony. He sees undead to as a tool, to be used at the appropriate time and place. His studies have allowed him to pursue his goals, and has allowed him to gain more than his ample share of gold. However he still seeks to avenge his family, and having heard of a band of adventurers pursuing the way, or, at least pursuing them in a sense he sees the chance to potentially make good on the vow he promised his family many years ago.

Variel Has his own goals outside of Revenge however , they are-
1. Immortality, Variel seeks immortality, or, at least immunity to aging. However he seeks this in a way that maintains his... life energy and keeps it from becoming corrupted. (in other words, not being undead, however he does study the powers behind undead beings in hopes of finding loopholes in the magic. Or possibly a way he can go about it without causing the corruption. he wants to live life forever, not live a half-life forever.)

2. magical artifacts, He has a penchant of collecting things, particularly if they are potent magic items or implements whether cursed or not. He may not use them all, but he enjoys having them. Besides, he sees his having any cursed items as a way to keep them from causing more harm.

3. Renown. He wants to restore his families name, potentially to even greater peaks than it was at his families peak. He would like to live well enough so that he may pursue his studies without the need of keeping up a merchant/adventurers life.

4. Purpose, He seeks something greater in life, something worth dedicating his (potentially) infinite time and great skill of magic to.

note on alignment- While he isn't a "for the greater good" type, he figures if he can improved someone else's lot while attaining his own goals then he will follow that. He doesn't seek to harm anyone that he believes does not deserve it and while he won't willingly sacrifice someone he sees as innocent to attain his goals. He will happily let harm come to someone he believes "deserves it" in those pursuits. He also despises anyone associated with the whispering way, or the noble family that now stands in place of his own. He isn't above an amount of torture to these people and is capable of some pretty... bad things, especially if on his own. So, while he isn't bad, he isn't particularly good. The way it would be is if someone stopped him, he wouldn't be happy about it but as long as they paid, horribly, in some way. He wouldn't put up much of a fuss. He isn't keen on second chances, but doesn't deny the possibility that people might change, however unlikely it is.

Variel wouldn't be summoning/raising undead left right and center. He normally would prefer to take control of existing undead and use them against the enemies. He would only actively create his own when he had to and the situation seemed rather dire. He would then "release" his after there task as complete. If I had to pick an alignment other than neutral, I would honestly say this guy was more good than evil overall. Like, if someone had an innocent hostage, and Variel really hated the guy, he still wouldn't strike at the man unless he knew the hostage would be safe unless /perhaps/ he and his group were almost to the point of actual death. Even then he might just opt to retreat and regroup instead.