Xenophones Skev's page

Change Shape: Boar, Giant Spider, Rat, or Raven, as beast shape I

Natural Weapons: Count as lawful and evil, extends to wielded weapons

Poison: Sting-Injury; Save Fort DC 13; Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; Effect 1d2 Dex damage; Cure 1 save. Con-based save, +2 racial bonus.

See in Darkness: Can see perfectly in darkness of any kind

Spell-Like Abilities
Constant: detect good, detect magic
At-Will: invisibility (self only)
1/day: augury, suggestion (DC 15)
1/week: commune (6 questions, CL 12th)

Telepathy: Can communicate mentally with any creature that speaks a language

1. How did you come to be in the employ of an evil wizard guarding her lair?
Well, that one's simple enough. Wizards love binding outsiders as servants. Evil wizards tend to like demons and/or devils, in particular, with demons being better as one-off assassins or muscle, and devils generally working better as long-term lackeys. Imps, specifically, are easy enough to summon, typically easy enough to manage, and serve nicely as assistants in a variety of roles and tasks, between being smart and savvy enough to not need constant direction, and having some useful abilities like flight, invisibility, and telepathy. So when Miss Aldor went looking for a long-term temp, Xenophones was the one who took the assignment. Not every imp would--but not every imp keeps their eye on the prize.

2. What are your motivations?
Xenophones wants the same thing as most devils: greater power and pull in the ineffable hierarchy of Hell. That's not all he's looking for, though. More than that, he wants to be recognized for his power, his cunning, his je-ne-sais-quoi. That also goes hand in hand with being a devil, so long as you're a self-aware sort. Hell isn't necessarily all about who's actually the strongest, or the smartest, or the one with the most silvery forked tongue. It's about how you show it off, how you use it, and how you get the higher-ups to applaud you for it. Xenophones wants to make an impact on the world, in his very own way, and rather than slog through the climb up the social ladder, he's attempting to do it in leaps and bounds in the mortal world.

3. What are the personality traits, quirks, habits, and so on of your character?
Xenophones may come off as a tad full of himself: he behaves in a way that suggests he's a very important person, introducing himself with his full titles and expecting to be respected as a dangerous, debonnaire devil by default. He also tends to have a somewhat vain demeanor, taking care to keep himself clean and treating work that's "beneath him" with utter distaste. Most of this comes from being a devil; in the Infernal Bureaucracy, it's important to constantly keep in mind your position of power, and make sure others know it, too. On a more personal level, Xenophones has a fondness for some of the affectations and amenities of the mortal world. He's fond of books and scrolls and maps, he's fond of good food and fine drinks, and he's fond of jewelry and fine cloth--he'd very much like to get his hands on a formal outfit to fit his miniature frame.

4. What does your character look like?
Xenophones is in some ways your standard imp, physically speaking. He's just slighter than the average, standing at just under two feet and weighing in just under ten pounds. He keeps his wings and horns neatly groomed, as much as possible, and generally tries to maintain an appearance that suggests professionalism and capability. A series of horns jut from his brow, and his lithe tail ends in a scorpion's barb. Xenophones is less bulbous and misshapen than most imps, and in many ways looks more like a very small contract devil, to those familiar with the denizens of Hell. During his time in the Material Plane, he's taken to keeping a gold hoop in one ear, because it adds a dramatic flair to his appearance. He most often likes to carry around an old scroll case filled with personal notes and half-filled-in contracts, ready to be finished should he convince some poor mortal to make a deal with him.

5. How could you see your character developing over the course of the game?
Right now, I see Xenophones as an imp who doesn't yet know precisely what he wants to be, or do, or get out of life. Hell has a way of worming into your mind and indoctrinating you, and while Xenophones has spent a fair amount of time away, it takes quite some time to really start thinking independently again. I could very well see his goals and even alignment, potentially, slipping and changing as the game goes on. That's not to say he won't be reporting back to his superiors and vying for more power, but it does mean his personal motivations for doing so might be different. I'd be interested in seeing him learn to get along with mortals and other monsters a bit better, accept that he's just as keen on enjoying life as he is on seizing power, and generally get over himself.