Limro, The Constructor CR 15
Male Human Wizard 15
LE Medium Humanoid
Init +1; Senses Darkvision 60ft; Listen +2, Spot +2
DEFENSE
AC 18 [Math +10 base, +7 deflection, +1 Dex], touch 18 [Math +10 base, +7 deflection, +1 Dex], flat-footed 17 [Math +10 base, +7 deflection]
(+7 deflection, +1 Dex)
hp 62 (15d4+2)[Math 4 (Full hit dice at first level) + 2 Con + {14(2 hit dice per level + 2 Con)}]
Fort +11 [Math +5 base, +2 Con, +4 resistance], Ref +10 [Math +5 base, +1 Dex, +4 Resistance], Will +15 [Math +9 base, +4 resistance, +2 Wis]
Defensive Abilities Blink Effect from Ring of Blinking, Shield Other Effect from Shield Guardian
OFFENSE
Spd 30 ft.
Melee Adamantine Dagger +7/+2 [Math +7 base, +1 masterwork, -1 Str] (1d6-1, x2)
Ranged Wand of Scorching Ray (CL15) 3 rays +8 (4d6 fire)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Spells Known (CL 14th):
8th (1/day)Ñ Dimensional Lock, Discern location, Temporal Stasis (DC 23), Trap the Soul (DC 23)
7th (2/day)Ñ Forcecage, Limited Wish (DC 22), Scrying, Greater, Spell Turning, Symbol of Stunning (DC 22), Teleport, Greater (DC 22), Teleport Object (DC 22),
6th (3/day)Ñ Analyze Dweomer (DC 21), Antimagic Field, Disintegrate (DC 21), Dispel Magic, Greater, Geas, Globe of Invulnerability, Guards and Wards, Legend Lore, Mislead (DC 21), Repulsion (DC 21), True Seeing (DC 21),
5th (5/day)Ñ Break Enchantment, Dismissal, Dominate Person (DC 20), Fabricate, Hold Monster (DC 20), Magic Jar (DC 20), Major Creation, Permanency, Planar Binding, Lesser (DC 20), Secret Chest, Sending (DC XX), Telekinesis (DC 20), Teleport (DC 20), Wall of Force
4th (5/day)Ñ Arcane Eye, Charm Monster (DC 19), Detect Scrying, Dimensional Anchor, Dimension Door (DC 19), Geas, Lesser (DC 19), Globe of Invulnerability, Lesser, Fear (DC 19), Locate Creature, Minor Creation, Polymorph, Resilient Sphere (DC 19), Scrying, Stone Shape,
3rd (5/day)Ñ Animate Dead, Arcane Sight, Blink, Daylight, Displacement (DC 18), Dispel Magic, Explosive Runes (DC 28), Fireball (DC 18), Fly (DC 18), Gentle Repose (DC 18), Haste (DC 18), Hold Person (DC 18), Lighting Bolt (DC 18), Magic Circle against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (DC 18), Nondetection (DC 18), Protection from Energy (DC 18), Shrink Item (DC 18), Slow (DC 18), Suggestion (DC 18), Tongues (DC 18), Water Breathing (DC 18),
2nd (5/day)Ñ Acid Arrow, Alter Self, Arcane Lock, Bear’s Endurance (DC 17), Blur (DC 17), Bull’s Strength (DC 17), Cat’s Grace (DC 17), Continual Flame (DC 17), Darkness, Darkvision (DC 17), Daze Monster (DC 17), Detect Thoughts (DC 17), Eagle’s Splendor (DC 17), False Life, Fox’s Cunning (DC 17), Invisibility (DC 17), Knock, Levitate, Locate Object, Mirror Image, Misdirection (DC 17), Protection from Arrows (DC 17), Obscure Object (DC 17), Owl’s Wisdom (DC 17), Resist Energy (DC 17), Scorching Ray, See Invisibility, Shatter (DC 17), Spider Climb (DC 17), Web (DC 17)
1st (6/day)Ñ Alarm, Animate Rope, Cause Fear (DC 16), Charm Person (DC 16), Comprehend Languages, Detect Secret Doors, Detect Undead, Disguise Self, Endure Elements (DC 16), Erase (DC 16), Feather Fall (DC 16), Floating Disk, Hold Portal, Identify, Obscuring Mist, Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (DC 16), Mage Armor (DC 16), Magic Aura (DC 16), Magic Missile, Ray of Enfeeblement, Shield, Silent Image (DC 16), Sleep (DC 16), Unseen Servant
0 (4/day)Ñ Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Light, Mage Hand, Mending (DC 15), Message, Open/Close (DC 15), Prestidigitation (DC 15), Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance (DC 15), Touch of Fatigue (DC 15)
Spells Prepared (CL 14th):
8thÑDimensional Lock
7thÑTeleport Object (DC 22, x2)
6thÑDisintegrate (DC 21), Dispel Magic, Greater, Globe of Invulnerability
5thÑDominate Person (DC 20, x2), Hold Monster (DC 20, x2), Wall of Force
4thÑDetect Scrying, Fear (DC 19, x2), Polymorph (x2)
3rdÑArcane Sight, Lighting Bolt (DC 18, x2), Nondetection* (DC 18), Protection from Energy (DC 18)
2ndÑDarkness, Misdirection* (DC 17,), Obscure Object (DC 17, x3)
1stÑAlarm, Identify (x2), Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (DC 16), Ray of Enfeeblement (x2)
0ÑDetect Magic, Read Magic, Mage Hand (x2)
* Already Cast
TACTICS
Before Combat Limro always has his Ring of Mind Shielding active and his Rod of Absorption (0 spell charges) on his person. If combat is evident, he will go to his lab, activate is Ring of Blinking , put on his Goggles of Night, and cast Protection from Good or whichever alignment will protect from the party’s spellcasters. Limro will deactivate all light sources in the laboratory. Using hidden homunculi through out the lab and shop, he will track the party’s movements and send his flesh golems to soften them up. Spark will hide in the area of the lab where the new construct body is.
During Combat Limro will sit back with Delar and let his stone golem attack. The golem is ordered to prevent anyone from passing. In the first round of combat, he will cast Globe of Invulnerability. If the party is only using one light source, Limro will cast Darkness on that area. Then Limro will retrieve his Wand of Hold Person, Heightened (4th) (DC 19) from one of his Gloves of Storing targeting spellcasters first. If the wand is ineffective, he will then try Dominate Person or Hold Monster (both DC 20). Dominated characters will be commanded to attack their party. If Limro feels he has the upper hand, he will retrieve is Wand of Scorching Ray from his other Gloves of Storing and attack any paralyzed characters. He is save his prepared Disintegrate (DC 21) to escape anything force effects, but will it at adventurers using any spell levels charged in the Rod of Absorption. Delar will always stand next to and guard Limro, releasing it’s stored spell Fear (DC 19) at the first target to engage Limro.
Morale If the stone golem or Delar are destroyed or Limro is damaged to half his hit points, he will attempt to flee. First he will move back with Delar (if it isn’t destroyed) and cast Wall of Force between himself and the party. Next he will retreat to the area that contains his new body and use Teleport Object to send it to a safe house near by. Then he will cast Teleport Object on Delar. Lastly, Limro will use his Boots of Teleportation. Before leaving he will command all his homunculi to flee into the sewers and meet him at the safe house. But if it is impossible for Limro to escape with his new body, he will fight to the death.
STATISTICS
Str 9, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 21, Wis 14, Cha 15
Base Atk +7/+2; Grp +6 [Math +7 base, -1 Str]
Feats Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Rod, Craft Staff, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Extend Spell, Forge Ring, Heighten Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell Penetration
Skills Alchemy +17 [Math +2 circumstance, +5 Int, +10 ranks], Appraise +9 (+11); +2 synergy bonus to checks involving Alchemy, Armorsmithing, Leatherworking, Sculpting, Weaponsmithing [Math +5 Int, +4 ranks], Armorsmithing +17 [Math +2 circumstance, +5 Int, +10 ranks], Bluff +7 [Math +2 Cha, +5 ranks], Concetration +20 [Math +2 Con, +18 ranks], Leatherworking +17 [Math +2 circumstance, +5 Int, +10 ranks], Knowledge (Arcana) +21 [Math +5 Int, +16 ranks], Knowledge (Nature) +14 [Math +5 Int, +9 ranks], Knowledge (Planes) +16 [Math +5 Int, +11 ranks], Sculpting +17 [Math +2 circumstance, +5 Int, +10 ranks], Spellcraft +19 [Math +5 Int, +12 ranks, +2 synergy], Weaponsmithing +17 [Math +2 circumstance, +5 Int, +10 ranks]
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven
Combat Gear Adamantine Dagger, Amulet of the Shield Guardian, Boots of Teleportation, +7 Bracers of Armor, +4 Cloak of Resistance, Glove of Storing (2), Goggles of Night, Potion of Cure Serious Wounds (2), Ring of Blinking, Ring of Mind Shielding, Rod of Absorption, Wand of Hold Person, Heightened (4th) (36 charges, DC 19) [note: it is located in the Glove of Storing in the right hand, Wand of Scorching Ray (CL 15, 23 charges) [note it is located in the Glove of Storing on the left hand]; Other Gear Alchemist’s Lab; Artisan’s Tools, Masterwork; Spell Books (3)
Limro is a well-groomed unassuming man that stands six feet high and is a lean 100 pounds. Bright eyes and a sharp expression look out from a wrinkled face, bearing a long, braided grey beard and short cropped hair. Limro stands straight, his bearing that of a younger man, yet he seems weak with the ravages of old age. Perched on his shoulder is Spark, his raven, and looming at his side is Delar, a 10 foot tall humanoid figure in robes. The robes hide that Delar is a Shield Guardian. Limro operates a magic emporium called “The Constructor” in the back allies of the merchant district of any major city. Renowned for his magic object craftsmanship and stern grim personality, Limro’s business turns a tidy profit, but it is just a facade for his true activities.
For the past 20 years, Limro has been creating himself a new perfect construct body. He is consumed with the belief that living beings are imperfect and that constructs are the only true form. Limro has a hidden laboratory filled with homunculi and golems deep underneath the shop. In the lab there are 20 homunculi, five flesh golems, and a stone golem. The drain of creating so many constructs has caused Limro to age prematurely. A lift leads from the shop to the lab. Limro experiments on magical beings and artifacts to deconstruct (sometimes painfully) their powers and imbue them into the new body and his constructs.
Limro has yet to find a means to permanently transfer his soul into the construct body. If he unlocks that puzzle, he will become one of the most powerful known beings and then turn his attention into “constructing” a perfect world to replace all living things. Despite his expert skills, he has not been able to truly breathe life into his creations. Limro believes the answer to that mystery can be found in the Inevatibles, the only living, thinking constructs.
Limro never leaves his shop or lab. Using his Ring of Mind Shielding, he hires adventurers to collect the objects and creatures needed for his experiments. If a group is proven competent, Limro will attempt to gain their trust by appraising magic items for free and giving discounts at his shop. If asked, the jobs are at the request of a secret client. Once in a while this is actually true. Limro will track groups with Scrying, Greater focusing on items brought from him.
Often Limro’s studies create magical pollution which he vents into the sewers. The pollution has the unfortunate tendency of either breathing life into discarded junk or forming spell-effecting gases. It is very possible that the same adventurers that work for Limro will be hired by some other group to solve the pollution problem. If at any point Limro feels the adventurers are discovering his secret, he will send them on a suicide mission. If that fails, he will wait for them in his lab so his “children” can strike them down.
Initial Impression: This one left me flat. Or should I say, "this one will leave me flat." The grammar mistakes and the passive voice really smacked me in the face. And I didn't dig the concept here. I also don't really see the conflict. This is a cool NPC, not a villain. Or, as Erik put it, "good bad guy, bad villain." I can't pick this one for top 8.
Word count: 499.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Ok, I was a champion of the elemental mask and while I thought your nation had its flaws and left a lot of room for improvement the idea of the giant petrified trees and the weird windstorms was one of the more inventive approaches in that round. I come to this round not quite knowing what to expect from you, but hoping for great things.
Generally, while I think _great_ is stretching it, I think you delivered a cool villain (if not in the best possible way).
I think it was a mistake to launch into the stat block without any kind of summary. It makes the references to Limro's homunculi in the tactics section feel like a broadside. All of a sudden I'm getting information on Limro's tactics relative to Spark and Delar, but I have no idea who Spark and Delar are yet. That's bad design, and it's something we always try to avoid in publishing. DO NOT PRESENT PROPER NOUNS WITHOUT PRESENTING CONTEXT. This is especially important when writing for a game filled with weird names and strange concepts.
I've pointed this out in other submissions, but I think it's best to use the present tense in the tactics description. On the read-through it seems more action-oriented and uses fewer words, and during the game it's exactly what you want and need.
(Incidentally, you don't need to write the word "Math" at the beginning of a "show your work" section. That's sort of why the brackets are there.)
The non-stat block part of the submission is far more interesting, and again the writing seems to improve once the author becomes more interested. I don't really get a strong sense of how to roleplay Limro, but I DO get a sense of how I might weave him into the campaign and use him in a number of ways. Unlike a lot of the submissions in this contest, Limro is truly a villain and has a lot of re-play potential.
I think the "I WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD" plot is a bit overdone, but I like the idea of his obsession with constructs and I especially like how you've taken an effort to explain how to use him in the campaign.
So this is a fairly solid B, B- for me. That might be good enough to advance this round, but I think you've got to raise the bar a bit conceptually to keep surviving future rounds.
Villain Concept (name, title, is it actually a villain?, design choices, playability?): C+
The Good: The construct angle is OK. He has a secret lair. He could be a Bond villain. He just needs a death trap. And a hot construct chick. I guess in the end I didn’t really dig the concept. It reminds me of an old Twilight Zone episode where people want these new beautiful bodies.
The Bad: Limro? Don’t like the name. Plus, he’s not a villain to my way of thinking. I don’t really see the conflict here. He likes constructs, and has some vague sense that he wants to make a whole construct world. No immediacy. A villain gets in your face. You can’t ignore him.
I have a funny feeling here. I have a feeling that there was a villain you liked better that you wanted to submit but for whatever reason you felt this one had the better chance. I just don’t feel the passion for this submission. I don’t know. I just get a funny vibe that you aren’t 100% committed to this submission. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about this at the end of the round. Maybe I am wrong.
Stat Block Execution (proper content, proper format, good math, generally mistake free?, not abusing word count?): C+
The Good: The mechanics are competent.
The Bad: You still haven’t fixed those silly characters. Plus, most things are not capitalized yet you capitalize them. The grammar and writing mistakes in the stat block are rather bad. Passive voice will be the death of this submission (couldn’t resist).
Description (quality of writing, hook?, theme?, organization, contains all mandatory content—physical description, motivation/goal, scheme/plot?): C
The Good: Contains the mandatory content.
The Bad: The organization was poorly done. All the text after the stat block was a mistake for this entry. And it takes a while even once you get to the text to find his motivation, which I am still not feeling is that strong. He wants a new body. He loves constructs. Where is the conflict? And the writing, it’s a problem.
Tilt (did it grab me?, is it unique and cool?, do I like it?, flavor and setting?): C-
The Good: A secret lair of constructs is fun.
The Bad: I don’t want to play him.
Overall: C+
A flat non-villain with no conflict and no immediacy, and a sneaking suspicion that the author’s heart wasn’t in this one.
William, I don’t know what to say on this one. I thought you had the nuggets of genius in your country. And I thought there was some good stuff in your item. But it is round 3. You’ve had chances. I just think this one fell flat. Now, had your country been a total homerun, maybe I could give you a pass on the misstep that is this entry. But I’m not sure I can. I'm not seeing improvement from you from round to round.
NOT RECOMMEND for Top 8
Kobold Press
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I was hoping someone would give us a full-blown wizard or other spellcaster, with a complex bag of spellcasting tricks and clever ways to use those spells to reinforce his diabolical plan. What we have here is a wizard with an obsession and a goal, but also a hermit and a recluse who may not come into conflict with the party that quickly. Maybe there's more to him, but I'm not seeing it.
Part of the problem may just be leading with your stats and not defining your proper nouns on first reference, problems that Erik covers. Part of it may be the inevitable comparison to other mad scientist type wizards (the idea is fairly stale, though still popular).
I don't think the entry falls apart, but I can't recommend it either. I'm not seeing a big new concept, an exciting hook, or a lot of possible avenues to develop a rich campaign arc around this guy.
Sorry about that. I didn't realize I added to my villian. And I can't believe I missed the fact I could have put the description in the begining.
Thank you for your comments. I do see the flaws in my grammer and writing and I'm trying to improve them.
William, the same restriction on comments applies this round, too. That is in the FAQ, along with the information that you can put the description text before or after the stat block.
Please edit your comments.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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In a few sentences, Clark has added the style and panache that Master Limro is lacking. He's a perfect Bond villain, a person of means and patience, whose clockwork plans --if you'll pardon the term-- continue apace until the heroes fall upon them and disrupt his mad scheme.
And like most Bond villains, he's good for a single story. Now, the fact that he's CR 15, and the party will probably encounter him often before that, sets the stage, Marvel-comics-style for the villain to be, shock of surprises, their old magic-store proprietor. But, to go back to Bond, itwould be like having somebody in Q-Branch turn out to be the evil mastermind.
Once the PC's know he's a bad guy, he's hosed.
As Wolfgang noted, this guy has way more spells at his disposal than he could be using in a fight. Battling a paranoid, 15th-Level wizard in his lair ought to be terrificly hazardous. Why isn't there weird, deadly stuff hanging all over the place?
Lastly, it struck me as odd that a man so in dread of death would (a) cast spells that age him, and (b) if cornered, fight to the death. Why would he not surrender in the face of long odds?
Quick Thoughts:
-1 for not really having strong hooks
+1 for being cool
a warning for the robes fooling anyone into thinking a shield guardian is something else for more than 10 seconds
I like him and his plans, but it seems like a hard thing to get PCs involved in.
Two things I really like. First, I really dig that you've taken a bent on the XP draining effect of spells and ported it into the story of this poor old codger who's made so many things it's sucked the life out of him and he's desperately seeking an escape. I like the drug addict angle on the guy. He tinkers with constructs to escape death, but by making each construct he kills himself a little more. Cool.
Why not a lich, I ask myself. Certainly that's a quest that at least has an answer. There also seem to be a fair number of self-willed constructs around. The trouble is that a lot of the obstacles the villain throws himself against are ideosyncracies of the current magic system. Honest to goodness, by the end of 3rd edition I imagine there will be some way of turning someone into a construct. The trouble with this is that you end up having to configure a whole lot of your setting to assume that what he's trying doesn't work. No warforged in that setting. Probably no modrons either. It seems to require the DM to exclude a lot of stuff in order to make his search as fruitless as it seems to be.
Which none of that would be so bad if the character was evident in the entry. I really don't end up with a great view of the guy as a character. He's unassuming and old. That's about it. Fifteenth level means something. He's been out doing things his whole life and should have a lifetime of experiences and adventures behind him. That should be pretty colorful and a good read. Unfortunatately we don't get to see any of that lifetime of obsession and accomplishment. I would have liked to. It's nice to see a bona fide magic user amid the half-fiends, medusae, and giant alabaster giants--but I don't think this one quite works.
RPG Superstar 2013
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Steven T. Helt
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Well, like so many entries, I guess this says 'no vote from steve' all by itself:
"Limro never leaves his shop or lab."
That's just not a villain in the sense that superstar submissions have provided, and I can't vote for it. I am not really impressed with Limro as an interesting wizard, and I don't have context for his warped beliefs, except that for some reason he is impossibly thin.
He weighs 100 lbs at 6 feet (I weigh 195, a bit over my 186 ideal), and still has a constitution of 14? How does he have almost average strength?
Finally, 'the Constructor' is not a name that captures my imagination. It's functional, that's all. I guess you could argue that Limro doesn't care about a flashy name, but that confirms he has the zero personality I think he has.
Congratulations on making the round of 16.
Ah a wizard! I was hoping to see a full-blown spell caster amongst the villains. Alas however this one falls flat. He doesn't seem to depart at all from the basic 'wizard going for power' motif.
The fact he never strays far from his lab or shop also felt a bit bland.
I'm not certain I can vote for this entry.
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I think you presented Limro too early in his career.
Limro just inches away from his transformation, or even better, having just transformed and taking steps to re-shape the world in his image would have been such a better villian. Others have commented on him being a Bond villain, you should have run with that. Not a latter day Bond villain who barely manages to survive one movie, but someone like Blowfeld who appears in several movies until Bond finally kills him. Again.
A construct Limro stands tall against the city, replacing/transforming those in power who want to avoid death at all costs. They work secretly to funnel resources to Limro and hide their new condition until they are completely in control. Transforming the city guard into loyal constructs, Limro now has the beginnings of an army that is immune to mind control spells and cannot die. Adventurers will join him or perish! The World is IN HIS GRASP!
Initial reactions are mixed. I like the fact that this is a powerful wizard villain. I was a little surprised to note that he doesn't have a means to bolster his hit points or protect himself better (like having <i>stoneskin</i> prepared). Also, a <i>wand of scorching ray</i> at his caster level seems a little off - the damage output is so low versus anyone of even comparable level. Sure it helps against low-level types, but the money could be spent elsewhere.
I like his shield guardian servant. I'm pleased to see he has the spells to create it (other than the clerical spell that you have to have, but that's no surprise). He has an interesting background. This fellow almost screams "comic book character" with his goggles.
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Nice solid villain. Straight-class Wizard, so nothing hinky to worry about, and Golems are always a challenge for the party (although they can be pretty frustrating for the arcanists and backstabby sorts).
The whole attempting to become a golem thing might be cliche to some, but hey, what if it works? Whole new villain, and I bet the party will wish they'd taken him out before he finished his sinister plan...
(Gosh, wonder what the Arcane Spell Failure is for having an Iron Golem for a body? Yikes. Better look into a Mithral body or something!)
And this bit?
Limro experiments on magical beings and artifacts to deconstruct (sometimes painfully) their powers and imbue them into the new body and his constructs.
Neat, as it suggests ways that the villain might end up in conflict with the adventurers, who are likely to be magical beings, or be holding magical artifacts, that he might need to 'deconstruct' for his research. "Hold still, and do try to remember, this is for posterity..."
I came to this entry wanting to really like it. I have a love of constructs that borders on obscene at times so a character as obsessed is rather cool. The use of the stat-block at the beginning really almost killed it for me. And well it seems like aside from 'eventually' trying to take over the world he's not really doing anything that the adventurers would care about. He's sick in the head but not really evil... Now if he was trying to transfer souls by first practicing on others then that's a different bucket of trout.
I do have to say I like the idea, and the use of constructs made me happy. However he just didn't seem evil enough. Crazy but almost likeable crazy. Like the crazy gas station attendant you find out makes dolls style crazy. Maybe a little creepy... but not quite evil enough for my taste. Cause I figure you've got to be either evil or conniving and he seems more crazy.
Limited, so very limited ...
I can see myself using a "Woah, it was the magic shop owner!" idea in my campaigns. However, and it's a big however, that means the magic shop owner had to do something.
What did Limro do? He wants to be a construct. So what? He never leaves his shop, he doesn't even cheat his paperboy. There's no trail to him, and no crime to take him to task over. You have a few words about "he wants to remake the world as perfect constructs", but as other posters suggested, this is far more interesting in a later-stage Limro. This one is an old man, albeit a fun one, who cannot really challenge a party. I don't think his secrets are shocking, or even that the average PC would care about stopping him.
There's a little interest generated here and there, but overall it left me feeling very 'meh'. Plus, the whole time I kept wondering when the Inevitable that's out to stop this immortality seeker would turn up, but alas it was not to be.
nope.
Borderline. Occasional nice idea but on a whole...naah.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Steven T. Helt
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You know, I have been thinking about Limro. I can't get him a vote because of all the things I described, but a few small improvements and I think he might jump in scale quite a bit.
I think first he has got to get outdoors. Rob a grave. Steal a quantity of mithral or something. Make him a proactive villain, and give the PCs a crime wave to investigate. As a smart, wizardly guy, maybe he riles a local small guild, foments a guild war (and thus a huge crime wave), and lets law enforcement waste its time with that while his murders and robberies go on less noticed. Now he's a villain.
Secondly, I think villains with some weird fixation need to have a progression to remain interesting. Say Elsie is always taking hands. That what she's good for. You get to the bottom of it, there's Elsie in her basement with a crapload of hands. Now let's say instead she started with fingers, moved on to hands by the time the constabulary begs the PCs for help, and moves to some more heinous crime later. As another crafty wizard, she also has other ambitions. She's disguising herself as various beautiful lasses and killing her new husbands - earning a portion of each estate in the process. Her immense manor by 10-12th level is defended by mind-controlled butlers with imbued spell abilities. Also, they are each dominated into removing one of their hands. She has a progression that works with her theme and she never stops being creepy. You don't want later in her story for players to roll their eyes when a politician loses his hand. Same old Elsie. You want them to immediately try to find the butler, because butlers have either gone missing or been framed for each of these crimes (riffing off 'the butler did it' is always fun - because the butler is usually just another sad victim.)
Anyhoo, back to Limro: say every time the party actually encounters him, he is a little more machine and a little less man. Lots of work to hybrid those stats, but you have grafts to work with as precedent. He is increasingly less human, and therefore increasingly unable to stop himelf from his progressive conversion. The party thinks 'if we dont stop him this time, imagine next time.' At higher levels, the construct wizard is a twist off the lich, but I think one that keeps their imaginations going, since he is different and more powerful, and maybe more grotesque every time the party has to encounter him.
That progression, and having more than one iron in the fire makes him a villain, in my opinion.
There you go, Paizo. Two free adventure paths. Poor left-handed butlers.
Notes: Got really excited by the name. Pictured some creepy old dude ala Ravenloft, creating killer toys, experimenting on helpless victims creating "Remade" ala China Mieville. When I saw that he was a human wizard I was thinking wow that's risky, he better have some pizazz. Seeing that word "Math" over and over bugged me. Grammar bugged me. Read more like a short adventure. Kind of bland.
Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
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Using an adamantine dagger is smart. So is his spell selection.
I'm concerned by the tactic of casting against "whichever alignment will protect against the party's spellcasters".
Sculpting and Weaponsmithing are incorrect names for skills. Author has misspelled "Inevitables", misused "brought" and made a number of typos. The description is not too hot. In the end, while an interesting and well-defined concept, this is not up to my required standard at this stage.
Sculpting and Weaponsmithing are incorrect names for skills.
Not to excuse my other small mistakes, but those are the names of the skills listed in the creation section of the golem in the d20 srd.
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka JoelF847
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While I liked the full wizard and intelligent tactics, (except for the lack of mage armor - that's a free +4 to AC, and at 15th level you can afford to ditch a 1st level spell for that), the writing was poor unfortunately. There were just too many places I had to decipher what the writer was actually trying to say.
I actually like the fact that he has the PCs do all of his work for him, but sooner or later he'll run into good PCs who don't want to do his next mission. I've used this arc before, and always had to have a strong grip which forced the PCs in one way or another to do stuff that they weren't really excited about, because otherwise it doesn't work.
Another think I was dissapointed at was how do the golems affect the cost of his gear? Listing them as equipment with a gp cost would have helped to see how his equipment stacked up for a 15th level. I know I could look all of that up, but I'm feeling a bit too lazy for that to be honest. My gut tells me that he's got too much, since golems aren't cheap.
While I liked the full wizard and intelligent tactics, (except for the lack of mage armor - that's a free +4 to AC, and at 15th level you can afford to ditch a 1st level spell for that), the writing was poor unfortunately. There were just too many places I had to decipher what the writer was actually trying to say.
I actually like the fact that he has the PCs do all of his work for him, but sooner or later he'll run into good PCs who don't want to do his next mission. I've used this arc before, and always had to have a strong grip which forced the PCs in one way or another to do stuff that they weren't really excited about, because otherwise it doesn't work.
Another think I was dissapointed at was how do the golems affect the cost of his gear? Listing them as equipment with a gp cost would have helped to see how his equipment stacked up for a 15th level. I know I could look all of that up, but I'm feeling a bit too lazy for that to be honest. My gut tells me that he's got too much, since golems aren't cheap.
He is a magic item maker. You need to put that into the cost of all items.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Steven T. Helt
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He is a magic item maker. You need to put that into the cost of all items.
eh. I don't know about that. Imagine that argument from all crafting PCs and NPCs. I have more stuff cause it was half price. I played an item crafting cleric once. Whie hhe was fun and part of a great campaign, I did have to put up with comments about being cheesy and taking advantage of this and that: and they were right. While the players were savvy anough with the game, and fun enough in their own right, in other games I would have bneen doing everyone else's job and dismantling their fun.
Gmaes where the good or bad guys have too much stuff are in danger of losing players, and I think that even if you have to give up more than you have to, it's worth it to keep people from getting bored cause this PC or villain has double the amount of stuff.
And double the amount of stuff in golems is pretty darn tough, I think. More study might be necessary before I agree or disagree fully.
So close William. Great concept but I needed another vote or a different word like "rarely" leaves his lab vice never. Good luck I'm hoping you advance to the next round.