Volner Tain, the Thrice-Damned Disciple
Male Human Lich, Cleric 11/Assassin 4
Description
Volner Tain has kept his hawkish features through years of undeath, but his eyes have fallen out, leaving only ashen pits. He drapes his withered body in robes that reek of formaldehyde, and countless prayer beads and amulets jangle around his neck. Stretched and shattered before he died, his limbs bend in unnatural places seem too long for his body. Once a gifted orator, he now mangles prayers to gods both real and imagined – not even he knows which he worships.
A crusader of Iomedae in life, Volner Tain led a disastrous assault against the daemons of Abaddon, ending in his capture and the death of all his followers. Bound and tortured in the Cinder Furnace, Volner watched and despaired as his captors worked towards the world’s undoing. Three times he called on the gods for aid – to Iomedae, for justice, to Desna, for liberation, and to Pharasma, to take his soul. Perhaps he was already cursed in their eyes, for his prayers went unanswered. Though the daemons killed Volner, they bound his spirit to a fragment of stone called a thanatos shard and returned him to the world as a skulking lich. Volner promised four things in exchange for his death: a plague, a famine, a war, and a massacre.
Motivations and Goals
Volner loathes his undead state, but wants to be sure his ‘gifts’ aren’t considered too paltry to warrant his freedom. Thus he seeks artifacts and followers to bring about destruction that will feed on itself, manipulating others to evil so he needn’t spend time on each little death. He stays mobile, instigating plots as he travels, hoping some will grow into true catastrophes.
The lich saves his personal wrath for those who remind him of his former piety, but who remain uncorruptable. He spares nothing to ruin such people: he stalks them first, learning what and who they love, then either tricks his quarry into destroying these things or corrupts them beyond recognition.
Adventure Hooks
- Volner’s spells and conjured daemons turn the fields and woodlands of Andoran into wastelands of tumors and blight. The native creatures and fey go mad with pain and attack nearby villages, while starvation forces desperate townsfolk to commit terrible crimes to survive.
- Volner has captured seven nobles and dignitaries from rival nations across Golarion. He actually killed the whole lot, but has resurrected them after implanting... something inside each of their skulls. One likely contains the lich’s phylactery, as he harries those who rescue the prisoners no matter how far they flee or how often they strike him down. The others could hold anything from mundane gemstones to scrying beacons to fiendish wasp eggs. Do the PCs convince the aristocrats to die a second time for a mere chance at revenge? Can they avoid starting a war in the process?
VOLNER TAIN CR 17
NE Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid)
Init +3 ; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +32
Aura fear aura (60 ft.)
===== Defense =====
AC 32, touch 20, flat-footed 25; (+7 armor, +2 defending sword, +3 deflection, +3 Dex, +2 dodge, +5 natural)
hp 123 (15d12+29);
Fort +10 , Ref +12 , Will +16
Defenses uncanny dodge; DR 15/bludgeoning and magic; Immune alignment detection, cold, electricity, polymorph, mind-affecting, undead immunities; Resist +4 turn resistance
===== Offense =====
Spd 30 ft., air walk
Melee touch +17/+17/+9/+4 (1d8+8 negative energy plus paralysis) , or +2 defending short sword +19/+19/+14/+9 (1d6+7)
Special Attacks aura of destruction, channel negative energy, copy cat, damaging touch, death attack, destructive smite, master’s illusion, paralyzing touch, sneak attack +2d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th)
1/day--invisibility, shatter (DC 18)
5/day--disguise self, inflict light wounds (DC 17)
Spells Prepared (Cleric CL 11th; +17 touch)
6th--harm (DC 22), word of recall
5th--flame strike (DC 21), scrying, true seeing
4th--air walk, divine power, poison (DC 20), unholy blight (DC 20)
3rd--bestow curse (DC 19), deeper darkness (DC 19), dispel magic, speak with dead (DC 19), wind wall
2nd--death knell (DC 18), desecrate, enthrall (DC 18), hold person (DC 18), silence (x2, DC 18)
1st--curse water, detect good (x2), divine favor, entropic shield, shield of faith
0--bleed (DC 16), detect magic, guidance, speak resistance
===== Tactics =====
Before Combat Volner approaches his target unseen, using stealth or (if need be) invisibility. He singles out a lightly-armored target for his death attack while casting shield of faith, divine power, and air walk, in that order. His statistics reflect these spells. If he believes his target is a spellcaster he casts silence on himself just before attacking.
During Combat Volner likes to open combat from surprise, striking a lightly armored foe with a paralyzing touch that also adds sneak attack damage and his death attack. He then uses Spring Attack to leap away from reprisal, or stays close to his target if silence is in effect to disrupt spellcasting. After the first round Volner continues to dart in and out of combat (ideally upward, using air walk), making paralyzing touch attacks augmented by harm, poison, or inflict wounds spells. He tries to avoid ending his turn next to anyone with a bludgeoning weapon. He uses his short sword entirely for defense until only he can move, when he starts slitting the throats of paralyzed foes (his AC should be reduced by 2 if he uses the sword offensively. He channels negative energy to heal himself and damage enemies that group together. He relies on his two rings of counterspells to block the most effective magical attacks.
Morale Volner uses word of recall to flee if dropped below 20 hp, but only because he doesn’t want anyone stealing his equipment. If unable to flee he fights until destroyed, knowing the thanatos shard will create a new body.
Base Statistics If his magic gets dispelled, Volner has the following statistics:
Hp 112 (15d12+18);
AC 29, touch 17, flat-footed 22; (+7 armor, +2 defending sword, +3 Dex, +2 dodge, +5 natural)
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +14/+9/+4 touch (1d8+5 plus paralysis), or +16/+11/+6 short sword (1d6+3)
===== Statistics =====
Str 11 , Dex 16 , Con -- , Int 14 , Wis 22 , Cha 20
Base Atk +11/+6/+1
; CMB +12
Feats Ability Focus (paralyzing touch), Craft Wondrous Item, Dodge, Improved Turning, Mobility, Lightning Reflexes, Spring Attack, Toughness, Weapon Finesse
Skills : Acrobatics +18 , Bluff +15 , Diplomacy +12 , Disguise +12 , Knowledge (religion) +10 , Perception +32 , Sense Motive +23 , Spellcraft , Stealth +29
Languages Common, Daemonic
Special Qualities hidden weapons
Combat Gear +2 defending shortsword, rod of metamagic (silent), ring of counterspells x2 (heal, greater dispel magic); Other Gear headband of mental prowess (Wisdom and Charisma) +4, belt of incredible dexterity +2, cloak of resistance +2, mithril chain shirt +3, hand of glory, ring of mind shielding, 23 holy and unholy symbols
===== Special Abilities =====
Aura of Destruction (Su) Volner can emit a 30 ft. aura of destruction for ll rounds per day. All attacks made against targets inside this aura (including him) gain a +5 damage bonus and all critical threats are automatically confirmed. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Channel Negative Energy(Su) Eight times per day Volner can unleash a wave of negative energy in a 30 foot burst. Living creatures take 6d6 negative energy damage, halved on a successful Will save (DC 22) . Undead (including Volner) in the area are healed a like amount of damage. Hit points above the undead’s total are lost. Undead who are within the area of this effect must make a Will save or fall under Volner’s command. He can command any number of undead whose total Hit Dice do not exceed his level. He can relinquish control of undead to gain control of new undead. Commanding undead is a standard action that requires line of effect. Intelligent undead receive a new saving throw each day to break free from his command. If a commanded undead is subject to channeled
positive energy, it might flee, but it also receives a new saving throw to dispel the command effect.
Copy Cat (Su) Volner can create an illusory double of himself as a move action. This double functions as a single mirror image and lasts 11 rounds (unless dispelled or destroyed). He can have no more than one copy
cat at a time. This ability does not stack with mirror image.
Damaging Touch (Su) Any living creature Volner hits with his touch attack suffers 1d8+5 negative energy damage. A Will save (DC 22) halves the damage.
Death Attack If Volner studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (his choice). While studying the victim, Volner can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect Volner or recognize him as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 16) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6+4 rounds. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once Volner has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if Volner does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.
Destructive Smite (Su) As a full-round action, Volner can make a single melee attack against an opponent with a bonus +5 damage bonus. If the attack hits, all critical threats against the target are automatically confirmed for 1 round, including this attack.
Fear Aura (Su) Volner is shrouded in an aura of death and evil. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the lich must succeed at a Will save (DC 22) . or be affected as though by a fear spell at CL 15. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again my the lich’s aura for 24 hours.
Hidden Weapons (Ex) Volner gains a +4 bonus to all Slight of Hand checks made to conceal weapons and prevent others from noticing them.
Master’s Illusion (Su) Volner can create an illusion that hides the appearance of himself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 11 rounds per day. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Paralyzing Touch (Su) Any living creature Volner hits with his touch attack must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 22) . or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (see the bestow curse spell description). The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed seems dead, though a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex) Volner retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (He still loses any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.)
Thanatos Shard
Aura none; CL 17th
Slot --; Price 150,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
===== Description =====
This fragment of oily black diamond gives the unsettling feeling of being watched whenever visible, and a soft whimpering fills one’s mind when the shard is held. Specifically crafted as an indestructible vessel for a mortal spirit, the shard allows you to cast trap the soul once per day, using the shard as the material component regardless of the target’s hit dice, until the spell has been cast successfully. Once the shard contains a soul you can communicate telepathically with spirit within as long as the shard is touched. At your command the soul can be released to dominate a nearby creature, as the magic jar spell. If you know the arcane ritual to become a lich and use the contained soul’s original body instead of a living creature, the transfer of the soul is permanent and the captured spirit becomes a lich against his will, treating the shard as his new phylactery. You can release the soul at will with a mental command.
The thanatos shard resists destruction as if it had hardness 50 and 200 hp, and is completely immune to spells and supernatural abilities except as follows. Holy weapons of at least +6 enchantment bypass the shard’s hardness, and while inside the aura of a consecrate spell the stone becomes an inert chunk of rock. If the shard is already being used as a phylactery when this occurs the bound lich is not immediately destroyed, but does become vulnerable to destruction like any other undead.
===== Construction =====
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, antimagic field, magic jar trap the soul, wall of force; Cost 75,000 gp
Director of Games
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So, I just starting going through this one and I got stuck on the formaldehyde reference. This is really sort of anachronistic as formaldehyde was not discovered until 1867. Now that I am over that reference.. moving on the rest of the backstory.
Reading through the backstory on this villain, I am pretty pleased. I especially like the bit about hiding his phylactery inside the skull of one of the dignitaries. Hilarious. I think he could have been a bit more definite with the objects hidden inside each one though. I am going to ignore the fact that you can choose not to return from the dead when you are resurrected, as I cannot imagine these nobles coming back at the hands of a lich.
There are some issues with the rules here. The defending short swords bonus is applied to both the AC and the attack rolls. The hit points do not take into account the bonus for a high Charisma score (as noted on page 296 of the Beta), although they do include the bonus for favored class (kudos on that catch). He has multiple attacks with his paralyzing touch, as if it were a weapon (normally you do not get iterative attacks with a special ability). The domains are not listed in the stat block. He spent 9 too many skill points (92, when he only has 83). He has a made up language (Daemonic, as opposed to Abyssal, which would have been appropriate for his back story). There are a few other issues here as well, but these are the big ones. While some of these are relatively common and easy to overlook (missing the HP bump from Cha), others are more serious (miscalculating skill points).
The new rules element here is interesting, but it should probably be a minor artifact (since it can create a lich). That said, as a magic item, it has a few issues. Hardness 50 and 200 hit points is a bit crazy for a magic item. The wording on how the gem works is a bit confusing and vague (although this has more to do with the fact that the lich ritual is a bit vague and confusing... mental note, fix that in the bestiary). The costing seems about right for this particular effect.
So.. in summary. I like some aspects of the concept, but I think this one just does not go far enough. Combined with some of the rules mistakes, this one needs some work. I would not have to spend too much time working on this one though.
My Grade (on a 1-10 scale) is a 4.
Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing
Ah, Jacob. I've been looking forward to see what you did with Volner this round. You know I'm a fan. But lets see what you did....
Good job. You knew you were a bubble guy, most likely. And you didnt rest on your laurels. You reconcepted and rewrote Volner. This was a good focusing and I think Volner needed it. I think you did a good job improving him. A few people really just cut and pasted or made only small changes. You didnt, and that was a good call, in my view.
Now that stat block...
You promised a cleric/assassin and you delivered!
I screwed up the skill points too so however you did it we must have done it the same. If Jason says there are issues, I defer to him but they didnt jump out at me as hard as they did to him. The language caught my eye first...
From a design standpoint I think you had to do the shard as your rules bit but again I agree with Jason that its a bit over the top and is probably a lesser artifact. Now, my guess is that you called it a wondrous item just to make sure you werent running afoul of the rules but you found yourself needing to make an artifact. So I'm not dinging you too hard for that.
I liked Volner already and I think you improved him. I'm a bit concerned about some of the stat block issues. Not your best. I'm on the fence on Volner. I'm going to have to read the rest and come back to this one.
Having read them all, I'm still torn on Volner. I recommend advancement but just barely.
Stat Block:
I have to admit that I'm annoyed with this being a cleric/assassin. As an Iomedaean priest I don't see why he would have ranks in Disguise and Stealth. So either the daemon's messed with his skill allotments to he could qualify for the class, or he's gained levels in cleric since becoming a lich, spent skill points on those skills, and THEN started gaining assassin levels. It's just weird, and the writeup doesn't give an explanation for what happened.
Rule Element: This item is just a SIAC--trap the soul and magic jar. And it has problems. It's immune to almost all spells. Why, it's not an artifact, I should be able to disintegrate it. "Holy weapons of at least +6 enchantment bypass the shard’s hardness"... does that mean holy weapons? Do you really mean it needs a +6 (epic) enhancement bonus? That is, assuming "+6 enchantment actually means "+6 enhancement."
Rec: do not advance.
Kobold Press
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Ok, this is the third lich I’ve seen so far. I knew they were popular, but they’re turning into a cliché. Anyway, at 2400 words, this writeup is right in the middle of the pack for length.
Like Clark, I like the refocussed concept. In particular, the phylactery in someone's head is... brilliant. Evil, and brilliant. You've improved from last round, and growing from round to round is always worth a gold star from me.
In the stats, I really like the tactical use of airwalk, and the way you present a clear set of actions for a complex foe in the During Combat section. There's some confusion on my part with a couple of the special powers, but apparently I haven't spent enough time with the Pathfinder assassin class. It looks pretty good all around.
Mostly though, I want to see the thanatos shard ever since you reference it near the start. Like my fellow judge, I was a bit disappointed; it's a powered-up magic jar, which is fine but somehow not what I was hoping for. If your concept is sexy and your item is a spell in a can, I have to call that a failure of design imagination. If the voters see fit to advance you, I would counsel you to make sure that your big ideas are reflected both in strong flavor and equally big-time, superstar mechanics. Spell duplication won't cut in the final rounds.
Recommendation I'm a bit on the fence; there's nothing deeply wrong here, but I'm not exactly delighted with it all. Of the liches, it's neither the best nor the worst. Lukewarm recommendation.
He's a dude who got captured and liched by daemons. Reworked a little from the previous round, removing his layer of guilt motivation, making him way more one-dimensional. Bad move. And his stats don't really reflect his having been a *good* cleric before getting liched, he seems designed bottom-up for evil lichiness. I do like his "head implanting" plot. 4/10
Rewrite for me makes this guy stronger. He has embraced his new state while still loathing it, and takes his biggest anger out on those who are better than he was, uncorruptable. I like that.
However ... there are still problems for me. Formaldyhide jumped out as off, the first line in his motives and goals I read and reread and still am not quite sure the meaning. There are formatting glitches (some things capped that shouldn't be, magic items should be italicized) and the math problems that the judges pointed out.
On the Thanatos Shard ... no aura? That seems odd, a quick glance through the magic items don't show any items with no aura (there may be some, but ::shrug::). +6 sword to destroy? Wow. And the item itself went to 280 words ... probably could have used the tightening up that trying to edit it down to around 200 would have done.
This one has improved from round two, but not sure it's going to be enough to make round four. Sorry.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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I liked him in the last round and I still like him, though to me his concept and story seem a bit less exciting than last round. Your rewrite has tightened up his focus but I think at the cost of some of his depth.
I like the cleric/assassin angle, but he does seem to have had post-death rejiggering, which you perhaps could have explained a bit more in the flavor text to explain his new qualifications. I ran into this with Avinash last year - which is why he ended up multiclassed into rogue, because he couldn't qualify for blackguard based just on his nightmare-ness - so I feel your pain, but with a fallen/corrupted good guy, I think you needed to do a little more.
The indestructible item is overkill for not being an artifact, and while I like the forced-lich power of it, I dunno...
I hope you make it through and get a chance to step up your game, but I don't think it's up at the top of my list.
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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I was indifferent to Volner last round. In particular, I didn't like some of the choices made - why a cleric lich assassin? It's not a really good combo, and there's really no reason given for the assassin angle at all. I also pointed out two big rules holes in the last round - #1 that you need to be willing to become a lich, and #2 that you can't return someone from the dead against their will.
I see that you addressed #1 via your new rules item, the Thanatos Shard, which was good. As someone mentioned this round already, you didn't address the issue with returning people back from the dead against their will. It would have been better to have the Thanatos Shard accomplish that also, but that's not listed as one of its abilities.
On to the stat block. Having built a cleric assassin, whos tactics focus on melee, you didn't really go and make the most of the combo. Why isn't righteous might part of his before combat tactics? You can easily replace scry with this spell and make him a bigger combat threat, not to mention giving him reach combined with air walk. I did like the silent metamagic rod with the silence spell tactic though. For his counterspells, I think disintigrate would be more useful to him than greater dispel magic. He doesn't really have a huge amount of buffs on, but undead are pretty weak on fortitude saves. He's more vulneralbe to disintigrate than to heal.
The Thantos Shard itself has lots of problems. I did like that it solves the issue of how he was made a lich against his will, but other than that, it leaves a lot of questions. I don't really know what is meant by "you can cast trap the soul once per day....until the spell has been cast successfully." Does this mean that once per day, you can cast the spell, but the first time it works, you can never again use that function? Once you have a soul in the shard, if it's magic jaring someone, can you trap another soul? If so, what happens to the first soul? Do you still control it? Also, if you force a soul into a lich, and the shard is it's phylactery, can you then trap another soul, and turn THAT sould into a lich also? Can the shard be the phylactery for multiple liches? Also, when the soul is in the shard, you control it. What about once it's a lich? Do you have control over the lich?
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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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Whilst a fan of the phylactery-in-a-noble's-head plot in Round 2, I recall at least one poster commenting in that round: 'stop and wait a moment - a person gets a choice whether to return or not when resurrected.'
Whilst some effort has been made to rework the backstory, the unexplained misuse of resurrection has remained unexplained.
This may well leave me with nagging doubts for when I come back to look more closely at this entry later.
That objection doesn't make much sense to me. It assumes the victims know they're a part of some awful plot, and then assumes they aren't going to want to return anyway.
Put a CN merchant noble into the equation, and he might just be depserate to get out of Limbo and back into business. Even if he suspects there are strings attached, he'll hope that he can outsmart his captors.
Also, Volner can surely sound honey-sweet when he wants to. A little speak with dead, some Diplomacy, some Knowledge (religion). I buy it.
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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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Whilst a fan of the phylactery-in-a-noble's-head plot in Round 2, I recall at least one poster commenting in that round: 'stop and wait a moment - a person gets a choice whether to return or not when resurrected.'
Whilst some effort has been made to rework the backstory, the unexplained misuse of resurrection has remained unexplained.
This may well leave me with nagging doubts for when I come back to look more closely at this entry later.
That objection doesn't make much sense to me. It assumes the victims know they're a part of some awful plot, and then assumes they aren't going to want to return anyway.
Put a CN merchant noble into the equation, and he might just be depserate to get out of Limbo and back into business. Even if he suspects there are strings attached, he'll hope that he can outsmart his captors.
Also, Volner can surely sound honey-sweet when he wants to. A little speak with dead, some Diplomacy, some Knowledge (religion). I buy it.
Except you know who's trying to raise you - would you go back to the guy who just killed you?
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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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Congratulations on Superstar '09 Top 16!
Growth
Volner got an honorable mention from me last round. I am excited to see how something I almost voted for moved to the next level. I noticethe new material right away and I am very pleased. Now we're in his head. He hates being a lich. He just wants to deliver four calamities and leave the world as it left him. I want to DM this version much more than the last.
I see the judges remark about the phylactery hidden in the skull, and I keep thinking that was present last time. I'll have to go and look again. Ballsy on his part - but he doesn't care if he gets destroyed. And as an aside, the moral question of having to kill an innocent man to be rid of a menace is always fun. Could Volner find satisfaction in knowing that seven nobles bore seven gems, but only one was the phylactery - and they all had to die as he did?
Mechanics
-OK. When presenting me with a stat block, don't make assumptions in combat for me, like the additon to AC from the defending sword. What if he's flatfooted? I have to subtract those two. I note your Flat-footed AC does not include the bonus from the sword, so now we have extra math to roll around.
-What am I missing for hit points? Favored class? For this round, I'd have explained that next to hp.
-I'm missing why he gets 1d8+8 for his touch attack. EDIT: I see you corrected it in the special abilities section.
-I can see multiple ranks from assassin being spent on stealth and diguise to catch up to a good score, but how many ranks in Bluff, Disguise, Acrobatics or Stealth did he need as a cleric? Not a big quibble, but a little less would have been more appropriate.
-Looking through, some math errors I see are cause by adding buff spells to his stat block. For a panned encounter that's ok, but I'd rather not see it in this presentation. Someone else might argue that this is what it looks like to fight him, so I won't kick you too hard.
-Somewhere I have missed the rule that undead add their Cha modifiers to their hit points. I'll keep looking for it, but I'd likea heads up. That makes me less upset about Pathfinder sneak attack. I've ruled for a while now that they add their Cha mod on Fort saves. Does that exist, too?
-You've spent too many skill points, but not too many. This takes me back to the favored class thing. Tell us how you got to your skill point total, and how you got to your hit point total.
New Hotness
The shard is a vehicle for telling Volner's story. As such it seems wholly unnecessary. The daemons that made him can unmake him, if they choose to honor their bargain. I would leave it at that and invent a fun new mechanic, like a feat that allows turned priests to emulate their former alignments, or something that links cleric and assassin like the Devoted Tracker feat. As presented the shard is too powerful and not essential to the rest of the story. To me, you only introduce the shard if you want the campaign to be about finding the shard and destroying it, thereby ending the threat Volner poses. Does he have a shard and a phylactery? No good. Does he only have the shard? Too hard to destroy, and then it shouldn't be in a village miles away from its owner.
Overall
The stat block is fair, but not exciting. What is exciting is the improvement in Volner's overall presentation. I would like to see a slinkier assassin out of him, but at least his personality and self-loathing are more evident, and his agenda is more clear. You've improved your standing in the round, I think. I hope in your upcoming rounds, should you be there, you provide some subtle tricks and treacherous encounters that make our players earn whatever they get from Volner.
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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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Except you know who's trying to raise you - would you go back to the guy who just killed you?
That's exactly what I'm saying. Wouldn't you? Might it depend on what he's offering? What if he threatened your family? What if he says "You were right...you didn't know where the holicrons were. How can we make this up to you?"
In a fantasy world where people can come back, I think they would most of the time. Not to be confused with "All resurrection spells should be higher level and harder to cast." Which I also believe.
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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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Thanks again! After review, I still rule that undead add their Cha bonuses to their Fort saves, so that object spells don't screw them just as hard as 'antiundead' spells.
So there. Suck it, clerics.
Stat Block:
I have to admit that I'm annoyed with this being a cleric/assassin. As an Iomedaean priest I don't see why he would have ranks in Disguise and Stealth. So either the daemon's messed with his skill allotments to he could qualify for the class, or he's gained levels in cleric since becoming a lich, spent skill points on those skills, and THEN started gaining assassin levels. It's just weird, and the writeup doesn't give an explanation for what happened.
I interpreted that as being possibly from "he now mangles prayers to gods both real and imagined – not even he knows which he worships." It's not a big deal for me, however. My player would never see that math.
His best adventure hook being impossible for him to pull off, as he can't cast the spell, can't force people to come back and likely can't persuade them to? That matters. That goes to the central appeal of this villain.
Righteous Might is such a gimme for this guy that it's hard to believe it wasn't included.
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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 doesn't have to cast the spell himself. He can have henchmen for that. Or maybe just switch to raise dead. Or buy scrolls.
I don't get why a N merchant wouldn't come back if offered. Plus, I wouldn't tell him it was me, I'd hire another temple to do it and send him home.
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I don't get why a N merchant wouldn't come back if offered.
Because they're already in (their religion's equivalent of) Heaven? If YOU were in an eternal paradise, and didn't leave behind some monumental task like saving the world (ie, you weren't an adventurer), would YOU willingly come back from the dead?
Plus, I wouldn't tell him it was me, I'd hire another temple to do it and send him home.
True enough. I had that pulled on me once in an epic level campaign. Although that's the sort of connection I'd want mentioned in the description.
He doesn't have to cast the spell himself. He can have henchmen for that. Or maybe just switch to raise dead. Or buy scrolls.
Buying scrolls has to be accounted for this round. No name henchmen are listed in the entry to cast it for him. (I recognize that I'm in the minority when it comes to my resistance to the Schroedinger's Cat effect of minions To Be Named Later.) From my perspective: no resurrection for you!
Raise dead limits him a bit, but not crucially. Dumb mistake on my part not see that option. He can try it at least now. It's still not going to be efficient, however.
I like this version a little better than round 2. The changes I saw were minor, but added to the flavor. Stretched limbs that bend in unnatural places...nice!
In comparison, I thought your magic item was a little bland. It just didn't wow me.
There seems to be a debate on the fact that the dignitaries would choose to come back. Maybe it just speaks to my own personal trust in politicians (not high), but I would say it depends on where the dead dignitaries will end up if they don't come back. Maybe these particular souls will end up with Asmodeus. Maybe they will go someplace very, very bad, and are highly motivated at another shot at life (or at least want to put off punishment as long as possible). I am totally buying that they would come back. Should one of them decide to stay dead, the world always has more politicians.
You continue to get my vote.
Aotrs Commander's Villain critieria:
Initial Impressions
Like last round, only better.
Concept:
Good. You dropped the whole angsty-thing. I for one find playing angsty villains to be about as exciting as tying my shoelaces. This is a definate improvement - and I liked Volner before! Now he can have 'fun' with it...for a suitable definintion of 'fun'...
Optimisation: (Or: how much would I have to modify this to deal with the PC in my own games to provide a threat?)
Pretty solid, actually. No feats that seem redundant, good spell mix. You have the all-important Dispel, and two-thirds of the Divine Trinity (Divine Favour and Divine Power). I second Joel Flank's points on Righteous Might vrs Scry and the counterspell rings, though.
Not really worried about the Shard's power; though to be fair I would regulate it to a plot device, rather than an actual wonderous item, so perhaps that speaks for itself.
Tactics: Good. Well-thought out and matching his capabilities. With a little bit of backup ('cos very little stands alone against a party) he'd do very well, I think.
I hate to say it, but I'm with Clark Peterson on this one.
You definitely did some good work here, and I'm going to overlook any of your stat block mistakes on the "weight" of your magic item which I did very much like.
You're going to get my vote, but I do think you could have done better. I hope to see more of your stuff in future rounds, but its clearly going to be a close one this time.
This is a good villain. And with a couple of tweeks, I feel he could have been even stronger.
I have to ask why assassin? My feel is that the character might have been more effective with just straight cleric levels. (That might have avoided the skill problem.)
Also, he could have avoided the "resurection" problem by not killing the nobles. Implant the items in the victims while they are alive, but unconcious.
Minor rules question, since he does not have "racial" hit dice does he qualify for the -2 adjustment to his Challenge Rating? (Or do the significat special abilities of lichdom offset that?)
ON concept, I think that this character would be a good candidate for my last vote.
However . . .
Formaldehyde may be anachronistic; they would have used alcohol, vinegar, or even honey.
The skill point issues bother me. And, yes how does a priest of Iomedae acquire so many ranks in Bluff, Disguise, & Stealth? Also, who is his deity? (What are Volner Tain's domains?)
Since this round is about "rules-fu" these questions could be a problem. I don't know if I could still vote for him.
D&D isn't a historical role-playing game, it can have formaldehyde if it wants to.
How else are you going to preserve your flesh golem pieces, before you sew them together, raise them up to the top of your tower, and get them struck by lightning to thusly declare that it is, in fact, alive?
Hmm?
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
aka Tarren Dei
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D&D isn't a historical role-playing game, it can have formaldehyde if it wants to.
How else are you going to preserve your flesh golem pieces, before you sew them together, raise them up to the top of your tower, and get them struck by lightning to thusly declare that it is, in fact, alive?
Hmm?
Gentle repose.
Analysing the stat block and working backwards from the various special abilities, Volner's current domains appear to be Destruction and Trickery.
Given those domains and his NE alignment, it would appear that his deity (whether he realises it or not) is the CE dragon deity, Dahak.
(See inside front cover 'Gods of Golarion' table of Gods and Magic and Page 52 'Scalefolk Gods' of Gods and Magic.)
Okay. But, could that have been clarified? In any event, should not his new patron been a Demon, given how he changed both alignment and state of existance?
Edit:
Given the disappearance of cross-class skills in Beta, in theory there is nothing to have stopped Volner from picking up the prerequisite ranks in Disguise and Stealth to meet the assassin requirements during levelling as a cleric; since neither Disguise nor Stealth are class skills for a cleric, however, Volner would have needed to collect double the required skill ranks listed in the assassin entry to qualify for the Assassin prestige class, for a total of 4 ranks in Disguise, and 10 ranks in Stealth whilst he was levelling as a cleric. Exactly why he may have been collecting ranks in Disguise and Stealth whilst in the Church of Iomedae is anyone's guess; maybe the section of the Church of Iomedae he was supposedly working for had an 'undercover' unit of clergy for infiltrating suspect organisations???
It would have been nice to have had an explanation given though; if he worked for a 'black ops' section it might have explained why he ended up on the lower planes leading a failed attack on Abaddon (and why his deity apparently abandoned him) in the first place.
You are correct. I should not have asked "how" when the question I was really asking is "why"?
Something that unusual should be explained in the background somewhere. Right now they seem "tacked" on to qualify for the assassin class. :(
D&D isn't a historical role-playing game, it can have formaldehyde if it wants to.
How else are you going to preserve your flesh golem pieces, before you sew them together, raise them up to the top of your tower, and get them struck by lightning to thusly declare that it is, in fact, alive?
Hmm?
As already stated, alcohol, vinegar or honey for a non-magical means.
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Gentle repose.D&D isn't a historical role-playing game, it can have formaldehyde if it wants to.
How else are you going to preserve your flesh golem pieces, before you sew them together, raise them up to the top of your tower, and get them struck by lightning to thusly declare that it is, in fact, alive?
Hmm?
Bingo. There's little to no NEED to develop formaldehyde. If you're looking for a non-magical solution, you could also do the same thing the ancient Egyptians did, millenia before the invention of formaldehyde - preservation through desiccation.
Gentle repose.
Gentle repose ruins the proper "hideous patchwork" feel to the monster, discouraging the mustering of proper villager mobs, and thus damaging the local economy through reduced trade in pitchforks and torches. Come on now, with ideas like this, how is a grave robber supposed to maintain his style of life in his decaying aerie castle?
As already stated, alcohol, vinegar or honey for a non-magical means.
Thanks to the monster's stitches, steeping in alcohol turns the creature into a giant conflagration before the nearest first level wizard can say "burning hands." As for vinegar and honey, I'd go with vinegar. After all, you catch more flies with honey -- and the last thing you want to attract is flies when you're stitching together a dozen corpses to create your terrible FLESH GOLEM!
Bingo. There's little to no NEED to develop formaldehyde. If you're looking for a non-magical solution, you could also do the same thing the ancient Egyptians did, millenia before the invention of formaldehyde - preservation through desiccation.
Everyone knows that formaldehyde wasn't created to fulfill a need. It was created by accident! And the technology required for it isn't beyond any pseudo-mystical pre/post/hybrid interdimensional dinosaur-infested barbarian-overrun giant-underground-burrowing post-enlightened quasi-renaissance civilization could manage.
At any rate, I feel that attempts to maintain "historical accuracy" in a D&D game are at best pretentious, and at worst endanger the suspension of disbelief even more than embracing the game's immensely entertaining inherent anachronism.
Now if you feel that formaldehyde invokes certain themes that you don't like -- if you think that the villain leans toward the "enlightened mysteries of prehistoric bronze age civilizations" rather than a laboratory-of-the-mad scientist or grizzly workshop of the taxidermist, then I think you have a more than valid point. However, it shouldn't really matter, from where I'm sitting, at what point in history a given character trapping was invented -- beyond any flavor or atmosphere that the trapping in question connotes.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Dedicated Voter Season 6
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Too many minor rules mistakes and anachronisms/out-of-place elements (formaldehyde, the greek god Thanatos). Cleric/assassin is a cute mix and makes me want him to be a half-orc, but ultimately it's just too weak for the listed CR. The rules item is not good, and really wants to be a minor artifact (as others have already said).
The villain's story still appeals to me, and I still really like the phylactery hidden in a servitor's skull. There's lots of good in this entry, but the negatives are winning out for me.
Good luck in the contest! I suspect he has an interesting lair, so I wouldn't be unhappy to see him a 3rd time.
D&D isn't a historical role-playing game, it can have formaldehyde if it wants to.
Absolutely. I point out that steel is strongly anachronistic and yet in frequent use in D&D; aside from some ores with impurities alrerady present (Wootz/Damascus steel), steel was a 18th century development. (Though, typically, China had steel or sorts sometime around a couple of centuries after turn of the millenium.) Formaldehyde is hardly any different.
Unguent of Revivification:
The preservation of dead flesh is important in undead-friendly Geb. Geb's elite commonly use this alchemical ointment as a cheaper alternative to gentle repose to give their undead flesh the blush of life. A single dose staves off the decomposition of dead flesh for 1d6 days. It cannot reverse decay that is already present and has no effect on the time limit for raising creatures from the dead.Golarion already has an alchemical preservative for corpses, and it costs 50 gp/dose.
I bet it smells like formaldehyde.
Congratulations on your success! Sad that you can't advance farther this year, but you've still come a long way.