I trying to build a side story for use in an upcoming campaign.
Most of the rulers and nobles in this area are descended from a half dragon (prob blue) and half elf. The ones with any real authority are sorcerers with the draconic bloodline (maybe a few with elemental bloodline). And they usually try go for the dragon disciple prestige class.
There will be a NPC that doesn't have the charisma to be a decent sorcerer, prob cha = ~12. he is an unknown bastard. Almost noone lese realizes his father isn't the guy that raised him (he's dead now). he is obsessed with power. But to fit into the ruling class he needs to try and pretend he is a draconic sorc that intends to eventually become a dragon disciple but just isn't there yet.
So I'm thinking a wizard that hides his book and takes the eldritch heritage feats. Obviously needs quite a few ranks in bluff.
What else should he take or would you build him differently?
There was one guy in my group that played his Rogue as a mage. Instead of casting magic, he uses Use Magic Device and wands to cast spells. Of course, that could be a giveaway, but who knows. Maybe some magic items that have magic effects, and then have them disguised.
There was also a necklace that had pearls that when thrown, acted as Fireballs.
Probably not much help, but just a thought
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Given the low score in Charisma, I'm thinking either wizard or witch. Wizard would be interesting because then the NPC needs to spend lots of time studying and "tricking" everyone and keeping this a secret.
Witch would be interesting because in a bid to hide his past he made a sinister deal. Take the nails hex to substitute claws and use spells to cover up the rest. Perhaps a snake or Compsognathus familiar that he tells everyone is attached due to his strong dragon bloodline.
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Well, the Eldritch Heritage feats require a significant CHA investment that the character doesn't seem to have made. I would go for an alternate book (maybe tatoos?) and magic items.
Illusion spells would be good for this character.
And, actually, you may want to research the alchemist. With his body modification he may make a better "fake dragon" than a wizard would.
Well, the Eldritch Heritage feats require a significant CHA investment that the character doesn't seem to have made. I would go for an alternate book (maybe tatoos?) and magic items.
Illusion spells would be good for this character.
And, actually, you may want to research the alchemist. With his body modification he may make a better "fake dragon" than a wizard would.
Carp! I totally forgot that the eldrich heritage feats had a cha requirement.
Wizards don't need books, they just need a feat that lets them not need their book for a number of spells equal to your INT modifier. It is called Spell Mastery. Take it once for 2 1st level spells and 2 0 level spells. Now you got a Makeshift Sorc with 2 1st levels, and 3 0 levels.
Close enough.
This will be about a 9th level NPC. He's trying to get into the ruling class, so he's going to have to appear to have at least some mid level spells. But maybe he could take mastery a few times.
Given the low score in Charisma, I'm thinking either wizard or witch. Wizard would be interesting because then the NPC needs to spend lots of time studying and "tricking" everyone and keeping this a secret.
Witch would be interesting because in a bid to hide his past he made a sinister deal. Take the nails hex to substitute claws and use spells to cover up the rest. Perhaps a snake or Compsognathus familiar that he tells everyone is attached due to his strong dragon bloodline.
Hmmm... I'm kinda liking the witch idea. I hadn't considered that. i will give that some more thought. It would get away from the spell book also.
Keep in mind that if he wants to eventually become a dragon disciple he has to use a spontaneous casting class, so wizard or witch wont do there.
Too bad a 15th level character weren't available, because Bloatmage seems perfect for what you are doing.
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He can take the Sage option and be a sorcerer based off int or Wis and one day when charisma is 13 take the Eldritch Heritage feat to get the draconic bloodline and become a DD.
He can take the Sage option and be a sorcerer based off int or Wis and one day when charisma is 13 take the Eldritch Heritage feat to get the draconic bloodline and become a DD.
That won't have enough fakery involved. I'm wanting the PC's to eventually catch on to the fact that he is pretending to be a sorc. That is part of the arc setup.
Actually, I think a Magician Bard would be a good fake sorcerer. They get spells that aren't on their list normally, and they can do spontaneous casting and get bluff as a class skill. The spell Alter Self can adjust his features to look like he grew claws and a bite, add it with metamagic still spell, and you might have yourself a winner.
Ok, if we try a witch.
I assume the element patron would give the spells that match closest.
Spells: Not familiar with the witch list yet, does it include all of the draconic bloodline spells? May need expanded arcana
Feats would be maybe:
escew materials (trying to be a sorc)
spell mastery x2
improved familiar to something a dragon blood might keep as a pet
wasn't there a feat that gives a bonus to both bluff and disguise (i'll have to check)
?expanded arcana?
Hexes:
Nails - probably needed as suggested above since claws is the first level bloodline ability, it would be expected. But he can be primarily a caster so he tries to avoid getting in melee enough for the difference to become obvious.
Others need to simulate dragon abilities or not be something visible or obviously traceable to this guy. I was thinking maybe fortune or misfortune.
Flight with an illusion of wings
?what else?
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I'm going to try my alchemist idea one more time ;-)
Alchemist withe the Beastmorph archtytpe.
Discoveries:
Feral mutagen
Wings
Breath Weapon Bomb
Then transfer into the Master Chymist prestige class with the Draconic Mutagen Advanced Mutagen
I know you seem sold on the witch but i thought this could be a fun alternative.
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Ok, if we try a witch.
I assume the element patron would give the spells that match closest.Spells: Not familiar with the witch list yet, does it include all of the draconic bloodline spells? May need expanded arcana
mage armor (3rd) (on the witch spell list)
resist energy (5th) (not on the witch spell list)fly (7th) (on the witch spell list)
fear (9th) (on the witch spell list)
spell resistance (11th) (not on the witch spell list)
form of the dragon I (13th) (not on the witch spell list)
form of the dragon II (15th) (not on the witch spell list)
form of the dragon III (17th) (not on the witch spell list)
wish (19th) (not on the witch spell list)
Note that expanded arcana doesn't let you take from other class' spell lists. However Witches get UMD as a class skill. A wand of resist energy would last until he hits level 11.
improved familiar to something a dragon blood might keep as a pet
Looking at the list there are two choices for dragons: Faerie dragons can be CN, and Pseudodragons are NG. You could DM fiat that he has an exception to one of these that's evil.
wasn't there a feat that gives a bonus to both bluff and disguise (i'll have to check)
?what else?
At that point you have a pretty well polished character. What level would he be? And what level will he be when the players should find out about his deception?
I'm going to try my alchemist idea one more time ;-)
Alchemist withe the Beastmorph archtytpe.
Discoveries:
Feral mutagen
Wings
Breath Weapon BombThen transfer into the Master Chymist prestige class with the Draconic Mutagen Advanced Mutagen
I know you seem sold on the witch but i thought this could be a fun alternative.
Not 'sold' on the witch, just looking at it first.
I don't think I've ever even read clear through the alchemist. So it will take me a little more time to look into.
Ok, if we try a witch.
I assume the element patron would give the spells that match closest.Spells: Not familiar with the witch list yet, does it include all of the draconic bloodline spells? May need expanded arcana
mage armor (3rd) (on the witch spell list)
resist energy (5th) (not on the witch spell list)
fly (7th) (on the witch spell list)
fear (9th) (on the witch spell list)
spell resistance (11th) (not on the witch spell list)
form of the dragon I (13th) (not on the witch spell list)
form of the dragon II (15th) (not on the witch spell list)
form of the dragon III (17th) (not on the witch spell list)
wish (19th) (not on the witch spell list)Note that expanded arcana doesn't let you take from other class' spell lists. However Witches get UMD as a class skill. A wand of resist energy would last until he hits level 11.
improved familiar to something a dragon blood might keep as a pet
Looking at the list there are two choices for dragons: Faerie dragons can be CN, and Pseudodragons are NG. You could DM fiat that he has an exception to one of these that's evil.
wasn't there a feat that gives a bonus to both bluff and disguise (i'll have to check)
At that point you have a pretty well polished character. What level would he be? And what level will he be when the players should find out about his deception?
?what else?
Carp again! I'm doing bad today. You are right about expanded arcana. Isn't there something that does let you add from off list?
He will be around level 9-11 when first encountered. Could easily be several levels before they need or manage to figure out that he is not a sorc.
How about a Cleric of Apsu
Hidden Priest archtype
Not sure if a divine caster gives the correct flavor for this NPC. But it is a good idea that I will consider. I haven't read the hidden priest archtype before. It does have possibilities.
I still think a bloatmage will be a really good plan for this character. A 10th level Bloatmage can "steal" a bloodline even if they don't have it. Check out the link I put up there earlier. You could jury rig a special feat or magical object in the vein of Robes of Arcane Heritage for Bloatmages so he can get his capstone early if need be. You can even take this prestige class after 5 levels of Witch for lower level stuff.
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You are right about expanded arcana. Isn't there something that does let you add from off list?
He will be around level 9-11 when first encountered. Could easily be several levels before they need or manage to figure out that he is not a sorc.
Do you really need it? I mean, it's resist energy. A wand or scroll plus some sleight of hand or a ring or two of resist energy and no one is going to be the wiser.
There's really two separate things going on that need to be accounted for - the first is fooling the players on a meta-level, and the second is making it believable in-character that the NPC could pass for a draconic bloodline sorcerer.
As far as fooling the players, I don't think that they're going to be tipped off just because he can't cast every single spell on the Draconic Bloodline spell list unless they spend a truly massive amount of time with him or already incredibly suspicious. If anything, excessive wand and illusion use is going to be more of a tipoff than never casting certain spells.
When it comes to verisimilitude within the game, having access to every power of a draconic sorcerer is only really necessary if yours is a world where the effects of having a particular sorcerous heritage manifest with extreme rigidity. (As they do for any character built perfectly by RAW.) If the world is such that every single sorcerer with dragon-blood-fueled powers can turn their hands into claws, and then learns to cast Mage Armor at the exact point in time that they also start to resist energy, and then learns to cast Fear at exactly the point in time they learn to breathe energy, then yeah, not having every last power is going to be a tipoff. If you view sorcerous power as something that manifests more organically and unpredictably, then there might be at least a small amount of variation from the Rules For What Draconic Sorcerers Get amongst the family in general. The NPC in question might not have claws, but some of his cousins might not have claws either.
I still think a bloatmage will be a really good plan for this character. A 10th level Bloatmage can "steal" a bloodline even if they don't have it. Check out the link I put up there earlier. You could jury rig a special feat or magical object in the vein of Robes of Arcane Heritage for Bloatmages so he can get his capstone early if need be. You can even take this prestige class after 5 levels of Witch for lower level stuff.
I can't follow that link at work. I will check it out this weekend.
Do you really need it? I mean, it's resist energy. A wand or scroll plus some sleight of hand or a ring or two of resist energy and no one is going to be the wiser.You are right about expanded arcana. Isn't there something that does let you add from off list?
He will be around level 9-11 when first encountered. Could easily be several levels before they need or manage to figure out that he is not a sorc.
The ring is reasonable. I was thinking there could be some kind of energy discharge as an ongoing test for the leaders.
There's really two separate things going on that need to be accounted for - the first is fooling the players on a meta-level, and the second is making it believable in-character that the NPC could pass for a draconic bloodline sorcerer.
As far as fooling the players, I don't think that they're going to be tipped off just because he can't cast every single spell on the Draconic Bloodline spell list unless they spend a truly massive amount of time with him or already incredibly suspicious. If anything, excessive wand and illusion use is going to be more of a tipoff than never casting certain spells...
As I've got it planned for now, they will be spending alot of time with him. They will have to try to keep him alive while accomplishing other tasks. I want them to eventually figure it out, just not right away. I'm guessing the biggest tip off will be when they start noticing he can't just cast as many of whichever spell whenever he wants. But if they don't pick up on that soon enough, I will have him start flubbing some of his bluff, disguise, or sleight of hand checks
... When it comes to verisimilitude within the game, having access to every power of a draconic sorcerer is only really necessary if yours is a world where the effects of having a particular sorcerous heritage manifest with extreme rigidity. (As they do for any character built perfectly by RAW.) If the world is such that every single sorcerer with dragon-blood-fueled powers can turn their hands into claws, and then learns to cast Mage Armor at the exact point in time that they also start to resist energy, and then learns to cast Fear at exactly the point in time they learn to breathe energy, then yeah, not having every last power is going to be a tipoff. If you view sorcerous power as something that manifests more organically and unpredictably, then there might be at least a small amount of variation from the Rules For What Draconic Sorcerers Get amongst the family in general. The NPC in question might not have claws, but some of his cousins might not have claws either.
Actually, for this one the builds are going to be pretty rigid. The ruling class is a very inbred extended family (insanity is becoming a problem). They are very distrustful of anyone that is very different from the rest.
I still think a bloatmage will be a really good plan for this character. A 10th level Bloatmage can "steal" a bloodline even if they don't have it. Check out the link I put up there earlier. You could jury rig a special feat or magical object in the vein of Robes of Arcane Heritage for Bloatmages so he can get his capstone early if need be. You can even take this prestige class after 5 levels of Witch for lower level stuff.
I don't think the bloatmage will work. They visibly look different and the 'flying into a murderous rage' won't help him blend into the ruling class.
I'm going to try my alchemist idea one more time ;-)
Alchemist withe the Beastmorph archtytpe.
Discoveries:
Feral mutagen
Wings
Breath Weapon BombThen transfer into the Master Chymist prestige class with the Draconic Mutagen Advanced Mutagen
I know you seem sold on the witch but i thought this could be a fun alternative.
I looked at the alchemist some more. Looks like it would do a good job of faking the physical things, but not the magical stuff. He only has 2 of the spells on his list and having to do everything as potions seems like it would be hard to hide.
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Someone mentioned it far upthread, but I'll second Magician as an ideal option. He can actually cast some things spontaneously, to give a grain of truth to his claim, then he can embellish wildly with extreme Bluff and UMD.
Plus, he could technically become a real DD at some point. Though that part is optional.
He can take the Sage option and be a sorcerer based off int or Wis and one day when charisma is 13 take the Eldritch Heritage feat to get the draconic bloodline and become a DD.
How would this work exactly? Don't you need the Draconic Bloodline in its entirety to qualify for the Prestige Class?
I second Exocrat's suggestion. I play a bard that disguises as a noble knight and it's going really well (chain shirt + sword + shield goes a long way towards faking a fighter).
A Magician bard can add some sorcerer spells to his list, but he'll have a lot less spells per day than a true sorcerer. He also has the skills to keep up the farse.
I think Sage would probably do a very good job of pulling of the magic aspect and bluffing the rest. Won't have the claws and bite. But if staying a primary caster, that might not come up.
Problem is, I think that is so close that I don't think my players would ever catch on that he is faking. I guess I could just tell them at some point, but I think it would be much better if they eventually figure it out for themselves.
So far, I am leaning toward witch.
An alternate thought to simply a different caster: What about a rogue? Enough skill ranks and class skills to invest in disguise (faking the physical characteristics of a dragon disciple), use magic device (scrolls/wamds), sleight of hand (perhaps you could use it to have him cast from scrolls without showing them), and craft (for building magical traps).
You could also use the Rogue talents to give him one or two low-level SLAs. Gets accused of not being a sorcerer: "What? Yes I am, look what I can do [casts SLA]."
...Just don't focus on Sneak Attack. Sneak Attack damage would likely give it away to players, at least in a metagamey sense.
An alternate thought to simply a different caster: What about a rogue? Enough skill ranks and class skills to invest in disguise (faking the physical characteristics of a dragon disciple), use magic device (scrolls/wamds), sleight of hand (perhaps you could use it to have him cast from scrolls without showing them), and craft (for building magical traps).
You could also use the Rogue talents to give him one or two low-level SLAs. Gets accused of not being a sorcerer: "What? Yes I am, look what I can do [casts SLA]."
...Just don't focus on Sneak Attack. Sneak Attack damage would likely give it away to players, at least in a metagamey sense.
I can see a rogue fooling the PC's for awhile then them catching on. it works for that. I have a hard time believeing he could consistantly fool the entire ruling class of draconic sorcerers so that he could fit in and become one of them. If UMD and sleight of hand can duplicate the magic well enough, the Alchemist with the right mutagens would give the physical properties.
But I was considering adding a level or two of rogue to the other caster class.
Druid (Dragon or Saurian shaman) with the fire domain. (Ultimate Magic)
BTW, kudos to you Gruingar for trying to set this up. Sounds like a really neat thing to run into in a campaign, and I bet the players will have fun with it.
Bonus points for creative use of game mechanics to further gameworld/story situations!
You'll have to post and tell us how it works out.
Well thanks, but won't know for a long time I'm afraid. I'm slowly working on a campaign for some time in the future. My current group is not interested in a low magic item campaign. So even once I get it written, it won't happen until I find another group that wants to play in this world.