Party for Maure Castle!

[Solarious]

Fixed!

Also, for Tessalli.... She should have Wild Shape as a 8th level druid. It's not all that significant for a 12'th level character, but it does give her certain utility forms, especially for transportation via-Portable Hole.

EDIT: Also, I've noticed that many of my creations recently have ended with many 6 digits... First, there was that Paragon Living Mordenkainen's Disjunction with 666 hp... or at least so close that it was too tempting not to round up to it... then my Liege of the Pit with 666, and Arliss with 66... now Gharis has 66 hp! This is NOT by design, but it appears something calls to me.

 

[Solarious]

Appearance:
Gharis is a somewhat scatterbrained gnome with a surfeit of ideas and not enough time (or at times, sense) to carry them all out, and it usually shows. He dresses in a ratty grey old robe festooned with colorful patches (some of them more relevant than others), and mismatched boots that he wears because they are comfortable together. The outfit is topped off with an extremely sterotypical blue wizard's hat, with pointy end and a wide brim. Apple, Gharis' bat familiar, is usually found hanging off the brim.

Roleplaying/Mechanical Notes:
- I went wild with Gharis and his spells: lots and lots of utility. Illusions, battlefield control, divinations, and transportation, he pretty has all the full spellcaster bases covered. Collegiate Wizard is -such- a wonderful feat.
- The resident gnome has a plethora of spells at his fingertips, and sometimes has difficulty with the depth of his selection while studying. There are so many options ! He often asks his teammates for advice on what to prepare, which makes them nervous that the gnome with Disintegrate at his command doesn't know what he's doing.
- Arliss, being the one most familiar with Gharis, is probably the only one who trusts his competence the most from the onset. That being said, Arliss also tries to steer Gharis into selections most benefital to him.
- It should be said that despite his mild perpetual confusion, Gharis has focus where it counts. His ability at deceit can be surprising at times (especially when he gets a Serene Visage up).

Gharis
Gnome Transmuter 12
Small NG Humanoid (Gnome)

Init +1; Senses -1 Spot +4 Listen; +1 Spot +6 Listen w/ Familiar Alertness; Low light vision
Languages: Common, Gnome, Draconic, Abyssal, Celestial
--------------------------
AC 12, Touch 12, Flat 11; Mage Armor AC16; Displacement 50% miss
hp 66 (12d4+36)
Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +10
+2 vs. Illsions,
--------------------------
Speed 20' (2 squares) or Fly 60' Good (12 squares)
Ranged
Spell +8 (varies/x2)
BAB +6; Grp +1
--------------------------
Skills:
+18 Concentraion, +28 Spellcraft, +21 Knowledge (Arcana), +21 Knowledge (The Planes)
+16 Knowledge (Religion), +11 Knowledge (History), +11 Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering)
+2 vs. Transmutation, -5 vs. Necromancy, Enchantment

Feats: Scribe Scroll, Collegiate Wizard, Spell Focus (Transmutation), Spell Focus (Illusion)
Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Empower Spell, Chain Spell, Extraordinary Spell Aim

Abilities:
STR 08 DEX 12 CON 16 INT 23 WIS 08 CHA 14

SQ: Spellcasting, Prohibited Schools (Necromancy, Enchantment), Familiar (Bat), Small
+2 vs. Illusions, +1 DC on Illusions, +4 dodge AC vs. giants, +2 Listen and Craft (Alchemy)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL1, Save DC 12):
1/day - Speak w/ Animals (Burrowing), Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation

Spellbook:
0th - All, except Necromancy and Enchantment
1st - Magic Missile, Mage Armor, Net of Shadows, Reduce Person, Silent Image, Color Spray, Alarm, Floating Disk, Nerveskitter*, Ventriloqiusm, Accelerated Movement*, Animate Rope, Feather Fall
2nd - Greater Alarm*, Earth Lock*, Baleful Transposition*, Scorching Ray, Darkness, Obscure Object, Blur, Mirror Image
3rd - Dispel Magic, Protection From Energy, Displacement, Haste, Slow, Major Image, Shrink Item, Greater Magic Weapon, Fly
4th - Wall of Fire, Orb of Force, Assay Spell Resistance*, Sensory Deprivation*, Energy Spheres*, Arcane Eye, Stoneskin, Evard's Black Tentacles
5th - Rary's Telepathic Bond, Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum, Baleful Polymorph, Passwall, Teleport, Prying Eyes, Contact Other Plane, Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound
6th - Mislead, Flesh to Stone, Disintegrate, Analyze Dweomer, Legend Lore, Illusory Pit*, Extract Water Elemental*
*Spells from Spell Compendium

Additional Spells
1st - Ebon Eyes*, Slide*, Dead End*, Serene Visage*, Identify
2nd - Rope Trick, Keen Edge, Levitate, Knock, Greater Slide*, See Invisibility, Delusions of Grandeur*
3rd - Shatterfloor*, Manyjaws*, Chain Missiles*, Dragonskin*, Arcane Sight, Clairaudience/voyance
4th - Corperal Instability*, Phantasmal Killer, Greater Invisibility, Dimensional Anchor
5th - Greater Blink*, Wall of Limbs*
6th - Wall of Gears*
* Spells from Spell Compendium

Typical Spells Prepared: 5|7/7/6/5/5/4/ (Save DC = 16 + Spell Level, DC 17 + Spell vs. Transmutation, DC 18 vs. Illusion)
0th - Detect Magic, Message, Arcane Mark, Read Magic, Light
1st - Silent Image, Slide, Mage Armor, Nerveskitter, Alarm, Magic Missile, Accelerated Movement
2nd - Earth Lock, Scorching Ray, Darkness, Rope Trick, See Invisibility, Delusions of Grandeur, Mirror Image
3rd - Shatterfloor, Displacement, Dispel Magic, Slow, Shrink Item, Greater Magic Weapon, Fly
4th - Sensory Deprivation, Wall of Fire, Energy Spheres, Evard's Black Tentacles, Phantasmal Killer
5th - Rary's Telepathic Bond, Baleful Polymorph, Greater Blink, Wall of Limbs, Passwall
6th - Disintegrate, Wall of Gears, Extract Water Elemental, Illusory Pit

Posessions:
16000 +4 Headband of Intellect
27200 Lesser Chaining Metamagic Rod [CA 146]
12500 Bocob's Blessed Book
10125 Additional Spells
9000 +3 Vest of Resistance
7000 Robe of Useful Items
1800 Dust of Appearance (for use with Launch Item )

3405 Spell Pouch + all foci and material components
Pearl x2 (Identify MC, 200)
Crystal Bell (Greater Alarm focus, 100)
Diamon Chip imbedded in charoal x3 (Earth Lock MC, 150)
Diamond Dust doses x3 (Stoneskin MC, 750)
Incense x2 (Legend Lore MC, 500)
4 strips of ivory (Lenend Lore focus, 200)
Sapphire Lens set in golden hoop (Analyze Dweomer focus, 1500)

970 + Misc
---------------------------------
Apple, Bat Familiar 12 (named for the fondness of apples)
Diminutive N Magical Beast

hp 33 (12HD)
AC 22, Touch 14, Flat Footed 20; Shared Mage Armor AC 26
Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +10
Speed: 5' (1 square) Fly 40' (8 squares)

Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 4

Skills: Concentration +15, Hide +14, Listen +8*, Knowledge (Arcana) +15, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) +5, Knowledge (History) +5, Knowledge (Religion) +10, Knowledge (The Planes) +15, Move Silently +6, Spellcraft +15, Spot +8*
*Includes a +4 racial bonus from Blindsight. Looses bonuses if Blindsight is negated.
Spcial Qualities:
Blindsense 20', Alertness, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Empathic Link, Deliver Touch Spells, Speak w/ Master, Speak w/ Animals of it's kind, SR 17

Common Tactics:
- Gharis favors battlefield control spells, seeing that other party members have much of the blasting part covered. With a little teamwork, the party should be extremely effective at picking their fights as they please.
- If there is time, Gharis likes to plunk some of his more lethal AoE spells, such as Wall of Gears or Illusory Pit at the edge of combat and modify them with Extraordinary Spell Aim so they don't affect the ally who happens to be in the thick of it. Best results come with something like Wall of Gears and Sir Raynarn tripping everyone who tries to run. With a Spellcraft of +28, he can modify 4th level spells with no chance of failure (I'm looking at you, Evard's Black Tentacles), and even his 6'th level spells will do something nasty with the very worst of luck. 6'th level spells suffer no failure if Apple is allowed to aid Gharis' attempts.
- Besides battlefield control, Gharis can eliminate singular opponents as threats very quickly if desired. If he faces a dire threat, he will cast Nerveskitter to get the highest initative possible, then fire the most appropiate spell available: usually Disintegrate.
- Gharis has experience working with Arliss, and has a number of spells for expedient looting available. Shrink Item turns furniture into much more manageable minitures, and Tenser's Floating Disk makes for tireless porters. Obscure Object protects the items found from being scried back to him (the Shadow Guild enjoys targeting magical items for compact wealth), Dead End can cut off his tracks, and Darkness is much less of a hinderance to Arliss than it is to most enemies. Accelerated Movement is also a great boon to Arliss. Future investments include Teleport Object and Leomund's Secret Chest.
- Gharis also is a highly competent buffer, and his Lesser Rod of Chaining Metamagic reduces the spell level burden. Common spells to share are GMW (Arliss appreciates this the most, but every weapon in the party's arsenal only has +1), Nerveskitter, (Greater) Slide, and Keen Edge. Of course, there are a number of less benefital spells which can be Chained... such as Dispel Magic and Delusions of Grandeur. Next level, and 7th level spells, are important for the Chained Corperal Instability and Orbs of Force...
- Gharis is also on the brink of entering the Archmage PrC.

Question: What happened to all the Raise Dead spells?

 

[blargney the second]

Thanks Solarious! I'd forgotten to include a number of class and racial abilities in her statblock. I've updated the original post for Tessalli on page 1.

 

[Solarious]

No problem blargney. Gharis is updated with Apple, RP notes, tactics, and a number of details switched around.

May I have a critique?

 

[Nightfall]

Sol,

Both Arliss and Gharis are exactly how I imagined them. Not 100% exact but damn close enough for me not to complain! Good stuff guys!

 

[blargney the second]

Question: What happened to all the Raise Dead spells?

1) Tessalli can Reincarnate.
2) I tried to make Bren a good enough healer to obviate the need for a resurrectionist.

 

[Nightfall]

Blarg,

That's kind of what I was thinking when I created this party. "This party should be good enough they don't need someone to cast any raise dead type spells." Reincarnate I view differently, but overall, the point is each member of the group contributes enough to keep the party as a whole alive and kicking. That's why Jess is a dire wolverine now. He didn't learn that lesson.

 

[Solarious]

I'm glad that Arliss and Gharis meet your approval. Frankly, they were the easiest to pin down. Maybe I didn't take creative liberty with your descriptions (and let it be said I absolutely LOVE how Sir Raynarn 'Bonecrusher' Harmor turned out in the end), but I feel I have given them my own unique stamp. That misanthrope and clutterbrain were a product of love.

I envision Arliss as a pessimistic sort, the kind who has the philosophy of 'Only people who have money don't value it'. He looks out for himself, and grabs every at opportunity to get ahead. His word is what anchors him, gives him purpose, keeps him from spiraling down into a pit of mindless opportunism, which I feel drove him from the Shadow Guild from the first place. That scar detail in the inital post speaks quite loudly about the cutthroat competition within itself, and I imagine that they hurt a lot but leave few traces. I see a highly complicated subculture, where scars, their positions, their designs, and their perceptability is a major part of one's standing within the organization. Torture, dominance, subtlety, and pain are the passwords of Shadow Guild life.

Gharis, on the other hand, is in contrast, simple on the outside while complicated on the inside (compared to Arliss, whom is complicated, shady, opportunist with ambiguous morality on the outside, wheras he is easy to comprehend on the inside as a man of his word). He really does have too many ideas than it is good for him, and wears his heart on his sleeve. The heart, however, is a extremely effective distraction from a much less obvious side of Gharis, and in fact gnomes everywhere. All gnomes hunger for knowledge: it is the ultimate weapon, given the right leverage, and illusions are one of the most powerful ways to utilize it, feeding only what you want others to see, whether it's misinformation or just part of the truth... or even the whole truth and nothing but the truth, depending on exactly how twisted the gnome in question is. That's why they're tinkerers, alchemists, and collectors of dusty closets: it's all part of the information war. Now, Gharis is hardly the paragon of smart-alec doubletalk, but he does follow these words of wisdom: expose weakness to hide strength. He shows his clutterbrain status to the world, and no one suspects his duplicity. It is only after they are lulled into a sense of security does he flash his blade. I think Gharis trapped Arliss in a web of words, one way or another, surprising him. Its not all that implausable, seeing that Arliss has no Sense Motive ranks and Gharis can raise his Bluff with Serene Visage. And I think Arliss somehow respects Gharis for his acomplishment, securing his loyalty without force or duress. Not that it'll stop Arliss from running off when things become completely hopeless, but the master looter will tag along with Gharis until the situation changes.

1) Tessalli can Reincarnate.
2) I tried to make Bren a good enough healer to obviate the need for a resurrectionist.

1) I already see people comming back as squirrels.
2) You obviously haven't seen the sheer number of save-or-die effects in Maure Castle. On the first level. You don't want to know what's underneath the first level. It is extremely easy to get in over your head.

Blarg,

That's kind of what I was thinking when I created this party. "This party should be good enough they don't need someone to cast any raise dead type spells." Reincarnate I view differently, but overall, the point is each member of the group contributes enough to keep the party as a whole alive and kicking. That's why Jess is a dire wolverine now. He didn't learn that lesson.

Oh, all it takes is a 1 at the wrong time for all the right reasons. If a party isn't experienced or doesn't work as a team, they'll be minced within a heartbeat. And even if they are, it's still easy to get mulched for the next hapless band. All you need is about half the party about 60' from the wall, just before the tapesty comes down...

Yes, this is an actual encounter in Maure Castle. Beware the tapestry.

 

[blargney the second]

1) I already see people comming back as squirrels.
2) You obviously haven't seen the sheer number of save-or-die effects in Maure Castle.

Hehe.. Goliath squirrel! Btw, you're right - I've never seen Maure Castle before. If there really are that many SoDs, it might be a good idea to swap one of Bren's 4th level spells out for Death Ward. [Edit: added note above]

-blarg

 

[Solarious]

Oh, that helps a lot, you have no idea. Death Ward is one of the essentials in Maure Castle. Of course, it won't protect you from everything that kills on a failed save, but it is a great idea to have Death Ward up, at least on the people in the line of fire, and those with the weakest Fort saves. The place is like a pudding, stuffed with razors. Tiny razors. There is all that wonderful custard, and it will kill you, but if you remove the razors very carefully, you might survive to taste the poison.