Hazlan, Land of Monsters OOC

[Isabella]

Well, the eidolon doesn't heal naturally, but other than that, it's a pretty decent bodyguard. Three to five attacks per round at 1d4+3, fifty HP? What else makes for a good tank?

I have thirty-seven hp, so I think your eidolon is the tankiest tank.

Can you afford a wand of "heal the eidolon"?

[NeoTiamat]

Heh, personal meeting isn't necessary, no. Just curious how they'd get set up as pen pals.

An interesting question might be whether they know of each other's rather distinct names. Lena uses the Von Z name on and off depending on whether she wants to intimidate/impress, or whether she just wants to come across as a bit more 'regular gentry'. Don't know if Vasili is likewise about the Boritsi names?

EDIT: As for the Midnight Market... I'd never thought of Lena as being that supernaturally savvy, mind you, but it remains a fond creation, so!

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Seven-sentence writeup on the eidolon:

While rumor has it she once wore another shape, Leila has shadowed Vasili's steps in one form or another ever since he entered Hazlan. At first glance, she looks like a human-sized lynx, but her furred face has side-set ears and long-lashed human eyes that betray her artificial nature even before she speaks out loud. With four clawed limbs and a powerful bite, Leila easily makes up for what Vasili lacks in physical prowess (Str and Dex 16), but even more fearsome is her ability to stalk prey in total silence (stealth +17). Obviously, Leila is unquestioningly devoted to her master, but many are still surprised at the way she assists him in the lab, anticipates his reactions and even finishes his sentences. Leila rarely interacts with others unless she is on an errand for Vasili, but when in public she often indulges in unnerving people with her appearance, her stealth, or oblique comments (such behavior earned her the nickname "The Sphinx" at the Red Academy). Those few who have engaged her in conversation can report that Leila has a rudimentary grasp of summoning, alchemy and mechanics--enough to serve as Vasili's lab assistant--and that she speaks Balok as well as Vaasi. While she is listed in Academy records as an unusual familiar, the set of stark white lines on her breast that match his scars speak to a much deeper relationship.

[NeoTiamat]

...I request a dispensation from the GM so that Ushka the Fox can talk to Leila the Cat.

[Isabella]

...Bubastis?

[Isabella]

Ushka will just have to pantomime. She's clever, she can figure it out.

[NeoTiamat]

Well, Ushka does have Perform (Oratory) and Perform (Dance) at +3 for miming purposes.

...she can do the foxtrot.

[Isabella]

Since other people (okay, maybe mostly me) are slinging around pictures, this is the paladin:

VIEW CONTENT:

Normally he has a nice Mordentish ensemble with black coat and lavender vest.

But sometimes you just have to rock the armor.
(This second one isn't mine, just borrowed from someone and Photoshopped.)

This is Arthur, the mule.

VIEW CONTENT:

Sure, he's not as flashy as a great white charger, but he also won't fall off a mountain, which Richard appreciates when he is staying in the mountains. Arthur is not special in any way, shape, or form. He's a normal mule. He feels very bad next to all of these magical foxes and cat-beasts.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

...Bubastis?

What on earth is with those ears?

[Isabella]

It was a genetically engineered lynx.



So I guess the real question is "WHY did someone think those ears were a good idea", and for that, I have no answer.

[steveflam]

Is that from the Watchmen?

[Isabella]

Is that from the Watchmen?

Indeed it is.

[NeoTiamat]

Because frankly, the fox is more useful than the PC...

Though Lena is at best an indifferent mage, she has enough wizardly savvy to bind a familiar, and Bystroushka (‘Quick-Ears, from a Barovian opera) is that familiar -- the fact that one vixen chose another vixen somehow surprises no one. Ushka (‘Ears’), as she is usually called, is a small, extravagantly furred fox a short muzzle, a long and fluffy tail, and very large ears that hint at her name. Somehow, despite being the sort of vivid red-orange that can be seen a mile away, Ushka is extremely good at passing unnoticed (Stealth +18), while her giant ears, delicate nose, and large yellow eyes miss nothing (Perception +20) -- she’s quite a curious little fox. In fact, curiosity, alongside loyalty to Lena, is Ushka’s defining trait, as there’s no door she doesn’t want to be on the other side of, no box she doesn’t want to explore, no conversation she doesn’t want to eavesdrop on. Ushka is very friendly to others, though she can’t talk to them as she can chat with Lena -- prompting a certain amount of pantomime as Ushka tries to communicate complex ideas by wiggling her ears and poking things with her paws. Ushka’s actually more educated than most people realize, since she shares a portion of Lena’s knowledge, and while it would be a stretch to say that Ushka is an expert at anything, she knows a little bit about a whole lot, from arcane theory to desert geography to Lamordian history. Like most foxy women, Ushka is also very vain, and takes enormous pride in a large, silver collar that she wears around her throat, rather like a Forfarian’s torc.

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I've also collected the 7-sentence writeups so far and put them into a google doc Here. In theory, you should all be able to link to it and write in it.

[Isabella]

In honor of the prologue thread being up, I must play my traditional Ravenloft campaign opener music:


(Of course, Nathan suggests this as being more appropriate:

[Nathan of the FoS]

It's not really going to be a vampire adventure, though, so perhaps Bela Lugosi isn't quite the thing. Nor werewolves, or I'd go with Warren Zevon.

I refuse to use the Monster Mash, and that's flat.

But this is apropos:

As is this: