Pathfinder in the Mists

[Ryan Naylor]

Yagno Petrovna (G’Henna)

Timeline
674 BC Born in Barovia in the mountains north of Krezk.
696 BC After being locked out of home at night by his brother Yoshtoi, he begins to pray to Zhakata, building an altar in a cave and sacrificing animals to it. Probably a rogue or a commoner at this point.
c700 BC Murders Yoshtoi, Wladomir (family retainer), and two shepherd twins, Elessi and Evanda, and covers it up.
702 BC Attempts to sacrifice his nephew but is caught and chased into the Mists. G’Henna forms. He and Jugo Hesketh spread the new religion.
715 BC Attempts to summon an aspect of Zhakata. Malistroi is trapped in the House of Bones.
740 BC G’Henna is ripped out of the Core in the Grand Conjunction. They believe the rest of the Core has been destroyed as a sign of Zhakata’s displeasure and start to panic.
745 BC Malistroi attempts to conquer G’Henna with a fiendish army.
760 BC Present day.

Powers Checks
Caress (Blasphemy: pledges service to the evil “god” Zhakata: 16%; 696 BC): New confidence, xenophobia.
Enticement (Blasphemy and Violence: torturously sacrificing animals to Zhakata: 4%; 697 BC): Cha +2
Invitation (Betrayal, Blasphemy and Violence: sacrificing Yoshtoi and Wladomir to Zhakata: 8%; c700 BC): Bonus feat (Weapon Focus (dagger))
Embrace (Blasphemy and Violence: murdering shepherds: 16%; 701 BC): Cha +2, bonus feat (Creature of the Id)
Creature (Betrayal, Blasphemy and Violence: attempts to sacrifice nephew: 16%; 702 BC): Becomes darklord of G’Henna. Becomes a cleric. Altar of Zhakata.

Base stats
S 13 D 11 C 14 I 113 W 14 Ch 13 (high fantasy)
Racial: Wis +2 (human)
Levelling: Wis +2, Cha +1
Powers Checks: Cha +4
Favoured class: skills
CR 13 (11 [levels] + 2 [Powers Checks] + 1 [PC-level treasure])

760 BC (Current day stats)
CR 14 XP 38,400
Male Human Cleric 12
LE Medium Humanoid (human)
Init: +0 Senses: Perception +13
Defense
AC 17 Touch 12 Flat-footed 17 (+5 armour, +2 deflection)
hp 81 (8 + 11d8 +24)
Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +14
Resist fire 20
Offense
Spd 30 ft (20 ft)
Melee +13/+8 unholy dagger +2 (1d4+3; crit 17+, +2d6 damage to good creatures)
Ranged +10/+5
Space/Reach: 5’/5’
S 13 D 11 C 14 I 13 W 18 Ch 18
BAB +9 CMB +10 CMD 22 (22)

Feats
Ancestral Legacy (Petrovna), Creatures of the Id, Combat Casting, Extend Spell, Improved Critical (dagger), Reach Spell, Scribe Scroll, Selective Channelling, Weapon Focus (dagger)
Skills
Bluff +8 (4), Diplomacy +10 (3), Heal +10 (3), Intimidate +13 (9), Knowledge (arcana) +8 (4), Knowledge (local) +8 (7), Knowledge (religion) +8 (4), Perception +13 (9), Sense Motive +13 (6), Spellcraft +10 (6), Survival +9 (1), Use Magic Device +8 (4)
Languages
Balok*, Infernal

Treasure
(86,000 gp/108,000 gp)
Armoured coat +1, unholy dagger +2, candle of invocation (LE), cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2, minor crown of blasting, strand of prayer beads

Special
Aura (overwhelming law, evil)
Channel negative energy (7/day, 6d6, DC 20)
Domains: Catastrophe, Fire
Destructive Smite +6 (7/day)
Fire Bolt (7/day, 1d6+6)
Deadly Weather (60 ft radius, 12/day)
Spontaneous casting (inflict spells)
Altar of Zhakata (300 ft)
Preach the word (DC 20)
Brand the heathen
Polymorph (DC 20)
Luck, fast healing 1
Mastery +4
Sinkhole of evil

Typical Spells
DC 14 + spell level
0 – create water, read magic, light, detect magic
1 – obscuring mist, cure light wounds, true strike, shield of faith, protection from good, summon monster I
2 – owl’s wisdom, bear’s endurance, silence, grace, produce flame, spiritual weapon
3 – chain of perdition, call lightning, prayer, summon monster III, bestow curse, dispel magic
4 – divine power, unholy blight, wall of fire, air walk, summon monster IV
5 – spell resistance, flame strike, fire shield, summon monster V
6 – animate objects, harm, summon monster VI

[The Giamarga]

Lemot Sediam Juste (Scaena)
Male Human Sorcerer 8
CE Medium Humanoid (human)

[...]
Special
Superior concentration (can concentrate on 5 things at once; typically 3 scenes and 2 characters)

[...]
Spell-like Abilities
Save DC = 17 + spell level.

At will – ghost sound, disguise self, mirror image, major image (CL 10), hallucinatory terrain
3/day – quickened major image

What's his bloodline? Where are his regular sorcerer spells?

Where does superior concentration come from?


Oh and nice work!

[Ryan Naylor]

He doesn't really have a bloodline, because he got his sorcerer abilities from Powers checks, rather than having it bred into him. And his abilities are SLAs not spells, again because of Powers checks.

Superior concentration is more or less his 8th level sorcerer bloodline ability, and the bonuses from master of the stage are more or less his 1st level abilities.

Both of those are his abilities as described in IoT and DoD.


As I said, he was quite difficult to get right, and involved a lot of judgement.

[Baron Zamedi]

Very nice work. I really like Misroi as an oracle.
I would have thought that bard was a natural fit for Lemot Sediam Juste, why did you decide to go sorcerer? Did you consider the Maestro Bloodline for him? Maybe not the perfect thing, but might be a little smoother than leaving him a bloodline-less sorcerer?
Just throwing some ideas and trying to gauge your thought process, is all.
Thanks again for sharing all your work dude.

[vipera aspis]

Your write-ups keep getting better and better Ryan. This is really excellent work: keep it up! I hope this is in the realm of what you do for a living; because if it isn't....

[Ryan Naylor]

Very nice work. I really like Misroi as an oracle.

Thank you!

I would have thought that bard was a natural fit for Lemot Sediam Juste, why did you decide to go sorcerer? Did you consider the Maestro Bloodline for him? Maybe not the perfect thing, but might be a little smoother than leaving him a bloodline-less sorcerer?
Just throwing some ideas and trying to gauge your thought process, is all.

He's not bloodline-less per se - he just has a unique bloodline.

The Maestro bloodline doesn't give him the right abilities - he doesn't daze or dominate people, he bamboozles them with illusions, so most of his bloodline spells and powers are along the wrong theme. In fact, it's a bit irritating that there's no real illusion bloodline, despite having hags, fey and rakshasa to choose from.

Incidentally, Maestro is perfect for Gabrielle Aderre.

I didn't choose bard because (a) in 2e, he could easily have been made a bard, but was made an illusionist instead and (b) because, even with all the archetypes to choose from, he still ends up with odd abilities that don't suit, like performance or jack of all trades. Juste was not ever a jack of all trades - he was utterly focused on mastering one particular skill (writing tragedies). Before becoming a darklord, he would have been an expert, not a bard. And (c), I wanted him to be able to cast major image, which he gets at a moderately low level as a sorcerer, but a higher level as a bard.

Basically, in IoT and DoD, Juste was a low level illusionist, and I wanted to be as true to that as I could while working with the mechanics underneath.

Thanks again for sharing all your work dude.

The pleasure is all mine, and in the end, that's all that counts

[Ryan Naylor]

Your write-ups keep getting better and better Ryan. This is really excellent work: keep it up! I hope this is in the realm of what you do for a living; because if it isn't....

Thanks! Unless of course you're saying you thought my Azalin and Strahd were terrible

Obviously, I was once paid to write Ravenloft, although it was never enough to live off, and I would have (and clearly am) doing it for the love of the world. When the Swords and Sorcery Ravenloft shut up shop, Dragon approached me to do some erratic work for them, but I was about to start my Honours project at university, and I didn't have time. Since those people went on to found Paizo and Pathfinder, I sometimes wonder what might have been. The Book of S series had a number of alumni that went on to achieve great things in the roleplaying world, not least Wes Schneider, who is now Editor-in-Chief of Paizo. Who knew Ravenloft was such a hotbed of creativity (except us, of course )?

To answer your question, I have a PhD in neuropathology and currently work as an academic at a university. I only do this now as an amateur in the Latin sense - one who does it for love not money. Because the rest of you might as well benefit from my psychotic obsession.

[Zilfer]

And benefit we do! xD

[Mortavius]

Anton Misroi

I like him as an Oracle, since there's so few in Ravenloft. Also seems like this guy gets more powerful with every version.

I thought it interesting that you noted Chicken Bone in his timeline...do they have a connection?

Thakok-An

Inquisitor seems a good fit for her (I wonder if there's anything like the Warlock in the Pathfinder that Templars were in 4E?). I like Psionics personally, but I agree with you and wouldn't want her to be CR 23. There seems to be an order to these things.

Got me thinking...I wonder if Elena Faith-Hold is better as an Inquisitor?

Hernando Mouriros (Mictlan)

I'm not familiar with this one. Where's it from?

Jack Karn (Farelle)

Nice take on this one. I like the Barbarian levels. Interesting that you tied him to the Wildlands, and fitting. Although, I wonder. He doesn't become a Jackalwere till he's a Darklord. Before that, is he just an animal? Why would the Dark Powers punish an animal? Or is it with him coming from the Wildlands he's a fully sentient creature, and thus open to corruption and evil? Do the animals of the Wildlands make distinctions between good and evil, even if they are capable of it?

Lemot Sediam Juste (Scaena)

I like this one, although I had many of the same questions as others here before you answered them.

Yagno Petrovna (G’Henna)

Another of my favorite Darklords. But where is the age stat for his abilities? Did the Dark Powers erase that when he became a Darklord? What made you choose Catastrophe and Fire for his domains?

[Ryan Naylor]

Anton Misroi

I like him as an Oracle, since there's so few in Ravenloft. Also seems like this guy gets more powerful with every version.

I thought it interesting that you noted Chicken Bone in his timeline...do they have a connection?

No (well, not an open canon one), he's just a major NPC who can be added to the timeline.

Thakok-An

Inquisitor seems a good fit for her (I wonder if there's anything like the Warlock in the Pathfinder that Templars were in 4E?). I like Psionics personally, but I agree with you and wouldn't want her to be CR 23. There seems to be an order to these things.

Got me thinking...I wonder if Elena Faith-Hold is better as an Inquisitor?

Templars in 4e were warlocks? What an odd choice. I didn't realise that; I've been working off the 2e and 3e material. The closest is probably the arcanist, when it comes out.

I prefer Elena as a fallen paladin rather than an inquisitor/ex-inquisitor. However, Nemesio made one here:
http://fraternityofshadows.com/forum/vi ... at&start=7

Hernando Mouriros (Mictlan)

I'm not familiar with this one. Where's it from?

Book of Shadows.

Jack Karn (Farelle)

Nice take on this one. I like the Barbarian levels. Interesting that you tied him to the Wildlands, and fitting. Although, I wonder. He doesn't become a Jackalwere till he's a Darklord. Before that, is he just an animal? Why would the Dark Powers punish an animal? Or is it with him coming from the Wildlands he's a fully sentient creature, and thus open to corruption and evil? Do the animals of the Wildlands make distinctions between good and evil, even if they are capable of it?

Book of Sacrifices.

Coming from the Wildlands, he's sentient, and anyone who can choose between good and evil is fair game (whether they make those distinctions or not). Given there are lords who are fiends, intelligent swords, and so on, it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

Yagno Petrovna (G’Henna)

Another of my favorite Darklords. But where is the age stat for his abilities? Did the Dark Powers erase that when he became a Darklord? What made you choose Catastrophe and Fire for his domains?

The best I can give you is that he became darklord at the age of 26, so he's looked older, but not got older stat wise since then.

If he's middle aged, I couldn't match his stats with his previously published ones, so he has no aging modifier. I think a strong argument can be made that he hasn't really learnt anything from being a darklord though, so there might be some justification for that.

His domains more or less match his 2e spheres, and it's based on the domains that Zhakata canonically offers, and the write up for Yagno that was meant to be in SotDR. I just gave him Catastrophe instead of Destruction, because it seemed more appropriate.

[Mortavius]

Templars in 4e were warlocks? What an odd choice. I didn't realise that; I've been working off the 2e and 3e material. The closest is probably the arcanist, when it comes out.

Well, I should clarify. Some of them were. Templar was a theme in 4E, meaning it could be applied to many classes. So some Templars were arcane spellcasters of any kind. However, in 4E, I'm sure you are familiar with Warlocks and the pacts they made with beings for power. In Dark Sun, Warlocks got the option to make a pact with a Sorcerer King for their abilities, so some Templars were naturally these types of Warlocks. A cool idea, I thought.

[Ryan Naylor]

I see. In 2e and 3e, they were a subclass of priest, and hence inquisitor is a natural choice both in theme and powers.


Arcanist is closest in terms of what I remember from 3e about the warlocks powers, which I assume was similar in 4e (I have no idea; I've never played 4e).

In terms of bargaining with powerful creatures, you've got witches, oracles, shamans, and possibly summoners in Pathfinder.

[Ryan Naylor]

Happy New Year everyone!

The remaining darklords are becoming either increasingly obscure, homebrewed or interpreted. You have been warned!

[Ryan Naylor]

Irritatingly little is known about the Phantom Lover. Darklords doesn't give him any background. Even the story it does give shows him as a fully formed darklord, with nothing more provided about his actual backstory.

So I interpreted from what we did know: his dragon's foot, his powers of darkness and controlling reptiles - suggest a draconic origin. It occurred to me that we didn't have any reference to the traditional dragon of demanding virgin sacrifices, so I started there, and threw in a bit of stalker to get the gargoyle angle, to end up where Darklords begins.

His powers are at least explained clearly (although he's nothing like any other darklord, being able to extend himself into other domains - and Darklords barely discusses what he's like when at home).

Darklords calls him a vampire. Van Richten calls him a ghost. I've gone for a ghost with some vampire-like powers.


Thoughts?


Leederik (the Phantom Lover)
(Leederik’s Tower)

Timeline
Unknown.

Hypothetically:
c450 BC Black dragon born on Prime Material. Possibly in Cormyr on Toril.
c564 BC Falls in love with a human woman. Content to watch her from afar.
c565 BC Kills her lover to take his place. She kills herself, and he commits suicide over her grave. Leederik’s Tower forms.
760 BC Present day.

Powers Checks
Caress (Violence: eating virgin sacrifices: 4%; c525 BC): Desire to be loved; able to feel love for humans.
Enticement (Black Magic and Violence: murders village to power a spell with their misery that will enable him to disguise himself as a human: 32%; c550 BC): Disguise self.
Invitation (Betrayal: stalks his beloved from afar, watching her disguised as a gargoyle or a human: 2%; c564 BC): Change shape. Loses some dragon abilities.
Embrace (Black Magic: seeks to become a perfect copy of his beloved’s lover: 8%; c565 BC): Improved disguise self. She will not be fooled.
Creature (Betrayal and Violence: kills his lover’s beloved: 8%; c565 BC): Becomes a ghost on death and darklord of Leederik’s Tower. Change shape. Children of the night. Extended reach.

Base stats
S 25 D 12 C 21 I 14 W 17 Ch 14 (base dragon)
Template: Cha +10
CR 12 (6 [base] + 5 [template] + 1 [darklord abilities])

760 BC (Current day stats)
CR 12 XP 19,200
Male Black Dragon Fifth Magnitude Ghost
LE Medium Undead (augmented dragon, incorporeal)
Init: +5 (Dex, feat) Senses: dragon senses, lowlight vision, blindsense 60 ft, darkvision 120 ft; Perception +32
Aura: frightful presence (lover’s room or 180 ft, DC 24)
Defense
AC 18 Touch 18 Flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +7 deflection)
hp 164 (8 + 13d8 + 98)
Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +12
Channel resistance +13
Incorporeal
DR 5/blessed weapons
Rejuvenation
Immune acid, undead traits
SR 22
Offense
Spd Fly 30 ft (perfect)
Melee incorporeal touch +10 (1d4 Str drain, DC 24)
Space/Reach: 5’/5’
S – (25) D 12 C - I 14 W 17 Ch 24
BAB +9 CMB +10 CMD 27 (26)

Feats
Alertness, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth), Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills
Fly +34 (14), Handle Animal +21 (14), Intimidate +24 (14), Knowledge (arcana) +19 (14), Perception +32 (14), Spellcraft +19 (14), Stealth +29 (14), Swim +32 (14)
Languages
Draconic*, Vaasi, Giant, tongues

Treasure
None

Special
Corrupt water (DC 24, 180 ft)
Speak with reptiles
Frightful presence
Rejuvenation
Entrancing appearance (lover only; gaze, DC 26, charm person)
Improved salient ability (entrancing appearance)
Mind games (deep slumber, arcane lock; quickened)
Greater mind games (animate objects, animate dead, greater teleport)
Aura of cold (at will; 1d6 cold plus 5d4 nonlethal and fatigued; Fort DC 24 for half damage and not fatigued; lover protected)
Draining touch (at will; 1d4 Str drain; DC 24)
Telekinesis (graveyard only)
Resist holy water (no damage; dazed 1 rd instead)
Driven away by dispel evil, sunray
Disguise self (at will; perfect copy of victim’s dead lover; tactile illusion)
Change shape (mist, snake; polymorph)
Children of the night (graveyard only; 2d8 gargoyles or 3d6 venomous snakes)
Sweet scent, misty aura
Extended reach (can appear in other domains in lover’s bedroom and nearby graveyard; spells and spell-like abilities can cross domain borders to affect those elsewhere in lover’s house; has all his abilities in the Tower itself)
Mastery +7
Sinkhole of evil

Snake form
+2 nat AC (incorporeal only), scent, spd fly 20 ft (perfect), bite (as incorporeal touch) +10 (1d4+7 plus 1d4 Str drain plus poison; Fort DC 24; 1/round for 6 rounds; 1d2 Con; cure 1 save)
Gaseous form
Imm sneak attack and crit hits, fly 20 ft, can’t run, pass all Fly checks

Spell-like Abilities
CL 14th
At will – deeper darkness (60 ft radius)
12/day – animate objects (doors only), animate dead (graveyard only), greater teleport
3/day – quickened deep slumber, arcane lock

Spells
CL 3rd
DC = 17 + spell level
At will – dancing lights, detect magic, mending, message, read magic, arcane lock, deep slumber
6/day – alarm, mage armour, obscuring mist

[Ryan Naylor]

I quite like the Castle Spulzeer/Forgotten Terror duology, although you do have to play CS for FT to make any sense at all. Aggarath is a great, unique domain, and the adventures are actually genuinely trying for a gothic world of familial curses, debauched nobles, crumbling castles and so on. If you cut off or modify the first journey-to-the-castle part, you can easily run both halves in Ravenloft as well.

Chardath hasn't done a lot on screen to deserve his lordship, although the module does hint at a life of depravity and debauchery following Marble's murder. He's also much older than the module implies, which has led to some interesting penalties here and there. He's definitely not optimised.

Canonically, he's a fighter. He steals some of Kartak's power with a wish and gets an (extremely limited, one-cast-only) ability to cast some spells. He's very intelligent though, and there haven't been any opportunities to put in magi anywhere else, and he's relatively obscure, so I've made him into a magus. After 10 years in Aggarath, he's worked out how to harness what remains of Kartak's power to make the magic last, instead of losing it all. If you don't like that idea, turn him back into a fighter.


Thoughts?



Chardath Spulzeer (Aggarath)

Timeline
136 BC Construction begins on Castle Spellseer in Amn in Prime Material Toril. Completed 40 years later.
183 BC Kartak Spellseer born.
217 BC Kartak is convicted of a string of murders and flees.
219 BC Tregas Spellseer changes the family name to Spulzeer to distance the family from Kartak.
237 BC Kartak becomes a lich.
569 BC Kartak is killed and trapped bodiless in Castle Spulzeer.
c694 BC Chardath born.
c695 BC Marble born.
696 BC Kelamar Spulzeer lynched. Kaisha Spulzeer arrives at the Castle.
729 BC Kaisha dies. Chardath becomes lord of Castle Spulzeer, falls under the sway of Kartak’s phylactery, and murders Marble.
749 BC Finds Maleffluent and given half of Kartak’s powers by a genie. Aggarath forms. The dagger is held by cultists who believe it holds a trapped fiend.
c751 BC Aggarath comes into the possession of Professor Arcanus.
c755 BC Chardath finally learns how to harness the remains of Kartak’s power.
760 BC Present day.

Powers Checks
Caress (Blasphemy: unnaturally close love for Marble: 8%; c710 BC): Incipent madness
Enticement (Blasphemy: blasphemy and faithlessness after Marble’s murder: 4%; 729 BC): Madness. Minor magic.
Invitation (Violence: has rogues hunt down and beat up Esmerel, his first love, for leaving him: 16%; c739 BC): Minor magic.
Embrace (Blasphemy: years and years of debauchery: 4%; 749 BC): Finds Maleffluent and the genie.
Creature (Violence: attempts to destroy Kartak: 4%; 749 BC): Becomes darklord of Aggarath.

Base stats
S 15 D 13 C 15 I 15 W 8 Ch 8 (high fantasy)
Racial: Dex +2 (human)
Levelling: Dex +2
Aging: old
Madness: Int -1, Wis -4, Cha -2
Favoured class: hp
CR 9 (8 [levels] + 2 [PC-level treasure] - 1 [madness, age penalties])

760 BC (Current day stats)
CR 9 XP 6,400
Male Human Magus 9
CE Medium Humanoid (human)
Init: +4 (Dex) Senses: Perception +7
Defense
AC 18 Touch 16 Flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +2 natural, +2 deflection)
hp 71 (8 + 8d8 + 9 + 9)
Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +6
Offense
Spd 30 ft
Melee +11/+6 vorpal improved incorporeal bane (+3/+3d6) battleaxe +2 (1d8+4; crit x3)
+9/+4 vorpal improved incorporeal bane (+3/+3d6) battleaxe +2 (1d8+11; crit x3) with Power Attack
+8/+3
Ranged +10/+5
S 12 (14) D 14 (18) C 12 I 16 W 6 Ch 8
BAB +6 CMB +8 CMD 24 (20)

Feats
Extra Arcane Pool, Intensified Spell, Lunge, Power Attack, Spell Penetration, Toughness, Weapon Focus (battleaxe)
Skills
Acrobatics +13 (9), Appraise +5 (2), Bluff +7 (8), Knowledge (arcana) +12 (6), Knowledge (local) +8 (5), Perception +7 (9), Sense Motive +7 (9), Spellcraft +12 (6)
Languages
Vaasi*, Elven, Draconic, Infernal

Treasure
(170,000 gp)
Amulet of natural armour +2, belt of Str +2/Dex +4, cloak of resistance +2, ring of protection +2

Maleffluent: vorpal improved incorporeal bane (+3/+3d6) battleaxe +2; detect magic and find traps at will; major image 2/day; haste 3/day; Int 17, Wis 10, Cha 17; Ego 21; can’t dominate Chardath

Special
Spellstrike
Spell recall
Improved spell combat
Arcane pool (+3; 9/day)
Arcane accuracy (+3; 1 point)
Arcane strike (2 points; melee attacks as touch attacks)
Empowered magic (1/day)
Knowledge pool
Mad
Summon earth elementals (3/day: 1 large, 1 medium, 1 small)
Undying soul
Sinkhole of evil

Spells
(5/6/5/4); DC 13 + spell level
0 – acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, spark (all)
1 – shocking grasp, enlarge person, colour spray, grease, shield, mage armour, ray of enfeeblement, vanish
2 – bear’s endurance, frigid touch, glitterdust, mirror image, pyrotechnics, web
3 – fly, force hook charge, ray of exhaustion, slow, stinking cloud, vampiric touch