ShneekeyTheLost
2007-03-22, 02:12 AM
This is the sort of character that would do well as either a BBEG, or a valuable contact, depending on how 'legal' your characters want to be.
He began as a Halfling pirate with an innate business sense and a gift for magic. He started out, as most pirates do, as a cabin boy when he stowed away at the tender age of 12 on a pirate ship. He earned his Captaincy by age sixteen. By his early 20's, he realized that he needed more than one ship to truely realize his dream.
His city is in an island. The outer rim of the island seems to look like your typical volcanic island from the outside, however part of the volcano's wall is an illusion which hides the enterance to the cove inside. Grates can be raised to block enterance, and archers and wizards can be posted on the wall sides raining down death and destruction as well, making his city nigh-impossible to take by direct force. Inside the island's high walls rests the town, many of the buildings are build right into the clif faces, with plenty of walkways built out of wood or stone (with good handrails). He knows a few good Conjuration specialized mages who owed him a lot to help him with the construction. The lagoon has plenty of fish, and there are enough artisian wells and magic users to create enough fresh water for the town to live indefinately during siege.
The town itself, named Coveport, combines the most colorful aspects of Tortoga (from Pirates of the Carribian movies) with a law enforcement agency more interested in bribes than justice.
In short, he owns or has the allegiance of over half the pirates on the open seas, and increases that percentage with every passing year.
He is, of course, simply known as The Pirate Lord, in fact no one really remembers his name anymore, he's just the The Pirate Lord to everyone.
He never ever confronts any threat openly. He uses a mixture of trickery and deciet (as well as lots of hired muscle) to take on any threats which might endanger his operation. Indeed, over half the pirates working for him don't even know who they are working for. They just drop off their percentage at a certain place at a certain time and things go smoother for them. Supposedly uncorruptable officials let them off on technecalities, lastest information on Corsair movements are supplied, merchant routes are found, with accurate schedules attached. Failure to leave their percentages usually results in Bad Things happening.
PC's who are somewhat less than honest could make a good living working for The Pirate Lord. He has a lot of operatives, many of them nowhere near the shore even. Tips on merchant movements, soldier movements, other dangers which might impact the operation, and so forth are well rewarded.
Of course, the defenders of truth and justice might stop a pirate vessel only to find the captain of the ship is working for some unknown person, and the hunt is on to find this elusive mastermind behind all the seaward crime. Layer upon layer of intregue, politics, and misdirection will need to be sifted through to finally find the location of Coveport and the location of the Pirate Lord.
If actually attacked, The Pirate Lord will use his considerable magical might to flee. He's got a LOT of traps down his escape passage which are designed to hinder the adventurers so he can make good his escape.
Oh yes, the stat block:
Fouxcour Prennage, The Pirate Lord
{table] Size/Type: | Small Humanoid (Halfling)
Classes | Rogue4/Sorcerer6/Arcane Trickster 10
Hit Dice | 4d6 + 16d4
Speed | 20 ft. (4 squares); Gaseous Form (10 ft, but can fly and seep through cracks)
Initiative: | +10
Armor Class | 22 (10 + 1 (size) + 5 (armor) + 6 Dex) touch 17; flat-footed 22 (uncanny dodge)
Base Attack/Grapple | +11/+7
Attack | As per spell used
Full-Attack | As per spell used
Space/Reach | 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks | Magic
Special Qualities | Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Sneak Attack +7d6, Impromptu Sneak Attack 2/day, Ranged Ledgermain, Mind Blank
Saves | Fort +10 Ref +20 Will +16
Abilities | Str 8, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 22
Skills | Bluff (Cha) +26, Concentration (Con) +15, Decipher Script (int) +10, Diplomacy (Cha) +20, Disable Device (Dex) +10, Escape Artist (Dex) +10, Gather Information (Cha) +22, Hide (Dex) +25, Knowledge (Arcane) (int) +8, Move Silently (Dex) +25, Profession (Sailor) +12, Sense Motive (Wis) +15, Slight of Hand (Dex) +28, Spellcraft (Int) +22, Tumble (Dex) +15, Use Magic Device (Cha) +13, Use Rope (Dex) +11
Feats | Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Eschew Materials, Leadership, Improved Precise Shot, Heighten Spell
Challenge Rating | 20
Treasure | Items of note on him: Ring of Invisibility, Cloak of Charisma +2, Rod of Metamagic (Quicken, Greater), +1 Mithril Shirt (Glamored, Twilight, Shadowed (Improved), Silent Moves (Improved) )
Alignment | Chaotic Neutral[/table]
{table="Head"]Level | Spells
0 | Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Ray of Frost
1 | Comprehend Languages, Feather Fall, Grease, Nystul's Magic Aura, True Strike
2 | Mirror Image, Leomund's Trap,Pyrotechnics, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility
3 | Gaseous Form, Major Image, Slow, Suggestion
4 | Illusory Wall, Locate Creature, Scrying, Solid Fog
5 | Feeblemind, Prying Eyes, Shadow Evocation, Wall of Force
6 | Dispel Magic, Greater, Guards and Wards, Permanent Image
7 | Project Image, Shadow Conjuration, Greater
8 | Mind Blank[/table]
physical description
In his true form (which he rarely takes), he is an average looking Halfling dressed in expensive silken clothing.
Combat
Combat style
He almost never confronts anyone directly. If he knows combat is on the way, he'll buff up with Miror Image, and use Project Image to talk to them from a safer location. He can use Shadow Conjuration to drop Walls of Stone down between himself and the party while he retreats. Mind Blank is effectively always on, to prevent people from scrying him. He uses Prying Eyes to keep tabs on any potentially hostile intruders. In actual combat, he uses his Rod of Quicken Spell (Greater) to quicken a Feeblemind at the opponent caster, followed by Slow to null the opponent tanks and rogues. Pyrotechics is used to make clouds of smoke to hamper vision while he escapes, with Solid Fog, Grease, and various Walls thrown up behind him for good measure. If he absolutely has to attack someone, he uses his Rod of Quicken, Greater, on True Strike, then Scorching Ray and Impromptu Sneak Attack on his target.
In short, he won't stand and fight. He'll use misdirection and trickery to escape and start over.
He began as a Halfling pirate with an innate business sense and a gift for magic. He started out, as most pirates do, as a cabin boy when he stowed away at the tender age of 12 on a pirate ship. He earned his Captaincy by age sixteen. By his early 20's, he realized that he needed more than one ship to truely realize his dream.
His city is in an island. The outer rim of the island seems to look like your typical volcanic island from the outside, however part of the volcano's wall is an illusion which hides the enterance to the cove inside. Grates can be raised to block enterance, and archers and wizards can be posted on the wall sides raining down death and destruction as well, making his city nigh-impossible to take by direct force. Inside the island's high walls rests the town, many of the buildings are build right into the clif faces, with plenty of walkways built out of wood or stone (with good handrails). He knows a few good Conjuration specialized mages who owed him a lot to help him with the construction. The lagoon has plenty of fish, and there are enough artisian wells and magic users to create enough fresh water for the town to live indefinately during siege.
The town itself, named Coveport, combines the most colorful aspects of Tortoga (from Pirates of the Carribian movies) with a law enforcement agency more interested in bribes than justice.
In short, he owns or has the allegiance of over half the pirates on the open seas, and increases that percentage with every passing year.
He is, of course, simply known as The Pirate Lord, in fact no one really remembers his name anymore, he's just the The Pirate Lord to everyone.
He never ever confronts any threat openly. He uses a mixture of trickery and deciet (as well as lots of hired muscle) to take on any threats which might endanger his operation. Indeed, over half the pirates working for him don't even know who they are working for. They just drop off their percentage at a certain place at a certain time and things go smoother for them. Supposedly uncorruptable officials let them off on technecalities, lastest information on Corsair movements are supplied, merchant routes are found, with accurate schedules attached. Failure to leave their percentages usually results in Bad Things happening.
PC's who are somewhat less than honest could make a good living working for The Pirate Lord. He has a lot of operatives, many of them nowhere near the shore even. Tips on merchant movements, soldier movements, other dangers which might impact the operation, and so forth are well rewarded.
Of course, the defenders of truth and justice might stop a pirate vessel only to find the captain of the ship is working for some unknown person, and the hunt is on to find this elusive mastermind behind all the seaward crime. Layer upon layer of intregue, politics, and misdirection will need to be sifted through to finally find the location of Coveport and the location of the Pirate Lord.
If actually attacked, The Pirate Lord will use his considerable magical might to flee. He's got a LOT of traps down his escape passage which are designed to hinder the adventurers so he can make good his escape.
Oh yes, the stat block:
Fouxcour Prennage, The Pirate Lord
{table] Size/Type: | Small Humanoid (Halfling)
Classes | Rogue4/Sorcerer6/Arcane Trickster 10
Hit Dice | 4d6 + 16d4
Speed | 20 ft. (4 squares); Gaseous Form (10 ft, but can fly and seep through cracks)
Initiative: | +10
Armor Class | 22 (10 + 1 (size) + 5 (armor) + 6 Dex) touch 17; flat-footed 22 (uncanny dodge)
Base Attack/Grapple | +11/+7
Attack | As per spell used
Full-Attack | As per spell used
Space/Reach | 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks | Magic
Special Qualities | Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Sneak Attack +7d6, Impromptu Sneak Attack 2/day, Ranged Ledgermain, Mind Blank
Saves | Fort +10 Ref +20 Will +16
Abilities | Str 8, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 22
Skills | Bluff (Cha) +26, Concentration (Con) +15, Decipher Script (int) +10, Diplomacy (Cha) +20, Disable Device (Dex) +10, Escape Artist (Dex) +10, Gather Information (Cha) +22, Hide (Dex) +25, Knowledge (Arcane) (int) +8, Move Silently (Dex) +25, Profession (Sailor) +12, Sense Motive (Wis) +15, Slight of Hand (Dex) +28, Spellcraft (Int) +22, Tumble (Dex) +15, Use Magic Device (Cha) +13, Use Rope (Dex) +11
Feats | Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Eschew Materials, Leadership, Improved Precise Shot, Heighten Spell
Challenge Rating | 20
Treasure | Items of note on him: Ring of Invisibility, Cloak of Charisma +2, Rod of Metamagic (Quicken, Greater), +1 Mithril Shirt (Glamored, Twilight, Shadowed (Improved), Silent Moves (Improved) )
Alignment | Chaotic Neutral[/table]
{table="Head"]Level | Spells
0 | Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Ghost Sound, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Ray of Frost
1 | Comprehend Languages, Feather Fall, Grease, Nystul's Magic Aura, True Strike
2 | Mirror Image, Leomund's Trap,Pyrotechnics, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility
3 | Gaseous Form, Major Image, Slow, Suggestion
4 | Illusory Wall, Locate Creature, Scrying, Solid Fog
5 | Feeblemind, Prying Eyes, Shadow Evocation, Wall of Force
6 | Dispel Magic, Greater, Guards and Wards, Permanent Image
7 | Project Image, Shadow Conjuration, Greater
8 | Mind Blank[/table]
physical description
In his true form (which he rarely takes), he is an average looking Halfling dressed in expensive silken clothing.
Combat
Combat style
He almost never confronts anyone directly. If he knows combat is on the way, he'll buff up with Miror Image, and use Project Image to talk to them from a safer location. He can use Shadow Conjuration to drop Walls of Stone down between himself and the party while he retreats. Mind Blank is effectively always on, to prevent people from scrying him. He uses Prying Eyes to keep tabs on any potentially hostile intruders. In actual combat, he uses his Rod of Quicken Spell (Greater) to quicken a Feeblemind at the opponent caster, followed by Slow to null the opponent tanks and rogues. Pyrotechics is used to make clouds of smoke to hamper vision while he escapes, with Solid Fog, Grease, and various Walls thrown up behind him for good measure. If he absolutely has to attack someone, he uses his Rod of Quicken, Greater, on True Strike, then Scorching Ray and Impromptu Sneak Attack on his target.
In short, he won't stand and fight. He'll use misdirection and trickery to escape and start over.