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View Full Version : [Portrait]Saint Kalauz, the Icy Avenger - DONE!!!



The Glyphstone
2005-12-02, 03:04 PM
http://www.pbase.com/image/54142490/original.jpg
For those who cannot see. (http://i.pbase.com/o4/30/358230/1/54142490.santafinished.JPG)

The snow swirls around you, whipping back into your face. The light of the lantern is barely visible five yards ahead, and footsteps just that far behind are already full of snow. You are lost, and getting very, very cold...

Abruptly, a figure appears out of the empty whiteness, moving towards you. It is large and bulky, its outline oddly irregular. As the figure approaches into the thin light, it is revealed to be a very generously sized man with an equally sized sack slung over his back. He might be fat, or perhaps just blanketed with many layers of clothing, topped with a bright red suit bearing white fur trim. In one hand he carries a large golden scepter, several jewels studding its length and head. In the other, a faint glow of magic begins to shine. His face is round and rosy, with a long white beard, but the eyes...

Those eyes, they gleam with a light that cannot be fully reflected from the lantern;s glow. The eyes narrow, and the mouth crinkles underneath the beard as he approaches, but is that an expression of joyous welcome, or a grimace of anger and hatred?

Saint Nikolas Kalauz (CR 20)
Human Sorcerer 6/Rogue 4/Arcane Trickster 10
Lawful Good Medium Humanoid
Init: +5
Senses: Normal vision, normal hearing, can cast Darkvision, Listen +17, Spot +17
Aura: Strongly Lawful, Strongly Good (when carrying the Scepter)
Languages: Common, Elven, Celestial - can speak and understand all languages via tongues and comprehend languages
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AC 29, Touch 19, Flat-footed 25
HP 84 (6d4+4d6+10d6+20)
Immune to: Fire and Cold (when wearing the Suit)
SR: 21
DR: 5/evil
Fort +15, Ref +22, Will +21
Weakness: angered by the sight of blatant selfishness/cruelty (no definite game effect)

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Speed: 30 ft.(6 squares), fly 60ft. (12 squares)(perfect)
Melee: Scepter of Kalauz +18/+13 (1d8+7+1d6 fire +1d6 cold +1d6 electricity +2d6 holy vs. evil/19-20/x2+1d10 fire+1d10 cold +1d10 electricity)
Base Atk/Grp: +11/+15
Attack Options: Smite Evil 5/day, adds +8 to attack and +20 to damage against evil creatures; sneak attack +7d6; Impromptu Sneak Attack 2/day
Special Actions: Spellcasting
Combat Gear: Wand of Dispel Magic (50 charges), Staff of ethereal action (50 charges); varied healing potions
Spells Known (CL 20th)
8th - Trap the Soul
7th - Limited Wish; Insanity
6th - Geas/Quest; Chain Lightning; True Seeing
5th - Feeblemind; Cone of Cold; Teleport; Break Enchantment
4th - Greater Invisibility; Shout; Charm Monster; Scrying
3rd - Displacement; Fireball; Lightning Bolt; Hold Person
2nd - Melf's Acid Arrow; Scorching Ray; Darkvision, Knock
1st - Magic Missile; True Strike; Shield; Detect Secret Doors; Charm Person
0th - Resistance; Acid Splash; Detect Poison; Detect Magic; Read Magic; Mage Hand; Open/Close; Arcane Mark; Prestigitiation
Spell-Like/Power-Like Abilities - Detect Evil and Detect Good at will when carrying the Scepter; Fly at will when wearing the Yuletide Suit;
Deity: Heironeous (or other pantheon-appropriate LG deity)

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Abilities: Str 12(18), Dex 12(18), Con 12, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 21(27)
(scores adjusted for items shown in parentheses)
Special Qualities: Ranged Legerdemain 3/day, Evasion, Uncanny Dodge
Feats: Craft Wondrous Item; Magical Artisan(C.W.I.); Extend Spell; Energy Substitution(Cold); Eschew Materials; Energy Admixture(Cold); Improved Initiative; Practiced Spellcaster;
Skills: Concentration +15; Craft(Toy) +18; Decipher Script +7; Diplomacy +14; Disable Device +7; Escape Artist +7 Hide +14; Intimidate +16; Move Silently +14; Knowledge(Arcana) +18; Spellcraft +18
Possessions: Yuletide Suit; Scepter of Kalauz; Bag of Gifts; Boots of the Winterlands; Belt of Giant Strength +6; Gloves of Dexterity +6; Vest of Resistance +5; Cloak of Charisma +6; Ring of Protection +5; Hat of Language; Mantle of Faith; Stone of Good Luck, Crystal Ball with True Seeing; Staff of Ethereal Action, Wand of Dispel Magic
Familiar: None

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To most people,the Icy Avenger is a myth, a legend to encourage (or scare) their children. For those he has visited, they know better, that the enigmatic Saint Kalauz is very real indeed. Most of the year he spends hidden away in his lair, which no living creature save him has ever seen and returned from. It is said to be a mighty fortress near the very tip of the world, surrounded by a deadly ring of perpetual blizzards and snowstorms. Here, he rests, constructs fantastic devices, and scries on the world, watching for those who have been naughty or nice, seeking out the worst and most vile to punish, and the good and virtuous to reward. When the snowy seasons come, he departs his hideaway and sets out to track down those he has selected this year for his attentions, travelling by foot, by air, or by magical teleportation. Very little can impede his progress - he can bypass almost any lock or barricade with his magic, and even transit through solid walls if need be.

His approach to a targeted individual or group depends on their alignment, and thus his reasons for finding them. For those of good nature, he will announce his presence and explain his benevolent intentions, offering them gifts for their noble behavior. If they are evil, he will usually declare himself as well, giving them a few seconds to prepare themselves to be forcefully absolved of their wickedness, to death if necessary. Only for the most absolutely vile of fiends will he skip the preliminaries, abruptly launching into a devestating attack with the element of surprise. But nor is he above trickery and duplicity if the circumstances require it, such as pretending to treat the evil group as a good one, only to present one or more of them with gifts that are actually specially prepared trigger objects for Trap the Soul.

History
Nikolas Kalauz's past is as shrouded in mystery as is his present, with most knowledge of him being conjecture and theory at best, and wild assumptions the rest of the time. He was born in a nameless village long ago, to nameless parents, and lived a uneventful childhood. But when bandits attacked and destroyed his home, killing many, his life was changed forever. The father dead defending the town, the mother reduced to a wreck by sorrow at her loss, the young Nikolas alone with his newly emergent sorcerous powers appearing. He swore a vow that no such criminals would ever go unpunished as long as he lived to stop them, and set off from home. For years, he lived as a vigilante, hunting down and killing raiders and evil monsters. Their possessions that he did not need, he gave away to those he saw performing acts of kindness. He developed a small reputation, the eccentric wilderness-dwelling crusader, till one day he vanished without warning. No one knows why he left - it may have been a impulse, or some divinely inspired vision - but he abandoned all he had been working on and travelled north, deep into the wastelands of snow and ice. He was not heard of for some time, till one winter he returned wearing a rich suit of red and white, and wielding a mighty scepter of gold. He resumed his activities of hunting out evil, though his greatly increased power allowed him to ignore petty offenses and focus on those who committed greater deeds of darkness. Soon, tyrants and corrupt warlords trembled at the mention of his name, fearful that he might one day visit them as well, while heroes and champions praised his name (and often hoped for a visit from him as well, to recieve one of the fabled treasures he was said to disperse to those worthy of them). Over the years, he has been sighted on and off, though he never seems to grow any older or weaker. He never claimed the title of Saint, but it was gradually bestowed upon him by the masses through years of his generosity. His name to those that would oppose him is the Icy Avenger, an ominous title that carries the weight of immunerable seasons of snow and cold, wrapped in uncertainty and danger as strongly as are the howling storms that he loves so much.

Interactions/Combat

A group of adventurers might be quite likely to attract Kalauz's gaze, either for the grand quests they have accomplished, or the foul travesties they have committed. As mentioned, his dealings with them depend on their behavior and his reasons for finding them. His Bag of Gifts is nearly limitless, capable of producing any item within the stated limits, ranging from weapons to half-plate armor to potions or scrolls. Simple requests for money can also be accommodated in the form of gems, though this would require a bit of careful wording to avoid offending Kalauz with apparent greed. He might also bring with him previously crafted items, forged in his workshop, designed specifically to benefit those he gifts them to.

Evil adventuring parties will be likely to incur his wrath for sufficiently bad actions, and it is these that he will attack. He may give up to one round's worth of time to prepare, but after such his assault is relentless and merciless. Truly depraved teams he does not favor with such, but launches straight into the battle from hiding or simple invisibility. If he engages in battle or is forced into such, the following tactics are his standard approach:

Prior to Combat
-Uses Detect Good and Detect Evil to confirm that his targets are not another similar, but innocent group.
-Will typically cast Shield on himself, raising his AC values to 33, 19, and 29 respectively, and uses True Seeing.
-Always activates the power of his Yuletide Suit to fly.
-In the case of those he does not warn, he will also invoke Greater Invisibility or even Displacement.

Surprise Round (if applicable)
-Loose a Chain Lightning spell from hiding, with the primary target being the enemy that appears most threatening - typically the most obvious opposing spellcaster. If they appear to be obviously warded against electrical magic, he will sacrifice his movement to apply his Energy Substitution(Cold) feat. Often, such a powerful opening shot (27d6 electrical or cold damage) is enough to cripple or disable the target, the weaker secondary bolts softening up the other foes.

First Round:
-If there was no surprise round, or if he loses Initiative, he will utilize one of his Impromptu Sneak Attacks to perform the same Chain Lightning strike as above, keeping on the move if possible. If he still has the advantage, and the enemies are clumped together closely, a Fireball spell with Cold damage added via Energy Admixture is often effective - if they have spread out, he will focus on smaller groups or those that pose the greatest danger.

Following Rounds:
Scorching Rays and Acid Arrows pelt enemy spellcasters, hampering their counterattacks. Once opponents have been sufficiently weakened, he will wade into melee with his Scepter. This is often a risky diversionary tactic, exposing himself to being surrounded only to drop another Fire/Ice ball that he is immune to. He will conserve his Impromptu Sneak Attacks for when they will do the most damage, usually via another Chain Lightning spell. If gravely threatened, he retreats via Teleport or simply flying away.

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Basically, a tricked out, bad-***, and somewhat ticked-off Santa Claus. He rewards those who are good and kind with presents from his mystic bag, but gives those of evil and dark hearts much more than coal...

The Glyphstone
2005-12-02, 09:32 PM
(The following entries are either Kalauz's customized items, or material from non-SRD sources. For the following, only a brief description has been given to avoid breaching copyright.)

EQUIPMENT

Yuletide Robes (Custom Magic Item)
Kalauz wears no armor, but is always shrouded in his enchanted suit. Its red cloth and white trim serve both to keep the wearer warm and make him look distinctive, but also give him many protections. The Yuletide Robes grant a +10 armor bonus to Saint Kalauz. While wearing them, he benefits from total immunity to cold or fire damage, and gains a +10 competence bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks. Finally, it allows him as the wearer to use Fly as a spell-like ability at will, even if he has used up his 3rd-level spell slots for the day.

Scepter of Kalauz (Custom Magic Item)
This heavy golden scepter bears a large red gem embedded in its tip, and numerous smaller ones studded along its length in red and blue. It is treated as a +3 holy keen flaming burst icy burst heavy mace. When wielded, it allows Kalauz to utilize the spells Detect Evil and Detect Good at will, with a caster level equal to his character level, and grants him the ability to Smite Evil as a 20th level paladin. Finally, the Scepter can be treated as a focus object for a Trap the Soul spell with no maximum HD limit and no risk of shattering, though it can only hold one soul at a time.

Bag of Gifts (Custom Magic Item)
This appears to be nothing more than a large, brown cloth sack that Kalauz carries slung over his back, or folded up inside his robes if he expects combat. Once per year, the bag can be opened, and it remains open until closed, or until 1 week has passed. While active, it appears to be stuffed full of various items and objects underneath the cloth. While open, Kalauz can reach inside and remove any item worth 1,000GP or less. The item can be magical, nonmagical, or alchemical in nature, but must be freely given as a gift to another creature within 1 hour, or it vanishes. The bag's nature is similar to that of a Bag of Holding, in that its mouth stretches or shrinks as is required to retrieve the item, which appears spontaneously from inside the bag. Only one item may be gifted to a single creature each time the bag is opened. If these conditions are violated (i.e., due to the effects of a charm/compulsion, blackmail, etc.), the bag immediately seals itself and cannot be opened until a year has passed. Kalauz will never deliberately break the rules of his Bag, and woe betide the one who attempts to fool him with disguises/shapechanging.

If Saint Kalauz is ever killed or separated from any of the items, they immediately lose their powers and become nonmagical. They do not regain them unless Kalauz acquires the item(s) once more. (If he has been killed, this will require his raising/resurrection - the PC's who saved Christmas, anyone? :D)

Hat of Language (Custom Magic Item)
Grants the wearer constant use of the tongues and comprehend languages spells.
Weak divination; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, tongues, comprehend languages; Price 31,500GP.

Staff of Ethereal Action (Complete Arcane)
Contains the spells blink and ethereal jaunt.


FEATS:
-Magical Artisan (Magic of Faerun) - Reduces the crafting time, materials cost, and XP expenditure for manufacturing items.
-Energy Substitution(Complete Arcane) - Allows a caster to change the primary energy type of a damaging spell.
-Energy Admixture(Complete Arcane) Allows a caster to add a second type of energy damage to a damaging spell.


DM's Note: Both the Yuletide Robe and the Scepter of Kalauz are incredibly powerful magic items. They could be theoretically created by a player character, but would require such a fantastic amount of money that they should be treated as minor artifacts for game purposes. Besides, does any DM want their players to start dressing in Santa Claus suits? :) The Bag of Gifts is slightly less twinkable, but I'm sure there is some way for a munchkin to abuse its power, thus no self-respecting DM should allow their players to construct it, or any of Saint Kalauz's other items.

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Reindeer and the Yuletide Sleigh
For short journeys, Kalauz is perfectly happy to utilize the inherent powers of his magical suit. But he has also been rumored to travel in a massive, flying sleigh, pulled by a team of enchanted horse-like animals with great, branching spikes atop their heads.

Celestial Reindeer
(Large Magical Beast)
5d8+15 HD (37 HP)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 50ft., fly 60ft. (perfect)
AC 23 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +5 natural, +5 armor), touch 13, flat-footed 19
BAB/Grapple: +3/+10
Attack: Gore +6 melee (1d8+3)
Full Attack: Gore +6 melee (1d8+3) and 2 hooves +1 melee (1d4+2)
Space/Reach: 10ft./5ft.
SA: Smite Evil 1/day
SQ: Darkvision 60ft.; DR 5/magic; resistance 5 vs. acid, cold, and electricity; SR 10; flight
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +4
Feats:
Environment: Arctic
Organization: Team (8 plus sleigh)
CR: 4
Equipment: +2 studded leather barding of cold resistance

For a few brief moments, this large and beautiful animal regards you with surprisingly intelligent eyes. Then its master barks a command, and shaking snow from its sharp-pointed antlers, it bends its knees and leaps upward, soaring along with the rest of its team into the sky.

Smite Evil(Su): Once per day, this reindeer can add an additional 5 points of damage to an attack against any evil creature.

Flight: The mystic steeds of Saint Kalauz have the ability to fly at will, as per the spell.

The Yuletide Sleigh
The Sleigh is a large construction that Saint Kalauz rides in for particularly long trips, pulled by his team of eight celestial reindeer. It has no will of its own, but is strongly magical, granting numerous protective benefits to anything carried inside it. Any rider of the sleigh is treated as being under the effects of a constant Know Direction spell. The sleigh and its contents benefit from a +5 deflection bonus to AC, which stacks with any deflection bonuses the passengers might have. Riders are immune to death effects and charms or compulsions as long as they remain inside it. The sleigh projects a constant Dimensional Anchor over itself and the team of reindeer, preventing them from being banished or teleported against their will. Once per week, the sleigh’s rider(s) can suppress the Dimensional Anchor and trigger a Word of Recall effect that teleports the sleigh, the team, and any passengers or contents back to Saint Kalauz’s citadel, functioning as the spell but ignoring the usual restrictions on arrival space or number of accompanying creatures.

Gefangnis
2005-12-06, 11:29 PM
Dammit, you beat me to it.

The Glyphstone
2005-12-30, 10:40 AM
FINISHED!!!

Please, someone cough up some input? I want this as good as possible before the deadline.

Vaynor
2005-12-31, 02:47 AM
Maybe you should give him fiendish dire elks with the at will spell-like ability of fly. And his sleigh, what about his sleigh? Though really, awesome character. :P

The Glyphstone
2005-12-31, 06:57 AM
I considered it.They'd have to be celestial dire elks, of course, but in the end I dumped them. They didn't fit with the "solo Santa" concept...but they'd make an interesting optional addition after all. Maybe I'll work something up.


EDIT: There we go...like it?

DarkMonkey
2006-01-01, 01:03 AM
2 words: awesome ;)

One note though, you've got some rouge smileis in the abilities section.



Str 12(18), Dex 12(18), Con 12, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 21(27)

The Glyphstone
2006-01-01, 07:22 AM
Problem fixed..thanks. :)

Phasm
2006-01-01, 05:38 PM
Wow, a great use of the Arcane Trickster PrC! I always thought that PrC was kind of useless, but it definitely fits Saint Kalauz. Yeah, you'll probably get the high-level award (although I can hope otherwise...), and probably Best Ally.

Everyman
2006-01-02, 12:58 AM
*Sigh*...Count on Glyphstone to make custom magic items for his NPC. ::)

Nice job. :)

Skyserpent
2006-01-03, 05:56 AM
beutifully rendered I must say...

I think that an Antimagic Field coupled with some high level fighters would probably put a stop to Saint Kalauz... but then again, it would probably put a stop to alot of things...

The Glyphstone
2006-01-03, 07:21 AM
Too true.... he does have eight reindeer to act as interceptors while he runs for his life, but that's not foolproof...

Skyserpent
2006-01-03, 10:52 AM
Eight? No Rudolf? BLASPHEMY!!!!


You know the original Santa Clause in Europe is said to have been the Bishop of Turkey and rather than leave toys for good kids he would kidnap bad ones, oh and instead of elves he had a posse of 6-8 black men, who were once his slaves but are now his friends since that became poor taste...

The Glyphstone
2006-01-03, 03:27 PM
Hee...and the dutch Sinterklass is coming under politically-correct fire lately because of his companion "Black Petey"...

I said eight because the ninth is the one he's riding on to get away. ;D