Villainous Competition XXXVIII: Spooks and Spectres

[Thurbane]

Submitted, after much procrastination.

[Falontani]

I don't think I'll be able to submit this time... I had an idea, but never started putting ink to the page. Sorry guys

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Build is 100% done, even including skills and sources. Still working on the snapshots, and I've been putting off the most important piece of fluff.

[daremetoidareyo]

There's at least three then. That's nice

[PoeticallyPsyco]

If I finish the story piece(s) for my main entry in time, I might even cobble together a second entry. It'd be light on snapshots and fluff, but I've already got the mechanics planned out.

[GrayDeath]

Had a nice concept and started building, but then I was close to unable to do anything but face some RL problems/try to solve them for the alst week.

Dont bother waiting up for me, I`ll be happy to see what others ahve built this time. Likely a better version of my Idea will be there anyway, as it wasnt THAT outlandish ^^

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I may need an extra half-hour TWO HOURS, APPARENTLY or so. Fluff is finally all done, but I've got two more snap-shots to do.

EDIT: Done, and submitted.

[daremetoidareyo]

good luck everyone

[jdizzlean]

Builds incoming :)

[jdizzlean]

1. This is a particularly smelly entry..

F'lautu Lance


The historian shook as he lifted the ancient tome. How many back alley deals had he made to get information in order to get here, in this dusty ancient ruin. The book was elven. Ancient Elven. He could tell by the lettering and craftsmanship that this was a relic with insurmountable resale value to elven sages back home. He translated the script, letter by letter, hunched over the dais. He read the title out loud to himself.

“Folk tales to control normalization of children’s behaviors”

Elves were weirdly direct with their book titles. A Book of Elven Fairy tales?

The historian opened to the first page, stopping to rummage through his satchel. He pulled out Agathar's crystal of recording. Muttering the command word, he began slowly translating the ancient elven dialect.

"The Inverted Wind, F'lautu

Withhold not your inner wind, should you have it, for if the heedeth not, you may find thyself in the plight of F’lautu: the inverted wind. Eateth thine qithpa, and excuse thineself freely. Belay fears of judgment! Last ye befall the fate of F’lautu.

F'lautu was the chosen mage. Ringbearer of the 17th ordeal of axiom. F'lautu feared communion with others as the diet of beenhart and chonda-spice made others snicker. F'lautu committed to withholding expulsions from all for eternity, and soon found the curse of such action. F'lautu's entire body became one in unity with the noxious air they held in. To this day, F'lautu, the crop dusting terror, haunts the waking world, silent but deadly. Use your manners children, be comfortable taking up space, and grating space unto others, and be safe."

The historian uttered the command word to end the recording. He wrapped the tome in silk cloth and meticulously stashed it away in his framed backpack. 'This should fetch a fancy price on the antiquities market' he thought to himself.

Villainous Competition Proudly Presents:

F'lautu Lance

"PULL MY FINGER."

Chaotic Evil Phantom (MMV 131) grey elf
Conjuror 8/ master specialist 10
-Ban illusion/enchantment

ABILITIES
STR: 6
DEX: 13
CON: 10
INT: 17
WIS: 10
CHA: 14

Spoiler: ”Build table”

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CR	HD	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
3	1	Conjuror 1	0	0	0	2	20 ranks: Concentration 4, Disguise 2 (cc), k. arcana 4, spellcraft 4, Tumble 2 (cc)	Spell Thematics (Player's Guide to Faerun page 44)	Summon Familiar, Scribe Scroll
4	2	Conjuror 2	1	0	0	3	5 ranks: Concentrate 5, Disguise 2.5, K. arcana 5, spellcraft 5, tumble 2.5
5	3	Conjuror 3	1	1	1	3	5 ranks: Concentrate 6, Disguise 3, K. arcana 6, spellcraft 6, tumble 3	Spell focus (conjuration)
6	4	master specialist 1	1	1	1	5	6 ranks: Concentrate 7, Disguise 3.5, k. history 1, K. arcana 7, spellcraft 7, tumble 3.5		Skill Focus (Spellcraft)
7	5	master specialist 2	2	1	1	6	6 ranks: Concentrate 8, Disguise 4, k. nobility 1, K. arcana 8, spellcraft 8, tumble 4		Expanded Spellbook
8	6	master specialist 3	2	2	2	6	6 ranks: Concentrate 9, Disguise 4.5, k. history 2, K. arcana 9, spellcraft 9, tumble 4.5	Cloudy Conjuration (Complete Mage page 40)	Greater Spell focus
9	7	master specialist 4	3	2	2	7	6 ranks: Concentrate 10, Disguise 5, k. nobility 2, K. arcana 10, spellcraft 10, tumble 5		Minor School Esoterica
10	8	master specialist 5	3	2	2	7	6 ranks: Concentrate 11, Disguise 5.5, k. history 3, K. arcana 11, spellcraft 11, tumble 5.5,		Expanded Spellbook
11	9	master specialist 6	4	3	3	8	6 ranks: Concentrate 12, Decipher Script 1, Disguise 6, K. arcana 12, spellcraft 12, tumble 6	Silent Spell	Caster Level increase +1
12	10	master specialist 7	4	3	3	8	6 ranks: Concentrate 13, , Disguise 6.5, k. nobility 3, K. arcana 13, spellcraft 13, tumble 6.5		Moderate School Esoterica
13	11	master specialist 8	5	3	3	9	6 ranks: Concentrate 14, Decipher Script 2, Disguise 7, K. arcana 14, spellcraft 14, tumble 7		Expanded Spellbook
14	12	master specialist 9	5	4	4	9	7 ranks: Concentrate 15, Decipher Script 3, Disguise 7.5, k. history 3, K. arcana 15, spellcraft 15, tumble 7.5	Invisible Spell (CityScape page 61)	Caster Level increase +2
15	13	master specialist 10	6	4	4	10	7 ranks: Concentrate 16, Decipher Script 4, Disguise 8, k. history 4, K. arcana 16, spellcraft 16, tumble 8		Major School Esoterica
16	14	Conjuror 4	7	4	4	11	7 ranks: Concentrate 17, Decipher Script 5, Disguise 8.5, k. nobility 4, K. arcana 17, spellcraft 17, tumble 8.5
17	15	Conjuror 5	7	4	4	11	7 ranks: Concentrate 18, Disguise 9, k. nobility 5, K. arcana 18, spellcraft 18, tumble 9, craft (alchemy) 1	Metamagic School Focus (Complete Mage page 45), Sculpt Spell (Complete Arcane page 83)	Bonus Feat
18	16	Conjuror 6	8	5	5	12	7 ranks: Concentrate 19, Disguise 9.5, k. history 5, K. arcana 19, spellcraft 19, tumble 9.5, craft (alchemy) 2
19	17	Conjuror 7	8	5	5	12	7 ranks: Concentrate 20, Disguise 10, k. history 6, K. arcana 20, spellcraft 20, tumble 10, craft (alchemy) 3
20	18	Conjuror 8	9	5	5	13	7 ranks: Concentrate 21, k. history 7, K. arcana 21, spellcraft 21, craft (alchemy) 6	Improved initiative

Spells per Day

Level	0lvl	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4th	4	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
6th	4	3	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
7th	4	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-
8th	4	4	3	3	2	-	-	-	-	-
9th	4	4	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-
10th	4	4	4	3	3	2	-	-	-	-
11th	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	-	-	-
12th	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	-	-	-
13th	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	-	-
14th	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	-	-
15th	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	-
16th	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	-
17th	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1
18th	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2

Build Notes

Spell Thematics: The first two lines are "Due to the unusual appearance of your spells, the DC of any Spellcraft check made to identify a spell you have cast increases by +4. In addition, you may designate one spell you know per spell level as a thematic spell and cast it at +1 caster level."

To me That 100% means that all your spells look different, but 1 spell per level gets +1 CL.

With that in mind, we choose Spell Thematics (Out of My Butt).

Here is the spell list based entirely on the hilarity of that without regard for the number of spells actually known. And look, I know this is a conjuror, so presume summon monster is in there at every level, but it’s not as uproarious as these spells, so only use the summon monster X line of spells to present a challenge to players.

Let me let you in on a pro tip: Every spell is hilarious. From animate dead to dispel magic.

Phantom: This template offers us the ability to no clip through walls, hide in floor tiles, you name it. Plus it allows us to affect material things around us when we cast spells.

Major school esoterica: Conjuration spells as swift actions. Distribute all sorts of noxious fumes, loud sounds, and powerful winds as a swift action, and then do something even grosser with your standard action. Then use your move action to move.



A funny little spell list:

0 acid splash, arcane mark, Sonic Snap (Spell Comp 195), No Light (BOVD)

1 Fetid Breath (Ghostwalk), Grease, Jet of Steam (Comp Mage), obscuring mist, Orb of Sound, Lesser (Spell Comp 151), protection from X, Reaving Aura (Comp Mage), Resinous Tar (Comp Mage), Rot of Ages (Dragon Magic), Scatterspray (Spell Compendium, p. 180), Sonic Blast (Spell Comp 195), Sticky Floor (Races of the Dragon), Wall of Smoke (Spell Comp 235), kaupers quickblast


2 Choke(Tome and Blood), Cloud of Bewilderment (Spell Compendium, p. 48), Cloud of Knives (Player's Handbook II), Furnace Within(Races of Eberron, p. 185), Inky Cloud(Spell Compendium, p. 123), Kelgore's Grave Mist (Player's Handbook II), glitterdust, Malevolent Miasma (Spell Compendium, p. 137), Ironthunder Horn (Spell Compendium, p. 126), gust of wind, Belker Claws(Spell Compendium, p. 26), Blast of Force(Spell Compendium, p. 31), fog cloud, Scent(Complete Divine), shatter

3 Haboob(Sandstorm), stinking cloud, Abolish Shadows (Unapproachable East), Acid Breath (Spell Compendium, p. 7), Bridge of Sound (Savage Species), Caustic Smoke (Complete Mage), Laogzed's Breath (Serpent Kingdoms), Nauseating Breath (Spell Compendium, p. 146) Backblast (Lost Empires of Faerun), Capricious Zephyr (Spell Compendium, p. 43) Fly, gaseous form, Mind Poison (Spell Compendium, p. 141), Pebble Wind (Dragons of Faerun) Prismatic Mist (Player's Handbook II), Sonorous Hum (Spell Compendium, p. 196) Thin Air (Frostburn), wind wall

4 solid fog, force orb, incindeary surge, lightning fog, orb of x, parboil, radiant fog, viscid glob

5 cloudkill, necrotic skull bomb, ball lightning, boreal wind, cacaphonic burst, daltim's fiery tentacles, dragon breath, greater fireburst, flaywind burst, mind fog, wall of ooze

6 kyristan's malevolent tentacles, acid fog, acid storm, cacophonic shield, mudslide... ew!, repulsion, sandblast, scalding mud

7 avasculate, antimagic ray, ethereal jaunt, finger of death

8 incindary cloud, antipathy, avascular mass, bestow greater curse, blackfire, earth glide, flensing, ghostform, illusion purge, incendiary cloud

9 erupt, asstral projection, detonate, enervating breath, energy drain, hide life (guess where you hide it), invoke magic, maw of chaos, meteor swarm, prismatic sphere

Spoiler: ”Background”

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Wedding day. Overjoyed and anticipatory, F'lautu paced in her leafwoven dress. The stress of the day was sitting inside her guts like a growling wolf made of iron. She was beside herself. How brave she had been to even speak to this man in the first place. And now his beauty and his intellect would be here to enjoy for hundreds of years to come.

"Grrrrrrrr…"

Her abdomen hurt. “Insecurity,” She thought. This was her one day where she wasn't meant to feel invisible. And she was so happy to have arranged the exacting traditional ceremony on the auspicious star alignment!

A hand maiden knocked on the door. Growls from the leaden wolf inside her vibrated pain throughout F'lautu's core.

“It’s time, milady.”

All these years of carefully practiced perfection. The best daughter. The best conjuration student. The perfect elven maiden. The best courtship. The best partner. This, the culminating night of fastidious perfection and sacrifice was to be the one day that was truly hers, and it was the only one she had. Each step towards the dais where her lovely and perfectly chosen groom was a step towards the exacting future that was carefully and cautiously laid out.

Nervousness rose in her.

After a treacherously pro-longued wedding march, where she beat back insistent thought of just titering off a tiny portion of the pressure within her as she walked, she was at the dais. As she stepped onto the traditional dais, F’lautu became aware of something inevitable.

A dire, insistent, evil, biological need stirred inside her. “Just a few more hours.” she assured herself, “and i can hide away and vent this terrible pressure in private.” But she needed to vent some of this billowing pressure building inside her now. Right now.

The Elven chief, leader of the kingdom, spoke as adjudicator. “Dearly Beloved, We are gathered here today….”

F’lautu felt something inside herself buckle and break. She had to hold this in, just like she always did. She clenched every muscle she had and tried to make her face disguise the effort

“To celebrate this union…”

Internal sirens silently blared within her, “I ...must.... control... this!” she mentally asserted dominion over her body and pain that was filling her. Visceral panic invaded every system within her. Every moment was excruciating.

“Between F’lautu…

F’lautu felt the color fade from her body. As the gasses that arose within her, gasses held at bay for 80 or 90 years, all of them threatened mutiny and in unison. She attempted through sheer force of will to swallow them, subsume them, but they were insistent. She tried a desperate ploy to teleport the gasses out of her body without so much as a gesture or word. And what happened next destroyed her.

Implosion.

A silent moment as the onlookers observed the beautiful bride shimmer out of full corporeality to be replaced with just a peus silhouette of an elf in a dress. She couldn't use her spell like she wanted because she was more gas than elf.

The adjudicator of ceremonies paused and a look of concern washed over his face.

F’lautu looked around, the pain crescendoed within her, as she realized that she could hold back no more. All she could think was a moving image in her mind of a single rivulet of water pushing through a cobblestone dam.

Explosion.Ninety years of pent up digestion, never betraying her before this moment, spilled forth like an immediate alchemical reaction accompanied by a thunderous sound akin to a thousand simultaneous treefalls. The mutinous zephyrs ripped through her body. Leaving her a literal pale silhouette of an elf, where her flesh once stood.

The guests were bowled over by the force of the ejection. All of their hands grasping at their faces and necks, as if they were drowning in poison air summoned from the bowels of the abyss itself. Choking and weezing, their eyes welling with tears. They scrambled to escape, but succumbed to the deathfog blasted from within the would-be bride.

And F’lautu’s soul of refined elfin perfection forever cracked.

She had broke wind in public on her wedding day.

And it was a literal massacre.

Upon the perception of what happened, her mind melted right there. She didn't make the decision overtly, but she became her own exact opposite as a result of that implosion. Where once she contained and hid, she now expelled and flaunted.

F'lautu play notes
I think F'lautu is supposed to be a recurring villain that isn't actively antagonistic against PCs, like she only turn her attention towards them when they demand it. She's got goals and dreams of curing repression, as she sees it, of other people like her. So she frustrates all the powers-that-be around. And so that's the PCs hook. And I think there is a role, particularly for exalted PCs, to try to redeem her. F'lautu wants people to be free from their inhibitions and not hold their farts in like she did her whole elf life long, so she goes around causing chaos with her fart magic to liberate the world from its strictures and self-seriousness. She sees herself as the winds of change and justifies collateral losses and deaths of innocents as necessary costs.

So she isn't The big bad, she's a freewheeling back ground villain, and this fits in as the political stakes of the campaign rise. She often runs after causing havoc, leaving the PCs in guardianship roles, while their employers and questgivers get frustrated with her ability to elude capture. But PCs can absolutely turn their attention towards her, or even recruit her efforts if they desire.

Spoiler: ”CR 5”

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Peace treaty talks between two warring nations/states/trade consortiums have fallen apart after a meet up fell disastrously apart with both lead negotiators dead. No one knows what happened and the few survivors don’t want to talk about what happened.

If one of the witnesses is cajoled into speaking, what they come forth with is that there was that someone farted. And it was soooo bad that the floor became sticky, everyone got sick, and the air itself became toxic.

He doesn’t know who did it, but blames the chef.

Another negotiation is set up, and PCs are hired as muscle.

When the negotiation gets down to brass tacks, F’lautu will incorporeally sneak through the ground into the negotiation chamber, and begin casting. She’ll use her familiar as a scout. So PCs might notice that if they have detect magic up and running. She begins combat by casting stickyfloor, retreating for a round or two into walls and stuff. Then she’ll pop out and aim a casting of fetid breath at the biggest group of people, rendering them nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds. Next round she again pops into a wall or the ground and summons 1d3 celestial badgers to burrow fight from under the sticky floor. After that, she pops out, casts cloud of knives, cackles, and runs away ending the encounter if she can. The familiar follows. Depending on the details for the encounter, she’ll probably have Cloud of bewilderment prepared for getting away as well. If she is doing really well, Sonic blast, orb of sound, and wall of smoke can be used to finish off a negotiator or meddlesome PC.

When she is visible, she flaunts the taboo of what she is doing like she’s a garbage pail kid. She makes bad puns. She is obviously enjoying the mayhem being caused. Her spells are not cast like other wizards: She expels them from her backside like a chuckling gremlin who always feels like they have the upper hand.

Her motives, if PCs press her, are purely to cause hilarious havoc, and to prevent what she calls the “Stodgies” from extending their influence.

Surviving the encounter and keeping the negotiators alive should be the win goals to award experience here. Little bonuses if they get more info about F'lautu through divinations/research/interactions during combat.

Spoiler: ”CR 8”

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A wedding! Two powerful houses are joining together. The kind of allegiance that should make the PCs nervous. A slave trading state and a magic rich state? Two powerful elven kingdoms that will close borders in such a way to cause insurmountable problems for other kingdoms. Stuff like that. Maybe they have two halves of a doomsday artifact.

The Pcs are invited for some reason, but they should be fed disquieting information about the ramifications of this union by people likely to suffer as a preamble.

The wedding ceremony begins.

Big opulent flowery descriptions of everything. Rivals and friendly npcs are all present.

A long, thin, plaintive whine akin to a wounded wolf howling fills the chamber when the priest asks for anyone who objects to speak now or forever hold their peace. A small cloud of smoke chokes the priest and a larger green cloud fills the chamber. (This is a cloudy conjuration widened stinking cloud cast with a rod of deceptive spell, with the bride as the apparent caster)

The bride looks out over the crowd, furious. She sees the stinking cloud. The crowd panics. Some of the exits are blocked by 1d3 summoned howler wasps (5 more rounds)

F'lautu approaches the bride, phasing through the wall. "I'm sorry to ruin your day, but you're ruining lives my dear, so I'm afraid that I'm not going to hold my peace. Sorry to you in the pee-yoos!" F'lautu twists her hips to the side and... roll initiative!

Here is the spell load out:
3: stinking cloud, summon monster 3, haboob
2: blast of force, kelgores grave mist, cloud of bewilderment, lesser celerity
1: obscuring mist, protection from good, KS quickblast, mage armor, sticky floor

As for gear she has a rod of deceptive spell, and a few power components that widen spells, a mithral feycraft buckler, a scroll or two of summon monster 2 or 3, and a partially charged wand of baleful transposition.

Flautu has three goals, one of which she has already done: disrupt the wedding, kill the groom, and then escape. PCs roles there for are to protect congregants, and capture or subdue or kill F'lautu.

If the groom is slain, she will crash the funeral as a CR 9 villain, squatting over the the casket and blasting it with animate dead before using summons and area effects to escape.

Between CR 9 and 15, F'lautu should be heard about obliquely, although if pcs decide to chase after her, the encounters should be based around her role as an iconoclast. Fomenting a rebellion of orcish women or crashing drow religious ceremonies to humiliate the oppressive matriarchy to create a male drow force that destabilizes the delicate balance of power. Anything you can think of that pits her against prescriptive societies. So if samurai are in your world, maybe she uses disjunction to smash ancestral daishos or shatters the crown jewels. Symbolic destabilizing events. They should be evenly split between helping and thwarting long term PC goals. The PCs can use this time to study up on F'lautu if they are interested in pursuing her, and they may be able to try to reason with her if they want to try that tactic.

At CR 9, she has planar binding/ally and uses those spells to expand her capacity for upheaval. Those calling spells should bear some mark of F'lautu to identify their allegiance. Maybe its scrolls that have her signature spellcasting style or whathave you. In addition to succubus, or slaad, or inevitables sent after liches, there are two additional planar bindings/allies that fit into F'lautu's shtick: The akilith from fiend folio, which is basically abyssal toxic sludge with access to teleport without error. If the male drow liberation is a way forward, it is arguable that F'lautu could have access to mindflayer's quintessence, which would make for fun use of preserving a sinfully delicious pie from a planar bound pie fiend which should make for fun hijinx if utilized...somehow.

Spoiler: CR 15 - Highpoint

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Major esoterica from master specialist has set in. We can cast conjuration spells of a standard action as a swift action. And although it doesn't work with the summon monster line of spells unless you trade the familiar for the UA conjurer ACF for swift summons, it is pretty potent for her cloud spell. Trading that familiar is fine alternative option, but it severely limits her scouting ability in the early game, and she'll need some other sort of accomplice. Major esoterica really helps with the action economy of getting the nasty clouds and battlefield control spells into play on the first round. She has access to 7ths, and probably enough wealth to purchase some armors that grant a few more points of AC with no ASF. That AC is transferred into a deflection bonus via her phantom template. With invisible and silent spell feats, in addition to a rod of deceptive spell, F'lautu has mastered the art of VENT - triloquism. Invisible nausea and pain inducing clouds, everywhere. Silent but Deadly. With all of that in mind, This is probably the best level for a high stakes showdown. Maybe the PCs catch wind of her plan to kill or disrupt a vital ally or something. Whether it be the PCs find her on the way to getting to a powerful artifact or to stop her from interjecting on a coronation or something, this is the prime level for the build. The tactics will depend on what the contours of the campaign need at this point.

[jdizzlean]

2. well that's certainly one way of looking at it..

Illithid Shadow

Illithid Shadow

Spoiler: Poorly Paint-Edited Image

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Spoiler: Ability Scores, Race, and Templates

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God-Blooded	of	Vecna	Dragonborn	of	Bahamut	Telthor	Strongheart	Halfling
Stat	Array	After Racial/ Template Modifiers	4th	8th	12th	16th	20th	Final
Str	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Dex	10	10	-	-	-	-	-	10
Con	12	14	-	-	-	-	-	14
Int	15	15	-	+1	+1	+1	+1	19
Wis	13	13	-	-	-	-	-	13
Cha	14	14	+1	-	-	-	-	15

Spoiler: Backstory

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Spoiler: Backstory: Level 1 (CR 3)

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They called him a trouble-maker; they called him a nuisance; they called him a child; however, as a result, they did, after all, call him. Jandar Stoneclaw, so named for a recently passed great uncle twice removed who had achieved some level of fame (or notoriety, depending on the person telling the tale) as a druid, had grand ambitions for a small halfling. His namesake, despite his height, cast a long shadow over his childhood. Although his parents had never shown any evidence to betray such sentiment -- and, perhaps, had been too careful in doing so -- Jandar the junior, lacking the wisdom and strength Jandar the former had become known for, could not help but feel the disappointment from those in his family.

In spite of his best efforts, his small frame struggled to swing even the most meager of clubs and scimitars to any effect, and the closest affinity he felt for the beasts and birds of the land was during dinner. While Jandar did not excel in the druidic craft, however, he was very inventive when it came to pranks. Whether it was Ma Chergoba's spoons disappearing one at a time (to be replaced by gradually larger and larger duplicates, hand-whittled out of sight), or Old Man Dyernina's shortpants finding their way up to the top of the swaying limbs of the nearby willow tree, Jandar constantly found new and surprising ways to drag his elders' attention back to him.

One day, a traveling, half-elf took up residence in a nearby glen. Jandar was immediately interested, as newcomers were rare this far out into the mountains, and, after failing to steal away with one of his tomes, was taken on as an apprentice. The half-elf, whose name turned out to be Erdan (just Erdan), showed him how intellect and ingenuity can be as powerful as raw strength. Jandar revelled in the academic respect Erdan seemed to afford him, and the feeling that he had finally found something he could be good at. "A wise man once said," Erdan intoned, with Jandar hanging on every syllable, "Give me a lever long enough, and a firm enough place to stand, and I could move all of Faerûn." Jandar devoured texts, tomes, stances, and techniques as a prodigious rate. Erdan was tight-lipped when it came to his own past, but on every other topic, nothing was off limits. Above all else, Erdan told him, hold patience as a virtue, for to the practitioner of the arcane arts, there is always time enough and freedom enough -- in time. Erdan often spoke thus, and seemed to find joy in little fits of word play. Listen, and learn; learn, and listen. The world has many secrets that reveal themselves only to those who will listen to them, he said. In time, Jandar did learn from his mixture of arcane and martial studies, and Erdan announced that he had all the trappings of a fine arcane warrior -- a duskblade, as they would be called in the elven tradition.

However, all good things eventually come to an end, and Jandar's apprenticeship ended as abruptly as it was violent. In the spring thaw, in the midst of a lesson on the fundamentals of invisibility, Erdan suddenly announced that he needed to leave on business, but that he would return as soon as he could to continue Jandar's training. While Erdan was away, Jandar was tasked with continuing his studies and protecting the glen from any intruders. While he was able to scare off one such intruder (a beast in this case, ironically enough given his druidic namesake), in a magical mishap (caused in no small part due to his own carelessness with material components), Jandar found himself the proud new owner of a severed Halfling hand. Gibbering to himself, and after several failed feverish attempts to stymie the bleeding, Jandar finally whispered, quietly, that Erdan might appreciate finding him a half-hand sword, and passed away. Soon thereafter, after some interminable amount of time, he awoke as a Telthor.

Jandar waited a long time for Erdan's return, and it gave him a long time to reflect on his new existence. Every now and then, he would spook away a forest creature rooting about in Erdan's garden, or a trapper coming a bit too close to Erdan's hollow. Although he couldn't physically touch anything, his magic still worked, and Jandar tried very hard to hone the powers of his mind to shape and affect the world around him. He felt fairly bitter about his arcane skills, given they were the cause of his death, but what alternative did he have?

The glen came to be known as a haunted place, but Jandar didn't mind. In the absence of Erdan or his family, the solitude suited him; he preferred it to the company of strangers. However, despite his solitude, an odd, intrusive thought wouldn't stop tugging at the corners of his mind, like the pure sound of a single silver bell in the distance. It was as if someone were trying to ask a question of him, or invite him somewhere, but surely he couldn't leave the glen. Erdan had tasked him with protecting this land, and protect it he would. He felt strangely bound to the land here, and the thought of leaving it seemed inconceivable. Days turned to weeks, and Jandar's body became lost in the overgrowth, moldering to itself. He tried to avoid looking at it; although he no longer used it, it made him deepy uncomfortable on some primal level to see his face in that state.

After a long while, however, an unexpected visitor broke Jandar's endless seclusion. Tramping awkwardly through the underbrush, Jandar's mother appeared from the copse of trees that surrounded the glen. Jandar felt oddly torn, and sank into the ground; she couldn't be allowed see him like this, he felt deep in his bones, or what he now had in place of bones. It would break her heart. Jandar's mother stomped around the camp calling out, searching in what odd nooks and crannies she could find; he heard her footsteps resounding on the turf above him now and then. After nearly half an hour had gone by, he heard her leave, and his heart -- or the space where his heart would be -- felt a sudden tightness. He would never see his family again. Somehow, moreso than his own death, this thought pierced the shell of indifference he had built up, and he tried to choke back his tears. Someone with keen ears might have heard soft, muffled sobs emanating from the earth underfoot.

Several more weeks went by, and Jandar wondered how much longer he would have to wait. He wondered if something could have happened to waylay his master. Slowly, as the weeks slipped into months with imperceptible but undeniable impact, a single, insidious thought wormed its way into Jandar's mind: what if he never came back? Jandar shook his head, as if to dislodge the thought, but it remained stubbornly within, like a loose childhood tooth. What if he had never planned to come back at all? What if Jandar was doomed to wait here forever? Alone?

The thought was almost more than his heart could bear, strong as it was, for it was for the sake of other people that Jandar had always found meaning in his life. A finite period of solitude was one thing, but forever? Alone, he would surely lose himself. At that moment, the intrusive thought returned, ringing again in his mind, but more clear and pronounced: are your heart and soul able and willing to undertake dedication to a noble and arduous purpose--protecting the world? As the season turned to autumn, Jandar had made his decision. With the assistance of some local trappers in exchange for some of the materials from Erdan's workshop, Jandar was able to construct a symbolic egg and undergo the Rite of Rebirth. Rising as a Dragonborn of Bahamut, Jandar found that he was still incorporeal, but no longer felt that connection to the glen. He was free to seek out his new destiny. The autumn leaves swirled around, about, and through him as he left the glen for the last time with newfound vigor and purpose.

Jandar wandered the land for a few months, witnessing the world at large for the first time, but found himself discriminated against for his incorporeality. Although he was not a ghost, he was feared as an undead creature, and it left him questioning his new existence. He resolved himself to search for his former master. The answer, he felt, would help set his resolve in the battle against Tiamat. In a few months more, he had found his answer in the form of a wanted poster. Erdan was a criminal? He felt the idea sink to the bottom of his gut like a stone in a pond. Utilizing his ability to surreptitiously shadow folks from underneath the ground, Jandar was able to find his master in a hive of scum and villainy the likes of which he had never seen. After a few hours, when his master was finally alone, Jandar emerged from the floor, intent on confronting his master for his misdeeds.

However, Erdan's words were confusing and tempting, speaking of moral relativity and shades of gray; the people of the world that he was tasked with protecting from Tiamat had treated him so poorly, yet his master, who had always treated him well, was worthy of attacking? The agents of Tiamat were permitted free reign in their actions, but to combat them, the servants of Bahamut couldn't be permitted even questionaly moral acts? Jandar had been among Bahamut's neutral followers, but Erdan's words were tempting; Bahamut was known to allow even immoral acts, and were Erdan's actions so different, even if they weren't explicitly to fight against Tiamat? He couldn't reject Erdan out of hand, and he felt a twinge of guilt, as he quickly ammended the thought -- he must hear out his master and learn what there was left to learn from him, so as better to battle the forces of Tiamat.

He set out to learn, and Jandar certainly did, but not precisely what he expected. He learned how to lean into the stealth that his incorporeal form offered him, turning his handicap into an advantage, and the ways of the underbelly of the city.It started small, as such things often do, but Jandar found himself going further and further down a dark road in search of the power and knowlege his master possessed -- and perhaps, also, in search of his respect. Before long, an aspect of Bahamut appeared before him to utter a warning. Jandar apologized profusely in person, but upon speaking to his master afterward, Erdan flew into a rage. "Your freedom," he said, "is the most precious thing to you, and I'll not have anyone, deific or otherwise, deprive you of it!" Jandar was frightened, but couldn't refuse his master -- he'd followed him this far already, after all.

Erdan threw himself into his research, aided by Jandar, for a solution to this problem -- a way to hide Jandar and his actions away from meddling dragons. Their research turned to Vecna, which culminated in solving the Seven Riddles. In that instant, the two of them were whisked away and, under the tender hands of the Anchorites, were made into the God Blooded of Vecna. All knowledge of their existence vanished from the world -- even that which they held of each other. In that instant, Jandar was shaken to his very core. He couldn't remember how he had come to this city, or why he had fought to the death in the glen; he couldn't remember how he had learned the skills he had, or what he had planned to do with them. He couldn't return home, and he had no idea where to venture forth: no one from his old life would remember him, and with his new, fearsome visage, no one in his new life would accept him. In spite of his best efforts, and against his wishes, so it was that Jandar found himself alone again -- alone, and entirely untethered. The only thing he couldn't shake was the vague feeling of betrayal.

Spoiler: Backstory: Levels 2-3 (CR 4-5)

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Shunned by civilized society, Jandar wandered the wilds for a while longer. He found that his new form made him the subject of more discrimination than ever before among intelligent creatures, but the trees and the plants had no such qualms about his face. He began to feel somewhat of a kinship among those in the natural world, and he wondered if his uncle would be proud of him. Even in his travels through the wildernerss, though, he would occasionally encounter hunters and woodcutters and the like, and a small legend began to circulate regarding the ghost of the forest. It was said that the sight of it could turn your hair grey, and that, should it catch you, it would steal your face for its own. Jandar resented these stories -- it was a recurring reminder of all that he had lost, and the loneliness of his own existence. Every now and then, fledgling casters would march out into the undergrowth to try to exorcise his presence. The clerics did not bother him so much -- something about their devotion to a higher power invited a sense of pity in Jandar's mind, as he recognized how much their freedom was limited by their vows. The others, however, were an annoyance, as their magic missiles stung. Jandar became adept at using the trees and bushes to evade their attention, effectively gaining a level as a ranger, but his resentment of those good arcane casters didn't leave him.

His resentment came to a peak when a court wizard and paladin from the service of a nearby noble were sent to dispatch of him. Using force-spells and the paladin's holy healing, they were able to capture and imprison him in the Otyugh Hole. Jandar had tried to use his swift invisibility as a last-ditch effort to escape, but without the tutilage of-- of... His memory failed him again, but he'd never felt more unsure of his magical prowess in the absence of whatever it was, and he had failed to cast it when he needed it most.

It was there, in the dark of the Hole, as it was called, that Jandar renounced his scholarly ways and decided that he would rely more upon the strength of his own mind from now on rather than that of arcane magic; with only his sense of hearing to rely on, Jandar tried to explore the confines of his new prison. After a while, due to his focus, his strength as a listener grew, as did the power of his mind. With his new power and his new awareness of his surroundings, he was able to escape the prison, advancing as a psion with his third-level feat. In one sense, he had left the prison, but in another, very real sense, he would never leave it again. He would not forget how people had treated him. His experiences as a Duskblade with his master had driven him to evil, but now he had become resentful.

Spoiler: Backstory: Levels 4-9 (CR 6-11)

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It was at this point that Jandar fully committed himself to a life of crime. His incorporeal form made him uniquely suited to spying and selling information, and the clients in the market for that sort of thing didn't often question his reluctance to emerge from the shadows and address them face to face. His powers, manifested from within the ground, were nearly impossible to trace back to him. He also took joy in terrifying and harranguing aspiring arcane casters; once, he managed to drive a fledgling sorcerer to throw his familiar as an improvised weapon of sorts while he fled the scene, much to the familiar's dismay. Spying and intimidation were the main things in his bailiwick, but as he honed his skills, he found himself wanting more: more challenges, more ways to apply his psionic powers, and more opportunities to take revenge on the society that spurned him and the casters that beleaguered his past.

After advancing as a psion several times, Jandar began to take on assassination missions, both on his own and as part of a team. His stealth made him invaluable as an advance scout for a team, and individually often put him in position to provide a mental jab at just the right time to ensure his target's demise. Once, he even took part in a team effort to assassinate a mind flayer. Jandar had no qualms with the existence of such a beast, but the idea intrigued him -- to overcome a powerful psionic creature was a challenge worth seeing through.

The battle sent a thrill through him. The mental acuity and psychic presence of the illithid was profoundly beautiful to him. The way the mind flayer fought, using its thralls like so many pawns in a game of chess, was inspiring to Jandar, and outmaneuvering and defeating it offered a rush second only to the moment of escape from the prison all that time ago. In his work, he tried to learn all he could about the illithids and their qualities, both in academic research and in practical research, tracking them for groups of adventurers; his understanding of their mannerisms grew mission by mission. All the while, inspired by the mental prowess he had witnessed, he tried to improve on his ability to use his mind to manipulate physical objects. At last, this came to fruition with the acquisition of his sixth level feat. Able to take up physical objects at last, Jandar was able to add theft to his repertoir of crimes.

Using the power of his mind, Jandar stole what he wanted, and killed who he wanted, but over time, these actions felt... empty. His revenge on the world ceased to be as satisfying. His mind was always inexorably drawn back to the mind flayer on that fateful day. Jandar began to throw himself into his research into achieving the mental grace, fluidity, and control that the illithid had demonstrated that day -- often using practical experiments. He pushed the limits of his mind to try to force his will on the world that had shunned him, and to avoid the attention of those that would stand in his way.

Spoiler: Backstory: Levels 10-18 (CR 12-20)

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Little is known about Jandar's whereabouts after this. The most potent effects struggle to trace his impact on the world, as he became dramatically more furtive with his movements and inscrutable with his plans. Adventurers might go missing from time to time, but it was difficult to pinpoint which were abducted by him and which simply perished in the wilderness. Politicians occasionally seemed to gain a certain glint in their eye, or a particular timbre to their voice, but many of them were merely outed as mertoran leaf-users in due course. Investigations into these disappearances may have uncovered the truth by tracking and interrogating those who went missing, but the investigators seldom got that far -- or lived to tell the tale if they did. Those that did survive (with strong bodies and stronger wills) spoke of a cabal of hooded psionics; strangely, only one of their number ever seemed to manifest powers at a time, but upon being struck down, a new member would begin to manifest a few minutes later. Meanwhile, the remainder of the group worked in tandum, as if with one singular mind and purpose... It was only through the sacrifice of stalwart allies that these survivors lived to tell the tale.

A shadow settled over the region as folks inexplicably lost friends, family, and loved ones without ever knowing how or why. Local officials mounted little resistance (perhaps even suspiciously ineffective resistance...) Little did the townsfolk know that the malign force in the shadows was only beginning to plumb the depths of their depravity -- as a spirit of sorts, Jandar had a long time to learn and surpass the mind flayers that had inspired him so long ago, and there would be a reckoning.

Spoiler: CR 3 - CR 20 Build

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CR/ ECL	HD	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
3/4	1	Duskblade	+1	+2	+0	+2	Bluff 0, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 4, Knowledge (Dungeon) 1, Knowledge (Psionics) 4, Listen 0, Profession (Thief) 0, Psicraft 0, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen	Arcane attunement, armored mage (light)
4/5	2	Ranger (Arcane Hunter, Celestial Slayer)	+2	+4	+2	+2	Bluff 0, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 4, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 4, Listen 5, Profession (Thief) 0, Psicraft 0, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	Track, Iron Will	SR 11/good, +4 to confirm crits against good subtype, favored enemy (arcanists)
5/6	3	Psion	+2	+4	+2	+4	Bluff 0, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 6, Profession (Thief) 0, Psicraft 0, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	Keen-Eared Scout, Burrowing Power	Telepath Discipline
6/7	4	Psion	+3	+4	+2	+5	Bluff 0, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 6, Profession (Thief) 0, Psicraft 4, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	-	-
7/8	5	Psion	+3	+5	+3	+5	Bluff 0, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 6, Profession (Thief) 0, Psicraft 8, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	-	-
8/9	6	Psion	+4	+5	+3	+6	Bluff 0, Concentration 6, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 6, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 9, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	Ghostly Grasp	-
9/10	7	Illithid Slayer	+5	+5	+3	+8	Bluff 0, Concentration 7, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 10, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 10, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	-	Favored Enemy (Illithids) +2, Illithid Sense
10/11	8	Illithid Slayer	+6	+5	+3	+9	Bluff 0, Concentration 11, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 11, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 11, Sense Motive 4, Spot 0	-	Brain nausea
11/12	9	Illithid Slayer	+7	+6	+4	+9	Bluff 0, Concentration 12, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 12, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 12, Sense Motive 4, Spot 4	Practiced Manifester	Lucid buffer
12/13	10	Illithid Slayer	+8	+6	+4	+10	Bluff 4, Concentration 13, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 13, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 13, Sense Motive 4, Spot 2, Swift Concentration	-	Favored Enemy (Illithids) +4
13/14	11	Illithid Slayer	+9	+6	+4	+10	Bluff 4, Concentration 14, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 2, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 14, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 14, Sense Motive 4, Spot 2, Swift Concentration	-	-
14/15	12	Illithid Slayer	+10	+7	+5	+11	Bluff 4, Concentration 15, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 15, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 15, Sense Motive 4, Spot 2, Swift Concentration	Metapower: Burrowing Power (Dominate, Psionic)	Cerebral Blind
15/16	13	Psion	+10	+7	+5	+11	Bluff 4, Concentration 15, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 16, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 15, Sense Motive 4, Spot 2, Swift Concentration	Metapower: Psionic Meditation	-
16/17	14	Mindbender (Psionic Variant)	+10	+9	+5	+13	Bluff 4, Concentration 17, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 17, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 17, Sense Motive 4, Spot 2, Swift Concentration	-	Telepathy
17/18	15	Illithid Slayer	+11	+9	+5	+13	Bluff 4, Concentration 18, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 18, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 18, Sense Motive 4, Spot 6, Swift Concentration	Hardened Criminal	Favored Enemy (Illithids) +6
18/19	16	Illithid Slayer	+12	+9	+5	+14	Bluff 4, Concentration 19, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 19, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 19, Sense Motive 4, Spot 11, Swift Concentration	-	Breach Power Resistance
19/20	17	Illithid Slayer	+13	+10	+6	+14	Bluff 4, Concentration 20, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 20, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 20, Sense Motive 4, Spot 16, Swift Concentration	-	Cerebral Immunity
20/21	18	Illithid Slayer	+14	+10	+6	+15	Bluff 4, Concentration 21, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 21, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 21, Sense Motive 6, Spot 19, Swift Concentration	Mindsight	Blast Feedback, Favored Enemy (Illithids) +8

Spoiler: Spells/Powers Summary

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Spells per Day/Spells Known/Powers Known

Level/Power Points (from class levels)	Lvl 0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st/0	3/4	3/2	1/1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd/0	3/4	3/2	1/1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd/2	3/4	3/2, 3	1/1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4th/6	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th/11	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6th/17	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
7th/17	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8th/25	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
9th/35	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	-	-	-	-	-	-
10th/46	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	2	-	-	-	-	-
11th/58	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	-	-	-	-	-
12th/72	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	2	-	-	-	-
13th/88	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	4	-	-	-	-
14th/106	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	4	1	-	-	-
15th/126	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	4	3	-	-	-
16th/147	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	4	3	1	-	-
17th/170	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	4	3	3	-	-
18th/195	3/4	3/2, 5	1/1, 4	4	4	4	3	3	1	-

[jdizzlean]

Shadow continued

CR Benchmarks

For each of these benchmarks, Jandar will perform similarly, and with similar tactics, until the next benchmark.

Spoiler: CR 3: Wandering Spirit

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HD	Classes	Base Attack Bonus	Total Fort Save	Total Ref Save	Total Will Save	Listen Bonus	Psicraft Bonus	Skills	Feats
1	Duskblade 1	+1	+4	+0	+3	+10 (Attribute + Racial + Masterwork Tool + Listening in Wall + Skill Focus)	-	Bluff 0, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 4, Knowledge (Dungeon) 1, Knowledge (Psionics) 4, Listen 0, Profession (Thief) 0, Psicraft 0, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen

Class/Racial Features
Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), Small, Humanoid (Incorporeal/Dragonblood/Augmented), 20-foot speed (land/poor flight), Common/Draconic/Halfling/Rashemi automatic languages, immunity to paralysis/magical sleep effects, dark vision 30, low-light vision, +2 racial bonus to listen, search, and spot checks, Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Cloak of Mystery, Divine Endurance.

Notes

As an incorporeal creature, Jandar can enter into objects and creatures, so long as he remains adjacent to the exterior of such things. As such, Jandar can sink 5 feet into the ground, breaking line of sight and line of effect with anyone that doesn't have some way to see through earth (such as an Earth Dreamer). This protects from a surprisingly large amount of special senses, not least of which is regular spot checks, and as an incorporeal creature, Jandar makes no noise for listen checks. Additionally, his God Blooded template renders him immune to divinations, making him that much harder to find or predict, although not impossible to find. Notably, some special senses, such as mindsight or nemesis, arguably don't require line of effect to function, as well as several rare creature abilities. As he is underground, Jandar will need some way to navigate the world functionally blind; fortunately, listen checks to not require line of effect, and are actually easier (for some reason) while you are inside of an object. It's DC +20 to pinpoint an invisible creature, so with a +10 to his check, Jandar can take 10 to hear people talking (presumably covering folks who are not trying to be quiet), but needs to roll high to pinpoint folks trying to move quietly. While he may not be able to easily pinpoint them, however, his 20 when taking 10 does mean he will hear most creatures who are not trying to be stealthy, and incorporeal creatures can sense creatures and objects adjacent to them (a 3x3 grid above Jandar's square), so he will have some functional detection abilities. Taking advantage of this stealth, Jandar... can't do much. He can make touch attacks at a 50% chance to miss (allowing us to use Shocking Grasp or Chill Touch to some effect), although after that we'd have to default to unarmed strikes, as we have no way to pick up a magic weapon unless it is enhanced with ghost touch. Jandar, as an enemy of society, probably can't rely on getting equipment until he can compel people to get or make it for him. Folks can combat him using prepared actions or immediate actions when he makes a touch attack. However, should Jandar be weakened, it would be relatively easy for him to flee, and if he is knocked unconscious and stabilizes underground, it would require quite a bit of digging to get down to him. However, if a party is unable to effectively neutralize him, Jandar could pursue their characters underground, dogging their rests with unexpected unarmed attacks from below, wearing thin their resources by way of attrition, although a swift forced march could allow folks to escape and elude him, providing Jandar fails his track check to pursue them. As such, an effective party might try to lure him out somehow -- perhaps using the effects of a Silence spell to hide their presence for an ambush from squares he is not adjacent to. A prepared action to cast SOD/SOS effects may be the most effective way to down him. At this level, as in his backstory, Jandar has a terrifying visage, so a party may be called out to exorcise the ghost or spirit haunting the woods. They may even be accompanied by an NPC from Jandar's backstory, such as the casters with force magic, and be tasked with finding and drawing out the spirit, and with defending them while they cast the magic to capture it

Spoiler: CR 5: Elusive Shadow

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HD	Classes	Base Attack Bonus	Total Fort Save	Total Ref Save	Total Will Save	Listen Bonus	Psicraft Bonus	Skills	Feats
3	Duskblade 1, Arcane Hunter/Celestial Slayer Ranger 1, Psion 1	+2	+6	+2	+7	+21 (Previous + 6 Ranks + Keen Eared Scout [effective +5])	-	Bluff 0, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 6, Profession (Thief) 0, Psicraft 0, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen, Track, Keen-Eared Scout, Burrowing Power

Class/Racial Features

Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), favored enemy (arcanists) +2, SR 11 (against good descriptor), +4 to crit confirms against good subtype, Telepath discipline, Small, Humanoid (Incorporeal/Dragonblood/Augmented), 20-foot speed (land/poor flight), Common/Draconic/Halfling/Rashemi automatic languages, immunity to paralysis/magical sleep effects, dark vision 30, low-light vision, +2 racial bonus to listen, search, and spot checks, Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Cloak of Mystery, Divine Endurance.

Notes

Thanks to Jandar's ranger level, his listen check is much more respectable than it was at level 1, and Keen Eared Scout also lowers the DC to pinpoint an invisible creature by 10 points to DC +10. With Jandar's +21, or passive 31 taking 10, he can pinpoint most creatures who aren't significantly more stealthy than he is alert. Additionally, such a stealthy creature would still be "sensed" if it entered within a square of Jandar by merit of his incorporeal type. Jandar's psion level also opens up level 1 powers to us. Out of our level 1 powers, we will want some way to deal damage without putting ourselves in harms way significantly. Control Flames is fine as an option, giving us some consistent DPS that doesn't require us to leave the ground apart from to cast it initially. It may be worth investing in an everburning torch for that reason (ghost touch at this level, if we choose that), although it isn't required by any means, as many creatures and adventurers will use some sort of fire as a light source at night. For utility, psionic grease and detect psionics are probably the best bets for the remaining two slots, although both will require us to leave the ground to use initially as well. Just as at level 1, a party will want to conclusively defeat him (or weaken him such that he doesn't wish to pursue them), so a trap remains their best option, and silence remains a powerful tool to try to foil his detection abilities. At this level, Jandar is operating primarily as a spy and an assassin, so a party might be hired by a paranoid noble as bodyguards, putting them in conflict with our ghostly halfling. Driving him off will not provide a reprieve for their employer, so they must either pursue him (nearly impossible unless they have lucked into one of the special senses that eludes his stealth) or down him with prepared actions.

Spoiler: CR 8: Burrowing Thief

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HD	Classes	Base Attack Bonus	Total Fort Save	Total Ref Save	Total Will Save	Listen Bonus	Psicraft Bonus	Skills	Feats
6	Duskblade 1, Arcane Hunter/Celestial Slayer Ranger 1, Psion 4	+4	+7	+3	+9	+21 (Previous)	+15 (Ranks + Attribute + Knowledge Synergy + Masterwork Tool)	Bluff 0, Concentration 6, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 6, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 9, Sense Motive 3, Spot 0	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen, Track, Keen-Eared Scout, Burrowing Power, Ghostly Grasp

Class/Racial Features

Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), favored enemy (arcanists) +2, SR 11 (against good descriptor), +4 to crit confirms against good subtype, Telepath discipline, Small, Humanoid (Incorporeal/Dragonblood/Augmented), 20-foot speed (land/poor flight), Common/Draconic/Halfling/Rashemi automatic languages, immunity to paralysis/magical sleep effects, dark vision 60, low-light vision, +2 racial bonus to listen, search, and spot checks, Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Cloak of Mystery, Divine Endurance.

Notes

Jandar can now make use of Burrowing Power to some effect (on level 1 and 2 powers). We will want Synesthete here (to let us "see" folks through the sounds they make to use Burrowing Power, and, optionally, for a situational +4 to our listen check). As our power points are still somewhat limited here, we won't want to pick an option that requires Synesthete significantly, so Matter Agitation is probably a safe choice for our last level 1 power, being an area power. Jandar can use all of his level 1 powers in conjuntion with burrowing power without using Synesthete, somewhat making up for needing to expend so many points on Burrowing Power (3 per unaugmented burrowing level 1 power, giving us 5 uses for an encounter if we go nova). As such, Jandar's adventuring days will be somewhat limited at this level, providing he doesn't wish to resort to unarmed strikes. Level 2 powers offer a lot of damaging and utility options. Amethyst Burst is pretty great with regard to doing damage, especially as a villain rather than a hero with allies to protect. Identify is a fairly useful option, as is Tongues (we won't be spending many skill points on languages), and perhaps Missive, Mass or Control Sound. Options are really open at this level. These options allow us to use Burrowing Power with all our level 2 powers, too, again without needing to use Synesthete, although our 17 point point limit is an even harder cap for our level 2 powers. However, notably, Jandar can now pick up and wield corporeal items. As he has those powerful stealth abilities, Jandar will probably be able to procure a magical weapon, allowing attacks at a 75% miss chance before accounting for AC (unless Jandar can get a ghost touch weapon). It is probably preferable, then, to use unarmed strikes against most opponents until they are unconscious, then switch to the weapon after they are helpless. Jandar actually has a way to kill creatures now if his power points have run out (and acquire non-ghost-touch magic items), making him more dangerous. Jandar is now working as a thief as well as an assassin, so the party, in addition with being hired as bodyguards, might be hired as security for an item or treasury.

Spoiler: CR 12: Miniature Illithid

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HD	Classes	Base Attack Bonus	Total Fort Save	Total Ref Save	Total Will Save	Listen Bonus	Psicraft Bonus	Skills	Feats
10	Duskblade 1, Arcane Hunter/Celestial Slayer Ranger 1, Psion 4, Illithid Slayer 4	+8	+8	+4	+13	+28 (Previous + 7 Ranks)	+20 (Previous + 1 Attribute + 4 Ranks)	Bluff 4, Concentration 13, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 0, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 13, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 13, Sense Motive 4, Spot 2, Swift Concentration	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen, Track, Keen-Eared Scout, Burrowing Power, Ghostly Grasp, Practiced Manifester

Class/Racial Features

Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), favored enemy (arcanists) +2, SR 11 (against good descriptor), +4 to crit confirms against good subtype, Telepath discipline, favored enemy (Illithid) +4, illithid sense, brain nausea, lucid buffer, Small, Humanoid (Incorporeal/Dragonblood/Augmented), 20-foot speed (land/poor flight), Common/Draconic/Halfling/Rashemi automatic languages, immunity to paralysis/magical sleep effects, dark vision 90, low-light vision x3, +2 racial bonus to listen, search, and spot checks, Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Cloak of Mystery, Divine Endurance.

Notes

Jandar really comes into his own as a pseudo-illithid at CR 12; without ever emerging from the ground, he can use Synesthete to "see" the sounds he hears, use Burrowing Power on Dominate, Psionic to dominate a humanoid for 1 hour, then emerge from the ground to enter the dominated creature's body (retaining total cover the whole time if it is a large creature), and re-up the dominate for 1 day, letting him keep a number of creatures in thrall to him. If Synesthete is unviable for some reason, Jandar can use Schism to have his schism'd mind concentrate on an ongoing domination effect to see through his thrall's eyes while Jandar's main mind manifests the new burrowing dominate. Once gaining such a thrall, Jandar can use their eyes to confirm the presence or absence of any creatures around at will, rendering silence or high move-silently checks ineffective as a way to avoid his attention unless they are paired with high hide checks or some sort of invisibility. By emerging from the ground after his humanoid thralls have subdued a target, he can also dominate special types of creatures for 1 day, too. His cabal of dominated creatures can handle things physically above ground while Jandar monitors the situation from below ground, either far away or from nearby if he wants to manifest powers. As a villain, Jandar is now abducting adventurers and citizens he encounters, both in the wilds and in populated cities. Folks sit up from their beds and abruptly leave the city, never to return. The party might be hired to investigate the resolve the issue of the missing persons. However, they will need to take care, lest they become abducted themselves. Protection from Evil, Mindblank, or similar effects will be very useful in this encounter, but it will be difficult for them to know they need these effects. Perhaps a successful gather information check could reveal that the folks leaving the city looked strange from those who rolled high on their sense motive check. If the adventurers choose, they might monitor those leaving the gates of the city, taking 10 on their sense motive (or using a lot of charges of detect magic) to try to ascertain someone leaving to "disappear" and follow that person back to the cabal. They might also use the track feat or, at this level, some sort of divination (perhaps Legend Lore) to learn more about the disappearances; however, such divinations will only reveal information about those who vanished, not Jandar, as he is immune to any divinations that would reveal any information about him. If they are able to discover that the folks were mentally controlled, they may choose to bring protection. After their investigations, they will find their way to the cabal's hideout, where it is in the setting. Their first warning that they've gotten close will probably be an attempt to dominate one or two of them if they have any humanoids in the party. After one or two failed dominations (or a successful one), the thralls will approach. Each of these folks is a hostage, after a fashon, but they might not realize that. If the party discovered that the folks were mentally controlled, they may bring some sort of magical counter, such as dispel psionis/magic, or protection from evil, or even just some manacles to grapple them into; otherwise, they will have to fight the thralls, whose primary goal will initially be to grapple them (so they can be dominated at Jandar's leisure), but who will switch to lethal attacks if the party begins to effectively fight with lethal force. Jandar would rather not lose this servants. One thrall will stand back, apparently in intense focus, gesturing towards the melee, pretending to be a psion. A sense motive check will reveal that he, too, is dominated, and an intelligence check will reveal that the psion would probably not dominate himself; failing either of those, the party may believe that is the psion in question. Otherwise, they may realize the psion is hidden in some way. After the thralls have been defeated, and Jandar has no power points remaining to attempt dominations, Jandar will leave, presumably unnoticed. With an intelligence check, the party may realize during or after the battle that none of these dominated folks seemed to be using psionic abilities, providing they saw through the fake-psion's bluff, and a knowledge check might yield that an unseen psion or caster could use abilities through clairsentience powers, or use psionic powers to remain invisible in some way, or could be hidden nearby. This squares with folks suddenly vanishing from the city -- somehow, an unseen psion is dominating folks and leading them into the wilderness. If there are any survivors from the thralls who were rescued, they will never have seen Jandar. They may search for tracks in the area, but obviously those attempts, even taking 20, will fail. A wisdom check (indicating intuition) may reveal that the psion is either not touching the ground (flying or earth gliding), or is passing without a trace. Armed with the knowledge that the psion is hidden, the party may choose to prepare some sort of anti-invisibility effects and anti-flight effects that will prove ineffective, or detection abilities (to find the psion or the psion's sensor) that will prove ineffective if they are keyed off of divinations. As a result, with a successful intelligence check, the party may conclude that the psion is underground, blocking line of effect from their abilities. A knowledge check might reveal that earth glide and incorporealness are the most common ways to basically live underground indefinitely. If the party luckily brings one of the special senses that can still detect Jandar, such as a ranger's Nemesis ability keyed to halflings, they will also know he is underground. A third encounter would then hopefully leave the party ready to prepare some sort of trap, perhaps using silence and invisibility to try to sneak up on Jandar and the thralls, or using some magical item as bait before using Forceward (or, hideously inefficiently, four simultaneous Walls of Force to box him in) to trap Jandar before fighting it out cage-match style, hurling SoD and SoS spells at him if he emerges while the rest of the party begins excavating the earth around the sphere. Perhaps the party could use a contingent protection from evil (the contingency being: when the manifester appears before me) to trick Jandar into tipping his hand, banking on Jandar just using some sort of memory-altering powers rather than just always hiding from the thralls in his service; although Jandar does hide most of the time, he must emerge to grab items to bring back into the wall, or use non-burrowing powers to conserve power points. The party might also try to become incorporeal or ethereal themselves and somehow pursue Jandar that way, as neither would have line of sight or effect to one another, and then Forceward Jandar once they are adjacent to each other. Of course, this becomes more challenging if Jandar takes Psionic Dimension Door; the strategy would then need to involve the use of an item that replicates a Dimensional Anchor, or a Dimensional Lock cast as a prepared action. Divert Teleport would also be effective, as would luring the psion into a Teleport Cage, or any number of other countermeasures, I'm sure.

Spoiler: CR 14: Growing Manipulator (Sweet Spot)

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HD	Classes	Base Attack Bonus	Total Fort Save	Total Ref Save	Total Will Save	Listen Bonus	Psicraft Bonus	Skills	Feats
12	Duskblade 1, Arcane Hunter/Celestial Slayer Ranger 1, Psion 4, Illithid Slayer 6	+10	+9	+5	+14	+30 (Previous + 2 Ranks)	+22 (Previous + 2 Ranks)	Bluff 4, Concentration 15, Diplomacy 0, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 15, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 15, Sense Motive 4, Spot 2, Swift Concentration	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen, Track, Keen-Eared Scout, Burrowing Power, Ghostly Grasp, Practiced Manifester, Metapower: Burrowing Power (Dominate, Psionic)

Class/Racial Features

Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), favored enemy (arcanists) +2, SR 11 (against good descriptor), +4 to crit confirms against good subtype, Telepath discipline, favored enemy (Illithid) +4, illithid sense, brain nausea, lucid buffer, cerebral blind, Small, Humanoid (Incorporeal/Dragonblood/Augmented), 20-foot speed (land/poor flight), Common/Draconic/Halfling/Rashemi automatic languages, immunity to paralysis/magical sleep effects, dark vision 120, low-light vision x4, +2 racial bonus to listen, search, and spot checks, Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Cloak of Mystery, Divine Endurance.

Notes

Here, Jandar gains the utility of being able to dominate humanoids from the ground for 1 day/level, never emerging. Additionally, he can dominate other types of creatures from the ground for 1 day at a time, and rare types of creatures for 1 hour, although he can't advance his domination of these special and rare types of creatures to 1 day/level until later levels, so they remain more expensive servants. Additionally, he reaches the most useful slayer ability at this level: cerebral blind, which renders him immune to any device, power, spell, clairsentience power, or effect that would reveal his location. Functionally, between this, God Blooded of Vecna's cloak of mystery, and blocking line of effect to any remaining powers or senses by remaining underground, Jandar becomes impossible to detect or trace, save for the effects of the powers he manifests above ground. This combination of broadly worded abilities should protect Jandar's location from even equally broadly worded abilities, such as Mindsight, but does not protect from a few powerful special senses that do not require line of effect and do not directly reveal a creature's location (such as the Mageripper Swarm's Sense Magic, Earth Dreamers with Earth Sight, or the Ethergaunt's criminally, powerfully worded Total Vision). As such, it is important to stay at least 45 feet away from anyone until Jandar can ascertain if they have any such abilities. He can regain his focus as a swift action using Swift Concentration to regain his Cerebral Blind before his round is over. Encounters may go very similarly, allowing that Jandar is harder to detect, and sorcerers and wizards now have access to the superior Forcecage. However, Jandar will have more thralls than before, and encounters will accordingly be more difficult. Jandar may have some unique types of creatures as servants too (fey, giants, magical beasts, and monstrous humanoids). To better project the illusion that his fake-psion servant is actually the manifester, Jandar might use a large creature as the fake-psion and hide inside his body, providing a more realistic target for the force cage if the party can figure out that Jandar is using that strategy. Again, a wise party would prepare anti-teleportation measures to prevent the psion from dimension door-ing out of their force cage.

Spoiler: CR 17: Sinister Puppeteer (Peak)

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HD	Classes	Base Attack Bonus	Total Fort Save	Total Ref Save	Total Will Save	Listen Bonus	Psicraft Bonus	Skills	Feats
15	Duskblade 1, Arcane Hunter/Celestial Slayer Ranger 1, Psion 5, Illithid Slayer 7, Mindbender (Psionic) 1	+11	+11	+5	+16	+33 (Previous + 3 Ranks)	+25 (Previous + 3 Ranks)	Bluff 4, Concentration 18, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 18, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 18, Sense Motive 4, Spot 6, Swift Concentration	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen, Track, Keen-Eared Scout, Burrowing Power, Ghostly Grasp, Practiced Manifester, Metapower: Burrowing Power (Dominate, Psionic), Psionic Meditation, Hardened Criminal

Class/Racial Features

Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), favored enemy (arcanists) +2, SR 11 (against good descriptor), +4 to crit confirms against good subtype, Telepath discipline, favored enemy (Illithid) +6, illithid sense, brain nausea, lucid buffer, cerebral blind, telepathy 100ft, Small, Humanoid (Incorporeal/Dragonblood/Augmented), 20-foot speed (land/poor flight), Common/Draconic/Halfling/Rashemi automatic languages, immunity to paralysis/magical sleep effects, dark vision 120, low-light vision x4, +2 racial bonus to listen, search, and spot checks, Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Cloak of Mystery, Divine Endurance.

Notes

In what I would call the peak of the build, Jandar can now dominate any creature from the safety of the ground for 1 day/level. Additionally, he can regain his focus as a move action, allowing him to use other powers in the same turn he expends his focus for burrowing power, and he can take 10 on listen checks even when threatened by a foe that can somehow affect him without line of sight, line of effect, or any way to determine which square he is in. Additionally, with the addition of the Mindbender telepathy, he can now communicate with his dominated subjects that he does not share a language with to convey more complex commands, or communicate with those above ground without speaking (keeping his location safe from listen checks) or needing to command a thrall to speak for him. Jandar's thralls may now include aberrations, dragons, elementals, or outsiders, although these will accordingly be much rarer than his humanoid thralls. The versatility will allow a DM to tailor the encounter to challenge the party's weaknesses or allow them to show off their strengths. With the addition of these more powerful thralls, Jandar might begin terrorizing local settlements more than he has already, this time with raids that steadily grow in frequency, keeping the strongest defenders to add to his collection. This makes the investigation period of the quest hook much shorter than it otherwise would be, but the combat portion will be more challenging unless the party can stealth by the thralls.

Spoiler: CR 20: Imperious Puppetmaster

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HD	Classes	Base Attack Bonus	Total Fort Save	Total Ref Save	Total Will Save	Listen Bonus	Psicraft Bonus	Skills	Feats
18	Duskblade 1, Arcane Hunter/Celestial Slayer Ranger 1, Psion 5, Illithid Slayer 10, Mindbender (Psionic) 1	+14	+12	+6	+18	+36 (Previous + 3 Ranks)	+29 (Previous + 3 Ranks +1 Attribute)	Bluff 4, Concentration 21, Diplomacy 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Dungeon) 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Listen 21, Profession (Thief) 1, Psicraft 21, Sense Motive 6, Spot 19, Swift Concentration	Precocious Apprentice (Invisibility, Swift), Skill Focus: Listen, Track, Keen-Eared Scout, Burrowing Power, Ghostly Grasp, Practiced Manifester, Metapower: Burrowing Power (Dominate, Psionic), Psionic Meditation, Hardened Criminal, Mindsight

Class/Racial Features

Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), favored enemy (arcanists) +2, SR 11 (against good descriptor), +4 to crit confirms against good subtype, Telepath discipline, favored enemy (Illithid) +8, illithid sense, brain nausea, lucid buffer, cerebral blind, telepathy 100ft, break power resistance, cerebral immunity, blast feedback Small, Humanoid (Incorporeal/Dragonblood/Augmented), 20-foot speed (land/poor flight), Common/Draconic/Halfling/Rashemi automatic languages, immunity to paralysis/magical sleep effects, dark vision 120, low-light vision x4, +2 racial bonus to listen, search, and spot checks, Enigma Aura, Hidden Spell, Cloak of Mystery, Divine Endurance.

Notes

At CR20, not much changes from CR 17; we have constant mind-blank for added protection, but more significantly, providing the DM doesn't rule that mindsight uses line of effect, we gain an additional way to spot those who we cannot hear and our thralls cannot see. Jandar's dominations last longer than before, too. Stealth becomes nearly impossible as a way to bypass the encounter, then, but at this level, the party should be prepared for challenging enemies. Jandar gets access to Bend Reality here, and a corresponding surge in versatility as an enemy, too.

Spoiler: Sources

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Book	Page	Item
Complete Mage	32	Arcane Hunter Ranger ACF
Expanded Psionics Handbook	43	Burrowing Power
Exemplars of Evil	20	Celestial Slayer Ranger ACF
Expanded Psionics Handbook	83	Clairvoyant Sense
Expanded Psionics Handbook	96	Dominate, Psionic
Races of the Dragon	5	Dragonborn of Bahamut
Player's Handbook II	19	Duskblade
Libris Mortis: The Book of the Dead	27	Ghostly Grasp
Monster Manual V	66	God-Blooded of Vecna
City of Stormreach	95	Hardened Criminal
Expanded Psionics Handbook	146	Illithid Slayer
Player's Handbook II	80	Keen-Eared Scout
Libris Mortis: The Book of the Dead	142	Listening in Wall
Player's Handbook	130	Masterwork Tool
Complete Psionic	63	Metapower
Complete Arcane	54	Mindbender (Psionic Variant)
Complete Psionic	63	Mindsight
Complete Psionic	57	Practiced Manifester
Complete Arcane	181	Precocious Apprentice
Expanded Psionics Handbook	19	Psion
Expanded Psionics Handbook	50	Psionic Meditation
Player's Handbook	46	Ranger
Expanded Psionics Handbook	130	Schism
Player's Handbook	100	Skill Focus
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting	18	Strongheart Halfling
Complete Scoundrel	90	Swift Concentration
Expanded Psionics Handbook	134	Synesthete
Unapproachable East	75	Telthor
Player's Handbook	101	Track

Spoiler: Alternate and/or Declined Optimization Options

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Optimization	Contracting lycanthropy to fulfull the BAB requirements for Slayer, then curing it, then applying the Telthor/Dragonborn templates afterward. That would let us go Wizard 1/Psion 1/Slayer 1 for our first three levels, picking of Cerebremancer later for dual progression and giving us access to useful wizard spells like Chain of Eyes.
Optimization	Using a Mask of the Tiger to gain the Track feat and fulfill the requirements of the Slayer class.
Optimization	Retraining Precocious Apprentice into a different feat after taking the God Blooded of Vecna template.
Optimization	Taking a less flavorful, non-Duskblade spell in our Precocious Apprentice slot that would be more useful for our strategy, like Chain of Eyes.
Optimization	Have items made as Ghost Touch for only 10% additional price, then avoid the Ghostly Grasp feat all together.
Optimization	If we can assume we'll be able to find or purchase magical items to learn from, Erudite can eliminate the need for Expanded Knowledge; as is, however, the build works even in a setting with no other psionic characters.
Optimization	If we can find or purchase a Torc of Power Preservation, it would help us advance our Domination augment by 1 level early.
Alternate	Educated Wilder has a better BAB progression, but is cha-focused (making skill points more of an issue) and delays our access to Psionic Dominate until we can take our fifth level and get Expanded Knowledge as a bonus feat. We also lose our psionic bonus feats, which hurts.
Alternate	Taking the Seer Discipline and Expanded Knowlede for Dominate would let us use the Third Eye Sense for at-will CS, but would delay our access to Dominate.
Alternate	Spell-to-Power Erudite could steal Dominate from an arcane item, but depends on DM fiat to do so.
Alternate	The manikin in Ghostwalk could be useful for manipulating physical objects in lieu of taking Ghostly Grasp, but requires us to become more vulnerable while using it.
Alternate	We could ditch God-Blooded entirely (and therefore ditch Duskblade and Precocious Apprentice), saving us effectively two levels, and take Ghostly Grasp at level 1 for quality-of-life. However, that leaves us vulnerable to divinations that don't directly reveal our location, making us less stealthy and easier to trace.
Alternate	We can arguably take 10 on listen checks at all times with this character, as we are likely to never be threatened when enemies never have line of effect or line of sight to us. However, in the hypothetical that we are able to be threatened, rolling a 1 with a Fiendish Ear Graft and becoming confused could have deadly results. To be able to safely boost our listen check relatively early with such a graft, we could take Hardened Criminal in lieu of one of our early feats (such as Precocious Apprentice or Ghostly Grasp) to allow us to always take 10 on our listen checks; as is, we must wait until level 15 to attach such a graft, should we choose to do so. As is, I've omitted it, as access to someone willing and able to attach such a graft is not a given, just as access to scrolls isn't a given for the erudite, but I've kept in Hardened Criminal in the interest of stabilizing our listen check in rare situations where we are threatened
Alternate	We also need not take Hardened Criminal at all, and therefore need not take Iron Will from the Otyugh Hole; we could replace it with any sort of psionic cost-reducer, like Midnight Power, or another option for added utility, like Expanded Knowledge.

Spoiler: Build Considerations

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Build Considerations

As this is the spectral competition, I was of the opinion that the build should become incorporeal as soon as possible. As such, templates and races with prohibitively large LA/CR adjustments are to be considered poorly. I expect many folks to immediately go to ghosts -- however, one lesser-known option to gain the incorporeal subtype is the Telthor template at +2/+1 respectively.

The Telthor template has a pesky feature "bound to the land" that could present a problem. Fortunately, a solution exists: the Dragonborn of Bahamut template. That erases most of the template's features, but allows the character to retain its incorporeal subtype.

However, Dragonborn of Bahamut in and of itself presents another problem: they have a falling mechanic.

Spoiler: Tarnished Dragonborn

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As an individual dedicates her life to Bahamut’s cause and becomes a dragonborn, she is committing herself to fighting against Tiamat’s spawn. She must do this to the best of her ability. Reasonable breaks from this activity for gaining allies, recuperating from battle, and gathering resources are permitted, but any form of evil behavior is not.

The Platinum Dragon does not tolerate wicked deeds on the part of his children. A single instance might be overlooked if the dragonborn immediately makes good through an atonement spell. Indulging unrepentantly in iniquity, committing repeated forbidden acts, or converting to an evil philosophy provokes Bahamut to anger and action.

In these situations, an aspect of Bahamut (see page 152) appears to chastise the transgressor. In cases of all but the most hideous of crimes, the dragonborn is first given a warning by the aspect and instruction in the proper course of action. If she is penitent, the dragonborn must perform a redemptive act to prove her reform, often in the form of a quest to slay a particularly villainous spawn of Tiamat or to aid the cause of one of Bahamut’s allies.

If the dragonborn refuses to atone for her evil ways, Bahamut renounces her as his child and takes back the dragonborn form he granted her. A tarnished dragonborn feels her skin crack, peel, and slough off. Her limbs twist, and her form distorts. This painful process of transformation reversal lasts for a number of rounds equal to her Hit Dice and deals 2d6 points of damage per round. At the end of this change, regardless of whether she survives, the dragonborn returns to her original race and form

As such, it is possible for a dragonborn to be evil, but difficult for one to be evil for any appreciable amount of time. In order for such an incorporeal creature to be a villain, then, we need a way to avoid Bahamut's attention -- and fortunately, one such option is presented with the God Blooded of Vecna template. With the modest investment of a level in an arcane casting class and Precocious Apprentice, we can take this LA +1 template and gain the following ability:

Spoiler: Cloak of Mystery

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All knowledge of the Vecna-blooded creature fades from the world. Its original name, its deeds before becoming Vecna-blooded, and so forth, disappear from memory. Only Vecna and the Vecna-blooded creature retain this knowledge.

A Vecna-blooded creature gains immunity to all divination spells cast against it or cast to learn information about it. Such divination fails to reveal any information. The Vecnablooded creature immediately learns the name, appearance, and location of the caster who attempted the divination.

Unlike other god-blooded abilities, the Vecna-blooded creature retains this special quality after it loses other abilities from this template.

Upon taking the template, Bahamut will forget all about this dragonborn halfling's existence, and that it ever became dragonborn in the first place. As a lesser deity, Bahamut will only ever become aware of us if we cause an event that both involves 500 or more people and involves part of his portfolio (the wind or good dragons), so with caution, his portfolio sense should never trigger to make him aware of us again. With that said, that leaves us with an ECL4/CR3 incorporeal arcane caster with 1 HD. To move forward from here, I decided that it would be best to lean into the strengths of the incorporeal subtype -- after all, it is the contest predicated on using the ingredient.

Among other things, the incorporeal subtype grants:

• Immunity to mundane weapons
• The ability to enter solid objects and creatures, gaining total cover (!)
• The ability to automatically defeat listen checks (!)
• The ability to ignore armor when making physical attacks

Based on these benefits, stealth seems like the best route to go. Automatically defeating spot and listen checks when inside of objects, if we have some way to observe those outside, we can avoid most special senses too (as they often rely on line of effect). As we get a natural bonus to listen checks for being dragonborn and for being inside of solid objects, and listen checks don't require line of effect, we can go the listen route to detect those above ground -- hence the inclusion of Keen Eared Scout which both gives a +5 to pinpoint invisible creatures and lowers the DC to their move silently + 10 rather than + 20.

While we are very stealthy, but there are still a number of special senses that can defeat our incorporeal wall/floor camping (e.g. arguably mindsight, nemesis, various ability rip'd detection abilities). The only ability I know that can further foil special senses to any appreciable degree is slayer 6's cerebral blind. This means we will be going psionic ASAP, so as not to waste our manifester advancement. We also need to get a whole lot of BAB very quickly, and Track, as folks have historically frowned upon TO optimization techniques in these sorts of contests (using items like the Mask of the Tiger to get Track, or contracting/curing lycanthropy to temporarily meet BAB requirements). This means a level of ranger, in all likelihood, and using Duskblade to satisfy our arcane caster level, along with 2 BABs worth of psionic classes.

Upon taking these levels, we need a way to affect folks above ground. After all, the lack of LoS and LoE harms us in that way, too. Burrowing Power helps here, as does Synesthete for allowing us to see using sound rather than light. As such, we can use Keen Eared Scout and friends to hear and "see" everyone who makes sound, and Burrowing Power to affect them. Of course, it would be nice to have a way to see, as well, but sensors can be detected (or worse -- trigger Scry Traps), so it would be preferable to have another way to see without needing to blow through power points at record pace. It was there that I decided to use Psionic Dominate, as it allows us to see through our thrall's eyes, and with use of the Schism power, we can use that mode to manifest powers on those we can't hear, too. As we are now relying on Psionic Dominate as a gimmick, I decided to go with the classic Illithid Slayer rather than SRD Slayer, as Illithids seemed to fit the flavor of dominating cabals of thralls.

After coming to these conclusions, the rest of the build just came down to optimizing the earliest access to the key components mentioned above. Mindbender was added for as much flavor and quality of life as it was for its abilities, and I took Slayer to 10 to demonstrate that the build could continue into epic levels should the DM be interested in doing so.

[jdizzlean]

3. Now you see me, now you don't! /cymbals crash
Draugorex

Draugorex, The Spider-Ghost King

NE Male Phantom Entomanothrope (Huge Argent Spider) Primordial Phaerlin Giant Soul Eater 9

HD 8d8+16d8+9d8+231 (Giant 8, Vermin 16, Soul Eater 9): 383 hp

~~~~~~
Draugorex was born radically altered from the other giants in his tribe. Some thought he was cursed, or a mutation; others that he had been shaped by some dark power. In either case, he was much feared and mistrusted by the other giants.
It soon became clear that he was much more powerful than his peers, and quickly bullied his way to overthrow the chieftain. He demanded the others revere him as a deity - with his unnatural powers and raw strength, they did not argue the point.
After growing bored leading a tribe of dim-witted giants, he sought to expand his dominion, seeking out creatures to challenge and subjugate.
~~~~~~

Use in campaign: Draugorex can be used as a mid-level BBEG starting at CR 11. The players can hear of him terrorizing villages and trying to forcefully recruit worshipers, and attempt to thwart his ascension to demigod status. His forces will include Phaerlin giants, argent spiders, and cultists. At higher levels, it will also include wights, and other evil beings drawn to him.

Spoiler: Build tables

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Ability Scores:

	Array	Phaerlin	Primordial	Entomanothrope	12 HD	16 HD	20 HD	21 Divine Spark	24 HD	28 HD	32 HD	Final
Str	15	+10	-4	(+14 in alt form)	+1	-	-	-	-	-	-	22 (36)
Dex	12	-2	-	(+4 in alt form)	-	-	-	-	-	+1	+1	12 (16)
Con	13	+8	-2	(+4 in alt form)	-	+1	-	-	-	-	-	20 (24)
Int	14	-2	+4	-2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	14
Wis	8	-2	-	+2	-	-	+1	-	+1	-	-	10
Cha	10	-2	+4	-	-	-	-	+2	-	-	-	14

Build Table:

CR	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Abilities
11	Giant 8*	+6	+5	+2	+2	Intimidate 4, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Hide 5, Listen 11, Spot 11	Improved Initiative (1) Power Attack (3) Supernatural Transformation (invisibility) (6)	Alternate form, curse of entomanothropy, DR 5/silver, darkvision 60 ft, dimension slide, entomanothropic command, entomanothropic immunities, frightful presence, incorporeal jaunt, magical knack, phantom defense, phantom strike, poison, scent, spell-like ability (invisibility), SR 14, vulnerability to ghost touch
11	Vermin 16*	+16	+10	+5	+5	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Hide 13, Listen 19, Spot 27	Alertness (9) Combat Reflexes (12) Leap Attack (15) Weapon Focus (bite) (18) Epic Destiny (Demigod: divine spark, death denied) (21) Epic Destiny (Demigod: regenerative touch) (24)	-
12	Soul Eater 1	+17	+12	+7	+7	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 1, Hide 13, Listen 22, Spot 28	-	Energy drain 1
13	Soul Eater 2	+18	+13	+8	+8	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 2, Hide 13, Listen 25, Spot 29	-	Soul strength
14	Soul Eater 3	+19	+13	+8	+8	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 3, Hide 13, Listen 28, Spot 30	Epic Destiny (Demigod: divine surge)	Soul blast
15	Soul Eater 4	+20	+14	+9	+9	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 4, Hide 13, Listen 31, Spot 31	-	Soul enhancement
16	Soul Eater 5	+21	+14	+9	+9	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 5, Hide 15, Listen 32, Spot 32	-	Soul endurance
17	Soul Eater 6	+22	+15	+10	+10	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 5, Hide 19, Listen 33, Spot 33	Epic Destiny (Demigod: miracle)	Soul radiance
18	Soul Eater 7	+23	+15	+10	+11	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 5, Hide 23, Listen 34, Spot 34	-	Energy drain 2
19	Soul Eater 8	+24	+16	+11	+11	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 5, Hide 27, Listen 35, Spot 35	-	Soul agility
20	Soul Eater 9	+25	+16	+11	+11	Intimidate 8, Jump 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 5, Hide 31, Listen 36, Spot 36	Dire Charge	Soul slave

*Note: first two rows are separated only for ease of reference; Draugorex is always encountered with at least 24HD and at CR 11 or higher. The Entomanothrope and Primordial templates are inherited, and the Phantom template is acquired before any class levels are gained.

Spoiler: CR 11 snapshot

Show

Draugorex, Hybrid Form

Size/Type: Huge Giant (Earth, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 24d8+144 (255 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 23 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +1 deflection, +12 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+36
Attack: Greatclub +26 melee (3d8+18) or bite +27 melee (2d6+6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Greatclub +26/+21/+16/+11 melee (3d8+18) and bite +22 melee (2d6+6 plus poison) or 2 claws +26 melee (2d4+12) and bite +22 melee (2d6+6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse of entomanothropy, entomanothropic command, frightful presence, phantom strike, poison
Special Qualities: Alternate form, death denied, DR 5/silver, darkvision 60 ft, dimension slide, entomanothropic immunities, incorporeal jaunt, magical knack, phantom defense, scent, spell-like ability (invisibility, regenerate), SR 14, vulnerability to ghost touch
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +7, Will +4
Abilities: Str 35, Dex 14, Con 23, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +20, Intimidate +9, Jump +30, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Hide +11, Listen +20, Spot +36
Feats: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Epic Destiny (demigod), Improved Initiative, Leap Attack, Power Attack, Supernatural Transformation (invisibility), Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 11
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —

Draugorex is a formidable melee opponent at this point. If he uses, say, +5 power attack, his full attack routine with a greatclub becomes +21/+16/+11/+6 melee (3d8+28) and bite +17 melee (2d6+11 plus poison). Dimension slide allows him to teleport 30 feet as a free action, which can easily be used to set up full attacks. He can turn invisible at will, up to 24 minutes at a time, and as a supernatural ability, it can't be dispelled. Coupled with his solid stealth (incorporeal creatures make no noise, and don't need to make Move Silently rolls), he will often get the drop on enemies.
The phantom template gives him most of the benefits if being both corporeal and incorporeal at the same time. Any humanoid or giant he bites may be cursed with entomanothropy, and he can command argent spiders as minions. Immunity to mind effects is extremely useful, as his DR, while small, still comes into play with most attackers. Death Denied gives a +5 bonus to saves against necromancy effects and massive damage, a chance to re-roll these saves on a 1, and a form of mettle against necromancy. Regenerative touch allows use of a Regenerate SLA at will, allowing him to fully heal out of combat.

Spoiler: CR 20 snapshot

Show

Draugorex, Hybrid Form

Size/Type: Huge Giant (Earth, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 33d8+231 (383 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 27 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +2 deflection, +12 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +25/+46
Attack: Greatclub +35 melee (3d8+19) or bite +36 melee (2d6+6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Greatclub +35/+30/+25/+20 melee (3d8+19) and bite +31 melee (2d6+6 plus poison) or 2 claws +35 melee (2d4+13) and bite +31 melee (2d6+6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Curse of entomanothropy, energy drain, entomanothropic command, frightful presence, phantom strike, poison, soul blast, soul slave
Special Qualities: Alternate form, death denied, divine surge, DR 5/silver, darkvision 60 ft, dimension slide, entomanothropic immunities, incorporeal jaunt, magical knack, phantom defense, scent, soul agility, soul endurance, soul enhancement, soul radiance, soul strength, spell-like abilities (invisibility, miracle, regenerate), SR 14, vulnerability to ghost touch
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +14, Will +11
Abilities: Str 36, Dex 16, Con 24, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 14
Skills: Climb +20, Intimidate +9, Jump +30, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Knowledge (religion) +7, Hide +30, Listen +38, Spot +46
Feats: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dire Charge, Epic Destiny (demigod), Improved Initiative, Leap Attack, Power Attack, Supernatural Transformation (invisibility), Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 20
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —

As well as all of the above tactics and abilities, he now has 9 levels of Soul Eater, as well as the full benefits of the Epic Destiny feat. Drained enemies can become wight minions, and any time he drains an enemy, he gains boosts to Str, Dex, Con, saves, skill checks and ability checks for 24 hours. He can also shoot a ranged attack, and even assume the form of any creature he drains completely.
Miracle 1/day is also a game changer, and can be used for a huge array of effects. He can now restore himself to full hit points and get the benefit of Greater Restoration as an immediate action, 1/day.
Dire charge is icing on the cake, and in the first round, can be used to deliver a devastating Leap Attack.
All in all, Draugorex is a capable melee combatant, able to flit about as a free action, with solid defences, and a handful of magical tricks to back it up.

Spoiler: Draugorex as a deity

Show

Name: Draugorex
Gender: m
Rank: Demigod
Areas of Concern/Portfolio: Combat, Hunting, Spiders, Stealth
Titles: The Spider-Ghost King
Holy Symbol: Spider head with two crossed clubs
Alignment: NE
Origin of Worship: Unknown
Core Worshippers: Giants
Common Worshippers: Humans
Uncommon Worshippers: Ettercaps
Favored Weapon: Greatclub
Weapon of the Deity Spell: +1 vicious greatclub
Domains: Bestial (BoVD), Evil, Spider (SC).

Sources:
BoVD - Soul Eater
CAd - Leap Attack
MM5 - Phantom
MoF -Phaerlin Giant
Online - Argent Spider, Entomanothrope, Epic Destiny
SoX - Primordial Giant template
SS - Supernatural Transformation

[jdizzlean]

You're mad!

4. The Ghost next door

Spoiler: The Ghost Next Door

Show

Diary Entry, 1st

Something’s wrong with my daughter.

Well, one could expect that to be the case. With her father newly deceased, and herself and I being very ill for a while, Nadia could be expected to be a little off. Being almost completely isolated due to the paranoia of her grandfather certainly doesn’t help. We’ve been restricted to our chambers at the east wing, for security reasons.

The weight of a dynasty laid atop the shoulders of a newly orphaned 10 year old girl – that could shake even the strongest of souls, and my daughter was never strong. Since she was a baby, she was so gentle, so… fragile. There’s no wonder she seems off. It would be odd if she didn’t. I know that. I rationally know that.

Still.

Call it a dumb gut feeling or a woman’s intuition, I don’t care.

Something’s wrong with my daughter.



Diary Entry, 2nd

I feel like I’m going crazy, locked up in here. No one comes in or out. Anything we may need is left for us by the palace guards at the entry to our wing, and our servants leave for them anything that needs to be taken out. No one enters, no one leaves. The king will not have any stranger get to his heiress. Yet, every day, my feeling gets stronger. I catch my daughter at the corner of my eye, staring at nothing, smiling at nothing. Her skin is pale, paler than it’s ever been, and she’s gotten so thin – yet I never see her looking tired, or hurt. And sometimes…

Her head bodyguard, Kroll, is an expert diviner, and he assures me that she’s just getting over her illness. Nothing to be worried about.

The king is frightened at the thought of anyone getting to his heiress.

I’m starting to wonder if someone already did.



Diary Entry, 4th 5th

I’m losing moments.

It’s very subtle, but it’s there. Like a cloud over my mind. I find myself seated, with no recollection of sitting down, or walking somewhere, and not knowing why.

Each time, the last thing I can recall is laying my eyes on Nadia. She seems so gentle now, gentler than ever. Like she’s barely even there. She acts as if she’s completely recovered from her illness, but anyone can see the toll it has taken on her. I feel so terrible sometimes. My poor daughter is so fragile, she doesn’t even let the servants help her dress in fear of her skin tearing at the slightest touch. The poor girl is going insane with the isolation, talking to the walls when she thinks no one is watching, wandering the halls when she should sleep. What she needs is clearly the solace of her mother’s company, and all I’m thinking about is… What, exactly? What was I thinking?

Gods, am I a terrible mother?

I wasn’t even there when she was diagnosed. Why wasn’t I there? I was sick, wasn’t I?

I feel so t



Diary Entry, 8th?

I can’t get the fog to clear. Not when she’s around, and she’s always around. Poor thing. Poor, terrible thing.

I was downstairs, an hour or two after midnight. I was looking for Kroll. I needed to tell him something, something urgent. Find him when he was asleep, when he was away from her. Something important.

“Mommy?”

I jumped. She was right behind me. right behind me.

“Yes, Nadia?” Was my heart racing, pounding like a caged beast?

“What are you doing here, Mommy?” Her hair like a halo around her head, her nightgown shimmering white. The very picture of innocence.

“I- I-“ I hesitated. “What are you doing here, Nadia?”

She smiled. “I have matters to attend to. You should go to bed, Mommy.”

“I-“

“You should go to bed now.”

Did I?










Help



Diary Entry, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th, 11th

We were sitting at her room, just me and her. The curtains were closed, and the candles were lit, so it was probably night time. So many candles, reflecting in the mirrors of her desk. So bright. Too bright to think. I was brushing her hair, one stroke at a time. Stroke, stroke, stroke. The ivory brush went through her hair so smoothly, like a knife through a silky waterfall, barely moving it. I could see us in the mirror. Her, almost too beautiful to be real, her eyes closed. I, behind her, hunched like a wrinkly old servant. Was that really me? Am I that old? Was I that old a week ago?

Stroke, stroke, stroke.

“Will you sing me a song, Mommy? Like you used to?”

“Did I use to, darling? I don’t remember.”

“Sure you did, Mommy. The most beautiful songs. He says once I finish my task, you’ll sing a new song for me. A song I’ve never heard before. He says it’ll hurt, but you’ll sing it anyway, won’t you, Mommy?”

Stroke, stroke, stroke.

“He? Who are you talking about, darling?”

She looked back at me for a moment, then closed her eyes again. “The boy in the mirror, Mommy. He comes at night, when I’m alone. We have a plan.”

Stroke, stroke. Stroke.

A moment of clarity. Rage bellowed within me, a rage that was buried under for too long, as I brushed the hair of that creature. At that moment, I knew for certain that this was not my daughter. For a brief moment, the fog cleared. My hand tightened around the brush, preparing to strike. My other hand twitched, going to grab her hair.

And for a single second, I could swear it clipped right through.

I looked at the mirror, and met two open, bright, knowing eyes.

“Go away, Mommy. I need to speak to him.”

“I-“
My anger was gone. Confusion reigned.
“I-“
Confusion, and fear.

The child’s smile grew larger, brighter.

“Mommy…

“Go

“Away”



13th night.


I’m lying in bed, with my eyes closed. I don’t remember when I got here. Did I sleep?

Did I dream?

I am startled by a whisper:

“Mommy”

Nadia’s face looms above mine, a lantern in her hand making it shine like a moon in the pitch-black room.

“Everyone’s asleep, Mommy. We need to go now. You need to come with me, and you need to be very quiet.”

I get up.

“Come,” says the child, and I do as she says.

This is wrong. I shouldn’t be doing this. I should tell her to get back to her room. I should call the guards. I should shout. I should scream.
Why am I following her?

My thoughts are crystal clear. No fog, no confusion. I know what I should do – yet, I do none of it. It is as if a force deep within me is holding me at bay, and my conscious thoughts are not but the ripples on top of a deep, dark sea. I know I should stop, and shout for the guards. I know it perfectly well as I silently walk down the hall behind the child’s shimmering form, walk into a cold drawing room and out of an open window. We climb down a rope of sheets. She glides effortlessly to the ground, and I follow, knowing all along that I shouldn’t.

I shouldn’t. I should stop.

Stop!

I follow her as she leads us through an abandoned guard post, and we are out of the palace wall. She walks straight into the corn field. It is a moonless night, and Nadia’s lantern is the sole source of light, throwing shadows all around her. I follow, ten paces behind.

“Not far now, Mommy.” Her voice is so self-assured, so confident.

This is wrong. So clearly, unmistakably wrong. I wouldn’t ever do this.

Why in the nine hells am I doing this?

A light flickers in the darkness, somewhere beyond the field.

“There they are, Mommy. Just hang on.”

“Who?” My voice is so raspy, as if I haven’t spoken for days.

Have I?

“They’re friends. Friends of the boy in the mirror.”

Run! Run, damn you, run!

We step closer and closer to the edge of the field. I hear voices from the other side. Whispering. Murmuring.

Chuckling.

Nadia walks out of the field. I can now see shadowy figures all around. A few hidden candles give just enough light to reveal the gathering of a few figures, gathered around a strange structure. And in front of that structure, another figure.

Too big. Way too big.

Nadia steps forwards.

If I don’t run right now, I’m already dead.

I keep pace.

Fires suddenly awaken all around us, illuminating the scene. Men and women in heavy cloaks of black and crimson, surrounding a gigantic black form of horns, teeth and wings. Behind that form, a grey stone altar at the feet of a terrible structure of wood and metal beams. And stretching on that structure, twenty feet in the air…

Oh gods oh no please oh what the

A bloodied female form, her breaths slow and tormented through a gag.

A form that looks just like me.

The dark creature speaks.

”Well done, small one. Just in time for the ritual. Bring the human forwards.”

The child turns and runs towards me, a wild look in her eyes. I’m frozen. I can’t move. She runs towards me, her hand stretched forwards. She reaches me in a second.

And her incorporeal hands pass right through.

This is it then.

This is death.

Feels so…




Warm.

My daughter’s form goes straight into my body.

And crushes, with a loud thud, on the other side.

She rolls around in the dirt, looks at me…


And unleashes a scream of absolute terror.

Oh.


Right.

I shed away Dear Mommy. I shed away the boy in the Mirror. I am me, only me now. My memories flood back as I feel my ever burning wrath resurface. So sweet, so painful. Wrath.

And hunger.

As the cultist of Asmodeus chant, as the devil smiles, as the human child screams, I throw my head back in laughter, and sing a terrible song of pain.

Spoiler: Essentials

Show

Arelshine, CE Shadow bound tainted raver doppelganger ghost. Rogue 1/ Spymaster 7/ Siren 7.

Ability	Base score	Racial modifiers	CR 3	Templates	CR 9	CR 13	CR 16	Cr 17	CR 19
Strength	12	14 (+2)	14 (/)	18 (+4, rage)	18 (/)	18 (/)	18 (/)	18 (/)	18 (/)
Dexterity	13	15 (+2)	15 (/)	15 (/)	15 (/)	15 (/)	15 (/)	15 (/)	15 (/)
Constitution	8	10 (+2)	10 (/)	- (undead)	-	-	-	-	-
Intelligence	14	16 (+2)	16 (/)	16 (/)	16 (/)	16 (/)	16 (/)	16 (/)	16 (/)
Wisdom	10	14 (+4)	14 (/)	8 (-6)	8 (/)	8 (/)	8 (/)	8 (/)	8 (/)
Charisma	15	17 (+2)	18 (+1)	28 (+10)	29 (+1)	30 (+1)	32 (+2)	33 (+1)	35 (+2)

Spoiler: Table

Show

CR	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
3	Doppelganger	+4	+1	+4	+4	bluff 7, diplomacy 7, disguise 7, sense motive 5, intimidate 7, gather information 2.	Able learner, skill focus (bluff)	Detect thoughts, change shape
4	Shadow bound, tainted raver, rogue 1	+4	+1	+6	+4	bluff 8, diplomacy 8, disguise 8, sense motive 5, intimidate 7, gather information 4, forgery 4, hide 2.	-	Sneak attack 1d6, trapfinding, low light vision, shadow blend, shadow walk, shadow curse, perpetual rage, fast healing 3, madness.
6	Ghost	+4	+1	+6	+4	bluff 8, diplomacy 8, disguise 8, sense motive 5, intimidate 7, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 2.	-	Undead traits, incorporeal, manifestation, rejuvenation, turn resistance +4, Frightful moan. Optional*: Malevolence, Horrific appearance.
7	Spymaster 1	+4	+1	+8	+4	bluff 9, diplomacy 9, disguise 9, sense motive 6, intimidate 9, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 5, use magic device 2.	Ghostly grasp	Undetectable alignment, cover identity
8	Spymaster 2	+5	+1	+9	+4	bluff 10, diplomacy 10, disguise 10, sense motive 6, intimidate 10, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 10, use magic device 4.	-	Quick change, scrying defence
9	Spymaster 3	+6	+2	+9	+5	bluff 11, diplomacy 11, disguise 11, sense motive 6, intimidate 11, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 11, use magic device 10.	-	magic aura, sneak attack 2d6
10	Spymaster 4	+7	+2	+10	+5	bluff 12, diplomacy 12, disguise 12, sense motive 10, intimidate 12, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 12, use magic device 12.	Corrupting touch	Slippery mind
11	Spymaster 5	+7	+2	+10	+5	bluff 13, diplomacy 13, disguise 13, sense motive 13, intimidate 13, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 13, use magic device 13, spot 2.	-	Dispel scrying
12	Spymaster 6	+8	+3	+11	+6	bluff 14, diplomacy 14, disguise 14, sense motive 14, intimidate 14, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 14, use magic device 14, spot 2, perform (sing) 4.	-	Sneak attack 3d6
13	Spymaster 7	+9	+3	+11	+6	bluff 15, diplomacy 15, disguise 15, sense motive 15, intimidate 15, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 15, use magic device 15, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	Enervating touch	Deep cover
14	Siren 1	+9	+3	+11	+8	bluff 16, diplomacy 16, disguise 16, sense motive 16, intimidate 16, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 16, use magic device 16, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	B: reverberation	-
15	Siren 2	+10	+3	+11	+9	bluff 17, diplomacy 17, disguise 17, sense motive 17, intimidate 17, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 17, use magic device 17, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	-	Song of despair
16	Siren 3	+11	+4	+12	+9	bluff 18, diplomacy 18, disguise 18, sense motive 18, intimidate 18, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 18, use magic device 18, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	Life drain	Cha +2
17	Siren 4	+12	+4	+12	+10	bluff 19, diplomacy 19, disguise 19, sense motive 19, intimidate 19, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 19, use magic device 19, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	-	Song of nightmare
18	Siren 5	+12	+4	+12	+10	bluff 20, diplomacy 20, disguise 20, sense motive 20, intimidate 20, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 20, use magic device 20, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	-	song of idiocy
19	Siren 6	+13	+5	+13	+11	bluff 21, diplomacy 21, disguise 21, sense motive 21, intimidate 21, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 21, use magic device 21, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	improved energy drain	Cha +4
20	Siren 7	+14	+5	+13	+11	bluff 22, diplomacy 22, disguise 22, sense motive 22, intimidate 22, gather information 4, forgery 4, Hide 22, use magic device 22, spot 2, perform (sing) 8.	-	Song of weakness

*A ghost has one to three special attacks, aside from manifestation. Frightful moan is a must, the others are up to each DM. The version with all three abilities is, of course, the most powerful.

Spoiler: Snapshots

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CR 6:

At this CR, we’ve got a doppelganger rogue, naturally focused on social skills. Unfortunately for them, they’re already dead and insane, with their soul bound in shadow. Not great to (un)live through, but already decently powerful. Bluff, diplomacy, and disguise are fully operational - and with doppelganger traits, skill focus, and a score of 28 Charisma, nothing in their CR range should be able to pierce through. Combat, not being the focus, may seem somewhat subpar at this level - but I still wouldn’t mess with them. With a DC already in the 20’s for their moan, if you’re not immune to fear you’re in serious trouble. They’ve also got decent AC, concealment at will on top of incorporeal miss chance, and fast healing - which is very useful for undead. The version with malevolence and horrific appearance is even more powerful at this stage. The general idea is to serve mainly a spying and social role, with high survivability and a few very nasty surprises.

Even though this is only the beginning, all of Arelshine’s major traits are already here, to be expanded upon later. They are a psychotic-evil shape-shifting incorporeal spy who can pretend to be your dear grandmother without you ever suspecting a thing, and they have a powerful sound-based area attack to use in battle - while relying on double miss chance to keep them in the fight in case of trouble.

CR 10:

4 levels into spymaster. The class is perfect for Arelshine, who takes pleasure in immersing themselves in the roles of the people they impersonate. Undetectable alignment is very valuable for a CE spy, as are the rest of this prc’s capabilities. These mid-levels are certainly the lowest point for Arelshine as far combat goes - little has changed since CR 6, and while at that level their capabilities were probably more than enough, at this level they may not suffice anymore. Still, the dc for their special attacks keeps rising with HD, and while corrupting touch is no game changer, ghostly grasp certainly is - especially when combined with maxed out UMD on a CHA build. Arelshine also likely has the privilege to choose if and when to fight, and they have absolutely no reason to pick a fair fight.

CR 15:

We’re done with spymaster, achieving its capstone ability - deep cover, which I consider absolutely essential for this build mechanically, as well as being its focus narratively. Deep cover means divination spells are worse than useless against the ghost next door - they will reveal only false information. This leaves a skill check as the only way to reveal Arelshine’s lies - and good luck with that. Against a typical humanoid, their bluff modifier should be +38, without any items - which they can have plenty of, thanks to ghostly grasp.

After spymaster, Arelshine goes into Siren, an absolutely nasty PRC from savage species. Enervating touch and reverberation join the fray, and both of them serve a purpose - reverberation gets the DC on Arelshine’s moan even higher, and Enervating touch is a very useful option - no one likes negative levels. It will also serve a higher purpose later in the build. The siren’s song of despair is a once-per day ability that takes no action - it gets layered on top of frightful moan.

CR 20:

This is it. While all of these levels are taken in class that doesn’t advance social abilities, they can’t be said to stagnate - they’re all kept maxed out, and the class does increase Arelshine’s charisma by 4. Their bluff modifier should be +41/45 without items, depending on whether or not they can detect thoughts. UMD and hide are maxed (and have great bonuses) as well.

The main crux of these levels, however, is the combat capabilities. I’d say that if Arelshine has been around throughout the campaign, bothering the PCs and aiding their opponents, at this level they’re a very serious threat unto themselves, even in a direct and fair combat - which again, they have no reason to ever engage in.

They can now layer the effects of phantasmal killer, feeblemind and enervation on top of their moan. The DCs for these abilities stand at 31 without any items. Unlike song of despair, these are not nova abilities - at this CR, Arelshine gets them seven times a day, each. While feeblemind is obviously flashy and powerful, song of weakness has a unique and nasty bite.

Enervating touch, Arelshine’s 13 CR feat, qualifies them for life drain, their 16 CR feat, and for improved energy drain, their 19 CR feat. Life drain allows you to add your Charisma modifier to the damage caused by each negative level you bestow, and converts the damage to temporary HP. While multiple uses probably don’t stack as far as HP goes, even a single use of song of weakness can give Arelshine enormous amounts of HP. Without any Cha enhancing items, we’re talking about an AoE attack with a 30 ft. radius and a save dc of 31, giving 1d4 negative levels to anyone in range. Each of those would do 17 points damage, converted to temp HP. With Improved energy drain, Arelshine also gets a significant bonus to skill and ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. Against a party, it’s deadly. If the party has some lower level support, they’re in an even worse scenario.
And so, the chassis of CR 6 has been kept, its promises fulfilled. Arelshine is the best and spookiest of spies, and they can emit a (literally) nightmare inducing scream in battle. Your best friend’s face, changing into a ghostly terror at your most vulnerable moment, emitting a sound that’ll end you forever, and no one will ever know.

Happy Halloween.

Spoiler: Templates and build discussion

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So, this build is inspired by a story that really freaked me out when I read it as a child. I wanted to make it a story about a sinister ghost that completely forgets they’re a ghost, and suspects someone innocent for being what they themselves actually are.

I really wanted this idea to harmonize with the mechanics of the build as well. I knew I could always just let the fluff say that the ghost is Craaaaazy, but I wanted more than that. I don’t like it when a story is just tacked on top of a build with no support.

That is why I think Deep Cover is so important. Not only is it a very powerful ability, its fluff is also framed in a way that makes it a perfect match for the idea - and if that’s not enough, I have tainted raver to support the Craaaaazy factor as well.

Raver led to Shadow-Bound, because it led me to the idea of Arelshine dying in a really long and messed up way. I was looking for more CR-cheap ways to lean into that, and shadow bound was perfect. The way I see it, Arelshine was hired to spy after the cult of Asmodeus and paid dearly - and remained bound to their service after their death. However, that’s not in the “cannon” fluff above - you could lay the background however you’d like.

Mechanically, both of these templates really harmonize with the build, while costing nothing CR wise. Shadow bound gives the build some flexibility through shadow walk, and concealment at will. Since HP will always be an issue, (well, until song of weakness comes online,) miss chance on top of miss chance is very useful. Tainted raver is even more important. It offers up more CHA, fast healing, and the wonderful Madness, for Cha to will saves. While the + to Con is worthless, the price you pay for it - minus 2 to AC - is more than made up for through the Cha deflection bonus.

Spoiler: sources

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Monster Manual: Doppelganger race, Ghost template.
Heroes of Horror: Tainted Raver template.
Ghostwalk: Corrupting and Enervating touch feats.
Libris Mortis: Life Drain feat, improved energy drain feat, Ghostly Grasp feat.
Complete Adventurer: Spymaster class.
Races of Destiny: Able learner feat.
Savage species: Siren class, Reverberation feat.
Shadow Bound.

[jdizzlean]

Good, Bad things come in small packages

5. The Littlest Nightmare

The Littlest Nightmare:
Pollyanna

"I've always been easily frightened
by the worst in all my dreams.
What once was a little nightmare
is bursting at the seams!"

Spoiler: Build

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Spoiler: Ability Scores

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CR	Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
0	8	12	10	14	13	15
4	8	12	10	14	13	16
7 (Wendigo Template)	12	20	14	14	15	20
10	12	20	14	14	15	21
14	12	20	14	14	15	22
18	12	20	14	15	15	22
19 (Symbiotic Creature Template)	–	26	–	15	15	22
20	–	26	–	15	16	22

Changes at each CR are bolded. The Wendigo template increases Str, Con, and Cha by 4 each, Dex by 8, Wis by 2, and doesn’t affect Int. The Symbiotic Creature template replaces the physical ability scores with those of a Dream Vestige (specifically, and in the interest of fairness, a Dream Vestige with the same Elite Array as Pollyanna, only it has put all four of its increases into Dex). After the Symbiotic Creature template, the two advance as one, and so get one more ability score increase at 20HD, which goes into Wis.

CR	Class	HD	BAB	+0	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	New Features	New Invocations
1	Warlock 1	1d6	+0	+0	+0	+2	Concentration 3, Intimidate 3, Knowledge (the planes) 4, Lucid Dreaming 4, Spellcraft 3, UMD 3	Human Heritage, Skill Knowledge (lucid dreaming) (B)	Eldritch Blast 1d6, Least Invocations	Darkness
2	Warlock 2	2d6	+1	+0	+0	+3	Concentration 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (the planes) 5, Lucid Dreaming 5, Spellcraft 3, UMD 3		Detect Magic	Serpent’s Tongue
3	Warlock 3	3d6	+2	+1	+1	+3	Concentration 4, Intimidate 5, Knowledge (the planes) 6, Lucid Dreaming 6, Spellcraft 4, UMD 3	Boost Spell-Like Ability	Damage Reduction 1/cold iron, Eldritch Blast 2d6
4	Warlock 4	4d6	+3	+1	+1	+4	Concentration 4, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 7, Lucid Dreaming 7, Spellcraft 4, UMD 4		Deceive Item	Dark One’s Own Luck
5	Warlock 5	5d6	+3	+1	+1	+4	Concentration 5, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Lucid Dreaming 8, Spellcraft 4, UMD 5		Eldritch Blast 3d6
7	Wendigo Template		+3	+1	+1	+4	Concentration 5, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Lucid Dreaming 8, Spellcraft 4, UMD 5	Track (B)	Lose walking speed, gain 120 ft (perfect) fly speed, bite attack 1d6 (18-20/x3), Disease (Su), Maddening Whispers (Su), Ravenous Bite (Ex), Cold Subtype (Ex), Corner of the Eye (Ex), Regeneration 5 (overcome by fire) (Ex), Wind Walk (Su)
8	Warlock 6	6d6	+4	+2	+2	+5	Concentration 6, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 9, Lucid Dreaming 9, Spellcraft 5, UMD 5	Shape Soulmeld (Strongheart Vest)	Lesser Invocations	Walk Unseen
9	Warlock 7	7d6	+5	+2	+2	+5	Concentration 7, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 10, Lucid Dreaming 10, Spellcraft 5, UMD 6		Damage Reduction 2/cold iron, Eldritch Blast 4d6
10	Warlock 8	8d6	+5	+2	+2	+6	Concentration 7, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 11, Lucid Dreaming 11, Spellcraft 6, UMD 7		Fiendish Resilience 1	Hellrime Blast
11	Warlock 9	9d6	+6	+3	+3	+6	Concentration 8, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 12, Lucid Dreaming 12, Spellcraft 7, UMD 7	Insane Defiance	Eldritch Blast 5d6
12	Hellfire Warlock 1	10d6	+6	+3	+3	+8	Concentration 9, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 13, Lucid Dreaming 13, Spellcraft 7, UMD 8		Hellfire Blast +2d6	Beshadowed Blast
13	Hellfire Warlock 2	11d6	+7	+3	+3	+9	Concentration 9, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 14, Lucid Dreaming 14, Spellcraft 8, UMD 9		Eldritch Blast 6d6, Greater Invocations, Hellfire Blast +4d6, Hellfire Infusion, resistance to fire 10	Chilling Tentacles
14	Hellfire Warlock 3	12d6	+8	+4	+4	+9	Concentration 10, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 15, Lucid Dreaming 15, Spellcraft 8, UMD 10	Shape Soulmeld (Vitality Belt)	Hellfire Blast +6d6, Hellfire Shield
15	Warlock 10	13d6	+9	+4	+4	+10	Concentration 11, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 15, Lucid Dreaming 16, Spellcraft 9, UMD 11		Energy Resistance 5 (fire, electricity)	Noxious Blast
16	Warlock 11	14d6	+10	+4	+4	+10	Concentration 12, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 16, Lucid Dreaming 16, Spellcraft 10, UMD 12		Damage Reduction 3/cold iron, Eldritch Blast 7d6
17	Warlock 12	15d6	+10	+5	+5	+11	Concentration 13, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 17, Lucid Dreaming 17, Spellcraft 10, UMD 13	Bonus Essentia	Imbue Item	Enervating Shadow
18	Warlock 13	16d6	+11	+5	+5	+11	Concentration 14, Intimidate 6, Knowledge (the planes) 18, Lucid Dreaming 18, Spellcraft 10, UMD 14		Dark Invocations, Eldritch Blast 8d6, Fiendish Resilience 2	Dark Discorporation, Serpent’s Tongue > Entropic Shield
19	APOTHEOSIS Symbiotic Creature Template (Dream Vestige host)	17d12	+8	+5	+5	+11	Concentration 20 (+14), Hide 20, Intimidate 0 (+6), Knowledge (the planes) 10 (+18), Lucid Dreaming 10 (+18), Spellcraft 20 (+10), Spot 4, UMD 10 (+14)	Human Heritage, Undead Meldshaping, Dark Speech, Dark Whispers, Dream Scion, Dream of Perception	Fly speed drops to 40 ft (perfect), Desecrating Aura (Su), Form Consumption (Su), Frightful Presence (Su), Deflective Aura (Su), Detach (Ex), Dream Travel (Su), Incorporeal Traits, Inescapable Craving (bodies), Self-Spawn (Ex), gain guest’s feats as bonus feats, gain guest’s skill ranks as racial bonuses
20	APOTHEOSIS +4 RHD	21d12	+10	+7	+7	+13	Concentration 24 (+14), Hide 24, Intimidate 0 (+6), Knowledge (the planes) 10 (+18), Lucid Dreaming 14 (+18), Spellcraft 24 (+10), Spot 4, UMD 10 (+14)	Extra Invocation (Eldritch Chain), Shadowmaster		Eldritch Chain, Shadowmaster

Spoiler: CR ≤ 5: Building Rapport

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“You don’t look like you belong here/
Did you pinch yourself to see?/
If you’d wake up from a nightmare/
Or could you still be asleep?!”

Spoiler: DM Notes

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Soon after first entering the Plane of Dreams, the players encounter Pollyanna, a Chaotic Good Human Warlock with a talent for manipulating the dreamscape. She is cheerful and friendly, happily answering the PCs questions about herself and the Plane of Dreams. If the PCs ask about her ability to manipulate the dreamscape, she explains the Lucid Dreaming skill (a bit of a misnomer in her case, as she is physically present in the plane, not dreaming) and demonstrates its uses – consider allowing PCs instructed by Pollyanna to use the skill untrained. If asked what she’s doing here, she’ll equally cheerfully admit that her life’s work is to find the Dreamheart at the core of the plane, and that she has a lot of work to do before she’ll be able to bypass the Dreamheart Tempest – a storm of elemental energy that rages outside of dreamscapes sustained by sleeping minds. She’s a little more awkward talking about her patron, but if pressed she’ll describe him as “a minor fey of the snow and the mountains”. Pollyanna is willing to help them with their adventures, but it’s never long before she gets restless and breaks from them to make her own path.

On subsequent meetings, Pollyanna is increasingly more nervous. This starts minor, the occasional darting glance out into the night, but each time the PCs encounter her she is slightly jumpier; starting at shadows, asking about the watch being kept, that sort of thing.

Medium Humanoid (human)
CG Azurin Warlock 1-5

Ah, Lucid Dreaming, probably the coolest skill out there. Pollyanna makes it permanently a class skill with the Skill Knowledge feat (a UA feat intended for use with an alternate skill system, but still perfectly functional in the default system, albeit weaker). Normally skills are assigned before feats, so we’d have to pay cross-class prices for it at 1st level, but we sidestep that neatly with the Human Heritage feat, giving us a perfect 4 extra skill points after we get it as a class skill. Starting from level 1 Pollyanna can reliably travel between dreamscapes, and by taking 20 (or getting lucky) can manipulate either her current dreamscape or her own appearance. Changes made to the dreamscape have to be relatively subtle (no bolts of lightning or bottomless pits beneath foes), but are still incredibly open-ended: clear a path through a forest, switch which way a door is facing so you can unlock it, make a wall easier to climb by changing it from solid stone to brick and adding some vines, and maybe even create secret passages… depending on how permissively you read “architecture” and “vegetation”. You don’t have the skills to use this as battlefield control yet, but as a utility tool it’s very flexible and handy.

Mechanically, there’s nothing else too special happening here. At-will darkness is extremely helpful both for Pollyanna individually and for the group; because of the way darkness works you can see and shoot out of it without penalty as long as your targets are well illuminated, but anyone shooting into it (or meleeing, for that matter) will suffer a 20% miss chance against the squishies sheltered within. Serpent’s Tongue gives Pollyanna the Scent ability for spotting ambushes, detect magic at-will is very useful, and Dark One’s Own Luck lets her boost a save of your choice (probably Fort). She’s reasonably accurate, making touch attacks at range, and is capable of UMDing reliably starting at level 4 thanks to her class ability to take 10 on those checks. Ability Boost is an investment for the future, boosting all your invocation saving throw DCs by +2 three times per day each.

 

Spoiler: “But one soul lies anxious, wide awake/ Fearing all manner of ghouls hags and wraiths”

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*sob* “He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me.

Spoiler

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*sob* “He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me.

Spoiler

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*sob* “He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me. He bit me.


*sniffle*
“I’m so hungry.”

 

Spoiler: CR 11: Little Nightmare

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“The fall of the idol will tear us limb from limb.
To where wandering is a sin. To where nightmares can begin.
This life did not choose us; it chose to consume us!”

Spoiler: “I tell myself it’s all a dream…”

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It’s a familiar chorus. Even amidst the frost, dead trees with clutching branches, and hanging sheets of ice – born out of someone’s dream – breaking camp always sounds basically the same.

“Here’s a good spot. Fire there, tents’ll go there, there, and there.”

“Ugh, why can’t lucid dreaming make the ground any more comfortable?”

“I’ve got the wand ready; how many alarms do you want?”

“Because you suck at it. What’s the plan for dinner?”

“The trees’ll block visibility from the camp starting about 30ft from the fire. I’ll patrol the perimeter 20ft out.”

I break the pattern. “I’ll patrol too.”

Luven has the keenest eyes and ears among us, so first watch is usually his. He raises an eyebrow.

Because I’ve been seeing things out of the corner of my eye all damn day, but nobody else has said anything. “What can I say, the spooky frozen forest has me jumpy. I’d prefer an extra set of eyes while we secure the campsite. Humor me.”

He shrugs, and I slough my pack off my armor so one of the others (probably Perton) can cook dinner with my tools.

---

I stumble a bit, my foot slipping on the frozen ground before I regain my balance.

Separate, but not alone. Isolated, but within reach of the rest of the party. If I’m not just jumping at the wind, if there really is something following us, something only I have seen… then now is a perfect time for it to show itself. Or who knows, maybe it’s something only humans can see, in which case I’m better positioned to warn my friends.

Or I’ve seen it because it’s stalking me specifically, and I’ve just made its job much easier. Which is why I patrol with my sword out and full lungs, ready to shout warning.

And sure enough, there was another flicker at the edge of my vision. I turn to face it. It’s gone of course; they always are when I look, and it will be a while before I see it ag–

Another flicker! I spin left and– another one, on the right this time!

Heart pounding, I take a half-unconscious step back towards the camp. The flickers are coming every few seconds now, and no matter how I twist my neck I still can’t catch a direct glimpse of what is out there. And they’re getting closer. Despite the frigid air, I feel sweat beading on the back of my neck.

Do I yell out, or make a break for the campsite? Preparing to do both, I take another step backwards… and here the whish of something not two feet behind me.

I whip around, sword arcing through the air and a shout on the tip of my tongue – and freeze, blade quivering a handsbreadth from the apparition’s neck.

“… Polly?!”

Eyes wide, her lip starts to tremble. “P-please let me share your fire? D-don’t leave me alone out here with them!” Suddenly, increasingly desperate, she drops to her knees in the snow, hands clasped in front of her. “Please d-don’t let them g-get me! They’ll eat me! Please help me! Please!”

---

Deirdre was sitting in front of the fire pit. She didn’t have William’s skill with cooking, but roasting apples was well within her talents. She’d even been able to coax one of the dead trees native to the dreamscape into growing fresh ones for her. Turning the spit also made a lovely cover for stealthily reverting Perton’s few successful attempts to dream his patch of ground more comfortable.

…Wait, is that one of the things her mortal friends would consider immoral? No, it couldn’t be; it was fun! She’d ask one of the others later just in case, but she was pretty confident this time.

Oh, and there was William now, armored and handsome, coming back to the camp with… was that–?!

“Luven, come back here for a minute!” William yelled. “Everyone else, group meeting! And guess who I found?”

“Polly!” Apples and pranks forgotten, Dierdre shot over to her on wings of gossamer and wrapped her up in a hug, lifting her up and spinning her around. “It’s been so long! We thought you’d found a way through the Dreamheart Tempest at last and left the dreamscapes behind!”

“I-I did. But I had to come back before making it too far because….” Suddenly, her shy smile is replaced with a look of consternation… and fear? “I can’t remember?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it after dinner!”

---

Pollyanna ate like one of the Winter Queen’s own dark hounds, ravenously cramming food into her mouth and choking it down as though she hadn’t eaten in days. But no matter how many times she tried, she couldn’t keep it down, vomiting anything and everything back up almost immediately. And she was quite distraught about it.

“I’m starving, but anything I eat–” she was cut off, appropriately enough, by the remains of her fourth roasted apple coming back from whence it was sent, leaving her chin dribbling with chunks of fruit and her cheeks streaked with tears. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Prob’ly stress,” Luven volunteered in his typically deadpan tones. “Put the body under enough stress, and it starts shutting systems down to divert their energy elsewhere. Digestion is typically the first to go. Hmm, and you seem pretty stressed right now.”

Pollyanna’s eyes lit up like someone had thrown her a lifeline. “Yes! Yes, stress, that must be it. Completely normal, completely normal.”

“Sure, but what is she so stressed over?” Perton asked.

Polly just cowered in response, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering.

William drew everyone’s attention by tapping his gauntlets against his poleyn. “I think there’s something, or somethings out there in the night. I’ve been seeing flashes of it or them out of the corner of my eye all day. Thought I was just imagining things, but I went on patrol just in case. I was starting to see a lot more flickers at the edge of my vision, and then Pollyanna showed up, as if they were chasing her.”

“So. What’re we gonna do about it?”

“Whatever it or they are, they don’t seem to want to attack a group like us. We’ll double the watch for the night; give Polly a chance to relax, ease her nerves. We’ll move out in the morning, when the visibility is better.”

---

But Polly did not relax. As the night drew on, she grew more and more restless, walking back and forth in front of the fire with her arms crossed over her aching stomach.

Finally, Dierdre could bear it no longer. She extracted herself from her bedroll and blankets, and left her tent to check on her friend.

“Are you alright?” she asked, pushing out of her tent.

Pollyanna whipped around, focusing on Dierdre’s face. “Oh no. No, no, no. You’re a large group.” She looked like she was about to start sobbing. “You were supposed to be safe.”

No, not quite on her face. “Huh? What’s wrong, little one?” On her mouth. On her teeth.

And the dreamscape had started to react to her distress. The wind gusted and began to howl. The trees shook, and the forest was filled with the sound of shattering wood and ice. She continued speaking, to herself it seemed, barely audible over the newly vicious wind. “But they got you, too. Nowhere is safe. No one is safe.” Suddenly, she refocused on Dierdre. “Don’t come any closer! Stay away from me!”

And then everything went wrong. William was on patrol closest to the camp, and he reacted to the chaos exactly how he was trained to. “I’ve got you!” he yelled as he wrapped his charge, the little Pollyanna, into a bear hug, shielding her from outside threats with his mass and armor even as he tried to determine where said threats were located. And that was far more than her fragile psyche could take.

Things happened very quickly after that. Pollyanna’s expression changed from fear to absolute terror, and she screamed like she was being eaten alive. William shouted too, in pain and surprise. Perton sprinted from his patrol back into the camp on his short Halfling legs, and Luven exploded out of his tent. They both were too late: little Polly was already gone, vanished like the wind, and a few seconds later one of the alarms sounded for an instant in the adventurers’ minds as something very, very fast crossed its area. But her terrified screams continued, blending into the howling wind and echoing through the night even as they faded with distance.

---

Pollyanna eventually slowed her panicked flight. There was very little as fast as her nowadays, and she was invisible and wrapped up in her darkness, so she was probably safe from pursuit… or so she tried to reassure herself. After all, she’d thought she was safe at her friends’ camp, too.

She stifled a sob at the thought. It wasn’t fair. Her friends, her friends, had been corrupted, had turned against her, had tried to kill and eat her.

They had been her last hope. And now she was worse off than before; neither home nor friends to shelter her from the horrors that stalked the night, hungry to consume all that she was. And she was starving, herself.

She paused, arrested by the sight of her reflection in one of the hanging sheets of ice. Even distorted by the imperfect surface of its mirror, it was unmistakable: matted snow-white hair, eyes lit by a cold light, fingers lengthened into grasping claws, a mouth absolutely full of vicious, brutal fangs, and legs burnt to bloody stumps all the way up to her knees.

She screamed again, but in fury this time. With a wave of her hand, she summoned forth a fanged wind that blasted the sheet of ice into a thousand pieces. But there were more, dozens of the hateful mirrors surrounding her, showing her lies, lies, lies!

She closed her eyes, and focused her will.

“I’m still normal. I’m still human. I’m still me. I’m still normal, I’m still human, I’m still me.”

She pictured what she wanted, and let it loose, feeling it spread through the dreamscape in a pulse of mental power. And when she opened her eyes, all of the reflections showed her true self again, a slight human adolescent, terrified and nearly broken but still her. Yes. She could fix these spiteful reflections the same way she had fixed her own appearance.

Sense of agency renewed, she set off again, this time with purpose. There had to be other human dreamers out there, people who hadn’t been infected yet. She would find them and warn them. And if there was any mercy in this plane, she would be able to eat something.

She paused again. There was blood all over her mouth and chin in the mirror-like ice sheets. Were they lying again? She licked her lips experimentally. No, that was definitely the taste of blood. I must have bitten her tongue in her mad flight from the camp, she thought as she swallowed.

She picked a direction and started moving. Maybe it was the new sense of purpose she felt, but for the first time in what felt like days, her previously unbearable hunger had dulled slightly. Yes, she’d track down another human dreamer, and then she would return to her quest for the Dreamheart. She could not let these terrors stop her.

---

“Polly did this?” The surprised inflection in Luven’s tone was the equivalent of shocked shouting in another man. William couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen Luven display even this much emotion.

“As near as I can tell, yes. Nobody saw anything else, and it happened as soon as I grabbed her.”

“Bloody Hells, man, she practically severed your forearm through your full plate!” That was Perton. No medical skills to speak of, but always willing to provide moral support. And commentary. Mostly commentary, actually.

“Oh come on, now you’re just exaggerating. Look, Luven’s already stopped the arterial blood-flow.”

Dierdre was next. “Are you actually going to be okay? Before Luven got it covered up, I could see bone in those holes, and I don’t think human flesh is supposed to be that color. Could you have caught an infection?”

William rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. Hurts like the Abyss, but it’s nothing that time, maybe some physical therapy, rest, and food won’t fix. Speaking of which, what do we have left from dinner? I’m starving.”

Spoiler: DM Notes

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The key to Pollyanna as a character is that she is completely oblivious to the fact that she is the villain. She is convinced that she is the victim, not just of being attacked and bitten in the first place, but of being menaced and hunted ever since. If you’ll forgive me using Freudian terms to describe her psyche, she is making extremely heavy use of the denial and projection defense mechanisms. In her mind, she’s not a monster, she’s still normal, still herself! No, it’s everyone else who’s feeling this unnatural hunger, this need to hunt and kill fellow humans (interesting aside: Wendigos appear to only hunt their own (former) race, which becomes significant later).

Our Littlest Nightmare is caught between her obsession with reaching the Dreamheart, driving her ever further into the Dreamheart Tempest, and her horror hunger, ever pulling her back to hunt the dreams of the living for humans to feed upon. This provides an excellent excuse for her to keep crossing the paths of the PCs, whether they’re merely entering the Plane of Dreams occasionally or questing for the Dreamheart like her.

Maddening Whispers, Corner of the Eye, and the Wendigo disease are what make Pollyanna a horror monster, but be wary of overusing them. They’ll do great work the first and maybe second time the PCs encounter her as a Wendigo, but after that the PCs will acquire countermeasures, and you’ll have to use them sparingly, probably more as a tool for inspiring paranoia (the Littlest Nightmare has a lot of stealth abilities, so it can be very hard to tell whether she’s actually around or not) than as an actual threat. After the first encounter, you’ll be banking a lot more on the psychological horror of fighting a friend who is more than anything else a victim of her own mind, but has nonetheless done some truly horrible things.

Note: I'm trying to improve my writing, and welcome any thoughts on or criticisms of this story


Medium Humanoid (augmented fey, cold, human)
CE Wendigo Azurin Warlock 9

The transformation into a Wendigo can occur at any point before level 6. Well, you can do it after that, but it requires some rejiggering. The incarnum feats, taken starting at level 6, represent the shredded souls of Pollyanna’s victims, collecting around her and acting as a buffer against some effects. At this point, that’s just ability damage, but it’s already enough to shelter her from the backlash of Insane Defiance – which is itself an incredibly appropriate feat, a perfect mechanical representation of her inability to accept her transformation, instead projecting her own horror hunger onto those around her. The feat is also a very powerful defense, letting her shunt any mind-affecting effect onto someone else nearby as an immediate action. (You also don’t qualify for the incarnum feats until you get the Wendigo template, boosting your Con).

Speaking of defenses, while the Wendigo template has been horrible for Pollyanna psychologically, at-will incorporeality is beyond helpful. In addition to the obvious defensive benefits (immune to non-magical attacks, 50% chance to resist even those, can’t be grappled or tripped, etc.), the immunity to non-magical damage allows her to safely traverse the Dreamheart Tempest which, as an environmental phenomenon that’s not explicitly magical, is now harmless to her (this is also likely why Dream Vestiges haven’t gone extinct despite being native to the Plane of Dreams but having no elemental resistances). 120ft (perfect) flight and the ability to phase through walls and locked doors are just icing on the cake.

Other sweet things you get in this bracket: ability boosts; lovely. Permanent invisibility courtesy of Walk Unseen; superb for stalking, escaping, and hiding. Hellrime Blast is thematic but not very good; at least it qualifies you for Hellfire Warlock. Regeneration and Fast Healing both; these’ll go a long way towards keeping you alive to be paranoid another day. Regeneration also has an interesting interaction with incorporeality: you’re now more likely to be knocked unconscious than killed, and if you are, you’ll fall 5ft into the ground, and should the PCs try to dig after you, you’ll just continue sinking, staying 5ft below the lowest point they’ve dug above you. As discussed in the DM Notes spoiler, Maddening Whispers – and to a lesser extent Corner of the Eye and the Wendigo disease – are what turn our Littlest Nightmare into a horror monster rather than just a recurring NPC. And, starting level 6, your Lucid Dreaming skill is now high enough that you can make any of the DCs by taking 10. By CR 11 you can confidently use it in combat, even, though remember they can’t directly affect opponents. You can even do the old ‘grapple then drag into the Dreamheart Tempest and abandon them’ trick, though any PCs are likely able to get out of that pretty easily, so it’s probably not worth it (though you can use it to soften up or even kill high-level human NPCs before eating them).

Spoiler: CR 18: Haunt Their Dreams

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“My stomach is turning and churning with greed.
Has some cursed me? I’m yearning to feed.
I need something fresher than bread or dead meat
I want it to squirm in my teeth!”

Spoiler: DM Notes

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Well, I’ve already covered the important parts of our Littlest Nightmare’s personality in the story segments and other DM Notes, and the mechanical details in the main section of each snapshot.

So let’s talk music!

“Hungry For Another One”, the song that opens this entry, was the inspiration for this build. Almost all the lyrics are thus pretty appropriate, and you can use it as background music whenever the PCs are fighting or trying to negotiate with Pollyanna (conveniently, there is a 10 hour version on YouTube so you don’t have to keep manually restarting the song). But you may want alternatives to keep that from getting stale.

DAGames has a song by the name of “Instruments of Cyanide”, based on the game Bendy & the Ink Machine. Considering that I hadn’t heard it yet when I conceptualized Pollyanna, the lyrics are shockingly appropriate.

For “diegetic” (in-universe) music, the song “Lullaby of Woe” from the Witcher 3 OST is a delightfully creepy little lullaby about a monster terrified that the protagonist is going to hunt them down, kill them, and “eat [them] whole”. It is exactly the kind of thing Pollyanna would sing to herself in an attempt to keep calm, and you can probably get some mileage out of it echoing throughout the dreamscape so the PCs know she’s there but don’t know where. I’ve been listening to the version sung by Ashley Serena on YouTube. (It’s also where I got “Polly” ’s name from).

And to round things out with a song that’s not directly or indirectly from a video game (I swear that wasn’t an intentional theme), Muse’s “Thought Contagion” is also decently appropriate.

Medium Humanoid (augmented fey, cold, human)
CE Wendigo Azurin Warlock 9/ Hellfire Warlock 3/ Warlock +4

Pollyanna continues to accumulate the shredded souls of her victims in a cloud around her, and they’ve grown dense enough to actually shelter her from physical attacks – Vitality Belt, providing some lovely bonus HP and a nice boost to Concentration, and Bonus Essentia to fuel it (along with the racial point of essentia for being an Azurin).

This is however, merely padding to keep her alive a little bit longer while retreating. The Littlest Nightmare is at heart a hit-and-run menace; she doesn’t even want to be fighting, but she will if she feels forced to (and her paranoia may give her a push as far as feeling pushed). She’s loaded with stealth abilities, including long-term invisibility, total concealment packaged with a debuff, the ability to blind one foe for a turn, and of course incorporeality and a stupid fast perfect flight speed. She’s also an got AOE grapple with some cold damage on the side and the ability to nauseate an opponent hit with her Eldritch Blast (for a whopping 10 rounds only able to make move actions), both great for knocking pursuers out of the chase, or for slowing them down while she slips past them on her way to a mutual objective.

Hellfire Warlock helps her to punch at her weight class, especially when she doesn’t intend to stick around for a full fight. It also gives her some lovely fire resistance (which stacks with the resistance she later gets from Warlock) and the ability to add hellfire to magic items.

Two odd things out in this bracket. Dark Discorporation is moderately dysfunctional, trapping you in a highly defensive body that can’t take standard actions, including, say, attacking or ending the ability. It’s a great last-ditch defense (swarm immunities are no joke), but it’s mainly here as a prerequisite. Similarly, boosting Int up to 15 qualifies us for Dark Speech in the next bracket.

 

Spoiler: CR 19-20: Apotheosis, or “What once was a little nightmare, is bursting at the seams”

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“This decay has derailed, now she walks leaving trails/
Of the damned!”

Spoiler: Symbiotic Creature

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Let’s get the big one out of the way first. Giving a Dream Vestige the Human Heritage feat is… sketchy. Not as sketchy as you’d think, since this is a Dream Vestige consisting entirely of the souls of the Littlest Nightmare’s victims, which should all be 100% human, but still. Out of all the abuses I’ve put the Symbiotic Creature template through (and they are many), this is the worst from a RAW standpoint.

It is also the only one that, if I were a DM and a player requested it, I would allow.

Let me break that down a bit. Part of it is the level it is occurring at; we’re in the endgame, it’s time to bust out the big guns. Part of it is the scale of the power boost; it’s taking two almost equally powerful creatures and halving their action economy, and then treating their CR as if they were both still separate and working together. But mostly it’s that this is more a lateral change than a power grab, a natural extension of where the character was already going, and more flavorful than anything else. In short, it’s exactly how the template is supposed to be used, subverting RAW but upholding RAI if you will.

There are still a couple of weird things that come out of that, though.

I’ll be honest, I have no idea whether you need to continue to meet the prerequisites for PrCs that the guest had. I don’t think so?, since the combined creature doesn’t have levels in the class, just the Special Attacks and Special Abilities its class features provided, but Hellfire Warlock was always intended as a temporary measure to keep Pollyanna alive and kicking until high-level, not a vital part of her game-plan. Besides, we lose most of its class features anyway along with our Con score (though losing the fire resistance would hurt, I’ll admit).

Next up, Undead Meldshaper is a poorly designed feat. While it lets us continue to shape our soulmelds, it doesn’t qualify us for the [Incarnum] feats we have. Fortunately, Symbiotic Creature actually sidesteps that, giving us Pollyanna’s old feats as bonus feats, so we don’t need to meet the prerequisites anymore. Even if that weren’t the case, the soulmelds would remain shaped unless and until dispelled, but we’d lose Bonus Essentia.

Huge Humanoid (augmented aberration, augmented fey, augmented undead, human)
CE Dream Vestige//Azurin Warlock 13/Hellfire Warlock 3

And. Here. We. Go. The Littlest Nightmare, Pollyanna, has made it all the way to the heart of the plane of dreams, and been granted her heart’s desire. Enough power that she never has to be afraid again… or hungry again, for that matter, since travelling to other planes to feast on the civilians just got as simple as an at-will move action (okay, plus some travel if you want to switch which plane you’re exiting the Plane of Dreams into).

There are two CRs you can use for the Littlest Nightmare’s final showdown with the heroes. CR 19 is intended for low-/medium-power PC parties. It’s tankier, and you can use the tricks discussed in DM Notes, but it is essentially just a respec. of Pollyanna pre-apotheosis, trading damage and speed for the HP and Concentration to slug it out in an appropriately climactic showdown once the PCs pin her down.

CR 20, on the other hand, is intended for more powerful PC parties, with the power and tools to go toe-to-toe and mind-to-mind against high-tier and/or high-op PCs. The big enabler here is the Shadowmaster feat. This is it, the reason why we have a shadow-themed invocation for least, lesser, greater, and dark, even the decidedly sub-optimal Dark Discorporation (lovely defensive trick though it is). Oh yes, this feat is more than just permanent displacement and immunity to Shadowcraft Mages, it is the ultimate in flavor and power for a dream-themed Warlock: the ability to weave the substance of dreams to your will, to draw up whatever you imagine and force it into the world. It is shades the ability to cast any and every conjuration spell from the Sorc/Wizard list… at-will, as a standard action, with only a somatic component. Drown your enemies in any of the fog spells (note that you’re immune to the damage of freezing fog, which is also the best of the bunch); summon anything you desire up to and including 18HD dragons (these will still require payment) and inevitables, or just cut to the chase and utilize greater planar binding; travel the multiverse with greater plane shift or just send a foe along without you; bounce around the battlefield as a swift action with dimension jumper (it’s worth an action every 16 rounds to keep this up just in case); use maze or trap the soul as terrifying save-or-lose… and that’s just the surface. If you’re going this route, bomb on over to the Conjurer’s Handbook, and note that all that talk about casting time, XP costs, and material components doesn’t apply to you. Ability Boost can increase the save DC of these by two 3/day, but the DCs are already set as a 9th level spell based on the stat you’ve been pumping since day 1, so that’s almost overkill.

I will note that it’s a little unclear whether you can actually affect yourself with Shadowmaster. You are immune to all shadow-based effects, which may include the invocation itself, but the example is the far more direct Shadow Dragon breath. I think you’re not immune, as that’s the kind of interaction that would be spelled out directly. If you disagree, this probably costs you quite a lot of mobility (though you can still go to the Plane of Dreams as a move action, and from there to wherever you want) but can sling around fogs and stuff on your own location with no consequences, so it’s a bit of a tradeoff.

The last exclusive to CR 20 is the Chain Blast blast shape for the Eldritch Blast. A Chain Noxious Eldritch Blast is a terrifying thing, especially since you can increase the save DC by two 3/day; don’t forget you have it once you’ve done all the summoning and BFC you want to. Once everyone’s nauseated, switch to Chain Blinding Blast.

You can actually go a bit higher-op than even this, if you want and are willing to accept a little cheese. You can add on another 3 RHD without going up to CR 21, giving you another (Epic) feat. Energy Immunity (fire) is tempting, as is Epic Extra Invocation for another Dark invocation, and if you swap out some of your invocations you can qualify for Master of All Elements – but for my money, your best bet is the humble Ability Focus (Eldritch Blast) or Ability Focus (Shadowmaster) for a lovely permanent +2 to save DCs.

Okay, now that that’s done with, let’s talk about the things that both versions get. Dream Scion is a fascinating little feat, letting you enter a state of waking dreaming several times per day. This makes you explicitly dreaming, even while mentally on a plane other than the Plane of Dreams. Which means you should be able to use Lucid Dreaming outside of the Plane of Dreams. Using that to change an aspect of the dreamscape would be a little sketchy (but totally awesome) because you’re not actually in a dreamscape, but dragging people into the Dreamheart Tempest, travelling to dreamscapes, and adjusting your own appearance are all totally on the table. (In fact, Pollyanna never leaves the Plane of Dreams without using this ability, unable and unwilling to deal with confronting her true appearance). There are three possible feats you can take after this one that can give your saving throws a hefty boost at the cost of ending your dream state; I chose Dream of Perception for a truly massive boost to Will, but it’s incredibly flexible, and I encourage DMs to choose the one best fitting their party.

Next is Dark Speech and Dark Whispers. The former is a utility ability that might not see any use at this point in the campaign, but the second is a devastating AOE debuff. Both are pretty fitting, flavor-wise, given the fluff of both Wendigos and Dream Vestiges feature whispers pretty heavily.

Desecrating Aura is a fantastic boost to HP, and thanks to the specific wording it doesn’t even care that we’re technically not an Undead anymore. We might miss out on the boost to Turn Resistance, though.

Did you know that incorporeal creatures can share a space with non-incorporeal creatures? If you want to, you can really use this to screw with your players. They have no reason to expect that Pollyanna is now a Huge monster; she just looks like the Medium Humanoid she always was, with a bunch of mist around her (and she can hide the mist by controlling her appearance with Lucid Dreaming). But when they try to approach ‘her’, it requires making a touch attack to enter her true, Huge, space, and her touch AC is absurd. She can also probably ‘move’ her human body around within the mist without provoking AoOs. If you want to be really mean, you could rule that being inside her body counts as getting hit with her Int draining touch attack that she uses to feed, but that’s not really supported by RAW. This does cut both ways, though; teleporting such that your space overlaps the PCs’ has a real chance of failure if they’ve pumped their touch AC high enough.

Finally, Self-Spawn. I recommend not using this to create an infinite army of Pollyanna clones, actually. I give it about a 50% chance that, anytime our Littlest Nightmare duplicates, the two clones fight to the death, unable to bear the proof of what they’ve become.

 

Spoiler: Sources

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Book of Vile Darkness – Feats: Dark Speech, Dark Whispers.
Complete Arcane – Classes: Warlock. Feats: Extra Invocation. Invocations: Beshadowed Blast, Chilling Tentacles, Dark Discorporation, Dark One’s Own Luck, Darkness, Enervating Shadow, Entropic Shield, Hellrime Blast, Noxious Blast, Serpent’s Tongue, Walk Unseen.
Elder Evils – Feats: Insane Defiance.
Fiend Folio – Races: Wendigo template.
Fiendish Codex II – Classes: Hellfire Warlock.
Libris Mortis – Races: Dream Vestige.
Magic of Incarnum – Races: Azurin. Feats: Bonus Essentia, Shape Soulmeld, Undead Meldshaper. Soulmelds: Strongheart Vest, Vitality Belt.
Manual of the Planes – Skills: lucid dreaming.
Races of Destiny – Feats: Human Heritage.
Rules Compendium – Rules: incorporeal space-sharing rules.
Savage Species – Races: Symbiotic Creature template.
Secrets of Sarlona – Feats: Dream of Perception, Dream of the Moment, Dream Scion, Dream of Strength.
SRD – Races: Incorporeal subtype. Feats: Track. Skills: concentration, hide, intimidate, knowledge (the planes), spellcraft, UMD. Spells: shades.
Unearthed Arcana – Feats: Skill Knowledge.
Web – Feats: Shadowmaster (Epic Insights).
Music – “Bendy Song (Instruments of Cyanide)” by DAGames, “Hungry for Another One” by JT Music, “Lullaby of Woe” from The Witcher 3 OST as sung by Ashley Serena.

[jdizzlean]

Well, since none of these include pictures or other proof that the entrants ate some candy, we'll just have to take them at their word won't we?


Enjoy!

[AvatarVecna]

I wish I'd finished mine up. The fluff wouldn't have been too impressive, it was more a riff on the idea of a halloween costume thrown together from bits and pieces of other costumes cuz you didnt' think you'd be going out this year and suddenly there's a party. "Okay uh...I'm got cat ears...some fangs and a wolf tail...a martial arts gi...some Tinkerbell wings...and a bedsheet ghost costume. Right, let's make kung fu werewolf ghost fairy princess work! Somehow!"

It was mostly just for one cheesy thing I found, but I think I'll save that trick for a later competition.

[Falontani]

Man I wish I had actually done mine now; it was going to be a 'Spooky Scary Skeleton'
It isn't easy making an incorporeal skeleton looking creature, but I had an idea, just never actually did it.

[H_H_F_F]

are there any confirmed judges for this round?

[Falontani]

I don't remember any

[GrayDeath]

OK, if noone else is confirmed, I will judge, but I am stating now that at the rearliest I will be able tos tart at the weekend.

Week hasnt gone well so far, and is ****full of work to boot.

[jdizzlean]

bueller? bueller?

[Doctor Despair]

bueller? bueller?

It's a ghost town!

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I swear, every time I reread my entry, I find new typos.

[Thurbane]

I swear, every time I reread my entry, I find new typos.

I know that feeling all too well...

[GrayDeath]

I`m back.

The last week I suffered from migraine-like headaches whenever looking at bright things...like Windows, or SMartphones, or PC Screens.
It has now been gone for full 30 hours, so I`m back, and will start judging tomorrowish.

Cant say when I`ll be done howevber.

Sorry.

[Falontani]

I`m back.

The last week I suffered from migraine-like headaches whenever looking at bright things...like Windows, or SMartphones, or PC Screens.
It has now been gone for full 30 hours, so I`m back, and will start judging tomorrowish.

Cant say when I`ll be done howevber.

Sorry.

Don't feel sorry! You have a busy life, and migraines when looking at screens sounds abhorrently awful.

[H_H_F_F]

I`m back.

The last week I suffered from migraine-like headaches whenever looking at bright things...like Windows, or SMartphones, or PC Screens.
It has now been gone for full 30 hours, so I`m back, and will start judging tomorrowish.

Cant say when I`ll be done howevber.

Sorry.

Stay well, GrayDeath. Your health obviously takes precedence.

[GrayDeath]

Thank you for your understanding/well wishes.

I seem to ahve gotten whatever that was behind me, but I`ll try not to get regular headaches from all the computer stuff I ahve to get back now that I can....^^

[jdizzlean]

ugh,

it's been forever since i got a migraine, but i've only gotten occasional ones, can't imagine a week of them.