Villainous Competition XVIII: This is Heresy

[remetagross]

Rushing through it :)

[Venger]

Official deadline is up...however, I will accept entries up to the reveal (which will be when I get home from work, approx. 7 hours from now

Putting on the finishing touches myself. Thanks a lot.

Rushing through it :)

Best of luck to you. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

[Vaz]

I had an idea but ran out of time to polish it.

More than happy to judge however. Looking forward to reading them!

[daremetoidareyo]

I'm sorry, but could I please request for one more day extension? I have a really good idea and I'm almost done but I can't work on it more today. I just need one more day, please.

You have like 5 more hours. Get crackin'!

[zergling.exe]

I mean, I don't have any more time available to work on it now, but if the deadline is extended I will.

It was already extended by 55 hours (48 on a previous request and a further 7 for Thurbane getting off work). Isn't that already enough if an extension?

[zergling.exe]

It was extended by 24 only

My mistake, but it's still a 31 hour extension due to the additional 7 hours Thurbane gave.

[Thurbane]

Yeah, sorry, going to stick with the new deadline.

People have had several weeks to get an entry organized. I was happy to do 24 hours to accommodate a couple of more entries, but I have to draw a line somewhere.

[Tiri]

Sadly, I squandered my time dealing with real-life issues. I may try judging, though.

[ben-zayb]

I had to do some minor rebuilding yesterday after realizing I was missing an integral part of the crunch, and the build didn't really work by RAW at all. The good thing is that fluff is 90% the same!


Looking forward to see what everyone else brought to the table

[Venger]

I had to do some minor rebuilding yesterday after realizing I was missing an integral part of the crunch, and the build didn't really work by RAW at all. The good thing is that fluff is 90% the same!


Looking forward to see what everyone else brought to the table

Sounds exciting! Best of luck to you.

[Buufreak]

Novolin, you have been asked before. Please stop deleting your posts. It can cause confusion and makes conversations look one-sided and redundant.

[remetagross]

Got it in time!
Thanks for the added duration, Thurbane! Now, I need a shut-eye, the Sun will rise in about an hour

Best of luck to you. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Hey thanks Venger, hope you'll like it

[Venger]

Got it in time!
Thanks for the added duration, Thurbane! Now, I need a shut-eye, the Sun will rise in about an hour

Hey thanks Venger, hope you'll like it

I'm sure I will. Got mine in with time to spare. Can't wait to see the builds

[The Viscount]

That extra 24 hours was just what I needed to get mine in. Looking forward to seeing everyone's entry.

[Thurbane]

Time for the reveal...please refrain from posting until I say otherwise.

[Thurbane]

"I gave those poor, uneducated savages a chance. I truly did. But we will never realize the true glory of the elven race while these monsters stand in our way. Corellon's priesthood think they know better than me, but they haven't been down there, among the truly wretched, and seen what they are capable of. They live in their tree palaces, preaching about kindness and understanding, but I am the only one who truly understands our Lord of the Stars. It lies on me to exercise the will of Corellon Larethian, and I will bloody my sword arm so that the rest of our great race does not have to mar their eternal soul.

For my dearest Ephinia, I will make the Elven Race Great Again!"

- Tahlessrail, The Bloody Blade of Corellon

Spoiler: Build Stub/Ability Scores

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CE Grey Elf Fighter 2/Warblade 6/Champion of Corellon Larethian 2/Eternal Blade 10

Attribute	Base	Racial	Level	Total
Strength	13	-2	-	11
Dexterity	15	2	5	22
Constitution	12	-2	-	10
Intelligence	14	2	-	16
Wisdom	10	-	-	10
Charisma	8	-	-	8

Spoiler: Table

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Level	Class	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	Fighter 1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Concentration 4 (2), Diplomacy 4 (2), Knowledge (Religion) 4 (2), Jump 4 (4), Ride 4 (4), Tumble 4 (2)	Combat Expertise, Dodge	-
2nd	Fighter 2	+2	+3	+0	+0	Balance 4 (2), Jump 1 (5), Ride 1 (5)	Mounted Combat	-
3rd	Warblade 1	+3	+5	+0	+0	Balance 3 (5), Concentration 4 (6), Diplomacy 1 (3)	Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Elven Courtblade)	Battle Clarity, Weapon Aptitude
4th	Warblade 2	+4	+6	+0	+0	Concentration 1 (7), Diplomacy 1 (4), Jump 2 (7), Tumble 4 (6)	-	Uncanny Dodge
5th	Warblade 3	+5	+6	+1	+1	Concentration 1 (8), Diplomacy 4 (8), Jump 1 (8), Tumble 2 (8)	-	Battle Ardor
6th	Warblade 4	+6	+7	+1	+1	Concentration 1 (9), Diplomacy 1 (9), Intimidate 4 (4) Jump 1 (9), Tumble 1 (9)	Weapon Finesse	-
7th	Warblade 5	+7	+7	+1	+1	Concentration 1 (10), Diplomacy 1 (10), Intimidate 4 (8), Jump 1 (10), Tumble 1 (10)	Ironheart Aura	-
8th	Warblade 6	+8	+8	+2	+2	Concentration 1 (11), Diplomacy 1 (11), Intimidate 3 (11), Jump 1 (11), Knowledge (History) 1 (1), Tumble 1 (11)	-	Improved Uncanny Dodge
9th	Champion of Corellon Larethian 1	+9	+10	+2	+4	Concentration 1 (12), Diplomacy 1 (12), Ride 4 (9)	Elusive Target (or Mobility, see Equipment), Weapon Focus (Elven Courtblade)	Corellon's Blessing
10th	Champion of Corellon Larethian 2	+10	+11	+2	+5	Concentration 1 (13), Diplomacy 1 (13), Ride 4 (13)	-	Elegant Strike
11th	Eternal Blade 1	+11	+13	+2	+5	Concentration 1 (14), Diplomacy 1 (14), Ride 1 (14), Tumble 3 (14)	-	Blade Guide, Eternal Training 1/day
12th	Eternal Blade 2	+12	+14	+2	+5	Concentration 1 (15), Diplomacy 1 (15), Jump 2 (13), Ride 1 (15), Tumble 1 (15)	Stormguard Warrior	Guided Strike
13th	Eternal Blade 3	+13	+14	+3	+6	Concentration 1 (16), Diplomacy 1 (16), Jump 2 (15), Ride 1 (16), Tumble 1 (16)	-	Armored Uncanny Dodge, Eternal Training 2/day
14th	Eternal Blade 4	+14	+15	+3	+6	Concentration 1 (17), Diplomacy 1 (17), Jump 2 (17), Ride 1 (17), Tumble 1 (17)	-	Eternal Knowledge (Arcana, History)
15th	Eternal Blade 5	+15	+15	+3	+6	Concentration 1 (18), Diplomacy 1 (18), Intimidate 1 (12), Jump 1 (18), Ride 1 (18), Tumble 1 (18)	Robilar's Gambit	Eternal Training 3/day
16th	Eternal Blade 6	+16	+16	+4	+7	Concentration 1 (19), Diplomacy 1 (19), Intimidate 1 (13), Jump 1 (19), Ride 1 (19), Tumble 1 (19)	-	Defensive Insight, Eternal Knowledge (Nature, The Planes)
17th	Eternal Blade 7	+17	+16	+4	+7	Concentration 1 (20), Diplomacy 1 (20), Intimidate 1 (14), Jump 1 (20), Ride 1 (20), Tumble 1 (20)	-	Eternal Training 4/day
18th	Eternal Blade 8	+18	+17	+4	+7	Concentration 1 (21), Diplomacy 1 (21), Intimidate 1 (15), Jump 1 (21), Ride 1 (21), Tumble 1 (21)	Improved Trip	Eternal Knowledege (Geography, Local), Tactical Insight
19th	Eternal Blade 9	+19	+17	+5	+8	Concentration 1 (22), Diplomacy 1 (22), Intimidate 1 (16), Jump 1 (22), Ride 1 (22), Tumble 1 (22)	-	Eternal Training 5/day
20th	Eternal Blade 10	+20	+18	+5	+8	Concentration 1 (23), Diplomacy 1 (23), Intimidate 1 (17), Jump 1 (23), Ride 1 (23), Tumble 1 (23)	-	Eternal Knowledge (Dungeoneering, Nobility and Royalty), Island in Time

Skill Totals: Balance 5, Concentration 23, Diplomacy 23, Intimidate 17, Jump 23, Knowledge (History) 1, Knowledge (Religion) 2, Ride 23, Tumble 23

Spoiler: Maneuvers

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Initiating Table

Level	IL	Maneuvers Known	Maneuvers Readied	Stances Known	Maximum Level
1st	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	1	-	-	-	-
3rd	2	3	3	1	1
4th	3	4	3	1	2
5th	4	5	3	1	2
6th	5	5	4	2	3
7th	6	6	4	2	3
8th	7	6	4	2	4
9th	7	6	4	2	4
10th	8	6	4	2	4
11th	9	7	4	2	5
12th	10	7	4	2	5
13th	11	8	5	2	6
14th	12	8	5	2	6
15th	13	9	5	3	7
16th	14	9	6	3	7
17th	15	10	6	3	8
18th	16	10	6	3	8
19th	17	11	7	3	9
20th	18	11	7	3	9

Maneuvers Known: (Level Acquired)
1st - Moment of Perfect Mind (3), Steel Wind (3, traded out for Bounding Assault at 8), Steely Strike (3, traded out for Iron Heart Surge at 6)
2nd - Action Before Thought (5), Emerald Razor (7), Foehammer (11), Wall of Blades (4)
3rd - Iron Heart Surge (6)
4th - Bounding Assault (8)
6th - Moment of Alacrity (13)
7th - Quicksilver Motion (15)
8th - Diamond Nightmare Blade (17)
9th - Time Stands Still (19)

Stances Known: (Level Acquired)
1st - Punishing Stance (3)
3rd - Pearl of Black Doubt (6), Thicket of Blades (15)

Spoiler: Level Breakdowns

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"The following letters are one of the best kept secrets of the Elven historians. They were found in the residence of one Ephinia Moonglimmer, who was discovered deceased when she had failed to report in to her weekly performances at the palace. She had reportedly committed suicide. The letters are the only known correspondence from the noted heretic and murderer known only as 'The Bloody Blade of Corellon'. They reveal his name to be Tahlessrail, and further searching of the records shows a soldier by that name registered into the force at approximately the correct time to be the selfsame person. Despite this, the church maintains that the letters are just a fiction, created by a madman, or perhaps a copycat killer. The later letters are reportedly penned exclusively in Orcish blood, though all we have are these recreations, as the originals were 'misplaced'. We leave it up to the reader to determine the veracity of these letters for themselves.

(Please note that the enclosed contents do not in any way represent the beliefs of Woodshear publishing, nor do we endorse such language or behaviors)"

- Foreword to 'The Orcish Genocide', by Elenian Woodshear

Spoiler: CR 5 - CG Fighter 2/Warblade 3

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To my dearest Ephinia, light of my life

Though it has only been but a scant few moons since I last laid eyes upon your face, my heart aches like nothing else to see you again. It is nothing at all like our homeland out here. There is no beauty to be found in these arid hills, nor love in the hearts of these men. Our company has been forced into working with these absolutely Infernal dwarves, and were it not for the Orcs poisoning these lands with their very presence, I'm sure that the alcohol dripping from their matted beards would mar the land just the same. Our human allies are less... reprehensible, but make me uneasy nonetheless.

Still, I cannot deny their skill in battle, and with their aid we have made great advances into the Orcish frontlines, though describing it in such terms is perhaps giving them too much credit. They do not even fight like animals, they fight like... something I cannot, perhaps no one can describe. What could possibly provoke them into such fury, that they give no care to their own lives, or that of their brethren? I had thought that the tales of these berserkers were exaggerated, but now I see that if anything, it underepresented their savagery. I shudder to think what would happen if these fiends were to make their way to our beautiful homeland. Sometimes, when I'm fighting, all that keeps me going is the thought that if I fail, you may be forced to see them with your own, beautiful eyes. Be safe, light of my life, and I hope life in the capital treats you better than battle treats me.

By Corellon's Grace, your lover and guardian Tahlessrail.

Spoiler: CR 10 - CN Fighter 2/Warblade 6/Champion of Corellon Larethian 2

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To my dearest Ephinia, light of my life

Today is a joyous day, for my superiors have finally seen fit to give me the position I deserve! Apparently all it takes for the priesthood to take notice is to take out an Orcish platoon nearly singlehandedly. I suppose I should thank my cowardly allies, were it not for their pathetic display of 'bravery', I would perhaps have never gotten a chance to show off my skill. What a shame they got themselves killed. I must admit, I was initially apprehensive about this position, but to be entirely honest, I don't imagine how I could live without the feeling of the wind through my blade, and the cleaving of filthy Orcish flesh. Of course, I would give it all up in a heartbeat, just for a moment with you my dear.

Tomorrow, we march upon their capital 'city', though it more resembles a pit in the earth than any proper Elven town. All the more fitting for them to wallow around in. Some of my greener compatriots have concerns about the civilian population, but, as I informed them, there's no such thing as a civilian Orc. Only dead ones, and ones that I have yet to kill.

By Corellon's Grace, your lover and guardian Tahlessrail.

Spoiler: CR 15 - CE Fighter 2/Warblade 6/Champion of Corellon Larethian 2/Eternal Blade 5

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To my dearest Ephinia, light of my life

I can not believe the insolence of these false believers! They have sided with my human 'allies', and have wholeheartedly swallowed their false reports about my actions! This is absolutely untenable. To think that ones I once held in such high regard would take the words over these sniveling humans over one of their own. The priesthood's heads have been filled with all sorts of garbage about the 'rights' of these Orcs. Hah! They would rather betray their god and their people than let me take proper credit for cleansing their world of the filth that inhabits it.

But I know that am in the right here. They dared to strip me of my position as a Champion, but I know that our Lord of Stars supports me. He has appeared to me in a vision, and offered his services as a trainer as recompense for his priesthood's sinful acts. With his spirit by my side, no filthy Orc will ever make it to our fair city. Apparently, the Humans and Orcs have begun to refer to me as 'The Bloody Blade of Corellon' in their lesser tongue. Yet more proof that they are one and the same. Please, take care my love, and do not be deceived by the faithless.

By Corellon's Grace, your lover and guardian Tahlessrail.

Spoiler: CR 20 - CE Fighter 2/Warblade 6/Champion of Corellon Larethian 2/Eternal Blade 10 (Showcase)

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To my dearest Ephinia, light of my life

Do not worry my love. Never again will one of these filthy savages lay a hand on you. I will make sure of it.

The Bloody Blade of Corellon

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Okay, so now that you've experienced the joy of a racist elf going off the deep end, let's go into how this build functions as a villain. The reason I don't have full writeups for any of the previous CR benchmarks is that those are more of a nice shorthand for describing how he changes and loses his grip on his faith as he grows in strength. If you were to run him as a villain from earlier levels, he still functions just fine, but loses much of his motivation, unless you're running an Orcish party, in which case he makes for a nice recurring villain. However, this breakdown is specifically set up for him as a genocidal, implacable threat, that can work against almost any party with the right build up. Let's get on to the mechanics, however.

He starts off with some levels of Fighter, due to the ridiculous prerequisites of Champion of Corellon Larethian (or CoCL, as I will be referring to it from now on), requiring three 'throwaway' feats, an exotic weapon proficiency, martial weapon proficiency, and heavy armor proficiency (which is why I can't enter through straight Warblade without extensive shenanigans). From there, he goes into Warblade, picking up a number of notable defensive tools, such as Wall of Blades, Moment of Perfect Mind, and Action Before Thought. Pearl of Black Doubt also comes online around this time, which is part of the setup for his main style of fighting later on. Otherwise, with the aforementioned Warblade defenses, high hit dice, as well as Dodge and Combat Expertise, he can be an absolute defensive wall. He picks up Iron Heart Surge (for obvious reasons), as well as Bounding Assault (for reasons that will soon be obvious), before heading into CoCL.

At level 9, the first level of CoCL, he gains a soon to be irrelevant ability (his alignment changing to Chaotic Evil means that Corellon's Blessing is no longer usable, but his Charisma is bad enough that it isn't relevant anyways), but more importantly, two feats: Weapon Focus for qualifying for Eternal Blade, and Elusive Target (assuming Armor of Mobility is available, see the Equipment section). Elusive Target has three benefits, the most commonly noted one being immunity to the extra damage from Power Attack, but Tahlessrail is mostly in it for the third ability, Cause Overreach. Whenever he provokes an attack of opportunity by moving out of an opponent's threatened space and they miss, he immediately gets a trip attempt against them. Again, this is all leading up to a point, I swear. At level 10, he takes his second level of CoCL, which gets him Dex to damage with his main weapon.

Now we come to the meat of the build. Tahlessrail enters Eternal Blade at level 11, resuming his maneuver progression. He picks up Foehammer at this level, in preparation for later, as none of the 5th level maneuvers are particularly important to him. He also gets Eternal Training, adding his Intelligence to attack and damage versus one type of enemy (usually Humanoid (Orc) if it wasn't obvious) for a whole encounter once per day. At 12th level though, the real meat of his build comes online. Not with Guided Strike, though that is nice, but with Stormguard Warrior. With Stormguard Warrior, Pearl of Black Doubt, Mobility, and Elusive Target, he can move around with Bounding Assault or just simple single moves, put a ton into Combat Expertise, and set his AC sky high the more he gets missed, and trip everyone who attempts to attack him, not to mention free positioning. Stormguard Warrior is well known for its ability to set up huge damage, so I don't feel like I need to go into to much detail on that front.

After this, he picks up Quicksilver Motion and Moment of Alacrity, meaning he basically always goes first and has even more opportunities to provoke AoOs. Speaking of AoOs, he also picks up Robilar's Gambit, meaning that each missed AoO against Tahlessrail provokes an AoO from him in return, which he will usually sacrifice to power Channel the Storm. He also gets access to Thicket of Blades at 15th, meaning he can set up lose/lose situations for his enemies incredibly easily.

Going into the last stretch of the builds, Tahlessrail doesn't exactly slow down on gaining new tricks. With Improved Trip we finally cycle back around to Elusive Target, where he can get extra Channel the Storm charges very easily by moving past someone. Diamond Nightmare Blade pumps up his single target damage to kind of ridiculous levels, and once he hits 20th level, he gets access to one of the more terrifying combos in Tome of Battle: Island In Time + Time Stands Still. As an Immediate action once per encounter, he can spontaneously take two full attack actions. And this can be AFTER taking his turn and pumping his AC and damage up with Pearl of Black Doubt and Stormguard Warrior.

Put this all together, and you have a highly mobile and defensive opponent who can weave in and out of combat with ease, punishes you both for attacking him and for not attacking him, adds two different abilities to hit, and three to damage, can make up for his bad Will save incredibly easily with Moment of Perfect Mind, and is all around a well balanced, and powerful enemy. Perfect for a climactic and dramatic fight. Plus, he absolutely and unambiguously believes that he is channeling his god's will, and does in fact gain direct power from worshiping his god from the levels in CoCL.

Spoiler: Equipment

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The most notable item for Tahlessrail is a set of Mithral Breastplate with the Mobility enchantment (MiC pg. 13). This frees up a feat, meaning his entire build comes online three levels earlier, negates some of the ridiculous feat tax that 3.5 loves so much, AND is actually a great feat for him in its own right. It should be easily available, but for a game that doesn't use MiC or Draconomicon (where the enchantment was previously printed), he can still function, just shift his feats up one slot. Missing out on Improved Trip isn't too much of a big deal. Other notable items include a Keen Elven Courtblade (probably with some variety of Orcbane, for flavor), some sort of method of flight, enhancements to Dexterity and Intelligence, and AC Bonuses. Tahlessrail actually benefits MUCH more from the AC Bonuses than a standard build, due to his fighting style, so feel free to stack up on those as fits the numbers of your group. Another important thing is some sort of access to Haste. Amusingly, not for the extra attack, but for the extra movement speed and AC, though the extra attack certainly doesn't hurt when Time Stands Still comes into play.

Spoiler: Variants/Alternate Rules

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Flaws: If Flaws are allowed, this greatly frees up Tahlessrail's feat selection, allowing him to pick up all of his major feats much earlier, as well as add other thematic or effective feats (Karmic Strike, Improved Combat Expertise, etc.).

Gestalt: In Gestalt, Tahlessrail's build would probably look something like Warblade 20//Fighter 2/Elven Wildshape Ranger 6/Champion of Corellon Larethian 2/Eternal Blade 10, drastically expanding his combat ability and versatility, as well as adding some thematic favored enemy abilities.

Custom Items: Tahlessrail would benefit greatly from a custom item that gives a large Competence bonus to Concentration, built as described in the DMG and Magic Item Compendium. Additionally, giving him a Legacy weapon is a good way to add to the orc-slaughtering/blatant racism flavor. Consider adding some levels of Legacy Champion if going down this path.

No Tome of Battle: If not using Tome of Battle, it may be better to focus more on Tahlessrail's efficiency versus the races he despises, with levels of Ranger and whatnot. A sample build might look something like Fighter 2/Elven Wildshape Ranger 5/Champion of Corellon Larethian 10/Foe Hunter (Orc) 3. Alternatively, he could be retooled into a ranged fighter while keeping much of the same flavor, such as a Ranger/Deepwood Sniper/Peerless Archer/Justice of Weald and Woe build, or something in the same vein.

Spoiler: Sources

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Complete Warrior - Elusive Target, Karmic Strike
Player's Handbook 2 - Robilar's Gambit
Races of the Wild - Champion of Corellon Larethian, Elven Courtblade
Tome of Battle - Eternal Blade, Ironheart Aura, Maneuvers and Stances, Stormguard Warrior, Warblade

[Thurbane]

Darkpaw


“You know why you’re here don’t you, human? Something has been taken from me. No, don’t protest; I know you didn’t take anything from me personally. But your kind has taken too much from the Feline races. Hunting us. Enslaving us. Tormenting us for your pleasure. Stealing our young. Oh, yes, don’t try to deny it. That was you with that sack full of kittens by the river last month. Six of them, weren’t there? Our mother Bast teaches that evildoers must be hunted down like the vermin they are, and that injustice must be met with vengeance. Now, you only have two children – that’s them over in the sacks. I’m not one for being too focused on the letter of the law, though. We have so many more deaths to avenge, what’s a few here and there?”

Given nickname: Darkpaw
Important Chosen surnames: Lost-home, Thiefslayer, Kinfinder, Humanbane
NE Tibbit Ranger 5/Animal Lord (Catlord) 8/ Unarmed Swordsage 7

Spoiler: Basic Description

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Darkpaw is a Tibbit. In both cat and Tibbit form, he has short, dark hair and a small scar on his left cheek. When he was young, his family befriended a family of elf peasants devoted to the Pharaonic deities. He learned of Bast from a young age. Before his education could continue past the very basics, a group of humans had raided the elvish settlement, killing the elves and looting anything they could find. Darkpaw escaped the raid, but the rest of his family was not so lucky. Now he has sworn to bring death to all who have wronged the feline races, and hopes to herd enough followers into making a decisive strike against their oppressors.

Note that this backstory can be changed to fit the needs of the campaign. If your adventurers’ party is full of elves, dwarves, or some other race, they can be used as the culprits behind the raid.

Bast is a Chaotic Good deity, but Darkpaw has chosen to emphasize the Vengeance of her portfolio to the exclusion of Chaos and Good.

Spoiler: Starting Abilities

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Str 8 ->6
Dex 15 ->17
Con 10
Int 13
Wis 12
Cha 14

Spoiler: Build

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CR	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	Ranger 1	+1	+2	+2	+0	Climb 4, Handle Animal 4, Hide 4, Jump 4, Knowledge (Nature) 4, Move Silently 2, Tumble 4, Knowledge (Religion) 1	Craven, Track (B)	First Favored Enemy* (Humanoid: Human), Wild Empathy, Bonus Feat
2nd	Ranger 2	+2	+3	+3	+0	Climb 5, Handle Animal 5, Hide 5, Jump 5, Knowledge (Nature) 5, Move Silently 3, Tumble 5	-	Combat Style (Two Weapon Fighting)
3rd	Ranger 3	+3	+3	+3	+1	Handle Animal 6, Hide 6, Jump 6, Move Silently 4, Tumble 6, Balance 1	Weapon Finesse, Endurance (B)	Bonus Feat
4th	Ranger 4	+4	+4	+4	+1	Handle Animal 7, Hide 7, Jump 7, Move Silently 5, Tumble 7, Balance 2.5	-	Animal Companion, +1 Int
5th	Ranger 5	+5	+4	+4	+1	Handle Animal 8, Hide 8, Jump 8, Move Silently 6, Tumble 8, Balance 4	-	Second favored enemy* (+2 vs humans)
6th	Catlord 1	+6	+6	+6	+1	Handle Animal 9, Jump 9, Move Silently 7, Tumble 8.5, Balance 5	Combat Expertise	Animal Bond, Detect Animals, Wild Empathy
7th	Catlord 2	+7	+7	+7	+1	Handle Animal 10, Jump 10, Move Silently 8, Hide 9, Tumble 9	-	First Totem (+4 Move Silently), Low-light vision
8th	Catlord 3	+8	+7	+7	+2	Handle Animal 11, Jump 11, Hide 10, Tumble 10	-	Wild Aspect 1/day, +1 Dex
9th	Catlord 4	+9	+8	+8	+2	Handle Animal 12, Jump 12, Survival 4	Underfoot Combat	Speak With Animals 1/day
10th	Catlord 5	+10	+8	+8	+2	Handle Animal 13, Jump 13, Survival 8	-	Summon Animal
11th	Catlord 6	+11	+9	+9	+3	Handle Animal 14, Jump 14, Survival 12	Lightning Reflexes (B)	Second Totem (Bonus Feat), Wild Aspect 2/day
12th	Catlord 7	+12	+9	+9	+3	Handle Animal 15, Jump 15, Survival 15, Move Silently 9	Confound the Big Folk	Animal Growth, +1 Dex
13th	Catlord 8	+13	+10	+10	+3	Handle Animal 16, Jump 16, Survival 16, Move Silently 12	-	Animal Telepathy
14th	Swordsage 1	+13	+10	+12	+5	Jump 17, Move Silently 14, Hide 11, Intimidate 1, Know (Local) 1, Know (History) 1, Know (Nobility) 1	-	Quick to Act +1, Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus): Tiger Claw, Unarmed Strike
15th	Swordsage 2	+14	+10	+13	+6	Jump 18, Move Silently 17, Hide 14, Intimidate 2	Shadow Blade	AC Bonus
16th	Swordsage 3	+15	+11	+13	+6	Jump 19, Move Silently 19, Hide 17, Intimidate 4	-	+1 Dex
17th	Swordsage 4	+16	+11	+14	+7	Jump 20, Move Silently 20, Hide 20, Intimidate 5, Know (Nature) 7	-	Discipline Focus: Insightful Strike (Tiger Claw)
18th	Swordsage 5	+16	+11	+14	+7	Jump 21, Move Silently 21, Hide 21, Intimidate 8, Handle Animal 17	Darkstalker	Quick to Act +2
19th	Swordsage 6	+17	+12	+15	+8	Jump 22, Move Silently 22, Hide 22, Intimidate 9, Handle Animal 19	-	Sense Magic
20th	Swordsage 7	+18	+12	+15	+8	Jump 23, Move Silently 23, Hide 23, Intimidate 10, Handle Animal 21	-	Sense Magic, +1 Dex

* Either Favored Enemy can be changed to meet the needs of the campaign. They should be the first- and second-most common race within the adventuring party.

Spoiler: Maneuver Progression

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CR	Maneuvers Known	Maneuvers Readied	Stances Known	New Maneuvers and Stances
14	6	4	1	Sudden Leap, Claw at the Moon, Soaring Raptor Strike, Cloak of Deception, Shadow Jaunt, Counter Charge, Child of Shadow (s)
15	7	4	2	Strength Draining Strike, Assassin’s Stance (s)
16	8	5	2	Dancing Mongoose Lynx
17	9	5	2	Shadow Stride
18	10	6	3	Stalker in the Night, Leaping Dragon Cat Stance (s)
19	11	6	3	Wolf Lion Climbs the Mountain, swap Shadow Jaunt for Bloodletting Strike
20	12	6	3	Swooping Dragon Cat Strike

Spoiler: CR Writeups

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Spoiler: CR 5

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CR 5
Darkpaw is a Dexterity-based ranger. He’s quite a bit weaker than most other rangers of his level. His biggest advantage is his ability to blend in as a cat. He is a scaredy cat at heart (thanks to his childhood trauma), but Craven’s weakness will later turn into a strength. His wisdom score allows him to prepare Pass Without Trace once per day. If the DM rules to allow a Cat (CR 1/8) as an animal companion, he would take it on as a fellow resistance fighter. Otherwise he would not summon a companion.

At this level, the party might find Darkpaw behind a series of grisly murders (targeting Commoners) that leaves the symbol of Bast painted in blood, or plotting to install a Bestow Curse trap of sterility on the town well. The local authorities are baffled, and need the PCs’ help to track down the culprit.

Spoiler: CR 10

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CR 10
Darkpaw has taken his role as feline champion seriously now, and is able to summon Animals to help him. His Catlord level stacks with his Effective Druid Level, allowing him to have a more powerful animal companion (a Leopard or Tiger) or improving his Cat companion (if allowed). Underfoot Combat allows him additional options in very close melee range.

At this level, Darkpaw might be found conducting raids on local villages, trying to incite Catfolk settlements into attacking humans, or plotting a sneak attack against a major settlement. Rumors of some sort of bandit lord have reached the PCs.

Spoiler: CR 15 - sweet spot

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All of Darkpaw’s important features have now turned on. He has finished his eighth level of Catlord, granting him a telepathic connection to all cats (even those with less than Int 3 who can’t be reached with Feline language). Confound the Big Folk lets him be a truly obnoxious pest when he’s up close. He’s blended the two disciplines of Tiger Claw and Shadow Hand (which he refers to as Shadow Paw) to create a style well-suited to a murderous feline. Assassin’s Stance gives him access to Sneak Attack, and Craven now starts hurting quite a lot. Shadow Blade plus unarmed strike (from Swordsage) let him add his considerable Dexterity to damage. Note the usual rules debates about natural attacks and unarmed strike. To simplify things, use one or the other, not both; unarmed strike would work even in cat form.

At this level, Darkpaw might be found recruiting Rakshasas to his feline supremacist movement, inciting an entire jungle against the surrounding communities, or toppling a human shrine and re-dedicating it to Bast – leaving gifts of dead humans on the doorstep. The movement has grown large enough to concern local political authorities and some Clerics of Bast, who have contacted adventurers to track down the threat and destroy it at its source.

Spoiler: CR 20

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Swooping Dragon Strike have given Darkpaw some potent offensive weapons. Darkstalker allows him to hide from all but the most careful enemies.

At this level, Darkpaw might have built a following large enough to greatly concern the Church of Bast. Some within the Church are proposing a purge of the heretics, but the High Priestess is willing to let the PCs try their hand (and give the Church plausible deniability if things go sour). But has Darkpaw gained enough followers to give birth to a new, darker aspect of Bast?

Spoiler: Sources

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Tibbit: Dragon Compendium
Bast: Deities and Demigods
Animal Lord: Complete Adventurer
Underfoot Combat, Confound the Big Folk: Races of the Wild
Darkstalker: Lords of Madness
Swordsage, Shadow Blade, stances and maneuvers: Tome of Battle
Craven: Champions of Ruin

[Thurbane]

Camellia, Keeper of the grove

Spoiler: stub and stats

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NE Petal (3 HD) Urban Druid 7 Divine Disciple 4 Contemplative 6
Patron deity: Chauntea
Languages: Sylvan, Common
Bonus languages: pick three languages you need for identities you want Camellia to assume: goblin, gnoll, orcish, elven, dwarven could be contenders.


Stats:
Str: 2
Dex: 22
Con: 12 +1 (4th Class Levels increase)
Int: 17
Wis: 14
Cha: 23 +3 (8th, 12th, 16th Class Levels increase)

Spoiler: table

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CR	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
2	Petal (3 HD)	+1	+1	+3	+3	Diplomacy 3, Escape Artist 6, Hide 6, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (religion) 6, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spot 6, Tumble 6	1 HD: Knowledge devotion (religion), Weapon Finesse (Petal Bonus Feat), 3 HD: Martial Study (Shadow blade technique)	DR 5/Cold Iron, Sleep Songs
3	Urban Druid	+1	+3	+3	+5	Bluff 1, Concentration 1, Diplomacy 4, Escape Artist 6, Hide 7, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (religion) 7, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 1, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	City sense, favored city 1, urban companion
4	Urban Druid	+2	+4	+3	+6	Bluff 2, Concentration 2, Diplomacy 5, Escape Artist 6, Hide 8, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 7, Knowledge (religion) 8, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 2, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Crowdwalk
5	Urban Druid	+3	+4	+4	+6	Bluff 4, Concentration 3, Diplomacy 6, Escape Artist 6, Hide 9, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 8, Knowledge (religion) 8, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 3, Spot 6, Tumble 6	Darkstalker	Alley fighting
6	Urban Druid	+4	+5	+4	+7	Bluff 6, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 7, Escape Artist 6, Hide 10, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 9, Knowledge (religion) 8, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 4, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Disease immunity, favored city 2
7	Urban Druid	+4	+5	+4	+7	Bluff 8, Concentration 5, Diplomacy 8, Escape Artist 6, Hide 11, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 10, Knowledge (religion) 8, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 5, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Urban shape (1/day)
8	Urban Druid	+5	+6	+5	+8	Bluff 9, Concentration 6, Diplomacy 10, Escape Artist 6, Hide 12, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (religion) 11, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 6, Spot 6, Tumble 6	Shape Soulmeld (shedu crown)	Urban shape (2/day)
9	Urban Druid	+6	+6	+5	+8	Bluff 10, Concentration 7, Diplomacy 12, Escape Artist 6, Hide 13, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (religion) 12, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 7, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Urban shape (3/day)
10	Divine Disciple	+6	+8	+5	+10	Bluff 10, Concentration 8, Diplomacy 13, Escape Artist 6, Hide 14, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 7, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Divine Emissary
11	Divine Disciple	+7	+9	+5	+11	Bluff 10, Concentration 9, Diplomacy 14, Escape Artist 6, Hide 15, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 8, Spot 6, Tumble 6	Open least chakra (Crown)	Sacred Defense +1
12	Divine Disciple	+8	+9	+6	+11	Bluff 10, Concentration 10, Diplomacy 16, Escape Artist 6, Hide 16, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 9, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Imbue with spell ability
13	Divine Disciple	+9	+10	+6	+12	Bluff 10, Concentration 11, Diplomacy 17, Escape Artist 6, Hide 17, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 11, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Domain (Protection), Sacred defense +2
14	Contemplative	+9	+10	+6	+14	Bluff 10, Concentration 12, Diplomacy 18, Escape Artist 6, Hide 18, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Sense Motive 1, Spellcraft 12, Spot 6, Tumble 6	Mindsight	Bonus Domain (Earth), Divine health
15	Contemplative	+10	+10	+6	+15	Bluff 10, Concentration 13, Diplomacy 19, Escape Artist 6, Hide 19, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Sense Motive 2, Spellcraft 13, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Slippery mind
16	Contemplative	+10	+11	+7	+15	Bluff 10, Concentration 14, Diplomacy 20, Escape Artist 6, Hide 20, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Sense Motive 3, Spellcraft 14, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Divine wholeness
17	Contemplative	+11	+11	+7	+16	Bluff 10, Concentration 15, Diplomacy 21, Escape Artist 6, Hide 21, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 15, Spot 6, Tumble 6	Heretic of the faith (Pride Domain)	-
18	Contemplative	+11	+11	+7	+16	Bluff 10, Concentration 16, Diplomacy 22, Escape Artist 6, Hide 22, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Sense Motive 5, Spellcraft 16, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Divine body
19	Contemplative	+12	+12	+8	+17	Bluff 10, Concentration 18, Diplomacy 23, Escape Artist 6, Hide 23, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Sense Motive 5, Spellcraft 17, Spot 6, Tumble 6	-	Bonus Domain (Plant; Heresy: Pride)
20	Contemplative	+12	+12	+8	+17	Bluff 10, Concentration 20, Diplomacy 24, Escape Artist 6, Hide 24, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 6, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 13, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Sense Motive 5, Spellcraft 18, Spot 6, Tumble 6	Quicken Spell	Divine soul

Spoiler: spells

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Spells per Day/Spells Known

CR	0lvl	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
3	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	4	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	4	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6	5	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
7	5	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
8	5	3	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
9	6	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-
10	6	4	3	3	2	-	-	-	-	-
11	6	4	4	3	2	1	-	-	-	-
12	6	4	4	3	3	2	-	-	-	-
13	6	5	4	4	3	2	1	-	-	-
14	6	5	4	4	3	3	2	-	-	-
15	6	5	5	4	4	3	2	1	-	-
16	6	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	-	-
17	6	5	5	5	4	4	3	2	1	-
18	6	5	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	-
19	6	5	5	5	5	4	4	3	2	1
20	6	5	5	5	5	4	4	3	3	2

Spoiler: concept and heresy

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I started by looking for a spell list that included animate object and flesh to stone. I had the idea for using those two in the specific way shown in the forbidden grove section for a long time. This is how I stumbled across Urban Druid. From there I was looking for a heresy to follow but nothing really stood out until a read about petals and there weird skill craft (flower arranging) and then I realized that I want to go the route of overprotection turning into blind pride and focus on plants. So the main concept was that a naturally good creature turns into a pretty nifty villain because of pure fascination with beauty. I chose Chauntea as the patron deity but I think Camellia can safely be ported to Eberron (Arawai) or any other setting as all of them usually have a goddess of fertility. The heresy lies in the soil: Camellia uses humanoid bodies as soil for her plants. Something Chauntea would never allow. Camellia thinks she is doing nothing wrong because all she does is protect a dangerous but beautiful species (dread blossom swarms) from extinction. Like an animal keeper who shelters aggressive animals he considers beautiful and marvelous, Camellia shelters the dread blossom swarm. Over time she loves these plants more than humanoids and doesn't really care for their well being anymore. In the end her pride overtakes and she commits atrocities in the name of beauty. Camellia isn't exactly interested in dominating the world but she does need a lot of bodies to feed to her beloved swarm, which should turn her into a villain worth noticing and plotting to gain a lot of influence.
How does Camellia get away with it? Well, she is an urban druid so she is not relying on a deity to fuel her divine powers. Nature itself is granting her that power. Maybe the PCs are guided by Chauntea to finally bring down Camellia?

Spoiler: identities

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Urban Shape allows Camellia to assume different Identities over time which is why i highly recommend using her above CR 8 so you can get a great story out of her. Here are just some ideas how she can live close to her grove and still assume another role:
The healer: Camellia shapes into a regular humanoid form which is often met in one of your favorite cities (human, elf, whatever you like). She establishes herself as a herbalist and healer (the spell list has plenty of healing spells). This way she gets access to rare herbs and flowers and has a nice front for her illegal activities. To criminals the "healer" is also known as the "dump". If you want someone gone, render them helpless and/or unconscious and bring it to her. Of course you'll pay a hefty price in GP. Camellia gladly takes the living helpless victims and stuffs them into a bag of holding. She then rushes to the lair in 10 minutes or less, to present living food to the dread blossom swarm.
The shady figure: Camellia shifts into a Dark Stalker and assumes the role of an assassin or street brawler who works only at night. Choose a fitting animal Companion like a Light warhorse or a Dire Bat and go to town with 3d6 sneak attack and Weapon finesse on top of a lot of casting. Again she can either gather bodies this way or grow her influence and wealth.
the shaman: Shifting into a more vicious humanoid (any goblinoid, Orcs, stat wise best is the Flind Gnoll) Camellia assumes the role of a shaman that demands sacrifices for her services. She can goad them with blessings (i.e.: imbue with spell ability) and thereby gathers muscle for using them to capture victims or expanding her sphere of influence.
All those forms can be used for multiple plot hooks and make Camellia a recurring villain without the PCs noticing until you want them too. Pick her favored city also with those identities in mind.

Spoiler: the forbidden grove

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The lair of Camellia called the forbidden grove evolves together with her rising in CR. I'll try to give it a run down just like the character in showing options early on and how to improve it. The basic idea is that Camellia protects a hidden grove of rare plants which formerly belonged to a temple of Chauntea. She grows more and more proud of her selection of wonderful plants and art gathered in it.
The hidden grove is an underground cave with a very narrow entry. At very low CR a 5 feet broad entry should do, so the heroes may actually reach it. Later on I recommend narrowing the entry via stone shape(earth domain, so sadly really late) or wall of stone (or DM fiat) until it is approximately 2x2 feet so you can fit through and drag a bog of holding (type I) along with you. The bag of holding ways 15 lb. which sadly is more than your heavy load in Petal form, so you'll literally have to drag it. You'll need the bag to carry food for you and your precious plants as well as corpses and statues into the cave.
To make room for the statues and for you to have enough room to fly a height of 15 feet could be ideal. You should plan the whole thing regarding multiple forbiddance spells (casted at CL 18= 1080 ft³) to shut it off from teleportation. Example measures for a cave segment could be 15x5x15 (=1125 ft³) and reduce the height of the cave in certain places to spare the missing 45 ft³. You should also include air shafts small enough so only a tiny monster like you can enter and leave through them. Colonize every entry with poisonous and/or disease spreading fungi or monsters. Early on this can be simple violet fungi, shrieker or phantom fungi which sadly are all medium sized creatures but make for nice entry guards at every air shaft. Nurture diseases in the air shafts. This may be a little weak regarding RAW, as I don't know of any ways to "buy" diseases but regarding your assumed roles in society (healer) you may have lots of corpses ridden with diseases. Just smear their remains all over those air shafts. At high CR you can cover the floor, walls and even ceiling with stone spikes if you want.

The beauty of the grove stems from 3 things and all should be relevant for the villainy of Camellia:
The plants nurtured by Camellia here are the first thing and you can put as many non magical non monstrous flowers you like (and you think are actually able to survive in an underground environment). These flowers can be a good plot hook, maybe even Camellia herself sent the heroes to retrieve a rare flower. The key piece of the grove should always be at least one dread blossom swarm as it is the perfect meld of beauty and danger. If you want to use Camellia and the forbidden grove at CR 8 simply swap the feat for poison Immunity (poison pollen) (drop the mindsight combo) and Camellia can safely coexist with the dread blossom swarm. Even if the swarm attacks her, she is almost guaranteed to escape (equal flight speed, immunity to the poison, swarm damage is reduced by 5 and always have a warm body :P). At CR 9 antiplant shell is available for emergency exits. You'll need a door at all entries and air shafts to keep the dread blossom swarm from simply leaving by the way.
The second piece of beauty should be multiple statues of humanoid shape or beast shapes. Depiction of Hunters fighting monsters, trying to capture them with huge chains. Before CR 11 they are just for show, showing how the humanoids tamed the wild and made it possible for farmers to live. At CR 11 and thereafter they are your targets for animate object and should be made out of Adamantium if you can afford it. The hunters and monsters are humanoid medium animated objects, the humanoids have 2 legs so are at 40 feet move speed and the beasts all should have at least 4 legs giving them 50 feet base land speed. The chains should be large animated objects (and your players might realize that the chains are way to big for the depiction of the hunter and the beast) which have a climb speed and constrict but are slow (20 feet). A usual "group" of statues would consist of 3 medium constructs (either 2 beasts or 2 hunter) and 1 chain so you need 10 CL to animate them. Now none of them are powerful except the chain can be a pain when it succeeds at grappling but while Camellia showers the heroes with debuffs, they are your frontline. At CR 20 a quickened animated object may be worth considering (but not in a high OP game which Camellia isn't really designed for anyway).
The third pieces of beauty also are statues and also depict medium humanoids but this time, these are simply people who were so beautiful that Camellia decided she needs them for her "gallery" and used flesh to stone on them. Since they are petrified creatures you can not animate them but they are great plot hooks and can be really annoying when a fight erupts and the heroes try to save them (any damage they take is conferred to the creature).

So what is this all together: after an unpleasant crawl through very narrow tunnels the PCs arrive in a really beautiful room that immediately shows his true face with attacking statues, flying flower swarms, grappling chains and a lot of BFC spells. Here is a possible grid for the grove at high levels requiring 15 castings of forbiddance. Replace any number of flowers with dangerous species as you wish:

Flowers Empty Flowers
Adamantium statues Empty Flowers
Flowers Empty Adamantium statues
Empty Flesh to stone victim Empty
Flowers Empty Flowers
Flowers Empty Dread blossom swarm on top of a corpse or corpses
Adamantium statues Flesh to stone vctim Empty
Flowers Empty Flowers
Empty Flowers Flowers
Flowers Empty Adamantium statues
Flowers Empty Camellias sleeping place hidden in flowers
Empty Flowers Flowers
Adamantium statues Empty Flowers
Flowers Empty Adamantium statues
Flowers Empty Flowers

Spoiler: minions and allies

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A list of possible allies:
necromancers: Since Camellia works a lot with bodies a necromancer is a great fit. Since Camellia wouldn't let him enter the forbidden grove, it is highly likely he is a trope called "the dragon". A possibility is also to have this necromancer fight the PCs alongside Camellia in Dark Stalker form and have her escape although I am never a fan of the BBEG escaping the PCs at all cost.
Tribes (goblins, gnolls, orcs): Basically any humanoid "tribe" who falls for her shaman identity can be her ally. Camellia could hide her forbidden grove in their camp if you don't want to focus on playing in cities (although Camellia loses some advantages this way).
a Tibbit, second grove keeper: If you want to add another keeper for the grove a Tibbit is an ideal choice: it can change into a house cat using the same tunnels and air shafts as you to enter and leave. Class wise choose whatever you like. If you go for a class with low Will saves Insane defiance (Elder Evils p. 11) might be worth a look to redirect the Will save to a flesh to stone victim (still a creature).

Spoiler: the crunch

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CR 5 and below: At these levels Camellia is a little more than a Petal. Petals are capped at 3 HD, so you basically miss 2 HD to really justify the CR 2. You don't lose too much. A very sneaky, annoying petal whose most dangerous feature is of course the 60 feet flight combined with an astronomical hide skill. Offensive casting is pretty much limited to hold person, summon swarm and possibly a well prepared scatterspray (destroy a poison vial and cast scatterspray on it). The real danger at this level would be your urban companion. Riding Dog is probably your best choice. Weapon finesse and Martial study allow you to do something in melee, but something may already be a stretch.
CR 6 to 10: At CR 7 Urban Shape is the absolute key to a lot of options. It allows for so many social shenanigans (see identities) and Bluff, Diplomacy and Glibness basically turn you into any kind of face character you want. Your usual combat form will be Dark Stalker before revealing yourself as a petal. At these levels you should choose a Light Warhorse as your companion as it is a pretty decent option for your Dark Stalker form as a flanking buddy and I think is a little superior to the riding dog at these levels. At CR 9 4th levels casting kicks in and as with every full caster this is the level where spells get bonkers. Sadly you miss out on Polymorph, but Scrying, Minor Creation, Dominate Person and Freedom of Movement should be sufficient. Rusting grasp and the late dispel magic may be worth preparing if you have enough information on your enemies. I decided to prestige out of Urban druid as the animal companion does not outshine 3 bonus domains immunity to poison and more goodies. I stopped adding ranks to bluff as glibness is pretty much autowin regardless of ranks.
CR 11 to 15: Mindsight combo is finished at CR 14. If you (and your group) think Mindsight works with Divine Emissary alone replace shape soulmeld and open chakra with martial stance (child of shadow) and shadow blade to further your combat potential in melee if you want that or extend spell and persistent spell if you want to focus more on buffs (which is what i would do if Camellia is used at CR 15 or higher). You should also switch the stat increase from Con to Cha if you drop the soulmeld feats. The protection domain offers antimagic field and Mindblank, the earth domain stone shape (which i miss sorely on the urban druid list), stone spikes and earthquake, which may be a decent way of Camellia saying: "You may have destroyed my grove but you want leave here alive." Also your Animal companion is probably better off as a large animated object from now on. Use it as another chain as described in the forbidden grove section. The combination of Mindsight, Darkstalker and very high hide check, tiny flying creature and full caster should give everyone a little headache. Divine health sadly is redundant.
CR 16 to 20: Finally we pick up our heresy not only in fluff but crunch. The way I read the feat I don't have to swap a domain immediately. If you disagree simply swap Earth Domain for plant domain at CR 15 and swap Mindsight and Heretic of the faith and pick Earth Domain at CR 19. Pride gives us 8 new spells including Forbiddance and Divine Power. Divine Body is key as a way to be immune to the dread blossom swarms poison. As already mentioned if you use Camellia earlier swap a feat for Poison Immunity (pollen poison). Divine Soul is a little late but SR is always nice to have.
Overall I'd say Camellia is decent at every level, she is slightly behind in casting compared to PC full casters but makes up for it in sneakiness, enhanced sense (mindsight), quite a lot of defensive abilities (DR 5/Cold Iron, SR, Immunities to disease and poison) and a very good social chassis.

Spoiler: sources

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Petal: MM III
Urban Druid: Dragon Compendium
Divine Disciple: Players Guide to Faerun
Contemplative: Complete Divine
Darkstalker & Mindsight: Lords of Madness
Shape Soulmeld and Open least Chakra: Magic of Incarnum
Heretic of the Faith: Power of Faerun
Martial Study: Tomb of Battle
Dark Stalker: Fiend Folio
Gnoll, Flind: MM III

[Thurbane]

This Character is taken from inspiration of the House of night Book series's Neferet, hope you like it

Valentine lion-heart

kick butt, drink blood, take names, and worship The Eternal Love

Spoiler: Photo

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Spoiler: Warning

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I attempted not to do so much minionmancy bt it really wasn't working out, it is a dread necromncer but it stops lvling in this at lvl 7 so it never gains Undead mastery. Though this is still ofset by the fact that i am a Vampire after Cr 7, Instead of taking master Vampire she took Life drinker from Book of vile darkness

Spoiler: Stats

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Silverbrow Human Vampire (Savage) (spell-stiched)
Dread Necromancer 7, Life Drinker 10
Str 15 +1 (leveling) +6 (vamp) +10(savage) = 32
Dex 10 + 4 (vamp) +4 (savage) = 18
Con - (undead/ was my 8)
Int 12 +2 (vamp) -2 (savage) = 12
Wis 14 +2 (vamp) +2 (savage) = 18 +6 (MI) = 24
Cha 13 +4 (vamp) = 17 +3 (leveling) = 20 +6 (MI) = 26

Final Score	Final Modifier
(STR) 32	11
(DEX) 18	4
(CON) ---	---
(INT) 12	1
(WIS) 24	7
(CHA) 26	8

Spoiler: Tables and equipment

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Spoiler: Table: class advancement

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CR/LVL	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills this is blank because no is spesificaly needed	Feats	Class Features/Racial Ability
1	Dread necromancer 1	+0	+0	+0	+2		SB human: Profane Life leech Lvl 1: Necromantic Presence	Charnel Touch Rebuke Undead
2	Dread necromancer 2	+1	+0	+0	+3			Lich Body Dr 2
3	Dread necromancer 3	+1	+1	+1	+3		3lvl: Necromantic Might	Negative Energy Burst 1/day
4	Dread necromancer 4	+2	+1	+1	+4			Advanced Learning: Kelgores Grave mist Mental Bastion +2
5	Dread necromancer 5	+2	+1	+1	+4			Fear Aura
6	Dread necromancer 6	+3	+2	+2	+5		6lvl: Alertness	Scabrous Touch
7	Dread necromancer 7	+3	+2	+2	+5			Lich body Dr 4 Summon Familiar: Ghostly Visage
8/7	Vampire 1	+3	+2	+2	+5		(alrt alt): Life Drain Combat reflex	Claws (neg levels) +6 NA Blood drain Child of the night Create spawn Energy drain Alternate form DR 10/ magic and silver
9/7	Vampire 2	+3	+2	+2	+5
10/7	Spell stitched	+3	+2	+2	+5			SLA, +2 profane to saves, DR 15/ magic and silver
11/8	Life Drinker 1	+3	+4	+4	+7			Life well Invigorate
12/9	Life Drinker 2	+4	+5	+5	+8		9lvl: Improved Energy Drain	Spell boost (empower)
13/10	Life Drinker 3	+5	+5	+5	+8			Spell boost (heighten) Speacial attack boost (empower)
14/11	Life Drinker 4	+6/1	+6	+6	+9			Speacial attack boost (heighten)
15/12	Life Drinker 5	+6/1	+6	+6	+9		12lvl: Necrotic Reserve	Blood servant Boost defence
16/13	Life Drinker 6	+7/2	+7	+7	+10			Spell boost maximize
17/14	Life Drinker 7	+8/3	+7	+7	+10			Greater blood drain Speacial attack boost (maximize)
18/15	Life Drinker 8	+9/4	+8	+8	+11		15lvl: Spell Drain	Spell boost (quicken)
19/16	Life Drinker 9	+9/4	+8	+8	+11			Greater Invigorate
20/17	Life Drinker 10	+10/5	+9	+9	+12			Blood reavel

Spoiler: Spells

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Spells per Day/Spells Known

Level	0lvl	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4th	6	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th	6	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spell stitched	-	4/2	4/2	2/2	2/2	2/2	1/1	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Dread Necromancer:
1st Level: Bane, bestow wound, cause fear, chill touch, detect magic, detect undead, doom, hide from undead, inflict light wounds, ray of enfeeblement, summon undead I, undetectable alignment
2nd Level: Blindness/deafness, command undead, darkness, death knell, false life, gentle repose, ghoul touch, inflict
moderate wounds, scare, spectral hand, summon swarm, summon undead II, Kelgores Grave Mist (advanced learning)
3rd Level: Crushing despair, death ward, halt undead, inflict serious wounds, ray of exhaustion, speak with dead, summon undead III, vampiric touch

Spell Stitched
1st Level: (3/day) Blood wind, (1/day) Snilloc's Snowball
2nd Level: (3/day)decastave, (1/day) Bonefiddle
3rd Level: (1/day)Fireball, (1/day) Vision of the Omniscient eyes
4th Level: (1/day)Animate undead, (1/day) Votex of teeth
5th Level: (1/day)Lord of the sky, (1/day) Stop Heart
6th Level: (1/day)Animate dread warrior

Spoiler: Equipment

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+1 Necrotic, Profane burst, Speed, Scythe
Cloak of cha +6
Periapt of Wisdom +6
Tome of leadership and command +5
Rod of undead mastery (affects both her Vampire control, command undead, and her Spells due to wording)

Spoiler: Thought the ages

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Spoiler: The time before Eternal Love's Grace(cr 5)

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At this moment Val doesn't have a lot she can do at the moment, She uses the little undead she has control over to protect her as meat shields, then using her Profane life leech to bring her foes to 0 health, after this she send her "reproducing undead"(most likely a wight) to make her a bigger army later. Then she uses her new minion to kill the allies of said minion. Her political power isn't has strong in a necropolitan community, she goes town from town to make her army bigger. How i would play her is that she has a Necroplitan Wizard that is level 6 under her control this Wizard has Craft wondrous item who make there more wise undead become Spellstitched. Her wights would have spells like Animate Dead, Summon undead 1, 2, 3, Control undead, and Fireball. That way she can keep 1 or 2 of these by her side to attack the enemy and revive the unfortunate souls who die from her zombies/skeletons. When she finds a Graveyard she stays there and has her minions dig up the bodies, then her minions make more minions which are spider webbed under her control. Should onlookers come to close her Wizard will take care of them. She gives her Necklace of Wisdom +6 to her undead Wights that are being stitched so they are more powerful allies (they only need the high wisdom when they are being stitched) This is how she builds her army as a Villain, should heroes get too close though...

Spoiler: Getting to know Eternal Love's Grace Cr 10

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She's a vampire. She still likes to use her Profane life leech when she has time to avoid killing the enemy quickly, when she gets the enemy to 0 health she has her weakest undead do 1 attack against it to disable and then finally turn it into a vampire (above 4 HD) or a Wight (Below 5 HD) If she does not have time she uses her Children of the night to summon Bat swarms (which would deal damage to her enemies over time without having to deal with miss chance), then she throws some fireballs (Spell Stitched), releases her undead (mostly Spell stitched Zombies that had her +6 necklace when they were created making it a 16 so they can cast up to 4th level SLA (fireballs, animate undead), and kills as many of them with her hands (NL with each attack making more vampires when they are buried (by zombies of course) Now she is a Full fledged Vampire, being the villain she is she hides in the shadows like any other great and powerful villain, she puts up residence in a large city so she can stay for a time and have her undead being worthy heroes to her so she can feast and create followers of her beloved goddess, Being a vampire she seeking help and when none was given she went to The church of the Eternal Love, where she prayed for salvation... She got an answer... but it wasn't from The Eternal one. It was from a demon from the abyss. though She didn't know this show she continued on her quest given to her by this Demon (graz'zt, Rhyxali (my favorite), Pale night, or Malcanthet)

Spoiler: The love of Eternal love's Grace Cr 15

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Val with her ever growing power has now the ability to call Outsiders to her world. She chooses Erbin (Demigod form) as her primary seeing how he can cast spells of 9th level, and he's a god for crying out loud. Valentine has chosen Erbin to be her eternal Warrior to show how love can never die just as Eternal love teaches, She also has a Consort which is Under her control A Wizard that Does spell stitches. In her city she lives in she has a spider web group of minions moving through the sewers, sneaking into houses and and show eternal love to all by turning them and there loved ones into either vampires or Wights, but always keep them together, for that's what her goddess would want. She also like to Call her special Servant Guecubu (to bring her new meals like children of the city she lives in), Steel Devils (her warriors companions that protect her she lives like gaurds), Black/White Abishi (can summon more and Have a reliable healing factor, they can also be ordered to drop there Bracers which basically gives her a Economic advantage were she cna sell an unlimited amount of Items she got for free, also she cna put these items one her minons) and finally the Kalbon (6 at a time and they can slowly grow into a large group useful during battle- in 6 rounds she can have 36 of them in a pile thath is huge and has 4 tentacles that reach out at huge range and deal 2d6 +18 ascid damage)

Her standard round she uses her Profane life leech as always but now she can Empower it. If things get crazy in battle and she drops to her necrotic reserve she Eminently takes on her gaseous form to escape, leaving everyone behind (live to fight another day), the wizard cast Gaseous from on himself and Erbin Alter forms to gain wings and fly way with the others. It would deal 1d6 x 1.5 dmg, Remember Erbin is under her command so he is commanded to attack as well. She likes to use Him as a main source of power, she has him cast invisibility on her, Summon Monster 9 to summon 1d5 +1 Bone devils or 1d4+1 Babua Demons, Unholy Aura for protection of from the good, Inflict Critical wounds to heal her, Desecrate the building they live at to ward of intruders, and a combo of Time stop and Create undead to amass a formidable army.
When outside of combat Eribus is used as well, for guilty pleasure, Alerting her of intruders (Divine senses up to 1 mile and 1 mile of any of his worshipers (most of his portion of the army)) Creates magic items like +1 Daggers that are also Evil shrines to him or Eternal love.

The wizard is also of use to her because He can cast spells that she cannot. In battle he usually casts a fell animate fireball to protect her and Fell animate Vortex of Teeth which usually centers around him Erbin and Valentine. He cast Fell animate on everything hoping to gain from every battle. those strong enough to live are those strong enough to become Vampires from Val's powers.

Spoiler: Adoring the Eternal love Cr20 (Sweat Spot)

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Oh sweat Ertenal mother of Love how we are blessed to play our eyes on your creation
Now she has Power unimaginable, she still has many allies and her quest is only over until ALL have found the blessing of her goddess, to eternally love. But love who you say. Valentine Has thought of it for some time and has concluded who better to love than Herself, so now she Allows (forces) them to love her.
She has gotten rid of most of her weak undead minions. Now she has As many dread necromancer that are lvl 10 or above as possible so she can have a maximum amount of Undead gifted with her goddess power to love. As always she Spider webs her power. She has a group of 5 lvl 18 Dread necromancer Necropolitan Silverbrow humans under control and they are called the Council of Love, the control the various sub groups by level so she has 11 Councils (each lvl(18-8) of dread necromancer Vampires (some controlled by her control undead spell others controlled by her natrual vampire ability) layers to her spider web and 5 lines out (each Dread necromancer in the Council of love). Her quest is a far of mission to have the world awakened to the goddess love and be Eternal. As she gets closer to her goal she Gains more notice in the world which means heroes will rise and fall to stop her. But when she can summon a GOD it kinda hard to destroy her.
Oh yea and she can steal spells (8/day) from spellcasters which is always a bounce to have sense what you would be fighting now would be some formitable aponnents

As far as battle she does the same as Cr15 but with more powers now. She uses her energy draining claws or her Sythe more freely now and she heals some from this due to life drain (+8 dmg so its a +13 to health per Lvl drained) and each energy drain gives her a +1 unnamed type bonus to skills. Ability checks, Attacks. and saving throws for an hour. Her sythe allows for an extra attack in a round which means she can get a maximum of 6 negitive levels in a round granting her a +6 to Skills, Ablity checks, Attack and saving thows for an hour. She also heals 73 dmg in a round. 1 Round! this is without magic. Each attack with her Sythe deals 2d4+1d6 dmg with each attack and and when she crits her dmg is multiped by 4 and she also deals an extra 3d10 dmg. She aims to end her enemy with her Negitve levels in hope that thay would becom Vampire spawn later. When in a hurry she always has her trump card. Which would be her New Consort Dread Necromancer (lvl 20, a lich) deadly spell called fell animate Crushing fist of spite which deals 20d6 per round for 20 rounds, an area that is a 5ft radius 3 feet high. This is used to kill armies that are then raised as undead under Her consorts control (which is basically under her control), She uses her Guecubu and Black Abishi more freely now that she has more power than ever so she can gain the blood points possible to summon them (10 each). She still uses her Guecubu to gather the living so she can feed. She mostly now sends them for farm animals which are easier to eat off of. She will always have her Warrior Erbin which she now calls Erubus.

She owns a church now that worships both Erbin and Eternal love, but Eternal love mostly. Secretly some even worship Valentine herself....

Spoiler: WHY YOU SHOULD BAN MINIONMANCY IN ANY CAMPAIGN YOU AR DM

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Spoiler: Councils

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Each of these all have
(5)Council of Love(lvl18)
(37)Council of Adoration(lvl17)
(259)Council of Wrath(lvl16)
(1,813)Council of Greed(lvl15)
(12,691)Council of Envy(lvl14)
(88,837)Council of Lust(lvl13)
(621,859)Council of Sloth(lvl12)
(4,353,013)Council of Gluttony(lvl11)
(30,471,091)Council of Pride(lvl10)
(213,297,637)Council of Controllers(lvl9)
(1,493,083,459)Council of Message(lvl8)
In all this one branch has 1,741,930,701 residence 1/7 the earth population....but look what comes next

Spoiler: Royal Vampires

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(4)1st High Royals(lvl 14 Dn Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery Cha 30/10)(use both magic and vampire abilties)
All below here have a Cha of 20/5
(28)2nd Noble (lvl 14 Dread necromancer Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery)
(393)3rd Noble (lvl 13 Dread necromancer Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery)
(5,488)4th Noble (lvl 12 Dread necromancer Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery)
(76,832)5th Noble (lvl 11 Dread necromancer Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery)
(1,075,648)6th Noble (lvl 10 Dread necromancer Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery)
(15,059,072)7th Noble (lvl 9 Dread necromancer Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery)
(210,827,008)8th Noble (lvl 8 Dread necromancer Master vampire 3 Rods of Undead mastery)
(7,378,945,280)9th Subordinantes (spell Stiched Evolved (x2 both gain Unholy Blight) Savage Vampire Spawns)
When you only weakest undead of your elite Group (only one group!) can reach the population of the world, you are kinda a minonmancer by acident

:P

Spoiler: Books used

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{C means class, F means feat, R means race, S means spells, O means others}
Players handbook (human{R}, Alertness{F}, Combat reflex{F}, Improved Initiative{F}, Dodge{F}, Lightning reflex{F})
Dragon magic (Silverbrow human{R})
Monster manual (vampire{R})
Libris Mortis (vampire: savage{R}, Profane life leech{F}, Necromantic Presence{F}, Necromantic Might{F}, Life Drain{F}, Improved energy drain{F}, Necrotic Reserve{F}, Spell Drain{F})
Complete Arcane (Spellstitched {R})
Heroes of horror (Dread necromancer {C})
Book of vile Darkness (Life Drinker {C})
Spell compindum (spells {O})
Unaprotcable East (spells {O})

Spoiler: Dm tips

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Spoiler: good alternate rules for this Character as a side or even a head villain

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Book of vile darkness:
Sacrifice ruling: When she reaches CR 15 she "needs" to a couple of sacrifices to summon Erbin, how she acts she would most defnentlalty make it greusome and public for all eyes to see that her "goddess" (aka: any elder evil/Arch devil/Evil god/ Demonlord that contacted her before Eternal love could get to her and disguised as Eternal love) loves her so deeply that she grant her powers to make the dead rise, and even summon lesser Gods as her lovers. You can even give her a Sacrificial knife from the same book. To reach maximum bonus she would have to have maximum ranks in K Religion. Other than that she can conduct it publicly, summon a demon/devil to watch from the last days left overs, conduct it on an altar, make it last an hour, Unhallow it, and many more.

Lingering evils: this ties into the last one because the Sacrifice cite might be like this and the subjects could be the creatures effected, If she did a mass genocide that killed thousands she could possibly Grant everyone of her vampires created from the sacrifice Evil brand and/or Willing deformity, the place could developed evil weather like Blood rain which would be most appropriate of this build being a vampire who drinks blood during this event, She is Bringing powerful fiends to an evil temple on the Material Plane (ebrin) which kinda makes it a Great and powerful Malevolence area, Some of the people watching the scene could gain the Fiendish or half fiend template as a result, and objects can even translate Diseases like Warp Touch or Soul rot.

Souls as power: has nice flavor and goes with who the character is based off of, This way she can send souls to her goddess (again not actually her goddess but she doesn't know that)

Pain is power: same as above

Spoiler: Party hooks

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(cr5): the harvester, wearer of masks
A woman of sorts has been gathering children who disappear just to be sent back and kill there own family. Only moments later These family rise from the dead and follow the children back into the woods on the north side of the city
--Behind the scenes--
Valantine is taking the kids and turning them into wights, leaving them at there homes for a day or 2 going about there regular workings, then she sudenly takes them back to her layer and has her Necroplitan under her control turn them into Spell stitched undead, when this is happening she places her necklace around there neck and says that they are going to join the goddess so they won't be afraid. These ones are armed with Wave of teeth Animate dead, and fireball

(cr10): Ghostly White, bloody snow
_best setting is in the winter_
Strong warriors of said town is being abducted and turned into vampires, either no one knows a thing or there to scare to tell, which is a reasonable level or fear as if they tell anyone (even each other) they are (and sometimes there family is) haunted with horrible dreams (Nightmare SLA) and then taken away to become even worse than vampires, they become there spawn....

When the party reach Valentine she has feasted on her last victim only moments before, at max health and super hungry for more.
--twist--
You could also randomly pick one of the Players to be abducted. If he/she are turned into a vampire hen it will become the groups quest to free it.
--Behind the Scenes--
As with The harvester this one focuses on the Creation of more undead to join the Eternal Love's Clergy and worship said goddess, She also has these ones Turned into Spell stitched and they are armed with Animate dead, Fireball, control undead, and Wave of Teeth if possible.

(cr15): Vampires Warrior, Erbin around the corner
_best setting is a large town to a large city_
Wandering the streets at night is dangerous all together but when valentine walks the street nobody is safe, on her side her faithful Warrior and the demigod Erbin, Val has become a tyrant of this town/city and is slowly turning it into some type of Necropolis were she is the head leader and all bow before her. It has been leaked that she need a sacrifice to call her warrior every 24hours and she makes it gruesome and Public. She gains power as she does so and if she isn't stopped she will turn the town into her play thing.
-hint for the players-
Hint to them the Erbin is gone during the ceremony, so when the god is not there she is vunriable

(cr20): Queen Vampire; All hail the great and powerful Valentine Lion-Heart
by now the party knows of her eminence army and goes on a quest to stop this evil before its to late... If it isn't the end already

[Thurbane]

ZOJAN OF THE BURNING HATE



As a child, Zojan was an orphaned street urchin in the city of Four Winds. Like the other urchins, he survived by begging, and occasionally stealing food or other goods from the merchants stalls. Unlike the others, Zojan was not particularly adept at stealth or sleight of hand, and so got caught pilfering some small items from the stall of the merchant Ikram. Ikram was well renowned as a man not to be trifled with, and one of cruel temperament. Rather than turn the boy over to the authorities to deal with, he decided to make an example of young Zojan. He had his guards take the boy out of the city limits, and stake him out in the desert. He instructed them to leave a waterskin just beyond the boy’s reach.

Zojan laid there for several days, burned and blistered by the sun, and tormented by a terrible thirst. All he could do while he lay there waiting to die was stare at the burning hot sun as it made its way across the sky, and dream of revenge on Ikram. In his heat and thirst filled delirium, he prayed to the blazing sun each day to deliver him his vengeance. A wandering holy man came across the boy, hours before he would have expired. Galen, cleric of Pelor, released the boy and gave him water. He also took the young orphan in, and taught him in the ways of being an acolyte in his church.

Years passed, and Zojan proved to be an able study in the clerical ways. Galen was always concerned though, that the boy never let go of his hatred from his ordeal as a child. Moreover, Galen always suspected the lad was a bit…”off”. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Zojan left the monastery where he had studied, and roamed the lands spreading the "good word" of Pelor. Some questioned his interpretations of Pelor’s teachings, but through persuasion, or less subtle means, Zojan usually managed to bring them around.

His wanderings led him back to Four Winds. He looked up his old acquaintance Ikram. The merchant didn’t recognise Zojan, of course; not until Zojan reminded him. By the time Ikram thought to call for his guards, it was already too late. With a few muttered words and gestures, Zojan caused the merchant to fall helpless, gasping with an insatiable thirst and begging for water. With another incantation, he caused the merchants hand to painfully rip itself from his arm, and then attack him. After Ikram had succumbed to his wounds, Zojan brought him back as a terrible undead mockery of his former self, and they both departed the town to look up the guards who’d taken the young boy out into the desert all those years ago…

* * *

Male NE Vashar Cleric (Divine Magician) 20

Spoiler: Ability Scores

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Ability	Point Buy Base Score	4HD	8HD	12HD	16HD	20HD	Final
Str	12						12
Dex	8						8
Con	13						13
Int	10						10
Wis	15			+1	+1	+1	18
Cha	14	+1	+1				16

Spoiler: Build Table

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CR	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1	Cleric 1	+0	+2	+0	+2	Concentration 4, Knowledge (religion) 4, Diplomacy 4	Heretic of the Faith, Enemy of GoodB	Divine magician, rebuke undead
2	Cleric 2	+1	+3	+0	+3	Concentration 5, Knowledge (religion) 5, Diplomacy 5
3	Cleric 3	+2	+3	+1	+3	Concentration 6, Knowledge (religion) 6, Diplomacy 6	Extend Spell
4	Cleric 4	+3	+4	+1	+4	Concentration 7, Knowledge (religion) 7, Diplomacy 7
5	Cleric 5	+3	+4	+1	+4	Concentration 8, Knowledge (religion) 8, Diplomacy 8
6	Cleric 6	+4	+5	+2	+5	Concentration 9, Knowledge (religion) 9, Diplomacy 9	Persistent Spell
7	Cleric 7	+5	+5	+2	+5	Concentration 10, Knowledge (religion) 10, Diplomacy 10
8	Cleric 8	+6	+6	+2	+6	Concentration 11, Knowledge (religion) 11, Diplomacy 11
9	Cleric 9	+6	+6	+3	+6	Concentration 12, Knowledge (religion) 12, Diplomacy 12	Divine Metamagic (persistent spell)
10	Cleric 10	+7	+7	+3	+7	Concentration 13, Knowledge (religion) 13, Diplomacy 13
11	Cleric 11	+8	+7	+3	+7	Concentration 14, Knowledge (religion) 14, Diplomacy 14
12	Cleric 12	+9	+8	+4	+8	Concentration 15, Knowledge (religion) 15, Diplomacy 15	Violate Spell
13	Cleric 13	+9	+8	+4	+8	Concentration 16, Knowledge (religion) 16, Diplomacy 16
14	Cleric 14	+10	+9	+4	+9	Concentration 17, Knowledge (religion) 17, Diplomacy 17
15	Cleric 15	+11	+9	+5	+9	Concentration 18, Knowledge (religion) 18, Diplomacy 18	Malign Spell Focus
16	Cleric 16	+12	+10	+5	+10	Concentration 19, Knowledge (religion) 19, Diplomacy 19
17	Cleric 17	+12	+10	+5	+10	Concentration 20, Knowledge (religion) 20, Diplomacy 20
18	Cleric 18	+13	+11	+6	+11	Concentration 21, Knowledge (religion) 21, Diplomacy 21	Spell Focus (evil)
19	Cleric 19	+14	+11	+6	+11	Concentration 22, Knowledge (religion) 22, Diplomacy 22
20	Cleric 20	+15	+12	+6	+12	Concentration 23, Knowledge (religion) 23, Diplomacy 23

Spoiler: Spells

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Spells per Day*

Level	0lvl	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	Domain (thirst)	Divine Magician
1st	3	2 + 1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Parching Touch	Death Grimace
2nd	4	3 + 1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	4	3 + 1	2 + 1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Desiccate	Spectral Hand
4th	5	4 + 1	3 + 1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th	5	4 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	-	-	-	-	-	-	Tormenting Thirst	Negative Energy Burst
6th	5	4 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	-	-	-	-	-	-
7th	6	5 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	1 + 1	-	-	-	-	-	Dispel Water	Grim Revenge
8th	6	5 + 1	4 + 1	4 + 1	2 + 1	-	-	-	-	-
9th	6	5 + 1	5 + 1	4 + 1	2 + 1	1 + 1	-	-	-	-	Desiccate, Mass	Night's Caress
10th	6	5 + 1	5 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	-	-	-	-
11th	6	6 + 1	5 + 1	5 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	1 + 1	-	-	-	Symbol of Thirst	Eyebite
12th	6	6 + 1	5 + 1	5 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	-	-	-
13th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	5 + 1	5 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	1 + 1	-	-	Mephit Mob	Kiss of the Vampire
14th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	5 + 1	5 + 1	3 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	-	-
15th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	5 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	1 + 1	-	Horrid Wilting	Avascular Mass
16th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	5 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	-
17th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	4 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1	1 + 1	Energy Drain	Wail of the Banshee
18th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	4 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	3 + 1	2 + 1
19th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	5 + 1	4 + 1	4 + 1	3 + 1	3 + 1
20th	6	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	6 + 1	5 + 1	4 + 1	4 + 1	4 + 1	4 + 1

* Excluding enhancement and inherent bonuses to Wisdom (it can be assumed that by the time Zojan hits 17th level, he has, at the very least, a periapt of wisdom +2)

Spoiler: Sample Level Writeup - CR 13

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	Zojan, of the Burning Hate
Size/Type	Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice	13d8+26 (85 hp)
Initiative	-1
Speed	20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class	22 (-1 Dex, +9 armor, +3 shield, +1 deflection), touch 10, flat footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple	+9/+10
Attack	Heavy mace +11 melee (1d8+2, +1d6 fire)
Full Attack	Heavy mace +11/+6 melee (1d8+2, +1d6 fire)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Charm person, enervation, spells, vampiric touch
Special Qualities	DR 10/magic, gaseous form, rebuke or command oozes, rebuke or command undead
Saves	Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +13
Abilities	Str 12, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 16
Skills	Concentration +18, Diplomacy +19, Knowledge (religion) +16
Feats	Divine Metamagic (persistent spell), Enemy of GoodB, Extend Spell, Heretic of the Faith, Persistent Spell, Violate Spell
Environment	Any
Organization	Solitary
Challenge Rating	13
Alignment	Neutral evil
Level Adjustment	+ 0

Spells: (DC 15 + spell level)0 - detect magic (x3), detect poison, read magic (x2)
1st - command, death grimace (x2), divine favor, doom (x2), entropic shield, parching touch^D
2nd - death knell, desiccate^D, hold person, silence, spectral hand, undetectable alignment
3rd - animate dead, bestow curse, dispel magic (x2), negative energy burst, tormenting thirst^D
4th - divine power, freedom of movement, searing light (violated) (x2), tormenting thirst (extended)^D
5th - mass desiccate^D, night’s caress, slay living, spell resistance, summon monster V
6th - antilife shell, harm, mass desiccate (violated)^D
7th - kiss of the vampire (persisted) {already cast}, mephit mob^D

Gear: +2 belt of health, +1 full plate, +1 heavy steel shield, +1 flaming mace, +4 periapt of wisdom, +1 ring of protection

Spoiler: Tactics and Strategies

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CR 5 – Zojan is a fairly standard full casting cleric. He only has one domain, but adds unique spells to his repertoire from the divine magician ACF. Access to the thirst domain (available through heretic of the faith) adds the ability to rebuke or command oozes, which isn’t at all bad for minionmancy. Enemy of good makes his spells harder for creatures with an aura of good to resist.
CR 10 – With persistent spell and divine metamagic to fuel it, Zojan’s power level increases significantly. Persisted righteous might makes him a formidable melee combatant, for example.
CR 15 – Violate spell makes half the damage from Zojan’s spells vile (which can be hard to cure), but more importantly, gives them the evil descriptor, which ties into other feats to boost the DC (such as malign spell focus). Zojan can also persist more powerful spells, including kiss of the vampire, a personal favourite.
CR 20 – Zojan is at the pinnacle of his powers. His spells, particularly those with the evil descriptor, have a high DC to resist (those used against good outsiders or creatures with a good aura are higher still). He would commonly call a greater planar ally (such as a pit fiend), and command a small army of undead (and, potentially, oozes). He is truly a worthy emissary of The Burning Hate.

Suggested gear - wisdom boosters, constitution boosters, charisma boosters, night sticks

Spoiler: Sources

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BV - Vashar, malign spell focus, enemy of good, violate spell, death grimace, grim revenge
CAr - persistent spell
CD - divine metamagic, spell focus (evil)
CM - divine magician
ElE - enemy of good
PF - heretic of the faith
Sa - thirst domain, parching touch, desiccate, tormenting thirst, dispel water, mass dessicate, symbol of thirst, mephit mob
SC - night's caress, kiss of the vampire, avascular mass
TB - negative energy burst

Context - http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?443306

[Thurbane]

Kappikyrie


CE Valkyrie (ToB p.157) Swordsage 1/Assassin 8/Swordsage 1/Assassin 1

Str 12+14: 26,
Dex 14+16: 30,
Con 13+12: 25,
Int 15+4: 19,
wis 10+2: 12,
Cha 8+6: 14
Stat bonuses go to intelligence.

Spoiler

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CR	HD	Class	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Skills	Feats	Class Features
9	11	Valkyrie (ToB p.156)	11	7	7	8	Balance 5, Concentration 11, Diplomacy 10, Hide 14, Intimidate 10, Knowledge (the planes) 14, Listen 14, Sense Motive 14, Spot 14, Tumble 12, Move silently 7, Disguise 4, UMD 4, Knowledge (religion) 3, decipher script 2 Skill Tricks: Acrobatic Backstab, Twisted Charge, Never outnumbered, Clarity of Vision, Swift Concentration	flyby attack 1 (MM1), power attack 3, greater flyby attack (Savage Species p.35) 6, Combat Intuition 9 (Com Adv p.106), TWF (bonus), ITWF (bonus)	Aligned Strike (Su), Electricity Attacks (Su), Lighting Gaze (Su) Martial Maneuvers (initiator level 10th), Sonic Burst (Su), 2 slam attacks, Immune cold, electricity, fear, sonic. SR 17, DR 10/cold iron, 40 ft. (8 squares); fly 60 ft. (perfect)
10	12	Swordsage	11	7	9	9	move silently 15, hide 15, spot 15	12: Adaptive Style	initiator level 11, Quick to act +1, discipline focus (Weapon Focus), 6 maneuvers, 4 can be readied, 1 stance, +1 intelligence
11	13	Assassin 1	11	7	11	9	move silently 16, hide 16, spot 16, UMD 8, Craft Alchemy 1		Sneak attack +1d6, death attack, poison use, spells
12	14	Assassin 2	12	7	12	9	move silently 17, hide 17, spot 17, Sense motive 17, UMD 10, Craft Alchemy 3		initiator level 12, +1 save against poison, uncanny dodge
13	15	Assassin 3	13	8	12	10	move silently 18, hide 18, spot 18, Sense motive 18, Intimidate 12 UMD 12	15 Favored in Guild: Jaezred Chaulssin (Knowledge Religion), +4 to death attack DCs. (Dragons of Faerun web enhancement p.5)	Sneak attack +2d6
14	16	Assassin 4	14	8	13	10	move silently 19, hide 19, spot 19, Sense motive 19, Intimidate 14 UMD 14		initiator level 13, +2 save against poison
15	17	Assassin 5	14	8	13	10	move silently 20, hide 20, spot 20, Sense motive 20, Concentration 15		Improved uncanny dodge, sneak attack +3d6
16	18	Assassin 6	15	9	14	11	move silently 21, hide 21, spot 21, Sense motive 21, Concentration 19	18 Ability Focus (Death Attack)	initiator level 14, +3 save against poison
17	19	Assassin 7	16	9	14	11	move silently 22, hide 22, spot 22, Sense motive 22, Craft alchemy 5, UMD 16		Sneak attack +4d6
18	20	Assassin 8	17	9	15	11	move silently 23, hide 23, spot 23, Sense motive 23, Craft Alchemy 7, UMD 18		initiator level 15
19	21	Swordsage 2	18	9	16	12	move silently 24, hide 24, spot 24, Sense motive 24, Tumble 18	21 Epic Speed	initiator level 16, ac bonus, 1 maneuver, 1 stance
20	22	Assassin 9	18	10	17	13	move silently 25, hide 25, spot 25, Sense motive 25, UMD 22		Sneak attack +5d6

Maneuvers: Racial (IL 10th) Disciplines: Setting Sun, Stone Dragon, Tiger Claw:
Stances—prey on the weak (Tiger Claw 7th)
Strikes—charging minotaur (Stone 1st), clever positioning (Setting Sun 2nd), devastating throw (Setting Sun 3rd), mountain avalanche (stone 5th), pouncing charge (Tiger Claw 5th), wolf fang strike (Tiger Claw 1st)
Boosts—boulder roll (Stone 4th)
Counters—baffling defense (Setting Sun 2nd), counter charge (Setting Sun 1st)

Maneuvers: Swordsage CR 10
scorpion parry (Setting Sun 6th)
Cloak of deception (Shadow Hand 2nd)
Shadow Blade technique (Shadow Hand 1st)
mirrored pursuit (Setting Sun 5th)
Elder Mountain Hammer (Stone 5th)
Wolf Climbs Mountain (Tiger 6th)
Stance: Child of Shadow (Shadow Hand 1st)

Maneuvers: Swordsage CR 19
Stance: Ghostly defense (setting sun 8th)
Raging Mongoose (Tiger Claw 8th)

Assassin Spells Known

CR	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
11	Spells: Spring sheath (Song and silence) 10 min/level quickdraw Shadow double (Dotu): weird shadow double attacker	-	-	-
12	Sniper's Shot (complete Adv): Swift; no range limit to sneak attacks	-	-	-
13	-	Swift Ready (Forge of War p.117): swift action equipped. Animate Weapon (Comp Mage p. 95): weapon becomes animated object	-	-
14	Distract Assailant (Spell Comp p.69) Swift; will negates, opponent is flatfooted	Swift Invisibility (Spell Comp p.125): swift action 1 round invisibility	-	-
15	-	-	Wraithstrike (Spell Comp p.243): swift action, use touch attacks to attack. Sadism (BOVD): +1 luck bonus per each 10 pts of damage done.	-
16	-	Fell the greatest Foe (Spell Comp p.90): deal more damage against bigger critters	Toxic Tongue (Comp mage)	-
17	-	-	-	Sniper's eye (Spell comp p.193): make sneak attacks with ranged weapon 4th: deathsight (comp mage): Next normal attack is a death attack.
18	-	-	Fangs of the Vampire King (spell comp)	Shadow Phase (Spell Comp p185): Concealment.
20	-	-	-	-

Valkyries are Asgardian Angels of Battle charged with delivering the souls of the Midgard/Primematerial Heroes into Valhalla to swell the ranks of Einjariar with tough MoFos to defeat the forces of Frost Giants in Ragnarok one day. Valkyrie comes from the old norse "Choosers of the Slain." According to the Ancient Tome of Battle, Valkyries arise from the blood of deities that has been spilled in combat and dropped upon the soil of Ysgard. During a particularly nasty incursion into Nidavellir by an aspect of Lolth chasing after the souls of spoiled brat male drow elves (CN instead of CE), her carapace was brought to the surface for triumphant display and immolation before the Vanir gods. Her demonblood juices dropped to the ground, mingling with the blood of heroes and gods who fought battles that day...Thus born was Scab Kappikyrie "Chooser of Champions." A devout follower of Odin, Kappikyrie has made it her mission to bring the mightiest and best heroes from the prime to assure the defeat of the Frost Giants during Ragnarok.

From Kappikyrie's perspective, the most effective way to collect thost champions is to literally kill them and literally bring them to Ysgard. Kappikyrie doesn't even particularly target "Heroic" people. Anyone with a ton of martial prowess (CR 10 or greater) of any alignment is fine by her. Odin is disgusted by Skab's approach. Odin is also shamefully pleased with her results and has allowed her to continue her project of devotion, just in case he needs that much of an extra edge during the fight to come. He uses intermediary gods to secretly deliver her equipment and means to plane shift / open & use portals to the prime material.

Encounters with Kappikyrie
At every Level: Greater flyby attack allows Kappikyrie to attack 10 times while using their movement in a straight line. A gaze attack out to 30' affects would be attackers and targeters. One any turn where there is an unused swift action, Kappikyrie can use the Sonic Burst for 4d6 sonic damage to everyone within 30' reflex DC 17 for half. Kappikyrie doesn't need to land if they don't need to and shouldn't in a battle. Using the Rules for Sense Motive found in Complete Adventurer and her Combat intuition feat, Kappikyrie should know the biggest challenge in any party and direct her pouncing charge and initiator moves on them after a greater flyby attack. A number of quickdraw crystals will allow Kappikyrie to employ a number of different weapons during a greater flyby attack. Consider using the locking garrote (Song and the silence) during the first pass to clamp down on all of the spellcasters, or a mister (DotU p.92) or sprayer (A&EG) filling up squares with poisons/specific potions (oil of gaseous form/bestow curse to take out biggest person...or perhaps any good old fashioned poison). Kappikyrie should have a handy haversack, a net, 150' rope, 3-5 harpoons, thinaun weapons, thunderstones, and all kinds of weird equipment. She should be a bit of a macguyver for equipment and as a personality note, will approach wielders of weird and exotic weapons and ammunition about their techniques and weapon designs. Kappikyrie is an outsider with a secret bankroller for her gear, so when she dies, she just returns to Ysgard. This leaves her gear behind. Kappikyrie will return to attempt to steal any thinaun weapons that she used to store high quality souls. This aspect makes Kappikyrie a possible loot drop encounter every time she’s on the prime material, and thus she becomes useful if the players have had to deal with rust monster and disenchanters or slavers.

Kappikyrie is evil because she does not care at all about the means by which she goes about pursuing her goals, killing all resistant and inconvenient obstacles as readily and parleying with them. Kappikyrie will elder mountain hammer inanimate objects towards the goal of destroying architecture, trees, bridges, even crumbling it down on herself just to slay her opponents.

CR 10
Kappikyrie at this level can be encountered en route to killing a specific high level NPC and brings many tools to the job to do so. At this level, Kappikyrie has it's racial maneuvers as well as 4 swordsage readied maneuvers depending on the task. Kappikyrie carries a number of thinaun daggers that they use to store souls to bring to Ysgard for binding. A suggested clue or encounter should be built around Kappikyrie seeking out direct stewardship of a thinaun mining/excavation operations. Kappikyrie could even hire the PCs to deliver the metal to herself.

Another option is putting her on a quest to prove herself to Odin that includes her hunting down and destroying a lich who odin thinks will absolutely help in ragnarok, and subsequently returning the phylactery to Ysgard. The relationship of the lich to the PCs goals could bring them into allyship or conflict with Kappikyrie. Although not stat out for lich hunting, kappikyrie could easily be convinced to target lich phylacteries instead of hunting mortals for a few CR/encounter levels, if PCs convince her that this recourse guarantees some help retrieving powerful souls for ragnarok.

CR 13 Sweet spot.
This is the level where the best parts of the build are all online. Kappikyrie has a death attack with a DC 22 fort save attached to it (int boosting items will boost the DC more) as well as pounce, Improved two weapon fighting, greater flyby attack, a tiny bit of sneak attack damage, great sneaking skills. Against an opponent who is a target of the death attack, Kappikyrie uses a thinaun Heavy Aspergillium (Libris Mortis) filled with Atramen Oil (Planar Handbook) which confers a -4 to fort saves. Animate Weapon is great for pairing with a dispelling (PGTF) etherblade (Fiend Folio).

NOTE: Assassin's death attack sucks for PCs to fight against. They hate it because the DM has a huge advantage. If you are going to use Kappikyrie well in these encounters, you need to give the PCs high level targets for Kappikyrie to womp on. You demonstrate that she is dangerous and deadly, but you don't outright kill your PCs. If you're PCs have been adequately warned and offered anti-sneaking defense abilities, maybe you can target a PC with Kappikyrie, but I wouldn't advise it unless your party is cool with your sneak death attacking their character. Further making this feel like a railroading encounter is the fact that pcs can’t revive until you get their soul back from the thinaun weaponry.

At this level, Kappikyrie should be busy using the drow in the underdark assasssin's guild to find the most worthwhile allies for odin during ragnarok and has decided to aboleth or mindflayer or drider hunting. Whichever is decided as Kappikyries target, she should have gear that represents their intended quarry and a handful of extra weird obscure weapons that they use to do the job and cover a few likely contingencies.

CR 20
By CR 20, Kappikyrie should have access to a portal to Ysgard from the Prime material plane. Kappikyrie should be collecting Legendary heroes that she kills however she possibly can. Military Generals, Blood war operatives, the PCs. Kappikyrie, at this level, should be needing a ton of thinaun, and some artisans to handle it and turn it into her weapons. And thus she can be diverted from her quest by drying up her local sources of the material or the beings who refine it into weapons. At this level, she has a death attack with a DC of 31, and a fourth level spell to use a death attack without the 3 round wait. She has ragin mongoose maneuver which can grant her 4 extra attacks on her sneak attack victim, and anyone who is avoiding her gaze attack or when she casts shadow phase has to deal with her ghostly defense stance. Her UMD is crazy high.

[Thurbane]

The Silverblood Knight
LG Half-Celestial Silverbrow Human Monk 1 / Kensai 5 / Occult Slayer 5

^{"Angel of Glory's Rise", original art by James Ryman, © Wizards of the Coast 2012}

Spoiler: To see the big picture, here's the CR20 Stat Block

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The Silver Bloodknight
LE Werebattletitan Half-Celestial Tarnished-Dragonborn Silverbrow Human Monk 1 / Kensai 5 / Occult Slayer 5

^{"Sea Guardian", fan art by Rene Polumorfous}

[stats are in hybrid form, unless otherwise stated]

Female LE Huge Humanoid (Human, Dragonblood, Shapechanger, Native)
Init +10; Senses Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60ft., Scent, Auravision (Detect Magic); Listen +42, Spot +42
Languages Common, Damaran, Celestial, Giant, Draconic

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Armor Class 39 (+6 Dex, -2 Size, +2 Wis, +23 Natural), Touch 16, Flat-Footed 33; DR 10/magic
Hit Dice 37HD (42d8+5d10+141) 361 HP + 47 temp HP (renewed each round)
Special: 4/day, immediate action, bring back to 180HP instead of being reduced below 0HP
Immune Disease, Mind-Affectng; Resist Acid 10, Cold 10, Electricity 10
Fort +36, Ref +30, Will +24; SR 35
Special: +5 luck vs necro (no partial effect on save), +10 luck vs death effects or massive damage, with reroll on 1; +3 vs spell/sla; Spell Turning 2/day, free action

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Speed 30ft. (6 squares), fly 60ft. (good), 60ft. (animal form)
Attack +1 Dragonbane Magebane Wounding Unarmed Strike +53 (1d6+19, 1 Con damage); -2 attack roll w/ Snap Kick (1d6+10, 1 Con damage)
Special: +2 enhancement vs dragons, +2 enhancement vs casters; +2d6 damage roll vs dragons, +3d6 damage roll vs casters; double damage on a round with successful Decisive Strike; double damage on readied attack to disrupt casters
Full Attack Unarmed Strike +53/+48/+43/+38 (1d6+19, 1 Con damage) and Bite +48 (3d6+9) and 2 Claws +48 (2d6+9) and Tail Spike +48 (2d6+9)
Space 15ft.; Reach 10ft.
Base Attack Bonus +35; Grapple +65

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Abilities STR 46 (+18), DEX 22 (+6), CON 34 (+12), INT 22 (+6), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 17 (+3)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL43, up to CL64 with Greater Consumptive Field):
10/day--Feather Fall; 3/day--Protection from Evil, Holy Aura (DC21); 1/day--Bless, Aid, Detect Evil, Cure Serious Wounds (DC16), Neutralize Poison, Remove Disease, Dispel Evil, Holy Word, Hallow, Mass Charm Monster (DC21), Summon Monster IX (celestials only), Resurrection; 1/day(shared, Nexus of Many Lives)--Limited Wish, Control Weather, Barghest's Feast, Greater Consumptive Field, Veil of Undeath
Supernatural Abilities
at will--Daylight; 1/day--Smite Evil; 1/day(shared, Nexus of Many Lives)--The Warrior
Special Attacks Decisive Strike, Improved Grab (animal form), Swallow Whole (animal form)
Special Qualities Alternate Form, Battletitan Empathy, Power Surge, Nondetection Cloak (CL5)

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Feats Jotunbrud, Human Heritage^B, Improved Unarmed Strike, Combat Expertise^B, Iron Will^B, Power Attack, Improved Initiative, Mage Slayer, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike), Dodge, Snap Kick, Evasive Reflexes, Robilar's Gambit^B, Improved Combat Reflexes, Epic Destiny (Eternal Hero), Karmic Strike
Skills Appraise +6, Balance +15, Bluff +52, Climb +18, Concentration +17, Craft +6, Decipher Script +6, Diplomacy +42, Disguise +3[+9 acting], Escape Artist +6, Forgery +6, Gather Information +5, Handle Animal +3, Heal +2, Hide +6, Intimidate +11, Jump +22, Knowledge (arcana) +31, Knowledge (religion) +7, other Knowledge skills +6, Listen +42, Martial Lore +6, Move Silently +6, Open Lock +6, Perform +3, Ride +11, Search +6, Sense Motive +52, Sleight of Hand +12, Spellcraft +13, Spot +42, Survival +2, Swim +18, Tumble +40, Use Magic Device +3, Use Rope +6
Special: When really needed, the Limited Wish SLA can duplicate Divine Insight (+15 insight bonus to skill check), Improvisation (+21 luck bonus to skill check roll), or other skill-boosting spell; Epic Bluff DC70 enables the display of false alignment. By CR14, this can be done by taking 20 on a Bluff modifier of +51 (29 ranks, +3 Cha, +2 Passive Way, +2 Ki Projection, +15 Divine Insight from Limited Wish)

Spoiler: Ability Scores

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Elite Array: STR 10, DEX 14, CON 12, INT 15, WIS 8, CHA 13
Template Adjustment: STR +4, DEX +2, CON +4, INT +2, WIS +6, CHA +4
Template Adjustment (Alternate Form): STR +32, CON +18
HD Increase Adjustment: DEX +6 (24-44), INT +5 (4-20)
Final Score: STR 14 (+2), DEX 22 (+6), CON 16 (+3), INT 22 (+6), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 17 (+3)
Final Score (Alternate Form): STR 46 (+18), DEX 22 (+6), CON 34 (+12), INT 22 (+6), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 17 (+3)

Spoiler: Table

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CR	Class	BAB	FS	RS	WS	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1	Half-Celestial	-	-	-	-	-	-	Outsider (Native), 60ft fly (good), +1 to Natural Armor, Resistance to Acid/Cold/Electricity 10, Darkvision 60ft, Disease Immunity, Su[Daylight at will, Smite Evil 1/d], DR5/magic, SR11, SLA[Bless 1/d, Protection from Evil 3/d]
2	Monk 1	+0	+2	+2	+2	Balance 4, Concentration 4, Decipher Script 0.5, Diplomacy 4, Knowledge (arcana) 4, Knowledge (religion) 1, Open Lock 0.5, Sense Motive 4, Tumble 4, Use Magic Device 0.5	Jotunbrud, Human HeritageB, Improved Unarmed StrikeB, Combat ExpertiseB	Decisive Strike, Passive Way (+2 to Bluff), Unarmed Damage 1d6, AC Bonus
-	Dragonborn	-	-	-	-	-	-	Breath Weapon [13d8 fire/acid/cold/elec, 100ft. line] Immunity to Frightful Presence, +2 to AC vs Dragon types, lose Human Heritage feat, retain Humanoid type
8	Lycanthrope (Battletitan)	+27	+22	+22	+14	Balance 5(+1), Bluff (29), Concentration 5(+1), Diplomacy 15(+16), Handle Animal 0.5, Knowledge (arcana) 25(+21), other Knowledge in SRD 4.5, Listen 40, Martial Lore 0.5, Ride 5, Sense Motive 5(+1), Sleight of Hand 0.5, Spellcraft 3, Spot 40, Tumble 15(+11)	Iron WillB, Power Attack1, Improved Unarmed Strike3, Improved Initiative6, Mage Slayer9, Weapon Focus12, Dodge15, Snap Kick18, Thunderclap21, Great Dexterity24, Great Dexterity27, Combat Reflexes30, Evasive Reflexes33, Robilar's Gambit36,B	(Shapechanger), +36HD, Alternate Form, Battletitan Feats, Scent, Low-Light Vision, DR5/silver, +2 to Natural Armor, Animal Form (Bite + 2 Claws + Tail Spike on a full attack, Improved Grab, Swallow Whole, 60ft. base land speed)
-	Tarnished Dragonborn	-	-	-	-	-	-	lose Dragonborn
10	Half-Celestial	-	-	-	-	-	-	SLA (1/d unless noted): Aid, Detect Evil, Cure Serious Wounds, Neutralize Poison, Holy Smite, Remove Disease, Dispel Evil, Holy Word, Holy Aura (3/d), Hallow, Mass Charm Monster, Summon monster IX (celestials only), Resurrection; SR35
11	Kensai 1	+27	+22	+22	+16	Sense Motive 15(+10)		Signature Weapon (Unarmed Strike, feet): +1, Skilled City Dweller (Replace Ride with Tumble)
12	Kensai 2	+28	+22	+22	+17	Sense Motive 25(+10)	Epic Destiny*	Signature Weapon: +1 Dragonbane, Power Surge
13	Kensai 3	+29	+23	+23	+17	Diplomacy 25(+10)		Signature Weapon: +1 Dragonbane Magebane
14	Kensai 4	+30	+23	+23	+18	Tumble 25(+10)		Ki Projection
15	Kensai 5	+30	+23	+23	+18	Sense Motive 26(+1), Tumble 34(+9)	Improved Combat Reflexes	Signature Weapon: +1 Dragonbane Magebane Wounding
16	Occult Slayer 1	+31	+23	+23	+20	Sense Motive 34(+8)		Magical Defense +1, Weapon Bond (Unarmed Strike)
17	Occult Slayer 2	+32	+23	+23	+21	Bluff 37(+8)		Mind Over Magic 1/d, Vicious Strike
18	Occult Slayer 3	+33	+24	+24	+21	Sense Motive 42(+8)	Karmic Strike	Magical Defense +2, Auravision
19	Occult Slayer 4	+34	+24	+24	+22	Bluff 45(+8)		Mind Over Magic 2/d, Nondetection Cloak
20	Occult Slayer 5	+35	+24	+24	+22	Sense Motive 50(+8)		Magical Defense +3, Blank Thoughts

Cross-class skills are italicized
* Epic Destiny also takes the place of feats for 21st (Thunderclap), 24th (Great Dexterity), 27th (Great Dexterity), and 30th level (Combat Reflexes)

Nexus of Many Lives (Epic Destiny: Eternal Hero)
The Warrior (Su): +8 Speed Vicious Ghost-Touch Unarmed Strike
The Arcanist (Sp): Limited Wish
The Disciple (Sp): Control Weather
The Traitor (Sp): Barghest's Feast, Greater Consumptive Field, Veil of Undeath

Spoiler: How to use The Silverbloodknight

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Spoiler: General

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In a nutshell, The Silverbloodknight is basically a souped-up AoO + mundane magehating combatant with few more tricks up her sleeves, which is pretty interesting considering the low optimization level used except for the whole werebattletitan. She's a tough lightning bruiser, backed up with skills and abilities that enable her to either hunt enemies (especially dragons) or gather allies.

Identifying even the oldest chromatic dragons shouldn't be a problem for her considering her Knowledge (arcana) modifier. Due to how she can easily merc non-Good creatures that would be normally way above her weight class, she would be brought up against a party with minimal non-Good PC. Doing as suggested would also present an interesting dynamic that can't easily be replicated when pitted against a considerably morally grey party.

At all levels, she'd also be inclined to gather as much support as possible for her cause, which is to rightfully slaughter all evil dragons, their (alleged) servants, and everyone else who stands in her way. This is mainy accomplished with Mass Charm Monster, going as far as turning charmed (i.e. Friendly) creatures Helpful, and good Bluff/Diplomacy modifiers, for continuous and systematic indoctrination. She'd even offer quests for PCs, with each quest having varying degrees of importance based on how much she trusts the PCs--although, do note that her Sense Motive skill will vastly improve later in the game.

Do note that some of her skills will give multiple synergy bonuses--Bluff with minimum 45 ranks give +6 bonus to Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sleight of Hand, and Sense Motive with minimum 45 ranks gives another +6 bonus to Diplomacy.

The dragonslayer Grechke desperately limped towards her, mace and shield raised against the one they called the Silver Bloodknight. The vassals of Bahamut claimed she was once a once-gallant devotee of Bahamut who got accursed with madness. She must've been one of Bahamut's elite, seeing as how she managed to effortlessly dispose of the adult red dragon that's been setting the whole town on fire. It was no ordinary red dragon, verbal theatrics aside, and with its kobold henchmen would've easily killed him had she arrived a second too late to give the dragon a piece of her own verbal assault.

"Surrender yourself", Grechke blurted out with as much authority as he can muster against the towering silver monster. Actually, he wasn't exactly sure what she is--angelic wings, dinosaur body, and her blood faintly smelled draconic.

She just looked at him and laughed wholesomely. "You're clearly not in any condition to do the arresting. Help me take the surviving children to our refuge, so they'll at least stay warm and fed for tonight. You could use some bandaging, too."

Without any town in sight as far as his eyes can see, the dragonfire adept begrudgingly obliged and made some makeshift saddle and harness to help the Silver Bloodknight carry the few surviving children. He found the rest of the trip to be pretty uneventful--she tried to cheer them up and take their minds away from the tragedy, but nobody really responded. After some thought, he realized that her demeanor, her way of talking, and the way laughs actually reminded him of his great-grandmother, a great hero coincidentally known then as the "Silver Knight".

The high-priest of Bahamut once told him that the road to the lower planes is paved with good intentions, so he still kept his eyes on the Silver Bloodknight, who by then already introduced herself as Lucia. He found out that the refuge is basically an orphanage for those who survive dragon attacks, funded by the very treasure she took from the fallen spawns of Tiamat. He found that to be utterly ridiculous, that this must clearly be a front for some heinous scheme that he will soon uncover.

Spoiler: CR10

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Note: First off, mechanically, she gained and then lost Dragonborn. It's an odd thematic-based crunch that was an artefact of an earlier stub that used it to qualify for Lycanthrope because the build didn't have Human Heritage back then.

It will be very hard going toe to toe with a 36HD Werebattletitan Half-Celestial Decisive Strike Monk in martial combat, what with high HP, AC, attack, damage, AoOs, and even DR. Spells and SLAs will also have some difficulties due to her SR, energy resistances, high saves, Mage Slayer, and Thunderclap. She even has a pretty good flight speed. Thus, one of the best options to deal with her would be to either hit her with ranged attacks, use battlefield control, or use alterate non-HP attacks like ability damage to keep her down. Even then, she'll just likely get minions with Summon Monster IX, or she probably already did before combat with Mass Charm Monster + Diplomacy.

As mentioned, noncombat solutions would still be very much an alternate way to overcome her challenge, as she is generally cordial and accomodating. You can still do agressive noncombat solutions like held her orphans hostage, blackmail her, or trick her into doing or believing in something, but expect such kinds of approach narrowing down future options.

Katja protested, "Did you just say, 'slaughter them all'? Aren't we just supposed to kill the wyrmlings, loot the vault, and lure the big dragon out? I can blast them with flames hotter than the sun, but indiscriminate attacks and collateral damage doesn't sound so right to me."

The dragonslayer Grechke has heard such protestations before, and this kind of ignorance really riles him up. Who knows if the spawns of Tiamat already impregnated them or tainted them with evil? For all we know, some of them are just dragons in disguise! How dare she questions The Silverblood Knight's morality!

Thunder started to rumble as dark clouds start to form. She lightly tapped him on the back before his emotion can overtake his well-composed stature. "Come now, Grechke, we are counting on you. Don't mind Katja, I'll explain everything to her."

Amidst the oncoming storm, Lucia's smile shined like a bright, sunny, day. She always seemed so optimistic, always willing to explain her perspective and make people understand what she fights for. He find those qualities admirable, and it's such a shame that the world vilified and hated her for something so noble. Grechke's great-grandmother once told him that she's reincarnated from great champions of the past, including Bahamut's first Platinum Knight. And he knew now, that Lucia is the current reincarnation. She's a hero, just ask the kids. She's actually running an orphanage, for Bahamut's sake!

Raindrops began to pour as Gretchke and his brethren, Katja included, descended the dragon's lair. Soon, this place will be nothing but ruins, with Bahamut's blessing of rain washing away the foul stench of evil inside.

Spoiler: CR15(High Point)

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Plenty of improvements, so let's start by imbuing her feet to become a +1 Dragonbane Magebane Wounding Unarmed Strike, which is a massive attack/damage boost against dragons, especially with Decisive Strike + Snap Kick. She can also get massive Str boost for at least 1/day for 2 rounds.

Her Sense Motive, Diplomacy, and Tumble skyrocketed here, too, the last one enabling her to do 10-foot steps with a DC40 tumble check. She gets Improved Combat Reflexes, allowing unlimited AoO for her to hop around the battlefield towards her next vulnerable victims whenever she gets attacked. Basically, provoking AoOs from her will be more dangerous than ever.

Lastly, she gets Epic Destiny (Eternal Hero), which massively boosts her survivability (and resurrection, failing that), battlefield control (Control Weather), and versatility (Limited Wish). Greater Consumptive Field would raise Half-Celestial SLA CL to 57, which is crazy when used for Holy Word.

Verrat pulled the sacred artifact out of the fallen dragon's heart. It took them an entire night to organize this hunt, and the monster took twelve of his siblings down with it. He observes the monster's neither chromatic nor metallic, exactly, but he thinks there are clear signs of red dragon heritage that can be easily detected. It's evil anyway, so the hunt last night was entirely justified, not to mention sister Lucia herself joined. And tonight, bigger things are in store for them.

"Brothers and sisters, I can't thank you enough for taking up this divine burden that not every servants of Bahamut can bear. I just hope that this great quest that we are about to embark on will open their eyes, to see what sister Lucia sees. For our champion, the Silverblood Knight!"

"For our champion, the Silverblood Knight!", the rest echoed.

Lucia beamed happily and nodded at Verrat. The snotty lad from the orphanage five years ago's all grown up, and he grew up to be a virtuous young man. Those five years were some bittersweet memories for Lucia, as some of the children grew up to be too rebellious, too chaotic, and a few even threatened to expose everything to the Church of Bahamut. Some of the kids, like Verrat, were more than happy to put their own rebellious siblings down in order to prove themselves, and it made her really proud.

"Tonight, great sacrifices must be made for the greater good. People perish in wars, and that's the said reality of it. My prayers go to those poor souls. Thousands of innocent lives may die, but we will be saving millions of them in turn! For the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut! For our champion, the Silverblood Knight!", the ex-vassal of Bahamut exclaimed.

"For our champion, the Silverblood Knight!", the rest roared in frenzied unison.

Spoiler: CR20

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BAB and saves continue to increase. At this point, you are rocking a +42 to Diplomacy, enough to hit some Helpful to Fanatic Epic DC, while your Epic Sense Motive has at least 60% chance to detect partial alignment.

Detect Magic and Nondetection are great bonus perks from Occult Slayer, but Blank Thoughts really gives you that long-awaited immunity. Finally, Karmic Strike basically doubles your AoO fun, enabling you to either make 4 attacks per successful attack against you, or make a 20ft. movement for free!

Spoiler: Matching fluff and crunch

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Fluff: Bahamut, aka The Platinum Dragon, is the LG God of Good Dragonkind. He is the sibling and chief foe of Tiamat, and is to metallic dragons what his sister is to chromatic dragons. His domains are Air, Dragon, Good, Luck, Protection, Nobility, and Storm. Plenty of Bahamut's worshippers join the Dragonfall war, which is basically them mercilessly killing any chromatic dragon, possibly including even descendants like half-dragons. Some exemplary humanoids devoted to Bahamut's cause can become chosen as Dragonborn. Lastly, Damaran humans tend to act based on their strong moral beliefs.

Crunch: Silverbrow Humans are descended from silver dragons, which is one of the metallic dragons that most hold Bahamut in high regard. The god's lawful inclination is matched by lawful inclination of Monk and Kensai. Many worshippers. The Silverbloodknight is also really good at putting the hurt on and defending against chromatic dragons, especially those that gain spellcasting, due to +1 Dragonbane Magebane Wounding Unarmed Strike and the Occult Slayer class. A half-celestial's thematically-good spell-like abilities are effective against evil creatures, the most notable of which is the deadly Holy Word. Her Eternal Hero abilities Death Denied and Nexus of Many Lives: Arcanist used to emulate Improvisation represent Bahamut's luck domain. Thunderclap and Nexus of Many Lives: Disciple used to emulate Control Weather represent Bahamut's storm domain. Her Kensai oath is show no mercy to and never back down against evil and/or chromatic dragons. And lastly, Lucia used to be a legitimate LG worshipper, but became a tarnished-dragonborn after contracting lycanthrope incurred an Evil alignment (because an animal bred specifically for helping take lives sounds more like is associates to evil better than other animals' reasons for their associations to evil).

Spoiler: Source

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Monster Manual III: Battletitan³⁸
Dragon Magic: Silverbrow Human⁶
Races of the Dragon: Dragonborn⁸
Races of Faerun: Jotunbrud
Races of Destiny: Human Heritage¹⁵²
Complete Warrior: Karmic Strike¹⁰², Kensai⁴⁹, Occult Slayer⁶⁶
Complete Arcane: Mage Slayer⁸¹, Magebane¹⁴³
Player's Handbook II: Decisive Strike⁵¹, Robilar's Gambit⁸²
Tome of Battle: Snap Kick³², Evasive Reflexes³⁰, Martial Lore²⁸
Savage Species: Thunderclap⁴⁰
Web Enhancements: Epic Destiny^Link, Skilled City-Dweller(Tumble)^Link
Spell Compendium: Barghest's Feast²⁴, Greater Consumptive Field⁵¹, Veil of Undeath²²⁹, Divine Insight⁷⁰, Improvisation¹²¹

[Thurbane]

Torquemada

Spoiler: The Build in a Nutshell

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Torquemada is a Justice Archon Antiquarian Rogue 1/ Paladin 4 -> Blackguard 4/ Shadowbane Inquisitor 7/ Blackguard +2. His alignment is Lawful Good -> Lawful Evil. Torquemada's fall happens between CR 18 and CR 19, that is, CR 19 is when he takes his first level of Blackguard.
Torquemada starts off at CR 6 with 6 HDs and ends up at CR 20 with 20 HDs and 14 class levels. He is a follower of Heironeous (Lawful Good deity).

The description of the Shadowbane Inquisitor class states:

Spoiler: Shadowbane Inquisitor Description

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Should an inquisitor who also has paladin levels ever gain levels in the blackguard class, his shadowbane inquisitor levels stack with his paladin levels when determining the number of extra abilities that the blackguard gains for having paladin levels. For example, if a 5th-level paladin/1st-level rogue/5th-level shadowbane inquisitor takes a level of blackguard, he gains extra blackguard class abilities as if he were a fallen paladin of 10th level.

This means that when Torquemada is a Rogue 1/ Paladin 4/ Shadowbane inquisitor 7, he has 11 effective levels of Paladin. Relatively to those levels, the Blackguard description reads:

Spoiler: Blackguard Description

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11 or more: Favored of the dark deities. Evil deities like nothing more than to see a pure heart corrupted, and thus a fallen paladin of this stature immediately gains a blackguard level for each level of paladin he trades in. For example, a character who has twelve levels of paladin can immediately become a 10th-level blackguard with all abilities if he chooses to lose ten levels of paladin.

So Torquemada's Paladin levels are eligible for a trade in. We note however that only true Paladin levels can be exchanged, since the Shadowbane Inquisitor description explains that the levels only count towards the added benefits. They are not considered full-fledged Paladin level; as such they can't explicitly be traded in, or at least the RAW errs towards this interpretation. Compare with the Gray Guard class, where a more exhaustive formulation is employed:

Spoiler: Gray Guard Description

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Levels of gray guard are treated as levels of paladin for the purpose of advancing in the blackguard prestige class.

Hence, only 4 levels are exchanged. The 7 levels of Shadowbane Inquisitor then confer the benefits of 7 levels of ex-Paladin.
Moreover, thanks to the Absolute Conviction class feature that Shadowbane Inquisitors gain at first level, Torquemada retains all the clas features and benefits of those seven levels even when his alignment changes to Lawful Evil, despite the fact that it makes him fail to meet the Lawful Good alignment prerequisite of the class.

Since Paladin is the favored class of Justice Archons, Torquemada does not suffer from Exp penalty, in case it would be played as a PC rather than a villain.

Spoiler: Ability Scores

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The natural ability modifier array of the Justice Archon is Str + 6, Dex +2, Con +10, Wis +2, Cha +4.
The elite array is then applied as follows: Str 12 Dex 10 Con 8 Int 14 Wis 13 Cha 15.

CR	Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha	Notes
6	18	12	18	14	15	19
8	18	12	18	14	15	20	8 HD +1 Cha
12	18	12	19	14	15	20	12 HD +1 Con
16	18	12	20	14	15	20	16 HD +1 Con
20	18	12	20	14	16	20	20 HD +1 Wis

Torquemada is of Lawful good alignment from CR 6 to CR 18 included, then shifts to Lawful Evil. He then carries on from CR 18 to CR 20.
Torquemada speaks Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, Common, Abyssal and is under the effect of a permanent Tongues spell.

Spoiler: Build & Spellcasting Tables

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CR	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Racial/ Class Features
6	Justice Archon (6 HD) (MMIV)	+6/+1	+9	+6	+7	Hide 4.5 (cross-class), Diplomacy 9, Bluff 4.5 (cross-class), Disguise 4.5 (cross-class), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 4.5 (cross-class), Gather Information 4 (cross-class), Knowledge (Religion) 4 (cross-class), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 4 (cross-class), Knowledge (Local) 2 (cross-class), Knowledge (The Planes) 8	Power Attack, Cleave, Planar Touchstone: Catalogues of Enlightenment (Courage Domain) (PlH)	Darkvision 60ft, Low-Light Vision, Aura of Menace, Immunity to electricity and petrification, permanent Magic Circle against Evil and Tongues, at-will Aid, Continual Flame, Detect Evil, Teleport (self only plus 50 pounds), +4 to saves against poison, DR 10/evil, Fly 60ft (good), Aligned Strike (Lawful and Good), Justice Strike
7	Rogue 1	+6/+1	+9	+8	+7	Hide 4.5, Diplomacy 10, Bluff 4.5, Disguise 8.5, Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 9.5, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 4, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Sneak Attack +1d6, Antiquary ACF (trade out Trapfinding; CC)
8	Paladin 1	+7/+2	+11	+8	+7	Hide 4.5, Diplomacy 11, Bluff 4.5, Disguise 9 (cc), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 10 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Detect Evil, Smite Evil (1/day), Aura of Good
9	Paladin 2	+8/+3	+17	+13	+12	Hide 4.5, Diplomacy 12, Bluff 4.5, Disguise 10 (cc), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 10.5 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8	Awesome Smite (CC)	Divine Grace, Lay on Hands
10	Paladin 3	+9/+4	+17	+14	+13	Hide 4.5, Diplomacy 13, Bluff 4.5, Disguise 11 (cc), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 11 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Divine Health, Aura of Courage
11	Paladin 4	+10/+5	+18	+14	+13	Hide 5 (cc), Diplomacy 14, Bluff 4.5, Disguise 12 (cc), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 11 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Turn Undead
12	Shadowbane Inquisitor 1 (CAdv)	+11/+6/+1	+20	+14	+13	Hide 5, Diplomacy 14, Bluff 5 (cc), Disguise 12, Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 12.5 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8	Skill trick: Assume Quirk (CSco), Travel Devotion (CC)	Absolute Conviction, Pierce Shadows
13	Shadowbane Inquisitor 2	+12/+7/+2	+21	+14	+13	Hide 5, Diplomacy 15 (cc), Bluff 5, Disguise 13 (cc), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 13.5 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Sacred Stealth (+4), Smite Anyone (1/day)
14	Shadowbane Inquisitor 3	+13/+8/+3	+21	+15	+14	Hide 5, Diplomacy 15, Bluff 8 (cc), Disguise 13, Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 13.5, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8	Improved Sunder (Shadowbane Inquisitor 3 bonus)
15	Shadowbane Inquisitor 4	+14/+9/+4	+22	+15	+14	Hide 5, Diplomacy 16 (cc), Bluff 9 (cc), Disguise 13.5 (cc), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 14 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8	Mask of Gentility (EoE)	Sneak Attack +2d6
16	Shadowbane Inquisitor 5	+15/+10/+5	+22	+15	+14	Hide 5, Diplomacy 17 (cc), Bluff 9, Disguise 14.5 (cc), Sense Motive 8, Use Magic Device 15 (cc), Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Merciless Purity
17	Shadowbane Inquisitor 6	+16/+11/+6/+1	+23	+16	+15	Hide 5, Diplomacy 19 (cc), Bluff 9, Disguise 15.5 (cc), Sense Motive 8,Use Magic Device 15, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Smite Anyone (3/day)
18	Shadowbane Inquisitor 7	+17/+12/+7/+2	+23	+16	+15	Hide 5, Diplomacy 20 (cc), Bluff 9, Disguise 17.5 (cc), Sense Motive 8,Use Magic Device 15, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8	Staggering Strike (CAdv)	Sacred Stealth (+8), Sneak Attack +3d6
18	Paladin 4 -> Blackguard 4	+17/+12/+7/+2	+23	+16	+15	Hide 5, Diplomacy 20, Bluff 9, Disguise 17.5, Sense Motive 8,Use Magic Device 15, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Loses: Aura of Good, Detect Evil, Smite Evil (1/day), Divine Grace, Lay on Hands, Divine Health, Aura of Courage, Turn undead, Paladin spellcasting. Gains: Aura of Evil, Detect Good, Smite Good (1/day), Poison Use, Dark Blessing, Aura of Despair, Command Undead, Sneak Attack +1d6, Blackguard spellcasting. Additional gains for 10 effective levels of ex-Paladin: Smite Good +2/day, Lay on Hands, Sneak Attack +1d6, Fiendish Summoning.
19	Blackguard 5	+18/+13/+8/+3	+23	+16	+15	Hide 5, Diplomacy 22, Bluff 9, Disguise 19.5 (cc), Sense Motive 8,Use Magic Device 15, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8		Fiendish Servant, Smite Good (4/day).
20	Blackguard 6	+19/+14/+9/+4	+24	+17	+16	Hide 5, Diplomacy 23, Bluff 9, Disguise 22 (cc), Sense Motive 8,Use Magic Device 15, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4 , Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 5, Knowledge (Local) 2, Knowledge (The Planes) 8

Spoiler: Caster level & Spells per day

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The following table includes the bonus spells per day granted by a high Wisdom score.

CR	CL	1st	2nd	3rd
11	2	1	-	-
12	2	1	-	-
13	2	1	-	-
14	2	1	-	-
15	2	1	-	-
16	2	1	-	-
17	2	1	-	-
18	4	2	2	-
19	5	2	2	0
20	6	3	3	2

Commonly prepared spells:

CR 11-17: Divine Sacrifice (SC)

CR 18-20, 1st level: Corrupt Weapon, Blade of Blood (PHBII), Divine Sacrifice (SC).
2nd level: Investiture of the Bearded Devil (FCII), Investiture of the Chain Devil (FCII), Hand of Divinity (SC).
3rd level: Fangs of the Vampire King (SC), Investiture of the Steel Devil (FCII).

Spoiler: Fiendish Servant

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Beginning at CR 19, Torquemada summons a Fiendish Bat, Lago, as his servant. The advancement of the Blackguard's servant is based off character level, not class level. As such, as a CR 19 character, the Celestial confers Lago with the maximum possible bonus.

Size/Type: Diminutive Magical Beast (Evil, Augmented)
Hit Dice: 8d10 (44 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 5ft, fly 40ft (good)
Armor Class: 23, touch 16, flat-footed 21 (+4 size, +2 dex, +7 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/-7
Attack: -
Full Attack: -
Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Smite Good 1/day
Special Qualities: Blindsense 20ft, Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60ft, Improved Evasion, Share spells, Share saving throws, Blood bond, Speak with Blackguard, SR 13, Resistance to fire 5 and cold 5, DR 5/magic
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +4
Abilities: Str 5, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills: Hide 25, Listen 8, Spot 8
Feats: Alertness, Martial Study (Shadow Blade Technique) (ToB), Martial Stance (Island of Blades) (ToB)

Spoiler: Sources

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CAdv: Complete Adventurer
CC: Complete Champion
Csco: Complete Scoundrel
EoE: Exemplars of Evil
FCII: Fiendish Codex II
MMIV: Monster Manual IV
PHBII: Player's Handbook II
PlH: Planar Handbook
SC: Spell Compendium
ToB: Tome of Battle

All items for which the source is not mentioned where they first appear come from the SRD.

Spoiler: Villain concept

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Torquemada is a villain devised towards the concept of a character turning to evil in the greatest of stealth.
Though it might seem dubious that an Archon, a being of pure Good and Law, might turn to darkness, there are actually more than a few precedents in D&D cosmology. First, Asmodeus himself used to be a Celestial, wasn't he? And with him each an every demon that has known the cosmos before the Pact Primeval. Demons and devils did not all spring up from nowhere. Second, the Justice Archons are described, in the MMIV, as short-tempered and borderline self-righteous Celestials. Other Archons do not completely trust them because their anger at the sight of evil makes them sometimes act too rashly to be Good. The archetypical Justice Archon given in the MMIV, Hanzuriel, is even stated out as a Lawful Neutral Celestial unaware of his alignment shift. Not only that, but he is accompanied by two Hound Archons, still Lawful Good, and potentially unaware of this fact too. This example also shows us that is it possible to unwittingly undergo an alignment change. And finally, certain beings of pure Good and Law turn out not to be so.
So guessing that Torquemada has come to the lower end of the alignment pool is very difficult for an outside eye, even more so that at the beginning, the Archon does not know it himself either. As such, he fights for Heironeous with the fullest of his ill-placed might yet with the earnest endeavour. How is this feat achieved? Let us review together what is lost by the alignment change and how Torquemada can be oblivious to these changes.

• The most iconic Paladin feature, at-will Detect Evil, is lost. But Justice Archons possess at-will Detect Evil as a racial class feature. Thus, the Blackguard does not notice the loss.
• Speaking of which, Torquemada could actually realise that he himself triggers Detect Evil whenever he uses it! But since Shadowbane Inquisitors are loath to be stupidly flushed out by their aura of good when they are in an undercover mission, they take care to hide it. Items of Nondetection and the likes are very cheap and common, for example a Ring of Mind Shielding costs 8000 gp. But these devices can be Dispelled. The Mask of Gentility feat, however, is an Ex effect that allows Torquemada to ping off as True Neutral. Since the feat has no alignement prerequisite, it works fine whether the Archon is Good or Evil. And that means that Torquemada does not seem to have changed alignment, fooling even himself. Since the Auras of the Paladin and the Blackguard, be they good or evil, are detected by the same divination spells that are foiled by the feat, they are taken care of as well.
• Divine Grace is replaced by Dark Blessing for exactly the same bonus.
• Lay on Hands as well. The amount of healing is the same when the conversion occurs: Paladin level 4 times Cha bonus 5 = 20 = Blackguard level 4 times Cha bonus 5.
• Smite Evil. For one, Torquemada only loses Smite Evil 1/day, gains Smite Good 1/day, but at the same time retains Smite (anyone) 3/day from Shadowbane Inquisitor. So he can still Smite here and there; and he usually spends one Smite per day or so to power his Awesome Smite feat. This feat conveniently asks for "a Smite attempt", and does not specify whether it has to be a Smite Evil or a Smite Good. Hence, the difference in the two Smite disappears as they are both used the same way for the feat.
• Turn Undead: the Archon knows that given his poor effective Cleric level, using his attempts to effectively try and turn some undeads is a waste of resource. So instead, he fuels his Travel Devotion feat with them (which can be powered by either Turn or Rebuke attempts too). And when he gains Rebuke Undead instead, he does not see the difference.
• Paladin spellcasting. The only spell that Torquemada prepares throughout his Lawful Good carrier is Divine Sacrifice. When he becomes a Blackguard, the spell still is on his list of known spells. His conversion occurs between levels and as such he does not expect his powers to change before he gains another level. This means he does not know that he suddenly got three more spell slots, and unknowinlgy lets them empty when he prays for his spells. Another thing of note is that the fact that Clerics of evil gods only usually pray for spells at dusk. It is not mandatory. Since Paladins and Blackguards prepare their spells as Clerics, Torquemada can pray at dawn for his spells without any problem...except for the fact that Heironeous won't grant him spells anymore. Here, I have to admit that I will use something more of a fluff reasoning that a RAW one. The fallen Archon still receives spells because, unbeknownst to him and just to piss off his half-brother, Hextor will grant them to him instead of Heroneous. Of course, Torquemada is still chasing after Hextor followers before he realises his change of heart. But the god of tyranny knows that sooner or later, the Celestial will discover his new nature. In the meantime, he does more damage to Heironeous' reputation by pretending to be one of his followers that to Hextor's ocean of minions.
• Aura of Courage: to be fair, Torquemada is not really immune to fear as a Blackguard. But since he traveled to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, paradise of any creature of pure law, he got access to the Catalogues of Enlightenment planar touchstone. As normal for a follower of Heironous, he chose to benefit from the Courage domain. The aura is actually the same as the Aura of Courage of the Paladin (10ft radius, +4 morale bonus against fear), except in regard to himself. He gains the +4 as well instead of being flat-out immune to fear. So when the Celestial embraces the path of the Blackguard, his aura remains, and so his comrades don't see the difference. As to him, he went from a fear immunity to a respectable +19 Will save against fear, so he likely won't see the difference either.
• Divine Health: Ok, for this one, no workaround. Torquemada flat-out loses his immunity to diseases. However, he boasts a +23 Fort save, which means that he will only fail on a 1 against each and every disease that I know of. Moreover, people assume he is, as a Paladin, immune to disease...

And how about what he gains rather that replaces? Namely, Detect Good, Poison Use, Aura of Despair and as said before, a few spell slots. Well, since he does not know that he obtained those abilities, he will simply not use them. No one told him that he could now safely handle poison, so he won't!

To sum it up, there are only a few ways to make Torquemada realise that something is very wrong: hit him with a sufficiently powerful fear effect, make him catch a disease, or use a non-divination effect to detect his alignment or his aura, like a Smite Evil to the face or a Holy Word.
But even when that happens, well, Torquemada won't stop believing in Heironeous. This is what it is all about: the Justice Archon fluff, the Shadowbane Inquisitor fluff. The latter class is practically designed exclusively towards an entry into Blackguard: it gives Improved Sunder as a bonus feat, has Hide as a class skill, advances Sneak attack, counts as Paladin levels for the purpose of Blackguard bonuses and retains its class features when you are not Lawful Good anymore. The Celestial will still display courage, as is expected to a servant of Heironeous; simply, he now feels unbound by the cumbersome Paladin code of conduct. After having slowly verged towards the limit between Good and Neutral, all that is needed is one particularly horrendous commandment, and the earnest opinion that it was the best thing to do, tp push Torquemada over the edge directly from Good to Evil. Upon this realisation, the fallen discovers the extent of his newfound powers, and uses them to the fullest to destroy evil whenever it is found, even if it is in the Celestial's imagination.

What follows at once fleshes out Torquemada, gives suggestions as to how play him out as an archvillain, and gives a special focus on what he can and cannot do in combat at CR 18 and CR 20, the former being his sweet spot.

Spoiler: Highlights and Advice

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Since Torquemada is an evil opponent only beginning at CR 18, a direct confrontation with the PCs is not the best way to introduce him as the villain. I suggest the following ideas to harmoniously fit him into a campaign.

Spoiler: First encounter, CR 10

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The PCs have been tracking down a cult of Hextor for several weeks now. They are looking for a particular Necromancer who is said to lay devastation in its path looking for a certain magic item. They are rejoined on their hunt by a squad of followers of Heironeous, led by CR 12 Torquemada. This Shadowbane Inquisitor has been assigned to this mission as a specialist of religious items of relevance (Antiquarian Rogue ACF). In the party of Heironeous happens to be present a Lawful Good Malconvoker.
Torquemada proves to be very convincing in his ask for help (Diplomacy +23). Teaming up, the allies catch up with the servants of Hextor on a rocky hill and dispatch them. The PCs are unnerved by two things: the devils conjured by the Malconvoker, and the unorthodox technique of Torquemada. They show him disguising (+19) as an Erinyes and accompany the actual summoned Erinyes to approach the Hextorites. When he has come to the necromancer, he reveals himself as a servant of Heironeous and attacks him up front, but the PCs are baffled to see a Paladin even using a disguise. He even flanks some henchmen with the Erinyes and, after they have refused to surrender, resorts to Sneak Attacks on them.
After the fight, they part ways. The Necromancer is dead, but the item he was looking after remains unknown.

This is not a fight against the Celestial, because at this point, with only 2 levels in Shadowbane Inquisitor, Torquemada only starts to have a dubious behaviour. Torquemada having a Malconvoker in his squad allows him to fight alongwith summoned and called evil outsiders, and to begrudgingly recognise their combat abilities. Thus, he has "made peaceful contact with an evil outsider who was summoned by him or someone else". That rounds off the prerequisites for the Blackguard class, though the DM can easily wave away this kind of RP requirements when creating his own monsters.

Spoiler: Distant callback, CR 12

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Hextor's church still appears to be the archnemesis of the campaign. The party knows that a secret altar is hidden in the basement of a house in a small thorp, in which the magical item is said to be contained, having been finally found by the Hextorites. Enter a warband of Heironeous. Their leader explains he is mandated by Torquemada himself to root out the cultists and seize the forbidden artifact. Fair enough, think the PCs. But before they have the chance to enter the hamlet and investigate the population, the leader orders his men to burn the whole place to the ground, to force the cultists to evacuate and thus reveal the item. At the very same moment, Torquemada falls, though no one knows yet, not even himself. His force of persuasion and his charisma have easily allowed him to convince his church to delegate him a sizable task force. Blinded by their leader's persuasiveness, the henchmen start to verge towards evil themselves.
Of course, the PCs won't allow that to happen. After a a battle against Rogues of Hextor that spring up to defend their temple, as well as Torquemada’s minions, of whom several have Shadowbane Inquisitor class levels, the PCs manage to save the village. But they can't prevent the artifact from being retrieved by one of Torquemada’s followers from a smoldering hole in the remnants of a house: two scrolls in a glass case.

The PCs still haven't found against the Archon, but they have experienced his style of fight, with Sneak Attacking frontline fighters. They have also understood that Torquemada, driven by his blind conviction, has become a threat and must be stopped as surely as the Hextorites he is facing.

Spoiler: Raising Awareness, CR 14

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The party rushes to the closest of Heironeous' churches to explain what they saw. They are answered that they are making a very serious accusation towards one of the most devoted and effective members of their church, and have to prove their claim. The PCs are then flabbergasted to discover that Torquemada has managed to hide his corruption in the middle of a church of Paladins! The Celestial is to be found in the middle of a guerilla operation where a commando of Hextor has launched a raid on one of Heironeous' vault to take back the scroll. The PCs arrive in the middle of the fray. They can see an angel that hides and sneaks around, hitting his opponents in the back. The trick here is that they are supposed to face a CR 18 Torquemada, or at least be themselves significantly weaker than him. They succeed not if they defeat him, but if they find a way to show his corruption, in the middle of the battle. Here, they see that Detect Evil fails to reveal him, that his allies are bolstered by an aura of courage, that he heals his own wounds by a Lay on hands, that he casts spells and Smites opponents...The Celestial, recognises his courageous one-time allies, unaware of the fight they picked with his men. He asks for their help, in the name of Heironeus! The PCs thus realise that Torquemada is unaware of his own fall. During the battle, the glass case is shattered, and the PCs grab one of the scrolls. When they finally manage to make the Angel realise his change of heart, they flee with their prize. One of Heironeous' clerics, who was Scrying on the battlefield to witness the attempt of the party, confirms that Torquemada has gone astray and must be dealt with. The scrolls appears to be a political weapon with which Hextor's high priest wants to leverage his church into a position of influence throughout the country: a half-completed scroll of Apocalpypse from the Sky. The angel, severly shaken in his faith, is left reeling when they depart.

The PCs now have to directly confront the Celestial and fight with a crusade of Heironeous to bring down the fallen Paladin. They have experienced the extend of the stealth of his alignment rather than his power in battle

Spoiler: The Siege, CR 18, Sweet spot

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The Archon is, of course, judged by his church. But he feels resentful to hear all of the good deeds he accomplished discarded because of his sole alignment. He decides that only Heroneous can judge, and needs his might if not his purity. By a combination of Diplomacy (+31) and Use Magic Device (+20) in order to use a hidden wand of Conceal Thoughts, he obtains to be put under surveillance as having a potential for redemption. He then quickly befriends his jailor and escapes, determined to resume working. So many adepts of Hextor around, how could one swiftly terminate them all?

Torquemada is found again in a frontal city hosting a rather minor branch of the church of Heironeous. His ability to use Teleport at-will makes him extremely mobile. Why did he come here? Few know that this unremarkable parish actually holds deep down a sacred artifact of the church: the Tear of the Chalice. A vial containing the tears of the daughter of Heironeous that Hextor sent to his half-brother to taunt him after he had kidnapped her. Indeed, the Chalice is actually the name of the long-abducted daughter of the God of Chivalry. It does not take long for the PCs to remember that to complete the casting of the dreaded Apocalypse from the Sky, an artifact of the powers of good is needed as a material component. But when they enter the city, they discover that Torquemada has Disguised his way (+24) past the guards who know his now outcast figure. And he has promptly turned the population against them: who would not believe the words of a shining champion of the God of Honor, an Angel in armor whose mere presence warms the heart? He is still in the process of persuading the local clergy to hand him overthe artifact. The PCs and the crusade they lead have to struggle to a citywide uprising against them, while knowing that by every moment, Torquemada could Teleport away, the artifact in his possession. After having mowed through the city and the exalted Paladins and Clerics in the temple, they face. An allied Wizard drops a well-placed Dimensional Anchor that will force the Archon to fight for a few minutes. He will, helped by a few Paladins and Cleric turned Diplomcy-fanatic.

Showtime. Torquemada has, at this point, embraced his darkness to the fullest, for the greater good. He has realised that he has become a Blackguard, and he won't pull his punches with all the added power and flexibility he gets. What can a CR 18 Torquemada do, apart Disguise, Teleport and Diplomacy?
He is very mobile, thanks to his Ex flight of 40ft per round (reduced from 60ft because of heavy armor). Pouncing each round with Travel Devotion, he can do a solid full-round attack. A high Str and the use of Aid, Divine Sacrifice and Smite deal some good damage. Awesome Smite can trip a grounded opponent, or cancel a miss chance so as to make the 5d6 worth of Sneak Attack valid again. A particularly nasty thing would be to actually Sunder a player's weapon (only for him to retrieve the exact same in the vaults of the church, of course). Power Attack combined with a Dive attack and a Smite (anyone) can deal some damage. Also, the higher power of the Catalogs of Enlightenment allows to cast up to 3 times in total any spell of (Wisdom - 10) level or lower of the chosen domain: for Courage, it means a very solid buff like Valiant Fury and Heroism at levels 5 and 4. The Celestial has also gained the Aura of Despair, which makes it even harder to save against the Aura of Menace, which will in turn lower the saves again. -4 to saves, and -2 to attack rolls and AC. He also has Poison Use, and according to the power level of the party, you can put a poison of varying potency on his blades. It's for an NPC, so basically it's free!
Torquemada can begin already buffed with Investiture of the Bearded Devil which grants an additional attack (so more Sneak Attack), Divine Sacrifice, Investiture of the Chain Devil, etc. Plus, those Investiture spell really give off a vibe of "the end justifies the means, I treat with Devils"
This opponent is actually rather weak without support: he has, for example, no way to natively render an opponent liable to a Sneak Attack. But with allies, he can set up flanks, buff them with his aura of courage, Magic Circle against Evil and at-will Aid, use Staggering Strike and the Aura of Menace of his Archon subtype (save DC 26) to significantly debuff opponents. Something amusing: in case a PC uses a very potent magic weapon with a rider effect like Marrowcrushing, the Justice Strike ability of the Justice Archon punishes him for this.
Defensively, the Justice Archon nabs a protection against mind control with the permanent Magic Circle against Evil, has high saves thanks to Divine Grace. The DR 10/Evil will help a little with the OK HPs, but the low AC and touch AC make the Justice Archon liable to shameless Power Attacks or Enervations.

The party gets a rehearsal before the final battle. Torquemada has no qualms being evil as long as he thinks he still serves Heironeous as the best of his abilities. That would include setting of the scroll to eradicate as many Hexorites as possible; innocents who die in the blast would just end up on one of the upper planes anyway, nothing to complain about. He quickly teleports out of harm's way when the Dimensional Anchor expires, the artififact in his Bag of Holding.

Spoiler: Twenty-Four, CR 20

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Apocalypse from the Sky has a 24-hour long casting time. That says it all.
The battle occurs in the air, a few dozen meters above the country's capital. There are only 5 Dragon Ball-time minutes left before the end of the casting time. Heironeous churchs loyal servants try as hard as they can to evacuate the place. A Rope Trick connects the extradimensional space to the tip of Heironeous church's bell tower. Inside, the Malconvoker is incanting, the consumed Tear of the Chalice in one hand, the second, completed scroll in the other. Outside, CR 20 Torquemada and his minions face the party. What did he gain? Two things. First, Torquemada has also discovered he could summon a Fiendish Servant, the bat Lago. Though possessing very few HPs, it is not meant to attack but just to stand in the square next to the Archon, benefit from all his buffs with Share spells since he is within 5 feet, and flank anyone before them thanks to the Island of Blades stance. By RAW, this works even though Lago has no reach and no attack. So, easy flanking for Torquemada. And then, 5d6 dice of Sneak Attack with Staggering Strike (and a very high save because of the two debuffing auras).
Second, the Archon now gets Fangs of the Vampire King for another attack to add to his routine, as well as Investiture of the Steel Devil for a solid combat buff. As well as one extra 1st and 2nd level spell slot. Now that the Wisdom is 16, the greater power of the Catalogues of Enlightenment gives Heroes' feast for another buff.

Even until the very last moment, Torquemada will not recognise his mistakes nor recant his faith to the God of Courage. Despite the church of Heironeous and the party's best efforts, his legacy will remain largely a lie. The masses of peasant that were impressed by this charismatic and driven beacon of honor won't readily accept that what he did does not matter as much as how he did it.

Spoiler: Setting the power level right

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When devising an encounter with Torquemada, you can tweak his threat level through different means.

• As said above, the use of poison. Thematically appropriate since the Archon boasts Poison Use. Combined with the two debuffing auras of the villain and the Increase Virulence spell, the save DC can be altered by a factor of 6, which is not insignificant. Poisons can range from their non-use to scary things like Megapede venom, save DC 44 -> 50, 2d6 Con + 1d4 Dex.
• The Fiendish servant. The bat Lago used above, if buffed up through Share Spells to make it more resilient and using Island of blades, can give an automatic flanking to Torquemada. Combined with the ease to deliver full-round actions thanks to Travel Devotion, this flanking can make a certain difference. Taking a rat or a cat instead will weaken Torquemada.
• The buff spells. Between the various good buffs on the Blackguard spell list and the buffs on the Courage domain available through the greater power of the planar touchstone, the Blackguard can heavily alter his combat performances. Beginning the fight with or without those will alter his power, though since all those spells have a very low caster level, there are very prone to Dispel Magic.
• Equipment. Sneak attack guys' damage output relies heavily on what they can get their hands on. Torquemada would kill for a pair of Gloves of the Balanced Hand, Bracers of the Hunter, Rogue's Vest, etc. Not to speak about a pair of Shadow gloves to get a 1/encounter Greater Invisibility, etc. On the defensive side, AC needs to be shored up, etc. If there is one permanent item to pick: any Con or Cha enhancer. Since his Use Magic Device skill is cranked up, Torquemada will happily grab a bunch of wands of Greater Invisibility, Wraithstrike, Glibness etc. just as any Rogue does. Moreover, he can let them behind him when he flees for the PCs to loot them. For utility, a Hat of Disguise would do wonders, those wings are rather difficult to hide otherwise. In fact, as any non-caster, the Archon's power level is very closely linked to the items he gets.
• Allies. The Blackguard is a team players, what with his auras buffing teammates and debuffing foes. Plus, he needs flanking buddies. With a couple other Justice Archon and a spellcaster, things add up quickly. Plus, his Diplomacy score makes having a team logical and not out of place from the viewpoint of the players.

[Thurbane]

Gareth Z’Von: The Voice of Reason

Spoiler: portrait

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Spoiler: backstory

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I was expecting a great many things when I was dispatched to my eccentric aunt’s manor, but being embroiled in a murder (a most foul one, even) was not anywhere near the top of my agenda.

My wife held a handkerchief close against her face as we and the other guests crowded around the contessa. The drawstrings on her bodice had fallen open, but fortunately there was no hint of impropriety amongst our company, as some savage beast had ensured the same had happened to her chest.

Her effluvia stained dark the beautiful carpet where her supine form lay. I felt the malign impulse to comment, but kept it in reserve. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Someone had to be the first to speak. Blessedly, it was not me.

“What do we do now, exactly?” the viscount asked as he sat in a chair far enough away for his shoes to avoid becoming bloodied. “I should think it fair to say none of us has any expertise in this grisly area.”

I nodded gamely.

“Well, perhaps we should call in an expert,” my wife said. Brilliant as ever.

“Who does one call about such things?” I asked.

“There’s always the church,” the viscount said.

“I’ve heard things,” I said. I tucked my hands into my waistcoat so I wouldn’t wring them. “They can be overzealous, you know.”

“Yes,” my wife said “but what do you think that’ll mean if they come across her and find out we didn’t tell them right away?”

I swallowed. I went over to the davenport, withdrew a sending scroll, and called for help.

There wasn’t much any of us had to say after that. We shivered as we waited for judgement to come. The embers in the fireplace were guttering, but none of us wanted to step over the contessa to tend the fire. Disrespect aside, we didn’t want to do anything to spoil the scene of the murder. I’d heard the church was quite particular about such things.

Before long, the doors to the drawing room burst open, a man covered neck to ankle in heavy silks, his cufflinks emblazoned with the symbol of the silver flame.

By the host, he’d come in unannounced!

I commented on this irregularity, which seemed to amuse him. He replied with an insouciant smirk.

“Rest assured, your grace, your servants know I am here. All is well.” He spoke in a honeyed, oiled voice. I blinked darkness away from the edge of my vision. The church wouldn’t be ensorcelling people before they’d even asked any questions, after all. It must’ve just been all the elven goldenwine we’d had with dinner.

The stranger knelt in the contessa’s filth and dipped a gloved finger into her stomach. My wife turned away when he brought the slime within to his nostrils.

“Is that necessary, Mr…” the viscount trailed off, clearly affronted that this man hadn’t even announced himself if he wasn’t going to go through proper channels.

“Z’Von.” He licked the blood off his glove and gave a grim nod. “I’m afraid it is. As much as I’d like to say otherwise, this is the work of a werewolf. By the decree of the church, no one is allowed to leave this place.” I grimaced.

“Until the culprit has made himself clear, no one is allowed in or out of this estate.”

“Or herself,” my wife saw fit to comment, judging this moment as the opportune time to showcase her incessant pedantry.

“Yes,” Z’Von said. He rubbed at his goatee, though the motion was somewhat stiff. “Or herself.”

The viscount actually took a quaff from his flask, a church official not ten steps away.

“Shouldn’t we get this over with? Ask us your questions and we’ll tell you our lies,” he punctuated his odious statement with a wink.

“Rest assured, my lord, I will get to you in due time. For now, you had all better retire. I trust you can put yourselves to bed without the aid of your servants downstairs.” He threw his coat over the wingback chair opposite the viscount and threw another log on the fire, seemingly oblivious to the contributions his own boots were making to the carpet.

My aunt deigned to speak to this man, though they hadn’t even been introduced.

“And what exactly are they doing that’s more important than attending to their duties?” she demanded.

“Nothing you need concern yourself with,” he said and snuffed the candles on the mantel. “Now leave me alone with the body.”

We found we had precious little choice and retired immediately.

Our accomodations, as we’d appraised them earlier, were more than adequate, but in light of recent events seemed to take on a sinister pall. The lighting which my wife had earlier described as cozy was now apparently anything but.

In our haste to get out to the country, I’d neglected to bring my spare pack of slumber sticks, so as a gentleman was obligated to offer my wife the final one laying forlornly in its pack.

To my chagrin, she cheerfully accepted.

I spoke the little magic word on the back of the box the manufacturer had been good enough to print phonetically, broke the stick under her nose, and she was asleep in an instant, leaving me to my own devices.

Though it was certainly irregular for me to be fetching my own victuals at this hour, in my estimation I had little choice. I brought a small glowstone from the pocket of my nightshirt and held it in my teeth to light the way rather than take any of these torches from their sconces. If I heard anything, I’d just shut my mouth, a trick from my days at Morgrave.

I found the kitchen easily enough and availed myself of the foodstuffs there. Though I know it sounds ghoulish to hear, my appetite hadn’t left me even after the evening’s events.

On my way back to my room, a sliver of light stood out to me, barely visible from the edge of a door. It was to the drawing room. Was that dreadful man still in there?

Against my better judgement, I knelt by its side. After all, there wasn’t any noise coming from inside, though somehow this failed to bring me any comfort.

I peered through the keyhole and saw Z’Von sitting on the floor with his back to the fireplace, his legs crossed and his wrists resting on his knees. He faced the contessa, and she looked worse for the wear than when I had last seen her. Z’Von’s gloves were spattered with gore, as though he had rooted around inside her like an overburdened valise.

Feeling my gorge rise, I went back to my room, though I was hardly hopeful as to the possibility of an undisturbed night’s sleep.

When I came in and locked the door, I saw my wife was, as ever, a step ahead of me. She was murmuring something and tossing and turning dreadfully beneath the covers.

I caught the odd word about wolves here and there before making a vain attempt to get some sleep myself.

Before I could lower my head, she awoke.

I went through the expected inquiries of what was wrong, but she seemed oddly calm.

“I’m sure the church knows what it’s doing, dear. Everything will be fine,” she queerly reassured me, even though it was my duty to be providing comfort.

Thinking no more on the matter, she permitted me to go to sleep.

I dreamt fitfully.

I found myself again in the drawing room, but I wasn’t myself. I supped from a bone china cup that rested somewhat more heavily upon my thumb that I was accustomed to.

My fingers were far more delicate, even than they had been as a boy. I wore the contessa’s ring on my left hand. On the wall, the calendar displayed the prior day’s date.

Little details about the room seemed off. The chair opposite me—or should I say the contessa— was slightly the wrong color, more ochre than pumpkin, and the stout legs that supported its frame, wrought to look like gryphon’s claws, occasionally rapped the floor.

None of this perturbed me in this dream.

I raised my cup and in it glimpsed a reflection of some large, dark shape behind me just before it crashed through the glass doors overlooking the landscape.

Once in my college years, I recall a visiting lecturer, a dusty old man who had chosen to expend his years studying the magics of the mind, who spoke at great length about the impossibility of feeling pain in a dream.

As I felt the contessa knocked to the floor, and the infernal beast’s fangs sink into her belly, it suddenly dawned on me that the old fellow might’ve been a bit off the mark.

The blood leached from from the contessa and I was unable to move any further, or even turn her head to see what became of the beast who’d done this terrible deed.

Still she lay for hours until I saw, of all things, myself come in, alongside the rest of the guests. Their conversation was hazy and indistinct, but soon enough, I was left with Z’Von.

He knelt over the contessa and invoked some dark prayer before touching his filthy glove to the contessa’s face and shutting her eyes forever.

Here, I awoke as myself once more. Z’Von sat in a rude, wooden chair by my side and removed a damp washcloth from my forehead.

He proffered a bowl of thin broth, which I grudgingly accepted.

“Don’t worry, your grace. It’s always darkest before the dawn.” He smirked as I took a spoon of broth to my lips.

Strangely, it inspired no scorn in me.

“We’ll all be just fine, dear,” my wife said as she puttered about putting on her face. “Just fine.”

I saw no reason to argue.

Spoiler: stub

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CE human factotum 5/evangelist* of the silver flame 5/exemplar 10

Evangelist’s alignment is “as cleric,” which in Eberron allows any alignment to follow any church or deity

Spoiler: abilities

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str 10
dex 12
con 13
int 15 (increases here)
wis 8
cha 14

Spoiler: table

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Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	Factotum 1	+0	+0	+2	+0	autohypnosis 4, balance 4, bluff 4, diplo 4, gather info 4, lucid dreaming 4, k (religion) 4, perform (oratory) 4, sm 4	skill focus (diplomacy), wanderer’s diplomacy	Inspiration, cunning insight, cunning knowledge, trapfinding
2nd	Factotum 2	+1	+0	+3	+0	autohypnosis 1 (5), balance 1 (5), bluff 1 (5), diplo 1 (5), gather info 1 (5), lucid dreaming 1 (5), k (religion) 1 (5), perform (oratory) 1 (5), sm 1 (5)		Arcane dilettante (1 spell)
3rd	Factotum 3	+2	+1	+3	+1	bluff 1 (6), lucid dreaming 1 (6), perform (oratory) 1 (6), tumble 5, umd 1	persuasive	Brains over brawn, cunning defense
4th	Factotum 4	+3	+1	+4	+1	bluff 1 (7), diplo 2 (7), forgery 1, lucid dreaming 1 (7), umd 5 (7)		Arcane dilettante (2 spells), cunning strike
5th	Factotum 5	+3	+1	+4	+1	bluff 1 (8), diplo 1 (8), lucid dreaming 1 (8), sleight of hand 6, umd 1 (8)		Opportunistic piety
6th	Evangelist 1	+3	+1	+4	+3	bluff 1 (9), diplo 1 (9), disguise 3, perform (oratory) 3 (9), social recovery	master manipulator	Great orator (inspire dread or inspire hope)
7th	Evangelist 2	+4	+1	+4	+4	bluff 1 (10), diplo 1 (10), disguise 3 (6), listen 4, perform (oratory) 1 (10)		Fast talk
8th	Evangelist 3	+5	+2	+5	+4	bluff 1 (11), diplo 1 (11), disguise 3 (9), listen 4 (8), perform (oratory) 1 (11)		Great orator (inflame the righteous)
9th	Evangelist 4	+6/+1	+2	+5	+5	bluff 1 (12), diplo 1 (12), disguise 1 (10), listen 4 (12), perform (oratory) 1 (12), listen to this	dive for cover	Skill mastery: bluff, diplomacy, disguise, sense motive
10th	Evangelist 5	+6/+1	+2	+5	+5	bluff 1 (13), diplo 1 (13), disguise 3 (13), intimidate 3, listen 1 (13), perform (oratory) 1 (13)		Great orator (convert the unfaithful)
11th	Exemplar 1	+6/+1	+2	+5	+7	lucid dreaming 6 (14), sm 1 (6), umd 6 (14)		Skill artistry: lucid dreaming, skill mastery: listen, lucid dreaming, sleight of hand, spot, tumble
12th	Exemplar 2	+7/+2	+2	+5	+8	lucid dreaming 1 (15), sleight of hand 9 (15), sm 3 (9), umd 1 (15)	font of inspiration	Lend talent (one-half penalty) sm: balance
13th	Exemplar 3	+8/+3	+3	+6	+8	lucid dreaming 1 (16), sleight of hand 1 (16), sm 3 (12), spot 8, umd 1 (16)		Bonus feat: improved initiative, sm: autohypnosis
14th	Exemplar 4	+9/+4	+3	+6	+9	disguise 2 (15), lucid dreaming 1 (17), sleight of hand 1 (17), sm 3 (15), spot 4 (12), umd 1 (17), clarity of vision		Skill artistry: sleight of hand, sustaining presence, sm: perform (oratory)
15th	Exemplar 5	+9/+4	+3	+6	+9	bluff 5 (18), sleight of hand 1 (18), sm 3 (18), spot 4 (16), umd 1 (18)	font of inspiration	Persuasive performance, sm: gather info
16th	Exemplar 6	+10/+5	+4	+7	+10	bluff 1 (19), diplo 6 (19), intimidate 2 (5), sleight of hand 1 (19), sm 1 (19), spot 3 (19)		Bonus feat: skill focus: bluff, sm: k(religion)
17th	Exemplar 7	+11/+6/+1	+4	+7	+10	bluff 1 (20), diplo 1 (20), intimidate 7 (12),sleight of hand 1 (20), sm 1 (20), spot 1 (20), never outnumbered		Skill artistry: bluff, sm: forgery
18th	Exemplar 8	+12/+7/+2	+4	+7	+11	bluff 1 (21), diplo 1 (21), intimidate 7 (19), listen 2 (15), sleight of hand 1 (21), sm 1 (21), spot 1 (21)	combat panache	Intellectual agility, lend talent (equal to penalty), sm: jump
19th	Exemplar 9	+12/+7/+2	+5	+8	+11	bluff 1 (22), diplo 1 (22), intimidate 3 (22), listen 6 (21), sleight of hand 1 (22), sm 1 (22), spot 1 (22)		Bonus feat: blind-fight, sm: survival
20th	Exemplar 10	+13/+8/+3	+5	+8	+12	bluff 1 (23), diplo 1 (23), disguise 8 (23), intimidate 1 (23), listen 1 (23), sleight of hand 1 (23), sm 1 (23), spot 1 (23)		Perfect self, skill artistry: disguise, sm: swim

Spoiler: playtips

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Spoiler: lvl 5

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At this stage, you act more or less like any factotum with a heavy social bent. You are extremely adept at charming your adversaries and talking your way out of scrapes, so use that to your advantage as you lay groundwork for evangelist

Spoiler: lvl 10

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Congratulations, you’re in evangelist! Enjoy your ability to make your social skills even stronger, protect your allies with the holy fire of the silver flame, demoralize heretics, and convert naysayers to your way of thinking as quick as thinking. master manipulator shores up your abilities and makes it harder to outtalk you, and skill mastery lets you easily gain the upper hand in any opposed social check

Spoiler: lvl 15

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You’re in exemplar and it’s paying off immediately. If for whatever reason you can’t change people’s minds out in the world, you can always come to them in a dream to persuade them to looking at things your way, or if that fails, chucking them into the dreamheart. The check is flat, so once you’ve got skill artistry and skill mastery online, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop you. Thanks again, exemplar. Font of inspiration lets factotum pull more than its share of weight, so enjoy using its tricks more often

Spoiler: lvl 20

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You have transcended your mortal form and become an outsider. By this point, you have mastered all your skills and then some, so your smallest action is infused with the essence of perfection itself. More social tactical combat feats are up allowing you to use your large modifiers to your advantage both in and out of combat.

Spoiler: How to Use Z’Von in your Campaign

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He is more than at home in any social or intrigue-based game. Due to his numerous social powers, even if he isn’t able to wend his way into your party’s good graces, he should be more than capable of insinuating himself within their support network of friendly NPCs.

Before he’s ever encountered, you can have him haunt your PCs’ dreams and provide clues that are prophetic, misleading, frightening, or whatever the story calls for. The bonuses to his lucid dreaming skill in place, he can strike from any time in any form within the dream world.

While throwing a PC into the dreamheart isn’t exactly sporting, once they figure out Z’Von’s weapon of choice, that threat will be ever-present in your party’s plans and worries, so having him pick off npcs in this fashion could be an avenue to introduce mystery elements to the game.

It’s also possible that he is able to present himself to the party as a friend or ally in the outside world, and this too will allow him to appear to be helpful before he moves in for the kill.

The church of the silver flame offers him the perfect front to scourge through the countryside and create trouble as he sees fit, so remember his social manipulation abilities when it comes time for the party to try to turn the town against him.

Spoiler: sources

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srd: persuasive, skill focus, blind-fight, improved initiative
dungeonscape: factotum, font of inspiration
complete scoundrel: never outnumbered, social recovery, listen to this, clarity of vision
complete divine: evangelist
complete adventurer: exemplar, dive for cover
phb2: combat panache, wanderer’s diplomacy, master manipulator
manual of the planes: lucid dreaming

[Thurbane]

Gaspar Macoute, The Bag Man

LG-> LE Hobgoblin Spellthief 1/Paladin 5/Shadowbane Inquisitor 10/Blackguard 9

Stats (with racial mods)

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Str 14 (increases at 8 on)
Dex 13 (15)
Con 12 (14)
Int 10
Wis 8
Cha 15 (increase at 4)

Build

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Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	Spellthief 1	+0	+0	+0	+2	Gather Information 4, Hide 4, Knowledge (Local) 4, Move Silently 4, Tumble 4, Use Magic Device 4	Dynamic Priest	Sneak Attack +1d6, Steal Spell (0 or 1st), trapfinding
2nd	Paladin 1 Blackuard 1	+1	+2	+0	+2	Knowledge (Religion) 2 Intimidate 2		Aura of Good, Detect Evil, Smite Evil 1/dayAura of Evil, Detect Good, Poison Use, Lay on Hands, Fiendish Summoning
3rd	Paladin 2 Blackguard 2	+2	+3	+0	+2	Sense Motive 2 Indimidate 4	Power Attack	Divine Grace, Lay on Hands Dark Blessing, Smite Good 4/day
4th	Paladin 3 Blackguard 3	+3	+3	+1	+3	Sense Motive 4 Intimidate 6		Aura of Courage, Divine HealthCommand Undead, Aura of Despair
5th	Paladin 4 Blackguard 4	+4	+4	+1	+3	Sense Motive 6 Ride 2		Turn UndeadSneak Attack +2d6
6th	Paladin 5 Blackguard 5	+5	+4	+1	+3	Sense Motive 8 Intimidate 7, Ride 3	Staggering Strike	Smite Evil 2/day, Special Mount (Drakkensteed Mount)Fiendish Servant, Undead Companion, Smite Good 5/day
7th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 1	+6/+1	+6	+1	+3	Hide 6, Move Silently 6		Absolute Conviction, Pierce Shadows
8th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 2	+7/+2	+7	+1	+3	Hide 8, Move Silently 8		Sacred Stealth (+4), Smite 1/day
9th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 3	+8/+3	+7	+2	+4	Hide 10, Move Silently 10	Shape Soulmeld (Blink Shirt), (B)Improved Sunder	Improved Sunder
10th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 4	+9/+4	+8	+2	+4	Hide 12, Move Silently 12		Sneak Attack +2d6
11th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 5	+10/+5	+8	+2	+4	Hide 14, Move Silently 14		Merciless Purity
12th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 6	+11/+6/+1	+9	+3	+5	Hide 15, Knowledge (Religion) 4(to 2), Move Silently 15	Persistent Refusal	Smite 2/day
13th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 7	+12/+7/+2	+9	+3	+5	Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Sense Motive 10		Sacred Stealth (+8), Sneak Attack +3d6
14th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 8	+13/+8/+3	+10	+3	+5	Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Sense Motive 12		Righteous Fervor
15th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 9	+14/+9/+4	+10	+3	+5	Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Sense Motive 14	Cleave	Burning Light
16th	Shadowbane Inquisitor 10	+15/+10/+5	+11	+3	+5	Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Sense Motive 16 (to 8)		Smite 3/day, Sneak Attack +4d6
17th	Blackguard 6	+16/+11/+6/+1	+12	+4	+6	Hide 20, Intimidate 8		Sneak Attack +6d6
18th	Blackguard 7	+17/+12/+7/+2	+12	+4	+6	Hide 21, Intimidate 9	Improved Fiendish Servant (Dire Bat)	Sneak Attack +7d6
19th	Blackguard 8	+18/+13/+8/+3	+13	+4	+6	Hide 22, Intimidate 10
20th	Blackguard 9	+19/+14/+9/+4	+13	+5	+7	Hide 23, Intimidate 11

Spoiler

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Spells
Spells per Day/Spells Known

Level	0lvl	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
17th	-	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
18th	-	2	1	1	0	-	-	-	-	-
19th	-	2	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	-
20th	-	2	2	1	1	-	-	-	-	-

Backstory

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Before he was the Bag Man, Gaspar Macoute was a poor alley thief growing up in the city slums. Quick fingers and an imposing hobgoblin face meant he managed well enough to stay alive and out of the worst of trouble. He stole what he needed to survive, but he always stole from those that seemed like they could stand to lose it, and he never stole from the local Church of Hieroneous. He believed even then that there were some people who were too good to steal from.

When late one market day he spotted an aging man dressed in glowing white with rings on every finger, he knew he had spotted his target. He approached and pulled the classic “accidental” run-in to knock him off balance, then steadied him as he surreptitiously picked the fattest pocket for the jingling gold he heard within. He waited until the man had said his pardons and moved away a good distance before moving to a darker alley to examine his bounty, and was shocked to find it was the holy symbol of the Church of Hieroneous. It may have been made of gold, but there were some lines that he would not cross. In a panic he ran back to where he encountered the man, and fortunately was able to see him in the distance, still walking unhurriedly.

Trembling with fear, he approached the man and said “Excuse me, sir, but when we bumped into each other you dropped this.” He held up the amulet with trembling fingers, noticing as the priest took it back that he had smudged it with the grime that caked his hands. The priest took it back and pocketed it without haste before fixing the young boy with a surprisingly weighty stare.
“No I didn’t. You took it right from my pocket. But you have come to return it. Why is that, young master?”
“It’s a holy symbol of the Church of Hieroneous. It would be wrong to take it. I’m sorry. I thought it was just some normal gold or jewels. I would never have taken it if I knew and -“
The priest held up a callused hand. “You’ve apologized, there’s no need to grovel, son. You’re clearly in need of a good meal and, by the looks of it, some shoes. Why don’t you come to the church kitchen so we can find you something to eat, shall we?”

This was Gaspar’s introduction to the church and to the High Priest. He was a fair man, capable of great kindness and understanding, and he took Gaspar under his wing, taking him away from the alleyways and teaching more in the ways of the church. With the passing years Gaspar was eventually able to find a place as a servant of the church, mostly tending to the kitchens and chopping firewood, but it was serving a better purpose and they fed and clothed him well. When he came of age he learned of the elite warriors that served the cause of Hieroneous by opposing evil directly. His time in the confines of the church had been a welcome change from the streets but he knew that as a young man he longed for excitement, and fighting evil seemed the most exciting thing possible. With the High Priest’s blessing he applied for enlistment in the order of paladins. The recruiting board was concerned to see a hobgoblin applying for holy orders, but the High Priest’s recommendation carried enough weight to compensate for Gaspar’s background, and he was accepted and sent to learn and fight in the wars.

It was nearly a decade before Gaspar returned from the wars to the town of his youth, and they had changed seemingly everything while he was gone. The High Priest had passed on and been replaced with a climber in the church hierarchy, the stern and calculating man by the name of Farran. He was leading the church to more active roles, finding wickedness in the world and campaigning as much for stamping out evil as he was for forgiving the penitent. He requested audience with Gaspar soon after he had returned to the church complex, before many knew he was even back. Gaspar entered with lowered eyes and tried not to notice as the man started at the sight of his craggy and slightly toothy face.
“You requested to see me, High Priest?”
“Yes, Gaspar. I heard from those around here that you worked under my predecessor, and that you have been championing the cause of good by fighting against evil.”
“I wish it were always that noble, sir, but yes I’ve finished my tour of duty and now I’ve come back to serve the church in my city.”
“Your devotion to service is a credit to your mentor. Tell me, would you be prepared to serve your church with the blade if necessary?”
“I owe my life to the church and to Hieroneous, sir, I would do whatever it needed of me.”
“Splendid. I asked you because there are growing reports of evil seeping into the streets of our city, and I need men who know it like you do to root it out. Driving out evil is not always a pretty business, and there are some places that the church cannot openly go without attracting the wrong attention. Do you understand what I’m saying, Gaspar?”
“No need to beat around the bush, sir. You’re talking about covert missions. I took part in a few during my tour. I know the church doesn’t condemn without good reason. If you need someone to bring the hammer down, I’m your man.”

And so it was that Gaspar was appointed as lieutenant in the city’s new policing force. In the speeches of the church Farran gave to the public they were the Luminous Order, shining a light into the shadows to find corruption and malice where it hid. In the fearful whispers of the criminal element behind closed doors they were called many less flattering names. If Farran gave the word, they were sent out to snatch you up, and that was the end of you. They never admitted any wrongdoing, and it was rarely announced that they had carried out any specific operation, but when someone went missing and there wasn’t an explanation, it could be assumed Gaspar had bagged them. So it went for some years, until the fateful morning Farran called Gaspar into his chamber for the last time.

“Gaspar, you have more than exceeded my expectations for you. From the most ignominious of origins you have risen to my right hand and together we have changed the city for the better. It is with a heavy heart that I called you here today to speak about a grave development.”
“You’re not giving a speech now, sir. It’s just me. What’s happened?”
“What do you know of the Voice of Hieroneous?”
“He’s the highest ranking member of the church! After you, of course. When Hieroneous sees fit to speak to the church directly, he chooses one man to be the voice for as long as he shall live. We are only given one voice, and we must heed it lest we stray from the path he sets.”
“Always reassuring to see you have learned your doctrines. However, I regret to inform you that Hieroneous can no longer speak to us directly.”
“What do you mean by that? Has the speaker died?”
“No, worse than that. The voice of Hieroneous has been struck down by terrible illness. He survived, but the damage has already been done. He’s still alive, yes, but he may as well be dead to the world. He’s been sleeping since the worst of it for 3 days now, and we don’t know that he’ll ever wake up.”
“But doesn’t that mean that Hieroneous will choose the next speaker for us to heed?”
“No my son, if only it were that simple. Once given, the gift of the Voice cannot be rescinded, and it cannot be given to another until the current host has died. We are stuck without guidance from Hieroneous for as long as this poor soul survives, and who knows how long that may be? It could be years before he succumbs to the damage. He might have another attack and die tonight.”
As Farran’s voice trailed off, his eyes remained fixed on Gaspar, until he raised his eyes to meet the High Priest.
“I understand you, sir.”
“Gaspar, I could never ask you to violate the church’s doctrine on innocent life. It would stand counter to everything that my position stands for.”
“I know, sir. That’s why you don’t have to ask me.”

Gaspar went to his room to be alone for several hours, praying for guidance over what he knew he had to do. In the late night hours he removed his armor, put aside all of his regalia, and crept to the church infirmary where the Voice of Hieroneous lay insensate in an overstuffed bed. He looked up to the heavens and prayed one final time for forgiveness as he pressed the pillow down over the face of the holiest man in the city and held until the rattling sounds of breath ceased. He sank onto the bed as he wept in shame. Indulged in his moment of self-pity he did not hear one of the nurses approaching to check on their patient until she was in the room, close enough to see him there, pillow still clutched in his hands. She gasped, then froze as she locked eyes with the church’s bag man. He fled before she found the breath to scream in horror.

By the next morning the whole city had heard that the Voice of Hieroneous had been murdered by one of the church’s most trusted soldiers. People were confused, angry, and most of all frightened. If the holiest man in the city could be struck down by Gaspar, nobody was safe. Late into the morning Farran entered the square to address the public. He informed them that Gaspar had gone rogue, that he had succumbed to the forces of corruption and killed the Voice in an unthinkable act of evil late last night. The Luminous Order was currently scouring the city for any trace of the criminal, and they would bring him to justice.

With the address concluded, Farran returned to his quarters. He shut the door behind him and sat at his desk to pour himself a glass of port wine. Morning it may be, but grave times weigh on a man, and wine steadies the wavering will. He looked up from pouring to find Gaspar stepping out of the shadows in the corner of the room.

“Gaspar! How did you get in here? There are guards everywhere, and this compound is the most secure in the city!”
“I helped you to make it secure, sir. I know its weaknesses. Don’t try to distract me. You know why I’m here.”
“I can’t reinstate you, Gaspar. You killed the Voice of Hieroneous in full view of a witness. I have the authority to pardon any act, but the public would have my head!”
“You’re afraid of the public right now? You don’t understand the severity of the situation, do you? You sent me on this mission, you share the consequences of its failure. If I am evil, then you are tainted by association. If you are corrupt, then the whole church has been tainted by your leadership. It can only be restored by removing you.”
“You expect me to step up on the gallows next to you? You’re mad! I never told you to do anything! You acted on your own, and you killed an innocent man. You are stripped of your position in the church, and you have been condemned in the public sphere. You have no authority to accuse me. I am innocent!”
“Innocent? Let us put that to the test, Farran. I’m going to smite you. If I cleave through your rotten heart in one blow, we will know that Hieroneous is still guiding my hand.”

CR 5

Spoiler

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Hobgoblin’s a fun starting race with a bonus to 2 useful stats, darkvision, and a +4 bonus to Move Silently, just enough to balance the deficit you pick up at the tail end of levels. We begin with a level in spellthief for the sneak attack it provides, and the ability to steal a low level spell isn’t bad. We don’t necessarily have to start LG at 1, but clean up your act before you enter paladin. Little special stuff to do here, Dynamic priest means you can focus on Cha, and you don’t care about Wis for DCs, since your spells are buffs. They aren’t on the chart, but you have 1 1st level spell per day, not too hard to track. Devastating Smite and Rhino’s Rush are good choices. Smash stuff with Power Attack, Smite what you can, and use sneak attack when it applies. Greatsword is your best bet for regular fighting to amplify Power Attack’s effect. Also worth having in your golf bag is the Duom, which is a reach weapon that can also attack adjacent foes, worth it for certain encounters, and still two-handed. Healthy Cha protects your saves, and you have some self-healing.

At this point you can have Gaspar easily working alongside the PCs to hunt down some sort of evil, or maybe running up against them if they break the law.

CR 10

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After the last level of paladin it’s time for Shadowbane Inquisitor, the best way to slowly fall into evil. That last paladin level granted a mount for 10 hours, long enough to do a fair amount of your adventuring. I’ve chosen Drakkensteed for some flying if need be.

Shadowbane Inquisitor can generate some light at will with a wide spread for a long time. It can also burn a prepared spell to gain +4 on Hide/MS for Cha minutes, which is a pretty acceptable deal. You might be able to burn a stolen spell for this, if so all the better. Sneak attack goes up, and Improved Sunder is a free feat you needed for Blackguard. You get an additional smite ability, except this works on whatever you judge to be deserving of the smite, so use it whenever you deem necessary. You have Hide and MS, so invest heavily in those. The other points go into Knowledge (Religion) and Sense Motive, the reason being, besides the benefit of investment, that when you lose those paladin levels, you can still be qualified for those who are strictest about qualifying.

In terms of feats, Staggering Strike reduces enemies to a move or standard when hit by a sneak attack with no save. Blink Shirt obtained via Shape Soulmeld allows you to teleport 10 feet as a standard action, even a blind jump, so you can use it whenever you like.

At this point you can still have Gaspar working along with the PCs to achieve something, but it will pretty much only be to hunt down targets. You can begin to work in his extremism to unnerve the players as much as you like.

CR 15

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We’re coming up to the end of Shadowbane Inquisitor, and with it, Gaspar’s career on the side of good, at least as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Righteous Fervor gives you +1 to attack and damage for the rest of the encounter against a creature you smite, so it’s in your best interest to start with one. Merciless Purity gives you +1 to Fort and Ref saves for 24 hours after you (or anyone) kill a creature that you smite. This means you’ll always have this bonus, as you should be able to kill 1 creature a day. Sacred Stealth is now a bonus of +8, well worth the slot. Burning Light gives you a reason to put up the light aura, burn a turn attempt to deal 4d6 damage to everything in the area, with no save. At level 10 that’s an area of 70 feet in every direction, so you can cover a number of foes.

Persistent Refusal allows you to burn a turn attempt to make another save against an ongoing effect. This combined with Divine Grace (later Dark Blessing) means you’re unlikely to be affected by anything for more than a round, if that. Cleave is the last prerequisite for Blackguard, you might get to use it now and then.

At this point Gaspar is still LG, but he’s on the cusp of falling. Demonstrate this in his full blown zealotry in hunting down his impure targets. It’s highly unlikely he will be working alongside the PCs at this point unless they are as eager as he is to hunt the evil he sees as so pervasive, and he has likely put them off with his unsettling attitudes. You may even have him begin to oppose the PCs at this point because they lived in some shades of gray or did not punish evil as harshly as he would.

CR 20

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One last Shadowbane Inquisitor level gives another use of smite anything and another die of sneak attack. At level 17, the build drastically changes, and there’s no easy way to represent that; I did so by overwriting the paladin levels. Because Shadowbane Inquisitor stacks with Paladin for determining Blackguard benefits, you can trade in your 5 paladin levels for 5 levels of Blackguard, and you still have all the benefits of 10 levels of paladin, which is why you gain so many smites per day at the first level. The replaced paladin levels means you have different skills and class features, so let’s discuss.

You now have detect good which you use to identify targets for your smite good. (Devastating Smite is still on the list, and applies here, too.) Dark blessing replaces Divine Grace, rebuke replaces turn, and you regain Lay on Hands. Aura of Despair is a delicious -2 on enemy saves within 10 feet. Poison use means if you can spare the money you can smear something nasty like black lotus on your sword. Blackguard gives you a spell list of its own, and remember you can use wands of any spell on the list without rolling, so have plenty on you.

In place of your mount, you now have a fiendish servant, which is always present. Horse is a good holdover before improved kicks in. At 18 we replace it with a dire bat, for a few reasons. First, it’s a mount that a paladin still could have access to (as in DMG), second it makes for an ominous entry and image, third it’s a source of good fly speed which means hovering, and fourth, the bat has blindsense to counter stealth in the area. As a fiendish servant it’s got the fiendish template making it a magical beast so immune to x animal spells. It's got 12 HD, AC 27, SR 17, improved evasion, shares your spells, and is about as smart as a human. It may not be strong enough for frontline combat on your side, but you can still use it for scouting and as a mount safely.

Though Gaspar has fallen and has been shunned by his order, he will still hunt the deserving wherever he sees them, it’s just that his view of this has shifted somewhat. He is either unaware of or refuses to admit his fall from grace, and he insists all the more fervently he serves Hieroneous by punishing evil. He will certainly be opposing the party at this point, likely due to their collaboration with organizations that he sees as corrupt and wicked, including his former church hierarchy.

Sources

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Spellthief, Shadowbane Inquisitor, Staggering Strike: Complete Adventurer
Drakkensteed Mount: Dragon Magic
Dynamic Priest: Dragonlance Campaign Setting
Shape Soulmeld: Magic of Incarnum
Perstistent Refusal: Fiendish Codex II
Improved Fiendish Servant: Champions of Ruin
Hobgoblin, Paladin, Blackguard, Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Sunder, Dire Bat: srd

[Thurbane]

...and I believe that's the lot!

Have to say, congrats to all those who got an entry in for the extended deadline.

Also, very impressed with the quality of entries, people.

I've put a link to the entries in the 2nd post.

[Buufreak]

Looks like 10 builds it is! I can't wait to dig in. Now, as promised, I am sequestering myself for fairness and sake of my sanity. See you all in about a week!

[ben-zayb]

We got some really nice array of entries again, as what I expect from VC!

I'm really surprised to not see a St. Cuthbert worshipper, which is what my second build--a spirit of justice, vengeance, and retribution--should be. Then again, he's LN, so it may not be as challenging as making a Good Deity worshipper.

EDIT:
@Thurbane It seems like you missed adding Valentine to the entries on the second post. (Or did you add Valentine, then deleted it?)

[Korahir]

I am glad to see that all ideas I had but didn't follow through where done by other competitors. I like the flavour of the villains this round, i think a lot of them are actually quite easy to use.

[Thurbane]

EDIT:
@Thurbane It seems like you missed adding Valentine to the entries on the second post. (Or did you add Valentine, then deleted it?)

So I did - thanks for the heads up. Fixed.