You are about forty-five minutes late for the meeting and that only because you abused translocation to get there. Of course master of time you may not be, but you are one no one dares call late, assuming no doubt affairs of state rather than those of the heart, but for once you take the dereliction of duty with a light heart. Once more three stand before you who could not be more different one from the other.

...

OOC: Well it has been a while since Lya and Viserys had the chance to flirt, so I thought by not touch base in that regard a little. I hope it did not feel jarring.

I have to say that I loved the Lya and Viserys scene, and I especially loved how no one called Viserys out for it.

Especially because it wasn't 'You can't call out the Imperator', but 'The Imperator was probably saving the world again'
 
[X] Hern Lampmaker

I'd be fine with either him or the Braavosi.
The Archon is another case similar to the Fey, good at the actual job, but not the organisation (which is more important for the minister).
He can definitly lead a project for healing mind-magic though. We can offer money and helpers as he needs.

Psionics has several less extreme methods of mental manipulation than the arcane Mindrape, so I think he might be on to something with his theory.
 
[X] Hern Lampmaker

I considered voting for Este, but the Ministry of Health is a fantastic opportunity to build ourselves an unbeatable PR on a massive scale. We do otherwise unpopular or shocking things all the time, so let's seize the opportunity to help people and reap the benefits!
Also, having an excessively generous Minister for Health is a good thing in my books. Sure it might waste money or cause internal issues, but having a leadership who fundamentally cares about the mission and really wants to help as many people as possible is a valuable thing.
 
How does this look?
Darkmark (Su): As a Standard Action, you can place a Darkmark on a touched target. The range that marks can be placed increases at higher Mythic Tiers (25 feet at 2nd tier, 100 feet at 3rd tier, 400 feet at 4th tier, plus 100 additional feet for tier after 4th). You can have a number of Darkmarks active equal to your Charisma bonus plus twice your Mythic Tier. Darkmarks are Permanent magical effects which persist until Dispelled or dismissed, though if you add a Darkmark to a target when you are already at your maximum number of marks, the oldest active mark is automatically dismissed. Darkmarks resist Dispelling as if they were Shadow spells with a caster level equal to your character level plus twice your Mythic Tier. For unwilling targets, the DC to resist being marked is equal to 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Mythic Tier + your Charisma bonus.

You can choose to locate a Darkmark anywhere on your target's body, even if that is not where they were touched when it was placed upon them. The Darkmark serves as an anchor which duplicates the effects of the Dragoneye Rune, Status, and Telepathic Bond spells. You can suppress or restore any of these functions as a Free Action for individual Darkmarks or for as many of them as you desire.

The greatest power of your Darkmark is not the information it can relay to you about your targets, however, but the conduit it forges for your magic. Any spell you personally cast can be made to originate from a selected Darkmark, regardless of range between you and the mark's recipient so long as they are on the same Plane. At 3rd Mythic Tier, the conduit is able to extend even beyond Planar boundaries. Spells cast from items (wands, talismans, scrolls, etc.) cannot be transmitted through the mark, but those which are powered using your spell slots (Runestaves, Pages of Spell Knowledge, etc) remain eligible. Touch spells used in this manner automatically target the bearer of the Darkmark, but spells which have an area of effect, conjure or create matter or energy or Summon other beings, treat the mark as the spell's point of origin.


Spells cast through the Darkmark are limited by your Mythic Tier. At 1st tier, you can only cast 1st level spells through the mark, at 2nd tier this increases to 2nd level spells, and so on.
[] Garin's First Mythic Rank
-[] Mythic Path: Darkstalker (based off the Trickster Path)
-[] Mythic Feat: Dual Path (Archmage - Wild Arcana)
-[] Trickster Attack:

--[] Surprise Strike (Ex): As a Swift Action, you can expend one use of mythic power to make a melee attack or ranged attack against a target within 30 feet, in addition to any other attacks you make this round. When you make a surprise strike, the target is considered flat-footed regardless of any class features or abilities it might have, and you add your tier to the attack roll. Damage from this attack bypasses damage reduction.
-[] Path Ability:
Darkmark
My only quibble. At higher Mythic Tiers, like way higher, I wanted Garin to be able to redirect the effects of any spell cast on him onto those marked by his Mythic ability. So if we wanted to, we could remotely curse individuals. Or provide agents with entire buffing schemes remotely, either short duration ones just prior to a fight they're getting into, or longer ones for ongoing operations.

It would also allow him to shed powerful and deadly magics onto someone else.
 
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[X] Hern Lampmaker

The weakness he has is not as great a weakness here as it would be in another department. While there's some issues with misbehavior or even edge-cases of misdeeds among physicians, that doesn't mean the place will innately be filled with bad people or criminals just because the leader gives second and third chances. But it does mean that people will see the Ministry of Health there to help people and treat illnesses, and will be less likely to second guess that mission statement.
 
So long as the rest of Garin's Mythic Path is less about "Meshunikl Bonuseez!!" and more about just fluffy stuff that would help him as a Lord-Inquisitor (and the rest of Inquisition through his management), I have no problem whatsoever.

Like this ol' one of mine as the cap. This one, @Crake
The Darkmark isn't really that useful as an outright combat power, at least not for another tier or two. Even then, the circumstances for its use as an offensive option are fairly narrow, though very cool if Garin wants to fuck over someone.

For the most part, the Darkmark as I've written it starts off as a really helpful tool that will allow Garin to coordinate with his Inquisition agents and other assets. Between the Dragoneye Rune, Status, and Telepathic Bond effects, he can locate them as needed, monitor their health and overall condition, and communicate with them at will. There are even quite a few 1st level spells he has access to that he could place on an agent in an emergency.

Garin has access to the Assassin and very limited but effective Shadowlord spell lists. That means that even at 1st tier, her could render an agent Invisible, grant them Darkvision, place Featherfall on them, etc.
45+ minutes ain't a quicky. And with Time Stop they might have taken even longer. XD
Viserys is a Dragon and Lya is a self-made Outsider, both of them with superhuman Constitution attributes. This necessitates the redefinition of quicky, at least as it applies to them.
My only quibble. At higher Mythic Tiers, like way higher, I wanted Garin to be able to redirect the effects of any spell cast on him onto those marked by his Mythic ability. So if we wanted to, we could remotely curse individuals. Or provide agents with entire buffing schemes remotely, either short duration ones just prior to a fight they're getting into, or longer ones for ongoing operations.

It would also allow him to shed powerful and deadly magics onto someone else.
I would like that, too, but a single Path ability shouldn't be able to do but so much. I think we've already packed as much into the basic Darkmark ability as is reasonable. Further functionality can be added at future tiers, maybe at 3rd and 6th tier, when new path options normally become available? Greater Darkmark at 3rd and True Darkmark at 6th?
 
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The Darkmark isn't really that useful as an outright combat power, at least not for another tier or two. Even then, the circumstances for its use as an offensive option are fairly narrow, though very cool if Garin wants to fuck over someone.

For the most part, the Darkmark as I've written it starts off as a really helpful tool that will allow Garin to coordinate with his Inquisition agents and other assets. Between the Dragoneye Rune, Status, and Telepathic Bond effects, he can locate them as needed, monitor their health and overall condition, and communicate with them at will. There are even quite a few 1st level spells he has access to that he could place on an agent in an emergency.

Garin has access to the Assassin and very limited but effective Shadowlord spell lists. That means that even at 1st tier, her could render an agent Invisible, grant them Darkvision, place Featherfall on them, etc.

Viserys is a Dragon and Lya is a self-mage Outsider, both of them with superhuman Constitution attributes. This necessitates the redefinition of quicky, at least as it applies to them.

I would like that, too, but a single Path ability shouldn't be able to do but so much. I think we've already packed as much into the basic Darkmark ability as is reasonable. Further functionality can be added at future tiers, maybe at 3rd and 6th tier, when new path options normally become available? Greater Darkmark at 3rd and True Darkmark at 6th?
If we're doing Greater and True Darkmark, then that's fine, or whatever we end up calling it.

What do you think about Last Surprise? It has multiple functionalities as an extension of one of his oldest magic items, but it works by almost nigh-fiat as much as 9th Circle spells do with their various absolute effects. He can fake his death and just escape. He can fake his death and then ambush an enemy at the right moment. Or he can fake his death and use the instant and free "hidden" mechanic to get a chance to apply his Mark.

Another thing, when a person fails to Save against the Darkmark, maybe they shouldn't be aware it has been applied? Also, again, the ability to choose a subtle mark and an obvious one.
 
[X] Hern Lampmaker

This dude seems like a good pick to me. The others have their selling points, of course, but Hern has good ones as well and his weaknesses don't appear too onerous at all.
 
If we're doing Greater and True Darkmark, then that's fine, or whatever we end up calling it.

What do you think about Last Surprise? It has multiple functionalities as an extension of one of his oldest magic items, but it works by almost nigh-fiat as much as 9th Circle spells do with their various absolute effects. He can fake his death and just escape. He can fake his death and then ambush an enemy at the right moment. Or he can fake his death and use the instant and free "hidden" mechanic to get a chance to apply his Mark.

Another thing, when a person fails to Save against the Darkmark, maybe they shouldn't be aware it has been applied? Also, again, the ability to choose a subtle mark and an obvious one.
Sounds like a neat and thematic capstone ability to me.

I meant to include wording that specified the application of a Darkmark couldn't be easily detected, whether it succeeded or failed. Adding that now.
 
[X] Hern Lampmaker

A bit of corruption won't be so bad in this department and his dislike of the faith is manageable. The worst that could happen would be giving research teams too much leeway in what they do, but as that is very likely to go against his altruism or intersect with Teana's, Vee's and Qyburn's areas of expertise, so I'm sure people will be reigned in.
 
[X] Hern Lampmaker

I have to wonder what exactly is going on in the minds of the gossips when they talk trash about a full on archmage for starting out as a peasant.

How much reality bending power do you have to acquire before you get a mustang promotion to informal nobility?:V

Seriously though, the Disney Princess factor on Lya's origin story is off the charts, for all that it's got "in the mirror darkly" overtones, I'm kind of surprised that doesn't translate to better PR.
 
[X] Hern Lampmaker

I have to wonder what exactly is going on in the minds of the gossips when they talk trash about a full on archmage for starting out as a peasant.

How much reality bending power do you have to acquire before you get a mustang promotion to informal nobility?:V

It is not about the power you have, but about the power you use and no one at court has seen Lya use a spell more powerful than the odd teleport.
 
It is not about the power you have, but about the power you use and no one at court has seen Lya use a spell more powerful than the odd teleport.
Teleportation requires magic powerful enough to turn a demon into a rabbit, and in itself involves traveling a thousand miles from one point to another in an instant.

Even if Lya was a Fifth Circle mage only, rather than an Archmage who all other mages that those gossips know look at with awe and refer to as "the Sage", no, "the Sage".

She has various feats under her belt that wouldn't be hidden because of the number of people involved in them. She made the Harbinger, and higher grade constructs are rare specifically because it takes time out of a powerful mage's schedule to even make them, and they're worth a lot of money and cost a lot. She made the Arcanums, and two thirds of them are known for being very smart themselves, with all of them being 4th Circle mages.

Any noble lady who thinks she could be a better wife based on their own merit is delusional. She's a hero. She's fought in massive battles alongside other Companions. Most martial, scholarly and governmental officials are aware of this. Inference from other influential people should make those you're stating are dismissive realize that no matter how petty they are, the political reality is that she has more social leverage, prestige and temporal power than them without also leveraging any of Viserys' resources or accomplishments or political power.
 
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