In this case the drow know he was born human, it just is not relevant in their perceptive on the world, beyond the academic interest in his odd larval stage as a hairless monkey.
This makes a lot of sense though. It's like when we first went to Myr : people will know that we're a mighty sorcerer who put in the effort to permanently transcend our humanity (possibly through dangerous rituals of Valyrian blood/Hell magic) and turn into a monster famed for its widsom, power, cruelty and bloodthirstiness, and they'll make the obvious conclusion : he's not interested in being human and he's either CE or LE.
@Goldfish, how about an item of Overcompensation for Sir Richard?
Overcompensation
Schooltransmutation; Levelsorcerer/wizard 1
CASTING Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S
EFFECT Range touch Target weapon touched Duration 1 hour/level Saving ThrowWill negates (object, harmless); Spell Resistance yes (object, harmless)
DESCRIPTION
This spell causes the weapon touched to grow to the next smallest size that would normally make it impossible to wield. The damage dealt by the weapon increases as though it were one size category larger, but the weapon can be wielded as though it were its original size.
This effect does not stack with other magic effects that increase size, such as enlarge person or righteous might.
Garin: Essense of the Raptor (4 HD); Saving Grace (3 HD)
Effects:
[] Base speed increases to 40 feet, +4 bonus on Hide, Jump, Listen, Spot, and Survival, Gains Scent ability;
[] if the target creature falls to 0 hp or below, but does not die immediately, he will gain a number of temporary hp equal to halfquarter his normal total. These hp will fade at a rate of 1 hp per round.
Final HD available: 3
Other recipients of Saving Grace (3 HD): Lya, Dany, Vee, Malarys, Rina.
[] Viserys: 18 HD (taken: Arcane Concordance (3), Channel VIgor (3), Aerial Alacrity (4), Strong WIngs (1), Greater Wings of Air (4) for total of 15 HD/Spell-Levels).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 3 HD. [] Sir Richard: 17 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 14 HD. [] Dany: 17 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 14 HD. [] Lya: 17 HD (taken: Arcane Concordance (3), Channel VIgor (3) for total of 6 HD/Spell-Levels).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 11 HD. [] Waymar: 16 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 13 HD. [] Garin: 16 HD (taken: Arcane Concordance (3), Channel VIgor (3) for total of 6 HD/Spell-Levels).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 10 HD [] Vee: 17 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 14 HD. [] Tyene: 16 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 13 HD. [] Maelor: 14 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 11 HD. [] Xor: 15 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 12 HD. [] Malarys: 17 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 14 HD. [] Rina: 15 HD (taken: Channel VIgor (3).
Free HD-per-spell-level: 12 HD.
Garin: Essense of the Raptor (4 HD); Saving Grace (3 HD)
Effects:
[] Base speed increases to 40 feet, +4 bonus on Hide, Jump, Listen, Spot, and Survival, Gains Scent ability;
[] if the target creature falls to 0 hp or below, but does not die immediately, he will gain a number of temporary hp equal to halfquarter his normal total. These hp will fade at a rate of 1 hp per round.
Final HD available: 3
Other recipients of Saving Grace (3 HD): Lya, Dany, Vee, Malarys, Rina.
All spells approved by DP, given changes noted in-text. @Goldfish, I say, we drop this into the next vote, it is long past teh time to do.
Looks good to me, dude. I would go ahead and make part purchasing more Permanency scrolls part of the vote so that Certain Grip can be applied to Garin, too, and so that there will be enough scrolls to apply Saving Grace to the rest of the Companions. Speaking of Saving Grace, how is that supposed to work? Can the effect be activated once per day?
You know, Pyramid Head was noy something I thought about when a cartoonishly big sword comes to mind, but now thst you mention it I can totally get behind that
[X] Try to study the strange effect further -[X] Dany will perform a Divination to learn what she can of the cloud and it's effects and Viserys will cast a Commune spell using his Prophet's Rod (+1 Commune question), with all questions aimed to discover information about the cloud, it's effects, creators, purpose, etc. -[X] While this is being done, our engineering crews will use their Titan's Tools to create a fortified position for our forces to fight from, should it prove necessary. It will be set up in such a way as to prevent our forces from being overrun by superior numbers while allowing Undead to be channeled into specially prepared kill zones, if fighting occurs here. --[X] If the fortification is not needed, we can leave it to use later or dismantle it when time permits.
This makes a lot of sense though. It's like when we first went to Myr : people will know that we're a mighty sorcerer who put in the effort to permanently transcend our humanity (possibly through dangerous rituals of Valyrian blood/Hell magic) and turn into a monster famed for its widsom, power, cruelty and bloodthirstiness, and they'll make the obvious conclusion : he's not interested in being human and he's either CE or LE.
@Goldfish@egoo any interest in permanencing Protective Spirit for the close range companions? Maybe a Bow Spirit and a bunch of specialty ammunition to give them some more ranged options without requiring any of them to train for it or alter how they fight much.
edit: Bow Spirit and a quiver of Mephit head arrows basically gives them an invisible grenade launcher they can fire with their minds. If that's not a good enough argument for it I don't know what is.
@Goldfish@egoo any interest in permanencing Protective Spirit for the close range companions? Maybe a Bow Spirit and a bunch of specialty ammunition to give them some more ranged options without requiring any of them to train for it or alter how they fight much.
edit: Bow Spirit and a quiver of Mephit head arrows basically gives them an invisible grenade launcher they can fire with their minds. If that's not a good enough argument for it I don't know what is.
If I were DP, I wouldn't allow Bow Spirit to be made Permanent. That's much too powerful an effect, IMO. He's vetoed several less powerful options for being OP, so I wouldn't get my hopes up.
Protective Spirit, on the other hand, is much more reasonable. I wouldn't be against that one for certain people if DP approves.
[X] Try to study the strange effect further -[X] Dany will perform a Divination to learn what she can of the cloud and it's effects and Viserys will cast a Commune spell using his Prophet's Rod (+1 Commune question), with all questions aimed to discover information about the cloud, it's effects, creators, purpose, etc. -[X] While this is being done, our engineering crews will use their Titan's Tools to create a fortified position for our forces to fight from, should it prove necessary. It will be set up in such a way as to prevent our forces from being overrun by superior numbers while allowing Undead to be channeled into specially prepared kill zones, if fighting occurs here. --[X] If the fortification is not needed, we can leave it to use later or dismantle it when time permits.
Alas, divination cannot light the way in the hours that followed. As the legions prepared to reinforce the camp with stone conjured and molded by sorcery naught but fractured verses about weeping heavens and broken souls pass your sister's lips, and answers that might in other matters be bright in your mind as a flame in the night are lost and veiled. Who raised the storm and why? Which army flies upon black winds and what they seek of you all seems lost in shadows, not merely by distance but time. A power moves on earthly realms and you have seen enough of gods in flesh to be rightly worried about it.
Two days later the cloud began to dissipate just as Zathir had said it would and from under the ever-more ragged shadows an army marched, frail and fleshless it seemed but vast enough to turn the plains black. The hosts were not just of Gornath as they were in its end, not just of Sarnor the fallen as the Dothraki rode over the ruin of the realm, but it seemed of the ages that had come before also, weapons of bronze and of iron.
Never had one grim truth been more self evident: the dead outnumbered the living.
"Two hundred thousand in all, four fifths of them infantry and the rest cavalry, elephants siege weapons and some sort of wraiths in the very back bolstering them," the captain of the Dawnchaser recalls, looking unusually somber. "They are dragging great bone altars with them to empower the dead and haunted mechanisms of war. The wyverns did not get close enough to tell what the leaders might look like, but there are more of those ghost rat swarms among them."
"They are moving to envelop the fortress, attack from all sides," Amrelath picks up the account. "They care nothing for their own existence and will thus exhaust the living who stand upon the walls even as the rats gnaw at their feet, to say nothing of what magics they might bring to bear. I saw nothing that could credibly threaten a dragon in the sky though... or a skyship," he adds with reluctance at speaking the name of the machine, however inexpressive in the same sentence. "Some of the chariot archers could perhaps strike as we come close to breathe upon their ranks, but besides that..."
A young messenger rushes through the tent flap, hardly seeming to notice Amrelath so great is his haste to get to you. "Your Grace... there's another one."
"Another what?" you ask, though you have a sinking feeling you know the answer. That cloud was supposed to move armies.
"Another cloud south of Sallosh, the House of Mirrors says the dead are going to march on the city, another great host, from... this one from Kasath."
"How strong?" Dany asks urgently before you can. "What did they see?"
The man just hands her the note automatically. "'Not as vast as the Host of Three Ages, but many are the beasts and the horrors of the spirit,'" she reads automatically before cursing in Abyssal so harshly as to make the poor runner jump. "Sorry about that," she adds sheepishly before turning to you. "What are we going to do? The garison in Sallosh is not supossed to stand up to a concentrated attack by the dead and most of the mages are here?"
"We still have time, even as tirelessly as they are marching it will take the host of Gornath ten hours to get to us and the attack on Sallosh would land at the same time, we have time to shuffle forces." Ser Gerold interjects, looking almost relieved to be dealing with armies again. "With the gates we could pull forces from here to reinforce Sallosh or from other parts of the Empire, though the latter would not be ready for all out war in a matter of hours."
"Or we could just handle the 'great beasts' ourselves once they are out from under their clouds," Ser Richard interjects while reaching instinctively for Oathkeeper. You suspect it is the blade's suggestion as much as his own.
Estimated Time to Engagement: 10 Hours
What do you do?
[] Reinforce Sallosh
-[] With forces from the expedition (write in)
-[] With forces from elsewhere in the Empire (write in)
[] Do not reinforce
[] Write in
OOC: I have had that image saved ever since the first rumor of an undead Sarnor. I'm not even sure where it came from anymore. It's nice to finally have a chance to use it.
We're outnumbered 10 times our number, unable to use spells from the 6th and beyond, fighting legions of dead stretching back before the Doom of Valyria, and trapped on all corner like a fish in a barrel.
*grins*
PERFECT! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS HOPELESSNESS. I WANT TO SEE A SLAUGHTER! WETHER IT'S OUR OWN OR THEIRS!!! KILL, KILL, KILL!!!!!
Alas, divination cannot light the way in the hours that followed. As the legions prepared to reinforce the camp with stone conjured and molded by sorcery, naught but fractured verses about weeping heavens and and broken souls pass your sister's lips, and answers that might in other matters be bright in your mind as a flame in the night are lost and veiled. Who raised the storm and why? Which army flies upon black winds and what they seek of you all seems lost in shadows, not merely of distance but time. A power moves on earthly realms and you have seen enough of gods in flesh to be rightly worried about it.
Two days later the cloud began to dissipate just as Zathir had said it would, and from under the ever-more ragged shadows an army marched, frail and fleshless it seemed, but vast enough to turn the plains black, the hosts not just of Gornath as they were in its end, not just of Sarnor the Fallen as the Dothraki rode over the ruin of the realm, but it seemed of the ages that had come before also, weapons of bronze and weapons of iron.
Never had one grim truth been more self evident: the dead outnumber the living.
"Two hundred thousand in all, four fifths of them infantry and the rest cavalry, elephants, siege weapons, and some sort of wraiths in the very back bolstering them," the captain of the Dawnchaser recalls, looking unusually somber. They are dragging great bone altars with them to empower the dead and haunted mechanisms of war. "The Wyverns did not get close enough to tell what the leaders might look like, but there are more of those ghost rat swarms among them."
"They are moving to envelop the fortress, attack from all sides," Amrelath picks up the account. "They care nothing for their own existence and will thus exhaust the living who stand upon the walls even as the rats gnaw at their feet to say nothing of what magics they might bring to bear. I saw nothing that could credibly threaten a dragon in the sky, though... or a sky ship," he adds with reluctance at speaking the name of a machine, however inexpressive, in the same sentence. "Some of the chariot archers could perhaps strike as we came close to breathe upon their ranks, but besides that..."
A young messenger rushes through the tent flap, hardly seeming to notice Amrelath so great is his haste to get to you. "Your Grace... there's another one."
"Another what?" you ask, though you have a sinking feeling you know the answer. That cloud was supposed to move armies.
"Another cloud south of Sallosh, the House of Mirrors says the dead are going to march on the city, another great host, from... this one from Kasath."
"How strong?" Dany asks urgently before you can. "What did they see?"
The man just hands her the note automatically. "Not as vast as the Hosts of Three Ages, but many are the Beasts and many are the Horrors of the Spirit," she reads automatically before cursing in Abyssal so harshly as to make the poor runner jump. "Sorry about that," she adds sheepishly before turning to you. "What are we going to do, the garrison in Sallosh is not supposed to stand up to a concerted attack by the dead, and most of the mages are here?"
"We still have time, even as tirelessly as they are marching it will take the host of Gornath ten hours to get to us and the attack on Sallosh would land at the same time. We have time to shuffle forces." Ser Gerold interjects, looking almost relieved to be dealing with armies again. "With the gates we could pull forces from here to reinforce Sallosh or from other parts of the Empire, though the latter would not be ready for all out war in a matter of hours."
"Or we could just handle the 'great beasts' ourselves once they are out from under their clouds," Ser Richard interjects, reaching instinctively for Oathkeeper. You suspect it is the blade's suggestion as much as his own.
Estimated Time to Engagement: 10 Hours
What do you do?
[] Reinforce Sallosh
-[] With forces from the expedition (write in)
-[] With forces from elsewhere in the Empire (write in)
[] Do not reinforce
[] Write in
OOC: I have had that image saved ever since the first rumor of an undead Sarnor. I'm not even sure where it came from anymore. It's nice to finally have a chance to use it. Not yet edited.
Here's an edited version of the chapter, @DragonParadox.
We should just evacuate everyone to Sallosh. Fighting Kasath, and then reinforce ourselves with more troops. I'd rather meet on more even terms.
[X] Evacuate your combined host to Sallosh, face the army coming from Kasath, crushing them as fast as possible if they will not rout.
-[X] You will put every other Legion barring the 2nd and 4th on alert and prepare them to muster and then subsequent transit.
Better to have one decisive battle if they're going to throw everything they got at us.
Also I find it hilarious to deny the enemy battle after being denied battle by the enemy.
Edit: Keep in mind, I'm just suggesting this because an encirclement on four sides isn't a great position to be in for our mundane forces. No room for our cavalry to maneuver. This is not an ideal place for an engagement against superior numbers, not when we were expecting a host of comparable size, not a quarter million troops.
Even if we end up killing most of them with dragonfire, I expect horrendous losses as it is.
Bah, that just makes it more interesting then! I despised easy fights. If these cretins have some magic items that could wrangle us from the skies or champions that could fight Richard on equal footing, it'd be ecstatic!!!
Why yes, I'm on a blood-craze right now, why do you ask?
If I understand the sheet correctly, the 1000 ft cube version requires us to have 9 mythic tiers to use. The 20 ft cube version is only going to get about 400 undead if they are marching close together. If we're talking about disposable troops, thats not a bad trade for an 8th level spell slot for the opponent.
