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Duncan Atreides (1st level human illusionist)

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Duncan Atreides (1st level human illusionist)

Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 06 Jan 2015 20:14

I'm thinking of going Conjuration, and as my first level conjuration spell I would love to take Find Familiar. But casting the spell requires a thousand gp worth of herbs and incenses. So my question is, can you tell us what our income will be like? If I'm level two before I have a thousand gold, it would make more sense to take Find Familiar at level two and have two spells I can actually use at level one.
Last edited by jeffrobot494 on 26 Feb 2015 02:14, edited 3 times in total.
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Unread postby icycalm » 06 Jan 2015 20:37

You'll be practically penniless. Unless you go on a crime spree, you won't see 1,000 gp for ages.
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 06 Jan 2015 22:30

I'm not excited about many of the 1st and 2nd level conjuration spells besides Find Familiar, so I'm thinking of going Illusionist now.

The Complete Wizard's Handbook wrote:Because spells from the school of illusion are mainly concerned with the creation of images and are of limited use on the battlefield, many feel that illusionists are the weakest of all the specialists. In a broad sense, however, no school provides a wizard with more options, since in most cases, illusion spells are limited only by the caster's imagination. For instance, consider the 1st-level illusion spell phantasmal force. A dull-witted wizard might consider this a useless spell; after all, its illusions have only visual components. A silent monster might scare away a nervous bandit, but what else can you do with it? Plenty, answers the creative illusionist, and the effects aren't confined to the battlefield. Here are some examples:

· The party is being pursued by a hoard of orcs. The wizard uses phantasmal force to
create the illusion of a wall of bramble bushes behind the party to slow down the
pursuers. Alternately, he creates a swarm of wasps, a cloud of ominous green gas, or a
pool of quicksand to slow them down.

· The hungry party wants to catch some fish for the evening meal. They have lines and
hooks, but no bait. The wizard uses phantasmal force to create a colorful, sparkling
lure.

· The party wishes to lure an enemy into a cave for an ambush. The wizard uses
phantasmal force to create the illusion of great treasure just inside the cave and -- in
goes the greedy enemy.

· The wizard has met a beautiful damsel whom he wishes to impress. He takes her to a
secluded woodland and uses phantasmal force to create the illusion of a patch of
beautiful wild flowers.
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Unread postby icycalm » 06 Jan 2015 22:55

You are picking difficult schools, but it's a large party, and it has a second wizard, so you should be fine.
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 07 Jan 2015 19:43

I'm looking at the Patrician kit.

The Complete Wizard's Handbook wrote:Patrician

Description: The Patrician is a wizard of noble birth, a member of his culture's aristocracy. Born into a life of wealth and privilege, the Patrician considers himself an arbiter of good taste and a connoisseur of the finer things in life. He looks down his nose at working men and women, as well as all others he considers to be inconsequential rabble. If anything, his mastery of magic makes him even more arrogant than other members of the ruling class, since he sees his talent as clear proof of his superiority over common folk.

The Patrician may join an adventuring party out of a sense of duty to his country or to promote the common good-- in spite of their snobbery, good-aligned Patricians have strong moral codes. A Patrician might have grown weary of his pampered life and sought an adventuring party to add a touch of excitement to his otherwise dreary existence. Alternately, his parents might have ordered him to join a party to teach him humility.

There are no special requirements to be a Patrician. The majority are male, but noblewomen are also included in this category (although such a character would more correctly be called a Noblewoman or Aristocrat).

To abandon this kit, the Patrician must renounce his birthright. He will forever after be ostracized by all the nobility from his homeland and may even be disowned and disinherited by his family.

Preferred Schools: The Patrician can specialize in any school, but prefers those that he perceives as most powerful, such as conjuration/summoning, alteration, and invocation/evocation.

Barred Schools: The Patrician will not specialize in necromancy, a school he considers disgusting and repulsive.

Role: The Patrician prefers the company of nobles and other members of the upper class. Most Patricians are wealthy and have no need to earn money, but many still serve their societies as administrators, counselors, and ambassadors. Since they have access to the the finest teachers and universities, Patricians are extremely well-educated and expert in a variety of areas.

Fellow player characters will rightfully perceive the Patrician to be an arrogant, condescending snob. On the positive side, the Patrician is also well-mannered and courteous, even to those he considers to be his social inferiors. Male Patricians can be extremely chivalrous to members of the opposite sex, regardless of whether they like it or not. The Patrician is generally cooperative with the party, though he will balk at any suggestion that compromises his sense of dignity (for instance, he will never enter a filthy cavern or search the bodies of slain enemies without squawking). His first-rate education and extensive travels make him an excellent source of information.

Secondary Skills: Required (the player must choose one of the following): Bowyer, Gambler, Groom, Jeweler, Limner/Painter, Scribe.

Weapon Proficiency: Required (the player must choose one of the following): dagger, knife.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus: (General) Etiquette, Heraldry, Riding (Land-based). Recommended: (General) Dancing, Languages (Modern), Riding (Land-based), Singing; (Wizard) Ancient History, Languages (Ancient), Reading/Writing, Religion; (Rogue, double slots) Ancient History, Appraising, Gaming, Local History, Musical Instrument; (Priest, double slots) Languages (Ancient).

Equipment: A beginning Patrician must buy all of the following items: horse (must be at least a riding horse), riding saddle, bit and bridle, horseshoes and shoeing, halter, and saddle blanket. He can spend the rest of his money as he wishes.

Special Benefits: The Patrician begins with more starting money than other wizards (see the Wealth Options entry below). Additionally, he receives a +3 reaction modifier from any noble from his own culture, and a +2 reaction modifier from nobles from other cultures. When traveling, a Patrician can demand shelter from any fellow noblemen from his own culture. Such shelter is offered free of charge and is made available for the Patrician and up to two persons per experience level of the Patrician (for instance, a 3rd-level Patrician can demand shelter for himself and six others).

Special Hindrances: When making purchases, the Patrician accepts nothing but the best, whether it be a meal, a room for the night, a weapon, or even a chest to carry his possessions.

Any time he buys any item, the Patrician must pay 10 to 100 percent more than the listed price in the Player's Handbook. The DM will decide the price paid by the Patrician, which may vary from item to item, depending on the quality of merchandise in a particular locale. For instance, the best meal in Village A might sell for 7 sp, while the best meal in Village B might sell for 10 sp. In all cases, the Patrician will settle for no less than the most expensive item available; he always pays at least 10 percent more than the listed price.

If a Patrician lacks the funds to buy high-quality items, he can settle for cheaper goods, but he no longer receives his reaction bonus in that particular encounter or community; NPCs simply do not believe that he is a noble. For instance, if a Patrician settles for a standard 5 sp meal at an inn, all of the NPCs in the inn react to him normally, ignoring his insistence that he's a nobleman. Word will quickly spread throughout the community that an amusing fellow is pretending to be a nobleman, and soon all of the NPCs in the community will react to him normally. If a Patrician settles for shabby accoutrements, such as a normal sword or average saddle, all NPCs will react to him normally until he replaces them with more expensive items.

Just as the Patrician can demand shelter from other noblemen, so can they demand shelter from him. Note that this can get to be an expensive proposition if the NPC noblemen stay for any length of time.

Wealth Options: The Patrician receives an extra 150 gp in addition to the standard (1d4 + 1) x 10 gp.

Races: No restrictions. However, if a particular race doesn't recognize or allow socio-economic stratifications in the DM's campaign world, that race will not have Patricians


"Fellow player characters will rightfully perceive the Patrician to be an arrogant, condescending snob."

But anyone I find to have aristocratic or admirable traits I won't be such a snob to. Hopefully that will include most of my fellow party members. My character is going to be a young man sent on a journey by his father/elders/betters to see the world and gather allies.

"Barred Schools: The Patrician will not specialize in necromancy, a school he considers disgusting and repulsive."

Lookin at you, Some guy.
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 07 Jan 2015 20:22

icy, as an aristocrat I think I would have some general knowledge of the world. It's geography, civilizations, etc. Anything I can read to learn some of that? I have several proficiencies to choose from that fit that sort of thing. Particularly the Local History proficiency.

The Complete Wizard's Handbook wrote:Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus: (General) Etiquette, Heraldry, Riding (Land-based). Recommended: (General) Dancing, Languages (Modern), Riding (Land-based), Singing; (Wizard) Ancient History, Languages (Ancient), Reading/Writing, Religion; (Rogue, double slots) Ancient History, Appraising, Gaming, Local History, Musical Instrument; (Priest, double slots) Languages (Ancient).
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Unread postby icycalm » 07 Jan 2015 21:03

Yep, I'll get to that soon enough. For the time being, if you have free time to read, read as much of the PHB as you can. Same goes for everyone else. You will then be able to be more helpful to all those who don't have time to read much before the first game starts.
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 08 Jan 2015 20:52

With my 150 extra starting gp from Patrician, I'm thinking of buying four war dogs. I'd keep them around me in combat to protect myself from melee attackers. I could take the Animal Training proficiency if necessary. Anything wrong with that?
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 08 Jan 2015 22:37

Actually I figure ranged attackers will be the bigger problem since our party is full of melee people. So no dogs.
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 09 Jan 2015 02:25

My spellbook looks something like this.

spellbook.png
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 09 Jan 2015 19:51

My preliminary list of starting spells. I read somewhere that wizards get 6 spells to start with. Gotta doublecheck that.

1. Phantasmal Force
This is my classic illusion spell. Anything I can imagine appears within an area of 30 feet. It makes no sound and has no smell. I manually control everything it does, and it's believability hinges on how well I do that. So if I summon a dragon I should be making it snort smoke from it's nostrils etc. I have to concentrate to maintain this spell so I can't do anything else while I'm casting it. This spell can deal "illusionary" damage to people who believe it.

2. Audible Glammer
This creates an illusionary sound. I can use it to enhance Phantasmal Force, but I would have to cast this first because Phantasmal Force requires concentration. There is a rough limit to the amount of sound I can generate. At level 1, it can't be more noisy than four men.

3. Change Self
I change my appearance to that of almost any humanoid creature of roughly the same size of myself. I could look like another race or just give myself different clothes. I can't become a specific person though.

4. Sleep
An area of effect spell that attempts to put creatures into a deep sleep that lasts several rounds. The smaller the creatures are, the more of them I can affect.

I also have Read Magic and Detect Magic, which are required for all mages.

Edit: Added bit about Phantasmal Force damage.
Last edited by jeffrobot494 on 10 Jan 2015 09:16, edited 1 time in total.
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 10 Jan 2015 09:13

It turns out illusions can cause "illusionary" damage, so these spells are much more useful than I thought.

The Player's Handbook wrote:Illusions are spells of trickery and deceit, not damage and destruction. Thus, illusions cannot be used to cause real damage. When a creature is caught in the blast of an illusionary fireball or struck by the claws of an illusionary troll, he thinks he takes damage. The DM should record the illusionary damage (but tell the player his character has taken real damage). If the character takes enough damage to "die," he collapses in a faint. A system shock roll should be made for the character. (His mind, believing the damage to be real, may cause his body to cease functioning!) If the character survives, he regains consciousness after 1d3 turns with his illusionary damage healed. In most cases, the character quickly realizes that it was all an illusion.

When an illusion creates a situation of inescapable death, such as a giant block dropping from the ceiling, all those believing the illusion must roll for system shock. If they fail, they die--killed by the sheer terror of the situation. If they pass, they are allowed a new saving throw with a +4 bonus. Those who pass recognize the illusion for what it is. Those who fail faint for 1d3 turns.


However, I can only cast illusionary spells that a mage of my level would be able to cast. Mages can cast fireball at level 5, so I could not cast an illusionary fireball until I'm level 5 (and have had enough exposure to the spell that I could recreate its effects).

This raises an interesting question. Let's say there's an ogre with 8 hp. What if I cast an illusionary magic missile that does 2 illusionary damage, and then a fighter finishes the ogre off with 6 real damage? Is the ogre dead? I don't think so. It makes sense to me that if a creature dies with any combination of illusionary damage, they aren't really dead. They would roll system shock. They don't die normally until they take full real damage.

System shock for reference:

The Player's Handbook wrote:System Shock states the percentage chance a character has to survive magical effects that reshape or age his body: petrification (and reversing petrification), poly- morph, magical aging, etc. It can also be used to see if the character retains consciousness in particularly difficult situations. For example, an evil mage polymorphs his dim-witted hireling into a crow. The hireling, whose Constitution score is 13,has an 85percent chance to survive the change. Assuming he survives, he must successfully roll for system shock again when he is changed back to his original form or else he will die.
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Unread postby jeffrobot494 » 26 Feb 2015 02:12

My character's name is Duncan Atreides.
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