SYLVAN DEFENDER "Unhand that squirrel! And put down his nuts too! "MIMSY!""What? What'd I say. Oooooh...nuts...right, right...sorry." Sylvan Defenders are defenders of the wild places, particularly the smaller, cuter denizens of the wild places. In other words they're rabid eco-warriors who have a thing for bunnies and chinchillas. And don't mind blasting you to make a point.
BECOMING A SYLVAN DEFENDER Generally you just need to be a Sylph willing to take on the defense of the wilderness or your homeland. The Defenders really don't ask much of their applicants.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Race: Sylph
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast Arcane spells of at least 3rd level without preparation, at least one of which from each level should be Conjuration or Abjuration.
Feats: Flyby Attack, Hover, Silent Spell
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Hide 6 ranks, Move Silently 6 ranks
Class Skills The Class Name's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Arcana, Nature, The Planes)(Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis)
Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int
Hit Dice: d4
BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities
1. +0 +0 +0 +2 TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THAT SKWIRL!, +1 level of Arcane Casting Class
2. +1 +0 +0 +3 My Friend Doesn't Like You
3. +1 +1 +1 +3 I Don't Like You Either!, +1 level of Arcane Casting Class
4. +2 +1 +1 +4 TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THAT SKWIRL!, +1 level of Arcane Casting Class
5. +2 +1 +1 +4 My Friend Doesn't Like You
6. +3 +2 +2 +5 I Don't Like You Either!
7. +3 +2 +2 +5 TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THAT SKWIRL!, +1 level of Arcane Casting Class
8. +4 +2 +2 +6 My Friend Doesn't Like You
9. +4 +3 +3 +6 I Don't Like You Either!
10.+5 +3 +3 +7 Apologize, Or We Will Crush Your Prostate Like A Grape, +1 level of Arcane Casting Class
Weapon Proficiencies: A Sylvan Defender gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.
TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THAT SKWIRL! (Su): At 1st level you may "lose" 1 spell of any level to attempt to force any Enemy within 60' to drop any object it is holding (or release a creature it is Grappling) if it fails a Willpower Save (Save DC is 10 plus half HD plus Charisma Modifier) as a Standard Action.
At 4th level you may instead place a Sanctuary spell on any one creature.
At 7th level you may extend your Invisibility to all Allies within a certain range by "losing" a spell of any level. Range is equal to 5' times the spells level.
My Friend Doesn't Like You (Su): At 2nd level the creatures you Summon using Spells or Abilities are more powerful, and gain an Enhancement Bonus on all Damage Rolls equal to your Wisdom score.
At 5th level they also get this ability to Attack rolls.
At 8th level the Critical Threat Range of all their attacks increases by =1 (i.e. if they normally threatened a Critical on a 20, it's now a 19-20). This does not stack with other effects that expand Critical Threat Range.
I Don't Like You Either! (Su): At 3rd level when the Sylvan Defender successfully damages an opponent with a spell she gains a Damage Bonus to the roll equal to her Wisdom modifier.
At 6th level she also gains this Bonus on all Attack rolls for spells that require them.
At 9th level the Save DC of any spell she casts that does damage increases by +2 (this does stackk with Feats like Spell Focus).
Apologize, Or We Will Crush Your Prostate Like A Grape (Su): If you attack an opponent with a spell that does damage when he is unaware of your presence or Denied his Dexterity Bonus to AC he gets no Saving Throw to negate or halve the damage.
PLAYING A SYLVAN DEFENDER The wild places are almost holy. They are unique, and being despoiled by those nasty little humanoid races that consider themselves 'civilized' while killing everything they encounter and spewing their waste everywhere. They're icky. And you hate them. That's why you wait till they're sleeping before you cast the first Lightning Bolt spell right in their ass just to be mean.
Combat: Your preferred method of fighting is to Summon some Elemental support, go invisible, and zap away with spells or summon more help and buff while remaining unobserved. No sense taking a club to the face. the Gods only know how long it's been since that things been washed...
Advancement: Sylvan Defenders usually concentrate on spells that allow them to hide and summon help. That way opponents don't realize who their true foe is, and if the summoned mooks get offed they still aren't looking for you.
Resources: Most Sylphs don't really use or understand money, and they have little political or material influence in the world. However Elementals and Fey admire their dedication to preserving the wild places of the world and will often give their help if they can.
SYLVAN DEFENDERS IN THE WORLD "Ah was havin' a perfectly good dream bout forcibly humpn' nuns when my taint caught fire. Never did trust them fairy types, no sir." Sylvan Defenders concentrate on keeping unspoiled wilderness in said unspoiled condition. And they mess up anyone who tries to invade their turf. Usually being Good by nature they do try to help when they can if someone is in trouble, but the price is leaving the woods behind and not returning (or perhaps doing them a favor).
Daily Life: Other than the occasional lunch break you tirelessly patrol the woods invisibly waiting for something to happen. Anything. Sometimes you get so bored you revise your definition of 'unspoiled wilderness' just so you can go fuck with the locals.
Notables: Pale Flower (N Female Sylph Sorcerer 6/Sylvan Defender 1) got tired of her remote mountain home being visited by strangers intent on killing her and taking her stuff, so she joined the Defenders.
Organizations: The Sylvan Defenders are a fairly loose organization that is mostly composed of loners and their friends. They do keep in contact with one another over long distance in whatever manner they can however, and if need be can summon each other for big problems.
NPC Reaction NPC's don't react at all well to invisible pranksters who attach giant leeches to their toes while they're sleeping in an effort to drive them away. The Defenders have a somewhat bad rep among many of the frontier areas.
SYLVAN DEFENDERS IN THE GAME The Defenders obsession with nature doesn't always make them the best for group play unless other PC's are of a similar mind. They'll do okay in nature themed campaigns, but there's really no reason for them to be in an urban one for any length of time.
Adaptation: This is equally adaptable to humorous or serious campaigns. It has more options for the funny one though. Who doesn't want to play an invisible summoner of doom?
Encounters: PC's will encounter the Sylvan Defenders on the Elemental Planes (usually Air), some of the more 'wild' Planes like the Beastlands, and of course in areas of remote wilderness untouched by humanoids. Or at war with humanoids intent on touching said wilderness. Damn kinky them humanoids.
Sample Encounter EL 15: "Take your hands off my silverware, and step away from the kitchen with your hands in plain view. Or I will be forced to open fire."
Pale FlowerN Female Sylph Sorcerer 6/Sylvan Defender 1
Init +3,
Senses: Listen +8, Spot +8, Dark Vision 60'
Languages Common, Auran
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AC 27, touch 19 flat-footed 24 (+1 Size, +3 Dex, +5 Deflection, +8 Armor)
hp 32 (10 HD)
Fort +5,
Ref +8,
Will +15
+3 w/Cloak
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Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), Fly 90 ft. (Good)
Base Atk +6,
Grp +0
Atk Options Summon Elemental
Combat Gear 2 Potions of Cure Serious Wounds
Spells Prepared 0: 6 (DC 16)
1st: 8 (DC 17)
2nd: 8 (DC 18)
3rd: 7 (DC 19)
4th: 7 (DC 20)
5th: 7 (DC 21)
6th: 6 (DC 22)
7th: 3 (DC 23)
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Abilities Str 6, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 20, Cha 22
SQ Improved Invisibility, SR 21, Wild Empathy,
Feats Flyby Attack, Hover, Silent Spell
Skills Bluff +15, Concentration +12, Escape Artist +9, Handle Animal +12, Hide +9, Knowledge (Arcana, Nature) +8, Listen +8, Move Silently +9, Search +5, Spellcraft +6, Spot +8, Survival +8
Possessions +4 Ring of Protection, +8 Bracers of Armor, Robe of Mysterious Conjuration, Staff of Evocation, +3 Cloak of Resistance, 2 Potions of Cure Serious Wounds, 500 GP
EPIC SYLVAN DEFENDERS Hit Die: d4
Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int
Spells The Sylvan Defenders Caster Level continues to improve with Epic levels, but she doesn't gain more spells per day or learn new spells.
Bonus Feats: The Epic Sylvan Defender gains a Bonus Feat every 3 levels higher than 20th
SYLPH FEATSImproved SummoningYour buddies from the Elemental Plane of Air hang around longer.
Prerequisites: Sylph, Augment Summoning
Benefits: When you use your racial ability to Summon an Air Elemental your Caster Level is now equal to 1th level or your Effective Character Level, whichever is greater.
Greater SummoningYour friends from the Elemental Planes have gotten bigger
Prerequisites: Sylph, Improved Summoning, Increased Summoning, Caster Level 18th
Benefits: When using your racial ability to Summon Air Elementals, you now cast Summon Monster IX instead of VI.
Increased SummoningYour friends drop in to visit more often.
Prerequisites: Sylph, Improved Summoning, Cha 17
Benefits: You may now use your Racial Summoning ability 3 times per day.
Epic SummoningYou've put an awful lot of effort into making friends back home, and it's paid off.
Prerequisites: Sylph, Greater Summoning, Caster Level 21+
Benefits: When you use your racial Summoning ability you cast it as a Quickened, Silent Spell.
Invisible Familiar (Metamagic)
Your Familiar shares your invisibility powers.
Prerequisites: Sylph, Combat Familiar, Lurking Familiar
Benefits: Whenever you turn invisible as per your Racial ability you may opt to turn your Familiar invisible as well so long as it is within 30' of you. It remains invisible until you become visible or it is targeted by an effect that dispels invisibility.
Invisible Spell-Like AbilityYour Spell-Like abilities can be used invisibly too.
Prerequisites: Sylph, Invisible Spell (see Cityscape)
Benefits: Choose 1 Spell-Like ability, you can use it 3 times per day completely invisibly as per the Invisible Spell Feat.
POW!It's so much easier to hurt people when they can't see you.
Prerequisites: Sylph, Invisible Spell
Benefits: Spells that you cast while invisible that normally do damage do an additional 2 dice of damage.
HYPER POW!Invisible Fireballs in the taint area are sooooo painful...
Prerequisites: Sylph, POW!
Benefits: Spells that you cast while invisible that normally do damage now do an additional 4 dice of damage.
HYPER DEATH POW!Nothing hurts like a Magic Missile right in the corneal area...
Prerequisites: Sylph, HYPER POW!
Benefits: Spells that you cast while invisible that normally do damage now do an additional 6 dice of damage.