Gabriel Lightbringer, Jr.Male Human (possessing war troll)
Sorcerer 1/Binder 1/Anima Mage 7/Ur-Priest 1/Contemplative 1/Stranger with the Burning Eyes 1Stats[spoiler]
(huge) (humanoid/monstrous humanoid)Hit Dice: 8+8d4+3d8 (HP 245/184 for Thogg, 47 for Gabriel)Initiative: +16Speed: 40 (70)Armor Class: 49
Touch: 18
Flat-footed: 46
(+9 Armor, +6 Shield, +3 Dex, -2 Size, +16 Natural, +3 Deflect, +2 insight, -1 trait, +3 luck)
Base Attack/Grapple: 12(4)/+39
Attack: cold iron longspear (+5) +39/+39/+34/+29 ((2d6) 3d6+36, 20/x3)
or morning star (+5) +39/+39/+34/+29 ((2d6) 3d6+36, 20/x2)
or MW composite longbow (+5) +22/+22/+17/+12 ((2d6) 3d6+18)
and bite +26/+26 ((1d6) 1d8+9, 20/x2)
Special Attacks: Dazing Blow Fort save DC 27 or be stunned for 1 round after he hits someone, Magic Jar (Su) DC 20
Space/Reach: 15/30
Special Qualities: Immune to disease, poison, fear, Regen 9 (acid), SR 20, DR 9/good and 5/adam, Scent, Darkvision 90', Low light vision.
Saves: Fort +34, Ref +26, Will +46
Abilities: Str 49, Dex 16, Con 33, Int 18, Wis 30, Cha 20
Skills: Bluff +16, Concentration +21, Diplomacy +20, Know: Rel +21(26), Know: Arcana +9 (14), Know: Planes +9 (14), Knowledge: Local (Dalelands), Nature, Dungeoneering, and History +5(10), Listen +12(14), Spot +12(14), Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +21, Use Magic Device +9
Feats:Still Spell (flaw), Spell Focus: Evil (flaw), Improved Binding (h. bonus), Practiced Spellcaster: Ur-Priest (1), Silent Spell (3), Chain Spell (6), Domain Spontaneity (9), Mother Cyst (12), Evil's Blessing (EE1), Dark Speech (EE5), Dark Whispers (EE10), Least Legacy (bonus), Lesser Legacy (bonus), Weapon Finesse (Balam bound), Combat Reflexes (Heroics), Power Attack (Heroics)
Alignment: LE
Languages Spoken: Common, Infernal, Draconic, Abyssal, Celestial
Level Adjustment: none[/spoiler]
Conditions and effects Vestigal Awareness (+2 ini w/good pact)(failed today)
Traits and flaws: Agressive (+2 init, -1 AC), Murky Eyed, Shaky (-2 ranged)
Vestiges Bound: Balam and Tenebrous (See later post for effects)
Long duration buffs (all CL 20 unless noted):
[spoiler]-Consumptive Field
-Divine Power
-Righteous Might
-Righteous Wrath of the Faithful
-Magic Vestment (x2)
-Greater Magic Weapon
-Superior Resistance
-Heroes Feast
-Shield Other (on Max and Imp)
+2 insight to AC, Reflex, and Init from Balam
Expeditous Retreat (CL 4)[/spoiler]
Short term buffs:
[spoiler]-Sign (+4 initiative)
-Eyes of the Avoral (cast on our scout with the highest Spot check)
-Persistent Mass Lesser Vigor (Fast Healing 1 for everyone)
-Blindsight
-Mass Conviction (+5 on everyone's saving throws)
-Freedom of Movement
-Death Ward
-Air Walk
-True Seeing
-No Light (BoVD)
-Heroics (CL4, gain Power Attack)
-Heroics (CL4, gain Combat Reflexes)
-Death Knell
-Recitation
-Message[/spoiler]
Initiative boosters: Nerveskitter +5 (unnamed), Balam bound +2 (insight), Aggressive trait +2(unnamed), Dex +3, Sign +4 (unnamed)(duration 200 minutes)
-Contingency (CL21)(cast via Limited Wish) [triggered to go off when Heartening shield is activated (immediate action)], casts Plane Shift (Astral Plane)
-Temp HP: 7d8+(1d8+10)+20+1d8 (rolled 61)
Possessions: [spoiler](*= self-crafted, using dark sacrifice or souls for XP)(82,200 total spent)
1 vial of silversheen (in Haversack) 125*
large cold iron longspear with wand chamber (in hand) 136
Enveloping Pit (MIC 159)(in Haversack) 3600
MW large composite longbow (+10 str)(on back) 500*
large chain shirt (crafted) 67
+1 mithril heartening (im. act 5 HP, 2xday) light animated shield 6670*
Belt +2 Con 2000*
Tiny Staff of Heal* (10 charges)(in Haversack) 3600*
Ring of Darkhidden and Sustenance (r. finger) 4500
Ring of Counterspells (Gr. Disp. Magic)(l. finger) 4000
Handy Haversack (back) 1000
Artificer's Monocle (in Haversack) 750
Helmet of Perception (head)(MW tool for Listen) and Periapt of Wisdom +4 8050*
Goggles of Persuasion (eyes)(as Circlet) +1 Charisma and +1 Int and MW tool for Spot 3300*
Wand of Wraithstrike (in weapon WC, 20 charges) 1800
The Eye of the Traveler (neck)(Legacy Item, +3 defl., Cunning, Still Spell 3/day up to 6th level, Feather Fall) It is also a Hand of the Mage, his Divine Focus, and his Trinket. (Hardness 18, Hit points 65, reforms if broken...) 15900
Dedicated Wright (in Pit) 2100
Tuning forks for at least one level of all the major planes (in Haversack)
1 scroll of Comprehend Languages (in Haversack) 25
1 scroll Revenance and Revivify, 2 scrolls of Silent Image (in Haversack) 2075
Lesser MM Rod of Extend (in Haversack) 3000
2 Anklets of Translocation (feet) 1400*
Vestige Phylactery (in Haversack) 7500*
Otyugh Hole (Iron Will) 3000
Permanent Effects 7150
Alarm (500 xp + 25 gp), Clone (4500 gp), Private Sanctum (2500 xp + 1125 gp), Forbiddance (1500 gp), Least and Lesser Legacy founding rituals (1600 xp total)[/spoiler]
Items by slot:
[spoiler]Head: Helmet of Perception (MW tool for Listen) and Wisdom +4
Eyes: Goggles of Persuasion (as Circlet) +1 Charisma and +1 Int and MW tool for Spot
Neck: Eye of the Traveler (Legacy item, Trinket, Holy Symbol)
Torso: None
Body: Chain shirt
Belt: +2 Con
Cloak: None
Bracers: None
Gloves: None
Right Ring: Ring of Darkhidden and Sustenance
Left Ring: Ring of Counterspells (Gr. Disp. Magic)
Feet: 2 Anklets of Translocation[/spoiler]
Wish list/things to buy later:
[spoiler]
Steadfast Boots (MiC, 1400 gp)
Gloves of the Master Strategist (Ghostwalk, 3,600 gp) True Strike 1/day and functions like gloves of storing
An Eager, Smoking, Initiative, Sudden Stunning weapon (DMG 2 or PHB 2, OA, and...)
Ring of Arming (MiC 122, 5,000 gp)
A Hand of Glory
Some mithril twilight magical armor... or maybe a Monk's belt
A Belt of Battle (MiC)
Mantle of Second Chances (MiC)
Spellguard Rings (Complete Mage 127, 4,000 gp for 2) (Would this work for Antimagic Field?...) (MiC)
Slotless Chronocharm of the Horizon Walker (why didn't I add
this to my necklace...
) (MiC)
Heward's Fortifying Bedroll (even evil possessing intelligences need to sleep...) (MiC)
Gloves of the Starry Sky (MiC)
Counterstrike Bracers (MiC)
A Dispelling Cord (MiC)
...and some kind of intelligent item (maybe an Item Familiar), so I can use it as a "fallback" in case whoever I'm possessing bites the bucket.[/spoiler]
Spells prepared:[spoiler]
0: Detect Magic (x2), No Light (x3), Amaneunsis (copies up to 250 words/min, 10 min/lvl)
1: Obscuring Mist, Summon Monster I, Sign (x2), Omen of Peril (x2), Eyes of the Avoral
2: Augury, Death Knell, [Necrotic Cyst (odd) or Necrotic Scrying (even)], Guidance of the Avatar, [Shield Other (even) or Lesser Restoration (odd)], (alternatives: Detect Law/Evil, Undetectable Alignment, Living Undeath, Divine Insight)
3: Magic Vestment (Extended via Rod), Mass Resist Energy, Mass Lesser Vigor, Blindsight, Mass Conviction
4: Dimensional Anchor, Freedom of Movement, Death Ward, Air Walk, (alternatives: Divination, Delay Death)
5: Plane Shift, True Seeing, Extended Persistent [Consumptive Field (odd) or Divine Power (even)], Extended Greater Magic Weapon, (alternative: Commune)
6: Extended DMM: Persistent [Righteous Might (even) or Righteous Wrath of the Faithful (odd)], Greater Dispel Magic, Heal, (alternative: Find the Path)
7: Extended Heroes Feast, Extended Superior Resistance, (alternatives: Dictum, Blasphemy, Necrotic Tumor)
(I can add 1 (or more) spell slots via Exploit Vestige, but I'll have to choose a vestige with a low DC and probably use a reroll from Balam to get it to work. Malphas' Poison Use would be a good one.)[/spoiler]
Spells known (battle sorcerer)(per day):[spoiler]
0 (5): Prestidigitation, Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Message, Launch Item
1 (6): Expeditous Retreat, Nerveskitter
2 (2): Heroics[/spoiler]
Buffing routine:[spoiler]
I'm assuming Consumptive Field caps at +10 CL, +20 Str, and +10d8 temp. hit points. Only the CL cap is explicitly stated. I also assume it can't bootstrap off itself with multiple castings, but that you can boost your quot;starting caster level quot; via other means.
On odd days-Death Knell on something (CL 13)
-He uses Dark Speech for another +1 CL while casting Consumptive Field. This adds +7 CL, 7d8 temporary hit points, and +14 Str. He makes this Persistent, and Extends it. His total CL is now 20.
-Lesser Restoration or bind Naberius to get rid of the Cha damage from Dark Speech.
-DMM: Persistent Righteous Might (Extended)
-Magic Vestment (Extended via Lesser Rod) on armor
-Greater Magic Weapon on his guisarme (Extended)
-Superior Resistance on himself (Extended)
-Heroes Feast (Extended)
-Shield Other (on Max)(Extended via MM Rod)
-CL 19 for the next two days.
On even days:-Death Knell on something (CL 20)
-Magic Vestment (Extended via Lesser MM Rod) on shield (lasts 2 days)
-DMM: Persistent Righteous Wrath of the Faithful (extended)
-Superior Resistance on someone else (extended)
-DMM: Persistent Divine Power (extended)
-Greater Magic Weapon on someone else's weapon (extended)
- Heroes Feast (Extended)
-Shield Other (on Max)(extended via rod) [/spoiler]
Bound Vestiges: (Binding check is 1d20+16 vs the vestige DC)[spoiler]
Balam Bind DC 25, Sign: hollow, guttural voice, Influence: causes you to distrust clerics and curse and spit if you enter a(n) (un)holy place, Granted Abilities: reroll 1/5 attack, save, skill; 2d6 cold gaze (will negates); Prescience (+1/4lvls insight to Ref, AC, and Initiative); Weapon Finesse
Tenebrous (binds every day) (dead divine part of Orcus)(DC21, always in shadow; can't act first in combat): Deeper Darkness (centered on him, can change radius at will in increments of 10'), See in Darkness (as devil), Touch of the Void (+1d8 cold damage to melee attacks), Rebuke Undead 1/5 rnds (as EBL), Vessel of Emptiness 1xday (as Flicker shadow mystery, similar to Greater Blink: can teleport 5'/2EBLs as an immediate action each round for the 1 rnd/EBL duration)[/spoiler]
Progression:[spoiler]
1 Battle Sorcerer 1 Toughness (retrained to Imp Binding at ECL2), Practiced Spellcaster: Ur-Priest (flaw1), Precocious Apprentice (flaw2)(retrained to Still Spell at ECL 5), Silent Spell (human)
2 Binder 1 (Improved Binding)
3 Anima Mage 1 Spell Focus: Evil
6 Ur-Priest 1 Chain Spell
9 AM4 Domain Spontaneity (retrained from Craft Staff)
11 Contemplative1
12 SwBE1 Mother Cyst[/spoiler]
Ability score allocation (final, but not original. He "rebuilt" them, per PHB 2, after he began using other peoples bodies exclusively)[spoiler]
Ability Base Points Racial Levels Magic Aging Total
Str 8 0 -- +18 -6 2(-4)
Dex 8 0 -- -6 2(-4)
Con 8 0 -- +4 -6 2(-4)
Int 14 6 -- +1 +3 18(+4)
Wis 20 16 +3 +4 +3 30(+10)
Cha 16 10 -- +1 +3 20(+5)[/spoiler]
Raven familiar (Max), as 4th level sorcerer [spoiler]
Max Tiny Magical Beast (includes group buffs)
Hit Dice: 12 (23 hit points +14 temp)(did not count master's Con, as he doesn't have a body)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 16 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +2 Nat), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Attack: +8 (1d2-5)
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will + 17
Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Spot +9, Listen +7, Hide +10, Move Silently +2, otherwise as master
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse
Special Abilities: Improved Evasion, Deliver Touch Spells, Share Spells, Alertness, Empathic Link, Speak Language (common)
Immune: Fear, Poison
Gabriel possessing MaxMax Tiny Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 12 (23 hit points +14 temp)
Initiative: +15 (with Nerveskitter)
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 20 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +2 Nat, +3 defl, +2 insight, -1trait), touch 18, flat-footed 16
Attack: +11 (1d2-2)
Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 26, Cha 19
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +12, Will + 24
Skills: Spot +10, Listen +10, Hide +10, Move Silently +2, otherwise as master
Feats: as master
Immune: Disease, Fear, Poison
Note: Casting Nerveskitter requires using the Eye of the Traveler Still spell ability[/spoiler]
Background
[spoiler]Gabriel no longer has a body of his own. With the
Stranger with the Burning Eyes PrC (see spoiler tag), Gabriel is alot like the demon
Azazel from the movie Fallen with Denzel Washington. His original body has been destroyed, and he has to possess other creatures to survive. He has a Clone of his original body (at age 77) in his "lair", in case he is killed (which happens if he finds himself unable to possess something). (See below for details of the lair.)
He has always valued political power and maintaining a public presence (to keep up with what's going on, get blackmail material, manipulate people into doing his dirty work, etc). However, now that he has no identity of his own, he maintains a "presence" in different major cities on the prime by enslaving and periodically possessing various lackeys. He travels around in his raven familiar to "visit" them.
BackstoryGabriel Lightbringer Jr. was the only son of a Palladin of Pelor, his father, and Anastasia Farseer, a cleric of Pelor. As their only child, he was quite spoiled by his parents. Although he's always been disposed to selfishness and cruelty, his parents had a hard time believing that their son could be "bad". So he found it quite easy to lie to them, trick them, etc, when he needed to cover up some "bad" thing he'd done.
He took his parents' excessive piety, obedience, and charity as weakness, foolishness, and naivety. However, he did learn the value of appearing good to the public eye from them. Their "irrational" faith and altruism was evidence to him that they were completely brain-washed by their church. He has never believed in the "goodness" of Pelor, or any other god. He was always sure that the gods had some selfish motives for wanting more followers, and as an adult he's convinced he's solved that mystery with his discovery of the power inherent in souls.
Although his parents at times suspected his unsavory nature, as he got older he became more and more adept at hiding it. Ultimately, they were convinced that their moral guidance had ultimately prevailed over his inherent selfishness, molding him into a decent and good man. His peers and teachers were not always as easily fooled, but over time any that he couldn't eventually win over have had unfortunate "accidents".
Gabriel showed promising sorcerous power early on in life, which his parents encouraged. However, he soon found texts hidden away in the church library describing ancient but powerful souls which had either been purposely bound outside of "reality" by the gods as punishment, or had wound up there for other reasons. The texts described how some mortals had learned to call and "bind" these souls, to gain power from them. This was the highest form of heresy, as far as the church of Pelor was concerned, but that only whetted Gabriel's thirst for this power. He soon learned to call and bind these souls himself, and later to use them to empower his own spellcasting.
Later he learned how to "steal" spells from the gods, which he sees as a source of ironic amusement as well as great power. He keeps a collection of holy symbols from various good gods (including his mother's holy symbol of Pelor), and sometimes passes himself off as a cleric when traveling. He has more recently learned to grow a Mother Cyst, and begun to experiment with the Necrotic Cyst line of spells. He thinks perhaps this cyst is his soul's way of marking his presence in the bodies he possesses. The powers (spells) he has learned to use as a result of this seem quite promising, especially for enslaving creatures to serve as his ever-faithful "thralls". He enslaves physically powerful creatures like this and possesses them when he needs to go into battle himself. The one he uses most currently as a "battle body" is a
war troll named "Thogg".
He also has a few other thralls placed strategically in most of the major cities on the prime, who run "business" operations for him (spy networks, and organized crime rings). He has placed dormant cysts in countless other people spread through the major and minor cities and towns of the prime, many of whom are close to powerful individuals. He keeps a list of these encysted individuals, and methodically scries through them to keep up with events, and make sure his machinations haven't been discovered. He doesn't really trust anyone fully, except his raven familiar Max, and will always look for ways he could blackmail everyone he deals with, or get some "insurance" on them, or advantage over them, if they were to ever betray him.
Gabriel was never a physically powerful man, and although what he lacked in physical attributes was more than made up for by his charisma and perceptiveness, he still often coveted those with stronger and more healthy physiques. As he aged and his own body began to fail, he became even more envious, and began researching magical ways with which to strengthen himself. The easiest way seemed to simply steal someone else's body, so he bought the necessary scrolls and managed to permanently steal the body of a younger and stronger adventurer (scrolls of Magic Jar + Imprison Possessor). He kept his own frail body and the adventurer's trapped soul hidden in secret rooms beneath his home, and assumed a new identity. The adventurer was from a distant land, and that coupled with his dangerous occupation assured that no one ever came looking for him.
Although Gabriel is selfish, cruel, greedy, petty, ruthless, and very distrustful of religion, he is a consummate liar, and knows well the value of a good "public face". He has always strived to be perceived as a respected member of his community wherever he resides, publicly giving to charities, beggars, attending to his civic duties, making appropriate and often useful suggestions at town meetings and sometimes even holding minor public offices. Although he is almost completely amoral by most peoples' standards, he has always went to great lengths to appear on the surface to be an upstanding citizen and genuinely "nice guy".
He has always tried to both obscure his own identity, and make sure there is someone he can easily blame for his crimes: a "second in command" who is actually a "scape goat", whom he himself will implicate when necessary, if the authorities get too close to his "business operations". His "operations" have always been conducted in secret, and he always maintained disguises when interacting with any of his associates in "unseemly business transactions". These "transactions" can and do include every kind of horror imaginable, as long as some profit or personal power can be gained from it. He uses bribe, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder to keep authorities away from his operations, and increase his own wealth and political power. Of course, this has all changed a bit with the loss of his physical form. Since he no longer has his own physical body, he is basically always "disguised". He maintains several operations and identities in different major cities on the prime by enslaving and periodically possessing various lackeys. He travels around in the body of his raven familiar to visit them.
He ritually tortures and kills people and monsters (he is an equal opportunity mass murderer) in order to extract liquid pain and souls from them. He sometimes makes deals with evil outsiders, mainly devils and night hags since they are more "trustworthy" than demons, and has recently begun to offer sacrifices to powerful evil outsiders for the boons they can grant him (Dark craft XP, etc). He is careful to try to make sure any such deals are "win-win" situations for both him and the fiends. He is in fact quite scrupulous when dealing with fiends. He feels he can "be himself" more with them, as he knows what to expect from them, and they are not appalled by his own "lack of humanity". He also fears risking the retribution of outsiders, some of which would be both capable of understanding his nature, and powerful enough to permanently destroy him.
He aquired
the Helping Hand from a kindly old mage that he once befriended. When the mage mentioned some of the item's unique powers, Gabriel decided that he must have it for himself. He invited the mage to his own home and ambushed him, eventually winning the battle. However his real body was destroyed in the process, and he is now forced to live permanently in the bodies of others. This was something he'd been doing for some time even before that, but now he has become a master of it.
After researching the item, he's managed to awaken many of its powers, and even imbue it with some of his own, but he is sure it has more secrets to reveal. He has linked his soul permanently to it so that it always magically appears on whatever body he is currently possessing (Trinket ability from SwtBE PrC). He also uses it as his Divine Focus for spellcasting. Since attuning itself to him, it has changed its appearance. He now calls it the Eye of the Traveler, as it looks like a locket with a brilliant tiger eye gem as the setting. When he first possesses a creature, this locket also magically appears on that creature, and the eye glows briefly. If the locket is physically removed from the body he is possessing, he is immediately expelled from it. He then automatically tries to return to the last creature he possessed. If he is unable to, he dies. If he is ever trapped within a body and it is killed, he dies.
Gabriel has lived years past what should have been the limit for his mortal lifespan, but since his own body was destroyed decades ago, this has meant little to him. The clone which he's kept hidden for 50 years looks like he did at age 77. Although his magical prowess is now immense, he is still cautious, as he feels that he can likely live forever in his current form, and he has plenty of time to let plans unfold. He also knows that if he is ever killed, he will likely be unable to return from death. So he still carefully maintains his hidden clone, and also zealously hides his own true identity.
Recently Gabriel's dealings with devils has taken on a more serious nature. His affinity for them has grown, and he has devoted himself to Dispater. This was done mostly for personal power (as is everything he does), but he also genuinely admires the old paranoid fiend. He has been "called" to serve Dispater's minions in Hell.
Gabriel's secret lair on the Prime.Gabriel's has a secret underground chamber that houses his clone. It is below the dirt floor of a small cave in the middle of nowhere, but the chamber itself has no entrances at all to the surface. Inside the sanctum, there is a Permanent Alarm spell on the area around the clone. The entire area also has Forbiddance and a permanent Private Sanctum cast inside it.
There is a small underground cubbyhole (fits 1 tiny creature) that acts as an entry chamber. It has no permanent connections to the surface, but it is possible to stab or dig a hole down to it from the cave floor above the hidden chamber, if you know where it is. A tiny or smaller creature could then enter the main chamber via a tiny lead door. The cubbyhole itself is not included in the Forbiddance or Private Sanctum effects.
There is an awakened red dragon zombie there as a guardian (haven't made stats up. It just stays there to guard the clone). About every month and a half, Gabriel returns there to cast an Extended Gentle Repose on the Clone. [/spoiler]
Thogg unpossessed but buffed: Same stats, except for feats and skills and mental buffs (Thogg has Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, though)