Eclipse – Level One Sample Twilight Isles Character, Rudra Mogzul

   Here we have another character for the Twilight Isles – in this case one Rudra Mogzul, a young Thunder Dwarf with some more-or-less fortunate connections. As usual for the Twilight Isles, she’s very powerful for level one – but many of her abilities are fixed bonuses, that will not increase, or will only increase slowly, with her level.

   Rudra, freshly-graduated from the Sanghesar (dwarven military academy) was assigned to a trade expedition – in part due to her political connections, in part due to some behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and in part due to her secondary studies in business. While the Shadow Elves – the main trading partners outside of the Ikam – have an unfortunate tendency to be better at skills than the Thunder Dwarves, with a little hard work it’s possible to avoid being cheated too badly. Unfortunately, they seem to have sailed into a war zone – and a pesky swarm-attack by zombies has left their ship badly enough damaged to have to put in for repairs.

   Thunder Dwarf Racial Summary (+0 ECL Race):

• May use Charms, Talismans, and up to four character points worth of Relics.
• +2d8 bonus level one hit dice.
• 60′ Darkvision
• All their spells with non-instantaneous durations last for twenty-four hours.
• +4 bonus on saves against Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, and Stunning effects.
• Eat, sleep, drink, breathe, and age, at only one-half the usual rate.
• Automatically gain Create Item (select type) with Harvest of Artifice, Specialized/only usable to create items related to their elemental theme.
• +1 bonus to their effective Wealth Level.
• Universal (affects both physical and energy attacks) DR 3/-.
• Are always tied to a specific “Thunder” – one of the eight (Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Spirit, Life, Death, and Magic) elemental powers of the Twilight Seas. Which is determined at birth.
• May invoke their affinity eight times per day, producing an effect based on that element of up to three, binding such a spell into a potion or talisman triggered by some simple action for later use at the cost of (Spell Level x Caster Level x 2) XP and having to find the right ingredients, or invoking a defensive or self-enhancing effect based on the element of up to level two as a swift action.
• Can sense and analyze items and occult energies within their elemental affinity.
• Gain a +4 bonus on checks closely related to their elemental affinities – appraising or crafting an appropriate item, searching for a relevant effect, or trying to analyze an appropriate magic.
• Can communicate with elemental spirits of the appropriate type.
• May inflict 1d6 lethal damage unarmed and are never considered unarmed.
• Other abilities depending on elemental affinity – including a couple of minimum attributes. If the initial value is below the one listed, raise it to the listed value.

Base	20	16	NA	Special Abilities
Air	Dex	Cha	+2	Acrobatics with Light Foot, +4 Improved Initiative, Takes no damage from falls.
Earth	Str	Con	+6	No additional special abilities.
Fire	Dex	Int	+2	Fire Resistance 30, Produce Flame at will, Improved Initiative +4, Lunge (+5′ Reach).
Water	Con	Str	+4	Swim 30′, Elemental Resistance 5.
Spirit	Wis	Cha	+2	Spirit Sight, Spirit Speech, Witchcraft I and access to The Shamans Way magical path.
Life	Cha	Con	+2	Improved Healing Touch with Switch, Negative Energy Resistance 12/+4 on relevant saves.
Magic	Int	Dex	+2	+2d6 Mana, Rite of Chi with +4 Bonus Uses.
Death	Con	Str	+4	+4d6 Sneak Attack.

   On the downside:

• Local environmental conditions affect their moods and general condition.
• They must make fortitude saves against Dispel and Anti-magical effects to resist being stunned for 1d4 rounds.
• They are easily detected by senses such as Detect Magic or elemental detections.
• -10 base movement. This is not cumulative with the effects of armor and encumbrance.
• They can only tolerate carrying (Con) “points” worth of standard magic items. The value of any given item is up to the game master. As a rule, low-level single-charge items are little trouble (several to the point), spell storing items are only moderately troublesome (1-2 points), and permanently-active personal enhancement items are very troublesome (2+ points)). Annoyingly enough, this limit also affects temporary external spells – although their short-term nature means that the limit is increased by the user’s (Con Mod).

   Rudra Mogzul

   Affinity: Water. She gains minimum Str 16 and Con 20, Swim 30′, and Elemental Resistance 5.

• Disadvantages: Compulsive (greed), Inept (wisdom based skills) , Recorder (letters to a trusted friend).
• Duties: Assigned to guard a trade expedition by Parliament, +2 CP/Level.
• Total Available Character Points: 48 (Base) + 10 (Disadvantages) + 2 (Duties) + 6 (Level One Bonus Feat) +4 (Experience) = 70

   Basic Attributes: Strength 16 (18, Wealth)/+4, Dexterity 17/+3, Constitution 20/+5, Intelligence 15/+2, Wisdom 14/+2, Charisma 16/+3. Rolled Stats 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17.

Base Power 8, Base Spell Points: 6, Personal Mana: 2

   Basics (10 CP)

• Saves: Fortitude +0 + 5 (Con) = +5, Reflex +2 (6 CP) + 3 (Dex) = +5, Will +0 + 2 (Wis) = +2
• Hit Dice: L1: d8 (4 CP). HP 8 + 16 (Racial) + 15 (3xCon Mod) + 1 (Wealth) = 40.

   Combat Information (18 CP)

• Proficiencies: All Simple and Martial Weapons (9 CP) and Light Armor (3 CP)
• Move: 20′ Swim: 30′
• Initiative: +5 (+3 Dex +2 Improved Initiative)
• BAB: +1 (6 CP)

   Combat Notes:

• Armor Class: 10 (Base) + 3 (Dex) + 5 (Con) + 4 (Natural) + 1 (Martial Art) + 4 (Armor) + 3 (Wealth) = 30
• Usual Attacks:
  • Adamantine Falchion +8 (+1 BAB, +4 Str, +1 Martial Art, +2 Wealth), Damage 2d6+6 (dice increased to d6s by Martial Arts, +4 Str, +2 Wealth), Crit 18-20/x2
  • Adamantine Pistol +8 (+1 BAB, +3 Dex, +2 Weapon, +2 Wealth), Damage 1d8+4 (+2 Weapon, +2 Wealth), Crit 19-20/x2, Range Increment 80′. Holds 20 shots.
  • Adamantine Rifle +8 (+1 BAB, +3 Dex, +2 Weapon, +2 Wealth), Damage 1d10+4 (+2 Weapon, +2 Wealth), Crit 19-20/x2, Range Increment 110′. Holds 20 shots.
  • Unarmed +5 (+1 BAB, +4 Str), Damage 1d6+4 (Str), Crit 20/x2

   Abilities (42 CP)

• Action Hero/Heroism (4 CP)*
• Augmented Bonus/Unrelenting Press (4 CP)*: Adds Con Mod to Dex Mod when calculating her Armor Class.
  • That’s actually a bit of a stretch – combat comes up often enough that this wouldn’t be a “specific situation”. In this case, however, there’s an obvious restriction: since this depends on keeping the opponent on the defensive while you wear him or her down, it won’t work against missile fire or sneak attacks.
• Base Lifestyle: Affluent (Wealthy after racial bonus) (6 CP): Clan patronage grants Rudra’s armor Imperial level bonuses, making it a category lighter for movement and special ability purposes, halving its weight, granting a +3 AC Wealth bonus, and subtracting 3 from Armor Check penalties (if any).
• Block/Melee (4 CP)*
• Favors/minor political (3 CP)
• Improved Initiative +2 (2 CP)*
• Leadership (6 CP).
  • While her wealth level entitles Rudra to an entourage, this entitles her to have some detailed characters in her employ, rather than generic followers. At the moment she could have followers with a total ECL of up to (Level + Cha Mod) x2 ECL – although none of them can be above first level for the moment. To start with, Rudra has:
  • “Peregrine“, a young wolf-form Veltine Bodyguard (L0 + ECL 1). Rudra purchased “Peregrine” shortly after she arrived in Ishorin – and soon realized that the hulking, shaggy, “animal” she’d bought was much brighter than a dog. A little research soon revealed that Peregrine was sapient – and that the youngster simply needed to be taught how to shapeshift to gain hands and the ability to speak properly. She’s currently looking into getting him decursed, freed, and taught.
  • S’stam – an Ikam Sovath (L1). A bodyguard/sparring partner assigned by one of her parents. S’stam in on a mere five-year contract, and – if he gets killed – a substantial penalty payment will be in order to his Deza.
  • Angara Ormbar, a relatively young Thunder Dwarf (L1) with the fire affinity, Angara is primarily a secondary guard for the expedition and a secretary/aide for the negotiation team, but he’s more than willing to help Rudra out if she needs some assistance.
• Reflex Training/Combat Reflexes Variant (4 CP)*: Gains (Dex Mod) additional attacks of opportunity.

* Corrupted/not while wearing medium or heavy armor or while heavily encumbered.

   Skill Points: 9 (CP) + 8 (Int Mod x4) = 17 SP

Skill	Basis	Total
Appraise	1 SP +3 Cha	+4
Diplomacy	2 SP +3 Cha +2 Wealth	+7
Gather Information	2 SP +3 Cha +2 Wealth	+7
Intimidation	2 SP +3 Cha +2 Wealth	+7
Knowledge/Arcana	1 SP +2 Int	+3
Knowledge/History	1 SP +2 Int	+3
Listen	1 SP +2 Wis -2 Inept +4 Talisman	+5
Martial Art/Tide’s Fury	4 SP +4 Str	+8
Sense Motive	1 SP +2 Wis -2 Inept	+1
Spellcraft	1 SP +2 Int	+3
Spot	1 SP +2 Wis -2 Inept	+1

   Martial Art: Tide’s Fury (Str)

   Thunder Dwarves typically group their martial arts by elemental affinity, and their relatively open society means they circulate quickly. This style, using the massive falchion, is popular among militaristic children of the Water Thunder. Practitioners believe in relentlessly pressing and crippling their opponents with the ocean’s unstoppable wrath. They balance their ferocity with attention to defensive footwork, and those capable of occult techniques can quite literally channel the tides’ power.

• Requires: +1 BAB, proficiency with falchion, elemental attunement to water.
• Basic Techniques: Attack 4, Defense 1, Power 2
• Advanced and Master Techniques: Battlecry, Breaking, Crippling (Con), Reach
• Occult Techniques: Focused Blow, Inner Strength, One Finger, Wrath (cold damage)
• Techniques Known (4): Defense 1 (“Quicksilver Tides”), Power 2 (“Tsunami Strike”), and Reach (“Receding Tide Stance”)

   Charms (7)

• Captain’s Torc: +4 to Listen, may make herself heard in difficult circumstances or at long range.
• Contraceptive Charm: Prevents pregnancy.
• Flux Iron: Reshapes itself according to its wielder’s will, allowing it to substitute for a wide variety of tools and weapons.
• Mandarin’s Pin: Keeps the wearer and her clothing clean, neat, and well-mended.
• The Ocean’s Arms: Makes the user very buoyant, making it nearly impossible for her to drown while wearing one.
• Resounding Horn: Alerts relatives and close companions to the user’s location when blown; user must spend 1d4 temporary Constitution points if the situation is not desperate.
• Unicorn Goblet: Changes color when touched by poison.

   Talismans (3)

• Helm of War: Contains 4 charges of Heavy Fortification, regaining one per week.
• Industrious Tool (Smith’s Hammer): Allows the user to accomplish three times as much work in a given interval.
• Shimmer Mail: Provides a +4 armor bonus with no armor check penalty, max Dex bonus, or arcane failure.

   Relic: The Warding Gauntlet of Cyrlinn. Some centuries ago Cyrlinn Mogzul – one of Rudra’s great-great-grandmothers – was an earth-affinity warrior, specializing in small-scale defensive tactics – common enough with the Thunder Dwarves. At some point she invested a certain amount of her power in one of her gauntlets. Since her death, it’s been passed down in the family line, usually handed on to a youngster who’s taken up a military career.

• Earth Channeling, 5 Uses/Day, Specialized/only for spell conversion, Corrupted/the user must invest his or her own CP in the gauntlet to activate it (3 CP).
• Spell Conversion/four spells of up to level six related to a particular theme, Corrupted/the user must invest his or her own CP in the gauntlet to activate it (10 CP). Given the local world laws, this allows effects of up to level five plus one extra level for control purposes – in this case Wall of Stone, Wall of Earth (as per Wall of Stone, but thicker and only requiring earth foundations), Transmute Rock to Mud, and Stone Spikes.
• With a base cost of 13 CP, this is a two-point relic. Now, I’ve mostly only been letting the characters start with a single one-point relic, but – given Rudra’s wealth level and family background (plus the defend-the-group theme of this particular relic), this is reasonable enough.

   Rudra is also entitled to start with a few (call it one per charm slot, for a total of seven) stored spells provided by more senior Thunder Dwarves plus a dozen or so that she, or Angara, have stored personally. I’d suggest including a couple of potions (for ease of administration) of Cure Serious Wounds, but the list is up to her.