User:StarSword

I got into Forgotten Realms by playing Neverwinter Nights 2. I've been a player of D&D for only a few months, and I'm only a casual player. However, I've been developing a campaign based on the Sword Coast North in 1389 DR, the Year of the Forgiven Foes. In some respects a Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion converted to paper D&D, it stars the daughter of my character in NWN2 and Mask of the Betrayer. We're using the 3.5 rules because the 4th edition rules are too confusing, in my opinion. (Also, arcane spellcasters suffered a major nerf in the conversion.)

The campaign is called "Bane's Creeping Shadow," and pits the PCs against a cult of Bane called the Dark Hand that seeks to rule Faerûn from the shadows in the aftermath of the apocalyptic Spellplague. I'm using elements from practically every 3rd and 3.5 edition rulebook and supplement. (Thank God for P2P file sharing--the vast majority are out of print.)

The Player Characters of "Bane's Creeping Shadow"
These characters are listed in the order they were added to the campaign.

Background
Narra Patten is the daughter of the legendary heroine Kalir Patten the Wolf (LG deva female Paladin 20 of the Red Knight / Divine Champion 10; my PC in NWN2 and MotB), Knight-Captain of Crossroad Keep and commander of the Third Crusade (see MotB), and the deceased Casavir (LG human male Paladin 18 of Tyr). Narra was born during a diplomatic mission to Mulhorand, and quickly proved to have even more celestial features than her mother, including feathered wing-buds at the shoulders. Both she and her mother are members of the Order of the Lanceboard, a religious order devoted to the Red Knight, but not affiliated with the Order of the Red Falcon. The "Lancers" seek always to fight for the greater good, even if it means doing things that might otherwise be considered evil (like making minor bargains with devils, as Kalir did on a small number of occasions).

Her paladin calling was evident almost from the moment of her birth. During one of her mother's battles against Szass Tam's Dread Legion, the archlich himself took the field. After the battle, Narra's nanny told Kalir that when Tam appeared, the infant Narra inexplicably started growling, and when Kalir chopped his physical body in half with the Silver Sword of Gith, Narra started laughing.

Narra is a typical novice paladin in the Order of the Lanceboard: confident, tactically proficient, and devout. The strength of her celestial blood is both a strength and a weakness: she is utterly driven, and won't give evildoers an inch. At the same time, she has trouble with some of the actions her mother took in the past, particularly making a bargain with the archdevil Mephistopheles for intelligence-gathering purposes. Narra is barely able to even look at a fiend without drawing against it (though tieflings generally get the benefit of the doubt, thanks to her friendship with Neeshka). She hates necromancers with a passion, but views their creations with pity.

Armed with her mother's old enchanted sword, she was dispatched from her mother's headquarters in Thay carrying a communique to the Order's headquarters in Nehr'bak, near Waterdeep, early in 1389, and liked it so much she decided to stay for a while.

Physical Description
Narra is quite beautiful, with a dancer's build, golden-sheened skin, violet eyes and reddish-gold hair. She stands just over six foot two, but at 145 lb is quite light on her feet.

Goals
Marra Patten seeks to use the power granted to her in the very cradle to fight evil and protect the weak wherever they live. To this end she has sought out lore of the good-aligned outer planes, particularly Celestia. A research trip to Candlekeep uncovered information on the celestial paragon Raziel the Crusader. Now the young paladin has chosen to become one of the mighty Fists of Raziel.

Statistics

 * Narra Patten: Female deva Paladin 4 of the Red Knight; Medium natural humanoid (outsider); HD 4d10+4; HP 39; Init +2; Spd 20 ft; AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +8; Grp +8; Atk +11 melee (1d8+7 physical+2d4 cold+1d6 electric, 19-20/x2, Hailstorm Sword); SA Darkvision 60 ft, Lay on Hands 1/day, Smite Evil 1/day, turn undead 5/day (+2, 2d6+2, 1st); SQ Aura of Courage, Aura of Good, Celestial Resistance, Divine Grace, Divine Health; AL LG; SV Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +10; Str 18, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 20, Cha 14.
 * Skills and Feats: Appraise 2, Balance -1, Bluff 2, Climb -1, Diplomacy 10, Disguise 2, Escape Artist -3, Forgery 2, Gather Information 2, Heal 12, Hide -3, Intimidate 2, Jump -7, Knowledge (religion) 7, Listen 7, Move Silently -1, Ride 2, Search 2, Sense Motive 10, Spot 7, Survival 5, Swim -6, Use Rope 2; Discipline, Weapon Focus (longsword).
 * Languages: Common, Celestial, Mulhorandi, Draconic.
 * Spell-Like Abilities: at will – detect evil; 1/day – light.
 * Aura of Courage (Su): Narra is immune to fear, and all allies within 10 feet gain a +4 morale bonus on all saves against fear effects.
 * Aura of Good (Ex): Narra produces an aura of goodness of level 4th.
 * Celestial Resistance (Ex): As an aasimar, Narra has an innate +5 resistance to acidic, cold, and electrical damage.
 * Divine Grace (Su): Narra gains a bonus equal to her Charisma modifier on all saving throws.
 * Divine Health (Ex): Narra is immune to any and all diseases.
 * Detect Evil (Sp): At will, Narra can use detect evil, as the spell.
 * Light (Sp): Once per day, Narra can use light, as the spell.
 * Paladin Spells Prepared (caster level 2nd): 1 - bless weapon, divine favor, lesser restoration, protection from evil, strategic charge.
 * Possessions: steel large shield, +1 glamered mithral breastplate, amulet of natural armor +1, gloves of arrow snaring, Hailstorm Sword (+3 freezing & shocking longsword), lifting belt, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch (2), healer's kit, rations (10), set of manacles, 50 ft of silk rope, spell component pouch, waterskin, wooden holy symbol of the Red Knight.

Background
(This is one of my brother's characters, so I don't know much beyond what we've already played.)

Cora Thorngage, a halfling, enjoys mischief and loves making life interesting for people. A light-hearted rascal, Cora lived in the docks district of Waterdeep for most of her life, making a living off of rich merchants and recent residents. She was a bit of an oddball among Waterdeep's many thieves: if someone could find her within a week of being robbed, they'd get their money/valuables back with a smile.

The above is what happened to Narra on her first day in Waterdeep. Though unfamiliar with the particulars of life in the City of Splendors, she knew enough to be alert for pickpockets and footpads; wearing the Hailstorm Sword in the open and acting like she knew what she was doing repel most of them. But in a tavern on the north side of the city, she broke up a bar fight, then sat next to a halfling. When she went to pay the bartender for a half-pint of ale and a ham sandwich, she discovered her "real" wallet (not the decoy she kept in her waist pouch, but the one in the pocket on her sleeve that actually contained money) had gone missing. She tracked Cora to the docks, and when she confronted the halfling, the latter said, "What took you so long?" (In actuality, Narra had found Cora in a much shorter time than it usually took a mark to find her.)

The two quickly hit it off, and when Narra left Waterdeep for Nehr'bak, Cora went with her as an unofficial instructor on Sword Coast life.

Statistics (incomplete)

 * Cora Thorngage:  Female halfling Rogue 5; Small natural humanoid (halfling); HD 5d6+x; HP x; Init +x; Spd 30ft; AC x, touch x, flat-footed x; Base Atk +x; Grp +x; Atk +x melee (x, twin daggers); SA x; SQ x; AL CG; SV Fort +x, Ref +x, Will +x; Str x, Dex x, Con x, Int x, Wis x, Cha x.
 * Skills and Feats: x; x.
 * Languages: Common, Chondathan, Halfling, x.

Background
A cousin of Khelgar Ironfist, one of the heroes who fought alongside Kalir Patten in the War of Shadows, Dankil is a faenor, a cleric of Berronar Truesilver. Though he enjoys a good fight, Dankil is more restrained than his brawl-happy cousin, preferring to leave combat as a last resort. He is easily the oldest of the quartet of adventurers; Narra sees him as an uncle of sorts.

Dankil left Ironfist Stronghold early in 1321 DR after a disagreement with the clan leadership. For many years he wandered the Sword Coast, doing what he could to help people. During the war with Luskan in 1356 DR, he worked for Neverwinter as a spy in the guise of a missionary.

He met Narra and Cora during their journey from Waterdeep, when the paladin and rogue took shelter from a thunderstorm in an abandoned barrow. The barrow turned out to be haunted by an undead knight, but the trio dispatched the revenant with relative ease. When Narra told him about their mission, he decided to tag along (if only to keep the still-green Narra out of trouble).

Dankil Ironfist is somewhat of a neat freak, and is always courteous; Cora's mischievous nature and Narra's occasional bull-headedness cause him no end of headaches.

Physical Description
Dankil is short, broad and bulky, just under 4½ feet tall, and built like a mountain with a face to match. He is bald, with a thick russet beard streaked with gray and arranged in five neat braids.

Goals
Recently Dankil has been delving into the lore of runic magics; his eventual goal is to learn the skill of runecasting.

Statistics

 * Dankil Ironfist:  Male shield dwarf Cleric 5 of Berronar Truesilver; Medium natural humanoid (dwarf); HD 5d8+15; HP 41; Init +2; Spd 20ft; AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16; Base Atk +6; Grp +6; Atk +7 melee (1d10+1, x3, masterwork dwarven waraxe); SA Darkvision 60 ft, Lay on Hands 1/day, Spontaneous Casting (heal), turn undead x/day (+1, 2d6+1, 5th); SQ Aura of Good, Battle Training v. Giants, Battle Training v. Orcs and Goblinoids, Hardiness v. Poisons, Hardiness v. Spells, (heavy armor skill), Stability, Stonecunning, (+2 to Appraise/Craft w/ metal & stone); AL LG; SV Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +8; Str 17, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 13.
 * Skills and Feats: Appraise 2, Balance -2, Bluff 1, Climb -1, Concentration 11, Diplomacy 1, Disguise 1, Escape Artist -2, Forgery 2, Gather Information 1, Heal 12, Hide -2, Intimidate 1, Jump -7, Knowledge (history) 10, Move Silently -2, Ride 2, Search 2, Spellcraft 10, Spot 4, Survival 4, Swim -5, Use Rope 2; Tireless, Weapon Focus (dwarven waraxe).
 * Languages: Common, Dwarven, Giant, Illuskan, Terran.
 * Aura of Good (Ex): Dankil produces an aura of goodness of level 5th.
 * Battle Training v. Giants: Dankil gains a +4 dodge bonus to armor class against monsters of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
 * Battle Training v. Orcs & Goblinoids: Dankil gains a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs (including half-orcs) and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).
 * Hardiness v. Poisons: Dankil has a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
 * Hardiness v. Spells: Dankil has a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
 * (heavy armor skill): Dankil can move at 20 ft per round even while wearing heavy armor.
 * Stability: Dankil gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull-rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
 * Stonecunning: Dankil gains a +2 racial bonus on Search checks involving stone.  He can also make accurate estimates of his current depth underground.
 * (racial appraise/craft bonus): Dankil gains a +2 racial bonus to Appraise and Craft checks involving metal and stone.
 * Cleric Spells Prepared (caster level 5th): 0 - create water, guidance (2), resistance (2); 1st - cure light wounds (3), divine favor, protection from evil (D); 2nd - bull's strength, cure moderate wounds (2; D), spiritual weapon;  3rd - cure serious wounds (D), prayer, remove disease.
 * D: Domain spell. Domains:  Good (cast good spells at +1 caster level) and Healing (cast healing spells at +1 caster level).
 * Possessions: wood large shield, steel scale mail, masterwork dwarven waraxe, backpack, bedroll, healer's kit, pearl of power, pitons (10), waterskin, wooden holy symbol of Berronar, 436 gp, 9 sp.

Background
(Jekkar is one of my brother's characters, so I know very little about him.)

Jekkar is an elan, a psionic aberration that was made from a human who gave up his humanity for a new existence. His past is virtually unknown (translation: my brother hasn't told me anything). He met Narra, Cora, and Dankil in the Nehr'bak library, where he was studying.

Jekkar is a worshiper of Oghma, the god of knowledge, and seeks little more than to learn more of his capabilities. He typically fights from horseback, staying in the rear and blasting targets to bits with his mind.

Physical Description
Jekkar, being an elan, looks mostly human, but he has an aura of intangible strangeness about him.

Statistics (incomplete)

 * Jekkar Vlderik:  Male elan Psion 5; Medium aberration; HD x; HP x; Init +x; Spd xft; AC x, touch x, flat-footed x; Base Atk +x; Grp +x; Atk +x melee (x, x); SA x; SQ Aura of Good, ; AL N; SV Fort +x, Ref +x, Will +x; Str x, Dex x, Con x, Int x, Wis x, Cha x.
 * Skills and Feats: x; x.
 * Languages: x.

Kalir Patten the Wolf, Commander of Fort Lightreach
Kalir Patten, possibly the greatest Paladin of the Lanceboard to ever live, Narra Patten's mother, and Szass Tam's arch-enemy. Under her leadership, the King of Shadows was destroyed. Under her command, the Third Crusade achieved victory over the forces of the Fugue Plane. And under the direction of Kalir and her friend Safiya (N human (Mulan) female Transmuter 20/Red Wizard 10), the Academy of Shapers and Binders has become Fort Lightreach, a quiet but increasingly powerful force for political change in Thay, and a bastion against the undead plaguing the rest of Thay. Her hatred of necromancers, especially Szass Tam, is matched only by her love for her husband, Gannayev-of-Dreams, and for her three daughters.

The students at Fort Lightreach range from Red Wizards to Lancers, and the town that has grown up around it on the Thaymount has become a haven for escaped slaves and refugees from the current civil war in Thay.

Narra feels she has much to do to live up to her mother's legacy, though Kalir doesn't share the same view: in her mind, Narra needs solely to do what is right.

Background
Kalir Patten is not only a heroine, she was born of one: Esmerelle Patten (LG human (Illuskan) female Paladin 23 of the Red Knight/Longsword Master) 7), the Hero of Waterdeep and nemesis of Mephistopheles.  Half tiefling due to her biological father Valen Shadowbreath, it is unknown why Kalir was born a deva rather than human or tiefling; she suspects her mother was from a dormant celestial bloodline.

In life, Esmerelle Patten was for two years the Grandmaster of the Order of the Lanceboard, but when her husband Valen died in combat barely six months after Kalir's birth, Esmerelle was overcome with grief and left the Order to raise their child in her hometown of West Harbor. Her hope was for Kalir to live out her life as a simple village woman, but all that changed when the King of Shadows returned and Ammon Jerro led the armies of Neverwinter to the Mere of Dead Men to challenge him. In the fighting, the Silver Sword of Gith was broken. Esmerelle instinctively dove on top of the two-year-old Kalir to protect her from the blast; a shard passed through her body and embedded itself in Kalir's chest, killing her mother instantly.

Kalir was subsequently adopted by the ranger Daeghun Farlong, and the rest is history.

Physical Description
Kalir is a tall and slender woman of ethereal beauty, with blonde hair, violet eyes, and a clear, ringing voice that can be heard across the clamor of a battlefield. (Despite this latter trait being common among descendants of trumpet archons, she now suspects her bloodline is descendant from a solar due to the traits exhibited by Narra.)

In battle, Narra wears custom-enchanted adamantine full plate, carries a large shield, and wields the Silver Sword of Gith.

Background
Faksi Het is the Church of Set's emissary to the Dark Hand. The exact details of his job are unknown, but it is believed that the Settites (I hope that's the right word) offered the Dark Hand funding in exchange for aid in overthrowing the government of Mulhorand.

Het is a cleric of Set and aspiring glorious servitor. Short and unimposing, he is nonetheless an accomplished combatant. He enjoys killing, but is able to rein in his blood-lust with the ease of long practice. He enjoys music, and can play the oud fairly well (though hardly as well as a bard). A specialist in destructive spells, he is also a dabbler in the dark arts of demonic and diabolic summoning and binding.

Physical Description
Het is a fairly typical result of Mulan interbreeding with the native human races of Toril. He is short and lanky, with straight black hair, tan skin, and dark brown eyes. He arms himself with a longspear, wears studded leather armor, and always straps his favorite oud to his back.

Statistics (Known)
This information comes by way of the Lords' Alliance embassy in Mulhorand, which received it from the paladins of Osiris, who keep dossiers of known agents of the churches of Set and Sebek.
 * Faksi Het:  Male human (Mulan) Cleric 6 of Set/Rogue 4; Medium natural humanoid; AL LE.
 * Languages: Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Mulhorandi.
 * Cleric Spells Prepared (caster level 6th): 0 - detect magic, detect poison, light, purify food and drink, read magic; 1st - comprehend languages, divine favor, obscuring mist (D), protection from good, tongue of Baalzebul; 2nd - blindness/deafness (D), dance of ruin, desecrate, summon monster II, undetectable alignment; 3rd - bladebane, dispel magic (D), flesh ripper, magic circle against good.
 * D: Domain spell. Domains:  Darkness (free Blind-Fight feat) and Magic (use wizardly magic devices as a wizard of one-half your cleric level).
 * Possessions: +1 acidic longspear, masterwork studded leather armor, backpack, bedroll, healer's kit, ink pen, ink vial, masterwork oud, parchment sheets (10), sealing wax, signet ring, silver unholy symbol of Set, spell component pouch, torch, thieves' tools, waterskin (2), 15,000 gp.