Help me to make an awnshegh

[Thomas_Percy]

Help me please to make an unique abilities for an awnshegh. She is a dervish, I called her Rattlesnake because of her natural ability to rattle when making “dervish dance” and ability to poison her scimitars by (I don’t know) touch, tongue…
She must be sexy and sharp.

Perfect picture of her is at AD&D Al-Qadim "Fortunes and Fates", page 30 (Can anyone paste it here?).

The story:
She was a bastard child of one Coeranys Azrai blooded baron (ruler of province), raised among the servants in father’s castle. She don’t know who is her father, she’s mothere died – but that is no important. She became a simple bodyguard, hard, rather ugly warrior-girl. Something like that:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/Anu...PC/HardGirl.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/Anuire/NPC/HardGirl.jpg)

There was a Khinasi raid for slaves. She saved a life of her mistress (another Coeranys baron’s doughter) and was caught herself. No one helped her. She was sold as a slave to harem of minor Sendure ajazada. He suspected she has a lover, so she was drown in a bag in Asarwe river. She managed to surive and escape to desert. Almost dying of thirst, she fond a mosque excavated in a metor rock, a sanctum of Khirdai & Leira dervishes sect. She became a dervish, but after a few years she was casted away from a sect because of her evil.

She met a Black Rawun, an awnshegh and a vizier of Khinasi tamuzada, who plotted against Ilien. She joined a plot, because he made her beauty (Cha8 to 18) and bacause her ex mistress from Coeranys was a wife of Ilien’s doge Aglondier. In the disguise of a couresan (thence “vulgar” name – Vulgata) she organised in Ilien a sect of plebeians who show their faith by dancing and public sex. She usurped the powers of priesthood to give an absolution etc. Tamuzada plot didn’t succeded, rebellion was put down. Vulgata bloodthefted some minor nobles, but ex-mistress was beyond her reach. After that Aglondier’s killed bad tamuzada and Black Rawun.

So Vulgata joined a Cesari – a condotier who a few years ago was a tyrant of Ilien himself and was overthrown by Aglondier. She is motivated by a revenge on ex-mistress, her Coerany’s family, her father, his family, Ilien, Aglondiers, maybe she want to Ressurect Black Rawun. At the start of our campaign she is plotting alongside Cesari and Kalien against Ilien.

I plan to make her a long-time enemy of PCs: one of them may be her sister/brother from Coeranys, another was her naive lover & dervish-dance student in the time of Ilien Dancers rebellion.

base stats:
VULGATA: Female Human Ftr5/Dvs10; Medium Humanoid; CR 15;
HD 15d10+30; hp 117;
Init +5; Spd 45 ft/x4;
AC 28[29, Haste] (+6 armor, +4 dex, +2 natural, +2 deflection, +1 insight, +3 misc), touch 20, flat-footed 23;
Base Atk/Grapple +15/+17;
Full Atk +21/+16/+11[+22/+22/+17/+12, Haste] (1d6+7+2d6; 15-20/x2, Anuirean Bane), +21/+16/+11[+22/+17/+12, Haste] (1d6+6+2d6; 15-20/x2, Anuirean Bane),
+19/+14/+9[+20/+20/+15/+10, Haste] (1d8+3; 20/x3, Composite Longbow+1 (+2 Str));
AL CE; SV Fort +12, Ref +14[+15, Haste], Will +12;
Str 14(+2), Dex 17(+3), Con 14(+2), Int 14(+2), Wis 12(+1), Cha 18(+4);
Skills: Balance +6, Bluff +13, Disguise +13, Jump +9, Listen +10, Perform (dance) +22, Ride +4, Spellcraft +9, Spot +10, Tumble +8.
Feats: Combat Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Improved Critical(Scimitar), Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defense, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus(Scimitar), Weapon Specialization(Scimitar)
2 x Scimitar of Anuirean Bane; Ring of Protection +2; Ring of Force Shield; Amulet of natural armor +2; Bracers of armor +3; Cloak of resistance +3; Dusty rose Prism Ioun Stone

[Demonizer]

While this class has way too much gratuitous sex thrown in, I never pass a good challenge. Tell me if this helps, and let me know whether you'd have preferred special abilities for the awnshegh herself, or the entire class. It hasn't been that clear from your post. I've seen a number of "dervish" prestige classes on the net, so I can't figure out if you've decided to make your own, or borrow from another one. All the same, here's my additions to her, things I feel would roughly fit in with her character:

Outstanding acrobat: No leap or swirl, no matter how outrageous, is a challenge for this person. All actions normally considered to be practically impossible receive -5 to their DC. The tumble, perform (dance), jump, climb, swim, ride and balance skills all benefit from this.

Serpentine swoon: Once a day for every three levels, this awnshegh may undetake a simple dance that turns her into a rattlesnake. This lasts until she either performs the same dance in her rattlesnake form, or a full day has expired since her transformation.

Cloudhop: The character may leap onto a non-solid material, and by the grace of her unreasonable talents, manage to remain there or perform another jump. To determine whether she remains or falls, make a jump roll each round at a DC of 20, and add +1 to the DC after each round, no matter if the roll has been successful or not. This penality will slowly be reduced to nothing after she lands, reaches solid ground again by other means, or finds a reliable way to keep herself afloat (such as by casting a spell that lets her fly or walk on water). It drops at -1 per round, all the way back to zero. Cloudhopping, which is jumping from mid-air, warrants a higher starting DC (25), and increases the DC by 2 for each "hop". While dangerous and unreliable, it can provide for the most unlikely escapes, which neither skill nor ingenuity could easily foresee.

Lethal acrobatics: Once a day for every two dervish levels, the awnshegh may forsake her base attack bonus for a single attack, replacing it with either her jump, ride, swim, perform (dance) or tumble skill, where appropriate.

Dance of seduction: With marvelous technique and grace, the dervish executes a dance of impeccable beauty, which threatens to leave even the most haughty elf impressed. Across as many rounds as she desires, she abandons all combat and focuses on her dance, which, while allowing her to move, takes away her dexterity bonuses. Everyone noticing the dervish in this state must make a will saving throw at a DC that equals her perform (dance) skill, or become charmed for a duration equal to half this perform skill, measured in combat rounds. Each use of this skill counts towards the performer's dance limit, which ammounts to one for every dervish level.

Dance of misfortune: An elegant if somewhat gloomy dance, this one allows the dervish to attack at will, yet lasts only one round per level in her prestige class. Moreover, it demands great efforts from her body, which forfeits its dexterity bonuses for the whole duration (or less, if she chooses to leave the dance earlier). While her own combat abilities become no more spectacular, others find themselves remarkably helpless in battle, letting weapons slip from their hands as easily as water. Normally, it would take a roll of one to cause critical failure; within 30 feet of the dancer, however, plus five for each dervish level and one for each rank in perform (dance), that roll need only equal the dervish's perform(dance) level divided by 5, rounded down. This affects everyone aside from the dervish herself, whose own attacks can now easily brush her enemies aside, though without much help from her allies, who remain equally impaired. This dance counts towards the dervish's daily limit.

Whirlwind of weapons: Significantly more provocative than any juggler's sleight of hand, this dance allows the character to build a barricade around her, with whatever blunt or slashing tools she has on hand. Piercing weapons, while available for such a daring purpose, require more skill (-2 penality) to operate this way. While spinning up to one weapon plus one per three dervish levels, she must make a perform (dance) check every round to ensure they remain in mid-air. The DC is always 10 + 1 for each lb's worth of weapons, and goes up every round by 1 times the number of weapons used. She may forsake a move action to retrieve a weapon from her inventory (at a DC of 20 + the weapon's weight in lbs) and add it to her whirlwind, or dispatch a weapon back into her inventory at no cost. Weapon focus gives her +2 to all rolls pertaining to a particular weapon, or to all weapons in her whirlwind if she has the corresponding weapon focus skills. If she consciously ends the dance (which keeps her from engaging a new one before the next second round), all weapons may be instantly dispatched into their sheathes and other inventory slots; however, losing any of her perform (dance) checks will cause them to fall to the ground, and still prevent the dervish from beginning a new dance until two rounds later.

The whirlwind itself involves heaving weapons at high speeds, allowing them to intercept all kinds of missile weapons (granting her an AC bonus equal to their damage rolls, plus their size difference towards the missies used), and giving an attack of opportunity to anyone who so much as steps near her. Any number of attackers may be hit this way, which makes this ability particularly useful in uneven confrontations. As her weapons slice the wind, the dervish's dexterity bonus is added to their attack bonuses, while their mere presence adds +1 to her AC for every weapon used. The dervish may do nothing more than tend to the whirlwind while it lasts; any use of acrobatic skills will be considered practically impossible. Neither of her weapons may be greater than one size under the dervish, or heavier than 3 lbs (plus one for each size level of the dervish above medium).

Dance of deception: Though by no means as grandiose as many of the dervish arts, this quiet dance would surely leave entire audiences speechless. The subtletiles of her arched motions leave everyone thinking, unless they perform a will saving throw to disbelieve the illusion, that the dervish hasn't moved at all during the round, or has progressed towards an entirely different location. When anyone's turn comes, the saving throw must be successful, or for one round, that person will assume the dervish has either remained still, or perfromed a move action which she herself must determine before the actual dance takes place. Being tipped off about the dance will automatically provide +10 to the throw, but not completely cripple the deception, as the vagaries of battle or the dance's sudden nature may leave some poorly prepared. The DC for this throw is always equal to the dervish's perform (dance) skill, but attacking, setting off traps, speaking or walking on flour, or whatever else might help locate an invisible creature, can dispel it instantly. Use of this special ability counts towards the daily limit placed upon most dervish dances, which is one for every level in the class.

Bodyblur spin: With subtle twists and bending strokes along her body, the dervish can render herself practically invisible by dodging and deflecting light as it arrives upon her. While this dance remains in place (no longer than one combat round for every two levels of dervish), she's treated as though her hide and move silently skills matched her perform (dance) skill. She may not, however, initiate sneak attacks while in this state, nor may she attack at all without breaking the dance. Each use of this skill, like all other dances, counts towards the day limit of the character.

Burrow: Sharp boots and even sharper talents may let the dervish spin through the ground, spewing small chunks of it around her in the process. Every material with a hardness of less than that of her footwear (which receives half her perform(dance) skill as a bonus) can be dug through, giving way by one inch times the hardness difference. If her shoes had a hardness of 1, with a bonus of 10 from her dance skill, and the material involved (a wall or floor, supposedly) had a hardness of 8, the character would make 3 inches of progress through it with each dance. By contrast, metal boots with a hardness of 30, with the help of the same 10 dance skill, would cut through 32 inches in one go. The dervish may also attempt to perform this dance sideways, but every 10 degrees of angle away from the ground's direction add 1 to her DC (so burrowing upwards would present a DC +18, while burrowing straight through a wall perpendicular to the ground would take going above the regular DC, +9). Note that the collision of her feet and harder surfaces may cause her softer shoes or boots to tear, while barefoot, she suffers a loss of hit points equal to the surface's hardness minus her natural armor. Like all dances, this one counts towards the dervish's daily limit.

I also don't see the "hard girl" as ugly at all, by the way... On the battlefield, she'd probably be more impressive than the dancer in her ballroom. I'll add a couple more specific to the awnshegh if you wish, though I'd rather not dwell too much on her seductive capabilities. That's already been taken care of in one of the dances, methinks.

[Osprey]

I'm curious - if this character joined and was later kicked out of a dervish sect (representing only a small slice of her life experience), why is her primary class/identity a dervish? Because of all the cool abilities?

I suppose one could say she gained the tools to continue advancing her art...but it seems a litle odd that without any significant elder tutelage in a very exotic fighting style she would learn all of the secrets of a 10-level prestige class. I tend to think that such a class, where new abilities are learned at higher levels, requires continued, advanced teaching by the masters...but that's all my opinion.

I'm asuming this is a Complete Warrior Dervish PrC, yeah? It seems so, given the feat and skill spread.

The Dervish is a very powerful PrC. A straight fighter/dervish is a supreme dealer of death, capable of delivering immense amounts of damage each round. This makes her not such a great candidate for a recurring villain because she will provoke highly lethal fights - ones in which the PC's do their utmost to kill or be killed. As a CR 15 opponent, the PC's should be very capable of this - my experience is that such an opponent tends to go from healthy to dead in 1-2 rounds when the PC's concentrate on her, especially if they're prepared for the fight.

A ring of Force Shield "generates a shield-sized (and shield-shaped) wall of force that stays with the ring and can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield (+2 AC)." [DMG]
Isn't this kind of useless for a 2-weapon fighter? Better to have the 2-weapon defense chain from CW (Imp/Gr)...or give her an item that grants such a feat.


Have you considered perhaps trading off some dervish levels for rogue levels? Given her later tastes for intrigue and subterfuge, this would make a lot of sense. Add the Leadership feat, and she can have cohorts and followers to help increase her survivability quite a lot - and explain how she actually starts a cult or following from time to time (then they all get wiped out, she disappears for a while, then resurfaces years later with a new band of cronies hatching a new scheme).

With roguish minions, and herself with some sneak attack, she could be quite devestating in that dance (spin, slash & sneak attack vs. flanked enemy, repeat). Make one of her cohorts a 10-13th level rogue w/ opportunist, it gets nastier...

Leadership is awesome for villains, with multiple cohorts a DM can make a party of enemies to more evenly challenge the PCs, rather than a trying to make one single enemy be the equal of 4-6 slightly less powerful PCs (and maybe their cohorts, too).

[geeman]

At 12:54 AM 3/10/2005 +0100, Thomas_Percy wrote:



>Help me please to make an abilities for an awnshegh. She is a dervish, I

>called her Rattlesnake because of her natural ability to rattle when

>making “dervish dance” and ability to poison her scimitars by (I don’t

>know) touch, tongue…



Not that it`s a particularly big deal (and I could very well be wrong) but

aren`t rattlesnakes particular to the Americas, particularly the American

Southwest? I`ve never heard of them being anywhere else.... That

shouldn`t necessarily disqualify the name or anything but one should be a

little cautious about names that might be definitive of regions outside of

the cultures of Cerilia. (I`ve long wanted to write up an awnshegh called

The Wendigo but just can`t seem to come up with a more European slant and

genesis for such a character.)



Of course, there very well could be snakes with rattle tails in Cerilia if

one wants, and when it boils right down to it the name isn`t as odd as

something like a Japanese name or something even further afield. I just

figured I bring it up since it doesn`t seem particularly definitive of the

character or anything. After reading the character description and stats I

kind of got a vibe off the character that would be more like a living

statue of Kali. You know, fangs, four or six arms. It works just as well

with the "whirling" multiple attack game mechanic. (Please let me know if

you don`t want to go with that kind of thing because the more I think on it

the better I like it, so if you don`t use it I will.)



>Almost dying of thirst, she fond a mosque excavated in a metor rock, a

>sanctum of Khirdai & Leira dervishes sect.



*In* a meteor rock? The whole mosque is _inside_ a big meteorite? Off the

cuff, that seems like the kind of impact that would have rivaled or

surpassed Deismaar for destructive power.... Maybe a mosque built "around"

a meteorite would be better.



>he made her beauty (Cha8 to 18)



Nice trick that.



>she organised in Ilien a sect of plebeians who show their faith by dancing

>and public sex.



Sounds like my kinda gal....



>VULGATA: Female Human Ftr5/Dvs10; Medium Humanoid; CR 15;

>HD 15d10+30; hp 117;

>Init +5; Spd 45 ft/x4;

>AC 28[29, Haste] (+6 armor, +4 dex, +2 natural, +2 deflection, +1 insight,

>+3 misc), touch 20, flat-footed 23;

>Base Atk/Grapple +15/+17;

>Full Atk +21/+16/+11[+22/+22/+17/+12, Haste] (1d6+7+2d6; 15-20/x2,

>Anuirean Bane), +21/+16/+11[+22/+17/+12, Haste] (1d6+6+2d6; 15-20/x2,

>Anuirean Bane),

>+19/+14/+9[+20/+20/+15/+10, Haste] (1d8+3; 20/x3, Composite Longbow+1 (+2

>Str));

>AL CE; SV Fort +12, Ref +14[+15, Haste], Will +12;



I didn`t notice a power or magic item that hasted the character. Is it

from character ability, something else, or did I just miss it?



>2 x Scimitar of Anuirean Bane; Ring of Protection +2; Ring of Force

>Shield; Amulet of natural armor +2; Bracers of armor +3; Cloak of

>resistance +3; Dusty rose Prism Ioun Stone



The character having a matching pair of magical scimitars seems a bit out

of place for BR in which the magic items are supposed to be unique,

especially since the actual magical enchantment seems like a particularly

unusual one. One could, of course, role-play an explanation for them to

exist, but in lieu of such a justification I`d go with something else.



>AC Bonus(Ex): You gain a +3 bonus to AC as long as you wear no or light

>armor and are not carrying a shield. You lose this bonus if immobilized

>or helpless.

>Dervish Dance(Ex): 5/day, you can take a single move action and still make

>a full attack, but you must move 5 feet between each attack and cannot

>return to a square you just exited. You gain a +5 bonus on attack and

>damage rolls when performing the dervish dance with a slashing weapon.

>Movement Mastery(Ex): Your movement is not affected by adverse conditions.

>When making a Jump, Perform (dance), or Tumble check you may take 10 even

>if stress or distractions would normally prevent you from doing so.

>Slashing Blades: You treat a scimitar as a light weapon for all purposes

>including fighting with two weapons.

>Fast Movement(Ex): When wearing light armor or carrying no more than a

>light load your movement increases by +15 ft.

>Spring Attack: You gain the Spring Attack feat as a bonus feat.

>Dance of Death: You have the benefits of the Cleave feat while doing a

>dervish dance, even if don`t meet the prerequisites. You do not have to

>move 5 ft. before making the extra attack granted by this ability.

>Improved Reaction(Ex): You have a +2 bonus to initative rolls

>Elaborate Parry(Ex): You gain a extra +4 bonus to AC when you choose to

>fight defensively or use all-out defense in melee combat.

>Tireless Dance: You no longer become fatigued for the duration of the

>encounter at the end of a dervish dance.

>A Thousand Cuts(Ex): 1/day you may double the number of melee attacks you

>make while performing a full attack action (whether in a dervish dance or

>not). If using this ability during a dervish dance, you can make up to two

>attacks between moves. While performing a thousand cuts you gain the

>benefits of the Great Cleave feat.



I`m supposing most of these abilities are from the Dervish PrC, is that

correct? Or are they part of her awnshegh transformation? A couple of

them seem a bit over-the-top, or ratcheted up from like abilities in other

character classes. +15 to movement, for instance, as opposed to the more

"typical" +10 of the barbarian`s version of Fast Movement. The doubling of

attacks from the A Thousand Cuts ability, for instance, seems broken as a

game mechanic.



In your introduction you mention the character`s ability to poison her

blades (by licking them perhaps) as part of her awnshegh abilities. On the

whole I don`t oppose that kind of power, but it seems like it should

accompany a bite attack or some sort of natural weapon from which a poison

attack can be delivered.



Gary

[Osprey]

I`m supposing most of these abilities are from the Dervish PrC, is that
correct? Or are they part of her awnshegh transformation? A couple of
them seem a bit over-the-top, or ratcheted up from like abilities in other
character classes. +15 to movement, for instance, as opposed to the more
"typical" +10 of the barbarian`s version of Fast Movement. The doubling of
attacks from the A Thousand Cuts ability, for instance, seems broken as a
game mechanic.

All from the Dervish PrC in Complete Warrior...and 10 levels of that class IS extremely powerful, one of the nastiest PrC's I've seen for warrior-types, especially since they didn't include the Weapon Master PrC in CW.

[Thomas_Percy]

Originally posted by Demonizer+Mar 10 2005, 09:56 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Demonizer &#064; Mar 10 2005, 09:56 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Tell me if this helps, and let me know whether you&#39;d have preferred special abilities for the awnshegh herself, or the entire class. [/b]
For an awnshegh.

I&#39;ll comment only abilities that I&#39;ll give her.


Originally posted by Demonizer@Mar 10 2005, 09:56 AM
Serpentine swoon: Once a day for every three levels, this awnshegh may undetake a simple dance that turns her into a rattlesnake. This lasts until she either performs the same dance in her rattlesnake form, or a full day has expired since her transformation.
Simple but useful to escape.


Originally posted by Demonizer@Mar 10 2005, 09:56 AM
Dance of seduction: With marvelous technique and grace, the dervish executes a dance of impeccable beauty, which threatens to leave even the most haughty elf impressed. Across as many rounds as she desires, she abandons all combat and focuses on her dance, which, while allowing her to move, takes away her dexterity bonuses. Everyone noticing the dervish in this state must make a will saving throw at a DC that equals her perform (dance) skill, or become charmed for a duration equal to half this perform skill, measured in combat rounds. Each use of this skill counts towards the performer&#39;s dance limit, which ammounts to one for every dervish level.
It&#39;s in her style.


Originally posted by Demonizer@Mar 10 2005, 09:56 AM
Dance of deception: Though by no means as grandiose as many of the dervish arts, this quiet dance would surely leave entire audiences speechless. The subtletiles of her arched motions leave everyone thinking, unless they perform a will saving throw to disbelieve the illusion, that the dervish hasn&#39;t moved at all during the round, or has progressed towards an entirely different location. When anyone&#39;s turn comes, the saving throw must be successful, or for one round, that person will assume the dervish has either remained still, or perfromed a move action which she herself must determine before the actual dance takes place. Being tipped off about the dance will automatically provide +10 to the throw, but not completely cripple the deception, as the vagaries of battle or the dance&#39;s sudden nature may leave some poorly prepared. The DC for this throw is always equal to the dervish&#39;s perform (dance) skill, but attacking, setting off traps, speaking or walking on flour, or whatever else might help locate an invisible creature, can dispel it instantly. Use of this special ability counts towards the daily limit placed upon most dervish dances, which is one for every level in the class..
A variant of bardic ability, good to spectacular cinematic escapes.


Originally posted by Demonizer@Mar 10 2005, 09:56 AM
I&#39;ll add a couple more specific to the awnshegh if you wish, though I&#39;d rather not dwell too much on her seductive capabilities. That&#39;s already been taken care of in one of the dances, methinks.
Yes, write ideas for awnshegh abilities.
Thank You very much for help.


Originally posted by Osprey@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
I&#39;m curious - if this character joined and was later kicked out of a dervish sect (representing only a small slice of her life experience), why is her primary class/identity a dervish? Because of all the cool abilities?

I suppose one could say she gained the tools to continue advancing her art...

1561-1564: Ftr
1564-1569: in a dervish sect
1570-1575: she was already a dervish master and advanced at this class without any tutor



Originally posted by Osprey@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
I&#39;m asuming this is a Complete Warrior Dervish PrC, yeah? It seems so, given the feat and skill spread.
Yes, CW.


Originally posted by Osprey@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
The Dervish is a very powerful PrC. A straight fighter/dervish is a supreme dealer of death, capable of delivering immense amounts of damage each round. This makes her not such a great candidate for a recurring villain because she will provoke highly lethal fights - ones in which the PC&#39;s do their utmost to kill or be killed. As a CR 15 opponent, the PC&#39;s should be very capable of this - my experience is that such an opponent tends to go from healthy to dead in 1-2 rounds when the PC&#39;s concentrate on her, especially if they&#39;re prepared for the fight.
She must be "dealer of death", because sha was a teacher of dervish dance of one my PC. He is greatest Polish powergamer, a Internet sage & god of all powergamers of our country. (don&#39;t confuse powergamer with munchin, he is a vry good role-player, too. I like powergaming, too).
So his dervish was a pupil and a lover of Vulgata, he will advance at prestige class at this Meteor Mosque, and I plan to make her a final solo duel enemy when he will be dervish 10.


Originally posted by Osprey@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
A ring of Force Shield "generates a shield-sized (and shield-shaped) wall of force that stays with the ring and can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield (+2 AC)." [DMG]
Isn&#39;t this kind of useless for a 2-weapon fighter? Better to have the 2-weapon defense chain from CW (Imp/Gr)...or give her an item that grants such a feat.
Yes, the ring is not in dervish style.


Originally posted by Osprey@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
Have you considered perhaps trading off some dervish levels for rogue levels? Given her later tastes for intrigue and subterfuge, this would make a lot of sense. Add the Leadership feat, and she can have cohorts and followers to help increase her survivability quite a lot - and explain how she actually starts a cult or following from time to time (then they all get wiped out, she disappears for a while, then resurfaces years later with a new band of cronies hatching a new scheme). .
I can&#39;t give her rogue levels, because I cannot take away any dervish levels if she would be a challenge to PC-dervish. She has Bluff and Disguise and some acrobatic skills.
Leadarship is a good idea.


Originally posted by Geeman@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
Please let me know if
you don`t want to go with that kind of thing because the more I think on it
the better I like it, so if you don`t use it I will.) .
I like this idea, so I will consider it. It&#39;s a serious rebuild of Vulgata, because Kali statue cannot impersonate a courtesan for example.


Originally posted by Geeman@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
aren`t rattlesnakes particular to the Americas, particularly the American
Southwest?
*In* a meteor rock? The whole mosque is _inside_ a big meteorite? Off the
cuff, that seems like the kind of impact that would have rivaled or
surpassed Deismaar for destructive power....
I don&#39;t care about such things in the fantasy.

Originally posted by Geeman@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
I didn`t notice a power or magic item that hasted the character. .
She has some potions.

Originally posted by Geeman@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
One could, of course, role-play an explanation for them to exist, but in lieu of such a justification I`d go with something else. .
Most of her equipement was made by Black Rawun, powerful awnshegh-bard. He was some kind o Awnsheghliens&#39; shepherd.
<!--QuoteBegin-Geeman@Mar 10 2005, 07:45 PM
a bite attack or some sort of natural weapon from which a poison attack can be delivered. .[/quote]
Why not.
I will concentrate on rattlesnake "music" and dance, not on typical snake abilities, because there is an awnshegh The Serpent, who already has it.

And once again, thanks for all help.

[Thomas_Percy]

...

[Demonizer]

I&#39;ll post three more abilities, then, hopefully more specialized than the last ten...

Eye of the temptress: So long as no glasses, face-masks or other obscuring attire block the full appearance of her eyes, the rattlesnake may focus on a single target, which must either be looking at her directly, or simply keeping her present in her field of view - in this case, he gains a +5 to his will saving throw. However, the awnshegh&#39;s charisma bonus is substracted from his roll regardless of how intimately his eyes dally beside hers. Should they stare at one another for more than five seconds, though, the rolls will experience a penality of -2. Creatures accustomed to her tactics must be ever-vigilent, for through such fine manipulations that only the victim perceives them, she may steal their allegiance with a single glance. Those who are already aware of this, and have deflected one of her attempts before, will gain +2 to all their rolls against this powerful ability, but any being who would normally perceive the awnshegh as attractive may succomb to its effects, bathed in the nauseating warmth of his disquiet heart. Deprived of will, he finds himself kneeling beneath the basest of desires, subject to one of the following charms:

should he roll 10 or less: The character is permanently dire charmed.
11-15: The character is dire charmed for 2d6 rounds
16-20: The character is charmed for 2d6 rounds
21-25: The character becomes confused for 1d6 rounds
26-30: For the victim alone, the awnshegh&#39;s perceived charisma goes up by 1d6.
31+: For the victim alone, the awnshegh&#39;s perceived charisma goes up by 1d3.

Of course, immunity to mind spells guards against this power, which can only be used once a day for any single victim. A dispel magic spell, with the awnshegh&#39;s charisma bonus as its level, clears the effects completely. Note that, unless properly informed by some cue or another, the awnshegh remains unaware of the exact results.

Venomous kiss: However sensual or innocently playful they may seem, the rattlesnake&#39;s bold lips disguise worse fangs than even the chimaera&#39;s - fangs wrought not from bone or chitin, but from the unsightly fabric of her soul. She may, with a prodigious kiss that she delivers once a day, inflict a gruelling condition on her would-be lover, fettering his heart and possibly destroying it. The target may refuse the kiss outright and thus avoid the ill effects, should he still have enough mobility to tilt or turn his head, and this translates into a reflex saving throw with a DC of ten, plus the sum of the awnshegh&#39;s charisma and dexterity bonuses. Successfully kissing the victim imparts a dramatic loss of both wisdom and constitution, between 1 and 6 points in each. No fortitude save takes effect, for unlike the more common poisons that would frolick in one&#39;s flesh, this one chooses the spirit as its foremost victim. While poisoned, the target must make a will saving throw every day, or suffer 1d4 points of subdual damage and lose 1 point in both wisdom and constitution. The hit points thus lost may not be regained save by healing magic or restful sleep, or when the poison itself is dispelled. The damage may therefore extend until the victim has been brought into a coma; at this point, the victim makes a final will saving throw, which he cannot avert. Failing it, he simply awakens bound to the awnshegh by geas, and every other negative effect of the posion is lost. Should he succeed and bring about some order in his crippled mind, refusing the rattlesnake&#39;s influence, he will receive 1d3 days in which his coma remains stable; afterwards, unless properly cured, he dies a dignified death.

As the poison continues its march through the still-living creature, its neither tarry nor decrease in their brutality. During the hour when the kiss took place, the character&#39;s vision is blurred, in such a way that 20% of all his attacks miss, while his spot checks go down by 8 and his search checks by 4. The neutralize poison or dispel magic spell must be cast precisely during this hour, else it will need to overcome a spell resistance of +10, in addition to a constant SR bonus that equals the awnshegh&#39;s charisma modifier. More abominations follow in the victim&#39;s daily efforts, which decline sporadically at the poison&#39;s behest. His sleep becomes tormented by dreams of the awnshegh, whose presence can become so vast as to consume his mind. Each night of rest demands a will saving throw with a DC of 20; if lost, the character awakens with his memories subdued, and his mind shackled to the image of the kiss. It takes one hour for this vision to disperse and leave his mind, but during this excruciating hour, his intelligence and wisdom modifiers go down by 3 each. His poor attempt to rest forbids him from regaining hit points, memorizing spells or even freeing himself from the former day&#39;s fatigue.

Rattlesnake reflexes: Much like her animal brethren, the rattlesnake reacts to all threats with inhuman swiftness, preparing to counter them before they even begin. When anyone attempts to strike her sleeping body, ambush her or otherwise perform a sneak attack, the first such blow gives her a free attack of opportunity, provided she can successfully make a reflex saving throw. The DC for this is 15, and her attack takes place an instant before the offender&#39;s, awakening her from natural sleep (when applicable). The offender&#39;s own attack must go through her normal AC bonus, as well as lose its sneak attack bonus, if any.

The ability, however powerful, may easily become a burden, as the awnshegh will react to every sneak attack this way - even if it interrupts her sleep, and even if the attacker turns out to be an illusion.

[Earl_Ingwe]

She, the awnshegh could have her lair in Hope´s Demise if the source didn´t rise to 6 by her "marchmage the 2nd" or even if not found another and then risen to 1
Otherwise she could spread her terrors from Ruorven but therefore she has to hold
good connection to Denerik otherwise noone will help her entering the Castle i pur-pose of the Ruorven-adventure. Then the awnshegs effort would be reduced to far around the castle-walls.. (think you got your idea for the awnshegh that way :) )