Four (Mid-Level) Characters from the Noble Houses

Roll d4 to get a random hireling, replacement PC, or rival NPC adventurer.

[1] Ambrose - 4th level Fighter
Stats- +1 Str, -1 Wis, +1 Cha

Young, honorable Fighting-Man belonging to the House of Tanner. He wears an enchanted red leather vest that grants protection equivalent to chainmail (+6 AC) without the normal stealth or encumbrance penalties. He is skilled with axes and swords, and usually carries one of each. For blunt attacks- he uses the butt of the axe as a club and due to his skill, this has no penalty for being an improvised attack due to his skill.

Ambrose is a young, slightly ambitious warrior who seeks to protect people from monsters and dark magic. He is somewhat ignorant of the world and wants to get more experience; though his fighting skills are those of someone clearly very talented; they outpace his experience. As with all members of the House of Tanner, he is instilled with the virtues of loyalty, honor, and humility. If and when recruited, add +1 loyalty.

[2] Presida - 6th level Rogue
Stats- +1 Dex, +1 Int

Presida is an effective, non-nonsense type. She belongs to the House of Ventan. She is clearly a woman with at least a drop of noble blood in her veins- beyond being beautiful she is highly competent and skilled at what she does with seemingly little effort; but this is a false persona. She is actually very dedicated behind the scenes- building a gymnasium underneath her home filled with traps and tripewires to practice her skills.

Due to her highly disciplined lifestyle and training regime; Presida has +2 maximum Hit Points over whatever she rolled with her class HD. Additionally, she gets +1 to all Saving Throws.

She uses a magic weapon which is a small, extendable metal baton. This magic baton is called the Baton of Clanging and deals 1d4+1 damage on a hit. It has a special ability- if the tip of the baton is touched to a piece of metal, it can make the metal clang at any point along the metal, or make a delayed clang at the spot she touched it one exploration turn later. Using this allows for easy distraction of guards, monsters, and can be used to set up ambushes and alarms befitting her skills.

[3] Ulati - 5th level Fighter
Stats- +1 Str, +2 Dex, +1 Con, -2 Int

Tall, thin man skilled with a bow and spear. He is an excellent physical shape, as most members of House Scinarri are. His lips are burnt with vertical lines for betraying a secret of his house, but was allowed to stay after being greatly reduced in position. He is most common referred to by his nickname of "Silkfinger", perhaps because his actual name is blemished with his past.

Ulati is a hunter and has a deep respect for any culture involved in nature. He knows how to read magic and druidic runes carved on trees and rocks. He was always better with dogs then with people; Ulati gains +1 to reaction checks with animals. Finally, Ulati is a skilled knife fighter, though he prefers to fight with a spear in melee combat. The scars up and down his arms prove this. He has a set of two magic daggers, each with a +1 to hit and being immune to corrosion and rust.

[4] Hotar of Holy Vapors - 4th level Cleric / Sage
Stats- -1 Dex, -1 Int, +2 Wis

Hotar is a simple, faithful man belonging to the House of Candis. He was born in the room of a temple of which holy, hallucinogenic vapors from the earth pour up causing his mother to hallucinate him being born from the vapors instead of her body, hence the name. Hotar was also negatively affected by these vapors from ingesting them as a newborn- he has a bit of a shake and is slow of mind, but strong in religious and spiritual matters.

He is also an amateur magician- relying on his spiritual intuition and vivid imagination to create spells instead of route magical formula. In your game, these are probably Cleric spells. If you don't have Clerics, then he's a white mage-type MU. Any given day you meet him, he has one of these spells randomly prepared along with the normal spells for his level and class.

Hotar's Holy Spells- Roll 1d4
[1] Singing Rain - 1st level
This spell magically charges rainfall, and can only be cast when it is raining or right before. This spell makes the sound of raindroplets hitting the ground sound a bit like music, chiming together to form a harmony of nature and sound. This spell effects a circle around the caster of about 100 ft.

This spell has no additional magical effects beyond this- but many creatures, especially evil monsters or demons, find the sound of such peaceful and pleasant music offensive to the ears and may be temporarily warded against. Devils who don't have a mission or anything just leave the area- or else they get a morale check to stay or enter the singing rainy area.

[2] Blossoming Light from my Necklace - 1st level
Requires a holy symbol worn around the neck or golden necklace worth at least 1000c to function. Hotar wears one. When this spell is cast, it creates yellow rings of light that get bigger and bigger in waves coming from the necklace in front of the caster in a wide cone. Anything this cone passes through is blasting by weak levels of holy magic. The effects of this spell get worse then the longer ones stays within these rings.

If an Undead creature stays within the rings for a full combat round, they are subjected to a Turn Undead roll as though turned by a first level Cleric. This seems weak, except this spell can bypass the normal HD number used by Turn Undead, as its cone effects everything in it. Intelligent undead may try to jump out of the cones before the round is over (using a move action, flying away, etc.) to avoid taking this check.

If an Unholy creature, such as a demon or dark cultist thing stays in the rings for a full combat round, then the next attack done against them by the spell caster gains advantage. They glow with a yellow aura, which also illuminates them very slightly in dark places.

If an Evil creature, like a bandit or orc stays within the rings for a full combat round, they get -1 to their next morale check, regardless of what causes it. This only functions if the majority of the squad were hit by the rings.

[3] Lightning Lash - 1st level
Creates a whip made of electrical energy in the caster's hand- the next time they whip with it and succeed on a To-Hit roll, it deals 1d3 lightning damage and ignites very flammable stuff, like people doused in oil or scarecrows stuffed with straw. The whip lasts for one successful attack, but if the attack fails the whip doesn't disappear unless it strikes something metal which scatters its energy.

Hotar made this spell as an elemental attack, but doesn't really like using it. Too violent. It's also a rough early version and could use a lot of clean up and improvement to make it more powerful and useful for its spell level. If given a few years or levels, or tutelage under a powerful MU, this spell jumps up to 1d6 damage and requires a saving throw or you get held in place one round.

[4] River's Babtism - 2nd level
This spell must be cast in a flowing river at around noon. The caster must dunk and wash the body of the target of this spell, and it cannot be cast on themself. The absolution of this baptism purifies and heals the sick and wounded- any common disease is ended and all poison that could be cured with an antidote is cured. This spell also has minor regenerative properties; for example, it could restore a chipped tooth, a finger or toe torn off at the last digit, heal back a patch of permanently burnt skin the size of a postcard, etc. Additionally; it restores 2d6+2 HP.

This magic spell is quite powerful and may be a hint that Hotar is actually a spellcasting savant.

Bow of Scinarri

Bow of Scinarri - Magic Bow +1
Stats- 1d6+1 or 1d20+1

This bow is carved of red wood. It's very old, but well maintained with oils harvested from an ancient grove of trees; planted just when the city was first founded. Several simplistic paleoglyphs are burnt into its side; which are the symbols for protection, beast, pierce, and wind.

This power has two primary abilities. The first are related to its glyphs. As long as you carry and have mastered the bow, you may invoke each glyph-word once per day to create simple magic spells. These act as either advantage rolls relating to the word, or as minor coincidences that help you out. For example, you could roll an attack with advantage against a wild animal by firing an arrow at it and invoking Beast. You could change the direction of a breeze using Wind to sneak up on a creature. The power of Protection can be used once per day to reduce the amount of damage you take from any source by -1 point, or by giving you advantage on a single saving throw, and so on.

The second power of the bow is a ritual. In order to perform the ritual, the user of the bow must name and prepare a special arrow; just a standard arrow tied with beads, painted, and pointed to the four winds and such will work. They must save this arrow and use it only once against a specific quarry that the user promises to slay to the bow with this magic arrow. The arrow will strike for 1d20+1 damage on its first and only hit against that target. If this ability fails to kill the target, the bow will lose your favor and you will have to regain its trust in you as a hunter. Also, you get no advantage on the To-Hit roll with this special ritual arrow attack besides the normal +1 this magic bow grants.

The bow is tied to the powers of nature and to hunters. The bow only works for hunters who have never lost a quarry. Contrary to most magic items, it has no problems with an even seems more attracted to those who have never hunted or held a bow before; the inexperienced have much to prove. This weapon does reject those who have attempted and failed a hunt. Failing a hunt in this case is losing your prey over several days of extended chase and losing them for good, giving up, or having the prey die or be taken by something else. This bow also doesn't care about you failing to kill people or other stuff, just things that you specifically set out to kill.

It is possible to earn the bow's favor again (though you cannot use the bow to accomplish this feat, and it must be carried with you instead) by hunting an even more powerful beast or progenitor of the one you failed to catch the first time. So if you tried to kill a white wolf and it escaped you, the bow will not function for you, but if you vow to slay a great wolf Nature Spirit and succeed, bathing the wooden bow in the beast's blood and wrapping the bow in its pelt on the journey home- it will have regained its trust in you as a hunter.

Hole of Eno

Hole of Eno
This is a hole. It's a magic item made of negative space. The "hole" itself is an item. If you place the hole in your pocket, you now have a hole in your pocket. If you place it on a wall, the wall now has a hole in it, etc. The only clue that this hole is a magic, move-able hole is the dark ring around it on whatever surface the hole is on, and the vague scent of decay that seems to emanate from the hole.

The hole is just big enough to fit your hand through, and extends through surfaces that are 3 feet long, creating a tunnel. If placed into a solid material, like a creature's flesh or a solid mass of stone that is too thick to create a tunnel through, the hole instead creates a 3 foot deep cavity. If inside a creature or living thing, it won't deal damage or bleed, just appear as a hole. Items lift inside the hole when it is removed stay within whatever substance the hole was opening up before. The hole can also be placed on something in a smaller diameter, up to the size of a pinhole, whenever it is moved.

If the wall, ground, or subject hides a specific item (treasure chest, heart, etc.) then it will be within the hole when it is opened if the user of the hole sacrifices a prepared 1st level spell slot. People without magic spells cannot use this ability unless they find a way to power the magic somehow. Only one item can be appeared inside the hole when it is placed down and the placement doesn't have to be exact- the magic of the item creates the hole as it is needed.

The hole can be moved from surface to surface by anyone who sacrifices a 1st level spell slot to move it, or by using a secret command phrase which requires a full identify to uncover. The hole only exists in hole form; meaning if you want to carry it around, you need to put a hole in something until you need to move the hole to something else.

Censer of Candis

Censer of Candis - Magic Censer +1
Whenever equipped by a priest, sage, or holy man it allows them to turn undead as though they were one level higher. The Censer also acts as a holy symbol.

Created by the honorable Noble House of Candis, this Censer is wrought from blue-green metal and is especially holy by its maker's hands. Its design is inspired by nature, being made with angles and of a shape that are offensive and weaken the forces of chaos. This power grants passage and defense against endless or repeating hallways, straightens warps in space, and acts as something to right the path of non-euclidean spaces. As long as Incense burns in the Censer, the dungeon cannot pull any of the above tricks. The smoke also always floats exactly parallel to where it was puffed and stays there until it fades; so one only need look behind them to see if the smoke is trailing upwards and they can see if they are moving down a subtly sloped passageway.

As a symbol of purity and law, those who serve the forces of chaos seek to destroy this Censer. If the Censer is smashed by anyone willingly doing so, the Gods of Chaos instantly award them with a Chaos Medallion Power, which they now have for the rest of their life.

Glove of Tanner

Glove of Tanner - +1 Magic Glove
Stats- +1 AC

This is a magic glove. It's made of leather, roughly stitched. This glove is infused with a sort of sense of regal humility, a down to earth honesty, and tried-and-trueness that makes it a reliable piece of equipment, despite its appearance. Despite only being made of leather and only being a single glove; grants +1 AC as long as you have it on your hand.

The glove provides two effects. The first is that if you physically touch a humanoid being with it during a reaction check (handshake, clap on the shoulder, etc.) the reaction check cannot roll a result lower then a 7 or neutral reaction.

The second is that the glove provides +1 To-Hit with all one handed weapons or daggers held in the hand. It is not two gloves, just one, and it is a left glove.

Amulet of Ventan

Amulet of Ventan - Magic Amulet +2
Stats- +2 to Saves vs Magic

This magic amulet is infused with the powers of arcane magic, and has been worn by many magicians throughout the years, whose essence has infused it with magical powers.

Firstly, wearing this amulet grants the wearer the ability to read. This only grants the power to read the most commonly-used writing system of their own language, as well as granting the ability to read the shit-scrawl of magic users in their crazy people books. (Read Magic). If you could already read before, this amulet just grants a little insight between the lines and makes text "clearer", letting you better pick up on things you maybe missed due to a lack of vocabulary or intelligence.

Secondly, anyone wearing this amulet can learn magic. You can now multiclass into a Magic User the next time you level up. In games without multiclassing, this is pretty cool. Keep the highest HD from whatever class you have, but take on the next XP requirements/penalties for your new MU class. This does not let you bypass normal level caps or leveling requirements; you just can pick your next level up to be a MU instead of a Fighter or Rogue or whatever you are. In universe, this is caused by an unlocking of the more abstract, deeper levels of the mind that allows unraveling the layers of meaning that make up spell craft. You could use this on a 0 level hireling or retainer and teach them magic over the course of a few seasons (downtime turns) with some tutoring, or even from being self taught if they have the material.

Lastly, it grants protection against magical spells. The Amulet grants +2 saves vs magic as a passive effect. However, it has a bonus power. The wearer may hold the amulet aloft, invoke it, and in a flash of blue light any spell effect will be ended or countered- but the amulet will disappear. From then on, the owner of the amulet ceases to own it and will not find it again as the amulet disappears to find a new master to serve.