Post by Manah on Apr 14, 2023 0:32:42 GMT -5
ARACHNE
The Dream Weaver
Arachne
Naephree without her Assassin gear
The Dream Weaver
Arachne
Naephree without her Assassin gear
QUOTE: "Allow me to show you a real nightmare..."
Real Name: Naephree Halyass
Age: 362
Other Aliases: The Many-Faced, The Many-Eyed, The Spider, The Lord of Nightmares
Occupation: Assassin, Thief, Spy, Bounty Huntress, Sorceress, Adventuress
Marital Status: Single
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 145 lbs
Eye color: White
Hair color: Silver
Skin color: Grey
Species: Mystically-enhanced Drow Noble (Epic Nightmare Lord)
Notes: Has a self-inflicted spider-shaped scar on the inside of her left forearm, similar to her Arcane Mark and her ‘Calling Cards’ design.
ABILITIES
Int: 9
Str: 5
Agl: 8
Spd: 5
Dur: 6
HEALTH/P.L: 6 / 4
ENERGY/P.L: 24(i) / 12
REGEN/P.L: 14 / 9
ACTIONS
Ninja: 8
(Agl.bonus and 2 Wpn.modifiers)
-Efficient
-Martial Arts
-Swords
-Bows
-Agony/Torment/Whisper
-Stealth
-Acrobatic fighting
-Fighting multiple/larger opponents
-Using powers in combat
-Options: Balance, Blindfighting, Catch Projectiles, Create/Adapt Kung Fu Techniques, Multiple Opponents, Substitute AN for Strength to break things
Parkour: 5
(Agl.bonus)
-Efficient
-As Acrobatics, Swimming and Wall-Climbing/Wall-Crawling
-May walk/run on walls as naturally as though it were the floor
Horsemanship: 4
Arcane Arts: 9
(Int.bonus)
-Efficient
-This action encompasses various, general magical effects not as fitting to the others described below it. Its options include:
Arcane Mark (Stones VS Effect + Duration; Effect creates a mystical rune on any non-organic surface which may or may not hold a message of up to Effect stones words, may or may not be invisible at Effect stones AN to non-magic seeing people, and may or may not be readable only to up to Effect stones people, for a Duration on the D&R chart. NOTE: Only up to AN arcane marks may exist at once.)- Dispel Magic (Stones VS Resistance of Target spell, magical effect, curse or other mystical power to undo its effects.)
- Mending (Stones VS Resistance to repair damaged objects; May repair even magical objects if their highest AN/MN does not exceed this Action's; Requires physical contact, and most of the object's pieces/parts/matter must be present to repair it.)
- Planar Adaptation (Stones VS Effect up to AN + Duration of 1 hour/stone; allows user various effects to 'adapt' and better survive a given dimension they are visiting, for example granting Water breathing and a Swimming action in a plane of water, or fire resistance in one of fire. NOTE: Useless when cast in the user's home plane/dimension.)
- Polymorph (Atk VS Intelligence or Durability, whichever is higher, + Magical Defense, Deals no damage. If successful, the target creature will be transformed into an object or creature of the caster's choice - up to 5w character creation stones per AN - for a Duration of red stones of 'damage' on the D&R chart. The victim retains their Intelligence and ability to think while in the imposed form, but are limited to the perception, natural movement ability and powers of the object or creature they turned into.)
- Prestidigitation (Stones VS Effect + Duration of 5 minutes/stone; where Effect allows for multiple minor magical effects meant for entertainment, minor chores, basic effects and some minor uses, such as cleaning, soiling, soaking or drying objects, making food taste better, polishing metal, and the like. May include more uses at GM's discretion. May not cause damage or heal wounds, and illusory effects are not credible enough to fool anyone that they're anything but a simple magic trick. However, some effects do remain even when the spell's other effects' end, such as objects remaining cleaned, or metal remaining polished.)
- Read Magic (Stones VS Duration of 20 minutes/stone played; allows user to read Arcane runes, such as those found on magic scrolls, in tomes/grimoires/spellbooks, on runic weapons, etc. May read up to 1 page – or 250 words, whichever is lower – per minute. Reading magic does not automatically cast a spell contained in the runes if any, unless in the case of cursed or trapped scrolls, books and the like.)
- Spark (1 stone to use; Range 3. Causes an unattended, flammable object to catch on fire. Functions in any sort of weather.)
- Time Stop (Stones VS Effect of up to Half AN, rounded up, Exhausting. Allows user to stop time for up to 1 panel/Effect stone. While time is stopped, the user is free to act, catch their breath, fire arrows, drink potions, cast spells, or perform any other appropriate actions they could perform in such a duration. When time resumes, the fired arrows fly, the spells' effects take place, the consumed potions act, etc. Victims of such timestopped arrows and spells take a - (Half AN, rounded up) sitmod to their defenses, due to being unable to effectively defend against them. The only limitation of this spell is, touching or harming directly a timestopped victim immediately restarts time regardless of how many panels of Duration were left.)
- Wish (Stones VS Resistance to bring about an effect akin to Destiny Force, regulated by GM's call. Basically, the caster makes a wish and pays as many stones as they think is necessary, or as they can. If the GM deems their wish reasonable, and the stones paid as sufficient, they may rule that the wish is granted as requested. If deemed unreasonable or too few stones were paid, the GM might decide the wish was refused, or perhaps a lesser, more reasonable version of it is granted. Alternately, the GM may decide to allow it to be granted, but at a cost. Smart spellcasters do not abuse this power and word their wish carefully.)
Arachnomancer: 10
(Int.bonus)
-Efficient
-Arachne is, as her nickname implies, a powerful Arachnomancer with significant authority over all Spiderkind, in addition to having multiple spider-like powers and abilities. This action's options include:
Antivenom (Stones VS Spider venom's AN to completely stop and negate its effects in a target.)- Arachnid Link (Stones VS Intelligence + Range + Duration; allows user to perceive through the senses of a spider/spiderkind creature/spider swarm.)
- Arachnopathy (As Telepathic Communications option of Telepathy, Only usable with Spiders/Spiderkind creatures.)
- Spider Familiar (5 Character Creation stones/stone played to build a Familiar Spider based on the user's own CAD - a Familiar may not exceed any A/A/M AN or MN of their master, but otherwise can be built as needed. Calling forth a new Familiar is a one hour ritual, and the new Familiar joins their master within 24 hours. Only one familiar may exist at once. Currently, Arachne's familiar is a tarentula named Klyx.)
- Sense Spiderkind (As Sense Power at AN, Only to detect any Spiders or Spiderkind creatures.)
- Spider Taming (As Beast Taming; Only usable with Spiders/Spiderkind creatures.)
- Summon and Control Spiders (May Summon/Control 1 Spider/Spiderkind creature/Spider Swarm per AN regardless of Health; Can summon at Range of AN)
- Venom (As Corrosive Touch at up to AN, Poisonous Attack only; Requires a bite with Spider Fangs, see Modifiers below; Alternately, may paralyze for a Duration of 5 minutes/red stone of 'damage' instead of dealing damage.)
- Webbing (As Entangle - Atk VS Defense, Ignoring Toughness and Armor, to entangle (Difficulty of red stones of 'damage' up to Half AN, rounded down, and Resistance of red stones of 'damage' to free oneself), Range 3; additional successful uses add +1 to Difficulty up to maximum of Half AN, rounded up; and adds all red stones of 'damage' to Resistance with no maximum limit. OPTIONS: Instant Dissolve, Sticky and Barriers option)
- Web-Slinging (As the Action, Up to Speed 5)
- Webwalker (1 stone/panel to activate/maintain; allows her to walk on spider web as though it was solid ground, and never get stuck in it.)
Dreamweaving: 11
(Int.bonus)
-Efficient
-An incredibly potent Nightmare Lord, Arachne sees manipulating dreams and nightmares as an enjoyable hobby... as well as another among her many ways to kill. Her powers over dreams include:
Dream Display (Stones VS Intelligence; allows user to “show” a target’s dreams via a Create Illusions-like effect of up to AN for others to see.)- Dream Eater (As Improved Drain Energy; only usable on a sleeping target. The user gains actual nourishment from this as though they ate their fill for the day.)
- Dream Recall (Stones VS Intelligence to allow a target to recall their dreams for up to 1 day/AN if they so please; alternately, Atk VS Int + Mental Defense to forcibly cause an unwilling target to remember them for 1 day/red stone of ‘damage’.)
- Dreamscape Projection (As Astral Projection, Body travels with user, May bring others along, Send Others, Only to enter the 'Dreamscape', the Plane of Dreams. NOTE: This allows only to enter the general dimension of dreams itself; in order to enter a specific person's dream within it, the user must physically travel to it and enter it using the Dreamwalking option of this action, see below.)
- Dreamshaping (Stones VS Intelligence + Mental Defense of sleeping target to assume control of their dreams and manipulate them as the user pleases for a Duration of 1 hour/red stone of damage. A target under the effects of Dreamshaping cannot awaken without mystical intervention until the user is done manipulating their dreams - unless of course the user does not mind them waking up.)
- Dream Slaves (As Night Terrors below, but instead of killing, it permanently enslaves the victim to the user, forcing upon them a Loyal (-5) challenge towards the user. Up to 5x AN creatures may be enslaved like this at once.)
- Dreamwalking (Stones VS Intelligence + Magical Defense of sleeping target to manifest mentally within their dreams as a sort of astral projection in order to witness them. At user's discretion, their body may travel with them.)
- Induce Sleep (Atk VS Intelligence + Magical Defense to put a target to sleep for 5 minutes/red stone of 'damage'; victims of this effect can't awaken on their own regardless of noise or activity around them, but can be awakened with a direct interaction such as someone touching them.)
- Lucid Inducement (Stones VS Intelligence to allow a target to control their dreams as per lucid dreaming for up to AN hours.)
- Nightmarish Corruption (Entities enslaved to her will via her Dream Slave ability who remain under her control for over 50+ years will eventually transform into 'Nightmare Creatures', gaining up to this Action's AN x 10 white stones to empower them in addition to this very Action at up to 2 AN lower than the user for free.)
- Night Terrors (Atk VS Durability + Magical Defense; deals Mental Damage which can only heal at a rate of 1w per day; Target must be under the effect of Dreamshaping to use, see above. If Mental damage exceeds the victim's Intelligence AN at any point while asleep, they die in their sleep. This represents the user causing horrifying, maddening nightmares against the victim.)
- Oneiric Conjuration (As Summoning; manifested summons may not last longer than AN panels before dissolving.)
- Oneiric Constructs (As Unlimited Create option of Mastery of Matter; created constructs may not last longer than AN panels before dissolving.)
- Peaceful Rest (Stones VS Resistance + Duration to prevent nightmares or harmful dream-based effects on a given target.)
- Terrify (As Fear at up to AN, Area Effect, Centered on but ignoring self. Done via bringing up the target's worst nightmares to mind from their own psyche.)
Master Spy: 9
(Int.bonus)
-A supernaturally and mystically-trained infiltrator, Arachne is capable of multiple supernatural abilities and spells making her uniquely talented as a spy. Her powers include:
Assumption (Stones VS Durability + Magical Defense; requires physical contact; if successful, any Divination spells and other attempts to detect, identify or analyze the user magically or mentally will make the user be detected, identified or sensed as the person they touched.)- Claim Identity (Atk VS Durability + Magical Defense; if successful, the target is rendered unconscious and helpless, transformed into a porcelain mask for the Duration of 1 hour/stone played. During that time, putting on the porcelain mask allows the user - and the user alone - to transform into the victim as per Shape Shifting at AN, No need to maintain.)
- Concealed Thoughts (Passive Ability; whenever someone attempts to read her mind, she opposes this Action’s AN + her Intelligence AN VS the reader’s Intelligence + Mental Defense. If successful, instead of reading her mind, the target sees either nothing at all there, or whatever the user wants them to sense at the time.)
- Discern Location (Stones VS Hardness/Weight/Area/Technology/Highest AN/MN/Range, whichever is higher; to sense the exact location of target creature or object, up to and including creatures and objects in other dimensions. Gods, Cosmic entities and Eldritch abominations of equal or higher power than the user may be immune to this power's effects.)
- Feeblemind (Atk VS Intelligence + Magical Defense; deals no damage; if successful, temporarily reduces target's Intelligence by 1 per 3 red stones of 'damage' for a Duration of 5 minutes/red stone of 'damage'.)
- Fool Casting (Stones VS hostile Effect's AN; must be targeted by, and successfully resist, a mental or magical effect to control or manipulate her. If successful, she appears, for all intents and purposes, to have been successfully affected; even detection spells will confirm that she is under the effects of such a spell or power. If said effect allows for a mental link with the caster, it also seems to work. The only difference is, she is under no actual effect and is under no obligation to obey any command.)
- Foresight (5 stones to activate + Duration in panels; grants its user or another target Prescience, and +2 to all Defenses for the duration.)
- Hidden Mind (Passive Ability; user is Immune to Detection, Clairvoyance/Divination, Identification and similar effects, powers and spells used to sense their location, identity and/or nature. NOTE: This does not apply to visual/audio/senses-based abilities, only magic and mental abilities to sense the user. Additionally, the user gains AN as free Mental Defense.)
- Identify (Stones VS Highest AN/MN or Resistance, whichever is higher, to identify the properties of a magical item, area, or effect.)
- Master of Disguise (May combine with Thieving up to AN for the purpose of disguising her appearance. Can complete a disguise within a single panel/30 seconds as opposed to several minutes as long as she has the necessary materials available. Finally, ignores up to Half this Action’s AN of penalties to a disguise attempt for different gender, race, age or even size.)
- Memorize Page (3 stones/page; may observe a standard-sized page of text for 1 panel, and become able to remember it utterly flawlessly up to the tiniest detail. The user may remember up to Intelligence + This Action's AN pages at once.)
- Mesmerism (As the Action; with Options: Edit Memories, Empathy, Project Thoughts/Control Others, Read Minds, Subtle Commands)
- Nonmagical Aura (Up to AN times a day, the user may project an ‘aura’ of complete, total lack of magic for a Duration of 5 minutes/stone played up to AN at a time. When active, anyone attempting to detect any magical aura within her person or equipment will sense nothing but a mundane being with ordinary equipment. Alternately, the user may allow either themselves or their equipment to have some degree of magical reading, if their disguise or need requires it, but it still would not feet like the user’s own aura.)
- Open-Close (Stones VS Resistance to magically unlock and open, or close and lock, a door, container, or object which can be opened or closed. In the case of locking, the D&R of unlocking the door/container/object is of AN/Stones played, and may be unlocked either with skill and lockpicks - or appropriate tools depending on what is locked - or appropriate magic.)
- Selective Alarm (Stones VS Effect + Area + Duration on the D&R chart, where Effect is how loud the alarm can be, how many factors can be added to it activating or not ('My friends are allowed through', 'Harmless animals are allowed through', etc) and how difficult it is to bypass/dispel.)
- Superficial Knowledge (As any Knowledge, Skill or Profession-based Action a target would be expected to be capable of when the user is disguised/transformed/otherwise appearing as a target, even if the user themselves never dabbled in it, albeit they can put no more than this Action’s maximum stones or the target’s own stones in said knowledge, skill or profession -2, whichever is lower. NOTE: May not gain superpowers of a target, only learnable actions.)
- Trace Teleport (Stones VS Effect up to AN + Area + Duration on the D&R chart; where Effect is how high a person's Teleportation or equivalent action's AN is, to allow user to know where they teleported to. Must be cast within the paid for Duration to be effective.)
Necromancy: 7
(Int.bonus)
-While not as potent a Necromancer as some of her other types of magic, Arachne certainly has some measure of experience in Death magic, and intends to learn more. Her known spells and powers include:
Animate Dead (1 stone/skeleton or zombie animated; requires access to one or more corpses to use. Raises up to stones played normal mindless skeletons or zombies at once.)- Bestow Curse (Atk VS Durability + Magical Defense; if successful, inflicts the target with a curse of the user's choice, from minor annoyances such as chronic headaches to lethal curses such as inflicting red stones of damage per panel until death, or the curse is dispelled, and anything in-between. At user's discretion, may add conditions or even ways to dispel the curse. For example, 'A pox upon you should you ever betray me or mine' or 'A kiss of true love will free you of the curse', and so on. Players and GMs are encouraged to be creative when coming up with curses.)
- Command Undead (As Project Thoughts/Control Others option of Telepathy, Broadcast, Lasts for Duration of red stones of 'damage' on the D&R chart, May only control Undead.)
- Create Undead (Stones VS Durability + Magical Defense of target corpse to raise them as a sentient yet submissive Undead loyal to the Necromancer. The victim retains their abilities, knowledge, memories, skills and powers they had in life, though gain Immortal, Self-Contained Lifeform and a Special Vulnerability to Silver/Holy weapons/powers, along with a Loyalty (-5; towards the Necromancer). Alternately, if stones play exceed the Resistance, each stone over it allows user to add 5 character creation stones to further customize the type of undead they turn the victim into.)
Ninjutsu: 9
(Int.bonus)
-This action encompasses various special techniques and Ki-based powers taught to Arachne as part of her kunoichi training. It includes the following:
Acceleration (Stones VS Effect up to AN + Duration in panels, Does not require an Action to use; where Effect adds +1 to Speed/5 stones played, rounded up; Half AN rounded up to Parkour uses, and +1 to Ref.Dodge/3 stones played, rounded up.)- Dancing Lights (As Create/Manipulate Light, Only for Illumination purposes)
- Deeper Darkness (As Create/Manipulate Darkness, Only to negate light in the area; Ignores See in Darkness up to MN 6. User can see perfectly in their own darkness.)
- Faerie Fire (Atk VS Dur + Magical Defense to imbue a target with a glowing light aura, rendering invisibility and similar effects of misdirection or stealth ineffective.)
- Feather Fall (Stones VS target’s Weight to allow them to fall at a slow, safe pace negating any fall damage.)
- Feign Death (Passive Ability; whenever she sleeps or is unconscious, she can appear dead as an AN effect at her discretion. Alternately, she can choose to do so as a willing trance. The use of a Medical or Magical Healing action of stones played equal to or higher than this action's AN is required to figure out she is actually still alive.)
- Ghost Sound (As Create Illusions up to AN, Audio effects only.)
- Gorgon Stare (Atk VS Durability + Magical Defense to paralyze for 1 panel/red stone of 'damage'.)
- Invisibility (As the Action at up to AN.)
- Ki Strikes/Shots (May combine up to AN with Close or Ranged Combat, either via unarmed or weapon attacks.)
- Levitate (1 stone/panel to activate/maintain; as Flight at Speed 1, May only move vertically up and down.)
- Light Steps (2 stones/panel to use; allows user to move at +1 Speed, ignoring difficult, dangerous, slippery, sticky or rough terrain, as well as not triggering any mechanical, location-based traps; as long as the user ends their panel on actual, safe ground. Her weight while using this is akin to a feather, and any surface will support her without harm, including a tiny tree branch, water or even lava.)
- Mage Hand (As Telekinesis; May only move objects of 1 kilo/stone played up to AN, rounded up; Range 3.)
- Nourish (1 stone/day to use; gains the benefits of having slept 8 full hours, eaten her fill and drank all the necessary water for a normal day even without having done any of those. NOTE: The stones spent for this ability cannot be regenerated until the user actually sleeps 8 hours and eats and drink enough food and water for 1 full day.)
- Shield (As Force Field up to Half AN, Effective VS Magic Blasts, Defensive Stones NOT doubled.)
- Sleep with My Eyes Open (Lowers Energy Regeneration per panel by 5 to activate/maintain. User is able to fall asleep while retaining full awareness of any threat, danger, or change in their surroundings. They can awaken at a moment’s notice, and can even spend stones in Intelligence to perceive things more specifically as they sleep. Said sleep is just as restful as a normal full night of rest.)
- Smoke Bombs (2 stones to throw an AN, Area Effect of up to Half AN, rounded up, smoke bomb either at her feet, or as far as she can throw it. Arachne can see perfectly in the smoke; anyone else is affected normally.)
- Smoke Stepping (Stones up to AN to teleport from a dark area to another at a distance of 100 ft/stone when traveling from a dimly lit area to another, 200 ft/stone when traveling from a dimly lit area to a dark area or vice versa, or 300 ft/stone when traveling from a dark area to another. This can be done at exactly the same time as using a Smoke Bomb – see above – which, itself, counts as a dark area.)
- Teleportation (As the Action at up to AN; Dimensional Travel; May only teleport to places the user has seen, knows well, or has been told about with sufficient details at GM's discretion.)
- Vanish (May combine with Stealth uses of Thieving up to AN.)
- Without a Trace (1 stone/panel to leave no footsprints whatsoever when she walks or runs at up to Speed 2.)
Shapeshifter: 10
(Int.bonus)
-Efficient
-Thanks to her Shapechanger bloodline, her spider-based powers and her supernatural infiltration abilities, Arachne is incredibly talented when it comes to altering her appearance, body and/or how she is perceived. Her abilities include:
Beast Form (As Metamorphosis, Only to transform into natural animals, birds, fish, and swarms of small animals.)- Dridershape (As Spider Form, but instead of a 'normal' monstrous spider, appears as such a spider with the user's torso in place of the spider's head, allowing the user to retain much of their humanoid capabilities.)
- Frightful Aspect (Pay stones of Effect up to Half AN, rounded up; Effect stones add +1 to Str, Agl, Spd, Dur, Powers/Magical Actions, Ref.Dodge and Toughness, Magical Defense and Deep Reserves; user also gains an AN Fear effect, Action as Modifier, Area Effect of Half AN rounded up. Transforms her into a terrifying, darker, demonic-like version of herself. May be combined with other forms.)
- Shapechange (As Unlimited Transform Self of 10 stones/stone played; Retains all Mental/Magical Actions for free, May activate Growth (with +1 Toughness/active AN) or Shrink at up to AN for free. Arachne's most powerful transformation spell, allowing her to take pretty much any form with pretty much no limitation.)
- Shape Shifting (As the Action up to AN)
- Spider Form (As Metamorphosis, Transformation occurs on same panel, May activate Growth – with +1 to Toughness/level - or Shrink, of up to AN, for free along with it, May only Transform into Spiders. May either speak normally - though with inhuman voice - or communicate with other spiders/spiderkind with clicks and chirps.)
- Spider Limbs (2 stones/spider leg; May manifest up to 4 legs at once. Allows user to manifest up to four Spider legs from their abdomen and/or hips; each of them prehensile and coming with +1 claws. Each pair adds +1 Str if used in conjunction with each other or the user's other limbs, or may simply be used as separate hands with fewer fingers.)
- Vortex of Flesh (As Close Combat, 2x damage, AP, Area Effect 3 centered on but ignoring self, Blunt/Piercing/Slashing damage types; if victims do not have a Defense against all three types, their defense is ignored. Arachne can warp herself into an amalgam of erratic, alien geometric shapes of flesh, blood and bone, lashing out around her violently.)
Slayer: 8
(Int.bonus)
-Efficient
-As one of the deadliest assassins in the Material Plane - and a renowned, feared one in the Outer ones - Arachne has mastered a large number of special techniques to ensure the inevitable doom of her targets. Said abilities include the following:
Death Attack (Passive ability. AN Attack VS Durability, Kills instantly if any damage occurs; Requires 1 panel spent studying the target; Must successfully land a Sneak Attack on the target; Only effective VS Physical, Mortal, Organic beings.)- Dimensional Anchor (Stones VS Durability + Magical Defense; success prevents target from using any form of Dimensional travel for 5 minutes/red stone of 'damage'.)
- Ethereal Jaunt (As Phase Shift; While in use, is able to directly, physically attack other phased/incorporeal/ethereal creatures such as spirits and ghosts, or other phase shifters.)
- Mage's Disjunction (Atk VS Intelligence + Magical Defense, or highest Item's AN/MN + Magical Defense, whichever was higher; success temporarily disables all magical objects in the target's possession if this Action's AN is greater than the items' highest AN/MN, for a Duration of 1 minute/stone played. Alternately, stones VS a single magical item's highest AN/MN to destroy it permanently, turning it to ashes. This effect functions against any regular magical items - including most 'Indestructible' ones - except for Artifacts, or Artifact-level objects, at GM's discretion.)
- Poison Training (Can apply, extract and use poison, toxins and venoms without risk of poisoning herself. Also, adds half this Action's AN, rounded up, as Poison Defense.)
- Sculpt Corpse (Stones VS Durability + Magical Defense of target corpse; success permanently transforms the target corpse as per Shape Shifting at AN, altering their appearance to another being of up to 50% smaller or larger size than the original, up to and including looking like an exact replica of a specific person/being, provided that the user has directly seen said person/being before.)
- Teleport Trap (Stones VS Effect up to AN + Area + Duration on the D&R chart; where Effect act as Stones VS Durability of unwelcome teleporters attempting to get in the target area. If successful, transports them to any point within the Area which the caster desires; possibly into a trap, or other location of their choice.)
- True Strike (Stones VS Effect up to Half AN, rounded up + Duration in panels; where Effect is a Good Luck MN specifically for the purpose of hitting targets with one's attacks.)
Warmaster: 8
(Int.bonus)
-Arachne has access to legions of undead, swarms of spiders of all kinds and sizes, and lots and lots of nightmare creatures from the Dreamscape. She has access to the following options:
- Army Types (Nightmare Creatures, Spiders/Spiderkind, Undead)
- Batallion (May summon up to 100 normal troops/stone played, maximum.)
- Elite Troops (1 per 50 normal troops)
- Fanaticism (Her orders are obeyed without question regardless of personal risk or chances of success.)
- Heroes/Bosses (1 Hero/Boss per 1,000 normal troops)
- Mounts III (1 mount/10 normal troops; May include supernatural mounts.)
- Permanency (Needs not be maintained and summoned forces may remain for as long as the summoner wants.)
- Persistent Remains (When her troops are killed, their remains persist on the battlefield.)
- Psychic Link (User has a psychic connection with her forces.)
- Primitive I (Her most advanced army's technology does not exceed the level of flintlock firearms.)
Flight: 5
-Perfect Maneuverability
-Can levitate a 5 mph at no cost
-Via magic spell
Thieving: 8
(Agl.bonus)
-Efficient
-Stealth
-Search room/area
-Lockpicking
-Pickpocket
-Set/Disarm Traps
-Disguise
-Escape Artist
-Assassination (May combine AN with actions meant to kill a target)
Vehicle Operations: 2
-Horse-pulled Wagon
-Ship Hand
Craft: 4
(Int.bonus)
-Cartography
-Smithing
-Leatherworking
-Woodworking
Medical Healing: 3
General Knowledge: 8
(Int.bonus)
-Efficient
-History & Geography
-Herbology
-Nobility
-Appraisal
-Occult lore
-Gods/Religions
-Planes/Dimensions
-Laws
Perform: 6
(Agl.bonus)
-Calligraphy
-Dance
-Drawing
-Lute/Mandolin
-Singing
-Speeches
Houseworking: 4
(Agl.bonus)
-Cleaning
-Cooking
-Sewing
-Repairs/Maintenance
Social Skills: 8
(Int.bonus)
-Efficient
-Beautiful
-Persuade
-Bluff/Lie
-Intimidate
-Charm/Seduce
-Deception
-Impersonation
-Manipulation
MODIFIERS
Immortal
Acute Senses +2
Power Level 4
-Power Level Recovery
-Tireless +3
Accelerated Healing Factor
Energy Battery 2
Deep Reserves +5
Shapechanger Bloodline +2
-Adds to the Effect stones AND Duration of any disguise, transformation or other effect related to or implying altering her appearance.
Spider Fangs +2
-As Claws
-Retractable
Reflexive Dodge +4
Toughness +3
Mental Defense +9
Magical Defense +9
Poison Defense +4
-Via Slayer
Targeting +3
Fast-Draw +3
Immunities
-Fear, Illusions, Clairvoyance/Detection/Divination/Lie Detection/Sleeping Spells, Mind Reading (See Eldritch Mind, below.)
Critical Hit: 5
-Roll a D20, Add MN stones to attack if rolling equal or lower than the MN
-Target must have internal organs or weak points to be vulnerable to critical hits, at GM's discretion
-Viscious Criticals (Makes all Critical Hits deal 2x damage. If already 2x damage, adds 2 stones to the attack instead.)
Sneak Attack: 11
-Combine with Close Combat when undetected
-Improved Sneak Attack (Allows the user to perform a Sneak Attack even when detected, as long as the victim is unaware that they are about to be attacked.)
-Enhanced Sneak Attack (Allows the user to perform a Sneak Attack even when detected, against a target aware of the attack, as long as they are unable to effectively and fully defend against the user.)
-Superior Sneak Attack (Allows user to perform a Sneak Attack even when detected, against a target aware of the attack, fully capable of defending themselves, as long as the user's offensive action's AN beats the target's Intelligence AN, and the user spends 2 stones out of thier attack to 'feint' or otherwise distract the target in order to land the Sneak Attack.)
-Vicious Sneak Attack (All Sneak Attacks performed by the user deal 2x damage. If the attack was already 2x damage, increases its effect by 2 stones.)
-Ranged Sneak Attack (Allows Sneak Attack to be used by Ranged Combat attacks as well, up to the attack's average Range.)
Eldritch Mind
-Any attempt to read her thoughts via Telepathy, Mesmerism or similar effects, will fail immediately and cause a backlash of Stones played as Fear VS the offender, due to how alien and unnatural her mind has become during her centuries lived in the Dreamscape.
Darkstalker
-When she uses stealth, creatures with supernatural/exceptional senses such as blindsense, tremorsense and the like must still overcome her stealth to notice her despite their senses.
Ignore Materials
-Arachne never needs any materials to cast spells, even when such objects would normally be required. This is a supernatural ability.
Multilinguist
-Knows multiple languages and can learn an entirely new one within a week of study given access to proper books, or a skilled trainer.
Enhanced Vision 6
-See Auras and Magical Forces, See in Darkness, See into Other Dimensions, See Invisibility
Wealth: 5
Resources: 4
-Arachne is one of the best - if not the best - most skilled and most successful assassins, thieves, spies and bounty hunters in the Material Plane and most of the Outer Planes. She is also a Nightmare Lord and the chief agent and enforcer of the Eldritch entity known only as 'the Mother', one of the biggest movers and shakers of the Dreamscape. As such, the Spider benefits from the following:
- Network of Informants (Given that she leads a vast number of nightmare creatures constantly observing and even entering the dreams of any mortals they please, Arachne has access to an immeasurable amount of information and secrets sometimes known only to but herself and the person who hides it.)
- Position of Authority (While her existence is beyond the ability of most mages to perceive, let alone understand, the big names in the occult community know of the Dream Weaver, one of the most potent Nightmare Lords in the Dreamscape. Many fear her, others revere her; most pray she does not trouble their dreams.)
- Respected Status (As 'The Spider', she is known as one of the best money could buy in the entire underworld, up to and including other planes of existence.)
- Secure Headquarters (Arachne's headquarters exist downright outside of known reality, in the metaphysical plane of the Dreamscape, in her own Dream Sphere, a pocket dimension holding a huge creepy mansion in an unsettling forest and rocky plains, where a permanent night illuminated only by the full moon and the occasional torch hides countless undead, spiders and nightmare creatures.)
CHALLENGES
-Looking Non-Human (-1; in her natural form, she is a grey-skinned, pointy-eared, silver-haired and white-eyed Dark Elf/Drow of supernatural beauty. However, given how she can transform into pretty much whatever she pleases with her abilities, this challenge's value is heavily reduced.)
-Psychological (-4, severe delusions; believes herself to be the living embodiment of nightmares and her 'true' body to be that of a monstrous spider. She believes her Drow nature to be just another form she takes when she feels like interacting with other creatures on more 'friendly' terms.)
-Psychological (-3; moderate psychopathy. Arachne lacks empathy and remorse, enjoys manipulating and hurting others, doesn't especially feel concerned with the established 'rights' of others, and tends to ignore social norms and laws when they conflict with her goals. She is very much capable of behaving normally and blending in, but this is her true nature deep down.)
-Covetous (-3; moderate ambition. Arachne enjoys power quite a bit, and seeks more of it. She has a shot at possibly reaching apotheosis and becoming a true Goddess of Nightmares, and she fully plans to do so eventually.)
-Covetous (-2; moderate greed. Money makes the world go round, and she welcomes more of it.)
-Obsession (-3; moderate, towards death and killing. To her, death is beautiful, and killing is an art. Even though they are sometimes necessary, unplanned murders and unnecessary killings are distateful and a waste in her mind, for a 'good death' should be dealt accordingly and personalized for each specific victim. For example, poisoning the meal of a man known for his gluttony and endless appetite would be perfect in her eyes.)
-Obsession (-1; mild, towards knowledge and learning new skills. The more she knows and can do, the more people and roles she can impersonate and assume, allowing her to be better at what she does. For that reason, she positively loves learning new things, however minor they may be.)
-Loyal (-5; towards 'the Mother', an eldritch abomination of godlike power residing within the Dreamscape, and who made Arachne into the being she is today.)
-Code of Honor (-4; Arachne never betrays a client whom she has reached an agreement with for a job, both because it is bad for business, and due to the necessity of building trust with potential customers. Once she has agreed to take on a job, she will do everything in her power to complete it to the best of her capabilities, and no amount of money, treasure or threats will sway her - though unexpected threats may increase her prices.)
-Watched (-5; by various heroes, organizations and groups. 'The Spider' is by far one of the greatest assassins in known history and across multiple dimensions, and as such, she is rightfully feared across the Material plane, and the outer places as well. While few and far between are those who would be foolish enough to engage her in battle or get in her way knowingly, many are those who at least try to keep tabs on her and her actions... usually unsuccessfully so, given her abilities.)
EQUIPMENT
-Currently Worn: Emerald green, white and black medieval dress with 3 inches gloss black pumps
-Headband of Greater Disguise (As an AN 8 Shape Shifting effect usable at will, Needs not maintain, Action as Modifier. Headband transforms along with user when needed to; normally appears as a red silk headband.)
-Bracers of Armor (+3 Armor; magically enhanced to safely parry bladed, thrown and projectile weapons, in addition to defending against regular attacks. Appear as black leather bracers lines with small bars of enchanted steel.)
-Ring of Unbound Spirit (+8 Resistance to all Effects meant to bind/restrict/limit/prevent the bearer's movement and mobility, and/or adds +8 to actions used to overcome such limitations, for that very purpose. For example, can move freely in water as though she was on the ground, although she can still swim, allowing her to exceed normal human maximum speed limit.)
-Ring of Sustenance (While worn, provides bearer with sufficient nourishment to sustain their life as though they had eaten and drank sufficiently to live, and only need 2 hours of sleep a day to function at full capability. Users of the ring still tends to eat and drink when they can, and sometimes sleep longer for the sake of it, however, as the ring does not provide the same feeling of satisfaction as the real thing.)
-Magic Dagger (+2. No other effect; simply a well-crafted, slightly magically enhanced dagger.)
-Thieves' Tools (High quality; +1 to many uses of Thieving involving the use of tools, such as lockpicking, setting traps, disarming traps, and so on.)
RESERVE EQUIPMENT (Kept in Bag of Holding)
-Otherworldly Ninja-Yoroi (+2 to all Non-Physical Defenses, +2 to all Magical actions. 1/day, may use an AN 8 + Int.bonus Attack VS target's Durability + Magical Defense, AN stones are free from GP; deals no damage. If successful, the victim is shunted into a dark maze appearing as a sinister, dark, foggy forest with walls of crooked, dried trees and spider webs. Exitting the maze is a D: 5 R: 50 task, dealt with using Intelligence or appropriate actions; when successful, the victim reappars in the spot they vanished from. Consisting of a high-quality, traditional jacket, trousers, hooded cowl and tabi.)
-Gloves of Iron Grip (2/day; MN 10 effect to automatically catch a projectile attack in midair which would otherwise have hit the user - or alternately which the user could have dodged/defended against, but wished to catch anyway - as long as this effect's MN is higher than the attack's AN. The user must be aware of the incoming attack to catch the projectile. Also, 1/day, AN 10 Effect VS target metallic object to crumble it into useless rusted scrap; Requires physical contact; Magical items are immune to this effect.)
-Sandals of Striding and Springing (+1 to Speed and +2 to all jumping/leaping uses of Parkour while worn. Black in color, worn with her Ninja-Yoroi's tabi.)
-Shroud of the Many-Faced (+2 to all Stealth uses; Allows wearer to hear the voices of Spirits and the Dead. Additionally, Up to 10 times a day, may turn incorporeal - as Phase Shift - for up to 2 panels or 1 minute, whichever is longest, appearing as a ghostly figure to onlookers. Attacking in this form ends the effect early. Finally, the user may 'store' up to three fully completed mundane disguises within the shroud, and transform into them in a single Action. To store a disguise, the user simply manually disguises themselves, then touch the cloak; attempting to store a 4th one will force the user to 'reject' one of the previous three, resulting in the disguise falling out of the cloak. The shroud appears as a sinister, black as night, torn cloak seemingly made of darkness itself, and moving unnaturally seemingly with a life of its own.)
-Sniper's Goggles (Grants +5 sitmod to all Ranged Combat called shots for the purpose of hitting the intended target where they wish, in addition to allowing Sneak Attacks to be dealt regardless of distance, as long as they can indeed hit a foe from said distance.)
-Handy Haversack, Efficient Quiver and Bag of Holding (All share the same kind of enchantment, totalling an effect equivalent to Hammerspace AN 7; with the bag being worth 3, haversack 2, and the quiver 2. The difference being that the quiver may only hold projectile or thrown weapons and their ammo, and the quiver and haversack both having an enchantment allowing the user to pull out any specific item they want from them just by reaching inside, allowing their user, for example, to quickly draw and fire four different types of arrows in quick succession. The Bag of Holding, however, requires user to open it and search its contents for what they need.)
-Mask of a Thousand Tomes (+5 to all Knowledge-based skills/actions - including about knowledge they never even know, negating any penalties for not having a specific knowledge-based action - but Blinds the user while worn. This white, unsettling, blank mask seemingly made of porcelain will shape itself to the wearer's face, only leaving holes for the user's nose and mouth, blinding them but granting them the knowledge of ancient, forgotten and forbidden libraries if the Outer Planes.)
-Agony (+6, 2x damage, 3x damage VS Constructs/Undead, +2 to Critical Hit, Near-Indestructible rapier. The user may alter its appearance at will as per a Create Illusion AN 8 effect limited to the weapon and its sheath. A dark, silver-like, masterfully crafted rapier favored by the assassin known as 'The Spider'.)
-Torment (+4, 2x damage, 3x damage VS Elementals/Oozes, Range 4, Near-Indestructible Composite Longbow. This black, eerie bow seems otherworldly in nature and seems made out of a strange mix of wood and metal alike.)
-Whisper (+3, 2x damage, AP, Near-Indestructible Ninja-To whose blade is made of dark/black colored 'light' and completely silent; -5 sitmods to all attempts to hear it being drawn or used to kill.)
-Magic Blowgun (+1, +3 Good Luck effect to hit targets, Range 2; Fire darts as ammo. Typically used with poisoned darts.)
-15x Shuriken (+1 thrown weapon, Range 3. An ineffective weapon in the hands of many, but lethal in those of a ninja. Kept in a bandolier over her shoulder and around her torso.)
-Multiple Arrows (Arachne is an amazing archer, but also a very resourceful one. Thanks to her enchanted equipment, she routinely carries hundreds of arrows of many different types, useful for many different situations; a few handfuls of each in her quiver, and many more in her Bag of Holding. Said arrows are described below:
- Base Arrows (No change. Regular arrows used by most archers.)
- Bleeding Arrows (As normal arrows, but causes targets to suffer a cumulative 1 stone of Stun damage per panel, and 1w of damage per 3 panels, due to increased bleeding, until stabilized by Magical/Medical/Mutant Healing of AN 3 or higher, or other appropriate healing spell or effects.)
- Blunt Arrows (-1 to Attack, Deals Stun damage only.)
- Burning Arrows (As normal arrows, but sets flammable objects on fire upon impact.)
- Dye Arrows (No damage, ignores Toughness and Armor; if target is hit, splashes them with colored dye sufficient to coat 1 square foot.)
- Flight Arrows (-1 to Wpn.modifier, +1 to Range.)
- Hunting Arrows (+1 to hit targets smaller than the user, but said bonus doesn't add to damage.)
- Lodestone Arrows (-2 to Wpn.modifier, but +4 Good Luck effect to hit targets wearing a lot of metal)
- Smoke Arrows (As normal arrows, but leaves a trail of smoke behind and generates an Area 2 cloud of thick grey smoke wherever they hit.)
- Trip Arrows (No damage, Atk VS Defense to bind the legs of a target no larger than a horse with rope and trip them. D: 3 R: 9 to free oneself.)
- Whistling Arrows (As normal arrows, but emits an AN 4 loud keening sound audible within 500 ft of the flight path.)
-Bedroll and blankets
-Canteen
-Compass
-Flint and Steel
-Ink and Inkpen
-Journal
-Mirror
-Spell Components Pouch
-Masterwork Lute (+1 to all Lute-related uses of Perform)
-Tarot Card deck (Both regular and high quality)
-Board games, dice, cards decks of various qualities
-Chalk sticks
-Sacks
-5 days worth of Elven Trail rations
-Multiple Kits: Cooking, Entertainer, Fishing, Gear Maintenance, Grooming, Mess, Shaving, Disguise, Forger, Gambler (Add +1 to all uses of corresponding actions, and contain all the common items necessary for all of these.)
-Chests filled with disguises, uniforms, clothes, wigs, makeup, etc.
-Familiar Satchel (Made to contain her familiar, Klyx, safely whenever traveling in dangerous circumstances; essentially similar to the function of a Pokéball.)
-Mushrooms (Usable as ingredients for love potion(s))
-Blue Shell (From Mario verse)
RESERVE EQUIPMENT (In her Dreamscape)
-Arachne's Dreamscape (A pocket dimension within the Plane of Dreams, about as large as a small medieval town, complete with a huge mansion/fortress, a spooky forest, mountains in the distance, and various ruins, with a permanent dark night illuminated by a full moon and occasional torches. Filled with undead, nightmare creatures under her command, and countless spiders, monstrous spiders and spiderkind creatures. Basically her own, personal home plane within the Plane of Dreams, which she controls and manipulates at will, and where she lives when away from the Material plane.)
______________________________________________________________
STORY: Naephree Halyass was a Drow noble girl like any other. Beautiful, smart, gifted in the magic arts, strong-willed yet obedient to her family, and devoted to the Drow goddess Lolth, fated to be a priestess of the goddess, as all noble girls of significant power tend to become.
Or at least, that's what her family used to think. The truth was, actually, quite different. Naephree had never given a damn about Lolth, for starters. Nor about her family, for that matter. She was only obedient to them because doing otherwise would have meant her death in her youth, and she only pretended to be a devout servant of Lolth in order to be left alone, avoid a forced wedding with another noble, and be trained and taught much as she would prepare to become a priestess, all without attracting suspicion. The truth was, she couldn't wait to get out of there and live her own life, Drow society be damned. And get out of there, she did.
However, she did not go far. Mere hours after her escape, she was whisked away by 'the Mother'... an unknown - unknowable? - godlike eldritch entity residing in the Dreamscape, the Plane of Dreams. There, it taught her much. It twisted her, as well. It made her witness horrors she had never imagined, taste power she had never suspected, and learn knowledge that was never meant to be known. She was made a Nightmare Lord, servant of the Mother, master of dreams, assassin, master spy, and powerful sorceress. She was made... into Arachne, the Dream Weaver.
From that day onwards, 'the Spider' roamed the Material and Outer Planes, performing duties and tasks for her mysterious 'Mother' and select allies, friends and valuable 'assets'. She quickly build a reputation for herself as one of the deadliest, most effective and most unstoppable assassins, thieves, and spies in all of the Realms. She can kill with dreams as easily as with poison, blade and magic, and her unique shapeshifting abilities and affinity with spiders make her an even more terrifying opponent... or invaluable ally.