Fantasy NPC: Vix, The Puppeteer

  

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Vix, The Puppeteer

The proprietor of the show is small and chubby, with eyes resembling beads of blackest obsidian.

CR 5; 1,600 XP

Azan wizard 6

LE Small Humanoid (azan)

Init +0; Senses low-light vision; Perception +10

Defense
AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
hp 23 (6d6)
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +9

Offense
Speed 20 ft.

Melee dagger +2 (1d4–2, 19–20/×2)

Special Attacks bolster (7/day), command undead (7/day, DC 17)

Wizard Spells (CL 6th, concentration +10)

3rd—fly, lesser animate dead (×2), major image

2nd—command undead (×2), invisibility, minor image (×2)

1st—cause fear (DC 16), mage armor, shield, unseen servant (×2)

0—detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, prestidigitation

Statistics
Str 6, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 18
Base Atk +3; CMB +0; CMD 10
Feats Mage Tattoo, Spell Focus (Necromancy), Telepathic Commands

Skills Craft (puppets) +13, Disguise +10, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Knowledge (religion) +13, Perception +10, Perform (puppetry) +10, Spellcraft +13
Language Abyssal, Azan, Common, Duc, Infernal, Necril

SQ arcane bond (scepter), arcane school (undead focused school)

Notable Gear cloak of resistance +2, a large number of various Tiny and Small skeletons (in the range of 20 or more HD of creatures at any one time) wearing carefully crafted costumes and disguises, wagon pulled by two horses, doubling as a theater stage

Vix is the owner, the director, and the main performer of a wandering puppet theater. The theater might not be worth mentioning, except all the puppets involved are really Tiny or Small skeletons wearing carefully crafted shells made of scented clays, papier-mache, and cloth. They perform somewhat crude and brutal shows on-stage and serve as stage-hands and walking advertisement.

Vix maintains a steady selection of the puppets, replacing damaged ones regularly. Because of irrational superstitions of others, the nature of the puppets is not advertised, and their construction kept confidential ("buisness secret"). Humanoid skeletons are avoided, except for little savage creatures that are not considered people in civilized regions.

New Feat: Telepathic Commands

You can issue commands to your minions without speaking.

Benefit: You can direct your summoned creatures or undead that are under your control as if you had telepathy with 100 feet range, instead of relying on verbal commands.