Fantasy NPC: The Old Baron Of Leshiskovo

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The Old Baron Of Leshiskovo

An older gentleman wearing a mismatched combination of pajamas and clockmaker apron with tools. He doesn't look too well, however. In fact, he's sort of translucent and flickers on the edges...

CR 9; 6,400 XP

Venerable human male ghost warrior 9

N Medium Undead (augmented humanoid, incorporeal)

Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +3

Defense
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+5 deflection, –1 Dex)
hp 103 (9d10+54)
Fort +11, Ref +2, Will +8

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal, rejuvenation; Immune undead traits

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee corrupting touch +6 (9d6, Fort DC 19 half)

Special Attacks command clocks (DC 19), turn the clocks

Statistics
Str –, Dex 8, Con —, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 20

Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 21
Feats Clockmaker, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Master Craftsman (Craft [clockwork]), Skill Focus (Craft [clockwork]), Toughness

Skills Craft (clockwork) +21, Fly +18, Knowledge (engineering) +13, Knowledge (local) +13, Knowledge (nobility) +13, Profession (engineer) +12, Use Magic Device +14

Language Aklo, Common, Duc, Gnome, Infernal, Sylvan

Command Clocks (Su) The Old Baron can issue simple commands to clockwork constructs as a standard action unless they succeed a Will saving throw (DC 19). A successful saving throw renders the target immune to further commands for the next 24 hours. The Old Baron can also interact with clocks and clockworks to wind them up, set the time, and repair them, as if he was corporeal and had adequate set of tools at hand. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Corrupting Touch (Su) The Old Baron's corrupting touch can age objects and constructs, dealing its normal damage to them.

Turn The Clocks (Su) The Old Baron can take a standard action to either stop or accelerate all the clockworks within his castle. The former causes the clockwork devices to stop in their tracks without moving and lose their Dexterity bonus to AC for 1d4+1 rounds. The later grants them +2 bonus to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, and skill checks, as well as an additional attack at their highest base attack bonus when taking full attack action and +30 feet enhancement to all their movement speed modes (to a maximum of twice their normal speed) for the same time. The Old Baron cannot use it again until the previous effect expired and he can only use the opposite effect afterwards.

When the good Old Baron Of Leshiskovo died, his people were too distraught with the veil of eternal night that fell on their city just a few years earlier to truly mourn their somewhat distant but mostly benevolent ruler. His way of attempting to deal with that final issue with more mechanical contraptions hadn't exactly captured their hearts either.

What most denizens don't remember anymore, is that the Old Baron wasn't a blood heir of his predecessor—he was a common man by birth, and a guardsman by trade, though his true love was the art of making clocks. The previous baroness was impressed by his intellect and adopted the gifted soldier and made him her heir. No one cared about it then, but after his death this caused a succession crisis, as the side branches of the family started to struggle over the inheritance of the castle, the township, and the barony—with little regard for the issues troubling the lands and their subjects.

The Old Baron is not really aware of those issue though, roaming the castle that he called his own, taking care of his beloved clocks and throngs of clockwork minions of various shapes and functions he build over the years to man the castle, even though they are nowhere near as reliable and obedient as they were when he was alive.

If anyone comes asking—hopefully avoiding the clockwork guardians instead of wracking a path of destruction through them—the Old Baron doesn't have any recollection of the last few years before his death—he only vaguely remembers coming of the eternal night to his city, and doesn't remember constructing the Dreamkiller at all. In fact, if he would ever be presented with accurate description or a likeness, he would be certain that creation of such device far exceeds his knowledge and skills.

New Feat: Clockmaker

You have mastered the art of making clockwork devices and now they can work on their own.

Prerequisites: Master Craftsman (Craft [clockwork]).

Benefit: You can craft clockwork constructs and devices as if you had Craft Construct and Craft Wondrous Items feats. You can substitute your number of ranks in Craft (clockwork) skill for your total caster level.

Fantasy NPC: Mr. Pinch

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Mr. Pinch

A gaunt, spindly elf with a creepy grin, and unkempt, thinning bluish hair. He wears a top hat that seen better days, and a spotted coat.

CR 5; 1,600 XP

NE Medium Outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar)

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12

Defense
AC 18, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +2 deflection, +4 Dex)
hp 57 (6d10+24)
Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +8

Defensive Abilities mask of mundanity; DR 10/good or silver; Immune acid, disease, poison, sleep; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 claws +10 (1d6+4) or sword cane +10/+5 (1d6+4)

Ranged thrown bombs +11 (4d6 acid, cold, electricity or fire damage plus 4 splash damage)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th, concentration +7)

At Will—detect poison, mending, polypurpose panacea, prestidigitation, spark

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 13

Base Atk +6; CMB +10; CMD 26
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Craft [alchemy]), Throw Anything

Skills Bluff +10, Craft (alchemy) +13, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (local) +10, Knowledge (planes) +10, Perception +12, Sense Motive +12

Language Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.

SQ vile chemistry

Alchemical Bombs (Su) Mr. Pinch can pull alchemical bombs from various pockets of his coat and use them as thrown splash weapons with 20 feet range increment, dealing 4d6 points of acid, cold, electricity or fire damage and 4 points of splash damage within 10 feet splash radius. Unlike a mundane alchemist, Mr. Pinch isn't limited in number of bombs he can use each day, but he tries to avoid using more than seven in a single encounter unless desperate.

Mask Of Mundanity (Ex and Su) Mr. Pinch appears as a mundane, though rather creepy mortal and registers as such to divinations of lower potency than true seeing. He retains a faint aura of evil, adequate for a highly skilled but unscrupulous tradesman of evil alignment and his surface thoughts match the overall image.

Vile Chemistry (Ex and Su) Mr. Pinch can craft alchemical items using improvised tools—a few bottles and pots will usually do. He doesn't even have to bother with keeping them clean. If he is in possession of souls, he can substitute them for required costly components. He can also procure a mixture that duplicates effects of polypurpose panacea (of his choosing) on the drinker (requires 1 gp of components and an hour of his work to craft a dose).

Mr. Pinch doesn't know what caused the eternal darkness haunting the township of Leshiskovo, neither he knows what caused the plague of nightmares that spawn from the minds of the denizens of this town afterwards, but he knowns an opportunity when he sees one. The rigorous policies enforced within the settlement by that Dreamkiller automaton restricting time people can dedicated to sleep, associated curfew, and prohibition on dreaming make the citizens willing to help themselves ease the strain with a little bit of chemical aid. Some seek help falling asleep while the other would rather not sleep at all. Mr. Pinch can offer remedies that help with either. He doesn't mention that his medicines have tendency to have unpleasant side effects when abused—including but not limited to addiction, psychotic attacks, heart failures, and strokes. He is an opportunistic nihilist deep inside so it doesn't bother him at all.

Fantasy NPC: Dreamkiller

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Dreamkiller

An anthropomorphic figure of brass and iron, with a faceplate resembling a knightly helmet, scythe-like blades extending from its arms, and two rows of vertical pipes coming out of its back.

CR 10; 9,600 XP

LN Medium Construct

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, sense dreams; Perception +16

Defense
AC 24, touch 18, flat-footed 20 (+4 deflection, +4 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 114 (12d10+48)
Fort +10, Ref +14, Will +14

Defensive Abilities superior toughness 4; DR 10/adamantine and magic; Immune construct traits

Offense
Speed 40 ft.

Melee 2 armblades +20 (2d6+7, 19–20/×2)

Special Attacks enhanced armblades, pounce

Statistics
Str 22, Dex 18, Con —, Int 19, Wis 19, Cha 19

Base Atk +12; CMB +18; CMD 36
Feats Combat Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (armblade)

Skills Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (local) +16, Knowledge (planes) +16, Perception +16 Sense Motive +16

Language Aklo, Common, Duc, Sylvan

SQ horns of awakening, internal clock

Enhanced Armblades (Su) Dreamkiller's armblades are natural melee attacks that have +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage, and ghost touch weapon property. They are made of combination of silver and cold iron and count as bane weapon against creatures that come from or are innately related to dreams, such as awakened dreams, dreamsippers, bushyasta divs, and certain ghosts.

Horns Of Awakening (Su) As a full-round action, Dreamkiller can pump air through the pipes on its back producing a very low, far-reaching buzzing that can easily awaken sleeping creatures within up to 1 mile. Each round Dreamkiller blows the horns, each still sleeping creature has to make a Perception check (DC 10), waking up on a success. Each creature under a magical sleep effect within 1 mile is subject to a single greater dispel magic (dispel check bonus is 11+the number of rounds the horns were blown). This is a sonic effect.

Internal Clock (Ex) Dreamkiller is perfectly aware of flow of time, current time, seasons, and the position the sun and moon should be occupying in the sky.

Sense Dreams (Su) Dreamkiller senses all sapient creatures sleeping within 60 feet and knows which of them are currently dreaming. It can also detect dream-creatures as if possessed blindsense with the same range.

Superior Toughness 4 (Ex) Dreamkiller has 4 additional hit points per HD and gains +4 bonus to all saving throws.

Not one of the denizens of Leshiskovo expected how their lives would change when the darkness fell on their quaint township. The sun's failure to rise in the mornings disturbed their daily routine but the local baron—a benevolent if detached ruler—quickly found a way, constructing the magical watchman whose main role was waking up the citizens at regular intervals so the everyday life could continue despite there being no actual daylight. He also funded new web of lanterns and many other conveniences helping people deal with the eternal night.

It worked for a time, until the good baron's demise. Well, the cracks in the façade of normality started showing earlier, with more and more people suffering from nightmares, more and more people unwilling, or unable to get up at the prescribed times. Before his death, the baron tinkered with his watchman more and more, making it more durable, making its horn louder, and making it more dedicated to its mission. When the good baron finally succumbed to his age, the things turned to the worse—the nightmares started to reach beyond the veil of dreams and started to manifest in the town. At that time, the watchman took further steps to tinker with its own construction growing to become protector of the city from the rogue dreams.

It worked, for a time. The old baron instilled in his creation utter dedication to the mission given, but didn't took into account that the mechanical mind doesn't really understand mortal needs, corporeal or spiritual. The watchman instituted a global curfew and a strict wake up signal, repeated four times a day, disrupting nightmares and benevolent dreams alike and earning itself the name of Dreamkiller from the population. In mean time, the inheritance of the baron's seat got entangled in legal hurdles, direct heirs being unwilling to take over afflicted township, other heirs expecting to receive tribute from the town without any obligations on their part.

For now, the Dreamkiller keeps its watch over city enforcing the rules regarding the daily cycles, sleep, and dreaming, without much regard for the strain it puts on the citizens.

Fantasy NPC: Queen Mother Unseen

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Queen Mother Unseen

An unseen presence, a sweet voice whispering in your thoughts that makes you think of a beautiful woman taking care of you like a mother.

CR 7; 3,200 XP

LN Medium Fey (incorporeal)

Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Perception +21

Defense
AC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 14 (+4 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 54 (12d6+12)
Fort +5, Ref +12, Will +10

Defensive Abilities incorporeal, invisibility, protect my son

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee unseen grasp +10 touch (staggered 1d4 rounds)

Special Attacks unseen grasp (stun for 1 round, DC 19 Will negates)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th, concentration +16)

Constant—invisibility

At Will—dancing lights, detect poison, dispel magic, guidance, lullaby, mage hand, mending, prestidigitation, resistance, unseen servant

1/day—entice fey (any number of her fey subjects with total HD not exceeding 12, none of which might have more than 3 CR, instead of payment she accepts their services as the tribute they owe her)

Statistics
Str —, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 19

Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 25
Feats Alertness, Bodyguard, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Knowledge [nobility])

Skills Fly +27, Knowledge (local) +16, Knowledge (nature) +16, Knowledge (nobility) +19, Perception +21, Sense Motive +21, Stealth +19

Language Common, Duc, Infernal, Sylvan; telepathy 100 ft.

Protect My Son (Ex) When Queen Mother Unseen uses her Bodyguard feat to protect her son, its effects are greatly enhanced—the boy uses her AC and saving throws in response to any attacks and effects that force saving throws instead of his own. If the effect normally deals half damage or produces a partial result on a successful saving throw, its effects are completely negated.

Unseen Grasp (Su) Queen Mother Unseen can reach with her spectral hands to strike against anyone who would hurt her son. On a successful melee touch attack, the target becomes staggered for 1d4 rounds. On a failed Will saving throw (DC 20), the target is stunned for 1 round. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

King Leifhen was getting desperate late into his reign—he needed a heir to succeed him, but but all the marriages suitable at the time that could give him a legitimate scion had strings attached that he'd rather avoid. Until one of his allies, a bard and a priest of the old ways lead him to meeting with a fey lady that offered him a deal—a secret marriage that would made her a queen and to him, it would give a child. He agreed and thus Leifheric was sired and born on the night of their wedding ceremony. The king brought and presented the boy to the court, and despite many objections, made his heir.

The newly empowered fey queen reigned in her small court, but after a time passed, she discovered to her surprise, that she longed to see the boy, to keep him safe, and watch him succeed. She came secretly to the castle of her one-time husband and lover only to discover that by then Leifhen was already dead, having failing to an unexpected disease, and the boy is under care of the royal court, supervised by oft quarreling regency council composed of aristocrats and highest magistrates of the court, torn by strife and conflicting interests, with only few really caring for the young king's well-being.

That made her decide to stay secretly at the court and protect Leifheric from threats, internal and external. Now, she is an unseen presence roaming the court, though preferring to stay close to her son—while the courtiers are unconvinced, the servants and guards started to tell the stories that the boy-king's mother ghost might be watching over him, as there was a number of unexplained incidents happening nearby. Other blame them on surprising number of petty fey hanging around recently.