Gil Devine

Gil has traveled around certain locations within the Republic of Esrun, often finding the need to leave the city under questionable circumstances. Luckily for her, her adventuresome spirit is always looking for a new place in which to venture, so this suits her.

Gil is a liar and a cheat, and that's why so many men like her. She is as aggressive a person as you'll ever meet, but not always (in fact, rarely) to your benefit. Unless you're on her good side, she'll leave you with a lighter purse at every encounter. And she rarely lets anyone onto her good side. It's a matter of survival, you know?

Her favorite activity is employing forgery and disguise to her benefit, but she'll settle for a good old fashioned pickpocketing anyday!

Gil Devine
Medium-size Female Human
Rogue 4
Hit Dice: (4d6)
Hit Points: 19
Initiative: +5
Speed: Walk 30 ft.
AC: 17 (flatfooted 17, touch 15)
Attacks: *Sword +1 (Short) +6; ;
Damage: *Sword +1 (Short) 1d6+3; ;
Vision:
Face / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Qualities: Evasion (Ex), Sneak Attack +2d6, Trap Sense (Ex) +1, Trapfinding, Uncanny Dodge (Dex bonus to AC)
Saves: Fortitude: +1, Reflex: +9, Will: +3
Abilities: STR 14 (+2), DEX 20 (+5), CON 11 (+0), INT 11 (+0), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 12 (+1)
Skills: Appraise 3; Balance 14; Bluff 8; Climb 4; Concentration 0; Craft (Untrained) 0; Decipher Script 1; Diplomacy 4; Disguise 8; Escape Artist 5; Forgery 9; Gather Information 1; Heal 2; Hide 11; Intimidate 3; Jump 4; Listen 2; Move Silently 9; Ride 5; Search 1; Sense Motive 4; Sleight of Hand 16; Spot 2; Survival 2; Swim 2; Tumble 10; Use Magic Device 5;
Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light), Deceitful, Deft Hands, Nimble Fingers, Simple Weapon Proficiency
Challenge Rating: 4
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Possessions: Gloves of Dexterity +2; Leather; Sword +1 (Short);

Fringilla Monk

The Fringilla monks are acclaimed vintners who live in the isolated hilltop monastery Kloster Finch in Ettal Valley among the birds and their alchemical concoctions. In addition, they are mixologists that excel at making potions that bring joy and a mellow state in the populace. Through these concoctions, the people of the nearby towns of Garlston and Harlsbridge have come to appreciate and even revere the monks over the past twenty or more years.

However, more recently, the hills have grown more wild, ettins and ogres finding their way into the countryside, and the monks have modified their mixes with an aim toward incapacitating these foes. These once-peaceful monks have also been forced to take up martial arts in recent years in response to these external pressures. They combine tai chi with judo to embody a form of martial discipline that uses their attackers' momentum against them, a technique which they have now begun to train the people of Garlston in.

Their brotherhood has grown so fast that they have begun construction of a new wing of the monastery. This has not been without a certain amount of political upheaval, as many of these new brothers are still naive to the more spiritual practices of the brotherhood. As such, a distinct caste-like structure has developed as a hierarchy within the brotherhood, with the elder monks enjoying some hypocritical leisure time while the young recruits learn their discipline.

A typical Fringilla monk has a high strength and a high dexterity and is spiritually aware. Many of the monks are privy to the highly specialized alchemy employed in the monastery, so they will have the brew potion feat, for which they only pay half the cost of normal brewing costs, since they pay the difference with their penance. In addition, all the monks know their fringilla style martial art, which provides a +1 to their base attacks, and another +1 if more than one monk engages a single foe.

Zuggtmoy's Gift

This little guy just got done being slain by my players at the top of the Black Spike in the Temple of All-Consumption. Since the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil didn't include the stats for this 20HD mushroom, I thought I'd write them up and share them with you. Enjoy!

Advanced Violet Fungus CR: 11
Neutral Evil Huge Plant
Initiative: -3

Armor Class: 20 (-3 Dex, +15 natural, -2 size), touch 5, flat-footed 25
HP 238 (HD: 20d8+140)
Saves: Fort +19, Ref +3, Will +6

Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
Attack: Tentacle +25 melee (1d6+10 plus poison)
Full Attack: 4 tentacles +25 melee (1d6+10 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./20 ft.
Base Attack/Grapple:+15 / +33

Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities:Low-light vision, plant traits

Abilities: Str 30, Dex 4, Con 24, Int Ø, Wis 11, Cha 9

Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary

Treasure: None


Combat

A violet fungus flails about with its tentacles at living creatures that come within its reach.

Poison (Ex) Injury, Fortitude DC 27, initial and secondary damage 1d8 Str and 1d8 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Passion

This variant rule has the DM keep track of the passion of the characters, enabling the DM to introduce quests of passion into the campaign. From these characters earn passion points which can then be used to modify rolls and to improve the likelihood of successful negotiations in certain contexts, for instance when seducing lovers, sweet-talking captors, or rallying troops.

Try passion out in your games, along with fame, infamy, fear, and other traits, and see how it livens up the experience, providing role-playing prompts and entry points when players feel somewhat distanced from their characters, or too wrapped up in the standard rules.

Withering Grasp

With a touch, the caster permanently withers an opponent's limb.

Necromancy
Level: Cleric 5, Sorcerer/Wizard 5, Corruption 4
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: permanent
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

With a magic phrase, your hand glows with dim red energy. Grasping your foe's arm, all his strength leaves him and he drops his weapon, his once-mighty limb withering away.

This spell permanently withers the touched limb. On a successful melee touch attack, a random limb is crippled and useless and the victim suffers 2d6 points of damage. Depending on what limb is withered, this spell has different effects.

Crippling a leg causes the opponent to fall down unless they make a DC 15 balance check, and halves their land speed. Furthermore, moving on only one leg requires a DC 10 balance check.

Crippling an arm, tentacle, or other grasping limb causes anything held with that arm to be dropped, and prevents it's use. Full-body strength checks suffer a -4 penalty, as do grapple checks.

Crippling a wing prevents flight and causes an airborne creature to fall from the sky.

If they wish, the caster can attempt to cripple a specific limb. This type of "called shot" suffers a -4 penalty to the melee touch attack.

As this spell instantaneously destroys use of the limb, heal, restoration, regeneration, or similarly powerful healing magic of at least 5th level must be used to restore use of the crippled limb.

As this spell only requires verbal components, it is often used in close quarters and when wrestling desperately with opponents.