Malhavoc Press

The Bonds of Magic: Cabal Preview
By Sean K Reynolds
Illustrations by Toren "MacBin" Atkinson
UPDATED for v. 3.5 April 15, 2004

As a preview of the first volume of Skreyn's Register, here are two arcane spellcasters from the book:

Fanatrax
Fanatrax: Male half-dragon (red) human Sor6; CR 8; Eq. Lvl. 9; Medium dragon (augmented human); HD 6d4+12; hp 27; Init +6; Speed 30 feet; AC 16 (touch 12, flat-footed 14); Base Attack +3; Grapple +6; Attack +6 melee (1d4+3, claws), or +7 melee (1d8+6/x3, +1 shortspear), or +7 ranged (1d10+2/19–20, +1 heavy crossbow with masterwork crossbow bolts); Full Attack +6 melee (1d4+3, 2 claws), +4 melee (1d6+1, bite), or +7 melee (1d8+6/x3, +1 shortspear), +5 melee (1d6+1, bite), or +7 ranged (1d10+2/19–20, +1 heavy crossbow with masterwork crossbow bolts);; SA Breath weapon (6d8 fire, 30-foot cone, DC 12); SQ Dragon traits; AL CN; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +5; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 18

Skills and Feats: Balance +4, Climb +7, Concentration +9, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (local) +4, Listen +5, Spellcraft +6, Spot +6; Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Multiattack

Breath Weapon (Su): 1/day, 6d8 fire, 30-foot cone, DC 12

Dragon Traits: Immune to sleep and paralysis effects; darkvision; low-light vision; immune to fire

Sorcerer Spells Known: (6/7/6/4; base DC = 14 + spell level): 0 -- daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, mending, ray of frost, read magic; 1st -- Fanatrax's breathtwist†, feather fall, mage armor, shocking grasp; 2nd -- see invisibility, vivid discharge‡‡; 3rd -- lightning bolt

Gear: +1 shortspear (item image‡, deals +1 damage [included in the above totals]), +1 heavy crossbow (item image‡, deals +1 damage [included in the above totals]), masterwork crossbow bolts (50), wand of lightning bolt (21 charges, item image‡, +2 DC), potions of cure moderate wounds, invisibility, and alter self; 602 gp

PC Gear: Ring of protection +2, rope of climbing, wand of keen edge (30 charges, item image‡, +2 caster level); upgrade: shortspear to +2

Born of a red dragon father and a dragon cultist, Fanatrax was seen by his human mother as a blessing from the gods. Raised by the cult and pampered his entire life, he believed himself to be the son of a divine being. When his sorcery manifested, he surprised everyone with its electrical nature, leading to some speculation that the red dragon had some blue dragon blood in him.

When he reached adulthood his father was driven off after a fight with another dragon, and the new arrival forced out Fanatrax as well (the female didn't want the other dragon's spawn in her new lair, although she liked the presence of the cultists). Setting out on his own, Fanatrax was surprised to find that most people considered him a freak instead of a divinity. He killed many people in fights after they vocally suspected he was some kind of demon. Pushed by draconic desires but tempered by his humanity, Fanatrax is trying to find a place for himself in the world.

Personality
Fanatrax is hotheaded, vain, and greedy. He loves the taste of meat and disdains creatures like elves that prefer lighter meals. He likes to jump into battle without giving time for planning or strategy, confident in his physical and magical power to pull him through any situation. Despite the bravado, he wants to be accepted as part of a group as he once was, although his preference is to have the adoration of lesser beings rather than an equal partnership. Those who respect him and do not consider him an outcast are more likely to earn his friendship and trust.

Uses
Fanatrax makes a good villain, particularly if you set him up as the leader of a cult of sorcerers. As he is immune to fire, having a volcano as his base of operations suits his draconic heritage and makes his lair a dangerous place for visitors. He would make an excellent bodyguard or assassin for an evil organization or a servant to an actual red dragon (who may or may not be his father). As a PC, Fanatrax is a good choice for players who want a character experiencing some conflict over his heritage. Fanatrax could easily be the son of a gold dragon instead of a red, with a LN or LG alignment. This option allows him to remain conflicted though less tainted by innate evil.

Tactics
Fanatrax loves clawing and biting at humanoid creatures, enjoying the taste of blood in his mouth. Against stranger creatures he girds himself with mage armor and vivid discharge. Although he lacks the blindsight of true dragons, he can use magic to sense invisible things and likes to pretend he doesn't see invisible creatures until he's near enough to attack them. Against undead and other weird monsters that he doesn't recognize (or doesn't want to put his mouth on), he is more likely to use his ranged spells and breath weapon.

Orvin
Orvin: Male human Cjr 8; CR 8; Medium humanoid (human); HD hp 44; Init +1; Speed 30 feet; AC 13 (touch 12, flat-footed 12); Base Attack +4; Grapple +4; Attack/Full Attack +5 melee (1d4/19–20, masterwork dagger); SQ Empathic link with familiar, prohibited schools (enchantment, evocation), quasit familiar, share spells with familiar, touch spells (via familiar); AL CE; SV Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +7; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 8

Skills and Feats: Concentration +11, Craft (alchemy) +11, Heal +5, Jump +10, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (nature) +8, Listen +3, Search +5, Spellcraft +8, Spot +7; Alertness, Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Quasit Familiar, Scribe Scroll

Wizard Spells Prepared: (5/6/5/4/3; base DC = 12 + spell level): 0 -- arcane mark, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, mage hand; 1st -- chill touch, detect undead, endure elements, grease, mage armor, obscuring mist; 2nd -- darkvision, ghoul touch (2), Mel's acid arrow, summon monster II; 3rd -- gaseous form, halt undead, stinking cloud, vampiric touch; 4th -- black slime†, minor creation, polymorph

Spellbook: 0 -- arcane mark, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, ghost sound, mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic; 1st -- chill touch, detect undead, endure elements, grease, mage armor, obscuring mist, spider climb; 2nd -- darkvision, ghoul touch, invisibility, Mel's acid arrow, summon monster II, web; 3rd -- gaseous form, halt undead, protection from energy, slow, stinking cloud, vampiric touch; 4th -- black slime†, dimension door, minor creation, polymorph

Gear: Masterwork dagger, ring of protection +1, ring of warmth, boots of the winterlands, robe of armor +1 (as bracers), potions of neutralize poison, spider climb, invisibility, protection from energy (acid), and protection from energy (electricity); 298 gp

PC Gear: Amulet of natural armor +2, potion of protection from energy (fire), scroll of cloudkill; upgrade: robe to +3

Orvin's birthplace is unknown, although he speaks with the accent of someone native to the colder lands. He has been found skulking about in the cesspools and sewers of several large cities, collecting samples of disgusting material and looking out for exotic slimes and oozes he can bring to his druid friend Umbrus. (His description appears in Vol. 2: The Faithful.) Orvin has been in and out of favor with various thieves' guilds for, while he knows the ins and outs of every major sewer (which guild members sometimes use to sneak about), he has a bad habit of deliberately infecting guild members with small oozes to observe the results.

Personality
Orvin is a thoroughly disgusting individual. His complete lack of bathing and frequent wadings through pools of sewage give him a horrible smell that ought to attract otyughs for miles around. Even his more mundane spells (such as grease, mage armor, and obscuring mist) tend to smell pungent, and when people complain he only grins. This warped individual actually loves being filthy and obsesses over creatures that live in or on offal. He doesn't take kindly to attempts to clean him, and anyone who tries would be subject to several minor diseases that he probably carries.

Uses
Orvin is a good villain that even the most reticent heroes won't be afraid to dispose of. He can serve as an ally of a rat cult (or any similarly secluded group that lives in sewers), the tender of the moat-otyugh in an evil lord's castle, or the man responsible for unleashing oozes into an orphanage or green slime into a city's water supply. As a player character, Orvin works well as a hermit or exile coming out of isolation. In this scenario, his problems stem from culture shock and ignorance of civilized behavior rather than deliberate vileness.

Tactics
Orvin prefers to remain out of melee combat at all costs, although if confronted in melee he might try to grapple an opponent just to cause revulsion. He prefers to use ranged spells such as grease, acid arrow, and stinking cloud to harry enemies at a distance, or use his quasit familiar to transmit touch spells like chill touch, vampiric touch, and (his favorite) black slime. Just for the sake of annoying paladins and good clerics, he likes to use summon monster II to conjure a lemure, which he considers the ideal summoned monster.

‡ Refers to material introduced in The Book of Eldritch Might
‡‡ Indicates material introduced in The Book of Eldritch Might II: Songs and Souls of Power

* "d20 System" and the "d20 System" logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 3.0. A copy of this License can be found at Wizards' d20 home page. This content is produced under version 1.0, 1.0a, and/or draft versions of the Open Game License, the d20 System Trademark Logo Guide, and System Reference Document by permission of Wizards of the Coast. Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0a: Any and all Malhavoc Press or montecook.com logos and identifying marks and trade dress, including all Malhavoc Press product names, page design, and all illustration. The characters of Fanatrax and Orvin, including their statistics, descriptions, and associated boxed spells, are considered Open Game Content.

"Fanatrax" and "Orvin" from Skreyn's Register: The Bonds of Magic ©2002 Sean K Reynolds.