Zipp Storm: Fifth Edition Dungeoneers · 2:53am Oct 5th, 2021
And now, we come to the final G5 pony of the new main crew. With only four levels and the power of David Silver's Ponyfinder, it's time to finally address the elephant in the room--what happens when you take Rainbow Dash and force her to think for herself? Well, the end result stands before you, and her name is...
ZIPP STORM!
There had to be at least one big sister, and Zipp's going to be big sister to everyone.
Zipp Storm is a Pegasus Pony with a Unique Destiny, hailing from the Noble background to take four levels as an Inquisitive Rogue. She's not really built for the passive life she was born into, and desperately wants to take hold of her life... which is why she's very careful in figuring out how to do so. And that requires a certain degree of subterfuge...
Right off the bat, Zipp gets 15 as her Dexterity score--she's ridiculously agile even before her wings start working. 14 points in Wisdom means she picks up on things quickly, and 13 points in Intelligence gives her the ability to figure out what's happening almost as fast. 12 points in Constitution will make her a hearty flier, even if she only has an average 10 points in Strength. And, yeah, that leaves Zipp with a measly 8 points in Charisma, but she leaves the convincing to other ponies--she's more of an action-oriented pegasus. Speaking of which, pegasus ponies get +1 to Constitution and Dexterity, and having a Unique Destiny lets Zipp up her Intelligence as well; that gives her a +3 Dexterity Modifier, +2 in Intelligence and Wisdom, +1 for Constitution, and a -1 Charisma modifier. Sure, she's not going to wow the crowd like her sister, but she'll be quick to figure out how to save her. You know, when--when it's possible.
Pegasus ponies are mostly standard medium sapients, with a few unique quirks. Like all ponies, they qualify as fey for all purposes, their base speed is 40 feet, and as a Four-Legged creature rolls to avoid becoming prone are made with advantage and they can carry 50% more weight than their strength would ordinarily allow. Pegasi in particular can walk on clouds or fog as if it's solid and have a 30 feet flying speed, though being in the air gives them disadvantage on strength checks against things on the ground, and if they don't fly half their speed for a turn then they fall at the end of it. And with a Unique Destiny, not only does Zipp get the bonus ability point above, she also gets to add half her proficiency bonus to death saving throws and gets proficiency in a single skill. I think Insight suits her well, since she's quick on the uptake.
The Noble background gives Zipp proficiency in History and Persuasion checks, as well as a single gaming set. I wanna say Video Games, or maybe Mobile Games, but... well, if that's not available, let's just go with the tried and true playing cards. Oh, and as she's in a Position of Privilege, she's welcome in high society and common folk try to avoid getting on her bad side; a princess can get an audience with practically anyone if she pulls rank.
Rogues are a multifaceted class. Right off the bat, they get four skill proficiencies--Acrobatics, Athletics, Investigation and Perception seem to be Zipp's flavor--as well as proficiency in Thief's Tools. Hey, she had to fix up that old fan somehow! Zipp is also able to use simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, and shortswords, and has proficiency with light armor and Dexterity and Intelligence saving throws. You know, in case she needs to throw down with, oh, a giant mechanical pony or something.
And those proficiencies just get better at the first level of Rogue, where Zipp can choose to have Expertise in two skill proficiencies, letting her add double her proficiency bonus to the rolls; Insight and Acrobatics make for a very energetic and snarky pony. She's also learned the Thief's Cant, a language of slang and code that lets her hide a secret message inside another one, and lets the less than legal side of society warn each other about dangerous places. There's also the Rogue's trademark Sneak Attack, giving Zipp an extra 1d6 damage on a finesse or ranged attack if she has advantage--or if her target is distracted by somebody else getting up in their business. And hey, this one does improve significantly in the first four levels--the damage upgrades to 2d6 at level three.
But before we get to third level, we should talk about the second-level benefit. Cunning Action lets Zipp take a bonus action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide. It might not seem like much, but when you're sneaking out of the castle or trying to avoid guards, being quick on your hooves could mean the difference between getting what you want and getting caught. Especially if an angry mob forms.
Zipp's been seeking answers all her life, so when the third level of Rogue gave her a chance to pick an archetype, you know she'd go for an Inquisitive Rogue. With an Ear for Deceit, any Insight check roll she makes to see if somebody's lying can't roll lower than an eight--if the dice does, it's just treated as an 8 plus her Insight proficiency. With an Eye for Detail, Zipp can make a Perception or Investigation check as a bonus action, scoping out the area for hidden creatures or trying to decipher clues while she's busy with other things. And with Insightful Fighting, she can use a bonus action to make an Insight check against a target's Deception check; if she succeeds she can use Sneak Attack on that target even without Advantage for up to a full minute.
And at fourth level, we have an Ability Score Improvement... which we're going to burn for a feat from Ponyfinder. Specifically the Dashing Flier feat, which not only increases fly speed by 5 feet (plus an additional 5 feet at character level 5, 10, 15, and 20), but also gets rid of that strength disadvantage against ground targets and the whole 'fall out of the air if you don't move far enough' thing as well.
That, everyone, is Zipp Storm. She's spent her whole life, trying to figure out how pegasi can fly again... and now she has. At only level four! What waits for her in the future? Well, that's not something I could tell you. But I'm sure we'll find out soon...
Hey, flight at level 4's one level earlier than most bipeds manage it, and they have to dedicate themselves to the arcane arts and crafts... or at least find some eldritch sugar daddy.
5591915
Or if you're a sorcerer, inheritannce from your parents. Then again, not sure if Sorcerer's would be around now with magic only just returning after being gone for so long
5591942
Long-dormant genes making themselves known once magic returns are certainly a possibility.