Character Spotlight: Solvei, Part II - Statistics

Spoiler alert for Chapter 750 - The Rest of Your Afterlife.

In our previous look at Solvei, we examined her background, associates, and ability scores, along with noting how Lex enhanced the latter after the two became mystically bonded. But the end of the article noted that, while her scores were increased to reflect her full potential being drawn out, they'd been augmented beyond that. Moreover, readers of Lateral Movement will likewise note that she has several other powers beyond simply being stronger, smarter, tougher, etc.

Clearly, there's more to what she can do now. So let's take an in-depth look at Solvei's game stats, exploring their nature and significance now that she's become Lex's companion.

Leveling Off

While the character sheet for Lex's current level over on my other blog is outdated, having many minor inaccuracies (a consequence of having been written when Lateral Movement only had two dozen or so chapters written), its overview of Lex's ability to take followers (via the Leadership power and its upgrades) is still correct in many respects. Specifically, that – at his current level and with his current attributes – Lex can have up to 102 levels' worth of followers, all of which must be magical beasts, and all of which he must individually bind to himself via his ability to rebuke/command/bolster creatures of their type (what he calls "divine authority," and is known in the Night Mare's religion as the Charismata).

That sounds like a lot, but there's another limitation to keep in mind, which is that no individual follower can have more than 8 levels. While Solvei meets the criteria of being a magical beast, and has been subject to Lex's divine authority several times now, we'll need to first establish how many levels she has.

Fortunately, that's fairly easy. Eclipse: The Codex Persona, which outlines the rules used to build Lex's character sheet, offers a guideline in that a creature's level (for the purposes of Leadership) should be equal to their CR, though with the caveats that Game Masters can adjust this as they see fit, and that any creature with an "exotic unlimited-uses-per-day ability" should be treated as having +2 levels.

Now, as a standard winter wolf, that means that Solvei has 5 levels already. Her breath weapon might allow for unlimited uses per day (albeit with a delay between each individual use), but its short range and comparatively weak damage means that it's simply not worth a +2 level hike. Nor are her having 60-foot darkvision and the scent special abilities (or, for that matter, her trading out one feat for another, as outlined in the previous article). As such, the GM concurs that she's a level 5 creature.

However, this is where we pay the metaphorical bill for the improved ability scores she received in the previous article.

Because Solvei received such a major boost in power from being able to rebuild her ability scores as per a PC with a 25-point buy, we're assigning +1 levels to her for that. Now, this adjustment also folds in her being entitled to receive PC-level wealth when it comes time to calculate how much magical gear she should have (see below), and also counts her being entitled to take starting traits (actually +6 Character Points that represent starting traits; see below), but it still results in her counting as being 6th level for the purposes of counting as a follower for Lex.

And this is where we start to bend the rules a bit (more than we already have, that is). Specifically, that as part of the process of binding her to himself, Lex not only increases her ability scores as outlined in the previous article, but he also increases her level to 8th, imbuing her with the maximum amount of power that a follower of his can possess (at least for now; as Lex continues to gain in levels, the maximum level of his followers will rise correspondingly).

Strictly speaking, this isn't how the Leadership power is supposed to work. While it puts a cap on the levels that followers can have, keeping them below that of their leader, the leader isn't supposed to be able dole out levels from the total pool of followers that they can potentially have. For instance, if a 10th-level character can – who can have a maximum of 40 levels' worth of followers, none of whom can be individually higher than 7th level – were to receive a 3rd-level follower, the 10th-level character can't simply allocate another 4 levels to them, leaving them with 36 left to distribute. It simply means that the 3rd-level follower will have to level up on their own merits, capping out at 7th level.

So why are things different for Lex and Solvei?

Primarily because the game rules are meant to model how the world that the characters inhabit functions. If a particular ability is meant to operate in a different manner than normal, then the GM can tweak the rules accordingly. In this case, that's warranted; the ability to take magical beast followers and imbue them with incredible powers is central to suite of abilities that the Night Mare imbued Lex with, functioning in a manner similar to a spellcaster's familiar. Given that he gained that power shortly before Chapter 50, and didn't start putting it to proper use until shortly before Chapter 650, he's earned some leeway with regard to how generously it's interpreted now.

So what does Lex do with the remaining 2 levels that he can grant to Solvei? One of them is spent on giving her the advanced template, which for the cost of 1 level grants her a +4 increase to all six of her ability scores as well as a +2 bonus to her natural armor. The second level is spent as per a level gained in Eclipse: The Codex Persona, granting her 24 Character Points to spend (or rather, for Lex to spend for her), free skill points equal to her Intelligence modifier, and a d4 Hit Die.

Of course, that's not all she gains. As per the "Quick NPC Conversions" rule on page 191 of Eclipse, Solvei also gains +6 Character Points for each of her natural Hit Dice. Since winter wolves have six, she therefore gains +36 CP. She further is considered to gain "starting traits" (as mentioned above) which are worth another +6 CP. Since her single level under the Eclipse rules has her reaching a seventh Hit Die, she's also eligible for another feat (since under the Pathfinder rules, everyone gains a feat for every odd-numbered Hit Die they have), which is worth another +6 CP. Finally, she gains the following limitations:

Disadvantages: History (her backstory regarding Bolverk and Prevarius), Obligations (her loyalty to Lex outweighs all other personal relationships), and Uncivilized (Solvei doesn't understand, and doesn't care to understand, social norms and taboos) – these are collectively worth +10 Character Points.

Restrictions: May not use manufactured weapons; must always obey orders given to her by Lex – each of these is worth +1 Character Point per level; since she was effectively a level 5 character before she met Lex, these are only counted from level 6 onward (for a current total of +6 CP now).

Given all of the above, we can now outline what Solvei's stat block looks like, as it combines the following elements:

1. The standard winter wolf monster entry (swapping out Skill Focus for Combat Reflexes)
2. Modifying her base ability scores (as outlined in the previous article)
3. Adding in the advanced template
4. Spending the Character Points she's been given

Since the first three are fairly straightforward, we just need to worry about the last one. As such, let's take a look at what her CPs have been spent on.

Building Character

First, let's total up how many CPs Solvei has, and then we'll allocate how they've been spent. Since Solvei already has a solid framework of basic character abilities (e.g. saving throws, attack bonuses, Armor Class adjustments, etc.), virtually all of her CPs can be spent on various special powers (albeit including adjustments to those basic abilities). As usual, notes on various abilities are in italics below each listing:

Available Character Points: 24 (one level as an Eclipse character) + 36 ("conversion" points for her natural Hit Dice) + 6 ("feat" gained from her seventh Hit Die) + 6 ("starting traits") + 10 (disadvantages) + 6 (restrictions) = 88 CPs.

As Lex gains more levels himself, he's likely to allocate further levels to Solvei proportionately. In this case, he'll likely pass them on as Eclipse character levels, meaning that Solvei will gain +24 CP for each one, with an additional +2 CP for her restrictions, in addition to the usual +6 CP when she would gain a feat.

Inner Magic (18 CP)

• Empowerment, specialized in Siddhisyoga for unlimited use (6 CP).

• Siddhisyoga, specialized for double effect/only for a GP equal to Solvei's current wealth-by-level value; currently 33,000 gp (6 CP).

  • Resist energy [(spell level 2 x caster level 3 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 8,400 gp] resistance 20 to acid/cold/electricity/fire/sonic damage.
  • Surprising mastery (light, medium, and heavy armor proficiency; this is a level 3 spell that’s been reduced to level 2 to only work in conjunction with armor made of adamantine (i.e. black crystals)) [(spell level 2 x caster level 3 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 8,400 gp] proficient in light, medium, and heavy armor (made with Nightforge only).
  • Magic natural weapon [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage with natural weapons.
  • Warding rune [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] +3 resistance bonus to saves.
  • Enlarge magical beast [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] gain one size category at will.
  • Reduce magical beast [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] lose one size category at will.
  • Shield of faith [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] +3 deflection bonus to AC.
  • Flesh ward I (transmutation) [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] Grants DR 5/magic.
  • Chitin mail [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] increase armor max Dex bonus by 2, reduce armor check penalty by 2, lower ASF by 15% (minimum 5%), and speed penalty is eliminated.
  • Immortal vigor I [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp] +2d6 Hit Dice (including Con bonus; maximized due to being presumed to be taken at 1^st level).
  • Personal haste (spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp = 2,000 gp) extra attack when making a full attack, increase speed by +30 feet.
  • +2 enhancement bonus to Strength [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp].
  • +2 enhancement bonus to Constitution [(spell level 1 x caster level 1 x 2,000 gp) x 0.7 self-only = 1,400 gp].
• Reflex Training/may change size without taking an action (6 CP).

The above comes to a total of 32,800 gp, almost perfectly approximating the value of the magic gear that Solvei should have. In this case, these effects are internal, being built into her body, though they can still be temporarily shut down by forces specifically designed to disrupt magical functions. Thanks to her use of Empowerment, all of these are considered to have a caster level of 8.

Note that, when changing size (her default size category being Large), Solvei gains the full suite of modifiers, listed below for ease of reference. Note also that these are cumulative; if she goes from being Huge to being Medium, remove the "Large to Huge" modifiers first, then add the "Large to Medium" ones:

From Large to Medium: -8 Str, +2 Dex, -4 Con, -2 natural armor, +1 to attacks, +1 to AC, -1 to CMB/CMD, +4 to Stealth, reduce bite damage by one die size.

From Large to Huge: +8 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, +3 natural armor, -1 to attacks, -1 to AC, +1 to CMB/CMD, -4 to Stealth, increase bite damage by one die size.

Recipient of Dark Magic (12 CP)

• Witchcraft II (12 CP)

  • The Adamant Will. Resist mental influences and control for 2 power, or aura- and mind-reading for 3 power.
  • The Hand of Shadows, specialized for increased effect/may only be used to exert telekinesis on one thing at a time proportional to physical strength; requires no power points to use.
  • Healing, specialized for increased effect/only to double the rate of natural healing and receive a +5 bonus against diseases and poisons; requires no power points to use.
• Nightforge (6 CP). Create 20 lbs. of black crystals (treat as adamantine) per point of power spent; these last for 1 hour.
• Whisper Step (6 CP). Gain a +5 bonus on movement-related skill checks for 1 power.
• Wrath of the Sea (6 CP). Spend 1 power to gain a +6 untyped bonus to Strength for 10 minutes.

• Pacts:

  • Advertising/Solvei cannot abide by anyone speaking ill of Lex, automatically becoming Unfriendly (as per the Diplomacy skill) toward anyone who disparages him. (-6 CP)
  • Guardianship/Solvei must place Lex's safety above that of everyone else, including her own; if she perceives a threat to him, she will move to shield him from it (unless he orders her not to), regardless of the circumstances or consequences. (-6 CP)
  • Spirit/Rather than go to the afterlife, Solvei's spirit remains with Lex in the event of her death; she automatically rejects all attempts to bring her back to life that don't come from him (though she remains vulnerable to necromancy and other abilities that bind/capture souls). (-6 CP)

Possessing only 26 power points, and with no way to augment her usage of these powers, Solvei is nevertheless a proficient wielder of the same dark magic as as Lex. While she doesn't possess the breadth of abilities that he does, she's able to use the modicum of telekinesis she has on herself in a variety of minor ways, improving her already-formidable physical prowess.

However, sharing in the magic that comes from the state of Lex's heart has created a deeper tie between them than even the Night Mare's power would normally allow for, binding Solvei to Lex even beyond death. This is what Severance was referring to in Chapter 655 - Darkest Night, when it noted that Lex had exceeded the authority that the Night Mare had given him. Fortunately for Lex, the goddess apparently approved of this, making no move to sanction him for laying claim to Solvei's soul for himself, rather than for her.

Eternal Companion (12 CP)

• Immunity to aging (uncommon/major/major) (6 CP)
• Returning/Solvei cannot permanently die while Lex is alive, specialized for one-half cost/requires resurrection magic to be brought back to life (needs no expensive components, has no time limit, and inflicts no negative levels or Constitution loss as a result) manifesting as a spirit until then; is able to manifest fully in spiritual realms (including the Outer Planes) prior to being resurrected (3 CP)

While superficially similar to how the Night Mare's Knights' spirits animals always return in the event that they die, Lex's ability to bring Solvei back to life is more complex, since she's an independent being who's allowed her soul to be subsumed into his rather than being an externalized piece of his own spirit the way Lyden, Nemel, and the others are for those foals. Should she die, it's comparatively easy for Lex to bring her back, since her soul remains with him after death (see above). In that case, so long as her body is present and capable of sustaining itself, he can place her soul into it with relatively little difficulty.

Note that Solvei's immunity to aging also makes her immune to spells and effects that would alter or otherwise manipulate her age.

Cryomantic Adept (36 CP)

• Shaping, Pulse of the Dragon, and Heart of the Dragon II, specialized and corrupted for triple effect/only to create effects with the [cold] descriptor (30 CP)
• 1d6+2 (6) points of Mana with Spell Enhancement, specialized for one-half cost/only to add to Path of the Dragon’s ice magic (4 CP)
• Rite of Chi, specialized and corrupted for one-third cost/only to restore Mana, may not take negative levels to gain further uses, requires eight hours rest to use (2 CP)

This is a powerful suite of abilities. It allows Solvei to create any spell effect of 3rd level or below, without limit, so long as it has the [cold] descriptor. Note that this includes cold-specific versions of spells that normally use a different element (such as fireball) or which lack a descriptor due to being multi-elemental in their standard form (such as protection from energy); in the case of the latter, the spell level is reduced as per the guidelines in The Practical Enchanter (page 70).

She can also spend her 6 points of Mana to surpass this limit, increasing the level of a spell by one per point spent (though not beyond sixth level in this manner). Since this is a very small reservoir, she can't rely on this very often, even though she regains all of it after eight hours of rest. Solvei's caster level is equal to her Hit Dice, and her casting stat modifier is Wisdom.

Nimble and Hearty (13 CP)

• Fortune/evasion variant (6 CP)
• Travel/arctic environments (3 CP)
• 1d0 Hit Die (4 CP)

The above Hit Die listing is not a typo; Solvei has bought a zero-sided Hit Die. While this offers no hit points on its own, she still gets to add a number of hit points equal to her Constitution bonus to it. Similarly, this counts for all effects that are measured by Hit Dice. Likewise, her Fortune ability allows her to, on a successful Reflex save, take no damage from an effect that would normally still deal some damage on a successful save. Lastly, her Travel ability allows her to move through tundras and snowstorms without being impeded, which is something that a cold-based magical creature should normally have anyway.

Soul-Bound Servant (Package Deal; 0 CP)

• Mystic Link with Communications and Summons (9 CP)
• Blessing, specialized for one-half cost/only to grant Mystic Link and upgrades to Lex, who can only use them with regard to her (3 CP)
• Assistant, specialized for one-half cost/increased bonus only applies to Lex (3 CP)
• Accursed/no special defenses granted as a result of her connection to Lex function against his powers or abilities (-3 CP)

Under the Eclipse rules, a package deal is a free suite of abilities gained as a result of taking on a particular role, membership, or association. While their value cannot exceed 12 Character Points altogether, they are effectively free to take, though no character can have more than one (under normal circumstances, at least).

Finally, for ease of reference, here are her combined ability scores, noting the various increases and adjustments (not including her changing size; this presumes she’s in her default state, which is Large):

Strength: 14 (base) + 2 (racial) + 8 (size) + 4 (template) + 2 (magic) = 30 (+10)
Dexterity: 14 (base) + 4 (racial) - 2 (size) +4 (template) = 20 (+5)
Constitution: 14 (base) + 4 (racial) + 4 (size) + 1 (level) + 4 (template) + 2 (magic) = 29 (+9)
Intelligence: 13 (base) - 2 (racial) + 1 (level) + 4 (template) = 16 (+3)
Wisdom: 14 (base) + 2 (racial) + 4 (template) = 20 (+5)
Charisma: 12 (base) +4 (template) = 16 (+3)

We’re also going to want to allocate her existing skill points. Solvei receives 2 skill points for each of her six racial Hit Dice, and she received bonus skill points equal to her Intelligence bonus (+3) per level, for a total of 36 skill points altogether, divided up like so:

Acrobatics: 4 ranks + 5 (Dex bonus) + 3 (class bonus) + 20 (speed bonus; only to jump) = +12 (+32 to jump)
Martial Art (piercing fang): 8 ranks + 10 (Str bonus) + 3 (class bonus) = +21
Perception: 8 ranks + 5 (Wis bonus) + 3 (class bonus) + 2 (racial) = +18
Stealth: 4 ranks + 5 (Dex bonus) + 3 (class bonus) - 4 (size) + 2 (racial; becomes +8 in snow) = +10 (+16 in snow)
Survival: 8 ranks + 5 (Wis bonus) + 3 (class bonus) + 2 (racial) = +18
Swim: 4 ranks + 10 (Str bonus) + 3 (class bonus) = +17

Note that, under the Eclipse rules, any skill that a character puts at least six ranks into is considered “associated” (i.e. a class skill), and so Solvei receives the class skill bonus on her Martial Art, the full description of which is below.

Piercing Fang (Str)

This straightforward style is typically utilized by creatures for whom their fangs are their first, best, and only weapon. While any creature with a bite attack can learn to use piercing fang, most being with an alternate form of attack prefer to focus on that so as to avoid putting their head so close to danger. But for those who specialize in this form of fighting, taking down an enemy before they can retaliate is just as reliable as any alternative mode of combat.

• Requires: Bite natural weapon
• Basic: Attack 4, Power 4, Strike, Toughness 4
• Advanced/Master Techniques: Reach, Sneak Attack III (applies to all attacks, but only to overcome damage reduction)
• Known: Attack 3, Power 1, Strike, Toughness 2, Reach, Sneak attack III

Putting all of this together, let’s take a look at Solvei’s basic stat block.

Derived Statistics

• Hit points: 10 (d10; 1^st level) + 27 (5d10) + 3 (1d4) + 12 (2d6; 1^st level) + 0 (1d0) + 90 (Con bonus) = 142 hp.
• Initiative: +5 (Dex bonus) + 4 (Improved Initiative) = +9.
• Speed: 50 feet (base) + 30 (personal haste) = 80 ft.
• Armor Class (without black crystal armor): 10 (base) + 5 (Dex bonus) + 9 (natural armor) +3 (deflection) – 1 (size) = AC 26.
• Armor Class (black crystal full plate): 10 (base) + 9 (armor bonus) + 3 (Dex bonus) + 9 (natural armor) + 3 (deflection) – 1 (size) = AC 33.

• Saving Throws:

  • Fortitude: +5 (base) + 9 (Con bonus) + 3 (resistance) = +17
  • Reflex: +5 (base) + 5 (Dex bonus) +3 (resistance) = +13
  • Will: +2 (base) +5 (Wis bonus) + 3 (resistance) = +10
• Bite: +6 (BAB) + 10 (Str bonus) + 1 (enhancement) + 3 (martial art) – 1 (size) = +19/+19 (2d6+16 plus 1d6 cold plus trip)
• Alignment: Neutral

In addition to the above, the bullet points below summarize several of the other powers and abilities Solvei has, both from her nature as a winter wolf and the augmentations she’s received from her bond with Lex.

• Her racial levels give her the Improved Initiative (already factored into above statistics), Run, and Combat Reflexes feats.
• Her breath weapon deals 8d6 cold damage in a 15-foot cone, with a DC 23 Reflex save for half damage. The damage dice are equal to her level, and the Reflex save DC is Constitution-based.
• Solvei has damage reduction 5/magic as well as damage reduction 2/– when using her martial art, and her armor also grants damage reduction as per adamantine armor. These values all stack, so if she’s using adamantine full plate in a fight against an opponent who doesn’t have a magic weapon, she effectively shrugs off the first 10 points of damage from melee and ranged attacks.
• Solvei’s bite attack is treated as a magic weapon for the purposes of overcoming DR, and she may choose to deal nonlethal damage with no penalty to her attack roll. She also ignores the first 10 points of damage reduction/hardness that a creature or object has, regardless of the type.
• Solvei’s reach is 10 feet when she’s Medium- or Large-sized. When Huge, her reach is 15 feet.
• Solvei has resistance 20 versus acid, electricity, fire, and sonic damage. However, fire damage is multiplied by 1.5 first and then has 20 points subtracted. Naturally, she’s completely immune to cold damage.
• Solvei has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, low-light vision, and scent.
• In addition to being able to speak Common and Giant (the latter known as “Koloss” on Everglow), she has the capacity to learn up to three more languages in accordance with her Intelligence bonus; however, so far she hasn’t picked up any.

Further Development

With her growth being tied directly to Lex's level of power, Solvei can only become stronger if he does. Given that, when he does level up he's likely to immediately increase her level to match his own (i.e. keep her at his level -3, the maximum she can attain). This will increase both her available Character Points and her gp allotment that her Siddhisyoga allows for. Precisely what improvements she'll receive this way are unknown, but are likely to build on abilities she already has as well as expand on what she's able to do. At this point, only time will tell.

Comments

[harts fire]

dang now that is a stat list.
awesome work.

[Not so New Brony]

Now all Lex needs is to learn resurrection magic though of course, it's easier said than done. Hmm, wonder if he could grant resurrection magic to another magical beast though it's pointless even if it's possible since Lex needs to be the one to cast it.

[Alzrius]

5687267 Thanks! This took way too long to put together, so I hope it was worth the wait!

[Alzrius]

5687292 Well, when it comes to resurrection magic there might be a few other ways to go about bringing someone back to life than casting the spell directly; the magic item that the Night Mare gave him comes to mind...as do more, shall we say, esoteric options.