Ariamis

Edea Odyssey

@Rune_Alchemist
Fine then. It seems we have a different idea of what human intelligence actually means, but I guess I'll have to accept Nazr's career change to a glorified animal tamer.

Edit: Now that I think about it, I suspect that you refer to sentience when talking about human intelligence. Creatures can be sentient without necessarily being as intelligent as humans. At least, that's how it goes for DnD. But if goblins in Edea can write a university degree then I can't say anything about it.

Edea Odyssey

@Superman
This is how I was planning to go about this; Nazr would never order a suicide, but maybe direct the creature(s) towards a different objective that fits with their state of mind, or just stay in a trance-like state so he could feed on a living brain or two. But I think basic kobolds at the very least should be considered less intelligent than humans; elite kobolds and chieftains can be smarter.

Edea Odyssey

<Snipped quote by Ariamis>

Just gonna go ahead and say this before we start - I said don't go crazy with it, and I am going to be somewhat strict in it's usage so things don't get too easy or a cake walk for you guys.

As you put in his CS, it'll only work against creatures with less than human 'intelligence'.

Now, something like that is very difficult to completely judge. These Jungle Trolls? Yeah, they're just as smart as your average human. They might have a different culture, language, and might seem less so because humans tend to look down on different groups of humans, but they're just as 'intelligent' as them. Same go for Kobolds, Gnolls, and any other group of non-humans you will all meet.

His mind control will be less effective against certain things as you might think as well. Fish, dogs, those Piranha Hounds and other animals....they would easily be dealt with by his Mind Control. Probably at least. There will definitely be some exceptions.

@Rune_Alchemist

Well geez, I didn't expect you to get this pissy about it. I didn't intend to use it on every encounter, just the more tougher ones, and I just suggested the use of the skill to the jungle party in case they wanted it. But since you're going to nerf it to oblivion like that I guess there's no point then.
I can accept that some groups like trolls are as intelligent as humans, but making all non-human groups as smart as humans in terms of intelligence seems too extreme of a measure to prevent Nazr from using the skill.

Edea Odyssey

Nazr is more at home in dank caves, so he's going to the Grotto. Though if the other party wants mind control against the troll tribe he can be convinced to traverse the jungle.

Edea Odyssey

@Rune_Alchemist
How are the groups determined? First come first serve?

Edea Odyssey

@RedDusk
Oh hey, both of our characters hate the sun. I bet our first dungeon is going to be in a desert at this rate.

Edea Odyssey

@Rune_Alchemist
Thanks for that, boss.

@Pyromania99
I wonder if Ophene is going to make an exception in not caring of one's background in Nazr's case. The women in the party may be intimidated by his appearance. (Inb4 pervy jokes.)

Edea Odyssey

Nazrc'thath the Mind Flayer

Name: Nazrc'thath Iyac'thorl'ieh

Race:
Illithids are a race of psychic but seldom seen beings with a humanoid body and an octopus-like head that live deep underground. They have four tentacles around a lamprey-like mouth, and use them to extract the brains of creatures and eat, preferring sentient above all since brains provide knowledge and psychic affinity in addition to sustenance. Their eyes are pale white, and they can see perfectly well in both darkness and light. Their sense of hearing is worse than a human's, and have difficulty distinguishing sounds from one another despite locating them the same as other creatures. Their skin is purplish blue to gray-green and covered in mucus, and is very sensitive to sunlight, to the point that they are rarely seen above ground, with the exception of a couple individuals who risk the danger in their quest of sating their thirst for knowledge. So if you see a tall stranger clad in a black cloak and a hood that obscures their face, do not stare too deep into the abyss...or the abyss may stare back.

Age: 50 years. Illithids live up to 130-150 years, so Nazrc'thath can be considered about 25 in human years.

Gender:
Illithids produce asexually, but his striking appearance and morbid curiosity cause people to identify him as a male.

Appearance:
In public, Nazrc'thath wears heavy black robes that cover his entire body and a hood that wraps his facial features in impenetrable darkness, with only the faint glimmer of his eyes seen through it. However, it is possible for a careful eye to notice the occasional tendril writhing in the depths when he is particularly excited, giving a hint to his true appearance.

Clothing/Armor:
Nazrc'thath wears the Black Robes of the Deep, which are heavy robes that completely conceal his body, including his face. The robes are enchanted with a powerful spell that shrouds the wearer's face in darkness, even when exposed to light.

Personality:
Nazrc'thath, though he is well versed in the human tongue, still has trouble speaking it fluently without making a disgusting sound of wet tentacles slapping together, so he tends to opt for simple phrases. He has an unending curiosity for the human culture and humans in general, finding even mundane things fascinating. He is not very approachable due to his nature, but if he finds himself in the company of someone with magical affinity, he may be drawn closer to them; whether it is due to his interest in the arcane, or due to the proximity of a delicious brain filled with magical power is a mystery to all but him.

History:
Nazrc'thath was always different from his fellow kin, ever since kin: his curiosity for the greater mysteries and particularly the surface world, which he was told was a hostile land of painful sunlight filled with hate and persecution towards the illithid. But despite his clan's resistance, he decided he would ascend, and become truly wise.
Once he blended into human society in disguise, he learned that the illithid had a dreadful reputation of being brain-eating abominations who knew only cruelty and domination. He then decided to sever the ties he had to his origins, and make a name for himself in the academic circles by finding the hidden secrets that lied forgotten in Edea's bowels.

Weapons:
Nazrc'thath wields the Tome of Eldritch Lore, an old scripture written in the illithid language; the runes are so grotesque and incomprehensible to the human mind that anyone not versed in arcane lore who dares lay eyes on the book may find themselves distraught if they are strong-willed, or outright driven mad in the case of the weak-willed. The Tome is filled with psychic power, and acts as a catalyst for him to channel his psionic skills as he reads upon the words of the Deep Ones, giving him greater control and precision over his powers.

Physical Skills:
-Brain Eating - Nazrc'thath may eat any brain he comes across using his facial tentacles, and gains both sustenance and psychic power by doing so, building up his potential for greater feats of the mind. Sentient and alive brains are the most optimal for this purpose, though non-sentient and even brains of dead creatures can suffice.
-Dark Vision - The eyes of illithids have developed for zero-light environments, and so he can see in complete darkness without hindrance.
-Magic Resistance - Illithid have a natural resistance to magical attacks and effects due to their psionic nature, shrugging them off like a creature with a carapace would ignore the stab of a sword. This has also allowed them to study magic and psionic power as a race so extensively.

Magic:
-Detect Thought - Nazrc'thath can sense the thoughts of sentient creatures up to 60 meters, and ascertain their approximate location. This requires him to stay still and concentrate, leaving him vulnerable for a moment.
-Telekinesis - Nazrc'thath can remotely manipulate objects lesser than his size up to 30 meters in distance, allowing him to draw them in, throw them or keep them still for a short while before having to take a break. He is limited to controlling two objects at a time as he directs the power with his hands.
-Abyss Veil: Nazr cloaks himself in the essence of the Infinite Abyss, granting him a veil of invisibility that lasts up to ten minutes, requiring half the time to keep a break. While invisible, he can not perform any other magic skills, but can attack an enemy who hasn't detected him for critical damage with his head tentacles, with the intention of sucking out the target's brain. Nazr can be detected by hearing or smelling while invisible; sunlight also reveals him. Once any attack has been made or the time limit is up the veil dissipates.

Weaknesses:
-Weak to Sunlight: Illithids are not suited to bearing the light of the sun on their slippery skins, and are affected by it even when wearing concealing clothing. Nazrc'thath in particular becomes partially blinded, and has more difficulty controlling his powers, which may result in him accidentally miscasting them on an ally. If the sunlight grows too intense, particularly in desert regions, they also start taking damage.
-Frail Fortitude: Illithids are physically weaker than the average human, and tend to get quickly cut down when in a melee of any kind.

Other Inventory:
Nazrc'thath carries writing tools in the form of scrolls, a quill and an ink vial, as well as empty vials in a satchel which he uses to store any liquids and body parts he wants to examine later.

Theme

Edea Odyssey

@Rune_Alchemist

Naz'rthatch the Mind Flayer

Name: Nazrc'thath Iyac'thorl'ieh

Race:
Illithids are a race of psychic but seldom seen beings with a humanoid body and an octopus-like head that live deep underground. They have four tentacles around a lamprey-like mouth, and use them to extract the brains of creatures and eat, preferring sentient above all since brains provide knowledge and psychic affinity in addition to sustenance. Their eyes are pale white, and they can see perfectly well in both darkness and light. Their sense of hearing is worse than a human's, and have difficulty distinguishing sounds from one another despite locating them the same as other creatures. Their skin is purplish blue to gray-green and covered in mucus, and is very sensitive to sunlight, to the point that they are rarely seen above ground, with the exception of a couple individuals who risk the danger in their quest of sating their thirst for knowledge. So if you see a tall stranger clad in a black cloak and a hood that obscures their face, do not stare too deep into the abyss...or the abyss may stare back.

Age: 50 years. Illithids live up to 130-150 years, so Nazrc'thath can be considered about 25 in human years.

Gender:
Illithids produce asexually, but his striking appearance and morbid curiosity cause people to identify him as a male.

Appearance:
In public, Naz'rthatch wears heavy black robes that cover his entire body and a hood that wraps his facial features in impenetrable darkness, with only the faint glimmer f his eyes seen through it. However, it is possible for a careful eye to notice the occasional tendril writhing in the depths when he is particularly excited, giving a hint to his true appearance.

Clothing/Armor:
Naz'rthatch wears the Black Robes of the Deep, which are heavy robes that completely conceal his body, including his face. The robes are enchanted with a powerful spell that shrouds the wearer's face in darkness, even when exposed to light.

Personality:
Naz'rthatch, though he is well versed in the human tongue, still has trouble speaking it fluently without making a disgusting sound of wet tentacles slapping together, so he tends to opt for simple phrases. He has an unending curiosity for the human culture and humans in general, finding even mundane things fascinating. He is not very approachable due to his nature, but if he finds himself in the company of someone with magical affinity, he may be drawn closer to them; whether it is due to his interest in the arcane, or due to the proximity of a delicious brain filled with magical power is a mystery to all but him.

History:
Naz'rthatch was always different from his fellow kin, ever since kin: his curiosity for the greater mysteries and particularly the surface world, which he was told was a hostile land of painful sunlight filled with hate and persecution towards the illithid. But despite his clan's resistance, he decided he would ascend, and become truly wise.
Once he blended into human society in disguise, he learned that the illithid had a dreadful reputation of being brain-eating abominations who knew only cruelty and domination. He then decided to sever the ties he had to his origins, and make a name for himself in the academic circles by finding the hidden secrets that lied forgotten in Edea's bowels.

Weapons:
Naz'rthatch wields the Tome of Eldritch Lore, an old scripture written in the illithid language; the runes are so grotesque and incomprehensible to the human mind that anyone not versed in arcane lore who dares lay eyes on the book may find themselves distraught if they are strong-willed, or outright driven mad in the case of the weak-willed. The Tome is filled with psychic power, and acts as a catalyst for him to channel his psionic skills as he reads upon the words of the Deep Ones, giving him greater control and precision over his powers.

Physical Skills:
-Brain Eating - Naz'rthatch may eat any brain he comes across using his facial tentacles, and gains both sustenance and psychic power by doing so, building up his potential for greater feats of the mind. Sentient and alive brains are the most optimal for this purpose, though non-sentient and even brains of dead creatures can suffice.
-Dark Vision - The eyes of illithids have developed for zero-light environments, and so he can see in complete darkness without hindrance.
-Magic Resistance - Illithid have a natural resistance to magical attacks and effects due to their psionic nature, shrugging them off like a creature with a carapace would ignore the stab of a sword. This has also allowed them to study magic and psionic power as a race so extensively.

Magic:
-Detect Thought - Naz'rthatch can sense the thoughts of sentient creatures up to 60 meters, and ascertain their approximate location. This requires him to stay still and concentrate, leaving him vulnerable for a moment.
-Telekinesis - Naz'rthatch can remotely manipulate objects lesser than his size up to 30 meters in distance, allowing him to draw them in, throw them or keep them still for a short while before having to take a break. He is limited to controlling two objects at a time as he directs the power with his hands.
-Lesser Dominate Mind - Naz'rthatch can impose his superior mind over those with a lesser willpower, bending them psychically to his dominion. Note that this does not work on creatures with human-level or greater intelligence. The power affects a a targeted area up to 30 meters away, affecting all creatures in the targeted area. The effect lasts for a couple of hours.

Weaknesses:
-Weak to Sunlight: Illithids are not suited to bearing the light of the sun on their slippery skins, and are affected by it even when wearing concealing clothing. Naz'rthatch in particular becomes partially blinded, and has more difficulty controlling his powers, which may result in him accidentally miscasting them on an ally. If the sunlight grows too intense, particularly in desert regions, they also start taking damage.
-Frail Fortitude: Illithids are physically weaker than the average human, and tend to get quickly cut down when in a melee of any kind.

Other Inventory:
Naz'rthatch carries writing tools in the form of scrolls, a quill and an ink vial, as well as empty vials in a satchel which he uses to store any liquids and body parts he wants to examine later.

Gobstoppers

@Duthguy
This. I really liked the old name for its alliteration.