Another day, another AD&D character.
Today, it is Mott the Hoople, Magic-User 9.
I had fun with UA's Method V yesterday, so I'm using it again, because I already have the class picked out. I'm ignoring Comeliness, however. Which is fine, as it is only 3d6 according to the chart.
Current XP: 200,000 XP needed for next level: 250,001
AC 1
HP 18
Languages Known: Common, Dragon, Elf, Giant, Goblin, Gnome
Spells Known:
1- Charm Person, Find Familiar, Hold Portal, Mending, Read Magic, Shocking Grasp, Sleep
2- Knock, Levitate, Mirror Image
3- Dispel Magic, Gust of Wind, Hold Person, Lightning Bolt
4- Confusion, Dimension Door, Fumble, Polymorph Other
5- Hold Monster
Equipment: Bracers AC 6, Ring of Protection +2, Ring of Mammal Control, Brooch of Shielding, Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments, Potion of Polymorph Self, Scroll (Vanish), Scroll (Reverse Gravity, Incendiary Cloud, Symbol), Wand of Illusion, a tome entitled To Rebuild the World (see below), robes, adventuring gear, quarterstaff, several daggers
Goals: Increase spellbook contents, ideally with the spells necessary to make proper use of the tome To Rebuild the World. Die of old age, surround by luxury.
Background: most recently, Mott helped some companions clear and loot a wizard's tower, claiming the tome named To Rebuild the World as his share of the loot. Mott recognizes the name Favarro, and as such is (rightfully) suspicious of its contents. At some point, however, he will tempt fate and craft at least the Ring of Many Castings or the Mage's Companion. To that end, he is actively seeking the spells specific to crafting those items.
To Rebuild the World by Magus Favarro
This Workbook is a great boon to would-be item crafters, containing the spells Enchant an Item and Permanency, both of which can be copied or cast from the pages of the book without them fading. Of more interest are the detailed sketches and complete notes to craft three items: the Mage's Companion (a staff), the Ring of Many Castings (a ring), and the Tooth of Night (an athame). Lastly, the book contains instructions on how to become a lich, to include the formula for the final potion required for the transformation. If checked for, the book radiates both magic and evil.
DM Note: Grandfather Favarro has written a few such workbooks and let them into the world, for his own reasons (mostly for his amusement). While the formulae within are valid, each item has something of a flaw, especially the potion for lichdom that not only slays the drinker, but returns the drinker to unlife as a Greater Spellwight. This transformation is always accompanied by a thunderous peal of laughter.
Mage's Companion is a staff that casts the following spells (charges in parentheses): Dancing Lights (1), Detect Magic (1), Hold Portal (1), Light (1), Detect Invisibility (2), Knock (2), Dispel Magic (3), Protection from Normal Missiles (3), Plant Growth (4), and Stone Shape (5). To charge the staff, the magic-user must cast Enchant an Item and then meditate, projecting his life force into the staff, at the rate of 1 hit point per charge poured into the staff. Each time that Mage's Companion is charged, there is a 5% chance that a point of Constitution is permanently drained from the charging magic-user. When fully charged, Mage's Companion holds 25 charges. Overcharging it creates a magical backlash that automatically drains a point of Constitution.
the Ring of Many Castings is mechanically a Ring of Spell Storing (5 spells) and a Ring of Wizardry I. When first placed upon a living finger, it melts into place (for 1 permanent Constitution damage and 2d4 fire damage - no save), and purple-blue light can be seen to trace the body of the wearer, following the veins up to the eyes which then permanently take on a soft purple-blue glow. When the wearer of the Ring of Many Castings falls to 0 hit points, the purple-blue light pulses through the body, at an increasing rate and intensity until there is a blinding flash of light, and the wearer is transformed into a Spellwight. This transformation consumes the magic of the ring, leaving behind naught but a deeply discolored ring-shaped marking on the finger.
the Tooth of Night is an evil item that provides two boons when it slays a helpless victim: the first being the slayer regains a used spell level, the second being that the slain raises up as a juju zombie that is (mostly) loyal to the person that slew it. This loyalty lasts until the slayer gets a foot away from the Tooth of Night, or until Grandfather Favarro dominates the juju zombie (a quiet option that is the result of the creation method). Furthermore, use of the athame is quietly addictive, and after each use, the wielder must make a save vs spells or else immediately seek out another victim, turning on friends, family, and other allies.
Spellwight - this nasty humanoid-shaped undead appears as a naked, hairless, genderless being of sickly blue skin. It glows faintly in the darkness, as per faerie fire. Not that it matters that much, because a Spellwight will actively hunt any sentient that (foolishly) enters its territory.
Mechanically, Spellwight is a corporeal wraith (MM 102) that can, and prefers to, cast spells as a level 9-15 magic-user. DMs can randomly determine spells known or choose. Spellwights know all the spells in their books while living, and the spells 'recharge' every full moon. Note that many Spellwights use Hold Person to close with a victim and drain their life.
Greater Spellwights much like normal Spellwights, but are under the direct control of Grandfather Favarro, keeping all their intelligence and endeavoring to bring their spellbooks to Grandfather's keep before submitting to his will. In many cases, these Greater Spellwights are then used to destroy those mortals found to be creating magical items, especially permanent items that are essentially unflawed. Grandfather Favarro finds no amusement in such devices, nor does he like the competition to his family's almost-monopoly on item creation in Ironguard.
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For spells, Mott the Apprentice began with only 4 due to a stingy Master (DMG pg39), then acquired additional spells while leveling the traditional way. Then I determined Spell Scrolls and tried to add from there, using the Chance to Know Spells rules. This was actually kind of fun.
To determine magic items, I used Appendix C (DMG p175) and Appendix P (DMG p225) and compared these to the entries in the Monster Manual for Liches (MM p61) and Men (MM p66). Some items were presumed to have been used up/destroyed/traded away over 9 levels.
Appendix C: Scroll 2 spells (lvl 1-4, 2 Mirror Image, 4 Polymorph Other), Scroll 1 spell (lvl 1-6, 1 Find Familiar), Ring of Mammal Control (Table I); Brooch of Shielding, Scroll 3 spells (lvl 2-9, 7 Reverse Gravity, 8 Incendiary Cloud, 8 Symbol) (Table II); did not access Table III due to bad roll.
Appendix P: Ring of Protection +2, Bracers AC 6, Scroll 1 spell (lvl1-4, 4 Fumble), Dagger +1, 3 potions (flying, healing, polymorph self), Wand of Negation.
Lich (Treasure Type A): any 3 magic items - Wand of Illusion, Keoghtom's Ointment, Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments
Men (Special Rules): Scroll 4 spells (lvl 1-8, 1 Sleep, 3 Gust of Wind, 3 Hold Person, 7 Vanish), Ring of Invisibility
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