DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Anastasia]

1. My friends have various duties around Sylica/The Cauldron. What do I have them do?

While Alicia doesn't 'have' her do anything since the nature of their pairing and divinity makes them a matched set, Syala generally acts defensively and holds down the fort while Alicia may be elsewhere. It suits her long history of tree guarding anyway, and she's trying to express herself as a nurturing sort of deity.

About what I figured. Syala usually manages the homefront when Alicia needs to go hit something really hard. She does go out sometimes, but she accepts she's the more 'feminine' of the duo in that respect. Stay home, mind the house demiplane, ect ect.

Antenora acts as Alicia's extra set of arms, bodyguard, and enforcer at times. If there's a problem that requires a strong and decisive response, Antenora's the one that handles it. If Alicia's going somewhere dangerous, Antenora's at her side. During quieter periods she spends her time on the Opal Mountain overseeing the incarnation of new souls into Sylica.

Basically one part alpha response and one part bodyguard?

Latha occupies a role of both master of arms/chief blacksmith, and chaplain. She's the one Alicia is most likely to go to to for a sounding board on a moral or ethical issue that she's unsure about, and with that as an example a lot of other people probably clamour for her wisdom and perspective. Plus she makes lots of cool weapons and armour!

Makes sense for Latha, that's about what I imagined. She's always had a certain moral weight above the others in that group. She also stood at the precipice of Chronias for a brief time during B1, so that's probably good synergy.

Jessica mostly gets to live a quiet life when not on missions - those ones she does get tending towards stealth, infiltration, and assassination befitting her skills. She's purposely kept in the background otherwise, giving her time to focus on her family and keeping others from thinking too much about the deadly assassin so close at hand.

Right. The unseen sort of weapon, let people assume otherwise and learn the hard way. That makes sense and fits Jessica, who also isn't charismatic at all.

Marie is Alicia's familiar but also her steward/maid/gopher. A lot of the time she tends to go places where Alicia can't, typically on Prime Material excursions to act as her representative there usually accompanying one of the others who've temporarily been granted a proxy template for the occasion.

Or with Alicia's avatar or Syala's avatar, but yeah. Same idea. I'm sure she has reasons to complain like she enjoys doing.

2. I value allies for the future, these realms and personages are ones I'm trying to forge stronger ties with. Which ones are they?

While Mystra and Alicia are naturally tight, it's not a tie she takes for granted so she still expends a lot of work on helping out the old boss and being helped in turn. Beyond that she works hard to collaborate and maintain strong ties with the forces of Celestia, who she's ideologically in league with, and the Court of Stars which she appreciates more on aesthetic and moral grounds. It fits with Sylica acting as a bridge between Law and Chaos for her to give equal time to those two. While she lacks any real matched interests with Selune aside from hatred of Shar, that alone is enough for her to make overtures towards the Moonmaiden and seek to work together with her.

All of that makes good sense there. Could you elaborate on this part? 'Celestia, who she's ideologically in league with,' combined with 'Court of Stars, which she appreciates more on aesthetic and moral grounds'.  How do you square that away, precisely? The ideological part vs the moral part.

3. There's a lot of things wrong in Creation, but these ones in particular are a priority to stop. What do I really want to stop?

Alicia's main targets are Shar and Hell of course, but thematically the type of evil she most focuses on fighting is corruption. Every good person turned bad, every hero broken into villainy, every angel fallen to evil weakens Good more than anything else. She and hers fight the corrupters, the Shars, the Malcanthets, the tricky devils with smooth tongues, the iron-clad contracts. She aims to drag their schemes into the light, liberate and inspire their targets back on the path of righteousness, and ultimately crush them.

That's a pretty solid target. Corruption is the infection that often spreads the disease of evil, after all. It suggests that she feels that if you remove the influence of Evil from Good, Good is sufficient to triumph by itself?

4. My church is important to me. I make sure that they do as I will and help people, so I structure them so that everything works well. How do I structure them?

The church of Alicia is quite de-centralised and diffuse with an emphasis on its clerics and champions travelling a lot to get to places that might not have the benefit of established temples or mighty defenders. What temples do exist function mostly as hubs to trade information and take stock at. The priests and defenders at these temples would pick up lots of information from wandering heroes and piece it together to get a picture of what's going on in the region so they can effectively advise other adventurers who visit as to where the quest hooks and trouble spots are.

In terms of hierarchy/progression, clergy and paladins and the like start out at one of those temple hubs learning and training with their elders and acting as temple defenders, graduate to being wandering heroes/knights errant (they're expected to work with others since individuals make easy targets on the roads and in the wilds), then as they get older and start to slow down they go back to those temples to act as leaders and train the new up and comers.

Makes sense, a nice cycle and contrasts Syala's church, which is more free wheeling.

[Anastasia]

Oberon's Blade
Conjuration (Creation), Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 12
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Effect: One longsword
Duration: 1 round + 1 round per two levels
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell conjures a sword that looks the same as the one used by Oberon, King of the Seelie Court. The sword hurls itself at an enemy you determine. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. Creatures struck by Oberon's Blade suffer 10d8 points of damage. Any illusion struck by this blade is subject to a superb dispel effect at your caster level. This damage is doubled against Unseelie or evil fey. The blade will continue to strike at the same target every round unless directed by you (as a free action) to strike a different target.

Okay, why would a fey sword destroy illusions? The fey generally use them for trickery, rather than eliminate them and bring clarity. Just curious as to your mindset on that one.

[Corwin]

Somehow, this sheet was done first. Go figure!
I left in most of my math and notes for easier audit and reshuffling, as might be needed.

Xerandalla "Xera" Aryn

Solar22/Monk8//Sorc10/Sacred Exorcist10/Epic Sacred Exorcist10

Size/Type: Large Outsider (Angel, Good)
Hit Dice: 8+29d8+30x18con+30toughness+60epic toughness = 29d8+638 = 756hp
Initiative: +18dex+4+8=+30
Speed: 50+20mon=70ft, fly 150+20monk=170ft (good)
Armor Class: 10+18Dex+17Wis+1monk+5deflection/vow+21natural+2natural/vow+14exalted/vow-1size = 87 (64 touch)
Base Attack/CMB/CMD: +30/+30+1size+18dex(weapon finesse)+8enhancement=+57/10+57+5deflection+18dex=90
Attack: Unarmed Strike +30+18dex+8enhancement/vow-1size = +55
Full Attack: Unarmed Strike +54/+54/+49/+44/+39 (2d8+13str+8enhancement=2d8+21) (epic, cold iron and silver; flurry at monk lvl8: +1 extra attack at max, -1 to all attack rolls)
Full Attack (Divine Might): Unarmed Strike +54/+54/+49/+44/+39 (2d8+42) (epic, cold iron and silver; flurry at monk lvl8: +1 extra attack at max, -1 to all attack rolls)
Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, spells (Sorcerer CL30, Cleric CL20), Flurry, Chosen Foe/Undead +8, Turn Undead 21Cha+3=24/day.
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 20/epic and evil, darkvision 120ft, low light vision, immunity to acid, cold and petrification, protective aura, regeneration 15, resistance 30 to electricity, fire, and sonic energy, spell resistance 35, tongues, Endure Elements, Sustenance, Mind Shielding, Greater Sustenance, Freedom of Movement, True Seeing, Timeless Body, Holy Aura 4/day, Holy Wake, Evasion, Fast Movement 20ft, Still Mind, Slow Fall 40ft, Purity of Body, Wholeness of Body, Exorcism, Resist Possession, Detect Evil, Dispel Evil 6/week, Consecrated Presence, Familiar/Metamagic Specialist 11Int+3=14/day.
Saves: Fort +12+3+18con+6res=+39, Ref +12+3+18dex+6res=+39, Will +12+3+17wis+6res=+38 (+4 vs poison)
Abilities: Str 14+4+18=36 (+13), Dex 16+10+20=46 (+18), Con 16+8+22=46 (+18), Int 11+2+1+18=32 (+11), Wis 13+6+1+24=44 (+17), Cha 17+12+5+18=52 (+21)

Skills: (11+4+8solar)x22+(11+4+4monk)x8 = 506+152 = 658; *=class skill
Skills: Acrobatics (30) +51*, Bluff (3) +27*, Diplomacy (30) +54*, Disguise (5) +26, Escape Artist (30) +51*, Handle Animal (30) +51, Intimidate (30) +54*, Knowledge/Arcana (30) +44*, Knowledge/Dungeoneering (30) +41, Knowledge/Geography (30) +41, Knowledge/Engineering (5) +19*, Knowledge/History (30) +44*, Knowledge/Local (5) +16, Knowledge/Nature (30) +41, Knowledge/Nobility (5) +19*, Knowledge/Planes (30) +44*, Knowledge/Religion (30) +44*, Perception (30) +50*, Perform/Dance (30) +54*, Perform/Oratory (30) +54*, Perform/Sing (30) +54*, Sense Motive (30) +50*, Sleight of Hand (30) +44, Spellcraft (30) +44*, Stealth (30) +51*, Survival (30) +47, Swim (5) +26*

Feats: Eschew Material Components (B, lvl1/sorc1), Sacred Vow (lvl1), Vow of Poverty (lvl3), Quicken Spell (B, lvl5/sorc5), Power Attack (lvl6), Arcane Strike (lvl9), Easy Metamagic/Quicken (B, lvl10/sorc10), Divine Might (lvl12), Weapon Finesse (lvl15), Toughness (lvl18), Stunning Fist (B, lvl23/monk1), Improved Unarmed Strike (B, lvl23/monk1), Combat Reflexes (B, lvl24/monk2), Improved Disarm (B, lvl28/monk6)
Epic Feats: Epic Vow of Poverty (lvl21), Improved Chosen Foe (B, lvl24/se14), Epic Spell Capacity (lvl24), Specialized Metamagic/Quicken (lvl27), Spectral Strike (B, lvl28/se18), Superior Initiative (lvl30)
Exalted Feats: Nimbus of Light (E, lvl4), Angelic Lore (E, lvl6), Preacher (E, lvl8), Celestial Bloodline (E, lvl10), Words of Creation (E, lvl12), Eladrin Joy (E, lvl14), Shining Example (E, lvl16), Guardian Angel (E, lvl18), Holy Terror (E, lvl20), Ignore Material Components (E, lvl23), Epic Toughness (E, lvl26), Holy Strike (E, lvl29)
Alignment: Neutral Exalted

Vow of Poverty:

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+AC bonus (Su): +14 exalted to AC
+Bonus Exalted Feats: lvl1 + 10 at even levels
+Bonus Epic Feats: 3 (every 3 levels)
+Endure Elements (Ex)
+Exalted Strike (Su): +8 enhancement to attack and damage (epic, cold iron and silver)
+Sustenance (Ex)
+Deflection (Su): +5 deflection to AC
+Resistance (Ex): +6 resistance to saves
+Ability Score Enhancement (Ex): +12/+10/+8/+6/+4/+2
+Natural Armor (Ex): +2 natural armor to AC
+Mind Shielding (Ex)
+Damage Reduction (Su): 20/epic and evil
+Greater Sustenance (Ex)
+Energy Resistance (Ex): resistance 30 to acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic energy
+Freedom of Movement (Ex)
+Regeneration (Ex): heals 1 point of damage per level per hour rather than every day
+True Seeing (Su)
+Timeless Body
+Holy Aura
+Holy Wake: not need to sleep and is immune to all natural and magical sleep effects

Solar:

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Regeneration (Ex)

A solar takes normal damage from epic, evil-aligned weapons, and from spells or effects with the evil descriptor.

Spell-Like Abilities:

Always active-detect evil, detect snares and pits, discern lies, see invisibility, true seeing. At will-aid, animate objects, commune, continual flame, dimensional anchor, greater dispel magic, holy smite, imprisonment, invisibility (self only), lesser restoration, power word stun, remove curse, remove disease, remove fear, resist energy, summon monster vii, speak with dead, waves of fatigue. 3/day-blade barrier, earthquake, heal, mass charm monster, permanency, resurrection*, waves of exhaustion. 1/day-greater restoration, power word blind, prismatic spray, miracle. Caster level 22nd. The save DCs are 19 + spell level. Any of the solar's always active abilities may be dispelled, but the solar can reactive them as a free action on its turn.

Spells

Solars can cast divine spells as 20th level clerics. A solar has access to two of the following domains, as well as any appropriate to it's deity or plane of service: Air, Destruction, Good or War. The save DCs are Wisdom-based. A solar that continues to advance it's hit dice gains a casting level except for every tenth hit die. (10, 20, 30, ect.) The example solar here serves Elysium and has access to the Air, Good, Healing and Sun domains.

Solars cast as 20th level clerics(caster level 21st for spells with the good descriptor). The save DCs are 27 + spell level.

[6/day]0: Create Water, Detect Magicx2, Light, Mending, Virtue
[8+1/day]1: (Endure Elements), Bless Waterx2, Entropic Shieldx2, Remove Fearx2, Shield of Faithx2
[8+1/day]2: (Wind Wall), Align Weapon, Bear's Endurance, Delay Poison, Shatter, Shield Other, Silence, Spiritual Weapon, Zone of Truth
[8+1/day]3: (Cure Serious Wounds), Continual Flame, Create Food and Water, Locate Object, Protection from Energy, Searing Lightx4
[8+1/day]4: (Air Walk), Control Water, Death Wardx2, Dimensional Anchor, Dismissal, Freedom of Movementx2, Greater Magic Weapon
[7+1/day]5: (Blade Barrier), Flame Strike2, Hallowx2, Plane Shiftx3
[6+1/day]6: (Chain Lightning), Forbiddance, Healx3, Heroes Feast, Mass Owl's Wisdom
[6+1/day]7: (Sunbeam), Control Weather, Empowered Flame Strike, Greater Restorationx2, Repulsionx2
[6+1/day]8: (Sunburst), Dimensional Lockx2, Fire Stormx2, Greater Spell Immunity, Summon Monster 8
[5+1/day]9: (Prismatic Sphere), Gate, Mass Healx3, Miracle

Change Shape (Su)

A solar can assume the form of any Small or Medium humanoid.

Solar Ability Adjustment: Str+18, Dex+20, Con+22, Int+18, Wis+24, Cha+18

Monk:

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AC Bonus (Ex)

When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five monk levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).

These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.

Flurry of Blows (Ex)

When unarmored, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. The resulting modified base attack bonuses are shown in the Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus column on Table: The Monk. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 9th level it disappears. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.

When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). She may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies her Strength bonus (not Str bonus × 1½ or ×½) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether she wields a weapon in one or both hands. The monk can't use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.

In the case of the quarterstaff, each end counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using the flurry of blows ability. Even though the quarterstaff requires two hands to use, a monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes with quarterstaff strikes, assuming that she has enough attacks in her flurry of blows routine to do so.

Greater Flurry

When a monk reaches 11th level, her flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack she gets from flurry of blows, she gets a second extra attack at her full base attack bonus.

Unarmed Strike

At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk's attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.

Usually a monk's unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.

A monk's unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

A monk also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table: The Monk. The unarmed damage on Table: The Monk is for Medium monks. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large monk deals more damage; see Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage.

Bonus Feat

At 1st level, a monk may select either Improved Grapple or Stunning Fist as a bonus feat. At 2nd level, she may select either Combat Reflexes or Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat. At 6th level, she may select either Improved Disarm or Improved Trip as a bonus feat. A monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them.

Evasion (Ex)

At 2nd level or higher if a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Fast Movement (Ex)

At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Monk. A monk in armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.

Still Mind (Ex)

A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
Ki Strike (Su)

At 4th level, a monk's unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character's monk level. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.

Slow Fall (Ex)

At 4th level or higher, a monk within arm's reach of a wall can use it to slow her descent. When first using this ability, she takes damage as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. The monk's ability to slow her fall (that is, to reduce the effective distance of the fall when next to a wall) improves with her monk level until at 20th level she can use a nearby wall to slow her descent and fall any distance without harm.

Purity of Body (Ex)

At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases.

Wholeness of Body (Su)

At 7th level or higher, a monk can heal her own wounds. She can heal a number of hit points of damage equal to twice her current monk level each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses.

Unarmed Damage (L): 2d8

Sacred Exorcist:

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Exorcism (Su): As a full-round action, a sacred exorcist can force a possessing creature or spirit out of the body it inhabits. To exorcise a possessing creature, the exorcist makes a class level check (also adding her Charisma modifier, if any), against a DC of 10 + the possessing creature's HD + its Charisma modifier (if any). If the exorcist's result equals or exceeds the DC, she succeeds in forcing the possessor from the body, with the normal results based on its method of possession. A spirit so exorcised cannot attempt to possess the same victim for 24 hours.

Turn Undead (Su): Sacred exorcists can turn undead as clerics do. If a sacred exorcist has this ability from another class, her class levels stack to determine her effective turning level.

Resist Possession (Ex): Sacred exorcists of at least 2nd level receive a +4 sacred bonus on their saving throws against magic jar spells or similar abilities (including a ghost's malevolence ability), and a +2 sacred bonus on dispel checks made to dispel such effects. They also get a +2 sacred bonus on their saving throws against all charm and compulsion spells and effects cast by evil outsiders or undead.

Detect Evil (Sp): At will, a sacred exorcist of at least 2nd level can use detect evil as a spell-like ability.

Chosen Foe (Ex): At 3rd level, a sacred exorcist designates either undead or evil outsiders as her chosen foe. Extensive study and special training in the proper techniques for combating this foe gives the sacred exorcist a +1 competence bonus on Bluff, Intimidate, Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot checks against the chosen foe, as well as a +1 bonus on caster level checks to overcome any spell resistance of the chosen foe. At 6th level the bonus increases to +2, and at 9th level it increases to +3.

Dispel Evil (Sp): Beginning at 4th level, a sacred exorcist can use dispel evil as a spell-like ability once per week. At 7th level, she can use this ability twice per week. At 10th level, she can use it three times per week.

Consecrated Presence (Su): At 5th level and higher, a sacred exorcist is surrounded by an aura of positive energy that extends 20 feet from her presence. This aura duplicates the effects of a consecrate spell, but it moves with the sacred exorcist. If the sacred exorcist enters an area affected by a desecrate spell, both effects are negated while the sacred exorcist remains in the area. If the sacred exorcist is the target of a desecrate spell, her aura is suppressed for the duration of the desecrate spell.

Holy Aura (Sp): A sacred exorcist of 8th level or higher can use holy aura once per day as a spell-like ability.



Epic Sacred Exorcist:

Chosen Foe (Ex)

At 12th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the epic sacred exorcist's chosen foe bonus increases by 1.

Holy Aura (Sp)

At 12th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the epic sacred exorcist's holy aura may be used an additional time per day.

Dispel Evil (Sp)

At 13th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the epic sacred exorcist's dispel evil may be used an additional time per week.

Bonus Feats

An epic sacred exorcist gains an epic bonus feat at level 14 and every 4 levels thereafter.

Epic Sacred Exorcist Bonus Feat List

Armor Skin, Automatic Metamagic, Bonus Domain, Enhance Spell, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Capacity, Epic Spell Penetration, Holy Presence, Ignore Material Components, Improved Alignment-Based Casting, Improved Chosen Foe, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Metamagic, Intensify Spell, Permanent Emanation, Planar Turning, Positive Energy Aura, Spectral Strike, Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, Spontaneous Domain Access, Spontaneous Spell, Tenacious Magic.

Holy Presence [Epic]
Prerequisite: Holy Aura 1/day, cha 19
Benefit: You are under the effect of holy aura at all times. This ability can be dispelled, but you can reactivate it as a free action.

Improved Chosen Foe [Epic]
Prerequisite: Chosen Foe+2
Benefit: Your chosen foe bonus rises by two.
Special: You may select this feat more than once. Its benefits stack.

Magic:

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Sorcerer Spells Per Day:
lvl0 [DC25]:6
lvl1 [DC26]:6+5=11
lvl2 [DC27]:6+5=11
lvl3 [DC28]:6+5=11
lvl4 [DC29]:6+5=11
lvl5 [DC30]:6+5=11
lvl6 [DC31]:6+4=10
lvl7 [DC32]:6+4=10
lvl8 [DC33]:6+4=10
lvl9 [DC34]:6+4=10
lvl10 [DC35]:6+3=9
lvl11 [DC36]:6+3=9
lvl12 [DC37]:5+3=8
lvl13 [DC38]:3+3=6

Sorcerer Spells Known:
lvl0:9 [Acid Splash, Amanuensis, Arcane Mark, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Read Magic]
lvl1:5 [true strike, true casting, ray of clumsiness, ray of enfeeblement, nerveskitter, protection from evil (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl2:5 [scorching ray, seeking ray, wings of cover, fearsome grapple, glitterdust, daylight (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl3:4 [haste, ray of dizziness, ray of exhaustion, seira's unicorn arrow, magic circle against evil (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl4:4 [voice of the dragon, spell enhancer, wings of flurry, assay spell resistance, rainbow pattern (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl5:4 [wall of force, acid sheath, greater fireburst, duelward, dismissal (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl6:3 [disintegrate, fires of purity, greater anticipate teleport, guards and wards (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl7:3 [arcane spellsurge, waves of exhaustion, greater arcane sight, sequester (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl8:3 [irresistible dance, chain counterspell, divert teleport, sunburst (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl9:3 [wish, time stop, gate, summon monster ix/good outsiders only (B, celestial bloodline)]
lvl10:3 [bibliotheca arcana, glaciante's spiteful ward, seira's unicorn apocalypse]
lvl11:3 [many moments of prescience, superb dispelling, epic mage armor]
lvl12:3 [flux grasp, glorious rally, legion's gates]
lvl13:1 [antimagic zone]

Fluff:

Spoiler: ShowHide

Gender: Female, Height: 9', Weight: 500lbs, Age: 17, Base Form: Solar with golden dragon wings, Eyes: Turquoise, Hair: Golden, shoulder-length, Ears: Pointy!

Amaryl's naming sense nonwithstanding, there is not a shred of evil in Xerandalla's bones. As she grew up, her parents took her with them to meet their friends across the heavens, be it one of Morwel's revels, to roam through the Elf Father's domain, to test their might against Strength of Light or to study as they climbed the Holy Mountain together. The last one made the biggest impression on Xera, and it is where she has chosen to start on her own journey, by apprenticing herself to Pistis Sophia. Though she was not particularly inclined towards the arcane, preferring to face any problems in a more direct manner, Seira did not let her neglect her education. On top of being an archmage, as befits an Aryn, she is both well-traveled and well-read.

Xerandalla wears a homespun sari lacking in any decoration, her one concession to modesty. She has no need for any material effects, and is not in the habit of carrying anything with her. A nimbus of radiance circles her body, like a snake chasing its tail. Her hair, kept short for convenience's sake and still messy all the same, is a traditional elven blonde, while she has Seira's eyes.

[Nephrite]

Okay, why would a fey sword destroy illusions? The fey generally use them for trickery, rather than eliminate them and bring clarity. Just curious as to your mindset on that one.

It's exactly that reason -- the Seelie know what types of tricks the other fey use. This is intended to be a very anti-fey fey weapon, if that makes sense.

I suppose a line like "This spell was created by the Seelie Court to better combat their Unseelie enemies. This spell does extra damage to evil fey and shatters their illusions." may not be inappropriate.

[Anastasia]

It would be a good add, Moore.

[Ebiris]

All of that makes good sense there. Could you elaborate on this part? 'Celestia, who she's ideologically in league with,' combined with 'Court of Stars, which she appreciates more on aesthetic and moral grounds'.  How do you square that away, precisely? The ideological part vs the moral part.

Basically Alicia's in complete synch with Celestia. She's Lawful Good, pretty much every part of Celestia appeals and reasonates with her. But she likes the Good part of the Court of Stars (the moral part if not the ethical part), and honestly she doesn't even so much mind the chaos even if it's not strictly for her.

[Anastasia]

All of that makes good sense there. Could you elaborate on this part? 'Celestia, who she's ideologically in league with,' combined with 'Court of Stars, which she appreciates more on aesthetic and moral grounds'.  How do you square that away, precisely? The ideological part vs the moral part.

Basically Alicia's in complete synch with Celestia. She's Lawful Good, pretty much every part of Celestia appeals and reasonates with her. But she likes the Good part of the Court of Stars (the moral part if not the ethical part), and honestly she doesn't even so much mind the chaos even if it's not strictly for her.

Good clarification, thanks.

[Nephrite]

Oberon's Blade
Conjuration (Creation), Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 12
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Effect: One longsword
Duration: 1 round + 1 round per two levels
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell was created by the Seelie Court to better combat their Unseelie enemies; it does extra damage to evil fey and shatters illusions. This spell conjures a sword that looks the same as the one used by Oberon, King of the Seelie Court. The sword hurls itself at an enemy you determine. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. Creatures struck by Oberon's Blade suffer 10d8 points of damage. Any illusion struck by this blade is subject to a superb dispelling effect at your caster level. This damage is doubled against Unseelie or evil fey. The blade will continue to strike at the same target every round unless directed by you (as a free action) to strike a different target.



One could argue that it could be a general greater dispel magic effect and a superb one against evil fey but I think that makes the spell too confusing.

[Corwin]

Alicia and Seira, I have something I'd like you two to fill out. Consider this a refresher and a chance to clarify things and positions before we begin flavor and fluff catch up in earnest. These might shift a bit as we go into this, of course, but I'd like you all to fill out your thoughts and use this as a springboard.

1. My friends have various duties around Sylica/The Cauldron. What do I have them do?

Amaryl and Valar are generally in charge of petitions from the faithful in the Church of the Golden Flame. Amaryl also receives important guests to the Cauldron, while Valar pacifies areas that necessitated the Crimson Legion's direct intervention or leads said interventions himself when Seira is otherwise occupied.
Elle, Yandrazrt and Sanzha are working behind the scenes to make the Cauldron a successful trading hub and advance magical research, in metamagic and new fields of research. In particular, where it comes to the Cauldron's goal of bringing the elements together.
Donald is often used similarly to Seira's Avatar as her agent across the Planes, when she needs something smashed in and it's unlikely to become a diplomatic incident. He's also often the main babysitter.
Not sure on Oraga for obvious reasons, which means s/he's usually my bodyguard/secretary. Ie with me, and we punch in evil when it's a good idea, and seek out Oraga's deeply-buried better nature otherwise.
Na'lith is training the Crimson Legion, paired up with the four elemental leaders. It gets us an important perspective into the tactics of the Blood War and of our neighbors on Astral, while ensuring that their dispositions temper any remaining evil tendencies he might still hold, and that none are passed on to the troops themselves.
No duties for the kids.

2. I value allies for the future, these realms and personages are ones I'm trying to forge stronger ties with. Which ones are they?

Sylica, Brightwater (Waukeen, Liira and Tymora in particular), Arborea (Hanali and Morwel in particular), The House of the Triad, Selune and Mystra (because Shar), Lathander, Celestia (Pistis Sophia in particular), Primus (don't want Inevitables sent after me again, also Shar and Ao).

I've also wanted a hyper-competent frog maid ever since B1  :(

3. There's a lot of things wrong in Creation, but these ones in particular are a priority to stop. What do I really want to stop?

On the large scale, I want to find more places where the situation is one of status quo between good and evil, but doesn't have to be. The eladrin children in the Abyss, Benfal and Lifasa, DvR-level one-off abominations. Where unlike a crusade into an infinite realm, you could make a tangible difference for good by putting something on the line. I believe the God-King situation in Balmuria is one such thing.

On the day-to-day scale, I want to stop three things: Shar's plots across all the planes, bondage and slavery on the non-Evil planes and stop the tipping the scales of the inner elemental planes to Evil (be it through helping Zaaman Rul win or kicking Chan's enemies while they're down). The elemental harmony would hopefully help with that last one, since Good has a tendency of getting past ideological disagreements with other Good for the purpose of kicking Evil's teeth in, whereas they hate everyone else equally.

The prophecy of Primus, Ao and Shar are the biggest things, of course, but they're game goals.

4. My church is important to me. I make sure that they do as I will and help people, so I structure them so that everything works well. How do I structure them?

The devoted fit into one of two classes: those who preach and proselytize openly, and those who operate in anonymity, seeking out wrongs to right.

The former is the clergy of the Church of the Golden Flame, and they do battle on the front lines of the most important war in existence - the information war. Too many are seduced by evil, or fall prey to their weaknesses, and in far too many cases there is a better way. The clergy lead those who might listen there, and stand as shining examples to all.

In some cases, however, a more literal battle must take place. The rangers of the Order of the Golden Flame are those anonymous souls, who take a stand against evil because it is the right thing to do. Not to spread Seira's name directly, but to enforce her ideals across the planes. They are a military group dedicated to nothing less than preserving the future and all life. Even the enemy's life, if possible.

Just as the clergy can call on the rangers for a military solution, so can the rangers rely on the clergy to step in after the inevitable destabilization that results after taking down an oppressor, and to prevent further harm to innocents. If there was one thing Seira learned from Kesse, it was that both were vital and much like Shar, she doesn't spare resources on the smallest of things.

The overall organization tends to be decentralized on the various Primes, consisting mostly of cells and the occasional temple to Seira, although Waukeen's clergy have often helped in the Order's tasks. All petitions are received by the celestial bureaucracy of the Temple of the Golden Flame in the Cauldron, where they might be brought to the attention of Seira's inner circle, and by Seira herself.

[Iron Dragoon]

1. I'm starting fresh and building something strong. I'll need allies for sure. Who and what realms do I want as allies?

Well, as a Factotum, Alyssa is a very practical person. So, she'd first look at what she/the Order can't do, and then break it down by combat and then other concerns.

Combat:

1) Soldiering. Straight up, flat out, weapons combat. She'd look for a couple things in a force for this.
A) Trustworthiness. If there's a group or force that's aligned towards good or a mercenary lean that's got a super solid history of trustworthiness.
B) Flexibility. Not just straight sword and board. A group that's got some archers, some sort of berserkers, and maybe some magic of their own.
C) Their realm can't be attacked, sabotaged, or spied upon easily.
D) This is OOC, but I'd look for a group that's been semi underrepresented in the past games (or at least B3 since that's what I played). I'm thinking.... Maybe Dwarves. They come with the added benefit of being able to contract them to 'shore up' the fortifications of the Order, as well as a solid trade partner for various rare things.

2) Information. The Order is sure to have diviners, and they're sure to be reliable, but a small unit of plain old highly skilled spies can't be undervalued. The Order isn't a combat guild (as far as I know), but more of a research collective. So even if it's more restricted to battlefield intel, they'd be useful.
A) She'd probably want some source of political information out of this. Having information in that realm means they can do some double duty as a diplomat as well.
B) Tactical information. The Order might have a lot of treatise on combat magic and single-wizard tactics, but actual full-on war? Nope, not likely. She'd need to either hire some sort of mage-soldier to serve as a General, or far more preferably, find someone within the Order to send out for training/education on it. While that person might not be able to immediately serve as General, they can at least serve as an Adjutant to whoever they hire and simultaneously get an education and watch for treachery.
C) She'd want to find some sort of guild of guides or the like. Her experience as a Horizon Walker has taught her the value of knowing the land. If there's a way to get local guides fast and easy for wherever they may have to send people, it'll vastly increase the likelihood of their survival.
d) This is OOC, but going back to the tactical part, I never really felt that Aurora had a solid combined arms doctrine (I'm sure you have a rough idea what I'm going on about, but I can go into detail one on one if you want). I'd like to see at least a few 'special' units that are solidly in that field.

Realms:

This section is a little harder to plan out. It'll probably have to be fleshed out in-game for Alyssa as she's a new entry to the whole thing and doesn't have any real solid information on who/what the threat(s) is/are. Until then, the Realms she'd want to ally with are groups that would open decent trade and could build a mutual assistance agreement with for now. As harsh as it is, she'd also look for realms that were severely lacking in magical development but could be useful in fulfilling the above. That'd put them in greater debt to the Order, but hey, that's business/politics.

2. I've heard there's terrible things out there. What am I most concerned about?

Order-wise, she'd be massively worried about what Bel's defeat means for the Blood War. Losing to Aurora (assuming she knows about it) means that the devils are weakened, even if only in reputation. The demons, and anyone else at war with the Devils, would be looking to take advantage of it and become bolder. This spells bad things for everyone; their attention was on each other, primarily. Now a group of non-deities have handed them defeat, they'll learn from it and be wary of similar groups. Conversely, those forces might be looking to build their own Aurora-esque groups, either from the ground up or through enslavement or corruption. Both spell bad things for her guild if she begins building its strength up to 'get attention' levels.

Personally-wise, she'd be worried about the dragon. While she doesn't know exactly what spell was used, she recognized that it had something to do with true names. If it knows her true name, that's a potentially serious problem. She'd also be worried about keeping the other regeants in line and internal politics: she came into power both inside the order and her personal power, abnormally fast. No one ever likes that, and it always causes problems. She'd be worried about factions forming and splitting the guild. She'd likely look for someone trustworthy to serve as a mentor for that sort of thing.

3. I've gained so much power so fast. What are my goals now with all this power?

1) Stabilize position within the Order.
2) Unify the Order under a specific set of goals/vision.
3) Continue expanding personal research and power.
4) Don't get sucked into never leaving the guildhall.
5) Immortality. She'd recognize that she's at least near the power level to be able to achieve it. (Combining #3, #5, and a bit of OOC, investigate divinity)
6) Personal and guild armory. At the level of power she's at, she should be going around with pretty solid gear.
7) Decide if the guild needs to stay as a guild or develop into an independent mage-nation. At a certain point, they're going to attain the power to establish a nation or go to war with another nation, at which point, the decision will be made for them by others. Best to get ahead of that.
8) Family. Her new-found power and position would mean that there are those that will want to influence her, and she knows family is one of the most common routes to that. She'd like to get them in-house, if possible. Also, to keep from alienating herself from the rest of normal people.

OOC stuff:
So, there's some neat ideas I've been kicking around since I started with this character. Vague things that you/we may or may not want to explore. Like, forming a mage-knight/Warmage core group for the Order and establishing a sort of national guard/reserve doctrine. We've got the mage-knights (Active Duty) and then everyone in the guild must go through basic combat training and be given roles based on their abilities that they must attend annual training for (Reserves). This would help mobilize the Order in case of combat and massively cut down on confusion and reaction times.

While a guild of mages can conceivably conjure up servants and the likely, that makes them more insular and detached from everyone. Which I kind of don't want. I'd like to have a group of non-mage people to do things. Like ferriers, blacksmiths, cooks, etc. Goes back to Alyssa valuing skill as much as magical ability.

While I like the concept of producing magical items as a source of power/money, I'll admit that I thought Aurora's way about it was a little ridiculous. I'll still need a group to do that sort of thing, but I think I like the idea of having a smaller production ability than what Aurora had. A single shop able to make only X amount or the like, and only for specific things. I'd like to have to go out and find/hire craftsmen for specific things instead of just having them in house. That'll make things harder/more expensive, but it'll keep it closer to how things really work.

4. How people view me is important, right? What sort of reputation do I want to have in the future?

She wants to primarily be seen as a mentor, but also as an exemplar of both skill and exploration/survival. Honestly, I haven't given massive thought about this, as she's an entirely new character and I haven't even fully worked out her personality yet. I know some things about her, but I also know from experience that some of it will change with interactions with others, so I can't fully say what the end goal will be.

[Anastasia]

Amaryl and Valar are generally in charge of petitions from the faithful in the Church of the Golden Flame. Amaryl also receives important guests to the Cauldron, while Valar pacifies areas that necessitated the Crimson Legion's direct intervention or leads said interventions himself when Seira is otherwise occupied.

Makes sense all around. That's how I tended to play Amaryl when she showed up in B3 - basically the nice public face dealing with people. She's the velvet glove, Valar is the mailed fist.

Elle, Yandrazrt and Sanzha are working behind the scenes to make the Cauldron a successful trading hub and advance magical research, in metamagic and new fields of research. In particular, where it comes to the Cauldron's goal of bringing the elements together.

Again, makes good sense. Sanzha I imagine mostly heads the elemental stuff, Elle's more focused on metamagic and Yandrazrt focused on some of everything (metal is an awfully broad specialization).

Donald is often used similarly to Seira's Avatar as her agent across the Planes, when she needs something smashed in and it's unlikely to become a diplomatic incident. He's also often the main babysitter.

Something about Donald being the problem solver amuses me to no end, as well as the babysitting duties.

Not sure on Oraga for obvious reasons, which means s/he's usually my bodyguard/secretary. Ie with me, and we punch in evil when it's a good idea, and seek out Oraga's deeply-buried better nature otherwise.

That works, we'll talk about Oraga more later.

Na'lith is training the Crimson Legion, paired up with the four elemental leaders. It gets us an important perspective into the tactics of the Blood War and of our neighbors on Astral, while ensuring that their dispositions temper any remaining evil tendencies he might still hold, and that none are passed on to the troops themselves.

Makes good sense there, so noted and will work with it.

No duties for the kids.

Freeloaders! I kid, I kid.

Sylica, Brightwater (Waukeen, Liira and Tymora in particular), Arborea (Hanali and Morwel in particular), The House of the Triad, Selune and Mystra (because Shar), Lathander, Celestia (Pistis Sophia in particular), Primus (don't want Inevitables sent after me again, also Shar and Ao).

Makes sense, generally. Why Pistis Sophia in particular?

I've also wanted a hyper-competent frog maid ever since B1  :(

Go get one. Make it a to do.

On the large scale, I want to find more places where the situation is one of status quo between good and evil, but doesn't have to be. The eladrin children in the Abyss, Benfal and Lifasa, DvR-level one-off abominations. Where unlike a crusade into an infinite realm, you could make a tangible difference for good by putting something on the line. I believe the God-King situation in Balmuria is one such thing.

Makes sense there, so noted for future prep. Basically, if you can't solve it on the macro level, work on the micro level instead to improve the macro level indirectly?

On the day-to-day scale, I want to stop three things: Shar's plots across all the planes, bondage and slavery on the non-Evil planes and stop the tipping the scales of the inner elemental planes to Evil (be it through helping Zaaman Rul win or kicking Chan's enemies while they're down). The elemental harmony would hopefully help with that last one, since Good has a tendency of getting past ideological disagreements with other Good for the purpose of kicking Evil's teeth in, whereas they hate everyone else equally.

Stopping Shar is good and part of a balanced breakfast. Good idea there.

Stopping slavery is always a good choice. Tougher to stop on some Primes and some non Prime societies, but it'll give you plenty to do. Slavery is an evil thing, but it can be entrenched deeply and require work to solve.

Technically speaking, the elemental planes are more or less in balance there. Fire is as tilted to evil as Air is to good. But tilting it more towards good is a fair idea and more than worth pursuing. Good insight with elemental harmony and good's nature.

The prophecy of Primus, Ao and Shar are the biggest things, of course, but they're game goals.

Of course.

The devoted fit into one of two classes: those who preach and proselytize openly, and those who operate in anonymity, seeking out wrongs to right.

The former is the clergy of the Church of the Golden Flame, and they do battle on the front lines of the most important war in existence - the information war. Too many are seduced by evil, or fall prey to their weaknesses, and in far too many cases there is a better way. The clergy lead those who might listen there, and stand as shining examples to all.

In some cases, however, a more literal battle must take place. The rangers of the Order of the Golden Flame are those anonymous souls, who take a stand against evil because it is the right thing to do. Not to spread Seira's name directly, but to enforce her ideals across the planes. They are a military group dedicated to nothing less than preserving the future and all life. Even the enemy's life, if possible.

Just as the clergy can call on the rangers for a military solution, so can the rangers rely on the clergy to step in after the inevitable destabilization that results after taking down an oppressor, and to prevent further harm to innocents. If there was one thing Seira learned from Kesse, it was that both were vital and much like Shar, she doesn't spare resources on the smallest of things.

The overall organization tends to be decentralized on the various Primes, consisting mostly of cells and the occasional temple to Seira, although Waukeen's clergy have often helped in the Order's tasks. All petitions are received by the celestial bureaucracy of the Temple of the Golden Flame in the Cauldron, where they might be brought to the attention of Seira's inner circle, and by Seira herself.

Makes sense all around here.

[Anastasia]

Well, as a Factotum, Alyssa is a very practical person. So, she'd first look at what she/the Order can't do, and then break it down by combat and then other concerns.

Combat:

1) Soldiering. Straight up, flat out, weapons combat. She'd look for a couple things in a force for this.
A) Trustworthiness. If there's a group or force that's aligned towards good or a mercenary lean that's got a super solid history of trustworthiness.
B) Flexibility. Not just straight sword and board. A group that's got some archers, some sort of berserkers, and maybe some magic of their own.
C) Their realm can't be attacked, sabotaged, or spied upon easily.
D) This is OOC, but I'd look for a group that's been semi underrepresented in the past games (or at least B3 since that's what I played). I'm thinking.... Maybe Dwarves. They come with the added benefit of being able to contract them to 'shore up' the fortifications of the Order, as well as a solid trade partner for various rare things.

So you need warriors. Makes sense. Trustworthy warriors with different fighting styles, one that's already a cohesive unit that can't be easily infiltrated and with a secure realm. Dwarves do make sense for that.

2) Information. The Order is sure to have diviners, and they're sure to be reliable, but a small unit of plain old highly skilled spies can't be undervalued. The Order isn't a combat guild (as far as I know), but more of a research collective. So even if it's more restricted to battlefield intel, they'd be useful.
A) She'd probably want some source of political information out of this. Having information in that realm means they can do some double duty as a diplomat as well.
B) Tactical information. The Order might have a lot of treatise on combat magic and single-wizard tactics, but actual full-on war? Nope, not likely. She'd need to either hire some sort of mage-soldier to serve as a General, or far more preferably, find someone within the Order to send out for training/education on it. While that person might not be able to immediately serve as General, they can at least serve as an Adjutant to whoever they hire and simultaneously get an education and watch for treachery.
C) She'd want to find some sort of guild of guides or the like. Her experience as a Horizon Walker has taught her the value of knowing the land. If there's a way to get local guides fast and easy for wherever they may have to send people, it'll vastly increase the likelihood of their survival.
d) This is OOC, but going back to the tactical part, I never really felt that Aurora had a solid combined arms doctrine (I'm sure you have a rough idea what I'm going on about, but I can go into detail one on one if you want). I'd like to see at least a few 'special' units that are solidly in that field.

You're right about that. Diviners are a powerful resource, but spies are an important part of things, too. Anti divination measures are a thing, sometimes you don't think to ask the right questions or it's simply nice to get confirmation. Sounds good here.

Yeah, I never got super-duper deep into tactical theories with Aurora. In retrospect I may have integrated in a more robust tactical side to the game, but hindsight is always 20/20. Generally, army battles were about decisions while PCs got into encounters framed around the army battles.

Realms:

This section is a little harder to plan out. It'll probably have to be fleshed out in-game for Alyssa as she's a new entry to the whole thing and doesn't have any real solid information on who/what the threat(s) is/are. Until then, the Realms she'd want to ally with are groups that would open decent trade and could build a mutual assistance agreement with for now. As harsh as it is, she'd also look for realms that were severely lacking in magical development but could be useful in fulfilling the above. That'd put them in greater debt to the Order, but hey, that's business/politics.

Noted, I figure that deciding this will be an early game goal as you get the lay of the land.

Order-wise, she'd be massively worried about what Bel's defeat means for the Blood War. Losing to Aurora (assuming she knows about it) means that the devils are weakened, even if only in reputation. The demons, and anyone else at war with the Devils, would be looking to take advantage of it and become bolder. This spells bad things for everyone; their attention was on each other, primarily. Now a group of non-deities have handed them defeat, they'll learn from it and be wary of similar groups. Conversely, those forces might be looking to build their own Aurora-esque groups, either from the ground up or through enslavement or corruption. Both spell bad things for her guild if she begins building its strength up to 'get attention' levels.

Fair enough. Bel's defeat against Aurora's general planar knowledge and current events, a few groups made a lot of hay about it and what happened after made it more so. So assuming you have decent ranks in K:P, you'd be up on it.

Personally-wise, she'd be worried about the dragon. While she doesn't know exactly what spell was used, she recognized that it had something to do with true names. If it knows her true name, that's a potentially serious problem. She'd also be worried about keeping the other regeants in line and internal politics: she came into power both inside the order and her personal power, abnormally fast. No one ever likes that, and it always causes problems. She'd be worried about factions forming and splitting the guild. She'd likely look for someone trustworthy to serve as a mentor for that sort of thing.

Makes sense here. Cover your ass and back, y'know?

1) Stabilize position within the Order.

Makes sense.

2) Unify the Order under a specific set of goals/vision.

Follows the first naturally. A specific goal and vision that matches your own, of course.

3) Continue expanding personal research and power.

Goes without saying, but yes.

4) Don't get sucked into never leaving the guildhall.

Makes sense.

5) Immortality. She'd recognize that she's at least near the power level to be able to achieve it. (Combining #3, #5, and a bit of OOC, investigate divinity)

Make that an early game todo, we can go over it then.

6) Personal and guild armory. At the level of power she's at, she should be going around with pretty solid gear.

Fair, fair.

7) Decide if the guild needs to stay as a guild or develop into an independent mage-nation. At a certain point, they're going to attain the power to establish a nation or go to war with another nation, at which point, the decision will be made for them by others. Best to get ahead of that.

Right.

8) Family. Her new-found power and position would mean that there are those that will want to influence her, and she knows family is one of the most common routes to that. She'd like to get them in-house, if possible. Also, to keep from alienating herself from the rest of normal people.

Basically get your family safe and out of the line of fire?

So, there's some neat ideas I've been kicking around since I started with this character. Vague things that you/we may or may not want to explore. Like, forming a mage-knight/Warmage core group for the Order and establishing a sort of national guard/reserve doctrine. We've got the mage-knights (Active Duty) and then everyone in the guild must go through basic combat training and be given roles based on their abilities that they must attend annual training for (Reserves). This would help mobilize the Order in case of combat and massively cut down on confusion and reaction times.

While a guild of mages can conceivably conjure up servants and the likely, that makes them more insular and detached from everyone. Which I kind of don't want. I'd like to have a group of non-mage people to do things. Like ferriers, blacksmiths, cooks, etc. Goes back to Alyssa valuing skill as much as magical ability.

While I like the concept of producing magical items as a source of power/money, I'll admit that I thought Aurora's way about it was a little ridiculous. I'll still need a group to do that sort of thing, but I think I like the idea of having a smaller production ability than what Aurora had. A single shop able to make only X amount or the like, and only for specific things. I'd like to have to go out and find/hire craftsmen for specific things instead of just having them in house. That'll make things harder/more expensive, but it'll keep it closer to how things really work.

So noted all around, makes sense.

She wants to primarily be seen as a mentor, but also as an exemplar of both skill and exploration/survival. Honestly, I haven't given massive thought about this, as she's an entirely new character and I haven't even fully worked out her personality yet. I know some things about her, but I also know from experience that some of it will change with interactions with others, so I can't fully say what the end goal will be.

Right, right.

[Anastasia]

Oberon's Blade
Abjuration/Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 12
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Effect: One longsword
Duration: 1 round + 1 round per two levels
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell was created by the Seelie Court to better combat their Unseelie enemies; it does extra damage to evil fey and shatters illusions. This spell conjures a sword that looks the same as the one used by Oberon, King of the Seelie Court. The sword hurls itself at an enemy you determine. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. Creatures struck by Oberon's Blade suffer 10d8 points of damage. Any illusion struck by this blade is subject to a superb dispelling effect at your caster level. This damage is doubled against Unseelie or evil fey. The blade will continue to strike at the same target every round unless directed by you (as a free action) to strike a different target.

Pretty solid. I need to sit down and compare it to Mage's Sword before signing off on a level, but it's a solid variant/upgrade.

[Nephrite]

Pretty solid. I need to sit down and compare it to Mage's Sword before signing off on a level, but it's a solid variant/upgrade.

I'm cribbing spells I didn't even realize existed.

[Anastasia]

Pretty solid. I need to sit down and compare it to Mage's Sword before signing off on a level, but it's a solid variant/upgrade.

I'm cribbing spells I didn't even realize existed.

These things happen is all. 3.5 has a ton of options, being unique can be tough.