Nightshade is @Nightshade-QOV
"Knowledge is power. Absolute knowledge is absolute control. And control, my dears, is absolute perfection."
Race: High Elf
Class: Wizard (School of Evocation 7)
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Background: Sage (with a deep, dark academic secret and connection to forbidden lore)
Motivation: Nightshade is driven by an insatiable hunger for arcane knowledge and, more importantly, the power and control that knowledge grants. She believes in strict hierarchies and order, with herself ideally at the apex, or at least pulling the strings behind the scenes. She sees magic not as a tool for good or evil, but as a force to be mastered and bent to her will. Her association with Princess Hanavari is purely strategic; she recognizes the Princess's raw, unconventional power as a fascinating magical phenomenon to study, categorize, and potentially exploit or control. She seeks to unravel the mysteries of Hanavari's transformation, not out of altruism, but to add to her own formidable understanding of the arcane and to gain influence over such a unique entity. She values efficiency, precision, and intellectual superiority above all else.
Hit Points: 44 (7d6 + Con mod x 7)
Armor Class: 12 (10 + Dex mod)
Speed: 30ft
Initiative: +2
STRDEXCONINTWISCHA8 (-1)14 (+2)12 (+1)18 (+4)13 (+1)10 (+0)
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Saving Throws: Intelligence (+7), Wisdom (+4)
Skills: Arcana (+7 - Expertise), History (+7 - Expertise), Investigation (+7), Perception (+4), Medicine (+4), Deception (+3)
Armor: None
Weapons: Daggers, Quarterstaffs, Light Crossbows, Shortbows, Longbows
Tools: Calligrapher's Supplies (from Sage background)
Languages: Common, Elvish, Draconic, Sylvan, Infernal, Abyssal
Weapons:
"Staff of Calculated Destruction": A finely carved quarterstaff, dark wood, with a polished amethyst orb at its head. It functions as a +1 Quarterstaff. When Nightshade uses a spell of 1st level or higher while wielding this staff, she can choose one target within 30 feet that she can see. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on its next saving throw against a spell or magical effect until the end of its next turn.
Silver-tipped Dagger: For ritual components or last-resort melee.
Armor:
"Robe of Calculated Arcana": An elegant, layered robe of deep black and rich purple silk, exquisitely embroidered with silver arcane symbols that subtly shift and glow. While not armor, it is enchanted to grant her a small pool of magical energy. (See Magic Items).
Other Gear:
Spellbook: Bound in dark leather, filled with meticulous notes, complex diagrams, and chillingly precise formulas for destruction. Contains all her known spells and others she has collected.
Pouch: Containing 100 gp and various arcane components.
Component Pouch: For non-costly spell components.
Ink and Quill: Always ready for note-taking.
Small, locked journal: Contains forbidden research and musings on control.
"Eyes of the Scrutinizer" (Magnifying Glass): Inlaid with obsidian, this magnifying glass also subtly shifts colors, enhancing her observational skills. (See Magic Items).
Arcane Recovery (Wizard 1): Once per day when she finishes a short rest, she can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level equal to or less than half her wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. (Currently up to 4th level worth of slots).
Sculpt Spells (Evocation 2): When she casts an Evocation spell that affects other creatures that she can see, she can choose a number of them equal to 1 + the spell's level. These creatures automatically succeed on their saving throw against the spell, and they take no damage if they would normally take half damage on a successful save.
Potent Cantrip (Evocation 6): When a creature succeeds on a saving throw against her Evocation cantrip, the creature takes half the cantrip's damage (if any) but suffers no other effect from the cantrip.
Fey Ancestry (High Elf): Advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put her to sleep.
Trance (High Elf): Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day.
Cantrip (High Elf Racial): One additional wizard cantrip (Shocking Grasp).
Spell Save DC: 15
Spell Attack Bonus: +7
Cantrips Known: 5
Fire Bolt, Shocking Grasp, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Message
Spell Slots:
1st Level: 4
2nd Level: 3
3rd Level: 3
4th Level: 1
Spells Prepared (from Spellbook): (INT mod + Wizard Level) = 11 prepared from her extensive spellbook.
1st Level: Magic Missile, Shield, Detect Magic, Thunderwave, Comprehend Languages
2nd Level: Misty Step, Scorching Ray, Web, Suggestion
3rd Level: Fireball, Counterspell, Lightning Bolt
4th Level: Wall of Fire
"Staff of Calculated Destruction":
Weapon (Quarterstaff), rare (requires attunement)
Functions as a +1 Quarterstaff.
"Weaken Will": Once per short rest, when Nightshade uses a spell of 1st level or higher while wielding this staff, she can choose one target within 30 feet that she can see. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on its next saving throw against a spell or magical effect until the end of its next turn.
"Robe of Calculated Arcana":
Wondrous Item, rare (requires attunement)
An elegant, layered robe of deep black and rich purple silk. It grants no AC bonus but functions as a specialized arcane focus.
"Arcane Reservoir": This robe has 3 charges. As a bonus action, Nightshade can expend 1 charge to regain one expended spell slot of 1st or 2nd level. The robe regains 1d3 charges at dawn.
"Eyes of the Scrutinizer" (Magnifying Glass):
Wondrous Item, uncommon
An obsidian-inlaid magnifying glass.
"Truth Teller": While holding this, Nightshade has advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks related to written or inscribed texts, and she can discern subtle magical residue on objects or persons with a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check.
Nightshade hails from a secluded lineage of High Elves known for their intellectual prowess and detachment. She was raised in an environment that valued rigorous study, logical deduction, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge above all else. Early in her life, she developed a fascination with the raw power of Evocation magic, seeing it as the purest expression of a wizard's will over the chaotic forces of the world. She believes firmly in imposing order and logic upon chaos, even if that order benefits her own ambitions.
Her path deviated from typical scholarly pursuits when she delved into forbidden texts and obscure magical theories, discovering the intricate connections between power, influence, and systematic control. She quickly embraced the philosophy that "might makes right," and that true might is found in intellectual and magical superiority. She is calm, analytical, and rarely shows emotion, preferring to observe and strategize. She views others, even her companions, as pieces on a grand chessboard – assets to be utilized, obstacles to be circumvented, or subjects to be studied.
Her association with Princess Hanavari is a calculated risk and an unparalleled opportunity. She sees Hanavari's draconic transformation as a unique magical anomaly, a living experiment in raw power. Nightshade is determined to understand its origins, its limits, and its potential, not for the Princess's benefit, but to expand her own arcane mastery and perhaps even find a way to replicate or control such power for herself. She operates under a strict code of self-interest, always seeking to leverage situations to her advantage, all while maintaining an outward facade of intellectual curiosity and professional competence. She finds the "hot dog" aspect of Hanavari utterly baffling, but acknowledges its undeniable connection to the Princess's power, filing it away as another curious variable to eventually unravel.