Welcome, astute reader, to the dark and twisted Creative Characters. Today we meet the scariest individual from these articles so far. She’s cold, she’s heartless, and she’s killed more people than you’ll ever know. The third member of the most charming group ever, The Charmers, is simply known as Glitterskull.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Creative Characters is an article series focused on creating groups of characters that you can drag and drop into your game, easy as! Each group features 5 members and has a running theme throughout. The first group was known as Fortune’s Heist, and the second group was Valor Incarnate. The present group is the Charmers, all charismatic builds of non-Charisma classes.
Do you need a character at short notice? Struggling for a baddy because the PCs just wondered into a do-not-enter area? (Don’t they always do that) Just interested in seeing some unique builds? We’re the series for you. Now with that out of the way, back to terror. I give you Glitterskull:
Android mystic 6 (outlaw)
C Medium Humanoid (android)
Init +2; Perception +12, low-light vision, dark vision
DEFENSE SP 42 HP 40 RP 6
EAC 18; KAC 20; DR 1/-
Fort +3; Ref +8; Will +8
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft, fly 30 ft (average)
Melee survival knife +6 (1d4+3 P), or
Tactical spear +4 (1d6+6)
Ranged Thunderstrike sonic pistol +6 (1d8+3 So)
Spells
At-will (DC 14) detect affliction, detect magic, grave words, stabilize, telepathic message, telekinetic projectile
1st level (5; DC 15) charm person, command*, disguise self, fear
2nd level (4; DC 16) force blast, hold person*, mind thrust, summon monster II.
* – The command and hold person spells are granted by Glitterskull’s connection, but she prepares double of these key spells every day.
Defensive Abilities healing touch (1/day, 30 hp)
STATISTICS
Str 10; Dex 14; Con 12; Int 12; Wis 17; Cha 16
Feats Combat Casting, Mobility, Spell Focus.
Skills Bluff +12, Culture +5, Diplomacy +9, Disguise +12, Intimidate +14, Life Science +5, Mysticism +7, Profession (Assassin, Cha) +7, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +8, Survival +7
Languages Common, Vesk, Eoxian
Gear Freebooter armor II, dermal plating mk I, Jetpack, Squox box (android armor slot), Squox kit, survival knife, Thunderstrike sonic pistol, tactical spear with Called fusion, 1x serum of healing mk II, 4x serum of healing mk I, 440 walking around creds.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Connection: Overlord
Inexplicable Commands (Su) 1st Level
When one of your mind-affecting charm or compulsion spells or spell-like abilities ends, the target loses all memory that it was magically controlled or influenced. That creature still remembers the actions it took but may be confused by them.
Forced Amity (Sp) 3rd Level
You can spend 1 Resolve Point as a standard action to shunt positive emotions and thoughts through your connection, forcing a humanoid creature to become friendly to you for a time. This functions as charm person.
Echoes of Obedience (Su) 6th Level
Even creatures that resist your dominance can’t shake the lingering echoes of your mind. When a creature succeeds at a saving throw against one of your mind-affecting charm or compulsion spells or spell-like abilities and negates the effect, it takes a –1 penalty to AC, attack rolls, and skill checks until the beginning of your next turn. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Knocking on your door at 3 am, when there’s no one expected, a heavy knocking that makes your bowels chill, it’s Glitterskull, come to collect your head. No one in the group is sure why Clayton Forcecore hired Glitterskull (he’s the boss). Clayton himself suspects she cast a spell on him, but then that proves her worth as a ruthless go-getter. And he enjoys the fact that the Android assassin is always able to get under the Goblin matron’s skin. He just wishes he could be sure he agreed, rather than was charmed into saying yes against his own better judgment…
Anyway! Glitterskull was designed by the army, stolen by the navy, and finally, she stole herself, killed everyone who knew about her and she began her own assassin company to make some money. She needed cash to get her very own squox, a furry little species that are probably the only thing Glitterskull would think twice about “cleaning up”. She likes the group she works with because most of them leave her well and truly alone, but she keeps the mechanic close by in case she needs repairs and is on good terms with the mechanic’s brother too. It never helps negotiations when you’ve killed someone’s sibling. Glitterskull likes Clayton because he’s so egotistical he’s constantly sure he DID decide to hire Glitterskull, when she remembers full well that she used her connection powers to force her way into the job. If she wants to leave it one day, she will, and kill the lot of them if they get in the way, or mention “signed contracts.” Glitterskull loves Suzetta Biretta most of all, however, as there’s nothing more exciting than prey, and Space Goblins squeak in just the right way to get your blood tingling.
Glitterskull looks like a black silhouette until she steps into the pale light between shadows. Then you see the grey lines of her armor at hips, shoulders, and chest, a cowl of dark plum over her head, and hidden deep within that cowl a hot pink skull-mask nailed onto a perfect chrome head. This cold, unthinking, emotionless face was the first thing Suzetta saw of Glitterskull. She squealed, turned, ran away and fainted mid-step, and has never forgotten the embarrassment or gotten over it. Glitterskull saved the moment in her memory banks.
Glitterskull, however, enjoys long walks along the beach with her pet squox “Mr. Tickles”. Her skills and spells are all about befriending/stupifying the enemy before knocking them out, and if you wonder how Assassin can be a “charisma” Profession go ahead and ask her. Just give me plenty of warning, so I can leave town before you find out first hand.
Glitterskull isn’t evil, however. She’s just ruthless at what she does, and she was built to charm and kill. She regrets that she has grown to like her group more than she ever expected to, however. It almost makes her sad that she has a secret contract worth 1000 creds on every member of The Charmers, but she’s waiting for a rainy day to claim on that. Whenever she’s angry she likes to look upon her fellow members as walking credsticks, and of course, with that face, no one ever has the slightest idea what she’s thinking.
Join me next week when we meet Matchbox’s brother and A grade Mechanic, Treadz Roadcrash.