Bonus Material: Character Sheets and Notes

Feel free to skip this short chapter if you have no interest in splatty Dungeons and Dragons stuff. I just felt inspired to put up a little behind-the-scenes information about Death's Favored Daughter here between part two and part three.

Early on as I started writing the story I decided to mostly use Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition rules as a basis for how magic and a few other things work in the story, since I think 3rd edition rules make a lot more intuitive sense (and I really like the idea of Imoen becoming an Arcane Trickster!) This led to me making a few incomplete character sheets for some of the characters, mostly to keep track of what spells people have available. Below are some of those stats, along with a little explanation of my thinking on how the character is presented. Of course this is a story, not a D&D campaign, and I try to make story take priority over statistics.

And apologies if the numbers are a little wrong. Boy is keeping track of skill points a pain!

Ashura Adrian

Human (Damaran) Fighter 2 (Book Learned) Barbarian 3

Str: 15 Dex: 18 Con: 18 Int: 15 Wis: 8 Cha: 13 Alignment: Chaotic Neutral. Patron Deity: Talos. Height: 5' 6" Weight: 138 lbs. Age: 19

Skills: Intimidate +8, Knowledge (History) +6, Jump +8, Swim +5, Knowledge (Geography) +6, Survival +5, Listen +6, Knowledge (local – Sword Coast,) +3

Feats: Ambidexterity, Education, Two Weapon Defense , Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse,

Class Abilities: Fast Movement, Rage (once per day,) Uncanny Dodge

Innate Abilities: Minor Drain twice per day.

Ashura's munchkin-like stats are actually based on Imoens. I even shaved a point or two off. Boy does Imoen have a nice pool of starting stats.

It might not come through in the writing but I actually pictured Ashura as a bit of a finesse fighter, thus the weapon finesse feat. Fifteen strength is pretty high and nothing to sneeze at, but her greater asset is her speed and precision, along with generally being really tough. There's no good 3rd edition explanation for why Ashura's so terrible with a bow with that dexterity. I guess she's just never seriously practiced at archery. Oh, and the Education feat is one of the regional feats from the Player's Guide to Faerun, which you can only pick one of at first level. I figured it was really appropriate for a character who's lived her whole life in Candlekeep (it allows you to take knowledge skills as class skills no matter what class you are.)

Someone (*cough* Kyn *cough*) once pointed out that Ashura's height and weight here isn't exactly congruous with the *hardcore warrior-woman* that she comes off as, and I can totally see that.

I actually based those stats on a female Olympic athlete, with the idea of Ashura being a nimble martial-artist in mind. Also, I was thinking that five-and-a-half feet is modestly tall by medieval standards, but looking back at it maybe people in the Forgotten Realms are more well-fed than medieval peasants, and I should have made her a little taller; not six feet but closer to it. Of course my headcannon of Imoen will always be of her being really short (5' 1"ish,) and kind of pudgy/endomorphic.

In the game [Charname] starts out in their early 20's, but I changed that to the more typical CRPG starting age of 18-19ish. Mainly I just couldn't picture a character like Ashura sticking around in Candlekeep into her twenties. The story even starts with her and Imoen contemplating how to run away.

Imoen

Human (Chondathan) Rogue 3 Illusionist 2

Str: 9 Dex: 18 Con: 16 Int: 17 Wis: 11 Cha: 16 Alignment: Chaotic Good. Patron Deity: Mask.

Prohibited Schools: Necromancy and Conjuration.

Skills: Balance +5, Bluff +6, Climb +6, Decipher Script +6, Disable Device +6, Escape Artist +6, Gather Information +4, Hide +6 Move Silently +6 Open Lock +6, Slight of Hand +6, Tumble +6, Knowledge (Local – Sword Coast) +3, Concentration +4, Spellcraft +4, Knowledge (arcana) +4

Feats: Pointblank Shot, Weapon Finesse, Precise Shot

Class Abilities: Sneak Attack +2d6, Trap Sense +1, Evasion, Trapfinding, Scribe Scroll, Summon Familiar

Mage Spells: 0th – 4 1st- 4

Spells Typically Prepared: 0th – Ghost sound, mage hand, message, presiditation 1st- Silent image, true strike x2, feather fall

Imoen, on the path to becoming an Arcane Trickster. I figured she'd have every archery related feat she could get, and I actually have her stabbing a fair number of people in the story so I figured weapon finesse would be important.

Why is she chaotic good? Well, she may have started out neutral good but she's stolen quite a bit by this point in the story. I like the idea of alignment shifting over time, and how in the Neverwinter Nights games you'd get a "Your alignment has shifted 5 points towards chaotic" for stealing stuff or "Your alignment has shifted 10 points towards evil" for outright murdering someone. Ashura's alignment certainly tracks that way too. She starts out as chaotic neutral, but may end up good, evil, or still wavering in-between later in the story (I'd bet on evil. She certainly tends to lean that way.)

Mask may seem like an odd choice too, but I liked the idea of our heroines actually following evil deities. It creates the impression that maybe they aren't so heroic.

The next couple of character sheets are a lot less in-depth. Mainly I was just trying to keep track of people's general spells available.

Xanisteirial Feilien (Xan to his friends)

Moon Elf Enchanter 7

Str: 13 Dex: 16 Con: 7 Int: 17 Wis: 14 Cha 16 Alignment: Lawful Neutral. Prohibited Schools: Evocation and Conjuration

Feats: Extend Spell, Forge Ring, Combat Casting, Spell Penetration, Spell Focus: Enchantment

Mage Spells: 0th- 4 1st- 6 2nd- 5 3rd- 4 4th- 2

Spells Prepaired: 0th- daze, ghost sound, message, touch of fatigue 1st- hypnosium, sleep, cause fear, color spray, shield, feather fall 2nd – charm person (extended,) invisibility, protection from arrows, levitate, 3rd – dispel magic, suggestion x2, slow 4th- confusion, lesser geas

Xan and Branwen are a bit higher level than the others, due to being more experienced adventurers. And of course Xan's spells are very heavy on the mind control and trickery.

Nimbul

Bard 7 Assassin 2

Bard Spells: 3/4/3/1 Bard Spells Known: 6/4/4/2 0th- daze, detect magic, open/close, ghost sound, resistance, mage hand, 1st-hypnosium, grease, silent image, feather fall 2nd- Invisibility, hold person, silence, mirror image3rd- slow, summon monster III

Assassin spells known: Obscuring mist, true strike. Two spells per day.

Since the battle with Nimbul ended up being the focus of an entire chapter I wanted to plan his available spells out more thoroughly than usual.

Branwen

Human Cleric of Tempus 6

Str: 13 Dex: 16 Con: 15 Int: 9 Wis: 17 Charisma: 13 Alignment: Neutral

Domains: War, Strength

Cleric Spells: 5/5/5/4 Spells Memorized: 0th – purify food and drink, guidance, resistance, virtue, cure minor wounds 1st- magic weapon, cure light wounds x2, remove fear, shield of faith 2nd – spiritual weapon x 2, cure moderate wounds, inflict moderate wounds, remove paralysis 3rd – magic vestment, dispel magic, cure serious wounds, invisibility purge

Branwen thinks of herself as more of a warrior than a priest, and thus she's all about the combat buffs, along with spells to undo annoying wizard tricks like invisibility, paralysis and charm. You have to fight Branwen fairly, damnit!

Garrick

Human Bard 4

Str: 14 Dex: 16 Con: 9 Int: 14 Wis: 14 Cha: 15 Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Bard Spells: 3/3/1 Bard Spells Known: 0th-mage hand, message, light, detect magic, ghost sound, lullaby 1st- cure light wounds, silent image, hideous laughter 2nd- sound burst, cat's grace

I don't know if it comes across in the story but I actually like poor, naive little Garrick a lot. I think he has a lot of room for growth, if he can manage to survive.

Anyways: on with the story!