Posted in
Friends & Foes on August 23rd, 2008
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Magic
The story goes that thousands of years ago, some of the greatest magical talents from across the world banded together to form The Sapphire Guard. Their mission was to protect and shepherd the world through domination, and they very nearly achieved it. The guard was only defeated when an ancient god of magic– taxed already by the heavy and concentrated powers invoked by The Sapphire Guard– was slain. Immediately, all magic left the world, and it would be centuries before it returned. The Sapphire Guard was defeated, but the price was a heavy one.
Not all of the guard was destroyed, though; the few survivors met together at a secret rallying point. How many were in attendance varies wildly by who’s telling the story, from anywhere as few as two to as many as several hundred. They had lost their magic, but they had not lost their ambition, and they still sought to control the entire world.
A new pact was formed, The Sapphire Covenant. Under the covenant, the survivors of The Sapphire Guard would split up and each take on an apprentice. They would propagate their lines in secret, and each line would always consist of exactly one master and exactly one apprentice. Part of the covenant requires each line to actively hunt down and assassinate each other, both to enforce the veil of secrecy and to ensure only the strongest survive.
The survivors had gained their power through determination, and that determination also remained with them. As much effort as they had given to the study of the arcane arts, they now poured into study of the blade. In time, they and their apprentices would become some of the greatest fighters history had ever known.
When magic returned to the world, The Sapphire Covenant was quick to adopt it. Now, they are known both for their formidable prowess in magic and in swordsmanship.
| Sapphire Covenant Apprentice |
Level 15 Solo Skirmisher |
| Medium Natural Humanoid |
XP 6,000 |
|
| Initiative +21 |
Senses Perception +15 |
|
| HP 740; Bloodied 370 |
| AC 29; Fortitude 29, Reflex 31, Will 28 |
| Saving Throws +5 |
| Speed 8 |
| Action Points 2 |
| M Crippling Strike (Standard; at-will) |
| +20 vs. AC; 3d6+6 damage, and the target is slowed until the end of the apprentice’s next turn. |
| R Magic Missile (Standard; at-will) ♦ force |
| Ranged 20; +18 vs. Reflex; 2d8+6 damage. |
| m Passing Blow (Minor; at-will) |
| The apprentice shifts 3 squares, and may make a single basic melee attack at any point during this movement. |
| m Disengage (Standard; encounter, recharges when bloodied) |
| The apprentice makes a Crippling Strike attack and then takes a move action. If the Crippling Strike hit, the target loses any mark (if any) it had on the apprentice and may not mark or take opportunity attacks against the apprentice this round. |
| r Mage’s Reply (Immediate Reaction, when hit by a ranged, area or close attack; recharge 56) ♦ force |
| Ranged 20 against target who triggered this ability; +18 vs. AC; 4d10+6 damage. |
| c Shockwave (Standard; recharge 6) ♦ force |
| Close burst 1; +18 vs. Reflex; 3d10+6 damage, and target is pushed 3 squares and knocked prone. Miss: half damage and target is still pushed but not knocked prone. |
| Alignment Evil |
Languages Common |
|
| Skills Arcana +23, Heal +15, History +19, Intimidate +16, Stealth +23 |
| Str 18 (+11) |
Dex 24 (+14) |
Wis 16 (+10) |
| Con 20 (+12) |
Int 24 (+14) |
Cha 18 (+11) |
|
| Sapphire Covenant Master |
Level 20 Solo Controller |
| Medium Natural Humanoid |
XP 14,000 |
|
| Initiative +27 |
Senses Perception +25 |
|
| Aura of the Master aura 30; Enemies within the aura have the range of all their ranged and area attacks halved. |
| HP 945; Bloodied 472 |
| AC 34; Fortitude 33, Reflex 36, Will 35 |
| Saving Throws +5 |
| Speed 6 |
| Action Points 2 |
| M Knockback Blow (Standard; at-will) ♦ force |
| +25 vs. Reflex; 2d6+7 damage and target is pushed 3 squares and knocked prone. |
| R Mastered Magic Missile (Minor; at-will) ♦ force |
| Ranged 30; +24 vs. Reflex; 3d8+7 damage |
| r Fling (Standard; recharge 456) |
| Ranged 20; +24 vs. Reflex; target is slid up to 10 squares and knocked prone. If target is slid into a wall or another creature, make a secondary attack +25 vs. AC; 4d10+7 damage. If slid into another creature, the creature takes equal damage and is also knocked prone. |
| c Lightning Blast (Standard; recharge 6) ♦ lightning |
| Close blast 5; +24 vs. Reflex; 4d12+7 damage and target is slowed. Miss: half damage and target is not slowed. |
| Fleet of Foot (Minor; at-will) |
| The master shifts 3 squares |
| Cloud Mind (Minor; encounter, recharge when bloodied) ♦ psychic |
| The master becomes invisible for 3 rounds or until he attacks or is damaged. |
| Alignment Evil |
Languages Common |
|
| Skills Arcana +29, Diplomacy +29, History +29, Intimidate +29, Stealth +21 |
| Str 18 (+14) |
Dex 33 (+21) |
Wis 35 (+22) |
| Con 21 (+15) |
Int 28 (+19) |
Cha 25 (+17) |
|
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The story goes that thousands of years ago, some of the greatest magical talents from across the world banded together to form The Sapphire Guard. Their mission was to protect and shepherd the world through domination, and they very nearly achieved it. The guard was only defeated when an ancient god of magic– taxed already by the heavy and concentrated powers invoked by The Sapphire Guard– was slain. Immediately, all magic left the world, and it would be centuries before it returned. The Sapphire Guard was defeated, but the price was a heavy one.
A new pact was formed, The Sapphire Covenant. Under the covenant, the survivors of The Sapphire Guard would split up and each take on an apprentice. They would propagate their lines in secret, and each line would always consist of exactly one master and exactly one apprentice. Part of the covenant requires each line to actively hunt down and assassinate each other, both to enforce the veil of secrecy and to ensure only the strongest survive.
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