Character Build Sheet - Angela

• Since she's level 20, Angela gains a +2 bonus to Accuracy Checks and Magic Checks.

The GM writes that down.

• Finally, Angela is given some physical protection in the form of a sage robe, bringing her Defense to 9 and her Magic Defense to 10. Her Initiative score will be 6, and her maximum HP and MP will both be equal to 80.

Were Angela a soldier-rank adversary, she'd be done. But that isn't the case. The heroes confront her inside a magical laboratory, so she'll have a few magical allies to support her; there isn't much time, so the GM relies on a creature already present in the Bestiary: the arcane lantern (page 328).

Since they don't want to make the battle too overwhelming and there are four Player Characters in the group, the GM makes Angela an elite accompanied by two arcane lanterns (renamed as "Angela's arcane lanterns").

• Unfortunately, the Lanterns are only level 5 — a bit too weak. They could be made level 10, or the GM could do something different. They know the lanterns are rather easy to dispatch, being Vulnerable to physical damage, so they give Angela a huge supply and then add an extra effect upon defeat.

They take away the lanterns' Mana Transfer action and replace it with Mana Burst: when an arcane lantern drops to 0 HP, it shatters in a wave of spiritual energy and restores 10 Mind Points to all characters present on the scene, be they friends or foes. When this happens, a new lantern will join the battle at the end of each round (up to a maximum of three lanterns in the battle at any time).

This creates an interesting dynamic: the Player Characters can focus their actions on Angela and risk being swarmed by lanterns, or take out the constructs but gradually restore Angela's MP, giving her the opportunity to cast more spells.

• Finally, Angela is going to be made an elite; this means she will get two turns per round, she will double her maximum Hit Points (bringing her to a rather resilient 160), and she will get an additional Skill. She also gets a +2 bonus to her Initiative score.

The GM is pretty happy with the battle as it is, but thinks the extra Skill should reflect just how determined Angela is to put an end to the heroes' meddling: when she enters Crisis for the first time, she will channel her magic in an attempt to destroy the laboratory — this will be represented by a six-sections Clock, named "ashes to ashes", which will automatically increase by 1 at the start of each of Angela's turns. The Player Characters can of course use the Objective action to turn back this Clock, but the only way to preserve the evidence in the hideout is to both reduce the Clock to 0 and defeat Angela or force her to leave the scene.

Philip Forlenza (Order #)