Wizards of the Vilhon Reach (Character Kit)

Class Information 	Class Information
Racial Requirements 	Human
Ability Requirements 	Intelligence 9
Prime Requisite 	Intelligence
Hit Die Type 	d4
Attack as 	Wizard
Save as 	Wizard
Advance as 	Wizard
Spell Ability? 	Wizard
Exceptional Strength? 	No
Exceptional Constitution?	No
Starting Cash (x10 gp) 	5d4
Proficiencies 	Proficiencies
Weapon Slots 	1
Additional Slot 	6
Nonproficiency Penalty 	-5
Nonweapon Slots 	4
Additional Slot 	3
Available Categories 	General, Wizard
Bonus Proficiencies 	None
Recommended Proficiencies	Spellcraft
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==Overview==
===Chondath===
Once a powerful trading empire, a series of mishaps involving warfare, disease, and rampaging magic have left Chondath a faint shadow of its past glory. Because of the role that spellcasters played in its downfall, there is little interest in magic here. Those who want to learn the sorcerous ways must do so without the aid of a mentor or formal training.
===The City-States===
The Vilhon Reach is dotted with scattered city-states. The largest and most powerful of these are Nimpeth, Reth, Hlath, and Iljak, although there are several smaller city-states as well. These strong-willed states have battled for generations.
Only within the last 50 years have they come to see the futility of war and attempted to settle their differences peacefully. However, this process has proven so successful that the city-states are a model all Faerûn would do well to follow.
===Hlondeth===
The fabled City of Serpents, Hlondeth, is a majestic place that has grown wealthy through overland and maritime trade. Over the centuries, however, the yuan-ti have spread themselves through the city, infiltrating even the bloodline of the ruling family. All wizards from this realm have also been touched by the spread of the yuan-ti, although they are still quite human.
===Sespech===
The Barony of Sespech is a young nation with a government that is unstable and chaotic. The current ruler, Baron Thurgar Foesmasher, is struggling to hold his nation together. Life is tense in Sespech, a condition that has left its mark on the people of the barony.
===Turmish===
The mahogany-skinned Turms are a splendid and graceful people. If their blood does not have a long-forgotten elfish component, it certainly should. The average Turmish male stands between 6½ and 7½ feet tall and weighs between 180 and 200 pounds. The rest of his musculature and features are slender and well-defined, as his height and weight might suggest.
Turmish wizards are easy to spot, for they decorate themselves with tattoos, always in the shape of various animals. Among themselves, the Turms believe that such tattoos give the spellcaster power. The tattoos glow brightly whenever they cast a spell, so it seems likely there is at least a modicum of truth in this.
==Description==
===Chondath===
The typical garb of the Chondath adventurer, who is almost always a fighter or rogue, is a unique form of supple leather armor. The use of this leather is so common that even the few wizards who come from these city-states wear it. Of course, this isn't the rigid leather armor typically worn by military troops; it is much more like buckskin and provides an Armor Class of 9 to those who wear it without affecting wizard skills in any way. A Chondathian mage can wear such leather or even studded leather armor (AC 8).
===The City-States===
Residents of the city-states of the Vilhon Reach dress very uniformly, favoring simple white tunics. It is traditional for the many priests of the city temples to dye their togas blue, while wizards generally dye theirs red. There is no law enforcing this custom, but it has become a standard over the years.
===Hlondeth===
The architecture of Hlondeth is rich and extravagant, often featuring murals and mosaics that venerate the snakes and serpents of the world. The flowing colors of these masterpieces are depicted in the dress of the wizards there. They favor flowing silks of bright scarlet, rich emerald, and deep azure.
Jewelry, primarily gold, is commonly worn by the folk of Hlondeth. Bracelets, necklaces, and torcs of serpentine gold links are favored above all else, especially those items with magical properties.
===Sespech===
The people of Sespech commonly wear full-length, dresslike robes rather like a toga. The wizards of Sespech wear hooded capes with these. In most cases, these hoods are overly large and drawn forward to hide the spellcaster's visage. This custom arises from an ancient Sespechi belief that it is bad luck to look upon the face of wizard.
===Turmish===
The Turms are perhaps best noted for their ornate armor, which is embossed with intricate patterns and decorated with spires and graceful fluting. This love of beauty is also evident in the clothing worn by members of other classes.
Turmish wizards wear light robes, generally fashioned of fine black and green cloth and tied with intricately woven sashes. Gold jewelry, especially earrings and chokers, is also common.
==Role-playing==
===Chondath===
While those few spellcasters who ascend from the mire of Chondathian society might claim to be true mages and wizards, the truth is that their powers seldom match their egos. Without proper instruction in the practice of magic, they have had to learn much from trial and error or from ancient, often greatly distorted, stories. But eager as they might be to assume their place among the great magicians of the world, it will be centuries before Chondath produces its own Elminster or Simbul.
===The City-States===
The people of the Vilhon Reach's many city-states are attempting to adjust to a way of life their ancestors never knew. In most cases, this is far easier for the intelligencia than for the common man. The wizards of the cities, who fall into the former category, try to find a peaceful solution to every problem they are presented with. Combat, whether magical or mundane, is always considered a last resort.
===Hlondeth===
The wizards of Hlondeth are considered by many to be a cunning and predatory lot. Like all wizards, these folk recognize the value of intelligence and careful thought. When confronted with a difficult situation or a potential enemy, the Hlondeth wizard will spend as much time as possible in quiet contemplation of the subject. No action is taken rashly unless circumstances absolutely dictate otherwise. "Careful and calculating" might be a better way to describe these wizards, for they are predatory only when eliminating their enemies. As allies, they are true and loyal.
===Sespech===
The wizards of Sespech have suffered much from the changes of government and constant reshuffling of society that has taken place over the last several decades. Under one ruler, wizards might be prized as a valuable national resource. Under another, they might be looked upon as worthless slackers too lazy to pick up a sword. And under a third they might be considered dangerous outlaws who must be hunted down and destroyed.
Because of this, Sespechi wizards have no use for government and so cannot be of lawful alignment. This does not mean they cannot be considered trustworthy; as friends and companions they are noted for their loyalty.
===Turmish===
The Turms look upon spellcasters with respect and some degree of admiration, just as they do any learned individual. Turm wizards do their best to live up to the high standards their countrymen have for them. They attempt to maintain high ethical and moral standards in all their affairs and give generously of their time and advice. All wizards created with this kit must be of good alignment.
==Special Abilities==
===Chondath===
The magic of Chondathian wizards is not nearly as effective as that used by spellcasters from other lands. Because of the informal way in which they master their spells, however, these wizards are not subject to many of the normal restrictions placed on magicians.
These characters are far better able to defend themselves than their peers from other lands. They can make use of any small or medium weapon, including both melee and missile weapons. They can attack as if they were rogues, not wizards, so a 5th-level Chondathian wizard has a THAC0 of 18 instead of 19, for example.
===The City-States===
The wizards of these diverse cities begin the game with a number of bonus proficiencies to reflect the political training they have received. These are etiquette, heraldry, and ancient history (Vilhon Reach). No proficiency slots need to be allocated for these spells. Additional slots can be allocated to increase the character's chance of success.
Over the course of recent decades these wizards have turned away from offensive magic and mastered the more subtle and defensive elements of spellcasting. As a result, they can gain an additional spell from the abjuration school (and the can gain additional spells based on their specialization). A specialist wizard whose opposition school is abjuration loses this bonus.
===Hlondeth===
Close contact with the yuan-ti, whether intentional or inadvertent, has tainted the human wizards of Hlondeth. They have acquired an affinity for the magical and psionic powers of the yuan-ti.
In campaigns that use the Complete Psionics Handbook, all Hlondethian wizards also have a wild psionic talent. If that sourcebook is not part of the campaign, this power can be simulated by randomly selecting a 1st-level spell and allowing the character to use it three times per day as a special ability.
The wizards of Hlondeth have learned something of the yuan-ti spellcasting methods. They automatically learn the fear, darkness (15' radius), polymorph other, suggestion, and charm person spells as soon as they attain a level high enough to cast them.
===Sespech===
The fiery, independent spirit common to the wizards of Sespech makes it difficult for others to influence their thoughts and actions. So any magical spell from either the Enchantment/Charm or Illusion/Phantasm school is less effective when used against these folk. Any saving throw that a wizard of Sespech makes to resist such powers is made with a +4 bonus. This also applies to the priestly sphere of Charm and any other magical spells the DM judges to be an intrusion upon the wizard's mind and free will.
This unique ability carries over to psionics as well. In campaigns using the Complete Psionics Handbook, these characters all have a continually operating tower of iron will.
===Turmish===
Turmish wizards, like their merchants, are noted throughout the Vilhon Reach for their honesty and fairness. They are seen as wise and noble souls who use their magic and intelligence to protect their friends and keep their enemies at a distance. As might be expected, their magical abilities reflect this.
All wizards of this type are especially skilled at the casting of information-gathering spells. These include the spells of the Greater Divination school. When they cast these spells, the listed duration, range, and area of effect is increased by half. For example, a 4th-level wizard who casts a detect magic spell will find that it affects an area 15 feet wide by 90 feet long, instead of the usual 10-foot by 60-foot area, and that it remains in effect for 12 rounds instead of the normal 8.
In addition, a Turmish wizard who uses a scrying device (such as a crystal ball) automatically gains use of clairaudience when using that device. This is in addition to any other abilities the particular magical item possesses.
==Special Disadvantages==
===Chondath===
Chondath wizards master spells at the same rate bards do. Also, they cannot opt to be specialists. Therefore, a 1st-level Chondathian wizard is actually unable to cast a spell and no such character can ever learn spells above 6th level.
===The City-States===
While these wizards have mastered the art of protective magic to a degree unheard of by other wizards, they have not accomplished this feat without a cost. The most obvious impact this has had on spellcasters from the Vilhon Reach's city-states is that they have become less proficient when using magic to inflict damage on their enemies.
In game terms this means that any spell that directly harms an opponent has a -1 penalty for every die rolled for damage. The minimum roll on any given die is 1, so a 4d6 fireball will never cause less than 4 points of damage. It is up to the Dungeon Master to decide which spells are included in this category, although some obvious examples include magic missile, fireball, and lightning bolt.
===Hlondeth===
The yuan-ti have not been idle in Hlondeth. Over the years they have gradually been working to assume control of the city. While the wizards of this city have learned something of the magic of the yuan-ti, so too have the yuan-ti learned something of humanity. They have focused this knowledge toward making the people of the city mentally pliable and receptive to psionic domination.
In game terms this weakness manifests itself whenever the character is attacked with any spell from the Enchantment/Charm school or the priestly Charm sphere. In either case, the victim suffers a -4 penalty on any saving throw that he is allowed to make. His magical defense adjustment, as dictated by his Wisdom score, still applies.
===Sespech===
The same independent streak that makes wizards of Sespech resistant to mind-affecting spells makes the use of such spells on others repugnant to them. These characters are unable to cast spells from either the Enchantment/Charm or Illusion/Phantasm school.
===Turmish===
While the peaceful and sagacious nature of these wizards is impressive, they are not without their weaknesses. The most pronounced of these is an almost complete lack of combat experience.
Turmish wizards do not begin the game with any weapon proficiencies. Afterward, however, they attain them normally. The nonproficiency penalty for such characters is -8.
==Quote==
: Mikal strode ahead of us, drinking in the sights and sounds of the city. I have to admit that I was impressed too, but I've always been a bit more reserved than the paladin.
: "Ahhh," he smiled, looking around the marketplace, "I can't believe that we've finally reached the City of Serpents. Isn't this place incredible?"
: "You're right, I've never seen its like," I agreed. "Maybe I'll come back here and settle down in a few years. What do you think? How does Mikal of Hlondeth sound to you?"
: Before I could answer, we came around a corner and discovered a most unfortunate sight: A pair of young women, obviously from the Heartlands, stood atop two sturdy gallows. Each had a black hood over her head and her arms bound behind her back. An officous looking man was reading from a scroll, telling of the great crimes that "these outlander wizards have committed in the service of a heathen god." As his words drifted over the eager crowd, I noticed that each prisoner wore a silver medallion around her neck. These disks bore the bound hands of Ilmater, the same symbol that graced the shield of my companion. With a sinking feeling, I knew what was about to happen.
: Mikal let out a great cry of rage and sprang forward. He sent a dozen onlookers tumbling to the ground and took everyone in the area by surprise. Even I, who had realized what was going to happen a few seconds before it did, wasn't ready for the paladin's furious outburst.
: By the time anyone else could react, Mikal had leapt upon the gallows. He swept his sword in a great arc, neatly severing the ropes that threatened to claim the lives of the two wizards.
: A pair of crossbowmen were among the first to recover from their surprise. They swung their weapons about and took aim on the rash paladin. I threw myself at them, bringing them both down.
: As the guards struggled to regain their footing, I vaulted to Mikal's side. He had removed the hood from one of the women, revealing a wise, gentle face, and was in the process of cutting the thongs that encircled her wrists. As soon as her hands were free, she began to gesture and speak in the arcane language of wizards.
: Someone grabbed for me and I whirled about. At that instant, the enchantress completed her spell and the world around us faded away. A second later, we stood atop a tower that looked out over the sparkling sea.
:: —From the journal of Andreas Vanderslyke