Shadowmaster of Telflamm? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Shadowmaster of Telflamm? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
GVR
07-15-07, 02:30 PM Hey Everybody,

I am working on a idea of a ex-member of the Shadowmasters of Telflamm, whom, as a little kid was left on the streets of Telflamm and quickly found his way into the Temple of the Mask because of his age (he was only three years and therefore an excellent oppurtunity to be formed into a soldier of the Mask).

He has an history as an outstanding member of the guild, quickly rising through rank because of sheer ruthlessness and cold determination brought to him by his code of honour to the guild master (a fatherly figure and his mentor). He fought during the invasions of the Pirates of Telflamm and was a key figure in promoting the bounty for every orc that had setttled in the broken city of Telflamm.

In the end he fell out with the guild; his mentor was murdered by one of the more ambitious members and soon he found himself struggling between personal loyalty and loyalty to the Shadowmasters. Eventually he realized that he could have been one of the street urchins dying because of gang warfare and slowly began to feel guilty for his rash behaviour and often violent actions.

Showing penance he has left the guild, and this is where it becomes tricky. Could I play a Telflammar Shadow Master (the Prestige Class from Unapproachable East) whom has showed penance and renounced his evil ways, only to use his powers for the sake of good?

Thanks in advance,

Yours Sincere,

GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose
07-16-07, 12:22 AM I see no reason why he couldn't be a member who left and as far as I know none of your abilities cease to function if you leave the guild... though you can't take more levels with things like that normally.

You will, of course, have to deal with the bounty on your head for leaving a criminal syndicate without dying. Perhaps you were able to fake your death? You wouldn't neccessarily have to deal with the nightly assassination attempt but rather would have to be very careful about anyone digging into your past. It would make a great secret to keep hidden from the remainder of the players.
GVR
07-16-07, 04:23 AM Hm ok,

would there be a chance, as we're a group working in Waterdeep serving the Masked Lords and the party has both close connections to the Gray Hands (a member of them is included in our party), the Order of Watchful Protectors ánd Khelben Blackstaff. Wouldn't these forces, if the characters did not, pry into his past extensively, even if he appears (and actually is) a good-neutral guy?

I am thinking about making him either Neutral good or Lawful neutral; because his character was very loyal to both the guild and his mentor but was horrified when these loyalties did not matter anything anymore (like the modern-day mafia). He was like the excellent example of a 19th century man of honour in Sicily, really wanting to protect the society in which he lived.

Would the Telflammar guilds post a bounty and for how long would they follow him; I was thinking of a lvl 7 Rogue/Lvl 1 Shadow Dancer/Lvl 3 Telflammar Shadowmaster. Does the CR (his lvl I mean with this) have anythign to do with the importance of hunting him down? Or does the expertise not but the knowledge he has of their operations matter more?

Thanks for your advice up til now Terjon ;),

Yours Sincere,

GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose
07-16-07, 04:52 AM I am thinking about making him either Neutral good or Lawful neutral; because his character was very loyal to both the guild and his mentor but was horrified when these loyalties did not matter anything anymore (like the modern-day mafia). He was like the excellent example of a 19th century man of honour in Sicily, really wanting to protect the society in which he lived.

Definetly sounds like Lawful Nuetral to me. Honour is all well and good but nuetral good would put doing the right thing over a personal code. Lawful nuetral would care greatly about how the old codes aren't being followed anymore. Lawful good could work too it just mean following the code when you do good.

Would the Telflammar guilds post a bounty and for how long would they follow him; I was thinking of a lvl 7 Rogue/Lvl 1 Shadow Dancer/Lvl 3 Telflammar Shadowmaster. Does the CR (his lvl I mean with this) have anythign to do with the importance of hunting him down? Or does the expertise not but the knowledge he has of their operations matter more?

CR isn't really whats going to set you up. The time you spent in the guild and amount you know about them is. Still, I'm thinking if that's the level your starting at then you know enough that they are never going to stop looking for you. At that point you're probably a major leuitenant in the guild... perhaps your mentor was even a boss. Think made man turns his back on the mafia. Even if you don't turn state's evidence they aren't ever going to give up. Of course after 2 or three years you may be more or less forgotten but any time your name gets connected to a location they are still going looking for you. Your CR will, of course, determine who they send after you.

As for your friends looking into your background well... You have enough ranks in bluff (hopefully) that for the most part you can convince people you're just another adventurer. The ones who really start investigating may well find things out and at that point it'll be up to you to see to it that that info is contained (preferably by convincing the other guy you really are a good guy and getting them to agree to keep it quiet). If the wrong people get that info you will almost certainly have to deal with either blackmail or the Shadow Lords.

I don't have too much experience in waterdeep but basically wherever you go it turns out like this. You should be able to keep who you are from the guard. The spies, secret police, etc. should figure out who you are and, depending on the alignment of that organization, either try to use it to force you into working for them or turn it over to at least one major politcal player (usually king). If you can then convince the king that while you sued to be a criminal you no longer are then it shouldn't hurt you too much. Of course it's really up to DM how much he wants to play this up. If you feel like it may be a little too much for you talk to him about it so he knows not to make it a major sub-plot.
GVR
07-17-07, 11:01 AM Hm, I have just been looking through the Shadowdancer class and I figured I can't get the Shadow Jump ability (which is required for the Telflammar Shadowlord class) until I reach lvl 4 of the Shadowdancer class.

So I figured I had to drop the Shadowlord class but I do however still retain my background in which - indeed as you mentioned - the mentor of my character was one of the acting bosses reporting directly to the Temple of the Mask.
Would a Shadowdancer be able to get the same kind of recognition and respect from the guild and be considered as important to their affairs?

GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose
07-19-07, 01:08 AM Shadowdancer would since its a clear route to the top in the guild but why not just take the LA and get the template so you can shadow-jump? If you've undergone the transformation with the shadowmaster template you most definetly never get to leave clear and free though... the knowledge of that ritual alone is reason to chase you to the ends of the earth.
GVR
07-20-07, 03:13 AM I considered the lvl adjustment a waste, but looking at it now I think it's quite agood idea, so the final layout of my character shall be as followed:

Augmented Humanoid -> Thesk Human augmented as a Shadow Walker
And he has taken the following lvls, lvl 5 Rogue / lvl 2 Fighter / lvl 2 Telflammar Shadowlord / lvl 1 Shadowdancer.

What do you think? Is it broken as in bad or could it work? We already have a roguish character but I wanted to have a mysterious oppurtunistic fighter, our rogue also has some fighter lvls but I wanted to make use of the abilities with shadow as he (at lvl 10) has quite a range of spelllike abilities from his Shadow Walker template.

Yours Sincerely,

GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose
07-20-07, 11:44 PM Should work out nicely for you. Consider talking to the other rogue and see if you can get him to focus on theiving skills (i.e. open locks, search, disable device) while you focus on the stealth aspect. If he's willing to go along you will make a formidable pair in combat (you get into flanking with him and together you two deal hefty damage) without stepping on each others' toes outside of combat.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
07-20-07, 11:47 PM Alternatively rogues make great "face men" for the party and if he wants he can go that route while you become the experienced theif.
GVR
07-23-07, 10:22 AM Aargh.

My DM doesn't want to use any material other than purely fictional (so I may use it in my background but I may not take the Telflammar Shadowlord prestige class nor the Shadowwalker template). So I guess I have to stick to the Shadowdancer prestige class.

Do you have any other kind of suggestions for classes, prestige classes or templates from Faerun?

Yours Sincerely,

GVR

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
GVR 07-15-07, 02:30 PM	Hey Everybody, I am working on a idea of a ex-member of the Shadowmasters of Telflamm, whom, as a little kid was left on the streets of Telflamm and quickly found his way into the Temple of the Mask because of his age (he was only three years and therefore an excellent oppurtunity to be formed into a soldier of the Mask). He has an history as an outstanding member of the guild, quickly rising through rank because of sheer ruthlessness and cold determination brought to him by his code of honour to the guild master (a fatherly figure and his mentor). He fought during the invasions of the Pirates of Telflamm and was a key figure in promoting the bounty for every orc that had setttled in the broken city of Telflamm. In the end he fell out with the guild; his mentor was murdered by one of the more ambitious members and soon he found himself struggling between personal loyalty and loyalty to the Shadowmasters. Eventually he realized that he could have been one of the street urchins dying because of gang warfare and slowly began to feel guilty for his rash behaviour and often violent actions. Showing penance he has left the guild, and this is where it becomes tricky. Could I play a Telflammar Shadow Master (the Prestige Class from Unapproachable East) whom has showed penance and renounced his evil ways, only to use his powers for the sake of good? Thanks in advance, Yours Sincere, GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose 07-16-07, 12:22 AM	I see no reason why he couldn't be a member who left and as far as I know none of your abilities cease to function if you leave the guild... though you can't take more levels with things like that normally. You will, of course, have to deal with the bounty on your head for leaving a criminal syndicate without dying. Perhaps you were able to fake your death? You wouldn't neccessarily have to deal with the nightly assassination attempt but rather would have to be very careful about anyone digging into your past. It would make a great secret to keep hidden from the remainder of the players.
GVR 07-16-07, 04:23 AM	Hm ok, would there be a chance, as we're a group working in Waterdeep serving the Masked Lords and the party has both close connections to the Gray Hands (a member of them is included in our party), the Order of Watchful Protectors ánd Khelben Blackstaff. Wouldn't these forces, if the characters did not, pry into his past extensively, even if he appears (and actually is) a good-neutral guy? I am thinking about making him either Neutral good or Lawful neutral; because his character was very loyal to both the guild and his mentor but was horrified when these loyalties did not matter anything anymore (like the modern-day mafia). He was like the excellent example of a 19th century man of honour in Sicily, really wanting to protect the society in which he lived. Would the Telflammar guilds post a bounty and for how long would they follow him; I was thinking of a lvl 7 Rogue/Lvl 1 Shadow Dancer/Lvl 3 Telflammar Shadowmaster. Does the CR (his lvl I mean with this) have anythign to do with the importance of hunting him down? Or does the expertise not but the knowledge he has of their operations matter more? Thanks for your advice up til now Terjon ;), Yours Sincere, GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose 07-16-07, 04:52 AM	I am thinking about making him either Neutral good or Lawful neutral; because his character was very loyal to both the guild and his mentor but was horrified when these loyalties did not matter anything anymore (like the modern-day mafia). He was like the excellent example of a 19th century man of honour in Sicily, really wanting to protect the society in which he lived. Definetly sounds like Lawful Nuetral to me. Honour is all well and good but nuetral good would put doing the right thing over a personal code. Lawful nuetral would care greatly about how the old codes aren't being followed anymore. Lawful good could work too it just mean following the code when you do good. Would the Telflammar guilds post a bounty and for how long would they follow him; I was thinking of a lvl 7 Rogue/Lvl 1 Shadow Dancer/Lvl 3 Telflammar Shadowmaster. Does the CR (his lvl I mean with this) have anythign to do with the importance of hunting him down? Or does the expertise not but the knowledge he has of their operations matter more? CR isn't really whats going to set you up. The time you spent in the guild and amount you know about them is. Still, I'm thinking if that's the level your starting at then you know enough that they are never going to stop looking for you. At that point you're probably a major leuitenant in the guild... perhaps your mentor was even a boss. Think made man turns his back on the mafia. Even if you don't turn state's evidence they aren't ever going to give up. Of course after 2 or three years you may be more or less forgotten but any time your name gets connected to a location they are still going looking for you. Your CR will, of course, determine who they send after you. As for your friends looking into your background well... You have enough ranks in bluff (hopefully) that for the most part you can convince people you're just another adventurer. The ones who really start investigating may well find things out and at that point it'll be up to you to see to it that that info is contained (preferably by convincing the other guy you really are a good guy and getting them to agree to keep it quiet). If the wrong people get that info you will almost certainly have to deal with either blackmail or the Shadow Lords. I don't have too much experience in waterdeep but basically wherever you go it turns out like this. You should be able to keep who you are from the guard. The spies, secret police, etc. should figure out who you are and, depending on the alignment of that organization, either try to use it to force you into working for them or turn it over to at least one major politcal player (usually king). If you can then convince the king that while you sued to be a criminal you no longer are then it shouldn't hurt you too much. Of course it's really up to DM how much he wants to play this up. If you feel like it may be a little too much for you talk to him about it so he knows not to make it a major sub-plot.
GVR 07-17-07, 11:01 AM	Hm, I have just been looking through the Shadowdancer class and I figured I can't get the Shadow Jump ability (which is required for the Telflammar Shadowlord class) until I reach lvl 4 of the Shadowdancer class. So I figured I had to drop the Shadowlord class but I do however still retain my background in which - indeed as you mentioned - the mentor of my character was one of the acting bosses reporting directly to the Temple of the Mask. Would a Shadowdancer be able to get the same kind of recognition and respect from the guild and be considered as important to their affairs? GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose 07-19-07, 01:08 AM	Shadowdancer would since its a clear route to the top in the guild but why not just take the LA and get the template so you can shadow-jump? If you've undergone the transformation with the shadowmaster template you most definetly never get to leave clear and free though... the knowledge of that ritual alone is reason to chase you to the ends of the earth.
GVR 07-20-07, 03:13 AM	I considered the lvl adjustment a waste, but looking at it now I think it's quite agood idea, so the final layout of my character shall be as followed: Augmented Humanoid -> Thesk Human augmented as a Shadow Walker And he has taken the following lvls, lvl 5 Rogue / lvl 2 Fighter / lvl 2 Telflammar Shadowlord / lvl 1 Shadowdancer. What do you think? Is it broken as in bad or could it work? We already have a roguish character but I wanted to have a mysterious oppurtunistic fighter, our rogue also has some fighter lvls but I wanted to make use of the abilities with shadow as he (at lvl 10) has quite a range of spelllike abilities from his Shadow Walker template. Yours Sincerely, GVR
Terjon of the Blue Rose 07-20-07, 11:44 PM	Should work out nicely for you. Consider talking to the other rogue and see if you can get him to focus on theiving skills (i.e. open locks, search, disable device) while you focus on the stealth aspect. If he's willing to go along you will make a formidable pair in combat (you get into flanking with him and together you two deal hefty damage) without stepping on each others' toes outside of combat.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 07-20-07, 11:47 PM	Alternatively rogues make great "face men" for the party and if he wants he can go that route while you become the experienced theif.
GVR 07-23-07, 10:22 AM	Aargh. My DM doesn't want to use any material other than purely fictional (so I may use it in my background but I may not take the Telflammar Shadowlord prestige class nor the Shadowwalker template). So I guess I have to stick to the Shadowdancer prestige class. Do you have any other kind of suggestions for classes, prestige classes or templates from Faerun? Yours Sincerely, GVR