Belheya Sanhat [Sun-touched Human Wizard 1/5/10/15; Crowd Controller] 1

Belheya Sanhat

Female Sun-touched Human Wizard 15

CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +19; Senses Perception +22
--------------------
Defense
--------------------

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 11 (+1 shield, +7 Dex)
hp 100 (15d6+45)
Fort +8, Ref +14, Will +10; +2 enhancement bonus to avoid being tripped
SR 26
Weakness delicious
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 45 ft.
Melee agile alpenstock +5/+0 (1d6-1) and
. . dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +13)
. . 15 minutes/day—face in the crowd
. . 15 rounds/day—master of the veil
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +26):
. . 8th—extend summon monster vii, height feeblemind (DC 29), quick silent still mirror image
. . 7th—extend programmed image (2, DC 27), project image (DC 28), quick silent still vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), summon monster vii
. . 6th—contingency, greater dispel magic (3), quick mirror image
. . 5th—extend silent fly (2), persistent image (2, DC 26), quick vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), wall of stone (2)
. . 4th—black tentacles (3), extend sleet storm (3), silent still minor image (DC 23)
. . 3rd—extend invisibility, fly (2), haste (2), sleet storm (3)
. . 2nd—extend mage armor, extend mount, glitterdust (2, DC 24), minor image (3, DC 23), mirror image
. . 1st—disguise self, mount (2), silent image (3, DC 22), vanish[APG] (2, DC 22)
. . 0 (at will)—daze (DC 21), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 21), read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 9, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 33, Wis 8, Cha 7
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 31 (23 vs. bull rush, 23 vs. dirty trick, 23 vs. disarm, 23 vs. drag, 23 vs. feint, 23 vs. grapple, 23 vs. overrun, 23 vs. pull, 23 vs. push, 23 vs. reposition, 23 vs. steal, 23 vs. sunder, 25 vs. trip)
Feats Augment Summoning, Defensive Combat Training, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Run, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Focus (conjuration), Steward of the Great Beyond, Still Spell, Toughness
Traits omen, reactionary, seeker
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 to jump with a running start), Appraise +15, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +16, Fly +20, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (planes) +24, Knowledge (religion) +24, Linguistics +24, Perception +22, Profession (scribe) +10, Sense Motive +18, Sleight of Hand +22, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +25
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Catfolk, Celestial, Common, Cyclops, Daemonic, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Protean, Terran, Undercommon
SQ arcane bonds (arcane bond [familiar]), cruelty, extended illusions, opposition schools (evocation, necromancy), specialized schools (mage of the veil)
Combat Gear extend metamagic rod (lesser), mask of the mantis, pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), quicken metamagic rod (lesser), rod of absorption, scroll of dimensional anchor, scroll of make whole, silent metamagic rod (lesser), wand of protection from chaos (50 charges), wand of protection from evil (50 charges), wand of protection from good (50 charges), wand of protection from law (50 charges); Other Gear mithral buckler, agile alpenstock, dagger, belt of incredible dexterity +6, cloak of resistance +2, crystal ball with see invisibility, efficient quiver, handy haversack, headband of vast intelligence +6, ring of feather falling, ring of sustenance, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, ink, black (5), inkpen, mess kit, pot, scrivener's kit, soap, spell component pouch, spellbook (5), torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 30 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Agile alpenstock +2 to saving throws to avoid being tripped.
Augment Summoning Summoned creatures have +4 to Strength and Constitution.
Cruelty If there is a dying or helpless foe within 30 ft, -2 to attack foes that aren't dying or helpless.
Delicious (Ex) -2 penalty on Escape Artist and combat maneuver checks to escape bite grapples.
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Evocation You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Evocation school.
Extend Spell Spell duration lasts twice as normal. +1 Level.
Extended Illusions (+7 rds) (Su) Increase duration of illusion spells by 1/2 level (permanent at 20).
Face in the Crowd (15 minutes/day, DC 28) (Sp) At 1st level as a standard action, you can cause yourself to appear so normal, mundane, and unexceptional that you blend in to your surroundings. All creatures within 30 feet treat you as if you belonged there, effectively ignoring you. Creatures out
Familiar Bonus: +4 bonus on initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Heighten Spell Increases spell level to effective level desired.
Mask of the mantis A mask of the mantis is the traditional headgear of the Red Mantis assassin. Designed both to mask the wearer's identity while on a job and to enhance the wearer's ferocious appearance, a mask of the mantis has 3 daily charges that can be used to gain additional bonuses. The wearer can spend a charge to gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet, the effects of see invisibility, the effects of deathwatch, or a +5 competence bonus on Perception checks. Once a charge is spent, the effect granted persists for 30 minutes before fading. Multiple effects can be active simultaneously. Charges replenish automatically in 24 hours.


Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkvision, see invisibility, deathwatch; Cost 3,000 gp
Master of the Veil (15 rounds/day) (Sp) At 8th level, you can create an illusion that hides the appearance of yourself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 1 round per wizard level. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The rounds do not need to be consecutive
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Omen (1/day) As a swift action, Demoralize an opponent.
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Ring of feather falling Feather fall activates if you fall more than 5 ft.
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running.
Scroll of dimensional anchor Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scroll of make whole Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scry on Familiar (1/day) (Sp) You can scry on your familiar, as the spell.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Silent Spell Cast a spell with no verbal components. +1 Level.
Speak with Animals (Ex) Your familiar can communicate with animals similar to itself.
Speak With Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Resistance (26) You have Spell Resistance.
Steward of the Great Beyond (3/day) As an immediate action, if foe summon/teleports in 30 ft, you gain CL check to block the effect.
Still Spell You can cast a spell with no somatic components. +1 Level.


Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.




So, here's my shot at this. Four different versions of the same character, at levels 1, 5, 10, and 15.



I made a custom race using the race building rules from the Advanced Race Guide since none of the contest's rules prohibited it – it's an official Pathfinder source, after all. I could have made it a monstrous race, too, but that would have even made ME angry. So, instead, it's "just" advanced.



It's some silly offshoot of human, figure out your own fluff for it. Spell Resistance makes her basically laugh at other spellcasters, and since her spells bypass her own SR, she's only got problems if she needs a quick heal from a cleric or something. She runs real fast and she's annoyingly clever and graceful. Also, she tastes good – make your own joke about that.



Could have chosen divination instead of illusion as her school, for the Initiative bonus, but that would have married her to taking a divination spell for every level – not exactly ideal. Conjuration would also have worked, but I figure Extend Spell fills in fine for that, and the ability to make illusions last for multiple rounds after you forget about them is worth the trade. The "Face in the Crowd" ability is also pretty darn neat, good for intrigue and avoiding trouble.



At level one she's really relying on that Initiative bonus to save her bacon. Get the first action if at all possible, then Color Spray, Daze, Vanish – whatever it takes to neuter the threat and get out of there. If she's alone, well, then things have gone really south, but grab that dagger and slit some throats while they're helpless. Ideally, though, she's got friends with her to handle that sort of thing.


At levels 5 and up confusion becomes the name of the game. Summoned creatures give the party some handy backup, illusions let her make walls appear out of nowhere and create fake archers helping her from the treeline, magic mounts make travel faster and provide emergency light cover in a pinch, and she's got some good ways to keep herself alive without needing to boost her AC. If your GM keeps trying to screw your party over with the dreaded Invisible Flying Fireballer, give him a shot of Glitterdust – if he's the type to say your character can't see where the fireball came from, swap Minor Image out for See Invisible and see above.


At level 10 the fun toys start to come out – Sleet Storm and Black Tentacles can be instant fight-winners, and she gets her first taste of Feeblemind, a great spell for dealing with the wizard your GM will almost inevitably send after her to deal with her chicanery. Summoned monsters also make great cannon fodder for fights, and provide flanking for your actual flesh-and-blood fighters, barbarians, and the like. If they start whining that they want more buffs, she can memorize extra Hastes to keep them satisfied. But always keep in mind – their job is to be visible, distracting, and carry big swords and axes. Her job is to stay out of sight and out of mind and make sure that the meat shields – sorry, her beloved companions – stay hale and hearty and feel like they're important.


At level 15 she's basically a demigod, but there's still ways to stay entertained. Heighten Spell is purely for the fun of casting a Heightened Feeblemind at the other poor sap who thought he was going to be a wizard or sorcerer today. Make sure to kill any hostile clerics in the area in the same turn, though, or it's a waste of a spell. You may want to have her devote some other spell slots to Feeblemind, heightened or not, in case there are other unfriendly wizards around that day. Basically, the best defense in this game is a withering offense that shuts down the opposition, so use your debuffs enthusiastically.


Above all else, try to have fun. Pathfinder was effectively designed with characters like this in mind – she really isn't anything new. But she is pretty optimized, and that's what this contest was about.



Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look for a game of Fate or Legends of the Wulin or something...

Belheya Sanhat

Female Sun-touched Human Wizard 15

CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +19; Senses Perception +22
--------------------
Defense
--------------------

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 11 (+1 shield, +7 Dex)
hp 100 (15d6+45)
Fort +8, Ref +14, Will +10; +2 enhancement bonus to avoid being tripped
SR 26
Weakness delicious
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 45 ft.
Melee agile alpenstock +5/+0 (1d6-1) and
. . dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +13)
. . 15 minutes/day—face in the crowd
. . 15 rounds/day—master of the veil
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +26):
. . 8th—extend summon monster vii, height feeblemind (DC 29), quick silent still mirror image
. . 7th—extend programmed image (2, DC 27), project image (DC 28), quick silent still vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), summon monster vii
. . 6th—contingency, greater dispel magic (3), quick mirror image
. . 5th—extend silent fly (2), persistent image (2, DC 26), quick vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), wall of stone (2)
. . 4th—black tentacles (3), extend sleet storm (3), silent still minor image (DC 23)
. . 3rd—extend invisibility, fly (2), haste (2), sleet storm (3)
. . 2nd—extend mage armor, extend mount, glitterdust (2, DC 24), minor image (3, DC 23), mirror image
. . 1st—disguise self, mount (2), silent image (3, DC 22), vanish[APG] (2, DC 22)
. . 0 (at will)—daze (DC 21), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 21), read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 9, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 33, Wis 8, Cha 7
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 31 (23 vs. bull rush, 23 vs. dirty trick, 23 vs. disarm, 23 vs. drag, 23 vs. feint, 23 vs. grapple, 23 vs. overrun, 23 vs. pull, 23 vs. push, 23 vs. reposition, 23 vs. steal, 23 vs. sunder, 25 vs. trip)
Feats Augment Summoning, Defensive Combat Training, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Run, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Focus (conjuration), Steward of the Great Beyond, Still Spell, Toughness
Traits omen, reactionary, seeker
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 to jump with a running start), Appraise +15, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +16, Fly +20, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (planes) +24, Knowledge (religion) +24, Linguistics +24, Perception +22, Profession (scribe) +10, Sense Motive +18, Sleight of Hand +22, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +25
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Catfolk, Celestial, Common, Cyclops, Daemonic, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Protean, Terran, Undercommon
SQ arcane bonds (arcane bond [familiar]), cruelty, extended illusions, opposition schools (evocation, necromancy), specialized schools (mage of the veil)
Combat Gear extend metamagic rod (lesser), mask of the mantis, pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), quicken metamagic rod (lesser), rod of absorption, scroll of dimensional anchor, scroll of make whole, silent metamagic rod (lesser), wand of protection from chaos (50 charges), wand of protection from evil (50 charges), wand of protection from good (50 charges), wand of protection from law (50 charges); Other Gear mithral buckler, agile alpenstock, dagger, belt of incredible dexterity +6, cloak of resistance +2, crystal ball with see invisibility, efficient quiver, handy haversack, headband of vast intelligence +6, ring of feather falling, ring of sustenance, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, ink, black (5), inkpen, mess kit, pot, scrivener's kit, soap, spell component pouch, spellbook (5), torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 30 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Agile alpenstock +2 to saving throws to avoid being tripped.
Augment Summoning Summoned creatures have +4 to Strength and Constitution.
Cruelty If there is a dying or helpless foe within 30 ft, -2 to attack foes that aren't dying or helpless.
Delicious (Ex) -2 penalty on Escape Artist and combat maneuver checks to escape bite grapples.
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Evocation You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Evocation school.
Extend Spell Spell duration lasts twice as normal. +1 Level.
Extended Illusions (+7 rds) (Su) Increase duration of illusion spells by 1/2 level (permanent at 20).
Face in the Crowd (15 minutes/day, DC 28) (Sp) At 1st level as a standard action, you can cause yourself to appear so normal, mundane, and unexceptional that you blend in to your surroundings. All creatures within 30 feet treat you as if you belonged there, effectively ignoring you. Creatures out
Familiar Bonus: +4 bonus on initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Heighten Spell Increases spell level to effective level desired.
Mask of the mantis A mask of the mantis is the traditional headgear of the Red Mantis assassin. Designed both to mask the wearer's identity while on a job and to enhance the wearer's ferocious appearance, a mask of the mantis has 3 daily charges that can be used to gain additional bonuses. The wearer can spend a charge to gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet, the effects of see invisibility, the effects of deathwatch, or a +5 competence bonus on Perception checks. Once a charge is spent, the effect granted persists for 30 minutes before fading. Multiple effects can be active simultaneously. Charges replenish automatically in 24 hours.


Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkvision, see invisibility, deathwatch; Cost 3,000 gp
Master of the Veil (15 rounds/day) (Sp) At 8th level, you can create an illusion that hides the appearance of yourself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 1 round per wizard level. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The rounds do not need to be consecutive
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Omen (1/day) As a swift action, Demoralize an opponent.
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Ring of feather falling Feather fall activates if you fall more than 5 ft.
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running.
Scroll of dimensional anchor Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scroll of make whole Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scry on Familiar (1/day) (Sp) You can scry on your familiar, as the spell.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Silent Spell Cast a spell with no verbal components. +1 Level.
Speak with Animals (Ex) Your familiar can communicate with animals similar to itself.
Speak With Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Resistance (26) You have Spell Resistance.
Steward of the Great Beyond (3/day) As an immediate action, if foe summon/teleports in 30 ft, you gain CL check to block the effect.
Still Spell You can cast a spell with no somatic components. +1 Level.


Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.




So, here's my shot at this. Four different versions of the same character, at levels 1, 5, 10, and 15.



I made a custom race using the race building rules from the Advanced Race Guide since none of the contest's rules prohibited it – it's an official Pathfinder source, after all. I could have made it a monstrous race, too, but that would have even made ME angry. So, instead, it's "just" advanced.



It's some silly offshoot of human, figure out your own fluff for it. Spell Resistance makes her basically laugh at other spellcasters, and since her spells bypass her own SR, she's only got problems if she needs a quick heal from a cleric or something. She runs real fast and she's annoyingly clever and graceful. Also, she tastes good – make your own joke about that.



Could have chosen divination instead of illusion as her school, for the Initiative bonus, but that would have married her to taking a divination spell for every level – not exactly ideal. Conjuration would also have worked, but I figure Extend Spell fills in fine for that, and the ability to make illusions last for multiple rounds after you forget about them is worth the trade. The "Face in the Crowd" ability is also pretty darn neat, good for intrigue and avoiding trouble.



At level one she's really relying on that Initiative bonus to save her bacon. Get the first action if at all possible, then Color Spray, Daze, Vanish – whatever it takes to neuter the threat and get out of there. If she's alone, well, then things have gone really south, but grab that dagger and slit some throats while they're helpless. Ideally, though, she's got friends with her to handle that sort of thing.


At levels 5 and up confusion becomes the name of the game. Summoned creatures give the party some handy backup, illusions let her make walls appear out of nowhere and create fake archers helping her from the treeline, magic mounts make travel faster and provide emergency light cover in a pinch, and she's got some good ways to keep herself alive without needing to boost her AC. If your GM keeps trying to screw your party over with the dreaded Invisible Flying Fireballer, give him a shot of Glitterdust – if he's the type to say your character can't see where the fireball came from, swap Minor Image out for See Invisible and see above.


At level 10 the fun toys start to come out – Sleet Storm and Black Tentacles can be instant fight-winners, and she gets her first taste of Feeblemind, a great spell for dealing with the wizard your GM will almost inevitably send after her to deal with her chicanery. Summoned monsters also make great cannon fodder for fights, and provide flanking for your actual flesh-and-blood fighters, barbarians, and the like. If they start whining that they want more buffs, she can memorize extra Hastes to keep them satisfied. But always keep in mind – their job is to be visible, distracting, and carry big swords and axes. Her job is to stay out of sight and out of mind and make sure that the meat shields – sorry, her beloved companions – stay hale and hearty and feel like they're important.


At level 15 she's basically a demigod, but there's still ways to stay entertained. Heighten Spell is purely for the fun of casting a Heightened Feeblemind at the other poor sap who thought he was going to be a wizard or sorcerer today. Make sure to kill any hostile clerics in the area in the same turn, though, or it's a waste of a spell. You may want to have her devote some other spell slots to Feeblemind, heightened or not, in case there are other unfriendly wizards around that day. Basically, the best defense in this game is a withering offense that shuts down the opposition, so use your debuffs enthusiastically.


Above all else, try to have fun. Pathfinder was effectively designed with characters like this in mind – she really isn't anything new. But she is pretty optimized, and that's what this contest was about.



Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look for a game of Fate or Legends of the Wulin or something...

Belheya Sanhat

Female Sun-touched Human Wizard 15

CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +19; Senses Perception +22
--------------------
Defense
--------------------

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 11 (+1 shield, +7 Dex)
hp 100 (15d6+45)
Fort +8, Ref +14, Will +10; +2 enhancement bonus to avoid being tripped
SR 26
Weakness delicious
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 45 ft.
Melee agile alpenstock +5/+0 (1d6-1) and
. . dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +13)
. . 15 minutes/day—face in the crowd
. . 15 rounds/day—master of the veil
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +26):
. . 8th—extend summon monster vii, height feeblemind (DC 29), quick silent still mirror image
. . 7th—extend programmed image (2, DC 27), project image (DC 28), quick silent still vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), summon monster vii
. . 6th—contingency, greater dispel magic (3), quick mirror image
. . 5th—extend silent fly (2), persistent image (2, DC 26), quick vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), wall of stone (2)
. . 4th—black tentacles (3), extend sleet storm (3), silent still minor image (DC 23)
. . 3rd—extend invisibility, fly (2), haste (2), sleet storm (3)
. . 2nd—extend mage armor, extend mount, glitterdust (2, DC 24), minor image (3, DC 23), mirror image
. . 1st—disguise self, mount (2), silent image (3, DC 22), vanish[APG] (2, DC 22)
. . 0 (at will)—daze (DC 21), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 21), read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 9, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 33, Wis 8, Cha 7
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 31 (23 vs. bull rush, 23 vs. dirty trick, 23 vs. disarm, 23 vs. drag, 23 vs. feint, 23 vs. grapple, 23 vs. overrun, 23 vs. pull, 23 vs. push, 23 vs. reposition, 23 vs. steal, 23 vs. sunder, 25 vs. trip)
Feats Augment Summoning, Defensive Combat Training, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Run, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Focus (conjuration), Steward of the Great Beyond, Still Spell, Toughness
Traits omen, reactionary, seeker
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 to jump with a running start), Appraise +15, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +16, Fly +20, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (planes) +24, Knowledge (religion) +24, Linguistics +24, Perception +22, Profession (scribe) +10, Sense Motive +18, Sleight of Hand +22, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +25
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Catfolk, Celestial, Common, Cyclops, Daemonic, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Protean, Terran, Undercommon
SQ arcane bonds (arcane bond [familiar]), cruelty, extended illusions, opposition schools (evocation, necromancy), specialized schools (mage of the veil)
Combat Gear extend metamagic rod (lesser), mask of the mantis, pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), quicken metamagic rod (lesser), rod of absorption, scroll of dimensional anchor, scroll of make whole, silent metamagic rod (lesser), wand of protection from chaos (50 charges), wand of protection from evil (50 charges), wand of protection from good (50 charges), wand of protection from law (50 charges); Other Gear mithral buckler, agile alpenstock, dagger, belt of incredible dexterity +6, cloak of resistance +2, crystal ball with see invisibility, efficient quiver, handy haversack, headband of vast intelligence +6, ring of feather falling, ring of sustenance, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, ink, black (5), inkpen, mess kit, pot, scrivener's kit, soap, spell component pouch, spellbook (5), torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 30 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Agile alpenstock +2 to saving throws to avoid being tripped.
Augment Summoning Summoned creatures have +4 to Strength and Constitution.
Cruelty If there is a dying or helpless foe within 30 ft, -2 to attack foes that aren't dying or helpless.
Delicious (Ex) -2 penalty on Escape Artist and combat maneuver checks to escape bite grapples.
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Evocation You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Evocation school.
Extend Spell Spell duration lasts twice as normal. +1 Level.
Extended Illusions (+7 rds) (Su) Increase duration of illusion spells by 1/2 level (permanent at 20).
Face in the Crowd (15 minutes/day, DC 28) (Sp) At 1st level as a standard action, you can cause yourself to appear so normal, mundane, and unexceptional that you blend in to your surroundings. All creatures within 30 feet treat you as if you belonged there, effectively ignoring you. Creatures out
Familiar Bonus: +4 bonus on initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Heighten Spell Increases spell level to effective level desired.
Mask of the mantis A mask of the mantis is the traditional headgear of the Red Mantis assassin. Designed both to mask the wearer's identity while on a job and to enhance the wearer's ferocious appearance, a mask of the mantis has 3 daily charges that can be used to gain additional bonuses. The wearer can spend a charge to gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet, the effects of see invisibility, the effects of deathwatch, or a +5 competence bonus on Perception checks. Once a charge is spent, the effect granted persists for 30 minutes before fading. Multiple effects can be active simultaneously. Charges replenish automatically in 24 hours.


Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkvision, see invisibility, deathwatch; Cost 3,000 gp
Master of the Veil (15 rounds/day) (Sp) At 8th level, you can create an illusion that hides the appearance of yourself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 1 round per wizard level. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The rounds do not need to be consecutive
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Omen (1/day) As a swift action, Demoralize an opponent.
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Ring of feather falling Feather fall activates if you fall more than 5 ft.
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running.
Scroll of dimensional anchor Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scroll of make whole Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scry on Familiar (1/day) (Sp) You can scry on your familiar, as the spell.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Silent Spell Cast a spell with no verbal components. +1 Level.
Speak with Animals (Ex) Your familiar can communicate with animals similar to itself.
Speak With Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Resistance (26) You have Spell Resistance.
Steward of the Great Beyond (3/day) As an immediate action, if foe summon/teleports in 30 ft, you gain CL check to block the effect.
Still Spell You can cast a spell with no somatic components. +1 Level.


Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.




So, here's my shot at this. Four different versions of the same character, at levels 1, 5, 10, and 15.



I made a custom race using the race building rules from the Advanced Race Guide since none of the contest's rules prohibited it – it's an official Pathfinder source, after all. I could have made it a monstrous race, too, but that would have even made ME angry. So, instead, it's "just" advanced.



It's some silly offshoot of human, figure out your own fluff for it. Spell Resistance makes her basically laugh at other spellcasters, and since her spells bypass her own SR, she's only got problems if she needs a quick heal from a cleric or something. She runs real fast and she's annoyingly clever and graceful. Also, she tastes good – make your own joke about that.



Could have chosen divination instead of illusion as her school, for the Initiative bonus, but that would have married her to taking a divination spell for every level – not exactly ideal. Conjuration would also have worked, but I figure Extend Spell fills in fine for that, and the ability to make illusions last for multiple rounds after you forget about them is worth the trade. The "Face in the Crowd" ability is also pretty darn neat, good for intrigue and avoiding trouble.



At level one she's really relying on that Initiative bonus to save her bacon. Get the first action if at all possible, then Color Spray, Daze, Vanish – whatever it takes to neuter the threat and get out of there. If she's alone, well, then things have gone really south, but grab that dagger and slit some throats while they're helpless. Ideally, though, she's got friends with her to handle that sort of thing.


At levels 5 and up confusion becomes the name of the game. Summoned creatures give the party some handy backup, illusions let her make walls appear out of nowhere and create fake archers helping her from the treeline, magic mounts make travel faster and provide emergency light cover in a pinch, and she's got some good ways to keep herself alive without needing to boost her AC. If your GM keeps trying to screw your party over with the dreaded Invisible Flying Fireballer, give him a shot of Glitterdust – if he's the type to say your character can't see where the fireball came from, swap Minor Image out for See Invisible and see above.


At level 10 the fun toys start to come out – Sleet Storm and Black Tentacles can be instant fight-winners, and she gets her first taste of Feeblemind, a great spell for dealing with the wizard your GM will almost inevitably send after her to deal with her chicanery. Summoned monsters also make great cannon fodder for fights, and provide flanking for your actual flesh-and-blood fighters, barbarians, and the like. If they start whining that they want more buffs, she can memorize extra Hastes to keep them satisfied. But always keep in mind – their job is to be visible, distracting, and carry big swords and axes. Her job is to stay out of sight and out of mind and make sure that the meat shields – sorry, her beloved companions – stay hale and hearty and feel like they're important.


At level 15 she's basically a demigod, but there's still ways to stay entertained. Heighten Spell is purely for the fun of casting a Heightened Feeblemind at the other poor sap who thought he was going to be a wizard or sorcerer today. Make sure to kill any hostile clerics in the area in the same turn, though, or it's a waste of a spell. You may want to have her devote some other spell slots to Feeblemind, heightened or not, in case there are other unfriendly wizards around that day. Basically, the best defense in this game is a withering offense that shuts down the opposition, so use your debuffs enthusiastically.


Above all else, try to have fun. Pathfinder was effectively designed with characters like this in mind – she really isn't anything new. But she is pretty optimized, and that's what this contest was about.



Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look for a game of Fate or Legends of the Wulin or something...

Belheya Sanhat

Female Sun-touched Human Wizard 15

CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +19; Senses Perception +22
--------------------
Defense
--------------------

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 11 (+1 shield, +7 Dex)
hp 100 (15d6+45)
Fort +8, Ref +14, Will +10; +2 enhancement bonus to avoid being tripped
SR 26
Weakness delicious
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 45 ft.
Melee agile alpenstock +5/+0 (1d6-1) and
. . dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +13)
. . 15 minutes/day—face in the crowd
. . 15 rounds/day—master of the veil
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +26):
. . 8th—extend summon monster vii, height feeblemind (DC 29), quick silent still mirror image
. . 7th—extend programmed image (2, DC 27), project image (DC 28), quick silent still vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), summon monster vii
. . 6th—contingency, greater dispel magic (3), quick mirror image
. . 5th—extend silent fly (2), persistent image (2, DC 26), quick vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), wall of stone (2)
. . 4th—black tentacles (3), extend sleet storm (3), silent still minor image (DC 23)
. . 3rd—extend invisibility, fly (2), haste (2), sleet storm (3)
. . 2nd—extend mage armor, extend mount, glitterdust (2, DC 24), minor image (3, DC 23), mirror image
. . 1st—disguise self, mount (2), silent image (3, DC 22), vanish[APG] (2, DC 22)
. . 0 (at will)—daze (DC 21), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 21), read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 9, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 33, Wis 8, Cha 7
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 31 (23 vs. bull rush, 23 vs. dirty trick, 23 vs. disarm, 23 vs. drag, 23 vs. feint, 23 vs. grapple, 23 vs. overrun, 23 vs. pull, 23 vs. push, 23 vs. reposition, 23 vs. steal, 23 vs. sunder, 25 vs. trip)
Feats Augment Summoning, Defensive Combat Training, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Run, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Focus (conjuration), Steward of the Great Beyond, Still Spell, Toughness
Traits omen, reactionary, seeker
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 to jump with a running start), Appraise +15, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +16, Fly +20, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (planes) +24, Knowledge (religion) +24, Linguistics +24, Perception +22, Profession (scribe) +10, Sense Motive +18, Sleight of Hand +22, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +25
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Catfolk, Celestial, Common, Cyclops, Daemonic, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Protean, Terran, Undercommon
SQ arcane bonds (arcane bond [familiar]), cruelty, extended illusions, opposition schools (evocation, necromancy), specialized schools (mage of the veil)
Combat Gear extend metamagic rod (lesser), mask of the mantis, pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), quicken metamagic rod (lesser), rod of absorption, scroll of dimensional anchor, scroll of make whole, silent metamagic rod (lesser), wand of protection from chaos (50 charges), wand of protection from evil (50 charges), wand of protection from good (50 charges), wand of protection from law (50 charges); Other Gear mithral buckler, agile alpenstock, dagger, belt of incredible dexterity +6, cloak of resistance +2, crystal ball with see invisibility, efficient quiver, handy haversack, headband of vast intelligence +6, ring of feather falling, ring of sustenance, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, ink, black (5), inkpen, mess kit, pot, scrivener's kit, soap, spell component pouch, spellbook (5), torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 30 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Agile alpenstock +2 to saving throws to avoid being tripped.
Augment Summoning Summoned creatures have +4 to Strength and Constitution.
Cruelty If there is a dying or helpless foe within 30 ft, -2 to attack foes that aren't dying or helpless.
Delicious (Ex) -2 penalty on Escape Artist and combat maneuver checks to escape bite grapples.
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Evocation You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Evocation school.
Extend Spell Spell duration lasts twice as normal. +1 Level.
Extended Illusions (+7 rds) (Su) Increase duration of illusion spells by 1/2 level (permanent at 20).
Face in the Crowd (15 minutes/day, DC 28) (Sp) At 1st level as a standard action, you can cause yourself to appear so normal, mundane, and unexceptional that you blend in to your surroundings. All creatures within 30 feet treat you as if you belonged there, effectively ignoring you. Creatures out
Familiar Bonus: +4 bonus on initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Heighten Spell Increases spell level to effective level desired.
Mask of the mantis A mask of the mantis is the traditional headgear of the Red Mantis assassin. Designed both to mask the wearer's identity while on a job and to enhance the wearer's ferocious appearance, a mask of the mantis has 3 daily charges that can be used to gain additional bonuses. The wearer can spend a charge to gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet, the effects of see invisibility, the effects of deathwatch, or a +5 competence bonus on Perception checks. Once a charge is spent, the effect granted persists for 30 minutes before fading. Multiple effects can be active simultaneously. Charges replenish automatically in 24 hours.


Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkvision, see invisibility, deathwatch; Cost 3,000 gp
Master of the Veil (15 rounds/day) (Sp) At 8th level, you can create an illusion that hides the appearance of yourself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 1 round per wizard level. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The rounds do not need to be consecutive
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Omen (1/day) As a swift action, Demoralize an opponent.
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Ring of feather falling Feather fall activates if you fall more than 5 ft.
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running.
Scroll of dimensional anchor Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scroll of make whole Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scry on Familiar (1/day) (Sp) You can scry on your familiar, as the spell.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Silent Spell Cast a spell with no verbal components. +1 Level.
Speak with Animals (Ex) Your familiar can communicate with animals similar to itself.
Speak With Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Resistance (26) You have Spell Resistance.
Steward of the Great Beyond (3/day) As an immediate action, if foe summon/teleports in 30 ft, you gain CL check to block the effect.
Still Spell You can cast a spell with no somatic components. +1 Level.


Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.




So, here's my shot at this. Four different versions of the same character, at levels 1, 5, 10, and 15.



I made a custom race using the race building rules from the Advanced Race Guide since none of the contest's rules prohibited it – it's an official Pathfinder source, after all. I could have made it a monstrous race, too, but that would have even made ME angry. So, instead, it's "just" advanced.



It's some silly offshoot of human, figure out your own fluff for it. Spell Resistance makes her basically laugh at other spellcasters, and since her spells bypass her own SR, she's only got problems if she needs a quick heal from a cleric or something. She runs real fast and she's annoyingly clever and graceful. Also, she tastes good – make your own joke about that.



Could have chosen divination instead of illusion as her school, for the Initiative bonus, but that would have married her to taking a divination spell for every level – not exactly ideal. Conjuration would also have worked, but I figure Extend Spell fills in fine for that, and the ability to make illusions last for multiple rounds after you forget about them is worth the trade. The "Face in the Crowd" ability is also pretty darn neat, good for intrigue and avoiding trouble.



At level one she's really relying on that Initiative bonus to save her bacon. Get the first action if at all possible, then Color Spray, Daze, Vanish – whatever it takes to neuter the threat and get out of there. If she's alone, well, then things have gone really south, but grab that dagger and slit some throats while they're helpless. Ideally, though, she's got friends with her to handle that sort of thing.


At levels 5 and up confusion becomes the name of the game. Summoned creatures give the party some handy backup, illusions let her make walls appear out of nowhere and create fake archers helping her from the treeline, magic mounts make travel faster and provide emergency light cover in a pinch, and she's got some good ways to keep herself alive without needing to boost her AC. If your GM keeps trying to screw your party over with the dreaded Invisible Flying Fireballer, give him a shot of Glitterdust – if he's the type to say your character can't see where the fireball came from, swap Minor Image out for See Invisible and see above.


At level 10 the fun toys start to come out – Sleet Storm and Black Tentacles can be instant fight-winners, and she gets her first taste of Feeblemind, a great spell for dealing with the wizard your GM will almost inevitably send after her to deal with her chicanery. Summoned monsters also make great cannon fodder for fights, and provide flanking for your actual flesh-and-blood fighters, barbarians, and the like. If they start whining that they want more buffs, she can memorize extra Hastes to keep them satisfied. But always keep in mind – their job is to be visible, distracting, and carry big swords and axes. Her job is to stay out of sight and out of mind and make sure that the meat shields – sorry, her beloved companions – stay hale and hearty and feel like they're important.


At level 15 she's basically a demigod, but there's still ways to stay entertained. Heighten Spell is purely for the fun of casting a Heightened Feeblemind at the other poor sap who thought he was going to be a wizard or sorcerer today. Make sure to kill any hostile clerics in the area in the same turn, though, or it's a waste of a spell. You may want to have her devote some other spell slots to Feeblemind, heightened or not, in case there are other unfriendly wizards around that day. Basically, the best defense in this game is a withering offense that shuts down the opposition, so use your debuffs enthusiastically.


Above all else, try to have fun. Pathfinder was effectively designed with characters like this in mind – she really isn't anything new. But she is pretty optimized, and that's what this contest was about.



Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look for a game of Fate or Legends of the Wulin or something...

Belheya Sanhat

Female Sun-touched Human Wizard 15

CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +19; Senses Perception +22
--------------------
Defense
--------------------

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 11 (+1 shield, +7 Dex)
hp 100 (15d6+45)
Fort +8, Ref +14, Will +10; +2 enhancement bonus to avoid being tripped
SR 26
Weakness delicious
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 45 ft.
Melee agile alpenstock +5/+0 (1d6-1) and
. . dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +13)
. . 15 minutes/day—face in the crowd
. . 15 rounds/day—master of the veil
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +26):
. . 8th—extend summon monster vii, height feeblemind (DC 29), quick silent still mirror image
. . 7th—extend programmed image (2, DC 27), project image (DC 28), quick silent still vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), summon monster vii
. . 6th—contingency, greater dispel magic (3), quick mirror image
. . 5th—extend silent fly (2), persistent image (2, DC 26), quick vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), wall of stone (2)
. . 4th—black tentacles (3), extend sleet storm (3), silent still minor image (DC 23)
. . 3rd—extend invisibility, fly (2), haste (2), sleet storm (3)
. . 2nd—extend mage armor, extend mount, glitterdust (2, DC 24), minor image (3, DC 23), mirror image
. . 1st—disguise self, mount (2), silent image (3, DC 22), vanish[APG] (2, DC 22)
. . 0 (at will)—daze (DC 21), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 21), read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 9, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 33, Wis 8, Cha 7
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 31 (23 vs. bull rush, 23 vs. dirty trick, 23 vs. disarm, 23 vs. drag, 23 vs. feint, 23 vs. grapple, 23 vs. overrun, 23 vs. pull, 23 vs. push, 23 vs. reposition, 23 vs. steal, 23 vs. sunder, 25 vs. trip)
Feats Augment Summoning, Defensive Combat Training, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Run, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Focus (conjuration), Steward of the Great Beyond, Still Spell, Toughness
Traits omen, reactionary, seeker
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 to jump with a running start), Appraise +15, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +16, Fly +20, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (planes) +24, Knowledge (religion) +24, Linguistics +24, Perception +22, Profession (scribe) +10, Sense Motive +18, Sleight of Hand +22, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +25
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Catfolk, Celestial, Common, Cyclops, Daemonic, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Protean, Terran, Undercommon
SQ arcane bonds (arcane bond [familiar]), cruelty, extended illusions, opposition schools (evocation, necromancy), specialized schools (mage of the veil)
Combat Gear extend metamagic rod (lesser), mask of the mantis, pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), quicken metamagic rod (lesser), rod of absorption, scroll of dimensional anchor, scroll of make whole, silent metamagic rod (lesser), wand of protection from chaos (50 charges), wand of protection from evil (50 charges), wand of protection from good (50 charges), wand of protection from law (50 charges); Other Gear mithral buckler, agile alpenstock, dagger, belt of incredible dexterity +6, cloak of resistance +2, crystal ball with see invisibility, efficient quiver, handy haversack, headband of vast intelligence +6, ring of feather falling, ring of sustenance, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, ink, black (5), inkpen, mess kit, pot, scrivener's kit, soap, spell component pouch, spellbook (5), torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 30 gp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Agile alpenstock +2 to saving throws to avoid being tripped.
Augment Summoning Summoned creatures have +4 to Strength and Constitution.
Cruelty If there is a dying or helpless foe within 30 ft, -2 to attack foes that aren't dying or helpless.
Delicious (Ex) -2 penalty on Escape Artist and combat maneuver checks to escape bite grapples.
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Evocation You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Evocation school.
Extend Spell Spell duration lasts twice as normal. +1 Level.
Extended Illusions (+7 rds) (Su) Increase duration of illusion spells by 1/2 level (permanent at 20).
Face in the Crowd (15 minutes/day, DC 28) (Sp) At 1st level as a standard action, you can cause yourself to appear so normal, mundane, and unexceptional that you blend in to your surroundings. All creatures within 30 feet treat you as if you belonged there, effectively ignoring you. Creatures out
Familiar Bonus: +4 bonus on initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Heighten Spell Increases spell level to effective level desired.
Mask of the mantis A mask of the mantis is the traditional headgear of the Red Mantis assassin. Designed both to mask the wearer's identity while on a job and to enhance the wearer's ferocious appearance, a mask of the mantis has 3 daily charges that can be used to gain additional bonuses. The wearer can spend a charge to gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet, the effects of see invisibility, the effects of deathwatch, or a +5 competence bonus on Perception checks. Once a charge is spent, the effect granted persists for 30 minutes before fading. Multiple effects can be active simultaneously. Charges replenish automatically in 24 hours.


Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkvision, see invisibility, deathwatch; Cost 3,000 gp
Master of the Veil (15 rounds/day) (Sp) At 8th level, you can create an illusion that hides the appearance of yourself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 1 round per wizard level. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The rounds do not need to be consecutive
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Omen (1/day) As a swift action, Demoralize an opponent.
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Ring of feather falling Feather fall activates if you fall more than 5 ft.
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running.
Scroll of dimensional anchor Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scroll of make whole Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scry on Familiar (1/day) (Sp) You can scry on your familiar, as the spell.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Silent Spell Cast a spell with no verbal components. +1 Level.
Speak with Animals (Ex) Your familiar can communicate with animals similar to itself.
Speak With Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Resistance (26) You have Spell Resistance.
Steward of the Great Beyond (3/day) As an immediate action, if foe summon/teleports in 30 ft, you gain CL check to block the effect.
Still Spell You can cast a spell with no somatic components. +1 Level.


Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC®, and are used under license.




So, here's my shot at this. Four different versions of the same character, at levels 1, 5, 10, and 15.



I made a custom race using the race building rules from the Advanced Race Guide since none of the contest's rules prohibited it – it's an official Pathfinder source, after all. I could have made it a monstrous race, too, but that would have even made ME angry. So, instead, it's "just" advanced.



It's some silly offshoot of human, figure out your own fluff for it. Spell Resistance makes her basically laugh at other spellcasters, and since her spells bypass her own SR, she's only got problems if she needs a quick heal from a cleric or something. She runs real fast and she's annoyingly clever and graceful. Also, she tastes good – make your own joke about that.



Could have chosen divination instead of illusion as her school, for the Initiative bonus, but that would have married her to taking a divination spell for every level – not exactly ideal. Conjuration would also have worked, but I figure Extend Spell fills in fine for that, and the ability to make illusions last for multiple rounds after you forget about them is worth the trade. The "Face in the Crowd" ability is also pretty darn neat, good for intrigue and avoiding trouble.



At level one she's really relying on that Initiative bonus to save her bacon. Get the first action if at all possible, then Color Spray, Daze, Vanish – whatever it takes to neuter the threat and get out of there. If she's alone, well, then things have gone really south, but grab that dagger and slit some throats while they're helpless. Ideally, though, she's got friends with her to handle that sort of thing.


At levels 5 and up confusion becomes the name of the game. Summoned creatures give the party some handy backup, illusions let her make walls appear out of nowhere and create fake archers helping her from the treeline, magic mounts make travel faster and provide emergency light cover in a pinch, and she's got some good ways to keep herself alive without needing to boost her AC. If your GM keeps trying to screw your party over with the dreaded Invisible Flying Fireballer, give him a shot of Glitterdust – if he's the type to say your character can't see where the fireball came from, swap Minor Image out for See Invisible and see above.


At level 10 the fun toys start to come out – Sleet Storm and Black Tentacles can be instant fight-winners, and she gets her first taste of Feeblemind, a great spell for dealing with the wizard your GM will almost inevitably send after her to deal with her chicanery. Summoned monsters also make great cannon fodder for fights, and provide flanking for your actual flesh-and-blood fighters, barbarians, and the like. If they start whining that they want more buffs, she can memorize extra Hastes to keep them satisfied. But always keep in mind – their job is to be visible, distracting, and carry big swords and axes. Her job is to stay out of sight and out of mind and make sure that the meat shields – sorry, her beloved companions – stay hale and hearty and feel like they're important.


At level 15 she's basically a demigod, but there's still ways to stay entertained. Heighten Spell is purely for the fun of casting a Heightened Feeblemind at the other poor sap who thought he was going to be a wizard or sorcerer today. Make sure to kill any hostile clerics in the area in the same turn, though, or it's a waste of a spell. You may want to have her devote some other spell slots to Feeblemind, heightened or not, in case there are other unfriendly wizards around that day. Basically, the best defense in this game is a withering offense that shuts down the opposition, so use your debuffs enthusiastically.


Above all else, try to have fun. Pathfinder was effectively designed with characters like this in mind – she really isn't anything new. But she is pretty optimized, and that's what this contest was about.



Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look for a game of Fate or Legends of the Wulin or something...

Belheya Sanhat

Female Sun-touched Human Wizard 15

CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +19; Senses Perception +22
--------------------
Defense
--------------------

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 11 (+1 shield, +7 Dex)
hp 100 (15d6+45)
Fort +8, Ref +14, Will +10; +2 enhancement bonus to avoid being tripped
SR 26
Weakness delicious
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 45 ft.
Melee agile alpenstock +5/+0 (1d6-1) and
. . dagger +6/+1 (1d4-1/19-20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +13)
. . 15 minutes/day—face in the crowd
. . 15 rounds/day—master of the veil
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 15th; concentration +26):
. . 8th—extend summon monster vii, height feeblemind (DC 29), quick silent still mirror image
. . 7th—extend programmed image (2, DC 27), project image (DC 28), quick silent still vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), summon monster vii
. . 6th—contingency, greater dispel magic (3), quick mirror image
. . 5th—extend silent fly (2), persistent image (2, DC 26), quick vanish[S,APG] (DC 22), wall of stone (2)
. . 4th—black tentacles (3), extend sleet storm (3), silent still minor image (DC 23)
. . 3rd—extend invisibility, fly (2), haste (2), sleet storm (3)
. . 2nd—extend mage armor, extend mount, glitterdust (2, DC 24), minor image (3, DC 23), mirror image
. . 1st—disguise self, mount (2), silent image (3, DC 22), vanish[APG] (2, DC 22)
. . 0 (at will)—daze (DC 21), detect magic, ghost sound (DC 21), read magic
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 9, Dex 24, Con 12, Int 33, Wis 8, Cha 7
Base Atk +7; CMB +6; CMD 31 (23 vs. bull rush, 23 vs. dirty trick, 23 vs. disarm, 23 vs. drag, 23 vs. feint, 23 vs. grapple, 23 vs. overrun, 23 vs. pull, 23 vs. push, 23 vs. reposition, 23 vs. steal, 23 vs. sunder, 25 vs. trip)
Feats Augment Summoning, Defensive Combat Training, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Run, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Focus (conjuration), Steward of the Great Beyond, Still Spell, Toughness
Traits omen, reactionary, seeker
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 to jump with a running start), Appraise +15, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +16, Fly +20, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (planes) +24, Knowledge (religion) +24, Linguistics +24, Perception +22, Profession (scribe) +10, Sense Motive +18, Sleight of Hand +22, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +25
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Catfolk, Celestial, Common, Cyclops, Daemonic, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Ignan, Infernal, Orc, Protean, Terran, Undercommon
SQ arcane bonds (arcane bond [familiar]), cruelty, extended illusions, opposition schools (evocation, necromancy), specialized schools (mage of the veil)
Combat Gear extend metamagic rod (lesser), mask of the mantis, pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), pearl of power (1st level), quicken metamagic rod (lesser), rod of absorption, scroll of dimensional anchor, scroll of make whole, silent metamagic rod (lesser), wand of protection from chaos (50 charges), wand of protection from evil (50 charges), wand of protection from good (50 charges), wand of protection from law (50 charges); Other Gear mithral buckler, agile alpenstock, dagger, belt of incredible dexterity +6, cloak of resistance +2, crystal ball with see invisibility, efficient quiver, handy haversack, headband of vast intelligence +6, ring of feather falling, ring of sustenance, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, ink, black (5), inkpen, mess kit, pot, scrivener's kit, soap, spell component pouch, spellbook (5), torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 30 gp
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Special Abilities
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Agile alpenstock +2 to saving throws to avoid being tripped.
Augment Summoning Summoned creatures have +4 to Strength and Constitution.
Cruelty If there is a dying or helpless foe within 30 ft, -2 to attack foes that aren't dying or helpless.
Delicious (Ex) -2 penalty on Escape Artist and combat maneuver checks to escape bite grapples.
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Eschew Materials Cast spells without materials, if component cost is 1 gp or less.
Evocation You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Evocation school.
Extend Spell Spell duration lasts twice as normal. +1 Level.
Extended Illusions (+7 rds) (Su) Increase duration of illusion spells by 1/2 level (permanent at 20).
Face in the Crowd (15 minutes/day, DC 28) (Sp) At 1st level as a standard action, you can cause yourself to appear so normal, mundane, and unexceptional that you blend in to your surroundings. All creatures within 30 feet treat you as if you belonged there, effectively ignoring you. Creatures out
Familiar Bonus: +4 bonus on initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Heighten Spell Increases spell level to effective level desired.
Mask of the mantis A mask of the mantis is the traditional headgear of the Red Mantis assassin. Designed both to mask the wearer's identity while on a job and to enhance the wearer's ferocious appearance, a mask of the mantis has 3 daily charges that can be used to gain additional bonuses. The wearer can spend a charge to gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet, the effects of see invisibility, the effects of deathwatch, or a +5 competence bonus on Perception checks. Once a charge is spent, the effect granted persists for 30 minutes before fading. Multiple effects can be active simultaneously. Charges replenish automatically in 24 hours.


Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkvision, see invisibility, deathwatch; Cost 3,000 gp
Master of the Veil (15 rounds/day) (Sp) At 8th level, you can create an illusion that hides the appearance of yourself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 1 round per wizard level. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The rounds do not need to be consecutive
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Omen (1/day) As a swift action, Demoralize an opponent.
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Ring of feather falling Feather fall activates if you fall more than 5 ft.
Ring of sustenance Immune to hunger and thirst, and only sleep two hours a night.
Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running.
Scroll of dimensional anchor Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scroll of make whole Add this item to create a scroll with spells on it.
Scry on Familiar (1/day) (Sp) You can scry on your familiar, as the spell.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Silent Spell Cast a spell with no verbal components. +1 Level.
Speak with Animals (Ex) Your familiar can communicate with animals similar to itself.
Speak With Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Resistance (26) You have Spell Resistance.
Steward of the Great Beyond (3/day) As an immediate action, if foe summon/teleports in 30 ft, you gain CL check to block the effect.
Still Spell You can cast a spell with no somatic components. +1 Level.


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So, here's my shot at this. Four different versions of the same character, at levels 1, 5, 10, and 15.



I made a custom race using the race building rules from the Advanced Race Guide since none of the contest's rules prohibited it – it's an official Pathfinder source, after all. I could have made it a monstrous race, too, but that would have even made ME angry. So, instead, it's "just" advanced.



It's some silly offshoot of human, figure out your own fluff for it. Spell Resistance makes her basically laugh at other spellcasters, and since her spells bypass her own SR, she's only got problems if she needs a quick heal from a cleric or something. She runs real fast and she's annoyingly clever and graceful. Also, she tastes good – make your own joke about that.



Could have chosen divination instead of illusion as her school, for the Initiative bonus, but that would have married her to taking a divination spell for every level – not exactly ideal. Conjuration would also have worked, but I figure Extend Spell fills in fine for that, and the ability to make illusions last for multiple rounds after you forget about them is worth the trade. The "Face in the Crowd" ability is also pretty darn neat, good for intrigue and avoiding trouble.



At level one she's really relying on that Initiative bonus to save her bacon. Get the first action if at all possible, then Color Spray, Daze, Vanish – whatever it takes to neuter the threat and get out of there. If she's alone, well, then things have gone really south, but grab that dagger and slit some throats while they're helpless. Ideally, though, she's got friends with her to handle that sort of thing.


At levels 5 and up confusion becomes the name of the game. Summoned creatures give the party some handy backup, illusions let her make walls appear out of nowhere and create fake archers helping her from the treeline, magic mounts make travel faster and provide emergency light cover in a pinch, and she's got some good ways to keep herself alive without needing to boost her AC. If your GM keeps trying to screw your party over with the dreaded Invisible Flying Fireballer, give him a shot of Glitterdust – if he's the type to say your character can't see where the fireball came from, swap Minor Image out for See Invisible and see above.


At level 10 the fun toys start to come out – Sleet Storm and Black Tentacles can be instant fight-winners, and she gets her first taste of Feeblemind, a great spell for dealing with the wizard your GM will almost inevitably send after her to deal with her chicanery. Summoned monsters also make great cannon fodder for fights, and provide flanking for your actual flesh-and-blood fighters, barbarians, and the like. If they start whining that they want more buffs, she can memorize extra Hastes to keep them satisfied. But always keep in mind – their job is to be visible, distracting, and carry big swords and axes. Her job is to stay out of sight and out of mind and make sure that the meat shields – sorry, her beloved companions – stay hale and hearty and feel like they're important.


At level 15 she's basically a demigod, but there's still ways to stay entertained. Heighten Spell is purely for the fun of casting a Heightened Feeblemind at the other poor sap who thought he was going to be a wizard or sorcerer today. Make sure to kill any hostile clerics in the area in the same turn, though, or it's a waste of a spell. You may want to have her devote some other spell slots to Feeblemind, heightened or not, in case there are other unfriendly wizards around that day. Basically, the best defense in this game is a withering offense that shuts down the opposition, so use your debuffs enthusiastically.


Above all else, try to have fun. Pathfinder was effectively designed with characters like this in mind – she really isn't anything new. But she is pretty optimized, and that's what this contest was about.



Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look for a game of Fate or Legends of the Wulin or something...