A Brief Introduction To Casabon

BACKGROUND

Casabon Maçon Level 12 Human Guardian Druid and Adroit Explorer, Worshiper of Silvanus

Masons of the forested Dalelands in the Forgotten Realms, living in a predominantly elven society, the Maçons are some of the last humans maintaining their noble ancestral holdings within the shallower eaves of the woodlands. These holdings are situated in the vicinity of the town, Highmoon, between Cormyr and Sembia.

Casabon Maçon showed early affinity for elvish druidism in the Dales and learned early to speak, read, and write their language. His adventures took him across the great and wide places of the Realms. He advanced as an Initiate to the Ninth Circle in the company of several esteemed adventurers led by the ranger, Tanis, and her powerful wolverine companion. In the keeping of this company were clerics of Sune and of Torm; a magess of Mystra and the wild mage, Xarn; the renowned bard, Jeb, of Deneir; and other prominent figures in the world at large.

Casabon's last known exploit took him to the realm of Asfarbeuau, an old but relatively unambitious Druid of the Twelfth Level. There, Maçon challenged Asfarbeuau to a duel, to be determined according to druidic law on the terms set by the elder. Asfarbeuau chose to stage the duel in the city of Sigil, the nexus of the many planes, and battle to the death he named as the condition of deposition.

Being a frequent traveler to Sigil, as a place to satiate his more hedonistic desires, Asfarbeuau hoped to use his connections and understanding of the portals within the city to his advantage. The battle between the two was long, and they dueled across many planes. But the Lady of Pain favored the Maçon and sent him tidings of a strange plane where the elder druid hoped to finally entrap the challenger.

In this new plane, all powers would become forfeit, and the Oak Father would have no sway. Only through the residuum of magical essence itself would the druids have any power. Bearing with him a satchel of residuum gifted him by the Lady, the Maçon went to this plane and hunted the old one through a forested river valley, defeating him finally in combat, his mastery of the storm laying low at last the grizzled snow leopard.

Thus, Maçon now ascends to the proper rank of Druid. But the portal has closed behind him, and he wanders trapped in this new world, looking for a way back to his home realm and his rightful place.

Cas is pale, black-haired, and wears black lambskin robes over a finely crafted armor of brown hide. He is quiet and attentive, wise and rugged. In the morning, he rises with the sun and takes tea meditating on the presence of the Oak Father. In the evening, he performs incantations and sings hymns to Silvanus and Meliekki before laying himself down for the night. Grey-eyed, he is graced by a gaze akin to that of the elves, but is otherwise wholly human in build and comportment.

Background bonuses: +1 Initiative, reroll any Nature check and keep second roll

FEATS

Ritual Caster
Implement Expertise (Staff) +1 bonus to hit
Wintertouched combat advantage versus vulnerable to cold when using cold
Burning Blizzard +2 feat bonus to damage when using cold or acid
Raging Storm +2 feat bonus to damage when using lightning or thunder
Oncoming Storm +1 to thunder attack until end next turn if strike with lightning
Echoes of Thunder +2 to damage until end next turn if strike with thunder
Expert Ritualist +2 bonus to skill checks while performing rituals
Lasting Frost target gains vulnerable cold 5 until end next turn if strike with cold
Resounding Thunder add 1 to size of any blast or burst with thunder keyword

ITEMS

+3 Thunderwave Staff Use daily with Tundra Wind, add thunder keyword to all attacks
+3 Armor of Cold Resistance (10)
+3 Amulet of Resistance

TACTICS

Preparation

Barkskin is an encounter power that grants Cas or an ally a +4 power bonus to AC. Because most powers used by Cas work at a range of 10, allies receive the bonus more often than Cas does. Cas reserves the use of Barkskin as a response to battlefield development in one of two ways. When a front-line tanker gets in trouble, Cas uses Barkskin to protect the tank, which in turn protects the front line. When a Winter Storm exists on the field, and enemies threaten to break out of the storm and through the party's front line, Cas casts Barkskin on himself and moves to the front line in preparation for use of the Tundra Wind.

Use of the Black Harbinger utility allows Cas to fly behind or flank the enemy line, giving him extra directional options when attempting to control enemy movement. He usually uses this power at the beginning of encounters to establish his position.

Blizzard

Conjuration of the Winter Storm is a daily power that creates difficult terrain in an area burst 2. A minor action removes the zone. A sustained minor action allows the zone to persist and gives the caster the option to increase the burst area by 1, up to burst 5. Enemies inside the zone gain vulnerable cold 5.

This elevates damage on the single target spell, Frost Flash, and the area spells of Chill Wind and Tundra Wind. Since Chill Wind is an at-will power, it becomes imperative to flush the battlefield with it. Chill Wind additionally slides hit targets 1 square.

When cold vulnerability and Echoes of Thunder are in play, the Frost Flash deals d6+22 damage and immobilizes the target. Tundra Wind is a blast power that does 2d6+18 damage under these conditions while pushing hit targets 4 squares and knocking them prone. Chill Wind does d6+12 damage under these conditions.

It is also notable that Lasting Frost allows for an extension of cold vulnerability outside of the Winter Storm when strikes with these cold powers succeed on targets located elsewhere in the field.

To reiterate:

Winter Storm 5x5 zone of difficult, cold-vulnerable terrain, expandable by 1 in size per round to a maximum 11x11 zone.

Chill Winds in a 3x3 or 5x5 burst at-will, which slide hit targets 1 square.

Frost Flash as a potent single-target encounter attack that immobilizes the target when successful.

Tundra Wind as a potent 3x3 or 4x4 close blast that hurls hit targets 4 squares and knocks them down. Best used near the front line to control the field by hurling the enemy back into the Winter Storm.

Storm

Pretty simple stuff here. Prime the pump with Storm Spike, making use of the Raging Storm feat (+2 feat bonus to lightning or thunder damage) and setting up the bonus of the Oncoming Storm (+1 to hit until end of next turn) for a subsequent air strike with Call Lightning. Foes who try and leave the 3x3 (or 5x5, if Cas opts for the extra size) zone take 5 more damage, in addition to the +2 damage effect of Echoes of Thunder.

Effectively, someone gets hit with the Storm Spike for d8+11 lightning damage (d8+13 if Echoes of Thunder are in play), and an air strike rolls in dealing d8+13 damage with a potential of d8+18 for those who flee the storm.

Wind and Plant Control

Cas uses Grasping Claws really as nothing more than a free shift out of harm's way when working from the front line. Thorn Whip, Wind Prison, Swirling Winds, Wall of Thorns, and Entangle are all self-explanatory controls used to draw foes into high damage zones and/or high damage situations. The latter two powers are persistent, making them particularly nasty in conjunction with Winter Storm and Call Lightning.

RITUALS

Communication

Animal Messenger, Banish Vermin, Animal Friendship, Share Husk, Commune With Nature, Call Wilderness Guide, Speak With Nature

Camping

Create Campsite, Explorer's Fire, Affect Normal Fire, Traveler's Feast, Delver's Fire

Healing

Gentle Repose, Delay Affliction, Cure Disease, Raise Dead, Remove Affliction

Objects

Preservation, Ironwood, Bolster Object

Terrain

Bloom, Snare, Clear The Path, Earthen Ramparts, Fey Passage, Tree Stride, Trailblaze

Party

Endure Elements, Tree Shape, Water Walk, Feat of Strength, Water Breathing