System: D&D 3.5e
Party: 4 level 6-7 PCs
Name: Laiton
Race: Azer
Class: Monk 2/Sorcerer 4
Alignment: LE
Home: Elemental Plane of Fire
Position: Guard or Head of a group of guards
Description: Laiton is about the size of a large dwarf, except that he is clearly otherworldly. His skin appears to be made of brass and his long hair and beard look like flames that are burning downward. In his beard is a
This is the Brooch of Shielding with 101 charges remaining. |
golden clasp, inlaid with silver and electrum, that looks like a leaping flame, while around his thick, sinewy neck he wears a
This is a Necklace of Fireballs Type I, with 1 5d6 fireball and 2 3d6 fireballs. |
string of three, small, orange globes. He wears a
The kilt has two outside pockets, made of woven chain, that contain his Figurine of Wondrous Power (Silver Raven) and his Elemental Gem (Fire). |
metal kilt made of
This is just fluff, but a clever DM could certainly make use of this for game-rule purposes. |
thrice-forged Fire Brass, an especially tough type of brass that is found on the Elemental Plane of Fire. On his arms are a set of simple
Worth 200 gold pieces. However, these bracers are also the focal point of the summong magic that was used to bring Laiton to this plane. If they are removed, a task he cannot perform himself, Laiton will return immediately to the Elemental Plane of Fire, carrying whatever objects he had at the time. |
brass bracers studded with three rubies. Other than that, his brassy skin is bare, since he has no real need for clothing.
Background: Laiton grew up in a typical Azer community, but from the start he was fond of wrestling over armed combat. When his magical ability manifested, he decided to strike out on his own. He learned non-fire spells (since those would be useles against the largely fire-immune inhabitants of the plane), hoping to make a name for himself on the Plane of Fire. For the most part, however, he is only a minorly successful brazier on his home plane. However, he has been bound by several different magicians on several different occasions to serve as a bodyguard/soldier/etc. This time he is lower on the totem pole, but he still takes his job seriously. His lack of fire spells often takes arrogant heroes by surprise, especially if he is called in to guard something in a volcano or other exceedingly hot locale.
Relationship to BBEG: Laiton was called by the BBEG several weeks ago. Shortly after his summoning, the BBEG was able to bind him to this plane (using a spell, plot magic, whatever), the focus of this binding magic is the set of brass bracers that Laiton wears (maybe each creature must have a specific item as their binding focus). Regardless of the kind of magic that allows him to remain, the real reason he agreed was the payment. The BBEG immediately offered him a minor magical item (the Brooch of Shielding), but it was the gold and silver that drew his attention. Additionally, the BBEG has promised a significant amount of jewels and gems every few weeks. The first of these payments has yet to be delivered and Laiton is getting annoyed.
Laiton is a relatively low minion for this particular BBEG. He might have been called to protect a secret ritual location within a volcano, he might have been called to journey
into such a place to find an object, or perhaps the BBEG simply has a theme or a plan that involves fire/elements/outsiders/dwarves/etc. Laiton does not particularly care what the BBEG's plan is, even if it means the end of the world. He has heard of, or worked for, too many "evil magicians bent on detroying the world" to be concerned. It seems to him that some plucky band of mortals always manages to stop them at the last second.
Modus Operandi: Laiton's tactics in battle are generally a simple series of steps.
- Cast Mage Armor if no enemies adjacent.
- If no enemies within 30 ft, fire Acid Arrow at closest enemy not wearing lots of armor and move away if necessary; if enemies within 30 ft. but not adjacent, fire quartet of magic missiles at closest enemy and move away; if enemy adjacent, next step.
- If adjacent enemy is wearing metal armor, use shocking grasp, if not, attempt grapple.
- If enemy remains adjacent, continue/retry grapple or use shocking grasp again; otherwise, fire acid arrow or magic missiles.
- Repeat steps 2-4 as needed.
Laiton does not stop for anything. Unless the BBEG has given him instructions to retreat, or similar orders, he will continue fighting until defeated. While his body will "die" on this plane, as soon as the brass bracers are removed he will immediately return to the Elemental Plane of Fire alive and well, ready for the next summon by an up-and-coming evil magician.
Non-Combat Interactions: As noted earlier, it is possible that the PCs might be able to bribe Laiton with a suitable offering of gems or jewels (usually 300+ gp worth), but this event is relatively unlikely. Instead, what is more likely is that he will be interrogated if he is captured alive (a difficult challenge since his body burns through rope very quickly). If so, he responds to bluff, diplomacy, or intimidate checks (DCs determined by DM as appropriate). While he might not know much about the BBEG's powers or his plans, he does at least know one thing: a location. Laiton has been communicating to the BBEG using Beaky, his Silver Raven statuette, which requires a location to deliver a message. It might be that another, more powerful henchman is stationed at this location and is merely relaying the message to the BBEG via magic, or perhaps Beaky really has flown to the lair of the villain. Either way, the PCs now have a new lead on their quest to stop the bad guy.
Further Interactions: Given that his defeat on the Material Plane does not constitute permanent death, it is quite possible that the PCs will see him again. Indeed, a character capable of summoning (and who learns Laiton's name, not a difficult task since he will tell it if asked) might choose to call on the services of the Azer. Or, perhaps the BBEG learns of his minion's defeat and summons him once more, intent on forcing Laiton to make up for his failure by destroying the party (probably with the help of other minions as well). Or, maybe the party is successful in defeating the BBEG, but in a later adventure they run across Laiton again, this time called to help a new villain or perhaps just to guard a treasure.