Sha'ir the Spellsmith ( Formerly: As-of-yet-unnamed Emerald City Mage)

[olopi]

Okay, posting this here for feedback, critique, ideas, and pointing out obvious flaws I missed.

If you have any suggestions for a name go ahead too!

Edit September 25th:

New stuff!Added in the HQ I had missed (very cheap version of it for now), some fluff, and some other things. Still looking for a name though!

 

 

Character Name: Sha'ir the Spellsmith
Power Level: PL 10/12 [180/180PP]
Trade-Offs: Varies
Unspent Power Points: 0
In Brief: 1-2 sentences which sum up the whole character.

Residence: Lakeside, Emerald City, Oregon
Base of Operations: The Library / Lakeside, Emerald City, Oregon
Catchphrase: I've got a Spell for that ... somewhere.

Alternate Identity:  Hakim Naifeh
Identity: Secret
Birthplace: Santa Barbara, California
Occupation: Programmer at WestRock Software
Affiliations: None
Family: Faiz Naifeh (Father, 60),  Isra Naifeh (Mother, 58),  Qamar Naifeh (Brother, 31), Lulu Naifeh (26, Sister), various other relatives          

 

 

Description:
Age: 28
Apparent Age: Mid-20s
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Arab
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 162 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

 

 

Hakim is an average looking man in his mid-20s. His black hair is cut short, with hints of a beard running down his jawline. Clothes-wise, Hakim does not have much of a style, usually wearing casual urban outfits, which can encompass just about anything not too extraordinary. One thing he is known for with his friends is his scarf, white and black, which he wears with just about every outfit of his.

Source: Deluxe Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition by Richard Thomas » Preview: The Ahl-i-Batin — Kickstarter

 

As Sha'ir his outfit changes, towards a magical costume made up of his scarf, enchanted to turn into a hood and costume when pulled over his head. In this appearance, the wide hood covers his entire head, concealing everything behind a magical layer of darkness, with only green eyes, and occasionally the mouth penetrating it. The rest of his costume is best described as a somewhat tightly fit robe, in a similar white and black pattern to his scarf. It allows some freedom of movement, while still not being too loose to potentially get stuck in things. Occasionally, he will forgo this part of the costume and only wear the hood, together with his civilian outfit, or a different outfit consisting of a white t-shirt and black pants.

 

 

Power Descriptions:

Mage Book: The Mage Book has a simple appaearance, looking like a simple, unlabelled hardcover book. When in use, it opens and floats in front of The Spellsmith’s body, magically attached to him, in a way he can always see it. A glow, the colours changing depending on the spell in use, clearly shows its magical origins.  It can be taken away, doing so requires breaking through its natural attachment, which mostly takes brute strength, or magic.

 

 

Enchanted Scarf: Hakim’s white and black scarf has, over time, become somewhat of a trademark of his. When he started to dabble in enchanting, he went and enchanted it, giving it a variety of powers, the main one being its ability to transform into a full costume, triggered by simply pulling it over one’s head. The scarf can project a magical force field around it’s user and boosts the user’s defences. The scarf also has the ability to create a magical invisibility field, and by wearing it one is able to, very slowly, move through solid objects, which comes with a variety of problems.

 

 

Cantrips & Spells:  Sha'ir‘s spells do not have one singular appearance. Since he picks his spells from a variety of different sources and traditions, the appearance of spells can change, and reach from “traditional” hand gestures in order to create lights, to typing something with his mobile phone to reach the same effect. The same applies to the look of the spell’s effects.

 

 

 

 

History:

Hakim Naifeh was born as the second son of a family of Arab immigrants. His father worked for the city’s administration, his mother generally stayed home and took care of the kids. Hakim’s childhood was an average one. A sister soon joined him and his brother. The life down in Santa Barbara was good. While occasionally there were some troubles due to his parent’s heritage, all in all he never had many problems.

 

 

 

 

Hakim found his passion for computers early on, his father had purchased a second one and offered the older one to his sons. School proved that Hakim was smart, and together with his passion for software in general, it meant that soon, he studied Information and Computer Science at one of California’s top universities, a scholarship paying for his education. There, he met Jamie Green, the two of them quickly becoming friends. Jamie had plans for a startup, which he would pursue after he graduated, while Hakim stayed and finished his last few remaining courses.

 

 

 

 

Upon his graduation, Hakim joined his friends who had pursued their start-up plan up in the Oregonian part of Emerald City. They had already accomplished a few things, the company, creating specialized IT tools for professionals, was quickly becoming a name on the market. He moved to Emerald City, joining a few of his university friends in a shared flat. From there, he worked and the company grew. Soon, they had a proper office, and a few dozen employees, with Hakim having risen to a management position. His life was nice and average, as one day, he had just left a bar after a long night, he stumbled into an alley.

 

 

 

 

While he was not sober, the strange glow emitted by a door in the alley was something he could still notice. Having grown a bit bored with office life, he decided to check further, entering through the door. The next day, he woke up in a strange looking building, a library of some sorts, with bookshelves ranging from the floor to the ceiling. While the shelves itself had been organized, there also were stacks of books scattered around, atop a few tables in the middle of the room, one of which Hakim had been sleeping on. A quick tour of the room showed that there were no doors, and all the walls were covered by bookshelves.

 

 

 

 

 Doing his best not to freak out, he decided to figure out the contents of the various books were. Much to his initial surprise, they turned out to be various magical instructions, scripts and manuals. Hakim had heard of magic and had made a few experiences with superpowered humans before, but this time he was right in the middle of it. Sensing an opportunity to spice up his rather boring life, he began to read into the books.

 

 

 

 

After a few days, with help of the books, he could create small lights. From there, it quickly became easier. Water and food were no problems, thanks to a magical device conjuring them at intervals, so he could focus all his time on training. Thanks to the books, Hakim had purposely stayed with the more beginner level ones, casting simple spells became easier and easier. After about a week, he could cast a spell to transport himself out of the place he had been stuck in. As he’d learned from one of the books, it was a magical library, placed inside a magical pocket, consisting of just one room.

 

 

 

 

 Back home, Hakim’s sudden disappearance had caused some panic, with his roomates and colleagues having started a search action both online and in Emerald City itself. His sudden reappearance, knocking on the flat’s door at 4 AM on a Wednesday, caused a few questions. Not wanting to explain everything, a simple “Don’t wanna talk about it” was enough to shut down most questions. After quickly checking up with the company the next day, to prove that he was back and still alive, Hakim took a vacation.

 

 

 

 

The library, as he’d started to call the magical room, still offered many secrets, and Hakim had not yet learned enough to go back to the boredom of everyday life. Over the next year, Hakim both worked and also continue to teach himself magic, managing to find a balance between the two. He started to delve into more advanced manuals, mainly enchanting, which led to him enchanting his trademark scarf. While going through the library’s stock, he came across an enchanted book, which held a variety of small and useful powers, but also allowed him to draw upon part the library’s knowledge even when in Emerald City.

 

 

 

 

During this time, Hakim also started to dabble in crime-fighting, after unintentionally stumbling across a magical beast released onto the streets of Ontario, where he’d been staying for a short business trip. He started to go by the name of Sha'ir the Spellsmith when in his magical disguise. With Emerald City’s low rate of crime, especially supernatural one, there was not a whole lot to be done, but every once in a while, his involvement was required.

 

 

Personality & Motivation:

Hakim is a seeker of knowledge. He is constantly trying to learn new things, and has always been doing it. And now, with his somewhat recent discovery of “The Library”, there is a lot of stuff for him to learn. He greatly enjoys reading about all the different magical procedures, and then trying to get them to work, oftentimes replacing ingredients for more “modern” one. Because come on, who has frog livers nowadays?

Hakim also enjoys taking a break from his “mundane” life. Sure, he has a great position at a good company, a stable income, and some prospects for his future. But, at the same time, sitting in an office all day isn’t really Hakim’s thing. Sure, he likes doing his job, but he also likes to get some change into his routine. And this change, at the moment, mainly comes from his activities as Sha’ir.

Personally, Hakim isn’t that interesting of a person. He does his own thing. He likes modern art, indie music and films, and generally more obscure works of art. He is a convinced vegetarian, believing that animals deserve to be treated better. (He does like milk too much to be a vegan, though). What time he doesn’t spend at work or as Sha’ir, he can usually be found at parties, exhibitions or classical hangouts. He is not very religious, celebrating major holidays of various religions, but otherwise not participating in religious actions much, save for special occasions.

He is convinced that the world can be made a better place through both actions and words, and this is his main conviction for creating the heroic persona of Sha’ir the Spellsmith, as whom he tries to do just that, and make the world better for those living in Emerald City, and wherever else fate might draw him.

 

 

 

 

 

Powers & Tactics:

Sha’ir doesn’t have any combat experience to speak of. He has only been in combat once or twice, so any combat situation will most likely cause a fair amount of stress and uncertainty. Should he ever get into combat, his main strength is his versatility. With the powers of his Mage Book backing him up, he can draw upon a large variety of spells, allowing him to find and abuse weaknesses in his opponent’s defences. As these spells do not always work as planned, some creativity is required, as he has to suddenly change his plans, something that causes problems for him.

Without his book, he is much more limited, relying on only a few spells, most of which are more useful for confusing enemies rather than outright fighting them. Here, he is more likely to avoid fights when possible, using his toolset to not get caught in something he cannot handle.

Against Magical Opponents, his style changes towards a more observant one, trying to learn from their own spellcasting. He is also likely to use his counterspelling, one of the things he has trained most, against these opponents, to avoid them getting any upper hand.

 

 

 

 

 

Complications:

Magical Manual Misfortune: Sha’ir’s Mage Book is the source of most of his powers. While he is able to cast a few weak spells, anything more advanced requires him to find it in his book, which is magically linked to parts of the library’s knowledge. This by itself is not much of a problem, however, the various spell instructions being transmitted through the Mage Book, can lead to spells outright not working, backfiring, or even causing unintended side-effects. Also, as he only has access to part of the library at a time, it could mean that the book is unable to bring the spell he is looking for, and he has to rely on substitutes, or does not have a fitting spell at all.

Notes: Variable (Magic) is incredibly powerful, as it allows for pretty much any effect so long as it’s somehow justifieable. Because that’s really boring and unbalanced, this Complication should serve as a sort of GM Veto. If Sha’ir tries to cast a spell, maybe it just doesn’t work. Maybe something else happens. Maybe it backfires completely. Also, as another failsafe, it allows the GM to simply say “Can’t access that right now”, or change around the configuration of the Variable power to what they feel would be a better and more balanced one. Honestly, in the latter two cases, that’s probably not even worth a HP, I just wanted to say it here so people know I’m okay with it!

 

Secret Sorcerer: In a rare act of keeping with tradition, Hakim has decided to not reveal any connection between Hakim Neifeh, Software Developer and Sha’ir, Spellsmith. This ties into both his obligations as Hakim, but also any other way somebody could connect the two. For his personal sake, but also that of those who know him in either of the two forms, he keeps the two very distanced, taking great efforts to keep it that way.

 

Meddling Middle Management: Hakim has a nice and secure position at WestRock Software, a company run by a former classmate and friend of his. He enjoys this job too, working both in his métier of programing, while also having some power as a member of middle management. This is nice and all, until suddenly there’s an important meeting he has to attend, or he is needed at a client’s headquarters to deal with potential issues. When that happens, he can’t just disappear all the sudden, there has to be a good reason for him to avoid his obligations. Some things may be able to be solved by a quick call onto his phone, but others will require his presence and full attention. And then there’s the business trips…

Hermetic Hipster: Sha’ir doesn’t care about things like magical “traditions”. Just because somebody did something a while ago, does that mean he has to conform to it? He has access to a wide variety of magic, from many different sources and many different traditions, and he mixes and matches these as he sees fit, with no regards to the rules of their original source. This has multiple effects. It means that his spells may not work as intended, and simply fizzle or have an unwanted effect. On the other hand, it could also potentially make his interaction with other mages more difficult, with them looking down on him due to his lack of a tradition, and the way he handles the materials at hand with little regard and respect to their origin.

 

Spellcasting Stipulations: Like most Mages, Sha’ir’s spell require him to do something. Due to the wide amount of sources he draws from, it isn’t simply “be able to speak” or “move your hand”. It is those, but many other things too. Some spells require him to be able to do both. For some, he only has to move, or only speak. Some have completely different pre-requisites too. This usually isn’t a problem, as he can move, speak and act freely. But, if somebody were to actually try to stop him, they could.

Notes: The classical “Requires Speaking” Complication, but with added flavour! A GM can go and say that due to Sha’ir being restrained/silenced/unable to think clearly, and so on, he cannot possibly cast any/all spells.

 

Condominium Company: Hakim shares a flat with a few of his friends, conveniently also his co-workers. This has a variety of benefits, lower rent, more social interaction, the ability to help each other with work even at home, and many more. But, for an up-and-coming superhero, it also has a variety of drawbacks. As these people are around Hakim pretty much the entire day, him suddenly disappearing will probably get their attention. If he enters his room, doesn’t leave, but isn’t in there, it's bound to raise suspicion. And if every time their friend and flatmate disappears some hero appears on the news, they will soon figure things out.

 

Puzzling Place: Hakim has no idea what exactly the room he refers to as “The Library” is. Clearly, it is a magical archive. But, who created it? And for what purpose? Is it an ancient source of knowledge? A safe to lock away things no mage should ever know?  Hakim doesn’t even remember its actual location. While it appears to be some kind of pocket dimension, it seems to be anchored to somewhere in Emerald City. Unfortunately, when Hakim stumbled across that very place, he was so drunk he doesn’t remember. And he doesn’t need to go there regardless, as his magic allows to enter and leave the room from anywhere.  Hakim doesn’t really care about this much, but it is most likely only a matter of time until the origins of “The Library” will become important in his life.

 

 

 

 

Abilities: 0 + 2 + 2 + 10 + 8 + 6 = 28PP
Strength: 10 (+0)
Dexterity: 12 (+1)
Constitution: 12 (+1)
Intelligence: 20 (+5)
Wisdom: 18 (+4)
Charisma: 16 (+3)


Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP
Initiative: +1
Attack: +5 Melee, +6/5 Ranged
Grapple: +5
Defense: +10/7 (+5 Base, +5/2 Dodge Focus), +0 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -5/3/2/0


Saving Throws: 2 + 2 + 0 = 4PP
Toughness: +10/7/4/1 (+1 Con, +9/6/3 [Other])
Fortitude: +8/5/3 (+1 Con, +2 +5/2/0)
Reflex: +8/5/3 (+1 Dex, +2 +5/2/0)
Will: +9/7/4 (+4 Wis, +0 +5/3/0)


Skills: 100R = 25PP

Bluff 8 (+11)

Computers 12 (+17)

Concentration 10 (+14)

Diplomacy 6 (+9)

Disable Device 6 (+11)

Disguise 4 (+7)

Gather Information 5 (+8)

Intimidate 1 (+4)

Investigate 5 (+10)

Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 5 (+10)

Knowledge (Business) 2 (+7)

Knowledge (Current Events) 4 (+9)

Knowledge (Popular Culture) 2 (+7)

Knowledge (Technology) 10 (+15)

Language (+5) (English [Native], Arabic, Atlantean, French, German)

Notice 8 (+12)

Search 6 (+11)

Sense Motive 6 (+10)

 

 

Feats: 17PP

Accurate Attack

Artificer

Distract (Bluff)

Dodge Focus 2

Contacts

Connected

Eidetic Memory

Luck 3

Move-By Action

Quick Change

Power Attack

Ritualist

Equipment 2:

The Library: Headquarters (Toughness 10, Size (Huge), Features: Sealed (Pocket Dimension), Concealed Library, Living Space, Workshop (Magical), Power: Super Movement 1 (Dimensional (Library and Earth Prime), Feats: Affect Only Others; Flaws: Action (Standard Action)) [10/10EP]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Powers: 36 + 20 + 22 + 6 + 3 = 85PP

 

(Descriptors: All Magic)

 

Mage Book (45/45 PP Device, Flaws: Hard to lose) [36PP]

Enhanced Skill (Arcane Knowledge (10) [Raised to 15 (+20), Notice (2) [Raised to 10 (+14)]) [3PP]

Comprehend 1 (Languages; Flaws: Broad Type (Written) [1PP]

Dimensional Pocket 3 [6PP]

Enhanced Feat 4 (Dodge Focus 3 [Raised to Dodge Focus 5], Attack Focus (Ranged) 1) [4PP]

Enhanced Fortitude 3 [2PP]

Enhanced Reflex 3 [3PP]

Enhanced Will 2 [3PP]

Force Field 3 [3PP]

Immunity 2 (Suffocation) [2PP]

Variable 5 (25PP Variable Power, Power: Descriptor (Magic), Any One Powers At Once) [20PP]

 

 

Enchanted Scarf (25/25PP Device, Flaws:  Hard to lose) [20PP]

Concealment 4 (All Visual ; Feats: Close Range; Flaws: Blending, Passive) [3PP]

Flight 2 [4PP]

Force Field 3 [3PP]

Enhanced Fortitude 2 [2PP]

Enhanced Reflex 3 [3PP]

Enhanced Will 3 [3PP]

Super Senses (Magical Awareness (Sight)) [3PP]

Super Movement 1 (Permeate) [2PP]

 

 

Cantrips (17PP Array, Alternate Powers: 5) [22PP]

BP: Nullify 5 (Magic Descriptor, Extras : Action (Reaction), Feats: Accurate 2) [17/17PP]

AP: Damage 7 ( Extras: Ranged ; Feats: Accurate 1, Affects Insubstantial 2, ) [17/17PP]

AP: Teleport 5 (Extras: Accurate; Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity) [17/17PP]

AP: Dazzle 7 (Visual Senses, Feats: Accurate 1, Homing, Indirect) [17/17PP]

AP: Snare 7 (Feats: Accurate 1, Reversible, Homing) [17/17PP]

AP: Illusion 4 (All Senses; Feats: Progression 4, Selective; Flaws: Phantasms) [17/17PP]

 

 

Flight 2 [4PP]

Force Field 3 [3PP]

 

 

 

 

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP

 

DC Block

ATTACK              RANGE      SAVE                           EFFECT

Unarmed             Touch      DC 15 Toughness                Damage

Damage Cantrip      Ranged     DC 22 Toughness                Damage

Dazzle Cantrip      Ranged     DC 17 Reflex / Fortitude       Dazzled

Snare Cantrip       Ranged     DC 17 Reflex                   Snared

Dimensional Pocket  Touch      DC 13 Reflex                   Trapped

 

 

 

Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (4) + Skills (25) + Feats (17) + Powers (85) - Drawbacks (0) = 179/180 Power Points

 

 

 

 

 

Variable Configurations:

 

Enhanced Cantrips:

 

Counterspelling

 

Nullify 5 (Magic Descriptor, Extras: Action (Reaction), [Add 1 of the following to all ranks: Area, Duration (Concentration), Range (Perception)]) [25/25PP] (Applied to Nullify AP in Cantrip Array)

 

 

Combat Casting

 

Damage 3 (Extras: Ranged, [Add 1 of the following to all ranks: Alternate Save, Area, Autofire, Contagious, Penetrating, Secondary Effect]; Feats: Accurate 1, [Add 3 of the following: Homing, Indirect, Improved Range, Indirect, Precise, Reversible, Ricochet, Variable Descriptor)) [20/25PP] (Applied to Damage AP in Cantrip Array)

 

 

Teleportology

 

Teleport 2 (Extras: Accurate, [Add either A) or B) to all ranks: A): Affect Others, Area; B) Portal]; Feats: Easy, Progression 4) [25/25PP] (Applied to Teleport AP in Cantrip Array)

 

 

Magicks most Dazzling!

 

Dazzle 3 (Visual Senses, Extras: [Add 1 of the following to all ranks: Alternate Save, Area, Contagious, Range (Perception), Secondary Effect]; Feats: Reversible, Accurate 1) [18/25PP] (Applied to Dazzle AP in Cantrip Array)

 

 

Shackle Spells

 

Snare 3 (Extras: [Add 1 of the following to all ranks: Area, Backlash, Constricting, Contagious, Regenerating, Transparent, Range (Perception)]; Feats: Tether, Obscure Senses (All))  [22/25PP] (Applied to Snare AP in Cantrip Array)

 

 

Illusionist’s 101

 

Illusion 6 (All Senses; Flaws: Phatasms) [18/25PP] (Applied to Illusion AP in Cantrip Array)

 

 

Other Spells:

 

 

 

All-Revealing Light of Abbridon

 

Nullify 7 (Concealing, Obscuring and Illusionary Effects; Extras: Area (Burst), Duration (Concentration); Feats: Progression (Area) 4; Flaws: Range(Touch)) [25/25PP]

 

 

Beast of Bal’Hemoth

 

Summon 6 (Monstrous Spider (M&M 234) Extras: Fanatical, Duration (Continuous); Feats: Mental Link) [25/25PP]

 

 

Great Gale of Ghorummaz

 

Environmental Control 5 (Distraction 2, Hamper Movement 1, Visibility, Extras: Selective Attack) (125 ft. radius) [25/25PP]

 

 

Hand of Heshem

 

Move Object 7 (STR 35 (Heavy Load: 1.5 Tons) Extras: Range (Perception), Feats: Precise) [22/25PP]

 

 

Veil of Idolon

 

Obscure 8  (Mental Sense, ESP Effects, Extras: Continuous) [24/25PP]

 

 

Somnabulant Spell of Sirrion

 

Stun 6 (Extras: Area (Cloud), Ranged, Alternate Save: Will (+0), Sleep (+0); Feats: Sedation) [25/25PP]

 

 

Sign of the Modrossus

 

Mind Control 10 (Extras: Area (Burst), Damaging; Feats: Progression 5 (Area); Flaws: Limited (Magical Creatures), Range (Touch), One Command: Leave Area) [25/25PP]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 15, 2016 by olopi