Nim, Gnome Illusionist

Nim, Gnome Illusionist

Nim never knew his real parents.
His first memory was feeling hungry in an alleyway in a city.
When he begged for food, some people gave him food, most didn't.

He noticed quickly that he could change his appearance at-will,
looking like another small creature.
Like this, he started pretending other people and tricking others
into giving him food, clothes, gold, whatever he wanted.

After a few months of hide and seek with the city guards, he was
caught. Instead of jail, a wizard living in the city agreed to take
him as an apprentice.
He learned there that he is part doppelganger.

After many years he became a powerful wizard, but was still
a trickster at heart.
He desires more wealth and finds misleading those he thinks dumber than him immensely satisfying.

Role in a campaign

Nim can be used as the main villain, but is more suited to being the spy/infiltrator of the big bad.
He interacts with the PCs before his final battle with them,
and many players will want to bring him down.

Stats

Nim level 14 Elite Controller
Small Fey
Initiative +14                Senses Perception +16, low-light vision
HP 140; Bloodied 70
AC 30, Fortitude 24, Reflex 28, Will 28
Resist 10 Psychic
Speed 5
Action Points 1
Saving Throws +2

Standard Actions

Quarterstaff (At-Will),    +18 vs. AC,    1d8 + 10 damage
Phantom Bolt (At-Will),    +18 vs. Will,    1d8 + 14 psychic damage, target slides 1 square
Grasping Shadows (Encounter; Area burst 2 within 10), 
                                   +18 vs. Will,    
                                   2d8 + 14 damage, target is slowed until end of next turn
Visions of Treasure (Encounter; Area 2 square within 10; Sustain minor: Close Burst 5), 
                                   +18 vs. Will,  
                                   target is pulled 3 squares; target that ends its turn in zone 
                                   becomes  immobilized (save ends)
Enemies Abound (Encounter; Area burst 2 within 20), 
                                   +18 vs. Will,    
                                   2d8 + 14 psychic damage, target is treated as ally for flanking
Taunting Phantoms (Encounter; Area burst 2 within 10), 
                                   +18 vs. Will, 
                                   target makes a melee basic attack against a creature (even itself) 
                                   and takes 5 damage each time it misses with a melee attack (save ends)
Vanishing Act  (Encounter; Range 10), 
                                   +18 vs. Will,    
                                    3d6 + 14 damage, Nim becomes invisible until the start of his next turn
Mesmeric Hold  (Encounter; Range 10; up to 3 creatures), 
                                   +18 vs. Will,    
                                   2d6 + 14 psychic damage, target is immobilized until end of next turn

Illusory Wall  (Encounter; Wall 8 within 20; Sustain minor), 
                                   +18 vs. Will, 
                                   wall blocks line of sight for enemies; enemy can pass through
                                   if it resists attack
Greater Invisibility (Encounter; Sustain minor),  
                                   Nim is invisible until end of next turn or until he attacks

Minor actions

Deceptive Veil (At-will; minor),
                                   Nim gains the appearance of any humanoid race of the same size category
                                   as himself. His clothing and equipment alter appearance
                                   to reflect this change.
Drink Potion (Encounter; minor), Nim gains 25 hit points and saves against a condition
Ghost Sound (Encounter; minor)

Reactions

Fade Away (Recharge 5 6; immediate reaction when damage is taken),
Nim is invisible until end of next turn or until he attacks

Shield (Encounter; immediate reaction): if hit by an attack raise AC and Reflex by 4 until end of next turn

Alignment Lawful Evil Languages Common
Bluff +20, Stealth +17, Endurance +17

Tactics

Nim can use his Deceptive Veil to infiltrate an organization, posing as another small creature (gnome, halfling) or a child. His high Bluff skill helps him with this.

His Ghost sound combined with Taunting Shadows  can make it look like a betrayal, for example city guards turning against civilians.

As a wizard, he can use several interesting rituals:

• Hallucinatory Creature
• Hallucinatory Item
• Secret Chest

The illusions set up enemies of him against each other, or create distractions so he can escape.
Secret Chest is used for escaping when given enough time to cast it.

When Nim is attacked, he escapes easily:
Illusory wall with Greater Invisibility: illusory wall stops attackers from following him and Greater Invisibility combined with his high Stealth makes him unfindable.

When Nim cannot escape combat he tries to avoid damage by turning invisible and immobilizing enemies.
Nim can use Shield and drink potion to protect himself.

When near death he tries feigning his own death.
When an attack damages so that he's near death, he'll bluff falling to death.
With his Endurance he can stop breathing for a while and temper his blood flow to fool enemies.

Example Encounter

The map below is used for this example encounter.

The brown colored doors are made from wood.
The PCs enter by the south west door.
The black squares indicate solid stone.
The grey twirly squares contain hallucinatory items,
meaning they look like solid stone to others (Insight DC 30).

The Hallucinatory Creatures ritual creates decoys, preferably transparent
undead like wraith in the central hallway near the northern door.
Fake walls are Hallucinatory Items that have been made permanent and
take an Insight DC 30 to see through.
Nim uses Ghost Sound to make the wraith illusions more believable.

He has 2 fake illusionary creatures of himself with fake shield guardian.
It takes Insight DC 30 to see through. One copy is in the north western part of the room, the other in the eastern part of the room.
Nim is hiding behind in the northeastern part of the room with his shield guardian. The Air Elementals are spread throughout the room and will only attack after Nim does.

They are to shoot anyone entering the central hallway and he will shoot
at the same person so that there are 3 attacks on one person (2 fake, 1 real).

Level 14 encounter:

• Nim
• Shield Guardian (found under guardian entry in Monster Manual)
• 3 AirElementals (found under elemental entry in Monster Manual 3;
     need to be upped 4 levels)