Cassandra Santicar
Female yuan-ti pureblood rog 2/assassin 5: CR 10; Medium monstrous humanoid (psionic); Hit Dice: 4d8+8 plus 7d6+14; 69 hp; Ini +8; Spd 30 ft. (6 squares); AC 19 (14 touch, 18 flat-footed); BAB/Grapple: +8/+9; Atk +13 melee (1d6+2/19-20, +1 short sword) or +13 ranged (1d4+1/19-20, masterwork dagger); Full Atk +13/+8 melee (1d6+2/19-20, +1 short sword) or +13 ranged (1d4+1/19-20, masterwork dagger); SA death attack, psi-like abilities, sneak attack +4d6, spells; SQ alternate form, darkvision 60 ft., evasion, improved uncanny dodge, poison use, power resistance 21, +2 bonus to saves vs. poison, trapfinding, uncanny dodge; AL Chaotic Evil, SV Fort +5, Ref +16, Will +5; Abilities Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 12.
Skills and Feats: Appraise +5, Balance +8, Bluff +8, Disguise +17 (+19 acting, + 22 impersonating a human), Hide +20, Jump +8, Knowledge (local) +12, Move Silently +20, Search +8, Sleight of Hand +13, Speak Language (Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Yuan-ti.), Tumble +13, AlertnessB, Blind FightingB, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse.
Death Attack (Ex): If Cassandra studies her victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target. While studying the victim, Cassandra can undertake other actions so long as her attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect her or recognize the assassin as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save against the kill effect, he dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6+5 rounds. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is still a normal sneak attack. Once Cassandra has completed the 3 rounds of study, she must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.
If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes his save) or if Cassandra does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before she can attempt another death attack. The DC on Cassandra’s death attack is 18. The DC is Intelligence-based.
Evasion (Ex): If Cassandra makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Cassandra can no longer be flanked, since she can react to opponents on opposite sides of her as easily as she can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack her. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than Cassandra can still flank her.
Poison Use (Ex): Cassandra is trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning herself when applying poison to a blade.
Trapfinding (Ex): Cassandra can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20. Finding a non-magical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it. She can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it. A rogue who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Cassandra can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so, and retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker.
Psi-Like Abilities: At will—detect hostile intent, psionic charm (affects animals, fey, giants, and humanoids, DC 13), psionic daze (6 HD, DC 12); 1/day—aversion (DC 13), concealing amphora, darkness, entangling ectoplasm (Large creature); manifester level 3rd. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Assassin Spells Known (4/3/1; DC 13 + spell level): 1st—disguise self, feather fall, obscuring mist, true strike; 2nd—invisibility, spider climb, undetectable alignment; 3rd—false life, misdirection.
Possessions: cloak of resistance +1, disguise kit, 2 masterwork daggers, 3 doses of Large scorpion venom, potion of barkskin, potion of cat’s grace, potion of fox’s cunning, +1 short sword, +1 studded leather armor, 8 pp, 20 gp.
Standing a full 6’2, Cassandra is a tall woman. Like all yuan-ti purebloods, she has a thin frame, but rather than being bony, her body is toned and flexible. Short brown hair is tied back with a black bandana, coming precariously close to falling over her narrow, burnt sienna eyes but not quite obstructing her vision. Her facial features are all small and sharp, which gives her a sort of rat-like appearance. However, most people rarely see much of her face, as she is usually disguised, attempting to blend into her surroundings as best as she can.
Her skin is pale, which gives her a sort of unhealthy pallor that doesn’t mesh well with her healthy figure. Her arms and legs both seem a bit too long, and her torso appears to be a narrow tube that seems to merely hold her limbs together. The only aspect of her body that particularly stands out are her fingernails, which she keeps very long and paints a deep black.
When disguised, Cassandra could be any humanoid, male or female, with ease. The role of a diseased human male is one of her most common guises, used for mingling in the worst parts of a city. When dressed for combat, Cassandra prefers clothes that blend in. Her cloak of resistance is a mid-length brown article of clothing with a long hood. Beneath this she wears her suit of studded leather armor, which is stained a deep brown color to blend with her cloak. She does not want to stand out in a crowd…no frills, no extravagance.
Profile: There is something wholly appealing about seeing clothing rip to reveal flesh beneath; the intrusive penetration, refusing to wait the mere seconds for an invitation and at least a resignation of the flesh, accompanied by disrobing of the offending apparel. Long black fingernails cause the fabrics to part their encasement on the skin and the short steel blade grasped in those pale and callused hands sinks into the meat under the fleshy outer layer of the body. The scene becomes tinted red as the blade exits, leaving a dripping memory and a trail to lead the invader’s eyes back to the point of greatest pleasure.
This moment is a peak, one that rises above the fog of the bulk of Cassandra’s life. In many ways, she is an escapist, living in a dream world of her own imagination. Murder is something that Cassandra has a talent for, but it is not something that she does by choice. It is the price of her freedom, the one thing that lifts the veil, filling her with a pleasure so primal to her race, only to be quickly suppressed within minutes as she fades back into her faceless persona.
Cassandra could be seen as the victim of a cruel and oppressive society, subjugated into a vile role by her superiors, damned by her birth into a low caste. However, she dropped this self-defeating view of herself when she was very young. Eventually, through seeing those who sought to rise up against the hierarchy of the yuan-ti squashed like insects, she came to came to realize that looking at her caste as a prison was foolish. Instead, the caste was Cassandra’s home and through talent, hard work and a complete lack of ambition for power, she built a role for herself that granted her the level of freedom she desired.
Cassandra’s role is that of an assassin. She stalks and kills whoever she is supposed to, investigating where needed. Never questioning an order or making a decision on her own, she is more valuable to her people living among other races. Typically, this is a lonely existence, drifting from persona to persona, never having any real personality that is real, but Cassandra thrives on it. Having seen the evil depths of the yuan-ti and all the things that could be done to her, performing a duty far away from the torture and deception is a sort of freedom in itself. She has no face in the world outside the yuan-ti, no personal connections back to her own people and no confidant with whom to share her feelings.
Through all this she manages to be happy and enjoy her life while it lasts. She is completely anti-social and never talks to anyone unless she has to. While most yuan-ti view the lesser races (humans and demihumans) as mere sheep, Cassandra just sees them as another animal; dangerous animals, perhaps, but uniquely interesting as well. She drifts through the streets in any number of disguises (most commonly a beggar or a disease victim) and simply listens to the people of these races, learning all about the current affairs of the cities she visits. She spies on political figures and adventurers as well, partly as research on assignments that may come and partly just to hear what these important figures say. Using this information, she creates elaborate fantasies about the activities of these creatures, though the violent nature of her upbringing usually twists these fantasies beyond anything remotely realistic.
These dreams and the activities of her anonymous personas pass the days in between the murders. Only during these times, when she is paying the price for her freedom, does she ever reconnect with her heritage. Her sword (which she named Santicar, after herself) acts as her fang. She takes pleasure in seeing another creature die, delighting in the pain caused to her temporary adversary, if only for that brief moment. She always stays to watch her victim die, soaking up the emotional high that accompanies it. The pleasure fades quickly, though, as she remembers that she is still stuck within the violent world of the yuan-ti, taking life from those weaker than her so she can maintain her freedom. The door for self-loathing closes quickly, as Cassandra once again loses herself in her personas once any feelings of guilt or hopelessness attempt to surface. Without a face to loathe, she frees herself and is able to be happy, even if it is not in a way that anyone else could understand.
Using Cassandra in your game:
The Lone Assassin: One of the player characters has committed some offense against the yuan-ti or is seen as a threat to the yuan-ti. The yuan-ti assign Cassandra to kill the character in retaliation. An encounter of this nature leaves little room for social interaction. Cassandra will research the character to the best of her ability and attempt to attack her target at some point when they are alone. Before attacking the character, Cassandra will cast invisibility, false life, concealing amphora and use her potions of barkskin and cat’s grace. As long as the fight remains a one on one combat, she will not flee, but if others come to help she will attempt to get away from them using invisibility or obscuring mists to mask her exit. The player characters’ level for this encounter should be between 12-14.
Attacking the Group: The party of PCs has committed some offense against the yuan-ti or is simply seen as a threat to the yuan-ti for some other reason. The yuan-ti assign Cassandra to lead a party of purebloods to kill the PCs. Cassandra hates these types of assignments and is usually reckless with those assigned to her as underlings. The purebloods assigned to her are used as distractions and bodies so that she can flank and utilize her sneak attack ability. Before the fight Cassandra will cast invisibility, false life, concealing amphora and use her potions of barkskin and cat’s grace. She concentrates her attacks on any obvious arcane casters first and divine casters second, trying to remove the most dangerous targets quickly. In this type of assignment, Cassandra will flee if she feels she is in danger so that she can regroup with other purebloods or at least heal her wounds before attempting to kill the characters separately. Assuming a party of Cassandra Santicar and 4 purebloods, the EL of the encounter is 10 and the average party level should be between 8 and 10, depending on the desired difficulty.
Preventing an Assassination: The player characters somehow receive word that an assassination attempt directed against an important non-player character (a political figure or powerful merchant) may occur. Naturally, Cassandra is the assassin assigned to kill the target. The player characters are either hired to protect the victim or assigned to guard the victim for other reasons. The party’s level for this encounter should be between 10 and 12. The encounter can be made less difficult by raising the level of the NPC target and allowing him to help the party during combat. If the target has less than 30 hp, the encounter will be much more difficult as Cassandra can easily do this much damage in a single attack, and will probably attempt to do so and flee before the PCs can form a good defense.
Cassandra’s Dilemma: An unexpected break has occurred in the fantasy life of Cassandra Santicar. She has come to the realization that the yuan-ti expect to live on through a number of generations and as such, they expect the most talented individuals of their kind to breed and produce children. The thought of being forced to mate with another yuan-ti is a bit unnerving. The idea of mating itself is not entirely repulsive, but Cassandra has no desire to bring a child into the cruel and potentially deadly yuan-ti society. While she was eventually able to find a sort of escape to a life resembling something peaceful and free, there is no guarantee her child would be able to do the same. Perhaps her exposure to the lesser races and their concept of the family has rubbed off on her or perhaps Cassandra sees anything that she creates as her property. Either way she as no desire to give any child to her yuan-ti masters.
Cassandra wishes to become pregnant with the male of a lesser race before she is forced to breed. Following this, she plans to fake a miscarriage (thus labeling her as a poor choice to carry yuan-ti offspring) and deliver the baby to its father before fading back into her faceless obscurity. The appropriate mate, though, would have to be one of high quality, a talented creature that is accessible to her. Government officials, nobility and military officers tend to be less accessible and more knowledgeable about the locale, but adventurers are normally very accessible and travel often, making them ideal. The icing is that adventurers tend to be good (or at least neutral) aligned, which Cassandra views as the ideal environment for her child.
The heart of this situation is that Cassandra wishes to form an intimate relationship with one of the male PCs. By itself, this encounter can be quite interesting, considering that Cassandra is socially inept and really has no personality besides what she pretends. On top of this, she is a member of a monster race that the PCs will no doubt end up fighting at some point (or has fought in the past), potentially making the two enemies if this fact becomes revealed. The roleplaying scenes to come out of this can range from awkwardly romantic to morbidly humorous. The fallout from the situation can vary greatly and with a group of good players can make for a great series of scenes.
In addition, there are a few potential plot hooks that can make this situation more complex:
Cassandra is Assigned to Kill Her Would-Be Lover: This encounter functions as the one listed above, but it has the added emotional element that will hopefully make it more memorable.
Reformation: Cassandra is an evil creature. A good party who learns about her nature and her past may attempt to kill or arrest her, but they may also attempt to reform her. The desire for her child to be free from the evil society that begot her gives the character a seed of humanity, which characters can attempt to guide into goodness. If she is captured and taken away from her duties, she no longer has any need or interest to be intimate with the characters. Instead, the focus turns to finding a way to help her reform herself.
Betrayer: While the PCs are seeking a way to attack the yuan-ti, they discover Cassandra’s nature. They can attempt to use her or make a deal with her to get the information they need about the yuan-ti. While she is generally loyal to her masters because she believes they grant her freedom, the PCs may be able to convince her that they can (with her help) destroy the yuan-ti, allowing her to be free. She is afraid of her masters and will be hard to convince, but she can be of great aid to the party if they are able to convince her. This can be used in conjunction with the reformation plot line.
Substitutions for those who do not use the Expanded Psionics Handbook:
Change Type to “Medium Monstrous Humanoid”
Remove Psi-like Abilities
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—animal trance (DC 13), cause fear (DC 12), charm person (DC 12), darkness, entangle (DC 12). Caster level 4th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Special Qualities: Add detect poison.
Detect Poison (Sp): All yuan-ti have the psionic ability to detect poison as the spell (caster level 6th).
