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Jul. 5th, 2013 02:10 pm✦ OOC Info
Name: Dragon
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dragonoflife
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dragonoflife
Characters currently in game: N/A
✦ IC Info
Name: Xykon
Canon: The Order of the Stick
Canon point: Strip 897 (latest, as of this writing)
History: Xykon: a wiki entry!
Previous Game History: N/A
Possessions: Robes, spell components (in effectively unlimited supply, thanks to the mechanics of D&D which does not require them to be tracked), a Ring of Energy Immunity (fire), and a crown that has no magical power but radiates purest evil from long association with Xykon.
Powers: Xykon is a Epic lich sorcerer under D&D 3.5 rules. The links contain all the details necessary, but some expansion:
As a lich, Xykon is undead and immortal. He is able to endure a massive level of punishment (d12 Hit Dice), can see in the dark, cannot be affected by powers which affect the mind, is immune to poison, paralysis, sleep, stunning, disease, and death effects; cannot be beaten up (nonlethal damage) or weakened (ability damage), and doesn't get tired. Positive energy harms him; negative energy heals him. Any effect that would attack his vitality or health (transformation or petrification, for example) he automatically ignores unless it could also affect an inanimate object. He does not breath, eat, or sleep. He is immune to cold and electricity damage and hostile shapechanging effects. He takes substantially less damage from any physical attack which is not both magical and bludgeoning.
Under normal circumstances, if destroyed, Xykon would regenerate from his phylactery. Because he does not have his phylactery in-game, normal death rules would apply.
Xykon does not seem to have a fear aura in canon, despite that being a lich ability. He very much does have the ability to paralyze with a touch (although it does not appear to be permanent), as well as harm with pure negative energy.
As a sorcerer, Xykon knows a list of spells and may cast any of them he desires, until he has expended all the spell slots he has available for spells of that level. Canonically, his spell list is as follows (taken from either a provided list, or spells he has been observed casting or showing the results of):
0th level: Ray of Frost, 8x unknown
1st level: Magic Missle, Burning Hands, 3x unknown
2nd level: Shatter, 4x unknown
3rd level: Lightning Bolt, Protection from Energy, 2x unknown
4th level: Animate Dead, Greater Invisibility, Resilient Sphere, Stoneskin
5th level: Cloudkill, Overland Flight, Symbol of Pain, Xykon's Moderately Escapable Forcecage (Estimated spell level. The spell creates bars of force around one humanoid creature which anchor themselves in the ground.)
6th level: Contingency, Unknown x2
7th level: Finger of Death, Mass Hold Person, Greater Teleport
8th level: Symbol of Insanity, Ghostform (no link available, but basically does exactly what it sounds like), Unknown
9th level: Energy Drain, Meteor Swarm, Soul Bind
Epic level: Superb Dispelling (ludicrously high chance to dispel magic effects and suppress magic items), Epic Mage Armor (shields the caster with invisible force, making them near-impossible to hit), Cloister (he can't cast Cloister, he doesn't have the focus he needs for it).
Known Feats: Craft Wonderous Item, Maximize Spell, Still Spell, Craft Ring, Craft Ring (Epic)
Personality: Xykon is Evil with a capital E. Not 'troubled', not 'tragic', not in the least bit sympathetic. Xykon is evil in every possible way, small and large. He is absolutely cruel and willfully sadistic. All things being equal, he will inevitably choose to cause suffering and torment to any creature, including his own allies. In periods of adversity, his team spirit rises, but once he's back in control he ignores anything and anyone that doesn't entertain him -- and the only thing that really entertains him is suffering.
Born a sorcerer, Xykon has no patience for the intelligentsia of wizards, who look down on those who have magic come naturally to them instead of earning their power through study and dedication. Nor does he have patience for tactics, strategy, or planning. He knows this! He is well aware of his general impatience and willful ignorance of these things. In his living years this caused him a great deal of trouble, and led to him really accomplishing very little of substantial note, but after his transformation to undeath he came to realize that it was simply possibly to blast through anything if you're strong enough -- and thus far Xykon has certainly been strong enough to overcome almost any opposition.
The only other thing that truly matters to Xykon is style. It isn't enough to do horrible deeds and pursue ultimate goals -- you have to do them with pizzazz. If he can time the use of a spell to add perfect drama to a situation, he will. If he can showcase his power with some overwhelming display of force, he will. He cracks jokes, delivers one-liners, pauses battles to flaunt his greatness, and lectures the heroes on their flaws and weaknesses while casually ignoring their abilities. But when he's put on the ropes, Xykon tosses style out the window; winning is much more important than losing with style. In fact, Xykon believes the real key to power is simply how far you're willing to debase yourself to win. As he himself points out, he let himself be turned into a lich just to win a battle. Pride, standards, decency, refusing to take a winning action for any reason whatsoever -- these are weakness.
Outside of those moments, though, Xykon is rarely serious. He's on top of the world and he knows it, even with a minor setback here and there. He's got power, style, and everything on his side that matters. And eternity to enjoy it. Why shouldn't he have some fun?
Despite all these advantages, Xykon is no deep thinker. Unless he's being very serious (which is rare), he does things to amuse himself before anything. That means he will cheerfully slaughter his own minions and anger his own allies just for a laugh. He is virtually incapable of making friends; his allies are essentially chained to him by his manipulation, which means they have no qualms about manipulating him in turn if they believe they can get away with it.
Going along with his desire for amusement, he also plays the role of evil villain incredibly straight, including deliberately invoking classic tropes and flaws in that personality. Though by all means a massive threat when he has his act together, he generally prefers to screw around and have fun -- which has massively bitten him on the butt a couple of times in canon, causing him to lose his body because he turned his back on one of the heroes, and much later to lose his phylactery because he'd been toying around with and torturing a paladin. He once conducted a job interview in the middle of battle just because he could, then bragged about it by sending the new hire down to his ally with a note specifically for that purpose.
Interestingly, for all his power, Xykon is absolutely terrible at finding anything to do with it without help. During his entire lifetime he accomplished absolutely nothing of note, despite amassing a massive amount of sorcerous power. Only when an evil scheme of sufficient power was dropped in his lap did he actually manage to acquire a Destiny Crystal and and make any impact on the world whatsoever.
As a side note, Xykon's home world is explicitly governed by the 3.5 rules of Dungeons and Dragons, and its inhabitants know that. Even though this one isn't, Xykon has absolutely no problem referencing rules mechanics or abilities (such as referring to an enchanted sword as +5, or noting that he has a +8 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks in so many words).
Anything else? Xykon is evil. Really, really evil. Seriously, he's gonna kill people.
✦ Samples
Third person: "Playground bully?" Xykon said in slow disbelief. "I'm the greatest threat to the world -- that actually does something, as opposed to the three lower-planar guys whose 'villainy' consists of a lot of talking and manipulation -- and that earns me the title of 'playground bully'?"
Maybe if he hadn't been talking to a piece of candy, Xykon would have been choking the life out of the one who'd told him this, but lacking any convenient necks to grab, Xykon scratched two bony fingers against his skull.
"Don't get me wrong, playground bullying is a fine act of evil and one well-deserving of recognition. Start 'em young, I say. Spirits at that age break so thoroughly. And a ranking system for villains? I'm fine with that too. It's fair. I'm new here, you have no way of knowing I'm real evil material. Though you'd think the exposed skeleton would be a hint.
"No, what really gets my spell components in a twist is that the ranking system is under one guy's arbitrary control, and I have to fulfill his expectations to raise my rank! Don't pull off a mission, don't get a rank. Lay waste to a kingdom and I'm still a playground bully! I'm not sure whether to laugh or be absolutely infuriated. Oh wait, I can do both! Magic Missile!"
Leaving the spell-riddled candy behind, Xykon took off into the air, ideas already percolating through his brain. Sure, he could play along with this whole villain ranking thing -- and at at the same tame, make such a name for himself that this whole land would tremble at the mere notion of playground bully! Sure, it wasn't an epic quest to conquer the world with the power of the Snarl, but he had to kill time here SOMEHOW.
"If nothing else, there's a valuable lesson here about never naming your kingdom after the secret message in your bowl of Cheerios."
First Person: (Sample should be about ten complete sentences, with at least of six lines of dialogue from your character. For this section, please focus on your character's speech patterns. If your character has two very distinct voices (like a second personality), feel free to provide another first person sample to portray it as well.
Posts made in other games or in museboxes can be used for samples. If your character is quiet, mods can provide a list of questions upon request, or if you're feeling particularly uninspired, we can also provide a prompt for you. )
Name: Dragon
Journal:
dragonoflifeContact:
Characters currently in game: N/A
✦ IC Info
Name: Xykon
Canon: The Order of the Stick
Canon point: Strip 897 (latest, as of this writing)
History: Xykon: a wiki entry!
Previous Game History: N/A
Possessions: Robes, spell components (in effectively unlimited supply, thanks to the mechanics of D&D which does not require them to be tracked), a Ring of Energy Immunity (fire), and a crown that has no magical power but radiates purest evil from long association with Xykon.
Powers: Xykon is a Epic lich sorcerer under D&D 3.5 rules. The links contain all the details necessary, but some expansion:
As a lich, Xykon is undead and immortal. He is able to endure a massive level of punishment (d12 Hit Dice), can see in the dark, cannot be affected by powers which affect the mind, is immune to poison, paralysis, sleep, stunning, disease, and death effects; cannot be beaten up (nonlethal damage) or weakened (ability damage), and doesn't get tired. Positive energy harms him; negative energy heals him. Any effect that would attack his vitality or health (transformation or petrification, for example) he automatically ignores unless it could also affect an inanimate object. He does not breath, eat, or sleep. He is immune to cold and electricity damage and hostile shapechanging effects. He takes substantially less damage from any physical attack which is not both magical and bludgeoning.
Under normal circumstances, if destroyed, Xykon would regenerate from his phylactery. Because he does not have his phylactery in-game, normal death rules would apply.
Xykon does not seem to have a fear aura in canon, despite that being a lich ability. He very much does have the ability to paralyze with a touch (although it does not appear to be permanent), as well as harm with pure negative energy.
As a sorcerer, Xykon knows a list of spells and may cast any of them he desires, until he has expended all the spell slots he has available for spells of that level. Canonically, his spell list is as follows (taken from either a provided list, or spells he has been observed casting or showing the results of):
0th level: Ray of Frost, 8x unknown
1st level: Magic Missle, Burning Hands, 3x unknown
2nd level: Shatter, 4x unknown
3rd level: Lightning Bolt, Protection from Energy, 2x unknown
4th level: Animate Dead, Greater Invisibility, Resilient Sphere, Stoneskin
5th level: Cloudkill, Overland Flight, Symbol of Pain, Xykon's Moderately Escapable Forcecage (Estimated spell level. The spell creates bars of force around one humanoid creature which anchor themselves in the ground.)
6th level: Contingency, Unknown x2
7th level: Finger of Death, Mass Hold Person, Greater Teleport
8th level: Symbol of Insanity, Ghostform (no link available, but basically does exactly what it sounds like), Unknown
9th level: Energy Drain, Meteor Swarm, Soul Bind
Epic level: Superb Dispelling (ludicrously high chance to dispel magic effects and suppress magic items), Epic Mage Armor (shields the caster with invisible force, making them near-impossible to hit), Cloister (he can't cast Cloister, he doesn't have the focus he needs for it).
Known Feats: Craft Wonderous Item, Maximize Spell, Still Spell, Craft Ring, Craft Ring (Epic)
Personality: Xykon is Evil with a capital E. Not 'troubled', not 'tragic', not in the least bit sympathetic. Xykon is evil in every possible way, small and large. He is absolutely cruel and willfully sadistic. All things being equal, he will inevitably choose to cause suffering and torment to any creature, including his own allies. In periods of adversity, his team spirit rises, but once he's back in control he ignores anything and anyone that doesn't entertain him -- and the only thing that really entertains him is suffering.
Born a sorcerer, Xykon has no patience for the intelligentsia of wizards, who look down on those who have magic come naturally to them instead of earning their power through study and dedication. Nor does he have patience for tactics, strategy, or planning. He knows this! He is well aware of his general impatience and willful ignorance of these things. In his living years this caused him a great deal of trouble, and led to him really accomplishing very little of substantial note, but after his transformation to undeath he came to realize that it was simply possibly to blast through anything if you're strong enough -- and thus far Xykon has certainly been strong enough to overcome almost any opposition.
The only other thing that truly matters to Xykon is style. It isn't enough to do horrible deeds and pursue ultimate goals -- you have to do them with pizzazz. If he can time the use of a spell to add perfect drama to a situation, he will. If he can showcase his power with some overwhelming display of force, he will. He cracks jokes, delivers one-liners, pauses battles to flaunt his greatness, and lectures the heroes on their flaws and weaknesses while casually ignoring their abilities. But when he's put on the ropes, Xykon tosses style out the window; winning is much more important than losing with style. In fact, Xykon believes the real key to power is simply how far you're willing to debase yourself to win. As he himself points out, he let himself be turned into a lich just to win a battle. Pride, standards, decency, refusing to take a winning action for any reason whatsoever -- these are weakness.
Outside of those moments, though, Xykon is rarely serious. He's on top of the world and he knows it, even with a minor setback here and there. He's got power, style, and everything on his side that matters. And eternity to enjoy it. Why shouldn't he have some fun?
Despite all these advantages, Xykon is no deep thinker. Unless he's being very serious (which is rare), he does things to amuse himself before anything. That means he will cheerfully slaughter his own minions and anger his own allies just for a laugh. He is virtually incapable of making friends; his allies are essentially chained to him by his manipulation, which means they have no qualms about manipulating him in turn if they believe they can get away with it.
Going along with his desire for amusement, he also plays the role of evil villain incredibly straight, including deliberately invoking classic tropes and flaws in that personality. Though by all means a massive threat when he has his act together, he generally prefers to screw around and have fun -- which has massively bitten him on the butt a couple of times in canon, causing him to lose his body because he turned his back on one of the heroes, and much later to lose his phylactery because he'd been toying around with and torturing a paladin. He once conducted a job interview in the middle of battle just because he could, then bragged about it by sending the new hire down to his ally with a note specifically for that purpose.
Interestingly, for all his power, Xykon is absolutely terrible at finding anything to do with it without help. During his entire lifetime he accomplished absolutely nothing of note, despite amassing a massive amount of sorcerous power. Only when an evil scheme of sufficient power was dropped in his lap did he actually manage to acquire a Destiny Crystal and and make any impact on the world whatsoever.
As a side note, Xykon's home world is explicitly governed by the 3.5 rules of Dungeons and Dragons, and its inhabitants know that. Even though this one isn't, Xykon has absolutely no problem referencing rules mechanics or abilities (such as referring to an enchanted sword as +5, or noting that he has a +8 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks in so many words).
Anything else? Xykon is evil. Really, really evil. Seriously, he's gonna kill people.
✦ Samples
Third person: "Playground bully?" Xykon said in slow disbelief. "I'm the greatest threat to the world -- that actually does something, as opposed to the three lower-planar guys whose 'villainy' consists of a lot of talking and manipulation -- and that earns me the title of 'playground bully'?"
Maybe if he hadn't been talking to a piece of candy, Xykon would have been choking the life out of the one who'd told him this, but lacking any convenient necks to grab, Xykon scratched two bony fingers against his skull.
"Don't get me wrong, playground bullying is a fine act of evil and one well-deserving of recognition. Start 'em young, I say. Spirits at that age break so thoroughly. And a ranking system for villains? I'm fine with that too. It's fair. I'm new here, you have no way of knowing I'm real evil material. Though you'd think the exposed skeleton would be a hint.
"No, what really gets my spell components in a twist is that the ranking system is under one guy's arbitrary control, and I have to fulfill his expectations to raise my rank! Don't pull off a mission, don't get a rank. Lay waste to a kingdom and I'm still a playground bully! I'm not sure whether to laugh or be absolutely infuriated. Oh wait, I can do both! Magic Missile!"
Leaving the spell-riddled candy behind, Xykon took off into the air, ideas already percolating through his brain. Sure, he could play along with this whole villain ranking thing -- and at at the same tame, make such a name for himself that this whole land would tremble at the mere notion of playground bully! Sure, it wasn't an epic quest to conquer the world with the power of the Snarl, but he had to kill time here SOMEHOW.
"If nothing else, there's a valuable lesson here about never naming your kingdom after the secret message in your bowl of Cheerios."
First Person: (Sample should be about ten complete sentences, with at least of six lines of dialogue from your character. For this section, please focus on your character's speech patterns. If your character has two very distinct voices (like a second personality), feel free to provide another first person sample to portray it as well.
Posts made in other games or in museboxes can be used for samples. If your character is quiet, mods can provide a list of questions upon request, or if you're feeling particularly uninspired, we can also provide a prompt for you. )
