A Writeup of Washu For the 3rd edition of Dungeons and Dragons by Paul "BigRed" Shannon, pjshanno@yahoo.com Both Washu and D&D are the property of their respective owners. I make no claim to them. This is done out of admiration of the character and my long time infatuation with Dungeons and Dragons. This may not be exchanged for any form of compensation. Acknowledgements: I would like to thank the following people for their comments, criticisms, and suggestions. Bruce Grubb bgrubb@zianet.com , Nargun louisrp@student.unimelb.edu.au , and William wlit0613@postoffice.uri.edu. I would also like to thank. Brian “The Red Writer” Cheek TheRedWriter@cs.com who coauthored my write-up of Washu for Ad&d 2nd edition, which this is based on. Washu Gender: Female Age: 20000+ years Size: Medium (height 4’10” weight 95 lbs) Description: A cute little girl with large green eyes and spiky Reddish pink hair. She has a decidedly exotic look to her. (She also can appear as a stunningly beautiful woman but rarely does) Race: Special (The best way to describe her is a type of Avatar) Alignment: CG (with neutral tendencies) Class: 20 Expert/3 Wizard (Diviner) CR: 21 Hit Dice (20d8+4)+(3d4+4) Hit Points: 190 Movement: 30 ft Abilities (score, modifier) Str 19, +4 Dex 20 +5 Con 18 +4 Int 50 +20 Wis 16 +3 Cha 16 +3 Saving throws (total, (base, modifier)) Fort +11 (+7,+4) Ref +12 (+7, +5) Will +17 (+15, +3) Combat Initiative +5 (Dex) AC 21 (base 10 +6 (natural) +5 (Dex modifier) Base attack bonus +16/11/6/1 Melee +21/16/12/6 (base +4 (str modifier) +1 (master work weapon)) Ranged +21/16/12/6 (Base +5 (dex modifier)) Weapons (name, attack bonus, damage, critical, Range (if needed) type, size, Special (if needed), magical (if needed)) Melee Wakizashi (short sword), +21/16/12/6, 1d6+4, 19-20/x2, Slashing, small, Masterwork weapon +1 to hit, Energy Sword (see Special attacks) +22/17/13/7, 1d10+10 (+6 special, +4 Str), 18-19/x2 20/death ( due to decapitation or mortal wound., if opponent is huge or larger x4 damage instead) , slashing, small, special:( +2 to hit, +6 damage; ignores first 10 points of natural and/or nonmagial armor; damage reduction increases target’s AC by enhancement bonus needed to bypass the Damage Reduction.) Ranged Revolver, +21, 1d10, x3, 100 ft, Piercing, small. This is a pistol of Washu’s own design. She usually carries 39 rounds of ammo. If she runs out she needs an Alchemy/chemistry lab to make more (difficulty Class 30 for alchemy and 23 for chemistry). the cost is 5gp a round. $Energy bolt (see special attacks), +23, 5d6+10, death (fort save dc15 for normal damage),100ft, Type: special, only needs to make a ranged touch attack to hit., Notes on weapons. Washu is trying to keep a low profile, so she will only use her energy sword and energy bolt as a last resort. She prefers to not fight at all or use spells (preferred) or her Wakizashi and revolver (A shot into the air would probably scare off most street toughs). Armor None. Washu dose not want any armor that will interfere with her magic (with her energy shield, she really dose not need any). When she gets the skill however, she will probably craft magical protection (If just for practice). Energy shield (see special attacks) Special Attacks. (DM note, I have based this write-up on Washu as depicted in the OAV, and Mangas. She is a VERY powerful character. If you want to limit her power and depict her as she is only in the OAV’s. I suggest you remove the abilities with the ($) in front of them Energy sword (Ex) Washu can generate this as a standard action at will. This weapon is a beam of intense energy and can effortlessly slice though metal and stone (not to mention flesh) if it hits it destroys an opponent’s armor or shield. It also destroys any weapon that it hits (magical Items can make a fort save (DC20) to not be destroyed) $Energy Bolt. (Ex) can only be used one every 3 turns. Washu can control the power of this weapon. (the damage above is at full power) if she dose, she can reduce the number of dice of damage if inflicts. She can also use it to subdue an opponent (in that case the damage becomes subdual damage and a critical hit stuns an opponent for 1d4 rounds.). (Alternate Energy bolt, +21 1d6+4, x3, 50 ft, Type: Special, only needs to make a ranged touch attack to hit. Can be used once every other round. This is more like what she used in Oav # 12) Turn or destroy undead (Ex). Because of the divine power within her, Washu can turn/destroy undead as a 15th level cleric. $Energy shield. (Ex) Washu can generate this as a free action at will. This shield surrounds washu and up to two other medium size or smaller beings in contact with her. As long as it is up, it takes all attacks directed at her. It has the following qualities: 120 hp, AC 35, damage reduction +3/ 15 and regenerates 5hp per round. If it is destroyed washu takes 1d20 hp of damage and is stunned for 1d4 rounds. Also, she then cannot generate it again until the next day. Spell like qualities. (Ex) Even though these act like spells they are extraordinary abilities possessed by washu and thus can’t be dispelled and are not subject to an antimagic field or spell resistance. Teleport/ 5 times a day, $cure serious wounds/1 a day. Special Qualities Toughness. (Ex) Whether due to the divine power within her or due to genetic manipulation, Washu is much tougher that an ordinary humanoid. This is evident in the following extraordinary abilities. +6 to AC, Fast Healing, (1hp.) can’t be charmed, $immune to all poisons and non-magical diseases. $Immune to energy drain, $and her soul cannot be trapped. Immortal. Washu is effectively immortal. Therefore she does not age. Skills. Because of her intelligence, Washu has almost 1000 skill points. The following skills are only those that would have some affect in the D&D world. She has many other skills besides these. The below skills include ability modifiers. Skills acquired as an Expert. (* means class skill ( a lot of these are of only limited use in the Ad&d world, ^ means see below) Bluff +14,climb +13, *Craft (Engineering and design) +43, *Craft (assembly and construction) +43, Disable device +31, *escape artist +28, forgery +31, * knowledge (Genetics)+43, *Knowledge (Physics) +43, *Knowledge (Biology) +43, * Knowledge (Electronics) +43, listen +14, *Profession (Scientist) +26, sense motive, +14, Swim +15, *Chemistry^ +43, *Medicine^ +43. Skills acquired as a Wizard Appraise +23, balance +8, *concentration +11, *Decipher Script +27, diplomacy +6, disguise +6, Gather information +6, Handle animal +6, Hide +6, Innuendo +6, *knowledge (Arcane) +27, jump +7, pick pocket +8, Read Lips +23, ride +7, *scry +27, search +23, *Spellcraft +27, spot +6, tumble +8, use rope +8 New skills. Chemistry (int), This skill is like alchemy but represents a much more fundamental understanding of substances. Therefore, somebody with this skill can make an alchemy check at 75% of the listed DC. A chemist needs a chemistry kit (washu had to put hers together herself). The costs associated with doing Tasks are twice as much as the cost if for an alchemist. A chemistry lab give a + 4 circumstance bonus to a chemist. The cost of putting together a lab is 5 time the cost of an alchemy lab. If you only have alchemist equipment you have to make the alchemy check at 110% of the DC. Medicine (int) This skill is like Healing but represents a better understanding of the body. A person with this skill can make a healing check at 75% of the listed DC. But to use this skill you need a medical kit. Washu had to make one from scratch and the cost of assembling it was 5 time the cost of a healing kit. If you don’t have a medical kit you can still make a healing check but at the full DC if you have a healing kit. Feats Expert feats, skill focus (for craft, profession, and knowledge) Martial weapon proficiency (short sword), Exotic weapon proficiency (firearms and futuristic). Wizard feats, 1st spell mastery(Div), 3rd Craft wondrous Item Languages. Washu knows dozens of languages from our reality but these are useless in the Ad&d world, except for English, which happens to be 50% intelligible with common. So far she has learned common, eleven, gnomish, dwarven, draconic, halfling, and celestial, and infernal. Spells per day. 4+1/7+1/6+1 Spell book. Washu has specialized in Divination. This school is perfect for her inquisitive nature. Washu’s prohibited school is Necromancy (she prefers to tamper with the forces of life and death with science and finds the dark nature of some of the spells in this school distasteful). Since she has powerful natural attacks, her spells tend not to be attack spells. Beside her prohibited school though, every thing else is fair game. When she has the skill, she will probably study more spells in the Conjuration and Transmutation schools since these both have spells in them that promote dimensional travel. (Gate, planeshift and such). With no doubt, she will also invent some totally new spells (I have given some possible ones below). Her diligent research has resulted in a spell book that has all 0 level spells, 23 1st level spells and 10 second level spells. Suggested spells. (If marked with & replace with alternate spells below) 0th all/ 1st alarm, endure elements&, hold portal, mount&, summon monster I, obscuring mist&, unseen servant, Comprehend languages, detect secret doors, Identify, detect undead, true strike, charm person, Hypnotism, sleep, Tensor’s floating disk, change self, animate rope&, enlarge, feather fall, jump, ventriloquism, erase/ 2nd arcane lock, web, detect thoughts, locate object, see invisibility, knock, levitate, continual flame, Tasha’s hideous laughter&, daylight&. (Alternate spells. If you chose not to give Washu the powers marked above with $. I suggest substituting these spells with the ones marked above. If Washu did not have the above powers, she would have to rely more on her new magical knowledge to defend herself. 1st shield, mage armor, magic missile, burning hands / 2nd Melf’s acid arrow, resist elements. ) New spells. (This is for the DM’s reference. As she is now, Washu dose not have the skill yet to invent new spells. But eventually she will. These are named after her of course, since she would want everybody to know who developed them. Most of these spells were developed by her to save time her time in studying materials and assembling her inventions). Washu’s instant peruse. Divination. Level: Sor/Wiz 3. Components: (S) (F). Casting time: 1 action. Target: 1 book. Duration: instantaneous Saving throw. None Spell resistance. Yes. This spell allows the caster to understand any book as if he/she had taken time to quickly read though it. The caster gets the general concepts that are in the book but nothing that would require careful study of its contents. If the object is a spell book, the caster gets a general description each spell inside but not nearly enough to add any of them to her/his own spell book. If the book that this is attempted on has any kind of magical protection, the spell automatically fails (though you can deal with that beforehand). The focus of the spell is a pair of silver reading glasses that the caster must look though as if reading the book. Washu’s instant copy. Transmutation. Level: Sor/Wiz 3. Components: (S) (M) (F) Casting time: 1 round Target: 1 sheet of paper or page of book. Duration: instantaneous Saving throw: none Spell resistance: Yes This spell allows the caster to make an instant copy of the writing on a sheet if paper or one page in a book. A 1st level spell can be copied but the spell still must be studied as in the player’s handbook for the caster to add it to his spell book. If a page or sheet has any sort of magical protection the spell fails. A copy of a 1st level scroll can be used to try to lean the spell but dose not have any magical properties like the original. The focus of the spell is a silver fountain pen and the material component is the ink in the pen and a blank sheet of paper. When the spell is cast the caster places his hand on the page she/he wants copied and touches the pen to the blank sheet. Washu’s greater instant copy Transmutation. Level: Sor/Wiz 4. Components: (S) (M) (F) Casting time: 10 minutes Target: 1 book, scroll, or stack of engineering drawings. Duration: instantaneous. Saving throw: none. Spell resistance: Yes. This spell is identical to the above except that a whole book, scroll, or set of blueprints can be copied. A spell book can also be copied, but the spells in the book must be studied to add them to your own spell book. You can copy your own spell book but you must pay the same material cost as if you were copying it the normal way. You can copy any spell scroll and use the copy to try to lean the spell, but the copy dose not have the magical properties of the original. The focus of the spell is a silver pen and inkwell. The material components are a blank book, scroll, or sheets of paper of at least the same size as the book or drawings being copied and the ink in the inkwell. Washu’s Instant analysis. Divination Level: Sor/Wiz 5. Components: (S) (M) (F) Casting time: 1 Hour Target: 1 object. Duration: instantaneous. Saving throw: none but see below. Spell resistance: Yes. This spell allows the caster to make a detailed set of engineering drawings for a mechanical object. However the caster must have the skill Craft (engineering and design) and must make a skill check as if she was analyzing the object and making the drawings normally. If the object is magical or has any magical protection the spell fails if the caster that made or protected the object has a higher caster level that the person casting the spell. The focus of this spell is a platinum engineers scale that is encrusted with gems. This must be worth at least 1000 gp. Also the caster must have the same material components and focuses as Washu’s greater instant copy. Washu’s Elemental Portal. Conjuration Level: Sor/Wiz 6. Components: (V) (F) (XP) Casting time: 5 minutes Target: Spell focus. Duration: permanent. Saving throw: none. Spell resistance: no. This spell open a 6 “ diameter permanent one-way portal from the elemental plain of your choice (though opening one from the elemental plain of earth is pointless). If the plain is the Elemental plain of water, 100 gallons a minute of pure water flows out the portal. If the portal is from the plain of air, Enough fresh air flows out to exchange the air in a 1000 cubic foot space in 1 minute. And if the portal is the plain of fire, a 10 foot gout of flame shoots out which is hot enough to melt soft metals like copper or gold. Washu created this spell to supply her devices that need one of these elements. The focus of this spell is a pure platinum valve that weighs at least 50 pounds. The spell is cast by speaking the vocal component and then throwing open the valve. The flow of the portal can be controlled or stopped with the valve. For every day the valve stays open there is a 1% chance that a small elemental will be sucked thought the portal unless preventive measures are taken. The spell can be dispelled and is suppressed by an anti-magic field. Experience point cost: 250. Washu’s instant construction. Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 7. Components: (S) (F) (M) Casting time: 2 hours Target: area. Duration: instantaneous. Saving throw: none. Spell resistance: no. This spell allows the caster to instantly construct any mechanical device. This spell is similar to Fabricate but the object that is constructed can be of any size and number of materials as long as the other prerequisites of the spell are met. However the caster must have the skill to build it or be holding the hand of a volunteer that has the skill. The focus of this spell is an exact 1/20 (at least) working scale model of the device to be constructed that has been made by the castor or the volunteer. This model must be made with the same materials as the finished object. When this model is constructed, the builder must make the same skill check as if he was making the real thing. If the check fails then the model has some defect. If this is not noticed then the finished construction will have the same defect. The material component of this spell is all of the refined raw materials (Timber, sheets of glass, bars of metal, etc. if the technology is not available to refine the materials than the object can’t be constructed with this spell) required to make the object. This is transformed by the spell into the finished construction. Washu’s greater instant construction. Conjuration Level: Sor/Wiz 9. Components: (S) (F) (M, optional) (XP) Casting time: 1 hour. Target: area. Duration: instantaneous. Saving throw: none. Spell resistance: no. This spell is the culmination of all of Washu’s research into magic. It finally allows her to create High technology devices even though she dose not have the technology to build them conventionally (when she develops this spell she will have taken a great step in getting home). This spell is similar to the one above except where noted below. This spell also needs no raw materials and the spell focus is a complete set of blueprints (Either printed on paper on stored on electronic medium) for the object to be constructed. However the caster must have the skill to construct the object or hold hands with a volunteer that dose. The caster or the volunteer makes the skill check when she/he draws up the blueprints. If the plans are flawed the finished device will be also. This spell costs the caster 5000 experience points for any device below 1000 lbs and 20 more experience points for every 100 lbs the device is over this weight. (This won’t be much of an obstacle for Washu because she has hundreds of thousands of experience points as an expert that she can burn). If this spell is cast with a volunteer, the experience point cost is split evenly between them. If the caster of the spell has acquired the raw materials (which don’t need to be refined in this case) needed to make the object, then the cost in Experience points is cut in half. Equipment: Washu has both a chemistry lab and a medical kit. For magic items and other equipment refer to DMG for a 3rd level wizard. She also runs a new company called “Solutions Incorporated” (she lost everything in sigil during the faction war) in the city that she is in. But otherwise this company is the same as “Progress Unlimited”. Her partners would depend on which world she is on (probably Gnomes or Dwarves) The revenue from this company is good. So she can afford the materials she needs for both her technical research and arcane studies. Notes on technology. One thing that I have noticed in writing up washu for D&D is that differences in technology are not addressed very well in the rules. So based on what I have heard from other people. I have decided to come up with some rules to address that. I have decided to do that by giving the person dealing with technology a curcumstance based on the Tech Level of the person attempting it as compared to the TL of the task that he is attempting. For this I will use the tech levels given in the Alternety . There are 9 tech levels here (0:stone age, 1: iron age, 2: middle age, 3: age of enlightenment, 4: industrial age, 5: information age, 6 fusion age, 7: gravity age, and 8: energy age.) washu is at TL 8 most D&D world are at 2 or 3. First of all, I will deal with The DC of craft and knowledge tasks in the same tech level. In the players handbook the DC of a complicated task is 20. But this is assuming that the person is crafting something that is familiar to him, Say a lock. But I think that attempting to build something totally new (even if this is at the same tech level) should be much harder. I think that the DC class of doing something totally new should be 45. This makes it just doable by a 20 level expert who is maxed out in the required craft (and assuming he has decent ability modifiers and gets some circumstance bonuses (from working in a lab with several colleagues.)) Then as the technology becomes more common the DC would drop progressively. (40 for a rare object, 30 for uncommon, and 20 for common.) Now to address tasks that are above or below the general TL of the world that they are attempted on (or in Washu's case, has access too). First of all while a device that is below the tech level of the society can be done, The fact that the technology is out dated would make the task more difficult. I am thinking that for each TL below the General TC the person attempting it should get a circumstance penalty of -1. So washu would always have a penalty for attempting a task that is below her TL (which would 8) as compared to 2 or 3 for the average D&D World. I think that attempting a task that is above you tech level (or in Washu's case the tech level of the equipment that you have access too in the D&D world).should be harder than doing something below your TL. Maybe a better approach would be to give a person a –10 circumstance penalty for every TL that the object of the task is above 1 tech level over your tech level. Where Washu is different from the other people in the world that she is trapped on is that she would only get a circumstance penalty for trying to built something more that 1 tech level above the technology she has access to. Somebody that is native to the same world would be penalized for trying to do ANY task that is more that 1 TL higher that his level. I don't think there should be a penalty for just going up one tech level because the people that would be trying to create a new object of a higher tl would be at the cutting edge of available technology. Notes: Since Washu is so formidable; she should probably be used as a NPC only. Even then, her unique knowledge and skills would make her a disruptive force wherever she is. This is intentional. A whole campaign could probably be based around her. I leave it up to you to fit her into your campaign world. Just remember that Washu is one of the most intelligent and creative beings in the universe. Play her as such. I suggest that anybody that uses her watch the Tenchi OAV’s. This will give you a good Idea of her personality and what she is capable of. The Tenchi mangas are also a good reference. History (I have kept this vague on purpose because the DM will have to incorporate Washu into the landscape of their campaign world.) This starts out the same as my write-up of washu for Ad&d second edition (which is on The Many Faces Of Washu web site at http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/kingston/196/ ), but two years later. Washu has found her way out of sigil in the chaos following the Faction war. She is now on one of the campaign worlds (DM’s choice). Before she left, Washu realized that the accident that brought her into the D&D Multiverse was an interaction between magic and technology. So now while she is still trying to build up her technology (she is about at the same technology level as last time since she had to start from scratch on the new world she is on. ), she has also immersed herself in the study of magic and is very quickly picking it up. Her High intelligence makes her a natural for wizardry. Washu has been away from her family and friends for 3 years now. On top of that she had all of her work in sigil destroyed during the faction war. She is now trying to get home as quick as possible. She is hoping that her research in magic will enable her to find a way home without having to recreate all of her technology. She has become active in the local scene of her new home and has tried to make new friends, but her intelligence and knowledge of strange and wonderful things makes it hard for her to fit in. she really misses her family and friends and thinking about all the things she has missed at home is starting to really get to her. A possible adventure hook would be that washu has heard of a powerful magic device that allows the user to shift between realities, and is financing a campaign to recover it. Previous history (from my second edition write-up of Washu) HISTORY: All this starts about 3 years after the last OAV. Tenchi is about ready to start college in Tokyo (nothing to do with shin Tenchi) and is getting ready to move. Naturally this distresses all the women in his life except Ryoko (who can teleport there at will). So Ayeka approaches Washu and asks her to build a portal between the Masaki house and Tenchi's new apartment. Washu agrees (after all she would get instant access to her favorite experimental subject) and builds it. [Cut to the PlaneScape universe] at the same time that Washu is activating her portal, two mages in Sigil are trying to change the destination of one of the many Portals in the city. (Note; in Sigil the portals are maintained by the lady of pain, she takes a dim view of anybody messing with them hence what will happen next) They are casting their spells at the same time Washu is powering up here own portal. About this time the Lady of Pain appears and interrupts the mages. The spells are miscast: this causes a freak interaction of magic and technology that reaches into the Tenchiverse and pulls Washu though her own portal into Sigil. She arrives just in time to watch the lady flay alive the two would be portal-jackers. After observing this bloody scene, Washu decides to flee the area but it is too late. The lady believes (actually correctly) that she has something to do with the disturbance of the portal and attacks her. Washu is able to hold her off for a little bit but the lady is too powerful, and smashes though her shield. Then in desperation Washu attacks the lady with her energy bolt but this has no effect. The last thing that she remembers before losing consciousness mercifully takes her is the image of her on hands and knees trying to keep her internal organs off the ground. The next thing that Washu realizes, she wakes up in small room with just a bed and chair. She is still gravely injured but she heals fast. Turns out she is in the Bleak cabal's Insane asylum. When she asks how she got there, they tell here that they just found her gravely injured in the city. Washu quickly determines that this is a lie (no two people can agree where she was found) but decides to stay in the relative safety of the asylum until she learns more about the strange place that she is in. Once she has recovered enough she tries to call up her laptop computer and bring some equipment in from subspace but finds out that in this place she is cut off from her lab and her technology. This is when she realizes that she is alone in a world that is really low tech. If she is to find a way back home, she will need to rebuild her technology from scratch. The present time is a year after Washu arrived in sigil. She has set up a company in the lady's ward called Progress Unlimited. Her business partners are a group of Tinker Gnomes that came from Krynn (Other wise known as the world of "DragonLance".) They were expelled from Mt. Nevermind because they made inventions that worked too often (you can't tinker with an invention that works the first time.) and later immigrated into the multiverse. Progress unlimited provides high tech (relatively) solutions for parties in sigil that have the need and the money. Washu is very careful to only provide assistance that will not be used to victimize innocent people. For example, her current projects include using a punch card machine to solve statistical problem and process tax records for the Guvers and building steam engines for various factories in the city. She is also trying to electrify parts of the city. She also teaches people how to use her inventions. It is her sincere hope that while she is here, she can help improve the living conditions in sigil. She is doing this to finance her research in finding a way home. She is trying to build her technological base up to make a portal like the one she had in her world. But she has a long ways to go (she predicts 15 years) before she has the technology to build it. She also has the problem in that as she gets closer to her goal, she will attract more and more attention. She is currently looking to hire people to find the elements (tungsten for light bulbs and vacuum tubes; silicon for transistors and Integrated circuits: and uranium or plutonium for power) so she can jump to the next technological level. She also needs somebody to show her around the city and put her in contact with knowledgeable people. Right now Washu is living in the warehouse that is occupied by Progress Unlimited. However she has made a point of exploring the city that she is trapped in and is often seen on the streets. She dresses about the same way she did at home, but she has made a few changes to her outfit to fit in more with the general population. She still maintains her cheerful disposition and her sense of humor but the pain of separation from her friends and family at home and the poverty and desperation of some parts of the city are starting to get to her. THE DARK: (This information is for the DM ONLY!) The lady of pain did not kill Washu because she sensed the Divine power buried deep inside her. If she did kill her, this power would be released with unknown consequences for sigil (the Lady is in constant battle to keep the Divine powers out of sigil, the last thing that see needs is to release one in the city). Washu's power is different from the might of the powers in the multiverse and the resident gods would love to get their hands on it. For this reason the lady has closed all portals to Washu. The best solution to this problem would be for Washu to find a way home. As a matter of fact the lady tried to open a portal back to Washu's world while she was Recovering at the Asylum but she couldn't. So she'll just has to wait to see if Washu can do it herself. After she discovered Washu's secret, she had her servants "The Dabus" take Washu to the Bleak Cabal. They left her in their care with explicit instructions not to tell anybody how she got there. Now she keeps an eye on Washu from a distance but will only intervene in order to keep here from dying. The encounter with the Lady disturbed Washu more than she will admit to her self and while she is not terrified of her, she has done her best to avoid another encounter. She has not even done any research on her even thought she thinks that the Lady is the key to sigil and therefore a possible way to get home. However as she gets more desperate to get home she might throw caution to the wind.