Demetrius

Overview

Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral Good
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 141 lb
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Skin: Tan
Deity: Demmazon
Class: Bard 11
Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven

Demetrius was a scholar, bard, researcher, and member of the The Chosen. He initially encountered the party as the leader of a group of sages and researchers and later became Tim's cohort. He was eventually revealed to have been an undercover Chosen agent operating in Toreon.

Demetrius's life changed dramatically through a series of supernatural experiences. He manifested unusual Chosen powers, including the ability to force another person to reroll a failed roll, experienced prophetic visions, died and was resurrected, received a message concerning the coming Messiah, and was later permanently blinded by a Prismatic Spray.

These experiences left him increasingly quiet and melancholic. By the later stages of the campaign, Demetrius appeared to be experiencing further visions of the future but deliberately refused to discuss them.

---

Character Statistics

Note: Intelligence 17 includes a Headband of Intellect +2. Charisma 21 includes a Cloak of Charisma +2.

HP: 72
AC: 22
Base Attack Bonus: +8

---

Saving Throws

Force of Personality: Against mind-affecting effects, Demetrius can use his Charisma modifier instead of his Wisdom modifier on Will saves. His Will save against such effects is therefore +14.

---

Skills

The following are the final skill modifiers from the character sheet, using his ability scores and applicable equipment modifiers. The +3 chain shirt has a –1 armor check penalty, which applies to Jump and Tumble.

When using the Lute of the Wandering Minstrel, Demetrius receives an additional +2 to Perform checks using the lute, making his Perform (String Instruments) modifier +21 when using it.

---

Attacks

Keen Rapier +1

Attack: +10 melee
Damage: 1d6+2 piercing
Critical: 15–20/×2

The rapier's keen property increases its critical threat range.

Shortbow +1

Attack: +12 ranged
Damage: 1d6+1 piercing
Critical: ×3

This calculation assumes the bow is an ordinary +1 shortbow rather than a composite shortbow with a specified Strength rating.

---

Feats and Bard Abilities

• Versatile Performer
• Obscure Lore
• Force of Personality
• Lingering Song
• Toughness
• Cooperative Spell (Chosen)
• Bardic Music: 9/day
• Bardic Knowledge: +20
• Countersong
• Fascinate
• Inspire Courage: +2
• Inspire Competence
• Suggestion
• Inspire Greatness

---

Spells Known

0th Level

• Dancing Lights
• Detect Magic
• Ghost Sound
• Light
• Prestidigitation
• Read Magic

1st Level

• Cure Light Wounds
• Feather Fall
• Silent Image
• Improvisation

2nd Level

• Harmonic Chorus
• Sound Burst
• Cure Moderate Wounds
• Battle Hymn

3rd Level

• Haste
• Know Opponent
• Major Image
• Dispel Magic

4th Level

• Cure Critical Wounds
• Dimension Door
• Greater Invisibility

---

Chosen Abilities

Demetrius possessed several abilities granted through his status as one of the The Chosen. These are campaign-specific abilities and should not be treated as standard D&D 3.5 bard abilities.

Detect Chosen — Level 3

Demetrius possessed the third and highest level of Detect Chosen.

The ability functions similarly to Detect Magic, but detects individuals possessing Chosen powers.

At the highest level, it can determine the presence of Chosen, the number of Chosen detected, the strongest aura, the location of detected Chosen, and the strength of their Chosen aura.

Force Reroll

Demetrius could force another creature to reroll a roll it had just made.

The ability first manifested when Dew Gooder was being restored from petrification. Dew failed the required system shock saving throw and was about to die.

Demetrius forced Dew to reroll the save. Dew succeeded on the second attempt and survived.

This was the first known manifestation of Force Reroll and directly saved Dew's life.

Premonition

Demetrius possessed a precognitive ability that could warn him of impending danger.

One documented manifestation occurred immediately before the party was ambushed and captured. Demetrius suddenly experienced a warning and cried out "Trap!" before the threat became apparent.

The exact mechanics of Premonition are not established.

Later in his life, Demetrius appeared to experience additional visions of the future. These visions became increasingly important to his character, but he eventually refused to discuss them.

Read Dead

Demetrius could reconstruct or perceive the final moments of a deceased person.

He demonstrated this ability during the investigation of Eritrea's death, allowing the party to witness a reconstruction of the events surrounding her final moments.

Cooperative Spell (Chosen)

A campaign-specific ability recorded on Demetrius's character sheet.

Its exact mechanics have not been reconstructed and should not be inferred from the similarly named standard D&D 3.5 feat.

---

Magic Items

Lute of the Wandering Minstrel

The Lute of the Wandering Minstrel originally belonged to Face, the legendary red-haired bard and one of the Heroes of Aegea.

The party recovered magical items from the remains of the Heroes of Aegea during the events documented in the 20100904 source, after which the lute became part of Demetrius's equipment.

The lute provides +2 to Perform checks made using it.

It also allows the bearer to cast each of the following spells once per day:

• Fortissimo
• Levitate
• Magic Circle Against Evil
• Expeditious Retreat
• Haste
• Phantom Steed

Badge of the Chosen

A crystal brooch made from the laser-absorbing crystals used by the The Chosen.

It provides a 10% chance to absorb an attack from a laser weapon, absorbing up to 100 points of damage. Once it has absorbed 100 points of damage, the crystal crumbles.

The Badge is also associated with Chosen initiation and identification.

Necklace of Chosen Suppression

A magical necklace given to Demetrius by Serianne, one of the Founders of the Chosen, shortly before her death.

While wearing it, Demetrius's Chosen aura and Chosen powers were completely suppressed. Other Chosen could not detect him with Detect Chosen, and Demetrius himself could not detect other Chosen while wearing it.

Demetrius used the necklace while operating undercover in Toreon.

Silver Necklace (Chosen)

A magical silver necklace developed by the Chosen to protect against the disease-based werewolf curse.

It protects against the specific curse associated with the werewolf plague, but does not necessarily protect against lycanthropy contracted through a bite from a true lycanthrope.

---

History

Scholar and Researcher

Demetrius first encountered the party as the leader of a group of sages and researchers hired by them.

A disagreement developed over restrictions placed upon their research. Demetrius challenged Tim and the party to Battle Chess over the dispute.

The party won. Demetrius subsequently developed considerable respect for them and eventually became Tim's cohort as a 4th-level Bard.

His extensive knowledge made him an important source of information for the party.

Secret Chosen Agent

Demetrius was eventually revealed to have been a member of the The Chosen for years.

He had been operating undercover in Toreon, using the Necklace of Chosen Suppression to conceal his Chosen aura and powers.

The necklace had been given to him by Serianne, one of the Founders of the Chosen, shortly before her death.

Rescue of the Party

Demetrius ultimately exposed his identity when the party was imprisoned and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena.

After witnessing Bishop Ward kill Beldin, Demetrius decided that rescuing the party was worth compromising his cover. He contacted the Chosen and arranged for their rescue.

At the time, he apparently did not initially know that the members of the party were themselves Chosen.

Knowledge of Cain

Demetrius's scholarly knowledge proved crucial during the party's confrontation with Cain.

Through Bardic Knowledge and the party's own knowledge of ancient history, Demetrius helped identify Cain as the first vampire ever created.

He also supplied the historical connection between Cain and Riatin, the first lich.

Investigation of Aritrea's Death

Demetrius used Read Dead during the investigation of Eritrea's murder.

The ability allowed the party to witness a reconstruction of her final moments and provided information that could not have been obtained through ordinary investigation.

Saving Dew Gooder

Demetrius's Force Reroll manifested when Dew Gooder was being restored from petrification.

Dew failed the required system shock saving throw and was about to die.

Demetrius forced Dew to reroll the save. Dew succeeded on the second attempt and survived.

Death at the Red Dragon

Demetrius accompanied the party during the hunt for the red dragon.

During the final confrontation, the dragon used its breath weapon. Demetrius failed his saving throw and was killed.

The party recovered his body and subsequently brought him back through Orinder's unique Chosen ability to cast Raise Dead.

Resurrection and the Messiah Prophecy

Demetrius remembered an extraordinary experience after his death.

He described seeing a bright light and floating, and said that he had spoken with God.

According to Demetrius, God told him that a Messiah was coming, that the world's suffering would increase before the Messiah was revealed, and that the Messiah would ultimately bring peace.

This experience profoundly affected him after his resurrection.

The Prophecy and Visions

Following his resurrection, Demetrius became increasingly focused on the coming Messiah.

During the westward voyage he studied The Collected Translations of Pythia the Mad Prophet and preached about the prophecy.

He subsequently began experiencing additional visions of the future.

Rather than openly discussing what he was seeing, Demetrius increasingly kept the visions to himself. When questioned, he denied or refused to discuss them.

This secrecy and the burden of what he had experienced contributed to a profound change in his personality.

Blinded by Prismatic Spray

Later, Demetrius was struck by a Prismatic Spray and was blinded.

Attempts to cure the blindness were unsuccessful, leaving him permanently—or at least persistently, based on the surviving record—unable to see.

The blindness compounded the effects of his earlier death, resurrection, and prophetic experiences.

---

Personality and Later Character

Demetrius's experiences fundamentally changed him.

Earlier in the campaign he was an energetic scholar, researcher, performer, and covert Chosen operative. He was intellectually curious, willing to challenge the party, and comfortable engaging in debate and investigation.

After his death and resurrection, however, he became increasingly preoccupied with the prophecy of the Messiah and with the visions he experienced.

His subsequent blindness added another major burden.

By the later campaign period, Demetrius had become quiet and melancholic. His death and resurrection, his encounter with the divine, his prophetic visions, and his blindness all contributed to this change.

He appeared to know or perceive things about the future that he was unwilling to share. His refusal to discuss his visions left the party uncertain about what he had seen and why he had become increasingly withdrawn.

---

Relationships

Tim

Demetrius initially challenged Tim and the party over restrictions on the researchers' work and later became Tim's cohort.

Their relationship subsequently developed into one of cooperation and trust.

Dew Gooder

Demetrius's Force Reroll directly saved Dew's life when Dew was being restored from petrification.

Orinder

Orinder restored Demetrius to life after the red dragon killed him.

Demetrius subsequently regarded his resurrection as a profound supernatural event and attributed the resulting prophecy to a direct encounter with God.

Serianne

Serianne was one of the Founders of the Chosen and gave Demetrius the Necklace of Chosen Suppression shortly before her death.

The Chosen

Demetrius was a long-term member and undercover agent of the Chosen. His ability to operate under suppression made him particularly useful for covert work.

Face

Face was the legendary red-haired bard and one of the Heroes of Aegea. Demetrius later came into possession of Face's Lute of the Wandering Minstrel after the party recovered the Heroes' magical items.

---

Notable Actions & Accomplishments

Led the Researchers

Demetrius led the group of sages and researchers hired by the party and established himself as a knowledgeable scholar and researcher.

Became a Trusted Party Member

After initially opposing the party over restrictions on his researchers, Demetrius came to respect the party and became Tim's cohort.

Operated Undercover for the Chosen

Demetrius spent years operating undercover in Toreon while concealing his Chosen identity and powers.

Exposed Himself to Rescue the Party

Demetrius deliberately compromised his cover to arrange the party's rescue after witnessing Beldin's death in the gladiatorial arena.

Identified Cain

His knowledge and Bardic Knowledge helped establish Cain's identity as the first vampire and connect him historically to Riatin, the first lich.

Used Read Dead to Investigate Aritrea's Murder

Demetrius used his Chosen ability to reconstruct Aritrea's final moments, providing the party with otherwise inaccessible evidence.

Saved Dew Gooder's Life

Demetrius's first manifestation of Force Reroll allowed Dew to reroll a failed system shock saving throw and survive.

Died and Was Resurrected

Demetrius was killed by a red dragon's breath weapon and subsequently restored to life through Orinder's Chosen powers.

Received the Messiah Prophecy

After his resurrection, Demetrius reported an encounter with God in which he was told of the coming Messiah and the suffering that would precede the Messiah's arrival.

Endured Prophetic Visions

Demetrius subsequently experienced additional visions of the future. Rather than share what he saw, he increasingly refused to discuss the visions.

Survived After Being Blinded

Demetrius was struck by Prismatic Spray and blinded. Attempts to cure the blindness were unsuccessful.

---

Legacy and Significance

Demetrius occupies an unusual place in the history of the The Chosen and the party.

He began as an outsider—a scholar hired to conduct research—and eventually became a trusted member of the adventuring group. His secret identity revealed that he had already been serving the Chosen from within enemy territory.

His supernatural experiences then transformed his character.

Force Reroll first manifested while saving Dew's life. His Read Dead ability provided information about Aritrea's murder. His death and resurrection gave him a direct encounter he interpreted as communication from God. He subsequently became associated with the coming Messiah and began experiencing further visions.

The later loss of his sight compounded these experiences. By the end of the surviving material, Demetrius was no longer simply the scholarly bard who had joined the party. He was a deeply changed man—quiet, melancholy, and apparently burdened by knowledge of the future that he was unwilling to reveal.

---

Source / Canon Notes

• The character sheet is the mechanical baseline for Demetrius at Bard 11.

• Chosen abilities are campaign-specific and should not be treated as standard D&D 3.5 mechanics unless separately established.

• Force Reroll is explicitly established through its use to save Dew Gooder.

• Read Dead is explicitly established through Demetrius's use of the ability to reconstruct Eritrea's final moments.

• Premonition is partially reconstructed. Its ability to warn Demetrius of impending danger is established, but its complete mechanics are unknown.

• The Lute of the Wandering Minstrel originally belonged to Face of the Heroes of Aegea and was recovered from their remains.

• The Badge of the Chosen, Necklace of Chosen Suppression, and Silver Necklace (Chosen) are campaign-specific magic items whose functions are documented separately above.

• Demetrius's later blindness, prophetic visions, and increasingly melancholy demeanor are significant elements of his later characterization and should not be omitted from future reconstructions.