Patronicus Drendane
Defense
AC: 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14 (+5 armor, –1 Dex)
HP: 27 (6d8)
Fort: +6 Ref: +2 Will: +10
Offense
Speed: 30 ft.
Melee: mwk heavy mace +3 (1d8–2)
Ranged: hand of the acolyte (mwk heavy mace) +9 (1d8–2)
Special Attacks: channel negative energy 7/day (DC 15, 3d6), hand of the acolyte (7/day)
Spell-Like Abilities: (CL 6th; concentration +10) 7/day—copycat (6 rounds)
Spells Prepared: (CL 6th; concentration +10) 3rd—dispel magicD, invisibility purge, locate object, protection from energy 2nd—hold person (DC 16), invisibilityD, status, zone of truth (DC 16, 2) 1st—bless, cure light wounds (2), disguise selfD, sanctuary (DC 15), summon monster I 0 (at will)—detect magic, detect poison, light, stabilize D domain spell, Domains Magic, Trickery
Statistics
Str: 7 Dex: 9 Con: 11 Int: 15 Wis: 19 Cha: 14
Base Atk: +4 CMB: +2 CMD: 11
Feats: Alertness, Combat Casting, Extra Channel, Selective Channeling
Skills: Appraise +9, Diplomacy +11, Heal +9, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (geography) +4, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (local) +4, Knowledge (nobility) +7, Knowledge (planes) +7, Knowledge (religion) +7, Linguistics +6, Perception +6, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +8
SQ: aura
Combat Gear: wand of cure moderate wounds (15 charges)
Other Gear: +1 chain shirt, masterwork heavy mace, cloak of resistance +1, holy symbol, 736 gp
Description
Male human cleric of Asmodeus 6
Before Combat: If Patronicus expects combat, he uses his copycat ability and casts bless on his allies.
During Combat: Patronicus uses support spells on his allies, casts hold person, and attempts to dispel ongoing enemy spell effects.
Morale: If brought below 10 hit points, or if his allies are killed, Patronicus casts invisibility and flees.
Patronicus Drendane is a signifer with the Hellknight Order of the Scourge, focusing his interest on the pursuit of smugglers and watching over the border between Cheliax and Andoran. While most of the smuggling that crosses the border is mercantile in nature, it is the intelligence traffic that most intrigues him. Patronicus tends to leave the mundane border enforcement to his capable lieutenants and has detached a small, personal force to track and intercept spies of foreign powers, especially Andoran. Patronicus’s superiors approve of this arrangement—a certain amount of mercantile smuggling is to be expected, and having the finest investigatory mind on the border hunting after contraband wine would be a waste. Meanwhile, the slow leak of Chelish dissidents to Andoran is a continual irritant that the leadership is eager to remove. Thus when Patronicus is on the scent, he can count on ready support from all Order of the Scourge operatives in the area.
Patronicus has had many run-ins with the heroic Andoren named Ries Cuprianas and has made it his life’s mission to bring the Eagle Knight to justice. The signifer uses divination and his own contacts along the border to determine when and where Cuprianas will strike next but has only managed several near misses thus far. Though the failures gall him, Patronicus knows he only needs to get lucky once, while Ries needs to get lucky every time.
Patronicus is in his early fifties and is starting to slow down physically, but his devotion to Asmodeus and the Order of the Scourge only grows with age. His gray eyes are piercing under well-kept black hair. Unlike most signifers, he has a ready smile and treats his underlings with solicitude and respect, as long as they do well. Failure angers Patronicus, and woe betide the Hellknight who fails him twice. In the meantime, Patronicus is a fatherly figure, respected as much for his helpful advice as for his firm hand in a crisis.
Boon: Patronicus can give the PCs information about any smuggling ring in eastern Cheliax. His knowledge of such groups is encyclopedic. He can also be helpful in getting conventional Chelish authorities to leave the PCs alone for a short period of time—he has a low opinion of inefficient civilian authority figures, and most local authorities are quick to back off in the face of a signifer’s command. PCs allied with him gain a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks to Gather Information in Cheliax relating to smuggling or the Order of the Scourge. He may lend novice allied PCs confiscated masterwork weapons for a mission that overlaps his interests.
Source: NPC Guide, p. 9