Eco the Exploiter (Wizard): Backstory Part 1

That crafty wizard that worked all the angles, had a good heart, and made a positive impact on the world?

Eco the Exploiter is the key character of our Golarion One universe, propelling the meta-plot and marking the frame which makes the world particular, with his creation of the Spell Battery and thus, the "Mithril Destiny". Storing "spell slot" energy was not a new idea, take for example the Rod of Absorption, but taking it to the next level was the way of the exploiter wizard.

The early days

An arcane student with the spark of Creation, Eco the Exploiter got to work right away making scrolls with his very first exploit arcane familiar, of the valet variety. Together Eco and his squirrel George starting a journey down the rabbit hole that is magical crafting, picking up the Extend Metamagic from level 1. As a skilled human with high intelligence, he also began raking in some skill points, and picked up Magic Trick: Mage Hand as a younger teen.

So deft did they become at manipulating scrolls and other minor items, that at level 3 gained Quick Draw, and his early build culminated at level 5, with the Quick Study exploit, Craft Wand bonus feat for his investigations as wizard, and he picked up Extra Traits along the way, Keen Ear, and another: Fools for Friends during the Second Darkness campaign, having grown up in anarchic and pirate-led Riddleport.

What is this build?

Working as an independent contractor, Eco the Exploiter gained access to numerous spells to expand his spell book while making himself useful to the various pirate syndicates. When it came to combat, he would mostly vanish, taking advantage of the invisibility rules to Summon Monster and Aid Another to improve allies AC with his Mage Hand. But also occasionally to Quick Study "just the right spell" into reality from his ever-growing spellbook, with which he developed the reputation for coming through in a pinch by pulling off this exploit more than once.

When it came to Summon Monster, something he might be remembered for casually (if anyone in Varisia indeed remembers him from this period at all), Eco developed the d4+1 weasel attack. A wand of d4+1 weasels [5 rounds, spell slot level 2, Summon (d4+1) Minor Monster], could be manufactured cleanly in a single day at DC 15 (spell)craft check, between Eco and George, yielding a sustainable way to force concentration on casters and tempt out attacks of opportunities from melee threats.

It all changed when...

During the Children of the Void adventure, while on Devil's Elbow Island, Eco discovered something about himself, something inside himself....something ugly. A sixth level dip in sorcerer reveals an accursed strain in his bloodline, a deeply unsettling revelation. While only very rarely and with much shame would he use his Horrific Visage ability, little did he know then that Caster Level Aid Another, his Bloodline Arcana, would become a staple "exploit".

It was at this time that he came to learn the spell Blood Money, a marginal exploit considering his 10 strength, and further his knowledge into Eschewing Materials. Additionally at this time he selected the spell Grease, and locked in 4 permanent, important cantrips: Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Message, and Grasp.

But despite his first solid multi-class exploit, his shame, or perhaps something deeper, caused him to completely leave this campaign, his connections, and Varisia behind.

To be continued....