Realms Personalities : Khelben 'Blackstaff' Arunsun
Male human (Chosen of Mystra) Wiz20/Acm3/Epic4: CR 31; Medium-size humanoid (human); HD 20d4+160; hp 210; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 26 (touch 18, fiat-footed 23); Atk +15/+10 melee (1d6+5, the black staff or +13/+8 ranged touch (by spell); SQ Archmage high arcana, Chosen immunities, Chosen spell-like abilities, detect magic, enhanced Constitution, enhanced Wisdom, epic-level benefits, silver fire; AL LN; SV Fort +16, Ref +11, Will +21; Str 14, Dex 16, Con 26, Int 22, Wis 20, Cha 15. Height 6 ft.
Skills and Feats: Craft (alchemy) +26, Bluff +43 Concentration +32, Craft (painting) +11, Diplomacy +4, Gather Information +4, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (arcana) +30, Knowledge (the planes) +16, Knowledge (religion) +11, Knowledge (Waterdeep history) +11, Knowledge (Waterdeep local) +16, Perform (drama) +4, Ride (horse) +4, Search +10, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +34, Spot +7, Survival +8; Artist (painter), Craft Staff, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Iron Will, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Focus (Transmutation), Spell Mastery (blackstaff chain lightning, fly, magic missile, teleport without error), Still Spell, Weapon Focus (quarterstaff).
Special Qualities: Archmage High Arcana: Arcane reach, mastery of counterspelling, mastery of elements. Chosen Immunities: Khelben is unaffected by attacks that duplicate these effects: blindness, circle of death, disintegrate, energy drain, forcecage, ice storm, lightning bolt, magic jar, magic missile, Otto's irresistible dance. Chosen Spell-like Abilities: (all 1/day): Alustriel's fang (causes the next weapon the recipient throws to return as if it were a returning weapon), antimagic field, brain spider (allows the caster to read the thoughts of up to eight people and even pry for more information), gauntlet (sheathes one hand in a gauntlet of force that gives damage reduction 30/- to that hand and prevents all contact with it but also prevents the use of that hand to cast spells), minor spell turning (as spell turning but affects only 1d4 spell levels and cannot partially turn spells), Muirara's map, provides a mental map consisting of the recipient's location, another's location, and two land marks known to the recipient), the Simbal's skeletal deliquescence (convert's target's bones to jelly, turning it into an oozelike creature), the Simbul's synostodweomer (converts prepared spells into 2 hit points of healing per spell level), sphere of wonder (a variant of globe of invulnerability that allows the caster to choose which spell effects may enter the sphere), wraithform. Detect Magic (Su): Line of sight. Enhanced Constitution: The Chosen of Mystra template adds +10 to Khelben's Constitution. Enhanced Wisdom: Khelben used wish spells to increase his Wisdom. His Wisdom score has a +4 inherent bonus included in its value. Epic-Level Benefits: Bonus spell level x4 (included in the listing below), three effective levels of archmage (included in the above total), Silver Fire (Su): See Chapter 2 for details.
Wizard Spells per Day. 4/6/6/5/5/5/5/2/3/4/1/1/1/1. Base DC = 16 + spell level 18 + spell level for evocation and transmutation spells. Caster level 23rd.
Spellbook: Khelben makes it his business to know hundreds of worthwhile spells and a few odd spells that lesser wizards find of little interest. He knows most of the wizard/sorcerer spells in the Player's Handbook and in Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
Possessions: The black staff (a staff of power with a permanent blackstaff spell upon it that allows it to dispel magic as an 8th-level caster by touch, channel various mind-affecting spells or cause a touched spellcaster to lose a prepared spell or expend an unused spell slot), bracers of armor +8, ring of protection +3. As a very powerful wizard, Khelben has access to incredible resources and can acquire or make almost any non-artifact item he might need, given time.
A Chosen of Mystra and a grim, inflexible proponent of law and order, Khelben Arunsun (called "the Blackstaff" for his magic staff and several spells that create stafflike effects) is the Lord Mage of Waterdeep and the husband of Laeral Silverhand of the Seven Sisters. Few know of Khelben's youth in lost Myth Drannor, or even his true age - but many have learned to fear him.
Khelben dresses in nondescript black robes and never appears in public without his black staff. He has a dignified, imposing manner. He prefers to intimidate or frighten people rather than revealing his dry sense of humor or his keen, playful intelligence and quick wits. More than one shrewd observer of humankind say they see an old, underlying guilt in the Blackstaff, one that eats away at him - but no one knows (or will say) what this may be.
In Khelben's pursuit of law and order, he has founded or supported organizations (such as the Lords' Alliance) and then abandoned them (the Harpers) when they no longer suited his purposes. He recently resigned from the Lords of Waterdeep and later broke with the Harpers over a disagreement about his methods. He formed his own group of like-minded ex-Harpers, known only as the Moonstars.
Khelben acts as the gravely wise, stern tutor who manipulates agents and adventurers he meets by reluctantly dispensing information on a firm "only what you need to know" basis, never volunteering even paltry tidbits. In his words, "A secret isn't a secret if you tell anyone."
His beloved Laeral is probably the only person who is privy to all of Khelben's plans. She is a match for him in both intellect and personal power, and their deep bond of true love has created one of the most formidable magical alliances in contemporary Faerûn.
Source: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting