Cid is a biomagitech snake who was formerly the companion of Shadow's Grace. He currently follows her current incarnation, Hayato Takara. He is the "face" of the Panoply of Shadow.
Appearance[]
Cid is an extremely intelligent biomagitech black cobra who had been hibernating since the First Age. Possesses a wealth of knowledge, a dearth of tact, a touch of amnesia, and a fondness for beer. Needless to say Cid and Dax get along great. Cid can coil himself around the dire chain end of the Serpent's Fang and the handle of the Kraken's Claw to allow them to be wielded as a single, much more badass weapon, the Cobra's Veracious Strike. He consumes poisons and transforms them into energy as we do food, the cheapest and most readily available poison being, of course, beer. Cid can also carry nearly-unlimited doses of any poison in one of his fangs, as well as manufacture a never-ending supply of his own venom (similar to coral snake venom) in the other. Additionally, he can manufacture antivenom for any poison he currently carries, and administer it through a bite.
Cid's biological portions are all a glossy, natural-looking black, and he has several orichalcum reinforcements along his length. His hood has golden bands across the back, and in front, a golden representation of the elemental mark for "Water." He has a golden crest on his head protecting his synthetic crystalline brain, and he can pull that back for maintenance. His beady snake eyes belie a sharp wit and considerable intelligence.
Cid is powered by poisons and the unique Essence flows they have. He can also administer antivenom through a bite, if he currently holds the same kind of poison inside of him. For all practical purposes, he can hold a near-infinite number of doses. Generally, the most readily available liquid "poison" is alcohol, which Cid drinks readily. He lacks a digestive track and actually drinks and deposits poison through his golden fangs.
Cid is very capable of speech and more intelligent than the majority of intelligent constructs. He has a blunt and crass personality, but somehow remains quite likable. He was fiercely loyal to Shadow's Grace in the First Age; if his attitudes are any reflection of hers, she didn't like Amyana much.
Mechanics[]
Cid is capable of fighting on his own, though he is loathe to do so. He is treated as a normal Automaton Assassin for those purposes, except he never runs out of motes and is considerably more intelligent. Most of the time he hangs out around his master's neck and shoulders. His attack stats are as follows:
Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 3L+Poison, Rate 3
When coiled with Shadow's Grace's Chain Daiklave and Baneclaw, Cid allows the use of the better statistic for each, and adds 3 to accuracy and 3 to damage. This gives the entire contraption the following impressive statistics:
Speed 4, Accuracy +5, Damage +8L, Defense +5, Rate 4
The strikes can come from the Baneclaw, the Daiklave, or Cid himself, and the increased dexterity allowed from Cid combined with the perfectly controlled flailing nature of the weapon make it very difficult to evade or break through.
Cid also stores poisons, as mentioned above, and can use them reflexively on any given strike.