DM VoV's 'Blight'-ed Adventures (Inactive)

Game Master Mark Sweetman

Rardoli was born into the Blight and, like many poor sods, the Blight had its way with him.
When he was young, his family was ambushed in one of the many back alleys of the city.
Figures in black leather and tattered black cloaks surrounded Rardoli and his parents.
Curved daggers descended upon them and their blood splattered everywhere, the crimson
bringing life to the grey bleakness, steam rising from the spent warmth. Rardoli was taken,
but to where and for how long still escapes him to this day.

What his mind chooses to remember stains his very being. Flashes of being on a gurnee,
restraints cutting his wrists and ankles red, stained dark brown and crusty from his
continuous donations. Vials and jars filled with myriads of liquids, glinting in the
sole bluish light above him. Rows of the black-garbed figures, their hoods removed and
revealing their gaunt, sickly white faces, like spectral heads floating in unison and
watching. Watching as their peer poked and prodded, injected viscous ichors and shadowy
substances that seemed to move of its own acord. And always the agony. Pain. Burning.

And then one day he awoke. Not to the sharp pain of needles tearing holes upon barely
healed flesh nor the sharp squeaking of sharpened metal long overdue for maintenance,
but alone again. Abandoned in the veins of the city he was taken. Disoriented, confused,
he wandered amongst the streets. Most denizens he enountered saw through him, as if he
didn't exist, unemcumbered by his awful state. But it wasn't long until another group
of desperate men attempted to take what little was left. Only Rardoli didn't feel fear.
Something dark, cruel and malicious spread from within. Energy pulsed in his veins and
the need to show these fools their place. A wicked grin grew across his face, forshadowing
the wave of black ooze that Rardoli released, spraying across the would-be predators.
Skin sizzled and burned and their screams filled the air. Rardoli just walked on without
giving them another glance.

Rardoli
Male Human sorcerer 5
None Medium humanoid (human)
Init +8, Senses Perception +5
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DEFENSE
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AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+1 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 natural, )
hp 32 ((5d6)+10)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +5, +2 trait bonus on all saving throws against emotion spells and effects.

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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger +0 (1d4-2/19-20)
Ranged dagger (thrown) +4 (1d4-2/19-20)
Special Attacks Acidic Ray (1d6+2, 8/day), Long Limbs,

Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 5th; concentration +10)
2nd(5/day)-glitterdust(DC 17), invisibility(DC 17), web(DC 17)
1st(8/day)-grease(DC 16), mage armor(DC 16), magic missile, ray of enfeeblement(DC 16), enlarge person(DC 16)
0th(at will)-acid splash, detect magic, ghost sound(DC 15), light, mage hand, read magic(DC )

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TACTICS
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STATISTICS
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Str 7, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 20,
Base Atk +2; CMB +0; CMD 13
Feats Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Improved Initiative, Spell Penetration, Toughness
Skills Diplomacy +10, Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Perception +5, Spellcraft +9, Use Magic Device +13,
Traits Grief-Filled, Reactionary,
Languages Common, Dwarven
SQ aberrant bloodline, bloodline arcana, bonus feat, cantrips, skilled,
Combat Gear
Other Gear amulet of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, dagger, outfit (traveler's), cloak of resistance +1, handy haversack, wrist sheath, 3497.0 gp
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Aberrant Bloodline There is a taint in your blood, one that is alien and bizarre. You tend to think in odd ways, approaching problems from an angle that most would not expect. Over time, this taint manifests itself in your physical form.

Acidic Ray (Su) You can fire an acidic ray as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This ray deals 1d6+2 points of acid damage. You can use this ability 8 times per day.

Bloodline Arcana Whenever you cast a spell of the polymorph subschool, increase the duration of the spell by 50% (minimum 1 round). This bonus does not stack with the increase granted by the Extend Spell feat.

Bonus Feat Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.

Cantrips You learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spells, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.

Eschew Materials

Grief-Filled You are no stranger to loss and intense emotions. You gain a +2 trait bonus on all saving throws against emotion spells and effects.

Long Limbs (Ex) Your reach increases to 5 feet whenever you make a melee touch attack. This ability does not increase your threatened area.

No Racial Subtype You have chosen no racial subtype.

Reactionary You were bullied often as a child, but never quite developed an offensive response. Instead, you became adept at anticipating sudden attacks and reacting to danger quickly. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.

Skilled Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

Grey Karlov
Human Alchemist (gloom chymist)

Grey owes his origins to the romance and marriage between an ambassador from Castorhage to a major trading partner in the Border Provinces of Akados and a local nobleman.

Unfortunately, childbirth took a considerable toll on the ambassador from Castorhage, leaving her with a frail constitution – though she lived long enough to see her son through many of his formative years, long enough for him to mourn and grieve when eventually she passed.

Having always felt that he did not quite fit in with his peers, he had few bright spots remaining to him following his mother's passing. One was Euphemia, a daughter to his father's sister and a ward of his father. They were close as siblings, perhaps even as close as childhood sweethearts – in their innocence, the line between the two was blurry.

Despite this, however, when Grey's mother's successor to the station of ambassador arrived, he was quickly taken under the ambassador's wing, and, discovering his knack for alchemy, he quickly learned everything he could of Castorhage's alchemy and glooms, magical fields of darkness from the Shadow Plane that could be momentarily animated with the use of strange compounds. Learning the alchemy of helped Grey feel closer to his mother and her people, to Castorhage.

When Euphemia became betrothed to another, Grey did not take it well, burying himself in his alchemical research, only drawn out of his shell once more when she became pregnant with her husband's child. Over the course of nine months, he nursed her through her pregnancy, falling even more deeply in love with her than he had been before. But although he did everything in his power to save her, childbirth claimed the life of his beloved. Devastated, hands still stained with her blood, Grey fled the only place he had ever called home, never to return.

Grey traveled to Castorhage, both to connect with his mother's side of the family and to learn more of the shadowy alchemy Castorhage has spawned.

Personality
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. To Grey, this law has been treated as inviolable, a law of nature, the foundation of existence, transcending the laws of mankind – perhaps even surpassing the guidance of the gods. Power – and anything else of value – comes at a price. Of late, however, he has started to struggle with a gnawing suspicion that, perhaps, the universe takes more than it is given, and that with each exchange, the world is diminished, growing a little poorer.

Grey is startled (perhaps even a little frightened) of what he is capable of – not as an alchemist, but as a person. In the heat of battle, in moments of great passion, or in times of great need, he is capable of deeds that haunt him once the moment has passed, finding himself gradually becoming someone he doesn't think he wants to become more familiar with.

Appearance
A slender young man, at first blush, little would seem to distinguish him from others fortunate enough to have been born to merchants, or perhaps into nobility. His brunette hair is cut short and kept neat, suggesting a fastidious nature that abhors untidiness. Far from imposing, he appears, perhaps, a little pale, possibly suggesting a scholarly bent. If anything could be said to be reason to give pause, it is his grey eyes, for which he was likely named, his gaze speaking to a fierce intellect. Few notice his long, slender fingers seem almost a little too long for his hands; those who do notice may find themselves reminded of spider-legs more than anything else.

Grey Karlov
Male human alchemist (gloom chymist) 5
TN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +8
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +3 Dex, +2 shield)
hp 43 (5d8+15)
Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +4
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger +3 (1d4/19-20)
or morningstar +3 (1d8)
Ranged gloom +8 (3d6+5 cold) or
acid (1d6+5 acid) or
alchemist's fire +8 (1d6+5 fire)
Special Attacks gloom 10/day (3d6+4 cold, DC 16)
Alchemist Extracts Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +11)
1st – adhesive spittle (DC 16), reduce person (DC 16), shield, true strike, open
2nd – invisibility (DC 17) (x2), open
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 16
Feats Iron Will, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Craft [alchemy]), Throw Anything, Toughness
Traits Accelerated Drinker, Arcane Temper
Skills Appraise +9 (1 rank), Craft (alchemy) +16 (+21 to create alchemical items) (5 ranks), Disable Device +12 (5 ranks), Heal +8 (5 ranks), Knowledge (arcana, nature) +13 ( 5 ranks each), Perception +8 (5 ranks), Sleight of Hand +8 (3 ranks), Spellcraft +13 (5 ranks), Survival +6 (3 ranks), Use Magic Device +6 (3 ranks); Armor Check Penalty -1
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Orc
SQ alchemy (alchemy crafting +5, identify potions), discoveries (infusion, mucilaginous gloom), mutagen (+4/-2, +2 natural armor, 10 minutes), swift alchemy, umbral gloom
Combat Gear acid (4), alchemist's fire (3), holy water (3), tanglefoot bag (4), wand of cure light wounds (50 charges) Other Gear alchemist's kit, bandoliers (2), bear trap, bell, +1 buckler, +1 chain shirt, cloak of resistance +1, daggers (2), formula book (contains all prepared extracts plus alchemical allocation, alter self, anticipate peril, barkskin, comprehend languages, crafter's fortune, cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, darkvision, enlarge person, false life, heightened awareness, lesser restoration, long arm, and polypurpose panacea), headband of vast intelligence +2, healer's kit, morningstar, masterwork thieves' tools, 1,484 gp

As for my interest, I'm only passingly familiar with Mr. Pett's work, having skimmed Escape from Old Korvosa for pertinent background details for the House on Hook Street campaign I'm DMing on Roll20. That said, I'm a big fan of Razor Coast, and while this sounds like a very different product, it has an eerie vibe that piques my interest (I mean, I am running The House on Hook Street, which should say something about my tastes).

Nice job with the evocative language and description, I felt the horror of what he was going through and it flowed very naturally as to how his current personality and behavior had developed from his formative experiences *shudders* I feel like he has walked straight off the page of one of Shelley or Byron's stories!

From a crunch perspective, all I could discern is I think your 2nd lvl bloodline spell should be see invisibility rather than invisibility.

Hope you found the above useful :)