Alabaster Cain's page

(Campaign Trait) Besmara's Blessing: +1 to Intimidate and Profession- Sailor, and 1/week, reroll a Profession-Sailor or Intimidate Check.

(Combat) Reckless: Gain +1 to Acrobatics Checks, and Acrobatics becomes a class skill for you.

(Religion) Called: Once per day upon rolling a natural 1 on an attack roll, you may reroll the die and take the second result instead.

(Drawback) Headstrong: Whenever you witness an action or hear an argument that contradicts your alignment, you must attempt to stop or correct that action or argument. If you either don’t try to stop it or fail in your attempt to stop it (as adjudicated by the GM), you are shaken for 1 hour.

Aura:A warpriest of a chaotic, evil, good, or
lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura (as a cleric)
corresponding to the deity’s alignment (see the detect evil
spell for details).

Blessings:A warpriest’s deity inf luences his
alignment, what magic he can perform, his values,
and how others see him. Each warpriest can select
two blessings from among those granted by his deity
(each deity grants the blessings tied to its domains).
A warpriest can select an alignment blessing (Chaos,
Evil, Good, or Law) only if his alignment matches that
domain. If a warpriest isn’t devoted to a particular deity,
he still selects two blessings to represent his spiritual
inclinations and abilities, subject to GM approval. The
restriction on alignment domains still applies.
Each blessing grants a minor power at 1st level and a
major power at 10th level. A warpriest can call upon the
power of his blessings a number of times per day (in
any combination) equal to 3 + 1/2 his warpriest level (to
a maximum of 13 times per day at 20th level). Each time
he calls upon a blessing, it counts against his daily limit.
The DC for any of these blessings is equal to 10 + 1/2 the
warpriest’s level + the warpriest’s Wisdom modifier.

Focus Weapon:At 1st level, a warpriest receives Weapon
Focus as a bonus feat (choosing any weapon, not just his
deity’s favored weapon). If his deity’s favored weapon is
unarmed strike, he can instead select Improved Unarmed
Strike as a bonus feat.

Sacred Weapon:At 1st level, weapons wielded by
a warpriest are charged with the power of his faith. In addition to the favored weapon of his deity, the warpriest can designate a weapon as a sacred weapon by selecting that weapon with the Weapon Focus feat; if he has multiple Weapon Focus feats, this ability applies to all of them.
Whenever the warpriest hits with his sacred weapon, the weapon damage is based on his level and not the weapon type. The damage for Medium warpriests is listed on Table 1–14; see the table below for Small and Large warpriests. The warpriest can decide to use the weapon’s base damage instead of the sacred weapon damage—this must be declared before
the attack roll is made. (If the weapon’s base damage exceeds
the sacred weapon damage, its damage is unchanged.) This
increase in damage does not affect any other aspect of the
weapon, and doesn’t apply to alchemical items, bombs, or
other weapons that only deal energy damage.
At 4th level, the warpriest gains the ability to enhance one
of his sacred weapons with divine power as a swift action.
This power grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus.
For every 4 levels beyond 4th, this bonus increases by 1 (to
a maximum of +5 at 20th level). If the warpriest has more
than one sacred weapon, he can enhance another on the
following round by using another swift action. The warpriest
can use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to his
warpriest level, but these rounds need not be consecutive.
These bonuses stack with any existing bonuses the
weapon might have, to a maximum of +5. The warpriest can
enhance a weapon with any of the following weapon special abilities: brilliant energy, defending, disruption, f laming, frost,
keen, and shock. In addition, if the warpriest is chaotic, he
can add anarchic and vicious. If he is evil, he can add mighty
cleaving and unholy. If he is good, he can add ghost touch
and holy. If he is lawful, he can add axiomatic and merciful.
If he is neutral (with no other alignment components), he
can add spell storing and thundering. Adding any of these
special abilities replaces an amount of bonus equal to the
special ability’s base cost (see Table 15–9 on page 469 of
the Core Rulebook). Duplicate abilities do not stack. The
weapon must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before
any other special abilities can be added.
If multiple weapons are enhanced, each one consumes
rounds of use individually. The enhancement bonus and
special abilities are determined the first time the ability is
used each day, and cannot be changed until the next day.
These bonuses do not apply if another creature is wielding
the weapon, but they continue to be in effect if the weapon
otherwise leaves the warpriest’s possession (such as if the
weapon is thrown). This ability can be ended as a free
action at the start of the warpriest’s turn (that round does
not count against the total duration, unless the ability is
resumed during the same round). If the warpriest uses
this ability on a double weapon, the effects apply to only
one end of the weapon.

Spontaneous Casting: Spontaneous Casting: A good warpriest (or a neutral warpriest of a good deity) can channel stored spell energy
into healing spells that he did not prepare ahead of time.
The warpriest can expend any prepared spell that isn’t an
orison to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower.
A cure spell is any spell with “cure” in its name.
An evil warpriest (or a neutral warpriest of an evil deity)
can’t convert spells to cure spells, but can convert them
to inflict spells. An inflict spell is any spell with “inflict”
in its name. A warpriest that is neither good nor evil and whose deity
is neither good nor evil chooses whether he can convert
spells into either cure spells or inflict spells. Once this
choice is made, it cannot be changed. This choice also
determines whether the warpriest channels positive or
negative energy (see Channel Energy, below).

Fervor:
At 2nd level, a warpriest can draw upon the power of his faith to heal wounds or harm foes. He can also use this ability to quickly cast spells that aid in his struggles. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to 1/2 his warpriest level + his Wisdom modifier. By expending one use of this ability, a good warpriest (or one who worships a good deity) can touch a creature to heal it of 1d6 points of damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 3 warpriest levels he possesses above 2nd (to a maximum of 7d6 at 20th level). Using this ability is a standard action (unless the warpriest targets himself, in which case it's a swift action). Alternatively, the warpriest can use this ability to harm an undead creature, dealing the same amount of damage he would otherwise heal with a melee touch attack. Using fervor in this way is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Undead do not receive a saving throw against this damage. This counts as positive energy.
An evil warpriest (or one who worships an evil deity) can use this ability to instead deal damage to living creatures with a melee touch attack and heal undead creatures with a touch. This counts as negative energy.

A neutral warpriest who worships a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) uses this ability as a good warpriest if he chose to spontaneously cast cure spells or as an evil warpriest if he chose to spontaneously cast inflict spells. As a swift action, a warpriest can expend one use of this ability to cast any one warpriest spell he has prepared. When cast in this way, the spell can target only the warpriest, even if it could normally affect other or multiple targets. Spells cast in this way ignore somatic components and do not provoke attacks of opportunity. The warpriest does not need to have a free hand to cast a spell in this way.

Channel Energy: Starting at 4th level, a warpriest can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of his faith through his holy (or unholy) symbol. This energy can be used to deal or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted. Using this ability is a standard action that expends two uses of his fervor ability and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. The warpriest must present a holy (or unholy) symbol to use this ability. A good warpriest (or one who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to heal living creatures or to deal damage to undead creatures. An evil warpriest (or one who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or heal undead creatures. A neutral warpriest who worships a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) channels positive energy if he chose to spontaneously cast cure spells or negative energy if he chose to spontaneously cast inflict spells.

Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the warpriest. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to the amount listed in the fervor ability. Creatures that take damage from channeled energy must succeed at a Will saving throw to halve the damage. The save DC is 10 + 1/2 the warpriest's level + the warpriest's Wisdom modifier. Creatures healed by channeled energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A warpriest can choose whether or not to include himself in this effect.

Sacred Armor
At 7th level, the warpriest gains the ability to enhance his armor with divine power as a swift action. This power grants the armor a +1 enhancement bonus. For every 3 levels beyond 7th, this bonus increases by 1 (to a maximum of +5 at 19th level). The warpriest can use this ability a number of minutes per day equal to his warpriest level. This duration must be used in 1-minute increments, but they don’t need to be consecutive.

These bonuses stack with any existing bonuses the armor might have, to a maximum of +5. The warpriest can enhance armor any of the following armor special abilities: energy resistance (normal, improved, and greater), fortification (heavy, light, or moderate), glamered, and spell resistance (13, 15, 17, and 19). Adding any of these special abilities replaces an amount of bonus equal to the special ability’s base cost. For this purpose, glamered counts as a +1 bonus, energy resistance counts as +2, improved energy resistance counts as +4, and greater energy resistance counts as +5. Duplicate abilities do not stack. The armor must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before any other special abilities can be added.

The enhancement bonus and armor special abilities are determined the first time the ability is used each day and cannot be changed until the next day. These bonuses apply only while the warpriest is wearing the armor, and end immediately if the armor is removed or leaves the warpriest’s possession. This ability can be ended as a free action at the start of the warpriest’s turn. This ability cannot be applied to a shield.

When the warpriest uses this ability, he can also use his sacred weapon ability as a free action by expending one use of his fervor.

Being born to dockworkers in Drenchport, Alabaster was never a stranger to the ways of the sea, or of the Lady Besmara. He literally knew how to swim before he could walk, and he was put to sleep with stories of sea monsters and sailor heroes, of great battles between legendary ships and krakens, and of the Lady of Waves herself. When he was old enough, he would go to the docks everyday with his father, and while his father worked, he would watch the ships dock, and the sailors unload their cargo for sale and trade. Just as often as not, the sailors would be boisterous, braggart pirates. Being the town that Drenchport was, no one gave them a second thought. Their goods were just as valuable as an honest merchant's, afterall (and to refuse them would be to invite the wrath of the Free Captains!). Alabaster, however, was obsessed with them.

The teachings of the Lady of the Sea were that if you weren't strong enough to keep something, then it was the stronger person's right to take it from you, and that's exactly what the pirates did. To Alabaster, pirates weren't the evil, murderous men his mother and father said they were. They were men of Besmara, carrying out her holy will. Every chance he got, he would talk to them at the docks, sneak into bars and taverns and watch them, and on the rare occasion that one came, he would hound priests of Besmara for all the information he could.

As he became a teen, he realized that he wholly believed in the message of Besmara. He would often look around him, at the people pf the town, at his parents, and realize: They did the same thing everyday, for years on end, never taking hold of their own destinies, never truly being free. He would then look out to the sea, and a feeling would wash over him. A feeling that freedom was there, on the waves. That if he just left, got on a ship and just left, that he wouldn't be doomed to the same life as his parents, as the children he grew up with. Hell, most of them were already working the docks all day, just like their parents, and their grandparents. So he made up his mind. If the opportunity ever presented itself, he would go.

It was around the time that he was sixteen that the biggest pirate ship he had ever seen pulled into the docks. He watched several pirates disembark, and they talked to the dock managers. After a few moments, they made their way to the closest bar, except for one, who headed toward the local shrine to Besmara. Alabaster followed him. When he got close enough, he couldn't believe his eyes at the man's weapons and clothing. Everything the man wore was more expensive than all the riches Alabaster had ever dreamed of. He realized, this was what the life of a pirate could bring him, this man was the embodiment of the freedom Alabaster yearned for. When the man entered the small shrine, Alabaster slipped inside behind him, and watched as the man pulled a coin out of a coinpurse full enough to buy food for all the dockworkers for a year, and place it in the offering tray, and prayed. When he was done, Alabaster approached him, begged the man to take him on the ship with him, to teach him the ways of a pirate. The man stayed silent until he heard Alabaster's reasons for wanting to leave. He smiled, and finally spoke.
Lad, ye remind me of meself. Ye be right in thinkin' tha' ship can be givin' ye what ye be lookin' fer, but ye gotta answer me this, wha' skills have ye tha we could be usin'? We got swabs an' riggers aplenty, and takin' on extra mouths don' be a good idea when ye be on a ship. Ye speak of knowin' the Lady, and knowin' all her rites and rules, but unless ye got her magic behind ye, I'm afraid ye'll be stayin' here, see?

The man looked at Alabaster, almost sadly, ignoring the boy's frantic pleas, and walked out.

Alabaster spent the night in the temple praying. He fixated his mind on the priest's words, that if he could gain the powers that Besmara granted, he could indeed leave the town someday. He fell asleep under the statue, the face of the Lady of the Sea watching over him with her stern expression.

He woke to the gentle rocking of a ship, something he was familiar with from the times he would be allowed to go out on the fishing boats, and didn't think anything of it at first. He then woke in a panic, snapping up and looking around. The man from the shrine was sitting in a chair next to the bed Alabaster laid in, and smiled grimly at him as he spoke.
Lad, it be yer lucky day, I be supposin'. All through tha night, tha lady was sendin' me dreams of ye, of ye bein' a preist one day. I'm supposed ta be trainin' ye. Don't be thinkin' it's gonna be easy, or tha yer gonna enjoy it. It be a harsh life, especially at first. But ye asked fer it. My name be 'Arvey. 'Arvey Crassman. Welcome aboard the Shinin' Skull...

The next year that passed was probably the hardest year Alabaster has ever gone through. Before Harvey would teach him anything at all about magic, about being a pirate, he had to learn everything there was to know about the ship itself. He spent his days for months with the swabs and riggers, and absorbed all the knowledge he could like a sponge. He learned the ship from the crow's nest to the bilges, every plank of wood, every nail, every rope. He spent his nights with Harvey, learning everything he could about not only magic, but the magic needed to help a ship. He learned to fight with a cutlass, Besmara's favored weapon, most of his training coming in the days right before the Shining Skull would take a merchant ship down.

It all fell apart when a Chelish pirate hunter caught the Skull by surprise. The night right after they had taken a ship, and were celebrating, the Chelish vessel came from around the backside of a small island that the Skull was moored near. The fight was over quickly. Harvey and Alabaster were the last two standing, Harvey with his cutlass, and Alabaster with his cutlass and pistol, a weapon he learned to use in his very rare free time, and with a pirate from Alkenstar who trained him when he could.

The two fought for several minutes after the captain fell, but it was all for nought when the Chelish ship's mage blasted the two pirates with a massive ball of fire. Alabaster was thrown overboard, but as he fell, he saw his mentor and friend burn, incinerated by the spell.

This time, when he awoke, it was on the shore of the island. The Chelish ship was long gone, but he could see the wreckage of the Skull, all over the shore. They had completely destroyed her, even the main mast was in three pieces. He searched it for hours, trying to find the body of Harvey, tears freely streaming down his face. What he did find was one of the small lifeboats, undamaged and stocked with several weeks of water and dried foodstuffs for a single person. He searched the wreckage for a few more hours, to no avail. The only possessions he had left were his cutlass, which was on the shore beside him when he woke up, his chain shirt, and his holy symbol. His pistol and everything else had been lost in the battle, and in the fall. He set sail that night, with no map, and no idea where he was going.

He lost track of time, drifting for days upon days, praying everyday to Besmara to save him. Finally, on the last night of his journey, she came to him in a dream. Her words of comfort were simple, that she had never abandoned him, that she had guided his small craft with her own hands to where he was meant to be.

The next morning the sight of Port Peril in the distance greeted him. He reached it that afternoon, sold the lifeboat for a small pouch of coins, and found a shrine to pray. He headed to a tavern after, to find a place to sleep, and hopefully, find a new crew to join, and continue his work as a pirate, and a priest of Besmara.