About Uuzkhangr DagravaxDescription:
Uuzkhangr is heavyset and musclebound, even by Duergar standards. The front of his scalp is bare; his lanky white hair is pulled back in a long queue and is usually rather dirty and unkempt. He has thick eyebrows and his face seems to be constantly frowning, but betrays little emotion. Here and there on his body there seem to be tiny spiders and other vermin which don't seem to bother him at all, though they seem rather disgusting to most people. Personality:
Uuzkhangr has lost everything he once thought was important, only to discover that the things he lost were not that important to him after all.
A part of him knows that he should burn with the need to avenge himself on his brother Zungnagokr, yet he also feels sorry for his brother for the blindness that Uuzkhangr once shared, the greed and ambition that drives the Duergar people. It is this blindness that ultimately poisons Duergar society and prevents them from achieving anything other than perpetuating their current existence. He has realized that the Duergar will never surpass themselves and achieve great things. While not materialistic, he knows that the darklands are a rough place, and he needs equipment to survive. He no longer cares about the trappings of wealth that he once cherished. Among others, Uuzkhangr is hardly a warm person (few Duergar are). But unlike most Duergar he is willing to listen to those of other races; in fact, now that his own society is against him, he thinks that should he escape his fate is tied up among other cultures and he will be forced to abandon his own benighted people. Though he recognizes the necessity the thought of being alone among strangers also scares him. Background:
Youth
Uuzkhangr grew up in the Duergar city of Kuznakar. His parents, Orugnarikr and Grizkjela, were slave overseers in a city that ran on slave labor. Kuznakar, like most Duergar cities, was highly regimented, and at the age of 13, on the basis of his prificiency tests, the Council of Future Employment determined that he would have an occupation in raising domestic insects, a field he seemed to have natural talent for. Uuzkhangr took naturally to the practice of raising insects and began learning the nature magic of a druid. Though Druids were always somewhat suspect in Duergar society (since ideologically they tend to drift away from the Lawful Evil tenets of Duergar culture), he rose to prominence to the point that his spellcasting abilities would indicate that he might be better able to serve Duergar society in expeditions to capture slaves outside the confines of the city. Uuzkhangr studied under a druid named Ozorin. Ozorin was a "Skinchanger" and he helped Uuzkhangr to develop the ability to "Skinchange." Skinchangers are adept at disguise, and even take the form of a different humanoid race for long periods of time. This allowed him to scout ahead alone in areas where the presence of a Duergar would raise an alarm. His raiding party met with increased success and Uuzkhangr gradually became wealthy. Instruction in the Serene Path
Uuzkhangr approached the Oread and tried to inquire as to his background. The Oread easily saw through Uuzkhangr's ruses, but rather than react with hostility, the Oread would answer Uuzkhangr's questions with riddles. Uuzkhangr was led on something of a wild goose chase, visiting place after place trying to get clues to the Oread's identity. For some reason, Uuzkhangr found the Oread compelling, and rather than give up in a fit of impatience he continued to visit the Oread more and more frequently. The Oread watched as Uuzkhangr continued to visit. The riddles the Oread gave Uuzkhangr to solve took him to settlements of other underground races, and Uuzkhangr gradually began to lose the prejudices of the Duergar as his horizons expanded. When Uuzkhangr was ready, the Oread revealed that his name was Vinrah, and that he was a disciple of Irori on a quest for self-perfection. He lived alone, subsisting on the things that grew in the cavern; his only visitor aside from Uuzkhangr was a cave mantis that Vinrah had befriended. Vinrah explained to Uuzkhangr that Uuzkhangr's innate ability change his body to the shapes of others was a gift that allowed him to see through the Duergar lie that the Duergar were the master race. If the Duergar were truly superior, Uuzkhangr would gain nothing by changing into another creature; instead changing into the body of another race potentially gave Uuzkhangr many abilities Duergar did not possess. Faced with Vinrah's cold logic and his serene peace, Uuzkhangr gradually became a devotee of Irori, giving up the worship of the devils that ruled the temples of the Duergar. Betrayed by Kin
Uuzkhangr, now willing to deal with members of other races as equals, had begun to trade with other cultures for items both useful and decorative. The decorative items he often gave to his younger sister Solzar, who had an artistic bent and worked as a fungal garden designer. The useful items he typically kept for himself. Such items were contraband; Uuzkhangr could not claim to have acquired them as booty in a slave raid as the spoils of such raids had to be thoroughly catalogued so that the commanders and the government could receive their "fair percentage." Items that had not been catalogued as such were evidence of tax evasion. When Uuzkhangr bought a piece of jewelry from a drow merchant, the merchant noticed the symbol of Irori Uuzkhangr had hidden beneath his vest. Having already spoken with Zungnagokr, the merchant sent word to Uuzkhangr's brother that Uuzkhangr was worshiping an illegal god. When Uuzkhangr returned to Kuznakar, the authorities were waiting for him. Realizing that an investigation would reveal the contraband he had and implicate his sister, he quickly confessed to the crime and was sentenced to life as a slave. Uuzkhangr was careful never to mention the fact that much of his wealth was acquired through trade with other peoples, and though Zungnagokr knows, he is trying to find a way for him to keep Uuzkhangr's goods as this revelation would cause them to be impounded. Rescue
Then one night Uuzkhangr heard a scrabbling sound at the small window of his cell. The window was high and hard to reach. But he strained up to see and Lo! It was Zyxl, the cave mantis pet belonging to Vinrah! Over the next few days Zyxl smuggled tools and other things to Uuzkhangr, and on the third night he had loosened his bars enough to make his escape. Zyxl led him back to where Vinrah was camped, near the city. "I am glad that you are free," said Vinrah. "But I cannot remain here long; if the patrols catch me I am through. You are in the same boat, I suspect. We must part ways here, and flee the vicinity of the city. Take Zyxl with you; she will help you in many ways. I recommend you take her to the surface and find your fortune there. The worship of the Master of Masters is conducted openly there." Journey
Bit by bit Uuzkhangr and Zyxl made their way upwards through the darklands, living off what they could forage, trading where they could, sneaking and hiding when they had to, and threatening and browbeating when they came upon weaker denizens of the darklands. After perhaps a year of travel, Uuzkhangr came upon a vertical shaft that seemed to stretch upwards and downwards to a great height and depth. Occasional passages branched off from it. Using magic, Uuzkhangr began to ascend the long shaft, making slow progress, and stopping and camping at ledges and cave mouths. Eventually he reached a level where a tribe of Derro were living in some chambers connected to the shaft. Uuzkhangr hid out of sight for a while to observe. Soon he noted that among the Derro were some human slaves, mostly children. Humans! If there were humans here, he must be close to the surface! Magnimar
He followed the humans up the shaft, and found himself in the base of a structure called The Gull. The Gull is a piling in a gigantic bridge in Magnimar known as the Irespan, and was the home of a Sczarni gang known as "The Creepers." He tried to pass through the gang hideout undetected, but was caught by a thief named Gunrad Vurt. Originally planning to bring Uuzkhangr before the other gamg members, Gunrad was convinced to release Uuzkhangr in exchange for a hefty bribe of gemstones that Uuzkhangr had acquired on his journey to the surface. This left Uuzkhangr free in the city of Magnimar, but also broke. Uuzkhangr traveled about the city in disguise, covering himself with a heavy cloak and a mask covering most of his face, and worked at whatever paltry work he could get. He tried using Zyxl to entertain crowds but rarely made more than a few coppers at it. His chitin-working skills were not good enough for him to gain work as a leatherworker, and when he offered to work as a laborer on the docks the human stevedores snubbed him. Eventually he found work as a ratcatcher. Though he lived at the bottom rung of society in the squalid borough known as Underbridge, he came to grow fond of Magnimar. Despite the squalor, the fact that Underbridge only experienced direct sunlight around sunset actually suited him, as he preferred to avoid bright light. When not working he would wander the city at night, and admired the vibrancy of the city; the lights that would spring up at night could make the city seem quite beautiful. Sometimes he would climb the Seacleft road after dusk and sit on the edge of the cliff, just looking out at the city. The Tea House
The man led Uuzkhangr to The Jade Peacock Tea House, located in the Lowcleft district of Magnimar. While the front part of the building served as a typical Tian tea house, serving tea and various Tian foods, the building also operated as a guest house for visiting Tian migrants keen for a place that reminded them of home. In the back was a courtyard with a beautiful rock garden, and beyond that was a modest shrine to Irori (whom the Tians called Iro-Shu). The business was run by the elderly Madame Chu, not only a savvy business woman but also a cleric of Irori. Surrounding the courtyard were a number of small cells occupied by visiting monks and priests of Irori, and these devotees used the coutyard for practice, meditation, and worship. When a translator became available the man that brought Uuzkhangr to the tea house was introduced as Weng Fa, a visiting monk from Tian who had not had the opportunity to learn the common tongue yet. Fa had heard of Uuzkhangr through rumor and had taken it upon himself to find out if Uuzkhangr was truly an Iroran. Now that Uuzkhangr's bona fides were established, Weng Fa suggested that Uuzkhangr take up residence in the Tea House. Madame Chu agreed provided that Uuzkhangr make no trouble, and Uuzkhangr took up residence in one of the monk's cells. Though the cell was small, it was clean and quiet, and was more than Uuzkhangr needed. Once in residence, Uuzkhangr decided to drop his disguise in front of the Iroran brothers. Though may of the monks whispered amongst themselves at the sight of a Duergar, Uuzkhangr's piety was obvious, and he kept to himself and avoided bothering others. His ability to train insects was taken by many in residence as proof of his serenity. Uuzkhangr continued to work as a ratcatcher in the city and would turn over most of his wages to Madame Chu. Staying at the tea house has given Uuzkhangr the peace he needed, but now that he has been there for several months he is beginning to get restless, and is beginning to look outwards once again. Cast of Characters: Orugnarikr - Uuzkhangr's father
HP: 20 (2d8 + 4 CON + 3 Toughness)
Attacks:
Spells Prepared:
Racial Abilities:
+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –4 Charisma: Duergar are hearty and observant, but also belligerent.
Medium: Duergar are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Dwarf: Duergar are humanoids with the dwarf subtype. Slow and Steady: Duergar have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance. Superior Darkvision: Duergar can see in the dark up to 120 feet. Duergar Immunities: Duergar are immune to paralysis, phantasms, and poison. They gain a +2 racial bonus on saves against spells and spell-like abilities. Stability: Duergar receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD against bull rush or trip attempts while on solid ground. Spell-Like Abilities: A duergar can use enlarge person and invisibility once each per day, using its character level as its caster level and affecting itself only. Light Sensitivity: Duergar are dazzled in areas of bright light. Languages: Duergar begin play speaking Common, Dwarven, and Undercommon. Duergar with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Orc, and Terran.
Traits & Feats:
2 traits
Vermin Driver (race - Duergar): You were instructed in the subtle magic of enslaving vermin, and can train mindless vermin with the Handle Animal skill as if they were animals with an Intelligence score of 1. Wisdom of the Flesh (religion - Irori): Your hours of meditation on inner perfection and the nature of strength and speed allow you to focus your thoughts to achieve things your body might not normally be able to do on its own. Select any Strength-, Constitution-, or Dexterity-based skill (Stealth). You may make checks with that skill using your Wisdom modifier instead of the skill’s normal ability score. That skill is always a class skill for you. 1st Level Feat: Toughness
Spellcasting:
Concentration: +5
Spells: A druid casts divine spells which are drawn from the druid spell list presented in Spell Lists. Her alignment may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells. A druid must choose and prepare her spells in advance. To prepare or cast a spell, the druid must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a druid's spell is 10 + the spell level + the druid's Wisdom modifier. Like other spellcasters, a druid can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Druid. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells). A druid must spend 1 hour each day in a trance-like meditation on the mysteries of nature to regain her daily allotment of spells. A druid may prepare and cast any spell on the druid spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation. Spontaneous Casting: A druid can channel stored spell energy into summoning spells that she hasn't prepared ahead of time. She can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast any summon nature's ally spell of the same level or lower. Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells: A druid can't cast spells of an alignment opposed to her own or her deity's (if she has one). Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good, and law descriptors in their spell descriptions. Orisons: Druids can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Druid under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Skinshaper Druid Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Druids are proficient with the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, scythe, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear. They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with wild shape (see below). Druids are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. A druid may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. Druids are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only those crafted from wood. A druid who wears prohibited armor or uses a prohibited shield is unable to cast druid spells or use any of her supernatural or spell-like class abilities while doing so and for 24 hours thereafter. Bonus Languages: A druid's bonus language options include Sylvan, the language of woodland creatures. This choice is in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of her race. A druid also knows Druidic, a secret language known only to druids, which she learns upon becoming a 1st-level druid. Druidic is a free language for a druid; that is, she knows it in addition to her regular allotment of languages and it doesn't take up a language slot. Druids are forbidden to teach this language to nondruids. Druidic has its own alphabet. Nature Bond (Ex): At 1st level, a druid forms a bond with nature. This bond can take one of two forms. The first is a close tie to the natural world, granting the druid one of the following cleric domains: Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Plant, Water, or Weather. When determining the powers and bonus spells granted by this domain, the druid's effective cleric level is equal to her druid level. A druid that selects this option also receives additional domain spell slots, just like a cleric. She must prepare the spell from her domain in this slot and this spell cannot be used to cast a spell spontaneously. The second option is to form a close bond with an animal companion. A druid may begin play with any of the animals listed in Animal Choices. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the druid on her adventures. Unlike normal animals of its kind, an animal companion's Hit Dice, abilities, skills, and feats advance as the druid advances in level. If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the statistics and abilities of the companion. Most animal companions increase in size when their druid reaches 4th or 7th level, depending on the companion. If a druid releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer in the environment where the new companion typically lives. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished. Nature Sense (Ex): A druid gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks. Wild Empathy (Ex): A druid can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person (see Using Skills). The druid rolls 1d20 and adds her druid level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the druid and the animal must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. A druid can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check. Woodland Stride (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a druid may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect her. Trackless Step (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a druid leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired. Resist Nature's Lure (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a druid gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like and supernatural abilities of fey. This bonus also applies to spells and effects that utilize or target plants, such as blight, entangle, spike growth, and warp wood. Skinshaping (Su): At 4th level, a skinshaper gains the ability to turn herself into any Small or Medium humanoid and back again once per day. This ability functions as per alter self, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per druid level, or until the skinshaper changes back. Changing form is a standard action and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. The skinshaper must be familiar with the form she has chosen. She can use this ability an additional time per day at 6th level and every 2 druid levels thereafter, up to a total of eight times at 18th level. At 20th level, she can use skinshaping at will. The skinshaper learns to intuitively use her body as a weapon. While skinshaping, she gains the benefit of the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, and her unarmed strike deals damage as if she were a monk with a monk level equal to her druid level – 3. At 6th level, a skinshaper gains the ability to channel the versatile nature of humanoids to enhance her body and mind. Whenever she uses skinshaping to assume a humanoid shape other than her own, she gains a +2 enhancement bonus to any one ability score. The bonus persists as long as she remains in that form. At 10th, 14th, and 18th levels, she gains an additional +2 enhancement bonus to one ability score. She can distribute these bonuses as she wishes in increments of +2, but the enhancement bonus on any single ability score cannot exceed +4. At 8th level, a skinshaper can imitate humanoid creatures even more accurately. She gains any of the following abilities that the form she assumes has: darkvision 90 feet, low-light vision, scent, climb 60 feet, fly 60 feet (good maneuverability), swim 60 feet, ferocity, orc ferocity, and hold breath. If the form she assumes has the aquatic subtype, she gains the aquatic subtype and the amphibious special quality. At 12th level, a skinshaper can access the racial memory of the humanoid she is imitating. If the form she assumes has any of the following racial abilities, she gains those abilities: defensive training, hatred, poison use, sneak attack +2d6, stability, and weapon familiarity. Additionally, she can speak any racial languages of the chosen form. At 16th level, a skinshaper gains the racial skill bonuses of the imitated humanoid, to a maximum of a +4 bonus on a given skill. The skinshaper cannot benefit from any variable racial skill bonuses associated with the chosen form (such as gnomes' racial bonus on any one Craft or Profession skill). This ability replaces wild shape. Skills:
(ranks listed first)
Adventuring Skills Total Ranks = 8 + 2 FCB * Denotes Class Skill STR (+2)
DEX (+0)
INT (+0)
WIS (+3)
CHA (-2)
Background Skills
DEX (+0)
INT (+0)
WIS (+3)
CHA (-2)
Build Notes:
Overall Plan for Feats
Level 1 Feat: Toughness
Feats I'd like to fit in:
Gear by Value:
Starting Gold = 1,120 gp
1115 gp __1 sp Bedroll (5 lbs)
4 sp __2 cp 100' Twine (1 lbs)
40 cp 2 sp left over Total weight: 112.5 lbs
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