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Extraordinarily Awful Orphan Adventures

Game Master Minister Pain


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===================
The Insidious Introduction
===================
The Yolbiac Vale is known for its strange secrets, but has largely been ignored by historians from outside the Vale itself — though one scholar, Sarrus Togren of the University of Subtleties in the city of Troye, believes the region was once home to an ancient and learned civilization. Long dismissed as a crackpot by his peers Togren has, with the aid of his loyal assistant Nymea Goswynn, at last obtained funding to lead a research expedition to the Vale, specifically a region known locally as the Quillande Ferosc. He now has everything he needs save guards for the hazardous trek into a wilderness region of the Yolbiac.

In most stories, this is where the professor might hire a band of well-equipped adventurers to handily defeat (murder) any and all problems which come their way. Unfortunately, our dear professor is short on cash, so instead he's decided to rely on the aid of several suspiciously capable orphans who came into his care after their parents all died in bizarre and tragic circumstances. Orphans whom he expects to perform all sorts of unsavory and potentially life-threatening tasks without any hope of payment on account of his "charity." This is where you come in.

=================
The Worrisome Welcome
=================
If you've come to apply for a light-hearted game about noble, monster-slaying, treasure-hunting heroes, leave. This game will center around the mysterious and horrific escapades of a group of orphans unwillingly thrust into danger, similar to Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events books.

If you get easily attached to your characters, don't. This game will be a one shot, not to mention the high probability that some of you will die before we finish anyways.

If any of the above sounds fun to you for some reason, then I'll presume you're the kind of person who doesn't get invited to dinner parties because your dark sense of "humor" tends to dampen the mood. This game might just be for you (although I still won't be inviting you to any of my dinner parties).

======================
The Callous Character Creation
======================
Starting Age: You are all unmistakably children. No ability score modifiers to keep things simple, although you may change your size to small (with the usual +2 dex/-2 str) if you wish to play a younger child. Small races stay small.
Starting Level: 2
Races: Core by default, anything else needs approval with concept.
Classes: All.
Ability Scores: After much deliberation, I've decided to generously allow 15 point buy, instead of the original 10.
Hit Points: Max at 1st, half rounded up at 2nd.
Wealth: Funds are tight on the expedition and as such you only receive average for your class as if you were a 1st level character.
Traits: ONLY 1! Drawback for a second.
Background: The only requirement is that you answer these five questions:

  • How did your parents die?
  • What is your greatest fear?
  • What is your greatest wish? I ask merely so that I can ensure that it doesn't accidentally get granted during the game.
  • Who is your least favorite scholar and why is it Professor Togren?
  • An untimely computer crash caused me to lose my original post and I've forgotten the fifth question. Instead I'd like you to ask me a question about myself - it can be absolutely any sort of question as long as it hasn't been asked.
Etc: Maps on Roll20. Submission deadline to be decided.

===================

The Sickly Spoiler:
Just like the futures of six unlucky orphans, there's nothing much here.
===================

While I would prefer to submit a Swashbuckler because they fit the daring type I had in mind, I suppose I can tool a rogue to fit a similar type. Would you prefer unchained or original?
Ace Matthews wrote:
While I would prefer to submit a Swashbuckler because they fit the daring type I had in mind, I suppose I can tool a rogue to fit a similar type. Would you prefer unchained or original?

No preference. Just to clarify, swashbucklers are allowed.

Grand Lodge

What a hilarious concept! Too bad my dance card is full. Good luck with your recruitment.

Hmm

Whoops I got Race and class mixed up! Stoopid eyeballs. I shall submit my concept soon. I'm hoping to do an upside down swashbuckler, mor emphasis on charisma and deeds than dex and combat.

I'd actually like to piggyback on another character's concept for parents because it would be cool to have an existing sibling.
Liberty's Edge

Dot but I'll have to wait for another recruitment to end.

I had this funny concept of a levitating magic (Witch maybe, or Telekineticist) infant, but it would be impossible at level 2. Unless you wanted to somehow homebrew it (I would swear not to abuse it). Perhaps a 20' fly speed where I can't get more than 5' feet off the ground in exchange for the human bonus feat and cutting land speed to 10'?

Otherwise I might go Hunter, sounds fitting.

And I'm all up for joining backgrounds.

Dotting

Dropping that dot, luckily I have character that sort of fits the dead parent's thing already. Writing up a female human oracle
Sapiens wrote:
I had this funny concept of a levitating magic (Witch maybe, or Telekineticist) infant, but it would be impossible at level 2. Unless you wanted to somehow homebrew it (I would swear not to abuse it). Perhaps a 20' fly speed where I can't get more than 5' feet off the ground in exchange for the human bonus feat and cutting land speed to 10'?

Professor Togren hates babies, so this request I sadly can't accommodate.

Liberty's Edge

No Sunny, then. I'll likely put up some spider-loving pre-teen.

Kk I made a build decision, going with a dex based human fighter. I'll have something to show later tonight

Dotting, I don't have any ideas right now but something ought to come to mind.
Shadow Lodge
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber

Dot. Will almost certainly make a medium.

Chess here with my submission as discussed via PM ;) Questions, answers and crunch on the profile.

Will think up a fighter. A big boned kid who really wants to be a cook! He also cooks any chance he gets and you better like what he makes!
Donnen Phelps wrote:
When playing, what's your favorite Pathfinder class for your characters?

So much to acquire and so little will to acquire it. We're all drowning in our own bathtubs, knowing that all we need to do to escape is lift our heads above the water. And yet we can't. We can't have anything without cost. Innate power which needn't be studied nor paid for is truly the ultimate escapist fantasy panacea for the dreary lives we real people lead.

In other words, I like sorcerers.
Liberty's Edge

Ammon here, should be all set everything needed is in this profile
Aisling Frost-Wing wrote:
What was question 5? I'm curious and it's bothering me not to know.

I was quite bothered myself when I forgot question 5. Now that my error has bothered someone else however, I find myself delighted at the fact.

Are we on Golarion? If so, where on it? I've found myself with an intelligence of 12, so I'll have a second language, and I'd like to pick something that makes sense.
Newbonomicon wrote:
Are we on Golarion? If so, where on it? I've found myself with an intelligence of 12, so I'll have a second language, and I'd like to pick something that makes sense.

Alternate setting - Borderland Provinces. You all come from a major metropolitan city, Troye, so any language is really feasible. I'll provide some information below on said city. The entire expedition does take place outside of the city however, so consider it completely unnecessary to enjoy the adventure.

Troye:
Appearance

The high granite walls of Troye are resplendent with banners, and lines of colorful shields are affixed to the battlements, representing the various noble houses of the Duchy of the Rampart. Great towers stand at intervals above the walls, some crowned with trebuchets and ballistae, others with high, pointed roofs. Over it all rises the vast citadel of the Duke, greatest and most formidable structure in a city designed for war.

Description
Troye is the capital city of the Duchy of the Rampart, founded in the Hyperborean era. The city is a major destination city for caravans, whose merchants sell their cargoes here to buy goods from faraway places for the return journey. Merchants planning on making the whole trek from the Kingdom of Foere into the provinces and back (most likely to Manas, but sometimes to Endhome) stop here to enjoy one last taste of city comforts before heading off into the wild.
This great metropolis at the far reaches of the Kingdoms of Foere offers a vast array of interesting sights, sounds, cultures, clothes, music, merriment, purchases, people, and pickpockets. It is wise to keep one hand on the belt pouch when walking through crowds in Troye. Tourist attractions include the University of Subtleties, the Great Stone Rabbit in Lapin Square, the smoke-snorting iron bull atop the temple of Mithras, the great Marchantal market, the dried remains of the six tall thieves (at the Citadel’s Gate), and the Court of Thespians.
In any of the city’s hundred small markets, mostly temporary affairs blocking crossroads, one can find herb-crusted breads, baskets of the dark purple, dream-inducing apples grown in the Yolbiac Vale, puppets, trained cats, dwarf-crafted trinkets, colorful surcoats, stolen items available for quick sale, clay idols painted with symbols, and all manner of merchandise culled from traveling merchants of the world.
Shells are a particularly popular item of jewelry, a curiosity in a city so far from the sea, and are often seen adorning wealthy merchants and nobles when they ride through the city’s narrow streets. Pearls are also much more highly prized than mined gemstones.

Government
Troye is governed by a Lord-Mayor, whose position is equivalent in status to a count (in other words, higher than a baron but not ranked as high as a duke). The Duke Palatine appoints the Lord-Mayor, but a council of burgesses elected by the city’s landowners handle most of the job of managing the city. In the past, Lords-Mayor who continued to make unpopular decrees were stopped in their tracks by the citizens who shut down the gates, blocked streets, and started arresting people loyal to the unpopular mayor. So even though the city is not technically self-governed, there is a practical limit to what the Duke can impose upon his capital city without its consent.

Factions
Troye is the headquarters or an important area of operations for a number of different organizations. Principal among these, of course, is the city’s government and city guard. Others include the Council of Guilds, which regulates the city’s commerce; the Most Honorable Guild of Thieves, which regulates the city’s crime and underworld; the Church of Vanitthu and the Temple of Jamboor, both important players in the city’s politics and spiritual life; the city chapterhouse of the Order of the Swan; and the Guild of Magisters.

Alright, excellent! I think I've finished, mechanically, so I'll start writing my backstory now.

And here we are! I've made a myth-weavers sheet, and here's her backstory.

Little Orphan Aggie:
In our strange and wonderful world, there are a few lucky souls born with an innate power of magic. We call these people sorcerers, and their childhoods are often marvelous things. It is difficult for a child to control any amount of magical power, and so young sorcerers often find themselves surrounded by magical mishaps such as involuntary light shows, accidental fireworks, and only the occasional tearing of reality.

Aggie Besken, however, is not a sorcerer and never will be. She was born with a different sort of magic, and is what's called a kineticist, a word here meaning that her very spirit is a conduit to the elemental planes, and in this case specifically, to the plane of water. Now, if I may go off on a tangent, and I may, because I am giving myself permission, I should note that kineticists come from hardy stock. This is not because those sorts of people are more likely to have this power, but because a kineticist who does not possess some degree of physical fortitude is likely to die very young, being unable to contain the raw power of the elements inside their body for long. Unfortunately for a fair number of people, including Aggie Besken and her immediate family, she did not die very young, and has so far lived to the ripe old age of five and a half years.

Mr. and Mrs. Besken, as far as anyone could tell, died from a mysterious disease that caused their blood to churn about in their bodies until their organs shut down. Aggie, however, knows a few more facts than the people who had come to that conclusion, and came to a different one. Firstly, she knows that it is unusual for water to churn wildly in the presence of one specific little girl. Secondly, she knows, and this is impressive for her age, that a person's blood contains at least some amount of water. Finally, at least in relevance to this conclusion, she knows that anyone who does not believe that her inability to control her powers is what killed her parents is a complete and utter moron.

Not being a complete and utter moron, Aggie has since come to the conclusion that her inability to control her powers is what killed her parents. Her current guardian, Professor Togren, is in fact a complete and utter moron, in the same way that every adult she has met in the eleven months since her parents' deaths. In fact, the Professor has yet to believe her claim that she has powers at all, not the least because she has been constantly forcing herself to restrain them, and the constant churning of water nearby her has long since stopped.

Questions:
1) How did your parents die?
"I killed them, sir. I didn't mean to. It was my powers, they're too dangerous."
2) What is your greatest fear?
"I don't want to hurt anyone ever again."
3) What is your greatest wish?
"To do away with my powers! They're not good for anything but hurting people."
4) Who is your least favorite scholar and why is it Professor Togren?
"The professor doesn't believe me about anything! Ever since I told him about my powers, he thinks everything I say is a lie. I don't like to lie."

And a question for you... hmm. Let's avoid the obvious questions so that other people have something to fall back on. How about, "Do you have a favorite map projection?" Yes, that'll do. Do you have a favorite map projection?

Ok, here is Phillip, very aggressive cook

Hmm... well if morality rates are expected to be high, then why not play some sort of meat-stick. I can see the BSK (Big Stupid Kid) easily getting roped into something like this and surviving purely on his tenacity alone, or at least thats what the hope is :)
I can see him being strong, dumb as a rock, durable as a rock and slow as a rock ;) but hey! He will probably have that boyish charm!
Probably a human fighter or barbarian? Maybe monk?

Edit: Hi Phillip, might I say you look dashing today? ,')

Dot! I'm considering an Unchained Summoner with a Psychopomp eidolon. I like the idea of having the sentient spectre of inevitable demise haunting a small child, helping it in every way it can if only to hasten it toward an untimely end.
Agana Besken wrote:
Do you have a favorite map projection?

The Mercator projection. It makes Greenland so beautifully large, as it rightfully should be. Anyone who tells you otherwise is clearly in on the conspiracy, but you didn't hear that from me. All glory to the (spiritual) homeland!

Phillip Gastone wrote:
Paper of plastic?

A tough question indeed, which I'm allowed to answer only thanks to the recent declassification. The convenience of suffocation via plastic bag almost sways me, but I'm a sucker for nostalgia, and oft recall those fond days where the paper bag ripped during an attempted strangulation which devolved into a good old fashioned knife and/or gunfight.

Brilliant. This is brilliant. I have a character waiting in a recruitment which might fit this perfectly, but I also have some other ideas.

Not my Fifth Question:

  • Will you allow multiple concepts per submitting player?
  • It sounds heavily suggested the PCs are younger than adulthood, but some races take much longer in years to reach this. As every year of physical existence could equate to worldly experience to some degree, is there a maximum number of years of actual life you prefer we do not cross?
  • Contingent on the answer to the prior question, if anyone submits a worthy concept including a half-breed (aasimar, tiefling, dhampir, etc.), would you be using Advanced Race Guide first edition ages or second edition for youth?
  • Are dead parents allowed to now be undead (whereabouts presumably unknown naturally)?
pinvendor wrote:
  • Will you allow multiple concepts per submitting player?
  • It sounds heavily suggested the PCs are younger than adulthood, but some races take much longer in years to reach this. As every year of physical existence could equate to worldly experience to some degree, is there a maximum number of years of actual life you prefer we do not cross?
  • Contingent on the answer to the prior question, if anyone submits a worthy concept including a half-breed (aasimar, tiefling, dhampir, etc.), would you be using Advanced Race Guide first edition ages or second edition for youth?
  • Are dead parents allowed to now be undead (whereabouts presumably unknown naturally)?

  • One submission per player.
  • This fact has always annoyed me in general. Elves must get held back in school an awful lot if it takes them decades to learn what humans do in years. But to answer the question, I leave judgement on this one up to you, be any age you want so long as your character is definitively a child.
  • Again, your choice.
  • An curious interpretation of "dead parents." I'll allow it.

I appreciate your response. As I may very well want to submit the aforementioned character already waiting for a possible game, I will probably wait on my actual submission since I am only permitted the one.

I will definitely keep you updated.
The Exchange

"Any so-called Honorable Fighter simply didn't get caught cheating."

Spoiler:
Background: The only requirement is that you answer these five questions:

1) How did your parents die? They pissed off the wrong family or something. Although I found that out later. Fortunately, I was being punished for stealing dessert before dinner and sent to woodshed to await punishment. I know, right? Everything wrong in that house was my fault. So there I was sitting in the dark shed not at all looking forward to my papa providing more admirable examples of fatherhood, when the crickets went real quiet of a sudden. Never saw my papa, but did see a bevy of shadows converge on my house. Something told me to keep quiet and make myself as small as possible. When the screaming started, I hightailed it out of there. Looked back only once to see a glow of fire above the trees.
2) What is your greatest fear? Whoever they were would come after me. What's my name? Cooper. Ren Cooper. Yeah that's my name.
3) What is your greatest wish? Respect and admiration. I deserve it.
4) Who is your least favorite scholar and why is it Professor Togren?
I was too smart for regular school, so Papa arranged for private tutoring with Professor Toejam. Think he bathed once a month, anyway, he had it in for me. His weekly reports to my father always ended up with me in the woodshed and me promising to do better(or not get caught.)

5)My question for you: Why did Samurai Jack never clue in to Akuu's color scheme and attack him right away?

Venthrus the Slums Shaman:

VENTHRUS “VEN” KLINE
_____________________________________________
Race Human
Gender Male
Age 10
Size Small
Class Shaman of the Slums Level 2
Init +7; Senses Perception +2, Survival +6
_____________________________________________
SPELL BOOK
_____________________________________________
Spells Prepared
Orisons-
Dancing Lights
Guidance
Purify Food and Drink
Read Magic

1st-
Barbed Chains
Cure Light Wounds
Monkeyfish
_____________________________________________
BUFFS
_____________________________________________
-
_____________________________________________
DEFENSE
_____________________________________________
AC +, touch +, flat-footed +
(+ Armor, + Dex)
Hp 17 Temp hp []
Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +5
_____________________________________________
OFFENSE
_____________________________________________
Speed 25ft
Melee
Dagger +1 (1d4+1/19-20x2/S+P)
Longspear +1 (1d8+1/x3/Reach/P)
Ranged
Crossbow (Light) +4 / +5 (1d8(+1)/19-20x2)
Special Attacks
_____________________________________________
STATISTICS
_____________________________________________
Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 17
Feats Pointblank Shot, Precise Shot,
Traits Child of the Streets (Sleight of Hand +1/Class Skill), Vagabond Child (Disable Device +1/Class Skill)
Drawback Loner (-1 AC / Attack rolls while adjacent to allies)
____________________________________________
SKILLS
____________________________________________
Skills
Disable Device +8 (+3 Ability, +1 Rank, +3 Class, +1 Trait)
Knowledge (Religion) +4 (+1 Rank, +3 Class)
Sleight of Hand +8 (+3 Ability, +1 Rank, +3 Class, +1 Trait)
Spellcraft +5 (+1 Rank, +3 Class)
Survival +6 (+2 Ability, +1 Rank, +3 Class)
Languages
Common
____________________________________________
SPECIAL QUALITIES
____________________________________________
SQ Orisons, spirit (Slums), spirit animal (Compy), spirit magic, Hex (Evil Eye)
____________________________________________
EQUIPMENT AND GOLD
____________________________________________
Gear
Hide Armor, Light Crossbow, Longspear, Dagger, Bolts x 20, Clerics Kit (This includes a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, candles (10), a cheap holy text, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, rope, soap, a spell component pouch, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), a waterskin, and a wooden holy symbol.), Thieves Tools (Common),
____________________________________________
APPEARANCE
_________________________________________
Height 4ft 5
Weight 84lbs
Eye Color Grey
Hair Color Black
Region of Origin Troye
Deity (????)

Appearance- Vens hair is long and dark, worked in to thick, almost waist length braids. His eyes are grey, washed out and furtive, his gaze never resting in place for long as he watches every corner for a new threat.

Ven wears plain, grey, canvas clothing under a heavy brown cloak. The only item of jewelery he wears openly is that of a wooden holy symbol, his mothers, which he wears on a thick leather cord hanging around his neck.

Ven is spotless. His clothes, his hair and his skin. He is meticulous in maintaining a cleanliness that a surgeon would be proud of.

Questions Answered:

1-How did your parents die?

"They were stupid... they loved everyone else more than me and. They died fighting a sickness in the slums. They were healers and we lived in the bad parts of the city helping people get better. They... they didn't make it. Should have just helped themselves..."

2-What is your greatest fear?

"Crawling, biting, stinging and gnawing. Fleas and rats and pigeons, all of them carrying disease and putridness. Vile filthy people coughing and spitting and spreading their sicknesses. Dirty animals!"

3-What is your greatest wish? I ask merely so that I can ensure that it doesn't accidentally get granted during the game.

"Yeah well not like you could do it anyway, who are you? Just a normal man. Heh... World without disease. I want to eradicate the whole damn lot of it. I'd scrub the world clean of filth and sickness!"

4-Who is your least favorite scholar and why is it Professor Togren?

"Have you seen him? He is just... the sickness is there, right behind his eyes. You can see how he thinks he is better than us. Covered in ink stains and smelling like a perfumed tulip. No matter how hard he washed he couldn't hide the stink that lies in his soul!"

5-"So you bring us all here and send us off on this whole damn thing but you don't tell us anything about yourself? Superiority complex much? Ha! Anyway... at least tell me if you have ever read the Tomes of Steven Erikson, the Malazan Book of the Fallen epics? If you haven't I'd read it. Especially later on in the series there is a bit that is focused around Orphans. Might give you a sick kick!"

I have to apologize for the question five. I did it all in character and Ven it seems is a little bit Chaotic A~#&&&!. I think Ven is complete (Bar a profile). Any feedback greatly appreciated.
ReckNBall wrote:
Why did Samurai Jack never clue in to Akuu's color scheme and attack him right away?

Very poor perception checks.

DarkestHeart wrote:
So you bring us all here and send us off on this whole damn thing but you don't tell us anything about yourself? Superiority complex much? Ha! Anyway... at least tell me if you have ever read the Tomes of Steven Erikson, the Malazan Book of the Fallen epics? If you haven't I'd read it. Especially later on in the series there is a bit that is focused around Orphans. Might give you a sick kick!

No, but color me intrigued.

It is honestly the most well written series of books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I actually am jealous of you getting to read them for the first time. Gardens of the Moon is the first book and where it can be slow to get in to, the ending is strong and the second book is even better.

Even if I don't get in to this game, if you read the books, let me know how you are liking them. I enjoy talking about them to an insane degree.

Presenting Ambrose Wythinghall and Mr. Biggums, imaginative child and his not-so imaginary friend!

Ambrose's Stats:

Ambrose Wythinghall
Human spiritualist (fractured mind) 2 (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 72, 109)
NG Small humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +2
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 size)
hp 16 (2d8+4)
Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +3
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger +1 (1d3-1/19-20)
Spiritualist (Fractured Mind) Spells Known (CL 2nd; concentration +8)
. . 1st (3/day)—cure light wounds, mage armor, shield
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, guidance, light, mage hand, message, telekinetic projectile[OA]
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 8, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 18
Base Atk +1; CMB -1; CMD 10
Feats Expanded Arcana[APG], Magical Enigma (effective Level +1)
Traits focused mind
Skills Bluff +8, Diplomacy +5, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (nature) +5, Knowledge (planes) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perception +2, Spellcraft +6
Languages Common, Protean
SQ bonded senses (2 rounds/day), emotional spellcasting, etheric tether, phantom (Mr. Biggums, zeal), shared consciousness
Other Gear studded leather, dagger, candle (10), 105 gp, 9 sp
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Bonded Senses (2 rounds/day) (Su) As a standard action, share the senses of your manifested phantom.
Emotional Spellcasting Use Charisma as casting stat instead of Wisdom.
Etheric Tether (Su) Lose hp to prevent dam to phantom that would banish it to ethereal. Phantom must remain close when manifested or concentration required.
Magical Enigma (Effective Level +1) +1 level or eff +2 to mental attr for one selected power.
Phantom (Ectoplasmic Manifestation) Phantom can manifest as a separate creature or provide bonuses while sharing your mind.
Shared Consciousness (1/day) (Su) Gain skill focuses and +4 vs. mind-affecting when not manifesting a phantom.

Mr. Biggum's Stats:

Mr. Biggums
Phantom (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures)
CG Medium outsider (phantom)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 16 (2d10+5)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +0
DR 5/slashing
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee gandasa +3 (2d4+1/×3) or
. . 2 slams +3 (1d6+1/19-20)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 12, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +7, Perception +4, Stealth +6, Survival +5 (+6 to track)
Languages Common
SQ ectoplasmic phase lurch, tracking
Other Gear gandasa
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Damage Reduction (5/slashing) You have Damage Reduction against all except Slashing attacks.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Ectoplasmic Phase Lurch (Su) Bypass solid obstacles (but not creatures) at half speed, must end turn in clear space.
Tracking +1 Add a bonus to survival checks to track.

5 Questions:

1. Ambrose really doesn't know much about the fate of his parents. He lost them one night, when he had what seemed like an eternity of strange and sometimes terrifying dreams, full of twisting creatures and strange colors. When he woke up, his family was gone, and he felt a strange tugging at his mind. He let the tugging cease, and Mr. Biggums, his imaginary friend, phased into existence, wielding a large sword, smiling happily.

2.His greatest fear is the depths of his dreams, full of shifting, chaotic landscapes, and terrifying beings made of translucent energy, constantly battling Mr. Biggums.

3. His greatest wish is to make the dreams stop, and find his family. He secretly knows this is unlikely, but Mr. Biggums insists that everything will turn out alright.

4. Ambrose finds Professor Togren to be cruel and mocking. Togren mocks his nightmares, calling him a "lily-livered baby" and refusing to acknowledge Mr. Biggums' existence. He tries to hide from that through reading and studying anything he can get his hands on, along with practicing simple magic to entertain his fellow orphans.

5. Why is Professor Togren so cruel to poor orphans, and why have we been through these unfortunate events?
Simeon wrote:
Why is Professor Togren so cruel to poor orphans, and why have we been through these unfortunate events?

To quote The Prisoner, "That would be telling."

hmm... perhaps a bard or some sort of alchemist.

Another thing about Ambrose I forgot to mention, he tends to speak in Protean when in danger or casting spells, as a result of his powerful dreams. Mr. Biggums occasionally quips back in Protean, but not too often.

Dot. Thinking about possibilities.

Dotting, probably a druid
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Knock, Knock
by REDACTED

"Knock knock," said I.

"Who's there?" came a reply.

"Me. Hurry. The acid rain doth pour."

But alas, I was left standing at the door.

Wow this is lemony snickety level stuff. How about an ugly as sin half orc girl who terrified away thugs and wild animals once they see her face like meg from family Guy?

Still not my Fifth Question: Since the children's "guardian" does not like babies, what is the youngest level of youthfulness you would like to see? Obviously this could vary depending on the weird maturation rates of the various races.

To make it simple, let's use stages instead of age ranges. Infancy and Toddlerhood are clearly "baby" range. Would Elementary age still be too young, or are you looking mostly for Pre-adolescent or Adolescent age?
pinvendor wrote:

Still not my Fifth Question: Since the children's "guardian" does not like babies, what is the youngest level of youthfulness you would like to see? Obviously this could vary depending on the weird maturation rates of the various races.

To make it simple, let's use stages instead of age ranges. Infancy and Toddlerhood are clearly "baby" range. Would Elementary age still be too young, or are you looking mostly for Pre-adolescent or Adolescent age?

Late elementary through pre-adolescent/adolescent.

Liberty's Edge

I can't find a concept I like enough, so I'm withdrawing my dot. Good luck to you all!

Another woeful week! I'm looking to figure out a hard submission deadline sometime soon.

Dotting. Love me some Series of Unfortunate Events!

I'm going to be posting my submission tonight!

My submission: Leera Atmos

The young girl with the pale features and blue white hair fidgets on the uncomfortable stool while the caseworker slowly and deliberately prepares some more ink, sets her notebook just so, and smoothes down its pages before dipping the inkpen into the well and very precisely tapping it to remove the excess three times. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The woman regarded Leera Atmos over half-moon spectacles with a raised eyebrow.

"I have no doubt that Professor Togren has informed you that you need to be perfectly honest with me, Leera."

(Don't you dare say a word about the expedition, dear-a Leera!)

"So, of course, know that I am your friend and confidante."

The forced smile that made crinkles at the corner of the caseworker's upturned mouth seemed so...alien. Leera could only assume the expression was as unfamiliar to the woman's face as she was to Leera. It certainly made Leera feel even less inclined to be truthful even if there had been no strongly worded suggestions.

"Let us begin with..."

Five Questions:

How did your parents die?:

The girl's hands twitched at her side as the instinct to cover her mouth before she spoke tried to take hold. Her voice was soft, too soft.

"Speak up. I can't hear you."

Leera tried again, mortifyingly aware that her pointed incisors were very visible when she did so.

"I imagine the way anyone's parents do. Their hearts stopped beating."

A muscle near the woman's eye twitched. The forced smile returned.

"Now, now, Leera, my dear. There's no need to be frightened." The woman's gaze was a scorching ray, and if it had been an actual spell, Leera would have simply disintegrated before it. "I will not brook any sass, young lady. Do not try my patience."

Leera shifted uncomfortably. She knew the woman already knew the answer, so why make her say it? She mumbled, but stopped when the caseworker tsked loudly.

"I-I don't know how my father died. He was already dead long before I was born. He's a...vampire."

Leera paused, but the woman showed no reaction as her inkpen moved on the paper. Scritch, scritch, scratch. She glanced up with her pencil thin eyebrow raised when the silence stretched. Leera cleared her throat and muttered an apology the woman probably didn't hear.

"My mother...sh-she died when...when our house burned down."

The woman's pen stopped. "That's putting a tad mildly, isn't it?" Her eyes bored into Leera, and the girl's hand shot up to cover her mouth in an anxious reflex. "Was she not, in fact, dragged outside and forced to watch as her family, her friends set fire to the house where you were in fact asleep? Did these superstitious villagers then heap garlic around her neck on strings and stake your mother to death?"

Leera swayed on her stool as horrible memories surged to the forefront. Her vision tunneled briefly before returning to normal.

"Well, Leera?" came the ever-so-sympathetic voice of the caseworker.

"Yes..." she breathed, her voice so soft, she was sure the woman would make her repeat herself.

"Hmmm...there. That wasn't so hard to talk about, was it?" The forced smile appeared again as she once again wrote something.

Scritch, scritch, scratch.

"Now..."

What is your greatest fear?:

Leera looked down at the floor in confusion. Why is she asking me this? was the first thought. Her mind raced to see the way out of having to be honest. Professor Togren...he frightens me...but so does Ms. Goswynn...I can't tell her that though!

"Come now, child. If we here at the University of Subtleties are to understand your kind and you, we must fully know what we must do to make you feel safe."

Again the abominable smile. It looked like the U shape between the tines of a pitchfork. Images of fire and the sounds of her mother screaming returned quickly. And of course, the memory of him. She had seen him behind the crowd as she peered through the space in the wooden planks that covered the crawlspace under the house. It was the first time she had seen him, but she knew. She knew it was him. The bright eyes so clear even from such a distance and the flickering torchlight. No one should have been able to see her under the house, in the crawlspace full of darkness. Leera's own curse let her see and move below the house with ease. Her eyes had allowed her to flee once her mother's grisly fate was certain. And none of the villagers' eyes were as good as hers.

But he had seen her. He watched her. And when he realized she had seen him, he smiled. A dazzling white smile there in the dark below bright eyes. Two long fangs glistening at the edge of the light.

Leera whispered, "My father..."

The woman's eyes snapped up with intensity. "What?"

"My greatest fear...is that one day, my father will come for me." Leera's heart pounded as a feeling of abject terror rose up in her at the memory of those eyes, that smile, and all the while her mother screamed.

What is your greatest wish?:

The blood coursing through her temples pounded, but the new question broke something in Leera. A flood of adrenaline filled her, and a rage blossomed where terror had sown its seeds.

"Isn't that obvious...?" Her voice was as hushed as always, but this time there was a tremor in it.

(That's what you want!? That's your only goal in life?! Oh-ho-ho, this rich, dear-a Leera!)

The girl leapt off the stool to stand, both hands curled into fists. Leera's eyes were wide, and, while she didn't know it, they glowed red. Her fangs were bared, clearly visible even in the low light of the setting sun streaming through the windows. For once her voice boomed and echoed around the sparsely furnished room.

"To be human!"

The caseworker sat up straight in surprise. For the barest moment, fear flickered in her eyes, but was quickly replaced with an anger of her own. Standing and leaning over the desk behind which she sat, she towered over the small child.

"Sit. Down. Leera," the woman commanded tersely. "There will be no further outbursts of that nature. You are to comport yourself with dignity and respect. Young. Lady."

Leera wilted in the face of the adult's rage and quickly regained her position on the stool. No longer caring, both hands were raised in front of her face in little balled fists; the lace on the cuffs of her frilly dress covering her mouth. She looked at the floor and tried not to cry.

The woman slowly lowered herself back into her chair, her eyes nailing Leera to her stool.

"Hmph," she grunted and dipped her pen into the inkwell once again. Tap, tap, tap "Let's continue. Here at the University..."

Who is your least favorite scholar?:

For the first time, Leera answered without even thinking. She was quite flustered.

"Professor Togren..."

The woman stopped writing and looked at Leera in shock for a moment. then she asked,"..."

...and why is it Professor Togren?:

Leera flushed with embarrassment. There was no answer she could give that wouldn't probably have repercussions. The planned expedition, his general cruelty, the conditions in which he kept her and the other orphans, the spying he made her do on the others because of her sight...

"He...he..." Leera fumbled for anything that would appease the too curious way the caseworker was looking at her. "He...overcooks the meat."

(A creature like you can't handle meat, dear-a Leera. No, no. It's veggies for you.)

The woman shook her head and snorted, putting pen to paper once again. Scritch, scritch, scratch. She was clearly not impressed with Leera's answer regarding overcooked meat. Well, to be fair, the few chances Leera had gotten meat...it had just never been bloody enough for her. She tried very hard not to think about that though.

The caseworker finished off whatever she was writing with several flourishes then produced a cloth to clean the pen nib, detach it, stopper the inkwell, and roll the tools up in a leather pouch. All the while blowing softly across the page to help dry the ink. Once done, she closed the notebook and looked up at Leera.

"That is all I needed, Miss Leera Atmos. Now stay here while I fetch Ms. Goswynn to take you back. Do you have any questions for me?" The woman's eyes clearly indicated the proper answer, and she barely waited for Leera to shake her head before departing the room.

For a moment Leera remained on the stool and reflected on what a disaster this interview had been. With a heavy sigh she stood and went to the window. The bleak grounds outside of the University looked especially grim against the fading light of the bruised sky in the distance. As the light outside grew darker, her own reflection began to become clearer in the smudged glass. She spoke to it, her voice clear and normal for once instead of a whisper.

"Do I have any questions for you, unnamed lady? No. My question is not for you, but for someone I can't even see."

Leera suddenly turns and raises her cupped hand. A crackling of loud energy, black and deadly gathers in her palm. The dhampir's eyes blaze and she opens her hand suddenly. What can only be described as a tear springs forth tracing a jagged and angular path through reality before striking the stool with a boom! shattering it to pieces.

In the strange silence that always seemed to follow the burst of Leera's void powers, she once again turns to the darkened sky, and asks,

  • Just how long have you been playing these games with people like me, anyway?

    •
    pinvendor wrote:

    My submission: Leera Atmos

    beautifully written five answers

    ** spoiler omitted **...

    [makes note to self] This is how it is done. Revise my submission, upgrade and aspire for the higher bar.

    @Ren Cooper: Wow, thanks. Admittedly it was your own in-character responses that inspired the format. I appreciate your compliment.
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