Aaron Sarris's page

A greying, kindly old man whose eyes and wits remain sharp as ever. Donning a lute and multicolored cape as his badges of office, this entertainer and aspiring poet moves with purpose, his attire and stride drawing attention to himself. His appearance yet contains hints of what must have been a very handsome physique in his youth. Seemingly unarmored, his only visible weapon is a starknife hanging from his belt.

Originally from the conflict-rich area of Varisia, Aaron grew up on the road with his people. While circumstances eventually led to his departure from his home nation, he found that there was never a lack of demand for a good entertainer – or a thief. Eventually, having earned his keep, he settled in Taldor where he paid his tuition fee for the Kitharodian Academy and joined the famous Bardic colleges.

From there, rumors differ. Some say he became a private tutor to the nobility where he sired a bastard child, forcing him to temporarily flee the nation. Others claim he was recruited by the pathfinder society and simply left on a mission, or that it was all a front for other activities from an unknown third party altogether.

All these are true.

Currently, as one of the Society’s most decorated members, he was dispatched to investigate troubling rumors concerning Molthune’s legion operating uncomftably close to one of the Dwarven Sky Citadels. He hopes that from this perhaps final job, he can earn enough money or aid to fix one of his greatest regrets and mistakes.

(There is obviously a lot more to his backstory but I think that works better discussed in-character)

Base stats
Classes: Bard 10 (base), Oracle 1 (seeker)
BAB +8, base saves F/R/W: +3/+7/+9. Total saves F/R/W : +8/+16/+11.
Perception +15, init +7.
HP: 80 (10+10 x7).
Total skill points (3 x FBC): 111.

Weapons
+1 Adamantine training returning starknife (uses cha for att/damage): +16 vs ac, 1d4+8.
Ranged attack: range increment 20 ft. With deadly aim: +13 vs ac, 1d4+14.

Backup coldiron starknife: +15 vs ac, 1d4+7.
Ranged attack: range increment 20 ft. With deadly aim: +12 vs ac, 1d4+13.

Spiked gauntlet:
-Err... Ahem. Yeah. +7 vs ac, 1d4-1.
This is only here to threaten squares while his starknife is still flying :)

Spellcasting

Cantrips
Bard: Mage hand, prestidigitation, ghost sound, message, read magic, detect magic.

Oracle: Create water, Guidance, Light, Mending.

Level 1 (7/day): Grease, Liberating Command, Tears to Wine, Saving Finale, heightened awareness, vanish, animate rope, feather fall.

Level 2 (6/day): glitterdust, gallant inspiration, heroism, mental block, mirror image, silence, invisibility, contagious zeal.

Level 3 (5/day): Haste, Good hope, Purging Finale.
+Symphony of the Elysian Heart (masterpiece)
+Hymn of Restorative harmonics (masterpiece)

Level 4 (2/day): Dimension door.
+The waning Bolero (masterpiece)

Oracle level 1 (2 known, 5/day) Obscuring mists, Comprehend language.

Skills Heal +19 (+2 when using planar channel), Perception +14, stealth (assumes sleeves of many garments count as MW tool for +2) +17, disable device (with mw tools) +18, Diplomacy +20, sense motive +21, bluff +21, perform: dance +20, sing +20, wind +17, planes +28, arcana +20, religion +19, dungeoneering +19, nature +19, local +18, nobility +20, history +18, geography +18, engineering +18, history +18, linguistics +7.

Traits

Varisian Tattoo (adds starknife/bladed scarf proficiency, +1 saves vs ench./compul.)

Resilient (+1 fortitude)

Feats

1: Scion of war
1: Lingering inspiration

2: Give up versatile performance to take Divine fgighting technique: desna’s shooting star 1 (alternate cost of the fighting style)
3: Point blank shot
5: Precise shot

7: Healer’s hands
9: Skill unlock: heal

10: Give up third versatile performance for Advanced divine fighting technique: desna’s shooting star (alternate cost of the fighting style)

11: Discordant voice

Bonus: Training weapon enchant on starknife adds deadly aim as feat.

13: Encouraging spell or persistant spell

Equipment

-+1 adamantine Training Returning starknife for deadly aim. 21.3 k
-+1 mithral breastplate 5.3 k
-Headband of charisma +4 (16 k)
-Ring of revelations (lesser) 10 k
-Dervish Sikhe (9k)
Gloves of the healer +5 2.5 k
+2 cloak of res 4 k
+1 singing steel buckler (8.15 k)
+2 belt of constitution 4 k

61.6 + 16.15 + 2.5 = 79,25/82.

Left: 2775 g.
-Backup CI daggers x 2
-Backup CI starknife x 2.
-Wand of Heightened Awareness x 1 750
-Wand of Moment of Greatness/Glory x 1 (half-charged). 375
-Wand of protection from evil x 1 (half-charged, in spring loaded wrist sheathe) 375
-Sleeves of many garments x 1 (200 gp).
-Scroll of recentering drone x 1 (in spring loaded wrist sheath) 125
-Crasked dusty rose prism (+1 init) 500 gp.

=2330

Left: 435 g.

Ioun Torch, oil of bless weapon, antitoxin, antiplague, spring loaded wrist sheathe x2, masterwork thieves tools (disasble device), 5 x smokestick, 3 x torch, flute x2, Mw tool: heal (using healer’s hands), rations, extra (knotted) rope with grappling hook, mw backpack, smoked goggles, ear wax, adventurer’s kit, 25 gp.

Aaron is a bard specialising in party buffing, utility and versatility. He can do a lot of different things fairly well, as is a bard's niche imho. When statting him out, I shied away from certain options to lower the power level a bit (such as no circlet of persuasion).

Damage: As a fullround action, he can throw his returning starknife using the Desna's Shooting Star divine fighting technique, making one attack roll and rolling 1d4. That 1d4 is the amount of hits the enemy takes from the starknife if it hits (it can only crit once). If he can't, normal throws work decently well too and he still hits for okayish damage with it in melee if his buffs are up.

Buffing: His inspire courage can be used as a swift action (level 7+ bard, singing steel buckler) and adds +3 hit and damage and 1d6 sonic damage to the weapon attacks of all allies within 30 ft of him. Aside from inspire courage he has a number of spells that buffs allies through things like haste, good hope, heroism and contageous zeal. Or on the skill front with tears to wine.

Healing/protection: Up to 11 times per day, he can use the healer's hands and the skill unlock (heal) feats to heal someone as a fullround action. This heals them for between 44 and 55 hp and heals 4 ability damage from each score. His bardic performances and masterpieces have a lot of ways to help people make saves or remove harmful conditions. For emergency situations he carries a scroll of breath of life in his spring-loaded wirst sheathe along with a scroll of obscuring mist in the other one. However, it is true that he has no standard action way to heal someone. To get healed, you'll have to be close or fall back to him.

Utility: Lots and lots of skills and knowledges, dimension door for teleportation, trapfinding to disarm magical traps, one of his masterpieces gives everyone Freedom of Movement for the duration. Another ones makes all nearby enemies Slowed, though inspire courage will be removed for that duration.

Hopefully, that makes him a valuable member in most situations!