About AglamoreStatblock:
Aglamore the Crusader
Male Human (Taldan) Cleric of Iomedae 3 LG Medium humanoid (human) Init +6; Senses Perception +5 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +2 Dex) hp 24 (3d8+6) Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +6 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 20 ft. Melee dagger +5 (1d4+3/19-20) and . . dagger +5 (1d4+3/19-20) and . . longspear +5 (1d8+4/×3) and . . longsword +5 (1d8+3/19-20) Ranged sling +4 (1d4+3) Special Attacks channel positive energy 2/day (DC 12, 2d6) Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd; concentration +6) . . 6/day—touch of glory Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 3rd; concentration +6): 2nd—bless weapon [D], bull's strength, spear of purity (DC 15) 1st—comprehend languages, divine favor, protection from evil [D], shield of faith 0 (at will)—detect magic, enhanced diplomacy, guidance, stabilize [D] Domain spell; Domains Glory, Heroism, Tactics, War -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 16, Cha 9 Base Atk +2; CMB +5; CMD 17 Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Power Attack Traits helpful, magical lineage Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 jump), Diplomacy +3, Heal +7, Knowledge (planes) +2, Knowledge (religion) +2, Perception +5, Sense Motive +8 Languages Common SQ aura, domains (heroism, tactics), seize the initiative Combat Gear oil of bless weapon, potion of cure light wounds (4), potion of enlarge person; Other Gear chain shirt, dagger, dagger, longspear, longsword, sling, sling bullets (10), terendelev's scales (resistance), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, candle (10), flint and steel, wooden holy symbol (Iomedae), holy text, mess kit, pot, rope, soap, spell component pouch, torch (10), waterskin, 365 gp, 1 sp -------------------- TRACKED RESOURCES -------------------- Cleric Channel Positive Energy 2d6 (2/day) (DC 12) (Su) - 0/2 Dagger - 0/1 Dagger - 0/1 Oil of bless weapon - 0/1 Potion of cure light wounds - 0/4 Potion of enlarge person - 0/1 Resist Energy (electricity or cold) (3/day) - 0/3 Seize the Initiative (6/day) (Su) - 0/6 Sling bullets - 0/10 Torch - 0/10 Touch of Glory (6/day) (Sp) - 0/6 -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Aura (Ex) The Cleric has an aura corresponding to his deity's alignment. Cleric Channel Positive Energy 2d6 (2/day) (DC 12) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect. Cleric Domain (Heroism) Associated Domain: Glory Cleric Domain (Tactics) Associated Domain: War Combat Reflexes (3 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed. Helpful Aid another grants allies a +3 bonus (instead of usual +2). Magical Lineage (Breath of Life) A chosen spell counts as 1 level lower when metamagic feats are applied to it. Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage. Seize the Initiative (6/day) (Su) An ally within 30' may take the better of 2d20 for initiative Touch of Glory (6/day) (Sp) Grant +3 to a CHA-based skill or ability check. Character Background and Notes:
The Character
"Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof." - Kahlil Gibran "Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings." - Victor Hugo "Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter." - Proverbs 24:11 Part I: Origins
Aglamore was born to a poor family in Andoran in 4680. When he was just a boy, he was chosen to serve in the household of an important priest of Iomedae named Corminoth Wolmer (The Worldwound, p. 35). The young man took his duties seriously, and at the insistence of his master, became learned in the faith. Aglamore subsisted as much on the idealized tales of the crusaders, of Aroden and of Iomedae as on food and water. He longed to fight the glorious fight against true evil, without the slightest comprehension of what true evil was. Aglamore came to love and respect Wolmer, seeing in him the living embodiment of all the tales he adored. He studiously applied himself to his religious lessons and began weapons training as soon as he was allowed. In 4695, Wolmer joined the Fourth Crusade, packing up and traveling north to join the fight against the Storm King in the Worldwound. Just fifteen years old, Aglamore was permitted to come along as the priest’s attendant, though neither intended Aglamore to actually leave Mendev and enter the Worldwound. Part II: The War
Fatefully, Aglamore chose to ignore his master’s orders to remain in Kenebres. Donning his armor, he disguised himself with a stolen helmet and fell in at the rear of the march. It was two weeks before Corminoth Wolmer discovered his attendant in the midst of the army, and by that time the army had already fought several sharp engagements. The priest chastised Aglamore for his disobedience, but had no way to send him back, so Aglamore got his fondest wish - fight in the Crusades at the side of a great Iomedaen hero. A month into the campaign, Aglamore’s army was overwhelmed by a much larger force of demons loyal to Minagho, the lilitu mistress of Raliscrad. Most of the army was slaughtered, but a strong resistance fought on under Wolmer, defying the demon horde until their commander appeared. So strong was her will that all were swept before her. Wolmer, Aglamore and a few companions were seized by the demons. Part III: Hell in a Very Small Place
The men began to despair, and one even took his own life to escape the never-ending torment. Aglamore knew he was no priest, but he had trained hard in Andoran, and wanted to keep the men’s spirits up while his master was away. He began to preach to his fellows, to bind their wounds and even to steal food when he could and give it to his fellow prisoners, a very dangerous act. In every way, he tried to emulate the noble Corminoth Wolmer. One night as the prisoners languished, filthy and disease-ridden, one of them, a man named Jorismus, began to cough up blood. It was clear that the hour of his death was at hand. Aglamore prayed fervently over the man’s injuries and only slowly became aware of the silence around him. All the prisoners were staring at him. The sick man was whole and sound, breathing easy. It slowly dawned on Aglamore that Iomedae had worked a miracle through him. The men’s spirits returned, and Aglamore became more dedicated to their survival than ever. He preached what he remembered of Iomedae’s canon and worked to keep their spirits from falling too low, a nearly impossible task when surrounded by such hideous cruelty. Jorimus the first soldier his prayers had saved, carved him a small wooden sword symbol of Iomedae, and that became the focus of his worship for all the years to come. Years passed and his original companions were all killed, mostly in the bloodsports of the demons. New prisoners came and went as the Fourth Crusade wore on into its second decade. Degradation and depravation stalked them like predators, but they had one point of pure light among them: Aglamore. He never knew why the demons did not kill him, though they often brutalized him near to death. He suspected that they were simply trying to get him to despair. Many times he was on the brink of doing just that, but he held on for his fellow prisoners. Part IV: Betrayal
One night in 4707, after nearly a dozen years of captivity, Aglamore was taken by the demons to see their mistress. Beaten, aged and starved, Aglamore believed he was going to be executed at long last, and to tell the truth, he welcomed the release of death. He prayed to Pharasma to judge him kindly. He met Minagho the lilitu in her impressive throne room. She was both beautiful and hideous, with horns where her eyes should be. “Do you know why you have been kept alive for so many years, Aglamore?” she asked. “It was my gift to my lover, my high priest. He asked for you to be broken by hope and despair. But you haven’t broken, have you? Not in nearly dozen years. How delicious.” “I’d like you to meet him now.” She gestured with a long and manicured hand. Aglamore looked over to regard the man entering the room in the hated garb of a priest of Baphomet. It was Corminoth Wolmer. Aghast, Aglamore struggled to speak, but found he had no words. His mind reeled. “Don’t be so dramatic,” Wolmer said. “The crusade and its goddess were both pathetic and weak. The Lady Minagho permitted me to see the truth of the real strength of Baphomet. I chose the winning side. I have been well rewarded.” “You would not see the truth without my intervention, Aglamore,” he continued. “But you have made me very proud. Your endurance is considerable. So too is your reason. The crusade is over and your side lost. You do not have to die here. You...were like a son to me. Join me and live. Join me and rule estates as vast as you wish under our gracious mistress.” Aglamore at last recovered his powers of speech. “You...traitor!” he shouted. “Monster!” Aglamore rushed at the high priest of Baphomet, intent on seizing his former master’s throat in his hands, but with a great crash of a demon’s club from behind, his lights went out. Part V: Descent into Darkness
That is when the voices started. They were not comforting. They were seriously, fundamentally creepy. And they seemed to come up from the bowels of the earth. Judgment is at hand, they warned, and The grave is nigh. Even in his despairing state, something about those cold voices terrified Aglamore. That night, a great beast escaped its handlers and careened through the fortress courtyard where Aglamore was hunched in a wooden cell. It was immense and its maddened ravings broke walls and shattered cobbles. It came near to Aglamore and smashed open his cage. He saw his chance at freedom...and then the ground collapsed beneath him and he fell. Aglamore landed hard deep in the bowels beneath the Ivyfane, and here the voices returned, urging him onwards. He fled past ancient crypts and twisting tunnels, occasionally glimpsing here and there a shroud-draped figure. He ran and ran until his withered body could take no more and he collapsed on the ground, utterly spent. Part VI: Resolve
When he told his tale, the crusaders almost universally treated him like a pariah, an obvious tool of the cult of Baphomet trying to worm his way into their ranks. It took years to get his strength back and to acquire enough gear and respect for his service to attempt to return to duty with the crusaders, but Aglamore is determined to return to Raliscrad some day. PERSONAL GOALS
Three essential drives reside within Aglamore’s breast: 1) Nobody Dies on My Watch - Aglamore is sickened by all the death he has seen. He believes himself to be touched by both Iomedae and Pharasma, and is determined that no good person will die while has anything to say about it. He will go to almost any lengths to protect his teammates and will go to great lengths to protect the innocent. He has absolutely no qualms about killing evil, however. 2) Vengeance - Aglamore has seen the evil of the Worldwound. He’s back and this time it’s personal. He wants to be a terror to the demons, a holy cleansing fire that will drive them back to where they came from, then follow them there and burn it to the ground. 3) Redemption - A tiny part of Aglamore believes that a tiny part of Corminoth Wolmer still wishes for redemption and absolution. He wants more than anything to give that chance to his old hero. By extension, Aglamore believes that there is good in all mortals and some immortals. He looks for opportunities to turn the fallen back to righteous paths. PSYCH TRAITS SANGUINE and PHLEGMATIC (The Guardian) - Aglamore lives for others, to increase their strengths, to buoy their sprits. As much as he helped others survive in Raliscrad, that activity permitted him to survive. Keeping his mind on their problems kept it off his own. CHARACTER TRAITS 1) Right Makes Might - Aglamore believes that as long as he remains true to Iomedae, he cannot truly fail. This can push him into risky and self-sacrificing decisions. 2) Do Not Go Gentle - Aglamore knows the awesome power of the enemy. If it is his fate to die, he wants to die with a weapon in his hands, taking as many of his enemy with him as he can. PERSONALITY TRAITS 1) The Eternal Churchill - “A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you STAND! MEN! OF THE WEST!” - Aragorn, The Return of the King. Aglamore does not believe in giving up. He has seen his darkest hour and come back. From here on out, it’s do or die. 2) Warrior Monk - Soldier and shaman both, Aglamore goes to battle knowing he is the strong shield-arm of Iomedae. He fears neither personal death nor dishonor. He fears only letting down his companions. 3) Holy is Not Safe - “Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for I am the baddest M***********r in the Valley.” - apocryphal, attributed to the United States Marine Corps. Aglamore has been burned clean of hesitation, of all that is soft in him and knows without a shadow of doubt that what he is doing is RIGHT. That makes him very dangerous, indeed. APPEARANCE
CHARACTER CREATION REQUIREMENTS
To choose one’s class – state what you have to offer the crusade (imagine you were responding to a recruiter): “I have seen the war up close. I was a prisoner in Raliscrad for much of my life. I was saved by the grace of the Inheritor, of good Iomedae. It is Her command that I heal those who go to war and keep them safe. And that is just what I intend to do, with your help or without it.” To gain belongings (average wealth for your character class) – tell me what your character looks like, and how they comport themselves: See above. To be richer still (max wealth for your character class) – describe one item you bear that was inherited from someone important to you, and how it came to be yours: Aglamore bore only one item out of the hell of Raliscrad, and he bears it still. It is the small wooden sword carved for him by the doomed prisoner Jorimus. He regards it as a personal sign of Iomedae’s favor and wonders if Jorimus was not an angel in disguise.
I imagine we might be presented with AP-specific traits when the Player’s Guide comes out. But in the absence of that, or in lieu of that, I choose the following: 1) Sacred Conduit. The hand of Iomedae is on Aglamore. Her holy radiance shines through him just a little more strongly than in some others. 2) Magical Lineage (Breath of Life). Though Aglamore will not realize it until he is more experienced, his fervent need to keep his companions alive will eventually express itself most strongly through one particular spell. To gain the bonus trait Channel Divinity below – state your patron deity and how you venerate them in daily life.
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