About AlekssonAleksson
Ranger Class Features: Able Explorer (Ex) At 5th level, when making an Acrobatics, Climb, Fly, Ride, or Swim check in any of his favored terrains, a warden can make two skill checks and take the higher.
Favored Terrain (Cold +4, Mountain +2) (Ex) At 3rd level, a ranger may select a type of terrain. The ranger gains a bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain. A ranger traveling through his favored terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses). . . If a specific terrain falls into more than one category of favored terrain, the ranger's bonuses do not stack; he simply uses whichever bonus is higher. Hunter’s Tricks (Ex) At 5th level, a skirmisher Ranger learns the use of hunter’s tricks, which typically grant a boon or bonus to the Ranger or a nearby ally. At 5th level and every two levels thereafter, the Ranger learns a trick.Tricks are usually swift actions, but sometimes move or free actions that modify a standard action, usually an attack action. . . Ranger's Counsel As a swift action, the Ranger can grant all allies within 30 feet that are within line of sight and can hear him a +2 bonus on skill checks with a single skill of his choice. The Ranger must have at least one rank in the chosen skill. This bonus lasts for 1 round. . . Vengeance Strike The Ranger can use this trick as an immediate action when an enemy adjacent to him hits an ally with a melee or ranged attack. The Ranger can make a single melee attack at his highest base attack bonus against the creature who attacked his ally. Live in Comfort (Ex) At 2nd level, a warden is truly at home within his favored terrains. He knows all the signs of the wilderness. He rarely gets lost. He can easily live off the land in comfort, and can provide for companions. The warden can take 10 on any Survival check involving any of his favored terrains, even when in immediate danger and distracted. If the warden is not in immediate danger and distracted, he can take 20 even if the check has a penalty for failure. Terrain Bond (Ex) At 4th level, a warden forms a bond with the land itself, enabling him to direct others in such terrain. When in his favored terrain, the warden grants all allies within line of sight and that can hear him a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks. Also, as long as they travel with him, the warden's allies leave no trail and can't be tracked. The warden can choose for the group to leave a trail, or even for specific members of the group to leave a trail if he so desires. Track +3 A ranger adds half his level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks. Wild Empathy +6 (Ex) A ranger can improve the initial attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person (see Using Skills). The ranger rolls 1d20 and adds his ranger level and his Charisma bonus 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 ranger and the animal must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. . . The ranger can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a –4 penalty on the check. Woodland Stride (Ex) Starting at 7th level, a ranger may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. . . Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect him. Prodigy Class Features: Casting Aleksson is a mid-caster, with Wisdom as his CAM.
Imbue Sequence (Su) At 2nd level, as part of starting a sequence, the prodigy may infuse himself with mystic energy tied to one magic sphere she possesses. Only a single imbue ability may be applied at a time, though the imbuement may be changed as a swift action. If the sequence ends or the prodigy changes the imbuement, any benefits of the imbuement are lost immediately. Each imbuement also unlocks the (finish) ability or abilities tied to the same sphere. If an ability has a range or save DC, it is defined based on the prodigy’s caster level with that sphere. Imbuement effects do not cost spell points or require concentration unless noted. Beginning an imbuement or activating a finisher are sphere effects, though neither provokes attacks of opportunity. Improved Adaptation (6/day) (Ex) The prodigy may open her mind to a flash of insight, temporarily discovering skills she didn’t know she had. At 5th level, the prodigy may use her adaptation ability to gain the benefits of two talents at the same time. She may select one combat or magic talent as a move action or two combat or magic talents as a standard action. This effect lasts for 1 minute. The prodigy must possess that talent’s base sphere and meet any prerequisites (if an advanced talent). She may use one of these talents to meet a prerequisite of the second talent; doing so means that she cannot replace a talent currently fulfilling another’s prerequisite without also replacing those talents that require it. The prodigy may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 her class level. Each individual talent selected counts toward the prodigy’s daily uses of adaptation. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack. If the prodigy uses this ability again before the previous duration has expired, it replaces the previous use. Inspired Sequence (Ex) While the prodigy has an active sequence, she gains an insight bonus on attack and damage rolls and caster level equal to half the length of her sequence (minimum 1). Reflect Spell (Su) At 7th level, when targeted by a sphere effect, spell, or spell-like ability, as an immediate action the prodigy may expend martial focus to make a magic skill check against the caster’s MSD. If successful, the spell is reflected back on the caster. The prodigy is unaffected and the caster is treated as if it was the original target. Regardless of success, the prodigy is staggered on her next turn. Sequence (6 links, Ex)A prodigy may string together actions in combat, building momentum, setting her position, and unbalancing enemies to be able to execute powerful offensive and defensive techniques. Sequences have three parts: openers, link components, and finishers. The maximum length of a sequence is 4 links plus 1 link per 3 class levels. Attempts to add additional links have no effect and anything that would cause the sequence to lose a link acts normally. A prodigy may only have one sequence active at a time; any actions affect the currently active sequence. Any time a prodigy begins her turn without having added a link to her sequence since the beginning of her last turn, her active sequence loses one link. Should this reduce the sequence to 0 links, the sequence ends and must be started again. If the prodigy becomes dazed, dead, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious, the sequence immediately ends. . . A sequence requires the rush induced by real danger. As such, a sequence cannot be started prior to rolling initiative and ends automatically 1 round after there is no longer any apparent immediate threat (such as a hostile creature capable of making an attack or casting a spell or sphere effect). Steady Skill (3/day, Ex) At 3rd level, once per day after the prodigy rests to regain spell points, she may spend 10 minutes practicing to focus her mind on a particular skill. She selects one skill from the prodigy class skill list; the prodigy may take ten on that skill even when rushed or threatened. Additionally, a number of times per day equal to her casting ability modifier, she may expend martial focus as part of making a skill check with the chosen skill to take 15 instead of 10. This otherwise is treated as taking 10, though can be used even when rushed or threatened. This effect lasts until she chooses a new skill after resting to regain spell points. Unbroken Sequence (3 rounds) (Ex) At 4th level, when the prodigy’s sequence would be ended by the dazed, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious conditions, she may expend martial focus to prevent the sequence from ending due to that condition for a number of rounds equal to her practitioner modifier. Sequence Openers, Imbuements, Links, & Finishers: Imbue
. . •Destructive Edge +7 damage with attack action, type matching a blast type you have. . . •Defended Gain an aegis at CL 7 Openers An opener begins a new sequence. A newly started sequence is one link in length.
Link Components Successfully performing a link component increases the length of the prodigy’s active sequence by 1 link. A given action may not add more than 1 link even if it fulfills the conditions of more than one link component, such as dealing damage to a hostile creature and that hostile creature failing a save granted by that same effect. Bonus attacks granted by or made as part of a given action (such as the Barrage or Dual Wielding spheres or the Armiger’s rapid assault ability) count as part of the original action for this purpose, though attacks of opportunity do not. All openers function as link components if performed after a sequence has been started. No link component may grant a link more than once per turn.
Finishers A sequence may be ended to activate a finisher. Each finisher has a required activation action and some have a minimum sequence length. Once a finisher has been used, the prodigy’s sequence is ended. Actions taken as part of a finisher do not count toward the current sequence nor begin a new sequence.
Combat Spheres: Martial Tradition: Animal Handler (granted talents marked with *)
Athletics (leap [package]) Coordinated Movement: Regain martial focus whenever you withdraw. Leap (package): DC 15 Acrobatics check to reduce the height of a fall by 20 ft., +10 ft. for every 10 points by which you beat the DC. . . Associated Movement/Skill: Jumping/Acrobatics Beastmastery (handle animal [package]*, greater trainer*)
Duelist
Equipment (bounty hunter's tools [discipline]*, bushido training [discipline]*, finesse training x2, throwing mastery)
Shield
Spherecasting:
CL 5th, concentration +8 or +12 to cast defensively, Wisdom-based, DC 16; General Drawbacks: Emotional Casting, Galvanized
. . To cast spells, must be wielding a martial or exotic weapon with metal components with which you are proficient. Must not be suffering from non-harmless emotional magic, such as fear effects and (emotion) descriptor spells. Destruction (energy blade [shape], fire blast [blast])
Protection (energy resistance) {limited protection [ward]}
.. Namuu: Horse (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 177)
N Large animal Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +6 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 9 (+2 Dex, -1 size) hp 15 (2d8+6) Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +1 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 50 ft. Melee 2 hooves +3 (1d4+3) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 16, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 7 Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 17 (21 vs. trip) Feats Endurance, Run [b]Tricks Attack, Combat Riding, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Heel Skills Acrobatics +2 (+6 to jump with a running start, +10 to jump), Perception +6, Ride +2 (+4 to stay in the saddle) SQ combat riding -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Combat Riding [Trick] The animal has been trained to bear a rider into combat. Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue. Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail. Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running. Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ feet by sense of smell. Stid:
Musk ox
N Large animal Init +0; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +9 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 13, touch 9, flat-footed 13 (+4 natural, -1 size) hp 22 (3d8+9) Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1 Immune immune to cold weather effects -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 40 ft. Melee gore +7 (1d8+9) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks stampede, trample (2d6+9, DC 17) -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 22, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 4 Base Atk +2; CMB +9; CMD 19 (23 vs. trip) Feats Endurance, Skill Focus (Perception) Skills Acrobatics +0 (+4 to jump), Perception +9 SQ docile -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Docile This animal's natural attacks are treated as secondary unless it is trained to fight. Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue. Immune to Cold Weather effects Immune to the effects of cold weather. Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail. Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ feet by sense of smell. Stampede (Ex) Trample improves with multiple tramplers. ~~~~~~~~~~ 10-Minute Background: Deviating from the format somewhat, much of Aleksson's background is written into this section. The core part of each number, where applicable, is highlighted in italics bold.
Essentials
2) His mother bled out during his birth. His parents had one child before him: his older sister Odene. When Hai Yen passed, Aleks remained with the Huldin tribe and watched over his children with the help of their maternal grandmother, Bach Xuan. 3) Growing fast and displaying strange martial prowess at a young age, Ganbatu’s grandmother proclaimed it to be a sign of draconic lineage. Bach Xuan spent time teaching Ganbatu the language of the great serpents, while his father, a mighty warrior and horseman in his own right, honed his son's fighting skills without truly understanding them. Ganbatu's horsemanship did not develop at the same exponential rate, but the worst Huldin is still better than most, and he is a competent rider. 4) Xenophobic are the Huldin, and Aleks and his family had many enemies in the tribe. Generally, his swordsmanship and the blood ties of Hia Yen's father had kept them safe. This changed three years ago, when he fell ill suddenly after the noontime meal. Aleks died later that day. The herbalist Orbei confirmed the night of his passing that he had been poisoned. His dying wish for Odene was to find a new home where she may live in comfort and safety, while he asked Ganbatu to bring his body to be buried in his homeland, the Land of the Linnorm Kings. 5) Ganbatu left the next night with his share of his father’s coin and travelled north to Ordu-Aganhei. True to Tian-La custom, he slashed his face to mark his grief, and as defiance of those customs, he assumed the name Aleksson in memory of his father. Upon arrival to the city, he struck a deal with a departing caravan: in exchange for his services as a scout and guard, the Yamastuman cleric Min Qin would keep his father’s body magically perserved. Aleksson insists on using his full name, and doesn't appreciate shortened variations such as Aleks or Al. 6) Duty fulfilled, Aleksson now seeks to return to home and uncover his father's killer. For a short while, worked a caravan heading back to Tian Xia, but it was obliterated by a white dragon. He was the only survivor besides the horse and yak that spooked before the dragon came into view. In the aftermath, he tracked down the two missing animals, and brought them back around to salvage what remained in the frozen, shattered wreckage.
2) The 'good ending' to Aleksson's story involves being reunited with his family or in position to start his own at campaign’s end. His maternal grandmother would still be with the Huldin provided she hasn't succumbed to old age, and his sister has moved on to somewhere unknown.
2) Olaf Hendrickson, patriarch to nearly half of the caravan, hired Aleksson and also blames him for their destruction. He soon rises as a revenant if he hasn't already (or dread revenant if you prefer), and seeks retribution against Aleksson for the deaths of himself, his family, and the people who placed their trust in him. Here, he sees no distinction between the gross overconfidence of youth and deliberate murder.
2) Batu is the foremost suspect Aleksson has in the murder of his father. As the oldest of Agasiletai's legitimate children, Batu was raised with the best the Huldin tribe could offer, and upon the baga bohd's death, Batu believed himself deserving to be his father's replacement. Many vied for the title, however, and the deciding moment of Batu's failure came when he dueled against Aleks, the appointed champion of his fiercest competition. Batu, despite being a competent warrior in his own right, rigged the fight in his favor such that Aleks's blade would come apart on its first strike. The sabotage worked flawlessly, but Aleks still managed to subdue Batu without his weapon, winning the fight. Worse, Aleks suspected the foul play, and chose to dishonor his foe by sparing his life. Batu has held a grudge ever since. 3) Orbei is the matron of another large Huldin family. A mother of seven, she's well-versed in childcare and herbal medicine, and she served as an invaluable resource for Aleks and Bach Xuan. Aleksson doesn't remember this, as he was still learning to walk at the time, but his sister once contracted a terrible cough and fever. When Aleks turned to Orbei, she knew where he could procure the rare mountain root that would save his daughter. It was a few day's travel for Alex, but Orbei watched over Odene in his absence, allowing Bach Xuan to care for Aleksson in safety despite the risk to her own children. Aleks would proudly say he was forever in Orbei's debt, and she remained a close family friend even after Aleks's death.
2) Every Tian-La has experienced the sky dragon's angry breath, and the Huldin tribe was no exception. Bach Xuan always sang a lullaby to Aleksson and Odene as the tribe sought shelter from these biannual storms. Each verse in turn addressed a different spirit, asking for its blessing and protection. Though the words changed each season according to the nearby spirits, each plea ended on the refrain 'eternal', and the song always started the same:
3) Aleksson also recalls the first time he killed someone, about six years ago now. Riding ahead of the Huldin as they travelled to fresh grazing grounds, he and a few tribesmen came across a small group of down-on-their-luck travelers. Claiming to have been chased off of the road, he sympathized with their situation. However, the Hongal horselords never tolerated outsiders off of the trade routes, and the Huldin were no exception. He and the others rode the group down, with Aleksson going for the apparent leader: an older Tian-Dan man, perhaps in his fifties. While the man fumbled with a bow, Aleksson executed his freshly-mastered spark strike as he rode past. The blade erupted in flames as it slid across the man's weathered neck, and a torrent of boiling blood sprayed Aleksson's face and chest. The mess and smell of seared flesh shocked him enough that he immediately fell out of his saddle. This is not a fond memory of his, but it is a reality of life among the Huldin, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time Aleksson would kill someone with whom he held no particular quarrel. Appearance: One could compare Aleksson to a young, healthy sapling. Standing six-and-a-half feet tall, his two-hundred pounds frame seems almost fragile... but then he moves. The lean muscle scaling his body produces alarming celerity that's tempered with a finely-tuned grace.
It is more the tragedy, then, that his face leaves much to be desired. His hair shines with the dusty blonde seen on some Ulfen men, but it comes to a sharp widow's peak and carries a wiry quality with it. Combine it with the narrow, near-black eyes resting unevenly on his broad cheekbones, and Aleksson is not as much ugly as he is a downright strange-looking individual. (Make no mistake, though; he is ugly.) His most distinguishing feature, however, is the two fresh scars running in symmetry from cheek to jawline, forever displaying the grief he felt at his father's passing. Aleksson's daily attire generally consists of a wool tunic and underpants beneath leather outerwear. These are rendered suitable for the cold by yak fur, though the pelts of foxes and hares have their place in the garments. His hair remains out of sight, braided and then stacked underneath a peaked leather helm. Steel chain links wrap around his torso without restricting too much movement, and he carries a small sword against his left hip while a bow with quiver sits on his right. A wooden round shield and longspear strapped his back complete the armaments, and a few ioun stones zip around his head as well. Personality: Aleksson speaks with confidence to both strangers and friends. His words are chosen carefully in serious discussions, but he engages in small talk freely. Religion and philosophy in particular are favorite topics, even though he has an admittedly narrow understanding of either.
Aleksson likes to believe that he doesn't hold grudges, but he rarely forgets mistakes made by himself or others. He is also bold and sometimes reckless, as any boy his age is, but recent events have taken a step towards curbing those behavior. When his duties for the day are fulfilled, he winds down with water coloring; learned from his grandmother, the practice of creating something also ties in well with the discipline of the Shattered Mirror. Miraculously, his painting supplies were mostly unharmed in the dragon attack. Jade Regent Hook:
I imagine Aleksson has been lost in the wilderness for a maybe a week now. If his hook occurs independent of the other new player, Aleksson would have spotted Brinewall Castle from a distance as his first sign of civilization. In this scenario, traveling towards the structure brings him across the caravan, within a short time window of the other player.
If the other player's hook involves arriving from the wilderness or road rather than the castle itself, Aleksson likely ran into him/her within the past day or two, and offered the idea of safety in numbers. In either case, if this caravan is in trouble, he is eager, though careful, to aid in whatever capacity he can. |
