Alethea Gracchus's page

[dice=Falcata, Power Attack]1d20+8[/dice]
[dice=Slashing]1d8+9[/dice]

[dice=Cestus, Power Attack]1d20+6[/dice]
[dice=Bludgeoning]1d4+5[/dice]

[dice=Parry, Power Attack]1d20+8+1[/dice]

Femininity, martial training, and rings are the purview of the Warrior’s Ring. In the eyes of Falayna, there is as much grace and beauty in the martial arts as exists in any culture’s definition of femininity. The strength of womanhood is a hallmark of femininity, and strength in arms reflects this, with the flourish and personality of a fighting style a vibrant means for self-expression. Followers of Falayna learn to fight so they can both express their body and defend themselves if necessary, and strive to feel beautiful doing so, both in form and in dress. Falayna also enjoys rings, and as such she is associated with events in which rings are given or exchanged, such as weddings.

When the Warrior’s Ring appears to mortals, her form is most often that of a muscular woman with the hair and eye colors most commonly associated with feminine beauty in the mortal’s mind. She wears a bright silver breastplate on top of flowing, silken robes, her longsword Betrothal sheathed across her back. On her fingers she wears rings of varying colors, styles, and stones; this jewelry seems to constantly shift, as if her fingers wear all the rings found in all the worlds. Followers of Falayna include warriors, soldiers, squires, jewelers, and those engaged to be married.

Edicts Wear and make beautiful things, train for combat, recover and return lost mementos
Anathema Disrupt or destroy romantic unions, enforce a dress code, cower from fights
Areas of Concern femininity, martial training, and rings

Combat Reflexes
You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to your Dexterity bonus. With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.

Power Attack
You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon.

When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2.

You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.

Slashing Grace (Falcata)
Choose one kind of light or one-handed slashing weapon (such as the longsword). When wielding your chosen weapon one-handed, you can treat it as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon (such as a swashbuckler’s or a duelist’s precise strike) and you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to that weapon’s damage. The weapon must be one appropriate for your size. You do not gain this benefit while fighting with two weapons or using flurry of blows, or any time another hand is otherwise occupied.

Weapon Focus (Falcata)
You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon.

Fencer
You trained with blades for long hours as a youth, either taking lessons in the genteel art of fencing from tutors paid for by your parents or being taken under the wing of a disenfranchised fencer who may have turned to a life of crime. You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack of opportunity attack rolls made with daggers, swords, and similar bladed weapons.

Overprotective
In your youth, you saw a younger friend or loved one suffer a grievous injury or die, and you blamed yourself for not having been there to help, even if there was nothing you could have done. If one of your allies should fall unconscious from hit point damage, you take a –2 penalty on attack rolls and skill checks as long as you are farther than 10 feet away from your fallen ally.

Warded Against Witchery
Sometime in your youth, you encountered a location, object, or being steeped in the power of evil witchcraft. Whether you were the victim of this force, were a conduit for it, or merely witnessed its effects, the event changed your life. You have tried to put the strange incident behind you and forget it, but nebulous premonitions of danger and eerie feelings of deja vu have dogged your steps ever since. For some inexplicable reason, you feel drawn to the lands of the North, though you fear another encounter with the evil witchcraft that touched you once before. Whether through your purity, the blessing of goodly spirits, an innate determination, or an intuitive and inexplicable familiarity with the ways of black magic, you have acquired a resilience against the power of the dark arts. You gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against the spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities of evil arcane spellcasters, and a +1 trait bonus on Spellcraft checks to identify spells cast by evil arcane spellcasters.

Unscathed
You are amazingly resistant to energy attacks because of either your upbringing or magical experimentation. Each type of energy resistance you have (if any) increases by 2 points.

Aura of Courage (Su)
At 3rd level, a paladin is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Aura of Good (Ex)
The power of a paladin's aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her paladin level.

Bravo’s Finesse (Ex)
A virtuous bravo can use her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier on attack rolls with light or one-handed piercing melee weapons (though if she carries a shield, she applies its armor check penalty to such attack rolls), and she can use her Charisma score in place of her Intelligence score to meet prerequisites of combat feats. This ability counts as having the Weapon Finesse feat for the purpose of meeting feat prerequisites.

Bravo’s Smite (Su)
When using smite evil, a virtuous bravo doesn’t gain a deflection bonus to AC.

Deeds
Swashbucklers spend panache points to accomplish deeds. Most deeds grant the swashbuckler a momentary bonus or effect, but some provide longerlasting effects. Some deeds remain in effect while the swashbuckler has at least 1 panache point, but do not require expending panache to be maintained. A swashbuckler can only perform deeds of her level or lower. Unless otherwise noted, a deed can be performed multiple successive times, as long as the swashbuckler has or spends the required number of panache points to perform the deed.

Detect Evil (Sp)
At will, a paladin can use detect evil, as the spell. A paladin can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is evil, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds. While focusing on one individual or object, the paladin does not detect evil in any other object or individual within range.

Divine Grace (Su)
At 2nd level, a paladin gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.

Divine Health (Ex)
At 3rd level, a paladin is immune to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases, including mummy rot.

Falcata Emphasis (Ex)
At 1st level, a rondelero swashbuckler is proficient with falcatas and can treat a falcata as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for the purposes of the swashbuckler’s finesse as well as all feats and class abilities that refer to such a weapon. This ability replaces the derring-do deed.

Favored Class Bonus (Paladin)
Add +1 to the paladin’s energy resistance to one kind of energy (maximum +10).
Cold 2

Lay on Hands (Su)
Beginning at 2nd level, a paladin can heal wounds (her own or those of others) by touch. Each day she can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 her paladin level plus her Charisma modifier. With one use of this ability, a paladin can heal 1d6 hit points of damage for every two paladin levels she possesses. Using this ability is a standard action, unless the paladin targets herself, in which case it is a swift action. Despite the name of this ability, a paladin only needs one free hand to use this ability.

Alternatively, a paladin can use this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures, dealing 1d6 points of damage for every two levels the paladin possesses. Using lay on hands in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Undead do not receive a saving throw against this damage.

Nimble (Ex)
At 3rd level, a virtuous bravo gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC while wearing light armor or no armor. Anything that causes the virtuous bravo to lose her Dexterity bonus to AC also causes her to lose this dodge bonus. This bonus increases by 1 for every 4 paladin levels beyond 3rd (to a maximum of +5 at 19th level). This ability replaces mercy.

Panache (Ex)
More than just a lightly armored warrior, a swashbuckler is a daring combatant. She fights with panache: a fluctuating measure of a swashbuckler’s ability to perform amazing actions in combat. At the start of each day, a swashbuckler gains a number of panache points equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Her panache goes up or down throughout the day, but usually cannot go higher than her Charisma modifier (minimum 1), though feats and magic items can affect this maximum. A swashbuckler spends panache to accomplish deeds (see below), and regains panache in the following ways.

Critical Hit with a Light or One-Handed Piercing Melee Weapon: Each time the swashbuckler confirms a critical hit with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon, she regains 1 panache point. Confirming a critical hit on a helpless or unaware creature or a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the swashbuckler’s character level doesn’t restore panache.

Killing Blow with a Light or One-Handed Piercing Melee Weapon: When the swashbuckler reduces a creature to 0 or fewer hit points with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon attack while in combat, she regains 1 panache point. Destroying an unattended object, reducing a helpless or unaware creature to 0 or fewer hit points, or reducing a creature that has fewer Hit Dice than half the swashbuckler’s character level to 0 or fewer hit points doesn’t restore any panache.

Smite Evil (Su)
Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.

In addition, while smite evil is in effect, the paladin gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the paladin targets a creature that is not evil, the smite is wasted with no effect.

The smite evil effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the paladin rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the paladin may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: Paladin, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.

Swashbuckler Finesse (Ex)
At 1st level, a swashbuckler gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse feat with light or one-handed piercing melee weapons, and she can use her Charisma score in place of Intelligence as a prerequisite for combat feats. This ability counts as having the Weapon Finesse feat for purposes of meeting feat prerequisites.

Dodging Panache (Ex)
At 1st level, when an opponent attempts a melee attack against the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action spend 1 panache point to move 5 feet; doing so grants the swashbuckler a dodge bonus to AC equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 0) against the triggering attack. This movement doesn’t negate the attack, which is still resolved as if the swashbuckler had not moved from the original square. This movement is not a 5-foot step; it provokes attacks of opportunity from creatures other than the one who triggered this deed. The swashbuckler can only perform this deed while wearing light or no armor, and while carrying no heavier than a light load.

Opportune Parry and Riposte (Ex)
At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature’s result, the creature’s attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature’s attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach. This deed's cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the number of panache points a deed costs.

The youngest daughter of her family's seven children, Alethea was always a bit unusual, even compared to her siblings. Her two brothers had no interest in taking up farming like their father, so one went off to Oppara to study at the Kitharodian Academy, while the other remained in Heldren as a wainwright. Her oldest sister, it turned out, was the one most passionate about following in their father's footsteps, while the others all learned unique trades and scattered off to the four winds as each of them found a husband or wife of their own.
Alethea, who had been raised on the heroic stories and songs her oldest brother brought home on his visits, didn't want to be a craftswoman, or a farmer, or an entertainer. She wanted to be a fighter. Nearly as soon as she could manage it, she would often be out running around with a wooden stick, pretending to swordfight with anyone who would humor her (and imaginary opponents if they wouldn't). No one took her martial ambitions seriously, however, until she was nearly thirteen.

That day, Alethea's entire family had gathered in Heldren proper for the wedding of one of her sisters, along with (in her opinion) half the prefecture. She remembered it being obscenely hot, and so she had stepped outside to rest in the shade of a tree and escape the crush inside the temple. Conveniently, this also allowed her to escape the sight of her mother, who was aghast that Alethea had insisted on wearing a wooden practice sword with her dress. Not everyone in attendance had the same reaction, though.

The woman who come to town specifically to officiate the wedding had followed her outside, wanting to speak with her. After first convincing Alethea that the girl wasn't in trouble, the woman asked about her sword, her interests, and her hopes for the future. By the end of the conversation, Alethea felt for the first time like someone had taken her seriously, instead of treating her like an amusement or embarrassment.

Later that week, the woman reappeared at Alethea's home, identifying herself as a paladin of Falayna and asking to take the girl as a squire. What followed was a rush of tearful goodbyes, a long journey to Oppara, and years of hard training. Now a grown adult, and no longer a squire, Alethea has returned home to her family before taking her final pledge as a paladin of Falayna in her own right.