About Gaius Ignatius VBackstory:
Gaius hails from a long line of knights from Vinland who have served as the loyal bodyguards of the monarchy of Estria. House Ignatius trains all of their children as warriors and artists alike, and they excel both in keeping the peace and in ensuring that they have grand stories to tell. The reigning monarch, King Markus, has also taken to sending his strongest warriors to brave the Tower of Ages every nine years against the advice of his advisors. Eighteen years ago, when Gaius was a wee child of six years old, his father was the first such tribute sent from the kingdom.
Gaius did not understand his father’s departure at the time. Daddy always went on trips and came back. Battle, rare as it was, sounded scary, but daddy always came back. Except this time… Nine years later, Gaius’ older sister Tullia was similarly sent to the tower at the tender age of nineteen, with high hopes. Where Gaius Ignatius IV was a capable warrior, Tullia had shown a spark of arcane promise and was sent to train with the Atlaeans to prepare for her pilgrimage to the Godspire. Before she arrived in Korryn, there were tales reaching back home of her mighty deeds on the road. Perhaps she would be the one to best the Tower and return, as hundreds before had failed. And yet she did not complete her quest in time and was unable to enter. She said that she would be prepared the next time, but the King called her a disappointment and said that Gaius would take the honor in her place. Gaius, now twenty-four, has trained every day since his sister returned, ready to follow in his father’s footsteps where Tullia could not. In his father’s absence, Gaius learned sword and shield work from his uncle at a school where he became fast friends with another local boy, Maximus Benedictus. Gaius does not know why the King has specified his family to be sent to the Axis of the World, but there must be a reason. And as the festival of New Tran approaches, Gaius is prepared to go on the quest, ready to learn the secrets that his family seems destined for. Appearance:
Gaius is a fairly handsome man, standing about 6’1” with the olive-toned skin of his people, a head of vibrantly curly chestnut hair, and keen hazel eyes. There is a small scar above his left eye that he bears proudly rather than trying to cover it up: a mark that he has already seen battle (and prevailed). In his travels in service to his liege-lord he has collected a series of powerful and rare objects to ensure that he is prepared for this adventure, notably a suit of mithral armor that he has nearly mastered using. The armor has been emblazoned with the Ignatius family crest, a lute crossed with a sword and flanked by olive branches. This, a reflective gray cloak, and a darkwood shield were gifts earned from his time with a small elven enclave. Personality, Outlook, Why He Wants to Enter the Tower:
Gaius is fiercely dutybound to his liege-lord and will do what he is told. If he is told to go to the Tower, whatever the reason, he will honor the King’s wishes. But he admits curiosity as well. Could his father still be alive somewhere in the Tower after all these years? If Gaius can find them and bring them back, then it would bring a smile to his ailing mother’s face.
Where his father was deeply affable and his sister was (well, is) a remarkable tactician, Gaius is stubborn and prone to temper. He has a broad education that has touched on almost every topic, and a (perhaps misplaced) confidence to prattle on about a given topic as though he knows all that there is to know. But he means well. More than almost anything, he enjoys telling stories. Stories to inspire, to entertain, to put someone in their place: for however long this journey lasts, Gaius is certain that he will create many more stories in the process. Details:
Human Arcane Duelist (Bard) 13 / Marshal-Archmage 2 LN Medium humanoid (human, Vitolian) Init +6; Senses Perception +23 --------------------
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Item Spell Abilities
Spell-Like Abilities
Bard Spells Known (CL 13th; concentration +17, +23 to cast defensively, 3/day roll twice to cast defensively and take the better)
*Page of Spell Knowledge Magus Spells Known (CL 13th; concentration +17, +23 to cast defensively, 3/day roll twice to cast defensively and take the better; cast as with eschew materials)
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Class Abilities:
Covering only items unique to the arcane duelist…
Arcane Strike: Arcane duelists gain Arcane Strike as a bonus feat at 1st level. This ability replaces bardic knowledge. Bardic Performance: An arcane duelist gains the following types of bardic performance. Rallying Cry (Su): At 1st level, an arcane duelist can use performance to rally dispirited allies. Each round he makes an Intimidate check. Any ally (including the bard) within 30 feet may use this check in place of his own saving throw against fear and despair effects. Those already under a fear or despair effect can attempt a new save each round using the bard’s Intimidate check. Rallying cry does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. This is a mind-affecting ability that uses audible components. This performance replaces countersong. Bladethirst (Su): An arcane duelist of 6th level or higher may use performance to grant one weapon, one natural weapon, one end of a double weapon, or 50 items of ammunition of the same type within 30 feet a +1 enhancement bonus. This enhancement bonus increases by +1 for every three levels after 6th (maximum +5 at 18th level). These bonuses stack with existing bonuses and may be used to increase the item’s enhancement bonus up to +5 or to add any of the following weapon properties: defending, distance, ghost touch, keen, mighty cleaving, returning, shock, shocking burst, seeking, speed, or wounding. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before adding special abilities. This performance replaces suggestion.
Bonus Feats: An arcane duelist weaves might and magic in his combat style, gaining the following bonus feats at 2nd level and every four levels thereafter: 2nd level—Combat Casting, 6th level—Disruptive, 10th level—Spellbreaker, Arcane Bond (Ex): At 5th level, an arcane duelist gains the arcane bond ability as a wizard, using a weapon as his bonded item, allowing him to cast any one addition spell that he knows once per day. He may not choose a familiar or other type of bonded item. He may use the hand holding his bonded weapon for somatic components. This ability replaces lore master. Arcane Armor (Ex): At 10th level, an arcane duelist gains Medium Armor Proficiency and can cast bard spells in medium armor with no chance of arcane spell failure. Travel Domain
Agile Feet (Su): As a free action, you can gain increased mobility for 1 round. For the next round, you ignore all difficult terrain and do not take any penalties for moving through it. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier. Dimensional Hop (Sp): At 8th level, you can teleport up to 10 feet per cleric level per day as a move action. This teleportation must be used in 5-foot increments and such movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You must have line of sight to your destination to use this ability. You can bring other willing creatures with you, but you must expend an equal amount of distance for each creature brought. Studied Target (Ex): A slayer can study an opponent he can see as a move or swift action. The slayer then gains a +3 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +3 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The DCs of class abilities against that opponent increase by 3. A slayer can only maintain these bonuses against three opponents at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponents are dead or the slayer studies a new target. The slayer may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing him to study another target in its place. Traits:
Armor Expert (combat): You have worn armor as long as you can remember, either as part of your training to become a knight’s squire or simply because you were seeking to emulate a hero. Your childhood armor wasn’t the real thing as far as protection, but it did encumber you as much as real armor would have, and you’ve grown used to moving in such suits with relative grace. When you wear armor of any sort, reduce that suit’s armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum check penalty of 0.
Practiced Disruptor (social): You are experienced at facing off against spellcasters. You can attempt Knowledge (arcana) checks untrained; if you have ranks in that skill, you instead gain a +1 trait bonus on those checks. The concentration DC to cast a spell defensively in your threatened area increases by 1. Tower Seal (campaign): You bear the Tower Seal upon your body. After signing the Bookkeeper’s ledger the seal appeared on your skin (at a location of your choosing) in a wave of magical energy. The seal looks like a softly-glowing azure tattoo of three concentric pentagrams inscribed by a circle, about 4 inches across. At will, you can focus on the seal as a full-round action in order to use know direction as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to your character level, however, doing so does not reveal which direction is north. Instead, using this ability will reveal the direction to one of the following: the Tower of Ages, the nearest Anchor, or the portal you traveled out of the Tower through. You must choose before using this ability which of the three you are orienting yourself towards. You can spend 1 mythic point when activating your seal to instead cast find the path but you can only target the portal you traveled out of the Tower through when doing so. Attunement:
The armor attunement has been split +1/+1 between the mithral breastplate and the heavy darkwood shield. The weapon attunement is fully devoted to the longsword. Mental Prowess was devoted to raising Intelligence, and Physical Prowess was devoted to raising Dexterity.
Soul: Resonance - Completing the first attunement has brought to fruition a divine seed which you have always felt buried in your soul. Choose one domain from the following list: You gain its granted powers as a cleric of your character level. In addition, you gain the ability to use each of its domain spells as a spell-like ability 1/day, beginning when your character level equals twice its spell level. All of the save DCs are Wis based. Flesh: Awareness - Completing the second attunement has awakened your senses in a way that allows you to better recognize, and exploit, openings in your enemies’ defenses. You gain the Studied Target ability as a slayer of your character level. The bonus to saving throw DCs provided by this ability applies to any spells or abilities you use, but not to effects generated by magic items. Mind - Completing the third attunement has opened your mind to a preternatural understanding of one of the fundamental sources of magic. You gain spells known and spell slots per day as a bard of your character level. You cast these spells as though you had the Eschew Materials feat. Any spell you know from this ability counts as being on your spell list for the purpose of spell trigger and spell completion items, but not other spells on the list from which you choose. This ability counts as arcane spellcasting for the purpose of qualifying for feats and prestige classes. Eldritch Power - a raw magical energy channeled to alter the physical world. Choose your spells known from the magus spell list. Light armor does not interfere with casting these spells, but heavier armors cause the normal chance of arcane spell failure. Your spell DCs, concentration checks, bonus spells, and maximum spell level are Charisma based. Essence: Mythic Tier 1 Marshal- Completing the fourth attunement has intertwined your very being with the unfathomable power that hums through the Tower of Ages. You gain mythic tier 1, following all of the normal mythic rules. Mythic:
Hard to Kill (Ex): Whenever you’re below 0 hit points, you automatically stabilize without needing to attempt a Constitution check. If you have an ability that allows you to act while below 0 hit points, you still lose hit points for taking actions, as specified by that ability. Bleed damage still causes you to lose hit points when below 0 hit points. In addition, you don’t die until your total number of negative hit points is equal to or greater than double your Constitution score.
Mythic Power (Su): Mythic characters can draw upon a wellspring of power to accomplish amazing deeds and cheat fate. This power is used by a number of different abilities. Each day, you can expend an amount of mythic power equal to 3 plus double your mythic tier (5/day at 1st tier, 7/day at 2nd, etc.). This amount is your maximum amount of mythic power. If an ability allows you to regain uses of your mythic power, you can never have more than this amount. Surge (Su): You can call upon your mythic power to overcome difficult challenges. You can expend one use of mythic power to increase any d20 roll you just made by rolling 1d6 and adding it to the result. Using this ability is an immediate action taken after the result of the original roll is revealed. This can change the outcome of the roll. The bonus die gained by using this ability increases to 1d8 at 4th tier, 1d10 at 7th tier, and 1d12 at 10th tier. Amazing Initiative (Ex): At 2nd tier, you gain a bonus on initiative checks equal to your mythic tier. In addition, as a free action on your turn, you can expend one use of mythic power to take an additional standard action during that turn. This additional standard action can’t be used to cast a spell. You can’t gain an extra action in this way more than once per round. Marshal's Order: Advance (Ex): As a swift action, you can expend one use of mythic power to inspire a tactical advance on the field of battle. This allows you and each of your allies within 30 feet to take either a single move action of the character’s choice or a 5-foot step, as long as you or your ally has the ability to take such an action (for example, an unconscious character still can’t take an action). The action granted by this ability doesn’t count toward the number or type of actions a creature is allowed to take on its turn. Inspired Defense (Ex): Whenever you use bardic performance to inspire courage, the competence bonus against charm and fear effects instead applies to all saving throws. If you expend one use of mythic power when you start a bardic performance to inspire courage, you add your tier to this bonus. Archmage Arcana: Wild Arcana (Su): As a standard action, you can expend one use of mythic power to cast any one arcane spell without expending a prepared spell or spell slot. The spell must be on one of your arcane class spell lists, must be of a level that you can cast with that arcane spellcasting class, and must have a casting time of "1 standard action" (or less). You don’t need to have the spell prepared, nor does it need to be on your list of spells known. When casting a spell in this way, you treat your caster level as 2 levels higher for the purpose of any effect dependent on level. You can apply any metamagic feats you know to this spell, but its total adjusted level can’t be greater than that of the highest-level arcane spell you can cast from that spellcasting class. Commanding Entrance (Ex): When you first enter an area or make your presence known to a group of strangers, as a free action you can expend one use of mythic power and attempt a single Diplomacy or Intimidate check to modify the attitudes of everyone within 10 feet per tier, and an additional number of characters equal to your Charisma modifier who are outside that range but have line of sight to you. (For instance, you could affect everyone near the entrance of a throne room and key people on the dais at the far end.) Alternatively, when you reveal yourself during the first round of combat (not counting the surprise round), you can expend one use of mythic power as a free action to use Intimidate to demoralize your targets. Heroes' Feast: You bring forth a great feast, including a magnificent table, chairs, service, and food and drink. The feast takes 1 hour to consume, and the beneficial effects do not set in until this hour is over. Every creature partaking of the feast is cured of all sickness and nausea, receives the benefits of both neutralize poison and remove disease, and gains 1d8 temporary hit points + 1 point per two caster levels (maximum +10) after imbibing the nectar-like beverage that is part of the feast. The ambrosial food grants each creature that partakes a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and Will saves and a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against poison and fear effects for 12 hours. |
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