A small boy huddles just inside the mouth of an alley, cradling a limp arm against his chest. He is dressed in scraps of clothing, some too small and others much too large, all of them worn and filthy, the tell-tale signs of a street urchin. His large, dark eyes shine with unshed tears but the clean streaks down his dirt-smudged face reveal that the tears do fall eventually, no matter how he tries to hold them back.
A woman turns onto the street, her voluptuous form draped in close fitting white robes, her hands and forearms wrapped in red strips of cloth and cord. Her beauty is apparent, even from a distance, her appearance as striking as it is strange. Her hair, if it was indeed hair, was the color of lilacs and fluttered softly around her face in the breeze. Her skin was an odd shade too, a pale grey that looked slightly blue or lavender, depending on the light. Her eyes were the deep burgundy of a fine red wine and sometimes seemed to glow like a glass of that wine held to the light. Her full, pouting lips were a shade of blue rarely seen in Sigil. She was adorned with modest but masterfully crafted jewelry through a number of artful piercings in her ears, nose, and eyebrow on one side of her face which were connected by a delicate chain dangling with sparkling crystal clear gems.
As she came near to the alley, the soft sounds of the boy’s distress drew her attention. She approached him slowly and gently, keenly aware that her fiendish features often frightened folk.
”What’s this then? Broken it, have ye?” she asked gently, indicating his injured arm. He shook his head. ”Hurts bad though?” she asked again to which he nodded. ”Dislocated mebbe. Best let me look a’ it, ye poor wee sod.” she said as she settled to her knees, dirtying her fine white robes and reached to examine the arm. The boy recoiled slightly, and she tisked irritably through sharp white teeth. ”Dinnae be that way, I don’t bite.”
”Yer p-planetouched!” he said defensively. ”Aye. What a sharp little cutter, ye are. Just wait til ye tell all yer pals that a planetouched healed yer arm. Won’t they just wag their bone-boxes o’er that?” The boy brightened at that, almost smiling as he leaned forward to let her tend his arm. She went to work quickly, checking his pulse and assessing his condition.
”They won’t believe it.” he said and she smiled, keeping him chatting to distract him from the pain. ”Och, ye never know…” she replied. ”Belief is a funny sort o’ thing. Why, did ye know there are places where whole cities are held up by the belief of the folk who live there? Aye, it’s true! And if their belief should falter, the whole city would crumble away beneath them and sweep them all away. Things like that can happen here too.” He gave her a skeptical look and she went on as she began manipulating his arm. ”I once saw a pair make a tavern bet. This blood bet some poor gully that he could prove that the fellow dinnae really exist. He bet e’rything he carried against all that the gully had on him. Then all he did was whisper something and the next thing you saw, the poor gully faded right away, just… like… THAT!” She said and took quick advantage of the suspense of her story to force the shoulder joint back into the socket. The boy cried out in pain but the look of immense relief came into his face before the echo of his own voice had faded from the alleyway. ”That oughta do it, then. But just for good measure.” She took his face in her hands and used her god-granted powers to take his pain onto herself. He gazed up at her, awe writ clear on his face as he watched her lip split in precisely the same place as his just at the moment that his own wound was healed. Soon, all of his aches and hurts were washed from his body. Once the child was well, she rose from her knees, not bothering to try and dust away the dirt. She now wore a number of scrapes and bruises she had not before.
”They really won’t believe this!” the boy exclaimed.
”Ah, but ye will, my wee blood. And ye’ll tell them. Tell about the planetouched lass who mended yer arm and told ye about the power o’ belief. We’ve got ta believe in what’s good and true, for there to be goodness and truth in the world. D’ya see?”
He seemed to sense the gravity in her words, and nodded solemnly. She ruffled his hair affectionately in approval and turned to go.
”Wait, miss. What’s yer name?”
”I wasn’t given one. So I took one for m’self so I would never forget my duty. Believer.”
He nodded again and raised his hand as she walked away.
Background:
Sigil is home to many poor clueless sods who have been transported there with no idea how to return home. They walk the streets of the city, hopelessly lost, hoping to wake from this nightmare and find themselves safe in their own beds. Believer has never known such luxury.
She has almost no memory of home or even an idea of where she had come from or how she had come. Her first memories are of hunger and pain. Torment at the hands of hateful folk who saw her fiendish ancestry as reason enough to bully, beat and terrorize. Eating what she could scavenge like an animal and sleeping in dark, hidden corners.
One auspicious day, after a particularly bad beating had left her with broken ribs and a compound fracture, a cleric of Ilmater followed her blood trail to the decrepit hovel where she had been sleeping. She would likely have died without his aid. The Ilmatari strive to give healing and succor where they can, but even seeing her grave condition, he hesitated to call on his divine magic. He was not ignorant of the planes and the nature of the planetouched. So he asked her, ”What do you believe in, child?” In a sputter of blood, she said one word before she fell unconscious. ”Pain.” In truth, it was all she knew.
The man called Ayuruk took it as a sign. The Ilmatari seek to relieve suffering, but they also believe that suffering brings you closer to the divine. He healed the nameless child and brought her to his modest home. Like her, he had come through some portal by a twist of fate and could not find his path to return home. So he took her in as his ward and apprentice. He educated her about the nature of the planes and the faith of his homeland, a prime world he called Faerun.
She quickly acclimated to the faith and soon had manifested divine powers of her own. Ayuruk became even more convinced that the girl was special. Holy, in some way despite her devil blood. Their small home became a clinic of sorts and many came to be treated or healed. They charged no fee, but accepted donations and made a decent living in a city like Sigil.
But the planetouched do not grow as swiftly as humans and by the time she had truly grown into maturity, Ayuruk had grown old. He felt his time among the planes waning and redoubled his efforts to find the way home for the both of them. He felt sure he could reactivate the portal for the both of them and expected that Believer’s powers would be even greater in her god’s patron plane. She might have even come from Faerun herself, though the odds of that seemed low.
One morning she awoke to find Ayuruk missing, only a hastily scrawled note left in explanation. The note seemed to imply he had found the way home and gone on without her and urged her to find her own way without him now. But he had always spoken of showing her the wonders of his home plane when they returned together. It just didn’t make sense. Something was wrong. So now she searches for traces of her adoptive father and mentor.
BELIEVER
Female Tiefling (Kyton-Spawn) Paladin 2 / Oracle 1
LG Medium outsider (native) (93% Lawful/97% Good)
Init +1; Senses Darkvision (60 ft.), Perception -1,
Aura Aura of Good,
DEFENSE
AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 (+1 Dex, no armor)
AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, )
hp 32 (2d10)+(1d8)+10
Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +8
Resistances Cold 5, Electricity 5, Fire 5,
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee claw +4/+4 (1d4+2)
Special Attacks Channel (1d6, DC 14, 5/day), Smite Evil,
Class Spell-Like Abilities: detect evil ( at will)
Known Oracle Spells (CL 1st, concentration +6):
1st (5/day) - bless , protection from evil (DC 16) , cure light wounds (DC 16)
0th (at will) - detect magic , guidance (DC 15) , read magic (DC ) , stabilize (DC 15)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 8, Cha 18
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 15
Feats Extra Revelation, Reward of Life
Skills (No Armor) Acrobatics +1, Appraise +1, Bluff +4, Climb +2, Craft (Untrained) +1, Diplomacy +10, Disguise +4, Escape Artist +4, Fly +1, Heal +5, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (Religion) +5, Perception -1, Perform (Untrained) +4, Ride +1, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +1, Survival -1, Swim +2, Use Magic Device +5,
Skills Acrobatics -5, Acrobatics (When Jumping) -9, Appraise +1, Bluff +4, Climb -4, Craft (Untrained) +1, Diplomacy +10, Disguise +4, Escape Artist -2, Fly -5, Heal +5, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (Religion) +5, Perception -1, Perform (Untrained) +4, Ride -5, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +5, Stealth -5, Survival -1, Swim -4, Use Magic Device +5,
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Tongues,
Archetypes Hospitaler,
SQ Aura of Good, Bonus Paladin Lay on Hands HP (2x), Claw, Darkvision, Detect Evil, Fiendish Language, Fiendish Oracle, Fiendish Resistance, Lay on Hands, Life Link, Life Mysteries, Orisons, Skilled, Tongues ~ Infernal, ,
Possessions sleeves of many garments; explorer's outfit; banded mail; holy symbol of ilmater; healer's kit; facial piercings with chains and gems;
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Aura of Good (Ex) You project a moderate good aura.
Aura of Good
Blessed Touch You may have been raised in a devout family, studied the divine in a formal church environment, or even learned how to combine traditional healing techniques with those of divine casters. In so doing, you have focused yourself into being the perfect vessel for your deity. Divine power flows through you like a mountain stream, making your healing touch more potent than that of others. You heal 1 additional point of damage when using lay on hands, channeling energy, or casting a cure spell.
Bonus Paladin Lay on Hands HP (2x) Paladin: Add +2 to the amount of damage the paladin heals with lay on hands, but only when the paladin uses that ability on herself.
Channel (Su) You can unleash a wave of positive energy. You must choose to deal 1d6 points of positive energy damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures of 1d6 points of damage. Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a DC 14 Will save to halve the damage. You can use this ability 5 times per day.
Claw (Sp) You gain two 1d4 claw attacks.
Darkvision (Ex) Range 60 ft.; Darkvision is the extraordinary ability to see with no light source at all, out to a range specified for the creature. Darkvision is black and white only (colors cannot be discerned). It does not allow characters to see anything that they could not see otherwise-invisible objects are still invisible, and illusions are still visible as what they seem to be. Likewise, darkvision subjects a creature to gaze attacks normally. The presence of light does not spoil darkvision.
Darkvision
Detect Evil (Sp) At will, you can use Detect Evil, as the Spell. You can, as a move action, concentrate on a single individual or item 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, you do not detect evil in any other object or individual within range.
Extremely Fashionable (Intimidate) Whenever you are wearing clothing and/or jewelry worth at least 150 gp (and not otherwise covered in gore, sewage, or other things that mar your overall look), you gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks. One of these skills (your choice) is a class skill for you.
Fiendish Language (Ex) Tieflings speak either Abyssal or Infernal.
Fiendish Oracle Tiefling oracles treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all spell casting abilities.
Fiendish Resistance (Ex) Tieflings have cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, and fire resistance 5.
Finding Haleen Ayuruk (Oracle) You never knew your parents--perhaps they died when you were a child, or maybe you were taken from them and raised elsewhere as a slave. You owe your sanity and your life to a woman named Haleen man named Ayuruk.
Lay on Hands (Su) You can heal wounds (your own or those of others) by touch. Each day you can use this ability 5 times per day. With one use of this ability, you can heal 1d6 hit points of damage. Using this ability is a standard action, unless you target yourself, in which case it is a swift action. Despite the name of this ability, you only need one free hand to use this ability. Alternatively, you can use this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures, dealing 1d6 points of damage. Using Lay on Hands in this way requires a melee touch attack and doesn't provide an attack of opportunity. Undead do not receive a saving throw against this damage.
Life Link (Su) As a standard action, you may create a bond between yourself and another creature. Each round at the start of your turn, if the bonded creature is wounded for 5 or more hit points below its maximum hit points, it heals 5 hit points and you take 5 hit points of damage. You may have 1 bond(s) active at a time. This bond continues until the bonded creature dies, you die, the distance between you and the other creature exceeds medium range, or you end it as an immediate action (if you have multiple bonds active, you may end as many as you want as part of the same immediate action).
Life Mysteries You draw upon the divine mystery of Life to grant your spells and powers.
Orisons You can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spells, but they are not expended when used and may be used again.
Resistance to Cold (Ex) You may ignore 5 points of Cold damage each time you take cold damage.
Resistance to Electricity (Ex) You may ignore 5 points of Electricity damage each time you take electricity damage.
Resistance to Fire (Ex) You may ignore 5 points of Fire damage each time you take fire damage.
Skilled (Ex) Kyton-Spawn tieflings have a +2 racial bonus on Escape Artist and Intimidate checks.
Smite Evil (Su) You can call out to the powers of good to aid you in your struggle against evil 1 times per day. As a swift action, you choose one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, you add +4 to your attack rolls and +2 to all damage rolls made against the target of your 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 +4. Regardless of the target, Smite Evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess. In addition, while smite evil is in effect, you gain a +4 deflection bonus to your AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If you target 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 you rest and regain your uses of this ability.
Tiefling (Kyton-Spawn)
Tongues In times of stress or unease, you speak in tongues. Whenever you are in combat, you can only speak and understand one selected language. This does not interfere with spellcasting, but it does apply to spells that are language dependent.
Tongues ~ Infernal You gain Infernal as a bonus language.
Vain You are sensitive about the way others perceive you. Whenever you fail an opposed Charisma-based check, you take a -2 penalty on all Charisma-based checks for the next 24 hours.
Mythic Tier 1
Hierophant Path
Granted: A divine agent or other incredibly powerful being calls upon the character to act as its representative. This role gives the character mythic power, but possibly only while serving the interests of this benefactor and while holding to that patron’s tenets.
Surge:
Recalled Blessing (Su): You can expend one use of mythic power to cast any one divine spell without expending a prepared spell or spell slot. If you prepare spells, this spell must be one you prepared today; if you’re a spontaneous caster, this spell must be one of your spells known. You can’t apply metamagic feats to this spell. If the spell requires a saving throw, non-mythic creatures roll twice and take the lower result. If the spell heals damage or requires you to attempt a caster level check to cure an affliction or remove a condition, roll twice and take the higher result.
Empathic Healing (Su): You can expend one use of mythic power to transfer up to 10 points of damage per tier from a touched ally to yourself, healing the target and damaging you. This transferred damage bypasses all effects that reduce or negate hit point damage (such as damage reduction). Alternatively, you can expend two uses of mythic power to transfer an ongoing disease or poison from a touched ally to yourself, which halts ongoing effects on the target from that affliction and requires you to attempt any remaining saves against it. If you’re immune to the disease or poison, transferring it to yourself destroys the affliction.
