Davis of Matharyn's page

1. Experience with the rules.
I've played a lot of 2nd and 3.0 DnD up until around 2006, recently came back to the hobby with a pathfinder game that started 6 months ago. I have been enjoying it greatly, and I feel like I have a strong grasp of the core rules, but less of the supplementary material.

2. Experience with PbP
I have not done a pathfinder PbP before, but I was in a 3 year long Champions PbP game over on Hero Central from 2008-2011. Here is a link to the boards for the game; I played as Homeland, if you're interested in looking at any of it: http://www.herocentral.net/campaignInformation.htm?newCampaignId=808015.
If selected for the game, I will have to learn how the formatting and conventions for PbP go here, but I think I should be able to pick it up pretty fast.

3. Expectations for playing and what you want out of the experience.
I am hoping to have a fun game that lasts a long time. I greatly enjoyed my one previous play by post experience, and am hoping for a similarly good time here.

4. Philosophy as a PbP player.
Post often as is practical, enjoy the game and your fellow players. Try and tell the best story together that you can.

5. Why are you applying to this game.
I have wanted to play Way of the Wicked since I first read the advertising blurb for it. I heard good things about it on the Paizo forums, so took at a look at it and was impressed. I also really like the character concept I came up with for it, and want to give it a try. I liked the detailed breakdown of requested information for this game as well, I think it bodes well for getting a good group together, and it was fun to put all this together even if I don’t end up getting picked ^_^.

6. Define what you think good role-playing is in PbP.
I think its pretty similar to good role-playing in person, except you have more time to think about what fits your character; you try and put yourself in the shoes of the character you’ve created and figure out how they would respond to a situation in order to help tell their story.

7. What is your experience with this adventure path?
I have read the player's guide, and some of the official descriptions for the modules.

Step 1: 5 Background/Concept Elements

Physical Description: Davis is a short, wiry 22 year old human man with short black hair and deep blue eyes. He is clean shaven, as it is significantly easier to apply fake facial hair when constructing a disguise than to hide an existing beard. He is 5’5” tall and 145 lbs, with smooth, white skin and fine dexterous fingers that have clearly never known hard labor.

Concept: Davis is, at heart, a con man. Although he isn’t above killing and will be able to be at least moderately effective in combat, his true strength is in deception and being extremely good at lying.

Early Life: Davis grew up in one of the Mitran orphanages in the capital of Talingarde. He never knew his parents, and while Brother Saul and the rest of the clergy took good care of him and tried to instill a strong ethical framework, it did not take well. Davis was a voracious learner and did well in his schooling, but tended to shirk chores when possible and had a tendency to acquire items that did not belong to him. Davis greatly resented that others were born into a much better station than he, and spent many long hours pondering how to gain the great wealth he so richly deserved.

Popular with the other orphans and quick witted, Davis realized early in life that power and wealth were matters of perception and the influence one could wield over others. Nobility had power and wealth because society at large agreed they did; the fastest way to great wealth would be to persuade the world that he should have it.

The Crime: Davis was generally well liked by the other orphans, but he grew particularly close to a fellow orphan named Jennifer, who he fell in love with as a teenager. She had equally big dreams and a similar disregard for rules and the welfare of strangers; with her help and encouragement, Davis hatched an audacious plan to gain the life he felt they both deserved. Stealing a noble’s wealth would be reported and investigated as a crime, but stealing a noble’s entire life--that would provide instant access to the mechanisms of wealth creation, while leaving no aggrieved party alive to pursue an investigation from the law.

Davis prepared for several years, honing his skills and learning all he could about the local nobility while working as a clerk in a book store. Eventually, he and Jenny found their ideal target, a minor noble named Lord Arden Larkhaven who had recently lost his wife and bore a satisfactorily close resemblance to Davis. Jenny was able to obtain a position as a chambermaid in Arden’s manor, and over the next several months helped Davis prepare to assume Arden’s identity.

When the time came, Davis disguised himself as Arden. Jenny let Davis into the home through a window late at night, and Davis crept to Arden’s bedchambers and killed him with a dagger through the eye. Davis hid the body in the bedroom closet, then summoned a bathing tub from the serving staff. The body was cut apart in the tub, then smuggled out piece by piece by Jenny in the chamber pot over the next several days.

Davis was able to play his part to near perfection, assuming Arden’s life without raising comment from the serving staff. Davis used the fact Arden had recently been grieving the traumatic loss of his wife as a cover for any slight personality changes he seemed to show to Arden's friends and colleagues. After a few months, he “fell in love with his chambermaid” and took Jenny as his mistress; for almost half a year, he and Jenny lived the high life of a nobleman.

There were small slipups in the cover from time to time, however, and eventually a former friend of Arden’s, the knight Sir Bryan Sandalwood, grew suspicious and confronted Davis forcefully. Taking Arden’s gold and jewelry, Davis and Jenny fled, but were hunted down. Jenny was slain by arrow fire and her body lost in the forest during the arrest, but Davis was taken alive. The prosecution failed to convict him of murder due to the lack of a body, but was easily able to convict him for fraud. Davis was sent to Branderscar prison to await shipment to a life of hard labor in the salt mines.

Step 2: List at least two goals for your character, one they know about, one I have for them:
Davis’ primary goal is to get Jenny back. He loved Jenny truly and deeply; he killed for her and he would have died for her, and will do anything to get her back. Unfortunately, she is dead and Davis doesn’t have the body or know what happened to her. No Mitran clergy is going to resurrect her even if he was able to find her corpse. If there is any chance that Asmodeus can bring her back, Davis will sell his soul in a heartbeat for the chance at that power. I see this as a longer term goal, since he’ll have to get sufficient resources to find her body then make a deal with someone who can cast Resurrection, but it provides a powerful reason to ally with Asmodeus, because he’s pretty much the only game in town in this regard. A secondary, but still very important goal for Davis is accumulating power and wealth. He had a taste of the high life while impersonating Arden, and he wants it back.

My goal for Davis is for him to become the premiere assassin and spy working for Asmodeus. I want him to go from being an excellent con man, liar and thief to someone who can lie successfully to solars and assassinate impossible to reach targets.

Step 3: List two secrets about your character, one he knows, one he does not:
The big secret in Davis’ life, of course, is now out; it is common knowledge in the circles of nobility that he had replaced Arden Lockhaven and usurped his estate and incomes for many months.

The biggest secret that Davis is still keeping is just how important Jenny was to him. She was never the focus in the public eye; some particularly well connected gossipmongers knew he took her as a mistress while masquerading as Arden, but didn’t know about their previous connection or how important she was to him. Davis will try and keep it that way, and won’t share her existence or her importance unless he absolutely has to, since he views it as a way others could manipulate him.

He is also keeping secret just what happened to Arden, but it isn’t too much of a stretch for people to assume Davis killed him somehow. Davis will continue to protest his innocence as long as there is any chance failing to do so could get him scheduled for execution rather than hard labor, however.

The biggest secret Davis doesn’t know about is his parent’s identities, which I would prefer to be kept as a surprise for the DM to use as he sees fit rather than spelling out something explicitly. Davis doesn’t really care that much; he figures they’re either dead or didn’t care enough about him to raise him, and either way he owes them nothing.

Step 4: Describe 3 people that are tied to the character:

Brother Saul: Brother Saul was the priest of Mitra at the orphanage where Davis grew up who was most involved in taking care of Davis. An balding and slightly overweight man in his 50’s, Saul tends to stay in his orphanage. His greatest loves are reading, cooking and caring for the children under his protection.

Davis tended to view him as kind of a naive and trusting fool, which is more or less accurate; Saul heard about Davis’ arrest, but doesn’t want to believe that the children he helped raise could be capable of doing such things. Davis should have no trouble spinning a tale of being wrongfully implicated if he encounters Brother Saul again and needs his help.

Jennifer “Jenny”: The love of his life, a vivacious and outgoing, if somewhat plain looking woman a year younger than Davis. Jenny had black hair and brown eyes and was an inch taller than Davis, which she used to gently tease him about all the time. They grew up together, and fell in love as teenagers. Neither chose to take a family name growing up since neither had a family; they were planning on choosing a surname together once they married. She was the instigator that helped push Davis from dreaming of power to actually seizing it. Davis would do anything for her--the problem is that she is currently dead. Davis will try to bring her back, but it will be difficult with no body, no resources and no divine caster who would willingly resurrect a criminal slain fleeing arrest.

Sir Bryan Sandalwood: Sir Bryan is a knight of Alerion of some reknown, and was a close friend of Arden Larkhaven. He eventually picked up on minor discrepancies, changes in behavior and lack of previous shared knowledge while Davis was playing the part of Arden, and instigated the confrontation that unmasked Davis’ fraud. Sir Bryan is furious that his friend was murdered and the body is nowhere to be found; he is convinced (rightly so) that Davis killed him and was able to weasel his way out of a murder conviction at trial. Sir Bryan takes solace that Davis is not a sturdy fellow and is unlikely to survive long in the salt mines, but if Davis escapes, Sir Bryan will be out to avenge his former friend.

Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms or quirks your character has:

Davis vividly recalls successfully lying to Brother Saul at an early age about who stole a cherry pie from the kitchen. Davis was able to successfully frame a child from a local street gang who had been hanging around the orphanage; it was the occasion where he first really realized the power of lies to get people to do what he wanted them to do.

Davis doesn’t eat meat unless it is necessary to play a role, and has a soft spot for animals. He won’t hesitate to kill one if he needs to or if he gets attacked by one, but will try and avoid it if practical, even more so than with people. He views them as suffering from an even lowlier birth than he, and commiserates with their status as effective slaves.

Davis loathes poetry. He finds it generally pretentious and boring, and he had to learn a significant amount about it against his will, as Arden Larkhaven was an ardent (and poor) amateur poet and patron of several professional ones. He does, however, enjoy fictional novels, especially mysteries and romances.

1.How does your characer interact with the others within a group?

Davis tends to get along well with people. He is exceedingly pragmatic and fairly diplomatic and charming, and will tend to try and get everyone working together so he can help guide their collective potential. Groups are stronger than individuals, and Davis is well aware of the benefits of teamwork. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sacrifice a teammate without blinking an eye if it really became necessary (at least, unless he became close personal friends with one, which Davis is emotionally capable of doing), but that is rarely the case in practice.

2. What is your character’s role in a group?

Davis is a spy, a liar, a thief and a scout. He can act as a group face in many situations; he almost certainly can lie better than anyone else, and has a suite of social skills to back it up. In combat, he won’t be able to put out the kind of damage specialized melee combatants can produce, but he will be able to assassinate key individuals from the shadows reasonably well. Being an int-focused skill based character (mechanically speaking, he’s going to be pumping int for high DC death attacks/assassinations) gives him a -lot- of skill points to push around, so should be able to do a little bit of everything when it comes to skill checks. Davis should be a good scout and will attempt when possible to disguise himself as an enemy and use his social skills to lead them into suboptimal tactical arrangements.

3. How is your character not as they seem?
Davis is extremely well informed about the nobility, moreso than many nobles themselves. This came about during the phase where he was researching targets to usurp, but is a somewhat surprising skill for a lowborn orphan to have.

Depending on how well they know Davis and in what context, either his sincere love for his former girlfriend Jenny (if they’re routinely exposed to him acting as a ruthless killer) or the fact he is a ruthless killer (if he has been playing a part around the person) would likely come as a surprise. Although he doesn’t really currently have any living friends, the charm and easygoing demeanor is not entirely a fascade; he could come to care for a companion deeply if they go through the right circumstances together.

4. What are your character’s goals?
Davis intends to first escape from his current predicament, then figure out how to regain wealth and power that he can use to try and locate Jenny’s body and get her resurrected.

5. How easily does your character love? Have they been in love?
Davis does not love easily, but he loves deeply. He remains committed to his former girlfriend, whom he loves very much, and is unlikely to stray. He is not overly interested in pursuits of the flesh, feeling that the act itself is a meaningless indulgence without the emotion behind it.

6. Is your character racist at all, either now or in their past?
No. Davis doesn’t really care that much about race.

7. What lies does your character believe about themselves and the world around them?
Davis doesn’t actually believe he is a bad person at all, despite murdering someone in cold blood and taking over their life. He generally thinks that Talingarde is full of hypocrites that don’t deserve the largesse they’ve been born into, which makes what he did ok. He is probably going to end up confronting this internally when he swears allegiance to the lord of hell; he isn’t going to be able to keep deluding himself at that point.

8. How is your character about material possessions?
Davis likes them, a lot. He lived as a noble for 6 months after living with very little for most of his life. He wants that back, badly.

9. What does your character perceive their major problems to be?
The current imprisonment is the most pressing problem. After that, he needs to figure out how to get money and influence, find Jenny’s body and get her resurrected, all without being arrested again by the Talingarde authorities.

10. What does he perceive the solutions to those problems to be?
Breaking out, he will try and concoct a plan using the talents of whoever he is locked in with to their fullest. If he has to try and break out on his own with no resources, it is going to be tough, but he’ll try and convince the guards to let him out through one of a number of possible ruses. None of them are overly likely to work against smart or aware guards, however, so he is hoping he is imprisoned with someone with complementary skills who he can work with as a team to get out. Once out, he needs to figure out how to get money and power again. He may try freelancing as an assassin, or might try running a more traditional con. He doesn’t know yet how he is going to find and resurrect Jenny, that is still a tough problem.

11. What are your character’s religious beliefs?
Davis was raised to worship Mitra. He was never overly religious and hasn’t prayed to the shining lord in years, but does have a sort of vague belief that Mitra is worthy of devotion ingrained from years of teachings from the priests. Selling his soul (or otherwise binding himself) to Asmodeus is going to secretly terrify Davis since it represents a clear acknowledgement of his own evil that he doesn’t really want to admit. That won’t stop Davis from taking that step if it needs to be done, however; the fact that Asmodeus is probably one of the only powers that could actually possibly be able and willing to resurrect Jenny will push him hard to accept the offer and damn the consequences, as will general practicality and lack of options.

12. What does your character fear?
Davis doesn’t really fear very much. He fears death, slightly, but never lets it unduly influence him. He feared losing Jenny, but it is too late for that now. He doesn’t have any phobias that he knows about, has a good head for heights, doesn’t overly mind spiders, insects or snakes.

13. How much of a temper does your character have? What sort of things set him off?
Davis keeps his temper firmly under control. He is not easy to provoke, and will laugh off or ignore most insults or injuries if he gains by doing so. If someone does provoke his wrath and he doesn’t need to keep them around, he gets revenge in a brutally efficient and silent manner. If someone picks a fight with him in a bar, he doesn’t punch them back; he drags other people into the fight, slips out the back in the confusion, then murders the man in his sleep later that night. Then he disguises himself as the man and leaves publicly to diffuse suspicion, and buries the body deep so the man is never seen or heard from again.

He tends to get angry when physically attacked, rather than verbally assaulted. He tends to feel at home with verbal sparring, and doesn’t easily take offense at insults, but really does not like being struck.

Male Human Unchained Rogue (Spy) 1//Slayer (Cleaner) 1//Expert 1
LE Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +4
-------------------------------=DEFENSE=-------------------------------
Defense: 13, Flat-Footed: 10 (+3 dex, +0 shield, +0 EB)
Armor DR: 0 (+0 Armor, +0 Magic, +0 NA)
Critical Defense: +3 (+3 Dex, +0 Shield, +0 DB*)
HP: 11 {+1d10,+0Con, +1 Favored}
Fort: +2, {+2Base,+0Con}
Reflex: +5, {+2Base,+3Dex}
Will: +2,{+2Base,+0Wis}
CMD 13 {+1 Base -1 Str +3 Dex +0 size +0 misc}
-------------------------------=OFFENSE=-------------------------------
Speed: 30 ft.
CMB: +0; {+1 Base -1 Str +0 size +0 misc}
Base Atk: +1;
Melee:+0{+1Base,-1 Str}
Ranged:+4{+1Base,+3Dex}

--Melee: +0, 1d3 - 1 Nonlethal punch.
--Dagger +4 (1d4 -1 + 1d6 sneak attack/19-20x2)

--Ranged:
--Dagger +4 (1d4 - 1 + 1d6 sneak attack/19-20x2, Range 10 ft)
-------------------------------=STATISTICS=-------------------------------
Str: 8, Dex: 16, Con: 10, Int: 17, Wis: 10, Cha: 16

-------------------------=Traits=----------------------
Fraud -- +2 Bluff Checks
Child of the Temple [Orphanage run by Priests of Mitra] -- +1 Knowledge: Nobility & Class Skill
----------------=Race Traits=-------------------
Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

--------------=Feats=-----------------
Skill Focus: Bluff
(Racial) Skill Focus: Disguise
(Slayer[Cleaner] Deceitful) Deceitful
(Finesse Training) Weapon Finesse

[Current Plans]
L3: Improved Feint
L5: Iron Will
L6: Greater Feint

---------------=Skills=- (0 points; 8 class, 3 INT, 1 Human, 1 Favored)---------------
^Acrobatics*(Dex)____+7{+1rank,+3Dex}
^Appraise(Int)____+3{+0rank,+3Int}
^Bluff(Cha)____+14{+1rank,+3Cha, +2 Deceitful, +3 Skill Focus, +2 Trait}
^Climb*(Str)____-1{+0rank,-1Str}
^Craft (Int)____+3{+0rank,+3Int}
^Diplomacy(Cha)____+7{+1rank,+3Cha}
^Disable Device____+7{+1rank,+3Dex}
^Disguise (Cha)____+12{+1 rank,+3 Cha, +2 Deceitful, +3 Skill Focus}
^Escape Artist*(Dex)____+3{+0rank,+3Dex}
Fly*(Dex)____+3{+0rank,+3Dex}
^Handle Animal(Wis)____+0{+0rank,+0Wis}
^Heal(Wis)____+0{+0rank,+0Wis}
^Intimidate(Cha)____+7{+1rank,+3Cha}
^Knowledge (Arcana)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (Dungeoneering)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (Engineering)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (Geography)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (History)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (Local)(Int)____+7{+1rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (Nature)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (Nobility)(Int)____+8{+1 rank,+3 Int, +1 Trait}
^Knowledge (Planes)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Knowledge (Religion)(Int)____+0{+0rank,+3Int}
^Linguistics(Int)____+7{+1rank,+3Int}
^Perception(Wis)____+4{+1rank,+0Wis}
^Perform(Cha)____+3{+0rank,+3Cha}
^Profession(Clerk)(Wis)____+4{+1rank,+0Wis}
^Ride*(Dex)____+3{+0rank,+3Dex}
^Sense Motive(Wis)____+4{+1rank,+0Wis}
^Sleight of Hand*(Dex)____+7{+1rank,+3Dex}
^Spellcraft(Int)____+0{+0rank,+0Int}
^Stealth*(Dex)____+7{+1rank,+3Dex}
^Survival(Wis)____+0{+0rank,+0Wis}
^Swim*(Str)____-1{+0rank,-1Str}
^Use Magic Device(Cha)____+0{+0rank,+0Cha}

ACP -0

*ACP applies to these skills
^In Class Skill Bonus +3
-=Non-Standard Skill Bonuses=-
Skilled Liar: +1 to Bluff checks to deceive someone.
Studied Target: May study an opponent as a move action. +1 to Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive and Survival checks against it.
Deceitful: +2 to Bluff and Disguise
Skill Focus: Bluff: +3 to Bluff
Skill Focus: Disguise: +3 to Disguise
Fraud Trait: +2 to Bluff
Child of the Temple Trait: +1 to Knowledge: Nobility
10 extra class skills from expert.

-=Languages=-Common, Dwarven, Elven, Celestial, Draconic

-------------------------------=SPECIAL/CLASS ABILITIES=-------------------------------

Finesse Training (Ex): At 1st level, a rogue gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, starting at 3rd level, she can select any one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (such as rapiers or daggers). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever she makes a successful melee attack with the selected weapon, she adds her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the rogue from adding her Strength modifier to the damage roll, she does not add her Dexterity modifier. The rogue can select a second weapon at 11th level and a third at 19th level.

Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The rogue's attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every 2 rogue levels thereafter. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. This additional damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit. With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (such as a sap, unarmed strike, or whip), a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack—not even with the usual –4 penalty. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with total concealment.

Studied Target (Ex): A slayer can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The slayer then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The DCs of slayer class abilities against that opponent increase by 1. A slayer can only maintain these bonuses against one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the slayer studies a new target. If a slayer deals sneak attack damage to a target, he can study that target as an immediate action, allowing him to apply his studied target bonuses against that target (including to the normal weapon damage roll).

-------------------------------=Spells=-------------------------------
-----------------------------=0th (at will)=--------------------------------
------------------------------=1st (0/day)=------------------------------

-------------------------------=GEAR/POSSESSIONS=-------------------------- -----

-=Carrying Capacity=-
Light 0-26 lb. Medium 27-53 lb. Heavy 54-80 lb.
-=Current Load Carried=- 0 lb.

-=Money=- 0 GP 0 SP 0 CP

Davis was an orphan from the capital city of Talingarde, Matharyn. He was raised by priests of Mitra, but did not take to their religion. With the help of his girlfriend Jenny, Davis methodically researched the nobility of the realm, found a target, assassinated the man and assumed his identity. Eventually discovered, he was sent to Branderscar prison for fraud due to lack of evidence for the murder.

Davis is a charming man of many talents, but rarely truly gets close to anyone. He is disciplined, intelligent and makes decisions with an icy calm, always planning moves and counter moves for how to manipulate his enemies into the best position for Davis. He is loyal to his closest friends, of which he has had only one to date, but will not hesitate to destroy anyone else who stands in his way.

Eyes: Blue
Hair: Short, Black
Skin: Fair
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 145 lbs