Flying Jack's page

-Battlefield control, primarily; ranged combat with a focus on maneuvers and positioning (shield champions are weird! but buskers are even crazier)
-Switch-hitter as backup ranged/melee DPS, because brawler flexibility
-Can fight with random comedy objects; will be able to *quadruple-wield* shields! (*note: there is no actual mechanical benefit to quadruple-wielding shields)
-Excellent pickpocket/smuggler
-Acrobatic mastery of land, sea, and sky (should be able to replace some “traditional” stealth with roof-running and river-scouting)
-Eventually, I’m hoping for a martial character who can take seamless environment of the environment around him, leaping past enemies, turning their own weapons against them, and manipulating the environment through terrain disruption and magic like silence and dispels.
-I dunno, swimming under boats and punching holes in them? Is that a thing?

Steaming Sea
"Mr. Seagull", the others had teased him, as children, "the elf who wants to be a bird." Because as reclusive as the society of the sea elves was, as much as his elders and peers extolled the virtues of the deep, a young Jaquerai Demerel spent as much of his childhood as he could swimming towards the surface, leaping and playing in the sunlight before his older brothers caught up to him with their nets and dragged him back home for supper.

While aquatic elves tend to be more level-headed, and even more patient, than their land cousins, Jaquerai was as rebellious as they come, often straying from his lessons, putting little effort into the study of magic or hunting, preferring sports, exploration, and racing with dolphins.

And decades came and went, and like many sea elves, he gradually drifted away from his family and city. For a time, Jaquerai traveled the coast with the Razorharp Clan, a traveling family of merfolk bards, learning to read the mood motion of waves, hunt alongside humpback whales, and leap clean over the smaller ships that plied the profitable shipping lanes between Devil’s Perch and the Steaming Sea. But for all his enthusiasm, the elf lacked the patience of a skilled hunter, and the better sea-adapted folk he traveled with grew weary of his sluggish swimming, and so, not wishing to continue being a burden, he found his way to shallower waters, never returning since.

Yolubilis River
The salt-works of Old Kintargo were what first drew him to the city. Other sea elves—scavengers and hermits—had mentioned it in passing. Salt was a strange delicacy to a creature of the sea, but broken crates scattered across rocks at low tide provided a… unique experience, but only as a garnish. Spoiled food and surplus fishing hauls—unsold workman’s lunches, pots of day-old stew, and unwanted by-catch squid and jellyfish were regularly dumped into the ocean by the gallon, and with a bit of timing and luck, Jaquerai found himself living quite richly on a diet of raw seafood and strange human cuisine.

But things got more interesting further up the river. Yolubilis Harbor handled mostly boring export cargo, but Bleakbridge and Redroof were a fascination. From his swims up and down the river, Jaquerai saw everything from massive barges to potion shops to markets selling the sort of fancy clothing that would never be practical underwater. At night he slept in the bones of shipwrecks, collecting skulls from the bodies of drowned sailors and skimming coins from the mud of the river; but during the day, he played in the river.

And, as he got bolder, Jaquerai began to draw attention for his escapades. Always the daredevil, leaping out of the water to vault over pole-barges or perform splashing backflips, he would occasionally experience the curious phenomenon of applause. After a few months of experience with audiences, he reached the point where idling sailors or riverside spectators would toss him their loose change, calling out blessings to Shelyn and asking for tricks by name. And so the elf realized: what had once gotten him into trouble was, to the land-folk, an employable talent. All he had to do was step onto the shore, and, save for a few small gills, he could be one of them.

Riverbanks of Redroof
In the slums and boarding houses of Redroof, Jaquerai was just another poor immigrant, hoping to make a name for himself as a performer in the streets of Kintargo. Like so many of the city’s would-be celebrities, he had dreams and plans and a name and act. “Flying Jack Seagull” was an up-and-coming street acrobat, and while he lacked an indoor trapeze or fancy tent, he made a name for himself through his unique talent: water acrobatics. Leaping from the sea, Jack could clear a line of seated spectators, landing on the ground behind them with a muddy splash; occasionally he’d borrow cooper’s rings, tossing the large metal circles into the air or spinning them on the surface of the river while jumping through them.

“Flying Jack” was not well-socialized, compared to the gossipy citizens of Kintargo, but his foreign accent lent him a sort of air of confidence and mystery, and he learned quickly to work this into charm on an audience, earning enough with his shows to pay a modest rent and occasionally even eat meals not found floating in the river. But he found other work, too. With its single crowded bridge and frequent gate taxes, Kintargo had a use for anyone who could cross the river quickly, and Jack Seagull found work as a courier of small packages and letters. As many of his customers were fellow Redroof immigrants, he often performed such services for free or a single copper, earning him a small amount of local recognition and goodwill.

House of Imperfection
Flying Jack, despite decades of experience as a free-swimming elf in the oceans and rivers, was still young and unlearned when he came to live in Kintargo. Despite his feats of aquatic acrobatics, he frequently found himself at a loss on land, preferring instead to perform on the river banks or the small lakes of Aria Park, startling the occasional trawler or flock of ducks. And so he sought the aid and expertise of the city’s finer street celebrities and, eventually, found a mentor.

Master Koshi, the Wind-Juggler, was an old Tengu monk with a storied history. In his youth, or so he claimed, he had trained for a decade in the Monastery of Unfolding Wind at the fabled Houses of Perfection on the Isle of Jalmeray. Through focus and study, Koshi had learned impossible feats of agility and celerity, able to play games of catch with the wind itself. But while the old crow was disciplined *for a Kintargan*, Tengu age as quickly as humans, and he had chafed at the prospect of living his whole life of structure and solitude in Jalmeray. And so he had set off for a life of travel, sailing, and adventure, eventually settling in Kintargo in his old age.

At the edge of the Devil’s Nursery, in the shadow of the city walls, Master Koshi had turned an old tavern into the “House of Imperfection,” halfway between an orphanage and a monastery. For a decade, the man had taken skilled pickpockets and tieflings off the streets, teaching the best of them juggling and acrobatics, in the style of the monks of Jalmeray. Flying Jack, when he finally met the man, was far too old and a bit too well-off to join Master Koshi’s Wind-Jugglers; but the old juggler, impressed with Flying Jack’s enthusiasm, agreed to teach him juggling in exchange for helping out around the house.

For the past year, Jack has helped keep the House of Imperfection up-and-coming, finding food, running errands, and guarding against Redroof’s burglars when the Master and his retinue of child-acrobats and jugglers would hit the streets of Kintargo to perform. Master Koshi also welcomed, to some extent, having another adult around the house—though Jack considered him a far older man with a far richer life, Koshi was only half his age, considered the elf a good role model for his younger apprentices, the oldest of whom had already left to join traveling acrobatic troupes or become company dancers at the opera house. And in exchange, Flying Jack has learned passable skill at juggling, as well as a set of Jalmeri exercises and mantras that the Master claims will last him his whole life if he keeps practicing them—not the full training of a Monk of the Unfolding Wind, but enough to pull off at least a few of their aerial tricks. He’s learned a bit about fighting as well, though not by intention, as the old monk’s appreciated having a sparring partner his own height who won’t get into any trouble just by knowing martial arts.

Night of Ashes
In the past week, a dozen buildings across Kintargo have mysteriously burned to the ground. Some have been notable estates and businesses; others have been less notable. Jack, returning with three of his fellow students from an evening trip to the market, found the House of Imperfection in flames. There were no bodies among the ashes, but Master Koshi and his other two students (tiefling twins Jaffy and Osmun Cabbage) have missing for a week. There are rumors, to be sure—Koshi, as a man of unusual talents and frequent dissents, was known to frequent drinking halls filled with rebels and foreigners alike, and may simply have gone underground with some resistance movement—but Jack has come to suspect, like so many of his fellow citizens, that something bad has happened at the hands of the Dottari.

The story is the same all over Redroof. With the house disbanded, Jack Seagull has spent more time among the other street performers of Kintargo’s slums, and heard tales of over a dozen disappearances. The heart of the Devil’s Nursery, Strea Vestori herself (one of the most magnanimous tricksters he’s ever met) is likewise missing; along with a few other high-profile disappearances, someone may well be trying to remove Kintargo’s neighborhood leaders. And things seem to only be getting worse.

Well-dressed... for a seagull
Like any surface elf, Flying Jack is tall and thin, though his skin bears a hint of veiny blueness, and of course there are the telltale gills and webbing. When he’s on land and not performing, these are easily covered up with gloves and scarves; the gills, in a way, have become his brand as a performer, and without them he’s a far less memorable face in a crowd. His outfit is simple for an acrobat—tight leather under the looser pants and vest of a monastic student—but bells and tassels make little sense underwater, and Jack cares first and foremost for clothing he can swim in, maintaining a near-constant juggler’s Prestidigitation to dry his outfit off on land. His voice is confident and full of laughter, carrying an elvish accent that he plays up to sound exotic, and his showman’s patter, practiced over the past year, has gotten quite decent. He’s also got a bit of a knack for the bardic magic many of Kintargo’s street performers pick up, perhaps in part a legacy of his elven heritage or years living among the song-happy Razorharp merfolk.

While it’s been years since he wore the traditional seaweed of his people, Jack is still heavily influenced by their beliefs that clothing should be simple and practical. His simple outfit conceals the inner-sewn pockets in which he often carries hidden tricks, props, and weapons; a functional bandolier brings additional storage space to his outfit, and his juggler’s bag is well-made and rugged, capable of hauling thirty pounds of throwing implements. A thick metal bangle on his right wrist conceals a small, watertight pocket, used to carry and conceal small messages or coins. Often, he carries a cheap throwing trident as well, though this is mostly for show, playing off of his aquatic heritage—he bought the thing off a fisherman a few months back, a cheap imitation of the crafts of his birthplace.

Careful in the rising paranoia that is Kintargo’s religious scene, Jack Seagull carries no religious symbols and attends no houses of worship. Among his fellow performers, Shelyn is quite popular, and perhaps it is mostly to her that he prays when he feels the need, though he’s unregistered as a Sheylnite. But so far, he’s rarely felt the need, and it’s become quite apparent that if this city boils over, it won’t be at the side of some god like the Glorious Revolution now sweeping other parts of Cheliax.

All in all, Jack is a man of simple routines and beliefs, and rarely talks politics with others, as he still considers himself a foreigner. If he had no ties to Kintargo, he’d see no reason to stay in the city after Barzillai Thrune’s arrival; but now that something personal is at stake, he’d like to help where he can. While he’s a dab hand with a throwing knife or a chakram, he’s never seriously injured someone else, and never tried. But his blood’s running hot these days, and some part of him itches for a fight, even if deep down he’d rather hide behind his throwing shield than toss it at someone’s head. He’s generally got little interest in the city or its mayor’s laws—and, with the ability to escape into the city’s rivers, he’s got less reason to follow them. But he would like to see a bit of justice and a spark of fun without fear return to Kintargo, and hopefully soon, before he things get so bad that he gives up, packs up his tools, and swims to Magnimar or some other city on the Varisian coast where an acrobat might find a job.

A killer routine
Someone’s been disappearing artists and orphans from the slums of Redroof. Jack isn’t worried for his own safety—if the city ever falls to pieces, he’ll simply slip away into the river and disappear—but things are certainly getting more dangerous, and he’s begun acquiring a few odd “juggling” weapons to incorporate into his act. While once, Flying Jack would toss harmless rings and wooden axes, he now carries a few sharpened rings and real axes with them as well, though so far he hasn’t needed to employ any in self-defense.

His act, itself, varies by location. On the riverbank, he’ll do mostly aquatic tricks, focusing on dives flips, and elegant leaps out of the water. His juggling is all-the-more impressive at the water’s edge, as he’s learned to conceal his hands behind the waves that he kicks up, seemingly throwing and catching objects through the action of the waves themselves. On land, he’s much more traditional, tossing torches, rings, balls, and daggers, though he’ll occasionally do so while dangling from a tree or standing neck-deep in one of Kintargo’s many urban ponds, taking care not to extinguish his torches.

But Jack Seagull has a few peculiar hobbies as well. Never one to worry about social etiquette, he frequently dredges the Yolubilis river, turning up coins, trinkets, and the occasional corpse. And while he does what he can to treat such finds with decorum, he once found a small wreck filled with bleached skeletons just outside the city’s borders, and took a few souvenirs—very rarely, on a dark night, he’ll sit on the rocks near the river and practice juggling skulls, remarking to himself on how absurd and baffling his undersea brothers would find his current life.

Juggling in the darkness
In a way, Jack’s been a bit of a rebel ever since he got to Kintargo, in the small ways he lived outside the city’s laws, helping others avoid taxes and constraints. But since the arrival of Barzillai Thrune, such actions have gotten a bit more direct. With the new taxes on Bleakbridge, Jack Seagull has spent much of his time ferrying messages and cargo across the river for free, aiding those less-fortunate residents of the Devil’s Nursery who would otherwise be unable to continue their lives and business.

And he’s tossed around some other ideas as well. With a climbing kit, a grappling hook to throw, and the right spot to jump from, he could probably make it onto the roof of Castle Kintargo. And with a few small knives and Master Koshi’s old iron brush hidden in his pockets, he’s begun to get some dangerous ideas. Someone, somewhere, has to stop what’s happening. But long-term planning is not Jack’s strong suit, and a lifetime spent playing in the sun has cost him the keen eyesight and night-friendliness of typical elves.

Recently, he’s heard something about a certain revolutionary, one whose movement Master Koshi mentioned more than once. And so he’s on his way to Aria Park—an area he already knows quite well, along with many of its performers—to try and find out just what’s going on behind the scenes, and whether he and his unique talents should be involved.

Init +6
Speed 30', Swim 31' [rounds to 30']
BAB +1, CMB +3

Because of his large variety of weapons, improvised or not, I'll just list (until he gets better things in a few levels):

Ranged/Finesse to hit: +5/+6 close (BAB +1, Dex +4, Point-Blank +0/+1)
Damage: +2/+3 close (+3/+4 if two-handed) (Str +2, Point-Blank +0/+1)

Things to throw:
2x Chakram (2 gp, 2 lb)
2x Hunga Munga (8 gp, 6 lb)
1x Trident (15 gp, 4 lb)
1x Iron Brush (2 gp)
2x Dagger (4 gp, 2 lb)
2x Mug, Wooden (2 gp, 2 lb)
3x Torches (3 lb)
3x Human Skulls (6 lb, not *usually* carried)
1x Buckler, Throwing (55 gp, 5 lb)
Juggler’s Kit (15 gp, 10 lb, +1 to perform comedy and juggling—includes clubs, balls, and rings)

Tekko-Kagi (2 gp, fancy monkish disarming weapon)

Things to wear:
Masterwork Backpack (50 gp, 4 lb)
Studded Leather Armor (25 gp, 20 lb)
Above: 180 gp, 60 lb
Below: 50 gp, 6 lb
Monk’s Outfit (5 gp, 2 lb) (+2 baggy bonus to conceal)
Sash, Adventurer’s (20 gp, 3 lb)
Jewelry, False Bangles (25 gp, 1 lb) (+8 to hide extremely small items)

Wishlist: Bola?, Bracers of Falcon’s Aim, Akitonian Blade, Rod of Balance, Jump spell, Cheetah’s Sprint (Equipment Trick with cape stops fall damage)

HP 10 (1d10)
AC 18 (Dex +4, Armor +3, Shield +1)
T 14, FF 14
CMD 17

Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +2 (+5 vs most enchantments)

Skill points: 9 (Bard 6, Int 1, Background 2)
*Indicates class skill
ACP: -1 (outside of combat; shield increases to -2 in combat)

*Acrobatics +9/+13 running start (+10/+14 if stunting) (1 rank, +4 dex, +2 trait, +0/+4 run, -1 ACP)
*Athletics +5/+13 to swim (1 rank, +2 str, +0/+8 swim speed, -1 ACP)
*Bluff +6/+8 in water or darkness (1 rank, +2 cha, +0/+2 concealment)
*Diplomacy +6/+8 in water or darkness (uses bluff modifier)
*Handle Animal +6 (1 background rank, +2 cha)
*Knowledge (local) +6 (1 rank, +1 int, +1 trait)
*Perception +4 (1 rank)
*Perform (comedy) +7 (1 background rank, +2 cha, +1 juggler’s kit)
*Sleight of Hand +7/+9 in water or darkness (+8/+10 for performance juggling), conceal: +9 light weapons, +11 daggers, +15 tiny items, (1 rank, +4 dex, +0/+2 concealment, +0/+1 juggler’s kit, -1 ACP)
*Stealth +7 (1 rank, +4 dex, -1 ACP)

Reason to Protest:
Meeting a Contact (+2 Per/Sense)

Traits:
-Soaring Sprinter (Combat): You gain a +2 trait bonus on Acrobatics checks to keep your balance or jump, and Acrobatics becomes a class skill for you.
-Secret Revolutionary (Local; Cheliax): +1 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting effects, and on Fortitude saves against drugs or poisons.
-Star Struck: Strea Vestori (Campaign): +1 to Knowledge (local), advantage on dex skill 1/day

Feats:
Racial: Run
1: Point-Blank Shot
Brawler 1: Improved Unarmed Strike
Juggler 1: Deflect Arrows
Wishlist—Order may change, or be swapped with “expertise options” below, based on which seems the most fun
3: Rapid Shot
5: Weapon Focus: Shield Bash (or Throw Anything?)
5: (bonus) Deadly Aim
7: Agile Maneuvers
9: Shield Focus/Combat Reflexes
9: (bonus) Greater Shield Focus
11: Shield Focus/Combat Reflexes

Expertise options (depending on battle setting):
-Weapon Finesse (melee combat)
-Blade and Tankard Style (melee battlefield control)
-Deadly Aim (ranged combat)
-Quick Draw (long-duration ranged combat)
-Equipment Trick: Rope (ranged battlefield control)
-Fast Movement + High Jump (req. level 6, become amazing at acrobatics)
-Combat Expertise + Improved Maneuver (req. level 6, do maneuvers better)
-Improved Shield Bash + Shield Slam (req. level 6, bull-rush melee enemies around the battlefield)

Bard 0:
-Prestidigitation
-Dancing Lights
-Message
-Mage Hand

Bard 1:
-Tears to Wine
-Unseen Servant

Elven Magic: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic items.

Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.

Fleet-Footed: While all elves are naturally lithe and agile, some also are naturally speedy and have a strong desire to rush into situations rather than worrying about looking ahead. Elves with this racial trait receive Run as a bonus feat and a +2 racial bonus on initiative checks. This racial trait replaces keen senses and weapon familiarity.

Behind the Veil: Characters with this trait gain a +2 bonus on Bluff and Sleight of Hand checks while benefiting from concealment or cover. Elves can take this trait in place of low-light vision.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A shield champion is proficient with all simple weapons and with shields as weapons.

Brawler's Cunning: If the brawler's Intelligence score is less than 13, it counts as 13 for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites of combat feats.

Martial Flexibility (Ex) (4/day): A brawler can take a move action to gain the benefit of a combat feat she doesn't possess. This effect lasts for 1 minute. The brawler must meet all the feat's prerequisites. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 her brawler level (minimum 1).

Martial Training (Ex): At 1st level, a brawler counts her total brawler levels as both fighter levels and monk levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats. She also counts as both a fighter and a monk for feats and magic items that have different effects based on whether the character has levels in those classes.

Unarmed Strike (1d6): At 1st level, a brawler gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A juggler is proficient with all simple weapons, plus martial thrown weapons.

Fast Reactions (Ex): At 1st level, a juggler gains Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat.

Flexible Performer (Ex): A busker can attempt Acrobatics, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks to earn money instead of Perform checks. He can use his Bluff modifier in place of his Diplomacy modifier on Diplomacy checks.

Busker Stunts (Su), (6 rnds/day): A busker knows how to magically enhance the effectiveness of his physical stunts. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. Maintaining a stunt is a free action, but it ends immediately if the busker is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. This ability is treated as bardic performance for the purposes of feats, abilities, and other effects that affect bardic performance.

Quick Hands (Su): At 1st level as a swift action, a busker can call on his stunts to gain a +1 competence bonus on Acrobatics checks, a +1 dodge bonus to AC and on Reflex saves, and a +1 bonus on attack rolls as if from haste.

Patter (Su): A busker can engage in brisk conversation that seems innocuous, but actually encourages creatures to reveal secrets to the busker. Each round while maintaining this stunt, the busker can force one creature within 30 feet that is able to see and hear the busker and has an attitude of indifferent or better towards him to attempt a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the busker's bard level + the busker's Charisma modifier). On a failed save, the target must answer one yes/no question the busker asks to the best of its ability. Anyone observing this (including the creature asked, even if it succeeds at its save) must succeed at a Sense Motive check (opposed by the busker's Bluff check) to realize the question was asked or answered. A target that feels threatened or is in combat is immune to this ability. This is a language-dependent, mind-affecting enchantment effect.