STATISTICS
Str 10 (0)
Dex 16 (+3)
Con 13 (+1)
Int 16 (+3) [14 base, +2 racial]
Wis 12 (+1)
Cha 10 (0)
FEATS Weapon Focus: Rapier [Archetype Bonus]: You get +1 on attack rolls with the chosen weapon.
Fencing Grace [Level 1]: When wielding a rapier one-handed, you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to that weapon’s damage. The rapier must be one appropriate for your size. You do not gain this benefit while fighting with two weapons or using flurry of blows, or anytime another hand is otherwise occupied.
In addition, if you have the panache class feature, you gain a +2 bonus to your CMD against attempts to disarm you of your rapier while you have at least 1 panache point.
Extar Inspiration [Level 3]: You gain three extra use per day of inspiration in your inspiration pool.
TRAITS Chance Savior (Campaign): Your ability to think quickly on your feet has stayed with you, and you quite often feel that you’re in the right place at the right time. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.
Student of Philosophy (Social): You can use your Intelligence modifier in place of your Charisma modifier on Diplomacy checks to persuade others and on Bluff checks to convince others that a lie is true. (This trait does not affect Diplomacy checks to gather information or Bluff checks to feint in combat).
Total Points: 34 [(4 Swash + 3 Int + 1 human + 2 background) + 2*(6 Investigator + 3 Int + 1 human + 2 background)]
AC penalty is 0
LANGUAGES
Common, Dwarven, Elven, Hallit, Necril, Varisian.
EQUIPMENT
Alchemist’s Lab (200gp)
Thieves Tools (masterwork) (100gp)
Masterwork Rapier (320gp)
Masterwork Studded Leather Armor (175gp)
Explorer’s Outfit (free)
Investigator’s Kit: an alchemy crafting kit, a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a flint and steel, ink, an inkpen, an iron pot, a mess kit, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin. (40gp)
Formula book x2 (Free/15gp)
Alchemist’s Fire x3 (30gp)
Shortbow (35gp)
50 gold 0 silver 0 copper
SPECIAL ABILITIES Awareness: Humans raised within monastic traditions or communities that encourage mindfulness seem to shrug off many dangers more easily than other humans. They gain a +1 racial bonus on all saving throws and concentration checks. This racial trait replaces humans’ bonus feat.
Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Favored Class Bonus: 1x HP.
Inspired Panache: 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. Each day, an inspired blade gains a number of panache points equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1) and Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), instead of just her Charisma modifier.
Unlike other swashbucklers, an inspired blade gains no panache from a killing blow. She gains panache only from scoring a critical hit with a rapier. 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).
Inspired Finesse: At 1st level, an inspired blade gains the benefits of Weapon Finesse with the rapier (this ability counts as having the Weapon Finesse feat for the purpose of meeting feat prerequisites) and gains Weapon Focus (rapier) as a bonus feat.
This ability replaces swashbuckler finesse.
Deeds: Swashbucklers spend panache points to accomplish deeds. Most deeds grant the swashbuckler a momentary bonus or effect, but some provide longer-lasting 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.
Deeds:
Derring-Do (Ex): At 1st level, a swashbuckler can spend 1 panache point when she makes an Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, or Swim check to roll 1d6 and add the result to the check. She can do this after she makes the check but before the result is revealed. If the result of the d6 roll is a natural 6, she rolls another 1d6 and adds it to the check. She can continue to do this as long as she rolls natural 6s, up to a number of times equal to her Dexterity modifier (minimum 1).
Dodging Panache (Ex):/i] 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.
[i]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.
Trapfinding: An investigator adds 1/2 his level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device checks (minimum 1). An investigator can use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.
Inspiration: An investigator is beyond knowledgeable and skilled—he also possesses keen powers of observation and deduction that far surpass the abilities of others. An investigator typically uses these powers to aid in their investigations, but can also use these flashes of inspiration in other situations.
An investigator has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). An investigator’s inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without expending a use of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill.
Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration each time from the investigator’s pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action.
Alchemy: Investigators are highly trained in the creation of mundane alchemical substances and magical potion-like extracts.
When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, an investigator gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on the skill check. In addition, an investigator can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions as if using detect magic. He must hold the potion for 1 round to attempt such a check.
Like an alchemist, an investigator prepares his spells by mixing ingredients and a tiny fraction of his own magical power into a number of extracts, and then effectively casts the spell by drinking the extract. These extracts have powerful effects, but they are also bound to their creator. Extracts behave like spells in potion form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by dispel magic and similar effects, using the investigator’s level as the caster level.
An investigator can create only a certain number of extracts of each level per day. His base daily allotment of extracts per day is given on Table: Investigator. In addition, he receives bonus extracts per day if he has a high Intelligence score, in the same way a wizard receives bonus spells per day.
When an investigator mixes an extract, he infuses the chemicals and reagents in the extract with magic siphoned from his own magical aura. An extract immediately become inert if it leaves the investigator’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to his keeping—an investigator cannot normally pass out his extracts for allies to use. An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before losing its magic, so an investigator must reprepare his extracts every day. Mixing an extract takes 1 minute of work.
Creating extracts consumes raw material, but the cost of those materials is insignificant—comparable to the valueless material components of most spells. If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is expended during the consumption of that particular extract. Extracts cannot be made from spells that have focus requirements; extracts that duplicate divine spells never have a divine focus requirement.
An investigator uses the alchemist formulae list to determine the extracts he can know. An investigator can prepare an extract of any formulae he knows. To learn or use an extract, an investigator must have at least an Intelligence score equal to 10 + the extract’s level. The saving throw DC for an investigator’s extract is equal to 10 + the extract’s level + the investigator’s Intelligence modifier.
An investigator may know any number of formulae. He stores his formulae in a special tome called a formula book. He must refer to this book whenever he prepares an extract. At 1st level, an investigator starts with two 1st-level formulae of his choice, plus a number of additional formulae equal to his Intelligence modifier. At each new investigator level, he gains one new formula for any level that he can create. An investigator can also add formulae to his book just like a wizard adds spells to his spellbook, using the same costs, pages, and time requirements. A formula book costs as much as a spellbook. An investigator can study a wizard’s spellbook to learn any formula that is equivalent to a spell the spellbook contains. A wizard, however, cannot learn spells from a formula book. An investigator can also learn formulae from another investigator’s or an alchemist’s formula book (and vice versa). An investigator does not need to decipher arcane writing before copying that formulae.
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Background
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Gaius met the late Professor Lorrimor quite by chance. Several years out of the University of Lepistadt he had formed a small ‘club’ with a number of his university friends. Much of their work involved sitting around and drinking copious amounts of whisky but they also dabbled in bodyguard work, minor crime solving and the occasional bit of upper story work for clients who wanted proof that their husbands/wives/mistresses were (un)faithful.
On the night in question Gaius was indulging his own curiosity by investigating rumors of an underground animal fighting ring, which had so far involved a lot of skulking and an evening in smelly clothes getting apparently drunk while noting the key players in a cramped and smoky tavern, surrounded by the screams of animals and the clink of coin changing hands.
The problem arose when he realized that an older man was attempting to buy one of the animals and used words like ‘higher purpose’, ‘barbarity’ and ‘look here my good man’. That last one was the final straw and it was only by upending a chair and hurling what remained of his drink into another patron’s face that Gaius managed to instigate a large enough brawl for him to drag the older man out of the tavern with his insides still… inside.
Professor Lorrimor, as the man introduced himself, was very grateful and the two men compared notes over wine at a much finer establishment before the professor left Lepistadt to continue his travels. Gauis put the information to good use and the animal smuggling ring was eventually disbands by the Sleepless Detective agency thanks to his information.
Honestly, until the invitation to the funeral arrived at his lodgings, Gaius hadn’t though much of the professor in years. Since the professor was a fundamentally good man, if a little dim, Gaius decided that a short journey to pay his respects was in order. Bidding farewell to his friends he took a place in the mail coach and resigned himself to a wet and cold journey to Ravensgro.
