Gevtodt Bereskan's page

GEVTODT BERESKAN, GUARDSMAN CR 1
Male Human Rogue 1
NG Medium humanoid
Init +4; Senses Perception +3
Aura none

DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14
hp 6 (1d6+0); reserve points 6
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +0 (+2 vs Charm or Compulsion)

OFFENSE
Spd 30 ft.
Melee Dagger +3 (1d4+3), or Long Spear +3 (1d8+4), or Earthbreaker +3 (2d6 +4)
Ranged Dagger +4 (1d4+3), or Javelin +4 (1d6+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Sneak attack +1d6

TACTICS
Before Combat None
During Combat None
Morale The brother is fearless! Huh.
Base Statistics None

STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 13
Base Atk +0; Grp +3
Feats Harrowed, Renown.
Skills Acrobatic(4) +8, Deception(4) +5, Diplomacy(4) +5, Disable Device(4) +6, Disguise (0) +0, Intimidate(4) +5, Knowledge: History(2cc) +4, Knowledge: Local(4) +8, Knowledge: Nobility(2cc) +4, Perception(4) +3, Stealth(4) +8, Theft(4) +8, ; No thieves' tools.
Reputation +5
Contacts None
Languages Common, Draconic, Infernal
SQ None
Combat Gear Dagger(1 lb), Long Spear(9 lbs), Earthbreaker(14 lbs), (3)Javelins (2 lbs. each), Chain Shirt(25 lb);
Other Gear Traveler's outfit, Harrow Deck, Pay chit showing that Gevtodt owes 51 gp to Korvosan Guard-South Shore Garrison. A beautiful gold and blue illuminated card from a high quality harrow deck (The card shows the image of a well-dressed cricket with a grinning face, a stack of cards in hand, and leaning up against a peach. The Cricket represents speed - of mind and body - and is commonly associated with travel. The peach he sits by represents a treasure at the end of your journeys, but sometimes that treasure can be lost and the journey difficult. The card once had a message on one side “I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done." The message faded once it was read.

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Special Ability (Ex/Sp/Su) None

NOTES
Encumbrance 66/133/200; 55 lbs.
Race/Class/Campaign Information Trapfinding, Sneak Attack, Light Armor Prof., Weapon Group (Basic), Weapon Group (Picks and Hammers), Weapon Group (Spears and Lances), Weapon Group (Heavy Blades), Weapon Group (Spears and Lances), Distinctive Trait, Drug Addicted Trait (Addicted Friend), Military Background (Herald), Favored Class: Rogue, Favored Skill: Perception

Since some of the Golarion weapons don't fit neatly into the provided weapon groups, here's where they go:

Weapon Group (Claw Weapons) [General]
Addendum to the feat as presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the following weapon normally: klar, starknife (melee), ogre hook.

Weapon Group (Exotic Weapons) [General]
Addendum to the feat as presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Heavy Blades: sawtooth sabre (as light weapon).
Shoanti: Shoanti bola.
Slings and Thrown Weapons: Shoanti bola.
Varisian: bladed scarf, sawtooth sabre (as light weapon).

Weapon Group (Heavy Blades) [General]
Addendum to the feat as presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the following weapon normally: sawtooth sabre (as longsword).

Weapon Group (Light Blades) [General]
Addendum to the feat as presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the following weapon normally: dogslicer.

Weapon Group (Picks and Hammers) [General]
Addendum to the feat as presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the following weapon normally: earth breaker.

Weapon Group (Shoanti) [General]
You are trained in the weapons of the Shoanti tribes.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the following weapons normally: earth breaker, klar.
Normal: When using a weapon with which you are not proficient, you take a -4 penalty on attack rolls.

Weapon Group (Slings and Thrown Weapons) [General]
Addendum to the feat as presented in Unearthed Arcana.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the following weapon normally: starknife (ranged).

Weapon Group (Varisian) [General]
You have learned to use some of the weapons most commonly associated with the people of Varisia.
Benefit: You make attack rolls with the following weapons normally: starknife, war razor.
Normal: When using a weapon with which you are not proficient, you take a -4 penalty on attack rolls.

Unarmed Strike: 0gp, 1d2/1d3, x2, -, -, B (Non Prof.)

Dagger: 2gp, 1d3/1d4, 19-20x2, 10’, 1 lb, P or S
Long Spear: 5gp, 1d6/1d8, x3, -, 9lbs, P
Earthbreaker: 40 gp, 1d10/2d6, x3, -, 14lbs, B
Javelin: 1gp, 1d4/1d6, x2, 30’, 2 lb, P
Chain Shirt: 100gp, +4,+4, -2, 20%, 30/20, 25 lbs.

Harrowed (Feat): Numerous Harrow readings early in your life seem to have hit the mark precisely, increasing your belief that you are destined for a specific purpose in life; the harrow deck and your destiny seem intertwined.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, must be chosen at 1st level
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Will saves made to resist charm or compulsion effects.
Once per day, you may draw a card from a harrow deck you own. At any one time for the rest of that day, you may apply a +2 bonus on any d20 roll modified by the card’s suit. For example, if you drew a card from the suit of Wisdom, you may apply a +2 bonus on a Will save or a Wisdom-based skill check. If you drew a card from the suit of Dexterity, you could apply this +2 bonus on an Initiative check, a Reflex save, a Dexterity-based skill check, or a ranged attack roll. You may assign this +2 bonus after you make the roll, but you must do so before you know the if the roll was a success or not.
If you don’t an actual harrow deck handy to draw from to determine your bonus, you can randomly determine the ability score by simply rolling 1d6 (1 = Strength, 2 = Constitution, 3 = Dexterity, 4 = Intelligence, 5 = Wisdom, 6 = Charisma).

Renown (feat): You have a better chance of being recognized.
Benefit: Increase your reputation bonus by 3 points.
Special: You can’t select both the Low Profile feat and the Renown feat. You’re either famous or you’re not.

Drug Addict-Addicted Friend (Trait):The addict is a friend or lover who might or might not have survived the overdose. Your research into the drug scene and local politics has given you a respectable education in street knowledge. You gain a +2 bonus on Knowledge (local) checks or Gather Information checks (choose one when selecting this trait).

Distinctive (trait): You have some distinctive physical feature such as a scar, a prominent nose, a limp, or some similar characteristic that is hard to disguise or conceal.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Reputation checks.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on Disguise checks.
Special: This trait is available only if your campaign includes the Reputation variant.

Herald (Character Background-Military): Bard or fighter, Negotiator or Weapon Focus, Knowledge (nobility and royalty)/Diplomacy/Knowledge (local)/Sense Motive/Spot/Listen/Knowledge (history), Armor or shield, Influence, +1, Rank, DC 24

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 any time 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 it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, 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. A rogue can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. 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 concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Trapfinding: Rogues (and only rogues) can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20. Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it. Rogues (and only rogues) can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it. A rogue who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.

April 2008
I used the Herald character background to build this character. I made the following “tweaks”. I hope you will consider letting me use them.

I added Rogue to the list of characters eligible for the class.
I replaced Negotiator (feat) with Renown (feat).

The character background I have in mind will tie everything together. I will work on it as soon as I get a chance.
Real life is eating my lunch right now.

Also, the week of March 16-22 I will be away from my computer. My wife and I are going to take a little vacation to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I may be able to check in occasionally. If this bumps me from the list of eligible players I hope you will still consider me as an alternate.

Thanks for picking up the PbP DM mantle!

ManPig

Gevtodt is a remarkable man who has been over shadowed his entire life by an extraordinary man, his father. Gevtodt’s father is none other than Captain Tevigant Bereskan of the Korvosan Guard, South Shore Garrison. And what else can you call Tevigant but extraordinary? Tevigant was a poor commoner who, by utilizing his superior combat ability and keen mind for leadership, ascended up the ranks of the guards with amazing speed. Then, during the early years of his distinguished military career, he caught the eye of an unimportant daughter of a very minor noble. This young woman, Alenjjaa, soon married the dashing young soldier. The marriage caused a rift with Alenjjaa’s parents that never healed. Not even the birth of Tevigant and Alenjjaa’s first baby, a son, could reunite the family. The boy was the apple of Tevigant’s eye. As the boy grew so grew the pride of the happy parents. It was no surprise when three years later Alenjjaa gave birth to a second child, also a son. His name was Gevtodt. For, you see, not only has Gevtodt grown up in the shadow of his father, but his noble mother and his “chip off the old block” older brother Monterro also overshadowed him. He didn’t mind. He had a good loving family and a blessed life. Unfortunately, things changed...

Tragedy, as it always does, struck swiftly and unexpectedly in Gevtodt’s life. On a wonderful spring day Tevigant escorted his family to a small carnival that had set up in their neighborhood. One of the attractions was a tent featuring animals and monsters from Korvosa. The main attraction was a heavily chained ogre. On a table near the beast were several items from ogre society including an earthbreaker. As the family moved thru the tent the docile beast suddenly came to life. Snapping the chains as though they were strings the ogre grabbed the earthbreaker and began flailing about. With the earthbreaker in one hand and broken chains in the other the beast caused much carnage before charging out into the square. The entire carnival descended into chaos. Tevigant, armed only with his ceremonial dagger, charged after the beast. Gevtodt followed his father. Although his six-year-old heart was frozen with fear his legs seemed to move on their own accord. Gevtodt watched as his father disarmed the beast and used the beast’s own earthbreaker to slay the mighty ogre with one blow. As his father walked back into the tent Gevtodt became overcome with emotion. A combination of fury and pride drove him as he ran to the fallen beast. Picking up the earthbreaker he hoisted it above his head and let loose a primal scream. To this day Gevtodt has that earthbreaker [2]. When Gevtodt returned to the tent his screaming began again. Not pride, not fury, but pain; the kind of pain that can only come from seeing your dead mother being cradled in the arms of your weeping father.

The following couple of days passed in a blur. Gevtodt remembers a coffin, himself sitting alone on a horse drawn carriage, Monterro leading the horse drawn carriage down a crowded street, his father leading the way on a stallion. How ironic that such sadness also leads to such recognition for Gevtodt. A local artist encapsulated these tragic events in a work of art. Three folding boards, each holding two scenes, showed a crude depiction of a carnival, a raging ogre with an earthbreaker, a Korvosan guardsman slaying the beast, a screaming small boy with yellow eyes hoisting an earthbreaker above his head, a coffin in a horse drawn carriage, and finally the ghostly image of a beautiful woman’s face tearfully smiling down on a Korvosan guardsman with two small boys kneeling tearfully beside him. That work of art, “A Day at the Fair,” became wildly popular for a time. It was reproduced many times. People looked at it as a symbol of Korvosan pride and hung it in their homes and businesses. To this day Gevtodt is still recognized by some as “that little boy in the picture with the yellow eyes.” [3]

Tevigant did his best to raise his boy’s right. However, there is not doubt that a piece of him died the day Alenjjaa died. As time passed Tevigant became more and more distant. His job became more than just what he did. It became who he was. Gevtodt felt that a piece of Monterro died that day to. Monterro was never the same. He was still the “apple of his father’s eye,” but he was more sullen and withdrawn. When Monterro turned thirteen he was made herald of the Korvosan Guard, South Shore Garrison, by his father, Captain Bereskan. That seemed to make a difference in Monterro’s demeanor. He seemed to bloom. It looked like he was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. This happy time lasted about three years. At this time things took a dramatic turn for the worse. Monterro began abusing drugs[4]. In a matter of days his behavior became so erratic that he was kicked out of the guard and his home in rapid succession. Tevigant has no room for weakness; in his life or the life of his sons.

At the tender age of thirteen Gevtodt got his first job. Well, actually he got two jobs. First, and formally, his father, Captain Bereskan, made him herald of the Korvosan Guard, South Shore Garrison[3]. Second, and very informally, he became his brother’s keeper. Long days spent drilling and fulfilling his herald duties were followed by long nights seeking out Monterro[5]. When he could find him Gevtodt would feed him and care for him as much as possible. Gevtodt spent many long hours, especially early on, trying to talk Monterro into quitting the drugs and coming home. Monterro would listen silently. He never answered back or made excuses except to say, “You wouldn’t understand.” As time went by it became harder and harder to track down Monterro. Sometimes days or even weeks would go by before Gevtodt could locate him. This went on for a little over a year.

On a last fateful day, Gevtodt found Monterro shivering under a broken down stairway in a stinking alley. Monterro’s body was frail; all skin and bones. When Monterro looked up and saw that it was Gevtodt who was tending to him he smiled. “I thought you were one of my ‘friends’ coming to loot my body while I yet lived,” he said with a weak smile. “Don’t talk like that,” responded Gevtodt, also with a weak smile. Gevtodt was desperately trying to come up with some idea to get his brother to a healer. He knew that appealing to his father was useless. He started formulating a plan to go and beg for help from his grandparents. These were the same grandparents who didn’t even attend the funeral of their own daughter. Desperation began to overcome him. At that moment Monterro’s chest began to heave. A wild look appeared in his eyes. The look of death began to overtake his features. “I ran,” he gasped. “That day at the carnival… I ran. I hid under a table with my head tucked under my arms. When I looked up I could see mother.” Monterro began to sob, or at least his body tried. Gasping and sobbing tears began to run down his face. “Hush,” said Gevtodt, “it’s alright. You just rest.” “No,” he cried, “You don’t understand. She could see ME! We were looking eye to eye. She wasn’t more than five feet away from me. When she saw me looking at her she smiled. Her arms were out. With her fingers she beckoned for me to come. I couldn’t. I couldn’t move. As I watched the life faded from her eyes. The smile slipped from her face. She looked so disappointed…disappointed in me!” The last few words came out as a guttural scream. Monterro seemed to calm a bit. The last few breaths of his life began to ebb away. With a wry smile he said, “It hurts Gevtodt. It hurts everyday. But some times the pain goes away. If you pay him, if you pay Gaedran Lamm, he makes the pain go away; at least for a little while.” Monterro paused, took a quick breath, and looked deeply into Gevtodt’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sor…” And with that Monterro was gone.

Gevtodt did not know how long he stayed there by his brother. Lost in thought and grief he slowly began to hear the sounds of the city coming to life. Wiping a few remaining tears from his face he rose. Picking up the tragically light body of Monterro he strode thru the streets as the sun began to rise. As he carried the body into the South Shore Garrison every guardsman he passed stopped and stared. Some of the guards showed signs of recognizing Monterro. A few of them even doffed their helmets causing Gevtodt to smile inwardly. Laying Monterro’s body down outside, Gevtodt strode into his father’s office. As usual, Tevigant was too busy to even look up. Without pausing from his writing he said, “Yes?” “Monterro’s dead,” replied Gevtodt in a steady and even tone. Tevigant did not even stop writing. “Anything else?” he asked. In the same even tone Gevtodt replied, “His body is outside.” At this Tevigant’s hand paused, just for a moment. Still without looking up he replied, “Paupers grave.” Gevtodt remained at attention. A moment passed; then another. “Anything else to report?” asked Tevigant, sounding just a little exasperated. “There is a man named Gaedran Lamm selling drugs in our sector, sir,” was Gevtodt’s reply. “Humph. Lamm,” was Tevigant’s reply. Tevigant gave off the impression he had heard that name many times before. “Dismissed,” he continued. Tevigant never looked up. “Yes, Sir!” snapped Gevtodt. Turning on his heel he strode from the room. He spent the morning burying Monterro.

[1]Distinctive (Trait): yellow eyes.
[2]I don’t know if DM Lilith will use Legendary Items, but if she is willing so am I!
[3]Renown (Feat): Artwork combined with herald duties.
[4]Drug Addicted (Addicted Friend) (Trait): Monterro.
[5]Harrowed (Feat): Gevtodt frequented many readers in his various searches for Monterro. His rogue skills also developed and sharpened at this time.