Gilde Marbleheart's page

There isn't much that Gilde remembers before the giant attack that orphaned her. Somewhere, vaguely, she remembers a family, but it's only in snippets, fragments of an experience or a feeling, never vivid enough for so much as a clear face. She's been told, at least, by the paladins who found her in the wreckage and took her back to Janderhoff to raise, that the settlement was small, barely more than an outpost, without much records kept to show who she was or who her family might have been. All they know is that her survival was a miracle, a gift from Torag himself, and Gilde has never seen any reason to doubt that.

She remembers the attack well enough. Too young to know what was happening, she still knew danger when she saw it, and knew what the sounds of pitched combat outside her family's home meant. She might not have known what the danger was or where it was coming from or why, but her parents each reached for what they had for weapons and told her to find somewhere to hide, and she knew better than to argue or disagree. Their house was small, without many places for a young dwarf to tuck herself away, but she was able to find something, a small stone chest, not containing much and only barely small enough to fit herself inside. She remembers finding the stone comforting, pressed in on her on all sides more like an embrace than a coffin, and she remembers hearing what she's sure was a voice, instructing her to keep still, and keep hidden, and stay brave, and that it would ensure she could be protected.

It was hours before the response from Janderhoff reached that little outpost, and by that point the attack was well and truly over. That small house had collapsed, rubble and debris hiding the stone chest, but as they sifted through the wreckage, a paladin of Torag found the girl's hiding place. They explained she would be safe, that they would take her with them. And so, back to Janderhoff they went, for Gilde to be raised in the temple.
Gilde's adoptive parents never shied away from what happened. She might have been young, but she clearly remembered too much to try and keep the truth from her. Instead, they made sure to keep her strong, they trained her in combat as they had been trained, taught her how to cripple an enemy's defenses and means of attack, and how to defend herself against an enemy so much larger. She listened with rapt attention to their martial training, and to the lecturing of the priests, becoming as devoted to Torag over time as the clerics and paladins surrounding her.

Eventually, she came to understand the voice she'd heard that day, hiding in the chest, as Torag, and she found, strangely, that while the voice in the stone has never happened since, she still had some strange connection with the stone and metal surrounding her. Its presence comforted her, and she understood its structure easily. She hadn't heard the voice in the stone again, but she didn't need to, for how easily it still seemed to tell her what it would need.

She's been gone from Janderhoff for some time now, as much to see the world as it is to make real use of her abilities. She's been hearing, in bits and pieces at first and then in awed rumor, about growing trouble in the mountains, about giant attacks and a gathering army, and the deeds of a group, all setting out to hold back the threat. Gilde's not sure, entirely, how she came to the decision to seek them out. Almost as if one didn't need to be made, as soon as she'd heard the details, she was preparing to leave.

Gilde is, as most dwarves are, short and stocky, solidly-built and with broad, squareish features. She stands at exactly 4 feet in height, and wears her thick hair long and in a series of braids, somewhat simple by a dwarf's standards but still precise and decorated here and there with golden beads. At one point, Gilde was clearly formed entirely in shades of brown, a warm tan tone to her skin and a rich, deep, coffee-brown to her hair and eyes, but as her strength and connection to the stone that saved her life grows, all the warm tones of living flesh seem to be leaving her. Instead, covering about two-thirds of her body and half of her face in irregular, slowly-growing patches is alabaster marble, polished as much as her armor is, and shot through with veins of deeper grey. Here and there, the grey is accented gold, though it's hard to tell whether that's occurred naturally or if it's purposeful embellishment. One eye has been fully claimed by marble, though it moves in its socket and seems to see as clearly as her still-organic eye - and, really, none of her odd stone skin seems to hinder her ability or movement at all - with the same gold embellishment around the eyelashes and iris, as well as filling in that pupil. Despite the gold embellishments and decorations, the beads in her hair and the small golden studs piercing both sides of her nose, Gilde dresses quite plainly otherwise, her armor and clothing sporting the usual high standards of dwarven craftsmanship, but minimally-decorated and practical.

Warsmith: You have an intuitive grasp of the weak points of metal and stone. You gain a +1 trait bonus to damage rolls against creatures and objects made primarily of clay, crystal, earth, metal, or stone. Knowledge (engineering) is a class skill for you.

Orphaned by Giants: You grew up in a tranquil, happy home near the mountains, but that peace was shattered when giants came down from the mountains to raid your settlement. The giants killed your parents and left you a young orphan, and since that day, you’ve sworn to avenge the deaths of your kin. You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls against creatures with the giant subtype, and a +2 trait bonus on rolls to confirm critical hits against creatures with the giant subtype.

Defensive Training: +4 Dodge to AC against giants.
Greed: +2 to appraise on nonmagical items containing precious gems or metal.
Hatred: +1 to hit against orcs and goblinoids.
Hardy: +2 on saves against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
Stability: +4 CMD against Bull Rush and Trip maneuvers while standing on the ground.
Stonecunning: +2 on perception to notice unusual stonework, make this check even when not actively looking.

2300gp
+1 Smashing Dorn-dergar, +1 Composite Shortbow(+4 str), 40 arrows, +1 Defiant(giant subtybe) Fullplate, Belt of Physical Might +2 (str/con), Headband of Inspired Wisdom +2, Ring of Protection +2, Amulet of Natural Armor +2, Cloak of Resistance +3, Gauntlets of the Skilled Maneuver (Sunder), Paladin's Kit (contains: backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a cheap holy text, a flint and steel, an iron pot, a mess kit, rope, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), a waterskin, wooden holy symbol), Scrivener's Kit (contains: vial for holding ink, an ink pen, spare pen nibs, a small container of pigment for making ink, a tiny knife for cutting quills into pens, a blotter, and a small ruler), Journal

Aura of Good (Ex): The power of a paladin's aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her paladin level.

Detect Evil (Sp): At will, a paladin can use detect evil, as the spell. A paladin can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual 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, the paladin does not detect evil in any other object or individual within range.

Stonestrike (Su): Once per day per paladin level, a stonelord can draw upon the power of the living rock. As a swift action, she treats her melee attacks until the beginning of her next turn (whether armed or unarmed) as magical and adamantine, including ignoring hardness up to twice her paladin level, with a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls, as well as on combat maneuver checks. This bonus also applies to her CMD if she or her target is touching the ground or a stone structure. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.

Heartstone (Ex): At 2nd level, a stonelord’s flesh becomes progressively rockier. She gains a +1 natural armor bonus to AC and DR/adamantine equal to 1/2 her paladin level. The natural armor bonus increases by +1 at 6th level, and every four levels thereafter, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. These benefits are halved when not touching the ground or a stone structure.

Lay On Hands (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a paladin can heal wounds (her own or those of others) by touch. Each day she can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 her paladin level plus her Charisma modifier. With one use of this ability, a paladin can heal 1d6 hit points of damage for every two paladin levels she possesses. Using this ability is a standard action, unless the paladin targets herself, in which case it is a swift action. Despite the name of this ability, a paladin only needs one free hand to use this ability.

Alternatively, a paladin can use this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures, dealing 1d6 points of damage for every two levels the paladin possesses. Using lay on hands in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. Undead do not receive a saving throw against this damage.

Aura of Courage (Su): At 3rd level, a paladin is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions only while the paladin is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Stoneblood (Ex): At 3rd level, a stonelord’s vitals begin to calcify and her blood transforms into liquid stone. She adds her paladin level on checks to stabilize at negative hit points and gains a 25% chance to ignore a critical hit or precision damage. This does not stack with fortification armor or similar effects. At 9th level, this chance increases to 50% and she becomes immune to petrification. At 15th level, this chance increases to 75% and she becomes immune to bleed and blood drain effects.

Mercy (Su): At 3rd level, and every three levels thereafter, a paladin can select one mercy. Each mercy adds an effect to the paladin's lay on hands ability. Whenever the paladin uses lay on hands to heal damage to one target, the target also receives the additional effects from all of the mercies possessed by the paladin. A mercy can remove a condition caused by a curse, disease, or poison without curing the affliction. Such conditions return after 1 hour unless the mercy actually removes the affliction that causes the condition.
Conditions Removed: Fatigue

Defensive Stance (Ex): At 4th level, a stonelord gains the defensive stance ability, as a stalwart defender, and may select one defensive power at 8th level and every four levels thereafter.

A stalwart defender can maintain this stance for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Constitution modifier. At each level after 1st, he can maintain the stance for 2 additional rounds per day. Temporary increases to Constitution, such as those gained from the defensive stance and spells like bear’s endurance, do not increase the total number of rounds that the stalwart defender can maintain a defensive stance per day. The stalwart defender can enter a defensive stance as a free action. The total number of rounds of defensive stance per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive. While in a defensive stance, the stalwart defender gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC, a +4 morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution, as well as a +2 morale bonus on Will saves. The increase to Constitution grants the stalwart defender 2 hit points per Hit Die, but these hit points disappear when the defensive stance ends and are not lost first like temporary hit points. While in a defensive stance, a stalwart defender cannot willingly move from his current position through any means (including normal movement, riding a mount, teleportation, or willingly allowing allies to carry him). If he enters a defensive stance while on a moving vehicle he does not control (such as a wagon or ship), he can maintain the stance even if the vehicle moves. If the stalwart defender moves under his own power as a result of an enemy’s successful use of the Bluff skill or an enchantment spell, his stance ends.

The stalwart defender can end his defensive stance as a free action; after ending the stance, he is fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 2 times the number of rounds spent in the stance. A stalwart defender cannot enter a new defensive stance while fatigued or exhausted but can otherwise enter a stance multiple times during a single encounter or combat. If a stalwart defender falls unconscious, his defensive stance immediately ends, placing him in peril of death. A defensive stance requires a level of emotional calm, and it may not be maintained by a character in a rage (such as from the rage class feature or the rage spell).

Defensive Powers (Ex)
Intercept (Ex): Once a round as an immediate action, when a melee or ranged weapon would successfully strike an adjacent ally, the stalwart defender can choose to have the weapon strike him instead of the intended target. The attack automatically hits the stalwart defender, regardless his AC or any miss chance in effect, and he suffers the normal consequences of the attack.

Earth Channel (Su): At 4th level, a stonelord gains Elemental Channel (earth) as a bonus feat, which she may activate by spending two uses of her lay on hands ability, using her paladin level as her effective cleric level.

Stone Servant (Su): At 5th level, a stonelord may call a Small earth elemental to her side, as a paladin calls her mount. This earth elemental is Lawful Good in alignment and possesses the celestial template, and it increases in size as the stonelord gains levels, becoming Medium at 8th level, Large at 11th level, Huge at 14th level, Greater at 17th level, and Elder at 20th level.