 About Ginthdrel "Hack"Background:
Ginthdrel can remember his mother. Her hair was paler even than his, thick luxurious locks of hair which billowed in the harsh northern wind and were lost in the near constant flurries of snow. It was always so cold. Her eyes were a blue as deep as the sea while his were the pale translucence of light passing through a glacier. They were large, cobalt orbs which held his gaze for seemingly hours on end and helped him forget the bitter cold. He only ever saw a smile in her eyes. All the others of the tribe wore scowls for him. For several years they didn't even realize he could notice them. They thought him too young to remember. Even when they knew he was not one of them, they did not understand how he was different. He can still hear their arguments with his mother. How they questioned her about her time separated from the clan. How she found her way back. How she gave birth before finding a mate amongst the people. How He learned he was only half an elf. He learned that he was no elf at all. He learned he was weak because he could feel the constant chill in the very marrow of his bones. He remembers the smile in her eyes. She taught him how to read tracks. He learned how to move to stay silent and keep prey, and predator, from noticing him. She explained the traits of all the creatures of nature to him and of the abominations which lurked in the wastes. The Fog was a danger in the lowlands, but the extreme cold of the Crown of the World had slowed its progress. He will never forget the Fog. It found the clan in the night. They were lower down than usual, but the hunt followed the prey. It was night and the camp was asleep. He awoke to screams and cries. The tent seemed filled with smoke. He ran out and found that it was everywhere. He yelled for his mother, but she did not answer. Running around, looking for anyone to help, tears streaming down his face at the realization that he could not see the camp anymore. He ran crying and screaming, trying to find a way out of the Fog. He has never remembered those days that followed. The caravan that found him, lying unconscious in the snow. Hypothermia set in and barely breathing, they took him with them as they journeyed through the perilous pockets of Fog. Pneumonia almost killed him then and he never did fully recover from it. The other children still call him Hack for the cough that is his ever present companion. By the time Ginth did awaken, the caravan was gone and he was in the Shadowvale Orphanage. The humans were nice, caring for him for the many weeks it took him to recover enough to care for himself. He wheezed and coughed wherever he went. Naturally pale, he was now a blue tinted ghost for a long time after. Moving silently through the halls of the orphanage, he passed wraith-like among the other ophans, quietly observing them and learning their habits. When he became well enough, he began to venture outside, climbing the walls and crossing over the buildings in the overpopulated city. He never cared for the dangers that came with his nocturnal jaunts and never worried about being barefoot or threadbare. In fact, he never knew cold in this city. He hadn't felt cold since he woke up in Shadowvale. He would stay out all night, stalking people just for the fun of it. No one was safe from his attention. This continued until the roofs could no longer support him. He had always been small but, once recovered, he started to grow. And grow. And grow. He grew for five years straight. By the time he stopped, he was over seven feet tall. Moreover, he was very muscular. Not in the wiry way of elves, but in the stocky way of humans and dwarves. His increased size became problematic when he fell through the roof of a squatters tenement. He very nearly went through the floor, too. Picking himself up, he found himself in the midst of a gathering of people of the most ill repute. Not at all amused by his entrance, one of them swung for him. His reflexes kicked in and he easily dodge the blow before driving his own fist into the man's gut. As another came forward, Ginth picked up one of the pieces of wood from the shattered ceiling and clouted him across the temple. He had taken down two of the three remaining men when he felt an explosion of pain in his lower back. The last man had struck him in the kidney and he was nearly blinded by pain as the breath was knocked from his lungs. Gasping for air, his ruined lungs not responding, he barely moved in time to avoid a second strike. Wildly swinging, he managed to connect with the man's arm. The resounding crack of the bone breaking caused the man to scream in pain. Stumbling, he found the doorway and plunged into the absolute darkness of the stairwell. Wheezing, he half-ran, half-stumbled down the stairs and out of the building. He made his way to a tangle of refuse and garbage where he hid while he struggled to regain his breath. It was several hours before he felt well enough to make his way back to the orphanage. Realizing the dangers of being discovered and fighting up close, he decided to pay more heed to the training being offered. Already good with a bow, he asked to be apprenticed to the men who patrolled the outskirts of the city who rooted out the myriad refugees trying to sneak into the city in an effort to escape the Fog.
GM:
Some of the highlights of the character to ease in understanding. Originally, I was writing up the back story for an elf. As I was writing, I remembered a couple of traits which I liked and decided to go with snowcaster elf from People of the North. That sparked a memory of another trait and prompted me to go with half-elf. First, his height; he is massive. I went with the Blood of Giants campaign trait from Reign of Winter to represent his being a half elf. It states that the character is huge without describing any actual measurements. I went to the giant entries in the bestiaries for a comparison. Frost giants, of which he would almost certainly be descended, stand about 15 feet tall. An elf can, mechanically, be as tall as 6'8". I chose 8 feet as a he could still be in the medium size category and yet obviously be something different from a normal elf. I also represented his strength as a stocky mass like a giant instead of a wiry lithe build of an elf. I kept the elven features to show that side of his heritage. Second, his racial traits. As I said, I first created him as an elf. My thought was to make him a snowcaster elf and I went with the Arctic Elf build from the Advanced Race Guide. When I realized I was going to make him an half-elf, I kept most of those alternate racial traits based on the half-elf racial feature, Elf Blood. As he counts as an elf for all effects based on race, why not exploit their alternate racial features? I replaced low-light vision with darkvision. This is no different from the half-elf alternate racial trait except it is not derived from being a half-drow. I also replace his elven immunities, which he receives as a half-elf, with the elven alternate racial trait, elemental resistance from which I chose cold resistance. The last part of Arctic Elf rebuild, desert runner replaces a racial feature half-elves do not possess, elven magic. I decided that, in light of his reduced constitution score, I would not take that feature (not even by taking the half-elf feat, elven spirit) to help represent that acquired frailty. Third, I created a drawback. I wanted three traits and could only take two. I had, what I considered, a great story reason for his weak constitution and wanted to build upon it mechanically. You approved drawbacks, but there was nothing in the list to represent a physical drawback. I created Fog Scarred to represent his having been exposed to the Fog and leaving it physically maimed. I really like that through a random roll of the dice, he is a physically imposing figure and yet possesses a very weak constitution. I hope that you approve of this trait. Fourth, I am spending the points on Craft (bowyer) to represent his desire and ability to fashion his own arrows and create his own bow. I have priced it out and it will take a minimum of nine weeks, if he made the minimum success each week on both rolls, has the time to work on it every day, but will take longer as he spends time making arrows. I would like to role play this out. Just to buy the materials will require 273 gold pieces, so it's a long way out and he won't have what he wants for several levels, probably not before level 4. Fifth, I have not specified my favored enemy. I would like to discuss this with you to determine an appropriate type, both for use and role play purposes. I hope you like everything you see. I did not get any feedback regarding my submitted background and had wondered if met your standards. When you added me to your list of prospective players, I thought I should go ahead and stat out the character anyway.
Appearance:
The elf, if he is an elf, who stands before you is massive. His height puts him head, shoulders... chest above the people of the street. Yet, his height doesn't seem to register when you realize you are swiveling your head from left to right just to take in the breadth of his shoulders. He appears as a solid slab of muscle hung in dark cloth. Long snow white hair hangs in a single plait down his back. Pale eyes, blue as a glacier filling the orbs, look down from a stern face framed by long tapering ears. Stats:
Alleran Odeber Male Human (Andoren) Ranger (falconer, trapper) 1 NG Medium Humanoid Init +5; Senses Perception +5 (+2 against favored enemies), Darkvision, Light Sensitivity -------------------- DEFENSE -------------------- AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (dex +5, armour +3) hp 9 (1d10-1) (-1 CON) Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +0 Elemental Resistance (cold) 5 -------------------- OFFENSE -------------------- Speed 30 ft Melee Battle axe +4 1d8+3 x3 S or .. Cold iron handaxe +4 1d6+3 x3 S or .. Alchemical silver dagger +4 1d4+2 19-20/x2 P or S or Ranged Dagger +6(+7 w/in 30') 1d4+3 19-20/x2 10' P or S or .. Short bow +6 (+7 w/in 30') 1d6 x3 60' P Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks Favored Enemy ( ) +2 -------------------- STATISTICS -------------------- Str 17, Dex 18, Con 8, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 10 BAB +1, CMB +4, CMD +18 Feats Light Armour Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Medium Armour Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Skill Focus (Craft) Drawbacks Fog Scarred Traits Blood of Giants, Obscure Traditions, Tundra Child Skills Acrobatics +5, Bluff +0, Climb +3, Craft (bowyer) +6, Diplomacy +0, Disguise +0, Escape Artist +5, Handle Animal +0, Intimidate +0, Knowledge (dungeoneering) N/A, Knowledge (geography) +3, Knowledge (nature) +3, Perception +6, Perform +0, Ride +5, Sense Motive +0, Stealth +9, Survival +4 (+1 to track), Swim +3, Racial Modifiers Perception +2 Languages Common, Elvish SQ Favored Enemy, Track, Wild Empathy Combat Gear Battle axe 6 lbs, 8 gp, dagger, 1 lb, 2 gp, cold iron handaxe 3 lbs, 12 gp, shortbow 3 lbs, 30 gp, studded Leather 20 lbs, 25 gp, 40 arrows 2 lbs, 2 gp, 20 cold iron arrows, 1 lb, 2 gp
Money: 1 gp Weight 43.5 lbs
Height: 8'0"
Blood of Giants - You’re a big person, and people have always said you have some giant blood in you. Even as a child, you towered over your friends, and as you grew older, you grew even taller and stronger. Maybe your hair has a tint of blue as well, or your skin is as pale as snow. Perhaps someday you’ll get the opportunity to travel to the North and meet some real giants, and see whether the rumors about you are true. You gain a +1 trait bonus on combat maneuver checks to sunder, and a +1 trait bonus to your CMD against bull rush and overrun combat maneuvers. Fog Scarred - You were caught up by the toxic mists of the Fog for prolonged period of time. Perhaps you got lost or were abandoned. This prolonged exposure left the lining of your lungs scarred. You have a -1 penalty on Fortitude saves. Obscure Traditions - You confound those who think they know about elves. Any creature attempting to make a Knowledge check about your people, a Sense Motive check to determine whether you are lying, or a Survival check to track you takes a –2 penalty on the check. Additionally, any character or creature that normally gains a bonus on attack or damage rolls against elves (such as a ranger’s favored enemy ability) has such a bonus reduced by 1 (minimum 0). Tundra Child - You were born and raised in the cold wastes of the far north or far south, and are accustomed to low temperatures. You gain a +4 trait bonus on saving throws made to resist the effects of being in cold conditions and a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against cold effects.
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