James Vestrana's page

About James Vestrana

Combat Stamina: 3
Hp: 18

James
CG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Slayer(Vanguard) 1
Init +4; Senses Perception +4
----- Defense -----
AC 17 (18), touch 13(14), flat-footed 14 (+3 dex, possible +1 from Combat Expertise)
hp 18 (2d10+2);
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will -1
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Punch +4 (1d3+2 nonlethal, provokes). Whistleball Bat +4 (1d8+2, nonlethal)
Ranged Whistleball +5 (1d3+2 nonlethal). Sling +5 (1d3+2). Shortbow +5 (1d6+2)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
----- Statistics -----
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 17
Feats Combat Expertise (Bonus), Combat Stamina (Human), Extra Sphere Talent: Equipment, Huntsmaster, Precise Strike [Teamwork]
Skills12+4+4 background (+diplomacy, bluff and stealth from spheres)
Acrobatics +7(2r+3dex+3c-1acp)
Bluff +5 (2s +0cha+3c)
Climb +5w(1r+2str+3c-1acp)
Diplomacy +2 (2s +0cha)
Knowledge: Arcana +2 untrained
Knowledge: Dungeoneering +7 (1r +1racial +3c+2int)
Knowledge: Engineering +2 untrained
Knowledge: Geography +7 (1b +1racial +3c+2int)
Knowledge: History +6 (1b +3c+2int)
Knowledge: Local +7 (1r +1racial +3c+2int)
Knowledge: Nature +6 (1r +3c +2int)
Knowledge: Nobility +6 (1b +3c+2int)
Knowledge: Planes+2 untrained
Knowledge: Religion +6 (1r +3c +2int)
Perception +4 (2r +3c -1wis)
Profession: Farmer +3(1b -1wis +3c)
Ride +2 untrained (+3dex -1acp)
Sense Motive +3 (1r-1wis+3c)
Stealth +7 (2s+3dex+3c-1acp)
Survival +3(1r-1wis+3c)
Swim +5(1r+2str+3c-1acp)

Traits Armor Expert (Combat), Fight Smarter (Custom)
Languages Common, +2
SQ
----- Special Abilities -----
Proficiencies Proficient with all simple weapons, light armor and bucklers.
Favored Class Bonus Slayer x2 (6 for a bonus talent)
Lookout (Ex): Add half your level (min 1) to initiative.
Fight Smarter(Ex):Fight Smarter: Tactics win more battle than pure might. Once per day when you attack an enemy who is threatening an ally, you can take a 5' step as a free action, even if you already moved in that turn. You can resolve the attack after taking the step, if you wish
Studied Target (Ex) A slayer can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The slayer then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The DCs of slayer class abilities against that opponent increase by 1. A slayer can only maintain these bonuses against one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the slayer studies a new target.
Martial Tradition: Sports Mad
A variant on the drunkard. A childhood of rough-and-tumble sports has left you with a keen eye for an opportunity, lightning reflexes, a playbook of tactics and an appreciation for the importance of positioning and a rueful understanding of the myriad ways sports equipment can cause injury.
Scout (Base), Warleader (Base), Barroom (With Teetoaler and Barroom Expert - at least until you hit 18 and can go to the pub after game) and Fencing (base)
Comprehensive Education (replaces Skilled) Humans raised with skilled teachers draw upon vast swathes of knowledge gained over centuries of civilization. They gain all Knowledge skills as class skills, and they gain a +1 racial bonus on skill checks for each Knowledge skill that they gain as a class skill from their class levels. This racial trait replaces skilled. Note in James’ case it is a combination of being forced to attend school, and being obsessed with learning stories of heroism “and stuff”.
Warleader Sphere gain 5 ranks in the Diplomacy skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Warleader sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice). Gain Aggressive Flanking (Tactic) and Fierce Shout (Shout)
Tactics Tactics are coordinated battle plans that require continuing direction from the practitioner to maintain. A creature must have line of sight to, and be able to see, the practitioner to benefit from a tactic. Beginning a tactic is a move action, and it can be maintained each round as a move or swift action. Once activated, you may switch between any tactics you know each time you use a swift action to maintain an ongoing tactic. Tactics affect all allied creatures within a radius of 10 ft. + 5ft. per rank in Diplomacy you possess, and may be centered on any square you have both line of sight and line of effect to. You may recenter an ongoing tactic at a new location as part of the swift action used to maintain it. The benefits of your tactics end immediately if you are helpless, killed, paralyzed, rendered unconscious, or stunned.
Aggressive Flanking (Tactic) While within the affected area of this tactic, allied creatures are considered to be flanking as long as they both threaten the same creature, regardless of their comparative positioning.
Shouts Shouts are sound-based effects centered on the practitioner that affect creatures in an area of effect centered on the practitioner with a radius of 10 ft. + 5 ft. per 2 ranks in Diplomacy the practitioner possesses. The practitioner may choose whether or not to include himself in the effects of his shout. The effects of shouts last for a number of rounds equal to 1 + 1 for every 4 ranks in Diplomacy you possesses, and use your ranks in Diplomacy instead of your base attack bonus when determining any saving throws. Unless otherwise noted, using a shout is a standard action. Deaf characters or characters otherwise lacking the ability to hear gain a +5 bonus on all saves against shout effects, and must attempt a saving throw against a shout even if its effects would be beneficial. Practitioners in the area of a silence spell or otherwise unable to make a sound cannot use shouts until they are once more able to be heard.
While some shouts only affect allies or enemies, others affect all targets within their area of effect. When performing such a shout, you may spend a move action to warn your allies to cover their ears and negate the effects, but doing so gives enemies within the area of effect a +5 bonus to their saving throw against the shout’s effects. Some shouts may require you to expend your martial focus, as described in their entry.
Fierce Shout (Shout) When you use this shout, you and all affected allies gain a +1 morale bonus on damage rolls on their first attack each turn. For every 2 ranks in Diplomacy you possess, this morale bonus to damage is increased by +1. This is a mind-affecting emotion effect.
Scout SphereTraining in the Scout sphere teaches you how to hide from danger, identify potential threats and hazards, track opponents through almost any environment, and identify a creature’s key weaknesses. When you gain the Scout sphere, you gain 5 ranks in the Stealth skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Scout sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the Stealth skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.
Scout As a swift action, you may identify a creature’s weaknesses (DC 10 + creature’s CR) as described under the Knowledge skill, but may substitute a Perception check for the appropriate Knowledge check at a -5 penalty. This only reveals the target’s weaknesses, or lack thereof, (such as damage reduction types and vulnerabilities), and does not reveal any additional information about the target. Once you have succeeded at a scout attempt or Knowledge check against a target, any talents or effects that require you to scout a target may be used against the target for the next 24 hours; after this period you must successfully use the scout ability against the target again to continue benefiting from related effects.
Martial Focus A character who has the combat training class feature, the Extra Combat Talent feat, or who has gained a martial tradition or combat talent progression by some other means can achieve martial focus.
Characters gain their martial focus after a minute of rest, or by taking the total defense action. You may not by any means regain focus more than once per round.
When you have martial focus, you can expend your focus as part of any single Fortitude or Reflex saving throw you make thereafter. When you expend your focus in this manner, your saving throw is treated as if you rolled a 13, similarly to taking 10 on a skill check, except that the number you add to your saving throw is 13. You can also expend your martial focus to gain the benefit of certain combat talents and class features, as described in their entry, while other talents and abilities may require you to currently have martial focus.
Once you have gained martial focus, you remain focused until you expend your focus, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance).
Barroom Sphere (Teetoaler flaw)
Brutal Breaker
You do not suffer any penalty when using an improvised weapon, be it ranged or melee, and may treat improvised weapons you are wielding as manufactured weapons for the purpose of being able to be targeted by spells and other effects. You may grab an unattended object within your natural reach and make an attack action with it as part of the same standard action.
Additionally, you may treat any improvised weapon made of any material with a hardness of 5 or lower (wood, glass, etc.) as having the fragile weapon special feature for the purpose of any feats or talents you possess. This does not apply to magic items, nor to creatures being used as improvised weapons.
Some talents allow you to grant a fragile weapon the broken condition in exchange for a benefit. If you apply a second such benefit to a weapon, it is destroyed. You cannot apply more than 2 benefits that break a weapon to the same weapon attack.
Note: Talents which would allow you to add the broken condition or destroy an improvised weapon cannot be used while using a creature as an improvised weapon.
Barroom Expert
You may treat an improvised weapon as though it had one of the following special features (chosen upon first picking up an improvised weapon and may be changed once per round as a free action): blocking, brace, deadly, disarm, distracting, double (this may not be applied to improvised light weapons), grapple, nonlethal, performance, reach (this may only be applied to two handed improvised weapons), sunder, or trip. If the GM chooses, he may pose reasonable limitations on which items can gain which special features (for example, a sack of flour wouldn’t have reach, while a sandwich wouldn’t have deadly).
In addition, the improvised weapon has its damage increased by 1 size category and has its critical threat range increased to 19–20, with a critical multiplier of ×2. At +10 base attack bonus, improvised weapons have their critical threat range increased to 18-20 and you may apply two of the listed special features to improvised weapons. Associated Feat: Improvised Weapon Mastery
Fencer Sphere
Fencers are quick fighters who use nimble footwork and expert feints to open up their target before landing a fatal blow.
When you gain the Fencing sphere, you gain 5 ranks in the Bluff skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Fencing sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the Bluff skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.
Fatal Thrust
Whenever you make an attack action or an attack of opportunity against a target that is within 30 ft. and that you are flanking, that is flat-footed, or that has lost its Dexterity bonus to AC (such as through a successful feint), you deal an additional +1d6 precision damage to the target. This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. This damage increases by an additional 1d6 precision damage for every 5 points of base attack bonus you possess.
A fencer may apply the effects of a single (exploit) talent to any fatal thrust.
Huntsman Training (discipline) You gain proficiency with the atlatl, bolas, boomerang, handaxe, harpoon, longbow, net, shortbow, throwing axe, and tube arrow shooter. In addition, you only suffer a –1 penalty per full range increment between you and your target when using a ranged weapon. Associated Feat: Far Shot.
Tactician (Ex) At 2nd level, a vanguard receives a teamwork feat as a bonus feat. He must meet the prerequisites for this feat. Once per day as a standard action, the vanguard can grant one of his teamwork feats to all allies within 30 feet who can see and hear him. Allies retain the use of this bonus feat for 3 rounds plus 1 round for every 2 levels the vanguard possesses. Allies do not need to meet the prerequisites of this bonus feat. Whenever the vanguard is able to select a new slayer talent, he can instead choose to gain an additional use per day of this ability.

----- Initial Equipment -----
175gp
Whistleball (rock, does nonlethal - or improvised weapon)
Whistleball bat (club)
Sling
Stones for sling
Whistleball armour (padded, 5)
Pole
Ladder
Stretcher
Crowbar
Shovel
Block and Tackle
Portable Ram
Chain Shirt
Greatsword
Shortbow
2 Sacks
3 Torch
Saw
10 Parchment
10 lamp oil
Wooden Stake
5 Chalk
Whetstone

8 Piton
Mess Kit
Trail Rations
Marlinspike
Flint and Steel
Grappling Arrow
Grooming Kit
Waterskin
Wooden Holy Symbol
1 Alchemical Silver Arrows
Buckler
Chocolate
Filter Scarf
Gear Maintenance Kit
Springloaded wrist sheath
Zip line hook
Cold iron cestus
Compass
Neck Guard
Climber's Kit
Mule Cords
Dagger
Sling
Holy Water
Garlic
Wolfsbane
2 Bandolier

Background
- How would you describe yourself in a single sentence?
Future Whistleball champion of Sandpoint. Magnimar eventually.
- How did you end up in Sandpoint? Born here, moved here...?
Born here. I’m going to Magnimar, though. Play in the league.
- Who do you live with? Family, foster parents, siblings...?
Subject to qualification depending on sibling
Sammy: Mum and Sammy. Sammy’s my sister.
- What do you want to do when you grow up?
I said already. Whistleball Champion. Magnimar. Sheesh - are you even listening?
- Who is your best friend? (hint hint, you may do joint backgrounds...)
PENDING
- What is your favorite scary tale?
You know those things are all made up, right? People make up gods and stuff so they don’t think about the really scary stuff, or as an excuse for doing something bad. FINE. WHATEVER. Once upon a time there was a kid who noticed one of the other kids vanished. He asked the parents, but they said there was no kid. At first they thought he was pulling a prank, then they got angry. He talked to the other kids, but none of them remembered the kid either. The parents just went about their lives, and the kid thought he’d imagined it. But then he found someone else who remembered another kid who’d gone missing. I haven’t made up the rest of it yet. What do you think?
- Who is the most awesome person ever, and why is she Shalelu Andoshana?
Shalelu once scored a hundred twenty five for three in Whistleball, back when she was young! I’ve seen her toss a Whistleball into a hoop from fifty yards three times in a row! She said once she hit a ball so hard it broke the bat.