About Janus DraugurBackgound:
Jak and Svanveig Draugur built a life trading for the small village of Ryjakstoft, taking goods that the village produced to viable markets and returning with what the village needed. The fire giants of the south were said to be willing to trade with Men, though whispered rumors told of strange prices sometimes asked. Seeking a better trade, Jak and his wife went to the fire giants, returning nearly a year later with an incredible success to share with the village. No one commented on their strangely subdued demeanor for who could say what effect contact with such strange peoples might have on a man’s personality.
A few short months after their return, when Svanveig announced her pregnancy, none connected it to the trip south. Fourteen months after their return, Svanveig delivered her son, Janus. No one said a word about Jak's strange son with the flame red hair, for a healthy child is a gift in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and if Jak was not disturbed by the strange hair color, who were they to make an issue of it. Though he was born a normal sized child, Janus rapidly grew both in height and strength. By the time he was eleven, he was as tall as most fully-grown men. Five years later when he reached sixteen, Janus was head and shoulders taller than any other person in his village, and far stronger than any. Janus’ older sister, Signe, was accepted as a shaman’s apprentice when he was six, and he spent many hours following her around, particularly when his parents were off trading. He was entranced by the old stories of the Ulfen, and by the music that the shamans played. Janus only rarely spoke, but he showed early a remarkable talent for drumming and could convey a wide range of emotions and meaning using only a drum. With his near perfect rhythm and memory of drumming patterns, he was soon asked to drum for the shamans and skalds when they performed. Janus almost always had at least a small drum with him and despite his reluctance to speak, it was said in Ryjakstoft that Janus’ drums could communicate almost as clearly as the spoken word, often his only response to other people would be a quick drum pattern. Though he loved his sister as no other, and was very sad when she accepted a marriage proposal from a young man several villages away, Janus was happy for her since her new village had no shaman and she would have an honored position. When the orcs came out of the mountains during the winter of Janus’ 19th year, the village might have fallen if not for Janus' mighty club and, more importantly, his drumming. The villagers found that they could fight longer, hit harder, and more easily avoid the blows of the enemy when Janus drummed near them. His club, easily twice the size of any other weapon wielded by the people of Ryjakstoft, could fell an orc in a single blow, regardless of the armor the beast might be wearing. The fighting was fierce, and the villagers were pressed sorely, but in the end the orcs were thrown back. The victory was a hollow one for Janus, however, for his mother, Svanveig, was slain in the fighting. Never one to stand on tradition when her home or family was in danger, she was often seen at Jak’s side, axe and shield in hand. She saved Jak from an axe blow that winter, but it left her overextended and a spear took her in the side. Even more bad news reached them once the snow loosened its grip on the lands; Jargstrond, the village where his sister, Signe, went to live with her new husband, had been entirely destroyed by the orcs. When Jak died of lung fever two winters later, Janus found that he could not stay with his people. His empty home, the village full of the ghosts of his family, and the pitying looks of the other villagers drove him out and onto the road. Janus has wandered far from the cold lands of the Ulfen, and has learned that few outsiders can understand his drumming as clearly as his own people did. He is still a man of few words, and his words are almost always accompanied by his drum. His path has led him through Varisia, Nirmathas, Molthune, Druma, Isger, Andoran, and finally, to Absalom. Personality:
Janus is a conflicted man. He was impressed at a very young age with the obvious and sincere love and companionship between his mother and father. He wants nothing from life so much as he wants that life, that lifelong companionship. However, after seeing how quickly a family can be taken from him, and how deeply that loss wounds, he is terrified of the vulnerability of caring for anyone that deeply ever again. To hide from his fear and to conceal his wants, Janus focuses his life on a never ending search for the next horizon, the next adventure, and the next challenge. He doesn’t stay in any area for very long, and he spends very little time with any group of people to avoid growing too attached. This inner turmoil results in Janus struggling to keep his emotions stable; he often finds that his emotions react strongly to relatively minor stimulus unless he is very careful.
He has been a curious and happy person and fairly optimistic for most of his life. After the deaths of his parents and sister, he became melancholy, angry, and very pessimistic. However, as a faithful follower of Shelyn, these attitudes could not last. As the miles and days have passed behind him, and as the wounds heal, his underlying curiously optimistic self is starting show more and more. It is not too difficult lately for people who know him well to snap him out of one of his brooding funks; in fact, that is one of the things that he uses as a sign that it is time to move on. He is impulsive and just a bit reckless; side effects of his tendency to try and distract himself from his old hurts and his all too present fears. As a result, he tends to pursue whatever tickles his fancy at the moment with little thought to the consequences. Often the only explanation he has to give is an often repeated, ”It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Janus is quite reserved around strangers, but engaging and almost playful with those he has come to know and trust. He is a friendly sort of fellow, despite the fact that he says very little. He trusts easily, is friendly and accepting of others, and nearly always willing to help; a combination that has gotten him in trouble nearly as often as it has not. On the rare occasions when he does speak, he reveals a simple, almost childlike, sense of humor. His favorite topics for conversation are music, art, and beauty as befits a follower of Shelyn, as well as philosophy on very infrequent occasions. Janus is an honorable man, and once his word is given, it is more binding to him than any laws of whatever land he is in. A part of this attitude extends even to behavior and appearance. He does not change himself to fit in or conform. He will abide by the social customs of the lands he visits so long as they do not cause him to violate his own traditions. He is not a rebellious person, he is simply true to who he is. He also expects others to value their own honor as highly, and is swift to dislike or even hate liars, deceivers, and betrayers. He has a habit of drumming on whatever he can, and enjoys a pipe in most settings. Appearance:
Janus is, simply put, huge. At a little over eight feet tall, he towers of nearly every other person he has ever met and weighing in at nearly 400 pounds with no extra flesh, he is a powerfully built giant of a man. He has flame-red hair which he keeps in the traditional braids of his homeland. He dresses in a manner that, though made of lighter materials in these southern climates, is still very similar to the styles of the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Beside his huge club, he carries an exquisitely made drum that seems to be made from a single gigantic tooth, though he has replaced the hide stretched over it many times. Combat Statistics:
Hit Dice: 2d8+4(con)+2(FCB)
Initiative: +1 = +1(dex) Armor Class: 16 (10 +5(attuned chain shirt) +1(dex)) (+2 with shield) Touch AC: 11 Flat-Footed AC: 15 Speed: 30ft Fortitude: 8 =3(Class) +2(Con) +2(luck) +1(resistance)
BAB: +1
Attacks:
Half Giant Traits:
Giant Blood: Half-giants count as both human and humanoid (giant) for any effect related to race.
Low-Light Vision: Half-giants can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light. Fire Acclimated: Half-giants receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against all fire spells and effects. Powerful Build: The physical stature of half-giants lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a half-giant is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for a Combat Maneuver Bonus or Combat Maneuver Defense (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the half-giant is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A half-giant is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A half-giant can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefts of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category. Fire in the Blood: Half-Giants gain Fire Resistance 5. Survivor: Half-giants gain a +4 racial bonus to Survival checks. Sacred Tattoo: Many half-giants decorate themselves with tattoos, piercings, and ritual scarification, which they consider sacred markings. Half-giants with this racial trait gain a +1 luck bonus on all saving throws. Skald (Urban,Totemic,War Drummer) Abilities:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An Urban,Totemic, War Drummer skald is proficient with all simple weapons and greatclubs, light armor, and shields (except tower shields). A skald can cast skald spells while wearing light or medium armor and even using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. This does not affect the arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes. Like other arcane spellcasters, a skald wearing heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has somatic components.
Knowledge of Ages: A skald adds 1/2 his class level (minimum 1) on all Knowledge skill checks, and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained. Raging Song: A skald is trained to use music, oration, and similar performances to inspire his allies to feats of strength and ferocity. At 1st level, a skald can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. For each level thereafter, he can use raging song for 2 additional rounds per day.
Deadly Rhythm: At 1st level, during his raging song, a war drummer can draw clubs and greatclubs as a free action as if he had the Quick Draw feat. At 3rd level, the war drummer gains a +1 bonus on damage rolls for attacks made with clubs or greatclubs. At 7th level and every 4 levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1 (to a maximum of +5). At 6th level, the war drummer gains Improved Critical with the club or the greatclub as a bonus feat. This ability replaces Scribe Scroll. Versatile Performance: At 2nd level, a skald can choose one type of Perform skill associated with the skald class. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in the associated skills listed below. When substituting in this way, the skald uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of the associated skill’s bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. At 7th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute. Percussion(Bluff, Sense Motive) Well-Versed: At 2nd level, the skald becomes resistant to sonic effects. The skald gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against bardic performance, as well as all sonic or language-dependent effects. Rage Abilities:
Raging Songs:
Controlled Inspired Rage: When the urban skald inspires rage, he does not grant the normal benefits. Instead, he can apply a +2 morale bonus to his allies’ Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and to +6 at 16th level. The urban skald can apply the full bonus to one ability score or split the bonus between several scores in increments of 2. The choice applies to all affected allies. The controlled inspired rage grants no bonus on Will saves, imposes no penalties to AC, and does not prevent affected allies from using Intelligence-, Dexterity-, or Charisma-based skills. This alters inspired rage. Skald Spells:
A skald casts arcane spells drawn from the bard spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. Every skald spell has a verbal component—these verbal components can take the form of song, recitation, or even non-verbal music like percussion. To learn or cast a spell, a skald must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell’s level. The saving throw DC against a skald’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the skald’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a skald can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Skald. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. The skald’s selection of spells is limited. A skald begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the skald’s choice. At each new skald level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Skald Spells Known. Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a skald knows isn’t affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Skald Spells Known are fixed. At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, a skald can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the skald loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level skald spell the skald can cast. A skald may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level. A skald need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level. Cantrips:Skalds learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Skald Spells Known. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again. Spells Per Day:
Spells Known:
Feats/Traits:
Traits:
Fate's Favored: Any luck bonus is increased by 1. Focused Mind: Gain a +2 trait bonus to concentration checks. Savant: Gain a +2 trait bonus on Perform(percussion). Drawback:
Feats:
Skills:
Background Skills (4 ranks, 2/lvl):
Active Skills (10 ranks, 4+Int/lvl):
Equipment/Money:
Money: 47 gp 9 sp 6 cp Worn Items:
Bandolier:
Belt Pouch (1/2 lb.):
Masterwork Backpack (4 lbs.):
Automatic Level Bonuses:
Favored Class Bonuses: (Skald)
Level 1-2: +2 HP, +2 0-lvl spell known Automatic Bonus Progression: (Level +2)
Ability Scores:
HP:
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