About Karina RotarescuKendra Rotarescu
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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. Smite Evil (Su): Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess. In addition, while smite evil is in effect, the paladin gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the paladin targets a creature that is not evil, the smite is wasted with no effect. The smite evil effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the paladin rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the paladin may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: Paladin, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level. Divine Grace (Su): At 2nd level, a paladin gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws. 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. Divine Health (Ex): At 3rd level, a paladin is immune to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases, including mummy rot. 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. These abilities are cumulative. For example, a 12th-level paladin's lay on hands ability heals 6d6 points of damage and might also cure fatigued and exhausted conditions as well as removing diseases and neutralizing poisons. Once a condition or spell effect is chosen, it can't be changed. Shaken: The target is no longer shaken.
Channel Positive Energy (Su): When a paladin reaches 4th level, she gains the supernatural ability to channel positive energy like a cleric. Using this ability consumes two uses of her lay on hands ability. A paladin uses her level as her effective cleric level when channeling positive energy. This is a Charisma-based ability. Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a paladin gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells which are drawn from the paladin spell list presented in Spell Lists. A paladin must choose and prepare her spells in advance. To prepare or cast a spell, a paladin must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a paladin's spell is 10 + the spell level + the paladin's Charisma modifier. Like other spellcasters, a paladin can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Paladin. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells). When Table: Paladin indicates that the paladin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Charisma score for that spell level. A paladin must spend 1 hour each day in quiet prayer and meditation to regain her daily allotment of spells. A paladin may prepare and cast any spell on the paladin spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation. Through 3rd level, a paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her paladin level – 3. Bondless: A chosen one does not gain the divine bond class feature. Divine Emissary (Ex): At 1st level, a chosen one gains an emissary familiar, treating her paladin level as her wizard level for the purpose of this ability. Religious Mentor (Ex): The chosen one doesn’t gain Knowledge (religion) as a class skill. Delayed Grace (Su): A chosen one begins her adventuring career without fully understanding her true potential. She receives the smite evil ability at 2nd level and the divine grace ability at 4th level. This does not affect the rate at which she gains additional uses per day of smite evil, so she still gains her second use at 4th level, her third at 7th level, and so on. This ability alters divine grace and smite evil. Spells: A spiritualist casts psychic spells drawn from the spiritualist spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time, assuming she has not yet used up her allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level. To learn or cast a spell, a spiritualist must have a Emotional Spellcasting: A fractured mind’s ability to cast spells is tied to the force of her own spirit rather than her connection to the spirit world. As a result, she uses her Charisma score rather than her Wisdom score to determine the highest spell level she can cast, the saving throw DCs of spells she casts, and her bonus spells per day. This ability alters spellcasting. Knacks: A spiritualist learns a number of knacks, or 0-level psychic spells, as noted on Table 1–10 under Spells Known. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they can be cast any number of times per day. Knacks prepared using another spell slot, because of metamagic feats applied to them, for example, consume spell slots as normal. Phantom: A spiritualist begins play with the aid of a powerful and versatile spirit entity called a phantom. The phantom forms a link with the spiritualist, who forever after can either harbor the creature within her consciousness . A phantom has the same alignment as the spiritualist, and it can speak all the languages its master can. A spiritualist can harbor her phantom in her consciousness. Merged Phantom: An exciter internalizes his phantom and merges it completely within his mind. He cannot fully manifest his phantom outside of his own body in incorporeal or ectoplasmic form. Emotional focus abilities that affect or require a manifested phantom are lost. This ability alters phantom and emotional focus. Shared Consciousness (Su): At 1st level, while a phantom is confined in a spiritualist’s consciousness, it grants the spiritualist the Skill Focus feat in two skills determined by the phantom’s emotional focus, unless the spiritualist already has Skill Focus in those skills. It also grants a +4 bonus on saving throws against all mind-affecting effects; at 12th level, this bonus increases to +8. Lastly, once per day, when the spiritualist fails a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect, as an immediate action she can shunt that effect into the phantom’s section of her consciousness instead. When she does so, she is not affected by the mind-affecting effect, but for the normal duration of that effect, the spiritualist loses the bonuses on saving throws against mind-affecting effects and the Skill Focus effects granted by her phantom, and can’t use this ability to shunt a mind-affecting effect into the phantom’s consciousness or manifest her phantom in any way. When a mind-affecting effect is shunted into the phantom’s consciousness, spells such as dispel magic and break enchantment can be cast on the spiritualist to end the effect’s duration as if the spiritualist were affected by the mind-affecting effect. Dedication: Either through a sense of love or the desire to finish some unfinished task, a phantom with this emotional focus has an undying devotion to something or someone in the world. It’s often the case that a phantom with this emotional focus has a strong familial tie with its spiritualist master. A dedication phantom most often appears as a strong and stern protector with a watchful gaze, and its service to its spiritualist is unwavering. These spirits exude auras of blue, or sometimes rose if their love for their spiritualist masters in life was great. Many times these auras manifest as a halo, giving these phantoms a divine appearance, no matter their actual alignment or opinions on matters of religion. Skills: The phantom gains a number of ranks in Diplomacy and Sense Motive equal to its number of Hit Dice. While confined in the spiritualist’s consciousness, the phantom grants the spiritualist Skill Focus in each of these skills. Iron Will: The phantom gains Iron Will as a bonus feat. Furthermore, when the phantom is within its master’s consciousness, it grants the benefits of Iron Will to its master if its master doesn’t have that feat. Rapture (Su): An exciter gains the ability to enter an ecstatic state in which he’s consumed and overwhelmed by his passions and driven into a fighting fury. This functions similarly to a bloodrager’s bloodrage, treating his spiritualist level as his bloodrager level, though he doesn’t qualify for feats or other elements that require rage or bloodrage. At 1st level, an exciter can enter a rapture for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Constitution modifier. Temporary increases to Constitution (such as those gained from the rapture or spells like bear’s endurance) don’t increase the total number of rounds that a exciter can rapture per day. The total number of rounds of rapture per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours need not be consecutive. An exciter can enter a rapture as a free action. While in a rapture, an exciter gains a +4 morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution, as well as a +2 morale bonus on Will saves. In addition, he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase to Constitution grants the exciter 2 hit points per Hit Die, but these disappear when the rapture ends and are not lost first like temporary hit points. While enraptured, an exciter cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. An exciter can end his rapture as a free action. When the rapture ends, he’s fatigued for a number of rounds equal to twice the number of rounds spent in the rapture. An exciter cannot enter a new rapture while fatigued or exhausted, but can otherwise enter rapture multiple times during a single encounter or combat. If an exciter falls unconscious, his rapture immediately ends, placing him in peril of death. When entering a rapture, the exciter loses all other benefits from having his phantom confined in his consciousness (such as the Skill Focus feats and bonus against mind-affecting effects), but he can choose to exchange the normal +4 morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution scores normally gained from bloodrage for a +4 morale bonus to his Dexterity and Charisma scores or a +2 morale bonus to his Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma scores. In addition to the fatigue for ending a bloodrage, an exciter can’t enter a rapture again for 1 minute after ending his last rapture. This ability replaces a spiritualist’s ability to manifest his phantom and use emotional focus abilities that require a manifested phantom. Fast Movement (Ex): An exciter’s land speed is faster than normal for his race by 10 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing light armor, medium armor, or no armor and is not carrying a heavy load. This doesn’t stack with the barbarian ability of the same name. This ability replaces etheric tether. Defense Domain: Your faith is your greatest source of protection, and you can use that faith to defend others. In addition, you receive a +1 resistance bonus on saving throws. This bonus increases by 1 for every 5 levels you possess. Deflection Aura (Su): Once each day, you can emit a 20-foot aura for a number of rounds equal to your cleric level. Allies within the aura gain a +2 deflection bonus to AC and combat maneuver defense. Birthmark: You were born with a strange birthmark that looks very similar to the holy symbol of the god you chose to worship later in life. This birthmark can serve you as a divine focus for casting spells, and as a physical manifestation of your faith, and it increases your devotion to your god. You gain a +2 trait bonus on all saving throws against charm and compulsion effects. Savant: From a very young age, the ability to master performance types has come quite naturally to you. Choose a performance type (Strings). You gain a +2 trait bonus on all Perform checks made using that performance type. Perform is always a class skill for you. Weapon of Peace: Even though you are a trained combatant, proficient with any number of weapons, you don’t relish killing your enemies. It’s not that you’re afraid of seeing blood, but rather that disabling a foe is superior to killing someone capable of admitting defeat. When using a melee weapon that deals lethal damage to instead deal nonlethal damage, you take only a –2 penalty instead of –4. Familiar:
Dragoste NG Diminutive magical beast Emissary of Shelyn Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5 --------------------
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Divine Guidance (Sp): An emissary can cast guidance at will. This replaces alertness. Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails. Share Will (Su): Whenever an emissary or its master fails a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect that affects only one of them, the other can attempt the saving throw as well. If this second saving throw is a success, treat the original result as a success, and the emissary and its master can’t use this ability again for 24 hours. On a failure, both the emissary and its master suffer the effects of the failed saving throw, even if one of them wouldn’t ordinarily be a valid target. This replaces share spells. Empathic Link (Su): The master has an empathic link with his familiar to a 1 mile distance. The master can communicate empathically with the familiar, but cannot see through its eyes. Because of the link's limited nature, only general emotions can be shared. The master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does. Domain Influence (Sp or Su): At 3rd level, the emissary gains a spark of divine power from the deity its master worships. Choose one of that deity’s domains that grants a 1st-level domain power usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the user’s Wisdom modifier. The emissary can use that power once per day. This replaces deliver touch spells. Bit of Luck (Sp): You can touch a willing creature as a standard action, giving it a bit of luck. For the next round, any time the target rolls a d20, he may roll twice and take the more favorable result. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier. Speak with Master (Ex): If the master is 5th level or higher, a familiar and the master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help. Religious Mentor (Ex): The familiar’s sworn duty is to help train the chosen one for her future glory. The familiar is treated as having a number of ranks in Knowledge (religion) equal to the chosen one’s paladin level. Lay on Paws (Su): At 2nd level, a chosen one’s familiar is able to borrow some of her divine energy to heal itself and others. The familiar can use the chosen one’s lay on hands ability, including all of her mercies, but each such use consumes two uses of the paladin’s lay on hands ability. Starting at 4th level, the familiar can also channel positive energy, but each such use consumes four uses of the paladin’s lay on hands ability. This ability alters lay on hands and channel positive energy. Background:
Karina Rotarescu was born to two Varisian nomads: Henric, a tattoo artist, and Alina, a harrower. Upon her birth, the midwife noticed that Karina had a multi-hued birthmark right in the middle of her chest. It was at first just a swirl of rainbow colors that, but as often happened was these so-called birth tattoos, it grew with her until Alina noticed that it was beginning to look more and more like a songbird. So Alina and Henric dedicated their young daughter to the Eternal Rose, Shelyn, seeing her birth as a sign of the goddess’ favor on them.
Karina grew up with large family: at least a dozen siblings that she knows for certain are direct blood relations, and many more that seemed enough like siblings, whether they were cousins, or just other members of the caravan. Henric and Alina were—are—openly polyamorous, and so Karina also had numerous uncles, aunts, and auncles who doted on or disciplined her. Theirs was a family deeply dedicated to the infinitude and necessity of love and beauty, and so worshiped Shelyn in all her aspects. It was kind of...a lot. For her part, Karina was deeply drawn to music and poetry, and often lingered in the performance halls of the Varisian cities that they visited. She had played several of the beautiful instruments of her people—the cobza, the kontra, the gardon—but found herself entranced by the majesty of a Chelaxian instrument played on the stage of the Triodea in Magnimar: the cello. She begged her family for the gold to purchase one of these instruments and for permission to study with one of the virtuosi in the city. Karina’s family was rich in love and art, but their wealth was not so much material. But two years ago, Karina finally scrimped and saved enough money to purchase her own instrument and to enroll in a conservatory in the Naos district. She even has a meager apartment that she shares with three other students her age. The work has been hard, but it has been worth it to have the opportunity to play in an orchestra in Stonewall Hall! Karina eventually took the stage name Kendra Rosen to avoid ideas of “exoticism” levied by some of the grosser people of Magnimar. But she wasn’t trying to get away from her heritage. If anything, she delved deeper into it, often getting a new tattoo in celebration of some event. After she was promoted to fifth chair in the Naos Philharmonic Orchestra, Karina went out and bought herself a pet songbird that she named Dragoste: the Varisian word for love. She would often practice with Dragoste, mimicking some of her song, or being delighted when the bird would singing something that she had just played. Never mind even her roommates. They were just jealous that her bird was more talented than they were. One night Karina was coming back from a late night of rehearsing (all too common) when she smelled smoke. Turning the corner onto the avenue where her apartment building was, she was horrified to see her building on fire. She ran past the fire brigade, who tried their best to stop her, and tore into the building. As mages and laypeople alike levied water to try to tamp down the blaze, Karina called out to everyone she knew in the building. Through horrendous coughing and no fewer than two fallen beams, she persisted in rescuing eleven people from the blaze. And although she lost all of her belongings, she knew that many had lost so much more. She and the other neighborhood heroes had not been able to save everyone’s lives. There were over two dozen who had perished in the blaze. Karina would have joined them had two of her roommates not tackled wheezing her to the ground. When she woke two days later, she was surprised to see Dragoste perched on her chest. “I think you’re ready, Karina,” Dragoste said. Karina screamed again until she passed out, and she woke again shakily asked an attending nurse 1) whether she was alive or dead, and 2) whether she had gone crazy or the bird was actually talking. The nurse informed her that she was both alive and, as far as she could tell in her expert opinion, sane, because the bird was indeed talking. Karina responded about as well as someone who had almost just died could: she screamed again. Once she finally got that infernal screaming out of her system, Dragoste informed her that she had been chosen by Shelyn herself to serve as her avatar in Magnimar. Karina asked what exactly that would entail, as she really only wanted to play her music and write her poetry and spend time with her friends, and wasn’t there someone more qualified for this sort of thing who wouldn’t ask to many questions and be so distracted, and—? Her concerns were noted and summarily ignored. Of course the Eternal Rose wanted her to do all of those things. But Karina had shown a strength—and a certain rash temerity—that had caught the goddess’ notice. Not all servants of the gods were called to epic deeds or grand crusades. They were just as often tasked with direct service to their community. But Karina was being called to defend her fellows. And this would require her to be a shield. The first thing that Karina did upon recovering from her near-death experience was go to rehearsal. The second thing that Karina did upon recovering was get another tattoo in honor and remembrance of the people whose lives she could not save in the fire. And the third thing was to start learning what this new lifestyle entailed for her. Dragoste began to instruct Karina both in religious dogma and martial art using Shelyn’s bladed brush technique. Karina became adept at moving about in heavier and heavier armor, spinning a long-bladed polearm about in a sort of dance-like motion, and found that she enjoyed this. Thankfully, such training was often brief, allowing her ample time to continue to her training at the conservatory. It was also deeply secret. Karina wanted no one to know that she was learning to fight, much less from a talking bird. They already thought she was a crazy poet, but a warrior poet? That would be the death of her social life. Karina’s service to Shelyn has been, so far, mostly bloodless. Dragoste is usually vague about where they are going when she leads Karina on an excursion, and Karina is often adamant about having to attend rehearsal. But she is usually helping some star-crossed lovers mediate between their families, or helping some fellow artist who is about to lose their home to find some way of continuing on. There have been a small handful of times when a rampaging beast of some sort was threatening a group of nomads like the one she grew up with, and where she had to actually slick her blade with blood. But it was always only ever to protect the innocent. And Karina would prefer to keep it that way, thank you very much. But things are beginning to change in Karina’s mind. As she has continued helping people, she is recognizing more and more of how she can help. The nobles of Magnimar, and other cities like it all over Golarion, had grown fat while people starved in their ghettos. People spent their entire lives in the shadow of the Irespan because they could not afford to move. The rich ignored the inherent beauty of the lives of the people with a bit of dirt on their faces. Soon Karina began deciding on her own missions, ignoring the advice of Dragoste and going directly into the poorer districts of Magnimar to seek out who she could help. She even—gasp!—missed some rehearsals to serve in soup kitchens! She has been turning over more and more of her earnings as direct charity to the people she serves. As Karina grows more certain of her role as Shelyn’s hand, she is ready to lend her blade and, if necessary, her life, to protect the people she cares so deeply about. |
