About Kazimir KelinahatCharacter Background:
As far as life in Pangolais went, he was pretty fortunate. He had been born bigger and stronger than any of the other orphans in his orphanage, which gave him a small measure of protection, at least against the other children there. More importantly though, he developed a borderline preternatural ability to discern people’s intent and ability, just from hearing them speak and watching them move, and it was this ability, more than any other, that was responsible over and over again for keeping him out of trouble.
It was this ability that gave him the confidence to approach Captain Irciele, the commander of the Chainguard, after one of his few friends was wrongfully arrested, since he knew that while she was dangerous, she was also fair. She agreed to see him and accepted his evidence, and thus started one of the few positive relationships he would ever have. He performed well in the Chainguard, learning all he could from Irciele and constantly striving to surpass her expectations. He was highly successful in his duties, using his empathetic senses to put himself in the right place at the right time to proactively deter any misdoings without having to say a word or lift a finger. Unfortunately this was not always possible, and it was one such incident that brought him to the attention of Umbral Court member Timur Vasiliev (Cleric 3, Wizard 3, Mystic Theurge 6). Timur happened to be walking near Kazimir’s patrol route when he was targeted by a routine shadow assassination. Kazimir, sensing the pending attack, moved to intercept. To everyone’s surprise, he found that he could actually harm the shadow without magic, and he successfully destroyed it. Timur, intrigued at this ability, pulled some strings and had Kazimir assigned to his household, where he studied (ie. Tortured) Kazimir and his ability to touch the intangible. In addition, he also trained him up to become his bodyguard and occasional hitman, teaching him to pick locks, disable traps, and to use certain magical items. He was ‘blessed’ with shadow in his eyes, that they would not impede his vision, and in his mind, that he would not flinch from what he could now see. Once he had learned all he could from Timur’s trainers, he was sent off to the Midnight Citadel, where he trained with the soldiers of Nidal until eventually he took and passed the Weeper’s Ordeal. Returning to Timur’s household, he was vastly changed from the focused, dutiful man who had served in the Chainguard. The chronic pain from his regular torture and the constant chill from his shadow-blessings sapped whatever intrinsic motivation he might have had, and his depression warred with his trauma to keep him from being able to even think about anything other than his current task. He rarely spoke, and his face was permentantly blank and stony. His demeanor provided a stark counterpoint to Timur’s manically cheerful sadomasochism, much to the Court member’s delight. For years he served his master with golem-like devotion, killing when told, raping, being raped, torturing, and being tortured, each painful and degrading act blurring into the next in an endless stream of brutality and hopelessness. Even in Nidal though hope exists, and it found Kazimir in the form of an enemy spy. She was, at least to his eyes, the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. She had apparently broken into Timur’s study to steal some arcane texts that she suspected were there. He didn’t care about that though, as he stood enraptured by her bleeding form. He knew that he should report the intrusion, but he could not bring himself to leave her. Whether it was her own desperate intuition, some divinely inspired stroke of wisdom, or delusion brought about by blood-loss, she managed to do the exact right thing. Looking into his eyes, she cast Psychic Surgery as she whispered, “You have a better purpose”. Her words, combined with the easing of his brainwashed mind, allowed him to see what he had become, and he was shocked at his revulsion. Convicted, he gathered his essential belongings, dumped a potion down her throat, and together they fled. Before they parted ways she gave him the holy text of the Empyreal Lord Kelinahat, which he would learn was part moral guide, part espionage primer. He readily threw himself into studying the text, which gave him the knowledge and motivation he needed to successfully transform his life. He enacted a ritual in the book that would protect him from the divinations of his former masters, and then set about helping the resistance in whatever oblique way he could. He would occasionally help out those desperate enough to ask for it, usually helping citizens hide from Umbral Court agents or escorting resistance members in and out of the city. Ironically, that is how he again met the cultist who triggered his new life, finally learning her name and story. She was a Twilight Talon (Umbral Mesmerist 13) and devout worshipper of Kelinahat named Cassandra, and she asked for his help fleeing the city, having finally acquired the texts she was searching for. He readily agreed. He continues to study his book when he can, but his services are in high demand, and there is always more work to be done. Physical Description & Personality:
Though he is tall and muscular, it's hard to tell anything else beneath his dark, baggy clothes. He wears a full face mask to conceal his identity, as his face and eyes are covered with highly distinctive shadow-piercings. His skin is pale, and covered in scars, burns, and tattoos, just like everyone else in the Nidalese military. He keeps his hair and beard as shaved as he can, but he usually sports a dark grizzle, as being on the run is a time consuming lifestyle.
He is a standard ISTJ personality, deeply duty driven, and desperate for someone to serve. This personality is what has allowed him to flourish in the harsh environment of Nidal, but now it is proving problematic as he has to think on his own and self-motivate for the first time in his life. This also leaves him prone to depression and anxiety if he doesn't have a job to do. Alignment wise, he is solidly Lawful, vastly preferring structure and stability to freedom and impulsiveness, to the point of despising such things. He started life as Neutral, but his service under Timur destroyed his psyche, and he was Evil until his redemption after meeting Cassandra. Now he is again Neutral, though whether he will continue to rise above his trauma-induced instincts or fall back into depravity is uncertain. Character Road Map:
His biggest struggle currently is whether or not he will continue his redemption or fall back into an Evil alignment. His instincts and emotions are skewed, and he is not always sure what is right and what is not. While he keeps his goal of being a good person in mind, he is highly unsure of how to do such a thing, and even minor setbacks disproportionately errode his emotional fortitude. He is slowly realizing that if he does not soon get help (preferably from followers of Kelinahat, as that is what he is familiar with), he might never recover and be the type of person he really wants to be. Character Sheet:
Male human Brawler (Snakebite Striker) 1/Slayer (Stygian Slayer) 7
LN Medium humanoid (human) Init +2; Senses darkvision 60ft., low-light vision; Perception +13 (+2 if concealed) ---------------
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Eyes in the Dark – You’re used to operating in the back alleyways and moonlit landscapes of Nidal. Whether as a former agent for the Umbral Court who fell out of favor, or just someone who found the light and now rejects the ruling class of your homeland, you look for ways to put those talents to use in helping the downtrodden. You gain one of the following special abilities: low-light vision, a reduction of your miss chance for concealment or total concealment due to either mundane or magical darkness by 10%, or a +1 trait bonus on Perception skill checks and Perception is always a class skill for you. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks. Dimdweller - Characters with this trait are at home in gloomy conditions. Whenever these characters benefit from concealment or full concealment due to darkness or dim light, they gain a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate, Perception, and Stealth checks. Dwarves can take this trait in place of the greed and stonecunning traits. Elves, gnomes, halflings, and half-orcs can take this trait in place of weapon familiarity. Half-elves can take this trait in place of adaptability. Humans can take this trait in place of the skilled trait, also gaining darkvision to a range of 60 feet. Shadowhunter - Those who understand the connection between shadows and the Negative Energy Plane know how to fight the spirits of darkness. Characters with this trait deal 50% weapon damage to incorporeal creatures when using nonmagical weapons (including natural and unarmed attacks), as if using magic weapons. They also gain a +2 bonus on saving throws to remove negative levels, and recover physical ability damage from attacks by undead creatures at a rate of 2 points per ability score per day (rather than the normal 1 point per ability score per day). Dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-orcs, and halflings can take this trait in place of weapon familiarity. Half-elves can take this trait in place of elven immunities. Humans can take this trait in place of their bonus feat, also gaining Iron Will as a bonus feat. ---------------
Sneak Attack (Ex): At 1st level, the snakebite striker can make a sneak attack. This is as the rogue ability of the same name. At 1st level, her sneak attack damage is +1d6. This increases by 1d6 at 6th, 10th, 12th, and 20th levels. If she gets a sneak attack bonus from another source, the bonuses on damage stack. This ability replaces martial flexibility. Martial Training (Ex): At 1st level, a brawler counts her total brawler levels as both fighter levels and monk levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats. She also counts as both a fighter and a monk for feats and magic items that have different effects based on whether the character has levels in those classes (such as Stunning Fist and a monk’s robe). This ability does not automatically grant feats normally granted to fighters and monks based on class level, namely Stunning Fist. Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a brawler gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A brawler may attack with fists, elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a brawler may make unarmed strikes with her hands full. A brawler applies her full Strength modifier (not half ) on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes. Usually, a brawler’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling. A brawler’s unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that modify either manufactured weapons or natural weapons. A brawler also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than others, as shown on Table 1–5: Brawler. The unarmed damage values listed on that table are for Medium brawlers. A Small brawler deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large brawler deals more damage; see the following table. 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. If a slayer deals sneak attack damage to a target, he can study that target as an immediate action, allowing him to apply his studied target bonuses against that target (including to the normal weapon damage roll). At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the bonuses on weapon attack, damage rolls, and skill checks and to slayer DCs against a studied target increase by 1. In addition, at each such interval, the slayer is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The slayer may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing him to study another target in its place. At 7th level, a slayer can study an opponent as a move or swift action. Track (Ex): A slayer adds 1/2 his level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks. Slayer Talents: As a slayer gains experience, he learns a number of talents that aid him and confound his foes. Starting at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, a slayer gains one slayer talent. Unless otherwise noted, a slayer cannot select an individual talent more than once. Talents marked with an asterisk add effects to a slayer’s sneak attack. Only one of these talents can be applied to an individual attack, and the decision of which to use must be made before the attack roll is made. (Rogue Talent>Combat Trick>Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Trapfinding) Trapfinding: A rogue adds 1/2 her level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device skill checks (minimum +1). A rogue can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps. Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a rogue gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the rogue reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level. Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack. Sneak Attack: At 3rd level, if a slayer catches an opponent unable to defend itself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The slayer’s attack deals extra damage anytime his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the slayer flanks his target. This additional damage is 1d6 at 3rd level, and increases by 1d6 every 3 levels thereafter. Should the slayer score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this additional damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or unarmed strike), a slayer can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty. The slayer must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A slayer cannot use sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment. Spell Use: At 7th level, a stygian slayer is able to use spell completion and spell trigger items as if he were an arcane caster with these spells on his spell list: darkness, forced quietUM, modify memory, nondetection, obscuring mist, phantom steed, shadow walk, and wizard spells of the illusion school of spell level 0 through 4th. The slayer’s uses his class level as his caster level for this ability. This ability replaces stalker. ---------------
Other Gear:
Adamantine Wire Saw, Skeleton Key, Signet Ring, Rope (Silk, 50ft), Manacles (MW), Lock (Superior), Heatstone (how many?), Grappling Hook, Crowbar, Compass, Camouflage Blanket, Bandolier x2, Backpack (MW), Thieves Tools (MW), Holy Text (Kelinahat), Bedroll, Waterskin, Rations (how many?), Mess Kit, Daggers, Spring Loaded Sheathes |
