About Laurent the Waif"You demand satisfaction of me? Ironic, since you've never been able to satisfy a woman...but let us meet in the shadow of the Basilica at midnight, and we shall measure the lengths of our blades." Description:
Laurent is a slender, curly-headed young Taldan man who dresses in frills, lace, and other foppery. It is difficult to tell if the shadow along his jaw is trimmed close as a gesture of noble humility, or if it's simply the longest beard he is capable of growing. He seems too delicate to lift the broad blade at his side, much less slash it as quickly as he does. Torn between amusement and admiration, other rondeleros have given him the sobriquet "the Waif". At court, he minces along to conceal his balance and finesse, while affecting the pretentious tone of a shameless social climber. In private, he has easy manners and a quick smile, though it seldom seems to reach his eyes. Background:
Is life an exacting dance? Or is it a cruel joke? Laurent Zalbec was raised to believe it is a dance. His rondelero instructor was particularly fond of the analogy. After all, rondelero is the "dance of steel", arising from common folk who put the dueling techniques of the nobility into their folk dances. Or perhaps it was from nobles who put the dances of the common folk in their dueling techniques? Historians disagree, frequently at swordpoint. Either way, rondelero requires exact timing. One may take the lead and set the tempo of a bout, or follow and match one's opponent's tempo, but either way, to miss a step is disaster. After years of drills, Laurent had to admit that rondelero was very like a dance...except there was no music, no choreography, and the dancers kept hacking at each other. A bit of a joke, that. Laurent's parents believed in dancing through life as well. Noble courtiers, they partnered each other through the steps of etiquette and patronage, constantly seeking advancement to improve the prospects of their estates and their peasants. For the funds to build a road, drain a swamp, start a school, it wasn't enough to show that the project was needed and sensible. One had to be graceful and charming enough to sway others to support your project so that they might be associated with you. It required exquisite timing--you had to know when to bow, when to dip, when to step forward, and when to glide away. All it took was a missed step for it to all fall apart. To unintentionally offend Maxillar Pythareus exactly when he was looking for titles and estates he could bestow on his cronies was the epitome of bad timing. A false accusation of treason stripped House Zalbec of its lands and its rank, and Laurent's parents were cast into prison. Their supposed friends and allies deserted them in the face of Pythareus's hostility. His parents' original offense? Letting a laugh escape when Pythareus spilled wine on his trousers. All the privilege and pampering of Laurent's upbringing now seemed like a taunt, a joke. Cast into the streets, Laurent had to take responsibility for his younger siblings. To cover the inflated costs of food, firewood, and rent for a cramped and drafty garret in Oppera, he sold everything they had left of value, save his falcata and buckler. What hope did he have to earn a living, other than with his skill with the blade? Slim hope, indeed. Recruiters thought it was a joke that this gangly stripling wanted to join their army, their navy, their household guard. Even if he could swing his falcata, he would be an embarrassment to their uniforms. And while Laurent was a dazzling fighter for his age, he couldn't hope to compete in prize duels against the best rondeleros of Oppera, nor could he afford to put up a purse in private bouts. His salvation came in the form of a shadowy figure who offered him a handful of gold if he could teach a preening noble a lesson in manners. This commission came from the would-be spymaster Lady Martella Lotheed, collecting street talent to serve as agents for her mysterious patron. Laurent soon became one of Lotheed's more dependable catspaws, using his wicked wit to goad his targets into duels they believed they could easily win. Laurent preferred to leave his opponents alive and suffering, but if some of them didn't survive...well, they were trying to kill him too, weren't they? And the gold rolled in, enough to lift his siblings out of the meanest poverty. As satisfying as he finds the work of humiliating nobles like those who acquiesced to his family's fall, Laurent has ambitions beyond being a bravo. After all, insulting overconfident fools into duels will only be possible until his deadly prowess is common gossip at court, and he suspect that will come sooner rather than later. He needs to learn new tricks--new steps, new japes--if he is to dream of securing the influence needed to restore his family's name and get his parents out of prison. His plans revolve around Lotheed's secret patron, who Laurent has come to believe is the Princess Eutropia Stavian. It might take years under the spymaster's tutors to hone his skills in intrigue to the necessary levels, but if he can impress her, she who survived humiliating Pythareus would be the ideal ally in reviving the fortunes of House Zalbec. Any courtier would scoff at the joke of Princess Eutropia taking on a dance partner as low as a disgraced rondelaro, but Laurent is used to being underestimated. And whether he's dancing or joking, Laurent knows what he needs: Perfect timing.
Writing Samples:
Basic Stats:
STR 8 (-1) DEX 18 (+4) CON 14 (+2) INT 10 (0) WIS 10 (0) CHA 15 (+2) AL: N
Defenses:
AC: 19, Touch: 14, Flat-footed: 14 CMD: 13 Fort: +3, Ref: +6, Will: +0 Offense & Weapons:
Falcata +6/19-20 x3/1d8+4 (+1 if whetted) Falcata (power attacking) +5/19-20 x3/1d8+6 (+1 if whetted) Sling +5/20 x2/1d4-1
Racial Abilities:
Skills: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level. Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level. Feats:
Combat Reflexes: May make 5 attacks of opportunity per round. May make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed. Elephant in the Room Feats: Combat Expertise, Power Attack, Weapon Finesse, etc. Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Falcata (Bonus feat from Rondelero Swashbuckler) Slashing Grace: When wielding a falcata one-handed, you can treat it as a one-handed piercing melee weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon (such as a swashbuckler’s or a duelist’s precise strike) and you can add your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to that weapon’s damage. The weapon must be one appropriate for your size. Weapon Focus: Falcata (Bonus feat replacing Swashbuckler Finesse) +1 to hit with falcatas. Traits:
Resilient: +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saves. Disgraced Noble: +2 trait bonus on Bluff checks to conceal your identity and +2 trait bonus on Linguistics checks to spot or produce forgeries, and Linguistics is a class skill for you. Once each day, you can choose a single humanoid you believe to have been involved in the conspiracy to destroy your family; you gain a +1 morale bonus (+2 at level 10) on attack and damage rolls against that NPC for a number of rounds equal to your character level. Class Features:
Panache (Ex): 2 panache points. Regains 1 panache point when he confirms a critical hit on or reduces to zero hit points or less a (non-helpless, aware) creature with at least 1/2 HD with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon (or falcata, thanks to Slashing Grace). Dodging Panache: When an opponent attempts a melee attack against the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action spend 1 panache point to move 5 feet; doing so grants the swashbuckler a +2 dodge bonus to AC against the triggering attack. This movement doesn’t negate the attack, which is still resolved as if the swashbuckler had not moved from the original square. This movement is not a 5-foot step; it provokes attacks of opportunity from creatures other than the one who triggered this deed. The swashbuckler can only perform this deed while wearing light or no armor, and while carrying no heavier than a light load. Opportune Parry and Riposte: When an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, he can spend 1 panache point and expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to parry that attack. The swashbuckler makes an attack roll as if she were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the swashbuckler, the swashbuckler takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If her result is greater than the attacking creature’s result, the creature’s attack automatically misses. The swashbuckler must declare the use of this ability after the creature’s attack is announced, but before its attack roll is made. Upon performing a successful parry and if she has at least 1 panache point, the swashbuckler can as an immediate action make an attack against the creature whose attack she parried, provided that creature is within her reach. This deed's cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the number of panache points a deed costs. Skills:
[4 (swashbuckler) + 1 (human) + 2 (background, marked with *] x 1 (lvl) = 7 ranks Bluff +6 (1 rank + 3 class + 2 charisma)
Gear:
Chain shirt (100g) Falcata (18g) Buckler (5g) Sling (free) Courtier's outfit (30g) Pearl rings and earring (50 gp) 85 gold Not normally carried:
Development plans:
I plan to give Laurent bard levels on top of swashbuckler, but I intend to look at the party's needs when choosing archetype, feats, skills, spells, and so on. If the party is short on combat potential, I'll go Arcane Duelist and work towards Step Up and Strike, whereas if the party is more in need of social combat ability, I'll go Court Bard and develop undetectable spellcasting--and so on. There's a bard archetype for every need, honestly. I could see his personality developing along different paths, depending on how the campaign progressives. I could see him becoming a real cynic with a strong mercenary streak, or a genuine idealist and altruist, depending if the people he comes to trust live up to his image of them. (He's still pretty young!) Bot Me!:
Laurent closes to melee with the nearest hostile, charging if necessary. If none are in melee range, he seeks full cover. If melee is impossible (e.g. a flying foe), he uses his sling. If an opponent makes a melee attack with a modified roll of 18 to 23, he attempts to parry and riposte. |
