About Lucius of House PraetorAppearance & Personality:
Lucius is slightly above average height although he is also a lithe and solidly built young man. Like his namesake, he has middle length, snow-white hair which he usually keeps loose to help hide his features. His eyes are a deep amber color and he walks with a cautious air. Although he is a Half-Elf, he took far more to his father's side than his mothers and blends in easily with humans. One could call him handsome, but he often has a stern complexion to offset that. Lucius tries to fit in with the crowds wherever he can making sure to not stand out much more than the next person. He wears padded coats and hats to help hide his physical features and mixed heritage more easily. His looks soften and he livens up quite a bit when he smiles. While still very young for his race, Lucius was forced to grow up faster than he wanted due to unfortunate circumstances. His view of the world was bleak for a time, because of this and his need to blend in while he grew up he became an introspective thinker and seems surprisingly dour on the outside. But when he's engaged in lengthy conversation he becomes surprisingly optimistic about his viewpoints on life. He has admiration for his country despite it's flaws and wants to help make Oppara and Taldor as a whole a better place for everyone. Human disguise persona: Mehdi:
(Pronounced: Meh-dee) TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TALDANS As citizens of one of the oldest nations in Avistan, whose bravery and martial prowess forged an empire and whose canny wit helped them establish trade networks around the globe, Taldans are complex and multifaceted. While the amusing illusion of stuffed-shirted wealthy elites harrumphing as they look down their noses at downtrodden peasants makes for an easy laugh, a campaign in Taldor means much more frequent contact with a vast array of citizens. To diversify your view of Taldor, here are 10 interesting aspects of the Taldan people. 10. Taldans Love Wordplay. As originators of the Taldane language, Taldans understand a considerable breadth and depth of the Common tongue that even their former colonies don’t share, and fast-paced banter and clever linguistic choices are proud parts of their heritage. Even the flintiest of farmers love insightful plays on words, and a cleverly timed, crass pun can delight even the stodgiest of nobles. 9. Taldans Love Board Games. Every Taldan fancies herself a general, and so board games, strategy games, and war games are popular pastimes for everyone from gong farmers to emperors. While gambling can be fun, it leaves victory in the hands of fate—something few Taldans can stomach—and they prefer diversions that offer at least the illusion of control. While many board games—the equivalents on Golarion of agon, backgammon, chess, Parcheesi, and rithmomachy—were either invented or adopted by Taldor, just as popular are war games played out with wooden miniatures using elaborate rules. 8. First Emperor Taldaris Is the Man. Taldans are a people suffused in patriotism and a love of history, but until we published Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Taldor, The First Empire, they lacked the sort of founding myth typical of large (and especially old) nations. When we updated their history, we fleshed out their origins as a series of city-states united by a great leader: First Emperor Taldaris, Taldor’s own Romulus or George Washington. Like similar figures, he’s often invoked and exploited by residents: politicians insist they know what his vision for Taldor really was; tutors place him in all sorts of parables for bravery, honesty, and other virtues; and inns and estates advertise that “Taldaris slept here” to impress travelers—even though few, if any, structures in modern Taldor have survived since the First Emperor’s day. 7. Taldan Hair Is a Big Deal. Even poor households invest in quality brushes, sheers, and oils from the tea tree and argan tree to keep themselves looking and smelling good, and every family has its own secret recipe for shiny, healthy hair. Many outsiders consider this yet another example of Taldan vanity, but the truth is more complex. Taldans’ world travels have brought a wide array of parasites home over the centuries; clean hair is a simple comfort that also promotes health. 6. Taldans Will Eat Anything. You can’t be a refugee or a soldier on the march and still be a picky eater. Since the founding of their nation, Taldans have embraced a philosophy of “whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,” and that very much extends to their embracing of unusual and exotic foods. For nobles, this translates to eating almost anything that walks, crawls, flies, slithers, or swims, while for commoners it more often means making a meal out of whatever parts the rich won’t eat. 5. Taldans Are Creative. Shelyn began as a Taldan god, and Taldor still reveres the arts in every form. “Anything worth doing is worth doing with a flourish,” the Taldan saying goes, and almost every citizen of the empire pursues an art in her spare time, especially music and dance. Most families have a long tradition associated with a particular skill they may turn into a business—such as painting, weaving, or woodcarving—but just as many are farmers who pluck away at their lyres after work or sing reprises from their favorite operas to make the harvest pass more quickly. Illustrated or illuminated books are especially popular, and many families record their history in books passed down and doodled in over generations. 4. Taldans Love Dogs. Taldor claims it domesticated the first dog, but then again, Taldans claim to be the first to do a lot of things. Realistically, while dogs were rare in Azlanti society, they were common among the Kellid and Garundi societies that early Taldans filtered themselves through, and dogs became companions and workers in a culture hard up for extra hands. In those first unstable centuries, Taldor bred a hundred specialty dog breeds to assist with herding, pest control, physical labor, warfare, and even kitchen work, and as the Taldans’ fortunes rose, they also bred dogs to serve purely as companions. 3. Taldans Love Pie. Since before the first Army of Exploration, Taldans have been sealing their tastiest treasures—and especially leftovers—inside pie shells to help preserve them, and that trend continues to this day. Sweet pies are the traditional breakfast, while farmers and laborers carry a savory hand pie or two with them for a midday snack. Taldans particularly love blending the sweet and the savory into pies, creating treats such as jubilee pie, a rich mix of currants, cherries, and fowl served at almost every major event. 2. Taldans Are Very Polite—Until They’re Not. Taldans live by their politics and succeed through cooperation. Sometimes that means smiling politely and shaking the hand of the man who tried to kill you last week. Rudeness isn’t just unseemly... It’s un-Taldan! They instead couch insults in careful language, usually as unhelpful critiques and backhanded compliments, most notably the cold Taldan “Well, aren’t you a treasure.” Once Taldans decide to stop being polite, they take their outrage and insults up to 11, insulting, scolding, threatening, and yelling in tirades that usually end in duels. 1. Taldans Never Quit. While most of Azlant sank, the ancestors of modern Taldor dragged themselves onto a foreign shore and pulled their lives back together. Orcs attacked and they rebuilt. Kellids plundered them and they rebuilt. They founded a kingdom and ran into one natural barrier after another—from rivers to forests to deserts to more orcs—and every time they pushed forward again. Taldor’s glories stem from bravery and skill, to be sure, but more than anything they come from the fact that Taldans never look at a challenge and say “maybe not this time.” Statistics:
Str: 15 +2, Dex: 16+3, Con: 12 +1, Int: 13 +1, Wis: 11 -, Cha: 12 +1, Speed: 30 ft. Initiative: +3 Defense:
Armor Class: - Full Combat: 10 Base +3 armor +2 shield +3 dex +1 dodge = 19 - Simple Outing: 10 Base +1 armor +3 dex +1 dodge = 15 Touch Ac: 14 Flat Footed Ac: - Full Combat: 15 - Simple outing: 11 Combat Maneuver Defense: 10+1+2+3+1= 17 Fort: 2+1= +3
offense:
Bab: +1 Melee: +3 Ranged: +4 CMB: +3
Player questions:
Player: 1. Develop a character concept using the criteria/questions below. You don’t need to totally complete the crunch (unless you want to) - that’s just there for your information and to let you know what you’re signing up for (though it’s all fairly standard).
2. Share how often you can post/contribute to the game. I don't want to put unrealistic expectations on the group, but I'd like to shoot for one post per day on weekdays. If we go faster, I'm down with that.
3. Share how many other PBPs you're currently playing.
Character:
4. What will your character contribute to the party in and out of battle?
5. Mechanically where do you foresee your character going in the future? If you don't have a plan, that's ok, too!
Backstory:
6. (Optional) What is your character's backstory? Birth and Early childhood: Lucius was the son of a city craftsman and skilled blade for hire named Arron. He was always moving from place to place during his childhood, working in towns here and there and never really found out who his mother was. His father never revealed her name but he did once tell Lucius that she was an Elf who he had been living in a village that had been harassed by bandits until by chance he had come upon them one night and he'd been hired to deal with the marauders. Wounded during the battle, he'd been forced to stay and steadily recuperate. During that time was when Lucius's father had met his mother and the two had formed a brief but not lasting relationship as his mother had been nearing the end of a youthful rebellious phase against her family. Always being on the move, never knowing for sure if her husband was going to come back, as well as having a son, had supposedly made her rethink a number of things in her life and before long, she made the choice of leaving Lucius with his father. Lucius's father was a kind man however, although saddened and perhaps bitter for a time, he eventually got over his loss and made do with raising Lucius as best he could. Arron quickly realized there were far more difficulties to doing this and somehow it began to sink in that many of his current jobs required him heading off into dangerous areas and while he had. Of which he could not easily leave him alone for long. So he took up various crafting jobs in the meantime. By the time Lucius was 6 years old, he began to be able to take care of himself, Arron took to having Lucius helping with his work as a carpenter. By this point his father was fairly skilled in his job but he was often discriminated against due to the fact that his son was a Half-Elf. Since the two of them were facing discrimination from the human territories work began to dry up for Arron. Soon he was forced to begin moving around a lot. Further, Arron insisted that his son learn to hide his mixed, "mongrel", heritage. Hiding one's face and ears with masks or headgear, focusing your gaze elsewhere, keeping your hair unkempt, altogether not standing out too much. Just trying to blend in. Adolescence:
For a while things got better. Arron was able to return to his old life and began to scrape off the rust from his years of inaction. Lucius was now skilled at hiding his heritage and managed to get in with a few groups doing odd jobs here and there. This worked for some time, until one day his father left for a mission and he never returned. Adulthood:
It was while working as part of a crew that he was noticed by the scions of a minor noble house within the city who saw through his disguise. For reasons unknown at the time, the scions of House Praetor entreated the young half-elf to join them at their estate as a favored guest. Without reason to doubt their intentions, Lucius agreed. Within a few weeks he was swept up in a whirlwind of niceties and charm and before he knew it, he had signed documents which signed him on to being a member of the house. Feats:
Pass for Human Dodge Traits:
Disgraced Noble: Your noble family used to matter, until your father took a stand against Maxillar Pythareus, the commander of Taldor’s military. True or not, the accusations Pythareus leveled against your family in return destroyed your reputation and isolated you from the society you grew up in. Now the only thing that matters to you is clawing your way back up the social ladder, either for your own quality of life or to clear your family’s name. You’ve had to practice deception as you began working your way back into Taldan social circles; you gain a +2 trait bonus on Bluff checks to conceal your identity and a +2 bonus on Linguistics checks to spot or produce forgeries, and one of these skills is always 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 on attack and damage rolls against that NPC for a number of rounds equal to your character level. At 10th level, this bonus increases to +2. Young Reformer: Perhaps you were born at the
Skills:
Acrobatics: 0+3+= +3 Bluff: 0+1+2= +3 (+2 to conceal my identity) Disable Device: 0+1+1= +2 Disguise: 0+1+1= +2 (+10 when passing himself as human) Intimidate: 1+1+3= +5 K. Engineering: 1+1+3= +5 K. Local: 1+1+3+1+1= +7 Linguistics: 0+1= +1 (+2 to spot or produce forgeries) Profession- Architect: 1+0+3= +4 Sense motive: 0+0+1= +1 Background Skills
Racial abilities:
Half-Elf: Elven Immunities: Half-elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects. Integrated:
Wary: Many half-elves have spent their long lives moving from place to place, often driven out by the hostility of others. Such experiences have made them wary of others' motivations. Half-elves with this trait gain a +1 racial bonus on Sense Motive and Bluff checks. This racial trait replaces the keen senses racial trait. Low-Light Vision:
Elf Blood:
Multitalented:
Class abilities:
Bonus Feat Equipment:
Avg. wealth 175 G: Combat:
Alchemical:
Blending in:
Artisan's Clothes (Complete with a hat.) 1g. 4-lbs.
Ink: x2 vials, 16g.
175g - 108g. 1s.
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