Lysander the Swordsman's page

This is Ouachitonian's submission. Crunch is basically done, maybe some small tweaking, but I wasn't exactly sure what the party's doing right now, and how to link his background in, so his backstory is probably a bit generic as of yet. I was actually coming here to ask about that.

Ok, I got the background and stuff worked out for Lysander. One haughty elven swordsman, prepared to deign to spend a few more years living among the mayflies. They are, in some ways, less bothersome than his own people; after all, you just have to wait a few years for them to get bored and go away. Or die.

Here's the rough draft of stats for Ouachitonian's submission. I decided to start in Swashbuckler, for the feats, mostly; I really wanted to take Breadth of Experience at 1, but as a Dex-based martial, he *needs* weapon finesse to function, and the fighter archetype I was considering replaces the L1 bonus feat. May go back to fighter later, may take the Duelist PrC eventually. The general idea is that he's an educated elven gentleman, who has grown bored of universities (despite becoming skilled with the blade in Lepidstadt's dueling circles) and come down to Nirmathas for the sort of experience you can't get in a library. (...ok, maybe he signed up for Molthune initially, but they weren't to his liking. He would be rather tight-lipped about that.) Writing out the background always takes me longer, but hopefully I can knock it out tomorrow.

This is Ouachitonian's submission, C. Lysander Fitzroy, Esquire. I tried to tie him into Philo's public school background, some real people and events of the era, and a certain other fictional franchise. Lysander fancies himself one of the best fencers in England. No one has yet proven him wrong.

Mechanically, he's a Monk(Scaled Fist/Weapon Adept)/Paladin(Virtuous Bravo) who specializes in the rapier (he can even flurry with it!). He's got more skill points than you'd expect from a pair of martial classes, though still fewer than I'd like. No spellcasting, but building him "in the real world" (more or less), I kind of naturally trended away from any caster classes (the Virtuous Bravo archetype gives up spells). All Dex all the time. Dex to everything! Lots of Charisma too, which is weird since I originally meant for him to be more of a High-INT build, but when you're half paladin and take the Scaled Fist monk archetype for synergy, what can you do, right? As for his racial modifications, I took Advanced ability scores (4 RP), See in Darkness (4 RP) and At-Will Spell-like Ability (Deeper Darkness, 6 RP). I belatedly realized that put me 1 over the allowed RP, and took the Light Sensitivity weakness (-1 RP). Those are pretty much all meant to set up his shadowy Othersoul connection (well, not Advanced stats, I just couldn't pass that one up). I spent one feat to get back Evasion, which one of my Monk archetypes gives up. Haven't decided on my item yet. Also, I have one trait left to assign (a previous version of the build had some energy resistance, and once I gave that up I was lost on what trait to replace it with. Might change his FCB to gain back resistances, actually). But I'm basically done.

We still need to work on that Code, and also possibly nail down his Othersoul (though that might could wait until later).

Here's Ouachitonian's submission. Lysander is a scimitar-wielding Bladebound Magus. He's a skilled melee combatant who can hit for really high damage as long as his spells hold out, but even after that he'll hold his own. While he doesn't have the skill points of a true skillmonkey, he has at least one point in most skills, and can definitely help in that area as well. And his sword talks (not to mention that it can make its own perception rolls etc.).

I should note, for the record, that Lysander’s tropes are the (obvious) Master Swordsman, and somewhere between “Idle Rich” and “Gentleman Adventurer”. He came from wealth, was mostly bored with the things his family *wanted* him to do, and so became a wandering duelist because that actually interested him. He *wants* to be the World’s Greatest Swordsman, but is a long way from getting there.

1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
1d6 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Ok, this is Ouachitonian's submission. I went a different direction than I'd originally thought. Lysander is mostly a Swashbuckler (Inspired Blade), with Fighter (Mutation Warrior/Ustalavic Duelist) as a secondary class. I chose fighter because it was the easiest to kludge into this system with Herolab; the boon feats neatly parallel fighter bonus feats, and I can leave a few of them open as we go to account for Weapon training and the Mutation Warrior's mutagen (which replaces Armor Training). The result is a bored elven noble who aims to become a duelist without parallel (though I won't be taking the Prestige Class if those aren't allowed). I picked the Combat advance to become Exceptional. He'll be a swordsman par excellance, and has a pretty good number of skill points too.

Background: Dilettante Noble (+CON, -STR)

Here's Ouachitonian's submission. The alias itself has more detail, which I wrote for the previous campaign I applied to.

Ok, this is Ouachitonian's submission. Lysander is a Magus (Bladebound/Kensai)/Sorcerer(Wildblooded) of the Sage bloodline. He'll mostly play like a Magus, I fully intend to take the Broad Study arcana and use Sorcerer spells to fuel Spellstrike. But he does still get full 9th level Sorcerer casting, and can handle most (if not all) of the party's arcane casting needs with judicious spell selection. He's also got a fair number of skills, because as a Sage-bloodline, he's got big Intelligence. He's building toward the Archmage mythic path. I might take the Riftwarden prestige class. It works with his background, but it's also not great for a sorcerer; you lose three levels of spellcasting, which means I'll never actually et 9th level spells. But it is very flavorful and has some neat tricks that would be useful here.

I'm also a big fan of the Feat Tax rules. They give you the basic feats you'd have to take, and free up slots for more flavorful things. In Lysander's case, I'd have loved to take Breadth of Experience, but I just couldn't justify skipping Weapon Finesse on a dex-based melee character. Adopting the Feat Tax system would give me WF for free, and let me take BoE and play up my character's "I'm a hundred and thirty years old, and have read all the way through several libraries. Of course I know a thing or two about [insert topic]." elven snootiness. lol

I should also note that I've played a paladin in this AP before, but only up to early Book 2.

This is Ouachitonian's submission. Lysander is a Magus (Bladebound/Kensai), born to Riftwardens. I'm using an alias I've had for a while, and his appearance is largely based on my inability to change the picture right now. That was a little bit limiting, but I think I did a fair job of working it in. Sometimes aasimar are born to non-humans, after all, and his elven parents were both surprised and delighted to be the parents of a musetouched child (and Azata themselves often have elven features, right?). Its too bad he was orphaned a few weeks later. At any rate, he's a Magus. He does magus things. I'll be using something of a non-traditional build, the normal "Shocking Grasp Magical Lineage" magus is awkward in an AP full of demons, what with their electricity immunity. Oh, and I took the Exalted Resistance alternate trait. Spell Resistance is usually a double-edged sword for PCs, but since the aasimar version only applies to spells with the Evil descriptor or spells cast by Evil Outsiders, I figured it was safer. And potentially pretty helpful, given the AP. He's very DEX-focused, even more than INT, which will make damage lower than I'd really like until I can get DEX to damage, but I'll deal with it. Skill points aren't as high as I'd like, but they're high enough to cover the things a Magus should know.

Here's Ouachitonian's character. Lysander is an elf who grew up in the dark, the child of Lantern Bearers who were stationed underground to guard against Drow incursions. Down in the lightless caverns, he developed curious abilities, including Darkvision and the ability to create a blade of pure shadow.

OOC, he's a Gloomblade Fighter, with the Darkvision and Lightbringer alternate abilities, enabling him to manipulate both Dark and Light. He's also built as the traditional arrogant elf, with the Elven Arrogance alternate trait, Condescending Drawback, and Insular trait. He supposes he'll gift the poor mayfly races with his assistance, since they can't simply outlive this goblinoid threat. lol He's got a lot of skills for a fighter, and the Breadth of Experience feat, so he knows at least a bit about everything. He's decent at stealth, good with a wand (for a fighter), all the knowledges, etc. Should be a bit more flexible than expected in a fighter, but ultimately he's still mostly about slicing things into little pieces.

Ok, this is Ouachitonian. I went back to my Swashbuckler idea. He does have significant skill with Stealth and Disable Device, and so can act as a substitute Rogue (though he can't disarm magical traps). But he's mostly a DEX-fighter (as you'd expect from a Swashbuckler, of course). I'll be changing the picture, but for some reason the site keeps acting up when I try to change it.

One thing I need to clear with you: I'd like to take the Breadth of Experience feat. Now, it says that you have to be an Elf, Gnome, or Dwarf over 100 years old. Lysander's a Sylph, but that race did't exist at the time of the APG, when the feat was first published. And he is over 100 years old (sylphs have a lifespan similar to gnomes or dwarves, plenty long enough for him to be over 100 and not yet middle aged). Can I do that? If not, I'll take fencing grace instead, no problem. But I thought I'd ask.

Also, the background kind of got away from me. I wrote more than I usually do, I hope it's not too long.

Alright, this is Ouachitonian. I decided to go a bit different from what I had originally planned. Lysander is Shalelu's half-brother, born to her mother and her step-father, the human mercenary Jakardos. Loss of his mother and abandonment by his father at an early age, followed by living as a half-elf in a predominantly elven town have left him a bit brooding and dark, but he has begun to come out of his shell since reconnecting with his older sister in Sandpoint a few years ago.

Mechanically, he's a slayer. He can do Rogue stuff, but not quite as well. He can also do full-BAB frontline melee stuff, but not quite as well. My plan as of now is to take him in a more skills/traps/utility sort of role, but I can also lean hard on melee combat if that's what the group needs. Slayer's really a fantastically versatile class. I've picked up a couple of archetypes that give him a bit more of an anti-arcane focus, because that sort of thing always comes in handy for a non-caster. In either case, he's Dex-based. It's that elven heritage showing through. I haven't decided yet if I want to do TWF or stick to one weapon and Slashing Grace. I've got the feats, but not for a few levels, so I've got time to decide. There are good mechanical number-crunching reasons to take the TWF route, but there are also other things I could spend those feats on, and I don't like making choices just because the give the best numeric benefit. My first Slayer Talent will definitely be Trapfinding, though because of archetypes I won't get that until 4, so trap-monkeying will be a little bit stunted until then. I'll also be leaning heavily into the Barbarian Rage Powers I can access as Talents via the Witchkiller archetype, because like I said, he'll have an anti-caster focus.

As for me, I've been on this site since 2015, which is pretty much all of my Pathfinder experience. I also play 3.5 on monday night with a live homegroup, and have played some other RPGs and tabletop wargames in the past, notably Battletech, Mechwarrior, and Star Wars Saga Edition. A lot of my aliases have gone through pretty significant recycling, since games die a lot. But there are two that have been in particularly long-running campaigns that I've really enjoyed. Both paladins, interestingly enough. Uriel Aurelius, of a Wrath of the Righteous game that's been running since mid-2016, and Ivar Stonewrought who, after and initial hiccup of a Kingmaker campaign, has been in an Iron Gods campaign since early 2017.

This is Ouachitonian's completed submission. Lysander mostly revolves around bein a semi-normal Dex Magus, but his Bloodrager side adds significant combat prowess and, via Broad Study, the ability to spontaneously cast his combat spells when he chooses (ie, so I don't have to decide how many of what I want memorized, I just took all my blasts as Bloodrager Spells known. This does mean he'll be using much less Metamagic than you might expect from a Magus.). Also, Urban Bloodrage boosting Dex, and the nifty spell-like features of Arcane Bloodrage.

Mythic-wise, he's dual-pathed Archmage/Champion. Mythic Weapon Finesse is a godsend, and as a Kensai who can't wear armor, Enduring Armor is a great little pickup.

Just for fun, I took Possessed Hand. Think of it as his black blade itself subtly influencing his attacks to strike slightly more accurately. Also, I took the Condescending Drawback; he just can't help pitying the poor, ignorant plebes who never had the brains to learn spellcasting (a slight change from the default trait that suggests it's an ethnicity/race thing. I hope that's ok. I have a back-up plan if it's not.).

This is Ouachitonian, submitting Lysander, Kensai Magus/Urban Bloodrager, Dual Path Archmage/Champion. I'll admit to not being a huge fan of prepared casters, so he's built to use Broad Study and Spellstrike with his Bloodrager spells, which are heavily slanted to blasting. This means he's a bit of an odd magus build in that because I'm mostly using spontaneous casting, I won't be heavily relying on Metamagic. No Magical Lineage Intensified Shocking Grasp here. I think it'll be fun, though. I did build him to be heavily reliant on pumping Dex, adding it to AC, Initiative, Attack and Damage through the magic of Mythic Weapon Finesse. With Reduce Person and Urban Bloodrage, he'll have a Dex north of 30 right out of the gate.

It's a little bit bare-bones (short background, and I haven't picked out spells yet), but here's Ouachitonian's submission. He's basically a Dex Magus, but using his Sorcerer slots for his attack spells (Broad Study allowing them to be used with Spellstrike) and his Magus slots for more niche spells he doesn't need to use as often (since Kensai doesn't get Spell Recall and otherwise I'd have to do annoying amounts of guesswork about how many of each to memorize). He'll use Energy Conversion with his spellstriking to get around Demons' energy resistance. I might change the picture. I'm not super set on that one.

Alright, this is Ouachitonian's submission. Lysander is a Bloodrager(Urban)/Swashbuckler(Inspired Blade). He's a Dex-fighter who uses controlled bloodrage to boost Dex further. Rather than wearing armor, he wears dark clothing to improve his stealthiness and casts Mage Armor when combat arrives. He isn't the most skillful character, but has pretty good Disable Device and Stealth, so that he can contribute in sneakier roles. Also, he's a Fetchling, and with the Shadow bloodline (which decreases light level around him while raging), he will often get a large miss chance while in a rage.

This is Ouachitonian, back with my other idea. Lysander is a Magus (Kensai, Black Blade)/Swashbuckler (Inspired Blade). Initially I was going to ask if I could switch the rapier (that inspired blades are basically locked into) for something more Tian Xia appropriate, but when I decided to go black blade I had the idea to have it be a blade passed down through generations in his family, since before Jinin adopted samurai culture from Minkai.

Looked down upon by more normal samurai for his odd blade and his slow start (he was also learning magic, you see), Lysander is determined to become the greatest duelist Tian Xia has ever known, fusing disparate styles and even magic into his swordplay.

One quick question: both of my classes grant Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat at Level 1. is there any way I could trade one of those out? I was thinking Improved Unarmed Strike. It's no real use to me right now, but I need it as a prereq to pick up some style feats later.

This is Ouachitonian's entry. Lysander is a Tiefling Magus (Kensai, Black Blade). In time, I intend to go Archmage, possibly Dual Pathed with Champion. I expect to stay Magus for all 20 levels, but as closely tied as the character is to the Riftwardens I might go into that prestige class. Plenty of time to see how things develop before I have to make that call. Since he's a Tiefling, I'd eventually like to pick up a Hat of Disguise. I took the Umbral Unmasking drawback, it seemed really thematic since there are options on the Tiefling variant ability and alternative physical features charts that also involve casting odd shadows.

Lysander's a pretty normal Shocking Grasp/Magical Lineage build. I looked at some others, but that one's just so perfect for Magus I couldn't stay away (I do wish you could take multiple traits from the same category, though. I debated over a couple of other Magic traits for a while. Too bad that even additional traits doesn't allow that). I haven't fully planned out the build, but there are a few things I know: To combat demons' electricity immunity, I'll definitely be picking up Elemental Spell and/or the Energy Conversion Archmage ability. Enduring Armor is also high on my list to pick up, since Kensai can't wear normal armor. Likewise, as a Dex build I'm definitely going for Mythic Weapon Finesse. And since Kensai lose Spell Recall, I'll be taking Wild Arcana to make up for it. If I Dual Path Champion, I'll probably take the Fleet Charge Champion's Strike.

This is Ouachitonian, presenting Lysander, Tiefling Magus (black blade/Kensai). Lysander was trained in magic by an elven wizard, who taught him the use of the elven thornblade, and gave him an ancient thornblade that had been passed down in his family (as of now, he just has a mundane thornblade, but with GM permission I was hoping to have it suddenly wake up at Level 3, rather than getting a new blade from somewhere).

I definitely plan on going Archmage once we hit mythic. Probably going to stay straight Magus, but since his background is tied up with the Riftwardens, I might look at going into that prestige class. Maybe.

This is Ouachitonian's character. Lysander is a half-elf ranger, TWF type. I've wanted to build a character around the two-bladed sword for a long time, finally decided to take the plunge. Lysander dislikes his father's people, largely because his father is kind of a jerk (one of the elven ambassadors in Korvosa who 'entertain' themselves with local women), and he mostly thinks of himself as a human with pointy ears. He's even spent some time training to combat elven fighting styles (mostly when he was younger and hoping to impress his father by defeating more accomplished elven swordsmen in duels) All that to say, he has Favored Enemy: Elf. Also a good number of skill points, plus some spellcasting and an animal friend when he hits L4, so he should be able to contribute well beyond the battlefield.

Ok, this is Ouachitonian. I decided to go with a concept I've had on the back burner for a while. Lysander is a Magus(Kensai/Black Blade)/Sorcerer(Wildblooded Sage). He can't wear armor, but with DEX and INT to AC (and Enduring Armor once we hit Mythic) he should be just fine. I'm also not fond of the Kensai losing Spell Recall*, but between Wild Arcana when we hit Mythic and taking the Broad Study Arcana at Level 6 so I can spellstrike with Sorcerer spells, I'll be fine. I'll also be picking up Mythic Weapon Finesse to make him even more DEX-SAD. I'll probably take both classes all the way up to 20, since diverting into the Signifer prestige class requires Medium Armor proficiency and Arcane Armor Training, which would be three wasted feats for me.

It's just occurred to me that my background has him being from Kintargo, to go with his background in the Order of the Torrent, but my campaign trait assumes local ancestry. Do I need to rework the background to bring that into line?

*Hoestly, I hated prepared casting in general. Spell Recall is one of my favorite features for that reason, and I'd be loathe to play a Kensai without the Wild Arcana or Broad Study workarounds.

This is Ouachitonian's submission. I decided not to go with the Druid idea. Lysander is a Fighter(Aldori Defender)/Bloodrager(Urban). By level three Slashing Grace will come online, and with Controlled Bloodrage augmenting DEX, he'll be pretty SAD, and have high AC without sacrificing attack and damage. Then throw in arcane power from bloodrager, and he should make a good guard for some of the squishier party members.

The background in the alias should answer your questions, but in case it wasn't clear:

What was he doing before?
After he quit wizard school, mostly training to be a Swordlord. It takes years of practice to be the best, after all.

What did he do that might have gotten the group kicked out of town?
Well, he's a rather devout Milanite, and involved with a sect that wants the Rogarvia/Surtova monarchy kicked out of Rostland. Someone in government might've gotten wind of that. Also, he might have humiliated he wrong powerful noble's kid in a duel. He has a bit of a vindictive streak, and noble brats like to make fun of the skinny kid with weird eyes, you see.

1d100 ⇒ 60
Your limbs are thin and frail. You take a –2 penalty to CMD against disarm, grapple, and trip attempts.
Hmm. Decidedly unhelpful, since being disarmed would be really bad for me. I guess I've always got claws. (unless I get literally disarmed, right? lol)

This is probably as good a time as any to let y'all know: I joined the Army National Guard recently, and will be leaving for Basic Training on September 19th. At that time, I'll be incommunicado for at least 10 weeks. So if I go out in a blaze of glory trying to save Aerel, I'm not too bothered. If I do survive, well, I'll still have to drop out in ~3 weeks, unless y'all are amicable to Lysander disappearing for a while and then popping back up later. I'm fine with either.

Lysander remains rooted to the ground, watching from a distance. He glances back and forth a few times. I can't just leave him. I'd be a fool to try to help him. But I can't just run. But I'd probably die too if I go back. After what seems like an eternity, he comes to a decision.

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 1 - 4 = 4
Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (9) + 5 - 1 = 13

Lysander dashes back, forgoing stealth but managing to use his knowledge of the arcane to slip past the Wyvern. "Hold on Aerel! I'm coming!

I've used a double move this turn, but for the future, can I attack from here, or do I have to get onto the same 'square' of the chase map?

Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 5 - 4 = 12

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 1 - 4 = 4

Sorry Aerel.

I was thinking I had to pick just one. Sure, I'll try the other, though I'm going to need a natural 20 for success there.

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 1 - 4 = 5

Welp.

Sighing to himself, Lysander mumbles "I'm going to regret this." Then he tries to make his way back to Aerel.

Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 5 - 4 = 9

Unfortunately, he can't seem to maneuver past the Wyvern.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"Seems simple enough. Let's head back to the others, and hope they haven't gotten lost without us." Lysander says to the other elf.

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Lysander shrugs, but nods. "May as well. Better to stay well-informed about any potential htreats in the area."

Lysander grabs his bow and nocks an arrow, aiming in the general direction of the sudden sound.

Lysander raises an eyebrow. "Do not presume to know more than you do, little one. I have not served in a regular military. But I have fought for this nation several times, dating to the times before it was called Nirmathas. Perhaps those guerilla units were simply better led than those you are used to. Leadership, in fact, is what it seems we need. We've been acting like a ship full of oarsmen without a coxswain. I know independence is precious to we Nirmathi, but you know as well as I" he pauses almost imperceptibly, "perhaps even better, that military units need clear chains of command."

Oh, not at all. It's just that I took this "Condescending" drawback for a third trait, or else I'd have probably had Lysander blow off the criticism to begin with.

"Yes, stop in the middle of ushering a couple dozen civilians off a battlefield to rehash a plan. I'm sure that would have gone well. Let's make sure that our plans are clear in the first place from here on out, shall we?"

Can we hustle a bit and make the Rangers' fort by nightfall? Seems worth the possible fatigue if we can stay in an actual permanent shelter rather than temporary field-expedient ones.

Earlier...

Pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts, Lysander turns to the little gnome. "I was never in the military in Kyonin, I left there as an adolescent to attend the University of Lepidstadt. When I was there, I learned that alchemy is a delicate affair, and not easy to practice whilst distracted. I felt it better to eliminate the threats first, and then spend half a minute mixing delicate and highly volatile chemicals. Once it became clear that eliminating the threat first was not a viable option, I decided I'd have to risk the Ironfangs being distracted enough not to follow me. If next time you'd prefer I risk us all blowing up when I flinch because I took a crossbow bolt to the ribcage whilst mixing explosives, or that I get my brains returned to mother earth by some mace-wielding ruffian while I was distracted, then you'd best find another alchemist. I suppose you could have done a better job with your cobbler's tools?"

The issue was really an OOC one, I didn't understand that Lysander needed to climb under the bridge, I thought he was just planting an IED in the middle of the roadway, which seemed a bad idea under fire.

"I think Aubrin's idea of finding the Rangers' fort would be the best first step. They must surely have invaluable knowledge of the region's geography, far in excess of my own, that could be vital to us. They may also be able to shed more light on the layout and inhabitants of the caves."

Knowledge(Geography): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Lysander stands next, reluctantly unfolding his long, thin limbs from a seated position. I suppose this is what we must do to reassure the mayflies. He manages not to roll his eyes. "My name is Lysander. I come originally from Kyonin, though I've lived in Nirmath's land since..." he pauses, gazing off into the distance, before shaking his head. I miss you, old friend. What would you make of this now? "Since before Nirmath led the rebellion. I have studied a bit of everything, though I suppose I'm probably best with Alchemy and the lore of the forest."

Switching the untrained foragers to animal husbandry roughly doubles their potential food output.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

At home in the forest, Lysander easily creates a sizable shelter.

That's pretty nice. I might prefer Shake It Off, though. As you point out, Will saves are always going to be low. Neither one is a bad option, though.

I'm going for a Slashing Grace build. A bit delayed since I took Breadth of Experience at 1st Level, but I'll get there. Then once my Mutagen kicks in I can boost Dex sky high and improve my AC, Attack, Damage, and Initiative all at once. Probably eventually going into the Duelist Prestige Class.

I've got +6 in Survival (as long as this counts as forest terrain. +5 elsewhere). Should be able to make 4 Provision Points or build shelter for 3 by taking 10.

Taking Aerel's advice, Lysander sheates his rapier, then turns and runs across the bridge, yelling encouragement to the townsfolk. "Hurry everyone, as fast as you can! We have to go where they can't follow." Reaching the far end of the bridge, he turns back, ready to draw his bow and provide covering fire if necessary.