Madge Zolversson's page

Madge Zolversson
Halfling Investigator (empiricist) 1
LG Small humanoid (halfling)
Init +3 Senses: Perception +5 (+6 vs. traps)
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +1 size)
HP 11 (1d8+3) Current HP: 11
Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear)
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Offense
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Speed 20 ft.
Melee Short Sword +4 (1d4-1/19-20), Dagger +4 (1d3-1/19-20), or Light Mace +4 (1d4/x2)
Ranged Shortbow +4 (1d4/x3)
Investigator Extracts Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +4):
1st—Shield, Expeditious Retreat
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Statistics
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Str 8 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 16 Wis 8 Cha 14
Base Atk +0; CMB -2; CMD 11
Feats
Weapon Finesse
Traits
Fools for Friends, Militia Veteran, Helpful (halfling)
Drawback
Naive
Skills
Acrobatics +5 (+3 in armor),
Appraise +3
Bluff +2
Climb +1 (-1 in armor)
Craft (Alchemy) +7
Diplomacy +6
Disable Device +7 (+5 in armor)
Disguise +2
Escape Artist +3 (+1 in armor)
Heal +3
Intimidate +2
Knowledge (Local) +7
Knowledge (Nature) +7
Perception +5
Perform +2
Sense Motive +3
Stealth +7 (+5 in armor)
Survival +4
Languages Taldane, Halfling, Varisian, Skald, Dwarven
Combat Gear
Light Mace, Dagger, Short Sword, Shortbow, 20 Cold Iron Arrows, Chain Shirt, Formulae Book (all prepared extracts plus Identify, Cure Light Wounds, and Ant Haul)
Other Gear
Explorer's Outfit
Special Abilities:

Alchemy
Investigators are highly trained in the creation of mundane alchemical substances and magical potionlike extracts.

When using Craft (alchemy) to create an alchemical item, an investigator gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on the skill check. In addition, an investigator can use Craft (alchemy) to identify potions as if using detect magic. He must hold the potion for 1 round to make such a check.

Like an alchemist, an investigator prepares his spells by mixing ingredients and a tiny fraction of his own magical power into a number of extracts, and then effectively casts the spell by drinking the extract. The power they lend creates powerful effects, but also binds the extract’s effect to its creator. Extracts behave like spells in potion form, and as such their effects can be dispelled by dispel magic and similar effects, using the investigator’s level as the caster level. An investigator can create only a certain number of extracts of each level per day. His base daily allotment of extracts per day is given on Table 1–7. In addition, he receives bonus extracts per day if he has a high Intelligence score, in the same way a wizard receives bonus spells per day.

When an investigator mixes an extract, he infuses the chemicals and reagents in the extract with magic siphoned from his own magical aura. An extract immediately become inert if it leaves the investigator’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to his keeping—an investigator cannot normally pass out his extracts for allies to use. An extract, once created, remains potent for 1 day before losing its magic, so an investigator must reprepare his extracts every day. Mixing an extract takes 1 minute of work.

Creating extracts consumes raw material, but the cost of those materials is insignificant—comparable to the valueless material components of most spells. If a spell normally has a costly material component, that component is expended during the consumption of that particular extract. Extracts cannot be made from spells that have focus requirements; extracts that duplicate divine spells never have a divine focus requirement. An investigator uses the alchemist formulae list (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide 32), which determines the extracts he can know. An investigator can prepare an extract of any formula he knows. To learn or use an extract, an investigator must have an Intelligence score equal to 10 + the extract’s level. The saving throw DC for an investigator’s extract is 10 + the extract’s level + the investigator’s Intelligence modifier.

An investigator may know any number of formulae. He stores his formulae in a special tome called a formula book. He must refer to this book whenever he prepares an extract. At 1st level, an investigator starts with two 1stlevel formulae of his choice, plus a number of additional formulae equal to his Intelligence modifier. At each new investigator level, he gains one new formula for any level that he can create. An investigator can also add formulae to his book just like a wizard adds spells to his spellbook, using the same costs, pages, and time requirements. A formula book costs as much as a spellbook. An investigator can study a wizard’s spellbook to learn any formulae that is equivalent to a spell the spellbook contains. A wizard, however, cannot learn spells from a formula book. An investigator can also learn formulae from another investigator’s or an alchemist’s formula book (and vice versa). An investigator does not need to decipher arcane
writing before copying them.

Inspiration (3/day, 1d6)
An investigator is beyond skilled and knowledgeable—he also possesses keen powers of observation and deduction above and beyond the abilities of others. An investigator typically uses these powers to aid in their investigations, but can use these flashes of inspiration for other situations.

An investigator has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence bonus, minimum 1. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check (including any he takes 10 or 20 on). This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without spending a use of inspiration, provided he’s trained in that skill. An investigator’s inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep.

Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, though at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration from the investigator’s pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action.

Trapfinding
An investigator adds half his level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device checks (minimum 1). An investigator can use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.

Madge Zolversson grew up in the small town of Braynard up near the border of Varisia and the Land of the Linnorm Kings, not too far away from Brinewall. Her parents, Molly and Virg (short for Virgil), were the only halflings in town (at least until their daughter was born). Her parents told Madge that the ancient Zolverssons demonstrated their canny senses by emigrating from Irrisen the second Baba Yaga showed up to conquer it, spending their time since wandering Varisia and the neighboring lands for generations before Molly and Virg decided it was time to settle someplace. They—who were well into middle age when Madge was born—never told Madge much about what they did before coming to Braynard. possible character hook for GM ^_^

Growing up in the small frontier town of Braynard was quiet and peaceful. The discontent would simple head off to find their fortune, leaving the town a treasure-trove of simple small town cameraderie. The town was free of border raids, as the ulfen across the border learned years ago that there was nothing worth taking in Braynard, preferring to spend their time and effort on the caravans along the trade route instead. The Zolversson's acceptance into town was also accelerated by the mayor, Gregor Ivorson. Gregor and his husband were the only dwarves in town, having helped found Braynard years-and-years ago after emigrating from their far less accepting home in the Five Kings Mountains, and they made sure that any prejudice against non-humans would not be tolerated.

While the Ivorsons ensured the family never faced any prejudice amongst adults, the ancient (by human standards) dwarves had no pull with the children of the town. However, any prejudice Madge faced in school was quickly quelled by her boundless enthusiasm and gregariousness. Whether she was concious of it or not, Madge learned a lifelong lesson: anyone can be made a friend if you just try hard enough. She possesses a keen mind, particularly for people, and developed a good sense of how to maneuver social situations. Partly because she wanted to fit in to the almost entirely human town, and partly because it just really was that gosh darn cold, Madge took to wearing shoes and boots, unlike most halflings. In fact, the cobbler's daughter, Astrid, was her fast friend as they grew up together, Astrid eventually taking over her father's business. They would build snowmen and snowhalflings, guards and raiders, and—Madge's favorite—they would hide and watch the adults and take notes to compare later, trying to learn the secrets of the all-powerful Adults.

Madge, who had always just wanted “everyone to get along,” found herself naturally drawn towards public service, and she took up a job as a sheriff's deputy. She expected that she would be happy to settle into the position, eventually succeed the sheriff, and spend the rest of her days in Braynard.

It was not to be. Sleepy Braynard with its open-and-shut cases of minor theft and vandalism bored Madge's sharp mind. The Sheriff reprimanded her more than once for spending so much time exploring every angle of every crime, trying to find some deeper, more interesting mystery. Nevertheless, her family was here, and they were always most important to Madge.

About a year ago, Madge's mother passed away, age and a hard life on the road finally catching up to her. Virg—as devoted a husband as could be—joined his wife in the Boneyard not long after. Now the only halfling left in town, her family gone, stuck in an unfufilling job, and afraid of approaching spinsterhood, Madge started contemplating a change. With Astrid now married and on child number four and Gregor retiring from public life, Madge couldn't help but feel as though she was letting life pass her by. She held a nice little going-away party with all her friends, then gathered up her inheritance and set off for the big city—the nearest one, anyways—Riddleport.

Madge is intended to fulfill a kind of Team Mom role in the party. That said, she's way too polite and nice to go around telling people what to do or otherwise playing “alignment police.” She's Lawful Good, but she definitely favors the Good side, and she doesn't have class features riding on her alignment. I, personally, have also played enough lawful good characters—paladins or otherwise—that I like to think I have a good sense of playing the alignment well without being disruptive. She's there to provide contrast and a bit of friendly in-character conflict to a party that I'm expecting will be skewed chaotic, judging by what little I've heard about this AP (as well as a general tendency I've noticed in PCs, for that matter). Because she is taking the Fools for Friends campaign trait, she would need another party member to have some experience with, probably someone that she met recently after coming to town.

I am still toying with how to best make her, but I'm still leaning strongly towards a full-support investigator for the first few levels, relying on extracts, skills, and Aid Another with the Helpful trait, probably eventually taking Slashing Grace once she gets studied combat and becoming a solid supporting damage dealer. She can do fine without it, I think, but the Piranha Strike feat from the Sargava player companion would be a great help. I will probably be wanting to take the Naive or Provincial drawbacks, as they seem to fit her character the best.