Meloku, the Barren Fist's page

It's a bit late - but since submissions still running; I do have a second character that I've had on hold for a while now, he's slated to play in our real-life campaign when Crown of the Carrion King starts. He has many mechanical similarities with Jemini in terms of the build, but is a different personality from the ground up. The character would primarily be a monk (with a couple of paladin levels, and 1 level dip into oracle).

Note on his stats: 20pt buy, and aged 1 age category; this can be adjusted though to your liking

Full build in profile, background and personality here for your enjoyment:

Background

Meloku has lived a life in service of Irori - spending countless hours seeking ever deeper mastery of the human self. He had nearly achieved the pinnacle of self-perfection and was slated to become Irori's herald on this plane.

Irori, though, was not satisfied with Meloku's progress. You seek to reach me, and this I applaud. But your ambition has led you down a path that I have cleared of obstacles and you follow a trail that I have blazed. If you would still seek to be by my side - you must give up the studies you have completed and seek perfection anew.

Meloku agreed to Irori's terms, he stood unblinking as Irori layed his hand on him. Irori's touch was gentle as that of a loving parent, then - just for a moment - Irori unleashed his ki upon Meloku. It penetrated Meloku's body and sealed his spine, rendering Meloku paralysed and sealing much of his ability; a wound that no power but Irori's would be able to overcome.

For months Meloku recuperated, cared for in a monastery dedicated to Irori. Where his body deteriorated from lack of physical exertion, his mind and spirit grew by leaps and bounds. After a year Irori appeared to Meloku in a dream, guiding him to seek out the wisdom of the ancients far away in the west. Irori's instructions led Meloku to Osirion where he studied the ancient mysteries of the civilizations gone before - and discovered the reason Irori had led him here: ancient hieroglyphics that detail the power of the spirit over flesh. Where the original intention was to allow a spirit to recover mastery of dead flesh - exemplified by the mummies so common in Osirion - the same theories could be molded to apply to living flesh. It took years still for Meloku to fully grasp and master the basic teachings, but then - fully 10 years after his encounter with Irori - Meloku emerged unsteadily from an ancient pyramid, facing the morning sun in the east, for the first time in a decade he stood on his own two legs.

Now Meloku makes his way to the River Kingdoms; eager to find his feet again as a servant to Irori.

Personality

Meloku is a man driven to great deeds by his devotion to his god, Irori. He must, by nature of his affliction, rely heavily on his force of presence and spirit to accomplish the tasks before him. He carries himself with absolute conviction and his presence can at times be palpable. In combat he relies on the force of his spirit (dazzling display) to sap the will to fight from enemies, hoping to defeat them before blood need be spilled.

Meloku is a paladin and monk of Irori, with emphasis on knowledge. He feels compelled to harbour knowledge of all forms - sometimes to protect knowledge from corrupting hands, but sometimes to protect innocents from corrupting knowledge.

I agree that the GM is the final arbiter.

But, don't overlook this:

Also, Meloku is good enough a paladin, that he is willing to suffer whatever punishment is needed for a lie, if he believes it to act for the greater good

Meloku is perfectly willing to seek atonement for it - but he won't let a mere code of conduct stop him from saving innocents. That is just how he rolls. His paladin powers can be revoked at a moment's notice - but he won't feel bad about it - to him it is both a learning process, as well as he believes in his decisions, and he sticks to them. That too is part of his code. (I've played all manner of paladins, not all have the same personal codes.)

Feinting in combat is (in my opinion) a perfectly legitimate tactic that does not violate any code of conduct. That is like saying "Smite evil" goes against the code of conduct as it gives the paladin an unfair advantage when fighting. And a rogue/paladin would not be allowed to use "sneak attack", since the word "sneak" is used and is thus by its nature deceptive.

Yes, feinting often relies on misdirection. But that is not what I think a lie is with respect to the code of conduct. Otherwise the character could not say: "Good morning" - as in the universal sense, it is not morning everywhere and thus a lie. "Good morning to the localized geography" is closer to the truth, but there are still problems with that; ultimately a paladin would not be able to utter a word without failing the code of conduct.

Keep in mind, the meaning and interpretation of actions are manifold. A sneaky rogue might feint by using some dirty scheme - a paladin would feint using superior swordsmanship. How?

Rogue feint: "Look over there!" (twap!) "Haha! Damn fool!"
Paladin feint: slashes with sword towards shield for an easy block (or so the enemy thinks) but the paladin expects this and instead of bouncing of the shield harmlessly he slides his sword along it into the exposed flank of the enemy.

A different example:
Rogue intimidate: "You pathetic worm, I will cut you open and make you eat your own guts!"
Paladin intimidate: "Evil doer! Your reign of terror ends tonight!"

Same nett-effect, but any paladin that threatens to feed you your guts is likely to be failing his alignment checks; but if he's bringing justice to an evil-doer, well that is just fine.

hahahaha - why would bluffing be against the paladin's code?

Bluff can be used to feint, pass along secret messages, create a diversion, entertain, etc - none of these are in opposition to his code of conduct:

Additionally, a paladin’s code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents

Emphasis mine

Naturally, bluffing can be used to lie; but this is not a required use of bluff.

Also, Meloku is good enough a paladin, that he is willing to suffer whatever punishment is needed for a lie, if he believes it to act for the greater good.

Evil guy: "Have you got the queen's head? OR I'LL BURN THE VILLAGE!"

Meloku: "Of course - your vileness knows no depths, I have her head here in this bag (bluff check) - I'll bring it to you right away, just don't burn the village, we're all friends here (diplomacy check)."

Evil guy: (calms down) "Well, as long as you got the head."

Meloku: "It pains me to bring this to you (bluff check) but she would have wanted to die for her people, here you --" SMITE EVIL ON!

Evil guy: "Wha-?!?" x_x

Regarding the pseudodragon - just as an interesting alternative:

What if you represent the dragon as an eidolon, and use the evolution pool progression to determine which of the dragon's abilities you gain; at the cost of starting your oracle levels at level 3 or 4 only.

Maybe Auri should start with the young template applied, then remove the young template at "level 2", then begin adding oracle levels at "level 3".
Or some such?

I mighty be bending the morality of the group with this but how do you feel about a character having associations with the Aspis Consortium?

Meloku will have objections.

Is there a reason why you don't chose the Prophets of Kalistrade instead?

Two ki mystics in the making, both highly religious to a major Vudrani deity... :S

Nice read though :)

Thanks :D - if it's any consolation, he'll also take the Lotus package. And I promise not to grapple anything unless it really is necessary ;)

ALSO, please note the character is updated, he's now a divine defender, warrior of the holy light, undead scourge paladin. (Yes, all those packages work with each other :D)

Please invite me to the campaign site; I'd like to implement Meloku on site.

henrihakl /a t/ gmailDOTcom

Just to expand a bit, Ye Olde Apo (how should we call you? :)

I'm curious as to what you'd require of a paladin of knowledge. In what ways is he different from a typical paladin?

For your viewing pleasure :)

Meloku, the Barren Fist: Background

Meloku has lived a life in service of Irori - spending countless hours seeking ever deeper mastery of the human self. He had nearly achieved the pinnacle of self-perfection and was slated to become Irori's herald on this plane.

Irori, though, was not satisfied with Meloku's progress. You seek to reach me, and this I applaud. But your ambition has led you down a path that I have cleared of obstacles and you follow a trail that I have blazed. If you would still seek to be by my side - you must give up the studies you have completed and seek perfection anew.

Meloku agreed to Irori's terms, he stood unblinking as Irori layed his hand on him. Irori's touch was gentle as that of a loving parent, then - just for a moment - Irori unleashed his ki upon Meloku. It penetrated Meloku's body and sealed his spine, rendering Meloku paralysed and sealing much of his ability; a wound that no power but Irori's would be able to overcome.

For months Meloku recuperated, cared for in a monastery dedicated to Irori. Where his body deteriorated from lack of physical exertion, his mind and spirit grew by leaps and bounds. After a year Irori appeared to Meloku in a dream, guiding him to seek out the wisdom of the ancients far away in the west. Irori's instructions led Meloku to Osirion where he studied the ancient mysteries of the civilizations gone before - and discovered the reason Irori had led him here: ancient hieroglyphics that detail the power of the spirit over flesh. Where the original intention was to allow a spirit to recover mastery of dead flesh - exemplified by the mummies so common in Osirion - the same theories could be molded to apply to living flesh. It took years still for Meloku to fully grasp and master the basic teachings, but then - fully 10 years after his encounter with Irori - Meloku emerged from an ancient pyramid, facing the morning sun in the east, for the first time in a decade he stood on his own two legs.

Now Meloku makes his way to Kelmarane; eager to find his feet again as a servant to Irori.

Meloku, the Barren Fist: Personality

Meloku is a man driven to great deeds by his devotion to his god, Irori. He must, by nature of his affliction, rely heavily on his force of presence and spirit to accomplish the tasks before him. He carries himself with absolute conviction and his presence can at times be palpable. In combat he relies on the force of his spirit (dazzling display) to sap the will to fight from enemies, hoping to defeat them before blood need be spilled.

Meloku is a paladin and monk of Irori, with emphasis on knowledge. He feels compelled to harbour knowledge of all forms - sometimes to protect knowledge from corrupting hands, but sometimes to protect innocents from corrupting knowledge.

Alex thoroughly ninja'ed me on the Augment Summoning.

Augment Summoning does work for the summoner's summoning ability, just not the eidolon.

I didn't see the skill-point question, but I picked it up independently. In my head I always do the math as if I'm a monk (i.e. 4+ skill points). Due to the increase in Int Meloku has 5 skill points at level 1; which are assigned to their appropriate stats now.

Question, can I assume that I don't need to buy Meloku's mother-tongue (Tien)? If Meloku has a spare language, he'll pick up Osirian as well; as it fits the background (which is still not quite ready yet :P).

Yea, the google-site Pathfinder template is the one I used for the link with Hale Caress in it. You can use the original template; or mess with its colors a bit to get to the version that Hale Caress is in. You'll be surprised, its really as easy as "Make site, use Pathfinder template, invite some people".

The content after that is made by all of us. The character sheet that I think is now part of the template was made by me :)

Thanks for allowing an additional age category - essentially this will drop Meloku's Dex by 1 and increase his Int by 2 (after rebalancing the basic numbers).

Original (no age category):
Str 14
Dex 7
Con 12
Int 12
Wis 14
Cha 16 + 2

New (with age category shown):
Str 15 - 1
Dex 7 - 1
Con 13 - 1
Int 13 + 1
Wis 13 + 1
Cha 15 + 1 + 2

Results with age absorbed
Str 14
Dex 6
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 14
Cha 16 + 2

Meloku technically loses a point in point-buy (it is a 19-point buy character, now, but there is no place to buy 1 point worth of stat anymore), but actually gains a modifier in Int (at the expense of lower Dex). I'm fine with that.

LoreKeeper here. I'm sorry - I'll only be able to give the background and personality after work tomorrow, but for now here's the mechanics of Meloku, the Barren Fist; heir apparent to Irori's right hand.

Alloha :) - this is the story I have in mind for a tank character (barbarian):

Shakhan is furious. For years he was one of Gaedren's most prized fighters earning a bloody reputation in Korvosa's underground as one of the toughest, most singularly driven competitors. Not a slave to Gaedren's whims - Shakhan was the genuine article, a powerful veteran of the illegal cage matches.

It all fell apart a little more than two years ago, at the eve of Shakhan's retirement from the sport. Shakhan, following up on a long line of successive victories in a sport notorious for its unpredictability, was facing down his final opponent in a fight that drew the highest stakes the docks had seen in nearly two decades.

Shakhan lost the fight spectacularly. His limbs leaden, his vision blurred, he did little more than stand there while he was pummeled for minutes on end - transfixed by a poisoned drink Gaedren had offered him before the match, "for good luck".

Luck did indeed find him, unexpectedly, as he was left for dead in the gutters. He survived the poison, he survived his crushed skull, only Shakhan - the cage fighter - died that night.

But Shakhan, the man, survived. His injuries were grave indeed; his fractured skull left him addled - certainly not a simpleton, but his mind retained little of the sharp keenness it exhibited in his prime. His body suffered significantly as well, leaving little of his fighting ability intact.

He nurtured himself back to health over the course of two years; surviving in a dark subsistence in the slums of Korvosa. Where Gaedren had taken everything from him, the city provided shelter and scraps to eat. And time to rehabilitate.

Now, a good two years, Shakhan emerges from Korvosa's backalleys. A shadow of his former self - but a shadow driven to reclaim his former glory and a shadow that will wreak vengeance upon one Gaedren Lamm.

Hi Mauvais - how do you feel about party balance and lack of tank?

Ninja'ed :)

I really don't mind creating a tank; with the APG out recently I'm positively bristling with ideas worth trying. But I'll let the others chime in as well.

You know, with all the party balance considerations - I think we've now ended up without a tank/front-line fighter. Two casters and three ranged fighters.

Are we okay with that? Or should I rebuild into a melee character? I would be fine with that.

@Vic:
The rules on hero points are fairly long, so this is just a synopsis: Hero points are earned 1 per level, and occasionally the GM may award bonus hero points for special circumstances such as a really cool background story, completing a major arc, exceptional faith in ones deity, etc. A PC can have up to 3 hero points and NPCs don't have any. (Though feats and spells can change this.)

Hero points can be used in a number of ways:

• Get a free readied action
  
• Get a bonus action in your turn
  
• Get a bonus on a roll (or aid an allies roll)
  
• Get a hint from the GM
  
• Recall a spell
  
• Reroll a roll
  
• Petition the GM to allow a once-off "special" move that would normally not be feasible to attempt. Examples include: casting a spell if you aren't a caster, casting a higher level spell than you normally can, making an attack that bypasses DR, and so forth
  
• Cheat death: this is unique that it costs 2 hero points and allows your character to survive miraculously on negative hit points but stable
  

There exist feats that grant an additional hero point and a higher max (this can grant hero points to NPCs), gain 2 hero points per level instead of 1, have a 25% chance not to consume a hero point when you spend a hero point. Additionally, there exist spells and items that manipulate hero points or grant temporary hero points.

The favored class bonus is from the APG. Have a look on page 23, favored class options for humans. Humans are pretty cool in that they get a favored class option for every class.

Updated with fixed Reflexes (thanks!), alignment and wealth.

Hi. Turns out Yasumi is a girl - there really aren't many asian looking pictures available yet (here's hoping for a Tian Xia release in 2011!). Yasumi's ready for perusal, let me know if I messed up something.

I'm keen to try the hero points as they add a new dimension to play - but I don't feel particularly strong about it if it will burden you.