Nuriyah al-Hariq's page

Derring-Do: At 1st level, a swashbuckler can spend 1 panache point when she makes an Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, or Swim check to roll 1d6 and add the result to the check. She can do this after she makes the check but before the result is revealed. If the result of the d6 roll is a natural 6, she rolls another 1d6 and adds it to the check. She can continue to do this as long as she rolls natural 6s, up to a number of times equal to her Dexterity modifier (minimum 1).

Dodging Panache: At 1st level, 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 dodge bonus to AC equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 0) 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: At 1st level, when an opponent makes a melee attack against the swashbuckler, she 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.

Kip-Up: At 3rd level, while the swashbuckler has at least 1 panache point, she can kip-up from prone as a move action without provoking an attack of opportunity. She can kip-up as a swift action instead by spending 1 panache point.

Menacing Swordplay: At 3rd level, while she has at least 1 panache point, when a swashbuckler hits an opponent with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon, she can choose to use Intimidate to demoralize that opponent as a swift action instead of a standard action.

Precise Strike: At 3rd level, while she has at least 1 panache point, a swashbuckler gains the ability to strike precisely with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon (though not natural weapon attacks), adding her swashbuckler level to the damage dealt. To use this deed, a swashbuckler cannot attack with a weapon in her other hand or use a shield other than a buckler. She can even use this ability with thrown light or one-handed piercing melee weapons, so long as the target is within 30 feet of her. Any creature that is immune to sneak attacks is immune to the additional damage granted by precise strike, and any item or ability that protects a creature from critical hits also protects a creature from the additional damage of a precise strike. This additional damage is precision damage, and isn’t multiplied on a critical hit. As a swift action, a swashbuckler can spend 1 panache point to double her precise strike’s damage bonus on the next attack. This benefit must be used before the end of her turn, or it is lost. This deed’s cost cannot be reduced by any ability or effect that reduces the amount of panache points a deed costs (such as the Signature Deed feat).

Swashbuckler Initiative: At 3rd level, while the swashbuckler has at least 1 panache point, she gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks. In addition, if she has the Quick Draw feat, her hands are free and unrestrained, and she has any single light or one-handed piercing melee weapon that isn’t hidden, she can draw that weapon as part of the initiative check.

Swashbuckler’s Grace: At 7th level, while the swashbuckler has at least 1 panache point, she takes no penalty for moving at full speed when she uses Acrobatics to attempt to move through a threatened area or an enemy’s space.

Superior Feint: At 7th level, a swashbuckler with at least 1 panache point can, as a standard action, purposefully miss a creature she could make a melee attack against with a wielded light or one-handed piercing weapon. When she does, the creature is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC until the start of the swashbuckler’s next turn.

Targeted Strike: At 7th level, as a full-round action the swashbuckler can spend 1 panache point to make an attack with a single light or one-handed piercing melee weapon that cripples part of a foe’s body. The swashbuckler chooses a part of the body to target. If the attack succeeds, in addition to the attack’s normal damage, the target suffers one of the following effects based on the part of the body targeted. If a creature doesn’t have one of the listed body locations, that body part cannot be targeted. Creatures that are immune to sneak attacks are also immune to targeted strikes. Items or abilities that protect a creature from critical hits also protect a creature from targeted strikes.

Arms: The target takes no damage from the attack, but it drops one carried item of the swashbuckler’s choice, even if the item is wielded with two hands. Items held in a locked gauntlet cannot be chosen.
Head: The target is confused for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Legs: The target is knocked prone. Creatures with four or more legs or that are immune to trip attacks are immune to this effect.
Torso or Wings: The target is staggered for 1 round.

Nuriyah was born in the city of Calimport, the daughter of a poor washerwoman and an unknown father. But from the time she was a child, Nuriyah wanted more than a life of grinding poverty. More power, more wealth, more respect. Unfortunately, in Calimshan there are only two options for a woman to get these things. Marry rich- and fairy tales notwithstanding, that's unrealistic for a poor girl- or join the criminal underworld. So once she was old enough to be taken seriously, Nuriyah pestered the local criminals until they gave in and took her to their boss. He was amused at her audacity and intrigued by the thought of having a fire genasi in the thieves' guild. The thieves taught her how to fight, how to walk silently, how to properly venerate Mask, how to climb up a building and run across rooftops. She never got the hang of picking locks, but a glass cutter and glue paper enabled her to become a successful cat burglar regardless.

For most of Nuriyah's criminal career, the Calimport thieves' guild left the drug trade and the underground slave trade (as opposed to the legal slave trade) to the local cult of Shar. The guildmaster considered it a fair price to keep the attention of the goddess and her cult away from his business. Nobody wants the Lady of Loss, or the Shadow Weave mages who worship her, angry with them. Unfortunately, the old boss died in a violent coup, replaced with a younger and far greedier boss. He loved money more than he feared Shar's wrath, and ordered his people to start intruding on the cult's turf. Nuriyah didn't really care about the drugs. But the first time someone brought a group of frightened, weeping young women and children in chains to her hideout, all of whom were clearly kidnapped freemen, she decided that she'd had enough. The genasi laced that night's stew with a powerful sleeping drug. Once her fellows were asleep, she helped herself to all the cash she could find, released the kidnapped women and children, and escorted them to the nearest guard station. Then she booked passage on a ship to Lapaliiya leaving that night.

So it was that Nuriyah's career as an adventurer, mercenary, and occasional do-gooder began. She renounced the worship of Mask and converted to Tymora, at first because she appreciated Lady Luck's devil-may-care attitude and patronage of adventurers. Over time, she came to regret her actions as a thief and started trying to atone. For the past seven years, Nuriyah has been roaming the South; the Lake of Steam, Lapaliiya, the Border Kingdoms, Tashalar. The Calimport thieves' guild is still furious with her and dogging her steps. It's not so much about the money as the loss of face. Letting a betrayer escape makes the guild look weak. Due to this, Nuriyah avoids long term attachments. She'll team up with other adventurers for a time, then bid them farewell. It's a lonely life, but it has its perks. She has wealth, power in the form of her fighting skills, and respect among those who have seen her fight. She's traveled to exotic places, seen amazing things, and fought fearsome enemies.

Nuriyah has just arrived in Chult's Port Nyanzaru. The thieves' guild nearly caught up with her in Tashluta a few days ago. She managed to kill the assassins who found her, but once the boss hears of their deaths, he'll have a pretty good idea that they found their quarry. Hopefully the prospect of chasing her through a jungle full of dinosaurs will make them give up at long last!

Nuriyah al-Hariq is a fire genasi woman of obvious Calishite descent. Her "hair" is actually heatless flames that continuously burn from her scalp, swirling around like windblown hair. She has dark eyes, tan skin, and a lithe, muscular build like that of a dancer or acrobat. While her features are classically beautiful, her obviously inhuman ancestry gives her an unearthly air.

When traveling (which is most of the time), Nuriyah favors light, flowing Calishite-style clothing in flame colors: a tunic and caftan over loose trousers with a lightweight red cloak, wide sash, and supple gray leather slippers. Under the caftan, she wears a mithral chain shirt and bandolier. When she needs to hide her fiery 'hair', she covers her head with a tightly woven scarf. Nuriyah carries her signature rapier, a dagger, and a tonfa on her sash with a longbow and arrows on her back.

Like many fire genasi, Nuriyah is brash, larger than life, and proud of her skills. She enjoys any chance to show off (although she's learned better than to do so at the expense of efficacy in combat). Her main motivations for adventuring are wealth, thrills, the opportunity to refine her skill with the blade, and staying one step ahead of her erstwhile comrades from the Calimport thieves' guild. Nuriyah frequently donates to temples of Tymora and various charitable organizations in an attempt to atone for past misdeeds, and is usually happy to help people who need a skilled swordswoman for a good cause.

She rarely sticks with an adventuring group for long, fearing that they will become targets of her enemies. While she's with a group, though, Nuriyah commits herself fully to their well-being... unless, of course, they repay her aid with betrayal. Her anger is every bit as fierce as that of her efreet ancestors.