About Orvin RabinoffRogue 1 (Unchained)/Arcanist 4 (School Savant: Illusion)
Cohort of Anton Rabinoff Combat and Campaign Role:
Story Feat: Magnum Opus
Potential Combat Role: Versatile/Shadow caster, capable of disabling enemies/hiding self in ways that make it easier to sneak attack. (Not especially combat-focused, but at higher levels, access to shadow spells should make combat roles more entertaining) Potential Mythic Role: Archmage (if we get that far) Potential Kingdom Role: Cohort...? Orvin is going for a typical arcane trickster build, focusing more heavily on the magic side than the rogue side, and specializing in illusion spells; he should be relatively decent at anything a normal rogue can do except melee damage. He may also eventually gain some interest in creating magic items. Backstory and family business:
Left as children among the muddy streets of New Stetven, the Rabinoff boys grew up much like any of Brevoy’s half-elves. Anton remembered their father as distant, and disappointed, and tall; and when the servants bundled him and his baby brother onto a cart, it was never clear whether this was because of some accident befalling their house, or simple embarrassment. Orvin was too young to remember much of anything. But Anton was fast, and Orvin was smart, and together they made a place for themselves among the city’s urchin gangs, picking pockets, duping travelers, and running lookout for older and tougher boys during a long half-elven adolescence.
But Anton remembered a finer childhood—a big house where, even when kept out of sight, his name still carried respect—and sought to do better. Joining first the night watch, and then the city guard proper, he earned enough to bring himself and his brother off the streets. And here Orvin’s criminal contacts remained helpful—he’d carry warnings on watch movements to a few of the kid thieves, and in return his network of pickpockets and squatters would pass along information on some of the bigger, badder criminals who they tussled with, leading to some strategic arrests from Anton and the city guard. Still, it was his skill at arms that got Anton attention. While he rarely used it in public, a private dream to join fame and fortune as a soldier—perhaps even a knight—led to hours practicing swordplay in private. And the older Rabinoff brother was good (at the fundamentals, at least), blindingly fast on his draws and parries. And so, eventually, he was sent to the Aldori academy on the recommendation of a guard captain, beginning a career of study and politics. Growing up on the streets had given Anton a practicality that many of the other student duelists lacked—he boasted less than his peers, scoffed at the “superiority” of swords just enough to actually train with multiple weapons, and even wore armor to some of his martial practices, earning many odd looks but few bruises. But while his style was rough, and his interactions with other students humble, his swordplay remained exceptional, and this was enough to earn him grudging membership as one of Restov’s Swordlords. While not as rowdy or bloodthirsty as the duelists of Mivon, Rostland’s Swordlords remain a proud and hot-tempered organization; having neither the same sense of superiority nor decades of single-minded dedication to the sword meant Anton could sometimes go where many Swordlords could or would not. Reading up on rhetoric and flattery, the always calm and careful Anton accomplished more as a talker than a duelist. Lacking the style and stubbornness of the stereotypical Swordlord, he found some acceptance at the Surtova court, representing the interests of Restov among Brevoy’s government, and spending much of his time returned to his childhood home of New Stetven. Keeping his personal politics always unspoken, Anton had learned how to talk an angry Swordlord down from a fight, helping him avoid duels he worried he might lose; and this gave him a bit of a reputation as a valuable "guest" to invite to delicate political meetings or fancy parties with breakable objects. Though nominally still involved with the Swordlords, being a bit of a fringe member meant that he spent most of his time in consultation with the New Stetven city guard, helping to make arrests of the same difficult and dangerous criminals he had dealt with a decade earlier. But while Anton had brought Orvin with him to Restov, his studies and work had kept him busy, and his always-creative younger brother faltered without supervision. Orvin had often talked of his plans to become an artist; but in the boisterous culture of Brevoy, found it easier and more profitable to fall back into his old life of crime. While presenting a clean face to his older brother, Orvin Rabinoff became one of Restov’s more accomplished forgers, turning his creative talents into first identifying and smuggling, then wholesale duplicating pricey works of art and artifacts of oddity from neighboring Kyonin and Numeria. As his talent with illusion and studies of magic grew, bolstering some elven magic in his blood, the young rogue gained some notoriety for the audacity of his forgeries, building a network of both legitimate and illicit contacts both inside and outside Restov. Alas, Orvin was never quite cut out to be a real criminal; even more than his brother, he avoided conflict, and had little taste for the seedier parts of his business, shunning theft wherever possible and avoiding any ties to actual robbery or banditry. Being young and naive, he was also hesitant to test his strength against any potential rivals. And this earned him little loyalty among the criminal underworld, which quickly turned to anger once he began informing to the authorities on a few other criminals (and competitors) who he felt did not stand up to his own lofty black market code of ethics. Which meant that, when Orvin recently showed up at Anton’s door in New Stetven, he was scared. A decision had been made, among his contacts, and a few of Restov’s nastiest characters were coming after Orvin with some very big cudgels. Solemnly, his brother had asked Anton for a small loan, so that he could flee the country and try to establish himself somewhere else, going legitimate this time. But Anton—seeking a change of pace from the tedium of city politics, and wanting to keep a closer eye on his brother—had a different idea. It took most of his remaining connections in Restov, and almost all of his spending money, but Anton arranged a meeting with a few of Brevoy's nastiest criminals, letting them know that he and his brother would be leaving Rostland for a few years, and it would be in everyone's interest if they not follow.
Orvin Rabinoff:
Orvin’s an artist on the run. As much as he might have a talent for crime, he lacks some of the temperament for it. Trained as a pickpocket, smuggler, and artist, Orvin’s made just enough of a name for himself in the Restov underworld for people to know who he is—and that’s a problem, with the local gangs agreeing that he’s persona non grata within city limits, if not all of Rostland. He’s making due for right now with a simple disguise, rough street clothes, a coarse human face, and a set of smith’s tools he’s only got a rough idea of how to use. The sooner the caravan leaves Restov, the better; most of the Iron Alley boys know Orvin well enough to never sell him out, but he’s getting real tired of passing himself off as his brother’s incompetent swordsmith. (Which might be tougher than he’d like, since Anton seems to have now gotten the idea that Orvin can make him a nice magic sword one of these days). But even out of disguise—well, he’s not calling much attention to himself. Which means simple, dark, baggy clothes, a few magical tools, and some nice and sharp weapons, but that’s about it.
Still; imagining cudgels and knives in every alley, speculating about a price on his head... Orvin Rabinoff hasn’t been sleeping well (it shows), and he’s gotten a little paranoid in his preparations. While the rest of the gang will be camping in large, fire-warmed tents, Orvin’s got everything he needs to sleep in a tree, camouflage his bed, leave traps everywhere, throw up clouds of illusion and darkness, and and summon his own horses for an emergency get-away... which would probably work a little better if he knew how to use more than half of the fancy survival gear he’s purchased. But, though he’s now almost out of coin, he’s still got his forger’s tools, and his smuggler’s pockets, and the intuition to pick up a new trade quickly—all things that could help him start a new life in a new city. * * * Offense and Defense:
Offense: Init +4, Speed 30’ BAB +2 (+2.75) Masterwork Crossbow +5 (1d8, 19-20)
Defense:
Orvin Equipment:
45.4 gp in remaining currency Big Items (1,800 gp):
Medium Items (3620 gp):
Tools and “Diplomatic Tools” (2183.9 gp):
2 vials Invisible Ink (DC 30, keyed to a specific variety of imported Sealord wine) (50 gp)
1x Cypher book (150 gp, matched to Anton’s)
5 vials Vermin repellant (100 gp)
Consumables (1055 gp):
10x Grappling Bolt (10 gp)
Clothing (478 gp):
Trade Goods (630 gp)
Personal Gear (detailed below; but also described in “Group Equipment” section) (107.7 gp):
Spells:
Focus School: Illusion Prohibited Schools: Necromancy, Abjuration Level 0 (6+1 prepared):
Level 1 (3+1 prepared, 4+1/day)
Level 2 (1+1 prepared, 2+1/day)
Spellbook:
Level 1 (16):
Level 2 (4):
(Wishlist: Scorching Ray, Gloomblind Bolts, Shadow spells)
Skills:
Total points: 46 (Rogue 8, Sorc 8, Int 20, Background 10)
*Indicates class skill *Acrobatics
Traits and Feats:
Traits: Power of Suggestion [equipment] (Can make DC 20 or higher Bluff check to deceive others about the nature of objects) Magical Knack [magic] (+2 arcanist caster level, up to HD) Elven Reflexes [racial] (+2 Initiative) Paranoid [drawback] (DC 15 to be aided by another) Feats:
Racial and Class Abilities:
Racial: Wary (+1 to Bluff, Sense) Multitalented (treat both Arcanist and Rogue as favored classes) Elf Blood (elfish!) Adaptability (gain skill focus as bonus feat) Low-Light Vision Elven Immunities (+2 vs enchantment, immune to magical sleep) Rogue:
Arcanist:
[spoiler=Character Plans (crunch)]
Orvin’s build depends more on classes than feats. Starting at level 6, he’ll be able to qualify for both Arcane Trickster and Velied Illusionist; I plan to level him up some in both, building him into a general master of hiding in and manipulating the shadows. Level 7 gets him School Familiar, which lets his familiar join in on the fun for added illusion efficiency). Being both an artist and a thief, Orvin’s magic will increasingly focus on versatility and creativity, giving him a lot of options both in and out of battle (at the expense of raw power/damage etc). (Mechanically, these PrCs will give him access to a wider array of illusion spells, as well as rogue tricks like picking pockets with magic) |
