Penance's page

At first appearance Penance would appear to be an albino drow. However closer observation would note the milky white eyes and the black fingernails are actually retractable claws. He wears armor and a heavy pack but otherwise carries no visible weapons beyond a simple hunting sling. He looks to wear a strange white belt but as it unfurls around his waist it's actually a long flesh tail that ends in an odd hand like appendage that absentmindedly grasps at the air.

His overall demeanor and stature show an incredible amount of calm even in the most stressful situations and even though his milky white eyes possess no pupils his stare seems to penetrate deeply into the current subject of observation.

At 1st level, a stalker gains a pool of ki points, supernatural energy he can use to accomplish amazing feats. The number of points in the stalker's ki pool is equal to 1/2 her stalker level + his Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).

At 1st level, the stalker may spend 1 point of ki to grant himself a +4 insight bonus to a single Perception or Sense Motive check as an immediate action, as he uses his ki to feel out the vibrations of others and their hidden motives.

At 5th level, the stalker may use his deadly strikes in conjunction with his combat insight to "read" his opponent's defenses and deliver devastating blows beyond his foe's guard. The stalker spends one point of ki as a swift action to read his target opponent, and may apply his deadly strike to all martial strikes initiated by the stalker for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier against this target. If the stalker scores a successful critical hit against the target while this ability is active, then he activates deadly strike as normal.

At 7th level, the stalker may spend 1 point from his ki pool to gain a +4 insight bonus on a saving throw as an immediate action.

At 9th level, the stalker can delve into his subconscious in battle and remember key lessons from his training. The stalker envisions potential scenarios where martial abilities he has not readied come into play and gains a momentary burst of martial insight. A number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier, the stalker can spend one ki point as a swift action and trade one readied maneuver for another maneuver known of the same level or lower. The new maneuver is immediately readied and accessible for use. The character may initiate this maneuver and recover it as if he had prepared at the beginning of the day (or when ever the stalker readied his maneuvers last) until the end of the combat encounter.

The ki pool is replenished each day after 8 hours of rest and meditation; these hours do not need to be consecutive. If the stalker possesses levels in another class that grants points to a ki pool, stalker levels stack with the levels of that class to determine the total number of ki points in the combined pool, but only one ability score modifier is added to the total. The choice of which score to use is made when the second class ability is gained, and once made, the choice is set. The stalker can now use ki points from this pool to power the abilities of every class he possesses that grants a ki pool.

The stalker is capable of maximizing his deadliness whenever he lands a critical blow upon his opponent, opening his target up for future punishment as the stalker becomes attuned to his prey. The stalker's deadly strike activates whenever the stalker scores a successful critical hit against a target, and is active against that target for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier. Deadly strike inflicts extra damage, to only this target creature, on all of the stalker's attacks. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 for every four stalker levels thereafter. When the stalker scores a critical hit, this extra damage is not multiplied, it is simply added to the damage. If the stalker scores a successful critical hit during the time his deadly strike is active, the duration of this ability is extended by one round (no more than one extension can be made per round). Ranged attacks can count as deadly strikes only if the target is within 30-ft.. Deadly strike is more effective with weapons with higher critical multipliers, such as scythes and battle axes. Weapons with a x3 critical multiplier inflict damage with deadly strikes using a d8 instead of a d6, and weapons with a critical multiplier of x4 use d10's. Damage multipliers higher than x4 use d10's for deadly strikes damage.

Deadly strike may not be used with weapons that inflict non-lethal damage. The stalker must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. Creatures immune to critical hits or precision damage cannot be targeted by a deadly strike. A stalker cannot deadly strike while attacking a creature who has concealment.

Murderous Insight (Su) The stalker designates his combat senses towards ending the lives of his opponents and gains momentary flashes of insight in how to best accomplish this. By spending one point of ki as a swift action, the stalker makes an attack and rolls twice for that attack and uses the better of the two results due to the stalker's precognitive abilities. This art has a duration of 1 + the stalker's Wisdom modifier in rounds.

A vitalist learns to use psionic power to connect willing minds through an internal network that strengthens their psychic bonds. As a standard action, a vitalist can join a number willing targets into his collective equal to his key ability modifier or half his vitalist level, whichever is higher. The vitalist must have line of sight to each target, each target must have a Wisdom score of at least 1, and all targets must be within Medium range (100 ft. + 10 ft. per class level). The vitalist is always considered a member of his own collective, and does not count against this limit.

The vitalist can choose to remove a member as a free action on his turn, and any member can voluntarily leave the collective as a free action on their turn. Any member whose Wisdom drops to zero or who moves out of range of the collective is automatically removed. If a member enters a null psionics field, the connection to the collective is suppressed until that member leaves the field. A member who leaves the collective for any reason immediately loses any and all benefits they may have gained from being a member. A vitalist is aware of the status of his collective and can, roughly, sense the presence of each member, although beyond telling if such a creature is still a member, this has no mechanical benefit until higher levels (see telepathy and health sense, below).

A vitalist can manifest certain powers through his collective. If a vitalist power specifies one or more willing targets (or is harmless) and has a range greater than personal, he can manifest this power on a member of his collective regardless of the range of the actual power. All other non-range restrictions still apply. He may also manifest any power with the Network descriptor this way, regardless of their actual ranges or targets. If he is capable of manifesting powers or casting spells from a different class (as is the case for a multiclass vitalist), any compatible spell or power with a range greater than touch can also be used through the collective.

If a member of the collective dies, the member is removed from the collective and the vitalist must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or lose 1 power point for every Hit Die of the fallen member and be sickened for an equal number of rounds.

At 15th level, a vitalist's collective range is limitless on the same plane as the vitalist.
At 19th level, a vitalist's collective reaches even across to other planes and dimensions.

Whenever a willing member of the vitalist's collective could regain lost hit points or ability damage, the vitalist may choose to redirect any or all of that healing to one or more other willing members of the collective as a free action. This can transfer instantaneous healing (such as a body adjustment power), healing from ongoing healing effects, such as fast healing, and even hit points gained from rest (in which case, a member of the collective would rest for a period of time as normal, and the amount of hit points and ability damage healed would go to another).

In any case, the original recipient of the healing effect chooses whether to allow the diverted healing, and does not gain the benefits of any healing he grants to another. The type of healing (positive energy, negative energy, construct repair, etc.) is unchanged from the original source for determining who or what can be healed.

A vitalist may even heal wounds through collective healing if at full health. This may only be used with healing effects such as potions, powers, or other such effects. [Healing] from long term care or natural healing cannot be transferred in this way.

The vitalist gains special uses of some of his powers that are unavailable to other characters.

The following powers gain the Network descriptor when manifested by a vitalist: all powers of the [healing] subdiscipline, animal affinity, biofeedback, body of iron, endorphin surge, expansion, oak body, physical acceleration, sustenance, suspend life, timeless body, and vigor.

All vitalists learn how to transfer wounds with but a touch. As a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, a vitalist may touch a target and heal it for 1d6 points of damage. The vitalist suffers the same number of points of non-lethal damage (up to the amount the target is actually healed) At 4th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the damage healed to the target and non-lethal damage taken by the vitalist increases by 1d6. A vitalist may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Wisdom modifier. A vitalist may not use this ability upon himself.

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Ability Score Racial Traits: Tieflings are quick in body and mind, but are inherently strange and unnerving. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Intelligence.
Type: Tieflings are outsiders with the native subtype.
Size: Tieflings are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Speed: Tieflings have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Tieflings begin play speaking Common and either Abyssal or Infernal. Tieflings with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Infernal, and Orc. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
Defense Racial Traits

Fiendish Resistance: Tieflings have cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, and fire resistance 5.
Feat and Skill Racial Traits

Darkvision: Tieflings can see perfectly in the dark for up to 60 feet.
Other Racial Traits

Claw: Some tieflings take on the more bestial aspects of their fiendish ancestors. These tieflings exhibit either powerful, toothy maws or dangerous claws. The tiefling can choose a bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage or two claws that each deal 1d4 points of damage. These attacks are primary natural attacks. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.

Prehensile Tail: Many tieflings have tails, but some have long, flexible tails that can be used to carry items. While they cannot wield weapons with their tails, they can use them to retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. This racial trait replaces fiendish sorcery.

Beguiling Liar Many tieflings find that the best way to get along in the world is to tell others what they want to hear. These tieflings' practice of telling habitual falsehoods grants them a +4 racial bonus on Bluff checks to convince an opponent that what they are saying is true when they tell a lie. This racial trait replaces skilled.

The assassin code-named Penance by his Baroness does not remember much of his early life.

He only knows that his mother was a priestess or favored servant of the Baroness and he was set to be sacrificed to their dark gods as a token of favor. He was saved only by the timely, or perhaps untimely, testing of the priestess in charge of the sacrifice. Her failure and subsequent drider transformation tainted the sacrifice.

Not one to allow perfectly good flesh go to waste the Baroness ordered the boy to be trained under the house's secret assassins.

There he learned the arts of murder and subterfuge while developing his latent capabilities as a fiendish soul stealer. These arts proved useful in many different capacities as he incidentally learned the healing arts as well. A skill that proved vital time and time again under the harsh training regimens and dangerous missions he was sent on.

The Baroness named him Penance as a cruel joke as she often claimed that the only way one could appease her after a grotesque failure was with their lives.

Between the training, and the stifling rule by the matriarchal priestesses Penance grew further and further jaded about his lot in life. Part of him felt that for all their vaunted power and style the pampered nobility enjoyed were mere facades to hide the fact that they were merely slaves to the power of demons and deities with little to no vested interest in their existence.

With little to hope for in his life save a painful death at the hands of a failed mission or the black whims of is cruel mistress Penance was overcome with a sense of apathy only tepered by a strong survival instinct.

That is until the day he met her.

She was one of the newest slaves stolen from the surface and brought into the Baroness's cruel care. Dark haired and blue eyed the human girls exotic looks stirred feelings in Penance he had never felt before. Love, lust, hope, all these feelings gave him soemthing to look forward to.

Well aware that the Baroness would look at any open affection for a slave girl as weakness for her to exploit on him he admired the girl from a distance leaving small gifts at first to make her difficult life a little easier, a little warmer. Soon her small smiles and uplifted posture became the highlight of his day and while he did not dare approach her openly these small moments gave him something worth living for.

Of course, being so young and inexperienced he could not have possibly hid his affections from the eyes and ears of the palace all of whom report directly to the malicious and paranoid BAroness.

In a fit of black whimsy she summoned both Penance and the girl to her private chambers. Their amid the soft pillows and implements of torture she revealed to the girl that the wretched skulking tiefling prowling the corridors was in fact her secret admirer. The look of revulsion and disgust that passed briefly on the girls face was but one of many blows to come. Over the course of many hours the Baroness forced Penance to slowly torture the girl as she read aloud every piece of poetry and letter Penance wrote for her.

Needless to say the experience the experience shook Penance to his very core.

To this day he still has nightmares of that moment. But, in a way, he's glad to feel this way. For now his path is clear. The clouds that plagued his early life are gone. Now there is only one purpose. Clear as the sun he imagines in his mind's eye. as clear as candlelight across a dark cavern. That path is vengeance. What was at first mere disdain for the way that his full blooded drow kin live has turned into full on hatred. He would love nothing more than to smash that palace, and all the mewling sycophants that kneel at its foundations. But most of all he would want to feel the baroness's still beating heart in his hands as he ripped out and consumed her soul from her bleeding body.

For now he simply bides his time. He plays the part of the loyal dog even if his heart is simply fueled by hate. He is sent on this expedition to ostensibly serve as its medic. However is true purpose is to slay anyone who shows disloyalty to their Baroness far from the walls of their vaunted city. Penance's true goal however has not yet manifested itself.