Rigo'Sharva's page

To all my games,

I'd again like to apologize for the lack of posting in October/November. It was about 30% physical, 30% mental, and 40% situational. I don't want to go into all the details, but I really did need the two months to deal with life and recharge my batteries. I spent a lot of time running around doing job searching, a lot of which included driving for 6-8 hours a day doing job interviews in Houston, which is a 3 hour drive for me. I almost had to move to Houston to get work, as I was not finding anything in Austin.

I do have good news though, all the hard work was worth it. I had two job offers arrive within a 24 hour period right before Thanksgiving. I am happy to announce that as of yesterday, at 8AM EST, I am now gainfully employed again with an international company. Best of all though, I am not going to have to move to Houston for it, I can stay in Austin and travel as needed while working remotely.

My health, and the health of all my family, is also in a much better place as of this week (other than a really nasty chest cold that made the rounds in the house, and for which I'm still hacking up congestion from).

Thank you for your patience, and I hope life is going well for you also.

If you are not comfortable with my rejoining the game, please let me know, and I'll completely understand.

MDT

To all my games :

Apologies for the lack of posting. October was... not fun. Life sucker punched me, and while I was distracted with the bloody nose, Fate snuck up behind me and beat me with a baseball bat.

Things are clearing up, but it may be after the holidays before I have the energy to post regularly.

On the good side, it's looking like I may be employed before Christmas again, so yay.

Again, apologies for falling off the face of the earth, just... as I said, October was not a good month.

"Because we want to know what you know, not what we know! Idiot!" Rigo tightens his claws into the ratling again. "How long have you been spying on the circus? And did you tell anyone about his vanishing?
What was your purpose today?"

Rigo bares a lot of savage looking teeth, and growls. "I know what you are, I can smell it. I know what you did, biting the girl. Tell the girl what she wants to know, or you'll get your own bite, and then get burned alive."

Rigo snarls and slams the ratlings head into the wall to make a point.

Basically damage with the hold, non-lethal

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Grapple: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Rigo then slams him into the ground and drives a foot into the back of the ratlings head, pushing his face into the alley muck hard enough to make it feel like his neck is about to break due to the 400 lbs of feline standing on him. "Now stop wriggling or I'll snap your neck like a twig, even your kind can't heal from that, ratling."

Sorry all, smashed my right middle finger in a truck gate, so typing has been painful

Rigo, quiet until now, lets out a roar and races after the Scathel that bit Moira! He reaches out, and mindful of the request for them being alive, hooks his claws into the biter's clothing, unconcerned about anything like minor 3 inch shallow scratches that are likely from grabbing him this way. Trying to inflict cosmetic and painful but non-hit point damage while grappling.

Claw grab (Grapple check using claws): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19 CMD 20 when he tries to escape, 16 + 4 for Grapple checks

Rigo has Darkvision to 60 ft, shadows don't affect his vision, unless they're magical.

Sorry to hear you got hurt, glad it's better now.

Rigo grunts, but follows along, hoping his warning was enough.

Rigo huffs loudly as he sees Grast coming. "Ah, good, you here Grast." He says loudly in a booming voice. Then he lopes forward to the man. "Need talk, artsy ones still painting. Bad smell from paint." He waves his paw under his nose. "Anyway, need talk about cage thing other night, no want talk in front of others. You talk now, yes?" He asks, intercepting the halfling, and pulling him off the boat and off to the side. "Think there be someone targeting circus, maybe be trying to ruin it. Nothing like this happen until we start filling tent, yes? Think someone trying to hurt your performers. Maybe target acrobats next. Think we need talk about security, unless you ok with performers getting broken. Guess maybe acrobats easier to find than security?" He asks, hoping the halfling has little experience with Tabaxi and doesn't know how to read them.

Listening from the doorway, Rigo huffs. "Maybe they know where that bird you wanted to paint went? If know, maybe everyone can be happy, and end up on painting together?" He hopes that one of the humans is smart enough to know he's talking about the swan tattoo when he references bird.

Rigo tilts his head at the two, and nods. "Ok, sorry. If need anything, let me know." He steps out of the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Rigo looks at the cat, then everyone else, then huffs, and tosses some of the meat on the table a foot or two from the cat. "Animals like food, earn trust with full belly." That's the limit of his knowledge of animal handling, and it's mostly a survival thing, knowing that investing a bit of food today will make animals more likely to stay around you so you can eat them later. But he keeps that part to himself, as he's unsure how the others would react to it.

Rigo shrugs about the cat.

Sorry, this game is updating so slowly, it's hard for me to keep track of what is going on.

Rigo catches the small bag before it gets anywhere near his nose, and then lets out a massive sneeze that reverberates around the inside of the tent a just under a dull roar. He tosses the bag to Audria instead, giving her two. "No thank you. Allergic."

He avoids everyone with one of the small bags, and even scoots his seat further away from them to avoid the smell. He does give Scarred Samuel a full toothed grin, showing off all his pearly white teeth, and gives the man a small wave with his paw.

Pretty much what I imagined, Samuel probably released the owlbear

As requested, Rigo meets the others with Grast for breakfast.

So far in my life I've been to :

Mexico (Matamoros, Mexican half of Brownsville, TX) -> 4 days
London (UK) -> 3 months
Hong Kong (China, Post Restoration) -> 5 days
Singapore (LONG flight) -> 4 weeks
Kuwait (Capital City) -> 3 weeks
Calgary (Canada) -> 8 months

Enjoyed all of them, even if I was working on each trip. If anyone ever is heading to anywhere I stayed for a week or more, let me know, I can try to dredge up memories of things to see. Or at least warnings of things to avoid (like rare steak and fresh tea in Matamoros!).

"Can't sleep indoors, makes me grouchy." He responds. "I'll sleep on top of cages, then nobody can forget to secure most dangerous animal's cage top, since it not open anyway. Would think owlbear cage be one cage everyone check three times."

Any sense motive on Rigo will reveal he believes it was intentional, and an attempt on his life.

Once everyone is gone again, Rigo goes and sniffs around the owlbear's cage, to see if anyone's scent other than Samuel's is on it

As for tomorrow, depends on whether he finds any scents

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Rigo, having been waiting, doesn't panic, he instead moves at a right angle to the charging beast, his claws clacking as he heads straight up the side of the nearest cage and leaps further to the side. Never run away from a charging creature, always run to the left or right, they can't change direction well while in a full charge. He uses his climbing ability ruthlessly, as he doubts the owlbear can climb easily or fast.

Rigo listens hard...

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

...to see if he can hear any movement that is not waves or clanking, such as some creature moving about. He looks as much as he can without moving his head, not wanting to give away that he's awake.

Rigo gives an unobtrusive sniff, taking in the man's scent. "Gonna go find a place to sleep." Rigo leaves Moira to her beau, and heads off to the animal barge to find a good place to sleep that smells like animal and not human and rat. The smell of rat around the circus is becoming annoying.

Yes, the nose rub was supposed to be a signal. Every movie I've ever seen when they make up a lie, they rub their nose. And not blaming you for not catching it, I intentionally didn't make it too obvious as Rigo is still trying to learn this whole deceit thing, he's still no good at it. His IC reaction is not the OOC reaction. Please don't take it personally, ok? No offense was intended, just trying to RP Rigo as not being very good at subtlety yet.

Rigo looks at Moira, then covers his eyes with his tail. "Someone else explain to her..." He says softly...

Rigo is suggesting that someone good at lying say they saw the missing Aishe talking to the neck tattoo guy, without using his name. I forget if it's a dove or a crane (I think maybe Crane, but Rigo didn't pay all that much attention), so we can ask around about the guy we want to find without it being out of character or raising suspicion.

Rigo rubs his nose. "Aishe missing. Saw him talking to man with dove tattoo on neck other day, maybe should find man with dove. Or whatever it was on neck. Kill two doves with one claw, look for Aishe and Tattoo." Rigo suggests softly.

Rigo will head out, and do some acrobatics on one of the stages, climbing up a tent pole, and then backflipping onto the stage and then immediately going into another backflip off the stage, and then going end over end to the other stage on the opposite side, doing a flip over the clowns to avoid interrupting them, and then do some acrobatic climbing up the pole before repeating the acrobatics back down. Edited what all he does based on roll

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Rigo heads back, and tracks down Grast and informs him that the watch accosted Audria about 'permits', and Rigo told them to see Grast, or his uncle, about the permits. He asks for permits for tomorrow.

"Crazy, yes, him crazy. Clockwork more sane than him." Rigo mumbles as Salom walks up.

Rigo nods. "Watch Tower. Circus no tell us. Sorry. Come next time. Ask for Commander Edrin Grast. Go in land." He repeats the instructions several times under his breath.

When they point toward Salom, Rigo nods. "Him crazy, yes."

Noice...

Rigo does a back flip, catches his claws on the side of the building, and then flips again to land next to Audria. He bends way way down to get eye level with the halflings. "Work for Circus. Circus pay dues." He shoves a circus flier into each halfling's hand. "You come circus. Circus be good, lots to see, animals, music, singers, one singer, two throats, harmony very good. If no think Dues paid, take up with circus Owner, Mr. Grast. Sure Mr. Grast be wanting know if your boss no think dues paid. Sure Mr. Grast take care of boss, fast. We no in charge of Circus, so wrong people talk to. You talk Mr. Grast, Mr. Grast deal with you."

As everyone breaks apart, and basically ignores everything he said about the circus, Rigo grumbles. Taking a long flowing sash, the Tiger man climbs up the side of a building and begins running from rooftop to rooftop, doing flips in between. He tries to keep an eye on everyone else, but grumbles as he does, not sure why he's bothering.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Rigo takes a sash with the circus's symbol on it, and then heads off with the others.

"We would do best not to be seen walking around as a giant group. I suggest two or three groups, a block apart, easy enough to provide backup, too far apart to be an obvious group." Once out of sight, he rubs his chin. "Does it strike anyone else as though 'Circus Macabre' have management that aren't really circus folk, and circus folk who aren't really part of management? And why circus not have enough acts, maybe former management was part of act? Circus make a good place for us to lie low, kind of thinking maybe others think same thing, take over..." He says all this low enough to only carry a foot or so, to those around him, over the sounds of the island.

D6 is 4, con adds one, that's 5. Half of that is 3.

Rigo shrugs. "Sounds good to me, sooner it's gone, the better. Better to sell it in multiple groups, 2 or 3 each, with some items, at different places, instead of all at once as one group at one place."

Rigo scratches at his nose. "Need something show which circus we with. Drum up business. Sashes with symbol circus on them?" He says quietly. "Also, miss animals, ok if I sleep on animal boat?" Rigo asks. May be able to find out more about the circus if I'm sleeping here. "If danger from other circus, rest should sleep here as well, not in inn anymore."

He tilts his head. "I know herbal stuff too, did healing duty before."

Rigo is going to be doing his 'big dumb slow' tiger act, and putting a rank or two into bluff, justifying it with his continued attempts to make people think he's dumb. Or should he do Performane (acting) instead?

Rigo takes the pendant, and then nods, and slowly places it over his neck, and then slips it under the clothes he'd worn, the fur around his neck hiding the black leather thong. "Thank you." He says simply. He bows his head. "My condolences on your loss, Sera." Then he quietly leaves, pulling the hood back up over his head before he heads back to the Circus.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Since we just leveled up, partially, and haven't learned any new languages yet, going to take that point I put into Language and put it into Acrobatics instead, if that's ok. I'll put another point in Linguistics when we level up fully.

Rigo climbs up the wooden pillar that the pier has, where banners are strung 50 ft up. He climbs up it rapidly, faster than any human could. On the top, he balances on top of the foot thick pillar. From there, he falls off backwards, and grabs one of the guy wires holding up the tent that are tied off to the pillars, and uses it to arrest his fall. He then flips and bounces off a pillar to land on the pier.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

His performance isn't perfect, but it's respectable, especially given his bulk and size.

Subdual: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2

Assume he did some subdual damage to himself grabbing the wire and bouncing off the pole. But looks like he did it without knocking himself out. The trick to jumping off a 50 ft pole is to drop to the side, grab the top of the pole (with your claws, so really using climb speed) to drop yourself 10 ft and stop yourself with out looking like you are, then it's 15 ft to the rope (grabbing it with your climb speed, to stop your movement), do a flip to the side, grab the pole with your claws again and stop yourself before dropping the last 10 ft. Looks impressive, but you're never dropping more than 15 ft at a time.

"The guards in the prison, overheard them saying that they were scared because the execution of the villagers was signed off on by Lord Paladin Thornrage, and they didn't want to get him mad by messing up. That was before I escaped. I was sentenced to death as well, because I was on the road leaving the area of the village to come here to perform my mission for your kin." He pauses, to let that sink in. "I saw the whole village rounded up by men in armor..." he describes the men who rounded up the vilage, then the prison, and the other prisoners, including Audria, and how she's a teenage girl. "We were freed by someone who wanted a job of us. I cannot leave until I do that job, the finding of a man who vanished on the island in the river. I warn you about asking around, a man who can have a village slaughtered with impunity is not someone to be careless of. If you do find anything you think I should know, I will be on the island in a disgusting circus, seeking the man I must find to pay my life debt." Then he gives the woman a look that would make anyone else reach for a weapon. "Those who kill children, they deserve punishment. Once my life debt is paid, I will find those who rounded up the children and kill them. I will find the ones in the prison who raped them, and I will kill them. I will find the ones who executed the children, and I will kill them. I will find the ones who decided to have the children killed, and kill them." His eyes all but glow and teeth glimmer in the torchlight. "That is what I must do... I had hoped to have a life of peace, as your brother wished. But I must now have a life of a man slayer... a cat of war..."

Rigo rubs the side of his nose. "Parents moved from city when I was young, to village few miles away, named Wicken. Five years ago, dire wolf begin attacking villagers and animals. Village blame us, hang mother and father, I get away. I plot and plan to kill those who murder parents. Few weeks ago, Lord Paladin Occularis Thornrage order whole village arrested, put in jail, and kill whole village. Men, Women, Children, all executed in jail."

Rigo would trust the sister of his mentor, so he'd talk to her about it

Well, if it's a completely replaces, then there's no way you'd ever take it. It's just not worth it, unless you're dealing with a small companion who never gets any bonuses to begin with. Like a fox or cat.

If it doesn't increase in str and con, but does become large, it basically retains the same weight and mass it had when it was a cub but grows up to the size of an adult.

This would be the equivalent of a human girl at age 10, weighing 72 lbs and being 54 inches tall, then growing into an 18 year old girl who weighs... 72 lbs and is 64 inches tall. This would be a girl we'd send to medical centers for anorexia, she'd be skin and bones, and very unhealthy.

Which makes Precocious an archetype that should NEVER be taken for any companion that increases in size, especially to large. Trading a +8 Str/+4 Con for a +2 Dex and +4 Wis/Cha makes adult tigers that are sickly and barely able to carry their own bulk. :P A large creature with a 10 str is not even recognizable as a tiger.

Reducing the bonuses by +2 would still be a hit, but would be balanced compared to the advantage gained.

They really should take account of how much the animal companion is gaining. If it's more than the +2/+2, then it should reduce the normal gain by 2 for each stat bonus gained, to make it equal to the +2/+2 you could alternately give up.

@GM - What's your interpretation of Precocious on the Animal Companion archetypes?

It says it replaces 'the +2 bonus', but no animal companion actually gets a +2 bonus. Most of them get +8 or +6 or +4.

The Devs in this thread said someone did it right, but didn't specify which of the two were correct.

My interpretation is that it reduces the gain by +2, rather than eliminating it (other wise you end up with things like horses that have 10 str) which is foolish (basically a +6 Str/+4 Con becoming +2 Int, +4 Wis/Cha vs a +6 Str/+4 Con becoming +4 Str/+2 Con +2 Int +4 Wis/Cha). The former leads to weird results like grizzly bears with str scores that are 10. The latter leads to smarter but physically weaker bears, but who are still bears.

Thoughts from the peanut gallery on which of the 3 to put on the liger?

Abberant has the least down side, but the most situational bonuses at 9th level.

Deathtouched is the most appropriate given the makeup of the party, but also the hardest to deal with (the whole healing thing is a pain).

Augmented is in the middle, and the least like something Rigo would be ok with (especially given our resident construct person).

This is what hats of disguise are for. :P

Same here, GM, let me know if this isn't ok

Rigo gets up early, before dawn, and heads out. It's easier that way, the humans argue too much, and there are too many things he must do. He briefly considers simply leaving the humans, it would take little for him to sneak out of the city, and simply head off to the horizon, by the time the black dye wears out of his fur, it'll be winter. But that would not allow him his revenge. He's heard of a name that signed for the death of the Village, who signed for his vengeance, and he wants to know if he needs to thank that person, or have them eviscerated. Plus, he has duties...

Fortunately it's a different ferryman today, and Rigo is on the very early ferry, and given the hour, it's light, so he takes a corner and doesn't talk to anyone, and nobody talks to him. That part of the city he does appreciate, that people mind their own business. It's not quite as good as being in the forests, but it's the best he can hope for.

Retracing his steps (his scent is still on the stones, it's only been a few days), he finds the Temple of Torag again. This appears to be his day, as the officious little dwarf from before is not in today. Informing the new Accolite that he's here to see Sera Alphagora Argentblade.

This time, he only has to wait a few minutes, even this early in the morning. He's quickly led down into the temple, to the lower levels, and into an office of stone walls and shelves, with stone desks and chairs. Behind the desk is an angry looking female dwarf with weathered tanned skin and long dark hair. Behind her on the wall is a massive battlehammer with the symbol of Torag on it. "I thought ye were supposed to be white and black, not black and black. How are ye now, to be bringing me messages from someone? If ye're here to deliver a message for me good for nothin' brother, I'll use that hammer there to give ye a message to take back to the drunkard!."

Rigo steps into the room, and then takes the holy symbol out of his pack again, setting it silently on the desk in front of the woman. Her skin pales, and she points to the two guards who were leading Rigo. "Get out, now!" The two hesitate only long enough for her to stand up to repeat her order before they exit the room with alacrity entirely unbecoming Dwarves in full plate.

Sitting back down, she takes the holy symbol, a silver and platinum hammer with Dwarven runes on it. She takes a deep breath, and sighs, taking a seat again, looking several decades older. "Take a seat, and tell me what of it, ye great furry thing."

Rigo steps forward, but doesn't sit. He looks her in the eyes directly. "I Hight Rigo, of Clan Sharva. It is my regretful duty to bring you word of the death of your brother. He died 2 months ago, just after the full moon. According to his wishes, his body was burned in his forge, and the ashes were mixed with charcoal and mixed into iron ore he'd prepared." He reaches into his pack and pulls out an 8 lb roughly square hunk of steel. "I regret I was unable to form it to a perfect square, I am not a blacksmith." He places the steel block, containing the ashes of her brother, on the desk. "He died of a lung ague, almost certainly brought on by his liver failing and weakening his body." He then reaches into the pack for one last item, something that looks like a worthless old leather sack. "He said you'd know how to get what he left for you, if you were really Sera Argentblade."

The dwarf, silent through it all, looks at the items, and then nods. She calls for the guards, and sends one to the kitchens, to return with a full ham. The guard returns 10 minutes later with a ham the size of his own bicep. Taking it, she chases the guard out again. Opening the end of the leather sack, she holds the ham up to the sack mouth.

The edges of the sack move on their own accord, and rows and rows of serrated teeth grow out. A long scaley tongue extends out and wraps around the ham, pulling it into the empty sack, the teeth crunching through the meat and bone equally. The sack itself remains nearly flat, even as the mouth of the sack noisily crunches the ham. Finally, with a small burp, the tongue and teeth vanish.

The dwarf woman reaches into the sack, her arm vanishing to the shoulder, and begins to pull things out, an old metal jewlery box, several mundane sacks of odds and ends, a set of armor that's polished to a mirror finish with Torag's symbol on it, the pieces disassembled for storage.

Finally she extracts a small wooden box with a jade inlay on the top, and sighs. "Well, Torag take the bastard, he's dead, he'd never part with this if he wasn't." She turns to Rigo. "Ye have my thanks, Rigo of the Sharva, for bringing me his mortal remains and his belongings."

Rigo nods. "He was a good man, even if he was a drunk. He saved me, and kept me from killing those who killed my parents, for as long as he was alive at least. And then the circumstances killed them for me, leaving me with no vengeance." He sighs.

Leaving it here for the GM to pick up, as I don't know if she knows about the village being destroyed or not, so not sure what to have her say

The character sheet is in the blue link in my header of all my posts. What we did was just take the Tabaxi Racial stats as is. Give him his normal racial hit die (maxed since it's a first level instead of a traditional racial level with a class level) and then go. So...

Tabaxi

Tabaxi characters possess the following racial traits.

+2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.
Darkvision: Tabaxis can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Racial Hit Dice: A tabaxi begins with two levels of humanoid, which provide 2d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +1, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +0, Ref +3, and Will +0.
Racial Skills: A tabaxi’s humanoid levels give it skill points equal to 2 x (2 + Int modifier).
Racial Feats: A tabaxi’s humanoid levels give it one feat.
AC: +1 natural armor bonus.
Natural Weapons: Tabaxis can fight with 2 claws that deal 1d4 base damage, plus a bite attack that deals 1d3 base damage. They also can rake with their hind claws for base 1d3 damage when pouncing or when grappling a foe, but only if both hands are free.
Special Attacks: Grab, pounce, rake (see left).
Special Qualities: Weapon aptitude (see left).
Languages: Tabaxis begin play speaking Common and Tabaxi. Bonus languages can be chosen from the following: Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.

So the bolded bits were just adjusted down to :

1d8 Hit Die, 1 + Int Bonus skill points, BAB 0, Ref +2

So when he hit's level 5, he'll get 7 hp (5 for racial + 2 con, 4 skill points (2 + 2 background) and +1 BAB and Ref +1. No other abilities or class stuff.

The stat bonuses, yes. So he's front loaded, but will lose on the back end. That's why I'm not tooo concerned about being overpowered, as everyone else will go up faster than Rigo does. So nasty at level 1 (which I think is good as it keeps the squishier PC's alive) but at level 5, you'll all have 5 class levels, and Rigo will have 3 class levels and two racial hit dice.

Rigo only has one racial level currently (he's an adolescent, not an adult). Rigo has to take another racial level at level 5. So he's currently level 1.

Basically, he's losing two class levels over the first 5 levels in order to have 2 racial levels.

If you do decide to allow that to count for archetypes to switch out, I'd be ok with any of these archetypes :

Abberant
Augmented
Deathtouched
Draconic

Basically, all of these give the AC darkvision, which is what I was looking for.

If it can get abberant, augmented or deathtouched (or if it can't get any), I'll probably add Precocious to it, which will end up making it much smarter than the average tabby.

Yeah, about that, I can't do that after all. :( I just noticed that the warhound companion doesn't get share spells. Since it doesn't get share spells, it can't get any of the archetypes, since they all switch out share spells. Unless you want to hand wave that requirement, or let his 'Share Studied Target' feature count for the archetype application.

Oh, we don't get any class features? Darn.. Do we get things like proficiencies?