About Rikal ElkhornCrunch:
Rikal Elkhorn CG Male Humanoid (human) Skald 4/Shaman (battle) 4/Gestalt 4 Favored Class: Skald FCB: +4 Skill Points Init +3; Perception +11 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEFENSE AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+5 Armor, +3 Dex) (AC, flat-footed -1 if Rikal casts a spell or uses his off-hand to wield a weapon) HP 24 (3d8) Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3 Special Defenses +4 vs bardic performance, language-dependent and sonic effects, uncanny dodge ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OFFENSE Speed 30 ft Melee masterwork longspear +6 (1d8+3, x3) Melee morningstar +5 (1d8+2, x2) Melee dagger +5 (1d4+2, 19-20/x2) Ranged masterwork composite longbow (+2 Str) +6 (1d8+2, x3) Ranged dagger +5 (1d4+2, 19-20/x2) Rage powers gearbreaker, smasher Special Attacks battle spirit (+1 attack, weapon damage, 5/day), inspired rage +2 (+2 Str/Con), hex (chant, hampering hex, misfortune, DC 16), doors to everywhere 3/day (jester's jaunt, CL 4) Shaman Spells Prepared (CL 4th; Concentration +8) 0-level (4/day) - mending, purify food and drink, stabilize, touch of fatigue 1st-level (4+1/day) - enlarge person OR charm person (S), hydraulic push (CMB +7), produce flame, thorn javelin (DC 15), bless 2nd-level (3+1/day) - flame blade (1d8+2), fog cloud OR summon swarm (S), lesser restoration, hold person (DC 16) Skald Spells Known (CL 4th; Concentration +6) 0-level (6) - detect magic, ghost sound, know direction, light, mage hand, spark 1st-level (4/day) - ear-piercing scream (DC 13), invigorate, liberating command, saving finale 2nd-level (2/day) - heroism, mirror image ------------------------------------------------------------------------ STATISTICS Str 14, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 14 Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 16 Feats Alertness*, Armor Proficiency (light, medium), Combat Reflexes, Extra Hex (Hampering Hex), Lingering Performance, Scribe Scroll, Shield Proficiency, Weapon Proficiency (simple, martial) Traits Armor Expert, Numerian Archaeologist Skills (ACP -0) Acrobatics +8, Climb +5, Diplomacy* +9, Heal +8, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (geography) +6, Knowledge (history) +6, Knowledge (engineering) +9, Knowledge (local) +6, Knowledge (nature) +6, Knowledge (planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +6, Linguistics +6, Perception +11, Perform (oratory) +9, Perform (percussion) +9, Sense Motive* +9, Survival +10, Swim +5 *-Versatile Performance (Perform (oratory)) Languages Hallit, Androffan, Orc, Taldane, Halfling SQ bardic knowledge, cantrips, orisons, raging song (10/day), spirit, spirit magic, spirit animal, versatile performance (Perform (oratory)), wandering spirit, well versed Automatic Bonus Progression +1 Resistance, weapon attunement (masterwork longspear), armor attunement (masterwork chain shirt) Combat gear: 40 arrows, 20 blunt arrows, wand of cure light wounds (33 charges), black nanite hypogun (5 charges), 5 nanite canisters, Other gear: masterwork chain shirt, buckler, masterwork battle-ax, morningstar, dagger, masterwork composite longbow (+2 Str), shield cloak, Skald's Kit (backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, common musical instrument (drum), flint and steel, iron pot, mess kit, mirror, rope, soap, spell component pouch, trail rations (5 days), waterskin), explorer's outfit, additional trail rations (6 days), 262 gp, 4 sp Spirit Animal:
Kuramu Armadillo N Tiny animal Init +2; Senses scent; Perception +10 DEFENSE AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +6 natural, +2 size) hp 4 (1d8) Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1 OFFENSE Speed 30 ft., burrow 5 ft. Melee claw +0 (1d2–3) Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. STATISTICS Str 4, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 9 Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 7 (11 vs. trip) Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Perception) Skills Perception +10, Swim +1; Racial Modifiers +4 Swim SQ improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, deliver touch spells SPECIAL ABILITIES Natural Diver (Ex) Armadillos can hold their breath underwater for up to 6 minutes. Their dense armor naturally causes them to sink; they can inflate their stomachs to counter this, accounting for their racial bonus on Swim checks. Protective Ball (Ex) Some armadillos can roll up into a ball, increasing their natural armor bonus to +3 but decreasing their speed to 0. Special Abilities:
Traits Armor Expert: Reduce armor check penalty of armor worn by 1. Numerian Archaeologist: Numeria is a land ripe for archaeological exploration, since so many of the strange technological dungeons have been either avoided by the superstitious barbarian tribes or have been locked down by the Technic League, leaving many of them untouched and ripe for exploration. You’ve studied the strange language associated with these eerie technological ruins, and are eager to start exploring them—you suspect that Torch’s namesake is in fact part of a larger buried ruin, and you hope to enter these ruins and learn their original purpose by exploring the caves below town. You gain Androffan as an additional language. In addition, you possess a knack for technological items; when you use a timeworn technological item, roll twice when determining any glitches the item might cause and choose which result to use as your actual result. Talk to your GM for more information about resolving glitches. Skald Class Abilities
Cantrips: Skalds learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Skald Spells Known. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again. Raging Song (Su): A skald is trained to use music, oration, and similar performances to inspire his allies to feats of strength and ferocity. At 1st level, a skald can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. For each level thereafter, he can use raging song for 2 additional rounds per day. Starting a raging song is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. A raging song cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the skald is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action each round to maintain it. A raging song counts as the bard's bardic performance special ability for any effect that affects bardic performances. A skald may learn bard masterpieces. A raging song has audible components, but not visual components. Affected allies must be able to hear the skald for the song to have any effect. A deaf skald has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use a raging song. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to raging songs. If a raging song affects allies, when the skald begins a raging song and at the start of each ally's turn in which they can hear the raging song, the skald's allies must decide whether to accept or refuse its effects. This is not an action. Unconscious allies automatically accept the song. If accepted, the raging song's effects last for that ally's turn or until the song ends, whichever comes first. At 7th level, a skald can start a raging song as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a skald can start a raging song as a swift action instead. Inspired Rage (Su): At 1st level, affected allies gain a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution and a +1 morale bonus on Will saving throws, but also take a –1 penalty to AC. While under the effects of inspired rage, allies other than the skald cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride) or any ability that requires patience or concentration. At 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the song's bonuses on Will saves increase by 1; the penalty to AC doesn't change. At 8th and 16th levels, the song's bonuses to Strength and Constitution increase by 2. (Unlike the barbarian's rage ability, those affected are not fatigued after the song ends.) If an ally has her own rage class ability (such as barbarian's rage, bloodrager's bloodrage, or skald's inspired rage), she may use the Strength, Constitution, and Will saving throw bonuses, as well as AC penalties, based on her own ability and level instead of those from the skald (still suffering no fatigue afterward). However, inspired rage does not allow the ally to activate abilities dependent on other rage class abilities, such as rage powers, blood casting, or bloodrager bloodlines; the ally must activate her own rage class ability in order to use these features. Versatile Performance: At 2nd level, a skald can choose one type of Perform skill associated with the skald class. He can use his bonus in that skill in place of his bonus in the associated skills listed below. When substituting in this way, the skald uses his total Perform skill bonus, including class skill bonus, in place of the associated skill's bonus, whether or not he has ranks in that skill or if it is a class skill. At 7th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, the bard can select an additional type of Perform to substitute. The types of Perform and their associated skills are: Oratory (Diplomacy, Sense Motive), Percussion (Handle Animal, Intimidate), Sing (Bluff, Sense Motive), String (Bluff, Diplomacy), and Wind (Diplomacy, Handle Animal). Well-Versed: At 2nd level, the skald becomes resistant to sonic effects. The skald gains a +4 bonus on saving throws made against bardic performance, as well as all sonic or language-dependent effects.
Backstory:
Rikal was born the second of two sons into the Black Elk Tribe in Numeria. His father, Tagarn, was the tribe’s chronicler, responsible for teaching and remembering the oral history of their tribe. His mother, Shrina, tended to the wounds of their warriors as one of the healers using poultices and bandages. From an early age, all children of the Black Elk Tribe were expected to learn how to forage for food and track game. For Rikal and his brother, and later sister, they were also taught the history of their tribe. Not just when the chieftain or shaman called on his father to tell the tribe one of their legends, but whenever his father could take the time. He thought it important that they learn the legends, but because he thought one of them would follow him as the chronicler of the tribe and wanted to be sure each had the knowledge necessary. His mother passed onto them the basics of the healing arts. As he grew older, Rikal joined the other children in learning to fight with weapons and armor, as was tradition in their tribe, and passed the first two of the Warriors’ Trials, the Trial of Combat and the Trial of the Hunt, at the age of 16. Now, he had only the Trial of Spirit to pass. Along with other candidates to be Warriors, he went with the shaman of his tribe to a cave on their lands where could be found a pool of some strange liquid. The shaman told them they would each be required to drink from the pool, and then remain in the cave until dawn. If they did not flee or perish, they were to return to the village at dawn. He then left them there. Each of them drank from the pool, and when it was Rikal’s turn, his vision grew dark… He could not explain what he saw next. He seemed to be in a metal cave. There were strange items - items that looked like the technology that brought about ill fortunes. He saw letters and words in a strange and unknown language. As he stared at them, he suddenly began to understand what they said, their meanings, as well as he understood his own tongue, Hallit. When the visions ended, he found that it was dawn. He knelt on the floor of the cave as others lay there, stirring from sleep. In the dirt before him were the symbols from his vision - symbols he understood despite the visions end. Quickly, he erased them before others could see him, afraid of what they might think. With the exception of one who looked as though he had been crushed by a giant fist, all who had entered the Trial of the Spirit had survived, and none had fled. Together, they returned to the tribe and were inducted into the ranks of its warriors. Rikal kept what he had seen to himself, though he burned to tell someone of the visions and the strange language. That night, he again had a similar vision, and again awoke knowing more of the strange language. In time, as the visions kept happening, he began to fear that he was cursed and would bring doom to his people. Two years later, while on a solo hunting and scouting trip in the area near Torch, he met a shaman by the name of Ulfar Burnhands. Feeling strangely at ease, he accompanied him back to his home, and dined with him. Before long, he found himself telling this stranger about the visions, his fears of what they meant, and of his understanding of the strange language. Ulfar listened, and when Rikal finished, Ulfar explained that Rikal was not cursed, but that the strange substance had given him knowledge of the strange relics that lay scattered about Numeria. He told him that the great purple fire of the town of Torch was likely generated by one such relic, and that he need not fear he would ruin his kin. As though a great weight had been lifted from him, Rikal returned to the tribe and reported the town as too much trouble for too little loot. The Black Elk tribe moved on, but when they were near, Rikal would find time to scout and visit with Ulfar. Now, as the tribe has come close to Torch yet again, he has received word from Ulfar that he must come at once due to an urgent matter. What could have happened? He hopes the shaman is alright, for he has grown to enjoy his companionship. Gathering his equipment, he now journeys to Ulfar’s home, worried for his friend’s safety.
Appearance & Personality:
Rikal stands just under 6 feet, and is somewhat small for a member of his tribe. He is typically garbed in clothing of animal hides and furs, along with his hide buckler and a chain shirt he gained as spoils in a raid on another tribe. He keeps his weapons close at hand, for he never knows when he may need them. His Kellid ancestry is readily apparent, and he takes pride in his history. Despite his distrust of outsiders, Rikal has an easygoing nature with those he considers friends and tribesmen. He does not often share the story of his vision or his understanding of the strange language with others, however, for fear that his tribe will exile him and other tribes will hunt him. He enjoys telling the legends of his clan, and often tells his stories to a cadence while beating on his war drum around the fire.
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