About Sa'KageBackground:
The guild is mother, the guild is father. When the guild asks, it is done. The guild is all I’ve ever really known, I barely remember my birth mother. The guild asked for me and she obeyed, I was three years old. Since then it’s as if I’ve been training my entire life, endurance, weapons practice, foreign languages, stealth. My complexion doesn’t help, not many albinos with a shock of crimson hair out there. Master Brinn tells me its a golfing handicap, I have to work harder to walk unnoticed through the crowd. It makes up for my other gifts he says. It wasn’t until my twelfth summer that I really knew what the guild was about. Everyone knows Master Brinn of course, arguably the best red mantis in town. He would stride like a god, entirely without fear. How I looked up to him from the shadows. Back then I was in one of the feeder guilds, the black dragons, rather than the guild proper. Just because of an auspicious birth I don’t get any favoritism, oh no. If anything it’s harder, I have no excuse for weakness, for failure. I was just a guild rat like any other, doing a mix of second story work and whatever didn’t end up in a noose. So many of my guild brothers and sisters ended up hanged by the watch. The old ones always made us watch, and cursed us we cried or looked away. They said it was character building and that we had a solemn duty to remember those who got caught and how they failed. No one had to work, but no one had to get fed either. The guild dues were a gold eagle per week. I must admit I enjoyed the work, the rush of a heist, a petty plan coming together. The camaraderie of the other urchins in the theifmaker’s warren. There was one girl Ele who was like my little sister, she was a fair dip-pocket and painfully thin. I was old enough by that stage to know what the guild bigs wanted from her and did what I could to protect her. This and the fact I was talented, brought me no end of trouble. In particular there was one big called Weasle. Weasle who had it in for me. Weasle who was four years older, twice my size and had half a dozen lieutenants drawn from the more vicious bigs in the black dragons. Among many other qualities Weasle wasn’t picky who he slept with, boy or girl, just so long as they got hurt and humiliated. I’d protected Ele from him for years, paying her dues when she was sick or had bad luck, but we all knew what was coming. One night after a particularly lucy heist, Weasle was drunk and called for me. I had no choice but to come, and His toughs beat me mercilessly. Through a red film from boated and bloody eyes I helplessly watched Weasle as he called for Ele and told her that I would die unless she let him have his way. Soundlessly she agreed, I still remember her cries of pain. They left me there, half broken and wanting to die. That night I think perhaps I might, except there was a visitor. Master Brinn. How he sneered at my weakness. ”Let me study with you!”, I begged him, as I marveled with how he walked through the night unafraid, like a shark. ”Boy you do not know what you ask,” he replied with a hint of bitterness. ”I don’t want to be afraid anymore! Not for me nor my my friends,” I begged him. Brinn looked sad as he replied, ”Boy if you follow me, you’ll no longer have friends, you’ll only have contacts.” It was as if he was trying to dissuade me. ”I will do anything!”, I begged. With a sigh, Master Brinn replied, ”Very well. You will kill Weasle yourself, within the week or I will kill you myself. Do not return until he is dead, or you are ready to die.” My mind was reeling! Me kill Weasle? But how! There was no way I could approach him armed, not with all those bigs around him. For days I was despondent, not knowing what to do. Soon it was dues day and I’d got not a copper bit to my name. I threw myself into the window with a passion. Ele was there and Tommy too. The three of us found a fat miller’s house to burgle. The miller was out with his mistress and we made off with three eagles and half a dozen buns. They were still warm and tasted like a slice of heaven. We meandered back to the safe house safe in the knowledge that we were fed and had our dues, but disaster struck! With lazy malevolence Weasle told us the dues had gone up, it was now one eagle and three bits per week. I had enough to pay but Ele was short for the second week week running. I gave everything I had to her, and bowed my head when my name was called. Weasle laughed and said “Kage, I always knew liked a bit of pain. You’re mine now.” Everyone knew what that meant. Weasel's toughs searched me from head to toe as he laughed, satisfied they nodded at Weasle who dismissed them saying ”You can go now. I will be some time...” Ele looked at me with big eyes and flung herself at me weeping. Weasle batted her away cruelly but not before she’d palmed something into my hand. I followed Weasle to his stinking room and did what was required. I’d like to claim I didn’t cry out but that wasn’t true and Weasle was well pleased. Just like my mother had with my father, I knew there would be a moment of weakness, when Weasle was glorying in his power. I struck him with the small knife that Ele gave me and he yelped, I struck again,and again. Weasle battered me aside and I groggily rose to strike him one more. I think he would have killed me, for despite the wounds I was greatly out matched, but the blood loss crept up on him and although he had me straddled and was strangling me, he passed out before I did. I don’t recall how long I lay there with my tormentor dead above me, but eventually I wormed my way out. When I looked up Master Brinn was there who said simply, ”Follow me.” Form there on in my life changed. Training with Master Brinn was brutal, and I was often left bruised and battered. And then made to study languages and courtly etiquette, and formal logic. Brinn was a genius with the dagger, the sword, the garotte, the short bow, the long bow, with poisons and with languages. I guess some of that rubbed off on me, for after three with Brinn he declared that I wasn’t entirely hopeless. Soon after I asked him, ”Master, when will I become an assassin?” Master Brinn Sneered, “Assassins have targets, we have corpses. Assassins sometimes miss, we don’t.” It was a formative moment, for the difference between an assassin and us is the talent. It’s what the guild looks for and nurtures, it’s what I and my guild brothers and sisters have. Is what we do evil? Yes undoubtedly. But you must remember, for us life is meaningless. When we kill, nothing of value is lost. It’s true we sometimes slay innocents, but for everyone of those, we make hundreds or even thousands of corpses from those who truly deserve it. After all few people can afford to waste our fees on just anyone... I didn’t see the patterns at first, but over time I’ve come to truly believe that what we do is necessary. Does the life of one out weight the needs of a nation? We are like gardeners, a nip here a tuck there, a war averted, a pogrom not issued. When we take on a contract, we must know our corpse better than they know themselves. Every contract is different and every death unique. For some contracts the lightest of touches is required, the right whispers and toxins to convince our corpse that yes they do want to jump off the bridge. Others require a more direct approach... Yet we are not needlessly cruel, we work and train so hard that we may do it right. No chance of missing, no botched executions, no witnesses, just the single corpse as ordered with no collateral damage. Above all we pride precision, in a job well done.
Description:
Sa'Kage cuts an menacing figure, a 6' tall albino with short snow-white hair and blood red eyes. Dressed in close fitting night black silks under which is the hint of chain mail. His boots are padded and supple, all the better for climbing and walking soundlessly. He holds himself in a classic guard, with both fearsome serrated sabers at the ready to dart in and disembowel his foes! Crunch:
Sa'Kage
Male human (Chelaxian) slayer (stygian slayer) 8 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 53, 120) LE Medium humanoid (human) Init +2; Senses Perception +12 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +1 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 natural) hp 68 (8d10+16) Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +6 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee +1 cruel sawtooth sabre +8/+3 (1d8+12/19-20) or . . +1 sawtooth sabre +8/+3 (1d8+6/19-20) Special Attacks sneak attack +2d6, studied target +2 (2nd, swift action) Slayer Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +7) . . 2/day—invisibility -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 21, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 8 Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 26 Feats Cornugon Smash, Dazzling Display, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (sawtooth sabre), Improved Two-weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Power Attack, Shatter Defenses, Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (sawtooth sabre) Skills Acrobatics +12, Bluff +10, Climb +15, Disguise +10, Intimidate +10, Perception +12, Ride +12, Sense Motive +12, Stealth +12, Survival +12 Languages Common, Elven, Infernal SQ combat style (two-weapon combat), slayer talents (combat trick, ranger combat style[ACG], ranger combat style[ACG]), spell use, track +4 Combat Gear mask of the mantis[ISWG], oil of darkness, scroll of adjustable disguise, scroll of displacement, wand of mirror image (17 charges), smoke pellet[APG] (10), tanglefoot bag (2); Other Gear +2 chain shirt, +1 cruel sawtooth sabre[ISWG], +1 sawtooth sabre[ISWG], amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +1, 150 gp -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Cornugon Smash When you damage an opponent with a Power Attack, you may make an immediate Intimidate check as a free action to attempt to demoralize your opponent. Dazzling Display (Sawtooth sabre) Intimidate check to demoralize can affect those within 30' who see you. Power Attack -3/+6 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage. Sneak Attack +2d6 Attacks deal extra dam if flank foe or if foe is flat-footed. Spell Use Can use spell completion/trigger items as though had narrow spell list. Studied Target +2 (swift action, 2 at a time) (Ex) Study foe as a Swift action, gain +2 to att/dam & some skills vs. them. Track +4 Add the listed bonus to Survival checks made to track. Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Attack sequences:
Standard Attack: +15 1d8+6 (19-20)x2 Normal: +13/+8,+13/+8 1d8+6;1d8+3 (19-20)x2 Studied: +15/+10;+15/+10 1d8+8;1d8+5 (19-20)x2 Power Attack: +10/+5;+10/+5 1d8+12;1d8+6 (19-20)x2 Studied & Power Attack: +12/+7;+12/+7 1d8+14;1d8+8 (19-20)x2 Next few feats and combat talents:
9 Accomplished Sneak Attacker 10 Unwitting Ally? Note to self: Get Bloodstained Gloves and maybe Lenses of the Predator’s Gaze
Studied Target (Ex):
A slayer can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The slayer then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against it. The DCs of slayer class abilities against that opponent increase by 1. A slayer can only maintain these bonuses against one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the slayer studies a new target.
If a slayer deals sneak attack damage to a target, he can study that target as an immediate action, allowing him to apply his studied target bonuses against that target (including to the normal weapon damage roll). At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the bonuses on weapon attack and damage rolls, as well as the bonus to slayer ability DCs against a studied, target increase by 1. In addition, at each such interval, the slayer is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The slayer may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing him to study another target in its place. At 7th level, a slayer can study an opponent as a move or swift action. |
