About Shikki the SailorStatistics:
Female Aqueous Ratfolk Unchained Rogue (Vexing Dodger) 2
CN Small Humanoid (Ratfolk, Water) Init +6; Senses Perception +8; Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60 ft ------------------------------ DEFENSE ------------------------------ AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +4 dex, +1 size) HP 20 (2HD) Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +1 (+2 vs disease) Resistances: Cold 10 ------------------------------ OFFENSE ------------------------------ Speed 30ft, 40ft swim Melee 2 claws +6 (1d4 +1 +1 cold, 20/x2) (primary natural attack)
Ranged Light Crossbow +6 (1d6, 19-20/x2) ------------------------------
TRAITS Chance Savior (Campaign): Fate smiled on you and Verik and Larissa Vanderboren one day in the not so distant past. Through a matter of pure chance, you were in a position to save the adventurers’ lives and did so. Their gratitude was effusive, and they promised that they would never forget you. Your ability to think quickly on your feet has stayed with you, and you quite often feel that you’re in the right place at the right time. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.
FEATS Sharpclaw: Gain two claw attacks (Level 1)
SKILLS 12/level (8 class, 2 INT, 2 background) + 2 FCB Acrobatics +9 (3 class skill, 4 DEX, 2 ranks)
ACP: 0 Languages Aklo, Common, Undercommon Racial Traits:
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Strength: Ratfolk are agile and clever, yet physically weak.
Surface Sprinter (Alternate Racial Trait): Some ratfolk spend as much time as they can aboveground and become very fast runners. This comes at the cost of their night vision, which becomes less acute after years of sunlight. These ratfolk gain low-light vision and have a base speed of 30 feet. This racial trait replaces darkvision and slow speed.
Type: gains the water subtype
Hit Dice 1-4: DR -, Resist Cold 10, Cold Damage 1
Class Abilities:
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Rogues are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, short sword, and shortbow. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The rogue’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every 2 rogue levels thereafter. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. This additional damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit. With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (such as a sap, unarmed strike, or whip), a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack—not even with the usual –4 penalty. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with total concealment. Finesse Training (Ex): At 1st level, a rogue gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, starting at 3rd level, she can select any one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (such as rapiers or daggers). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever she makes a successful melee attack with the selected weapon, she adds her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the rogue from adding her Strength modifier to the damage roll, she does not add her Dexterity modifier. The rogue can select a second weapon at 11th level and a third at 19th level. Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, a rogue can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she succeeds at a Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue does not gain the benefit of evasion. Rogue Talents: As a rogue gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes. Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels of rogue attained after 2nd level. A rogue cannot select an individual talent more than once. Limb-Climber (Ex): When adjacent to or in the space of a corporeal creature at least one size category larger than herself, a vexing dodger can climb that creature’s body with a successful Climb check against a DC equal to the target creature’s CMD. Although the vexing dodger is holding on to the creature, this action isn’t a grapple; it doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity from the creature, and neither the vexing dodger nor the creature she climbs gains the grappled condition. While the vexing dodger is on the climbed creature, the creature takes a penalty on attack rolls against the vexing dodger equal to the number of sneak attack dice the dodger possesses. This ability replaces trapfinding. Improved Dirty Trick (Ex): At 2nd level, a vexing dodger gains Improved Dirty Trick as a bonus feat, even if she doesn’t meet the prerequisites. This ability replaces the rogue talent gained at 2nd level. Favored Class Bonuses: Level 1-2: +1 SP Equipment:
Combat Gear: Tailblade: 11gp
Magic Items: Sleeves of Many Garments: 200gp Other Gear: Backpack (Common): 2gp
Money 20gp, 2sp, 3cp Background:
From the moment Shikki was born she dreamed of the sea. Foolishness, her parents chittered. They had a nice comfortable warren they’d burrowed into the ground of Shadowshore, connections with local merchants who’d buy their manufactured (or stolen) goods, and were mostly left alone by the local drow. Why would she want to leave that all behind?
Shikki wasn't sure, but she followed her heart and moved into the Azure District anyway. It took a long time to find a ship short enough on crew that they’d accept a ratfolk among their number. When she finally did and saw the shoreline disappearing into the mists, the lightless sea stretching out forever in front of her, she knew she was home. She got along surprisingly well with the other crew. Out at sea the normal boundaries between races seemed less important. It was strange, making friends with non-ratfolk. Nice. When they returned to Telderist after a successful voyage and one of her drow crewmates invited her out for a drink, she accepted without a second thought. Something was wrong though. The drink went to her head too fast. She tried to leave, tried to go home, but her crewmate simply hoisted her over his shoulder. She was too dizzy to resist. The world passed by in a series of blurs. The clink of coins. Her crewmate saying, “That’s it? After I found you a rat that left its warren and won’t be missed?” The feeling of straps holding her down. Needles in her arms, legs, everywhere. Strange voices speaking gibberish over her head. An icy coldness spreading through her veins. Was she dying? Pain. Pain. Pain. Shikki had never been religious, but in one brief moment of clarity she thought of the sea and prayed, Dagon save me! The Shadow Lord of the Sea is capricious. It’s possible he answered her prayer. It’s possible she survived of her own will. Either way the next time Shikki regained consciousness her mind was clear. A male drow was working on some sort of alchemical concoction with his back turned to her. No one else was in the room. Her fingers hurt. She looked down to see her claws had grown longer, sharper. She was tied down but she could just barely reach the strap holding her tail. Her new claws sliced straight through it. There was a scalpel on a small table next to her. Slowly, cautiously, she curled the tip of her tail around the handle. The male drow heard her moving and turned around just in time to have the scalpel shoved into his eye. From there freeing herself was easy. She quickly searched the lab for useful supplies then snuck out and headed down the corridor. When she ended up in a dungeon she wasn’t surprised. Of course there would be a dungeon in a place like this. However she was surprised when a shaky voice called out from one of the cells. ”If you get me out of here you’ll be well rewarded. I promise.” Another male drow. Naked. Tortured. She ignored him and kept going. Drow couldn't be trusted and with injuries that severe he’d just slow her down anyway. ”Wait! You don’t understand, what they’re after, they’ll destroy my family if they get it. And they will get it. Either by breaking through my mental defenses or…everyone talks eventually, when the pain gets to be too much.” The man was reaching out to her through the bars. His fingers had been broken, the nails ripped off. ”If you won’t take me with you then kill me. Please. Don’t leave me like this.” Shikki stopped. She’d never heard a drow say please before. Not to her. He sounded sincere which meant nothing really, but… She approached the cell slowly, still wary in case this was somehow some sort of trap. The man dropped to his knees so he was at her height. ”Thank you.” He pressed himself against the bars, eyes closed, head tilted back slightly to bare his throat. He was serious. She didn’t think it was fear of more pain that had him begging for death. He wanted to protect his family. Almost like a ratfolk. Some of the tools she’d grabbed would work as rudimentary lockpicks. Shikki got to work. ”If you can’t keep up I’m leaving you.” The man stared at her blankly at first, confused by her sudden change of mind, then nodded. ”Understood.” He staggered to his feet as the door swung open. Together the unlikely pair made their way out of the dungeons. When they encountered a pair of guards Shikki found that despite his injuries the man fought as viciously as a cornered rat. More importantly he was enough of a distraction for her to slip behind and stab them in their backs. They worked well together. They had to, if they wanted to survive. When they made it outside Shikki looked around, bewildered. She had no idea where she was. Nothing seemed familiar. The man on the other hand murmured ”Keeping me close to home I see” and immediately started limping in a specific direction. ”I have a friend in the area. We’ll be safe there.” Shikki followed. The next few days passed in a blur. They went from the backroom of a small teashop to an inconspicuous carriage to an actual mansion, which was how Shikki found out that the man she’d let out of the cell wasn’t just any drow, but a noble. Verik Vanderboren was also apparently one of the few drow nobles in Telderist who kept their word, even when given to a lowly ratfolk. He invited Shikki to stay at his home while she recovered and the clerics he hired saw to her injuries as well as his. However no amount of healing spells did anything about her claws or the strange coldness that infused her blood. She didn’t know if these new abilities were a result of the experiments or Dagon’s answer to her desperate prayers, but either way they were a part of her now. When she left it was with the Vanderboren’s profuse thanks, a promise that she always had a friend in them, and more money than she’d ever seen in her life. Most of it she gave to her warren. They would never understand her longing for the sea, especially not after her ordeal, (”Why would you ever leave again?!”), but that was okay. They were still her family. No matter how different their lives the warren would always be there for her and she'd be there for them. That was just how ratfolk were. With the Vanderborens vouching for her she was able to get a position on a better ship, with better crew. (Although she would never fully trust them. That lesson had been learned.) Shikki was crouched on the edge of the railing, watching Telderist fade into the mists, when she smiled for the first time since before her capture. She was finally back home. |
