About Shiri Dog-CatcherBackstory:
When the first Chelish settlers arrived at Crackspike, Shiri was only eleven years old. His father, an accomplished shaman and fighter within the Windspire tribe, led a small band of warriors to intimidate the trespassing sliver miles off of Strix land—and found, instead, a squadron of Hellknights armed with heavy crossbows. While the other warriors escaped unhurt, Shiri’s father succumbed to a poison arrow; and though barely old enough to hold a sword, the young Strix asked to join his tribe’s army in their vengeance raids that followed. At Crackspike, the Windspire tribe killed twenty hellknights, burning the settlement to the ground, in a battle so sudden and enthusiastic that there was nothing but blood and bodies by the time Shiri caught up with the faster fighters.
But one year later, the tribe fought a larger battle against Cheliax at Tokarai Springs. In the midst of the fighting, Shiri found himself face to face with an injured Chelish solider—a boy no older than himself, and, still barely able to hold his own knife, simply protected himself in fear until another warrior swooped by and ended the crippled soldier’s life. In the aftermath of victory, Shiri was brought before the elders of his tribe, accused of desertion and cowardice, and made no attempt to defend himself, simply repeating that he did not want to kill a wounded enemy. Frustrated by the absence of his father’s noted warrior spirit, the elders sentenced Shiri to a ritual humiliation and beating; in this, too, he refused to defend himself or admit wrong, simply crying for hours as his wings were gradually bruised and broken, his tormenters demanding that he simply needed to show a killer’s spirit. And so, his wings crippled and his ideals shattered, Shiri began his long trek out of the mountains of Devil’s Peak, in self-imposed exile. The other tribes he met in the mountains were not forgiving. Shiri’s broken wings marked him as an outcast, a coward, or simply a social burden; he would be handed a sack of smoked fish, then asked to leave before daybreak. Pezzack held nothing but unfiltered hostility for a Strix on the road; but eventually the young wanderer made his way to Kintargo, a city whose populace was more curious, and whose rare Strix held very different values. Description and life in Kintargo:
Still an oddity by both human and avian standards, Shiri has kept mostly to himself for the past two years. Kintargo is a city of colors and celebrities, making it easy for the plainly-dressed to fade into the scenery. Unlike many of his city-bound brethren, Shiri has had little qualms about covering or binding what remains of his wings. With a heavy cloak and a bit of flour rubbed on to lighten his face, he can pass for a grimy half-elf to the casual observer, avoiding uncomfortable busybodies’ questions about his race and origins. When he wishes to cultivate an air of the theatrical and the exotic, he wears a wooden beak, disguising himself as an accented Tengu.
For the most part, he has worked small jobs, as a day-laborer and animal trapper. He’s acquired a bit of a taste for the city’s rats, and with his keen eyes and quick hands made some coin snatching vermin from attics or finding lost cats and dogs. In his free time, hunts pigeons on rooftops, occasionally gliding short distances. And, of course, practicing with the elemental knack he’s learned—a bit of old-fashioned sky magic—but, without formal training, he’s found it easiest to manifest his minor skill through physical movements. The Windspire tribe was, for the most part, a close-knit family, and Shiri has found support from his city-born cousin Kiri, a forward-thinking Strix who has allowed Shiri to sleep on a free mattress in his spare room for the past two years. But things have begun to change in the weeks since Barzillai Thrune came to Kintargo. With his nocturnal ease, light step and practice at delivering non-lethal strikes, Shiri is exceptional at catching small animals. And with the mayor’s third proclamation, the young Strix has re-branded himself as one of Kintargo’s most talented dog-catchers, bringing in three to five animals a day. Suddenly, he is the one buying means for his friends and relatives, and not vice-versa. He suspects, of course, that this streak of luck might not last much longer. Reason to protest, and political worries:
Kintargo has seen a lot of oppression; first under Cheliax, but now in greater and greater measures under martial law. It’s only a matter of time before new races and religions will face persecution, and Shiri suspects that pretty soon he and the other Strix in the city will find themselves in an increasingly difficult situation—but he wouldn’t think of himself as someone who can do anything about it. For now, he is Tagging Along, following his cousin and her friends to a few gatherings around the city in order to see just what sort of things they’re trying to get up to. Party role:
-Melee DPS striker, able to hit single targets with physical or energy damage -Eventual battlefield control, with (at later levels) the ability to boost allies' speed and attack bonus, as well as knocking enemies back with punches or flinging them into each other -Unique scouting/secret society talents; at level 2 will be able to cast the awesome Whispering Wind at will, and will later get at-will magical flight, short-range scrying and invisibility. * * * Campaign Bonuses:
Defense:
AC 14 (Dex +4, it’s really low now but will do much better in a few levels), Touch 14, FF 10
Offense:
Melee:
Equipment:
Character plans:
-At low levels, will focus on wind powers; e.g. voice of the wind, windsight, flight, deafening, magnetism etc. for scouting and minor combat bonuses -At mid/high levels, will expand into aether or earth; e.g. bowling infusion, celerity, foe throw, and invisibility, to send enemies flying around the battlefield with wind karate and scout with at-will invisibility and haste -May dip rogue or fighter, depending on whether the party needs him to be more skills-focused or more combat-focused than he currently is -Build only cares about 1-3 feats (weapon finesse, and possibly pummeling style/charge if he goes full dps), and will otherwise use Additional Talents to pick up a cool bucketload of utility talents Skills:
5 points (Kineticist 4, Int 1), 2 background points Bluff +7 (1 rank, +1 trait, +2 racial)
Kineticist abilities:
Elemental Focus: Air
Gather Power Kinetic Fist Infusion (form, 0 burn, universal, level 1, Elemental Ascetic 1) Thundering Infusion (substance, 1 burn, air, level 1, electric blast, Infusion 1, Fort or deafened) Air Blast (simple, 1d6 bludgeoning, air) Electric Blast (simple, 1d6 electricity, air) Feats and Traits:
Traits:
Outcast’s Intuition (Magic, +1/class to sense, bonus vs dispel) Unpredictable (Social, +1/class to bluff) Fed-Up Citizen (campaign, +1 to disguise, class skill) Feats:
|
