About Syeira IstratiDrawing Harrow Cards:
Roll 1d54 - [dice=Harrow Card]1d54[/dice] Suit of Hammers (Strength) 1) The Paladin (Lawful Good)
Suit of Keys (Dexterity) 10) The Dance (Lawful Good)
Suit of Shields (Constitution) 19) The Trumpet (Lawful Good)
Suit of Tomes (Intelligence) 28) The Hidden Truth (Lawful Good)
Suit of Stars (Wisdom) 37) The Winged Serpent (Lawful Good)
Suit of Crowns (Charisma) 46) The Empty Throne (Lawful Good)
Syeira Istrati
Witch Spells Prepared (CL 2nd; concentration +6)
Cantrips Witches can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Cantrips prepared using other spell slots, due to metamagic feats for example, are expended normally. Deadly Dealer At 2nd level, a cartomancer gains the Deadly Dealer feat as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites. The cartomancer gains the benefits of the Arcane Strike feat, but only for the purposes of using Deadly Dealer. This replaces the witch's 2nd-level hex. Extra Hex You gain one additional hex. You must meet the prerequisites for this hex. Fate Patron 2nd—doom, 4th—anticipate peril, 6th—helping hand, 8th—blessing of fervor, 10th—greater forbid action, 12th—contingency, 14th—jolting portent, 16th—maze, 18th—wish. Harrow Born You grew up around the mysterious fortune-tellers known throughout Ustalav and Varisia. You start play with a harrow deck passed down from a relative. Because of your skill with fortune-telling, you gain a +1 trait bonus on initiative checks. Hex Witches learn a number of magic tricks, called hexes, that grant them powers or weaken foes. At 1st level, a witch gains one hex of her choice. She gains an additional hex at 2nd level and for every 2 levels attained after 2nd level. A witch cannot select an individual hex more than once. Unless otherwise noted, using a hex is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The save to resist a hex is equal to 10 + 1/2 the witch’s level + the witch’s Intelligence modifier. Cackle (Su) A witch can cackle madly as a move action. Any creature that is within 30 feet that is under the effects of an agony hex, charm hex, evil eye hex, fortune hex, or misfortune hex caused by the witch has the duration of that hex extended by 1 round. Fortune (Su) The witch can grant a creature within 30 feet a bit of good luck for 1 round. The target can call upon this good luck once per round, allowing him to reroll any ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, taking the better result. He must decide to use this ability before the first roll is made. At 8th level and 16th level, the duration of this hex is extended by 1 round. Once a creature has benefited from the fortune hex, it cannot benefit from it again for 24 hours. Misfortune (Su) The witch can cause a creature within 30 feet to suffer grave misfortune for 1 round. Anytime the creature makes an ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, it must roll twice and take the worse result. A Will save negates this hex. At 8th level and 16th level, the duration of this hex is extended by 1 round. This hex affects all rolls the target must make while it lasts. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day. Into Enemy Territory The shadow in the sky is visible from all around Riddleport, not just in town. It's certainly come to the attention of several druids, rangers, and other rural folk who dwell in the nearby mountains, forests, and swamps—among them, yourself. You've consulted with several seers and Harrowers, and may even have performed some simple auguries yourself, and all the signs point the same way—something or someone in Riddleport is connected to the blot, and it means bad news for the region. You've avoided the sleazy, dirty town for most of your life, traveling there only when absolutely necessary, and although you don't relish the prospect of going there now, you see little other choice (especially if one of your superiors is ordering you to go investigate). Fortunately, an eccentric friend of yours (pick another PC) is in town, and you've heard this friend will be taking part in some gambling thing at a place called the Gold Goblin. Your friend's always had better luck interacting with the cityfolk, so you've decided to accompany your friend to this gambling tournament and plan on letting him find a safe place for you to stay while you're in town. Your long life of self-sustenance has toughened you and made you more resistant to hardship, in any event—pick one of the three categories of saving throw (Fortitude). You gain a +1 trait bonus on all saving throws of that type. Spell Deck Each cartomancer carries a special harrow deck that allows her to communicate with her patron. Its ability to hold spells functions identically to the way a witch’s spells are granted by her familiar. The cartomancer must consult her harrow deck each day to prepare her spells and cannot prepare spells that are not stored in the deck. The spell deck cannot be used for this purpose if any cards are missing. This ability replaces the witch’s familiar. --------------------
Syeira likes to see herself as something of an agent of Fate, and the enigmatic young woman is quick to bestow luck or misfortune on others as she judges necessary. She has all the confidence and conviction of one who thinks they have all the pertinent answers in the palm of their hand. Although she is admittedly rather confident in her own abilities, it isn't typically to the degree that puts others off. Not without compassion, Syeira is quick to give aid where she sees it's needed. She is perfectly comfortable with approaching a total stranger who looks to be down on their luck to part with a bit of unsolicited guidance. --------------------
Nana Istrati was a well-known Harrower not only among the people of the village, but also among the people of the outlying towns and cities. Word spread of the old woman's keen insight into the fates of others thanks to those traveling merchants who frequented the trade route that ran through their village, and so it was that the Istrati house would often host a traveler from a far-off place like Riddleport or Roderic's Cove, come to learn his fate from the renowned wise woman. When the time came for Syeira to begin learning a craft of her own, the path of the midwife seemed the obvious choice. She had, by then, assisted her mother in delivering a number of babes of the village women, and her skill in healing was not insignificant. Although it was a noble profession, Syeira yearned for something more from her life. She wanted to be the one others came to for guidance, whose words of wisdom were heeded as if they had been uttered by the Herald of Desna itself. So it was that her Nana began to teach Syeira how to read the Harrow spread. Nana Istrati, now rather far along in years, was happy to hear of Syeira's choice. It had been a tradition in her family to pass on the heirloom Harrow deck from mother to daughter for as long as the old woman could recall. With no daughter of her own and knowing her granddaughter to be more interested in the pursuits of the mind rather than those of the spirit, she had feared the old ways would be lost upon her passing. It was a fear that lingered as she taught her granddaughter how to read the cards, for as bright as Syeira was in every other regard, she seemed to lack a certain wisdom in interpreting the Harrow’s message. Sadly, Nana Istrati would pass well before Syeira could demonstrate enough talent with the cards to assuage the old woman's concerns. In time her connection with the Harrow would grow to surpass her grandmother's. Not only did the meanings of the readings come to her as if whispered by the cards themselves, but she found she could instill a bit of her own newfound power into the readings to alter the threads of fate around her subjects, for good or for ill. Syeira would come to have a taste of the influence and renown she so desired, but it was fleeting. Before long, a mysterious rift opened up in the skies above Riddleport. Since that day, her readings for everyone, from travelers stopped in town for a brief respite to the ones she used for her own guidance, all began to show that the same fate awaited everyone. The Fiend. The death of many in a great calamity. Although loath to journey to the infamous city of cutthroats and pirates, Syeira knows better than to try to fight against the hand of fate. |
