Akai Terukage's page

AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16. (+6 armor, +2 dex,)
HP 11 (1d10+1)
Fort +2, Reflex +2, Will 0

Spd 20 ft.
Melee Katana +6 (1d8+3/18-20/x2)

Str 19, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 10
Base Atk +1, CMB +4, CMD 16
Feats Weapon Focus Katana, Dazzling Display, Skill Focus Intimidate
Traits Fencer, Ancient Explorer
Skills Climb +7 (+2 w/ AP), Intimidate +7, Swim +7 (+2 w/ AP), Knowledge (History) +4
Languages Common, Cyclops
Combat Gear Katana, Four-Mirror Armor
Other Gear Backpack, Ink 1oz, Inkpen, Journal, Cards

Challenge (Ex):Once per day, a samurai can challenge a foe to combat. As a swift action, the samurai chooses one target within sight to challenge. The samurai’s melee attacks deal extra damage when made against the target of his challenge. This extra damage is equal to the samurai’s level. The samurai can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day for every three levels beyond 1st, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.

Challenging a foe requires much of the samurai’s concentration. The samurai takes a –2 penalty to his Armor Class, except against attacks made by the target of his challenge.

The challenge remains in effect until the target is dead or unconscious, or until the combat ends. Each samurai’s challenge also includes another effect, which is listed in the section describing the samurai’s order.

Ronin (Ex): Challenge: Whenever a ronin is the target of a challenge, a smite, a quarry, or similar effect, and he issues a challenge against that character in return, the ronin receives a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls made against the target of his challenge and a +1 dodge bonus to his AC against attacks made by the target of his challenge. These bonuses increase by +1 for every four class levels the samurai possesses (to a maximum of +5 at 20th level).

Resolve (Ex): Starting at 1st level, the samurai gains resolve that he can call upon to endure even the most devastating wounds and aff lictions. He can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day for every two samurai levels beyond 1st. Whenever the samurai defeats the target of his challenge, he regains one daily use of his resolve, up to his maximum number of uses per day. Defeating the target of his challenge usually involves reducing the target to 0 hit points or fewer, but the GM might rule that an enemy who surrenders or flees the battle is also defeated. He can use this resolve in a number of ways.

Determined: As a standard action, the samurai can spend one use of his resolve to remove the fatigued, shaken, or sickened condition. If the samurai is at least 8th level, he can alternatively remove the exhausted, frightened, nauseated, or staggered condition. If the condition has a duration longer than 1 hour or is permanent, this ability removes the condition for 1 hour, at which time the condition returns.

Resolute: Whenever the samurai is required to make a Fortitude or Will save, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to roll twice and take the better result. He must decide to use this ability before he rolls the saving throw.

Unstoppable: When the samurai is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points but not slain, he can spend one use of his resolve as an immediate action to instantly stabilize and remain conscious. He is staggered, but he does not fall unconscious and begin dying if he takes a standard action. He does fall unconscious if he takes additional damage from any source.

Iaijutsu Strike (Ex): A sword saint can perform a lightning quick iaijutsu strike against the target of his challenge to inflict devastating wounds while drawing his sword. After the sword saint has challenged a foe but before he has attacked the target of his challenge, he may choose to use his iaijutsu strike as a full-round action, making an attack roll with his weapon as normal. In order to use this ability, the sword saint’s weapon must be sheathed at the start of his turn. If he successfully hits his opponent with an iaijutsu strike, his attack deals an additional +1d6 points of damage. This bonus damage increases by an additional +1d6 at 3rd level and every two levels thereafter to a maximum of +10d6 damage at 19th level. Any extra damage as a result of a successful iaijutsu strike is not multiplied by a critical hit.

After making an iaijutsu strike, a sword saint takes a –4 penalty to his AC until his next turn, but his weapon is now drawn and he may continually to fight normally. Regardless of whether he hits his opponent with the iaijutsu strike, a sword saint cannot use this ability on the same foe more than once per day.

At 10th level, a sword saint learns to focus faster and is able to make an iaijutsu strike as a standard action, and the penalty to his AC is reduced to –2. This ability replaces a samurai’s mount.

Born the son of a peasant farmer in a small village set at the base of the Wall of Heaven Mountains in Tian Xia, Akai learned what poverty and hard work was from his first breath out of the womb. Living under an oppressive local warlord, his family often sent most of the crop they grew directly to him, leaving scarcely enough for them to survive.

Nonetheless, he persevered, becoming a strong and dexterous child, shaped by his years. On his thirteenth birthday, his opportunity for a new life finally came to him. On their travels through the countryside, a band of warrior monks of Irori came to rest in his village. As was their custom, they gathered the children of the village to assess them, and see if any wished to join their order. Akai far surpassed his friends, and urged by his parents to seek a better life, left with them. His hardships were far from over, though.

Training at the temple was long and grueling. Woken up at four in the morning for daily practice drills with the katana, a ten minute break at noon for lunch, then into a two-hour run down the mountain, away from the monastery, and back, followed by five hours of studying and research, and another two hours of practice drills. It was in the monastery's tomes of ancient knowledge he found his obsession, the ancient empire of Ghol-Gan. He quickly found out that even though he welcomed the intellectual and physical challenge, he hated the lifestyle of a monk. He would promise to himself that any chance he had, he would escape.

And so it came to pass that on his twentieth birthday, as the customs of the monks said, he traveled with another group to seek out new blood. Stopped in a large town, Akai was sent to find recruits near the western gate. Seizing the moment, he instead strode defiantly out, never once looking back.

Calling himself a Ronin, he proceeded to travel Tian Xia for several years, offering his sword and knowledge in exchange for gold and information on Ghol-Gan. After three years of constant travel, he had finally accrued enough coin for his greatest travel yet - a boat ride to the Shackles, the seat of the Ghol-Gan empire. Stepping off the boat, he strode towards the nearest inn, the Formidably Maid.

Pirate Motivation - Akai loves the fierce independence the lifestyle of a ronin brings; the jump to piracy would not be much of a difference. The allure of gold still weighs heavily on him, his poor upbringing giving him a healthy respect for the weight it carries.