About TiѳTall, lithe, and coated in oil; this Android stands before you, motionless but not for her eyes, which shake, jolt and dither in perpetual instability. Her protective coat, marked with the wear and tear of forge labour, is stained, torn, and full of all manner of workshop tools. To one side, wrapped in grey leather and bound by thin chains, is a hardback tome reinforced with thin sheets of scrap steel. At her shoulder rests a common raven; forgettable if not for the rusting, buzzing prosthetics that encase its throat and chest. Statblock:
Tio
Female android blood arcanist 1 (Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive, Pathfinder Player Companion: Familiar Folio 16, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 8, 77, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 5 19) N Medium humanoid (android) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex) hp 9 (1d6+3) Fort +2, Ref +3 (-2 to avoid traps or hazards), Will +2 (+2 to saves vs. emotion and fear); +4 vs. mind-affecting, paralysis, poison, and stun Defensive Abilities constructed; Immune disease, emotion, exhaustion, fatigue, fear, sleep -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee dagger +0 (1d4/19-20) or . . kunai +0 (1d4) Ranged sling +3 (1d4) Special Attacks arcane reservoir (1/4), consume spells Blood Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +5) . . 1st(3/day)—grease, sleep (DC 15) [3 remaining] . . 0 (at will)—acid splash, detect magic, jolt[UM], prestidigitation . . Bloodline Impossible -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 10, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 8 Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 13 Feats Technologist Traits clever wordplay, skymetal smith, spark of creation Skills Appraise +7, Craft (mechanical) +9, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (engineering) +8, Linguistics +8, Perception +3 (+1 to avoid being surprised), Sense Motive -4, Spellcraft +8; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, -4 Sense Motive Languages Androffan, Ancient Osiriani, Celestial, Common, Hallit, Orc SQ able assistant, bloodline (impossible), bloodline arcana: impossible, emotionless, exceptional senses, nanite surge, sentimental Combat Gear acid (2), alchemist's fire; Other Gear dagger, kunai, artisan's outfit, artisan's tools, backpack, book lariat[ACG], chalk, charcoal stick, hemp rope (50 ft.), ink, inkpen, parchment (5), spell component pouch, traveling spellbooks[UE], adamantine armlet (worth 100 gp), 2 gp, 10 sp, 9 cp -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Able Assistant (Ex) A valet's master treats the valet as if it possessed the Cooperative Crafting feat and shared all Craft skills and item creation feats he possesses. This ability replaces Alertness. Arcane Reservoir +1 DC or CL (4/day) (Su) Pool of points fuel exploits, or can expend to add +1 CL or DC while cast spell. Bloodline Arcana: Impossible Constructs are susceptible to enchantment (compulsion), treated as living. Constructed (Ex) Counts as both humanoids and constructs for effects that target type. Consume Spells (1/day) (Su) As a move action, expend a spell slot to add its spell levels to arcane reservoir. Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only). Emotionless (Ex) Androids have problems processing emotions properly, and thus take a –4 penalty on Sense Motive checks. Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar. Exceptional Senses Androids have darkvision to a range of 60 feet and low-light vision. They also gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks. Familiar Bonus: +3 to Appraise checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach. Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases. Immunity to Emotion (Ex) You are immune to all emotion effects. Immunity to Exhausted You are immune to the exhausted condition. Immunity to Fatigue You are immune to the fatigued condition. Immunity to Fear (Ex) You are immune to all fear effects. Immunity to Sleep You are immune to sleep effects. Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail. Nanite Surge +4 (1/day) (Ex) Bonus to any one d20 roll. Glow like a torch for 1 round when used. Sentimental -2 perception to avoid being surprised. -2 Reflex to avoid traps or hazards Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch. Technologist You are familiar with the basic mechanics of technology. -------------------- Spellbook -------------------- . . 1st—Burning Hands (DC 15), Crafter's Fortune (DC 15), Enlarge Person (DC 15), Grease (DC 15), Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Sleep (DC 15) . . 0th—Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Bleed, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Flare, Ghost Sound, Jolt, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Open/Close (DC 14), Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance, Spark (DC 14), Touch of Fatigue Rust's Statblock (Familiar):
Rust Male raven (valet) (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 133) N Tiny magical beast (animal) Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +2 size) hp 4 (1d8-1) Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average) Melee bite +4 (1d3-4) Space 2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration -1) . . —prestidigitation -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 2, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 7 Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 6 Feats Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Finesse [b]Skills Acrobatics +2 (-6 to jump), Craft (mechanical) -3, Fly +6, Knowledge (arcana) -1, Knowledge (engineering) -1, Linguistics -1, Perception +9, Spellcraft -1 Languages Hallit SQ able assistant, improved evasion, teammate -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Able Assistant (Ex) A valet's master treats the valet as if it possessed the Cooperative Crafting feat and shared all Craft skills and item creation feats he possesses. This ability replaces Alertness. Flight (40 feet, Average) You can fly! Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save. Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail. Prestidigitation (Sp) A valet can use prestidigitation once per hour. Teammate (Ex) A valet is considered to have all the teamwork feats its master has. Background, the Short Edition:
Discovered three years prior by a team of adventurers, Tio awoke to Golarion in a screaming mess as her would-be saviours tore her rather unceremoniously from stasis. Unable to undo the damage caused by their misconduct, the Android was delivered to Torch and ultimately left to the Temple of Brigh in hopes that they might find some cure or prayer that would soothe her shattered psyche. Sadly Tio has never fully recovered from the affair, but for her worth has revealed a number of unusual talents as her mind has taken root–namely a gift for the arcane, a penchant for tinkering, and insight into pieces of what must have once been a comprehensive vat of knowledge on Numeria's eclectic reams of technology.
Most recently, Tio has been a common sight at The Foundry, typically in talks with the townsfolk of Torch as they attempt to diagnose the eponymous forge. Having worked with Khonnir before on both mechanical projects and failed attempts to diagnose her (steadily worsening) afflictions, news of the missing crafter has struck Tio as a significant inconvenience. Increasingly fearful that the torch may never reignite, and knowing Khonnir's disappearance gifts the town no small amount of worry, Tio has volunteered to investigate the caverns under Torch, determined to not only find what became of Khonnir, but learn what drove the town's renowned forge to silence and, if possible, see that it should never happen again. Background, the Extended Cut:
Four years ago, a small group of adventurers went out into the eastern wastes of Numeria. Their mission: to investigate rumours of skymetal caches along the Sellen River and, if possible, catalogue them for transport to Torch. Most of their journey was typical; full of territorial Orcs, Technic League interference, and a handful of equally greed-driven raiders, all vying for control of the Numerian Plains. A year into their expedition, a breakthrough occurred. A rainless season had brought drought to the southern tributaries, and on the barren riverbeds were reams of warped, weathered metal—and, as they discovered, a staircase to something buried below.
The chamber in which Tio was found was cold, dark, and still thigh-deep with water when the intrepid adventurers arrived, with walls laden in dead copper wiring and large, off-white cylinders commanding the walls. Curious, the explorers made to open the caskets, pressing all manner of button and switch in an effort to wake the machines. Sadly the panels proved unresponsive, and in their impatience the strongest among them thought to smash open a metallic sarcophagus with a mighty swing of his clansmen's axe. Though the weapon did ultimately breach the barricade, their reward was the unconscious form of an android tumbling from the wreck—and the screams she made as the stasispod's cables tore free from her skull and spine. Though the pain was short-lived, it was an effort to communicate with the newly reborn 'droid as her mind struggled to root itself, speaking in broken Androffan riddles that no member of the team could understand—not even their own Technologist, an Android himself. All in all, the adventurers were caught in something of a rut; seeing the damage their brutal introduction had caused, but helpless to assist. Perhaps luckily, before more mistakes were made, the group discovered that their trail had been followed; Technic League 'ambassadors' had arrived at the scene, intent on securing their finds by force. Unable to overcome the League's lapdogs but unwilling to leave their stuttering charge to a short and unpleasant life of dissection, the troupe left with less than what they had arrived with, forgoing a cache of batteries and silverdisks in exchange for leaving them—and their mentally addled associate—alone in their retreat. Incapable of treating her affliction, the party returned to Torch prematurely, offering her to the Temple of Brigh in hopes that The Whisper in the Bronze could do something for her shattered psyche. Though the process has been a slow and delicate affair, Tio—named such for an engraved piece of skymetal chained about her neck—has made something of a recovery...becoming, or perhaps having merely been revealed to be, something altogether stranger than expected. Though brilliant and determined when stable, Tio is often plagued by her own mind; easily forgetful, monotone, and, on rare occasions, believing herself in some other place and time altogether. Yet even so, her inherent talent for material manipulation—whether skymetal, alchemical, or even arcane in nature—is above and beyond any normal level of mere 'talent', and the Android today shows potential to be an exceptional mage despite the relative brevity of her experiment-driven education. Let loose of the Temple of Brigh for several months now, Tio has been a common sight at the peak of the eponymous torch, volunteering her mechanical knowledge and arcane ability to better the products of those working the forge. While crafting clearly serves as the closest thing the Android has to a passion, there is more pressing motivation at hand; for though she has never truly been free of her mental ailments, Tio's episodes are proving increasingly frequent, and the deterioration of her memory shows no signs of slowing. In fact, if her records are correct, the latter is surely getting worse! Fully aware of her artificial nature, Tio's desperation to research other such inventions of the sky is twofold; first, to expand her understanding of their purpose and function, and second: simply to save herself. The recent extinguishing of Torch's skymetal forge has stolen not only the Android's only passion but, with with Khonnir's disappearance, has driven her research to a crawl. Now, with plenty of time to spare and certainly more than the means, Tio has taken it upon herself to join the search for the scholar in hopes that they might not only recover Khonnir, but reignite the light of Torch and—more importantly in her eyes—discover the reason behind its death. Tio and Rust:
Nimble and sharp, the keen-eyed Raven seen perpetually at Tio's shoulder might seem an odd addition to the Arcanist's repertoire of tools, but Rust is far more than her assistant. Uninspiring though he appears, Rust is Tio's keeper—ever vigilant of details she would otherwise forget—and though he may occasionally badmouth his charge, there is no doubt that Rust would give his life if it would please his Mistress...though, depending on how you look at it, the bird has already done so once.
Shortly after beginning her now reasonably well-known midnight shifts atop Torch's amethyst forge, Tio was fortunate enough to earn the favour of a travelling smith. For her assistance, his reward seemed outlandishly extravagant: a foot wide sheet of wrought Adamantine, fresh from the foot of Silver Mount itself, or so he said. Naturally the man was a blatant liar, but the metal he provided proved skymetal all the same; a lesser alloy known as Glaucite. The means to extract the Adamantine would be pointlessly expensive, or else a large waste of time...but with no other vices to fuel and a curiosity to feed, Tio sought to attempt it anyway—perhaps there was some as-yet undiscovered arcane method she could put to use? Suffice it to say that the whole thing "Ended Badly". Too much heat, magic, and sleepless days spent overworking the material resulted in the metal literally exploding in her arms, with any meaningful amount vaporizing—along with her research. Tio herself suffered a heavy wound to the arm, while a member of the nearby wildlife—coveting the crafter's well-shined tools—was rewarded with shrapnel catching square in its throat. The normally unemotional Tio would've chalked it up to misfortune, but the raw frustration of having all that effort rendered for naught drove her into an episode so consuming that she can still hear the sound of grinding metal and hydraulics, should you ask. A mass of arcane exploitation, blood-ritual, and one larynx jury-rigged from old clockwork scraps later—thus so was Rust reborn...and apparently indentured into service, given his newly heightened sense of self. As it turned out, the wedge that had impaled the bird was remarkably heavy for its size, stubborn to all manner and means of destruction. The small wad of pure Adamantine was proof of method, certainly, but Tio—being Tio—could no longer properly replicate the process. Regardless, this scrap is still on her person: merged with the piece of star-steel that first gave her a name and forged into an armlet she still wears to this day. Rust demands that she pawn it whenever the opportunity arises, but given that the metallurgist finds it difficult to remember she has a familiar, outside of using him as a crafting aide, it's unlikely she's going to adhere to that particular request any time soon. |
