Vathan is tall but lean half-orc standing six and half feet tall. Despite layers of civilian clothes, he wears a cavalry saber and a Baby Dragoon pistol on his hip and a veteran cavalry hat on his head.
Background:
In 1823, Vathan was born of a human victim of rape in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine. Subject to bullying and constant prejudice as a half-breed, he enlisted in the US Army in 1839. He was big for his age and kept to himself, so the recruiter didn’t examine the age requirement too closely.
Vathan was sent to Fort Mellon in central Florida and assigned to E Company of the 2nd Dragoons. In October 1842, E Company moved to Fort Jessup, Louisiana, which became the regimental headquarters, and was the 2nd Dragoons' home for four years. When hostilities with the Centralist Republic of Mexico began to boil over in 1845, General Zachary Taylor assembled his "Army of Observation" at Fort Jessup, and the 2nd Dragoons marched overland to occupy Corpus Christi, Texas. They soon established Fort Texas, near modern-day Brownsville, Texas. The regiment conducted aggressive patrolling along the Rio Grande, and on 25 April 1846, they received word that Mexican troops were crossing the river. Two companies (not E) of the 2nd Dragoons were ambushed by 500-1,600 Mexican troops (accounts vary), and all were either killed or captured. This battle, known as the Thornton Affair, gave US President Polk the casus belli he needed to invade Mexico.
When General Taylor counterattacked, the 2nd Dragoons forced the enemy to turn their flank during the Battle of Palo Alto. The next day, during the Battle of Resaca de la Palma on 9 May 1846, Companies D and E under CPT Charles A. May were ordered to eliminate a battery of Mexican guns. Prior to the charge, May issued a simple order; "Remember your Regiment and follow your officers." This became the 2nd Dragoon Regiment's motto. The attack destroyed the enemy battery and captured a Mexican general. On 29 June 1846, COL David Twiggs was given command of the regiment from COL William S. Harney, and he was lauded for his bravery at the Battle of Monterrey. COL Twiggs commanded the 2nd Dragoons for the rest of the war, and by the end, the regiment was one of two regiments in the Army that had elements participate in every major battle.
Heroism was not limited to the officers of the 2nd Dragoons; in November 1847, SGT Vathan’s small patrol of 20 Dragoons was ambushed by near Monclova by 100 Mexicans. Reaching for their carbines, SGT Vathan urged them to charge with only their sabers. In the ensuing battle, 6 Mexicans were killed, 13 were wounded, and 70 were captured at the cost of 1 wounded Dragoon and 3 wounded horses.
With 10 years of service, SGT Vathan mustered out and finds himself in New Orleans with his horse, King Philip and dog Texas.
Vathan
Male half-orc ranger (divine marksman) 4
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Initiative +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8
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Defense
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AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +4 Dex)
hp 40 (4d10+12)
Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +2
Defensive Abilities orc ferocity
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk longsword (cavalry saber) +7 (1d8+2/19-20)
Ranged includes PBS, DA & Vicious aim mwk pepperbox rifle (carbine) with scope +9 (1d10+6/×4) Range 80, Capacity 4
. . mwk revolver (Baby Dragoon) +9 (1d8+6/×4) Range 20, Capacity 6
. . . 10 metal cartridge with weapon blanch (adamantine)[APG],
. . . 10 metal cartridge with weapon blanch (cold iron)[APG],
. . . 10 metal cartridge with weapon blanch (ghost salt),
. . . 10 metal cartridge with weapon blanch (silver)[APG];
. . . 50 metal cartridge
Special Attacks rapid shot x2 attacks for -2 attack, favored enemy (humans +2), vicious aim (ranged +1 attack & damage)
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 20
Feats 1. Deadly Aim, B. Endurance, 3. Point-Blank Shot, B. Rapid Shot, B. Bullseye Shot
Traits
. . never stop shooting: If your hit point total drops to 0 or lower but you are not dead, you may act as if disabled rather than dying (as if you possessed the Diehard feat). However, you can use your actions only to draw a firearm, reload a firearm, or attack with a firearm.
. . Hardened Veteran: Your service in the Mexica-American war has hardened you and made you better at getting back up after you've been knocked down. You get a bonus to stabilise equal to half your class level and can stand up from being prone as a swift action.
Skills Climb +5, Handle Animal +6, Heal +5, Intimidate +6, Perception +8, Ride +10, Stealth +10, Profession (soldier) +5, Survival +8, Swim +5; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Orc
SQ favored terrain (plains +2), hunter's bond (horse), orc blood, track +2, wild empathy +4
Combat Gear wand of cure light wounds (50),
Other Gear mwk chain shirt, heavy wooden shield, metal cartridge[UC] (100), mwk longsword, mwk pepperbox rifle[UC], mwk revolver[UC], bandolier[UE], bandolier[UE], flint and steel, hat[UE], utility knife (0.5 lb), 60 gp, 5 cp
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Special Abilities
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Animal Companion Link (Ex) Handle or push Animal Companion faster, +4 to checks vs. them.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Deadly Aim -2/+4 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Favored Enemy (Humans +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs. humans foes.
Favored Terrain (Plains +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls when in plains terrain.
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Orc Ferocity (1/day) If brought below 0 Hp, can act as though disabled for 1 rd.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Track +2 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Bullseye Shot (Ex) At 1st level, a divine marksman gains the Bullseye Shot feat as a bonus feat. He need not meet its prerequisites. This ability replaces track and wild empathy.
Vicious Aim (Ex) At 4th level, a divine marksman adds half his highest favored enemy bonus to all attack rolls and damage rolls for attacks made with ranged weapons. This does not stack with his normal favored enemy bonus when targeting a creature that qualifies as a favored enemy. This ability replaces all spellcasting, and the marksman is not considered to have a caster level.
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King Philip
Horse
N Large animal
Init +1; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +4 natural, -1 size)
hp 14 (2d8+4)
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +1
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Offense
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Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +3 (1d4+3), 2 hooves -2 (1d6+1)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)
Feats Blind-fight
Tricks Attack, Combat Riding, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Heel, Throw Rider
Skills Acrobatics +1 (+9 to jump), Diplomacy -2 (+0 vs. people from chosen country), Intimidate -2 (+0 vs. people from chosen country), Perception +5, Survival +1 (+3 to get along in the wild, endure severe weather, avoid getting lost, spot natural hazards, and predict weather), Swim +7
SQ combat riding, throw rider
Other Gear mwk parade barding[UE], animal harness[APG], basic maps (major landmarks only), bedroll, bit and bridle, folding shovel[UE], hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit[UE], military saddle, saddlebags, saw[APG], scroll box[UE], soap, swarmsuit[APG], teapot[UE], training sleeve, waterproof bag[UE], waterskin (2), pound of coffee
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Special Abilities
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Blind-Fight Re-roll misses because of concealment, other benefits.
Combat Riding [Trick] The animal has been trained to bear a rider into combat.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ feet by sense of smell.
Throw Rider [Trick] Attempts to throw creature riding it to ground.
Texas
Riding Dog
N Medium animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
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Defense
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AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 13 (2d8+4)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +3 (1d6+3 plus trip)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
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Statistics
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Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 15 (19 vs. trip)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Tricks Attack, Combat Riding, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Heel,
Skills Acrobatics +6 (+14 jumping), Perception +8, Survival +1 (+5 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when jumping, +4 Survival when tracking by scent
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Special Abilities
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Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ feet by sense of smell.
