Ghartok, The Carrion King

Wahrheit's page

30 posts (39 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 1 alias.


Full Name

Karrn Stonefang

Race

Gnoll

Classes/Levels

Ranger (Shapeshifter) 1

Gender

Male

Size

Medium

Age

17

Special Abilities

AC 16/11/15 / HP 13 / F +5 R +3 W +2 / Init. +1 / Perc. +6 / Sense Motive +2

Alignment

True Neutral

Deity

None

Languages

Gnoll, Common

Occupation

Expedition guide

Strength 18
Dexterity 13
Constitution 16
Intelligence 12
Wisdom 14
Charisma 10

About Wahrheit

Karrn Stonefang, Ranger [Shapeshifter] 1
TN male Medium humanoid (gnoll)
Init +1; Senses Perception +6
Hero Points 0
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DEFENSE
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AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 13 (1d10+2)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +2
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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft. (20 in medium or heavy armor)
Melee Greatsword +5 (2d6+6 19-20/x2)
Melee Bite +5/+0 secondary (1d4+4)
Melee Kukri +5 (1d4+4 18-20/x2)
Melee Spiked armor +5 (1d6+4 x2)
Ranged Longbow +2 (1d8 x3) 100 ft range

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SPELLCASTING
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None Yet
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STATISTICS
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Str 18; Dex 13; Con 16; Int 12; Wis 14; Cha 10
BAB +1; CMB +5; CMD 16

Feats
1) Power Attack

Trained Skills (6+Int Modifier+1/Level) Asterisk denotes class skill
Handle Animal* +4
Intimidate* +4
Knowledge (Geography)* +5
Knowledge (Nature)* +5
Linguistics +2
Perception* +6
Stealth* +1
Survival* +8

Untrained Skills
Acrobatics -3
Appraise +1
Climb* +0
Diplomacy +0
Disguise +0
Escape Artist -3
Heal* +2
Ride* -3
Sense Motive +2
Swim +0

Languages: Gnoll, Common
Other Gear:
Wealth: 36 GP, 85 SP, 92 CP
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Wild Empathy
Track
Favored Enemy (Aberration)
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RACIAL TRAITS
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Natural Weapon: Bite attack!
Darkvision 60 ft.
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CHARACTER TRAITS
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Trailblazer
Benefit: You gain a +2 trait bonus on Survival checks. Also, while in the Aspodell Mountains you are able to act on the surprise round of an encounter, though you are still considered flat-footed until you act.

Dirty Fighter
Benefit: When you hit a foe you are flanking, you deal an additional 1 point of damage (this damage is added to your base damage, and is multiplied on a critical hit). This additional damage is a trait bonus.
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DESCRIPTION
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Karrn is just barely larger than average for a gnoll, making him absolutely huge by human standards at 7'7" and 310 pounds. His fur is mostly dark grey, lightening on his paws, stomach, and throat, and darkening to black in a Mohawk-like crest that runs to halfway down his back. His bright yellow eyes rarely betray what he's thinking, and his sharp fangs are almost always half-bared in a perpetual frown resulting from slight nerve damage, a memento from a spectacularly failed hunt together with a long, jagged scar running from above his left eye down to the corner of his jaw. He only occasionally walks completely upright, usually preferring to move almost on all fours in emulation of the animals he hunts and lives alongside.

Karrn's usual scale mail was actually commissioned from a human smith in a small outlying town. His tribe spent years making overtures of nonaggression with them; when the unofficial agreement finally settled, Karrn very nervously entered town one day with a wealth of skins, meat, and assorted knick-knacks; over several such visits, he managed to scrounge up enough money to afford the armor.

He keeps his crude greatsword, basically a jagged hunk of metal with a hilt attached, sharpened to a wicked edge, on his back alongside his quiver and longbow.

Karrn, more than anything, is keenly aware of his place in the natural heirarchy: he's an animal, he lives among animals, and denying that is just going to cause problems. At the same time, he's a smart, extremely curious animal who's fascinated by these people who try everything they can to separate themselves from nature.

Higher-order ethics and morality never really cross his mind, for good or ill. If he has to kill to survive, he will without a second thought. If there's a better option, he'll go for that. And while his naturally inquisitive nature dictates much of his behavior, he doesn't let anything get in the way of his survival instinct.

Karrn has little experience dealing with non-gnolls, as they have a highly irritating habit of pointing at him and screaming. Still, he knows the basics of interaction, and he knows to tread very, very carefully around new people. He's tried to learn how to make jokes that non-gnolls can appreciate, since he understands that makes a good icebreaker, but he's had mixed results. Also not helping, when it comes up, is his somewhat-disturbing habit of usually eating anything he kills, thinking being or not, if he's hungry at the time. The way he sees it, it'd be disrespectful to nature to waste the meat.
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BACKGROUND
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Drawing its lineage back to a mythical figure they revere as the Walker, the Stonefang tribe seeks to live as part of a natural balance. The way they tell it, they're animals. Other gnolls are just rabid animals. This philosophy by no means makes them friends of all living things, however: nature is often brutal and red in tooth and claw.

The second of five children, Karrn grew up in the foothills of the Aspodell Mountains. His father, Ark, was the chieftain's right-hand hunter, and his mother Graak served as the tribe's shaman, affording him decently high status within the Stonefangs. His childhood was largely uneventful; from a young age, he was taught to stalk and kill prey, the secrets of hunting, what herbs were good for eating and which could hide his scent. His younger brother Joruk was his constant companion throughout, and the two of them figured out how to harry and harrass their prey from all angles.

Shortly before his coming-of-age, the two of them snuck out late one night in an attempt to surprise their father by bringing home meat and furs for the tribe. They were caught in a storm and took shelter in a nearby cave; unfortunately, a bear had had the same idea. They fled and survived, though Karrn ended up with his nasty facial scar.

Even the run-in with the bear did little to quell Karrn's inquisitive nature, though it did make him more cautious. One day, while ranging farther than usual tracking some prey, Karrn stumbled upon the wreckage of a caravan bound for Piren's Bluff. Though bandits had made off with the valuables, Karrn found a picture book, likely intended for some nobleman's son. From it, he began to teach himself a handful of words in Common.

After initial misgivings, Ark began to encourage his son's activities, as the chieftain had been thinking of trying to make some sort of deal with the nearby, outlying Andoran town. Karrn's first attempt to make contact failed; the townsfolk were understandably less than pleased at gnoll presence in the area and not inclined to react kindly to one arriving at the edge of town shouting "Food!" in barely-understandable Common. Sure, he was trying to say he had food in his pack he would like to share with them, but they pointed at him and screamed. Then bows came out and Karrn ran for his life.

His second attempt was barely more successful; this time he decided to forego approaching the town itself and settled for helping a pair of human hunters bring down a deer, hoping that his aid in bringing food to their families would make them like him. Unfortunately, the hunters saw a gnoll emerge from the woods near them and shoot an arrow past them, shouting something about food and families. They pointed at him and screamed. Then bows came out and Karrn ran for his life.

The third time, an increasingly-frustrated Karrn decided to try the town again. He left his sword with his mother, approached the main gate in broad daylight, and this time held the slabs of fresh venison out in plain sight instead of keeping them in his pack. This time only some people pointed at him and screamed; bows came out, but weren't yet drawn. Karrn got as close as he dared, a good fifty paces away, set down the meat, and tried a new word, "gift," before leaving. He liked not having to run for his life.

Approaches after that, though always tense, gradually warmed over the next few years. Despite the language barrier, a tenuous, unofficial deal was made: the town and the tribe acknowledged each other's presence in the area and decided not to fight if they could help it. Karrn picked up a bit more Common in the process, and eventually managed to communicate to some local hunters that he would help them track deer if they would help him learn the language.

Word of a Chelish noble's expedition into the Aspodell Mountains eventually reached the town. Sensing an opportunity to learn more about the strange ways of all these people who did their best to pretend they're not animals, he headed west. Unfortunately, he had gotten used to the more relaxed atmosphere at home, and once again there were people pointing at him and screaming. Luckily, this time he spoke the language, so after only a few harrowing situations (he only had to flee, chased by angry townsfolk, once! And honestly, it was the other guy's fault. Karrn didn't care about being called a savage, but having his tail pulled, well, that's another matter entirely. Besides, he bit the man's shoulder, not his throat. He was just trying to make a point that you shouldn't threaten an animal. The other guy definitely overreacted), he managed to make it understood that he was trying to apply for a job on the expedition. This caused a fair bit of confusion, but at least he got word to the people who mattered for it.