Zhong Kuan's page

Zhong Kuan
Male Tengu Warpriest of Hei Feng 1
Medium Humanoid (Tengu)
Initiative +2; Senses low-light; Perception +4
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DEFENSE
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AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +6 armor, 0 + size)
hp 13 (1d8+5)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +4
Defensive Abilities n/a
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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft/ 20 ft (armor)
Melee Bite (Tengu) -1(1d3+2), Boarding axe +4(1d6+4/x3), Gauntlet (from Armor) +4(1d3+4), Nine-ring broadsword +5(1d8+4/x3), Unarmed strike +4(1d3+4 nonlethal)
Ranged Sling +2(1d4+4/50 ft)
Special Attacks Storm's Strike (Su), Zephyr's Gift (Su)
Spell-Like Abilities n/a
Warpriest Spells Known/Prepared (CL 1; concentration +4)
1st (3/day) — Magic Weapon, Shield of Faith
0 (at will) — Detect Magic, Guidance, Light
Blessings Air, Weather
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STATISTICS
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Strength 18 (+4), Dexterity 14 (+2), Constitution 13 (+1), Intelligence 13 (+1), Wisdom 15 (+2), Charisma 9 (-1)
Base Atk +0; CMB +4; CMD 16/14Fl
Feats Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +2, Appraise +1, Bluff -1, Climb +4, Diplomacy -1, Disguise -1, Escape Artist +2, Fly +2, Heal +2, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (religion) +5, Linguistics +6, Perception +4, Profession (sailor) +6, Ride +2, Sense Motive +2, Stealth +4, Survival +2, Swim +9
Traits Desperate Resolve, Eager Combatant, Touched by the Sea, Zealous (drawback)
Languages Common, Minkaian, Senzar, Tengu, Tien
SQ Aura (Ex), Blessings (3/day) (Su), Focus Weapon, Gifted Linguist, Low-Light Vision, Natural Weapons (Bite), Sacred Weapon (Su), Sneaky, Spontaneous Casting, Swordtrained
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EQUIPMENT
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Weapons Boarding axe, Nine-ring broadsword, Sling
Ammo sling bullets x20
Armor buckler, scale mail, explorer's outfit
Slotted Items n/a
Wands, Rods, Etc n/a
Backpack bedroll, flint and steel, holy text (Hei Feng), mess kit, pot, rope, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), waterskin
Belt Pouch spell component pouch, wooden holy symbol (Hei Feng), 82gp 8sp 0cp
Mount n/a
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OTHER INFORMATION
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Carrying 99lb
Carrying Capacity 100lb/200lb/300lb
Favored Class Bonuses
1st — Hit Point
Ability Score Increases
n/a

Zhong Kuan was hatched and raised in the settlement of Cho-Tzu on the isle of Shenchu Bay, the Shackles. The Tian outpost, which had in antiquity been settled by indentured sailors who had mutinied and defected from imperial Lung Wa, was host to a sizable expatriate tengu population, and Zhong Kuan grew up rubbing elbows with pirates of Tian and Minatan descent. In the ramshackle rookery neighborhoods of his youth the young tengu was largely free to do as he pleased, and when he wasn't chasing the other children across the moored junks and raft cities across the bay, he was getting into fights. Atypically brawny for one of the ravenfolk, Zhong Kuan found he could hold his own on the streets but lacked the ambition for a life of crime. Aimless, he instead hired on to a fishing junk and spent his days casting nets into the deep.

Now, although the inhabitants of Shenchu Bay came in frequent contact with pirate and merchant vessels from across Avistan and Garund, the worship of the gods of far-away Tian Xia had waned among them but had never truly died out. The resident tengu community were still itinerant worshipers of Hei Feng, the Duke of Thunder and patron deity of the tengu race. As lord of the sea and sky, the settlers still made offerings to the notoriously temperamental god to ensure smooth sailing, although Gozreh worship continued to erode this practice. Zhong Kuan usually offered prayers for safe travel before he went out to sea, but like many he was becoming lax in his worship.

One day, he forgot to make the offering entirely.

As he later recalled it, the skies had been clear when they set out. The dark clouds had crept upon the junk like a school of sharks, and the lighting had reduced the prow to smoking embers. When the first wave slammed into the boat he couldn't even hear his own cries over the howl of wind and rain. The ocean tossed the ship around mercilessly before finally breaking its back and dragging the doomed crew, himself included, beneath the churning black waters.

Zhong Kuan was found washed up on the shore a day later as the lone survivor of the lost junk, seemingly half dead. When he was roused awake, his eyes snapped open in a half-mad panic and he practically dragged himself from the beach all the way to the nearest shrine to Hei Feng. To the astonishment of onlookers he kowtowed to the idol, groveling and promising one thing:

"We will not forget you again, Duke of Thunder! I will ensure it!"

Zhong Kuan now travels from ship to ship as both pirate and priest, testifying to the power and might of his god and the importance of appeasing him before sailing the seas. He raids ships eagerly, using the power granted by his faith in Hei Feng to act as a living testimony to the power of the storm. He hopes for his fame to grow to the point where his proselytizing will be impossible to ignore, and all the Shackles and beyond will give proper fealty to the Duke of Thunder. It will be so even if he has to seize the mantle of Free Captain himself.

So it was that after disembarking from his latest vessel in Port Peril, he decided to stop at a nearby tavern for word on when the next ship was leaving...

Zhong Kuan stands at just under 5 feet in height, clad in weathered blue and gray scale mail and a paddy hat with a slit cut vertically from the dome through which he can peer through even when it's drawn low over his eyes. His feathers are a gray-tinged black, and seem frequently damp with rainwater even in the absence of a storm. His eyes are dark and clouded with hints of a glint within. He tends to carry his nine-ring broadsword strapped to his back when not in use, while his boarding axe, sling, and buckler are worn at the belt.

When not in combat, the warpriest is not unkind but is up front about his allegiance to Hei Feng and and the need for seafarers to pay the god proper homage. Even at rest, there is a palpable sense of pressure in the air around him; canny observers will note that he tends to grip objects a little too tightly, tenses his muscles a little too much, like he's waiting for a fight to break out. In combat he is loud and chaotic, but appears exultant, like he finally allowed himself to cut loose as a living testimony to the power of thunder. Zhong Kuan is fascinated by storms and will often stand topside during them, even past the point when a more sensible person would get down below deck.

Aura [Class] The character has a strong aura corresponding to his deity's alignment (Chaotic Neutral).
Blessings (3/day) (Su) [Class] Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Bonus Languages [Class] A warpriest's bonus language options include Abyssal, Celestial, and Infernal. These choices are in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of his race.
Desperate Resolve [Trait] You gain a +1 trait bonus on concentration checks. This trait bonus increases to + 4 when you are grappled, pinned, in violent weather, or entangled.
Eager Combatant [Trait] You're so excited to board other ships that you're frequently the first one over the rail, regardless of the danger. You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls made while onboard an enemy ship.
Focus Weapon (Nine-ring broadsword)[Class] At 1st level, a warpriest receives Weapon Focus as a bonus feat (he can choose any weapon, not just his deity's favored weapon).
Gifted Linguist [Racial] Tengus gain a +4 racial bonus on Linguistics checks, and learn 2 languages each time they gain a rank in Linguistics rather than 1 language.
Low-Light Vision [Racial] See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Natural Weapons (Bite) [Racial] A tengu has a bite attack that deals 1d3 points of damage.
Sacred Weapon (Su) [Class] As a swift action, grant weapon enhancement bonus or certain powers (Nine-ring broadsword).
Sneaky [Racial] Tengus gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Stealth checks.
Spell Casting (Divine) [Class]
Spontaneous Casting [Class] A warpriest can convert stored spells into Cure or Inflict spells (Cure).
Storm Strike (Su) [Class] At 1st level, you can touch one weapon and grant it a blessing of stormy weather. For 1 minute, this weapon glows with blue or yellow sparks and deals an additional 1d4 points of electricity damage with each hit. This additional damage doesn't stack with the additional damage from the shock or shocking burst weapon special abilities.
Sword Trained [Racial] Tengus are trained from birth in swordplay, and as a result are automatically proficient with sword-like weapons (including bastard swords, daggers, elven curve blades, falchions, greatswords, kukris, longswords, punching daggers, rapiers, scimitars, short swords, and two-bladed swords).
Touched by the Sea [Trait] Underwater attack penalties are lessened by 1.
Toughness [Feat] You gain +3 hit points. For every Hit Die you possess beyond 3, you gain an additional +1 hit point. If you have more than 3 Hit Dice, you gain +1 hit points whenever you gain a Hit Die (such as when you gain a level).
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies [Class] A warpriest is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as the favored weapon of his deity, and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (except tower shields). If the warpriest worships a deity with unarmed strike as its favored weapon, the warpriest gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat.
Zealous [Drawback] -5 to hit and +2 to damage on your first attack against a target that you know worships a different religion than you do.
Zephyr's Gift (Su) [Class] At 1st level, you can touch any one ranged weapon and enhance it with the quality of air. For 1 minute, any attacks made with the weapon take no penalties due to range. In addition, making a ranged attack with this weapon doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity.