The Rise of the Runelords

Game Master DEWN MOU'TAIN

His mother and father were powerful merchants of the Padishah Empire of Kelesh, given the high honor of representing the satrapy of Qadira as diplomats at the embassy in far-off Magnimar. This assignment came when Mehrab was young. Mehrab came of age within the ornate embassy in the Ordellia district of Magnimar. Magnimar was no metropolis—not like Absalom or Katheer—but it was a reasonable place to grow up. Foreigners were not necessarily ostracized so much as separated. And there were some Keleshites, like Sabriyya Kalmeralm, the “Princess of the Markets” in the Bazaar of Sails, who were actually able to achieve power and recognition.

Mehrab had no interest in continuing in the family business, with little facility for economics, wit, or wordplay. Besides, his home culture was matrilineal, so he stood to inherit nothing, unlike his well-prepared sisters. As a young man, Mehrab demonstrated three redeeming qualities: adaptability, curiosity, and a certain brutishness that let him bully his way into getting what he wanted when his lack of charm failed. These, and the fact that Mehrab had begun to style his hair in a red-dyed mohawk, led to an early nickname: Rooster.

These aspects attracted Rooster to another group within the city: the Sczarni. Even though predominantly comprised of ethnic Varisians, a particularly forward-thinking, progressive leader of one of the gangs (to be potentially filled in by the GM) thought it would be useful to have someone else that the Magnimar City Guard might not recognize. Rooster didn’t have to be particularly stealthy. He just had to be not Varisian and go places where the Sczarni couldn’t.

So Rooster developed a reputation as an enforcer with golden ears rather than a silver tongue: the sort of person who could go into places, listen for important information, and then punch his way out if he got caught. And he knew enough about enough to not be a complete dullard to talk to. The job didn’t matter much to Rooster: theft, extortion, murder. As long as he got paid, it was fine.

Rooster, son of Zahra (who had since disowned him), was not a righteous man.

Unfortunately for Rooster, his curiosity proved to be his downfall. On one job, he overheard some completely irrelevant piece of incorrect history and felt positively compelled to correct the speaker, simultaneously giving away his position and his status as a spy. This hadn’t usually been a problem. But against this particular gang (to be potentially filled in by the GM), Rooster had met his match. His reputation had grown enough by this point that the gang decided to make an example of him to send a message to the Sczarni that they were onto their shenanigans. If they were going to send their Rooster into the henhouse, they’d send him back with feathers. Dipped into burning tar and covered with chicken feathers, Rooster was found hung by his ankles, in agonizing pain, barely clinging to life.

The Sczarni did their best with their resources to help Rooster. He came out of the incident horrifically scarred, and no amount of healing magic seemed capable of completely undoing the damage. After saving his life, the Sczarni realized that Rooster was no longer safe in Magnimar. He was also a liability that they needed to hide. They would not abandon him: he was Family now. But they had to set him up with someone else who could take care of him for a while.

That someone was Jubrayl Vhiski in nearby Sandpoint. Jubrayl took Rooster in. He wasn’t keen to play nursemaid, hiring someone else (to be potentially filled in by the GM) to get Rooster back in shape. But once Rooster was doing better, it would be time to introduce him to Sandpoint and start helping the local Family.

But the Dawnflower had other plans in mind.

During his recovery, one of Rooster’s only pleasures was reading books. Books of history, of lore, of arcana, and more kept his mind sharp while his body suffered. One such book was The Birth of Light and Truth: the principal holy book of Sarenrae. His family had been Sarenites growing up, but Rooster had had little particular care for the ideas of religion. He still didn’t know how much he believed that the gods had any particular interest in human affairs. But this book had stories that he had never read before. Sure, there were the usual stories of redemption, people turning their lives around and doing good. But there was something else hand-written in the back by the previous unnamed owner of the book. This story spoke of a horribly-scarred follower of the Dawnflower who assembled a series of artifacts together and conducted a ritual that bathed them in restorative flames.

If Rooster could do the same, maybe he could replicate the deed. The clues were all in this book, waiting to be uncovered. Until then he would follow Sarenrae and do as she commanded. If she was willing to use him, he would use her in turn. But he couldn’t be Rooster anymore. And he couldn’t rightly be Mehrab either, or at least not Mehrab al-Zahra. He took on a new name: Golzar al-Sahar: the flower of the dawn.

Golzar al-Sahar was not a righteous man. But he was trying to be.

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Defense
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AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+7 armor, +2 shield, +2 Dex) (+2 with shield cloak raised)
hp 43 (4d8+9)
Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +9

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Offense
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Speed: 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee: +1 scimitar +9 (1d6+6/18-20/x2)
Special Abilities: aegis, deific focus (abjuration: 4, divination: 2, transmutation: 3), energy shield (20), healer’s hands, legacy weapon, mind barrier (8), precise strike +1d6, sudden insight +2
Spell-Like Abilities
At will--detect [alignment]
Inquisitor Spells Known (CL 4th; concentration +7)
2nd (2/day) focused scrutiny, see invisibility (DC 15)
1st (4/day) ears of the city, heightened awareness, protection from evil, shield of faith, false face (DC 14)
0 (at will) detect magic, detect poison, guidance, read magic, resistance, sift (DC 13)

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Statistics
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Str 20, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 7
Base Atk +3; CMB +8; CMD 20

Feats: Extra Mental Focus, Healer’s Hands, Power Attack, Precise Strike
Traits: Family Ties (campaign), Scholar of the Great Beyond (faith), Burned (drawback), Blade of Mercy (religion) or Merciful Scimitar (combat)
Skills: Climb +9, Heal +10, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (history, planes) +9 (+12 to ID creatures), Knowledge (local) +6 (+9 to ID creatures), Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, nature, religion) +5 (+8 to ID creatures), Linguistics +5, Perception +11, Sense Motive +12, Spellcraft +5, Survival +10 (+12 to follow/identify tracks), Swim +9; (ACP -3)
Languages: Common (Taldane), Elven, Giant, Kelish, Shoanti, Thassilonian, Varisian, VSL (Varisian Sign Language)
SQ: cunning initiative, deific focus (9), focus powers, monster lore +3, relics, resonant powers, solo tactics, stern gaze +2, track +2

Focus Powers: Aegis, Energy Shield, Legacy Weapon, Mind Barrier, Sudden Insight
Implements: Abjuration (holy symbol), Divination (illustrated deck of Keleshite poetry), Transmutation (scimitar)
Deific Focus: 9 points (abjuration: 4, divination: 2, transmutation: 3)
Resonant Powers: Physical Enhancement (Strength +2 (enhancement)), Third Eye (Perception +1 (insight), Warding Talisman (Saves +2 (resistance))

Gear: +1 breastplate, +1 scimitar, +1 shield cloak, healer’s kit, gold holy symbol of Sarenrae, 185 gp

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Special Abilities
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Relics (Su): At 1st level, a relic hunter gains the occultist’s implements class feature and learns to use two occultist implement schools as relic schools. At 4th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the relic hunter learns to use one additional relic school drawn from the same source, gaining access to that school’s resonant power and base focus power and opening up that school’s focus powers for her to select. Like an occultist, a relic hunter can select the same school twice, but it is far less useful for her to do so.

Relics do not need to be magic items, and nonmagical relics do not take up a magic item slot. Relics that are not magic items are often of some religious significance to the relic hunter or her church, such as the battered shield of a saint, a bishop’s robe, or the finger bone of a church martyr. This ability replaces judgment.

Deific Focus (Su): At 1st level, a relic hunter learns to invest divine power into her chosen relics. This acts like the occultist’s focus powers and mental focus class features, with the following adjustments. This ability replaces domain, bane, greater bane, second judgment, and third judgment.

Each day, a relic hunter has a number of points of deific focus equal to her inquisitor level + her Wisdom modifier, and she must spend 1 hour in prayer with her relics to invest them with divine power. These points refresh at the start of each day.

At 1st level, the relic hunter learns the two base focus powers from her chosen relic schools and can select one more focus power from the list of those made available by her chosen schools. Whenever she gains a new relic school, she gains the base focus power of that school. In addition, at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, she learns a new focus power selected from all of the powers granted by all of the relic schools she knows. She can use these focus powers only by expending points of deific focus. Unless otherwise noted, the DC for any saving throws against a focus power is equal to 10 + 1/2 the inquisitor’s class level + the inquisitor’s Wisdom modifier. She cannot select a focus power more than once. She uses her inquisitor level in place of an occultist level to qualify for focus powers.

Aegis (Su): As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus and touch a suit of armor or a shield to grant it an enhancement bonus. The bonus is equal to 1 + 1 for every 6 occultist levels you possess (to a maximum bonus of +4 at 18th level). Enhancement bonuses gained via this ability stack with those of the armor or shield, to a maximum total enhancement bonus of +5. You can also imbue the armor or shield with any one armor or shield special ability that has an equivalent enhancement bonus less than or equal to your maximum bonus granted by this ability by reducing the granted enhancement bonus by the appropriate amount. The item must have an enhancement bonus of at least +1 (from the item itself or from aegis) to gain an armor or shield special ability. In either case, these bonuses last for 1 minute.

Energy Shield (Sp): As a swift action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to surround yourself with a shield that protects you from energy damage. Whenever you take acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage, the shield absorbs the damage (as protection from energy). The energy shield can absorb up to 5 points of energy damage per occultist level you possess. This shield lasts for 1 minute or until its power is exhausted. Its effect doesn’t stack with itself, with protection from energy, or with resist energy. You can activate the energy shield as an immediate action by expending 2 points of mental focus instead of 1. You must be at least 3rd level to select this focus power.

Legacy Weapon (Su): As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus and touch a weapon to grant it an enhancement bonus. The bonus is equal to 1 + 1 for every 6 occultist levels you possess (to a maximum of +4 at 18th level). Enhancement bonuses gained by this ability stack with those of the weapon, to a maximum of +5. You can also imbue the weapon with any one weapon special ability with an equivalent enhancement bonus less than or equal to your maximum bonus by reducing the granted enhancement bonus by the appropriate amount. The item must have an enhancement bonus of at least +1 (from the item itself or from legacy weapon) to gain a weapon special ability. In either case, these bonuses last for 1 minute.

Mind Barrier (Sp): As a swift action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to create a shield of mental energy around you that protects you from harm. The shield prevents a total of 2 points of damage per occultist level you possess. It lasts until the start of your next turn or until exhausted. For example, if you are 5th level, the mind barrier protects you from 10 points of damage; if you are hit by an attack that would deal 12 points of damage, the mind barrier is exhausted and you take 2 points of damage. You can activate this ability as an immediate action, but doing so costs 2 points of mental focus instead of 1.

Physical Enhancement (Su): The implement enhances its bearer’s body. When you invest mental focus in the implement, select a physical ability score. The implement grants a +2 temporary enhancement bonus to that physical ability score for every 3 points of mental focus invested in the implement (to a maximum of +2 at 1st level, plus an additional 2 for every 6 occultist levels you possess). Ability: Strength.

Sudden Insight (Sp): As a swift action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to gain an insight into your immediate future. You can use this foreknowledge as a free action before you roll any ability check, attack roll, or skill check to gain an insight bonus on that roll equal to 1/2 your occultist level (minimum +1). You can use your foreknowledge only once per turn, and if it’s not used by the end of your turn, the insight fades and you gain no benefit.

Third Eye (Su): The implement allows its bearer to notice that which can’t easily be seen. The implement grants a +1 insight bonus on Perception checks per 2 points of mental focus stored in it, to a maximum bonus equal to the occultist’s level. If the occultist is 3rd level or higher and stores at least 3 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants lowlight vision. If the occultist is 5th level or higher and stores at least 6 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants darkvision 60 feet. (If the bearer already has darkvision, the implement increases the range of the darkvision by 30 feet.) If the occultist is 7th level or higher and stores at least 9 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants the effects of see invisibility. If the occultist is 13th level or higher and stores at least 12 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants blindsense 60 feet. If the occultist is 19th level or higher and stores at least 15 points of mental focus in it, the implement also grants blindsight 30 feet.

Warding Talisman (Su): The implement wards against adverse effects. Whoever wears (or holds, for bells) the implement gains a +1 resistance bonus on saving throws for every 2 points of mental focus invested in the implement, to a maximum bonus of 1 + 1 for every 4 occultist levels you possess.

Mental Focus (Su): An occultist can invest a portion of his mental focus into his chosen implements for the day, allowing him to utilize a variety of abilities depending on the implements and the amount of mental focus invested in them. An occultist has a number of points of mental focus equal to his occultist level + his Intelligence modifier; these points refresh each day. He can divide this mental focus between his implements in any way he desires. If an implement is lost or destroyed, the focus invested in it is lost as well, though the occultist still refreshes those points of focus normally.

Monster Lore (Ex): The inquisitor adds her Wisdom modifier on Knowledge skill checks in addition to her Intelligence modifier, when making skill checks to identify the abilities and weaknesses of creatures.

Stern Gaze (Ex): Inquisitors are skilled at sensing deception and intimidating their foes. An inquisitor receives a morale bonus on all Intimidate and Sense Motive checks equal to 1/2 her inquisitor level (minimum +1).

Cunning Initiative (Ex): At 2nd level, an inquisitor adds her Wisdom modifier on initiative checks, in addition to her Dexterity modifier.

Detect Alignment (Sp): At will, an inquisitor can use detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, or detect law. She can only use one of these at any given time.

Track (Ex): At 2nd level, an inquisitor adds half her level on Survival skill checks made to follow or identify tracks.

Solo Tactics (Ex): At 3rd level, all of the inquisitor’s allies are treated as if they possessed the same teamwork feats as the inquisitor for the purpose of determining whether the inquisitor receives a bonus from her teamwork feats. Her allies do not receive any bonuses from these feats unless they actually possess the feats themselves. The allies’ positioning and actions must still meet the prerequisites listed in the teamwork feat for the inquisitor to receive the listed bonus.

Teamwork Feat: At 3rd level, and every three levels thereafter, the inquisitor gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as teamwork feats. The inquisitor must meet the prerequisites of the selected bonus feat. As a standard action, the inquisitor can choose to learn a new bonus teamwork feat in place of the most recent bonus teamwork feat she has already learned. In effect, the inquisitor loses the bonus feat in exchange for the new one. She can only change the most recent teamwork feat gained. Whenever she gains a new teamwork feat, the previous teamwork feat becomes set and cannot be changed again. An inquisitor can change her most recent teamwork feat a number of times per day equal to her Wisdom modifier.

Traits
Family Ties (campaign): While not ethnically a Varisian, you have been raised among Varisians and they consider you one of their own. Furthermore, you managed to get in good with a group of Sczarni and consider them your new family. After being run out of the last place your Sczarni family camped, you tracked down a friend of the family in Sandpoint—a ruthless thug named Jubrayl Vhiski at the Fatman’s Feedbag. During your time with the Sczarni, you learned a few tricks of the trade. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (local) checks and Knowledge (local) is always a class skill for you. In addition, you begin play able to speak and read Varisian.
Scholar of the Great Beyond (faith): Your greatest interests as a child did not lie with current events or the mundane— you have always felt out of place, as if you were born in the wrong era. You take to philosophical discussions of the Great Beyond and of historical events with ease. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (planes) checks, and one of these skills (your choice) is always a class skill for you.

Burned (drawback): You were badly burned once by volcanic ash, torch-wielding mobs, or some fiery accident, and the scars pain you terribly you whenever you are too near to fire. You take a –1 penalty on saving throws against fire effects. In addition, whenever you are adjacent to open flames or are on fire, you take a –1 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks until you spend an entire round away from fire. These penalties are not cumulative. (An instantaneous fire effect adjacent to you or affecting you causes this penalty to apply until 1 round after it is gone.)

Blade of Mercy (religion): You know that within the heart of even the most hateful and cruel living creature exists a sliver of shame and hope for redemption. You have trained long on martial techniques to use bladed weapons not to kill, but to subdue. When striking to inflict nonlethal damage with any slashing weapon, you do not take the normal –4 penalty on your attack roll, and gain a +1 trait bonus to any nonlethal damage you inflict with a slashing weapon.
or
Merciful Scimitar (combat): You learned from worshipers of Sarenrae to cut foes with a scimitar without killing them. You can deal nonlethal damage with a scimitar without taking a penalty on your attack rolls.

Human Racial Traits