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Last night while watching the live stream, I came up with this backstory for an animist character. I had to mull it over a bit, and it's changed up a bit, but the core concept is mostly the same. And now I'm going to stat him out because the creator of the Animist said he couldn't wait to see everyone's characters.
Gumant Pactbound
Male Gnome Animist (Channeler)
Generations ago, Gumant's ancestors were found nearly dead on the doorstep of Highhelm, having fled some terrible tragedy lost to time. An unusually kind Dwarven priest of Kols found them and took them into his temple, where he treated them. Gumat's great-great grandfather was so thankful to the priest, and so impressed by the teachings of Kols, that he vowed that he would dedicate his life to serving Kols, and so would at least one of his children, and his children's children, and so on so that the temple would always have a clergy like the Dwarf that saved them.
And so it was. Each Gnome in the family took the family name 'Pactbound' to show devotion to Kols. Generations later, Gumant was raised in this environment, where he constantly was told of the importance of duty, honor, upholding vows, and not shirking family duties. His father had chosen him to be the next child to take on the honor and responsability of being a priest of Kols serving the same temple his great-grandfather had. Young Gumant agreed with most of what was said, but deep in his heart, he disagreed with Kols strict and hard-line attitude, and believed there needed to be room for mercy. Of course, he dare not reveal his thoughts to his parents, whom he was deeply respectful of.
And so when he came of age, he was enrolled in the local Kols Temple. Of course, without utmost faith in Kols, young Gumant never did receive divine spells, because no matter how much he prayed, no matter how much he wanted to uphold family honor and repay all that his parents gave him, he just didn't worship Kols in his heart of hearts. As time went on, it became more and more clear that something was going wrong as all the other supplicants training at the temple graduated to become clerics, and young Gumant never did.
Eventually, Gumant had a mental breakdown, caught between his inability to worship Kols and his duties as a son, he ran into the crypt of the temple and had a complete emotional meltdown, crying, punching the walls, and screaming at the difficulty of it all. That's when he met Druha.
Druha was an apparition, an echo of a Dwarf cleric of The Perplexing Jest, a pantheon of trickster gods. Centuries ago,she had been fed up with a high-and-mighty cleric of Kols, and set out to humble him in his own church to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately, she tripped a security measure and died, and the spirit of the church kept part of her soul bound there as punishment. While Druha does not regret her attempted prank, she does feel that her punishment has been repaid, and wanted out, and so she offered Gumant a deal: she'd teach him how to gain access to her old magic, if he'd let her 'ride in his body' enough to leave the church. Distraught, and in no fit mental state to make sound decisions, Gumant agreed.
Ever since that day, Gumant has had Druha as a constant companion. She's taught him to see other apparitions, whom he can occasionally commune with, but Druha always comes back to the forefront, no matter how much Gumant wants her gone. She is constantly whispering practical joke ideas and poorly thought out plans into his ear at the most inopportune times. At least she was as good as her word and taught him access to divine magic, which has tricked both the clergy and his father into believing he's a cleric of Kols . . . for now. How long the charade can keep up, he does not know.
Edicts: Keep the Perplexing Jest Pantheon happy enough to keep granting him spells, do not allow his practical jokes to go too far. Show mercy to minor transgressions.
Anathema: Disrespect his family or traditions. Let down his family again.
(I've leveled him to 4 just to show some of the abilities I'd grab, no free archetype just to keep things simple.)
Gumant Pactbound
Male Gnome Animist (Channeler), Perception (t)+10
Small Gnome Humanoid
AC: 20 (22 with shield raised) HP: 48
Fort (e)+9, Ref: +7, Will(e) +12
Background: Raised by Belief (Kols)
Heritage: Umbral Gnome
Ancestry Feat: Gnomish Obsession
Skills:Deception (e)+10, Diplomacy+8, Religion+10, Nature +10, Society (from background)+7, Kols Lore (e)+9, Perplexing Jest Lore (e) +9
Str-1 Dex +2 Con+1 Int+1 Wis+4 Chr+2
Class Feats: Embodiment of Balance, Sustaining Dance
Class Features: Apparition's Whirl
Spells: (Cantrips) Detect Magic, Needle Darts
1st) Bless, Helpful Steps
2nd) Blazing Armaments, Heal
Apparitions: Typically-Impostor in Hidden Places (Druha), Custodian of Groves and Gardens, Steward of stone and fire
Spell Attack: +10
Spell DC 20
Focus Points: 2
Melee Attack: Knife: +8 (1d4-1)
Ranged Crossbow: +9 (2d8)
Skill Feats: Assurance (Society, from Background), Quick Identification, Confabulator
General Feat: Toughness
Equipment: Chain Shirt, +1 striking crossbow, dagger, Adventuring Pack, Religious Text of Kols, Holy symbol of Kols, Holy Test of Perplexing Jest (Hidden in false bottom of backpack)
