Character 92 - Herlish Insigal

This week’s character started out as just a skinwalker descended from wererats with a good dexterity. The oddities came when we realized he has both older and younger half-orc half-siblings as well as older and younger full blooded siblings. We added to that growing up in the mountains of Nex, of which there are two ranges, where pretty much everything outside of the magically protected major cities is a blasted wasteland. So with this odd mixture of background bits and dexterity with wisdom as the next follow up stat, I decided to go with the ranger class this week.

Herlish Insigal

The story of Herlish really starts with the story of his mother. She was a woman with little to no luck throughout her life. She was born in Lastwall, a place at constant war with the orcs of the Hold of Belzken. Unmarried, she bore a half-orc child, although she had never had any untoward contact with any of the orc raiders. It is believed that one of the many half-orc warriors who come to Lastwall to live down their heritage is the father but Anka never said and fled the frontier country with her child.

She made her way to Absalom and managed to secure a husband despite having a bastard half-orc child. The man was a gruff former soldier who sold his services to any who would hire. This included a merchant who was traveling to far off Nex. So Herlish’s father uprooted his family and they took the long trip across the inner sea to Nex, and from its capital Qauntium to the city of the fleshforgers, Ecanus.

Ecanus was where Herlish was born, although his parents had already spawned one boy child. Herlish was a twitchy child and as he grew up he was constantly bullied for his nervous reactions. The young boy found solace in watching all the bizarre creation going around him. Although he could never quite grasp how these oddities were made, he cherished the art of creation and many of craftspeople would show him how they made their ideas come to life.

Ecanus was also a dangerous place, and the merchant his father worked for did volatile, although not illicit, work. When you buy and sell living creatures crafted by magic, accidents are bound to happen. Some of the beasts shattered their bonds on the small estate of the merchant and sent his staff and their families running. Herlish’s father stood firm in protecting his charge but fell in the battle, leaving Anka with now four children, Herlish’s younger sister having only recently been born.

The fleshforges often require living flesh to create the monsters that are birthed from the vats. Although many of these are unintelligent animals or horrors not worth mentioning, some unscrupulous crafters will use sentient creatures to fuel their creations. In Nex slavery is legal and the fleshforgers will often buy slaves just for these purposes. But sometimes those slaves escape.

Orc and half-orc were often used as stock for these experiments because of their durability. Those that escaped started a secret underground based out of the Barrier Wall mountains to help others avoid the horrific fate of being immersed in the vats. Herlish’s older sister Alysse got herself involved with these freedom fighters and dragged her younger half-sibling along.

Since Herlish was human he could pass more easily among the oppressors, and he did this willingly, flaunting the law for his sister and loving every minute of it. The young man was adept at keeping to the shadows although not every excursion was without incident. Herlish was slowly learning the tricks to battling the creations of the fleshforgers.

Some of the beings they rescued were already changed by preparation rituals or even just proximity to magical and alchemical substances. But they were not the only ones that saw a change come over them. Whether it came from his mother or father’s side he didn’t know, but Herlish’s found the ability to alter his own shape. He was able to take on aspects of a rodent and minor abilities attributed to wererats, of whom he realized he was probably kin.

As things became more serious Herlish and his older sister went to their mother and got her to leave the city and take up residence in the stronghold in the mountains that the rebels were using. There she married yet again, a half-orc with some mutations due to experimentation. She bore one last child, another half-orc bringing her brood to a total of five children.

Herlish and his sister still fight the good fight and their younger brother seems eager to join when he comes of age. Life may not be easy for the odd family but they’re still happy.

What did you do with your skinwalker? What class did his background dictate for him? Who did he have both a younger and older half-sibling? What law or oath did he break?

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but helps you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to create, please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me, right? – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Random Roll 92 - The Randomness

Everything changes especially members of the Skinwalker race. This week’s random rolls is someone with wererat blood running through their veins, who could get further from general wererat motivations if he tried. From the mountains of Nex he is the son of soldiers who was bullied as a child. On Friday we’ll see what becomes of these random pieces of information.

Gender: Male

Race:NightskulkSkinwalker (Wererat-kin)

Human Ethnicity: Predominantly Taldan but with visible traces of Azlanti blood.

Nationality:Nex

Age:  19

Height: 5’ 5”

Weight: 162lbs

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Str: 8

Dex: 18 (20 when  shape changed)

Con:  10

Int: 12

Wis: 13

Cha: 10

Homeland: Unusual Homeland - Mountains

Parents: Both of your parents are alive.

Siblings: You have 2 biological siblings and 2 half-siblings.

- biological older brother

- biological younger sister

- younger half-orc brother

- older half-orc sister

Circumstance of Birth: [Lower-Class Birth] You were born among peasants or slum denizens. You grew up working the land around a village or manor, practicing a rudimentary trade, or begging in a settlement.

Parent's Profession: Soldiers

Major Childhood Event: [Bullied] In your early life, you were a victim— easy prey for those stronger or cleverer than yourself. They beat you when they could, using you for their sport. This abuse nursed a powerful flame of vengeance.

Influential Associate:[The Craftsperson] One of your major influences cherished perfection in every form of art. This person might have followed any path in life, from craftsperson to artist to assassin. From this person you developed a disciplined mind, a solitary focus, and the ability to create something useful and beautiful.

Conflict: [Cheater] You broke a rule, law, contract, or agreement for your own gain.

Conflict Subject: Merchant.

Conflict Motivation: Family.

Conflict Resolution: [You Enjoyed It] Those who cling to petty morals have no understanding of what true freedom and power is. The fact is, you enjoyed your part in the conflict and would do it all over again if the opportunity presented itself. Many people know of your misdeed, and they also realize your complete lack of remorse.

Deity/Religious Philosophy:Valani

Romantic Relationship(s): [Several Inconsequential Relationships] You have had many lovers but no long-lasting, meaningful relationships.

Drawback: [Attachment (Object)] You are attached to a precious possession with immense sentimental value and significance. Without it, you are no longer yourself and are prone to suffer from depression, moodiness, or aggressive behavior.

(Trait) Artisan

(Trait) Bullied

(Trait) Empyreal Focus

(Trait) Highlander

(Trait) Kin Guardian

(Trait) Poverty-Stricken

(Trait) Tactician

(Drawback) Attached

In the comments give us your ideas for how to make this into a fully realized character? What class would this character take up? How does he have both half-orc and human siblings? What is the object he is attached to? Why does he worship Valani? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Becoming The Beast

Throwbacks of Ealdeez

There is a beast that resides in all of us. Most of us can keep that snarling creature at bay, but some give in to the savagery. The Daemon Harbinger known as Ealdeez feeds off the rage in these people’s hearts. Those who give themselves over to the Harbinger of reversion, regression, and savage revenge give up any semblance of a civilized life. Today we look at three possible sects of the being known as The Beast Behind the Dream.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game that we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Ealdeez. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Beast Behind the Dream. What character do you make?

For more information on Ealdeez

Ealdeez’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Ealdeez’s Archives of Nethys Page

Moonless Children

In one of the many secluded villages, off the beaten path in the River Kingdoms, reside some of the most inhospitable people you may ever meet. Outsiders are reviled and actively threatened. Most of the inhabitants of the region know to steer well away from the village, and rumors of missing travelers are common but unproved.

In truth this town’s entire populace are skinwalkers. They are descendants of mostly bat, rat, and wolf lycanthropes. They are also a cult of the Daemon Harbinger Eadleez who look to find a way to become full lyncanthropes so that they may truly feel the pull of their bestial blood.

The Lashing Tail

Among the lizardfolk of the Sodden Lands the aggressive Terwa Lords rile up their people to take back the land they believe was once theirs. They have convinced their people that their aggressive acts are from a place of vengeance for what has been stolen. They preach that the savagery they use is their birthright. They war and kill because it is how it should be.

Within the ranks of the Terwa Kings including some of the leading shamans, and kings themselves are members of a clutch of Eladeez devotees. These followers of the Beast Behind the Dream truly don’t care if they take back their land or not, all they want to see is the brutality of the event. Shaman, oracles, barbarians, hunters, and bloodragers make up the ranks of this sect within the great Terwa Lords.

Those Who Walk On Fours

Although most to the Hyena-folk who travel the deserts of Casmaron fall in line with their peers as worshipers of Lamashtu, some follow other beings of power. Those Who Walk On Fours are a small tribe of Gnolls who seek to become more like the Hyenas that they believe they came from. They refuse to walk on two legs, and they speak only in guttural growls and body language.

The tribe began and is still led by Fangscar, a grizzled battlerager who began to have disturbing visions. He saw himself constantly transforming back into a giant hyena over and over again. Through these dreams he began to believe that his people weren’t the creations of The Mother of Monsters but the evolution of the Hyenas that still roamed the deserts. He sought a way to become what he saw in his dreams and turned to Ealdeez to aid him in his regression, bringing over a number of other supplicants with him.

Like their patron the Deamon Harbinger’s followers are the epitome of savagery. Who is your disciple of Ealdeez? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Beast Behind the Dream? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

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Character 52 - Unitostiona Thremere

Sometimes you get lucky. Like a skinwalker with werecrocodile blood who lives in Osirian; the perfect place to have werecrocdiles really. This week’s character had an exceedingly high charisma and low wisdom, which felt to me like she could captivate people, but have a hard time really understanding their emotions. A high charisma and relatively mediocre physical stats meant she could either be a charisma caster, or possibly a Swashbuckler, or dexterity based paladin. The harrow reading really cemented it for me though, and here is my interpretation of the cards:

Signifier Card: This represents the character, in particular her highest stat and alignment. Neutral good with a high charisma. The theater could represent either that she takes after her parents who were entertainers, or she takes after the prophet who is the audience.

Card One: The Publican can represent a fellowship or a place of refuge. As an only child whose parents are both dead, her place of refuge could be many places. In this case looking at the signifier card and her parent’s background I see it as her having been taken in by performers or she spent a lot of time in a theater.

Card Two: The crows can be seen as a violent taking of that which was loved. Murder, theft, or other shocking event occurring. In this case I can mix the childhood event of betrayal and the influential associate of the fiend. She was betrayed by someone she trusted to a cult that used her as a vessel for an evil spirit.

Card Three: A talent represented by the juggler could be the ability to play with fate, or just the base ability to keep many things balanced at once to achieve a goal. The ability to mess with fate would definitely lend itself to an oracle.

Card Four: A tragedy is what the avalanche card represents. One possible future. With all the other cards in play I think this one truly put her in the path of an oracle. She can see a tragedy, impending doom, and she’s not sure what. Can she stop it, or even figure out what it is before it’s too late?

Unitostiona Thremere

Adventure and excitement are what many young folk crave. The chance to see the world can even overcome common sense. Gerard Thremere and Lianna Crovern were young and in love, and wanted to get away from their families and just be free. So they ran away. They stole money from their families and boarded the first ship out of Egorian and ended up in the Osirian capital of Sothis.

In the real world love is not always enough to conquer all, and when the money quickly ran out the two young Chelaxians found themselves on the streets of a foreign city. Although life was rough, the two had some small talent to play. Gerard had mastered juggling as taught by a jester his family hired on occasion. For her part, Lianna was an excellent dancer. But Sothis was full of street performers and the duo eventually moved on.

Travelling down the river Sphinx, the young lovers eventually ended up in the scholar city of Tephu. Their trek was not without its share of trials. The river boat was attacked in the night on three occasions and two of the other passengers were lost. Gerard came away with a wounded leg, which never healed correctly.

Tephu was better to them than Sothis had been. Its pursuit of knowledge of all kinds also left it open to the arts. There was theater, poetry, dance, and song to be found all about. The life of the entertainer never brought them much, but the idealism of youth and love saw them through. By the time she was seventeen Lianna was pregnant with their only child.

The birth of Unisotiona was a joyous occasion. She showed signs of Azlanti blood, which cropped up on occasion in Gerard’s line. The parents had high hopes for their daughter and it strengthened their resolve. Sadly that joy would soon be dashed when Gerard was murdered on the streets one night after coming home from a performance. His wife and newborn child now left without him, his death a tragedy at such a young age.

Lianna managed to march on and many of Gerard’s friends in the close-knit entertainer’s community helped raise the young one. Unis, as most of the performers called her, took naturally to performing. She was especially adept at juggling like her father. She could wow a crowd but she had problems reading them. She never quite understood the nuance of human emotion.

When she was thirteen Unisotiona’s mother died as well. This left the young juggler with nowhere to turn but the entertainers of Tephu. She practically lived in the theater and worked behind the scenes to pay her way. It was here that she fell in love with Mehren, a young Osirian boy. Sadly her idealism and lack of emotional understanding would be her undoing.

Like her parents, Unis’ love was blinding, she set to run off with Mehren and be wed. But Mehren and his family were members of a cult of the serpent god Apep the Deceiver. The young Osirian brought Unis to be sacrificed, but instead for reasons unknown to even his cultists, Apep choose to bind a demon to the young performer.

With the demon’s aid Unis escaped the cult. In the blinding flash of pure hunger she took a bite out of Mehren with a vile distended jaw. Escape from the cult, however, wasn’t escape from the thing inside of her. For years Unis had to fend off the ever growing need to devour that wracked not only her body but her soul. The creature would aid her sometimes, in exchange for the young performer gorging herself.

For three years this remained Unis’ life, until the day the Demon was excised. A soft voice eased her soul and spoke of potential. It understood loss but it also understood joy. The light in the darkness wanted her to inspire the potential in others and not lose her own love of life. It removed her demon, although the hunger remained, and showed her the potential in her by easing her through her first transformation into the reptile in her blood.

The blood of a shapechanger is no easy fate to live with, nor is a demonic hunger. What would you have done with these stats? What class would you have picked? How would you have interpreted each card in the reading?

Just as Unistiona is captivating, I hope that the CRB has captured your imagination. If so please consider becoming a contributor to my Patreon. If you’d like to see what else the CRB is up to, join me on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all venues.

Random Roll 52 - The Randomness

How does a Chelaxian of obvious Azlanti descent end up in the deserts of Osirian? Where does the blood of a Werecrocodile start its journey into her family tree? What does her lack of wisdom mean? Is she forgetful? Or maybe oblivious? What class does a charismatic crocodilian take?

Because it went over well I have kept the harrow reading. I will work it into my character but if you don’t want to you do not need to. Let’s see who’s up to the challenge.

Gender: Female

Race: Skinwalker – Scaleheart (Werecrocodle-Kin)

Human Ethnicity: Predominantly Chelaxian but with visible traces of Azlanti blood.

Nationality: Osirian

Age: 16
Height: 5’ 0”
Weight: 135bs

Alignment: Neutral Good

Str: 10 (12 when shifted)

Dex: 14

Con:  14

Int: 10

Wis: 5

Cha: 18

Homeland: City or Metropolis

Parents: Both of your parents are dead.

Siblings: You have no sibling.

Circumstance of Birth: [Lower-Class Birth] You were born among peasants or slum denizens. You grew up working the land around a village or manor, practicing a rudimentary trade, or begging in a settlement.

Parent's Profession: Entertainerss

Major Childhood Event: [Betrayal] A friend or family member whom you trusted more than anyone else betrayed you. You have never fully trusted anyone since and prefer to rely on your own abilities rather than place your trust in others.

Influential Associate: [The Fiend] In your adolescent years, you dealt with or were possessed by a fiend who lent you raw power at a time of great need. This experience tainted your body and mind and changed your life. Some part of the demon remains inside you like an old friend, influencing you toward destructive ends.

Conflict: [Broke a Promise] You swore an oath or vow that was important to someone else, but you did not keep your promise.

Conflict Subject: Enemy or rival.

Conflict Motivation: Amusement or Entertainment.

Conflict Resolution: [Secret Regret] You regret the conflict, but go to great lengths to keep it secret and try desperately to forget it ever happened. Only you and maybe a select few people know of your involvement in the conflict.

Deity/Religious Philosophy: Lythertida

      

Romantic Relationship(s): [Current Lover] You are currently involved in a romantic relationship.

Drawback: [Reputation or Fame] You’ve worked hard to establish your identity and reputation, and someone who slanders or insults you must answer for it. You strive to promote your identity to the point where everyone knows your reputation.

(Trait) Civilized

(Trait) Possessed

(Trait) Poverty-Stricken

(Trait) Suspicious

(Trait) Talented

(Trait) Tireless Logic

(Trait) Vagabond Child

(Story Feat) Damned

(Story Feat) True Love

(Drawback) Vain

Harrow Reading

We read the cards in the cross pattern.  Card one being where the character came from, card two an important event in the characters life, card three represents a talent the character will have , and card four represents where the character is going. Surrounded by the signifier that represents the character.

Signifier card: The Theater (neutral good, Charisma) is the card of true rophecy. The puppets act out a scene, just as the prophet acts out a scene in which she has no part. The prophet is the audience and the prophecy is the show. She has no influence on what she sees, and its importance is often not recognized until too late.

Card one: The Publican (chaotic good, Wisdom) represents fellowship and camaraderie, and a place of refuge for those in need. Most would find the cyclops inconsequential, but he has insights relevant to the reading or a quest..

Card Two: The Crows (neutral evil, Dexterity) are a dangerous bunch who indicate violent taking of that which is loved. When The Crows appear, murder, theft, or other shocking loss occurs.

Card Three: The Juggler (chaotic good, Dexterity) represents fate, the gods, or those who play with the lives and destinies of others. If this titanic Juggler can keep up his rhythm, he will achieve his goals.

Card Four: The Avalanche (lawful evil, Dexterity) is disaster. It is an unthinking, unreasoning thing that overruns all who get in its way. It can represent physical disaster or the disaster that comes from a panicked crowd or other unthinking group or entity.

In the comments please tell us what character you would make with these disparate pieces information? What class would this Skinwalker naturally gravitate towards? Who is this worshiper Lythertida, The Voiceless Tragedy? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider (that’s me) by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle

Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Google+, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Character Exploration 39 - Azok Lanalan

Coldborn skinwalkers, humans with werebear ancestry somewhere along the line that allows them minor forms of shapechanging. Our randomly rolled character, however, is not like your typical werebear-kin in that he isn’t particularly strong or hardy. The blood in his veins may not give him the vast strength of his ancestors but it has made him gruff or possibly overly hairy. He is from a family that were once slaves but are now free and working the land. The background possibilities are endless but in the end I decided to go with ranger as his class.

Because I chose ranger I also rolled on the ranger random chart and got the following:

Ranger Training: [Survivalist] You were orphaned at a young age and left to fend for yourself in the wilds, or simply lived a life at the edge of society that required a constant scrabble for basic existence. You probably have animals or magical beasts (the edible ones) as your dominant favored enemy, and are adept at lying in wait and springing into action. You gain access to the Hunter's Knack combat trait.

I usually don’t talk a lot about the stats in these character backgrounds but this particular character is built around the idea that he will take certain feats and certain class archetypes. First I’m going to tell the tale before I lay out some of the stuff I’ve chosen. So stay tuned after the character background for some build advice for this character.

Azok Lanalan

Life in Cheliax as a slave meant that your family were also slaves. Azok’s mother and father had been taken separately by slavers on the inner sea and sold into bondage in Cheliax. Amidst all the terrors of slavery they fell in love, although they could not marry in the eyes of Cheliaxian law. They did bear children and Azok was the fifth of their brood.

Azok’s parents longed for freedom, not just for themselves but for their children. It was this hope for their children’s future that entwined them with the paladins of the Westcrown rebellion and the Andoran Eagle Knights. In the dead of night when Azok was nine the family fled with the aid of the rebels. They ended up in Westcrown to lay low for a while.

The plan was always to relocate, but the family lived in a safe house for a few months for their own safety. During this time Azok became friendly with a young man with cloudy white eyes. The man was a seer and he liked the boy, often playing games and telling stories to keep him occupied and soothe his fears. When the family left he took the boy to the side and told him that they were very much the same, that one day he too would have to give up his eyes, but in doing so he would protect his family.

The trips from Westcrown across the border into Andoran was perilous. Sailing was too dangerous with the Cheliaxian fleet always on the lookout for contraband and escaped slaves. The Eagle Knights took the family over land. The trek led up the coast, into the Whisper Wood, and eventually through a pass in the Aspodell Mountains ending up in Andoran.

This was a trek the knights made many times, but this time tragedy fell in the Whisper Wood. Two bears larger than Azok had ever seen or heard of—even in books—attacked the party. A half dozen knights went down but the family and the rest made their escape, except for Azok. In the confusion the boy ran. He ran so far and so fast that when he stopped he realized he was alone.

For the first few days Azok tried to stay put. He assumed that the knights would eventually find him if he stayed where he was. After the fourth day he went searching for them. Without any clue of what to do, not knowing the direction in which his family went, and not wanting to go back to a life of slavery, the nearing-ten-year-old began to learn to live in the forest. For some reason this came as second nature to the boy.

Although Azok learned quickly by watching the animals of the forest which berries and plants were good to eat, he eventually needed to find more filling food sources. Hunting became necessary after the first few weeks and it was a skill Azok took to naturally. His first kill was a small deer which was drinking from the creek all the animals came to. It was almost too easy to pierce its neck with the crude spear he carved from a branch.

Azok spent three and a half years living off the land; hunting, surviving, and avoiding patrols from the Hellknights searching escaped slaves. When he was fourteen he ran across another troop of Eagle Knights leading slaves through the woods. Two of them were in the troupe that led him and his family those many years ago. With joyful hearts they led the boy to his kin.

When Azok finally reached the homestead of his family, they had taken up a farm outside the city of Oregent near the Arthenfell Forest. His mother embraced him with a hug as it had been four long years since the last time they saw each other. She also introduced him to his new little brother. He wasn’t alone anymore and he was happy, although his time in the forest had changed him.

When he made trips to Oregent with his father he always felt like an outsider. The other teens called him “the wild boy”. All he wanted was to be accepted, but his time alone had left him without an understanding of the social cues others did. Still, through his young adult years he had quite a few relationships. His constant desire for approval, however, made him come off as needy which ended most of these dalliances. There was one that made a particular impression on his heart; the one that got away. At the end of the relationship he stole an expensive locket from her, a family heirloom, so as to always have her near.

Although the farmlands of Andoran were mostly safe, the nearby woods were not. When his younger brother lost his way in the woods Azok went in to find him without hesitation. His brother had stumbled into the path of one of the woods denizens, a large wolf. The boy came upon his cornered brother and stepped in to defend him. The battle was fierce and the wolf managed to knock him flat making him lose his knife. For the first time since the Whisper Wood he thought he might die and that’s when the change happened.

Azok’s body grew heavier and thicker, sprouting dense wiry hair as his nose elongated into more of a snout  and from his fingers extended razor sharp claws. The tide turned and the changed boy managed to kill the wolf, but in the process his face was clawed badly. He lost the use of both of his eyes and his face was covered in scars left behind by the creature’s sharp claws. His brother, however, was saved and that is all that mattered. Thinking back, he realized the prophecy of the white-eyed man in Westcrown had come true.

Unsure of himself and his life, Azok took to spending more time in the woods; mastering his ability to shift his form. He learned to focus on his animal nature, mostly the blood that ran through his veins which brought forth a bear’s endurance. He found that he could, with force of will, muster other abilities. He also learned to fight blindly, both with and without his enhanced senses.

All the physical training in the world was not enough to soothe the pain in Azok’s soul. Most considered him a freak. He felt sorry for himself because of his eyes, and due to his time alone in the woods, his survivalist nature made him feel separate and alone. In his search for inner peace to quell his anger and pain, he found Vildeis, the Cardinal Martyr. As he had lost his eyes so she had given them up willingly that she wouldn’t have to look upon evil. With this guidance Azok left home once more, this time to emulate his patron and fight evil in the world. He pledged to give his all so that others do not have to, even if that eventually means his death.

Rules Stuff

First off, he’s going to take three archetypes for ranger. Shapeshifter, which gives up favored terrain, camouflage and Master Hunter for the ability to add animalistic traits and eventually shapeshift fully into an animal form. Wild Hunter gives up favored enemy, woodland stride, and swift tracker to use the Hunter’s animal focus ability and share it with either your animal companion or one ally. And lastly, skirmisher, just cause I hate spellcasting and he has a low Wis anyway.

All of these changes allow for a character that is very much in tune with his shapeshifting nature. I thought it all went very well with the character background and is a way to intertwine mechanics with story. Some people don’t like over use of archetypes. I think it’s great, when it makes sense.

Feats are another thing that are important to a build. There is a new line of style feats called Blinded blade style and, of course, the blind-fighting line of feats to counteract his actual blindness. The high Dex low Str means I chose weapon finesse as the first feat because it can apply to natural weapons. He has to take the natural weapon combat style feats, so improved natural attack and eldritch claws are on the list as well. Lastly, at fourth level he’ll take his bonus ability in Con making it 13 which qualifies him for the extra feature feat so his natural shape-changing ability gets more powerful and stays within the theme of the character

So that’s the character I made, but what did you do? What is your story for these stats? How did he come to follow Vildeis? Where and why were his family slaves? Tell me in the comments.

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Random Roll 39 - The Randomness

A new race for me this time around, a skinwalker. In this case our lycanthrope blooded character is of were bear decent. Smart and nimble but with an incredibly low charisma. Maybe he’s ugly, gruff or socially inept. Maybe he’s all three. From a large family formerly slaves but now freeholders in the democracy of Andoran. Apparently he’ll do anything for love, craving social acceptance, although even with his low charisma he’s flittered through quite a few relationships. But ow did he come to be a devotee of the Cardinal Martyr, the Empyreal Lord Vildies?

Race: Skinwalker (Coldborn Werebear-kin)
Human Ethnicity: Taldane
Nationality: Andoran

Age: 16
Height: 6’ 0”
Weight: 200lbs

Alignment:

Str: 10

Dex: 18

Con: 12

Int: 15

Wis: 10 (12)

Cha: 6

Homeland: Town or Village
Parents: Both of your parents are alive.
Siblings: You have 5 biological siblings.
- biological older sister
- biological older brother
- biological younger brother
- biological older brother
- biological older brother
Circumstance of Birth: [Born into Bondage] You were born into slavery or servitude. Your parents are likely slaves or servants, or you were sold into slavery as an infant.
Parent's Profession: Yeomen
Major Childhood Event: [First Kill] You've had blood on your hands since your youth, when you first took the life of another creature. Whether this act repulsed you or gave you pleasure, it was a formative experience.

Influential Associate: [The Seer] You were close to a person who claimed to see the future—perhaps an oracle, seer, prophet, or merely some festival charlatan. Whether they're true or a trick, you've seen visions of distant places and of times that may come to pass. The seer's influence either made you into an optimist with a drive to change the future or a fatalist resigned to accept it.

Conflict: [Major Theft] You stole expensive items.
Conflict Subject: Lover or former lover.
Conflict Motivation: Love.
Conflict Resolution: [Denial] You feel little if any regret, and deny the event mostly so others won’t judge you. Few if any know of your part in the conflict, and your constant denials are meant to keep it that way.
Deity/Religious Philosophy: Vildeis

Romantic Relationship(s): [Several Significant Relationships] You’ve engaged in a number of partnerships, but for some reason or another your relationships always fail.
Drawback: [Social Acceptance] You want others to accept you, to believe you’re special and worthy of merit. You are self-conscious about your social flaws and breaches of etiquette. Rejection is among your greatest fears. You might go to extraordinary lengths to be accepted by or seek favor from your peers.

Available Traits/Feats/Drawbacks

(Trait) Killer

(Trait) Kin Guardian

(Trait) Life of Toil

(Trait) Militia Veteran

(Trait) Savanna Child

(Trait) Scholar of the Great Beyond

(Trait) Undead Slayer

(Story Feat) Innocent Blood

(Drawback) Dependent

In the comments please tell us what character you would make with this information? What class would he naturally gravitate too? Who is this werebear-kin with the huge family? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

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