CRB is a repository of all the creative things that float through my mind about the RPG Pathfinder. Two major features are random character generation and building characters based on the god they worship. Anything that seems like it adds to the creative aspects of the game will pop up from time to time, including location descriptions, adventure ideas and even short stories. CRB won't just be my own creativity, it will open the floor to anyone who has an idea sparked by what I present to you.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Character Exploration 42 - Najila Dunestrider

I like the idea that planar-blooded creatures are not just from human stock. This premise was brought up in Pathfinder for aasimar and teiflings but I also apply it to the elemental planar-blooded creatures. We saw this first with my orc oread and most recently with my elf undine. This week I work with my third oread character, one of halfling stock. A twin with great strength and dexterity as well as decent amount of will. From the sandy lands of Qadira, a satrapy of the Kelesh Empire. The question I answer today from the random stats and background information is “who is this character”?

Quick moving but strong with a trickster god for a patron, I decided to go with brawler as a class. Sometimes when all the jokes go wrong, she needs to fight her way out of a situation. I also like to think that the brawler’s martial flexibility represents her ability to read people and adapt to situations as needed. With that in mind I see Snake Style’s use of Sense Motive as a means to make attacks hit harder and to riposte against missed attack as something this character might take.

Najila Dunestrider

In the Keleshish Empire halflings are considered incredibly lucky. To this end many halflings travel with caravans so that their luck might rub off on the trade expedition. Many enterprising halflings have not only taken up jobs as luck bringers in caravans, but have laid claim to some of the many oases across the empire to create their own caravan stops. These stops, in many cases, have sprung into full-fledged halfling settlements, one of which is where Najila and her twin brother Nen was born.

The Dunestrider family had lived at the Abassia Oasis settlement for many generations. Both of Najila’s parents were excellent potters whose work was sought out by many along the trade route. Beyond their dedication to their craft, the Dunestrider clan also had a penchant for shrewd investment. Although not rich by any means, growing up Najilia wanted for very little.

Najila and her brother were as opposite as could be, but they were also inseparable. Like many twins they seemed to almost know each other’s thoughts. Before they could fully speak halfling, they had a language all their own which they used to communicate. This secret tongue meant the two siblings often kept things hidden from others, as they would only confide in each other.

Although not identical Nijila and Nen were similar in appearance, enough so that only their parents could tell them apart. When they hit puberty, however, their true differences began to manifest. Najila stopped growing altogether and was shorter than most other halflings, although her body proportions stayed the same she felt heavier than most. Her brown hair became the color of sand and her skin took on an almost grainy texture. Like many in the Kelesh Empire the blood of a genie, in this case a Shaitan, flowed through her veins.

Her brother, who had always been her opposite, also showed signs of genie blood. He manifested the earth’s opposite with the watery traits of a Marid. Even though their differences became more pronounced, the two could never be separated, they lived for each other and always would. And like sand and water the pair was always mud in someone’s eye.

Into their formative years, the two halfling twins lacked the hard-working trait for which generations of their family had been renowned. Najila and Nen were more interested in having fun than working hard. The two were constant practical jokers who were the only ones in on their little pranks. Although not overly bound to religious matters themselves, many claimed they were children of the Empyreal Lord Picoperi.

Their jokes never really went too far, at least not in their own eyes. When a haughty sorcerer came through town hawking his wares and flashing his power, the two jokers knew just what to do. A bit of acting on Nen’s part and a little white lie sent all the sorcerer’s snake oil into the oasis pool with no money to show for it. Suffice it to say, the finger wiggler wasn’t at all happy about it.

Where Nen was a master of words and could talk a camel out of a drink of water, Najila was a master of fists. Their jokes would occasionally get them into trouble with a capital “T” and when Nen couldn’t talk their way out of it Najila would make sure no harm came to either of them. One of her best traits as a fighter wasn’t how hard she hit but how well she read people. She could usually see a strike coming from a mile away just by reading her opponent.

The only thing the pair had in common was a certain sense of pride. They each thought they were the best there was at what they did. The problem became that they also felt they were too big for the small town. When a younger sister was born, the two decided it was time to strike out into the larger world. Sad to see them go, their parents revealed to them their “Grams” had left them an investment. When they cashed out, the twins had more than enough money to get them to any city on Golarion.

With money burning a hole in their pockets and the need for adventure burning a hole in their soul, Najila and Nen set out on the next caravan into the larger world. What Golarion holds for them only Picoperi knows, and he ain’t telling because that’s the big joke.

And there you have my little halfling oread, but is this what you would have made? Does brawler fit your thinking or is another class better? Would Picoperi be more prominent in your character’s life or is acceptance of the Empyreal Lord as a patron with minor prayers enough? What would you have done different?

Tricksters are needed because they teach us much about the world through their jokes. The CRB tries to expand our knowledge of the gaming world by examining it much the same. If the CRB has helped you expand your gaming repertoire, please consider donating to my Patreon. The CRB is also becoming a large community on social media; come join us on G+, Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. My inbox is always open on all accounts.

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