PF-erized Expedition to Castle Ravenloft

[TheGlyphstone]

Ebron Stavros, Lawful Good Warder 6

At first glance, Ebron looks to have stepped straight from the verses of a bardic epic. He is tall, muscular, and handsome, blue of eye and gold of hair. Clad in shining steel plate and sporting a beautifully embossed spiked shield alongside his sword, he seems every inch the epitome of a devoted holy warrior. But it's the second glance that most people remember, when they look behind him and see the shadow he casts; a hulking, misshapen brute laden with horns and spines and wicked claws. Nor does it passively copy his movements, instead putting a malicious twist into them wherever it can - an open hand becomes a brandished claw or obscene gesture, and a concerned lean turns into a menacing loom. Only in shadows, and darkness, is he free of its presence, for it is the only betraying sign of his true heritage. Ebron is not the human he appears, but a tiefling, with ancestry tracing back to some very powerful fiend - believed, in fact, to be Asmodeus himself.

That, at least, was the belief of his parents, themselves tieflings and members of an infernal cult worshiping the Lord of Hell. They were, all of them, wicked to the core and willing to stop at nothing to serve the interests of their devilish masters (and to earn their favor). When their child was born a seemingly normal human baby, devoid of any sign of his infernal heritage, it was taken as a great loss and dire omen. Only by offering up the child in death could the cult restore their status, and so Ebron's own mother had readied a sacrificial knife over him on the altar. His salvation came in the nick of time, in the form of a aasimar warrior sworn to follow the Empyreal Guardians. A cult of holy warriors, they held to the teachings of a renegade Solar, Al'asadriel, and his doctrine to protect the weak and innocent from those who would harm them at any cost. In search of their missing idol, this warrior - Samothar Stavros - had been tracking the cult to their lair, interrupting the ceremony and rescuing the baby he found. Taking the child as his own, the aging warrior taught the boy everything he knew about defending and protecting others, including the secret mystic arts of the Silver Crane passed down from Al'asadriel himself to his disciples. In the process, he instilled young Ebron with a belief in the power of redemption that went to the core of his soul; a tainted and fiendish soul only expressed in his shadow, but as he had been shown mercy in darkness, so could he bring light and justice to the world in spite of all he was meant to become.

[Blinkin]

Gack! A bunch of whiter than white goody-too-shoes who wouldn't know what to do with a woman. *sighs*

lol Just being silly.

[TheGlyphstone]

Bah, that's nonsense. What better way to celebrate life and light than to do it through love?

As long as the lights are off, that is. :D

[Chulanowa]

well y'know, lawful good doesn't mean chaste and naive  ;D Nothing more fun than playing the Noble playboy paladin. "Ma'am, do you need me to lay hands?"

[TheGlyphstone]

Coming Soon: Holy Warriors Gone Wild.

[Blinkin]

Wow, for the first time in memory, it's a group that's not 90

[TheGlyphstone]

90 what?

[Veinexes]

Greeck, LG, Goblin Gunslinger

Greeck was born a simple goblin, as all of his brethren he knew only the the basics of their simple life.  In oe of the older groups raids they returned with a strange cap that they all seemed to fear.  Putting the cap on caused them to shift forms to appear as a a small human child or gnome, either way most of the goblins were scared of the item, fearing the magic it possessed.  Greeck saw it as an opportunity, waiting until the others were not paying attention he snuck off with the item and donned it, fully intending to use the guise to plunder from the nearby human settlement.

He was caught almost immediately by the guard when entering.  Taken to the town's church which was being used to house children without homes the clerics thanked the  guard and hurried him inside.  He fought with them at first but soon gave up on escape as he was given a warm bed and some fantastic tasting gruel.  He was discovered as a goblin days later and was about to be cast out before reciting some of the lines he heard the priests say nights before.  The clergy, impressed with him and thinking highly that they were such good teachers, kept him on though in secret.

He learned much of the church while they kept him in happy, warm, and well fed surrondings.  This led to him gaining a love of the hedonistic lifestyle, until they themselves were raided by the guard.  Apparently Greeck was not as well kept a secret as they thought.  Taken before the Inquisitors Greeck faced execution before offering his services to the guard, they found him very skilled with firearms after being trained and with a carrot and stick method of training soon had a loyal goblin gunner.  Greeck was branded when he left the town, the brand said to punish him if he would ever preform an evil deed.  Though a bluff he believed it and has since dedicated himself to lawfullness and good deeds, hopeful that the brand remains benign .

[Zaer Darkwail]

I take bite :P

Name: Iorthir Icesong the Half-Born
Race: Half-Elf
Class: Figther (Viking archtype) 6
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Backstory:

Wall of text warning

Iorthir was born twenty five years ago to a elven warrioress Elestra Icesong, Elestra had been raped by human soldiers whom she had fought in battle in a border dispute. She had been captured and raped over and over again but she remained unbroken, then she was rescued by her comrades from the slave camp and brought back home to the north but she was deeply in pregnancy and there was no way safely stop the pregnancy so she had to carry through it. However her harsh treatment along with pregancy made her body weak and she caught sickness which weakened her body further with fever and she died while giving birth to Iorthir.

Now, Elestra's family saw the half-breed nothing more than disgusting reminder of Elestra's treatment and not part of their tribe. So following customs of their people how they treat infants which are born with defects is just carry child into wilds and placed there to die during the winter and devoured by whatever happens come across the newborn child. However quirk of fate pack of wolves moved into area and heard cries of newborn baby, in the pack there was female wolf which had lost all pups recently on disease which had infested on their earlier den and mother instincts kicked in and the female wolf then started take care of the half-elf baby and nurse it.

Ten years later a local aged elf ranger Jalik 'Strider' Frostbranch heard rumors about a 'wolfman' in the woods, spotted by some local herders running with pack of wolves. Suspecting a werewolf Jalik started track the wolf pack and seek slay the werewolf before further trouble arises from such. However he was surprised as he tracked the pack and got closer look on the wolfman to see it was a half-elf child....living and communing with wolves like one pack members and hunting alongside with them! Jalik had to make hard decision and decided he has to capture the wolfman, as a half-elf child's natural place is not in the wolfpack. Albeit it's weird miracle itself but he knows this is not natural as child was different species than the wolves around it.

So, Jalik hunted the child but now different purpose, he manages lure child onto trap after a day and then drag child on his cabin and start a very long process taming the child. He himself dislike the term but that very much was it; as child was feral and completely like a wolf. So it took good two years of patience and daily interaction before child was anyway presentable shape to talk, use tools, wear clothes and understand most concepts like other humanoids do than animals. Jalik named child as Iorthir, which is for elven 'wolf born'. However he also asked around had anyone lost half-elven children around the community and so far none came up.....expect until he came across Icesong tribe who told one their own had given birth of one but they had thrown the child into forest....which to Jalik was monstrous deed for innocent child but tribe was adamant on their judgement. Also tribe elders were shocked to learn the child which they had thought dead long gone along with mother had actually survived!

This caused uproar especially amongst Eleste's close family, especially on her brother who swore to kill the bastard but elders forbid it; as laws are clear if child survived on it's own without aid of the tribe in the woods as newborn (even if taken care by wolves), the child is considered part of the tribe by sheer act of preservence and sign of nature spirits to accept the child in. So Jalik introduced Iorthir to his relatives....and overall things did not go very well at all as he lived amongst them. As Iorthir was bullied, mistreated and called 'half-born' daily basis. Iorthir was unhappy and wanted live with Jalik than with his people (or back in wolf pack). However Jalik was firm in keeping Iorthir on the tribe where he truly belonged but he promised visit Iorthir regularly to check up on him and take him on hunting trips.

Thanks being bullied Iorthir made no friends from the tribe, only elders were neutral but even they viewed him as 'lesser' than pureblood members of the tribe. So not much was expected from him. Iorthir listened and heard about tribal warriors and he sought mentor for himself but all potential candidates laughed on him and dismissed him. However warriors gained recogniction in the culture despite what their race or origin were, naturally tribe's own warriors were highly praised but they gave praises for select few non-elven warriors as well and given honorifics.....so Iorthir saw becoming a warrior only way to gain acceptance!

So, without mentor he started to train and work hard, just himself. He stole wooden toy sword and started hammer in the forest, recall how he had hunt with the pack and started adopt their tactics and methods for his movements and attacks which carry a ferocious power. This lasted for several years until he reached age of seventeen, a age where he could undertake rites of adulthood and considered as adult by tribes standards. However his request was denied, as he had no parents then only his closest male relative, his uncle, would be able vouch for him to get approval. But as uncle still hated the half-breed, hated what humans had done to his precious sister, he spitefully denied Iorthir no chance to get recognized adult and planned him always considered as a child. A worthless child at that.

This angered Iorthir and he ran off, stealing armor and weapons from tribe's armory he then set out from the tribe and started travel in the world. To prove he is something worth to talk about and recognized fully as adult by tribe's standards! Since then he has recklesly ran into conflicts as a hired sword, learning along way from more experienced warriors the tricks of the trade, short brush up and update his skills. He grew into a fearsome warrior in battle and although he got little to no acceptance from his own people he found more than plenty acceptance from other races who appreciated his skills with the blade and shield. Along his travels he rescued a dwarven priest of Moradin who was also gifted smith, as reward saving his life he forged Skyfire, a excellent bastard sword which steely surface shines like northern skyfires during coldest of nights in his homeland. A blade worthy of a legend or good story.

One most peculiar case during his years was that he fell in love for a jeweler, a half-elf called Janessa. Iorthir and Janessa came different backgrounds, Janessa was born to half-elf parents and had lived cities most of her life while Iorthir came from a fearsome northern elf raider tribes from middle of frozen wilderness and raised by wolves. But despite differences they connected and she helped him great deal to get accept that him to try become part of a tribe which hates him is not a good idea or that tribe was not worthy of him. She was also one who tempted Iorthir to settle down, live in city with her and become a weaponsmith. Iorthir at first dismissed this thought but over three years dating her, sharing nights of passion and her charm started gnaw the heart of the warrior to consider put down his sword Skyfire on fireplace decoration and become a weaponsmith. As he after all knew what good weapon and blade feels in his arms after all.

But seems fate will not have his road go that way, instead after coming from tavern meeting local friends he gets to home where Janessa was living in...her shop broken in and her lay bloodied in floor as whatever broke in had slaugthered her like a sheep with a clawed hands! Iorthir went mad with sadness and mourning and he attended her funeral along with her family, even if not married to her yet he was counted already part of the family by her side. He investigated the crime scene and only thing stolen was peculiar bracelet which she had purchased from shady traveler and he tracked down where traveler had went to; he had got clues where the seller of the bracer had went to and he is tracking him down to beat some answers out from him.....what hell exact for Janessa died!

[PaleEnchantress]

I don't suppose the denizens of castle Ravenloft are recruiting? I thought I might at least ask. . . .

[TheGlyphstone]

I don't suppose the denizens of castle Ravenloft are recruiting? I thought I might at least ask. . . .

You and your Lichloved prerequisites can just skedaddle right on out of here, yo.

[PaleEnchantress]

You and your Lichloved prerequisites can just skedaddle right on out of here, yo.

But I'm soo good with them. . .

[LisztesFerenc]

  Okay, some very interesting character concepts, I'll take a closer look at them all later today hopefully.

  For now, background skills are allowed, you will have 10 points for them. Also, you will be unlikely to get more during this adventure, as there will be little to no down time until the module is complete.

  Background skills can be found here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/background-skills


The short version is you get 10 extra skill points that can only be used on the following skills (including 2 new ones):

Appraise
Artistry (int) - Creating something artistic not covered by craft or perform, such as writing a song or play or criticism of another's work.
Craft
Handle Animal
Knowledge (engineering)
Knowledge (geography)
Knowledge (history)
Knowledge (nobility)
Linguistics
Lore (int, trained only) - A more specific knowledge. Possible categories include a specific monastery, a single, small settlement, the spice trade, tea or frost griant.
Perform
Profession
Sleight of Hand

[Muse]

Melisandre Whitethorn

Alignment:      Chaotic Good
Class:      Alchemist 6
EXP:         15,000
Next Level:   21,000
Faith:         Mystra and Gond
Race:         Sun Elf
   
Age:         115
Birthday:      11th of Tarsahk
Gender:      Female
height:      5’11”
Weight:      101 lbs
Measures:       
Skin:         Bronze complexion with intricate golden facial tattoos.  Her hair is platinum blond, and her eyes more clearly purple than the first girl. 
Hair:         Platinum blond with golden highlights. 
Eyes:      Vibrant purple. 
Style:      Melisandre has golden earrings with chains, and wears a little ciruclar pendant on a fine chain around her throat.  Her top is also skimpy and scoop-necked.  It's white. 

[Chulanowa]

I've got a Gnome hydrokineticist in the works. Which was a Dwarven geokineticist. Which was a goblin pyrokineticist. I must resist the temptation to make a gnoll phytokineticist! get my own damn Team Avatar going here.

[TheGlyphstone]

Wouldn't that be a gnoll aerokineticist?

[Chulanowa]

Wouldn't that be a gnoll aerokineticist?

She'd be one of those hillbilly plant-benders.  ;D

[Chulanowa]

Name: Keely Truffwhizzit
Class: Kineticist 6 (Sheet)
Race: Gnome

Background

   Life as a merchant's daughter would have been
lovely. Just  normal young gnome, enjoying the fruits of
discovery and trade like any other. Sadly that isn't what
the world had in store for Keely, even if her story starts
that way. A child of privilege, she rarely wanted for anything,
except perhaps more leeway in her behavior. She enjoyed
the fine parties thrown by her parents, the company of
well-heeled nobles of all stripes, and the finest education
that could be bought. Lesson in illusion and magic were
tiresome, but the long dance practices and recitals were
pure joy.

   But her parents weren't the type to just let their child
eat off the fruits of their own labor, no sir! Melzimikar
Furtwumble lai ddown an ultimatum to his daughter when
she was of age; she could either seek schooling in a prestigious
arcane academy, or learn the family trade aboard
one of his ships. It wasn't really a choice; Keely had little
interest in magic, and the promise of seeing the world
unfurl before her between the waves was too much to
pass up.
   
   For several years, she worked aboard a coastal ship,
serving on deck as well as in book-keeping. It wasn't her
greatest set of talents, maybe, but she enjoyed it! Well,
most of it. During the spring, terrible storms wracked the
coast, and most captains kept their ships in port when a
squall came up. Not captain Largren, through. Oh no. That
orc-brained, well, half-orc was dedicated to his schedule and,
to his credit probably the luckiest captain plying the coast. He
sailed through the storms like they weren't even there, and
Melsmikar trusted the man perfectly.

   But everyone's luck runs out eventually. A savage storm
took the ship quickly at dusk, and no amount of fighting could
stop it. Keely was with the rest of the crew pulling the lines
and securing hatches. Five sailors swear in their mothers' good
names that the storm just picked the little gnome up, and hurled
her away into the rain. when it was over, the Cloud Chaser
was lifeless in the water, its mast snapped, several others of the
crew washed away into the depths, and a belly full of gems ripe
for the taking. Pirates were not long in noticing, and as the black-flagged
Iron Promise came closer, captain Largren resigned himself
to a last battle.

   It never came. The pirate ship lurched and leaned, shuddered
as if taking blows. As the crew of Cloud chaser watched, the
pirates turned and changed course, even as a flame broke out on
deck. As surprising as that was, nothing prepared them for the sight
of Keely, scudding over the waves on a cushion of cloud, her eyes
crackling with energy. The little gnome slept for three days straight,
and though she had no memory of hte assault on the pirates, she
clearly remembered being tossed in the storm until she couldn't bear
it. Like he was being torn apart and re-built.

   After that, her parents called her hope. for a few months she
was pampered and doted on, a cover for all the academics and mages
that came to talk to Keely and examine her to figure out how she
could do hat she did. Only one seemed to have any idea, a wizened
old elf named Valdomor. The night after he consulted with Keely, she
slipped out from her parents' estate, leaving a note on her father's desk,
promising to write them about her adventures.

   She's since moved away from the coast. Exploring her powers has
taken her to several unlikely places, from a great lake where lightning
never stops, to an elvish city above the mountain clouds. The gnomish
drive of curiosity and interest in weird things has brought her here, to
the seemingly pastoral landscape of Borovia, for the secrets hiding in
the hills.

Personality

   Keely is an explorer. Just as the
wind is always moving, so is she always traveling,
looking to find something new and interesting to
keep her busy for a while. Curiosity and mystery
propel her down the next road, over the next hill.
She's an optimist at heart, and always has an inner
reserve of hope even when things are grim. The
schooled, trained daughter of a prosperous merchant,
she's gregarious and talkative, though a long time
among the rougher elements of society, and plumbing
elemental mysteries have left her a little out of
practice on some things. Dancing is a great joy of
hers, and she'll take almost any opportunity to
indulge. When she sets her mind on something, it's
generally set for good... or at least until something
else captures her attention. She carries a number of
half-started collections with her, and often piddles
away money to add bits and pieces to them.

   In a fight, Keely is fully aware of her physical
shortcomings. Though her natural gnome wiriness, paired
with the rigors of sea and road have left her surprisingly
durable, she's not much use with a weapon in he hands.
Thankfully, her elemental skills more than make up for
this; She'd rather be in the air raining strikes down on
does, than facing an enemy in one-on-one combat.

   When it comes to faith, Keely regards the
goddess Shelyn as paramount, though she recognizes
the value and contributions of other deities and
faiths. Shelyn's love of beauty and the arts is
inspiring, and the goddesses' connection to the power
of air and wind is just another layer of fascination.

   Sexually, Keely is still an explorer. She's
open about her body and her interests. Though she has
a slight preference for larger men and women (something
about being surrounded by a lover) she's had times with
other gnomes and halflings, as well. When it comes to
it, though, her primary interest isn't gender or race,
so much as mind and personality. After all, even if she
were blind, she'd still want to make love now and then,
so what difference appearance? She has little interest
in long-term monogamous romances; being 'tied down" is
the last thing she wants.

Appearance

NSFW

You might expect an aeromancer to be slender, maybe even skinny.
Apparently not; For her three feet of height, she's
surprisingly well-rounded. Thick crimson hair of a shade
only a gnome could be born with drapes in smooth waves
around a plump-cheeked face set with enormous bright blue
eyes and a pert, shallow-bridged nose. Her wide mouth
seems to naturally curl into a smile no matter what; even her
scowl resembles more of a pout. She's clearly had a healthy
diet, leading to a pair of breasts which would be a good
handful for a human's palm, a softly-curved belly,amply-rounded
hips, and shapely rump. She favors skirts and blouses over
trousers and tunics, when unarmored, trending towards blues,
greens, and cream shades that set off her hair. She has a special
fondness for fringed and flowing clothing that can move and shift
while she's dancing or working her element. Even when armored,
she's often clad in scarves and light fabrics over the armor.

[LisztesFerenc]

  Okay, some minor points for character sheet:
TheGlyphstone – Unless I am missing something, Pass For Human requires you to be elf, half-elf or in special circumstances Halfling, so I don’t think a tiefling could take it.
PhantomPistoleer – Nitpick, but beacon of faith increases CL, not DC.
Zaer Darkwail – Celestial Mithral say – “Weapons made from this special material have an increased market price of 2,000 gp. In addition, adding any magical enhancements to a celestial mithral weapon increases its price by 3,000 gp, and they can only be added by a divine caster of a dwarven deity.”
   I’m not sure how to apply that. I think a +1 weapon would cost 7,000gp. 2k for the material, 2k for enchanting and then +3k for the mithril thing. However I can see how it could be read as the 3k being inclusive of the base enchantment cost (basically making the additional costs 1k), so I would be interested in hearing what you and the other players think of this.
Pockets – I don’t have access to the Shattered Psyche oracle curse. What does it do exactly?

Making cuts will be hard. So far, party composition-wise we have:

Pure frontline melee: Warder (TheGlyphstone), Fighter (Zaer Darkwail)
   Frontline melee + healing: Paladin/Oracle (Pockets)
Agile fighter/Skill money: Swashbuckler/Bard (Blinkin)
Ranged martial: Gunslinger (Veinexes)

Divine Caster: Cleric (PhantomPistoleer)
Other Support: Alchemist (Muse), + Is a Kineticist (Chulanowa) one too?

  Did I miss anyone?

[TheGlyphstone]

It's a Tiefling Alternate Racial Trait:

Pass for Human: Discrimination against tieflings with horrifically fiendish features is so intense that even tieflings look up to those precious few of their kind who can pass as human. These tieflings have otherworldly features that are so subtle, they aren't often noticed unless the tiefling points them out (for example, eyes that flash red in the throes of passion, or fingernails that are naturally hard and pointed). Such a tiefling doesn't need to succeed at a Disguise check to appear to be human and count as humanoid (human) as well as outsider (native) for all purposes (such as humanoid-affecting spells like charm person or enlarge person). The tiefling does not automatically gain his associated outsider language (but may select it as a bonus language if his Intelligence score is high enough), and he may not select other racial traits that would grant him obviously fiendish features (such as the fiendish sprinter, maw or claw, prehensile tail, scaled skin, or vestigial wings alternate racial traits). This ability alters the tiefling's type, subtype, and languages. Source PCS:ISR

Entirely different than the Pass For Human feat.

It's worth noting that I am both a frontline melee and healing, since I have 2 maneuvers from the Silver Crane discipline that restore health to myself or a nearby ally.

Oh, and since it's worth asking, one of the other maneuvers I was going to take allows me to strike at a possessing fiend or spirit without harming the person it's possessing. Is an ability like that going to utterly derail anything in the upcoming module, and thus I should swap it out?

[Zaer Darkwail]

Ack, my bad on the pricing of my sword. But indeed good question is is 3K + 2K enchant + 3K extra tax for the enchanting it first time or is it 3K + 3K price wise.

[Chulanowa]

Kineticist is primarily a ranged damage class, actually, with the elements adding variation on the theme.

game blather

Aether - Adds "skillmonkey" abilities to the class, with mage hand, ranged disable device / sleight of hand, etc
Air - "Mobile" and long-range damage. Basically the one that's flying above the battlefield, raining acceptable damage down on everyone's head an evading hits.
Earth - In-your-face damage. Kind of tanky.
Fire - Blastomancer; does the AoE stuff, but kinda crap if anything has decent fire or spell resistance.
Water - Little bit of everything; does moderate damage like air, has good utility, and okay defenses.
Void - Self-buffs, other-guy-debuffs and... undead healing, I guess?
Wood - For all your Colonial Williamsburg craft needs! Seriously wood is silly. One of its abilities is literally "you can garden in a 30-foot range"

it took me forever to "get" this class because it has like a billion abilities. I think the gist of it is that i can hurt myself to hurt hte bad guys. At crazy range, because air has that going for it.

I notice we have a lack of actual arcane casters (1 level of bard doesn't count!) so, I can put up a "plan B" character - a Witch, pr maybe a psychic or occultist (Occult classes + Ravenloft = mi gusta) since, eh, we kinda need it, and I'll be first to admit that Keely's a bit light-hearted for the scenario   :D

[TheGlyphstone]

There's no reason we have to adhere to the class band, really. The lack of a trap specialist will probably hurt us worse than the lack of an arcane caster, if anything.

[Chulanowa]

There's no reason we have to adhere to the class band, really. The lack of a trap specialist will probably hurt us worse than the lack of an arcane caster, if anything.

Your dude has 76 hit points. We'll just have him walk in front.  ;D

[Muse]

  My AC is coming out a lot lower than I wanted.  :) 

  Trap specialist: Yo!  Got you covered.  (Or do you need trap finding to disarm any trap of a normal DC as you do in 3.5?) 

  While I try to bring some utility to the table, I think my theme is probably ranged combat--mostly short range.  ^_^;; 

  If we're short on supernatural combat I can buff my bomb use a little bit.  Otherwise I should probably use my remaining discoveries to become more defensive. (Like the one for self healing.) 

  Gah.  What can I do to get better at overcoming negative levels?