vengeance Antilo Dola, servant of the Church

[Harmen]

Antilo Dola               Map Token  Character Generation Ability Scores: 20 point buy Strength: 16 (14+2) Dexterity: 14 Constitution: 12 Intelligence: 8 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 16 Race: Human, lawful evil Imposter-Wary Bonus feat (Belier's Bite) Gender: Male Class: Unchained Monk (Scaled fist)   Traits: Scion of the Nine Circles Empty Mask Fast Talker Fiendish Confidence Steadfast Personality Reactionary Imposter-warygain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusion spells and effects, 1 free rank in Sense Motive at 1st level, and 1 additional rank in Sense Motive whenever they gain a level. This racial trait replaces skilled. Skill Ranks: 6 (4-int+Sense Motive+Cunning+favoured class) Acrobatics (1) Perception (1), Sense Motive (1), Climb (1), Bluff (1), Intimidate (1)   Background Skill Ranks:  Profession: Scribe (1) Linguistics (1)   Feats: human bonus: bonus skill feat (Cunning) Monk lvl 1 (Dodge) Human bonus feat (Belier's Bite) lvl 1: Additional traits Bonus Languages: Common (Taldan) Infernal, Celestial Hit Points: Max (10+ Con mod+2 (1) + =11 Starting Wealth: 1d6 × 10gp = 60  Equipment Weapons Cost Cestus 5   Adventuring Gear Cost 2x Artisan's outfit 2 common Aritisan's tools (Scribe) 5 Common backpack 5 Jewelry (Asmodean amulet) 40   Funds Remaining: 3 Backstory Give praise to Asmodeus, generous and just!   Have you ever wondered what a life is worth? I do, and one day I will know. One grand day.  My name is Antilo, but I probably wouldn’t tell you that. Deception honours our masters and besides that there are power in names.   I’m told my father was a traitor, so it must be true and by the grace of His clergy I have lived in the temple since I was a child. They spared me. They could have, they should have had my head roll next to that ungrateful scum. Give praise, the lord of Hell.    But His church is no charity, nor should it be, and while children eat they never earn their keep. They knew this, my wise masters, and bestowed their teachings onto me and the others they had taken in the knowledge that one day we could repay our debt, and while souls is the currency of our Lord for mere flesh like myself gold will have to do.  I was a good child and I learned well, the priests never punished means as much as they did failure. If I could eat I had earned it in their eyes, one way or the other. Others didn’t, I remember a morning when one named Poliana, I think, simply wouldn’t. The priests said she was a disappointment, one of many it would turn out, and we fed her to the fires.   Others again earned the chains, if you wouldn't repay your debts to the Temple and didn’t learn your lessons you made your choices. After giving so much and getting nothing in return why wouldn’t the Temple carve it's payment from your labour? It was your fault for not being grateful. For not being enough.   Once we grew older they let us out and into the world, or city at least, to let us earn our keep with the bodies they had given us and the lessons we had learned but could you believe Petino and Lore tried to run that very fist day? After everything they tried to run. To “escape”.  We brought them back of course, failure was never allowed and none of us wanted to face those consequences. They too were fed to the fires, just like Pol was, only they weren't quiet like she was. By the hells I wish they had been.   There arn't many of us left after that; just me, Diocle and Meliana but that does mean there was more food to go around, a lot more actually. Is it wrong if I still miss them?    Living outside for periods was easier then I had thought and stranger then I could ever have imagined. The rules out here are so very different then the ones in there and seem so lost without purpose. But I had been prepared well and could copy paper or parcel and transcribe when someone had the need for it. But my teachers had given me so much more, this body is a gift and not making use of it as best I can would be sacrilege. And so I did. Even if Glorious Cheliax it seems like cities can be dangerous at night, and I tested myself against them on some nights and joined them on others.   But nevermind all that, I’ve met someone. Someone who might carry the key to paying off the Temple and standing proud next to it, rather then underneath. Her name is Cimri, and she thinks I'm little more then a brute for hire named Pollian. A man she can dangle coins in front of and giggle at the greedy look in his eyes and last time we spoke she kept playing with coin to entice me and said there was work to be done. There always is.   So what might my life worth. Only the Temple knows, but I'll pay for it none the less. By gold or by service I'll see it done. With all of Hell as my witness, so I swear.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by Harmen (see edit history)

[iantruesilver]

Good story, particularly enjoy the deliberate mystery about the father, and the (it seems still developing?) connecting piece to Cimri, using funds to pay his own way to freedom.

 

Look forward to seeing the character build.

 

Also, can't help it, but every time I read the name, I think Inigo Montoya.

[Harmen]

Thanks for the laugh mate.

"My name is Antilo Dola, you did not kill my father. Prepare to die" *cut to 70s Batman Kapow!*

My name is Antilo Dola, you did not kill my father, prepare to die" *smack*

But yea, glad we're at least on the right track story wise, even with all the implied unpleasantness I fancied weaving in that leaves us a hopefully deeply unhealthy proto-sibling relationship.

With Cimri it's a little difficult since I don't know much about her other than being up to no good (pun intended). But someone who seems bloody keen on money and and another someone with plans tend to find common cause. Then again at lvl 1 I'll be a horrid liar, "oh yes, I'm but a humble scribe looking for a violent side hustle"

Figuring out how to make it internally consistent and believable with suddenly becoming an excellent liar at lvl3 I going to be fun and interesting.

 

[iantruesilver]

The great part is, Cimri doesn't really care what your motivations are all that much, as long as it means you'll get the job done. :D

[Harmen]

Alright, I think I'm ready for a review/first proper draft.

The image was bloody hell, why is it so difficult to make an AI not give you something handsome and perfectly dressed? Not to mention the hair, oh dear me, "you want longer hair do you? Hm, hm. Alright so a beautiful girl with long hair and a mustache made out of pencils? Weird but I gotcha". But we got some gauntness and sunken eyes so it's not all bad.

So to the build. It's been a bit since I buggered around with Pathfinder but I think the mix of archetypes are very technically legal, and this being a game in Cheliax that would be fitting. They both change which bonus feats the character has access to but one (Hamatulatsu master) "changes the normal monk bonus feats" while Brazen disciple gives you an entirely new list that you "Must choose from", so I think there is no direct conflict there. This is assuming you wouldn't mind tweaking Brazen ever so slightly from "Efreets are neat" to "Devils are cool".

Not entirely enthused about dumping charisma but monks need so many stats! And a little worried about not having enough out of combat applicability, but getting wis to bluff and disguise at 3 should give me a bit more, alongside a fair few (but not nearly enough) skillpoints. the caretaker trait was a bit last minute, and entirely due to the beliers bite feat... I figured if he's been trained to cause hemorrhage like that either Antilo and his two surviving not-siblings have figured out how to patch one another up or nobody survived that lesson.

I also spent almost all of my money on some jewelry and I hope you don't mind to much, but it felt appropriate.

If you, or anyone else for that matter, have any ideas, pointers or crucial things I've missed please do let me know.

 

As for Cimri not quite caring about anything but getting the job done I have a particularly insistent hunch that Asmodean clergy are not the sort to pat you on the back and go "Well at least you tried, and that's whats important". Antilo's view on the matter ought to be a bit influenced by this and either get the job done or try and try again until it is. Because he doesn't have the luxury of reporting a failure.

Edited October 7, 2023 by Harmen (see edit history)

[iantruesilver]

Okay. So as I've mentioned before, the story is good. No issues there.

 

The build however, is something we will want to modify, as the two listed archetypes do not properly stack. They both modify the list of bonus feats granted, and there is no complementarity here to be able to take a middle ground on.

 

So, I will ask that you take either or, but not both. Hamatulatsu Master seems to flavour better out the gate toward devils, however flavour is just flavour. If we want to play Brazen Disciple and just conveniently overlook its thematic link to efreeti then be my guest.

 

Alternaticely, @Naimless had suggested a reflavouring of Scaled Fist also to consider.

[Harmen]

Well don't I feel silly. Main reason I was looking at Brazen is because a mix of fire and bluff, which if memory serves are two of Asmodeus' domains.

I do suppose Scaled Fist does both of those, and kind of better. My compliments to the Naimless chef.

So yea, changed a few things (mainly the traits. Definitely needed bluff as a class skill, and if one is to twist a archetype that goes on about basing itself on confidence instead of introspection a trait called *fiendish* confidence tied to the worship of Asmodeus seems like a solid way to go about just that. Yea, I feel much better about this... Maybe trade reactionary for some way to get diplomacy as a class skill if I get in but we have nobody else capable of holding a conversation... There arn't enough skillpoints in this world.

[iantruesilver]

Deep Dive!

Okay wow. There was a lot of navigating around what was what with this build, but after 28 open tabs and much notetaking I think I have heads and tails of it now.

• Hero Points are in play. Please denote 1 hero point on your sheet
• Background skills: Any class that gains Craft or Perform as a class skill also counts Artistry as a class skill. Lore is always considered a class skill for all characters
• Looks like you've misplaced your trait bonus from the Fast Talker trait on climb on the skill list
• Trait bonus to Knowledge (planes) not added on skill list
• First outfit is free and considered to be nil weight

[Harmen]

Twenty eight?! What in the absolute buggery did I do?!

And more importantly what can I do to clear things up? But yea, changes have been made.

[iantruesilver]

Naw it's not you I think, it's just the build. Things being substituted and such left right and centre is all.

[Harmen]

Well I just needed some charisma class skills is all. And a way to get a reasonable will save. Especially with the drawback, and I really like that drawback. People knowing his identity (name) getting power over him ties in so really well with classic demon (fiend) nonsense, and goes a fair way to justify why he'd need to be deceptive and not be trusting since that's how a proper asmodean should be... And of course the clergy of Asmodeus would want someone they can control. Fits perfectly. But there's a difference between it being neat and it being bloody crippling.

Then I had a spare trait and +2 initiative is boring but good and also does fit and rounds him out mechanically. Not sold, but didn't find something that was neat but not far to niche to ever come up. Looking at you 1 fire resistance even if it would fit in so well with the lvl 3 scaled fist fire damage ki thing. Please don't tempt me, I'll fold in an instant.

I'm kinda happy having a solid bluff and intimidate (and perform, definitely wanna put some points into singing or the like to take advantage of the celestial language... Angelic opera indeed) but not diplomacy, lets another character have the limelight gives him things he is good and bad at rather then a classic "I'm a face, I do all the face things" type of character.