Shattered Darkness: Selena Shardova

[DarkNetwerk]

Selena Shardova Female fetchling oracle (dual cursed) 1 CG medium outsider (native) & humanoid (human) Init +3; Senses darkvisionDarkvision is the extraordinary ability to see with no light source at all, out to a range specified for the creature. Darkvision is black-and-white only (colors cannot be discerned). It does not allow characters to see anything that they could not see otherwise—invisible objects are still invisible, and illusions are still visible as what they seem to be. Likewise, darkvision subjects a creature to gaze attacks normally. The presence of light does not spoil darkvision. 60 ft., low-light visionFetchlings can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.; Perception -3 Defense AC 1410 +1 armor +3 dex, touch 1310 +3 dex, flat-footed 1110 +1 armor HP 108 +1 con +1 favored Fort +2+0 oracle +1 con +1 trait (drug addict), Ref +3+0 oracle +3 dex, Will +1+2 oracle -1 wis; +4 competence vs mind-affecting effects Defensive abilities shadow blendingAttacks against a fetchling in dim light have a 50% miss chance instead of the normal 20% miss chance. This ability does not grant total concealment; it just increases the miss chance. Resist cold 5, electricity 5 Weaknesses shadowboundYour pigmentation is oddly colorless, and your eyes are highly sensitive to light. You are blinded for 1 round when exposed to normal or bright light and dazzled while in such a lit area. You gain darkvision to a range of 30 feet., shattered psycheYour mind is crowded with dozens of voices, fragmented snippets of your past lives. You take a –2 penalty on all Intelligence-based skill checks, Wisdom-based skill checks, and concentration checks. Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee dagger +0 (1d4, 19-20/x2) Ranged light crossbow +3 (1d8, 19-20/x2) Special Attacks misfortuneAs an immediate action, you can force a creature within 30 feet to reroll any one d20 roll that it has just made before the results of the roll are revealed. The creature must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll. Once a creature has suffered from your misfortune, it cannot be the target of this revelation again for 1 day., unnerving gazeSome fetchlings gain an upsetting gaze attack that they can activate three times per day as a standard action, affecting all creatures within a 30-foot cone that can see. All creatures that meet the fetchling’s unnerving gaze are shaken for 1 round (DC = 10 + 1/2 the fetchling’s character level + her Charisma modifier; Will negates). When the fetchling reaches 9th level, her gaze instead causes creatures to be staggered. When the fetchling reaches 13th level, her gaze instead causes creatures to be stunned. Unnerving gaze is a mind-affecting fear effect. This racial trait replaces the fetchling’s spell-like abilities. (3/d; 30' cone; shaken 1rnd; DC 14) Statistics Str 10, Dex 1614 +2 race, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 810 -2 race, Cha 1917 +2 race Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 1310 +0 BAB +0 Str +3 Dex Feats Extra RevelationYou have discovered a new aspect of your mystery. Prerequisites: Revelation class feature. Benefit: You gain one additional revelation. You must meet all of the prerequisites for this revelation. Special: You can gain Extra Revelation multiple times. Adventuring Skills Diplomacy +81 rank +4 cha +3 class, Knowledge (religion) +51 rank +2 int +3 class +1 trait -2 shattered psyche, Sense Motive +11 rank -1 wis +3 class -2 shattered psyche, Spellcraft +41 rank +2 int +3 class -2 shattered psyche, Stealth +61 rank +3 dex +2 race, Use Magic Device +91 rank +4 cha +3 class +1 trait Background Skills Knowledge (history) +41 rank +2 int +3 class -2 shattered psyche, Knowledge (nobility) +51 rank +2 int +3 class +1 trait -2 shattered psyche Languages Common, Aklo, Draconic SQ bound to GolarionSome fetchlings are from families that have fearfully avoided the Shadow Plane, living on Golarion for generations. As a result, these fetchlings are closely tied to the Material Plane. Fetchlings with this racial trait count as outsiders with the native subtype and humanoids with the human subtype for any effect related to race, including feat prerequisites and spells that affect humanoids. They can pass for human without using the Disguise skill. This racial trait replaces the +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (planes) checks from the skilled racial trait, and alters the native outsider racial trait., dark secretsYou learn the hidden secrets surrounding the casting of shadow spells. You can add a number of spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1, maximum equal to half your oracle level) to your spell list and your list of spells known as divine spells. These have a spell level equal to their sorcerer/wizard spell level. You can add only illusion spells from the shadow subschool or spells with the darkness descriptor to your list of spells known in this manner. Each time you gain an oracle level after taking this revelation, you can choose to replace one of these spells for a new appropriate spell on the sorcerer/wizard spell list. Traits child of the templeYou have long served at a temple in a city, where you picked up on many of the nobility’s customs in addition to spending much time in the temple libraries studying your faith. Benefit: You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (nobility) and Knowledge (religion) checks, and one of these skills (nobility) is always a class skill for you., dangerously curiousYou have always been intrigued by magic, possibly because you were the child of a magician or priest. You often snuck into your parent’s laboratory or shrine to tinker with spell components and magic devices, and frequently caused quite a bit of damage and headaches for your parent as a result. Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on Use Magic Device checks, and Use Magic Device is always a class skill for you., drug addictYou had become addicted to shiver, a drug distilled from the venom of dream spiders. The drug induces sleep filled with vivid dreams, during which the user’s body often shakes and shivers, giving the substance its street name. Shiver is particularly dangerous for the desperate, for its promises of dreams and oblivion are often viewed as the only alternative apart from suicide for escaping a dreary life. While some consider shiver as a problem of the lower class, you overdosed on the stuff. The one who got you addicted in the first place was a crimelord named Gaedren. You blame Gaedren for your brush with death and hate how his drugs are causing similar problems among other youths. Unfortunately, the guards seem to be more focused on the bigger dealers. They don’t have time to devote many resources to what they’ve called, “a bit player in a beggar’s problem.” It would seem that if his operation is to be stopped, it falls to you. Benefit: Fortunately, your body recovers quickly from toxins, and you have a +1 bonus on Fortitude saving throws.: personal (campaign), rich parentsYou were born into a rich family, perhaps even the nobility, and even though you turned to a life of adventure Benefit: You enjoy a one-time benefit to your initial finances—your starting wealth increases to 900 gp. (social), umbral unmaskingYou cast no shadow whatsoever, or the shadow you do have is monstrous. Under normal lighted conditions, this is not hard to observe—but uncommon to notice. Creatures that succeed at a DC 15 Wisdom check notice it plainly (an additional Perception check may be required based on environmental conditions). This telltale sign of wickedness cannot be concealed by misdirection, nondetection, or illusions, except those that also affect shadows (such as invisibility). (drawback)

Spells

CL 1, DC: 14+spell level

 

0th (at will) (4) detect magic, guidance, penumbra*, resistance, stabilize

1st (43 base
+1 cha/day) (3) bless, cure light wounds, dancing darkness*, ears of the city, shadow trap*, shadowfade*

 

* Dark Secrets: CHA (4) spells from Illusion (shadow) or with darkness descriptor
 

Equipment

Armor: haramaki (3 gp, 1 lb)

Weapons: dagger (2 gp, 1 lb), light crossbow (35 gp, 4 lbs), 10 bolts (1 gp, 1 lb)

Wondrous Items:

Wrists: sleeves of many garments (200 gp, 1 lb)

 

Clothing: courtier's outfit (30 gp), signet ring (5 gp), jewelry (50 gp)

Standard equipment:

masterwork backpack (50 gp, 4 lbs)

bedroll (1 sp, 5 lbs)

chalk x5 (5 cp)

belt pouch (1 gp, 0.5 lbs)

canteen (2 gp, 1 lb)

grooming kit (1 gp, 2 lbs)

mess kit (2 sp, 1 lb)

signal whistle (8 sp)

silk rope (10 gp, 5 lbs)

skeleton key (85 gp)

soap (1 cp, 0.5 lbs)

trail rations x5 (2.5 gp, 5 lbs)
 

Wealth: 346.34 gp

 

Encumbrance: 31 lbs (light)

Light 38, Medium 76, Heavy 115

 

Personality

Selena can appear happy and interested in one moment, and disoriented or depressed the next. Sometimes she is stable for extended period while other times her shifts occur in rapid succession. Her unusual swings to her mood and energy a remnant of a fractured sanity. Nonetheless, given she has, for some time, been living with a condition that was brought about through the combination of addiction, overdose, and the touch of a mad god, she never fully loses grasp of the rational, of reality.

Background

Selena was born into a minor noble family, House Shardova, seemingly destined for a life of privilege and comfort. She was a precocious and curious child who loved to explore, sneaking into places of the mansion, some dangerous, that she shouldn't. However, as she grew older, her home felt smaller and she began to feel a sense of restlessness, seeking thrills beyond the confines of her noble upbringing. It was during a decadent gathering of her peers that Selena first dabbled in the drug called shiver, eager to experience the euphoria that was whispered about in hushed tones. What started as a harmless experiment quickly spiraled into an addiction, as she found herself drawn to the vivid and otherworldly experiences that the drug provided, a stark contrast to what she found was a dreary repetitive life as a young noble. She found herself shutting herself off from her peers as she spent more and more time under the influence of the drug experiencing the visions that felt more palpable than reality, as if she could traverse the planes, exploring realms beyond mortal comprehension. She even sought out someone who could supply her directly, a man named Gaedren.

 

One night, after indulging in a particularly large dose of shiver, Selena's drug-induced hallucinations took a sinister turn. She found herself transported to a desolate and ethereal realm, a vast necropolis that resembled how some might describe as the Boneyard through a warped lens. As she wandered through this strange and terrifying landscape, her gaze was drawn to a bloated moon hanging low in the sky. Curiosity turned to compulsion as she flew into the stratosphere to get closer to see shadowy forms milling about the surface. As she reached out to touch the rocky surface, shadows froze and the moon shuddered and slowly turned. She fled upwards as the sands twisted and contorted forming a massive shape of a skull spanning the surface, the dull sockets turning its indifferent gaze towards her. The weight of a vision of the End crushed her sanity and she was plunged into the void.

 

When she awoke, Selena found herself in a secluded temple, being treated for an overdose, having been on the brink of death. She had been in a coma for several weeks and her family hid her away to spare themselves the shame. What may have been the touch of Groetus had shattered her psyche. Moreover an accursed power awoke within her that she had yet to fully understand. At the temple, she spent some years struggling to piece together her fractured mind and to come to terms with the profound and terrifying experience she had endured.

 

On her return to Korvosa, she became more aware of the impact of the drug that had nearly claimed her, particularly among the youth and the lower classes. A part of her still wanted to taste what the drug had offered but an anger at the man who had set her on this path was more insistent. Even with her noble background, her absence had reduced any influence she may have had. The guards wouldn't move to take on the crime lord, considering the issue to be one that only impacts poorest of the poor. It seems she may need to try to do something by herself, or find other like-minded individuals to take on this foul man.

 

Build thoughts

Just to keep track of my inner debate on how I may flesh her out (fluff and crunch):

- I know going Shadow Magic for the +1 DC is better mechanically than the bound to Golarion but I didn't see an obvious fetchling (rather than something like a fetchling decendant/ancestry) fitting well in this setting, particularly if she came from rich family or nobility.

- Although Zon Kuthon has the connection to fetchlings (Shadow Plane/Netherworld), I'm leaning Groetus for the Madness component (Shattered Psyche curse). Also swapped out the SLA for the unnerving gaze.

- To dual curse or not to dual curse? If dual curse may need traits to fill in some class skills (at least stealth - what fits here? maybe workaround via Child of the Moon?). Exotic Heritage - stealth to set up later Eldritch Heritage - umbral? Maybe later.

 

For consideration if Dark Secrets (maybe not for level 1 revelation): 0: penumbra 1: dancing darkness, shadow weapon, shadowfade, touch of blindness

 

Edited April 22 by DarkNetwerk
Swapped revelations: Dark Secrets replacing Cloak of Shadows (see edit history)

[bloodsprite]

Looks good, You were musing about what curses to select? The ones you picked seem overly harsh. Shadowbound  looks less harsh and is on theme if you want a suggestion, especially with penumbra on your spell list from Dark Secrets to counter being light sensitive. And Toxic Blood looks like a good fit with  drug addict?

shattered psyche just is horrible multi faceted negatives for some specific immunities

tongues - will make for annoying not working together situations in combat

Edited April 21 by bloodsprite (see edit history)

[DarkNetwerk]

I thought about Shadowbound as one of the curses, but the level 1 and 5 benefits are darkvision which I already have (and it doesn't appear to indicate that it extends any existing darkvision).

On Tongues, ya. I was having trouble finding a meaningful secondary. I did look at Toxic Blood but Fortitude is not an Oracle's forte so if we encounter a poison, that's very big trouble. The positives are also more suitable for someone who plans to enter melee (poison touch attacks) and I'd likely be more of a caster type that avoids melee. I'll swap Tongues with Shadowbound since, as you say, fits the flavor, even though there isn't really a benefit (until 10th level, if it's the primary). I'll need to swap out one of my revelations to get Dark Secrets if I want to have it at level 1 (I've put down Misfortune and Cloak of Shadows, so probably the latter... or just tough it out until level 3).

Shattered Psyche does indeed have a lot of negatives (and they're already incorporated in my skill numbers) but it also has an early bonus to mind-affecting effects (and staged immunities at higher levels, if this was the primary curse). It also fits the flavor of being touched by Groetus (Madness/Insanity is one of his domains).

[bloodsprite]

as gm i love big trouble , but understand if tragedy is not your favourite story arc ；)

[Starhawk]

Legalistic is one of the least debilitating curses I find.

[DarkNetwerk]

She's a recovering addict who got her powers from the God of the End Times (and with the shattered psyche loses out on Int & Wis skills, as well as concentration). That's plenty tragic .

Covetous is another milquetoast curse. Then there are dual options where the ill effects of a curse are cancelled out by the benefits of another (like Plagued cancelling sickness from Legalistic or Covetous). Cheese aside, none really fit the theme I'm envisioning.

So, Selena's primary/advancing curse will be Shattered Psyche and her secondary/static one will be Shadowbound.

[bloodsprite]

Sounds fun!

[bloodsprite]