Death Rides a Vicious Dire Wolf

[Thramzorean]

In line with the Dying Earth theme, being something of a Vance fan herein shall be littered with unashamed appropriations, plagiarism, et al 🙃

Name: Chun the Unavoidable
Race: Dhampir
Class: Reaper - Cult of the Fang | Red Outlander
Alignment: N
Roles (in no particular order): Guide, Provider, Combatant, Healer

 

Stat Block

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Chun the Unavoidable
m N Dhampir Reaper, Level 3, Init 4, HP 33/33, Speed 30
AC 19, Touch 18, Flat-footed 15, CMD 21, Fort 4, Ref 5, Will 6, CMB +3, Base Attack Bonus 3
Spell Attack, Touch Ghostrike +7 (5 Bleed, 20)
Bite +3 (1d6+bleed, 20)
MW Buckler (+1 Shield, +4 Dex, +4 Misc)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10
Condition Darkvision 60'
Superior Low Light Vision (3 x human)
Daylight Sensitivity (dazzled: -1 on attack and perception)
-1 on Perception for every 20' (not 10')
Favoured Enemy Undead +2
Favoured Enemy Humans +2
+1 luck bonus on saves vs humans and skills vs humans
+1 Survival to track, can track at any speed with no penalty
+2 on saves vs. mind affecting and disease
Can attempt a Ride check in place of a Handle Animal check to interact with a mount.
+1 bonus to Diplomacy, Knowledge(religion), and Survival when related to undead.
Auto-recognise poisonous creatures, food or water.
Mounted Combat equivalent ability
Take 10 in any circumstance with Climb, Profession (guide), Profession (driver), Survival and Knowledge (Geography)

 

 

Red Outlands

All of these things except one is true:

The Red Land Outlands is a wide swath of badlands, scarlet coloured rock cut by creeks of plum coloured water in thousands of gulches and gullies, between the Dark Wine Mountains and the blood rich soils of the Red Lands proper of the Vintage Lords.

The human clans of the Red Outlands have existed far longer than the Red Land District that rebelled against the Vintage Lords. It was their co-ordinated threat and raiding from the mountainous side of the realm that in part allowed the coastal District to successfully throw off the yoke of the Vintage Lords.

Despite the harshness of their region the Outland clan's numbers are constantly bolstered by refugees, bandits, hermits and freedom seekers of all ilks. They are united in their antipathy towards the aristocracy of the Red Lands.

That while bloodsages have a myriad conjectural theories about the formation of the Red Lands the Outlanders have stories from the founding Long Ago - of Soul Mills buried by the Vintage Lords beneath the water table, to churn out gore and red blood, yea, to this very day.

Soul Mills are nigh on indestructible. The only known way to prevent their reformation is to scatter their parts far and wide. Chun himself carries cogs from such a machine.

Some of the Vintage Lords dwell in tall towers of congealed blood, seldom bothering with the affairs of lesser mortals except when their vampire wines are threated, some of the best vintages of which nestle against the foothills of the Dark Wine Mountains.

The Vintage Lords are benevolent, gentle vintners who refuse the service of undead creations and who seek only to better the human lot with their studies of blood lore and never-ending death.

 

Description

A gaunt man, almost skeletal, his pale blotchy white skin stretched thin over a skull of a face. Despite silver hair and blood-red eyes, Chun's most immediately recognisable feature is the two serrated fangs that stretch down from his upper jaw. These seem to almost pulse with a life of their own, mixed hues of red intermingle and move up and down the bleached bone of the fangs. A witchmark which Chun can hide when he chooses - which is rare.

He wears his silver hair bound into a long pony-tail, dark mascara accents his bloody eyes. His fingernails are sharpened down to points, while silver deathhead rings, bracelets and chains adorn his body, pierced through his nose and ears. Chun is strung about with strange miniature effigies over his dusty canvas jacket and dun coloured jeans.

He appears strangely weapon-less, only a bowie knife in a sheath of fringed leather strapped to one hip is openly carried, though there are telltale bulges in the top of the snakeskin leather boots.

Chun wears a curious pair of dark lensed sort of goggles over his eyes, even indoors. Oddly marked on the side with the wording 'Raeban'.

A wide-brimmed leather hat completes the ensemble. First impressions might seem intimidating yet Chun's movements, his body language and style immediately portray no threat, that he is man of sensibilities, who eats his grapes with a knife and fork, and opens his eggs at the correct end.

When not in the Red Lands Chun openly wears a symbol hung on a necklace on his chest that is instantly recognisable to any in the Vintage Lords' domains. A symbol of terror, death and merciless destruction such is the deadly reputation that proceeds it from those who follow this path.

 

Storyline

A brown snout turned back towards the camp at the canyon mouth, yes, the alarm had been raised, but no active pursuit could yet be seen. The now purple-robbed, dog-faced man chuckled. Hey, he was an anarchist, there was supposed to be confused pandemonium after his retreat with his prize. A paw tapped the leather satchel. The ledger was safe, and worth a small fortune on its presentation to his patron. He had not understood his mission when first briefed, a raid on this deserted location, a few tents in the middle of nowhere. Understanding came quickly when he saw just what he'd obtained and the personages who populated this oasis stop.
Dusk was rapidly falling, in a few short hours he would be safely to his rendezvous point. He turned his attention to the climb ahead. Few would suspect him of taking this route, further back into the arid badlands.
It was now into the evening gloaming, the sky's first stars being joined by a glittering array, though not as many as might be seen, the bright disk of a full white moon rose to cast pale shadows across the land. As if on cue to greet the moon a mournful howl echoed up from the camp far below.
He cursed, and then cursed again. The Redland District Cant was infamous for its number of swear words, he switched into that language and must have used them all by the time he had run out of breath from his rant.
The hunt was up.
He pondered his options, glancing over the moonlit scene he realized he had made what could be a fatal mistake. He had counted on the night providing at least some cover, for the hunter behind him this was better to track by than the harsh day.
There was nothing for it, he reached into a pouch to bring forth a vial of liquid which he rapidly loaded into a needle and jabbed into his thigh. So energised he began to run.
Pant, pant, pant, he cared little for the noise, if his swim and climb over hard rock had not confused the trail, speed was his only hope.
Half-blinded by the sweat he had a glimpse of his goal up in the valley ahead, a wave of relief swept through his aching limbs.
Then a sotto voice spoke, as if the personage was standing right beside him, whispering directly into his ear.
"I am Chun, the Unavoidable."
He clutched at his satchel, it was empty, the contents removed, and not by the hunter.
Then the mystical bolt struck, blood sprayed in a fountain, exploding out of his body... it was over.

 

Motivations

Chun is in the journeyman phase of his personal development, still young and not yet capable enough to be directly challenging vampires and their undead creations. He is charged with purposes that are inscrutable to non-Outlanders, his current role to remain as far away from his homeland as feasible.

 

Going Forward
The build will be a mix of abilities to align with his guide role but magically will be healing focused.

Edited Thursday at 12:30 AM by Thramzorean (see edit history)

[Thramzorean]

Scratchpad

 

Race
Dhampir - Bloodbender
Abilities after racial mods: Str 10, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 16*, Cha 10
* practitioner modifier

 

Class
Reaper Lvl 3

 

Skills
Trade Tradition: Outlander (slightly modified)

Automatic Trade Talents: Guide, Roughrider

Trade Talent Class Skills: Climb, Handle Animal, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Ride^R, Swim, Survival*;
^R Swim in place of redundant Ride

Automatic Skill Sphere: Navigation sphere (wilderness package - Survival 10 ranks)

Adroit Trade Talents: Aberration Hunter, Scout

Trade Talent Class Skills: Heal, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Spellcraft, Acrobatics, Knowledge (geography), and Stealth^R;
^R either Disable Device or Fly instead of redundant Stealth; * increased class skill bonus to Survival checks

Adroit Skill Talent: Navigation talent - Tracking Expert

Automatic Class Skills: a character with any trade tradition gains Craft (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), and Profession (Wis) as class skills. If your game uses background skills, you also gain Artistry (Int) and Lore (Int).

Knowledge Religion as a class skill from trait.

Skill Leverage Pool: 2
Leverage Skills: Climb, Profession (guide), Profession (driver), Survival, Knowledge (Nature), Ride, Knowledge (Geography)

 

Martial Tradition
Red Outlander
- Equipment: Unarmoured Training
- Duelist Sphere
- Beastmastery Sphere (rider package)
- Variable (talent from Duelist or Beastmastery Sphere)

 

Casting Tradition
Verbal Casting, Somatic Casting, Witchmark, Consciousness Linked, Innate Curse - Promethean (this is common in the Red Outlands the Soul Mills draining the vitality of those who dwell there)
Drawback Feat: Witchwarped - Fangs (which is his witchmark)
= 1 spell point / odd level
Spell Points: 3 level +3 ability modifier + 2 tradition +1 feat = 9

 

Feats
Lvl 1: Studied Healing
Lvl 2: Banshee’s Sotto Voice (Necrosis)
Class: Champion feat - Spell Attack
Lvl 3: Extra Talent

 

Talents
(3 level base, 1 class, 3 martial training, 2 magic tradition, 1 feat)
Duelist Sphere
- Long Cuts (Bloody Slasher drawback)
- Leg Cutter
- Focusing Bloodshed
- Open Vein
Beastmastery Sphere (Ride package 5 ranks)
Life Sphere
- Esoteric Healing
- Deeper Healing
Death Sphere
- Bleeding Wounds (Necromantic Limit drawback - Ghoststrike)
Survivalism Sphere (Harvest package) - Associated Skill Survival 5 ranks

Trade Tradition:
Navigation Sphere
- Tracking Expert
- Experienced Navigator (Focused Wayfaring drawback)

Race:
Blood Sphere
- Absorb Blood (Limited Acceleration drawback, cannot use quicken)
- Self Control (Self Controlled drawback)

 

 

Traits
Born Healer (Religious)
Gift for Magic - Death Sphere (Magic)
Drawback: Umbral Unmasking (no shadow)
Hunters Blood (Social) [a bit silly the character not having knowledge religion with an undead favoured enemy default]

 

Mount
Spheres Wolf Dire Vicious
(while this is effectively the dire wolf of Pathfinder 1e, I'll double the price. I just like the bleed interplay with Chun, it's a solid match flavour-wise and would like to work through it till it works sort of thing)
Tricks: (Hunt +) attack, down, fetch, heel, seek, track, calm, stay

 

Edited Wednesday at 11:37 PM by Thramzorean (see edit history)

[Thramzorean]

Hear

[Thramzorean]

Hare

[Thramzorean]

So I'll state Chun is ready for a review. I don't believe I've gone over the top anywhere but will declare for consideration please TheGSE:

1. A single somatic drawback allows use of a shield
2. The Promethean Oracle curse is suitable for his tradition drawback Innate Curse.
3. Umbral Unmasking is suitable for his trait drawback.
4. Mount - unfortunately the Pathfinder mount pricing is not well structured. And unfortunately 3rd level is about the level when this has most impact. I could have gone with something purely mechanical and no specific challenge rating impact. However, having discovered the Spheres vicious dire wolf and its bleed capabilities/style I really like the synergy with the character. What I've done is double the listed price of the dire wolf for this mount, xp and CR-wise they are both the same, but the cost of either of the mounts really should be higher than that stated. If you feel adding a mount with a not-insignificant CR is going to have balance issues I'll happily swap it out.

All links are included in the Scratch Pad above, along with the Stat Block and character sheet in the first post.

Some minor coins still to spend. Regards an image of the character, if selected I'll commission one from my daughters.

Edited Thursday at 12:29 AM by Thramzorean (see edit history)