Aedric Mollens - Shadow Stalker

[Polyphemus]

Aedric Mollens
"Don't believe every rumor you hear"
Character Sheet

Race: Variant Human | Sex: Male
Age: 32 | Height: 6’1” | Weight: 160lb
Alignment: L.N. | Background: Bounty Hunter / SoldierCustom background that takes all of the Urban Bounty Hunter, but replaces their feature with the Soldier's.

Mixing the covert training of his faction with some notion of his military service.
Class: (Revised) Ranger 3 / Fighter 1 | Subclass: Deep Stalker
Faction: Black Hounds of Shahim | Division: Shadow Stalker"Internal affairs..."

A sub-category within the Black Hounds which focuses on monitoring their own members to eliminate potential threats of their agents going rogue.

Personality: "Lovely weather today, isn't it?"Aedric keeps his walls up and maintains a friendly and polite exterior when around others. He finds this helps to both mildly unnerve the Black Hounds he monitors and mask any changes in his true attitude.

Ideals: "The work is paramount."Rogue dark mages meddling with dangerous forces run the risk of threatening more than just Emprin. It may not be virtuous work, but there are valid reasons for its completion.

Bonds: "Who watches the watchmen?"Aedric is a Shadow Stalker within the Black Hounds of Shahim. He is tasked with monitoring the Black Hounds to assess and be ready for potential threats. He is under no delusion that he is not also being monitored himself, so he does his best to remain useful and trustworthy since he has first hand knowledge of what happens to those deemed rogue agents.

Flaws: "Leave your life behind."He's been with the Black Hounds since he was 9 years old; this is all he knows. His life is his work, and he does his best to not develop meaningful personal connections, lest they be used against him in the future. He has severed connection with his family years ago, although he does occasionally keep tabs on his younger brother, Cassius, without his knowledge.

 

 

Proficiency Bonus +2 | AC: 15 | Max HP: 36 | Speed: 30ft |

Senses: Darkvision 90ft, PP 14 | Init: +8 | Languages: Common, Elvish, Giant

 

STRENGTH	DEXTERITY	CONSTITUTION	INTELLIGENCE	WISDOM	CHARISMA
8 (-1)	16 (+3)	15 (+2)	10 (+0)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)
+ 1 STR Save	+5 DEX Save	+ 2 CON Save	+0 INT Save	+2 WIS Save	+0 CHA Save
-1 Athletics	+3 Acrobatics +3 Sleight +5 Stealth		+0 Arcana +0 History +2 Investigation +0 Nature +0 Religion	+2 A. Handeling +4 Insight +2 Medicine +4 Perception +4 Survival	+2 Deception +0 Intimidation +0 Performance +0 Persuasion

Abilities

Background:

Military Rank (Infantry)You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers loyal to your former military organization still recognize your authority and influence, and they defer to you if they are of a lower rank. You can invoke your rank to exert influence over other soldiers and requisition simple equipment or horses for temporary use. You can also usually gain access to friendly military encampments and fortresses where your rank is recognized.

 

Feats:

AlertAlways on the lookout for danger, you gain the following benefits:

-You can't be surprised while you are conscious.
-You gain a +5 bonus to initiative.
-Other creatures don't gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you.

 

Ranger - Deep Stalker:

Favored Enemy (Humanoids)You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with weapon attacks against creatures of the chosen type. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.

When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice, typically one spoken by your favored enemy or creatures associated with it. However, you are free to pick any language you wish to learn.

Natural ExplorerYou are a master of navigating the natural world, and you react with swift and decisive action when attacked. This grants you the following benefits:

-You ignore difficult terrain.
-You have advantage on initiative rolls.
-On your first turn during combat, you have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have not yet acted.

In addition, you are skilled at navigating the wilderness. You gain the following benefits when traveling for an hour or more:

-Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
-Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
-Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
-If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a -normal pace.
-When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
-While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

Fighting Style (Archery)You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

SpellcastingSpell Slots

The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Animal Friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Animal Friendship using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Ranger table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Primeval AwarenessBeginning at 3rd level, your mastery of ranger lore allows you to establish a powerful link to beasts and to the land around you.

You have an innate ability to communicate with beasts, and they recognize you as a kindred spirit. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas to a beast as an action, and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can take (if any) to persuade it to not attack.

You cannot use this ability against a creature that you have attacked within the past 10 minutes.

Additionally, you can attune your senses to determine if any of your favored enemies lurk nearby. By spending 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can sense whether any of your favored enemies are present within 5 miles of you. This feature reveals which of your favored enemies are present, their numbers, and the creatures’ general direction and distance (in miles) from you.

If there are multiple groups of your favored enemies within range, you learn this information for each group.

Underdark ScoutAt 3rd level, you master the art of the ambush. On your first turn during combat, you gain a +10 bonus to your speed, and if you use the Attack action, you can make one additional attack. You are also adept at evading creatures that rely on darkvision. Such creatures gain no benefit when attempting to detect you in dark and dim conditions. Additionally, when the DM determines if you can hide from a creature, that creature gains no benefit from its darkvision.

Deep Stalker MagicAt 3rd level, you gain darkvision out to a range of 90 feet. If you already have darkvision, you increase its range by 30 feet.

You also gain access to additional spells at 3rd, 5th, 9th, 13th, and 15th level. Once you gain a deep stalker spell, it counts as a ranger spell for you but doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.

 

Fighter:

Second WindYou have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Fighting Style (Thrown Weapon Fighting)You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.

In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

Spells Known

1st level: Absorb ElementsAbjuration

Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage
Range: Self
Components: S
Duration: 1 round

The spell captures some of the incoming energy, lessening its effect on you and storing it for your next melee attack. You have resistance to the triggering damage type until the start of your next turn. Also, the first time you hit with a melee attack on your next turn, the target takes an extra 1d6 damage of the triggering type, and the spell ends.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the extra damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st. | Hunter's MarkDivination

Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You choose a creature you can see within range and mystically mark it as your quarry. Until the spell ends, you deal an extra 1d6 damage to the target whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it.

If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or 4th level, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 8 hours. When you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 24 hours. | Zephyr StrikeTransmutation

Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You move like the wind. For the duration, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.

Once before the spell ends, you can give yourself advantage on one weapon attack roll on your turn. That attack deals an extra 1d8 force damage on a hit. Whether you hit or miss, your walking speed increases by 30 feet until the end of that turn. | Disguise SelfIllusion

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 hour

You make yourself – including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person – look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can’t change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you.

The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection. For example, if you use this spell to add a hat to your outfit, objects pass through the hat, and anyone who touches it would feel nothing or would feel your head and hair. If you use this spell to appear thinner than you are, the hand of someone who reaches out to touch you would bump into you while it was seemingly still in midair. To discern that you are disguised, a creature can use its action to inspect your appearance and must succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC.

Weapons 

Throwing knifeDart: Ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, range 20ft / 60ft, one target. Hit: 1d4+5 piercing damage.

Dagger: Ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, range 20ft / 60ft, one target. Hit: 1d4+5 piercing damage.
Or melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft, one target. Hit: 1d4+3 piercing damage.

Net: Ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, range 5ft / 15ft, one target. Hit: specialA Large or smaller creature hit by a net is restrained until it is freed. A net has no effect on creatures that are formless, or creatures that are Huge or larger. A creature can use its action to make a DC 10 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.

When you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a net, you can make only one atta⁠ck regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make..

Longbow(common magic item)
His Fellstaff can twist and change shape to become a longbow as a bonus action.: Ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, range 150ft / 600ft, one target. Hit: 1d8+3 piercing damage.

Expenses

215gp (125gp from starting Ranger wealth, 70gp extra, 20gp from background)

 

-45gp studded leather

-8gp 4x daggers

-2gp 40x darts

-5gp 5x nets

-10gp Explorer's PackBackpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, and a waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of hempen rope strapped to the side of it.

-2gp tent, two person

-25gp thieves tools

-50gp FellstaffSpell focus of the black hounds.
Transforms between a staff and longbow as a bonus action., gifted upon becoming a Black Hound. (starting common item, paid for price of longbow)

-1gp 20x arrows

 

Remaining gold: 67gp

 

Appearance

Aedric is fairly tall and thin. He has scraggly shoulder length light brown hair and minor facial hair. He has a far away look in his eyes when he lets his guard down, but he usually projects a big friendly smile, especially around strangers.

He wears clothing and leathers of various shades of gray and brown. He would keep quite a low profile if it wasn't for the two sashes of throwing knivesDarts he wears along with several daggers, nets, and a quiver of arrows within easy access. Most importantly, he walks with a polished dark oak staffAedric's Fellstaff, spell focus of the Black Hounds of Shahim as a walking stick.

Personality

Aedric is ever contemplative, always quietly noticing the smallest changes in body language and pondering whether they mean anything of note. He appears extremely relaxed and in a nice mood, but under the surface he’s always ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice. He never truly lets his guard down, and it’s exhausting.

Backstory

Aedric didn't come from wealth. As a kid, his parents would encourage him to 'help with the finances' by lifting valuables from unsuspecting pockets in the Emprin market square. But it all changed one afternoon when he spotted an old elf with a walking stick when Aedric was 9 years old. The elf didn't turn out to be such an easy target, immediately catching Aedric wandering fingers. However, instead of turning him in to the guards, the elf, Jandris Kallith leader of the Black Hounds of Shahim, offered to train him.

When Jandris informed Aedric's parents that he sought to take him as an apprentice scribe, they were hesitant, at least until Jandris handed them a plump coin purse. And so Aedric began his training with the Black Hounds. It wasn't until many years later that Aedric realized that Jandris had intentionally sought him out that day in the marketplace.

He was taught the dangers of dark magic and how the Black Hounds use it to stop those that would wield it to harm Emprin. He was notified early in his training that he doesn't have as much magical potential as most other members do, but that he will be perfectly suited as a 'shadow stalker': those that monitor their fellow Black Hounds and dispose of those who would leave the Black Hounds and become rogue dark mages. He was trained to jump into action in the blink of an eye, to throw a knife before the first syllable of a harmful incantation leaves a rogue agent's mouth.

When he turned 18, he enlisted in the Emprin army as instructed by Jandris. He joined the infantry where he served primarily as an archer for four years. He was safer in his unit than the front line infantry members, but still faced harsh conditions of military service. To this day, Aedric still wonders the intent behind requiring military service. He suspects it wasn't designed to imbue him with patriotism, though perhaps the ability to instinctively follow commands was the goal along with toughening him up or breaking his spirits. Regardless, once his service ended, he rejoined the Black Hounds, where he finished up the last of his training and was soon awarded his Fellstaff. Being a shadow stalker doesn't award Aedric many friends within the organization, though he is treated with respect and veiled caution.

The beauty of the shadow stalkers is that their mere existence is usually enough to prevent turncoats without any action needed on their part. Though in times between making Black Hounds painstakingly aware of their existence, they also hunt dark mages out in the world like the rest of their members do. It's actually quite important that they do this to imply that they're capable of carrying out the silent threat that keeps the Black Hounds in line. Aedric doesn't know of any official protocol for the shadow stalkers to monitor each other, but suspects that there's certainly a method either through higher up members or though their Fellstaffs themselves. Either way, he stays in line and watches what he says aloud.

Aedric's current instructions are to meet up with Eandri Venos to monitor her for any signs of instability or disloyalty.

Timeline

23 years ago (9 years old): Recruited to the Black Hounds by Jandris

14 years ago (18 years old): Enlisted in the Emprin army

10 years ago (22 years old): Finished army service, became a fully fledged Black Hound

Now (32 years old): Sent to find Eandri

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Polyphemus (see edit history)

[Polyphemus]

@Sunless Echo I believe I'm finished up here and ready for review!