Mission 1: The Bear in Winter

[foltor]

You feel a warm tingle from your dragoon badge and hear a voice, almost just in your head, as though someone standing next to you were speaking softly:

"Please report to the hangar for mission assignment."

---

The hangar is a huge chamber at the back of the middle deck of the airship. The ceiling is about 40 feet high and the whole space is a square 100 feet on a side. The back wall is open to the sky - you can see a distant mountainous horizon and hear the rushing of wind and thump of propellers. It's dramatically colder here than in the rest of the airship. The center of the floor is empty, but along the side walls are dozens of shapes hidden under heavy tarpaulins.

Just as you're starting to wonder if you're in the right place and perhaps there's a different hangar your were supposed to assemble at, a hugely tall, red-skinned Orc woman approaches your group. She's carrying a large duffle bag in one hand and a hefty staff with a silver headpiece in the other.

"All right, line up," she commands sternly. You'd learned that the Dragoons didn't practice a lot of formal military discipline, but in this case, it seems like the right thing to do.

"My name is Uraga and I am the deck sergeant here. You may address me as 'Sergeant'. Not 'Sarge'. It is my job to see that you get to where you're going and know what you're supposed to do when you get there."

She tosses the duffel bag to Crastug. It's not light, but it's lighter than it looks. "Today you're going to Zybunny. It's a tiny village in the mountains of eastern Granarctia. They've reported that a bear has been prowling around."

Trained in Nature

If you're trained in Nature, it's immediately obvious why this is weird enough to merit a Dragoon investigation. It's the middle of winter. Bears should be hibernating.

She holds up the staff. "This is your first mission, so I'll explain how the teleportation staff works. You all hold on to the staff, and it teleports you to the mission location. Actually, a short walk away from the mission location, for safety. There's a lot of you, so you'll have to squeeze in. Until it returns, the staff stays stuck where we sent you. After three days, it will teleport back to the Ghost Hymn, with or without you. If you're close enough to the staff, you can use your badge to communicate back to the ship just like calling to another badge. You can request more time, but I expect a damn good reason if you can't sort this in three days. If you finish before the time limit, you can teleport back to the ship like so." She demonstrates a series of presses on the knobs on the silver headpiece.

"Remember to have everyone touching the staff when you're ready to return, otherwise you are walking back the fetch the squad member you left behind. Now, raise your hand if you speak Granarctian. These people don't have a lot of contact with outsiders, so probably not all of them know Common. The Village Headman, Krai Primor, does. He'll be your main point of contact."

[omegoku]

Eireann Eireann Nailo Elf Rogue 2 HP: 26/26 | AC: 19 | Speed: 30ft | Hero: 1/3  Perception: +6 | Fort: +6 | Ref: +10 | Will: +6  StatisticsStr +1 Dex +4 Con +2 Int +0 Wis +0 Cha +1 Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven Attacks: -Rapier: +8/+3/-2 1d6+4 Piercing • Deadly d8, Disarm, Finesse -Dagger +8/+4/+0 Damage: 1d4+4 Piercing • Agile, Finesse, Thrown 10ft, Versatile S -Shortbow +8/+3/-2 Damage: 1d6 Piercing &Bull Deadly d10 Range 60ft -Unarmed Strike +8/+4/+0 Damage: 1d4+4 Bludgeon • Agile, Finesse, Non-lethal, Unarmed Cantrips: Guidance, Mage Hand, Detect Magic | Equipment Consumables: Wooden Shield Thieves' Tools Dragoon Badge Adventurer's Pack: -Bedroll -10x Chalk, Flint &Steel, Soap, Waterskin -Rope (50ft) -5x Torch -Climbing Kit Armour: -Leather armour Coins : 5gp 18sp | AbilitiesClass: -Rogue's Racket: Thief -Sneak Attack -Surprise Attack -Animal Companion -Tumble Behind -Minor Magic: Occult Ancestry: -Nimble Elf -Seer Elf Skill: -Assurance: Athletics -Pickpocket -Quiet Allies Other: -Acrobat Dedication | SkillsAcrobatics: +10 (E) Arcana: +5 (T) Athletics: +5 (T) Crafting: +1 Deception: +5 (T) Diplomacy: +1 Lore (Farming): +5 (T) Intimidate: +5 (T) Medicine: +0 Nature: +0 Occultism: +5 (T) Performance: +1 Religion: +4 (T) Society: +5 (T) Stealth: +10 (E) Survival: +4 (T) Thievery: +8 (T) Conditions :

Eireann fell in, his hands clasped behind his back and his back straight. He may have had some training in the past, if so he hadn't mentioned it to anyone. He listened to the story. A bear should not be any major issue for this group. A single druid or hunter would probably have sufficed. But his job was not to decide what was worthy of investigating. And the Dragoons were likely starting them slow and easy. But he couldn't help himself, he had to ask.

"Sergeant, are we to bag this bear and put it back to its bed, kill it and give it to the villagers, scare it off? Offer it a place onboard? I can't see why a bear wandering in a woods is worthy of investigation?"

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by omegoku (see edit history)

[foltor]

Uraga levels her gaze at Eireann. "You're to find out why this is happening. After that, you may deal with it in whatever way seems best. Preferably in a way that does not tarnish the reputation of the Dragoons. Remember: we need people in little villages like this to like us and want to cooperate with us, not kill us on sight."

[Rakle]

 

Vega falls in line. "Just like old times" she tells herself. She quietly listens to the mission, and the follow-up discussion before speaking.

"Sergeant, What do we know about this area? What other dangerous creatures live in these mountains? She asks. Then she explains. Bears don't wake-up and decide to go on walkabouts during hibernation season. Someone or something probably provoked it.

Mechanics

Stats:

Vega  AC16/20/21 HP32/32  F+8 R+6 W+8  Perc+6Darkvision Med& Ath +8  Hero pt:1 Mv 25'/20' Unarmed +8 d6+4 or d8+4forceful Class DC18

Notable Effects

Flurry of blows: Make two unarmed Strikes. If both hit the same creature, combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to the Strikes normally. As it has the flourish trait, you can use Flurry of Blows only once per turn

Stunning Fist DC(18): The focused power of your flurry threatens to overwhelm your opponent. When you target the same creature with two Strikes from your Flurry of Blows, you can try to stun the creature. If either Strike hits and deals damage, the target must succeed at a Fortitude save against your class DC or be stunned 1 (or stunned 3 on a critical failure). This is an incapacitation effect

Actions

 

 

OOC

 

 

[foltor]

Uraga nods at Crastug. "Your biggest threat will be cold, of course. Other than that, regular alpine threats, wolves and the like. There are local legends of yeti in the area, but no recent sightings."

[The Eyeball Kid]

Crastug Cold

"Will we be issued any special equipment for this mission, Sergeant?", Crastug asks. "I'm thinking specifically cold weather gear, but some bear traps and maybe some extra food that would be attractive to a bear would be good as well."

"How are you in cold environments?", he asks their lizardfolk hydrokineticist.

Statblock

Crastug Cold (Investigator 2) | Character Sheet

---

NG | Medium | Human | Half-Orc | Humanoid

Perception +8; Low-Light Vision Darkvision
Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, Granarctian, Taskan, Retulian
Skills Acrobatics +2/1, Arcana +8, Athletics +4/3, Crafting +8, Deception +4, Diplomacy +0, Intimidation +4, Lore: Poisons +8, Lore: Underworld +8, Medicine +6, Nature +6, Occultism +8, Performance +0, Religion +6, Society +10, Stealth +6/5, Survival +2, Thievery +6/5
Str +0, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +2, Cha +0
Items Studded Leather, Backpack, Bedroll, Chalk (10), Flint and Steel, Rope, Rations (2), Torch (5), Waterskin, Soap, Alchemist's Tools, Bolts (20), Formula Book, Crowbar, Thieves' Tools, Grappling Hook, Extra Lockpicks, Polytool, Playing Cards, Predictable Silver Piece, Simple Manacles, Wooden Shield (Hardness 3, HP 12, BT 6)
Infused Items: Tanglefoot Bag (2), Elixir of Life (2), Junk Bomb w. Giant Centipede Venom (2), Bottled Lightning (2), Eagle-Eye Elixir (2)

---

AC 18 (+20 with shield raised); Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +8
HP 26
Clue In Frequency once per 10 minutes
Trigger Another creature attempts a check to investigate a lead you're pursuing. You share information with the triggering creature. They gain a circumstance bonus to their check equal to your circumstance bonus to checks investigating your subject from Pursue a Lead. The GM can add any relevant traits to this reaction depending on the situation, such as auditory and linguistic if you're conveying information verbally.

---

Speed 25 feet
Melee Rapier +6/8 (Deadly d8, Disarm, Finesse), Damage 1d6 P
Melee Dagger (3) +6/8 (Agile, Finesse, Thrown 10 ft., Versatile S), Damage 1d4 P
Melee Sap +4/8 (Agile, Nonlethal), Damage 1d6 B
Melee Polytool +4, Damage 1d6 S
Ranged Crossbow +6/8 (Crossbow), Damage 1d8 P
Expeditious Inspection  (Investigator) Frequency once per 10 minutes
You observe and assess your surroundings with great speed. You Recall Knowledge,Seek, or Sense Motive.
Devise a Stratagem  (Concentrate, Fortune, Investigator) Frequency once per round
You assess a foe's weaknesses in combat and use them to formulate a plan of attack against your enemy. Choose a creature you can see and roll a d20. If you Strike the chosen creature later this round, you must use the result of the roll you made to Devise a Stratagem for your Strike's attack roll instead of rolling. You make this substitution only for the first Strike you make against the creature this round, not any subsequent attacks.

When you make this substitution, you can also add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier, provided your Strike uses an agile or finesse melee weapon, an agile or finesse unarmed attack, a ranged weapon (which must be agile or finesse if it's a melee weapon with the thrown trait), or a sap.

If you're aware that the creature you choose is the subject of a lead you're pursuing, you can use this ability as a free action.
Precision Damage Strategic Strike 1d6
Formula Book Tanglefoot Bag (Lesser),Dread Ampoule (Lesser), Antidote (Lesser), Junk Bomb (Lesser), Giant Centipede Venom, Elixir of Life (Minor), Bottled Lightning (Lesser), Eagle Eye Elixir (Lesser)
Additional Feats Alchemical Crafting, Alchemist Dedication, Forensic Acumen, Half-Orc, Orc Sight, Red Herring, Streetwise, That's Odd, Underworld Investigator
Additional Specials Infused Reagents (Archetype), Methodology (Empiricism), On the Case, Pursue a Lead, Strategic Strike

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by The Eyeball Kid (see edit history)

[Ryfte]

---

"The cold?" Ash grins as a slow whirl of snowflakes appears around her and the temperature drops in the immediate area. She winks, "It won't be a problem! I mean, I might throw on another layer but other than that I'll be fine."

She'd met Uraga and seen her on more than one occasion and she knew that the Dragoon's weren't bad guys but she still found it difficult to be around her. The memories of her village and the pirate invaders too fresh for her to be comfortable in the sergeant's presence. Despite her discomfort she stays the course unflinching, and remains in line with the others. "If there's snow, and its deep, I might find it difficult to move through I suppose. Still, even then, if I'm not in front of the line I don't expect it will be an issue as those of you ahead of me will simply tramp down any snow ahead of me."

---

OoC

Summary: ???

Reaction: ??
Action 1: ???
Action 2: ???
Action 3: ???

---

Ashara'Rusa Chua'Kaolo, a.k.a. "Ash"
Female, Neutral Good, Small Lizardfolk (Cliffscale), Kineticist 2

---

AC: 18 | HP: 32/32 | S/D/C/I/W/C: +2/+2/+4/+0/+1/+0 | F/R/W: +10/+8/+5 | Move: 25' | Senses: Perception +5
Expert: Acrobatics +8
Trained: Athletics +6, L:Lizardfolk +4, L:Rope +4, Nature +5, Stealth +6, Society +4, Survival +5
Untrained: Arcana -1, Crafting -1, Deception +0, Diplomacy +0, Intimidate +0, Medicine +1, Occult -1, Performance +0, Religion +2, Thievery +2

---

Offenses:
Lizardfolk Claws (+6; 1d4+2 slashing; Unarmed, Agile, Finesse, Lizardfolk)
Weapon Infusion: Elemental Blast: Water: Melee (+8; 1d8+2 b, p, s, or cold; One of: agile, backswing, forceful, reach, sweep)*
Weapon Infusion: Elemental Blast: Water: Ranged (+8; 1d8 b, p, s, or cold; ri 100', volley 30')*
Weapon Infusion: Elemental Blast: Water: Ranged (+8; 1d8+1 b, p, s, or cold; ri 50', propulsive)*
Weapon Infusion: Elemental Blast: Water: Ranged (+8; 1d8+2 b, p, s, or cold; ri 20', thrown)*
* Note: A weapon infusion attack made using two actions instead of a single action adds your Constitution modifier to the damage roll (i.e. +4) as a status modifier in addition to any other modifiers. A critical success with an elemental blast deals double damage. The damage improves every +4 levels by one die.

---

Impulses (Attack +8, DC 18):
Ocean's Balm  (--; --; touch; --; Single willing target. Heals 1d8 hp and gains resistance 2 to fire for 1 minute. Temporarily immune to this ability for 10 minutes.)
Tidal Hands  (--; 1d8 b; 2 15' cones or 1 30' cone; Ref DC 18; Can push targets 5' on a critical fail.)
Winter's Clutch  (--; 2d4 cold; 10' burst within 60'; Ref DC 18; Area becomes difficult terrain.)

descriptionAsh, the shortened version of her name that she primarily uses, especially with the scaleless, is an empathetic young female lizardfolk. Always concerned with the care of those in need, particularly the wounded, she goes out of her way to assist them, even complete strangers. Its why she became a field medic and followed the Way of the Water, for which she had a marked affinity.


She's quite small for a lizardfolk who are typically about the same size as a larger human. Her tribe, a cliffscale species is instead much smaller, slender and lithe, almost identical in size to that of a typical gnome but with a long slender tail of course. Her scales are a sandy tan and gray with darker mottled spots and her hands, feet, fingers, and toes allow her to scale sheer surfaces with ease. Most of her clothing is tan or a shade of gray-brown, her favorite color, and tends towards being short and non-binding or custom fitted, allowing her a freedom of movement more restrictive clothing simply won't. | application | pb sheetAsh Female, Neutral Good, Small Cliffscale Lizardfolk, Kineticist 2

---

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Ryfte (see edit history)

[Inquisitor D]

The princess salutes Sargent Uraga sharply, before letting her squadmates take point with the questions. She doesn't have anything in mind, truly. There's a strange bear. They have to work out what it's doing there, and if there's a problem, they'll fix it. Simple enough. She's not excited for the cold, but one problem at a time.

Still, there's one issue that does occur to the strange noble. Or rather, a possibility. "Just how isolated is this village, Sargent? They don't speak the common tongue, but would a basic familiarity with Granarctian be enough to talk with them?"

She grins, righting her glasses as she already starts to think ahead. "Having the village chief as a contact is a good start. But we want the whole village on our side. The more people we can speak with, the better impression we can leave. 'The strange foreign mercenaries the Chief brought in' won't be as well remembered as 'those friends from the Dragoons who helped us work out that mystery bear problem', right?"

[Madadh]

Tethyr, Half-Elf Magus

"If..." Tethyr pauses and does a quick head count before continuing. "Seven of us can't deal with a bear I don't think bear traps are going to help. A decent cloak and some socks wouldn't be bad, though."

He listens to the lizardfolk and noble woman, wondering if the sheer energetic cheerfulness was going to be the end of him. With a roll of his shoulders he sighs.

"You assume they want to talk. Some people just prefer you stay out of their business and will appreciate you more if you don't try to make friends," he says, turning his attention back to the sergeant. "How did we hear about this strange occurrence? Has there been any other news in the area that is out of the ordinary?"

 

[Starhawk]

Circe

Circe Witch 2

---

Neutral Elf (Ancient Elf)

Perception +5; Low-Light Vision

Languages Granartican (native), Elven, Taskan, Draconic, Retulian, Fey

Skills Acrobatics +7, Arcana +8, Athletics +0, Crafting +8, Deception +4, Lore: Regional +8, Medicine +5, Nature +5, Religion +5, Society +8, Stealth +7
Str +0, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +1, Cha +0
Items Unarmored

---

AC 17; Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +7
HP 20

---

Speed 35 feet
Arcane Prepared Spells DC 18, attack +8; 1st Charm, Sleep, Grease; Cantrips Mage Hand, Electric Arc, Shield, Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound
Focus Spells (2 points) Discern Secrets Range 30 feet; Targets 1 creature Duration sustained up to 1 minute You call upon your patron's power to better uncover secrets. When you Cast the Spell, the target can Recall Knowledge, Seek, or Sense Motive. The target gains a +1 status bonus to the skill or Perception used for the roll, and this bonus remains as long as you Sustain the Spell. The target is temporarily immune to discern secrets for 1 minute. Heightened (5th) You can target two creatures instead of one.
Phase Familiar Range 60 feet; Targets your familiar You draw upon your patron's power to momentarily shift your familiar from its solid, physical form into an ephemeral version of itself shaped of mist. Your familiar gains resistance 5 to all damage and is immune to precision damage. These apply only against the triggering damage. Heightened (+1) Increase the resistance by 2.
Elemental Betrayal Range 30 feet; Targets 1 creature Duration sustained up to 1 minute You call upon the elements to undermine your foe. When you Cast this Spell, choose air, earth, fire, or water. Each time the target takes damage from a spell or effect with the chosen trait, it takes an additional 2 damage of one damage type dealt by the spell or effect. If you chose fire or water, the target also takes this additional damage when taking fire or cold damage, respectively, from effects or spells without the chosen trait. Heightened (+2) Increase the additional damage by 1.
Formula Book Peshpine Grenade (Lesser), Energy Mutagen (Lesser), Antidote (Lesser), Ghost Charge (Lesser), Antiplague (Lesser), Elixir of Life (Minor), Serene Mutagen (Lesser), Cheetah's Elixir (Lesser)
Additional Feats Alchemical Crafting, Alchemist Dedication, Basic Lesson, Nimble Elf, Specialty Crafting, Streetwise
Additional Specials Basic Lesson (Lesson of the Elements), Familiar, Hexes, Infused Reagents (Archetype), Patron (Rune), Witch Spellcasting

Owl Familiar "Peek"

Size Tiny HP10 AC17

Fort+4 Ref+2 Will +6

Perception +10 (Low Light Vision/Darkvision) Acrobatics +6 Stealth +10

Flight (25'), Darkvision, Speech

Circe falls in line, with Peek on the falconer's glove on her left arm, looking like it's the first time she's done such a thing, judging by the way she's watching others, particularly Vega, do it. She listens to the company think out loud, aware that there are two streams of dialogue, the first, Vega's exclusively, being about the bear and the second, everyone else, being about how to survive the cold in winter. So, once more she finds herself following Vega's lead..

"If a bear is walking around in winter and bears don't walk around in winter then perhaps its not a bear.", she offers up, in the kind of dreamlike tone that suggests she's thinking out loud.

Continuing with her logic tree, as one might expect from one of the arcane.. "And if it's not a bear, and its actions suggest it's not, then what else can take the shape of a bear? Druid? Fey?Shapeshifter?"

A ghost of a smile flits across her face as she throws in an aside.. "Anyone got silver?"

Pursing her lips, clearly taken with curiosity of what might be, she continues.. "If it hasn't been seen before in the area, then why is it in the area now? If it is a bear, then it won't be food, it's winter. Searching for something? Something the villagers have taken?"

She shrugs, clearly happy to let others continue the conversation.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Starhawk (see edit history)

[foltor]

Uraga nods at Crastug again. "Open the bag."

Inside you find fur-lined cloaks, hats, and overboots - one set is even sized small for Ash.

"I'm sure you can manage the rest on your own."

She regards Nova with a bemused expression. "As I understand it, it's a small village that sustains itself on mining, logging, and trapping. They likely trade for foodstuffs with other Granarctian villages, so most of the residents probably speak only Granarctian. I don't know if the town is big enough to have its own priestess, but if they do, she will probably speak a few more languages.

"As for how friendly you want to be with the locals, that's for you to decide what approach will be most effective. If you want someone to hold your hand and tell you how to do everything, you're in the wrong line of work.

"We have something of a network of people who pass us news and requests. Primor asked for support from the mayor of a larger town nearby, and one of our people passed the word on to us. It's the only unusual incident in the area, but I'm sure it's just the tip of the iceberg."

Edited September 7, 2023 by foltor (see edit history)

[Rakle]

 

Vega quietly listens to the discussion. "I speak Granarctian. Vega volunteers. Then she returns to quietly listening.

Mechanics

Stats:

Vega  AC16/20/21 HP32/32  F+8 R+6 W+8  Perc+6Darkvision Med& Ath +8  Hero pt:1 Mv 25'/20' Unarmed +8 d6+4 or d8+4forceful Class DC18

Notable Effects

Flurry of blows: Make two unarmed Strikes. If both hit the same creature, combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to the Strikes normally. As it has the flourish trait, you can use Flurry of Blows only once per turn

Stunning Fist DC(18): The focused power of your flurry threatens to overwhelm your opponent. When you target the same creature with two Strikes from your Flurry of Blows, you can try to stun the creature. If either Strike hits and deals damage, the target must succeed at a Fortitude save against your class DC or be stunned 1 (or stunned 3 on a critical failure). This is an incapacitation effect

Actions

 

 

OOC

 

 

[Madadh]

Tethyr, Half-Elf Magus

He eyes the staff as the others speak. An incredibly powerful piece of magic. Teleportation without needing a powerful spellcaster and with a limit that seemed only constrained by the physical space available around the staff itself, along with a secondary enchantment to facilitate communications over enormous distance. What he wouldn't give for the time and resources to study such a thing as that.

When Vega speaks up Tethyr inclines his head at the pale woman and switches to Granarctian. "That makes two of us then."

 

 

[The Eyeball Kid]

Crastug Cold

Crastug looks into the bag and nods, both in acknowlegement of the cold weather gear and the fact that they're on their own for the rest.

"And three", he adds to the count of Granarctian speakers. "It seems we'll be able to communicate."

Statblock

Crastug Cold (Investigator 2) | Character Sheet

---

NG | Medium | Human | Half-Orc | Humanoid

Perception +8; Low-Light Vision Darkvision
Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Goblin, Granarctian, Taskan, Retulian
Skills Acrobatics +2/1, Arcana +8, Athletics +4/3, Crafting +8, Deception +4, Diplomacy +0, Intimidation +4, Lore: Poisons +8, Lore: Underworld +8, Medicine +6, Nature +6, Occultism +8, Performance +0, Religion +6, Society +10, Stealth +6/5, Survival +2, Thievery +6/5
Str +0, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +2, Cha +0
Items Studded Leather, Backpack, Bedroll, Chalk (10), Flint and Steel, Rope, Rations (2), Torch (5), Waterskin, Soap, Alchemist's Tools, Bolts (20), Formula Book, Crowbar, Thieves' Tools, Grappling Hook, Extra Lockpicks, Polytool, Playing Cards, Predictable Silver Piece, Simple Manacles, Wooden Shield (Hardness 3, HP 12, BT 6)
Infused Items: Tanglefoot Bag (2), Elixir of Life (2), Junk Bomb w. Giant Centipede Venom (2), Bottled Lightning (2), Eagle-Eye Elixir (2)

---

AC 18 (+20 with shield raised); Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +8
HP 26
Clue In Frequency once per 10 minutes
Trigger Another creature attempts a check to investigate a lead you're pursuing. You share information with the triggering creature. They gain a circumstance bonus to their check equal to your circumstance bonus to checks investigating your subject from Pursue a Lead. The GM can add any relevant traits to this reaction depending on the situation, such as auditory and linguistic if you're conveying information verbally.

---

Speed 25 feet
Melee Rapier +6/8 (Deadly d8, Disarm, Finesse), Damage 1d6 P
Melee Dagger (3) +6/8 (Agile, Finesse, Thrown 10 ft., Versatile S), Damage 1d4 P
Melee Sap +4/8 (Agile, Nonlethal), Damage 1d6 B
Melee Polytool +4, Damage 1d6 S
Ranged Crossbow +6/8 (Crossbow), Damage 1d8 P
Expeditious Inspection  (Investigator) Frequency once per 10 minutes
You observe and assess your surroundings with great speed. You Recall Knowledge,Seek, or Sense Motive.
Devise a Stratagem  (Concentrate, Fortune, Investigator) Frequency once per round
You assess a foe's weaknesses in combat and use them to formulate a plan of attack against your enemy. Choose a creature you can see and roll a d20. If you Strike the chosen creature later this round, you must use the result of the roll you made to Devise a Stratagem for your Strike's attack roll instead of rolling. You make this substitution only for the first Strike you make against the creature this round, not any subsequent attacks.

When you make this substitution, you can also add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier, provided your Strike uses an agile or finesse melee weapon, an agile or finesse unarmed attack, a ranged weapon (which must be agile or finesse if it's a melee weapon with the thrown trait), or a sap.

If you're aware that the creature you choose is the subject of a lead you're pursuing, you can use this ability as a free action.
Precision Damage Strategic Strike 1d6
Formula Book Tanglefoot Bag (Lesser),Dread Ampoule (Lesser), Antidote (Lesser), Junk Bomb (Lesser), Giant Centipede Venom, Elixir of Life (Minor), Bottled Lightning (Lesser), Eagle Eye Elixir (Lesser)
Additional Feats Alchemical Crafting, Alchemist Dedication, Forensic Acumen, Half-Orc, Orc Sight, Red Herring, Streetwise, That's Odd, Underworld Investigator
Additional Specials Infused Reagents (Archetype), Methodology (Empiricism), On the Case, Pursue a Lead, Strategic Strike

 

[Starhawk]

Circe the Witch

Circe Witch 2 (Rune)

---

Neutral Elf (Ancient Elf) Sacred Circle Worshipper

Perception +5; Low-Light Vision (4x range)

Languages Granartican (native), Elven, Taskan, Draconic, Retulian, Fey

Skills Acrobatics +7, Arcana +8, Athletics +0, Crafting +8, Deception +4, Lore: Regional +8, Medicine +5, Nature +5, Religion +5, Society +8, Stealth +7
Str +0, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +1, Cha +0
Items Dagger, Light Crossbow, Backpack, Bedroll, Chalk (10), Flint and Steel, Rope, Rations (2), Torch (5), Waterskin, Soap, Alchemist's Tools, Bolts (20), Formula Book, Eye Slash (see 4x further)

Infused Items: Peshpine Grenade (2), Elixir of Life (2), Cheetah's Elixir (2), Ghost Charge (2), Serene Mutagen (2)

---

AC 17 Fort +5 Ref +7, Will +7 HP 20

---

Speed 35 feet

Melee Dagger +6 (Agile, Finesse, Thrown 10 ft., Versatile S), Damage 1d4 P
Ranged Crossbow +6 (Crossbow), Damage 1d8 P

Arcane Prepared Spells DC 18, attack 8; 

1st Charm 1 , Sleep 1, Grease 1, Burning Hands 0;

Cantrips Mage Hand, Electric Arc, Shield, Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound
 

Focus Spells (2 points) Discern Secrets Range 30 feet; Targets 1 creature 

Duration sustained up to 1 minute You call upon your patron's power to better uncover secrets. When you Cast the Spell, the target can Recall Knowledge, Seek, or Sense Motive. The target gains a +1 status bonus to the skill or Perception used for the roll, and this bonus remains as long as you Sustain the Spell. The target is temporarily immune to discern secrets for 1 minute. Heightened (5th) You can target two creatures instead of one.
Phase Familiar Range 60 feet; Targets your familiar

You draw upon your patron's power to momentarily shift your familiar from its solid, physical form into an ephemeral version of itself shaped of mist. Your familiar gains resistance 5 to all damage and is immune to precision damage. These apply only against the triggering damage. Heightened (+1) Increase the resistance by 2.
Elemental Betrayal Range 30 feet; Targets 1 creature Duration sustained up to 1 minute

You call upon the elements to undermine your foe. When you Cast this Spell, choose air, earth, fire, or water. Each time the target takes damage from a spell or effect with the chosen trait, it takes an additional 2 damage of one damage type dealt by the spell or effect. If you chose fire or water, the target also takes this additional damage when taking fire or cold damage, respectively, from effects or spells without the chosen trait. Heightened (+2) Increase the additional damage by 1.
Formula Book Peshpine Grenade (Lesser), Energy Mutagen (Lesser), Antidote (Lesser), Ghost Charge (Lesser), Antiplague (Lesser), Elixir of Life (Minor), Serene Mutagen (Lesser), Cheetah's Elixir (Lesser)
Additional Feats Alchemical Crafting, Alchemist Dedication, Basic Lesson, Nimble Elf, Specialty Crafting, Streetwise
Additional Specials Basic Lesson (Lesson of the Elements), Familiar, Hexes, Infused Reagents (Archetype), Patron (Rune), Witch Spellcasting

Owl Familiar "Peek"

Size Tiny HP10 AC17

Fort+4 Ref+2 Will +6

Perception +10 (Low Light Vision/Darkvision) Acrobatics +6 Stealth +10

Flight (25'), Darkvision, Speech

"I'm Granartican." adds Circe, her manner of naming the land suggesting she's not a fan of her homeland. *Why is don't 'call me Sarge' sure it's just the tip of the iceberg? Is there a connnection between the bear and the talk of trapping? Heavens knows life in Granartica is hard and you sell anything not nailed down, then take a crowbar to anything nailed down to hold starvation at bay.* At this point she glances over at Crastug, who is clearly carrying a crowbar. *Yes, he has the right idea. Wonder if he's Granartican too?*.

Being Granartican, also explains her lack of knowledge about muster lines, since people of her land are merely exploited to the point of want and beyond and not subject to the military conscription that Vega has already spoken of.

Her ignorance of such things might explain why she starts to head over to Crastug and look in the bag, only to stop and returning to the muster line after a couple of steps, looking somewhat abashedly at the Sergeant to see if she'll get reprimanded.

* Note to self. Make sure you get some silver. *

Mechanics 

Work in Progress

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Starhawk (see edit history)