Thursday, October 29, 2009

Eberron Heroes: Were-Spider

Eberron is probably one of my favorite campaign settings. Why? It's SO VERSATILE. It has such a wide array of different things that you can accomplish inside of it with it's unique take on using Magical Devices as a sort of parallel to technology. To say that it's Steam Punk isn't giving it enough credit. It's more like Magic Punk or some strange kind of cross between Victorian England and Vision of Escaflowne. Because of this amazing versatility, I like to experiment with potential characters that can be transplanted into it. This is such an example.

I'll give you two guesses as to who this is suppose to be. Go ahead. Guess!

Petler Parkzen
Male Human
Alignment Chaotic Good
Rogue 5 / Artificer 8

Str 16 (+1 strength)
Dex 17
Con 12
Int 18 (+1 4th level)
Wis 13
Cha 16 (+1 8th level)

Hit Points 69, Current 69
AC 18 (10 +3 dex, +5 armor), Touch 13, Flat 18 (uncanny dodge)
Init +3
BAB +9/+4, Grap +12/+7
Speed 30
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +8

Unarmed Attack +12/+7 1d10+3 Critical 20

Skills:
+10 Balance (5 ranks, +2 synergy)
+17 Bluff Cha (14 ranks)
+16 Climb (13 ranks)
+11 Craft_1 (7 ranks)
+8 Craft_2 Int 8 (8 ranks)
+5 Diplomacy (+2 synergy)
+9 Disguise (6 ranks)
+13 Gather Information (8 ranks, +2 synergy)
+11 Hide (8 ranks)
+5 Intimidate (+2 synergy)
+31 Jump (16 ranks, +2 synergy, +10 Innate Bonus*)
+12 Knowledge (arcana) (8 ranks)
+12 Knowledge (architecture) (8 ranks)
+10 Knowledge (local) (6 ranks)
+9 Move Silently (6 ranks)
+4 Profession (3 ranks)
+12 Sleight of Hand (7 ranks, +2 synergy)
+17 Spellcraft (11 ranks, +2 synergy)
+13 Tumble (8 ranks, +2 synergy)
+15 Use Magic Device (12 ranks)
+11 Use Rope (8 ranks)

Feats:
Action Boost
Heroic Spirit
Exceptional Artisan x2
Dodge
Mobility
Improved Unarmed Strike
Superior Unarmed Strike
Scribe Scroll
Brew Potion
Craft Wondrous Item
Craft Magic Arms and Armor
Craft Wand

Human Traits
-Bonus Skill
-Bonus Feat

Rogue
-Sneak Attack +3d6
-Trapfinding
-Evasion (level 2)
-Trap Sense (level 3)
-Uncanny Dodge (level 4)

Artificer
-Artificer Knowledge
-Artisan Bonus
-Disable Trap
-Item Creation
- Craft Homunculus
- Retain Essence
- Metamagic Spell Trigger

Special Qualities:
-Arachnid Curse: Petler has a magical curse that flows through his body like a poison. The curse grants Petler an innate +10 bonus on Jump checks and he can also use Spider Climb as a Spell-Like ability at will.

Equipment:
  • 2 Wand-Holsters
  • These are essentially wrist bands with a socket inside of them that's just big enough for a medium sized wand to fit. A wand holster grants whoever wears them immediate acess to any wand placed inside of them. A wand inside a holster cannot be disarmed this way. Only by removing the holster themselves or taking the wand from the holster while the wearer is unconsious.
  • 2 Wands of Web
  • These are two ordinary Wands of Web that Petler keeps inside his two holsters at all times. Like most wands they only have 50 charges each and Petler keeps a fairly large storage of Web wands in his personal study.
  • +2 Studded Leather.

Petler was an ordinary boy in Sharn. Or about as ordinary as a boy in Sharn gets. Like many young boys with a knack for tinkering and magic, he trained himself to become an artificer and maybe some day work for House Cannith. The war had taken both of his parents and he lived in Sharn under the care of his elderly uncle and aunt.

Petler wasn't a particularly well-liked boy. He was charismatic to be sure but he was often seen as being petty and uninteresting. Most women's respect for him began and ended at his expertise and his only two freinds, a hobgoblin son of a Dahkanni warlord and a common girl named Guiien weren't exactly well respected by the peers at Morgrave.

Petler's life took a turn for the adventuring path when one day, on an expedition to a Valdalis Enclave, a monstrous spider undergoing a special magic breeding program broke free from it's cage and attacked Petler. The monsterous spider managed to dig it's massive fangs into Petler's flesh for one good solid bite before a Warforged Guard managed to put the massive anthropod down with a single well-placed swing.

Petler stumbled away from the Enclave and returned to his home, weary and feeling particularly exhausted. The arcane infused spider-venom made it's way through Petler's body, granting him unusual powers such as the ability to jump great distances and climb the surface of almost any wall. Petler discovered these powers the hard way (taking a quite literal leap of fait so to say) but once he saw what they let him do he instantly began thinking of a way to benefit from them.

Petler opted to become a street fighter in Sharn's cogs. Making illicit money from taking on the various monsters and other brawlers who lived down there. Petler wound up making money for his underpaid aunt and uncle. When they questioned him he simply said he earned it doing some side jobs. Petler's uncle remained suspicious and the two fought. As Petler left to go do another fight, his uncle told him that "With great power, comes great responsibility."

Petler fought his opponent and won. However the dealer cheated him out of a couple coin. Petler's combined fight with his uncle and subsequent betrayal made him completely apathetic when a mugger who was stealing from the fight coordinator ran past Petler, revealed his changeling heritage for a second and proceeded to book it. When Petler returned to his house he saw the Sharn watch outside and his Aunt crying.

Petler's uncle had been ruthlessly stabbed by a random mugger fleeing the Watch. They were reportedly still after him and Petler, in rage, chased after the suspect and proceeded to corner him down a dark alleyway. Petler wailed on the man who killed his uncle and as he beat him into unconsiousness he saw the man's bloody and bruised face suddenly change from it's normal expression to that of a changeling. One that Petler recognized far too well. Petler had let the man who killed his uncle get away. Thus did he feel the burden of his uncle's death fall onto his own shoulders.

From that day forward. Petler took it upon himself to right his wrong and make sure that no criminal escape his sight. Petler proceeded to put on an enchanted studded leather armor that he wore over his clothes and a pair of goggles over his eyes to properly disguise himself. He proceeded to swing through Sharn and put his skills to use. Fighting muggers and random criminals. Taking little to no reward for himself.

Currently. Petler still tries to earn all of his money to support him and his aunt legitamently. He works for the Korranberg Chronical under a particulary bossy gnome who happens to have it in for Petler's currently adopted alter-ego. Several groups are convinced that Petler (or more accurately his other identity) is some kind of lycanthrope or Shifter that has a spider related bloodline. Petler, thinking on how he got these powers, isn't sure if they're right or wrong. This has given him the rather negatively connotive name of "Were-Spider". This has put him at odds with the Church of the Silver Flame as well as the the local shifter community who see the idea of there being a spider-themes line of lycanthrope as being absolutely ridiculous.

In terms of personality. Petler is easily engrossed into the power of anonymity. When nobody seems to recognize him under his goggles and costume, he makes a great show to differentiate himself from his more mild mannered self. When in disguise Petler is snarky, wise cracking and always ready to make a snide remark about someone. When he is dressed more inconspiculously, Petler's typically much more reserved and self-consious.
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So yea. This should be pretty easy unless you're living under a rock.

Next up: The Warforged.

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