[PF-1e] Parabellum Games

[Ermine]

Crimson dancer is fun. ^~^ Especially focusing on Duelist sphere and Blood sphere for magic. So. Much. Bleed. Damage.

[AximusLokar]

Hoo boy, I didn't necessarily intend to write out a whole bit of lore when I sat down today but it felt kind of thin without it. But I included a tl;dr version if you just want the broad strokes. (And this is just for the race, I haven't finished finalizing details of the actual character's history just yet >_< Although writing this out did help me solidify the concept a bit better in my mind)

Custom race for approval:

Shinigami (Exile)

Originally Posted by Species Stat Block

Race: Shinigami Exile
Type: Outsider (Native, Purgatory) [3]
Darkvision 60'
Standard (+2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Cha) [0]
Language: Standard (Common, Netherese) [0]

Features:
[4] Focused Study (Skill Focus @1, 8, 16)
[4] Blindsense 30'
[4] Soul Seer (Constant Deathwatch)
[2] Static Feat: Magic Talent (Destruction)
- Flavor bonus requirement: Must choose an Energy Focus and Shape Focus drawback

 

History:
Enforcers of the Cycle, Shinigami are powerful outsiders from the plane of Purgatory. Though far fewer in number than the forces of the heavens and hells their greatest Executioners nonetheless rival the strongest of angels and demons in terms of individual power and do not fear to tread their grounds in pursuit of their quarry. When a soul finds itself outside off the path towards it's final destination somewhere there is a shinigami in inexorable pursuit to return it to it's rightful place in the process.

Unlike angels and demons, however, shinigami are immortals born from mortal souls to maintain the eternal engine of death and rebirth. And anything born of the chaos of mortality is subject to...aberration. While most shinigami pursue their purpose without question or attachment, the echo of the soul that formed some can leave them ill-suited to the calling. Some lack the strength, others the will to enact violent ends, and some just...like it too much to remain impartial. Regardless of the reason those shinigami unable to slot into the hierarchy inevitably are cast out of purgatory back to the mortal realm where they reform a physical body and live out their lives until the last embers of their soul fade away and the remnants re-enter the cycle.

Physical Description:
An Exiled Shinigami has only trace elements of the appearance of the mortal soul they were formed from, and lacks all but the most fleeting flashes of memories from that life. When they incorporate on the mortal plane they do so by attaching to the first compatible recently deceased body their soul can sense, inhabiting and then rebuilding that body into a living vessel. The result tends to be a blending of the soul's self-image, the body's overall structure, and in the case of particularly strong individuals able to maintain a degree of awareness during the process a bit of conscious crafting. The skeletal structure of shinigami tends to be more pronounced than the base body giving them sharper features, and while healthy living can alleviate this they begin life looking emaciated and near-death.

There are a few significant physiological tells of a shinigami that are difficult to cover up against those that know what to look for. Shinigami are often pale, with darker skin fading to look slightly grayer than normal. Their hair, sclera, or pupils take on an unusual hue, most often metallic gold, moonsilver, or midnight black; and often a combination thereof. And just below the shoulder blades protude a pair of stunted bones, seemingly the remains of missing wings. With only a little effort a shinigami can blend in relatively well with the species from which their body originated, but even with no physical tells those in the presence of a shinigami often report a feeling of being constantly watched or even judged.

While Shinigami can die like any other mortal they do not age like most species. When they form in purgatory they could be at a variety of life stages from childhood to elderly, though the majority form somewhere in between seemingly related to the age of death of the soul they were born, and have certain instinctual knowledge that they build from with the help of other shinigami. Within purgatory they never progress beyond this form. Exiles also never die of true old age, but will grow slowly (comparable to elves) until reaching full maturity. Beyond this stage they are limited only by their Life Span. They arrive in the mortal realm with the remainder of the Life Span their original soul was allotted, growing emaciated and skeletal when approaching their final years. However they are able to add to their life span as a byproduct of their origins...by reaping it from others. True Shinigami maintain their virtual immortality by siphoning an imperceptible fraction of unused lifespan from the great cycle of death and rebirth when returning a soul to it's path. Exiled Shinigami instinctively do the same when they end a life, adding a portion of that remaining life span to their own. For this reason the most long-lived and successful of Exiles tend to gravitate towards the careers of adventurers, soldiers, and livestock farmers.

Society:
Shinigami exiles have no organized society to speak of. There are too few, spread too far, and with little to nothing in common beyond their extraplanar origin. Many are able to blend in to the society they find themselves in if they are able to find a way to maintain their lifespan, but even before any physical signs appear every shinigami can feel the inevitable approach of their end which tends to push them towards either isolation or more actively dangerous lifestyles capable of pushing that feeling beyond everyday awareness.

Those that know the source of a shinigami's longevity are split in their responses. Some superstitiously believe that shinigami are rampant murderers and half-undead abominations lurking within their midst waiting to devour their souls...not helped by a few historical instances of precisely that. Others see it as no more unnatural than common carnivorous requirements, and in fact a part of the natural order of the cosmos considering the role True Shinigami have in the cycle. Opinions range wildly but enough of them skew either fearful or violent enough for most shinigami to keep that aspect of their nature to themselves.

A worthwhile note, however, is the Shinigami's relation to necromancy and the undead. Because of their attunement to the Cycle displaced souls, hollow vessels, and soul destroying magics stand out to their senses and can provoke strong reactions. General death magic, or necromancy, is merely interesting and has been described as feeling 'like standing near a stone that has been baking in the sun'. Empty undead give shinigami a sense of mild vertigo, as though standing near the ledge of a cliff. But when a shinigami detects a wayward soul, especially one bound against it's will, it can provoke an instinctual and violent urge to act. While by no means an irresistible compulsion, most give in or even lean in to that urge as much to sooth the feeling as for the healthy chunk of lifespan destroying such creatures grants them. Conversely being within sensory range of a soul being extinguished so thoroughly that it ceases to exist entirely can provoke bouts of nausea or depression.

 

Outsiders of Purgatory. Pseudo-immortals that maintain balance of death and rebirth. Exiles don't fit in for whatever reason and incorporate a body on the material plane. Ageless but limited lifespan, extended by 'reaping' living and undead beings. Mostly look like the species they formed their body from with telltale physical signs, wing stubs, and a sense of observation/judgement when nearby (slightly stronger than the sixth sense of 'being watched' but not 'auto-break stealth').

Traditions for approval:

Casting Tradition: Sanguine Eye [Divine]
-Vulnerable Casting (physical penalties hurt caster level)
-Witchmarked (eyes of blood, tear trail) (Spheres: Life, Blood, Divination, Limited to SensesSight, Destruction, Limited to Frost BlastCold)
-Somatic Casting
-Focus Casting
+Bound Companion
+Witchwarped (Elemental Empowerment: Cold)
Spell Points: Base

Martial Tradition: Sanguine Hand
Huntsman Training
Unarmored Training
Gauntlet Shield
Barrage sphere

Originally Posted by Firefly

Zoë: You sanguine about the kind of reception we're up to receive on an Alliance ship, Cap?
Mal: Absolutely. What's "sanguine" mean?
Zoë: "Sanguine." Hopeful. Plus, point of interest, it also means "bloody."
Mal: Well, that pretty much covers all the options, don't it?

Companion Casting Tradition: Living Futhark (runestone) [Arcane]
-Witchmarked (glowing runes) (Spheres: Fate, Enhancement)
-Fey-Infused Magic
-Expensive Locus (Charging dock)
-Verbal Casting
+Easy Focus
+Witchwarped (Size change)
Spell Points: Base

[Battlechaser]

Martial tradition up for approval:
Find the beast
Unarmored training
Rogue weapon training
Finesse fighting
Scout, drawback tracker: track the scene

Requesting legendary talent: inimical gaze

[Eviltedzies]

Originally Posted by AximusLokar

Custom Race: Shinigami (Exile)
Approved

Casting Tradition: Sanguine Eye [Divine]
-Vulnerable Casting (physical penalties hurt caster level)
-Witchmarked (eyes of blood, tear trail) (Spheres: Life, Blood, Sight, Cold)
-Somatic Casting
-Focus Casting
+Bound Companion
+Witchwarped (Elemental Empowerment: Cold)
Spell Points: Base

Approved

Originally Posted by AximusLokar

Martial Tradition: Sanguine Hand
Huntsman Training
Unarmored Training
Gauntlet Shield
Barrage sphere
Approved

Approved

Originally Posted by AximusLokar

Companion Casting Tradition: Living Futhark (runestone) [Arcane]
-Witchmarked (glowing runes) (Spheres: Fate, Enhancement)
-Fey-Infused Magic
-Expensive Locus (Charging dock)
-Verbal Casting
+Easy Focus
+Witchwarped (Size change)
Spell Points: Base

Approved

Originally Posted by Battlechaser

Custom Martial Tradition
Find the beast
- Unarmored training
- Rogue weapon training
- Finesse fighting
- Scout, drawback tracker: track the scene

Approved

Originally Posted by Battlechaser

Requesting legendary talent: inimical gaze

Approved

[AximusLokar]

Hmm. I'm dipping into the Life sphere a bit more than I thought I would. Still figuring out my exact balance but while I do so I suppose I should throw up two Legendary/Advanced I found that fit me pretty well, unsure which if either I'll end up using so if one or both gets rejected that'll make it an easy decision

Life (Transfiguration) (Insufficient CL)
Barrage (Cone of Death) (Meh, rather take a style talent if I can spare a slot)

Oh, and I forgot to make a FCB for my Shinigami race. Since they're similar in nature to Aasimar and Tieflings I'll crib from theirs.

Deal +1/2 bonus damage to undead when using a bonded weapon. This bonus damage is affected by DR as normal, but is not halved when attacking ethereal undead.

[Eviltedzies]

Originally Posted by AximusLokar

Life (Transfiguration)

Denied

Originally Posted by AximusLokar

Barrage (Cone of Death)

Approved

Originally Posted by AximusLokar

Deal +1/2 bonus damage to undead when using a bonded weapon. This bonus damage is affected by DR as normal, but is not halved when attacking ethereal undead.

Approved

[AximusLokar]

heh, just as I was editing in the strikeouts to say I'd decided against them. Turns out I don't have the CL for Transfiguration anyways. And while Cone of Death is interesting I think if I end up with a spare talent I'll take something to build in some extra utility capabilities.

[Ermine]

Planned spheres (some are subject to change, depending who gets in) Bestial and Boon Companion talents for Conjuration sphere Time sphere with Altered Time (haste only) and Personal Time drawbacks, and with Augmented Healing and Improved Haste talents Protection sphere with Limited Protection (aegis only), Protected Soul, and Second Skin drawbacks, and with Armored Magic, Ablating, and Breathless talents Life sphere with Glorious, Limited Restoration (cure/invigorate only), and Regenerate drawbacks, and with the following talents: Restore Health, Restore Senses, Restore Spirit, Taste of Victory Divination sphere with Hidden Magic and Limited Divination (sense only) drawbacks, with the following talents: Battlefield Sense, Blindfolded Oracle, Foreshadow, Prescience Fate sphere with Sanctified drawback, and with the Greater Serendipity talent Enhancement sphere with Marking Enhancements (Blood) drawback, and with Greater Enhance Equipment talent Promethean and Bone-Breaker talents from Berserker sphere Fencing sphere with Fatal Thrust talent Duelist sphere with Perforating Wounds talent Equipment sphere Peasant Training talent + my martial tradition (4 talents) and a feat (Extra Skill Talent: Body Control sphere with Incredible Stamina drawback and Physiological Focus alternate start). I also took Extra Magic Talent once, and +1/6 extra magic talent for my FCB one time through.

Unrelated, could I pay extra for a custom scythe? Affects nothing other than it looking cooler in my head. I mean, I guess it would just be paying for masterwork...forget this was even here. ^//^

[Ermine]

I'm considering removing the catlike ears from her appearance. I can find pics so much easier without them. My art is...really not good (I'm not a character artist). I have a pic I'll use (sans cat ears) if I don't finish in time.

[Eviltedzies]

Originally Posted by Ermine

Unrelated, could I pay extra for a custom scythe? Affects nothing other than it looking cooler in my head. I mean, I guess it would just be paying for masterwork...forget this was even here. ^//^

Cosmetically your gear can look however you want it to without paying extra. As long as there is no mechanical benefit of the modifications it should be fine.

[Ermine]

The mechanical benefit would just be paying the masterwork price and getting it masterwork. -nodnod-

Okay, I found another good pic, but a) there's two people in it, and b) I'd have to change details in the written description.

[Ermine]

Are special materials allowed? Specifically voidglass? (I could do mithral or adamantine instead if voidglass isn't allowed, or none of the above if special materials aren't allowed, obviously)

And I'll let you pick: kitty ears or bunny ears? (Colors are changing to match the pic) Nevermind, picked bunny.

[AximusLokar]

@Ermine: Depending on complexity of the image I can do color tweaks and even other minor graphical alterations for you if it helps to better match what you have to what you want.

[Ermine]

So can I, technically, just have to send it to my mobilestudio.

Edit: Okay, description changed and pic added. I should be done if the sheet isn't necessary yet. Went with bunny ears.

Edit 2: Re-edited the image. It's now bigger with a better resolution.

[Eviltedzies]

Originally Posted by Ermine

Are special materials allowed? Specifically voidglass?

Paizo special materials are allowed though outside of the usual staples of Darkwood, Mithril, and Adamantine I haven't looked over the full list in some time. I don't recall there being anything too crazy mechanically but if something comes up we can adjust as needed.

Voidglass is allowed.