GARTH
Created by Vic Polites (Lycanthrope system by John W. Mangrum)
9th-Level Half-elven/Wereboar Ranger, Chaotic Good
|
Armor Class Movement Level/Hit Dice Hit Points THAC0 No. of Attacks |
4 12 9 78 12 3 or 5/2 or 3/2 |
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha |
18/98 15 16 12 10 16 |
|
Damage/Attack Special Attacks Special Defenses Magic Resistance Corruption |
1d8+8/2d4+8 (bastard sword) or 1d2+8 (unarmed) Two-weapon attack, transformation, see below Immune to normal damage, regeneration, see below Nil Redeemed (3) |
||
tanding 6'5" and weighing 290 pounds, Garth does not belie his half-elven heritage easily. His imposing, chiseled build is big in every dimension, and he positively towers over most men. He has bold, handsome features and a heavy lower jaw. A mop of wild, dark blond hair crowns his head. Only his pointed ears and slightly tapered eyes indicate that he is anything but a very large, very hairy human. He dresses rather simply: leather breeches and vest, boots, cloak, and chainmail gloves. Two enormous bastard swords and a longbow are strapped to his back. Although he is only 42, a devastating encounter with a ghost caused Garth to age 80 years in an instant. Thus, he has the features of a half-elf of 122 years. His hair is graying, and his flesh is lined with wrinkles.
When transformed into hybrid aspect, Garth takes on the form of a terrifying man-boar. He is slightly taller, but with a hunchback posture that thrusts his head forward. His head transforms into that of an enormous wild boar, complete with huge, razor-sharp tusks. His hind feet are hoof-like, but he retains the use of his forearms, and thus wields his swords to great effect. Stiff, black-brown bristles sprout over every inch of his flesh. Garth prefers this aspect for intimidation: a seven-foot, claymore-wielding, snorting, bucking monstrosity sends most enemies running to the hills.
Background: Garth was born in the Dalelands on the world of Toril. While still a young woodsman, he was inadvertently drawn into the Demiplane of Dread. His original companions have all since scattered or perished, and Garth has been traveling with the Walkers for some time. Garth was made for the adventuring life, and found the Land of mists to be a satisfying new home in some strange respect. Though not as keen as his current companions, Garth has some basic knowledge about Ravenloft from his many years in the Demiplane, particularly about its denizens. His temper and coarse nature have drawn the attention of the Dark Powers several times.
Current Sketch: Garth has recently become a true wereboar. He became acutely aware of the dark path he was heading down as a result of a lifetime of spilt blood. In response, Garth—in typical stubborn fashion—decided to meet his destiny halfway, and opened up his soul to the beast that was trying to get out. As a result, he was able to assume control of his lycanthropic abilities as they emerged, and still retained his alignment.
Short-spoken, pleasure-loving, and a warrior first and always, Garth has neither the head nor the desire for hard thinking or complex problem-solving. He is much better at appraising immediate situations, and relies on his comrades to keep the Walkers moving in the right direction. Garth has no illusions about what his role is in the party, but he likes it that way. Though Garth believes firmly in right and wrong, his distaste for laws and civilization runs to the almost pathological. His loyalty to his comrades runs deep, but he isn't always friendly towards them. He does, however, harbor some deep-seated affection for Narissa. Currently, Garth is seeking a powerful priest who can restore the years he lost to a ghost's aging attack.
Combat: Physical confrontation is a way of life for Garth. He prides himself on being the Walkers' point man—he couldn't do anything else, and wouldn't have it any other way. He strides into battle confidently, cutting through his opponents with deft savagery. Garth does not often resort to lycanthropic transformation, but will occasionally shift into hybrid form to take advantage of its strength and armor class, while retaining his swordsmanship. He may also use transformation for intimidation purposes. If he has any weaknesses in physical combat, it is his commitment to his companions—particularly Narissa—and his lycanthropic bloodlust.
Garth's magical bastard sword, Bane of Fenris, is capable of striking any lycanthrope, though it has no inherent magical bonus. Additionally, when unsheathed, Bane instantly attracts all lycnathropes within 60', causing them to attack the bearer. Garth also possesses a +2 guisarme-voulge blade mounted in such a way that it can be used as a hand axe. Finally, he wears a belt of brawling that grants him a tumbling proficiency score of 18, a +3 bonus to hand-to-hand attacks, and the ability to knockout his opponents with an unarmed attack at a chance equal to his attack roll x 5%.
Garth is first and foremost a man of the untamed wilderness. His ranger abilities assist him in the rugged forests where he is most at home. He may wield a weapon in each hand or make unarmed attacks with both hands, attacking five times every two rounds. Furthermore, because he wears only leather armor, Garth suffers no penalty to his attack rolls when wielding two weapons. Garth's wilderness expertise gives him a +4 bonus to proficiency checks in tracking, a 61% chance to hide in shadows, and a 70% chance to move silently. For the latter two abilities, however, his chance of success is halved outside of a wilderness setting. Because he originally came from Toril, Garth spent his youth battling evil forest creatures, and thus retains his +4 bonus against his special enemy, unlike most Ravenloft rangers. Fortunately, in light of Garth's imprisonment in the Demiplane of Dread, his enmity is against other lycanthropes!
Garth follows the path of the swordsman, a unique ranger kit. Garth has forsaken his training in other weapons in order the master the sword to the best of his ability. In game terms, this single-minded dedication to the blade gives him several special abilities. To summarize the abilities at his current level briefly: Whenever Garth is wielding a bastard sword he has a +3 bonus to both hit and damage rolls and a -2 bonus to his initiative rolls. His receives a -3 AC bonus in any combat situation (if attacked from behind or the like, his AC is 7). Garth may wield two swords of equal weight, and may attack three times a round if wielding two swords. Additionally, Garth has the ability to wield just about any appropriately shaped object or tool as a makeshift sword, from a table leg to a fireplace poker. Unfortunately, as a result of this kit, Garth does not have access to priest spells like other rangers above 7th-level, and cannot empathize with natural animals.
With the resolution of the taint on his soul, Garth is now a true wereboar with complete control over his transformation and powers. He has full transformation ability, enabling him to become a boar or a man-boar at will. Transformation requires a full round and makes Garth more vulnerable to attack: opponents gain a +4 bonus to attack him while he transforms. In order to transform, Garth must make a proficiency check based on his Constitution. This roll can be optionally modified by the phase of the moon (see the Kargatane Netbook The Book of Souls pg 126). If he is wearing his leather armor, Garth takes 1d2-1 points of constriction damage from the transformation. Common folk who are not inured to the true horrors of the Demiplane must make a horror check when they witness his transformation. Garth's beast and hybrid forms are summarized below. Unless stated otherwise, other statistics are identical to Garth's human form:
Boar Form: AC 7; MV 15; #AT 1; DMG 3d4 (Gore).
Man-Boar Form: STR 19; AC 1; #AT Varies; DMG 2d6 (Gore) or by weapon.
Notes: Garth can still wield weapons in this form, and often does. When attacking with weapons, he uses them as normal, gaining his multiple attacks and swordsman bonuses. Having mastered the advantages of his natural weaponry, Garth can easily coordinate the use of his tusks and swords, but he cannot devote more than one of his attacks in a single round to goring.
Garth can also effect partial transformations in his human form. This can be used to cause his eyes to glow, make his body hair grow bristly, and other useful "parlor trick" effects. Most significantly, he can use this ability to grow tusks in human form that do 2d4 damage. This transformation requires one attack rather than a full round, and opponents do not gain a +4 attack bonus. As in his hybrid form, Garth is limited to using one attack per round for goring.
His lycanthropic nature has granted Garth exceptional resilience to physical attacks. He regenerates at a staggering rate of 1 hp per round. Only damage from acid and fire may not be regenerated in such a manner. Whenever he transforms, Garth heals 1d6x10% of the damage he has sustained since he last transformed. Furthermore, Garth is utterly immune to all normal damage, including falls, drowning, poison, etc. Normal injuries appear to heal immediately as they are created. Garth can still be harmed by his chemical and weapon vulnerabilities (see below), magic weapons of at least +1 enchantment, spells, acid, fire, or creatures with at least 4+3 Hit Dice.
Unfortunately, the beast that Garth has awakened within himself has also invested him with some vulnerabilities. Garth must consume 20 pounds of raw meat each day. If he does not eat for 4 days, he must save vs. polymorph each day thereafter or lose 1/8 of his hit point total (rounded up). Only eating all the meat he should have eaten up to that point will recover hit points lost this way. When exposed to fresh blood, raw meat, or physical pain, Garth may enter bloodlust. He must save vs. polymorph with appropriate modifiers (see the Kargatane Netbook The Book of Souls pg 123); failure means he enters bloodlust. Normally, Garth only enters bloodlust when in beast or hybrid aspect, although losing 50% of his hit points in human aspect can also trigger it. While in bloodlust, Garth will attack all nearby living creatures in an attempt to slay them. He gains a +2 bonus to attack, but suffers a +2 AC penalty. He always uses his natural weapons while in bloodlust, and never retreats from battle. Once he has killed all foes in sight and satiated any food debt, Garth may save vs. polymorph with a +2 bonus each round until he succeeds and regains control.
Weapons constructed of solid oak and weapons fashioned from the parts of dead animals--such as bone or teeth--can harm Garth normally. Garth has a severe chemical vulnerability to camphor; the substance can be used against him in several ways. If Garth ingests camphor, he must save vs. poison or die instantly. He does, however, have a 75% chance of detecting the chemical before he ingests it. A weapon coated with camphor is capable of doing damage to him normally for 1d6 rounds. If presented with camphor, Garth must make a fear check to avoid fleeing the area. Even if the check succeeds, he may not approach within 10' of the bearer. Simple contact with camphor, man-made perfumes and cologne, or dead swine matter (such as pig meat or blood) causes him to sustain 1 hp or damage per round, and irritates him to the point of rage.
Finally, Garth has retained abilities from his elven heritage. He has a 30% resistance to sleep and charm spells, and possesses infravision that extends to sixty feet. His keen eyes give him the ability to detect secret and concealed doors. He has a 1 in 6 chance of noticing a concealed door if he passes within 10' of it, a 3 in 6 chance of discovering a concealed door if actively searching, and a 2 in 6 chance of discovering a secret door if actively searching. Though he has witnessed many horrible things in his lifetime, Garth's elven blood steels his soul, giving him a +1 bonus to his fear and horror checks.