Scotley's 4e Swashbuckler

Alejandro (Ali) Arroyo

Ali rides along in the back, trying to keep up in the dark.

Lucien rides!

The old man has good eyes for his age... but even he has problems in the dark.

OOC: Oh my you've obviously offended the dice gods. Just waiting for Shayuri...

Tabitha rides near the front, peering into the gloom ahead...trying to find a point of light; a distant fire, perhaps, or star...to see when things get in front of her. It's not easy though, and the only solace is that by not using lights they make the church knights jobs just as hard.

As the manicured lawns give way to a more natural landscape of rolling hills, trees and undergrowth the Hounds begin to have trouble. Lucien's horse missteps into a hole and he is unhorsed rather painfully (must spend a surge and remount), the sudden crash and groans behind him cause Malkyr to turn in the saddle and look behind only to have his horse get tangled in brambles (must spend a surge). Others have close calls trying to make their way in the dark, but manage to avoid any serious falls or entanglements. Lucien counts himself lucky that his horse didn't come up lame.

All of you again hear the terrible beastly cry that prefaced the arrival of the Lector LeVasures still audible from beyond the Inn.

[sblock=Ali]As the others struggle with the darkness, Ali catches site of a figure off to the left. He or she seems to be trying to signal you while remaining out of sight of any who might be looking this way from the environs of Inn.[/sblock]

Lucien is quickly back on his feet, shaking off the worst of his fall. He quickly checks to make sure his horse is fine to continue, and then remounts.

Manous Artouche, Human (Protecting) Paladin 4

"Lucien, Malkyr, allow me to assist you," says Manous.



[sblock=Manous's sheet]
Manous Artouche, Human (Protecting) Paladin 4, 25 pt. build

Str 16 +3
Dex 13 +1
Con 13 +1
Int 08 -2
Wis 14 +2
Cha 19 +4

Speed: 5

HP=46-37=9+11=20+11+11=42
Healing Surges per day: 12 (-5 used today)
Healing Surge Value: 11

Defenses
AC 23
Fort 16
Ref 16 [10+1/2L+1dex bonus+2shield bonus+1Paladin bonus]
Will 17

Feats:
Alertness [Manous does not grant CA when surprised, and he receives +2 Perception]
Action Surge [Human bonus feat, +3 to attacks when Manous spends an AP]
Devoted Paladin [+1 healing surge, add cha bonus (+4) to lay on hands]
Virtuous Recovery [Gain resist all when spend a healing surge]

Skills
Perception [+2(half level)+1(wis)+5(trained)+2(feat)=+10]
Diplomacy [+2(half level)+4(cha)+5(trained)=+11]
Acrobatics [+2(half level)+1(dex)+0(untrained)=+3]
Athletics [+2(half level)+3(str)+0(untrained)=+5]
Bluff [+2(half level)+4(cha)+0(untrained)=+6]
Endurance [+2(half level)+1(con)+0(untrained)=+3]
Heal [+2(half level)+2(wis)+0(untrained)=+4]
Stealth [+2(half level)+1(dex)+0(untrained)=+3]
Streetwise [+2(half level)+4(cha)+0(untrained)=+6]

Paladin Class Features:
Channel Divinity: Divine Mettle - Encounter [add M's Cha bonus (+4) to an ally's Saving Throw]
Channel Divinity: Divine Strength - Encounter [add M's Str bonus (+3) as extra dam on next att. this turn]
Divine Challenge - At-Will [mark 1 target w/in burst 5]
Lay on Hands - At-Will special - use # of times equal to Wis mod. = 2 [spend healing surge, for ally to heal ally's own surge value hp]

At-Will Powers:
Bolstering Strike [Cha vs. AC] 1[W]+ cha mod and I gain +2 temp hp
Enfeebling Strike [Cha vs. AC] 1[W]+cha mod and if target is marked it takes -2 to att untl ENT
Ardent Strike [Cha vs. AC] [A target hit w/ this power is subject to Manous's Divine Sanction untl ENT,
which means that the target takes 3+4 radiant damage in each round that it makes an attack that
does not include Manous as a target.]

Encounter Powers:

*Heroic Effort [Human Racial Power]
Personal - No Action
Trigger - Manous misses an attack or fails a saving throw
Effect - Manous gains a +4 racial bonus to the attack or saving throw

Shielding Smite [cha vs. AC] [dam = 2[W]+cha mod and one ally w/in 5 gains +2AC untl ENT]
Righteous Smite [cha vs. AC, hit: 2[W]+cha mod plus Manous and all allies w/in 5 squares gain 9 temp hp]

Daily Power:
*Radiant Delirium [3d8+4 + dazed untl ENT and -2 AC save ends][Miss-half dam+target dazed untl ENT]

Utility Power:
Bless Weapon [minor action: until the end of the encounter,
the weapon blessed gains +1 on attack rolls, inflicts +1d6 radiant damage,
and crits on 18-20]

Equipment/Magic
+1 Black Iron Plate Armor [L4] (+9 AC) [50gp+840gp] Property-Resist 5 fire/Resist 5 necrotic
Heavy Shield (+2 AC) [10gp]
+1 Frost War Hammer [L3] (1d10+1 dam., crit +1d6 dam, +2 att, versatile) Power: at-will, free action
change all dam inflicted by this weapon to cold dam. Power: daily, free action inflict an
extra +1d8 cold dam. and target is slowed until the end of my next turn.
Longsword (1d8 dam., +3 att., versatile) [15gp]
Longbow (1d10 dam., +2 att., range 20/40)[30gp]
Arrows [1gp] [29 arrows remaining]
+1 Holy Symbol of Battle [1,000gp] [L5] +1 att/dam., crit +1d8, Power (free) +1d10 damage when hit
Standard Aventurer's Kit [15gp]
Journeybread [50gp]


[sblock=Background
Manous is a "Barbarian Indian" type who was born in the recently discovered "America," but was
brought back to "France" as a very small boy (about 12/13?) by a sea captain as an oddity to be
widely displayed and poked and prodded by various folks. Then said waif was seen by a Duchess
and her heart went out to the poor lad, so she adopted him and had him trained/schooled by the
best Masters in the land, and given very much religious instruction in the 'accepted' faith.
Ultimately, young Manous became a Paladin, but he still looks very unusual, having been
copiously tattooed by his people and subjected to the body modifications of his tribe. I'm thinking
Manous's entire body is tattooed with geometric patterns and star charts, his earlobes have been
greatly pierced with objects of ever-increasing size during his early childhood, so he has great
flapping "rings" of flesh hanging from his ears. Manous Artouche also has a row of "earrings"
around his navel (navel rings?) (but he keeps that covered most of the time), and he also has a
"bone in his nose." (Not a real bone, but a ring of brass much like a bull.)


So Manous looks like a total freak, except when he is shrouded in his Paladin's armor, at which
time he is indistinguishable from any other knight of the realm, but he is always unswervingly
loyal to his benefactor the Duchess, and he is as faithful to his new religion as anyone in
"France." Now, the Duchess is on the outs with the mainstream of nobility in "France" because
she resisted the amorous intentions of the Prince, and he ruined her socially once he got over
the rejection. She may have even been exiled to "Scotland" or wherever, but Manous Artouche
was undergoing his tutelage at that time and had to stay behind in "France" with the Duchess's
cousin, Grand Duke Siegfried von Koln, who was (as it happens) the boy's Paladin Instructor. Now
Siegfried, once Manous was fully trained and set out on the proper path of Paladinhood, fell
victim to temptations of the flesh possibly brought about by arcane mind control, and he wound
up as an Anti-Paladin. [Built-in future BBEG!] His fall from Paladinhood finished off the Duchess's
family's fall from grace and they are all wanted/hunted/shot on sight, and their vast holdings
have mostly been confiscated by the throne. Manous Artouche does, arguably, still
have a valid, legal claim to at least a portion of the Duchess's family holdings, since he was
legally adopted by the Duchess before her downfall.
[/sblock]

[/sblock]

Ali

Ali pulls up next to his friends and says in a low voice, "We are being signaled from the left. The signaler is trying stay hidden from anyone following us."