#ghole

[veelpo]

Champion from League Of Legends - Briar

Heya, tasty one 😋

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Skirmisher (Fighter Archetype)

 While certainly everyone remembers the big battles between two clashing armies the most, conflicts are also waged on the smaller scale by small groups of soldiers in the wilds, waylaying supply lines, performing acts of reconnaissance and sabotage, and the like.

Such smaller groups wouldn’t stand a chance against the full military might of the enemy army, so such commandos, or skirmishers, as they are called, learn to pack much lighter weapons, armor, and equipment, and use the terrain around them to their advantage.

This archetype is not to be confused with other skirmisher archetypes out there, (most being rangers) but they do possess thematic similarities, being warriors in light, mobile gear that have mastered the terrain around them to set up ambushes and put foes at a disadvantage.

 As stated previously, these warriors eschew heavier forms of protection to keep mobile, and train themselves to be highly mobile in most any environment.

Depending on their exact duties and environment of choice, these fighters condition and train themselves in various ways. Some train to travel and live in high-altitude conditions, while others train to resist torture and magic that subverts the will when captured. Some inoculate themselves against diseases and poisons common to humid regions like wetlands and rainforests, while others simply train to scramble for cover at the first sign of artillery or enemy mages, better avoiding such firepower.

Additionally, all train to watch out for and avoid various hazards both natural and manufactured.

Light on their feet and trained in atheleticism, they also learn to dodge away from foes that attack them, and run faster than their fellows.

Using a combination of camouflage, deceptive clothing, and utilizing all available cover, these fighters are extremely hard to pin down and get a decisive strike on.

If a lightly-armored fighter is what you’re looking for, and you’d rather have the combat feats of a fighter over some other martial class, with a side of survivalist, this archetype might appeal to you. Pick your chosen training in accordance with the homeland of the force they once served in mind, and build for an agile build with light and one-handed weapons, or perhaps with archery. Don’t be afraid to mix and match as needed.

 While this archetype could be reflavored away from the military theme, exploring what it means to be a current or former skirmisher could be interesting. Cut off as they are from high command, such groups are often left on their own to interpret their mission as they see fit. This can, however, lead to terrible things happening, which may haunt the character.

  The party is being followed through the jungle by a corpse-eating ghole, eager to let the diseases of the jungle consume them before it harvest’s their bodies for a meal. However, thanks to their guide, the party has neatly avoided most sources of contagion, causing the beast’s frustration to boil up. It’s only a matter of time before it attacks. When killed, a trinket on its body might be exactly the clue the party needs.

 A bridge represents the very lifeline of the crusades efforts, caravans of supplies providing all they need. If the party is an ally, they may be hired to protect the bridge from saboteurs. Otherwise, they themselves might be the one’s attempting to collapse the bridge and force the interlopers out of their lands.

 Bristling with coarse hair and having compound eyes, Exibir was too unnerving to serve on the front lines with his fellow soldiers. However, he found a family in the Yerman Irregulars. As a pitborn tiefling, his demonic ability to shatter objects made him an excellent saboteur, but he also made a point to be a skilled swordsman as well.

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Secret Broker (Occultist Archetype)

 One can clean off the blood, hide the bodies, or otherwise hide the details of clandestine goings-on, but getting rid of the psychic impressions that actions leave behind is another thing entirely.

Some occultists, whom already specialize in reading objects, use their talents for reading and manipulating information stored in objects to become shadow players in politics, hoarding dark secrets until the right payment, or right time politically, allows them to be shared.

Beyond their ability to simply read and transfer memories and knowledge, these mystics are political players in their own right, and rare indeed would be the secret broker that didn’t also have their own agenda beyond making money off of other people’s dirty laundry.

 Focused as they are on knowledge, these mystics begin their careers focusing on the implement school of divination, their primary implement typically being a ledger or other method of record keeping, in which they tend to keep track of their most juicy secrets. Additionally, the normal resonant power associated with divination implements is enhanced for them, granting them insight into the behavior of others and various forms of lore in addition to the other areas that they enhance.

When in possession of truly secret information gleaned from reading an object, these spymasters can transfer that information directly into the mind of another by exchanging an object, forgetting it while the recipient learns that information. Alternatively, they can transfer the memory to an object and then destroy it, erasing it from their mind if it becomes useful to make sure a secret is never found. Note that this only works with true secrets, as information that has been shared or recorded is too widespread to be transferred.

Going beyond objects, these occultists can learn or share memories with a willing mind with a touch.

Later on, however, they learn to use it in more hostile ways, stealing secrets with a touch, though they must be careful, as victims can become completely immune to this.

With a bit of power and a touch, these occultists can erase memory of a specific fact from a mind, helping keep control of certain secrets, though it does not prevent the target from learning that information again.

Later on, they can erase such memories from entire groups nearby, though it takes more energy to do so.

Very much meant for an intrigue game, this archetype focuses on information gathering and spy stuff. As such, I recommend picking schools, powers, and spells that help you subtly gain information that you can use to develop a portfolio of information. Divination and illusion are good choices, as is transmutation.

 What secrets the occultist chooses to use and which ones they choose to hide forever depends greatly on their motivations. An occultist motivated by greed and personal security may have little compunctions of the secrets they sell beyond those that would incriminate themselves, while one with a political or personal agenda may seek to secure any dark secrets about certain political players, either to expose them, or to protect them.

  To this day, no one really knows what happened on the Night of No Kings, but when the missing crown of the late King Erok reappears and finds its way into the hands of an occult secret broker, the revelation is too shocking and too dangerous to be kept hidden.

 Though a skilled information broker, the vishkanya Narika wants out of that life. Knowing terrible secrets about those above and below the law, however, makes her a target, so in order to make her escape to a quieter life, she is planning to reveal all of their plots all at once publically, and escape in the ensuing chaos.

 A ghole recently escaped a traveling menagerie and broke into the crypts of several important cardinals to feast upon the rotting flesh. While the ghole was put down successfully, the menagerie is now holding the royal family accountable, claiming their mystic discovered a psychic impression of the impetuous prince releasing the beast on a spiteful whim.

[legendarylobster]

Ghole

Shapeshifts into a human in order to lure travellers to a secluded place, where it will feast on their flesh. Sometimes, however, it falls for its victim, mates with it, producing even stronger, more vicious and predatory offspring.