The New Horizon is a party I am preparing for a run through of Pathfinder: Kingmaker. This is a game where you take over running a troubled barony, acting as both ruler and adventurer as you attempt to develop and protect your new lands and unravel the mysteries behind its troubled past. It is a plot that begs for a strong, persuasive leader – as well as one with good working knowledge of history and magic.
Pathfinder has many hybrid and offshoot classes extended from the “core classes” it retained when it branched off from D&D3.5. Many of these essentially form unified single-classes from character concepts that only exist as multi-classes in D&D proper. This party is made up of just such classes, including my favorite – the Skald.
The Skald is on the surface like a Bard-Barbarian hybrid. But two key differences make me love the class. One is that rather than Bard Song it essentially shares “Barbarian Rage” with the whole party. And Barbarian Rage in Pathfinder is a wonderfully customizable ability in which one picks what powers and bonuses it develops as one levels. One barbarian may specialize in animal themed abilities, while another may be more into spirits.
The other is called “Spell Kenning” – and is one of my favorite abilities in any game ever. “Spell Kenning” allows a Skald – once a day ( a few more at higher levels) – to cast *any spell in the game* (of a level he can already cast) with his otherwise bard-like spell slots. Which means despite learning a small number of spells like a sorcerer and being normally limited to typical bard enchantment/divination/illusion, the Skald can pull just about *anything* out of its bag of tricks when it really needs to. Suddenly require an esoteric “Cure” spell? Got it covered. Found a monster with an oddly specific weakness? Just stand back. Casting time for Spell Kenning is slow. So its not necessarily appropriate for the thick of combat. But man is it an awesome ace-in-the-hole.
The New Horizon met in the most haphazard of ways. Darius chartered a ship – the Horizon – to take him to visit an obscure shrine.
The approach took it through hazardous waters, and in the night it was unable to escape a brewing storm. The ships’ weather witch did her best, but was unable to fully tame the ferocity of the gale.
Darius and some of the crew managed to reach to shore, but neither the captain nor the first mate were among the survivors. Lost, leaderless, and facing an unknown jungle wilderness many began to panic. But Darius was able to rally the castaways, and convince them to follow him to safety.
They faced many hazards on the trek – human and inhuman. But in the end he did, in fact, lead them back to civilization. Many went their separate ways afterwards, but a few – just a few – decided that perhaps following Darius could prove more fortunate than signing on with another ship. And so the New Horizon was born.
In his travels Darius had heard of a peculiar small kingdom. One constantly beset by disaster. Continually being rebuilt and falling back into ruin. And he sensed…. opportunity. Destiny. And Knowledge. So when he learned that Brevoy was seeking to grant a barony to one who could tame these Wild Lands, he felt called to respond.
Darius Irfan
Race: Human
Class: Skald (Pathfinder class variant of a bard)
“luis royo painting;persian bard man;age 45;dark hair in pony tail;goatee;weathered,moon motif,gray leather armor;gray cloak,loose pants,fine boots;thin smile;piercing stare“
Darius is a firm believer that knowledge is power. He has travelled far and wide seeking esoteric knowledge of everything from history and magic to religion and swordplay. When asked his profession he will merely smile and say “student”. He is a devoted follower of Irori – god of enlightenment, self-perfection, knowledge, healing, and inner strength. Irori is a god who above all preaches self-improvement – in both body and mind. And Darius has dedicated himself to precisely that.
Darius has picked up bits and pieces of magic from all over. He is by no means a master. He is not a mage. He would never over-specialize to that degree. However he has an uncanny ability to pull out *just* the right spell at *just* the right time. Even spells that – theoretically – he should not be able to cast. If questioned he will simply smile. “A useful trick”.
But even more impressive is his ability to lead, inspire, and focus others. He can strengthen his companions with battle chants, gird their minds against magic, lend them strange new capabilities, and blend them into a single extension of his will. Like the song of a bard, but ancient, primal, and always tightly focused on the task at hand.
Angelique “Angel” Marcel
Race: Human
Class: Shaman/Wind & Waves
“luis royo painting;jamaican woman,age 30;bronze skin;dark eyes;long loose dark hair;black boots,head cocked to side;smirking;raven motif;loose black pirate pants;black pirate vest;black headscarf;tattoo,crow on shoulder“
Angelique was born with the wind and the waves in her blood. She doesn’t follow any particular god or goddess, although she gives due deference to any that hold power over the skies and seas. She has spent much of her life as a weather witch – bringing fair skies and fortunate winds to her ships and sending the opposite towards pirates and pursuers. She has varied magical gifts – healing, divination, hexes and curses. But speaking to the spirits of the air and the sea – that is her true calling.
She considers Darius fascinating. Both because he is one of the few not of her calling to seem to truly understand how and why she does what she does, and because every time she thinks she has him figured out he pulls out another trick that by all her understanding *just should not work*. That as much as anything drives her to continue following him. Sheer curiousity about what he might do next.
When she proved unable to save her ship from the sudden storm, many of her crew-mates blamed her for their dilemma. But Darius defended her. “No mortal commands the sea. They can only request its favor.” And because he supported her, she supported him. And when they reached civilization, she found she no longer wanted to sign on with another crew, given how easily the last had turned on her. So she decided to travel with Darius. For a time. Just until she saw which way the wind was really blowing.
Kwang “Kwan” Min
Race: Human
Class: Magus/Sword Saint
“luis royo painting;korean young man,age 20,cocky,smirking,brown leather armor vest over white shirt,short black hair,red sash,loose black pants,
Kwan is a fiery young man, in more ways than one. He is cocksure, flashy, impulsive, an incurable show-off… and highly effective. He is a born swordsman, with an uncanny natural talent. He is also a born sorcerer. But rather than choosing between these potential paths, or attempting to pursue both at once, he forged his own way. His love is the sword. His magic is part of who he is. So he simply uses magic intertwined with the sword as if they were one and the same. He channels magic directly through his blade. He parries with a shield spell as easily as with his sword. A mirror image is another form of feint. He truly does not see the difference. To him it is all one art form, and he prizes the style almost as much as the destination. Where is the art in a the simple thrust? The pommel punch? He prefers speed over strength, and flash over simplicity – and backs it up with enough arcane oomph to make effective use of moves that would be suicidal for a mundane practitioner.
Kwan was essentially hired muscle on the Horizon. A Pirate deterrent. He was smart enough and learned quickly enough to pull his weight as a crewman, but he was there because his high-flying, showy combat style was effective at demoralizing pirates and privateers. Outlaws who might press on against tougher but more orthodox defenders. He was good at this role but, frankly, had already grown bored of it. He stayed because Maha stayed. But when the opportunity came for a new direction with Darius…. he could not resist.
Mahuika “Maha” Mahuta
Race: Human
Class: Slayer (Similar to a spell-less Ranger/Thief)
“luis royo painting;maori woman,confident,raised eyebrow,age 35,face tattoos,hunter,short braid hair,leather armor,boots,holding hatchet at her side“
Maha is everything Kwan is not. Where he is all about flashy moves and arcane fireworks, she believes in the knife to the neck and the boot to the groin. If you don’t need to fight, don’t. If you do need to fight, then end them. As quickly and effectively as possible. For her the only rule in a fight is, “the winner is the one that walks away”. The best fight is one where it is over before the opponent even knows it is happening. She excels at analyzing her opponents, understanding their fighting styles, finding their weaknesses, and mercilessly exploiting them
She is an experienced adventurer, and has followed many paths since leaving her home village. Bounty Hunter, Mercenary, Sailor, Bodyguard. And in whatever endeavor she attempts she has the same basic attitude . You understand your enemy. You understand your purpose. And you do whatever is necessary to achieve that purpose. No more, no less.
She is eternally frustrated by Kwan’s over-the-top theatrics – seeing it as pointlessly risky. He considers her combat style to be brutal, ugly, and completely lacking in “fun”. Despite these differences they have been firm friends for years. Since the beginning she saw the young kid under the bravado, and was determined to teach him enough to keep him from getting himself killed. And in some ways she actually enjoys watching his high-flying antics, even though she would never admit it.
When they were stranded with Darius, she quickly determined that he was the most effective leader of the remaining survivors. And so she threw her support behind him. Few of the crew were willing to cross her once she had made up her mind. They’d all seen what happens to those who tried. She now follows Darius partly because that’s where Kwan wanted to go, and partly because she was ready to start a new chapter anyway. Life as a ship-hand had grown dull. And Darius seemed to know where he was going. That seemed as good a direction as any for now.
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