Pathfinder: Saga of Fate/Ostarian

''"If someone ever tells you to keep your chin up, don't listen to them. All that will get you is a blow to the jaw." ''~ Ostarian Talthelmos, 4741 AR

Profile
Race: Human (Taldan)

Class: Ninja

Alignment: Neutral

Date of Birth: 6th Abadius, 4720 AR (January 6th)

Place of Birth: Promise, Hermea

Age: 21

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 155 lbs.

Eye Color: Purple

Hair Color: Black

Backstory
''Ostarian is initially reluctant to talk about his story. As such, the description of his backstory won't be available in-game until the players reach a certain point in the main story. ''

Ostarian hails from Hermea, an island off the western coat of Avistan. Ostarian was one of many children who was a subject of a long term project named the Glorious Endeavor that sought to create the perfect human race by making each generation healthier and more talented than the last.

When Ostarian was fourteen he fell in love with a girl his age named Athaliah. Their young love seemed to be unbreakable.

When a child turns sixteen in Hermea, they must undergo a test of their abilities to see if they are suitable to become perfect citizens. If they fail this test, then they are exiled. Athaliah, being two months older than Ostarian, took her test first. Unfortunately she panicked under pressure and failed her test. Ostarian was heart broken when she was exiled.

Soon, the time came for Ostarian to take his test. He was to be tested to become a soldier to defend his homeland from potential threats. Up until taking his test, he demonstrated immense talent with the bow, and all of his peers were confident that he would pass. However, with his love for Athaliah still in his heart, Ostarian purposefully failed his test so he would be exiled from Hermea to be with her.

After his exile, Ostarian wandered the mountains of Varisia searching for his beloved. After training his body and searching for Athaliah for three years, Ostarian learned that she had been kidnapped by pirates under the flag of the notorious Captain Rasvan in the Varisian city-state of Riddleport. He vowed to save her, but knew he would need to become strong enough to take on an entire band of pirates. He began training in the way of the ninja under a Varisian named Mircel. His determination to save Athaliah led him to complete four years of training in about six months.

As soon as Ostarian finished his training, he took on the band of pirates. His immense skill led him to slay nearly all of Captain Rasvan's crew. When Ostarian was about to kill Rasvan, the wicked captain held Athaliah at gunpoint and threatened to shoot her if Ostarian didn't surrender. Ostarian reluctantly surrendered, and Rasvan generously decided to free Athaliah. In turn, Ostarian was sold as a slave to Krognor, the new High King of the Five Kings Mountains, and was forced to work in the mining prison there.

Personality
Having worked so hard to reunite himself with his beloved only to be separated from her again and sold into slavery understandably made Ostarian a very hateful person. He doesn't talk much at all, and when he does, he comes off as very unfriendly. If his allies knew about his story, they would understand why he acts the way he does, but since he refuses to talk about his past, his allies take his behavior at face value and dislike him for it.

Appearance
Ostarian is descended from Azlanti, an ancient race of humans. As such, he has olive colored skin, black hair, and purple eyes. He also possesses the thick eyebrows and receded hairline of his heritage. He dons light, black armor and a mask that covers his entire face. The mask is shaped so that at the bottom is rounded and at the top it has three jagged triangular edges.

Starting Ability Scores

 *  Strength:  14
 *  Dexterity:  18
 *  Constitution:  11
 *  Intelligence:  10
 *  Wisdom:  16
 *  Charisma:  8

Melee Attack: Katana

 * 1)  Katana Slash:  Ostarian swings his katana with moderately fast attack speed.
 * 2)  Bleeding Katana:  Ostarian's Katana can potentially inflict bleed on enemies for 5 seconds.  The effect's chance and damage are determined by Ostarian's Wisdom score.
 * 3)  Deep Cuts:  Any enemies that Ostarian causes to bleed using this ability have their armor reduced by an amount determined by Ostarian's Wisdom score.
 * 4)  Dual Katanas:  Double the katanas.  Double the damage.  Double the fun.

Alternate Attack: Shortbow

 * 1)  Arrow:  Ostarian fires a standard shot from his shortbow.  The button can be held down to allow to improve the damage and distance of the arrow.  The overall damage is based on Ostarian's Dexterity score.
 * 2)  Bleeding Arrow:  Ostarian covers his arrow in barbs so that it inflicts bleed upon impact.  This bleeding damage lasts for 5 seconds after the hit and is based on Ostarian's Wisdom score.
 * 3)  Gaping Wounds:  Multiple instances of bleed inflicted by Ostarian can stack.
 * 4)  Pin Cushion:  If Ostarian hits with an arrow a target that he has already inflicted with bleed, that target takes 10% more damage for every instance of bleed they currently have.

Standard Ability: Blade Dash

 * 1)  Blade Dash:  Ostarian dashes forward, passing by enemies and striking them with his katana.  The damage dealt is based on Ostarian's Strength score.
 * 2)  Smoke Bomb:  Ostarian leaves behind a cloud of smoke after dashing.  Any enemies within the smoke have reduced accuracy.  The cloud lasts for 5 seconds.
 * 3)  Poison Cloud:  Enemies trapped within the smoke cloud take continuous poison damage that is affected by Ostarian's Wisdom score.

Advanced Ability: Shadow Clone

 * 1)  Shadow Clone:  Ostarian summons a shadowy clone of himself.  The clone mirrors Ostarian's movements, except it moves in the opposite direction on the x-axis and its "attacks" deal no damage.  The enemy AI will treat the clone as another player and attack it, though it does not completely draw enemies away from the original.  The clone disappears after 10 seconds or after it or Ostarian is attacked.
 * 2)  Convincing Clone:  The clone no longer disappears when it's attacked, and appears to suffer damage and status effects just like the original Ostarian would.  In PVP, Ostarian's health bar appears to drop when the clone is hit, with the "missing health" being restored when the clone disappears.  The clone automatically disappears if it takes an amount of damage that would be enough to incapacitate the original.
 * 3)  Punish the Foolish:  If the clone disappears through any manner other than an enemy hitting the original Ostarian, it will explode in a moderate-sized burst, dealing an amount of damage equal to the total damage the clone took before disappearing.

Super Ability: Shadowmaster

 * 1)  Shadowmaster:  Ostarian turns completely invisible for 6 seconds, which prevents all enemies from targeting him for the duration of this ability.  To players, he appears half-transparent.  This does not make Ostarian invincible, however.  Attacks that don't target Ostarian, such as AoE attacks, can still hurt him.  Any attacks Ostarian makes against enemies while invisible are automatic critical hits, but once he does so, the ability automatically ends.  As an additional note, if Ostarian uses Shadow Clone while invisible, the clone will be visible.
 * 2)  Silent Strike:  Adds 2 seconds to the duration.  This ability no longer ends after Ostarian attacks an enemy, but rather it alerts enemies that are attacked to Ostarian's presence (indicated by a red exclamation point above the enemy's head), while still making him invisible to all other enemies on screen.
 * 3)  Now You See Me:  Adds 2 more seconds to the duration.  If Ostarian successfully dodges an attack against an enemy that has been alerted to his presence, he will become invisible to them once more until the duration expires.

Gear: Leather Armor

 * 1)  Leather Armor:  10% dodge bonus and 5% resistance to physical damage
 * 2)  Studded Leather Armor:  15% dodge bonus and 10% resistance to physical damage.  Adds metal studs to the armor.
 * 3)  Leather Lamellar:  20% dodge bonus and 15% resistance to physical damage.  Adds leather plates to the armor.
 * 4)  Shinobi Armor:  30% dodge bonus and 20% resistance to physical damage.  Adds metal plates to the torso, arms, and legs.

Passive: Spite

 * 1)  Spite:  Deal 25% more damage against criminal enemies such as pirates, bandits, and gangsters.
 * 2)  Spiteful Resistance:  Resist 25% more damage against criminal enemies.
 * 3)  Go for the Throat:  Attacks against criminal enemies are 30% more likely to result in a critical hit.
 * 4)  Purge the Filth:  A critical hit against a non-boss enemy that is at 25% health or lower will result in an instant kill.

Paragon: Shadow Archer
On a successful dodge, if the player inputs left or right, Ostarian will teleport a short distance in that direction. Pressing and holding the alternate attack button at the end of the teleport will cause Ostarian to reappear with his bow fully drawn.

Role
Ostarian is meant to deal massive amounts of damage from a distance. His shortbow's upgrades are intended to do just that. His Shadow Clone and Blade Dash abilities are meant to maintain distance between himself and his enemies. His katana can deal a decent amount of damage, but is mainly meant to finish off low-health enemies that get too close. His Shadowmaster super ability is not only an excellent escape route should he become surrounded, but it's also excellent at dealing large amounts of damage, especially when coupled with his fully upgraded Shadow Clone ability. On the defensive, his gear bonuses give him good dodging abilities and serviceable physical damage resistance. Dodging is Ostarian's ideal method of defense, particularly at higher levels when he has his Paragon and fully upgraded super. Due to Ostarian's lack of magical resistance from his traits, magical attacks are his Kryptonite, so using dodge when fighting these foes is essential.

General

 * "Let's just get this done." - entering the game
 * "The void take you!" - activating his Shadowmaster super ability
 * "Was that all?" - Clearing a wave of enemies without any ally dropping below 50% health
 * "That was...rather unpleasant." - Clearing a wave of enemies after either an ally fell in battle or every party member dropped below 25% health at some point.
 * "I must continue to hone my abilities like this if I'm to succeed." - leveling up
 * "Don't let me die here..." - falling in battle

With Severus (Act I only)

 * Severus: "Ostarian, you seem like the kind of person who has a very interesting story to tell. Would it be alright if we sat down and talked about it sometime? It would really help me in pursuits as a Pathfinder Chronicler."
 * Ostarian: "No. It wouldn't be alright."
 * Severus: "Wh-why not?"
 * Ostarian: "Because my past is none of your business, that's why. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to the task at hand."

With Severus (Act IV and later)

 * Ostarian: "I would like to apologize for my behavior, Severus. You were only trying to be polite and I was nothing but rude to you."
 * Severus: "I can understand why you acted the way you did, Ostarian. Had I experienced what you went through, I don't think I would behave in the most cordial manner, either."
 * Ostarian: "That's good to hear. I would be glad to let you write about my story. Besides, I want the whole Inner Sea to know that Hermea isn't as perfect as they think it is."
 * Severus: "I heard that Hermea strictly forbids entry to Pathfinder Chroniclers since they want to keep their customs a secret. Looks like that won't help them much."

With Iolana (Act I only)

 * Ostarian: "You say you're from Varisia. Been there. Terrible place."
 * Iolana: "You've never been to Magnimar then. The towns there are wonderful with lots of good people."
 * Ostarian: "It seems like you have never ventured out of the comfort of your city-state. If you had to endure the things that I endured out in the wilds and crime-ridden areas of Varisia, your outlook on that absolute hellscape wouldn't be so positive."
 * Iolana: "Actually, I have left Magnimar on several occassions, and have experienced the unspeakable, just like you have. The difference is that I didn't become as cynical about my homeland as you."

With Iolana (Act IV and later)

 * Iolana: "I'm sorry to hear what happened with you and Athaliah. Would you mind if I asked you kind of a personal question?"
 * Ostarian: "Go ahead."
 * Iolana: "While you were traveling with us, did you ever feel the urge to leave us and go look for her?"
 * Ostarian: "Oh, of course. Not a day went by that I didn't think of doing exactly that.  Why do you ask?"
 * Iolana: "During the Inner Sea War, when Viorec hadn't been home in years, I felt that similar urge to leave and go search for him."
 * Ostarian: "Love drives us to do the damnedest things, doesn't it? 

With Tsun (Act I only)

 * Ostarian: "How a dunce like you ended up as a commander for Absalom is beyond me."
 * Tsun: "And I'm still wondering how a shrimp like you survived in the mines as long as you did."
 * Ostarian: "How much did your father pay the general to promote you?"
 * Tsun: "Not a single copper piece. Now I know it's kind of hard to believe, but there are wealthy people who actually work hard to get where they are.  Maybe if you didn't hide in the shadows while I took all the hits for you, you might know what hard work is like."  

With Tsun (Act IV and later)

 * Tsun: "Despite our differences we've had in the past, I'm glad to have met you Ostarian."
 * Ostarian: "Same here, you big dunce."
 * Tsun: "(laughs) Some things never change, do they, shrimp?"
 * Ostarian: "(laughs) And hopefully they never will!"

Trivia

 * In Pathfinder RPG, a ninja uses their Charisma score to determine the effectiveness of their abilities and traits, rather than their Wisdom modifier. Since having a high wisdom rather than charisma was more suitable for Ostarian's character, charisma was swapped out for wisdom as the important factor for his traits.