Pathfinder: Saga of Fate/Severus Pentai

''"Through recorded history, we can learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, and be inspired by their triumphs." ''~ Severus Pentai, 4739 AR

Severus Pentai is a half-elven sorcerer who is descended from naga. He draws upon the power of his serpentine bloodline for battle. He is also an aspiring Pathfinder Chronicler, and can rally his allies with heroic tales.

 Difficulty Rating:  **

Profile
Race: Half-Elf (Ulfen human ethnicity)

Class: Sorcerer/Pathfinder Chronicler

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Date of Birth: 8th Calistril, 4720 AR (February 8th)

Place of Birth: New Stetven, Brevoy

Age: 24 (human equivalent of about 18)

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 125 lbs.

Eye Color: Green

Hair Color: White

Backstory
Severus Pentai was born in the middle of the first Inner Sea War (which took place before the events of Saga of Fate). His father was a human soldier from Brevoy, while his mother was an elven cleric. The two met when Severus's mother was sent from Kyonin to Brevoy, which was under seige by the demon king Solomon Aomahr and in desperate need of healers. Severus's father supposedly fell in battle before Severus was born, but his mother stayed in Brevoy to continue tending to the wounded. Even after the war, Severus's mother remained in Brevoy to raise him with her newfound love, another elven cleric who had come to Brevoy with her.

Once Severus reached his teenage years, his mother told him about his bloodline that dated back several generations, the bloodline of the naga. From that point onward, Severus began teaching himself how to channel the power of that bloodline.

Severus delighted in listening to the skalds that would visit his village and was very interested in the adventures that they spoke about. Severus developed a passion for storytelling and began telling stories he read about in books at the local tavern, which eventually caught the eye of a member of the Pathfinder Society, who suggested that he try to join.

Severus now had two goals: master the power of his bloodline and join the Pathfinder Society.

Unfortunately, his progress was halted when an evil and powerful elven fire elementalist named Darien came to Brevoy and established his base of operations in a large tower not far from Severus's village. Darien used an army of fire elementals to take over Severus's village and would use the people there for magical experiments (which often resulted in the subjects being burned to death).

After enduring several months of Darien's oppressive regime, Severus had enough. He used his newly developed public speaking skills to attempt a revolt against Darien. The rebels were not strong enough to overthrow Darien, however. Darien punished Severus for leading this rebellion by sending him to a mining prison in the Five Kings Mountains (which was ruled by an equally oppressive leader).

Personality
Severus's defining trait is his inspiring charisma. He would prefer not to run away from a fight, but he sees no shame in retreat if it's the best strategic possibility. Severus hates tyranny of any kind, and the stories he prefers to tell are those of brave freedom fighters who fight against all odds for what they think is right. In addition, Severus is quite well-learned, given all of the reading required for his training as a Pathfinder Chronicler. Severus's greatest shortcoming is his insecurity about his appearance. Severus wears a scarf and smoked goggles to cover up his facial features that are a byproduct of his serpentine heritage.

Appearance
Being a half-elf, Severus has semi-pointed ears and is somewhat attractive. His hair is midlength and white. Due to his serpentine heritage, he possesses green, serpent-like eyes. In order to look more normal, Severus prefers to wear smoked goggles which make it difficult for others to see his eyes. He also has serpent-like fangs, so he wears a scarf over his face not only to help him endure the cold weather of his homeland, but also to make sure no one sees his fangs when he talks. For clothes, Severus wears a large brown fur coat with green accents.

Starting Ability Scores

 *  Strength:  8
 *  Dexterity:  12
 *  Constitution:  14
 *  Defense:  10
 *  Magic:  18
 *  Willpower:  15

Melee Attack: Fang

 * Severus grows serpentlike fangs and bites an enemy. In addition to dealing physical damage, the bite also deals poison damage based on Severus's Constitution score.

Alternate Attack: Acid Arrow

 * Severus shoots a projectile made of acid from his hand.

Standard Ability: Inspire Resilience

 * Severus gives a speech inspiring his allies to persevere, granting him and his allies a bonus to their defense and willpower stats. This bonus is not affected by any particular ability score, but is raised every time Severus levels up.

Advanced Ability: Conjure Serpent

 * Severus summons a reptilian ally to the battlefield. The ally starts out as a normal snake that bites and poisons its foes, but becomes stronger as Severus levels up.  The amount of time the ally remains on the battlefield is determined by Severus' Magic score.

Super Ability: Serpentine Transformation

 * Severus transforms into a giant snake, which changes his ability set and grants him greatly increased armor, health, and strength. His melee attack becomes a lunging bite that poisons enemies, his alternate attack becomes a tail whip that can hit multiple enemies at once, his standard ability becomes the ability to coil up and increase his defense even more, and his advanced ability becomes a beam of acid that he can shoot from his mouth and affects all enemies in a straight line.  The duration of this ability is determined by Severus's magic score.

Passive 1: Serpent Blood

 * Severus's Willpower score is treated as 50% higher when determining his resistance to damage from acid-based magic, and his Constitution is treated as 50% higher when determining his resistance to poison.

Passive 2: Serpent Scales

 * Severus adds half his Magic stat to his defense when determining resistance to physical damage.

General

 * "Alright, Severus. You can do this." - entering the game
 * "Behold their glory!" - using his Inspire standard ability
 * "Ssstand down or be dessstroyed!" - activating his Serpentine Transformation super ability
 * "I'd say that was a battle for the ages!" - Clearing a wave of enemies without any ally dropping below 50% health
 * "That could have gone better." - Clearing a wave of enemies after either an ally fell in battle or every party member dropped below 25% health at some point.
 * "I'm glad to see that my abilities as a sorcerer are improving." - Leveling up
 * "Valhalla...awaits." - Falling in battle
 * "Looks like I'm not dying today!" - being revived with a potion

With Ostarian (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 Ostarian (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)

 * Severus: "So you consider yourself a sorcerer as well, hm? Smart choice. A magical bloodline is a useful tool."
 * Iolana: "Yes, I suppose so, though I still consider myself a priestess of Desna first and a sorceress second. Sorcery doesn't keep wounds closed, after all."
 * Severus: "And for that, we have you to thank."

With Iolana (Act IV and later)

 * Iolana: "Severus...I wish things could have been different between us."
 * Severus: "While I still don't completely understand what you see in Romulus, I've gotten over it."
 * Iolana: "Romulus may seem insufferable to you at times, but you have to believe me when I say that he is a good person at heart."
 * Severus: "Do you really think that, or do you just want to think that because you're the mother of his children?"
 * Iolana: "Do you really hate him, or do you just want to hate him because I chose him instead of you? I though I just heard you say that you've gotten over it!"
 * Severus: "You're right, and I'm sorry. I suppose I can admit that Romulus has become a better person since when I first met him.  I hope for your sake he has improved well enough to be the father of your children."
 * Iolana: "I'd very much like to believe he has."

With Tsun (Act I only)

 * Severus: "Damn, I can't believe I spilled ink on last week's notes. All that work, down the drain."
 * Tsun: "You know, Severus, I've been keeping some of my own notes on our adventures if you want to use those."
 * Severus: "Ah yes, I caught a glimpse at some of your notes. Though I appreciate the offer, I think I'll just go off of memory."
 * Tsun: "Really, what makes you say that?"
 * Severus: "Well, I could barely even read yours when I looked at them, for one."
 * Tsun: "...Fair enough."

With Tsun (Act IV and later)

 * Tsun: "Severus...I have a favor to ask of you."
 * Severus: "Of course, Tsun. Anything for a friend.  What do you want from me?"
 * Tsun: "For now this is just between you and me but...my loyalties to Absalom are...waning. I'm afraid I may one day act against them, and when that happens I know they will not hesitate to brand me as a villain."
 * Severus: "And you want me to use my credentials as a Pathfinder Chronicler to let the world know otherwise."
 * Tsun: "I know it seems like a bit much to ask-"
 * Severus: "Don't mention it. You can count on me to get it done."  

With Romulus (Act I only)

 * Severus: "I really can't seem to understand what Iolana sees in you."
 * Romulus: "Maybe by charm? My dashing good looks?  My intelligence?  Just naming a few things."
 * Severus: "Well I know for certain that your massive ego isn't one of them."
 * Romulus: "Look, I can't help that she likes me better that you."
 * Severus: "You're despicable."

With Romulus (Act IV and later)

 * Severus: "Romulus, we need to talk."
 * Romulus: "Here we go..."
 * Severus: "This is exactly what I was going to talk to you about. How do you expect to be a father if you can't take anything seriously?"
 * Romulus: "Severus, it's not like that at all. The reason I was loathing having this conversation is because you can't seem to understand that I can change.  And I have.  Iolana has seen it.  Tsun has seen it.  Hell, even Ostarian's stubborn arse has seen it.  I don't understand why you still view me in the same light as when we first met, even after everything that's happened."
 * Severus: "I'm not denying that you've improved for the better, however slightly. What I'm concerned about is whether you've straightened yourself out enough to become a responsible parent."
 * Romulus: "I don't understand why you worry so much about Gaius and Ilindia's well-being. They aren't even your children.  Besides, Iolana does enough of that as it is."
 * Severus: "(muttering under his breath) Sometimes I feel the world would be much better off if they were mine."

With Lu Kong

 * Severus: "Your punches have so much power to them, just like the fabled Champions of Irori!"
 * Lu Kong: "Don't compare me to them."
 * Severus: "Why not? They're some of the greatest warriors in the Inner Sea!"
 * Lu Kong: "I may fight like a monk, but I reject everything they stand for. I am my own vanara."

With Raalnorg

 * Severus: "So Pavo tells me you come from a different continent that is mostly unknown here in Avistan."
 * Raalnorg: "And Ostarian tells me you like to ask questions."
 * Severus: "Yes, but it's all for a worthy cause. If you would just take some t-"
 * Raalnorg: "Listen, I was born on a boat. I couldn't tell you anything about where my race is from even if I wanted to."

With Hiroto

 * Severus: "You know, Hiroto, I know a thing or two about casting summoning spells. Perhaps I could become as good as you some day?"
 * Hiroto: "Don't count on it. I've been practicing summoning since I was a child.  How much have you put into it?"
 * Severus: "Well see, that's the thing. Being a sorcerer is all intuitive, you get better at it by finding the power within yourself."
 * Hiroto: "It must be nice having your magical ancestors do all the hard work of learning spells for you."
 * Solavoto: "It must be nice having an extraplanar being to do all the hard work of fighting for you."

With Hanji

 * Severus: "So I hear you got to study at the Magaambya. Is that school as wonderful of a place to learn as I've been hearing?"
 * Hanji: "My time at the Magaambya was the best time I've had in my entire life. So yes, I would say it's just as wonderful if not more than what you've been hearing."
 * Severus: "While I'm grateful that I have the blood of my ancestors to draw power from, sometimes I wish I could have the gratifying experience of learning magic for myself."

With Pavo

 * Pavo: "I'd be glad to sit down and tell you about my story, Severus, though would you mind making some, uh, omissions? I've done some things that are not...entirely...legal."
 * Severus: "The Pathfinder Society is not tied to any particular government, and neither am I. We have the right to choose not to disclose information with any authorities that might want you."
 * Pavo: "So Absalom doesn't have to know about how I dealt pesh to pay for my first ship?"
 * Severus: "On second thought, I think I'll just leave that part out."

With Helvar

 * Severus: "Growing up, my mother told me stories about the Inner Sea War. One such story that she heard from the other soldiers was about a man fighting for Lastwall who once fought off two dozen soldiers on his own."
 * Helvar: "Someone was counting? I sure as hell wasn't."
 * Severus: "So that was you and the legends were true?"
 * Helvar: "Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. I just do what needs to be done.  I don't really focus on keeping track of my accomplishments.  I've lived for so long that I can't remember all of them anyway."

With Remus

 * Severus: "Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, now there's two of you."
 * Remus: "You don't care for my brother? Well, then you are going to love me."
 * Severus: "I take it you're being sarcastic and are even more insufferable than he is."
 * Remus: "You may take it however you like."

Trivia

 * Severus Pentai was one of the earliest characters ever created for the campaign Saga of Fate is based off of.
 * During Saga of Fate, it is implied (but never confirmed) that Brunnwald von Roth is Severus's father, and that Severus's father didn't actually die in the war.
 * While one might think that Severus's fur coat gives him resistance to cold damage, his reptilian blood makes him vulnerable to it, so the two cancel each other out.