Jaren the Jinx

Defense

Offense

Statistics

Description

Male human fighter 2/rogue 4

Before Combat: Jaren tries to fight from higher ground, such as his ship’s rigging or crow’s nest, allowing him to sneak attack anyone climbing.

During Combat: Jaren uses Mobility to avoid being flanked and to draw opponents near his pirate allies.

Morale: Jaren loves his life of adventure and flees combat if he believes he’ll be killed, jumping off his ship and swimming to safety if necessary.

Jinx (Su) Any creature within 10 feet of Jaren who confirms a critical hit actually misses as if rolling a 1. Jaren has no control over who this affects or when it happens.

Rotting Curse (Su) Jaren suffers from a rotting curse which afflicts him as mummy rot, but only when within 100 feet of Deadeye, Jessa, Nightscale, or Okonkwo.

Perilous Jaren (as he calls himself) is a skilled pirate with a reputation for being a scalawag at some times and a bloodthirsty murderer at others. Born in Port Peril, Jaren learned the pirating trade at a young age, accompanying his pirate father, Captain Black Dog, on raids from the age of 7. His father’s crew all took part in raising him as a child, and his father’s many “wives” ensured that he was never wont for a mother, even though his own mother had died giving birth to him. Jaren grew up with the belief that he would follow in his father’s footsteps, one day taking over his ship and carrying on the family reputation, but on his fifteenth birthday, Jaren’s father was bewitched and murdered by the sorceress Valia. The mistress of a rival pirate known as the Shark Lord, Valia had seduced the aging Black Dog and poisoned him with her viper familiar. The Shark Lord sent his crew to attack during this treachery, slaughtering most of Black Dog’s crew.

Only Jaren and a few others managed to escape— First Mate Okonkwo, the fierce Mwangi warrior; Deadeye, the halfling sniper; Jessa, the elven swordmistress; and Nightscale, the lizardfolk cook. These five lay low for months, joining other crews under false names and learning what they could about the Shark Lord’s travels. Eventually they banded together and, with the help of a mystic called the Red Pearl Oracle, managed to find and kill the Shark Lord, though Valia escaped after cursing the survivors with a rotting sickness that only appeared when they were close to each other. Forced to end their association, the comrades found work in other parts of the Shackles, never again able to meet and share the tales of their victory.

Jaren lends his service to various captains as a dependable first mate, though his cursed reputation means he often has to change employers, for pirates are a superstitious lot and tend to blame any ill fortune on the “Jaren the Jinx.” He still listens for news about the sorceress Valia, hoping someday to avenge his father’s death as he did that of Black Dog’s crew. He utters prayers and offers sacrifices to the goddess Besmara, hoping for clues on how to end the curse or information on where to find the sorceress.

Boon: Jaren can offer his allies a measure of safety when traveling through the Shackles, though he may not be able to convince his current captain to give them passage. If the PCs are on a targeted ship, he usually is able to keep the captain from making them walk the plank. Having been an active pirate for 10 years, he knows the ins and outs of the Shackles and has a lot of information on various captains, some of whom he’d be happy to see dancing on the end of a spear.

Source: NPC Guide, p. 29