Tal Taval
Defense
AC: 20, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +1 deflection, +2 Dex,, +1 dodge, +1 natural)
HP: 49 (10 HD; 4d10+6d8)
Fort: +9 Ref: +12 Will: +7
Defensive Abilities: evasion, trap sense +2, uncanny dodge
Offense
Speed: 35 ft.
Melee: mwk short sword +7/+2 (1d6–2/19–20)
Ranged: +1 longbow +11/+6 (1d8–1/×3)
Special Attacks: favored enemy (goblinoids +2), sneak attack +3d6
Spells Prepared: (CL 1st; concentration +4) 1st—jump
Statistics
Str: 6 Dex: 15 Con: 10 Int: 15 Wis: 16 Cha: 12
Base Atk: +8 CMB: +6 CMD: 20
Feats: Deadly Aim, Dodge, Endurance, Fleet, Great Fortitude, Mobility, Point-Blank Shot, Shot on the Run
Skills: Acrobatics +12, Bluff +14, Climb +10, Knowledge (geography) +15, Knowledge (nature) +15, Perception +16, Perform (oratory) +14, Sense Motive +16, Stealth +14, Survival +16, Swim +10
SQ: favored terrain (water +2), hunter’s bond (dog animal companion named Blue), rogue talents (fast stealth,, resiliency, stand up), track +2, trapfinding +3, wild empathy +7
Languages: Common, Elven, Orc
Combat Gear: elixir of swimming, feather tokens (anchor, fan,, swan)
Other Gear: +1 chain shirt, +1 longbow with 20 arrows, masterwork short sword, amulet of natural armor +1, boots of the winterlands, cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +1, 450 gp
Description
Male old human ranger 4/rogue 6
Before Combat: If Tal expects combat, he casts jump on himself so that he can easily leap from his barge to shore or vice versa. If he thinks he’s coming into dangerous territory, he uses his fast stealth rogue ability to sneak up on enemies so that he can fire arrows from concealment.
During Combat: Tal prefers to fight from his barge, forcing opponents to swim to him. He relies on his speed and mobility to stay out of reach of his enemies. If forced into melee combat, he uses his dog (named “Blue”) to flank so he can make sneak attacks.
Morale: Tal knows when it is time to run and is not above stranding foes on his barge with his anchor feather token, leaping away under the effects of his jump spell, and using his swan boat feather token to create another craft to escape in. But when defending innocents or fighting evil, he gives no quarter and never quits.
Probably everyone has heard the story of Tal Taval—a big man, standing as tall as a troll’s shoulders, with a beard bigger than his head and a sword even bigger than he is. At his side ranges a loyal hound he calls “Laddy.” Tal Taval is a bit of a legend in Nirmathas, and more than one tavern song has been written about him. Of course, the truth is very different from the songs and stories, but nobody cares. The man who tells the best versions of those stories is an old riverman, a gray, bent fellow who knows every drop of water in the river, every eddy, and every stream that branches off it by name. Some joke that the old man may have been born the same day as the river. For a copper piece he’ll transport anyone up and down the river; for another he’ll tell you a story about Tal Taval. Maybe he’ll tell you about the time Tal Taval saved a princess from a tower made of glass, or when Tal Taval faced a whole army with only 10 comrades and walked away without a scratch. Rain or shine, that old man is always there to recount whatever story you want to hear about the greatest adventurer who ever lived.
What nobody knows is that the old man is Tal Taval. He keeps it to himself these days, not telling anyone his secret, and when he narrates his stories about the legend Tal Taval he exaggerates just a little—but only a little. (Truth be told, it was a real pain climbing that tower of glass.) After a lifetime of adventuring and intermittent fighting against Molthune, he decided to retire and lead a simple life as “Old Man Irgal,” a common ferryman. He enjoys telling stories about his old life, even if nobody believes him, and is content to travel the waters of Nirmathas, Lastwall, and Molthune again and again, giving safe passage to decent folk.
Boon: “Old Man Irgal” knows all the ins and outs of the rivers of Nirmathas and knows a bit about Lastwall, Nirmathas, and the western part of the River Kingdoms—the best hiding places, the best spots to have an ambush, where certain monsters tend to lurk, and so on. He shares this information with those he trusts, as well as his knowledge of local monsters, the Molthune military, and the habits of Razmiri cultists.
Source: NPC Guide, p. 24