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Quote Originally Posted by Jacinta
Jacinta Marzoni
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"The third most famous story they tell about Jacinta Marzoni is about how she was born. When people asked about her childhood, trying to figure out what hellish upbringing must have produced the adult she became, Marzoni would say in an offhandedly proud way that she had been born aboard ship. Which was technically true, but it had been only a fishing boat and unfortunate timing, and mother and baby had been back on land within the hour . . . but it was on the ocean, and therefore definitely an omen of things to come. Or so they say.

She was eleven when she ran away from the little changeling village on the inlet, and joined the caravan to the nearby port. She was twelve when she signed on aboard her first real ship, lying through her teeth about her age and with a carefully practised false face on to help the lie along.

From there she spent the next ten years either onboard or in port. In the sailing season she would be on any ship willing to take her, learning how to make the ropes and spars of a ship dance to her tune. In the monsoon, when any captain with half a brain between their ears ran the keel up the sand and went ashore for three months, she thrived in the damp back alleys and smoky taverns of the port cities, taking purses and cutting throats.

In her twenties the dull to-and-fro of merchant sailing began to grate. It was still exhilarating simply to be aboard, to ride the bucking deck and dance from spar to spar, rigging twanging around her and the sails full; but as the ships got bigger and the posts more senior, so too the voyages tended to be longer, ponderous expeditions from one horn of the continent to the other, when the crew would go for six or eight months without sight of land. And for all she loved the sea, land was important to Marzoni: on land you could spend money. On land, you could slit some braying idiot's throat and simply vanish in a way for which the limits of a ship did not allow. On land there were taverns, and eating-houses, and gambling-dens - places to drop a whisper in a ready ear, to spin a tale for a nervous crowd, to put on a fresh false face and waltz into a fight with a smile on her lips and bloody murder in mind.

Once the boredom had set in, it was really only a matter of time.

The second most famous story they tell about Jacinta Marzoni is that of how she captured the Royal Breeze, pride and joy of the Sixth Navy, with - they say - no accomplices and no plan. The story is enlarged in the telling, of course. In reality, the captain of the Breeze, Arcadio Leocante, was an incompetent of the highest order, a spoiled brat of a noble house who bought his commission with ancestral gold and could barely tell one end of a ship from the other. There would have been a mutiny in any case; the presence of Jacinta Marzoni, who saw the sidelong stares and heard the rebellious whispers and flitted from group to group wearing the faces of their friends, merely stirred an already seething pot. In any case she could never have taken the ship without the able assistance of various other sailors, soldiers and the ship's mage, who saw profit and fame in throwing in their lot with the pirate.

The part, however, where she personally duelled Captain Leocante (whose expensive education had at least taught him to fence) and left him bleeding on his own forecastle with seventeen wounds to the back, is mostly true.

As captain by acclamation of the Breeze, she renamed it the Changeling's Wind, installed her party of ruffian friends as senior officers and gave her new crew the choice of sailing under the red flag or trying to swim home. None of them, it should be noted, chose the latter.

Under the crimson pennant Captain Jacinta Marzoni sailed back to her native waters and began one of the more spectacular piratical careers that the Seven Navies had ever seen. Other pirates had been circumspect, taking ships far from home and leaving little trace; Marzoni appeared not to know the meaning of stealth, seemingly revelling as much in the flash and dash of performing for a horrified but fascinated crowd as she did in the simple joys of pillage and murder. She was always in the thick of the fight, cartwheeling across a packed and slippery and rocking deck as if it were solid and steady ground, never in the line of an attack and yet somehow always striking one home.

Or so say the tall tales they tell of Jacinta Marzoni and her gang of cut-throats - Jacinta Marzoni, who could look you in the eye and still manage to stab you in the back, who could strike fear into the hearts of the doughtiest naval officers with a mere smile, who could take on and off her faces as easily as the pirate-kings of old slipped off their masks, and who commanded the most ruthless pirate band between here and the Eastern Sea.

The truth is she was a good sailor, yes, but there were better in her crew; a good fighter, but there were better in her crew; and no kind of tactician at all. Without her crew she would have been scarcely anything, just another jumped-up guttersnipe with a few neat tricks; and without her, the crew she amassed would have been no more than another band of thugs. I say she commanded the Wind - one might say she was less a captain than a figurehead, a catalyst, a focusing lens even; the oversized personality needed to transmute a career that is, at bottom, as sordid and banal as piracy into the stuff of nightmare and legend.

The single most famous story about Jacinta Marzoni is that of how she walked onto a royal galleon, false face smiling and daggers in her sleeves, and two hours later sailed it away to rendezvous with the Changeling's Wind, with the crown jewels of two countries in her treasure chest and no fewer than four royal hostages cowering in chains -"

"I haven't heard that one," Crown Prince Gianni said weakly, as the high-cheekboned - and singularly attractive - elf storyteller turned over another sheet of her manuscript.

The elf's face began to flatten and change in the dim light below decks. Her teeth glinted. She really was very beautiful. "No. No, you wouldn't have. Yet."



Abilities & Race
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STR 11 +1
DEX 16 +2
CON 14
INT 13
WIS 10
CHA 14 +2
32 point buy, +1 Str at level 4, +1 Dex at 8 & 12, +1 Cha at 16 & 20

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Race: Changeling
Humanoid with the Shapechanger Subtype
+2 racial bonus on saving throws vs sleep and charm effects
+2 racial bonus on Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive
Natural Linguist - Speak Language is always a class skill
Minor Change Shape - can alter physical appearance as though using a Disguise Self spell


Level Progression
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Jacinta Marzoni
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Changeling Rogue Substitution 1|
+0
|
+0
|
+2
|
+0
|Appraise 4, Balance 4, Bluff 4, Climb 4, Diguise 4, Initimidate 4, Profession (Sailor) 4, Spot 4, Swim 4, Tumble 4, Use Rope 4|Combat Expertise|Sneak attack +1d6, social intuition

2nd|Rogue 2|
+1
|
+0
|
+3
|
+0
|Appraise 5, Bluff 5, Diguise 5, Initimidate 5, Profession (Sailor) 5, Spot 5, Tumble 5, +1 skill trick|SKILL TRICK (Second Impression)|Evasion

3rd|Changeling Rogue Substitution 3|
+2
|
+1
|
+3
|
+1
|Appraise 6, Balance 5, Bluff 6, Climb 5, Initimidate 6, Jump 1, Profession (Sailor) 6, Spot 6, Tumble 6, +1 skill trick|Weapon Finesse, SKILL TRICK (Speedy Ascent)|Sneak attack +2d6, minor lore

4th|Rogue 4|
+3
|
+1
|
+4
|
+1
|Appraise 7, Balance 6, Bluff 7, Climb 6, Initimidate 7, Jump 2, Profession (Sailor) 7, Spot 7, Tumble 7||Uncanny dodge

5th|Rogue 5|
+3
|
+1
|
+4
|
+1
|Appraise 8, Balance 7, Bluff 8, Climb 7, Initimidate 8, Jump 3, Profession (Sailor) 8, Spot 8, Tumble 8||Sneak attack +3d6

6th|Rogue 6|
+4
|
+2
|
+5
|
+2
|Balance 9, Bluff 9, Climb 9, Initimidate 9, Jump 4, Spot 9, Tumble 9|Quick Draw|

7th|Dread Pirate 1|
+5
|
+2
|
+7
|
+2
|Balance 10, Bluff 10, Climb 10, Initimidate 10, Jump 5, Spot 10, Tumble 10||Seamanship, two-weapon fighting

8th|Dread Pirate 2|
+6
|
+2
|
+8
|
+2
|Bluff 11, Initimidate 11, Jump 6, Spot 11, Tumble 11, +1 skill trick|SKILL TRICK (Twisted Charge)|Fearsome reputation (Dishonourable) +2

9th|Dread Pirate 3|
+7
|
+3
|
+8
|
+3
|Bluff 12, Initimidate 12, Jump 7, Spot 12, Tumble 12, +1 skill trick|Improved Feint, SKILL TRICK (Nimble Stand)|Sneak attack +4d6

10th|Uncanny Trickster 1|
+7
|
+3
|
+10
|
+3
|Balance 12, Bluff 13, Climb 12, Initimidate 13, Jump 6, Spot 13, Tumble 13||Bonus trick (Group Fake-Out), favourite trick (Group Fake-Out)

11th|Uncanny Trickster 2|
+8
|
+3
|
+11
|
+3
|Balance 14, Bluff 14, Climb 14, Initimidate 14, Jump 7, Spot 14, Tumble 14||Bonus trick (Acrobatic Backstab), favourite trick (Acrobatic Backstab), sneak attack +5d6

12th|Changeling Rogue Substituion 8*|
+9
|
+3
|
+12
|
+3
|Balance 15, Bluff 15, Climb 15, Initimidate 15, Jump 12, Spot 15, Tumble 15|Acrobatic Strike|Mutable anatomy

13th|Uncanny Trickster 3|
+10
|
+4
|
+12
|
+4
|Balance 16, Bluff 16, Climb 16, Initimidate 16, Jump 15, Spot 16, Tumble 16||Bonus trick (Spot the Weak Point), favourite trick (Spot the Weak Point), tricky defense, sneak attack +6d6

14th|Dread Pirate 4|
+11
|
+4
|
+13
|
+4
|Balance 17, Bluff 17, Climb 17, Initimidate 17, Jump 16, Spot 17, Tumble 17||Acrobatic charge, steady stance

15th|Dread Pirate 5|
+12
|
+4
|
+13
|
+4
|Balance 18, Bluff 18, Climb 18, Initimidate 18, Jump 17, Spot 18, Tumble 18|Staggering Strike|Scourge of the seas

16th|Dread Pirate 6|
+13
|
+5
|
+14
|
+5
|Balance 19, Bluff 19, Climb 19, Initimidate 19, Jump 18, Spot 19, Tumble 19||Fearsome reputation (Dishonourable) +4

17th|Dread Pirate 7|
+14
|
+5
|
+14
|
+5
|Balance 20, Bluff 20, Climb 20, Initimidate 20, Jump 19, Spot 20, Tumble 20||Sneak attack +7d6

18th|Dread Pirate 8|
+15
|
+5
|
+15
|
+5
|Balance 21, Bluff 21, Climb 21, Initimidate 21, Jump 20, Spot 21, Tumble 21|Tumbling Feint|Skill mastery

19th|Dread Pirate 9|
+16
|
+6
|
+15
|
+6
|Balance 22, Bluff 22, Climb 22, Initimidate 22, Jump 21, Spot 22, Tumble 22||Motivate the scum

20th|Dread Pirate 10|
+17
|
+6
|
+16
|
+6
|Balance 23, Bluff 23, Climb 23, Initimidate 23, Jump 22, Spot 23, Tumble 23||Fearsome reputation (Dishonourable) +6, pirate queen[/table]

*This is not a typo, as Uncanny Trickster levels 2 & 3 give all class features and an effective level in a previous class - more on this later


Build at Level 20
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Jacinta Marzoni
Rogue 7/Uncanny Trickster 3/Dread Pirate 10
Changeling, Medium Humanoid (Shapechanger)
HD: 6 +9d6 +10d8 +40 (122HP)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30ft
AC: 14 (10, +4 DEX)
BAB/Grapple: +17/+18
Attack: +21 (ranged and Finesse melee weapons)
Full Attack: +21/+16/+11/+6
Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
Special Qualities: Social Intuition, Evasion, Minor Lore, Uncanny Dodge, Seamanship, Two-Weapon Fighting, Bonus Trick (Group Fake-Out), Favourite Trick (Group Fake-Out), Bonus Trick (Acrobatic Backstab), Favourite Trick (Acrobatic Backstab), Mutable Anatomy, Bonus Trick (Spot the Weak Point), Favourite Trick (Spot the Weak Point), Tricky Defense, Acrobatic Charge, Steady Stance, Scourge of the Seas, Sneak Attack +7d6, Skill Mastery, Motivate the Scum, Fearsome Reputation (Dishonourable) +6, Pirate Queen
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +20, Will +6 (+2 to all vs Sleep & Charm effects, +1 to all when using a Skill Trick)
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16
Skills: Appraise +9, Balance +29 (extra +10 when taking damage), Bluff +28, Climb +24 (extra +10 when taking damage), Diguise +8 (+18 if using Minor Shape Change), Initimidate +36, Jump +23, Profession (Sailor) +18, Spot +23, Swim +5, Tumble +29, Use Rope +8
Feats: Combat Expertise, Weapon Finesse, Quick Draw, Improved Feint, Staggering Strike, Acrobatic Strike, Tumbling Feint
Skill Tricks: Second Impression, Speedy Ascent, Twisted Charge, Nimble Stand, Group Fake-Out, Acrobatic Backstab, Spot the Weak Point


Build Explanation
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I decided to go for the Dishonourable Reputation route through the class, as I wanted to go for a more combat-oriented Rogue character than the honourable route linking through a Bard support character. Jacinta may not be as powerful as other combat classes in most situations, but she is deadly in her element - onboard ship. Her wide array of skills are all focused on making her as capable as possible at working on her ship, commanding her crew and taking on her enemies in pitched battles on an unsteady deck. The skill tricks and Uncanny Trickster PrC from Complete Scoundrel add even more to this, giving her special moves and more uses for skills that suit her Dread Pirate abilities and flashy swashbuckler style of combat.

The Swashbuckler class was an obvious idea for this character as the fluff suits her perfectly, but other than Insightful Strike there was little else that Dread Pirate and Skill Tricks didn't already provide, and a 3-level dip for one ability seemed too much of a waste. Choosing Changeling for the race made complete sense when I saw them, their racial abilities blend well and their Rogue Substitution levels gave me valuable skill points early on for all the skill requirements and Tricks I needed. Trapfinding and Trap Sense aren't rwally necessary on a ship so I was happy to swap them out for something more interesting, and Mutable Anatomy (which essentially gives you 50% fortification) is vastly superior to Improved Uncanny Dodge when you only have 9 Rogue levels at Level 20. Uncanny Trickster gave me more Skill Tricks to use and lets me use the best ones twice in one encounter, and also has the interesting ability of effectively giving you a level in your previous class at 2nd and 3rd levels - hence the extra two levels of Rogue. I considered using this to take 10 levels of Dread Pirate with only 8 levels in it, but that would probably be going too far.

Tactics for Jacinta should be fairly obvious - whip your crew into a frenzy, intimidate your foes to weaken their resolve then charge in for the kill. Group Fake-Out lets you deal sneak attack damage to lots of foes at once, while Spot the Weak Point gives you a chance to hit a single high-AC target, as it's much easier to raise your Spot modifier than your To Hit. Acrobatic Backstab and Acrobatic Strike is a combination I have used with great success - gaining +4 to hit a foe AND rendering them flat-footed in a single Tumble move action. Add a weapon like the Sword of Subtlety (+4 to attacks and damage for sneak attacks) and you should have no trouble dealing large amounts of damage to any living enemies. Staggering Strike is always useful against those irritating undead, as is the spell Gravestrike, which I always get made into a ring when playing a Rogue.


Sources
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Races of Eberron - Changeling race & Rogue racial substitution levels
Complete Adventurer - Dread Pirate, Staggering Strike feat
Complete Scoundrel - Uncanny Trickster, skill tricks
Player's Handbook II - Acrobatic Strike & Tumbling Feint feats
SRD - everything else