Nikau portrait by Jessica Kuczynski
Download Character Sheet: Nikau Character Sheet
You can find the other premade characters here.
Who Nikau Is
Player:
Name Pronunciation: nee-koh
Gender: Man.
Manner: As a fruit seller Nikau is charming and jovial. As a thief Nikau is focused and determined.
Goal: Stop injustice.
Backstory: Part of a Parrot-Folk community in the Cloud Mountains, Nikau grew up living in harmony with his forest home. However this harmony is threatened by poachers who target the rare plants and animals their forest shelters. Angry at the destruction this poaching causes, Nikau is determined to stop it at its source—the rich buyers. By day Nikau is a friendly fruit seller, but at night he is a stealthy thief tracking down and exposing each buyer one by one.
Inspiration: Nikau is inspired by the Kea parrot, which is a semi-nocturnal, omnivorous parrot that is intelligent, curious, playful, and brave.
Parrot-Folk: Parrot-Folk are five foot tall sapient parrots. They are not humanoid, so they have wings, but no arms. Parrot-Folk use their dexterous feet and beaks in the place of hands.
Nikau’s Community: Like many other Parrot-Folk communities, Nikau’s community practices agroforestry, growing their crops in amongst the rainforest trees. Kiwis are their primary cash crop. However, unlike other Parrot-Folk communities, Nikau’s community lives in underground homes that are dug into the sides of the steep mountain slopes.
Appearance: Nikau has brown feathers with olive green on the back of his wings and a vivid orange underneath. Because Parrot-Folk have very little gender dimorphism, it can be hard for outsiders to identify Parrot-Folk gender characteristics. As a trans man, being misgendered can be upsetting, so he wears an orange bowtie to help avoid misgendering. He wears a gray utility vest with many pouches and pockets.
Relationships:
What Nikau Can Do
Class: Rogue.
Body #: 5
Mind #: 3
Species: Parrot-Folk.
Species Trait—Flight: Nikau has wings and can use them to fly.
Physical Defense—Dodging: You are trained to use dodging for physical defense. The aesthetics of this dodging are up to you. However you are only able to dodge in situations where you have the freedom to move. This means that any time you are squeezing through a tight space, are balanced precariously, or are restrained, you cannot dodge.
Mental Defense—Deflection: You are trained to use deflection for mental defense. Deflection is the process of using special gestures to alter the way magic moves so that it avoids you. The aesthetics of this deflection are up to you. However doing this requires large physical gestures, so you are only able to use deflection in situations where you have the freedom to move. This means that any time you are squeezing through a tight space, are balanced precariously, or are restrained, you cannot deflect.
Body Skills:
Combat Skills
Unarmed Fighting (Unarmed actions like punching, kicking, tripping, and wrestling)
Melee Combat (Using melee weapons like swords, spears, and axes)
Ranged Combat (Using ranged weapons like bows and throwing daggers)
Strength Skills
Athletics (Strength and endurance activities like running, jumping, and throwing)
Climbing (Climbing up and down trees, rocks, and other steep surfaces)
✔ Flying (Doing complex maneuvers and flying in difficult conditions)
Riding (Caring for and riding mounts)
Swimming (Doing complex maneuvers and swimming in difficult conditions)
Dexterity Skills
✔ Acrobatics (Feats of agility, balance, and flexibility)
✔ Manual Dexterity (Picking locks, disabling traps, pick-pocketing, etc.)
✔ Mobility (Using agility and flexibility to keep moving)
✔ Stealth (Hiding, moving silently, and generally being sneaky)
Mind Skills:
Knowledge Skills
Arcana (Magical knowledge)
Culture (Religions, customs, languages, and history)
Nature (Knowing about animals, plants, weather, geography, and physiology)
Technology (The basics of math, engineering, and crafting)
Social Skills
Communicating with Animals (Communication and interaction with animals)
✔ Deception (Misleading others)
Diplomacy (Honest communication)
Intimidation (Using fear and awe to get cooperation)
Performance (Getting and holding people’s attention, disguises)
Awareness Skills
✔ Insight (Reading people and assessing social situations)
✔ Perception (Noticing subtle things in your environment)
Survival (Navigating and sustaining life in different environments, first aid)
Ability #1—Dexterous: You are extremely dexterous. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Acrobatics, Manual Dexterity, Mobility, or Stealth skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Ability #2—Lock Expertise: You are an expert at opening, altering, and creating locks. Three times a day, you count as prepared when you use Manual Dexterity to open locks, Technology to alter locks, or Technology to create locks. In addition, once per day, you may reroll one of these three types of lock-related rolls. This reroll must happen before the results have been revealed and you must take the new result, even if it is lower.
Ability #3—Shadow: You can effortlessly blend into shadows. Once per day, you can briefly disappear into the shadows. No rolls are needed for this action, but there must be a large area of shadow for you to disappear into, such as a narrow alleyway or a dense cluster of trees. After that, if you wish to stay hidden, you will need to roll the Stealth skill. However, for the rest of the scene, you are considered prepared when using the Stealth skill to hide in the shadows.
Ability #4—Charismatic: You have a natural talent for social skills. Three times a day, you are considered prepared when you use the Communicating with Animals, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Performance skills. You may take this ability twice if you desire.
Equipment Nikau Has
Special Item—Enchanted bag: This magic bag is considerably larger on the inside than it is on the outside. It is light and its weight is always the same, regardless of how much it is holding. In addition, the mouth of this bag can stretch wide enough to allow one medium-sized piece of furniture to be placed within the bag.
Tools for Skills: Tinkering tools that are used for the Manual Dexterity skill.
Standard Supplies:
- Everyday outfit
- Sturdy backpack
- Waterproof tarp
- Towel
- Bedroll
- Fire-starting kit
- Lantern with oil
- Portable cooking pot
- Wooden dishes and utensils
- Utility knife
- Waterskin
- Travel rations
- Rope
- Twine
- Chalk
- Soap
- One handful of coins
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