Penshian Pen-Blade
Penshian Pen-Blade
Sheet
AC 16 · HP 136 · 30 ft.Saving throws
Skills
- AcrobaticsDEX
- Animal HandlingWIS
- ArcanaINT
- AthleticsSTR
- DeceptionCHA
- HistoryINT
- InsightWIS
- IntimidationCHA
- InvestigationINT
- MedicineWIS
- PerceptionWIS
- PerformanceCHA
- PersuasionCHA
- Sleight of HandDEX
- StealthDEX
- SurvivalWIS
Armor
Weapons
Tools
Languages
Features
31 featuresAction
- Sneak AttackLevel 1
When Once per turn when he has advantage or an enemy of the target is adjacent to it, with no disadvantage.
Penshian makes a melee attack with a finesse weapon and adds 8d6 Sneak Attack damage when the conditions are met.
- PanacheLevel 9
When Action, against a creature within 60 feet that can hear him.
Penshian attempts to distract, taunt, or charm a creature with a Persuasion check contested by its Insight check.
- Master DuelistLevel 13
When Action, once per short or long rest.
Penshian gains advantage on his next attack against a visible target, and if it hits, the attack is a critical hit.
Bonus action
- Cunning ActionLevel 2
When Bonus action on his turn.
Penshian uses a bonus action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
Reaction
- Uncanny DodgeLevel 5
When Reaction when hit by an attack from a creature he can see.
Penshian halves the damage from one attack that hits him.
- Stroke of LuckLevel 15
When After missing an attack or failing an ability check, once per short or long rest.
Penshian can turn a missed attack into a hit or treat a failed ability check as a 20.
Always on
- Fancy FootworkLevel 3
When After making a melee attack against a creature during his turn.
Penshian makes a rapier attack against a nearby enemy, then moves away without provoking an opportunity attack from that creature.
- Skill ProficienciesLevel 1
Penshian chooses four skills for proficiency: Acrobatics, Deception, Insight, and Stealth. He also gains proficiency in two skills from his background: Athletics and Perception.
- ExpertiseLevel 1
Penshian has expertise in Stealth and Thieves' Tools, doubling his proficiency bonus for checks made with them.
- Thieves' CantLevel 1
Penshian knows thieves' cant, a secret mixture of dialect, jargon, and coded signs used by rogues.
- Roguish Archetype: SwashbucklerLevel 3
Penshian chooses the Swashbuckler archetype, gaining Fancy Footwork and Rakish Audacity.
- Rakish AudacityLevel 3
Penshian adds his Charisma modifier to initiative rolls. He also gains Sneak Attack against a creature he attacks in melee when no creature other than his target is within 5 feet of him, even without advantage.
- Ability Score ImprovementLevel 4
Penshian increases his Dexterity score by 2, from 18 to 20.
- ExpertiseLevel 6
Penshian gains expertise in Athletics and Perception, doubling his proficiency bonus for checks made with them.
- Reliable TalentLevel 7
Penshian can reliably treat any roll of 9 or lower on an ability check using a proficient skill as a 10 on the die.
- Ability Score ImprovementLevel 8
Penshian increases his Dexterity score by 2, from 18 to 20.
- EvasionLevel 7
Penshian gains advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects he can see, such as traps and spells. He takes no damage on a successful save and half damage on a failed save when the effect normally deals half damage on a successful save.
- Slippery MindLevel 15
Penshian gains proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
- Background ProficienciesLevel 1
Penshian gains proficiency with navigator's tools, vehicles water, and a gaming set from his Sailor background.
- Elegant ManeuverLevel 9
Penshian has advantage on Acrobatics checks made to balance or escape a grapple while aboard a ship or other unstable surface.
- Ability Score Improvement: AlertLevel 10
Penshian gains the Alert feat. He cannot be surprised while conscious, gains a +5 bonus to initiative, and creatures he does not see do not gain advantage on attack rolls against him.
- Ability Score Improvement: LuckyLevel 12
Penshian gains the Lucky feat, granting three luck points per long rest. He can spend a point to roll an additional d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, or to impose disadvantage on an attack against him.
- Blindsense and ElusiveLevel 14
Penshian gains proficiency in Dexterity saving throws against effects he can see and cannot be attacked with advantage by creatures within 30 feet of him unless he is incapacitated.
- Infernal LegacyLevel 1
Penshian knows the thaumaturgy cantrip. He can cast hellish rebuke once per long rest as a 2nd-level spell and darkness once per long rest. Charisma is his spellcasting ability for these spells.
- Hellish ResistanceLevel 1
Penshian has resistance to fire damage.
- DarkvisionLevel 1
Penshian can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. He cannot discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
- Ability Score IncreaseTieflingCharisma +2 and Intelligence +1.
- DarkvisionTieflingYou can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light, but cannot discern color in darkness.
- Hellish ResistanceTieflingYou have resistance to fire damage.
- Infernal LegacyTieflingYou know thaumaturgy. At 3rd level, you can cast hellish rebuke once per long rest as a 2nd-level spell. At 5th level, you can cast darkness once per long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
- Ship's PassageSailor
Penshian can secure free passage on sailing vessels for himself and his companions in exchange for service or payment, and he is recognized by sailors as a fellow mariner. He can also find basic food and lodging in any port frequented by seafarers.
Spells
3 spellsSpellcasting. Penshian Pen-Blade casts with Charisma (spell save DC 16, to hit with spell attacks).
Cantrips (at will):
2nd level: ,
Gear
12 itemsWeapons
- RapierA finely balanced finesse weapon favored by Penshian for boarding actions and formal duels.
- ShortbowA compact ranged weapon with a spare string and weatherproof bowcase.
- 2×DaggerA secondary finesse weapon, useful for close work and throwing.
- Belaying PinA stout belaying pin used as a club and shipboard tool.
Armor
- Leather ArmorStudded leather armor dyed black and reinforced for movement across rigging and decks.
Tools
- Thieves' ToolsTools for opening locks and disarming traps.
Gear
- 20×ArrowsAmmunition for the shortbow.
- Burglar's PackA pack containing a backpack, ball bearings, string, bell, candles, crowbar, hammer, pitons, hooded lantern, oil, rations, tinderbox, and waterskin.
- Silk RopeA coil of strong silk rope.
- Lucky CharmA small charm from a former shipmate, kept for luck rather than sentiment, or so Penshian claims.
- Common ClothesSimple but carefully maintained sailor's clothing.
Purse
- 10×Gold PiecesStarting currency from the Sailor background.
Appearance
Penshian is a lean, long-limbed tiefling with deep wine-red skin, swept-back black horns polished with careful oil, and a narrow pointed tail usually curled around one ankle when he stands still. His silver-white hair is cut to jaw length and combed back with deliberate precision, contrasting with his immaculate black sea coat, high boots, and crimson sash. He waits with his weight balanced on the balls of his feet, as though the deck might tilt at any moment. His fingers are usually stained with blue-black ink, and a thin writing quill is tucked behind one horn.
Mannerisms
Penshian pauses before answering difficult questions, as though editing a sentence in his head. He taps the end of his quill against his lower lip, rolls coins across his knuckles while negotiating, and instinctively angles his body toward the nearest exit. When insulted, he smiles warmly and asks the offender to repeat the statement so he can quote it accurately later.
Personality
Penshian is charming, theatrical, and relentlessly articulate. He treats conversation like a fencing match, testing rhythm, timing, and weak points before committing to a thrust. He prefers a clever bargain to a clean kill, but once someone has endangered his crew or mocked his craft, his courtesy becomes a polished warning rather than genuine restraint.
Ideals
Freedom. No captain, crown, church, or contract owns a person's soul. Words are tools, and the clever should use every tool available.
Bonds
He carries the stolen ledger of the crew that betrayed him and intends to ruin every name written inside it, one contract, scandal, or carefully arranged death at a time.
Flaws
He cannot resist improving someone else's written work, even when doing so is dangerous or deeply insulting. Penshian also believes every betrayal can be repaid with interest, and he sometimes delays an easy victory because he is composing a more satisfying one.
Quirks
Background
Penshian Pen-Blade was born in a port where tieflings were welcomed only when they were useful, feared when they were idle, and blamed whenever a ship vanished in fog. He learned early that a written promise could outlive a shouted threat. As a cabin boy, he copied cargo manifests, forged signatures, and wrote letters for sailors who could not read. His talent became so exact that captains began hiring him to compose ransom notes, ceasefires, and elegantly worded threats before sending him ashore to deliver them with a rapier at his side. He eventually joined a pirate crew that valued his pen as much as his blade. Penshian served as quartermaster, negotiator, and boarding duelist, turning hostile encounters into contracts whenever possible and into bloodshed whenever necessary. After the crew betrayed him over a disputed treasure map, he escaped with the map, the ship's ledger, and a list of every officer who had signed the betrayal. Now he works as a pirate mercenary, selling his sword, his maritime expertise, and his extraordinary prose to whoever can meet his price. He insists that every contract be written in his own hand, because, as he says, the right sentence can make a man richer than a chest of gold, or much easier to bury.
“He learned early that a written promise could outlive a shouted threat.”
- Background
- Sailor
Connections
Species
Tiefling
Media
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