Player character

Auren Voss

Male Human Rogue 1 · Pirate, Wreck-Diver, and Reluctant Expedition Scout

Auren Voss knows the Castrovin Sea from the wrong side of the law. He has hauled contraband through fog banks, cut purses in Kridorn dock markets, served aboard pirate sloops, and heard drunken captains swear that the Flayed Map is real. He did not join the expedition because he is noble. He joined because too many pirate crews have suddenly become organized, too well-funded, and too interested in obsidian.

Auren fills the party’s scout, trap-handler, infiltrator, and dirty-fighting role. He is useful in ports, ruins, ships, warehouses, submerged wrecks, and later Darklands tunnels. Unlike a purely aquatic character, he remains valuable once the campaign leaves the sea behind because locks, traps, ambushes, secret doors, and dangerous people never stop mattering.

Level 1 Character Sheet

Auren Voss — CR 1

Male human rogue 1
CN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +7

Defense

AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12
(+2 leather armor, +4 Dex)

hp 9 (1d8+1)

Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +1

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee rapier +4 (1d6+1/18–20)

Ranged dagger +4 (1d4+1/19–20) or shortbow +4 (1d6/×3)

Special sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding +1

Statistics

Str 12, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10

Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 15

Feats Weapon Finesse, Two-Weapon Fighting

Skills Acrobatics +8, Appraise +6, Bluff +4, Climb +5, Disable Device +9, Escape Artist +8, Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +7, Profession (sailor) +5, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +8, Swim +5, Use Magic Device +4

Languages Common, Kelish, Polyglot

Rogue Features

Sneak Attack +1d6: Auren deals extra damage when flanking or striking enemies denied Dexterity to AC. His job is not to stand toe-to-toe; it is to strike when the enemy is distracted.

Trapfinding: Adds half rogue level to Perception checks to locate traps and Disable Device checks. Auren can disable magic traps.

Finesse Fighting: Weapon Finesse lets Auren attack with Dexterity using rapier and light blades.

Pirate Skill Identity: Profession (sailor), Swim, Use Magic Device, Disable Device, and Knowledge (local) make him valuable in ports, shipboard scenes, and old ruins.

How to Play Auren at Level 1

Scout first, stab second. Auren should identify traps, ambushes, escape routes, hidden compartments, and suspicious dockside behavior before combat starts.

Fight through flanking. Pair with the hobgoblin tank, Thoros’s monitor lizard, or Caldris. Sneak attack is reliable when allies create threatened spaces.

Be the pirate who knows pirates. Auren can read crew tattoos, ship slang, smuggling codes, fake manifests, bribes, and hidden pirate signals.

Do not duel fair. Auren is not the tank. Use Stealth, Acrobatics, dirty positioning, thrown daggers, and retreat paths.

Campaign Role

Why Auren Belongs in Razored Labyrinth

Campaign Phase	Auren’s Role
Kridorfrost Bridge	Finds sabotage, secret smugglers’ cuts, old locks, hidden chambers, and false rescue reports.
Kridorn	Understands pirate brokers, dock bribes, stolen cargo, fake manifests, and tavern rumor networks.
Citadel Allatro / Black Glass Peak	Recognizes organized pirate behavior and helps infiltrate mining crews or captured ships.
Ninshabur	Deals with trapped archives, submerged doors, ancient locks, and fragile relic chambers.
Vladmirr	Negotiates with salvagers, thieves, submersible smugglers, and black-market mechanics.
Darklands	Becomes the tunnel scout: traps, ambushes, scout patrols, secret doors, and enemy supply routes.

The Flayed Map Connection

Auren has heard three different versions of the Flayed Map story and suspects all three are lies built around one truth: there was once a real surface route through the Razored Labyrinth. He does not know whether Captain Flayed ever possessed the true chart, but he knows pirate captains are suddenly paying dangerous prices for sea-stack lore, locathah carvings, and obsidian route markers.

Possible Background Hooks

Hook	Use
Former Crewman	Auren once served with pirates now involved in the obsidian thefts.
Stolen Chart	He carries a fake or partial map fragment that becomes important later.
Dockside Debt	A Kridorn broker owns his debt and tries to use him against the party.
Ghost Wreck Survivor	He survived a wreck inside the Razored Labyrinth and remembers impossible landmarks.

Roleplay Notes

Speaks lightly when nervous.
Knows exactly when a tavern has gone quiet for the wrong reason.
Hates being called a hero, but hates being used by worse pirates even more.
Trusts ropes, knives, ledgers, and escape routes.
Respects anyone who pays a debt and distrusts anyone who calls murder “business.”

Combat and Skill Tactics

Combat Style

Situation	Tactic
Open fight	Let the tank or animal companion engage first, then flank for sneak attack.
Shipboard battle	Use rigging, crates, hatches, railings, and elevation to create flanks and escape paths.
Ruins and bridges	Scout ahead with Perception and Disable Device. Assume old architecture wants to kill you.
Urban intrigue	Use Bluff, Knowledge (local), and Profession (sailor) to identify who is lying about cargo.
Underwater scenes	Do not over-specialize. Use magic gear, allies, and submersibles; focus on locks, sabotage, and stealth.
Darklands	Become the point scout, trapbreaker, and ambush spotter.

Recommended Rogue Talents

Level	Talent	Why
2	Finesse Rogue or Combat Trick	If using unchained-style finesse rules, adjust. Otherwise Combat Trick helps feat-starved builds.
4	Fast Stealth	Excellent for scouting in ruins, docks, and Darklands tunnels.
6	Trap Spotter	Strong quality-of-life talent for trap-heavy adventure design.
8	Stand Up or Resiliency	Survivability once enemies become brutal.
10	Opportunist	Excellent with the hobgoblin tank, warpriest, and monitor lizard.
12	Skill Mastery	Reliable Disable Device, Stealth, Perception, and Use Magic Device.
14	Feat or Defensive Roll	Choose offense or survival based on party needs.

Recommended Feat Progression

Level	Feat	Reason
1	Weapon Finesse, Two-Weapon Fighting	Dexterity-based melee and pirate knife-fighting feel.
3	Combat Expertise or Dodge	Defensive foundation.
5	Improved Feint or Mobility	Choose social dirty fighting or movement defense.
7	Improved Two-Weapon Fighting	More sneak attack chances.
9	Critical Focus or Iron Will	Damage spike or defensive patch.
11	Skill Focus: Use Magic Device or Step Up	UMD utility or anti-caster pressure.
13	Greater Two-Weapon Fighting	Late full-attack pressure if build supports it.

Gear, Magic, and Sidequest

Preferred Gear

Rapier and dagger: classic pirate duelist kit.
Shortbow: useful when boarding actions or unstable terrain prevent melee.
Mithral shirt: ideal long-term armor.
Cloak of resistance: mandatory survival item.
Ring of swimming or climbing: excellent maritime utility without over-specializing.
Goggles of minute seeing: great for traps, locks, and relic inspection.
Wand of vanish / invisibility via UMD: makes scouting and escape much safer.

Useful Use Magic Device Targets

Item	Why Auren Wants It
Wand of vanish	Emergency stealth and sneak attack setup.
Wand of cure light wounds	Backup healing when the warpriest is busy.
Scroll of water breathing	Emergency underwater solution.
Scroll of knock	Backup for impossible locks.
Scroll of silence	Infiltration and anti-caster utility.

Personal Sidequest — The Flayed Captain’s Ledger

Auren learns that a surviving fragment of the legendary Flayed Map may exist inside the wreck of the pirate flagship Sable Wake, trapped within a storm-shrouded reef field near Casador’s Maw. Recovering the ledger could reveal clues to the surface routes through the Razored Labyrinth and identify pirate captains now tied to the obsidian thefts.

Alternate Sidequest — The Blackwake Mutiny

Auren’s former crewmates have become enforcers for the organized obsidian operation. The party must infiltrate a hidden pirate anchorage and decide whether to destroy the crew, expose their employer, or convince the mutineers to betray the larger conspiracy.

Campaign Quote

“Every pirate says they know the safe passage. Funny how most of them drown.”