Player character

Thoros Reefbinder

Male Half-Orc Hunter 1 · Inland Tracker with Monitor Lizard Companion

Thoros Reefbinder is not from the sea. He was raised far inland among dry ridges, scrub valleys, caravan trails, and hard country where water is measured, not wasted. He came west as a monster-tracker and hired expedition scout, expecting brigands, desert predators, and ruined roads. Instead, he found the Castrovin Sea, the Razored Labyrinth, and a mystery dragging the campaign from river sinkholes to black-water ruins beneath the world.

His companion, Grask, is a scarred monitor lizard trained for scent-tracking, ambush fighting, and tunnel pursuit. Grask is not an aquatic companion, and that is the point: Thoros and Grask begin the campaign as landlocked outsiders forced to adapt to ships, flooded ruins, and eventually the dry volcanic Darklands where they become terrifyingly effective.

Level 1 Character Sheet

Thoros Reefbinder — CR 1

Male half-orc hunter 1
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6

Defense

AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14
(+4 chain shirt, +2 Dex)

hp 11 (1d8+3)

Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4

Defensive Traits orc ferocity 1/day

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee falchion +3 (2d4+3/18–20)

Ranged longbow +3 (1d8/×3)

Special animal focus, wild empathy, teamwork with companion

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 8

Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 14

Feats Point-Blank Shot

Skills Handle Animal +3, Heal +6, Knowledge (nature) +4, Perception +6, Stealth +6, Survival +8, Swim +4

Languages Common, Orc

Hunter Class Features

Animal Companion: Thoros begins with Grask, a monitor lizard companion. Hunter levels count as druid levels for companion progression.

Animal Focus: As a swift action, Thoros grants himself or Grask an animal aspect. At 1st level, recommended default aspects are bull for Strength, falcon for Perception, and tiger for Stealth.

Wild Empathy: Thoros can influence animals, useful around caravan beasts, shipboard animals, trained warbeasts, and Darklands predators.

Share Spells: Thoros can cast certain spells on Grask that normally affect only himself, making buff spells much more valuable.

Spontaneous Divine Casting: A hunter casts spells spontaneously from spells known. Thoros does not prepare individual spells each day like a cleric or druid.

How to Play Thoros at Level 1

Let Grask engage first. Grask is the better melee body at low level. Send the lizard to threaten, flank, and block enemies while Thoros uses the bow or steps in with the falchion.

Use Animal Focus every fight. Bull helps damage and combat maneuvers, tiger helps stealth, and falcon helps scouting. This is Thoros’s always-available tactical switch.

Thoros is the land answer to a sea campaign. He may struggle emotionally and tactically during fully aquatic scenes, but he shines in riverbanks, ports, caves, volcanic tunnels, ruined bridges, and the dry Darklands.

Do not build him as an aquatic-only PC. The locathah NPCs and submersibles cover many underwater problems. Thoros should remain a tracker, monster-handler, and tunnel fighter.

Animal Companion: Grask

Monitor Lizard Companion · Landlocked Predator Built for Ruins and Tunnels

Grask — Monitor Lizard Animal Companion

N Small animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5

AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +1 size, +3 natural)

hp 11; Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1

Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.

Melee bite +3 (1d6+1 plus grab)

Str 13, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6

Tricks attack, come, defend, down, heel, seek, stay

Why Monitor Lizard Works

Campaign Phase	Usefulness
Kridorfrost Bridge	Climbs rubble, tracks workers and smugglers, squeezes through collapsed tunnel edges.
Kridorn / Port Intrigue	Intimidating bodyguard animal; useful for scent trails through warehouses and docks.
Maritime Acts	Not a sea creature, but can swim enough for emergencies, shipboard chaos, and coastal pursuit.
Vladmirr / Salvage	Excellent in flooded basements, ruined foundations, warehouses, and half-submerged wrecks.
Darklands Acts	Comes fully online as a tunnel predator in dry volcanic caverns and excavation zones.

Animal Focus Pairings

Situation	Use This Focus	Target
Tracking or scouting	Falcon or tiger	Thoros or Grask
Opening melee	Bull	Grask
Ambush in ruins	Tiger	Both, when possible later
Holding a tunnel	Bear or bull	Grask
Chasing quarry	Stag	Thoros

How to Use Grask

Flank with Thoros. Grask creates the pressure; Thoros finishes enemies with falchion or bow.
Scout by scent. Use scent trails for missing workers, smugglers, pirate saboteurs, and strange Darklands creatures.
Climb and ambush. Grask can cling to ruined stone, bridge supports, volcanic ridges, and broken masonry.
Guard the backline. When the witch, bard, or gunslinger is threatened, Grask can intercept.
Be careful underwater. Grask can swim, but he is not a deep-sea predator.

Hunter Spells

Recommended Spells Known and Practical Campaign Use

Level 1 Spellcasting

Caster Type: spontaneous divine caster

Concentration +3; Spell DC 12 + spell level

Orisons Known 4; 1st-Level Spells Known 2

Recommended 1st-Level Spells Known: cure light wounds, gravity bow

Recommended Orisons Known: detect magic, guidance, light, stabilize

Core Spell Notes

Spell	Why Thoros Wants It
Cure Light Wounds	Emergency healing for Grask, Thoros, or a fallen ally.
Gravity Bow	Excellent ranged damage when Thoros cannot safely enter melee.
Lead Blades	Alternative if you want Thoros more melee-forward with falchion.
Longstrider	Strong exploration spell for overland travel, ruins, and Darklands marches.
Ant Haul	Useful for salvage, obsidian samples, submersible supplies, and expedition logistics.
Delay Poison	Excellent later swap or wand choice for Darklands hazards and venomous monsters.

Recommended Spells Known by Tier

Hunter Level	Spell Tier	Recommended Additions	Campaign Purpose
1–3	1st	cure light wounds, gravity bow, then longstrider or lead blades	Survival, archery damage, pursuit, basic expedition utility.
4–6	2nd	barkskin, cat’s grace, lesser restoration	Buff Grask, recover ability damage, improve scouting and combat durability.
7–9	3rd	greater magic fang, water breathing, neutralize poison	Keep Grask relevant, cover emergency aquatic travel, resist toxins.
10–12	4th	freedom of movement, communal protection from energy, strong jaw	Excellent against grapples, volcanic hazards, and buffing Grask.
13–14	5th	animal growth, communal air walk, raise animal companion	Late-game power spike, terrain solutions, and companion insurance.

Wands and Scrolls

cure light wounds — preserve spell slots.
longstrider — travel and chase utility.
delay poison — useful almost every act.
speak with animals — excellent for investigation and scouting.
water breathing — backup only; the party should not rely solely on him for underwater survival.
air bubble — emergency underwater spell if available in your campaign spell list.

Recommended Progression Through Level 14

This build keeps Thoros effective on land, aboard ships, in ruins, and finally in the dry abyssal Darklands. He does not over-invest in aquatic-only options because the locathah allies and submersibles carry the specialized underwater burden.

Level	Feat / Feature	Recommended Choice	Reason
1	Feat	Point-Blank Shot	Reliable ranged opener while Grask engages.
2	Precise Companion	Outflank	Excellent teamwork feat once Thoros and Grask fight together.
3	Feat	Precise Shot	Crucial if Thoros keeps using archery around melee allies.
4	Ability Score	+1 Wis	Improves spells and key skills.
5	Feat	Improved Initiative	Helps Thoros and Grask act before enemies scatter.
6	Teamwork Feat	Pack Flanking or Precise Strike	Strong hunter/companion synergy.
7	Feat	Deadly Aim	Ranged damage scales better.
8	Ability Score	+1 Wis or Dex	Wis for spells, Dex for archery.
9	Feat	Clustered Shots	Helps against damage reduction in later acts.
10	Teamwork Feat	Shake It Off	Useful once abyssal effects and Spawn-like horrors become common.
11	Feat	Improved Critical or Toughness	Choose offense or survivability based on party need.
12	Ability Score	+1 Wis	Supports late spellcasting and saves.
13	Feat	Spell Penetration or Extra Animal Focus	Choose spell reliability or more flexible hunter identity.
14	Teamwork Feat	Improved Spell Sharing or Coordinated Charge	Improved Spell Sharing is excellent with animal buffs if allowed.

Preferred Gear

Composite longbow: main ranged weapon.
Falchion: half-orc flavor and strong melee backup.
Chain shirt / mithral shirt later: keeps mobility and stealth reasonable.
Amulet of mighty fists for Grask: essential companion scaling.
Companion barding: light armor first; avoid slowing Grask too much.
Handy haversack: expedition gear, climbing tools, antitoxin, rope, sample jars.

Personality and Roleplay

Thoros is practical, blunt, and quietly uneasy around deep water. He trusts tracks, scents, broken branches, ash patterns, and animal behavior more than sailors’ legends or scholars’ theories. Over time, the sea teaches him humility, but the Darklands lets him reclaim his confidence. By the final acts, Thoros becomes one of the party’s strongest guides through dry volcanic tunnels, collapsed excavation works, and monster-haunted abyssal territory.

Campaign Quote

“Water hides tracks. Stone remembers them.”