Senjiir

Name:	Senjiir
Alignment:	Neutral good
Race:	Human
Class:	Necromancer (Anatomist), from the Complete Book of Necromancers (CBoN)
Level:	1
Hit Points:	6
AC:	7 (Dex only)
THAC0:	20
Movement:	12

Strength:	13
Dexterity:	14
Constitution:	16
Intelligence:	18
Wisdom:	17
Charisma:	12

Senjiir carries a knife, components he needs for spell-casting and performing his anatomical studies and healings, including an assortment of surgical instruments, his spell-book, his favorite anatomical reference written by a renowned author of his home world, and a diary in which he records the findings of his own anatomical and necromantic research. Most of his equipment is kept in a black satchel that hangs from a strap that hangs around his head and from his shoulder.

Improved healing (CBoN), autopsy (CBoN), and enhanced vision. Senjiir is genetically blessed with having highly acute vision, allowing him to see about four times farther than a normal person, and giving him very good night-vision if there is at least a low amount of light. This is not as effective as infravision or ultravision, nor does it grant any such benefits.

Senjiir is six feet tall with a very lanky frame, and is a man in his early 20s. Due to his abhorrence of eating meat, most of his diet consists of raw fruits and vegetables, which keeps him healthy, but keeps him very slim. Also, most of his time is spent in study, so he gets very little physical exercise. His black hair is all one length, hanging to the top of his neck, and usually appears quite greasy. He cuts it himself with a knife periodically, only enough so as to keep it out of his face. He takes very little pride in his appearance, though he does normally like to keep himself clean, and cares little what others think of him. His skin is a pale white, his fingers long and slender, making him very adept at his work, and his eyes are disturbing pools of cold blackness.

He doesn’t wear robes like many other wizards, preferring instead to wear clothing that is functional. Since he must remain fairly secretive in his work, which requires much stealth, he usually wears soft boots and loose pants and shirts, all black. When he’s travelling, he wears a full length, gray cloak which covers his entire body, and allows him complete freedom of movement.

Senjiir comes from a wealthy family, his father being a rich, well-respected merchant in his home town. He had two brothers and two sisters and papa's income supported the family, so most were free to do as they pleased. Senjiir was always a bit weird. Most of his peers shied away from this creepy looking child, so he spent most of his time as a recluse. He became fascinated with anatomy and magic and began experimenting on magical effects on anatomy. He wanted to know what made the body tick. During his efforts, he learned a great deal about both biology and psychology (mostly pertaining to the behavior of people). He primarily experimented on animals, which he could capture and keep alive, but often he would procure cadavers when he could, using his magic to stealthily retrieve the corpses from graves or other cutting tables.

His father discovered Senjiir’s experimentations one day and was horrified. He forbid Senjiir to continue practicing his art. Of course, Senjiir disobeyed and took more care at hiding his studies. One day, his father attacked just outside of town by a group of brigands. He was stabbed through the stomach. He was found only shortly after the attack, still barely alive, and brought back to his home where the local healer was quickly summoned.

Senjiir, knowing he could save his father, decided to use his own knowledge skills. He prepared the wound with special salves he had made himself, all while his family watched on in wide-eyed trepidation and certain fear of what Senjiir was attempting. Then he cast his magic and before everyone's eyes and gasps of astonishment, perhaps even horror, the father's wounds began to seal.

Weakly, Senjiir's father looked down at the gaping wound in his belly which was already nearly sealed shut, the bleeding stopping. He then looked up at his son, his mouth agape, eyes wide, and face white. "What have you done?" he rasped.

"You've condemned me with your black arts! My soul is forfeit because of you!" As the wounds fully healed, Senjiir's father leapt from his deathbed, snatching up a nearby dagger. He grabbed his bewildered and terrified son by the collar, holding the dagger up high. "You've condemned me for eternity!" Next, he dropped his son onto the floor, then plunged the dagger into his own heart, spurting blood over Senjiir's horrified face.

With tears in his eyes, Senjiir leapt toward his father, knowing he hadn't the magic left to save him this time. "Father," Senjiir whispered, his throat tight.

Senjiir stood up, looking pleadingly at his family gathered around him. They all stared back in horrified silence. "Mother," Senjiir pleaded, moving toward her with hands stretched forward. She spat at him and backed away.

Senjiir, devastated by this second rejection, looked to his siblings. Finding no sympathy there, and instead looks of growing hostility, Senjiir turned and fled.

But his family and townsfolk were unforgiving. Word quickly spread of the "foul" magics Senjiir called up, and how he caused his father to go mad and take his own life. The townspeople chased Senjiir and caught him. They began to tie him to a post for a public burning in the town square. A dozen people surrounded him, torches blazing in their hands, shining brightly against the near darkness of dusk. With only a light spell left in his memory, Senjiir cast it to good effect. He blinded his captors, startling the onlookers with the display of magic, and was able to flee again.

Something caused him to pause as he reached the edge of the town square, and he looked back to find his two brothers staring at him with utter hatred in their eyes. Senjiir felt that look cut through him as though a dagger had pierced his heart, but the rising din of an angry mob suddenly reminded him he had no time to left to spare. He fled the town, the mob raging on his heels.

It was approaching night and a fog was flowing out from the forest outside the town. Thinking nothing of it, Senjiir fled into the woods and found himself suddenly surrounded by an impenetrable mist. When he finally emerged, the forest was gone and he found himself standing just outside a strange town--definitely not his own.

Senjiir is a reclusive person. He prefers his solitude so that he may spend as much time as possible absorbed in his studies of anatomy and the necromantic arts. His psyche is in a very precarious state since the loss of his father and his encounter with his townsfolk. It wouldn’t take much to snap his fragile mind or turn him onto the wrong path. More so than ever, Senjiir is obsessed with learning more about his art, using his studies to avoid dealing with the trauma inflicted on him by the harsh words of his dying father, and the rejections of his family.

Senjiir is a very unsettling person to be around. His habits and motives will seem odd at best, and he talks very little except when he thinks he has something to learn from someone pertaining to anatomy or necromancy. While he might seem unfriendly and aloof, Senjiir is always too quick to help an injured person by using his knowledge and necromantic magic. Very often, Senjiir’s methods of healing are shunned as evil, and he is often persecuted if his attempts fail. In such cases, he is often blamed for killing the victim with his black magic, much like his father blamed him. Perhaps because of his failure with his father, Senjiir tries so hard to help others. Deep down, he feels the need to prove his worthiness to others and to himself.

Senjiir also has a strong fear of fire. He will go to many creative lengths to avoid using fire, even using cantrips to warm his food and perform other, minor tasks that others might use fire for. Fortunately for him, Senjiir is a vegetarian and seldom needs to cook or warm his food anyway. Years of anatomical study have led to his disgust of eating meat.

He will always resort to his magic when possible for lighting, even shunning the use of candles. The fact that he was almost burned at the stake probably has something to do with this, but the precise reason is probably because fire serves to remind him of this incident which was when he experienced the most traumatic events of his life, being the loss of his father and the sudden hatred toward him from the rest of his family and the members his home town.

Senjiir is generally a reliable person to have around, but if he discovers an opportunity to learn new information, he can quite easily become distracted, even from other, life-threatening concerns. Also, his mental state tends to make him emotionally erratic.

1st Level: affect normal fires (generally uses this only to douse fires), bind wounds*, change self, chill touch, detect undead, exterminate (CBoN), identify, light, locate remains (CBoN), read magic, shocking grasp, spider climb, spook, ventriloquism.

*Bind Wounds (new spell): Through his intensive study of anatomy and magical experimentation, Senjiir learned how to bind wounds with his magic, enough to staunch the flow of blood. This is by no means the equivalent of priestly forms of healing. Scars will remain, and if the injuries were bad enough, the patient will still need rest, or risks reopening his wounds. This equates to a 30% chance of subsequent attacks in the same day doing an extra +1 point of damage. This spell grants the recipient one hit point plus one per level of the caster divided by two, rounding up. Thus, it will grant two points of healing at 1^st level, and four points of healing at 5^th level (1 + 3 (2 ½ rounded up)).

(Note: These cantrips are meant to allow better role-playing of this character’s quirks, such as his fear of fire. They should not be allowed to circumvent obstacles the DM tosses at the party that should be dealt with through cleverness or more powerful magics.)