Kogen

Example

“
*MY NAAAME!!! IS KOGEN KANESHIRO!! AND AS I LIVE AND BREATHE, I SHALL AVENGE THIS MURDEROUS INSULT TO LORD KENO!!!!*
”
— Kogen, charging into battle
**Kogen** is a Dwarf Fighter participating in Honorbound, a quest for vengeance.

## Description

### Appearance

Kogen was well into middle age when he was raised as a vampire, and the years of mercenary living were not kind to him, evidenced by his baldness and prematurely white beard. Despite his ability to regenerate he prefers to keep many scars, as reminders of his victories and losses. He keeps himself in good shape and dresses better than he used to, but he is somewhat slovenly with his beard and what remains of his hair.

### Personality

A longtime ronin and mercenary, Kogen is a direct and blunt person with a vicious temper and little tolerance for foolishness or weakness. He has thankfully learned some social graces, but the Oni is not gone, merely leashed until it is time for battle. Kogen's vampirism has robbed him of the ability to drink and enjoy alcohol, but he thankfully has learned restraint while feeding. On the other hand he is still fond of large living, wearing bespoke clothing and expensive accessories, and spending much time in taverns gambling and participating in prize fights. The only other times he seems to be at peace are when he tends to his horse Orochi, whom he treats much better than fellow people, and the surest way to send him into a berserker rage would be to harm his steed - or, more frequently, Keno and his other companions. For all his faults, Kogen is undyingly loyal to Keno and his fellow retainers, and the very idea of betraying or abandoning them is inconceivable to him.

## Biography

### Background

Once a warrior of the Moriyama mountain dwarf clan, Kogen's temper and arrogance got the better of him in a dispute with the clan princeling's favorite warrior. What was meant to be a nonlethal duel ended with his rival dead on the floor, and Kogen banished. As the princeling was massively unpopular and the favorite accused by witnesses of cheating, several of Kogen's allies joined him in exile. For years Kogen led his band of Ronin as mercenaries but frequently raiders and bandits, taking the nickname "Oni" (demon) to cultivate his fearsome reputation. But his arrogance and temper quickly drove away many of his former friends and he was forced to find less suitable replacements to fill his numbers. Finally it was with a crew of rabble that he was hired to join an army led by Lord Keno himself. The tide of battle quickly turned and both his employer and his crew broke formation and fled, leaving Kogen trying to hold the flanks by himself. He would have died of his wounds if not for the arrival of Lord Keno and his well-trained samurai to turn the tide. Recognizing Keno and his forces as vampires, Kogen begged to become one of them, offering his fighting skills in eternal service. Against the advice of his samurai, Keno accepted and sponsored Kogen into his ranks. Since then, Kogen's temper and arrogance have not improved much, but his loyalty to Keno is unwavering. Keno is the only one who stood by him when others would not, and he is a man Kogen would follow into hell...

### Adventuring

Kogen led the cavalry charge into Hirata's compound after Murasaki and Akai opened the gates, but his lancers found themselves swarmed under by ashigaru and killed. Nonetheless, Kogen fought on and was nominated by Keno to fight Hirata's champion Hanzou the Invincible. When Hirata reneged on the terms of the duel, Kogen charged into battle again and slaughtered several of Hirata's archers and even samurai before finally succumbing to their numbers. Fortunately the Matsushiro loyalists won the day and Keno was able to revive Kogen with a blood potion.

When investigating the creature in the sewers, Kogen quickly grew impatient with his comrades for delaying and tried to rush them along, suffering several attacks from the Whisperer for his trouble. Kogen was no match for the creature's teleportation and resistance to non-psychic damage and was shamefully defeated.

## Character Information

### Abilities

As a fighter:

* **Fighting Style - Defense:** While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC
* **Second Wind:** You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level (7). Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again
* **Action Surge:** On your turn, you can take one additional action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.
* **Extra Attack:** you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn

As a cavalier:

* **Born to the Saddle**: You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount. If you fall off your mount and descend no more than 10 feet, you can land on your feet if you're not incapacitated. Finally, mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
* **Unwavering Mark:** When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can mark the creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends early if you are incapacitated or you die, or if someone else marks the creature. While it is within 5 feet of you, a creature marked by you has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn't target you. In addition, if a creature marked by you deals damage to anyone other than you, you can make a special melee weapon attack against the marked creature as a bonus action on your next turn. You have advantage on the attack roll, and if it hits, the attack's weapon deals extra damage to the target equal to half your fighter level. Regardless of the number of creatures you mark, you can make this special attack a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
* **Warding Maneuver:** If you or a creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can roll 1d8 as a reaction if you're wielding a melee weapon or a shield. Roll the die, and add the number rolled to the target's AC against that attack. If the attack still hits, the target has resistance against the attack's damage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Feats:

* **Mounted Combatant:** While you are mounted and aren't incapacitated, you gain the following benefits:
	+ You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any unmounted creature that is smaller than your mount.
	+ You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead.
	+ If your mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
* **Polearm Master:** You can keep your enemies at bay with reach weapons. You gain the following benefits:
	+ When you take the Attack action and attack with only a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear, you can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon; this attack uses the same ability modifier as the primary attack. The weapon's damage die for this attack is a d4, and the attack deals bludgeoning damage.
	+ While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, quarterstaff, or spear, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.

As a vampire:

* **Ability Score Increase:** Two abilities of your choice (Strength, Constitution) increase by a score of 2, up to 18.
* **Darkvision:** You gain Darkvision to 120ft. This replaces and does not stack with prior Darkvision, if you have it.
* **Shadow Nature:** You are immune to necrotic damage and have resistance to poison damage.
* **Undead Nature:** You are both humanoid and undead. You require neither food, water, sleep, or air to survive. You are immune to being charmed and frightened.
* **Blood Pool:** Your sanguine resources are modeled as the "blood pool," which has a max HP of 40 (Old Blood). Your blood pool recovers to its max during a long rest
* **Blood Sustenance:** You must consume 500 mL of blood from humanoids on a weekly basis, or suffer one level of exhaustion per diem.
* **Unnatural Biology:** You have vulnerability to radiant damage. You are neither healed nor damaged by conventional healing potions and spells.
* **Beings of Corruption:** The purity of precious metals, such as silver, has a negative effect on your corrupt form. You have vulnerability to damage from such weapons.
* **Sunlight Sensitivity:** When in direct sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. This is true even if you are hooded. As an Old Blood vampire, however, you are far more resilient to sunlight compared to other vampires. When in sunlight, any rolls that use your strength, dexterity, or constitution abilities (e.g. certain attacks, saves, checks) do not have disadvantage.
* **Bite:** As an attack, perform an attack roll (STR or DEX) against an enemy within 5 ft. You are proficient in this attack. On a hit, roll the bite damage (1d6) plus your ability modifier. The target loses that amount of HP, and you add that amount to your blood pool. You may bite but once per turn.

### Belongings

Kogen keeps a favorite cho-han dice set from his mercenary days, often rolling them to "test his luck". He has picked up several more sets since then but this old one is his favorite, which he reserves for high stakes games. He also keeps a dagger once used to stab him in the back, as a reminder to keep his back to a wall. Finally, he takes great pride in his horses, and treats them better than people.

At the beginning of the campaign, Kogen favored polearms over swords. He alternated between the use of a lance and a naginata on horseback, and on foot between the naginata and a yari spear he could use with a shield.

## Quotations

*"MY NAAAAME!! IS KOGEN KANESHIRO!!!" -* his usual battle cry

> *"The World? Let me tell you all you need to know about the world: Fuck the World! The world is nothing but cruel and pointless. Ever since I was born the world has done nothing but push me around and kick me while I was down. What's the world ever done for you? The world didn't help us up when we needed it most, Keno did. He's the only one who cared for us, trusted us, helped us. So our loyalty is to Keno, not the world. We avenge Keno, and if the world pays the price, well, fuck the world!"* - his oath to track down the conspirators
>
>

## Appendix

Honorbound PCs
Akai (Elf Sorcerer) · **Kogen** (Dwarf Fighter) · Murasaki (Human Monk) ·
Rurik (Dwarf Ranger) · Yukiko (Half-Elf Druid & Sorcerer)

 Eichiro (Saurian Fighter) · Kentaro (Human Monk) · Hase (Human Wizard) ·
Throndin (Dwarf Artificer)