Jack

Character Snapshot

Samurai Jack-inspired samurai played by Erik. One of the Heroes of Aegea and Otheron's cohort, Jack was trapped in a Rogue Stone by Correries during the final battle of the Age of Wonders campaign. Rescued in Under the Bus, he later became an unwilling agent of Cain and stole The Aegisstaff under magical compulsion. After being freed, Jack left to redeem himself and restore the Gem Knights, eventually returning with them to fight alongside the heroes in the final battle.

Overview

Jack, better known as Samurai Jack, was a character originating in the Age of Wonders campaign and returning during Under the Bus. He was played by Erik during the Age of Wonders and was an NPC during Under the Bus, and was intentionally modeled closely on the Samurai Jack character from the Cartoon Network series.

Jack was one of the Heroes of Aegea, the cohort of Otheron through Otheron's Leadership feat, and the leader of the Gem Knights. During the final confrontation of the Age of Wonders campaign, Correries trapped Jack's soul in a Rogue Stone with Trap the Soul. The party was unable to free him before sacrificing themselves to break Demmazon free from his prison.

Jack's soul remained trapped in Demmazon's realm until the Under the Bus party recovered the Rogue Stone and freed him.

Age of Wonders

Hero of Aegea

Jack was one of the Heroes of Aegea and served as Otheron's right-hand man and a samurai. Through Otheron's Leadership feat, Jack became one of Otheron's cohorts and eventually led Otheron's followers, the Gem Knights.

Little surviving campaign documentation is available for Jack's earlier history, so details beyond these established facts are uncertain.

Correries and the Rogue Stone

During the final battle of the Age of Wonders campaign, the party confronted an avatar of Correries. Correries used Trap the Soul against Jack, and Jack failed his save.

The party had no opportunity to free him before they were forced to sacrifice themselves in order to break Demmazon free from his prison. Jack's soul therefore remained imprisoned in the Rogue Stone within Demmazon's realm.

Return in Under the Bus

Rescue from Demmazon's Realm

During Under the Bus, the party eventually entered Demmazon's realm through the surviving gateway. Thorn Runehammer knew that Jack's soul remained trapped in the Rogue Stone and sent the party to recover it.

The party located the stone and brought it back. Thorn's anti-magic curse broke the binding, allowing Jack to physically return.

The word "reborn" appearing on Jack's character sheet is simply an identifier distinguishing this version of Jack from his earlier Age of Wonders character. It does not represent an in-world resurrection or rebirth event.

Cain's Manipulation

Jack later became a target of Cain. While Jack was keeping watch over the party's leader, Cain and two powerful spellcasting allies—themselves undead spellcasters—overpowered and dominated him.

Cain subsequently layered magical effects including Charm Monster and Misdirection on Jack. Cain also gave Jack one of a pair of rings that allowed communication through Rary's Telepathic Bond.

Jack was ordered to behave normally while secretly reporting the party's activities to Cain.

Eventually, after the party recovered The Aegisstaff, Jack stole it and delivered it to Cain while still under magical compulsion.

The party subsequently freed Jack from Cain's control.

Redemption

After being freed, Jack left the party to make amends for what he had done while under Cain's control. His redemption was not limited to his own actions: he also sought to restore the Gem Knights, whose reputation and conduct had deteriorated.

During a substantial portion of the campaign for which detailed recap documentation is missing, Jack tracked down the Gem Knights, purged evildoers and bandits from their ranks, and restored them to their former purpose as a force for good.

Return of the Gem Knights

Jack eventually returned for the final battle of Under the Bus.

He did not return alone. He brought the reformed Gem Knights with him, now fighting on the side of the heroes.

This completed Jack's redemption arc: he had been restored from his imprisonment, fallen under Cain's control, betrayed the party through magical compulsion, and then deliberately sought to make amends and restore the organization he had once led.

Character

Jack was intentionally modeled after Samurai Jack from the animated series. His portrayal during the campaign closely followed that inspiration.

The surviving documentation does not provide enough information to reconstruct the full details of his Age of Wonders personality or history beyond the established events above.

Under the Bus Character Sheet

Jack's surviving Under the Bus character sheet records the following:

*The Sorcerer level was a special bonus level and did not count as an earned character level for ordinary advancement. Jack therefore had the abilities represented by 14 class levels while having 13 earned character levels.

Notable Equipment

• +3 keen katana

• Mighty composite longbow

• Monk's Belt

• Bracers of Armor +2

• Ring of Protection +2

• Ring of Freedom of Movement

• Gloves of Dexterity +2

• Periapt of Wisdom +2

• Boots of Striding and Springing

• Cape of the Fire Bath — an older 3.0 magic item providing a +2 bonus on saves

Feats

• Exotic Weapon Proficiency — Katana

• Weapon Focus — Katana

• Weapon Specialization — Katana

• Dodge

• Mobility

• Spring Attack

• Combat Expertise

• Whirlwind Attack

• Stunning Fist

• Combat Reflexes

• Improved Trip

Significant Abilities

Jack's sheet records the Monk abilities appropriate to his character, including:

• Unarmed Strike

• Fast Movement

• Still Mind

• Ki Strike

• Slow Fall 40 feet

• Purity of Body

• Wholeness of Body

• Improved Evasion

His recorded Sorcerer spells were:

0-level: Resistance, Light, Read Magic, Acid Splash

1st-level: True Strike, Shield

Attacks

+3 keen katana: +19/+14, 1d10+12, critical 15–20/×2

Flurry of Blows: +15/+15/+10, 2d6+5, ×2

Mighty composite longbow: +16/+11, 1d8+7, ×3

Stunning Fist: 10/day, DC 21

The character sheet also contains a scratched-out secondary katana/off-hand calculation. It appears to represent experimentation with two-weapon attack calculations rather than a finalized attack routine and should not be treated as an established combat routine.

Relationships

• Otheron — Jack's former leader and the source of his position as a cohort; Jack served as Otheron's right-hand man and led the Gem Knights.

• Correries — Trapped Jack's soul in the Rogue Stone during the final Age of Wonders battle.

• Cain — Magically dominated and manipulated Jack, using him as an unwilling spy and ultimately compelling him to steal The Aegisstaff.

• Thorn Runehammer — Knew of Jack's imprisonment and directed the Under the Bus party to recover his Rogue Stone.

• Gem Knights — Organization Jack originally led under Otheron. After Cain's manipulation, Jack sought to redeem both himself and the organization, eventually returning with the reformed Gem Knights for the final battle.

Known Unknowns

• Jack's detailed history during the Age of Wonders campaign is largely undocumented.

• His exact age and detailed personal background are unknown.

• His activities during the undocumented portion of Under the Bus are known primarily through later campaign recollection rather than surviving session recaps.

• His fate after the conclusion of Under the Bus is unknown.