Character Classes

Here is a character class I developed over the years as a gamer - it worked fairly well as I became level 8 in this class...let me know what you think! Jemidex

General Information
     The Watchman class is really a subclass of the Thief class, with a few twists. The purpose of a Watchman is to detect the activity of thieves and take the fight to the thief on his/her own ground.

     The Watchman's primary requisite is Dexterity, like a thief, but they also require a measure of wisdom (one can assume that is one of the reasons they are not thieves!)to notice things and add up clues. Thief catchers can be any alignment, but tend to be Lawful. Of course, a chaotic Watchman can be in it just for the money or personal reasons.

     A Watchman with Dexterity and Wisdom scores above 15 gains a 10% bonus on earned experience.

Weapons and Armor
     Since Watchmen are not up to many of the nefarious schemes thieves tend to do, they have a little more liberty as far as weapons are concerned. Their weapon restrictions are the same as theives because they usually have to go where thieves go to catch them. The same applies to armor restrictions, except that abilities special to the Watchman (detect thief activity, set traps, and foil backstab) are for the most part unaffected. The use of a helmet will cancel out the perceptive abilities of the Watchman.

Special Abilities
     Watchmen get skills by and large similar to thief skills, with a couple of notable exceptions. The following abilities, Watchmen keep:

Move Silent
Hide in Shadows
Find/Remove Traps
Detect Noise
Climb Walls

     Watchmen lose the ability to backstab, they do not open locks, read languages, or pick pockets. They do receive a few abilities that take their places...

set traps

The ability to set traps is based upon the set snares proficiency. The watchman, with the proper time and materials, can set up a mantrap in an urban setting. The percentage roll is done blind, so unless the Watchman has the means to test the trap, he/she will never know if it will work at the critical time. The DM can require a certain gold expenditure on materials based on what the PC wants the trap to do, and variable time expenditure (figure d4+4 hours for a nonlethal trap, d6+4 hours for a lethal trap).

detect thief activity

A good watchman has all his/her senses on alert for activity in the shadows. The watchman must declare that he is on the lookout for thief activity. This could be overt signs like faces disappearing at upper story windows or noticing the sneaking thief on the ledge above you, or subtle things, like recognizing the use of thieve's cant or the presence of a guildhouse. Consider the percentage of the Watchman's detect thief activity to be a penalty to the percentage of the skill the thief is using to sneak around. Ex: Tamarin the Watchman is guarding a caravan wagon. He has a 45% chance to detect thief activity. Scarlet the thief wants to make off with a small box of jewels she knows is on the wagon. She has a 70% hide in shadows and 50% move silently. She makes for the wagon while Tamarin's back is turned. She rolls a 30% to hide in shadows and 15% for move silently. Most standard guards would not notice a thing. However, because a Watchman is about, her adjusted percentages are 15% for move silent and 5% for hide in shadows (5% being the minimum chance). Neither roll makes that! As a result, Tamarin smiles and draws his longsword on the suddenly flat-footed thief...

foil backstab

This is an automatic ability - Watchmen are trained to always be aware of their surroundings. As such, the rush of a backstab is something that is almost felt, and if they make their check, the backstab only has the effect of a normal attack done by suprise.

Determining Initial Percentages and Advancement of Special Abilities
     To determine the initial value of each skill, start with the base scores listed below...

Skill	Base %
Move Silent	10%
Hide in Shadows	5%
Detect Noise	15%
Climb Walls	60%
Set Traps	0%
Detect Thief Activity	15%
Foil Backstab	10%

Obviously, the scores above do not reflect any of the training the Watchman has received. To simulate the training the Watchman has had, all Watchmen at 1st level receive 50 discretional points to add to their base scores. No more than 30 points may be added to a sngle skill. Other than that restriction, the player can distribute the points however he/she wants.
Each time the character rises a level in experience, the player receives another 25 points to distribute. No more than 15 points may be added to a single skill, and no skill can be raised above 95%, including all adjustments for Dexterity, Wisdom, race, and armor.
For Move Silent, Hide in Shadows, Detect Noise, and Climb Walls, see the modifiers for Dexterity, Armor, and Race on p. 39 of the 2nd Edition Players Handbook. For Set Traps, Detect Thief Activity, and Foil Backstab, see below...(Note: also use the Dex table in the players handbook for Set Traps - just use the modifiers for Find/Remove Traps to apply to the Set Traps Skill)

WATCHMAN SKILL RACIAL ADJUSTMENTS

Skill	Dwarf	Elf	Gnome	Half-Elf	Halfling
Set Traps	+15%	--	-5%	--	-5%
Detect Thief Activity	--	+10%	+10%	+5%	+5%
Foil Backstab	--	+5%	+5%	--	+5%

WATCHMAN SKILL WISDOM ADJUSTMENTS

Wisdom	Detect Thief Activity	Foil Backstab
14-15	+5%	--
16-17	+10%	+5%
18	+15%	+10%
19	+20%	+15%

The only armor modifiers for Foil Backstab and Detect Thief Activity is that they are negated if a helmet is used.

Other special abilities
Watchmen know Thieve's Cant as described in the 2nd Edition Players Handbook.
Also, Watchmen are trained to fight more than thieves are. A Watchman gains a bonus weapon proficiency at 1st level, and advances in fighting ability using the Priest THAC0 chart in the 2nd Edition Players Handbook.

Proficiencies
Watchman weapon and nonweapon proficiencies are gained at the same rate that thieves acquire them (1 every 4 levels for both).
Recommended nonweapon proficiencies:
intimidation
alertness
observation
read lips
read/write
jumping
running

Experience Points
As rogue xp progression +10% (1325 for 1st, 2750 for 2nd, etc.)

Well, that's all there is to this one. Hope you have fun with it!

This class was developed and submitted to me by Alex Lentz. Looks like a cool concept...he will sure know how to make an entrance!

Role
     The Explosive Master is the fantasy version of "Q" from James Bond, the old guy who made all those nifty explosives. The Explosive Master is the person everybody in the party hates at one time for blowing stuff up. The rest of the time he's the guy that the party finds useful to get through those solid doors in the dungeon. People in the campaign world should look at this type of person with a certain amount of fear and/or respect. This kit should also be VERY rare. Not many people have the will power to hold explosives for a long amount of time.

Weapon Proficiencies
     The Explosive Master has a very limited weapon choice. He can only take weapons such as the sling (useful for chucking bombs) and the dagger. Optional weapons are things small and that would have some relevance to the kit. Like guns.

Nonweapon Profciencies
     Those normally allowed to the classes. Bonus proficiencies: Explosive Building, Engineering, and Pottery.
     Pottery: Because this is the container that the materials are to be kept in like grenades.
     Explosive building: # of slots: 1, intelligence -1. Description: Explosive building is the Explosive Masters life. Without it, he would be a lowly mage/thief. With it, he is a deadly combination. Explosive Building works like this: The character can create and recognize all the materials needed for bomb building - along with this he can create bombs (magnitude of which depends on his level). It takes about 1 hour to prepare an explosive. If the character chooses, he/she can place more slots into this proficiency and cut down the time by 10 min.

Special Bonuses
     The Explosive Master's greatest benefit is to create bombs. The amount of damage and magnitude increases as the level of the Explosive Master goes up. The following table represents this...

Special Hindrances
     The explosive master can only memorize Alteration spells and Fire Elemental spells. Furthermore, he must have the spell "Create Explosive Components" memorized each day.

New spell - Create Explosive Components

Level: 1
Ct.: 1
Range: 0
Area of effect: 1 prepared item
Components: V, S, M
Dur.: Perm
School: Alteration

This spell goes hand in hand with the proficiency named Explosive Building. This spell infuses the specially prepared components with the explosive energies. It allows the caster to finish the bomb making process. The component is the specially prepared bomb stuff - it must be fresh.

Equipment
     There is really no special equipment that the Explosive Master needs except for oil and some sulfur. Most of the Explosive Masters around are greatly enamored with such things as Greek fire. The Explosive Master always finds it useful to have a ready supply of small pottery jars with caps for grenades. He starts off with 1d6x10 GP.