I'm baaack in the saddle agaaaaain......

[Inkpot]

Ok, so computer woes are (mostly) behind me. And in honor of this glorious event (evil glares to my computer notwithstanding), I present to you some optional character classes done up by my friend Becky of Dragonrail (my friendly, hardly-local gaming shoppe) infamy. Enjoy!
Tavern Wench/Barmaid

Heads of state and outlaws alike come to taverns to drink, eat, meet with people, and partake of some of the entertainment and pleasures the bar has to offer. Typically, barmaids/tavern wenches are part of the attraction (not that sex or nudity are necessarily part of the package). These women fuction as waitresses, hostesses, and confidantes, and are always sympathetic listeners and flirts. It is their job to not only wait on tables, serving drinks and food, but to also encourage the customers to stay and buy drinks, and spend money. These friendly, pretty faces know how to smile, wink, flirt, engage in polite or bawdy conversation (depending on the woman) and charm men to keep them at the tavern (spending) and to come back to spend more time (and money) with them, as well as to get a nice tip. Only SOME are call girls! Of course, the more seedy and illicit places will also function as a borhtel selling sex, but even wenches at such foul establishments are not necessarily prostitutes themselves (flirts, thieves and cheats maybe, but not whores).

Tavern wenches can make charming (and often deceptively resourceful and knowledgeable) companions. Some are hard working and pleasant women who like people and have a heart of gold. Others are gold-diggers who know how to play the innocent girl very believably to get big tips, handouts and favors. Still others are call girls (proceeds of their work is split 50/50 with the tavern owner), or spies, stoolies, thieves, con artists, and scalawags out for themselves.

As superb listeners, sympathetic ears, and angelic faces, they often hear and know more about what's going on in and around town, who is flush with money and who is down and out, who's sleeping with who, and all manner of gossip, rumors, lore, and secrets--a walking treasure-trove of local information.

Tavern Wenches who embark on a life as an adventurer are those whose ambitions cannot be fulfilled within one establishment. They handle the hardships of the wilderness as well as many men and enjoy manipulating foolish men, learning secrets, and tricking scoundrels. Those of an evil alignment are likely to be spies and informers who sell their information for the right price.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Charisma

HIT DICE: d6

ALIGNMENT: Any, but often Chaotic or Evil

WEAPONS: Simple Weapons

ARMOR: Light

ABILITIES: Charm, Local Expert, Pick Pocket/Sleight of Hand, Tolerance to Alcohol

Level HD BtH EPP

1 d6 +0 0

2 d6 +1 1251

3 d6 +1 2501

4 d6 +1 6001

5 d6 +2 12001

6 d6 +2 24001

7 d6 +2 48001

8 d6 +3 80001

9 d6 +3 120001

10 d6 +3 175001

11 +2 HP +4 325001

12 +2 HP +4 450001

13+ 125,000 per level

Charm: At Level 2, the wench is able to charm a human/humanoid similarly to the spell. The effect lasts as long as the wench is in the presence of the target, and providing the wench does nothing overtly act against or threaten the target. She can perform this # times per day equalling half her level.

Local Expert: When a wench finds employment at a tavern, she quickly gains access to a wealth of local knowledge. This gives her a +1 bonus to any local knowledge or gather information check for every 4 weeks she's been at an establishment, the first one accruing after 2 weeks. (Max +4)

Pick Pocket/Sleight of Hand: As Per Rogue.

Tolerance to Alcohol: She can drink approximately twice the average person for her race before feeling any effects of alcohol and granting her a +1 bonus to save vs. poison at levels 4 and 8.
Dancer/Acrobat

Dancer/Acrobats adventure both for the excitement and for the opportunity to learn and refine their art. They practice on the road for the pleasure of others, to develop their techniques, and sometimes make their living. Being an active group, the dancers handle the hardship of living the adventuring life with gusto, meeting and exceeding the demands on mind and body.

The dancer enhances their combat skills with exceptional physical characteristics similar in degree of perfection to those of a monk. In fact, a dancer is most often a trained combatant, concealing martial meaneuvers within his or her graceful spins, tumbles, and gestures. Because the dancer might perform in a noble or royal court, the dancer also has some knowledge of diplomacy and etiquette. Nobles often retain dancers and sometimes command them to perform for a guest; a social mistake could cost both the host and the dancer a great deal of problems, so the dancer must be discreet as well as attractive. In this capacity of serving others, the dancer might also acquire information from or about the guest, sometimes without his knowledge or approval.

Most dancers are human, but elves, half-elves, halflings, and gnomes choose the life of a dancer/acrobat. Very few dwarves, with their ungainly builds and dislike for the frivolity, adopt the class.

The dancer must have a high Dexterity to be able to execute his/her intricate moves, but high Charisma is also imperative. Dancers do not require high Strength, but neither are they weak. Similarly, their constant exercise tends to demand a certain measure of Constitution.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Dexterity

HIT DICE: d8

ALIGNMENT: Any

WEAPONS: Simple Weapons, Rapier, Scimitar

ARMOR: Light

ABILITIES: Hypnotize, Swirling Robes, Extra Attack, Bonus to Climb, Perform, Escape Artist, Jump, Tumble

Level HD BtH EPP

1 d8 +0 0

2 d8 +1 1501

3 d8 +2 3251

4 d8 +3 7501

5 d8 +4 15001

6 d8 +5 30001

7 d8 +6 60001

8 d8 +7 120001

9 d8 +8 240001

10 d8 +9 450001

11 +4 HP +10 625001

12 +4 HP +11 800001

13+ 175,000 per level

Hypnotize: At 1st Level, Like Hypnotism Spell, at 7th Level becomes Mass Hypnotize.

Swirling Robes: At 5th level if they do a full defensive combat maneuvuer there is a 20% miss chance providing they are in special performance costume. At 12th level they can use this ability without assuming full defensive.

Extra Attack: At 10th level, the dancer gains one additional attack each combat round with any weapon. The Extra Attack ability is useable with melee and thrown weapons only.

Dancers get a +2 to Climb, Perform (Dance, Juggle, etc), Escape Artist, Jump, and Tumble at level 1. This bonus increases by +2 at levels 4, 8, and 12.
The Psychic (rough draft)

The mind has hidden powers that even the most learned scholars don't fully understand. There exist people gifted with extraordinary abilities: psychics. They have visions or a sense of what others are thinking. They can influence the minds of those around them or even affect the physical world with their thoughts. Some confuse their power with sorcery, but it is not the same. Still, those who possess such gifts often conceal them, out of concern that others will fear or misunderstand them. Psychics who choose to develop their potential are capable of feats to rival sorcerers and wizards. They can become masters of their fate, or else risk becoming the pawns of those who seek to harness and control their powers for their own purposes.

Psychics often feel outcast or separated from ordinary society by their gifts. Some adventure to test and hone their talents, pushing their limits to learn what they're capable of doing. Others use their abilities in the service of a particular cause, whether it's an ideology, a nation, or simple profit. Some psychics are driven to prove themselves or believe they have a responsibility to use their gifts for the benefit of society, and just as many who think that their psychic talents make them better than "mundane" people, allowing them to do with the mundanes as they will.

Psychics have innate mental powers, known as "talents," which can be developed through training and study. While psychic talents aren't generally as broad or powerful as the magic of spellcasters, they tend to be more flexible. Only their talent, their training, and their stamina limit psychics, since using psychic abilities is draining. While more subtle than the flash and bang of spellcasting, psychic powers are far-reaching. A psychic can cross tremendous distances in the blink of an eye or pull the strings of entire nations from behind the scenes.

Since their talents are both innate and widely varied, psychics tend to be unpreditable. Although they may organize into orders and guilds, they're often independent.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Wisdom

HIT DICE: d6

ALIGNMENT: Any

WEAPONS: (simple weapons)

ARMOR: Any

ABILITIES: Psychic Ability

Level HD BtH EPP

1 d6 +0 0

2 d6 +1 2251

3 d6 +1 5001

4 d6 +2 9001

5 d6 +2 18001

6 d6 +3 35001

7 d6 +3 70001

8 d6 +4 140001

9 d6 +4 300001

10 d6 +5 425001

11 +3 HP +5 650001

12 +3 HP +6 900,001

13 + 250,000 per level

STRAIN

Using psychic skills is particularly taxing. Each use of a psychic skill deals a particular amount of nonlethal damage on the user, known as strain. If a psychic's total nonlethal damage exceeds the character's current hit points, then the psychic becomes unconscious. The psychic takes the strain regardless of whether the psychic skill check is successful, and the damage happens each time a skill is retried as well.

Everyone gets-

Psychic Ability:

Psychic Sense (Wis)

Psychic Shield (Wis)

Pick one psychic category to be your focus, get four skills from that category

Pick two more you are touched by, get two skills from each of those categories.

You may pick the same psychic category to be focused and touched by.

Skills start at +4

Get +1 bonus every two levels you've had the skill.

At 4th, 8th, and 12th level pick one additional skill from your focused category and one additional skill from EITHER of your touched categories (will start at +4).

Clairsentience (Seer):

Combat Sense (Wis)

Enhance Senses (Wis)

Precognition (Wis)

Psychometry (Wis)

Remote Viewing (Wis)

Psychokinesis (Psychokinetic):

Cryokinesis (Int)

Electrokinesis (Int)

Photokinesis (Int)

Psychokinesis (Int)

Telekinesis (Int)

Telekinetic Blast (Int)

Telekinetic Grid (Int)

Telekinetic Shield (Int)

Psychometabolism (Adept):

Adaptation (Wis)

Body Control (Wis)

Drain Ability (Wis)

Drain Power (Wis)

Drain Vitality (Wis)

Enhance Ability (Wis)

Enhance Senses (Wis)

Life Drain (Wis)

Life Extension (Wis)

Psychic Healing (Wis)

Psychoportation (Wanderer):

Apport (Int)

Blink Teleport (None)

Dimensional Phase (None)

Teleport (Int)

Telepathy (Telepath):

Drain Emotion (Cha)

Dreamwalk (Wis)

Empathy (Wis)

Empathic Projection (Cha)

Domination (Cha)

Illusion (Cha)

Mental Contact (Cha)

Mind Reading (Cha)

Psychic Blast (Cha)

Psychic Static (Cha)

Psychic Surgery (Wis)

Sense Minds (Wis)

Sleep (Cha)

Suggestion (Cha)

And that's all....I've given her a challenge: to come up with an optional character class that doesn't already reside in a D&D book in some form. Should be interesting to see what she comes up with.
Ink
_________________
Check out Inkpot's C&C Downloads: http://www.cncplayer.net/inkpot/index.htm

C&C: Blissfully devoid of gestalt neko-hin rogue/fighter/mages!!

[Tank]

Inkpot wrote:
Tavern Wench/Barmaid...

ALIGNMENT: Any, but often Chaotic or Evil

Hah-hah-hah! I love it.

Also, I've never been a big fan of psionics, but I like the simplicity of your system. I'm interested in seeing how it develops.

[Rigon]

I like the psychic, Ink. Any chance it will be fleshed out more, ie skill descriptors or some such?

R-
_________________
Rigon o' the Lakelands, Baron of The Castles & Crusades Society
The Book of the Mind

[Inkpot]

Rigon wrote:
I like the psychic, Ink. Any chance it will be fleshed out more, ie skill descriptors or some such?

R-

Oh undoubtedly....Becky's not gonna let me forget about it for a minute. See, SHE wants to play this class when my next C&C campaign starts up....so yeah, it'll be fleshed out. =)

Ink
_________________
Check out Inkpot's C&C Downloads: http://www.cncplayer.net/inkpot/index.htm

C&C: Blissfully devoid of gestalt neko-hin rogue/fighter/mages!!

[Rigon]

Inkpot wrote:
Oh undoubtedly....Becky's not gonna let me forget about it for a minute. See, SHE wants to play this class when my next C&C campaign starts up....so yeah, it'll be fleshed out. =)

Ink

Coolness. Make sure you post it, so I can steal it and add it to my game.

R-
_________________
Rigon o' the Lakelands, Baron of The Castles & Crusades Society
The Book of the Mind

[Julian Grimm]

Love the Dancer!
_________________
The Lord of Ravens
My blog

[Maliki]

Tavern Wench/Barmaid

This one gets my vote.
_________________
Never throw rocks at a man with a Vorpal Sword!

[Jyrdan Fairblade]

Those are quite neat - the tavern wench/barmaid is actually quite clever.

I also would like to see more on the psychic. I always liked the idea of psionics in AD&D, but was never really keen on the execution. I think 2e and GR's Psychic Handbook are about as good as it's gotten, officially.

[Tadhg]

Glad to see ya back, Inkpot!
I like some of those optional classes that your friend created.
_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

[Aramis]

Inkpot wrote:
Tavern Wench/Barmaid

10 d6 +3 175001

11 +2 HP +4 325001

12 +2 HP +4 450001

13+ 125,000 per level

Now that is weird. My computer (which has the new Skype upgrade) converted that XP number (for level 12) to a UK phone number that I can call through SKYPE!

I am a bit tempted to call it. How many opportunities does one have to talk to a level 12 barmaid?
_________________
"Kids, you tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is: never try"

Homer Simpson

[slimykuotoan]

Aramis wrote:
How many opportunities does one have to talk to a level 12 barmaid?

Tavern Wench...I'd go for it.

[Omote]

Nice. That is hilarity!
..............................................Omote

FPQ
_________________
> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society