dragon magazine 310 rogue prcs

Stealth and DaggerClasses for the Revised Rogue

Issue 310

2003 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Published electronically by Paizo Publishing, LLC., under license.Permission granted to print one copy for personal use only.

No other reproductions permitted without the express authorization of the copyright holder.paizo.com #558984, Vincent Anthony Sutera Jr. , Apr 11, 2005

paizo.com #558984, Vincent Anthony Sutera Jr. , Apr 11, 2005

66 August 2003 paizo.com #558984, Vincent Anthony Sutera Jr. , Apr 11, 2005


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In D&D 3.5, the character classesreceived revisions and updates. Afew classes changed significantly,while others, such as the rogue,received only minor changes. Althoughthe rogue didnt undergo a completeoverhaul, there are still a number ofnew tricks for the class that evenexperienced players might have over-looked. This article provides options,advice, and new prestige classes forbuilding interesting rogue characters.

THE BASICSBefore you can build a cool roguecharacter, it is important to considerhow the rogue class works, itsstrengths, and its weaknesses.

A Rogues RoleOn adventures, the rogue is perhapsthe most versatile of all characterclasses. With her copious skill ranks,extensive list of class skills, profi-ciency with a variety of weapons andarmor, and sneak attack ability, thereare few situations in which a roguecannot play a role. The key lies in fig-uring out how much of a role a roguecan play. The rogue can wear armor,but she is restricted to leather andother light protection. She can usemany weapons, but most of them are

one-handed or deal relatively lightdamage. Her hit points are mediocreat best, making her a poor choice toface off against tough monsters alone.Despite these drawbacks, the rogue isa valued member of any adventuringparty. Her ability to defeat traps isunparalleled, and her sneak attackdamage combined with her stealthallows her to defeat even mighty foeswith a single strike.

The rogue is at her best when sheuses an indirect approach to over-come an obstacle. To defeat a squadof soldiers guarding a tower, a fightermight charge into battle, while a sor-cerer might unleash a fireball. In con-trast, a rogue could sneak past them,use her glib tongue to bribe them,assume a disguise to trick them, orread their lips (using Spot) whileemploying the Hide skill to learn theirpassword and walk right by them.

StrengthsThe rogues primary strength is herwide selection of skills. Not only doesthis provide you with a lot of optionswhen designing your character, it givesher much more versatility during anadventure. Wizards and sorcerersmight run out of spells, but a roguecan use her skills again and again. Her

secondary strengths include her abilityto defeat traps, a key talent in dungeonadventures, and her ability to play acritical, supporting role in combat. Withher light armor, sneak attack damage,and Tumble skill, the rogue can wreakhavoc on enemies who are alreadyengaged in battle with the partysmelee fighters. While in combat, try tofind a safe way to flank an opponent.Remember, with her low AC and poorhit points, your rogue cannot afford togo it alone in battle. Team up with yourallies to defeat an opponent before itcan do much damage. Finally, althoughplayers often overlook the Use MagicDevice skill, it can be quite useful oncethe rogue reaches 7th level, allowingyou to use wands reliably. Until youreach 11th level, focus on magic itemsthat play a role outside of combat suchas a wand of cure light wounds. Youcan repeatedly use such items to helpthe party without worrying about anymajor complications if your Use MagicDevice check fails. If you rely on awand of fireballs at early levels, youmight find your skill failing you at criti-cal moments.

WeaknessesSince the rogue relies on light armor,her low hit points can quickly become

Options, Combinations, and PrestigeClasses for the Revised Rogueby Michael Mearls and Jeff Quick illustrated by James Ryman cartography by Mike May

STEALTHDAGGERAND



68 August 2003

a pressing issue in battle. One lucky hit froman orc can drop even a 3rd- or 4th-level rogueto zero or fewer hit points. Even with a highDexterity score, leather armor or a chain shirtprovides little protection against giants, trolls,and other creatures that specialize in meleecombat. To overcome these weaknesses, roguesshould stay away from tough monsters and letthe fighters deal with them. Unless you canflank an opponent or the situation is truly dire,avoid melee. Try to find magic items thatincrease your AC. Amulets of natural armorare great for rogues since they dont carryan armor check penalty and can stack withmagical armor.

ROGUES AND RACEPerhaps the most important choice in moldinghow your character operates, race can dictate ifyour rogue is best suited for social situations,ranged combat, sneaking, or melee.

HumanThe bonus feat humans gain comes in veryhandy for low-level rogues who favor rangedweapons, as it allows you to combine PointBlank Shot with Rapid Shot or Precise Shot.With this combination of feats, even a 1st-levelrogue can ably perform as an archer. A humanrogue is perhaps the most versatile charactercombination possible, as the bonus feat and skillpoints expand the rogues already wide rangeof talents.

DwarfThe dwarfs Constitution bonus helps balance outthe rogues low hit points, but the penalty toCharisma makes class skills like Bluff andDiplomacy poor choices. Even worse, thedwarfs low speed makes it more difficult to getinto position for a sneak attack or to escape apowerful creature. However, a multiclasseddwarf fighter/rogue excels if you avoid skillsthat suffer armor check penalties. Instead, takeranks in Search, Disable Device, Open Lock, andsimilar skills to defeat traps and overcome socialobstacles while wearing the heaviest plate armoryou can find.

ROGUES GUILD HEADQUARTERSThis map presents a dwelling with multiple bedrooms,meeting spaces, and storage rooms, and a large dininghall. The building could be the permanent headquartersand living residence for a local rogues guild, with thehigher ranking members enjoying the bigger bedrooms.Alternately, the building could be used as an inn, provid-ing weary travelers with a place to rest and rogues aplace to pick a few pockets and practice their trade.

For more inspiration on how to use this map, see theother maps presented in this issue.



ElfThe elfs Dexterity bonus makes it anattractive choice for a rogue charac-ter, but his penalty to Constitutionaggravates the classs weaknesses. Anelf rogue works best when he empha-sizes stealth and archery, two areasthat benefit from this races Dexteritybonus. Avoid melee combat, but if youhave a 14 or higher ability score, con-sider assigning it to Constitution.Doing so allows you to build a veryeffective elf character.

GnomeDue to her Small size, a gnome rogueshould make the most of her +4 sizebonus to Hide checks and focus onstealth. While the gnome suffers apenalty to Strength, her sneak attackdamage and size bonus to hit morethan compensate. Best of all, her sizebonus to AC helps overcome therogues reliance on light armor.Furthermore, her innate spells are ide-ally suited to creating tricks to confuseand neutralize opponents. A well-timedghost sound can distract a guard longenough to let you loot an evil templestreasury. The gnome rogues primarydrawback is her low speed.

Half-OrcWith his penalty to Intelligence andCharisma, the half-orc seems like a poorchoice to be a clever, dashing rogue.However, this races bonus to Strengthand affinity for the barbarian classmakes a multiclassed barbarian/rogue apowerful combination. While half-orcsgenerally perform poorly as scouts andspokesmen, they can balance out therogues weaknesses and turn this classinto a potent melee warrior.

Half-ElfWhile the half-elf lacks the humansversatility, her racial bonuses toDiplomacy and Gather Informationskills make her an excellent choice ifyou want to play a silver-tonguedrogue who charms her victims whilerobbing them blind. Although theraces +1 bonus to Listen, Spot, andSearch checks isnt as strong as anelves skill bonuses, they still help half-elven rogues become good scouts.

HalflingPerhaps the best-suited race to therogue class, the halflings small size and

skill bonuses make him a scout andsneak without equal. As with thegnome, his poor Strength is offset byhis size bonus to attack rolls, armorclass, Hide checks, and sneak attackdamage. The halflings skill with thrownweapons makes Quick Draw a goodfeat choice, as it allows you to usedaggers and throwing axes withoutwasting actions to ready a second shot.

ROGUES AND MULTICLASSINGThe rogues primary strengths, goodskills, and sneak attack damage blendwell with almost any other characterclass. Neither of these abilities suffersmuch if it lags behind due to multi-classing. Wizards and clerics lose criti-cal spellcasting levels if they take asecond class, but the rogue can gainmore than she loses with a well-cho-sen additional class.

BarbarianThe barbarian classs reliance on lightarmor is a perfect match with therogues abilities. In addition, the bar-barian gains damage reduction anduses a d12 hit die, the perfect remediesto the rogues poor hit points. Focuson Dodge, Mobility, and Spring Attackfor feats to make the most of thisclasss improved speed. With thesethree feats you can easily movearound a monster and attack on youraction, allowing you to regularly gainyour sneak attack damage.

FighterWhile the fighters reliance on heavyarmor seems to make her a poorpartner for the stealthy rogue, thisbelief assumes that rogues must bestealthy. Many of the rogues mostuseful class skills, such as DisableDevice, do not suffer armor checkpenalties. Thus, a fighter/rogue canwear the heaviest armor available andstill take advantage of many of therogues class skills. The fighters maindrawback is that she contributespitiably few skills to the equation, buther many feats more than compensatefor this. Focus on improving yourcombat abilities with Weapon Focus,Weapon Specialization, and Cleave tomake the most of your sneak attacks.In battle, you can rely on your heavyarmor to wade into the thick of thingsand flank your enemies.

RangerIn some ways, the D&D 3.5 rangerduplicates many of the rogues abili-ties. Many players found that in D&D3.0, taking a single level of rangerwas a great option to gain access tobonus feats, but that option is nolonger available. Still, the rangersreliance on light armor and her abili-ties that help her avoid detection(camouflage and hide in plain sight)make her a good choice for a roguewho wants to multiclass. The archerycombat option is probably the supe-rior choice for a ranger/rogue, astwo-weapon fighting causes penaltiesthat aggravate the rogues alreadymediocre base attack bonus.Furthermore, the rangers d8 Hit Diedoes little to compensate for therogues mediocre hit points, givingeven more reason for the multiclassedranger/rogue to stay out of closecombat. These two classes are a goodcombination, as they have similarstrengths and weaknesses, butremember that although the classesplay on one anothers strengths, theranger class does little to balance therogue classs weaknesses.

ROGUE FEATSThe new feats presented here aredesigned to enhance the roguesstrengths. For example, Mercurial Strikeemphasizes the rogues speed and roleas a supporting fighter, while Tutorplays into his wealth of skill ranks.

Mercurial Strike [General]With a single motion, you draw yourweapon and slash at an opponent.

Prerequisite: Quick Draw, baseattack bonus +5.

Benefit: Any time an opponent pro-vokes an attack of opportunity fromyou, but you are unarmed, you maydraw a melee weapon and make yourattack of opportunity with it. The tar-get of your attack of opportunity iscaught flat footed for that attack.

Precise Strike [General]You are skilled in finding your oppo-nents weakness and striking where ithurts most.

Prerequisites: Dex 13, ability tosneak attack.

Benefit: When making an attack thatwould qualify as a sneak attack, youmay take away any number of dice

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from your sneak attack damage andadd a +2 circumstance bonus to yourattack roll for each die reduction youmake. You may convert as many ofyour dice from your sneak attackdamage as you wish in this manner.However, if you make more than onesneak attack during a round and areusing this feat, you must convert thesame number of dice for each one.

Tutor [General]You have a talent for instructing oth-ers in the areas of your expertise,allowing them to temporarily improvetheir performance.

Prerequisite: Int 13.Benefit: You can grant an ally a +2

competence bonus to any skill that youhave trained in, including cross-classskills. Instructing an ally requires fourdays of work, and the ally loses thisbonus if you do not spend one houreach day refreshing her training. Youmay tutor a total number of alliesequal to your Intelligence bonus, andeach ally may only receive the bonusto one skill.

ROGUE SPECIAL ABILITIESStarting at 10th level, the rogue gainsthe option to choose from a list of

special abilities. Presented here are acouple new options you can choose.

Knockout Blow: When a rogue wouldmake a sneak attack that deals subdualdamage, she may instead attempt tostun her opponent before rolling herattack. If she hits, her opponent mustsucceed at a Fortitude save (DC 15 + 1per die of sneak attack damage) or bestunned for 1d3 rounds.

Painful Strike: The rogues knowledgeof anatomy allows her to inflict tremen-dous pain. The rogue must make asneak attack attempt with an unarmedstrike. If she hits, her target must makea Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1 per die ofsneak attack damage + Intelligencemodifier). If the target fails this save,

he must make a Concentration check(DC 15 + 1 per die of sneak attack dam-age + spell level) to cast a spell or usea spell-like ability for the next 1d6rounds. The target suffers only normaldamage for the unarmed strike, notsneak attack damage, when a rogueuses this ability.

ROGUE PRESTIGE CLASSESThe prestige classes presented belowprovide rogue characters with moredirection. They are intended to helpfocus your rogue while still leaving youroom to pick up the classs best features.

Branch DancerElves, fey creatures, and others whospend a great deal of time in the ver-dant depths of ancient forests developa kinship with the forests main resi-dents: trees. They learn to listen totrees, befriend them, and fight along-side them in their defense. These sup-ple arboreal warriors are known asbranch dancers, and they fight alliedwith trees as much as they fight todefend them.

Elves pioneered this discipline, butthey are not stingy with its secrets.Anyone who qualifies for the class andacts in a forests defense can learn to

be a branch dancer. Rangers com-monly become branch dancers, androgues make excellent branch dancerswith appropriate multiclassing, as dodruids and bards. Monks sometimeswalk this path, as the solitude in theforest suits their discipline. Otherclasses do not fare as well.

Branch dancers dress for stealthand comfort, adorning their clotheswith bark and twigs from their homeforests. NPC branch dancers are usu-ally committed to the protection of aparticular forest or grove. They livetheir lives in the canopy layer, andsome have not touched the ground inyears. Given their ability to duckbehind trees and even disappearwithin them, branch dancers are oftenmistaken for fey creatures.

Those who serve under leaders aresometimes sent to serve as tokens ofesteem or honor guards to otherforests throughout the world. Theirservice is gifted for a period of time;elven branch dancers are usually sentwith a seed, and remain until the treereaches maturity. Races with shorterlife spans are typically given shorterservice periods. Branch dancers arealso occasionally sent to counter spe-cific threats to a forest, and theyremain until the threat is removed.

Branch Dancer Class FeaturesAll the following are class features ofthe branch dancer prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Branch dancers gain proficiency withsimple weapons and all bows. Theygain proficiency with light armor, butnot shields.

Skill Mastery (Ex): After months ofintense training among the trees, thebranch dancer becomes so assured inthe use of certain skills that she canuse them reliably even under adverseconditions. When making a Climb,Balance, Jump, Move Silently, orSurvival check, she may take 10 even

BRANCH DANCERREQUIREMENTSTo qualify to become a branch dancer, acharacter must fulfill all the followingcriteria.

Alignment: Any non-evil.Balance: 5 ranks.Climb: 5 ranks.Knowledge (nature): 5 ranks.Feats: Track.Special: Must receive the blessing of a

treant for heroism in defense of a forest;must receive 3 months training underanother branch dancer.

BRANCH DANCERCLASS SKILLSThe branch dancers class skills (and thekey abilities for each) are:

Str: Climb, Jump.Dex: Balance, Hide, Move Silently.Con: Int: Craft, Knowledge (nature).Wis: Listen, Spot, Survival.Cha:

Skill points at each level: 4 + Int modifier.

BRANCH DANCER CLASS FEATURESBase Fort. Ref. Will

Level Attack Save Save Save Special1st +1 +0 +2 +0 Branch fighting2nd +2 +0 +3 +0 Speak to trees, instant fletching3rd +3 +1 +3 +1 Moss foot, skill mastery4th +4 +1 +4 +1 Improved branch fighting, instant fletching (+1 arrows)5th +5 +1 +4 +1 Tree stride

Hit Die: d8



if stress and distractions would nor-mally prevent her from doing so.

Branch Fighting (Ex): At 1st level,the branch dancer can fight using thebranches and trunk of a tree. The char-acter essentially gains tree as anexotic weapon proficiency. As long asshe is within 5 feet of some part of aliving tree, she may use its branches asa bludgeoning weapon that deals 1d8points of damage. The branch dancermay also use the tree as a doubleweapon that deals 1d8 points of damagewith both ends. Additionally, the branchdancer may use the tree as cover.

Speak to Trees (Sp): Twice per day,a branch dancer can use speak withplants as a spell-like ability to speakwith trees. This ability has a durationof 1 minute and allows the user tospeak only with trees, no other plants.

Instant Fletching (Su): At 2nd level,as part of the branch dancers height-ened affinity for trees, she may drawarrows directly from a trees surface.The arrows have wooden arrowheads,but they act as arrows for all pur-poses when used by a branch dancer.Each 20 arrows drawn from a treereduces its age by one year. Treesgenerally do not mind this, but theability can kill a sapling or weaken ayoung tree with repeated use, so it isgenerally reserved for mature trees(usually of Huge size or larger).Drawing an arrow from a tree is afree action.

At 4th level, any arrows created thisway act as +1 arrows.

Moss Foot (Sp): Twice per day, thebranch dancer may stick to woodensurfaces as if under the effects of aspider climb spell cast by a 10th-levelsorcerer. The branch dancer maymove at full speed when using thisability. No matter how thin or fragilethe wood, the branch dancer can walkon it safely, and the tree will not shakeor tremble because of her movement.In addition, a branch dancer gains a +5

circumstance bonus to Move Silentlychecks when moving on a tree.

Although this ability is mainly usedto maintain footing on trees, its powermay be used on any object made fromtrees such as a ships masts, a ceilingbeam, or the side of wooden buildings.

Improved Branch Fighting (Ex): At4th level, because of her practiceusing trees as weapons and cover, abranch dancers damage with a treeincreases to 1d10 points of damagethat may be either bludgeoning orpiercing damage. In addition, she maystrike with it as if it were a +1 weapon.

Tree Stride (Sp): Twice per day, abranch dancer can enter trees andmove from inside one tree to insideanother tree as per the tree stridespell cast by a druid of 9th level.

MoleIn underground communities wheremembers dig their homes and liveli-hoods out of the living earth, a fewdiggers occasionally gain an unusualaffinity for earth and digging. Whencombined with a warriors spirit, theseunderground dwellers sometimesbecome moles.

Moles are patient and tenacious, likethe stone from which they carve theirlivelihoods. As combatants, they livefor the ambush. They can wait forhours in a cramped space for quarryto come along, and they launch devas-tating blows from the safety of analcove, or within solid rock.

As workers and miners, they are sin-gle-minded in their attempts to wring afew more gems out of the earth.Further, they can excavate amazingamounts of earth in a fraction of thetime it would take a normal miner todig out a vein of precious metal. In amining operation, moles are usuallygiven a passage to themselves and toldto come back when they get hungry.Sometimes these individuals arentseen for two or three shifts afterward.

Moles fingernails are usually long,tough, and always dirty. Their clothesand skin similarly remain covered withdirt, but the smudges and stains are asymbol of station for moles. Theyclaim a difference between good dirtand dirty, although the distinctionseems wasted on non-moles. Althoughthey are traditionally dwarves, mem-bers of any race who spend time dig-ging underground have been known tobecome moles, including humans,gnomes, and drow. In one instance, agrimlock had even developed moleclass abilities.

Mole is a relatively easy prestigeclass to qualify for, and it can benefitnearly anyone in a dungeon setting.Rogues, bards, and rangers qualify forthis class quickly. Other classes canalso learn to be moles with an appro-priate focus on skill choice. The great-est impediment to reaching this classis the necessary amount of time spentunderground. Most mole PCs shouldhave either spent the time under-ground in their pre-adventuring life ortaken a long break from adventuringto fulfill this requirement.

Obviously, moles fare best under-ground. Aboveground, especially inwooded or urban settings, a molesspecial abilities are less useful.However, moles are still capable of

MOLE ADVANCEMENTBase Fort. Ref. Will

Level Attack Save Save Save Special 1st +0 +2 +0 +0 Burrow (5 ft.), sneak attack +1d62nd +1 +3 +0 +0 Meld into stone, stone sight3rd +2 +3 +1 +1 Burrow (10 ft.), sneak attack +2d64th +3 +4 +1 +1 Stone shape, meld into stone (3/day)5th +3 +4 +1 +1 Improved burrow, sneak attack +3d6

Hit Die: d6MOLE REQUIREMENTSTo qualify to become a mole, a charactermust fulfill all the following criteria.Base Attack Bonus: +3.Appraise: 2 ranks.Hide: 3 ranks.Profession (miner): 1 rank.Search: 3 ranks.Special: Must have worked in a mine forat least 1 year or lived underground for atleast 5 years.

MOLE CLASS SKILLSThe moles class skills (and the key abilitiesfor each) are:

Str: Climb, Jump.Dex: Hide, Move Silently.Con: Concentration.Int: Appraise, Knowledge (architecture

and engineering), Knowledge (dun-geoneering), Search.

Wis: Listen, Profession (any), Survival.Cha:




surprising flexibility when in contactwith the earth.

Mole Class FeaturesAll the following are class features ofthe mole prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Moles gain proficiency with simpleweapons and picks. They gain profi-ciency with light and medium armor,but not shields.

Burrow (Ex): At 1st level, as long asa mole has two hands free, he canburrow at a speed of 5 feet. He canburrow through dirt, but not rock. Themole may use this ability to create ahiding place out in the open, evenaboveground, as long as he can diginto the dirt as a move action.

At 3rd level, the moles burrowspeed increases to 10 feet.

Sneak Attack: The mole gains thesneak attack ability at 2nd level if hedoes not already have it. This is exactlylike the rogues sneak attack abilitydescribed in the Players Handbook. Themole gains +1d6 damage with this attack

initially, but this rises to +2d6 at 4thlevel. If she already has the sneakattack ability from a previous class, thedamage bonuses stack.

If a mole gets a sneak attack bonusfrom another source (such as roguelevels), the bonuses to damage stack.

Meld Into Stone (Sp): At 2nd level, amole gains the ability to conceal him-self within a block of stone. Once perday, he may act as though under theeffect of a meld into stone spell castby a 12th-level cleric.

At 4th level, he may use this ability3 times per day.

Stone Sight (Su): At 2nd level,moles gain the ability to see throughstone. A mole may see through oneinch of stone for each level of mole hehas. Among other benefits, stone sightallows a mole to see outside the rockwhen he is melded into stone.

Stone Shape (Sp): At 4th level,stone becomes a malleable surface fora mole. Once per day, he can cast thestone shape spell as a 10th-level cleric.

Improved Burrow (Su): By 5th level,the mole is so attuned to earth that itmoves willingly for him. He can bur-row with a movement rate of 20 feet,and can burrow through rock or otherhard minerals at half speed.

JobberMany halfling communities, sometimeshundreds strong, are nomadic. Thesecommunities move from place to placefollowing the money, game hunting,mining, or trading.

These traveling halflings are dedi-cated opportunists, but they know thatwaiting for opportunity is rarely prof-itable. Instead, a community of anydecent size uses one or more jobbers,a socially adept ranger who scouts outnew locations that have potentialwealth and an ability to employ andenrich a halfling community. When ajobber finds a likely target, she negoti-ates with the holder of the wealth for

that wealth to be transferred to thehalfling community, usually (but notalways) in exchange for an agreed-upon amount of work. Althoughfiercely dedicated to their family andcommunity, jobbers spend half theirtime on the road ferreting out newplaces for a caravan of halflings to goand make a living.

Jobbers are excellent thieves, andthey usually have a fair amount of per-sonal wealth. However, as part of theceremony to begin training as a jobber,a subject must accept a mark of justicespell. Thereafter, a jobber may neveract against the best interests of hercommunity, which includes abandoningher duties or holding back money forpersonal gain. When the mark activates,any halfling within 60 feet of the sub-ject feels uneasy. An NPC halflingsattitude toward the character somarked will never rise above indiffer-ent as long as the mark remains.

Jobbers dress for the occasion.When on the job they usually con-sider it a sign of bad faith to be seenwearing weapons or armor, unlessthey are in a culture that prizes martialprowess and battle readiness. Like anygood halfling, they take their socialcues from the people around them.

Rogues and bards make the bestjobbers, but clerics, sorcerers, monks,and even paladins have been known tohold this position. The jobbers role isnot inherently dishonest and can beapproached with forthrightness. Thefact that most jobbers arent terriblyforthright is more a testament to whothe halfling was before she became ajobber rather than a requirement ofthe class itself. Most jobbers will go tonearly any length to find out wherework is and how her community canget it. Blackmail and larceny are justtwo more tools in the jobbers toolboxif her considerable powers of persua-sion dont get the work done.

JOBBER ADVANCEMENTBase Fort. Ref. Will

Level Attack Save Save Save Special1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Favored mark, friendly smile2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Hide in plain sight, fast friend, sneak attack +1d63rd +2 +1 +3 +3 2nd favored mark, detect wealth4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Seal the deal, sneak attack +2d65th +3 +2 +4 +4 3rd favored mark

JOBBER REQUIREMENTSTo qualify to become a jobber, a charac-ter must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race: Halfling.Base Attack Bonus: +3.Appraise: 4 ranks.Diplomacy: 6 ranks.Gather Information: 4 ranks.Feats: Alertness.Special: Must be literate; must be cho-

sen by a community of halflings to serveas a jobber; must willingly accept a markof justice spell that triggers if the jobberever acts against the best interests of herhalfling community.

JOBBER CLASS SKILLSThe jobbers class skills (and the key abili-ties for each) are:

Str: Climb, Jump.Dex: Disguise, Escape Artist, Hide,

Move Silently, Open Lock, Sleight ofHand, Ride, Tumble, Use Rope.

Con: Int: Appraise, Decipher Script, Forgery,

Search.Wis: Listen, Profession (any), Sense

Motive, Spot.Cha: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather

Information, Perform.


Hit Die: d6



Jobber Class FeaturesAll the following are class features ofthe jobber prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ajobber is proficient with all simpleand martial weapons, light armor,medium armor, and shields (excepttower shields).

Favored Mark (Ex): At 1st level, ajobber may select a humanoid race(dwarf, elf, goblinoid, human, and soon) as a favored mark. Due to herextensive study of her chosen raceand training in the proper techniquesfor persuading such creatures, thejobber gains a +2 bonus to Appraise,Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information,and Sense Motive checks when usingthese skills in negotiation with crea-tures of this type. At 3rd and 5thlevels, the jobber may select an addi-tional favored mark. In addition, ateach such interval, the bonus againstany one favored mark (including theone just selected, if so desired)increases by 2.

Friendly Smile (Ex): When attempt-ing to alter an NPCs attitude, a jobbergains a +5 competence bonus toDiplomacy checks.

Sneak Attack: The jobber gains thesneak attack ability at 2nd level. This isexactly like the rogues sneak attackability described in the PlayersHandbook. The jobber gains +1d6 dam-age with this attack initially, but thisrises to +2d6 at 4th level. If shealready has the sneak attack abilityfrom a previous class, the damagebonuses stack.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): While inany sort of natural terrain, a jobber of2nd-level or higher can use the Hideskill even while being observed.

Fast Friend (Ex): At 2nd level, job-bers pick up the lay of the land veryquickly. A jobber may make a GatherInformation check after only 1 hour ofsocializing rather than the normal 1d4+1hours. The jobber may retry a failed

check 3 times in the same eveningwithout drawing attention or suspicion.

Detect Wealth (Sp): Once per day at3rd level, a jobber can detect the pres-ence and approximate amount of thegreatest concentration of wealth in anarea. This is a specific kind of divina-tion, similar to a locate object spell castby a 5th-level wizard with the follow-ing exceptions. The abilitys area ofeffect has a radius of a quarter mile;the abilitys duration is one minute; andthe ability detects the greatest singlesource of wealth within the area.

If a source of wealth is diffusedover an area (such as a flock of sheepor a vein of precious ore), the jobberonly gets a sense of direction until hereaches the approximate geographicalcenter of the area.

Note that wealth is measured inmore than coins, and even though ajobber determines where a valuableobject is, she does not necessarilyknow why something is valuable orhow to dispose of the wealth. Forinstance, a lords art collection mightbe the greatest concentration ofwealth in his fief. How the jobber canget and liquidate that wealth for thebetterment of her community is left upto her discretion.

This ability is blocked by even a thinsheet of lead. Polymorph any objectfools this ability.

Seal the Deal (Sp): At 4th level, ajobber gains the ability to enforce herdeals. After a jobber negotiates anopportunity and terms, and theseterms are committed to paper, sheusually ends the negotiations with ahandshake (or shaking the appropriateappendage of her new business part-ner). The handshake magically bindsthe partner to the terms of the deal. Ifthe partner ever breaks the deal forany reasonwillingly or nothe isaffected as if the jobber had cast abestow curse spell on him. The jobberchooses what will befall the deal

breaker when the deal is closed.Revealing the use of this ability is atthe jobbers discretion.

Magic FilcherThieves like to specialize. For the ego-tistical, specialization allows their rep-utation to spread more quickly andsets them apart from the crowd. Forthe business-minded, expertise meansthey can command higher prices andpercentages. For the adventurous, itcreates the opportunity for more intri-cate challenges.

Magic filchers specialize in stealingfrom the most dangerous targets: wiz-ards. Wizards are famous for havingexpensive and dangerous baubles lyingaround their towers. Of course, magicfilchers also steal from sorcerers,clerics, or any available spellcaster.Wizards are just the most likely peopleto have collected books, items, andartifacts worth stealing. Wizards alsogo to the greatest lengths to protecttheir possessions, requiring moreexpertise to steal them.

Magic filchers adorn themselveswith trophies from their conquests.Many make it a point of pride to col-lect specific trinkets from each wizardthey rob. Collections include bits of

MAGIC FILCHERREQUIREMENTSTo qualify to become a magic filcher, acharacter must fulfill all the followingcriteria.

Disable Device: 10 ranks.Knowledge (arcana): 8 ranks.Spellcraft: 5 ranks.Use Magic Device: 5 ranks.Special: Must be able to cast arcane

spells.

MAGIC FILCHER CLASS SKILLSThe magic filchers class skills (and thekey abilities for each) are:

Str: Climb, Jump, Swim.Dex: Balance, Escape Artist, Hide,

Move Silently, Open Lock, Sleight ofHand, Tumble, Use Rope.

Con: Concentration.Int: Appraise, Craft (alchemy), Disable

Device, Decipher Script, Knowledge(arcana), Search, Spellcraft.

Wis: Listen, Spot.Cha: Bluff, Use Magic Device.


MAGIC FILCHER ADVANCEMENTBase Fort. Ref. Will

Level Attack Save Save Save Special Spells/Day1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Detect magic +1 level of existing class2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Wizard mimic3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Dispel magic +1 level of existing class4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Magical certainty5th +3 +1 +4 +4 Read aura +1 level of existing class

Hit Die: d6



parchment, hair from familiars, oreven something as bold as rings. Thiscollecting fetish has been the downfallof a few magic filchers, but the con-sensus among the rest is that only thesloppy filchers get caught. Those whofall prey to their targets deserve theirfate for failing to cover their tracks.

Unsurprisingly, rogues make thebest magic filchers, although therequirements for the class force arogue to take levels of wizard or sor-cerer to get into the business full time.Bards also step into this class with rel-ative ease, although a bard must befocused in his skill selection to qualify.Wizards and sorcerers can choose thispath, but they almost always requirelevels of rogue or bard in order tomeet the requirements.

Magic Filcher Class FeaturesAll the following are class features ofthe magic filcher prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Amagic filcher gains no new weapon orarmor proficiencies.

Spells Per Day: At 1st, 3rd, and 5thlevels, the magic filcher gains new spellsper day as if he had also gained a levelin a spellcasting class he belonged tobefore he added the prestige class. Hedoes not, however, gain any other ben-efit a character of that class would havegained (improved chance of turning

undead, for example). This essentiallymeans that he adds the level of magicfilcher to the level of some other spell-casting class the character has, thendetermines spells per day and casterlevel accordingly.

If a character had more than onespellcasting class before becoming amagic filcher, he must decide to whichclass he adds each level when he gainsthe magic filcher level.

Detect Magic (Sp): At 1st level, themagic filcher may act as though underthe effects of a detect magic spell castby a sorcerer of a level equal to themagic filchers. The magic filcher mayuse this ability 3 times per day.

Wizard Mimic (Ex): At 2nd level,the magic filcher knows how to thinklike a wizard. He gains a +5 bonusto Use Magic Device checks whenattempting to emulate an ability score,emulate a class feature, or activateblindly when these checks pertain toitems with arcane spells or wizard-specific class features.

Dispel Magic (Sp): Once per dayat 3rd level, the magic filcher may

cast the dispel magic spell as a 1oth-level sorcerer.

Magical Certainty (Ex): At 4th level,the magic filcher has a pretty goodidea of how magic works. He can take10 on Use Magic Device checks, andhe never suffers damage frommishaps, either with the Use MagicDevice skill or from attempting to usea scroll of higher caster level than hepossesses. Note that mishaps mightstill occur, but the magic filcher isnever harmed by them.

Read Aura (Su): By 5th level, themagic filcher has spent so much timestudying magic items that their aurasbecome visible to him. As long as amagic filcher has his sight, he can, atwill, detect the presence or absence ofmagical auras within his field of visionand the location of each aura. If hewants to gain more information, he

must use the detect magic spell orability. If he uses his ability, the magicfilcher may begin the study as if hehad already used the ability for 2rounds, allowing him to begin at the3rd round of effectiveness. Amongmore obvious benefits, this abilitygrants a rogue a +5 bonus to DisableDevice checks when attempting to dis-arm or bypass magical traps.

StonefaceSome start out as actors, some werecon men, and some claim to do it forthe good cause, but everyone knowsin the end that a stoneface obscurestruth for her own ends.

The stoneface is a consummate liar.She combines a quick wit with a sternwill. She knows when to hold on toeven the most ridiculous fabricationsand when to change her story to bettersoothe her audience. Through constantpractice, the stoneface learns to alternot only her voice and body language,but also her aura, throwing off evendivination spells directed against her.

Rogues and bards make excellentstonefaces. Spellcasters with a deceit-ful bent also can become good stone-faces in time, particularly wizards whospecialize in illusion magic or clericswho take the Trickery domain. Mostother classes can become stonefaces,but only with great effort. Monksnever follow this path due to theiralignment conflict.

The best lies contain lots of detailand are built on a solid foundation oftruth. Given this premise, stonefacesseek and hoard all kinds of informa-tion and often develop an area ofspecialty, which allows them to runscams and deceive people moreeffectively. A stoneface often tries tomake her lies relate to her area ofexpertise to bolster her credibility.However, any stoneface worth thename can pull off a spontaneous scamon nearly any topic.

STONEFACE REQUIREMENTSTo qualify to become a stoneface, a char-acter must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: A stoneface may not be oflawful alignment.

Bluff: 8 ranks.Concentration: 3 ranks.Feats: Persuasive, Skill Focus

(Knowledge [any]).

STONEFACE CLASS SKILLSThe stonefaces class skills (and the keyabilities for each) are:

Str: Dex: Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock,

Sleight of Hand.Con: Concentration.Int: Forgery, Knowledge, Search.Wis: Listen, Sense Motive, Spot.Cha: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather

Information, Perform.

Skill points at each level: 8 + Intmodifier.

STONEFACE ADVANCEMENTBase Fort. Ref. Will

Level Attack Save Save Save Special1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Convicted mind, Investigator2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Honest countenance, Persuasive3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Resolute mind4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Guiltless aura5th +3 +1 +4 +4 Utterly disavow

Hit Die: d8



Most stonefaces keep a low profileand stay mobile. Lies tend to catch upwith them if they stay in one place toolong. Stonefaces are well known tohave a minimum of two escape plansin case a scam is discovered or thingsbegin to fall apart. Not all stonefacesare overt scalawags, however. In rarecases, some set up shop as informa-tion brokers or spies, and althoughstonefaces are rarely good in align-ment, a few exist deep undercover inevil organizations, smuggling informa-tion out to their masters while usingtheir skills to mask their true identities.

Stoneface Class FeaturesAll the following are class features ofthe stoneface prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Astoneface gains proficiency with allsimple and martial weapons, all armor,and shields (except tower shields.Heavy armor and shields are seldomuseful to a stoneface, but the profi-ciency allows them to pretend to becompetent fighters if necessary.

Convicted Mind (Ex): At 1st level, astonefaces rigorous mental traininggrants her a +2 bonus to saving throwsagainst enchantment spells and effects.

Investigator (Ex): A stoneface gainsthe Investigator feat for free, gaining a+2 bonus on all Gather Informationand Search checks.

Honest Countenance (Sp): At 2ndlevel, a stoneface can redirectattempted detection spells as though shewere acting under the effects of a mis-direction spell cast by a 5th-level sor-cerer. The stoneface may use this abilityonce per day per stoneface level.

Persuasive (Ex): At 2nd level, astoneface gains the Persuasive feat forfree, gaining a +2 bonus on all Bluffand Intimidate checks.

Resolute Mind (Ex): At 3rd level, astonefaces training grants her a +2bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting spells and effects. This abilitystacks with her convicted mind ability,giving her a +4 bonus to savingthrows to spells and effects that areboth enchantment and mind-affecting.

Guiltless Aura (Su): At 4th level, thestoneface is so skilled at masking herintentions that she acts at all times asif under the effects of a misdirectionspell cast by a 10th-level sorcerer. Inaddition, the stoneface instantlyknows when she is the subject of a

divination attempt (either by spell oritem) and what type of Divinationeffect it is, although not its origin.When alerted, she chooses the personor item within range that she wishesthe diviner to detect.

Utterly Disavow (Sp): At 5th level,the stonefaces training allows her toevade detection from divinationspells and magic items that can deter-mine locations, such as crystal balls.Once per day, the stoneface may actas though under the effects of a non-detection spell cast by a 12th-levelsorcerer.



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