Explorer - A Class for Adventurers of the Lost World

Things continue to be developed for the upcoming Adventurers of the Lost World setting for DCC RPG. I am almost done with the Our World classes (just need to finish the Gadgeteer and the Mentalist) and soon will start to work on the Lost World "Race as Class" classes. Today I am bringing the Explorer class, a character specialized in survival and exploration of the wild areas of the Lost World.

As usual, this is not the final version of the text and changes can happen based on the feedback and playtest.

Explorer

You may not have been born in the wild places of earth, but you made them your home. You know what paths to follow. You know what natives and beasts live in the wilderness. Shelter, food and water are just a few steps away when you are around. Your knowledge on the ways of the wild is a valuable resource for any group of adventurers traveling around the world, including expeditions to the Lost World, since much of it is untamed and savage.

Explorer is a class of individuals with keen instincts and a special training that allow them not only to survive in the wilderness, but to thrive in it. They are very capable combatants if they are in a territory they are familiar with. Their skills also help to improve the chances of survival of any expedition set on unexplored and savage lands. When lost in a scorching desert, humid jungle or frozen tundra, the group's best chance rests on the explorer's shoulder.

Hit points: Explorers receive 1d8 hit points per level.

Proficiencies: Explorers are trained in the use of a variety of weapons. They are considered trained in the use of all civil weapons and in the following military weapons: heavy revolver, heavy pistol, military riffle, precision rifle, shotgun and heavy shotgun. Explorers are able to use light and medium armor, but heavy ones make their job in the wilderness harder because of their bulk. Being in the warm jungles of the Lost World with heavy armor can be a death sentence.

Alignment: There are many types of explorers and many reasons to become one. Explorers can be of any alignment. Lawful explorers usually see their job as a way of finding new lands to help bring civilization and order to wild and savage regions. Neutral explorers see themselves mostly as travelers and wanderers, who take personal pleasure at discovering new paths and old ruins. On the other end, chaotic explorers see as their mission the discovery of new places to harness natural resources, exploit the native population and pillage it's riches.

Explorer skills: In order to survive in the wilderness and to better navigate the wild places they visit, explorers develop a wide range of skills that allow them to prosper where many others would have great difficulty. They are capable of finding the best and safest paths to follow. They can use the environment to hide. They can follow tracks left by men or beasts, and because their experience with savage beasts, some of them are capable of taming wild animals. As with thief skills, explorers doesn't usually make an opposed check to succeed, needing only to beat a set difficult and his task will be successful.

Guide: This skill is used by explorers to find new paths in the wilderness, to follow maps with safety, to avoid dangerous areas and to avoid being lost in an unknown land. A character can use this skill to avoid wandering encounters, shorten the length of the journey, find the safest path to a location in the wilderness and follow unclear maps. The difficulty of the skill checks should be based on the familiarity with the terrain, how well the explorer knows the region and the perils that surround him. Finding the better path on open plains with some small hills would have a DC 10. Avoid savage predators on a dark, humid and closed jungle would have a DC of at least 15.

Stealth: Having to pass through the territories of wild beasts and savage men, a explorer learns that discretion is their best option. With this skill, he can move silently when approaching animals, escape unnoticed from a scene when savages approach and wander through perilous regions without attracting attention. This skill works similarly as the thief's move silently skill regard the check's DC.

Camouflage: In the wild regions, explorers can become invisible, merging with the environment. Using tints, special clothing and foliage, these individual can disappear in their surroundings. The DC varies according to the availability of resources for him to use. If he has tints, foliage and adequate clothing, a DC 10 skill check will make him undetectable as long as he stays still (he has to use the stealth skill to move around). However, if he does not have the necessary resources around, the DC is increased proportionally.

Climb sheer surfaces: While exploring the wild regions of Our World and the Lost World, explorers will have to cross mountain ranges, steep hills, and even the gigantic walls of long gone civilizations. With this skill, the character is able to climb walls, mountains and other surfaces even without climbing gear. A rough wall with plenty of nooks and crannies would have a DC 10 to climb, while a complete vertical and smooth wall would have a DC of 20 or higher.

Track: Having traveled through a wide range of places and met all sorts of inhabitants, an explorer knows how to recognize and follow most sort of tracks. This can help them avoid predators, find their targets, help lost travelers and even find shelter. The DC varies according to the environment and how easy it is to leave tracks in it. Follow someone traveling though soft dirt would have a DC 10. Following someone traveling though hard rocky hills would have a DC of at least 15.

Manipulate traps: In the wilderness, an explorer sometimes set up traps to capture animals and other preys. Sometimes they have to disable similar traps left by hunters and savage natives too. Not to mention the ancient traps left in the ruins of the civilizations that once inhabited the regions the are now exploring. The DC is determined by the complexity of the mechanism being tempered with and a failed attempt may trigger the trap itself.

Survival: What explorers do best, no doubt, is survive. They are capable of finding water in a desert. They can encounter food in the mons desolate places. When a shelter is needed, one's best hope is to turn to an explorer for help. This skill represents the ability and training necessary to survive in the wilderness, using the wilderness resources. The DC for this check depends on how severe is the region, how abundant its resources are. To find water in a tropical jungle would be a DC 10 check. To find water in a desolate desert would be a DC 20 check.

Handle animals: In the wild regions traveled by explorers, savage animals and predators are abundant. To be able to safely traverse these places, an explorer learns how to handle animals and keep them at bay. Some of them even learns how to tame the wild beasts. The DC varies according the current reaction of the animal in question and what the explorer is offering to appease it. Calming a hungry tiger offering him an alternate meal is much easier than just asking it to be reasonable.

Known terrain: Ideally, an explorer is able to perform his duty in any environment he ends up in. However, explorers will get more familiarized with certain types of terrain along their careers. At first level and at every odd numbered level, an explorer chooses a type of terrain to be one of his known terrains. When in one of these regions, an explorers gets to add his Luck modifier (if positive) in his explorer skills rolls.

Hide tracks: An explorer in one of its known terrains can hide his own track, making it very hard to be found by predators or enemies. For each level after the first, he can also hide the tracks of an additional ally traveling with him.

Awareness: Explorers have a keen eye and sharp ears. They are rarely surprised by savage beasts, being always alert to signs of danger. An explorer can spend 1 Luck point to avoid being surprised in any encounter.

Action dice: Explorers can use their action dice for attacks and skill checks.

Explorer

Level	Attack	Crit Die /Table	Action Die	Ref	Fort	Will	Known Terrain
1	+1	1d8/III	1d20	+1	+1	+0	1
2	+2	1d8/III	1d20	+1	+1	+0	1
3	+3	1d10/III	1d20	+2	+1	+1	2
4	+4	1d10/III	1d20	+2	+2	+1	2
5	+4	1d12/III	1d20	+3	+2	+1	3
6	+5	1d12/III	1d20+1d14	+4	+2	+2	3
7	+5	1d14/III	1d20+1d16	+4	+3	+2	4
8	+6	1d14/III	1d20+1d20	+5	+3	+2	4
9	+7	1d16/III	1d20+1d20	+5	+3	+3	5
10	+8	1d16/III	1d20+1d20	+6	+4	+3	5

Explorer's Skills

Skill	Modifiers by Level
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Guide†	+3	+5	+7	+8	+9	+11	+12	+13	+14	+15
Stealth*	+1	+3	+5	+7	+8	+9	+10	+11	+12	+13
Camouflage	+3	+5	+7	+8	+9	+11	+12	+13	+14	+15
Climb sheer surfaces*	+0	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5	+6	+7	+8	+9
Track†	+3	+5	+7	+8	+9	+11	+12	+13	+14	+15
Manipulate traps†	+0	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5	+6	+7	+8	+9
Survival†	+3	+5	+7	+8	+9	+11	+12	+13	+14	+15
Handle animals‡	+1	+3	+5	+7	+8	+9	+10	+11	+12	+13