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Friday, July 8, 2016

Specialist - A Class for Adventurers of the Lost World

Things are moving along behind the curtains, but as GENCON approaches, my writings are getting spared between planning and preparations for the 5 games I am running and the listing of all the magnificent stuff I want to buy there!

Today I present another class variation: the specialist. This class is a variation of the Thief class, adapted to the fictional 1930s world of Adventurers of the Lost World with it's own tweaks and perks. It's a class used to represent assassins, spies and international thieves as in classic pulp stories.

Specialist


You are among a few individuals who can penetrate highly secured buildings and exit it with whatever you wanted. You have been trained by secret agencies to do the job others can not do openly. You can have served as a trained assassin for criminal organizations and now want a way out. Stealth, guile and wits are your weapons, and nothing is safe if you set your eyes on it.

Specialist is a class that rely on dexterity and wits. They are not tough combatants, but they make up with amazing skills that let them enter places without being seen, disarm complex security mechanisms, open enclosed doors and vaults, handle poison, decipher codes and call on very useful contacts they acquired in their exploits. This makes a specialist a great addition to any group of explorers.

Hit points: Specialists gains 1d5 hit points per level.

Proficiencies:  A specialist is trained in the use of all civilian weapons and the precision rifle, heavy revolver and heavy pistol. Specialist tend not use heavy armor and gear, and would prefer light and soft clothes to maximize their mobility and flexibility, making then proficient with light armor only.

Alignment: The origin of the specialist usually determines his alignment. Spies working for lawful and civilized countries tend to be lawful, as assassins working for money or vengeance are usually chaotic. International thieves, looking for their next exciting heist are usually neutral and do it for the money, fame or glory among his peers.

Secret language: Specialists have covert jobs and have to remain unidentified in a lot of situations. To avoid being discovered while on the job a secret language was created and thought to the organizations that train specialist. Now, when they need to discuss their operations with other specialists, superiors and covert agents, they can use this language and transmit vital information without anyone noticing anything suspicious. The judge, however, can rule that a specialist secret language is not the same as another one because of their different training.

Special skills: Specialists learn a set of skills that aid their covert operations. They can move stealthily through most places, hide in the shadows to avoid detection, disarm complex security mechanisms, read lips in the distance, forge documents, decipher secret languages, and many other things. The use of these skills function the same way as the Thieves skills ability of thieves. This mean the specialist doesn't usually make an opposed check to succeed, needing only to beat a set difficult and his task will be successful.
Assassination: When attacking a target that is unaware of the specialist's harmful intentions, he receives a positive modifier to his attack rolls. If he scores a hit, the attack is considered a critical strike, and he rolls on the corresponding critical table. This functions like the thief's backstab.
Investigate: Specialists are sometimes hired to find out information about people, places and projects, and this skill represents the observation powers of the character. This is used to follow someone, find out the routine of the guards in secured place, find secret doors, search for deadly traps in a villains secret base. The more hidden the information, the higher the DC.
Stealth: Subterfuge is the most valuable tool in a specialist's repertoire. This skill represents the ability to sneak silently across a room, hide in the shadows unseen, vanish in a crowd of unsuspecting civilians and other similar actions. The DC is fixed based on the circumstance. Trying to sneak silently through a hall with hard floor is much easier than doing the same over dry leaves.
Prestidigitation: The fingers of a specialist are quicker than the eye. With very dexterous hands and acute reflexes, the specialist is capable of pilfering small items, performing sleight of hands tricks and picking pockets without being noticed. The DC is established based on how hard to access, big or noise the item being handled is.
Climb sheer surfaces: In their line of work specialists need be able to reach inaccessible places and the ability to climb vertical walls without much effort is a must. 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.
Pick lock: Specialists are the ones people hire to acquire objects that they cannot get their hands on through legal means. As such, a skill that allows them to open locked doors and secured vaults is essential! With the proper tools, characters from this class can open locks and doors that were otherwise secured. The DC varies with the quality and technology of the door in question.
Operate mechanism: This skill allows the specialist to operate and disarm mechanisms of various sorts. The main use of this skill is to disarm security systems and traps that might interfere with the specialist's job. Sometimes the specialist will need to first find the security mechanism with the Investigate skill and only then he can try to circumvent it. The DC is determined by the complexity of the mechanism being tempered with and a failed attempt may trigger the security measures our sound an alarm.
Forge documents: Sometimes the best way to enter a secured place is not by stealth but by wits and a fake sheet of paper. With this skill the specialist can craft false documents, identifications, maps and all sorts of files. The DC is based on the level os scrutiny the official document usually goes through and the complexity of its manufacture. Barely look at documents would have a DC 10 difficulty and security papers to access a special area in a military facility would require a DC 20 check.
Appraise: Specialists acquired a acute sense of how much objects are worth and how authentic some ancient piece really is. With this skill a character can appraise antiques, art objects, jewelry and even war plans to sell to an enemy. This can also be used to identify forgeries. The rarer and more unique the object, the higher the DC. Completely alien objects would have a very high DC or be impossible to appraise if the judge so rules.
Disguise self: Sometimes is better to be someone else. With a proper set of tools and clothes, a specialist can assume other identities without rising any suspicion. The difficulty will vary depending on how great is the transformation is. A change of cloths and a fake mustache to just change its own appearance would be DC 10, while trying to impersonate an specific individual could be DC 20.
Decipher language: The line of work of a specialist will often place him in situations where he has to decipher codes, translate the meaning of messages in unknown languages and even read old and dead tongues. To decipher simple codes and hidden messages in normal task, a DC 10 to 15 check would be enough. Complex codification, dead and ancient tongues would require a DC 20 or more roll.
Handle poison: Eventually, the specialist will need a discreet and safe way to get rid of bystanders or even targets. Poison, be it lethal, paralyzing or even something that will put the victim to sleep, is a great weapon in his arsenal. To proper handle poison without the risk of expose himself to it, the specialist need to succeed in a DC 10 check. However, with a natural 1 on a attack roll with a poisoned weapon, the specialist poisons himself.
Read lips: By the observation of moving lips and facial expressions, the specialist can capture the meaning and content of conversations he cannot actually hear. To use this skill the specialist must be able to see the faces of the talking targets and the DC varies with the distance and visibility to them. A short distance in a clear view would give a DC 10 test, while looking at someone at distance, with dim light and side ways could entail a DC 20 check.
Contacts: For the successful accomplishment of their jobs, specialist need the assistance and information provided by their contacts. These individuals have access to secret data, rare objects, documents and other things that could help the specialist, but they usually charge a price for this assistance. To use this skill the specialist need to be in a area where he has contacts. This will not work in the middle of a primeval jungle. The judge will arbitrate a DC to find the proper contact for the assistance desired and will stipulate a price the contact might charge for this help. A low roll might attract unwanted attention.
Use gadgets: In their covert jobs, specialist need special gadgets that can do amazing things while still looking like ordinary objects. Because of that, these individuals learn how to handle technology in many different levels. When entering contact with a unknown technological device, the specialist can make a use gadgets test using the corresponding die in his table instead of the normal d10 other classes use.

Luck and Wits: This functions just like the thief ability described in the DCC RPG Corebook. Specialists always seems to be in the right place and in the right time.


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

Specialist's Skill Table
Skill
Modifiers for Lawful Specialists (Spy Path)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Assassination
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Investigate
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Stealth*
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Prestidigitation*
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
Climb sheer surfaces*
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
Pick lock
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Operate mechanism
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Forge documents
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Appraise
+0
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
Disguise self
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Decipher language
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Handle poison
+0
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
Read lips
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Contacts
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Use gadgets
d12
d12
d14
d14
d16
d16
d20
d20
d20
d20

Skill
Modifiers for Chaotic Specialists (Assassin Path)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Assassination
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Investigate
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Stealth*
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Prestidigitation*
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
Climb sheer surfaces*
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Pick lock
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Operate mechanism
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Forge documents
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Appraise
+0
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
Disguise self
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Decipher language
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
Handle poison
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Read lips
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
Contacts
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Use gadgets
d10
d10
d12
d12
d14
d14
d16
d16
d20
d20

Skill
Modifiers for Neutral Specialists (International Thief Path))

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Assassination
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
Investigate
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Stealth*
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Prestidigitation*
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Climb sheer surfaces*
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Pick lock
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Operate mechanism
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Forge documents
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Appraise
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+11
+12
+13
+14
+15
Disguise self
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Decipher language
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
+9
Handle poison
+0
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
Read lips
+0
+0
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
+6
+7
+8
Contacts
+1
+3
+5
+7
+8
+9
+10
+11
+12
+13
Use gadgets
d12
d12
d14
d14
d16
d16
d20
d20
d20
d20
* The specialist's Agility modifier, if any, is applied to this skill.
† The specialist's Intelligence modifier, if any, is applied to this skill.

‡ The specialist's Personality modifier, if any, is applied to this skill.


The Specialist
Level
Attack
Crit Die /Table
Action Die
Ref
Fort
Will
Luck Die
1
+0
1d10/II
1d20
+1
+1
+0
d3
2
+1
1d12/II
1d20
+1
+1
+0
d4
3
+2
1d14/II
1d20
+2
+1
+1
d5
4
+2
1d16/II
1d20
+2
+2
+1
d6
5
+3
1d20/II
1d20
+3
+2
+1
d7
6
+4
1d24/II
1d20+1d14
+4
+2
+2
d8
7
+5
1d30/II
1d20+1d16
+4
+3
+2
d10
8
+5
1d30+2/II
1d20+1d20
+5
+3
+2
d12
9
+6
1d30+4/II
1d20+1d20
+5
+3
+3
d14
10
+7
1d30+6/II
1d20+1d20
+6
+4
+3
d16

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