New Character Classes

[Synthalus]

Berserker / Fighter Sub-Class

Description:
The Berserker is a warrior who has special attributes and abilities
when he's in combat. In combat, he can achieve an ecstatic state of mind that will
enable him to fight longer, harder, and more savagely than any human being has a
right to. This makes him a deadly warrior . . . who can be as much a menace to
himself as to his enemies. In a campaign, he's nearly identical to the Barbarian—
except it's obvious from the outset that he has a truly savage and inhuman element in
his personality, and he tends to disturb and unsettle other people.
Like the Barbarian, the Berserker must have a Strength ability score of 15 or more.

Role:
In his tribe, the Berserker has a special role. He's been touched by
supernatural forces, and accepted that touch so that he might better defend his people.
The idea of a Berserker Paladin is a little strange, and some Dms will prefer not to
allow it. That's fine. It's not always inappropriate, though. If the character's tribe is
deeply involved with an appropriate animal totem, such as a bear or wolverine, a
paladin might even be required to be a Berserker, since the DM may reason that it's
only the supernatural touch of the totem animal spirit that gives the paladin his other
powers. But, again, that's up to the individual DM.

Weapon Proficiencies:
No specific weapon proficiencies are required of the
Berserker—but he may not start out play having a proficiency in a ranged weapon (no
thrown axes or knives, no bows or crossbows, etc.). The Berserker lives to destroy
things in hand-to-hand combat, so he cannot start play with any sort of ranged weapon
proficiency. He can learn others during the course of the campaign, if he and his DM
wish to allow it—but it's a little out of character for the Berserker.

Equipment:
As with the Barbarian, the Berserker may not use his starting gold to
buy armor heavier than splint mail, banded mail, or bronze plate mail. Once he has
adventured in the outer world, he can use any type of armor without penalty. When he
spends his starting gold, he must limit himself to weapons known to his tribe, and
may not choose missile weapons. Good choices include battle axe, club, dagger or
dirk, footman's flail, mace, or pick, hand axe, spear, or sword (any).

Special Benefits:
Berserkers receive a +3 reaction adjustment bonus from NPCs
belonging to any tribe that also has Berserkers—they recognize the Berserker
instinctively and respect him, even if he is an enemy.
The other benefit the Berserker receives is his Berserk. The other benefit the Berserker receives is his Berserk. At any time, the Berserker may choose to Go Berserk. This isn't an instantaneous
process—he must spend a little time to "psych himself up." It takes a full turn (ten
combat rounds) to Go Berserk. In that time, the character is growling, moaning,
uttering imprecations . . . it's impossible to be quiet when trying to Go Berserk. He
may also be fighting during that time, meaning that he can start to Go Berserk on the
round the fight begins, fight for ten full rounds, and then be Berserk on the eleventh
round. Of course, when the Berserker knows a fight is coming, he can begin to Go
Berserk, even if there is no fight currently going on. At the end of a full turn of
preparation, he can become Berserk instantaneously. If there's no enemy in sight yet,
he can hold the Berserk until combat is engaged. But if no combat takes place within
five more full turns, he automatically reverts to "normal" and suffers the ordinary
consequences for coming out of a Berserk (described below). The character can come
out of his Berserk once the last enemy is down (he must literally be down on the
ground, even if still alive and surrendering; the Berserker will stay berserk and
continue fighting so long as there are enemies still on their feet). Once the fight ends,
the Berserker must come out of his Berserk state.
For these reasons, Berserking is a more appropriate reaction when the characters
are about to attack or be attacked by a foe they know about. If the characters are,
instead, jumped by a small party of orcs, it's usually not worth the effort to Go
Berserk; the consequences and effort outweigh the benefits.
When Berserk, the character has phenomenal endurance and resistance to pain and
some forms of magic. Only while Berserk, he gains the following benefits:
(1) He is immune (no Saving Throw is necessary) to the wizard spells charm
person, friends, hypnotism, sleep, irritation, ray of enfeeblement, scare, geas, and the
clerical spells command, charm person or mammal, enthrall, cloak of bravery, and
symbol.
(2) He gets a +4 to save against the wizard spells blindness, Tasha's
uncontrollable hideous laughter, hold person, charm monster, and confusion, and the
clerical spells hold person and hold animal.
(3) The emotion spell has no effect on the Berserker, unless the caster chose the
fear result. If fear was chosen, the Berserker gets a normal Saving Throw; if he makes
it, he continues on as before, but if he fails it, he is prematurely snapped out of his
Berserk, with all the normal effects of coming out of the Berserk (but he doesn't suffer
other fear effect). The fear spell has exactly the same effect: If he saves, there is no
effect, and if he doesn't save, he's snapped out of the Berserk. If he fails a saving
throw against charm monster, he simply counts the caster as one of his allies; he
doesn't come out of the Berserk or obey the caster's commands.
(4) Being Berserk offers no real protection from finger of death, except that the
spell effects do not take place until the character has come out of his Berserk. If the
Berserker saves, he doesn't suffer the 2d8+1 damage until immediately after he snaps
out of the Berserk. If he fails to save, he doesn't die until he snaps out of the Berserk.
(5) The Berserker, while Berserk, is immune to KO results from the Punching and
Wrestling rules, and takes only half damage from bare-handed attacks from these
rules.
(6) While Berserk, the character gets +1 to attack, +3 to damage, and +5 hp.

Special Hindrances:
The Berserker has hindrances as severe as all those benefits
he receives.
(1) The Berserker character receives a –3 reaction from all NPCs (except, that is,
characters from tribes which have berserkers in them, as described above).
(2) When the Berserker goes Berserk, the DM should immediately say to him,
"Tell me how many hit points you currently have." From that point until the fight is
done and the Berserker has returned to normal, the DM keeps track of his hit points.
The player is not told how many hp he has left, nor how many points of damage he is
taking with each attack. (After all, the character can feel no pain . . . so he cannot keep
track of how close he is to death.) The DM simply tells him something like: "The
orc-captain hits you with his axe, a mighty blow which you barely feel . . ." It is
therefore very possible for a Berserker to be nickled and dimed to death and not know
it until he drops dead. The DM can also, if he so chooses, roll all Saving Throws for
the Berserker, not telling the player whether they were failures or successes.
(3) While Berserk, the character can use no ranged weapons. He kills only in hand-to-hand or melee-weapon combat.
(4) While Berserk, he must fight each opponent until that opponent is down. Once
an opponent is felled, the Berserker must move to the nearest enemy and attack him.
He can't, for instance, choose to attack the enemy leader if that leader is behind seven
ranks of spearmen. The Berserker must keep fighting until all enemies are down, as
described earlier.
(5) While Berserk, the character cannot take cover against missile fire.
(6) If, while the character is Berserk, another character tries something he can
interpret as attack (for instance, hits him to move him out of the way of an incoming
attack,) the Berserker must roll 1d20 vs. his Intelligence. If he succeeds (that is, rolls
his Intelligence score or less), he's dimly aware that his friend is not attacking him. If
he fails (rolls higher than his Intelligence), he now thinks his friend is an enemy, and
continues to think so until the fight is done and he is no longer Berserk.
(7) While Berserk, the character is temporarily unaffected by the clerical spells
bless, cure light wounds, aid, cure serious wounds, cure critical wounds, heal,
regenerate (and wither). He will gain the benefits of those spells only after he has
come out of his Berserk and suffered any and all damages which occurred then.
(8) The taunt spell is automatically successful, and will cause the Berserker to
abandon his current enemy and rush to attack the taunter.
(9) Finally, when the character comes out of his Berserk, bad things happen to
him. He loses the 5 hp he gained when he became Berserk. (This could drop him to or
below 0 hp and kill him, of course.) He collapses in exhaustion (exactly as if hit by a
ray of enfeeblement, no saving throw possible, for one round for every round he was
Berserk. He suffers the effects of any spells which wait until he's returned to normal
before affecting him (finger of death, for instance). And only then can healing spells
affect him.

[Synthalus]

Scout

Description:
A Scout is a thief, usually solitary, who operates in a wilderness setting.
Besides working as a guide, spy, or saboteur for hire in the wilderness, many Scouts are
involved in such illicit activities as poaching.
The Scout kit has no requirements beyond those of the thief class.
Role: One might say that Scouts are to thieves as rangers are to fighters—but they
avoid the strict "silly ethics" of the ranger class. Scouts are not prohibited from being
good—and in fact they are, on the whole, a good deal more dependable than thieves in
general—but they have a cutthroat streak that can be dangerous and unpredictable.
However, their rugged individualism and harsh practical judgement often endears them to
adventurers, and many are found among such steadfast, daring companions.
Unlike Bandits (who also operate chiefly in the wilderness), the Scout usually shuns
the company of other thieves, including guilds. The guilds, in turn, care little about
Scouts. Their poaching and small-time thievery is seen as insignificant in the eyes of the
great crime figures, especially when compared to the trouble and expense that would be
required to identify and to track down the elusive Scouts, to punish them or force them to
join guild ranks. If a Scout is a guild member, either it is a voluntary arrangement
(whereby the Scout benefits from access to special equipment and training) or he has
spent enough "professional time" in the city or other explicitly guild-controlled territory
that he was "persuaded" to join.
Of the many Scouts not belonging to a guild, some have a single, consistent
employer. The rest are freelance or mercenary, serving themselves or whatever
employers may come along, taking the best pay they can find. Or, if there's nothing else,
they steal and poach to support themselves.
Several organizations employ Scouts regularly, sometimes on a permanent basis. The
military, in particular, does so; reliable Scouts, trained for reconnaissance and sabotage,
are vital to any successful military operation. And the key to having reliable Scouts is to
have well-trained and (most of all) happy Scouts. A common grunt soldier can be bullied
into line and, if need be, forced out into battle by the spearheads of the rank behind
him—but the Scout's modus operandi is to explore alone. Maltreated Scouts have more
opportunities to desert or, worse yet, betray vital information to the enemy than anyone
else in an army. Military Scouts are carefully nurtured and well-nourished. They get decent pay,
excellent equipment, and the best training available for their special and important
activities. The training of military Scouts is at least as intense and comprehensive as that
of a thieves' guild. (Sometimes, after retiring from the army, military Scouts go on to
become the most illustrious and prosperous burglars and assassins of the underworld.)
A few other groups that may employ Scouts are secret societies and other
paramilitary groups, thieves' guilds that have operations across the wilderness (Scouts
may bolster the ranks of a smuggling party, for example), and agencies that are set up to
connect clients with guides. Such agencies are normally found on the edge of vast
wilderness areas that are being colonized; such areas, with frequent exploration by people
unfamiliar with the region, have enough demand for guides that an agency can prosper on
its percentage of the guide's fee.
As mentioned before, poaching is also an activity typical of the Scout. Animals may
be protected by royal decree, written law, or the monopoly of a hunters' or furriers' guild.
In medieval times, for instance, hunting was typically reserved for the noble classes. A
commoner caught slaying one of "the king's deer" could be punished by death.
But when demand exceeds supply, there may be great incentive for the criminal
killing and capture of animals. They may be sought for their meat, valuable pelts, ivory,
feathers, magical purposes (e.g., eye of newt), or other esoteric ends. Thousands of
animals in our world have been killed because some body part was believed to be an
aphrodisiac. In the fantasy milieu, there may be real magical qualities, and the hunter or
poacher's quarry may be fantastic. The horn of the unicorns, for instance, may be ground
into powder and administered with liquid as a poison antidote.

Skill Progression:
Stealth skills are those favored most by the Scout, and members of
this kit have highly trained senses. Therefore it would make sense for these skills to
improve most rapidly: move silently, hide in shadows, and hear noise. Climb walls also
may see considerable use (though not from climbing walls, per se, but trees, cliffs, and so
forth). These skills get a bonus 10% in the wilderness.

Equipment:
No self-respecting Scout will permit himself to go without a basic
assortment of wilderness survival gear: adequate clothing, rations, fire-starting materials,
etc. Special gear to assist climbing, hiding, and moving undetected are also favored, as
well as devices for hindering or diverting pursuers. (What worth is a Scout's knowledge if
he never reports back to his employer?) .

Special Benefits:
Due to their extensive wilderness experience and expertise, Scouts
gain +10% on two thief skills when in the wilderness: silent movement and hiding in
shadows. Scouts also have an increased chance (1 in 6 better) to surprise opponents in the
wilderness, because of their stealthiness and careful attunement with their environment. Also the Scout class gets the rangers tracking ability but at 2 levels below the rangers ability.

Special Hindrances:
While Scouts are intimately familiar with the wilderness, they
are not so comfortable in urban settings. In the city, consequently, the Scout suffers a -5%
penalty on all thieves' skills.

[Synthalus]

The Jester

Humans, gnomes, or Halflings may be Jesters
(elves could never permit themselves to be so
debased; dwarves are far too serious and just
plain humorless; half-orcs are too crude). A jester
has a combination of verbal, magical, and
acrobatic skills that allow the class to be viable
even though it lacks great power.

The jester’s verbal skills allow him to influence
creatures toward kindliness, humor, forgetfulness,
thoughtful consideration, irritation, anger, or even
rage. The jester’s magical skills include jokes and
tricks with some magic-user and illusionist magic
tossed in. The jester’s acrobatic skills consist of
tumbling and juggling, with some magic tossed
in there as well. While powerful at its upper levels,
the class is less than popular with fellow
adventurers. Jesters will frequently have enemies
and travel alone.

While a sub-class of bards, characters begin play
as jesters and are not required to spend time as
members of other classes. A jester must have a
minimum Intelligence of 12, Dexterity of 14, and
Charisma of 13. Jesters never gain any
experience point bonuses. Jesters may be of
any alignment; most tend toward chaotic
alignments. A jester attacks on the thief “to hit”
matrix. Jesters save as clerics.

Alone among the non-fighter-types, a jester is
entitled to multiple attacks when engaged in melee combat against creatures with less than
one eight-sided hit die. (This is more a function
of reflexes and acrobatic ability than of combat
prowess.) One additional attack per four
experience levels of the jester is possible, i.e. two
attacks at levels 1–4, three at levels 5–8, four at
levels 9–12, and five (the maximum) at level 13+.
Jesters have “fool’s luck” that grants them a +1
bonus on all saving throws and initiative rolls. This
same luck also gives them a –1 AC bonus, so
that an unarmored jester is AC 9. Due to their
uncanny nature, jesters surprise others 3 in 6 and
are themselves surprised only 1 in 6.
A jester may use those magic items permitted to
fighters or thieves. Whenever a jester employs
an item with random effects (such as a wand of
wonder), he will know what effect will be
generated before activating the item. While he
has no control over this effect, he can choose
whether or not to use the device at that time.
A jester is also able to play a Fochlucan Bandore
to limited effect, performing as a 1st-level bard.
Jesters function as thieves of identical level
through the 6th level of experience. While the
basic thief abilities never improve beyond this
point, the jester develops the thief-acrobat’s
tumbling maneuvers beginning at 6th level. The
Jester also gains juggling skills at 1st level. In
addition to being entertaining, juggling allows him
to catch small, hand-hurled missiles (such as
daggers or darts) on a successful save vs.
petrification.

The jester’s joking and jesting abilities enable him
to duplicate the effects of an enthrall, remove
fear, or taunt spell, once per round, at will. (When
used in this manner, remove fear does not require
a touch to be effective.) Jesters are immune to
attacks that cause insanity, and they gain a
saving throw bonus equal to their level against
charm-type spells. Furthermore, any attempt to
read a jester’s mind has a percentage chance
equal to the jester’s level of causing confusion in the mind-reader.

[Synthalus]

The Description for the witch or the warlock can be found on this link.
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/php4/archive ... fileid=377