The first backer PDFs of Seas of Sand by the illustrious SquigBoss is out, and it's awesome. I plan to run a game of it in the near future, so I'm adapting my Wanderer class to the setting, because it's really just a perfect fit.
Starting Equipment: A light helmet, any weapon (3 javelins count as one weapon, ranged weapons come with 20 ammunition), a dagger, a leather pouch of salt beef (⅓ slot, as a ration), and a staff.
Skills: Any two skills of your choice.
Damage: 1d8
The Wanderer gains +1 Skill every template and +1 HP every second template.
A: Well-Traveled, Wanderer’s Trick
B: +1 Trick, +1 to-hit
C: Keen Linguist, +1 Trick
D: Constant Vigilance, +1 Trick
Well-Traveled: Roll 1d8 on the following table. If you visit another one of the locations listed in-game, you gain its benefit as well. Your DM may also grant you benefits from other significant locations you visit at their discretion.
1. The Volcanic Altar of Ilmensaal: You can cut through an hour of bureaucracy with 10 minutes of yelling at a functionary. When dueling a single foe with daggers or maces, you have +2 to-hit and +2 AC.
2. Shalmanesir's Oasis at Qilmqourab: Once per day, your soothing touch may grant someone an additional Save vs an ongoing disease or curse. Palm trees yield their sap to you freely with merely a word.
3. The House of G_d at Rahmanir: Once, ever, you may touch the sand and summon up a spouting well of pure, clean water, which will flow for as long as you live. The back of your hand bears a silver tattoo of the crescent moon.
4. Adan-Ayan, Rughtasum's Court of Mercy: You are dignified and imposing enough to enter into any sort of high society even if ill-dressed, dirty, and bleeding. Your arguments will always be listened to and given due consideration, even if the listener opposes them entirely.
5. The Labyrinth of Reach at Zeghzouyan: Wild beasts favor you and will not attack you without provocation. You are immune to the deleterious effects of drugs unless you wish to be so affected.
Skills: Any two skills of your choice.
Damage: 1d8
The Wanderer gains +1 Skill every template and +1 HP every second template.
A: Well-Traveled, Wanderer’s Trick
B: +1 Trick, +1 to-hit
C: Keen Linguist, +1 Trick
D: Constant Vigilance, +1 Trick
Well-Traveled: Roll 1d8 on the following table. If you visit another one of the locations listed in-game, you gain its benefit as well. Your DM may also grant you benefits from other significant locations you visit at their discretion.
1. The Volcanic Altar of Ilmensaal: You can cut through an hour of bureaucracy with 10 minutes of yelling at a functionary. When dueling a single foe with daggers or maces, you have +2 to-hit and +2 AC.
2. Shalmanesir's Oasis at Qilmqourab: Once per day, your soothing touch may grant someone an additional Save vs an ongoing disease or curse. Palm trees yield their sap to you freely with merely a word.
3. The House of G_d at Rahmanir: Once, ever, you may touch the sand and summon up a spouting well of pure, clean water, which will flow for as long as you live. The back of your hand bears a silver tattoo of the crescent moon.
4. Adan-Ayan, Rughtasum's Court of Mercy: You are dignified and imposing enough to enter into any sort of high society even if ill-dressed, dirty, and bleeding. Your arguments will always be listened to and given due consideration, even if the listener opposes them entirely.
5. The Labyrinth of Reach at Zeghzouyan: Wild beasts favor you and will not attack you without provocation. You are immune to the deleterious effects of drugs unless you wish to be so affected.
6. The Titanic Sarcophagi of Khousfalamin: As long as you avoid the touch and taste of animal products, you can see and speak with the spirits of the dead. If you violate your veganism, you must be ritually purified before you use this ability again.
7. Maryam's Beacon at Layoumlayla: You can always see the Beacon glimmering on the horizon, no matter how far or whatever intervening material lies between, and you are allowed to trade in that closed port.
8. The Court of the Psammeads: You have a fey air, granting you +1 on reaction rolls with prophets, madmen, and intelligent beings of the desert. When you meet a psammead, there is a 1-in-6 chance that it owes you a wish and a separate 1-in-6 chance that you owe it your youth.
Wanderer's Trick: Roll 1d12 on the following table. Roll again at Wanderer B, C, and D.
1. Camel's Endurance: You can go 3 days without food or water before suffering the effects of hunger and thirst.
1. Camel's Endurance: You can go 3 days without food or water before suffering the effects of hunger and thirst.
2. Sailor's Nose: You can predict the next day's weather with 99% accuracy.
3. Merchant's Tongue: You have a 5-in-6 chance of knowing someone in every city who can find you a random good at a 70% discount. You have a 3-in-6 chance of knowing someone in a haven and a 1-in-6 chance of knowing someone in a village.
4. Canter's Secrets: You learn one Mage, Witch, or Xerimancer cantrip and spell of your choice and gain +1 MD.
5. Loremaster's Learning: You learn one Chanter spell and Epic of your choice and gain +1 MD.
6. Prophet's Eye: You may take damage equal to your maximum HP to reroll a Revelations roll.
7. Lawyer's Mind: For each day you study, there's a 1-in-6 chance you can find a convenient loophole in any law. You automatically know the cost to bribe anyone you meet.
4. Canter's Secrets: You learn one Mage, Witch, or Xerimancer cantrip and spell of your choice and gain +1 MD.
5. Loremaster's Learning: You learn one Chanter spell and Epic of your choice and gain +1 MD.
6. Prophet's Eye: You may take damage equal to your maximum HP to reroll a Revelations roll.
7. Lawyer's Mind: For each day you study, there's a 1-in-6 chance you can find a convenient loophole in any law. You automatically know the cost to bribe anyone you meet.
8. Hero's Reputation: Scholars and fellow wanderers have a 4-in-6 chance of having heard of you, 3-in-6 for spellcasters or nobles, 2-in-6 for commoners. Roll 1d6 for what they've heard: 1. Bad things, 2-3. Neutral things, 4-5. Good things, 6. Fantastic things. These may be true or they may be rumors. Bad things give -1 on reaction rolls, good things give +1, and fantastic things give +2.
9. Raven's Voice: You can mimic any sound you've ever heard perfectly, and can do perfect impressions of anyone you've heard talk.
10. Scoundrel's Hands: You're very good at any small task requiring manual dexterity, such as picking locks or pockets.
11. Animal's Heart: You are friends with an animal not larger than a cat or smaller than a tree frog. It will follow you around and will understand and obey any order you give. If your familiar dies, you can gain a new one by befriending another appropriate animal.
12. Captain's Touch: Your retainers and crew gain +1 Morale; your allies gain +2 to Save vs Fear when you are present.
9. Raven's Voice: You can mimic any sound you've ever heard perfectly, and can do perfect impressions of anyone you've heard talk.
10. Scoundrel's Hands: You're very good at any small task requiring manual dexterity, such as picking locks or pockets.
11. Animal's Heart: You are friends with an animal not larger than a cat or smaller than a tree frog. It will follow you around and will understand and obey any order you give. If your familiar dies, you can gain a new one by befriending another appropriate animal.
12. Captain's Touch: Your retainers and crew gain +1 Morale; your allies gain +2 to Save vs Fear when you are present.
Keen Linguist: Whenever you encounter a language you don't already explicitly know, you have a 4-in-6 chance of being able to understand that particular phrase, inscription, or the like. You have a 2-in-6 chance of also being conversant, although not fluent, in that language.
Constant Vigilance: You can't be surprised, and you act in the initiative phase before you would otherwise act.
I really like this. It has a nice "generic adventurer" to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm also noticing that some of my favourite classes - the zouave, the gun-priest, and my much more humble petty-swordsman, have this sort of "random advancement" to them. This seems to work well, but I wonder - how important is it that they be random, vs chosen?
Thanks, I'm glad you like it! I prefer random advancement over choosing feats, so to speak, because it disallows making "builds" and makes any overpowered combinations (which is fairly inevitable with so many options) an emergent thing rather than a deliberate decision. It also significantly reduces the mental burden of making and playing a character.
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