I am considering running an alternate reality Pulp Adventure set in the late 1920s or probably early 1930s: utilizing the Troll Lords Games Castles & Crusades Siege Engine System from their Amazing Adventures Pulp Adventure Genre.

However, before I spend a lot of time creating the backdrop and familiarizing myself with this particular game genre (which will possibly take me 2 or 3 months); I am gauging interest for a Pulp Adventure.

There is No Magic or Spell Casting in this particular Pulp Adventure that I am considering creating!

Also, No Aliens!

Although most Pulp Heroes are Larger than Life, there is a higher possibility of Death claiming the lives of the Player Characters, than would actually be normal for a Pulp Adventure!

I am looking for 3 - 5 Players who are interested in playing a Third Level Character in an Urban Setting (specifically an alternate reality Detroit) so that would probably mean that a Raider Class Character may not fit in this particular Pulp Adventure.

Mainly because we are Not Globe Hopping or looking for ancient artifacts in tombs or launching out in a Space Opera or exploring the ruins of another dimension through some Gate Way that is discovered.

Therefore, a Raider Class may not be appropriate for this particular game!

Classes to choose from will include the following: Gadgeteer, Gumshoe (as in Ace Reporter or Consulting Detective), Hooligan, Pugilist, Socialite; as well as: Acrobat, Archer, Duelist (using Blades) and Soldier.

I may consider the use of the following: Gunslinger (even though this is a Roaring 20s+ Pulp Adventure and Not a Western), Feral (raised in the Wild but not so sure this would work in the Urban setting) and Pirate (obviously, the Detroit River is nearby etc, but the Jury is also out on this one!)

Remember: All Player Characters are Humans! Therefore, each PC will have 3 Prime Characteristics from Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.

Again, this Pulp Adventure is in its Infancy as far as being developed into a Full-Fledged Recruitment.

So, any Interested Players are welcome to Post Here and if enough Inn Mates are interested in playing a Pulp Adventure, then I will proceed with More Info in a couple of weeks!

Otherwise, this Pulp Adventure will be declared a Fizzle!

THE SIX ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH: This attribute reflects physical strength, including the ability to lift or move heavy objects and make powerful attacks. The modifier affects melee combat and damage, and all checks for which strength is the primary influence. Characters can easily carry twice their strength, and can, for brief periods, military press 10x their strength and dead lift 15x their strength score in pounds.

DEXTERITY: This attribute represents a character's reflexes, manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination, including the ability to dodge and defend against attacks. The modifier affects armor class, ranged combat and all checks involving dexterity.

CONSTITUTION: This attribute reflects overall health, and also represents a character's ability to withstand pain, suffer physical damage, avoid fatigue and fight off sickness or poison. The modifier affects hit points, and it applies to all checks involving constitution as the prime attribute.

INTELLIGENCE: This attribute reflects mental aptitude. It represents a character's ability to learn quickly, apply that learning effectively and use deductive reasoning. The modifier affects the number of arcane spells a character can cast each day, the number of languages a character can learn and all checks involving intelligence as the prime attribute.

WISDOM: This attribute reflects depth of personal experience, the ability to make well-considered decisions or judgments, and represents a spiritual connection to a deity. The modifier affects certain types of spell casting, some psionic powers, attempts to turn the undead and all checks involving wisdom as the prime attribute.

CHARISMA: This attribute represents strength of personality, willpower, leadership and attractiveness. It is the degree to which a character is able to influence others. The modifier affects other creatures' loyalty and reactions to the character, and all checks involving charisma as the primary influence.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES
There are two types of attributes in Amazing Adventures: primary and secondary. Primary attributes are those physical or mental abilities in which a character is particularly well trained or very experienced in using. Secondary attributes are those the character uses with only average skill. A player selects the character's primary attributes after choosing a class.

Player characters have three primary attributes. Each class has one primary attribute associated with it that cannot be changed. The player selects the others. For example, the primary attribute for the gumshoe class is dexterity. If the player chooses to play a gumshoe, this forms one primary attribute. The player may then select any two more primary attributes. The remaining attributes are considered to be secondary.

The gadgeteer is a super hero long before the golden age of superheroes, who uses toys such as X-Ray goggles, ray guns, rocket packs, and wrist radios. Whether he soars in the blue skies with his rocket pack, takes down villains with his bronze gamma ray gun, or sees through walls with his incredible X-Ray specs, this is the character whose very name screams SCIENCE!

Gadgeteers come in two varieties: those who spend long hours in a lab inventing new equipment with which they will battle the forces of evil, or those who have a special "Gadget man" that invents their equipment for them. In game terms, the difference is mostly flavor-based and will be dependent upon which attributes the character designates Prime, though there are advantages to both types of character. In either case, many gadgeteers often adventure for the sheer thrill of it. Others do what they do out of an overdeveloped sense of justice, or a need for vengeance against those who have wronged them or their loved ones.

Since gadgeteers are often on the front lines of the battle against crime, Dexterity is of paramount importance to these characters, but a quick wit and dashing persona are also invaluable to their pursuits, especially if they have a gadget man, so Wisdom and Charisma are also important. Those gadgeteers who invent their own toys will also want a high intelligence score


ABILITIES
GADGETS: The gadgeteer has one primary ability — Science! This manifests in a number of specialized pieces of equipment, or gadgets, that become a permanent part of his arsenal. A gadgeteer may create these gadgets himself, or have a special scientist friend or sidekick (NPC) who equips him for his mission. If the gadgeteer creates his own gadgets, they cost more, but the gadgeteer is less likely to lose his source of equipment, and will have the ability to create gadgets "on the fly." These "instant" gadgets represent small pieces of equipment he happens to have on his person that he just thought he might need some day. These types of gadgeteer must choose Intelligence as one of their Primes and have either the Science or Mechanics background (if using Character Backgrounds).

On the other hand, the gadgeteer receives a substantial reduction in cost for having a scientist who creates gadgets for him; in this case, however, he stands a chance of losing his contact through kidnapping, death, or even a disagreement, and cannot create "on the fly" gadgets. The gadgeteer with a weapons man must choose Charisma as one of his primes. The gadgeteer must choose at character creation which form of gadgeteer he is, and may not change this decision.

Gadgeteers gain their toys through the expenditure of "Gadget Points." To obtain a gadget, the gadgeteer must choose a spell (any spell) from the Arcanist spell lists. He then "buys" that spell at whatever level of effect he desires (and can afford); it then becomes a permanent gadget on his equipment list, and he can use it whenever he likes. For example, buying the Arcane Bolt effect at first level will have different effects than purchasing it at fourth level.

GADGET POINTS: The gadgeteer begins play with 1d6+1 gadget points, plus his Intelligence Bonus (if he creates gadgets himself) or his Charisma Bonus (if he has a gadget man). Every additional level thereafter, he gains gadget points equal to 1 plus half his gadgeteer class level, rounded up.

A gadgeteer may save gadget points for use in purchasing larger gadgets down the line, or in the case of a self-creator (see below) to use on emergency gadgets, but must spend a minimum of three points on gadgets at character creation. If the character does not have three points at character creation, he then must spend all of his starting points on gadgets with which to begin play. The cost to purchase a gadget is as follows:

SELF-CREATED GADGETS: Cost is equal to the minimum Arcanist caster level to cast a spell, plus one. Thus, purchasing a third-level effect (buying fireball to create a gun that shoots an explosive charge, for example), costs seven gadget points (An arcanist would have to be sixth level to cast this spell). Purchasing a zero- or first-level effect such as Arcane Bolt or Light costs two points (a first-level arcanist could cast either of these spells). Here is a quick breakdown of gadget costs:

Gadget Level 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Point Cost 2 2 5 6 9 11 13

NPC-PROVIDED GADGETS: Cost is equal to the spell level, plus one. Thus, the same gun made for the character by his personal inventor costs four points (Fireball is a third-level spell).

ON THE FLY GADGETS (INT): Gadgeteers who create their own gadgets can come up with emergency pieces of equipment on the fly. These gadgets may never duplicate any effect higher than that of a zero-level spell, cost three gadget points to create, and require the Gadgeteer to pass a CL 4 Intelligence Check. Once a gadget is created, it becomes a permanent part of the Gadgeteer's arsenal, just as if he had purchased it at character creation or upon achieving a new level. However, if the Gadgeteer chooses, he can decide at the end of the game session to have the on-the-fly gadget "break down," at which point he loses the gadget and regains the spent point. Only on-the-fly gadgets can break down to get points back, and once the points are spent, they are spent for the entire play session.

IMPROVING GADGETS: When a gadgeteer decides to create a new effect, there is no rule that states the effect must be installed in a brand new gadget. For example, a gadgeteer at level one creates what he calls "Tesla Gloves," or gauntlets that allow him to use the Shocking Grasp spell. By sixth level, he wishes to create a "Tesla Gun," picking up the Lightning Bolt spell. He can, if he chooses, install the Tesla Gun effect right into his existing gloves, giving him the option to use the effects in both. In general, only complimentary or similar effects should be installed together in a single gadget, but the GM has final say in whether a gadget can be improved in this manner.

JURY RIG (INT): The gadgeteer is a master of machinery. He has the ability to effect miraculous (if sometimes temporary) repairs on equipment that others might write off for junk. To perform this ability, the gadgeteer makes an Intelligence check at a CL determined by the GM, based on how wrecked the item in question is. In general, jury rigging an item takes either 15 minutes or 1 hour per level of CL added to the check, dependent upon whether the gadgeteer wishes a temporary or permanent fix. Thus, for a CL 5 repair, the jury rigging would take either 1 hour, 15 minutes for a temporary "quick fix," or 5 hours for a permanent repair. A quick-fix item requires constant maintenance, and the gadgeteer must make a Wisdom (not Int)-based saving throw every hour he wishes to keep the thing running, with a CL equal to that required to fix the machine in the first place. This represents his ability to keep a machine going through sheer determination, elbow grease, spit, and good intentions. If a Wisdom save is failed, the machine breaks down and cannot be repaired again.

In addition to taking longer, permanent fixes also suffer an additional +2 to the CL, representing the fact that it's more difficult to make it work for good than it is to get it running "for now."

Building and Running the gadgeteer Game Masters are advised to carefully adjudicate and monitor any gadgets purchased by this character, as some spells, when handed unrestricted to a player character, can result in serious game imbalance. A character, for example, who has the ability to create a Prismatic Sphere whenever she feels like it is nigh unstoppable. For this reason, the following guidelines are offered:

1. No spell effects above sixth level be possible through this class, and a gadgeteer should not be able to purchase a gadget that reproduces effects of a higher level than one level below the level he currently is, with a minimum of 1 (i.e. a first- or second-level gadgeteer may purchase first-level effects, but no higher).

2. At the GM's option, the level limit for gadgets can be suspended at character generation, but it is recommended that no more than one gadget ever be owned that is higher than the gadgeteer's normal limit.

3. Any spell that causes direct damage requires a normal ranged attack roll by the character, regardless of the spell effect in question. Thus, creating a ray gun through the Arcane Bolt spell effect still requires the gadgeteer to make a ranged attack roll with his gun (though the GM may allow a bonus to hit, say, +5, for energy bursts that home in on the target). Even area effect spells such as Fireball even require such an attack roll; failure could mean the gadgeteer himself is in the burst area, having to make a Dexterity save for half damage!

4. If a desired spell effect appears on more than one spell list, the Gadgeteer should consider the Charisma-based list first, for purposes of level/cost determination. If a spell is not on the Charisma list, the Wisdom list is second in priority, and the Intelligence list last.

5. While gadget effects are based upon spells, they should be properly restricted to avoid unbalancing the game, and the player should clearly describe what each gadget in his arsenal is. Never should a gadgeteer's player say, "I'm using my Arcane Bolt effect." Rather, he should say something like, "I pull out my homing-blast delta pistol."
6. If the gadgeteer fails to describe his gadget properly and falls back on the spell name for his effect, appropriate penalties should be put into play. Perhaps the gadget malfunctions temporarily to comical effect. Perhaps a penalty to any rolls associated with the gadget is imposed, until the proper terminology is used. Don't unduly harm the character with these, but hammer home the idea that flavor and mood are important to the game.

7. Finally, remember that spells purchased are the beginning of creating a gadget, not the end. If a player wishes to do something that is not strictly defined in a spell effect, the GM should work to modify an existing spell and/or cost and restrict the effect based on the closest available spell. For example, if the player wishes to have, say, a robot snake monster, the GM may score this as "Summon Monster," except the purchase gives a permanent robot snake instead of summoning various living creatures, and base the HD and HP of the robot on the guidelines listed in that spell, assigning an appropriate AC as she sees fit. The trick here is to place fair restrictions on gadgets such that the class doesn't unbalance the game, while not restricting the gadgeteer's creativity. Likewise, in the case of on-the-fly gadgets, if an appropriate zero-level spell is not available but the player wishes to do something that is roughly the same power level and would make the game fun and interesting, roll with it!

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Charisma or Intelligence (Dependent on the source of the gadgets)
ALIGNMENT: Any
HIT DIE: d6
WEAPONS ALLOWED: Small melee weapons, medium melee weapons, handguns, and gadgets.

THE GADGETEER The gadgeteer is a fun and exciting character to play, so long as the player is willing to work with the GM to ensure that his character doesn't run away with the game. Already there is a wealth of options for this type of character, depending on whether you play as an intelligence- or charisma-based character. Is your character a wealthy industrialist who has a secret scientific genius that manufactures equipment for him to use in his nights of battling crime?

On the other hand, perhaps he is a brilliant scientist who manufactures special gasses that in combination with his specialized combat suit enable him to generate energy blasts, control his molecular structure to alter his size, and communicate with insects?

Maybe he's got a souped-up automobile that has built in rocket launchers, a bulletproof body structure, and the ability to belch a toxic miasma from its tailpipe?

All of these are possible using the gadgeteer class, but there are other possibilities that you may not have considered. All in all the gadgeteer probably has more potential than any other class in the game. It is incredibly versatile with a little creativity on the part of the GM and players. Here are a couple alternate uses for this class.

Gadgeteers and Fate Points At the GM's option, if a gadgeteer wishes more Gadget points than she currently has, she may spend Fate Points on a 1:1 basis as additional gadget points. Take care, however, that this does not result in an overpowered gadgeteer. Unlike Gadget Points, Fate Points spent to construct gadgets are never regained when the gadget breaks down.

The hardboiled detective, be it private investigation or homicide, who with his trusty snub nose revolver always finds himself in way over his head, the gumshoe is a specialist in tracking down and capturing fugitives from the law. Hardboiled P.I.s, homicide detectives, and FBI agents all fall into this category.

The gumshoe is as attuned to the alleys and shadows of the streets and able to move amongst the seedier elements with relative ease. Most gumshoes tend to be lawful in alignment, seeking to bring fugitives and anarchists to justice. There are a few, however, who are neutral or even chaotic, serving whoever pays the most and just as easily being bought off by those they seek to bring in as those who hire them to hunt criminals. For this reason, and the fact that they often succeed where the local law enforcement does not, these freebooters are often looked upon with disdain and sometimes outright contempt by legitimate legal authorities.

Even still, the services of gumshoes are in great demand, for the lawless aren't few, and are rarely bound by the restrictions that hamper legitimate authority. Thus, someone who is able to work for the law, but outside it, is often the only solution. In the end, if you want someone found, nobody has the skills to help like a gumshoe. Just make sure you're okay with the prey being delivered dead or alive.

ABILITIES

CLIMB (DEXTERITY): This ability allows a gumshoe to climb up, down, or across a slope, wall, steep incline (even a ceiling with handholds) or unusually angled natural or manmade slope or incline that others might find it difficult or impossible to climb. When doing so, the gumshoe moves at one half the character's normal speed. A failed check means the gumshoe makes no progress this round. A check that fails by 5 or more means that the character falls and takes full falling damage. Nothing can be carried in the hands while climbing. Unlike a hooligan, the gumshoe must make climb checks even when climbing typical natural slopes and manmade inclines.

CAT AND MOUSE (WISDOM): The gumshoe can track down the location of missing persons or wanted individuals within a given community, or trail a mark through a city. A successful cat and mouse check allows the gumshoe to pick up a trail and follow it for one hour through a combination of physical evidence and asking the right questions of the right people. The CL of this check generally depends upon the size of the community in which the gumshoe is searching, and its disposition towards the missing or wanted individual.

The size of the community in which the Gumshoe seeks the prey also determines the number of checks required to track down his quarry.
• A small, one stoplight town requires 1-2 checks.
• An average-sized town requires 1d4+1 checks before the gumshoe reaches the end of his search.
• A city increases the number of checks required to 2d4
• A metropolis requires 2d6 checks.

Even then, "coming to the end of his search," does not necessarily mean that the gumshoe has captured his prey. It could possibly mean that the prey has fled to another community, though following a lead to its logical conclusion will always yield the most likely community to which the prey has fled, thus initiating a new round of checks when the gumshoe reaches the new area. The table below provides some suggested modifiers, but is not a comprehensive list of all possible adjustments.

CONDITION CL MODIFIER One stoplight town +0
Average town +2
Small city +4
Metropolis +6
Per three members in group sought -1
Per 24 hours prey has been missing +1
Prey laying low +4
Community friendly towards prey or prey's class or affiliation +3
Community afraid of prey or prey's class or affiliation +2
Community lawful or good, prey chaotic or evil -2
Community hostile towards prey or prey's class or affiliation -3

At sixth level, the gumshoe becomes adept enough at his tracking abilities that each check requires only a half hour, and at twelfth level, each check requires only fifteen minutes. Note that these checks should always lead to role playing opportunities, clues found, or NPC's with whom the character can speak to acquire information; never should an adventure boil down to a die roll and information handed out; it defeats the entire purpose!

HIDE (DEXTERITY): Gumshoes can conceal themselves extremely well in urban environments. With a successful dexterity check, gumshoes can conceal themselves so well as to be unnoticeable by most passers-by. They cannot move and hide at the same time.

Gumshoes cannot hide themselves if being observed, even casually, before the attempt is made. If the observer is momentarily distracted, the Gumshoe can attempt to use this ability. While the observer looks away, the gumshoe can attempt to get to a hiding place of some kind. The attribute check, however, is at a -10 penalty because the gumshoe has mere seconds to find a suitable hiding spot.

MOVE SILENTLY (DEXTERITY): The gumshoe is able to move silently in urban areas with a successful dexterity check. The gumshoe can move up to one-half the character's normal speed at no penalty. At more than one-half and up to the character's full speed, the character suffers a -5 penalty. It's practically impossible (-20 penalty) to move silently while running or charging. Gumshoes may attempt to use this ability in wilderness environs, but at an additional -5 penalty.

While the descriptions seem similar, hiding and moving silently are two different things. One is the ability to remain visually concealed, the other to move without sound. Gumshoes cannot hide and move silently at the same time until they reach 3rd level. At this level and beyond, a Gumshoe can attempt both but must make a successful hide and move silent check at-5. In this case, movement is reduced to one quarter the normal movement rate.

TAKE ‘EM DOWN: Gumshoes possess an extraordinary ability to combat their most common foes, criminals, due to intense training and study of the enemy's fighting techniques. When fighting hooligans, thugs, or other gumshoes, a gumshoe inflicts extra damage. This damage bonus is +1 at first level, with an additional +1 gained at every level beyond first. For example, a fifth level gumshoe would inflict an additional 5hp of damage for each successful hit against thugs, hooligans, or other gumshoes.

PRECISION SHOT: A P.I.'s best friend is his snub nose, and one never knows when a shot that takes out a chandelier can save the day. At second level, gumshoes gain a +1 to hit with a handgun at ranges of less than thirty feet. At fourth level, the gumshoe reduces all range penalties for hitting with a handgun by half. At seventh level, when using a handgun, the gumshoe ignores any cover bonuses the target gains to AC. At tenth level, the gumshoe gains an extra shot per round with a handgun. At twelfth level and every three levels thereafter, the gumshoe may fire one extra (cumulative) bullet at a single target with one attack roll, which may not be combined with the extra shot granted at tenth level.

FACE IN THE CROWD (CHARISMA): Beginning at third level, through quick changes of clothing and posture, the gumshoe can disguise or impersonate to blend into a crowd. This disguise is not complete; it is used to throw off a tail, stalk prey without being noticed, or other similar effects. Impersonating specific individuals is not possible with this ability, though affecting a change in gender, race, or even social class is possible. This effort requires 1d4 rounds to complete and can include an apparent change of height or weight no more than one-tenth the original (generally through standing straighter or on tip-toes, or slouching). The Game Master makes the character's check secretly so that the character is not sure if it is successful. The following modifiers are applied to a disguise check when appropriate.

Sex difference -2 Race difference -2
Age difference -2 per 10 years
Social class difference (higher) -2 to -10 (GM's discretion)
Social class difference (lower) +2 (it's easier to be a pauper than a prince)

Success indicates a disguise good enough to fool normal observers, though those actively looking for such a disguise may increase the Challenge Level of the check, perhaps significantly. As such, this ability is generally used to remain discreet and inconspicuous, rather than for any sort of actual impersonation.

ADVERSARY: At sixth level, the gumshoe has become famous (or infamous) enough to have drawn the ire of a specific organization whose members or affiliates he has plagued once too often. However, this can work to the gumshoe's advantage, as he becomes intimately familiar with the signs, tactics, and operations of this organization. When combating or dealing with members of this organization, the gumshoe gains a +2 bonus to hit and to AC in combat. Further, all attribute checks related to dealings with this organization are made at a +2 bonus. This includes all gumshoe class abilities. The organization should be specific, but need not be world-spanning or infamous. For example, a gumshoe could have "The Reds, a local gang in the East End of Philadelphia," just as easily as he could, "The American branches of the Yakuza." Game Masters should monitor this choice to ensure that the Adversary is appropriate to both the character and the campaign.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Dexterity
ALIGNMENT: Any
HIT DICE: d10
WEAPONS: Small melee weapons, medium melee weapons, handguns, sub-machineguns, rifles and shotguns
ABILITIES: Climb, cat and mouse, hide, move silently, take ‘em down, deadeye shot, face in the crowd, adversary.

THE GUMSHOE
The gumshoe is built as an archetype of the hardboiled detective or rough-and-tumble federal agent, doing battle with crime syndicates and the like. This does not have to be the only option for this character, however. By thinking outside the box there are several types of character that could fit squarely into the mold of the gumshoe.

The Ace Reporter
A hard-nosed reporter who never quits until she gets her story is just as much a gumshoe as the private dick. In this case, the character may want to sacrifice the precision shot class ability for a generic class ability, or work with the GM to find a way to apply it to a camera, granting the ability to catch uncanny details in any given photograph she snaps!

Ace, hard to kill, iron will, keen intellect, and overwhelming personality are all great potential generic class abilities for the ace reporter style of gumshoe.

The Consulting Detective
Another excellent archetype for a gumshoe character is the consulting detective. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will appreciate this particular character type, who like the ace reporter might give up precision shot, but pick up a different generic class ability instead. Consulting detectives focus on deduction and on getting all of the information from a given scene.

To make the best use of this sort of character, GMs may consider allowing the use of cat and mouse to scour a crime scene for clues not immediately visible to the normal investigator. In some cases, the GM should secretly provide hints as to what the clues might mean, in addition to the physical evidence. The consulting detective archetype is best for deep mystery games where a great deal of puzzle-solving and investigation are going to be the order of the day.
Generic class abilities that are best suited to the consulting detective include hard to kill, iron will, keen intellect and overwhelming personality.

The archetypal ne'er-do-wells, these characters can be cat burglars, thieves in the night, or bootleggers. They may be mob enforcers (or even bosses, at higher levels), suave conmen, or common street thugs. They are rebels against the mainstream, be it with or without a cause.


Some make their living by burglary, robbing wealthy marks and pilfering the goods on the black market. Others are street urchins and pickpockets. Still others find their skills best suited to plundering ancient catacombs and tombs, unraveling riddles in dark caves, and seeking ancient treasure from the forgotten places of the world, avoiding the laws and the lawmen of the more civilized areas of the world. Whatever their preference, the hooligan lives for the thrill of the chase, of pulling something off right under the noses of the feds, and getting away with it. To perform these acrobatic feats of daring, they must be exceedingly dexterous, nimble of hand and foot, but also must be quick-witted with sharp senses.

A slick combination of mental acumen and hand-eye coordination, the hooligan is a foe to be feared and an acquaintance never to be trusted. Hooligans tend to be chaotic or neutral in alignment, though there do exist thieves with honor that have their own code, though the distribution of abilities of this class makes practitioners of the shadow arts that are of a lawful and good persuasion rare beyond rare.

ABILITIES BACK ATTACK: In general, a hooligan avoids face-to-face combat if possible and prefers to use stealth to attack an opponent from behind, striking the back, lungs, kidneys, or another vital area. A hooligan who is thus able to attack an unaware opponent from the rear, gains a bonus to hit and to damage. To catch an opponent unaware, a hooligan must make a successful move silently check to sneak up behind the foe, or make a successful hide check while behind the opponent. A hooligan that succeeds in one or the other of these can make a back attack at a +4 bonus to hit. A successful hit inflicts double the normal damage.

When making a back attack, a hooligan must use a close quarters melee weapon. This weapon must be shorter than the character's arm. A hooligan can only back attack living creatures that have a discernible anatomy. The hooligan must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot, and then must be able to reach it.

As the hooligan gains experience, the damage inflicted increases and can be applied with a ranged weapon, such as a handgun. At 5th level, a back attack deals triple damage, and at 9th level a back attack inflicts quadruple damage or double damage with a ranged weapon within thirty feet. A back attack cannot be combined with the sneak attack ability.

CASE TARGET (WISDOM): Using this ability, the hooligan can determine information and weaknesses about a potential opponent or target through detailed observation and deductive reasoning. A hooligan must spend 1d3x10 minutes observing an opponent before a check is allowed. A successful check results in knowledge of the approximate level or Hit Dice of the opponent within 10%, alignment, hidden weapons or unusual items, distinguishing habits and mannerisms, and any other details that might not be apparent to normal observation. The Game Master must decide what the hooligan can learn about the target and deems appropriate to convey. If used on a location, the check can reveal security measures and weaknesses, location and disposition of guards, entry and escape points, etc.

CLIMB (DEXTERITY): This extraordinary ability allows a hooligan to climb up, down, or across a slope, wall, steep incline (even a ceiling with handholds), or unusually angled natural or man made slope or incline that others would find impossible to climb. When doing so, the hooligan moves at one-half the character's normal speed. A failed climb check means that the character makes no progress. A check that fails by 5 or more means that the character falls from the currently attained height, and must suffer falling damage. Hooligans cannot carry anything in their hands while climbing. When climbing typical natural slopes and manmade inclines, such as a cliff faces or steep steps, a hooligan does not need to make an attribute check to climb the surface. It is only when climbing very sheer and difficult grades where there are few to no hand- or footholds that a check needs be made.

HIDE (DEXTERITY): Hooligans use this ability to conceal themselves from others. A successful check means that the Hooligan is hidden so well as to be almost invisible. The hooligan can move up to one-half normal speed and remain hidden. Hide checks suffer no penalty in this circumstance. At more than one-half and up to full speed, the character suffers a -5 penalty to the check to remain hidden. It's practically impossible (-20 penalty) to hide while running or charging.

If the character is being observed, even casually, he cannot hide. If observers are momentarily distracted, though, the character can attempt to hide. While the observer averts its attention from the character, the character can attempt to get to a hiding place. This check, however, is at a -10 penalty because the character has to move quickly to the hiding place. A hooligan cannot hide if there is nothing to hide behind or conceal oneself with. Deep shadows can count as concealment at the Game Master's discretion.

LINGO: Hooligans often use a street language known only to those in the trade, called their lingo. Code words, hand signals, demeanor, and other signs comprise the lingo, which is often a pidgin version of a real language. The lingo can be used to convey complex ideas. The language may vary to some degree both geographically and culturally, making the lingo unique to each region, city, or even within a city.

LISTEN (WISDOM): A hooligan can use this ability to listen intently and hear noises that others might not detect, even through an obstacle such as a door. Generally, a successful check at the character's CB indicates that the hooligan has detected some sort of noise. The hooligan can hear soft sounds, like a whisper or cat stalking, while outside or in the open and up to a range of 30 feet. It also indicates success if the hooligan is listening for sounds on the other side of a door, but the hooligan must be adjacent to the door. However, exactly what is heard is up to the Game Master's discretion as each case is unique. If listening through a stone wall, the hooligan suffers a -10 penalty to the check. For other materials, vary the penalty as appropriate. A hooligan can retry this ability once a round.

MOVE SILENTLY (DEXTERITY): This ability allows a hooligan to move so silently that others cannot hear the movement. The hooligan can use this ability both indoors and outdoors. A hooligan can move up to one-half the character's normal speed at no penalty. At more than one-half and up to the character's full speed, the character suffers a -5 penalty. It's practically impossible (-20 penalty) to move silently while running or charging.

While the descriptions seem similar, hiding and moving silently are two different things. One is the ability to remain visually concealed, the other to move without sound. Hooligans cannot hide and move silently at the same time until they reach 3rd level. At this level and beyond, a Hooligan can attempt both but must make a successful hide and move silent check at-5. In this case, movement is reduced to one quarter the normal movement rate.

OPEN LOCK (DEXTERITY): A hooligan can use this ability to open any sort of mechanical lock that would normally require a key to open. A successful check indicates the lock has been opened. This ability requires the use of a set of hooligan's tools, including picks, blank keys, wires or other appropriate tools. A hooligan may only make one attempt per lock. If that attempt fails, the hooligan cannot try to open the same lock again until gaining one more level as it is beyond the current ability of the hooligan to pick it. The CL to pick a lock is at the GM's discretion but generally equal to the level of the locksmith who created the lock to begin with.

PICK POCKET (DEXTERITY): A hooligan can use this ability, on a successful dexterity check, to remove the contents of a pocket or pouch (or otherwise take something from a person) without being noticed. Success may require the hooligan to cut the purse or pouch from the target.

This ability also allows the hooligan to perform "sleight of hand" maneuvers. A successful dexterity check indicates the hooligan has hidden or moved an item in such a manner so that observers are not aware of where the item has been hidden. Such typical maneuvers are hiding a coin, sliding a card up a sleeve, performing the shell game, and the like.

TRAPS (INTELLIGENCE): A hooligan may use this ability in three manners: finding, disabling or setting traps. Each use requires a separate attribute check and each check may be made only once in a given circumstance. The player must also describe how the actions are being performed to use this ability.

To find a trap, a hooligan spends time intently studying and searching an area to deduce possible trap locations. It takes one round to locate a trap in a specific area such as a lock or a doorknob, and one turn to locate a trap in a 10 by 10 foot area. A successful check indicates the hooligan finds one trap, if any are present. The trap discovered is the simplest or most obvious trap in the area. If multiple traps are in an area, multiple successful checks are required to find them all. A hooligan can find magical traps with this ability, although it may be much more difficult than finding mundane traps.

To disable a trap, a hooligan must first know its location. Once a trap is located, a successful check means the hooligan has disarmed the trap. The attempt can only be made once and failure indicates that the hooligan set off the trap. A hooligan can disarm a magic trap, although it may be much more difficult than disarming a mundane trap. In most cases, hooligan's tools are needed to disarm a trap. Generally, it takes 1d4 rounds to disarm a trap, depending on its complexity.

To set a trap, or to reset a previously disabled trap, a hooligan must make a successful traps check. If a hooligan is resetting a trap that was previously disabled, the hooligan gains a +5 bonus to the check. The amount of time required to set or reset a trap depends on the complexity of the trap, typically taking 1d4 rounds.

SNEAK ATTACK: At fourth level, the hooligan can target vital areas any time an opponent is unaware, not just when their back is turned. Even if an opponent or victim is aware of the hooligan, so long as they are unsuspecting of an attack, a hooligan can use the sneak attack ability. For example, a hooligan could be having a conversation with a potential victim while hiding a snub-nose Saturday night special up his sleeve, intending to strike once a piece of vital information is learned. Or, a hooligan could be perched in the shadows of a tree, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use a blowgun, a bow, or (in later pulp settings) a silenced firearm. Alternately, if an ally is currently in combat with a foe, the hooligan can take advantage of the situation, and strike the opponent in a vital area while his attention is split. Unlike the back attack, sneak attack situations do not necessarily require a previously successful hide or move silently check, although the game master could require success in one or both, depending upon the circumstances if necessary.

A hooligan making a sneak attack gains a +2 bonus to hit and a +4 bonus to damage. Ranged weapons can be used for sneak attacks if the target is within 30 feet. A hooligan cannot aim with deadly accuracy from beyond that range. A sneak attack cannot be combined with back attack. At eighth level, this bonus increases to +3 to hit, and +5 to damage, and at twelfth level the bonus increases to +4 to hit and +6 to damage.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Dexterity
HIT DIE: d6
ALIGNMENT: Any
WEAPONS: Small melee weapons, handguns, sub-machineguns, rifles and shotguns, explosives ABILITIES: Back attack, case target, climb, hide, lingo, listen, move silently, open lock, pick pockets, traps, sneak attack

THE HOOLIGAN
The core concepts that come to mind for the hooligan are organized crime figures, street hoodlums, and reformed criminals. This character class, however, has a wealth of possibilities. One of our iconic characters, Natalya "the Fox" Abramova, is a (somewhat) outside the box concept. She is a multi-classed hooligan/mentalist who is an up-and-coming Hollywood starlet who also moonlights as a cat burglar. She does this not out of a sense of altruism (rob the rich and feed the poor) and not because she needs the money. Rather, she is a basic thrill-seeker who gets a rush from the success of a job. Her basic moral core, on the other hand, drives her to right wrongs and as such she is a member of the Brotherhood of William St. John.

Another concept for the hooligan could be a shadowy crime fighter who trained in the ways of stealth and assassination so that he could turn the tactics of crime against those who would prey upon the weak. This classic anti-hero is a popular concept in many gritty comic books and noir stories. The hooligan's sneak attack and back attack abilities, when combined with their Hide and move silently, make for excellent assassin-type characters. When the time comes for ninjas to kick in the door, GMs should probably use the hooligan to model these guys.

Finally, consider the hooligan's ability to open locks, pick pockets and disable traps. These are your basic escape artist abilities. You could use the hooligan to very effectively model a stage illusionist like the famous Harry Houdini, particularly when combined with the right backgrounds, traits and knowledges. We have included statistics for Harry Houdini in our Rogue's Gallery on page 135.

The pugilist is the master of hand to hand combat, a professional boxer, traveling martial artist, or lowly pit fighter whose fists of iron are matched only by the damage he can soak up and still keep on going. These characters tend to be simple, viewing the world in terms of "Good" and "Bad," but are often loyal and good to have in your corner, especially when the fists start flying.

Pugilists are rough-and-tumble men and women who love to mix it up and get down and dirty. Generally, at least in the western world, a pugilist has little time or patience for talk or negotiation; they'd rather just beat something to a pulp. There are those, however, who have the wisdom to see their physical exploits as a path to inner peace; honing the mind, to them, is as important as honing the body, and using their body as the lethal weapon it is, for these wandering philosopher-monks, becomes a last resort.

Regardless of their philosophical outlook, pugilists eventually become so adept at fisticuffs and hand-to-hand fighting that they can take on just about anyone. A pugilist can be a professional boxer or wrestler, a trained martial artist, or just a street kid who had to come up using his fists to make a name for himself. Many pugilists work as bouncers in local bars, as wrestlers or fighters for the entertainment of the locals, or even as enforcers for the local crime syndicate.

ABILITIES DOWN AND DIRTY: The Pugilist likes to get in close, grab and pin. Thus, at level two he starts to become quite adept at the process. At level 2, the pugilist gains a +1 on all attempts to initiate or break free from a grapple, as well as all opposed strength and dexterity checks. This bonus improves to +2 at level 5, to +3 at level 8, and to +4 at level 11.

Whenever a pugilist successfully grapples an opponent, he may immediately and for each round thereafter that the grapple is maintained, automatically deal damage as though he had made a successful unarmed attack. The pugilist may choose to inflict subdual damage instead of lethal damage in this case. However, the opponent may attempt to break the hold every round; if so, the pugilist must make a new grapple check with a CL equal to the opponent's hit dice and Strength or Dexterity bonus (whichever is higher).

TOUGH AS NAILS (CON): The pugilist's mental mastery over their body imparts a +1 bonus to all constitution-based saving throws. The bonus increases to +2 at 3rd level, +3 at 6th level, +4 at 10th level and +5 at 15th level.

UNARMED ATTACK: A pugilist specializes in unarmed, hand-to-hand combat. Pugilists gain attacks and improve in the amount of unarmed combat damage inflicted as shown on the table. The pugilist also gains the ability to make an offhand attack at 6th level. The pugilist may choose whether the attacks inflict normal damage or subdual damage.

When pugilists gain the extra off-hand attack, they do not incur the penalties to their ‘to hit' die rolls as described in the combat section as long as both attacks are unarmed attacks. A pugilist fighting with a one-handed weapon can make an unarmed attack as an off-hand attack, but the pugilist suffers the standard penalties for two-weapon fighting. Likewise, a pugilist with a weapon in his or her off-hand may make an extra attack with that weapon, but suffers the usual penalties for two-weapon fighting.

UNARMORED DEFENSE: A pugilist knows how to use his or her body for defense, and gains an AC bonus that increases with experience as indicated on the Pugilist Special Abilities table. This bonus does not stack with that from any other armor; the pugilist gains no AC bonuses from a Pulp Costume (see Pulp Armor).

DEFLECT MISSILES: At 2nd level, pugilists gain the ability to deflect non-magical projectiles, including but not limited to, arrows, axes, bolas, bolts, bullets, clubs, daggers, darts, hammers, harpoons, javelins, nets, rocks, and spears. The pugilist must have at least one hand free to use this ability. When a character would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, the character can make a dexterity check with a CL equal to the BtH bonus and Dexterity bonus of the attacker. If the check succeeds, the pugilist deflects the weapon and suffers no damage. This can be done once per round for levels 2-6, twice per round for levels 7-11, three times per round for levels 12 to 16 and four times per round for levels 17-20. If the pugilist beats the attack roll by more than 5, he has caught the projectile instead of deflecting it.

The pugilist must be aware of the attack to use this ability. An attempt to deflect a ranged weapon counts as a pugilist's primary unarmed attack. If a pugilist is high enough level to have a secondary unarmed attack, the pugilist may still make the secondary attack if the deflect missile ability has only been used once or twice. If three or more missiles are deflected, the secondary attack is considered used.

FAST MOVEMENT: At 3rd level and higher, a pugilist moves faster than normal. A pugilist carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed. See the Pugilist Special Abilities Chart for the increase in speed.

ROLL WITH FALL (DEX): At 4th level, a falling pugilist is able to absorb the impact from a fall by rolling with the damage. He takes damage from a fall as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. The pugilist must succeed at a Dexterity Check with a CL of 1 per ten feet fallen to use this ability. At 6th level, the pugilist, on a successful save, takes half damage from a fall instead of reducing the fall by 20 feet.

IRON CONSTITUTION: At 5th level, a pugilist gains +1 to all saving throws versus disease and poison. This saving throw bonus increases by one for every level past 5th. For example, a 10th level pugilist receives a +6 bonus. After 10th level, the +1 bonus is gained once every other level to a maximum bonus of +10 at 18th level.

SUBMISSION HOLD: Starting at level six, the pugilist can place a submission hold on an opponent, rendering them helpless and eventually unconscious. If the character is able to grapple the opponent and maintain the hold for at least one round, the opponent must make a Constitution Save each round after the first (assuming he is unable to break free) at a CL equal to the brawler's strength bonus and hit dice or level. Failure means the opponent is rendered unconscious for 1d4 rounds. This unconsciousness is normal, though deep, and the opponent can be roused by vigorous efforts (if an ally spends an entire round shaking, slapping or otherwise stimulating the unconscious character, allow a base Constitution Save to awaken) or taking damage.

GRANITE JAW (CON): At 6th level, the pugilist can take half damage from any blunt or bashing source (fists, clubs, staves, etc.) by making a Constitution Check with a CL equal to the damage dealt. This ability cannot be used against damage from piercing or bladed weapons, or from bullets.

FAST HEALING: At 7th level, a pugilist's body naturally heals faster than normal. Each day, a pugilist heals 1d4+1 hit points per level as long as rest, sleep and meditation is possible. The pugilist must be in a serene environment, under no physical duress or mental stress, must be able to sleep undisturbed for 12 hours, and meditate undisturbed for 6 hours. Food and water should be plentiful.

DEATH STRIKE: At 12th level, a pugilist gains a fearsome and deadly attack. Some call this the quivering palm. Others the five-point exploding heart. Still others of a less showy persuasion just snap necks, create aneurisms, or blast cartilage into their opponents' brains. The pugilist can use the attack once per week. The attack must be announced before an attack roll is made. The pugilist must be of higher level than the target or have more levels than the target's hit dice. If the pugilist successfully deals damage with an unarmed attack, the death strike succeeds. Thereafter, the pugilist can choose to try to slay the victim at any later time within 1 round per level of the pugilist. The pugilist merely wills the target to die, and the victim makes a constitution check. If the victim fails, it dies.

For example, a 10th level pugilist successfully strikes a 5th level gumshoe. The pugilist can then attempt to will the character to die any time within the following ten rounds. Should the gumshoe fail a constitution saving throw, the gumshoe dies.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Constitution
HIT DIE: d12
ALIGNMENT: Any
WEAPONS: Any melee weapons, archaic ranged weapons
ABILITIES: Down and dirty, tough as nails, unarmed attack, unarmored defense, deflect arrows, fast movement, fists of stone, roll with fall, iron constitution, choke hold, granite jaw, fast healing, death strike

THE PUGILIST
The pugilist, as written, represents a sort of pit fighter, boxer, wrestler or other street brawler character, who is tough-as-nails and loves to get down and dirty in combat. There are other approaches to this character, however. One of the most obvious is the mystical martial artist. By swapping out some of the standard pugilist abilities with generic class abilities, this can be fairly easily achieved. Combat dominance, iron will and still body, for example, are excellent options for a martial arts themed character, as are nimble or overwhelming personality.

The pugilist can also be combined with other classes using the multiclass or class-and-a-half rules to create, for example, a raider who has the ability to throw down with fisticuffs when the situation calls for it.

Another surprising take on the pugilist can be the intelligent brawler. There are several popular pulp characters who fill this role. By choosing intelligence as a prime and taking the right science-based backgrounds and knowledge skills (again, if these are in play), you can create a brilliant forensic scientist who also happens to be a brute with natural fighting skills that he has to fall back on, all too often. Nobody expects the hulking brute of the group to suddenly chime in with a detailed scientific explanation as to how that body may have gotten murdered in a room with no windows whose door locks on the inside.

The connected diplomat or wealthy debutante with money, power, and prestige to match his or her pretty face, this person has the looks, connections, and personal magnetism to open doors when guns are a bad idea. While many socialites come from rich families, not all are wealthy unto themselves. A socialite could be temporarily or permanently cut off from family funds from disgracing her family name or even just because her parents want her to learn to live on her own. Alternately, she could be "new money," an up-and-coming movie starlet or the wife of a country-boy-turned-senator.


Socialites adventure largely out of boredom and desire for excitement, though there are exceptions, young debutantes who want something of their own, not related to the reputation of their family (though most are not above exploiting their family name to get where they need to go). These tend to become adventurers and thrill-seekers, gathering allies to their side based on their charisma and self-confidence. The socialite makes the perfect "face" for a group, being the consummate diplomat and/or seductress.

Charisma is the most important attribute for socialites, as most of their abilities are based upon this attribute. However, Dexterity and Constitution help keep her alive in the perilous situations in which she may find herself, and Wisdom is of importance in knowing where her family and reputation hold influence, and in keeping herself and her allies safe from rash decisions.

ABILITIES
CHARM (CHARISMA): The Socialite can attempt to charm another person to do her bidding. This ability works exactly as the spell Charm Person, save that the Socialite must make a Charisma Attribute check against a CL equal to the level or hit dice of the person she is attempting to charm. Her effective "caster level" for purposes of duration, effect, etc., is equal to her Socialite Level. At Fifth level, the socialite can instead of charming a subject, attempt to through subtle seduction and subliminal suggestion Command the subject as per the second level arcanist spell, if she desires. At twelfth level, if she so desires, she can attempt to Mass Charm instead of charming or commanding a single target. This ability can be used once per day at first level, twice per day at fifth level, three times per day at tenth level, and at fifteenth level, the socialite can perform this ability at will.

CONNECTED (CHARISMA): The socialite (or her family) has friends and acquaintances everywhere. Whenever the PC's need help, information, a friendly face, or resources, the Socialite can attempt to call in a favor from one of these friends. This requires two checks. First, the Socialite must make a Wisdom Check to locate a friendly name or face in the current area where the PC's are adventuring. Failure means the socialite's family has no friends in this area. Second, the socialite must make a Charisma check to call in the favor. The GM determines the CL of this check based on the reputation of the socialite, the number of favors previously (and recently) called in, and other social factors at the GM's discretion. Success means the acquaintance is willing to help, but such help may (again, dependent upon social factors at the GM's discretion) come at a price.

EXALT (CHARISMA): This is the socialite's ability to inspire companions and listeners, allowing them to surpass their normal level of performance. Some socialites invoke this ability through oration, while others use battle cries or sheer acting and demeanor. With a successful attribute check, a socialite can help allies succeed at a task. The ally gets a +2 bonus on any action requiring an attribute check, including class ability checks, saving throws and standard attribute checks. This ability does not affect attack rolls. The allies must be able to see and hear the socialite, and must be within 60 feet. The Game Master may rule that certain uses of this ability are infeasible. The socialite can use this ability once per day per level, and can maintain the effect for a number of rounds equal to the socialite's level. As the socialite rises in levels, the bonus imparted increases as well. It rises to +3 at 6th level, +4 at 12th level and +5 at 18th level.

EMBOLDEN: At 3rd level, the socialite's confidence and fearlessness in the face of danger instills courage in their companions and followers. Any companions or followers within 30 feet of the socialite gain a bonus of +1 to strength, constitution, dexterity, and intelligence saving throws, and a +2 to wisdom and charisma saving throws. This ability can be used once per day and lasts a number of rounds equal to the socialite's level. This ability cannot be used in conjunction with demoralize or exalt.

FASCINATE: At 4th level, a socialite gains the ability to place a single intelligent creature into a trance. The creature to be fascinated must be able to see and hear the socialite, and the socialite must also see the creature. The creature must be able to pay attention to the socialite. The distraction of a nearby combat or other danger will prevent the ability from working. The socialite can use seduction, music, poetry, chanting, speech, whistling, playing an instrument or any combination of the above, as long as some verbal element is included. Socialites can use this ability three times per day, and can maintain the effect for a number of rounds equal to their level.

When a socialite uses this ability, the target makes a charisma saving throw to resist the socialite's charms. The CL of this check is equal to the socialite's level plus her Charisma bonus. If the saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and listens to the socialite for up to the full duration of the effect. While using this ability, a socialite must concentrate, as if casting or maintaining a spell. While fascinated, the target is treated as if prone and also suffers a -4 penalty to all saving throws and a -5 to armor class.

If the creature's saving throw succeeds, the socialite cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. Any threat that is obvious to the fascinated creature, such as the casting of a spell, drawing of a sword, aiming of a weapon or actually taking damage, automatically breaks the effect.

As the socialite rises in levels, the power of the fascination increases as well, allowing the socialite to further influence the listener through suggestion. These specialized uses of the fascinate ability can only be performed on creatures who are under the influence of the socialite's fascinate ability. At 5th level, a socialite may attempt a charm person on a fascinated creature. At 8th level, a socialite may attempt to implant a suggestion into a fascinated creature. At 12th level, a socialite may attempt antipathy/ sympathy on a fascinated creature.

As the socialite gains experience, the number of creatures that can be affected by the fascination, or one of its specialized uses, increases. The number of creatures is equal to two fewer than the level of the socialite. For example, a 4th level socialite can fascinate 2 creatures, a 6th level socialite can fascinate 4 creatures, and a 12th level socialite can fascinate 10 creatures.

At 18th level, a socialite may attempt a mass suggestion on a large crowd of fascinated creatures, as per the mass suggestion spell. In each case, the targets receive a saving throw to attempt to break the fascination.

DEMORALIZE (CHARISMA): At 5th level, the socialite, with a successful Charisma check, may cause fear, dread, or hopelessness in the ranks of foes and enemy forces. This Charisma check has a CL equal to the average hit dice or level of the foes he seeks to affect. Enemies to the socialite's immediate endeavor suffer a penalty of -4 to charisma checks.

In addition, the affected foes must successfully save versus fear at a -4 penalty or suffer a -1 penalty to hit. This ability can be used once per day and lasts a number of rounds equal to the socialite's level. The number of creatures that can be affected increases as the socialite gains levels. At 5th level, the socialite can affect up to 5 creatures. The ability affects up to 10 creatures at 7th level, up to 25 creatures at 9th level, up to 50 creatures at 12th level and 100 creatures at 16th level. This ability cannot be used in conjunction with embolden and exalt.

EXHORT GREATNESS: At 9th level, a socialite can inspire greatness in one other person. For every two levels the socialite attains beyond 9th, the socialite can inspire greatness in an additional ally. To inspire greatness, the socialite must use some sort of oration, inspiring speech or language. The ally to be inspired must be able to hear and understand the socialite, and must be within 30 feet for the effect to take place.

A person inspired with greatness gains temporary hit points and attack bonuses for as long as the socialite is within its hearing and the socialite continues to encourage them. This effect lasts for one turn, or six rounds, at 9th level, and the duration increases by one additional round for every level beyond 9th. The ally can move out of the 30 foot radius once the exhortation has begun, but it must still be able to hear the socialite at all times.

The target gains a +2 bonus on all ‘to hit' rolls, and gains temporary hit points as if two hit dice (or levels) higher. Apply the ally's constitution modifier, if any, to each bonus hit point roll. See the combat section for a detailed explanation of temporary hit points.


PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Charisma
HIT DIE: d8
ALIGNMENT: Any
WEAPONS: Handguns, Small melee weapons, medium melee weapons, archaic ranged weapons
ABILITIES: Charm Person, Connected, Exalt, Embolden, Fascinate, Demoralize, Exhort Greatness

THE SOCIALITE
The socialite was designed to make a support class a lot of fun to play, and with the right choices, you can model almost any character concept using this class. Consider Mackie Gleeson, our iconic character from the core Amazing Adventures rulebook. Mackie is not only a wealthy socialite with contacts everywhere, she is also the pilot and wheel-woman for the group, thanks to a swap-out for the ace generic class ability. This one shift has given her an angle that sets her apart from many among the spoiled upper crust.

"Spoiled upper crust," however, also need not define a socialite. Just because the class has a name that invokes that, just because the archetype of the femme fatale seems geared in that direction, consider that there have been many characters in film and literature who fill the abilities of this class without being wealthy. What about a woman who owns a seedy bar in Nepal, where she engages in drinking contests with customers in an effort to raise money to get back home? Suddenly, an old boyfriend walks through the door looking for an amulet she's got, and she finds herself off on a wild adventure all over the world looking for arguably the greatest lost religious artifact in history.

Hopefully you know who I'm talking about. If you don't, you need to seek out those films about a certain whip-wielding, tomb-raiding archaeologist. But that's right: she's a socialite. Plucky, sharp-witted and bitingly sardonic, but she always lends support where it counts and one has to imagine that due to her past travels she likely has friends everywhere.

These past sections are intended to get your mind going and help you think of ideas for your character that don't live into the obvious stereotypes. One of the most fun parts of role playing is stepping into a persona that is unique and different, and trying to view the world through eyes as far from your own as possible.

Just as guys should not be afraid to play female characters and women shouldn't be afraid to play men, nor should you worry about playing a concept that doesn't seem to directly jibe with the stereotype of your character class. Indeed, the more unique you make your character, the more fun the game can be.

The only word of caution is this: always talk with your group and GM, and do your best to create a character that will work well with the other characters in the group. In-fighting among players can distract from the game, and characters that are so different as to reasonably be seen as enemies can force meta-gaming to the point of near-railroading. Always keep your fellow players in mind, and try to create a balance in character persona as well as game mechanics.

THE ACROBAT
The consummate tumbler, gymnast, and contortionist, the acrobat is a character that uses their body to make a living by performing feats of gymnastic and aerial expertise. These are the characters that walk high wires without a net, perform flips and leaps on the flying trapeze, and confuse enemies with their speed and ability to contort their bodies into odd shapes.

Some acrobats make their way as vigilantes, using their martial arts to do battle with the forces of evil. Others function as cat burglars, gaining entrance to museums and mansions through means and entrances inaccessible to mundane thieves. Still others are nothing more than circus performers who get pulled into a life of adventure through no fault of their own when extraordinary circumstances land on their doorstep. Whatever the reason, an acrobat can be a valuable ally or a deadly adversary to a pulp hero ,

Acrobat Abilities
CLIMB (DEX): This extraordinary ability allows an acrobat to climb up, down, or across a slope, wall, steep incline (even a ceiling with handholds), or unusually angled natural or man-made slope or incline that others would find impossible to climb. When doing so, the acrobat moves at one-half the character's normal speed. A failed climb check means the character makes no progress. A check failing by 5 or more results in the character falling from the currently attained height and taking falling damage. Acrobats cannot carry anything in their hands while climbing. When climbing typical natural slopes and man-made inclines, such as a cliff face or steep steps, an acrobat does not need to make an attribute check to climb the surface. It is only when climbing very sheer and difficult grades where there are few to no hand- or footholds that a check needs be made.


HIDE (DEX): Acrobats use this ability to conceal themselves from others. A successful check means the acrobat is hidden so well as to be almost invisible. The acrobat can move up to one-half normal speed and remain hidden. Hide checks suffer no penalty in this circumstance. At more than one-half and up to full speed, the character suffers a -5 penalty to the check to remain hidden. It's practically impossible (-20 penalty) to hide while running or charging. If the character is being observed, even casually, he cannot hide. If observers are momentarily distracted, though, the character can attempt to hide. While the observer averts its attention from the character, the character can attempt to get to a hiding place. This check, however, is at a -10 penalty because the character has to move quickly to the hiding place. An acrobat cannot hide if there is nothing to hide behind or conceal oneself with. Deep shadows can count as concealment at the Game Master's discretion.

Acrobats cannot hide and move silently at the same time until they reach 3rd level. At this level and beyond, an Acrobat can attempt both but must make a successful hide and move silent check at-5. In this case, movement is reduced to one quarter the normal movement rate. At 5th level the penalty to hide and move silently is reduced to -3. At eighth level the abilities can be combined with no penalty. At tenth level the character can hide and move silently at no penalty, at half normal movement rate.

MOVE SILENTLY (DEX): This ability allows an acrobat to move so silently that others cannot hear the movement. The acrobat can use this ability both indoors and outdoors. An acrobat can move up to one-half the character's normal speed at no penalty. At more than one-half and up to the character's full speed, the character suffers a -5 penalty. It's practically impossible (-20 penalty) to move silently while running or charging.

While the descriptions seem similar, hiding and moving silently are two different things. One is the ability to remain visually concealed, while the other is the ability to move without making noise.

BALANCE (DEX): The Acrobat gains +2 to all dexterity based saving throws and checks made to avoid falling or to maintain balance. In addition, by making a dexterity check the acrobat can navigate extremely precarious surfaces that would be impossible to those without training; narrow ledges and tightropes are examples of such surfaces that can be navigated. The CL and CC of such checks are at the GM's discretion based on how precarious the surface is. Using a pole, provided there is room, to increase balance, grants +2 to such a check.

TUMBLING (DEX): Beginning at 2nd level, the acrobat can use acrobatic maneuvers to confuse his enemies and make him harder to hit. By suffering a -4 penalty to all his attacks in a given round, the acrobat can replace his standard base AC of (10 plus dex bonus) with a dexterity check (armor and two weapon bonuses still apply). For example, Leon the Swift decides to suffer -4 to his attack roll for a round and makes a dexterity check. The result of the check comes up 18; adding his +3 bonus for studded leather armor (see below), his AC becomes 21 for that round.

Furthermore, the acrobat can use this ability to reduce the damage from falls. By making a dexterity check with a CL of 1 per ten feet of falling distance, the acrobat suffers only half damage from a fall. If the tumbling check exceeds the CC by more than 5, no damage is suffered from the fall.

EVASION (DEX): At 4th level and higher, an acrobat can avoid even area effect attacks such as explosives or certain magical effects, with great agility. If she makes a successful dexterity-based saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. At 7th level, the acrobat suffers only half damage even on a failed dexterity-based save. At 10th level, the acrobat can replace strength- and constitution-based saves with a dexterity save, provided she can justify the use of dexterity instead. For example, in a room filling with gas that requires a constitution save, the acrobat can argue that she can manage to get above or below the gas, as necessary. Alternately, if the acrobat is held or bound, requiring a strength-based check or save to escape, she can substitute dexterity to contort her body in such a manner that she slips free of the bonds. The GM must approve the use of dexterity in these situations. A helpless acrobat does not gain the benefit of evasion.

LEAP (STR): With this ability the Acrobat can, given a running start of at least 10 feet in a straight line, leap up to fifteen feet long or five feet high without the need to make a check. For leaps greater than this, the CL to make the jump is equal to the additional distance (in feet) to be cleared. Thus, for an 18-foot long jump, a CL 3 Strength Check is needed. Likewise, an 8-foot high jump would be CL 3. Jumping without a running start adds +10 to the CL. If the Strength check is failed by less than five, the Acrobat can make a CL 0 Dexterity save to grab the edge and keep from falling. Failing a check by greater than 5 means the acrobat misses entirely and is falling.

Beginning at 4th level, the Acrobat may use a pole to aid the jump; this is referred to as a "vault;" the pole must be a minimum of 10 feet in length and a maximum of 17 feet, and requires a running start of at least 20 feet (it cannot be done from a standing position). The pole is dropped at the midpoint of the leap and adds +1 to the check per foot of length.

For rules on jumping for normal characters, see "Jumping" on page 80.

UNARMED COMBAT: The acrobat specializes in unarmed combat. Acrobats gain attacks and improve in the amount of unarmed combat damage inflicted as shown on the table. The Acrobat also gains the ability to make an off-hand attack at 7th level (represented by the damage code after the slash). The acrobat may choose whether the attacks inflict normal damage or subdual damage. The extra off-hand attack does not incur two-fisted penalties as described in Amazing Adventures, as long as both attacks are unarmed. An acrobat fighting with a one-handed weapon can make an unarmed attack as an offhand attack, but the acrobat suffers the standard penalties for two-weapon fighting. Likewise, an acrobat with a weapon in his or her off-hand may make an extra attack with that weapon, but suffers the usual penalties for two-weapon fighting.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Dexterity
HIT DIE: d8
WEAPONS ALLOWED: One-handed melee weapons, staff, pistols.
ABILITIES: Climb, Hide, Move Silently, Balance, Tumbling, Evasion, Leap/Vault, Unarmed Combat

THE ARCHER
He sits on a shipping crate at the docks, watching the heist go on. Below, a crew of unsavory men move bootleg goods from boat to crate, from crate to truck. They must be stopped; this much he knows. The sinew and wood creak as he draws the string to his ear, the tension in the string echoed by that in his own tendons as he takes aim, draws a deep breath, lets it out slowly , and releases. The arrow flies true, striking a sentry dead in the chest.

Chaos erupts; the men swing their guns around, searching for the culprit. Some fire blindly into the night, the barrel flashes of their tommy guns illuminating the darkness, blinding them for a split second. Two more arrows fly; two more of the men drop. By the time they sight in on where the missiles flew, however , there is nothing.

The archer is a warrior who eschews guns and modern weapons, becoming one with that most ancient of ranged weapons: the bow and arrow. He has devoted his life to the study and use of the bow, to its symbolism and what it means. To him, the bow is his mark. Its silent and deadly way strikes fear into those who would use the night to victimize others. He is at one with the elegant death that he deals.

The archer is everything from the hunter-turned-warrior to the vigilante trained in the ways of the mysterious East, who strikes from the shadows, at a distance, but still close enough to see his enemies' eyes. He can put an arrow through a ring the size of a poker chip, ricochet shots around corners, and perform astounding feats with his bow. Archers are patient, their senses keenly aware of the world around, and capable of knowing where every target resides, like a hawk watching a field of mice from its perch. Not all archers are good and heroic, but all are deadly.

Archer Abilities
MASTER ARCHER: Archers gain +1 to hit and damage with any bow or crossbow. At 7th level, this bonus increases to +2 to hit and damage.

EAGLE EYE: Through his ability to shoot with the wind, lead targets, and sight in on a small target zone, the archer can double the effective range of any bow or crossbow that he uses. However, due to the intense concentration required to make such shots, the archer cannot perform dual shots, blinding speed, or unstable firing when employing eagle eye.

UNSTABLE SHOOTING: The archer suffers no penalty when firing his bow from a moving vehicle, from horseback, or from other unstable positions. However, the concentration required forbids the use of blinding speed, dual shots, or eagle eye when employing unstable shooting.

MASTER BOWYER (INT): Given the proper tools and materials, such as conditioned staves of wood, the archer can manufacture and repair traditional bows, strings, and arrows. These bows are of the classic variety: long bows, flat bows, recurves, composite bows, horse bows, etc. Modern compound bows cannot be manufactured in this way.

If the proper materials are not available, the archer is limited in what he can do—with a successful Intelligence check, repairs can be affected, and a new, temporary-use bow can be created, but these weapons will be at -1 to hit and damage, and range will be reduced by 10%. In addition, on an imploding dice result, the bow may snap; if the imploding follow-up roll on a natural one comes up six, the bow snaps and is irreparable. In addition, the archer takes 1d6 damage from the breaking bow as the tension flies back at him. If the imploding die result is less than 6, the wood creaks and cracks, and the bow weakens further, suffering a cumulative additional -1 to hit and damage, and a further 10% reduction in range. Most archers keep a supply of staves and tools at their home base, wherever that may be.

BLINDING SPEED: At 2nd level, if the archer has a bow in hand, arrow nocked and ready with his other hand on the string, prepared to draw, he gains automatic initiative in combat.

RAPID SHOT: At 3rd level, the archer increases his rate of fire with a bow to 2 shots per round. At seventh level, he is capable of firing 3 shots per round, and at fifteenth level, he can fire 4 shots per round.

DEADEYE SHOT: At 5th level, with a successful called shot (-8 to hit), the archer can incapacitate his opponent. For each round the archer spends carefully aiming before unleashing his arrow, the called shot penalty is reduced by 1. If he is successful, he manages to put an arrow into a spot that can temporarily cripple or incapacitate his victim, while leaving them alive. Such incapacitation lasts for 1d4 minutes, after which the victim can make a constitution or wisdom check each minute (victim's choice) to overcome the pain and act normally. The CL for this check is equal to the bow's normal damage with no added damage from the archer. Thus, if a bow normally does 1d8 damage, the archer rolls 1d8 for the CL of the victim's wisdom or constitution check to recover after 1d4 rounds have passed.

TRICK SHOT: At 6th level, the archer's mastery of his craft is such that he can make astounding trick shots with his bow, avoiding obstacles and finding minute targets. In this manner he can make shots that are simply impossible for others. The archer must aim for one full round before making such a shot. The GM sets the AC for making such a trick shot, with the following guidelines: shooting an arrow through a coin-sized hole requires an attack against AC 20; shooting the gallows rope to save a friend from hanging, or severing the chain on a chandelier is AC 18. Attaching a cable to an arrow and firing it at a far building side to create an anchor for a stable tightrope or grappling hook is AC 16. The -8 penalty for called shots still applies.

At 8th level, the penalty for called shots when using trick shot (but only trick shot) is reduced to -4. At 12th level, it is reduced again to -2. Trick shot cannot be combined with any other archer abilities except eagle eye and master archer.

At 12th level, the archer's mastery of the bow is such that he can use trick shot to avoid obstacles, twisting the string in such a way that a launched arrow spins and curves to strike a target behind cover. This ability does not allow the archer to shoot around corners or outside of his line of sight; the obstacle can be no more than man-sized.

At 15th level, trick shot can be used to strike around an object larger than man-sized, and an arrow can even be ricocheted around a corner if a viable object is present off of which to bounce the shot. However, striking a target around a corner or behind larger-than-man-sized cover suffers a -8 penalty just as though it were a called shot.

COMBAT SENSE: At 7th level, the archer has attained such mastery of mind and spirit that he is keenly attuned to the environment around him, and can sense when attacks are coming at him. If he is aware of his surroundings, even in total darkness, the archer can sense incoming attacks and react to them. This means not only is the archer harder to target, but he is hard to surprise as well. He gains +1 to his AC, and +1 to wisdom checks to resist surprise. At 10th level, he gains an additional +1 to resist surprise (total +2 to wisdom checks regarding surprise).

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Dexterity
HIT DIE: d8
WEAPONS ALLOWED: Any bow or crossbow, one-handed melee weapons.
ABILITIES: Master Archer, Eagle Eye, Unstable Shooting, Master Bowyer, Blinding Speed, Rapid Shot, Deadeye Shot, Trick Shot, Combat Sense

THE DUELIST
A fast and nimble fighter with a tongue as sharp as his blade, the duelist is a master of the use of two blades simultaneously, and is able to use his own wit as a weapon. Duelists have a talent for getting their comrades into trouble with their jibes and reckless nature, but are just as good at getting out of trouble. Typically, the duelist wields a rapier and a parrying dagger called a main gauche. But there have been instances in fiction and history of duelists using long swords and short swords, paired small axes, or other weapons designed to be used in tandem.

The duelist represents everything from a swashbuckling pirate, to a brash Musketeer, to a dour, wandering Puritan adventurer. At the GM's option, the duelist could feasibly be used with paired firearms, representing the two-gun, Hong Kong-style action hero—a different flavor of gunslinger than that presented below.

Duelist Abilities
FLORENTINE: At 1st level, the duelist gains an improved ability to fight with two weapons. This ability reduces the penalties for fighting with two weapons (AA, p. 154), allowing the duelist to fight at penalties of -2 with his primary weapon and -3 with his off hand. Dexterity bonus can also offset these penalties, but does not result in bonuses (penalties can only be reduced to zero). In order to use this ability, the duelist may have a maximum AC bonus from costume of +4; any higher costume bonus creates too much bulky clothing and negates the ability. Also, the weapon in the duelist's offhand must be light and both weapons must be able to be wielded one-handed.

At 3rd level, the duelist, when fighting with two weapons, gains a +1 to AC due to his improving ability to coordinate the weapons in a defensive manner. This bonus increases to +2 at seventh level, +3 at 10th level, and increases by +1 for every three levels thereafter.

At 11th level, the duelist gains an additional (third) attack with his off-hand weapon, albeit at a -5 penalty.

This ability will combine with the benefits of the two-fisted generic class ability.

TAUNT (CHA): The duelist can use his razor wit to enrage an enemy. At 1st level, through jibes and insults, the duelist can cause enemies to focus their attacks upon him, ignoring all other potential threats. To accomplish this, the duelist insults his foe and makes a charisma check, opposed by his victim's wisdom save. If the duelist wins, the enemy must attack the duelist exclusively for a number of rounds equal to the duelist's BtH bonus (minimum 1 round). Using this ability requires an action. At 1st level, this ability can be used against one foe. At 4th level, the ability can be used against two enemies, or against one a single enemy, inflicting a penalty of -2 to hit on that enemy.

At 8th level, the ability can be used against four enemies, or against up to two enemies inflicting a penalty of -3 to hit the duelist on each.

At 12th level, the ability can be used against up to eight enemies, or against up to four, inflicting a to hit penalty of -4 on each.

DEFENSIVE FIGHTING: The duelist is an expert at fighting defensively. Beginning at 6th level, when fighting with dual weapons he may choose to suffer a penalty of up to his BtH bonus to his attack rolls, and gain an equal bonus to his AC.

TUMBLING (DEX): At 9th level, the duelist can use acrobatic maneuvers to confuse his enemies and make himself harder to hit. By suffering a -4 penalty to all his attacks in a given round, the duelist can replace his standard base AC of (10 plus dex bonus) with a dexterity check (armor and two weapon bonuses still apply). For example, Leon the Swift decides to suffer -4 to his attack roll for a round and makes a dexterity check. The result of the check comes up 18; adding his +3 bonus for armor and his +1 for Florentine fighting, his AC becomes 22 for that round.


Furthermore, the duelist can use this ability to reduce the damage from falls. By making a dexterity check with a CC equal to 1 per ten feet of falling distance, the duelist suffers only half damage from a fall.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Dexterity
HIT DIE: d6
WEAPONS ALLOWED: One-handed melee weapons, light crossbows, pistols.
ABILITIES: Defensive Fighting, Florentine, Taunt, Tumbling

FAVORED WEAPON
Not all duelists fight with two weapons. At the player's option, instead of Florentine the Duelist can have a single Favored Weapon, with which she gains +1 to hit and damage. At third level the bonus increases to +2 and at fifth, to +3.

At tenth level, the bonus increases to +4 and she may choose a second weapon with which to specialize, gaining +2 to hit and damage with this second weapon. At twelfth level she gains an additional attack with her initial favored weapon at -5, and her second favored weapon increases to a +3 bonus.

Finally, at fifteenth level, the second weapon gains a +4 bonus and a second attack at -5. The duelist applies bonuses only to a specific weapon which is often formally named. Favored weapon bonuses are halved with other weapons of the same type (katanas that aren't the duelist's favorite katana, for example).

If the duelist loses or breaks their favored weapon, they must spend 1d8 weeks breaking in a new one. This ability does not grant any special bonus to fighting with two weapons at the same time, though it can be used in conjunction with the Two Fisted generic class ability (which would be necessary to use the Defensive Fighting ability of the class).

Finally, duelists who use Favored Weapon instead of Florentine may have the full maximum +7 costume-based AC.

THE GUNSLINGER
Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson are classic examples of the gunslinger, the lawman or desperado who makes his way in the world by force of arms, his best friend his trusty handgun. Gunslingers come from all walks of life; some are staunch defenders of law, life, and liberty; others are desperate rogues out to take what they can at the expense of others. The only thing that all have in common is that their unique skills set tends to set them outside of normal society. Most gunslingers surround themselves with similar folk—gamblers, desperadoes, other lawmen. They can be mob enforcers or bodyguards to the rich and famous.

There are ways, however, for gunslingers to make their way in the world honestly—their fast-draw, shoot from the hip, and deadeye shot abilities make them perfectly suited for the exhibition shooter circuit, and gunslingers can be found amongst Olympic athletes and at Wild West and firearms exhibitions shows all over the world.

Gunslinger Abilities

FAST DRAW (DEX): The gunslinger may add his dexterity bonus to an initiative roll when he draws a weapon as part of initiative. At 5th level, he adds an additional +1 to his initiative roll, and at 10th level, he adds +2.

DEADEYE SHOT: Even when he's not engaged in duels at high noon, a gunslinger can make a living with his pistoleering skills; one never knows when a shot that takes out a chandelier can save the day. At 2nd level, gunslingers gain a +1 to hit with a handgun at ranges of less than 30 feet. At 4th level, the gunslinger reduces all range penalties for hitting with a handgun by half. At 7th level, when using a handgun, the gunslinger ignores any cover bonuses the target gains to AC. At 10th level, the gunslinger gains an extra shot per round with a handgun. This is in addition to his shoot from the hip ability. At 12th level and every three levels thereafter, the gunslinger may fire one extra (cumulative) bullet at a single target with one attack roll, which may not be combined with the extra shot granted at 10th level.

SHOOT FROM THE HIP (DEX): At 3rd level, the gunslinger may make a snap shot as his first attack in a combat. This shot must be taken against a target that has not yet acted, and gains no bonuses (not even the gunslinger's BtH bonus, nor the weapon's accuracy bonus), but is in addition to any normal attacks in a round. Thus, if a gunslinger's weapon has a rate of fire of 2, he may use shoot from the hip as his first shot in a battle, provided his intended target has not yet acted. He then may take his two additional shots as normal. At 5th level the gunslinger may add the weapon's accuracy bonus to this shot. At 10th level, the gunslinger may add half his BtH bonus to this shot.

TWO-FISTED (DEX): At 3rd level, gunslingers can fight with a weapon in each hand, so long as each weapon can be wielded in one hand; this includes handguns and melee weapons. This ability allows the character to make an extra attack each round with the off-hand weapon. Characters with this ability suffer a -3 penalty with each hand at 3rd level rather than -3/-6 (per AA, p.154). At 7th level, this penalty decreases to -2. At 10th level it decreases to -1. At 15th level, the character has no penalty for two-weapon combat. This ability cannot be used with perform deadeye shot or shoot from the hip (though one could shoot from the hip and draw a second firearm next round).

FAVORED WEAPON: At 4th level, the gunslinger chooses one firearm and gives it a name (Betsy, Vera, etc.) With this weapon he gains a +1 bonus to hit and damage. At 6th level, this bonus increases to +2. At 10th level, the bonus is +3.

At 12th level, the gunslinger may name a second gun, gaining +3 to hit and damage with that weapon.

Note this ability applies to a specific gun, not a type or make. When using a weapon of the same make as their favored weapon, (any Colt Peacemaker, for example, as opposed to Brenda, the Gunslinger's Peacemaker), the gunslinger still has an advantage, but not quite as much of one—Favored weapon bonuses when using the same make of weapons as the gunslinger's favored weapon are at half normal (round up). Thus, a 5th level gunslinger who has a favored Peacemaker gains +2 to hit and damage when using that revolver; using any other Colt Peacemaker will see him at +1. While he knows all Peacemakers front to back, not all are Brenda.

ADVERSARY: At 6th level, the gunslinger has enough of a reputation to draw the ire of an organization whose affiliates he has plagued too often. However, this works to the gunslinger's advantage, as he becomes intimately familiar with their signs, tactics, and operations. When combating or dealing with the organization, the gunslinger gains a +2 bonus to all checks, including to hit rolls in combat, and to his AC against their agents. The organization should be specific, but need not be world-spanning or infamous. For example, Wyatt Earp could have The Cowboys, a local gang operating in the Arizona Territory, while a veteran of the Indian Wars might have, The Sioux Nation. Game Masters should ensure the adversary is appropriate to both the character and the campaign.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Dexterity
HIT DIE: d6
WEAPONS ALLOWED: One-handed melee weapons, pistols, rifles.
ABILITIES: Adversary, Deadeye Shot, Fast Draw, Favored Weapon, Shoot from the Hip, Two-Fisted

THE SOLDIER
A soldier is a professional warrior who specializes in strategy, tactics, and coordinated battle. More than that, however, soldiers stand for something. They are, in general, men and women who appreciate order and stand up ideals. Even soldiers of the mercenary variety tend to follow a code of honor that binds them to their compatriots, and while the almighty dollar might be their driving force, they tend to be loyal to their employer.

When the time comes to defend a fortress from thousands of natives, to plan an infiltration or assault mission on a fortified area, or to stand toe-to-toe with your comrades against overwhelming odds, it is always good to have a soldier in your corner. Soldiers tend to be well-balanced. Those who seek to set an example for their peers favor constitution, wisdom and charisma. Those who value the more martial aspects of the job tend towards intelligence, strength and dexterity.

Soldier abilities

STRATEGY AND TACTICS: If using optional knowledge skills, the soldier gains a bonus knowledge in the realm of strategy and tactics. If not using this option, the solider still gains this knowledge skill as a class ability. See knowlege skills in Amazing Adventures, page 55.

EMBOLDEN: The soldier's confidence and fearlessness in the face of danger becomes an inspiration to his allies, inspiring courage in his followers and compatriots. Any companions or followers within 30 feet of the solder who can see and hear him, gain a +1 bonus to strength, constitution, dexterity, and intelligence saving throws, and a +2 bonus to wisdom and charisma saving throws.

BAYONET TRAINING: A bayonet that is not mounted to a rifle is simply a combat knife. Soldiers are specially trained in hand-to-hand combat with mounted bayonets, learning to use these weapons in a similar manner to using a spear in hand-to-hand combat. For the soldier, a rifle with a mounted bayonet counts as a spear for purposes of weapon proficiencies, though the soldier cannot effectively throw either a spear or the rifle with mounted bayonet (doing so results in non-proficiency penalties).

At 3rd level, when charging with a mounted bayonet, the soldier suffers only a -2 penalty to his AC for the charge maneuver instead of the standard -4. At 6th level, the solder suffers no AC penalty for charging with a mounted bayonet.

At 5th level, the soldier becomes specialized with the use of this weapon, gaining +1 to hit and damage with the mounted bayonet. At 10th level, this bonus increases to +2, and at 15th level, to +3.

BROTHERS IN ARMS: A soldier's strength lies in his comrades. Beginning at 2nd level, whenever he faces combat with at least two allies by his side, both the soldier and his allies gain certain benefits. At 2nd level, the soldier and up to two allies of his choice within ten feet of him gain +1 to damage with any weapon they are wielding. At 6th level, this bonus increases to +2, and at 12th level to +3

FORMATION FIGHTING: At 3rd level the soldier and his allies are so in tune with one another that they gain defensive bonuses from covering each other's backs in combat. The soldier and two allies of his choice within ten feet of him gain a +1 bonus to AC so long as they remain within ten feet of one another. These allies can be the same as those who benefit from Brothers in Arms, or different. At 9th level, this bonus increases to +2, and at 15th, to +3.

SNIPER: A soldier is a crack shot with a rifle. At 3rd level, the soldier gains +1 to damage with a rifle, and gains an additional +1 to hit when taking the aim action (AA, p.152). At 6th, 9th and 12th levels, the sniper reduces all penalties for range by 1, cumulatively. At 10th level, the damage and aiming bonus increases to +2.

FIGHTING SPIRIT: At 5th level, the soldier can inspire greatness in a single comrade who can see or hear him. By issuing orders and rousing encouragement to his compatriot, the soldier inspires his comrade in such a way that the companion gains temporary hit points and combat capabilities as though they were two levels higher than they actually are. Thus, a 3rd level character sees her BtH increase to 5th level capability, and gains two additional hit dice worth of hit points. These hit points are temporary hit points, as outlined in the Amazing Adventures core rulebook, page 154.

For every two levels the soldier gains above 5th, he can inspire one additional comrade in this manner.


ADVERSARY: By 6th level, the soldier has managed to make enemies, and has drawn the ire of a specific organization whose members or affiliates he has plagued once too often. However, this can work to his advantage, as he becomes intimately familiar with the signs, tactics and operations of this organization. When combating or dealing with members of his adversary organization, the soldier gains a +2 bonus to hit and to AC in combat. Further, all SIEGE checks related to dealings with this organization are made at a +2 bonus. This includes all soldier class abilities. The organization should be specific and may be either world-spanning (Nazi Germany) or specific (members of the New York City branch of the Triads). Game Masters should work with the player to ensure that the organization is appropriate to the character and campaign.

INDOMITABLE WILL (CHA): At 10th level, when a soldier is reduced to zero hit points, he may continue to fight on by making a charisma check with a CL equal to the amount below zero hit points he is. For example, if reduced to -3 hit points, the soldier must make a CL 3 check to continue fighting. Every time the soldier takes damage a new check is made. Failing a check means immediately suffering the full effects of the damage taken. This means that a soldier can continue to fight below -10 hit points, but the moment he fails a check, he will die instantly.

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Charisma
HIT DIE: d8
WEAPONS ALLOWED: All firearms, knives, spears (melee only), one-handed swords.
ABILITIES: Strategy and Tactics, Embolden, Bayonet Training, Brothers in Arms, Formation Fighting, Sniper, Fighting Spirit, Adversary, Indomitable Will

A Game Changer!

FATE POINTS
Fate Points are a mechanic that provides characters with the means to affect game play in small, but significant ways. They represent the actions of cinematic heroes, who always seem to make those dramatic comebacks, have sudden flashes of insight just in time, or call upon inner reserves of strength to fell the villain just when things look grim.

USING FATE POINTS
A character always has a limited amount of Fate Points, and while the character replenishes this supply with every new level he or she attains, the rate of attrition can far outstrip the rate of gain. As such, players must use them wisely. A character can spend Fate Points to do any of these things:

FORTUNE'S FAVOR: Alter a single d20 roll used to make an attack, attribute check, level check, or a saving throw.

MIGHTY BLOW: Make a single, earth-shattering attack which also stands a chance of smashing the character's weapon.

YOU MISSED!: Avoid an attack.

JUST MADE IT!: Automatically succeed at a saving throw.

SECOND WIND: Recover lost hit points.

SOUND THE CHARGE!: Double the character's movement for the round.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: Avoid death when reduced to below -10 Hit Points

PROVIDENCE SMILES: Gain a Plot Break

Fortune's Favor
When a character spends 1 Fate Point to improve a d20 roll, add a die to the roll to help meet or exceed the target number. The type of die rolled is dependent upon the character's level and shown on the fate point table (p.44). A character can declare the use of 1 Fate Point to alter a d20 roll after the roll is made—but only before the GM reveals the result of that roll (whether the attack or check or saving throw succeeded or failed). A Fate Point that comes up 6 explodes just like a roll of a natural 20, but does not implode on a roll of 1.

Mighty Blow
When a character spends 1 Fate Point to make a single, earthshattering attack, the attack automatically hits the opponent; no attack roll is needed. Also, the attack does double the maximum possible damage for the attack. However, the character must then make an unmodified d20 roll; a result of 1-9 on the d20 means that the weapon shatters as a result of the mighty blow (firearms are ruined from blowback). This ability is useful only in melee combat, and extra damage from special attacks such as sneak attacks does not double. A Fate Point can be used to achieve this effect only once per game session.

You Missed!
A character may spend 1 Fate Point to avoid a single attack that targets her. Critical hits may only be avoided if they would reduce the character below 0 hit points, and this costs 2 Fate Points.

Just Made it!
A character may spend 1 Fate Point to automatically succeed at a saving throw. This Fate Point must be spent before the character rolls the saving throw. If the character rolls the saving throw and fails, he may still use "Just Made It!" but this requires the expenditure of 2 Fate Points.

Second Wind
A character who has lost more than half of their current total hit points (and is still conscious) may, once per day, spend two Fate Points to recover half of all the hit points they have lost (round up). For example, a character who has 25 hit points when at his maximum has suffered 15 points of damage, reducing him to a current total of 10 hit points. He may spend two Fate Points to instantly recover 8 hit points, but may not catch a Second Wind again for another 24 hours.

Sound the Charge!
A character can spend a Fate Point to double their allotted movement for a single round. This includes the ability to move full movement and still attack, rather than half, as described on (p 149).

Unlike a normal Charge maneuver, characters spending a Fate Point can move up to their full base movement and attack, but do not gain a bonus to damage or penalty to Armor Class. However, spending a Fate Point to Sound the Charge effectively doubles the distance a character can cover to take a charge maneuver in order to gain this bonus and suffer this penalty (see Charge, p. 171). In effect, this maneuver allows a character to move up to their full base movement and make a normal attack, or to double the distance up to which they may make a charge maneuver.

Down But Not Out When a character falls to at least -10 Hit Points or below, he is normally considered dead. Not so, if he has Fate Points to spend. Down But Not Out costs three Fate Points, and results in the character being reduced to exactly -9 Hit Points, and stabilized. The character must have three Fate Points to spend to use this ability, and may only call upon it once per character level, and if he doesn't use it, it doesn't carry over. So a character who never has to use Down But Not Out at second level doesn't have two uses of it waiting when he gets to third.

Providence Smiles By spending a Fate Point, a character can gain a small plot break that helps him in some minor way. He gains an important clue that he overlooked, just happens to be talking to the right person to get the information he needs, or has the cavalry come over the hill while he's in a hopeless situation. The player must describe exactly what the plot break is that his character gains, and the GM always has the right to overrule this use if he deems it improper, or if he has a good reason for the character to be in such a tight spot. If the plot break is overruled, the Fate Point is not spent. Characters can spend a point for Providence Smiles once per game session.

A character can only spend Fate Points once per round. If a character spends a point to strike a mighty blow, he or she can't spend another one in the same round to improve a die roll, and vice versa.

Depending on the hero's character level (see the table below), the die type increases when spending 1 Fate Point to add to a roll. If the character does so, apply the highest result and disregard the other rolls.

CHARACTER LEVEL FATE DICE ROLLED
1st-4th 1d6
5th-9th 1d8
10th-14th 1d10
15th-20th 1d12

STARTING AND GAINING FATE POINTS
Characters begin the game with 10 Fate Points. Each level thereafter, the character gains additional Fate Points equal to half their new level (rounded down). Any Fate Points not spent do carry over to the new level. Thus, if a first level character makes it to second level with 8 Fate Points remaining, she gains 1 new Fate Point for half her level, which adds to her existing 8, for a total of 9.

In addition, the GM can (and should) award Fate Points as an on-the-spot reward for heroic or dramatic play, the use of clever (in character) banter, noble self-sacrifice, or as "compensation" to the players when the story needs to take a turn that is particularly dark for one or more characters.

Remember, however, that the use of Fate Points creates an extremely heroic game, and awarding too many can result in very over-the-top play, rather than the cinematic bennies that they are intended to represent. It's important to strike a balance between allowing characters to have fate points when needed, and the characters having so many that they never have to worry about failing. In general, and keeping in mind that characters gain additional Fate Points every level, if the GM is awarding half to three-quarters the amount of Fate Points spent in a given game session this is likely a decent balance.

GRITTIER GAMES
Fate points are considered a core part of the Amazing Adventures rules as they allow the kind of over-the-top heroics and limited "plot immunity" that heroes in pulp tales often display. However, for GMs wanting a grittier game with less emphasis on this kind of heroic play, you can choose to not use fate points, or severely restrict their accumulation.

For a grittier game that still has some use of fate points in play, start characters with five fate points, and still grant them half their level (round down) in additional fate points per level as they increase in experience, but do not hand out additional points for good roleplaying, heroic acts and the like.

FATE POINTS AND INITIATIVE
The GM can, at her option, allow player characters to spend fortune's favor fate points to affect initiative rolls, even though these are made using a d10 rather than a d20. The player, in this case, must declare the use of the fate point immediately after the initiative roll and before he knows where he falls in the overall initiative order.

Of course, if player characters can do it, so can monsters and villains ,

GENERIC CLASS ABILITIES Generic Class Abilities are abilities that any class can take, simply by sacrificing an existing class ability and adding one of these in its stead. Choosing a generic class ability does not affect the experience progression of a class, and some may have prerequisites that must be met before the ability can be chosen. These allow the customization of character classes to a degree, allowing players to create characters filling a more specific pulp archetype. Generally speaking, players should sacrifice a class ability tied to the same attribute as the Generic ability they are gaining, but this is at the Game Master's discretion.

Please note that if a character sacrifices a class ability that he gains at a later level, for a Generic Ability, he gets the Generic Ability when he would normally gain the sacrificed class ability. For example, the Socialite gains Embolden at third level. If the Socialite chooses to sacrifice Embolden to get Animal Handling, he gains Animal Handling at third level.

Finally, for purposes of sacrificing class abilities, Arcanists, Gadgeteers, and Mentalists can at the GM's discretion, sacrifice a level of spell, power, or gadget point advancement to pick up a generic class ability, essentially reducing their effective caster/power/gadget level by one.

TRUE CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION If the players and GM determine it appropriate, true character customization can be achieved by "mixing and matching" the class abilities of various classes rather than choosing one of the multiclassing options here. This method is extremely challenging and tricky and runs a high risk of unbalancing the game, so it is not recommended. However, if the GM permits, this method essentially treats all class abilities for all classes as Generic Class Abilities.

Using this method, if a player so chooses (and the GM permits) she can choose a character class as standard and swap out class abilities with abilities from other classes that the GM deems to be of similar or equivalent power. That is to say, players should only swap out abilities with other abilities of the same general level of advantage, and obtain the abilities at the same levels. So, if a character swaps out a non-combat ability (say, the Socialite's 3rd level Embolden Ability), she should not gain something like the Hooligan's Sneak Attack power. Rather, something along the lines of the Raider's Legend Lore ability, or even a single basic Psionic power (which is non-combat related) might be appropriate.

As always, the GM must carefully weigh the options available with such choices and be certain that the abilities the character gains combined with the speed of advancement, do not ruin the overall balance of the game.

ACE (DEX) This character is either a classic wheelman or hot dog pilot. He can pull bootleg turns, storm barns, and work a vehicle like Van Gogh worked with color. Instead of adding either a vehicle's Dex bonus or his own when piloting, this character adds both the vehicle's bonus and his own. If a vehicle has a penalty to an attribute, the character can treat that penalty as zero (See Vehicle Combat rules, p.15. At fifth level, if the vehicle has a penalty to an attribute, the Ace instead applies a +1 bonus. At fifth level, the character can treat any negatives to a vehicle's attributes as zero. At tenth level, the character adds an additional +1 to all rolls when piloting a vehicle.

COMBAT DOMINANCE The character gains an extra attack with any weapon when fighting opponents with half his hit dice or fewer. In order to use this ability the character must direct all attacks in a combat round against creatures that meet this criteria. The character can split the available attacks amongst qualified creatures as desired. The ability improves as the character increases in levels, granting an additional attack every four levels. The character can sacrifice one of these additional attacks to allow the ability to apply to ranged combat, but it cannot increase the rate of fire of a firearm; rather, it will allow an additional attack within the weapon's rate of fire before recoil penalties accrue. To acquire this ability, the character must sacrifice a combat-related ability that is gained at fourth level or higher, or must sacrifice two combat-related abilities of lower level.

GREAT FORTITUDE (CON) The character gains +2 to all Constitution-based saving throws. This does not combine with other class abilities that grant bonuses to all Constitution-based saves, though it will combine with those that grant bonuses to specific saves that also happen to be based upon this ability. At level 5, the character gains an additional hit point at every level gained thereafter. At level 10, the character gains Constitution as an additional Prime Attribute; if he already has Constitution as a Prime, or already has four Prime Attributes, he instead gains an additional +3 to all Constitution-based ability checks.

INDOMITABLE This character gains an extra hit point per level of experience. At level 5, the character gains two extra hit points per additional level. At level 10, the character gains an extra three hit points per additional level.

IRON WILL (WIS) The character gains +2 to all Wisdom-based saving throws. This does not combine with other class abilities that grant bonuses to all Wisdom-based saves, though it will combine with those that grant bonuses to specific saves that also happen to be based upon this ability. At level 5, the character gains +1 to all Wisdom-based ability checks related to perception or willpower. At level 10, the character gains Wisdom as an additional Prime Attribute; if he already has Wisdom as a Prime, or already has four Prime Attributes, he instead gains an additional +2 to all Wisdom-based ability checks (adding to the +1 at level 5 for a total of +3)

KEEN INTELLECT (INT) The character gains +2 to all Intelligence-based saving throws. This does not combine with other class abilities that grant bonuses to all Intelligence-based saves, though it will combine with those that grant bonuses to specific saves that also happen to be based upon this ability. At level 5, the character gains +1 to all Intelligence-based ability checks related to solving puzzles, academics, or reasoning. At level 10, the character gains Intelligence as an additional Prime; if he already has Intelligence as a Prime, or already has four Prime Attributes, he instead gains an additional +2 to all Intelligence-based ability checks (adding to the +1 at level 5 for a total of +3)

MEDICINE (WIS) Adventurers often have to deal with allies who are poisoned or infected with some horrible disease, or face enemies that do not wish to be captured, sometimes to the point of committing suicide rather than being brought in for questioning. For this reason, it can be useful to have a working and thorough knowledge of toxins and pathogens, and how to slow or stop their effects. A player character can, at the cost of another class ability of his choice, gain Medicine in its stead. A Character with this ability undergoes years of study and training to learn the signs, symptoms, and makeup of poisons used the world over, and of disease vectors, communicability rates, and cures, so may actually have knowledge of a poison or infection he has never seen before.

Using this ability requires two Wisdom checks. The first check lets the Character divine what kind of affliction the character suffers. The CL of this check can increase depending on how rare or foreign the substance or infection in question is, at the discretion of the GM. The second check is to actually delay or neutralize the toxin or disease. The Character can, on a successful medicine roll, temporarily halt the effect of poisons or illness. This ability allows the Character to stop the poison, bacteria, virus, or other foreign vector from working for one hour per level of the Character. It does not cure any damage the poison or disease has already caused. The process takes one round, and the Character must have an appropriate first aid kit and the proper herbs and medicines to succeed at the attempt, which can be made only once per individual.

If the roll exceeds the total needed for success by 6 or more, the medic has successfully neutralized the poison or infection. The afflicted creature suffers no additional damage or effect from the poison, and any temporary effects end, but damage or effects that have already occurred are not reversed. Players should keep in mind that some diseases have no cure and some poisons, no antitoxin.

Another use of this ability is to perform general first aid on a suffering or wounded character. If a character has negative hit points and is losing hit points (at the rate of 1 per round, 1 per hour, or 1 per day), a character with this Class Ability can make him or her stable. The CL of the check to do so is equal to the number of hit points the dying character is below zero. A stable character regains no hit points but stops losing them.

Providing long-term care, treating a wounded person for a day or more, allows the patient to recover hit points or ability score points (lost to ability damage) at twice the normal rate: 2 hit points per level for a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 hit points per level for each full day of complete rest; 2 ability score points for a full 8 hours of rest in a day, or 4 ability score points for each full day of complete rest. The CL for this check is the same as for a dying character if the patient is below zero; otherwise providing long-term care has a CL equal to the number of patients being treated simultaneously. The medic needs a few items and supplies (bandages, salves, and so on) that are easy to come by in civilized lands.

NIMBLE (DEX) The character gains +2 to all Dexterity-based saving throws. This does not combine with other class abilities that grant bonuses to all Dexterity-based saves, though it will combine with those that grant bonuses to specific saves that also happen to be based upon this ability. At level 5, the character gains a +1 to all Dexteritybased checks related to agility, tumbling, acrobatics, and the like. At level 10, the character gains Dexterity as an additional Prime; if he already has Dexterity as a Prime, or already has four Prime Attributes, he instead gains +2 to all Dexterity checks (adding to the +1 from Level 5, for a total of +3)

OVERWHELMING PERSONALITY (CHA) The character gains +2 to all Charisma-based saving throws. This does not combine with other class abilities that grant bonuses to all Charisma-based saves, though it will combine with those that grant bonuses to specific saves that also happen to be based upon this ability. At level 5, the character gains the ability to Charm a single person, as per the spell "Charm Person," (p.53). This ability requires no expenditure of M.E.P., but requires a Charisma Check with a CL equal to the level or hit dice of the victim. At level 10, the character gains Charisma as an additional Prime; if the character already has Charisma as a Prime, or already has four Prime Attributes, he instead gains +3 to all Charisma-based checks.

POWERHOUSE (STR) The character gains +2 to all Strength-based saving throws. This does not combine with other class abilities that grant bonuses to all Strength-based saves, though it will combine with those that grant bonuses to specific saves that also happen to be based upon Strength. At level 5, the character gains +2 to damage with all melee attacks, and can deal 1d4 normal damage with an unarmed attack. At level 10, the character gains Strength as an additional Prime; if the character already has Strength as a Prime, or already has four Prime Attributes, he instead gains +3 to all Strength-based checks.

RELENTLESS WARRIOR (CON) When the character is reduced to zero hit points, he may continue fighting by making a Constitution Check. The CL of this check is +1 for every five points below zero the character's hit points fall. If the character fails a Constitution Check, or at the end of the battle, he immediately collapses and takes the full penalty for his current negative hit points (meaning that if he is below -10 hit points, death occurs). STILL BODY (CON) This character has mastery over vital bodily functions, and with a successful Constitution-based check can slow them until he or she appears to be dead. To any examination, the character will appear to have no heartbeat, no breathing, no vital functions whatsoever. The character may maintain this state of feigned death for a number of turns equal to the character's level. Anyone examining the character can detect the subterfuge by making a Wisdom check with a CC equal to the character's Constitution check to activate this ability, plus 2. Thus, if the Constitution check to activate this ability was 17, anyone examining the character for signs of life would detect such signs on a Wisdom check of 19 or better.

TRACKING (WIS) The character with this ability can successfully track any creature in a wilderness setting that leaves a discernable trace. They can also determine characteristics about the creature being tracked. With a successful wisdom check, a character can find and follow a creature's tracks or trail for 5 hours. The character can also hide tracks at the same level of ability. A character can, by sacrificing another class ability, gain the acumen of an expert tracker.
When tracking or hiding tracks from enemies, a character receives a +2 bonus to the attribute check. The Game Master may apply bonuses or penalties for varying conditions, such as the length of time elapsed since the tracks were made, weather conditions, the number of creatures tracked and whether the tracked creature moved through water or a secret door.
A successful track check may also impart information about the creature(s) being tracked. Once a trail is found, a track check can determine the general number and type of creatures being tracked. The number of creatures tracked should be disclosed to the player by using one of the following categories: individuals (1-6), band (6-30), troop (20-100), or army (100+). A character can identify specific animal tracks with no effort. After having tracked a particular type of creature several times, the character can later identify its tracks. At 5th level, a character can identify the specific type of prey being tracked, if belonging to a society with which the character has had some interaction: a jungle tracker, for example, may be able to spot telltale signs of different local primitive tribes.

At 3rd level, a character can ascertain distinguishing characteristics about the creatures tracked, such as whether they are wounded, exhausted, carrying heavy objects or wearing certain armor. The character might even be able to determine if a shaman or arcanist is in the group being tracked. The marks or characteristics determined are limited only by the Game Master's imagination and desire to provide or enhance story elements during game play

TWO-FISTED Characters with this ability can fight with a weapon in each hand, so long as the weapon can be wielded in one hand, including handguns as well as melee weapons, allowing the character to make an extra attack each round with the "offhand" weapon. Normally, when attempting to fight with weapons in two hands, the character suffers a -3 penalty with his strong hand, and a -6 penalty with his "off" hand. Characters with this ability suffer a -3 penalty with each hand at first level. At fifth level, this penalty decreases to -2. At tenth level, the penalty decreases to -1, and at fifteenth level, the character may attack with a weapon in each hand at no penalty. Characters seeking to take this ability should sacrifice an appropriate combat-related Class ability (at the GM's discretion), or two class abilities tied to mental Attributes or social situations (again, at the GM's discretion).

USE/BREW POISONS (INT) Identifying a poison or antitoxin requires a successful check. To make a poison or antitoxin, the character needs access to a chemistry lab and raw materials costing at least $500. Training in the use of poison means that he never risks accidental poisoning when applying poison to a blade. Moreover, characters with this ability train with poisons of all types, and they slowly grow more resistant to their effects. This is reflected by a +1 bonus to saving throws versus poisons gained. This saving throw is gained at 3rd level.

WEALTHY (CHA) This class ability is generally only available in games that use the optional Wealth system on page 71. Characters with this class ability have money and friends. These characters automatically succeed in any wealth check (see p.71) to purchase any mundane item, from a cigarette lighter to an automobile, and whenever an item is encountered that needs to be purchased and is beyond the funds of the party, the Wealthy character adds +5 to her check to make the purchase. In addition, characters with a negative class-based Wealth Rating instead have a Wealth Rating of 0.

WEAPON FINESSE As with Two-Fisted, an appropriate combat-related class ability should be sacrificed to pick this up. Weapon Finesse allows a character, when using a light melee weapon or rapier, to use her Dexterity bonus in place of her Strength bonus when rolling to hit in combat. At fifth level, she can also when appropriately armed substitute her Dexterity bonus for strength when rolling damage. At ninth level, her flashing blades also provide a measure of defense—she improves her AC against melee attacks (and only melee attacks) by +2 when using appropriate light weapons or a rapier. At twelfth level she gains an additional +1 to AC against melee attacks.

Note from the Game Master: There are at least Two (2) of the above that are probably Essential for the Party! There may also be One or More that May Prove to Be Useless! [Which is Why I Did Not Include the Animal Handling!]

Any Player Character will be allowed to try to Tame An Animal with the following guidelines for a Charisma Check (in case the Party has an encounter with any variety of animals!)

TAMING AN ANIMAL: A character can attempt, with a Charisma check, to calm or tame a wild animal so that it can be handled, or so that it does not feel threatened (i.e. stop it from attacking). The CL for this check is dependent upon the beast's attitude when encountered. The CL listed is for a check to improve the animal's attitude by one step; multiple Checks are allowed, but a failure downgrades the animal's attitude by two steps. An animal downgraded beyond Hostile immediately attacks and no further checks are allowed.

INITIAL ATTITUDE CL Friendly CL 1
Indifferent CL 2
Suspicious CL 5
Antagonistic CL 7
Hostile, Cornered, or Afraid CL 10

NEW GENERIC CLASS ABILITIES

ALWAYS ON GUARD (WIS) You are exceptionally hard to surprise and are always alert for danger. Any time a situation arises where you may be surprised, you are entitled to a wisdom SIEGE check to avoid surprise, even if this check would not be permitted. Further, in situations where you would normally be surprised as the result of a check (if you fail or your opponent rolls better than you do) you may re-roll your check to avoid surprise. At 5th level, your increased alertness translates to a +1 on wisdom checks to avoid surprise and to initiative rolls. At 10th level, these bonuses increase to +2.

BERSERKER (CHA) Also known as battle rage, fighting madness, or just plain "seein' red," people with this capability find that their innate rage is an important advantage when they enter battle. Once per day, you can make a charisma check to enter a battle rage which grants you +4 to Strength and Constitution and a +2 on wisdom or charisma saves against fear or mind control effects, but you suffer -2 to your AC. Hit points gained from the constitution improvement are cumulative for every level and count as Temporary Hit Points (AA, p. 154).

While in a battle rage you may only make melee attacks. You will not attack friends unless they attack you first, at which point you immediately view them as a foe. You may use melee weapons, but cannot use ranged weapons, and you automatically fail any checks that involve concentration, finesse (including the weapon finesse generic class ability) or patience. This rage lasts for one encounter, combat or scene as deemed appropriate by the GM. When the rage wears off, you suffer from the exhausted condition (AA, p. 145).

At 7th level, you may rage twice per day and your modifiers increase to +5 strength and constitution, but you suffer -3 AC. At 15th level, you may rage three times per day and your modifiers increase to +5 to wisdom and charisma saves vs. fear and mind control effects and -4 AC.

BLIND FIGHTING (WIS) When you are in absolute darkness, blinded, fighting invisible opponents or are otherwise visually impaired in combat, you may, once per round, re-roll any missed attack roll. In addition, you may make a wisdom check with a CL equal to your attacker's level or hit dice. If this check is successful, you negate penalties for blindness or concealment (see "Situational Combat Modifiers," AA p. 151). Normally, attackers gain +5 to hit blinded opponents, and are -10 to hit opponents who are completely concealed.

CLEAVE Whenever you strike down an opponent in melee combat, you may make an immediate second attack at another enemy who is also within reach. If no other enemies are in immediate reach, you cannot use this ability (you can't move after taking down an enemy to cleave through to another). At 6th level, you may, if you strike down your second enemy, make a third attack at an enemy within reach.

At 12th level, you may instead forego all other actions in the round to make a single attack at each enemy within reach. These attacks do not combine with the normal cleave attacks you gain at first and 6th level.

ESCAPE ARTIST (DEX) You are an expert at escaping tight spaces and confining bonds. You have the ability to twist and contort your body in such a way that manacles pull free, ropes slip loose, and bars seem to part for you to squeeze through. The process is never without some pain to you, but tight spots have a tough time holding you. The CL for your dexterity check depends on the form of restraint from which you are attempting to escape. Basic ropes have a CL equal to the level of the person who restrained you. Manacles or metal restraints such as handcuffs have a CL based on the construction of the device (GM's option), but in general, old-west-style "one size fits all" restraints are CL 5. Modern handcuffs are CL 10. Heavy-duty manacles form fit to your wrists are CL 15 or higher.

Escape artists gain +2 to escape from being grappled.

At 5th level you can attempt to escape or wiggle through a tight space where your head fits but your shoulders don't. This requires a check at CL 15. If the space is long you may need to make multiple checks, at the GM's option. You can't get through a space that your head does not fit through.

At 10th level you can try to escape from magical bonds resulting from the casting of a spell. This requires a saving throw against the spell that binds you, though a character with escape artist is entitled to a second saving throw if the first fails, and may substitute their dexterity bonus for any other ability called for by the spell. In addition, those with escape artist are entitled to a saving throw even if the spell would normally not allow one.

Making an escape artist check to escape from rope bindings, manacles, or other restraints (except a grappler) requires 1 minute of work. Escaping from a net or an animate rope, command plants, control plants, or entangle spell requires a full round. Escaping from a grapple or pin is a standard action and can be done in place of an attack or move. Squeezing through a tight space takes at least 1 turn, maybe longer, depending on how long the space is.

NIGHT-SIGHTED You have keen eyes and can see even in the deepest shadows, almost as though you were a cat. At 1st level, you have dusk vision. At 4th level, your vision improves to twilight vision. At 7th level, you have dark vision, and at 10th level, your vision is as keen as those who live in the deepest, darkest places of the earth: you have deepvision.
When you gain new forms of low-light sight, you may choose to shift your vision between any version as is most beneficial. For example, while you have dark vision at 7th level, if a situation arises when there is low light and it would be advantageous to see colors, you may choose to use twilight vision instead.

SHOOT-THROUGH This generic class ability may not be taken until 4th level. Whenever you strike down an opponent in ranged combat, your shot passes through to make a second attack at another enemy who is in a direct line and within short range for your weapon beyond the first target. At 8th level, you gain +1 to strike this second target. At 12th level, you gain +2 to hit the second target and may make a third attack if you strike down your first two opponents and a third target is also in a direct line and within short range of your second target.

SNIPER'S BANE You are an expert at avoiding ranged attacks, whether they are from thrown weapons, bows, or firearms. Whenever you are targeted by a ranged attack you gain +1 to your AC. At 5th level, this bonus increases to +2, and at 10th, to +3

CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS

DETERMINING BACKGROUNDS
There are two methods for determining backgrounds for a character. The first, and preferred method, is that each player can script out his character's back story as he likes, and then work with the GM to choose an appropriate background(s) based on that story. The second method is for players who prefer the "gonzo" nature of random character generation.

In addition, every class should be assumed to have a Knowledge skill in their appropriate class. Thus, Socialites have Knowledge (Socialite) and Gadgeteers Knowledge (Gadgeteer); class specific Knowledge skills likely will encompass one or more of those listed below, but are considered bonus knowledge based off of the character's chosen path in life.

Method one: Player's Choice
GM's should be careful to adjudicate this freeform method closely, to maintain balance in the game, and in no case should a player ever begin play with more than three backgrounds (not counting their class-specific one). Backgrounds need not be selected from the table below, which is offered only for use with method two and potentially as a list of suggestions for appropriate backgrounds. This list is not all-inclusive; if a player has an idea for a character background not on the table, the GM should work with the player to allow such a new background, so long as it is not already covered by one in the table. A character, for example, who wishes to play a Professor of Ancient History does not need to create "Professor" as a background; rather, he can simply chose "Historian," and say that his character teaches at the local university.

Method two: Random Generation
To determine background randomly, players should roll a d20 at character creation. The result determines profession to which the character was exposed before beginning his life as an adventurer (and often, the "day job" he currently holds). Backgrounds separated by a slash indicate a choice. A player who rolls a 1, for example, does not have a background in science and medicine—he should choose one of the two.

TABLE: CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS D20 roll Background
1 Scientist (type) / Doctor*
2 Mechanic
3 Businessman
4 Reporter
5 The Mean Streets
6 Factory or blue collar work
7 Mathematician
8 Photographer
9 Artist
10 Historian
11 Archaeologist / Anthropologist
12 Writer / Novelist
13 Chef / Restaurateur
14 Theologian / Religious Scholar
15 Lawyer / Law Enforcement
16 Professional Athlete
17 Actor / Actress
18 Politician
19 Roll Twice
20 Roll Three Times

*This does not provide practical, applicable skill in advanced medicine, only "book knowledge" and exposure to the medical field. At best, a player with this skill could make a good guess at a diagnosis for an ailment, perform basic first-aid, and determine if hospitalization and professional treatment is required. If a player wishes his character to actually have the skills of a doctor or surgeon, see the Medicine Generic Class Ability.

USING BACKGROUNDS

These professions represent a character's previous occupations or careers the character tried or held before taking up a life of adventuring (and possibly still holds). In these areas, the character has had special training or experience that provides bonuses in certain situations. Any time a character is able to call upon his life's training or experience, he gains +2 to the check. Situations in which these life paths are appropriate to use are at the discretion of the GM, though players are encouraged to be creative in suggesting the use of such abilities.

FOR EXAMPLE:
A group comes to a market place in Egypt, needing to unload some pilfered treasures on the black market. Several backgrounds could be appropriate for use in haggling with collectors. Archaeologist/Anthropologist certainly would be useful in knowing just what the PC's have, as would Religious Scholar if the artifacts are of religious import. Any time a player can justify to the GM's satisfaction that his background could play an important role in an Attribute Check, he gains +2 to his check.

Under no circumstances should these backgrounds replace any class ability; the rules for mimicking cross-class abilities still apply. Thus, a Mentalist with the Politician or Actor/Actress background may attempt to use social skills and contacts and gain a +2 to the check, but still does not add his level as a bonus to the roll, since having contacts and high social standing are generally tied to the Socialite's "Connected" class ability. Characters whose backgrounds complement their Class abilities, on the other hand, do see the benefits of doing so. Thus, a Raider with the Archaeologist background adds his class level and an additional +2 to all Legend Lore checks related to Archaeology.

Likewise, the character's background can serve as an (albeit minor) restriction on his abilities. A character, for example, cannot build an atomic bomb without some sort of appropriate science background, no matter how high his Intelligence score is. If an attempt is antithetical to a character's background, the attempt probably shouldn't be allowed, though as always this is at the discretion of the GM.

IMPROVING BACKGROUNDS
At levels 5, 10, 15, and 20, a character can improve a single background, which then sees its bonus increase by +1. Likewise, characters who randomly roll backgrounds and get redundant results on their initial background selection can opt rather than re-rolling to increase the bonus to the redundant result in this manner. For example, Joe gets 2 rolls on the background table; both come up "Historian." He can choose to re-roll the second result in hopes of getting a different background, or may improve his Historian background, granting +1 to history-related Checks in addition to the normal +2, for a total of +3.