The Rogue
Level Bonus/Development Costs: Rogue
Spell Lists: Non-spell user, Open/Closed Lists.
Realm: varies
Rogue Background Options (cost is 1 BGO unless specified):
Ambidexterity: no penalty for off-hand weapon use*.
Assassin Training*, Aura*, Danger Sense, Light Sleeper, Lucky*, Natural Archer*, Natural Physique*, Outdoorsman, Resistance*, Subtle, Survival Instinct, Trained Regular Footman: see RMC Companion 1.
Charismatic*: as per Character Law (p.64). May be selected with or without the accompanying drawback. Cost (with drawback) 1 BGO (without drawback) 2 BGOs.
Innate Magician I: You may nominate one spell list in which your ESF modifiers are reduced by 10. May be selected more than once, for a different list each time.
Magic Knack I: One of the following Spell Lists is learned at half cost: Detection Mastery, Light’s Way, Nature’s Law, Sound’s Way, Spell Defence (Channeling); Delving Ways, Detecting Ways, Essence Hand, Essence’s Perceptions, Lesser Illusions. Physical Enhancement, Unbarring Ways (Essence); Attack Avoidance, Cloaking, Damage Resistance, Delving, Detections, Illusions, Self-Healing (Mentalism)*. May only be selected twice.
Magic Knack II: One of the following spell lists is learned at half cost: Locating Ways (Channeling); Living Change (Essence); Movement (Mentalism)* Cost: 2 BGOs. May only be selected once.
Naturally Magical: your character can develop extra ranks at each level in any Open or Closed spell list of your chosen realm. Your Realm Stat determines how many ranks you may develop, as follows: 60-89 (1 extra rank), 90-98 (2 extra ranks), 99-100 (3 extra ranks).*
Nimble: as per Character Law (p.64). May be selected with or without the accompanying drawback. Cost (with drawback) 1 BGO (without drawback) 2 BGOs.
Power I: Up to 5 ranks in any spell list.* Cost is 1+1 BGO/ranks selected. All standard ESF modifiers apply. May only be selected once.
Quickened Reflexes: +5 to Initiative rolls.
Skilful: 5 ranks in Acrobatics, Acting, Appraisal, Contortions, Disarming, Falsification, Interrogation, Lock Lore, Poison Lore, Rope Mastery, Spell Lore, Streetwise, Subduing, Tracking, Trading, Trickery or Tumbling*. May be selected multiple times, for a different skill.
Superior Statistic: +15 to one stat bonus* Cost: 2 BGOs (Can be increased to +20/+25 at a cost of 3 or 4 BGOs respectively). These do not stack.
Underground Upraising: +10 to all Subterfuge skills. One Subterfuge skill developed as per the Thief’s DP cost. Associated Drawback: However, should you roll a double (eg. 11,22,33, etc.) when making Interaction/Influence skill rolls, there is a 30% chance you have let something about your criminal background slip, and you must make a successful Acting &/or Falsification roll (difficulty determined by the GM) to cover your mistake*
Options marked ‘*’ may only be selected at level 1.
ROGUE BUILDS:
Rustler
The Rustler is a rogue who prefers the outdoors to cities and towns. They tend to focus their predilection for larceny upon stealing and on-selling livestock. Obviously, stealth and animal handling skills are important to the Rustler, but so too is the ability to lie with a straight face, find reliable buyers and bamboozle local law enforcement. Although some are little more than brigands, many Rustlers pursue some other vocation in order to maintain a secure cover.
Specialisations: Animal Training 2/7, Appraisal 1/4, Falsification 2/5, Herding 2/4, Navigation 1/5, Riding 1/5, Rope Mastery 1/3, Thrown Weapons 1/5, Trading 1/4.
Inhibited Skills: none.
Skills (ranks): Acting 1, Appraisal 1, Body Development 2, Herding 2, Lasso 3, Melee Weapon 1, Perception 3, Rope-mastery 2, Stalk & Hide 3, Tracking 1, Trading 1, Trickery 1.
Background Options (cost 1 unless specified):
Alertness: +10 to Perception.
Artful: +15 to Acrobatics (only when Dodging).
Brand Lore: +15 to Falsification, Heraldry and Region Lore (only to recognise and replicate/modify brands on livestock animals).
Chosen Environment: +10 to Moving Maneuvers, Stalk & Hide, Perception, Foraging, Tracking, Flora Lore and Fauna Lore in one type of environment (e.g. Swamp/Mountain/Plains etc.)
Gaucho: +10 to Lasso and Riding, +15 to Herding. Associated drawback - suspicious, distracted and unfriendly in towns (-10 to all Influence and Perception skills in such settings, Streetwise DP cost increases to 3/9) * Cost: 2 BGOs/4 BGOs (without drawback).
Power I: 3 ranks in one of the following spell lists: Animal Mastery, Nature’s Movement (Animist Base); Nature’s Forms (Druid Base); Path Mastery (Ranger Base).* Cost: 3 BGOs. May only be selected once. Normal ESF mods apply. Spell list may be further developed to 5th level (i.e., an ‘A’ pick) at a cost of 8/rank. You may spend an extra 1 BGO (i.e., 4 BGOs) to develop this list to 10th level (a “C” pick) at a cost of 12/rank for spell levels 6-10.
Side Gig: +15 to one appropriate Craft skill, and +15 to Acting when defending or maintaining your cover*. May only be selected once.
Skilful: 5 ranks in one of: Athletic Games (Jumping, Running), Fauna Lore, Flora Lore, Foraging, Herding, Leather-Crafts, Navigation, Region Lore, or Weather-watching.* May be selected multiple times, for a different skill.
Survivalist: 5 ranks in Foraging and Body Development DP cost is halved (racial hits maximum increases by 50%)* Cost: 2 BGOs
Wrestler: +10 to Martial Arts: Grappling.
Skill Unlocks:
Barefaced (qualifier: Acting 10, Falsification 8, Trickery 8): once per day/PL, you may make an Acting maneuver (Very Hard), using the Moving Maneuver table, and subtract the result from any Perception rolls (by those attempting to discern deception). Each time you use this ability - with regard to the same targets and the same deception - the difficulty reduces in severity by one degree. However, should you fail, further attempts to deceive these targets - on any matter - require a result of over 100 on an Absurd Acting maneuver.
Evasive Tumbler I (qualifier: Perception 6, Riding 6, Tumbling 8, Chosen Environment): when in your chosen environment or on horseback, if you receive an ‘A’ or ‘B’ non-spell critical from a melee attack of which you are aware, you may, once per day, make an all-or-nothing Extremely Hard Tumbling maneuver. If you succeed, you may subtract your ranks in Tumbling from the critical roll.
Evasive Tumbler II (qualifier: Perception 10, Riding 10, Tumbling 12, Chosen Environment, Evasive Tumbler I): as Evasive Tumbler I, but also includes appropriate ‘C’ criticals.
Eye for Grift (qualifier: Appraisal 5, Perception 5, Region Lore 5, Streetwise 5): You have become adept at identifying and assessing individuals susceptible to improper influence in your home region. Upon making a successful Appraisal roll to determine their corruptibility, you gain a +20 bonus when making Diplomacy, Interrogation, Seduction or Trading rolls with such an individual (if you determine they are a suitable target).
Lasso Expert I (qualifier: Lasso 4, Rope Mastery 6, Trickery 6): your skill at legerdemain and knowledge of ropes means you may reduce your fumble range by one.
Lasso Expert II (qualifier: Lasso 6, Riding 4, Rope Mastery 8, Trickery 8, Lasso Expert I): as Lasso Expert I, but fumble ranges are reduced by two (or one from horseback).
Lasso Expert III (qualifier: Lasso 8, Riding 6, Rope Mastery 10, Trickery 8, Lasso Expert II): as Lasso Expert II, but fumble ranges are reduced by three (or two on horseback). You may, once per day per Prime Level, make a Rope Mastery roll on the MM chart (Hard difficulty) and add the result to your OB for one Lasso attack.
Lasso Expert IV (qualifier: Lasso 12, Riding 10, Rope Mastery 15, Trickery 12, Lasso Expert III): as Lasso Expert III, but fumbles are reduced by four (three on horseback), and you may, once per day, on a successful Extremely Hard Rope Mastery roll increase the size of your attack to Large.
Ride ‘em, Cowboy! (qualifier: Herding 10; Region Lore 10, Riding 10): you can ride a livestock animal (appropriate to your size and experience), even engaging in mounted combat with a -30 penalty. Must be purchased for each different creature (i.e., goat, cow, aurochs, sheep, pig, etc.)
Sheep from the Goats (qualifier: Appraisal 5, Fauna Lore 5, Herding 5, Region Lore 5): you can very quickly discern the quality (and saleability) of livestock. Although not foolproof, you can make a quick and dirty summation of a small herd (no greater than a dozen creatures) and separate the best creatures. This requires a successful Medium Appraisal roll and then a Hard Herding roll. If this second roll succeeds, selecting and separating the best stock is accomplished in 50% the normal time and the livestock selected have 120% Base Value.
Stealth Herding (qualifier: Herding 16, Region Lore 10, Stalk & Hide 12, Tracking 12): you are skilled at moving small groups of purloined livestock in comparative silence (in terrain types you are familiar with) and can also cover your trail and those of your stolen animals. The number of animals cannot exceed the number of Prime Levels you possess. To move the animals, you require a successful Herding maneuver (GM sets the difficulty, which may not be less than Medium) and add your ranks in both Region Lore and Stalk & Hide. To cover your tracks, you must succeed in a Tracking maneuver, with a difficulty one degree higher than the previous Herding maneuver. You add your ranks in both Region Lore and Stalk & Hide.
Studied Strike I (qualifier: Ambush 5, Perception 8, Chosen Environment, Quickened Reflexes): when in your chosen environment you may, once per day, designate one foe within 5’/level as your target. You can only act against this target, as they remain the focus of your attention. Should you undertake any activity not directly related to attacking the target, you lose the benefits of this Skill Unlock. All melee or missile attack rolls against this target gain a +10 bonus and, if scoring a critical hit, you may apply your ranks in Ambush to your roll, regardless of surprise or position. However, you do not receive any QU bonus to your DB, suffer a -40 penalty to Perception and can only half-parry attacks from foes other than your target. The effects of this Skill Unlock last 1 round/PL, or until your foe is dead.
Studied Strike II (qualifier: Ambush 12, Perception 16, Studied Strike I): as Studied Strike I, except that you need not be in your chosen environment and only suffer a -25 to Perception rolls for the duration of the Skill Unlock.
Swift Disappearance (qualifier: Region Lore 8†, Stalk & Hide 6, Tumbling 6): your familiarity with your home terrain grants you the ability to exploit local features and landforms. If it is possible for you to do so, you may make a Tumbling maneuver (adding your ranks in Region Lore and Stalk & Hide to the roll) to disappear from view (into the long grass, behind a rocky outcrop, etc.). This roll is made on the Moving Maneuver Table with a difficulty of Very Hard. The numerical result is added as a penalty to any Perception rolls by those actively looking for you. Standard modifiers for a Hiding Static maneuver are applied. The percentage cost of this action is 10%-50% dependent on the distance to the hiding place.
War Mount (qualifier: Animal Training 12, Ride ‘em, Cowboy!): you can train a livestock animal to serve as a mount in combat. The animal can use all of its attacks in addition to any attacks you make yourself.
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