The Swashbuckler

by Nancy McCaskey

Stats:

Strength: 9 or better (no "to hit" bonuses for high Strength)

Intelligence: 6 or better

Constitution: any (9 or better recommended)

Charisma: 14 or better

Wisdom: 16 or lower*

Dexterity: 15 or better

*Wisdom will range from 4-6 at first level, then go up one point per level until the rolled stat is reached. The Swashbuckler will gain full Wisdom at 12th level in any case. He or she is allowed to use the modifiers from the original Wisdom score for saving throws vs. mental attacks involving willforce, resisting ego swords, etc., but not for rolling vs. Weaknesses.

Races allowed: human, elf, and half-elf. The D.M. may place special restrictions on elves and half-elves.

Weapons: +1 "to hit" with light swords (foil, rapier, saber, or cutlass). Can use other light weapons (quarterstaff, dagger, etc.), excluding martial-arts weapons. No polearms or bows are allowed. Black powder pistols are allowed if they exist in the campaign world--however, they are cumbersome to use.

Armor: None. (Gets a double Defensive Adjustment against a similar weapon type--i.e., foil vs. foil, rapier vs. cutlass, etc.). Can use a buckler. The D.M. may rule that leather armor is allowed at very low levels (1-3).

Alignment: chaotic only. Titles differ by alignment: Swashbuckler (good), Rogue (neutral), and Villain (evil).

Magic items allowed: items for fighters, items that raise dexterity, items usable by all classes.

Description: Swashbucklers are a subclass of fighters with some Rogue abilities, whose training emphasizes swiftness and agility.

*The Swashbuckler may opt to remove one of his Weaknesses.

**He or she can either remain at 12th level indefinitely or switch to another class. Most have an affinity for the fighter or thief classes.

Beginning at first level, a Swashbuckler gets:

Attacks and weapon proficiencies as a fighter

Jumping (front, back, sideways, and vertically) as Thief-Acrobat

Automatic first strike in combat, except when surprised or fighting another Swashbuckler/Rogue/Villain

Base movement at 12"

d4 + 3 Weaknesses

d4 + 2 Skills

Skill in one gaming or gambling scenario involving skill, not chance. Examples: chess, backgammon, poker, blackjack, etc.

When playing the game, the Swashbuckler gets to make TWO rolls to determine the outcome and takes the most favorable one. Furthermore, the Swashbuckler selects a new game every time (s)he gains a level.

1. SPENDTHRIFT--Every time the Swashbuckler accumulates more than 50 g.p. and is in a non-critical

situation, (s)he must save vs. Wisdom on d20 or spend {(d6 +d4) X 10}% on one or more other

Weaknesses.

2. EGOTISM--This Weakness can take several forms:

VANITY--Roll 4d10 + 60 to determine the Swashbuckler's vanity. 95-00 is megalomania. He or she

will be egotistical, conceited, and snobbish; (s)he may seek revenge for minor wrongs, irk local

officials, brag too much, etc. Morale checks for henchmen and associates will have the

Swashbuckler's Vanity score subtracted from their roll!

INTELLECTUAL PRIDE--(requires Intelligence of 12 or greater)--The Swashbuckler will place

great stock in his/her mental prowess, wanting the party to follow his/her ideas, wanting to be the

first person to figure out puzzles, riddles, etc.

VAINGLORY--the Swashbuckler will continually be trying to perform brave (or foolhardy) feats in

order to be immortalized in story and song. The D.M. may opt to make these Weaknesses

unremovable.

3. WANDERING EYE--the Swashbuckler will hit on any member of the opposite sex with a

4. GAMBLING--the Swashbuckler must make a save vs. Wisdom on d20 to resist an invitation to

gamble (if (s)he rolls a 1, (s)he immediately invites others to gamble!). Once begun, the

Swashbuckler will continue the game until (s)he's broke or the other players quit.

5. DRINKING--takes one of two forms (d%)

01-70: The Swashbuckler drinks to intoxication after failing a save vs. Wisdom in non-critical

situations. Roll once a day.

71-00 The Swashbuckler collects and drinks the finest, most expensive beverages (s)he can afford.

6. FAMILY PROBLEMS--Swashbucklers are often second (or later) children of minor noble houses.

Roll d8:

1-3 Disinherited

4-6 Disowned and disinherited

7 Disowned, disinherited, and in trouble with parents' liege*

8 Disowned, disinherited, in trouble with parents' liege, PLUS d6 other nobles*

*The Swashbuckler will not return to his/her homeland until (s)he has removed at least one Weakness and/or has the means to make amends.

7. OUTSTANDING DEBT--Although the creditors now know that the Swashbuckler is a poor credit

risk, (s)he will start at first level with a debt of (d% X 100) gold pieces. This is the ONLY

Weakness that can be removed prior to reaching 8^th level. The Swashbuckler may well have to deal

with collectors ("There's an ogre magi here to see you!"), grovel for more time, etc. Roll for the

alignment of the creditor(s):

d6: 1-2 lawful, 3-4 neutral, 5-6 chaotic

d6: 1-2 good, 3-4 neutral, 5-6 evil

8. SECRET--The Swashbuckler has something in his/her past that (s)he's ashamed of. Secrets 6 and 10

do not apply to elves or half-elves. Roll d10:

1 Used to be another chaotic alignment

2 Sired (or had) a baby and abandoned it

3 Robbed a store; frittered away the money

4 Stole from one or both parents to support Weaknesses

5 Killed someone**

6 Had an affair with a noble's spouse

7 Destroyed a powerful person's valuable property**

8 Briefly belonged to politically suspect organization

9 Got drunk and did something SO humiliating that it can't even be mentioned here!

1. Family background--roll d8:

**If the Swashbuckler is Good alignment, there is a 90% chance that it was accidentally. Secrets cannot be

removed. The player can customize them with the D.M.'s approval.

7. A PHOBIA or OBSESSION--these will be assigned by the Dungeon Master. An obsession is often

A Swashbuckler can take a MAXIMUM of two Secrets and/or one Debt as Weaknesses.

A Swashbuckler starts out with d4 + 2 skills. The first three must be Aristocratic, the next either combat or miscellaneous, any other miscellaneous only. Every time the Swashbuckler increases a level, (s)he gains another skill--however, the skills acquired must alternate between "aristocratic" and other types.

animals, clean the kill, etc. This in no way confers Ranger-like abilities!

4. FALCONRY--Hunting, as above, with raptors instead of dogs

5. POETRY

4. MUSIC--the Swashbuckler can play one instrument at 10% skill per level. This skill can be taken

more than once.

7. DANCING--courtly dancing

8. ETIQUETTE--courtly etiquette

7. SINGING--as Music, but success rate is 15%/level.
8. COMBAT RIDING--requires Riding as a prerequisite. The Swashbuckler will not need to save vs.

Dexterity when slashing an opponent from a moving horse.

9. FLIRTING--allows the Swashbuckler to guess whether someone will be responsive to his/her

attentions.

12. COURTLY LOVE/COURTSHIP:

For male Swashbucklers:

Adds 1 to target's saving throw for every skill the Swashbuckler has in Music, Poetry, and

Singing. Each type of skill will only count for one point, even if the Swashbuckler has taken

multiple skills in Music. The Swashbuckler will need to spend d4 turns composing an original

song for his beloved.

For female Swashbucklers:

Adds 1 to target's saving throw for each of the Swashbuckler's skills in Dancing, Flirting, and

Etiquette.

13. EPICURISM--Swashbuckler can identify fine food and wine.

14. LITERACY--can read and write Common.

15. LANGUAGES--If the Swashbuckler has Literacy, (s)he can learn to speak and read other

languages. This skill can be taken as many times as Intelligence permits.

16. ARISTOCRATIC LORE--The Swashbuckler has a 7% chance per level for Legend Lore about

his/her homeland, 3% for territories near the homeland, and 1% for distant lands.

A Swashbuckler's miscellaneous skills won't be very time-consuming or difficult to learn (no magic or smithing, for example). Swashbucklers won't take skills that they consider beneath their dignity--for example, cooking or sewing ("The SERVANTS do that!"). A Swashbuckler's skills must be primarily urban. Within these limits, Miscellaneous skills can encompass just about every category in the campaign. Criminal skills (thief skills, disguise, con artistry, bribery, lying, and smuggling) are lumped under

Miscellaneous. The only thief skills allowed are: Pick Pockets/filching, Find (but not Remove) Traps, Move Silently, Hear Noise, and Climb Walls. A Swashbuckler can take one thief/criminal skill, a Rogue two, and a Villain three.

1. FENCING--gives another +1 with a specific type of light sword (or other weapon). This skill can be

taken more than once, but the cumulative pluses on a weapon due to FENCING may not exceed +3.

The Swashbuckler may, of course, opt to take this skill on more than one weapon.

2. BUCKLER--lowers armor class another 2 places due to skill and dexterity when using a buckler.

This does not apply to non-frontal or area attacks. The D.M. may allow this skill to be taken more

than once.

3. FLORENTINE FIGHTING--allows the Swashbuckler to fight with a sword (or dagger) in each hand

with no penalty. Damage will be normal.

4. EVASION--Once a turn, a Swashbuckler can make a saving throw vs. dexterity to see if (s)he

dodges an opponent's blow. This ability cannot be used if the Swashbuckler is blocked in, surprised,

or trying to evade an area-effect missile or magic. The D.M. may want to limit this ability to x times

per game, x times per level, or even x times per lifetime.

Eventually the Swashbuckler will attract the attention of a Villain of equivalent level. The Swashbuckler

and the Villain will share at least one Weakness (usually an egotism weakness), and a rivalry will ensue.

The Villain may not always seek the Swashbuckler's death--sometimes a public or private humiliation will

do. When a Swashbuckler and a Villain clash in combat, the loser will lose a level if (s)he survives.

Fights between Swashbucklers and Villains are invariably hand-to-hand; after all, the object is to prove

oneself the better fighter!

The Villain, however, will probably resort to nefarious means to lure the Swashbuckler into the

confrontation in the first place--kidnapping his/her fiance, threatening innocent bystanders, putting

posters up all over town publicly challenging the Swashbuckler, etc. Characters and enemies with Weakness--Egotism--Intellectual

Pride will place more emphasis on outwitting their enemies (and gloating if they can get away with it)!

Henchmen: Swashbucklers do not attract henchmen in the usual manner. Upon reaching 8th level (and every level thereafter), (s)he has a 1 in 4 chance to attract either a temporary (75%) or permanent (25%) sidekick. Temporary sidekicks will only remain with the Swashbuckler until (s)he gains a level; permanent

sidekicks are fanatically loyal, will stick around indefinitely, and will prevent the Swashbuckler from gaining another sidekick of any type for as long as the sidekick lives. The sidekicks will be the same general alignment (good/neutral/evil) as the Swashbuckler.

Sidekick: A sidekick will always be someone the Swashbuckler secretly considers "inferior" to him or herself--a Villain with Intellectual Pride, for instance, may accept a big, dumb ogre as a sidekick; a foppish or vainglorious Swashbuckler prefers someone who won't outshine him or her. Permanent sidekicks are never Swashbucklers, but several adventuring Swashbucklers can work together if their Weaknesses (and alignments) are compatible. (The D.M. will determine Weakness compatibility--a bunch of Swashbucklers may well enjoy drinking and gambling together, but get on each other's nerves if they're continually choosing the same person to flirt with, trying to outdo each other in glory-seeking, bragging at each

other's expense, etc.).

Here's an example of how skills and Weaknesses work--Indiana Jones

as a 10th-level Swashbuckler:

*raised by artifact above rolled stats.

Skills (assuming maximum roll on initial skills):

ARISTOCRATIC COMBAT MISCELLANEOUS

Literacy Fencing--whip Basic Archaeology

Riding Fencing--whip Advanced Archaeology

Language (pick one) Fencing--whip Legend Lore (Religion)

Language (pick one) Florentine fighting Ciphering

Language (pick one) Evasion Find Traps

Language (pick one)

Weaknesses:

Family problems--disinherited by father (removed)

Secret--real name

Secret--knows the location of the Holy Grail

Intellectual pride (cannot be removed)

Obsession--recovering ancient religious artifacts

Phobia--snakes

Wandering eye (removed)

This character class also allows enough flexibility that you could play a Sherlock Holmes-type character instead: Aristocratic skills would include Literacy, Music, Custom--Law, and Etiquette; Combat skills fencing (x 3) and Custom--Boxing; General skills Disguise, Observation, Crime Lore, and Psychology; and Weaknesses Intellectual Pride (x 3), Obsession--solving crimes, and an opposing Villain. If anyone wants to write up Inigo Montoya or Edmund Blackadder, be my guest!

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Possible restrictions on elves and half-elves: the D.M. should enforce some restrictions if in his/her opinion the character would be too powerful otherwise.

Some suggested restrictions are:

A. Limit elves and half elves to one level per 3 points of Dexterity, OR use the next set of restrictions:

B. Elves retain their racial bonus of +1 "to hit" with swords, but their cumulative bonuses from FENCING cannot exceed +2 per weapon.

c. They do not have any special skills at first level; at most, the D.M. may permit one Aristocratic skill. They gain another Aristocratic skill upon reaching 2nd level, then proceed in normal C-M-A-C-M fashion.

D. If they take a Language as an Aristocratic skill, they lose one racial language (they'll always know Elvish, though).

E. At the D.M.'s option, elves (and maybe half-elves) can be assigned 1-2 extra Weaknesses.