Beyond the Veil Draft Classes Pt. II - Tour-Guide and the Stalwart

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The Tour-Guide

"You understand I can't just let anyone walk around here like they own the place right? I'm willing to help, kid, but you need to do something for me first." The corpulent Gerrard taps his crystal glass full of dark spirits, probably rum, addressing the excitable newcomer across from him at the table. The room smells of tobacco smoke and liquor mixed with overcooked meat.

"Right, sir, I understand sir, but I gotta say that after last week at the horse races, you did lose the bet we had and-"

"Be quiet. What are you playing at?"

The hawkish young man smiles wickedly, "Oh, nothing in particular. I just happen to know that your boss's brother was there too, and the two of us really hit it off, if you're catchin' my drift. Drinks at the estate and a tour of the side of town with the vineyards, I'm sure you know the deal." Gerrard looks uncomfortable but doesn't speak. "Anyway, turns out his dad met me at Port Royal a few summers back and I had shown him some local spots he took a liking towards. Long story short, he owes me a favor, you owe him a favor, and I have me right here a letter saying now you owe me his favor." Gerrard takes the letter slowly, skeptically, and curses under his breath when he sees the seal.

"Fine, but just this once. Don't think I will forget this little stunt of yours, Erwin."

Erwin smiles, knowing already that it doesn't matter if he forgets or not... He is as much part of the city as Gerrard now.

Aspect: Charisma

Stock: Human

Requirements: Charisma > 2; Can wear leathers; Can use 1H weapons

Starting Gear:

• Traveling Cloak (1NT)
• Good Boots (1F)
• Decent Gloves (1H)
• Any 1H Weapon and a Belt Sheath (1T1S, fits a specific weapon)
• Notebook and Charcoal Pencil (1X)
• Messenger Bag (1T2S)
• Leathers (1HeALTF, AV 1)

Class Ability Tract

Level 0: Familiar Locale:

You may spend one week sight-seeing and carousing in a city you familiarize yourself with it. If you do, you cannot become lost there and can locate all the places locals would consider important without guidance. You may only be familiar with one city at a time, or a number equal to your level, whichever is higher.

Level 1: One With the Streets

Whenever you pass an Aspect Check in a Familiar Locale, you may take one of the cards drawn for that check and add it to your Baize.

Level 2: Friends High and Low:

You have acquired some contacts in your Familiar Locales. They may be street-level criminals, local business owners, guardsmen, gang leaders, or similar positions. These contacts are not necessarily friendly to you, but are willing to humor your presence and do a favor for you so long as you do something for them first. This may be as simple as paying a fee or giving a portion of whatever loot you recover, asking you to guide a VIP around the Locale, or even more drastic requests. You have total contacts equal to your Aspect score. Work with your GM to determine who these contacts might be. Your Baize increases in size equal to your Aspect.

Level 3: Field Guide:

You may choose locations other than cities to become Familiar Locales. Each additional week spent exploring any Familiar Local, you discover one of the following, and each option may only be chosen once per location:

• A path through it that is either Short and Dangerous OR Long but Safe
• A location suitable to set up a permanent encampment only you can find without a Red/Black Check
• A little known location or person filling a specific niche appropriate to the Locale. A refreshing hot spring, exotic animal dealer, abandoned altars and the like.

Level 4: Long Story Short...

You may make a Red/Black Check, upon success, you and one NPC in the current scene realize you know each other from a prior misadventure, family history, or other minor encounter. This may be a hostile, neutral, or beneficial history at the GM's discretion, but you may choose whether or not you owe the NPC a favor, or vice versa. On failure, nothing happens. This ability may only be used once per NPC.

Level 5: Well Traveled

You have become well traveled, nearly famously so, over the course of your adventures. People in locations you have not been to may recognize you and offer assistance or hinder you, depending on your reputation. Additionally, when entering a settled location you are not Familiar with, gain the following benefits:

• You are able to secure free lodging for the duration of your stay for yourself, companions, and any animals you may have with you.
• Your reputation precedes you and local non-specialty shopkeepers give you a 50% discount on all goods out of either fear or admiration, depending on your reputation.
• The local guard or militia are willing to ignore up to 1 Plate of crime you may find yourself involved in each month provided they are bribed a "very reasonable" 10% of whatever the bounty would normally be.

Tour-Guide Tips and Pointers

Your Baize is limited to three cards. However, you may as an action give another player a card from your Baize, represented by you providing them with some small tidbit of information that is helpful to the current situation. They cannot give you cards in return.

Hand	Useful Tip
Pair	You recall a useful piece of information regarding one Familiar Locale of your choice.
Three of a Kind	You recall a useful piece of information regarding a person, place, or thing you could have reasonably heard about before.

The Stalwart

Marline adjusts the straps of her hulking travel pack over her chainmail, making sure all the goods are secured tightly. She runs over her shopping list in her head: Fifteen days' rations, an extra bottle of wine, three waterproofed map cases full of various weather-sensitive supplies, the actual map to the destination, Pierre's tincture for the wound he got last outing... 

"Damn it, that shouldn't have happened. Folks like him don't tend to take too well when they get stabbed, and I am the one with the mail shirt... It won't happen again."

She resolves herself. She spent a whole month working on making sure no ally was out of reach should they need her. What's one more scar among dozens?

Aspect: Determination

Stock: Human

Requirements: Determination >3; Can use all weapons and armors and shields; You nearly died once and have a visible scar

Starting Gear:

• Longsword (1H/2H) with Scabbard (0T, fits a longsword) and Shield (1HA, left or right)
• Chain shirt (2T, AV 2)
• Leathers (1HeALF AV 1)
• Large Backpack (2T4S) stuffed with 4 size worth of items from the equipment list
• Travelling Cloak with Many Pockets (1T1S)

Class Ability Tract

Level 0: The Long Haul

You ignore the first injury you sustain each adventure, and start each session Blessed, Spirited and Prepared. You are an embodiment of "Let's take this one step at a time."

Level 1: Hidden Cache

Your bag and clothes have more pockets and nooks than previously thought. While Resting, you may produce appropriate supplies to treat one Injury or Sickness afflicting yourself or an ally, even if you would not normally be able to do so. You must come up with a story to explain why you have the necessary supplies.

Level 2: Interdiction

Whenever an ally within 5 yards is hit with and attack, you may choose to move to their spot, taking the blow in their stead. Your ally is moved to an adjacent space of your choice as part of this action. Everyone is getting out of here today, one way or another.

Level 3: One Thousand Steps

You are accustomed to long journeys on foot or horseback, and know the best ways to pass the time and keep spirits high. While travelling at least 6 hours in a day, you may make an Aspect Check. If you pass, the party, including yourself, gains the Spirited affliction. Once per combat as an action, you may move up to 15 yards.

Level 4: Preternatural Threat

You exude an aura of power and threat to those that would assail you... you maybe your overstuffed backpack just looks ripe for the picking. Either way, adversaries will always choose to attack or rob you first if you are within their reach to do so in a hostile encounter. If they do, however, you can exploit their failure to plan with a free attack of your own one time per unique adversary in that encounter.

Level 5: Latent Potential

For as long as you can remember, you have been the bearer of burdens and the lifter of spirits for yourself and your companions. You make all Determination Checks at +2 card draw and cannot be Scared. In addition, you may willingly take any Status a target would gain within reach of your Interdiction and make a Red/Black check. If you succeed, you ignore the affliction. If you fail, you face the full brunt of it.

Stalwart Stashed Supplies

You take an actiom to produce equipment from empty slots in your bags with different hands. Your Baize grows in size for each point of Encumbrance you are currently ignoring.  You cannot produce medicines or non-mundane equipment. If in doubt: If it exists on an equipment list somewhere, you probably have it.

Hand	Stashed Supplies
Pair	A single non-currency size 0 object such as an arrow, strip of cloth, 10 feet of fishing line and the like.
Two Pairs	Ten size 0 objects such as arrows, 5 feet of rope and thread, a set of lockpicks or a handful of salt.
Three of a Kind	50 size 0 or a single size 1 object that fits in an unoccupied Storage Slot; it now occupies that Slot.
Straight	Any single piece of camping supplies, a horse blanket, or spare pair of shoes and similar objects so long as you have the Storage for it.

What's Next?

This took longer than I expected, but was fun to come up with ideas for! Next time, I will be posting about Conflict resolution and Combat, so it will probably be a longer one. I also have some ideas mulling around in my head regarding Camping and Downtime I am drafting for later.