Tramp (Rogue Kit)[]
While scavengers pick through the garbage of the wilderness, tramps search the waste of civilization. These humanoids are beggars and thieves, asking for donations with one hand and stealing a heavy purse with the other. In many ways, tramps resemble scavengers — they wear rags and ripped, dirty clothing, they smell bad, and they often seem sickly or crazed. But tramps live among humans and demihumans, surviving on generous donations either freely given or secretly taken.
Tramp player characters often join adventuring parties for a change of pace. While the streets and alleys have excitements all their own, tramps sometimes yearn for true adventures. Of course, they must convince the party that they have skills to offer that will make their inclusion worthwhile.
Requirements: Any humanoid rogue can take the tramp kit.
Role: Tramps are humanoid outcasts who wind up in human towns and cities. For a variety of reasons, they have left their tribes and come to the cities to find their fortunes. Unfortunately, humanoids are not always welcome, and honest jobs are hard to find. At first, these characters turn to begging in order to earn a living, and they quickly become very good at it. But as time passes, they discover that they must sometimes turn to other means to survive. At these times, tramps learn to take what they require. They consider the coins and items they steal to be alms which are rightfully theirs — it's just that the good people forgot to drop these items in their begging bowls.
Tramps often set up on a busy street, begging for coins from passersby. Tramps may appear sickly and in need of alms, but they are perfectly able-bodied. To them, begging is a career and an art, as honorable as any other profession. Using disguise and acting skills, a tramp will have one particular identity on one corner, and a completely different identity on another. They use a variety of pity-inducing ploys, fast-talking, and sad stories to earn the charity of strangers.
These humanoids have excellent observation skills, and many sell information to those who seek it. Tramps know when new people arrive in their part of the city, they notice any unusual activity going on, and they quickly spot easy marks — those who will give generously of their own accord, or with a little help from the tramp. They are always listening for gossip and rumors, and they know when important, well-paying members of society are looking for particular bits of information.
When information gathering and begging fail to produce enough revenue, tramps wander the crowds in search of pockets to pick and purses to cut. Some even engage in such activity for the fun, excitement and challenge it provides, for street begging can become dreadfully boring after a time. Tramps will not take unnecessary risks, preferring challenges that are well within the scope of their abilities. They even turn to shoplifting when a particularly tempting item catches their eyes.
As player characters, tramps provide a variety of skills to an adventuring party. They are masters of disguise, decent spies, consummate actors, and professional thieves. They are also cowardly, unsavory, and greedy to a fault, but nobody's perfect.
Weapon Proficiencies: Tramps choose their two initial weapons from the following selection: club, dagger, dart, knife, sling, and staff.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
- Bonus Proficiencies: Begging.
- Required Proficiencies: Observation.
- Recommended, General: Acting, alertness, fast-talking, fortune telling, hiding, voice mimicry.
- Recommended, Warrior: Survival (urban).
- Recommended, Priest: None.
- Recommended, Wizard: None.
- Recommended, Rogue: Appraising, disguise, forgery, gaming, information gathering, juggling, local history, reading lips.
- Forbidden: None.
Equipment: Tramps have very little in the way of equipment. They cannot afford to appear even marginally well off. At most, they carry a simple bowl and a weapon that can be hidden beneath their beat-up clothing. When not engaged in begging or other low-profile activities, tramps can wear any armor and carry any weapons usable by thieves.
Special Benefits: Tramps are particularly adept at sizing up potential targets. By making a successful observation proficiency check, a tramp can accurately determine the subject's class group. A second check can be made to determine the character's level. If this check succeeds, the tramp learns whether the level of the subject is less than his own (yes or no). A roll of 1 on either check reveals exact information. If the subject is disguised, a -5 penalty applies to both types of check.
Special Hindrances: Tramps suffer a -3 reaction roll penalty when dealing with characters who aren't thieves.
For every point of visible AC better than their natural armor class, tramps suffer a -1 penalty to their begging proficiency checks.
Wealth Options: Tramps begin play very little money, receiving only 2d6 gp.