The Noble

Noble

                Members of the noble class use their intelligence and natural charisma to make their way on the planes. From true royalty to elected officials, nobility, merchants so wealthy that they effectively function as nobles, military commanders and crime lords - the types of people who belong to this class are varied and numerous. Some bring honor to the name. Others are so sly, treacherous, and dishonorable to the core. With a winning smile, a golden tongue, or a powerful message the noble commands respect, makes friends and inevitably influences people.

                Adventures: Most nobles wind up in dangerous situations because of something they believe in, because their job calls for it, or because they are the companion to an more powerful noble, a wealthy merchant who's bought himself a title but still likes to go on trading journeys, a diplomat, a crusading reformer, a military commander or the like. Nobles often feel responsible for others, though most consider themselves to be better than others as well.

                Characteristics: The noble fosters feelings of good will and honesty, or at least the illusion of such, to succeed. Where other classes charge into a fight, the noble starts out asking questions and hopes to finish by negotiating a deal, or by exploiting the respect others feel for his position (and, typically, his wealth and resources) to get things done. Most believe they can accomplish more with words and deeds than with violence, though they will quickly draw a sword when push comes to shove. The noble is more comfortable in civilized regions of the planes, where law or the established social order have precedence. Nobles are good talkers, negotiators, and bluffers, and the military training many of them receive makes them worthy adversaries in combat. They have a knack for inspiring others and make good leaders.

                Alignment: Nobles may be of any alignment. Even those with an evil or chaotic bent will do whatever is necessary in order for them to appear as whomever their audience expects them to be.

                Religion: Nobles, being culturally minded, have the tendency to pay homage to all the deities worshiped in their region. Whom they choose to worship in private is another matter altogether. Generally speaking, however, nobles revere deities who expouse the ideals of nobility in all of it's forms.

                Background: Every region of the Great Ring has its nobles. From the death slaadi to the modron secundi and the golden lords of Sigil, all are considered nobles in their own right by their power alone, if not in name. The length and breath of the pool of nobles is of little consequence to the character class, however it does affect the views they have on nobility and commanding authority.

                Races: A noble may be of any race. However, the more chaotic beings of the planes are less likely to take up this profession.

                Other Classes: Nobles view the other classes much like they view everyone else. The other classes are their charges, there to help the nobles complete the task at hand. Nobles enjoy working with others as it gives them a way to exert command over the group, even if it's for a short while.

                Factions: Nobles can belong to any faction. However, the noble is least likely to join the anti-authorial groups, unless he has reason to do otherwise.

Game Rule Information

   Nobles have the following game statistics.

                Abilities: Charisma is undoubtedly a noble's most important ability score, as the noble's skill at interacting with others and projecting a sense of confidence is crucial for his or her success. Wisdom and Intelligence form the basis of other important skills, so these ability scores are also significant. Nobles who focus on their roles as military commanders benefit from high Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores as well.

                Alignment: Any.

                Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

   The noble's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Innuendo (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Speak Language (none).

                Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.

                Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

   All of the following are class features of the noble.

                Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The noble is proficient in all simple and martial weapons, light armor, and shields. Note that some armor types incur armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried.

                Bonus Class Skill: At 1st level, a noble may designate any one cross-class skill (except for a Belief skill) as a class skill. This represents an area of "illicit" or "unapproved" expertise.

                Call in a Favor: At 1st level, and at every odd-numbered level thereafter (3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, and so on), the noble gains the ability to call in a single favor. By using this favor, the noble can call upon contacts and resources most characters don't have. This allows the noble to gain important information without having to go through the time and trouble of a Gather Information check, or to requisition resources without paying for them.

                The successfully call in a favor, the noble makes a special Charisma check, adding his or her level to the roll. The DM sets the check's DC. Simple favors could have a DC of 10, while expensive or illegal favors could have a DC of 25 or higher. The noble can't take 10 or take 20 on this check, nor can he or she make multiple attempts at the same (or virtually the same) favor. However, the favor isn't called in if the noble fails the roll; he can try later to call in a different favor. Truly extreme favors, such as getting the plans to the Revolutionary League's next plot, are generally impossible. Such tasks should be the basis of an adventure, not a single die roll.

                A noble can accumulate multiple "favors" if he or she doesn't use ones previously gained. Unused favors don't "expire," though the noble can never have more than five favors "stored up." If a noble has five unused favors and gains another for reaching an odd-numbered level, the new favor is lost. Once a noble uses one of his or her favors, he can never use it again.

                The DM should carefully monitor the noble's use of favors to ensure that this ability isn't abused. The success or failure of a mission shouldn't hinge on the use of a favor, and calling in favors shouldn't replace good role-playing or the use of other skills. The DM may disallow and favor he deems disruptive to the game.

                Inspire Confidence: Beginning at 2nd level, a noble can use oratory to inspire confidence in allies. To inspire confidence, the noble must speak (and the allies must hear the noble speaking) for at least 1 round, and the noble must make a Diplomacy check with a DC equal to 10 +1 per five allies to be inspired (to include the noble).

                The confidence inspired by the noble increases as the noble attains levels. For every four levels after 2nd, the bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +5 at 18th level.

                Command: At 4th level, the noble can guide the cooperation of other characters by making a Charisma check (DC 15 + the number of characters commanded). This increases the bonus granted by cooperation by +2 (to +4, +6, and so forth) every four levels (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th). Commanding other characters takes as long as the task to be attempted (minimum of a full round).