Wildwood Manuscripts: The Expert [Super W.I.P.]

The Expert [Fluff]

Herein lies the rub, as the bulk of humanity does not venture beyond their doorsteps let alone succumbing to the wanderlust that leads man astray into the Wildwood. Warriors are driven by their art of murder, if they remained in polite society it would succumb to barbarism. The Priesthood must pacify the pagans and claim more souls for the True God, lest come the Ruination of the World more belong to the sides of their enemy. Those who wield magic of arcane and foul sorts are private sorts, rarest among men. The Expert is the most common of men put into a most uncommon position. They enter the Wildwood in search of wealth and personal gain. They are no better than their fellow man upon their departure, but over time they learn how the skills developed as a common man can serve one just as well as a decade trained in the art of killing.

Experts are not rogues, though they are often roguish and prone to thievery of one form or another. Most Experts encountered who are not part of an adventuring party will not be much beyond their first level of experience. Only those who have been tested by the hardships of the unknown and wild world grow in greatness.

An Expert with a Fancy Hat

Hit Dice: d8

Initiative Bonus: 0

		Saving Throws					Class Feature
Level	Experience	Enchantment	Substance	Geas	Dragon Spume	Ensorcellment	Skill Points
1	0	17	11	12	17	14	+4
2	2,500	17	11	12	17	14	+2
3	5,000	14	11	12	16	13	+2
4	10,000	14	11	12	16	13	+2
5	20,000	12	11	12	14	11	+2
6	40,000	12	9	10	14	11	+2
7	80,000	11	9	10	13	10	+2
8	150,000	11	9	10	13	10	+2
9	300,000	9	9	10	11	8	+2
10	450,000	9	9	10	11	8	+2

Class Features

Basic Skills: All characters are assumed to have a 1-in-6 success rating in the following items: Climbing, Cooking, Tracking, Identifying Traps, Foraging/Hunting, Sleight of Hand, Hiding.  Experts are the only class which may improve upon these skills without having to hire someone to train them further. They may do so with Skill Points gained during character creation or upon advancing in level. Upon reaching 6-in-6 on any Skill, you roll 2d6 and fail only on snake eyes.

Career Experience - Unlike other humans who are distracted by war, the priesthood, or arcane pursuits; the Expert has had time to properly learn their craft. Experts possess a 2-in-6 Success in very specialized skills that they’ve learned in their Early Career as well as during their Expert Career. The Expert Career is meant to be the occupation the Expert was performing before choosing to pursue adventuring proper.

As it stands, an Expert can begin play with no more than 4-in-6 Success in these skills. Skill points may be invested in these very circumstantial skills, or in the basic skills that all character are granted a 1-in-6 chance of succeeding in.

Early Career
d20	Career Name	Expert Skills Developed
1	Bonepicker	Avoiding Parasites, Identifying How Long Something's Been Dead, Appraising
2	Charcoal Burner	Starting Fires, Knowledge of Forest Beasts, Enduring Terrible Smells
3	Chimneysweep	Contorting Limbs Uncomfortably, Maintaining Balance, Snuffing Out Fires
4	Courier	Hiding Items On Person, Knowing Heraldry, Navigating by Directions or Stars
5	Cutpurse	Blending into a Crowd, Palming a Blade, Disguising One's Self
6	Exorcist's Apprentice	Theology, Torturing Others, Rousing a Mob
7	Farmhand	Handling Animals, Identifying Substances, Butchering Creatures
8	Fishcleaner	Butchering Creatures, Identifying Fish, Tying Knots
9	Frog Gigger	Avoiding Parasites, Finding Things in Filth, Butchering Creatures
10	Gardener	Herbalism, Identifying Substances, Knowledge of Forest Beasts
11	Graverobber	Anatomy, Avoiding Parasites, Identifying How Long Something's Been Dead
12	Loadman	Navigating by Directions or Stars, Repairing Things, Handling Animals
13	Henchman	Knowing Heraldry, Palming a Blade, Repairing Things
14	Mudlark	Appraising, Finding Things in Filth, Avoiding Parasites
15	Ratcatcher	Avoiding Parasites, Identifying Diseases, Handling Animals
16	Ruffian	Palming a Blade, Torturing Others, Blending into a Crowd
17	Servant	Knowing Heraldry, Blending into a Crowd, Identifying Substances
18	Strumpet	Disguising One's Self, Tying Knots, Identifying Diseases
19	Tradesman	Appraising, Identifying Substances, Knowledge of Contracts
20	Vagrant	Knowledge of Forest Beasts, Butchering Creatures, Blending into a Crowd

Expert Career
d20	Career Name	Expert Skills Developed
1	Agitator	Rousing a Mob, Torturing Others, Blending into a Crowd
2	Apothecary	Identifying Substances, Making Medicine, Making Poisons
3	Artisan	Crafting Items, Embellishing Items, Appraisal
4	Boatman	Sailing, Tying Knots, Navigating by Directions or Stars
5	Borderer	Starting Fires, Knowledge of Forest Beasts, Herbalism
6	Bounty Hunter	Anatomy, Tying Knots, Torturing Others
7	Burgher	Appraising, Knowledge of Contracts, Rousing a Mob
8	Charlatan	Rousing a Mob, Disguising One's Self, Knowledge of Terrible Beasts
9	Convict	Finding Things in Filth, Palming a Blade, Finding Weak Spots
10	Fence	Appraising, Torturing Others, Identifying Substances
11	Forger	Forging Documents, Knowledge of Contracts, Legalese
12	Highwayman	Finding Weak Spots, Palming a Blade, Appraising
13	Houndsman	Handling Animals, Butchering Creatures, Torturing Others
14	Interrogator	Torturing Others, Legalese, Finding Weak Spots
15	Litigant	Knowledge of Contracts, Legalese, Rousing a Mob
16	Physician	Herbalism, Anatomy, Identifying Diseases
17	Plague Doctor	Herbalism, Avoiding Parasites, Identifying Diseases
18	Scholar	Knowledge of History, Theological Knowledge, and Knowing Heraldry
19	Smuggler	Hiding Items on Person, Appraisal, Navigating by Directions or Stars
20	Vagabond	Navigating by Directions or Stars, Herbalism, Finding Things in Filth

Read Situations: At Levels 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, choose one of the following things for your Expert to be able to discern thanks to his experiences in dealing with people: Anxieties, Desires, Trustworthiness, the Community, Fears, the Situation and Nobility.

The Expert is able to discern subtle truths out of people and situations at a rate of 3-in-6. These abilities take at least enough time for the Expert to have a conversation or people-watch, save for reading the Situation which takes merely a full round of observation.

• Read Anxieties: The Expert is able to discern what a person or group of people cannot stand, what makes them disgusted, what makes them uncomfortable, and what they’d rather not have to deal with.
• Read Desires: The Expert is able to size up what greed and ambition clouds the hearts of others, determining in broad strokes what they might want, what they might seek out, or what they might kill for.
• Read Trustworthiness: The Expert is able to read people, most notably when those other people are trying to screw him over. The Expert cannot discern honesty or the truth with this ability, merely whether or not someone is trying to put him in a poor situation (financially or otherwise).
• Read the Community: The Expert is able to, in broad strokes, get a feel for the community he is in and what sorts of services they might provide, who the movers-and-shakers are, and what strange customs they might have.
• Read Fears: The Expert can read into what paranoia or lingering dread underlies an individual or their community. While such information might not produce concrete facts that the Expert can deal with, it can give a sense of general dangers that many a charlatan would find use for.
• Read the Situation: The Expert can take a look at a situation and come to a summary judgement on what appears to be going on, though the truth of the matter may be lost in the understanding of what is taking place.
• Read Nobility: The Expert can with a glance determine the quality of one's honor and nobility, though it may not be wise to speak the results out loud. With this, the Expert can determine if someone is merely a pretender to a code of ethics, or an actual follower of their beliefs.

Expert Training - The Expert may train others in their skills, granting others a +1 to a single skill per month of training provided. Such training the Expert can, and should, charge for. The Expert cannot ever train a non-Expert in a skill above a success rating of 5-in-6. An Expert can train a number of individuals at a time equal to his Intelligence + Charisma Modifiers. Such money, when exchanged, counts as Experience Points gained for those spending it.

Regarding a lack of content of late: Time makes fools of us all, as does work. Got a few more WWM stuff practically done, then it all needs some proper revision. This post will eventually get a nice big equipment chart, and some other stuff. Lotta charts.