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Subject: A new nonviolent class...

Here is a new pc class I cooked up.  It has not been tested yet.  Enjoy.
 
THE SAGE
 
A new player-character class by David M Girardot
 
Yandra whirled his staff in an arc and knocked the orcs feet out
from other him.  His foot deprived the creature of most of his
breath.  "Now my friend," said Yandra, kneeling and securing the
orc with bonds of leather, "maybe you'll learn to think twice
before waylaying travellers."
 
"What are you doing," grumped the mighty Thardfast, wiping the
blood of the last orc off of his sword.  "Just kill it."
 
"I'm a Sage, not a Warrior," said Yandra.  "There's no need to
kill."
The barbarian threw up his hands, "Sages!" he said in disgust.
 
 
                    *    *    *    *    *
 
The Sage class is one predicated on development of the intellect.
The mind, they postulate, is the Divine -- and there is no
greater goal than the development of the divine.  The Sage is not
a fighter, though many are adept at self-defense.  They will not
take a life, however.  The Sage beleive that a healthy mind can
only develop within a healthy body, and so exercise rigorously.
 
 
ABILITY REQUIREMENTS:    Strength 12
                         Intellect 16
                         Dexterity 9
                         Wisdom    9
                         Constitution 12
 
PRIME REQUESITES:        Strength 16
                         Intellect 16
                         Dexterity 12
 
ALLOWED RACES:           Human only
 
ALIGNMENTS:              Lawful Good
                         Lawful Neutral
 
WEAPONS ALLOWED:         Quarterstaff
 
WEAPON PROFICIENCIES:
 
     INITIAL:            1
     Non-Prof. Penalty:  Cannot use any weapon but
                         the Quarterstaff and
                         own body.
     ADDITIONAL:         None
NON-WEAP. PROFICIENCIES: 4, additional 1 every 2 levels
 
ARMOUR ALLOWED:          None
STARTING MONEY:          None
 
SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS AND BENEFITS:
 
 
     The sage begins with no money, only the clothes on his back
and a quarterstaff.  Additionally, he may never carry more than a
few peices of silver.  His equipment is not so restricted, as
long as it directly related to the gathering of information,
science, or development of the intellect or body.  Magic items of
this sort are allowed too.
     The sage will avoid combat at all costs.  A sage will never
attack first, and will only defend if first attacks.  In any
case, the sage prefers to talk first.
     Because of their scientific training, sages are particularly
skeptical of magical and clerical abilties.  A sage will tend not
to beleive in magickal effects, or downplay their importance.  If
ever "convinced" in magick a sage will see it only as an
unpredictable and limited effectiveness device and curiousity.
The exceptions to this are magickal scrolls and potions, which
the sage will attribute to science rather than any sort of
magick. Note that this does not happen with spells the sage
himself casts from scrolls or potions drunk by him.  It is
suggested to the GM that the sage play up the role-playing
aspects of their background in order to receive the full benefit
from the save bonus.  I.E., "the dragon is going to breathe
*fire*?  Why, that's impossible?  Why doesn't it burn?  And how
can it fly, it must weigh a ton?  It must be a trick of the mind!
It can't be real, therefore it can't hurt me."
 
     LEVEL     SAVING THROW BONUS VERSUS MAGICAL EFFECTS*
      OF
     SAGE      MAGICKAL EFFECTS(1) MIND AFFECTING(2)
     =====     ================    ==============
      1-2       +1                  +2
      3-4       +2                  +3
      5-6       +3                  +4
      7-8       +4                  +5
      9-10      +5                  +6
     11-12      +6                  +7
     13-14      +7                  +8
      15+       +8                  +10
 
* A sage gets to add his Wisdom bonus against ALL magical
attacks.  Note that the bonuses of this table do not apply to
scroll spells cast by the sage himself.
 
 
1) Any magical effect such as a spell, dragon's breath, etc.
2) As above, but an effect that specifically affects the mind.
 
     This also means that the Sage is an avowed athiest and
healing type effects must be saved against.  However,
ressurection effects need not be saved against as the sage is
dead and cannot be suitably disbeleiving.  Note, however that a
God might not want to ressurect a character who will refuse to
beleive in him.  Even when ressurected, the sage will have
difficulty believing.  For some strange reason, even wizardry is
more beleivable than clerical magic.  (Even though the sage uses
healing scrolls all the time!)
 
     A sage is always at +1 with any non-weapon proficiency that
involves knowledge or the mind.  Additionally, a sage receives
four free languages because of his training, and the literacy
discipline for free.
 
     Because the sage beleives in development of the mind as well
as the body, he may SPECIALISE in the quarterstaff or the martial
arts proficiency.  (Using one of his "added lang" slots and his
weap. proficiency slot.)  A sage is also allowed the Exceptional
Strength and Constitution HP bonus usually only allowed to
fighters.
 
               SAGE EXPERIENCE LEVELS
 
 
     LEVEL          EXPERIENCE     HIT DICE
      OF              POINTS
     SAGE                          (d6 + 3)
     =====          ==========     ========
     1                   0         1d6 + 3
     2              1,500          2d6 + 6
     3              3,000          3d6 + 9
     4              6,000          4d6 + 12
     5             13,000          5d6 + 15
     6             27,500          6d6 + 18
     7             55,000          7d6 + 21
     8            110,000          8d6 + 24
     9            225,000          9d6 + 27
     10           450,000          9d6 + 28*
     11           675,000          9d6 + 29*
     12           900,000          9d6 + 30*
     13         1,125,000          9d6 + 31*
     14         1,350,000          9d6 + 32*
     15         1,575,000          9d6 + 33*
     16+         +225,000              + 1*
 
* A sage recieves 1 hit point for each level beyond 9th and no
longer receives CON bonus to hit points.
 
A sage uses the THAC0 and Saving Throw tables of Fighters.
 
Because of his lifetime of collecting knowledge, a sage has a
lore ability similar to a Bard.  A sage has a 15% per level, plus
his INT to know something useful about any notable being, item,
or place.  Additionally, a sage has an ability to Read Languages,
as a theif, equal to 10% level though he can only speak the
language if he knows it.
 
--David M Girardot
 
