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TSED
2009-07-09, 04:19 AM
Halfling Tombrunner

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ph35_gallery/PHB35_PG167_WEB.jpg

"Ha! You make it sound like I've never swam down a waterfall, climbed a 300' wall, and snuck past an undead legion before. Oh, wait, oh no, I forgot my Lucky Rabbit's Foot! Give me a minute, I'll be right back."

Halflings are notorious for their thieving habits and eager fingers. For their ability to get into and out of anything. For their dauntless hearts and cheery step. For this lucky knack that follows them around.

A Tombrunner has all of these things.

They also have an irresistible urge to use the aforementioned to make themselves rich. Usually, though not necessarily, without hurting anyone. This tends to lead them in a different direction than other 'skilled' halflings: downwards.


Class Information



CLASS SPECIFICS

Becoming A Halfling Tombrunner
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Race: Halfling (or Kender, if in Krynn).
Sneak Attack: 3d6
Skills: 8 Ranks in Appraise, Search
Skills: 4 Ranks in Hide, Move Silently, Disable Device, Tumble, and Open Lock
Skills: 2 Ranks in: Climb, Swim, Jump, and Balance
Special: Participated in a successful dungeoneering expedition.

Class Skills
The Halfling Tombrunner's class skills are: Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft (Any), Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Knowledge (Religion), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Perform (Storytelling), Profession (Any), Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spot, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device, Use Rope.
Skills Points at Each Level: 8 + int

Hit Dice: d6

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+2|
+2|
+0|Uncanny Danger Sense, Harmless Kleptomania

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+3|
+0|Adventuring Stretches, Silent to the Vigilant

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+1|Endless Bag of Tricks, +1d6 Sneak Attack

4th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|Improved Uncanny Danger Sense, Foil Tremorsense

5th|
+3|
+4|
+4|
+1|Advanced Adventuring Stretches, Improvised Throwing

6th|
+4|
+5|
+5|
+2|Stab at the Horrors Below, +1d6 Sneak Attack

7th|
+5|
+5|
+5|
+2|Foil Blindsense, Lucky Hesitation

8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+2| Superior Uncanny Danger Sense, Slippery Halfling

9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+6|
+3| Distant Precision, +1d6 Sneak Attack

10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+7|
+3|Foil Blindsight, Notice Weak Points[/table]

Weapon Proficiencies: A Halfling Tombrunner gains no new armour or weapon proficiencies (except for proficiency with improvised throwing weapons at fifth level).


CLASS ABILITIES


1st Level:
Uncanny Danger Sense (Ex)
If a Halfling Tombrunner fails a spot or search check by up to 5 points, she instantly realises that she missed something. The thought that she is missing something makes it hard to concentrate, however, and she can not take 20 on the check. She may take 10 but it takes as long as if she took twenty. If the second roll also fails within 5 of the check, she is too agitated to attempt again. If she failed by more than 5 of the check, she cannot for the life of her pinpoint the problem, and it makes her paranoid. She receives a -2 penalty to will saves in the next minute, but retains her dexterity bonus to AC under any circumstance save paralyzation or being helpless. For the purposes of Uncanny Danger Sense, being stunned is not considered being helpless. She is only alerted of a failed search or spot check a number of times per day equal to her charisma modifier plus her class level, after that she is simply not informed of a missed check. In addition, a Halfling Tombrunner's levels stack with a rogue's for determining the bonus granted from Trapsense. The DM should keep track of these uses per day, not the player.

Harmless Kleptomania (Ex)
Halfling Tombrunners are stereotyped throughout the realms as happy-go-lucky folk with a penchant for wandering fingers but a good heart (though that stereotype may be unfair to many Tombrunners on either side of the saying). If caught stealing something, the Tombrunner gains a bonus equal to their class level on a bluff or diplomacy check to prevent anger and hostilities.

2nd Level:
Adventuring Stretches (Ex)
The Halfling Tombrunner knows that preparation is the key to success in all things - even physical exertion. After doing stretches for 10 minutes, you gain a competence bonus to one strength-based skill (swim, climb, etc.) equal to one half your Tombrunner levels rounded down for one hour per Halfling Tombrunner level.. In addition, you may opt to use your dexterity mod instead of your strength mod if you so wish. Changing a skill to be based on strength does not make it eligible for this ability, and a skill that has been changed away from strength still is eligible.

Silent To The Vigilant (Ex)
The Tombrunner has seen her share of ancient guardians, and managed to get past them all. Or most of them. Or some of them. Probably. Despite their eternal vigilance, they use regular patterns in their searches, and Tombrunners have a knack for figuring them out. A non-living creature attempting to make a spot or listen check to detect a Tombrunner takes a penalty equal to 1/2 her class level. The Tombrunner may forgo this penalty in order to bestow it upon a number of companions equal to her charisma modifier.

3rd level:
Endless Bag of Tricks (Ex)
The Halfling Tombrunner is a little absent-minded, but has a startling array of useful items hidden away. Occasionally, a pressing situation will remind her that she has JUST the right tool to get out of this mess. Once per week, the Halfling Tombrunner can pull out an item that is not written down in her inventory as a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The item must be easily carried by the tombrunner and cannot be worth more gold pieces than her class level * 10. Afterwords, the item can be written down on the character's inventory (unless it was an expendable item that was consumed). While rummaging through your bags, you may throw one item per point of dexterity modifier that is already written down on your character sheet as a free action, but take a cumulative -4 to hit with it and at a maximum of two range increments. All items must be thrown within 25' of eachother, and you cannot throw weapons designed for specifically for throwing with this ability (though grenade-like weapons are fine).

Sneak Attack (Ex)
A Halfling Tombrunner gains an additional 1d6 points of sneak attack, as per the rogue class feature. She gains another 1d6 points of sneak attack every 3 levels.


4th level:
Improved Uncanny Danger Sense (Ex)
As a Halfling Tombrunner gains more experience, that sixth sense of hers becomes more fine tuned. If a Halfling Tombrunner fails a spot or search check by 6 to 10 points, she instantly realises that she missed something. The thought that she is missing something makes it hard to concentrate, however, and she can not take 10 or 20 on the re-check. This uses up two of the daily uses of Uncanny Danger Sense instead of one. If the Tombrunner has at least one daily use of Uncanny Danger Sense left but not enough for the 'normal' activation of this ability, it still works normally and merely puts the daily uses at 0.

Foil Tremorsense (Ex)
Tombrunners have the most terrible luck when it comes to discovering monsters. It seems that no matter how lightly a rogue steps, certain creatures can still feel them. A halfling, however, is incredibly light on her feet. Creatures who use tremorsense must now make spot / listen checks against the Tombrunner normally, even within range of the tremorsense. However, the creature making the checks gains a +10 untyped bonus on the check.


5th level:
Advanced Adventuring Stretches (Ex)
You may now opt to use your Adventuring Stretches on your dexterity-based skills as well as your strength-based skills. The same conditions apply (including being able to swap your strength mod for your dexterity mod). You do not take the -4 penalty for using an improvised weapon.

Improvised Throwing (Ex)
Sometimes, a situation comes up when all that's at hand is handy but not very harmful. A Tombrunner will make do, and throw it anyways. A sharp item not meant for combat (for example: eating cutlery, craft knives, broken glass, or pried out half-orc teeth) deals 1d3 + 1/2 strength mod slashing damage with a critical threat range of 19-20 x2, and a range increment of 10'. Blunt objects (like rocks shaped like Elminster's head, a priceless Ming vase, or an inexplicably diminuitive-sized dwarf fighter in full plate) deal 1d3 + strength mod bludgeoning damage with a range increment of 10'. Long, trailing items like coils of rope, whips, or the elf's stolen dreadlocks only deal the Tombrunner's strength modifier in damage (minimum of 0) but make a trip attempt for free as if the Tombrunner was medium sized without the option to attempt to trip the Tombrunner back if it fails. They have a range increment of 5'. You may use this ability with Endless Bag of Tricks.


6th level:
Stab At The Horrors Below (Ex)
The Halfling Tombrunner has discovered her fair share of terrible monstrosities during her adventuring career. She's also learned that everything - EVERYTHING - has some kind of weak spot. If attacking a foe who is denied their dexterity bonus or is currently flanked but is immune to critical hits, she may still do some precision damage. The Tombrunner may deal one dice of precision damage she would have for every two Tombrunner levels she has. For example, a 5th level rogue / 6th level Tombrunner normally deals 6d6 sneak attack damage, but against a mummy she can deal 3d6 sneak attack damage instead of none.

Sneak Attack (Ex)
The Halfling Tombrunner gains an additional die of sneak attack.


7th level:
Foil Blindsense (Ex)
Tombrunners have the most terrible luck when it comes to discovering monsters. It seems that no matter how carefully a rogue sticks to the shadows, certain creatures can still see right through them. A halfling, however, is incredibly good at staying hidden. Creatures who use blindsight must now make spot / listen checks against the Tombrunner normally, even within range of the blindsight. However, the creature making the checks gains a +10 untyped bonus on the check.

Lucky Hesitation (Ex)
The halflings have a well-deserved reputation for getting into and out of trouble. Nowhere is this more evident than when a Tombrunner gets ahold of a cursed object. Right before partaking an action that would lead to activating the curse (be it equipping, using it in a particular manner, or any other action that will lead to the cursed conditions) the Halfling Tombrunner gets a very, very bad feeling about the object. This bad feeling takes up three of the daily uses of the Tombrunner's Uncanny Danger Sense. If the Tombrunner has at least one daily use of Uncanny Danger Sense left but not enough for the 'normal' activation of this ability, it still works normally and merely puts the daily uses at 0.


8th level:
Superior Uncanny Danger Sense (Ex)
As a Halfling Tombrunner pilfers untold riches from above and below, that sixth sense of hers becomes nearly impossible to overcome. If a Halfling Tombrunner fails a spot or search check by 11 to 15 points, she instantly realises that she missed something. The thought that she is missing something makes it hard to concentrate, however, and she can not take 10 or 20 on a re-check. This uses up four of the daily uses of Uncanny Danger Sense instead of one. If the Tombrunner has at least one daily use of Uncanny Danger Sense left but not enough for the 'normal' activation of this ability, it still works normally and merely puts the daily uses at 0.

Slippery Halfling (Ex)
The Tombrunner has been in countless close scrapes and closer calls. A quick wit and a supple wrist seem to be all she needs to get out of a sticky situation other master thieves could not escape. As a standard action, whenever a creature is aware the Tombraider is near but is not certain of the exact location of, she can attempt to misdirect it. The Tombrunner makes a bluff check vs the target's sense motive, and if successful, can make the target believe he has pin-pointed the Tombrunner's location in a square within 30' of the Tombrunner, but a failure grants him a +6 bonus to any spot or listen checks to pinpoint her location for three rounds. Additionally, the Tombrunner can attempt to throw or use a sling to cause noise in any place she can reach. The square has AC15 (a miss indicates it may have landed silently or too far away, for example) and if hit, makes a sleight-of-hand check vs the target's spot. Success indicates the target thinks she is on the square she attacked, while a failure once again grants a +6 bonus to any spot or listen checks made to find her for three rounds.


9th level:
Distant Precision (Ex)
A halfling's aim is true and good, and a Tombrunner has all the more need for precision. When applying precision damage with a thrown item or a sling, the range it can be applied from increases by another 30'. Additionally, you may use a grenade-like object in a sling and use its range increments at no penalty to deliver the payload.

Sneak Attack (Ex)
A Halfling Tombrunner gains an additional die of Sneak Attack.


10th level:
Foil Blindsight (Ex)
Tombrunners have the most terrible luck when it comes to discovering monsters. It seems that no matter how carefully a rogue stays in positions no sight could possibly perceive her, certain creatures still know exactly where they are. A halfling, however, is incredibly good at staying hidden. Creatures who use blindsense must now make spot / listen checks against the Tombrunner normally, even within range of the blindsight. However, the creature making the checks gains a +10 untyped bonus on the check.

Notice Weak Points (Ex)
By tenth level, a Tombrunner has run into more horrors-that-should-not-be-seen than most people have relatives. And after spending a long enough time running, bleeding, dying, fighting, and screaming because of their various methods, she's learned a lot about fighting them - and reaffirmed that EVERYTHING has a weak point. She may now use all applicable precision dice minus one when attacking a critical-immune creature. Different types of precision dice must subtract their own d6, so a 10th level Halfling Tombrunner with 2d6 skirmish and 8d6 sneak attack deals 1d6 skirmish and 7d6 sneak attack - assuming both could be applied. This ability supercedes and obsoletes Stab At The Horrors Below.



Fluff!

Playing A Halfling Tombrunner
Combat: A Tombrunner typically has a great deal of useful items at the ready. Additionally, they have a huge racial bonus to their hide and move silently skills that work wonderfully with their class bonuses, and at later levels can sneak attack pretty much anything they can reach. This is at the cost of raw damage - while a Halfling Tombraider is much more likely to succeed in sneak attacking something, a Halfling Tombraider's sneak attack is going to be felt less if it does.
Resources: A Halfling Tombraider probably builds her base of operations from which to launch expeditions in an old, settled land. This ensures lots of necessary equipment is available - from crossbows that fire grappling hooks to holy water to smoke sticks to sun rods to scrolls of expeditious retreat to potions of invisibility - but also helps ensure two things far more important. Targets, and allies. While a solo Tombraider can experience much success, journeying with fellows with complimentary skills can promise there is no situation that cannot be dealt with. Adventuring is a dangerous career, after all, and being uncertain is a sure road to failure.



Halfling Tombrunners In The World
"So the Larry the Wizard was talking about theoretical time loopholes opening an opportunity for us to disrupt the cultist's ritual, when she pipes up with a big grin on her face. 'Oh, don't worry about the ritual', she says, "I took what they needed for it about twenty minutes ago.' And she was right! Best durned thief I ever met."


Daily Life: A Halfling Tombrunner is pretty busy. While the scores from a successful expedition could feed a small town for a year, they are not cheap to set up or easy to acquire. A Tombrunner is often milling about the city before launching such an expedition, looking for specific - and rare - items, double-checking information, dodging unhappy customers, getting rid of the occasional curse or vendetta-seeker, and protecting investments from 'the other' kind of thief. Actual tombrunning tends to be only a small allotment of their time.

NPC Reaction
NPC Reaction is rather mixed. Most shopkeepers and villagers set in their ways do not approve of a Tombrunner's occupation at all. Some shopkeepers love them for the wealth they can bring to their shops, however, as a Tombrunner carries many valuable items and occasionally sell them for far less than they're worth. Some servants of Gods of Death despise them above many other things for their constant despoiling of tombs, others love them for their consistent destruction of undead. Most adventurers, however, absolutely adore the Tombrunner - they can save lives on a very, VERY frequent basis.


Halfling Tombrunners In The Game
Adaptation: Replacing a couple of tricks would work well for adapting this class to non-halflings, particularly the ones involved with throwing or gallant athletics (see Adventuring Stretches). As this plays to stereotypical halflings, certain variants (for example, Dark Sun's) would not appropriately fill the role of this class.
Encounters: Finding a Tombrunner can be an ill omen or a gift from above, depending on the circumstances. Discovering a Tombrunner who is on the way up promises few riches for the PCs to uncover, without guaranteeing the dangers are negated. Meeting a Tombrunner who's on her way down could give valuable information - they are rather thorough as treasure shows up in the oddest places. Finding a dead Tombrunner is unlikely and if it occurs, the party can be sure the deadliest of deadly perils awaits them.


Bonus: I plan on making a Gnomish, Dwarven, Human, Half-Orc, and Kobold Tombrunner, each with separate focuses. They will be posted in this thread when completed, I guess, but most will share the "sneak attack anything", "bag of tricks", and "foil X-sense" class features - just to varying degrees.

PairO'Dice Lost
2009-07-09, 07:51 AM
You probably should cut down on the number of spoilers, but I like this class quite a bit--the danger sense, harmless kleptomania, and slippery halfling abilities in particular. I might increase the sneak attack by +1d6 at each level it's granted, but otherwise it'd very solid.

Xefas
2009-07-09, 08:14 AM
Can the rest of the party do the Adventuring Stretches with the Halfling, if he's instructing them? To foil the situation that while he's capable of climbing the cliff, or sneaking past guards, or what have you with his amazing bonus to skills, everyone else fails and ruins everything?

Or are these crazy secret stretches impossible if you don't have this class?

(Not to mention, it'd just be funny to see the Halfling act like an aerobics instructor for the angry Orc Barbarian, stiff up-tight plate-wearing Cleric, and crotchety old Wizard in the party.)

Cieyrin
2009-07-09, 11:00 AM
Oh god, the halflings have discovered their inner-kender. Run away!!!! @_@

@Xefas: that sort of thing would fall under the purview of teamwork benefits, which were introduced in the DMG 2 and PHB 2, in which the Halfling Tombrunner would be the team leader and the other members would be teammates with some more minimal requirement, like 1 or 2 ranks in the skill to be stretched.

Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.

DracoDei
2009-07-09, 11:07 AM
I assume the stretches can only apply to one skill at a time?

Also, requiring and granting sneak attack for a class that is described as often not liking to hurt people seems off... Maybe only let it work against things with 2 or lower intellegence??

TSED
2009-07-09, 12:41 PM
You probably should cut down on the number of spoilers, but I like this class quite a bit--the danger sense, harmless kleptomania, and slippery halfling abilities in particular. I might increase the sneak attack by +1d6 at each level it's granted, but otherwise it'd very solid.

Glad you like it!

I toned down the sneak attack because they get a LOT of nifty AND useful class features. It was kind of overpowered, so I thought "Hmmm, slow down sneak attack progression or give 1/2 BAB?" I ended up with less sneak attack because it does seem a bit more fitting, in my eyes.

The class is obviously geared towards evasion, not confrontation, but IS capable of confronting something in a pinch. Just not the forte, you know? Wait for the halforc tombrunner for that one.


ALSO: I fully acknowledge I went crazy with the spoilers. It was fun, I tell you! FUN!


Oh god, the halflings have discovered their inner-kender. Run away!!!! @_@

... Good point. I should make kender able to take this, too...


@Xefas: that sort of thing would fall under the purview of teamwork benefits, which were introduced in the DMG 2 and PHB 2, in which the Halfling Tombrunner would be the team leader and the other members would be teammates with some more minimal requirement, like 1 or 2 ranks in the skill to be stretched.

Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.

I pretty much agree with this call. It makes sense and works with something already in the game. Part of stretching is knowing which muscles need to be stretched, part of stretching is knowing what happens when you DON'T stretch (ow!), etc. etc. Lots of ways to spin the ruling mechanically.



I assume the stretches can only apply to one skill at a time?

Hmm, good point. I'd leave it as is. If the rogue is stupid enough to enact on a daring quintuple-hazard-stunt, let the rogue stretch it up first.


Also, requiring and granting sneak attack for a class that is described as often not liking to hurt people seems off... Maybe only let it work against things with 2 or lower intellegence??

Ah ah! Unfair stereotyping! Sure, there are chaotic good happy-go-lucky tombrunners dungeonplumbing it up, but there are also the neutral or even lawful good ones following a paladin around breaking up cultists, the chaotic neutral ones that do whatever they feel like, and the evil ones that... Yeah. Just because the tricks they've got going on are supposedly minimizing a high level rogue's effect on societal economics doesn't mean they are.


I don't have any ideas in my head, so I'll just ask. Which race would The Playground like to see the next Tombrunner of? Kind of leaning gnome right now because I've got the most seeds of ideas for it, but seeing people actively looking forwards to one would probably be a bigger motivator.

Stycotl
2009-07-09, 06:07 PM
i started reading this, but after spoiler #8 or something, i realized that i hate spoilers. maybe you should get rid of some of th... no, maybe you should get rid of all of them but two or three.

Galileo
2009-07-09, 07:29 PM
I really, really like this class. The abilities are cool, and seem like they'd be really useful as well. Definitely drop the spoilers, though. I'd be most interested in the Dwarven and Human Tombrunners next.

Anxe
2009-07-09, 10:22 PM
Well done and thought out class. I like it. I'd like to see Half-Orc next myself.

Cieyrin
2009-07-09, 11:58 PM
I'm in the mood for some Barbarian Trapfinding, so I vote for the Half-orc first, closely followed by the Gnome and Dwarf.

TSED
2009-07-10, 06:29 AM
Quite a few spoilers have been removed, for your convenience.


Looks like the next item up is the half-orc, then!
Spoiler: Half-Orcs are going to be less 'barbarian' and more 'rogue', and compared to the halflings, going to be less 'sneak through' and much more 'stab through.'


EDIT:: I take that back. It is turning out much more barbariany than I originally thought.
EDIT:: I put it back forwards. Turned out a lot more roguey than it did when I first started. Class mechanics in place, need to do fluff, NOT feeling creative for fluff-writing right now so it'll show up later. Probably after work, which means at least 12 hours away.

readsaboutd&d
2009-07-11, 01:51 PM
Good job. I like the bag of tricks alot. And please do kobold.