las respuestas o réplicas a las reseñas
IX. LA LEGISLACIÓN SOBRE PROTECCIÓN DEL DERECHO AL
The Creator Any but Evil or Chaos Lawful good
The Adversary Any but Good or Law Chaotic evil
pristine worlds. They are sometimes appalled by the apparent contempt that many people show for the natur-al world. Most druids despise the very idea of soul-mechs, which they view as the ultimate corruption of the spiritual by the mechanical.
Perhaps it is because of the many challenges with which technological civilization confronts the natural world that druids are so common in the Empire. The secretive and elusive Druidic Society recruits its mem-bers from universities, research institutes, government agencies, and universities across the Empire. While most citizens are completely unaware of its existence, the Druidic Society is an influential political force working behind the scenes in the Dragon Empire.
Many druids study and work in the life sciences fields. They are botanists, zoologists, ecologists, and environmental engineers. Others avoid the sciences, preferring a more spiritual path to communion with the natural world. These druids come from all walks of life, though they are often recruited from the ranks of student and political activist groups.
Some outsiders view the secret society of druids as a large conspiracy out to destroy the technological foun-dation on which galactic civilization was built. They believe the druids long for a time when all people will once again live in some imagined, idyllic harmony with nature. While there probably are such extremist factions within the Druidic Society, this is certainly not its offi-cial position. Most druids simply strive to protect nature—especially the surviving wildernesses of the Outlands—and explore new ways for civilization and nature to coexist.
Game Rule Information
The following new rules apply to druids.
New Class Skills
The druid’s new class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Freefall (Dex), Knowledge (any science skills, taken individually), and Navigate (Int).
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Druids who take the Technical Proficiency feat become proficient with all high-tech light armor. They are also proficient with all high-tech simple weapons.
Technical Proficiency: When you create a druid character, you may choose to take the Technical Proficiency feat for free, just like other characters from the Empire. Characters with the Technical Proficiency
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feat gain the new weapon and armor proficiencies listed above, and they suffer no penalties or restrictions on their druidic class abilities. In this case, your character is aligned with the majority, liberal faction of the Druidic Society.
You may also choose not to give your character the Technical Proficiency feat. Druids of this sort are aligned with the radical, traditionalist faction of the Druidic Society. Druids who do not take the Technical Proficiency feat do not receive the new weapon and armor proficiencies. They are restricted to the same archaic weapons and armors as druids from the Outlands. However, they cast spells as a druid one level higher than theirs. For example, a 1st-level traditionalist druid casts spells as a 2nd-level druid. The character may cast 4 0-level spells and 2 1st-level spells per day, plus any bonus spells for a high Wisdom score. The druid is also considered a 2nd-level caster for all spell effects—such as duration or range—determined by caster level.
Fighter
Fighters are perhaps the least different from their counter-parts in the Outlands than any other class. The tools of war may be different, but the Dragon Empire is still a vio-lent place. The way of the sword may have been replaced by the way of the gun, but fighters still make their fortunes by their prowess in battle.
Many fighters serve in planetary militias, in the special-operations units of police forces, in corporate security, or in the Imperial Legions. Some work as mercenaries or as the hired guns of criminal organizations and syndicates.
Despite the vast differences in the weapons they wield, fighters from the Empire and those from the Outlands have much in common. They are both students of combat and war, they rely on their physical skills and training to carry them through a battle, and they rarely shy away from danger.
Game Rule Information
The following new rules apply to fighters.
New Class Skills
The fighter’s new class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Demolitions (Int), Freefall (Dex), and Pilot (Dex). Handle Animal and Ride are cross-class skills for imperial fighters.
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Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: When a fighter takes the Technical Proficiency feat, she automatically becomes proficient with all high-tech simple and martial weapons and all high-tech armor.
Bonus Feats: The fighter can choose bonus feats from the following list, in addition to the standard ones:
Autofire, Crack Shot, Gunner, Improved Far Shot, Improved Shot on the Run, Mobile Shot, Pressing Attack, Speed Load, Two-Gun Shooting.
Monk
More than any other class, monks have held to their traditions in the face of monu-mental change. They are among the most respected people in the Empire as a result.
Like their counterparts in the Outlands, monks devote their lives to meditation on the mysteries of the universe and to attuning themselves to it body and soul.
In a civilization dominated by technology, monks deny themselves the advantages of weapons and armor, but for those traditional peasant weapons that their kind have used for mil-lennia on countless worlds. The power of a monk’s blows can be more powerful than a bullet, and they can move faster than all but the swiftest foes.
In the Dragon Empire, some monasteries are even more remote than those in the Outlands. Dug into the rock of barren asteroids or airless moons like fragile bubbles on a drying beach, these enclaves are only reachable by teleportation or spacecraft. Welcome guests are treated like princes, but those who enter with-out permission find naught but peril.
Game Rule Information
The following new rules apply to monks.
New Class Skill
The monk’s new class skill (and its key ability) is Freefall (Dex).
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Monks with the Technical Proficiency feat gain proficiency with all high-tech simple weapons and all high-tech light armor.
Technical Proficiency: Monks believe that technological mastery of the universe is a self-destructive illu-sion. Monks do not gain the Technical Proficiency feat for free at 1st level like characters of other classes do.
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They may choose this feat whenever they are eligible for a new feat, including 1st level, though they seldom do. They may also gain this feat for free when they spend at least one full level adapting to and learning the use of technology.
Evade Fire (Ex): At 4th level, a monk gains the abil-ity to evade fire from all types of firearms. Once per round, when the monk would normally be hit by a shot or burst from a firearm, he may make a Reflex saving throw against a DC of 20 (if the weapon has a magical bonus to attack, the DC increases by that amount). If the monk succeeds, the attack misses. The monk must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed. Attempting to evade fire doesn’t count as an action. A monk can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier.
Leap of the Clouds: Although a monk’s leaping abil-ity is no longer limited by her height once she gains this ability, variable gravity still has its normal effect.
Paladin
The time when armored knights mounted great warhorses and charged into battle armed with lance and sword is an age long past for most of the imperial worlds. These traditions survive only as spiritual and symbolic images for the paladins of the Dragon Empire.
One thing that has not changed is the paladin’s code.
While their physical weapons are different, their spiritu-al ones are not. They still arm themselves with the com-passion to pursue good, the will to uphold law, and the power to defeat evil.
Paladins are the sacred warriors of the Unification Church. Many serve in the elite special-operations units of the militant arms of the church. These military orders usually have strong ties to the Royal Houses of Qesemet, which lends them legitimacy and authority.
The dragon lords of Asamet, of course, despise the pal-adins and their orders, but they are legally protected by the Imperial Charter, so the evil clans cannot move against them overtly.
Only the sects of the Father, the Judge, the Mother, and the Warrior have active orders. Each has its own charter, organization, and purpose, according to the pre-cepts its sect. For example, SOLAR, the elite special forces unit founded by the sect of the Father, assists in Qesemet’s ongoing military operations against the forces of evil in both the Empire and the Outlands. The order was founded by a half-dragon paladin of gold lin-eage and is protected and sponsored by House Deserene.
The order’s unit insignia is a silver sword on a blazing golden sun.
In response to these orders, the dragon lords of Asamet have sponsored the creation of blackguard
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orders serving the Destroyer and the Reaper. Rumors that the paladins and blackguards of these rival orders have clashed in covert engagements on several occa-sions have never been confirmed. Given their affilia-tions with the Royal Houses of Asamet and Qesemet, this violence would constitute a violation of the Imperial Charter. Some believe the dragon lords simply use their paladins and blackguards as pawns in a war for supremacy that never really ended.
There is also a Dualist order of paladins devoted to the Creator. It, in turn, is opposed by an order of black-guards in service to the Adversary. Both orders are extremely secretive and little information about their organization or activities is available.
Of course, the paladin’s call is not always issued from within one of the Twelve Sects of the Unification Church or from the Dualist temples. Some paladins who heed the call serve no established church. These pal-adins often serve with distinction in planetary garrisons or police forces, while others wander the Outlands con-fronting evil and wielding purity like a greatsword.
Game Rule Information
The following new rules apply to paladins.
New Class Skills
The paladin’s new class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Freefall (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Pilot (Dex).
As the elite commandos of holy military orders, pal-adins gain several class skills to aid them in their spe-cialized role on the modern battlefield. However, impe-rial paladins lose some of the class skills of their coun-terparts in the Outlands. Handle Animal and Ride are cross-class skills for imperial paladins.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A paladin with the Technical Proficiency feat is proficient with all high-tech simple and martial weapons and all high-high-tech armor.
Order and Morality: In the Dragon Empire, a pal-adin may find that he has to associate with those of evil alignment on a regular basis. A paladin of the Order of the Judge, for instance, may occasionally have to inter-act with drow officers of the Imperial Special Police Directorate. For most paladins, this is inevitable and unavoidable. The paladin’s social and political order was founded on compromise and tolerance of opposed moral alignment, and the paladin cannot defend one
while resisting the other.
Detect Evil: While a paladin can still detect evil nor-mally, it is illegal for him to act on the information the ability reveals. The paladin must also witness the com-mission of evil before he can take action against the wicked. Most paladins struggle mightily with their sometimes-opposed duty to uphold the law and commit-ment to fight evil.
Divine Health: A paladin is immune to all diseases, even those for which modern medical science has no cure.
Smite Evil: This power works normally, though the paladin can be prosecuted for using it without proper cause.
Special Mount: Imperial paladins no longer have the ability to summon a special mount at 5th level.
Divine Spellware: Paladins gain exclusive access to divine spellware, magical enhancements that imbue them with the power of their deity. Divine spellware is created and implanted in the paladin by clerics of the paladin’s sect or order. As long as the paladin is in good standing with his church, he may purchase divine spell-ware enhancements of his choice. Divine spellspell-ware does not cost the paladin credits, but the character must pay the listed XP cost when it is implanted. For more infor-mation on divine spellware, see Chapter 6: Magic Items, in the Galaxy Guide.
Ranger
There are countless untamed worlds in the Outlands, and the ranger’s goal is to explore them all. Imperial rangers are scouts, explorers, and professional hunters who rarely feel at ease in the great cities. They wander from world to world, sometimes in service to a govern-ment or corporation, sometimes following their own internal compasses wherever they lead.
Rangers are often part of the first settlement teams to colonize an Outlands world, and they serve these isolat-ed colonies as protectors and guardians. Others are attached to special military units, serving as advanced scouts and commandos. Regardless of the careers they choose, however, rangers are always at home in the wildest reaches of the Outlands.
In Dragonstar, rangers are not the twin-weapon wielding melee specialists they are on many Outlands worlds. They are masters of the woods and wild places, explorers, hunters, and protectors.
Game Rule Information
The following new rules apply to rangers.
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New Class Skills
The ranger’s new class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Freefall (Dex), Navigate (Int), and Pilot (Dex).
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: When a ranger takes the Technical Proficiency feat, she automatically becomes proficient with all high-tech simple and martial weapons and all high-tech armor.
Favored Enemy: A ranger with the Technical Proficiency feat who takes constructs as his favored enemy gains the related bonuses when fighting soul-mechs. Soulmechs, unlike magical constructs, are not immune to critical hits, so bonus weapon damage does apply.
Special Feats: Imperial rangers do not gain the abili-ty to fight with two weapons in light armor as if they had the Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats.
Rangers are no more likely to train in these combat styles than other classes. However, imperial rangers are expert marksmen. They gain the Point Blank Shot and Far Shot feats for free. These are true feats and are not limited by the armor the ranger wears.
Favored Terrain: At 2nd level, a ranger may select a type of terrain as a favored terrain. Due to his extensive training and experience operating in this terrain, the ranger gains a +1 circumstance bonus to Hide, Intuit Direction, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks when using these skills in this type of terrain. The ranger’s base speed is also increased by 5 feet when he’s operating in his favored terrain.
At 6th level and at every four levels thereafter (10th, 14th, and 18th level), the ranger may select a new favored terrain, and the bonus associated with every pre-viously selected favored terrain goes up by +1. For example, a 15th-level ranger will have four favored ter-rains, with bonuses of +4, +3, +2, and +1.
The following are possible types for a ranger’s favored terrains.
• Arctic: Cold, icy areas; includes tundra and glaciers.
• Aquatic: Fresh or saltwater.
• Desert: Any dry area with sparse vegetation.
• Forest: Any area covered with trees.
• Hill: Any area with rugged but not mountainous ter-rain.
• Marsh: Low, flat, waterlogged areas; includes swamps.
• Mountains: Rugged, higher elevation than hills.
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• Plains: Any fairly flat area that is not a desert, marsh, or forest; grasslands.
• Underground: Subterranean areas.
Pathfinder: At 1st level, a ranger gains the ability to make a Wilderness Lore check to locate or blaze a trail through trackless terrain while traveling overland (PHB 143). The DC of the check depends on the pace at which the ranger is traveling.
If the ranger is walking, he need only make the check once per eight-hour period of travel. The ranger must make the check every hour that he hustles.
If the check is successful and the ranger is traveling alone, his overland movement rate increases by two steps, from trackless to highway. If the ranger is leading a group, the improvement is only one step, from track-less to road (trail).
Rogue
The rogues of the Dragon Empire are thieves, pirates, covert operatives, smugglers, scouts, gangsters, and freelancers. Of all the core classes, rogues are perhaps the most versatile and adaptable, and they thrive in the star-spanning civilization of the Empire.
While they aren’t technicians or engineers, imperial rogues are proficient with technology. They know how to hack into computers, deactivate alarms and security systems, and bypass electronic locks and safeguards.
Rogues have also taken advantage of developments in weapons technology. Few rogues can match the might and fortitude of an Outlands warrior. Armed with a blaster, though, the rogue’s steady hands and careful aim are the equal of most any soldier’s.
Game Rule Information
The following new rules apply to rogues.
New Class Skills
The rogue’s new class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Cryptography (Int), Demolitions (Int),
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PATHFINDING
Pace DC
Walk 20
Hustle 25
Freefall (Dex), Navigate (Int), Pilot (Dex), Urban Lore (Wis), and Use Device (Int).
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: If a rogue takes the Technical Proficiency feat, she automatically becomes proficient with the holdout pistol, holdout laser, light autopistol, heavy autopistol, laser pistol, and blaster pis-tol. Rogues who are Medium-size or larger are also pro-ficient with all Medium-size simple firearms. Rogues are proficient with all high-tech light armor.
Sneak Attack: This ability does work on soulmechs, as long as the rogue has the Technical Proficiency feat.
Soulmechs are subject to critical hits, so they are not immune to a rogue’s bonus damage for sneak attack.
Crippling Strike: This ability does not work on soulmechs or other robots.
Sorcerer
Sorcerers are viewed with fear and suspi-cion on some Outlands worlds, but in the Dragon Empire, their natural affinity for magic grants them special status.
Sorcerers are commonly thought to be related to the great dragons themselves, though no scientific evidence has ever been presented in support of this belief.
Sorcerers are commonly thought to be related to the great dragons themselves, though no scientific evidence has ever been presented in support of this belief.