Damage Bonus: +1d4.
Allegiance Tendencies: Neutral.
Skills: Accounting (20%), Appraise (50%),
Archaeology (05%), Art (05%), Astronomy
(05%), Bargain (65%), Brawl (55%), Climb (50%), Command (15%), Craft (Farming) (32%) Disguise (01%), Dodge (62%), Etiquette (25%), Fast Talk (55%), Fine Manipulation (05%), First Aid (45%), Gaming (52%), Grapple (25%), Hide (42%), History (27%), Insight (45%), Jump (45%),
Law (05%), Listen (58%), Martial Arts
(01%), MEDICINE (01%), Navigate (26%), OCCULT (05%), Perform (Sing) (45%), Persuade (36%), Pharmacy (05%), Pilot
Boat (01%), Religion (new) (20%), RESEARCH (LIBRARY USE) (01%), Research (Streetwise) (65%), Ride Horse
(05%), Sense (30%), Spot (66%), Status (40%), Stealth (45%), Strategy (10%),
Survival (new) (79%), Swim (25%), Teach (10%), Throw (25%), Track (40%).
Attacks:
Sling, 72%, 1d8, 80 yards, crushing, 1 shot, cannot parry.
Mace, 75%, 1d8+2+db, crushing, 20 HP. Defenses: Armor 4 (studded leather + helmet).
Shield, wooden, 50%, 1d3+db, knockback, Armor 12 (must parry).
Special: Paired Guild. Deity: None.
Gear: weapons, armor, thick hide, lots of patience.
Wealth: 7. 3. The Coursers.
The Coursers are a group of trade-oriented wanderers who are devoted to bettering the lot of mankind by reinstituting commerce and communication within and between regions. They adopt a variety of guises— wandering minstrel, itinerant preacher, pilgrim, caravan guard, merchant trader— and quietly, subtly, try to provide a means of covert communications between towns and regions. They work closely together, often relaying messages or goods, Pony Express style, in an opaque a way as possible. They are non-hierarchical; a senior Courser often has a few subordinates reporting to him in a region, but many more loose associates over an extended network. However, cell structure is maintained rather assiduously across regions, to minimize damage in case of compromise.
The Coursers are uniformly Good and well- liked. However, unlike the Heroes or the Paired, their existence as a group is not a matter of common knowledge. They often work in conjunction with the Heroes of Old and the Paired, who are more aware of their nature as a society. But often, local leaders or others who use their services simply know of their local Courser as a reliable guide, guard or message carrier.
Coursers are masters of guile, misdirection, and evading capture. Their credo is result oriented—keep your word, keep your secrets, honor your contracts, and work to bring the World closer together. How you go about these things is your business. Only benevolent people are allowed to join the Coursers, and anyone behaving in an evil, untrustworthy or disreputable fashion are quickly expelled and/or quietly killed. The Coursers, while benevolent, tend to be a bit fatalistic, and think nothing of killing traitors.
The order has a complex, and non-obvious, secret code which revolves around inflection of voice, hand gesture and turn of phrase.
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This enables them to spot one another and communicate in code while seeming to have a normal conversation about the weather or last night’s revelry.
The Coursers are likewise a small organization, perhaps numbering a couple dozen across the World, clustered in each region around a senior Courser and operating as a loose network. Coursers exact minimal charges over cost for their services, as they are a mission-driven organization.
Coursers are encouraged to learn a skill that both justifies their wanderings as well as pays their way. Many have some skill as entertainers, especially story-tellers, as a result.
Joining the Coursers is perhaps the easiest of any of the organizations. You simply have to meet a Courser, earn his trust to the point where he confides in you, convince him to show you the ropes, and swear to abide by the group’s laws. They are more interested in character and determination; they figure that they can teach you how to do what you need to do. Coursers work closely together and enjoy a close sense of brotherhood; one will readily come to another’s aid.
Game Rule Information:
Prerequisites: A Courser must be recommended by another Courser. This will happen if the Courser is impressed by the PLAYER’s resourcefulness and good character. The Courser must also agree to the credo of the order and swear to obey its principles.
Class Abilities: There are three stages in a Courser’s advancement: Brother, Well-
Travelled, and Famous.
Brother: The newly initiated Courser gains significant advantages.
First, as long as he is plying his trade and can call on the help of at least one other Courser, his effective Wealth will not drop below 4; a Courser can always count on his brothers and sisters.
Second, a Courser gains +2 to his base movement rate, reflecting his ability to efficiently cover distances.
Third, a Courser gains +20% to any skill checks involving rate, distance or duration of travel, as they are accustomed to long days on the road.
Fourth, a Courser can, through using their speaking code, spot another Courser and convey basic information to him in an open conversation, without non-Coursers thinking they discussed anything of any import. Finally, a Courser gains +25% to any skill check where the purpose of the check is to make it appear as though the Courser is not trespassing or a stranger; techniques for blending in are drilled into their heads from the outset.
Well-Travelled: When the Keeper determines that the Courser is well-travelled and well-liked enough to have an extensive network of friends and operatives, he gains +25% to Research (Streetwise) and +25% to Status.
Famous: Eventually, if a Courser gains a folk-hero level reputation for tweaking the nose of authority, then the Courser gains +1 to APP, +20% to Fast Talk, and +20% to Persuade.
Sample Courser:
Roger of the Plaid: Roger of the Plaid works the Great Road in Eglantine. He wanders constantly from village to village, entertaining each one he enters with an evening of song and stories for a place to sleep and whatever they will pay.
Roger does not hold himself out as a guide, messenger or carrier—to do so might draw unwelcome attention—but he seems to “accidentally” stumble on or volunteer for such tasks fairly often, because he “happens to be going that way.” He wears checked wool (hence his nickname) and is a young fellow with a scraggly beard and piercing green eyes.
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Roger of the Plaid
STR 13 DEX 13 INT 12 CON 14 APP 14