Dandy

Every city has its powerful or noble families that hold great sway over the guilds or even the rulers. Children of such families learn the skills of reading and writing, politics, diplomacy, languages, and heraldry. Many are destined to enter the nobility, and others will become prominent council members or guild leaders. However, there are always the disappointments... the dandy is one of these.

The dandy is likely to be a younger child; one who does not appreciate the nuances of language or is bored stiff by politics. Whatever the reason, the dandy rebels against the dull, over-serious life of his parents, becoming a fun-loving, childish prankster. Only tolerated by parents, the dandy lives life to the full, continually landing in all kinds of trouble as practical jokes and innocent schemes (usually concerning attractive members of the opposite sex) backfire.

The typical dandy can often be found hanging around sophisticated wine bars in rich areas of cities (taverns are far too crude and rough) and is very rarely seen “doing a proper day’s work,” Dandies hate getting their hands dirty! They are often frowned upon for their arrogance and laziness, for some dandies treat the lower classes like second-rate citizens. Even so, it is hard to dislike a dandy, for the eternal optimism and wisecracking remarks are endearing, if perhaps a little annoying. Dandies remain blissfully ignorant of the real world around them, living inside the protected shell of nobility. They have little concept of poverty or real danger, for these are things to which they have never been exposed. Magic is treated as an amusing toy, fun to dabble in and good for playing tricks, but not taken seriously enough to be studied in great depth. Similarly, music and acting are enjoyed and performed by dandies, but not with such zeal as with other bards. Dandies love to show off by playing more and more outrageous jokes on friends and acquaintances.

Note

Characters with this kit will have views on life similar to warrior and thief swashbucklers, although the dandy bard is even more foppish than the swashbuckler. The dandy spends less time stealing and fighting, and more time just having fun (although if this can be accomplished by stealing and fighting, then so be it!)

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Specialty

Any art form needed to flirt shamelessly with young, attractive, and rich members of the opposite sex; especially poetry, music (instruments or song), and dance. Practical jokes and tricks are also high on the list of the dandy’s favorite pastimes.

Role

Fulfilling absolutely no useful role in society whatsoever, some dandies show contempt for the lowly working classes, as “anyone who works for a living must be common.” Most dandies must therefore have very rich - and tolerant - parents, or have otherwise acquired a vast amount of wealth to fritter away. Even a dandy will eventually become bored of the city life, for its thrills seem stale compared with those bragged of by adventurers. For this reason, many dandies eventually decide to leave the comfort of their homes and venture outside the city walls (many for the first time) to experience the ultimate thrill of adventure. This kit works best in city-oriented campaigns, although an interesting role-playing theme could be the dandy’s discovery of possible exploitation of peasants by the nobility (and subsequent feelings of guilt), if he spends much time among country folk. A different campaign might revolve around the adventures experienced by a group of young, rich, decadent city nobles. Classes chosen could include warrior and thief swashbucklers, a dandy bard, a young priest struggling to keep his religious vows, etc.

Distinctive Appearance

Dandies dress in fancy, brightly colored clothing (usually made of expensive silks).

Special Benefits

Young nobles are trained to use certain weapons from about the age of seven for self-defense, pleasure, and exercise. Favored weapons for this training (the “aristocratic” weapons from the Renaissance years) are the stiletto, main-gauche, rapier, and saber. Because they undergo intense and continuous training in these weapons (whether they like it or not), dandies may specialize in just one of these. They gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 bonus on damage rolls.

The noble families of large cities are all incredibly rich compared with the “common folk.” In theory, dandies should be able to live in luxury without working, provided for by their parents. They start play with 5d6x10 gp from their family’s ample coffers. Furthermore, the DM may allow the dandy to “borrow” money from his parents to fund his extravagant lifestyle occasionally, albeit at levels that are not high enough to unbalance the campaign. Many noble families are none too pleased by the foppish behavior of their children, and dandies could be disinherited, or lose their financial aid, by their kin if they overly abuse their privileges.

Dandies are naturally outgoing, friendly figures. This causes others, especially members of the opposite sex, to be drawn to them. Their natural charm, wit, and innocence will enhance the reactions of those who already feel positive toward the dandy, increasing them by one place if the dandy makes a successful Charisma check with a +2 bonus. However, on a roll of 20 or more, the dandy has offended someone - maybe as the butt of a joke - whose reaction is shifted two places worse. Those who are already feeling negative toward the dandy begin to view him as a useless, idle lay-about. This is especially true in the case of downtrodden, hard-working peasants, who resent the dandy’s patronizingly superior tone of voice. Optionally, the DM could have players tell a joke when using this skill, and assign an additional +3 bonus or-3 penalty if the joke is good or bad, appropriate or unsuitable.

Dandy’s Luck: The wild and unlikely schemes hatched by dandies seem to have an uncanny knack of working. When everything seems to be terrible, the dandy is usually able to concoct a plan that could work... perhaps... a bit. The DM must adjudicate this skill on a case-by-case basis.

Special Hindrances

The dandy’s luck is wildly unpredictable, and can bring negative effects as well as positive. This usually occurs when everything seems to be running smoothly, and can throw a real wrench in the works. Again, this must be used creatively by the DM to add color and intrigue to campaigns - rules cannot be given to cover every possibility.

Class

Bard

Attribute Requirements

None

Barred Beliefs

Dandies tend to be innocent (but not necessarily naive), and are therefore best suited to being of a good or neutral alignment.

Race Requirement

None

Bonus Weapon Proficiencies

None

Required Weapon Proficiencies

Trained in the weapons of the aristocracy from a young age, dandies must choose their initial weapons from: bows (short or cross, but not long), polearms, short sword, dagger, stiletto, main-gauche, rapier, and saber. Other weapons may be learned later if the dandy has access to training.

Recommended Weapon Proficiencies

None

Barred Weapon Proficiencies

None

Bonus Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Dancing, Etiquette, Singing

Recommended Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Acting, Artistic Ability, Fast Talking, Gaming, Heraldry, Language (Ancient), Language (Modern), History (Local) , Musical Instrument, Poetry, Riding (Land-Based), Tumbling

Equipment

Dandies, unused to heavy exertion, only can wear leather, padded, or studded leather (under their fancy, voluminous clothes), and do not know how to use shields properly. To ensure they only wear finest quality garments, dandies must spend at least twice the price on all clothes listed in the PHB and the Arms and Equipment Guide, and must always pay more for equipment and armor (about 25-50% more).

Wealth Options

None

Homeland Terrain

None

Economic System

None