Riddlemaster

Riddles, rhymes, and puzzles are the medium of the Riddlemaster. These characters look upon life as an intricate and challenging puzzle to be solved. Their seemingly strange ways cause many a commoner to label them crazy (much like the Jester). However, Riddlemasters are exceptionally intelligent, and their minds work on a level above that of the common man.

Riddlemasters devote their entire intellect to maximizing favorable outcomes for themselves and their friends. Some believe that Riddlemasters are just extraordinarily lucky, but this is not the case. Riddlemasters are always considering the environment around them, being sure to stand in the most favorable places, socializing with the most advantageous people, asking the best questions, and so on. They seek to develop the supreme mind.

To flaunt their skills, Riddlemasters often speak in riddles or rhymes, causing others to stop and think in order to understand them. Riddlemasters love to pose questions, in the form of riddles, to everyday people. These riddles are carefully constructed and often conceal lessons or observations that apply to the Riddlemasters' audience.

Specialty

Riddler/Intellect

Role

Each Riddlemaster applies his intellect in a different way. Evil Riddlemasters seek to demean and put down others in order to rise above them. Good Riddlemasters make their way through society attempting to educate the "less fortunate." Others simply travel around, enjoying the sport of poking fun at others while advancing their own intellectual understanding. Traveling Riddlemasters are most common, as their unique ways often irritate others, forcing them to maintain a mobile lifestyle. Adventuring Riddlemasters enjoy the supreme tests of judgment and intelligence that must be passed in order to survive perilous quests. Besides this, their input on decisions is nearly invaluable. Of course, some party members may find their manner difficult to put up with.

Distinctive Appearance

None

Special Benefits

Riddlemasters can use their great intellects to make analytical decisions. When a decision must be made concerning multiple options (e.g., which hallway to proceed down, which door to open first, which opponent to attack first in order to achieve some goal, etc.), the Riddlemaster can use his intellect to help make the decision. In such cases, the DM secretly rolls an Intelligence check for the Riddlemaster, with a penalty equal to the number of previous probable path decisions made that day (representing mental fatigue). If the roll succeeds, the DM tells the player all significant clues that the Riddlemaster might know or observe. If there are no clues, no information is gained - Riddlemasters aren't lucky, they're just very intelligent. If the roll is a natural 20, the information gained is misleading. Unless a given situation changes somehow, using this ability multiple times in the same situation gives identical results.

If any adventure includes an actual riddle or puzzle that the players must solve, the player of the Riddlemaster can make twice as many attempts to solve the riddle or puzzle as is normally allowed. For example, an adventure might include an encounter in which the party runs into a sphinx. The sphinx may demand the answer to a riddle in exchange for safe passage. In this situation, if the Riddlemaster gives the answer, the player can actually make two guesses, and if either is correct, the sphinx is satisfied.

The same thing applies if the party comes across a room with a tiled floor that must be crossed in a specific sequence. The Riddlemaster is allowed to make one free mistake. Only on his second mistake does the character suffer any hazardous consequences.

If a problem has a time limit, the Riddlemaster has twice the allotted time to solve it.

A special use of solving riddles and puzzles occurs when a Riddlemaster attempts to understand a newly discovered spell. The Riddlemaster has a +10% bonus to his roll to learn spells (to a maximum of 95%).

Furthermore, the Riddlemaster gains the ability to use any written magical item at 8th level, instead of 10th level.

To signify the common sense a Riddlemaster has at his disposal, Riddlemasters gain certain benefits. Although these benefits are similar to those of the Jester kit, they are not luck, but rather a result of intellectual calculations made by the Riddlemaster.

The Riddlemaster has a +1 adjustment to his Armor Class.

A Riddlemaster receives a +1 (or 5%) bonus to many die rolls, including saving throws, individual initiative, attacks rolls, damage rolls, proficiency checks, thief skill checks, ability checks, and all ability-based rolls (bend bards, system shock, etc. ), except for resurrection survival.

The only die rolls that common sense doesn't affect are surprise, initial character generation rolls, hit die rolls, resurrection survival, and monster damage rolls.

By chanting certain riddles and rhymes, a Riddlemaster can influence an audience's reactions. This ability functions in all ways as the True Bard's influence reactions ability.

Special Hindrances

None

Class

Bard

Attribute Requirements

Intelligence of 15

Barred Beliefs

None

Race Requirement

None

Bonus Weapon Proficiencies

None

Required Weapon Proficiencies

Riddlemasters enjoy finesse weapons over those that require simple brawn. They can become proficient in the blowgun, bow, crossbow, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, knife, quarterstaff, sling, spear, staff sling, short sword, or whip.

Recommended Weapon Proficiencies

None

Barred Weapon Proficiencies

None

Bonus Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Artistic Ability (riddles), Language (Modern), Poetry, Reading/Writing

Recommended Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Appraising, Blind-Fighting, Direction Sense, Gaming, Heraldry, Musical Instrument, Navigation, Reading Lips, Singing, Weather Sense, Ventriloquism

Equipment

None

Wealth Options

None

Homeland Terrain

None

Economic System

None