Street Avenger
STREET AVENGER
Here is the peasant’s paladin, the back-alley hero. The street avenger has made it his personal quest to rid his city of violent crime. He uses the
criminals’ own methods to root them out and destroy them, yet he remains the hero and savior of the helpless victim.
Here’s how to make this class:
For ability requirements, assume that a street avenger must be stronger than average (Strength 12), somewhat agile (Dexterity 9), and slightly wiser than most (Wisdom 14). A street avenger’s alignment should be neutral good.
Although a staunch supporter of the law, the street avenger must be willing to bend or break it in order to deliver justice.
The new streetwise proficiency, and the “see criminal” granted power are examples of how a little creativity can enhance the uniqueness of a new class.
Streetwise represents the characters affinity with the streets. He can read subtle signs in the behavior of the street’s inhabitants.
See criminal is a special power that allows the street avenger to learn who is responsible for certain heinous crimes. The next step is to write a class description. Start with the paladin, ranger, and thief descriptions for examples, as these three share consistent
traits with the concept of the street avenger.
The new class description might look something like this:
The Street Avenger
Ability Requirements: Strength 12,
Dexterity 9,
Wisdom 14
Prime Requisites: Strength,Wisdom
Races Allowed: Human
STREET AVENGER EXPERIENCE LEVELS
The street avenger is a warrior who seeks to clean the streets of crime. He is a vigilante champion of the weak. He tends to work outside the law, yethe will work with the law if it serves his purposes.
The main attributes of a street avenger are Strength and Wisdom. A good Dexterity is also required. Street avengers are always neutral good andmust remain so for their entire career. They fight for justice, but they realize that sometimes laws hinder as much as they protect.
A street avenger with Strength and Wisdom scores of 16 or more gains a 10% bonus to earned experience.
A street avenger can use any weapon; however, he is limited in his choices of armor for the same reasons as a thief. He can wear leather, studded leather, padded leather, or elven chainmail. Like the thief, if he wears anything heavier than leather, his thief skills suffer.
The street avenger fights as a warrior and saves as a rogue. He uses the lo-sided die for Hit Dice up to 9thlevel; thereafter, he gains 2 hp per level.
The street avenger is attuned to the ways of his city in the same manner as a ranger is to the forest. Even if the optional proficiency system is not otherwise used, the street avenger should have the disguise and streetwise proficiencies.
With streetwise, he can discern certain aspects about his environment. These include detecting a criminal scoping a target, gang movements, and the imminence of a crime about to happen. When a check is made, use the character’s Wisdom score with a -2 modifier. Determining the extent of the knowledge gained with a successful check is up to the DM, and should be based on the intent of the character. For example, if the character is scanning a crowd for potential thieves, a successful check will indicate that he has spotted one if there are any—maybe in the act, or maybe before it. this ability improves by +1 for every three levels of the street avenger.
Over the course of his life, the street avenger has learned several of the abilities of thieves. At first level, the street avenger gains the following abilities:
Ability Base Chance
Move Silently 15%
Hide in Shadows 10%
Hear Noise 10%
Climb Walls 65%
As he progresses to each new level, the street avenger gains an additional 15 points to distribute among his skills as he sees fit (with a limit of 99 percent allotted to any one ability).
See criminal is a special empathic power that is granted by the patron deity of the street avenger (usually a god of vengeance or justice).
To use this power, a street avenger must look into the eyes of a victim of a personal crime. The victim must make a saving throw vs. spell, with a -1 modifier for every two levels of the street avenger, because no one consciously wishes to reexperience a violent crime. If the victim fails, the street avenger “relives” the crime through the senses of the victim. He feels any pain, shock, and anger that the victim experienced.
Most importantly, the street avenger has a 25% plus 5% per level chance to see the face of the perpetrator, thus having at least a face to look for.
At this point the DM may wish to modify the outcome. The criminal might have been crafty and hidden his identity from the victim.
Therefore, the street avenger must concentrate to find other tell-tale clues about the criminal, such as a peculiar odor or a certain piece of clothing. Naturally this power is limited to crimes in which the criminal and the victim were in personal contact (i.e., assault, robbery, etc.).
On rare occasions, this could include such crimes as burglary, assuming the victim glimpsed the criminal as he fled the scene of the crime. At sixth level, the street avenger can learn to cast priest spells, but only of the divination sphere. He gains and uses his spells according to the rules governing priests. He doesn’t gain bonus spells for high wisdom, nor is he ever able to use clerical scrolls or magical items unless otherwise specified. Street avengers gain no followers by building a stronghold. At 8th level, a street avenger gains 1d6 contacts in the local government. These NPCs can be members of the ruling class, the sheriff, or the city guards. These contacts might secretly meet and help the street avenger, whenever needed, at the DM’s discretion.
Other abilities per level (Only usable in his/her city):
Street avengers fall into two general types. There are those who work alone, in which case it is rare for more than one or two to occupy a singlecity. These types tend to lead a double life, posing as a working-class citizen when not seeking justice. Then there are secret societies, usually funded by a wealthy noble or merchant, which have several street avenger members, along with informants and guards who work with thesociety. Player characters can be of either type.
Finally, “the cause” is more important to a street avenger than material wealth. Therefore they must donate at least 10% of all treasure they gain to the homeless and needy. What they keep is usually in a portable form.
NWP Groups Allowed: Warrior, Rogue, General
Money: As rogue
Notes: Weapon Specialization not allowed
Attacks per Round: Use Table 15 (PHB)
This class is highly specialized, and probably won’t fit into just any campaign, though it is perfect for a city-based campaign. For any setting, this example illustrates the DM’s freedom to create new ideas, and modify those that exist.
Conclusion
Both the example of the battlecaster and that of the street avenger are complete as they are, but you may want to be even more creative, changing some of the abilities and restrictions to fit your own ideas. Play with the rules, and see what you can come up with. The only important rule to keep in mind is to make sure that the new class maintains the game balance.
Other than that, you have all the freedom in your world to put humans in a class by themselves.
The Street Avenger
Ability Requirements: Strength 12,
Dexterity 9,
Wisdom 14
Prime Requisites: Strength,Wisdom
Races Allowed: Human
STREET AVENGER EXPERIENCE LEVELS
| LEVEL | EXP | HD(1d10) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 2,500 | 2 |
| 3 | 5,000 | 3 |
| 4 | 10,000 | 4 |
| 5 | 25,000 | 5 |
| 6 | 50,000 | 6 |
| 7 | 100,000 | 7 |
| 8 | 187,500 | 8 |
| 9 | 350,000 | 9 |
| 10+ | 375,000 | ** |
** +2 Hp/ level beyond 10th |
The main attributes of a street avenger are Strength and Wisdom. A good Dexterity is also required. Street avengers are always neutral good andmust remain so for their entire career. They fight for justice, but they realize that sometimes laws hinder as much as they protect.
A street avenger with Strength and Wisdom scores of 16 or more gains a 10% bonus to earned experience.
A street avenger can use any weapon; however, he is limited in his choices of armor for the same reasons as a thief. He can wear leather, studded leather, padded leather, or elven chainmail. Like the thief, if he wears anything heavier than leather, his thief skills suffer.
The street avenger fights as a warrior and saves as a rogue. He uses the lo-sided die for Hit Dice up to 9thlevel; thereafter, he gains 2 hp per level.
The street avenger is attuned to the ways of his city in the same manner as a ranger is to the forest. Even if the optional proficiency system is not otherwise used, the street avenger should have the disguise and streetwise proficiencies.
With streetwise, he can discern certain aspects about his environment. These include detecting a criminal scoping a target, gang movements, and the imminence of a crime about to happen. When a check is made, use the character’s Wisdom score with a -2 modifier. Determining the extent of the knowledge gained with a successful check is up to the DM, and should be based on the intent of the character. For example, if the character is scanning a crowd for potential thieves, a successful check will indicate that he has spotted one if there are any—maybe in the act, or maybe before it. this ability improves by +1 for every three levels of the street avenger.
Over the course of his life, the street avenger has learned several of the abilities of thieves. At first level, the street avenger gains the following abilities:
Ability Base Chance
Move Silently 15%
Hide in Shadows 10%
Hear Noise 10%
Climb Walls 65%
| CLASS ABILITY | CHOICE | MULTIPLE |
|---|---|---|
| Race | Human | 0 |
| Combat Value | Warrior | +2 |
| Saving Throw Table | Rogue | 0 |
| Hit Dice Per Level | 1d10 | +2.5 |
| Armor Allowed | Limited | -0.5 |
| Weapons Allowed | All | |
| HP beyond 9th | +2 | +1.0 |
| Optional Abilities | May cast Divination Sphere Spells | +2.0 |
| Climb Walls | +1.0 | |
| Hear Noise | +0.5 | |
| Hide in Shadows | +1.0 | |
| Move Silent | +1.0 | |
| Use Rogue or Warrior magic items | +2.0 | |
| Granted Power: See Criminal | 1.0 | |
| Must Be Neutral Good | -2.0 | |
| Must Donate 10% Wealth | -0.5 | |
| Spellcasting delayed until 6th level | -0.5 | |
| 6 proficiency slots | +1.5 | |
| Bonus Prof. Disguise | +0.25 | |
| Streetwise | +0.25 | |
| TOTAL MULTIPLE | ||
| +12.5 | ||
See criminal is a special empathic power that is granted by the patron deity of the street avenger (usually a god of vengeance or justice).
To use this power, a street avenger must look into the eyes of a victim of a personal crime. The victim must make a saving throw vs. spell, with a -1 modifier for every two levels of the street avenger, because no one consciously wishes to reexperience a violent crime. If the victim fails, the street avenger “relives” the crime through the senses of the victim. He feels any pain, shock, and anger that the victim experienced.
Most importantly, the street avenger has a 25% plus 5% per level chance to see the face of the perpetrator, thus having at least a face to look for.
At this point the DM may wish to modify the outcome. The criminal might have been crafty and hidden his identity from the victim.
Therefore, the street avenger must concentrate to find other tell-tale clues about the criminal, such as a peculiar odor or a certain piece of clothing. Naturally this power is limited to crimes in which the criminal and the victim were in personal contact (i.e., assault, robbery, etc.).
On rare occasions, this could include such crimes as burglary, assuming the victim glimpsed the criminal as he fled the scene of the crime. At sixth level, the street avenger can learn to cast priest spells, but only of the divination sphere. He gains and uses his spells according to the rules governing priests. He doesn’t gain bonus spells for high wisdom, nor is he ever able to use clerical scrolls or magical items unless otherwise specified. Street avengers gain no followers by building a stronghold. At 8th level, a street avenger gains 1d6 contacts in the local government. These NPCs can be members of the ruling class, the sheriff, or the city guards. These contacts might secretly meet and help the street avenger, whenever needed, at the DM’s discretion.
Other abilities per level (Only usable in his/her city):
- 3rd level- Disappear: Change Self as spell. changes every block. Lasts 1 round/level
- 5th level- Detect Target : 10 minute concentration, touching ground can find direction and distance, range is 1 block/level in city.
- 7th level- Call Favor: Talk to some townsperson, Summon 2hd/level of "help" from list of contacts. arrives in d4 rounds.
- 9th leve- Passwall: As per spell, but can only be done into a building. Takes 10 minutes minus level to affect.
Street avengers fall into two general types. There are those who work alone, in which case it is rare for more than one or two to occupy a singlecity. These types tend to lead a double life, posing as a working-class citizen when not seeking justice. Then there are secret societies, usually funded by a wealthy noble or merchant, which have several street avenger members, along with informants and guards who work with thesociety. Player characters can be of either type.
Finally, “the cause” is more important to a street avenger than material wealth. Therefore they must donate at least 10% of all treasure they gain to the homeless and needy. What they keep is usually in a portable form.
NWP Groups Allowed: Warrior, Rogue, General
Money: As rogue
Notes: Weapon Specialization not allowed
Attacks per Round: Use Table 15 (PHB)
This class is highly specialized, and probably won’t fit into just any campaign, though it is perfect for a city-based campaign. For any setting, this example illustrates the DM’s freedom to create new ideas, and modify those that exist.
Conclusion
Both the example of the battlecaster and that of the street avenger are complete as they are, but you may want to be even more creative, changing some of the abilities and restrictions to fit your own ideas. Play with the rules, and see what you can come up with. The only important rule to keep in mind is to make sure that the new class maintains the game balance.
Other than that, you have all the freedom in your world to put humans in a class by themselves.
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