Aristocrat
Aristocrats are the rulers of the realm, governing the masses, weilding political power, and telling other people what to do. An aristocracy can consist of hereditary nobles in a monarchy, clergy in a theocracy, politicians in a democracy, or chieftains in barbaric wilderlands. They may be selfish and merciless, inflicting misery on their subjects; or they may be kind and honorable, striving to protect and improve the lives of those who look up to them.
|
BAB: +0.75 / level. Caster Level: +0.5 / level. Will Save: +0.50 / level. Fort Save: +0.25 / level. Reflex Save: +0.25 / level. Hit Die: d8. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Caster Level | Reflex Save | Fort Save | Will Save | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 (+0.75) | 0 (0.5) | +0 (+0.25) | +0 (+0.25) | +0 (+0.5) | Tyro Signature: Aristo I (Title) |
| 2nd | +1 (+1.50) | 1 (1.0) | +0 (+0.50) | +0 (+0.50) | +1 (+1.0) | Aristocratic Airs OR Guidance |
| 3rd | +2 (+2.25) | 1 (1.5) | +0 (+0.75) | +0 (+0.75) | +1 (+1.5) | Officer Material OR Battle Ward |
| 4th | +3 (+3.00) | 2 (2.0) | +1 (+1.00) | +1 (+1.00) | +2 (+2.0) | Upper Class Lore OR Detect Poison |
| 5th | +3 (+3.75) | 2 (2.5) | +1 (+1.25) | +1 (+1.25) | +2 (+2.5) | Tyro Tier Choice |
| 6th | +4 (+4.50) | 3 (3.0) | +1 (+1.50) | +1 (+1.50) | +3 (+3.0) | Adventurer Signature: Aristo II (Wealth) |
| 7th | +5 (+5.25) | 3 (3.5) | +1 (+1.75) | +1 (+1.75) | +3 (+3.5) | Purse |
| 8th | +6 (+6.00) | 4 (4.0) | +2 (+2.00) | +2 (+2.00) | +4 (+4.0) | Challenge of Honor |
| 9th | +6 (+6.75) | 4 (4.5) | +2 (+2.25) | +2 (+2.25) | +4 (+4.5) | Fund Expedition |
| 10th | +7 (+7.50) | 5 (5.0) | +2 (+2.50) | +2 (+2.50) | +5 (+5.0) | Adventurer Tier Choice |
| 11th | +8 (+8.25) | 5 (5.5) | +2 (+2.75) | +2 (+2.75) | +5 (+5.5) | Hero Signature: Aristo III (Land) |
| 12th | +9 (+9.00) | 6 (6.0) | +3 (+3.00) | +3 (+3.00) | +6 (+6.0) | Sense Cheating |
| 13th | +9 (+9.75) | 6 (6.5) | +3 (+3.25) | +3 (+3.25) | +6 (+6.5) | House Weapon |
| 14th | +10 (+10.5) | 7 (7.0) | +3 (+3.50) | +3 (+3.50) | +7 (+7.0) | Powerful Hunch |
| 15th | +11 (+11.25) | 7 (7.5) | +3 (+3.75) | +3 (+3.75) | +7 (+7.5) | Hero Tier Choice |
| 16th | +12 (+12.00) | 8 (8.0) | +4 (+4.00) | +4 (+4.00) | +8 (+8.0) | Legend Signature: Aristo IV (Power) |
| 17th | +12 (+12.75) | 8 (8.5) | +4 (+4.25) | +4 (+4.25) | +8 (+8.5) | Magic Influencer |
| 18th | +13 (+13.50) | 9 (9.0) | +4 (+4.50) | +4 (+4.50) | +9 (+9.0) | Brave Run |
| 19th | +14 (+14.25) | 9 (9.5) | +4 (+4.75) | +4 (+4.75) | +9 (+9.5) | Intelligence Network |
| 20th | +15 (+15.00) | 10 (10.0) | +5 (+5.00) | +5 (+5.00) | +10 (+10.0) | Legend Tier Choice |
Skill Proficiencies
The aristocrat's proficient skills (and the ability scores used to boost each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Language (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Survival (Wis), and Tactics (Int).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
Select three weapon groups from these options: Heavy Blades, Light Blades, Close, Projectiles, and Spears. (see the rules for weapon groups in Weapons and Armor). You are proficient with all simple weapons in these three groups. You are proficient in martial weapons in your choice of one of these three groups. You are also proficient with all light and medium armor and with bucklers and light shields.
Spells and Spell Casting
At second level your caster level is one, and you can cast inherent spells, which are drawn from the inherent spell list. As with all characters, you follow the general magic rules for spell slots per day, based on your caster level, which advances by half a caster level every time you gain an aristocrat level. Inherent spells use your even (column B) Constitution modifier for bonus spells per day and to boost saving throw DCs.
KNOWN SPELLS LIST: When you gain a caster level, you have the option to learn two spells from the inherent spell list. Divide your new aristocrat class level by two -- that's the highest spell level you can add to your known list (minimum 1).
Campaign Setting
More than for any other class, an aristocrat belongs to some political structure, organization, group, or caste that is particular to the campaign setting. In the simplest and most common example, you are a titled noble of a hereditary kingdom. But it is up to the game master to determine the campaign setting, the nature of the ruling class, the type of government, and so on. In this way, the campaign background has more relevance for aristocrats than for other classes.
For example, the class's level 1 signature ability is an aristocratic title, replaced by more powerful titles as you gain character levels and advance in rank. But what does that mean? In a nation modeled after ancient Rome, you might use titles like Quaestor, Tribune, Senator, and Consul. In a Western-European-like monarchy, you might start at Baron and then work up to Viscount, Earl, and then Duke. In a theocracy, Reverend, Bishop, Cardinal, Prelate. But the game master needs to create and understand what the government and ruling class is like, so that an aristocrat's titles make sense.
As an aristocrat, your influence is greatest within the areas you rule directly, called your house, estate, or demense. A demense is typically a castle, manor, ship, the buildings and caravans that constitute your merchant empire, the physical abbey or church buildings and congregations in which you minister, the city in which you were elected mayor, or the lands you directly rule. You also have lesser advantages because you are recognized as a member of the ruling class within your polity or organization, called your dominion. A dominion is typically a nation, but could be a religion, a guild, a wilderland, etc.
Note that it is possible to obtain what amounts to a dominion or a demense even if you are not an aristocrat, for example, through the Clout feat tree or the Sorcerer Destined Bloodline, or even just through roleplay and spending your personal wealth. In these cases, if you gain or extend your dominion/demense through means beyond your aristocrat levels, your class powers apply to these extensions as well.
Most aristocrats have hirelings, followers, servants, retainers, guards, family members, a cohort, and the like. These are referred to in game as underlings. Your game master determines which of these, if any, may accompany you into dangerous adventures. You may pay for these with your own funds, as permitted using the Wealth By Level (WBL) rules. If you have a demense, many underlings are funded through it, but none are allowed to accompany you into danger.
Note that this class can allow play to extend beyond traditional adventures to include intrigue, political power-play on a national stage, mass combat of squads and armies, the details of rulership, etc. Expanding the game into these areas is entirely at the discretion of the game master. It may well be that players do not wish to explore these areas, and so an aristocrat player must be reconciled to minimizing, ignoring, or hand-waving these potential elements of play.
Class Abilities
TYRO TIER
Level 1 Aristocrat Tyro Tier Signature Ability: Aristo I (Title) (Ex): You have an official title indicating your membership and rank in the aristocracy of a particular dominion. You may create a personal sigil, to appear on your signet ring, coat of arms, banners, and the like. When you first gain this ability, your title is that for the lowest rank of aristocrat, and you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on all skill checks and attack rolls you make interacting with or attacking a character or creature within your dominion who is below you in rank, and a +3 circumstance bonus on these rolls within your demense (if/when you have one). You must declare yourself and your title as a standard action before gaining these bonuses. For the declaration to result in these bonuses, a creature must hear you, have an intelligence of at least 8, and understand what your title means in society. Each time you advance to a new tier, your title changes to a higher rank and your bonuses increase by +1.
Level 2 Aristocrat Tyro Tier Interaction Ability (pick one)
- Aristocratic Airs (Ex): You gain a +2 competence bonus on Intimidate checks and a +1 on Diplomacy checks.
- Guidance: You learn the Guidance cantrip.
Level 3 Aristocrat Tyro Tier Combat Ability (pick one)
- Officer Material (Ex): You gain a +2 competence bonus on Tactics checks and a +1 on Initiative rolls.
- Battle Ward: You learn the Battle Ward cantrip.
Level 4 Aristocrat Tyro Tier Exploration Ability (pick one)
- Upper Class Lore (Ex): (Su): You gain a +2 competence bonus on Knowlege (Nobility) checks and a +1 on Knowlege (Geography) and Knowlege (History) checks. If your dominion is a religious organization, substitute Knowledge (Religion) for Geography; if your dominion is a wilderness, substitute Knowledge (Nature).
- Detect Poison: You learn the Detect Poison cantrip.
Level 5 Aristocrat Tyro Tier Feat
- Select a Aristocrat Tyro Tier Interaction, Combat, or Exploration ability that you have not yet chosen, or choose a feat for which you qualify from among these choices: any feat from the Clout tree, Additional Trait, Charming, Heroic Defiance, Heroic Recovery, Lucky, Toughness.
ADVENTURER TIER
Level 6 Aristocrat Adventurer Tier Signature Ability: Aristo II (Wealth) (Ex): You gain a demense with possessions and wealth suitable for your title. Your demense generates revenue that you can use for any desired purpose. This revenue is disbursed each time you increase your character level. your demense revenue is a cash add to your character sheet. Your demense consists of the wealth, usually in property of some kind, that generates your revenue.
Revenue Revenue Revenue 1st gained 1200 gp + 5 levels 1500 gp + 10 levels 5600 gp + 1 level 600 gp + 6 levels 1900 gp + 11 levels 7200 gp + 2 levels 700 gp + 7 levels 2400 gp + 12 levels 9000 gp + 3 levels 1000 gp + 8 levels 3400 gp + 13 levels 11600 gp + 4 levels 1200 gp + 9 levels 4100 gp + 14 levels 14600 gp
Note that your demense revenue stacks with the wealth by level (WBL) guidelines that apply to all characters, that is, revenue does not count against your WBL, but is in addition to it.
The exact demense granted by this class ability can be detailed to the degree that you and your game master desire. It commonly consists of a landed estate, but can also apply to merchant ships and caravans, places of business, mercenary companies, temples, circuses and playhouses, toll roads, or other income-generating possessions. You can describe your demense in general terms, listing its constituent parts in a couple sentences; or you can draw maps and floor plans, create hirelings, list capital investments, etc. If you are detail-oriented and wish to dive into the value of your demense beyond your demense revenue, a good estimate is to multiply the value of your demense revenue by 5 to 10 times. No more than 5% of the value of your demense can be spent on guards, household warriors, or other defenses -- and none of these are available to you on adventures. If you wish to pay for personal bodyguards, squads, or armies, you must do so through your adventuring wealth (WBL) or your demense revenue.
Your demense is administered by your staff, and if you like, you can create an NPC to serve you as a seneschal, castellan, or majordomo. Such an NPC can have no more than half your character levels, only in secondary classes, and is the highest level NPC in your demense.
Note that your demense is intended to be a benefit to you that adds to your enjoyment of the game, not an albatross hanging around your neck. The game master can certainly link plot hooks to your demense, but should pose grave threats and dangers to it no more than once per tier, if at all.
Level 7 Aristocrat Adventurer Tier Interaction Ability
- Purse (Ex): As an aristocrat, you have a purse of spending money that you use for everyday expenses, such as food, lodging, clothing, entertainment, charity, and so forth. You may not use your purse to buy useful items that you retain, although you can use it to maintain your clothing and gear so as to keep up appearances. You may not save up your purse from day to day. Your purse cannot pay salaries for your underlings. Each day, so long as you are within your dominion, the value of your purse is topped off, bringing it to its maximum value. This is not a magical ability, rather, it represents petty cash, IOUs, and credit extended to you due to your position and paid for by your demense, family, backers, government, or other source. The maximum value of your purse is the square of your total aristocrat levels, minimum 10 gp.
Level 8 Aristocrat Adventurer Tier Combat Ability
- Challenge of Honor (Ex): If, by the law or tradition of your dominion, anyone of lower or equal rank offends or insults you, you may challenge them to a duel. The seriousness of the duel depends on factors such as where and when the insult took place, whether those of high rank were present, and the magnitude of the offense. The game master will determine the local practice for duels, rules and practices if any, formality or informality, etc. A challenge may be to first blood, to unconsciouness or yielding, to the death, or to whatever the game master deems the usual practice, often varying with the seriousness of the duel. The loser of a challenge must apologize, and suffers a -2 circumstance penalty on all charisma checks and charisma-based skill checks interacting with aristocrats and the bourgeoisie within the dominion for one year. The winner of a challenge gains a +2 circumstance bonus with the same people for the same period. If you refuse a challenge, aristocrats and bourgeoisie assume an unfriendly attitude towards you, and the circumstance penalty rises to -5.
Level 9 Aristocrat Adventurer Tier Exploration Ability
- Fund Expedition (Ex): You can use personal wealth and demense revenue to fund expeditions at one quarter the normal cost. Another quarter is paid by your demense, family, government, or other backers, and this need not be tracked. The remaining costs represent a discount based on backing by the aristocracy in general for your expedition. You are the leader of the expedition, or you can select one if you do not choose to go. If you do go, you can identify profitable trade opportunities or other potential revenue sources with a DC10 to DC20 Appraise check, and the DC depends on how obvious the opportunity is. If you return successfully, having lost no more than half of the resources you used to equip the expedition, and having identified at least three revenue opportunities, you receive a boon of cash equal to your current demense revenue. You can launch an expedition no more than once per tier. If you do not go, but the expedition returns successfully, your reward is half your demense revenue; the other half goes to the surviving leader of the expedition. It is not uncommon to promise relatively tiny shares to underlings on the expedition to encourage success and raise morale.
Level 10 Aristocrat Adventurer Tier Feat
- Select a Aristocrat Adventurer or Tyro Tier Interaction, Combat, or Exploration ability that you have not yet chosen, or choose a feat for which you qualify from among these choices: any feat from the Clout tree, Additional Trait, Charming, Heroic Defiance, Heroic Recovery, Lucky, Toughness.
HERO TIER
Level 11 Aristocrat Hero Tier Signature Ability: Aristo III (Land) (Ex): You are granted lands to rule which are not part of your demense. If you have explored beyond your dominion or had a successful expedition (per the Fund Expedition class ability), you can expand the border of your dominion or establish a colony, and you are named to rule of the colony or expansion. (A "colony" is a geographic area that is not geographically contiguous with your dominion; an "expansion" pushes the existing border outwards.) In addition, you are granted lands (usually land, but potentially other equivalents) within your dominion that are not in your demense for you to rule. As a ruler, you are known throughout both your demense and the lands you rule, and you do not have to declare yourself in those places before gaining the bonuses of your Aristo I (Title) ability. Moreover, the Aristo I (Title) bonus applies now to damage rolls and saving throws as well as to skill checks and attack rolls. In time of war, you may be able to draw levies from the lands you rule, but only at your game master's discretion, with the quantity of soldiers also set by the game master.
Level 12 Aristocrat Hero Tier Interaction Ability
- Sense Cheating (Ex): You add your odd (colum A) Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) to Appraise and Sense Motive checks to sense whether someone is trying to con or cheat you, and to sense whether an offer with a financial component is a rip-off, and to tell if someone is cheating at a game of chance or similar situation.
Level 13 Aristocrat Hero Tier Combat Ability
- House Weapon (Ex): Pick any one exotic or martial weapon. You are now proficient with that weapon. You may add this weapon to your sigil or coat of arms, if you have one. Whenever you and your hirelings, levies, cohort, or followers (not PCs) use this weapon, you all gain a +1 morale bonus to attack. This class power only grants you proficiency in the weapon; your underlings must gain it some other way.
Level 14 Aristocrat Hero Tier Exploration Ability
- Powerful Hunch (Su): You gain a sixth sense regarding the movement of powerful creatures within your demense. You automatically know if a creature with more hit dice than you, or of a higher tier than you, enters your demense. You have a 75% chance to know if a creature up to five hit dice lower than you, or a character with the same tier as you, enters your demense. You also gain a +5 bonus on Sense Motive and Spot checks within your demense.
Level 15 Aristocrat Hero Tier Feat:
- Select a Aristocrat Hero, Adventurer, or Tyro Tier Interaction, Combat, or Exploration ability that you have not yet chosen, or choose a feat for which you qualify from among these choices: any feat from the Clout tree, Additional Trait, Charming, Heroic Defiance, Heroic Recovery, Lucky, Toughness.
LEGEND TIER
Level 16 Aristocrat Legend Tier Signature Ability: Aristo IV (Power) (Ex): Any character within line of sight and willing to accept your commands is immune to demoralization attempts and gains a morale bonus to saves against fear equal to half your character level. They also gain a bonus on initiative equal to your even (column B) Charisma modifier. If you are carrying a banner or if a subordinate carrying one is within 10 ft of you, the bonus extends to those who can see the banner.
Level 17 Aristocrat Legend Tier Interaction Ability
- Magic Influencer (Su): When you cast a spell, you add a bonus insight modifier equal to your aristocrat level divided by 4, minimum 1, to the save DC in addition to your usual ability score modifier.
Level 18 Aristocrat Legend Tier Combat Ability
- Brave Run (Ex): You gain the Run feat if you do not already have it. You can combine a run action with a withdraw action as a full-round action.
Level 19 Aristocrat Legend Tier Exploration Ability
- Intelligence Network (Ex): You have developed a spy network, a rolodex of influencers, a coterie of fellow aristocrats, or maybe just the loyalty of those you rule. You gain a competence bonus to Gather Information checks equal to your aristocrat levels within your demense; and a bonus equal to half your aristocrat levels within your dominion.
Level 20 Aristocrat Legend Tier Feat
- Select a Aristocrat Legend, Hero, Adventurer, or Tyro Tier Interaction, Combat, or Exploration ability that you have not yet chosen, or choose a feat for which you qualify from among these choices: any feat from the Clout tree, Additional Trait, Charming, Heroic Defiance, Heroic Recovery, Lucky, Toughness.