Poor. Savage characters begin at wealth level 0 with no gold.
Apprentice in a style: You may use all the spells or maneuvers of one fighting or magic style that are not mastery spells (marked with M). If you do not already know it, you must learn the Savage style before ap- prenticing in anything else.
Mastery of a style: You may use all the spells and maneuvers of the fighting or magic style. You must already know the style at the apprentice level. If you do not already know it, you must master the Savage style before mastering anything else.
Native. In any roll that deals with the wilderness and your tribal lands, you gain your savage levels as a bonus die (minimum d4).
Exult in battle. You gain 1 mood every time physical combat begins. Increase your organization’s force by one and any other characteristic by one.
War chieftain. Choose two troops under your com- mand, Increase their health by one and one maneu- ver’s attack and defense dice by one size.
Council chieftain. If your organization is a tribe, increase its force by one and one other characteristic by one.
Exotic charm. Nobles from civilized lands are fasci- nated by you. Increase your charisma by two when dealing with them. You lose this ability if you have levels in the noble class.
Tribal communication: You know your tribe’s lan- guage in addition to Akran (if you are from the claw) or Jakattan (if you are from the islands). Additionally, you know how to send a signal across your tribal lands in one day, using smoke signals, messenger birds, watch-fires, or the like. Your tribal lands extend up to roughly 100 miles in radius (and may be much small- er). You may communicate up to twenty-five words in your message.
Shake it off: The first time you take damage in an encounter, if the attack roll does not beat your Body score, you ignore the damage.
Combat mastery. If you are fighting in a style that you have mastered, and your opponent has not mastered any styles, you score 1 extra point of damage with each successful blow. (This bonus applies to other people. Monsters, unless marked as noncombatants, are assumed to have mastered their native fighting styles.)
Trader [Social]
Traders believe that money is the root of all good. Some are champions of freedom, some are kingsmen through and through, but all believe that the next big deal is waiting in the vil- lage just around the bend.
Entrepreneurship knows no borders. Traders jour- ney beyond the fields we know and transform the unknown world into the known world. They are the pollinators of civilizations, sowing secrets like seeds across the Claw. Silks, jewels, spells, art, and arms are their harvest.
Few can claim to have seen as much territory and known as many cultures as a trader. On the rare days that a trader is at home in a village or city neighbor- hood of his own, the locals often ply him for tales and advice.
Traders, like all classes, are not uniform. There are those who conduct business without ever
leaving a table: usurers, goldsmiths, insurers. Some traders are covered-wagon hucksters peddling gnarsk- leather breechcloths and roc feather suits. Others are much more or much less. There are caravans that trade in troll delirium, slave girls, and spells. Others stake territory and trade rights to mountains, lakes, and ruins. Still others negotiate treaties on behalf of kings and caravan a hundred wagons through moun- tains to transport one royal bride. But no matter if he travels or not, no matter the value of his goods, a trader lives by his words and his salesmanship. In the end, the trader deals with people, not gold.
Adventures
Trader [Social]
Level Level Title Powers Gained
1 Explorer Fighting style (neophyte). Superior merchandise. Language. 2 +1 reason or charisma.
3 Talent (social).
4 Trader Haggle. Fortune. Fighting style (apprentice). Language. 5 Expertise. Fighting style (apprentice).
6 Talent (any save doom).
7 Friend in every port. Language. 8 Fighting style (master). Fortune. 9 Talent (social). +1 reason or charisma.
10 Magnate New culture. Fighting style (apprentice). Language. Fortune. 15 Best of all possible worlds.
20 Exotica.
Like all classes, traders gain a history at each level and a heart increase at every level divisible by five (5, 10, 15, etc.).
At 11th level and every third level thereafter (14, 17, 20, etc.), you gain a new talent (any but magic).
At 12th level and every fourth level thereafter (15, 18, 21, etc.) you gain apprenticeship in a new fighting style (including a grand style) or mastery of a style you already know at the apprentice level.
At every level not included above or listed on the table, you gain +1 charisma or reason, a language, expertise, fortune, new culture, or exotica (if you already have gained it once).
Paradoxically, traders may seem both likely and unlikely to encounter adventure. Likely because their journeys are so wide-ranging; unlikely, because peace and free commerce are essential to their livelihoods. Precisley because of the importance of peace, many traders seek out what others would call “danger.” There is no altruistic motive here: the trader wishes to nip the problem before it blooms. Many traders use their organizations, their connections, and their henchmen to raze bandit camps, hunt chimeras, and negotiate favorable terms with the Thieves’ Guild (one way or the other).
Also note that adventure often comes looking for traders. That much gold in one place is tempting to more than just potential business partners.
In the Kingdoms
Most traders wander four out of five seasons. They do not want to overstay their welcome, and they are aware that the Kings tolerate their presence only so long as they continue to provide goods and services otherwise unavailable. In the north, traders move along the famed Free Road between Thyre and far Oryn-ja. On the two eastern peninsulas, the two most popular caravan routes are Azenahal to Dynn and Syrbizond to Oryn-ja. Though these routes are the most popular, they are still dangerous enough that the caravans are well-guarded.
In the south, traders are divided into two camps. One, the “easy wagons,” trade along the Harvest Road and the Kings Road. The wagons usually move in small groups rather than the large caravans that band together for safety on the Free Road and the eastern peninsulas. The other group of southern traders are the ship-borne merchants that ply the Sea of Princes. De- pending on their routes, they may experience nothing but well known, calm waters (between Queensport, Rithaign, Zocith, and Varteka) or harrowing adven- tures (beyond the Claw to the Dragon Isles and back to Oryn-ja).