A Roleplaying Game of Galactic Intrigue based on the d20 System
With acknowledgements and deepest thanks to Frank Herbert
Credits
Designer: Steve Medeiros
Creative Consultants: Your mom.
d20 System™: Monte Cook, Charles Ryan, J.D. Wiker, Owen K.C.
Stevens, et al.
Contributing Authors: Carl, Tom, Dick, Harry.
Editing: Gore Vidal
Additional Design and Contributions: bmc1909, interpol99
Graphic Design: Various
Art Direction: North
Cover Illustration: Something
Interior Illustration: Various
Playtesting: Steve-O, Ryan Shehee, David Medeiros, Alex Orman,
Gautam Sheoran
Special Thanks: Frank Herbert, Tony Danza, Dave Grohl,
Disclaimer: Not me
Evil Twin Games, Inc.
123 Main Street, Sweet 1
Anywhere, USA 12345
Please visit us online at: www.mindyourbusiness.com
Limited Internet Edition Publication – July 29, 2004
DUNE™ and © 1999 Herbert Limited Partnership, Evil Twin Games
unauthorized user.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Basics
The Core Mechanic
Playing DUNE
A Game Session
Character Creation Summary
One: Characters
Abilities
Generating & Assigning
Ability Scores
Character Classes
The Basic Classes
Level-dependent benefits
Basic class descriptions
Armsman
Assassin
Bene Gesserit Adept
Engineer
Fremen
Mentat
Noble
Scientist
Trader
House Allegiances
Vital Stats
Action Points
Backgrounds
Allegiances
Reputation
Gaining Experience and
Levels
Multiclass Characters
Two: Skills
Skill Basics
New Skills
Skill Descriptions
Three: Feats
Acquiring Feats
Prerequisites
New Feats
Feat List
Feat Descriptions
Four: Equipment
Purchasing Equipment
Ranged Weapons
Explosives
Melee Weapons
Improvised Weapons
Armor
Shields
General Equipment
Carrying Capacity
Five: Combat
Improvised Weapons
Armor
Shields
General Equipment
Six: Advanced Classes
Qualifying for an Advanced class
Bodyguard
Commander
Fedaykin
Master of Assassins
Noble
Reverend Mother
Sardaukar
Suk Doctor
Swordmaster
Tech Specialist
Seven: Gamemastering
Deepenging the Mystery
Storyteller
Eight: Friends & Foes
Enemies
Sardaukar
Allies
Swordmaster
Nine: The Weirding Way
Weirding Powers
New Feat
Weirding Talent
Weirding Feats
New Skills
Weirding Skills
INTRODUCTION
“A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. This every sister of the Bene Gesserit knows. To begin your study of the life of Muad’Dib then, take care that you place him in his time: born in the 57th year of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. And take the most special care that you locate Muad’Dib in his place: the planet Arrakis. Do not be deceived by the fact that he was born on Caladan and lived his first fifteen years there. Arrakis, the planet known as Dune, is forever his place.” -- “Manual of Muad’Dib,” by the Princess Irulan DUNE: A Dream of Rain is a d20 MODERN game based on the
novels by Frank and Brian Herbert. While the game takes place on a galactic scale, most of the action is set on Arrakis, now the most important planet in the known universe. Important because it is the only known source of a spice that permits space travel, extends human lifespans and even allows humans to alter their consciousness.
The game is a world of wild adventure and political intrigue, where heroes battle with a lasgun in one hand and a knife in the other. Where a forgotten culture becomes one family’s only hope for survival, and miraculous technologies expand the limits of human potential.
The ecological intrigue and high adventure of Dune began with Frank Herbert’s novel in 1965.
No magic. While psionic powers exist to a certain extent in the form of Prana Bindu training and the so-called “weirding way,” “magic” as such, does not. It is a well known science fiction axiom that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, but I draw the line quite clearly here.
The DUNE Universe is considered to be technologically advanced with a few major anomalies. Most of these anomalies can be attributed to the various advancements afforded by the Holtzmann discoveries. They include: faster-than-light travel, faster-than-light communications, force shields, and
contragravity. These elements all exist in an otherwise 'standard' sci-fi setting.
The second major deviation from the standard world of advanced human technology is the almost complete lack of any computers or thinking machines within the DUNE universe. Computers above a simple abacus are very rare; those above the power of a modern calculator simply do not exist. This seemingly gaping hole in the technological fabric of the universe is filled by several elements, the most notable of which are the Mentats. Mentats are “human computers” trained from birth to perform complex logical and analytical functions at very high rates of speed and reliability. The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood also performs several similar duties, although with a strikingly different purpose and ideological motivation.
This is DUNE
Sandworms. Noble Houses. Maula pistols. Sardaukar. Fremen. …the Spice.
DUNE is space fantasy at its best: full of action, intrigue, and adventure. The heroes are larger than life and the villains are utterly evil. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here. Plenty more flavor text goes here.
The Eras of Play
The DUNE: A Dream Of Rain Roleplaying Game supports adventures and campaigns set in four distinct eras. Muad'Dib suggested a few eras to start with... Here are a couple of options, as far as time periods go:
The Butlerian Jihad: This campaign could be very fun (forget all of the "prequel novels." This era definitely has a lot more traditional sci-fi elements, i.e. thinking computers (A.I.), bio-tech (cyberware), etc.
Muad'Dib's Cruasades: A violent jihad set in the 12-year period after the events of the first novel.
The Tyrant's Reign: A massive expanse of time (3,500 years!) during the reign of the God Emperor Leto II.
The Scattering: This seems to me the most freeform of them all, but fun to explore your own concepts and directions.
The Basics
The beginning is a very delicate time…
The Core Mechanic
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
Roll a d20.
Add any relevant modifiers.
Compare the result to the target number.
If the result equals or exceeds the target number (set by the GM or given in the rules), you succeed.
Die rolls are expressed in the format: [#] die type [+/- modifiers]
Example: 3d6+2 means: "Roll 3 six sided dice. Add the result of the thr ee dice together. Add 2."
Rounding Fractions
In general, if you wind up with a fraction, round down, even if the fraction is one-half or larger.Exception: Certain rolls, such as damage and hit points, have a minimum of 1.
Multiplying
Sometimes a special rule makes you multiply a number or a die roll. As long as you’re applying a single multiplier, multiply the number normally. When two or more multipliers apply, however, combine them into a single multiple, with each extra multiple adding 1 less than its value to the first multiple. Thus, a double (x2) and a double (x2) applied to the same number results in a triple (x3, because 2 + 1 = 3).Basic Task Resolution System
These rules assume a standardized system for determining the success or failure of any given task. That system is:
d20 + Modifiers vs. Target Number
The Modifiers and Target Number are determined by the type of task.
If the result of the d20 roll + the Modifiers equals or exceeds the Target Number, the test is successful. Any other result is a failure.
A "natural 20" on the die roll is not an automatic success. A "natural 1" on the die roll is not an automatic failure, unless the rules state otherwise.
The Gamemaster
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
The Heroes
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
Species
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
Class
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
Level
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
Abilities
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
Vitality and Wound Points
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps
play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:
Skills and Feats
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:Game Play
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:Rolling Dice
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that h as some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:A Game Session
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:What Characters Can Do
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”). To determine whether you succeed at a task (such as an attack, using a skill or ability, or an attempt to save your character from harm) you do this:Skill Checks
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”).Ability Checks
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”).Attack Rolls
DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game uses a core mechanic to resolve all actions. This central game rule keeps play fast and intuitive. Whenever you want to attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (or “d20”).PLAYING DUNE: A DREAM OF RAIN
“A person needs new experiences. Without them, something sleeps inside us… and seldom awakens.”
– Duke Leto Atreides According to the books, and secondary sources, the Imperium
spans several galaxies, though only a few planets are detailed. This provides the GM the possibility of limiting the scope of the campaign to a smaller scale of a galaxy or travel that spans multiple galaxies if desired. In any event, the Guild Navigators’ ability to fold space should reflect relatively short travel times between inhabitable plants (1-12 days, typically, with the longest trips being perhaps a month long).
CHARACTER CREATION
Make sure you review the entire process before using this overview when creating a DUNE character. Make a copy of the character sheet from the back of this book to use as a record of your character.
Generate Ability Scores
Use one of the methods described in Chapter One to generate your six ability scores. Record the scores on a piece of scrap paper and put them aside for the moment.
Choose Your Class
A class provides you with a starting point for your character, a frame upon which you can hang skills, feats, and various story elements. Choose a class from those presented in Chapter One.
Assign Ability Scores
Now that you know what class you want your character to be, take the scores you generated earlier and assign each to one of the six abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Write Down Your Class Features
Each class offers a combination of special features unique to that class. Record the features your class provides on your character sheet.Vitality Points
Your class determines your character’s vitality die—the die you roll to gain new vitality points at each new level. Record the die tyep (d6, d8, d10 or d12) in the space provided on the character sheet, then figure out what your starting number of vitality points are. A 1st -level character gets the maximum points from the vitality die, plus the character’s Constitution modifier. For example, if your character belongs to the Fremen class and you have a 12 Constitution score, you start with 11 vitality points (10, the maximum result of a d10 roll, plus 1 for your Constitution bonus).
The Quickness feat increases your vitality points.
Wound Points
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.
The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Defense
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.
The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Speed
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.
The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Initiative
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Base Attack Bonus
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Reputation
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Action Points
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Saving Throw Bonuses
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Melee Attack Bonus
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Ranged Attack Bonus
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Select Skills
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Select Feats
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Determine Starting Wealth and Buy Gear
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.The Toughness feat increases your wound points.
Finishing Your Character
Your wound points equal your Constitution score. If your character’s Constitution score is 12, for example, you have 12 wound points.A Brief History of The Imperium
The new Imperium arose like a phoenix from the ashes. Itslegacy was born of suffering, dependence on technology and disregard for the morality of its applications. A new era of human understanding and enlightenment emerged, one that has expanded the frontiers of human potential into realms hitherto undreamed…
Each of these things possesses a kind of truth, informing the casual observer that the current state of the universe did not spontaneously come into being. Instead, the modern Imperium reveals a legacy of untold hardship, of catastrophic mistakes, of fantastic human evolution and of often terrible consequences precipitated by such events. Most know the story, for it is a difficult one to forget.
The Great Revolt
One cannot hope to understand the modern Imperium, the places of the Great Houses within it,
or the basis for the faufreluches caste system without frist understanding the history of the ancient Imperium. To truly grasp the importance of the empire’s early dys, one must recognize the motivations behind the Great Revolt —the Butlerian Jihad, as it is known—and the effects of this period on the social and political development of the Imperium. While the old Imperium had endured for thousands of years, its legacy—indeed, its destiny—had been realized centuries before the
first revolt on Nitzevine. Its farflung worlds existed in relative harmony, their governments and rulers linked by a complex system of feudal loyalties and alliances. It was a time of peace, of technological marvels, and of complacency. A once magnificent galactic community—united by a common vision of expansion, discovery, and unity—had reached the apex of its stagnation.
Having grown increasingly dependent on the technological wonders they had once controlled, the Great Houses grew lethargic, losing themselves in the decadence and debaucheries that often accompany such decay. Their horizons exhausted, their goals eclipsed by the demands of the flesh, the planets and Houses of the old Imperium did nothing to stem the growing tides of dissent and dissatisfaction among their subjects. Instead, they retreated even further behind technological barriers of their own devising.
In other regions of the galaxy, technology became less an escape and more a living instrument of terror. Manipulation of artificial intelligence and sentient weapons allowed upstart regimes and makeshift “Houses” to seize entire worlds. It gave them the power to utterly dominate and oppress entire populatons and planets. Coupled with the decadence thriving on so many of the ancient worlds, these new abuses served as the final affront to the ideals of the old Imperium. Revolution was imminent, and once begun it spread like a holy flame throughout the Known Universe.
Revolts and uprisings erupted on many worlds, and spread throughout the old Imperium. Worlds were overthrown, rulers expelled, and a wholesale destruction of t echnology initiated. Entire noble bloodlines—many of which had existed for thousands of years—simply ended, extinguished by the riots sweeping across a seemingly endless string of worlds throughout the Imperial core.
Although a handful of planets survived more or less intact (including such modern technocracies as Ix, Richese, and Tleilax), destruction and chaos reigned throughout much of the Known Universe. In addition to the rulers and their machines,
billions of innocents perished in the widespread destruction spawned by the Jihad. The Great Revolt changed the fabric of the universe, plunging the Imperium into a new dark age from which it would not soon recover.
The Butlerian Proscriptions
The Butlerian Jihad left an indelible mark on Imperial history, written in the blood of that era’s countless victims. The Revolt also left a lasting mark on Imperial civilization, one that would not soon be forgotten. The aftermath of the Jihad gave birth to an entire collection of new social mandates—the chief commandment of which survives in the Orange Catholic Bible as “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likenss of a human mind.”
These mandates—commonly known as the Butlerian Proscriptions—remain perhaps the most lasting contribution of
this dark time. Ten thousand years later, the humanist philosophy embodied by these directives continues to guide the course of social development within the Imperium. Their spirit captures the essence of this tenuous period in galactic history perhaps better than anything else.
The Butlerian Proscriptions forbid any sort of reliance on automated machinery or artificial intelligence. Such changes caused a radical reassessment of human expectations and capabilities, and led to a number of critical social and cultural adaptations. The most direct result of the proscriptions took the form of a new reliance on huan methods. Over time, this reliance would lead to the formation of the Great Schools—the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the Spacing Guild, the Mentat School, and the Swordmast er’s School of Ginaz.
Science, medicine, academia—all such disciplines were initially viewed with suspicion in the wake of the revolution, and their practice was casue for actual punishment on some worlds. While these attituded would change considerably after the establishment of the Great Schools, these disciplines still carry stigmas with them today.
Emerging technologies that did not require a human operator, or direct human control of some kind, were abandoned. True automation had ceased to exist. While the surviving
technocracies of Ix, Richese, and Tleilax began to develop new technologies following the letter (if the not the spirit) of the Proscriptions, such advances would not become widely known, or indeed widely available, for several thousand years. In the early years following the Jihad, such development remained carefully secret.
All spacecraft depending on artificial intelligence for navigation or propulsion were either destroyed or abandoned. Worlds severed contact with each other and with all previously centralized authority, leading to widespread breakdowns in both commerce and communication. As a consequence of this self-imposed isolation on many worlds, the government of the old Imperium finally collapsed.
In the wake of its expiration, each planet struggled in its own way to survive; not only were they forced to provide for their own populations, but they were also forced to defend themselves against Imperial remnants and internal threats without any hope of assistance. Many planets enjoyed no outside contact for centuries, further exacerbating a paranoia that had already spun out of control. The true dark age arrived with a whisper.
An Imperial Dark Age
The Jihad and its fallout ruined many of the ancient Houses and noble families, while seriously weakening many others. Planetary governments fell and new regimes emerged to take their places. While many of these old bloodlines did not survive the ensuing turmoil, others adapted and thrived. Although most pre-Jihad histories were destroyed with the computers they were stored on during the Great Revolt, the survivors preserved the “oral histories.” The importance of these ancient records would become apparent as a new feudal system began to take shape amid the ashes of the old.
In time, many of the surviving planetary governors and noble Houses of the old Imperium re-emerged. The savviest of these groups had spent the years following the Jihad and its aftermath consolidating their remaining power; in many cases, astute Houses were able to increase their holdings during this chaotic period. As contact among worlds began again in earnest, these groups began to enter into formal alliances. Blood united some, while common ideologies, territories, or commerce brought together others. In time, these new Houses would form the bedrock of a new Imperial order.
After generations of military and political maneuvering, a new feudal system began to coalesce. Most of the newly formed Houses chose to unite under the leadership and guidance of powerful, individual Houses, which were in turn granted dominion over individual planets. In accordance with the ancient traditions, these powerful new Houses claimed legitimacy on the basis of noble ancestry or ancient bloodlines, thus creating a connectio n between the old Imperium and the emerging territories that would soon form the new Imperium. Military and economic concerns were for a time relegated to second place. These so-called Great Houses began the long process of re-establishing links among the far-flung insular regions of the now-shattered galactic community. Upon recognizing a Great House as the rightful ruler of a planet, the lesser Houses of the world became known as Houses Minor. These lesser Houses customarily enjoyed an array of rights and privileges; these Stipulations, as they became known, were tradtitionally worked into the treaty documents that led to the nomination of a Great House on a particular world. Since Stipulations often differed from one world to the next, a panoply of multi-hued rights and responsibilities evolved with those of one system being markedly different from those in another. As the Great Houses began to reach out to one another over the ensuing centuries, these differences would become the cause of much conflict. Before a true Imperial reunification could occur, a universal resolution would become necessary. While such a resolution remained the stated goal of most of the Houses, the road to unification was destined to be long and bloody.
Reunification: Visions of an Empire
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent. The Great Houses began looking to their neighbors for the additional wealth and materials needed to continue the long recovery process and ensure their future prosperity. The widely varying differences in the substance and style of the planetary governments would prove the greatest obstacle to lasting cooperation. Many Great Houses began to take what they needed through the use of military force, warring with each other for the resources and territory they required to provide for their welfare.
Lineage and heritage became the paramount standards in the ensuing conflicts, with numerous Great Houses claiming Imperial legitimacy by right of blood or noble ancestry. Modern Imperial scholars remember the early period of reunification as the era of the crusade, with one Great House after another manipulating the fanaticism of its subjects in an attempt to reunify the old Imperium under their own House banner.
These kin wars quickly escalated throughout the Known Universe. While not as bloody or all-encompassing as the time of the Jihad, still hundreds of millions lost their lives. Many of the rivalries established during this perio d continue into the modern day, with current Great Houses fanning the flames of vendettas nearing ten thousand years of age. The spectre of the Great Revolt was an ever-present shadow looming over these conflicts, and many of the House leaders realized that some form of final resolution would be necessary to prevent the conflict from erupting into another galaxy-spanning holocaust. Level heads eventually prevailed, and after a series of failed attempts the leaders of the Great Houses successfully reached a truce. The negotiations that followed led swiftly to the formation of the Landsraad League. Styled after the Landsraad Council of the old Imperium and created expressly to avert further conflict and unnecessary bloodshed, the League was a loose confederation of mutual support and arbitration. United under this tenuous association, the new League set forth a collection of basic rights and privileges. These benefits would be accorded to all member Houses so long as they remained in good standing with the League, and the membership agreed to be bound by this set of informal codes and conventions. As a result of the still-disparate natures of many Great Houses, problems arose immediately.
Because the Landsraad League possessed no enforcing agency or universal accountability, the attempt to create a universal set of precepts and governing laws proved premature. The members ingnored or circumvented the body’s resolutions, and its arbitration efforts proved largely ineffective. Many of the more power Great Houses continued their military campaigns, and in many cases the formation of the League actually served to heighten tension and suspicion among its powerful members.
The Battle of Corrin and the Founding of
the Imperium
Lofty ambitions and noble intentio ns could not save the floundering Landsraad League. Its members quickly realized that it was ineffective as a governing body, and woefully inadequate as an arbitrating force. These realizations served to re-ignite the old House conflicts with renewed ferocity. Great Houses rose and fell, and the universe once again descended dangerously close to wholesale war.
As the conflict wore on, new alliances took shape and greater powers formed. Centuries of warring an political maneuvering finally came to a head at the Battle of Corrin , where the remnants of the allied Landsraad League faced a seemingly unstoppable force under the direction of the vastly powerful House Sarda. House Sarda, supported by its fanatical Sardaukar legions, had been making considerable inroads throughout the Imperial core for decades, and its rivals knew that their only hope of victory lay in a final alliance and a final stand against the powerful House and its suicide troops.
But sucha a victory was not to be. The Battle of Corrin established the preeminence of the deadly Sardaukar on the battlefield, and the remaining Landsraad allies were decimated. The Battle also saw the germination of one of the most notable rivalries in the history of the Imperium. During the battle, Bashar Abulurd Harkonnen abandoned his station in a grave act of cowardice that would later dictate the exile of his House. Leading his lancers to fill the Bashar’s now open rearguard position at the flank fo the forward Sardaukar legion, Demetrios Atreides saved the Sarda forces from the final Landsraad offensive, thus earning House Atreides lasting accolades for the valorous conduct of its scion.
After the Battle of Corrin, the remaining Landsraad forces were decisively crippled. Few Houses could refuse the subsequent summons to Salusa Secundus, where the surviving Great Houses gathered to pay tribute and bear witness to the coronation of Sheseut Sarda as the first Emperor of the Golden Lion Throne.
Immediately following his coronation, the new Emperor addressed the assembled nobles, formally claiming the Corrino name for the Imperial House so that none would ever forget the genesis of the reborn Imperium. Sheseut’s coronation commenced the line of Padishah Emperors that would rule the Known Universe for the next ten thousand years. Thus ended the opening convocation of the reunited Landsraad, now securely within the grasp fo the new Imperial providence. Following the coronation ceremonies, the representatives of the Landsraad assembled to negotiate terms for a lasting Pax Imerium. It was during this first convention that Emperor Sheseut bansished Abulurd Harkonnen for ignominous cowardice in the face of the enemy. It was also during these meetings that Sheseut bestowed great honor upon House Atreides for valor in same conflict. And so the ancient enmity between the Houses Atreides and Harkonnen began, on the floor of the Landsraad before their fellow peers of the realm.
An Imperial Renaissance
Arrakis and the Discovery of the Spice
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
Foundation of the Great Schools
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
The Spacing Guild
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
An Imperial Golden Age
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
Consolidation and Expansion
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
House Corrino
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
House Atreides
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
House Harkonnen
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
House Wallach
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
House Moritani
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
House Tseida
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
The Great Schools
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
Into the Present
In the current year of 10,191, the Corrino Empire (and later, the Atreides Empire) is a roughly feudal system ruled by the Emperor of the Known Universe, Shaddam IV. His control varies wildly depending on local governmental control. The Empire of House Corrino is based on a triumvirate of power: the Emperor, CHOAM, and the supposedly neutral Spacing Guild. The various Houses rule local planets as fiefs and systems on the appointment of the Emperor as vassals. The Landsraad consists of the various Houses, as a sort of Imperial Senate. CHOAM (Combine Honette Ober Advancer Mercantiles) is an economic body concerning trade profits which ties the various houses together by economic means, not unlike a contemporary corporation and its shareholders. Directorships in CHOAM represent potentially vast wealth and economic influence.
A crude distinction between a major and a minor house is the size of the fief they control. Minor houses are limited to a planetary or smaller scale of local government. Major houses are elected to representative positions in the Landsraad, and control one or more star systems.
There are those who would argue that the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood holds as much influence if not more than any of these branches, but their power is a subtle and dark one. Though very active in politics, they do not usually let their presence be known in an overt manner.
Communication is common throughout the universe at virtually instantaneous speeds at a range of 250 light-years (77 parsecs) without the need for re-broadcasting, though ships traveling through fold-space cannot be contacted by any known means of communication.
Institutions of the Imperium
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.The Great Convention
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
The Landsraad Council
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
CHOAM
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
Commerce in the Imperium
Once the consolidation process was underway, the need for increased resources and commerce became quickly apparent.
ONE: CHARACTERS
“He who controls the spice controls the universe!”
– Baron Vladimir Harkonnen Just about every die roll you make gets a bonus or penalty based
on your character’s abilities. A robust character has a better chance of surviving a trek through the scorched desert of Arrakis. A perceptive character is more likely to notice the hunter-seeker sneaking up from behind. A stupid character is less likely to find a concealed panel that leads to a secret compartment. Your ability scores provide modifiers for these kinds of rolls.
Every character has six Ability Scores: Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA).
The Score of these Abilities ranges from 0 to infinity. A limit, if any, will be specified in the rules. The normal human range is 3 to 18. It is possible for a creature to have a score of "none". A score of "none" is not the same as a score of "0". A score of "none" means that the creature does not possess the ability at all. The modifier for a score of "none" is +0.
A character with a CON of 0 is dead. A 0 in any other score means the character is helpless and cannot move.
Keeping track of negative ability score points is never necessary. A character’s ability score can’t drop below 0.
Your Ability Scores
To generate ability scores for your character, use one of the following methods.
Random Generation
To randomly generate an ability score for your character, roll four six -sided dice (4d6). Disregard the lowest die and total the three highest dice.
This roll gives you a number between 3 (horrible) and 18 (tremendous). The average ability score for the typical galactic citizen is 10 or 11, but your character is not typical. The most common ability scores for heroes are 12 and 13. (Even the average hero is above average.) Make this roll six times, recording the result each time on a scrap piece of paper. Once you have all six scores, assign each score to one of your six abilities.
Rerolling
If your scores are too low, you may scrap them and reroll all six scores. Your scores are considered too low if the total of your modifiers (before changes because of species) is 0 or lower, or if your highest score is 13 or lower.
Planned Generation
Instead of rolling dice, you may select the scores you want by using the planned generation method. This requires a bit more thought and effort on your part, since you need to know what kind of character you want to play—so you can select your scores appropriately. Determine your class beforehand, then select your scores as outlined below.
Your character’s ability scores all start at 8. You have 25 points to spend to increase these scores, using the costs shown below. After you select your scores, apply any modifiers for advanced level creation.
Score Cost Score Cost
8 0 14 6 9 1 15 8 10 2 16 10 11 3 17 13 12 4 18 16 13 5
Standard Score Package
This third method of determining ability scores is the standard score package, a balanced mix of scores designed to quickly create hero characters. Assign the scores to the abilities as you like.
The standard score package is: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8.
THE ABILITIES
Each ability partially describes your character and affects some of your character’s actions.
ABILITY MODIFIERS
Each ability will have a modifier ranging from –4 to +4 for a beginning chracter. The modifier can be calculated using this formula:
(ability/2) -5 [round result down]
The modifier is the number you add to or subtract from the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. For example, you add your Strength modifier to your roll when you try to hit someone with a club. You also apply the modifier to some numbers that aren’t die rolls; for instance, your Dexterity modifier applies to your Defense to determine how hard you are to hit in combat.
A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty.
Strength (Str)
Any creature that can physically manipulate other objects has at least 1 point of Strength. A creature with no Strength score can't exert force, usually because it has no physical body or because it doesn't move. The creature automatically fails Strength checks. If the creature can attack, it applies its Dexterity modifier to its base attack instead of a Strength modifier.
Dexterity (Dex)
Any creature that can move has at least 1 point of Dexterity.
A creature with no Dexterity score can't move. If it can act, it applies its Intelligence modifier to initiative checks instead of a Dexterity modifier. The creature fails all Reflex saves and Dexterity checks.
Constitution (Con)
If a character's Constitution changes enough to alter his or her Constit ution modifier, his or her hit points also increase or decrease accordingly at the same time.
Any living creature has at least 1 point of Constitution. A creature with no Constitution has no body or no
metabolism. It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect works on objects. The creature is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, and massive damage, and always fails Constitution checks.
Intelligence (Int)
Any creature that can think, learn, or remember has at least 1 point of Intelligence.
A creature with no Intelligence score is an automaton, operating on simple instincts or programmed instructions. It is immune to all mind-influencing effects (charms, compulsions, Table 1-1: Ability Modifiers
Score Modifier 1 -5 2-3 -4 4-5 -3 6-7 -2 8-9 -1 10-11 +0 12-13 +1 14-15 +2 16-17 +3 18-19 +4 20-21 +5 22-23 +6 24-25 +7 26-27 +8 28-29 +9 30-31 +10 etc... etc.
phantasms, patterns and morale effects) and automatically fails Intelligence checks.
Wisdom (Wis)
Any creature that can perceive its environment in any fashion has at least 1 point of Wisdom.
Anything with no Wisdom score is an object, not a creature. Anything without a Wisdom score also has no Charisma score, and vice versa.
Charisma (Cha)
Any creature capable of telling the difference between itself and things that are not itself has at least 1 point of Charisma.
Example of Generating and Assigning
Ability Scores
Steve sits down to create a new character. Deciding on the random generation method, he rolls four six-sided dice (4d6) and gets 6, 4, 4, and 2. Ignoring the lowest die, he records the sum of the other three on scratch paper: 14. He does this six more times and gets these six scores: 13, 10, 15, 12, 8 and 14. Discarding the lowest of these scores, Steve gets his six ability scores: 15, 14, 14, 13, 12 and 10. Steve decides to play a tough Fremen hero. Now he assigns his rolls to abilities.
Dexterity gets the highest score, 15, which provides a +2 bonus that will serve him well in ranged combat and help his Reflex saving throw score.
Constitution gets the next highest score, 14. This score also provides a +2 bonus, which means more vitality points per level and a higher Fortitude saving throw bonus.
Steve puts his lowest score, 10 into Charisma. Steve has three scores with bonuses left (14, 13 and 12). Strength gets the 14 (+2 bonus). That helps with attacking in melee combat and grappling.
Wisdom gets the 13, providing a +1 bonus, providing bonuses to important skills like Survival and Spot.
Intelligence gets the 12, also above average providing a +1 bonus. Not bad.
Steve records his character’s class—Fremen, ability scores, and ability modifiers on his character sheet.
Changing Ability Scores
Over time, the ability scores your character starts with can change. Ability scores can increase with no limit.
Add 1 point to any ability score when your character attains 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th level.
Poisons, diseases, and other effects can cause temporary ability damage. Ability points lost to damage return naturally, typically at a rate of 1 point per day for each affected ability.
As a character ages, some ability scores go up and others go down.
When an ability score changes, the modifier associated with that score also changes.
Character Classes
Characters in DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game seek wealth, glory, justice, honor, fame, influence, and knowledge, among other goals. Some of these goals are honorable, some base. Each character chooses a different way to achieve these goals, from combat prowess to skill mastery to connections and resources. Some characters prevail and grow with experience, wealth and power. Others die.
Eight main classes, known as heroic classes, are available in the DUNE: A Dream of Rain Roleplaying Game. Characters with levels n heroic classes are naturally called heroic characters. This is more of a technical term than a value judgement. Unlike ordinary characters, heroic characters have vitality points as well as wound points. Ordinary characters
have only wound points. Vitality points have the effect of making heroic characters harder to defeat —which means they can perform dangerous or heroic acts without risking their lives unnecessarily. The eight heroic classes are:
Armsman: Warriors with exceptional combat capabilities and unequaled skill with weapons.
Bene Gesserit: A sisterhood of political manipulators, the Bene Gesserit are a dominant force of guidance in the universe.
Fremen: Abandoned by the universe and hunted by the Harkonnen, these deeply religious desert dwellers await their messiah.
Mentat: Masters of intrigue, these human computers are trained in computational prediction and are unparalleled tacticians.
Noble: Members of the Landsraad and masters of diplomacy who inspire confidence and make great leaders.
Scientist: Dedicated to healing and easing human suffering, the Suk have been conditioned by the Imperium to do no harm.
Trader: Experts in shipping and transporting goods, traders make their way by providing in -demand products to their customers.
Prestige Classes
Commander: Troop leaders of military forces.
Fedaykin (Fremen): Fanatical death commandos of Muad’Dib.
Master of Assassins (Mentat): Deadly plotters of plans within plans within plans.
Reverend Mother (BG): Highly trained Bene Gesserit sisters.
Sardaukar (Armsman/Swordmaster): Dreaded terror troops of House Corrino.
Suk Docotr: Dedicated to healing and easing human suffering, the Suk have been conditioned by the Imperium to do no harm.
Swordmaster: Trained at the Ginaz school, these men-at-arms are in constant demand as House guards and instructors.
NPC Classes
Commoners: Majority of the population, running shops, farms and homes.
Professionals. Hard-working class of the universe, but not adventurers.
Diplomat: Speakers of the Dune universe, minor functionaries and businessmen.
Expert: Craftsmen and professional capable in their own fields.
Thugs: Strong, stout combatants, unsubt le but considerable fighters.
The Multiclass Character
As your character advances in level, he or she may add new classes. Adding a new class gives the character a broader range of abilities, but all advancement in the new class is at the expense of advancement in the character’s other class or classes. A noble, for example, might become a noble/soldier.
Adding the soldier class would give him proficiency in more weapons, better Fortitude saves, and so on, but it would also mean that she doesn’t gain new noble abilities and thus is not as powerful a noble as she otherwise would have become. Rules for creating and advancing multiclass characters can be found at the end of this chapter.
Class and Level Bonuses
An attack roll or saving throw is a combinat ion of three numbers, each representing a different factor: a random factor (the number you roll on the d20), a number representing the character’s innate abilities (the ability modifier), and a bonus representing the character’s experience and training. This third factor depends on the character’s class and level. Each class table summarizes the figures for this third factor.
Base Attack Bonus (BAB)
This entry tells which ability is typically associated with that class.
Base Save Bonuses
This entry tells which ability is typically associated with that class.
Level-Dependent Benefits
First off, the allegiances system is optional. It will greatly help your DUNE: A Dream of Rain experience, but it is not necessary, in the strictest sense of the word, for game play.
Table 1-2: Experience and Level-Dependent Benefits
Class Cross-Class
Character Skill Max Skill Max Ability Level XP Ranks Ranks Feats Increases
1st 0 4 2 1st, 2nd — 2nd 1,000 5 2.5 — — 3rd 3,000 6 3 3rd — 4th 6,000 7 3.5 — 1st 5th 10,000 8 4 — — 6th 15,000 9 4.5 4th — 7th 21,000 10 5 — — 8th 28,000 11 5.5 — 2nd 9th 36,000 12 6 5th — 10th 45,000 13 6.5 — — 11th 55,000 14 7 — — 12th 66,000 15 7.5 6th 3rd 13th 78,000 16 8 — — 14th 91,000 17 8.5 — — 15th 105,000 18 9 7th — 16th 120,000 19 9.5 — 4th 17th 136,000 20 10 — — 18th 153,000 21 10.5 8th — 19th 171,000 22 11 — — 20th 190,000 23 11.5 — 5th
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
The next part of this chapter describes each class. These descriptions are general. Individual members of a class may differ in their attitudes, outlooks and other aspects.
Game Rule Information
Rule information follows the general class description and is divided into the following categories.
Ability
This entry tells which ability is typically associated with that class. Players can, of course, “play against type,” but a typical character of that class put his or her highest ability scores where they’ll do the most good. (Or, in the game-world, the character is attracted to the class that most suits his or her talents, or for which he or she is best qualified.)
Vitality
The die type used by characters of the class to determine the number of vitality points gained per level.
A player rolls one die of the given type each time his or her character gains a new level. The character’s Constitution modifier is applied to the roll. Add the result to the character’s vitality point total. Even if the result is 0 or lower, the character always gains at least 1 vitality point. A 1st -level character gets the maximum vitality points rather than rolling (although the Constitution modifier is still applied).
Action Points
The number of action points gained per level.
Class Skills
This section of a class description provides a list of class skills and also gives the number of skill points the character starts with at 1st level and the number of skill points gained each level thereafter.
A character’s Intelligence modifier is applied to determine the total skill points gained each level (but always at least 1 point per level, even for a character with an Intelligence penalty). A 1st-level character starts with 4 times the number of skill points he or she receives upon attaining each level beyond 1st. The maximum ranks a character can have in a class skill is the character’s level +3.
A character can also buy skills from other classes’ skill lists. Each skill point buys a half rank in these cross-class skills, and a character can only buy up to half the maximum ranks of a class skill.
Starting Feats
The feats gained automatically at 1st level in the class.
Class Table
This table details how a character improves as he or she attains higher levels in the class. It includes the following information. Level: The character’s level in the class.
Base Attack Bonus: The character’s base attack bonus and number of attacks.
Fort Save: The base save bonus for Fortitude saving throws. The character’s Constitution modifier also applies.
Ref Save: The base save bonus for Reflex saving throws. The character’s Dexterity modifier also applies.
Will Save: The base save bonus for Will saving throws. The character’s Wisdom modifier also applies.
Class Features: Level-dependent class features, each explained in the section that follows.
Defense Bonus: The character’s bonus to Defense. The character’s Dexterity modifier and equipment bonus also applies.
Reputation Bonus: The character’s base Reputation bonus.
Class Skills
This section of a class description gives the number of skill points the chracter starts with at 1st level, the number of skill points gained each level thereafter, and the list of class skills. In each case, the character gets some number of skill points each level, such as 4 for a soldier or 6 for a noble. To this number, add the character’s Intelligence modifier to determine the total points gained each level (but always at least 1 skill point per level, even for a character with an Intelligence penalty). Remember that a 1st -level character starts with 4 times this number of skill points. The maximum rank in a class skill is the character’s level + 3, so at 1st level you can buy up to 4 ranks in any class skill, at a cost of 1 skill point per rank.
Class Features
This entry details special characteristics of the class, including bonus feats, weapon proficiencies, and other abilities that are gained as a character attains higher levels in the class. Characters can become proficient with other weapons by acquiring the various Weapon Group Proficiency feats. Each class also has certain unique capabilities, ranging from bonus feats to special abilities which are described here.
Bonus Feats
Some classes offer a selection of bonus feats to choose from. A character gains a bonus feat upon attaining that level in a class. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that all characters receive as they attain new levels. Some feats have prerequisites that must be met before a character can select them.
Class and Character Level
Class level pertains to a character’s level in a particular class. Character level pertains to a character’s overall experience level. So, a character who has only one class has a character level and a class level that are the same. (A 7th-level Mentat has a character level of 7th and a class level of 7th.) But for a character with more than one class, class level and character level are different. A 4th-level noble/3rd-level soldier has a character level of 7th, with a noble class level of 4th and a soldier class level of 3rd.
ARMSMAN
The battle-hardened mercenary, the Harkonnen lieutenant, the Duke’s guard, and the elite foot soldier—all are warriors. Warriors can be stalwart defenders of those in need, cruel marauders, or gutsy adventurers. Some are among the universe’s best souls, willing to face death for the greater good or for loyalty to his lord. Others ar among the worst, bullies with no qualms about killing for private gain —or sport. Armsmen who are not actively soldiering may be conscripts, guards, champions, bodyguards, or criminal enforcers. An adventuring Armsman might call himself a warrior, a mercenary, a thug or simply an adventurer.
Most Armsmen see adventures, military service, raids, and dangerous missions as their job. Some have patrons or commanders who pay them regularly. Others prefer to live like prospectors, taking great risks in hopes of the big haul. Some Armsmen are more civic-minded, using their combat skills to protect those in danger who cannot defend themselves. Whatever their initial motivations, however, Armsmen often wind up living for the thrill of combat and adventure. Armsen come to their profession in as many different ways as their are ways to serve. Most have had fomal training in a noble’s army or at least in the local
militia. Some train in formal academies while others are self-taught— unpolished but well tested. An Armsman may have taken up the sword as a way to escape the limits of life on the farm, or he may be following a proud family tradition. Those who hail from a particular academy, mercenary company or lord’s regiment, however, often share a certain camaraderie. Armsmen may be from any of the Houses Major or Minor, or the legions of mercenaries used by the Imperium’s militias. On some worlds, armsmanship is a way of life for much of the population and t he wars for the Lion Throne have bred many armsmen.
Game Rule Information
Armsmen have the following game statistics.
Abilities
Strength is especially important for Armsmen because it improves their melee attack and damage rolls. Almost as important is Dexterity as combat often includes the use of lasguns and maula pistols.
Vitality Die
The Armsman gains 1d10 vitality points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies. A 1st-level Armsman
receives vitality points equal to 10 + his or her Constitution modifier.
Action Points
The Armsman gains a number of action points equal to 5 + one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they attain a new level in this class.
Class Skills
The Armsman’s class skills (and key ability for each skill) are as follows.
Bluff (Cha), Demolitions (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge* (Int), Pilot (Dex), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language, Speak Language, and Treat Injury (Wis).
Also, the starting occupation the character selects can provide additional class skills to choose from.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following features pertain to the Armsman class.
Starting Feats
At 1st level, in addition to the two feats all characters get, an Armsman is proficient with one Exotic Melee Weapon (player's choice with GM’s approval), all simple & martial weapons, as well as all armor & shields.
Bonus Feat
At 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th and 20th level, the Armsman gets a bonus feat chosen from the following list. This bonus feat is in addition to the feats normally gained as the character advances in level. The Armsman must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it. Agile Riposte, Blind-Fight, Blooded, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Martial Arts, Combat Reflexes, Duelist, Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency, Great Cleave, Improved Critical, Improved Initiat ive, Mobility, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Sunder, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus.
Weapon Specialization
At 3rd level, an Armsman gains weapon specialization with a specific melee or ranged weapon that he also has applied t he Weapon Focus feat or class feature to. This grants the Armsman a +2 bonus on damage rolls with the chosen weapon.
Table 3-1: The Armsman
Class Base Fort Ref Will Defense Reputation Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special Bonus Bonus
1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Starting feats +3 +0 2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Bonus feat +3 +1 3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Weapon specialization +4 +1 4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Bonus feat +4 +1 5th +5 +4 +1 +1 +5 +1 6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +2 Bonus feat +5 +2 7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +2 +6 +2 8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +2 Bonus feat +6 +2 9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +3 +7 +2 10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +3 Bonus feat +7 +3 11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +3 +8 +3 12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +4 Bonus feat +8 +3 13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +4 +9 +3 14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +4 Bonus feat +9 +4 15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +5 +10 +4 16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +5 Bonus feat +10 +4 17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 +11 +4 18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +6 Bonus feat +11 +5
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +6 +12 +5
ASSASSIN
The battle-hardened mercenary, the Harkonnen lieutenant, the Duke’s guard, and the elite foot soldier—all are warriors. Warriors can be stalwart defenders of those in need, cruel marauders, or gutsy adventurers. Some are among the universe’s best souls, willing to face death for the greater good or for loyalty to his lord. Others ar among the worst, bullies with no qualms about killing for private gain —or sport. Armsmen who are not actively soldiering may be conscripts, guards, champions, bodyguards, or criminal enforcers. An adventuring Armsman might call himself a warrior, a mercenary, a thug or simply an adventurer.
Most Armsmen see adventures, military service, raids, and dangerous missions as their job. Some have patrons or commanders who pay them regularly. Others prefer to live like prospectors, taking great risks in hopes of the big haul. Some Armsmen are more civic-minded, using their combat skills to protect those in danger who cannot defend themselves. Whatever their initial motivations, however, Armsmen often wind up living for the thrill of combat and adventure. Armsen come to their profession in as many different ways as their are ways to serve. Most have had fomal training in a noble’s army or at least in the local
militia. Some train in formal academies while others are self-taught—unpolished but well tested. An Armsman may have taken up the sword as a way to escape the limits of life on the farm, or he may be following a proud family tradition. Armsmen share no special identity or brotherhood. Those who hail from a particular academy, mercenary company or lord’s regiment, however, often share a certain bond of camaraderie. Armsmen can have any starting occupation, though Fremen are rare indeed. Outlander armsmen may be from any of the Houses Major or Minor, or the legions of mercenaries used by the Imperium’s militias. On some worlds, armsmanship is a way of life for much of
the population and the wars for the Lion Throne have bred many armsmen. For armsmen of common status, the weapons of choice are usually pikes and bows, axes, or spears. Noblemen, experienced mercenaries, and members of standing armies such as the Imperial Legions tend toward longswords. Village militiamen often have to make do with whatever weapons they can scrounge up.
Game Rule Information
Armsmen have the following game statistics.Abilities
Strength is especially important for Armsmen because it improves their melee attack and damage rolls. Almost as important is Dexterity as combat often includes the use of lasguns and maula pistols.
Vitality Die
The Armsman gains 1d10 vitality points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies. A 1st-level Armsman receives vitality points equal to 10 + his or her Constitution modifier.
Action Points
The Armsman gains a number of action points equal to 5 + one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they attain a new level in this class.
Class Skills
The Armsman’s class skills (and key ability for each skill) are as follows.
Bluff (Cha), Demolitions (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge* (Int), Pilot (Dex), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language, Speak Language, and Treat Injury (Wis).
Also, the starting occupation the character selects can provide additional class sk ills to choose from.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following features pertain to the Armsman class.
Starting Feats
At 1st level, in addition to the two feats all characters get, an Armsman is proficient with one Exotic Melee Weapon (player's choice with GM’s approval), all simple & martial weapons, as well as all armor & shields.
Bonus Feat
At 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th and 20th level, the Armsman gets a bonus feat chosen from the following list. This bonus feat is in addition to the feats normally gained as the character advances in level. The Armsman must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.
Agile Riposte, Blind-Fight, Blooded, Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Martial Arts, Combat Reflexes, Defensive Martial Arts, Duelist, Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency, Far Shot, Great Cleave, Improved Critical, Improved Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run, Sunder, Two -Weapon Fighting, -Weapon Finesse, -Weapon Focus.
Weapon Specialization
At 3rd level, an Armsman gains weapon specialization with a specific melee or ranged weapon that he also has applied the Weapon Focus feat or class feature to. This grants the Armsman a +2 bonus on damage rolls with the chosen weapon.
Table 3-1: The Assassin
Class Base Fort Ref Will Defense Reputation Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special Bonus Bonus
1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Starting feats +3 +0 2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Bonus feat +3 +1 3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Weapon specialization +4 +1 4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Bonus feat +4 +1 5th +5 +4 +1 +1 +5 +1 6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +2 Bonus feat +5 +2 7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +2 +6 +2 8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +2 Bonus feat +6 +2 9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +3 +7 +2 10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +3 Bonus feat +7 +3 11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +3 +8 +3 12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +4 Bonus feat +8 +3 13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +4 +9 +3 14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +4 Bonus feat +9 +4 15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +5 +10 +4 16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +5 Bonus feat +10 +4 17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 +11 +4 18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +6 Bonus feat +11 +5 19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +6 +12 +5 20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +6 Bonus feat +12 +5
