Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 04:07:07 PST From: Andy Utech Subject: The Archeologist I found Ryan Barnes' Archeologist profession on the net some time ago. I loved the idea and enjoyed his write-up. Unfortunately I also think that as written the character has far too many advantages. I have re-written the profession. You will notice that my write-up is remarkably similar to Ryan's. I fully credit him with the bulk of information that follows; and thank him for his work. THE ARCHEOLOGIST Good versus evil. . . that's all fine and dandy. We all know that only two thing matter in life: Fortune and Glory. It isn't easy being a good guy nowadays, and it is often a thankless job. So why not cash in on all of the artifacts and relics of the world and make yourself a fortune while saving the world? The Archeologist is an intellectual person who eventually became bored with all of the books and lectures at the university. Although smart enough to teach just about any subject dealing with history, mythology, anthropology, physics, and, of course, archeology, he never stuck with one think long enough to obtain an official degree in any of his specialties. In essence, he is a jack-of -all trades and master of. . .well, a few. Having become fed up with school, he recalled some of the legends of the heroes of the realm and began to study them in various libraries. But more importantly, he read about more and more legendary artifacts that were worth more than a king's ransom in gold. So, after a couple of weeks of training with an old friend of his that went the way of the pit fighter, he set out to find what he really wanted: Fortune and Glory. New Stat: Prestige. The Archeologist has a new attribute that determines how famous he is. This only affects the role-playing aspects of the game. The more artifacts that he sells to the museums of the realm and the more favors that he does for the universities, the more his name will spread. Several settlement events either alter the archeologist's prestige or use it in determining how much gold he can get for his services. Starting Equipment: Leather Jacket: The Archeologist's trusty leather jacket provides him with one armor point. Treat it as a normal piece of armor. Lucky Hat: The Archeologist's lucky fedora provides him with a re-roll usable once per adventure. This is in addition to any luck points he may have. Lantern: Being a curious fellow, the Archeologist may be inclined to wander off from the party at some point in his search for treasure. If there is no Barbarian in the party, the Archeologist is usually the leader, but does not have to be if someone else wishes to be. 12 Foot Bull Whip: Not only a weapon, but a useful piece of equipment as well. The Archeologist is well versed in its many uses and it has almost become an extension of his arm. The whip does (Damage Dice) + 1 at a range of 2-3 squares and may not be used for death blows. The whip may not be used against models in base-to-base contact. Also, the whip may be useful for getting out of jams. If the Archeologist ever falls into a pit, roll a die. On a 1, he is suck and must get out by normal means. On a 2-6, there is a convenient overhang or torch-holder in view to wrap the working end of his trusty whip around and climb out (must spend one turn to do so). The same goes for multi-level rooms. On a roll of 2-6, there is something to wrap the whip around to spend his turn climbing up. Also, in the event of the floor missing (i.e.: Pit of Despair) he is able to swing across on a roll of 2-6. The length of the gap in the floor must be two squares or less. Machete: The Archeologist starts with the machete as his hand weapon. It does (Damage Dice) + ST damage. Abilities: Treasure Cards: The Archeologist may claim any single treasure found each adventure as the one he was looking for. The treasure is exactly as described in his notes. The Archeologist may claim his treasure at any time during the adventure (but may not claim one already given to another warrior!), but once he has staked his claim he may not change his mind and claim a different treasure instead. This ability does not preclude the equitable sharing out of treasures, but may allow the Archeologist to have two more treasures than his fellow warriors until such time as they can gain treasures to equal his sum. Ex: The warriors kill a group of Orcs and roll for treasure. They find a Heartseeker Sword worth 500 gold. The Archeologist currently has two treasures as do the Wizard and the Dwarf. The Elf has only one treasure. The Archeologist claims the sword as the one he had been searching for and the sword is recorded on his record sheet. The ext treasure found must be given to the Elf. The next three treasures will be doled out between the Wizard, Dwarf, and Elf. The Archeologist will be eligible for a treasure after that time and may not claim a treasure as the one found in his notes for the rest of the adventure. Limitations: Armor: The Archeologist may not wear any armor besides his jacket. Weapons: The Archeologist may not use any bow weapon, but will happily use gunpowder weapons. Magical Items and Weapons: The Archeologist will happily accept any magical items or weapons. These are turned over to the museum when he goes to town. He may use any items he finds during an adventure that can be used by the Elf with the obvious exception of bows and armor. He may also use any items usable only by wizards on a 5+ rolled when he finds the item. Treasure: The Archeologist lives to find treasure. He believes that these items belong in a museum. For that reason the Archeologist may ONLY sell treasure items at the museum. He may NEVER sell a treasure item to his fellow warriors or as warriors usually do in a settlement. Other Stuff: Uneventful Weeks: If, on the way to a settlement, the warriors naturally roll an "Uneventful Week," roll one die. On a roll of 6 the Archeologist notices a spooky cave, clearing, or ruin out of the corner of his eye. Being quite the curious fellow, he wanders off from the party and investigates. Roll a die: 1: Snakes! Upon investigation, the mysterious place houses none other than several hundred poisonous snakes. Being man enough to know when you are outnumbered, you do what anyone else would do: Turn around and run really fast. Unfortunately, on the way out, a snake manages to sink his big fangs into you. The journey will take you another D3 weeks because the poison makes you weary. Also, you must spend your first D3 days in the settlement recuperating in the hospital. 2: Deserted. Investigation of the site turns up nothing but the bodies of two other fortune hunters that recently discovered the hard way how effective a spiked pit trap can be. Nimbly avoiding several other traps on the premises, you find that they risked their lives for nothing, for there is nothing of value anywhere to be found. 3. Competitor. While investigating the site, the Archeologist tumbles across the form of one of his competitors. The poor fellow ran into a trap he couldn't disarm and will die unless you take him with you. If you take him with you add two weeks to your journey as he is wounded and cannot travel quickly. When you reach a settlement with him roll one die: 1: He denounces you as a tomb robber. Lose two prestige points 2-6: He tells the university staff of your virtues. Gain a prestige point. 4: Weighty Trap. You discover a randomly determined piece of treasure balanced on a trap. You may attempt to remove the treasure and replace it with one you are currently carrying. To do so make an initiative test. If you are successful then you can switch the two. If you are unsuccessful then you lose both treasures as you run for your life from a hail of poisoned darts and a thunderously rolling boulder. 5: Monster's Lair. You discover a monster's lair. Use the room board section and roll for monsters on the level below that of your Archeologist (level one Archeologists find an empty room with no treasure). If your Archeologist succeeds in killing all of the monsters he receives a treasure as normal. 6: Temple: Carved into the side of a nearby cliff is what looks to be an ancient temple. You casually stroll inside to discover that the temple has been deserted for some time. While walking around, admiring the beauty of the structure, you accidentally bump into an alter to hear a loud click. You turn around and notice a huge mosaic moving to reveal a passageway. You curiously wander down the secret hall to discover a beautiful room. Mounted on the wall is an item of treasure. Pick one random Dungeon Room treasure card. Uneventful Days: There is never a slow moment in the Archeologist's life. If a day's settlement roll comes up "Uneventful Day," roll one die: 1: You happen across an old rival. Roll one die: 1-2: He gives you a pretty good beating and takes 2D6 x 50 gold off your hands. 3-4: After a few hard stares, and an exchange of words, you each part unscathed. 5-6: The two of you make up and he buys you dinner. Don't pay living expenses for today. 2: You buy a treasure map off of a peddler on the street for 1D6 x 5 gold that leads you to treasure just outside of the city. After following the map around until evening, you realize that it is worthless and go back to the city for some rest. 3: A small school in town offers to pay you to lecture several classes for the day. They pay you 4 times your prestige points in gold and you gain one prestige point afterwards for you services. 4: You happen across an old friend and/or lover of yours who pays your living expenses for the day. 5: You run into an old student of yours. He pays your living expenses for the day and gives you D6 x 20 gold her helping him get started. 6: The museum in town has trouble identifying some old artifacts. They pay you 5 times your prestige points to help them with their dilemma. You may also sell your artifacts to them without rolling to find the place -- it may be found even in a village! Settlement Locations: The Archeologist may visit the Alehouse, the Pit Fighter's School (-2 on the roll), and all of the normal shops. He will not visit the Gambling House, the Alchemist, or the Temple. He may also attempt to find the museum (7+) and the university (11+ in a town, 8+ in a city). The Museum: The Museum is always looking for rare and valuable artifacts to put on display as well as sell to collectors. They are willing to pay huge sums for things that they know will draw large admissions or carry a big price tag to collectors. The Archeologist knows how to deal with museum personnel. The Archeologist may ONLY sell items of treasure, no matter what they are worth, to the museum. When you wish to sell something to the museum, roll one die and consult the chart below. By visiting the university you may get an idea of what they are looking for and thereby gain a bonus to the percentage they are willing to pay you. 1: Fake! The item is totally worthless and they give you nothing for it. They wonder how a man of your intellect and know-how could make such a mistake. Lower your Prestige by two. 2: What, another one of these? The item is genuine, but the museum has several of these pieces already. They will give you half of the value of this treasure. You may decide not to sell it, in which case your next and subsequent rolls at this museum will be at a -1 3: Whoopity Doo. They offer you half of the value of this treasure. You may decide not to sell it, in which case your next and subsequent rolls are made at no further modifier. 4: Neat! They offer you the face value of this treasure and put your name on the plaque next to it in the exhibition hall. Gain one point of Prestige. 5: Wow! They offer you 150% of the face value of this treasure as it was much needed for their collection. They give you their undying gratitude and put on a special exhibition with your name on the door. Gain two points of Prestige. 6: Sigmar be praised! The piece you give them is the last one in a collection that they were desperate to complete. They gratefully offer you twice what the item is worth. In addition, they make sure that they tell everyone that you found the piece and you even get your name on the museum's VIP list. Gain two points of Prestige. Do not write down the gold until you have sold everything that you wish to sell. When you have a grand total of how much they owe you, you may opt to take a trade for your items. The museum has great influence over just about all areas of the settlement. Because of this, you may wish to ask for hard to find items in trade instead of gold. Hard to find items include ones found at places where the Archeologist may not have access to. This includes the Elf Quarter, Luigi and Salvadore's, the Dwarf Guildmasters, etc. You may only use the credit from treasure that you have given them and may not give them money to have them buy you items. Add two to the stock number of hard to find items. This may only be used to purchase items, and not services such as a Wizard's Consultation or a Wild Hunt. The University: Universities are often learning centers for the surrounding area. The Archeologist always feels at home surrounded by books and classrooms. When he visits the university, roll two dice: 2: Student Loan Officer. You casually stroll around the corner, only to run into your student loan officer from the bank of Altdorf. You still haven't gotten around to paying back the bank for your many years of tuition and he immediately recognizes you. Very irate, he demands that you pay 2D6 x 100 gold to cover the first part of many payments. You pay him what you can and promise to pay back the loan, in full, as soon as you get the money. Hopefully, you will never see him again. 3: Klutz! Strolling through the library, you knock over a statue of the founder of the school. The University officials demand that you had over 2D6 x 50 gold to cover its replacement. 4: Overdue Books. The last time you came through here, you checked out a book and forgot to bring it back. It has been several months since you were last here. Sheepishly, you look through your backpack to find the book in question and return it along with 1D6 x 50 gold in overdue fees. 5: "Hey! Aren't you...?" A student recognizes you while walking around and asks for your autograph. Before you know it, word is out that you are on campus and you spend the entire day signing books and answering questions about your adventures. Do not roll for a settlement event. 6: Lecture. The university pays you to teach a lecture about archeology. They give you D6 x you Prestige in gold. Add 10% to the amount the museum will pay you for treasures during this visit. 7: Charity Ball. Flirting with a young teacher leads to an invitation to a charity ball that evening. During the evening, you make a brilliant speech and gain one point of Prestige. Add 10%to the amount the museum will pay you for treasures during this visit. 8: Treasure Map. While flipping through a book in the library, a map of the city falls out of the pages. Right outside of the city there is a big "X" on the map. You take the map and a shovel to the spot and dig all day until you find a chest containing a random treasure (determine normally). Maybe "X" does occasionally mark the spot... 9: Seminar. The university pays you to speak at an all day seminar for 2D6 x your Prestige in gold. Your insights are brilliant and the whole crowd leaves much enlightened. Gain 2 points of Prestige. Add 20% to the amount the museum will pay you for treasures during this visit. 10: Honorarium. After meeting with the president of the university, he is so impressed with your stories and knowledge that he decides to erect a statue in your honor. The statue is huge and has your name in big, bold letters and your story on a plaque for everyone to see. Gain five points of Prestige. Add 20% to the amount the museum will pay you for treasures during this visit. 11: Coincidence? Randomly determine a treasure (re-roll "gold" results). Because you are so interested in this particular item, you pick a book that deals specifically with it. You find that the item was last seen in the area of the next dungeon that you had planned on exploring. In the next dungeon, the treasure you picked WILL be found. The Archeologist may claim it if he wishes. 12: The Legend of... Randomly determine an Objective Room Treasure. Because of your great interest in this particular item, you began to read up on it. It just so happens that it was seen recently near the next dungeon that you were planning on visiting. In the next dungeon, the first Objective Room Treasure will be that item. Skills: 2: Stone Master. This skill works the same as the Dwarf's skill of the same name. 3: Quick Kick. The Archeologist gains an additional attack per round with a swift kick made with his steel toed boots. Roll to hit as normal. The attack does Strength + (Damage Dice) damage. 4: Ambidextrous. The Archeologist may now fire a gun or throw a weapon and use his whip at the same time. He must not be pinned in order to use this skill. Alternatively, he may reload and fire a weapon in the same round. If a weapon takes more than one turn to reload, each turn spent reloading counts as two. 5: Script Immunity. Once per adventure, any blow that would otherwise kill the Archeologist does not kill him. Instead place him in the next room that the party wanders into. 6: Lightning Reflexes. The Archeologist can dodge every incoming blow on a 6+. 7: Whip Master. The Archeologist has now mastered using his whip as a weapon. He gains the following abilities: 1) The whip does (Damage Dice) + Strength damage. 2) The Archeologist may attempt to disarm opponents. Roll to hit as normal. The attack does no damage, but roll a die and add your strength. The monster rolls a die and adds his strength. Tie goes to the warrior. If the Archeologist wins, he has disarmed his opponent who must now fight bare handed, doing only his damage dice in damage until it spends a turn retrieving its weapon. 3) The Archeologist may attempt to trip opponents. Roll to hit as normal. The attack does no damage, but roll a die and add your strength. The monster rolls a die and adds his strength. Tie goes to the monster. If the Archeologist wins the monster falls prone. This skill may not be used against large monsters. 8: Marksman. Gives the Archeologist +1 to hit with gunpowder weapons. 9: Deadly Precision. The Archeologist has gained a knack for being very precise with his whip. He gains +1 to hit with it. Also, on a natural 6 he ignores his opponent's armor. 10: Disbelief. Has the following effects: Bookworm: +1 Fear/Terror Rolls Tomb Robber: +2 Fear Rolls, +1 Terror Rolls Treasure Hunter: +2 Fear/Terror Rolls Indy: +3 Fear Rolls, +2 Terror Rolls 11: Haymaker. Once per combat, at the cost of two attacks, the Archeologist may pull this dramatic move. He may roll to hit any monster in range of his whip. If the hit is successful, the Archeologist has wrapped his whip around the monster's neck and he may now drag the monster to him and use the monster's momentum against him. The monster is now placed in base to base contact with the Archeologist. Roll for damage as normal except that for every square that the monster moved, add D6 to the damage roll. After the attack is resolved, you may take any attacks that you may have left. This skill may not be used on large monsters. 12: Crack Shot. Whenever you are using a gunpowder weapon, a natural roll of 6 adds an extra D6 to the damage rolls. Advancement: Level One: Bookworm. Move 4. WS 3. BS 5+. S 3. Damage Dice 1. T 3(4). Wounds 1D6+7. I 4. A 1. Luck 0. Skills 1. Pinning 5+. Level Two: Tomb Robber. BS 4+. Wounds 2D6+7. WP 4. Luck 1. Skills 2. Level Three: Tomb Robber. WS 4. Wounds 3D6+7. A 2. Skills 3. Level Four: Tomb Robber. S 4. I 5. Pinning 4+. Level Five: Treasure Hunter. Damage Dice 2. T 4(5) Wounds 4D6+7. WP 5. Skills 4. Level Six: Treasure Hunter. WS 5. BS 3+. Wounds 5D6+7. A 3. Luck 2. Skills 5. Level Seven: Treasure Hunter. I 6. Skills 6. Pinning 3+. Level Eight: Treasure Hunter. Wounds 6D6+7. WP 6. Level Nine: Indy. WS 6. BS 2+. Damage Dice 3. I 7. A 4. Skills 7. Level Ten: Indy. Wounds 7D6+7. WP 7. Luck 4. Skills 8.