New BX Character Class: Ronin

I had a page in the CX1: Character Class Codes marked for a samurai, but feel like a ronin is a better fit. So here's my take on it...

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RONIN

Ronin are masterless warriors trained in the fighting arts and traditions of the samurai. They may have lost their lords through death or defeat, been dismissed or disgraced, or deliberately abandoned their former service. Whatever their reasons or origins, ronin wander without a master, earning their living as adventurers, guards, mercenaries, duelists, or instructors. Strength is the prime requisite of a ronin. A ronin with a Strength score of 13 or greater gains a 5% bonus to earned experience. A ronin who additionally has a Wisdom score of 16 or higher gain a 10% bonus instead.

RESTRICTIONS: Ronin use eight-sided dice (d8) to determine their hit points. Ronin may wear any type of armor but may not use shields. They may use any weapon, although certain special abilities apply only when using a katana or wakizashi. Ronin fight and make saving throws as fighters of the same level.

HONOR: Although masterless, ronin retain the traditions in which they were trained. A ronin is expected to show courage in the face of danger, keep his pledged word, honor loyalty once freely given, meet legitimate challenges, and conduct himself with dignity toward worthy opponents. A ronin who becomes known for cowardice, treachery, or oath-breaking may suffer penalties to reaction rolls when dealing with samurai, other ronin, nobles, soldiers, and others who recognize the warrior traditions. The exact consequences depend upon the nature and notoriety of the offense.

SWORDSMANSHIP: Ronin are exceptionally skilled with the katana and wakizashi. When using either weapon, an attack roll that exceeds the number required to hit the opponent by 5 or more is a critical strike. A critical strike inflicts the weapon's maximum damage plus a die of its normal damage roll: 8 + 1d8 points of damage with a katana or 6 + 1d6 with a wakizashi. Bonuses to the attack roll from Strength, magic, and other sources count when determining whether a critical strike has been made.

THE DAISHŌ: The paired katana and wakizashi are traditional symbols of the warrior's station. A ronin is not required to possess both and may use other weapons without penalty. However, a ronin who possesses a daishō normally treats it with particular respect. The loss or theft of such a weapon, especially one inherited from a former lord or family, may become a matter of personal honor.

A ronin may fight with a katana in the primary hand and a wakizashi in the off hand. While wielding both weapons, the ronin gains a –1 bonus to Armor Class against melee attacks. Wielding both weapons does not allow the ronin to make two attacks per round. Instead, if the katana attack misses, the ronin may immediately make a second attempt to strike the same opponent with the wakizashi at –2 to hit. If this attack succeeds, the wakizashi inflicts only 1d4 points of damage instead of its normal 1d6, due to its off-hand use; Strength bonuses do not apply to this damage, and the attack cannot score a critical strike. If the katana attack hits, the wakizashi may not be used to attack that round.

JUJUTSU: Ronin are trained to fight without weapons. When unarmed and fighting a human, demi-human, or humanoid no more than one size category larger than themselves, a ronin may attempt a throw, hold, or disarm instead of making a normal attack. The ronin makes a normal attack roll. A successful throw knocks the opponent to the ground and inflicts 1d4 points of damage. A successful hold restrains the opponent; the victim may make a saving throw vs. paralysis each round to break free. A successful disarm causes one hand-held weapon or similar object to fall at the opponent's feet. Creatures whose anatomy makes the attempted maneuver impossible are unaffected.

AWARENESS: A ronin's martial training makes him difficult to catch unprepared. Beginning at 3rd level, the ronin is surprised only on a roll of 1 on 1d6. At 9th level, the ronin is surprised only on a roll of 1 on 1d8.

IAIJUTSU: Beginning at 4th level, a ronin who begins a combat round with a sheathed katana or wakizashi may declare an iaijutsu attack before initiative is rolled. If his side wins initiative, the ronin draws and attacks immediately and gains a +2 bonus to the attack roll. This bonus counts when determining whether the attack is a critical strike. If his side loses initiative, the weapon is drawn normally and no bonus is gained. Iaijutsu may be attempted only once in an encounter against opponents who have not yet seen the ronin use the technique.

AT HIGHER LEVELS: Upon reaching 9th level a ronin may establish a dojo, household, or fortified residence. He may attract students, warriors, servants, and retainers according to his reputation. A ronin may also enter the service of a lord. Doing so does not change his character class or prevent further advancement.

Level	Title	Exp. Pts.	Hit Dice
1	Ronin (Wanderer)	0	1d8
2	Bushi (Warrior)	2,200	2d8
3	Kenshi (Swordsman)	4,400	3d8
4	Shugyōsha (Duelist)	8,800	4d8
5	Yojimbo (Bodyguard)	17,600	5d8
6	Kengo (Great Swordsman)	35,000	6d8
7	Hyōhōsha (Strategist)	70,000	7d8
8	Kensei (Sword-Saint)	140,000	8d8
9	Master Ronin	280,000	9d8
10	10th-Level Master Ronin	400,000	9d8+2*
11	11th-Level Master Ronin	520,000	9d8+4*
12	12th-Level Master Ronin	640,000	9d8+6*
13	13th-Level Master Ronin	760,000	9d8+8*
14	14th-Level Master Ronin	880,000	9d8+10*

* Constitution bonuses no longer apply.

New BX Character Class: Lamplighter

So, one of the things that happens when I get further along in certain projects (as is the case with the Character Class Codex) is, when I decide to add a specific new page or section, I need to figure out how to balance off that addition so I don't have to create cascading reflow problems related to verso/recto (left-hand page/right-hand page) spreads through the rest of the book.

Because I decided to add a Mariner character class (essentially a sailor with waterborne travel skills, eventually rising to level of navigator, shipmaster, and captain; this will act as a companion to "Waterborne Adventures" section of the BX DMG), I needed something else to add in the middle area of the book (somewhere between "L" and "N"). And because all of the expected character classes were already there (Lycanthrope, Magic-user, Monk, Ninja, et al), I needed something "new." That led me to the idea of a lamplighter. 

In a way, the lamplighter is sort of an alternative to a 0-level "Normal Man" as an adventurer. But the thinking is, the lamplighter joins a party as the sort of "dungeon expert"—good with torches and lights, but also very aware of the dungeon environment, able to more successfully do things like detect traps and discover secret doors, as well as generally navigate a dungeon from memory without the need of a map.

Then, upon reaching 2nd-to-5th level (they cap out at 5th), they are able to take their dungeon delving skills and keep them, while starting over as a normal classed character. Over those levels as a lamplighter, they have limited hit point additions, as well as the limitation of fighting and saving as a Normal Man until they change classes, but that's balanced with a low XP requirement per level. 

So, the lamplighter works either as a classed NPC, or as a foundational PC with plans for picking up some serious dungeon delving skills ahead of becoming a standard classed character. This definitely works better in the context of dungeon crawling, but those skills do translate (to some degree) in a "more open" campaign environment. 

I'll have to be honest—I'm really liking what I came up with on this. I feel like maybe it's a good BX way of handling the DCC 0-level thing, in a dungeon-focused way. I'm interested to know what everyone thinks. (BTW, I'll probably be releasing this later in the week as a PWYW PDF from DriveThruRPG, like the CX1 Extra: Gnomes supplement I did back in 2015.)

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Lamplighter

Lamplighters are professional dungeon explorers, guides, and torchbearers. They make their living accompanying adventurers into ruins, crypts, caverns, and other underground places. Lamplighters avoid combat whenever possible, relying instead upon caution, alertness, and long experience with the hazards of underground exploration. They are particularly skilled at noticing hidden passages, dangerous mechanisms, unusual construction, and the subtle signs that warn experienced delvers of danger. Wisdom is the prime requisite of a lamplighter. A lamplighter with a Wisdom score of 13 or greater gains a 5% bonus to earned experience. 

RESTRICTIONS: Lamplighters use six-sided dice (d6) to determine their hit points. They may advance only to 5th level. They may wear leather armor but may not use shields. They may use clubs, daggers, hand axes, slings, staves, and other simple weapons allowed by the DM. Lamplighters fight and save as a Normal Man, regardless of their level. Lamplighters are permitted to use any magic item allowed to a fighter.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Lamplighters possess several abilities useful when exploring dungeons and other underground places. The percentage chances for these abilities are given on the Lamplighter Experience Table.

• Lightcraft: Lamplighters are experts in the use of torches, lanterns, candles, and other mundane light sources. A lamplighter can accurately estimate how much burning time remains in a light source and recognize unusual changes in a flame or its smoke. The lamplighter can protect an exposed flame from ordinary drafts and may use the movement of flame or smoke to determine the presence and general direction of an otherwise unnoticed draft.
• Torch Fighting: A lamplighter may wield a lit torch as a weapon, inflicting 1d3 points of damage plus 1 point of fire damage on a successful hit. A lamplighter may carry a lit torch in each hand while fighting without penalty. When using two torches, the lamplighter still makes only one attack each round, but gains a –1 bonus to Armor Class against opponents engaged in melee.
• Alertness: Lamplighters are constantly attentive to their surroundings. When a lamplighter passes near a secret door, trap, unusual construction, concealed opening, or other dungeon feature that could reasonably be noticed without deliberately searching for it, the DM may secretly roll the lamplighter's Alertness chance. Success indicates that the lamplighter notices something unusual, but does not necessarily reveal its nature or exact location. The area must then be examined normally to learn more.
• Find Secret Doors: A lamplighter may search for secret and concealed doors. This includes noticing seams, drafts, displaced dust, unusual masonry, worn floors, and other indications of a hidden opening. The lamplighter must deliberately search the appropriate section of wall or chamber.
• Detect Traps: A lamplighter may detect pits, pressure plates, tripwires, falling blocks, concealed mechanisms, and similar dungeon traps. This ability detects the trap but does not allow the lamplighter to disarm it.
• Dungeon Sense: A lamplighter may examine an underground area for unusual or dangerous features. A successful check may reveal slopes and changes in elevation, shifting or unsafe masonry, concealed shafts, recently disturbed construction, unusual drafts, hollow spaces, or similar features. The check indicates what the lamplighter can determine from examination and experience; it does not reveal information that could not reasonably be observed.
• Direction and Depth: A lamplighter who has remained conscious and aware of the party's movement can normally retrace a route through ordinary dungeon passages without consulting a map. The lamplighter can determine approximate direction underground and estimate how far the party has ascended or descended. Magical alterations, teleportation, particularly confusing labyrinths, and similar circumstances may prevent the use of this ability.
• Listening: Lamplighters are practiced at distinguishing faint sounds underground. When listening at a door, wall, passage, or similar obstruction, use the chance given on the Lamplighter Experience Table.

BECOMING AN ADVENTURER: After attaining 2nd level, a lamplighter may leave the profession and begin again as a 1st-level member of any human character class for which the character qualifies. A lamplighter who leaves the profession before attaining 2nd level retains none of the lamplighter's abilities. To enter the new class, the lamplighter must have spent at least half (50% or more) of his or her adventuring career serving in a party that included a member of that class. This represents the experience, instruction, and practical knowledge gained by observing experienced adventurers while accompanying them.

Upon entering the new class, the character's experience points are reduced to 0. The character retains all lamplighter abilities and percentage chances possessed at the level attained, but gains no further lamplighter abilities or improvements.  From that point forward, the character is limited to the armor, weapons, and magic items permitted to the new class, and uses the attack and saving throw tables for that class. The torch fighting ability only provides the Armor Class bonus in melee when the character in their new class is carrying a torch in their off-hand and an allowed one-handed weapon in their primary hand.

The character does, however, retain the hit points gained as a lamplighter instead of rolling the new class's 1st-level Hit Die. Upon reaching 2nd level in the new class, the character adds one Hit Die of the type used by that class. Hit Dice are added normally according to the new class thereafter.

For example, a 3rd-level lamplighter who has spent at least half of that career adventuring in parties that included a thief may become a 1st-level thief, provided the character otherwise qualifies for that class. The character begins as a first-level thief with the hit points gained as a lamplighter (1d4+3, plus Constitution adjustment), retains all 3rd-level lamplighter abilities, has 0 XP as a thief, and performs the thieves abilities as a 1st-level thief. Upon reaching 2nd-level as a thief, the character adds 1d4 hit points and thereafter advances normally as a thief.

When a retained lamplighter ability overlaps with an ability of the new class, use whichever ability provides the greater chance of success; the chances are not combined or modified by one another.

LAMPLIGHTER EXPERIENCE TABLE

Level	Title	Exp. Points	Hit  Dice	Alert- ness	Secret Doors	Detect Traps	Dungeon Sense	Listen
1	Lamplighter	0	1d4+1	15%	35%	30%	35%	30%
2	Delver	750	1d4+2	20%	45%	40%	45%	40%
3	Deep Delver	1,500	1d4+3	25%	55%	50%	55%	50%
4	Dungeon Guide	3,000	1d4+4	30%	65%	60%	65%	60%
5	Master Lamplighter	6,000	1d4+5	35%	75%	70%	75%	70%

New BX Character Class: Wolf-Dwarf

Unbelievably, this is my first new character class post since 2017. Up to that point, the Character Codex was a big focus of my game work. Then lots of life happened, and I finally started getting back wholeheartedly to new gaming content the past couple of years. And now that the d30 Encounter Companions are in their final stages, and the Classic Edition Dungeon Masters Handbook (a.k.a, the "BX DMG") is in complete early draft format, I had a chance to go back and pull up the file for the Character Codex to see where I left off. 

Among the pages I left with a header but no content, I came across a page set aside for the "Wolf-Dwarf." If I recall correctly, the idea was a half-wolfkin, half-dwarven character So, I've gone ahead and drafted it, and here it is...

Wolf-Dwarf

Wolf-dwarves are a hardy race descended from the crossed breeding of dwarves and wolfkin (wolf-like humanoids). Powerfully built and typically standing four-to-five-feet tall, wolf-dwarves appear slightly leaner and longer-limbed than standard dwarves. Their bodies are covered with coarse hair or short fur, and their faces feature a lupine-like nose, pronounced canine teeth, and pointed ears. Despite their appearance, wolf-dwarves are not lycanthropes and cannot change their shape.

As fighters, wolf-dwarves are fierce and tenacious, possessing the toughness of their dwarven ancestry and the keen senses of their wolfkin forebears. They commonly inhabit wooded hills, rugged highlands, and wilderness bordering mountainous country.

The prime requisite for a wolf-dwarf is Strength, and a wolf-dwarf with a Strength score of 13 or greater receives a bonus on earned experience points. A wolf-dwarf must have a Constitution score of 9 or greater.

RESTRICTIONS: Wolf-dwarves use eight-sided dice (d8) to determine their hit points. They may advance to a maximum of 12th level of experience. Wolf-dwarves may wear any type of armor and may use shields. They may use any weapon of normal or small size, but may not use long bows or two-handed swords. Wolf-dwarves use the same attack tables as fighters and the same saving throw tables as elves (which represents a sort of "halfway point" between fighters and dwarves).

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Wolf-dwarves are extremely hardy and use the same saving throws as dwarves. Their wolf ancestry gives them unusually acute hearing and a powerful sense of smell. They do not, however, possess the standard dwarven abilities to detect false walls, hidden construction, or sloping passages underground, or the improved dwarven ability to detect traps.

• Keen Hearing: When listening at a door, passage, or similar obstruction, a wolf-dwarf detects sounds on a roll of 1–2 on 1d6. The DM should make this roll secretly.

• Keen Sense of Smell: wolf-dwarf can recognize familiar creatures by scent and can often detect the presence of nearby creatures even when they cannot be seen. When examining an area where a creature has recently passed, the wolf-dwarf has a 1–2 on 1d6 chance of detecting its scent. This reveals that a creature passed through the area and may reveal its general direction, but does not automatically identify or track it. Age, weather, water, strong odors, and other conditions may modify or prevent this attempt.

• Tracking by Scent: A wolf-dwarf may follow a creature’s trail by scent. The chance of successfully following a trail is 5% per level in the wilderness. Indoors, this chance is reduced by 25%, to a minimum chance of 5%. Rain, running water, crowds, old trails, and similar conditions may further reduce or eliminate the chance of success, at the DM’s discretion.

• Languages: Wolf-dwarves speak Common, Dwarvish, Wolfkin, and their alignment language. They also understand the barks, growls, whines, posture, and other signals of wolves and similar creatures. This allows simple communication concerning such things as danger, food, territory, numbers, direction, and hostility. It does not allow detailed conversation with ordinary animals.

HIGHER LEVELS: At 9th level, a wolf-dwarf may choose to build a stronghold. Such strongholds are often established in wooded hills, mountain valleys, or rugged wilderness. They commonly combine a fortified hall or underground refuge with surrounding dwellings, kennels, watch posts, and hunting grounds. 

Once the stronghold is completed, wolf-dwarves from the surrounding region may come to live there. These followers usually form closely related clans or packs and recognize the character as their leader. The DM determines their number and composition according to the location and circumstances. 

Wolf-dwarves are suspicious of strangers but strongly loyal to those they accept as members of their pack or clan. A wolf-dwarf stronghold may therefore attract dwarves, wolves, wolfkin, and other creatures friendly to its inhabitants, at the DM's discretion.

Level	Title	Exp. Points	Hit Dice
1	Whelp	0	1d8
2	Tracker	2,200	2d8
3	Hunter	4,400	3d8
4	Fang	8,800	4d8
5	Longfang	17,000	5d8
6	Greatfang	35,000	6d8
7	Greyfang	70,000	7d8
8	Wolfthane	140,000	8d8
9	Wolf-Dwarf Lord	270,000	9d8
10	10th Level Wolf-Dwarf Lord	540,000	9d8+3*
11	11th Level Wolf-Dwarf Lord	810,000	9d8+6*
12	12th Level Wolf-Dwarf Lord	1,080,000	9d8+9*

* Constitution adjustments no longer apply.