Delver"Text"
– Am Shaegar, DelverToday, Arhosa is a land of reconstruction and ruin. Some places, barely touched in the devastating conflict that ended the Arhosan empire, look pristine and valuable, albeit somewhat underpopulated. The former capital of Setras Ra is one of these. The trading cities of Fracha and Idolobha in Pybyr Vestana are also amongst this number, the rebellion there having merely been a continuation of the ongoing power struggles that wrack those cities on an almost weekly basis. Yet elsewhere, devastation became a way of life. The skycities of Hania are almost all crumbled ruins, smashing to the great in titanic impacts as mage battled mage. Biyan saw vicious infighting between rival factions, leaving much of the landscape churned and broken. And outside of Setras Ra, the Llethu homelands were rent by brutal conflict of tribe upon tribe, forcing many back to a state little better than Delvers, living in tents and raiding one another.
What was left behind in all of this conflict was the remains of the Arhosan Empire. Some of these remains, such as the fabled teleport gates that are all but extinct, are too large and too obvious for an individual to retrieve. But other objects, such as small magical items, coinage, artwork, and other portable valuables, those have become critical to a steady flow of underground trade, one propped up mostly in local areas as retreival agents disappear into the ruins, only to return having procurred some item demanded by a wealthy local. Others seek to take their goods further afield, primarily to the semi-lawless trading markets of Fracha, where the Living Sun Wardens never look closely, as long as their claws are greased.
Into this demand steps the delver, specializing in travel across wildernesses and into this collapsing structures where much of the danger is in the architecture itself. The rest, of course, is the locals who don't want the delver there, the others who have claimed the burnt out husk as a home, and the local wildlife that views lone individuals as a snack, not a threat. While profitable, mostly, the life of a delver is often nasty, brutish, and short. And yet many view the rewards as worth the risk.
Becoming a DelverText
Table 1: The Delver
Hit Die: d6
Level BAB Ref Fort Will Special Abilities Seedcasting
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1 +0 +2 +0 +0 Depthborn, Golden Nose +1 Seedcasting Level
2 +1 +3 +0 +0 Scarper, From Nowhere +1 Seedcasting Level
3 +2 +3 +1 +1 Misdirect, Silent Departure +1 Seedcasting Level Class skills (2 + Int modifier per level): Acrobatics (Dex), Acting (Cha), Athletics (Str), Chirography (Int), Device Manipulation (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Investigation (Cha), Knowledge (Local, Nature) (Int), Mentalism (Wis), Perception (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Thievery (Dex)
Requirements:Feats: Eyes of Night
Skills: Acrobatics 6, Device Manipulation 6, Stealth 6, Thievery 6, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) 6, Perception 6
Class FusilladesText
- Seedcasting: The Delver increases all casting features as if the character had gained a level in the appropriate class at each indicated level.
- Depthborn (Ex): You ignore the speed reduction for hampered movement and the penalty for hampered melee when moving or fighting in a narrow space (an area smaller than but at least one half of your space) or a low space (an area shorter than but at least one-half of your height) with light or one-handed melee weapons. Furthermore, you take only a –4 circumstance penalty when using a two-handed weapon in such conditions. In a space both narrow and low, you function as if only one of those conditions applied. When moving or fighting in cramped quarters, you do not lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. In addition, you add your class level to all Acrobatics, Device Manipulation, Stealth, Thievery, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering), Perception and Athletics checks made in an underground or ruined environment.
- Golden Nose (Ex): You can intuit the location of copper, silver, gold, platinum, magic items, and gems within 30 feet, although you can not differentiate between the kinds of valuables. When you detect one of these types of valuables, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence and direction. Whenever you come within 5 feet of the treasure, you can pinpoint its exact location. This can not penetrate barriers.
- Scarper (Ex): It's better to escape with some reward, rather than fight and die for no reward. When you use the withdraw action, you may move up to four times your speed, instead of twice your speed.
- From Nowhere (Ex): Often in a situation of one against many, the delver is well aware that stealth is often his greatest asset. When the delver makes an attack or casts a spell while hidden, he may attempt to rehide immediately upon conclusion of the attack or spell. He does not take the -20 penalty to this action.
- Misdirect (Ex): If there's multiple groups competing with the delver, why not set them against one another? If the delver is hidden and not spotted, by successfully making a Diplomacy check targeting a single creature with a DC of 10 + (2 × the creature’s CR), the delver entices that creature to attack one other creature (of the delver's choice) during its next round. The target must be unfriendly or hostile towards the creature it is being misdirected into attacking. For creatures that don’t have Challenge Ratings, such as player characters, use a DC of 10 + (2 × the creature’s HD). This is a swift action mind-affecting ability with a range of 60 ft.
- Silent Departure (Su): So much time spent slipping in and out of challenging places has given the delver a real knack for the necessary tools. He gains the Distance Stride spell speed, although he may not use the Unlimited range option with the seed. If he casts a spell using only this seed and no other, it has no verbal or somatic components.
EYES OF NIGHT [GENERAL]
Your vision in the darkest night is far better than anyone expects.
Prerequisites: 1st level only, Perception 4
Benefit: You gain darkvision and low-light vision out to 60 ft.