Champions of Valor

Champions of Valor
Benefits of Membership
by Robert Wiese

Champions of Valor, the newest book in the Champions series for the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, discusses what it means to be valorous and heroic in Faerûn. The book introduces heroic ideals, as well as new feats, prestige classes, and substitution levels for heroes associated with the major valorous organizations. However, it does not provide any alternate mechanics for heroes belonging to all the minor valorous organizations in its pages. Some of these organizations are more suited for player characters than others, and several seem to cry out for some player character options. Thus, author Robert Wiese presents this web enhancement offering substitution levels for members of six minor valorous organizations, as well as two organizations from Champions of Ruin. So download this web enhancement and let your player characters explore the limits of their heroism!

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Golden Hands of Vergadain (Rogue)

The Golden Hands of Vergadain defend the interests of the dwarves, particularly in areas of commerce and trade. Furthermore, the members of this organization work to eliminate threats to dwarven commercial ventures and recover goods stolen from dwarf merchants. The training provided by the Golden Hands helps members track foes of the dwarves and deal with them appropriately.

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements

To take a Golden Hands substitution level, a character must be a dwarf, a member of the Golden Hands of Vergadain, and about to take his 2nd, 3rd, or 6th level of rogue.

Class Skills

A Golden Hand of Vergadain has the same selection of class skills as a standard rogue does, plus Survival.

Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All the following are features of the Golden Hands of Vergadain substitution levels.

Favored Enemy (Ex): A Golden Hand can choose any organization in Faerûn that opposes dwarves as a favored enemy, in the same way that a ranger chooses favored enemies. The Golden Hand gains a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against recognized members of the chosen organization, and a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against such individuals. This ability cannot be used to "detect" members of the chosen organization, and it applies only against actual members. Thus, the Golden Hand cannot simply declare someone a member to gain the bonuses.

This benefit replaces the +1 bonus on Reflex saves that a standard rogue gains at 2nd level. From this point forward, the Golden Hand's Reflex save modifier is 1 point lower than that of a standard rogue.

Track: A Golden Hand gains Track as a bonus feat. This benefit replaces the trap sense class feature that a standard rogue gains at 3rd level. Any time thereafter that the Golden Hand would normally gain an increase in the trap sense ability, he gains a +1 bonus on any check made to track instead.

Urban Tracking (Ex): A Golden Hand can use the Gather Information skill to track targets in an urban setting. The tracking DCs and results are the same, but the skill used is different.

This benefit replaces the +1 base attack bonus that a standard rogue gains at 6th level. From this point forward, the Golden Hand's base attack bonus is 1 point lower than that of a standard rogue.

About the Authors

Robert Wiese entered the gaming hobby through the Boy Scouts and progressed from green recruit to head of the most powerful gaming fan organization in the world. He served as head of the RPGA Network for almost seven years, overseeing the creation of the Living Greyhawk and Living Force campaigns, among other achievements. Eventually, he returned to private life in Reno, Nevada, where he spends as much time as possible with his wife, new son Owen, and many pets. He is still involved in writing, organizing conventions, and playing, and in his spare time, he models proteins for the Biochemistry Department of the University of Nevada, Reno.