ATWC Basic Classes 3: The Scholar

The scholar is a kind of magic-user substitute, insofar as he's physically frail and not all that great in a stand-up fight, but can still make a difference through his specialist knowledge (as opposed to the specialist skills of the trickster). Unlike the good old MU, though, the scholar doesn't get to fireball people in the face.

To an even greater extent than the trickster, it's important to stress that the scholar's knowledge ability works automatically the vast majority of the time. Can she translate the language of the inhabitants of this lost kingdom? Can she decode the ancient glyphs on the side of the pyramid? Can she guess which god this ruined temple might have been dedicated to? Can she identify this peculiar green liquid? Of course she can: she's the party scholar, it's what she's there for! Dice rolls should only be called for when attempting something difficult enough to be dramatically interesting.

There's a reference below to technology checks. These are just the intelligence rolls I use to determine whether characters are able to operate, maintain, repair, or replicate the various bits of clockpunk technology which the ATWC world is littered with. I'll discuss those in a later post.

Scholars:

• You can only use simple weapons, and cannot use shields, or any armour heavier than heavy leather (+3 AC).
• You get 1d6 HP per level.
• You gain a bonus to all attack rolls (melee and ranged) equal to one-half of your level, rounded down.
• You get +2 to all WILL saves. (Included in table below.)
• You are automatically fully literate. (Non-scholars are fully literate if they have Intelligence 12+, semi-literate if they have Intelligence 9-11, and illiterate if they have Intelligence 8 or less.)
• You know all kinds of arcane lore, technical information, dead languages, and so on. You can be assumed to automatically know any fact or piece of information which would be known by a generally well-educated, well-informed person, and you are fluent in all the languages spoken in nearby lands. Whenever you come across a situation which calls for more specialised knowledge, roll 1d20: if the result is equal to or less than your Intelligence, you know the answer. The GM may impose modifiers to this roll for especially obscure knowledge.
• You have an extensive, albeit mostly theoretical, knowledge of medicine. All injured characters in your party (including you!) recover one extra HP per day for as long as you're helping to take care of them. Having multiple scholars in the same party does not increase this bonus.
• You gain a Technology bonus equal to your level.
• You can identify roughly what an enchanted item is likely to do by giving it a careful and thorough examination. This will allow you to determine its activation method, but will not reveal its command word (if it has one).

Scholar Summary Table

Level	Hit Points	To Hit Bonus	Technology Bonus	Fortitude save (FORT)	Reflex save (REF)	Willpower save (WILL)
1	1d6	+0	+1	14	14	12
2	2d6	+1	+2	13	13	11
3	3d6	+1	+3	12	12	10
4	4d6	+2	+4	11	11	9
5	5d6	+2	+5	10	10	8
6	6d6	+3	+6	9	9	7
7	7d6	+3	+7	8	8	6
8	8d6	+4	+8	7	7	5
9	9d6	+4	+9	6	6	4
10	10d6	+5	+10	5	5	3