Scout#

The monks taught me the forms. The north taught me they're faster with a blade.

Brother Ennis Calder, who trains scouts

Monks who took up the blade: fast, light fighters who chain weapon strikes into finishers the way monks chain blows. A scout learns the monastery's stances and forms and fights with whatever is to hand.

LeadsDEX BacksCHA Health1d6+10 Willpower3 CastsYes ArmorMedium

How it plays#

Scouts learn the monk’s stances and forms with weapons instead of fists: a new battle method every two levels, slashing first, then piercing, bashing and the bare hand, ending in strikes named for the tiger, cobra, crane, monkey and bear. Each stance holds the scout to one form, and they know seven finishers. Dexterity leads and charisma backs it.

Like monks, scouts never learn extra attacks. Past level 50 their extensions take the place of them: natural haste and a sprint, then double, triple and quadruple strikes, and at 100, speed fighting expertise, which adds to every blow of a finisher. They wear medium armor at most and use any polearm.

Scouts are one of the road and shadow classes. Every ability, level by level, is under Abilities.

The road to Saedu-Morusai#

A scout takes a new title at levels 100, 200, 300 and 400. A title can be declined; Five titles says what that means.

Level1
Rank 1: Scout
Your class's own name. You earned it by doing the work, and nobody has to grant it.
Level100
Rank 2: Nu-Dosai
The monasteries' word for a dosai who carries a blade. A nu-dosai may sleep and eat at any of the three monasteries, and keep their weapon inside.
Level200
Rank 3: Nubo-Medusai
A nubo-medusai may guide a party through any border watch on Sedia without papers, on their word alone.
Level300
Rank 4: Ado-Mendusai
Ado-mendusai may serve the Rift Watch as officers from the day they reach Virgil Outpost.
Level400
Rank 5: Saedu-Morusai
The last title. A saedu-morusai may go anywhere the abbots of the three monasteries go, and the abbots treat one as an equal.

Where they train#

Ennis Calder came to the Blue Dragon as a monk and was asked to leave the novices’ hall within a year, for picking up a sword. The abbot let him stay as long as he taught the others what he’d learned with it. The monastery has trained scouts ever since, and the Rift Watch takes every one it can get.

Find Brother Ennis Calder at the Monastery of the Blue Dragon in New Saellem. Any trainer can take your training points, but titles are bestowed here. Where the classes train maps all fourteen.

Brother Ennis Calder teaches at the Monastery of the Blue Dragon in New Saellem.

How it shows#

None of this changes a roll. It’s how the people around you can tell what you are, if you let them.

You never sit with your back to a window, and you’re out of your chair before anyone else hears the noise.
Your blade is always clean, and nobody ever sees you clean it.

Races that start closest#

The races whose starting scores sit nearest a scout’s dexterity and charisma. Any race can be a scout; the class finder and the race finder rank all of them.

Quickling Dexterity 14 and charisma 12, a scout's two stats, are the best start any race gets in any class. DEX 14 · CHA 12 · AC 7

Kobold Dexterity and charisma, a scout's two stats, both start at 12. DEX 12 · CHA 12 · AC 12

Pixie Pixies are tiny, all women, and as old a people as the elves. DEX 12 · CHA 11 · AC 5

Half-Elf Dexterity 12 leads, and charisma 10 is enough to talk your way past the gate you didn't sneak past. DEX 12 · CHA 10 · AC 9

Rodes that suit#

A rode is the one path of trials a character walks from level 20. These are the ones that do the most for a scout; the rode finder ranks all fourteen.

Agility Dexterity is a scout's primary score, the one every skill it uses adds. The rode takes it past where training stops. Built for it · +1 to +5 DEX

Avoidance Scouts fight in light armor and close in, where every point of armor class counts. Helps · +2 to +10 armor class

Destruction Scouts strike two, three and four times a turn, so a flat bonus adds up fast. Helps · +2 to +10 damage

Influence Charisma backs a scout's dexterity. The rode takes it past where training stops. Helps · +1 to +5 CHA

Endurance A scout's chains of strikes run on stamina. Helps · 1d4 to 1d20+10 stamina

Tradesguilds that suit#

A character belongs to two tradesguilds at most. These are the ones whose work fits a scout; the guild finder ranks all eleven.

Fletchery Scouts fight from range and on the move, and a fletcher never runs out of arrows a day from town. A natural fit · hall in Tharsis

Leatherworking Scouts travel light and fast, and leather is the lightest armor that still turns a blade. Works well · hall in Amari

Animal Husbandry Scouts ride far and fast, and a mount they broke themselves goes further. Works well · hall in Esthar

What others say#

We had a scout on the wall the night the light over the Scar flickered. She was down the wall and halfway there before the horn finished.

A sergeant of the Rift Watch

A monk with a sword. The abbots are still arguing about whether that's allowed. The scouts aren't waiting for them.

A novice of the Yellow Dragon

The patrol that came back
A Rift Watch patrol came back from the Scar three days late, all six scouts, and none of them remember the three days. Ennis Calder trained all six. He says their forms are different now, and better.

Abilities#

A class teaches its abilities in disciplines, a handful of related abilities learned as you level. Most open at level 0 and add one every ten or twenty levels. The heroic disciplines open at level 50 and run to 100.

A cost in willpower or stamina is paid each time you use the ability. A passive works all the time, and a toggled ability stays on until you turn it off. Every ability starts at 0 efficacy and gets better with practice, as Levels explains.

Stances Weapon expertise Techniques Extensions Battle methods

Stances#

The monk's stances: tiger, turtle, serpent, crane and dragon, each holding the scout to one form of methods, and hawk at 50, which holds them to nothing. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 50

Tiger StanceLevel 0 · Toggled: Increases damroll by 5, first form methods only until combat expertise.
Turtle StanceLevel 10 · Toggled: Increases all ac by 5, second form methods only until combat expertise.
Serpent StanceLevel 20 · Toggled: Immune to disease and poison effect, third form methods only until combat expertise.
Crane StanceLevel 30 · Toggled: Each round scout is healed for dexterity mod, fourth form methods only until combat expertise.
Dragon StanceLevel 40 · Toggled: Adds 5 to all resistances, fifth form methods only until combat expertise.
Hawk StanceLevel 50 · Toggled: +10 to hit.

Weapon expertise#

Each family of weapon mastered in turn, and expertise defense at 100. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 100

Mastered SlashingLevel 0 · Passive: Take lvl/10 less damage, deal lvl/10 more damage, and DC 18-DEX mod to dodge slashing weapons.
Mastered PiercingLevel 20 · Passive: Take lvl/10 less damage, deal lvl/10 more damage, and DC 18-DEX mod to dodge piercing weapons.
Mastered BashingLevel 40 · Passive: Take lvl/10 less damage, deal lvl/10 more damage, and DC 18-DEX mod to dodge bashing weapons.
Mastered UnarmedLevel 60 · Passive: Take lvl/10 less damage, deal lvl/10 more damage, and DC 18-DEX mod to dodge unarmed attacks.
Mastered ExoticLevel 80 · Passive: Take lvl/10 less damage, deal lvl/10 more damage, and DC 18-DEX mod to dodge exotic weapons.
Expertise DefenseLevel 100 · Passive: Ability to proficiently block, parry and counterattack mastered weapons.

Techniques#

Hard edge, iron grip, whirlwind strike, prism of death, feathered strikes and complimentary strikes. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 100

Hard EdgeLevel 0 · 10 willpower: Temporarily adds 10 to physical resistance.
Iron GripLevel 20 · 10 stamina: Immune to disarm.
Whirlwind StrikeLevel 40 · 30 stamina: Attack 3 nearby enemies taking half of the damage of first attack, dealing regular attacks.
Prism Of DeathLevel 60 · 50 stamina: Stationary defensive strikes, +20 ac to all types, cant move while in prism.
Feathered StrikesLevel 80 · Passive: +10 to hit when in a stance.
Complimentary StrikesLevel 100 · Passive: Combos give 2 more damage per strike.

Extensions#

From level 50: natural haste, sprint, double, triple and quadruple strikes, and speed fighting expertise. 7 abilities, levels 40 to 100

Night SightLevel 40 · Passive: Sees the people in a dark place by the warmth of their bodies, as by infravision, always.
Natural HasteLevel 50 · Passive: +10 to hit, +10 to dodge.
SprintLevel 60 · Passive: No penalty for running.
Double StrikeLevel 70 · 20 stamina: X2 normal connected attack damage.
Triple StrikeLevel 80 · 40 stamina: X3 normal connected attack damage.
Quadruple StrikeLevel 100 · 60 stamina: X4 normal connected attack damage.
Speed Fighting ExpertiseLevel 100 · Passive: Each combo move adds 15 more damage.

Battle methods#

A new strike every two levels from 0 to 48, a weapon family to each form, and combat expertise at 50. 26 abilities, levels 0 to 50

Slashing StrikeLevel 0 · 10 stamina: Slash types only, first form method, 2d8 damage+DEX mod open wounds.
Sweeping GashLevel 2 · 20 stamina: Slash types only, first form method, 2d4 damage+DEX mod open wounds, DC 16 chance to trip.
Cross SwipeLevel 4 · 25 stamina: Slash types only, first form method, reg attack+15 damage, open wounds.
Turning SweepLevel 6 · 50 stamina: Slash types only, first form method, 1d6+8 and chance to trip.
Return SlashLevel 8 · 30 stamina: Slash types only, first form method, reg attack +20 damage, open wounds.
Piercing StrikeLevel 10 · 15 willpower: Pierce types only, second form method, armor piercing, regular attack.
StabLevel 12 · 10 stamina: Pierce types only, second form method, reg attack+1d8 damage, open wounds.
Double StabLevel 14 · 20 stamina: Pierce types only, second form method, reg attackx2 damage, open wounds.
Thrusting GougeLevel 16 · 30 stamina: Pierce types only, second form method, 1d20+CHA mod, open wounds crit=x5.
WoundLevel 18 · 15 stamina: Pierce types only, second form method, 1d8+CHA mod, open wounds crit=x3.
HammerLevel 20 · 35 stamina: Bash types only, third form method, 2d20+DEX mod.
Dashing PummelLevel 22 · 40 stamina: Bash types only, third form method, 2d20+DEX mod+CHA mod.
ThunderclapLevel 24 · 50 stamina: Bash types only, third form method, 1d20+DEX mod to 3 nearby foes.
Double SweepLevel 26 · 60 stamina: Bash types only, third form method, reg attack to 2 foes and trip.
Turning ClockLevel 28 · 80 stamina: Bash types only, third form method, reg attack to 4 nearby foes DC 18 to knockdown each.
PunchLevel 30 · 2 stamina: Unarmed only, fourth form method, 1d6+WIS mod damage.
KickLevel 32 · 2 stamina: Unarmed only, fourth form method, 1d6+DEX mod damage.
ElbowLevel 34 · 2 stamina: Unarmed only, fourth form method, instant interrupt magic.
KneeLevel 36 · 2 stamina: Unarmed only, fourth form method, instant interrupt skill, 1d4 damage, lose turn if miss.
RoundhouseLevel 38 · 5 stamina: Unarmed only, fourth form method, 1d8+DEX mod damage.
TigerstrikeLevel 40 · 10 stamina: Exotic types only, fifth form method, 5d20+DEX mod.
CobrastrikeLevel 42 · 10 stamina: Exotic types only, fifth form method, 2d20+DEX mod+1d6 poison for 4 rounds.
CranestrikeLevel 44 · 10 stamina: Exotic types only, fifth form method, 3d10+DEX mod+1d10 air elemental damage for 4 rounds.
MonkeystrikeLevel 46 · 10 stamina: Exotic types only, fifth form method, 5d6+DEX mod+1d10 earth elemental damage for 4 rounds.
BearstrikeLevel 48 · 10 stamina: Exotic types only, fifth form method, 3d20+DEX mod, CHA mod+20 damage.
Combat ExpertiseLevel 50 · Passive: Allows methods under any stance.

Finishers#

Scouts know eight finishers, blows that land when the right moves are chained in the right order. Nobody writes the orders down. Your trainer shows you, or your storyteller lets you find them.

Crimson Crescent: /#c0202aYour blade carves a crimson crescent across your foe!
Reaping Wind: /#a8c8a0Your blade reaps low through your foe's legs like wind through wheat!
Needle Rain: /#a0b8d8Your point falls on your foe like needling rain!
Heartseeker: /#d04060You drive your point straight for your foe's heart!
Falling Mountain: /#9a8a70Your blows come down on your foe like a falling mountain!
Storm Of Fists: /#d8c070Your fists and feet break over your foe like a storm!
Beast Unleashed: /#40c070You strike your foe as the cobra, the crane and the tiger at once!
The Whole Armory: /#c0c8d0Edge, point, hammer, fist and claw: you bring every weapon you have mastered down on your foe!

Proficiencies#

What the class can wield, wear and speak from the start, and the extra attacks it learns as it levels.

Weapons: Two handed and all polearm
Armor: Light armor and medium armor
Languages: Common
Extra attacks: None. Scouts never learn them.

Combat puts these to use: weapons and extra attacks under Attacking, armor and parry, shield and dodge under Defending.

Greater Dodging: Dodge blows that would otherwise land, more often the nimbler you are.
Swimming: Allows swimming through water too deep to wade.