Field Researcher

It is an accepted fact in mainstream science that the most important research is done in the laboratory. There a thesis is followed and the results are checked and rechecked, and the researchers’ worries about securing and keeping government or corporate grants abound, all in the hope that, one day, a major discovery will be made and the scientist’s name will go down in history to be remembered for all time.

There are, however, some scientists who reject the traditional location of their craft. Traveling across the stars, these researchers are eager to see and learn things that cannot be found in a laboratory. Some are hooked upon tales of ancient and technologically advanced civilizations, whose discovery and study could yield a century’s worth of data in just one expedition while others simply flee from an unknown bump in the road to seek the “greener pastures” on the other side of the galaxy. Gathering the resources for an exploratory team, the Field Researcher visits long forgotten worlds, excavating ruins, wreckage, and underground chambers millennia old. The object is to be the first in this age to gaze upon secrets that would otherwise remain hidden. While often profitable, the work of a Field Researcher is not without its risks. He must contend with hostile alien forces, ancient traps, foreign agents, and the greed of corporations who will do all they can to claim what he has found.


[h=1]Requirements[/h]
To qualify to become a Field Researcher, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Skills: Computer Use 6 ranks, Knowledge (specific culture) 9 ranks (may be 9 ranks distributed among various cultures), Search 4 ranks, Survival 4 ranks.

Required Feats: Alertness, Nerves of Steel.

Recommended Feats: Leadership.

Special: Must possess the Science Specialist Primary Area of Study class feature.

[h=1]Class Information[/h]
The following information pertains to the Field Researcher prestige class.

Hit Die; The Field Researcher gains 1d8 hit points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies.

Action Points: The Field Researcher gains a number of action points equal to 7 + one-half his character level, rounded down, every time he attains a new level in this class.

[h=1]Class Skills[/h]
The Field Researcher’s class skills are as follows. Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Computer Use (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Read/Write Language (none), Search (Int), Speak Language (none), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis). Skill points at each level: 4 + Int modifier.

[h=1]Class Features[/h]
The following class features pertain to the Field Researcher prestige class.

Dodge Trap: The ancient ruins the Field Researcher discovers are often rigged with traps that have lain for centuries waiting to be triggered. A person engaging in this dangerous pursuit soon develops the sixth-sense ability to second-guess these devices or he will soon become a victim to them. At 1st level, the Field Researcher may add his Intelligence modifier to any saving throw required to avoid a trap.

Instinctive Survival: Cut off from civilization, survival in the wilderness becomes second nature to the Field Researcher and he will subconsciously take action to safeguard against the worst the elements can throw at him on whatever planet he finds himself. At 2nd level, the Field Researcher gains a +2 circumstance bonus to any and all Fortitude saving throws made to resist the effects of the elements or of any natural disasters.

Expert Researcher: While traveling between the stars, the Field Researcher picks up a lot of information, rumors, and stories that can be utilized in his research. At 3rd level, the Field Researcher may make a Knowledge check at any time, using his Intelligence modifier and half his class level (rounding down) as a bonus, to see if the he knows something about any specified species or uninhabited location — nothing else may be discovered by the use of Expert Researcher, the check may never be retried for the same subject, and he may never take 10 or 20 while attempting this. The Gamemaster sets the DC of this check using the following table as a guide.



Sense Danger: At 4th level, the Field Researcher’s considerable experience in encountering and dealing with ancient traps allows him to use the Search skill to find them without triggering their effects at a DC set by the Gamemaster. When attempting to disarm them, he gains a +2 competence bonus to his Technical checks. In addition, the Gamemaster should make a Spot check on behalf of the Field Researcher whenever he moves within 10 feet of a trap. If he succeeds in the Spot check at a DC equal to the Search check required to actively find the trap, he will notice it without triggering it.

Superior Knowledge: Not only is the Field Researcher in possession of a great deal of knowledge on his specialist subjects, he also gains a general understanding on a wide range of subjects. At 5th level, the Field Researcher may gain two ranks in a Knowledge skill he does not already possess.