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<blockquote data-quote="Vespucci" data-source="post: 5554134" data-attributes="member: 6675688"><p>On languages:</p><p></p><p><em>All characters know how to speak Common. A dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, half-orc, or halfling also speaks a racial language, as appropriate. A character who has an Intelligence bonus <u>at 1st level</u> speaks other languages as well, one extra language per point of Intelligence bonus <u>as a starting character</u>.</em> (d20 SRD - and Trailblazer)</p><p></p><p>The point that would need to be clarified is which of the clauses underlined takes precedence. IMO, the "at 1st level" is the precise definition, with "as a starting character" being a loose paraphrase. As 0th level characters haven't hit 1st level yet, they don't get the bonus languages, but they do speak Common and their racial language. (Taking the contrary interpretation isn't going to cause your hair to fall out, though it does mean locking certain characters out of their language options from character class.)</p><p></p><p>After having slept on it, class differentiation is useful for the PCs - they'll need henchmen and hirelings with some additional abilities. Here's a sketch:</p><p></p><p><strong>Acrobat:</strong> Disable Device and Search as class skills, trapfinding, entry into Monk and Rogue. <em>1st-level PCs, especially in small play groups, will get plenty of use out of these guys.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Dilettante:</strong> Bardic spellcaster, light armor proficiency, entry into Bard and bard half-caster. <em>I suspect this will be used more frequently than the Arcane Initiate, but I wouldn't hire him.</em> <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Fighting Man:</strong> Light and medium armor proficiency, shield proficiency, one martial weapon proficiency (any), entry into Barbarian and Fighter. <em>The bread-and-butter of Henchmen and Hirelings.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Guide:</strong> Survival as a class skill, Druidic spellcaster, light armor proficiency (hasn't taken a druid's oath yet), shield proficiency, entry into Druid and Ranger. <em>If nobody has Survival, you need a guide. If somebody has Survival, you don't.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Initiate:</strong> Clerical spellcaster, light armor proficiency, shield proficiency, martial weapon proficiency in deity's favored weapon, entry into Cleric, Paladin, and any fashionably late clerical spellcasters. <em>Reasonably useful. In some ways a poor man's Fighting Man, but sometimes prepared to work for Salvation instead of silver.</em> <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Magic User:</strong> Spellcraft as a class skill, arcane spellcaster (choose Int or Cha for key attribute - seriously, it doesn't matter), no armor proficiency, no additional weapon proficiencies, entry into Sorcerer, Wizard and their half-casting friends. <em>Minimal use, included for completeness.</em></p><p></p><p>0th level characters start play with one outfit and, say, 80gp, almost entirely in gear. They're poor enough to sign on with neophyte adventurers, after all! All of these guys will demand at least 3sp per day, plus incentives. More once the PCs have a history of getting their hirelings killed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Vespucci, post: 5554134, member: 6675688"] On languages: [I]All characters know how to speak Common. A dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, half-orc, or halfling also speaks a racial language, as appropriate. A character who has an Intelligence bonus [U]at 1st level[/U] speaks other languages as well, one extra language per point of Intelligence bonus [U]as a starting character[/U].[/I] (d20 SRD - and Trailblazer) The point that would need to be clarified is which of the clauses underlined takes precedence. IMO, the "at 1st level" is the precise definition, with "as a starting character" being a loose paraphrase. As 0th level characters haven't hit 1st level yet, they don't get the bonus languages, but they do speak Common and their racial language. (Taking the contrary interpretation isn't going to cause your hair to fall out, though it does mean locking certain characters out of their language options from character class.) After having slept on it, class differentiation is useful for the PCs - they'll need henchmen and hirelings with some additional abilities. Here's a sketch: [B]Acrobat:[/B] Disable Device and Search as class skills, trapfinding, entry into Monk and Rogue. [I]1st-level PCs, especially in small play groups, will get plenty of use out of these guys.[/I] [B]Dilettante:[/B] Bardic spellcaster, light armor proficiency, entry into Bard and bard half-caster. [I]I suspect this will be used more frequently than the Arcane Initiate, but I wouldn't hire him.[/I] :p [B]Fighting Man:[/B] Light and medium armor proficiency, shield proficiency, one martial weapon proficiency (any), entry into Barbarian and Fighter. [I]The bread-and-butter of Henchmen and Hirelings.[/I] [B]Guide:[/B] Survival as a class skill, Druidic spellcaster, light armor proficiency (hasn't taken a druid's oath yet), shield proficiency, entry into Druid and Ranger. [I]If nobody has Survival, you need a guide. If somebody has Survival, you don't.[/I] [B]Initiate:[/B] Clerical spellcaster, light armor proficiency, shield proficiency, martial weapon proficiency in deity's favored weapon, entry into Cleric, Paladin, and any fashionably late clerical spellcasters. [I]Reasonably useful. In some ways a poor man's Fighting Man, but sometimes prepared to work for Salvation instead of silver.[/I] :D [B]Magic User:[/B] Spellcraft as a class skill, arcane spellcaster (choose Int or Cha for key attribute - seriously, it doesn't matter), no armor proficiency, no additional weapon proficiencies, entry into Sorcerer, Wizard and their half-casting friends. [I]Minimal use, included for completeness.[/I] 0th level characters start play with one outfit and, say, 80gp, almost entirely in gear. They're poor enough to sign on with neophyte adventurers, after all! All of these guys will demand at least 3sp per day, plus incentives. More once the PCs have a history of getting their hirelings killed. [/QUOTE]
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