Personally, I'm a class addict. I love seeing new base classes but I don't think the game needs another core class. (Some have argued that there might be too many, but I'm not in that group.)
I see why the bard, paladin, and ranger might be better as PrCs, but now with
D&D Unearthed Arcana you can go that route if you prefer. (Prestigious Character Classes, pages 69 to 72. Note: I really like the variant base classes in that book, as well.)
I keep a detailed list of classes and prestige classes that can be used with my homebrewed campaign, World of Kulan, but I wouldn't allow just anything under the sun. If a player wants to run a specific character, he or she would need to put some thought into it, especially if the class doesn't fit in with where the campaign is currently set.
However, I also believe that a campaign world should have its own 'feel'. New core classes are a great way to do this. One of the best examples of this is the Jester's Elementalist's core class for his Cydra campaign world. The class fits the world and you wouldn't want to run a camapign in Cydra without it.
I also have done this for my world. The class below is a example of a core class for World of Kulan. It fits the feel of my world and Kulan wouldn't be Kulan without it.
Cheers!
KF72
-------------------
TRADER
The Dark Sun class of the same name inspired this generalized trader class for my campaign world.
The trader class is a starting point for various types of merchants plying their trade across the World of Kulan and beyond. Whether plying the sea routes or traveling the planes of existence, traders are everywhere – chasing profit and adventure.
Adventurers: Traders often adventure for monetary reason, as a trader’s fortune can be started with one successful adventure. Traders also become adventures to seek new trade routes and meet new and exotic races.
Characteristics: A trader’s bread and butter is mercantilism. They see it as their right to seek out profits and help shape the future of the world. Traders are skilled linguists and have the ability to appraise most mundane items to their exact value in gold pieces.
Traders are also natural leaders and gains special followers known as agents. These agents are vital towards the trader becoming successful and eventually forming his own trading house.
As a trader advances in level he gains additional knowledge vital to mercantilism including sea travel and the planes of existence. As a trader approaches 20th level there is little wealth beyond his reach.
Alignment: Traders may be of any alignment, but they tend towards law and neutrality.
Religion: Traders worship wealth. Therefore, they, in turn, often worship gods with trade and crafting in their portfolio such as Abbathor, Ceod, Ea, Flandal, Hades, Jauhar, Meriadar, Tethrin, and Tre’Nal. Many traders also become wanderers of the land, sea and sky. These traders often worship gods of travel, the sea, and the sky such as Baervan, Brandobaris, Fenmarel, Horus, Kahal, Llyr, Persana, Sanh, Shajar, and Vasos.
However, the one god known all across Kulan for attracting traders to his faith is Ptah. The God of Travellers is the patron of artists, craftsmen, and travellers. Traders often pay homage to Ptah before setting out on a new trading mission or an adventure, regardless of whether or not the God of Travellers is the trader’s patron god.
Background: Traders usually come from a middle class background and may or may not have close ties with local artisans such as blacksmiths, bookbinders, carpenters, leatherworkers, stonemasons, weaponsmiths, and weavers. Other traders may come from a powerful trading house and have decided to forego their family business to strike out on their own.
Rarely will a trader come from lower or upper class family. Those of lower station are usually trying to strike it rich, while traders with roots in upper society are often rebelling from their noble family.
Traders do tend to work together when profits are high enough. However, most traders are loners for much of their lives, unwilling to share valuable trading routes with those that could become their competition. As they age and gain experience, traders have matured enough to understand that the best profits come when they create their own trading houses.
Races: Humans are the most common race to become traders, simply because they are the most widespread race on Kulan. However, they are by no means the only race to become traders. Elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, half-orcs, and even half-elves are likely to become traders. In fact, any individual of any race can become a trader.
Several of the more exotic races that exist on Kulan have integrated trade as their way of life. The Horn Minotaurs and Xanth of Triadora are the masters of the sea trade and their traders are honored members of their societies. The Star Gnomes of Kulanspace are also consummate traders, as they ply the space lands like other races do the sea, in the name of Ptah.
Other Classes: Traders get along with individual members of most other classes, although they tend to be protective of their personal lives and trade routes. They value fighters and barbarians for their martial prowess and rangers for their extensive skills related to the wilderness.
They get along well with bards for their knack to draw a crowd and they view wizards and sorcerers as valuable customers and contacts for rare and valuable items such as spell components.
Traders will usually only travel with a cleric if her or she is devoted to a god of trade, the sea, or travel. Traders have little use for druids, from a monetary standpoint, but respect their knowledge of nature.
Lawful traders will sometimes adventure with monks and rarely with paladins depending on whether the trader is evil or good.
Only rarely will a trader adventure with a rogue. This is due to a rogue’s natural tendency to be out for wealth in a larcenous manner. A trader who comes to trust a more law-abiding rogue will find a valuable companion and vice versa.
Game Rule Information
Abilities: Traders rely on Charisma to help in their dealings with others, and to turn a profit, but also rely on Dexterity in order to stay ahead of those that would rob them. A high Intelligence score also gives the trader extra skill points and more beginning languages at 1st level.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6
Class Skills
The trader’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language, Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex). See Chapter 4: Skills, in the Player’s Handbook, for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier
[See the attached image for the class table for The Trader.]
Class Features
All of the following are the class features of the Trader.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The trader is proficient in the use of all simple weapons and with light armor but not shields.
Bonus Languages: At 1st level, a trader gains an extra language and gains an additional bonus language every three levels thereafter. These are in addition to those gained based on the character’s Intelligence modifier.
Starting Gold: A trader starts play with 5d4 x 100 gp. Traders often use their starting gold to buy trade good or to invest in their own caravan wagons.
Bonus Feats: At 2nd level, the trader gains a bonus feat and gains an additional feat every 6 levels thereafter. A trader may use his bonus feats to choose any General feats he has the prerequisites for.
Appraise: At 3rd level, a trader gains a +2 bonus, to all Appraise checks, and gains an additional +2 bonus to his checks every three levels thereafter. This bonus usually refers to standard non-magical items in the Player’s Handbook v.3.5 but may also include more exotic items such as gems and spell components. (Such items are priced individually by the Dungeon Master.)
Leadership: At 10th level, the trader gains the Leadership feat for free. If the trader already has the Leadership feat then no other benefit is gained from this ability.
Knowledge of the Sea: At 5th level, a trader gains 5 free ranks in the Profession (sailor) skill. If the character already has ranks in the Profession (sailor) skill, these additional ranks are added to them. The trader also adds these 5 free ranks to all Appraise checks made regarding treasure that comes from the sea (i.e. pearls).
Trading House: At 11th level, a trader automatically gains a powerful enough reputation to start his own trading house at little or no cost. This mercantile business grows out of the trader’s extensive trading contacts and the trader attracts 1d4-1 additional 1st level followers known as agents, above and beyond those gained for his level. These agents follow all the rules given in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, as per the Leadership feat, in Chapter 2: Characters. These additional followers are always traders.
A character’s Trading House provides the character with additional wealth, in gold pieces, at every level thereafter. The amount of wealth gained is equal to the characters level + character’s Charisma modifier + (the result of an Appraise check – 20) x 100. Thus, if Tarra, a 12th level trader, with a Charisma of 15, and +13 Appraise modifier, rolls a 33 (12 on dice + 13 skill modifier +8 trader Appraise bonus), she gains the following in additional wealth: 12 + 2 + (33 – 20) x 100 = 2,700 gp.
Planar Knowledge: A 17th level, a trader gains 5 free ranks in the Knowledge (the planes) skill. If the character already has ranks in the Knowledge (the planes) skill, these additional ranks are added to them. The trader also adds these 5 free ranks to all Appraise checks made regarding treasure that comes from any plane of existence from beyond the Material Plane. (In my cosmology, this includes treasure that comes from other planets or crystal spheres.)
