Bureaucrats (Fishing for ideas)

[Bendris Noulg]

Alrighty, folks... I've got a city that's generally isolated due to several environmental disastors (namely a battle between an evil Earth God and an evil Fire God; Assume similar nature to Ogremoch and Imix, and you've got the right idea). Anyhow, this place has been isolated for a long time. The population is oppressed (slaves to water supply, is more to the point), and the nobility has become secular and decadent.

At any rate, I'm looking for ideas regarding a Bureaucrat class. This would most likely be done as a Prestige Class that doesn't require a specific Class (which pretty much favors Expert, which most low-rankers in the Bureaucracy would be), although an Expert-like "Core" Class would work if 20 levels worth of stuff can be obtained.

My thoughts on Class Skills are: Bluff, Diplomacy, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Innuendo, Knowledge, Listen, Profession (Clerk, Scribe), Read Lips, Sense Motive and Spot.

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[Celebrim]

In my experience the Expert class itself works quite well for bureaucrats.

For higher level government administrators, you may want to add a level of Aristocrat or two, and they probably should take the Leadership feat.

 

[Spatzimaus]

I guess the question is, what do you want it to do? It seems to me that Prestige Classes are defined by special abilities. The way you describe it, there's nothing magical about this class, so all of their abilities should be mundane things. At that point, I'd just say to stick with Expert or something, and have them use Feats to do anything more specialized.

Also, is this going to be used for a player, in which case the abilities would be something like "Dispel Red Tape", or for an NPC "Summon Red Tape"?

 

[Bendris Noulg]

To my knowledge, NPCs. If I end up with a new Player while the party's hanging out in this part of the world, it would certainly be an option to take.

Generally, I'm wondering if something could be done in this regard. I'm thinking something along the lines of the PClasses from Ink & Quill, which were all based on arts, language and the written word (I think only one or two actually required a specific class feature, and thus were obtainable by mundane NPCs as well).

Aristrocrat wouldn't work in this regard since (A) you have to start as an Aristocrat to be one and (B) Aristocrats would place them into the ranks of the nobility. These guys are more of an upper-middle class, the paper-pushers, schedule makers, etc. In short, they keep the city running, even though most of the other castes within the city perceive them as little more than a necessary evil.

 

[Spatzimaus]

About the Aristocrat: I'd say read the other thread on them (the "how do you make them a PC class") thread, but it's devolved into a flame war.

Aristocrats are NOT by default nobles, it says so. They're just wealthy and/or powerful people.

But back to your problem. Do these bureaucrats have weapons and armor beyond the simple daggers and such? Do they ever go into combat and use any sort of special abilities? (If not, then they should be Experts)

 

[willpax]

You could use the expert class, and give them a "contact" every few levels, limited in that it can only come through some aspect of their business ("I have a friend in sanitation who might be able to help you with the padlocks on the sewer covers"). There are rules for contacts in the Star Wars and Wheel of Time RPGs, but it basically means that you have a one-time shot to pull some major strings to get a favor from someone else. They can build up over levels.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

About the Aristocrat: I'd say read the other thread on them (the "how do you make them a PC class") thread, but it's devolved into a flame war.

Really?!

Oh, wait... You're suggesting I should stay out of it?

Ooooh... Alright...

Aristocrats are NOT by default nobles, it says so. They're just wealthy and/or powerful people.

Generally true with the class, yes; The particulars of this city wouldn't hold true with that, though, as the wealthy and powerful wouldn't stoop to the position of public servant.

Anywhere else, I'd have gone with it, though.

But back to your problem. Do these bureaucrats have weapons and armor beyond the simple daggers and such? Do they ever go into combat and use any sort of special abilities? (If not, then they should be Experts)

Aside from socially-normal backstabbing (and occasional poisoning, or throat slitting, or...), no. I'm looking more for things to help stay the hands of nobles and keep the population from revolting.

Note that nothing will stop them from stinking on ice, but no one would profit from a rebelion, and the Bureaucrats seem to be the only one's aware of that fact. They've seen too many regimes get displaced only to get replaced by something that at first seems noble but eventually declines into something worse than what was there to begin with.

Anyone spruce up the Expert without it loosing it's "generic application" design?

You could use the expert class, and give them a "contact" every few levels, limited in that it can only come through some aspect of their business ("I have a friend in sanitation who might be able to help you with the padlocks on the sewer covers"). There are rules for contacts in the Star Wars and Wheel of Time RPGs, but it basically means that you have a one-time shot to pull some major strings to get a favor from someone else. They can build up over levels.

Well, I'm trying to stay OGL compliant (netbook and all that), but I think I can pull something similar to that off.

I might even be able to do it while still looking somewhat original.

 

[Chrisling]

Out of d20 Rokugan, there is the Courtier class. It's pretty good. I use it (with trivial changes for culture) in all my games.

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

If you have the revised SW noble class, give them resource access and call in a favor. Assume resource access has to be used for something related to their position.