Currencies, Banking, and Economics

[Samloyal23]

BAB: 3/4, like cleric (a banker is surprising tough, they need to be because they deal with powerful creatures almost everyday)
SAVES: High Reflex and Will (a banker is quick and and strong willed)
SKILLS: either 8+Int OR 6+Int (what do you guys think is more appropriate?). A banker is very skillful.

This is a skill intensive class with little combat training, essentially are variant on the Trader class and it has no spells, so I'd go with 8+Int for skill points.

CLASS SKILLS: Profession (any), Craft (any), Sense Motive, Bluff (a banker frequently makes use of this skill), Diplomacy, Intimidate (a banker may need to be intimidating), Appraise, Knowledge (relevant knowledge skill, not all), Forgery, Gather Information, Sleight of Hand, Use Magic Device (Yeah a banker gets this as a class skill because it reflects his affinity for items of all kinds), Spot ( a bankers eyes need to be quick), Tumble (a banker finds himself tumbling across the floor quite abit, it is often useful for a banker to perfect his skills in tumbling)

Knowledge (bureaucracy, economics, finance, law, nobility and royalty, and numeracy) is the key skill for this class. I've never seen a teller or bank manager tumble, I think that may be over the top.

PROFICIENT: Light Armor, and shield (except tower shields).
All Simple Weapons, also the banker gets to choose one martial weapon as a favored weapon. It gains proficiency with its favored weapon. This reflects a bankers training and preparation for combat in case of a volatile situation (they keep their favored weapon behind their desk, etc.).

I don't see them needing a favoured weapon, most of the items likely to be used, say a fireplace poker or baseball bat, are just variants on the club.

Possible Class Features:

A banker gains +1 on UMD checks at level 1. At level 5 and every 5 levels thereafter the banker receives a +1 increase on its UMD checks, so +2 at level 5, +5 at level 20, etc. (this increase stacks with all others).

Bribe: Any intelligent creature (Int 3 or above) could be bribed (it functions like charm or dominate spells, however the duration are generally longer). We would need to limit the uses somehow (and the players money shouldnt be that limit). It should be Cha. based (maybe it could be mechanically like a hexblades hexes, but it should be able to be used more than the hexes).

A banker may get item creation feats for free. Or maybe they would get to use extra item slots (at level 10 they can use 3 rings, or 2 belts, or something).

A bankers main defense are the items it carries. Bankers get extra gold per level that they can use to buy better or more items (maybe something like 1/10 of wealth per level extra or something). This is not actual gold but assets and bonuses gained from banking. This may complicate things more than not so this ability may not be any good. But if we keep the extra gold as a small fraction of wealth per level then it shouldnt be unbalancing (this is supposed to make the banker a viable threat and it reflects the bankers ability to gain and deal with money).

Bribery is a function of Diplomacy. Let the Banker add his class level to his diplomacy check to bribe someone. Without spells there is no reason to gain item creation feats, but a banker is wealth personified, I can see gaining an extra item slot. Maybe the bank can wear an extra ring or amulet. As for gold, the Banker automatically has a high income from this profession (banker) skill. Let him add his class level to all profession skill checks.

 

[Belzbet]

I've never seen a teller or bank manager tumble, I think that may be over the top.

Well your every day real world teller wouldnt tumble. But think about an old western bank teller or better yet a D&D teller. Many of the rich people that need money and item storage space (since D&D banks will be item banks not just money banks) are adventurers (non-adventures may have their own houses to store items and money). ANd adventurers are volatile people. A wizard gets mad at a late fee and pulls out his wand of fireball, now the bank teller is hitting the floor (hence its high reflex). A brawler comes in alittle drunk and wants to get access to his account even though he has no money in it, now the teller is tumbling around trying to dodge the blows while it pulls out its trusty scimitar (most simple weapons are weak so giving them access to one martial weapon saves them a feat if they want to engage in combat). A bank robbery also be a perfect time to exercise your tumble skills. Although a bank teller may not be tumbling around everyday I dont thinks its that off base to give a teller tumble as a class skill (and it think it will make them that much more better in and around melee combat, if they choose to put ranks into it).

Long story short, it dont think just because real life bank tellers dont tumble around doesnt mean D&D tllers will not (in fact without police or whatever, in a small city, in an evil city, etc. their own abilities are what they rely on, and tumbling away from an enemy is a very good way to get away from them, something a bank teller would want to do)

 

[Belzbet]

Bribery is a function of Diplomacy. Let the Banker add his class level to his diplomacy check to bribe someone. Without spells there is no reason to gain item creation feats, but a banker is wealth personified, I can see gaining an extra item slot. Maybe the bank can wear an extra ring or amulet. As for gold, the Banker automatically has a high income from this profession (banker) skill. Let him add his class level to all profession skill checks.

Thanks for the reply

I dont mean regular bribery I want this ability to function more like a spell. It will be a feature it can use a certain number of times a day that actually charms, dominates, or qeas quest the creature. Skills generally do not allow for this power, I want this skill to be a unique class ability, any one can use diplomacy to bribe, this is something more. However, making bribery a function of diplomacy is always a way to go, I dont think it will allow for the power that I was thinking this ability could pull off (dominating a dragon with diplomacy may be farfetched; although you may be able to use diplomacy to get the dragon to stop attacking you cant dominate as per spell with the skill)

Also, I need to add the clause that the artificer has (this is what I had in mind), it can attempt to emulate spells with UMD (but it doesnt gain the bonuses that artificers get, and it doesnt gain as many bonus itemn feats). Thanks for reminding me, Ill edit it now.

You have to spend time on the profession so an adventurer may not want to waste time banking in a store. Also the money gained from the skill is pretty small. Adding class level to the skill is a good idea though, before I read this post I thought about simply increasing the money gained through the skill (double it, increase it by 50%).
No matter if we increase the amount of money gained by using the profession(banking) skill by a percentage or add your class levels to the skill (or both), I think that giving the increase to the skill and a small increase every level that you DO NOT have to work for via the profession skill (that is inherent in you being a banker) is a good idea but if you guys think otherwise then...

 

[Samloyal23]

Take a look at this version of the Merchant class, it has some interesting abilities, such as a Bribery class ability:

Bribery: The merchant can use his wealth to sway others into doing his bidding. Whenever the Merchant makes a Diplomacy check to change the attitude of others, he may spend gold pieces or items to improve the effect of his Diplomacy check. He may invest 100 gp per HD of the creature per level of attitude to improve, while still keeping the DC of the next attitude level. For example, a hostile 2 HD creature may be bribed with 600 GP to improve his attitude to Friendly, while keeping the DC at 20 (that would originally improve the attitude one level, up to Unfriendly). You cannot improve the attitude beyond Helpful with this ability, even with further uses of Diplomacy. This abilty does not work on non-intelligent creatures, undeads, constructs, or creatures that are otherwise unable to comprehend the merchant (this includes creatures unable to speak). The merchant is very skilled in making this bribery look like it is no such thing, therefore the attitude of no creature of intelligence lower than 18 may be lowered as a result of this roll. You may used Bribery while rushed with half the normal
penalty for a rushed Diplomacy check (that is, a -5 penalty).

The 3.5 Merchant does have spells, which I just don't get, but I like the other class abilities.

 

[Samloyal23]

Each coin of Ys has five sides and bears a star on one side and the image of the current ruler of Ys on the other side. Twenty silver shillings make a gold pound, and each shilling is worth 12 brass pennies. The florin is an electrum coin worth two shillings. The gold half-crown is worth two shillings and sixpence (2/6) or one-eighth of a pound. The golden crown is worth five shillings.

The coins of Aldea are shaped like leaves. The bear an image of Danu on one side and the image of the leaf on the other. They come in gold and silver only.

The currency of Shosnar is still the Thosian shekel, a coin stamped with the image of the current ruler on one side and a cobra on the other. Shekels come in gold and silver only. For larger transaction such as the purchase of land the Thosian talent is used. Each talent is stamped block of gold or silver weighing two stone.

 

[Loonook]

To make a decent Banker... Don't make a 20 level class. Honestly ACFs or regional feats would be the best way to handle the class. A Rogue, Fighter, or other would represent the wandering member of the bank with the right to exercise the bank's power.

Look [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_banking]here[/URL] for some info on how early banks worked, notes, etc. The idea that you need to spend GOLD to bribe an individual seems to make the class ability... Kinda worthless. 100GP/HD/Attitude... That is extremely high, and makes your Merchant class's wealth... Decrease sharply.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[The Red King]

Know whats fun? Do away with currency all together. EVERYTHING is barter. Want to buy some food, and only have magic items, or adventure gear? Have to find another way to pay?

This is fun in role play heavy campaigns.

 

[Samloyal23]

Know whats fun? Do away with currency all together. EVERYTHING is barter. Want to buy some food, and only have magic items, or adventure gear? Have to find another way to pay?

This is fun in role play heavy campaigns.

Barter can be a challenge, it just does not fit the setting I am working on, which is supposed to be based on Renaissance Europe and the Middle East. That said, I try to barter in real life whenever possible...

 

[Samloyal23]

To make a decent Banker... Don't make a 20 level class. Honestly ACFs or regional feats would be the best way to handle the class. A Rogue, Fighter, or other would represent the wandering member of the bank with the right to exercise the bank's power.

Look [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_banking]here[/URL] for some info on how early banks worked, notes, etc. The idea that you need to spend GOLD to bribe an individual seems to make the class ability... Kinda worthless. 100GP/HD/Attitude... That is extremely high, and makes your Merchant class's wealth... Decrease sharply.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Yeah, unless the entire campaign was based on an urban setting and social intrigue I really would no consider a class as specialised in non-adventure skills as the Banker. I like the Pathfinder Merchant class except for the spellcasting. I don't see a typical merchant taking the time to learn spells. A banker or moneylender is really a type of merchant, just one who deals in financial products instead of material goods. An updated 3E version of the Dark Sun campaign's Trader class would be adequate...