Specialty
Linguist/Orator
Qualifications
Standard ability scores.
Demihumans can become Heralds.
Introduction
Hello, my name is Bard,
James Bard, and I'm a Herald working for His
Majesty, the king.
My duties are of the utmost importance to
the king and to the continued vitality of the
kingdom, for I am secretly in charge of the
King's private men-at-arms and personal
bodyguards. If the king's life is in danger, I am
responsible for ensuring his safety.
My public image is one of party-goer,
ladies' man, and general royal busybody. I
frequent all the best parties in town. The king
often ensures that I am invited. At these functions, I meet important people and use my
fantastic communication skills and intellect to
uncover potential plots against the throne.
When I'm not partying, the public finds me
at the castle gate. When a party comes to the
castle, I use my knowledge to identify their
Herald or banner and call out their name,
such as: "Duke Amenga and entourage from
Castle Peledge." This is a useful service, but
my real purpose is to identify these visitors,
assess their potential threat to the king, and
act accordingly.
Enough talk, I must be off to chat with that
strange-looking man entering the gates over
there.
Description
Heralds make their living by
uncovering hidden truths. If a royal family
has a closely guarded secret, a Herald will undoubtedly discover it. In the struggle for land
and power among kingdoms, the Herald is a
key force. A good Herald knows who is plotting against his king and why.
Heralds are confident and well-versed in
matters of social etiquette. They often gather
their information at royal events, such as balls
and other celebrations. They are often mistaken for nobility; thus, they can easily make
their way past guards. Heralds dress in the latest and most expensive fashions of the day.
They prefer silk and bright colors. Members
of the opposite sex are often attracted to Heralds by their self-confident manner and slight
arrogance.
One thing is certain, Heralds are some of
the most competent communicators around.
They can speak dozens of languages, understand sophisticated words, locate a person's
home village by his dialect, and can read almost everything they get their hands on.
Role
There are two types of Heralds. One
travels from place to place, relating current
events across the land. They sell their tales of
travel and the news they learn to those who
will listen. Most medieval commoners cannot
read or write, so it is up to such Heralds to
relate local events.
The other type of Herald secretly serves a
king. It is the royal Herald's duty to uncover
plots against the king and royal family. The
royal Herald is quick witted and fast talking.
Heralds of this stature often have a reputation
that precedes them. They are recognized and
feared by their foes. Thus, they must occasionally deal with assassination attempts at
inconvenient times (for instance, a Delayed Blast Fireball under the bed). Royal courts often employ them to preside over jousting tournaments, announce the arrival of important
foreign envoys, and for personal counsel.
Heralds turn to the adventuring life for several reasons. Primary among them are the
fantastic stories that can be related from such
ventures. "News" has a very broad meaning in
the campaign world, and tales of a daring
band of heroes braving unknown horrors not
only qualifies, but often draws a larger crowd
than local gossip.
The royal Herald might be sent by his king
on an undercover fact-finding mission — for instance, to investigate a rumor that Zhentil
Keep is secretly funding an orc uprising in the
south. Often, a Herald's communication skills
will prove invaluable on such quests.
Weapon Proficiencies
Heralds are not restricted in this area.
Nonweapon Proficiencies
Bonuses
Etiquette, Heraldry, Local History, Reading/Writing
Suggested
Languages (ancient or
modern), Musical Instrument (horn family).
At least half of a Herald's nonweapon profi-
ciencies must be spent in learning languages.
Armor/Equipment
Standard.
Special Benefits
Identify Rumors
Heralds are always aware
of their surroundings and have picked up the
skills necessary to stay atop local events. Any
time rumors are generated for player characters, Heralds learn twice as many as a normal
character. Heralds are also able to determine
the validity of a rumor. A Charisma check is
rolled; if it succeeds, the Herald knows whether the rumor is true or false. Even if a rumor
table isn't included in a given adventure, the
Dungeon Master should make up at least one
rumor per three levels of the Herald and
inform him of the rumors at the adventure's
onset.
Local Lore
After snooping about an inhabited area, a Herald is able to learn who the important people are, what most of the buildings
are used for, the quality of certain establishments, etc. It takes a Herald one day per 1,000
inhabitants to gain a good information base.
Of course, a Herald could concentrate on a
specific quarter of town or neighborhood and
accomplish the task much faster.
Once a Herald is done scouting, he can recall the name of an important official if he
rolls a successful Intelligence check. If the
check is successful with a -2 penalty, he can
identify the person on sight. This roll can also
be used if the Herald player wants to know
other local lore, such as where to go for the
best food in town, what neighborhoods are
dangerous at night, what time the city watch
rotates, or which local sage is said to be most
reliable. If the check is a 20, the Herald believes he knows the desired information, but
the Dungeon Master actually makes up some
false tale for the player.
This ability must be carefully judged by the
Dungeon Master. Penalties should be applied
based upon the information's local significance. It is unlikely that a Herald will know
the name of a typical citizen in a large city (a
-10 penalty might be appropriate). However,
the name of the king's horse is likely a well-known fact (no penalty).
Basal Communication
As stated above,
Heralds are master linguists. In fact, they can
often communicate with races that are of low
Intelligence or better and have a spoken language, even if the Herald does not speak that
language. The Herald incorporates bits and
pieces of fundamental root languages, certain
universal gestures, and common expressions
to get his meaning across. For the Herald to
perform such difficult communication, the
'listener" must be within ten feet, clearly visible, and there must be no distractions (including combat).
Success is determined by succeeding with a
read languages roll (even though the communication is rarely in written form). A separate roll is needed to send or receive ideas.
Thus, it is possible for a Herald to understand
a being, but be unable to communicate his
own ideas (or vice versa).
Persuade Crowd
: A Herald can affect the
mood of a crowd by telling them true (or
slightly altered) local rumors and news. The
Herald must be able to speak the crowd's language to use this ability. To determine a
crowd's mood or opinion on a given topic, use
Table 59 (Reaction Table) in the DMG.
After 1d10 minutes, those listening to the
Herald's words are allowed a saving throw vs.
paralyzation, with a -1 penalty per three
levels of the Herald. Those who fail have their
reactions adjusted one level in favor of the
Herald's opinion. Those who succeed have
their reactions adjusted one level in the opposite direction.
A Herald could attempt to persuade a
crowd not to eat at the Skinned Dog Tavern
until dragon eggs are back on the menu, to
cast stones at the cruel teamster Tornack, or to
go and plunder the local granaries. Of course,
reactions can be altered only one level by this
method. For example, if everyone is indifferent to the fact that Tornack whips his horses
cruelly, the Herald will at most persuade them
to be cautious about using the teamster's wagons to haul their goods.
Special Hindrances
None
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