Explorer

Core class — see Classes for the full list.

Prime Requisite:	CON
Requirements:	None
Hit Dice:	1d6
Maximum Level:	14

Explorers are scouts, settlers, and surveyors hardened to the challenges of the wild. Few adventuring parties would dare the wilderness without an experienced explorer to guide them. Within the Sairan Empire, an explorer might be an Imperial scout from the Legions, a rural hunter from northern Caernath, or a settler pushing past the borders of the Empire. The best of such characters are often trained and employed by the Dragon House of Orien.

EXPLORER Level Progression

Experience	Title	Level	Hit Dice	Damage Bonus
0	Scout	1	1d6	+1
2,000	Outrider	2	2d6	+1
4,000	Forester	3	3d6	+2
8,000	Explorer	4	4d6	+2
16,000	Guide	5	5d6	+2
32,000	Tracker	6	6d6	+3
65,000	Wayfinder	7	7d6	+3
130,000	Ranger	8	8d6	+3
250,000	Warden	9	9d6	+4
370,000	Warden, 10th level	10	9d6 + 2*	+4
490,000	Warden, 11th level	11	9d6 + 4*	+4
610,000	Warden, 12th level	12	9d6 + 6*	+5
730,000	Warden, 13th level	13	9d6 + 8*	+5
850,000	Lord Warden	14	9d6 + 10*	+5

Explorer Saving Throws and Attack Bonus

Level	Paralysis	Death	Blast	Implement	Spells	Attack Bonus
1	13+	14+	15+	16+	17+	+0
2-3	12+	13+	14+	15+	16+	+1
4	11+	12+	13+	14+	15+	+2
5-6	10+	11+	12+	13+	14+	+3
7	9+	10+	11+	12+	13+	+4
8-9	8+	9+	10+	11+	12+	+5
10	7+	8+	9+	10+	11+	+6
11-12	6+	7+	8+	9+	10+	+7
13	5+	6+	7+	8+	9+	+8
14	4+	5+	6+	7+	8+	+9

Combat Characteristics

Combat Proficiencies: Explorers have proficiency with all missile weapons and with all tiny, small, and medium melee weapons. They have armor proficiency with medium, light, and very light armor, and fighting style proficiency with dual weapon, two-handed weapon, and weapon and shield styles.

Combat Progression: Explorers advance in attack and saving throws as fighters. They increase their base damage from successful missile and melee weapon attacks by +1 at 1^st level, and by an additional +1 at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th level. They can cleave after felling a foe up to once per round per class level.

Starting Class Powers

At the start of play, explorers have the following class powers. Some of the explorer’s powers require him to be in familiar territory. At 1st level, an explorer is considered familiar with the settled territory of his starting region as well as unsettled territory within one 24-mile hex radius of settled territories. With each additional level of experience, the radius increases one 24-mile hex further from settled territory.

Alertness: Explorers are always alert to danger. An explorer gains a +1 bonus to avoid surprise. When using Adventuring proficiency to search or listen, he succeeds on a proficiency throw of 14+ (instead of the usual 18+). If separately proficient in Searching or Listening, he gains a +2 bonus to his throw instead.

Ambushing: Explorers are skilled at ambushing unprepared enemies. An explorer can ambush any vulnerable opponent. Ambushes can be made in melee or with missile weapons at short range but cannot be made with missile weapons at medium or longer range. When ambushing, an explorer gets a +4 bonus on his attack throws and deals an extra die of damage on the attack. (This class power is the equivalent of Ambushing proficiency.)

Animal Reflexes: Explorers react to danger as fast as a deer to a wolf. A explorer gains a +1 bonus to initiative and a +1 bonus to avoid surprise. (This bonus stacks with the bonus from Alertness, so in most cases explorers have a +2 bonus to avoid surprise.)

Endurance: Explorers are inured to the hardship and fatigue of travel. When exploring, an explorer does not need to rest every 6 turns. An explorer can force march for one day without penalty, plus one additional day for each point of Constitution bonus. (This class power is equivalent to Endurance proficiency.)

Evasion: Explorers learn to avoid the wild beasts of the wilderness. When the explorer guides the party in familiar territory, the party gains a +5 bonus to proficiency throws to evade wilderness encounters. The explorer’s party can evade wilderness encounters even when surprised provided the explorer is not surprised.

Natural Stealth: As hunters and wilderness scouts, explorers are naturally sneaky. Opponents suffer a -2 penalty to surprise rolls when encountering an explorer approaching from outside line of sight or lying in wait in cover or darkness.

Pathfinding: Explorer rarely lose their bearings, even in trackless wilderness. When the explorer guides a party in familiar territory, the party gains a +4 bonus on proficiency throws to avoid getting lost.

Additional Class Powers

Experience and Hardiness (5^th): When an explorer reaches 5^th level, his experience and hardiness reassure those who follow him into the wild. Hirelings on a wilderness adventure led by the explorer gain a +1 bonus to their morale score. This bonus stacks with any modifiers from Charisma or proficiencies.

Border Fort (9^th): A 9^th level explorer who has built or conquered a border fort worth at least 15,000 gp can attract followers into his service. 5d6 x 10 0^th level troops and 1d6 explorers of 1^st – 3^rd level arrive to serve him within 1d3 months of him acquiring the border fort. If the explorer already has a border fort, the followers arrive to serve him within 1d3 months of him reaching 9^th level. The explorer must pay his followers the ordinary rates for mercenaries and henchmen, or they leave his service. In time, the explorer might become the warden of a flourishing colony. In order for a stronghold to count as a border fort, it must be constructed in outlands or unsettled territory. An explorer within 24 miles of a domain secured by his border fort never becomes lost and gains an additional +4 bonus to evade encounters because of his familiarity with the region. Additional rules for border forts are detailed in Campaigns.

Class Proficiencies

Proficiency Progression: At 1^st level, explorers gain one class proficiency from their class proficiency list and one general proficiency from the general proficiency list (as indicated by the template rolled). They select an additional class proficiency at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th level. They select an additional general proficiency at 5^th, 9^th, and 13^th level.

Explorer Proficiency List: Beast Friendship, Climbing, Combat Ferocity, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (disarm, knock down), Driving, Eavesdropping, Fighting Style Specialization, Illusion Resistance, Land Surveying, Mapping, Mountaineering, Mounted Combat, Naturalism, Navigation, Passing Without Trace, Precise Shooting, Prospecting, Riding, Running, Seafaring, Skirmishing, Sniping, Swashbuckling, Trapping, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus

Explorer Templates

3d6	Template	Proficiencies	Starting Equipment
3 – 4	Wanderer	Running Labor (construction)	Short bow, quiver with 20 arrows, old spear, hand axe, battered leather armor, deep cowled traveler’s cloak, wool tunic and pants, leather belt, well-worn high boots, backpack, tinderbox, 6 torches, waterskin, 2 weeks’ iron rations (enc. 7 st)
5 – 6	Cartographer	Land Surveying Mapping	Short bow, quiver with 20 arrows, spear, hand axe, leather armor, hooded cloak, wool tunic and pants, embossed belt, sturdy low boots, backpack, tattered cartographic journal, quill and ink, tinderbox, 12 torches, 2 weeks’ iron rations, 6gp (enc. 8 2/6 st)
7 – 8	Mariner	Swashbuckling Seafaring	Short bow, quiver with 20 arrows, scimitar, dagger, leather armor, mariner’s tunic and pants, fancy red sash, polished high boots, backpack, 50’ rope, grappling hook, tinderbox, 12 torches, wineskin, 2 weeks’ iron rations, 4gp (enc. 8 2/6 st)
9 – 10	Pathfinder	Precise Shooting Tracking	Sturdy long bow, quiver with 20 arrows, spear, short sword, dagger, scale armor, wind-battered fur cloak, wool tunic and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, lantern, tinderbox, 1 flask of common oil, blanket, 50’ rope, 12 iron spikes, small hammer, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations (enc. 9 5/6 st)
11 – 12	Mountaineer	Climbing Mountaineering	Crossbow, case with 30 bolts, net, short sword, dagger, chainmail armor, hooded cloak, dark tunic and pants, low hiking boots, backpack, small sack, 4 stakes and mallet, 6 iron spikes, 50’ rope, 2 flasks of military oil, tinderbox, 6 torches, waterskin, 1 weeks’ iron rations, 12gp (enc. 10 st)
13 – 14	Scout	Passing Without Trace Survival	Composite bow, quiver with 20 arrows, 2 short swords, chain mail armor, grey-green traveler’s cloak, wool tunic and pants, leather belt, high boots, backpack, 50’ rope, grappling hook, tinderbox, 6 torches, 1 weeks’ iron rations, 11gp (enc. 9 1/6 st)
15 – 16	Monster Hunter	Skirmishing Trapping	Shortbow, quiver with 20 arrows, spear, short sword, net, chain mail armor, hunter green cloak, tunic, and pants, leather belt, low boots, backpack, 2lbs garlic, 2lbs wolfsbane, 2 vials of holy water, 50’ rope, 6 torches, tinderbox, waterskin, 1 weeks’ iron rations, 19gp (enc. 10 st)
17 – 18	Outrider	Mounted Combat Riding	Composite bow, quiver with 20 arrows, scimitar, scale armor, traveler’s tunic and pants, riding boots, light riding horse, riding saddle and tack, leather saddlebag, waterskin, 1 weeks’ iron rations (enc. 4 1/3 st with rations on horse)

Notes: The mariner’s and outrider’s scimitar is a type of short sword.