Eberron Themes: Field Archeologist, Inquisitive
I will be starting an Eberrron Campaign pretty soon, so I thought that I would come up with some themes to offer my players to help their characters feel more specific to the setting. I'm going to start with themes that are easy to qualify for before I get into the more specialized ones. Post feedback in the discussion thread.
Field Archeologist
Prerequisite: Trained in History
Eberron is a land of ancient secrets. Even the human cities of today are built upon the ruins of those that came before. While some who study the artifacts of old are content to merely wait for others to deliver them specimens, you saw the prospect of delving into untouched ruins a far more exciting and profitable concept. Whether you do what you do for science, personal wealth, or merely the excitement of the find, you've developed unique skills that set you apart from your peers.
Morgrave University in Sharn is the most famous source of Field Archeologists, and perhaps you work on commission for them. Maybe you maintain a routine teaching job that you return to while not on the hunt for some new treasure. Or maybe your background is something else entirely, since the allure of ancient treasures draws all types.
Field Archeologist Features
Level 1 Feature
You've encountered situations more than one where things got a bit dicey and you couldn't stop moving to fight.
Benefit: You gain the Field Mobility power.
Field Mobility Field Archeologist Attack
While the ruins crash around you, you attack on the run.
Encounter - Martial
Standard Action Personal
Effect: Move up to your speed, ignoring difficult terrain. At any point during this move, you may make use an at-will attack power.
Level 5 Feature:
A field archeologist has to pick up many talents outside of their normal purview to be successful. It is not enough to merely have a knowledge of history if a vital clue requires you to climb through a treacherous ruin or disable a devilish trap. You have picked up a new skill along the way to help with your expeditions.
Benefit: You gain training in a skill of your choice from among Athletics, Acrobatics, Arcana, Endurance, Perception, Religion, and Thievery.
Level 10 Feature
At this point, you've become an expert at tracking down mysterious items in crumbling ruins. Your experiences have garnered you even more skills that are atypical for members of your class.
Benefit: You gain training in two additional skills of your choice from among Athletics, Acrobatics, Arcana, Endurance, Perception, Religion, and Thievery.
Field Archeologist Optional Powers
Practiced Footwork Field Archeologist Utility 2
You are used to scrambling over broken rocks and through overgrown jungles.
Daily - Martial, Stance
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You enter the Practiced Footwork stance. While this stance lasts, you ignore difficult terrain when you move on your turn.
Saved by Knowledge Field Archeologist Utility 6
A historical recollection gives a clue towards success.
Encounter
Free Action Personal
Trigger: You fail a Thievery, Athletics, or Acrobatics check.
Effect: Roll a History check and use in place of the failed check.
Tuned Reaction Field Archeologist Utility 10
You are used to having to react in a split second to an oncoming boulder or other hazard.
Encounter - Martial
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You are hit by an attack.
Effect: You gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses against the triggering attack. If the triggering attack was made by a trap, instead get a +5 power bonus to all defenses against the triggering attack.
Inquisitive
Prerequisite: Trained in Perception or Insight
The streets of Eberron run rampant with intrigue and crime. In your experience, very little is as it seems. Lesser minds are boggled by the confusion wrought by these schemes of others. You, however, are an inquisitive. You do not give up or become baffled so easily by distractions from finding the truth. Your eyes can pick up clues that others miss and you know how the criminal mind works.
Perhaps you are a former member of the police force who is sometimes called back to help with the most difficult cases. Or maybe you are an investigative journalist working for the Sharn Inquisitive. In any case, you have a deep passion for finding the truth and a strong investigative eye.
Inquisitive Features
Level 1
As an inquisitive, you know how to make better use of tools that others simply fumble with. In your experience, knowing what to look for can be just as important as having keen eyes and you often baffle your elf friend by pointing out clues that they thought were inconsequential.
Benefit: You gain an inquisitive's kit. When you use the kit, you gain a +4 bonus to any perception checks to search in place of the kit’s normal bonus. In addition, you may use your Intelligence modifier rather than your Wisdom modifier for active checks with the Insight and Perception skills.
Level 5
While your allies bring many skills to the table, they are really amateurs at the art of deduction. They are often amazed by your ability to correct them when they make mistakes in even their own areas of expertise.
Benefit: You gain the Elementary power.
Elementary Inquisitive Utility
It seems so obvious to you now.
Trigger: During the course of an investigation, you or an ally dislikes the result of a skill check.
Effect: Reroll the triggering roll and use the second result.
Level 10
While logic is the backbone of any great investigator, sometimes an inquisitive has to rely on his gut feelings in absence of obvious facts. While your hunches may seem wild and baseless to your allies, you have found that they very seldom lead you astray. You have become so exposed to investigations that they are part of you, and your mind works at even the subconscious level to lead you to the end.
Benefit: Once, during the course of an investigation, you may call on the DM to give you a clue to point you in the right direction. Once used, this ability may not be used again until the investigation is closed or abandoned. In addition, the DM may decide that your gut gives you additional clues along the way, though these do not count as using this ability.
Inquisitive Optional Powers
Inquisitive's Tenacity Inquisitive Utility 2
You won't be deterred easily.
Encounter
Free Action Personal
Trigger: You fail a saving throw.
Effect: Reroll the triggering roll and use the second result.
It Was All Part of the Plan Inquisitive Utility 6
While you thought you were ambushing us, you drew yourself into the open as I planned.
Daily
No Action Close Burst 5
Trigger: You roll initiative.
Effect: You and each ally in the burst are not surprised and gain a +2 bonus to your initiative checks.
Master of Disguise Inqusitive Utility 10
Sometimes you can learn much by simply being someone else.
Encounter
Standard Action Personal
Effect: You disguise yourself as a member of any race of the same size and general anatomy, including a specific individual. You gain a +5 power bonus on all Bluff checks made to maintain your disguise. Your clothes don't change, so you may need a costume to go with your disguise. You may discard the disguise as a standard action, though changing clothes may be done only during a short rest.
