Smuggler - Faerûn (Character Kit)

Class Information 	Class Information
Class Requirements 	Thief
Racial Requirements 	Elf (moon, wild), half-elf (moon, wild), dwarf (gold, shield), gnome (rock), halfling
Ability Requirements 	Dexterity 9, Intelligence 11
Prime Requisite 	Dexterity, Intelligence
Aligments 	Any but LG
Social Rank 	Middle class
Hit Die Type 	d6
Attack as 	Rogue
Save as 	Rogue
Advance as 	Thief
Spell Ability? 	No
Exceptional Strength? 	No
Exceptional Constitution?	No
Starting Cash (x10 gp) 	2d6
Proficiencies 	Proficiencies
Weapon Slots 	2
Initial Weapons 	Standard thief
Additional WP Slot 	4
Additional Weapons 	Standard thief
Nonproficiency Penalty 	-3
Nonweapon Slots 	3
Additional NWP Slot 	4
Available Categories 	General, Rogue
Bonus Proficiencies 	Alertness (CRH), appraising, information gathering (CTH), local history
Recommended Proficiencies	Ancient history, animal handling, animal training, animal noise (CTH), artistic ability, blacksmithing, boating (CRH), camouflage (CRH), direction sense, disguise, etiquette, fast-talking (CTH), forgery, gem cutting, languages (modern), navigation (CTH), observation (CTH), reading/writing, riding (land-based), rope use, seamanship, signaling (CRH), swimming, weaponsmithing, weather sense
Secondary Skills 	Armorer, groom, jeweler, limner/painter, navigator, sailor, scribe, teamster/freighter, trader/barterer, weaponsmith
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==Overview==
A demihuman smuggler is in a unique position. As a transporter of banned items or illegally imported or exported goods, the smuggler is the gateway into the human and demihuman black markets for sellers and buyers across the world, making theft profitable for all. Demihuman smugglers come from all over, but they are unlikely to live in their old homelands now if they angered legal authorities with their deeds. Many expatriate smugglers have thriving, if secret, businesses in western seaports like Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Athkatla, Murann, Zazesspur, Myratma, and Calimport, or in cities bordering the Sea of Fallen Stars. Pirate groups, particularly those in the Sea of Fallen Stars, usually have many smugglers among them, each specialized in transporting a particular assortment of items.
==Description==
A demihuman smuggler gives off the appearance of being a normal merchant or tradesman in all ways, and in fact may have a legitimate trade he practices parttime. This facade must be maintained to keep suspicion away from smuggling operations; an actual disguise is not required, only the proper dress, tools, and place of business. The smuggler takes pains to be noticed but not looked at with suspicion or recognized for what he secretly is. Contraband is always kept hidden, either on the smuggler's person, in his dwelling, or in his means of transportation.
==Roleplaying==
Research into FORGOTTEN REALMS accessories reveals a wealth of items that fall into the smuggler's sphere of interest: rare magical items from Evermeet or Evereska, smoke powder (banned in Waterdeep and Cormyr), assassins' poisons and natural venoms, treasures looted from royal tombs in Tethyr, bones dug from graves for necromancers' study, weapons and armor for revolutionaries, "cheeeese" from Luiren, spell components for outlaw mages, tobacco from Maztica (tightly controlled by Amn), spellbooks owned by Thayan sorcerers, holy items stolen from Kara-Tur or Zakhara, gems taken from dwarf strongholds, and magical devices for use against certain dangerous beings or groups.
It is clear that a smuggler can be a boon for either good or evil, depending on what is being trafficked and who is buying it. Much needed items seized elsewhere can be donated for a homeland's use. The export and import taxes of cruel realms can be evaded. But dangerous items can also be sold to wicked forces if one is foolish enough to do it.
A neutral smuggler is an interesting challenge to play, weighing the benefits and consequences of each mission to ensure that Good forces don't become so strong and wise as to capture him and shut down his operations, and Evil forces don't steal from or kill him. Playing out the transportation of smuggled goods to or from hostile lands can put great tension into the game, not to mention just dealing with some of the sellers and buyers involved in black-market trade.
The DM must create many NPC contacts for the smuggler to meet in order to perform some actual smuggling. The smuggler is asked to pick up a shipment from a fence, then must secretly take the goods to the buyer, whom he must locate using his own knowledge or instructions from the seller. The smuggler often receives half his pay from the seller, with the other half, plus a possible bonus or knife in the back, from the buyer. Mission payment can be negotiated in most cases. The smuggler can even serve as group leader for these missions, with his adventuring allies acting as guards for the shipment (but being paid only by the smuggler).
Mounts, pack animals, and vehicles (carts, boats, or passage on ships) must be purchased by the smuggler using his initial payment. He would be wise to acquire magical devices such as bags of holding, portable holes, dust of disappearance, and any other items allowing concealment. The player is encouraged to think up new tricks to allow his smuggler to ship goods undetected, perhaps looking up a little history on the topic in the library (chapter 5 in The Complete Thief's Handbook is a good place to start). This is an opportunity for "creative interplay" between an inventive player and DM.
==Special Advantages==
A smuggler learns to cover his tracks in any terrain. When doing so, he moves at half speed but applies his level as a negative modifier to anyone's attempt to track him using the tracking proficiency. He can cover the tracks of other people and beings with him, but for each person whose tracks are being covered, a +1 bonus is given to the tracker's proficiency check. A mount or pack animal, being heavy and four-legged, grants a +2 bonus to the tracking proficiency. The smuggler can simply cover his own tracks, of course.
From long practice, a smuggler can hide several small items on his person that are not found by anyone making a general search of him. If he is wearing voluminous clothing, as many items as his level, each item the size of a ring or coin, may be hidden on him. If wearing normal clothing, as many items as half his level, fractions rounded up, may be concealed. If stripsearched, as many items as one-quarter his level (fractions rounded up) may still be hidden. In order to find each item, a searcher must make an Intelligence check on 1d20 with a modifier equal to the smuggler's level added to the roll, thus harming chances for finding the items.
For every level he has, a smuggler gains 1d4 contacts: fences selling illegal goods, corrupt guards willing to sell government equipment, wealthy nobles looking for a variety of items, thieves' guild contacts, or representatives of legitimate merchant guilds with shady interests. Each contact should be developed by the DM as desired but should be someone able to work with the smuggler for at least a few months, if not much longer (barring untimely "accidents").
A smuggler hears about many secret routes and ways through the wilderness between cities, to avoid guards and possible bandit ambushes. As the DM rolls for encounters for a smuggler's party on an overland route, any encounter with a patrol, guardsmen, bandit group, or other collection of relatively civilized humans, elves, dwarves, etc. (excluding real monsters) must be re-rolled if the smuggler can make an Intelligence check on 4d6, with the smuggler's level applied as a negative modifier to improve the chances. When re-rolled, an encounter has a 75% chance to be nothing at all; the second encounter generated cannot be voided and must be used.
A smuggler has a +2 bonus to his appraising score when evaluating items of special interest to him. One such item is generated by the player for the smuggler per level. Thus, a 3rd-level smuggler has three specific items for which he gains this bonus. Examples include: tobacco from Maztica, rare Amnian gems, smoke powder, paper paintings from Shou Lung, religious wood statuettes from temples in Mulhorand, or burial jewels from dwarven tombs in the North. The player should choose these items based on what his character has seen and studied. Items chosen should not be vague, such as "stuff from Thay" or "Underdark valuables"; "spellbooks belonging to Thayan Red Wizards" or "drow-made religious items sacred to Lolth" are perfect.
A helpful -1 modifier is added to reaction rolls of NPCs in any area in which a smuggler has taken a local history proficiency, as he can use this information to flatter the locals and gain their trust.
==Special Disadvantages==
The most obvious problem for a smuggler is avoiding capture and prosecution for violating the law. Penalties can range from fines to imprisonment, maiming, torture, or death, depending on the nation and the smuggled item. The DM should consult accessories detailing various nations of Faerûn and note any applicable punishments for importing or exporting certain goods. The Council of Six in Amn, for instance, privately tortures and slays any smuggler captured in the act of taking goods out of Maztica, as Amn has laid claim to its riches. Tethyr and dwarf realms also have standing death sentences against anyone convicted of royal tomb-robbing or knowingly selling items stolen from royal tombs.
Another problem is the nature of some of the smuggled goods. Poisons and explosives must plainly be handled with great care. Stolen magical writings may have magical traps and destructive runes placed upon them to prevent their use.
Because they rely so little on it, smugglers are poor at pickpocketing. Their normal base score in this area starts at 0% (zero), and a maximum of only 5 points can be added to this skill at each level. Some smugglers use pickpocketing to filch an interesting item they see, in hopes of selling it later, but this is very uncommon.