The Historian (SNS)

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: ﻿Martia slogged through the muck on the outskirts of the bayou as she searched for the hut of Gnarvis's friend. She'd been looking for nearly an hour already, and the sun would be setting soon. Martia did not want to be caught out of doors after dark. Gnarvis's other patient had been a vibrant example of just how dangerous the swamp could be.
: Martia had been horrified when the man crawled feebly to the healer's door. Most of the man's face was missing, but Gnarvis had been confident that the poor soul would survive his wounds. Gnarvis could do nothing to reconstruct the man's face, though, and there was little chance the wounded man could afford a cleric's healing touch. He would bear his scars for life.
: "Palcher here is one of the lucky ones," noted Gnarvis. "He'll actually have a chance to heal. Most people who encounter the necromancer's minions end up deceased-or worse."
: "Or worse" meant that those who once fought bitterly against Cardax's every advance would now forcibly find their way into his service.
: "It has been going on for years. Brothers are forced to take up arms and defend themselves against their own brothers, who, only a week before, were fighting against the monstrosities. Sometimes, we must even fight against our grandparents." With these word, Gnarvis had grown even more solemn.
: "My father's father roams the swamp these days, although he's been dead and gone for five years. As of last month, his son-my father- fights at his side." Gnarvis had blinked away the water filling the corners of his eyes.
: "That's why I came back. That's why I can never leave until Cardax is dead!"
: Coming from the gentle healer, these harsh words had cut deeply. Soon after hearing them, Martia had rededicated herself to her purpose.
: While she was recovering from her injuries, Martia had realized that there was no way she could make it through the necromancer-tainted portion of the swamp on her own. Even if she did, Cardax would certainly see her coming from over a league away. A frontal assault on the keep was out of the question.
: She confessed her fears to Gnarvis, and the young healer had told her of a lesson that his grandfather had once taught him. "Grandfather was a great warrior. He wasn't as strong, as tall, or as skilled with a blade as other fighters, but he was smart."
: "Know your foe,' he always said to me. "To get rid of the largest oak, you attack the trunk, not the branches.' Whether that foe is a head cold or a kobold, that maxim always holds true. Once you know all you can about your foe, you've increased your chances to destroy that enemy. Then you can avoid all those distracting branches and destroy the trunk."
: "But how can I discover more about Cardax?" Martia had complained. "He's been around for so long, and rumor has it that he's long since killed anyone who possessed any knowledge of his origins."
: "Not everyone," Gnarvis had smiled.
: Now, Martia found herself stumbling through the swamp on the outskirts of the bayou. Exhausted, her injuries still sapping some of her strength, she sat down on a log to rest.
: As she did, an arrow pierced the air over her head. Her fatigue fell away, and she threw herself into the mucky ground and scrambled for cover. When she finally came to a stop behind a rock, she realized someone was laughing at her.
: "My dear Martia," cackled the voice, "you are your father's daughter."
: "Who are you?" Martia demanded, more spooked than she cared to admit.
: "Grahlista," came the voice again, but this time from behind Martia.
: She whirled back around and came face to face with an elderly woman holding a cocked crossbow pointed at her heart. "As any good historian will tell you dear, 'Know your foe.""
﻿"Those who ignore the past are condemned to repeat it." This cliché says a lot about a historian's function in society- including one based on fantasy. History plays a vital part in any fantasy role-playing game. Without a decent history, a setting can seem hollow or two-dimensional.
Many questions remain unanswered in such a low-detail fantasy campaign. Where did all the powerful magical items and artifacts come from? How did the king of the largest nation come to power? What kind of wars has this nation fought with its neighbors?
Fantasy campaigns high in detail, however, often have answers to these questions. The historian NPC plays an important role in such worlds, as he is the chronicler and guardian of important information. Bards still spin juicy tales of the past in taverns across the world, but historians are more interested in the factual components of these tales rather than the way in which these tales are performed.
The historian's job also includes learning from the past and applying these lessons to "present day" life. Some gifted historians can even predict future events based on centuries of collected data.
Over the years, historians research deeper and deeper into the past, hoping to discover new details and gain some further understanding of what has gone before. They hone their understanding of the past to a razor's edge, and with that edge, they attempt to pierce through the veil of time and arrive at the truth.
==Experience, THAC0, and Hit Dice==
Historians, like any other character class, have their own level advancement as shown on Table 23: Historian Experience Levels below.
In general, historians are bookworms who spend their days gathering, collating, and analyzing facts. Sometimes, however, the lure of new information leads them into mysterious and perilous-waters.
At these times, historians must rely upon their skill with a blade instead of the sharpness of their wits. For these reasons, historians use the rogue's THAC0 and saving throw table. In addition, historians receive a d6 Hit Die for each level up to the 8th, and gain 2 hit points for each level of experience above the eighth.
 Table 24: Historian Experience Levels
Level	XPs 	Hit Dice (d6)
1 	0 	1
2 	1,200 	2
3 	2,400 	3
4 	4,800 	4
5 	9,500 	5
6 	19,000 	6
7 	38,000 	7
8 	76,000 	8
9 	150,000 	8+2
10 	300,000 	8+4
11 	450,000 	8+6
12 	600,000 	8+8
13 	750,000 	8+10
14 	900,000 	8+12
15 	1,050,000	8+14
16 	1,200,000	8+16
17 	1,350,000	8+18
18 	1,500,000	8+20
19 	1,650,000	8+22
20 	1,800,000	8+24
==Ability Scores==
Relatively few people are drawn to the academic world of the historian. Aspiring historians must know how to read and write, and have decent penmanship so that future generations can draw upon their works. They must also be able to perceive how seemingly disparate historical events link together in an intricate web. In addition, historians must study ancient and modern languages and cultures to broaden their perspective.
More than anything else, historians must possess a driving curiosity. It is this absolute need to know that draws them out of their libraries and into the wilderness.
For these reasons, all healers must have a minimum Intelligence of 12 and a minimum Wisdom of 10. The historian's prime requisite is Intelligence.
==Permissible Armor and Weapons==
﻿Some of the most famous military units or mercenary organizations actually had historians dedicated to their unit. These military chroniclers often fulfilled other duties, such as healing the wounded and training recruits in the basics of military strategy. Their main duties included keeping a record of the organization's successes and failures, as well as knowing the name of each and every member of the unit.
Historians cannot wear any armor heavier than chain mail, as these chroniclers require mobility and a clear field of vision. Otherwise, they will never be able to record their observations.
Historians can wield a club, dagger, dart, hand crossbow, knife, lasso, sling, short sword, and staff. However, these academics usually prefer their quill, inkpot, and blank book with which they record their findings. Historians often think of themselves as journalists for future generations. They try to be impartial and rarely have any reason to involve themselves in the middle of the action.
==Individual Experience Awards==
﻿Historians earn experience points in their own unique way, as they tend to focus more on how and why things happen. This affects how they learn from their adventures.
Usually, a historian's main goal in life has nothing whatsoever to do with material wealth-although many historians struggle with the necessity of raising funds to support their studies. Instead, they earn points for learning new things and recording important events, thoughts, discoveries, and experiences for the benefit of others.
===Attending Events===
Some historians glean all of their informa- tion from other people's sources such as books, maps, and libraries. These historians are most often interested in events beyond the memory of most living people.
Other historians like to wade in the thick of things so that they can report on modern- day events. Eyewitness accounts are essential to any chronicler of modern events.
Historians, then, should seek out important events to witness with the eventual aim of becoming a chronicler of the events. To this end, they receive experience ﻿points for simply showing up at an important event and paying attention to it.
Generally speaking, the historian will not become directly involved in the action. Even so, he earns experience for being present at events. The more important the event, the greater the experience. The average amount of experience points that a historian should receive for attending an event is equal to one-fourth of the total XP value for the event in question. A DM should only increase the XP award if the event is truly important- such as the death of a king on the battlefield.
===Learning Facts===
Similarly, every time the historian learns an important new fact, he earns experience. This award can be in addition to the awards for attending an event. This means that the historian actually earns more points for attending an event and learning new facts from the event.
These new facts cannot only be new to the researcher; they must in some way advance the scholarship in a particular field. For example, Grevnar, a student of contemporary history, learns that the ancient battle of Fo- Chu took place on a volcanic island. As it turns out, this information is part of the established body of knowledge surrounding the battle, so Grevnar would not receive any experience points. If, however, Grevnar discovered that the battle of Fo-Chu never really took place at all, he would gain some experience points.
The amount of experience awarded is based upon the importance of the fact. If the fact is fairly mundane, then the DM should only award 100 XP. However, if the historian manages to learn something earth-shattering -like the fictitious nature of Fo-Chu-he should earn 1000 XP.﻿
===Recording Facts===
Learning facts is not the only job an histo- rian undertakes. He must also record his knowledge, otherwise future generations will not benefit from his work.
Recording facts is a lot easier than discovering them. The historian must simply write his findings down. Eventually, these findings may be copied and find a place in a well-stocked library.
n Historian should receive approximately one quarter to one half of the experience he earned for learning the fact. Note that the historian does not receive experience points for recording common facts.
===Telling Histories===
Many historians come from pre-literate cultures that value oral tradition. These historians do not know how to read or write; their histories are handed down throughout the years in the form of stories. These historians earn their title by committing these tales to memory. They are the guardians of their culture's mythologies and histories.
Historians also receive experience points by telling the histories carried in their head. To actually earn the points, the historian must take the time to tell the tale to a PC or NPC who is actually listening to the story. These NPCs cannot just babble endlessly on a city streetcorner and receive experience points.
Each time the historian tells a tale, he earns a number of experience points equal to one tenth to one half the number of XPS he earned for learning the facts behind the tale. Thus, the amount of experience depends on the importance of the tale.
An historian can earn points for retelling a history, however, the tale must be a new one for his audience. Thus, he couldn't sit in a tavern and earn XP for endlessly repeating one boring history.
The DM should make an appropriate History check (either local, modern, or ancient-depending on the nature of the tale) to determine how well a historian recounts an event. If the check is a success, the historian manages to tell the tale in an enthralling and informative manner. If the check fails, the historian's dry recitation of the tale actually causes a large majority of his audience to wander away; he receives no XP for such a failed effort.
==Proficiencies==
An historian receives two weapon proficiency slots at 1st level and earns a new one every four levels (at the 4th level, 8th level, and so on). Historians suffer a -3 penalty when using a weapon with which they are not proficient.
An historian also receives four nonweapon proficiencies at the 1st level and gains a new proficiency every three levels after that (at the 3rd level, 6th level, and so on). At 1st level, an historian must take either the Ancient History or the Local History proficiency. Many historians will take both, but some prefer to specialize in one or the other. See the "Proficiency" chapter in the Player's Handbook for full details on these nonweapon proficiencies.
The historian is strongly recommended to take the Reading/Writing proficiency as well. Without it, he is unable to gain any experience for recording facts.
As the historian progresses in levels, he is not required to fill new nonweapon﻿ proficiency slots with any particular proficiencies. Historians do not need to increase their historical proficiencies as they progress in level-although most of them do.
Historians can, if they like, exchange any and all of their weapon proficiencies for nonweapon proficiencies-although they must take at least one weapon proficiency at 1st level. The proficiencies are exchanged on a one-for-one basis.
Certain nonweapon proficiencies can aid the historian in his work. These are:
* Heraldry: With this proficiency, the historian can recognize symbols and family crests. This can be exceedingly important in the historian's line of work, as he generally spends much of his time concentrating on noble or famous families.
* Musical Instrument: Oral cultures often set there ancient histories and mythologies to music. An historian with this proficiency (or the Singing proficiency) receives a +1 bonus to his History proficiency roll.
* Languages: The study of languages is absolutely essential for any serious student of history. This is particularly true of historians who study ancient history. Without the Ancient Languages proficiency, these historians cannot translate eyewitness accounts of long-past events.
At best, language deficient scholars must depend on someone else's (possibly incorrect) translation. At the very least, their is a high probability that the translated text will not contain any of the subtle nuances of the original text. In fact, historians who use translated texts when researching an historical event receive a -1 penalty to their History proficiency roll.﻿
===Other Proficiencies===
Many other proficiencies can be useful for a historian at the proper moment.
Having an applicable proficiency to use on a given historical situation confers a bonus (usually +1 for each relevant proficiency brought to bear on the situation) to an historian's History proficiency check. For instance, an historian with the Armorer proficiency receives a +1 modifier to his History proficiency roll when he attempts to identify a piece of ancient plate mail that once belonged to a famous warrior.
If the application of the nonweapon proficiency to the historical check is particularly tenuous, the historian must successfully make a check of the applicable proficiency before conferring the bonus. 
Historians can choose proficiencies from the general, warrior, rogue, and wizard nonweapon proficiency groups without additional costs.