Courier - Spacefarer (Character Kit)

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==Courier==
Description: The Courier is the messenger of space, carrying verbal messages from sphere to sphere. His clients can trust him to be reliable and discrete, and he in turn enjoys their support in his travels through the Known Spheres.
Role: The Courier, like the Merchant warrior, supports the society of the Known Spheres by enabling communication between the spheres. Also, as a single Courier may carry many messages, sending a message by Courier is much less expensive than delivering it yourself.
Any rogue may be a Courier, but bards are by far the most common in this profession. Many thief Couriers pass themselves off as bards or warriors; few people would trust a known thief to deliver a message.
Couriers must have an Intelligence score of at least 14 in order to pursue this kit, because of the detailed memory required. A Charisma score of at least 12 is also required to convince customers of the Courier's trustworthiness and ability.
A Courier may abandon this kit by delivering all of his messages and refusing to accept any further commissions. If not used, the Courier's special memory (see below) is lost within three months.
Secondary Skills: Determine as normal for the campaign.
Weapon Proficiencies: Any proficiency available to the character's class is available to Couriers.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
* Bonus: Etiquette.
* Recommended: (General) Modern Languages (usually several); (Rogue) Appraising, Disguise, Forgery; (Warrior) Navigation (Wildspace), Tracking.
Equipment: Couriers may purchase equipment as normal for their class.
Special Benefits: The Courier has a well developed memory in which he may carry many messages. This memory allows the Courier to repeat verbatim anything he has heard, if he knows the language spoken at the time. If he does not know the language, he can attempt to reproduce the sounds he heard, but he must make a successful Intelligence check in order to get the message right. (This check should be made secretly by the DM; the Courier always thinks he has reproduced the sounds correctly.)
This ability to memorize makes it possible for the Courier to carry dozens of messages without any chance of their being stolen. Spells that read surface thoughts, such as ESP, cannot read the messages, but abilities that go deeper into the mind, like the telepathic science probe, can determine the messages' contents.
Couriers are experienced translators. If the Courier knows the language spoken, he is able to translate it to any other language he knows on a successful Intelligence check. Such translation preserves as much of the actual intent (not just the literal meaning) of the original message as possible.
Couriers as a group also have a reputation for integrity that gives them a +2 on reaction rolls where integrity might be important. This reputation applies only if the character is known to be a practicing Courier, however.
A Courier traveling from one populated world to another can announce his destination and offer to carry messages. The Courier can carry a maximum of six messages per level, although not all the messages need have the same destination. Each time the Courier enters a port, he can advertise for and receive 3d6 messages to deliver, at a prepaid fee of 5-50 gp per message (the fee varies by the length and complexity of the message, the distance it must be taken, and the reputation of the Courier).
Once the Courier arrives at a destination, it will take him 1dl2 hours to find the recipient of each message and deliver it; this must be done before the Courier leaves for another destination, and generally should be done within the first week of arrival. The Courier may also receive gratuities from message recipients for successfully delivering welcome news, but he should be prepared to defend himself against the displaced anger of the recipient should the news be bad.
Special Hindrances: Couriers become intimately involved in the businesses of their clients. Often, they have access to the contents of otherwise unobtainable missives. This makes them valuable to the enemies of their clients.
Occasionally, Couriers will carry messages that certain parties do not want delivered. Each time the Courier advertises for messages, he has a 2% chance per message received (cumulative) to get such a dangerous message. There will be an attempt to either convince the Courier not to deliver the message or to find out what the message says. The DM is encouraged to use these incidents as opportunities for adventure.
Alix Marbin, a 6th-level Courier, travels the route Realmspace-Greyspace-Krynn and back again in the other direction. He stops at all the inhabited worlds en route, picking up and dropping off messages as he goes. Alix can carry a maximum of 36 messages in memory at one time. His memory is full when he makes a stop at Toril to deliver 10 messages. After he accomplishes this task, Alix advertises for more messages and receives eight (a message for a pirate captain on Garden in Realmspace, three messages bound for Oerth in Greyspace, and two messages each for recipients on Reorx and Krynn in Krynnspace). As he drops off these messages, he picks up more at each stop on his route.
Wealth Options: Working as a Courier is a profitable business. Couriers receive 3d6 x 10 gp for their starting money.
Races: Members of any race — human, demihuman, or nonhuman — may be Couriers.
Category:Character Kit
Category:Character Kit CSH