New Class for BX and OSE - Street Rat

Street Rat

Requirements: Minimum DEX 9

Prime requisite: DEX 9

Hit Dice: 1d4

Armor: Leather, No Shields

Weapons: Dagger, Sling, Staff, Club

Languages: Common, Thieves’ Cant

               The Great Empire for all of its amazing accomplishments in society, is still a society of inequity. Some of the people are born into extreme poverty and the only profession available is thievery or begging, and most do a little of both. There are many tales of kings rising from the streets starting as a lowly beggar, but these are mostly stories and a fiction the poor like to tell themselves.

                The life of a street rat is the life of a person that is often never noticed by society. This is a major problem for people trying to claw their way up in the world. There is an advantage in the anonymity of the poor. Nobles rarely notice the poor street rat in the alley, or the beggar that is “sleeping it off” on the side of the road. Noble mouths often run loosely around people they cannot perceive, but a good street rat has friends in low places that can use that kind of information. No matter what it is always a rough journey,  for every street rat that makes themselves legitimate, there are literal thousands that will die in a gutter. 

Trying to find their fortune.

Adjust Ability Scores: In Step 3 of Character Creation, street rats may not lower STR.

Alignment: Any                 

Back-stab

When attacking an unaware opponent from behind, a street rat receives a +4 bonus to hit and doubles any damage dealt.

Tricks of the Trade

•     Climb sheer surfaces (CS): A roll is required for each 100’ to be climbed. If the roll fails, the street rat falls at the halfway point, suffering falling damage.
•     Find or remove treasure traps (TR): A roll is required to find a treasure trap and then another to remove it. This may be attempted only once per trap.
•     Hear noise (HN): In a quiet environment (e.g. not in combat), a street rat may attempt to listen at a door or to hear the sounds of something (e.g. a wandering monster) approaching.
•     Hide in shadows (HS): Requires the street rat to be motionless—attacking or moving while hiding is not possible.
•     Move silently (MS): A street rat may at-tempt to sneak past enemies unnoticed.
•     Open locks (OL): Requires thieves’ tools. A street rat can only try this skill once per lock. If the roll fails, the street rat may not try the same lock again before gaining an experience level.
•     Pick pockets (PP): If the victim is above 5th level, the street rat’s roll is penalized by 5% for every level above 5th. There is always at least a 1% chance of failure. A roll of more than twice the percentage required for success means that the attempted theft is noticed. The referee should determine the reaction of the victim.
•     Lost in the crowd (LC): An advantage of being at the bottom of society is that people rarely notice you. When trying to escape a situation in an urban center, this skill allows the street rat to blend in and go unnoticed.

Begging

The street rat is able to pull the heart strings of those that pass. The character can make one CHA check per hour of begging, if the check succeeds, the character is able to scrape by with just enough to survive. The DM can have penalties for the roll given the circumstance, for example; begging from the same person twice, begging in a small settlement, begging on the trade routes, etc. If wearing armor, or has any obvious items of value, like magic items, causes the check to automatically fail.

Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat

Street Smarts

In their home city a street rat cannot get lost, and knows the shortest possible route from one place to another. They often know hidden routes and ways past guard stations and gates without being noticed. If in a new city, the street rat can spend 1 full day exploring the town on their own (or with other thieves and street rats), they then know the new city like their home city.

Streetwise

Street rats while not well connected in the world of high politics, they do know what is happening with the commoners. The street rats often know who the local thieves’ guild members are and how to set a meeting. If the party is looking for an item that is in the black market, the street rat will know someone, who knows someone, who saw a guy with it, who might be willing to part with it.

Lowest of the Low

Street rats are always considered to have a station of 0. This is below even the most pedestrian of people and foreigners. Street rats cannot gain status by leveling, but if for some reason a Street rat gains a position of standing, they will become an equivalent level thief and can never return to the street rat class, even if they lose the position.

No one notices the person sleeping in the street

Scummy Rabble

When making a reaction check with anyone that has Station, the street rat is at a -3 penalty. The only retainers a street rat can hire are 0 level NPCs.

Poor

Street rats begin the game with 3d6 GP of equipment, whatever is not spent is lost.

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