Most NPC classes were variations of their foundational classes, but there were a few that I thought stood out as being different enough to merit treatment as multi-classed archetypes. Unlike the previous archetypes I wrote about, these may be more focused on one class than the other instead of being balanced between the two.
Bounty
Hunter (Dragon Magazine
#52)
Unlike assassins, who focus on killing their targets and then escaping, bounty hunters are called upon to do much more. While they mainly focus on capturing wanted criminals (dead or alive), they are sometimes hired to retrieve errant or kidnapped individuals when discretion - not bravado - is called for.
Classes:
Warrior/Rogue
Base
Attack: As Warrior
Hit Dice: As Warrior
Saving Throws: As Rogue
Armor: As Rogue
Hit Dice: As Warrior
Saving Throws: As Rogue
Armor: As Rogue
Initiative: As
Rogue
XP: As
Warrior
Special Abilities: Player chooses one special ability from each class.
Mariner
(Dragon Magazine #107)
Like the bounty hunter, the mariner is a sub-class of fighter with some roguish elements. Sailing the high seas, they must rely on light armor in order to keep some of their dexterity - after all, I've yet to see a sailor swing between two ships on a rope while clad in full plate mail armor. Because of their dangerous career, mariners must be highly skilled in the event one or more of their crewmates are incapacitated or killed.
Classes:
Rogue/Warrior
Base
Attack: As
Warrior
Hit Dice: As
Rogue
Saving Throws:
As Warrior
Armor:
As Rogue
Initiative: As
Rogue
XP: As
Warrior
Special Abilities:
Weapon Specialization or Knack, Highly Skilled
Merchant
(Dragon Magazine #136)
The merchant was the main inspiration \for this posting. I always thought it stood out from the other NPC classes even though it was a "post- adventuring" class. Here, I've distinguished between regular merchants and antiquarians, who deal with magic items.
Classes:
Rogue/Warrior
Base
Attack: As
Warrior
Hit Dice: As
Rogue
Saving Throws:
As Rogue
Armor:
As Rogue
Initiative: As
Warrior
XP: As
Rogue
Special Abilities: Player chooses one from each class.
Classes: Rogue/Warrior/Mage
Base Attack: As Mage
Hit Dice: As
Rogue
Saving Throws:
As Rogue
Armor:
As Rogue
Initiative: As
Mage
XP: As
Mage
Special Abilities:
Spellcasting or Sense Magic, plus one from the Warrior or Rogue
class.
Savant
(Dragon Magazine #140)
The savant was a double-classed character class for AD&D. PCs could either be a cleric/savant or a magic-user/savant and had to jump through a number of hoops in leveling up. My own thoughts are that they were intended to be player-character sages of a sort. As such, the best way to recreate them in BtW is by making them mage/rogues with a higher concentration on being a mage.
Classes:
Mage/Rogue
Base
Attack: As
Mage
Hit Dice: As
Mage
Saving Throws:
As Mage
Armor:
As Mage
Initiative: As
Rogue
XP: As
Mage
Special Abilities:
Spellcasting, Highly Skilled
Smith
(Dragon Magazine #70)
The smith was another NPC class which seemed to stand out from all the others as they play such a major role in some stories. In Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Elrond has his smiths reforge the broken sword Narsil into Anduril. Similarly, in Stephen Lawhead's "The Warlords of Nin", Quentin forges the holy sword Zhaligkeer under the hermit Inchkeith's tutelage. As such, the mundane smith is a rogue/warrior and the dweomersmith - a smith specializing in magical arms and armor - is a rogue/warrior/mage. Both archetypes require the Highly Skilled special ability of the rogue class.
Weaponsmith/Armorer
Classes:
Rogue/Warrior
Base
Attack: As
Warrior
Hit Dice: As
Warrior
Saving Throws:
As Rogue
Armor:
As Warrior
Initiative: As
Rogue
XP: As
Rogue
Special Abilities:
Weapon Specialization, Highly Skilled
Dweomersmith
Classes:
Rogue/Warrior/Mage
Base
Attack: As
Warrior
Hit Dice: As
Warrior
Saving Throws:
As Rogue
Armor:
As Rogue
Initiative: As
Rogue
XP: As
Mage
Special Abilities:
Spellcasting, Highly Skilled
As with the previous set of archetypes, this material is a first draft and open to tinkering and rewriting based on constructive feedback.
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