Pawn (Apath)

	Unofficial rules compendium
	Contents 1 Weapon and Armor Proficiency; 2 Ear To the Ground (Ex); 3 Feet On the Ground (Ex); 4 Heroic Promotion (Ex); 5 Tenacity (Ex); 6 Head Down (Ex); 7 Simple Solution (Ex);
	Contents 1 Weapon and Armor Proficiency; 2 Ear To the Ground (Ex); 3 Feet On the Ground (Ex); 4 Heroic Promotion (Ex); 5 Tenacity (Ex); 6 Head Down (Ex); 7 Simple Solution (Ex);

Some soldiers are deemed more expendable than others. In the desperate need to throw together armies, even the most unfit beings may have to heed the call of war. Poorly trained and outfitted, pawns often serve as fodder in armies. Such troops are intended to draw enemy fire or to gain some tactical advantage on the battlefield. Most pawns die within days of being handed their first weapon. However, a few—a very few—survive long enough to deal an enemy leader a killing blow, a remarkable accomplishment likened to queening in chess. Some pawns survive this ordeal and move on to become heroes, but always with their feet firmly on the ground and with the admiration of their peers among the poor.

Pawns have all the class features of fighters, except as noted.

Starting Wealth 2d6 x 10 gp (average 60 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less. This alters the fighter's starting wealth.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A pawn is proficient with simple weapons, light armor, and shields (including tower shields). This alters weapon and armor proficiencies.

Ear To the Ground (Ex)

A pawn can use any Craft or Profession skill as if it was the Diplomacy skill to gather information, and incurs no gp cost for doing so.

Feet On the Ground (Ex)

A pawn begins the game knowing an additional trait (their only trait for NPC pawns), and can choose an additional trait at level 4 and every 4 levels thereafter. He can select multiple traits of the same category. The pawn must fulfill the prerequisites of all these traits, often picking up regional traits as they travel the world. If the game offers campaign-specific traits, the pawn can still only select one such campaign-specific trait.

Heroic Promotion (Ex)

When attacking an enemy with a challenge rating above the pawn's Hit Dice with a melee weapon, the pawn gains a temporary weapon training bonus equal to the difference between his own level and the CR of his target (maximum +5). Player characters count as having a CR equal to their Hit Dice for this ability. For example, a level 1 pawn attacking a creature with a CR of 4 gains a weapon training bonus of +3. This bonus applies to any melee weapon and even if the pawn does not yet have the weapon training ability. Use this or the pawn's normal weapon training bonus, whichever is better.

Tenacity (Ex)

Pawns are used to hardship and don't give in easily. The pawn has Will saves in the good save category, with the same level-based save bonuses he has for Fortitude saves.

Head Down (Ex)

Starting at 3rd level, as long as the pawn is wearing light armor or no armor, he gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC. This bonus increases by 1 at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th levels. This replaces armor training and armor mastery.

Simple Solution (Ex)

Starting at 5th level, a pawn treats all simple weapons as a separate weapon group, and can select this group for his weapon training ability if he so chooses. If the pawn selects a weapon group other than simple weapons, he gains proficiency with all martial weapons in that weapon group. This modifies weapon training.

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