Ruin Explorer (Apath)

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A ruin explorer is an adventurous scholar who dreams of retrieving priceless artifacts from lost vaults, restoring pieces of our common history to the light of day. Such priceless treasures are to be found, studied and understood. Their critics see them as glorified burglars, who work trapped tombs and vaults and seek to rob people of their most valuable and well-protected property.

Class Information

This is a rogue archetype.

Role: A ruin explorer deals with ancient traps and magical legacies. Curses and traps are her bread and butter. Her main abilities are in dealing with the dangers found in ruins; traps, curses, cave-ins and eternally vigilant guardians. Her specialty is traps; both magical, man-made, and in the form of natural hazards.

Ruin explorers tend to take an important role in any guilds or fraternities they become a part of, since they are studious and more organized than most other adventurers. Sometimes, they can completely change the goal of such an organization, from simple looting to the collection and categorization of knowledge. Such a guild can then train new generations of ruin explorers.

Alignment: Any. The ruin explorers of the world form a loose fraternity, keeping tabs on each others' exploits through the rumor mill.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

The ruin explorer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Knowledge (any) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Except as noted, the ruin explorer has all the class features of the rogue.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Ruin explorers are proficient with all simple weapons and with the light pick, heavy pick, hand crossbow, and whip. The ruin explorer gains no proficiency with armor or shields.

Bardic Knowledge

Like a bard, a ruin explorer adds half her class level (minimum 1) to all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

This replaces the level 2 rogue talent, debilitating injury, and advanced talents and stacks with similar abilities from other classes.

Decipher Script

At level 4 the ruin explorer is often able to understand archaic or foreign writing or codes, add half the ruin explorer's level to Linguistics checks. This replaces the level 4 rogue talent.

Outsmart Traps

At 6th level, when successfully disabling a trap, you can opt to bypass it (with your party) and leave it in place. This replaces the level 6 rogue talent.

Hands-on Research

At 8th level, when you fail a Knowledge or Linguistics check, you can try again as a standard action as often as you like. You can only use hands-on research in relation to issues immediately at hand, such as deciphering text you can read right now or remembering specific knowledge about a creature you can presently see. This replaces the level 8 rogue talent.

Master Finder

At 10th level, the ruin explorer becomes a master finder. The trapfinding bonus now applies to all uses of the Perception skill. This replaces the level 10 rogue talent.

Follow Clues (Ex)

At 12th level, the ruin explorer can use Perception to follow tracks as per the Survival skill. This replaces the level 12 rogue talent.

Hold It Down (Ex)

At 14th level, when a trap within 10 ft. of the ruin explorer activates, she may immediately attempt a Disable Device check against the disarm difficulty as a free action. If this check is successful, she holds the trap down; as long as she ends each turn within 10 ft, the trap will not trigger until the end of her next turn. If the trap is disabled or destroyed before it triggers, it will never activate. This replaces the level 14 rogue talent.

Dazing Insight (Ex)

At 16th level, whenever she makes a Know or Linguistics roll, the ruin explorer can choose to replace the result of the roll with a die roll of 20 after the roll. If she does so, she is dazed dazed until the beginning of her next turn. She can take no actions, but suffer no penalty to AC. She is unable to make attacks of opportunity or immediate actions. This replaces the level 16 rogue talent.

Insight of The Ancients (Ex)

At 18th level, the ruin explorer becomes hard to fool with mind-affecting effects. At the start of her turn, if she is subject to any mind-affecting spells or effects, she can make a Will saving throw with a standard DC for the effect, and if she succeeds at the check, she is no longer subject to the mind-affecting effect. She can make this saving throw even against mind-affecting effects that normally don’t allow a saving throw. In those cases, calculate the saving throw DC as if the spell or effect did allow a saving throw. This replaces the level 18 rogue talent.

One With Architecture (Ex)

At 20th level, the ruin explorer can use the Stealth skill to hide in any urban, ruins, or dungeon setting, even while being observed and regardless of cover or concealment. This replaces the level 20 rogue talent.

One With Artifacts (Su)

At 20th level, when using Use Magic Device to activate an item, the ruin explorer can take nonlethal damage equal to half the item's caster level instead of consuming the item or a charge from the item. This replaces master strike.

Table: Ruin Explorer

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+0	+2	+0	Alternate skill bonuses, bardic knowledge, finesse training, sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+0	Decipher sctipt, evasion
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+1	Danger sense +1, finesse training, sneak attack +2d6
4th	+3	+1	+4	+1	uncanny dodge
5th	+3	+1	+4	+1	Rogue's edge, sneak attack +3d6
6th	+4	+2	+5	+2	Danger sense +2, outsmart traps
7th	+5	+2	+5	+2	Sneak attack +4d6
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+2	Improved uncanny dodge, hands-on research
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+3	Danger sense +3, master finder, sneak attack +5d6
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+3	rogue's edge
11th	+8/+3	+3	+7	+3	Finesse training, sneak attack +6d6
12th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4	Danger sense +4, follow clues
13th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+4	Sneak attack +7d6
14th	+10/+5	+4	+9	+4	Hold it down
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+9	+5	Danger sense +5, rogue's edge, sneak attack +8d6
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	Dazing insight
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+5	Sneak attack +9d6
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+6	Danger sense +6, insight of the ancients
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+6	Finesse training, sneak attack +10d6
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+6	One with architecture, one with artifacts

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the rogue are lost or modified in this archetype:

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