Slaver (3.5e Class)

The Slaver

Slavers specialize in the buying and selling of life. They enslave others and use them as currency, or put them to work as laborers and mules. While others often regard the slave trade as disturbing, there are others that often reward the Slavers for their services. Although Slavers deal in a often criticized trade, they will protect their property without hesitation, and yes, they do consider slaves to be property. A general rule of thumb when it comes to slavers, if they see, and they want it, they'll take it, even if they must resort to force. This doesn't mean Slavers are kleptomaniacs, but they very rarely take "no" as an answer.

Making a Slaver

Slavers are physically strong and brutal characters. They do not take "no" for an answer. In a party, they often are the muscle of the group, while providing a means for wealth through their trade. Their knowledge of different areas and the people in various regions can make them important when it comes to dealing with others.

Abilities: A Slaver needs Strength to combat others that would free or steal his property, and a high Charisma to help persuade others into buying, selling, or becoming a slave. His Charisma also helps determine the amount of slaves he may own, which affects many different aspects of the Slaver's talents.

Races: Any race, but most often Slavers are Human, Half-Orc, Dwarven, or some other physically-dominant race.

Alignment: Because of their trade, and being considered barbaric by most, Slavers may only be of any non-good alignment. Also, lawful alignments might be questionable, depending on the laws of the region, but Slavers often do not concern themselves with laws and generally just take what they want through force.

Starting Gold: 6d4×10 gp (Average Starting Gold: 150 gp).

Starting Age: "As fighter".

Table: The Slaver

Hit Die: d10

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Slave Owner, Slaver Training, Trade Route Memories, Reputation
2nd	+2	+3	+1	+0	Possessive 1/day
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Reputation Bonus Tier I
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1
5th	+5	+4	+2	+1	Dominating Presence 1/day
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+2	Extra Slave, Possessive 2/day
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+2
8th	+8/+3	+6	+3	+2	Reputation Bonus Tier II
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+3
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+3	Possessive 3/day, Dominating Presence 2/day, Special Slave
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+4	+3
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+4	Extra Slave
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+4	Reputation Bonus Tier III
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+5	+4	Possessive 4/day
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+5	Dominating Presence 3/day
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+5
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+6	+5
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Extra Slave, Possessive 5/day, Reputation Bonus Tier IV
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+7	+6	Dominating Presence 4/day, Special Slave
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise, Bluff, Escape Artist, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Business), Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, Use Rope.

Class Features

Slavers are masters in the business of trading and selling flesh. Their abilities make them great warriors and savvy business partners. People often fear and respect the Slavers, giving them plenty of space when possible. All of the following are class features of the Slaver.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Slavers are skilled in using Light and Medium Armors and Shields, and are proficient in using Simple and Martial weapons. As well, Most Slavers carry either a Whip or Flogger for keeping slaves in line, but they are not skilled in the use of such tools to attack or defend themselves, only to punish their property.

Slave Owner: As one might guess, a Slaver owns slaves and runs a business built on buying, selling, and trading their flesh-covered property. A Slaver may own a number of slaves equal to his Charisma Modifier plus one. Also, upon every 6th level, a Slaver gains an Extra Slave, which increases the number of slaves he may own by one.

Slaver Training: Life as a Slaver causes one to know many things about slaves and their tactics. This special training gives the Slaver the ability to add half of his Profession skill to any Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Sense Motive, or Use Rope skill check. This bonus only applies to a roll used against a slave, whether or not the Slaver owns that slave. This bonus can be used a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier.

Trade Route Memories: In addition to the Slaver Training knowledge, Slavers usually know quite a bit about the others who work in the same line of business. This knowledge gives an automatic +5 to any Gather Information, Knowledge (Local), or Knowledge (Business) skill check to locate other Slavers, find trade routes, and other information related to the business of buying and selling living cargo.

Reputation: All Slavers have Reputation, it follows them everywhere. It can be good, or it can be bad. This will be covered in-depth in a later section.

Possessive: Slavers are extremely protective of what they feel belongs to them, especially their slaves. This grants the Slavers a bonus to attack and damage whenever their living property comes into danger. Anyone threatening to murder, kidnap, or free the Slaver's property becomes the target of these combat bonuses. This bonus is equal to the number of slaves the Slaver owns (counting any that are being killed, kidnapped, or freed). This bonus can also be split between Attack and Damage as the Slaver sees fit. So, a bonus of +5 could be spent as a +3 to the Attack roll, and a +2 to the Damage roll. This ability can only be used a certain amount of times per day, and lasts for 1d4+X rounds, where X is equal to half the number of the Slaver's own slaves, rounded up.

Reputation Bonus: See Reputation.

Dominating Presence: With a quick phrase, or a gesture from their hands, the Slaver can command obedience from others. This Charisma-based spell-like ability works as per the Suggestion spell, with the spell's level being equal to half the Slaver's class level, rounded down. Any target that successfully resists this ability cannot be targeted with it again for 24 hours. Slaves take an automatic -2 to any attempt to resist this ability. Each time someone fails to resist this ability, they take a -1 penalty to the next attempt to resist it next time.

Special Slave: Upon reaching 10th level, and every 10th level afterwards, a slaver can promote his longest-lasting slave to one of three special positions. The slave can either be trained as a fighter and guardian, a totally obedient companion, or a knowledge-keeper. Once the slave's path is selected, it cannot be changed. The types of slaves, and their benefits are:

Fighting Slave

This slave is trained to be a fighter and protector of her master and owner. She can also help protect the other slaves that the Slaver owns. This slave is treated as a character two and a half levels lower than the Slaver at all times. She may have class levels in Barbarian, Fighter, Ranger, or Rogue. This slave acts as a warrior, protecting her Slaver and everything he owns, even at the cost of her own life.

Willful Follower

The Willful Follower is a very dedicated slave, and will do everything her owner instructs her to do. Like the Fighting Slave, she is treated as a character two and a half levels lower than her owner, but she is a total non-combatant. She is skilled in the following skills: Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Any and All Craft Skills, Disable Device, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, 2 Knowledges (Slaver's Choice), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Any and All Perform Skills, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand (Pick Pocket), Spot, Swim, and Use Rope. This slave cannot be used for combat, but she can be used to spy, dance, sing, cook, or help the Slaver gain entrance to an otherwise locked location. She will not hesitate to obey her owner. She gains the same Skill Points and HD as a Bard. She may have feats, but they may not be used for combat situations.

Educated Captive

Some might assume that a well-educated slave is dangerous, but only if she wishes to get away from he who owns her. This slave is perfectly content to stay with her Slaver, and is therefore at no risk of running away. Like the other slaves, she is treated as being two and a half levels lower than her owner, but has the Skill Points and HD of a Cleric. They are trained in any and all Crafting, Knowledge, and any two Profession skills. An Educated Captive is also trained in the Secipher Script, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Sense Motive, and Use Magic Device skills. They may also use spells as a Cleric of the same level, as long as those spells are not used for combat purposes. This can give the Slaver a powerful healer for a companion, and a slave with a great wealth of knowledge. Like the Willful Follower, this slave is completely non-combative, but can use her spells to buff-up the Slaver if needed. Even though they are similar to the Cleric, the Educated Captive does not get Domain Spells, nor does she gain the Spontaneous Casting ability as the Cleric would.

• Should one of these special slaves get killed, kidnapped, or freed against their will, the Slaver gets 24 hours to regain the slave or he suffers a -1 to all rolls for 24 hours. After one week, the Slaver may promote another slave to one of these positions, but the slave must have been owned by him for 5 days or more.

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Reputation

Reputation

This is extremely important to a Slaver. It determines how well known he is known and how much respect he has from other Slavers, but having a high reputation can also mean that the Slaver has more rivals willing to prove they are better. Reputation is gained and lost through various acts of the slave trade, and the amount of reputation a Slaver has is recorded on a scale of 0 to 50. A score of 0 means that the Slaver is unknown in the slave trade, and isn't seen as respectable or as a force to fear. However, a score of 50 means that nearly everyone has heard of the Slaver and respects him without question, and he probably has a good number of rivals as well. For Slavers, reputation is tracked by using Rep Points that are gained, lost, and spent in various acts, and all Slavers begin with 0 Rep Points, meaning they are new and unknown in the business of selling flesh. Any bonuses gained by the spending of Rep Points is considered a supernatural ability, and treated as such unless otherwise stated.

• Gaining Rep Points
  • +1 Rep Point each day for each slave owned
  • +5 Rep Points each time a slave is sold by the Slaver
  • +5 Rep Points each time the Slaver captures or steals another Slaver's slave
  • +10 Rep Points for defeating a rival Slaver in combat or competition

• Losing Rep Points
  • -2 Rep Points for letting a slave go free
  • -3 Rep Points whenever a Slaver kills his own slave
  • -5 Rep Points for losing a slave to another Slaver via capturing or stealing
  • -5 Rep Points for buying a low-value slave at an inflated price
  • -10 Rep Points for being defeated in combat or in a competition by a rival Slaver

The DM can also determine other instances where a Slaver may gain or lose points.

Reputation Bonuses

The Slaver may spend his gained points to help him in various ways. These abilities can be used a number of times per day, equal to his Charisma Modifier.

Tier I Bonuses:

Attack Bonus I (2 Points)

The Slaver gains a +1 to his next Attack or Damage roll.

Defense Bonus I (2 Points)

The Slaver gains a +1 to his AC in form of a Natural Armor Bonus for the next 1d4 Rounds.

Skill Award I (2 Points)

The Slaver is granted a +2 bonus to his next skill roll.

Bonus Skill (5 Points)

For 24 hours, the Slaver may add a new skill of his choise to his list of Class Skills, and uses his Charisma Modifier to determine the total Ranks he has in that skill.

Tier II Bonuses:

Healing Boost I (3+X Points)

The Slaver can heal Xd6 hit points of his own damage, where X is the number of additional points spent on this ability. No more than 10 points can be spent to increase the number of dice of this ability.

Ability Surge I (5 Points)

The Slaver can spend 5 points to gain a +2 bonus to any one of his Attributes (STR, DEX, CON, WIS, INT, CHA). This ability lasts for 5 Rounds.

Instant Sleep I (8 Points)

By spending the 8 points, the Slaver does not require sleep for one night.

Resistance I (5 Points)

This helpful ability grants the Slaver a +5 bonus to any one of his saving throws (Fortitude, Relfex, Will) for 5 rounds.

Tier III Bonuses:

Attack Bonus II (2+X Points)

For his next Attack or Damage roll, the Slaver gains +X to his roll, where X is the number of additional points spent, up to a maximum of 10.

Defense Bonus II (2+X Points)

For the next Xd4 rounds, the Slaver gains a +5 to his Natural Armor Bonus, where X is the number of additional points spent, up to a maximum of 10.

Skill Award II (X Points)

By spending Rep Points, the Slaver gains a bonus to his next skill roll equal to the amount spent. A maximum of 10 points may be spent this way.

Obedience I (X Points)

The targeted slave of this ability takes a penalty of -X to any roll that would normally resist the Slaver's action. X is the amount of points spent, up to a maximum of 10, and any slave that succeeds in resisting despite this penalty is immune to this ability for one week. There is no save against this ability, and it only works on slaves, either the Slaver's own, or those that belong to others.

Tier IV Bonuses:

Slaver's Luck (20 Points)

The Slaver can choose to re-roll any single failed roll, other than those that determine Attack or Damage.

Healing Boost II (5+X Points)

This allows the Slaver to Heal Xd8+X points of damage, either his own, or someone else's. X represents the number of additional points spent, and this can only be a maximum of 12.

Resistance II (10 Points)

By spending 10 points of his reputation, the Slaver is granted a +10 Bonus to all of his saving throws for 10 rounds.

Instant Sleep II (10+X Points)

This grants the Slaver the ability to not require sleep for a number of days equal to X+2, where X is the number of additional points spent, with a maximum of 5.

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Ex-Slavers

If a Slaver quits his business, or enters an alignment not allowed by his class, he instantly loses all the special abilities of being a Slaver. He may keep his reputation until he has spent it all, and then it is no longer available to him. Slavers who willingly quit the business are often hated by others in the slave trade, and can become hunted down and enslaved themselves. Only by re-joining the business of buying and selling people, can he beging taking levels in this class once more.

Epic Slavers

Table: The Epic Slaver

Hit Die: d10

Level	Special
21st	Epic Slaver
22nd	Possessive 6/day
23rd	Reputation Bonus Tier V
24th	Extra Slave
25th	Dominating Presence 5/day
26th	Possessive 7/day
27th
28th	Reputation Bonus Tier VI
29th
30th	Extra Slave, Possessive 8/day, Dominating Presense 6/day, Special Slave
6 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Epic Slaver: Upon reaching 21st level, a Slaver may begin to use his Possessive combat abilities for situations other than just defending his property. As well, his Dominating Presence ability is no longer considered spell-like, it is now considered a supernatural ability, and slaves take an automatic -4 penalty to resist this ability. The saving throw against this supernatural ability is: 10 + half the Slaver's HD + the Slaver's Charisma Modifier.

Reputation Bonus Tiers V and VI

Reputation

In the higher levels of the class, Slavers also gain even more abilities to spend Reputation Points on. The following lists include the benefits of tiers 5 and 6 of the Reputation Bonuses.

Tier V Bonuses:

Quick Strike (10+X Points)

This special ability allows the Slaver to make one additional attack at his highest attack bonus. Up to 10 extra points may be spent to increase the number of rounds this bonus lasts. For each extra point spent to extend this ability, the Slaver's Quick Strike lasts for an extra 1d3 rounds.

Attack Bonus III (5+X Points)

Similiar to the previous Attack Bonuses, this increases the Slaver's Attack and Damage rolls by Xd4, where X is the number of additional points spent on this ability. Only a maximum of 10 extra points may be spent on this bonus.

Battle Cry (10 Points)

With this unique ability, the Slaver can rally those around him. By letting out a resounding battle cry, he grants himself and his companions (excluding slaves), a +X bonus to Attacks, Damage, and Saving throws for Xd4 rounds. X is equal to the Slaver's Charisma Modifier, and continues to work even if the Slaver should perish.

Jack of All Trades (5+X+Y Points)

For every additional point spent on this bonus, the Slaver gains Xd12 hours of having 5 additional Class Skills of his choosing. He also gains Yd6 additional skill points to distribute among these extra skills. The Slaver may only activate this ability once at a time, and may select any 5 skills to be considered Class Skills during this time period. Once the bonus wears off, the Slaver loses all skills and skill points gained through this ability.

Tier VI Bonuses:

Death Strike (25 Points)

By spending 25 Rep Points, the Slaver can deliver an especially devastating blow to an enemy. This bonus causes his next attack to automatically hit with a critical. If the target should fail a fortitude-based save vs the attack, it dies instantly, unable to be revived unless via Wish or Miracle spells. The saving throw against this supernatural ability is: 10 + half the Slaver's HD + half the Slaver's CHA Modifier + the Slaver's STR Modifier.

Healing Surge (20 Points)

This great ability grants the Slaver the ability to instantly heal 10d10 points of either his own, or a companion's damage. Also, the target of this spell-like ability regenerates health at a rate of 1d10 per round for 2d6 rounds. This special regeneration ability continues even after the target is killed, and can even bring him or her back to life.

Defense Bonus III (5+X Points)

For the next Xd6 rounds, the Slaver gains a +X bonus to his Natural Armor Bonus, and as well, can ignore Xd2 points of damage from any source. X represents the number of additional points spent on this bonus, and can't exceed a maximum of 12 extra points.

Slaver's Desire (40 Points)

This powerful supernatural ability is similar to a Wish or Miracle spell. It grants the Slaver the ability to make a wish and have it instantly come true. This could be a wish to change a past event, or even to affect a future one. It is up to the Player and the DM to discuss what is or isn't allowed to be granted through this ability.

Campaign Information

Playing a Slaver

Religion: The Slaver community is one built on the buying and selling of slaves. It is brutal, it is rough, and it is often violent. Most Slavers worship a deity of war or combat, others may worship a god of business or wealth, while a few just do their job for the money.

Other Classes: When working with other classes, the Slavers are often a great warrior, and an equally important business partner. Not only can they swing a sword and beat targets into the ground, but their skills in the slave trade can keep the party well-funded during their adventure, as long as the rest of the party doesn't see a problem with the buying and selling of living cargo. Slavers tend to be dominant, and very seldom do they see themselves as “under” another person or being. You could say they are borderline narcissistic personality, as Slavers will often take an “alpha dog” approach to most tasks and goals, but in general, most Slavers will help those that they see can help them in return. Rogues and Barbarians often do not mind working with the Slavers, as the Slavers often provide chances to use their unique talents. Spellcasters, as long as they do not mind working with the Slaver, are often thankful for the protection the brutes can offer.

Combat: Despite being fierce and devastating fighters, the Slavers usually only react when there is a threat to themselves or their property. As combatants, Slavers will work in a pack with other front-line fighters, using strength, tactics, and brute force to break an enemy.

Advancement: When a Slaver levels up, it is often desirable to stay within a fighting class. Either as a Slaver, or cross-classing into ranks of Barbarian to gain the benefits of the Rage and Dodge abilities. If a Slaver wishes to work more with stealth, he should consider training as a Rogue, which will increase his ability to sneak up and kidnap unsuspecting targets that he can subdue and sell later. Training in spellcasting is nice, but unless a Slaver wishes to dazzle his targets before tossing them into cages, he should stick to the more phyiscal classes and abilities.

Slavers in the World

“	You will either listen and do as I say, or I shall free your head from its place upon your shoulders,	”
—Kordvurg “Chain Master” Gansirr, Dwarven Slaver

Daily Life: Slavers work the trade routes that often favor their style of business. Some gain slaves through force and brute strength, while others will only take slaves for other reasons (such as someone owing a debt to another, a girl wanting to run away who has no money, or other more “honorable” reasons). Either way, slaves are a commodity, and most Slavers see them as nothing more than a living tool, an object that walks and talks (if allowed). Because of their trade, Slavers are quite often nomadic in nature, making their home where ever they happen to lay their head at night. There are a few Slavers who only operate in a single city or area, and these ones often become a sort of trading post operator for the trade route, managing the buying and selling of slaves between various groups. On rare occassions, Slavers are called upon, much like mercenaries or assassins, to capture specific targets, usually to bring the target back to face trial or punishment. Because of the business Slavers usually have respect for one another, and understand the benefits of creating trade caravans with others, but every business comes with rivals and back-stabbing scoundrels, which causes cliques among the varying groups of Slavers in the world.

NPC Reactions: NPCs will react in different ways depending on their personal view of the Slavers' Business. Some believe that buying and selling living cargo is wrong and unethical, while others understand it is a way of life. There are some regions and areas of the world that openly accept slavery, while some kingdoms outright ban the practice of buying and selling slaves. This is why Slavers tend to be cautious when entering into a new, unexplored area without first learning the rules and laws of the land.

Slaver Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Business), Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (History) or any skill dealing with Business or Slavery can research Slavers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Business), Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (History)

DC	Result
5	The slave trade often operates in the region, it is widely accepted and practiced.
10	A particular caravan often travels along a specific route between known cities, and they only deal in slaves that aren't taken by force.
15	A group known as the Silver Eye Guild is a Slaver guild in the city of Aristra, they are employed by the Senate of the city to seek out and capture those who oppose the Senate.
20	There is a strict Slaver in town by the name of Oruk “The Swift” and he has an Educated Captive named Ertria who is highly skilled in the art of healing. They can be found near the docks, and Oruk is quite fond of poets and might be persuaded to allow Ertria to heal the party if he were entertained properly.

Slavers in the Game

Slavers are a combination between business-oriented and combat-oriented in the game. They know how to properly conduct business, and have no qualms about defending what they own, even if it means fighting until their last breath. People wishing to play a Slaver needs to understand that their choice comes with risk as well. Taking people against their will is often frowned upon in any civilization, despite being understood and accepted by those in the Slaver community. Also, the DM and the Player need to sit down and discuss the value and price of various different types of slaves. An old feeble man for a slave, is generally worth far less than a beautiful young woman. Plus, a slave taken against their will is more willing to try to escape than a slave who volunteered to get captured.

Adaptation: Slavers can be played in various ways. They can be played as brutal, barbaric, and egotistical characters, who enjoy the suffering of others, or they can be honorable and refuse to make someone into a slave against their will. Some Slavers enslave people and treat them with a “because I can” attitude, while there are a few who approach the idea of owning and selling slaves as a true business; setting up shops and treating their slaves like prized cattle.

Sample Encounter: <-DM placement for NPCs of this class.->.

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Parasite God 17:53, 10 December 2012 (MST)

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