Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Sub-Classes: Any
• Ability Requirements: Leadership 12
• Alignments: Non-Chaotic
• Starting Cash: By class

Weapon Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Required Weapon Proficiencies: One small weapon
• Allowed Weapons: By class
• Allowed Armors: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class, plus Social
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Awareness, Bureaucracy, Etiquette, Heraldry
• Required Proficiencies: Modern Languages (any two)¹
• Recommended Proficiencies: Ancient History, Appraising, Artistic Ability, Dancing, Debate, Disguise, Fast Talking, Gaming, Heraldry, Land-based Riding, Law, Literacy, Local History, Mediation, Modern Languages, Musical Instrument, Persuasion, Oratory, Reading Lips, Sign Language, Singing
• Forbidden Proficiencies: none

¹ These must be purchased in addition to any bonus languages the diplomat receives as a result of his race.

Overview: A diplomat serves as an official representative of his government in other countries. Though he uses force when necessary to achieve his goals, he prefers compromise to hostility. They act as middlemen, translators, and spokesmen. They must rely on their wits to smooth the way, particularly when negotiations sour.

While most diplomats honestly desire to serve their countries, some are flatterers and yes-men who gravitate towards wealth and power. These diplomats constantly scheme to advance their own position through their association with the right people. Their life is a constant climb through the social ranks as they seek more influence and wealth than they currently enjoy. In some cases, the boldest and most daring of diplomats hope to win a rich inheritance, a marriage into wealth, or even a noble title in court. It is a dangerous game, and even the slightest misstep can spell ostracism or even death.

Description: Diplomats typically dress in the fashion of the nobles of whatever region they are visiting. They usually have a variety of fine clothes for various situations. When operating in an official capacity, they always wear some symbol of their government or patron-typically something small such as a medal or sash, but sometimes full ceremonial robe, uniform, or other regalia.

Role-Playing: A diplomat’s job is to moderate disputes and attempt to keep the peace between two nations. His duties range from the routine to the life-threatening. One month, he may be asked to deliver a banquet invitation to a friendly monarch. The next, he may be required to open hostage negotiations with a tribe of cannibals. He represents his country in treaty discussions, files reports about foreign military activities, and ventures into unexplored territories to scout for new trade routes. Although a diplomat rarely has the authority to make decisions on his own, his superiors take his recommendations seriously. In an adventuring party, the diplomat will be the individual to call upon to parley with enemies, and her other skills make her just as valuable an asset when negotiations fail. Most importantly, the diplomat knows people in high places, and he can often pull strings through his current contacts to free people from prison, finance risky mercantile ventures, or make introductions.

The diplomat prides himself on his sensible, practical approach to problems. He is thoughtful, analytical, and appeasing, the logical choice for negotiator in an adventuring party. He is the voice of reason, hesitant to engage in drawn-out, bloody wars before exploring less extreme options. Rather than engaging an evil regime on the battlefield, a diplomat prefers to work behind the scenes, perhaps engineering a political revolution or quietly dispatching the tyrannical leaders.

Special Abilities:

• A master of persuasion, a diplomat receives a +2 modifier on reaction rolls from all NPCs. This increases to +4 when dealing with leaders and politicians, due to his experience in dealings with them.
• A diplomat enjoys all of the following privileges in any country with which his government has established diplomatic relations:
  • The host country must provide food and shelter for the diplomat as long as necessary for him to complete official business. The host country is not required to extend this privilege to any of the diplomat’s companions other than his immediate family, though many host countries will do so as a matter of courtesy. If the diplomat is merely passing through the host country and has no official business there, the host country is not obliged to provide food and shelter; but again, many will do so out of courtesy.
  • The host country must guarantee the diplomat’s safety in time of war, or provide a military escort to return the diplomat to his homeland.
  • The diplomat is usually immune to arrest and prosecution. However, should the diplomat commit a crime, he may be asked to leave the host country. In extreme situations, the host country may sever diplomatic ties with the diplomat’s homeland, likely resulting in dire consequences for the diplomat when he reports to his unhappy superiors.
  • The diplomat may not be taxed by the host country, regardless of how long he stays.
  • The diplomat has complete freedom to practice his religion.
  • Officials of the host country may not demand to see the diplomat’s private correspondence with his homeland.
• The diplomat has access to people in positions of power, both at home and abroad. The character has a number of contacts equal to his level. The diplomat can call on favors from these contacts. Obviously, the contact must be in a position to help. Asking a merchant to free someone from prison is useless, and asking a the ruler of Hillsfar to protect a wizard is equally futile. Each time the diplomat calls for a favor, roll a NPC reaction check. The diplomat gains a +1 bonus per three levels on the check (round down). On a “friendly” result, the NPC grants the favor (within the limits of his power and influence). If he asks for more than one favor per 100 days from a given contact, each subsequent check suffers a cumulative -2 penalty.

Special Disadvantages:

• The diplomat generally goes unarmored and carries only a dagger or other small weapon as he makes his rounds of the nobility. If he attends a party in full armor or visits a royal court while armed to the teeth, he suffers a -4 reaction penalty.
• The diplomat wears armor only in the most obvious of circumstances—accompanying a patron to war, dueling, or carrying a message through a dangerous area. Even in adventuring, the diplomat rarely brings his armor unless a fight is very likely. Because he is unused to the tactics and weight of wearing armor, the AC bonus granted by a suit of armor is one less than normal when worn by a diplomat (thus leather armor only grants a +1 bonus to a diplomat’s AC).
• A diplomat spends less time practicing weapons than he does learning other skills. He receives the normal number of weapon proficiencies at 1st level, but receives no additional proficiencies as he advances.
• A diplomat’s position and responsibilities often puts his life at risk. He makes a tempting target for assassins and kidnappers from rival governments, and a likely hostage in times of war. Even the most innocuous insult or slightest breach of protocol may be considered a grievous offense, punishable by both the affronted government and the diplomat’s own superiors. As a gesture of good faith, an diplomat may be required to enter a hostile village alone and unarmed. Rather than eliminate an evil NPC, a diplomat may be asked to arrest him unharmed, then return him to the proper authorities for prosecution.

---

Return to Universal Kits