Base Requirements

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

Weapon Proficiencies

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

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class, plus Craft
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Administration, City Familiarity, Information Gathering, Literacy
• Required Proficiencies: Any One Craft (associated with their guild)¹
• Recommended Proficiencies: Alertness, Ancient History, Appraising, Astrology, Bureaucracy, City Familiarity, Debate, Disguise, Etiquette, Fast-Talking, Forgery, Gaming, Healing, Heraldry, Intrigue, Intimidation, Law, Modern Languages, Reading Lips, Religion, Sign Language, Somatic Concealment, Spellcraft, Teaching, Trailing, Underclass, Ventriloquism
• Forbidden Proficiencies: none

¹ For trade guilds this is obvious-one cannot join a blacksmith’s guild without having the Blacksmithing proficiency. For non-trade guilds the player and DM should decide on a skill appropriate to the guild type (locksmithing or gem cutting for a thieves’ guild, armorer or bowyer/fletcher for a mercenary company, bookbinding for a monastery, etc).

Overview: The guilder works for a specific organization (usually a trade guild or adventurer’s guild of some kind), and is charged with managing the organizations resources, maintaining control of the organization’s territory, or other administrative tasks. Guilders maintain complex systems of contacts and use whatever tools are necessary to get their job done. One thing is always true with guilders, they are not used to operating alone. It is certainly possible for characters other than guilders to join a guild and gain similar benefits. This kit represents characters who begin their careers as long-time guild members in a mid-level management position.

Thieves’ guilds in particular tend to employ large numbers of guilders in managing their criminal territory. These thief guilders know all their goes on in their territory and control all illegal activities within them. More militant guilders often find employment keeping their guild’s territory free of monsters, guarding against spies and trespassers, and seeing to the welfare of the guild’s population.

Though traditionally associated with Thieves’ Guilds, the guilder’s organizational skills are a boon to any group he may join, whether that is a temple, wizard’s college, mercenary company, trade or craft guild, or adventuring party.

Description: Guilders always wear some sign to identify their affiliation. This may be as simple as carrying a specific tool (such as a trowel or compass for a mason) to as elaborate as complex, full-body tattoos (as in the Yakuza). Regardless of the nature of the sign, it always allows members of similar guilds to identify the guilders rank, abilities, and organizational ties.

Role-Playing: Every guilder belongs to a guild or organization of some kind. The player of a guilder is encouraged to work with the DM to define the guild to which his character belongs. The guild becomes the guilder’s second family, and a guilder is expected to treat all guild members with the same respect as accorded to natural family members.

Most guilds, whether trade guilds, criminal organization, or adventuring schools, work within and control a specific district. The bigger the guild, the larger the area the guild controls. Guilds tend to be very protective of their turf, which is the very source of its power and income. Within cities, secret wars are often waged between various craft guilds or thieves’ guilds as they try to protect or usurp a business within a particular district of the city.

Advancing the agenda of his guild is second only to his own survival in a guilder’s mind. Different guilds each vary in their organization, wealth, strength, and aggressiveness; some are so powerful that they openly control the government in a city (such as the Night Masks in Westgate), and others have been decimated by the actions of rival groups. Power for guilders is rarely measured in terms of character level. Instead, it is a matter of the breadth of the guilder’s network and the reliability of his contacts. Of course, to acquire or retain an extensive network, a guilder needs much cunning and experience—which may coincidentally result in a high character level.

In most societies, members of trade guilds occupy positions of modest status, comparable to those of other mid-level bureaucrats or well-to-do merchants. A guilder serves his organization with the loyalty of a good soldier. He tends to be fastidious in his behavior and strictly abides by any rules or guide-lines layed down by the leaders of his guild, which also makes him a bit inflexible. To most guilders, rules are rules, and there’s not much middle ground.

Occasionally a guilder may seek out a party to help with a particularly difficult task, such as ridding his territory of a dangerous monster or making an assault on a rival guild. Depending on the circumstances, a guilder may journey anywhere in the world; he is not bound to remain in his guild’s territory. However, a guilder will not undertake any adventure without direct orders from, or with the express permission of his guild leader.

A guilder’s loyalties lie primarily with his guild, not with his companions, and this can create stress for party members who insist on comradeship. Nevertheless, a guilder’s dedication and professionalism can only enhance a party’s effectiveness. Many comply unwaveringly with orders from the party leader, offer pointed advice when needed, and fight courageously on the battlefield.

Special Abilities:

• As a benefit of their constant dealings with all sorts of people, guilders can sense and anticipate an opponent’s offensive moves for a short time. This lets the guilder position himself to minimize the damage from an attack by sidestepping at the last instant or partially blocking an attack. Although this maneuver doesn’t stop the attack, it does reduce the amount of damage the guilder suffers by one-half (round fractions up). The guilder must announce that he is performing this maneuver immediately after an opponent’s successful attack roll. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to the guilder’s level.
• Stipend: A guilder in good standing with his guild receives a monthly stipend commensurate with his responsibilities and experience. Guilder salaries average 30 gp per month, plus a monthly bonus of 10 gp times the guilder’s level.
• Expenses: When undertaking an expedition on behalf of his guild, the guilder may receive a small stipend to cover his expenses. A typical stipend ranges from 100-500 gp, depending on the length of the expedition, the level of the guilder, and the generosity of the guild’s leaders. The guilder may spend these funds only on goods and services directly relating to the success of the expedition.
• Annual Boon: Once per year, the guilder may ask his guild for a boon. It is traditional that this be granted insofar as the resources of the guild (and the judgement of the DM) allow, although exceptionally greedy or ill-considered requests will reflect badly upon the guilder.
• The Guilder has a network of information gatherers and accomplices in place through which he can arrange for safe houses or similar assistance when in territory controlled by his guild. No matter how much trouble he is in, the guilder can hide for up to three days with no possibility of enemy forces finding him. For each day after the third that he holes up, there is a 10% chance that the character’s whereabouts are discovered. To effectively hide, a character must not leave his haven or attempt to contact anyone outside of his shelter. Doing so increases the chance of his being spotted to 50% per day. The character can include one companion per three levels in his hiding place.
  Instead of holing up, the character can leave the territory. Arranging transport requires 1d3 days, during which the character hides (as above); then the guilder may be smuggled out of the guild’s territory. There is a base 80% chance of success, but the DM may modify this for the intensity of the search and other similar factors.
• A guild wizard enjoys access to the spells and research of other wizards. He has tutors available to instruct him when he advances in level, he can obtain spell components, and he can pass along his own findings to other wizards in need. Every time a Guilder wizard (including spellcasting rogues) gains a level, he may automatically add one new spell to his spellbook, without the need to make a “chance to learn spells” roll.
• Guilders earn a lot of respect from those in their home territory. Unless a character belongs to an opposing organization, he will usually tr to court the Guilder’s favor for business reasons. Guilders receive a bonus of +3 on all NPC reactions against characters from their guild’s territory.
• A guilder that reaches sufficient level to attract followers may establish his own guild. In such a case, the player and DM should review the rules regarding Thieves’ Guilds in the Complete Thief’s Handbook, regardless of the type of guild. The guilder’s followers make up the initial members of his guild, but he attracts additional guild members (treat as bonus followers) at the rate indicated under the guild rules.

Special Disadvantages:

• The guilder must honor any reasonable requests for assistance by his fellow guild members.
• A guilder is held fully accountable for any actions that may reflect badly on his guild. Should the guilder break the law, insult a noble, or otherwise behave improperly, his guild will demand an explanation. An unsatisfactory explanation will result in a reprimand at best, and termination of his job at worst.
• If a guilder receives expenses (as detailed in his Special Benefits), he must make a full accounting of his expenditures and return any excess funds at the conclusion of his expedition. Should a discrepancy be discovered, the guilder may be fined (or suffer some other worse fate appropriate to the nature of the organization). If he’s been given special equipment instead of or in addition to expenses, all items must be returned in good condition. Otherwise, money may be deducted from the guilder’s stipend to replace them, or the guild may confiscate an equivalent amount of the guilder’s goods.
• A guilder is always subject to orders from his guild leaders. Some orders are critical, others trivial, but all must be followed in order for the guilder to remain in good standing. Failure to comply with an order may result in a variety of penalties, ranging from fines to termination of employment.
  A guild leader may require the guilder to carry out a special order in conjunction with his primary assignment, or a guilder may receive burdensome duties as part of his regular job. In all cases, the DM decides when the overlord makes a special demand, the type of demand, and the penalties for violation.
• Guilders suffer a -4 penalty on NPC reactions when dealing with members of opposing guilds if their identity is known.

Note: A guilder that is not currently associated with an organization gains none of the special abilities or disadvantages of this kit. A guilder that establishes his own guild is accountable only to himself and suffers few of the disadvantages of this kit, but may have additional administrative headaches…

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