SPELLFILCHER

This mage/thief is adept at breaking into wizard's domiciles to purloin magical goods, particularly spellbooks and rare spell components. Through a strange inner talent, the spellfilcher has an amazing ability.

· Role. When there is a magical trap to be disarmed or magical treasure to be gotten, the Spellfilcher is the one to do it. Trained from her early years, the Spellfilcher uses an innate magical ability to locate and disarm traps that would victimize another.

· Secondary Skills. Jeweler, Scribe.

· Weapon Proficiencies. Bonus: None. Recommended: Short bow, dagger, darts, short sword.

· Bonus Nonweapon Proficiencies. Appraising, Spellcraft, Tightrope Walking.

· Recommended Nonweapon Proficiencies. Disguise, Gaming, Gem Cutting, Jumping, Rope Use, Tumbling.

· Equipment. The Spellfilcher always carries at least a minimal set of lockpicks and usually a full housebreaker's harness.

· Distinctive Appearance. Spellfilchers, by their very nature, do not want a distinctive appearance. They go out of their way to make themselves look like average elves, deliberately ridding themselves of any identifying habits.

· Special Benefits. The Spellfilcher is a special breed, selected from birth to be a mage/thief because of an exceptional inborn talent. This talent, which can only be nurtured by the Spellfilcher Guilds, allows the Spellfilcher to detect magic once per day, per experience level. Infant elves are tested for their latent sensitivity to magic, something which only the masters of the Spellfilching Guilds can determine. If the infant shows promise, she is taken from her parents (with their permission) and the talent is nurtured into a usable skill.

The Spellfilcher learns to identify and circumvent magical traps. Although they cannot remove these traps without a dispel magic spell or similar item, they can often get around them long enough to remove the items these wards were protecting. Thus, Spellfilchers gain a +5% chance to Find/Remove Traps of a magical nature. This chance increases by +5% every four levels. They do not actually remove the traps but disarm them for 1d4 rounds, +1 round per three levels, which should be enough for them to retrieve the item they seek.

· Special Hindrances. The Spellfilcher's first loyalty must always be to her guild. The guild demands total compliance with its rules, for it serves the elf race in its own way and demands that its members do so as well. Unfortunately, this service occasionally requires that the Spellfilcher be called away from whatever she may wish to do. If the Spellfilcher fails to heed the call, the wrath of the powerful guild descends upon her head.

The Spellfilcher's Guild will not, on the other hand, call a Spellfilcher away from a mission of dire importance to the elf race or a mission that the Spellfilcher claims is of extreme importance. Since Spellfilchers operate on an honor system, they trust her. If, however, too many excuses keep her from her duties, the Guild has a right to demand cooperation and will not tolerate excuses.

To help keep discipline, the Spellfilcher must ask permission of the guildmaster before leaving on adventures. Depending on the Spellfilcher's past record and loyalty to the guild, the guildmaster may agree or disagree.

The Spellfilcher character has a hard time dealing with non-elf mages. Once they discover who she is and what she does for a living, they simply do not trust her near their precious spellbooks and valued items. Elf mages trust Spellfilchers, for they know that the Spellfilcher does it for the good of the race and would not harm an elf wizard. Other wizards, however, are not so sure of this. For this reason, Spellfilchers take great pains to disguise themselves and their intentions.

Spellfilchers also take great pains to disguise themselves because they are hunted by both vengeful wizards and greedy thieves. The wizards desire the return of their property and perhaps revenge on the one audacious enough to steal from them.

Conniving thieves wish to find a Spellfilcher to either recruit her into their guild or to get her to work for them. Failing that, they want to discover the secret to the Spellfilcher's success and to exploit that secret. They will not accept the fact that hers is an inborn talent. Thieves can make a Spellfilcher's life chaos if she is discovered by their guild.

· Wealth Options. Spellfilchers receive 30 to 90 (2d4+1x10) gp, which can be spent as the Spellfilcher desires. There are no limits, but it is suggested that they purchase thieves' tools.

· Suggested Elven Subraces. Aquatic elf, drow, grey elf, high elf.

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