Rogue, Dilettante

Amongst the nobility, some young scions grow weary of days spent with tutors poring over musty tomes, nights of parties and balls where tedious rules of etiquette and social expectations squash out any chance of excitement, and a life filled with mind-numbing combination of duty, leisure, and safety. Some of these bored young nobles strike out on a life of adventure, seeking excitement, fame, and unique experiences denied to them by the duties to their families and society.

Adventuring: Many dilettantes become adventurers to help ease the boredom of their existence. Many spend a few years outside of the noble fold, learning their way about civilisation and quickly growing as bored with it as they were back home. While at first glance a dilettante might appear to be as useful as a rubber sword, their wide range of experiences and often obscure, but useful, skills help adventurers deal with unexpected circumstances. As a class, rogues are known for their flexibility, and dilettantes stand as the pinnacle of the rogue’s capability to master any and all skills.

Role-Playing: Many dilettantes come from wealthy noble houses where they are either not in line for a leadership position or are too young to be trusted with critical duties. These dilettantes are stuffy, snobbish, and spoiled, prone to approach adventures like a tourist out for an exciting time. Others are simply wanderers that grew discontent with their daily routine and crave new experiences. More serious-minded races, especially dwarves with their rigid view on vocations and responsibility, see dilettantes as lazy brats. While some dilettantes live up to that view, many are resourceful, clever, and brave. Dilettantes might have a taste for the finer things in life, but they are willing to endure hardships and danger for an exhilarating venture.

Bonuses: Dilettantes master a wide range of abilities. Their education and background grants them access to a far wider range of skills than those normally available to the rogue class. The dilettante chooses two skills not on the rogue class list as class skills. These skills may not be exclusive skills.

Penalties: The dilettante’s upbringing has its drawbacks. His esoteric knowledge comes at the cost of talents and skills normally available to rogues from lesser backgrounds. The dilettante must choose one of the following skills: Disable Device, Innuendo, Intimidate, and Pick Pocket. This skill counts as a cross-class skill. In addition, the dilettante must spend at least one skill rank per level in one of the two skills he chose to count as class skills. The dilettante enjoys dabbling in skills and maintains his talent with them.