Rogue, Treasure Hunter

The treasure hunter, as the name implies, seeks out lost treasures to amass his own personal fortune.

The Quintessential Rogue
Author Michael Mearls
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2002

Not all treasure hunters are guilty, but a great number of them have quite an appreciation for gold, gems and jewellery. Treasure hunters risk life and limb for a shot at a fortune, dodging traps, evading monsters and slipping past guardians. What separates treasure hunters from other adventurers is their ability to identify valuable treasures and match the items they recover with collectors and other buyers willing to pay top prices for rare or unique pieces. Treasure hunters are often known as collectors for their tendency to accumulate large stores of bizarre items and other valuable trophies from their adventures.

Adventuring: Obviously, treasure hunters must adventure in order to track down the gold and items they lust after. Their unique skills benefit not only themselves but their fellow adventurers, as many groups that include a treasure hunter charge him with managing the valuable items and gems the group recovers from treasure hoards. Treasure hunters also excel at uncovering hidden treasures, mundane-looking artefacts that are in fact worth tremendous sums of money.

Role-Playing: While treasure hunters try to avoid slipping over to outright greed, most have seemingly one-track minds when it comes to gold and riches. They tend to obsess over the profit to be had from an expedition and offer argue over the costs incurred from an adventure. Some treasure hunters have been known to slip a few extra coins into their pouches while assessing the worth of the take from an adventure.

Treasure hunters like to flaunt their wealth, investing in creature comforts even when on the road, renting the most expensive room at an inn and spending lavish sums on food and drink. While some treasure hunters save their earnings like misers, most go through cash as fast as they earn it.

Bonuses: Treasure hunters have an excellent eye for assessing the worth of an object. They gain a +4 competence bonus to all Appraise checks. In addition, they have many contacts amongst nobles and collectors who pay top prices for unique and beautiful objects. The treasure hunter may sell any gems, jewels, or valuable items for an additional 5% of their listed price. Note that this only applies to unique items discovered on adventures. Anything bought on the open market does not gain this price increase, nor do simple gems or trade goods. The Games Master must specifically designate an item as unique enough to qualify for this bonus.

Penalties: While successful treasure hunters quickly pile up large sums of wealth, they also burn through cash at a disturbing rate. The treasure hunter always spends 10% above the listed value for all items he purchases.