Peasant Hero

The Quintessential Fighter
Author Matthew Sprange
Series The Quintessential Series
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2001

A peasant’s life is often brutal, famine-stricken and, above all, short. Far-flung villages must weather constant attacks from raiders and magical creatures, whilst those closer to civilisation are often kept under the heel of a noble lord who cares little for the welfare of his subjects. Once in a while, a hero will arise from the ranks of the underclass, daring to fight tremendous odds in the defense of his home, family and people. Though not necessarily a great warrior, the peasant hero has the love of the people on his side and possesses a great deal of bravery. However, such men and women are often identified by the ruling nobility as little more than troublemakers and so many are forced to become outlaws, despite their good hearts and tremendous wills.

Peasant hero NPCs are not very common, but they may be found in any peasant village that is far from the help of the city guard and has had to face more than its fair share of adversities. Whether fighting corrupt nobility or marauding humanoids, such peasant heroes are the champions of their people.

The Peasant Hero
Level	Base Attack	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1	+1	+2	+0	+0	peasant weapon
2	+2	+3	+0	+0	inspire commoners
3	+3	+3	+1	+1	harmless Bluff
4	+4	+4	+1	+1	improvise weapon
5	+5	+4	+1	+1	unconventional skill

Hit Die: d8

Requirements

To qualify to become a peasant hero, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +2 or =3 only
Alignment: Any non-Chaotic and non-Evil
Humble Commoner: Must have fought in defense of own village or hamlet.

Class Skills

The peasant hero’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Strength), Craft (Intelligence), Gather Information (Charisma), Handle Animal (Charisma), Profession (Intelligence), Ride (Dexterity), Sense Motive (Wisdom), Swim (Strength)

Skill points at each level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

Using the Peasant Hero Though any player may like to try their hand at the peasant hero prestige class, it is intended in the main for those characters who have gained levels in the commoner NPC class. As such, the Games Master may wish to reserve it purely for NPCs, though we can greatly recommend a player starting off as a commoner, and then moving onto the peasant hero when he meets the prerequisites.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the peasant hero prestige class.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: The officer of war is proficient in all simple weapons, but no armour or shield.

Peasant Weapon: Every time a peasant hero gains a new class level, he may select one of the following weapons: carpenter’s axe, Dagger, quarter staff, Scythe, shortspear, short sword, or war-rake. He gains a +1 competence bonus to all attack rolls made with this weapon

Inspire Commoners; At 2nd level, the peasant hero can readily grab the attention of his people and rally them to face a common enemy By spending an hour making rousing speeches in the villages square and making a successful Charisma check at DC 15, the peasant hero can call forward 4d10 able-bodied 1st level commoners who will willingly follow him into battle against a threat that endangers their entire village. They have no armour, are armed with shortspears and will follow the peasant hero for a single day before heading back to their homes.

Harmless Bluff: The peasant hero soon learns that many mighty warriors and warlords are all too ready to underestimate his abilities, or even dismiss him altogether. At 3rd level, the peasant hero may play on this prejudice before he attacks. He makes a Bluff check, opposed by his enemy’s Sense
Motive check, adding his class level as a bonus. If he wins, he will automatically catch his enemy as if he were flat-footed in the first round of combat.

Improvise Weapon: Driven by desperation in the midst of battle against powerful enemies, the peasant hero can use virtually any portable object as a weapon. The Games Master should adjudicate the damage and critical ranges of the improvised weapon, basing it on a club or great club, but the peasant hero counts as not only being proficient with the weapon, but having the Weapon Focus feat with it as well.

Unconventional Skill: At 5th level, the peasant hero becomes adept at using his weapon in an unconventional manner that confounds and confuses those with more formal weapons training. The peasant hero gains a +2 circumstance bonus to all attack and damage rolls made with one of his Peasant Weapons, as detailed above.