Tales of the Jewel

Soldier of the City Guard (Warrior)

The most enduring institution of the Jewel, the City Guard has served the Caliph since its inception. A purely volunteer organization for most of its history, the City Guard forms the core of the Jewel's standing army as well as policing the streets. The City Guard is also the only organization that is allowed to carry swords and heavy weapons legally. Since all it takes to join the Guard is volunteering two days of the week, many organizations such as the Houses of Dahab and the Ebonites enroll their warriors in the City Guard to allow them the privilege of carrying weapons. This list of technique represents the training given to Guardsmen with no other affiliation.

Trait: +1 Reflexes
Integrity: 5.5
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Lore: Law, Investigation (Search), Spears, Swordsmanship, Any one Skill
Outfit: Longsword, shortsword, composite bow, 20 arrows, light armor, clothes, traveling pack, boots, 3 copper

Techniques

Rank 1: Trained For War
Add your Class Rank to rolls that attempt to sway your mind from your duties (this includes Fear Rolls and many Contested Social Rolls such as Intimidation or Temptation). Subtract your Class Rank from your Wound penalties. When attacking using a Class Skill, if you spend a Void Point to enhance the roll, you gain a +2k1 bonus instead of the usual +1k1 bonus.

Rank 2: Strike With Fury
You receive a +1k0 bonus to Initiative Rolls. You receive a +1k0 bonus to Attack Rolls while in the Full Attack Stance.

Rank 3: Implacable Foe
Choose any one weapon skill you possess: you receive a free Emphasis of your choice in that skill. When attacking with a melee weapon for which you possess the relevant emphasis you may make attacks as a Simple Action.

Rank 4: Instrument of the Caliph
Add twice your Class Rank to rolls that attempt to sway your mind from your duties (this includes Fear Rolls and many Contested Social Rolls such as Intimidation or Temptation). When spending Void to reduce damage any remaining wounds incurred from that strike are not applied until the Reactions Stage of the current round.

Rank 5: The Sublime Warrior
You may spend a Void Point to negate all TN penalties for one round, including Wound penalties. When spending a Void Point to increase your Armor TN or to add to your Initiative score (see the book of Earth) the benefit is increased by 5.

Alley Thug (Warrior)

Technique Rank: 1
Benefit: +1 Strength
Integrity: 2.5
Skills: Brawling, Intimidation, Knives, Stealth, Underworld, any Two Skills
Outfit: Partial Armor, sturdy clothing, Knife, any one weapon, traveling pack, 2 Copper

Technique: Predator of the Alleys - Alley Thugs know to strike like the crocodile of the rivers, hitting hard and preventing their prey from escaping. When attempting the Knockdown Maneuver you gain +1k0 to the Attack Roll. Your penalties for fighting in poor visibility conditions and in areas of difficult terrain are halved, round down.

Scholar (Diplomat)

Technique Rank: 1
Benefit: +1 Intelligence
Integrity: 4.5
Skills: Calligraphy, Etiquette, Storytelling, Any four Lore Skills
Outfit: Sensible Clothing, knife, calligraphy set, Traveling Pack, 3 Copper

Technique: A Man of Knowledge - A man of knowledge knows how to use his knowledge in any situation to support himself. You gain a Free Raise on Lore Skill Rolls. You gain a bonus equal to the number of Lore Skills you possess to all Etiquette and Storytelling Rolls.

Street Rat (Diplomat or Warrior, pick at creation)

Technique Rank: 1
Benefit: +1 Agility
Integrity: 1.5
Skills: Athletics, Stealth, Slight of Hand, Lore: Underworld, Any 3 Skills
Outfit: Ragged clothing, knife, one small weapon, Traveling pack, 1 Copper

Technique: Master of the Streets - In Medinaat al-Salam, a thief lives and dies by his skills and his knowledge of his quarter of the city. You dd +1k0 to Sleight-of-Hand and Athletics Skill Rolls. Choose a quarter of Medinaat al-Salam; when in that quarter, you roll an additional +1k0 to Athletics, Stealth, and Lore: Underworld Skill Rolls.

Tomb Raider Guild (Diplomat)

The Tomb Raiders are an ancient organization that has been in existence for as long as Medinaat Al-Salaam has. The Tomb Raiders have no direct loyalty to any one nation or person and every nation or person of power has an interest in what the Tomb Raiders can dredge out of the sands.

Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Lore: Tombs 2

Technique: Add your Athletics skill rank to your Armor TN while you are in the Defense and Attack stances. You gain a +2k0 bonus to any roll to uncover a hidden object, place, or information.

The Thieves Guild (Warrior)

A shady group of cut-purses and vagabonds, the Thieves Guild is an organization that operates just outside the authority of the city and chooses to irritate those in charge by referring to themselves as a legitimate guild. The Thieves Guild is an ancient organization that has existed almost as long as the people of Medinaat Al-Salaam have had heavy purses that need lifting.

Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Sleight of Hand 2

Technique: When you are making an Agility/Sleight of Hand skill roll against a person your opponent suffers a -1k0 penalty to their roll for each City Influence Rank they have above yours, up to your Insight Rank.

Bodyguard Guild (Warrior)

This group of men and women is an organization that has existed in one form or another within the city for generations. They line their pockets with contracts to the wealthy to whom they put their lives on the line to protect. The Bodyguards do not often have any interest in the exact details of why a person needs protection, they simply offer good protection. For the right price.

Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Defense 2, Integrity 3.0 or higher

Technique: Your Water Ring is one rank higher when determining your movement rate while you are moving in someone's defense (approved by the GM). In addition you get a +1k0 bonus to damage rolls against an opponent who attacked the person you are guarding in the last two rounds.

Militiamen (Warrior)

The Militiamen are a group of irregulars who serve at the whim of the Sultan and Caliph in the defense of the city. Unlike the City Guard irregulars they have no duty to enforce the laws of Medinaat Al-Salaam. Their only duty is to protect the city in the remote occasion when it finds itself attacked by an outside force. For the most part this is a cushy job with no real danger.

Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Battle 3

Technique: You gain a bonus to your Armor TN equal to your Insight Rank. While you are in the attack stance you may spend a void point to give all of your allies in the attack stance within 10 feet this benefit as well. This effect does not stack.

Financier Guild (Diplomat)

In a city as large and as wealthy as Medinaat Al-Salaam, it is inevitable that there will be some people who have wealth but have no interest in keeping track of it themselves. The Financier's fit into this niche by assisting those who have no talent for finance keep track of their large sums of money. For the most part this group does not cheat their employers out of money. But skimming from the bottom of the fund does happen and the leaders of the group are generally more than happy to look the other way as long as they get a cut.

Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Commerce 3

Technique: After being given access to someone's financial records you may make an Intelligence/Commerce(Mathematics) roll against the person who's finances you are reading. If you succeed you get a +1k0 bonus to any social or commerce roll made against that person for the next 24 hours. Alternatively, you may make an Intelligence/Commerce (Mathematics) roll against a TN of 25. If you succeed, any time you are making a social or commerce roll on that person’s behalf you get a +1k0 bonus to your roll for the next 24 hours.

Fire Brigade (Warrior)

Fires are not immensely common in the Burning Sands, which is no small part due to the fact that many structures are not built of wood. But in the dry and hot environment, fires that do start can quickly blaze up and become a hazard. The Fire Brigade are the brave, and some would say suicidal, men and women who fight these flash fires and are often called upon to jump into the most hazardous of situations to save lives. The Fire Brigade knows no fear.

Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Athletics 2

Technique: You gain a +1k0 bonus to all rolls against Fear, Intimidation, and any roll in which you are resisting being frightened.