Minrothad Merchant-Prince
by Troy TerrellAn updated version of this class is included in Issue 3 of Threshold, the Mystara fanzine.
“Flamboyant fellows they are, all puffed up with themselves. So they can conjure elementals. So can any Glantri lord worth the name! But Minrothaddans regard them as nobility for their spell casting as much as their money. Hmm…. Perhaps they’re learning something from us after all.” --Vinciento de Belcadiz, Glantri Ambassador to Minrothad. [GAZ9, The Minrothad Guilds]
In the island nation of Minrothad, there is a long tradition of magic used aboard ship to aid in seafaring. Since most elvish captains knew a little sea or weather magic, the combination of merchant skill and spell casting became identified as one in the person of the Merchant-Prince of Minrothad.
Rogues and rangers with experience in professions and crafts associated with seafaring and trade make the best Merchant-Princes. Bards, druids, and wizards can also attain the necessary skills, but are more often employed in support roles to established Merchant-Princes; as are clerics of ocean deities.
NPC Merchant-Princes are often the most elite of experts in fields associated with seafaring and trading, master navigators and master craftsmen. Only a few are admitted to the exclusive academy which trains its students in the arts of sea and air magic.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
Skills: Appraise 5 ranks, Bluff 5 ranks or Diplomacy 5 ranks, Profession (sailor) 7 ranks
Feats: Leadership
Nation: The character must either hail from one of the islands of Minrothad or must have worked aboard a Minrothad merchant vessel for at least two years.
Special: The character must apply to and be admitted to the prestigious Minrothad Merchant Academy.
Class Skills
The merchant-prince’s class skills are Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
THE MINROTHAD MERCHANT-PRINCE
| Class Level | Base Att | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells per Day | ||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Water Focus +1, Resourceful Trader | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Air Focus +1, Weather Sense +1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Wind at your back | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Weather Sense +2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Bonus feat | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Water Focus +2, Weather Sense +3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Air Focus +2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - |
| 8th | +6 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Weather Sense +4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 9th | +6 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Bonus feat | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 10th | +7 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Weather Sense +5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Merchant-Princes gain no weapon or armor proficiencies.
Spells per day: A merchant-prince prepares and casts arcane spells according to the table. To cast a spell, he must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell’s level. Bonus spells are based on Charisma, and saves against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the merchant-prince’s Charisma modifier. When he gets 0 spells of a given level, he gets only bonus spells. A merchant-prince has access to any spell on the list (below) and can freely choose which to prepare.
Water Focus: At first level and higher, a Minrothad Prince casts all spells with the ‘water’ descriptor, including those modified to be such, at +1 caster level. At sixth level and higher, he casts them at +2 caster levels. Any save DCs increase by the same amount, +1 at first level, +2 at sixth.
Resourceful Trader: At 1st level, a Minrothad Merchant-Prince’s growing list of business contacts and specialized dealers allow him to treat any community as one size larger for purposes of the maximum price item that can be bought or sold.
Air Focus: At second level and higher, a Minrothad Prince casts all spells with the ‘air’ descriptor, including those modified to be such, at +1 caster level. At seventh level and higher, he casts them at +2 caster levels. Any save DCs increase by the same amount, +1 at second, +2 at seventh.
Weather Sense: At second level a Minrothad Prince’s connection to the forces of air and water provide additional insight into weather patterns. When on the ocean or within eight miles of an ocean or large lake (at least 50 square miles in area), he gains a +1 bonus to all Survival and Knowledge (nature) checks involving weather prediction or phenomena. This bonus increases by +1 each even level attained.
Wind at your back: At third level, any ship commanded by a Minrothad Prince moves at one mile per hour faster than normal.
Bonus feat: At 5th and 9th level, a Minrothad Prince may select a feat from the following list: Acrobatic, Athletic, Charlatan, Diligent, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator, Persuasive, Sea Legs, Ship’s Mage, Trustworthy, any Meta-magic. He must still meet all requirements for whatever feat he selects.