D&Dtools1

Bodyguards to nobles on safari, shepherds to spelunking university professors, and the real-life heroes of chronicle serials across Khorvaire, thunder guides provide the strong blades, keen senses, and local knowledge necessary to survive a trip across the Thunder Sea.

Requirements

Class Features

Speak Language: At 1st level and at every third level thereafter, you learn to speak a new language from the following list: Aquan, Argon, Celestial, Elven, Draconic, Drow, Giant, Sahuagin, Undercommon.

Thunder Lore: At every even-numbered class level, you learn a secret from your contacts among the civilizations of the Thunder Sea. You can pick one ability from the following list.

Aereni Crystalmancy (Sp): With an Irian crystal as a focus, you can use false life (as the spell, page 229 of the Player's Handbook) once per day as a spell-like ability (CL 3rd). There is a 15% chance that the crystal shatters when using this ability.

Breath of Shargon (Ex): You can hold your breath for 1 minute per point of Constitution. After this period of time, you must make Constitution checks normally to continue holding your breath (see Water Dangers, page 304 of the Dungeon Master's Guide).

Dragonsong (Ex): Once only (and even then but far away), you have heard the dragons wake the hills of Argonnessen with song. Having been witness to the tragic glory of dragonsong, you are immune to the charms of lesser songs (the captivating song of harpies, the fascinate and suggestion spell-like abilities of a bard, and so on). As well, you gain a +4 insight bonus on saving throws made to resist any other charm effect.

Eye of the Chamber (Ex): The draconic agents of the Chamber have taught you insight in combat. When you study one opponent as a standard action, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls against that opponent. If you go an hour without attacking the opponent, you lose the bonus, and must study that opponent again as a standard action in order to regain it.

Ghost of Xen'drik: In any jungle environment, you gain a +4 competence bonus on Hide, Move Silently, and Survival checks.

Malenti Pearl Trick (Sp): With a pearl of at least 100 gp value as a focus, you can use charm person as a spell-like ability once per day (CL 3rd).

Pandin Temn (Ex): You have trained at the side of drow to become a pandin temn, a scourge of giants. You gain a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class and a +1 bonus on attack rolls when fi ghting any creature that is Large or larger.

Savage of the Mists (Sp): Inspired by the high cloud forests of coastal Xen'drik, you can use obscuring mist once per day as a spell-like ability (CL 3rd). As well, when fi ghting in any mist or fog thick enough to grant concealment, you gain a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls.

Savage of the Storm (Su): From the storm giant degenerates of deep Xen'drik, you have learned the secrets of brutality. Once per day, you can gain a +2 bonus to Strength for 1 minute. Activating this ability is a fullround action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Seren Hide (Ex): Your skin becomes rough like the hide of the Seren jungle beasts. You gain a +1 natural armor bonus.

Vicious Barbarism (Ex): The cruelty of the Seren barbarians informs your fi ghting. Any time one of your melee attacks reduces an opponent to less than 1 hit point per Hit Die she possesses, you instinctively go for the kill. Roll 1d4 +1 per three thunder guide levels. If this result exceeds the target's remaining hit points, the target takes that much extra damage.

Xen'drik Boomerang Expert: You gain the Exotic Weapon Profi ciency (Xen'drik boomerang) feat. As well, when you throw a Xen'drik boomerang, its range increment increases to 30 feet and you never fail your attack roll to catch a returning Xen'drik boomerang.

Native Ties: At 3rd level and every three levels thereafter, you bond with the natives of a particular region whose language you speak. Each time you gain this ability, you choose a new culture and gain a +2 competence bonus on Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Sense Motive checks made with members of that culture. In addition, you gain a culture-specifi c benefi t as follows.

Drow of Xen'drik: You forge ties with a family of drow living within 50 miles of the Thunder Sea coast (you designate your drow family's specifi c location). When you visit, your adoptive dark elf brothers furnish you with up to two of any of the following: vials of antitoxin, glyphbooks, fl asks of acidic fi re, Mabar crystals, and noxious smokesticks. If you make a DC 15 Diplomacy check, you can also have any one of the following spells cast for you: dispel magic, remove curse, or remove disease (all CL 5th). Other spells might be available at the DM's discretion.

Elves of Pylas Talaear: Syraen Melideth, governor of Pylas Talaear, knows of you and welcomes the commerce you bring to the city. You are afforded free accommodation in the elven port, and the governor subsidizes half the cost of any House Lyrandar airship or galleon trip you make to or from Pylas Talaear. As well, if you succeed on a DC 15 Charisma check, your connections in the necromantic markets of the foreign quarter allow you to purchase kieros leaves and covadish leaves at half price.

Elves of the Northern Steppes: The Tairnadal recognize you as one of their own. When you are in the northern plains of Aerenal, you can purchase steeds whose bloodlines trace back to the Age of Giants in Xen'drik. These Tairnadal steeds are identical to Valenar riding horses save for their Strength and Dexterity scores, which are both 16. All Tairnadal steeds are trained for war. Each magnifi cent animal costs 1,200 gp.

Sahuagin of Shargon's Teeth: You have right of passage through Shargon's Teeth. If sahuagin raiders attack your ship on its way across the Thunder Sea to Xen'drik or elsewhere, you can present yourself and make a DC 20 Diplomacy check to raise the Sahugin's attitude from hostile to unfriendly (though you gain no such benefi t with other sea creatures). Additionally, you can hire mercenaries from the aquatic races of the area, including sahuagin, merrow (aquatic ogres), scrags (aquatic trolls), and locathah. Aquatic mercenaries work anywhere in the greater Thunder Sea, but do not take their dangerous work lightly, hiring on for no less than 70 gp each per day.

Seren Barbarians: You can trade with the Seren barbarians as if you bore a dragonmark. When in a Seren village, you can make a DC 15 Diplomacy check with the village's Shroud of Scales (see page 98) to purchase up to two potions (2nd-level or lower) at half the normal price. As well, with a successful DC 20 Diplomacy check, you can purchase one Quaal's feather token at half the normal price.

Storm Giants of Xen'drik: Lurking in the crumbling ruins of their ancient cities, some giants in Xen'drik cling to the great deeds of the past. When you visit the ruins of one such giant you have befriended (at a location you designate within 50 miles of the Thunder Sea coast), the giant will conduct arcane research at your request in decrepit libraries dating to the Cor'dran and Eshtarn empires. Determine the results of such research (and the time required) as if the giant were casting a legend lore spell.

Stormreach Irregulars: You are a hero to the street children of Stormreach, gaining a +4 circumstance bonus on Gather Information checks and a +2 circumstance bonus on Sleight of Hand checks made within the city. As well, you treat the city as a large town for the purpose of determining Urban Tracking check DCs and the number of checks required to track down your quarry.

Lionized in the Press: Starting at 5th level, the Korranberg Chronicle, the Breland Ledger, the Aundairian Scroll, and other news chronicle sheets breathlessly recount your adventures across the Thunder Sea. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks when dealing with members of the press, nobility, and dragonmarked houses in Khorvaire. When at the University of Wynarn, Morgrave University, or the Korranberg Library, you can present a lecture, earning 200 gp for your appearance with a successful DC 10 Perform (oratory) check. You can make no more than one such speech per month.

Rescue Artist: From 6th level, you are exceptionally skilled at extracting others from diffi cult situations. You automatically succeed on Climb check attempts made to catch a falling character (see page 69 of the Player's Handbook). You also gain a +4 competence bonus on all Strength-based skill checks made when carrying or supporting another person. This applies, for example, to Climb checks made to swing on a rope while holding another person, to Jump checks made to dismount from a swinging rope with another person in your grasp, and to Swim checks made while supporting a foundering swimmer.

When using the Ride skill, you can make a DC 15 Ride check to lift a willing person into the saddle. This is a special standard action that can occur in the middle of your move action. For example, a thunder guide on a Valenar riding horse could move 30 feet, swing the king's daughter up into his saddle, and then continue moving another 50 feet, with the total distance moved in the round not exceeding the mount's speed.

Serial Hero: At 8th level, famed Korranberg Chronicle reporter Kole Naerrin writes a serialized account of your adventures appearing over the course of thirteen weeks. You earn 1,000 gp per point of your Charisma bonus for the rights to your story (minimum 1,000 gp).

Society Peer: At 10th level, aristocrats and the dragonmarked houses hail you as the defender of civilization in the Thunder Sea regions, and as a champion of the ancient honor of Galifar. You are entitled to use the prefi x "Lord" in Aundair, Breland, Karrnath, and Thrane. Your circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks when dealing with nobility and members of the dragonmarked houses increases to +3. House Lyrandar and House Orien grant you unrestricted traveling privileges at no cost on their lines, counting on the publicity of your endorsement to offset the cost of your fare.

Advancement

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	Speak language
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0	Thunder lore
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+1	Native ties
4th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Speak language, thunder lore
5th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Lionized in the press
6th	+4	+5	+2	+2	Native ties, rescue artist, thunder lore
7th	+5	+5	+2	+2	Speak language
8th	+6	+6	+2	+2	Serial hero, thunder lore
9th	+6	+6	+3	+3	Native ties
10th	+7	+7	+3	+3	Society peer, speak language, thunder lore