ACKS Apprentice Level Characters

Version 1 (to be updated with all core, Player’s Companion and bythisaxe.co classes)

Version 2 posted 20 September 2013

In this post, I thought I would share my rules as they develop for “apprentice” level (or level 0) characters. In the short run, I plan to use these rules to inform the advancement of mercenaries and level 0 henchmen up to level 1 henchmen. In the long run, I hope to develop a level 0 adventure (or adventures/encounters) for both stand-alone play and as a different way to kick off future campaigns.

Pity the poor peasant conscript, equally bad with all weapons and armor. Beginning (Build Point 0) human characters are unrestricted in their choice of weapon and armor, but attack and save as a 0th level human. Fighting with whatever they are provided with or can scavenge, beginning human characters may choose one trained Fighting Style, usually either weapon and shield or two-handed weapon. Additionally, all characters may use a single weapon or missile weapon. Conscripts who survive to become regulars improve their fighting ability through focused training. Upon becoming a 2nd line regular, a Fighter in training may choose between a heavy infantry (Fighting 1a) or a light infantry (Fighting 1b) focus, with related weapon and armor restrictions. Also, such a Fighter in training may choose an additional Fighting Style. Often these choices are made by his commander or employer.

Judges may implement the improving single Hit Die at their discretion, for example: maximum hit points per Hit Die, allowing a re-roll, or adding +1 to the initial hit point value (i.e. d4+1 for a Green Fighter).

Fighter

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
50	Regular, 2nd line	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1	d6	F1	2
75	Regular, 1st line	Hit Dice 2, Fighting 1	d8	F1	2
100	Veteran	Hit Dice 2, Fighting 2	d8	F1	3	1st lvl Fighter

Cleric

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
50	Regular, 2nd line	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a	d6	F1	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon
63	Deacon	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 1	d6	C1	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon	Turn Skeleton 13, Zombie 16, Ghoul 19
75	Catechist	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 2	d6	C1	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon	1st lvl Cleric

Thief

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
10	Hoodlum	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0, Thievery 1	d4	T1	two weapons	3 Skills, as a 1st lvl Thief
35	Hoodlum	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 1b, Thievery 1	d4	T1	two weapons
45	Hoodlum	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 1b, Thievery 2	d4	T1	two weapons	+2 Skills
63	Footpad	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 1b, Thievery 3	d4	T1	two weapons	1st lvl Thief

Mage

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Level 0 Spells
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Arcane 0	d4	0th lvl	1	0
31	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Arcane 1	d4	M1	two-handed weapon	1
63	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Arcane 2	d4	M1	two-handed weapon	2
94	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Arcane 3	d4	M1	two-handed weapon	3
125	Arcanist	Hit Dice 0, Arcane 4	d4	M1	two-handed weapon	1st lvl Mage

Assassin

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
50	Regular, 2nd line	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1	d6	F1	2
60	Brawler	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1, Thievery 1	d6	F1	2	Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, and Backstab as a 1st lvl Thief
85	Thug	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 2, Thievery 1	d6	F1	3	1st lvl Assassin

Bard

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
35	Carouser	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0, Thievery 1	d6	T1	two weapons	Arcane Dabbling, Loremastery, and Perform as a 1st lvl Bard
60	Carouser	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1b, Thievery 1	d6	T1	two weapons
70	Reciter	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1b, Thievery 2	d6	T1	two weapons	1st lvl Bard

Bladedancer

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
50	Regular, 2nd line	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a	d6	F1	two-handed weapon, two weapons	leather armor or lighter, blade-dancing, bladedancer’s initiative
63	Deaconess	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 1	d6	C1	two-handed weapon, two weapons	Turn Skeleton 13, Zombie 16, Ghoul 19
75	Blade-Initiate	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 2	d6	C1	two-handed weapon, two weapons	1st lvl Bladedancer

Explorer

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
50	Regular, 2nd line	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1	d6	F1	2	a narrow weapon and armor selection, accuracy, animal reflexes
60	Rover	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1, Thievery 1	d6	F1	2	difficult to spot, avoid getting lost, and evade wilderness encounters
100	Scout	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 2, Thievery 1	d6	F1	3	1st lvl Explorer

Meeting a dwarf less experienced than a doughty 1st line regular outside of the safety of a dwarven vault is quite rare – dwarves do not have the lives to squander of the more prolific races. However, when a vault falls to Chaos or there is some other tragedy, less experienced dwarves may find themselves in a hostile world earlier than planned. Upon becoming a 2nd line regular, a dwarf with a broad or narrow weapon selection must include at least four axes, flails, hammers and/or maces among his selections.

Dwarven Vaultguard

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl +3/+4 per Hardy People	1	All Dwarf 0 powers
35	Green	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl +3/+4 per Hardy People	1
60	Regular, 2nd line	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1	d6	D1	2
85	Regular, 1st line	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 2, Fighting 1	d8	D1	2
110	Sentry	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 2, Fighting 2	d8	D1	3	1st lvl Dwarven Vaultguard

Dwarven Craftpriest

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl +3/+4 per Hardy People	1	All Dwarf 0 powers
35	Green	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl +3/+4 per Hardy People	1
60	Regular, 2nd line	Dwarf 0, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a	d6	D1	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon
83	Dwarven Craft-Deacon	Dwarf 1, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 1	d6	C1 +3/+4 per Hardy People	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon	+1 to proficiency throws, Craft proficiency, Turn Skeleton 13, Zombie 16, Ghoul 19
120	Dwarven Craft-Catechist	Dwarf 3, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 2	d6	C1 +3/+4 per Hardy People	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon	1st lvl Dwarven Craftpriest

Upon becoming a 2nd line regular, an elf with a broad or narrow weapon selection must include at least two bows, crossbows, swords, or daggers among his selections.

Elven Spellsword

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Level 0 Spells	Special
0	Conscript	Elf 0, Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl +1  Petrification/ Paralysis and Spells	1	0	All Elf 0 powers
63	Green- Apprentice	Elf 1, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl +1  Petrification/ Paralysis and Spells	1	1
119	Apprentice-Regular, 2nd line	Elf 2, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1	d6	E1	2	2
150	Apprentice-Regular, 1st line	Elf 3, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1	d6	E1	2	3
200	Arcanist-Guardian	Elf 4, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 2	d6	E1	3	1st lvl Elven Spellsword

Elven Nightblade

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Elf 0, Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1	All Elf 0 powers
31	Green	Elf 0, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
41	Shade	Elf 0, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0, Thievery 1	d6	T1	two weapons	Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, and Climb Walls as a 1st lvl Elven Nightblade
66	Shade	Elf 0, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1b, Thievery 1	d6	T1	two weapons
139	Arcanist-Avenger	Elf 2, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1b, Thievery 2	d6	T1	two weapons	1st lvl Elven Nightblade

Barbarian

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
50	Regular, 2nd line	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1	d6	F1	2	natural proficiency, animal reflexes
75	Regular, 1st line	Hit Dice 2, Fighting 1	d8	F1	2
130	Hunter	Hit Dice 2, Fighting 2	d8	F1	2	1st lvl Barbarian

Priestess

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Level 0 Spells	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Divine 0	d4	0th lvl	1	0
13	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Divine 1	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	1
25	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Divine 2	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	2	Turn Skeleton 13, Zombie 16, Ghoul 19
50	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Divine 3	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	3
100	Novice	Hit Dice 0, Divine 4	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	1st lvl Priestess

Shaman

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	1
25	Green	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	1
50	Regular, 2nd line	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a	d6	F1	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon
63	Lodge Keeper	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 1	d6	C1	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon	totem animal
75	Spirit Whisperer	Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1a, Divine 2	d6	C1	weapon and shield, two-handed weapon	1st lvl Shaman

Witch

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack/ Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Level 0 Spells	Special
0	Conscript	Hit Dice 0, Divine 0	d4	0th lvl	1	0
13	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Divine 1	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	1
25	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Divine 2	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	2	1st lvl tradition power
50	Apprentice	Hit Dice 0, Divine 3	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	3
100	Initiate	Hit Dice 0, Divine 4	d4	C1	two-handed weapon	1st lvl Witch

Upon becoming an adolescent, a bugbear with a broad or narrow weapon selection is limited to choosing from morning star, short sword, sword, two-handed sword, battle axe, great axe, hand axe, spear, javelin, and war hammer.

Bugbear Warrior

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack Throw	Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	(runt)	Bugbear 0, Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d8	Mnstr1	F1	1	All Bugbear 0 powers excluding Battleborn and Shaggy Hide
204	(juvenile)	Bugbear 1, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d8+d6	Mnstr1+	F1	1	Shaggy Hide
408	(adolescent)	Bugbear 2, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1b	2d8+d6+1	Mnstr2+	F2	2	Battleborn
600	(adult)	Bugbear 2, Hit Dice 2, Fighting 1b	3d8+1	Mnstr3+	F3	2	1st lvl Bugbear Warrior

Upon becoming an adult, a goblin with a broad or narrow weapon selection must include short swords, and at least two of darts, javelins, slings, or spears among his selections.

Goblin Warrior

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack Throw	Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	(runt)	Goblin 0, Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	0th lvl	1	All Goblin 0 powers
54	(adolescent)	Goblin 1, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	0th lvl	1
96	(adult)	Goblin 2, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1b	d6	Mnstr1	0th lvl	2
150	Champion	Goblin 2, Hit Dice 2, Fighting 1b	d8	Mnstr1	F1	2	1st lvl Goblin Warrior

Upon becoming an adolescent, an orc with a broad or narrow weapon selection is limited to choosing from swords (especially scimitars), spears, axes, flails, pole arms, shortbows, and crossbows.

Orc Warrior

Experience	Title	Build Points	Hit Die	Attack Throw	Saving Throw	Fighting Styles	Special
0	(runt)	Orc 0, Hit Dice 0, Fighting 0	d4	0th lvl	0th lvl	1	All Orc 0 powers
54	(juvenile)	Orc 1, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 0	d6	0th lvl	0th lvl	1
96	(adolescent)	Orc 2, Hit Dice 1, Fighting 1b	d6	Mnstr1	0th lvl	2
150	(adult)	Orc 2, Hit Dice 2, Fighting 1b	d8	Mnstr1	F1	2	1st lvl Orc Warrior

Designer’s Notes

I’ve not spelled out every detail in this post, but I thought I’d share my approach sooner rather than later. I derived apprentice level characters hewing as closely to the core rules and Player’s Companion as possible. If you would like a longer (more challenging!) apprentice level experience, you could increase the experience totals required by as much as x10 and still be within the framework provided by the class system; x2 to x5 may be more survivable. I have not commented on proficiencies, assuming they are gained as per the core rules. However, after I finish all of the classes, I plan to consider an alternative for apprentice level characters gaining proficiencies.