Character Class - The Musketeer

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Requirements: none
Prime Requisite: DEX + STR

Hit Dice: 1d8

Maximum Level: none

Fight as: Fighter

Save as: Fighter

Armor: Padded, Leather, Studded Leather, Scale Mail, Pikeman's Armor (see below). No Shield

Weapons: Any firearm. Sword (short or long), dagger, club, staff, polearm, lance/pike, spear.

The fighter may live by the sword, and the swashbuckler may thrive by relying on her agility, but the musketeer knows that the cutting edge of technology is the way to master the battlefield. Masters of black powder weapons, they wield it with deadly efficiency, leaving opponents reliant on antiquated technology flat on their backs on the battlefield.

The musketeer's prime requisites are STR and DEX. A score of 13+ in both gives a +5% XP bonus. A score of 16+ in both gives a +10% XP bonus.

Special Abilities:

Quartermasters Reward: Every musketeer starts with a single firearm of his choice (pistol or musket), plus a powder horn with 10 shots of black powder, 10 round shot, and 3 feet of match cord.

Master of Arms: The musketeer is an expert at handling firearms, and is able to do so much more efficiently and effectively than the ordinary man-at-arms. As such, the musketeer does not suffer the usual penalties associated with the use of black powder weapons (see "Firearms").  Instead, the musketeers penalties are:

           Misfire – Normal conditions (1 in 20); Damp conditions (2 in 20); Wet Conditions (4 in 20).

           Reload – 2 rounds

Technological Tinkerer: Living at the cutting edge of technology, the musketeer has a deeper understanding of mechanical and technological things. When confronted with a example of technology or mechanics, he has a 2 in 6 chance of understanding it's function and purpose, repair it, operate it, or other action as appropriate and agreed upon by the DM.

Keen Shot: Almost single minded devotion to black powder weapons allows the musketeer to wield such weapons with deadly accuracy. The musketeers "to hit" with black powder firearms increases with level according to the following table:

Level	“To Hit” Bonus
1-4	+1
5-8	+2
9-12	+3
13-16	+4
16+	+5

Reaching 9th Level 

Musketeers live to dominate the battle field with their new weapons, and are therefore uninterested in settling down to hearth and home. At 9th level, the musketeer will attract 2d4x10 0 level men-at-arms who wish to learn the ways of black powder weapons. These men will form the core of the musketeers' mercenary company. Any lost through combat on the field of battle will be replaced within 1d6 months. Those lost by other means are not replaced.

Experience	Level	Hit Dice (1d8)
0	1	1
2000	2	2
4000	3	3
8000	4	4
16000	5	5
32000	6	6
64000	7	7
128000	8	8
256000	9	9
376000	10	+2hp *
496000	11	+4hp *
616000	12	+6hp *
736000	13	+8hp *
856000	14	+10hp *
976000	15	+12hp *
1096000	16	+14hp *
1216000	17	+16hp *
1336000	18	+18hp *
1456000	19	+20hp *
1576000	20	+22hp *
* Hit point modifiers from constitution are ignored

New Item - Pikemans Armor

Designed to meet the needs of the musketeer, pikeman's armor consists of a solid breastplate, open face helmet and pieces of plate that protect the upper leg (tassets). It provides better protection than lighter armors (AC6), and allows more freedom of  movement than traditional heavy armor such as plate and chain.

Cost: 65gp

Inspiration:

Barrel Rider Games "Shootist"; The OSR Library "Musketeer";  The Thirty Years War & English Civil War.