Salaryman

Salarymen are skilled professionals capable of suppressing their rage until the right moment. unlike other classes, Salarymen may rage for additional strength and durability.

Overview
Hit Die: d8

Skill Points: 4 + Intelligence Modifier

Class Skills: Animals, Athletics, Awareness, Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Profession, Use Rope

Weapons and Armor Proficiencies: A Salaryman is proficient with all simple weapons, a martial weapon of the player’s choice, and handguns. He is not proficient with any armor or shields.

Class Abilities
Corporate Rage: Salarymen are not fighters by trade, but years of having to deal with the petty politics of the cubicle farm have left them with a nearly insatiable bloodlust. A Salaryman can fly into a rage in the heat of battle, or just when they feel like it. In a rage, a Salaryman temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will Saves, but he takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases the Salaryman’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution Modifier. A Salaryman may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, the Salaryman loses the rage modifiers and becomes fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength, -2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for one minute. A Salaryman can fly into a rage only once per encounter.



Double-Starched Suit: Salarymen rarely need armor or shields at their day-jobs, and so must take advantage of their more mundane street clothes to avoid danger. Beginning at 1st level, a Salaryman may benefit from his overzealous dry-cleaner by getting his suits extra-starched. A Salaryman’s suit is treated as armor, granting a maximum bonus to AC equal to the Salaryman’s level + 1, and costing S$50 per point of defense bonus. This suit imposes no penalty to skills, and limits the AC bonus from Dexterity to a +4. A Salaryman’s suit cannot be enchanted, owing to OSHA regulations (see Section 152.4 of the Workplace Magic Safety Act of 532 T.D.). If a Salaryman ever takes damage equal to ¼ his current HP from a single attack, his suit is too badly damaged to remain fully usable, and his armor bonus drops to 1. Should this happen, the Salaryman gains an additional use of his Rage ability and must use it immediately. This use of rage is not subject to the normal restrictions on rage and may be used even if the Salaryman previously raged in the encounter, in which case the effects of fatigue are also ignored for the duration of the rage. If the Salaryman is currently raging, the duration of his rage is instead increased by a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s current Constitution Modifier. A Salaryman may own more than one suit at a time.

Bureaucrat: A Salaryman is a professional first and foremost, and no amount of blood on his loafers will change that. When taking his 1st level as a Salaryman, a character chooses a Department. This Department represents the network of associations and training the Salaryman relies upon to perform his day to day duties. Regardless of choice, a Salaryman is always at +3 when making Profession checks to navigate bureaucracies similar to his own. There are four choices available to the Salaryman:


 * Government


 * Whether a life-long pencil-pusher or a field agent who got bumped to a desk job, Government Salarymen are experts on two things—navigating the regulations surrounding adventurers, and navigating the regulations surrounding where you can and can’t take large weapons. As such, a Salaryman who works for the Government will always have the correct paperwork on file so that he and his companions may carry their weapons of choice wherever they please. The only exception to this is when, strictly speaking, he is not dealing with a culture that has paperwork. A Government Salaryman is considered proficient in the use of Bullet-Proof Vests. These pieces of Light Armor are worth S$150, grant a +2 Armor bonus to AC, and impose a -1 Armor Check Penalty. Bulletproof vests may be worn over Double-Starched Suits.


 * Legal


 * Legal clerks, legal advisors, or loose cannon attorneys that care more about their clients than the bottom line, Legal Salarymen know a thing or two about the Law—and quite a few more about avoiding its consequences. Once per week, a Salaryman of the Legal profession may automatically make a DC 15 Profession (Legal) check to get an ally or group of allies out of a single charge (common examples include destruction of property, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment while driving destroyed property).


 * Human Resources


 * The cogs that keep a well-oiled workplace burning the midnight oil at both ends, HR reps are very bad at metaphors. They are, however, very good at dealing with people. An HR rep gains a +2 insight bonus when using the Awareness skill to tell if he is being lied to, as well as a +2 insight bonus when using the Bluff and Diplomacy Skills.


 * Finance


 * The ship-of-the-line bureaucrat, Finance clerks are your typical Salarymen, with vague job descriptions and even vaguer quarterly goals. As such, these Salarymen tend to have a slightly more diverse skill set, owing to both the requirements of their job and the fact that they didn’t have anything better to do. Finance clerks gain a bonus feat from the following list: Acrobatic, Agile, Alertness, Animal Affinity, Athletic, Deceitful, Diligent, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Magical Aptitude, Negotiator, Nimble Fingers, Self-Sufficient, Stealthy, and Toughness

Departmental Perk: Being a Salaryman isn’t just hard work and senseless violence. Salarymen have connections, know the lingo, and can generally get pretty good deals on things. While the goods may differ based on specialty, all Salarymen draw equal benefit and garner a 5% per level discount to the relevant items.


 * Government


 * A Government Salaryman is able to exploit his contacts in the defense industry, as well as loopholes in possession laws, to acquire the hardware he and his allies need. Starting at 2nd level, he starts getting a discount on Weapons and Armor. In addition, his field training begins to kick off, and he gains a +2 competence modifier on Athletics checks.


 * Legal


 * A Salaryman of the Legal profession is trained to understand the facts of whatever matter is in front of him, and becomes exceptionally good at uncovering them. Starting at 2nd level, Legal Salarymen get a discount when paying for research materials, expert consultations, and when bribing informants. In addition, they gain a +2 competence modifier on Awareness checks.


 * Human Resources


 * A Salaryman working in HR quickly becomes an expert in not only reading people, but in hiring the best people for the job. Starting at 2nd level, HR reps get a discount when paying hired NPCs. In addition, NPCs hired by an HR rep are generally better, gaining a +2 adjustment in the stat relevant to their role.


 * Finance


 * Working in the Financial sector gives a Salaryman insight into the inner workings of not only commodities markets, but all the bureaucracies related to them. Starting at 2nd level, Finance clerks get a discount when paying for goods not directly tied to combat (e.g. weapons and armor). This includes the raw components needed for a Scientist's inventions. In addition, Finance clerks gain a +2 insight modifier on all Profession (Finance) checks made to navigate bureaucracies.

Departmental Style: A Salaryman needs to be able to take care of himself, and often times can get the company to pay for him to learn to do so. While this tends to limit the sorts of skills that can and cannot be picked up, it also allows for some very unusual talents.


 * Government


 * As part of the Government, a Salaryman is expected to protect not only himself, but the records he works with and the people he works for. As such, starting at 3rd level, the Salaryman gains a roster of hand-to-hand techniques that makes them deadly, even in an office environment. In addition to gaining the benefits of the Improved Unarmed Strike and Improved Disarm feats, the Salaryman’s unarmed damage improves from 1d3 to 1d6.


 * Legal


 * After years of effort, the Legal Salaryman finally passes the bar and becomes a full-fledged lawyer. While this largely translates into being able to represent his friends when they get dragged into court on charges that he couldn’t just talk them free of, it also provides him access to a few other tricks of the Legal profession. Beginning at 3rd level, a Salaryman of the Legal profession may impose a Restraining Order on a single target once per encounter. This Order prevents the target from coming within 15 feet of the Salaryman for 24 hours (although the target may still address him and make whatever attacks are possible at that range). Should the Salaryman move closer than that to the target, the target is legally compelled to withdraw at the first available opportunity to the 15-foot perimeter. Only an opposed Profession (Legal) check can overcome the Restraining Order.


 * Human Resources


 * In HR, one of the most valuable traits a Salaryman can pick up is the ability to realistically evaluate others. However, one sometimes needs to be a bit aggressive in doing so. To that end, beginning at 3rd level, a Salaryman in Human Resources gains the ability to give an opponent a Performance Review, foregoing damage to instead target an opponent’s Imaginary Modifiers. The Salaryman must declare that he is doing this (as well as which score is being targeted) before the attack roll is made, and, if he succeeds, rolls damage as normal. This damage is then halved (rounded down) to a minimum of 1 and applied to the relevant stat. The Imaginary Modifier for a score cannot be lowered below zero. This ability may only be used once every 24 hours on a given target and lasts for 2d6 rounds.


 * Finance


 * Finance clerks rarely over-extend themselves to the point that they get sick terribly often. As a result, they usually have a large backlog of sick days. At 3rd level, a Salaryman in the Finance department gets 12 Sick Days. A Salaryman can spend one sick day to negate the effects of a disease, poison, or viral spell. This ability does not require an action. The Salaryman simply declares that he is using a sick day instead of rolling a saving throw. At each level gained thereafter, the Salaryman gains additional Sick Days equal to twice his new level. If a Salaryman does not use his Sick Days within a year of gaining this ability, banked Sick Days are lost, but he gains a fresh set equal to twice his current level.

Anger Management: Salarymen can learn to deal with and control their anger through counseling, but the canny ones realize that those same techniques can push their anger to new heights. Beginning at 4th level, the Salaryman can fly into a rage twice in one encounter. The Salaryman must wait at least one round after the first rage has ended before he can begin a new rage. Although the effect of fatigue are ignored for the duration, this second rage is weaker than the first, only granting +2 to Strength and Constitution Scores. Additionally, the Salaryman takes a -3 penalty to AC. Otherwise, this second rage is identical to the first one. At the end of the second rage, the Salaryman is fatigued for 10 minutes.

Departmental Intern: By 5th level, Salarymen are either trusted members of their organization, or have so deceived whoever they work for into thinking otherwise that it makes no difference. Regardless, the higher-ups are of the opinion that a Salaryman with that much experience will be a fine mentor for one of the bright young stars of tomorrow, and assign him an Intern to supervise. Interns are 1st level Salarymen of the same department as their mentor. However, instead of possessing the Rage ability, Interns instead possess a special ability related to their department. They are assumed to have 8 HP, and a 10+1i in all six stats. While in the service of a Salaryman, Interns will generally do whatever is asked of them, even if somewhat questionable or dangerous. If, through misadventure or deliberate action, an Intern dies in the Salaryman’s service, there is little consequence. The Salaryman is expected to pay a S$500 processing fee and fill out the proper paperwork, and he will be assigned a new Intern within 1d6 days.


 * Government


 * A Government Intern is usually a field agent in training, and has already passed the necessary checks to be assigned a service piece. This is a d10 handgun with ×3 critical damage. The Intern is trained to provide suppressing fire with this weapon and may forgo dealing damage with an attack to prevent a target from moving, even if he cannot directly see the target (although he still must be able to fire on a location near the target for this to be effective).


 * Legal


 * Interns in the Legal profession often minor in magic during college, and are often capable of limited casting. Legal Interns can cast the following spells on their mentor’s behalf with a +4 modifier to the Knowledge (Magic) check: Improved Detect Magic, Read Surface Thoughts, Create Illusion (1 sense only), and See Truth. Legal Interns are 1st level casters for the purposes of variable effects, and will report information as truthfully as they can.


 * Human Resources


 * A Salaryman working in HR understands the balance of the individual versus the collective good and, more importantly, has learned to accept that sometimes sacrifices must be made. As long as an HR Intern is nearby, the HR rep may, if he so chooses, have his Intern take some or all of the damage. This decision may be made after damage is rolled.


 * Finance


 * Finance Interns tend to be fairly useless, owing to their general lack of familiarity with the Salaryman’s company and its needs. Thus, they are often given more menial tasks to keep them from mucking up the more important work. Sometimes, though, that can be a skill in and of itself. An Intern from the Financial sector gains the ability to use coffee as a weapon, dealing 1d8 of fire damage to a single target.

Improved Departmental Style: By 6th level, the Salaryman is a master of the arts of his native bureaucracy, and nowhere is this better expressed than in his skill at his chosen field’s combat style.


 * Government


 * With training and experience, the Government Salaryman’s hand-to-hand prowess becomes even more dangerous. At 6th level, his unarmed damage improves from 1d6 to 1d8, and he also gains the benefit of the Improved Grapple feat.


 * Legal


 * With experience in the courtroom and on the streets, Salarymen in the Legal field become even more potent with their Lawyer-fu. Starting at 6th level, the Legal Salaryman may perform an Objection once per encounter. Declaring an Objection is an immediate action. When used, the Salaryman interrupts a target’s actions, preventing them from completing their current activity and breaking whatever focus they had. A Concentration check can resist this effect, but the DC is equal to 15 + the Salaryman’s level + his Charisma Modifier.


 * Human Resources


 * The HR rep has become an expert at the art of debasing a target of all his delusions. At 6th level, the HR rep gains two new uses of his Performance Review:
 * He may, when declaring the attack, opt to try and target all of the target’s stats. The attack is made at -4, but if it succeeds, deals damage as normal to all six stats. Imaginary Modifiers damaged in this way cannot be dropped below zero. This effect lasts for 2d6 rounds.
 * If he uses a targeted strike, the damage done to the Imaginary Modifier may drop it below zero, being treated as a penalty to the relevant stats. In addition, the duration of the effect improves to 1d4 minutes.


 * Finance


 * Finance clerks often know more about the company than anyone else. This wide knowledge base provides them with a great deal of insight into the thinking of others. At 6th level, a Salaryman in the Finance department gains a modifier equal to half his Salaryman level on Awareness and Diplomacy checks.