NOBLE

Nobles are the aristocratic elite of any civilized society, enjoying being sought, if the noble has 5 or more ranks in Knowledge
all the benefits of selective breeding, superior education, and [nobility and royalty], a +2 bonus is gained on this check.)
wealthy connexions. Their lives have been spent as the family
members of military leaders, policy makers, or royal houses. DC Type of Information Examples
Nobles spend their time deliberating over social contentions or 10 Grapevine, known by most An ancestral link to a
pursuing matters of personal interest. Not having much “hands members of the aristocracy, famous historical figure; a
on” life experience, nobles undertake mundane professions with bloodlines and romantic torrid affair between
extreme difficulty, in which they rarely do more than dabble. dalliances. children of wealthy families.
Nobles are predominantly long-lived, having access to 20 Whispered, known by An illegitimate baby born
consistent medical care and the finest choices of food. Despite associates and partners, into a royal house; a local
their ability to stave off disease, nobles are less hardy than people gossip about individuals church funded by thieves’
who physically work for a living. They are largely respected by and their sources of wealth. guild donations.
members of civilized and lawfully-minded societies, but 25 Private confidences, known A measure to impose levies
depending on individual behavior, can be regarded as haughty or by close colleagues and on the peasantry; a plan to
self-important. entrusted friends, plans stockpile arms in
concerning future ventures. preparation for war.
CREATING A NOBLE 30 Intimate confidences, A family business run on
“Noble” is an inherited template that can be added to any known by generals and slave labor; a scheme to
corporeal humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the base lovers, secrets for which win political favor by
creature) which has spent the majority of its existence in an people would kill. staging a mock crisis.
affluent environment.
A noble uses all the creature’s statistics and special abilities A successful privileged information check will not reveal the
except as noted here. exact details of a confidence, but imparts the knowledge that a
Hit Dice: You lose 1 hit point for each of your current Hit particular secret is clandestine in nature. A noble may not take 10
Dice and subtract 1 hit point for each Hit Dice you gain. This or 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random.
penalty can never drop a Hit Die roll below 1. The DM can determine the Difficulty Class of the check by
Special Qualities: A noble retains all the special qualities of referring to the table above.
the base creature, plus the following special qualities. Skills: Nobles have a +2 competence bonus on Appraise,
Educated (Ex): A noble interacts with a wide variety of people Diplomacy, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), and one of the
from all the over the world and gains the ability to learn new following skills: Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (history),
languages quickly. A noble treats Speak Language as a class skill Knowledge (local), or Knowledge (religion). Nobles have a –2
during any character level. competence penalty on any Craft skill, any manual Profession
High-Born (Ex): In addition to regular medical attention, a skill, Survival, and Use Rope.
noble has been raised on the best cuts of meat, cleanest water, and Environment: Any.
freshest produce, fortifying their immune system. Nobles have a Challenge Rating: Same as base the base creature +0.
+4 resistance bonus on Fortitude saves against disease. Treasure: Double coins; standard goods; standard items.
Privileged Information (Ex): A noble is mindful of the activities Nobles pay 75% the cost of all goods and services listed on Table
between people of influence and wealth. The noble can make a 7–8: Good and Services (see page 128 of the Player’s Handbook), but
special privileged information check with a bonus equal to their only when making such purchases in civilized societies that
character level + their Intelligence modifier to see whether some recognize a caste system.
relevant insight about an eminent family, local notable people, or Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +0.
specific individuals is known. (Depending on the information
SAMPLE NOBLE
This lithe human has the air of a dignified academic with a regal stance.
He wears finely tailored official vestments and easily holds a large tome
in one arm against his chest.

This example uses a human 5th-level cleric as the base creature.

Noble 5th-Level Human Cleric

Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 5d8–5 (17 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: 20 ft. in breastplate (4 spaces); base speed 30 ft.
AC: 18 (–1 Dex, +6 +1 breastplate, +3 +1 heavy steel shield), touch
9, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Masterwork heavy mace +5 melee (1d8+1) or masterwork
light crossbow +3 ranged (1d8/19–20)
Full Attack: Masterwork heavy mace +5 melee (1d8+1) or
masterwork light crossbow +3 ranged (1d8/19–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spells, turn undead 5/day (+2, 2d6+5, 5th)
Special Qualities: Educated, human traits, privileged
information +8, well-bred
Saves: Fort +4 (+8 against diseases), Ref +0 Will +7
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 8, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 14
Skills: Appraise +3, Concentration +5, Craft (bookbinding) –1,
Diplomacy +21, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +8,
Knowledge (religion) +3, Profession (bookkeeper) +1, Sense
Motive +13, Speak Language (elven), Spellcraft +6, Survival +1,
Use Rope –3.
Feats: Negotiator, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)
Environment: Temperate city
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Double coins; standard goods; standard items. Nobles
pay 75% the cost of all goods and services, but only when
making such purchases in civilized societies that recognize a
caste system
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —

Nobles such as the one described here serve as advisors to

military or political leaders and possibly even royalty.

Combat
Nobles are more inclined to match wits against their opponents
rather than weapons. They are verbally adept negotiators that use
diplomacy and foreknowledge to their advantage before
employing martial skills.
Cleric Spells Prepared (5/4+1/3+1/2+1; caster level 5th): 0—detect
magic, detect poison, light, mending, read magic; 1st—command (DC
14), comprehend languages, remove fear, sanctuaryD (DC 14), shield of
faith; 2nd—bull’s strength, delay poison, detect thoughtsD (DC 15),
lesser restoration; 3rd—create food and water, dispel magic, protection
from energyD.
D: Domain spell. Domains: Knowledge (cast divination spells
at +1 caster level; all Knowledge skills are class skills) and
Protection (protective ward grants +5 resistance bonus on next
save, 1/day).
Possessions: +1 breastplate, +1 heavy steel shield, masterwork heavy
mace, masterwork light crossbow, 10 bolts, scroll of cure light
wounds, scroll of sanctuary.

The noble was last modified 07 January 2006. Copyright © Kolja Raven Liquette and Calvin Roach 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
(Email: sonofapreacherman@wakinglands.com) or (Email: dungeonmastercal@yahoo.com)