Down amongst the oil-streaked gears and fume-choked factories of the workslum, survival is considered the highest and

d often only form of success. Most of the lost and the damned that wallow down here have long given up any hope of escape. They struggle merely to exist until the next food stamp, toiling at repetitive, back-breaking jobs to fend off starvation from one day to the next. Whether born into the work-slum, or cast down from high places, the poverty, debasement and deadly hazards produce perverse optimism and grim opportunism in those who do survive. These ragwheelers not only endure, but manage to spot opportunity even in the direst of circumstances. Through a combination of mental and physical grit honed by years of toil, such individuals are able to thrive in seemingly unendurable environments.

BUILDING A RAGWHEELER
Ragwheelers are cunning slum-dwellers who live by their wits and are adapted to hardship. Their exposure to poverty and depredation often makes them stoic, but others can exhibit unexpected jocularity. As they say in the work-slum: a little wit will serve a fortunate man. Class Prerequisites: None. Although the theme may seem most appropriate for rogues, life is such that anybody may suddenly find themselves at the wrong end of an employment queue.

Race Prerequisites: None, although ragwheelers classically belong to one the mutant races: worker beasts (minotaurs), evilwrought (half-orcs) or pit men (goliaths). Human ragwheelers are also common.

Drudges Shackle

Level 1+ Rare

BACKGROUND
You have lived amongst the hellish fumes of the work-slums, whether enslaved by debt or born into poverty. Years of living hand-to-mouth have toughened you to a life of hardship. Associated Skills: Endurance, Streetwise

This bulky iron choker is fixed in place by heavy clamps, and girdled with pistons and ducts. Lvl 1 +1 360 gp Lvl 16 +4 45,000 gp Lvl 6 +2 1,800 gp Lvl 21 +5 225,000 gp Lvl 11 +3 9,000 gp Lvl 26 +6 1,125,000 gp Item Slot: Neck Enhancement Bonus: Fortitude, Reflex and Will Special: A drudges shackle cannot be removed physically. Any attempt to do so triggers a controlled explosion that instantly slays the wearer. Utility Power Encounter (Free Action) Trigger: An enemy hits you with a critical hit. Effect: Add a charge to the drudges shackle and then make a save. If you pass the save, the enemy rolls damage as though it was a normal hit. The shackle can store up to three charges. Attack Power At-Will (Immediate Reaction) Trigger: An enemy hits you with an attack that is not a critical hit. Effect: You expend a charge to make a melee or ranged basic attack against an enemy within range. If you hit, the attack counts as a critical hit.

quickly life can end for the unwary. You gain a +2 bonus to Endurance and Perception checks.

LEVEL 10 FEATURE
Having worn the shackle for so long, you unlock a long-lost failsafe designed to protect the most valuable slaves from harm. You gain the following power: Every Dog Has Its Day
Ragwheeler Utility Your shackle flares with arcane power that dashes you and your enemies through the madness of the Rebus. Daily Arcane, Aura, Teleportation Standard Action Personal Requirement: You must be wearing your drudges shackle. Effect: You activate an aura 3 that lasts until the end of your next turn. If you are attacked whilst the aura is in effect, you may swap places with another creature within the aura as free interrupt. You may not swap places with the same creature more than once.

STARTING FEATURE
Ragwheelers are identified by the thaumatic shackles they wear around their necks. These mark them as syndicate property, as prisoners, or as debt slaves. The shackle offers some protection against hazards, and compels the ragworker to lash out against those who would damage their masters mortal property. As you level up, the items enchantment improves automatically, as shown below: Item Advancement Rate
Lvl 1 Lvl 4 Lvl 9 +1 +2 +3 Lvl 14 Lvl 19 Lvl 24 +4 +5 +6

OPTIONAL POWERS
LEVEL 2 UTILITY POWER
Legends abound of workers who bravely walked through showers of molten metal to rescue those in need. Whatevers the truth, years of toil have certainly given ragwheelers an uncanny ability to shrug off damage.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
LEVEL 5 FEATURE
Living in the work-slum has hardened your body and taught you a harsh lesson in how

Oil, Grit and Sparks

Ragwheeler Utility 2 With gritted teeth, you stave off the pain and trust in your weathered hide to see you through. Daily Martial Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: You take acid, fire, lightning or poison damage. Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain resist 10 against the triggering damage type.

Nothing to Lose

LEVEL 6 UTILITY POWER

A single year in the work-slum exposes ragwheelers to more death than an uptowner sees in a lifetime. Those who prosper here take survival to an almost mystical level. Down But Not Out Ragwheeler Utility 6 Youve seen worse in the factory. These jokers probably havent even heard of an aether rupture, much less lived through one. Daily Martial Immediate Reaction Personal Trigger: You subjected to an effect that a save can end. Effect: You gain a +3 power bonus to saves until the end of the encounter.

Ragwheeler Utility 10 A ragwheeler will gladly lay down their life to aid a fellow worker. After all, they have everything to gain, and nothing to lose. Daily Martial Immediate Reaction Personal Trigger: An ally with 10 squares is knocked to 0 hit points or less by an attack, or takes damage equal to half their bloodied value. Effect: You move up to twice your speed, but must end your movement as close to the ally as possible. If you take damage during the move, you gain temporary hit points at the end of the move equal to the hit points you lost.

LEVEL 10 UTILITY POWER

The factories of the work-slum are poorly maintained deathtraps, and workers soon learn to stick together in order to survive. 3