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Ver. 1.3

Mercenary

Class

A Mercenary is a soldier-for-hire. They are undisputed masters of combat, using a variety of weapons and fighting techniques.

The Torchlight Society trains mercenaries as protectors for those exploring dangerous ancient ruins. There, they are usually the muscles of the adventuring party, and the ones responsible for protecting their companions from the many dangers that lurk in the ruins.

Mercenaries fight mainly with conventional melee weapons, though they do receive basic training in defensive spells.

Class Information

Playing as a Mercenary

While Adventuring

You keep your allies close, always ready to protect them and jump into the fray should danger arise. You prefer the brute-force approach to puzzle-solving, which might sometimes be a liability.

During Social Interaction

You tend to be very blunt and not too social. You give off the impression that you aren't someone to cross. You won't hesitate to use intimidation to get what you or your party needs.

In Combat

You use your weaponry expertise to dispatch enemies and protect your party. You try to draw enemies' focus to you, using your strong defenses to take hits that would be much more devastating to your teammates. You use a variety of specialized attacks and fighting techniques to capitalize on your enemies' missteps.

While Resting

You eat and sleep to revitalize your body's natural defenses. You might spend time repairing or improving your weapons, or practicing your fighting skills.

Starting Equipment

When creating a leveled character that starts with this class, consult the Mercenary Starting Equipment table to determine what items you start with. You receive all of the items listed for your starting level and all levels below it. You can choose to replace any number of items with their equivalent value in credits (CR).

Class Features

Mercenary Specialties

At Level 1, choose three natural skills from the Mercenary's Natural Skills list. Gain 1 level in any two of the following specialties:

• Blocking (Defense)
• Protection (Defense)
• Swords (One-Handed)
• Swords (Two-Handed)
• Axes
• Blunt Weapons

Rage

At level 1, you gain the ability to unleash Rage, a state of heightened physical ability at the cost of reduced mental faculties.

As a Mercenary, you can enter Rage as an action during your turn. You have a limited number of uses of Rage per day as shown in the Mercenary table. You remain enraged until combat ends or until the end of your turn if you did not attack during that turn.

While raging, you gain the following effects:

• Your Speed is increased by 4 feet.
• Any attacks that use your Strength (This includes Elemental spells) deal additional damage according to the Mercenary table. Add to the roll one additional die of the same size the damage roll would use normally.)
• You have immunity to staggering effects.
• You have disadvantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma-based checks.
• Your passive perception is reduced by 4.

Ability Score Improvement

At each level where you receive this bonus, increase one of your ability scores by 2, or two different scores by 1 each.

Ability scores can't be increased beyond 20 using this feature until your overall level reaches 15, and no ability score can be increased beyond 30 at any level.

After updating your score, be sure to update the relevant modifiers, including skills and other calculated stats that factor in the increased scores.

Natural Skill Improvement

At each level you receive this bonus, increase each of your natural skills by one level.

This feature can't increase any skill higher than 7 unless you're level 20 or higher. This feature cannot be used to become Legendary.

TIP: To increase a skill beyond 7 at an earlier level, use the Skill Improvement General Feat.

Specialty Improvement

At each level you receive this bonus, choose one of your specialties and increase its level by 1. Specialties can't be increased above 3.

If you don't have any specialties that can be improved when you receive this bonus, you may gain 1 point in a new specialty of your choice..

Mercenary Archetype

At Level 4, you choose an archetype that shapes your mastery of combat as you level up.

Add your Proficiency Bonus to attack rolls using your archetype's preferred weaponry. Your Proficiency Bonus increases with your level according to the Mercenary Table.

• Raider: Swords (One-Handed)
• Enforcer: Blunt Weapons (One-Handed / Two-Handed)
• Woodsman: Axes (One-Handed / Two-Handed)
• Warrior: Swords (Two-Handed)

Learning Experience

At each level you receive this bonus, choose one of your knowledges and increase its level by 1, or gain 1 point in a new knowledge subject of your choice. If your Intelligence score is 15 or greater, you may do this twice each time you receive this bonus. If it's 20 or greater, you may do this three times.

Knowledges can't be increased beyond 10 at any level.

Mercenary Bonus

At each level you receive this bonus, your Natural Armor rating increases by 1. Choose one of the following additional bonuses:

• +1 Speed
• +1 Initiative modifier
• Specialty Improvement

Spellcasting

At Level 7, you may begin to learn and cast spells. Increase your caster level to 1.

Assign initial values to your magical skills. As an Mercenary, you have 2 points to spend on these skills, and you can choose from the forms that are part of your training (Elemental, Physical, and Divine.)

Spell Studies

At each level where you receive this bonus, you may learn new spells from the Spell Study Guide. This usually, but not always, occurs at each level where your caster level increases.

You may choose to learn a spell of lesser rarity with this ability. For example, whenever you have the option to learn a Rare spell, you may choose to learn an Uncommon or Common spell instead. If you do, you lose the opportunity to learn a Rare spell at that level.

• Level 7: 1 Common Mercenary spell
• Level 11: 3 Common Mercenary spells
• Level 15: 1 Uncommon Mercenary spell and 2 Common Mercenary spells
• Level 19: 2 Uncommon Mercenary spells and 2 Common Mercenary spells
• Level 23: 2 Uncommon Mercenary spells and 2 Common Mercenary spells
• Level 27: 1 Rare Mercenary spell and 2 Uncommon Mercenary spells
• Level 30: 3 Rare Mercenary spells

Defensive Fighter

Starting at Level 10, you can focus your Rage to protect your teammates from harm.

While Raging, you can move at up to twice your Speed to Protect an Ally, and your Rage doesn't end if you didn't attack during a turn as long as you blocked or protected an ally during that turn.

Combat Expert

At Level 12, your expertise allows you to multitask in combat. Your turn length increases by one frame, and you gain an additional reaction frame per round.

Savage Fighter

At Level 16, you become more tactical with your use of weapons while Raging.

Your damage bonus while Raging increases to +2d with your archetype's preferred weapons.

Combat Master

At Level 20, you've mastered the art of battle. Your turn length increases by one frame. You can choose to Stay On Guard for any number of frames during your turn. If you do, your turn ends, and those frames become additional reaction frames until the start of your next turn.

Superhuman Strength

At Level 24, you become stronger and more resilient than your enemies could ever imagine. Your Strength and Constitution scores each increase by 4. Whenever you get a critical failure on a Strength check, Constitution check, or Endurance save, it becomes a regular failure instead.

Limitless Rage

Starting at Level 28, you have unlimited uses of Rage.

Utimate Protector

At Level 30, you're unmatched in combat. You gain the following benefits:

• You become Legendary in Defense. This effect does not conflict with the Legendary Skill general feat.
• You can Block, Parry, and Protect Allies as free reactions.
• Your Proficiency Bonus becomes your current Mercenary level.

Mercenary Class Feats