Page 78 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

to rumor some of those people even hold high posi­ BUILD Y O U R GROUP
tions in the Brelish government. Espionage agents are typically both highly trained and
Foreign Nations. Every nation knows the King's Dark tightly specialized. The type of missions you undertake
Lanterns serves as an espionage force and do their can shape your group's composition; you might be a
best to track the movements of Dark Lantern agents team of hunters or investigators, focused on tracking
within their borders. Foreign governments treat Dark people down or gathering information. More likely,
Lantern agents with care to avoid sparking an inter­ you're a diverse team with a range of skills that allow
national incident, but they are quick to arrest Dark you undertake a variety of different missions on your pa­
Lantern agents suspected of wrongdoing. tron's behalf. Consider some or all of these roles for the
New Cyre. One of the world's largest concentrations characters in your party:
of Cyran refugees settled in eastern Breland under
the leadership of Oargev ir'Wynarn, the last prince of Chameleon. A master of disguise, sleight of hand, and
Cyre. Many voices among the Cyrans, possibly includ­ deception, the Chameleon can perform the work of
ing Oargev himself, call for the establishment of an in­ the Investigator or a Confiscator right under a target's
dependent nation in what is now Brelish territory, but nose-or provide cover to agents with different special­
Boranel is determined to hold on to every acre of his ties as they do their jobs. A high Charisma, proficiency
land. The Dark Lanterns actively infiltrate the Cyran with the disguise kit (or access to spells that cloak or
refugee community, rooting out those who would act disguise one's appearance), and proficiency with skills
against the king. such as Deception, Performance, and Sleight of Hand
all greatly benefit the Chameleon. Bards and rogues,
PATRON BENEFITS as well as characters with the charlatan, entertainer,
You gain the following benefits when your group's pa­ or urchin background, often excel in this role.
tron is an espionage agency: Confiscator. Sometimes an espionage agency needs
something stolen-a document that incriminates a
Assignments. Your agency might assign you specific public figure to a prototype war machine. The Confis­
tasks at any time, at the DM's discretion. You have cator has the key skills for such jobs. A good Dexterity
wide latitude regarding how you carry out a task, and score proves helpful in undertaking such tasks, es­
your assignments can sometimes be very broad and pecially if it's enhanced with proficiency with thieves'
require considerable time to complete. tools and the Sleight of Hand and Stealth skills. Con­
Expense Account. You have access to an account main­ fiscators are often rogues, and many have a history of
tained at the banks of House Kundarak. You can use stealing for profit rather than national interest.
this account to pay your daily living expenses, as well Hunter. The Hunter stalks humanoid prey, for purposes
as for purchasing anything you need for completing of assassination, abduction, or gathering information.
your missions-equipment, transportation, bribes, and A combination of combat prowess with stealth and
so on. Your normal spending limit is 100 gp per month interaction skills makes for well-prepared Hunters.
for each member of your group. If you exceed that, Rangers and rogues prove particularly adept at this
your agency asks you to account for the month's ex­ role, as might anyone with proficiency in the Investiga­
penses, and they might require you to pay back the ex­ tion, Perception and Stealth skills. A high Charisma
cess if you can't justify it (at the DM's discretion). You and proficiency in Deception, Intimidation, and Per­
can't carry over an unused amount from one month suasion skills can also be useful. Hunters often come
to the next, and your access to this account can be cut from backgrounds such as outlander or urchin.
off at any time if you abuse it or fall out of the agency's Investigator. The Investigator is the archetypal spy, a
good graces. The agency is aware of every time you ac­ master of deductive reasoning and suave interaction.
cess the account and where you are when you do so. Naturally, Investigation can be a crucial skill, which
Identification. Your agency provides you with identifi­ many characters in this role combine with magical
cation papers establishing your true identity, and you means of scrying to learn about their enemies and
also have ready access to false papers and matching objectives. Bards and wizards make natural Investiga­
travel documents showing different identities, when tors, especially if they can acquire one or more skills
you need them for a mission. (Any time you enter a from among Deception, Perception, Persuasion, and
foreign nation, it is a good idea for you to do so under Stealth. Investigators come from backgrounds as var­
a false identity.) ied as charlatans, nobles, sages, and urchins.
Powerful Friends. An espionage agency, by nature, Operator. An Operator leads or organizes a team of
has a long reach and a lot of power to make things agents in the field. Like a military officer, the Operator
happen behind the scenes. You can call in a favor issues orders and bears responsibility for the agents
for a wide range of benefits: A legal case against you on the team. High Charisma and Intelligence scores
might be suddenly dropped. A rival might disappear. help make the Operator a strong leader, especially in
A much-needed magic item might be delivered to you. conjunction with skill proficiencies such as Persua­
These favors can provide significant short-term ben­ sion and Investigation. The wide array of skills used
efit, but they can also come with equally significant by other agents are also valuable to the Operator, who
long-term repercussions-which might lead to entirely might end up stepping into a different role when the
new missions. need arises. The Operator is often a bard and might
come from a soldier or noble background (being ac­
customed to leadership in one form or another).

CHAPTER I J CHARACTER CREATION
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