THE GNOMISH RECON AGENT ("RECON") The gnomish recon agent is the jack-of-all-trades of the gnomish military; their elite shock troops and infiltrators. Gnomish recon often is left to survive for weeks or months behind enemy lines, gathering intelligence and charting unknown areas. Their missions may also include the assassination of enemy leaders; the ambush and elimination of large or small enemy units in their own back yard; demolition of structural targets of military value; disrupting lines of communication and supply behind enemy lines; etc. The gnomish high command selects only the most fit, the most bright, and the most technically skilled soldiers for entrance into the recon program. Gnomish recon agents are easily recognised in any military camp by their distinctive camouflage uniforms, high tech weaponry and armor, small unit sizes, general disdain for authority and conventional infantry troops, and - most of all - the coveted "RECON" patch on their shoulder. To some, they are "a scruffy crew of cocky scofflaws"; to others, they are the ideal of military prowess, the most deadly hunter/killer teams in the known world. The principal attribute of a gnomish recon agent is intelligence. To become a gnomish recon agent, the character must first - obviously - be gnomish. Secondly, the character must possess the following minimum abilities: dexterity 14, strength 12, wisdom 15, intelligence 15, con- stitution 14. The candidate must also already have at least 1 level of Fighter or Thief, and one level of magic user, illusionist or druid. The candidate must also be actively enlisted in the gnomish military, and be selected by gnomish high command, for the program. Note that it is not unusual for gnomish high command to send otherwise qualified soldiers to their Arcana or Infantry schools to pick up a level of the requisite classes before sending them to Recon training. Recon agents have six sided dice for hit point determination. Recon agents are not as strong as other fighters, but they fight with their brains and their wits as much as they do with their bodies. If the recon agent has entered a situation where his hit points will not suffice, then a horrible mistake has probably been made. In fact, the measure of a recon agent is not how much damage he can soak, but how much information he can soak up without the enemy ever knowing he was there to get a shot at him in the first place. Recon training is a full year long, and any character that begins taking levels in this class *must* be removed from play for that period of game time (unless the player wants to role play it for whatever reason). Further, any time the recon agent achieves the necessary experience point total for his next level, he must return to his unit in order to claim his new rank. He will get only the additional hit points of his new level until he does. When he returns and claims his new rank/level there is a short amount of re-training for the new rank that must be done, which takes 1d8 days, during which the recon agent is non-deployable. After that, however, he will achieve all the benefits of his new level, and be ready to go to the field again. Benefits of the Gnomish Recon Agent class: 1. Gnomish recon agents can use the following thief skills as a thief of 2 levels lower than the gnomish recon agent's class level: Find/Remove Traps, Open Locks, Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, Climb Walls, Hear Noise. The recon agent also backstabs as a thief of 2 levels lower. 2. Gnomish recon agents get automatic proficiency at first level with gnomish explosive devices, gnomish weapons, gnomish vehicles and gnomish communications equipment. Many gnomish magic items are specific to the gnomish recon class. 3. Gnomish recon agents can track as a Ranger. Further, they surprise enemies 50% of the time, and are themselves only surprised 25% of the time. 4. Recon agents can survive off the land as a Barbarian. They know how to collect plant foods, hunt, fish and trap; build shelters from native materials; build a fire from nothing; and how to care for wounds. (See Unearthed Arcana for more info on the Barbarian's survival ability; the gnomish recon agent is identical, except that they will have often cross-trained for survival in multiple environments.) They are also trained in the construction and usage of foxholes, observation positions, and sniper hides. 4. Recon agents are trained in the use of camouflage techniques. In natural surroundings, the gnomish recon can use native materials, and pigmented body paints, to help his body and equipment blend into the native environment. The activity requires at least five turns to properly camouflage their person, and a further half hour to properly camouflage their equipment. But once this has been done to person and equipment (both, not just one!), it gives the agent a 20% bonus to Hide in Shadows checks, as well as all surprise checks. This also gives the recon agent a significant chance of being perfectly hidden in plain sight. 5. Gnomish recon agents also have limited spell ability. THe gnomish recon agent gains bonus spells as clerics do, but for a high intelligence, instead of a high wisdom (treat their intelligence score as a wisdom score for determination). They can cast spells from the following list of druidic and arcane spells: I. Change Self (I1), Charm Person (MU1), Comprehend Languages (MU1), Dancing Lights (MU1), Detect Magic (MU1), Pass Without Trace (D1), Predict Weather (MU1), Sleep (MU1), Spider Climb (MU1), Tenser's Floating Disc (MU1), Wall of Fog (I1) II. Audible Glamer (MU2), Fog Cloud (I2), Hypnotic Pattern (I2), Identify (MU2), Invisibility (MU2), Misdirection (I2), Knock (MU2), Locate Object (MU2), Pyrotechnics (MU2) 6. At 2nd level, the gnomish recon agent is automatically silent in natural surroundings, regardless of their nature, so long as he is wearing light armor and unencumbered, and moving at no more than 1/4 of his base movement speed. If any of these conditions are broken, normal Move Silently checks apply. 7. At 3rd level the gnomish recon agent gains an additional attack per round. 8. At 5th level, the recon agent gains the ability to secure an automatic hit against an enemy, regardless of the enemy's armor class. The recon agent must prepare for the attack for a full turn. During this turn: - the target must not leave the recon agent's sight - he must not be aware of the agent, or be aware that he is in immediate danger (e.g. enemies already involved in combat are immune to the ability) - the target must be within the maximum range increment of the weapon the gnome is using - the agent must be able to locate some sort of steady rest on which to place his weapon in order to take the shot, or be allowed to lay prone with his weapon - the agent must remain totally focused on the target for the duration, forsaking all other actions - the agent must take no damage or engage in any combat or distraction outside of the target If all these requirements are met, then on the tenth round, the agent can take a shot and be guaranteed a hit, regardless of armor class. (Note that magical protections, e.g. monsters only hit by magical weapons, still apply.) The agent only gets one attack this round and can take no other actions. The agent can still roll to check for a critical hit or maximum damage. Taking the full turn to prepare also negates the possibility of a botch (simply ignore a 1 if it turns up when checking for a critical). This ability does NOT negate the effectiveness of 100% cover or concealment; the recon agent MUST be able to clearly see the vital areas of the enemy, for the full turn, in order to use this ability. 9. At 6th level, the recon agent gains pass without trace at will; but this is not a magical ability, and thus will not leave the telltale magical trail behind them. The restrictions on this ability are the same as the silent movement ability at 3rd level. 10. At 8th level, the gnomish recon agent's abilities to leave no trace and to move silently will function even if the agent is encumbered OR if he is moving at up to full movement rate, but not both. 11. At 10th level, the recon agent's ability to guarantee a hit if he focuses no longer takes a full turn, but only five rounds. If he focuses for the full turn, however, he can not only guarantee a hit, but he is also automatically granted maximum damage for the shot. The agent must still roll for a critical hit. GNOMISH RECON AGENT TABLE 1.: THE GNOMISH RECON AGENT 6-sided Dice for Experience Experience Accumulated Level Points Level* Hit Points** Title ------------------------------------------------------------------- 0 - 2,000 1 1 Private 2,001 - 4,500 2 2 Private First Class 4,501 - 9,000 3 3 Corporal 9,001 - 18,000 4 4 Specialist 18,001 - 36,000 5 5 Sergeant 36,001 - 72,000 6 6 Sergeant First Class 72,001 - 144,000 7 6+2 Sergeant Major 144,001 - 288,000 8 6+4 First Lieutenant 288,001 - 576,000 9 6+6 Second Lieutenant 576,001 - 1,152,001 10 6+8 Captain *Progression past 10th level is not usually possible in this class. When it is, each additional level is 300,000 XP. **Gnomish recon agents gain 2 hit points per level after the 6th. GNOMISH RECON AGENT TABLE 2.: THAC0 AND SAVING THROWS Level THAC0 PPD PP RSW BW S -------------------------------------------------- 1 20 13 12 14 16 15 2 19 13 12 14 16 15 3 18 13 12 14 16 15 4 17 13 12 14 16 15 5 17 12 11 12 15 13 6 16 12 11 12 15 13 7 15 12 11 12 15 13 8 14 12 11 12 15 13 9 14 11 10 10 14 11 10 13 11 10 10 14 11 GNOMISH RECON AGENT TABLE 3.: SPELLS PER DAY Spells Per Level Per Day* Level 1 2 ------------------------- 1 0 - 2 0 - 3 0 - 4 1 0 5 1 0 6 1 0 7 2 1 8 2 1 9 2 1 10 3 2 * A 0 in this column indicates that the agent may cast spells of this level if he is granted bonus spells for a high wisdom.