The Freelancer
Freelancers are the proverbial jack-of-all-trades, specializing in variety rather than training in specifics. Freelancers tend to have little in common with each other, aside from exercising their versatility and adaptability to make a living. Freelancers can be found at every level of society, from scandalous rogues working from the shadows, to spies employed by nobility, to royal whelps with an adventurous streak.
Alignment: Any
Hit die: d6
Starting Wealth: 4d6 × 10 gp (average 140 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.
Table: The Freelancer
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st+0+0+2+0Sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding
2nd+1+0+3+0Evasion
3rd+2+1+3+1Sneak attack +2d6, trap sense +1
4th+3+1+4+1Uncanny dodge
5th+3+1+4+1Sneak attack +3d6
6th+4+2+5+2Trap sense +2
7th+5+2+5+2Sneak attack +4d6
8th+6/+1+2+6+2Improved uncanny dodge
9th+6/+1+3+6+3Sneak attack +5d6, trap sense +3
10th+7/+2+3+7+3Special ability
11th+8/+3+3+7+3Sneak attack +6d6
12th +9/+4 +4 +8 +4 Trap sense +4
13th +9/+4 +4 +8 +4 Sneak attack +7d6, special ability
14th +10/+5 +4 +9 +4 --
15th +11/+6/+1 +5 +9 +5 Sneak attack +8d6, trap sense +5
16th +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 Special ability
17th +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 Sneak attack +9d6
18th +13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +6 Trap sense +6
19th +14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +6 Sneak attack +10d6, special ability
20th +15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +6 --

Class Skills


The freelancer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (All skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (8 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the freelancer.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Freelancers are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. Freelancers are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Sneak Attack

If a freelancer can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The freelancer’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the freelancer flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 every two freelancer levels thereafter. Should the freelancer score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.
Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a freelancer can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.
A freelancer can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The freelancer must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A freelancer cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Trapfinding

Freelancers (and only freelancers) can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.
Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
Freelancers (and only freelancers) can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A freelancer who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.

Evasion (Ex)

At 2nd level and higher, a freelancer can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the freelancer is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless freelancer does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Trap Sense (Ex)

At 3rd level, a freelancer gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the freelancer reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level.
Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

Starting at 4th level, a freelancer can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
If a freelancer already has uncanny dodge from a different class she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

A freelancer of 8th level or higher can no longer be flanked.
This defense denies another freelancer the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more freelancer levels than the target does.
If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum freelancer level required to flank the character.

Special Abilities

On attaining 10th level, and at every three levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th), a rogue gains a special ability of her choice from among the following options.

Crippling Strike (Ex)
A freelancer with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that her blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of her sneak attacks also takes 2 points of Strength damage. Ability points lost to damage return on their own at the rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability.

Defensive Roll (Ex)
The freelancer can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than she otherwise would. Once per day, when she would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the freelancer can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the rogue must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, she takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, she takes full damage. She must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute her defensive roll—if she is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, she can’t use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the freelancer’s evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.

Improved Evasion (Ex)
This ability works like evasion, except that while the freelancer still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless freelancer does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Opportunist (Ex)
Once per round, the freelancer can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as the freelancer’s attack of opportunity for that round. Even a freelancer with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.

Skill Mastery
The freelancer becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions.

Upon gaining this ability, she selects a number of skills equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, she may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. A freelancer may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for it to apply to each time.

Slippery Mind (Ex)
This ability represents the freelancer’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a freelancer with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw.

Feat
A freelancer may gain a bonus feat in place of a special ability.