Dealer

Dealers are the masters of both chaos and order, blending supernatural powers with martial abilities even as they practice various gambling games from both sides of the table.

Hit Dice: d10.

Role: Dealers are capable martial characters who boast an impressive repertoire of both melee and ranged attacks. This makes them particularly skilled “switch hitters”. Depending on the rounder talents selected, a dealer can augment his party with support abilities, become particularly adept at card-throwing, or even serve as the party’s faceman. A dealer is not a particularly skilled defender, relying heavily on their ability to cause attackers to automatically fail attack rolls if they roll low on their dice rolls rather than AC. Abilities that penetrate this ability, such as precision damage, leave them vulnerable.

Alignment: Any

Alignment is very important for a dealer, though not restrictive. While they revel in freedom, spontaneity, romance, and chaos they must be able to temper their tendencies with a mastery over the powers of order. The majority of dealers are of the chaotic good or neutral good alignment. Chaotic neutral and true neutral dealers are generally looked down upon as not being noble enough in their ambitions. Evil dealers caught committing acts that would sully the name of the dealers are often expelled and persecuted.

Dealer Code of Conduct: Dealers are required to follow a code of decorum that their masters drill into them. A dealer may never cheat, knowingly deceive, do harm to, or insult a noble creature. Dealers define a noble creature as any creature who treats the dealer and those around him with respect, dignity, and conducts themselves in a lawful manner. Those that cheat, do harm to others, or disgrace the honor of someone else may suffer a fitting action in kind from the dealer. While there is definitely some leniency in this code of conduct, a dealer must always conduct himself in a fashion that would not do harm to the name of the dealer. If he does so, he does not lose access to his class features inherently, but may suffer the retribution of other dealers. A dealer may make amends, as appropriate to the infraction, but gains no benefit from spells such as atonement.

A dealer who is expelled by his order cannot progress further in the dealer class though he does not lose access to class features he already possesses.

Starting Wealth: 3d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp.). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less and a wooden pool cue.

Class Skills: The dealer’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex).

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int Modifier

Class Features

Table: The Dealer
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Miss Number
1st +1 +0 +2 +2 The Sense, wild card 2
2nd +2 +0 +3 +3 Billiards +1, rounder talent 2
3rd +3 +1 +3 +3 Card shark 2
4th +4 +1 +4 +4 Rounder talent 2
5th +5 +1 +4 +4 Uncanny dodge 3
6th +6/+1 +2 +5 +5 Billiards +2, rounder talent 3
7th +7/+2 +2 +5 +5 Improved uncanny dodge 3
8th +8/+3 +2 +6 +6 Rounder talent 3
9th +9/+4 +3 +6 +6 Order from chaos 4
10th +10/+5 +3 +7 +7 Billiards +3, rounder talent 4
11th +11/+6/+1 +3 +7 +7 Improved sense 4
12th +12/+7/+2 +4 +8 +8 Rounder talent 4
13th +13/+8/+3 +4 +8 +8 Ace in your sleeve 5
14th +14/+9/+4 +4 +9 +9 Billiards +4, rounder talent 5
15th +15/+10/+5 +5 +9 +9 Good sense 5
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +10 +10 Rounder talent 5
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +10 Razor’s edge 6
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +11 Billiards +5, rounder talent 6
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +11 High stakes 6
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +12 “The House Always Wins”, rounder talent 6

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

The dealer is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all light armor but not proficient with any heavier armor or shields. In addition, a dealer is proficient with any weapon he conjures via a dealer class feature (such as cue balls and cards).

The Sense (Su)

A dealer is superbly skilled at predicting the flow of combat and fights with a flair that is matched only by few. They fight in a manner that taps into the Sense to allow them to avoid damage to themselves. Any attack roll a creature makes against the dealer that results in a natural 1 or 2 automatically fails. At 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter the natural result of the dice that auto fails increases by 1 (example: At 9th level an enemy who tried to attack a dealer would automatically fail his attack roll if the number on the dice was 4 or lower regardless of his total bonus to hit).

This applies even against touch attacks or when the dealer is flat-footed. He does not benefit from this against attacks that deal precision damage, if he is immobilized or helpless, when he wears armor heavier than light armor, when he carries a shield, or when he carries a medium or heavy load.

Secondarily a dealer gains a pool of Sense points that represent his sensitivity to the Sense. He has a number of Sense points equal to his Charisma bonus. If anyone rolls a natural 1 within 30 feet of a dealer or a creature misses him due to the first part of this class feature he is restored 1 Sense point. This may not bring him above his maximum number of Sense points. In addition, he is restored his full pool of Sense points after 8 hours of rest. He may use these points to use the following ability:

Control Chaos: He may spend points to adjust a number he rolls on a d20 up by the amount spent. The new result is treated as if he had naturally rolled that number. Thus a dealer who rolls a natural 19 can expend 1 Sense point to improve it to a natural 20. A dealer can only adjust a dice roll by 1 + 1 per 5 levels of dealer he possesses. A dealer must decide if he wants to adjust a roll after he rolls it but before the GM declares if the roll was successful.

Wild Card (Su)

A dealer can, once per turn, pay 1 Sense point to change the suit of any non-face card. This means he may draw a 2 of Clubs and spend 1 Sense point to turn it into an 2 of Spades.

Billiards (Su)

At 2nd level, the dealer’s training with their pool cue allows them to use the weapon more effectively. A dealer can deal bludgeoning or piercing damage with a pool cue and treats the weapon’s base critical range as 18-20 with a x2 critical modifier. In addition, a dealer gains a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls with pool cues, billiard balls, and cards . At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter this bonus improves by +1 to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. This damage is multiplied on a critical hit.

Rounder Talents (Ex)

A dealer is an individual who lives or dies by his talents and, as he makes his rounds, he picks up little tricks that allow him to employ his training, his education, and the Sense in unique ways. At 2nd level and every even level thereafter a dealer gains one of the following rounder talents. A dealer can only take a rounder talent once.

Note: Any references to cue balls refers to the primary class feature of the pool shark archetype and only comes into play if using that archetype. The cue ball also stands in for any spheres they use.

All In

By spending 1 Sense point the dealer can re-roll any failed attack roll, skill check, or stabilization roll. He makes this check with a luck bonus ranging from +2 (minimum) to a maximum equal to his Charisma modifier. The bonus he selects must be an even number. If he still fails that rerolled check, for the next hour he takes a penalty on all such rolls equal to half of the bonus he provided.

Bridge

The dealer gains a shield bonus to his AC when wielding a pool cue equal to the damage bonus he is granted by his billiards class feature.

Common Sense

Whenever a dealer successfully confirms a critical hit, he grants his allies within 30 feet of him a boon stemming from his mastery over the Sense. Each ally selects their own boon. These bonuses do not stack and a creature may only benefit from one common sense boon at a time. The choice must be made after the critical hit has been confirmed.

  • 1 grit / panache point recovered.
  • +2 luck bonus to AC until the end of their next turn.
  • +2 luck bonus on attack rolls until the end of their next turn.
  • +4 luck bonus on all skill check until the end of their next turn.

Cruel Clubs (Su)

Any time the dealer successfully hits a creature with a card of the club suit that creature takes a penalty equal to 1⁄2 the card’s value on its next attack roll - treat all face cards and aces as having a value of 10. This ability has additional effects if the card is a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace. All penalties imposed by this rounder talent last for a number of rounds equal to the dealer’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1 round).

  • Jack: The target takes this penalty to AC as well as to attack rolls.
  • Queen: A queen card gains all of the benefits of a jack card. In addition, the target takes this penalty to saving throws as well.
  • King: A king card gains all of the of the benefits of a queen and jack card. In addition, the creature immediately provokes an attack of opportunity from one adjacent creature of the dealer’s choice.
  • Ace: An ace card gains all of the of the benefits of a king, queen, and jack card, in addition the attack of opportunity that the creature provokes from a king card’s effect is considered a critical threat if it hits.

Dealer's Luck

A dealer may spend Sense points as swift action to grant an ally he touches a luck bonus on attack rolls and skill checks equal to 1/4th his dealer level for a number of rounds equal to twice the number of Sense points he spent.

Dealin' Dirty

Once per combat a dealer’s player may look at the top cards from his deck, a number of cards equaling no more than his Charisma modifier, and place them in any order he likes. This may be done as a free action at the start of the dealer’s turn.

Death Sticks

A dealer may treat a lit cigarette in his possession as an improvised thrown explosive. As a swift action a cigarette (or other smokeable item worth 1 sp) may be lit, ignited with a subtle purple flame, turning it into a death stick. If thrown it is a splash weapon with a radius of 10 feet and deals 1d6 negative energy damage + the dealer’s Charisma modifier, and has a range of 30 feet. This damage improves by 1d6 for every 2 dealer levels he possesses. A cigarette must be thrown within 3 rounds of being lit or it is burnt out and useless (it is consumed). Making a death stick costs 1 Sense point.

Diamond in the Rough (Su)

Any time the dealer successfully hits a creature with a card of the diamond suit, all of the dealer’s allies, aside from himself, gain an insight bonus on their next attack roll against that creature equal to 1/4 the card’s value (round up) until the end of the dealer’s next turn. Treat all face cards and aces as having a value of 10. This ability has additional effects if the card is an jack, queen, king, or ace.

  • Jack: This bonus also applies the next damage roll damage roll against that creature.
  • Queen: A queen card gains all of the benefits of a jack card. In addition, this bonus applies to the next saving throw made against that creature’s effect.
  • King: A king card gains all of the of the benefits of a queen and jack card. In addition, this bonus applies to AC against the next attack made by the target.
  • Ace: An ace card gains all of the of the benefits of a king, queen, and jack card, in addition, allies add 1 to their critical multiplier when they threaten a critical hit while they gain an insight bonus with this ability.

Earl's Cue

On any turn that the dealer does not conjure a cue ball, eight ball, or draw a card his pool cue gains the reach property (or increases its existing reach by 5 feet).

English

The dealer’s shots with cards, cue balls, and eight balls ignore anything less than total cover. He must be at least 8th level to select this rounder talent.

Face Card

A dealer gains the Rumor Monger rogue talent as well as an insight bonus on all Diplomacy and Knowledge (nobility) checks equal to 1/4th his dealer level.

Fast Play

A dealer gains the Quick Draw feat and a +2 competence bonus on his Initiative checks. This stacks with features like Improved Initiative.

Flair Bartender

The dealer a +4 insight bonus on all Profession (bartender) checks to make money, any Perform or Acrobatics checks to juggle, and Craft (alchemy) to make alcoholic beverages. In addition, a dealer can drink a potion or other beverage as a swift action (rather than a standard).

Flare for Romance

A dealer gains the Amateur Gunslinger feat and may elect to use his Charisma in place of his Wisdom to determine the size of his grit pool for the purpose of that feat. In addition, the dealer becomes proficient in the use of one firearm or exotic weapon of their choice.

Flashy Billiards

A dealer can chose to wield pool cues one-handed at no penalty. They may make the choice at the start of each round as a free action. In addition, a dealer gains a +2 competence bonus on combat maneuvers made with a pool cue. For the purpose of Two-Weapon Fighting they count as one-handed weapons.

Heart of Mercy (Su)

Any time the dealer successfully deals damage with a card of the heart suit he gains a number of hit points equal to his level + ½ the cards value, treating face cards and aces as 10. At 11th level this improves to the card’s full value. This ability has additional effects if the card is an jack, queen, king, or ace.

  • Jack: Whenever the healing from this ability heals a target up to its maximum hit points, any excess hitpoints points persist for 1 round per level as temporary hit points.
  • Queen: A queen card gains all of the benefits of a jack card, in addition the dealer may elect to heal one ally within 60 feet of him in place of himself.
  • King: A king card gains all of the of the benefits of a queen and jack card, in addition the dealer heals one additional point of damage with this ability. At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter this additional healing improves by +1 to a maximum of +5 at 18th level.
  • Ace: An ace card gains all of the of the benefits of a king, queen, and jack card, in addition the dealer may elect to heal one additional creature within 60 feet for the same amount. At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter an additional creature to a maximum of 5 additional creatures at 18th level.

High Roller

A dealer gains the Black Market Connections rogue talent as well as an insight bonus on all Appraise and Profession (gambler) checks equal to 1/4th his dealer level.

Jazzman

A dealer gains the ability to use the bardic performance class feature of the bard using his dealer level -2 (minimum 1) as his bard level. A dealer who uses this may only select from the following bardic performances: fascinate, inspire competence, and suggestion. They must meet the minimum effective bard level to qualify for each of these performances however.

Mulligan

Whenever a dealer conjures a card, he may draw two cards and select the one he likes. He discards the one he did not select.

Parlor Tricks

A dealer can cast prestidigitation , ghost sound, light, mage hand, spark, and flare at-will, using his dealer as his caster level.

Professional Shark

A dealer gains the Improved Initiative feat as a bonus feat as well as an insight bonus on all Bluff and Sleight of Hand checks equal to 1/4th his dealer level.

Ramblin' Man

Going where life takes you teaches you a wide variety of skills. A dealer adds 3 skills to his list of class skills. In addition, he gains a +1 competence bonus to 4 skills of his choosing (they do not have to be the same skills he added to his list of class skills).

Rebound

Once per round when a dealer is knocked prone, he can chose to immediately stands back up as a free action. This instant rebound does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A dealer cannot use this rounder talent if he is bound, encumbered, or wearing armor heavier than light armor.

Savage Spades (Su)

Any time the dealer successfully hits a creature with a card of the spades suit he gains a luck bonus on damage rolls equal to ½ the card’s value, treating face cards and aces as 10. This ability has additional effects if the card is an jack, queen, king, or ace.

  • Jack: The dealer adds his luck bonus to damage rolls as a luck bonus to hit on critical conformation rolls as well.
  • Queen: A queen card gains all of the benefits of a jack card, in addition the dealer increases his critical multiplier by 1 for this attack.
  • King: A king card gains all of the of the benefits of a queen and jack card, in addition the dealer may make an attack at the same attack bonus as this one as an immediate action. This may not occur more than once per turn.
  • Ace: An ace card gains all of the of the benefits of a king, queen, and jack card, in addition the luck bonus from dealing damage is the card’s full value, instead of 1/2.

Shuffle

Any card conjured by a dealer that successfully critically hits a target causes that creature to additionally make a new initiative check at a penalty equal to 2 + 1/4th his dealer level.

Shuffle the Deck

Once per combat, at the end of a round, a dealer may re-roll his Initiative check at a +4 bonus as a free action. He must take the new result. After this you (the player) must shuffle your deck.

Six Chamber Priest

The dealer becomes proficient with all martial firearms. In addition, when he makes the first attack roll as part of a full attack action with a firearm he may choose to roll 1d6 and consult Table 6-2: Six Chambered Priest. He must have at least 1 sense point to do this.

Table: Six Chambered Priest
Dice Result Effect
1-2 Gain 1 sense point but gun misfires.
3-4 Attack resolves normally.
5-6 Lose 1 sense point but attack is treated as a critical threat if it hits.

Switch-Up

The dealer may treat any weapon in the fighter’s polearm or spear weapon groups as if they were a pool cue for the purpose of dealer class features. In addition, the dealer becomes proficient in one exotic weapon from the aforementioned groups.

Trained Eye

As a swift action a dealer may make a Sense Motive check against a creature within 30 feet of him. The DC of this check is 10 + HD of the creature. If he is successful he is made aware of the creature’s lividity (as if by deathwatch , using his dealer level as his caster level) and he is granted a +2 insight bonus to his AC against attacks made by that creature for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier. The dealer also receives a +4 insight bonus on Perceptions checks he makes against Sleight of Hand attempts made by that creature for an equal number of rounds.

Card Shark (Su)

At 3rd level, a dealer may conjure playing cards as a swift action. These cards are charged with a chaotic energy that explodes on contact. Throwing a playing card is a ranged attack that deals force damage + additional damage equal to the dealer’s Charisma bonus. This extra damage is multiplied on a critical hit. Each time he conjures one, he must draw a card from a deck of playing cards and look at it. Place all used cards in a discard pile. When the deck is empty, he shuffles all the cards back into the deck. A conjured card only remains until the end of the dealer’s turn. A dealer with the Quick Draw feat may conjure his cards as a free action. A dealer has no limit on the number of cards he may conjure per day. See Table: Billiard Weapons for the statistics of a conjured card.

Uncanny Dodge (Su)

At 5th level, a dealer’s connection with the Sense grant him the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does he lose his Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to armor class if immobilized. A dealer with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to armor class if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him.

If a dealer already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Su)

At 7th level and higher, a dealer can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the dealer by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least 4 more rogue levels than the target has dealer levels.

If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Order from Chaos (Su)

At 9th level, the dealer’s ability to predict chaotic events is able to be made manifest in a very literal and practical way. A number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier, the dealer may substitute his dealer level for his skill ranks in a skill check that is based on a mental attribute (Charisma, Wisdom, or Intelligence). This is a luck bonus to the roll and if he chooses to do so, (a choice made as a free action before he attempts the skill check), he gains no benefit from any ranks he possesses in that skill (he essentially replaces his ranks with his dealer level).

Improved Sense (Su)

At 11th level, as a move action, a dealer can boost his connection with the Sense. This boosts the number attacks against him fail on by 3 until the start of his next turn.

Ace in your Sleeve

At 13th level, a dealer who uses the wild card class feature may change his card to a face card of the same suit. This costs 1 sense point to conjure a jack, 2 to conjure a queen, 3 to conjure a king and 4 to conjure an ace.

Good Sense (Su)

At 15th level, all allies within 30 feet of the dealer gain a luck bonus on Reflex saves equal to 1/5th his dealer level. This represents a dealer’s mastery over his Sense. A dealer must provide insight based on his Sense and thus his allies must be able to hear him (or communicate with him in some fashion).

Razor’s Edge (Su)

At 17th level, whenever a creature rolls one of the dealer’s miss numbers on a d20 roll to hit another creature the dealer receives a Sense point.

High Stakes (Ex)

At 19th level, the dealer’s martial training reaches its maximum potential. A dealer expands the critical range of pool cues, pool balls, eight balls, and his conjured throwing cards by 1 (20 becomes 19-20, 19-20 becomes 18-20, 18-20 becomes 17-20, etc.). This does not stack with other abilities, spells, properties or functions that expand.

"The House Always Wins” (Su)

At 20th level, whenever a dealer of 20th level rolls a d20, they roll twice and take the result they prefer. A dealer must have at least 1 point of Sense to utilize this class feature.

Pool Cue

Two-Handed Simple Weapon

A pool cue is a tapered stick 50-60 inches long (medium) with a blunt tip covered by a small hard pad. It is used to play billiards, snooker, and other cue games. The pool cues utilized by dealers are reinforced for combat but handle much the same way a normal pool cue would work. They keep them moving, switching between blunt thrusts and heavy hilt smashes. Some are made from lightweight metal (mithril is a popular choice) while others are simply made from heavy wood.

Table: Billiard Weapons
Name Cost Dmg (S) Dmg (M) Crit Range Weight Type Special
Pool Cue 3 gp 1d6 1d8 19-20 x2 - 1 lbs. B -
Pool ball - 1d4 1d6 19-20 x2 40 ft >1 lb B Conjured
Card - 1d2 1d4 18-20 x2 20 ft >1 lb S Conjured

Using and GM'ing Order from Chaos

Here are some of the following examples of how he may utilize this in game:

  • Use Magic Device: By entering a random sequence of button presses, he may activate a magic item as they were in fact the right combination to activate them.
  • Intimidate: By blurting out “…and I’ll kill Marissa if you don’t!” , a name chosen at random, as part of his threat the dealer inadvertently stumbles upon the name of the target creature’s child or perhaps their sister or a lover.
  • Knowledge (nobility): When speaking about some noble custom, the dealer might randomly open a book on the subject and place his finger on a random page and random paragraph, declaring that the proof that will exonerate you lays here. While it may not be unequivocal proof, it may provide some deeper insight into the matter at hand or a loophole the dealer may exploit.
  • Survival: A dealer might plunge his hand into a knot of a tree and find more food than he expected.

The exact nature and effect of these abilities is up to the GM and the dealer himself may not be privy to the full extent of the effect of his ability (though he may know of his success of failure). They may have a deeper impact on the game than a simple mechanical benefit (people might be suspicious of how the dealer might know the name of a long dead king… that he actually randomly spouted). A dealer cannot make an untrue thing true, but the GM can help fudge little minor details (a goblin mook having an elderly grandmother named “Buggleskin”, which just happens to be the name chosen by the dealer as part of his Intimidate check).

A Player’s Guide to the Dealer

A dealer is an excellent support class as well as a decent damage dealer and there are a few things you need to be aware of. First is that their “miss number” defense is nice in a pinch, but not a substitute for a decent AC. The second is to never underestimate your use of Sense - causing an ally to score a critical hit can be a game changer. Finally, it is almost essential to pick up one of the following rounder talents: Heart of Mercy, Savage Spades, Cruel Clubs, and Diamond in the Rough.

Those rounder talents (we will refer to them as suit talents) really help a dealer contribute to the party’s overall effectiveness. When coupled with the wild card class feature, you have a great deal of control over what you draw. Hearts gives you secondary healing functionality and can keep allies topped off. Spades is more a self buff for striker builds and is good in support of other builds so the dealer can still dish out damage. Clubs focuses on debuffing the enemy and is a great way to take the “umph” out of multi attacking monsters like dragons. Diamonds is the opposite of spades in that it provides the same bonus to allies and kind of fills the role of a bard.

Don’t overlook the other rounder talents however. Mulligan is great for any build that uses cards and essential if you hope to rely on them with any degree of reliability. Talent choices greatly impact the style of play a dealer fills. They can make excellent support characters, damage dealers (with melee or cards), social characters with a lot of skills like a rogue, or even a firearm character. The following are rounder talent suggestions:

  • Support build talents: Heart of mercy, diamonds in the rough, common sense, dealer’s luck, and jazzman.
  • Melee build talents: Earl’s cue, bridge, switch-up, and flashy billiards. (Note: You can dual wield two cues with reach weapons with this build)
  • Damaging card build talents: Savage spades, english, mulligan, shuffle, and dealin’ dirty.
  • Skill/social build talents: High roller, professional shark, face card, parlor tricks, and trained eye. (Note: Make sure to use your order from chaos class feature)
  • Firearm built talents: Flare for romance, fast play, death sticks, and six chambered priest.

Archetypes

-Cheater

A Cheater is a Dealer who's more than willing to unfairly tilt things in their favor.

-Pool Shark

Pool Sharks are able to summon and launch small spheres of chaotic energy.

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