Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The Brute - A Class for Lamentations of the Flame Princess (or other Old School Fantasy Games)

Brutes are freaks of nature. Whether mutations born of fell magic, unspeakable parentage, or some unseemly devolution, Brutes are born cursed and misshapen. Their bodies are twisted parodies of the human form. They are huge and powerfully built, in some ways closer to ape than man. They often possess secondary characteristics that put people off - malformed or asymmetrical features, jagged teeth, unnaturally thick skin or hunched backs.
 

When a human child is born a brute, they are normally slain at birth or left in the woods to die of exposure. When a child does survive to adulthood, they are changed for the experience. Their whole lives spent fighting for survival, they are in many ways closer to animal than human. Even when calm and personable, there is something unmistakably savage and predatory about them.

Brutes can use the same Fighter-class moves as Elves and Dwarves, but do not advance in Attack. For XP, and HP, use the table below.

LevelXPHPSneak AttackStrength Mod
0-1d10

101d10+1
22,5001d10

35,0001d10
+1
410,0001d10

520,0001d10+1
640,0001d10

780,0001d10
+1
8160,0001d10

9320,0001d10+1
10480,0003**

11640,0003**
+1
12800,0003**

13++160,000/lvl3**/lvl+1
As they advance in levels, they learn to better use their size and ferocity to their advantage. They increase their Strength Modifier and Sneak Attack when indicated on the table above. This could mean that even with only 14 Strength, a level 11 Brute could have a +4 modifier for all purposes.