INSURGENT COMMANDER

[The Hive Mind]

“Come now. Do you really think any of these sheep will join your hopeless insurrection? Look at them. They are too pathetic to save them- selves, much less save you.”
Legate Corelus Zinn, moments before his death at the hands of an unarmed crowd of commoners, speaking to an insurgent commander about to be hanged.

Insurgent commanders are the beacons in the darkness, the reassuring father figures and secret generals that keep hope alive among the oppressed population of Erenland. Whereas the insurgent spies gain the confidence of the Shadow’s minions, insurgent commanders seek to reassure the populace and garner their aid when times demand it. These brave souls often take the blame for the trespasses of others, and as a result they inspire loyalty and bravery above and beyond that normally felt under the eyes of the occupiers. In the human lands and along the Eren River, insurgent commanders keep the flame of rebellion burning hot, hidden from the eyes of evil.

Insurgent Commanders as Characters

Insurgent commanders are brave men and women who put themselves on the line every day in the fight against the Shadow. They may not always appear on the field of battle or confront the terrible monsters unleashed by the dark god’s malevolence, but they risk their lives making simple contacts among the local populations and by uniting those with rebellious hearts under a common cause. They are strong believers in their personal codes, which tend toward the practical rather than the ideological (unlike those of many other defenders). They understand well the need to couch one’s faith in small daily successes rather than idealistic goals that are so rarely achieved under the Shadow’s reign. Without a human connection, the small sparks of rebellion found across Eredane might be stamped out forever.

Hit Die: d8.


Requirements

Skills: Craft or Profession 8 ranks, Knowledge (local) 2 ranks.
Feats: Friendly Agent, Iron Will.
Special: Any one defender ability. Also, the Craft or Profession skill used as the prequisite for this class must be one that is common on the character's home area. It serves to give him a connection to the local people and keep him grounded in the problems that common man faces under the Shadow.

Class Level / Base Attack Bonus / Fort Save / Ref Save / Will Save / Special
1st ----------------+0 -------------+2 --------+0 -------+0 -----Defender class abilities, rebel's confidence +1
2nd ----------------+1 -------------+3 --------+0 -------+0 -------Leadership, orders
3rd ----------------+2 -------------+3 --------+1 -------+1 -------Rebel's confidence +2
4th ----------------+3 -------------+4 --------+1 -------+1 -------Orders
5th ----------------+3 -------------+4 --------+1 -------+1 -------Rebel's confidence +3, efficient orders
6th ----------------+4 -------------+5 --------+2 -------+2 -------Orders, raise militia
7th ----------------+5 -------------+5 --------+2 -------+2 -------Rebel's confidence +4
8th ----------------+6 -------------+6 --------+2 -------+2 -------Orders
9th ----------------+6 -------------+6 --------+3 -------+3 -------Rebel's confidence +5, superior orders
10th ---------------+7 -------------+7 --------+3 -------+3 -------Orders, raise army

Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomancy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Insurgent commanders gain no additional proficiencies with either weapons or armor.

Defender Class Abilities (Ex): The character's insurgent commander level stack with defender levels for the purposes of determining his AC bonus and the number and power of his defender abilities. Thus, a Def7/Ins4 would have four defender abilities and an AC bonus of +6. The normal restrictions on these abilities still apply, and he does not gain any of the defender's other abilities (such as precise strike, masterful strike, additional number of stunning attacks per day, and fast movement).

Rebel's Confidence (Ex): The insurgent commander has a way about him that inspires confidence and treachery in those that are ruled by Izrador's occupying armies. Any time the character uses Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, or Sense Motive, he gains the listed bonus to his check.

Orders (Ex): At 2nd level and every even level thereafter, the insurgent commander learns one of the following orders. He may thereafter give the order, at will and as a standard action, to all allies within 100 ft. An order requires that the target to be able to hear the insurgent commander. At 5th level, the insurgent commander gains efficient orders ability, meaning that he can give an order as a move action. At 9th level, the insurgent commander gains the superior order ability, meaning that he can give an order as a free action.

Burst Bond: An ally who hears you give this order gains a +4 bonus on any Escape Artist, grapple, or Strength checks made to disengange from a grapple or break out of bonds.

Close With the Enemy: When the commander gives this order, the affected character gains a bonus to AC against attacks of opporunity caused by any movement he takes on his next turn. The bonus gained is equal to the insurgent commander's class level.

Coordinate Attacks: An ally who gets this order is considered flanking an opponent that both he and another ally are adjacent to, even if they are not on opposite sides of the enemy.

Power Charge: An ally aided by this ability gains a bonus on attack and damage rolls during any charge he performs within one round of the commander's influence. The bonus gained is equal to half the insurgent commander's class levels, rounded down.

Word of Warning: An ally who hears this command cannot be flanked for one full round, and his enemies gain no benefit from the aid another special attack action during that time.

Leadership: At 2nd level, the insurgent commander gains the Leadership feat. If he already has this feat, he instead gains a +2 bonus on his Leadership score. Insurgent commanders generally do not keep followers around as they travel; rather they set up trusted agents in areas they travel to often.

Raise Militia (Ex): By 6th level, the insurgent commander's reputation allows him to call on aid from locals who trust his leadership in the fight against the Shadow. If he is in a well-populated area such as a town or city, he can raise a loyal militia comprised of men and women equal in strength to the number of followers indicated by his Leadership score. This takes approximately one minute per militia member, unless a suitable group is already gathered near him (such as during a festival, public execution, or other event), in which case the militia immediately comes to his aid. If the character is in a rural or otherwise sparsely populated area it can take up to a day to recruit the militia, at the DM's discretion.

A raised militia will follow the character loyally within the bounds of their normal domain, doing as he asks even if they question the efficacy (or sanity!) of doing so. They might overcome a patrol of orcs or even attack a legate if commanded by the character. The militia can also be made to do passive duties such as hide large quantities of contraband or tell a collective lie about the character and his comrades. The militia performs the action commanded and any ancillary duties as long as the commander is there to direct them, and for up to one additional day per point of Charisma modifier if the activity does not interfere too much with their daily lives. So, the insurgent commander could convince a village to hide a contraband for his stay plus a few days, but they would not follow him on an orc-slaying mission, since that would take them from their homes and disrupt their lives.

If the character causes the militia to be unduly endangered, or fails to at least attempt to cover up their deeds, he loses the ability to raise a militia until he gains another level in this class. If the character is already 10th level in this class, then he suffers a permanent -2 to his Leadership score for purposes of raising militias each time he endangers one or lets the majority of its members be killed because of an order he gave.

Raise Army (ex): By 10th level, the insurgent commander is an inspirational figure to the common folk of Erendane. Everywhere he goes he is greeted secretly by those who admire him for the terror he has wrought on the occupying forces as well as the good he coordinated for his beleaguered people. Because of his reputaion and his facility with the common folk, the insurgent commander is able to raise an army of loyal followers who will do his bidding, no matter the cost. He can recruit up to twice the number of followers as indicated by his Leadership score, and they will follow any command to the best of their ability.

The insurgent commander can only raise one army per area at any given time, and unless the majority of an army's members return after following him, it will be one year before an army can be raised in that area again. An area could be defined as a region, a town, a village, or any other reasonable geographic location that the DM deems fit. Even if the army returns relatively intact and does not suffer for their deeds at the hands of occupying forces, the character must wait one month before raising an army in that area again. Insurgent commanders that cause loss of an army or bring down the wrath of the Shadow on an area lose all of their class abilities related to that area for an amount of time determined by the DM, but no less than one year. This ability is powerful, but should be used sparingly by any character who cares about his reputation and his connection with the common folk of Erendane.