The
Ministry of the Interior
HE
Ministry of the Interior operates to ensure the security of the
city of Sarbreenar by gathering information on enemies of the
city, by protecting Sarbreenar’s secrets from enemy agents
and by running covert missions where direct action would be inappropriate.
To operate effectively the identity of those who work for the
Ministry must remain secret.
The Ministry of the Interior came into being under
the enlightened administration of Mayor Boris the Hat. It is recognised
by the Council as a subtle tool which can be used to do whatever
is necessary to protect Sarbreenar — where brute strength
or arcane power would prove ineffective and the gods would rather
not be involved!
The Ministry has a proud history of agents who have
been instrumental in saving the city from its enemies. Many of
them have died in service to Sarbreenar.
The current Minister of the Interior is ‘Angel’
Gabriel who formed the Ministry from the most skilful and resourceful
members of the League of Like-Minded Ladies and Gentlemen of Sarbreenar.
Terms of engagement
Agents of the Ministry of the Interior are employed
in one of two ways —
-
As an Associate of the Ministry that has been
vetted and approved for commissions. These Associates are
carefully handpicked. For a registration fee (renewable each
High Harvest) they will be placed on the list of trusted associates.
They will gain valuable benefits and they will be offered
work on sanctioned missions. This relationship will be the
preferred option for many skilled citizens who run businesses
or have other careers to pursue.
-
As an employee of the Ministry committed to
routine duties (30TUs per Rank) during the year. Employees
will be paid a nominal salary each year at High Harvest. Specialist
training may be offered to employees if they have sufficient
skills to qualify as an ‘Agent of Sarbreenar’ (Prestige
Class) but that will entail the commitment of a total 100
TUs per year. Download
details of Sarbreenar’s Prestige classes
Within the organisation there are three ranks of
agents. Associates who wish to go on the Trusted List for commissions
must pay the fee appropriate to their rank. Employees are paid
a salary.
Requirements
Runner (level 1)
Invitational only. Must seek an invite from a
present member and must be able to provide a service to the
Ministry.
May join as an Associate or an Employee. Associates pay a registration
fee. Employees work for a salary.
Associate: pay 100 GP / year. Employee: pay 100 TU / year; earn
100 GP / year.
Blade (level 2)
Invitational only. Must already be a Runner. Must
have a proven record of trust and service within the guild.
May join as an Associate or an Employee. Associates pay a registration
fee. Employees work for a salary.
Associate: pay 400 GP / year. Employee: pay 150 TU / year; earn
200 GP / year.
Master of Blades (level 3)
Invitational only. Must already be a Blade. Must
be identified as key personnel and have proven themselves to
be invaluable to the Ministry.
May join as an Associate or an Employee. Associates pay a registration
fee. Employees work for a salary.
Associate: pay 900 GP / year. Employee: pay 200 TU / year; earn
400 GP / year.
Benefits
Runner (level 1)
-
Costs 2 TU less to level up as a Rogue
-
The Ministry can sometimes provide alibis,
character reference, legal advice and spiritual guidance for
agents who are apprehended for crimes they did not commit.
-
Appraisal of Magical Items without charge.
-
Access to the following feats: Dash, Fleet
of Foot, Flick of the Wrist.
-
Privy to secret information, shared only by
The Ministry.
Blade (level 2)
-
Costs 4 TU less to level up as a Rogue or
Agent of The Ministry
-
The Ministry can always provide alibis, character
reference, legal advice and spiritual guidance for agents
who are apprehended for crimes they did not commit.
-
Appraisal of Magical Items without charge.
-
Access to the following feats: Dash, Fleet
of Foot, Flick of the Wrist, Arterial Strike, Hamstring, Jack
of All Trades.
-
Privy to secret information, shared only by
The Ministry.
-
The ability to purchase guild potions from
the guild potion list (including Ministry only potions).
-
Access to the prestige classes Shadowdancer
and Sarbreenar Agent of The Ministry. Note that only
employees may take levels in Agent of The Ministry.
-
The ability to go into hiding for up to 2
days. While in hiding, Agents will not be detected by normal
or magical means.
Master of Blades (level 3)
-
Costs 6 TU less to level up as a Rogue or
Agent of The Ministry
-
The Ministry can always provide alibis, character
reference, legal advice and spiritual guidance for agents
who are apprehended for crimes they did not commit. The Ministry
is keen to enlighten the Watch when it makes mistakes in arresting
its key members. Such arrests are almost always in error.
-
Appraisal of Magical Items without charge.
-
Access to the following feats: Dash, Fleet
of Foot, Flick of the Wrist, Arterial Strike, Hamstring, Jack
of All Trades, Death Blow, Improved Sneak Attack.
-
Privy to secret information, shared only by
The Ministry.
-
The ability to purchase guild potions from
the guild potion list (including Ministry only potions).
-
Access to the prestige classes Shadowdancer
and Sarbreenar Agent of The Ministry. Note that only employees
may take levels in Agent of The Ministry.
-
The ability to go into hiding for up to 7
days. While in hiding, Agents will not be detected by normal
or magical means.
-
Secrets of the Master Locksmiths; +2 circumstance
bonus to Open Lock for any humanoid made lock within The Vast.
-
Know your Exits; The Ministry (through secret
methods too secret for this document) has the ability to smuggle
its key members out of the city. By contacting a Ministry
agent, The Master of Blades can be moved discretely out of
the city from any location (including the location that starts
with a "J"). The Master of Blades may also use this
ability to move ‘unwanted goods’ out of the city.
Feats
Dash [General]
Prerequisites: none
Benefit: If you are wearing light armour or no armour and carrying
a light load, your base speed is increased by 5’
Flick of the Wrist [General]
Prerequisites: Dex 17+, Quick Draw
Benefit: If you draw any weapon and make a melee attack with
it in the same round, you catch your opponent flat footed (for
the purposes of this attack only). This feat works only once
per combat.
Fleet of Foot [General]
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Run
Benefit: When running or charging, you can make a single direction
change of 90 degrees or less. You must be wearing light armour
or no armour and be carrying a light load to use this feat.
Arterial Strike [General]
Prerequisites: Base Attack +4, sneak attack
ability
Benefit: If you hit with a sneak attack you may choose to forgo
+1d6 points of extra sneak attack damage to deliver a wound
that won’t stop bleeding. Each wound so inflicted does
an additional 1 point of damage per round. Wounds from multiple
arterial strikes result in cumulative blood loss. Blood loss,
whether from one such wound or several, stops when the victim
receives one successful Heal check (DC 15), or any form of magical
healing. Creatures not subject to sneak attack are immune to
this effect.
Hamstring [General]
Prerequisites: Base Attack +4, sneak attack
ability at least +2d6
Benefit: If you hit with a sneak attack you may choose to forgo
+2d6 points of extra sneak attack reduce your opponents land
speed by half. Other forms of movement (fly, burrow etc…)
are unaffected. The speed reduction stops when the victim receives
one successful Heal check (DC 15), or any form of magical healing.
Creatures not subject to sneak attack, or those that have either
no legs at all or more than four legs are immune to this effect.
Jack of All Trades [General]
Prerequisites: Character level 8th
Benefit: You can use any skill untrained, even those that normally
require training.
Death Blow [General]
Prerequisites: Improved Initiative
Benefit: You can perform a coup de grace against a helpless
defender as a standard action rather than a full-round action.
Improved Sneak Attack [General]
Prerequisites: Sneak Attack +3d6
Benefit: You gain +1d6 sneak attack.
Potions
The guilds and organisations of Sarbreenar are
famous for their providing of magical potions to their members.
Not all guilds provide this service, and even the ones that
do require a certain status of membership but a handy potion
has saved many an adevnturer’s life. All potions are brewed
and created by The High and Honourable Convocation of Spellcasters.
They are sold to the Regent of Guilds (currently Godwin de Secundus)
who in turn passes them on to the respective Guildmasters.
Where potion access is granted, the following
potions are available at the prices stated:
Blur 200 GP
Bull’s Strength 200 GP
Cat’s Grace 200 GP
Enlarge 200 GP
Vision 200 GP
Cure Moderate Wounds 250 GP
Lesser Restoration 300 GP
Heroism 400 GP
Ministry only Potions
The following potions are brewed by The Ministry
of the Interior for specific use by it’s own agents. Potions
are to be drunk discretly. Anyone caught with such a potion
may be asked in for a quiet chat with the Minister of the Interior
to explain exactly how it came to be in his or her possession.
Glibness 300 GP
Gaseous Form 400 GP
Eligibility
Becoming an agent of the Ministry is not limited
to those labelled ‘Rogues’. It may be opened to any
who can offer the Ministry a service. New recruits are generally
recommended by an agent in good standing. There follows a period
of probation before being put on the Trusted List. During probation
senior Ministry agents may assess the candidate’s suitability
for full status.
Secrecy and loyalty
Agents who pass sensitive information to other factions
or betray other agents will be excluded from the Ministry and
will be dealt with as traitors to Sarbreenar.
Agents should be aware of the powers of a Zone of
Truth spell. [It allows a saving throw against Willpower and those
within the area of effect are aware of it and can either stay
silent or be evasive.]
Identification Cards
Agents of the Ministry cannot carry identification
cards because that would expose their cover identity. [But players
will be issued with a card to record their status and their payment.]
Training
The Ministry sometimes offers training to ordinary
citizens to help them gain skills that may be of use to Sarbreenar’s
security in the future. Training to advance in a Level costs 500
Gold Lions and reduces the time taken to train [by one TU].
Relationships with other factions
Information gathering from the petty criminals and
thugs of Sarbreenar is carried out with great care because certain
factions have set themselves up in direct opposition to the Ministry
of the Interior.
Beware of operations involving the ‘Honest’
Watchers. They must be carried out with care and tact because
they generally lack our flexible and imaginative attitude to working
methods. Note that the Ministry cannot protect its agents from
the Law of Sarbreenar if they have committed an offence. It is
not permissible to damage property or slay innocent citizens even
if it is in the course of a sanctioned mission.
