halfling picture
Aser Birkenfors
Alignment:Neutral-Good
Class:Thief (Kit: Halfling Poacher)
Level: 4 (8462 XP) Next level: 10.000
Appereance
Age:26Race:Halfling
Sex:MaleSubrace:3/4 Tallfellow/ 1/4 Stout
Height:47"Hair:Brown
Weight:61 lbs.Eyes:Green/Gray
Stats
STR 10 ToHit +0 ToDam +0 WA: 40
Max: 115 OpenDoors: 6 BendBars: 2%
DEX 18 RA: +2 ToHit: +2 Defence: -4
CON 13 HP: +0 SysShk: 85% ResSur: 90% PsSave:0 RegenRate: 0
INT 10 Lang: 2
WIS 10 MagDef: 0
CHA 9. Max. H.: 4 Loyal: 0 RA: 0
Saving Throws
Death/Poison	Wand		Perti/Poly	Breath		Spell
13(10)*		14(11)*		12		16		15(12)*
* -3 CON bonus, when  including Belt of Protection +1, this is a total of:
9			10		11		15		11

Thief Abilities
PickPockets	OpenLocks	F/R Traps	Move Silent
45%		25%		45%		70%
Hide in Shd	Detect Noise	Climb Walls	Read Lang.
70%		30%		90%		-10%

Attack
THAC0: 19
Melee Bonus: +0
Missile Bonus: +3
NWP Penalty: -3

Armor
Worn: None
AC: 10 (6 w/Armor Spell)
DEX defence adjustment: -4
Parry bonus: -2 (Level 4/2)
Tumbling bonus: -4
Belt of protection bonus: -1

Gods
Main: Yondalla, 
Minor: Sheela Peryroyl, Tymora, Brandobaris, Harwin

Proficiencies
Sling, Small Blades Tight Weapon Group 
(Short Sword/Drusus, Dagger/Dirk, Knife/Stiletto, Main-gauche)

Non weapon proficiencies
Kit:		Set Snares, Hunting, Animal Lore, Rope Use
Thief:	Whistling/Humming, Juggling, Tumbling, Rinding Landbased (Horse/Pony)

Other abilities
Halfling: +2 surprise in wood, +1 To Hit missile weapons, huge appetite
3/4Tallfellow: Detect concealed door 1/6, etc. like elves
1/4 Stout: Infravision 30', 75% chance to detect sloping passage, 50% chance to determine direction underground.

Special Items
Dagger +2, 4 Daggers +1, Thick Cloak/bedroll (Kit), Belt buckle with concealed knife (Haunted Halls), Custom shoulder belt/sling bullet(20) quiver, Custom belt/dagger quiver(4), Belt of Protection +1.

Weapons	Type	Nr.		Range		vs.	vs.	Kn-	Weight	
			speed	Att	S	M	L	M/S	L	down		Cost p.p.
2 Short Swords	P3	1	-	-	-	1d6	1d8	d6	3.0	10gp
25 Sling Bullets	B6	1	50	100	200	1d4+1	1d6+1	d4	0.1	1 cp
5 Sling stones	B6	1	40	80	160	1d4	1d4	d4	0.1	0
4 Dagger +1	PS2	2	10	20	30	1d4	1d3	d6	1.0	? gp
Dagger +2	PS2	2	10	20	30	1d4	1d3	d6	1.0	? gp
Knife		PS2	2	10	20	30	1d3	1d2	d4	0.5	5 sp

Equipment	Weight		Value			Equipment	Weight		Value	
1 Clothes		5	10 gp			X Rations		1	7 sp
2 Thieves Picks		1	30 gp			X Apples		0.1	1 cp
Leather bag		0.5	3 cp			2 Healing salves	0.2	1 gp
Water skin		1	8 sp			Healing vail		0	? gp
Flint & steel		0.1	5 sp			Sling bullet quiver belt	1	4 gp
Thick cloak/bedroll	1	8 gp			Dagger quiver belt	1	4 gp
white&black candle	0.1	1 cp			Belt of Protection	0.5	? gp
10 Snare rope		0.075	1 cp
4 Osquip teeth		0	? gp			Pony	Movement rate 12	30 gp
2 Bear teeth		0	? gp			Brittle			3	2 gp
Belt buckle		0.1	? gp			Saddle			35	3 gp
2 Slings			0.1	5 cp			Saddle blanket		4	3 sp
								Saddle bags		5	3 gp
Variable amount of Rations and Hay loaded on Pony
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Total carried: 28.25 lbs not counting X Rations and X Apples

3000 gold pieces are hidden at various locations in the vicinity of Aser's parents house, to be used against the Black Baron in the future, Aser currently carries 724 gold pieces, 8 silver pieces and 4 copper pieces.

THIEF HALFLING KIT: POACHER


Description:

A Halfling Poacher is a thief, usually solitary, who operates in a wilderness setting. A halfling Poacher will try to hunt or catch wildlife to bring back to his own halfling community, despite the fact that this is forbidden by the local human or elven authorities.

Requirements:

The Poacher kit has no requirements beyond those of the thief class.


Role:

Poachers are different from Scouts in that they lack the skills that would make them suitable for a role as army scout. They are likely to try to hide themselves and their activities from any authority outside their own community. As a result they shun spears and bows in favor of slings and nets.
Poachers are not prohibited from being good-and in fact they are, on the whole, a good deal more dependable than thieves in general-but they tend to ignore the law when it is not beneficial to them or their (Halfling) community.
The Poaching of animals may be protected by royal decree, written law, or the monopoly of a hunters' or furriers' guild. In medieval times, for instance, hunting was typically reserved for the noble classes. A commoner caught slaying one of "the king's deer" could be punished by death. As such a decree or law is always instituted by a ruling group of tall people, the Halfling society from which the poacher originates tends not to see the poachers activities as illegal, but as their due right, stolen from them by the tall people.
The poacher also tends to be one of the more skillful hunters of a halfling community. Thus, when he or she does come in to town, it is often with a large cache of fresh meat--a trait which further endears him or her to these feast-loving folk. Often the poacher can barter for all the other essentials of life, simply through knowing how to gain the bounty of the woods.
Unlike Bandits (who also operate chiefly in the wilderness), the Poacher usually shuns the company of other thieves, including guilds. The guilds, in turn, care little about Poachers. Their poaching and small-time thievery is seen as insignificant in the eyes of the great crime figures, especially when compared to the trouble and expense that would be required to identify and to track down the elusive Poachers, to punish them or force them to join guild ranks. If a Poacher is a guild member, either it is a voluntary arrangement (whereby the Poacher benefits from access to special equipment and training) or he has spent enough "professional time" in the city or other explicitly guild-controlled territory that he was "persuaded" to join.
Besides hunting, poachers are also adept at finding nuts, edible berries and other fruits, herbs, roots, and--best of all, from a halfling's point of view -- mushrooms. Many are fine cooks, able to serve up savory soups and rich stews that would be the envy of any fine restaurant.
A Halfling Poacher will not hunt his quarry to extinction, because this will rob him of his livelyhood, and will not usually hunt for other purposes as to provide him and his community with food and leather.
If the halfling community is treathened by outsiders, halfling poachers and bandits might team up to disrupt the opposing force with guerrila warfare tactics.

Secondary Skills:

The Hunter and either the Trapper/Furrier or Fisher secondary skills fit in well with this character's lifestyle.

Weapon Proficiencies:

The poacher must spend an initial proficiency slot on an easily concealed missile weapon.

Bonus Nonweapon Proficiencies:

The poacher gains Set Snares, plus any three of the following (player's choice): Fishing, Hunting, Weather sense, Animal Noise, Animal Lore or Rope Use.

Recommended Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Whichever of the above not taken as bonus proficiencies are recommended.

Equipment:

In addition to his or her weapons, the poacher will rarely be found without flint and tinder for firemaking, a large waterskin, and a heavy cloak or blanket that can double as a bedroll. He or she will always have a knife, even if it is too small to properly be considered a weapon, for marking trails, skinning small game, and whittling.

Skill Progression:

Stealth skills are those favored most by the Poacher, and members of this kit have highly trained senses. Therefore it would make sense for these skills to improve most rapidly: move silently, hide in shadows, and hear noise. Climb walls also may see considerable use (though not from climbing walls, per se, but trees, cliffs, and so forth).

Special Benefits:

In addition to the normal halfling benefit of being hard to spot in natural terrain, the poacher can move at his or her full movement rate through tangled undergrowth ("born and bred in the briar patch, Brer Fox!"). If he or she chooses to slow down to the normal movement rate, however, he can try to Move Silently through such terrain.
Due to their constant attempts to elude the law, Poachers gain +5% when hiding in shadows and moving silently in wilderness or wooded areas.
A Poacher has a +1 modifier to the above bonus non weapon proficiency rolls made in wilderness and woodland areas.

Special Hindrances:

Poachers may only wear leather armor, and many eschew armor altogether. Since metal makes so much noise in the woods, they will avoid carrying much of it on their person as it will scare away animals and hinders their movement.
Poachers tend not to be terribly skilled in the social graces because they spend most of their time in the wilderness and therefore suffer a -2 penalty to NPC reaction rolls when the setting calls for good manners and/or elegant dress. Poachers must therefore spend twice the slots to learn etiquette, Reading/Writing or similar non-weapon proficiencies.
Poachers have spent little time in urban settings, consequently, the Poacher suffers a -5% penalty on Picking Locks and Read Languages.
A Poacher has a -1 modifier to all proficiency rolls made in cities.


Halflings (Players handbook)

Halflings are short, generally plump people, very much like small humans. Their faces are round and broad and often quite florid. Their hair is typically curly and the tops of their feet are covered with coarse hair. They prefer not to wear shoes whenever possible. Their typical life expectancy is approximately 150 years.
Halflings are sturdy and industrious, generally quiet and peaceful. Overall they prefer the comforts of home to dangerous adventuring. They enjoy good living, rough humor, and homespun stories. In fact, they can be a trifle boring at times. Halflings are not forward, but they are observant and conversational if in friendly company. Halflings see wealth only as a means of gaining creature comforts, which they love. Though they are not overly brave or ambitious, they are generally honest and hard working when there is need.
Halfling homes are well-furnished burrows, although most of their work is done on the surface. Elves generally like them in a patronizing sort of way. Dwarves cheerfully tolerate them, thinking halflings somewhat soft and harmless. Gnomes, although they drink more and eat less, like halflings best, feeling them kindred spirits. Because halflings are more open and outgoing than any of these other three, they get along with other races far better.
There are three types of halflings: Hairfeets, Tallfellows, and Stouts. Hairfeets are the most common type, but for player characters, any of the three is acceptable.
A halfling character can choose to be a cleric, fighter, thief, or a multi-class fighter/thief. The halfling must use the rules provided for multi-class characters.
Through their contact with other races, halfling characters are allowed to choose initial languages from common, halfling, dwarf, elf, gnome, goblin, and orc, in addition to any other languages the DM allows. The actual number of languages the character knows is limited by his Intelligence (see Table 4) or by the number of proficiency slots he allots to languages (if that optional system is used).
All halfling characters have a high resistance to magical spells, so for every 3-½ points of Constitution score, the character gains a +1 bonus on saving throws vs. wands, staves, rods, and spells. These bonuses are summarized on Table 9.
Halflings have a similar resistance to poisons of all sorts, so they gain a Constitution bonus identical to that for saving throws vs. magical attacks when they make saving throws vs. poison (i.e., +1 to +5, depending on Constitution score).
Halflings have a natural talent with slings and thrown weapons. Rock pitching is a favorite sport of many a halfling child. All halflings gain a +1 bonus to their attack rolls when using thrown weapons and slings.
A halfling can gain a bonus to surprise opponents, but only if the halfling is not in metal armor. Even then, the halfling must either be alone, or with a party comprised only of halflings or elves, or 90 feet or more away from his party to gain this bonus. If he fulfills any of these conditions, he causes a -4 penalty to opponents' surprise rolls. If a door or other screen must be opened, this penalty is reduced to -2.
Depending on their lineage, certain halfling characters have infravision. Any halfling character has a 15% chance to have normal infravision (this means he is pure Stout), out to 60 feet; failing that chance, there is a 25% chance that he has limited infravision (mixed Stout/Tallfellow or Stout/Hairfeets lineage), effective out to 30 feet.
Similarly, halflings with any Stoutish blood can note if a passage is an up or down grade with 75% accuracy (roll a 1, 2, or 3 on 1d4). They can determine direction half the time (roll a 1, 2, or 3 on 1d6). These abilities function only when the character is concentrating on the desired information to the exclusion of all else, and only if the character is pure or partially Stout.
Halfling characters have a penalty of -1 to their initially generated Strength scores, and they gain a bonus of +1 to Dexterity.


TALLFELLOW SUBRACE: (complete book of gnomes and halflings)



Tallfellow

This subrace of halflings is not so common as the Stout or Hairfoot but exists in significant numbers in many areas of temperate woodland. Averaging a little over 4' in height, Tallfellows are slender and light-boned, weighing little more than the average Hairfoot. They wear their hair long, often topped by a small brightly-colored cap.
The longest-lived of all halfling subraces, Tallfellows have an average life expectancy of 180 years, with the eldest exceeding 250 years. Like Hairfeet, Tallfellows shun footwear. Their characteristic foot-fur is somewhat sparser and finer than that of their cousins.
Tallfellows favor woodland shades of brown, yellow, and green and have developed several vibrant shades of the latter color through unique dyes. They enjoy the company of elves, and most Tallfellow villages will be found nearby populations of that sylvan folk, with a flourishing trade between the two peoples.
Preferring to live above ground, Tallfellows often dwell in spacious houses of wood, with many windows. Indeed, the ceiling of a Tallfellow house will typically be nearly 6' above the floor! Though the house will often have a cellar, this will be used primarily for storage. However, during days of hot summer Tallfellows will often retire to their underground chambers for a long evening's conversation and sleep.
Tallfellows display the greatest affinity toward working with wood of any halfling. They make splendid carpenters (often building boats or wagons for human customers), as well as loggers, carvers, pipesmiths, musicians, shepherds, liverymen, dairymen, cheese-makers, hunters, and scouts. They are better farmers than Stouts (although not as good as Hairfeet) and more adept than any other subrace at harvesting natural bounties of berries, nuts, roots, and wild grains.
The only halflings who enjoy much proficiency at riding, Tallfellows favor small ponies. Indeed, many unique breeds of diminutive horse have been bred among Tallfellow clans: fast, shaggy-maned, nimble mounts with great endurance. In a charge, of course, they lack the impact of a human-mounted warhorse; nonetheless, Tallfellow companies have served admirably as light lancers and horsearchers during many a hard-fought campaign.
On foot, Tallfellows wield spears with rare skill. They are adept at forming bristling `porcupine' formations with these weapons, creating such a menacing array that horses and footmen alike are deterred from attacking. This is one of the few halfling formations capable of standing toe-to-toe with a larger opponent in the open field.


Table 7: Tallfellow Ability Scores
Ability Minimum Maximum
Strength 3 17
Dexterity 8 19
Constitution 10 18
Intelligence 6 18
Wisdom 7 19
Charisma 5 18

Ability Score Adjustments: -1 to Strength; +1 to either Dexterity or Wisdom
Languages: Any one elven language in addition to the normal halfling starting languages.
Infravision: No
Special Features: Like elves, a Tallfellow can recognize a secret door on a roll of 1 on a d6**. All Tallfellows receive a +2 bonus to surprise rolls when in forest or wooded terrain.

** Elves in Player Handbook:
Secret doors (those constructed so as to be hard to notice) and concealed doors (those hidden from sight by screens, curtains, or the like) are difficult to hide from elves. Merely passing within 10 feet of a concealed door gives an elven character a one-in-six chance (roll a 1 on 1d6) to notice it. If actively searching for such doors, elven characters have a one-in-three chance (roll a 1 or 2 on 1d6) to find a secret door and a one-in-two chance (roll a 1, 2, or 3 on 1d6) to discover a concealed portal.

HALFLING THIEF: (complete Thieves' handbook)


Sometimes portrayed as consummate burglars, halfling thieves are really motivated by curiosity. The average halfling is content to lead a simple, safe, comfortable life. But the thief longs to see and experience the world beyond the hills and burrows of his home shire. "Adventurer" is probably still too strong a word, for even halfling thieves have their race's characteristic shy caution, plus a healthy dislike for danger, discomfort, and uncertainty. Halflings make careful preparations whenever possible, and use their skills of self-concealment liberally. Careful scouting is always a must, and frontal assaults (whether in combat or robbery) anathema.
Many halflings have remarkably little interest in money, which can be burdensome (especially for a small person). They'll take a good amount of loot, certainly-at least enough for a pleasant period of ease and comfort before work is made mandatory-but they are hardly motivated by greed. Of great puzzlement to sages is the question: Where do halflings get their extraordinary talent for thieves' skills? There is precious little locksmithing or metalwork found in their culture, and thievery amongst the halflings themselves is virtually unheard of-yet the halfling thief has an amazing knack for almost all thieves' skills. Coupling this knack and the attitudes just described, plus a fierce loyalty for their friends, the halfling thief is understandably in high demand for adventuring expeditions.

THE LIFE OF ASER BIRKENFORS


Aser Birkenfors has been born the fourth day of Ches in the year 1342 DR. He is born in Elmford a small farm village on the upper reaches of the Saldushkoon river. His parents are Dargon and Sophia Birkenfors, the owners of the local wood and flour mill and lumberjacks. He has several brothers and sisters who all help in the mill and the the older brothers in the lumberjack trade.
The village of Elmford lies on the edge of the Forest of Thetyr, between Ithmong and Riatavin, east of the Starspire Mountains. In the forest of Thetyr the Birkenfors family harvests the wood for their mill. Because of their familiarity with the forest, some of the members of the family have also hunted the local wildlife and worked as trappers in times where there was less demand for their trade as lumberjack.
In the region there are a lot of halfling communities, about 25% of the population, both in the Starspire mountains, along the Saldushkoon river and to the north in the eastern part of Ahm. The large halfling presence is a remnant of the halfling realm of Meiritin, which was founded in 227 DR, but that has since vanished. (FR Net compendium) The former lands of Meiritin are currently part of the nations of Ahm and Thetyr.
Since the murder of king Alemander IV and the "Ten Black Days of Eleint" in 1347 DR a civil war has started in Thetyr that lasts to this day. During the civil war the halflings have tried to stay outside the politics of the Big Folk. About 12 years ago a nomadic chief from the Shining plains, who goes by the name "The Black Baron" has arrived in the region and proclaimed himself ruler of north-east Thetyr. The most important reason the Black Baron has been able to stay in power is because of help from some mages he has enlisted. Next to that he has a small mercenary army of a few hundred orcs at his disposal.
The Black Baron has taken up residence in an abandoned local castle (not Castle Spulzeer) and has forbidden the use of the Forest of Thetyr. In a reaction to this law the Birkenfors family has officialy stopped their trade and now use the mill only as a flour mill. Secretly they still apply their trade with help from the local villagers. To avoid detection by the forces of the Black Baron several members of the family needed to post as look-outs and scouts. As the youngest son this was a task that most of the time was done by Aser and some of his sisters and younger brothers. Other village members often came to the aid of the family, especially those that needed the wood that was to be produced.
To communicate with each other when a patrol of the Black baron was detected, the Birkenfors children learned to communicate using animal sounds, which they learned from "Uncle August", a nephew of Sophia Birkenfors. Uncle August is a travelling Whistler/Bard, a member of the Strongfoot family who live in the Starspire Mountains, the family of Sophia's mother (Stout).
Recently they have also started to receive help from and give help to a tribe of sprites that live in the forest and which have been discovered and since hunted by a group of orcish mercenairies in the sevice of the Black Baron. They have aided a lot in continuing to avoiding detection and are starting to plot the downfall of the Black Baron, although they currently lack the means to do this.
On a whim some of the servants of the Black Baron have stolen the holy cauldron from the shrine of Yondalla/ Cirrollalee in Elmford. They sold it in Riatavin to a merchant caravan. Aser has been part of a group from Elmford to retreive this cauldron. They have succeeded in buying it back from some merchant in Suzail, the capital of Cormyr, after tracing it for several months. On their journey they have visited the following towns: Riatavin, Leshay, Ormath, Hlondath, Assam, Raddanayr, Westgate, Texiir, Elvencult, The Bridge of Fallen Men, Skull Crag, Arabel and Suzail. After the retreival of the cauldron, most of the party has returned to Elmford, but Aser has stayed in Cormyr, to discover the world at large and learn about ways to defeat the Black Baron.

Proficiencies


Rope Use 1 Dexterity 0
Juggling 1 Dexterity -1
Whistling/ Humming 1 Dexterity +2
Set Snares 1 Dexterity -1 (+1 with Animal Lore)
Tumbling 1 Dexterity 0
Animal Lore 1 Intelligence 0
Hunting 1 Wisdom -1
Riding, Land-based 1 Wisdom +3

Animal Lore: This proficiency enables a character to observe the actions or habitat of an animal and interpret what is going on. Actions can show how dangerous the creature is, whether it is hungry, protecting its young, or defending a nearby den. Furthermore, careful observation of signs and behaviors can even indicate the location of a water hole, animal herd, predator, or impending danger, such as a forest fire. The DM will secretly roll a proficiency check. A successful check means the character understood the basic actions of the creature. If the check fails by 4 or less, no information is gained. If the check fails by 5 or more, the character misinterprets the actions of the animal.
A character may also imitate the calls and cries of animals that he is reasonably familiar with, based on his background. This ability is limited by volume. The roar of a tyrannosaurus rex would be beyond the abilities of a normal character. A successful proficiency check means that only magical means can distinguish the character's call from that of the true animal. The cry is sufficient to fool animals, perhaps frightening them away or luring them closer. A failed check means the sound is incorrect in some slight way. A failed call may still fool some listeners, but creatures very familiar with the cry automatically detect a false call. All other creatures and characters are allowed a Wisdom check to detect the fake.
Finally, animal lore increases the chance of successfully setting snares and traps (for hunting) since the character knows the general habits of the creature hunted.

Hunting: When in wilderness settings, the character can attempt to stalk and bring down game. A proficiency check must be made with a -1 penalty to the ability score for every nonproficient hunter in the party. If the die roll is successful, the hunter (and those with him) have come within 101 to 200 yards (100+1d100) of an animal. The group can attempt to close the range, but a proficiency check must be made for each 20 yards closed. If the stalking is successful, the hunter automatically surprises the game. The type of animal stalked depends on the nature of the terrain and the whim of the DM.

Juggling: The character can juggle, a talent useful for entertainments, diversions, and certain rare emergencies. When juggling normally (to entertain or distract), no proficiency check is required. A check is made when trying spectacular tricks ("Watch me eat this apple in mid-air!"). However, juggling also enables the character to attempt desperate moves. On a successful attack roll vs. AC 0 (not a proficiency check), the character can catch small items thrown to harm him (as opposed to items thrown for him to catch). Thus, the character could catch a dagger or a dart before it hits. If this attack roll fails, however, the character automatically suffers damage (sticking your hand in the path of a dagger is likely to hurt).

Rope Use: This proficiency enables a character to accomplish amazing feats with rope. A character with rope use proficiency is familiar with all sorts of knots and can tie knots that slip, hold tightly, slide slowly, or loosen with a quick tug. If the character's hands are bound and held with a knot, he can roll a proficiency check (with a -6 penalty) to escape the bonds.
This character gains a +2 bonus to all attacks made with a lasso. The character also receives a +10% bonus to all climbing checks made while he is using a rope, including attempts to belay (secure the end of a climbing rope) companions.

Whistling/ Humming: Almost anyone can whistle or hum. Those who take this proficiency are exceptional whistlers and hummers. They can produce tunes as captivating as most songs. A person with this proficiency is a true master whistler and hummer.
It is also easy to learn a new tune to whistle or hum that characters with this proficiency can learn numerous tunes. In fact, if a proficiency check is made, a whistler or hummer knows any particular tune in question. In addition, a characterr with both this proficiency and the animal lore proficiency can mimic any bird call he has heard.
However, most adventurers do not take whistling just for the entertainment value. Instead, they are looking for its uses in communication. This communication is possible only among those who know this proficiency. If both characters succeed with their proficiency checks, a single concept can be communicated. Some examples are "Go around to the side door", "I hear them comming", "Slowly reach out now, the guard doesn't see you."

Set Snares: The character can make simple snares and traps, primarily to catch small game. These can include rope snares and spring traps. A proficiency check must be rolled when the snare is first constructed and every time the snare is set. A failed proficiency check means the trap does not work for some reason. It may be that the workmanship was bad, the character left too much scent in the area, or he poorly concealed the finished work. The exact nature of the problem does not need to be known. The character can also attempt to set traps and snares for larger creatures: tiger pits and net snares, for example. A proficiency check must be rolled, this time with a -4 penalty to the ability score. In both cases, setting a successful snare does not ensure that it catches anything, only that the snare works if triggered. The DM must decide if the trap is triggered.
Thief characters (and only thieves) with this proficiency can also attempt to rig man-traps. These can involve such things as crossbows, deadfalls, spiked springboards, etc. The procedure is the same as that for setting a large snare. The DM must determine the amount of damage caused by a man-trap.
Setting a small snare or trap takes one hour of work. Setting a larger trap requires two to three people (only one need have the proficiency) and 2d4 hours of work. Setting a man-trap requires one or more people (depending on its nature) and 1d8 hours of work. To prepare any trap, the character must have appropriate materials on hand.
Characters with animal lore proficiency gain a +2 bonus to their ability score when attempting to set a snare for the purposes of catching game. Their knowledge of animals and the woods serves them well for this purpose. They gain no benefit when attempting to trap monsters or intelligent beings.

Tumbling: The character is practiced in all manner of acrobatics--dives, rolls, somersaults, handstands, flips, etc. Tumbling can only be performed while burdened with light encumbrance or less. Aside from entertaining, the character with tumbling proficiency can improve his Armor Class by 4 against attacks directed solely at him in any round of combat, provided he has the initiative and foregoes all attacks that round. When in unarmed combat he can improve his attack roll by 2.
On a successful proficiency check, he suffers only one-half the normal damage from falls of 60 feet or less and none from falls of 10 feet or less. Falls from greater heights result in normal damage.

Riding, Land-Based: Those skilled in land riding are proficient in the art of riding and handling horses or other types of ground mounts. When the proficiency slot is filled, the character must declare which type of mount he is proficient in. Possibilities include griffons, unicorns, dire wolves, and virtually any creatures used as mounts by humans, demihumans, or humanoids.
A character with riding proficiency can perform all of the following feats. Some of them are automatic, while others require a proficiency check for success.

  • The character can vault onto a saddle whenever the horse or other mount is standing still, even when the character is wearing armor. This does not require a proficiency check. The character must make a check, however, if he wishes to get the mount moving during the same round in which he lands in its saddle. He must also make a proficiency check if he attempts to vault onto the saddle of a moving mount. Failure indicates that the character falls to the ground--presumably quite embarrassed.
  • The character can urge the mount to jump tall obstacles or leap across gaps. No check is required if the obstacle is less than three feet tall or the gap is less than 12 feet wide. If the character wants to roll a proficiency check, the mount can be urged to leap obstacles up to seven feet high, or jump across gaps up to 30 feet wide. Success means that the mount has made the jump. Failure indicates that it balks, and the character must make another proficiency check to see whether he retains his seat or falls to the ground.
  • The character can spur his steed on to great speeds, adding 6 feet per round to the animal's movement rate for up to four turns. This requires a proficiency check each turn to see if the mount can be pushed this hard. If the initial check fails, no further attempts may be made, but the mount can move normally. If the second or subsequent check fails, the mount immediately slows to a walk, and the character must dismount and lead the animal for a turn. In any event, after four turns of racing, the steed must be walked by its dismounted rider for one turn.
  • The character can guide his mount with his knees, enabling him to use weapons that require two hands (such as bows and two-handed swords) while mounted. This feat does not require a proficiency check unless the character takes damage while so riding. In this case, a check is required and failure means that the character falls to the ground and sustains an additional 1d6 points of damage.
  • The character can drop down and hang alongside the steed, using it as a shield against attack. The character cannot make an attack or wear armor while performing this feat. The character's Armor Class is lowered by 6 while this maneuver is performed. Any attacks that would have struck the character's normal Armor Class are considered to have struck the mount instead. No proficiency check is required.
  • The character can leap from the back of his steed to the ground and make a melee attack against any character or creature within 10 feet. The player must roll a successful proficiency check with a -4 penalty to succeed. On a failed roll, the character fails to land on his feet, falls clumsily to the ground, and suffers 1d3 points of damage.