[Dungeon Fantasy] Designing a Tour Guide bargain henchmen template

[Michael Thayne]

I was pretty happy with the results of my thread on a Peasant template a few months back, and I've been thinking about concepts for similar low-powered henchmen. One thing I noticed: the Caverntown book mentions tour guides with Area Knowledge-12 who work for $4/hour. Notably, that matches the hourly rate given for 62-point henchmen in Dungeon Fantasy 15. The question is: what else should such tour guides have?

In the past, people have suggested created a 62-point bargain henchmen template for larcenous types, unfortunately it's hard to get skills like Filch and Pickpocket at a useful level on a 62-point budget unless you hyper-specialize in one skill. So I would exclude those skills entirely. What skills would I add? Public Speaking is going to be essential for making your tours entertaining, and Carousing can be used for leading pub crawls. While realistic tour guides may not need these skills, Streetwise and Urban Survival should probably mandatory for the kind of guides employed by delvers. Hiking and Navigation (Land) seem to fit too, with the caveat that the aren't really any rules for using them in an urban environment (though you could invent some).

For optional skills: Current Affairs could be mandatory, but the Caverntown book says it isn't guaranteed to be found on $4/hour guides, so in deference to that I'm inclined to make it optional. Merchant, Panhandling, Scrounging, and Propaganda all feel appropriate as generic "urban" skills. Maybe Savoir-Faire (Servant) too? Acrobatics, Climbing, Jumping, and Running are all helpful for getting around quickly, and perhaps getting clients to places you aren't "supposed" to take them (Stealth would go there too). Weapon skills should be for weapons that won't raise too many eyebrows in town—likely Knife or Staff (along with Brawling and Wrestling, of course).

I'm struggling a bit to nail down the details—not sure how to distribute points among these various ideas. The heavy emphasis on IQ based skills suggests IQ 11 might be appropriate. If I stick with IQ 10, I might make Charisma 1 mandatory to boost Public Speaking. Also tempted to make Absolute Direction mandatory to avoid getting lost in maze-like back alleys. Beyond that I'm not sure. What do people think?

[sir_pudding]

Book Learmed Wisdom (Maps Only)

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Book Learmed Wisdom (Maps Only)

Heh. That might be more of the sort of thing you allow as a power up, like the ones in the "When Bargains Pay Off" sidebar.

One option would be to make "Tour Guide" a new servant specialty, which would be straightfoward enough to do though I don't love the DX 11 on the template. But then it's not the only 62-point template that's not as carefully optimized as higher-powered templates, I guess the idea is to go light on skills initially so the henchmen has room to grow? Not sure.

[johndallman]

Reputation (Brings Tourists) with hospitality providers and dungeon monsters.

[Donny Brook]

Likely Useful:

Charisma
Penetrating Voice
Savoir Faire
Merchant

[Michael Thayne]

As a 16-point servant skill package, maybe something like Area Knowledge (City) (E) IQ+1 [2]-12; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-11; Merchant (A) IQ [2]-11; Panhandling (E) IQ [1]-11; Public Speaking (A) IQ+1 [4]-12; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-11; Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-11; Urban Survival (A) Per [2]-11?

[Ultrogoth]

How about this: One of Performance (A) IQ+1 [4]-12 or Public Speaking (A) IQ+1 [4]-12. All of Area Knowledge (City) (E) IQ+1 [2]-12; Current Affairs (Regional) (E) IQ+1 [2]-12; Hidden Lore (Urban Secrets) (A) IQ [2]-11; Merchant (A) IQ [2]-11; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ [1]-11; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-11; and Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-11.

Carousing, Fast-Talk, Panhandling, and Urban Survival should be taken as background skills.

[Pursuivant]

Previous posters covered most of the ground. Filling in some of the gaps:

A good local Reputation is vital. The Honest Face perk and good Appearance also help gain customers. Voice might help a guide who has to do a lot of public speaking, as might the Penetrating Voice perk.

Social Stigma (Minor) is an "acceptable disadvantage." Struggling or Poor are common disadvantages.

Contacts are also potentially useful.

Any tour guide will benefit from Diplomacy (i.e., customer service training and the ability to gently herd or restrain difficult customers so they don't do something stupid).

Savoir-Faire (Servant) is useful for low-status characters serving as informal tour guides.

Regular old Savoir-Faire (High Society) is useful for middle-class or higher characters with enough education and social standing that they can deal with customers as near-peers. It's especially useful for "old native hand" type guides who steer high-status customers to all the best venues while avoiding the hoi-polloi.

Carousing and Streetwise are vital for tour guides of the seedier sort, who steer their customers towards the best bars, brothels and gambling dens the city has to offer.

Tour guides who are in charge of tour groups will benefit from Administration and Leadership, possibly Intimidation.

For really low-status tour guides (e.g., the lead character in "Slumdog Millionaire") don't forget Filch, Pickpocketing, PS (Any variation of Sex Worker or other survival level hustle), Running and Stealth.

At the other end of the scale, a respectable tour guide might have any of Expert Skill (Art History, Military Science, etc.), History (Local), Naturalist or Theology, depending on the nature of the tour and the tourists.

Mobility skills, like Animal Handling (Equines), Packing, Riding or Teamster (or Driving and possibly Freight Handling and Mechanic for high TL guides) are potentially helpful for getting customers around on longer tours.