Domain and Regency » Government » Able Assistance » Specialist
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A specialist is a functionary of an organization. They do not make important decisions or take on the leadership of others, though within the limits of their duty or that of their organization they can make minor decisions which are a routine normal part of their activity. Specialists need guidance on a regular basis from lieutenants, cohorts, or regents as issues crop up that need decision making. The longer a specialist is out of contact with their organization the more often hesitation will decrease their effectiveness. Specialists are hirelings for a domain or organization and are the named characters who lead a group of undistinguished, unnamed characters. They are the lowest of the named characters, most reliant on the PC to give them direction and assistance. They are not competent lieutenants, and they probably never went on adventures. However, they often know quite a bit about things the regent himself has no time to learn.
In the DMG II, the section on hirelings includes specialists, who are very capable in a narrow area of expertise outside of combat and adventuring. Rulers of domains and leaders of organizations are going to need capable administrators, financial officers, and diplomats to run their organization and carry out the instructions of the ruler.
Specialist NPCs do not focus their skills on combat or adventuring, so will not be eager to encounter danger. Depending on their duties, some danger is part of the job, but these characters are not adventurers and will expect to be protected and guarded from danger when it is necessary for the performance of their duty.

[top]Specialist Abilities

Specialists will be aristocrats, experts, or other NPC classes. Sometimes they will have a level or two of a PC class if the DM thinks its appropriate. Some settings have included classes for these kinds of activities that can be used as well. The purpose of a specialist is that the regent does not do everything that gets done in his domain, and sometimes you want to know how good the sheriff, inquisitor, or appraiser is here or there. Some key specialists might help their rulers on a more day to day level, taking care of parts of the domain where the specialist is very skilled and the ruler is not. With demands for Administration, Diplomacy, Knowledge (Law), and other skills, its very difficult for the regent to do it all, and lieutenants might have adventuring or combat responsibilities, such as commanding the realm's armies. Specialists can serve as diplomats, administrators, lawyers, and so forth.
A specialist chooses a skill to focus his efforts on. He puts his best ability score in the key ability for that skill. A specialist will place extra skill ranks in skills that will provide synergy bonuses to their primary skill. When there are no more of those left, extra skill ranks will be spent on skills that are probably useful in the profession of the specialist. He will purchase feats that enhance his skill bonus as soon as he can afford them. If masterwork items aid him, he purchases them. If magic items aid him, as soon as he is able he purchases them, otherwise he obtains items that boost ability scores of the key abilities for their skill.
Suppose the DM informs the regent that his law holding in a province is supervised by Bedwyr Haeston. This character is an Anuirean Aristocrat 4, and specializes in Knowledge (Law). Using the elite array, Bedwyr would have a 15 INT, a 14 CHA, and a 13 WIS. As a 4th level character Bedwyr would add one to his INT, for a score of 16. With 43 skill ranks, Bedwyr could max out Knowledge (Law), Gather Information, Diplomacy, and Profession (Sheriff), and put five ranks into Knowledge (Local), Bluff, and Perform (Oratory). At 1st level he took Skill Focus: Knowledge (Law) and Negotiator. At 3rd level he took Investigator. So his current skill modifiers are Bluff +7, Diplomacy +15, Gather Information +13, Knowledge (Law) +13, Knowledge (Local) +8, Perform (Oratory) +7, Profession (Sheriff) +8, Search +5, Sense Motive +3. Whether the regent wants Bedwyr to try a case, report on local conditions, or represent him at a minor function, the regent has a pretty capable lawyer, diplomat, and investigator representing him in that province.
Specialists who work at the domain level, rather than just the holding level, can be a great asset to a ruler. Generally, a regent can use his specialist?s skills and knowledge whenever and however he wishes. For example, if a regent has a specialist with the Administration skill, he can put his specialist in charge of paying the maintenance and court costs for his kingdom ? thereby using the skill as if the regent had it himself. Of course, this strategy works only if the regent has the foresight to assign his specialist to the task in the first place.
Specialists nearly always work on only one task at a time. Should a specialist be assigned to use his Administration skill to maintain the domain more efficiently, he can?t also be assigned to assist his regent with a trade route action or to engage in intricate diplomacy with a foreign regent. The DM might impose a dramatic circumstance penalty to the specialist?s skill checks if he feels the specialist is being misused or overworked.

[top]Types of Specialists

This section discusses some types of specialists and adventurers a ruler regent might attract. Each is listed by the position or role he might fulfill in a PC regent?s domain.
The following specialists serve as examples of these important NPCs. With a little modification, they fit into just about any environment in Cerilia.

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