A landsknecht is paid to fight for the honor of his regiment, and makes his living plundering from friend and from foe. He fights and dies by the pike and shot. Many landsknechts will stay with their regiments for all of their lives, but others retire or leave to become adventurers.
- Skill Proficiencies: Gain proficiency in athletics, persuasion, intimidation and investigation.
- Tool Proficiencies: Gain proficiency in a tailor's kit (Landsknechts have to sew their own uniforms).
- Languages: Learn Common or another language.
- Equipment: Gain an extra trinket (which you looted during the sack of a city), a pouch of 30 gold pieces (looted, but not yet spent, as landsknechts are notoriously bad with money), an explorer's pack, a tailor's kit, a gaudy landsknecht uniform, 2 week's rations, a cheap alcoholic beverage of your choice, a pike, musket, longsword and shield, shortsword and shield, crossbow, or greatsword, and a crowbar, rope, or torch. You also get a sketching of your regimental flag.
As mercenaries, the landsknechts are often not paid reliably whenever there is not an active war going on. As such, they often resort to ransacking friendly towns for money, or even extorting their employers into keeping them mobilized and hired. This gives landsknecht player-characters advantage on all investigation checks to loot buildings, or intimidation checks to extort money.
Suggested Characteristics
Landsknechts are greedy, but also live for the day. Many are drunkards. They also display poor hygiene and a lack of education (on account of being dirty peasants who have been trained in the subtle art of stabbing and armed robbery). In addition, they have great pride in their gaudy, flouncy, eyesores of uniforms, and in their pikes. Many refuse to take off their uniforms for almost any reason.
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