King's Road Gambler

Hail and welcome Traveler, come ye to find some adventure? Beasts abound and dangers untold are found within, watch your step. Before you is a part of the guide to the Kingdom of Wandermere, a small kingdom of the world of Starholm. Use it well traveler, you never know what surprises it may hold for you… and may the blessing of both moons light your path.

Professional gamblers don’t need to cheat, they can win through a better understanding of the game or fixing it. They frequent seedy and unsavory bars looking for a good table full of suckers. Some gamblers prefer wagering on animal fights, races or other more exotic fare than simply games of chance.

About the Authors: We built Wandermere as a labor of love for playing D&D. We began writing Wandermere in 3rd Edition (then called Daytar Leamay) and have updated it with the times. Now updated for D&D 5e it is built to only require the base three books to play and can be adapted easily to any other system. We have been playing D&D since AD&D in the 80’s and have seen the coming and going of many systems.

 

Skill Proficiencies: Deception and (Animal Handle or Insight)

Tool Proficiencies: Gambling Tools

Equipment: Several sets of custom-made Gambling Sets or a Trained Fighting Animal (like a rooster or dog) in a cage, Travelers' clothes, Pouch with 25 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Constantly gambling can take its tole. It tends to shape one's entire world.

Along the Kings Road:

The king’s road is a networked series of roads ordered by the king to be built and maintained for the good of the whole kingdom. Each section of the king’s road is maintained by the mayor of the town on that section of road and patrolled faithfully by the Kingsman. The towns along the king’s road are supported and funded by the kings’ coffers and are expected to keep a certain level of order. Each town on the King’s Road is given a budget to provide for a small-town guard and a maintenance crew to care for the road and the general upkeep of the town. The main inn of each town is also given a grant from the king to provide service to the public with clean safe places to stay whilst traveling along the king’s road, they also to provide accommodations for the king’s guardsmen. Any Kingsman entering a granted Inn receives free room and board (though the room need not be the best, and drinks are your own problem) the inn keepers keep track of this and use the credits towards their taxes. Every town along the king’s road has one, but only one grant is given to any town. In the cities Kingsman are expected to stay at the garrison.

The Western Way:

The Kings Road on the western side of the kingdom to “The Western Way” A long dangerous road through The Badlands that leads to Saymantia.

d8	Personality Trait
1	Statistics Wizard: I have a keen sense of the numbers and how to manipulate them to my advantage.
2	Insightful: I’m really good at reading other players and knowing what they’re going to do.
3	Lucky: I was born with a horseshoe in my diapers (may have ruby colored birth mark).
4	Greedy: I play to win as much gold as possible.
5	Players: I love a good game even if I do lose.
6	Con: I use gambling to get to know my marks.
7	Desperate: I have gambled everything away and have little let to my name.
8	Debtor: I’ve gambled myself into a large hole of debt and now they want my life.

d6	Ideal
1	Showers of gold, followed by more gold.
2	To skillfully beat my opponent into horrible poverty.
3	To enjoy the game and life.
4	To understand and master the game (of life).
5	To win fame, fortune and everything that comes with it.
6	To gain power through money and influence.

d6	Bond
1	I support a family.
2	I’m an orphan with only the guild who raised me.
3	I’m a street rat that grew up and figured out how to make money.
4	I owe unsavory people a lot of money.
5	I was a petty criminal before I learned to gamble, gambling saved my life.
6	I have a secret family that no-one knows about.

d6	Flaw
1	Poor Sport: I take losing badly and throw tantrums.
2	Cheat: If you can’t win, you’ll cheat and steal.
3	Easy Tells: You have obvious giveaways that other gamblers can exploit.
4	Addicted: Whether to the game, drugs or booze, it’s all you can think about.
5	Pawn: You are “owned” by a more experienced gambler, to lose and to help him win.
6	Liar: Everything you say is a lie of one kind or another. Got to maintain that poker face.