You didn't start your career with a lockpick and a dagger; you began it with a codex and a dusty scroll. You were trained in the hallowed halls of a major academy—perhaps the New Olamn in Waterdeep, or even the vast library of Candlekeep. Yet, where your peers saw history to be preserved, you saw a weakness to be exploited and riches to be seized. Your methods became too direct, too focused on acquisition rather than preservation, leading to your inevitable exile or calculated flight.

Your expertise now lies in the dangerous overlap between ancient knowledge and crime. You can translate the dead languages of the Pharaohs of Mulhorand, but you also know the secret tongue of the black market merchants who pay for those translations. You know the history and construction of the deepest tombs, which makes you the perfect vault breaker. You are an expert in the past, but you are also its greatest betrayer.

Ability Scores: Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom

Feat: Dungeon Delver

Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand and History

Tool Proficiencies: Forgery Kit

Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Forgery Kit, fine clothes, Book (history), Parchment (8 sheets), 8 GP; or (B) 50 GP

Contacts

Feature: Antiquarian Network

You have established a quiet network of contacts that bridges the scholarly world and the black market. When you enter a major settlement (such as a large city like Waterdeep or Baldur's Gate), you can spend a day seeking information. You can choose to seek one of two things:

1. Academic Lore: You can identify a disgraced former colleague, a cynical private collector, or a shifty librarian who can point you toward a specific piece of historical or arcane lore, usually involving the location or nature of a valuable artifact.

2. Illicit Trade: You can locate a fence, smuggler, or corrupt customs official who is willing to buy illegal artifacts from you or provide you with contraband items or services.

You still have to pay for any goods or services, but this feature guarantees you a reliable starting point for finding information or moving illicit goods.