Speculatore

The Speculatore, inspired by the Empire's elite scouts, spies, and assassins, epitomizes the art of covert warfare. As a Speculatore, you are a master of stealth, deception, and precision. Your role extends beyond simple thievery; you are the unseen hand that gathers intelligence, manipulates information, and eliminates threats before they manifest. Your training has honed you to become an indispensable operative, capable of navigating the shadowy worlds of politics, war, and subterfuge with ruthless efficiency.

Whether you were trained as part of an empire’s secret intelligence corps or you developed these skills through independent ambition, your presence in any party signifies a deadly focus on achieving goals through guile and precision.

Role in Combat

As a Speculatore, you are a versatile and deadly combatant who excels at eliminating high-priority targets. Use your stealth to position yourself for devastating attacks and leverage abilities like Mark of the Speculatore to dismantle critical threats. You are a strong mid-range skirmisher, capable of adapting to melee or ranged combat depending on the situation.

Role in Exploration and Roleplay

Your intelligence-gathering abilities and knack for deception make you invaluable during intrigue-heavy campaigns or missions requiring reconnaissance. With Shadow Network, you can uncover critical information, making you a go-to for diplomatic and investigative scenarios.

Key Subclass Themes

• Espionage: You thrive in scenarios that require stealth, secrecy, and cunning.
• Precision: Every action you take is deliberate, whether it's a strike from the shadows or a well-timed lie.
• Loyalty or Betrayal: Depending on your character’s motivations, you may be the most reliable ally or the most dangerous adversary.

 

Example Speculatore Character Concepts

• The Emperor’s Shadow: A loyal servant of the empire, you execute missions with unwavering dedication, seeking to protect the state from external and internal threats alike.
• The Rogue Agent: Disillusioned by corruption in the upper echelons of power, you now sell your skills to the highest bidder or pursue justice as you see fit.
• The Ambitious Spy: You see secrets as a currency, and you’ve amassed a fortune. Now, you aim to use your network to claim power of your own.

This subclass provides depth for players who enjoy intricate plots, thrilling heists, and high-stakes combat. The Speculatore Rogue is a blend of deadly precision and political intrigue, perfect for characters who walk the line between shadow and light.

Level 3: Covert Operative

Your initiation into the Speculatores' methods has elevated your stealth and assassination techniques.

• Bonus Proficiencies: You gain proficiency in Stealth and Deception. These proficiencies reflect your ability to move unseen and manipulate others to serve your objectives. If you already have proficiency in one of these skills, your training allows you to double your proficiency bonus for checks made using that skill.
• Silent Blade: Your training allows you to adapt your lethal techniques to a broader range of weapons. You can use your Sneak Attack with weapons that lack the "light" property, such as rapiers or other versatile weapons, as long as they also lack the "heavy" property. Furthermore, when you make a melee weapon attack with advantage, you deal an extra 1d6 damage, even if your Sneak Attack conditions are not met.

"While others storm the gates, the Speculatore is already inside."

Level 9: Shadow Network

By the time you reach 9th level, you have cultivated a network of informants, allies, and safehouses. Your ability to gather intelligence and avoid detection makes you invaluable both in and out of combat.

• Subtle Extraction: When you make a successful Deception or Persuasion check to gather information, you uncover an additional useful piece of intelligence related to your objective. For instance, a contact might not only reveal the location of a hidden enemy but also provide insight into their weaknesses or allies.
• Shadowed Retreat: When you take the Disengage action, you can use a bonus action to make a Stealth check and attempt to hide. This ability reflects your instinct to fade into the shadows when danger arises.

"Even in the Emperor's court, you heard the whispers before anyone else."

Mark of the Speculatore

Your skill at isolating and eliminating targets reaches its zenith at 13th level. You can mark a target for precise elimination.

• As a bonus action, you can designate a creature within 60 feet as your Marked Target. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:
  • Ignore Cover: Your weapon attacks against the marked target ignore cover.
  • Psychic Precision: Your weapon attacks against the marked target deal an additional 1d6 psychic damage.
  • Unerring Focus: If the target moves more than 30 feet from you, you instinctively sense its direction as long as it remains on the same plane of existence.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all uses after finishing a long rest.

"The mark never sees it coming. The blade is the last thing they notice."

Imperial Ghost

At 17th level, your mastery of assassination and infiltration elevates you to near-legendary status. Your movements are undetectable, and your strikes are devastating.

• Unseen Executioner: When you roll for initiative, you can choose to vanish into the shadows. You become invisible until the end of your next turn, or until you attack, cast a spell, or use an item. This invisibility represents your ability to disappear in the chaos of battle and reappear where you are most needed.
• Perfect Ambush: If you deal Sneak Attack damage to a creature that is surprised, that creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus) or become paralyzed until the end of its next turn.

"The blade strikes from nowhere, and the ghost leaves no trace."