KISMET'S GAME ADDITIONS

  Kismet's NPC Courtesan Class 

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A Beginning

      "I was a young girl then, but just what age I was, I cannot remember. My father... I begged him for days to allow me to accompany him to the palace. I knew what day and what hour he would be there because my mother made much of the summons. I knew that the trip would be for business - so my father could ply his trade, so we could eat - but I did not care. I had only ever seen the outside of the palace, although I had seen paintings and heard stories of the inside. I dreamed of jeweled women and men in dark silks, walking down corridors with mosaics of the ancient gods. I made a menace of myself so that I could go, and, poor man, my father relented. He could not have imagined what would happen.

      My father needn't have cautioned me to be silent. Under the watchful eyes of the guards, I became very small. Yet these sable-bearded men smiled when they saw me and one of them even tipped me a wink. Perhaps they saw their daughters in my face. I was nonetheless brought to calm and reserve by the press of adults about me, and I held my father's hand dutifully until he had to let me go. My curiosity pulled me away from his voice and into a courtyard filled with flowers and shadows from delicate trees. I felt like a girl in a fairy tale, just before the the tree speaks or the genie appears in mid-air.

      A group of men came down the hall, several speaking at once, and I saw behind them the mosaics of my imaginings. But the mosaics at once meant nothing. One of the men stood, staring at me, and all my substance froze. His eyes bore down on me and swallowed me whole. I do not know if I was afraid. I do not know what it was. Something passed between us in that moment; the beginning of everything, the end of my girlhood.

      When I rediscovered my feet, I fled to my father's side and pressed my face to him, but I could not hide from the stranger. He was the ruler of the palace, the ruler of much of the city. I knew his name, of course I knew it, but I knew something else about him that his eyes had told me. He was so cordial to me then, bending down and touching me as softly as if I were a flower, as if he was afraid I would vanish. He paid attention to my father only when it was impossible to put it off any longer, and then he was very kind for my sake. He insisted that I remain with them in their talks until a certain point, when he asked that I eat.

      I watched my father and this new man, this new creature of fine cloth and gold trim and sleek eyes, this man with broad hands and thick hair that was everything masculine. I could not hear their speech but I knew it involved me, since my father's eyes darted to me and the stranger watched me steadily. It did not enter my mind that they were in negotiations for my hand... for my life.

      By the end of our visit, however, it had been decided: I was to train at the royal harem in the arts of the courtesan, under no less than the Headmistress herself, and for no less a lord than the ruler of the palace. I was to learn the ways of rich men and the ways of pleasing them in sight, sound and deed. I would become the epitome of the feminine, clothed always in the best and kept at all times in luxury such as my own mother had never known. I would not know the yolk of the housewife, nor the stigma of the spinster or the diseased streetwalker. I would become a courtesan.

      Since then I have learned the ways of men and women alike, be they rich or poor. I have been taught how to observe and how to listen, as carefully as any wizard. I have learned how to be pleasing to myself and others in sight, sound and deed, by using everything at my disposal. I have known more wealth than half of the city in my wardrobe and accoutrements. I have belonged to a lord like no other, and while I may share my flesh, no other being holds my adoration as he does. He absorbed me that day in the garden and I have been his ever since - and, gods willing, I shall always be his."

-- The account of Senedana, head courtesan of the Suleiman of Calimport, 1340 DR --

Introduction

      The courtesan is a heady mixture of grace, education, sex and politics, filling a niche in noble courts and elite circles. The courtesan is more than a sexual servant, more than a pretty face. The courtesan is in fact a finely honed statements of wealth, instructed in a host of areas most people know little about. Many are trained for several years in their arts, while some are raised from birth or early childhood to become courtesans. They can be male or female, of many different races and from a multitude of worlds. They can be confidants, informants or dangerously influential enemies. They can be used for background flavor in a campaign, or can take on a great deal of importance.

      The institution of the courtesan is upheld by the patronage of the rich and by the beliefs of the people in power. Courtesans are symbols of prestige and are forever kept out of the commoner's reach through all of the pressure of money and social expectation. Courtesans may be found in places of lawful alignment, as well as neutrality; the institution is an orderly one and tends to become a matter of tradition - even law. The culture in question dictates the boundaries of the courtesan tradition: whether courtesans can be made of slaves or of citizens, whether courtesans must be of a particular gender, whether they may only be owned by a particular gender, and so on. In one place, courtesans may be of both genders so long as they are taken from slave stock, while in another place a citizen may be able to give their child over for training.

      Courtesans are, in any case, most often owned by someone or some institution. They have as many freedoms as their masters and the law permit; some may fraternize with anyone they choose, while others may only go forth chaperoned. Rich people in fantasy settings are often bound to one or two estates, so their courtesans may not have much chance for travel. Anything can happen in the course of time, however, and courtesans are as likely to take to adventuring as anyone else.

      At large, courtesans survive off of their owners or patrons. They also work to receive prestige from their society, which can earn them favors, money and gifts from admirers. The tools of their trade are numerous and by no means cheap; musical instruments, clothing, and perfumes are just the beginning, and owners may not pay for everything. For the courtesan, it literally pays to be beautiful, charming and skilled - and to be proven so in public. The better reputation a courtesan has, the better living they acquire.

      There are many races that are more commonly seen as courtesans, such as humans, drow, moon elves, sun elves, rock gnomes, half-elves and lightfoot halflings. Aasimar and other exotic races may be employed as courtesans due to their unearthly beauty. These races most commonly support the courtesan system, as well. The dwarves, on the other hand, have nothing to do with the courtesan business, as they use stone and architecture to indicate their wealth. Half-orcs and other races with low Charisma can find no patronage in the market, and no Courtesan Mistress worth her corset would waste her time training them.

      In order to be employed as a courtesan, the character must have a Charisma score of 12 at the very least. The higher their Charisma score, the greater rewards they tend to reap. In some courts, a courtesan must also have an Intelligence of at least 12, because they are expected to be very keen in their public role.

The Courtesan

Class Skills
The courtesan's class skills are: Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge [History] (Int), Knowledge [Local] (Int), Knowledge [Nobility and Royalty] (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6

Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Courtesans are trained to use daggers, rapiers, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, darts, shortbows and whips. They are familiar with light armor and with bucklers. They learn such things through performing professional duels for entertainment and private instruction on personal defense.
Poison Use: Courtesans in evil courts are taught the makes and delivery methods of poisons.

Courtesan Starting Gold

Sample Courtesan

Syroth
First courtesan belonging to Al'lyrr, Fourth Daughter of House Baenre, Priestess of Lolth the Spider Queen
Race: Drow, Alignment: Lawful Evil, Deity: Lloth, Class: Courtesan, Level: 5, Size: Medium, Age: 100, Gender: Male, Height: 5'5", Weight: 90 lbs., Eyes: Blue, Hair: White, Spell Resistance: 16, Melee Attack: 3, Ranged Attack: 4
Strength: 13, Dexterity: 14, Constitution: 14, Intelligence: 18, Wisdom: 13, Charisma: 18

Hit Points: 30, AC: 16 (with armor that gives +4 bonus), Base Attack Bonus: 2, Fortitude Save: 3, Reflex Save: 3, Will Save: 5, 7 vs. spell abilities

Appraise: 4+8=12, Balance: 2+8=10, Bluff: 4+8=12, Diplomacy: 4+8=12, Disguise: 4+8=12, Gather Information: 4+8=12, Listen: 1+8=9, Move Silently: 2+8=10, Perform: 4+8=12 (14 with masterwork instrument), Sense Motive: 1+8=9, [Poison Use]

      Syroth was given to Al'lyrr as a gift upon her graduation into the upper ranks of Lolth's priestesshood. He was chosen by Al'lyrr's mother for his beauty, his cunning, and his deep psychological need to please. The Matron Mother sniffed out the part of him that craved pain and approval, but his arrogance sealed his fate in the Matron's eyes. Syroth's family was more than happy to offer their third son to the Matron's service and to gain some glory thereby. There was really no way out for him. His rebellion only lasted a short time in the face of Al'lyrr's expert approach - she broke through his defenses without casting a single spell. Syroth's complete turnaround and devotion became a point of pride to the new priestess, but his skills have made him admired by many. He has retained his top position, above males and females alike, by wearing down or eliminating his competition. What's more, he has always paid his mistress back in full for any courtesan he has sent to an early grave, and has never failed to offer their souls to Lolth in Al'lyrr's name. His offerings, surprisingly enough to his mistress, have not yet been denied by the Spider Queen.

      Syroth began with nothing but has been rewarded for his faithful service. He is always finely dressed and in possession of two masterwork musical instruments. He does not always carry weapons but he never dons clothes without hiding vials of poison in his hidden inner pockets. Syroth knows he cannot compete with fighters face-to-face and indeed does not try to - but fighters have died by his hands. He is fiercely devoted to Al'lyrr and he secretly believes her to be Lolth's new messenger in the world. He is far more jealous of her dalliances than is proper and is even more obsessed than she knows. He will do anything to keep her favor and to keep her close to him - anything. 

Note

      I based my courtesans on the hetairai of ancient Greece and I checked the class against the other NPC classes in the DMG. Their base attack progression is the same as the commoner's but their saves are equal to those of the expert class. I hand-picked their weapon and armor proficiencies based on stealth and entertainment. I hand-picked the courtesan's class skills to conform to their duties. I gave them more skill points to reflect how proficient they should be at what they know. Courtesans live and sometimes die by how well they can use their skills. Courtesans are social first and foremost, skill based and aimed at pleasing others. They are not meant to be combat machines; they are meant to add color and flavor to a campaign.