NPC classes
I’ve been toying with the idea of creating new NPC classes. Most of those I’ve thought about (such as the Bureaucrat) can be easily modeled with the Expert.
Two that don’t fit, though:
I’d like to see a Hedge Mage class that does for the Wizard what the Adept does for the Cleric. This class would also be good as an alchemist.
I’d also like to see a Thief class. Take the Expert, specify its skill list, switch its good save to Reflex, and add a few weapon proficiencies (like the sap). Alternately, to make it more of a Cutthroat/Thug sort of criminal, take that and drop it down to four skill points per level and add in sudden strike at one half the rogue’s progression for sneak attack.
If I recall the title correctly the original Traps & Treasures for 3.0 had a Thug class that was an NPC Thief with d4s of actual Backstab instead of Sneak Attack. If that’s open, someone really needs to get that thing in circulation.
Diamondthrone.com has a Hedge Mage NPC class for Arcana Evolved that should be useable for baseline D&D without much work.
It’s Traps & Treachery, by Fantasy Flight Games—you can find details on it here. The Thug NPC class is OGC, or at least, everything but the flavour text is.
If no one else is willing to do it, I can post it on my blog, if you like.
Eberron has the Magewright NPC class, which bridges the gap between the Expert and arcane casters, but (like a lot of WotC’s good stuff) it’s not OGC.