Unfledged (3.5e Class)

Unfledged
Sometimes, a group of adventurers includes a character who seems to have no business being on an adventure. Such characters from fiction include Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit) and Garion (Pawn of Prophecy). Such characters often develop abilities they didn’t know they had. Often at a dramatically appropriate moment.

Making an Unfledged
Warning: This class is not effective in combat. Or out of combat either. This is essential to the concept; becoming suddenly useful requires being useless beforehand. Note that the Tagalong and Metamorphosis class features make this less of a drag than it might otherwise be.

If having useful class abilities is important to you, play another class. If all party members having useful class features is important to the gaming group, play another class.

Balance Note: Metamorphosis can have an effect on encounter planning similar to a player arriving in mid-game. You can’t be sure just how many effective party members there will be for a given encounter.

Abilities: Tagalong keeps the encounters appropriate to your actual abilities. Metamorphosis lets you abandon this class (permanently) at a dramatically appropriate moment or when being nigh-useless gets old, whichever comes first.

Races: Adventuring unfledgeds usually come from one of the shorter-lived races (such as humans or halflings), since longer-lived unfledgeds tend to realize their potential while still in childhood, before they start adventuring.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 1d20 gp (10 gp).

Starting Age: Simple, As rogue.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the unfledged.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An unfledged is proficient with either clubs or daggers (choose one), and with no armor or shields.

The Dormant Talent is written up as a character, permissible for play by the rules in use, which differs from the unfledged as specified below. If the Dormant Talent has one or more abilities which require preparation (such as spellcasting), then the details of up to one hour of preparation for them is also written up as part of the Dormant Talent. The Dormant Talent changes and gains levels as the unfledged does.

Class: This must differ. The Dormant Talent may not have any levels in unfledged.

Feats and Skills: These may differ, and differences in prerequisites, bonus feats, skill points and class skills may well require that they differ.

Alignment: This may differ. While the new alignment remains despite previous behavior, or any counter-effect short of a wish, subsequent behavior is subject to the normal rules for alignment change.

Ability Scores, Race, Gender: These may differ if the DM allows. While there are no balance reasons for these to remain the same, there are likely to be fluff reasons.

Equipment: This may differ if the Dm allows. Use the rules for starting characters above first level to determine such equipment. Artifacts are not affected. The new equipment is subject to normal loss and gain.

At any time, an unfledged may cease being an unfledged, replacing her current abilities and alignment with their dormant abilities (see above). This ability may be activated by either the player or the DM, and the unfledged need not be concious or otherwise capable for it to activate. This is not reversible short of a wish. Whether a wish is sufficient is up to the dungeon master.



An unfledged may spend 2 skill points to gain the ability to read and write all languages she is able to speak. An already literate character who gains a level in unfledged retains literacy. A barbarian who gains a level in unfledged does not therefore become literate.

The unfledged still receives experience for the encounter.

Note that this adjustment may be reduced or eliminated if the unfledged is multi-classed. See Multi-Class Unfledgeds below.

Similarly, if an unfledged is part of the opposition to a D&D party, and the DM is making sure that metamorphosis is not a factor, the unfledged should be treated as if unfledged were an NPC class.

Multi-Class Unfledgeds
A character with one or more levels in unfledged may not take levels in any other class. Note that an unfledged using Metamorphosis is considered to lose all her levels in unfledged before gaining levels in any other class (es).

If fewer than half of the unfledged's levels are in unfledged, the Tagalong class feature is reduced in effect. Use the average of the normal results of Tagalong and the results when not applying Tagalong when determining appropriate opposition or dividing the base XP award by the number of characters in the party.

If fewer than a tenth of the unfledged's levels are in unfledged, the Tagalong class feature has no effect.

Ex-Unfledgeds
A character who has used Metamorphosis is no longer an unfledged, but may multi-class into unfledged normally.

Epic Unfledged
Unfledged Bonus Feat List: The epic unfledged gains no bonus feats.

Halfling Unfledged Starting Package
Armor: None.

Weapons: Club.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Feat: Skill Focus (Choose one skill).

Gear: Backpack, bedroll, flint and steel, sack, 3 torches, trail rations (x1 days worth), waterskin.

Gold: 5 gp.

Playing an Unfledged
Religion: Many unfledgeds worship deities of home, family, or daily routine. More adventuresome unfledgeds prefer deities of adventure, excitement, or luck.

Other Classes: Members of other classes will generally mistake an unfledged for a commoner, and treat the unfledged accordingly. Those who are aware the character's true nature may appreciate the characters potential.

Combat: Run away. If that isn't possible, hide behind the other party members and hope for the best. Alternatively, you could use Metamorphosis, but there are better uses for a wish that reversing Metamorphosis.

Advancement: While an unfledged might join a high level party at a similar high level, an unfledged who has started adventuring will likely 'advance' by means of Metamorphosis before gaining any levels.

Unfledged in the World
"I agree that rescuing the princess is important, but how does it help to have me along?"

Organizations: The gap between when the unfledged becomes aware of not being a commoner and when the unfledged uses Metamorphosis is usually fairly short. Therefore, self-aware unfledged are usually few and scattered. Unfledged organizations are therefore usually rare to nonexistent.

NPC Reactions: Most NPC's will mistake any unfledged for a commoner. Those individuals capable of identifying an unfledged might recruit one when having trouble filling a gap in an adventuring party.

Unfledged Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge(history) can research threats to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.