PATRON BENEFITS
With a newspaper as your group's patron, you gain the
following benefits:
Compensation. Assuming that you regularly provide
the newspaper with stories it can print, each member
of your group earns 1 gp per day, or enough to sustain
a modest lifestyle.
Expenses. In addition to your salary, your group can be
reimbursed for expenses related to your work. The
newspaper covers the cost of travel when it's required
for your stories, food when you perform an interview
over a meal, communication costs using courier ser
vices or message stations, and similar work-related
expenses. If your expenses are excessive, your patron
might refuse to repay them.
Equipment. Your group can request access to equip
ment owned by the newspaper, such as a printing
press. With permission, you can use this equipment
for your private purposes, within reason.
Press Access. Each member of your group is issued
identification papers from the nation where the news
paper is based. These papers establish your identity
and identify you as a member of the press, which
commands a certain amount of respect. You can often
secure an audience with those you want to talk to. Of
course, this isn't a guarantee of safety-if you discover
a damaging truth, some people will do whatever it
takes to make sure it never sees print.
BUILD YOUR GROUP
Newspapers employ a wide range of adventurers to
bring news back to the home office. Consider some or all
of these roles for the characters in your party:
Civilian. Some groups include members whose skills
are great for reporting but less useful on adventures.
This could be the designated writer, a political car
toonist, or a chronicler who records the party's adven
tures. This might be a challenging role for a player
character to fill, but an NPC could provide services to
the party, making them worth keeping around.
Face. Ty pically gifted with a high Charisma score and
skilled in a combination of Persuasion, Intimidation,
and Insight, the Face takes the lead in conducting
interviews or talking the group's way past obstacles. A
character with access to enchantment magic (such as
a bard or sorcerer) can supplement natural Charisma
with magical persuasion. A character with the char
latan background, proficiency in Deception, or profi
ciency with a Disguise kit might also fill this role.
Muscle. Sometimes sources need a bit of physical ca
joling to share their stories. The Muscle has a knack
for getting people to talk. Alternatively, when those in
power lock away the truth, the Muscle physically wres
tles it free. Any character who's proficient with armor
and martial weapons (such as a fighter) makes a fine
choice for this role. Characters in this role are often
former soldiers or more-or-less reformed criminals.CHAPTER l \ CHARACTER CREATION
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