The mercenary (base class)

[Westhart]

For the contract: On second thought, I would actually twist it around.

Contract: When a Mercenary vows to achieve a task (usually in return for money), little can keep him from his task. He recieves a lesser geas, with no HD limit applied, related to his task.

There. It pulls away from the GP cost, but on second thought, I don't think it works that well- a mercenary should be able to set his own prices. There are issues where the mercenary can give back the cost, but I suspect trying to limit them (I had considered a thing where you have to measure the balance of money between people for all things) wouldn't work out well (suppose a Mercenary player accepted a smaller share of money from the loot, for example). The price paid is agreed upon between people depending on the value of the service.

What's important about this is that it mechanically distinguishes On A Job from Not On A Job, which was what I wanted in the first place.

On maneuvers: I wouldn't tie them to combat styles- I'd probably give some level of free choice (perhaps powered by Martial Study, plus an innate ability to refresh Martial Study-granted maneuvers?)

Woops, meant contracter focus more to come in a few hours, have some ideas that need fleshing out.

What maneuvers they would get if I based it off of contractor type
Guard: Iron Heart, Stone Dragon
Espionage: Shadow Hand, Diamond Mind
Body guard: Shadow Hand, stone dragon
Hit man: Diamond Mind, shadow hand
Bounty Hunter: Diamond Mind, desert wind
If fighting styles gave additional to choose from:
Dance of Blades: Desert Wind
Unarmed: Setting Sun
TWF: Tiger Claw

The problem with an innate ability to refresh martial study is they only get those as bonus feats *if* they already have the normal ones... thus it would be something that does not always come up.

EDIT: adding a wrestler type arena combatant to contracter focus, some teamwork styles and a few more things