Freelancer

Where specialized jobs often define a character’s destiny, the freelancer stands as the ultimate wildcard, an embodiment of pure adaptability. Shunning the rigid doctrines of a single path, the freelancer embraces an unrivaled versatility, unbound by ancient vows or elemental affinities, but by a relentless pursuit of practical mastery. This class serves as the quintessential jack-of-all-trades, capable of filling almost any role the party might need, bridging gaps in composition and responding to unforeseen challenges with a dynamic skillset that few dedicated specialists can match. Instead of a fixed progression of unique abilities, the freelancer’s true power lies in their capacity to learn, adapt, and synthesize techniques from a myriad of other classes. This dynamic nature allows them to shift from a frontline fighter one moment, wielding a knight’s might, to a supportive white mage the next, or even a cunning thief, all within the span of a single rest or even in the heat of a single battle depending on specific class mechanics.

Role: The freelancer isn’t just a basic job; it embodies the spirit of adaptability and potential, serving as the ultimate canvas for player creativity. Unlike specialized classes, the freelancer’s primary role revolves around its signature ‘Learn’ ability, which allows them to acquire abilities, feats, and even job skills from other existing jobs within the system. Consequently, the freelancer becomes the ultimate versatile character, capable of patching party weaknesses, experimenting with unconventional builds, or evolving into a master of several disparate disciplines. Their progression isn’t linear but rather a player-driven journey of curating a custom skillset, making them invaluable for groups needing a dynamic wildcard who can pivot their strengths as the campaign demands. Ultimately, the freelancer represents the boundless possibilities of character development, allowing for truly unique and adaptive heroes that are never truly locked into a single destiny.

Alignment: Any.

Freelancer creation goes as follows:

At 1st level, you begin with 60 Job Points (JP) to spend. At each level thereafter, you gain 30 JP to spend. Any leftover JP (except 1st level, which are lost) carries over to the next level.

Base Freelancer Stats:

Base Attack Bonus: 1/2. Increasing BAB to 3/4ths costs 10 JP, then another 10 JP to increase to Full.

Hit Dice: d6. Your HD increases when your BAB increases. d8 for 3/4ths BAB and d10 for full BAB. Increasing to d12 from d10 costs 5 extra JP.

Saving Throws: 1 Good Save. Increasing one Bad Save to Good costs 10 JP, then another 10 JP to increase another Save to Good.

Skills: 4/level. 4 Starting Class Skills. Increasing skill points costs 2 JP per 2 skill points, (max of 10). Increasing the number of Class Skills costs 2 JP per 1 Class Skill, (max of 10).

Weapon Proficiency: Simple weapons. Improving to include one single martial weapon costs 2 JP. Improving to include up to 3 martial weapons cost another 2 JP. Improving to include all martial weapons costs another 2 JP. To pick up an exotic weapon proficiency, it’ll cost the freelancer 4 JP.

Armor Proficiency: No armor. Improving to include light armor costs 2 JP. Improving to include medium armor costs another 2 JP. Improving to include heavy armor costs another 2 JP. Improving to include shields (except Tower) costs 2 JP. Improving to include all shields costs another 2 JP.

Starting Wealth: 1d6 x 10 gil. Increasing starting wealth by 1d6 costs 1 JP (to a max of 10).

Limit Break: You begin play with 1 Limit Break for free at first level and costs 10 JP to buy additional limit breaks, (max of 4).

The above is a one-time JP cost. After 1st level, you cannot change your base freelancer stats.

Abilities

You can buy Extraordinary, Spell-Like, or Supernatural abilities from any class (except Prestige) and any archetypes (assuming it fits with what you buy) but the abilities have to be the level you buy it from. For example, at 1st level, you may buy Sneak Attack, but you could not buy Uncanny Dodge until you are of level to buy it. Any abilities that increases by level costs you half of the JP when you reach a level that improves it (this doesn’t need to be paid if you have scaling abilities, stopping at any time). You can buy abilities from lower levels as well. Abilities that multiple improvements from the same ability cost JP as well.

Ability Cost

• Extraordinary, Spell-Like, or Supernatural abilities that don’t improve by level cost 10 JP.
• Extraordinary, Spell-Like, or Supernatural abilities that improve by level cost 20 JP initially, but do not automatically improve. It costs 10 JP to improve such abilities further – you only pay 10 JP for/per levels such abilities actually improve on; to improve such abilities, your level must match (or be higher than) the level/s they improve at. This includes “minion” abilities (such as animal companions or bone commanders, though not familiars, which cost 10 jp, as the feat).
• Talents, or other abilities chosen from a list of options every few levels (such as tricks, mageries, divine arts or finishers) cost 10 JP. You cannot purchase the base ability which grants these, instead you directly purchase abilities from any such list, at 10 JP each. For ability lists whose entries cannot be learned through feats (such as mageries or finishers), you cannot purchase more abilities than your level would allow. Having at least one ability from a list qualifies you for feats which grant extra abilities from that list (for example – Extra Warrior Talent).
• Spellcasting is purchased as a set of abilities by choosing a class. Spellcasting initially costs 20 JP for full spellcasting, 15 JP for 3/4 spellcasting or 10 JP for 1/2 spellcasting, determined by the chosen class. As spellcasting abilities improve by level, it costs 10 JP per level of improvement the freelancer wishes to apply – your level caps how much you can improve spellcasting abilities. When spellcasting is purchased, you gain the chosen class’ Spellcasting class feature, its MP pool class feature, and its class feature which grants 0th level spells (if any). You also count as being the chosen class in regards to those features. Songs and Ninjutsus are considered spellcasting features for this freelancer purchase. You cannot select archetypes with this purchase, only base classes. (Full spellcasters have access up to 9th-level spells. 3/4 spellcasters have access up to 6th-level spells, and 1/2 spellcasters have access up to 4th-level spells. In addition, the Scholar class’ Spellcasting has a base price of 20 JP.)
• Class features which grant swordskills, including variations (such as Swordplay, Fistskills, Skilled Swordplay or Grim Knifeworks) cost 20 JP initially but gain no extra swordskills (fistskills, etc) based on level. You may pay 10 JP per swordskill to learn extra swordskills from such abilities if your level matches (or is higher) than the level/s they receive them at; you cannot pay/learn more than the abilities allow at your level this way.
• Freelancers count their levels as the appropriate class levels for any abilities they purchase, but not as favored class levels. By paying 10 JP, you can choose a class and count your levels as favored class levels for that class (such as for abilities like AC Bonus). You can pay/choose multiple times.
• Capstones cost 20 JP, but are always optional. Capstones are not just 20th-level abilities; any ability that has a specific 20th-level effect is considered a capstone (specifically, the 20th-level effect/improvement is the capstone), but you do not count those abilities as abilities that improve by level (for initial cost) unless they improve at other levels except 20th, and you may opt to not take or pay for such 20th-level effects/improvements.
• Bonus feats cost 10 JP. You cannot have more bonus feat purchases than your character level. This does not include class abilities which grant feats.

By design, pre-built classes are going to have more points. The trade-off is that you get to customize.

Restrictions

• The freelancer class cannot function with other classes; if you have levels in another class, you cannot take freelancer levels, and if you have freelancer levels, you cannot take levels in another class. This includes prestige classes.
• You cannot purchase multiples of the same ability from different sources.
• You must qualify for the classes/archetypes you purchase features from, such as for race-exclusive archetypes or prestige classes. For alignments, you may ignore them for class requirements, but not for functionality – abilities that actually require a specific alignment to function will not work unless you match it.
• If you purchase multiple spellcasting abilities (including Songs and Ninjutsus), you do not gain any additional MP. If multiple MP-granting class features from these spellcasting abilities use different formulas, use the greater, do not stack them.
• You may only have one “minion” ability (Bone Commander, Automaton, Herald, etc). The familiar feat is not included.
• You may only have one precision-based attack ability (Sneak Attack, Precision Attack, Holy Strike, etc). In addition, any such abilities cap at the effects they’d have at half of your character level.
• You may only have one capstone ability (further capstones in a game progressing beyond level 20 are subject to GM disgression).

Favored Class Bonuses

Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever they gain a level in a favored class, some races have the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon their favored classes. The following options are available to the listed race who have freelancer as their favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed favored class reward.

• Dwarf: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
• Elvaan: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
• Galka: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
• Half-Breed: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
• Hume: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
• Mithra: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
• Moogle: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.
• Tarutaru: Add +1 JP to the freelancer’s JP pool. This has no effect unless the freelancer has selected this reward ten times.

Archetypes

• A complete list of freelancer archetypes can be found here: Freelancer Archetypes