Grognard's Grimoire: Alien Noble

I've never been a fan of noble classes for D&D, mostly because "noble" isn't really an adventuring archetype. Sure, there have been plenty of aristocratic adventurers in fantasy literature, but for most (if not all), their blue blood isn't the most important aspect of their character; it's an optional "add-on," to speak.

That's generally not the case in sword-and-planet literature, where an alien noble -- or alien princess, at any rate -- is an adventuring archetype. John Carter's love, the incomparable Dejah Thoris, doesn't just lounge around the palace in Helium. She sometimes accompanied Carter on his travels across Barsoom and, while prone to finding herself in distress, she's no pushover. The Alien Noble class is thus my stab at creating a class that's both genuinely useful in standard adventures while still having features distinctive of its social status.

The entirety of this class is hereby designated as Open Game Content via the Open Game License.

Alien Noble
Requirements: CHA 9
Prequisite: CHA
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: None

The Alien Noble is a member of the aristocracy of the civilized -- and often decadent -- realms of another world/time/dimension. Born to power and used to the deference of those of lower station, Alien Nobles exert wide influence within their native (and allied) cultures. Firstly, they may employ double the maximum number of retainers normally allowed by their CHA score. Secondly, and more impressively, they may use their positions to make "requests" of those under their authority. The base chance that a request will be heeded is equal to the Alien Noble's (CHA x 2) + (Level x 3) as a percentage. Such requests can range from the mundane ("Bring us some refreshments") to the unusual ("Bring us the head of the Sky Pirate King"), with the referee assessing bonuses or penalties based on the difficulty of the request. An Alien Noble may make request as often as he wishes, but too many requests will likely generate negative feelings toward the Noble and decrease the likelihood of success. Likewise, this ability functions only when among those who recognize the Noble's position. Among savages or enemies, the ability generally has no effect.

Alien Nobles fight as clerics and save as fighters of equal level. They may wear any type of armor or use any type of weapons. They begin play with more starting funds than other classes: 3D6 x 100 gold pieces.

Alien Noble Level Progression
Experience	Level	Hit Dice (1d6)
0	1	1
2,501	2	2
5,001	3	3
10,001	4	4
20,001	5	5
40,001	6	6
80,001	7	7
160,001	8	8
310,001	9	9
460,001	10	+1 hp only*
610,001	11	+2 hp only*
760,001	12	+3 hp only*
910,001	13	+4 hp only*
1,060,001	14	+5 hp only*
1,210,001	15	+6 hp only*
1,360,001	16	+7 hp only*
1,510,001	17	+8 hp only*
1,660,001	18	+9 hp only*
1,810,001	19	+10 hp only*
1,960,001	20	+11 hp only*

*Hit point modifiers from Constitution are ignored.