Hunter

The hunter is a stalker in the wilds, living on his knowledge of survival and skill with a bow or rifle. He is deeply in tune with nature, and some of its mightiest beasts are his allies. Of Azeroth's many creatures, few can resist the hunter's call, and fewer can survive his fury. Hunters are as varied as the world's many climates, but they are universally renowned for their amazing abilities to find their prey and bring it down. Races: Any, though certain races naturally excel at the hunter's profession. Night elves have hunted the wilds for centuries with nightsaber companions, and many orcs find the path appealing due to their increasing closeness with the wilds. Tauren and jungle

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A hunter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light and medium armor.

Animal Empathy (Ex): A hunter has a +2 bonus on Handle Animal checks.

Sting (Su): A hunter can conjure poisons and apply them to projectiles as he fires or throws them. Three times per day, before making an attack roll with a ranged weapon, the hunter can declare that the attack is a sting of any type he knows. If the attack hits and deals damage, the poison takes effect (the exact effects depend on the sting's type, as described below). The hunter can use a sting three times per day at 1st level and one additional time per day at 5th level and every five levels thereafter. If the attack misses, the sting has no effect but is still used up. Creatures immune to poison are immune to stings. Serpent Sting: The attack deals 1 additional point of damage, and the poison deals 1 point of damage each round for a number of rounds equal to the hunter's class level. Scorpid Sting: The target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the hunter's class level + the hunter's Spirit modifier) or lose 1d4 points of Strength and 1d4 points of Agility for a number of rounds equal to the hunter's class level. Viper Sting: The target must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the hunter's class level + the hunter's Spirit modifier) or be unable to cast spells for one full round. This sting has no effect on non-spellcasters.

Aspects (Su): At 3rd level, a hunter's connection to the wilds allows him to adopt the natural attacks and defenses of the natural world. By mimicking certain aspects of a creature's behavior, the hunter gains animalistic abilities that appear impossible. A hunter may adopt only one aspect at a time. Switching aspects is a free action, though the hunter can switch aspects only once per round and only on his turn. The hunter can use any aspect he knows any number of times per day, and the aspect's bonuses last until the hunter switches aspects. No overt signs indicate that an aspect is active, although the hunter's behavior slightly. For example, a hunter adopting the aspect of the monkey moves with a lanky stride, arms swinging, but when he adopts the aspect of the hawk he makes sudden movements and his keen eyes dart about. A hunter can choose to have no aspect active if he wishes. Aspect of the Monkey: The hunter gains evasion. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. The hunter can use evasion only if he is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless hunter (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion. Aspect of the Hawk: The hunter easily perceives his opponents' vulnerabilities. He gains +1 insight bonus on ranged weapon damage rolls for every three hunter levels he possesses, to a maximum of +5 at 15th level. Aspect of the Beast: The hunter moves with the grace of an animal, allowing him to pass through natural terrain without leaving a trail and making him impossible to track. In addition, the hunter may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Magically manipulated thorns, briars and overgrown areas still affect him, however. Aspect of the Cheetah: The hunter mimics the cheetah's legendary swiftness. His base movement rate increases by 5 feet for every five hunter levels he possesses. Aspect of the Pack: The hunter reads his companions' movements with preternatural instinct, moving to support their attacks. When the hunter and an ally are both adjacent to an enemy, the ally is considered to be flanking that enemy. Aspect of the Wilds: The hunter becomes deeply in tune with nature, granting him protection from the world's dangers. He gains a +4 insight bonus on all saving throws.

T ame Animal (Su): At 5th level, the hunter gains a supernatural bond with animals that allows him to interact with them on a spiritual level. A hunter may attempt to tame any animal whose Hit Dice are equal to or less than his hunter level minus two. (A 10th-level hunter can attempt to tame an animal with up to 8 Hit Dice, for instance.) The hunter uses both natural and supernatural means to compel the creature to become his ally. To do this, the hunter must be within 30 feet of the creature and they must be able to see and hear each other. The attempt takes one round per Hit Die of the target. At the end of this time, the hunter must make a Handle Animal check (DC 18 + the creature's Hit Dice + the creature's Charisma bonus). Table 3-11: The Hunter (Hnt) Class Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1st +1 +0 +2 +0 Animal empathy, serpent sting, sting 3/day 2nd +2 +0 +3 +0 - 3rd +3 +1 +3 +1 Aspect of the monkey 4th +4 +1 +4 +1 - 5th +5 +1 +4 +1 Tame animal, sting 4/day 6th +6/+1 +2 +5 +2 Aspect of the hawk 7th +7/+2 +2 +5 +2 Eagle eye 8th +8/+3 +2 +6 +2 - 9th +9/+4 +3 +6 +3 Aspect of the beast 10th +10/+5 +3 +7 +3 Scorpid sting, sting 5/day 11th +11/+6/+1 +3 +7 +3 - 12th +12/+7/+2 +4 +8 +4 Aspect of the cheetah 13th +13/+8/+3 +4 +8 +4 - 14th +14/+9/+4 +4 +9 +4 Tame magical beast 15th +15/+10/+5 +5 +9 +5 Aspect of the pack, sting 6/day 16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +10 +5 - 17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 - 18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +6 Aspect of the wilds 19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +6 - 20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +6 Sting 7/day, viper sting The Hunter's Companion After the hunter tames a creature, he can spend 8 uninterrupted hours with it to develop a spiritual link, after which the creature gains the benefits described below. Table 3-12: Hunter Companion Abilities by Master Level Hunter Level Bonus Hit Dice Natural Armor Adj. Str/Agy Adj. Bonus Tricks Special 5th-6th +0 +1 +0 2 Evasion, link 7th-8th +0 +2 +1 3 Devotion, share aspect 9th-11th +1 +3 +1 4 Multiattack 12th-14th +1 +4 +2 5 15th-17th +1 +5 +2 6 Improved evasion 18th-20th +2 +6 +3 7 Companion Basics: Use the creature's base statistics, but make the following changes. Class Level: The hunter's class level. Bonus HD: Extra d8 Hit Dice, each of which gains a Stamina modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the companion's base attack and base save bonuses and grant additional skill points. Natural Armor Adj.: This number is an improvement to the companion's existing natural armor bonus. Str/Agy Adj.: Add this value to the companion's Strength and Agility scores. Bonus T ricks: This value is the total number of bonus tricks that the companion knows in addition to any that the hunter teaches it (see the Handle Animal skill in Chapter 5: Skills). These bonus tricks don't require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don't count against the normal limit of tricks the companion knows. The hunter selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can't be changed.

Evasion (Ex): If the companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.

Link (Ex): A hunter can handle his companion as a free action or push it as a move action, even if he doesn't have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The hunter gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Handle Animal checks regarding his companion.

Devotion (Ex): The companion gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Share Aspect (Su): The companion benefits from the hunter's active aspect, just as if it also possessed that aspect. Multiattack: The companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat (see Chapter 6: Feats). If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, it instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a -5 penalty.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, the companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails. He takes a -2 penalty on this check for every creature in the area (including PCs) that appears threatening to the target. If the check fails, the creature's attitude toward the hunter does not change, but the hunter cannot attempt to tame that creature again for 24 hours. If the hunter succeeds, the creature becomes the hunter's companion, and gains several benefits (see "The Hunter's Companion" sidebar). A hunter can have only one such companion at a time, and can release it whenever he wishes. If his companion is slain or released, he cannot attempt to tame another for 24 hours. If the hunter wounds or threatens a creature, he cannot attempt to tame that creature for 24 hours. Once tamed, a creature is loyal to the hunter and, if the hunter treats it well, serves him faithfully.

Eagle Eye (Ex): At 7th level, a hunter's sight improves. The range increments for all ranged weapons he wields increase by 150%. (This ability stacks with the Far Shot feat.) He gains a +2 bonus on Spot checks, and his Spot checks take a -1 penalty for every 20 feet of distance between himself and the target, instead of -1 for every 10 feet (see Chapter 5: Skills).

T ame Magical Beast (Su): At 14th level, the hunter can tame magical beasts just as he can tame animals; however, he takes a -4 penalty on his Handle Animal checks to do so.