Bedouin Warrior [PrC, 3.5, PEACH]

[JackRackham]

Ok, so I'm looking for suggestions here on how to make a base class that would represent the feel and skills of nomadic desert warriors and/or trackers. What I've got in mind involves combining some of the abilities from the Halfling Outrider and the Wild Plains Outrider with a Ranger's Track ability, a mount, and a Scout's Skirmish ability.

In short, the character should be built for mounted, hit-and-run combat, on the one hand and should be able to survive the desert on the other. The second part means:

1. Surviving on as little as a pint of brackish, salty water and a handful of dried dates a day for weeks at a time.
2. Enduring intense heat and sandstorms (endurance, or a buffed version of it).
3. Recognizing individual, weeks-old camel tracks, and sand dunes and being able to judge, for example whether a camel is giving milk or injured from its tracks (not sure tracking would cover this; maybe tracking and bonuses to survival?).
4. The ability to find wells and forage for one's animals where there seems to be nothing but sand (something buffing survival? This seems like a bland solution to me, but I guess it's straightforward).
5. The ability to navigate in the seeming absence of landmarks.
6. An exceptionally long memory for camels, horses and landmarks including dunes.

EDIT: I couldn't figure out how to make this work as a base class, so I decided to move some things and make a PrC out of it instead.

[JackRackham]

This is under construction.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0| Skirmish (+1d6), Mount, Ride Bonus

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Desert Offensive, Endurance

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Skirmish (+1d6, +1 AC), Track

4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Desert Swiftness

5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Unbroken Charge, Skirmish (+2d6, +1 AC)

6th|
+6/1|
+5|
+5|
+2|Quick Turn, Swift Tracker

7th|
+7/2|
+5|
+5|
+2|Skirmish (+2d6, +2 AC), Desert Tracker

8th|
+8/3|
+6|
+6|
+2|Trackless Step, Desert Stalker

9th|
+9/4|
+6|
+6|
+3|Skirmish (+3d6, +2 AC), Trackless Mount

10th|
+10/5|
+7|
+7|
+3|Sixth Sense[/table]
d8

CLASS SKILLS

The Bedouin Warrior ’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (tribes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

CLASS FEATURES

Mount: A Bedouin warrior chooses one of his existing horses or camels (or purchases one) to gain advance as the mount of a Paladin of the same level (see page 45 of the Player's Handbook). For player's with existing Paladin levels or with a camel or horse animal companion, Bedouin Warrior levels stack in determining the animal's HD and other physical attributes.

Ride Bonus: A Bedouin Warrior gains a bonus equal to his or her class level on all Ride checks.

Endurance: A Bedouin Warrior gains the benefit of the Endurance feat, as described on page 93 of the Player's Handbook.

Desert Offensive: A Bedouin Warrior can make a full attack with a melee weapon as long as his mount takes only a single move.

Track: A Bedouin Warrior gains the benefit of the Track feat, as described on page 101 of the Player's Handbook.

Desert Swiftness: A Bedouin Warrior knows how to draw every bit of speed possible from a mount. At 2nd level and higher, a Bedouin Warrior (while mounted) increases his mount’s base speed by 10 feet. This increase affects every movement mode the mount has.

Unbroken Charge: A Bedouin Warrior can charge through difficult terrain or occupied squares by making a DC 15 Ride check.

Quick Turn: A mounted Bedouin Warrior can make a DC 20 Ride check as a free action to take one turn of up to 90° during a charge or while running, though it must move at least 10 feet after the turn to execute the charge. If the check fails, the mount moves another 10 feet in a straight line and then loses the rest of its actions for the turn.

Swift Tracker: A Bedouin Warrior can move at his normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal –5 penalty. He takes only a –10 penalty (instead of the normal –20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.

Desert Tracker: Within the desert, a Bedouin Warrior receives a bonus equal to his or her class level to Survival checks made to follow or gather information from tracks. In addition, by observing a set of tracks for 5 minutes and making a Survival check (+ modifiers for visibility, weather, time, etc) a Bedouin Warrior may attempt to gather information about the animal or animals and their rider/s.

- Chart on DCs to gather information from tracks

Trackless Step: A Bedouin Warrior cannot be tracked in natural surroundings.

Desert Stalker: A Bedouin Warrior knows how to move a mount stealthily through nearly any terrain. His mount uses the Bedouin Warrior’s skill ranks, rather than its own, to make Hide and Move Silently checks. The mount still uses its own size, Dexterity, armor check penalty, and other applicable modifiers when making such checks.

Trackless Mount: The benefits of Trackless Step extend to a Bedouin Warrior's mount.

Sixth Sense: A Bedouin Warrior intuitively knows the direction and approximate distance (within 20%) of both the nearest drinkable well and the nearest forage.

[CinuzIta]

i like the idea and the general feel of the class, but i don't think that sixth sense is a good cap ability..i'd also move it to a lower level..something like level 4 or something like that

[JackRackham]

i like the idea and the general feel of the class, but i don't think that sixth sense is a good cap ability..i'd also move it to a lower level..something like level 4 or something like that

You might disagree if you were in the middle of a desert, two weeks from the nearest well, with minimal supplies and no clerical assistance. ;)

My main concern, though, is that I made this for some NPC characters and, as I look at it, I can't see any PC bothering with the class. It just doesn't have a lot of mechanical punch. I've thought of making this into a martial adept, but the flavor (even of Desert Wind) is all wrong for the class.

Basically, I guess, I think a Bedouin Warrior would get its ass kicked by anything in TOB or any sort of caster. Mechanically, I'm not even sure that a straight Scout isn't better in combat than a Scout-Bedouin Warrior.

[CinuzIta]

I'm not saying is not a vital ability..as you said is very important to find water in the desert, for these reason, I believe a bedouin would learn these ability early in his career, instead of spending years of his life in the desert before figuring out how to find water in a lethal place as the desert..these is the reason why I had suggested you to move these ability to a mid-low level..

Right now I'm writing with my cellphone, so I don't feel like writing long posts, but later, when I'll get to my pc, I'll try to suggest some good special ability to make these prc suitable for a player

[JackRackham]

I think what I might do is have a slightly modified PC version, but leave this as-is if I use it for NPCs. My reasoning is that the ability to instinctively know where the next well will be is a very high-prestige ability, one that only a very select few would have and that would put them in line to lead expeditions (for lack of a better word).

But, you're right. A PC would want that sooner and would want a more combat relevant ability as a capstone.

[JoshuaZ]

The idea is interesting. Maybe give them bonuses to things like survival checks for tracking in a desert environment or bonus to knowledge checks for creatures that normally live in the desert?

Also formatting could use some slight work- bolding the class ability titles and specifying which are (su), (ex) and (sp) would be helpful.

[awa]

feels like a ranger class. I would suggest allowing character's who already have endurance and track there choice of a different feat possibly off the scout list

[JackRackham]

feels like a ranger class. I would suggest allowing character's who already have endurance and track there choice of a different feat possibly off the scout list

Yeah, Scout is the obvious entry, but Ranger is a close second. Good idea.


The idea is interesting. Maybe give them bonuses to things like survival checks for tracking in a desert environment or bonus to knowledge checks for creatures that normally live in the desert?

Also formatting could use some slight work- bolding the class ability titles and specifying which are (su), (ex) and (sp) would be helpful.

I already gave them some of that, yeah. I would specify, but I'm fuzzy on the distinctions and I don't feel like looking it up at the moment. With the exception of the capstone, I don't see these as magical/supernatural abilities, though. Maybe (ex)?

[JoshuaZ]

Yeah, Scout is the obvious entry, but Ranger is a close second. Good idea.



I already gave them some of that, yeah. I would specify, but I'm fuzzy on the distinctions and I don't feel like looking it up at the moment. With the exception of the capstone, I don't see these as magical/supernatural abilities, though. Maybe (ex)?

Even the last ability could be ex if it depends on subtle environmental cues.

[JackRackham]

Even the last ability could be ex if it depends on subtle environmental cues.

Yeah, it definitely could. Maybe based on experience. Like, unconsciously reading geological features and such. I can see that.

[CinuzIta]

Okay, I've looked around and found some suggestions for these class. These are from the Sandstorm's manual:

1. Sandskimmer could be a nice bonus feat for the class (Benefit: You treat shallow sand as normal terrain and deep sand as shallow sand. Sand crust does not break beneath your feet, allowing you to move atop it as if it were
normal terrain.
Special: This feat can be taken twice, allowing a creature to treat all sand as normal terrain. Its effects also stack similarly with other abilities that improve movement over sand. For example, if a bhuka takes Sand skimmer, she treats all sand as normal terrain and never breaks through sand crust by moving across it.)

2. The Lord of Tides PrC obtains Locate Potable Water at first level, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to give such an ability to the Bedouin at a lower level as well. In the specific, the Lord of Tides' special ability works these way: This ability is similar to the locate water spell, but in addition to determining the size and distance of water bodies, you can tell whether the water is drinkable. If it is not drinkable, you can sense the reason, such as salt, poison, infectious organisms, or magical fouling. The ability takes a fullround action to initiate and lasts for 10 minutes.


These is the Locate Water spell:
Divination
Level: Cleric 1, druid 1, ranger 1,
sorcerer/wizard 1
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Cone-shaped emanation
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You sense the direction of a substantial body of water. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you search a particular area.
1st Round: Presence or absence of water.
2nd Round: Number of water sources in the area and the rough size of the largest one present.
3rd Round: The size (see below) and location of each source of water. If a water source is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Size: For the purpose of this spell, the size categories of bodies of water are as follows.
Small: A small pond or pool (200 cubic feet or less) or a brook (5 feet across or smaller).
Medium: A large pond or small lake (up to 20,000 cubic feet) or a goodsized stream (up to 30 feet across).
Large: A large lake (up to 10 million cubic feet) or a broad river. Vast: An ocean or an inland sea. Creatures cannot be found by this spell. The spell ignores small quantities of water, such as filled bottles and skins. The spell reveals nothing about the quality of the water or how easy it is to reach. The presence of fire or magma within the spell’s area blocks it.
Arcane Focus: A forked hazel wand.

While these are Plains Rider's special abilities, a 10th level prestige class from an unofficial source:

1. [Level 1 ability]: Track from the Saddle (Ex): Rarely dismounted, a plains rider gains an eye for tracking, even from horseback. A level 1 rider may use the Track feat from a mount walking at normal speed without penalty to his Survival check. A plains rider also gains this benefit to all Search checks made from the saddle.

2. [Level 3 ability]: Travelling Shot (Ex): As scouts and border patrol, often the plains riders have to engage a fleeing enemy, or one at extreme range. They are therefore trained in shooting from the saddle of a rapidly moving mount. When using a missile weapon from the saddle, the plains rider suffers no penalty when attacking during a double move, and only a -2 circumstance penalty to hit when his mount is running. This supersedes the normal penalties associated with shooting from a moving mount, as well as those granted by the Mounted Archery feat.

3. [Level 6 ability]: Higher Ground (Ex): A level 6 rider has learned how best to use his elevated position in the saddle to aid himself in his patrols. As long as he is mounted, he gains a +4 altitude bonus on Spot checks.

Personally I think that all of these special abilities would fit the Bedouin as well, the choice is up to you :)

[JackRackham]

Okay, I've looked around and found some suggestions for these class. These are from the Sandstorm's manual:

1. Sandskimmer could be a nice bonus feat for the class (Benefit: You treat shallow sand as normal terrain and deep sand as shallow sand. Sand crust does not break beneath your feet, allowing you to move atop it as if it were
normal terrain.
Special: This feat can be taken twice, allowing a creature to treat all sand as normal terrain. Its effects also stack similarly with other abilities that improve movement over sand. For example, if a bhuka takes Sand skimmer, she treats all sand as normal terrain and never breaks through sand crust by moving across it.)

2. The Lord of Tides PrC obtains Locate Potable Water at first level, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to give such an ability to the Bedouin at a lower level as well. In the specific, the Lord of Tides' special ability works these way: This ability is similar to the locate water spell, but in addition to determining the size and distance of water bodies, you can tell whether the water is drinkable. If it is not drinkable, you can sense the reason, such as salt, poison, infectious organisms, or magical fouling. The ability takes a fullround action to initiate and lasts for 10 minutes.


These is the Locate Water spell:
Divination
Level: Cleric 1, druid 1, ranger 1,
sorcerer/wizard 1
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Cone-shaped emanation
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You sense the direction of a substantial body of water. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you search a particular area.
1st Round: Presence or absence of water.
2nd Round: Number of water sources in the area and the rough size of the largest one present.
3rd Round: The size (see below) and location of each source of water. If a water source is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Size: For the purpose of this spell, the size categories of bodies of water are as follows.
Small: A small pond or pool (200 cubic feet or less) or a brook (5 feet across or smaller).
Medium: A large pond or small lake (up to 20,000 cubic feet) or a goodsized stream (up to 30 feet across).
Large: A large lake (up to 10 million cubic feet) or a broad river. Vast: An ocean or an inland sea. Creatures cannot be found by this spell. The spell ignores small quantities of water, such as filled bottles and skins. The spell reveals nothing about the quality of the water or how easy it is to reach. The presence of fire or magma within the spell’s area blocks it.
Arcane Focus: A forked hazel wand.

While these are Plains Rider's special abilities, a 10th level prestige class from an unofficial source:

1. [Level 1 ability]: Track from the Saddle (Ex): Rarely dismounted, a plains rider gains an eye for tracking, even from horseback. A level 1 rider may use the Track feat from a mount walking at normal speed without penalty to his Survival check. A plains rider also gains this benefit to all Search checks made from the saddle.

2. [Level 3 ability]: Travelling Shot (Ex): As scouts and border patrol, often the plains riders have to engage a fleeing enemy, or one at extreme range. They are therefore trained in shooting from the saddle of a rapidly moving mount. When using a missile weapon from the saddle, the plains rider suffers no penalty when attacking during a double move, and only a -2 circumstance penalty to hit when his mount is running. This supersedes the normal penalties associated with shooting from a moving mount, as well as those granted by the Mounted Archery feat.

3. [Level 6 ability]: Higher Ground (Ex): A level 6 rider has learned how best to use his elevated position in the saddle to aid himself in his patrols. As long as he is mounted, he gains a +4 altitude bonus on Spot checks.

Personally I think that all of these special abilities would fit the Bedouin as well, the choice is up to you :)

These do look good. Thanks for the suggestions. I was considering something to help with mounted archery, so that's great. Also, I assumed tracking from the saddle was covered already. If not, I need to update the existing abilities to allow for it. I'm a graduate student (busy) so it may take a while for me to update this, but I intend to adopt these in some form.