Baron Corm
2007-01-25, 10:37 PM
The bone archer is a sort of sick individual who likes to play with bones. He's not necessarily evil, nor is he undead. He fashions powerful arrows using his own bone, and gains a mount similar to the paladin. Bone archers are "supposed to be" multiclassed off of the fighter class. They are tacticians; resourceful and quick like your typical rogueish or rangerish archer, but not sneaky in any way. I added in the Knowledge skills that they may be used in Amber E. Scott's way, which is in the gaming section of this site. Let it be known that "marrow" rhymes with "arrow" but I couldn't see arrows made of marrow being useful. Another pun would be "bow marrow", but that doesn't make any sense at all.
Bone Archer
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Bone arrow, jagged skeleton +1
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Tendon bowstring
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Jagged skeleton +2
4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Skeletal mount, shards
5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Jagged skeleton +3
6th|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+2|Hardened skeleton
7th|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+2|Jagged skeleton +4
8th|
+8|
+6|
+6|
+2|Improved shards
9th|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+3|Jagged skeleton +5
10th|
+10|
+7|
+7|
+3|Skeletal warmount, thin man[/table]
Hit Die: d8
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Skills: Handle Animal, Ride, Knowledge (Any), Tumble, Use Rope, Survival, Concentration
Requirements
To qualify to become a bone archer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow), Weapon Specialization (longbow or shortbow), Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery
Skills: Ride 5 ranks
Special: Must be a creature with a skeleton
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Bone archers gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Bone Arrow (Ex)
The bone archer may slide a bone out from his wrist into his hand as a move action. After 1 round of concentration from the bone archer, this bone becomes arrow-shaped, functions as an arrow, and may be magically enchanted as a non-magical arrow. When fired, a new bone arrow with the same enhancements as the old one slides out from the bone archer's wrist and is nocked and ready to fire, requiring no move action. This grants the bone archer essentially unlimited ammunition, unless he loses the arrow in a way other than shooting it. He may choose to throw it away on purpose. Any bone arrow not in the bone archer's possession disintegrates within 1 round, unless gentle repose is cast on it, in which case it will disintegrate after the spell ends. The bone archer may use his own Will save and spell resistance to resist this spell. If the bone arrow is fired by another, it disintegrates after dealing whatever damage it may have dealt. The bone archer may only have one bone arrow at any time. The bone taken from his body regrows instantly, and the entire procedure is painless.
Jagged Skeleton (Ex)
Any bone arrow the bone archer fires is treated as having a +1 enhancement for every odd level of bone archer (in addition to any other magical properties it might have).
Tendon Bowstring (Ex)
Beginning at level 2, the bone archer may extract a tendon from his arm as a move action. This tendon can be used to restring a bow (a process taking 5 rounds), allowing the bone archer to add any strength bonus he has to damage. This is a painless procedure.
Skeletal Mount (Sp)
Upon reaching 4th level, the bone archer may perform a ritual on a normal mount (usually a heavy warhorse or something similar size-appropriate). This ritual takes 24 hours and binds the mount to the bone archer, granting it special abilities. He is subject to concentration checks during this ritual. Should the mount die, the bone archer must find another one to replace it, and perform the ritual again. The mount must have been with the bone archer for at least a week, getting used to being around all the bones and trusting the bone archer enough not to bolt during the ritual.
The mount's base speed increases by 10 feet. The bone archer has an empathetic link with his mount. The mount has 7 Intelligence, +2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, enough bonus HD to make it CR 5, and +3 Natural Armor. It also applies the bone archer's Dexterity bonus to its Reflex saves (in addition to its own), and gains Evasion. Its type becomes magical beast.
The bone archer's mount appears in the shape of the animal it was, but no organs or muscles are visible on it (only the skeleton.. no veins etc). It never needs to eat, sleep, or breathe and is not subject to critical hits or fatigue, yet it gains no other features of an undead creature and is not inherently evil or undead.
Shards (Ex)
Also at level 4, the bone archer learns to put extra strength into an attack, causing his bone arrow to explode on impact and damage the inside of a creature. He designates an attack to have the shards effect, and if the attack hits, the damaged creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + bone archer level + Dexterity modifier) or suffer injuries that slow its move speed by 50%. This speed penalty lasts for 24 hours or until the injured creature receives a cure spell (which also restores lost hit points). Another character can remove the penalty by taking 10 minutes to dress the injuries and succeeding on a Heal check against the save DC.
This attack deals twice the normal damage from the bone archer's strength modifier in addition to the normal bone arrow damage, even if the Fortitude save is made. It is usable 1/day per two class levels. If the bone archer designates an attack as dealing shards but misses, the attempt is wasted.
Hardened Skeleton (Ex)
At level 6, the bone archer's bone arrows harden significantly, enabling them to bypass hardness and damage reduction as if they were made of adamantine.
Improved Shards (Ex)
At level 8, on missing a shards attempt, the bone arrow explodes in a 20 ft radius (centered on the creature missed), affecting all creatures with shards unless they make a Reflex save (DC 10 + bone archer level + Dexterity modifier) and the normal Fortitude save.
The bone archer deals 2x his strength modifier in piercing damage and normal damage from his bone arrow to every creature who fails the Reflex save, and half that to those who make it. Creatures who make their Reflex save yet fail their Fortitude save have their movement speed reduced by 25%. The bone archer may choose to "miss" (target a square) if he desires.
Skeletal Warmount (Sp)
At level 10, the bone archer gains additional bonuses for himself and his skeletal mount. There is no longer a penalty to attack when fighting ranged from the mount, the mount gains improved evasion, its speed increases by 40 feet, it has 13 Intelligence, +4 Strength, +8 Dexterity, enough bonus HD to make it CR 10, and +6 Natural Armor, replacing the previous bonuses. In addition, the bone archer now adds his Dexterity modifier as a dodge bonus to the mount's AC when riding it.
The bone archer may choose to have his mount appear non-skeletal, yet this always goes away as soon as it enters battle and whenever it is touched. A will save may be made at a DC of 25 to see the mount for what it really is. A standard action will turn the disguise on or off. A true seeing spell will automatically see past it.
Thin Man (Ex)
At level 10, the bone archer's organs fall from his body, causing him to appear as a skeleton, in the shape of his natural skeleton. He no longer has to eat, breathe, or sleep and becomes immune to critical hits and fatigue, but is not undead and gains no other features of your typical "skeleton". He can choose to appear as he did before this transformation, but a will save made at DC 25 shows him for his true self. His disguise will also drop if he enters battle or is touched. It takes a standard action to turn the disguise on or off. A true seeing spell will automatically seee past it.
The bone archer usually saves his old tissues as they hold a sentimental value for him, and as was mentioned you have to be a little messed up to take this prestige class.
Bone Archer
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+1|
+2|
+2|
+0|Bone arrow, jagged skeleton +1
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+3|
+0|Tendon bowstring
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+3|
+1|Jagged skeleton +2
4th|
+4|
+4|
+4|
+1|Skeletal mount, shards
5th|
+5|
+4|
+4|
+1|Jagged skeleton +3
6th|
+6|
+5|
+5|
+2|Hardened skeleton
7th|
+7|
+5|
+5|
+2|Jagged skeleton +4
8th|
+8|
+6|
+6|
+2|Improved shards
9th|
+9|
+6|
+6|
+3|Jagged skeleton +5
10th|
+10|
+7|
+7|
+3|Skeletal warmount, thin man[/table]
Hit Die: d8
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Skills: Handle Animal, Ride, Knowledge (Any), Tumble, Use Rope, Survival, Concentration
Requirements
To qualify to become a bone archer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow), Weapon Specialization (longbow or shortbow), Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery
Skills: Ride 5 ranks
Special: Must be a creature with a skeleton
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Bone archers gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Bone Arrow (Ex)
The bone archer may slide a bone out from his wrist into his hand as a move action. After 1 round of concentration from the bone archer, this bone becomes arrow-shaped, functions as an arrow, and may be magically enchanted as a non-magical arrow. When fired, a new bone arrow with the same enhancements as the old one slides out from the bone archer's wrist and is nocked and ready to fire, requiring no move action. This grants the bone archer essentially unlimited ammunition, unless he loses the arrow in a way other than shooting it. He may choose to throw it away on purpose. Any bone arrow not in the bone archer's possession disintegrates within 1 round, unless gentle repose is cast on it, in which case it will disintegrate after the spell ends. The bone archer may use his own Will save and spell resistance to resist this spell. If the bone arrow is fired by another, it disintegrates after dealing whatever damage it may have dealt. The bone archer may only have one bone arrow at any time. The bone taken from his body regrows instantly, and the entire procedure is painless.
Jagged Skeleton (Ex)
Any bone arrow the bone archer fires is treated as having a +1 enhancement for every odd level of bone archer (in addition to any other magical properties it might have).
Tendon Bowstring (Ex)
Beginning at level 2, the bone archer may extract a tendon from his arm as a move action. This tendon can be used to restring a bow (a process taking 5 rounds), allowing the bone archer to add any strength bonus he has to damage. This is a painless procedure.
Skeletal Mount (Sp)
Upon reaching 4th level, the bone archer may perform a ritual on a normal mount (usually a heavy warhorse or something similar size-appropriate). This ritual takes 24 hours and binds the mount to the bone archer, granting it special abilities. He is subject to concentration checks during this ritual. Should the mount die, the bone archer must find another one to replace it, and perform the ritual again. The mount must have been with the bone archer for at least a week, getting used to being around all the bones and trusting the bone archer enough not to bolt during the ritual.
The mount's base speed increases by 10 feet. The bone archer has an empathetic link with his mount. The mount has 7 Intelligence, +2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, enough bonus HD to make it CR 5, and +3 Natural Armor. It also applies the bone archer's Dexterity bonus to its Reflex saves (in addition to its own), and gains Evasion. Its type becomes magical beast.
The bone archer's mount appears in the shape of the animal it was, but no organs or muscles are visible on it (only the skeleton.. no veins etc). It never needs to eat, sleep, or breathe and is not subject to critical hits or fatigue, yet it gains no other features of an undead creature and is not inherently evil or undead.
Shards (Ex)
Also at level 4, the bone archer learns to put extra strength into an attack, causing his bone arrow to explode on impact and damage the inside of a creature. He designates an attack to have the shards effect, and if the attack hits, the damaged creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + bone archer level + Dexterity modifier) or suffer injuries that slow its move speed by 50%. This speed penalty lasts for 24 hours or until the injured creature receives a cure spell (which also restores lost hit points). Another character can remove the penalty by taking 10 minutes to dress the injuries and succeeding on a Heal check against the save DC.
This attack deals twice the normal damage from the bone archer's strength modifier in addition to the normal bone arrow damage, even if the Fortitude save is made. It is usable 1/day per two class levels. If the bone archer designates an attack as dealing shards but misses, the attempt is wasted.
Hardened Skeleton (Ex)
At level 6, the bone archer's bone arrows harden significantly, enabling them to bypass hardness and damage reduction as if they were made of adamantine.
Improved Shards (Ex)
At level 8, on missing a shards attempt, the bone arrow explodes in a 20 ft radius (centered on the creature missed), affecting all creatures with shards unless they make a Reflex save (DC 10 + bone archer level + Dexterity modifier) and the normal Fortitude save.
The bone archer deals 2x his strength modifier in piercing damage and normal damage from his bone arrow to every creature who fails the Reflex save, and half that to those who make it. Creatures who make their Reflex save yet fail their Fortitude save have their movement speed reduced by 25%. The bone archer may choose to "miss" (target a square) if he desires.
Skeletal Warmount (Sp)
At level 10, the bone archer gains additional bonuses for himself and his skeletal mount. There is no longer a penalty to attack when fighting ranged from the mount, the mount gains improved evasion, its speed increases by 40 feet, it has 13 Intelligence, +4 Strength, +8 Dexterity, enough bonus HD to make it CR 10, and +6 Natural Armor, replacing the previous bonuses. In addition, the bone archer now adds his Dexterity modifier as a dodge bonus to the mount's AC when riding it.
The bone archer may choose to have his mount appear non-skeletal, yet this always goes away as soon as it enters battle and whenever it is touched. A will save may be made at a DC of 25 to see the mount for what it really is. A standard action will turn the disguise on or off. A true seeing spell will automatically see past it.
Thin Man (Ex)
At level 10, the bone archer's organs fall from his body, causing him to appear as a skeleton, in the shape of his natural skeleton. He no longer has to eat, breathe, or sleep and becomes immune to critical hits and fatigue, but is not undead and gains no other features of your typical "skeleton". He can choose to appear as he did before this transformation, but a will save made at DC 25 shows him for his true self. His disguise will also drop if he enters battle or is touched. It takes a standard action to turn the disguise on or off. A true seeing spell will automatically seee past it.
The bone archer usually saves his old tissues as they hold a sentimental value for him, and as was mentioned you have to be a little messed up to take this prestige class.