Hunter [Base Class][Crossroads]

[Admiral Squish]

Hunter
Designed for Crossroads: the New World (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?345327-Crossroads-II-I-m-on-a-Mammoth)

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs39/f/2008/335/4/f/Old_Trapper_by_Rhineville.jpg

Hunters are an integral part of life in the new world. Some are providers, those who go out and pit their wits against the wild to supply food and supplies for their people and themselves. Others are profiteers, hunting for furs and feathers to sell for a tidy profit. Others are warriors, turning their skills in the wild into skills on the battlefield. Hunters themselves are as varied as the cultures they come from. Some use spears or clubs, others use bows or guns, some work with animals, others lay traps out in the wilds. Hunters are masters of the wilderness, often spending days or even weeks at a time out in the nature, among the birds and beasts.

Hit Die: d8
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecialTactics

1st+1+2+2+0Track, Trapfinding1
2nd+3+3+3+1 Bonus Feat, Uncanny Dodge 1
3rd+3+3+3+1 Trackless Step2
4th+4+4+4+1 Fast Movement +10 2
5th+5+4+4+1 Bonus Feat, Evasion 3
6th+6+5+5+2 Swift Tracker 3
7th+7+5+5+2 Imp. Uncanny Dodge 4
8th+8+6+6+2Bonus Feat 4
9th+9+6+6+3 Flawless Stride 5
10th+10+7+7+3 Camouflage, Fast Movement +20 5
11th+11+7+7+3 Bonus Feat 6
12th+12+8+8+4 Blindsense 30' 6
13th+13+8+8+4 Hide in Plain Sight 7
14th+14+9+9+4 Bonus Feat 7
15th+15+9+9+5Improved Evasion8
16th+16+10+10+5 Fast movement +30 8
17th+17+10+10+5 Bonus Feat 9
18th+18+11+11+6Free Movement9
19th+19+11+11+6 Blindsight 30' 10
20th+20+12+12+6 Bonus Feat10

Skill Points: 6+int per level
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A hunter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor, but not shields.


Hunter’s Tactics (Ex): As a hunter gains experience, they master the use of hunting tactics in combat. At first level they gain their first tactic. They gain an additional tactic at every odd-numbered level thereafter. A hunter can use these tactics at any time, though some require particular conditions or actions to be used. A hunter cannot select the same tactic more than once, unless otherwise noted. Any hunter who meets the prerequisites of a tactic can select and use that tactic.

Track (Ex): A hunter gains Track as a bonus feat.

Trap finding (Ex): A hunter adds 1/2 their level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device skill checks (minimum +1). A hunter can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.

Bonus Feat At 2nd level and every three levels thereafter (5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 20th level), a hunter gains a bonus feat, which must be selected from the following list: Acrobatic, Agile, Alertness, Athletic, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Crossbow Mastery, Deadly Aim, Diehard, Dodge, Double Slice, Endurance, Far Shot, Focused Shot, Great Fortitude, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Initiative, Improved Precise Shot, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Manyshot, Mobility, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Pinpoint Targeting, Point Blank Shot, Point Blank Master, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Ride-by Attack, Shot on the Run, Skill Focus, Spring Attack, Trick Riding, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Rend. They must meet all the prerequisites for the feat.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a hunter cannot be caught flat-footed and reacts to danger before their senses would normally allow them to do so. They cannot be caught flat-footed, nor do they lose their Dexterity bonus to armor class if the attacker is invisible. They still lose their Dexterity bonus to armor class if immobilized. A hunter with this ability can still lose their Dexterity bonus to armor class if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against them.

If a hunter already has uncanny dodge from a different class, they automatically gain improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Trackless Step (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, a hunter leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. They may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Fast Movement (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a hunter gains a +10 foot enhancement bonus to their base land speed. At 10th level, this bonus increases to +20 feet, and at 16th level, this bonus increases to +30 feet. They lose this bonus when wearing medium or heavy armor or carrying a medium or heavy load.

Evasion (Ex): When they reaches 5th level, a hunter can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If they makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, they instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if the hunter is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless hunter does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Swift Tacker (Ex): Beginning at 6th level, a hunter can move at their normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty. They take only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.

Improved Uncanny Dodge At 7th level and higher, a hunter can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the hunter by flanking them, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has hunter levels.

If a character already has uncanny dodge from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.

Camouflage (Ex): Beginning at 8th level, a hunter can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn't offer cover or concealment. They lose this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Flawless Stride (Ex): Starting at 9th level, a hunter can move through any sort of terrain that slows movement (such as undergrowth, rubble, and similar terrain) at their normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
This ability does not let them move more quickly through terrain that requires a Climb or Swim check to navigate, nor can they move more quickly through terrain or undergrowth that has been magically manipulated to impede motion.
A hunter loses this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Blindsense (Ex): At 12th level, a hunter gains the blindsense ability out to 30 feet.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): Beginning at 13th level, a hunter can use the Hide skill in natural terrain even while being observed. A hunter loses this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 15th level, a hunter's evasion improves. This ability works like evasion, except that while the hunter still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, they henceforth take only half damage on a failed save. A helpless hunter does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Free Movement (Ex): At 18th level and higher, a hunter can slip out of bonds, grapples, and even the effects of confining spells easily. This ability duplicates the effect of a freedom of movement spell, except that it is always active. A hunter loses this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Blindsight (Ex): A 19th-level hunter gains the blindsight ability out to 30 feet. Their senses become so acute that they can maneuver and fight flawlessly even in total darkness. Invisibility, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, though the hunter must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern it.

[Admiral Squish]

Hunter Tactics

Ambush
Benefit: If the hunter can catch an opponent when they are unable to defend themselves, they can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The hunter gains the sneak attack ability. The hunter's attacks deals 1d6 extra damage anytime their target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the hunter flanks their target. Should the hunter score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), the hunter can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. They cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty. The hunter must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A cannot cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, their sneak attack damage increases by 1d6 at 3rd level, and every 2 levels thereafter.

Improved Ambush
Prerequisites Ambush
Benefit: The hunter can strike more accurately for greater damage. The hunter increases their sneak attack damage by 1d6. This tactic cannot raise their sneak attack damage higher than 1d6 +1d6/2 hunter levels.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Its effects stack.

Deadly Ambush
Prerequisites Ambush, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter’s sneak attack is more deadly. When rolling sneak attack damage, the hunter rolls d8s instead of d6s.

Death Strike
Prerequisites Ambush, Hunter 7
Benefit: The hunter’s accuracy allows them to slay targets with a well-placed attack. If the hunter studies a target vulnerable to a sneak attack for three full rounds, then makes a successful sneak attack, the attack has the additional effect of either paralyzing or killing the target, the hunter’s choice. Studying the target is a standard action. The death strike fails if the target notices the hunter or recognizes the hunter as an enemy, though it may still be a valid sneak attack or snipe. The target of the death strike must make a fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ hunter’s level + hunter’ dexterity modifier) or either die instantly, or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per two hunter levels the hunter possesses. If they successfully make the save, the attack is still a normal sneak attack or snipe. Once they’ve successfully studied the target for three rounds, they must make the death strike within three rounds.
If the attack fails, the save is made, or the hunter doesn’t make the attack within three rounds of studying the target, three new rounds of study are required before the hunter can make another death strike.

Arcane Arrow
Benefit: The hunter is gifted with a touch of arcane power, and can use it to empower their ranged attacks. Any ranged projectile attack the hunter makes gains a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls. This bonus does not stack with any enhancement bonus provided by the hunter’s weapon.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, the enhancement bonus increases by 1 at 5th level and every four levels thereafter.

Arrow of Death
Prerequisites Arcane Arrow, Hunter 15
Benefit: A hunter can charge a single shot each day with terrible killing power. As a standard action, the hunter fires a single shot of arcane death. If the arrow successfully hits and deals damage to its target, the target must make a fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ hunter’s level + hunter’s charisma modifier) or be instantly destroyed.

Elemental Arrow
Prerequisites Arcane Arrow, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter can charge their ranged attacks with elemental energy. Any ranged attack that gains an enhancement bonus from the hunter's arcane arrow deals an additional 1d6 points of acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage. The hunter selects the kind of elemental damage their attacks will do each day when they wake up. Once selected, it cannot be changed again until the next day. The hunter can suppress or resume this ability as a free action at will.

Greater Arcane Arrow
Prerequisites Arcane Arrow, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter can imbue greater arcane power into their arrows. The enhancement bonus to the hunter’s ranged attacks increases by +1. This tactic cannot raise this bonus higher than 1 +1/4 levels.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Its effects stack.

Guided Arrow
Prerequisites Arcane Arrow, Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter can fire an arrow and steer its course with their mind, guiding it around obstacles. The hunter can fire a guided arrow as a standard action, once per day per four hunter level they posses. A guided arrow will fly around corners and obstacles, honing in on a target within the weapon’s range by the guidance of the hunter’s mind. A guided arrow ignores any cover or concealment short of total cover or total concealment and takes no range penalties, but is otherwise rolled normally. The hunter does not need a line of effect to the target, but impassible obstacles or effects will prevent the attack from reaching its target. A guided arrow does not have to be an arrow, any sort of ranged projectile can be made into a guided arrow.

Phase Arrow
Prerequisites Guided Arrow, Hunter 11
Benefit: The hunter can launch a ghostly projectile that slides through obstacles on its way to its target. They can fire a phase arrow as a standard action, once per day per four hunter levels they possess. A phase arrow is a ghostly arrow that will travel through any non-magical barriers in its way to its target, though it will still be stopped by magical walls or barriers. The arrow is a ranged incorporeal touch attack that also ignores cover, but is otherwise rolled normally. A phase arrow does not have to be an arrow, any sort of ranged projectile can be made into a phase arrow.

Beastmaster
Benefit: The hunter gains the service of a loyal animal companion, a beast that fights by their side. This tactic functions as the druid's animal companion ability (which is part of the Nature Bond class feature), except that the hunter's effective druid level is equal to 1/2 their hunter level (minimum 1)
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, their effective druid level for this animal companion is equal to their hunter level.

Beast Bond
Prerequisites Beastmaster, Hunter 3
Benefit: The hunter’s bond with their animal companion deepens, granting a +2 bonus to their effective druid level for the purposes of determining the animal companion’s abilities. This cannot raise the hunter’s effective druid level higher than their hunter level.
Special: This tactic tan be taken more than once, its effects stack. If the hunter has the extra companion tactic, this bonus only applies to one companion.

Extra Companion
Prerequisites Beastmaster, Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter gains a second animal companion. The hunter’s effective druid level for this second companion is equal to ½ their hunter level

Mount Companion
Prerequisites Beastmaster, Mounted Combat
Benefit: A hunter that uses their animal companion as a mount in combat can use their bond to protect their ally. While the hunter is riding their companion and neither hunter or mount are flat-footed, the companion’s AC is equal to the hunter’s ranks in ride +10, or its normal AC, whichever is higher.

Mounted Dodge
Prerequisites Mount Companion
Benefit: The hunter’s companion looks out for their rider as the hunter looks out for them. While riding their animal companion, the hunter gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to the mount’s dexterity modifier.

Speedy Mount
Prerequisites Mount Companion
Benefit: The hunter can draw every bit of speed from their companion. While the hunter is riding his animal companion, the animal companion’s base speed is increased by 10 feet.

Warmount Companion
Prerequisites Mount Companion, Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter’s companion is well trained for battle riding, allowing the hunter to fight more freely. The hunter can make a full attack with a melee weapon as long as his mount takes only a single move.

Wolf Pack Tactics
Prerequisites Beastmaster, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter’s bond with his companion allows them to work together to great effect. When flanking an enemy with each other, the normal flanking bonus to attacks is doubled, and a successful attack on the flanked target by either hunter or companion makes the target provoke an attack of opportunity from the other. The attacks of opportunity do not force the target to provoke additional attacks of opportunity.

Dire Pack Tactics
Prerequisites Wolf Pack Tactics, Hunter 11
Benefit: When the hunter and his companion flank an opponent, attacks from either the hunter or the companion against that opponent deal an additional 1d6 damage.
Special: This tactic can be taken more than once, each time after the first increasing the bonus damage by an additional 1d6.

Great Flanker
Prerequisites Wolf Pack Tactics, Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter and his companion are so in sync, they can easily flank enemies. As long as the hunter and his companion threaten the same enemy, they are considered to be flanking that enemy.

Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter has shown great skill or virtue before some manner of supernatural being, and was rewarded with their blessing. The hunter gains a +2 bonus to Knowledge (Nature), Perception, and Survival checks. In addition, they can call upon their blessing as a free action, entering a blessed state. The hunter can remain blessed for a number of rounds each day equal to their wisdom modifier plus twice their class level. Temporary increases to wisdom, such as those from spells or special abilities, do not increase the total number of rounds they can remain blessed each day. The total number of rounds per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, though these hours do not need to be consecutive.
While blessed, the hunter gains a +1 sacred bonus. This bonus applies to all saving throws, but other abilities may apply this bonus to other rolls.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at first level, their sacred bonus increases by 1 at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Ancestral Blessing
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter has been blessed by their ancestral spirits to carry on their legacy. They gain a +2 bonus to Craft, Heal, Knowledge (Dungeoneering), and Knowledge (Geography) checks. While blessed, they apply the sacred bonus to all intelligence and charisma based skill and ability checks.

Blessing of the Leader
Prerequisites Ancestral Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted a command of strategy and leadership by the leaders among their ancestors. While blessed, the hunter can direct a single ally within 30 feet as a standard action, applying their sacred bonus to their ally's next attack roll or skill check, or to their armor class against the next attack against them. The hunter chooses in what area they instruct their ally. This bonus only applies if used before the start of the hunter's next turn.

Blessing of the Mystic
Prerequisites Ancestral Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted supernatural power by their magically-talented ancestors. The hunter selects Druid, Priest, or Wizard spells. While blessed and when casting a spell from the selected spell list, they apply their sacred bonus to their caster level.
Special:

Blessing of the Warrior
Prerequisites Ancestral Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted an ancestral weapon by the spirits, a special magical weapon once wielded by a warrior ancestor. This ancestral weapon can be any weapon the hunter is proficient with, and it is mystically bound to the hunter. It's treated as a masterwork weapon, and it can be enchanted normally. As a standard action, the hunter can call this weapon to them through the spirit world, the weapon disappearing wherever it may be and appearing in their hand. A broken or destroyed ancestral weapon is restored to full hit points, with all existing enchantments restored, after 24 hours. While blessed, the hunter applies their sacred bonus to attack and damage rolls with their ancestral weapon.

Bestial Blessing
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is blessed by the spirits of the animals to embody their greatest strengths. They gain a +2 bonus to Acrobatics, Climb, Stealth, and Swim checks. while blessed, they apply their sacred bonus to all Strength and Dexterity based skill and ability checks.

Blessing of the Fang
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted the deadly weapons of the beasts. While blessed, the hunter gains a primary bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage and two secondary claw attacks that deal 1d4 points of damage. They apply their sacred bonus to attack and damage rolls with these natural weapons.

Blessing of the Hide
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted the armored hide of a mighty beast. While blessed, the hunter applies their sacred bonus to their natural armor.

Blessing of the Savage
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted the great power of a mighty beast. While blessed, the hunter applies their sacred bonus, rounded down to the nearest even number, to their Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution score, chosen each time they enter the blessed state.

Powerful Blessing
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter, Hunter 5
Benefit The hunter's blessing is more powerful than most. Their sacred bonus while blessed is increased by 1.
Special This tactic can be taken more than once. Its effects stack. The hunter's sacred bonus cannot exceed 1+1/4 levels.

Sylvan Blessing
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is blessed by the spirits of the plants to protect the wild and become one with nature. They gain a +2 bonus to Heal, Stealth, and Survival checks. While blessed, they apply their sacred bonus to all Constitution and Wisdom based skill and ability checks.
Special:

Blessing of the Herb
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter, Sylvan Blessing
Benefit: The hunter is granted the healing and revitalizing power of healing herbs. While blessed, they gain fast healing equal to their sacred bonus.

Blessing of the Leaf
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter, Sylvan Blessing
Benefit: The hunter is granted the effortless, unpredictable mobility of a leaf on the wind. While blessed, they apply their sacred bonus as a dodge bonus to AC.

Blessing of the Wood
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter, Sylvan Blessing
Benefit: The hunter is granted the tough, resilient flesh of the ancient trees. While blessed, they gain damage reduction equal to their sacred bonus, which is overcome by nothing.

Covering Fire
Benefit: The hunter can use their ranged weapon to pressure distant targets. The hunter can use a ranged weapon to designate a 5 foot radius circle within one range increment as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. They make make a single ranged attack against any creature within the area, and are considered to be 'covering' the area until the start of their next turn. Any space they do not have a line of effect and a line of sight to is not considered to be covered. The hunter can make attacks of opportunity with their ranged weapon against creatures in the covered area as though they threatened the area. Movement out of a covered square does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but movement into a covered square does, and any creature that the hunter is aware of that ends its turn in the covered area provokes an attack of opportunity. The hunter must make all attacks with the ranged weapon they used to designate the covered area.

Area Suppression
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: The hunter can split their attention and cover multiple areas. As part of the standard action to designate an area to cover, the hunter can choose to designate a second circle. This circle must meet all the requirements of a normal area to be covered. They can only make one attack as part of the covering action, but they cover all designated areas until the start of their next turn. The hunter can cover overlapping areas with this ability, but cannot cover any area more than once. When covering multiple areas, the hunter takes a penalty to attacks of opportunity equal to the number of areas covered. The penalties to attacks of opportunity stack.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Each time after the first, they may designate an additional area to cover.

Distant Cover
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit The hunter can cover more distant areas. The hunter can designate a covered area within two range increments. The hunter takes twice the normal range penalty on ranged attacks of opportunity.
Special: This tactic can be selected multiple times. Each time after the first, the maximum range they can designate a covered area increases by one range increment.

Wide Cover
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: When laying down covering fire, the hunter may choose to cover a broader area at the expense of some accuracy. When designating the area to cover, the hunter can choose to extend the radius of the circle they cover by 5 feet. However, for every 5 feet the circle is expanded, the hunter takes a -1 penalty to attacks of opportunity until the start of their next turn. The penalties to attacks of opportunity stack.
Special: This tactic can be selected multiple times. Each time after the first, the maximum radius of the circle is increased by 5 feet.

Deadly Accuracy
Benefit: When making a ranged attack against an opponent they can clearly see that is vulnerable to critical hits, the hunter can add ½ their dexterity bonus to damage as long as the target is within one range increment.
Special: This tactic can be taken twice. The second time, the damage bonus increases to the hunter’s full dexterity bonus

Drive
Prerequisites Charisma 13
Benefit: The hunter can drive opponents with body language, fear, and a deep understanding of instinct. The hunter may attempt to drive an opponent with a melee or ranged attack against a non-mindless opponent within 30 feet. When driving, the hunter attacks in such a way that there is an avenue of escape into a square adjacent to the target’s current position. The opponent can move into the given square immediately, with no action cost or movement used, and avoid the attack entirely. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and if driving with a melee attack, the hunter can immediately choose to move into the square the target vacated. If the opponent does not move, they are targeted by the attack normally.

Feral Assault
Prerequisites Natural Weapon
Benefit: The hunter can unleash their animal instincts when attacking with natural weapons, striking with speed and accuracy. You gain a +1 enhancement bonus to all attack and damage rolls with natural weapons.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, the enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls increases by 1 at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Dire Assault
Prerequisites Feral Assault, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter’s natural weapons become more dangerous. All natural weapons the hunter possesses deal damage as though one size larger.

Fearsome Fang
Prerequisites Feral Assault, Bite attack
Benefit: The hunter can worry their opponents flesh with a bite attack. If the hunter makes a successful bite attack and deals damage, the opponent bleeds for 1 damage each round. Multiple bleeds stack. The bleed damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Special: This tactic can be taken more than once. Each time after the first, the bleed damage increases by 1.

Pounce
Prerequisites 2 or more natural attacks, Hunter 7
Benefit: The hunter can leap and attack on a charge, bringing all their weapons to bear. The hunter can attack with all their natural weapons at the end of a charge attack.

Powerful Charge
Prerequisites Feral Assault, Gore attack
Benefit: The hunter can charge to deal extra damage with a gore attack. If the hunter makes a gore attack at the end of a charge, the attack deals double damage. This does not stack with the damage multiplication from a critical hit.

Rend
Prerequisites Feral Assault, 2 or more Claw attacks
Benefit: When the hunter successfully hits a creature with two or more claw attacks in a round, they can rend at the target’s flesh, automatically dealing additional damage equal to their claw damage plus 1 ½ x the hunter’s strength modifier.

Savage Strikes
Prerequisites Feral Assault, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter's natural weapons strike faster and pierce deeper. The enhancement bonus granted by feral assault increases by 1. This bonus cannot exceed 1 +1/4 levels.
Special This tactic can be taken more than once. Its effects stack.

Flurry
Benefit: The hunter can attack with almost impossible speed, a flurry of strikes and movement. As a full round action, they can make a flurry attack. A flurry attack is similar to a full attack, however, they can make an additional attack as part of the flurry, at their highest base attack bonus. All attack rolls made as part of a flurry take a -2 penalty.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, the penalty to attack rolls in a flurry is reduced by 1 at 7th level, and again at 15th.

Pinpoint Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter can strike with accuracy, even at speed. The penalty to attack rolls in a flurry is decreased by 1.

Pouncing Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter can lunge forward as they commence their attack. When the hunter makes a charge, they can make a flurry attack in place of the normal attack on the end of a charge. Flurry attacks do not benefit from the normal charging bonus to attack rolls.

Dancing Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Pouncing Flurry, Hunter 13
Benefit: The hunter can move through the battlefield as a dervish of death. When making a flurry attack, the hunter can move 5 feet after each attack. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from any creature that the hunter has successfully hit previously in the round.

Rapid Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Hunter 11
Benefit: The hunter can lash out with even greater speed. When making a flurry attack, the hunter makes two additional attacks at their highest base attack bonus. This increased speed comes at a price of accuracy, the penalty to all attack rolls in a flurry increasing by 2, to -4.

Two-Weapon Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting, Hunter 9th
Benefit: The hunter can use two weapons in a flurry to deliver a rain of strikes on their foes. When making a flurry attack and wielding two weapons, the hunter can make one attack with their primary weapon and one attack with their off-handed weapon for each attack in the flurry. All normal penalties from two-weapon fighting apply, and stack with the penalties imposed by a flurry attack.

Lure
Prerequisites Charisma 13
Benefit: The hunter can lure opponents in by appearing weak or vulnerable to their target. Once per round as a swift action, the hunter can attempt to lure a non-mindless opponent within 30 feet. The target must make a will save (DC 10+ ½ hunter’s class level + hunter’s charisma modifier), or be forced to move toward the hunter during their next turn, at a minimum speed of half their base land speed.

Mystic Hunter
Benefit: The hunter has a supernatural connection to the wilds, and gains a measure of mystical power from this bond. They gain a single 0-level spell selected from the druid spell list as a spell-like ability that they can use at will. The caster level for this spell-like ability, and any other spell-like abilities gained from tactics, is equal to your hunter level. The hunter cannot select any spell from the Conjuration (Healing) subschool as a spell-like ability with this tactic or any other.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, they gain one 1st level spell from the druid spell list as a spell-like ability usable at will at 3rd level, one 2nd level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will at 7th level, one 3rd level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will at 11th level, one 4th level spell from the druid list as a spell like ability usable at will at 15th level, and one 5th level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will at 19th level.

Extra Mystic Power
Prerequisites Mystic Hunter
Benefit: The hunter’s range of powers expands. The mystic hunter selects a spell from the druid list, of any spell level they already have a spell-like ability from, and gains it as a spell-like ability, usable at will.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Each time it’s taken, it grants a different spell.

Talented Mystic Hunter
Prerequisites: Mystic Hunter, Hunter 3
Benefit: The hunter's mystic blessing develops, gaining a single 1st-level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will.

Improved Mystic Hunter
Prerequisites Mystic Hunter, Hunter 7
Benefit: The hunter’s mystic power grows, gaining a single 2nd level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will.

Greater Mystic Hunter
Prerequisites Improved Mystic Hunter, Hunter 11
Benefit: The hunter’s mystic power grows, gaining a single 3rd level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will.

Superior Mystic Hunter
Prerequisites Greater Mystic Hunter, Hunter 15
Benefit:The hunter’s mystic power grows, gaining a single 4th level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will.

Master Mystic Hunter
Prerequisites Superior Mystic Hunter, Hunter 19
Benefit:The hunter’s mystic power grows, gaining a single 5th level spell from the druid list as a spell-like ability usable at will.

Poison Use
Benefit: A hunter with this tactic never risks poisoning themselves when applying poison to a weapon.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, they can apply poison to a weapon as a move action at 5th level and as a swift action at 9th level.

Man's Venom
Prerequisites: Poison Use, Hunter 7
Benefit: A hunter with this tactic never risks poisoning themselves when crafting a poison with Craft (Alchemy). In addition, if you beat the Craft (Alchemy) DC by 10, you increase the fortitude DC and duration of one dose as though it were two simultaneous doses. For every additional 10 points you beat the DC by, you increase the potency further, adding an additional effective dose to each individual dose.

Nature's Venom
Prerequisites: Poison Use, Hunter 3
Benefit: The skilled hunter can gather poisons from their environment. A hunter can attempt to find a natural poison in any natural environment with a survival check that takes one hour, the DC equal to the save DC of the poison. The DM determines if the attempt is successful and what varieties of poison they would be able to find in a given area.

Quick Poisoner
Prerequisites: Poison Use, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter can apply poison to a weapon as a move action.

Swift Poisoner
Prerequisites: Quick Poisoner, Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter can apply poison to a weapon as a swift action.

Skirmish
Benefit: The hunter can attack on the move to avoid defenses and attack from unexpected angles. The hunter deals 1d6 extra damage on all attacks they make during a round in which they have moved at least 10 feet from where they were at the start of their turn. The skirmish ability does not apply when mounted, and only applies to attacks made during their turn. This damage only applies to living creatures that have a discernable anatomy and are vulnerable to critical hits. The hunter must be able to see well enough to see a vital spot and must be able to reach that spot. The hunter can apply this damage to ranged attacks, but only if the target is within 30 feet.
Special: If this tactic is selected at 1st level, the skirmish bonus damage increases by 1d6 at 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter.

Evasive Skirmish
Prerequisites Skirmish, Hunter 3
Benefit: The hunter’s skirmishing serves to make them a more challenging target. In any round the hunter moves more than 10 feet, they gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC, which lasts until the start of their next turn. This bonus increases by 1 at 7th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Improved Skirmish
Prerequisites Skirmish
Benefit: The hunter’s skill at picking out vitals on the move improves. The extra damage the hunter deals when skirmishing increases by 1d6. This tactic cannot raise the skirmish damage higher than 1d6 +1d6/2 hunter levels.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Its effects stack.

Roaming Skirmish
Prerequisites Skirmish, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter can travel further to get a better angle on their target. If the hunter moves 20 feet, the bonus damage from skirmish increases by 1d6. If the hunter moves less than 20 feet but more than 10 feet, their normal skirmish damage still applies.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Each time, the hunter can move an additional 10 feet to increase the bonus damage from skirmish another 1d6. If the hunter moves less than the maximum distance, they still receive the bonus damage for the distance they do move. For example, if they took this tactic twice, and moved 25 feet, they would still get the bonus damage from moving 20 feet, but would not get the bonus damage from moving 30 feet.

Sniper
Prerequisites: Ambush or Skirmish
Benefit: The hunter’s accuracy with ranged weapons allows them to make sneak attacks or skirmish attacks over longer distances. A hunter can make a sneak attack or skirmish attack with a ranged weapon at any distance, as long as the target is within one range increment of their ranged weapon.

Trapper
Prerequisites: Intelligence 13
Benefit: The hunter is a trapper, and can set up traps. They can apply one trap feature to any trap they set up.
Special: If this tactic is taken at 1st level, the hunter increases the number of trap features they can apply to a trap they set up by 1 at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter.


Advanced Traps
Prerequisites: Trapper
Benefit: The hunter increases the number of trap features they can apply to a trap they set up by 1. This tactic cannot raise the number of trap features on any single trap higher than 1+ 1 per two hunter levels.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Its effects stack.

Combat Trapper
Prerequisites: Trapper, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter can speed up the process of setting up a most traps. A hunter trap with a setup of one minute can be set up with a full-round action.

Stealthy Traps
Prerequisites: Trapper, Hunter 7
Benefit: The hunter is particularly skilled at concealing traps. The hunter adds their wisdom modifier to the perception DC to notice one of their traps.

Potent Traps
Prerequisites: Trapper, Hunter 7
Benefit: The hunter is particularly skilled at making their traps difficult to resist. The hunter adds their wisdom modifier to the save DC to avoid the effects of one of their traps, and to the attack roll of a striking trap.

Devious Traps
Prerequisites: Trapper, Hunter 7
Benefit:The hunter is particularly skilled at making traps that are difficult to disarm. The hunter adds their wisdom modifier to the disable device DC to disarm one of their traps.

Volley
Benefit: The hunter can perform a volley attack, a furious hail of ranged projectiles. As a full-round action, the hunter can make two ranged attacks at their full base attack bonus. All attacks in the volley take a penalty to attack equal to the number of attacks in the volley -1. Each attack is resolved normally. The hunter must be able to reload their weapon fast enough to accomplish this.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, the number of attacks in the volley increases by 1 at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Rapid Volley
Prerequisites: Volley, Hunter 3
Benefit: The number of ranged attacks in the volley attack increases by one. This tactic cannot raise the number of attacks in the volley attack higher than 1 +1 per two hunter levels.
Special: This tactic can be taken more than once. It’s effects stack.


Hunter’s Traps:
While most hunters track, chase, or ambush their prey, some hunters prefer to set traps and let the prey come to them. While there are many different varieties of trap, all hunter traps are built off the same basic trap. This basic trap can be made with simple, mundane, and easily scavenged materials. It occupies a single 5-foot square. It's triggered by a creature entering it's space. Its effects target the creature in it's space, and can be resisted with a successful reflex save. It can be set up on any kind of terrain, with one minute of work. There are many features a hunter can apply to the trap, and some of the features modify the traits of the basic trap. Those that do will explain any changes in their descriptions. The hunter can apply any trap feature to any trap they set up as part of the action to set up the trap, as long as they meet all requirements. All trap features apply their effects at the same time.
A hunter's trap is a challenge to avoid. The reflex saving throw to avoid the effects of a hunter's trap, the perception DC to notice a hunter's trap, and the disable device DC to disarm a hunter's trap, are all equal to 10 + 1/2 the hunters class level + their Intelligence modifier. A hunter's trap has hit points equal to 1/2 the hunter's level. A hunter trap's DC is reduced by 1 for every full day that passes after the trap was set.

Trap
Requirements: None
Materials: None
Area: 1 square
Trigger: location
Target: Trapped space
Save: Reflex
Terrain: Any
Setup: 1 minute


Alarming
Effects: The trap goes off loudly and distinctively, creating a clearly audible noise. The perception DC to hear the sound is 0 at the alarming trap, with modifiers applying as normal for distance or obstructions.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, you can move the source of the alarm sound up to 30 feet from the trap.

Deadfall
Materials: Heavy object or objects of size small or larger.
Terrain: Must have strong overhead support.
Effects: A large, heavy object is released, dropping down from overhead or swinging in from the side, slamming into the target. The target takes damage from the falling object as normal. The reflex DC to avoid a deadfall trap is reduced by 1 for every 10 feet the object falls, and the perception DC to notice the trap is reduced by 2 for every size category larger than small the object is.

Distracting
Materials: Irritant
Save: Fortitude
Effects: The trap exposes the target to some infuriatingly distracting irritant, such as sneezing powder, poison ivy, or similar. The target takes a -2 penalty to concentration checks, initiative checks, perception checks, and reflex saves for one hour.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the penalty inflicted increases by 2.

Elemental
Materials: See Text
Effects: The trap is equipped with devastating elemental power. When the trap goes off, the target takes energy damage equal to 1d6 + 1/2 the hunter's level. This energy damage can be acid, cold, electricity, fire, negative, or positive. An elemental trap requires alchemical substances or some physical substances, like flammable alcohol, a vial of acid, or a bottle of holy water. A negative or positive elemental trap cannot heal, a negative energy trap damages living creatures and a positive energy trap damages undead creatures.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the damage increase by 1d6. This damage can of they same energy type or a different type.

Lingering
Requirements: Elemental
Materials: See Elemental
Effects: The trap's elemental damage lingers on the target, continuing to cause pain after the trap has sprung. Select one type of energy damage dealt by the trap. The target suffers the lingering effects from that energy, taking 1d6 points of that energy damage at the start of their turn for 1d4 rounds. The target may attempt a new reflex save against the trap's DC as a full-round action to end this damage early.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the hunter must choose to apply this to a new type of energy damage, or increase the die sizes of the lingering energy damage and the duration by 1.

Expanded
Area:5 ft radius circle
Setup: 10 minutes.
Effects: The trap's effects cover a larger area. When setting up an expanded trap, chose one space in the area. That space is the trigger for the trap. If the trap is tripped, all creatures in the area may save to avoid the trap's effects.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the radius of the expanded trap's effect increases by 5 feet.

Marking
Materials: Dye and/or odorous material
Effects: The trap spays or marks the target with a dye or foul-smelling marker. The dye will wear off in a few days or wash off with a vigorous scrubbing. The scent marker does not wash off easily, and is treated as a strong scent for the purposes of the scent ability and reduces the DC to track a marked creature by scent by 4.

Pit
Terrain: Existing pit or drop-off
Effects: The ground opens beneath the target's feet, sending them plummeting into a pit. The target takes falling damage as normal and ends up in the pit. The trap consists of the false surface over the pit or drop-off, rather than the fall itself. The pit can be a natural occurrence, or it can be created with magic or even dug by hand. An average hunter can dig a 5 foot wide and 5 foot deep pit by hand in one hour.

Remote
Trigger: Location, 1 designated square within 30 feet
Effects: The trap triggers a remote location. The hunter designates a trigger space within 30 feet of the trap. There must be a line of effect between the trap and the trigger space. A creature entering the trigger space activate the trap's effects. Entering the trap's space has no effect. The hunter, or anyone aware of the trigger, can use a standard action to trigger the trap from any square adjacent to the trigger. This action can be readied.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after first, the trap's trigger can be placed up to 30 additional feet away.

Chain
Trigger: See remote
Effects: The trap is wired with another, allowing one trigger to set off multiple effects. A chain trap can be placed on another hunter trap or trap's trigger space. More than one chain trap can share a trigger space.

Resetting
Effects: The trap remains in place after being triggered, and can be reset by the hunter as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Automatic
Requirements: Resetting
Effects: One minute after being triggered, the trap automatically resets itself. An automatically resetting trap that requires special materials must be created with the materials necessary to create it after each use.
Special: This feature can be applied multiple times. Each time after the first, the duration before the automatic trap resets is reduced by 1 round.

Snare
Effects: A snare trap seizes it's target and anchors them in place with a loop of rope, a spring trap, a net, or an adhesive. The target is entangled and cannot move out of the trap's space until they free themselves. They can make an escape artist or strength check against the trap's save DC as a full round action to slip or break free. A snare trap can hold a medium or smaller creature.
Special: Each application of the Expanded feature increases the maximum size of the creature this trap can hold.

Striking
Materials: See text
Save: Attack Roll
Effects: A melee weapon of some sort springs out to strike the target. The trap makes an attack roll with an attack bonus equal to the hunter's base attack bonus plus their intelligence modifier. If successful, the trap deals physical damage equal to 1d8 + 1/2 the hunter's level. This damage can be bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the damage dealt increases by 1d8. This damage can be the same

Material
Requirements: Striking
Materials: 1 pound of special material
Effects: The striking trap's attack is made of a special material, such as adamantine, silver, or cold iron. The trap's attack is treated as the material in question for overcoming damage reduction.

Poisoned
Requirements: Striking
Materials: See striking, plus poison
Effects: The trap's weapon is coated in poison. The hunter may apply any contact or injury poison to the trap's weapons, forcing the target to make a fortitude save to resist the poison's effects as normal.

Ranged
Requirements: Striking
Target:1 square within 30 feet
Effects: The trap fires a ranged weapon, hurling a blade, spike, or blunt round at a distant target. The trap makes an attack roll and deals damage as normal for a striking trap. The trap must have a line of effect on the target.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the trap's target can be up to an additional 30 feet away.

Swarming
Materials: Swarm
Effects: The trap releases a swarm of captured creatures into the target area. The swarm attacks all creatures within the area, and remains in the area for up to one round per hunter level. A swarm must be captured by the hunter, and is usually held in a small box, cage, or container. A captured swarm can only last through one day of such captivity before it becomes too weak to fight when released.

Trip
Effects: The target catches their foot on a hidden tripline, stumbles over an unexpected ridge, or slips on an unexpectedly slippery patch of earth. They fall prone in the trap's space. A running or charging creature takes a -6 penalty to its save.

[Admiral Squish]

Alright, so this is the new version of the Hunter Class (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?280040-Hunter-PF-Base-Class-Ranger-scout-new-stuf) for the crossroads setting. After hammering at the old version for a while, I realized that more player freedom is always a better option and scrapped the whole tactical path idea, and made it so you could pick and chose tactics at your desire. The weirdest part is that I wrote every single one of those tactics in less than 24 hours, which is a crazy-productive day in my book.

I also made a simplified trap system because I think being a hunter would more or less require there to be a trap system that players can actually use and understand. I hope it works as written.

So, comments? Suggestions? Errors I've missed? Tactics that are conspicuously absent? Let me know!

[SuperDave]

See, this is why I normally just stand back and let you design the classes, Squish. This is fantastic. It reads like a real official class, and I love all the special abilities. Your idea for making a whole trapping subsystem was genius! I feel that this class will be a worthy addition to the Crossroads setting.

I honestly can't even find a single major feature that I would change about it. I kind of wonder if they might have access more than the usual amount of special abilities at higher levels, but I'm really not familiar enough with higher-level play to say for certain.

Just two minor things: first, there's a part where it says [lit] instead of [list], and that's throwing off your indentation. Second, what about mechanical traps like bear traps? Or those springy branches with the parallel stakes tied to them?

Once again, kudos to you, brother!

[gkathellar]

I'll give this a more complete review, but at a glance, it looks to me like one of the best implementations of the ranger that I've ever seen, sacrificing the sacred cows of spellcasting and TWF for a leaner, cleaner class that stays truer to its concept overall.

The only thing that immediately stands out to me is the poor Fortitude save. Why not Medium or Good?

[Admiral Squish]

I must say, I think this is quite possibly some of the nicest review I've ever gotten.

I think the number of abilities isn't as important as the overall feeling. If you play a hunter, you will have fewer options than if you played a ranger, purely by virtue of the whole spell list being dropped, though you'll have a few more class features. However, compared to scout, you have a much more varied selection of abilities, rather than heading down one set path. But I think the hunter allows a player to really describe their character and his tactics specifically, rather than choosing one path from a collection of options.

I went through and fixed the formatting, thanks for pointing it out!

You know, I don't know why I went with a poor fort save. These guys are supposed to be outdoorsmen after all, it would make sense for them to have a good fort. I'll fix it.

[Steckie]

If you're throwing out the hunter spells, why create magic tactics? It feels a bit weird that you implement those.

Mystic hunter: 'I'm a Cree hunter and i hunt the occasional bison. Mostly i set traps for some smaller game. Once i was able to slay a bear. Oh, and i can call down lightning from the skies. And create this rolling ball of fire.
I mostly keep to hunting though."
Sounds weird doesn't it?

Arcane Arrow is an equally weird fit. How about changing this to something more mundane?
Poison tipped arrows, blunt arrows designed to knock animals/people out, broad arrows to cause bleeding, long narrow arrows for penetration,...
There are many kinds of different arrows that could be interesting here.
There's no replacing guided and phased arrows though.

[1pwny]

Really good. I like it a lot. Just noticed something you might want to fix:

Improved Uncanny Dodge: At 9th level and higher, a hunter can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the hunter by flanking them, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has barbarian levels.
That should say Hunter, right? :smallwink:

[Admiral Squish]

Mystic Hunter
I'm dropping the spells from the base class, because, as you describe, it would be weird to play a trapper who also has the ability to use magic for some reason.
However, there is a place for a hunter with magic. Perhaps they have an arcane talent, as with the arrows, or perhaps they have a measure of a connection to the natural world, as with the mystic hunter. Magic's everywhere in crossroads, it would not be that unusual for a more spiritual kind of hunter to pick up a few mystical abilities.

Also, judging by the abilities you mentioned, the hunter in the example is... level 9, at a minimum. This in no simple hunter who picked up a few tricks, this guy is a pretty big deal. Probably at least known in his area and a hero to his village. So, to rephrase your example:
'I'm a Cree hunter, and I am the greatest hunter north of the Great Lakes. I hunt fearsome moose and wild mammut, and I set devious traps for game. I brought down a raging bear spirit on a vision quest, and I was blessed by the spirits with the power to call the lightning on my enemies.
I mostly keep to hunting though."

Varied Arrows
I like the idea of varieties of arrows, but I'm not sure about it. There are different kinds of arrows in the equipment section, I can't imagine you'd need special tactical abilities to put them to use. I think I will add a poison use tactic, though.

Derp
Herp derp.
I'll go fix it. Good catch!
I also took the opportunity to fully write out each ability instead of referencing other classes, and corrected any gendered pronouns.

[Steckie]

Mystic Hunter

Maybe tie it in with the Spirits of the Hunt?
Bear-spirited hunter could give himself some temporary strength, wolf-spirited hunter would get temporary scent, owl-spirited hunter can get temporary darkvision,.... Or even permanent maybe? Stuff like that.
But please don't take anything i say about mechanics too serious, i suck at mechanics and there's a good chance that whatever i propose is wildly unbalanced.

Varied arrows

Varied arrows might also ask for some sort of called shot.
Want to to knock somebody out: aim for the head with a blunt arrow. Want to catch a fleeing animal or person: aim for the leg with a broad arrow.

Coincidentally, is there a 'catch, don't kill' kind of tactic? Or is it just traps?

Oh, and while i'm on the subject of traps: are all traps available at level 1?
And how long does it take to initially set up each trap? I see a time for how long it takes to reset them but not for how long it takes to set them up.
Might be because i overlooked something though.

[Admiral Squish]

Blessed Hunter
I could see something like that. Maybe not with a specific animal spirit like you mentioned, but maybe a tactical line that gives you special blessings from the hunt-spirits and gives you some animal traits.

Special Arrows
Hmm. I don't know... I suppose it could work. I'd have to look into existing arrow varieties and qualities. Called shots might be too complex for a tactic, though.
Can special arrows work with crossbows too?

Traps
you can get access to traps through the trapper tactic. You start with simple traps, then go up to advanced and master traps at certain levels (7 and 13, I think?). It takes 10 minutes to set one up, but there is a combat trapsmith tactic you can take to make traps with one minute, instead. You can also take deadly traps to incorporate spikes/blades into your traps and have them deal damage in addition to their normal effects.
I'm still trying to come up with more traps, so if you have any ideas I haven't covered, let me know.
Oh, and I just added a tactic that makes a trap that's tripped affect all creatures in adjacent squares as well as the target square, and one that lets you set a trigger elsewhere, so you can set off a trap when you want to, rather than when a creature enters the given square.

[Steckie]

Question: how does one dig the hole for a pit trap in 10 minutes?

Kinds of traps to consider: Foothold trap, Mantrap (a form of snare trap for catching human poachers or trespassers).
And there are many kinds of fishing traps, if you want to add something aquatic.

[gkathellar]

Question: how does one dig the hole for a pit trap in 10 minutes?

With gusto.

[Admiral Squish]

Yeah, more or less. I mean, I could make such a trap take longer, but it seems like taking 10 minutes to make a trap already makes it unlikely that most people will be able to use a lot of them. There are magical shortcuts, too, I bet a wand of expeditious excavation would be a great help.

[KitsuneBoxing]

Wow! This class looks like it would be really fun to play! I love how you can choose to be either magical or not magical and looking at it quickly everything seems really balanced.

In my opinion, the poison use tactic should also give you the ability to apply poison to a weapon faster. A move action would be suitable, although i personally would probably make it a swift action at later levels. Poison use isn't exactly overpowered after all, and when spending a tactic on something i would like to feel that i am able to use it in combat reasonably well.

There could also be an ability to make a poison much cheaper than normal by hunting for supplies in the wild (possibly you could choose one terrain type?), possibly even giving you free poison under the right circumstance. I would find that to be a fun ability, although i am rather fond of poison use.

In the same vain i could see an ability that lets you use the heal skill better, possibly by gathering supplies in the forrest in a similar way. You could use heal in a shorter time, heal more hp when doing it and learn to cure conditions and ability damage. This is for healing outside of combat primarily, and it can obviously not be as good as magical healing, but it's always good for a spell caster to not have to spends his/her last spells on healing, and in a low level adventure it could be very useful if done right.

Anyway, just a few ideas. As i said, i do love the class the way it is.

[KitsuneBoxing]

Looking closer at the mystic hunter tactics i think i can see a few problems.

First of all, i'm pretty sure the words "using your hunter level as caster level" should be in there somewhere, right? I mean, it shouldn't be your class level or anything like that, right? Either way, it should say so in the ability.

Second, while it would be reasonably balanced to gain endless uses per day of most spells from the druid spell list at the levels you have set, i can see a problem with the cure spells. Obviously, you will not replace the party cleric or paladin or whatever you have as a combat healer, but you will entirely replace them as a healer outside of combat. Actually, the ability would turn outside of combat healing into simply being a full recovery every time, without having to spend anything. I'm sure you have though of this, since you made the ability that way, but isn't it a problem? To me it doesn't feel right.

That's one aspect of it, but there is also to consider how the ability would work at different levels. At level 13, whatever spells you have will be completely outclassed by the spellcasters, both in power and versatility, so there aren't very big problems there. But at level 1, you will basically be the best caster in the game, since the other casters can also only cast level 1 spells, but fewer times per day. Again i would say that it is healing that is the problem here, since at level 1 you would be the best healer, all categories. Again, that may be how you want it, but to me it would be a problem.

Finally I just wanna say again that i love the class and that i realize that you may very well not agree with me, and that i may very well be entirely wrong.

[Admiral Squish]

Now that is some really good, detailed review! Thanks a lot!

Poison
You know, I hadn't considered making it into any more than just a single tactic, but I suppose it has merits enough to warrant a more thorough handling.
Poison use would probably be the core ability, with a first level scaling application speed. Then, there would be the hard way for scaling application speed, a tactic about gathering/making your own poisons, and maybe one about making the poisons more potent. I may do more research into poison in hunting and see what I come up with.

Healing
That sounds like a a good option, but I'm not certain how much a hunter would know about first aid. Additionally, we're working on a rework of the heal skill at the moment, so this would have to wait until after it was done.

Mystic Hunter
I actually hadn't considered the possibility of heal spells. Not sure how to remove them, exactly, though. Druids have more healing options than just cure spells, after all. I don't want to lose damaging spells, though, so I can't use the thing from creating new races about no spells that target creatures. any spell that cures hit point damage? Mmm, but then what about ability damage? Oooh, wait, there's that new (Healing) subschool. That could work. (never understood why it was conjuration...)

Regarding spell levels, that's an easier solution. I think I'll just bump the levels down, making it so you get a 0-level at 1st, then 1st at 3rd, and then goin' on up the ladder.

[Admiral Squish]

Alright, I updated the table a bit. Now there's an annoyingly dead level at 12th...

[Extra Anchovies]

Alright, I updated the table a bit. Now there's an annoyingly dead level at 12th...

Changing the Tactics progression to 1st, 2nd, and every two levels after wouldn't change the class's power very much, removes the dead level, and makes the 20th level into more than just a bonus feat.

[Admiral Squish]

Changing the Tactics progression to 1st, 2nd, and every two levels after wouldn't change the class's power very much, removes the dead level, and makes the 20th level into more than just a bonus feat.

That could work... But then, it would require me to rewrite all the prerequisites for the various tactics...

[Extra Anchovies]

That could work... But then, it would require me to rewrite all the prerequisites for the various tactics...

Not necessarily. The level 3-requiring tactics could still be taken at level 4. This actually helps balance the extra tactic gained; they gain access to most of the talents one level later, but from level 2 onwards they have one more talent than they otherwise would have (not that you can't still decrease the prereqs anyways). Additionally, if you're feeling like increasing the class's power, reduce the prereq levels and have their second-level tactic scale with class level just like the first one does (e.g. you could have scaling sneak attack and scaling arcane arrows), albeit at class level -2 for determining benefits beyond the first. Like so:

1st: Tactic, scales with level
2nd: Tactic, scales with (level - 2, minimum 1)
4th: Tactic, non-scaling
6th: Tactic, non-scaling
etc...

...you can tell I really like a homebrew class when I try to subtly nudge the creator to make it more powerful :smalltongue:

[nonsi]

Alright, I updated the table a bit. Now there's an annoyingly dead level at 12th...

1. Simple solution: Blindsense at level 12.
2. Come up with a capstone at your leisure if you feel like it.

[Admiral Squish]

Faster Tactics
I'll have to keep an eye out for your suggestions, then :P

I don't think it's a good option, honestly. Overall, it would probably just end up being too complex for most players. Besides, by the end of it you'd have 11 tactics, and the number would just bug me forever.

Blindsense
Ooh, that would certainly work.

Capstone
Now this is a tricky issue. I can't seem to think of what would make an appropriate capstone for a class that's so varied.
Perhaps some sort of extra benefit attached to the 'if you select this tactic at 1st level' thing? So, at level 20, you get some special capstone ability based on that tactic you chose.

Whirling Frenzy
I'm not sure if I want to do just a regular whirling frenzy tactic and have a simple rage-progression, or if I want to create a custom thing that has a similar effect without a rage mechanic involved. Perhaps something more like a flurry of blows, or maybe make it part of a two-weapon tactic.

[nonsi]

Capstone
Now this is a tricky issue. I can't seem to think of what would make an appropriate capstone for a class that's so varied.
Perhaps some sort of extra benefit attached to the 'if you select this tactic at 1st level' thing? So, at level 20, you get some special capstone ability based on that tactic you chose.


Capstones are in no way a must. Seven out of the fifteen classes in my codex don't have one,




Whirling Frenzy
I'm not sure if I want to do just a regular whirling frenzy tactic and have a simple rage-progression, or if I want to create a custom thing that has a similar effect without a rage mechanic involved. Perhaps something more like a flurry of blows, or maybe make it part of a two-weapon tactic.


Don't base it off of TWF.
One of this class' greatest strengths is that it grants bonus feats rather than shoehorn players with combat styles.
If you wish to avoid the Rage mechanics, then consider going for something in the spirit of Slashing Flurry or Lightning Mace (or just add them to the list of bonus feats).
I also notice that TWF is not in the list of bonus feats (I'm guessing it's an oops)

And you're right about Wild Cohort, also because anyone can take it.

[wyldlock]

I like the overall design of the class, but one thing struck me as odd. Why is two-weapon defense a bonus feat option but not two-weapon combat? It seems like most of the bonus feats include the entry feat for each feat chain.

[Extra Anchovies]

I like the overall design of the class, but one thing struck me as odd. Why is two-weapon defense a bonus feat option but not two-weapon combat? It seems like most of the bonus feats include the entry feat for each feat chain.

In fact, the entire TWF chain is missing. I recommend that all three base feats be added, along with Oversized TWF and Double Hit.

[Admiral Squish]

Capstones
I suppose it's not necessary, but still, I think most players are quite fond of them. They're the carrot on the stick that rewards the most loyal leveling.

Whirling
Well, it's not based on two-weapon, but I feel there could be some synergy there. I doodled up a very rough draft during the day today, I'll hammer it out into something workable tonight, probably.

TWF
Yeah, the absence of TWF is indeed an oops. I went back and put in TWF, ITWF, GTWF, and and TW rend.

[Admiral Squish]

So, I doodled up these possible tactics today whilst away from my computed.

Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter has shown great skill or virtue before some manner of supernatural being, and was rewarded with their blessing. The hunter gains a +2 bonus to Knowledge (Nature), Perception, and Survival checks. In addition, they can call upon their blessing as a free action, entering a blessed state. The hunter can remain blessed for a number of rounds each day equal to their wisdom modifier plus their class level. Temporary increases to wisdom, such as those from spells or special abilities, do not increase the total number of rounds they can remain blessed each day. The total number of rounds per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, though these hours do not need to be consecutive.
While blessed, the hunter gains a +1 sacred bonus, which increases by 1 at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level. This bonus applies to all saving throws, but other abilities may apply this bonus to other rolls.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at first level, the number of rounds they can remain blessed each day is increased, to a total equal to their wisdom modifier plus twice their class level.

Ancestral Blessing
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter has been blessed by their ancestral spirits to carry on their legacy. They gain a +2 bonus to Craft, Heal, Knowledge (Dungeoneering), and Knowledge (Geography) checks. While blessed, they apply the sacred bonus to all intelligence and charisma based skill and ability checks.

Blessing of the Leader
Prerequisites Ancestral Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted a command of strategy and leadership by the leaders among their ancestors. While blessed, the hunter can direct a single ally within 30 feet as a standard action, applying their sacred bonus to their ally's next attack roll or skill check, or to their armor class against the next attack against them. The hunter chooses in what area they instruct their ally. This bonus only applies if used before the start of the hunter's next turn.

Blessing of the Mystic
Prerequisites Ancestral Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted supernatural power by their magically-talented ancestors. The hunter selects Druid, Priest, or Wizard spells. While blessed and when casting a spell from the selected spell list, they apply their sacred bonus to their caster level.
Special:

Blessing of the Warrior
Prerequisites Ancestral Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted an ancestral weapon by the spirits, a special magical weapon once wielded by a warrior ancestor. This ancestral weapon can be any weapon the hunter is proficient with, and it is mystically bound to the hunter. It's treated as a masterwork weapon, and it can be enchanted normally. As a standard action, the hunter can call this weapon to them through the spirit world, the weapon disappearing wherever it may be and appearing in their hand. A broken or destroyed ancestral weapon is restored to full hit points, with all existing enchantments restored, after 24 hours. While blessed, the hunter applies their sacred bonus to attack and damage rolls with their ancestral weapon.

Bestial Blessing
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is blessed by the spirits of the animals to embody their greatest strengths. They gain a +2 bonus to Acrobatics, Climb, Stealth, and Swim checks. while blessed, they apply their sacred bonus to all Strength and Dexterity based skill and ability checks.

Blessing of the Fang
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted the deadly weapons of the beasts. While blessed, the hunter gains a primary bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage and two secondary claw attacks that deal 1d4 points of damage. They apply their sacred bonus to attack and damage rolls with these natural weapons.

Blessing of the Hide
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted the armored hide of a mighty beast. While blessed, the hunter applies their sacred bonus to their natural armor.

Blessing of the Savage
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is granted the great power of a mighty beast. While blessed, the hunter applies their sacred bonus, rounded down to the nearest even number, to their Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution score, chosen each time they enter the blessed state.

Sylvan Blessing
Prerequisites Bestial Blessing, Blessed Hunter
Benefit: The hunter is blessed by the spirits of the plants to protect the wild and become one with nature. They gain a +2 bonus to Heal, Stealth, and Survival checks. While blessed, they apply their sacred bonus to all Constitution and Wisdom based skill and ability checks.
Special:

Blessing of the Herb
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter, Sylvan Blessing
Benefit: The hunter is granted the healing and revitalizing power of healing herbs. While blessed, they gain fast healing equal to their sacred bonus.

Blessing of the Leaf
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter, Sylvan Blessing
Benefit: The hunter is granted the effortless, unpredictable mobility of a leaf on the wind. While blessed, they apply their sacred bonus as a dodge bonus to AC.

Blessing of the Wood
Prerequisites Blessed Hunter, Sylvan Blessing
Benefit: The hunter is granted the tough, resilient flesh of the ancient trees. While blessed, they gain damage reduction equal to their sacred bonus, which is overcome by nothing.

Flurry
Benefit: The hunter can attack with almost impossible speed, a flurry of strikes and movement. As a full round action, they can make a flurry attack. A flurry attack is similar to a full attack, however, they can make an additional attack as part of the flurry, at their highest base attack bonus. All attack rolls made as part of a flurry take a -2 penalty.
Special: If the hunter selects this tactic at 1st level, the penalty to attack rolls in a flurry is reduced by 1 at 7th level, and again at 15th.

Pinpoint Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Hunter 5
Benefit: The hunter can strike with accuracy, even at speed. The penalty to attack rolls in a flurry is decreased by 1.

Pouncing Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter can lunge forward as they commence their attack. When the hunter makes a charge, they can make a flurry attack in place of the normal attack on the end of a charge. Flurry attacks do not benefit from the normal charging bonus to attack rolls.

Dancing Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Pouncing Flurry, Hunter 13
Benefit: The hunter can move through the battlefield as a dervish of death. When making a flurry attack, the hunter can move 5 feet after each attack. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from any creature that the hunter has successfully hit previously in the round.

Rapid Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Hunter 11
Benefit: The hunter can lash out with even greater speed. When making a flurry attack, the hunter makes two additional attacks at their highest base attack bonus. This increased speed comes at a price of accuracy, the penalty to all attack rolls in a flurry increasing by 2, to -4.

Two-Weapon Flurry
Prerequisites Flurry, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting, Hunter 9th
Benefit: The hunter can use two weapons in a flurry to deliver a rain of strikes on their foes. When making a flurry attack and wielding two weapons, the hunter can make one attack with their primary weapon and one attack with their off-handed weapon for each attack in the flurry. All normal penalties from two-weapon fighting apply, and stack with the penalties imposed by a flurry attack.


Thunder Strike
Prerequisites Hunter 9
Benefit: The hunter can strike like lighting into the gaps in a wounded opponent's defenses. If the hunter successfully strikes a target with a melee attack, they can make an additional attack as a swift action, using the same attack bonus but with a -2 penalty.

Rolling Thunder
Prerequisites Hunter 17
Benefit: The hunter's blows roll on and on, seemingly without end. The hunter's thunder strike tactic can now be used as a free action, up to a number of times per round equal to their dexterity modifier. Each time after the first time the tactic is used in each round, the penalty to the attack roll increases by 2.

[nonsi]

Very nicely done.

Notice that "Blessing of the Mystic" is quite incomplete (which spells/SLs? what's the base CL? what's in the Special section?)
Also, you got a bit carried away with "Thunder Strike". Remove it. You already have Flurry.

[Admiral Squish]

Alright, I added them into the main tactics area, and left out the thunder strike thingie (it was originally gonna be part of the flurry chain)
However, I realized I needed to make some changes while I was in there.

I made the blessing bonus +1 and made the rounds/day wis + (2 x level), and made it so the sacred bonus only increased if you got it at 1st (or picked up another tactic that boosts it). I realized I was breaking from the pattern set by the other tactics the first way, and that there was absolutely no reason a hunter wouldn't just pick it up at a later level and enjoy all the benefits of the high sacred bonus.

I also messed around with the feral assault tactic while I was there, made it a +1 to attack rolls with natural weapons, with the 1st level bonus applying it to damage rolls at 3rd, and increasing it by 1 at 5th and every four levels. Added a tactic for improving it if you don't get it at 1st, and converted dire assault to increasing natural weapon damage.

Regarding the Blessing of the Mystic, I think the idea was to help out multi-class characters, but on further review, it just seems weird. I'd like to have three abilities under Ancestral Blessing, but I don't want to step on mystic hunter's toes by adding an SLA, and I can't seem to think of another ancestor archetype to replace 'mystic' with.



Finally, since I get back into looking at this, I have had some marvelous ideas relating to how to handle another class I've been working on, so I'm really glad you guys all took interest in this and brought it back to mind.

[Almarck]

Sweet class. It's got a nice feel to it. It's alot like a more "in theme" ranger.

One thing I would like to suggest is perhaps a "suppressive" or "reactive" fire tactic. The idea is that you mark an area within your normal shooting range, maybe 10' or 20' circle and in that area, you threaten enemies who move with it or out of it AoO instead of your normal AoO area.

Perhaps, think of it being more "patience" versus "initiative" style hunting. Or perhaps a knee jerk reaction.

[nonsi]

I made the blessing bonus +1 and made the rounds/day wis + (2 x level) . . .


Bad call on the (2 x level).
Assuming an average 3 - 4 encounters per day, where an encounter lasts between 3 - 5 rounds, by 7th level you're practically blessed all day long.
You're not supposed to be blessed all day long before you can see your epic stage in the horizon (approx. level 15).
I say revert back to (Wis + level) rounds per day.

[Admiral Squish]

Thanks for the love!

Suppressing Fire
I definitely like this idea, but I'm not certain exactly how to make it work, mechanically. I have a general idea, but I'm not sure if I want to just say they threaten an area that grows larger as they get better, if they want to threaten, like, a 5-ft radius, and gain the ability to threaten multiple ones, or even if I just wanna say they threaten a given square and then gain more squares, but they must be a contiguous shape.

Blessing
Well, I went with wis+2xlevel because that's the duration rage gets, and that seemed like a pretty solid place to start off. Would reducing the base ability back down to wis+level and adding the extension into the 1st level bonus work?

[Almarck]

Well, I'm thinking the threatened area should remain static, maybe a 3x3 area (I am unsure of that's 5', 10' or 15' square by D&D's/PF's rules, only that it's 15x15) to start off, unless they invest more into the feat. Because after all, the enemies are pretty much going to be aware the guy is targetting that area, unless he's stealthed or there's a choke point and they might work their way around it.

Supressive fire should be at earliest a 3rd level pick, instead of something the class is built around. Maybe require it requires sniping or volley to select it, referencing two different "schools" of patience versus faster reflexes.

Also, he main reason I suggested this also is to basically lock down enemies who take cover against ranged attacks, thinking that it's what a sniper or hunter would do. So, perhaps consider that when AoOing in this way, you ignore all but total cover, but not conealment.

But yeah, I do see the point. Difficult to really figure out how the tactic should be applied while making it fair, yet still true to the idea.

[Mith]

For the Explosive Trap, do you want to add another one for a Shrapnel Trap, where there is a chance for piercing damage? It may be a bit complex, since I think there is a percentile thing as well with shrapnel damage, but I cannot remember how we dealt with it with my games.

[nonsi]

Thanks for the love!

Suppressing Fire
I definitely like this idea, but I'm not certain exactly how to make it work, mechanically. I have a general idea, but I'm not sure if I want to just say they threaten an area that grows larger as they get better, if they want to threaten, like, a 5-ft radius, and gain the ability to threaten multiple ones, or even if I just wanna say they threaten a given square and then gain more squares, but they must be a contiguous shape.

Blessing
Well, I went with wis+2xlevel because that's the duration rage gets, and that seemed like a pretty solid place to start off. Would reducing the base ability back down to wis+level and adding the extension into the 1st level bonus work?

I'll leave you and Almarck to resolve Suppressing Fire.
What I don't understand is what you mean by "adding the extension into the 1st level bonus". What do you refer to as "extension"?

[Admiral Squish]

Suppressing Fire
Hmm. I don't know if there is any sort of large square area in pf rules, though maybe you could do it with relatively small circle...
I am definitely thinking this wouldn't be a first level thing, it's not the sort of thing I think one builds a class around.

Traps
I am definitely going to have to rework traps a bit, it seems, but at the moment, the intent is that you can take the deadly traps tactic to deal piercing damage with any trap of yours. So, you'd be able to add shrapnel into your explosive trap, or spikes at the bottom of a pit trap, or, attach spikes to the falling/swinging object in a deadfall.

Blessed Hunter
Regarding duration, the idea was that the base ability would have rounds/day=wis+level. If you pick it up at 1st, you'd get rounds/day=wis+(2xlevel).

____________
I am considering the idea that was mentioned earlier, of changing the tactics levels from odd numbers to 1, 2, then even numbers, and having some abilities that scale when taken at 2nd. I've been working with that model on the warrior class I've been fiddling with, and it seems to be going pretty well. It would require some tweaking of how abilities scale, though...

[Almarck]

Suppressing Fire
Hmm. I don't know if there is any sort of large square area in pf rules, though maybe you could do it with relatively small circle...
I am definitely thinking this wouldn't be a first level thing, it's not the sort of thing I think one builds a class around.

Well, not a class, but I know some people who just love making AoOs. Consider perhaps that some feats or tactic selections expand the radius. Note that I only used 3x3 because I was unsure if that meant a 5' circle, a 10' circle, or a 15' circle as I wasn't sure if we're talking radius or diameter.



I am considering the idea that was mentioned earlier, of changing the tactics levels from odd numbers to 1, 2, then even numbers, and having some abilities that scale when taken at 2nd. I've been working with that model on the warrior class I've been fiddling with, and it seems to be going pretty well. It would require some tweaking of how abilities scale, though...

That sounds interesting. Am I correct in guessing that tactics that scale when taken are basically the majority of the ones that don't have any prerequisites?

[Admiral Squish]

Okay, doodled up a rough draft for the covering fire tactics. Still haven't figured what the minimum level should be, though...

Covering Fire
Prerequisites:
Benefit: The hunter can use their ranged weapon to pressure distant targets. The hunter can use a ranged weapon designate a 5 foot radius circle within one range increment as a standard action. They must have a line of effect to all spaces in the area. They make make a single ranged attack against any creature within the area, and are considered to be 'covering' the area until the start of their next turn. Movement through the area they cover provokes attacks of opportunity as though they threatened all the spaces in the covered area, but they are not considered to be threatening the covered area for any other purposes. They must use the ranged weapon they used to designate the area to make these attacks.

Wide Cover
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: When laying down covering fire, the hunter may choose to cover a broader area at the expense of some accuracy. When designating the area to cover, the hunter can choose to extend the radius of the circle they cover by 5 feet. However, for every 5 feet the circle is expanded, the hunter takes a -1 penalty to attacks of opportunity until the start of their next turn.
Special: This tactic can be selected multiple times. Each time after the first, the maximum radius of the circle is increased by 5 feet.

Doubled Cover
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: The hunter can split their attention and cover multiple areas. As part of the standard action to designate an area to cover, the hunter can choose to designate a second circle. This circle must meet all the requirements of a normal area to be covered. They can only make one attack as part of the covering action, but they cover all designated areas until the start of their next turn. When covering multiple areas, the hunter takes a penalty to attacks of opportunity equal to the number of areas covered, until the start of their next turn.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Each time after the first, they may designate an additional area to cover.

I've also been working on the traps all day, but I just realized that I could probably disassemble some of the base ones into features...

New Tactical Arrangement
Pretty much, yeah. In the warrior one, some have relatively weak prereq-free abilities and then you can grab a 2nd level one that steps it up in the direction you wanna go.
Really, both models work, I just figure I should make them match.

[Almarck]

For clarification, add in that penalties to covering fire stack with each other in the main entry and that while you may designate areas that overlap such as say, using multiple "Double Cover"s to make a wall to stop an advancing horde, that only means you threaten the overlapping areas once, not multiple times.

Consider renaming "Double Cover", "Area Suppression"

Also, can you just imagine the kind of insane AoO speicifc build some kinds of hunters using these tactics would have? Dex based everything. You're only limited by your ammo capacity and AoO rating by that point.

Also, I am unsure of how to really help you on that, but I think perhaps spliting up the abilities that automatically scale from the ones that don't might actually make it easier to organize, perhaps if you want to consider altering the progression from there.

[Admiral Squish]

Covering Fire
Okay, I think I got the appropriate edits in there.
Covering Fire
Prerequisites:
Benefit: The hunter can use their ranged weapon to pressure distant targets. The hunter can use a ranged weapon designate a 5 foot radius circle within one range increment as a standard action. They must have a line of effect to all spaces in the area. They make make a single ranged attack against any creature within the area, and are considered to be 'covering' the area until the start of their next turn. Movement through the area they cover provokes attacks of opportunity as though they threatened all the spaces in the covered area, but they are not considered to be threatening the covered area for any other purposes. They must use the ranged weapon they used to designate the area to make these attacks.

Area Supression
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: The hunter can split their attention and cover multiple areas. As part of the standard action to designate an area to cover, the hunter can choose to designate a second circle. This circle must meet all the requirements of a normal area to be covered. They can only make one attack as part of the covering action, but they cover all designated areas until the start of their next turn. The hunter can cover overlapping areas with this ability, but cannot threaten any area more than once. When covering multiple areas, the hunter takes a penalty to attacks of opportunity equal to the number of areas covered, until the start of their next turn. The penalties to attacks of opportunity stack.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Each time after the first, they may designate an additional area to cover.

Wide Cover
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: When laying down covering fire, the hunter may choose to cover a broader area at the expense of some accuracy. When designating the area to cover, the hunter can choose to extend the radius of the circle they cover by 5 feet. However, for every 5 feet the circle is expanded, the hunter takes a -1 penalty to attacks of opportunity until the start of their next turn. The penalties to attacks of opportunity stack.
Special: This tactic can be selected multiple times. Each time after the first, the maximum radius of the circle is increased by 5 feet.

Traps
Trap stuff ahoy!
While most hunters track, chase, or ambush their prey, some hunters prefer to set traps and let the prey come to them. While there are many different varieties of trap, all hunter traps are built off the same basic trap. This basic trap can be made with simple, mundane, and easily scavenged materials. It occupies a single 5-foot square. It's triggered by a creature entering it's space. Its effects target the creature in it's space, and can be resisted with a successful reflex save. It can be set up on any kind of terrain, with one minute of work. There are many features a hunter can apply to the trap, and some of the features modify the traits of the basic trap. Those that do will explain any changes in their descriptions. The hunter can apply any trap feature they know to any trap they set up as part of the action to set up the trap. All trap features apply their effects at the same time.
A hunter's trap is a challenge to avoid. The reflex saving throw to avoid the effects of a hunter's trap, the perception DC to notice a hunter's trap, and the disable device DC to disarm a hunter's trap, are all equal to 10 + 1/2 the hunters class level + their Intelligence modifier. A hunter's trap has hit points equal to 1/2 the hunter's level. A hunter trap's DC is reduced by 1 for every full day that passes after the trap was set.

Trap
Requirements: None
Materials: None
Area: 1 square
Trigger: location
Target: Trapped space
Save: Reflex
Terrain: Any
Setup: 1 minute


Alarming
Effects: The trap goes off loudly and distinctively, creating a clearly audible noise. The perception DC to hear the sound is 0 at the alarming trap, with modifiers applying as normal for distance or obstructions.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, you can move the source of the alarm sound up to 30 feet from the trap.

Deadfall
Materials: Heavy object or objects of size small or larger.
Terrain: Must have strong overhead support.
Effects: A large, heavy object is released, dropping down from overhead or swinging in from the side, slamming into the target. The target takes damage from the falling object as normal. The reflex DC to avoid a deadfall trap is reduced by 1 for every 10 feet the object falls, and the perception DC to notice the trap is reduced by 2 for every size category larger than small the object is.

Distracting
Materials: Irritant
Save: Fortitude
Effects: The trap exposes the target to some infuriatingly distracting irritant, such as sneezing powder, poison ivy, or similar. The target takes a -2 penalty to concentration checks, initiative checks, perception checks, and reflex saves for one hour.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the penalty inflicted increases by 2.

Elemental
Materials: See Text
Effects: The trap is equipped with devastating elemental power. When the trap goes off, the target takes energy damage equal to 1d6 + ½ the hunter's level. This energy damage can be acid, cold, electricity, fire, negative, or positive. An elemental trap require alchemical substances or some physical substances, like flammable alcohol, a vial of acid, or a bottle of holy water.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the damage increase by 1d6. This damage can of they same energy type or a different type.

Lingering
Requirements: Elemental
Materials: See Deadly
Effects: The trap's elemental damage lingers on the target, continuing to cause pain after the trap has sprung. Select one type of energy damage dealt by the trap. The target suffers the lingering effects from that energy, taking 1d6 points of that energy damage at the start of their turn for 1d4 rounds. The target may attempt a new reflex save against the trap's DC as a full-round action to end this damage early.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the hunter must choose to apply this to a new type of energy damage, or increase the die sizes of the lingering energy damage and the duration by 1.

Expanded
Area:5 ft radius circle
Setup: 10 minutes.
Effects: The trap's effects cover a larger area. When setting up an expanded trap, chose one space in the area. That space is the trigger for the trap. If the trap is tripped, all creatures in the area may save to avoid the trap's effects.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the radius of the expanded trap's effect increases by 5 feet.

Marking
Materials: Dye and/or odorous material
Effects: The trap spays or marks the target with a dye or foul-smelling marker. The dye will wear off in a few days or wash off with a vigorous scrubbing. The scent marker does not wash off easily, and is treated as a strong scent for the purposes of the scent ability and reduces the DC to track a marked creature by scent by 4.

Pit
Terrain: Existing pit or drop-off
Effects: The ground opens beneath the target's feet, sending them plummeting into a pit. The target takes falling damage as normal and ends up in the pit. The trap consists of the false surface over the pit or drop-off, rather than the fall itself. The pit can be a natural occurrence, or it can be created with magic or even dug by hand. An average hunter can dig a 5 foot wide and 5 foot deep pit by hand in one hour.

Remote
Trigger: Location, 1 designated square within 30 feet
Effects: The trap triggers a remote location. The hunter designates a trigger space within 30 feet of the trap. There must be a line of effect between the trap and the trigger space. A creature entering the trigger space activate the trap's effects. Entering the trap's space has no effect. The hunter, or anyone aware of the trigger, can use a standard action to trigger the trap from any square adjacent to the trigger. This action can be readied.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after first, the trap's trigger can be placed up to 30 additional feet away.

Chain
Trigger: See remote
Effects: The trap is wired with another, allowing one trigger to set off multiple effects. A chain trap can be placed on another hunter trap or trap's trigger space. More than one chain trap can share a trigger space.

Resetting
Effects: The trap remains in place after being triggered, and can be reset by the hunter as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Automatic
Requirements: Resetting
Effects: One minute after being triggered, the trap automatically resets itself. An automatically resetting trap that requires special materials must be created with the materials necessary to create it after each use.
Special: This feature can be applied multiple times. Each time after the first, the duration before the automatic trap resets is reduced by 1 round.

Snare
Effects: A snare trap seizes it's target and anchors them in place with a loop of rope, a spring trap, a net, or an adhesive. The target is entangled and cannot move out of the trap's space until they free themselves. They can make an escape artist or strength check against the trap's save DC as a full round action to slip or break free. A snare trap can hold a medium or smaller creature.
Special: Each application of the Expanded feature increases the maximum size of the creature this trap can hold.

Striking
Materials: See text
Save: Attack Roll
Effects: A melee weapon of some sort springs out to strike the target. The trap makes an attack roll with an attack bonus equal to the hunter's base attack bonus plus their intelligence modifier. If successful, the trap deals physical damage equal to 1d8 + 1/2 the hunter's level. This damage can be bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the damage dealt increases by 1d8. This damage can be the same

Material
Requirements: Striking
Materials: 1 pound of special material
Effects: The striking trap's attack is made of a special material, such as adamantine, silver, or cold iron. The trap's attack is treated as the material in question for overcoming damage reduction.

Poisoned
Requirements: Striking
Materials: See striking, plus poison
Effects: The trap's weapon is coated in poison. The hunter may apply any contact or injury poison to the trap's weapons, forcing the target to make a fortitude save to resist the poison's effects as normal.

Ranged
Requirements: Striking
Target:1 square within 30 feet
Effects: The trap fires a ranged weapon, hurling a blade, spike, or blunt round at a distant target. The trap makes an attack roll and deals damage as normal for a striking trap. The trap must have a line of effect on the target.
Special: This feature can be applied more than once. Each time after the first, the trap's target can be up to an additional 30 feet away.

Swarming
Materials: Swarm
Effects: The trap releases a swarm of captured creatures into the target area. The swarm attacks all creatures within the area, and remains in the area for up to one round per hunter level. A swarm must be captured by the hunter, and is usually held in a small box, cage, or container. A captured swarm can only last through one day of such captivity before it becomes too weak to fight when released.

Trip
Effects: The target catches their foot on a hidden tripline, stumbles over an unexpected ridge, or slips on an unexpectedly slippery patch of earth. They fall prone in the trap's space. A running or charging creature takes a -6 penalty to its save.

[Mith]

Editing nitpick


While many hunters track, chase, or ambush their prey, many hunters prefer to set traps and let the prey come to them.

Perhaps it should be "most", then "many".

I will take another look at the changes later today for a better look, but nothing overt really pops out.

EDIT: I like this. The only thing I can think of is that the Distracting Trap should also penalize Concentration Checks, causing a potential for spell casting failure.

[Admiral Squish]

I'm definitely glad you like the new take on it! I made the suggested edits.
Now all I have to do is rewrite the trapper tactics...

[SuperDave]

I like the new traps, honestly. I'm not sure how they affect the balance, but they do seem more... versatile, I suppose? They feel a little more mix-and-match than before, if that makes sense.

Pretty much the same thing for Covering Fire. It sounds nice and seems balanced, but playtesting will definitely be needed, given the complexity of this new mechanic.

[Almarck]

Well, Covering Fire should really require a full round action, I think. Since you're basically setting yourself up to do nothing else but AoOs, I think it's a fair trade and makes sense you give up your turn to focus on multi areas. Also consider that if you do this AoO control thing far enough, you'll already be facing having to deal with the inherent ranged penalties, since this style of controling the battlefield does work best with some distance between you and your enemies.

You also shouldn't be able to do it while threatened yourself and maybe require a minimum range to work appropriately, like you can't use it within an area of 30 ft.

By the way, I think since it also makes sense, wouldn't a 5 ft step also take AoOs? Or is that an acceptable break from reality?

[Admiral Squish]

Covering Fire
Okay, I tweaked covering fire a bit. First, it's a full-round action, as suggested. I made it so you don't technically threaten, you can just make attacks of opportunity as though you did, which also allowed me to make it so leaving a covered square doesn't provoke, entering one does (it's hard to get a shot off on a guy who's diving for cover). Also added a clause about ending your turn in a covered area provoking, since it doesn't really matter if you take 5 foot steps or tumble to that point, as long as you're exposed, you're gonna get shot. And, finally, added an ability to let you cover within an extra range increment.

Covering Fire
Benefit: The hunter can use their ranged weapon to pressure distant targets. The hunter can use a ranged weapon to designate a 5 foot radius circle within one range increment as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. They make make a single ranged attack against any creature within the area, and are considered to be 'covering' the area until the start of their next turn. Any space they do not have a line of effect and a line of sight to is not considered to be covered. The hunter can make attacks of opportunity with their ranged weapon against creatures in the covered area as though they threatened the area. Movement out of a covered square does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but movement into a covered square does, and any creature that the hunter is aware of that ends its turn in the covered area provokes an attack of opportunity. The hunter must make all attacks with the ranged weapon they used to designate the covered area.

Area Suppression
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: The hunter can split their attention and cover multiple areas. As part of the standard action to designate an area to cover, the hunter can choose to designate a second circle. This circle must meet all the requirements of a normal area to be covered. They can only make one attack as part of the covering action, but they cover all designated areas until the start of their next turn. The hunter can cover overlapping areas with this ability, but cannot cover any area more than once. When covering multiple areas, the hunter takes a penalty to attacks of opportunity equal to the number of areas covered. The penalties to attacks of opportunity stack.
Special: This tactic can be taken multiple times. Each time after the first, they may designate an additional area to cover.

Distant Cover
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit The hunter can cover more distant areas. The hunter can designate a covered area within two range increments. The hunter takes twice the normal range penalty on ranged attacks of opportunity.
Special: This tactic can be selected multiple times. Each time after the first, the maximum range they can designate a covered area increases by one range increment.

Wide Cover
Prerequisites: Covering Fire
Benefit: When laying down covering fire, the hunter may choose to cover a broader area at the expense of some accuracy. When designating the area to cover, the hunter can choose to extend the radius of the circle they cover by 5 feet. However, for every 5 feet the circle is expanded, the hunter takes a -1 penalty to attacks of opportunity until the start of their next turn. The penalties to attacks of opportunity stack.
Special: This tactic can be selected multiple times. Each time after the first, the maximum radius of the circle is increased by 5 feet.

Traps
I figured mix-and-match would allow you to express all the possibilities that are inherent in traps.

Okay, I'm thinking rules-wise, the best bet is having the trapper ability allowing them to use the traps and allow them 1 trap feature per trap. 1st-level bonus would be auto-scaling to allow you to apply 1 trap feature plus one per 2 levels.
Then there would be the classic scaling tactic allowing you to apply an extra feature.
Maybe one that lets you add wis to the save/perception/disable device DCs.
Perhaps a 'maximize' trap thing, that maximizes any variable numeric effects of your traps.

[GaiTavMag]

Hate to nitpick, but you've left out weapon and armor proficiencies. Considering how much more common than usual guns are in Crossroads, this is nontrivial.

It does look good, though. Love being able to take or leave the animal companion.

[Admiral Squish]

Hate to nitpick, but you've left out weapon and armor proficiencies. Considering how much more common than usual guns are in Crossroads, this is nontrivial.

It does look good, though. Love being able to take or leave the animal companion.

Aww, man. Derp. I'll go fix. Simple, martial, and... I'll say light armor, though no armor is probably more simulationist.