Bounty Hunter Type Advice

[Jarlhen]

So we may kick up some new stuff here. Level 8. I'm pondering a bounty hunter type. This has narrowed myself down to some combination of range, rogue, warrior. But I cannot for the life of me decide which road to take. As far as archetypes go I think all of them are open. I do, however, not subscribe to the idea that assassin is the best of the best when it comes to rogue. In my experience you barely ever get the chance to use it to its full abilities, but that may be just the way we play. Perhaps the biggest issue is deciding which way to go when it comes to weapons. Ranged has almost all benefits and mechanically I don't think there's ever a reason not to go crossbow master. With rogue in the mix I hesitate to go something which isn't finesse such as GWM. I also don't feel that shield is how I imagine the character. It comes down to ranged, TWF, some manner of dueling. Speaking of dueling, I suppose PAM and quarterstaff is an option but I'm not entirely sure, it feels cheesy as hell. I suppose GWM is an option if the rest of the build works well, but as I said with rogue levels in there it feels like a bit of a waste perhaps?

Stat wise I'm sitting on 17, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9 (rolled). I've been sitting here for hours jumping back and forth between various styles and classes. All I've got is the concept of a bounty hunter. Potentially one that started his career as a criminal, got roped into the Zhentarim, tried repeatedly to leave but didn't exactly manage, and is now in a strange situation where he wants out but at the same time they are his family. A kind of Stockholm Syndrome. The bounty hunter aspect would have come as a simple realization that he was far better at finding people than finding gold or murdering.

What I'm looking for is solid damage which some nice class fantasy behind it. If you imagine your own bounty hunter how would you like them to play out? He's not a tank type, nor is a straight up caster. Mobility, damage, finding what he's looking for and roping them in. Any advice or ideas would be hugely appreciated.

[N810]

how about a TWF swashbuckler ?

[Biggstick]

So we may kick up some new stuff here. Level 8. I'm pondering a bounty hunter type. This has narrowed myself down to some combination of range, rogue, warrior. But I cannot for the life of me decide which road to take. As far as archetypes go I think all of them are open. I do, however, not subscribe to the idea that assassin is the best of the best when it comes to rogue. In my experience you barely ever get the chance to use it to its full abilities, but that may be just the way we play. Perhaps the biggest issue is deciding which way to go when it comes to weapons. Ranged has almost all benefits and mechanically I don't think there's ever a reason not to go crossbow master. With rogue in the mix I hesitate to go something which isn't finesse such as GWM. I also don't feel that shield is how I imagine the character. It comes down to ranged, TWF, some manner of dueling. Speaking of dueling, I suppose PAM and quarterstaff is an option but I'm not entirely sure, it feels cheesy as hell. I suppose GWM is an option if the rest of the build works well, but as I said with rogue levels in there it feels like a bit of a waste perhaps?

Stat wise I'm sitting on 17, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9 (rolled). I've been sitting here for hours jumping back and forth between various styles and classes. All I've got is the concept of a bounty hunter. Potentially one that started his career as a criminal, got roped into the Zhentarim, tried repeatedly to leave but didn't exactly manage, and is now in a strange situation where he wants out but at the same time they are his family. A kind of Stockholm Syndrome. The bounty hunter aspect would have come as a simple realization that he was far better at finding people than finding gold or murdering.

What I'm looking for is solid damage which some nice class fantasy behind it. If you imagine your own bounty hunter how would you like them to play out? He's not a tank type, nor is a straight up caster. Mobility, damage, finding what he's looking for and roping them in. Any advice or ideas would be hugely appreciated.

Three levels of Rogue (Mastermind) and five levels of Fighter (Battlemaster). You can start as either class, both provide some pretty sweet benefits. Mastermind will grant you all the social skills/tools needed to infiltrate higher society (or anywhere in between) as well as a guaranteed bonus action every turn. You'll have expertise in a pair of skills, you'll have two attacks per turn to trigger your sneak attack, action surge, superiority dice. You'll have access to martial weapons and a fighting style (Defense or Archery, your call). I'd recommend picking up Sharpshooter before Crossbow Master, but to each their own.

[vincegetorix]

Can you use UA material? If so, I think i'd try some kind of mix between the Stalker ranger for the ambush feature and the expanded spell list and Thief rogue to use ball bearings, hunting traps, manacles and caltrops as a bonus action. I'd use a crossbow and a net in battle and probably get expertise in Athletics and Intimidation to grapple my adversaries and try to get them to stand down. Favored enemy in some humanoids and you get yourself a nice bounty hunter, even more if you can ask your Dm for a Natural Explorer: City.

[Sir cryosin]

It sounds like a fighter, ranger mc. To me take 3 lvs in ranger go hunter pick which ever one you want from hunter. Pick two weapon fighting style from ranger. Pick your favorite enemy and Terrain. Ok now your going to want to take fighter to lv 5 to get that extra attack. I would go battle master for your fighting style grab archery. I like crossbows so I would pick up crossbow expert. I favor vhuman just to get that feat so I would go that way. But it's your character. Archery builds can put out tons of damage with this build you have heavy crossbow,Hunter's mark, and superiority dice, and if you pick Colossus Slayer that's all 2d10+4d6 that is your two attacks 1superiority dice, 2 Hunter's mark, and 1 colossus slayer, on a nova round it's 4d10+8d6. 4 attacks thanks to action surge. 3 of your attacks use a superior dice, 4 Hunter's mark, and 1 slayer. And if you picked up sharpshooter that a 10 to every hit
Now that's archery I said for your other fighting style take 2wf. I don't know about that I might opt to take the +1 to ac FS. But I would still carry around two shortswords but you don't really need them. Thanks to crossbow expert it let you shot up close and personal.

Edited: sorry drop 1 lv from ranger and take 1 lv of rogue. You still get that once per turn d6 but you also get a extra skill and expertise in one skill of your choice I would pick survival just so I can track my enemy better but pick what ever skill your DM haves you use to find your enemy or pray.

[Specter]

A key question is whether he operates in the city or in the wild. If the former, rogue 6/fighter 2. If the latter, rogue 5/ranger 3. A few good choices in general:

- Background: Bounty Hunter (SCAG) or Criminal
- Expertise: Investigation is mandatory, other good ones are Insight, Persuasion and Stealth
- Rogue Archetype: Arcane Trickster, for spells. Assassin, as you said, is not always applicable.
- Fighting Style: Archery, fo'sho. If taking Fighter 3, go Battlemaster for maneuvers like Trip Attack and Disarming Strike.

[Final Hyena]

You might be interested in my bounty hunter.
GITP discussion thread. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?486356-Firearms-pt-1-Ranger-Archetype-Bounty-Hunter&p=20717603#post20717603)
Naturalcrit. (http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/BJb1t3Rg)

It was designed for guns, but works perfectly with bows.

[Jarlhen]

Thanks a lot for the great suggestions.

Does the nova of the battlemaster edge out the consistency of the ranger though? If we're running 20 levels, sure, or even 11. But we're not going higher than 6 fighter at most or 5 ranger. At those levels the ranger gets a consistent 3d6+1d8 damage per round and can still pick sharpshooter. A battlemaster gets 4 1d8 (superiority)+action surge. So for one round they're doing 4d6+4d8 extra. On top of that a much higher chance to score sharpshooter of course. So let's say the fighter kills 2 guys in that time. There's still 3 left, and there may be another combat before the next short rest. If you're not going for level 11+ is it worth going fighter compared to ranger?

And what about TWF if the bonus attack was just baked into the regular attack action. This would free up the bonus attack for movement and moving hunter's mark, assuming ranger levels. Would that make it more viable?

[Gwendol]

Ranger - monk? Stunning fist sounds like a good fit, combined with a net.

[RickAllison]

This one might seem a little odd, but I am picturing a hand-crossbow wielding Chainlock 3/Fighter 5/Rogue 2. Essentially, the warlock exists for Invisibility, Hold Person, at-will disguises, the spying of an invisible familiar, and pseudodragon poison while the familiar poison bolts on its turn. Remember that although pseudodragon poison may have a low DC at only 11, all it takes is one failed save and the target is Poisoned for an hour. If it gets 6 or less, it is dropped unconscious as well.

[JellyPooga]

Straight Bard makes a remarkably good Bounty Hunter;

- Expertise: Investigation is practically essential
- Spells: Friends, Longstrider, Sleep, Animal Messenger, Detect Thoughts, Enhance Ability, Hold Person, Knock, Locate Object, See Invisibility, Zone of Truth...all great spells for a Bounty Hunter and that's not even looking at 3rd lvl+ spells.
- College: Both Colleges are totally solid choices. One for the more scholarly, roguish type (Lore) and the other for the more grizzled veteran warrior type (Valour). Personally I'd prefer Lore, but I think the OP is looking at something more akin to a Valour Bard.

For me, in any setting where magic is ubiquitous, like the Forgotten Realms, a Bounty Hunter that isn't using magic is not going to be a very good Bounty Hunter compared to one who does.

Bard is also Charisma-reliant and a truly badass Bounty Hunter is nothing if not charismatic!

[Jarlhen]

This one might seem a little odd, but I am picturing a hand-crossbow wielding Chainlock 3/Fighter 5/Rogue 2. Essentially, the warlock exists for Invisibility, Hold Person, at-will disguises, the spying of an invisible familiar, and pseudodragon poison while the familiar poison bolts on its turn. Remember that although pseudodragon poison may have a low DC at only 11, all it takes is one failed save and the target is Poisoned for an hour. If it gets 6 or less, it is dropped unconscious as well.

This is really interesting. I'm toying with the idea of going warlock/sorcerer and make him an arcane bounty hunter type. It would give him great blasting. I could potentially grab the underdark stuff from Unearthed Arcana (would fit with where the story is at) and combine Undying Light with Shadow Sorc (there is good story stuff behind it). I have 2 problems though, 1, skills contra feats, 2, armor. For instance, I could go half-elf lock sorc 5/lock 3. Would give me good spellcasting, good utility, good skills. Problem? No armor, no feat as I really want 20 charisma and if I go with that split I'd only get 1 ASI. If I went 4/4 I'd get that other feat, but I'd miss out on starting with level 3 spells.

Solution? Grab v. human. Ok, so I can grab sorc 5/lock 3, get one ASI and one feat like warcaster or elemental whatever. It also means I get darkvision from Shadow sorc so that's a little bonus. Downside? It doesn't feel quite as RP strong to be a human ex-slave compared to a half-drow ex-slave. I also miss out on one skill. Neither gives me armor.

I'm pondering in this manner anyways. Any suggestions for pushing the concept down an arcane route with the unearthed arcana things available? The nice thing about undying light tomelock is grabbing shillelagh and couple that with green-flame blade for a solid 2d8+10. Nice little back up just in case I need to whack someone over the head.

Bard is also interesting, but I can't handle the actual part of being a bard... I realize you don't need to sing and prance around to be one, but the class features just do not sit quite right with me, even if you were to re-tool them. It's still a bard.

Also, I just realized favored soul is a sorcerer sub-class. That brings up a different build, more melee oriented but holy balls the versatility.

[JellyPooga]

Bard is also interesting, but I can't handle the actual part of being a bard... I realize you don't need to sing and prance around to be one, but the class features just do not sit quite right with me, even if you were to re-tool them. It's still a bard.

What features bug you? Aside from being forced to be proficient in three musical instruments, none of the features are actually tied to being in any way, well...bardic. Yes, they have the option of the singing and prancing, but they're also described as being oration or inspiration...taken literally, that's just talking and uh, just kinda existing respectively.

If you can ignore the artwork of dudes with lutes and on tightropes Bards are actually pretty boss; grizzled war veterans, hard-boiled police detectives, two-fisted pulp archaeologists...bounty hunters...basically anyone with a bit (or a lot) of cunning, combined with an inspirational presence, some know-how about a bit of everything, from traversing the wilds to surviving the intrigues of a noble court and on top of that, their words are backed up by both swords and spells. They're no longer the Elan-esque singer-in-a-dungeon...they're the ultimate adventurer, ready for anything.

[Sir cryosin]

Thanks a lot for the great suggestions.

Does the nova of the battlemaster edge out the consistency of the ranger though? If we're running 20 levels, sure, or even 11. But we're not going higher than 6 fighter at most or 5 ranger. At those levels the ranger gets a consistent 3d6+1d8 damage per round and can still pick sharpshooter. A battlemaster gets 4 1d8 (superiority)+action surge. So for one round they're doing 4d6+4d8 extra. On top of that a much higher chance to score sharpshooter of course. So let's say the fighter kills 2 guys in that time. There's still 3 left, and there may be another combat before the next short rest. If you're not going for level 11+ is it worth going fighter compared to ranger?

And what about TWF if the bonus attack was just baked into the regular attack action. This would free up the bonus attack for movement and moving hunter's mark, assuming ranger levels. Would that make it more viable?

At lv6 I think a ranger is out damaging a fighter at range. But the fighter will pull ahead in later lvs.

[Jarlhen]

At lv6 I think a ranger is out damaging a fighter at range. But the fighter will pull ahead in later lvs.

Yeah, I've been pondering and things and it comes down to the extra attacks. I like the battlemaster in theory but I just don't believe in nova. Other than maybe paladin/sorcerer as they can nova so much. But for pretty much all other classes it feels pretty meh. So while the battlemaster maneuvers are good, I prefer consistency. If I was pure fighter it would be a different story, but as a multiclass I know that I'll get a ton more mileage out of being able to do consistently high damage the way we play our games. The biggest appeal with a few levels of fighter, to me, is the fighting style at 1 and the ASI at 6, the others feel more like a sweet bonus.

I've kind of narrowed myself down to either a ranger 5/ rogue 3 start or sorc 5/ warlock 3. The nice thing about the ranger/rogue (then continuing rogue) is that they get consistent damage, gets a few neat spells (may go underdark unearthed arcana), lots of skill and ability versatility over time, and decent (though not necessarily great) defenses in melee. You also have the option of going ranged at which point you will probably do even better. My main issue with this is really just me being indecisive as to whether or not I want to go ranged or stay melee with it.

The other build combines good blasting with versatile spellcasting, I'd grab tomelock for the shillileagh, guidance, and whatever else, cantrips as well as ritual casting. This provides a bit of melee muscle as he closes in on his prey or should he be attacked. Specially if I were to go undying light warlock or something along those lines which would mean a solid 2d8+10 GFB, quickened for 4d8+20 if needed. It's not for wading into combat but as a bit of "you think all I can do is shoot sparkles out of my ass? Well surprise!". My main issue with this is the absence of skill versatility as well as armor. My dex won't be particularly impressive to begin with, I won't have access to any fighting styles, feats are way too few and far between to improve on my AC. So currently the main option is grabbing mage armor (agonizing blast+tomelock invocation so no armor of shadows). Assuming I go shadow sorcerer that is.

If I go draconic that would solve at least that bit, kind of. Shadow sorcerer has some neat flair though and at level 6 I get a missile seeking dog, which is nice for RP purposes. I would have preferred to wear medium armor and get a couple more skills, skill expertise is really fantastic. But I feel I can't slow down my sorc progression any further so I wouldn't want to take other levels at this point. It's all sorc from here on out. The final problem with this build is I feel I need +2 cha, elemental adept (lots of fire), and potentially war caster. If I went variant human I could grab all that now with a 4/4 split, but that means no level 3 spells to start with. Otherwise I'd have to wait for 3 more levels. And if I grabbed half-elf Drow to fit with the underdark theme (or even Drow) I'd have to wait 3 more levels just to get my first feat. So I'm a bit torn.

You guys are really helpful, have given me lots of inspiration and things to ponder around.

[RickAllison]

Also, I suppose a good thing to clear up is what you mean by a "Bounty Hunter". A traditional bounty hunter wouldn't actually be too concerned with damage, but with capture and incapacitation. After all, a BH who kills (so the ranged damage builds, blasters, etc.) is one who is unable to accept numerous bounties, and is only eligible for the cheaper values of many more.

This is why the Battlemaster does make a good BH, his maneuvers do a great job of allowing the BH to lock down his mark from a distance before closing in to knock him out nonlethally. A Thief/Monk would be great for this, using Stunning Strike on the main attacks to lock down, then Use an Object with the bonus action to put manacles on. It would also have fantastic movement options to overrun marks in any environment.

[Biggstick]

For me, in any setting where magic is ubiquitous, like the Forgotten Realms, a Bounty Hunter that isn't using magic is not going to be a very good Bounty Hunter compared to one who does.

Bard is also Charisma-reliant and a truly badass Bounty Hunter is nothing if not charismatic!

Neither Boba or Jango Fett were charismatic, and those two were pretty bad ass. :)

I do agree though that magic would definitely help in being a bounty hunter; I'm looking at one of the easiest cantrips for this purpose, Friends. Advantage on all Charisma checks, and who cares if they're hostile towards you afterwards. If you need more time to talk with them, just hit them with a Friends cantrip once per minute and there you go.


Also, I suppose a good thing to clear up is what you mean by a "Bounty Hunter". A traditional bounty hunter wouldn't actually be too concerned with damage, but with capture and incapacitation. After all, a BH who kills (so the ranged damage builds, blasters, etc.) is one who is unable to accept numerous bounties, and is only eligible for the cheaper values of many more.

This is why the Battlemaster does make a good BH, his maneuvers do a great job of allowing the BH to lock down his mark from a distance before closing in to knock him out nonlethally. A Thief/Monk would be great for this, using Stunning Strike on the main attacks to lock down, then Use an Object with the bonus action to put manacles on. It would also have fantastic movement options to overrun marks in any environment.

I definitely agree with the capture and incapacitation part of this. Being able to catch up to a target with the cunning action, using the Thief's Use an Object feature, as well as the physical power that the build brings would definitely help achieve the Bounty Hunter feel of the character.


Yeah, I've been pondering and things and it comes down to the extra attacks. I like the battlemaster in theory but I just don't believe in nova. Other than maybe paladin/sorcerer as they can nova so much. But for pretty much all other classes it feels pretty meh. So while the battlemaster maneuvers are good, I prefer consistency. If I was pure fighter it would be a different story, but as a multiclass I know that I'll get a ton more mileage out of being able to do consistently high damage the way we play our games. The biggest appeal with a few levels of fighter, to me, is the fighting style at 1 and the ASI at 6, the others feel more like a sweet bonus.

I've kind of narrowed myself down to either a ranger 5/ rogue 3 start or sorc 5/ warlock 3. The nice thing about the ranger/rogue (then continuing rogue) is that they get consistent damage, gets a few neat spells (may go underdark unearthed arcana), lots of skill and ability versatility over time, and decent (though not necessarily great) defenses in melee. You also have the option of going ranged at which point you will probably do even better. My main issue with this is really just me being indecisive as to whether or not I want to go ranged or stay melee with it.

The other build combines good blasting with versatile spellcasting, I'd grab tomelock for the shillileagh, guidance, and whatever else, cantrips as well as ritual casting. This provides a bit of melee muscle as he closes in on his prey or should he be attacked. Specially if I were to go undying light warlock or something along those lines which would mean a solid 2d8+10 GFB, quickened for 4d8+20 if needed. It's not for wading into combat but as a bit of "you think all I can do is shoot sparkles out of my ass? Well surprise!". My main issue with this is the absence of skill versatility as well as armor. My dex won't be particularly impressive to begin with, I won't have access to any fighting styles, feats are way too few and far between to improve on my AC. So currently the main option is grabbing mage armor (agonizing blast+tomelock invocation so no armor of shadows). Assuming I go shadow sorcerer that is.

If I go draconic that would solve at least that bit, kind of. Shadow sorcerer has some neat flair though and at level 6 I get a missile seeking dog, which is nice for RP purposes. I would have preferred to wear medium armor and get a couple more skills, skill expertise is really fantastic. But I feel I can't slow down my sorc progression any further so I wouldn't want to take other levels at this point. It's all sorc from here on out. The final problem with this build is I feel I need +2 cha, elemental adept (lots of fire), and potentially war caster. If I went variant human I could grab all that now with a 4/4 split, but that means no level 3 spells to start with. Otherwise I'd have to wait for 3 more levels. And if I grabbed half-elf Drow to fit with the underdark theme (or even Drow) I'd have to wait 3 more levels just to get my first feat. So I'm a bit torn.

You guys are really helpful, have given me lots of inspiration and things to ponder around.

I'm not too sure what you're getting at with the whole Battlemaster not being consistent. You point at Warlock quite a few times throughout this thread and guess what? Battlemaster dice refresh on a short rest, the same exact way Warlock spell slots refresh. If your campaign is running 1-2 short rests per day, you're getting 8-12 superiority dice per day as well (not to mention 2-3 action surges and second winds).

That's besides the point. I know when I think of a Bounty Hunter, they are someone with physical training and is capable of physically taking targets down either at a range or in melee. If they're taking something down from a range, it's something consistent like a poison dart that knocks their target out or something like a bola that trips them up and has them fall. They don't count on magic as much as augment their natural tracking and hunting talent with it. An example I'd use is something I actually ran into in my last night's game.

We traveled to a part of the continent that was made up of primarily spell casters. The people were being sieged by the BBEG, and he was also putting up some sort of massive anti magic field. But it wasn't quite that, more so a field that forced all spell casters to roll on the Sorcerer wild surge table when they cast a spell. It was massive and effecting the entire city. Our party members that utilized magic to do what they did better had the easiest time adapting to not using their magic, as they already had all the tools in place to work. The spell casters on the other hand weren't able to even use their cantrips, as it would trigger the wild surge table. I feel this is relevant to our current conversation because a Bounty Hunter in my mind should be able to do their job of bringing in the mark with or without magic.

Your proposed build of Ranger 5 / Rogue 3 I think is ideal for what you're trying to achieve. You'll have access to decent armor, full martial proficiency, Hunter's Mark, Pass without Trace, 3 proficiencies, favored terrain and enemy (pick some type of mark that is common for you), 2 attacks (Plus whatever you choose from the level 3 archetype) and that's just from the Ranger. This will put you at 5 skill proficiencies overall if you still decide to go Half Drow (which you no longer have to make that mechanical choice, as you'll have the martial weapon training from Ranger), and 7 skill proficiencies if you go Half Elf. Picking up the level in Rogue grants you one more proficiency, Thieves tools proficiency, as well as two shots of expertise. Since you're going to be starting at level 8, you'll be able to jump right into the Rogue archetype as well. While Thief really plays into the idea of placing Manacles on a mark with the bonus action, I am a huge fan of what Arcane Trickster brings to the table. Being able to pick up the Friends cantrip + expertise in any of the charisma based skills (Hello Intimidation) practically guarantee's success against a target. Having the ability to, at a distance, open up locked doors or disarm traps is an incredible boon for someone compared to having said trap blow up in your face (Mage Hand shenanigans from Arcane Trickster).

Just as an afterthought, this Ranger/Rogue build should be a ranged build that has the ability to close on a target once they're wounded enough, and have the ability to convince someone to turn themselves over to you (Friends + Expertised Intimidation + Manacles). The Archery fighting style + Cunning action (Hide or Dash based on circumstances) will also serve you well If you're having to just fight it out with a target (as in you're in a group setting and fighting some big bad).

[JellyPooga]

Neither Boba or Jango Fett were charismatic, and those two were pretty bad ass. :)

Boba Fett, the one-line-wonder from the original trilogy, was such an incredible hit with fans that despite having screen-time measured in seconds, not minutes, the scriptwriters functionally made the entire imperial army into clones of him for the prequels...the guy had, like, three lines over the course of the trilogy, no-one ever saw his face and the only big action sequence he was in involved him falling into a pit like a chump; if winning the fans over with so little exposure ain't Charismatic, I don't know what is!

Charisma isn't just about having a pretty face and a silver tongue :smallwink:

[RickAllison]

Boba Fett, the one-line-wonder from the original trilogy, was such an incredible hit with fans that despite having screen-time measured in seconds, not minutes, the scriptwriters functionally made the entire imperial army into clones of him for the prequels...the guy had, like, three lines over the course of the trilogy, no-one ever saw his face and the only big action sequence he was in involved him falling into a pit like a chump; if winning the fans over with so little exposure ain't Charismatic, I don't know what is!

Charisma isn't just about having a pretty face and a silver tongue :smallwink:

Even in-universe, his Intimidation check was off the charts.

[Specter]

Problem with Bard is that its 'main' class feature goes to waste when you're alone, and bounty hunters usually operate that way.

[fbelanger]

Bounty hunter can be a nice background to a lot of classes.
Don't limit yourself to rogue.

Vengeance paladin, law and order cleric, wizard and ranger have excellent tools to be a bounty hunter.

In a Dnd world bounty hunting is not a lone wolf job. Party do bounty hunting. And a party can make use of any classes.

[RickAllison]

Bounty hunter can be a nice background to a lot of classes.
Don't limit yourself to rogue.

Vengeance paladin, law and order cleric, wizard and ranger have excellent tools to be a bounty hunter.

In a Dnd world bounty hunting is not a lone wolf job. Party do bounty hunting. And a party can make use of any classes.

Oh yeah, just about every class has some abilities that are conducive to bounty hunting.

While Berserker and Battlerager don't offer anything particularly good for it, Totems, especially Elk and Eagle, get movement bonuses that make up for reduced control options. These are the guys that solve their goals by knocking out their opponents.

Bards can steal from every spell-list and theirs features such gems as Scrying spells and Hold Person. Lore Bards get extra bonuses through Cutting Words. Nothing better than making a wisecrack while your mark is scrambling up a building to fall right ok your lap.

Clerics seem to be one of the less-conducive options. Few of the class features align, but several spells on their list are quite useful for this.

Druids are... Interesting. Land Druids are quite proficient at following prey over long distances by ignoring difficult terrain, and several spells are great for slowing down the target. Thorn Whip is great for pulling the mark into trouble as well. Moon Druids can also benefit from those tactics to a lesser extent, but gain the tracking, traveling, and pursuing capabilities of all their animal forms. This is an unorthodox, but effective path.

Fighters have already been discussed, but they are dang good at it! Champions (especially at higher levels) are relentless. Battlemasters have numerous tricks up their sleeves. Eldritch Knights gain he utility of their wizard spells, making them fairly decent as well. Bannerets are unique, but effective in that they are great at leading a bounty hunting squad; their ability to support a squad through off-turn attacks and re-tries on saves ensures an entire party remains effective.

Monks are pretty universally good at this job. High mobility lets them out-race their targets and overcome obstacles in the path, while Stunning Strike allows for non-lethal takedowns. Additionally, that monk will rarely be caught off guard because he is always armed, always ready. Open Hand gets various control options that are great for slowing down targets even more. Shadows can teleport, stealth, and pull all kinds of other stunts that fulfill more subtle hunting styles. I'm sure 4elements even has some useful traits for this, but I'm not very familiar with them. Sun Soul may be one of the worst for this, as their abilities are all ranged and so cannot be nonlethal; the best use for this path is for taking down heavy-hitting melee combatants, as the abilities are great for hanging just out of reach. Long Death gains a fear effect that is effective for keeping crowds off, especially with other hunters, while other abilities help him stay alive longer.

Paladins are odd. Their abilities are geared toward melee (good for knocking out) and they are resistant to enemy assaults. Devotion doesn't get much, but Ancients gets some nice Druid spells to shut down movement and Vengeance seems like one of the archetypes most devoted to this line of work. Crown gets some abilities toward this, but work better on groups.

People who know much more about the ranger than I have already discussed it. I will trust their judgement that it is a good class for this.

Same for Rogues. I'll elaborate on archetypes a little, though. Thief is great for urban work, able to interact with items and the environment as a bonus action and work in three dimensions with abilities like Second-Story Work. Assassin is great for apprehending those who aren't on the run (yet) or who think they are safe due to political connections. One good surprise beat-down will allow for weaker targets to be instantly apprehended. Arcane Trickster has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, so he should have some spells that can help. Mastermind is great both to infiltrate (similar to the Assassin) or as part of a group. Swashbucklers are useful as part of a group, with numerous benefits like at-will charm effects, but they don't seem to have quite enough support to be a fantastic Hunter on their own.

Sorcerer is a caster, which means it gains several bonuses that can be good for bounty hunting. Good Metamagics include Careful (lay down CC spells while excluding innocents) and Subtle (cast in any social situation). Draconic is a little sturdier, but Wild gets the bonuses through Bend Luck. Storm also gets a bonus, as the mini-dash and thunder burst on spells keep the bounty hunter out of trouble of being surrounded.

Warlocks and wizards both have numerous interesting tactics, as they are full casters with plenty of spells to plays with. Not much more needs to be said, really.

So there you go, every class has options that can be used by bounty hunters, though the particular style can differ greatly. Even clerics, the class that seems to have the least support for the overall theme, has options like Knowledge's Channel Divinity to be more effective as a bounty hunter.