PDA

View Full Version : D&D 3.x Class Beastshift Hunter (3.5 Wild Shaping Initiator PrC)



Zaydos
2016-09-12, 07:38 PM
BEASTSHIFT HUNTER

"Graar arooo!"

Beastshift Hunters are practitioners of the Sublime Way which have embraced their inner beasts. Always friends to the wild they have taken it one step further coupling their connection to the wild with the sublime way to unleash their own inner spiritual power and the beast dwelling within their soul. Clothing themselves thus in the beast they become the beast transforming into animal forms, and even modifying them to better fight in battle.


BECOMING A BEASTSHIFT HUNTER

The first hurdle to becoming a Beastshifter is learning the Protean Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?306670-Protean-Hunter-(Martial-Discipline-PEACH)) discipline. Its students are scattered far and wide and few in number. Once the Protean Hunter is learned it is a simple matter of developing the beast within, and the connection with beasts without. Most Beastshift Hunters were once druids or rangers who took a level in Swordsage, although it is not unheard of for them to have used levels in Crusader or even Warblade (this requires a feat for Martial Study however).

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Feats: Share Maneuver (see below).
Skills: Handle Animal 8 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 8 ranks
Special: Ability to call an Animal Companion or Wild Cohort.
Special: At least one Protean Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?306670-Protean-Hunter-(Martial-Discipline-PEACH)) maneuver, and at least one Feral Hunger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?306672-Feral-Hunger-(Martial-Discipline)) or Tiger Claw maneuver. One of these two maneuvers must be at least 2nd level.

Share Maneuver (General)
You are able to share your sublime skills with your companion.
Prerequisites: Ability to call an animal companion, familiar, special mount, psicrystal, or other creature which gains the Share Spells ability, or a Wild Cohort.
Benefit: You can share Boosts and Counters as if they were spells with the same range limit (typically 5 ft, though the Spellbond Companion or Enspell Familiar feats may increase this), though you cannot use them at touch range on your companion/familiar/etc, you must use them on yourself and share the benefit with your companion/familiar/etc. If used with a Wild Cohort you can share spells as if the range was 5 ft.

You can also share the benefits of your Stance. If your companion/familiar/etc leaves the range of your Share Spells ability and re-enters it immediately gains the benefit of the shared stance even if you do not reassume the stance. If your companion/familiar/etc performs an action which would remove it from a stance it does not reassume that stance for 1 round or the normal time before re-assuming it is allowed whichever is longer.


Class Skills
The Beastshift Hunter's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + int

Hit Dice: d8


LevelBase Attack BonusFort SaveRef SaveWill SaveSpecialMan. KnownMan. ReadiedStances
1st
+0
+2
+2
+0Animal Companion, Beast's Tongue
1
0
0
2nd
+1
+3
+3
+0Wild Shape 1/day
0
1
0
3rd
+2
+3
+3
+1Wild Shape 2/day, Warrior's Wild Shape
1
0
0
4th
+3
+4
+4
+1Wild Shape (Large)
1
0
0
5th
+3
+4
+4
+1Companion's Maneuvers
1
1
1
6th
+4
+5
+5
+2Wild Shape 3/day, Sublime Fang
0
0
0
7th
+5
+5
+5
+2Wild Shape (Tiny), Vermin Wild Shape
1
0
0
8th
+6
+6
+6
+2Wild Shape 4/day, Sublime Shift
1
1
0
9th
+6
+6
+6
+3War Shape
1
0
0
10th
+7
+7
+7
+3Wild Shape 5/day, Wild Shape (Huge)
0
1
1


Weapon Proficiencies: A Beastshift Hunter gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.

Martial Maneuvers: A Beastshift Hunter gains martial maneuvers like an initiating prestige class. It gains a new maneuver known at every level other than 2, 6, and 10, a new maneuver readied at 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 10th, and a new stance at 5th, and 10th level.

A Beastshift Hunter selects their maneuvers known from the Feral Hunger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?306672-Feral-Hunger-(Martial-Discipline)), Protean Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?306670-Protean-Hunter-(Martial-Discipline-PEACH)), and Tiger Claw disciplines.

Animal Companion: A Beastshift Hunter adds their class level to their druid level (or effective druid level) to determine their effective druid level for the purposes of their Animal Companion.

Beast's Tongue (Su): A Beastshift Hunter is as much beast as man. A Beastshift Hunter gains the ability to speak with animals as if under the effects of the speak with animals spell, in addition they may speak with other creatures able to speak with animals as if they shared a language. This ability allows a Beastshift Hunter that has been turned into an animal, vermin, or magical beast that normally cannot speak to speak with animals or those who can speak with them.

Wild Shape (Su): A Beastshift Hunter has already learned to use sublime arts and manipulations of their own vital energy to reshape their body, embracing their bestial side they take this a step further. At 2nd level Beastshift Hunter gains the ability to use Wild Shape 1/day to turn into a small or medium animal; if they already have the ability to Wild Shape they gain an additional level. Their effective druid level for the purposes of wild shape is their level in all classes that grant initiating and/or wild shape (even if they do not have sufficient levels to gain wild shape from them) plus 1/2 their level in other classes plus 1/2 their racial hit dice. This does not grant them access to new forms of wild shape or extra uses, but only affects duration and HD limits. So a Beastshift Hunter 2/Druid 3/Crusader 2 would be able to assume 7 HD forms and their wild shape would last 7 hours, a Beastshift Hunter 2/Ranger 4/Crusader 1 would only be able to assume 5 HD forms and for 5 hours unless they were a Wild Shape Ranger (in which case it would be 7), a Beastshift Hunter 2/OA Shaman 1/Crusader 4 would be able to assume 6 HD forms (6 + 1/2) as would a Beastshift Hunter 2/OA Shaman 2/Crusader 3 (5 + 1).

At 3rd level, 6th level, 8th level, and 10th level a Beastshift Hunter gains an extra daily use of their wild shape ability. At 4th level they gain the ability to assume the form of Large animals, at 7th level they gain the ability to assume the forms of Tiny animals, and of Vermin of any size category they can assume as animals, and at 10th level they gain the ability to assume the forms of Huge animals (and vermin).

Warrior's Wild Shape: A Beastshift Hunter is a warrior in their own right even without assuming the form of a beast. When you use Wild Shape if your Constitution is higher than the new form's you retain your Constitution; modifiers from effects that would be lost are still lost, but racial modifiers are kept. The same is true for your Strength and Dexterity except for every size category larger than you the new form is you get a +2 to your Str and a -2 to your Dex before comparison (you retain these modifiers if your stats end up higher) and for every size category smaller you get a -2 to Str and a +2 to your Dex. For example Garrok Thoggblud is a half-orc beastshift hunter, they have 20 Str, 14 Dex, and 16 Con, or 24, 16, and 20 with magic items. They use Wild Shape to turn into a wolf (13 Str, 15 Dex, and 15 Con), magic item benefits are lost either way unless Wilding Clasps are used in which case they'd be applied evenly to both Wolf and base stats (so either way are ignored), the racial +2 from half-orc however is kept assuming their base stats are used, as 20 is higher than 13 their Strength is used, and so too is their Con (16), but since their Dex is less (14 < 15) they use the wolf's Dex instead. If Garrok was wild shaping into a house cat (Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10), Garrok would apply a -4 to his Strength (20 - 4 = 16) and a +4 to his Dexterity (14 + 4 = 18) then compare his ability scores and use the better set; in this case Garrok's size modified scores are all better (Str 16, Dex 18, Con 16). If Garrok was transforming into a dire bear you'd apply +2 to his Strength and -2 to his Dexterity and then compare them (22, 12, 16) to a dire bear's ability scores (31, 13, 19) and then use the dire bear's stats universally.

In addition a Beastshift Hunter gains the extraordinary special qualities, other than mindless, of a creature they wild shape into as long as they apply at least two of their ability scores. They also treat all natural weapons as discipline weapons for all martial disciplines when they are wild shaped.

Companion's Maneuvers: A Beastshift Hunter hunts and fights beside their animal companion, the two sharing a bond that transcends understanding. Beginning at 5th level this bond allows a Beastshift Hunter's animal companion to initiate maneuvers that the Beastshift Hunter has readied and unexpended. When it does so they are expended for the Beastshift Hunter as well, in addition they may not initiate a boost while currently benefiting from a boost that was shared with them through the Share Maneuver feat, and cannot have a boost shared with them through that feat while they are benefiting from a boost they initiated. A Beastshift Hunter's animal companion cannot initiate a maneuver the Beastshift Hunter recovered that round, and a Beastshift Hunter cannot recover a maneuver their animal companion uses the same round it is expended.

Finally a Beastshift Hunter can share maneuvers (and Stances) through the Share Maneuver feat at 10 times the range that they can share spells (up to a maximum of 1 mile).

Sublime Fang (Su): The perfection of battle that the sublime way teaches flows through a Beastshift Hunter's form, their every body part a deadly weapon with no peer. Beginning at 6th level a Beastshift Hunter's natural weapons gain an enhancement bonus to attack and damage equal to 1/2 the level of the highest level maneuver they can learn (even if they do not know any of that level). In addition they overcome DR as if magic.

Sublime Shift (Su): Stopping a fight to change one's form is dangerous to say the least, but sometimes it is important to be able to flow from one shape to another even in the heat of the battle. Beginning at 7th level a Beastshift Hunter may expend a maneuver to use Wild Shape as a swift or move action. The Improved Sublime Shift feat (below) can allow this as an immediate action.

Improved Sublime Shift
You are able to use Wild Shape even more quickly than normal through the aid of the Sublime Way.
Prerequisites: Sublime Shift.
Benefit: You may use Wild Shape as an immediate action by expending a maneuver. In addition if you do so in response to an attack you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC and a +0 circumstance bonus to Reflex saves, both bonuses increase by +2 per size category smaller your new form is than the one you left.

War Shape: A beastshift hunter learns the protean ways of the Protean Hunter and the fierce force of Feral Hunger and Tiger Fang, is it any surprise they combine these with their Wild Shape to create more dangerous and unnatural forms? Beginning at 9th level a Beastshift Hunter gains the ability to expend a use of Wild Shape as a move action to gain 3 abilities of their choice from the list to follow: the natural armor bonus of a(nother) creature they can wild shape into, 2 2 secondary claw attacks (1d3 if small, 1d4 if medium, 1d6 if large, 1d8 if huge), a bite attack (1d4 if small, 1d6 if medium, 1d8 if large, 2d6 if huge), a gore attack (1d4 if small, 1d6 if medium, 1d8 if large, 2d6 if huge), a tail attack (1d4 if small, 1d6 if medium, 1d8 if large, 2d6 if huge), +1 size category for the purpose of damage with one natural weapon (may take multiple times), Multiattack, Improved Multiattack (must have multiattack), Flyby Attack, one category better flight maneuverability (poor becomes average becomes good becomes perfect), or one extraordinary special quality of their wild shape form. These benefits only last for a number of rounds equal to the number of hours they would normally be wild shaped. A beastshift hunter may use (Improved) Sublime Shift to quicken this ability just like it was Wild Shape.


PLAYING A BEASTSHIFT HUNTER

A Beastshift Hunter is a warrior of the sublime way almost more at home as a beast than a man. Beastshift Hunter do not necessarily worship nature as a druid, but they do have a tendency to idealize it and romanticize it. Beastshift Hunters are often gruff, distant, and aloof to those they do not know well, though typically they are loyal friends to those who earn their camaraderie.

Combat: A Beastshift Hunter typically uses their Animal Companion to support their melee capabilities using it to flank, or having it stand beside them to gain double the benefit from boosts such as Vine Burst or any acquired from disciplines they had access to in their base initiating class (Desert Wind damage boosts being some of the better ones). As they level they begin to shift into beasts themselves and grow capable of sharing maneuvers from further and more efficiently at which point they may use their animal companion to deliver powerful strikes while dominating the battlefield in the form of an angry god bear.

Resources: A Beastshift Hunter tends to rely upon themselves and only themselves, but they often maintain a decent relationship with local druid circles, as well as a working relationship with sublime schools, academies, and monasteries, if they were not members of one or both before becoming a Beastshift Hunter.



BEASTSHIFT HUNTERS IN THE WORLD

"Be careful of this one, I've seen him, he wields the true fury of the Tiger's Claw if any do." - Konaka the Sage.

Beastshift hunters act as wilderness guides, and occasionally as elite mercenaries, and it is for these roles that most know them. Within the social world of the Sublime way they are known instead for their perfection of one of the most esoteric paths, one rare enough that it wasn't even considered by Reshar for inclusion in his school. Opinions on Beastshift Hunters among the adherents of the sublime way are split. In one group there are those who consider any school not chosen by Reshar inherently unworthy, and those who consider the divergence from the sublime way into magic (in the form of wild shape) to be a perversion of its methods and purpose. In the other group there are those who respect the unique strengths that a Beastshift Hunter's bond with their beast, both external and internal, bring to them.

Daily Life: Live in the woods. Hunt game. Eat game. Maybe visit town. Town stinks of filth and too many people too closely together. Leave town. Stop on way out of town. Consider returning for the tournament advertised. Leave town and hunt some more game. Talk to your wolf for a few hours. Sleep. Repeat.

Organizations: While there are many organizations for training students of the Sublime Way few Beastshift Hunters follow them. Instead they tend to be loners, occasionally associating with a druidic sect that emphasizes the strength and power of the beast.

ShneekeyTheLost
2016-09-15, 01:10 AM
I smell a 'King of Smack' build here. Also an improved version of 'Bear Warrior' from CWar.

Natural entry, for me, would be Wildshape Ranger/Warblade. Sure, you dump a feat for the Tiger Claw maneuver, but you enter with full BAB, to help offset the 3/4 BAB of the class itself, maneuver refresh system is superior to Swordsage, and potential Int synergy, depending on the character stats.

Depending on the Animal Companion, you could have a very nasty combo. Fleshraker stands out as a potentially nasty combination here. Share Maneuver a Tiger Claw maneuver with your Fleshraker seems a lot of fun. You won't need PsiWar because you're already getting size boosts from your class abilities.

Skillset is solid, and 4+Int is quite fair for a more martial-focused build.