A player in my group decided he wanted to play a ranged character with an animal companion but he didn't want favored enemy/terrain or spells or wild shape. At first I showed him the scout and told him I could rework it a bit to fit his needs. He seemed disinterested in the scout so I cooked him up this home brew class using the ranger and the hunter from World of Warcraft as a loose model since that seemed to be what he was going for.
A few things of note, this is a pathfinder game with a lot of tweaks stolen from the tomes (my group is full of people too stubborn to change systems so I have been slowly introducing many of the concepts over the last few campaigns.)
I'm looking to get some brutal honesty so I can fix it up into something playable and not something that looks like it was written by a sick guy on a rainy day out of boredom (which it mostly was).
Also, if anyone has any better suggestions for class feature names, that would be great too because I fucking suck at that.
HD d10
BAB Full
Good Saves - Fort and Reflex
Skill points 6
Class skills: Climb, Craft, Fly, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Know (Nature, Dungeoneering, Geography), Perception, Profession, Ride, Stealth, Survival, and Swim
Armor proficiencies: Light Armor
Weapon proficiencies: all simple plus throwing axe, longbow, composite longbow, shortbow, composite shortbow, and bola
1. Animal Companion, Track, Precise Shot, Wild Empathy, Animal Trainer
2. Bow Strength, Hardy Companion
3. Combat Duo +1d6; Woodland Stride; Been There, Killed That
4. Blood Hound, Swift Tracker
5. Heal Animal Companion
6. Combat Duo +2d6, Evasion
7. Speak with Animals, Got your Back
8. Animal Transposition, Magical Bite
9. Combat Duo +3d6, Tactile Shot
10. Shared Opportunities, Quick Precision
11. Careful Manueverings
12. Combat Duo +4d6, Improved Evasion
13. Beast Ferocity I
14. Camouflage
15. Combat Duo +5d6, Accelerated Blood Hound
16. Beast Ferocity II
17. Hide in Plain Sight
18. Combat Duo +6d6, Uncanny Bonds
19. Beast Ferocity III
20. Animal Lord
Animal Companion – A hunter forms a close bond with an animal companion. A hunter may begin play with any of the animals listed in Animal Choices. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the hunter on her adventures.Unlike normal animals of its kind, an animal companion’s Hit Dice, abilities, skills, and feats advance as the hunter advances in level. If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective hunter levels stack for the purposes of determining the statistics and abilities of the companion. Most animal companions increase in size when their hunter reaches 4th or 7th level, depending on the companion. If a hunter releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer in the environment where the new companion typically lives. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished.
Track – A hunter adds half his level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow or identify tracks.
Precise Shot – A hunter gains the precise shot feat for free regardless of whether or not they meet the required prerequisites.
Wild Empathy – A hunter may use handle animal to influence the attitude of animals, the same way (and using the same DC’s) as diplomacy allows you to influence the attitude of sentient beings. The hunter may attempt to use wild empathy on vermin or magical beasts of animal intelligence (2 or less), but he incurs a -4 penalty to his handle animal check to do so. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
Animal Trainer – Whenever a hunter gains a feat he may choose to instead, grant his animal companion an additional feat. The animal companion must meat all the prerequisites of the chosen feat and must be able to make use of the benefits granted by the feat (you can’t take a feat that requires hands, for example if your animal companion has no hands).
If the acquired feat is granted from a class you must still choose from that classes bonus feat list. For example if the hunter multiclasses into monk, than you must select one of the normally available monk bonus feats. However, you may only grant your animal companion a bonus feat from another class if you have at least as many class levels in hunter as the level that the other classes bonus feat is granted. For example, you must have at least 6 levels in hunter to grant your animal companion one of the 6th level monk bonus feats.
Bow Strength – A hunter or 2nd level or higher with bow strength may add their Wisdom modifier to all ranged damage rolls.
Hardy Companion – At 2nd level the hunter’s animal companion gains +2 constitution.
Combat Duo – A hunter of 3rd level and higher deals an additional 1d6 points of damage to any creature he attacks that is engaged by his animal companion. Once per round, as a free action, the hunter may designate one target. As long as the animal companion threatens that target he is considered engaged. The bonus damage from this ability increases by an additional 1d6 when the hunter reaches 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level.
Woodland Stride – Starting at 3rd level, a hunter may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect him.
Been Their, Killed That – A hunter of 3rd level and higher can use his survival skill to identify monsters. This only applies to the actual attributes of creature (anything in the stat blocks). This does not allow the hunter to learn cultural or ecological information about the creature such as eating habits, social hierarchy, customs, etc.
Blood Hound – A hunter of 4th level and higher may designate a target as his prey as a standard action. The hunter may designate a creature type or a specific creature or person. The hunter may not designate a new target as his prey until 1 hour after he has killed his prey, seen proof that they are dead, or until 24 hours have passed.
If the hunter designates a creature type he may take 10 on survival checks made to track creatures of that type. He and his animal companion gain a +4 to confirm critical hits against creatures of that type and an additional +1 for every 3 levels in hunter beyond 3rd (6th, 9th, 12th, etc.). His animal companion can detect the presence of creatures of that type similar to the scent ability even if his animal companion does not have scent. The hunter cannot designate a creature type unless he can succeed on a DC 10 knowledge (or survival in this case) check to know enough relevant information about them or have someone else who has succeeded on the check tell him the relevant information.
The hunter may also designate a specific creature or person as his prey. The hunter gains all of the bonuses he would for designating a creature type as his prey. In addition he and his animal companion gain a +2 damage bonus against that target and an additional +1 every 3 levels in hunter beyond 3rd (6th, 9th, 12th, etc.). The hunter and her animal companion and are treated as having blindsense 40 feet but only against their prey. A hunter must have either seen the target (he may use a picture) or must know their name.
Evasion – When he reaches 6th level, a hunter can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the ranger is wearing light armor, medium armor, or no armor. A helpless ranger does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Swift Tracker – Beginning at 4th level, a hunter can move at his normal speed while using Survival to follow tracks without taking the normal –5 penalty. He takes only a –10 penalty (instead of the normal –20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.
Heal Animal Companion – A hunter of 5th level and higher may heal his animal companion (touch attack/standard action) a number of hit points equal to 5 times his class level. He she may use this ability 1 plus Wisdom modifier times per day.
Speak with Animals – A hunter of 7th level may speak with animals as the spell at will.
Got your Back – A hunter of 7th level and higher may gain the benefit of his Combat Duo bonus damage on one of his attacks per round without meeting the prerequisites.
Animal Transposition – A hunter of 8th level can, 1 plus Wisdom modifier times per day, as an immediate or swift action teleport, trading places with his animal companion. The animal companion must be within 50 feet and within line of sight. You may also use this ability to mount the animal companion, if you so choose (you must still be within 50 feet and within line of site). In addition you may use this ability to call your animal companion to your side from anywhere in the world.
Magical Bite – Beginning at 8th level all of the natural attacks of the hunter’s animal companion are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming DR.
Tactile Shot – At 9th level and higher a hunter may perform one of the following combat maneuvers with a ranged weapon: Trip, disarm, bull rush, and sunder. However, the hunter takes a -4 penalty to her CMB to perform a combat maneuver with a ranged attack unless her target is engaged by her animal companion. In addition, if her animal companion performs a trip, disarm, bull rush or sunder maneuver, the hunter may aid another from a distance as well.
Shared Opportunities – Beginning at 10th level anytime that a creature that is within the threat range of a hunter’s animal companion provokes an attack of opportunity she may take a ranged attack of opportunity in addition to her animal companion's. If the provoking creature is engaged by her animal companion she may apply her bonus damage from combat duo. If the animal companion cannot take an attack of opportunity that the hunter looses this ability.
Quick Precision – At 10th level the hunter may use precise shot as a standard action.
(Note: In this game precise shot ALSO grants the player a full-round action attack that grants a bonus to your attack roll equal to your BAB, doubling your BAB effectively, and adds d6's to damage equal to half BAB in precision based damage which stacks with sneak attack etc. and doesn't multiply on a crit.)
Careful Maneuverings – At 11th level and higher the hunter no longer provokes an attack of opportunity for moving or firing a ranged weapon from creatures that are threatened by his animal companion.
Improved Evasion – At 12th 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, he henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless hunter does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Beast Ferocity – At 13th, 16th, and 19th level a hunter’s animal companion gains the hunters choice of one of the following effects.
Pounce
Rend
Increase the speed for any movement one type by 30 feet
Improved grab
Constrict or Rake
War Beast template (MM2)
Scent
Bonus feat
suggestions would be welcome for additional things to add
Camouflage – A hunter of 14th level and higher can use the Stealth skill to hide, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Accelerated Blood Hound – Beginning at 15th level the hunter may designate his prey as a swift action. In addition he may track his prey at full speed without taking any penalties to his survival check.
Hide in Plain Sight – A hunter of 17th level and higher can use the Stealth skill even while being observed.
Uncanny Bonds – At 18th level the hunter’s bond between herself and her animal become so strong that they can understand each other without ever needing to communicate with one another. The hunter no longer needs to speak to control her animal companion.
Animal Lord – A hunter of 20th level gains an additional animal companion.
Hunter Class
Moderator: Moderators
In my (extremely inexpert) opinion:
Animal Trainer is a trap as written. Not only does it suck feats away from the hunter, but if the companion dies the hunter is screwed.
Not sure what the point of creating the new "engaged by" keyword is (from Combat Duo). The mechanic seems workable; but adding unique new keywords is (IMHO) usually bad.
"Been TheirThere, Killed That" is a lot more meta than most abilities. That's a can of worms which seems like more trouble than it's worth.
From Blood Hound, "seen proof that they are dead" is not a good mechanical trigger. It's so vague that it's extremely likely to turn into Mother-May-I.
Animal Transposition makes sense, but needs some significant rewording and extension. E.g., what kind of ability is it (Su, Sp, Ex, other)? How long does it take (full round, move, immediate, etc.)?
Magical Bite can safely come online earlier.
In general, you should take another pass through for grammer. Not because grammer is inherently good (though it is), but because careful writing avoids ambiguity later.
Animal Trainer is a trap as written. Not only does it suck feats away from the hunter, but if the companion dies the hunter is screwed.
Not sure what the point of creating the new "engaged by" keyword is (from Combat Duo). The mechanic seems workable; but adding unique new keywords is (IMHO) usually bad.
"Been TheirThere, Killed That" is a lot more meta than most abilities. That's a can of worms which seems like more trouble than it's worth.
From Blood Hound, "seen proof that they are dead" is not a good mechanical trigger. It's so vague that it's extremely likely to turn into Mother-May-I.
Animal Transposition makes sense, but needs some significant rewording and extension. E.g., what kind of ability is it (Su, Sp, Ex, other)? How long does it take (full round, move, immediate, etc.)?
Magical Bite can safely come online earlier.
In general, you should take another pass through for grammer. Not because grammer is inherently good (though it is), but because careful writing avoids ambiguity later.
Last edited by fectin on Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:38 am, edited 5 times in total.