Shadow hunters are avengers. They normally come to their vocation after experiencing or witnessing the depredations of undead mon- sters or fiends. Typically, a shadow hunter dis- covers her calling and pursues it alone or with a small band of loyal comrades. They hone their skills in the hunt and spend much of their time fighting against the agents and creations of darkness and evil.
Rogues, fighters, and rangers are the most common shadow hunters. Barbarians also make powerful shadow hunters but may have more difficulty understanding their foes as well as their more civilized compatriots. Good cler- ics often support the activities of shadow hunters but rarely pursue the profession them- selves as their skills as priests and ministers leave them ill-prepared for the shadow hunter’s lifestyle.
NPC shadow hunters often work alone and may offer support to a good party of adventur- ers. On the other hand, shadow hunters may expect or demand services or support from other good adventurers who do not necessarily share their particular goals. A skilled, dedi- cated shadow hunter may prove a danger- ous adversary to a party of PCs if she
believes the adventurers are denying their help out of sympathy for undead or fiendish abomi- nations.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a shadow hunter, a char- acter must fulfill all of the following criteria.
Alignment: Any good.
Skills: Hide 5 ranks, Knowledge (religion or the planes) 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks, Spot 8 ranks.
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight.
Class Skills
The shadow hunter’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int, exclusive skill), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (the planes), Knowledge (religion), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are features of the shadow hunter prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shadow hunters are proficient with all simple weapons. They are also proficient with light armor and shields. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble. Swim checks suffer a –1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried.
Stalwart Defense (Ex): A shadow hunter applies her Charisma bonus (if positive) as a bonus to all saving throws.
Sneak Attack: Any time the shadow hunter’s target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the shadow hunter
CHAPTER ONE: Prestige Classes
CHAPTER ONE: Prestige Classes
flanks the target, the shadow hunter’s attack deals extra damage. The extra damage is +1d6 at 2nd level and an additional 1d6 every three levels thereafter. Should the shadow hunter score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can only count as sneak attacks if the target is within 30 feet. The shadow hunter can’t strike with deadly accuracy from beyond that range. With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, the shadow hunter can make a sneak attack that deals subdual damage instead of normal dam- age. He cannot use a weapon that deals normal damage to deal subdual damage in a sneak attack, not even with the –4 penalty, because he must make optimal use of his weapon in order to execute the sneak attack.
A shadow hunter can only sneak attack a living creature with a discernible anatomy. Any crea- ture that is immune to critical hits is also not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The shadow hunter must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The shadow hunter cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with conceal- ment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach. If a shadow hunter gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as rogue levels), the bonuses to damage stack. Deft Defense (Ex): Shadow hunters learn that their foes’ most dangerous attacks require only the merest touch to be effective. A shadow hunter of 3rd level or higher gains a dodge bonus to AC against all touch attacks, including ranged touch attacks, equal to her Wisdom modifier + 2 (minimum of +2). The shadow hunter loses this dodge bonus any time she would be denied her Dexterity bonus to AC. Smite (Su): At 4th level, a shadow hunter may attempt to smite an undead or evil outsider. She adds her Charisma bonus (if positive) to her attack roll and deals one extra point of damage per class level. A shadow hunter may only smite evil outsiders or undead.
Hunter’s Wrath (Su): Beginning at 6th level, for a total of one round per class level per day, a shadow hunter may treat all her attacks as if they had the ghost touch special weapon abili- ty. Thus incorporeal creatures do not have a 50% chance to ignore any damage caused by the shadow hunter’s corporeal attacks. This
ability can be used multiple times per day, so long as the total length of time hunter’s wrath is used does not exceed the shadow hunter’s maximum.
Hunter’s Fury: At 9th level, when entering combat against sworn enemies, shadow hunters may enter a berserk fury. The shadow hunter may enter a fury once per day. The shadow hunter temporarily gains +4 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but suffers a –2 penalty to AC. In all respects, berserk fury functions just like the barbarian rage class ability. If the shadow hunter also has barbarian levels, this fury abil- ity stacks with her barbarian rage abilities. Spells: Beginning at 1st level, a shadow hunter gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells. To cast a spell, a shadow hunter must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell’s level, so a shadow hunter with a Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Shadow hunter bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + the spell’s level + the shadow hunter’s Wisdom modifier. When a shadow hunter gets 0 spells of a given level, such as 0 1st-level spells at 1st level, the shadow hunter gets only bonus spells. A shadow hunter without bonus spells for that level cannot yet cast a spell of that level. A shadow hunter has access to any spell on the list below and can freely choose which to prepare, just like a cleric. A shadow hunter prepares and casts spells just as a cleric does (though the shadow hunter cannot sponta- neously cast cure or inflict spells).