General Prestige Class : Ghostwalker
A mysterious figure becomes visible at the edge of town. Unheralded and unnoticed until his first step onto the dried-mud street, the stranger's only companion is soundlessness. He draws the wordless gaze of children who cease their play and scurry to seek a hidden place to watch him, unseen. From behind shuttered windows and closed doors, parents and shopkeepers end their conversations as their eyes follow his slow steps. The din of the blacksmith dies, and the sudden whinny of a horse is blasphemously loud. No one saw this one before he seemed to appear out of the summer's haze, but they know their lives will change before he has gone.
The ghostwalker is not a role that fits many heroes. The ghostwalker wanders from place to place, typically alone as he goes about his business. Just what drives the ghostwalker to roam from one town to another depends on the individual. Many are monks who have left behind their cloisters, because they could no longer engage in a life of contemplation or because they rebelled against the ordered, sheltered life within a world of chaos. One ghostwalker may be out to right an ancient wrong, another to take vengeance on a distant foe, and yet another to atone for some tragic mistake. Some ghostwalkers represent a source of merciless justice as they right wrongs and punish the villainous. Others are more compassionate as they progress from one community to another, helping those in need. Ghostwalkers do exist who seep into communities determined to spread their selfish desires and villainy like a cancer. Their abilities point to some underlying, mysterious mysticism that surrounds and accompanies these wanderers, and they often appear just when and where they are needed.
Most ghostwalkers are warriors, whether their background describes them to be fighters, monks, or rangers. Former barbarians, fallen paladins, rogues, and some bards also take to the dusty roads of a wandering life. Wizards, clerics, druids, and sorcerers are rarely seen as ghostwalkers, but have been known to exist.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Ghostwalker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Lawful good, lawful evil, chaotic good, chaotic evil, or true neutral.
- Skills: Intimidate 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks.
- Feats: Endurance, Iron Will, Toughness.
- Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Class Skills
The ghostwalker's class skills are Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge (law), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The ghostwalker is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light and medium types of armor, and shields.
Painful Reckoning: If the ghostwalker loses more than 50% of his normal hit-point total in one encounter (and survives), he gains this bonus to his AC, attack, and damage rolls when he faces the specific foe(s) that he fought in the initial encounter.
Resolute Aura: Whether fearful or respectful, humanoids around the ghostwalker typically pause and obey when confronted. Ghostwalkers add their number of ghostwalker levels to all Intimidate checks. Therefore, a 5th-level ghostwalker has a +5 bonus to all Intimidate checks.
Anonymity: The ghostwalker benefits from anonymity, but should his name ever become known to his foes, his powers are weakened. On those enemies who know his name, his resolute aura no longer functions. If they are hostile, he cannot feign death, become ethereal, or shadow walk in their presence (to a distance of 100 feet), and his painful reckoning bonus, if any, is halved against them.
Feign Death: Once per day the ghostwalker can enter a cataleptic state that is impossible to distinguish from actual death - usually for ending an encounter. The effect lasts for 10 rounds per level of the ghostwalker. Although he can smell, hear, and knows what is going on, no feeling or sight of any sort is possible for the ghostwalker; any wounding of his body is not felt, and any damage taken is only one-half normal. Paralysis, poison, and energy drain do not effect the ghostwalker in this state, but poison injected into the body becomes effective when the effect ends.
Superior Iron Will: This ability provides an additional +2 bonus to Will saves. It stacks with the Iron Will feat.
Etherealness: Calling on the obscure, mystic forces that drive him to wander the world, the ghostwalker has the power to become ethereal, as per the spell ethereal jaunt. The effect persists for 1 round per level of the ghostwalker. This is an extraordinary ability.
Shadow Walk: The ghostwalker can shadow walk, as per the spell. The character travels at a rate of one mile in (11 - the number of ghostwalker levels) minutes. The maximum time that the ghostwalker can shadow walk is 1 hour per level per day The ghostwalker can shadow walk three times per day. In addition, while in this state, the ghostwalker heals at the rate of 3 hit points per ghostwalker level. This is an extraordinary ability.
| Ghostwalker | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Painful reckoning +1, resolute aura, anonymity |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Feign death, painful reckoning +2 |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Superior Iron Will, painful reckoning +3 |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Etherealness 1/day, painful reckoning +4 |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Shadow walk, painful reckoning +5 |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Painful reckoning +6 |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Etherealness 2/day, painful reckoning +7 |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Painful reckoning +8 |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Painful reckoning +9 |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Etherealness 3/day, painful reckoning +10 |
Source: Sword and Fist