General Prestige Class : Highland Stalker
The mountains are unforgiving, and the ability to find food at high altitude often means the difference between survival and starvation, for those who live in such climes, hunters provide not only food but also clothing, shelter, and tools when they bring back animal skins and bones. The best high-altitude hunters - highland stalkers - are consummate trackers with an instinctive knowledge of their mountainous territories.
Scouts are the most likely candidates to become highland stalkers, but rogues are well represented, and the prestige class attracts a fair number of multiclass barbarians and rangers who qualify.
NPC highland stalkers are found leading teams of four to six other hunters (typically scouts or rangers), often far from the tribe's base camp. Depending on how the game they're tracking is moving, they might stay away from camp for several days at a time.
Adaptation: This prestige class models a mountain warrior who favors stalking enemies and attacking from ambush - similar to the ranger, but with fewer skills and no spellcasting. Thus, it's easy to adapt for hunters beyond a mountain setting. A fighter's base attack bonus and the ability to make skirmish attacks is a compelling combination, so you don't need to load the prestige class with many other class features.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Highland Stalker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Listen 8 ranks, Spot 8 ranks, Survival 8 ranks.
- Feats: Track,
- Base Attack Bonus: +5.
- Special: Skirmish or sneak attack class feature.
Class Skills
The highland stalker's class skills are Balance, Climb, Craft, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Search, Spot, and Survival.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Highland stalkers are proficient with light armor. They gain no proficiency with any weapon.
Mountain Stride (Ex): A highland stalker can move through scree and dense rubble at her normal speed. She can also move up steep slopes and stairs at her normal speed. See pages 89-92 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for descriptions of terrain types.
Skirmish (Ex): A highland stalker relies on mobility to deal extra damage and improve her defense. Starting at 2nd level, she deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on all attacks during any round in which she moves at least 10 feet. This extra damage applies only to attacks taken during her turn. It increases by an additional 1d6 for every four levels gained above 2nd (2d6 at 6th and 3d6 at 10th).
This extra damage only applies against living creatures that have a discernible anatomy. Undead, constructs, oozes, plants, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are not vulnerable to this extra damage. A highland stalker must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. Highland stalkers can apply this extra damage to ranged attacks made while skirmishing, but only if the target is within 30 feet.
At 4th level, a highland stalker gains a +1 competence bonus to Armor Class during any round in which she moves at least 10 feet. The bonus applies as soon as she has moved 10 feet, and lasts until the start other next turn. It improves to +2 at 8th level.
A highland stalker loses this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load. If she gains the skirmish ability from another class, the bonuses stack.
Swift Tracker (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, a highland stalker can move at her normal speed while following tracks. See the ranger class feature, page 45 of the Player's Handbook.
Surefooted (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a highland stalker is well acquainted with the dangers of mountainous terrain. She can ignore DC modifiers on Balance, Move Silently, and Tumble checks derived from scree, light rubble, dense rubble, steep slopes, or stairs (see page 89 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). She also does not need to make a DC 10 Balance check when running or charging down a steep slope.
Camouflage (Ex): Beginning at 7th level, a highland stalker can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain.
| Highland Stalker | Hit Die: d8 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Mountain stride |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Skirmish (+1d6) |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Swift tracker |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Skirmish (+1d6, +1 AC) |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Surefooted |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Skirmish (+2d6, +1 AC) |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Camouflage |
| 8th | +3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Skirmish {+2d6, +2 AC) |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +3 | - |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Skirmish (+3d6, +2AC) |
Source: Complete Adventurer