Oriental Prestige Class : Witch Hunter
Witch hunters combine magical training with combat expertise to battle the spiritual forces of evil in the world. Ghosts and other evil spirits, demons and oni, and practitioners of black magic are the witch hunters' sworn enemies, and they bring unique abilities and expertise to bear in combating these foes.
A witch hunter typically begins his training as a shaman, shugenja, or wu jen. At some point in his career, he encounters an older witch hunter who selects him as an apprentice. After this selection, he learns weapon proficiency, wards and bindings, ways of detecting angry spirits, and combat techniques. By the time the witch hunter leaves his master and goes his own way, he is usually a multiclass fighter or ranger. In Rokugan, witch hunters are exclusively shugenjas from the Crab clan, trained in the Kuni school.
NPC witch hunters wander roads and fields in search of evil creatures or sorcerers. Rumors of hauntings or demonic sacrifices draw them like flies, which has made the witchunters the subject of popular legend among the peasantry. The tales elevate them to a status paralleling that of the mysterious tattooed monks, and it comes as no surprise that witch hunters and tattooed monks tend to greet each other with respect.
Class Requirements
To qualify to become a Witch Hunter, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any nonevil
- Skills: Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (Shadowlands) 10 ranks
- Feats: Track,
- Base Attack Bonus: +5.
- Spells:
- Able to cast magic circle against Taint or magic circle against evil
- Special: Must have been selected by another witch hunter, a trained under that mentor before entering the prestige class.
Class Skills
The witch hunter's class skills are Climb, Concentration, Craft, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (Shadowlands), Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (religion), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are class features of the witch hunter
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Witch hunters are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor.
Spells per Day: A witch hunter continues her magical training as well as practicing the techniques of the hunter. At 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th level, the character gains new spells per day and spells known as if she had also gained one level in her spellcasting class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit of the spellcasting class. For example, if Kuni Osari, a 3rd level shugenja/4th-level ranger/1st-level witch hunter, gains a level in witch hunter, she gains new spells as if she had risen to 4th level in shugenja, but uses the other witch hunter aspects of level progression such as attack bonus and save bonus. If she next gains a level of shugenja, making her a 4th-level shugenja/4th-level ranger/2nd-level witch hunter, she gains spells as if she had risen to 5th level in shugenja.
Detect Evil (Sp): At will, the witch hunter can use detect evil as spell-like ability. In the featured campaign setting of Rokugan, witch hunters use detect Taint instead.
Kami's Grace: A witch hunter applies her Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws.
Smite Evil (Su): Once per day, a witch hunter of 2nd level or higher may attempt to smite an evil opponent with one normal melee attack. She adds a +4 bonus on her attack roll and deals 2 extra points of damage per class level. If the witch hunter accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect but it is still used up for that day. In the featured campaign setting of Rokugan, witch hunters smite Shadowlands opponents instead. A Shadowlands opponent is a monster with the Shadowlands descriptor or a character with a Taint score.
Aura of Courage (Ex/Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a witch hunter is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Allies within 10 feet of the witch hunter gain a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. Granting the morale bonus to allies is a supernatural ability.
Bonus Feats: At 4th, 6th, and 10th level, a witch hunter gains the bonus feats Power Attack, Cleave, and Great Cleave. If the witch hunter already has one of these feats at the time she gains it as a bonus feat, she gains no special benefit. If the witch hunter does not have the prerequisite Strength score, she can only use the feats against evil opponents (or Shadowlands opponents, in Rokugan).
Resist Evil Magic (Ex): At 8th level, a witch hunter gains a specialized spell resistance equal to 20 + her class level. This spell resistance applies only to evil spells or spells cast by an evil creature. In Rokugan, this spell resistance applies only to spells cast by maho-tsukai or other characters with the Shadowlands Taint, as well as spells and spell-like abilities used by Shadowlands monsters.
| Witch Hunter | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +1 | detect evil, kami's grace | - |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Smite evil | +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Aura of courage | - |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Bonus feat: Power Attack | - |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | - | +1 level of existing class |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Bonus feat: Cleave | - |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | - | +1 level of existing class |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Resist evil magic | - |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +6 | - | +1 level of existing class |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Bonus feat: Great Cleave | +1 level of existing class |
Source: Oriental Adventures
Older Prestige class adapted to 3.5