Faerûnian Prestige Class : Crinti Shadow Marauder
Among the idly rich Crinti of Dambrath, some thrill in the havoc they wreak on their traditional foes - the halflings to the east, the wild elves to the north, and the wizards to the west. These riders take pleasure in instilling uncertainty in their prey from a shroud of shadows, then imparting feelings of fearful surprise as the marauders appear without warning, escalating finally to sheer terror as the chase begins. Few actually see Crinti shadow marauders coming, and fewer live to tell the tale.
Crinti shadow marauders combine the physical prowess of master rider with the stealth of the most cunning shadowdancers. Rangers work as the best entry class, but multiclass rogues and fighters are also attracted to the path of the Crinti shadow marauder. Clerics, druids, and wizards find themselves particularly ill suited to the strange combination of skills demanded by this class.
Crinti shadow marauders are found almost exclusively in Dambrath, since they tend to come from the aristocracy that rules that land. They ride in packs as small as three to four individuals, all the way up to large skirmishing forces of several hundred. While the riders favor the fine horses of Dambrath, they are by no means limited to such mounts. Occasionally, a Crinti shadow marauder grows tired of the life of riding on the plains with her comrades and leaves Dambrath entirely, perhaps taking up with others to see the wider world.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Crinti Shadow Marauder, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any non-good
- Skills: Handle Animal 4 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks, Ride 8 ranks.
- Feats: Mounted Combat, Stealthy,
- Special: The character must either be Crinti or have the official sanction of the nobility of Dambrath. Only those accepted by the Crinti can train as shadow marauders.
Class Skills
The Crinti shadow marauder's class skills are Balance, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Listen, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Spot, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Crinti shadow marauder.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Crinti shadow marauders gain no proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields.
Shadow Ride (Su): A Crinti shadow marauder can travel on her mount between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. Such supernatural transport must begin and end in an area with at least some shadow. The marauder can ride up to a total of 50 feet per Crinti shadow marauder level per day in this way. The amount can be split up among many rides, but rides of a distance shorter than 25 feet count as 25 feet.
Sudden Strike (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, if a Crinti shadow marauder can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Whenever a Crinti shadow marauder's target is denied his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus to AC or not), the marauder deals an extra 1d6 points of damage with her attack. The extra damage increases to 2d6 at 4th level. The extra damage from the sudden strike ability stacks with extra damage from sneak attack whenever both would apply to the same target.
Ranged attacks count as sudden strikes only if the target is within 30 feet. A Crinti shadow marauder can't strike with deadly accuracy from beyond that range.
A Crinti shadow marauder can only use sudden strike against living creatures with discernible anatomies - undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sudden strike damage. The Crinti shadow marauder must be ability to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A Crinti shadow marauder cannot make a sudden strike while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are out of reach.
A Crinti shadow marauder can't use sudden strike to deliver nonlethal damage. Weapons only capable of dealing nonlethal damage don't deal extra damage when used as part of a sudden strike.
Bonus Feat: At 3rd level, the Crinti shadow marauder gains a bonus feat selected from the following list: Mounted Archery, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample. The Crinti shadow marauder must meet the normal prerequisites for the feat.
Shadow Walk (Sp): Starting at 3rd level, a Crinti shadow marauder can use shadow walk once per day, affecting only herself and her mount. Her caster level is equal to her Crinti shadow marauder level, and she must be astride her mount to use this ability. This ability does not stack with shadow walk spell-like abilities granted by other sources.
Shadow Pounce (Ex): At 5th level, a Crinti shadow marauder learns how to attack swiftly from the shadows. Any time she uses an ability, spell, or effect with the teleportation descriptor (for example, her shadow ride ability), she can execute a full attack upon completion of the teleportation. The marauder must have line of sight to her intended target from her original location. Further, the spot to which she teleports must be a place from which she can make a melee attack against the intended target with whatever weapon she had in hand at the beginning of her action.
| Crinti Shadow Marauder | Hit Die: d8 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Shadow ride |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Sudden strike +1d6 |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Bonus feat, shadow walk |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Sudden strike +2d6 |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Shadow pounce |
Source: Shining South