I would think that 'trapping' would be a subset of Survival/Wilderness lore skills. In early editions it would be a NWP. In 3e I would consider it a variation on this: "DC 10: Get along in the wild. Move up to one-half the character's overland speed while hunting and foraging (no food or water supplies needed). The character can provide food and water for one other person for every 2 points by which the character's check result exceeds 10." I'd personally increase the DC to 15 because the hunter was looking not for game animals generally, but specifically for fur bearing animals. Beyond that, it's just a matter of having a string of mechanical traps to receive a bonus on the check (or using a craft skill to emulate that).
In 2e, you could use a 'hunter' and 'trapper' as kit classes of the ranger. I personally don't see a lot of reason to separate them, as especially before the invention of gunpowder there was almost no difference between the two. Even in Europe, deer were most commonly taken not by arrows but by the employment of snares - just as they were in North America in the same period. And bear were often hunted by the employment of deadfall traps.
As for me, I'm playing a variant of 3.0 edition, and I have Hunter as a core class (replacing Ranger, which in my opinion has too much baggage for a base class).
Hunter
The world is a dangerous place and only the strongest survive its trials. In nature, the weak are killed so that the strong may survive. At the top of every food chain are the hunters. The hunter knows its prey and its habits. The hunter chooses and stalks his prey. The hunter uses its wits to and skill to place itself in the most advantageous position. Then with quiet swiftness and ferocity, it deals the killing blow and ensures its own survival. The sentient races are at the top of every food chain, and they too are not with out hunters.
Adventurers: The ordinary hunter in a society typically specializes in the killing of animals to provide food and hides. But there are more dangerous sorts of game that often think of people as being prey. In every society there are a few individuals who specialize in hunting down and protecting against the depredations of these would be predators. Frequently, those called to such professions carry grudges against certain types of creatures and actively seek them out. All too often, members of a race turn against their own kind and must be captured or destroyed. Many magistrates and law enforcing beings are of the hunter class, as are often bounty hunters, assassins, and bandits.
Characteristics: The hunter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and capable in combat. He is particularly skilled with bows and other ranged weapons. His skills allow him to survive in many environments, to find his prey, and avoid detection. He also has special knowledge and understanding of certain types of creatures. This knowledge makes him more capable of finding and defeating those foes.
Alignment: Hunters can be of any alignment. Many have no particular philosophy on life except to earn themselves a living plying their trade. Good aligned hunters see themselves as the protectors and benefactors of the weak and innocent. They hunt to provide their families and comrades with food and clothing, and to destroy rabid or evil creatures which would hunt them. Lawful hunters see themselves as guardians of society and enforcers of the law. They are often specialists in hunting members of their own species as they track down lawbreakers in order to bring them to justice. Chaotic hunters often hunt for the thrill of the hunt, ranging far and wide in the hopes of finding new and exciting experiences, and new and more dangerous game. Evil hunters see themselves as predators that prove their innate superiority through killing, or who improve the breed by culling away the weak. Often they specialize in hunting others of their own kind, and become feared assassins or rampaging serial murderers.
Religion: Although many give their loyalties or at least some service to patrons of the hunt, hunters can have almost any sort of religious belief depending on their personality and character. For many hunters, their vocation is merely a profession, not a calling and as such their worship and adoration can be given to almost any deity.
Background: The profession of hunting is almost always learned through a mentor, often beginning at a very early age. In most cases, this mentor is a parent or guardian, but some societies may have guilds of hunters which recruit apprentices. More advanced societies may have many specialist guilds and professions, each teaching the skill of hunting a particular type of game or foe. Magistrates of various types may exist under a variety of names – constable, sheriff, reeve, watchman, guardsman, and many others – and older magistrates may teach the skill of tracking criminals to novices, or possibly even special academies will exist for training these skills. Primitive tribal societies may be largely composed of hunters which they rely upon to provide food. More advanced military units often train hunters in the role of specialized scouts or commandos. Organized crime syndicates may employ hunters as thugs and hit men, and their may even be well organized and secretive guilds or clans of assassins in some societies. And there are many other paths to becoming a hunter. In short, the class of hunter is one of the most varied roles which a character can have.
Races: All races have hunters, especially those living in the remote and more wilderness regions. Elves in particular are legendary hunters, since their natural skill with the bow, keen senses, and great agility complements the methods of the hunter. In fact, a large percentage of the elfin warrior class is actually composed not of fighters but of hunters.
Classes: Hunters seldom have conflicts with a particular class, but benefit with association with all of them. Most often their strongest disagreement is unexpectedly with fighters whose approach to combat they often find too unstealthy and straightforward. Conversely, Hunters often get along quite well with stealthy Rogues and multi-classed Hunter/Rogues are not at all uncommon. Hunters also get along well with Explorers, and often share much the same outlook on life if not necessarily the same goals. Multi-classed Hunter/Explorers are also quite common. In some cultures there are often secretive traditions of Hunter/Shamans, who form deep relationships with the creatures that they hunt and sometimes protect.
Table: The Hunter
Level BAB Fort
Save Ref
Save Will Save Special
1 +1 +2 +2 +0 Track, 1st Favored Enemy
2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Bonus Feat
3 +3 +3 +3 +1 Lethality +1
4 +4 +4 +4 +1 Bonus Feat
5 +5 +4 +4 +1 2nd Favored Enemy
6 +6/+1 +5 +5 +2 Sure Shot (+30)
7 +7/+2 +5 +5 +2 Lethality +2
8 +8/+3 +6 +6 +2 Bonus Feat
9 +9/+4 +6 +6 +3 Strike Vitals +1d8
10 +10/+5 +7 +7 +3 3rd Favored Enemy
11 +11/+6/+1 +7 +7 +3 Lethality +3
12 +12/+7/+2 +8 +8 +4 Bonus Feat, Sure Shot (+60)
13 +13/+8/+3 +8 +8 +4 Camouflage
14 +14/+9/+4 +9 +9 +4 Strike Vitals +2d8
15 +15/+10/+5 +9 +9 +5 4th Favored Enemy, Lethality +4
16 +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +10 +5 Bonus Feat
17 +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +5 Hide in Plain Sight
18 +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +6 Sure Shot (+90)
19 +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +6 Lethality +5, Strike Vitals +3d8
20 +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +6 5th Favored Enemy, Bonus Feat
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Hunters have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Dexterity is important for a hunter because hunters tend to wear light armor and because several hunter skills are based on dexterity. Also, the hunter’s bonus feat selection favors ranged combat. Strength is important because hunters are often forced to engage in melee combat, and also need to be able to carry large amounts of equipment and their trophy with ease. Several hunter skills are based on wisdom, and a high intelligence will make the best use of a hunter’s diverse skill list.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8
Requirements: Dexterity 7 and Strength 7
Class Skills
The hunter’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (str), Craft (int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal(Wis), Hide(Dex), Navigation (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Nature)(int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Porter (Str), Ride (Dex), Run (Str), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex), and Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st level: (7 + int modifier) x 4
Skill Points: 7 + Int modifier
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A hunter is proficient with all simple and marital weapons, light and medium armor and shields.
Track: A hunter gains Track as a bonus feat.
Favored Enemy: At 1st level, a hunter may select a type of creature as a favored enemy. Due to his extensive study of his foes and training in the proper techniques for combating them, the hunter gains a +1 bonus to bluff, intimidate, listen, sense motive, spot, and survival checks when using these skills against this type of creature. Likewise, he gets the same bonus to weapon damage rolls against creatures of this type. A hunter also gets the damage bonus with ranged weapons, but only against targets within 30 feet (the hunter cannot initially strike with deadly accuracy beyond that range). Additionally, by applying secret lore, their keen senses and knowledge or their prey, hunters may make critical hits on their favored enemy even if favored enemies of that class – such as undead, oozes or constructs – are normally immune to critical hits.
At 5th level and at every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the hunter may select a new favored enemy, and the bonus associated with every previously selected favored enemy goes up by +1. For example, a 15th level hunter will have four favored enemies, with bonuses of +4, +3, +2, and +1.
Table 1-2: Hunter Favored Enemies lists possible categories for a hunter’s favored enemy.
Table 1-2: Hunter Favored Enemies
Type Examples
Aberrations Beholders
Animals Bears
Beasts Owlbears
Constructs Golems
Dragons Black dragons
Elementals Xorns
Fey Dryads
Giants Ogres
Humanoid Type* Goblinoids, Humans, Lizardfolk, Elves, etc.
Magical beasts Displacer beasts
Oozes Gelatinous cubes
Outsider Type* Genie, Celestials, Infernals, Abominations, etc.
Plants Shambling mounds
Shapechangers Werewolves
Undead Zombies
Vermin Giant Spiders
*Hunters may not select “humanoid” or “outsider” as a favored enemy, but they may select a more narrowly defined type of humanoid or outsider.
Bonus Feat: At 2nd level, 4th level, and every 4th level thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th and 20th), Hunters gain a bonus virtual feat. These feats are only effective while the Hunter has an armor check penalty no worse than -4. Hunters may use these virtual feats as perquisites for regular feats, but if circumstances cause the hunter to no longer be qualified for their virtual feat, then they will no longer be qualified for and have access to any feat which depends on them either. The bonus virtual feat can be chosen from any on the following list which they meet the requirements for: Alertness, Big Game Hunter, Blind-Fight, Combat Intuition, Combat Reflexes, Dead eye, Death Blow, Dodge, Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Expert Tactician, Far Shot, Full Fisted, Great Fortitude, Hunter’s Instincts, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Mounted Combat, Mugger, One Shot One Kill, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Run, Shot on the Run, Skill Focus, Sniper, Spring Attack, Stone Cold Killer, Swift Tracker, Toughness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, and Zeal.
Lethality: At 3rd level, whenever the hunter provokes a traumatic damage save, the DC of the traumatic damage save is increased by +1. Every four levels thereafter, the DC increases by an additional one. Additionally, when a hunter’s attack reduces a target below 0 hit points, the difficulty of the Fortitude save for the creature to remain conscious is increased by a like amount.
Sure Shot: At 6th level, a hunter gains such skill with ranged weapons that they are able to make precise shots an additional 30 feet further than normal. This allows them to inflict damage otherwise restricted to shots made within 30’ out to 60’. Damage in this category includes damage from the point blank shot feat, sneak attack damage, and the bonus damage to the hunter’s favored enemies. At 12th level the maximum range extends to 90 feet, and at 18th level the maximum range extends to 120 feet.
Strike Vitals: At 9th level, a hunter gains such accuracy with his attacks, that when he scores a critical hit, he does an additional 1d8 bonus damage. This bonus rises to 2d8 at 14th level, and 3d8 at 19th level.
Camouflage (Ex): A hunter of 13th level or higher always treats the available concealment of a terrain as being one step better. Even if the terrain doesn’t grant any cover or concealment, the hunter may still attempt to hide as if the terrain granted minimal concealment necessary to hide.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): A hunter of 17th level or higher can use the Hide skill even while being observed.