Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elladar" data-source="post: 6725919" data-attributes="member: 6801313">Stalker: Known for skilled and patient hunting, stalkers have learned how to turn nature to their advantage.  With knowledge of terrain and an understanding of the connections in the natural world, they are able to take down deadly prey with little help, save from their well-trained animal companion. Cunning is a key element of the stalker.  A connection to nature is all well and good, but it should be understood and mastered as well.Level 1: Elusive: You gain proficiency in Dexterity Saving Throws. Trainer: You gain proficiency in Animal HandlingLevel 3: Stalker’s Awareness: In an area of primeval awareness, you gain the following additional benefit.  When sensing creatures, you can determine their strength relative to you (much stronger, near equal, or much weaker).  The DM determines this based on the expected encounter difficulty.Additionally, when you roll initiative in an area of awareness, you gain a special turn before anyone else acts.  On this turn you can use the Hide or Dash actions only. Hunting Companion: You have a creature that you have trained to hunt with you.  You can describe it any way you like (an animal, a plant, a fictional creature etc.), but its statistics and game mechanics remain the same regardless.  See the Hunting Companion section below for details.Bolster: Ranger Level 3.  You may spend hit dice to heal your hunting companion during a short rest (healing the same amount you would heal yourself). You may also expend 3 hit dice as an action to revivify an adjacent hunting companion who has been reduced to 0 hit points in the last minute.  The companion returns to consciousness with 1 hit point.Adaptation: You may add one of the Creature Characteristics listed in the Hunting Companion section to your companion.  Once chosen, the characteristic is permanent so long as you keep that companion.Level 6:Crafty You can add your intelligence modifier to Stealth checks in addition to dexterity.  Special training and coordination also allows your hunting companion to follow your silent directions while sneaking.  It too adds your intelligence modifier to its Stealth checks.Fast Movement: Add 5 feet to your speed, as well as to your hunting companion’s.Additional Adaptation: You may select a second characteristic for your hunting companion.Level 9:Evasion: As described in the Player’s HandbookTeamwork: The companion gains a superior tactical option.  You have taught your companion to fight beneficially in tandem with humanoids.  As such, it gains a tactical maneuver (see statistics below).  This ability is usable once per short rest.  You can spend a hit die to force your companion to perform this option an additional time.Maneuverability: Your companion gains improved maneuverability.  A land animal gains a swim speed equal to ½ its movement (or an aquatic creature gains a land speed equal to ½ its movement).  An air animal gains the hover ability. Additional Adaptation: You may select a third characteristic for your hunting companion.Level 13:Improved Fast Movement: Add 5 more to your speed (for a total of 10), as well as to your hunting companion’s.Lightning Reactions: You add your intelligence modifier to your initiative in addition to your dexterity.Bestial Fury: As described in the Player’s Handbook.Additional Adaptation: You may select a fourth characteristic for your hunting companion.Level 15: Share Spells: As described in the Player’s Handbook.Skirmisher’s Stealth: You combine speed and stealth in combat to make yourself hard to pin down. You are difficult to detect even if you attack or otherwise take actions that would normally reveal your presence. At the start of your turn, pick a creature you are hidden from. You remain hidden from that creature during your turn, regardless of your actions or the actions of other creatures. As a bonus action at the end of your turn, you can make a Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide again if you fulfill the conditions needed to hide. Otherwise, creatures are aware of you at the end of your turn.  Your hunting companion gains this benefit as well.Ambuscade: During your special turn when initiative is rolled, you may take the Attack action.Additional Adaptation: You may select a fifth characteristic for your hunting companion.Level 20: Companion Mastery: You no longer need to concentrate to command your hunting companion.  Additionally, it can perform its teamwork benefit any number of times without spending a hit die, as long as you are adjacent to it or its target.Additional Adaptation: You may select a sixth characteristic for your hunting companion.Hunting Companion    You have a natural companion who hunts with you.  If you ever lose your companion (whether through its death or departure), you may choose to spend a day exploring the nearby wilderness for a new companion.  Alternately, you can expend a hit die after a short rest spent in vigorous searching.  You may choose a new companion at this time (and it should fit thematically with the terrain it is drawn from).    You choose either a land or air creature as your hunting companion.  Regardless of the species chosen, the statistics remain the same (see below), as modified by your intensive training.Through concentrated practice and training, your companion has learned to hunt in tandem with you.  Each round, on your initiative, your companion can make a move action as directed by you (no action on your part).As a bonus action, you can focus your concentration on your companion, issuing it new orders every round.  So long as you maintain concentration (without further need to use a bonus action), you can give it one command per round.  These commands include the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge and Hide actions.   In suitable circumstances the DM may also allow the Interact with an Object action (as long as the physiology is appropriate).    If you do not maintain concentration, your companion will Dash towards you or to a safe place away from (and not toward) enemies at your direction.If you are not maintaining concentration on your companion, you can spend a hit die to give it a command through sheer determination.Any saving throws or checks are vs DC 8+your proficiency bonus+ your intelligence modifier.Land Animal: (alternately, in an aquatic campaign this could be a swimming animal with a swim speed instead of a land speed, and the water breathing trait).The stats remain the same regardless of the creature.  It could be a wolf, a pony, a bear, a hunting hound, a panther, a giant spider, a giant snake, a clawfoot dinosaur, a platypus bear, a living stone, an awakened plant, or a Frumious Bandersnatch.  (Or a shark, giant sea horse, aquatic snake, sea turtle, sea lion, etc.) Size: mediumMove 40’AC 12+your proficiency bonusHP: ½ your totalAttack: +2+your proficiency bonus, 1d8+2+your proficiency bonus damageStr 14  Dex 14  Con 10  Int 3  Wis 14  Cha 7Saves: Choose one.  Add your proficiency bonus.Skills:     Athletics: 2+your proficiency bonus Perception: 2+your proficiency bonus (advantage on hearing or smell)    Stealth: 2+your proficiency bonus (but see Crafty)    Survival: 2+your proficiency bonusTeamwork Benefit: Knock Down.  Whether a trip, a pounce, a swipe or a sweep, on one successful attack the target must make a Strength save or fall prone.  Air Animal: The stats remain the same regardless of the animal.  It could be an eagle, a hawk, a pterosaur, a winged snake, a giant dragonfly, a fruit bat etc.Size: smallMove: 5’, fly 60’AC 12+your proficiency bonusHP: ½ your totalAttack: +2+your proficiency bonus, 1d6+2+your proficiency bonus damageStr 14  Dex 14  Con 10  Int 3  Wis 14  Cha 7Saves: Choose one.  Add your proficiency bonus.Skills:  Perception: 2+your proficiency bonus (advantage on sight)    Stealth: 2+your proficiency bonus (but see Crafty)    Survival: 2+your proficiency bonusTeamwork Benefit: Distract. With carefully timed tactics, your companion distracts the target.  On a successful attack, the target must make a constitution save or be blinded until the companion’s next turn.  This ability resets on a short rest.Creature Characteristics:Amphibious: As described in the Monster Manual.Beast of Burden: The creature is considered one size category larger for determining carrying capacity.Bigger: Your land (or aquatic) companion can be size large, and your air companion can be size medium.  You must be at least 9th level to select this characteristic.Blindsight: As described in the Monster Manual. You must be at least 15th level to choose this characteristic.Blood Frenzy: As described in the Monster Manual. You must be at least 13th level to select this characteristic.Climb: The creature gains a climb speed equal to ½ its land speed.  You must be at least 6th level to choose this characteristic.Darkvision: As described in the Player’s Handbook, 60’ range.Extraordinary: One of your companion’s ability scores increases by 2 (your choice).  You may select this feature more than once, but no ability can be increased more than two times (for a total of +4).False Appearance: If the creature remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a specific natural object (a shrub, a stone, the bark of a tree, etc.)Flyby: As described in the Monster Manual. You must be at least 13th level to choose this characteristic.Illumination: As described in the Monster Manual (under giant fire beetle). This effect can be initiated or suppressed as an action.Mimicry: The companion can imitate sounds you have taught it.  A creature can determine the sounds are false with an insight check.Pack Tactics: As described in the Monster Manual. You must be at least 9th level to choose this characteristic.Poison: The creature’s attacks do an extra 1d8 poison damage.  On a successful Constitution save the damage is negated.  You must be at least 9th level to choose this characteristic.Relentless: As described in the Monster Manual.</blockquote>

Verification