Thoughts & Analysis Sought on a Player-Developed Variant PC Class Called the Hunter.

[Falcon]

Hey Folks,

I am starting up a new campaign and have been working with a player on a specific PC Class, kinda part ranger, part nature's warrior thing, and we have reached somewhat of an impasse. He wants a bonus feat at first level, which I think overpowers the class He has reduced the HD to 8 from 10, and has offered to use the Fighter save progression. I will be adding the necessary prerequisites for Close Combat Shot and Banked-Shot.

I'd like to see what you all think about the class. Me version has no 1st level bonus feat, fewer combat-oriented bonus feats, and
Fast Passage at 4th level.

Thanks in advance for your input.

The hunter specializes in tracking and hunting animals of the wild. While his true love is the hunt, he sometimes ventures with others in search of that grand trophy.

HD: d8
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 +1 +2 +2 +0
Track, 1st Favor Enemy, Favored Terrain, Bonus Feat

2 +2 +3 +3 +0
Ranged Sneak Attack +1d6

3 +3 +3 +3 +1
Fast Passage

4 +4 +4 +4 +1
Bonus Feat

5 +5 +4 +4 +1
2nd Favor Enemy, 2nd Favored Terrain

6 +6 +5 +5 +2
Ranged Sneak Attack +2d6

7 +7 +5 +5 +2

8 +8 +6 +6 +2
Bonus Feat
9 +9 +6 +6 +3

10 +10 +7 +7 +3
3rd Favor Enemy & Terrain, Ranged Sneak Attack +3d6

11 +11 +7 +7 +3
Trackless Step

12 +12 +8 +8 +4
Bonus Feat

13 +13 +8 +8 +4

14 +14 +9 +9 +4
Ranged Sneak Attack +4d6

15 +15 +9 +9 +5
4th Favor Enemy & Terrain

16 +16 +10 +10 +5
Bonus Feat

17 +17 +10 +10 +5

18 +18 +11 +11 +6
Ranged Sneak Attack +5d6

19 +19 +11 +11 +6

20 +20 +12 +12 +6
5th Favor Enemy & Terrain; Bonus Feat

Skill Points: 4 + Int modifier (*4 at 1st level)

Skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intuit Direction, Jump, Knowledge (Nature), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, Use Rope and Wilderness Lore

Weapon/Armor proficiencies: The Hunter is proficient with all simple weapons, all bows, and a single Martial weapon to be chosen at 1st level. Hunters are proficient only with light armor and Hide Armor.

Special Abilities

Track – At 1st level, the hunter gains this feat for free.

Favored Enemy – As per PHB

Favored Terrain – Add +1 to Wilderness Lore, Intuit Direction, Spot, Listen, Move Silently and Hide checks while in a favored terrain. These bonuses stack with Favored Enemy bonuses. A hunter can choose the same terrain more than once; the bonuses then stack.

Bonus Feat – At 1st level and 4th level and every levels after that (8th, 12th etc.), The hunter can chose a bonus feat from the following list: Alertness, Banked-Shot, Blind-Fight, Briachiation, Close Combat Shot, Foe Hunter, Forester, Improved Critical (Power Critical), Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Sharp Shooting, Shot on the Run), Quick Draw, Shadow, Stealthy, Survivor, Toughness, Tree Topper and Weapon Focus.

Ranged Sneak Attack – Starting at 2nd level, the hunter can make a ranged sneak attack at opponents within 30ft. Whenever a target is caught flat-footed or denied his dexterity bonus to AC (whether or not he actually has one) the Hunter adds sneak attack damage.

 

[Crothian]

I'd lose the feat at first level, and either get rid of one good save, reduce the feat to every 5th level, or reduce sneak attack to every fifth level.

 

[Falcon]

Would you keep the class at d8 then or d10 for HPs?

 

[Crothian]

Would you keep the class at d8 then or d10 for HPs?

Up it to d10, I agree it fits better

 

[Jens]

Trying so sum over 20 levels and compare with ranger:

Lost: 1st-4th level spells, HD reduced to d8, no virtual TWF feats, fewer weapons, armor.

Gained: An extra Good save, 6 bonus feats (access to Banked-Shot and Close Combat Shot which sound like OotBI special abilities? I forget what Power Critical does?), 5 favored terrains (relatively weak), Fast Passage, Trackless Step, Ranged Sneak Attack +5d6, a few class skills (Knowledge (Nature) and Sense Motive, right?)

It sounds like a good deal (ranger spells aren't very good, the bonus feats alone probably make up for them; saves for HD is probably a good deal), more powerful than the ranger. But then the ranger isn't considered very powerful to begin with so it might be about right?

Frontloading: First level is *very* powerful, strictly better than fighter level 1. I agree that something should go.

Favored Terrain is made quite weak (no scaling like Favored Enemy) so maybe it's more trouble than it's worth?

Rather than Trackless Step, shouldn't he get an ability that allows him to track 'prey' with Trackless Step and the like?

Knowledge-skills are theoretic skills for bookworms. Like rangers, this one should only have Wilderness Lore which is more practical (though my old copy of the SRD says rangers do get K(N)???).

What is a Hunter doing with Close Combat Shot? Isn't he supposed to take down prey from a distance? Sounds a little munchy to me (if the feat does what I think it does), unless the requirements put it out of reach until high levels. Is Power Critical relevant?

Multiclassing considerations: This class would be *very* attractive to dip into by rogues and fighters for 1-2 levels, probably too attractive. Also the lost weapon and armor proficiencies are very easily gained by dipping into fighter for a single level so that can't be considered a great loss.

To sum up, I would probably remove the 1st level bonus feat, all favored terrains, knowledge (nature) skill, delay the ranged sneak attacks by one level but 'hurry' fast passage and the other specials by one level (so the two progressions change place) and replace trackless step with something more appropriate... But other than the obvious frontloading, balance is hard to eyeball... As suggested, the various ability series (ranged sneak attack, bonus feat, fast passage chain) might be slowed to 1 per 5 levels instead of 1 per 4.

 

[Khorod]

However else you balance the class, giving a combat feat at first level reduces the differences between a 1st level fighter and the hunter. The earliest a general fighting feat should be given is second or third level, so the fighter stays ahead even at lower levels on the feat chains.

 

[Falcon]

Well,

I knocked off the 1st level bonus feat, made the sneak attack progression to every 5th level, altered Trackless Step as suggested, dropped some combat-oriented bonus feats, and left the saving throws and the d10 HP. We will see how it works out.