Campaign Design - Base Classes: Outdoorsman

Outdoorsman
(adapted from Path of the Sword)

Civilization is a few flickering campfires on a dark, empty plain. Most of the world is wild and trackless. Beyond the city walls and tended fields stretches a seemingly endless wilderness. From the densely packed trees of the elder northern forests to the sucking mire of the southern swamps, from the lethal glare of the desert sun to the snowblind Arctic wastes, the outdoorsman travels and fights.

The outdoorsman is most at home in the wilds. He knows how to both fight and survive in the harshest terrain. His skill is such that he gains a significant edge when battling in lands he knows well. He can survive, even thrive, in areas that would kill the less skilled. Some are explorers, seeking new lands and new opportunities; some are brigands, appearing from nowhere, striking hard, and then vanishing again; some are well-traveled mercenaries who have learned that knowing your ground well can be the edge needed for survival.

Abilities: The outdoorsman is a warrior, first and foremost, and thus must be strong and healthy. Dexterity is important as well, as heavy armor is a bane in many situations. Intelligence and Wisdom help the outdoorsman learn the ways of nature and to be alert to subtle signs. Charisma is of little importance to them, except as a means of dealing with animals, though it never hurts to be able to carry on a decent conversation on those occasions when they do have to deal with people.
Race: Lycanthrope-Blooded.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Luck Die: d4.

Class Skills

• Skill List: The outdoorsman's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft: Any (all skills taken individually) (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge: Nature (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession: Any (all skills taken individually) (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
• Note: Because the Three Worlds campaign uses the Skills by Character house rule, the list of class skills given here is only included for the sake of completeness, and is not used by characters in the campaign setting.
• Skill Points at 1^st Level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x 4.
• Skill Points at Each Additional Class Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the outdoorsman:

• Base Attack Bonus: Good. An outdoorsman gains +1 base attack bonus per class level.


• Fortitude Base Save Bonus: Good. An outdoorsman gains a +2½ base Fortitude save bonus at first level, and an additional +½ base Fortitude save bonus per class level.


• Reflex Base Save Bonus: Good. An outdoorsman gains a +2½ base Reflex save bonus at first level, and an additional +½ base Reflex save bonus per class level.


• Will Base Save Bonus: Poor. An outdoorsman gains +⅓ base Will save bonus per class level.


• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Outdoorsmen are proficient with all light and medium armor and with all simple weapons. He is also proficient with two preferred weapons which may be simple, martial, or exotic weapons.


• Wild Empathy (Ex): An outdoorsman can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The outdoorsman rolls 1d20 and adds his outdoorsman level and his Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the outdoorsman and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
  
  
  
  An outdoorsman can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.


• Favored Terrain (Ex): At 1^st level, the outdoorsman may select two regions in which he has exceptional experience. A region is comprised of a terrain type and a temperature type. There are seven primary terrain types and three temperature types. Each terrain type chosen represents skill in two of the temperature types selected by the player when the terrain is chosen. Alternatively, characters can choose to be proficient in one temperature type for two different terrain types, rather than two temperatures for one terrain.
  
  
  

  Type	Temperature
  Aquatic*	Cold
  Desert	Hot
  Forest	Temperate
  Hill
  Marsh
  Mountain
  Plains
  Underground
  * Aquatic may not be chosen unless the outdoorsman has some natural or magical means to breathe water.

  Example: An outdoorsman could choose Forest as his terrain and select both Cold and Temperate temperature types. He would not gain his Favored Terrain abilities if he entered a tropical jungle (a hot forest) unless he later chose that as an additional Favored Terrain. Alternatively, he could choose Cold Plains and Cold Forest for terrain types. He could not choose Cold Plains and Hot Forest, because both the terrain type and the temperature types are different. He could eventually gain both of these terrains, but they would have to be selected at different levels
  
  
  
  When an outdoorsman is in his favored terrain, he gains a +2 dodge bonus to his Armor Class whenever he is not denied his Dexterity modifier to his Armor Class. He furthermore gains a +2 bonus to any Hide, Knowledge: Nature, Move Silently, Search, Spot, Survival, or Wild Empathy checks. An outdoorsman's base speed increases by +5 feet when he is in favored terrain. These bonuses do not apply if the character is in a building or other construct within his terrain.
  
  
  
  Every five levels, an outdoorsman may add two new favored terrains and increase the bonus in all existing favored terrains by 1.


• Preferred Weapons: Outdoorsmen have little time to learn the ins and outs of every sort of weapon. They tend to pick a specific weapon early and stick with it. At 1^st level, an outdoorsman must select one melee and one ranged weapon, which become his preferred weapons. Attack and weapon related feats that are chosen as bonus feats (see below) only apply when the character is using his preferred weapons. Any time the outdoorsman gains a new favored terrain, he may choose to substitute new weapons as his preferred weapons. This choice replaces his previously chosen weapons and is permanent until he gains his next favored terrain.


• Lightstep: At 2^nd level, when moving through a favored terrain, the outdoorsman is skilled at not leaving tracks; the DC to track him through these areas is increased by +1 for each of his outdoorsman levels.


• Outdoorsman's Prowess: An outdoorsman of 3^rd level or higher gains one of the following benefits. Once the choice is made, it cannot be changed thereafter.
  
  
  
  • Animal Companion (Ex): An outdoorsman with this ability gains an animal companion. If the outdoorsman is lycanthrope-blooded, the animal companion must match the outdoorsman's heritage. An outdoorsman descended from werewolves must pick a wolf as a companion, while one descended from wererats must pick a dire rat as a companion, and so on. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the outdoorsman on his adventures as appropriate for its kind.
    
    
    
    This ability functions like the druid ability of the same name, except that the outdoorsman’s effective druid level is two levels lower than his outdoorsman level. An outdoorsman may select from the alternative lists of animal companions just as a druid can, though again his effective druid level is his (outdoorsman level -2). Like a druid, an outdoorsman cannot select an alternative animal if the choice would reduce his effective druid level below 1^st level.
  
  
  • Distracting Attack (Ex): Whenever the outdoorsman hits an enemy with a weapon attack, whether melee or ranged, that enemy is considered flanked by the outdoorsman for the purpose of adjudicating her allies' attacks. This flanked condition lasts until either the enemy is attacked by one of the outdoorsman's allies or until the start of the ranger's next turn, whichever comes first. This ability has no effect on creatures that cannot be flanked.


• Bonus Feat: At 4^th level, 8^th level, 12^th level, 16^th level, and 20^th level, an outdoorsman may choose any of the fighter's bonus feats using his outdoorsman level in place of the fighter level requirement for any feats with such prerequisites. However, the feats that apply to, or are used with, weapons (Power Attack, Cleave, Combat Expertise, and so on) only apply when the character is using a preferred weapon. If these feats are chosen when using non-bonus feats, they may apply to all weapons with which the character is proficient.


• Fast Passage: At 6^th level, the outdoorsman may move at his full speed through any of his favored terrain, despite impediments such as deep bogs or thick forest.


• Companion Feat: At 9^th level, the outdoorsman may select a feat from the available list of Animal Companion feats. Alternatively, the outdoorsman may choose to have their animal companion gain a bonus feat. In either case, the outdoorsman or his animal companion must meet all applicable prerequisites for the chosen feat.

Outdoorsman

Level	Special
1st	Favored Terrain I, Preferred Weapons, Wild Empathy
2nd	Lightstep
3rd	Animal Companion
4th	Bonus Feat
5th	Favored Terrain II
6th	Fast Passage
7th	-
8th	Bonus Feat
9th	Companion Feat
10th	Favored Terrain III
11th	-
12th	Bonus Feat
13th	-
14th	Companion Feat
15th	Favored Terrain IV
16th	Bonus Feat
17th	-
18th	-
19th	Companion Feat
20th	Favored Terrain V, Bonus Feat

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