Campaign Design - Prestige Class: Warden Stalker

Warden Stalker (adapted from the Player's Guide to Rangers and Rogues)

Many have heard of the Wardens of the High Council - those noble warriors who brave the wilderness and even enemy encampments in order to keep the people of the Freeholds and their allies safe and well-informed. the heroic adventures of these admirable souls are an inspiration and comfort to the common Freeholder as well as a thorn in the side of the enemies of the Freeholds. What the common freeholder does not know, however, is that even wardens have their limits; there are some forms of intelligence gathering to which these hardy warriors are simply ill-equipped to pursue. Fortunately, the High Council is not without resources. If a task requires the highest level of subterfuge, and presents the maximum level of danger, the High Council relies upon the warden stalkers. Such a well-kept secret that even some wardens do not know they exist, the warden stalkers are the agents of the High Council who infiltrate the courts, armies, and urban regions of the Freeholds' enemies. Insinuating themselves into the highest positions and most dangerous surroundings, the warden stalker is a master of disguise, deception, and discovering even the most closely guarded secrets. At need, a warden stalker may also act as a burglar, or in the most desperate of cases, an assassin.

Hit Die: d8.
Luck Die: d6.

Requirements
To become a warden stalker, one must meet the following criteria:

• Alignment: Any non-evil.
• Base Reflex Save: +4.
• Skills: Bluff 5+ ranks, Disguise 5+ ranks, Gather Information 7+ ranks, Search 5+ ranks.
• Feats: Run, Track.
• Ability: Uncanny Dodge.
• Special: Must pass an initiation test and swear an oath of allegiance to the High Council, an oath that is enforced by their fellow wardens.

Class Skills

• The warden stalker's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft: Any (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump(Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silvently (dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform: Any (Cha), Profession: Any (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language, Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), 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 each level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the warden stalker prestige class.

• Base Attack Bonus: Average. A warden stalker gains +¾ base attack bonus per class level.


• Base Fortitude Save Bonus: Poor. A warden stalker gains +¹⁄₃ base Fortitude save bonus per class level.


• Base Reflex Save Bonus: Good. A warden stalker gains a +½ base Reflex save bonus per class level.


• Base Will Save Bonus: Good. A warden stalker gains a +½ base Will save bonus per class level.


• Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Warden stalkers are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. Warden stalkers are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.


• Spells: Beginning at 2^nd level, a warden stalker gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells. To cast a spell, he must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level, so a warden stalker with a Wisdom score of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. This prestige class' bonus spell are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + the stalker's Wisdom modifier. Warden stalkers cast spells from the Warden Spell List. The character has access to any spell on this list and may freely choose which spell to prepare as in the case of a druid.


• Read Faces (Ex): The warden stalker must interact on a daily and casual basis with some of his most dangerous enemies. It is vital, therefore, fir him to always know what these enemies are thinking. Warden stalkers are trained to be nearly telepathic, simply by reading the facial expressions and mannerisms of those around them. All Sense Motive DCs are halved for the warden stalker. In addition, twice per day, the warden stalker may attempt to discern the surface thoughts of a single individual by rolling a Sense Motive check with the target's Intelligence score as the DC. This ability is similar to the Knowledge domain spell detect thoughts, but it differs in the following ways:
  
  
  
  Read Faces can only be used on humanoids and can only target on individual at a time. Like the detect thoughts spell, it takes three rounds of concentration to actually discern surface thoughts; the first two rounds are spent attuning oneself to the target. The first round reveals information similar to an ordinary successful Sense Motive check. The second gives the warden stalker a fairly clear idea of the target's most common habitual emotions (such as irritation, nervousness, or contentment). The third round grants access to surface thoughts, but in the form of emotions and ideas rather than in sentences or pictures. If a warden stalker is interrupted during this time, he may make an opposed Concentration skill check against the target's Bluff skill check to continue the reading. If he fails to keep his concentration, he gains no further information and has used up a read faces attempt for the day. After three rounds, the warden stalker can learn no more from this ability.


• Blend In (Ex): Warden stalkers are masters at pretending to be things they are not. At 2^nd level, with a successful Bluff or Disguise check (base DC 15, with the die roll modified as indicated on the table below), the warden stalker is able to fully adopt the accents and mannerisms of whatever sort of person he is pretending to be.
  
  
  
  In addition, a warden stalker may use his ranks in Speak Language as if they were an ordinary skill (Intelligence based; and the character is considered to have one rank per language known), in order to make himself understood in a language he does not speak well, to adopt local dialects of a language he already knows, or to attempt to get a basic understanding of a language being spoken.
  
  
  

  Adopted Identity	Modifier
  Is from a specific profession in which the character has no ranks	-2
  Is from a different but similar culture	-2
  Is from a vastly different culture	-5
  Is that of a specific, real person	-10
  Must fool people from the same culture as the assumed identity	-3
  Must fool people of a vastly different culture than the assumed identity	+3
  Must fool an extremely isolated and close-knit culture	double modifier (positive or negative)



• Sneak Attack (Ex): If a warden stalker can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. The warden stalker's attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 2^nd level, and it increases by +1d6 at 5^th level, and an additional +1d6 at 8^th level. Should the warden stalker score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.
  
  
  
  Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
  
  
  
  With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a warden stalker can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.
  
  
  
  A warden stalker can sneak attack only 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 sneak attacks. The warden stalker must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A warden stalker cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.
  
  
  
  If the warden stalker gets a sneak attack bonus from another source, the bonuses to damage stack.


• Bonus Feat: At 3^rd level, a warden stalker may select a bonus feat from the following list: Brawny, Charming, Clever, Learned, Quick, and Sturdy. The character must meet all prerequisites for the chosen feat.


• True Lies (Ex): Warden stalkers are adept lying to maintain their false identities. They have been trained so extensively in this area that all Bluff DCs arehalved for them. In addition, even spells dealing with lies and truth, such as the 2^nd level cleric spell zone of truth, are easier for the warden stalker to circumvent. If any enchantment or divination spells attempt to force a warden stalker to betray his cause or steal dangerous information from his mind, the warden stalker has a greater protection against these things than most other people. If the spell does not provide a saving throw, the warden stalker gains a Will save to negate the effects. If there is a saving, as is the case with zone of truth, the warden stalker may roll a second save any time the first save fails. This effect is similar to the rogue special ability slippery mind.


• Lightning Reflexes: At 4^th level, a warden stalker gains the Lightning Reflexes feat as a bonus feat.


• Iron Will: At 5^th level, a warden stalker gains the Iron Will feat as a bonus feat.


• Great Fortitude: At 6^th level, a warden stalker gains the Great Fortitude feat as a bonus feat.


• Toughness (Ex): At 7^th level, a warden stalker gains the Toughness feat as a bonus feat.


• Perfect Disguise (Ex): The warden stalker is extremely adept at disguise. At 8^th level, once per day, the warden stalker may create a disguise that is almost impossible to see through (gaining a +15 to Disguise checks). Though it is completely non-magical (and requires props and preparation like any ordinary disguise), it is actually more effective than most magical disguises, such as alter self or even polymorph. When the warden stalker has very limited access to props and makeup or insufficient time for preparation, he may still use this ability, but only gains a +7 bonus to Disguise skill checks.


• Undeceivable (Ex): At 9^th level, the warden stalker is nearly impossible to deceive, even by magical means. Attempts to use the Bluff skill against the warden stalker automatically fail unless the character attempting the bluff is both of highers level than the warden stalker and has more ranks in Bluff than the warden stalker has in Sense Motive.
  
  
  
  Additionally, all illusions and any enchantments that try to convince the warden stalker of something that is not true are easier for the warden stalker to resist. If such spells do not have a saving throw, the warden stalker receives a Will saving throw anyway to negate the magical effects. If they do have a saving throw and the warden stalker fails his roll, he may reroll the save once more, one round later.


• Natural Healing (Su): A 10^th level warden stalker has an exceptionally quick recovery time. He recovers twice his character level in hit points each night, and temporary ability damage is also recovered at twice the normal rate (i.e. 4 points per day of complete bed rest). In addition, one point of temporary ability damage is recovered each day even if the warden stalker is active.

Warden Stalker

		Spells
Level	Special	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	Read Faces	-	-	-	-
2nd	Blend In, Sneak Attack +1d6	-	-	-	-
3rd	Bonus Feat, True Lies	1	-	-	-
4th	Lightning Reflexes	1	0	-	-
5th	Iron Will, Sneak Attack +2d6	1	1	-	-
6th	Great Fortitude	1	1	0	-
7th	Toughness	1	1	1	-
8th	Perfect Disguise, Sneak Attack +3d6	1	1	1	0
9th	Undeceivable	2	1	1	1
10th	Natural Healing	2	2	1	1

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