Path of War - The Stalker.pdf

(4923 KB) Pobierz

◆

Th e S ta l k e r

◆

Path of War

The Stalker

Lead Developer:

Chris Bennett

Interior Design:

Erik Nowak

Interior Layout:

Jeremy Smith

Interior Artwork:

Joe Shawcross, Ben Hossi, Storn Cook, Rick Hershey, Shaman’s Stockart

Publisher:

Jeremy Smith

Special thanks to the legions of fans who helped playtest the material in this book and offered new and innova-

tive ideas to include.

Based on the original roleplaying game rules designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and inspired by the

third edition of the game designed by Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adki-

son.

Product Identity:

The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game

License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names

(characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that

have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this decla-

ration.)

Open Content:

Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this game

product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of

this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without writ-

ten permission.

Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Pub-

lishing, LLC. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo

Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product.

Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under the

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more

information on the compatibility license.

Path of War

ards of the Coast, Inc.

Some artwork copyright Ben Hossi, used with permission.

Path of War

A Note From The Author

A big welcome to the

Path of War

to you!

Whether you’re new to this product line or have been

watching and participating in the playtests, I want to

take this time to thank you for your interest and for be-

ing a part of what I hope will be a great and successful

line up of martial products that will enhance your Path-

finder game with a wealth of new combat options and

great material that can be integrated into any setting.

This document is the product of a dream of mine for a

long time, and I’m very fortunate to be able to share my

dream with you.

The stalker is the first in a set of new base classes to

be published by Dreamscarred Press for the Path of War

series and I certainly hope you’ll be pleased with this

class! Loads more is in the works for this class and the

entire Path of War line, including more base classes, ar-

chetypes, feats, prestige classes, items, and loads more.

This is going to be an incredible ride and I’m glad that

we here at Dreamscarred Press are able to undertake it

with you. Thank you!

Regards,

Chris “ErrantX” Bennett

Lead Designer for the Path of War

Dreamscarred Press

Maneuvers are grouped into disciplines, with each

discipline having a group of associated weapons that fit

the use of that discipline. In addition, disciplines have

an associated skill that is often used with many of the

maneuvers themselves.

Once used, a maneuver is considered expended, not

unlike a prepared spell for spellcasters. But where the

difference between a spell and a martial maneuver lies

is the martial disciple’s ability to recover that expended

maneuver for use again and again over the course of the

day.

All characters have the potential to learn these maneu-

vers, either by being a martial disciple or by being some-

one who has taken up martial training in addition to

their class’ normal training. Martial disciples are those

who have taken the stalker, warder, or warlord classes,

and all others must learn martial maneuvers through

training (such as by taking feats) or through specific

training in their class (by taking up an archetype). Once

learned, a character is forever a martial initiator, a war-

rior with skills beyond the abilities of most others of his

kind, and the potential to master these arts lies before

him along the

Path of War.

A New Method Of Battle

So, there is a question that begs to be asked: Why make

a new book of martial maneuvers? Well, from the days of

3.5, there was a certain book that did drive a wedge into

many gaming tables as it challenged the philosophies of

many who sat around it. “Was it okay to give fighters

spells?” they’d say. Some would say yes, some would say

no. Almost everyone had an opinion on the matter. Since

the inception of the maneuver system in 2006, many

people still use the parent book that inspired this work

in the every day games and with good reason to; it was a

great new set of options. Some didn’t like it, and as those

who would agree with the utility of this book would say

it’s because “they don’t want fighter to have nice things.”

The

Path of War

is designed to give nice things to every-

one and to bring a ton of new options to every class that

relies on their strength of arms to survive an adventure.

The

Path of War

offers a number of new things that

could fit into any campaign setting, from classes and

archetypes, feats, items and monsters, to organizations

that are fundamentally connected to cultures of martial

disciples that have learned, developed, and spread disci-

plines of maneuvers to their members for mutual ben-

efit. By adding the

Path of War

to your campaign, you’re

adding an exciting wealth of new opportunities and op-

tions to the Pathfinder game system, breathing new life

in to combat as well as into classic monsters that will

suddenly have new tricks that veteran players will enjoy

as much as new players. Martial disciples are here at last

for the Pathfinder game system, and they’re determined

to change the face of combat forever.

Introduction

If you’ve played one of the martial classes, you might

wonder why spellcasters get all the cool new toys. Sure,

playing a fighter or rogue or monk can be fun, but they

pretty much always have the same options - melee attack,

ranged attack, full attack. There are occasionally things

to make those interesting, such as cleave or grapple, but

those options aren’t always the best option.

So why should spellcasters and manifesters get all the

fun abilities?

Path of War

is here to give fun, but bal-

anced, options to the martial classes so that role-playing

interactions aren’t the only time you get to do cool things

with your character!

What is the Path of War?

To put it simply, the

Path of War

is a new way to look

at martial combat in the

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

At its basic roots, the

Path of War

allows for martially-

inclined characters to harness new abilities to aid them

in combat. These new abilities are known as maneuvers,

a specific technique that allows a martial disciple to en-

act a powerful attack, erect a defense against an attack,

or improve his overall fighting ability or the abilities of

others. By initiating these in combat, the martial disciple

has a powerful edge that can even rival the powers of

the spellcasters of the world.

Path of War

Classes

Path of War

introduces new classes using the maneu-

ver-based combat system. Detailed below is the stalker

class, a combination of combatant and stealthy scout.

their foes. In addition, the stalker can serve quite well as

the party scout, finding danger and warning the party

before they stumble upon it.

Game Rule Information

Abilities:

Dexterity and Wisdom are prime attributes

for stalkers, as many of their skills are governed by these

abilities and their combat capabilities are augmented by

them as well. Wisdom is the primary initiating attribute

for stalker. Strength is valuable for damage, but can fall

behind Constitution for endurance in battle.

Starting Wealth and Age:

As cleric.

HD:

Stalker

A effective warrior wielding both skill and stealth, the

stalker is a martial disciple who battles in the deep shad-

ows and the hidden underworld of night. Through rigor-

ous training and deep, intuitive, instincts, the stalker is

a trained killer whose very art is considered illegal in

some places. Part mystic, part warrior, and part assassin,

the stalker’s arts are varied, but always deadly.

Adventures:

Stalkers adventure for many reasons, but

most do so either as part of a guild of fellow stalkers on a

mission, for money and profit, or for deeper, often dark-

er purposes of the heart. Some adventure for the test of

their skill, but this is slightly rarer; whatever the reason,

the path of the stalker is often a self-absorbed one.

Characteristics:

Stalkers universally are very intro-

spective people, they rely so heavily upon their intuitive

reactions to situations and their heightened reflexes

through athletic skill that they usually have an air of

detachment. Some are braggarts, but many are quiet

and calm, paying close attention to their surroundings

should they need to use their lethal skills.

Alignment:

Any. Stalkers do not lean to any particular

alignment trend, running the gamut of all walks of life.

Religion:

Some stalkers are deeply religious, finding

solace in their meditations to gods of night, death, trav-

els, or revelry. Other stalkers find no use for gods, for if

the gods protected and cared for their flock, then they

wouldn’t make their followers so easy to kill.

Background:

Stalkers often arise from the poor and

underprivileged who live in city slums, trained from

their youth to be unfeeling killers. Others are trained

in remote areas in a more monastic fashion, taught to

be warriors who strike from the shadows. The training

of stalkers can also be an individual thing, each master

teaching a student in their own way, the way they were

taught.

Races:

Humans and outcast races tend to be drawn to

the path of the stalker. Half-orcs and half-elves make up

a majority of the non-human stalkers, with goblinoids

coming in next.

Other Classes:

Stalkers get on well with rogues and

rangers due to having complementary roles. Paladins

and clerics often chafe when partied with stalkers, as

their reputation as killers (rightly or wrongly) often

sours opinions of them. Other classes generally have a

neutral opinion of stalkers, unless that stalker has come

for them.

Role:

Striker. In the party, the stalker follows the heav-

ily armored fighter into combat, using them as shields

and distractions so they can inflict maximum damage on

Class Skills

The stalker’s class skills (and the key ability for each

skill) are: Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha),

Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise

(Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha),

Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (martial) (Int), Per-

ception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and

Stealth (Dex).

Skill Points per Level:

6 + Int modifier

Path of War

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the stalker.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:

Stalkers are pro-

ficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with

light armor. Stalkers are not proficient with shields of

any kind.

Maneuvers:

A stalker begins his career with knowl-

edge of six martial maneuvers. The disciplines avail-

able to him are Broken Blade, Solar Wind, Steel Serpent,

Thrashing Dragon, and Veiled Moon. Once he knows a

maneuver, he must ready it before he can use it (see Ma-

neuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by stalkers

is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise

noted in its description. His maneuvers are not affected

by spell resistance, and he does not provoke attacks of

opportunity when he initiates one. He learns additional

maneuvers at higher levels, as shown above. The stalker

must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See Sys-

tems and Use chapter.

Upon reaching 4

level, and at every even numbered

stalker level after that, he can choose to learn a new ma-

neuver in place of one he already knows. In effect, the

stalker loses the old maneuver in exchange for the new

one. The stalker need not replace the old maneuver with

a maneuver of the same level. He can choose a new ma-

neuver of any level he likes, as long as he observes his re-

striction on the highest-level maneuvers he knows. The

stalker can swap only a single maneuver at any given

level. A stalker’s primary initiator attribute modifier is

Wisdom.

Maneuvers Readied:

A stalker can ready four of his

six starting maneuvers, but as he advances in level and

learns more maneuvers, he must choose which maneu-

vers to ready. He readies his maneuvers by meditating

and focusing his

for 10 minutes. The maneuvers he

chooses remain readied until he decides to repeat this

again and change them. Stalkers do not need to sleep

or be well rested to ready their maneuvers; any time

he spends 10 minutes in meditation, he can change his

readied maneuvers. He may not ready any individual

maneuver more than once. He begins an encounter with

all readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how

many times he may have already used them since he

chose them. When the stalker initiates a maneuver, he

expends it for the current encounter, so each of his read-

ied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until

they are recovered, see below).

Stalkers may recover their maneuvers in one of two

ways. The stalker may either center his awareness of the

combat momentarily as a standard action and recover a

single expended maneuver of his choice. Alternately, he

may recover his Wisdom modifier in expended maneu-

Table 1: The Stalker

Level

Base

Attack

Bonus

+6/+1

+7/+2

+8/+3

+9/+4

+10/+5

+11/+6/+1

+12/+7/+2

+12 /+7/+2

+13/+8/+3

+14/+9/+4

+15/+10/+5

Fort

Save

Ref

Save

Will

Save

+10

+11

+12

Special

pool, deadly strike +1d6

Combat insight (defensive

reflexes)

Stalker art

Combat insight (uncanny

dodge)

Deadly strike +2d6

Blending

Stalker art

Combat insight (critical hits)

Deadly strike +3d6

Dual strike 1/day

Stalker art

Combat insight (critical recov-

ery)

Deadly strike +4d6

Dual strike 2/day

Stalker art

Improved blending

Deadly strike +5d6

Combat insight (blindsight)

Dual strike 3/day, stalker art

Retributive

Dodge

Bonus

Maneuvers

Known

Maneuvers

Readied

Stances

20th

Plik z chomika:

chomikuff

Path of War - The Stalker.pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: