Cave Stalker - General Prestige Class

This is a general Prestige class that may be applicable to the Forgotten Realms Campaign

Most dwarven strongholds are made up of numerous tunnels, warrens, and cave systems, some of which have been ignored or forgotten by their owners. Monstrous creatures and humanoids, like orcs, goblins, and ogres expand like fungus in these cold, dark areas, using them as staging grounds to attack the heart of dwarven communities. To prevent this from happening, certain dwarves are trained from an early age to navigate the long-forgotten tunnels and make preemptive strikes against their enemies. These stealthy warriors are known as cave stalkers.

Cave stalkers specialize in hunting down and eliminating creatures in the dark, twisting caves around dwarven communities. They use stealth, ambush, and deception to single out foes and remove them one by one. A typical strategy is to track down the enemy, then meld into stone close to their location. The cave stalker then waits for her enemy to pass by, leaping out from behind to attack when the target least expects it. A cave stalker also uses her finely tuned stonecunning ability to find the best areas to create pits, cave-ins, and rockslides, often eliminating the enemy without drawing her axe. If a cave stalker is outnumbered, she retreats into the darkness, hiding until she can pick off individual targets.

Because they spend so much time in the stark wilderness of caves and caverns, cave stalkers are slightly ostracized by the rest of the clan. The typical dwarf shudders at the thought of leaving behind her clan, traditions, and forge, so the rootless existence of the cave stalker seems like a social aberration. Still, there is great honor to be found in protecting the clan from attack, so they are given some respect. None of this concerns the cave stalker, who cares little for what others think; she finds purpose in what she does every time she brings down another one of her enemies. She prefers to work alone, but also knows that cooperation with others has its advantages.

Rangers are the most likely individuals to become cave stalkers, and druids, rogues, and fighters are also common.

Feral tribes of barbaric dwarves sometimes produce cave stalkers, who hunt down their foes in silence and then explode into a terrible frenzy once they ambush their prey. Clerics of Moradin are sometimes drawn to this class, eliminating enemies with single-minded zeal. Sorcerers, wizards, monks, and bards, which are rare in dwarven society, almost never become cave stalkers.

Hit Die: d8

To qualify to become a Cave Stalker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Cave Stalker Details

From: Dragon #292

All the Prestige Classes material is © Hasbro 2003, 2004 and used without their permission - so make them happy and buy the book.