Faerûnian Prestige Class : Shade Hunter

"The return of Netheril can only mean great danger for Faerûn. I must find that which they have come seeking, so that I can use it first." - Daggerdale Thren, shade hunter

The shade hunter is a breed of adventurer who lives for the thrill of finding lost treasure, defeating ancient traps, and surviving deadly curses laid by the priests of dead gods. Part historian, part loremaster, and part graverobber, these artifact hunters will go anywhere and risk anything to acquire the next big score to add to their hoards. Netherese artifacts have always held a particular fascination for anyone interested in history and ancient arcana, and the return of the Shadovar and the floating City of Shade above Anauroch has created a frenzy of related activity all across Faerûn. The recent damage dealt to Shade's mythal by five of Faerûn's most powerful mages has caused the city's leaders to seek out ancient stores of Netherese magic in hopes that something will be able to repair it - and opportunistic treasure hunters have not been far behind them.

Shade hunters come from all backgrounds, but a love of adventure and history as well as a total disregard for personal safety are traits common to them all. Most hail from the northern regions - the Dalelands, the Western Heartlands, the North, and the Moonsea being most common - around which the ancient empire of Netheril had the most contact and influence. The freewheeling style of the class, as well as the need for stealth and "technical expertise," best suits rogues and rangers, but occasionally a curious bard will find the lure of undiscovered caches of magic and lore irresistible; other classes find the wide range of skills and knowledge a shade hunter needs to be too demanding. Intelligence (for skill acquisition and spells), Dexterity (for evading traps), and Wisdom (for following tracks) are key abilities for a shade hunter.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Shade Hunter, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Class Skills

The shade hunter's class skills are Balance, Climb, Concentration, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Disguise, Gather Information, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Profession, Ride, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device, and Use Rope.

Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Shade hunters have become amazingly adept at navigating the dungeons in which the ancient magic of Netheril is often found. They also develop special techniques for fighting the rightful heirs to this long lost treasure.

Spellcasting: When you take up this class, you gain the ability to cast a number of arcane spells. To cast a spell, you must have an Intelligence score of 10 + the spell's level. Your bonus spells are based on Intelligence, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + your Intelligence bonus. When you get 0 spells per day, you gain only the bonus spells you would be entitled to based on your intelligence score for that spell level. You cast spells just as a sorcerer does.

Upon reaching 6th level, and at every even-numbered level after that, you can choose to learn a new spell in place of one you already know. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level shade hunter spell you can cast.

Trap Sense (Ex): Your expertise with dungeons gives you an intuitive sense that alerts you to danger from traps, providing you with a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses increase by 1 every other level, up to +5 at 9th level. Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple sources stack.

Tricks of the Trade (Ex): The experiences and dangers that you have encountered in your travels begin to coalesce into a practical body of knowledge when you enter the shade hunter class. This knowledge grants you a bonus equal to your class level that can be used each day to augment ability checks, skill checks, or attack rolls. The points of bonus do not need to be applied to the same roll, and you can divide them up however you like throughout the day. You must decide whether or not to use a bonus, and if so how large the bonus will be, before you roll the die.

For example, a 3rd-level shade hunter has a total bonus of +3 to distribute throughout the day. If he finds himself in mortal combat, he could apply the entire bonus to a single attack roll, hoping to fell his enemy. Alternatively, he could apply a +1 bonus to an Open Lock check, then another +1 to a Spot check later that day, and his final +1 bonus to a Strength check to dislodge a coffer from its resting place.

Low-Light Vision (Ex): At 2nd level, you gain low-light vision. If you already have low-light vision, its effective distance is doubled, so you can now see four times as far as a human in conditions of low light.

Sense Ancient Magic (Su): Starting at 2nd level, you can detect the magical aura radiated by items of Netherese creation. This ability functions like detect magic, except that it is always active unless you consciously suppress it, and it can only detect the auras of magic items that have been in the same location for at least one hundred years.

Expert Packer: Starting at 3rd level, you have learned how to get every last bit of utility out of your backpack, belt, and bandoleer. Reduce the weight of your gear by 10% for purposes of figuring your load.

Sneak Attack (Ex): At 4th level and higher, you deal extra damage when you catch a foe flat-footed or flank a foe, as the rogue class feature. Sneak-attack dice attained from multiple sources stack.

Tools of the Trade: By 4th level, you have picked up so many knickknacks and strange tools on your travels that you've lost track of everything you own. Once per day, you can "find" any mundane piece of equipment (other than weapons or armor) worth up to 10 gp per class level somewhere on your person, having forgotten completely about it. When you do so, you must subtract an equivalent amount of gold (or other treasure - gems, jewelry, art, etc.) from your savings. If you do not have enough gold to cover the cost of the item you want, you might not find the item with this ability.

Darkvision (Ex): At 5th level, you gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its effective distance extends by an additional 60 feet instead.

Special Ability (Ex): At 6th level, you can choose one of the following rogue special abilities: defensive roll, improved evasion, or skill mastery.

Locate Ancient Magic (Su): When you reach 7th level, your ability to sense the lost magic of Netheril has grown stronger. You can now locate any magic items that have been in the same location for at least one hundred years as if you had cast a locate object spell and were familiar with the items in question. Activating this ability is a standard action, and you can locate multiple auras by concentrating for continuous rounds.

Improved Favored Enemy (Ex): Starting at 8th level, your favored enemy bonuses against shades increase by 2. No other favored enemy bonuses can be increased with this ability.

Blindsight (Ex): At 10th level your ability to function in the deepest, darkest dungeons grants you the ability to sense your surroundings using every available sensory input. You gain blindsight out to 30 feet.

Shade Hunter Spell List

Shade hunters choose their spells from the following list:

1st: camouflage, delay poison, detect snares and pits, identify, jump, longstrider, pass without trace, read magic, surefoot.

2nd: bear's endurance, bull's strength, cat's grace, cure moderate wounds, detect metals and minerals, make whole, snare.

3rd: continual flame, daylight, locate object, neutralize poison, obscure object, remove disease.

4th: commune with nature, dispel magic, freedom of movement, nondetection, remove curse, stone shape.

Shade HunterHit Die: d8
CLBABFortRefWillSpecial
1st+0+2+2+0Trap sense +1, tricks of the trade
2nd+1+3+3+0Low-light vision, sense ancient magic
3rd+2+3+3+1Trap sense +2, expert packer
4th+3+4+4+1Sneak attack +1d6, tools of the trade
5th+3+4+4+1Trap sense +3, darkvision 60 ft.
6th+4+5+5+2Special ability
7th+5+5+5+2Trap sense +4, locate ancient magic
8th+6+6+6+2Sneak attack +2d6, improved favored enemy
9th+6+6+6+3Trap sense +5
10th+7+7+7+3Blindsight 30 ft.
Shade Hunter Spells Per Day
Level1st2nd3rd4th
1st0---
2nd1---
3rd20--
4th31--
5th320-
6th331-
7th3320
8th3331
9th3332
10th3333
Shade Hunter Spells Known
Level1st2nd3rd4th
1st2¹ - - -
2nd3- - -
3rd32¹ - -
4th43 - -
5th432¹ -
6th443-
7th4432¹
8th4443
9th4443
10th4444
¹Provided the character has sufficient Intelligence to have a bonus spell of this level.

Shade Hunter Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local Anauroch, Dalelands, High Forest, the North, Shadovar, Silver Marches, or Western Heartlands) can research Netheril and the shade hunters. A character with contacts among any adventuring shades can get quite a bit of information, and asking around at libraries and arcane shops can prove fruitful as well. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.

Source: Champions of Ruin

[Back]
Realms Prestige Classes