Hunter

To be a hunter is to live on the dangerous edge of the world, a master of two realms. You are a creature of the wilderness, a peerless survivalist who can read the snap of a twig like a sentence and follow a trail that others cannot see. But you are more than a simple tracker. You have woven the world's fundamental magic—be it the power of the Arcane, the faith of the Divine, or the life of the Primal—into your very fighting style, becoming a lethal and inescapable predator.

A Predator's Focus

The hunter's power comes from a deep, practical understanding of the world. They see magic not as a force to be worshipped or studied, but as a focused tool to be wielded. It is an extension of their senses, a sharpening of their instincts. This magic is not for show; it is for the kill. It is the arcane glint on an arrow, the divine blessing on a trap, or the primal whisper that guides their animal companion. Their power is the perfect, deadly synthesis of natural skill and supernatural focus.

Master of the Hunt

The Warrior masters the forms of combat, the Knight Champion masters the power of an oath. The Hunter, by contrast, masters the environment. They do not charge into battle; they control it, choosing the time and place of their attack. Their magic is not the grand, reality-bending force of a Mage, but a subtle, personal enhancement. It is the magic of the unseen sniper, the silent tracker, and the patient ambusher, proving that preparation and precision will always defeat reckless strength.

Creating a Hunter

When creating your hunter, consider your relationship with the wild. Are you a civilized person who was forced to learn its ways, or were you born to it? What is the source of your magical bond? Did you study the arcane to become a perfect tracker, did you swear a divine vow to a god of the hunt, or did you forge a primal pact with the spirit of the wilderness itself? Are you a bounty hunter, a wilderness guide, a monster-slayer, or a guardian of a sacred territory?

Quick Build

You can make a hunter quickly by following these suggestions. Prioritize Acuity as your highest ability for ranged combat, or Dexterity for a more melee focused build. Then choose either Intelligence to focus on spell casting or Strength for melee damage. Choose the Outlander, Folk Hero, or Militia background. For your Job, select Woodsman to double down on your survivalist theme, Explorer to focus on tracking and navigation, or Warden to emphasize your bond with the wild.

Class Features

As a Hunter, you gain the following class features:

Health

Health Pool: 1

You add your Health Pool to your Health at level 1.

Vitality

Vitality Dice: 1d8 per Hunter level

Vitality at 1st Level: 8 + your Agility and Endurance

Vitality at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 4) + your Endurance per Hunter level after 1st

Combat Skills

Weapons: Hunters start with advanced weapon aptitude

Armor: Trained in the Light and Medium armor skills

Defense: Trained in Body and Mobility skills

Skill Ranks at 1st Level: 2 combat skill ranks

Skill Ranks at Higher Levels: 1 combat skill rank per 2 Hunter levels after 1st

Skill Boosts at Higher Levels: 1 combat skill boost per Hunter level after 1st

Action Points: An Hunter uses Dexterity when rolling Action Points

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Whenever you finish a long rest, you may replace any fighting styles you know that are on this list with any other styles that are also on this list.

• Archery. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

• Defense. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +2 bonus to Armor.

• Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

• Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll the damage for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you may roll one additional dice, ignoring the lowest dice roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

• Hand and a Half Fighting. While you are wielding a versatile weapon in two hands, you gain a +1 bonus to your attack rolls with that weapon and a +1 bonus to your Passive Defense and Parry.

• Interception. When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, you can use spend 4 Action Points to move ½ your movement to the target and reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your Dexterity (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a weapon to react and must be within reach of the target after the movement.

• Protection. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you, you can spend 2 Action Points to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield and must be within 5 feet of the attacker or the target, or in between the attacker and the target in a straight line when the attacker makes a ranged attack.

• Thrown Weapon Fighting. When you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

• Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your attribute modifier to the damage of the off-hand attack.

• Unarmed Fighting. Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren’t wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d4 becomes a d6. At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you.

Swift Response

At first level, when a creature within your movement range takes the move action, you can spend 2 Action Points as a reaction to move half your movement.

Vanguard

Choose a Vanguard from the list of available Vanguards, shaping your magic and combat. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 20th level.

Spellcasting

Your gain magic that helps you hunt down your prey and capture them.

Spellcasting Circles

The Hunter table shows the highest circle of spells that you can cast. To cast one of these spells, you must expend the spellcasting resource and action point cost listed in the spell’s description. You regain all spellcasting resources when you finish a long rest.

Spellcasting Resources

Depending on your choice of Arcane, Divine, or Primal magic, you will have a unique spellcasting resource. See Spellcasting for what your spellcasting resource is and how much you have.

Known or Prepared Spells

Depending on your choice of Arcane, Divine, or Primal magic, you will have a number of spells available to you. See Spellcasting for your known spells or how you prepare spells.

Spellcasting Attribute

Intelligence is your spellcasting attribute for your spells as your knowledge of the world around you fuels your magic. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting attribute. In addition, you use your Intelligence when making an attack roll or when setting the target Spell Defense for any hunter spell you cast.

Spell modifier = your spell skill + your Intelligence

Spell Defense = 8 + your spell skill  + your Intelligence

Hunter’s Mark

Whenever you hit a creature with your weapon, you may mark them with a part of your magic for 2 of your spell casting resource (mana, vitality, or add to your threshold). You may add your Intelligence to the damage whenever you hit your target with a weapon attack or a damaging spell. You may mark any number of targets, up to your Intelligence.

You may, as a reaction, spend 2 Action Points after you make an attack, to unleash the mark, removing it from the target to do an additional 1d8 damage of the same kind as the attack. For 2 Action Points and 1 spellcasting resources, as a reaction to your target making any movement-based actions, you may unleash the mark, removing it from the target to do 1d8 primal sourced damage.

Momentum and Restraint

At 3rd level, you learn to use your mobility and patience to your advantage. You gain a dual state known as Momentum and Restraint. For every 3 movement you make on a turn, you add 1 to your Momentum, and for each turn you do not move you add 1 to Restraint. Each resource can be increased to 5. When you make a melee attack, you can spend your Momentum to add 1d4 to the damage for each point of Momentum. When you take the Aim action, you can spend your Restraint to lower the Action Point cost of the Aim action by your Restraint.

At level 17, each resource can be increased to 7.

Talent

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you gain a Talent.

Efficient Attacks

At level 5, you become more adept with attacks. You reduce the cost of weapon attacks by 1 Action Point per attack.

Roving

At 6th level, your movement increases by 2, and your climbing speed and swimming speed are equal to your movement.

Tireless

At 10th level, for 5 Action Points , you can give yourself a number of temporary vitality points equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence (minimum of 1). You can use this action a number of times equal to your Intelligence, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, whenever you finish a short rest, your exhaustion level, if any, is decreased by 1.

Improved Hunter's Mark

At 14th level, your Hunter's Mark becomes more powerful and versatile. When you would normally mark one target, you can spend an extra 2 spellcasting resources to instead affect as many targets as your Intelligence in a 15 foot radius of the primary target. Your limit for marked targets is now twice your Intelligence. In addition, when you unleash the mark, it does 2d8 damage instead of 1d8.

Preternatural Senses

At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see.

• Primal - You gain blindsight out to 30 feet as long as your senses (blinded or deafened) aren't affected.

• Arcane - You have ethersight out to a range of 60 feet.

• Divine - You can see through magical darkness.