Marksman (3.5e Class)

Marksman
The Marksman is adept at striking hard from afar using their weapons of choice. Be they hunters of animals for sport, or hunters of men as assassins, Marksmen know how to down their targets. They work best when able to hide themselves, as their melee options are limited.

Making a Marksman
Marksmen do best in parties making themselves scarce. While a fighter is pounding away at the enemy, the Marksmen hides in the shadows and finishes off her opponents, slipping away from view whenever pursued. Marksmen can work alone, but only if they manage to take out their target on the first shot. Any more would be risky, and they use their stealth to slip away in the resulting chaos.

Abilities: Dexterity is the prime ability for the Marksman, both improving their AC and their chance to hit. Wisdom allows for important Spot and Listen checks when stalking their prey and aids Death Attack, Intelligence grants more skill points, and Constitution will help them shore up low hit points for when their hiding is not good enough.

Races: Humans and Elves make great Marksmen. Other races occasionally become effective marksmen, but those who are naturally skillful with ranged weapons flock to it.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 5d4&times;10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: As fighter.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Marksman.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Marksmen are proficient with all simple weapons, all forms of crossbows (including Hand Crossbow), all martial firearms, plus the sniper rifle, kukri, rapier, sap, and short sword. Marksmen are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

 (Ex): Snipe Attack acts like sneak attack, however it is based on striking vital spots when the opponent has no idea of the direction of your attack from a distance.

The marksman’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not) and the marksman is successfully hidden. That is, he is not visible by virtue of a spell or by using the Hide skill and not being noticed. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 every two marksman levels thereafter. Should the marksman score a critical hit with a snipe attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. In addition snipe damage can only be done with ranged attacks, and the 30 ft. range of sneak attacks does not apply to snipe attacks.

A marksman can snipe 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 snipe attacks. The marksman 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 marksman cannot snipe attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

 (Ex): The marksman is an expert at hiding even after their position has been given away. The marksman may use their class level to reduce the penalty to Hide checks after attacking. At level 5, for example, the Hide penalty is -15 instead of -20. At 20th level the penalty vanishes completely.

If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion cannot be used if the marksman is wearing anything other than light armor or no armor. A helpless marksman does not gain the benefit of evasion.

If a feat has the prerequisite of Point Blank Shot, it can be disregarded. You lose these benefits of these feats when wearing anything other than light or no armor. The feats you may select are: Far Shot, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot. Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run, Rapid Reload, Improved Critical (any ranged weapon), Weapon Focus (any ranged weapon), Blind-Fight, Crossbow Sniper (PHBII), Improved Crossbow Sniper, Skill Focus, and Stealthy. At level 12 or higher, you may also choose to pick a rogue's improved evasion skill instead.

 (Ex): At level 5 and every 5 levels beyond, the marksman can create a series of attachable modifications for their ranged weapons. You may choose to gain a new ability or upgrade your existing one. If you gain a new weapon it takes 24 hours for the modification effects to be applied. They are nonmagical attachments and only work for the marksman, who knows how to use them properly. You may select one of the following benefits below:

 Add +1 to attack. Upgrade adds +1 to attack each time.

 Add +2 to damage. Upgrade adds +2 to damage each time.

 +3 to Hide checks after shooting, acts as a bonus so it applies even after your penalty for attacking drops to 0 at level 20. Upgrade adds +3 to Hide checks each time.

 When using Critical Snipe, at +1 to your threat range by taking an additional round to study. Upgrade adds +1 to the threat range, increasing the study time by 1 round again.

 Increase the weapon's firing range by 20% of its base range. Stacks with feats which provide similar benefits. Upgrade adds 20% to its range each time.

 You learn how to coat your ammunition quickly with one or more injury poisons, making it much more deadly. By taking this modification you add small capsules which flood onto the tip of the projectile when it is fired. Taking this modification multiple times allows you to coat a single shot with multiple poisons, or several shots in a row with poison before having to refill the canisters. Refilling a poison container if a full-round action which provokes attacks of opportunity. Therefore if you have 3 empty containers it takes 3 full-round action to fill them all.

Each canister contains one dose of injury poison. Activating the canister coats the ammunition with the poison, allowing the wielder to deliver toxic strikes with the weapon. A character using poison in this way faces all the normal perils of using poison (including accidental exposure when activating the capsule or with a natural 1 on the attack roll). Activating a canister is a free action which does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

 If you successfully snipe someone to before initiative is rolled, all allies gain +1 to initiative in the following round of combat from the shock of the attack to enemy forces. If the target died from the attack, it is a +2 bonus. Upgrade adds an additional +1 bonus to initiative, and +2 if it successfully kills the target.

 Ignore 2 points of natural armor from your assigned target. This cannot bring the opponent's natural armor below 0. Upgrade adds an additional 2 points of natural armor ignored.

 (Ex): The marksman's senses have become honed by being cool and collected when hunting their target, gaining the Alertness feat.

 (Ex): If an marksman studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a snipe attack, they may add a bonus to the weapon's normal critical threat range. At level 10, a 20/&times;3 weapon would become 19–20/&times;3 for the purpose of this one attack. By level 20, the range of a 20/&times;3 weapon has added +3 to the range, making it 17–20/&times;3. While studying the victim, the marksman can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the marksman or recognize the marksman as an enemy. Once the marksman has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the critical snipe attack within the next 3 rounds.

Once a critical snipe is attempted or if the marksman does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another critical snipe attack. You may upgrade your critical range by taking the Tripod modification.

 (Su): At 16th level, a marksman can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a marksman can hide herself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow.

 (Ex): At level 20 the marksman gains the slightly altered form of an assassin's death attack.

If an marksman studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a snipe attack with a ranged weapon that successfully deals damage, the snipe attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (marksman's choice). While studying the victim, the marksman can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the marksman or recognize the marksman as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the marksman's class level + the marksman's Wis modifier) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1 round per level of the marksman. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal snipe attack. Once the marksman has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.

If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the marksman does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.

The marksman cannot make a death attack and a critical snipe at the same time.

Epic Marksman
 (Ex): The epic marksman’s snipe attack damage increases by +1d6 at every odd-numbered level.

 (Ex): Every 5 levels the marksman gains the use of another sniper modification ability.

 (Ex): The epic Marksman gains a bonus feat selected from the list below every 4 levels after 20th.

Blinding Speed, Combat Archery (applies to crossbows and firearms), Distant Shot, Epic Prowess, Epic Speed, Great Dexterity, Great Wisdom, Improved Death Attack (snipe attack functions as sneak attack requirement), Improved Sneak Attack (works to improve your snipe attack instead), Instant Reload, Penetrate Damage Reduction (applies to your ranged weapons only), Self-Concealment, and Uncanny Accuracy.

Human Marksman Starting Package
Weapons: steam pistol, kukri, and sap

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Feat: Skill Focus (Hide).

Bonus Feats: Improved Initiative.

Gear: Leather Armor, Backpack, Flint & Steel, Grappling Hook, Silk Rope, 1x Smokestick, 1x Tindertwig.

Gold: 5 gp

Playing a Marksman
Religion: Marksmen are not opposed to or drawn to any particular religion. If they do choose to worship, gods which emphasis hunting, stealth, and trickery do just fine.

Other Classes: Marksmen can share a lot in common with rogues and rangers. Melee fighters are appreciated but a Marksman cannot relate to them, nor spellcasters. Sometimes they rub harshly against those obsessed with 'honorable combat' and dissuading the use of stealth.

Combat: Marksmen are the hidden allies who take out or weaken enemies for other party members, keeping the opponents on their toes and providing a trump card when times are dim. With their ability to use magic devices Marksmen buff themselves for stealth, and act as backup saviors, popping out with a lifesaving spell when the enemy is not looking.

Advancement: Any ranged-focus prestige class works, as well as classes which offer sneak attack. For the purpose of advancement you may replace any sneak attack class features you gain from a prestige class and use them as sneak attack dice (by DM fiat).

Marksmen in the World
"I saw two gunmen on the grassy knoll, and maybe one on the roof. I can't tell, there aren't many places he could hide, where could the assassin have been?"

The marksmen can be hunters or hired assassins, but all love their crossbows and firearms. As such, they are often dealing with gnomes and other races which tinker in devices strange and mechanical.

NPC Reactions: NPCs have mixed feelings depending on the type of marksman they come off to be. A hunter of animals for sport is admired, but an assassin dare not speak of his profession, and rather plays the part of some other class when introducing themselves.

Marksman Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local) can research Marksmen to learn more about them. When a character makes a knowledge check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Marksmen in the Game
A professional marksman may be hired by royalty to assassinate other members of a rival party. It may be the PCs job to stop the sniper, and root out where they are hiding before it is too late. Alternatively they might be assigned to be the assassin, and must escape the attentions of the heavily armed guards.

Adaptation: As not all campaigns have crossbows and firearms, magic devices mimicking firearms assume the role of firearms.

Sample Encounter: An NPC working for the side of goods may be a professional monster hunter. He seeks various fell beasts, and slays them to make the surroundings safer. A particular monster he hunts cannot be taken down by one man, and he hires the adventurers to help him slay the monster. On the other side of the coin, the adventurers may have gotten themselves in a great deal of trouble, and earned the ire of those in higher positions. Assassin snipers have been dispatched to eliminate the party, or an important ally to the party, and they must survive the onslaught and take out the snipers. It can make a good lead in to a political drama.

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