Bounty Hunter, Tome (3.5e Class)

Summary::Bounty Hunters are contract kidnappers, working for the highest bidder Length::20 Minimum Level::0 Base Attack Bonus Progression::Moderate Fortitude Save Progression::Poor Reflex Save Progression::Good Will Save Progression::Poor Class Ability::Sneak Attack Class Ability Progression::Full

Allowed Alignments::Lawful Good Allowed Alignments::Lawful Neutral Allowed Alignments::Lawful Evil Allowed Alignments::Neutral Good Allowed Alignments::Neutral Allowed Alignments::Neutral Evil Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Good Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Neutral Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Evil

Bounty Hunter
Bounty Hunters hunt and capture creatures. They work on contract, and most of them are loyal only to money.

Making a Bounty Hunter
Bounty Hunters have good information-gathering skills, and some combat skills. Most of his combat skills center on subduing enemies as opposed to killing them, making it hard for him to fit into a standard dungeon-crawl party.

Abilities: Dexterity is important for sneaking and trailing targets. Strength is less important, as the Bounty Hunter can add his Dexterity bonus to nonlethal damage. Constitution is also less important, as most of the Bounty Hunter's abilities rely on eliminating a target before combat starts. Charisma is useful for locating targets with Gather Information, and Wisdom is good for finding hiding targets.

Races: The more Lawful races are less likely to be bounty hunters, as the idea of being loyal to one's self as opposed to a government, organization, or ideal is considered selfish.

Alignment: Any

Starting Gold: 6d6&times;10 gp (210 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Bounty Hunter.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Bounty Hunter is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with the net and bolas.

Subduing Attack (Ex): Bounty Hunters can make attacks that subdue their targets. A Bounty Hunter may spend a full-round action to study an opponent who would be denied their Dexterity bonus if he instead attacked that target. If she does so, his next attack is a Subduing Attack if he makes it within 1 round. A Subduing Attack adds 1d6 nonlethal damage at 1st level, and this amount increases by +1d6 every level. This damage is not multiplied by critical hits.

Disable (Ex): A Bounty Hunter can deal nonlethal damage with any weapon as if it was lethal damage. This means that damage bonuses, such as those from Sneak Attacks or Death Attacks, are added to nonlethal attacks. Also, a Bounty Hunter can choose to apply his Dexterity bonus, as opposed to his Strength bonus, to nonlethal attacks.

Fight Another Day (Ex): A Bounty Hunter cannot collect on a contract if they are dead. When a Bounty Hunter of at least 2nd level is at less than a quarter of his maximum HP, he gains a +10' bonus to his land speed, and a +4 bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity caused by movement.

Penetrating Sense (Ex): A Bounty Hunter of 3rd level or higher gains a bonus to all Listen and Spot checks. This bonus starts at +2 and increases by +1 at every 3 levels.

Expert Tailer (Ex): A 4th level Bounty Hunter gains a +4 bonus to Hide and Bluff checks to used to tail someone.

Kidnap (Ex): A 6th level Bounty Hunter becomes very skilled at binding someone. A Bounty Hunter gains a +10 bonus on all Use Rope checks to bind a helpless creature.

Spell Lock (Ex): Bounty Hunters are skilled at disabling spellcasters so they can be captured. At 7th level, any creature affected by a Bounty Hunter's Subduing Attack loses the ability to cast spells or use spell-like abilities for 1 round.

Detect Thoughts (Su): At 8th level, a Bounty Hunter can detect the thoughts of those around them. They constantly are reading the thoughts of those around them, as Detect Thoughts cast by a caster of the Bounty Hunter's class level.

Scrying (Sp): At 10th level, a Bounty Hunter can use Scrying as a spell-like ability once per day, with a caster level equal to his Bounty Hunter class level.

Superb Tracker (Ex): A 12th level Bounty Hunter gains a +6 bonus on Spot checks to notice a specific creature, and a +6 bonus to all Gather Information checks to find a single creature.

Ambush (Ex): At 14th level, a Bounty Hunter becomes much better at ambushes. Any attacks a Bounty Hunter makes in a surprise round against flat-footed targets deal double damage. Unlike most multipliers, this applies to the extra damage by the Bounty Hunter's Subduing Attack.

Revitalize (Ex): A Bounty Hunter often has to capture targets alive, and sometimes they die in the heat of battle. At 16th level, a Bounty Hunter can, as a full-round action, restore a creature to life. This creature must have died in the previous round, and their body must be intact enough to be still usable. Generally, any attack that would reduce a creature to -30 HP destroys the body enough that is becomes unrevivable. The creature is restored to life with -9 HP, and is treated as having 100 points of nonlethal damage. Using this ability provokes an attack of opportunity.

True Seeing (Su): At 18th level, a Bounty Hunter is constantly under an effect that functions like True Seeing cast by a spellcaster of the Bounty Hunter's level.

Unerring: At 20th level, a Bounty Hunter gains a number of useful abilities. First, he gains a +10 bonus to any Gather Information or Spot checks to find a specific target. Second, he gains a +20 bonus to his land speed. Finally, he gains a number of spell-like abilities that he uses with a CL equal to his Bounty Hunter level: Forcecage 1/day, Greater Scrying 1/week, and Bestow Curse 1/day.