Mystic Sniper (3.5e Class)

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A sniper with limited spellcasting. 20 0 Good Poor Good Good Prepared Arcane Spellcasting Minor

Mystic Sniper

Assassins and hitmen, mystic snipers take out their targets far away from danger. They use limited spellcasting to assist in the set up and execution of their missions.

Making a Mystic Sniper

Abilities: Dexterity is prime ability scores for ranged attacks, and Wisdom will be required for both spellcasting and perception, though Intelligence may also be used for spellcasting. Constitution, while important, is less so than most as they should never be in range of attacks in the first place. Strength may be middling, and Charisma is not important.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 5d4×10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: As fighter.

Table: The Mystic Sniper

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will		1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	+1	+0	+2	+2	Far Range Shot, Favored Terrain, Mark Target, Snipe Attack, Sniping Expertise, Track	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	+0	+3	+3	Bonus Feat, Far Senses	—	—	—	—
3rd	+3	+1	+3	+3	Endurance, Keen Senses	—	—	—	—
4th	+4	+1	+4	+4	Far Sight	0	—	—	—
5th	+5	+1	+4	+4	Favored Terrain	1	—	—	—
6th	+6	+2	+5	+5	Bonus Feat	1	—	—	—
7th	+7	+2	+5	+5	Hide in Plain Sight	1	0	—	—
8th	+8	+2	+6	+6	Improved Endurance	1	1	—	—
9th	+9	+3	+6	+6	Nondetection	2	1	—	—
10th	+10	+3	+7	+7	Bonus Feat, Favored Terrain	2	1	0	—
11th	+11	+3	+7	+7	Ranged Death Attack	2	1	1	—
12th	+12	+4	+8	+8	Mark Status	2	2	1	—
13th	+13	+4	+8	+8	Greater Endurance	3	2	1	0
14th	+14	+4	+9	+9	Bonus Feat	3	2	1	1
15th	+15	+5	+9	+9	Favored Terrain	3	2	2	1
16th	+16	+5	+10	+10	Infinite Range	3	3	2	1
17th	+17	+5	+10	+10	Marked for Death	4	3	2	1
18th	+18	+6	+11	+11	Bonus Feat, Superior Endurance	4	3	2	2
19th	+19	+6	+11	+11	Astral Invader	4	3	3	2
20th	+20	+6	+12	+12	Favored Terrain, Headshot	4	4	3	3
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (engineering) (geography) (local) (nobility) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Mystic Sniper.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mystic Snipers are proficient with all simple weapons, martial weapons, and exotic ranged weapons. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. A mystic sniper can cast mystic sniper spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a mystic sniper wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (most do). A multiclass mystic sniper still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Far Range Shot: The mystic sniper gains the Far Range Shot feat as a bonus feat.

Favored Terrain (Ex): The mystic sniper may select a type of terrain from Table: Favored Terrains. The mystic sniper gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain. A mystic sniper traveling through his favored terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses).

At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, the mystic sniper may select an additional favored terrain. In addition, at each such interval, the skill bonus and initiative bonus in any one favored terrain (including the one just selected, if so desired), increases by +2.

If a specific terrain falls into more than one category of favored terrain, the mystic sniper's bonuses do not stack; he simply uses whichever bonus is higher.

Favored Terrain

Favored Terrain
Cold (ice, glaciers, snow, and tundra)
Desert (sand and wastelands)
Forest (coniferous and deciduous)
Jungle
Mountain (including hills)
Plains
Planes (pick one, other than Material Plane)
Swamp
Underground (caves and dungeons)
Urban (buildings, streets, and sewers)
Water (above and below the surface)

Mark Target (Su): As a swift action, the mystic sniper can make a ranged touch attack out to line of sight and mark a target. Marking a target provides a +2 bonus on attempts to search for, spot, or track the target. You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls against your marked target, but a -2 AC penalty against all other creatures. You may have up to one marked creature at a time, marking a new creature removes the mark from the old one. You may drop your mark as a free action on your turn.

Snipe Attack: 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 mystic sniper'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 mystic sniper at least 30 ft away. This extra damage is 1d6 per level, but only applies to the first successful attack in a round per target, regardless how many attacks were made. Should the mystic sniper 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.

A mystic sniper 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 mystic sniper 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 mystic sniper cannot snipe attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Feats which typically assume precision damage within 30 ft may instead apply to snipe attacks at ranged greater than 30 ft.

Sniper Expertise (Ex): The mystic sniper learns how to hide after firing an attack off. They reduce the penalty due Hide checks due to sniping by their class level.

Track: The mystic sniper gains the Track feat as a bonus feat.

Bonus Feat: At 2nd level and every four levels beyond (6th, 10th, etc), the mystic sniper recieves a bonus feat from the following list. Darkstalker^LoM, Death From Afar, Extended Shot, Far Shot, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization, Improved Precise Shot, Manyshot, Precise Shot, Ranged Feint, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Sharp-Shooting, Shot on the Run, Skill Focus, Tactical Shot, Weapon Focus, and Weapon Specialization. They must qualify for the feat as normal. They count as a fighter of their level for the purposes of bonus feats granted by this ability.

Far Senses (Ex): The 2nd level mystic sniper has sharp eyes and sensitive ears senses. They only take a -1 penalty to Spot checks per 50 ft of distance. Likewise Listen checks only increase the DC by +1 per 50 ft of distance.

Endurance: The 3rd level mystic sniper gains the Endurance feat as a bonus feat.

Keen Senses (Ex): The 3rd level mystic sniper gains darkvision 60 ft and low-light vision. If they already had darkvision, their darkvision is increased by +60 ft. If they already has low-light vision they gain superior low-light vision, able to see four times as far.

Far Sight (Sp): The 4th level mystic sniper may project a scrying sensor forth to observe an area from afar. This works like prying eyes, but is a standard action casting, with a duration of concentration (and you may concentrate on it as a move action), and limited to line of effect. You control it directly rather than giving it instructions. You may use it at will, but if the eye is destroyed (rather than merely ceasing to exist) you are stunned for 1d4 rounds.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a mystic sniper gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells, which are drawn from the mystic sniper spell list. A mystic sniper must choose and prepare his spells in advance (see below).

To prepare or cast a spell, a mystic sniper must have either an Intelligence or a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a mystic sniper's spell is 10 + the spell level + the mystic sniper’s Intelligence or Wisdom modifier. The mystic sniper chooses if they are Intelligence or Wisdom based on creation, afterwards it cannot be changed.

Like other spellcasters, a mystic sniper can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Mystic Sniper. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence or Wisdom score. When Table: The Mystic Sniper indicates that the mystic sniper gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Intelligence or Wisdom score for that spell level.

A mystic sniper prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though he cannot lose a prepared spell to cast a cure spell in its place. A mystic sniper may prepare and cast any spell on the mystic sniper spell list, provided that he can cast spells of that level, but he must choose which spells to prepare during his daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a mystic sniper has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his class level.

1st—accelerated movement^SpC, alarm, arcane mark, bel's ambush, camouflage^SpC, darkness, dead end^SpC, detect magic, detect heat, detect power level, disguise self, ebon eyes^SpC,encrypt/decrypt, endure elements, entropic shield, faerie fire, feather fall, guided shot^SpC, guiding light^SpC, hawkeye^SpC, holt's energy booster, infernal wound^SpC, insightful feint^SpC, jump, know direction, lay of the land^SpC, lightfoot^SpC, living prints^SpC, low-light vision^SpC, longstrider, magic aura, magic weapon, marked object^SpC, naked invisibility, nerveskitter^SpC, pass without trace, poof, protection from arrows, resist energy, seeker bee, shadow mask^SpC, shock and awe^SpC, silent image, silent portal^SpC, speak with animals, speak to allies^SpC, stalking brand^SpC, sticky fingers^SpC, tag, targeting ray^SpC, true strike, ventriloquism, vile strike

2nd—absorb weapon^SpC, anticipate teleportation^SpC, arcane sight, augury, blur, circle dance^SpC, clairaudience/clairvoyance, create corpse, creeping darkness, coward's reprieve, darkvision, deeper darkness, detect scrying, detect thoughts, dimension door, dispel magic, flame arrow, greater alarm^SpC, greater endure elements, greater magic weapon, iron silence^SpC, invisibility, keen edge, knock, meld into stone, minor image, mirror image, obscure murder, obscure object, phantom trap, protection from energy, reverse arrows^SpC, scan, see invisibility, shape cloud, snare, speak with dead, speak with plants, spider climb, status, swift invisibility^SpC, swift haste^SpC, tiny hut, undetectable alignment, veil of shadow^SpC, whispering wind, wind wall

3rd—air walk, amorphous form^SpC, arcane eye, bands of steel^SpC, binding pact, blacklight^SpC, blink, chain of eyes^SpC, commune with nature, decoy image^SpC, dimensional anchor, displacement, dream, false vision, find the gap^SpC, gaseous form, greater clairaudience/clairvoyance, greater dispel magic, greater invisibility, helping hand, illusory wall, invisibility sphere, legend lore, listening coin^SpC, locate creature, mage's private sanctum, major image, mark of the shadowstalker, nightmare, noclip, nondetection, persistent invisibility, phantasmal decoy^SpC, scrying, sculpt sound, secret chest, see through fog, sending, shadow walk, spectral weapon^SpC, spell dampen, spell immunity, telepathic bond, teleport, water breathing, water walk, wraithstrike^SpC

4th—analyze event, contact other plane, discern location, echo skull^SpC, ethereal jaunt, find the path, foresight, forceward^SpC, freedom of movement, greater arcane sight, greater gaseous form, greater scrying, greater teleport, implacable pursuer^SpC, instant summons, mimic morph, mislead, modify memory, nightstalker's transformation^SpC, persistent image, prying eyes, ray deflection^SpC, repulsion, screen, seeming, sequester, shadow form^SpC, shadow phase^SpC, shadowfade^SpC, soulbinding sword, stone tell, true seeing, vision

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): The 7th level mystic sniper can use the Hide skill even while being observed in any of their favored terrains.

Improved Endurance (Ex): The 8th level mystic sniper must survive the toughest terrain while stalking their targets. The bonuses granted by the endurance feat rise to +8, and you may sleep in heavy armor without becoming fatigued. You eat, drink, and sleep half as much as normal for your race (though you still require 8 hours of rest to recover spells). You may hold your breath twice as long. Finally, you are always under a constant endure elements effect.

Nondetection (Ex): The 9th level mystic sniper must never be found. They are always under a constant nondetection effect.

Ranged Death Attack (Ex): The 11th level mystic sniper gains death attack as an assassin, but using snipe attack and limited to ranged 30 ft and beyond and the save DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Intelligence or Wisdom (as according to your spellcasting ability). Unlike death attack, a small clue in the form of a laser sight target appears when a target is being studied. Creatures may make a Spot check opposed by your hide check to notice before they are attacked.

Mark Status (Su): The 12th level mystic sniper's mark ability now gives you the effect of status against the marked target. A DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Intelligence or Wisdom (as according to your spellcasting ability) negates.

Greater Endurance (Ex): The 13th level mystic sniper's endurance improves yet again. You no longer need to eat, drink, or sleep, and your endure elements improves to greater endure elements.

Infinite Range: The 16th level mystic sniper gains the Infinite Range feat as a bonus feat.

Marked for Death (Su): The 17th level mystic sniper can choose to delay the effects of an attack, including a snipe attack or death attack, for any amount of time. As a non-action they may choose when the damage comes into effect. A target marked for death is aware they have been attacked, but not immediately aware that it had any effect.

Astral Invader (Sp): The 19th level mystic sniper doesn't even need to be there to kill you. They gain astral invader as a spell-like ability 1/day.

Headshot (Ex): The 20th level mystic sniper's attacks are absolutely deadly. They gain the effect of Vorpal on any snipe attack they make, even if the weapon would not otherwise qualify. They can also choose to remove the head when successfully making a killing blow on a creature.

Human Mystic Sniper Starting Package

Weapons: Heavy Crossbow

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 7 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Balance	4	Dex	0
Gather Information	4	Cha	—
Hide	4	Dex	0
Knowledge Local	4	Int	—
Listen	4	Wis	—
Move Silently	4	Dex	0
Spot	4	Wis	—

Feat: Improve Initiative.

Bonus Feats: Far Range Shot, Run, Track

Gear: Leather Armor

Gold: 65gp.

Campaign Information

Playing a Mystic Sniper

Religion: Mystic snipers are usually hired killers. As a result, them and religion... at least non-evil religion... rarely interact.

Other Classes: Mystic snipers are useful, but also shifty. How can you trust someone who can murder you from a mile away?

Combat: Mystic snipers do best in wide open fields with plenty to hide behind. The reality however is that there are often cramped dungeons where extreme range is impossible. As long as they can get at least 30 ft away their sniping kicks in. Still, a wise mystic sniper always has a backup melee weapon.

Advancement: Classes which advance sneak attack or skirmish count towards increasing snipe attack.

Mystic Snipers in the World

“	One shot, and it changes everything.	”
—Oiwa, Tiefling Mystic Sniper, Documentary of Kurihara Assassination

Daily Life: Mystic snipers do well not to let their occupation be known. Snipers are not often trusted, for good reason.

Organizations: It is inevitable that powerful organizations and governments hire mystic snipers to deal with targets with precision and violence where obvious direct force cannot do.

NPC Reactions: Mystic snipers are scary and not to be trusted.

Mystic Sniper Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge Local can research Mystic Snipers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge Local

DC	Result
10	Mystic snipers are extreme range attackers who can deal powerful blows with a single shot.
15	Mystic snipers have spells which augment their fighting style, and abilities which make them difficult to detect... or hide from.
20	Powerful mystic snipers can kill with a single shot, fire at insane ranges, and survive in any environment.
30	Those that reach this level of knowledge can research specific mystic snipers, their whereabouts, recent hits, behavior, and other trivia.

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