PART 7 - The Wildlander

[The Hive Mind]

Before the time of the dark god’s reign, there were men who lived not only in the wilderness, but with it. These rangers knew the land and its inhabitants as well as a farmer knew his fields. They could identify medicinal herbs and roots, find a quick source of food, and use the land as a weapon against their enemies.

As the forces of the Shadow marched through Eredane, the wildlanders, as they came to be called, retreated into the primeval forests and high mountains that they knew so well. Some chose to side with the civilized men who fought against Izrador’s armies, but these were few and they could only help delay the inevitable. Now, many see the wildlanders as cowards and traitors who allowed the Shadow in the North to conquer whole the lands of Eredane. Some wildlanders see this as an inevitable backlash as the people search for a scapegoat for their failure, others experience guilt over their forefathers’ failure to aid their people in a time of great need, and yet others still begrudge the people their prejudices and return them in kind. Now, most importantly, the wildlanders are one of the only groups to have escaped the grasp of the Night Kings and their fell armies. Their skills in moving through the wilderness without being seen are becoming paramount to the forces of good that are fighting a desperate and ongoing battle against Izrador and his minions.

Adventures: Wildlanders often find an area close to a town or other bastion of civilization in which to live. They then serve as hidden protectors to the people who live nearby, as well as guerrilla warriors fighting from the trees against the dark god’s forces. They also spend their time clearing the area of monsters and other threats that have only grown in the 100 years since the Night Kings were turned.

Characteristics: Wildlanders are masters of their environment and have many skills that help them to survive, track their prey, and to help others find their way through the wilderness. They are proficient in most forms of weaponry and armor, granting them combat capabilities far greater than most. Finally, wildlanders are always aware of their surroundings and train themselves to make quick decisions in times of great stress.

Alignment: Wildlanders can be of any alignment. The majority are good-hearted protectors who feel either heroic or guilt-driven motivations to guard those around them. Most wildlanders are also chaotic, ignoring the laws of the lands in which they live as readily as they flaunt those of the Night Kings. The wildlanders see their freedom from such restraints as a strength and thus fight to maintain their independence. Evil wildlanders still harbor resentment toward the people who revile them as traitors, and some have taken up with the forces of Izrador to serve as trackers, bounty hunters, and scouts.

Background: Most current wildlanders are themselves descended from the rangers who retreated in the face of Izrador’s forces. They were trained by their mothers and fathers in the ways of the wilderness, and as a result, they have a deep understanding of the lands around them. They tend to be isolated from others of their kind, and their social development in most cases has been inadequate at best. Some wildlanders are peasants who chose to live in the wild to escape the bonds of servitude that the Night Kings have forced upon their family and friends. These wildlanders learned their craft the hard way and tend toward using their skills to hamper the servants of Izrador whenever possible. As a result of their relatively normal upbringing, these wildlanders tend to understand and have better relations with others of their kind.

Races: Wildlanders are most commonly elves or humans. Elves have a natural affinity with the land and their innate grace allows them to move stealthily through the woods and tall grasses of Eredane. The dark god’s standing order to kill elves on sight makes this a natural choice for those elves outside the protection of the Witch Queen. Elflings also commonly choose this path to avoid having to hide their heritage out of fear of persecution. Humans can be found on every continent and in almost every land. They tend to be hardy and adaptable, making them well suited to the life of a wildlander. Dworgs become wildlanders by necessity, needing to develop skills to survive on their own in the wild, or die. The dwarves of the Kaladrun Mountains can often be found living alone deep in the tunnels and caverns that they call home. These robust individuals serve as scouts and early opposition in the case of incursions by the dark god’s forces or any of the horrors that call the deep their home.

Other Classes: Wildlanders often associate with channelers and other spellcasters who must avoid detection by the forces of the Night Kings. Often, entire networks are formed to facilitate such alliances, and a traveling wildlander might know where to find a spellcaster no matter where he goes. A wildlander can respect the martial skills of a fighter or barbarian and the underlying rebellion of the defender’s training. Other classes are tolerated by the wildlander, who has no reason to be irritated at the ways of others since he follows his own path and lets those around him do the same.

Abilities: Strength and Dexterity are equally important for wildlanders because they make their way through the world using both stealth and martial prowess. Many of a wildlander’s important skills are also based on these two abil- ities. Constitution is helpful when dealing with the extreme weather conditions and scarcity of food that a wildlander may encounter in his travels. A high Wisdom score will help a wildlander master many of the skills that are necessary for survival in the wilds.

Level Base / Attack Bonus / Fort Save / Ref Save / Will Save / Special
1 ----------+1 ---------------+2 --------+0 --------+0 ------Track, wildlander trait
2 ----------+2 ---------------+3 --------+0 --------+0 ------Wildlander trait
3 ----------+3 ---------------+3 --------+1 --------+1 ------Danger sense
4 ----------+4 ---------------+4 --------+1 --------+1 ------Hunter's strike 1/day
5 ----------+5 ---------------+4 --------+1 --------+1 ------Wildlander trait
6 ----------+6/+1 ------------+5 --------+2 --------+2 ------Danger sense
7 ----------+7/+2 ------------+5 --------+2 --------+2
8 ----------+8/+3 ------------+6 --------+2 --------+2 ------Wildlander trait, hunter's strike 2/day
9 ----------+9/+4 ------------+6 --------+3 --------+3 ------Danger sense
10 ----------+10/+5 ----------+7 --------+3 --------+3
11 ----------+11/+6/+1 -------+7 --------+3 --------+3 -----Wildlander trait
12 ----------+12/+7/+2 -------+8 -------+4 ---------+4 -----Danger Sense, hunter's strike 3/day
13 ----------+13/+8/+3 -------+8 -------+4 ---------+4
14 ----------+14/+9/+4 -------+9 -------+4 ---------+4 -----Wildlander trait
15 ----------+15/+10/+5 ------+9 -------+5 ---------+5 -----Danger sense
16 ----------+16/+11/+6/+1 ---+10 ------+5 ---------+5 ----Hunter's strike 4/day
17 ----------+17/+12/+7/+2 ---+10 ------+5 ---------+5 ----Wildlander trait
18 ----------+18/+13/+8/+3 ---+11 ------+6 ---------+6 ----Danger sense
19 ----------+19/+14/+9/+4 ---+11 ------+6 ---------+6
20 ----------+20/+15/+10/+5 --+12 ------+6 ---------+6 ----Wildlander trait, hunter's strike 5/day

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Starting Possessions: 4d4x10 vp.

Class Skills

The wildlander's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography)(Int), Knowledge (nature)(Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Speak Language (n/a), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Wildlander Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A wildlander is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.

Track: Wildlanders receive Track as a bonus feat at 1st level.

Danger Sense (Ex): Wildlanders are notoriously difficult to surprise. At 3rd level, the wildlander gains a +1 bonus to initiative rolls and a +1 bonus to all Spot and Listen checks. Every three levels thereafter (at 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level), the wildlander may either increase his bonus to initiative rolls by +1 or increase his bonus to Spot and Listen checks by +1.

Hunter's Strike (Ex): Whether hunting game for his own survival or eliminating an orc scout before it finds the village he protects, a wildlander often only gets one shot at his target, and knows that it must count. Once per day at 4th level, the wildlander may inflict double damage with any successful melee or ranged weapon attack, as if he had succeeded at a critical hit with a x2 multiplier. If a hunter's strike is applied to a confirmed critical hit, the damage is not doubled; instead, damage is dealt as if the critical multiplier of the weapon were one higher.

The wildlander must decide to use the hunter's strike after the attack roll is made but before damage is rolled. He may use this ability an additional time per day at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level.

Wildlander Trait (Ex): At 1st and 2nd level and every three levels thereafter (at 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 20th level), a wildlander gains a special trait of his choice from among the following. Unless otherwise noted, all wildlander traits are extraordinary abilities.

Tier 1 Traits

Master Hunter: The wildlander may choose a type of creature (from the table below). Against that creature he gains a +2 bonus to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against this type of creature. In addition, he gains a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. A wildlander may select this trait multiple times, choosing a new creature type or the same type. If the same creature type is chosen more than once, the bonuses stack; however, a wildlander may not choose the master hunter ability against the same creature type twice in a row.

For instance, a wildlander might choose master hunter: orcs as his 1st-level wildlander trait. He could not then choose master hunter: orcs as his 2nd-level wildlander trait, because that would be choosing the same creature type twice in a row. He could choose the master hunter trait and select a different creature type, or choose a different wildlander trait altogether, but could not select master hunter: orcs again until 5th level.

Creatures--------- Other
Aberration ------------Channeler
Animal ----------------Legate
Construct ------------Fell
Dragon ---------------Bodiless Spirits
Elemental
Fey ------------------Humanoids
Giant -------------------Aquatic
Magical Beast -----------Elf (all)
Monstrous Humanoid ----Dwarf
Ooze -------------------Gnome
Outsider ---------------Goblinoid
Plant ------------------Halfling
Undead (non-Fell) ------Human
Vermin -----------------Orc

Quick Stride: The wildlander's speed is faster than the norm for his race by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when he is wearing no armor or light armor, and not carrying a medium or heavy load. A wildlander may select this trait multiple times, increasing his speed by +10 feet each time; however, he may not choose this trait twice in a row.

Rapid Response: The wildlander gains Alertness or Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.

Skill Mastery: The wildlander becomes so adept in the use of certain skills that he can use them reliably even under adverse conditions. Upon gaining this ability, he selects any skill from the wildlander class skill list. When making a check with that skill, he gains a +3 competence bonus to the check and may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so. A wildlander may select this trait multiple times, selecting a different skill for it to apply to each time.

Wild Empathy: The wildlander can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The wildlander rolls 1d20 and adds his wildlander level and his Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.

To use wild empathy, the wildlander and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

The wildlander can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a -4 penalty on the check.

Wilderness Trapfinding: The wildlander can use the Search skill to locate wilderness traps or traps without complicated moving parts when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20. He may also use the Survival skill to disarm such traps. If he beats a trap's DC by 10 or more with a Survival check he can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with his party) without disarming it.

Woodland Stride: The wildlander may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

Tier 2 Traits

Animal Companion (Requires Wild Empathy): The wildlander gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, owl, pony, riding horse (light or heavy), snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. A halfling or a halfling-raised elfling may also choose an immature wogren. This creature is a loyal companion that accompanies the wildlander on his adventures as appropriate for its kind.

Each time a wildlander selects this trait, he may either select an additional animal companion from the list above, may advance his animal companion by one rank, or may dismiss a current animal companion for one of the next higher rank (see table below). When an immature wogren would normally reach rank 2, it instead becomes an adult wogren of rank 1.

Animal Companion
Rank / Bonus HD / Natural Armor / Str Adj. / Dex Adj. /  Bonus Tricks  / Special  / -----Alternate Companion
1 -------+0 -----------+0 --------+2 -------+0 ---------2 ---------Devotion

2 -------+2 -----------+2 --------+4 -------+1 ---------3 ---------Magical beast ---Black bear, boar, crocodile, grass cat, ort, shark (Large), snake (constrictor), snake (Large viper), war horse (light or heavy), wolverine.

3 -------+4 -----------+4 --------+6 -------+2 ---------4 ---------Evasion ---------Boro, brown bear, giant crocodile, plains leopard, snake (Huge viper).

4 -------+6 -----------+6 --------+8 -------+3 ---------5 ---------Improved speed --Polar bear, river eel, shark (Huge), snake (giant constrictor).

5 -------+8 -----------+8 --------+10 ------+4 ---------6 ---------Empathy ---------Sea dragon

Animal Companion Basics
Use the base statistics for the animal but make the following changes.
Rank:This is a way of measuring the animal companion's relative power, and is determined by the ability that grants the animal companion. Alternate animal companions always start with a rank of 1.
Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal's base attack and base save bonuses. Animals have good Fortitude and Reflex saves. The animal gains any extra skill points or feats for bonus HD.
Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the animal's existing natural armor bonus.
Str/Dex Adj.: Add this value to the animal's Strength and Dexterity scores.
Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is the total number of "bonus" tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the character might choose to teach it. These bonus tricks don't require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don't count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The character selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can't be changed.
Devotion (Ex): The animal's loyalty to its master is such that it gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against Enchantment spells and effects.
Magical Beast (Ex): The animal is now treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purposes of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal's HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats).
Evasion (Ex): If the animal is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.
Improved Speed (Ex): The animal adds 10 ft. to its base speed.
Empathy (Su): As a byproduct of their long association and many battles together, the character and animal have a supernatural empathic link to a distance of up to 1 mile. The character cannot see through the animal's eyes, but can communicate simple commands as well as understand simple emotions and the basic emotions and circumstances of the animal.



Hated Foe (Requires Master Hunter): The wildlander gains another use of his hunter's strike ability per day, but this ability must be used against a creature for which he has chosen the master hunter trait.

Instinctive Response (Requires Rapid Response): After the wildlander makes an initiative check but before his place in the initiative order is determined, he may choose to re-roll her initiative check. He must take the second roll, even if it is worse than the original roll.

Overland Stride (Requires Quick Stride): When using Survival and performing tasks that normally require him to move at half-speed (such as tracking, foraging, or concealing tracks), the wildlander may move at normal speed without penalty.

Sense Dark Magic (Requires Master Hunter: Legate or Master Hunter: Outsider): The corrupt magic of the dark god and of the malevolent spirits of the world leave subtle marks in the natural world: a faint stench, a splotch of decay on a leaf, a chill in the air. The wildlander can use this extraordinary ability to detect magic as the spell, except that this ability only reveals the presence of the divine magic of the dark god (if he has Master Hunter: Legate) or magic caused by the supernatural or spell-like abilities of outsiders (if he has Master Hunter: Outsider).

Additionally, for the purposes of tracking or detecting either of the creature types above for which he has the master hunter trait, the wildlander is considered to have the scent ability.

Trackless Step (Requires Woodland Stride): The wildlander leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. He may choose to leave a trail if desired.

Woodslore (Requires Wilderness Trapfinding): The wildlander gains a sixth sense with regards to avoiding pits, snares, deadfalls, and other wilderness traps. Whenever he is in a natural setting and comes within 5 ft. of a trap or concealed door, he is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if he were actively looking for it.

Tier 3 Traits

Camouflage (Requires Skill Mastery: Hide and Trackless Step): The wildlander can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn't grant cover or concealment.

Evasion (Requires Quick Stride and Instinctive Response): The wildlander can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. This benefit only applies when he is wearing no armor or light armor, and not carrying a medium or heavy load. A helpless wildlander does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Hunted by the Shadow (Requires Rapid Response and Sense Dark Magic): The magic of the Shadow in the North leaves a taint on all that it touches, something the wildlander has learned to recognize using a sixth sense. Whenever he would normally be surprised by a servant of the dark god, regardless of creature type, the wildlander may roll initiative as normal and act during the surprise round, taking a partial action.

Improved Woodland Stride (Requires Woodland Stride and Overland Stride): As woodland stride, except that the wildlander may move at her normal speed through terrain and plants that have been enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion, without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.

True Aim (Requires Skill Mastery: Spot and Hated Foe): The wildlander has become a deadly killer of his chosen prey. When he gains this trait, he must choose one creature type for which he has chosen the master hunter trait. Whenever he uses his hunter's strike ability against a creature of that type, the attack is considered to be a critical hit with a x3 multiplier. If the attack was already a critical hit, the multiplier of the critical hit is increased by 2.

Hide in Plain Sight (Requires Camouflage): The wildlander can use the Hide skill even while being observed so long as he is in any sort of natural terrain.

Improved Evasion (Requires Evasion): This ability works like evasion, except that while the wildlander still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless wildlander does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Slippery Mind (Requires Hunted by the Shadow): The wildlander knows that to be ensnared by the dark god's magic is to die, and his force of will and survival instinct allow him to avoid such situations. If a wildlander with this trait is affected by an enchantment spell or effect cast by a servant of the dark god and fails his saving throw, he can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. He gets only one extra chance to succeed on his saving throw.