You have an attribute called Focus. It reflects your ability to concentrate in difficult situations.

• Maximum value: 5 + Ranger rank + Wis bonus
• Minimum value: 0
• Recharge rate: 20%/rd

It is difficult to focus when you are under attack. For this reason, you suffer a 50% penalty to effective Focus, and a 100% penalty to Focus recharge rate, when you are in any enemy's threatened area, unless you are currently wielding a melee weapon.

Rank 1

Attack

• Aimed Shot: At-will, standard, ranged attack; you carefully line up your shot, waiting for the best time to strike. Your attack gains +25% to Hit Chance and overall damage per point of Focus expended. Not available if you have moved already this turn, and disallows move actions for the rest of your turn.
• Called Shot: At-will, standard, ranged attack; you attempt to shoot a particular body part, sacrificing overall accuracy to do so. You declare which part you are aiming for before rolling to hit, suffering a hit penalty based on which part you choose:
  • Arm: costs 3 Focus; normal damage +50%, plus -50% effectiveness with that arm until fully healed. On a critical hit, arm becomes completely useless until fully healed, plus an injury causing -50% effectiveness.
  • Leg: costs 2 Focus; normal damage +50%, plus -50% movement penalty (and can no longer charge or run). On a critical hit, leg becomes completely useless (can no longer walk, only hop or crawl) until fully healed, plus an injury causing -50% movement penalty.
  • Head: costs 5 Focus; normal damage +200%. On a critical hit, damage is +400% instead of +200%, and subject is stunned (Fort ends).
• Multi-Shot: At-will, standard, ranged attack; you fire multiple missiles in one attack. Inflicts normal damage to one target plus one per Focus expended. Double normal range penalties.
• Steady Shot: At-will, standard, ranged attack; normal damage, plus you gain 1d4 Focus (or 2d4 on a critical hit).

Enhancement

• Rapid Fire: At-will, free; you may sacrifice any amount of Hit Power, up to 50%, to gain an equal amount of Missile Haste.
• Careful Aim: At-will, free; you may sacrifice any amount of Hit Chance you choose, up to 50%, to gain an equal amount of Critical Chance.
• Hunter's Mark: At-will, free, long range; you mentally mark the subject, keeping him in your awareness. Subject suffers 50% penalty to any stealth or concealment gained against you, and you gain +5/rank to Survival checks to track subject for 24 hours. In addition, you threaten subject with your ranged weapon.

Rank 2

Attack

• Covering Fire: At-will, standard, ranged attack; normal damage plus subject no longer threatens an area until his next action (Will negates, fear effect).
• Pinning Shot: At-will, standard, ranged attack; normal damage plus subject is rooted (Fort ends). Subject must be grounded, and ground must be no more dense than normal earth.

Defense

• Disengage: Recharge 33%, immediate, 2 Focus; you leap up to half your movement rate instantly, away from your attacker, avoiding a single attack.

Rank 3

Attack

• Kill Shot: At-will, standard, ranged attack, 3 Focus, usable only on an enemy below 50% health; inflicts normal damage +100%, with +50% critical chance.

All ranger melee maneuvers allow you to attack with both weapons.

Rank 1

Attack

• Raptor Strike: at-will, standard, melee attack; you attack with both weapons with a single hit chance, inflicting normal damage with both weapons +25% per point of Focus expended.
• Serpent Strike: at-will, standard, melee attack, costs 2 Focus; you move up to your base movement speed without provoking, then attack, inflicting normal damage +50%.
• Wild Charge: at-will, standard, melee attack; you move up to half your base movement speed in a straight line, attacking each foe who comes within reach once, to a maximum of 1 target per Focus expended.

Debilitation

• Distracting Blow: swift, melee attack; no damage, but foe suffers -10%/rank to avoidance vs. all other targets until his next non-immediate action.
• Wing Clip: swift, melee attack; subject suffers 100% movement penalty (Fort ends), then 50% movement penalty (Fort ends).

Enhancement

• Reckless Attacks: At-will, free, short range; you may subtract an amount from your Dodge and Parry, and add that amount to your Hit Power. The maximum you can subtract is equal to the higher of the two scores.
• Burst of Speed: Recharge 33%, free, 1 round; gain +100% movement rate.

Defense

• Defensive Roll: immediate, recharge 33%, Focus 1, triggered by a melee attack; you leap up to half your base movement speed, avoiding the attack and landing in a flanking position against the attacker relative to your previous position.

Rank 2

Attack

• Penetrating Strike: At-will, standard, melee attack, Focus 2; normal attack, but inflicts 20% armor fatigue. (Allies gain armor fatigue as effective Armor Penetration)

Rank 1

Debilitation

• Harry: recharge 33%, immediate, triggered by spellcasting, melee range; your companion attacks the caster, interrupting the spell (Fort negates).

Defense

• Sacrifice: immediate, recharge 33%, you or animal companion must be within half base movement of the other; either you or your companion dives in front of the other, fully soaking a single-target attack that otherwise would have hit the other. Cooldown is shared.

Spells

Rank 1

• Defender: Encounter, immediate; you imbue a held or worn light melee weapon with the ability to defend you. You gain the ability to parry with the melee weapon for up to 3 rounds.
• Grappling Line: Recharge 33%, swift, long range; you shoot an arrow into any nonmagical surface; from the arrow trails a magical rope, perfectly taut, anchored to the arrow and your original firing position. For 1 minute/level (D), the rope can be used to travel, granting any who touch it a Climb speed equal to their normal movement speed, affecting travel on the rope only.
• Silent Image: At-will, swift, sustained, long range, silent figment acts as you direct.
• Transposition: Recharge 33%, immediate, long range; you instantly swap positions with your animal companion.
• Flare: At-will, swift, long range; an arrow illuminates a 60 ft radius, revealing any invisible creatures within and imparting a -20 to all Stealth checks. The arrow lasts as long as you keep it in Reserve (and remain within Long range).
• Wind Tunnel: Recharge 33%, swift, line 5-10 ft wide and 20-100 ft long, anchored to you; wind blows strongly away from you, doubling ranged weapon distance and granting +50% effectiveness to missile attacks in that direction. Creatures must pass a Fort save to move toward you, and then only at half speed. Creatures larger than 10 ft are immune.

Rank 2

• Archer's Wall: Daily, swift, wall 5; a wall of force with arrow slits grants near-perfect cover (but no concealment). Those behind it gain 100% resistance to area effects centered on the other side, and enemies suffer -100% to hit targets behind it; those behind it suffer no penalties using ranged spells and attacks through it. The wall has 100% of your hp; lasts until destroyed or end of encounter.
• Arrow Jump: Recharge 33%, swift, medium range; you fire an arrow and you (and willing allies within 5 squares at casting time) teleport to where it lands.
• Blade Barrier: Daily, immediate, medium range, wall 1/level; wall of whirling blades inflicts 200% heavy physical damage on cross, annihilates projectiles. 5 rounds.
• Mirror Image: Daily, immediate; you gain 1d4+1 illusory duplicates. Targeted attacks strike a random target, destroying it but not harming you. Area effects ignore duplicates. Blindsight and illusion detection bypass.
• Shadow Pin: Recharge 33%, swift, medium range; subject is rooted (Fort ends).

Rank 3

• Companion Portal: Daily, standard; you open a two-way portal to your animal companion, over any distance up to 1 mile/level. Portal lasts for 1 rd/level, or until dismissed.
• High Ground: Daily, swift, long range; you erect a tower from the prevailing terrain. It occupies one square and is up to 50 ft high, with 5 ft high battlements. Optionally, it includes a ladder. The battlements provide cover for anyone atop the tower. The tower itself has 500% of your hp and hardness 5%, and lasts 10 min/level (D).
• Rescuing Arrow: Recharge 33%, swift, medium range; an arrow fired at an ally inflicts no damage, but teleports the ally to a position within 15 ft of you.
• Ring of Force: Daily, swift, 5 rounds; wall of force encircles you at a range of 5-10 squares. You may leave one or more squares open.
• Elemental Archers: Daily, swift; three archers appear within short range; one of fire, one of frost, and one of lightning. They have the same hit points and defenses as you, plus they are immune to damage of their type. Each round, they may take one ranged attack, inflicting medium damage (your AP) of their respective types. They last 3 rounds, or until destroyed.

Magic Arrow

You can craft magic arrows, which, when launched, produce magical effects in addition to the damage of the arrow.

Magic arrows last until used. However, the magic of the arrows comes from you, so you must infuse part of your own energy into each arrow. For this reason, you are limited in the number of magic arrows you may possess at any given time:

• Maximum magic arrows: Ranger rank + Wis bonus

You may craft any magic arrow for which you meet the rank prerequisite. Though firing the arrows is a maneuver, any magical damage they inflict is based on your Spell Power.

Rank 1

• Arcane Arrow: The arrow is guided by magic, gaining +20% hit chance, and inflicting half normal damage as bonus arcane damage upon impact.
• Flame Arrow: The arrow bursts into flame upon impact, adding half weapon damage as fire damage, plus same ongoing for 3 rounds.
• Frost Arrow: The arrow deeply chills the target, causing full weapon damage again as frost damage, plus chilled (-50% movement) for 3 rounds.
• Shocking Arrow: The arrow causes a jolt of lightning which bounces to other targets, adding half weapon damage as lightning damage in a chain 3/3.
• Thunder Arrow: The arrow causes a burst of light and sound in a burst 4, causing deafened and blinded (Fort ends individually).

Rank 2

• Arrow of Animation: This arrow only works when fired on a corpse; subject rises as a zombie minion under your control for the duration of the encounter.
• Arrow of Darkness: Upon landing, arrow begins to emanate total darkness in a 3-square radius. Lasts 3 rounds.
• Fireball Arrow: Upon landing, the arrow causes a burst 4, inflicting half weapon damage as fire damage.
• Freezing Arrow: Upon landing, arrow freezes subject in a block of ice. Subject becomes invulnerable, but unable to take actions (Fort ends).
• Lightning Arrow: When fired, arrow transmutes into pure energy. The ranged attack becomes a long line, inflicting normal damage as lightning damage.
• Spy Arrow: Arrow is invisible. Upon landing, it grants you the ability to see and hear everything within 30 ft of the arrow while you concentrate. The arrow disappears after 10 min/level (D) and can be destroyed as easily as a normal arrow.
• Vampiric Arrow: Upon striking a living creature, arrow causes light ongoing shadow damage for 3 rounds. Each time it inflicts this damage, you are healed for the same amount.

Rank 3

• Arrow of Slaying: Arrow slays whoever it hits (Fort negates). Must be created to slay a particular category of creature, such as goblinoids or true dragons.
• Chain Arrow: Arrow trails a magically-created chain behind it, and can turn in mid-air. You may cause a circle 1-5 to contract, pulling all creatures inside toward the center, and binding them all together with a heavy chain. Escape requires an Escape Artist or Strength check opposed to your Wisdom check.
• Gravity Arrow: Arrow causes emanation 10, causing 50% movement penalty to enemies, and pulling enemies 5 instantly and again on each of your next 2 turns.
• Phase Arrow: Arrow passes through all intervening obstacles, including creatures, objects, and walls, ignoring all cover, and gaining +100% Armor Penetration. Normal rules for indirect fire apply.
• Portal Arrow: Upon landing, arrow creates a portal within short range of target, allowing two-way travel with another portal within short range of you. Portals last 3 rounds, or until you dismiss them.
• Volley Arrow: When fired into the air, arrow becomes many arrows, raining down over a circle 5, striking all subjects for half normal damage as arcane damage.

Magic Trap

You may magically create traps, bypassing the normally laborious process of crafting, placing, and carefully concealing them.

Laying any trap is a swift action, and can be done in any square adjacent to you or your animal companion. You may craft any of the traps listed below, appropriate for your rank.

The trap is triggered whenever any steps or starts a turn within 1 square of the trap.

You may have up to 3 traps active at any given time.

Rank 1

• Alarm Trap: You and allies are alerted that the trap was triggered, either by a loud, piercing siren or a silent, telepathic communication. Whoever triggered the trap is stripped of any stealth or illusion effects, and rendered unable to use such effects for 3 rounds (magical effect).
• Immolation Trap: Subject bursts into flames, suffering medium fire damage plus same ongoing for 3 rounds.
• Freezing Trap: Subject is frozen (Fort ends).

Rank 2

• Icy Burst Trap: Close burst 3, enemies suffer heavy frost damage plus rooted (Fort ends).
• Polymorph Trap: Subject is polymorphed into a harmless animal for 5 rounds, or until damaged. While polymorphed, subject takes no action except to wander (single move each round) in a random direction away from harm.
• Snake Trap: Summons 1d6+4 snakes in the surrounding squares. They immediately rush to attack enemies as you direct. They move 6 squares per round and ignore attacks of opportunity. With each bite, they inflict light physical damage (your AP) plus same as ongoing poison damage for 3 rounds. They have Hit Points equal to a light damage roll, and enjoy 90% resistance to area effects and a Dodge chance equal to yours +25%. They last up to 3 rounds.

Rank 3

• Chain Lightning Trap: Subject suffers heavy lightning damage, then effect chains 3 squares at a time to enemies, jumping up to 9 times.
• Death Fog Trap: Centered circle 3; a cloud of thick, opaque gas chokes and burns those within. On turn start, subjects suffer 50% of max hp as acid damage (Fort half). It is impossible to breathe within the cloud; communication and casting with verbal components are impossible. Subjects suffer 90% movement penalty while inside cloud.
• Forcecage Trap: Subject is trapped in a barred cage of force (either 5x5 feet or 10x10 feet, larger creatures are immune). Bars are as strong as walls of force, but ranged and melee attacks can penetrate the walls. Cage lasts 5 rounds.

Old Blood

All rangers have a special bond with their animal companions, but, in the end, they're just animals. At least, for everyone but Hunters.

Hunters are attuned to the natural energies of the animal kingdom; they possess the same sense that animals in the wild use to communicate, that sense which civilized man has lost. Typically at a young age, Hunters notice that they have the ability to communicate with animals, to understand them better than others. They find they share the same preternatural senses as most animals--among them, the ability to sense danger long before it is obvious to the senses.

Mages differ in opinion on the nature of these abilities. Are they magical, or simply some innate power that civilized man has lost? Regardless, the Old Blood is, as its namesake suggests, a power far older than most magic, far more basic, and yet no less powerful for it.

All Hunters have the ability to communicate with their animal companion. Although the animal possesses normal intelligence, treat this ability as telepathy, with a maximum range of 1 mile per Hunter level. By default, it is only words and feelings--not sights or sounds. Such powers are available, however.

For each level of Hunter, you gain a Wild Trait.

Powers

Instead of a Ranger maneuver, you may select a Power.

Rank 1

• Eyes of the Beast: At-will, concentration; you "possess" your animal companion. You see what it sees, hear what it hears, and may guide its actions. Maximum range is 1 mile/level. Establishing contact requires 1 round per 500 feet of distance between you, max 1 minute.
• Hidden History: Recharge (8 hours), 5 minutes; you determine the events that took place in the region, such as a combat, within the last 1 day/level. As the spell Vision.
• Share Vitality: Recharge 33%, free, long range; you transfer any amount of hit points between yourself and your companion. Neither you nor the companion may drop below 0 or above maximum through this action.
• Stillness of the Chameleon: At-will, concentration; you become 25% invisible for each round of concentration. Movement ends, damage ends.
• Tame the Beast: Recharge 33%, swift, short range; you calm the target animal, causing it to enter an indifferent state (Will negates, damage negates).

Rank 2

Wild Traits

Some traits have more than one rank. That means you may take them multiple times.

Rank 1

• Fang of the Tiger: 3 ranks. You gain +10/20/30 to Critical Power and Hit Power with melee weapons.
• Tenacity of the Boar: 3 ranks. You gain 10/20/30% of your Wisdom factor as bonus Hit Points, and +5/10/15% Soak rating.
• Grace of the Wind: 3 ranks. You retain 33/66/100 of your Dodge attribute and your Focus attribute and regeneration when threatened while wielding only a ranged weapon. You gain +5/10/15 to Hit Rating and +10/20/30 to Armor Penetration with ranged weapons.
• Eye of the Eagle: When using Perception to see, your distance penalty is mitigated by 100 feet (effective +10). Thus, you can read a book at 100 feet.
• Ear of the Fox: When using Perception to hear, your distance penalty is mitigated by 100 feet (effective +10). Thus, you can hear a whisper at 100 feet.
• Gills of the Fish: You can hold your breath for up to one minute per point of Con score (instead of one round). You gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed.
• Wolf Run: You may run or double move overland for up to 12 hours per day, with the same fatigue as walking. After doing so, your food needs triple for an equivalent period.

Rank 2

• Squirrel Fu: 3 ranks. While dual-wielding melee weapons, you gain +10/20/30 melee haste.
• Badger Badger: 3 ranks. Each time you suffer damage (max once/rd), you gain a +10/20/30% rage bonus to damage for 2 rounds (stacks and refreshes).
• Zen Archery: 3 ranks. You reduce all hit penalties for ranged attacks within short/medium/long range by 50% (including those for movement, awareness, indirect fire, etc).
• Nose of the Hound: Gain Scent.
• Shriek of the Bat: Gain Echolocation.
• Brachiation: You may move at full speed through branches, vines, etc.
• Grip of the Spider: Gain +10 to Climb. You may easily climb sheer walls.

Rank 3

• Fire in the Soul: 3 ranks. By expending 1 Focus per round, you gain +10/20/30% melee damage.
• Unyielding Earth: 3 ranks. By expending 1 Focus per round, you gain resist 10/20/30 (all), but your movement speed is reduced by 50%.
• Air Mastery: 3 ranks. Your ranged attacks are unaffected by wind, and you ignore the concealment provided by fog or gas effects. You gain +10/20/30 ranged haste.

Rank 4

• Pounce: 3 ranks. Prior to each standard action used to make a melee attack, you may move up to 50%/100%/150% of your movement rate without provoking attacks of opportunity.
• Preternatural Defense: 3 ranks. You have a sixth sense about incoming attacks. You retain 33/66/100% of your Dodge and Parry ability against unseen enemies.

Poison

You may craft poisons, to be applied to your arrows or melee weapons. Poison-making is a delicate art, and requires many interesting chemicals from nature and artificial sources.

You automatically know how to create and apply the poisons below, as appropriate for your rank.

The market value of each poison is by rank:

• Rank 1: 50 cp
• Rank 2: 2 sp
• Rank 3: 5 sp
• Rank 4: 1 gp
• Rank 5: 3 gp

You may gather materials in the wild as a 2-hour action. Roll a Survival check. You gain the check result times your Hunter rank in cp of materials.

Poisons are kept in vials, which preserve the poison until opened. Once opened, the poison is good for 1 minute. One vial can be applied to 10 arrows, or to a melee weapon for 1 minute, applying to all blows with that weapon for 1 minute. You need not use all of a poison once opened; you may, for instance, use 5 arrows' or 5 rounds' worth of a vial, then stopper it.

It is a standard action to apply poison to a weapon. For this reason, Hunters often keep pre-poisoned weapons on standby, by applying the poison, then covering the weapon (either sheathing a melee weapon or covering a poisoned arrow in a protective arrowhead sheath). Either way, this preserves the poisoned weapon until the sheath is removed, as a free action.

Most poisons are stackable.

Rank 1

• Burning Venom: Inflicts half weapon damage as ongoing poison damage for 4 rounds.
• Paralyzing Venom: Subject suffers 50% movement penalty and -10% to Hit and Dodge (Fort ends).
• Weakening Venom: Subject suffers 50% damage penalty (Fort ends).
• Wyvern Sting: Subject falls asleep (Fort ends, damage ends). Only works on subjects out of combat.

Rank 2

• Cockatrice Glare: Subject suffers -50% haste (Fort ends). At 2 stacks, subject is made of stone.

Woodsman's Step

For each rank of Hunter, you may choose one of the below terrain types:

• Plains
• Forest
• Desert
• Mountains or Underground
• Arctic

In this favored terrain, you gain the following benefits:

• +5 to Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks
• Ignore terrain penalties for movement

The following effects are not specific to favored terrain:

• You gain 10% avoidance per Hunter level, max 50%, to any simple trap in nature, such as a hidden net, concealed pit, etc.
• The DC to track you is increased by 10, or your Hunter level, whichever is higher.

Inurement

You are used to the rigors of the natural world. When exposed to extreme heat or cold, you are treated as one category less exposed than you are.

You gain 5% resistance to poison and disease from natural sources (plants and animals) per Hunter level, max 50%.

You gain a 10% bonus per Hunter level (max 50%) to Will saves against the charms and compulsions of fey creatures.

Tracking

You may track a given category of creature. Starting to track is a free action, which requires that you reserve 1 Focus as long as you are tracking that creature type.

The creature types are:

• Humanoid
• Animal
• Dragon
• Undead
• Outsider
• Elemental
• Aberration
• Etc

While tracking, you may take the following actions:

• Constant (no action needed): you know if there are creatures of that type within long range, besides any of which you're already aware.
• Swift: you learn the number of creatures of that type within long range.
• 2 rounds: you learn the number of creatures within long range, and the occupied squares of each within the last 2 rounds.
• 1-5 minutes: you determine the approximate number of creatures of that type within 1-5 miles, and can choose any particular one to track.