Hunters range the forests and plains of the Seven Kingdoms, whether lawful men plying their trade or poachers intent on stealing a deer or boar from a noble’s private forest. These men — and sometimes women — are stealthy in the wilderness, swift with arrow and blade. They can sense their prey with a keen awareness. Some Hunters enlist with noble lords and ladies, accompanying them on planned hunting excursions and keeping their storehouses filled with game. Others prefer an independent life, living off the wild and using their sharp instincts to survive.
Hunters are often out in the wilderness for long periods of time, which can lead them into many unexpected adventures. Not much can surprise them, however, thanks to their finely honed senses and ability to move stealthily in their native environment. Hunters are quite patient and are used to hiding in place for hours; they make excellent scouts and spies in wilderness territories. An experienced Hunter is often a better outrider than a lifelong soldier, thanks to his or her keen ears and eyes and patience to wait out an enemy patrol. Hunters may also be used as a sly strike force in wilderness areas, sent in groups to waylay enemy units, then attacking hard and fast before retreating to the safety of the wilderness, where no soldier can hope to find them.
Hunters are swift and silent in their favored terrain. They can live off the land for as long as necessary, whether forced to do so by pursuit or in search of game to take back to the home fire. They can track beast or man over the hardest ground and through the wettest swamp. A good Hunter knows how to use the terrain to the best advantage in a fight, and can hold his or her own against any soldier when fighting in familiar surroundings.
Sport Hunters are often born of noble blood, since only the rich have time to make hunting a leisure activity. Many smallfolk learn the art of hunting as a means of survival. They specialize in bringing in food for supper and trading hides or preserved meat for other goods and services. Most children, especially in Dorne and the North, are taught at least the basics of hunting given the harshness of their surroundings.
All of the houses of Westeros, both great and small, employ Hunters to train their children and keep their stocks full of fresh meat. Great Hunters often enjoy friendships with lords and their children, not only because of their prowess but because they possess freedom a noble can rarely know.
Dexterity is important to Hunters for stealth. Strength is also important, especially for sport Hunters who confront boars with longspears; they must ensure a savage first strike, so that the boars do not gore them to death. Strong Hunters can often run, jump, and climb nearly as well as their prey. Wisdom is also important for a Hunter, who relies on his or her razor sharp senses to detect and track prey.
Hunters gain 8 Hit Points at 1st Level, and 2 Hit Points per Level thereafter. The character’s Constitution Modifier applies.
The Hunter’s Class Skills (and the key Ability for each Skill) are: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft: Carpentry (Dex), Craft: Fletcher (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge: Local Area (Int) Knowledge: Nature (Int), Knowledge: Navigation (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex).
At 1st Level, Hunters gain (7 + Int Modifier) x 4; humans gain +4 bonus At each additional Level, Hunters gain 7 + Int Modifier; humans gain +1 bonus
At each Level, Hunters gain 2 + Cha Modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Hunters are proficient with all simple weapons, as well as the following martial and exotic weapons: handaxe, longbow (including double-curved bows), net, and shortbow (including double-curved bows), and trident. Hunters are proficient with light armor.
At 1st Level, the Hunter may select a region in which he or she has exceptional experience. The most common region types are: aquatic, cold forest, cold plains, desert, temperate forest, hills, marshland, mountains, and plains. The character’s first choice should reasonably coincide with his or her Background — where did the character grow up and learn to hunt?
When a Hunter is in a chosen region, he or she gains a +2 dodge bonus to Defence. If the Dexterity bonus to Defence is lost for any reason, this bonus is lost as well. Furthermore, the character gains a +2 bonus to any Knowledge: Nature, Search, Spot, or Survival checks made within a chosen region. Additionally, when hunting an animal native to the chosen region, the Hunter acts as if he or she had the Critical (Improved) Feat. These bonuses only apply out of doors.
As the Hunter’s experience grows, he or she may select other regions with which he or she has acquired experience during the course of life’s adventures. The Hunter chooses a new Native Terrain region at both 8th and 16th Levels. Each time he or she does so, the Skill and Defence bonuses for any previous regions are increased by +1. The selection should be appropriate to the character’s experiences and the campaign. Note that these bonuses do not stack with the Raider’s or Night’s Watch Ranger’s Native Terrain Special Abilities; the Hunter must always choose a new region.
For example, Arden chooses cold forest as his region at 8th Level, since he’s been adventuring north of the Wall for several years. He was already exceptionally experienced in temperate forests from his childhood hunting in his father’s lands. His bonuses in temperate forests increase to +3, while he now has +2 bonuses in cold forests as well.
Quick To Arms
Hunters train their senses to a keen level of acuity, which allows them to react to danger with surprising speed. At 2nd Level, a Hunter gains a +4 bonus to Initiative as long as he or she is wearing light or no armor.
At 2nd Level, the Hunter gains a +2 bonus on all Survival checks made when tracking. At 5th Level, the Hunter gains an additional +2 bonus.
The Hunter can become like a ghost when moving through the wilderness. At 3rd Level, any time the Hunter is moving through his or her Native Terrain, he or she gains the listed bonus to all Hide and Move Silently checks. In addition, at 11th Level, the Hunter can move his or her full speed while making Hide and Move Silently checks in any chosen region.
At 4th, 9th, 14th, and 19th Level, the Hunter may choose a bonus Feat from the following list: Accuracy; Accuracy (Improved); Combat Agility; Far Shot; Granted Status; Initiative (Improved); Mounted Archery; Point Blank Shot; Political Connections; and Precise Shot.
At 6th Level, the Hunter gains the Weapon Specialization Feat (ignoring prerequisites). He or she may apply it to any weapon with which he or she is proficient.
At 7th Level, the Hunter gains the Endurance Feat.
At 7th Level, a Hunter learns to ambush his or her foes in Native Terrain. Anytime the Hunter’s target is caught fl at-footed, the Hunter’s attack deals extra damage. The extra damage is +1d6 at 7th Level, +2d6 at 13th Level, and +3d6 at 20th Level. Should the Hunter score a critical hit with a Stalking Strike, this extra damage is not multiplied.
Ranged attacks can only count as Stalking Strikes if the target is within Short Range. The Hunter can’t strike with deadly accuracy from beyond that range.
A Hunter can only Stalking Strike a living creature with a discernible anatomy, and only within the Hunter’s Native Terrain. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is also invulnerable to Stalking Strikes. The Hunter must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must then be able to reach it. The extra damage stacks with similar Special Abilities, such as a Knave’s Sneak Attack.
At 10th Level, a Hunter can improve the attitude of an animal. This Special Ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The Hunter rolls 1d20 and adds his or her Hunter Level plus Charisma bonus to determine the check result. To use Wild Empathy, the Hunter and animal must be able to study each other clearly; influencing an animal in this manner takes an average of 1 minute, but it may take more or less time as reasonable.
At 12th Level, the Hunter can use the Hide Skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Hide in Plain Sight
At 17th Level, the Hunter can use the Hide Skill even while being observed in any Native Terrain.
At 18th Level, a Hunter learns how to leave no trail in natural surroundings. The Hunter cannot be tracked in his or her Native Terrain, except by another Hunter of equal or higher Level. The Hunter can choose to leave a trail if desired.