Hunter

Hunter

The thrill of the chase thrums in a Hunter’s mind as they patiently surveil. No detail is too small or insignificant to ignore. Experience teaches the most important lesson: you don’t have to be more powerful than your quarry, so long as you’re better prepared.
Starting Skill: Perception. If you choose Hunter as your starting path, gain a free skill rank in Perception.

Seek Quarry (Hunter Talent)

Prerequisite: None.
Activation: Special Activation
Once you’ve found your prey’s trail, you unrelentingly pursue them and study their movements across the harshest of terrain.
After spending 1 minute mentally preparing, you choose a character who you can sense or who you’ve previously encountered. That character becomes your quarry until you choose to end this effect as a Free Action or select a new quarry.
Additionally, you gain an advantage on tests made to find, attack, or study your quarry (such as the Gain Advantage action).
Leads to:

• Combat Training & Tagging Shot (Archer)
• Killing Edge & Startling Blow (Assassin)
• Martial Intuition & Searing Lash (Disciple)
• Sharp Eye & Fire Discipline (Sharpshooter)
• Deadly Trap & Animal Bond (Tracker)

Archer

Backstep

Prerequisite: Agility 2+; Steady Aim
Activation: Free Action
You’ve learned to fire then fade into Drakomere's harsh battlefields, keeping a safe distance from heavily armed enemies who might force hand-to-hand combat.
After you make a ranged attack, spend 2 focus to Dis­engage as a Free Action. If you then end your turn in cover or an area where your enemy’s senses are obscured, you gain the benefit of the Brace action.

Combat Training

Prerequisite: Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: Special Activation
You’ve been trained in the basics of weaponry and elementary battle tactics.
Once per round, when you miss on a weapon attack, you can graze one target without spending focus.
Additionally, when you acquire this talent, gain a weapon expertise and an armor expertise of your choice, and gain a cultural expertise in Military Life.
Leads to: Steady Aim

Exploit Weakness

Prerequisite: Perception 3+; Sharp Eye
Activation: Free Action
You study your quarry’s gait, posture, and movements, homing in on their weaknesses to bring them down for good.
Use the Gain Advantage action as a Free Action, targeting only your quarry.

Hardy

Prerequisite: Steady Aim
Activation: Always Active
You’ve trained your body to endure pain and fatigue, keeping you in the fight until the bitter end.
When you acquire this talent, your maximum and current health increase by 1 per level. This applies to all previous and future levels; for example, if you choose this talent at level 6, retroactively increase your health by 6.
Leads to: Unrelenting Salvo

Sharp Eye (Archer)

Prerequisite: Tagging Shot
Activation: Special Activation
Your practiced eye discerns the strengths and vulnerabilities of your foes—especially your chosen quarry. After you observe your quarry for 1 Action, or after you observe another character for at least 1 minute, make a Perception test against their Cognitive defense. On a success, you learn one of the following of your choice:

• The target’s lowest attribute score.
• The target’s lowest defense.
• Whether the target has lost more than half of their maximum health, focus, or Resonance (choose one).
  

Leads to: Exploit Weakness

Steady Aim (Archer)

Prerequisite: Agility 1+; Combat Training
'Activation: 1 Action
Your shot finds its mark even across dizzying distances.
Until the end of your turn, both the short and long ranges of your ranged weapons increase by half, and when you hit with a ranged weapon attack, you deal extra damage equal to your ranks in Perception.
Leads to: Backstep, Hardy

Tagging Shot

Prerequisite: Perception 2+; Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: 3 Actions
Your careful shot wounds your target, causing them to leave behind a trail of blood, staggering footprints, or other marks of passage.
Move up to 5 feet and make a ranged weapon attack against the Physical defense of a target. On a hit or a graze, you also make the target your quarry for your Seek Quarry talent.
Leads to: Sharp Eye

Unrelenting Salvo

Prerequisite: Agility 3+; Hardy
Activation: Always Active
Drawing the bowstring with impressive speed, you fire again, using your first arrow’s path as your guide.
You can use the same ranged weapon to Strike against your quarry more than once a turn, instead of being limited to one Strike per hand.

Assassin

Cold Eyes

Prerequisite: Shadowing
Activation: Always Active
As you eliminate one target, your gaze instinctively slides to the next threat.
After you kill or incapacitate an enemy who is your quarry, you recover 1 focus and can designate another enemy you can sense as your quarry for your Seek Quarry talent. At the GM’s discretion, you might not be able to use this talent on some characters, such as those who pose no threat.
Leads to: Mighty, Swift Strikes

Fatal Thrust

Prerequisite: Perception 3+; Startling Blow
Activation: 2 Actions
You aim for your foe’s vitals with callous finesse, hoping to bring the fight to an end before it begins. Using a light weapon, make a melee attack against the Cognitive defense of a target who is Surprised, doesn’t sense you, or doesn’t view you as a threat (such as if you’re disguised). If this weapon has the Discreet trait, you gain two advantages on the test.
When you roll damage for this attack, add an extra 4d4 damage, then count the number of your damage dice that rolled their maximum value (including your weapon’s usual damage plus the extra damage). For each die that rolled its maximum, your target must subtract 2 from any injury roll they make for that attack. For example, if you roll 1d6 plus 4d4, and two dice roll their maximum value—a 6 on your weapon’s d6 and a 4 on an extra d4—your target subtracts 4 from their injury roll.
This talent becomes more powerful as your tier increases: at tier 3, you roll an extra 6d4 damage (instead of 4d4); at tier 4, you instead roll an extra 8d4 damage; and at tier 5, you instead roll an extra 10d4 damage.

Killing Edge

Prerequisite: Perception 2+; Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: Always Active
Your simple weapons seem humble beside ancient relics or weapons of war, but in your hands, even a rusty knife or pitted sling is as deadly as the finest steel. When you acquire this talent, gain weapon expertises in Knives and Slings.
Additionally, while you wield a knife or sling, it also has the Deadly and Quickdraw expert traits for you.
Leads to: Shadowing

Mighty

Prerequisite: Cold Eyes
Activation: Always Active
You deliver your swings, punches, and kicks with practiced efficiency.
When you hit with a weapon or unarmed attack, for each Action you used on that attack’s action, increase the damage you deal by 1 + your tier. For example, if you’re level 6 and you make an attack that costs, each deals an extra 1 + 2 damage, for a total of 6 damage.

Shadowing

Prerequisite: Stealth 2+; Killing Edge
Activation: Special Activation
You silently skulk toward your target, using cover, crowds, or other camouflage to remain unseen until it’s too late.
You gain an advantage on tests to avoid being sensed by your quarry, and your quarry gains a disadvantage on tests to sense you.
Additionally, when you succeed on a test against an enemy’s Spiritual defense while you’re in cover or an area where your target’s senses are obscured, you can spend 3 focus to designate that target as your quarry for your Seek Quarry talent.
Leads to: Cold Eyes, Sidestep

Sidestep

Prerequisite: Stealth 3+; Shadowing
Activation: Special Activation
Sliding like a shadow, you flit past your foes’ strikes and evade blows that seem certain to connect.
Gain an additional Reaction at the start of combat and at the start of each of your turns, which you can use only to Dodge. You can’t benefit from this talent while wearing armor with a deflect value of 2 or higher.

Startling Blow

Prerequisite: Stealth 1+; Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: 1 Action
You unexpectedly strike at your target’s weak point, dizzying your target and creating an opening for your next attack.
Make an unarmed or improvised weapon attack against the Cognitive defense of a target of your size or smaller. On a hit or graze, the target also becomes Surprised until the end of your next turn.
Leads to: Fatal Thrust

Swift Strikes

Prerequisite: Cold Eyes
Activation: 1 Action
You instinctively follow the tempo of battle, keeping the pressure on your foes at critical moments.
Spend 1 focus to make a second Strike action with a hand you already used for a Strike this turn.

Disciple

Bursting Sunspot

Prerequisite: Discipline 4+; Leaping Flame
Activation: Free Action
You can cause your foes to burst in a blaze of glory upon contact.
When you deal damage with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 3(4?) focus to make a Discipline test against all other characters within 10 feet of the target. Every character you succeed against takes 4d8 Energy damage, and every one you fail against takes 2d8 Energy damage.

Collected

Prerequisite: Martial Intuition
Activation: Always Active
You remain mindful of your immediate goals without losing sight of your deeper value, staying even-keeled amid chaos. When you acquire this talent, increase your Cognitive and Spiritual defenses by 2.
Leads to: Preternatural Alacrity

Leaping Flame

Prerequisite: Salamander Charge
Activation: Reaction
When a character you can sense deals damage to you, spend 2 focus and a reaction to travel as a small ember, placing yourself in an empty space within 5 feet of that character. You then gain 1 Action that you can only spend making an attack against the character that triggered this reaction.
Leads to: Bursting Sunspot

Martial Intuition

Prerequisite: Discipline 1+ Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: Reaction
Your opponents' blows radiate a certain rhythm that your body has learned to read.
When an character you can sense targets one of your defenses or forces you to make a Test, you can use a Reaction and Test Discipline against its Cognitive defense. On a success, learn of the following of your choice:

• If one of its attributes of your choice is higher, lower, or equal to yours.
• If its movement rate is higher, lower, or equal to yours.
• If one of its defenses of your choice is higher, lower, or equal to yours.
• If it has any weapon or armor expertises.
• If it is under a magical effect.

Leads to: Sight Without Sight, Collected

Preternatural Alacrity

Prerequisite: Collected
Activation: Always Active
At the start of your turn, you can move up to 20 feet.
Additionally, your movement rate increases by 10 feet.

Searing Lash

Prerequisite: Discipline 2+; Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: 2 Actions
You coat your Weapons in searing flames.
Make a melee weapon attack against the Physical defense of a target. This attack Range changes to Melee [+10] if it is not already greater. When you roll damage for this attack, add an extra 1d6 damage, and the damage type is now Energy damage.
Additionally, until the start of your next turn, all of the weapon attacks you make have this altered Range, deal this additional damage, and have their damage type changed.
This talent becomes more powerful as your tier increases: at tier 2, you roll an extra 2d6 damage (instead of 1d6), and the altered Range becomes Melee [+15]; at tier 3, you instead roll an extra 3d6 damage and the Range becomes Melee [+20]; at tier 4, you instead roll an extra 4d6 damage and the Range becomes Melee [+25]; and at tier 5 you instead roll an extra 4d6 damage and the Range becomes Melee [+30].
Leads to: Salamander Charge

Salamander Charge

Prerequisite: Discipline 3+; Searing Lash
Activation: 2 Actions
Once per scene, move up to your movement rate, characters cannot target you with Reactive Strike. During this movement you can move through occupied spaces freely but cannot end the movement in occupied spaces. After this movement, you leave behind a 10-foot-high and 1-foot-thick wall of fire following your path that lasts until the end of the scene, or you choose to end it as a Free Action. The wall is dangerous terrain [2d8 energy].
This talent becomes more powerful as your tier increases: at tier 3, it becomes dangerous terrain [3d8 energy] (instead of 2d8); at tier 4, it becomes dangerous terrain [4d8 energy]; and at tier 5, it becomes dangerous terrain [5d8 energy].
Leads to: Leaping Flame

Sight Without Sight

Prerequisite: Perception 3+; Martial Intuition
Activation: Special Activation
You are able to detect the thin ripples of magic caused by the subtle movements of hidden creatures.
Increase your Senses Range by one step, as if your Awareness was 2 higher.
Additionally, you gain the "Tune Senses" action.
Tune Senses (1 Action). Double your Senses Range until the end of your next turn.

Sharpshooter

Composed

Prerequisite: Steady Aim
Activation: Always Active
Through practiced composure, you push your limits without becoming distracted or losing track of threats.
When you acquire this talent, your maximum and current focus increase by a number equal to your tier. When your tier increases by 1, your maximum and current focus do as well.
Leads to: Deadly Aim

Crack Shot

Prerequisite: Agility 3+; Deft Drop
Activation: Special Activation
As you aim, you tune out all distractions, control your breath to steady the shot, then fire with devastating accuracy.
Before you make a test with a Two-Handed ranged weapon while Prone, you can spend 1 focus to expand that test’s Opportunity range by 2. If you have a disadvantage on that test, you can also choose one die; when you do, the GM can’t choose that die for your disadvantage, and must choose a different die instead.

Deadly Aim

Prerequisite: Perception 3+; Composed
Activation: Always Active Whether on the battlefield or off, you quickly discern weak spots in the foes and obstacles that stand before you. After you succeed on a Perception test to Gain Advantage, your Two-Handed ranged weapons gain the Deadly trait against that test’s target until the end of your turn.

Deft Drop

Prerequisite: Agility 1+; Fire Discipline
Activation: 1 Action
You drop to the ground and prepare for the dangers ahead.
Gain the Prone condition, safely dismounting from your mount if you’re riding one, then do one of the following:

• Use the Ready action, spending action points as usual for the action you’re readying.
• Reload a Loaded weapon to full ammunition.
  

Leads To: Crack Shot

Fire Discipline

Prerequisite: Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: Special Activation
You know how to wield and maintain projectile weapons safely and with precision. Once per round, when you miss on an attack with a Loaded weapon, you can graze one target of that attack without spending focus.
Additionally, when you acquire this talent, gain a weapon expertise in one Loaded weapon, and gain a utility expertise in Crossbow Maintenance.
Leads To: Deft Drop

Sharp Eye (Sharpshooter)

Prerequisite: Perception 1+; Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: Special Activation
Your practiced eye discerns the strengths and vulnerabilities of your foes—especially your chosen quarry. After you observe your quarry for 1 Action, or after you observe another character for at least 1 minute, make a Perception test against their Cognitive defense. On a success, you learn one of the following of your choice:

• The target’s lowest attribute score.
• The target’s lowest defense.
• Whether the target has lost more than half of their maximum health, focus, or Resonance (choose one).
  

Leads to: Steady Aim

Steady Aim (Sharpshooter)

Prerequisite: Agility 1+; Sharp Eye
'Activation: 1 Action
Your shot finds its mark even across dizzying distances.
Until the end of your turn, both the short and long ranges of your ranged weapons increase by half, and when you hit with a ranged weapon attack, you deal extra damage equal to your ranks in Perception.
Leads to: Composed, Swift Targeting

Swift Targeting

Prerequisite: Agility 2+; Steady Aim
Activation: Free Action
You quickly focus on your target, filtering out all unnecessary detail in your environment to seek this new quarry.
Spend 2 focus to use the Gain Advantage action as against an enemy you can sense. If you’re Prone, using this talent instead costs no focus. After you successfully Gain Advantage in this way, that test’s target also becomes your quarry if you don’t already have one.

Tracker

Animal Bond

Prerequisite: Have an animal companion; Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: Special Activation
Your animal companion is more than just a friend or working beast—they’re your partner. They warn you of danger, anticipate your needs, and follow your commands … most of the time, anyway.
When you acquire this talent, it upgrades an animal companion you’ve gained as a reward.
You can communicate simple concepts with your animal companion, and they generally attempt to help you as requested.
Your animal companion alerts you of incoming danger. While you can sense them within 10 feet of you, each of your defenses increases by 1. When you move, your animal companion automatically moves alongside you.
During combat, your animal companion follows the rules for allied NPCs. However, if your animal companion hasn’t yet acted this round, you can use a Free Action to call on them to act during your turn. When you do, they gain either 1 or 2 Actions (your choice) to immediately use of your choice, then at the start of their next turn, they gain that many fewer Actions than usual.
In addition to the actions in your animal companion’s stat block, they can use the special Track action:
Track (2 Actions). The animal companion helps their Hunter track one character of the Hunter’s choice who the animal companion can sense within their reach. The target becomes the Hunter’s quarry for their Seek Quarry talent.
If your animal companion is reduced to 0 health, they don’t become Unconscious, but they stop fighting and retreat to safety. (However, your animal companion can still die from injuries or for narrative reasons.)
If you ever lose your animal companion, you can bond with a new animal at an opportunity the GM deems appropriate.
Leads to: Protective Bond

Deadly Trap

Prerequisite: Survival 1+; Seek Quarry key talent
Activation: 2 Actions
You know how to build traps and snares to catch wildlife—or even deadlier game!
Using foraged supplies or specialized equipment, you create and conceal a trap within your reach. Choose an entangling trap or an impaling trap:
Entangling Trap (Survival vs. Cognitive defense). You create a trap with rope, debris, or other ensnaring objects. On a hit, the target takes 2d4 impact damage and becomes Immobilized for 1 round, then the trap’s area becomes difficult terrain until the end of the scene.
Impaling Trap (Survival vs. Physical defense). You create a trap with caltrops, spikes, or other sharp objects. On a hit, the target takes 2d4 keen damage and becomes Afflicted [vital damage equal to 3 + your ranks in Survival] for 1 round, and you can spend an Opportunity to inflict an injury on the target.
This trap covers a 5-foot-diameter circle on the ground or other surface concealing it; the trap remains until triggered, then it is expended. When a character touches this surface, the trap triggers. Make an attack using your Survival against the defense listed for that trap, gaining an advantage if the target is your quarry. On a hit, the target suffers the trap’s effects. This attack can’t graze.
You can have a maximum number of active traps equal to your ranks in Survival. You can’t overlap the areas of active traps. If another character makes a test to search for or disarm a trap, the DC equals your Spiritual defense.
Leads to: Experienced Trapper

Experienced Trapper

Prerequisite: Perception 2+; Deadly Trap
Activation: Special Activation
You’re adept at living off the land, confidently hunting with your traps and foraging for resources.
When you forage as part of a short rest, it doesn’t take your full attention, so you can roll your recovery die or engage in other activities as usual. When you make a Survival test to forage for food and water, you auto­matically succeed as long as they exist in your environment and nothing prevents you from foraging. Your foraging can sustain a number of characters equal to your ranks in Survival.
Additionally, after a long rest in the wilderness, you can fashion a tool from natural materials using your Survival modifier instead of Crafting. This foraged tool could be a spear, sling, tent, or another survival tool that can be made from materials found in the area, as determined by the GM.
Finally, when you acquire this talent, the damage from your Deadly Traps talent increases from 2d4 to 2d6, and when that talent applies a condition, its duration increases from 1 round to 2 rounds.
Leads to: Hunter's Edge, Surefooted

Feral Connection

Prerequisite: Survival 2+; Protective Bond
Activation: Always Active
Your animal companion has grown strong under your care and has learned to trust your instincts as much as their own.
When you acquire this talent, your animal companion’s maximum and current health increase by 5 × your tier; when your tier increases, your animal companion’s health does as well.
They also increase their Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual defenses by 2 each. When your animal companion makes a test, they add a bonus equal to your ranks in Survival.
Additionally, when you acquire this talent, gain a utility expertise in Animal Care.

Hunter’s Edge

Prerequisite: Survival 3+; Experienced Trapper
Activation: Always Active
You put your traps and animal companion to best use, inflicting devastating wounds with all the tools in your arsenal.
Your animal companion gains an advantage on tests against your quarry.
Additionally, when you acquire this talent, the damage from your Deadly Traps talent increases from 2d6 to 2d8, and when that talent applies a condition, its duration increases from 2 rounds to 3 rounds.

Pack Hunting

Prerequisite: Perception 3+; Protective Bond
Activation: Reaction
Like a predator who hunts in groups, you expose your quarry’s weaknesses, enabling your allies to fight alongside you with terrifying coordination.
When an ally in your line of effect attacks your quarry, you can use this reaction and spend 1 focus to add your ranks in Survival to either the result of their attack test or their damage roll (your choice).

Protective Bond

Prerequisite: Animal Bond
Activation: 1 Action
With a word or gesture, you command your animal companion to defend others.
You assign your animal companion to protect an ally within 30 feet of you, and your animal companion moves to that ally’s side. While your animal companion remains within reach of the ally, you lose the bonus to your defenses from your Animal Bond, and the ally gains this bonus instead.
You can end this effect as if you’re within 30 feet of your animal companion and can influence them, at which point the animal companion returns to your side. Otherwise, this effect ends at the end of the scene.
Leads to: Feral Connection, Pack Hunting

Surefooted

Prerequisite: Experienced Trapper
Activation: Always Active
You move through treacherous terrain with confidence and speed.
When you acquire this talent, increase your movement rate by 10.
Additionally, before you take damage from dangerous terrain or falling, reduce that damage by 2 × your tier.