The Huntsman

Huntsmen are humans who have left the comforts of civilization for the challenges of surviving in the wilds.  They often protect rural communities from wild animals, beasts and monsters.  Because of their wilderness survival skills and the power of their animal companions huntsmen often can be found in adventuring parties.

The prime requisites for a huntsman character are Strength and Intelligence.  If a huntsman has scores of 13 or better in both Strength and Intelligence, the character will gain a 5% bonus to earned experience.  If the huntsman's Strength is 13 or better and his or her Intelligence is 16 or better, the character will earn a 10% bonus on earned experience.

RESTRICTIONS: Huntsmen use six-sided dice (d6) to determine their hit points. They may wear nothing more protective than leather armor, and may not use a shield. They may, however, use any type of weapon.  A huntsman’s combat ability progresses as a Cleric.  A huntsman character must have a minimum Intelligence score of 9.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: If a huntsman surprises a target, usually by making a successful Move Silently or Hide in Terrain roll, he gains a +4 bonus to hit and inflicts double damage with any ranged weapon during the surprise round.  At 3rd level huntsmen may tame and train an animal companion who will fight for and beside them.  Only normal or giant animals can be tamed and the animal’s hit dice cannot be greater than the huntsman’s level.  A huntsman's skills includes learning how to plan ambushes and set snares, survive in specific environments, move silently in natural settings, hide in terrain, read tracks, remove snares, pitfalls and other natural traps and spot ambushes, and how to hear noises in the wild better than other humans.

Advancement:

Level
1	0	Skinner
2	1440	Trapper
3	2880	Wrangler
4	5760	Seeker
5	11520	Tracker
6	24000	Stalker
7	48000	Hunter
8	96000	Huntsman
9	192000	Master Huntsman
10	336000	10th level Master Huntsman
11	480000	11th level Master Huntsman
12	624000	12th level Master Huntsman
13	768000	13th level Master Huntsman
14	912000	14th level Master Huntsman

  

Huntsman Skills

Character Level	Read Tracks	Detect Ambush/Trap	Set-up Ambush/Trap	Move Silently	Survival	Hide in Terrain	Hear Noise
1	15%	10%	20%	20%	87%	10%	1-2
2	20%	15%	25%	25%	88%	15%	1-2
3	25%	20%	30%	30%	89%	20%	1-3
4	30%	25%	35%	35%	90%	25%	1-3
5	35%	30%	40%	40%	91%	30%	1-3
6	45%	40%	45%	45%	92%	35%	1-3
7	55%	50%	55%	55%	93%	45%	1-4
8	65%	60%	65%	65%	94%	55%	1-4
9	75%	70%	75%	75%	95%	65%	1-4
10	85%	80%	85%	85%	96%	75%	1-4
11	95%	90%	95%	95%	97%	85%	1-5
12	96%	95%	105%	96%	98%	90%	1-5
13	97%	97%	115%	98%	99%	95%	1-5
14	99%	99%	125%	99%	99%	99%	1-5

Most of the above skills should be self-evident save one, Survival.  Survival is a huntsman’s ability to forage for food, build shelters, or find their way in the wilderness.  Should the huntsman use this skill to hunt, a successful roll means they have found enough food to feed 1d6 individuals.  The player should specify the type of terrain in which their character is skilled in Survival; Polar, Temperate, Tropical or Arid.  Usually the terrain type should match the campaign setting but this need not be the case.

If the hit dice of a huntsman’s animal companion are less than his level, a huntsman can control additional animals as long as the combined total of companion hit dice does not exceed the huntsman’s level.  Additional animals should be of the same type, say a pack of hounds or pair of giant ferrets, as mixing animal breeds only results in trouble.

At 9^th Level a huntsman can build a lodge, attracting 2d4 1^st level huntsmen to learn under the master.  These hunters are completely loyal to the owner of the lodge and should be replaced if lost to death or when they leave after achieving 3^rd level (Wrangler).  The DM should roll a d6 to determine the number of weeks before a likely replacement candidate appears.  As the presence of a hunting lodge reduces the likelihood of wild animal attacks and helps to control the population of monsters rampaging through an area, huntsmen are welcomed by rulers of all stripes in helping to clear and control former wilderness.