Class Summary

Prime Requisite:	STR and DEX
Requirements:	CON 9
Hit Dice:	1d8
Maximum Level:	12

Shifter Nightstalker

Advanced Shifter class — see Classes for the full list.

This page is still in progress.

Nightstalkers are the shifters who hunt alone, in the dark, at the edge of the firelight. Where a warclaw leads a warband in the open, a nightstalker works the shadows around it — scouting the way ahead, cutting down sentries, and vanishing before an enemy line even knows it has been bled. Their shifting serves the ambush: a trait called on in the dark rarely announces itself twice.

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Shifter Nightstalker Level Progression

Experience	Title	Level	Hit Dice	Damage Bonus
0	Whelp	1	1d8	+1
2,750	Shade	2	2d8	+1
5,500	Skulker	3	3d8	+2
11,000	Night-Runner	4	4d8	+2
22,000	Stalker	5	5d8	+2
44,000	Bloodshadow	6	6d8	+3
90,000	Reaper	7	7d8	+3
180,000	Shadowclaw	8	8d8	+3
350,000	Nightstalker	9	9d8	+4
520,000	Nightstalker, 10th lvl	10	9d8 + 2*	+4
690,000	Nightstalker, 11th lvl	11	9d8 + 4*	+4
860,000	Nightstalker, 12th lvl	12	9d8 + 6*	+5

Shifter Nightstalker Saving Throws and Attack Bonus

Level	Paralysis	Death	Blast	Implement	Spells	Attack Bonus
1	13+	14+	15+	16+	17+	+0
2-3	12+	13+	14+	15+	16+	+1
4	11+	12+	13+	14+	15+	+2
5-6	10+	11+	12+	13+	14+	+3
7	9+	10+	11+	12+	13+	+4
8-9	8+	9+	10+	11+	12+	+5
10	7+	8+	9+	10+	11+	+6
11-12	6+	7+	8+	9+	10+	+7

Combat Characteristics

Nightstalkers strike from ambush and are gone before an enemy line can turn to face them.

Combat Proficiencies: Nightstalkers have weapon proficiency with all missile weapons and with all tiny, small, and medium melee weapons. They have armor proficiency with light and very light armor. They have fighting style proficiency with the dual weapon and two-handed weapon styles, but not with the weapon and shield style.

Combat Progression: Nightstalkers advance in attack throws and saving throws as fighters, by two points every three levels. They increase their base damage roll from successful missile and melee weapon attacks by +1 at 1^st level, and by an additional +1 at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th level. They can cleave after felling a foe up to once per round per class level.

Starting Class Powers

Nightstalker Skills

Level	Acrobatics	Hiding	Listening	Sneaking
1	18+	19+	14+	17+
2	17+	18+	13+	16+
3	16+	17+	12+	15+
4	15+	16+	11+	14+
5	14+	15+	10+	13+
6	13+	14+	9+	12+
7	12+	12+	8+	10+
8	11+	10+	7+	8+
9	10+	8+	6+	6+
10	9+	6+	5+	4+
11	8+	4+	4+	2+
12	7+	2+	3+	0+

Certain of the nightstalker’s class powers, known as his nightstalker skills, improve like attack throws and saving throws as he gains levels. The progression for each is shown on the Nightstalker Skills table above.

Acrobatics: The nightstalker is trained to jump, tumble, somersault, and free run around obstacles. He gains a +2 to saving throws where agility would help avoid the danger, such as tilting floors and pit traps. He can add his class level to his DEX for purposes of the distance and height he can jump. As a movement action, he can attempt a proficiency throw (per the Nightstalker Skills table above) to tumble past an opponent he has engaged. If the throw fails, the nightstalker remains stationary. If it succeeds, he tumbles directly past his enemy into the space on the enemy’s opposite side, ending up either facing towards or away from the opponent (player’s choice). If the space on the enemy’s opposite side is occupied, the nightstalker cannot tumble.

If he ends up facing away from the opponent, he can make a combat movement in lieu of attacking if desired. If he ends up facing towards the opponent, he can attack (and possibly backstab) him. A nightstalker cannot tumble if he has an encumbrance of 5 stone or more. A nightstalker cannot tumble past the same enemy on two consecutive rounds.

Animal Reflexes: Nightstalkers react to danger as fast as a deer to a wolf. A nightstalker gains a +1 bonus to initiative and a +1 bonus to avoid surprise. (This bonus stacks with the bonus from Alertness, so in most cases nightstalkers have a +2 bonus to avoid surprise.)

Backstabbing: Nightstalkers are skilled at treacherously attacking unprepared enemies. A nightstalker can backstab any vulnerable opponent. Backstabs can be made in melee or with missile weapons at short range but cannot be made with missile weapons at medium or longer range. When backstabbing, a nightstalker gains a +4 bonus to hit and if the attack succeeds, he deals an additional die of damage for every four levels he has attained.

Hiding: Nightstalkers are trained to skulk unseen in the cover of darkness. A nightstalker can begin hiding as a combat action anytime he is in cover, dim light, or darkness. When the nightstalker begins hiding, the Judge must make a Hiding proficiency throw on behalf of the nightstalker. A nightstalker will always think he is successful in this skill and will not know otherwise until others react to his presence. Regardless of whether the throw succeeds, opponents encountering the nightstalker suffer a -2 penalty to surprise rolls as long as he remains stationary in cover, dim light, or darkness.

If the throw succeeds, the nightstalker is hidden. If the throw fails, the nightstalker is not hidden. No creature can claim line of sight on a nightstalker that is hidden from it. If a hidden nightstalker engages an unengaged opponent, the opponent cannot make a free facing change (see Combat). If an opponent knows the hidden nightstalker’s general location, the opponent can attack him in melee at a -4 penalty, but it cannot even blindly attack the nightstalker if it doesn’t know his general location. The hidden condition expires at the end of the nightstalker’s initiative if he moves or attacks. It also terminates if the cover, dim light, or darkness no longer conceals the nightstalker from his opponents.

Listening: Nightstalkers at doors, passageways, or intersections can listen for sounds coming from the other side of the door or passage. The Judge makes a Listening proficiency throw in secret on behalf of the nightstalker. If the throw succeeds, he hears any noises in earshot. If the throw fails, or if there aren’t any noises in earshot, he doesn’t hear anything. The nightstalker must be quiet and must be the closest creature in the party relative to the location of the sound or suspected sound. Listening only requires one round but can only be undertaken once per turn if the party is moving at all, because it takes time for people to settle down into quiet.

Shadowy Senses: Since the bright light of torches will reveal their positions, nightstalkers learn to rely on superior night-vision, keen hearing and smell, and echolocation to slowly scout through dark alleys, lightless dungeons, and star-lit rooftops. When moving at combat speed or exploration speed, a nightstalker can “see” as if he were carrying a light source that sheds dim light in a 30’ radius. Shadowy senses can be used to fight, probe for traps, and so on. However, shadowy senses cannot be used to discern colors, faces, markings, or flat images (such as frescoes and murals), or to read books, maps, or scrolls. Shadowy senses does not function if the nightstalker is charging or running, if deafened, or if in an area of bright light, magical darkness, or magical silence. Because it counts as dim light, an opponent can hide from shadowy senses.

Sneaking: Nightstalkers learn to prowl with great stealth. A nightstalker can begin sneaking as a movement action. He can sneak at his encounter speed or one-half combat speed without penalty. If he moves greater than one-half combat speed, he takes a -5 penalty to the Sneaking proficiency throw. If he runs, he takes a -10 penalty.

When the nightstalker begins sneaking, the Judge must make a Sneaking proficiency throw on behalf of the nightstalker. A nightstalker will always think he is successful in this skill and will not know otherwise until others react to his presence. Regardless of whether the throw succeeds, opponents encountering the nightstalker suffer a -2 penalty to surprise rolls if the nightstalker is outside their line of sight.

If the throw succeeds, the nightstalker is also sneaking. If the throw fails, the nightstalker is not sneaking. When sneaking, the nightstalker makes no noise when he moves — none whatsoever. Even alert creatures that make a successful Listening proficiency throw will not hear a sound. When a sneaking nightstalker engages an unengaged opponent from the rear, the opponent cannot make a free facing change.

Streetwise: The nightstalker has learned the hard lessons taught by life on the fringes of civilization. He might begin play as a member of a thieves’ guild or other criminal syndicate (Judge’s discretion). He can engage in hijinks if he has the necessary proficiencies or nightstalker skills. He can automatically identify gestures, signs, slang, and territory of criminal organizations in his home settlement. He can identify those of other urban settlements with a proficiency throw of 11+. Secret organizations or organizations in far-off cities might be harder to recognize. (This class power is equivalent to one rank of Streetwise proficiency.)

Additional Class Powers

Lair (9^th): By acquiring a lair worth at least 5,000gp, the nightstalker can attract followers to his service. 2d6 1^st level nightstalkers will arrive to serve him as followers within 1d4 weeks of him acquiring the lair. If the nightstalker already has a lair, the followers arrive to serve him within 1d4 weeks of him reaching 9^th level. If hired, the followers must be paid standard rates for ruffians. Additional rules for lairs are detailed in Campaigns.

Racial Traits

Shifter Trait: The nightstalker selects a shifter trait, gaining the power to shift into it and their choice of one of the trait’s associated skills. See Shifter Traits for the full list of traits, trait skills, and shifting rules.

Shifter Resilience: The nightstalker must sometimes rely on his shifter resilience to survive. When the character is required to consult the Mortal Wounds table, the player can roll twice and choose the preferred result to apply. He also subtracts his class level from the number of days of bed rest required to recover.

Class Proficiencies

Proficiency Progression: At 1^st level, nightstalkers gain one class proficiency from their class proficiency list and one general proficiency from the general proficiency list. They select an additional class proficiency at 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th level. They select an additional general proficiency at 5^th and 9^th level.

Shifter Nightstalker Proficiency List: Alertness, Alternate Shifter Trait, Cat Burglary, Climbing, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (force back, knock down, wrestling), Contortionism, Endurance, Extended Shifting, Fighting Style Specialization, Intimidation, Mimicry, Navigation, Precise Shooting, Running, Shifter Accuracy, Shifter Defense, Shifter Ferocity, Shifter Fortitude, Shifter Fury, Shifter Recovery, Shifter Reflexes, Skirmishing, Skulking, Sniping, Survival, Tracking, Weapon Finesse

Shifter Nightstalker Templates

Starting equipment not yet worked out

Names and proficiency picks below are placeholders; Starting Equipment still needs real encumbrance and starting-gold math worked per row before it’s written.

Templates

3d6	Template	Proficiencies	Starting Equipment
3 – 4	Gutterhaunt	Skulking Survival	TBD
5 – 6	Fangmark	Shifter Fury Tracking	TBD
7 – 8	Wallcreeper	Contortionism Navigation	TBD
9 – 10	Bloodwhisper	Shifter Accuracy Intimidation	TBD
11 – 12	Silksnare	Cat Burglary Mimicry	TBD
13 – 14	Grimstalk	Shifter Reflexes Endurance	TBD
15 – 16	Duskrender	Fighting Style Spec. Disguise	TBD
17 – 18	Moonshadow	Extended Shifting Naturalism	TBD