The Huntmaster devotes himself to developing an extremely intimate working relationship with a particular species of predatory creature. By forming a close bond with his hunting pack, the Huntmaster creates a symbiotic relationship in which master and animal enhance the skills of the other. When he hunts with his hunting pack, a Huntmaster seems always to find his prey. But a Huntmaster without his animals is like a general without his army.

Many Huntmasters are employed by nobles or the lords of large estates to manage their lands and conduct hunts for sport and food. Some Huntmasters live in relative isolation, living off the land with their packs. Most Huntmasters come from the ranks of Rangers, although some Druids, Paladins and Fighters have been known to take up the hunt on retirement. Very few Huntmasters hail from an urban background.

Some communities maintain a Huntmaster to keep their areas clear of animals that threaten the local population. A halfling village, for example, might contain a Huntmaster charged with running off or killing any wild boar or other dangerous animals that wander too close to the settlement.

Hit Die: d8

To qualify to become a Huntmaster, a character must fulfill the following criteria:

Base Attack Bonus: +6

Feats: Tracking, Endurance

Skills: Animal Empathy: 8 ranks; Handle Animal: 8 ranks; Wilderness Lore: 5 ranks

The Huntmaster’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge: nature (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

All of the following are class features of the Huntmaster prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Huntmaster is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor and medium armor. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket and Tumble. Also, Swin checks suffer a —1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment carried.

Hunting Pack: The Huntmaster attracts a number of animals equal to his Huntmaster level into his hunting pack. The Huntmaster might look after a larger number of animals, and even animals of many species, but his hunting pack consists only of a number of animals, of a single species, equal to the Huntmaster’s level. Animals in a Huntmaster’s hunting pack will obey the commands he has taught them without regard to their own safety. The Huntmaster may teach his animals to obey three commands for each point of Intelligence they possess. These commands may be specific or general in nature. Typical commands include tracking, coming when called, fetching objects, and attacking or not attacking prey.

Members of the Huntmaster’s hunting pack are extraordinary animals. Each new member of the Huntmaster’s hunting pack starts at 1^st level, with typical HP for that species. As the Huntmaster gains levels, so do the animals in his hunting pack. Upon joining the hunting pack, an animal gains the ability to track prey. Ground animals track by Scent; flying animals track by Spot. But when tracking with the Huntmaster, the entire pack makes only a single group Track check (see below). When an animal in the Huntmaster’s pack gains a level, it gains 1 HD. At 2^nd level, and at alternating levels thereafter, an animal adds 1 point to any ability score. When an animal in the hunting pack reaches 3^rd level, and every third level thereafter, the Huntmaster may assign it an animal feat (see below).

If a member of the Huntmaster’s pack dies, the Huntmaster may replace it with a new animal. All new members of the pack starts at 1^st level. To replace a lost member of his pack, the Huntmaster must spend a month focusing on training the new animal into his pack. New members of the hunting pack can only be introduced one at a time.

When the Huntmaster and his hunting pack are tracking prey, they make a single Track check. The Track check for the hunting pack is the Huntmaster's Wilderness Lore check + any bonuses to the Huntmaster's Track check + 2x(the number of animals in the hunting pack). The hunting pack may range ahead of the Huntmaster while tracking; a Huntmaster can always track his own hunting pack.

Some species, such as wolves or coyotes, can be managed in large numbers by a single Huntmaster. Others, such as falcons or wild cats, can only be managed singly or in small groups. If a Huntmaster’s pack exceeds his ability to manage them all at once, he may either hunt with only those members of the pack he can manage on his own or he may take on apprentices to handle the rest of his pack.

To introduce a new apprentice handler to his hunting pack, a Huntmaster must dedicate a week to acclimating the pack and the apprentice to one another. After that time, the hunting pack treats the apprentice as if he was the Huntmaster, and obeys any commands of the apprentice that the Huntmaster does not contradict. An apprentice handler tracking prey independent of the Huntmaster makes a Track check using his own Wilderness Lore check and Track bonuses. When the apprentice hunts with the Huntmaster, the apprentice has no effect on the hunting pack's Track check.

Favored Prey: At 1^st level, a Huntmaster may select a species of creature (coyotes, owlbears, orcs, etc.) as a favored prey. (A Good Huntmaster may not select his own species as a favored prey.) This special ability works exactly like a Ranger’s Favored Enemy ability. At 5^th and 10^th levels, the Huntmaster may select a new favored prey, and the bonus associated with each previously selected favored enemy goes up by +1. For example, a 10^th-level Huntmaster will have three favored preys, with bonuses of +3, +2, and +1.

Speak Animal Language: The Huntmaster can communicate with the species in his hunting pack as if he was one of them. Through vocal and visual clues, he can understand the thoughts of animals of that species and can make himself understood by them. Note that animals tend to have lower intelligence than the Huntmaster, and therefore are capable of communicating and understanding only simple thoughts. "A family of foxes passed by here recently" might be clear to a typical predatory animal. "Your dead brother is in heaven now" would not be clear. A Huntmaster gains this special ability at 2^nd level.

Leader of the Pack: The Huntmaster forms a particularly close bond with the leader of his hunting pack. The leader is the animal that has been with the Huntmaster for the longest time. A 5^th-level Huntmaster, for example, might have 5 wolves in his pack, at 4^th, 3^rd, 2^nd, 2^nd and 1^st levels. The 4^th-level wolf would be the leader of the pack.

The Huntmaster maintains an empathic link with the leader of his pack, as if it was a familiar, up to the distance of one mile. The Huntmaster and the leader of the pack may communicate any information through this telepathic link that they could communicate face-to-face using Speak Animal Language. If the Huntmaster makes a successful Concentration check (DC 20 — leader’s level) in two consecutive rounds, he may experience the leader’s senses as his own starting on the third round and continuing until the Huntmaster fails his Concentration check.

The Huntmaster may give commands to the leader of the pack through their empathic link, and the leader of the pack may communicate the commands to the rest of the pack if they are within range. The communicable range for ground animals is 1,000 feet; the range for flying animals is 3,000 yards. The hunting pack obeys the leader of the pack as if the Huntmaster had given the command.

If the leader of the pack is slain, the Huntmaster may form a new bond with the most senior remaining member of the hunting pack. Doing so requires one week of dedicated training, in which the Huntmaster and the new leader of the pack must remain together constantly.

A Huntmaster gains this special ability at 3^rd level.

Prey Sense: Once per day per level, a Huntmaster may make a Scry check to locate favored prey nearby. If the Huntmaster has more than one favored prey, he must specify which he is attempting to sense. The DC for a Prey Sense check is 15. You sense the location and general attitude (frightened, wary, sleeping, unconcerned) of the prey in question. You sense the location of all such favored prey within one mile of your present location.

The Huntmaster may make a Prey Sense check against a particular individual favored prey. The base DC to do so is 30. If he can see the tracks of that individual when the Huntmaster make the check, or if he has an item with that individual’s scent, subtract 5 from the DC. So if the Huntmaster’s favored prey is the dire boar, the DC on a sense prey check against a particular dire boar is 20 if the Huntmaster can see its tracks and is holding a leaf that it brushed against.

A Huntmaster gains this special ability at 4^th level.

Improved Track: The Huntmaster gains a +2 bonus to all Track checks at 5^th level.

Hunter’s Ken: Starting at 6^th level, a Huntmaster can identify all plants and animals (their species and special traits) with perfect accuracy. He can tell whether water is safe to drink or dangerous (polluted, poisoned, or otherwise unfit for consumption).

Woodland Stride: Starting at 7^th level, a Huntmaster may move through natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas and other rough terrain at his normal speed and without suffering damage or other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect the Huntmaster.

Trackless Step: When he reaches 8^th level, a Huntmaster leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked, except by his own hunting pack. The Huntmaster's hunting pack continues to leave its normal trail in natural surroundings and can be tracked.

Wild Call: Once per day per level, the Huntmaster may make a ferocious cry. Any member of his pack that can hear the Huntmaster (generally within 1,000 feet for ground animals or 2,500 feet for flying animals, although much less if there are any impediments to audibility, such as a raging thunderstorm or an intervening ridge) gains a +1 morale bonus to AC and attack and damage rolls and a +2 bonus to Will saves. A Huntmaster gains this extraordinary ability at 9^th level.

Summon Hunting Ally: Once per day, the Huntmaster may summon hunting allies, as in a Summon Nature’s Ally spell. The Huntmaster summons 2d4 1^st-level allies of the same species as his hunting pack. They appear where the Huntmaster designates, and act on the Huntmaster’s turn. They obey the Huntmaster’s command as if they were members of his hinting pack. The summoned allies may not move beyond calling distance of the Huntmaster (generally 1,000 feet for ground animals or 2,500 feet for flying animals) and last for 10 rounds. Hunting allies act normally on the last round of their summoning and disappear at the end of their turn. A Huntmaster gains this supernatural ability at 10^th level.

Animals in the Huntmaster’s hunting pack may gain feats as they advance in level. Feats available to members of the hunting pack are: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Run, and Toughness. See Chapter 5: Feats in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.

If for any reason a Huntmaster works without his hunting pack, he loses his Prey Sense, Woodland Stride, Trackless Step and Improved Track abilities. He also loses his Favored Prey bonuses. The Huntmaster regains those abilities and bonuses when he rejoins his hunting pack.

Back to the General Taylor Inn

Released under the OGL and d20. Free to distribute.