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Goblin Fey Hunter

by Gary Astleford
Editing: Marc Schmalz
Design Review: Rich Redman & JD Wiker
Layout and Typesetting: Marc Schmalz
Art: Stan!

Fey hunters are goblin experts in the fine art of fey elimination and extermination. Tasked with the destruction of pixies, dryads, and other fairy nuisances, fey hunters represent an elite cadre within the hierarchy of goblin tribes and clans. Fairies and their kin are a vindictive breed that possess powerful supernatural abilities, and successfully facing them in open combat requires skill, determination, and a good deal of luck.

Due to the goblin's propensity towards stealth and larceny, the majority of fey hunters start out as goblin rogues. Goblin fighters are also well prepared to face such powerful foes, and some of the most successful fey hunters, although rare, are goblin rangers. While it is far from common, some hobgoblins seek out a goblin mentor in order to learn the finer details of hunting and killing fairies. Such disciples are typically shunned by their hobgoblin brethren, who would sooner kiss an elf than study under the tutelage of a lowly goblin. This is unfortunate, since hobgoblins are (on the whole) braver and more physically capable than their smaller cousins.

NPC fey hunters are normally encountered singly or in pairs, typically bound into the service of a goblin or hobgoblin overlord, while a rare few travel between the different goblin clans as freelancers.

Hit Die: d8.

Table FH-1: The Fey Hunter

Requirements

To qualify to become a Fey Hunter, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any evil.
Race: Goblin or (rarely) Hobgoblin.
Knowledge (nature): 4 ranks.
Spot: 8 ranks.
Survival: 4 ranks.
Feats: Track.

Class Skills

The fey hunter's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Survival (Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the fey hunter prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: In addition to racial weapon and armor proficiencies, fey hunters are proficient with the goblin pixie net (see below).

Charm Resistance: Starting at 1st level, a fey hunter gains a bonus to any Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities of fey creatures. This bonus is equal to his class level. Fey hunters develop a strong resistance to all mind-altering spells and effects in order to stave off powers utilized by some fey races (such as a dryad's or nixie's charm person ability, a nymph's Unearthly Beauty, or the effects of a satyr's pipes or a grig's fiddle).

Special Ability: At 1st level, a fey hunter gains a special ability. This ability reflects an area of expertise and specialization, and must be chosen from among the following:

Blind-Fight: Some fey, such as pixies, can become invisible at will. Others, such as nymphs, can dazzle, blind, or beguile a foe merely by showing themselves. Because of this, some fey hunters train themselves to fight without the benefit of sight. Fey hunters who choose this special ability gain the Blind-Fight feat for free.

Observation: Those who hunt the fey must be keenly aware of their surroundings, and some develop an uncanny sharpness of their senses. This is reflected in the fey hunter gaining a +2 competence bonus to all Listen, Search, and Spot skill checks.

Skill Focus: Through experience, a fey hunter might gain an exceptional grasp of a certain skill. By choosing this special ability, a fey hunter gains the Skill Focus feat for free. This feat cannot be applied to a skill that has already benefited from Skill Focus.

Ambush Bonus: Fey hunters commonly attack their prey from ambush in order to benefit from the element of surprise. At 2nd level a fey hunter gains an additional +2 bonus to hit unaware combatants during a surprise round. This bonus increases to +4 at 7th level.

Fey Enemy: At 2nd level, a fey hunter may select a type of fey creature (dryads, feytouched, grigs, half-fey, jermlaines, nixies, nymphs, pixies, satyrs, sirines, etc.) as his fey enemy. Due to the fey hunter's experience with this breed of fey creature, he gains a +1 bonus to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore skill checks when using these skills against this type of fey. He also gains the same bonus to damage rolls against fey of this type, including damage inflicted with ranged weapons that are used against such targets within 30 feet (the fey hunter cannot strike with deadly accuracy beyond this range).

At 4th level and every other level thereafter (6th, 8th, and 10th level), the fey hunter may select a new fey enemy, and the bonus associated with every previously selected fey enemy increases by +1.

Animal Companion: When he reaches 3rd level, a fey hunter can train an animal companion to assist him in hunting his prey. This ability functions like the druid ability of the same name, but treat the fey hunter as a druid of half his character level. For example, a ranger 5/fey hunter 5 would be treated as a 5th-level druid for purposes of the animal companion ability (see Chapter 3 of the Player's Handbook).

Common animal companions for fey hunters include badgers, boars, rats, weasels, and wolves, as well as their dire equivalents. Like their goblin masters, these animal companions enjoy a bonus to all Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities of fey creatures. This Will bonus is equal to their master's class level.

Despoil Nature: By introducing pollution, waste, and refuse into an environment where fey creatures are (or have been) residing, a fey hunter can upset the natural balance of a place. This is a slow process, but it can be used to make an area (such as a nixie pond or dryad glade) undesirable or unlivable to fey creatures.

To use this ability, the fey hunter must actively work to befoul the target area. He makes a Wilderness Lore skill check, and consults Table 1-2. Depending on the result of his skill check, the new penalty is applied to any fey creatures who reside upon the land. The fey hunter can affect a 100 foot radius per class level per week.

The penalty is suffered by fey creatures that reside in the affected area. This penalty applies to all attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws that such creatures attempt. The higher the penalty, the more polluted and foul the area becomes. The fey hunter can attempt one roll per week, and the condition indicated by his roll takes effect at the end of that period. If a fey hunter ceases to despoil a certain area for a month, the area's penalty will improve by one grade per week until it returns to normal.

Improved Special Ability: When he reaches 6th level, the fey hunter may choose to improve his chosen special ability, or he may pick a new special ability from the above list in lieu of improving his other one. The effects of an improved special ability are as follows:

Improved Blind-Fighting: A fey hunter with Improved Blind-Fight continues to benefit from the Blind-Fight feat, but with substantial improvement. Invisible attackers no longer gain a +2 bonus to ranged attacks, the fey hunter only suffers one-quarter the normal penalty to speed for being unable to see, and darkness and poor visibility have no effect on his speed at all.

Improved Observation: The fey hunter with Improved Observation has his competence bonus to Listen, Search, and Spot rolls increased to +4. This exceptional awareness also allows them to discover secret doors as well as elves, and a fey hunter with Improved Observation is entitled to a Search skill check to locate secret or concealed portals within 5 feet of his position.

Improved Skill Focus: In addition to the bonus gained by the Skill Focus feat, the fey hunter gains the effects of Skill Mastery when using his chosen skill. When making a skill check with this skill, the fey hunter may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so.

Tools of the Fey Hunting Trade

The tools used by individual fey hunters are a matter of personal taste. One weapon, the pixie net, has become the defining piece of equipment within the trade.

Table FH-2: Fey Hunter Weapons

Pixie Net, Goblin: The pixie net consists of a 5-foot long wooden pole with a 2-foot wide, 3-foot long spider-silk net on one end, and a cold-forged iron spike on the other. The fine mesh net is woven from spider silk harvested deep in goblin caves. For more information on cold iron weapons, please refer to page 284 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Pixie nets are used to kill and capture members of the smaller fey races, such as grigs and pixies, though any flying creature of 2.5 feet tall or shorter (Small size or smaller) can be ensnared in the net. Use of the net requires a successful touch attack, after which the target creature is entangled. An entangled sprite (or other creature) suffers -2 on attack rolls, a -4 effective penalty to Dexterity, and is unable to fly outside the confines of the net. If the creature attempts to cast a spell from within the net, it must succeed at a Concentration skill check (DC 15) in order to successfully cast the spell.

The entangled creature can attempt to escape the net with a successful Escape Artist skill check (DC 20), which is a full-round action. The net has 3 hit points, and can be torn through or burst with a successful Strength check (DC 25, which is also a full-round action).

The spike end can be used like a spear to make stabbing attacks. When used as a double weapon, the spike cannot be used to attack a target that has already been entangled by the net. If the wielder uses a ready action to set the weapon against a charge, he deals double damage if a hit is scored against a charging character.

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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

 

Goblin Fey Hunter Copyright 2003, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author Gary Astleford.