Wild Speaker (3.5e Class)
Wild Speaker
The Hunter and summoner of the wilderness.
Making a Wild Speaker
Alignment: Wild Speakers are almost always Lawful. They are never chaotic because of their strict code of morals to both nature and fighting. While like druids, they hold knowledge of both sides of the coin (life and death, good and evil, etc.), they must be lawful in all they do if they are to follow their codes of law and that of others.
Abilities: Intelligence is important for skills and being able to construct armor and weapons while a good strength and constitution are both important for being able to face prey. Because of the necessity for speed, Dexterity is an important ability due to using mainly light armor.
Races: Orcs and Humans are most commonly found as Wild Speakers. Elves can be, but typically not because of their frailty. Really any being with a massive tie to nature can be a Wild Speaker.
Alignment: Any Lawful.
Starting Gold: 2d4x10 (max of 80).
Starting Age: Moderate.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spells per Day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Track, Skilled Hunter, Dark vision 50ft | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Woodland Stride, Nature Smith, Ritual kill | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Endurance | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Summon Kill 1/day (1 Medium Animal) | 1 | — | - | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Skilled hunter (+10 ft), Natural Armor +1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Die Hard | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +5 | +2 | - | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Summon Kill 1/day (2 medium, or 1 large) | 2 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +3 | - | 2 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +7/+2 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Skilled Hunter (+15 ft), natural Armor +2, Spell resistance, Swift Tracker | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11th | +8/+3 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12th | +8/+3 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Summon Kill 2/day (3 Medium, or 1 Large) , Magical Summoning | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13th | +9/+4 | +8 | +8 | +4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14th | +10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +4 | Timeless Strength | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15th | +11/+6/+1 | +9 | +9 | +5 | Skilled Hunter (+25 ft), Natural Armor +3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Summon Kill 2/day (4 Medium, 2 Large, or 1 Huge) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18th | +13/+8/+3 | +11 | +11 | +6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19th | +14/+9/+4 | +11 | +11 | +6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20th | +15/+10/+5 | +12 | +12 | +6 | Skilled hunter (+25 ft), Summon kill 3/day (5 Medium, 2 Large, or 1 huge), Natural Armor +4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Wild Speaker.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Wild Speakers are proficient with all kinds of Simple and Martial Melee weapons and all kinds or Armor, however they must be weapons built them-selves or found in nature/a hunt. They cannot use any ranged weapons, save for spears. They cannot buy weapons or armor or any sorts of provision they could otherwise get in the wild, if they do so they become an ex-Wild Speaker.
Spells: In order for a Wild Speaker to cast a spell, he must have an wisdom score of at least 10+ the spell level. The spells are counted as spell-like abilities and are considered divine for the purpose of scrolls and magic items. Their Spells come from the souls of the animals they have ritually killed and from their own innate primal instincts. They do not use Charisma for a basis because so much of their other abilities are so heavily built on Intelligence. . Wild Speakers choose their spells from the following list:
1st: Alarm,Calm Animals, Detect Animals or Plants, Endure Elements, Guidance, Hide from Animals, Jump, Know Direction, Mending, Magic Fang, Resist Energy, Remove Fear, Speak With Animals.
2nd: Bark skin, Bear’s Endurance, Bull’s Strength, Cat’s Grace, Chill Metal, Haste, Hold Animal, Protection from Energy, Protection from Arrows, Rage, Reduce Animal, See invisibility, Spider Climb, Water Breathing.
3rd: Air Walk, Animal Growth, Fabricate, Magic Fang (Greater), Stone Skin, Tree Shape, Water Walking.
4th: Bears Endurance (Mass), Bull’s Strength (Mass), Cat’s Grace (Mass), Commune with nature, Shape Change, Tree Stride.
Track: A Wild Speaker gains track (see p. 101 of the Player’s handbook) as a bonus feat.
Skilled Hunter: A Wild Speaker gains a +1/ 3 levels (starting with a +1 at level 1) to all survival, Knowledge (nature), and Knowledge (geography) checks. At 5th level, this ability also allows the Wild Speaker to move faster by 10 ft, 15 ft at 10th level, 20 ft at 15th level, and by 25 ft at level 20. A Wild Speaker is only able to move faster while wearing light armor or lighter. When fighting prey, the Hunter gains a +2 to all attack and damage rolls and a +1 to AC. The prey must be an Animal or magical beast the Wild Speaker has been tracking for at least one day. If they have not been tracking it for one day they do not gain the bonuses. If they are wearing medium or heavier armor, they also do not benefit from this bonus.
Dark vision: A Wild Speaker gains Dark vision out to 50 ft. This vision is in Black and White.
Woodland Stride: At second level, a Wild Speaker is not encumbered by tough terrain while moving through woods or underbrush, unless it is magical or not natural.
Nature Smith: At second level, a Wild Speaker gains a +1/2 levels to his/her Craft checks, but only if using materials gained from the wild or a hunt. They can only make items they are proficient with.
Ritual Kill: At second level, after killing an animal a Wild Speaker has been hunting, he may perform a Ritual over the dead body of the kill in order to use the soul of the creature in later battles. To do this, a Wild Speaker must remove part of the animal’s body and make a craft check (DC 10+ the animal’s Challenge Rating) as if they were making either a weapon or armor (whichever is better). If they fail the check, they can make additional attempts, but at a -2 penalty for each time they have failed. Thus after one failure, the Craft check rises by 2 points, after 2 failures it rises by four and so on. Each attempt at a ritual lasts for 2 minutes even if it is a failed ritual. A Wild Speaker does not have to perform a ritual after the kill, but it is a requirement if they wish to use the animal later. A Wild Speaker cannot use a Ritual kill on an animal already dead or that has been dead for at least ten minutes.
Endurance: The Wild Speaker gains the Endurance feet even if he/she doesn’t follow all of the requirements at 3rd level.
Summon kill: At 4th level, a Wild Speaker is able to summon animals he had previously used a Ritual kill on. In order to summon the animal, he must have a piece of the animal he killed. The animals last for 2 rounds/ level and will do everything the Wild Speaker commands them to do. They cannot be commanded by anyone else other than the Wild Speaker, but are counted as summoned animals. They can be banished by a banishing spell, but the animals gain a Will save against it (DC 10 + ½ the banisher’s caster level). A Wild Speaker cannot summon multiples of the same specific animal, but may summon the animal as many times as he wants each day as long as he has the slots for it. If a Wild Speaker does not have enough animals to fill one summoning, they must summon all of them as long as they are all the same size. A Wild Speaker cannot substitute one size of Animal for another if they do not have enough of one sized to max out the summoning (you cannot trade a medium animal for a large or a huge for a gargantuan, etc.). If the animal were to die, then it disappears once all hit points are taken. The animal may still be summoned later, but not for 1d4+ the animal’s CR days. If the summoned animal’s time runs out before it “dies”, then it may be summoned any time as long as the Wild Speaker has summon slots left for the day. The Summoned Animal is counted as a normal animal for all purposes of damage both lethal and nonlethal, thus a summoned animal can be fatigued or knocked unconscious. When summoning animals, the Wild Speaker may summon Animals up to the allotted slots and they must have a combined CR of half the Wild Speaker’s level or less. Items placed on the Summoned creatures stay around after a summoned creature disappears, unless the items were a one-time use. If there was a certain amount of damage dealt to the item or if charge were used, those charges are still lost and the damage to the item is still present after use. At 12th level, the Wild Speaker may summon Magical beasts they have Ritually Killed through the magical summoning ability.
Natural Armor: A Wild Speaker, at 5th level, gains natural armor as their body toughens up from the hunting. Starting at 5th level they gain a +1, which increases by one point for every five levels thereafter (+2 at 10th level, +3 at 15th level, etc).
Die Hard: The Wild Speaker gains the Die Hard feet even if he/she doesn’t follow all of the requirements at 6th level.
Swift tracker: At 10th Level, the Wild Speaker gains the Swift Tracker ability. With it they are able to forfeit the normal -5 penalty when moving at normal speed and the -20 penalty drops to -10 when moving at double normal speed.
Spell Resistance: At 10th level, a Wild Speaker gains Spell Resistance equal to their class level.
Timeless Strength: At 14th level, a Wild Speaker’s Muscles are no longer affected by aging and thus he/she gets no penalties to Strength for age.
Ex-Wild Speaker
A Wild Speaker goes into exile when he/she uses any weapon or armor they have bought or if they have willingly killed a creature weaker than them without a justifiable cause. If they do any of this, they lose all of their special abilities and spells except for bonus feats. In order to atone for their exile, they must abandon all of their equipment and defeat an animal with nothing but their “bare hands”. The animal must be a CR equivalent to ½ their original level or higher before exile. A Wild Speaker cannot use arcane or divine spells while fighting for their right back out of exile and cannot accept the help of any allies during this fight. It must be a fight to the death. The Wild Speaker cannot use a Ritual Kill on the animal they had to fight, but must keep a part of it as token of their failure and exile.
Human Wild Speaker Starting Package
Weapons: Greatclub (1d10, x2 crit, 8lbs, bludgeoning) and Spear (1d8, x3 crit., 20ft, piercing).
Armor: Leather Armor (+2 AC, +6 max dex, 30ft, 15lbs).
Skills: Pick a number of skills equal to 6+ Int modifier.
| Skill | Ranks | Ability | Armor Check Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craft (Armor Smith) | 4 | Int | — |
| Craft (Weapons Smith) | 4 | Int | — |
| Knowledge (nature) | 4 | Int | — |
| Knowledge (geography) | 4 | Int | — |
| Hide | 4 | Dex | — |
| Climb | 4 | Str | — |
| Move Silently | 4 | Dex | — |
| Swim | 4 | Str | — |
| Survival | 4 | Wis | — |
Feat: Run
Bonus Feats (Human): Blind Fight
Gear: Backpack, Bedroll, 1 day’s worth of firewood, tinder, flint and steel, Hempen rope, empty sack, water skin, and 1 day’s worth trail rations.
Gold: 4d4.
Campaign Information
Playing a Wild Speaker
Religion: The two most common Deities for Wild Speakers are Kord, God of Strength, and Ehlonna, God of the woods. While it is more common for Kord to be worshiped, some Wild Speakers prefer Ehlonna because of their devotion to using nothing but the woods and their devotion to nature.
Other Classes: Rangers and Wild Speakers get along very well, mainly because both hunt and track. Barbarians and Wild Speakers can get along, but only while one knows which of the two is dominant. If there is no obvious dominance, the barbarian will likely try to provoke the Wild Speaker into proving his worth simply out of a feeling of dominance and pride. Druids and Wild Speakers usually don’t go well together. This is because of the difference in how the two view nature. While Wild Speakers typically throw themselves into the hunt for their own personal profit, Druids try to conserve nature and keep a balance which typically winds up putting the two at odds. Otherwise Wild Speakers get along with everyone else just fine.
Combat: The Role of a Wild Speaker in a group of adventurers is similar to that of a ranger in that they can track. Unlike the ranger, however, they also offer additional melee support through their ability to call upon the souls of creatures they have killed in previous encounters. One of their short falls comes in that they will not kill enemies who they find to be weaker than them or who they do not deem worthy of a kill.