Wild Beastmaster (3.5e Prestige Class)

Wild Beastmaster

“	"There isn't an animal that I haven't eaten."	”
—Gregory Himt, Orc Wild Beastmaster, "A Traveler's Adventures"

As a Wild Beastmaster, you seek to protect nature, and to learn the fighting styles of a wide variety of animals. Along their career, the Wild Beastmaster begins to take on traits of wild animals, growing long fangs, terrible claws, and powerful muscles.

Becoming a Wild Beastmaster

To become a Wild Beastmaster, you must vow to use your skills to protect nature at all costs.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any.
Skills:	Survival 6 ranks, Knowledge (Nature) 6 ranks, Handle Animal 2 ranks.
Feats:	Light Armor Proficiency
Special:	The character must have lived among animals for several years before taking this prestige class.

Table: The Wild Beastmaster

Hit Die: 1d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+2	+0	Wild Empathy
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+0
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+1	Animal Companion
4th	+4	+4	+4	+1
5th	+5	+4	+4	+1	Speak with Animals 1/day
6th	+6	+5	+5	+2
7th	+7	+5	+5	+2	Woodland Stride
8th	+8	+6	+6	+2
9th	+9	+6	+6	+3	Trackless Step
10th	+10	+7	+7	+3
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level) Climb (Str), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex)

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Wild Beastmaster.

Wild Empathy (Ex): A Wild Beastmaster can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The Wild Beastmaster rolls 1d20 and adds his Wild Beastmaster level and his Charisma bonus to determine the Wild Empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use Wild Empathy, the Wild Beastmaster and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. The Wild Beastmaster can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a –4 penalty on the check.

Animal Companion (Ex): At 3rd level, the Wild Beastmaster gains an animal companion. Treat the Wild Beastmaster as a Druid of the same level to determine the all effects related to the animal companion.

Speak with Animals (Sp): At 5th level, the Wild Beastmaster can Speak with Animals once per day as a spell-like ability. The spell has a duration of 1 minute per level of Wild Beastmaster.

Woodland Stride (Ex): Starting at 7th level, the Wild Beastmaster may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

Trackless Step (Ex): Starting at 9th level, a Wild Beastmaster leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. He may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Aspect of the Animal (Su): At every level, the Wild Beastmaster chooses one of the following abilities. The effects of all abilities stack- for example, with Shark's Maw and Serpent's Grasp, you can bite an opponent for 1d8+Str damage with an additional poison doing 1d4 Con damage (with a Fort save). Any of these abilities can be chosen at any level, except for Chameleon's Skin which cannot be chosen until 5th level.

Bats Wing (Su): You grow thick, black leathery wings. With these wings you can fly at your base speed (good maneuverability). When you make a bite attack against an enemy, you can drain their blood as a swift action that does not provoke an attack of oppurtunity. This drain attack deals 1d4 Constitution damage and gives you temporary hit points equal to the damage you deal. As a racial bonus, you gain +8 on Listen checks. You also gain Blindsight as an Extraordinary ability.

Boars Fury (Su): The following effects take place while you are in a rage or using ferocity. You gain +4 Strength and Damage Reduction 5/-. In addition, you gain the benefits of the Extraordinary ability Fast Healing 1. Your rage or ferocity lasts an extra number of rounds equal to your levels in Wild Beastmaster. You can also rage or use ferocity an extra number of times per day equal to your levels in Wild Beastmaster.

Chameleons Skin (Su): You gain a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Disguise checks. You gain the benefits of the Extraordinary ability Hide in Plain Sight. You can use the Supernatural ability Wild Shape as a Druid of the same level as your level in Wild Beastmaster. For example, a level 5 Wild Beastmaster could use Wild Shape once a day for 5 hours, or until he decides to change back. Chameleons Skin cannot be chosen until you are at least a level 5 Wild Beastmaster.

Gorillas Fist (Su): You gain a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks. You gain the feat Monkey Grip. You also gain the feat Improved Unarmed Strike. You can climb a number of feet per round equal to your base speed (usually you can climb 1/4 of your base speed per round). You gain a natural fist attack that does 1d6 damage starting at 1st level, 1d8 damage starting at 4th level, and cumulating at 1d10 damage at 8th level. You apply your full Strength modifier to this damage. Your fists are treated as adamantine for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Once per day you can make your hands unbreakable for a number of rounds equal to your Strength modifier.

Horses Swiftness (Su): Your base land speed is increased by 10 feet. You gain a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks. You gain the feat Improved Initiative. You gain the benefits of the feat Endurance. From now on, you cannot become fatigued (from sleeping in heavy armor, from the touch of fatigue spell, from rage or ferocity) and you suffer no speed penalty for being over-encumbered.

Jaguars Stealth (Su): You gain a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. You gain the benefits of the Extraordinary ability Pounce. You gain the feat Spring Attack, even if you do not meet the requirements. Whenever you deal damage to an opponent who has been denied his Dexterity bonus to AC (from being flat-footed or otherwise) you deal an additional 1d6 damage. This damage is increased to 2d6 at level 5 and 3d6 at level 9.

Owls Senses (Su): You gain a +8 racial bonus on Spot and Move Silently checks. You also gain a +4 racial bonus on all Knowledge checks, even if they are made untrained. You gain the benefits of the feat Low Light Vision.

Sharks Maw (Su): You gain a natural bite attack that deals 1d8 damage. This attack draws attacks of oppurtunity as normal (unless you have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat). You apply your full Strength modifier to this damage. While underwater, you can breathe normally, and you can swim your full base speed (usually you can swim 1/4 of your base speed as a move action or 1/2 or your base speed as a full round action per round). When somebody grapples you, or when you grapple someone, they take 1d4 damage per round on your turn.

Snakes Grasp (Su): You gain a +4 racial bonus on Swim and Climb checks. You gain the benefits of the feat Improved Grapple. When you bite someone, you can choose to inject them with a deadly venom that deals 1d4 Constitution damage. The Fortitude save for this poison is DC 10 + 1/2 your levels of Wild Beastmaster + your Constitution modifier. This poison deals no secondary damage. This bite attack draws attacks of oppurtunity as normal (unless you have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat).

Wolfs Hunt (Su): You gain a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks. You gain a Favored Enemy as per a Ranger of the same level. If you also have levels in Ranger, your levels in Wild Beastmaster and Ranger stack for determining your Favored Enemy damage. You can have one Favored Enemy at level 1, two Favored Enemies at level 5, and three Favored Enemies at level 10. You gain the Extraordinary abilities Track, Scent, Evasion, and Trapfinding.

Ex-Wild Beastmasters

There is the penalty for breaking a code, as Wild Beastmasters adhere to the code of nature you will be forbid from taking levels in wild beastmaster until you "atone" for your crimes vs the wild.

Campaign Information

Wild Beastmasters prefer to live alone in the wilderness, living among animals and refining their skills day in and day out. A Wild Beastmaster might join an adventuring party to travel the world and learn from the fighting styles of many different kinds of animals. Wild Beastmasters get along better with beast-like races than more civilized races such as Elves and Humans. Rangers may prestige into Wild Beastmaster to improve their fighting skills, and Barbarians may do so to further empower their rage or ferocity ability. However, Druids are the most likely class to take levels in Wild Beastmaster, as it allows for the continuation of the Wild Shape ability and helps the Druid to be more in tune with nature and animals.

Playing a Wild Beastmaster

Combat: Wild Beastmasters excel in combat. They have a fearsome appearance and frighten opponents with their varied mix of animal traits, including sharkskin, owl eyes, and bat wings. Most Wild Beastmasters prefer to go right into the heart of combat, grappling and biting enemies to deliver powerful toxins and deep wounds.

Advancement: The average Wild Beastmaster starts as a Druid, though some start as Rangers or Barbarians with a strong interest in nature. A Wild Beastmaster could benefit by taking more levels in Druid to enhance their Wild Shape ability, especially considering that all Aspect of the Animal abilities function while in Wild Shape.

Resources: Wild Beastmasters tend to stay away from civilization, though they may know other hunters and tanners in the area. The biggest resource a Wild Beastmaster has is his innate knowledge of the surrounding land where he hunts.

Wild Beastmasters in the World

“

"Shh. You'll scare away the deer."

”

NPC Reactions: "I swear, I was walking throught the forest when I saw this guy with jaguar spots and a horse tail... No, I'm not crazy."

Wild Beastmaster Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Nature) can research Wild Beastmasters to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Nature)

DC	Result
11	Wild Beastmasters live in the wild.
16	Wild Beastmasters battle using various animal-based fighting styles.
21	Wild Beastmasters can shapeshift into different animals limited times per day.
26	Wild Beastmasters eventually change in physical appearance, adopting select traits of animals they imitate.

Wild Beastmasters in the Game

NPC Wild Beastmasters commonly live in the wild, far away from civilization.

Adaptation: Wild Beastmasters are suited for any campaign. They should choose Aspects of the Animal based on the animals that live in their native territory. Different Aspects can be created for custom campaigns (such as Aspect of the Unicorn), but make sure to run them by your DM.

Sample Encounter: The average Wild Beastmaster would probably conflict with the party if they were to trample through a natural area, killing forest animals (as most adventurers are apt to do).

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