Originally posted by kalthandrix:
Final Version
[quote]Werrik’s Slave Hunter
It is better to be the one putting the slave collar on, then the one trying to remove it!”
-Werrik, Leader of Werrik’s Stalkers
The slave hunter is one of the elite within the slave tribe called Werrik’s Stalkers, though over the years in an effort to gain richer clients, Werrik has turned her slave tribe into a merchant house called House Werrik. Werrik’s Slave Hunters are selected by Werrik herself, from members within her tribe who show the right skill, the heartless determination to stay free no matter the cost, and the highest loyalty to her. Membership in her tribe or within the slave hunters is never offered to those they are hired to retake, as Werrik see that as bad business for her growing House. These chosen few receive special training from Werrik herself in the art of acquiring slaves and recapturing wayward property to return to the owner: for a fee.
Membership within this class can be granted to any race or class that makes up the Stalker’s, although Werrik usually selects fighters, rangers, and rogues. Rank within the tribe is usually determined through combat, but Werrik has a chosen few whom have risen high within the tribe though skill alone.
Werrik’s Slave Hunters can usually be found either hunting their prey or traveling with the rest of the tribe within the huge rolling slave pen that doubles as the home and fortress of House Werrik.
Hit Dice: d8
Requirements:
To qualify to become on of Werrik’s Slave Hunters, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (geography) 2 ranks, Survival 5 ranks, Spot 2 ranks
Feats: Track
Alignment: Any non-good.
Special: Must be an ex-slave that is accepted as a member of Werrik’s Stalkers.
Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Use Rope (Dex). Skill points at each level: 4+ Int modifier
Class Features:
All of the following are class features of Werrik’s Slave Hunters prestige class.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A Werrik’s Slave Hunter gains light armor proficiency along with one of the following weapon proficiencies: lasso, net, or whip.
Tools of the Trade: Upon gaining admittance within this class, a Werrik’s Slave Hunter is gifted with a masterworked weapon of the type chosen upon entering this class and a suit of masterworked studded leather armor mekillot armor (equivalent to a master worked chain shirt) with the symbol of House Werrik on its breast. (Note- The studded leather will be replaced with a piece of mekillot armor when the piecemeal armor rules are finalized).
Run Them Down: At 1st level, a Werrik’s Slave Hunter gains the endurance feat.
Slaver’s Touch: The training you receive from Werrik has taught you how to take down those you hunt without damaging them too badly for the market. At 2nd level, a Werrik’s Slave Hunter does not suffer the -4 penalty to their attack rolls when using a melee weapon to inflict non-lethal damage.
Master’s Knowledge: Upon reaching 3rd level within this class, a Werrik’s Slave Hunter is a veteran in their profession and has gained a unique insight for dealing with slaves; once having been one and now the one who puts the collar on. A Werrik’s Slave Hunter adds a +3 insight bonus to their Intimidate, Bluff, as well as Survival checks for Tracking, and Use Rope checks when they are actively handling slaves.
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial<br />1+1+2+0+0Arms & Armor, Run Them Down<br />2+2+3+0+0Leave No Mark<br />3+3+3+1+1Master’s Knowledge
[/quote]
Originally posted by elonarc:
How about adding search to the list of class skills? Other than that, nice prestige class!
Originally posted by Sysane:
Very nice. I wouldn’t change a thing. Good job 
Originally posted by ruhl-than_sage:
Maybe they should know how to use nets too. Also, that a very short skill list for a class with 4+int modifer skill points in addition to the aformentioned Search, I think you should give them some of the following possible skills (with explainations for why they should maybe be included):
Bluff (to trick the quarry)
Climb (for pursuing them up/down cliffs)
Craft (because it pretty standard)
Disguise (To ambush the quarry)
Escape Artist (because if you know how to tie people up, you probably know how to escpae as well)
Gather Information (To track the quarry in town and gather information about them)
Handle Animal (To use animals for tracking)
Heal (to make sure that injured slaves wanted alive don’t die)
Hide (to ambush the quarry)
Jump (to better pursue the quarry)
Listen (to hear the quarry when you can’t see them)
Move Silently (to sneak up on the quarry)
Ride (to use mounts to ride down the quarry)
Sense Motive (to sense the motives of the quarry, to avoid being tricked or ambushed by them).
The reason I present a list of possibilities rather than being more definate in my suggestions is that I’m not familiar with the group and thusly don’t know their methodology.
Originally posted by squidfur-:
I agree with Elonarc and The Sage’s advice on skill selection, but otherwise I’m liking what I see. Good work.
Originally posted by Pennarin:
This current list of skills and its number of skill points per level are right on target.
The DS3 equivalent to chain shirt is chitin armor (mekillot plates are only used for brestplate, half plate and full plate armor).
Under Means of Operation, in Slave Tribes, its clearly stated they sometimes have to relly on using nets, so you should add nets to Arms and Armors, or swap another weapon for it.
Aside from that and a few issues about the PrC format, its a damn good slave tribe PrC! 
Originally posted by kalthandrix:
Made some changes to the class skills and the arms and armor- Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Originally posted by Pennarin:
A detail: you can’t write “Werrik’s” in the title of the PrC if you don’t intend to use it as part of the name. I suggest letting it in, it goes well with the other PrCs that already exist. For example: Black Sand Reaver, Tenpug’s Band Member, … Werrik’s Slave Hunter?
Btw, you alternatively use Slave Hunter and Slave Stalker for the name of the PrC.
Outside of this discussion, I’ll look up tomorrow the entry about the troop of actors that works for Salt View, another slave tribe. Maybe I can whip up a short PrC about them…
Originally posted by zombiegleemax:
Minor gripe, but I’d require them to have a BAB of +2 or better (and give them more class skills cause the class is now “tougher” to get into 
). That’s just me, though. Have a 
on me, nice work
Originally posted by brun01:
Great!!! 
Now I just need one for The Free and my Arcane Shadows conversion is complete!
Oh, well, besides the Oronis, Spirit of the Land and Pyreen part… 
Originally posted by kalthandrix:
[quote]Great!!!
Now I just need one for The Free and my Arcane Shadows conversion is complete!
Oh, well, besides the Oronis, Spirit of the Land and Pyreen part… [/quote]
I will be doing a PrC that I am calling Defenders of the Free- I should be able o knock it out before the weeks end so just watch the board for it
Originally posted by brun01:
Still waiting… 
Originally posted by Pennarin:
Me too
If the Free PrC works, all those that we have should cover pretty much everything related to slave tribes.
I tried to find concrete proof in the fluff text in Slave Tribes for any unsual stuff happening with some clave tribes, like hive minds or psionic powers, but to no avail.
Originally posted by kalthandrix:
[quote]Still waiting…
:P[/quote]
Your thoughts betray you young one.
I have been really busy, but I will get to making both the Defenders of the Free and the Lion’s Guard sometime this week, maybe. I first want to work out the kinks in the Werrik’s Slave Hunter.
At the latest, I will at least post the prelim. stuff I have for the two classes sometime next week.
Originally posted by Pennarin:
This is my feedback on this class. Its my second writing in fact, cause the first time around I erased it by accident when I was finished…damn browser.
Ok, Kalthandrix, this is based on what I sent you by email, so you already read this but I’ll try to explain myself this time and make it so others can scrutinize the feedback I’m giving and judge for themselve if its good or not, so you can accumulate Nays or Yays.
For the introductory paragraphs:
In the making of the Black Sand Marauder I came to strike a balance between new info and info taken from Slave Tribes. I propose the following for the introductory paragraphs, and invite you to read the appropriate sections in the book so as to compare the writting I did and the info given in the book:
The slave hunters compose the majority of the lower ranks within the Werrik’s Stalkers slave tribe, also known as House Werrik. They receive special training from Werrik herself in the art of acquiring slaves for trade, and in capturing wayward property so it can be returned to its contracted owner―for a fee. Whenever a new position opens for a slave hunter, either to replace a death or to increase the tribe’s size, Werrik picks the new candidate herself whenever the Stalkers raid another slave tribe, watchful for the ex-slave wanting freedom at any cost. Such an individual is offered the chance of joining the Stalkers, and if he accepts undergoes a trial consisting of a number of tests designed to determine the ex-slave’s desire for freedom, his fighting and hunting skills, as well as his new loyalty to Werrik and her Stalkers. Werrik never offers membership to wayward property she has been contracted to capture and bring back, part of her work ethic.
A slave hunter can come from any race or class, although rangers, rogues and fighters are what Werrik usually looks for. All members of the tribe must be ex-slaves.
All Werrik’s slave hunters can be found at one time or another within the great wheeled slave pen that doubles as home and fortress, or on hunting expeditions. Rank within the tribe is sometimes determined through combat, but most often is given by Werrik based on slave hunting skills.
For the requirements:
The Black Sand Raiders take you in if you are strong and capable, but you may not be evil when you first gain membership. As so, I designed the Marauder class so it turns you toward evil.
This text in Slave Tribes clearly mentions that Werrik takes her new members specifically from the ranks of ex-slaves that would do anything to stay free. The trials also involve capturing a fellow runaway slave and bringing her to Werrik. Those two important details, IMHO, mean that the members of this class cannot be good, as such I’d add this to the requirements:
Alignment: Any nongood.
The Special entry mentions being an ex-slave, but that can be conveyed in the three introductory paragraphs. In those paragraphs you also mention what it takes to become a member of the tribe and a member of this PrC: being an ex-slave, the trials, the loyalty to Werrik, etc.
All you need to write in the special section is this:
Special: Membership in Werrik’s Stalkers.
For the class features:
You already know what I wrote for the weapons, but here it is again with a better explanation this time.
In your write-up you give three Exotic weapon proficiencies at 1st level, while other classes give a single Exotic weapon proficiency as a class ability. This is not even a class ability and you get 3 Exotic weapons…a huge gain at 1st level.
So I suggest giving only one weapon proficiency from a choice of three weapons. Now the three weapons have some problems IMO:
- The master’s whip inflicts lethal damage, which goes against these guys being slavers: this can be answered by replacing it with the whip, which is a good weapon to inflict nonlethal damage and perform trip attacks, useful against runaway slaves you want to capture
- The blowgun is a bard’s or assassin’s weapon, or even a Forest Ridge halfing’s weapon: I suggest replacing it with the lasso, another good weapon for capturing runaway slaves.
So the weapon entry becomes:
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Werrik’s slave hunters gain light armor proficiency along with one of the following weapon proficiencies: lasso, net, or whip.
The name of the Arms & Armor ability is better suited for a gladiator, and even then its too generic. Something invoking the equipment a slaver receives would be more fitting for this class, something like Slaver’s Gear, Slaver’s Paraphernalia, or Tools of the Slaver.
Also, this line that you wrote - “Upon gaining the 1st level in this class, you are gifted with a masterworked giant-hair net” - means you get a predetermined weapon from the three you gave proficiencies for. If you decide instead to only give a proficiency for one weapon of your choice, you can write this instead: Upon first entering this class a Werrik’s slave hunter receives a weapon for which he gained a proficiency in this class.
The Leave No Marks ability is also an ability with a name I think is close to the right one, but not quite. The goal is not to leave no marks but to capture slaves unharmed, as in alive. As such the ability can be renamed to Capture Alive or Slaver’s Touch.
Also, I checked and there are a couple of other PrCs around that give this ability (the Kuotagha I think), and it is not worded this way with those classes. A line of fluff before mentionning the mechanics of the ability can’t hurt either. So the ability could read:
When reaching 2nd level a Werrik’s slave hunter becomes accustomed to inflicting no wounds on its quarry. A Werrik’s slave hunter suffers no penalties to attack when it wants to inflict nonlethal damage with weapons.
For the Master’s Knowledge ability, the enumeration of skills is a bit wonky, the skills’ applications need to be spaced better so we can understand what applies to what. I would write this: a +3 insight bonus to Bluff and Intimidate checks, as well as to Survival checks for the purpose of tracking, and to Use Rope checks when handling slaves
General comments on the class:
Again, this PrC is hot! Its interesting and makes a great addition to the other two exisitng slave tribe PrCs, and if your Defender of the Free PrC is as good we’ll have covered most if not all the possible avenues for the tribes.
Originally posted by kalthandrix:
Update to the PrC post is finished.
Originally posted by kalthandrix:
Soooo…I guess that this will be the final version, seeing how I posted it several days ago and have had no further comments.
Be on the look out for the Defenders of the Free some time this week.
Originally posted by ruhl-than_sage:
Yes