Forreska (Forester/Forreska)

Posted by EarthDragon on 23rd December 2016.

The forests are home to fierce and cunning creatures, such as bloodthirsty owlbears and malicious displacer beasts. But more cunning and powerful than these monsters is the forreska, a skilled hunter and stalker. They know the woods as if they were their home (as indeed they are), and they know their prey in deadly detail. A forreska can use a variety of weapons and is quite capable in combat. Their skills allow them to survive in the wilderness, to find prey, and to avoid detection. They also have special knowledge about certain types of creatures, which makes it easier for him to find and defeat such foes. Finally, an experienced forreska has such a tie to nature that they can actually draw upon natural power to cast divine spells, much as a draetha does.

  Adventures

A forreska often accepts the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. In addition, a forreska carries grudges against certain types of creatures and looks for opportunities to find and destroy them. They may adventure for all the reasons that a freth-yarl does.

  Alignment

Forreska can be of any alignment. Most are good, and such forreska usually function as protectors of the wild areas. In this role, a forreska seeks out and destroys or drives off evil creatures that threaten the wilderness. Good forreska also protect those who travel through the wilderness, serving sometimes as guides and sometimes as unseen guardians. Most forreska are also chaotic, preferring to follow the ebb and flow of nature or of their own hearts instead of rigid rules. Evil forreska, though rare, are much to be feared. They revel in nature’s thoughtless cruelty and seek to emulate her most fearsome predators. They gain divine spells just as good forreska do, for nature herself is indifferent to good and evil.

  Background

Some forreska gained their training as part of special military teams, but most learned their skills from solitary masters who accepted them as students and assistants. The forreska of a particular master may count themselves as cohorts, or they may be rivals for the status of best student and thus the rightful heir to their master’s fame.

  Role

The forreska’s best role is that of a scout and secondary combatant. Without the heavy armour of the freth-yarl or the staying power of the ravenna, the forreska should focus on opportunistic and ranged attacks. Most forreska user their animal companions as sentries, scouts, or to assist them in melee combat.

  Game Rule Information

  Abilities

Dexterity is important for a forreska both because they tend to wear light armour and because several forreska skills are based on that ability. Strength is important because forreska frequently get involved in combat. Several forreska skills are based on Wisdom, and a Wisdom score of 14 or higher is required to get access to the most powerful forreska spells. A Wisdom score of 11 or higher is required to cast any forreska spells at all. One of the forreska’s trademark skills, their ability to track foes, is based on Wisdom.

  Alignment

Any.

  Vitality Points

d8.

  Class Skills

The forreska’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).

  Skill Points at 1st Level

(6 + Int modifier) x 4.

  Skill Points at Each Additional Level

6 + Int modifier.

  Class Features

All of the following are class features of the forreska.

  Weapon and Armour Proficiency

A forreska is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor and shields (except tower shields).

  Favoured Enemy (Ex)

At 1st level, a forreska may select a type of creature from among those given on the table below. Due to their extensive study on their chosen type of foe and training in the proper techniques for combating such creatures, the forreska gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, they gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the forreska may select an additional favoured enemy from those given on the table. In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favoured enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by 2. For example, a 5th-level forreska has two favoured enemies; against one he gains a +4 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks and weapon damage rolls, and against the other he has a +2 bonus. At 10th level, he has three favoured enemies, and he gains an additional +2 bonus, which he can allocate to the bonus against any one of his three favoured enemies. Thus, their bonuses could be either +4, +4, +2 or +6, +2, +2. If the forreska chooses humanoids or outsiders as a favoured enemy, they must also choose an associated subtype, as indicated on the table. If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favoured enemy (for instance, devils are both evil outsiders and lawful outsiders), the forreska’s bonuses do not stack; they simply use whichever bonus is higher.

  Track

A forreska gains Track as a bonus feat.

  Wild Empathy (Ex)

A forreska can use body language, vocalizations, and demeanour to improve the attitude of an animal (such as a bear or a monitor lizard). This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The forreska rolls 1d20 and adds his forreska 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 forreska 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 forreska can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (such as a basilisk or a girallon), but takes a –4 penalty on the check.

  Martial Discipline (Ex)

At 1st level, a forreska gains access to one of four martial disciplines: Desert Wind, Setting Sun, Stone Dragon or Tiger Claw. As part of this process, the forreska gains access to manoeuvres from their chosen discipline as they advance through levels. Manoeuvres are expended in combat and may be recovered as a swift action in any round in which the character does not use a manoeuvre. The number of stances and manoeuvres known, along with the number of manoeuvres readied at the start of combat are governed by character level as given in the table below. At every level where a forreska may learn new manoeuvres, they may choose one manoeuvre they already know and swap it out for one of equal or lower level. Combat manoeuvres may only be used when wearing no or light armour. Medium or heavy armour prevents their use.

  Endurance

A forreska gains Endurance as a bonus feat at 3rd level.

  Animal Companion (Ex)

At 4th level, a forreska gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. There may be other animals available to the character, depending on where they hail from within The Unification or its surrounds This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the forreska on their adventures as appropriate for its kind. In most cases, the animal companion functions as a mount, sentry, scout, or hunting animal, rather than as a protector. This ability functions like the draetha ability of the same name, except that the forreska’s effective draetha level is one-half their forreska level. For example, the animal companion of a 4th-level forreska would be the equivalent of a 2nd-level draetha’s animal companion. A forreska may select from the alternative lists of animal companions just as a draetha can, though again their effective draetha level is half their forreska level. Thus, they must be at least an 8th-level forreska to select from the draetha’s list of 4th-level animal companions, and if they choose one of those animals, their effective draetha level would be reduced by 3, to 1st level. Like a draetha, a forreska cannot select an alternative animal if the choice would reduce their effective draetha level below 1st.

  Spells

Beginning at 4th level, a forreska gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells (the same type of spells available to the draetha), which are drawn from the forreska spell list. Like all spell-casters, the forreska cast spells spontaneously and is limited to a certain number of spells per day based upon their spell points available. To cast a spell, a forreska must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level (Wis 11 for 1st-level spells, Wis 12 for 2nd-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a forreska’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the forreska’s Wisdom modifier. The forreska does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers. A forreska prepares and casts spells during their daily meditation. Through 3rd level, a forreska has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, their caster level is one-half their forreska level.

  Woodland Stride (Ex)

Starting at 7th level, a forreska may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at their normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect the character.

  Swift Tracker (Ex)

Beginning at 8th level, a forreska can move at their normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal –5 penalty. They take only a –10 penalty (instead of the normal –20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.

  Evasion (Ex)

At 9th level, a forreska can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If they make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a fireball), they instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if the forreska is wearing light armour or no armour. A helpless forreska (such as one who is unconscious or paralysed) does not gain the benefit of evasion.

  Second Martial Discipline (Ex)

At 10th level, a forreska gains access to a second martial discipline from the initial list of four disciplines available to forreska. They gain the ability to use manoeuvres in Medium armour, though Heavy armour still prevents the use of manoeuvres.

  Camouflage (Ex)

A forreska of 13th level or higher can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.

  Hide in Plain Sight (Ex)

While in any sort of natural terrain, a forreska of 17th level or higher can use the Hide skill even while being observed.

  Ex-Members

There are no special restrictions on forreska or rules concerning them losing class features due to transgressions.

* Base attack bonuses are handled differently for epic characters.

** Save bonuses are handled differently for epic characters.

*** Number of Spell Points per day, numbers of spells known, and maximum spell level does not increase past 20th level. Spell casters above 20th level gain access to Epic Level spells.

**** Number of Manoeuvres known or readied and number of stances known does not increase after 20th level.