Witcher (3.5e Prestige Class)

Witcher

“	...He was like air. He was suspended in a dance of controlled ferocity and primal power. His eyes were fierce; like those of the demon he faced. His silver sword, flickering wildly like a bright flame, bit and slashed at the creature and his movements were graceful and unhesitant as he ascended rafters and terrain to meet his quarry. He drove it away, to lay siege upon its lair and rid the beast of its curse for this was the mission dealt to him: every movement he made, every swing of his sword, was made solely to quell and defeat the beast. That is a Witcher. A monster slayer. A means to an end, when the only recourse is to have a monster to kill a worse one.	”
—Line of text by Aldermaius Typh, Author of "The Compendium of Mutants, Magicked Warriors and Monsters"

A witcher is someone who has undergone extensive training and mysterious rituals, which take place at "witcher schools", in preparation for becoming an itinerant monster-slayer for hire. Taken in usually as children, sometimes kidnapped, when their innate abilities can only be hinted at, witchers-to-be are subjected to intense alchemical processes, absorption of mutagenic compounds, and other trials to make them highly versatile against their opponents, many of which possess superhuman speed, strength and/or other dread powers. These procedures ultimately mean that each fully-trained witcher is a mutant.

Becoming A Witcher

Taking on the Witcher Prestige Class, is a lot like choosing a bloodline class for Sorcerers. For story purposes, players wishing to have Witcher characters should first consult with their Dungeon Master to see if they would allow such a class. It cannot be done at a later time unless the DM implements a way of doing so. It is, in theory, possible for a teenager to young adult being to do so, however, the reason it is done at early adolescent years, is due to how the body needs to cope with the muta-genic effects of plants, specific poisons and training to create a Witcher, which is implied that it can last from anywhere to sixteen to twenty years.

Those whom prefer melee classes such as Fighters are best suited for Witchers, as well as those who enjoy using a moderate amount of magic, like a Cleric, however, the best way to describe a Witcher, is a mixture between a Fighter and a low-level Sorcerer. They have enough of an aptitude for magic to be useful in a pinch, but are nowhere near capable of the feats of normal Wizards and Sorcerers. Their unique spell-set is what defines their class, as well as their exceeding talents with swords. Witchers focus mostly on Strength and Dexterity for combat reasons and rely on Charisma heavily for their spell-work.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any Alignment.
Base Attack Bonus:	2+.
Race:	Any race of being that lives longer then 25 years, is humanoid and does not already have secondary bloodlines (such as Draconic, Fae, etc.). Any race that has prior mutations or body alterations that go as far as to their genes, should also be considered inept, such as Harpies, Dragon-kind etc. Special: If it is upon creation that it is decided that the character is a Witcher, and it's allowed, they may already join party activities and story when provided. If not, the player in question must first find an appropriate Witcher School. If one does not exist, the DM may provide a means of meeting an archivist or an alchemist or similarly any appropriate patron deity or supernatural being that may create a Witcher on demand or provide the means to taking the path, but the lore must be present and the character wanting to become a Witcher in question, must at least make the Knowledge DC or have learned of Witchers from another source. In any of those cases where it is not instantaneous, the character must make a 2d12 roll, to determine how many years will pass as they undertake the task, with a minimum of being four years. From there, the character MUST make at least half of the amount of the maximized variables. For instance, if the character rolls and gets a 1 and 3, they have met the minimum needed of four years, so they need to roll 4d20. They must make at least 1/2 of the maximum score i.e.(40) to have succeeded in the task, and gain the minor teir abilities. If they make under this amount, the attempt at becoming a Witcher has failed and are not allowed to try again and take a penalty of 1d6 against their CON, and 1d4 against their STR and DEX, that cannot be healed or undone, save for in the case of a Wish Spell or applicable deity whom has the power to heal such damage. In the event they make 3/4 of the maximum variable (in this case, 60), it is considered that they adapted well to the process and gain the Intermediate teir abilities. If they managed to make within 10 of the full amount (70+ for this example), it is considered that they took up the skills very easily and were considered very skilled among their peers (if applicable), receiving the magor tier. the witchers only gain the abilities based on thier caster level.

Witcher Traits

Character Level	Trait Gained
	Minor	Intermediate	Major
1st	—	—	+2 Knowledge (Arcana)
2nd	—	+2 Knowledge (Arcana)	Mana Pool (Ex)
3rd	+2 Knowledge (Arcana)	—	+1 All Stats
4th	—	Mana Pool (Ex)	Alchemy Affinity +2
5th	—	—	+1 deflection bonus to AC (permanent)
6th	—	+1 All Stats	+2 Spellcraft
7th	Mana Pool (ex)	—	—
8th	—	Alchemy Affinity +2	Alchemy Affinity +4
9th	—	—	+2 Knowledge (Monster)
10th	—	+2 Spellcraft	+1 deflection bonus to AC (permanent)
11th	Alchemy Affinity +2	—	—
12th	—	+1 deflection bonus to AC	Alchemy Affinity +6
13th	—	—	+2 linguistic
14th	—	—	+1 All Stats
15th	+2 Spellcraft	—	+1 deflection bonus to AC

Mana Pool (Ex):Take Int and Wis modifiers, add together, multiply by witcher caster rank. These points can be used to cast spells. The sign's rank is how much mana it costs to cast, i.e. rank 1 signs costs 5 mana. These points recharge each day equal to Int and after a good night's sleep or with an uninterrupted meditation for 8 hours during the day. Whichever applies. However, these points can only be used with signs known.

Table: The Witcher

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	1+	2+	2+	1+	Aard Lvl.1, Mutation Choice
2nd	2+	2+	2+	1+	Igni Lvl. 1, Silver Blade, Improved Flanking
3rd	3+	3+	3+	2+	Yrden Lvl.1, School Talisman
4th	4+	3+	3+	2+	Quen Lvl .1, Sneak Attack 1d6
5th	5+	4+	4+	3+	Axii Lvl. 1, Mutation Choice
6th	6+/1+	4+	4+	3+	Aard Lvl. 2, Deepened Senses
7th	7+/2+	5+	5+	3+	Igni Lvl. 2, Monster Hunter, Sneak Attack 2d6
8th	8+/3+	6+	6+	4+	Yrden Lvl. 2, Silver Blade
9th	9+/4+	6+	6+	4+	Quen Lvl. 2, Mettle, School Defense
10th	10+/5+	7+	7+	5+	Axii Lvl. 2, Mutation Choice, Sneak Attack 3d6
11th	11+/6+/1+	7+	7+	5+	Aard Lvl. 3, Treasure Hunter
12th	12+/7+/2+	8+	8+	6+	Igni Lvl. 3, Noble Tongue
13th	13+/8+/3+	8+	8+	6+	Yrden Lvl. 3, Dance of Blades, Sneak Attack 4d6
14th	14+/9+/4+	9+	9+	7+	Quen Lvl. 3, Silver Blade
15th	15+/10+/5+	9+	9+	7+	Axii Lvl. 3, Mutation Choice, True Monster Hunter
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level) acrobatics, appraise, bluff, craft(alchemist), diplomacy, escape artist, handle animal, heal intimadate, knowlege(arcana, monster), lingustics, profession, ride, sense motive, slight of hand, spellcraft, stealth, survival, use magic device

Class Features

Mutation Choice: When she gains this ability chose one it maybe changed by creating a new mutagen: climb 30 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, and scent.

2nd Mutation

a witcher's mutation grants her a second ability chose one it maybe changed by creating a new mutagen: any of the above that you dont already have in effect, climb 30 feet, fly 30 feet (good maneuverability), darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, grab, pounce, and trip.

3rd Mutation

a witcher’s mutation grants her third ability chose one it maybe changed by creating a new mutagen: any of the above that you dont already have in effect, climb 30 feet, fly 30 feet (good maneuverability), swim 30 feet, blindsense 30 feet, darkvision 60 feet, low-light vision, scent, constrict, ferocity, grab, poison, pounce, rake, and trip.

4th Mutation

a witcher’s mutagen grants her a fourth ability chose one it maybe changed by creating a new mutagen: any of the above that you dont already have in effect, burrow 30 feet, climb 30 feet, fly 30 feet (good maneuverability), swim 30 feet, blindsense 30 feet, darkvision 30 feet, low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 30 feet, constrict, ferocity, grab, poison, pounce, rake, roar, and trip.

Improved Flanking: you gain a +1 to hit creatures you flank.

Silver Blade: at 2nd level your weapons are treated as silver for over coming damage reduction. later at 8th level as cold iron, and finaly at 14th level as adimantine

School Talisman: At 3rd level you gain a small talisman asotiated with your school in the shape of the aninimal(either just the head or hole animal). the talisman functions as a holy symbol for all intents and purposes. this talisman can take the form of anything you like, the talisman must be large enough to be visible from 50' away, as long as it cost no more than 50gp. examples a pendants, neclace, or even a tattoo(the talisman must be kept visible at all times to make use of it) ect.; and talismans are always made of silver. The talisman lets you detect evil intent(not wether a person is evil) within 60' at will.

Sneak Attack: at 4th level gain 1d6 damage +1d6 every 3 levels

Deepened Senses: double low-light, darkvision and scent abilities, and add 1/2 level to perception

Monster Hunter(Ex): able to do percision damage(such as critical hits and sneak attacks) to creatures not subject to precision damage.

Mettle(Ex): Similar to evasion, but only against magical effects that allow a save for half effect, for fortitude and will.

School Defense: (witcher schools name here): You may add your( Wis for wolf school, str for bear, con for griffin, dex for cat, and cha for viper) (if any) to your AC as long as you wear light or no armor and light or no sheild.. you lose this bonus any time you are denied your Dexterity bonus to AC. if you benefit from uncanny dodge, it applies to this bonus, too.

Treasure Hunter: may add 1/2 your level to apriase and slight of hand checks. and can use detect magic at will

Noble Tongue: bonus to bluff and diplomacy equal to 1/2 your level

Dance of Blades: you are able to act twice in a single round example have an intiative of 23 can take a full round action to attack then take a 5' step and again -20 to intiative later at 3 and be able to move and cast a spell

True Monster Hunter: the witcher becomes a master at killing monsters. He can always move at full speed while using Survival to follow tracks without penalty. He can, as a standard action, make a single attack against a monster at his full attack bonus. If the attack hits, the target takes damage normally and must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC for this save is 10 + 1/2 the witcher's level + the witcher's school appropriat stat. Whether or not the target succeeds, it cannot be targeted by this ability again for 24 hours. A successful save negates this damage.

Signs: as a Witcher you cast signs

spells(signs) need at least 1 hand free to cast

rank 1 cost 5 spell points rank 2 cost 11 spell points rank 3 cost 17 spell points

Aard:

• Rank 1 a telekinetic wave that can push back or knock down an opponent, just like using the improved bullrush feat. This sign can also be used to destroy obstacles, for example crumbling walls or stacks of barrels. You causes the target to be pushed away from you in a straight line up to 5 feet per two ranks. For every size category of the target above Medium, reduce the distance pushed by 5 feet (–5 feet for Large, –10 feet for Huge, –15 for Gargantuan, and –20 feet for Colossal) to a minimum of 0 feet.

• Rank 2 a telekinetic wave that can push back, knock down or stun an opponent save vs stun fort negates. stun for 1d4+1 rounds

• Rank 3 is an area of effect blast of energy that pushes everyone around you away 15' radius. Excellent when you need some breathing room. and has a chance of stun fort save negates stun.

Yrden:

• Rank 1 a magical trap placed on the ground, slows down all enemies that enter its range. place a single yrden sign on the ground hold duration cha rounds, size 10' radius, last for 1 min per rank

• Rank 2 will wound and immobilize opponents 2 force damage +1 per rank max +15. place up to 2 yrden sign on the ground.

• Rank 3 you'll be able to place up to three yrden signs at a time. These will work in unison, creating an impassible barrier. will negates

Igni:

• Rank 1 a gush of flames that wound opponents 6 damage. the sign has a 15% chance of incinerating opponents 18 damage, fort save negates. It can also be used to detonate flammable gases emitted by some bombs. 15' cone

• Rank 2 a gush of flames that wound opponents 12 damage and has a larger area of effect. 30' cone, the sign has a 30% chance of incinerating opponents 18 damage, fort save negates incineration.

• Rank 3 can then shoot a continuous jet of flame from his hand 12 damage. Ideal for handling giant monsters and groups of opponents, duration equal to cha rounds. the sign has a 45% chance of incinerating opponents 18 damage, fort save for half damage.

Quen:

• Rank 1 a protective shield that lasts for a number of rounds equal to cha, giving a plus 4 cover bonus to ac. will redirct all magic missiles targeting you back at the caster.

• Rank 2 a protective shield that lasts for a number of rounds equal to double cha. will redirct all force spells and effects targeting you back at the caster.

• Rank 3 can now create a protective bubble large enough for you and one other person and will redirct all force spells and effects targeting you back at the caster. can reflect up to 9+2 per 2 cr max+10 of damage back toward the enemy from other area of efect spells and effects (such as beath weapons), and any melee or ranged attacks as a force effect up to 2+1 per cr max +5 of the damage received reflex save for half damage.

Axii:

• Rank 1 this sign leaves enemies in a confused state standing in place number of rounds equal to your cha. will negates

• Rank 2 a charm placed on an opponent. If the charm attempt is successful, the enemy will become your ally for a short while, number of rounds equal to double cha

• Rank 3 a charm placed on an opponent. If the charm attempt is successful, they will fight at your side for number of rounds equal to double cha.

Playing a Witcher

Combat:

Advancement:

Resources:

Witchers in the World

“

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NPC Reactions:

Witcher Lore

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

DC	Result
11	.
16	.
21	.
26	.

Witchers in the Game

Adaptation:

Sample Encounter:

EL whatever:

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