Black Archer Prestige Class
Design Note: Derived from the Unchained Lantern Bearer Prestige Class from Milosz0pl and the Pathfinder Community Reddit’s Prestige Unchained Redux. Adapted for the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for our living world.
Prerequisites:
- Alignment: Any Chaotic, Neutral Good or Neutral Evil.
- Base attack Bonus: +3
- Skills: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 2 ranks, Survival 5 ranks.
- Weapon Proficiency: Must be proficient with the bow and one martial melee weapon.
- Special: Must be an elf (but not drow) with Shevrash as her patron deity, take a vow of austerity (as the paladin vow), and a vow to never smile. Should any of these conditions be violated, the black archer loses all granted special abilities until atonement has been made.
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills: The black archer’s class skills are Bluff, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (dungeoneering, local, nature), Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth, and Survival.
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Progression
| Lvl: | BAB: | Fort: | Ref: | Will: | Special: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +0 | Archer’s arcana, blood oath, spell potency |
| 2 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Archer’s arcana, superior discernment |
| 3 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +1 | Unbound stride, Oath of the Bow |
| 4 | +4 | +2 | +2 | +1 | Bitter armaments, fade from sight |
| 5 | +5 | +3 | +3 | +2 | Archer’s arcana, final judgement |
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A black archer gains proficiency with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, shortbows (including composite shortbows) and any weapon with the word “elven” in its name.
Archer’s Arcana (Sp) A black archer gains a series of spell-like abilities. Her caster level for these effects is equal to her character level, and the save DC is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + her Charisma or Wisdom modifier (chosen at the time of gaining this ability and once chosen it cannot be changed). To use these spell-like abilities, her chosen ability score must be equal to at least 10 + the spell-like ability’s spell level. She gains these spell-like abilities as she advances in level; usable a number of times per day as indicated in any combination.
- At Will: Dancing lights, light, and spark.
- 1st Level: Faerie fire, pass without trace, or protection from evil 3/day.
- 2nd Level: Darkvision (self only), delay poison (self only), or see invisibility 2/day.
- 5th Level: Daylight, dispel magic, or magic circle against evil (self only) 1/day.
Blood Oath (Ex): At 1st level, the black archer gains humanoid (elf) as a favored enemy. This functions as the UnRanger’s favored enemy feature with a bonus of +2; this bonus increases by +2 at 4th level. If she already has the favored enemy ability, then this becomes the dedicated adversary talent against humanoid (elf) enemies, and her black archer levels stack with levels in any other class with the favored enemy feature to determine her bonus and number of favored enemies.
Spell Potency (Su): When casting spells or using archer’s arcana spell-like abilities, a black archer gains a bonus equal to her class level on caster level checks to overcome the spell resistance of drow.
Superior Discernment (Ex): At 2nd level, a black archer gains one of the following as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites: Eagle Eyes, Elven Accuracy, or Sharp Senses.
Unbound Stride (Su): At 3rd level, the black archer gains the ability to ignore hampering effects of natural terrain or natural webbing, similar to the Woodland Stride ability of the druid. Further, as a swift action, a black archer can make herself also immune to magically manipulated terrain or other effects that would impede her movement, such as entangle, solid fog, or web. While the activated ability is in effect, she also takes no damage from moving through spiky vegetation, briars, or effects like thorny entanglement or wall of thorns, but harmful gases and other detrimental effects, such as fire damage from an incendiary cloud, still affect her as normal. At 5th level, activating this ability can also confer immunity to paralysis effects, such as hold person. She can use the activated effects of this ability for a number of rounds per day equal 3 + her black archer level; these rounds need not be consecutive.
Oath of the Bow (Ex): At 3rd level, a black archer gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls, and +1 to confirm critical hits with any bow, including composite bows. Further, she is able to treat her base attack bonus as her fighter level for the purpose of selecting weapon feats for these weapons, like Weapon Specialization.
Bitter Armaments (Su): At 4th level, arrows shot by a black archer are treated elf-bane arrows when used against drow.
Fade from Sight (Su): Also at 4th level, a black archer can use the Stealth skill without having anything to hide behind, and even while being observed. This ability is activated as a swift action in conjunction with the action taken to hide. She can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + her black archer level; these rounds need not be consecutive but must be used in one-round increments.
Final Judgement (Su): At 5th level, a black archer can conduct a ritual to imbue an arrow as an arrow of death, granting it the power of a Slaying Arrow against humanoid (elf); this ritual requires a full-round action in which she can take no other actions, and draws attacks of opportunity; an arrow so blessed loses this property after one minute. She can use this ritual twice per day, or once per day to create a Greater Slaying Arrow.