 Huntmaster
Source Animal Archive pg. 6
Huntmasters train the beasts favored by lordly castes into swift and deadly trackers.
Class Skills: A huntmaster gains Knowledge (nature), Stealth, and Survival as class skills.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A huntmaster is not proficient with heavy armor. Huntmasters are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, plus the net and whip.
Bestial Challenge (Ex): Whenever a huntmaster issues a challenge, both he and his hunting pack gain the bonuses and penalties associated with his challenge. This modifies the challenge ability.
Hunting Pack (Ex): At 1st level, a huntmaster forms a close bond with an animal companion. This animal companion functions as a druid’s animal companion, using the cavalier’s level as his effective druid level. He can choose either a bird or a dog when selecting his animal companion.
The huntmaster can have more than one animal companion, but he must divide up his effective druid level between his companions to determine the abilities of each companion. Each time a huntmaster’s effective druid level increases, he must decide how to allocate the increase among his animal companions (including the option of adding a new 1st-level companion). Once an effective druid level is allocated to a particular companion, it cannot be redistributed while that companion is in the huntmaster’s service (he must release a companion or wait until a companion dies to allocate its levels to another companion). The share spells animal companion ability does not give the huntmaster the ability to cast a single spell so that it affects all of his animal companions.
A huntmaster’s animal companions gain a bonus on Survival checks to follow tracks equal to 1/2 the cavalier’s class level (minimum 1). This ability replaces mount.
Tactician (Ex): A huntmaster’s tactician ability affects only his hunting pack, not other allies. This modifies the tactician, greater tactician, and master tactician abilities.
Takedown (Ex): At 3rd level, a huntmaster’s dog can make a free trip or dirty trick (entangled) combat maneuver after a successful melee attack. A huntmaster’s bird can make a free dirty trick (dazzled or deafened) combat maneuver after a successful melee attack; if the target is already dazzled, the bird can choose dirty trick (blinded) instead. These combat maneuvers do not provoke attacks of opportunity. This ability replaces cavalier’s charge.
Animal Trainer (Ex): At 4th level, a huntmaster’s expert trainer ability applies to birds and dogs rather than mounts. This modifies the expert trainer ability.
Swift Tracker (Ex): At 5th level, a huntmaster gains the swift tracker ability, as the ranger ability of the same name. This ability replaces banner.
Bonus Feats: At 6th level, a huntmaster and all members of his hunting pack gain Step Up as a bonus feat. At 12th level, they gain Following Step and at 18th level, they gain Step Up and Strike. This ability replaces a cavalier’s standard bonus feats.
Pack Attack (Ex): At 11th level, whenever a huntmaster and any of his hunting pack or multiple animals in his hunting pack are adjacent and attack the same target in melee, they are treated as flanking. In addition, they can flank a creature with improved uncanny dodge if the huntmaster has at least 4 more levels than the target. This ability replaces mighty charge.
Quarry (Ex): At 14th level, a huntmaster gains quarry, as the ranger ability of the same name. The benefits of this ability also apply to his hunting pack. This ability replaces greater banner.
Improved Quarry (Ex): At 20th level, a huntmaster gains improved quarry, as the ranger ability of the same name. The benefits of this ability also apply to his hunting pack. This ability replaces supreme charge.
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