Ranger Archetype
Comments from the Thumb: When someone does something to piss off a powerful figure like a guild, government official, or crime lord, they may find themselves targeted by a bounty hunter.
This archetype is a tribute to the Bloodhound PrC from 3.5. As usual, we changed some things and improved some things. My favorite thing about this archetype is how alignment-neutral it is. Neutral or evil bounty hunters could learn their trade for monetary gain, while good ones might have some sense of justice that drives them.
Bounty Hunter
Bounty hunters are an unsavory but necessary part of justice. When a criminal escapes the law’s grasp, a price in gold is placed on his head and bounty hunters are dispatched to capture the fugitive, usually, but not always, alive.
Swift Tracker
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your base movement speed increases by 10 feet. In addition, you have advantage on Constitution saving throws against exhaustion from a forced march.
Mark
By 3rd level, you have become adept at tracking your foes. Choose a single creature you can see, or of whom you have a depiction or description. You must spend 10 minutes concentrating on them, after which they become your Mark, the creature you are sworn to bring to justice. You deal an extra 1d6 damage to your Mark whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you have advantage on any skill check made to find your Mark. You may only have one mark at a time. If you select a new Mark, you lose these benefits toward the original.
You may select two marks at once when you reach 7th level, three at 11th level, and 4 at 15th level. In addition, when you reach 15th level, you have advantage on attack rolls against your Mark.
Crippling Strike
Beginning at 7th level, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can attempt to cripple your target. The creature you attack must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s speed is halved and has disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws for 1 minute. After using this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Bring ’em Back Alive
Starting at 11th level, you are able to trip your enemies at range using bolas, a thrown weapon made of a set of weights on the ends of interconnected leather cords. Treat a set of bolas like a net with the light property and a range of 20/60. You can create a single set of bolas during a long rest if you have 1 gp in tanned leather and a leatherworker’s kit.
Track the Trackless
By 15th level, you can track your Mark if you are on the same plane, even if they left no tracks. Your Mark always trails a faint magical aura that only you can see. You must make a Wisdom (Perception) check with a DC equal to 5 + the number of hours since your Mark was in the area to locate and follow this aura. You must make this check each hour to continue following your Mark. If you fail this check, you must move at least 100 feet away before you may attempt it again. Creatures benefiting from nondetection or a similar magic effect which prevents the target from being targeted by divination magic are immune to this effect.
Changelog:
9/16/2015: Scrapped Steadfast, replaced it with Bring ’em Back Alive.
