ROGUE-ASSASSIN KIT

Bounty Hunter

Description:  At first glance, Bounty Hunters often seem to be soft-spoken, 
rather nondescript characters who are a bit out of place amongst a group of 
adventurers.  Their drab and purposefully plain demeanor is only a facade, 
however, concealing keen senses, a shrewd mind, and remarkable insight.  A few 
innocuous questions enable them to distinguish friend from foe and fact from 
fiction.  Only their closest friends may realize the extent of their expertise, 
and that is just the way they like it.  Bounty Hunters serve as spies, 
informants, and interrogators, and they also are able to make a good living 
hunting down and capturing humans and demi-humans for posted rewards.  Unlike 
typical Assassins, Bounty Hunters focus more on the tracking and live capture of 
their prey, rather than simply slaying them.  Bounty Hunters' mastery of stealth 
makes them deadly opponents.  They avoid drawing attention to themselves, seldom 
speaking unless directly addressed, then responding succinctly and without 
elaboration.  They avoid small talk and socializing, suppressing their emotions 
so that their decisions aren't colored by them.

Requirements:  In addition to standard Assassin class requirements, a Bounty 
Hunter must have Strength of at least 13 (as they sometimes are forced to 
physically overpower their foes) and Dexterity of at least 14.  Unlike typical 
Assassins, Bounty Hunters can be of any alignment.  In addition, full-blooded 
elves and halflings can become Bounty Hunters (whereas they cannot become 
standard Assassins).

Weapons & Armor:  Bounty Hunters share the same weapon and armor restrictions as 
typical Assassins, though again preferring to take proficiency in small, quick, 
and easily concealable weapons (especially those with speed factor of 4 or 
less).  However, because of their utility in a Bounty Hunter's profession of 
finding and capturing people, at least half of his or her weapon proficiencies 
must be taken from the following list, until all are known:  aklys, bolas, 
chain, garrote, lasso, mancatcher, net, sap, whip.

When using any of these latter weapons, a Bounty Hunter gains a +1 bonus to hit 
and has double the normal chance of entangling or impeding an opponent or his or 
her weapon.  A Bounty Hunter of 7th level or above can also opt to spend weapon 
proficiency slots to specialize in the use of one or more of these weapons 
(allowing him or her to gain multiple attacks as a Fighter of equal level), 
though he or she can never exceed the level of Expert specialization in any of 
them.

Thief Abilities and Modifiers:  Climb Walls, Detect Noise, Escape Bonds, Forge 
Document, Hide in Shadows, Move Silently

Special Benefits:  A Bounty Hunter's Back Protection and Masquerade abilities 
are identical to those of a typical Assassin, but their Assassination and 
Backstab abilities are somewhat different.  With a successful Assassination 
attempt, a Bounty Hunter does not force his or her victim to save to avoid 
death; instead, a failed saving throw results in the victim being knocked 
unconscious for 2d8 turns.  In addition to these modified Assassin abilities, a 
Bounty Hunter gains the following special skills:

Improvised Attack:  Once per combat encounter, a Bounty Hunter can attempt an 
unorthodox and unexpected combat maneuver; the more unusual the maneuver, the 
greater its chance of success.

An Improvised Attack need not be made with a weapon, depending on how the attack 
is described by the player--such as pulling the rug out from under an enemy's 
feet, whipping his or her cloak around an enemy's weapon arm, or even putting a 
bag over the target's head.  Regardless of whether a weapon is used or not, the 
Bounty Hunter must describe how he or she will attempt the attack in order to 
achieve one of the following results:

  - Blind (the target's vision is blocked, though a new save can be attempted 
    each round to shake off the effects)
  - Disarm (the target's weapon is either trapped and cannot be freed without a 
    successful Open Doors roll)
  - Immobilize (the target is entangled and cannot get free without a successful 
    Open Doors roll)

An Improvised Attack requires an attack roll by the Bounty Hunter, though the 
attack is made against AC 10, modified only by magical and Dexterity bonuses 
(e.g., a fighter in plate mail +2 with no shield but a 15 Dexterity would be AC 
7 vs. an Improvised Attack, rather than AC 0).  If the attack roll indicates a 
hit, the target must save vs. petrification, modified by his or her Dexterity 
bonus (unless surprised, in which case the Dexterity bonus is lost and an 
additional -2 penalty applies) and positively or negatively by the difference 
between the Bounty Hunter's level and the target's level.  Other modifiers may 
apply at the DM's option, based on how well the described attack form could 
plausibly work; the save is automatic if the method of attack is completely 
inadequate for the situation (e.g., trying to Blind a giant or dragon by 
throwing a bowl of oatmeal into its eyes--unless, of course, the Bounty Hunter 
can reach the creature's face, in which case it might work).  An Improvised 
Attack counts as a 'free action' for a Bounty Hunter if it succeeds; if the 
attempt fails (either because of a failed attack roll or a successful saving 
throw), the Improvised Attack counts as an action for the Bounty Hunter that round.

Interrogation:  Bounty Hunters are very skilled at interrogating prisoners and 
wangling information out of NPCs through subtle probing as well as sometimes 
brutal intimidation, and they combine this verbal aspect with careful attention 
to nonverbal cues as well as close observation of the individual's style of 
dress, manner of speech, equipment carried, and so on.  Through the use of this 
skill, a Bounty Hunter can learn a great deal about any intelligent NPC with 
whom they can communicate.  Interrogation requires a one full round of 
conversation with the NPC for each piece of information a Bounty Hunter wishes 
to learn.  The chance of success of this ability is 10% + 5% per level of the 
Bounty Hunter, and a successful roll allows the him or her to learn one of the 
following pieces of information that round:

  - Character class (including subclass and kit)
  - Character level (this will be correct to within 2 levels, though exact 
    information is not revealed)
  - Character race/nationality/place of origin (culture, nation, and sometimes 
    even city of origin)
  - Concealed items (including general size, location, and type of hidden 
    weapons or caches of stuff on a person (e.g., hidden within or beneath  
    clothing, stashed within easy reach beneath a table nearby), though not 
    contents of a container (e.g., a scroll case hidden in the lining of a 
    backpack might be noted, but not what is inside the main section of the 
    backpack nor what is inside the scroll case))
  - Hostile intentions (level of hostility--low, medium, or high--toward the 
    Bounty Hunter and any allies)
  - Social class/occupation (general profession, though not place of employment 
    or specific title)
  - Moral or ethical alignment (one alignment element per successful check, 
    requires 1d6 rounds)
  - Whether the NPC is lying (If the NPC believes that what is being said is 
    true, the Bounty Hunter will perceive him or her as being truthful; it does 
    not separate out lies, truths, and half-truths woven together in 
    conversation, but it does reveal whether an NPC is intentionally not telling 
    the truth)

Note that it is possible for a Bounty Hunter to attempt to learn these pieces of 
information through simple observation of the target (i.e., without conversing 
with him or her), though in this case the chance of success is halved.

Additional checks can be made with further time spent observing the mark, with 
an additional piece of information gained with each successful roll.  Note that 
further attempts to recheck for the same piece of information will always give 
the same result as the original check.  If the check is failed, no information 
is gained.  If a natural 96 or higher is rolled, the Bounty Hunter has badly 
misjudged the mark in some way.  

If the Bounty Hunter attempts to assess a disguised target, the skill roll is 
penalized by 25% (50% for a magical illusion), but a successful check indicates 
that the Bounty Hunter sees through the disguise and gets a true assessment.  If 
the roll would have succeeded but for the penalty, then the Bounty Hunter is 
able to determine that the subject is disguised but cannot gain additional 
information.

Knockout:  If a Bounty Hunter is wielding a blunt weapon, he or she can attempt 
a knockout blow against a target not more than twice his or her own height.  The 
Bounty Hunter must make a called shot to the head, applying a -8 penalty on the 
to hit roll (note that an unarmored head is only AC 10).  If the Thief scores a 
hit, the blow inflicts half normal damage and half temporary damage (temporary 
damage is regained with a full turn of uninterrupted rest) and the victim must 
save vs. petrification or be rendered unconscious for 2d8 rounds.  The victim's 
saving throw should be modified (positively or negatively) by the difference 
between the his or her level and the Bounty Hunter's level.

Tracking:  A Bounty Hunter has the Tracking ability of a Ranger of equal level 
(i.e., with no initial penalty to his or her proficiency score and gaining a +1 
bonus for every 3 levels of experience), and they can Track at full normal value 
in all settings.

Special Hindrances:  As noted above, a Bounty Hunter's Assassination ability 
does not produce instant death, but rather unconsciousness.  Bounty Hunters are 
also less skilled the areas of Backstab attacks and Poison Mastery than typical 
Assassins.  A Bounty Hunter can make a Backstab attack but does so at his or her 
actual level (i.e., not doubled as for an Assassin).  Bounty Hunters are also 
not as skilled in the use of poison as typical Assassins, gaining Poison Mastery 
as an Assassin of half their actual level (i.e., manufacture of poisons is not 
learned until 4th level, and new poisons are learned only every two levels 
thereafter).  Non-evil Bounty Hunters will tend to learn only nonlethal poisons 
and poison antidotes, especially paralytic or incapacitating poisons for use in 
trapping their prey.

In addition to these differences, Bounty Hunters are loners by nature, even more 
so than are most Assassins, and they will never have more than a single henchman 
or hireling at any one time.  They are easy to pick out as rootless drifters 
with an air of menace about them, penalizing NPC reactions by 1.  This penalty 
is doubled to a -2 penalty for creatures whose alignments are significantly 
different from the Bounty Hunter--i.e., at least 2 steps away on the alignment 
chart, such as LG vs. CG, LG vs. N, and so on)--they tend to step very carefully 
around a Bounty Hunter, for fear that they might be his or her next target.

Bounty Hunters also tend to develop a reputation for their ruthless efficiency, 
and there is a base chance of 10% + 2% per level of the Bounty Hunter in any 
given situation that someone will be able to recognize the Bounty Hunter 
(assuming that he or she is not in disguise or using his or her Masquerade 
ability).  The results of someone recognizing the Bounty Hunter depend entirely 
on the situation, ranging from offering a reward to offering a job or simply 
buying him or her a drink (assuming they have a reason to be positively inclined 
toward the Bounty Hunter), or perhaps to trying to slip poison into his or her 
drink or selling the Bounty Hunter out to his or her enemies (including friends, 
allies, or relatives of people taken in by the Bounty Hunter).

Bonus Proficiency:  Tracking
Required Proficiencies:  Disguise, Herbalism, Observation, Voice Mimicry
Preferred Proficiencies:  Acting, Alertness, Awareness, Blind-fighting, 
Camouflage, Etiquette, Grooming, Intimidation, Language (Modern), Persuasion, 
Reading/Writing, Signaling, Sixth Sense, Trail Marking, Trail Signs, Trailing