Stalker (Character Kit)

Stalker 
The stalker is a lone and enigmatic figure who spends most of his time hunting through back alleys and run-down taverns for his chosen enemies. Unlike most adventurers in the Demiplane of Dread, it's not supernatural horrors the stalker seeks, but the more common evils of human (or humanoid, or demihuman) criminals and villains. The stalker sees thieves, murderers, and other felons as the most monstrous creatures exactly because they are human beings who have chosen to prey on the innocent and weak. To catch such outlaws requires determination and skill, and it is to this pursuit that a stalker dedicates himself. 
Most stalkers are good people who believe they must seek out evil criminals so that others may be safe. They have seen lawbreakers escape justice one time too many and have thus vowed to take matters into their own hands. 
Some stalkers have suffered a terrible tragedy at the hands of criminals, losing their parents or loved ones to malefactors who were never brought to trial. But in hunting down the worst society has to offer, the stalker has come to look and act much like a criminal himself. Stalkers are often humorless, dark, driven individuals obsessed with their desire to bring criminals to justice. 
Class/Race: Any class or race may take the stalker kit, but it is particularly appropriate for arcanists, rangers, and thieves. Most stalkers are human or half-elven. 
Requirements: A stalker must have a Wisdom of at least 13. He may be of any alignment, though few are lawful. 
Role: A stalker PC is a benefit to any adventuring party, although many see him as a mixed blessing. While the skills and information provided by a stalker can be of great benefit to a party, stalkers are also often targets of the people thev hunt and can bring unwanted attention to adventurers. They are also usually more concerned with the success of their quest than the well-being of their comrades. Even good-aligned stalkers often see the loss of friends and family to be an unfortunate but necessary price to pay for the good they do. 
An evil stalker NPC is one who has surrendered entirely to his obsession and cares for nothing except for his revenge on criminals everywhere. Such a stalker would make a dangerous and resourceful enemy who could interact with the PCs in many ways. He might choose to recruit an adventuring party to aid him in apprehending a particularly dangerous criminal, or he might use them as bail to draw out Ills chosen target. Even worse, lie might be employed by some other adversary who has declared the PCs to be outlaws. 
Weapon Proficiencies: A stalker may use any weapon normally allowed by his character class. Most stalkers conceal at least one or two small weapons in their clothing for emergencies. 
Nonweapon Proficiencies: if not ranger, the stalker gains tracking as a bonus NWP and suffers only half the normal non ranger penalty to the skill check. If the stalker is a ranger, he gains a his bonus to his tracking skill. 
Equipment: A stalker may use any equipment normally allowed by his character class. A stalker 's clothing, armor, and gear is always dark and plain, designed both to help conceal the stalker from the prying eyes of his enemies and to give him an imposing, fearful appearance. (See special benefits and hindrances, below.) 
Special Benefits: The stalker has learned that, to find and capture criminals and miscreants, it is necessary to learn their villainous ways. Stalkers study the criminal underworld and its inhabitants carefully, until they gain an instinctive understanding of how tire scum that inhabit it work and think. 
To remain unseen while studying or searching for their prey, all stalkers have a chance to hide in shadows, as the thief ability. Unlike the standard thief ability, a stalker's hide in shadows ability works equally well in both urban and wilderness settings. For characters who are not thieves or rangers, this skill starts at 20% and rises 5% per level after first to a maximum of 90%, For ranger and thief stalkers, there is no bonus to their percentage to hide in shadows; instead, they gain the ability to use both hide in shadows and move silently equally well in wilderness and urban settings. Because of their highly tuned instincts, stalkers may use their tracking NWP at full value in both wilderness and urban settings (see The Complete Ranger’s Handbook, page 14, for rules on how to handle tracking in iron-natural surroundings) when tracking a set of human or humanoid tracks. 
A stalker's fearsome appearance and reputation may assist him when dealing with members of the criminal element. A stalker may attempt to intimidate a known criminal with coercion, threats, or a disheartening glare. If tire criminal is of lower level than the stalker, such an effort forces the scoundrel to save vs. paralization or be struck with fear (as the fourth-level wizard spell). If a criminal under tire effects of fear is incapable of fleeing, he is likely to throw himself on the mercy of the stalker, offering information or assistance in return for his freedom. Of course, such offers are rarely sincere, and the stalker is well advised to take advantage of them quickly, before the criminal regains his wits. 
Finally, a stalker's familiarity with lawbreakers is so great that he has a small chance of recognizing a criminal on sight. Whenever a stalker meets a criminal, there is a 2% chance per level that the stalker recognizes him. This allows the stalker to know the offender's name, a list of his crimes, and information about where the criminal is wanted. Obviously this ability works only on individuals who are at least suspected of crimes by some local law enforcement group (usually a city guard). 
Special Hindrances: The dark dress and mood of a stalker often makes him seem at least as frightening and evil as those he hunts. Although those who know a stalker well might realize that these trapping are the tools he uses in his never-ending quest for justice, those who meet a stalker for the first time are likely to come to the wrong conclusion about the dark, brooding figure. Thus a stalker suffers a -3 penalty to all initial reaction rolls. 
A stalker is always on the move, never staying in any one place for more than a few weeks. This wandering is caused by die stalker's own caution, for should he remain in any one place for long, he is bound to attract the attention of thieves' guilds and other criminal organizations. If for no other reason than to protect those innocent bystanders who might be caught up in an attack from such a group, 
The stalker always makes certain he never becomes too comfortable or stays too long in one locale. The stalker is also driven by the knowledge that somewhere, some criminal is escaping justice. Unable to bear this thought, the stalker soon leaves any tranquil setting in search of more villains to catch. This is an important limitation on the stalker, and the DM should be sure to enforce it fully.  
The stalker's primary dedication is to capture and punish lawbreaking miscreants. Once a stalker has set out to capture a particular criminal, he does not rest until after the hunt is complete. If circumstances make it obvious the stalker must leave such an undertaking until later, then he may make a saving throw vs. spells to bring himself to abandon his quarry. Even if this roll is successful, the stalker is so agitated by his unfinished business that he suffers a -2 penalty to all rolls for 2–5 weeks. 
Wealth Options: The stalker starts with the amount of wealth normally allowed by his character class, but he must spend all but 2-12 gold on weapons, armor, and equipment.
Category:Character Kit
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