Legendary Ranger Talents

Legendary rangers gain a talent at every even level. If a talent is tagged with a class feature (such as quarry or predation), then they must possess that class feature to gain that talent (meaning they must be of sufficient level and they must not have taken an archetype that trades away that feature). Each talent can be taken only once unless otherwise stated.

### **A Lifetime of scars (ex, 20th Level)**

Pain is an old friend, and weakness has long been beaten out of the legendary ranger’s body. The legendary ranger gains Damage Reduction 10 + his Wisdom modifier. This talent cannot reduce the damage from a hit to less than 1 hit point of damage.

### **Ambush tactics (ex) (Predation)**

When the legendary ranger attacks his quarry while it is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), the legendary ranger’s predation dice deals maximum damage.

### **Ancient Ways (ex)**

The best rangers rediscover the secrets of their forefathers and learn to rely on their peripheral vision and hearing. The legendary ranger always acts on the surprise round. At 6th level, he gains uncanny dodge as a rogue of equal level, and at 12th level, he gains improved uncanny dodge.

### **Aura Tracing (su) (Quarry)**

Even with his limited magical potential, the legendary ranger has long learned to recognize magical auras and their use. The legendary ranger may detect magic as the spell at will, using his legendary ranger class level in place of his caster level. When detecting magical auras from spells cast by his quarry, he can detect traces of their aura for an even longer duration than they normally remain, and he treats the power of the aura as if it were one stage stronger, as listed under detect magic. If an aura would be considered stronger than Overwhelming strength, he may always detect the lingering aura. The legendary ranger may use his ability to detect magic as a move action, targeting a single object or creature within range. When he does so, he gains information as if he had spent 3 rounds detecting for magic, and if the target is his quarry, he automatically learns the highest level spell slot that the target can prepare (but not which spells are prepared), if they can cast spells at all.

Beginning at 8th level, he treats any auras left by his quarry as if they were two stages stronger, and at 14th this increases to three stages stronger.

### **Claim Dominion (ex) (Wildspeak) (16th Level)**

The legendary ranger can call upon a region of the earth and demand its fealty. The dominion should have some logical separations from the rest of the world that can be used as borders (rivers, ridges, or the like), not include any settlements greater than 100 people, or be larger than 25 square miles.

Once the call is made, the legendary ranger must fight the champion of the domain — a CR 20 creature of the GM’s choice appropriate to the area, such as a native creature or an elemental, although another legendary ranger may arrive. The champion arrives in 1d6 minutes, and at this point it will make its presence known, and then attack. This is single combat fought until one combatant is rendered helpless. The legendary ranger may be assisted by an animal companion or similar ally acquired through class features, but otherwise cannot receive help from others, including help in the form of spells cast before the combat.

If the legendary ranger is rendered helpless, the champion stops attacking and disappears, and the legendary ranger may not challenge that region again for 1 year. If he succeeds, he gains the fealty of the domain for as long as does not leave the domain for more than 24 hours or gain fealty from another domain.

While a legendary ranger has fealty over a domain, he is its rightful lord. Creatures native to the domain with Intelligence below 3 instinctively obey legendary ranger. He also gains the ability to scry as if using the scrying spell as a spell-like ability, and can teleport himself (and his animal companion, if any, but only himself ) from any location in the region to any other location in the region as a spell-like ability.

Finally, he may order the region to perform tasks for him. What the region can accomplish is left up to the GM, but a good guide is that the region can duplicate the effect of any 6th level or lower spell on the druid spell list that only affects itself or that summons a creature appropriate to the region. Ordering a task is a standard action and the legendary ranger can do this a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier.

### **Combat Adaptation (ex, 4th LeveL)**

As a swift action, the legendary ranger can gain the benefit of a combat feat that he does not possess for 1 minute. He must otherwise meet the feat’s requirements. If a combat feat has a daily use limitation, any uses of that combat feat while using this ability count toward that feat’s daily limit.

The legendary ranger may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1/4 his legendary ranger level (minimum 1), up to a maximum of 5 times per day at 20th level. The legendary ranger cannot use this ability again before the duration of a previous use expires.

### **Deceptive Hunter (ex) (Quarry)**

The legendary ranger’s mental focus and insight allows him to better deceive his prey. He receives a bonus to Stealth skill checks equal to half his legendary ranger level (minimum 1), but only against Perception checks made by his quarry. He may also apply the same bonus to Bluff skill checks made to feint his quarry or to resist their Sense Motive skill checks.

### **Deep Magic (su) (Quarry) (18th Level)**

The legendary ranger rallies incredible magical power to defend himself against his quarry. Against spells and spell-like abilities used by his quarry, he gains Spell Resistance of 30.

### **Defensive Hunting (ex) (Quarry)**

As long as the legendary ranger is focused on his quarry, their every move is predictable. He gains a +1 bonus to his CMD, and as a dodge bonus to AC attacked by his quarry. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level.

### **Devious Strike (Predation)**

The legendary ranger may choose a rogue talent that has no requirements and is triggered by a rogue’s sneak attack ability; whenever he does damage with his predation ability, he may spend a swift action to trigger the rogue talent. For this purpose, his class level counts are rogue levels and the dice from his predation ability count as dice from his sneak attack ability.

This talent may be chosen multiple times: each time, the legendary ranger must choose a different rogue talent. Multiple rogue talents cannot be triggered by a single attack. At 10th level, he may choose advanced rogue talents that alter sneak attack.

### **Endless Vigor (ex)**

The legendary ranger has trained himself for expeditions and journeys that last months at a time. The legendary ranger only needs to sleep for 2 hours in order to be considered as if he had a full night’s rest, and only needs to rest for 10 minutes to reduce the exhausted condition to fatigued. If the legendary ranger gets a full 8 hours of rest, he does not need to rest for 72 hours, although abilities that require rest to recharge still require him to do so. He also halves all penalties from the fatigued or exhausted conditions.

### **Eternal Spring (su, 20th Level)**

The power of nature literally flows through the legendary ranger’s veins, restoring them whenever they are injured. The legendary ranger gains fast healing 5 and can no longer be killed by taking hit point damage (although he still falls unconscious if below 1 hit point). The legendary ranger can be permanently killed if his body is burned, melted with acid, disintegrated, or completely destroyed.

### **Favored Domain (ex, 8th LeveL)**

Although they wander far, some legendary rangers consider one area home. The legendary ranger may select one of the following terrain types: underground, urban, or wilderness. The legendary ranger gains a +4 competence bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain, and to Knowledge (geography) checks about his terrain.

A legendary ranger traveling through his preferred terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses).

### **Favored Foe (ex) (predation)**

Years of fighting a small group of creatures have honed the legendary ranger’s skills in fighting to them to the point where he is death itself. Choose a creature type from the list of choices available to ranger as favored enemies, the legendary ranger’s predation bonuses always apply to creatures of this type, without him having to quarry them. In addition, the legendary ranger gains a bonus equal to 1/2 his class level (minimum 1) to all Intimidate skill checks against creatures of that type.

### **Fist of Resolve (ex, 6th Level)**

The legendary ranger has learned that weakness can be banished from the flesh with a simple punch in the face. The resulting flash of pain clears the mind and makes him able to function normally despite physical ailments. As a swift action, the ranger does 2d6 damage to himself. This damage cannot be reduced in any way. Afterward, any confused, fascinated, frightened, nauseated, panicked, shaken, or sickened condition that is afflicting the legendary ranger ceases to have any effect, though he still has the condition for all other purposes, includes conditions that stack with each other to create new conditions.

The legendary ranger may use this ability, even if nauseated or confused, but not if he is unable to move.

### **Focused Haste (predation) (10th Level)**

Whenever the legendary ranger makes a full attack against his quarry, he may make an additional attack at his full Base Attack Bonus. All attacks made during the full attack must be directed against the quarry until it is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points. This does not stack with other effects that grant an extra attack, such as the haste spell.

### **Full Moon Invocation (sp) (12th Level)**

Once per day, the legendary ranger may perform a ceremony to invoke the powers of nature in a way far more powerful than he normally can. At the end of the ceremony, the legendary ranger chooses a druid spell with a level no greater than half his legendary ranger level. At the end of the ceremony, he may cast that spell as a spell-like ability, using his legendary ranger level as his druid level.

The ceremony takes as long as the casting time of the spell to perform, with a minimum of 1 minute. The legendary ranger must also provide any special components required by the ceremony. The ceremony can be interrupted as spellcasting can, but the ceremony can be restarted by adding one additional minute to the time involved.

### **Guarded Ranger (ex)**

The legendary ranger is skilled in the use of shields. He treats any shield he wears as if it had an enhancement bonus to its armor class equal to the enhancement bonus of any weapon he holds in his primary hand, if any. Additionally, he applies his shield’s enhancement bonus to AC to all attack and damage rolls made with the shield as part of a shield bash.

### **Harsh Bounty (ex)**

The legendary ranger has learned how to make do with what he has at hand, or what he can easily find. Anything else he must make himself. Whenever the legendary ranger wants to use his Craft skill to craft tools, survival gear, simple arms or armor, made primarily of materials commonly found in nature, he does not need to spend gold to acquire materials, and may add half his level (minimum 1) to his Craft check and may make such checks untrained.

Many legendary rangers have found that even with better options available, there is an advantage to making your own weapons. When the legendary ranger makes a weapon made from the bones of a freshly dead (within 24 hours) creature, it does an extra 2d6 damage to creatures of the same race.

### **Hideout (ex)**

Occasionally, a legendary ranger requires an immediate safe location he can stow away goods, rest in, or hide away from the world. He learns how to establish a location known as a hideout. A hideout takes one hour to create or change to from an old hideout, and the legendary ranger may only possess a single hideout at a time. At 1st level, a hideout is generally a small union center such as a small campsite, a room in a building, or a small grove in the woods. At 5th level, the hideout may be larger, such as a small building (a hut for a small family), a hidden sewage pathway, or a large section of a cave. At 10th level, the hideout may be as large as a building complex (such as an inn), or buildings of similar size. At 15th level, he may consider a large swath of land to be his hideout, such as a small town or an entire district of a large city. At 20th level, the hideout can include an entire metropolis as his hideout, or regions of land just as large. Specific details regarding the region and shape of the hideout are up to the Game Master’s discretion.

Being in his hideout allows the legendary ranger to hide from potential threats, and act in secrecy. Any objects stored in this hideout cannot be located by any effect less powerful than a discern location spell, and all attempts to locate or otherwise track down the legendary ranger or his allies who are within the hideout suffer a -10 penalty. At 7th level, this divination protection also applies to every creature in the hideout. At 13th level, the entire area is protected from all scrying effects much like a mage’s private sanctum.

### **Inescapable Gaze (ex) (Quarry)**

Honing his mastery over his senses, the legendary ranger has learned never to allow his prey to escape. As a swift action, while within line of sight of his quarry, he may focus all his focus and attention on locating his quarry. Until the beginning of his next turn, he always pinpoints the exact location of his quarry and ignores all concealment bonuses his quarry benefits from, as well as any miss chance provided by abilities such as those provided by spells like mirror image. Additionally, he does not suffer a penalty for making ranged attacks against his quarry if it is engaged in melee combat.

Enacting such focus heavily limits the legendary ranger’s capability to attack others while maintaining it. The legendary ranger cannot attack any creature other than his quarry without ending his gaze (a free action he may take outside his turn). This talent allows the legendary ranger to qualify for feats as if he possessed the Precise Shot feat.

### **Marauder’s Step (ex, 8thLevel)**

Whenever the legendary ranger uses a full-round action to attack, he may move up to half his speed as a free action before the first attack is made. This can provoke attacks of opportunity normally.

### **Mechanical Expertise (ex, 12thLevel)**

The legendary ranger gains the Rapid Reload feat and may use it with all crossbows and firearms. Additionally, he increases the critical threat range of all crossbows and firearms he wields by one. This effect does not stack with other effects that increase the critical threat range of a crossbow or firearm.

### **Monster Lore (ex)**

The legendary ranger adds his Wisdom modifier in addition to his Intelligence modifier when making Knowledge skill checks to identify the abilities and weaknesses of creatures.

The legendary ranger may make Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify creatures.

### **Natural Grace (ex)**

The legendary ranger may add his Dexterity modifier in place of his Strength modifier on damage rolls when making attacks using a weapon that benefits from the Weapon Finesse feat, and when making attacks with throwing weapons.

### **Pack Tactics (ex)**

Any animal companion or familiar you possess gains the same teamwork feats you do, if they did not possess them already.

### **Secondary Target (ex) (Quarry) (14th Level)**

The legendary ranger’s incredible skill with ranged weapons means that even failure is success. Whenever the legendary ranger misses his quarry with a ranged or thrown weapon attack, he may redirect the attack to an enemy within 20 feet of his quarry. He makes an attack roll against the new target, and if successful, hits as if he had targeted them in the first place. He does not benefit from his predation ability for this attack, unless he would anyone for some other reason, such as the Favored Foe talent.

The legendary ranger may use this ability as often as he misses, but once he hits a creature with a redirected attack, he cannot target it again this way until the beginning of his next turn.

### **See as the prey (ex, 4th Level)**

Even the greatest hunter can be hunted. The legendary ranger gains the trapfinding and danger sense abilities of an unchained rogue of equal level. This stacks with any he possesses in a class with the danger sense ability. In addition, Disable Device (Dex) becomes a class skill for the legendary ranger.

### **Shadow Bond (su) (ex, 18th Level)**

Self-reliance may be a core aspect of most rangers, but sometimes a legendary ranger will acquire a very powerful ally. Shadowmates are mysterious fey creatures with (initially) limited intelligence who lack form or identity on their own. When the legendary ranger willingly bonds with one, the shadowmate transforms into a companion suitable to them. The relationship that develops can be that of a parent and child, of siblings, or even that of lovers.

A shadowmate is designed as if they were a player character, with a race similar or complementary to the legendary ranger, a character level equal to his, and with at least as many legendary ranger levels (though it is missing a ranger talent of at least 18th level). The GM is encouraged to design and treat the shadowmate as a recurring NPC. The shadowmate is always completely devoted to the legendary ranger, though they probably won’t care for any other PCs, and may even exhibit jealousy.

The legendary ranger can call upon the company of his shadowmate whenever he wishes, and they will usually appear (especially if the legendary ranger is alone) within a few minutes. They will often appear unbeckoned as well.

Once per day, the legendary ranger can ask the shadowmate for assistance in combat. This is a free action and occurs automatically if the legendary ranger is rendered unconscious or helpless, or if he is killed. The shadowmate will fight along the legendary ranger and his allies. After combat is finished, if the legendary ranger is dead, the shadowmate will willingly lay down its own life to heal the ranger (treat this as a raise dead spell) if there is no other means of immediately raising him — if the ranger remains dead for more than 10 minutes, the shadowmate dies as well.

If a shadowmate dies, the legendary ranger must spend 1 week in seclusion, morning his friend, at which time he may bond with a new shadowmate. A miracle or wish spell can raise a shadowmate from the dead.

### **Sixth Sense (sp) (10thLevel)**

The legendary ranger knows to never let his quarry escape and can always find them once he knows their shape. As a full-round action, the legendary ranger can study his quarry provided his quarry is up close and visible (within 30 feet). Doing so allows him to constantly be aware of his quarry’s location, as if under a continuous locate creature spell, out to a distance of 400 feet, + 40 per legendary ranger level. The duration of this spell lasts until the quarry is killed (which immediately alerts the legendary ranger, even if he is not nearby) or when the legendary ranger marks another creature as his quarry.

### **Solitary Tactics (ex)**

The legendary ranger gains a teamwork feat of his choice. All the legendary ranger’s allies are treated as if they possessed this feat for the purpose of determining whether the legendary ranger receives the bonus granted by the feat. His allies do not receive any bonuses from these feats unless they possess the feats themselves. The allies’ positioning and actions must still meet the prerequisites listed in the teamwork feat for the legendary ranger to receive the listed bonus.

### **Spellcaster Hunting (su, 12thLevel)**

The legendary ranger has become adept at protecting himself from spells and magic. Whenever his quarry casts a spell, he may use an immediate action to attempt to disrupt his quarry’s spell if he has a ranged weapon ready to use, either with ammunition drawn and loaded or a thrown weapon in hand. The ranger needs to make a Spellcraft check to identify the spell, with a bonus equal to one-half his ranger level. If he successfully identifies the spell and the spell level is equal to or less than the ranger’s Wisdom modifier, he can make a ranged attack at the caster, dealing no damage but distracting them enough to force a concentration check with a DC equal to the result of your attack roll. If the ranger sacrifices a prepared spell when making this check and the spell being cast is that level or lower, the target’s concentration check automatically fails and the spell is lost. If it is of a higher level, the ranger adds the spell’s level as a bonus on his attack roll.

The legendary ranger may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1/4 his class level + his Wisdom modifier.

The legendary ranger also adds dispel magic to his spell list as a 3rd level spell.

### **Subtle Senses (ex)**

The legendary ranger has gained skill using the lesser-used senses of smell and taste. He gains the scent special ability and gains a bonus equal to 1/2 his level (minimum 1) to all Perception checks to identify things by smell or taste (such as a potion or poison). The legendary ranger may make a creature his quarry if he catches their scent as if he were tracking them, and when tracking his quarry, the legendary ranger may note the direction of his quarry with only a swift action, and ignores any penalty for other scents masking the scent of his quarry.

### **Survivalist (ex)**

The legendary ranger gains the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. In addition, the legendary ranger suffers no harm from being in a hot or cold environment and can exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-45 and 60 degrees Celsius) without having to make Fortitude saves. This doesn’t provide any protection from fire or cold damage, nor does it protect against other environmental hazards such as smoke, lack of air, and so forth.

Finally, the legendary ranger can hold his breath an additional number of rounds equal to twice his level.

### **Touched by the fey (sp)**

The legendary ranger has learned some minor magical abilities. He chooses 4 0-Level spells from any combination of spell lists and may use them at will as spell-like abilities. For this purpose, his caster level is equal to his class level, and Wisdom is his casting ability. Whenever he rests for 8 hours, he may change which cantrips he chose.

Use Magic Device is a class skill for the legendary ranger.

### **Trapper (ex)**

The legendary ranger gains the Learn Ranger Trap feat as a bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites. In addition to the trap he learns from this feat, he learns an additional trap for every two class levels he possesses. He is still limited to setting a maximum number of traps per day equal to 1/2 his legendary ranger level + his Wisdom modifier.use

### **All Weapons (ex) (Quarry) (14th Level)**

When the legendary ranger attacks his quarry with a melee weapon, he gains an additional advantage based on the type of weapon he uses. If he uses a weapon that does bludgeoning damage, his swings make it easier to hit a concealed target, and he ignores all concealment.

If he uses a weapon that does piercing damage, his thrusts become more precise and crippling, and he ignores all Damage Reduction

.If he uses a weapon that does slashing damage, he learns to twist his weapon with the impact, causing horrible trauma. He can automatically confirm all critical threats he makes against his quarry with slashing weapons.

If the legendary ranger is using a weapon that can be used either way, he must decide at the beginning of each turn which damage type he is inflicting.

### **Vantage Point (ex)**

The legendary ranger uses higher ground to his advantage on his projectile attacks. Whenever the legendary ranger has his entire body completely above the body of his enemy, he can ignore all penalties for attacking beyond the first range increment. In addition, he may ignore cover or partial cover that does not extend upward to his position.

### **Vicious Hunter (ex) (predation) (16th Level)**

Whenever the legendary ranger strikes a creature which his predation ability applies to, he can add an additional injury that will reduce its ability to escape. Until the beginning of the legendary ranger’s next turn, the creature’s speed is halved, and it draws attacks of opportunity for entering threatened squares as if they had left that square, or for taking a 5-foot step.

### **Wildspell (ex) (spells) (6th Level)**

Through exposure to other forms of magic, the legendary ranger has learned another way of doing things. When he gains this talent, he chooses a spellcasting class he does not possess. Once chosen, this choice cannot be changed. He may choose 1 spell of each legendary ranger spell level he knows that are not on his spell list from the spell list of the class he chose and add them to his spell list. He may prepare these spells as legendary ranger spells and cast them normally. Whenever he gains a level, he may change what spells he chose, and if he gains a new spellcasting level, he gains a spell from the chosen class’ spell list to add to his own spell list.