Beast Hunter (Ranger Archtype)

*The hunters of Yharnam have developed special techniques to fight the beasts that roam the street.*

## Beast Hunter (Ex)

Beast hunters specifically train to deal with the monstrosities that plague Yharnam.  She is limited to animal, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, and a subtype of humanoid when selecting a favored enemy.

*This alters but otherwise functions as favored enemy.*

## Hunter (Ex)

A beast hunter is especially trained in using the tools developed by the Workshop and Healing Church hunters.  She adds Old Hunter’s Style and Exotic Weapon Proficiency (any weapon from the Hunter weapon group) to the list of feats she may select when she gains a combat style feat.  At 6th level she adds Old Hunter’s Strike. At 10th level she adds Old Hunter’s Rend.

In addition, she may select a Hunter’s Technique in place of a combat style feat (see the Workshop Hunter archetype).  She must be at least 10th level to select a technique in place of a feat.

*This alters combat style feat.*

## Emulate Beasthood (Ex, Su, or Sp)

Once per day as a standard action, a beast hunter can examine visible evidence of a creature that has been affected by the scourge of the beast. This might include visible tracks left by a beast, or a creature with the scourge of the beast simple corruption template, or any similar evidence left by any creature of a type eligible as a beast hunter’s favored enemy.

When the beast hunter does this, for the next 24 hours, she can use any manifestation from the scourge of the beast corruption for a number of minutes equal to her ranger level. This duration need not be used all at once, but they must be spent in 1-minute increments. Saving throw DCs for this ability are calculated as if the beast hunter had the corruption (with a manifester level equal to the number of manifestations she possesses).  She gains the stain of the manifestation that she selects for the duration of this ability, as well as an equal amount of time after she stops gaining the benefits of the manifestation.

She may attempt to channel an even greater amount of beasthood by risking the tainted corruption.  She may use an additional manifestation by expending an additional minute of this ability (maximum all 10 manifestations).  If she ever gains a number of manifestations greater than ½ her ranger level though, she must immediately make a save as if progressing the corruption.  If she fails this save, she gains the stains of any manifestation she chose to emulate permanently. In addition, she must make saves to avoid progressing the corruption whenever she would fulfill the conditions to progress the corruption.  She can remove these stains, and prevent the need to save against the corruption (resetting any progress) by fulfilling the conditions to remove the corruption.

[Fiend’s Reach Special Rules: By taking this archetype you become immune to the scourge of the beast corruption/cannot apply to take it.  It requires significant roleplaying to remove the corruption.]

*This replaces wild empathy.*

## Limited Terrain (Ex)

The beast hunters of Yharnam only ever needed to fight beasts in a few locales.  A beast hunter is limited to Desert, Forest, Planes (Dimension of Dreams), Swamp, Underground, and Urban terrains when selecting a favored terrain.

*This alters favored terrain.*

## Hunter’s Pack (Ex)

Beast hunters shun the use of animals in their hunt of beasts, preferring teamwork and the skilled blade of an allied hunter.  She cannot select an animal companion and must select companions as her bond with the hunter’s bond feature.

T*his alters hunter’s bond.*

## Quickstep

At 7th level, a beast hunter is a quick combatant, effortlessly weaving in and out of combat.  She may take up to two 5 foot steps in a round. She is still unable to take a 5 foot step if she otherwise uses her movement in a round (but abilities that specifically state that she cannot take a 5 foot step only consume one of these two 5 feet steps).

*This replaces woodland stride.*