DARKRUNNER
CHAPTER 9
THE ABERRATION HUNTER
See that? The circular patch of ground that’s all muddy and smooth, when all the stone around it is rough and solid? One of them gibbering mouthers jumped someone here, and recently. Hand me that shovel. Sometimes they leave their victims buried in the mud they make, and they don’t take the poor fool’s gear when they’re done. —Jasper Ringlerock of the Darkrunner Guild Darkrunners devote their lives to traveling the haunted underground depths. Some hire out their services as guides to those who wish to navigate the lightless ways, while others are lone wolves who simply wish to explore the deepest reaches of this wondrous and dangerous realm. They understand the lay of the subterranean world like no other, and use its terrain and features to great advantage in combat.
BECOMING A DARKRUNNER The ranger class is the easiest path to becoming a darkrunner. Despite having to take cross-class ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering), barbarians and druids both can qualify fairly quickly (unless they multiclass into a class that has this as a class skill). Intelligence is perhaps the most important ability for a darkrunner, since it grants bonus skill points and enhances several of the darkrunner’s class features. After Intelligence, Charisma and Dexterity are likely the best abilities for a darkrunner, since both contribute to many of the character’s class skills. Due to the darkvision requirement, most darkrunners come from races already adapted to underground life (dwarves, half-orcs, drow, and the like). Creatures with the Aberration Blood and Inhuman Vision feats might also find surprising welcome in the Darkrunner Guild. Entry Requirements Skills: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5 ranks, Search 5 ranks, Survival 7 ranks. Feats: Alertness, Track. Special: Darkvision as a racial trait or class feature.
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Special: You must seek out a chapter house of the Darkrunner Guild and successfully petition to join the guild. Once you are a member, you gain your first level of darkrunner. If at a later time you lose membership in the guild, you become a darkrunner exile. You can still gain levels in this prestige class, but you can no longer rely upon the support of the guild.
CLASS FEATURES All of the following are class features of the darkrunner prestige class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: You gain proficiency with light armor and with martial weapons. Direction Sense (Ex): You possess an incredible sense of direction. If you study a single underground location for at least 8 hours, that location becomes your directional focus until you choose a new location and study it for 8 hours. You must be within your directional focus to successfully study it. You can use find the path (as the spell) to determine the shortest, most direct physical route to your directional focus, as long as you are within 5 miles of your focus. This ability works only as long as you remain underground. Spelunking (Ex): You are well trained in moving in and through natural caverns. You gain a competence bonus equal to your class level on Climb, Escape Artist, Jump, Survival, and Swim checks as long as you remain underground. In addition, you are treated as one size category smaller than your actual size for the purpose of squeezing into narrow tunnels or confined areas. Darkrunner Emblem: Upon becoming a darkrunner, you are granted a darkrunner emblem by the Darkrunner Guild. This minor magic item is detailed in the accompanying sidebar. If your emblem is lost or destroyed, you can purchase a replacement from any guild chapter house at a 50% discount. Aberration Lore (Ex): You have picked up a trove of knowledge concerning aberrations. Beginning at 2nd level, you gain a +2 competence bonus on any skill check, attack roll, or saving throw made against an aberration. Darkvision (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, the extent of your darkvision increases by 10 feet. It increases by an additional 10 feet every other level.
Table 9–5: The Darkrunner Hit Die: d6 Base Attack Fort Ref Will Level Bonus Save Save Save Special 1st +0 +2 +0 +0 Direction sense, spelunking, darkrunner emblem 2nd +1 +3 +0 +0 Aberration lore, darkvision +10 ft. 3rd +2 +3 +1 +1 Cavefighting, tunnelport 4th +3 +4 +1 +1 Tremorsense, darkvision +20 ft. 5th +3 +4 +1 +1 Lore of the stones 6th +4 +5 +2 +2 Aberration specialist, darkvision +30 ft. 7th +5 +5 +2 +2 Deepsong 8th +6 +6 +2 +2 Improved cavefighting, darkvision +40 ft. 9th +6 +6 +3 +3 Greater tunnelport 10th +7 +7 +3 +3 Stonewalking, darkvision +50 ft. Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level): Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (architecture and engineering), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Tumble.
