Darkrunner Guild

Skills and Feats: Concentration +19, Handle Animal +14, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (nature) +17, Spot +11, Survival +14 (+16 underground or in aboveground natural environments), Swim +11 (+1 when wearing armor); Aberration Banemagic†, Dodge, Improved Critical (bite), Natural Spell, Quicken Spell, Track, Weapon Focus (bite). † New feat described on page 178.

Languages: Common, Druidic, Undercommon.

Crystals of Nature’s Wrath (Su): Aurah’s wild shape natural attacks are enhanced with jagged crystals. An aberration struck by Aurah’s natural weapons must make a DC 18 Fortitude save or become sickened. An aberration that makes its saving throw is immune to this effect for the duration of that wild shape.

Favored Enemy (Ex): Aurah gains a +4 bonus on her Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against aberrations. She gains the same bonus on weapon damage rolls.

Pierce Aberrant Defense (Ex): Aurah has a +2 bonus on caster level checks made to overcome an aberration’s spell resistance.

Animal Companion (Ex): Aurah has a hawk named Whitecap as an animal companion. The creature’s statistics are provided below.

Animal Companion Benefi ts (Ex): Aurah gains special benefi ts from having an animal companion. Link (Ex): Aurah can handle Whitecap as a free action. She also gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding her hawk. Share Spells (Ex): Aurah can have any spell she casts on herself also affect her animal companion if the latter is within 5 feet at the time. The druid can also cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion.

Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex): Aurah gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.

Trackless Step (Ex): Aurah leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked.

Wild Shape (Su): Aurah can change into a Tiny to Large animal and back again, as per the polymorph spell. This ability lasts for 15 hours or until she changes back.

Winds of Nature’s Grace (Ex): Aurah has a +1 bonus on all saving throws made against attacks from aberrations. The bonus increases to +2 when she uses wild shape to assume the form of an animal.

Woodland Stride (Ex): Aurah can move through natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain at her normal speed and without damage or other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.

Druid Spells Prepared (caster level 13th): 0—cure minor wounds (2), detect magic, guidance, mending, purify food and drink; 1st— cure light wounds (2), jump, obscuring mist, produce fl ame, speak with animals (2); 2nd—barkskin, bull’s strength, detect aberration†, gust of wind, lesser restoration (2); 3rd—cure moderate wounds (2), greater magic fang, nature’s purity†, water breathing; 4th—air walk, control water, cure serious wounds, fl ame blade (aberration bane), freedom of movement; 5th—animal growth, cure light wounds (quickened), nature’s purity† (aberration bane), transmute rock to mud; 6th—greater dispel magic, fl ame strike (aberration bane; DC 21); 7th—sunbeam (DC 22). † New spells described earlier in this chapter.

Possessions: +2 wild dragonhide full plate, adamantine scimitar, dusty rose ioun stone (+1 AC), incandescent blue ioun stone (+2 Wisdom), wand of nature’s purity (9th, 33 charges), scroll of heal, scroll of word of recall.

Whitecap: Hawk animal companion; CR —; Tiny magical beast; HD 11d8 plus 3; hp 52; Init +3; Spd 10 ft., fl y 60 ft. (average); AC 29, touch 17, fl at-footed 24; Base Atk +8; Grp +0; Atk or Full Atk +17 melee (1d4, talons); Space/Reach 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.; SA —; SQ bonus tricks, devotion, improved evasion, low-light vision; SV Fort +9, Ref +14, Will +5; Str 11, Dex 24, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6.

Skills and Feats: Listen +4, Spot +26; Alertness, Great Fortitude, MultiattackB, Toughness, Weapon Finesse.

Bonus Tricks: Attack, Come, Defend, Guard, Heel, Seek.

Devotion (Ex): Whitecap gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Improved Evasion (Ex): If Whitecap is exposed to any effect that normally allows it to attempt a Refl ex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage with a successful saving throw and half damage if the saving throw fails.

To many, the subterranean reaches might seem an infi nite maze of chambers and corridors impossible to navigate. Yet one organization has made a tidy profi t doing just that. The Darkrunner Guild consists of those who explore, chart, and discover the hidden secrets of the world below. The guild is represented to some degree in almost all sizable underground settlements, and even in a few of the larger surface cities. Most of their members have at least a few levels in the darkrunner prestige class, although this isn’t required to become a member. The reverse is not quite as true; the few darkrunners who don’t belong to the guild are almost always rogues who live as mercenaries or nomads. It’s best to avoid confrontations with guildless darkrunners, since they tend to be insane at best and remorseless brigands at worst. Only the aberrant underground races eschew the valuable skills and lore possessed by the guild, often to their disadvantage. Membership in the guild has several advantages. A guild member is virtually guaranteed a safe place to rest in any large subterranean city; the guild has safe houses—even in normally inhospitable drow and duergar settlements—that welcome members of all races. Likewise, guild houses typically have several spellcasters living on site, their services offered at a 75% discount to members. Members of the guild can also sell and buy magic items at better costs; typically 10% over or under list price. Of course, membership isn’t free. A member of the Darkrunner Guild is expected to stay on top of the