The greatest enemy of the Fair Folk is the drow, the debased followers of the Spider Queen who long ago were enmeshed in her dark web. Redemption and revenge may be achieved through the utter destruction of the drow and the dark deities they serve. Only then may the joy of life begin anew. Hunt fearlessly! - Dogma of the Church of Shevarash.
A night hunter is the embodiment of the ideals of The Black Archer, and the highest among his faithful. Much more than a priest, far beyond a simple hunter, she is a weapon, given wholly to Shevarash to wield, and rewarded with divine power.
While a ranger might train to improve his fighting technique against a few favoured opponents, a night hunter's whole existance revolves around becoming more deadly to drow.
Becoming a Night Hunter of Shevarash
Both the cleric and ranger class are ideal paths to becoming a night hunter of Sheverash, each benefiting from the class in different ways; a ranger gains vast improvements to her Favoured Enemy ability, while a cleric gains more potency in battle without sacrificing her spellcasting.
A multiclass cleric/ranger would gain both advantages, but runs the risk of becoming a jack of all trades, and master of none.
Ocassionally, a fallen paladin with a grudge against drow will embrace this class to partially regain their lost powers and learn how to better kill the dark elves that so wronged him.
Druids also occasionally take a few levels in this class to improve their martial skills, but are rare at best.
Entry Requirements:
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Type: Cannot be drow
Alignment: Any chaotic
Skills: Knowledge (dungeoneering): 3 ranks, Knowledge (religion): 4 ranks
Feats: Weapon Focus (longbow), Track
Patron: Shevarash
Class skills: Concentration, Gather Information, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (religion), Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the night hunter of shevarash prestige class.
Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a night hunter of Shevarash, you must decide which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, and spells known.
Darkvision (Ex): At 7th level you gain darkvision out to 30ft. If you already had darkvision, this extends the range by 30ft. This ability lets a dark hunter see in the drow's dark domains.
Drow Poison Immunity (Ex): At 5th level, you gain a natural immunity to the knockout poison favoured by drow. This ability is in effect even if a non-drow attacks you with a weapon coated in drow poison, but does not ward against any other form of poison, even if used by a drow.
Favoured Enemy (Ex): At first level, your hatred for drow grants you a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival checks when using these skills against drow.
Likewise, you gain a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against drow.
At 4th level, this bonus increases to +4, and at 8th level it becomes +6. This ability stacks with any other favoured enemy (drow) feature that you gained from another source.
Lay on Hands (Sp): As a champion of the faith, a night hunter may lay on hands to heal herself or another creature involved in the hunt. From 2nd level onwards, the ability works like a paladin's ability to lay on hands, except the divine champion may heal 1 point of damage per dark hunter level times her charisma bonus.
This ability stacks with any other lay on hands ability you may have from another source.
Pierce Drow Defence (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, you gain a +1 bonus to caster level checks made to overcome the spell resistance common to all drow. At 6th level this bonus improves to +2, and at 9th level it improves one last time to +3.
This bonus stacks with the caster level bonus granted by the spell penetration, and greater spell penetration feats.
Smite Drow (Su): Once per day, a night hunter may attempt to smite a drow with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per night hunter level.
At 4th level, she may use this ability a second time per day, and at 8th level this extends further to a third use per day.
Sunbeam (Sp): At tenth level, a night hunter gains access to the greatest weapon in the fight against drow; once per day she may cast Sunbeam, as the spell.
Fallen Paladins
A fallen paladin that takes levels in dark hunter of Shevarash may reclaim some of his lost abilities, granted by Shevarash.
If the character had 2 or fewer paladin levels, he gains an additional smite drow attack per day on top of the number granted by the prestige class.
If the character had 3 or more paladin levels then he also regains his lay on hands ability that he had as a paladin. This ability stacks with the lay on hands ability of this prestige class (if any), but only functions on the faithful of Shevarash or those aiding in the hunt against the drow.