About Siulor MacBrutheSiúlóir MacBruthe
Track (Ex): A ranger adds half his level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks made to follow tracks. Wild Empathy (Ex): A ranger can improve the initial attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person (see Using Skills). The ranger rolls 1d20 and adds his ranger level and his Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the ranger and the animal must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. The ranger can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a –4 penalty on the check. Combat Style Feat (Ex): At 2nd level, a ranger must select one of two combat styles to pursue: archery or two-weapon combat. The ranger's expertise manifests in the form of bonus feats at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. He can choose feats from his selected combat style, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites.
Endurance: A ranger gains Endurance as a bonus feat at 3rd level. Favored Terrain (Ex): At 3rd level, a ranger may select a type of terrain from the Favored Terrains table. The ranger gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain. A ranger traveling through his favored terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses).
Hunter's Bond (Ex): At 4th level, a ranger forms a close bond with an animal companion. A ranger who selects an animal companion can choose from the following list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake (viper or constrictor), or wolf. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the ranger on his adventures as appropriate for its kind. A ranger's animal companion shares his favored enemy and favored terrain bonuses. This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability (which is part of the Nature Bond class feature), except that the ranger's effective druid level is equal to his ranger level – 3. Heart of the Wilderness: Humans raised in the wild learn the hard way that only the strong survive. They gain a racial bonus equal to half their character level on Survival checks. They also gain a +5 racial bonus on Constitution checks to stabilize when dying and add half their character level to their Constitution score when determining the negative hit point total necessary to kill them. This racial trait replaces skilled. Attached: You have a strong emotional attachment to a person or object that you're terrified of losing. The GM chooses the object of your attachment. Whenever the object of your attachment is either threatened, in danger, or in someone else's possession, you take a —1 penalty on Will saves and a —2 penalty on saves against fear effects. If the person or object to which you're attached is ever lost, killed, or destroyed, exchange this drawback for the Doubt drawback. Deft Dodger: Growing up in a rough neighborhood or a dangerous environment has honed your senses. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Reflex saves. Hunter: Whether for food, for trade, or for something to do, you relish the hunt. The woods outside Azurestone prove an abundant stomping ground, and the town itself is a convenient resupply point - and a good place to relax after the rigors of the outdoors, especially with the festival in town. Unfortunately, not all of the Boarwood lies within the mildness that surrounds Azurestone, and you’ve grown accustomed to the hardship of weather. You gain a +1 trait bonus on saving throws against cold effects and a +2 trait bonus on Fortitude saves against the effects of cold weather. Weathered Emissary: Your travels in the wildlands gave you insight into how to survive their dangers and communicate with their inhabitants. You gain a +1 trait bonus on all Linguistics and Survival checks, and Linguistics is always a class skill for you.
Carrying Capacity
Background:
The only sense of peace that Siúlóir MacBruthe ever feels is when he and his hunting hound, Huan, are stalking their prey through the densely packed trees of the Boarwood. When they find the beast’s tracks, all of the worries of his life disappear and his instincts kick in. He no longer has to concern himself with his father’s shame and anger about the downfall of House MacBruthe after the revolution. All thoughts of his younger sister, off traveling on who knows what kinds of suicide missions for the Pathfinder Society in a foolish attempt to restore their family’s honor, fade away. Even the whispers of the townsfolk become nothing more to him than the wind rippling through the leaves. In those precious moments, there is only the sound of his and Huan’s breathing, the smell of the animal’s trail, and, after a time of favorable tracking, the sight of his quarry.
Unfortunately, Siúlóir cannot always be on the hunt. When he has gathered enough game to sustain his family, he takes any extras to the market in Azurestone or Edme, either of which is just a day’s journey from their homestead on the Boarwood’s southeastern fringes. His father, a former warrior and Galtan nobleman, typically remains on the homestead, helping his low-born wife with the gardening or writing letters to other forgotten or long-dead nobles from the country’s pre-revolutionary past, seeking aid to rebuild House MacBruthe. Siúlóir’s ambitions are much more modest compared to his father’s. His main aspiration is to take over the family plot, find a wife of his own, and spend the rest of his days hunting. Someday perhaps he would even have a son to send to the markets so he wouldn’t have to go himself. For the time being, however, he is in Azurestone for the Harvest Festival. The visitors that come for the festivities never seem to have the sense to pay less than double the usual rate for his fares, so he may as well go and earn the money the family will need to provision themselves for the winter. With any luck, something interesting might happen... Huan Description:
Huan is a young, but large, deerhound (search Scottish Deerhound for general image). He stands about 28 inches (71 cm) on all fours and weighs roughly 70 lbs (32 kg). His shaggy fur is a dappled grey, and the lean shape of his body shows that he is built for running. The size of his paws shows that he is not yet fully grown, but that when he does reach full maturity, he will be a massive animal, capable of dealing serious injury with the sharp canines that are beginning to grow now. He is just over two years old, so he is basically a puppy, but he has quickly learned to serve Siulor as a hunting companion and guard.
In contrast to his often-grumpy master, Huan is a very friendly and outgoing dog. He is quick to befriend anyone who presents no immediate threat, but those who do offer harm find that Huan's teeth can be used for more than chomping down on an offered treat. Due to an experience early in life, Huan is somewhat afraid of snakes and other reptiles, but he is likely to chase down any other prey, beast or otherwise, towards which his master points him. Huan Stat Sheet:
Huan
Male Animal Companion (Dog) 1 CG Small Animal (Dog) 2 years old Init +3; Senses Low-Light Vision, Perception +1 ------------------------------ DEFENSE ------------------------------ AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 12 hp 19 (2*(HD+2 Con)+2 FCB) Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1 ------------------------------ OFFENSE ------------------------------ Speed 40 ft. Melee Bite +2 (1d4+1) ------------------------------ STATISTICS ------------------------------ Str 13, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 13 Feats Dodge Tricks Attack, Down, Fetch, Guard, Heel, Seek, Track Skills (2 skill points total) Survival +2, Acrobatics +7 ------------------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES ------------------------------ Scent: This extraordinary ability lets a creature detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. A creature with the scent ability can detect opponents by sense of smell, generally within 30 feet. If the opponent is upwind, the range is 60 feet. If it is downwind, the range is 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at three times these ranges. The creature detects another creature's presence but not its specific location. Noting the direction of the scent is a move action. If the creature moves within 5 feet (1 square) of the scent's source, the creature can pinpoint the area that the source occupies, even if it cannot be seen. A creature with the Survival skill and the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Survival check to find or follow a track. A creature with the scent ability can attempt to follow tracks using Survival untrained. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10. The DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill in regards to tracking. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights. Water, particularly running water, ruins a trail for air-breathing creatures. Water-breathing creatures that have the scent ability, however, can use it in the water easily. False, powerful odors can easily mask other scents. The presence of such an odor completely spoils the ability to properly detect or identify creatures, and the base Survival DC to track becomes 20 rather than 10.
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