I need to build an NPC. He's going to be a juju zombie that a green hag necromancer sends out to track down enemies, or individuals she wants to experiment on, intimidate, etc. Sometimes, he'll just be hunting them down to kill them; sometimes, he'll need to capture his quarry.
I see him mostly using non-magical means-- at the most only a few levels of spell-casting. Thematically, it makes more sense for him to get his boss the hag to cast spells for him if he needs them. I like the idea of him having a high UMD skill so he can use a few scrolls that she gives him ahead of time.
I probably want around 8 or 9 character levels, and I'm not really looking for him to be super-optimized. Mostly, I just want an NPC that does what I want it to: high tracking ability, good combat ability, some skills to intimidate information out of the locals, etc.
So, what class or classes would make this work?
(unfortunately, any kind of religious theme wouldn't work, so the inquisitor class isn't an option.)
oh, and we're only using the core rulebook, APG, and ultimate magic.
Since you have eliminated the Inquisitor the best class for a bounty hunter would probably be a ranger. Go for a non spell casting ranger and you should be fine.
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Ranger, Barbarian, Rogue, or Monk all come to mind.
It depends on how you see him approaching the task.
Classic Boba Fett, got the tools for the job kind of guy? Ranger.
Kick in doors and murder people in the way, a la The Punisher or Venom? Barbarian.
Sam Fischer/Jason Bourne stealth / info-gatherer? Rogue.
With Warrior, scale walls and paralyze you on the john? Monk.
Fighter, Bard, or Alchemist could work as well.
Ranger, favored enemy (human), Infiltrator archetype. Urban ranger in an urban setting. Make him a half-orc, give him the Keen Scent feat so he can track by scent. If you really want UMD, give him 2 levels of rogue, for 1d6 Sneak Attack, evasion, some class skills that aren't on the ranger list, and either a rogue trick or a bonus feat. Build him as a 'switch hitter' to make him flexible. If he's used against the PCs, then he needs to be able to adapt. Simple example build, 20 point buy, would look something like this
Bloodhound, Half-orc Ranger 6/Rogue 2
Str 20 (16+2 racial + 2 level)
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 8
Feats: Power Attack, Rapid Shot (Combat Style), Keen Scent, Deadly Aim, Manyshot (Combat Style), Quick Draw (Combat Trick rogue talent), Cleave (or Boon Companion if you can swing it)
Gear: Mithril breastplate, +2 Greatsword, +2 Mighty (+5) Composite Longbow, etc (standard gear for the level)
You'd have lots of skill points, damn near every skill on your list, BAB of 7, evasion, scent, an animal companion (you could just get a horse that you don't take into combat), 1d6 Sneak Attack, trapfinding, some damn impressive tracking skills, high melee AND ranged damage, decent saves/hp/AC. You'd have a 1st level spell, or you could ditch spellcasting for the Trapper archetype.
Overall, he'd be pretty solid at anything he wanted to do.
Since you have eliminated the Inquisitor the best class for a bounty hunter would probably be a ranger. Go for a non spell casting ranger and you should be fine.
I ran the Justicar (non spellcasting version of the Inquisitor from Super Genius Games' "Advanced Options-Inquisitor's Judgements") as a bounty hunting type of character in a one shot recently. Rather than thinking of the Inquisitor as restricted to divine type missions, I played him like someone determined to see justice done, and thus was a bounty hunter.
Given NPC, a warrior with a small dip into expert should be good too.
unfortunately, any kind of religious theme wouldn't work, so the inquisitor class isn't an option
Personally, I'd rethink that. Just remove the "religous" elements of it. And, actually, inquisitor's don't have to be attatched to a deity, just an ideal. Just pick a suitable domain, and run with it. Say the hag grants him his spells. If you're the GM, you're allowed to bend/break the rules as you see fit.