Prestige Classes

NATURE’S WARRIOR

Nature’s warriors are defenders of the wild, protectors of the natural world... and often druids who have spent “too much time” in wild shape form. Members of this prestige class share a bond that transcends race and outside appearance. When a character gains the ability to naturally shift into the form of a “lower animal,” she sometimes gains a perspective on life that makes her envy this adopted form over her own. She may simply feel a stronger tie to nature while in animal (or elemental) form, or perhaps she longs for the power such forms give her. Certainly she begins to develop her abilities while in wild forms at the expense of the shape she was born in. Many people consider nature’s warriors to be loners or fanatics, even less a part of the world than the most solitary druid or ranger. Nature’s warriors, however, tend to be very communal. They often communicate with each other—sometimes through animal messengers, or even face to face, when they can bring themselves to leave their territories—and they keep a careful watch on “civilization.” Nature’s warriors develop their animalistic instincts more strongly than the behavior associated with societal learning, and do have a tendency to come off as gruff or impatient with those who are not as “in tune” with nature as themselves. It is not uncommon for a nature’s warrior to spend days or even weeks in a single animal or elemental form, or to shift from form to form regularly, without returning to whatever humanoid form she started with. Virtually all nature’s warriors begin as members of the druid class, but some members of other prestige classes or creatures with the wild shape ability have adopted this class. Many more militant druids — those with levels in fighter, barbarian, or ranger — find this class ideal for their purposes.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a nature's warrior, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Alignment: Any neutral.

Base Attack Bonus: +4.

Skills: Knowledge (nature) 8 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 2 ranks, Survival 8 ranks.

Feats: Track.

Special: Wild shape ability.

Class Skills

The nature's warrior class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Nature's Warrior

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the nature's warrior prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Nature’s warriors gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Spells per Day: At every even-numbered level gained in the nature’s warrior class, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. If the character did not belong to a divine spellcasting class before attaining 2nd level in the prestige class, she gains a druid spellcasting level. In no case, however, does she gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a nature’s warrior, she must decide to which class she adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Nature’s Armament (Su): Upon attaining an odd-numbered level in this prestige class, a nature’s warrior may choose one of the following abilities. These abilities, unless otherwise noted, are only applicable while the nature’s warrior is in wild shape form.

Armor of the Crocodile: The nature’s warrior’s natural armor bonus is improved by +1 per class level. This is an actual improvement, not an enhancement bonus.

Blaze of Power: While in fire elemental form, the nature’s warrior is covered in a blaze of power, which functions as a warm fire shield at a caster level equal to her druid level (if any) plus her nature’s warrior level.

Claws of the Grizzly: The nature’s warrior gains a +3 bonus on damage when using her natural weapons.

Earth’s Resilience: The nature’s warrior gains damage reduction 3/–.

Nature’s Weapon: The nature’s warrior gains a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls when using her natural weapons, and her attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Robe of Clouds: While in air elemental form, the nature’s warrior may as a free action wreathe her body in mist and clouds for 1 minute per class level (or until she dismisses the effect). This gives her concealment, though it does not affect her ability to see or act at all.

Serpent’s Coils: When in the form of a creature that normally has the improved grab ability, the nature’s warrior gains a +4 bonus on all grapple checks and does damage equal to 1d8 + her Strength bonus after winning an opposed grapple check.

Water’s Flow: To use this ability, the nature’s warrior must be able to use wild shape to take the form of an elemental. Three times per day as part of a move action, the character may transform her body into a flowing rush of water. She may move at her base land speed while in this form but does not provoke attacks of opportunity while doing so. She may do nothing but move while in this form. At the end of her move, she immediately changes back into whatever form she was in prior to activating this ability. She may use this ability while not in wild shape form.

Wild Growth: The nature’s warrior gains fast healing 1.

Wings of the Hurricane: If the nature’s warrior is in an avian form or air elemental form, she increases her base fly speed by 30 feet and improves her maneuverability by one category (thus good maneuverability becomes perfect).

Wilding (Su): Nature’s warrior class levels stack with druid levels (as well as levels in other prestige classes that allow these abilities to stack) to determine wild shape abilities, including limits to maximum wild shape HD, and for wild empathy checks. For example, a druid 8/nature’s warrior 3 would be considered an 11th-level druid for purposes of wild shape size, type, and frequency (she could assume wild shape form 4/day and could become a Tiny creature). She would add +11 for her class levels (instead of +8) to her wild empathy checks against animals and certain magical beasts.