So, I have a just discovered I have a bit of a problem. This, as usual, is a long one.

The TL:DR is that (due to unintended interactions) there is an artefact coming up in my game that doubles the Command Undead Feat bucket, allowing PC necromancer to take control (potentially permanently with Mythic Command Undead) intelligent undead of twice his own HD, which could be Extremely Broken when high CR-to-HD undead bosses are in play.

Given the length, I have detailed the overall context, and moved it to the end of the post; it's long and it informs the problem, but it's not essential, but I feel like if I don't include it in the OP somewhere, I'd end up having to explain it elsewhere.

Edit: JoeJonnyJeff had the brilliant idea of just giving the mask it's own buckets, which is not only easier to understand, is much more elegant than my faffng about, and it keeps it down to pretty much what the authors would have intended.

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Part Two: Problem in detail

Now, last session, the (undead) necromancer used his Command Undead feat to take control of one of the skeletal champions in the area. This is pretty much the first time he's used that on an intelligent undead (or, at least, one that I really thought about).

So I started to check what he could actually do (mostly to double-confirm whether he could tell them to "stand there and die" and re-reading the PF version of Command Undead Feat, it says as "Control Undead" which my 3.5 version didn't, so yes he can.)

But that made me think to check the module. As these undead are not natural or uncontrolled undead, they've actually been make by a dude with the plot-central Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh. So I checked his stats, on the auspices of working out how he was controlling his undead (for the future purposes of Opposed Charisma checks.) (Now, I don't think the module actually really thought about the command limits as such, but in fairness, it would only matter in my specific instance.)

But as I was doing so, very fortunately, I actually read the description of said Mask, something I don't think I actually did when preparing.

The relevant quotes:

If worn by an evil character, the mask enhances the wearer’s control over undead, doubling the number of undead the wearer may control with animate dead, control undead, the Command Undead feat, and similar effects. Additionally, the wearer can cast animate dead once per day as a spell-like ability.

A neutral character who is neither good nor evil must choose to be treated as either good or evil when he first dons the mask. Once made, this choice cannot be reversed. A neutral character who uses the mask to create undead gains 1 permanent negative level for each Hit Die of undead created. These negative levels cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells), but they are immediately removed if the undead creatures are destroyed.

So. The DredNec is neutral... But he's Undead, so Negative levels don't affect him. (Granted, Paizo could not POSSIBLY have considered this when they wrote it.)

As noted in the context, the Animate bucket is probably irrelevant, because of the practical limitations of finding enough stuff to raise the limit AND the max cap of HD he can raise with Animate.

The Feat bucket, limit, though presents a problem.

This would allow him to gain permanent control of, basically, every Undead boss monster in a campaign full of Undead - granted, not all at once - with no chance of them escaping, since as I have researched, the only way of breaking Command Undead feat is to kill the controller so they can't issue any more commands. With animated undead, this isn't a problem because their CR is lower than their HD.

But with other undead, especially the powerful ones. it's the other way around. For instance, there is a mythic lich boss at the end of one dungeon; the PCs are expected to be level 12-13, and he's 12 HD but CR 18, due to some very specifically, extremely powerful monster-specific mythic abilities (he's basically invulnerable to damage until you break his phylactery, this particular gentleman being probably the Original Lich Before They Were Even Called That from AD&D's Pharaoh.). (Yes, typing this out I realised it's ALREADY a problem, but one not quite as bad!)

For various reasons, you can perhaps see why the expanded Command Feat bucket allowing the players to have permanent access to this gentleman AND some mates, for just one example, albeit a particularly nasty one, might completely shatter the campaign balance.

I obviously need to re-balance the mask somewhat.

I have done some quick looking around, and I have yet to find any other ability which increases the Feat bucket limit. Which I suspect is for the most part deliberate, for exactly this reason. That means, at least, that this is very much and unintended one-off effect that I only have to worry about knobbling the Mask's abilities.

Some things thus spring to mind.

1. Remove the ability to double the buckets (from neutral characters?) full stop.
2. Remove the ability to double the Feat bucket (from neutral characters?) and possibly the Spell bucket
3. Add a limit (for Neutral characters only?) for the Feat bucket increase to say "you cannot affect a creature whose HD is greater than yours unless their CR is also equal to or less than your HD."

3a) As above, but the limit is you cannot control a single Mythic undead whose HD exceed your own.

4. Add a penalty like, but not actually, a negative level for each individual undead controlled using the Feat bucket (and maybe spell bucket). (A level per HD of the undead as for the created undead is basically shorthand for "you can't do this" and, depending on how you interpreted the rules, could stop a living necromancer from being able to fill their regular-sized bucket!)

5. Do nothing to the mask, but modify boss monster stats to even further reduce the chances of the PCs being able to permenantly control them (some of them, like the lich gentleman, already have some options.)

6. Do nothing, and let the PCs potentially trivialise hours of work and interesting encounters over the course of 3/4s of the campaign.

I would welcome any suggestions of which option would seem appropriate or any others.

Note: I will at some point, consider running this past my players, but I kind of can't do that without spoilers at this point. (Certainly, when they have and have identified the powers of the mask, I will tell them what it originally said.)
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The background context.

We are playing an Osirion Mega-Campaign, part of which comprises the Mummy's Mask AP. The party is currently level 6, but almost to 7.

I have got a player using a converted 3.5 Dread Necromancer, using a back-engineered PF2 skeleton race. (Which I made, and added myself as an option for the PCs to make, because I thought it was frickin' cool.)

The 3.Aotrs Dread Necromancer gets at 5th, to control 4+ 1/2 their Cha bonus in their Animate Bucket, and 4+ full Cha at 9th. At 14th, they get 2+ Cha bonus HD for Control Undead specifically.

(This is slightly different, but not much, to the 3.5 DrdNec which got full Cha on both Animate and Control buckets at level 8, (the latter of which it can't use short of scrolls until 14th).)

They also get Corpse Companions instead of familiars at 7th.

They are also Mythic, which means he's almost certainly going to get Mythic Command Undead (which means intelligent undead only get an initial save verses Command Undead Feat.)

This means that, as this campaign is going to Mythic[1] and Epic, his Animate Bucket is easily going to be something like 10-12 HD/level from the mid-point of the campaign (and Control is going to be 8-11HD/level, but that's so short a duration AND has countermeasures, so I'm not so worried.)

[1]If a toned-down version more like the companions get in Owlcat!Wrath of the Righteous.

This is a non-Evil party and the player has been warned that, basically, creating anything other than animated skeletons/zombies (which are (regardless of what Paizo says, under my rulings, merely negative energy powered constructs, which flag-up as Evil but technically aren't) IS Evil because they WILL eventually get free. Partly this is because Create Undead is kind of bad, but mostly to discourage him from wanting have permanent Wraith and such in the party.

He currently has two human skeletons (from dead Named NPCs), two skeletal lions and a skeletal snake. I have allowed him to use the Bloody Template, mostly because it reduced the potential churn, but I have noted that he has to pay the extra cost for the equivalent templated HD, even if he uses an ability which lets him use Animate Dead as an SLA (which he will be getting).

I had already told him that realistically, he was very likely NEVER going fill his Animate bucket, because he's not likely to find enough Dead Monster corpses to make it worthwhile and, in any case, especially with a big party, he is literally not going to get them to fit in the dungeon. (He's already started to find it difficult with what he's got.)

However before last session, appreciating the player was struggling a bit with the stat blocks[2], I added a Very Late (16th-ish) discoverable ritual which would allow the player to create a Skeletal Champion that falls under his Animate bucket, and would be able to have class levels (at a maximum limit of HD of basically 2 less than his Corpse Companion.)

[2]Truth be known, I think the player has bitten off a little bit more than he can chew, because while he clearly likes the idea of having lots of Undead, he's struggling a bit with the complexity of having to deal with the stat blocks. We are running a party with eight characters (and some weeks, when not everyone is there, the players are running more than one. But I wasn't going to tell him no when he started, because dammit, I played a Neutral Necromancer/Pale Master in a game before.

This is, I appreciate, EXTREMELY powerful potentially (I don't allow Leadership for obvious reasons), and I have said to that and the other players specifically I am allowing it ONLY as a possible means to allow the DrdNec to potentially reduce the amount of stat blocks and to have something Medium sized that can contribute in dungeons. So the limitations on what classes he is allowed to pick is going to be VERY heavily regulated, and mostly it will be likely limited to Only Fighter. As I pointed out to the player, doing otherwise, at his estimated animate bucket (and the cap I'd placed on HD), would he really want to try to control two more characters than the ENTIRE party, in two level's time? (They're level 6 currently.) As I said, that would obviously make the game functionally impossible to play in any case. But that is something of a problem for Future Me.

I also wrote up an Emergency [DrdNec] Gets Commanded/Controlled By NPCs sheet - because the downside of HIM being undead is he's vulnerable to that, which was also helpful so that I can apply it to the NPCs as well potentially.

All of this me pretty much voluntarily making a rod for my own back; but okay, that's fine. But until reading about the mask, I thought the situation was pretty much under control.

 

I run a 3.5/PF1 hybrid and among the many thing that entailed was rescuing and PF-ising some of 3.5's classes, esepcially some of the early ones. (Except Complete Warrior Samurai. That was unsalvagable, even before the PF version, I could something bette with a default Fighter.) Of these, Scout has always been a bit of a proud nail.

The scout was basically a rogue-but-outdoors, whose main damage came from Skirmish (+D6 if you move more than 10 feet and a small AC bonus). It was generally considerd to be quite weak, with only a few viable ways to make it not suck. Notably, almost all of the ways to make it viable including Not Taking Levels Of Scout, but adding in dips into other classes, which I consider to be an indicator the class is nowhere near good enough on its own.

My last pass at it made significant improvements, essentially giving it the Hunter's Tricks from the PF Skirmisher Ranger Archetype - with some additions, among the Distracting Attack (a 3.5 ranger ACF) and Skirmish (new). I changed crappy Skirmish with straight-up Sneak Attack (which at least has a decent amount of support overall) and added a few more bits and so forth. It looked semi reasonable.

However, I had call to make a high-level scout the other week for my mega-campaign, and doing it in anger, still wasn't convinced that it was good enough.Therefore, I thought this morning, I would bring it her (and likely to the GitP forums) for more eyes to see what the general consensus is here and if there is anything obviously missing or undercooked. If everyone comes back and says "my frag, this is OP, you could do this this and this" cool, I probably just need to approach the NPC in a different way (to Being Xena...) But otherwise, I'm open to comment and suggestions.

I looked at the options for trying to get a class table in here, but... Frankly the options are awful, I'd have to indiviually past every cell into a table and I don't have the hours in the day to do that (I have quest writing to do). I wanted to put it in as an image, but I couldn't; so I have instead uder the short hand and summarised the cloass features in a list: there is an (unobscured) link to the table below.

Scout

BAB: 3/4

Fort: Good

Ref: Good

Will: Good

Key Abilities: Wis (special abilities)

Hit Die: D8

Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis). Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).
(Skill is italics are skills that exist in the hyrid and not PF1, ignote them for this purpose.)

Skill Points per level: 8+Int mod

Starting Gold: 160

Class Features:

Class Table
https://photos.smugmug.com/Primary-Gallery/i-QNC3QWm/1/KfdBb3cC3fDMMwDm8fnWkXTdxT2GPZS4mSzXQtfBV/L/ScoutLevelTable%20v2_125%2027%2004%202026-L.png

1^(st)****: Fall Back, Fast Movement (+10 ft.), Sneak Attack +D6, Trapfinding

2^(nd)****: Acumen, Hunter’s Trick, Sharp Senses (40 ft.), Uncanny Dodge

3^(rd)****: Disappear, Sneak Attack +2D6, Trackless Step

4^(th)****: Bonus Feat, Hunter’s Trick

5^(th)****: Evasion, Sneak Attack +3D6, Sharp Senses (50 ft.)

6^(th)****: Hunter’s Trick, Improved Uncanny Dodge

7^(th)****: Sneak Attack +4D6

8^(th)****: Hunter’s Trick, Bonus Feat

9^(th)****: Camouflage, Sneak Attack +5D6, Sharp Senses (60 ft.)

10^(th)****: Hunter’s Trick, Scout’s Expertise

11^(th)****: Fast Movement (+20 ft.), Sharp Senses (60 ft., structural damage), Sneak Attack +6D6

12^(th)****: Bonus Feat, Hunter’s Trick

13^(th)****: Sneak Attack +7D6, Sharp Senses (70 ft.)

14^(th)****: Hunter’s Trick

15^(th)****: Sneak Attack +8D6, Scout’s Expertise

16^(th)****: Bonus Feat, Hunter’s Trick

17^(th)****: Sneak Attack +9D6, Sharp Senses (80 ft.)

18^(th)****: Hunter’s Trick

19^(th)****: Fast Movement (+30 ft.), Sneak Attack +10D6

20^(th)****: Bonus Feat, Ever Resourceful, Hunter’s Trick, Scout’s Expertise

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: Scouts are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the handaxe, throwing axe, short sword, and shortbow. Scouts are proficient with light armour, but not with shields.

Fall Back (Ex): At 1^(st) level, when you make a Withdraw action, you gain a +1 bonus to Armour class. This bonus rises by +1 every two class levels thereafter (i.e., every odd level). You can also apply this bonus if you make a double Move action, but only if you end your turn further away from an enemy than you started.

You lose this ability when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Fast Movement (Ex): Starting at 1^(st) level, you gain a +10 foot enhancement bonus to your base land speed. At 11^(th) level, this bonus increases to +20 feet. At 19^(th) level, this increases to +30 feet. You lose this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load. Apply this bonus before modifying your speed because of any load carried or armour worn.

Sneak Attack (Ex): If you can catch an opponent when they are unable to defend themselves effectively from your attack, you can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

Your attack deals extra damage anytime your target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when you flank your target. This extra damage is D6 at 1^(st) level, and increases by D6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should you score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. The extra damage from Sneak attack is a precision damage effect.

With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), you can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. You cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

You must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. You cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with Concealment or Total Concealment.

Trapfinding (Ex): Due to training, practise and/or instinct, you know how to spot and disarm with magical or psionic traps with greater ease.  You can use the Search and Disable Device skills to detect and disarm magic or psionic traps  without additional skill checks. When searching for a trap you have spotted with Perception, you may take 20 on the Search check and do not risk setting the trap off.

If you beat a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check , you can study the trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (along with he your companions) without disarming it. This bypass is considered temporary (up to one minute per rank of Disable Device), but  you can re-activate it automatically, which takes time equal to that of a trap of 10 less DC than the original. If the trap has any existing bypasses, you learn what they are (including any commands words etc.). Some traps simply can’t be bypassed in this fashion, however.

(Note, this is slightly different to how both 3.5 and PF1 does things mechanically, but it standardised for 3.Aotrs.)

Acumen (Ex): At 2^(nd) level, you gain a number of acumen points

points, representing your resourcefulness. You gain a number of acumen points equal to ½ your scout level + your Wisdom modifier. As a Swift action, you can expend 1 point of acumen to give yourself +4 insight bonus on Stealth checks for 1 round.

You can gain additional powers that consume acumen points by selecting certain hunter’s tricks.

Your acumen is replenished after 8 hours of rest or meditation (a Long Rest); unlike abilities which require a Long Rest, these hours do not need to be consecutive. If you possess levels in another class that grants acumen points, scout levels stack with the levels of that class to determine the total number of acumen points, but only one ability score modifier is added to the total. The choice of which score to use is made when the second class ability is gained, and once made, the choice is set. You can now use acumen points from this pool to power the abilities of every class you possess that grants you acumen.

 Hunter’s Tricks: At 2^(nd) level, you learn the use of hunter’s tricks. Tricks are usually Swift actions, but sometimes move or Free actions that modify a Standard action, usually an Attack action. Once a trick is chosen, it can’t be retrained. You cannot select an individual trick more than once.

Hunter’s tricks are Class Aptitudes.

Sharp Senses (Ex): At 2^(nd) level, as long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, your senses are enhanced. You increase your spotting and detection distances by +50%. (This is on top of any increases due to Low-Light Vision or Keen Senses, e.g. a Scout with Low-Light Vision would see x2.5 times as far as normal). In addition, your precision attack distance increases to by 10 feet to 40 feet. At 5^(th) level and every 4 levels thereafter, this distance increases by 10 feet.

At 11^(th) level, your senses allow you aim to deal structual damage to creatures. As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, when you would deal Sneak Attack damage to a creature that is immune to Sneak Attack damage, you instead deal 3 extra points of damage per Sneak attack dice. This damage is still treat as extra damage (as if you had rolled 3 on youir dice) and is not multiplied on a critical hit like nornal static modifiers.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2^(nd) level, you  can react to danger before your senses would normally allow you to do so. You do not lose your Dexterity bonus to AC when you are Flat-Footed and against invisible attackers (and thus also when Blinded).  However, you still lose your Dexterity bonus to AC when it is denied from any other source (such as by Paralysed or Stunned). If you already have Uncanny Dodge from a different class, you automatically gain Improved Uncanny Dodge instead.

Disappear (Ex): Starting at 3^(rd) level, you can make a hide check even when observed, provided you have Cover or Concealment with which to hide behind.

If you also have the Camouflage class feature (from any class), you can make a Stealth check to hide check in natural terrain while observed without needing Cover or Concealment. (This essentially replicates the Hide In Plain Sight class feature).

You lose this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Trackless Step (Ex): Beginning at 3^(rd) level, you cannot be tracked. You may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Bonus Feats: At 4^(th) level and every four levels thereafter (8^(th), 12^(th), 16^(th), and 20^(th) level), you gain a bonus feat, which must be selected from the

following list: Acrobatic, Agile, Alertness, Athletic, Blind-Fight, Brachiation, Combat Expertise, Danger Sense, Dodge, Endurance, Far Shot, Great Fortitude,

Hear the Unseen, Improved Initiative, Improved Swimming, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Quick Reconnoitre, Rapid Reload, Shot on the Run, Skill Focus, Spring Attack, Swift Ambusher, Swift Hunter, Track. You must meet all the prerequisites for the feat.

Evasion (Ex): Beginning at 5^(th) level, You can avoid damage from certain attacks with a successful Reflex save. If you make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, you instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if you are wearing light armour or no armour. A helpless scout does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 6^(th) level and higher, you can no longer be flanked. This defence denies a sneak-attacking character the ability to Sneak Attack you by flanking you, unless the attacker has at least four more levels of classes which grant Sneak Attack than you have of levels of classes which grant Improved Uncanny Dodge.

Camouflage (Ex): Beginning at 9^(th) level, you can use the Stealth skill to hide in any sort of natural terrain. You lose this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

Scout’s Expertise (Ex): At 10^(th) level, you gain the skill unlocks for one of the following skills: Climb, Jump, Perception, Search, Stealth, Survival, Swim

You gain an additional skill unlock at 15^(th) and 20^(th) level.

Ever Resourceful (Ex): (Capstone) At 20^(th) level, you have a seemingly bottomless bag of tricks at your disposal. You gain four additional hunter’s tricks (an addition to the hunter’s trick you gain at level 20) and gain an addition 6 points of acumen.

Hunter's Tricks

The following is a list of hunter tricks and their effects. (The ones with an "S" superscript denote trick skimishers rangers can't pick (I removed the ones scouts can't pick, but technically, they could pick them if they also had skirmisher ranger levels); I left the S notation as it's good indicator of something that's beena dded for scout specifically.)

Aiding Attack (Ex): As long you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, whenever you hit a creature with an attack, the next ally who makes an attack against the target creature before the start of your next turn gains a +2 circumstance bonus on that attack roll.

Ambush (Ex)^(S): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you can take a Full-Round action to Sneak Up from Hiding (see Stealth) without taking the −5 penalty for open space (though you still take a −5 penalty if you move more than half your base speed). If you succeed in your Stealth check, you may make an immediate Attack or Full Attack action and the target(s) are treated as Flat-Footed for each attack. If you are spotted, you may only make an Attack action and the target is not Flat-Footed.

 You may attempt to remain hidden after sniping with only a Swift action instead of a Move action (see Sniping) and you may make a Full Attack before you make your Stealth check.

Blindsense (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you gain the Blindsense ability out to 30 feet.

You must be at least 10^(th) class level to select this hunter’s trick.

Blindsight (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you gain the Blindsight ability out to 30 feet. Your senses become so acute that you can manoeuvre and fight flawlessly even in total darkness. Invisibility, darkness, and most kinds of Concealment are irrelevant, though you must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern it.

You must be at least 16^(th) level and have the Blindsense hunter’s trick to select this hunter’s trick.

Catfall (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen as an Immediate action when you fall 20 or more feet, ignoring the first 20 feet of the fall when calculating the falling damage. If you take no damage from the fall, you do not fall prone.

Chameleon Step (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen as a Move action and move up to twice your speed. You does not take any penalty on Stealth checks for movement during this move. This move provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.

Cunning Pantomime (Ex): As a Standard action, you can expend 1 point of acumen to communicate with a single creature as if using the Tongues spell for 10 minutes. Because the communication is slow and lacks subtlety, you suffer a −4 penalty on all Bluff and Diplomacy checks relating to the creature you are communicating with when using this trick.

Defensive Bow Stance (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen as a Swift action. Until the start of your next turn, your ranged attacks do not provoke attacks of opportunity.

You must be at least 6^(th) class level to select this hunter’s trick

Deft Stand (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you can use a Move action to stand up without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Distracting Attack (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, whenever you hit an enemy with a weapon attack (whether melee or ranged), that enemy is considered flanked by you for the purpose of adjudicating your allies’ attacks. For example, if your rogue ally attacked that enemy, not only would the rogue gain a +2 bonus on their melee attack roll but the rogue could also add their Sneak Attack damage to a successful melee attack. This flanked condition lasts until either the enemy is attacked by one of the your allies or until the start of your next turn, whichever comes first. This ability has no effect on creatures that can’t be flanked.

At 10^(th) level, the enemy is considered flanked by you until the start of your next turn.

Disruptive Strike (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen before you make an attack. If the attack hits, the target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ your scout character level + your Wisdom modifier), in addition to dealing damage normally. A defender who fails this saving throw is rendered Flat-Footed for 1 round. Creatures that cannot be flanked or are immune to critical hits are immune to this ability.

Interfering Attack (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen before you make  an attack. If the attack hits, the target takes a −2 penalty on all attack rolls for 1 round. This penalty increases by 2 at 10^(th) and 16^(th) level.

Flawless Stride (Ex): You can move through any sort of terrain that slows movement (such as undergrowth, rubble, and similar terrain) at your normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.

This ability does not let her move more quickly through terrain that requires a Climb or Swim check to navigate, nor can you move more quickly through terrain or undergrowth that has been magically manipulated to impede motion.

You lose this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

You must be at least 6^(th) class level to select this hunter’s trick.

Free Movement (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you can slip out of bonds, grapples, and even the effects of confining spells easily. This ability duplicates the effect of a Freedom of Movement spell, except that it is always active.

You lose this benefit when wearing medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

You must be at least 16^(th) class level to select this hunter’s trick.

Hobbling Attack (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen before you make an attack. The target of the attack’s land speed is reduced by ½ for 1D4 rounds.

Quick Climb (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you can climb at your full speed as a Move action without penalty.

 Quick Healing (Ex): As a Swift action, you can expend 1 point of acumen to make a Heal check to administer first aid on an adjacent dying character. Alternatively, you can administer a potion to an unconscious character as a Move action.

Quick Swim (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you can swim at your full speed as a Move action without penalty.

Maximise Sneak Attack (Ex): Once per day, you can maximise your Sneak Attack damage on a single attack. You must declare the attempt before the attack roll is made, and if you miss, the attempt is wasted.

You must be at least 14^(th) class level before selecting this hunter’s trick.

Rattling Strike (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen before you make an attack. If the attack hits, the target is Shaken for 1D4 rounds.

Scout’s Counsel (Ex): As a Swift action, you can expend 1 point of acumen to grant all allies within 30 feet that are within line of sight and can hear you a +2 bonus on skill checks with a single skill of your choice. You must have at least one rank in the chosen skill. This bonus lasts for 1 round.

Second Chance Strike (Ex): When you miss with a melee attack, you can expend 1 point of acumen as an Immediate action to reroll your attack at a −5 penalty.

Skill Sage (Ex): As a Free action, you can expend 1 point of acumen to roll any one skill check with Advantage. You must have at least 1 rank in that skill to use this ability.

Skirmish (Ex)^(S): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you can make a Full Attack action and take a five-foot step as a Free action after each attack, so long as the number of five-foot steps does not exceed your speed.

You must be at least 8^(th) class level to select this hunter’s trick.

Stag’s Leap (Ex): You are always treated as having a running start when making Jump checks and can expend 1 point of acumen as a Free action before making a Jump to add +8 to the roll.

Surprise Shift (Ex): As long as you have at least 1 point of acumen remaining, you can move 5 feet as a Swift action. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity and does not count as a 5-foot step.

Tangling Attack (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen before you make  an attack. If the attack hits, the target is Entangled for 1 round.

Trick Shot (Ex): By expending 1 point of acumen as a Standard action, you can make a ranged attack that ignores Concealment (but not Total Concealment), Soft Cover, and Partial Cover.

Uncanny Senses (Ex): By expending 1 point of acumen as an Immediate action, you gain a +10 insight bonus on Perception checks for 1 round.

Upending Strike (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen before you make a melee attack. If the attack hits, you may make a free trip combat manoeuvre against the target.

You must be at least 6^(th) class level before selecting this hunter’s trick.

Vengeance Strike (Ex): You can activate this trick by expending 1 point of acumen as an Immediate action when an enemy adjacent to you hits an ally with a melee or ranged attack. You can make a single melee attack at your highest base attack bonus against the creature who attacked your ally.

Alternative Class Features

Hunting Scout

Level: 1^(st).

Replaces: Trapfinding

Benefit: You gain Track as a bonus feat and Trail spotter at 2^(nd) level.

Trail spotter (Ex): Whenever you comes within 10 feet of a trail or tracks, you receive an immediate Perception skill check to notice the trail of tracks, and you do not suffer the usual +5 DC penalty. This check should be made in secret by the GM.

Spell Reflection

Level: 5^(th).

Special Requirement: Knowledge (arcana) 1 rank.

Replaces: Evasion. (If you would later gain Improved Evasion as a special ability, you gain Evasion instead.)

Benefit: You gain the supernatural ability to reflect magical attacks back on their caster. If an enemy misses with a spell or spell-like ability aimed at you, you can use an Immediate action to redirect the effect back at its originator. The spell or ability attacks the original caster (who makes a new attack roll using the same modifier as the original attack). If it hits, the caster is subject to the normal effect of the spell or ability.

For example, if a 3^(rd)-level wizard missed you with a Scorching Ray, you could use an Immediate action to redirect the ray back to the wizard. The wizard would immediately make a new ranged attack roll (using the same modifier) against their own touch AC; if the attack succeeds, the Scorching Ray deals its normal damage to the wizard. This effect applies only to spells and spell-like abilities that require an attack roll. Other spells and spell-like abilities that affect a target aren’t subject to this reflection.

If a single spell or ability misses you more than once at the same time (such as Scorching Ray cast by a high-level caster), you can redirect each portion of the spell that missed. Using the example above, if you were missed by two of the three rays from an 11^(th)-level wizard’s Scorching Ray spell, you could redirect only those two rays (but not the one that hit).

You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Dex modifier (minimum 1/day).