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Beast Tamer

(Source: Hand of Shadow)

Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +4.
Skills: Handle Animal 8 ranks, Intimidate 8 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 2 ranks, Sense Motive 2 ranks.
Class Feature: Wild empathy.

Beast Tamer

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Beast Tamers gain no additional proficiencies with either weapons or armor.

Beast Bullying (Ex): A 1st-level beast tamer loses his wild empathy ability, although levels of wildlander stack with levels of beast tamer for the purposes of the beast bullying ability. This ability is identical to wild empathy, except that instead of functioning just like a Diplomacy check useable against animals (or against magical beasts at -4), it instead functions just like an Intimidate check useable against animals (or against magical beasts at -4 and aberrations at -8).

Beast Slave (Ex): At 1st level, beast tamers gain any number of animals with a combined CR of 1. Unlike and animal companion, this creature serves out of fear and intimidation rather than out of loyalty. If the beast tamer already has an animal companion, he may trade it in for one of the following: an additional beast slave of rank 1, a beast slave of one rank higher, or a total number of ranks worth of beast slaves equal to his current animal companion's worth of ranks +1.

Normally, a wildlander must use a move action to handle a single animal companion, or a full-round action to push it. So long as he is attempting to make each creature perform the same task, however, a beast tamer can command all of his beast slaves at once using the same action

If one or more of his beast slaves are killed, the beast tamer may requisition a new beast using the troop requisition rules (see Hand of Shadow). In order to calculate the DC to acquire a beast or combination of beasts, consider the besat to be 5 HD worth of troops per rank it is. A beast tamer cannot requisition ranks worth of beasts beyond those granted by his class level.

Master of Beasts (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, the beast tamer gains a +2 competence bonus to Handle Animal checks and beast bullying checks. This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level and to +6 at 8th level.

Improved Beast Slave (Ex): Each time the beast tamer gains this ability (at 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level), he may either improve his beast slaves (as shown in the table below) or acquire another rank 1 beast slave or group of beast slaves. Bonus HD, ability score adjustments, and special abilities must be divided up among the beast tamer's slaves. For instance, a beast tamer with two badgers as his beast slaves could grant the bonus Hit Dice to one of them, and the ability score adjustments and bonus save to the other; alternatively, he could grand one bonus Hit Die to each, a +1 to Str and Con to each, and +1 to Fort saves to each.

If he wishes, instead of improving or adding to his existing beasts, a beast tamer may trade them in for new creatures of the listed CR and type. These beasts have an effective rank of 1 when they are first acquired, but they may be improved to the next higher rank each time this ability is gained.

Feat Training (Ex): At 4th level, beast tamers may train their beasts for optimal use in tracking, guarding, or combat. In addition to any bonus feats gained through Dit Die advancement, the beast tamer may give his beast one or more bonus feats by subtracting four tricks known for each feat he wishes to teach it. While this may make the beast more dangerous, it also makes it more difficult to handle. Initially, the beast must meet all of the normal prerequisites (including Intelligence, BAB, skill ranks, and the like) in order to take the feat.

At 10th level a beast need only give up three tricks for each bonus feat. Additionally, the beast tamer has learned to train his slaves to perform even the most specialized fighting styles, and the beast need not fulfill any ability score, BAB, or skill rank prerequisites for its feats. It must still meet all other requirements for its feats, including feats known, race, alignment, spellcasting ability, and the like, and it is of course limited by its anatomy. For instance, a 10th-level beast tamer can train his beasts to use Combat Expertise despite their having an Intelligence lower than 13, Improved Critical despite their having a BAB lower than +8, and so on. On the other hand, he could not train his beasts to use channeling feats or Mounted Combat feats, grant them weapon proficiencies or Leadership, or train an animal in Armor Proficiancy (medium) withouth first training it in Armor Proficiency (Light).

Training a beast to use a feat requires a DC 20 Handle Animal check and takes as much time as it would to teach the number of tricks that were traded in.

Sic 'Em! (Ex): A 6th-level beast tamer can induce a rage-like fury in his beasts with a simple command. He may only use this ability on animals trained to attack, and an individual animal can only go into such a rage once per day.

Inducing a single beast to rage requires a DC 20 Handle Animal check as a full-round action, although it can be combined with a command to attack a foe within line of sight. The rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to the beast tamer's class level. When raging, the animal's Strength and Constitution scores are increased by a +4 each, it gains a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, and its Armor Class is reduced by -2. Handle Animal, beast bullying, and wild empathy checks made against a raging beast suffer a -10 penalty. If the beast's first target falls, it attacks the nearest adjacent creature of a different race (including possibly the beast tamer himself or one of his other beast slaves). It continues to attack in this frenzied manner until successfully handled or until its rage ends. Once the rage ends, the beast is considered to be fatigued until it rests for one hour.

Class
Level		 Base
Attack
Bonus		 Fort
Save		 Ref
Save		 Will
Save		 Special
1st +0 +2 +2 +0 Beast bullying, beast slave
2nd +1 +3 +3 +0 Master of beasts +2
3rd +2 +3 +3 +1 Improved beast slave
4th +3 +4 +4 +1 Feat training
5th +3 +4 +4 +1 Improved beast slave, master of beasts +4
6th +4 +5 +5 +2 Sic 'em!
7th +5 +5 +5 +2 Improved beast slave
8th +6 +6 +6 +2 Master of beasts +6
9th +6 +6 +6 +3 Improved beast slave
10th +7 +7 +7 +3 Feat training
Beast Slaves
Rank Bonus HD DR Str/Con Adj. Special Alternate Beast Slave CRs
1 +0 -- +0 Save bonus --
2 +2 1/-- +2 Ready B2 (animal); 1 (magical beast or vermin)
3 +4 2/-- +4 Save bonus 3 (animal); 2 (magical best or vermin); 1 (aberration)
4 +6 3/-- +6 Ferocity 4 (animal); 3 (magical beast or vermin); 2 (aberration)
5 +8 4/-- +8 Save bonus 5 (animal); 4 (magical beast vermin); 3 (aberration)
Beast Slave Basics
Use the base statistics for the creature but make the following changes.
Rank:This is a way of measuring the beast slave's relative power. Alternate beast slaves always start with a rank of 1.
Bonus HD: Extra Hit Dice that be divided up among the best slaves, each of which gains a Consititution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the creature's base attack and base save bonuses, and may grant extra skill points and feats. Best slaves do not increase in size as they advance in HD.
Damage Reduction: This damage reduction is divided up among the besat slaves.
Str/Con Adj.: These ability score increases are divided up among the beast slaves.
Save Bonus (Ex): The beast tamer may designate a total bonus of +2 to saving throws of his choice, divided among his beast slaves as he sees fit.
Ready (Ex): The beast tamer may designate a total bonus of +4 to initiative checks, divided among his beast slaves as he sees fit.
Ferocity (Ex): Some or all of the beast slaves may now fight without penalty even while at a certain level of being disabled or dying. The beast tamer may designate a total of 10 hp as a negative hp threshold, divided up among his beast slaves as he sees fit. Once a beast slave reaches its negative hp threshold, it falls unconcious as normal. For instance, a beast tamer with three black bears might designate that two of them have negative hp thresholds of -5, while the third retains its normal negative threshold of 0. Creatures that already have ferocity, like boars and dire boars, may have the point at which they die increase beyond -10.
Alternative Beast Slaves: The creatures used as beast slaves may be aberrations, animals, dire animals, magical beasts or vermin (including swarms). The GM has final approval on any beasts used. Beasts that would normally have an Intelligence higher than 2 (such as some magical beasts and all dire animals in the Midnight campaign setting) have been so brutalized and tortured that their Intelligence is permanently reduced to 2. They become, for all intents and purposes, simple and unintelligent bests.