Ruin Raider

Occasionally a saboteur forgoes more civilized endeavors, instead seeking out lost knowledge and treasure. These ruin raiders use their expertise to gain entry to the most well-guarded tombs and crypts, learning the symbols and magic found within for their own use.

Class Skills

A ruin raider gains Knowledge (dungeoneering) and Knowledge (history) as class skills and loses Knowledge (local).

Intuition (Ex)

At 1st level, ruin raiders learn to expect the unexpected, as you cannot always plan for what you will find in an ancient ruin. Instead of planning her targets ahead of time, she relies on her intuition to adapt to dangers as needed.

As a swift action, the ruin raider can call upon this insight, gaining a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls, armor class, saving throws, and skill checks. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and every four levels thereafter, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level.

The ruin raider can use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to her 1/2 her ruin raider level + her Intelligence bonus (minimum 1). Maintaining this bonus is a free action, but it ends immediately if the ruin raider is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round.

This ability replaces marked target. A ruin raider cannot take any saboteur tricks that modify marked target.

Explorer’s Knack (Ex)

At 4th level, a ruin raider can gain limited abilities to better tackle challenges. As a swift action, she can gain one of the following effects:

  • Low-light vision
  • Darkvision 60 ft.
  • Climb speed 30 ft.
  • Swim speed 30 ft. and the ability to breathe underwater
  • Ignore difficult terrain caused by natural environmental effects, such as broken stone, mud, or water.

She can change which of these effects she gains each time she uses explorer’s knack. She can use this ability for 10 minutes per day per ruin raider level she possesses. This duration does not have to consecutive, but must be spent in 10-minute increments. She can only use one explorer’s knack at a time.

At 12th level, she can maintain two uses of explorer’s knack at once. Each one counts against her daily limit.

This ability replaces the saboteur tricks gained at 4th level and at 12th level.

Symbology (Sp)

At 7th level, the ruin raider has learned a bit of symbol-based magic from her time spent in the ruins of ancient civilization. She adds all symbol spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list of 6th level and lower to her assembly list. She may create any of these symbols using one of her daily trap slots of the same level to prepare the symbol spell. She must use its normal casting time and material components to do so, and it behaves in all ways as the symbol spell (rather than as a saboteur trap).

This ability replaces combined arms.

Combined Arms (Ex)

At 8th level, the ruin raider gains the combined arms ability, but can only use the higher-level trap slots she gains through this ability to prepare a symbol spell.

This replaces the saboteur trick gained at 8th level.

Improved Intuition (Ex)

At 9th level, a ruin raider’s intuition improves. She doubles the insight bonus to her AC against critical hit confirmations against her and against attacks from traps, and she doubles the insight bonus to her saving throws against curses, poison, language-dependent effects, and magic traps.

This ability replaces improved mark.

Greater Intuition (Ex)

At 17th level, a ruin raider’s intuitive sense becomes almost instinctual. She can use her intuition ability as an immediate action, even when she is flat-footed.

This ability replaces greater mark.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Path of Iron, © 2015, Ascension Games, LLC; Author Christopher Moore

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