Marksman

Masters of ranged weapons, marksmen are the elite wielders of any weapon that can be shot, fired, or thrown. Unlike rangers, who are more focused on tracking down their chosen enemies, marksmen focus their attention on harnessing their ranged combat abilities, learning to use their weapon in ways others could only dream of. Their psionic ability improves their attacks and augments their otherwise limited defensive abilities.

Role: As light armor wielders, marksmen are not intended to be front-line combatants. They excel when they have a safe distance from which to unleash their deadly attacks.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d10

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 (175 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Starting Age: Moderate (as fighter)

Class Skills

The Marksman’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha)

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier

Table: Marksman
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Power Points/Day Powers Known Maximum Power Level Known
1 +1 +0 +2 +2 Combat style, point-blank shot, wind reader 1 0 1st
2 +2 +0 +3 +3 Evade arrows (+1), style technique, favored weapon (+1) 2 1 1st
3 +3 +1 +3 +3 Style skill (+1), style mantra 3 2 1st
4 +4 +1 +4 +4 Cover fire, style ability 5 2 1st
5 +5 +1 +4 +4 Bonus feat 7 3 2nd
6 +6/+1 +2 +5 +5 Evade arrows (+2), style skill (+2), favored weapon (+2) 9 4 2nd
7 +7/+2 +2 +5 +5 Disengage 11 5 2nd
8 +8/+3 +2 +6 +6 Bonus feat, style ability 14 5 2nd
9 +9/+4 +3 +6 +6 Style skill (+3) 17 6 3rd
10 +10/+5 +3 +7 +7 Evade arrows (+3), favored weapon (+3) 20 7 3rd
11 +11/+6/+1 +3 +7 +7 Bonus feat 24 8 3rd
12 +12/+7/+2 +4 +8 +8 Style ability, style skill (+4) 28 8 3rd
13 +13/+8/+3 +4 +8 +8 Defensive shot 32 9 4th
14 +14/+9/+4 +4 +9 +9 Bonus feat, evade arrows (+4), favored weapon (+4) 37 9 4th
15 +15/+10/+5 +5 +9 +9 Style skill (+5) 42 10 4th
16 +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +10 +10 Style ability 47 10 4th
17 +17/+12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +10 Bonus feat 52 11 4th
18 +18/+13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +11 Evade arrows (+5), style skill (+6), favored weapon (+5) 58 11 4th
19 +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +11 Ranged specialist 64 12 4th
20 +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +12 Bonus feat, style ability 70 12 4th

Class Features

You are a warrior first and foremost – your precision and prowess will frequently be tested in battle. However, you are more than just a straightforward archer. Your intuition, psionic abilities and powers can make or break a battle, if they are used wisely.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

A Marksman is proficient with all simple weapons, all light, projectile, and thrown martial weapons, light armor, and with bucklers. Armor does not interfere with the manifestation of powers.

Powers Points/Day

A Marksman’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points she has available. Her base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Marksman.

In addition, she receives bonus power points per day if she has a high Wisdom score. Her race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

Powers Known

A Marksman begins play knowing no Marksman powers (although she can manifest powers from power completion or power trigger items as normal). At each level indicated on Table: The Marksman, she unlocks the knowledge of a new power.

Choose the powers known from the marksman power list. (Exception: The feat Expanded Knowledge does allow a Marksman to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) A Marksman can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than her manifester level.

The total number of powers a Marksman can manifest in a day is limited only by her daily power points.

A Marksman simply knows her powers; they are ingrained in her mind. She does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though she must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all her spent power points.

The Difficulty Class for saving throws against Marksman powers is 10 + the power’s level + the Marksman’s Wisdom modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known

A Marksman begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As she attains higher levels, she may gain the ability to master more complex powers. To learn or manifest a power, a Marksman must have a wisdom score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Combat Style

A Marksman of 1st level chooses a type of ranged combat that is her preferred style. This style determines certain class features, skills, and abilities, as described in the different styles.

Editor’s Note: A complete list of the marksman combat styles can be found here: Marksman Combat Styles.

Point-Blank Shot

At 1st level, a Marksman gains the Point-Blank Shot feat as a bonus feat.

Wind Reader (Su)

A Marksman can use her heightened senses and awareness of her surroundings to read the wind and environment, allowing her to drastically improve her accuracy. While maintaining psionic focus, she can spend a swift action to gain a competence bonus equal to her Wisdom modifier on ranged attacks until the end of the round. She can do this a number of times per day equal to 3 + her class level.

Favored Weapon

Marksmen of 2nd level select a group of ranged weapons from the list below as their preferred weapons and gain a +1 competence bonus to ranged attack rolls made with any weapon of that group. Every four Marksman levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1.

Note: Additional weapons can be added to these groups or additional weapon groups can be created at your GM’s discretion. Some weapons may belong to multiple weapon groups at your GM’s discretion.

Evade Arrows (Ex)

At 2nd level, a Marksman’s familiarity with ranged attacks and her natural intuition alerts her to danger from mundane ranged attacks. She gains a +1 Dodge bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks (but not ranged touch attacks). At 6th level and every four Marksman levels thereafter, this Dodge bonus increases by 1.

Style Technique (Su)

All marksmen, regardless of their chosen combat style, gain special techniques at 2nd level that they can use by expending psionic focus. The specific technique is determined by the Marksman’s chosen style.

Style Skill (Ex)

At 3rd level, a Marksman gains a +1 bonus to the skill associated to his combat style. Every three levels thereafter (6th, 9th, etc), this bonus improves by 1.

Style Mantra (Su)

At 3rd level, a Marksman gains a mantra associated with her combat style that is active as long as she maintains psionic focus. A Marksman may not use her style mantra at the same time she uses Wind Reader; she may only gain the benefit of one or the other, not both.

Cover Fire (Ex)

Beginning at 4th level, the Marksman knows not only how to directly engage her enemies, but also how to protect her allies. As an attack action, she may choose to fire a ranged or thrown weapon at an opponent within 30 feet to distract that opponent rather than to deal damage. Make an attack roll against the space a target occupies (AC 10). If successful, the targeted enemy must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + one-half the Marksman’s class level + the Marksman’s Dexterity modifier), or be staggered for one round. The Marksman still expends ammunition as normal for this attack.

If the attack roll would indicate a critical threat and the result would hit the opponent’s AC, roll to confirm: if the critical hit is confirmed against the opponent’s AC, the attack does normal damage as well. A Marksman cannot use cover fire if her opponent or the square she targets would be subject to a miss chance (such as from a concealed target).

Style Ability

Starting at 4th level, a Marksman gains an ability associated with her combat style. Every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th, 20th), she gains a new style ability.

Bonus Feat

A Marksman of 5th level gains a bonus feat chosen from his combat style feat list, Deadly Aim, Far Shot, Fell Shot, Greater Psionic Shot, Parting Shot, Precise Shot, Psionic Meditation, Psionic Shot, Quick Draw, Return Shot, Returning Throw, or a feat that requires a particular weapon when it is selected, such as Weapon Focus or Improved Critical. If the Marksman chooses a feat that requires a particular weapon, she must select a weapon from her selected ranged weapon group. The Marksman must still meet all prerequisites for the feat to select it.

At 8th level and every three Marksman levels thereafter, the Marksman gains another bonus feat from the same list.

Disengage (Ex)

Once a Marksman has reached 7th level, she learns how to effectively distance herself from enemies. When the Marksman would provoke an attack of opportunity for moving out of a threatened space, she may expend her psionic focus to add her Wisdom modifier to her Acrobatics rolls to avoid attacks of opportunity for the round and can move at full speed without increasing the Acrobatics DC.

Defensive Shot (Ex)

At 13th level, a Marksman no longer provokes attacks of opportunity when making ranged attacks with a ranged or thrown weapon.

Ranged Specialist (Su)

At 19th level, a Marksman’s ranged and thrown attacks have their critical multiplier increased by 1 (x2 becomes x3, for example) and her penalties for range increments are halved. If the Marksman has the Far Shot feat, she instead suffers no penalties for range increments.

Favored Class Bonuses

Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever they gain a level in a Favored Class, some races have the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon their Favored Classes. The following options are available to the listed race who have Marksman as their Favored Class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed Favored Class reward.

Race Bonus Source
Dreamscarred Press
Blue Add 1 to the number of times per day the marksman can use the Wind Reader class feature. PE:APG
Elf The marksman gains 1 psionic talent. PE:APG
Human Add +1/3 to damage rolls made with ranged or thrown weapons when expending focus on Psionic Shot. PE:APG

Archetypes & Alternate Class Features

When a character selects a class, he must choose to use the standard class features found or those listed in one of the archetypes presented here. Each alternate class feature replaces a specific class feature from its parent class. For example, the elemental fist class feature of the monk of the four winds replaces the stunning fist class feature of the monk. When an archetype includes multiple class features, a character must take all of them—often blocking the character from ever gaining certain familiar class features, but replacing them with equally powerful options. All of the other class features found in the core class and not mentioned among the alternate class features remain unchanged and are acquired normally when the character reaches the appropriate level (unless noted otherwise). A character who takes an alternate class feature does not count as having the class feature that was replaced when meeting any requirements or prerequisites.

A character can take more than one archetype and garner additional alternate class features, but none of the alternate class features can replace or alter the same class feature from the core class as another alternate class feature. For example, a paladin could not be both a hospitaler and an undead scourge since they both modify the smite evil class feature and both replace the aura of justice class feature. A paladin could, however, be both an undead scourge and a warrior of the holy light, since none of their new class features replace the same core class feature.

Archetypes are a quick and easy way to specialize characters of a given class, adding fun and flavorful new abilities to already established adventurers. Characters may take more than one archetype if they meet the requirements.

Table: Marksman Archetypes / Alternate Class Features

Archetype / Alternate Class Feature Class Features Changed or Replaced
Class Skills Weapon & Armor Power Points / Day Powers Known Combat Style Point-Blank Shot Wind Reader Favored Weapon Evade Arrows Style Technique Style Skill Style Mantra Cover Fire Style Ability Bonus Feat Disengage Defensive Shot Ranged Specialist
2 6 10 14 18 2 6 10 14 18 3 6 9 12 15 18 4 8 12 16 20 5 8 11 14 17 20
Dreamscarred Press
Cannoneer X X X C C C C C X X X X X X X X X X X
Kaigun C C X X X
Mobile Knife (Xeph) X X X X X X X X X
Shroud X X X X X X X X
Spearman X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Psionics Expanded: Advanced Psionics Guide. Copyright 2011, Dreamscarred Press; Authors: Jeremy Smith and Andreas Rönnqvist.

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