Whisperer (Legendary Hunter Archetype)

Some people build a thorough understanding, or perhaps even cultivate an innate, deep bond with a kind of creature from an early age. These prodigies, often called whisperers, may be obscure, scorning the companionship of sapient races in favor of their bonded kin. Others become famous and coveted for their special touch, able to commune with their choice friends even in times of the highest distress or disdainful scorn. But whatever the case, whisperers and their companions are nothing less than true equals.

Alternate Skills: When using psionics, add Autohypnosis to the list of potential class skills the companion can gain through Wily Companion. When using background skills, add Lore.

Deep Bond Training

Whisperers read and even elevate the cues of their chosen beastkin at large, and their companion most of all. At 1st level, a whisperer gains a deep bond with a type of creature available to them as a companion, as appropriate for their companion class feature, referred to as deepbonded creatures. Once the choice is made, it cannot be changed.

The Intelligence score of this creature type is treated as +2 higher for the purposes of communicating with the whisperer. The bonus increases to +4 at level 6, and +6 at level 12. This allows the deepbonded creature to form the equivalent of more complex sentences and relay more nuanced ideas (see Table: Intelligence Examples and Descriptions for more details), though the base nature of the creature remains the same.

The whisperer may reduce the bonus by 2 to communicate through a smaller number of channels than usual, such as nonverbally through a mixture of touches, gestures and mimicry. Deepbonded creatures may choose to respond in kind and understands simple reasons given for why they should, regardless of their effective Intelligence score. Permanently blind, deaf, immobile, or mute characters need not take the penalty in order to communicate clearly using this method, but those temporarily suffering from such conditions do.

Additionally, at 1st level, the whisperer and their companion learn a Deep Bond Training. They learn an additional Deep Bond Training at 2nd, 8th and 16th level.

Deep Bond Trainings are functionally similar to Companion Trainings, and they are taken from the same list. Rather than the hunter training its beast, however, the whisperer and the companion achieve this by agreeing on what to do and training together. The whisperer uses the Diplomacy skill in place of the Handle Animal skill for the purposes of granting the benefit of a Deep Bond Training, and any other interaction with their companion.

From 8th level onward, the Whisperer may take 10 on a Diplomacy check to activate a Deep Bond Training even while threatened.

The whisperer may, lacking access to their preferred kind of companion or under duress, gain a different sort of companion as appropriate for their companion class feature after a previous companion had died, but such a companion cannot benefit from deep bond training. The whisperer must replace this companion with their preferred, deepbonded type when the opportunity presents itself, parting with the ill-suited creature at no additional cost.

This ability replaces companion training.

Private Conversations

Only whisperers deepbonded to the same creature type, and the deepbonded creatures themselves, can directly and meaningfully contribute to a discussion between the two groups. Others listening in through less specialized means, such as speak with animals, the Beast-friend class feature or similar effects will only understand as much as the effect enables. Truespeech, meanwhile, grants full understanding of what is being said, but doesn’t enable its user to be understood by the deepbonded creatures at the level whisperers are.

Finally, those without access to such abilities will strain to decipher the whisperer talking to a deepbonded creature as much as they would trying to understand the creature itself. Even if the whisperer is using coherent phrases in a language the listeners understand, the true meaning of the words will remain obscure.

Charmer’s Spellcasting

A whisperer uses their Charisma score in place of their Wisdom score for determining DCs and qualifying for casting or learning spells. This alters the hunter’s spellcasting.

Think Alike

From 2nd level onward, the whisperer and their companion both add ½ of the whisperer’s level to Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks made to interact with each other and aid another each other’s checks using these two skills. In addition, the companion can purchase ranks in the Diplomacy skill regardless of its Intelligence score.

At 7th level, the whisperer and their companion may use aid another to benefit each other as a move action, or once per turn as a free action when using the Swift Aid feat. Their companion also gains Diplomacy as a class skill.

This ability replaces track and swift tracker.

Wily Companion

At 7th level and every 4 levels thereafter, a whisperer’s animal companion gains 2 of the following bonuses:

• 4 + Constitution to their maximum hit points.
• +1 to all saves.
• 3 skill points.
• 4 skill points, spent only on mental skills.
• Two skills as class skills from the following list: Bluff, Escape Artist, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge(choice of one), Perform(choice of one), Sense Motive, and Survival.
• +1 to a mental ability score.

This alters superior animal companion.

Side by Side

At 20th level, unlike other legendary hunters, the whisperer does not move at full speed while tracking. While the whisperer and their companions are adjacent to one another in any combination, each of them can aid another, any number of times per turn as a free action. Each of them may benefit any single action in this way only once. When granting the standard bonuses of the aid another action, but not other applications of aid another they may have access to, they automatically succeed without a roll. This alters master of the hunt.