Crypt Stalker

Hunter of the unnatural and undead, this self-reliant adventurer specializes in delving through catacombs and graveyards to return the risen dead to peace. His most hated foes are liches and vampires, both formerly mortals who chose to cheat death and become immortal. A keen eye may easily discern a crypt stalker by his penchant for wooden, silver, and cold-iron weapons. These are devastating against lesser undead and experienced crypt stalkers can fight even vampires and greater undead successfully.

Crypt stalkers spend years studying the weaknesses of undead and as such, can deal devastating blows impossible for regular warriors. While many use special weapons to combat their enemies, as they grow in experience even their bare hands become lethal against the normally nigh-invulnerable monsters.

While many crypt stalkers are agents of their church, there are some itinerant professionals who sell their services in areas preyed upon by the undead. Goodhearted crypt stalkers will ask only for room and board for payment, but some levy outrageous fees in return for their services, even going so far as to extort their pay from a village by threatening to release a captive undead.

Role: Crypt stalkers tend to start their career as rangers; however they eschew the freedom of the open wilderness for the dank hallowed terrain of crypts, tombs, and dungeons. In addition, they must also spend time as a devoted servant of their god. The combination of their faith and independent stubborn natures make them a foe of the undead on par with any paladin. Crypt stalkers can perform admirably as a scout, especially in dungeons and ruins; however they come into their own when leading a party of adventurers in the destruction of a lich’s lair or vampire’s keep.

Alignment: Crypt stalkers may be of any alignment, but the vast majority are good. Nearly half of all crypt stalkers are neutral good.

Hit Dice: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a crypt stalker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +6.

Skills: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 6 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks

Spells: Must be able to cast 1st level ranger spells and 2nd level cleric spells.

Special: Favored Enemy: Undead and Favored Terrain: Underground or Urban.

Class Skills

The crypt stalker class skills are: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Crypt Stalker

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+1	+1	+0	+1	Resist undead attacks, sense unlife, slay the undead	—
2nd	+2	+1	+1	+1	Smite the lifeless	+1 level of ranger
3rd	+3	+2	+1	+2	Resist undead attacks, slay the undead	+1 level of cleric
4th	+4	+2	+1	+2	Smite the lifeless	+1 level of ranger
5th	+5	+3	+2	+3	Resist undead attacks, sense unlife, slay the undead	—
6th	+6	+3	+2	+3	Smite the lifeless	+1 level of cleric
7th	+7	+4	+2	+4	Resist undead attacks, slay the undead	+1 level of ranger
8th	+8	+4	+3	+4	Resist undead attacks, smite the lifeless	+1 level of cleric
9th	+9	+5	+3	+5	Resist undead attacks, slay the undead	—
10th	+10	+5	+3	+5	Resist undead attacks, sense unlife, Smite the lifeless	+1 level of ranger

Class Features

All the following are class features of the crypt stalker prestige class.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A crypt stalker is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all light and medium armor and with shields (except tower shields).

Spells per Day

At the indicated levels, a crypt stalker gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in the indicated divine spellcasting class. He does not, however, gain any other benefits a character of those classes would gain.

Resist Undead Attacks (Ex)

Crypt stalkers rely on their faith and their unwavering hatred of the undead to inure them to the effects of undead attacks. As they grow more experienced, crypt stalkers grow unaffected by many of these ailments.

At 1st level, the crypt stalker resists fear instilled by undead and resists the stench of ghouls, ghasts and other such undead, receiving a +4 divine bonus to saving throws against such affects.

At 3rd level, the crypt stalker adds the +4 bonus to saving throws versus paralysis and mummy rot.

At 5th level, the bonus is applied to any undead gaze attacks.

At 7th level, the bonus applies to Fortitude saves against temporary negative levels becoming permanent. The bonus increases to +8 at 10th level.

At 8th level, the crypt stalker becomes immune to a ghoul, ghast, or similar undead’s stench.

At 9th level, the crypt stalker becomes immune to paralysis caused by undead and mummy rot.

At 10th level, he becomes immune to undead gaze attacks.

Slay the Undead (Ex)

Due to a crypt stalker’s knowledge, training, and spiritual focus on the undead, he is able to strike the weaknesses of the undead like no other can. As such, for crypt stalkers, critical strikes work exceptionally well on undead.

At 1st level, a crypt stalker gains the Improved Critical feat in the weapon of his choice. He gains the feat again (in a different weapon) at 3rd and 5th level.

At 7th level, the crypt stalker gains the Critical Focus feat and at 9th level he gains the Favored Critical: Undead feat.

Sense Unlife (Su)

At 1st level, a crypt stalker can detect undead (as the spell) in a 20 foot radius around him. This range doubles at 3rd level to 40 feet, and doubles again at 7th level to 80 feet. He can also identify a lich’s phylactery on sight with a successful Perception check, receiving a +2 bonus to the check at 5th level and again at 10th level to a maximum bonus of +4.

Smite the Lifeless (Ex)

Weapons of wood, silver, or cold iron count as magical weapons in the hands of a slayer. In addition, these types of weapons receive a +1 attack and damage bonus at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th levels.

Also, at 6th level, a crypt stalker’s unarmed attacks do lethal damage to undead, as if the stalker had the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, and receiving a +1 attack and damage bonus per level past 6th to a maximum of +4 at 10th level.

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