Peltast

Dagger throwers, pilum experts, or tribal masters of the boomerang, peltasts are specialized skirmishers and masters in the art of hurling weapons swiftly and quickly. Light warriors focusing on hit and run strategies over brute force, peltasts hinder their enemies from afar by striking a weak point, and focus on teamwork to bring them down.

Class Skills: A peltast adds Acrobatics (Dex), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Survival (Wis) to their list of class skills.

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int. This replaces the normal Skill Ranks per level.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Peltasts are proficient with simple weapons, light hammers, throwing axes, throwing shields, starknifes, tridents, amentums, chakrams, pilums, bolas, boomerangs and nets. Peltasts are proficient with light armors and all shields except tower shields.

Master Thrower (Ex)

A peltast gains the Quick Draw and Far Shot feats at 1st level.

These feats replace the bonus feat gained at 1st-level.

Tactical Awareness (Ex)

At 2nd level, a peltast gains a +1 bonus on initiative checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels after 2nd level (to a maximum of +5 at 18th level).

This ability replaces bravery.

Crippling Missile (Ex)

At 3rd level, a peltast can hinder his opponent’s combat ability with a well-placed blow. He may attempt combat maneuvers at range with thrown weapons; using his Dexterity modifier to calculate his CMB for the purposes of these maneuvers.

The peltast chooses a number of combat maneuvers equal to his Intelligence modifier from the following list that he can use with a ranged attack made with a thrown weapon: Bull Rush, Dirty Trick, Disarm, Sunder, and Trip. At levels 11 and 15, the peltast can choose an additional combat maneuver, and he adds the following maneuvers to the list of maneuvers he may choose from: Grapple, Reposition.

A target grappled by a thrown weapon can break free by destroying the weapon (a sunder attempt that does not provoke attacks of opportunity), or by removing it as an Escape Artist or CMB check (against the peltast’s CMD –4).

If the peltast’s Intelligence modifier is reduced (or permanently increased), he loses (or gains) an appropriate number of combat maneuvers to the list of combat maneuvers he can attempt with a thrown weapon. If his Intelligence modifier is permanently increased, he gains an appropriate number of combat maneuvers or actions; these choices are definitive.

This ability replaces armor training 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Find The Breach (Ex)

At 4th level, the peltast learns to penetrate most defenses with a well-placed blow, including magically enhanced ones. The peltast ignores 1 point of any type of damage reduction per two fighter levels on any target he attacks with a thrown weapon.

The peltast may also attempt an appropriate Knowledge check against a target as a swift action (DC 10 + the creature’s CR); if he succeeds at this check, he instead ignores 1 point of damage reduction per level.

In addition, the peltast may ignore an amount of armor, natural armor or shield bonus to AC on this target equal to his Intelligence modifier, this choice is made at the same time than the knowledge check, once the peltast learns the enemy’s defenses. This ability remains in effect until the target is dead or unconscious or until the combat ends. A peltast who fails this knowledge check cannot attempt another against this creature until 24 hours later.

This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 4th-level.

Create Openings (Ex)

At 5th level, a number of times per round equal to his Intelligence modifier, the peltast may provide a +2 circumstance bonus as a free action to the next attack roll of a single ally made against a target that the peltast hits with a ranged attack or combat maneuver made with a thrown weapon. The ally benefiting from this circumstance bonus must be designated when the thrown weapon hits; the peltast can treat himself as his own ally if needed. This attack must occur before the end of the peltast’s next turn. This bonus increases by +1 at level 9 and every four levels later (13, 17), up to +5 at 17th level; create openings is treated as the fighter’s weapon training class feature for the purposes of magic items or meeting the prerequisites of feats or prestige classes.

This ability replaces weapon training 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Peltast Impaling Skirmish (Ex)

At 12th level, a peltast can use a charge to make a thrown weapon attack. If he already has the Charging Hurler feat, he does not suffer any penalty to AC when using a charge to make a thrown weapon attack; and if he possesses the Spring Attack feat, he may attack at any point during the charge and retreat back as part of the charge movement.

If throwing a piercing or slashing weapon as part of a charge, the peltast may impale the enemy with the weapon. An impaled enemy suffers an amount of bleed damage at the beginning of his round equal to the base damage dice of the weapon plus the weapon’s enhancement bonus; plus the bonus damage dice dealt on a hit by any weapon property that can apply to ranged weapons (like flaming, holy…), if any. An enemy can remove an impaled weapon as a move action, suffering the normal damage as if he began his round impaled by the weapon.

If throwing a bludgeoning weapon as part of a charge, on a hit the peltast deals bleed damage equal to the base damage dice of the weapon, he may do a bull rush or trip attempt as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and may make the weapon rebound over a surface – as if using the Ricochet Shot Deed feat.

This ability replaces weapon training 3.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Secrets of Tactical Archetypes © 2012 Steven D. Russell; Authors: Will McCardell and Benjamin Rombeaut

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