The Longstepper
I like to move around the battlefield, but of course I also hate to waste my turn moving when I could be killing stuff. This week’s new slayer archetype, the longstepper, lives up to his name, darting at unbelievable speeds and making all-out attacks on the same turn. I won’t keep you suspense any longer; let’s get moving!
New Slayer Archetype
Longstepper
These slayers relay on their extreme mobility to never lose sight of their targets. Using their tremendous speed, they can run down even the squirreliest of foes, ensuring that they close in for the kill. More than just skilled runners and gifted athletes, these specially trained slayers know how to use their momentum to launch into deadly assaults against their foes.
Longstepping (Ex): A longstepper practices a unique style of movement which lengthens his stride and allows him to move more quickly. At 1st level, a longstepper’s movement speed is increased by 10 feet. At 5th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, this bonus to movement speed increases by an additional 5 feet, to a maximum of +25 feet at 20th level.
This ability replaces the track class feature.
Strider’s Strike (Ex): A longstepper is trained to use his movements leading up to an attack in order to begin launching a furious, all-out assault. Beginning at 3rd level, whenever the longstepper uses the full-attack action, he can move up to 10 feet before or after that full-attack action. At 6th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the distance the longstepper can move in this way increases by 5 feet, to a maximum of 35 feet at 18th level. At 20th level, a longstepper can move up to his movement speed in this way whenever he uses the full-attack action.
This ability replaces the sneak attack class feature.
Defensive Move (Ex): A longstepper is skilled in avoiding dangers as he moves around the battlefield. At 7th level, the longstepper gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity caused by leaving a square threatened by an opponent. Additionally, the longstepper applies the bonus from his studied target class feature to his AC against attacks of opportunity made by his studied targets. Finally, he can move at full speed while using the Acrobatics skill to avoid attacks of opportunity caused by moving through threatened squares, without suffering a penalty on his Acrobatics check.
This ability replaces the stalker class feature.
Swift Advance (Ex): A longstepper can tap into his inner reserves to surge forward at amazing speeds. Beginning at 11th level, the longstepper can move up to his speed as a swift action. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity normally, but does not count against the maximum amount of movement the longstepper can make each round or against his ability to make a 5-foot step. The longstepper can use this ability once per day at 11th level, and an additional time per day every 4 levels thereafter, to a maximum of 3 times per day at 19th level.
This ability replaces the swift tracker class feature.
Silent Advance (Ex): A longstepper is trained to move silently, even at his extreme speeds. At 13th level, a longstepper suffers no penalty to Stealth checks for moving at full speed. Further, he can use the Stealth skill while running, though he suffers a -10 penalty when he does so. Finally, if the longstepper moves to a space adjacent to a creature that is not aware of him, he may choose to have that creature become the target of his studied target ability as an immediate action.
This ability replaces the slayer’s advance class feature.
Longstepper’s Quarry (Ex): A longstepper is particularly skilled at hunting down and exterminating his quarry. At 14th level, the longstepper gains the quarry ability as normal, except that when he designates a creature as his quarry, that creature is also considered a studied target (but does not count against the number of studied targets the longstepper can have at any one time). The bonuses granted by the longstepper’s studied target ability are increased by +1 if the studied target is also his quarry. At 19th level, the bonuses granted by the longstepper’s studied target ability are increased by +2 if the target is also his quarry, instead.
This ability modifies the quarry and improved quarry class features.
Positioning (Ex): A longstepper is adept at making the most out his extreme movement, using his speed to garner superior positioning against his enemies. Beginning at 17th level, whenever the longstepper is flanking his studied target, he gains twice the usual bonus to damage rolls from his studied target ability against that creature.