Lantern Bearer (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

The worst evil the elves ever discovered was what had become of their elven kin who became corrupted by both demons and the strange energies within the bowels of the earth, these elves were transformed into what are now known as the drow. In response to these wicked threats, the elves founded the Lantern Bearers. Members of this secretive organization state that their goal is “to be a light against the coming darkness.” In plainer terms, they seek to contain and eliminate the drow, and especially to conceal the shameful truth behind their corrupt relations.

Class Information

This is a prestige class archetype.

Prestige Class: Lantern bearer.

Build Classes: Ranger

Role: Lantern bearers are specialists in tracking and facing down creatures of darkness and evil.

Race: Elf (including half-elf) or Adopted social trait for elves.

Alignment: Any. Like elves, most lantern bearers are chaotic good or chaotic neutral and this colors how they operate, but individual members have no restriction.

Hit Die: d10.

Class Skills

The lantern bearer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Abilities

The lantern bearer has all the ranger's class abilities, except as noted below.

Favored Enemy (Ex)

Gained at 1st level, this is the same as the ranger ability of the same name. The lantern bearer's favored enemies must be selected from this list:

Aberration, animal, fey, humanoid (elf ), outsider (evil), plant, and vermin.

Lantern Arcana (Sp)

At third level a lantern bearer adds a number of spells to his spell list.

Orisons (level zero): dancing lights, light, and spark. These all function as prepared cantrips and can be cast at will.

1st level: faerie fire, protection from evil.

2nd level: see invisibility.

3rd level: continual flame (3rd-level spell, lasts up to 10 minutes/level; a lantern bearer within 20 feet of a continual flame she created using this ability can extinguish it to cast searing light), dispel magic, and magic circle against evil (self only).

4th level: daylight and dimensional anchor.

This replaces the ranger's 1st favored terrain.

Bitter Armament (Su)

At 8th level, metal weapons that a lantern bearer wields are treated as being cold iron for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction (in addition to the weapons' other special material properties). These weapons, including fired ammunition, retain this property for 1 round after leaving the Lantern Bearer's grasp. This replaces the ranger's 2nd favored terrain.

Superior Discernment (Ex)

At 9th level, a lantern bearer gains one of the following as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites: Eagle Eyes, Elven Accuracy or Sharp Senses. This replaces evasion.

Unbounded Stride (Su)

At 12th level, as a swift action, a lantern bearer can make herself immune to effects that would impede her movement, such as overgrown foliage, webs, solid fog, or other magical area effects that impair movement or confer the entangled condition. This ability is similar in effect to a druid's woodland stride ability, but its effects extend to magical effects as well, and the lantern bearer must announce she is using unbounded stride before it takes effect. She takes no damage from moving through barbed vegetation, briars, or even a wall of thorns, but harmful gases and other detrimental effects, such as fire damage from an incendiary cloud, still affect her as normal. A lantern bearer can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to her class level; these rounds need not be consecutive. This replaces camouflage.

Celestial Weaponry (Su)

At 13th level, a Lantern Bearer's attacks are treated as good-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. This replaces the ranger's 3rd favored terrain.

Fade from Sight (Su)

At 16th level, a lantern bearer can use the Stealth skill without having anything to hide behind, and even while being observed. Activating this ability is a swift action. A lantern bearer can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to her class level; these rounds need not be consecutive. This replaces improved evasion.

Aiudara Alignment (Su)

At 17th level, once per day as a full-round action a lantern bearer can use the interconnected power of the aiudara network to teleport herself to an elf gate that she has studied carefully (see teleport). This functions as word of recall but the lantern bearer can only transport herself plus 50 pounds of objects.

In addition, a lantern bearer can magically slip between the spaces in reality twice per day as a swift action, as if using dimension door. This ability has a range of 50 feet and the lantern bearer cannot take other creatures with her. This replaces hide in plain sight.

Bringer of Brightness (Sp)

At 18th level, once per day a lantern bearer can engulf herself in a brilliant radiance. This functions as a holy aura spell targeting only the Lantern Bearer, and uses the same formulae for caster level and save DCs as her lantern arcana. This replaces the ranger's 4th favored terrain.

Table: Lantern Bearer

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						1	2	3	4
1st	valign="top" +1	valign="top" +2	valign="top" +2	valign="top" +0	valign="top" 1st favored enemy, track, wild empathy	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 2nd	valign="top" +2	valign="top" +3	valign="top" +3	valign="top" +0	valign="top" Combat style feat	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 3rd	valign="top" +3	valign="top" +3	valign="top" +3	valign="top" +1	valign="top" Endurance, lantern arcana	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 4th	valign="top" +4	valign="top" +4	valign="top" +4	valign="top" +1	valign="top" Hunter's bond	valign="top" 0	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 5th	valign="top" +5	valign="top" +4	valign="top" +4	valign="top" +1	valign="top" 2nd favored enemy	valign="top" 1	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 6th	valign="top" +6/+1	valign="top" +5	valign="top" +5	valign="top" +2	valign="top" Combat style feat	valign="top" 1	valign="top" —	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 7th	valign="top" +7/+2	valign="top" +5	valign="top" +5	valign="top" +2	valign="top" Woodland stride	valign="top" 1	valign="top" 0	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 8th	valign="top" +8/+3	valign="top" +6	valign="top" +6	valign="top" +2	valign="top" Bitter armament, swift tracker,	valign="top" 1	valign="top" 1	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 9th	valign="top" +9/+4	valign="top" +6	valign="top" +6	valign="top" +3	valign="top" Superior discernment	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1	valign="top" —	valign="top" —
valign="top" 10th	valign="top" +10/+5	valign="top" +7	valign="top" +7	valign="top" +3	valign="top" 3rd favored enemy, combat style feat	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1	valign="top" 0	valign="top" —
valign="top" 11th	valign="top" +11/+6/+1	valign="top" +7	valign="top" +7	valign="top" +3	valign="top" Quarry	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1	valign="top" 1	valign="top" —
valign="top" 12th	valign="top" +12/+7/+2	valign="top" +8	valign="top" +8	valign="top" +4	valign="top" Unbounded stride	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1	valign="top" —
valign="top" 13th	valign="top" +13/+8/+3	valign="top" +8	valign="top" +8	valign="top" +4	valign="top" Celestial weaponry	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1	valign="top" 0
valign="top" 14th	valign="top" +14/+9/+4	valign="top" +9	valign="top" +9	valign="top" +4	valign="top" Combat style feat	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1	valign="top" 1
valign="top" 15th	valign="top" +15/+10/+5	valign="top" +9	valign="top" +9	valign="top" +5	valign="top" 4th favored enemy	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1
valign="top" 16th	valign="top" +16/+11/+6/+1	valign="top" +10	valign="top" +10	valign="top" +5	valign="top" Fade from sight	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1
valign="top" 17th	valign="top" +17/+12/+7/+2	valign="top" +10	valign="top" +10	valign="top" +5	valign="top" Aiudara alignment	valign="top" 4	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 1
valign="top" 18th	valign="top" +18/+13/+8/+3	valign="top" +11	valign="top" +11	valign="top" +6	valign="top" Bringer of brightness, combat style feat	valign="top" 4	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 2	valign="top" 2
valign="top" 19th	valign="top" +19/+14/+9/+4	valign="top" +11	valign="top" +11	valign="top" +6	valign="top" Improved quarry	valign="top" 4	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 2
valign="top" 20th	valign="top" +20/+15/+10/+5	valign="top" +12	valign="top" +12	valign="top" +6	valign="top" 5th favored enemy, master hunter	valign="top" 4	valign="top" 4	valign="top" 3	valign="top" 3

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Wild Empathy
• Endurance
• Favored Terrain (All)
• Hunter's Bond
• Woodland Stride
• Camouflage
• Hide in Plain Sight
• Master Hunter