:: SCOUT

The Scout is an invaluable tool for the party, able to feel danger. However, she aren't too skilled with weapons, and can't wear heavy armor. Scouts always find their way ahead of the group, leading parties into dungeons and enemy territory for whatever reason. They are made leaders.
Rogues, monks, and bardic scouts are the most associated to this prestige class, being well respected members of any party of adventures. Fighters, rangers, paladins, and barbarians become scouts to improve their sense of danger and balance it with their offensive combat skills. Sorcerers, wizards and clerics aren't inclined to be scouts at all.
NPC Scouts come from anywhere. They could be wild scouts in the woods, who spy on others but never get caught, or they could be people in cities who offer to be a guide through the town for a price. They can also be found in charge of cities and major towns, and if you look at most capable leaders, they show abilities of the scout. (empathy, understanding, compassion, and trust)
Hit Die: d6.

Scout checking the corner of a dark corridor... Art by Rafael Arrais.

:: Requirements

To qualify to become a scout, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
   Hide: 2 ranks.
   Intuit Direction: 4 ranks.
   Listen: 4 ranks.
   Spot: 8 ranks.
   Feats: Expertise, Imporved Disarm.

:: Class Skills

The scout's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (dex*), Bluff (cha), Climb (str*), Concentration (con), Craft (int), Diplomacy (cha), Disable Device (int), Disguise (cha), Escape Artist (dex*), Gather Information (cha), Hide (dex*), Innuendo (wis), Intuit Direction (wis), Knowledge (any) (int), Listen (wis), Move Silently (dex*), Perform (cha), Profession (wis), Read Lips (int), Scry (int), Search (int), Sense Motive (wis), Spot (wis), Swim (str), Tumble (dex*), and Use Magic Device (cha). (* character's armor check penalty, if any, also applies)

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

TABLE 1-1: THE SCOUT 
Class    Base        Fort  Ref   Will       Special
Level  Attack Bon.   Save  Save  Save 
  1       +0         +0    +2    +0         +2 Spot, Feel Danger
  2       +1         +0    +3    +0         Navigate 10' radius
  3       +2         +1    +3    +1         +1 AC
  4       +3         +1    +4    +1         Sense Hostility
  5       +3         +1    +4    +1         Navigate 20' radius
  6       +4         +2    +5    +2         Leadership +4
  7       +5         +2    +5    +2         +2 AC
  8       +6         +2    +6    +2         Supernatural Disarm
  9       +6         +3    +6    +3         Know Danger
 10       +7         +3    +7    +3         Leader (+1), Navigate 30' radius

:: Class Features

All of the following are class features of the scout prestige class.
   Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A scout's weapon training is very limited, since he likes much more to play team work than lone combat. Scouts are masters of combat strategy, and when they are not shouting commands for their party friends alongside of the combat, they will prefer to disarm their opponents rather than risk being injured on battle. Scouts are proficient with all simple weapons. Scouts may wear light armor, though they avoid the use of helmets (that prejudice their keen senses) and shields greater than a buckler.
   +2 Spot : Scouts naturally have a +2 bonus to any spot checks they make.
   Feel Danger: The scout almost always has a bad feeling when something bad is about to happen (at this level, she can only recognizes imminent danger, such as assassin ambushes or really powerful monsters willing to kill them). It is treated as a supernatural ability, though some spells or outsiders may pass unnoticed by her (up to the DM).
   Navigate: The scout can tell how a passage bends from around the corner and without any sources of light or sound. This is a supernatural ability, treat it as though her visual range for purposes of "mapping out" the area always extend to this range. The scout can make a "sense" roll applying her level as a positive modifier to spot unsafe ground (meaning that if she were to step on it would suddenly be dangerous. she doesn't sense if another character would be in danger). This ability can be used to find the way out of a maze, to find a safe passage through a set of traps, etc.
   This ability begins with a range of 10 feet radius, reaching 20 feet at 5th level, 30 feet at 10th level, 40 feet at 14th level, and finally, 50 feet at 18th level.
   Armor Class bonuses: At level 3, and by each four more levels, the scout receives a natural armor class bonus because of her extraordinary senses. There may be cases where these bonuses are nullified (see Feel Danger above).
   Sense Hostility: At level 4, the ability to feel danger becomes much easier to the scout. She can sense when danger, hostility, anger, rage, or jealousy or other dangerous (determined by the DM) emotions are within about 20 feet away. She can then point it out to the group and they can plan a surprise. Keep in mind that this ability is not infallible. Two dwarves in a heated argument appear to be just as dangerous as two dwarves with weapons at the ready, prepared to attack the characters.
   Leadership: At level 6, scouts enjoy an +4 bonus to their Leadership ability (See the Dungeon Master's Guide, page 45, for Leadership).
   Supernatural Disarm: At level 8, the scout's disarm ability becomes supernatural. If the scout is higher level than the character she is disarming, the weapon has a 50% chance of deciding that the scout becomes the new owner of the item (if the weapon has the ability to return to its owner upon command). Example - Dawn is a level 18 scout, and she tries to disarm Wulfgar, a barbarian with the famous warhammer Aegis-Fang (which returns to its owner's hand upon the mental command to do so). If she succeeds her disarm roll, there's a 50% chance that Aegis-Fang won't return to Wulfgar's hands after he tries to mentally return it there.
   Know Danger: At level 9, the scout's ability to sense hostility has gotten to the point where she can differentiate between the two dwarves arguing and the two dwarves prepared for an attack. At this point, the scout knows if there will be danger ahead. (usually their senses can tell ahead of time when something bad will happen. if the PC's do something spontaneous that angers everyone, that's when the scout becomes alert to the situation, usually trying to talk the hostile parties out of a fight).
   Leader: Due to their amazing senses, scouts find their way into leadership rather easily. This ability bestow a morale bonus to whoever the scout is leading. The Scout must be the leader of the group (the direct leader). A scout general wouldn't increase the morale of all her troops, but a scout leading a small group into enemy territory would be a force to be reckoned with! The morale bonus applies to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. This bonus is increased to +2 at 15th level and +3 at 20th level.

Sent by Kingrames. Furthermore modified by Raph.
Click here for the original version (text file)

 

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