All Things Ambush [PrC, Feats]

[Kellus]

The Ambush Artist

The ambush artist is a master of surprise attacks and tactical battlefield manipulation. Through the application of special assaults and attacks, he can dismantle enemies and destroy their defences.

Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +4.
Feats: Any two ambush feats.
Special: Sneak attack, sudden strike, and/or skirmish totalling +3d6 extra damage (+1 skirmish AC bonus equivalent to +1d6 damage).

Hit Die: d6.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Skills: The ambush artist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Table: The Ambush Artist
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special

1st|+1|+0|+2|+0|Easy ambush, extra ambush

2nd|+2|+0|+3|+0|Impromptu ambush 1/encounter

3rd|+3|+1|+3|+1|Extra ambush, special attack +1d6

4th|+4|+1|+4|+1|Discover vitals

5th|+5|+1|+4|+1|Extra ambush, special attack +2d6

6th|+6|+2|+5|+2|Impromptu ambush 2/encounter

7th|+7|+2|+5|+2|Extra ambush, special attack +3d6

8th|+8|+2|+6|+2|Accurate ambush

9th|+9|+3|+6|+3|Extra ambush, special attack +4d6

10th|+10|+3|+7|+3|Eye on the horizon

[/table]

All of the following are class features of the ambush artist.

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: The ambush artist gains no additional weapon or armour proficiencies.

Easy Ambush (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, an ambush artist reduces the cost of all of his ambush feats by 1d6 sneak attack damage, to a minimum of 1d6 lost damage.

Extra Ambush: At 1st level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the ambush artist gains a bonus ambush feat that he meets the prerequisites for.

Special Attack (Ex): At 3rd level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the ambush artist improves his fighting style. Whenever he gains this ability, he may improve his sneak attack, skirmish, or sudden strike ability by 1d6 damage (his skirmish improves by +1 AC if its AC bonus is lower than the extra damage dice it provides). Every time the ambush artist gains this ability, he may choose a different special attack to invest in, even if he previously didn’t have the ability.

Impromptu Ambush (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, an ambush artist may declare an attack to be an ambush as a swift action. He adds his sneak attack, sudden strike, and skirmish damage to this attack, and may apply any ambush effects to it as normal. This ability may be used once per encounter, and reduces the extra damage of the attack by 1d6. This ability does not automatically render the target flat-footed or otherwise vulnerable. Beginning at 6th level, this ability may be used twice per encounter.

Discover Vitals (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, an ambush artist may make sneak attack, sudden strike, or skirmish attacks (as well as use ambush feats) against certain enemies normally immune to these effects. In order to use these abilities against a normally immune creature, he must have at least 12 ranks in an appropriate Knowledge skill, as shown on the following table.

Table: Discover Vitals
{table=head]Target|Requisite Knowledge Skill
Constructs|Arcana
Incorporeal|The Planes
Ooze|Dungeoneering
Plant|Nature
Undead|Religion[/table]

Accurate Ambush (Ex): Beginning at 8th level, an ambush artist may forgo dice of damage from an ambush in order to assure accuracy. Whenever the artist makes a sneak attack, sudden strike, or skirmish attack, he may reduce the additional damage dealt by this strike by any number of damage dice, to a minimum of 1d6 extra damage. He receives an insight bonus on the attack roll to deliver this strike equal to +1 per damage die sacrificed.

An ambush artist with the skirmish ability may sacrifice his skirmish AC bonus for this ability in the same way, so long as he posesses the Mobile Ambush feat (see below).

Eye on the Horizon (Ex): Beginning at 10th level, an ambush artist may make sneak attack, sudden strike, and skirmish attacks at 60ft. instead of 30ft. In addition, once per encounter he may completely forgo this restriction for a single attack; that is, he may make a sneak attack, sudden strike, and/or skirmish at any range.

[Kellus]

Ambushing Breath [Metabreath, Ambush]
Your breath weapon catches targets unawares.
Prerequisite: Breath weapon, Con 17, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: If you use your breath weapon as a full-round action, all targets denied their Dexterity modifier to AC receive damage from your sneak attack, sudden strike, and (if applicable) skirmish.
When you use this feat, add +3 to the number of rounds you must wait before using your breath weapon again.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 1d6.

Borrow Pathogen [Ambush]
Your knowledge of diseases allows you to infect your weapon with a successful strike.
Prerequisite: Knowledge (nature) 6 ranks, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack causes your weapon to become a carrier of any one nonsupernatural disease of your choice that the target is either infected with or is a transmitter of. If you do not specify which disease to borrow, it is selected randomly if there are multiple possibilities. If the target posesses no diseases, this ability is wasted. Once your weapon is so infected, the next melee attack made within 5 rounds infects the target with the disease as normal.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 1d6.

Clothesline [Ambush]
Your timely blow knocks your target flat on his back.
Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, sneak attack +4d6.
Benefit: Your successful unarmed sneak attack allows you to make a trip attempt against the target as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Special: You must be able to reach your foe’s neck to use this attack.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 3d6.

Corrupted Strike [Ambush, Tainted]
Your surprise strike spreads the taint of your body and mind.
Prerequisite: Mild corruption or depravity, sneak attack +4d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack inflicts the target with 1d3 points of corruption or depravity, at your choice. The target may make a Fortitude (for corruption) or Will (for depravity) saving throw to negate this effect (DC 10 + the number of extra damage dice normally dealt by your sneak attack + your Dex modifier).
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 3d6.

Deadly Hold [Ambush]
You follow your attack with a lightning fast wrestling hold.
Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: Your successful unarmed sneak attack allows you to make a grapple attempt against the target as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 1d6.

Deathblow [Ambush]
Your attack wastes no time going for the kill.
Prerequisite: Sneak attack +7d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack kills the target. The target may make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the number of extra damage dice normally dealt by your sneak attack + your Dex modifier) to negate this effect.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 6d6.

Disarming Blow [Ambush]
You can steal the other guy’s weapon and stab him with it.
Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, sneak attack +4d6.
Benefit: Your successful unarmed sneak attack allows you to make a disarm attempt as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If successful, you may use a swift action to grab the fallen weapon and you may take an immediate attack of opportunity against the target using this weapon.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 3d6.

Drain Life [Ambush, Divine]
Your mastery of life and death allows you to channel health from your target.
Prerequisite: Sneak attack +3d6, ability to turn or rebuke undead.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack allows you to regain a number of hit points equal to 1/2 the amount of damage you deal with this attack. You cannot exceed your maximum hit points with this feat. You may only use this feat against a given target once every 24 hours.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 2d6, and requires a turning attempt.

Eyegouge [Ambush]
An enemy that can’t see can’t fight.
Prerequisite: Sneak attack +5d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack causes the target to be blinded for 2 rounds. If you use this feat a second time on a target before 2 rounds have elapsed, the effect of the first use expires.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 4d6.

Fascinating Flourish [Ambush]
You forgo a more powerful blow to distract and captivate your target with an impressive flourish.
Prerequisite: Sleight of Hand 10 ranks, sneak attack +4d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack causes the target to make a Will saving throw (DC 10 + the number of extra damage dice normally dealt by your sneak attack + your Dex modifier) or become fascinated for 2 rounds. If you use this feat a second time on a target before 2 rounds have elapsed, the effect of the first use expires.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 3d6.

Hurricane Assault [Ambush]
An unyielding suprise assault knocks your enemy away.
Prerequisite: Power Attack, sneak attack +5d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack allows you to blow away your target. A creature on the ground that is blown away is knocked down and rolls 1d4 x 10 feet, taking 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per 10 feet. A flying creature that is blown away is blown back 2d6 x 10 feet and takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage due to battering and buffering. A target may make a Reflex saving throw (DC 10 + the number of extra damage dice normally dealt by your sneak attack + your Dex modifier) to negate this effect. This ability is only effective against creatures up to 1 size category larger than you.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 4d6.

Illusory Blade [Ambush, Reserve]
Your weapon seems to be made of shadowstuff as it weaves back and forth in your opponent’s mind.
Prerequisite: Ability to cast 3rd level spells, sneak attack +4d6.
Benefit: As long as you have an illusion (shadow) spell of 3rd level or higher available to cast, you can use a swift action to wrap your weapon in shadow for 1 round. Your successful sneak attack with this weapon strikes as a touch attack unless the target succeeds on a Will disbelief saving throw (DC 10 + the level of the highest level illusion (shadow) spell you have available to cast + your Dex modifier). Once a target succeeds on its saving throw, it cannot be affected by this feat for 24 hours.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 3d6.
As a secondary effect, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your caster level when casting illusion (shadow) spells.

Inspirational Stab [Ambush, Bardic Music]
Your timely attack inspires your allies to even greater heights.
Prerequisite: Bardic music, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack improves your ongoing Inspire Courage bardic music effect by +1. This enhancement bonus lasts for the duration of the Inspire Courage effect.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 1d6 and requires one use of bardic music.

Lucky Ambush [Ambush, Luck]
Your attacks seem to easily find their mark, and can even steal fortune’s favour from your enemies.
Prerequisite: Any luck feat, sneak attack +4d6.
Benefit: You can expend one luck reroll as a swift action to reroll a percentile check to strike a concealed foe.
In addition, you may reduce a sneak attack damage by 3d6 to steal one luck reroll from a target. The target must have at least one luck reroll for this ability to work. You only have access to this stolen reroll for the day you steal it. You may only have one stolen reroll at a time.
You gain one luck reroll per day.

Mind Siphon [Ambush]
Your psychic assaults replenish your psionic powers.
Prerequisite: Mind Drain, sneak attack +4d6.
Benefit: Your successful Mind Drain sneak attack allows you to recover power points of your own equal to 1/2 the number drained from the target. You cannot use this ability to exceed your normal maximum of power points. You may only benefit from this effect once per day against any one target.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 2d6.

Mobile Ambush
You can combine your fighting styles with a sneaky result.
Prerequisite: Swift Ambusher.
Benefit: You can sacrifice skirmish damage dice or AC bonus instead of or in conjunction with sneak attack damage dice to use ambush feats. 1d6 skirmish damage or a +1 skirmish AC bonus is equivalent to 1d6 sneak attack damage for this purpose.
Special: This feat may be used in place of Mobility for the purposes of qualifying for any feats, prestige classes, or other achievements. A scout can select Mobile Ambush as a scout bonus feat (Complete Adventurer 13).

Panic! At the Ambush [Ambush]
Your frightening strike prepares your enemy to be terrified.
Prerequisite: Sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack imposes a -4 penalty on saving throws against fear effects, and removes the target’s supernatural or extraordinary immunity to fear if it posesses such. These effects last for 5 rounds; if you use this feat a second time on a target before 5 rounds have elapsed, the effect of the first use expires.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 1d6.

Stressful Strike [Ambush]
Your attacks leave your enemy unable to focus on the task at hand.
Prerequisite: Concentration 6 ranks, sneak attack +2d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack causes the the target to lose the ability to take 10 on skill checks for 5 rounds, even if they could normally take 10 on certain skill checks when stress or distraction would normally prevent them from doing so.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 1d6.

Viper’s Bite [Ambush]
You aim your poisoned blow for most effective delivery of its cargo.
Prerequisite: Sneak attack +3d6.
Benefit: Your successful sneak attack causes the the target to take a -2 penalty on its initial Fortitude saving throw against any poison delivered with this attack.
Using this feat reduces your sneak attack damage by 2d6.

[Realms of Chaos]

Well, you delivered what you promised. The PrC is excellently made and the feats are well thought out.

My only concern is with drain life. A Rogue 5/Cleric 1 with this feat becomes significantly less squishy, even with the once per target per day restriction. I'm worried that it may be a bit too powerful.

[Cieyrin]

Impressive! I likes this a lot, especially how a Fascinating Flourish could combine with a Mosquito's Bite so that they would never know what was going one :smallbiggrin:

[The Rose Dragon]

Nitpick: make the sneak attack increase available at 2nd level. Or this is a very good one level dip class for rogues.

[Stycotl]

Nitpick: make the sneak attack increase available at 2nd level. Or this is a very good one level dip class for rogues.

seconded. but other than that, these are really cool. kudos.

[Kellus]

Okay, I dropped the ambush bonus at 1st level, but moved Easy Ambush there instead. Now at 1st level you essentially get a bonus 1d6 damage so long as you use an ambush feat.

At 8th level, to replace Easy Ambush, there is now a new ability. I like it and I hope that you do too! If you do not, that's too bad!

I dropped the healing to 1/2 damage from Drain Life, and changed the save DC of Illusory Blade to be an actual Reserve feat.

Thanks for the help!