The Crystal Hunter(3.5, Prestige class version, PEACH)

[PersonMan]

Crystal Hunter

Entry Requirements

• BAB +3
• Race: Crystallion
• Special: Must have killed one creature that did not worship the Crystalline One

The requirements are built so that Crystallions can basically instantly enter.

{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special

1st|+1|+2|+2|+0|Smite The Unfaithful 1/day, Crystal Blade

2nd|+2|+3|+3|+0|Crystal Skin +1, Track

3rd|+3|+3|+3|+1|Smite The Unfaithful 2/day, Crystal Blade Bonus +1

4th|+4|+4|+4|+1|Crystal Skin +2

5th|+5|+4|+4|+1|Smite The Unfaithful 3/day, Crystal Blade Bonus +2

6th|+6|+5|+5|+2|Crystal Skin +3

7th|+7|+5|+5|+2|Smite The Unfaithful 4/day, Crystal Blade Bonus +3

8th|+8|+6|+6|+2|Crystal Skin +4

9th|+9|+6|+6|+3|Smite The Unfaithful 5/day, Crystal Blade Bonus +4

10th|+10|+7|+7|+3|Crystal Skin +5

[/table]
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d10

Class Skills:
Survival(Wis), Spot(Wis), Listen(Wis), Hide(Dex), Move Silently(Dex), Use Rope(Dex), Heal(Wis), Knowledge(local)
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Crystal Hunters are proficient with all simple and light weapons, as well as medium and light armor.

Crystal Blade: As a move action a Crystal Hunter can materialize any weapon they are proficient in. This weapon disintegrates if it leaves the Crystal Hunter's hand for more than 1 round.

Smite the Unfaithful: A Crystal Hunter can empower their attacks with special energy that deals damage to those who do not worship the Crystalline One. This attack gains a bonus to attack and damage equal to the Crystal Hunter's level.

Track: A Crystal Hunter gains the Track feat as a bonus feat at second level.

Crystal Skin: A Crystal Hunter's skin becomes tougher. They gain a bonus to their natural armor equal to the number on the table.

Crystal Blade Bonus: At third level a Crystal Hunter's Crystal Blade becomes more powerful. A Crystal Hunter can apply special abilities or bonuses to the Crystal Blade equal to the number on the table.

[demidracolich]

As with the base class you should give it a nice capstone as any class should have one.

[jiriku]

Getting there! With the current load of class features, I'd recommend you compress this into a five-level class. The concept of "hunts heretics and stabs them with a magic crystal sword" is really very narrow.

If you'd like to preserve it as a 10-level class, you need more class features. First, a look at what you have:

Crystal Blade: This is not really a class feature, but you knew that. The name implies that the blade is made of crystal, but if it is, you're basically inventing a new material (weapon-grade crystal), and you should specify its break DC, hardness, and hp.

Smite the Unfaithful: fixes many of the defects of Smite Evil. Good.

Track: Thematic feat is thematic.

Crystal Skin: Is the bonus intended to be untyped, rather than an enhancement bonus to natural armor?

Crystal Blade Bonus: I take you to mean that the owner can apply enhancement bonuses to the weapon, or special abilities that are priced as enhancement-bonus-equivalents. I like the flexibility this offers (Need a different special ability? Spend a move action and you have it!). Overall, however, this is weak ability. Compare to a kensai's ability, which allows a total +10 enhancement over a 10-level prestige class. And nobody gets excited about the kensai unless they're enhancing some dwarf's beard.

Now, a look at what you haven't got. Providing Track with Crystal Skin at level 2 is basically an admission that +1 natural armor alone isn't a strong enough benefit to carry a level, yet that's exactly what you then proceed to do at levels 4, 6, 8, and 10. If anything, you need something better at these levels because the character is higher level at this point and needs more razzle-dazzle.

Benefits I would suggest:

• Favored-enemy style skill bonuses against hunted foes, perhaps applicable to Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, and Survival.
• The ability to use Dexterity instead of Strength to calculate hit and damage with simple and light weapons.
• Automatic TWF progression (a no-brainer in a martial class with sufficient bonus natural armor to obviate the need for a shield, that only uses light martial weapons, intended for a race with a Dex bonus).
• Faster advancement of crystal blade bonus (or perhaps just a higher starting bonus), so the enhancements will duplicate magic weapons more appropriate to the ECL of the wielder.
• Improvements to the hunting and wilderness survival roles, such as flawless stride, swift tracker, camouflage, hide in plain sight, or abilities that are thematically similar to those.