The huntsmen of Annuvin are mortal warriors who have sworn themselves to Arawn, the Lord of the Dead, and accepted his brand as the price of their power. In a rite performed by Arawn's priests, the brand is burned into the supplicant's brow, binding him body and spirit to the god's service and to the hunting pack that receives him. No huntsman hunts alone by choice. Each is tied to his packmates by a bond deeper than blood, and when one falls, the strength of the slain flows into those who remain. A pack that has lost most of its members becomes more dangerous, not less, and seasoned foes of Arawn's servants learn to fear the last huntsman standing above all others.

A huntsman's brand glows faintly in a hue shared only by the members of his pack, so that huntsmen of different packs can be told apart at a glance. Each time a packmate dies, the brands of the survivors flare brighter. When huntsmen from broken packs come together to form a new one, their brands shift to a single new color as the bond is sealed.

Huntsmen serve Arawn's temples as trackers, enforcers, and raiders. Bands of them range far from any temple, sometimes for years, pursuing prey their masters have named or choosing victims of their own.

Source: Charles W. Plemons III based upon the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander

Creating A Huntsman of Annuvin

"Huntsman of Annuvin" is an acquired template that can be added to any living humanoid (referred to hereafter as the base creature). It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

CR: Same as the base creature +1.

Alignment: Any evil.

Type: The creature's type is unchanged.

Defensive Abilities: A huntsman of Annuvin gains immunity to fear effects.

Special Attacks: A huntsman of Annuvin gains the following special attacks.

Mark Prey (Su): As a move action, a huntsman can designate a single creature it can see as the prey of its entire pack. A pack can have only one marked prey at a time, and designating a new prey ends the previous mark. When a huntsman hits its marked prey with a melee or ranged attack while another member of its pack threatens that creature, the attack deals an additional 1d6 points of precision damage. This additional damage increases by 1d6 for every 5 Hit Dice the huntsman possesses (to a maximum of 4d6 at 15 Hit Dice). The mark lasts until the prey dies or 24 hours pass. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this precision damage, and it is not multiplied on a critical hit.

Shared Strength (Su): Whenever another member of a huntsman's pack dies within 60 feet of the huntsman, the huntsman gains a +1 profane bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and Strength-based skill checks, and gains temporary hit points equal to the slain creature's Hit Dice. These bonuses stack with each other, to a maximum profane bonus equal to 1/2 the huntsman's Hit Dice (minimum +2), and temporary hit points from this ability can't exceed the huntsman's Hit Dice × 5. These benefits last until the huntsman next rests for 8 hours. A huntsman gains no benefit from a packmate's death if the huntsman or another huntsman of Annuvin caused that death.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Con +2.

Skills: A huntsman of Annuvin gains a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks to follow tracks.

Special Qualities: A huntsman of Annuvin gains the following special qualities.

Arawn's Brand (Su): A huntsman bears Arawn's brand upon its brow. The brand is permanent; it can't be removed by any means, including miracle or wish. All members of a pack bear brands that glow faintly in a single color, distinct from the color of any other pack. This glow is too dim to shed light or impose penalties on Stealth checks. A creature that can see a huntsman's brand automatically knows which other visible huntsmen belong to the same pack. Each time a huntsman gains a benefit from shared strength, its brand flares brighter; a creature that can see the brand can tell that the huntsman has been empowered by a packmate's death, but not the extent of that power. A brand covered by a hood, helm, or similar headgear grants none of this information.

Pack (Ex): Huntsmen of Annuvin hunt in packs of up to six huntsmen. A huntsman belongs to only one pack at a time. A huntsman can join a pack that has fewer than six members by performing a 10-minute ritual with at least one member of that pack, leaving its previous pack in the process; its brand shifts to the new pack's color as the ritual concludes. Two packs whose combined membership is six or fewer can merge into a single pack by the same ritual, and the brands of all members shift to a single new color, distinct from that of any other pack. A huntsman that joins a new pack, or whose pack merges with another, loses any benefits it currently gains from shared strength.

Example Huntsman

Clad in rough hides and bearing a faintly glowing brand upon his brow, this grim hunter moves in silent step with his fellows, eyes fixed on the quarry they share.

XP 600

Human warrior 3

NE Medium humanoid (human)

Init +1; Senses Perception +2

AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +1 Dex)

hp 22 (3d10+6)

Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1

Immune fear

Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)

Melee

spear +6 (1d8+3/x3)

or Power Attack spear +5 (1d8+6/x3)

or dagger +5 (1d4+2/19-20)

Ranged

shortbow +4 (1d6/x3; increments 10; range 60 ft.)

or thrown dagger +4 (1d4+2/19-20; increments 5; range 10 ft.)

Before Combat The pack spreads out to surround its quarry, and the first huntsman to sight the prey marks it for the others.

During Combat Huntsmen fight in pairs or larger groups so that at least one packmate always threatens the marked prey, closing to melee while any remaining members harry the prey's allies with arrows. A huntsman uses Power Attack once its packmates have the prey surrounded. Huntsmen never flee or surrender, and the survivors of a broken pack press the attack with even greater ferocity.

Str 15, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 8

Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 16

Feats Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (spear)

Skills (armor check penalty -1); Intimidate +4, Perception +2, Survival +2 (+6 to follow tracks); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival to follow tracks

Languages Common

SQ Arawn's brand, pack

Other Gear studded leather, dagger, shortbow with 20 arrows, spear, hide cloak

Environment any

Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–6)

Treasure NPC gear

Arawn's Brand (Su) A huntsman bears Arawn's brand upon its brow. The brand is permanent; it can't be removed by any means, including miracle or wish. All members of a pack bear brands that glow faintly in a single color, distinct from the color of any other pack. This glow is too dim to shed light or impose penalties on Stealth checks. A creature that can see a huntsman's brand automatically knows which other visible huntsmen belong to the same pack. Each time a huntsman gains a benefit from shared strength, its brand flares brighter; a creature that can see the brand can tell that the huntsman has been empowered by a packmate's death, but not the extent of that power. A brand covered by a hood, helm, or similar headgear grants none of this information.

Mark Prey (Su) As a move action, a huntsman can designate a single creature it can see as the prey of its entire pack. A pack can have only one marked prey at a time, and designating a new prey ends the previous mark. When a huntsman hits its marked prey with a melee or ranged attack while another member of its pack threatens that creature, the attack deals an additional 1d6 points of precision damage. This additional damage increases by 1d6 for every 5 Hit Dice the huntsman possesses (to a maximum of 4d6 at 15 Hit Dice). The mark lasts until the prey dies or 24 hours pass. Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this precision damage, and it is not multiplied on a critical hit.

Pack (Ex) Huntsmen of Annuvin hunt in packs of up to six huntsmen. A huntsman belongs to only one pack at a time. A huntsman can join a pack that has fewer than six members by performing a 10-minute ritual with at least one member of that pack, leaving its previous pack in the process; its brand shifts to the new pack's color as the ritual concludes. Two packs whose combined membership is six or fewer can merge into a single pack by the same ritual, and the brands of all members shift to a single new color, distinct from that of any other pack. A huntsman that joins a new pack, or whose pack merges with another, loses any benefits it currently gains from shared strength.

Power Attack Take -1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. Bonus increased by half (+50%) if attacking with a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon using two hands. Bonus halved (-50%) if attacking with an off-hand weapon. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. Bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.

Shared Strength (Su) Whenever another member of a huntsman's pack dies within 60 feet of the huntsman, the huntsman gains a +1 profane bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and Strength-based skill checks, and gains temporary hit points equal to the slain creature's Hit Dice. These bonuses stack with each other, to a maximum profane bonus equal to 1/2 the huntsman's Hit Dice (minimum +2), and temporary hit points from this ability can't exceed the huntsman's Hit Dice × 5. These benefits last until the huntsman next rests for 8 hours. A huntsman gains no benefit from a packmate's death if the huntsman or another huntsman of Annuvin caused that death.

Charles W. Plemons III

This huntsman represents a typical member of one of Arawn's hunting packs, a seasoned warrior bound to the god's service. Packs of these huntsmen make dangerous foes for low-level adventurers, since slaying them one at a time only makes the survivors more deadly.