DHARI HUNTER
The jungles and plains of Thule are home to plentiful game animals, but few of these creatures are easy kills. Creatures such as the giant elk, the Thulean sloth, or the woolly mammoth sell their lives dearly. Worse yet, hunters who venture into the wilds risk becoming the prey of the even more dangerous predators that hunt the same game the hunters seek. Only the bravest men and women dare to hunt in the wilderness of Thule— and you are one of them.
Leading a life close to nature, you are quick, keen- eyed, inured to hardship, and intimately familiar
with the plants and animals of your favored hunting grounds. Your spear or bow is your companion; you are fearless in the face of any wilderness hazard or natural danger. Few indeed can match your woodcraft or your endurance.
Most of the Dhari tribes are humans of Dhari descent. However, there are a few halfling tribes who roam the deep forests of Dhar Mesh, and share a similar lifestyle, so you could easily be either human or halfling. Humans of other nationalities are generally too civilized to master the hunter’s skills to the same extent as a native of the forests, but some do. Kalay or Lomari hunters are likely to be individuals who pursue dangerous game to harvest valuable pelts or ivory, as opposed to hunting for basic subsistence. It is a dangerous way to earn a living, and by necessity they must learn the same skills that savage hunters do. Dwarves and elves rarely become hunters, since they aren’t tribal societies and don’t often practice the trades of trapping or ivory-hunting.
Key Identity: Human (Dhari or Kalay), halfling, barbarian, ranger, rogue, druid.
DHARI HUNTER BENEFITS
Hunters of the Dhari tribes are expert trackers, patient stalkers, and skilled at setting ambushes. As you might expect, hunters rely on a deadly first strike to swiftly kill or incapacitate dangerous game—you don’t get many second chances when you attack a Thulean sloth or a cave bear. As you gain in experience and begin
to build a record of notable deeds, you find that the tribes of the jungle, both friend and foe, have heard of your skill and respect you for your bravery. In time, you may become a great chief of your people, a cham- pion in war and a wise leader in peace.
DHARI HUNTERS IN THE WORLD
Naturally, you are held in high honor by your own tribe, and by all who are friendly to your tribe. In addition, you may enjoy a reputation as a guide or tracker of great skill. Anyone contemplating an expedition into the jungles of Dhar Mesh or the plains of Nar would be wise to retain the services of a Dhari hunter.
Thule’s savage beastmen are mortal enemies of the Dhari peoples, and they especially hate you. Most beastmen attack you on sight, and everyone with you. It is a rare day when you meet a beastman and no blood is spilled.
PERSONALIZING THE DHARI HUNTER
The Dhari people are made up of scores of different tribes, most of which rely heavily on the talents of their hunters and trackers.
Bolotanga Windrunner: You are a member of the Bolotanga tribe of northern Dhar Mesh. Your people are skilled hunters and warriors like all Dhari, but they also possess a deep and abiding reverence for the primal spirits. You strive to live in harmony with nature, to understand the place of your people in the life of the forest and to defend the forest with your own life if need be.
Kyran Headhunter: Most Dhari tribes are fierce warriors, but they rarely attack people who haven’t given them offense. Not so the headhunters of Kyr; this vicious tribe aggressively raids and plunders every land within their reach. Bands of Kyran headhunters have waylaid travelers on the road to Thran, burned villages as far east as Ry Mar, and even slipped over the walls of Ikath to murder people in the streets. You are a member of this tribe, savage even by Thule’s brutal standards.
As the name suggests, your tribe often takes the heads of especially noteworthy enemies (or victims) and brings them back to Kyr as grisly trophies.
The skills you learned to stalk and bring down big game are just as useful in stalking and ambushing enemies. Are you proud of belonging to one of the toughest and most fearsome tribes of Thule’s jungles? Or were you sickened by the bloodlust and savagery of your people, choosing self-exile?
Narthan Mammoth Hunter: You belong to one of the Dhari tribes native to the plains of Nar, not the jungles of the Inner Sea. You have little experience with the jungle, but you are familiar with the beasts and the terrain of the wide savanna. Mammoths are the most dangerous of all beasts regularly hunted by humans, so you are naturally the bravest and most daring of all the Dhari tribes. Mammoth hunters have a reputation for recklessness and risk-taking that even the steadiest jungle tribesman would never consider; you literally laugh in the face of danger.
DHARI HUNTER
The jungle of Dhar Mesh is a cruel teacher, but you have learned its lessons well. You are a hunter with the feral instincts and uncanny skill that can only be taught by a lifetime of roaming in the most beautiful and deadly wilderness of Thule. Warrior, raider, tracker, scout—a Dhari hunter must be all these things and more.
Skill Bonuses (1st level): You gain a background of Dhari Hunter at +2 and can use it in a variety of checks. Examples include:
Checks to forage for food and water
Checks to find game or spot dangers in your native terrain (jungle or plains)
Checks to hide in your native terrain (jungle or plains).
Checks to climb or balance in trees (Bolotanga, Kyr).
Checks that test your endurance, such as running long distances (Narthan).
Hunter’s Instinct (4th level): You possess an uncanny ability to notice animals and anticipate their behavior. You gain a +2 bonus on all skill checks made to interact with or against animals; for example spotting hidden animals, following animal tracks, or identifying rare beasts and their abilities.
Dhari Chieftain (8th level): You become the chief of your tribe or establish a new tribe of your own. Your tribe includes roughly 100 low-level warriors plus their spouses and children, and tribal lands of about 1,000 square miles. In its own lands, your tribe is almost impossible to locate or attack, and it is quite capable of getting along without you for long periods of time if you continue to adventure. Your tribe is initially very loyal, but if you get a lot of people killed or fail to provide strong leadership, you may face a challenge for leader- ship. Once per year, you can call upon a group of 200 raiders from your tribe and neighboring tribes to assist you when you require aid.
Adventurer Feat, Hunter’s Reflex: Once per day, you can use a quick action to replace your next attack roll this battle with a natural 19. The target must either be unaware of you or not have acted yet in the battle.