[3.5] Martial Ghost Hunter, a la Supernatural - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

[3.5] Martial Ghost Hunter, a la Supernatural

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
nickresonance
Jun 22, 2009 14:30:00 Just to get the rules out of the way, this is not for any specific campaign, so there are no limits on books/class/etc. Have fun with it.

I've recently taken a renewed interest in the TV series Supernatural. For those who haven't seen it, the show revolves around a pair of demon/monster/whatever hunting brothers who were trained by their father, an ex-Marine, after their mother died in a supernatural event. With the father's background previous to becoming a demon hunter, he and his sons take a very direct, practical approach to dealing with whatever they encounter. For example, in the lore of the show, spirits are repelled by salt, so they load shotgun shells with rock salt. They make occasional use of ritual magic, but their basic tactic is "shoot it". With all that in mind, here's the basic premise of my character idea:

He would be martially inclined (prefer as close to full BAB as possible), but with some access to magic, leaning toward protection spells and their ilk. Something like the Witch Hunter from the 3.0 Oriental Adventures would be great. I'm pretty certain that's not the be all and end all of martial ghost hunters, though, so I turn to the collective knowledge of the InterTubes to make someone kick ass and occasionally use scary hoodoo rituals to fight evil.

Have at it!
#2
madgryphon
Jun 22, 2009 19:00:26 Well, I don't have my books at the moment, but I think Witch Hunter was officially updated in Tome of Magic, so it's probably worth a look. Also, I haven't browsed it much, but Ghostwalk is all about that sort of thing.
#3
BadCatMan
Jun 22, 2009 20:15:11 Witch Slayer is the PrC in Tome Of Magic. It's different from Witch Hunter in abilities, but has a similar theme, and probably works really well for the concept.

Occult Slayer (Complete Warrior) would also work well.

Variants for Fighter would help, to give some Knowledge skills, or the one from Planar Handbook that gives you dimensional anchor on creatures you grapple. And feats that grant appropriate spells. It's hard to do really do the ritual-style stuff without spellcaster levels.

Actually, Factotum would work rather well - skills, occasional spells and turn undead, and good combat ability.

The series has since moved on to a lot of demons, and they deal with other monsters, not just ghosts, so if you also branch out into combatting other supernatural creatures, you'd be more effective in general campaigning. The wards against possession tattooed on the Winchester's chests are pretty cool, and magic circles to trap demons and chants to exorcise them are now very common. They've even learnt a few spells.
#4
darksamuari
Jun 22, 2009 21:42:01 For base class spirit shaman (while not full bab) is a pretty good choice as long your spell selection reflects what you desire (protection spells and such).
#5
true_shinken
Jun 24, 2009 8:56:33 There is a ghost slayer set at Magical Item Compendium, be sure to check it out.
I'd go with Ranger/Occult Slayer.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 nickresonance Jun 22, 2009 14:30:00	Just to get the rules out of the way, this is not for any specific campaign, so there are no limits on books/class/etc. Have fun with it. I've recently taken a renewed interest in the TV series Supernatural. For those who haven't seen it, the show revolves around a pair of demon/monster/whatever hunting brothers who were trained by their father, an ex-Marine, after their mother died in a supernatural event. With the father's background previous to becoming a demon hunter, he and his sons take a very direct, practical approach to dealing with whatever they encounter. For example, in the lore of the show, spirits are repelled by salt, so they load shotgun shells with rock salt. They make occasional use of ritual magic, but their basic tactic is "shoot it". With all that in mind, here's the basic premise of my character idea: He would be martially inclined (prefer as close to full BAB as possible), but with some access to magic, leaning toward protection spells and their ilk. Something like the Witch Hunter from the 3.0 Oriental Adventures would be great. I'm pretty certain that's not the be all and end all of martial ghost hunters, though, so I turn to the collective knowledge of the InterTubes to make someone kick ass and occasionally use scary hoodoo rituals to fight evil. Have at it!
#2 madgryphon Jun 22, 2009 19:00:26	Well, I don't have my books at the moment, but I think Witch Hunter was officially updated in Tome of Magic, so it's probably worth a look. Also, I haven't browsed it much, but Ghostwalk is all about that sort of thing.
#3 BadCatMan Jun 22, 2009 20:15:11	Witch Slayer is the PrC in Tome Of Magic. It's different from Witch Hunter in abilities, but has a similar theme, and probably works really well for the concept. Occult Slayer (Complete Warrior) would also work well. Variants for Fighter would help, to give some Knowledge skills, or the one from Planar Handbook that gives you dimensional anchor on creatures you grapple. And feats that grant appropriate spells. It's hard to do really do the ritual-style stuff without spellcaster levels. Actually, Factotum would work rather well - skills, occasional spells and turn undead, and good combat ability. The series has since moved on to a lot of demons, and they deal with other monsters, not just ghosts, so if you also branch out into combatting other supernatural creatures, you'd be more effective in general campaigning. The wards against possession tattooed on the Winchester's chests are pretty cool, and magic circles to trap demons and chants to exorcise them are now very common. They've even learnt a few spells.
#4 darksamuari Jun 22, 2009 21:42:01	For base class spirit shaman (while not full bab) is a pretty good choice as long your spell selection reflects what you desire (protection spells and such).
#5 true_shinken Jun 24, 2009 8:56:33	There is a ghost slayer set at Magical Item Compendium, be sure to check it out. I'd go with Ranger/Occult Slayer.