Vaquero

A couple of recent posts have recalled a brief discussion on planewalker of Westerns done Planescape style, and I was reminded that I had done up this base class but don't seem to have posted it here. Here ya go, have a cowboy.

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Vaquero
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8

Class Skills: Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Listen (Wis), Knowledge(Geography, Local, History or Nature) (Int), Perform (Oratory or Singing) (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points(x4 at 1st level): 4 + Int Modifier
Special: A 1st-level vaquero must spend at least 1 skill point in Ride and Handle Animal.

BAB: As rogue or druid (3/4 Vaquero levels, rounded down)

Saves: Good Fort, Will.

Weapon and armor proficiency: A vaquero is proficient with the lasso, bolas, whip, dagger, handaxe, throwing axe, shortsword, lance, shortbows, and crossbows, including hand crossbow. He is proficient with any kind of armor, so long as it is leather (including studded leather) or hide (including dragonhide), but not shields. A vaquero may take any armor proficiency feat, requiring the usual feat progression, to become proficient with nonleather armors.

Class features:

1: Mount, Animal Affinity, Wild Empathy
2: Improved Unarmed Strike, Mounted Combat
4: Cowboy Lore, Endurance
6: Accomplished Rider
8: Cowboy Lore
10: Accomplished Rider
12: Cowboy Lore
14: Accomplished Rider
16: Cowboy Lore
18: Accomplished Rider
20: Cowboy Lore

Mount: A vaquero begins play with a mount, which may be any riding animal the GM permits as suitable for the vaquero's origins. It comes with appropriate tack: bit, bridle, saddle of choice, and saddlebags. The mount begins play fully trained as appropriate for its Intelligence score. It is a fine specimen of its type but is not supernatural; if lost, the mount may be replaced with a day spent in suitable commercial venues, though a mount this good costs gp equal to the vaquero's level squared x 100, above the standard cost for the animal and tack. The higher the vaquero's level or the more exotic the animal, the less likely a smaller town will have a mount of sufficient quality. If the vaquero has at least 5 ranks in Handle Animal, time since the vaquero obtained the animal counts at half for the purpose of training, without the need for spending days on the task or making a skill roll, until the mount is fully trained with the vaquero's selection of commands available for its Intelligence and bonus tricks (see below). The Handle Animal skill can be used normally to add to this rate of improvement.

A mount for a vaquero of a given level has additional feats and attributes. Use the table for a druid's animal companion with the vaquero's class level in place of the druid, replacing the Share Spells feature with Toughness, striking the natural armor adjustment, and halving the bonus HD. A newly purchased mount already has the bonus HD and Str/Dex adjustment (it is a fine, expensive creature of its type), but the special features do not develop until the vaquero has trained it to that level's number of bonus tricks, either with Handle Animal or by class feature.

If a vaquero obtains sufficient levels in another class to earn an animal companion, special mount, or familiar, then at the GM's option his vaquero mount can be used in such a role, using the mount's previous traits as the base creature and superseding any limitations on Hit Dice or creature type that might normally prevent such a bond.

Animal Affinity: A vaquero automatically has the Animal Affinity feat.

Wild Empathy: A vaquero can use wild empathy as a ranger of his vaquero level.

Improved Unarmed Strike, Mounted Combat: Once a vaquero has been in a few scrapes, he has learned a thing or two about fighting real battles. He obtains the Improved Unarmed Strike and Mounted Combat feats if he does not already have them; he must meet the prerequisite for Mounted Combat.

Accomplished Rider: at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels, a vaquero can select a bonus feat for which he qualifies. His list includes any feat that has Mounted Combat or at least 1 rank of Ride as a prerequisite, a prerequisite of a prerequisite, etc.

Cowboy Lore: A vaquero has access to wisdom passed among his professional circles and handed down from his predecessors. At 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th levels, he can select one of the features below as Cowboy Lore.

Cattle Call (Ex): A vaquero can spend an hour in a wilderness area calling to the local fauna. Make a Survival check for the region; a pass indicates that 1d4 natural animals or vermin of a desired type were summoned, if any were nearby, while a natural 20 means 1d8 arrived. Any hostile creatures in the area with the ability to hear are very likely to also hear the call. Once a nonhostile creature has arrived, it acts as if charmed, though the vaquero has no particular ability to communicate with it. Its reactions may be influenced normally by skills and spells. At 12th level, a vaquero can attempt to summon a single local magical beast, with the possibility of obtaining 1d4 such inhabitants on a natural 20. At 16th level, the vaquero can attempt to make this call compelling even to 1 or 1d4 intelligent creatures native to the vicinity who fail a Will save against a DC equal to the vaquero's final modified Survival roll; intelligent creatures are not charmed, only fascinated for as long as the vaquero continues his call (which prevents speaking). The vaquero may repeat any of these rolls that fail, although issuing a call attempting to compel intelligent creatures is likely to incite violent response.

Fast-Draw (Ex): If the vaquero has a holstered hand crossbow, he can draw it and fire as an immediate action (even if it's not his turn). He must have a hand free to do this.

Hog-Tie (Ex): When the vaquero pins an opponent while grappling, he can attempt to hog-tie the opponent (in addition to his other options; see If You're Pinning an Opponent on page 156 of the Player's Handbook). He must have a rope, chain, or manacles in one hand to use this ability.

Improved Hog-Tie (Ex): The vaquero can make a hog-tie attempt without first pinning his opponent. Whenever a grapple is established, the vaquero can use an attack action to make a hog-tie attempt. Requires Hog-Tie.

(These feats are from Complete Warrior; see, for example, http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cc/20040514a&page=4 .)

Horse Doctor (Ex): Add Heal (Wis) to the vaquero's list of class skills. He has a +4 bonus when using this skill to heal any animal, magical beast or vermin, but suffers a -1 penalty to skill when working with an intelligent creature, or a type not subject to critical hits (possibly combined with the above).

Knowledge of Brands (Ex): With a Spot check against a DC of 20 plus the level of the spell, the vaquero can detect the presence of an invisible glyph, symbol, or arcane mark. This ability does not set off a magical trap. Add Knowledge (Heraldry) to his class skill list; a Knowledge (Heraldry) roll against the DC of a mark allows him to identify the caster if he knows them. If he sees such a symbol whose caster he does not know, becoming familiar with the caster or seeing a large sample of their writing grants such a roll. A vaquero with spellcasting abilities from any other class can cast Arcane Mark as a spell-like ability 3 times per day, and his mark does not wear off of a living creature (it can be removed with dispel magic, remove curse, or similar stronger spells).

Lore of the Range: A vaquero steeped in the stories of the range can make bardic knowledge checks as a bard of half his character level. Having 5 ranks in Knowledge (History) gives +2 on these checks.

Marksman (Ex): After taking at least one uninterrupted round to aim, a vaquero with Marksman can add his class level to his attack roll for a single projectile with a ranged weapon.

Shootist (Ex): Requires Marksman. A vaquero using a ranged weapon to fire a single projectile can shoot for a critical hit on a creature subject to critical hits, by taking an uninterrupted round to aim and adding 10 to the AC of the target. This shot benefits from the Marksman ability.