Prerequisites:Base Attack Bonus: +6
Race: Centaur
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Skills: Spot 9 ranks, Listen 9 ranks
Diety: Skerrit
Class Features:
Hit Die: d8
Class skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Wis), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim(Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points: 6+ Int modifier
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Spellcasting
1 +1 +2 +2 +0 Weapon Focus (bows), Skerrit’s Blessing +2 Ranger casting
2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Hunter’s Strength, +4 skill points +2 Ranger casting
3 +3 +3 +3 +1 Greater Weapon Focus (bows), Hunter’s Aim +2 Ranger casting
4 +4 +4 +4 +1 Archery Focus, +4 skill points, Skerrit’s Blessing +2 Ranger casting
5 +5 +4 +4 +1 Hunter’s Swiftness +2 Ranger casting
Spellcasting: At each level, a Bow of Skerrit advances its Ranger spellcasting as though it had advanced two levels of Ranger. If the Bow of Skerrit has no Ranger levels, he gains the spellcasting of a Ranger equal to twice his Bow of Skerrit level.
Skerrit’s Blessing (Ex): When in a woodland setting, a Bow of Skerrit ignores his size penalty on Hide checks. He also gains a bonus on Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Survival, and Knowledge (nature) checks equal to his Bow of Skerrit level. At 4th level, the Bow of Skerrit ignores his size penalty on Hide checks when in any natural setting.
Weapon Focus (bows): At 1st level, a Bow of Skerrit gains the benefit of the Weapon Focus feat with all bows.
Hunter’s Strength (Ex): At 2nd level, a Bow of Skerrit can make use of the centaur’s natural strength to greater effect while wielding a bow. While using any composite bow, he may add 1-1/2 times the bow’s Strength rating to damage instead of the usual Strength rating. When not wielding a non-composite bow, he adds ½ his Str modifier to damage.
+4 skill points: At 2nd and 4th level, a Bow of Skerrit gains an additional 4 skill points.
Greater Weapon Focus (bows): At 3rd level, a Bow of Skerrit gains the benefit of the Greater Weapon Focus feat with all bows. He does not need to meet the prerequisites for the feat.
Hunter’s Aim (Ex): At 3rd level, a Bow of Skerrit may make a single attack with a bow as a full-round action to automatically hit his target. Make the attack roll as normal, but any result that indicates a miss is instead treated as a hit. Any miss chances that normally apply are ignored. The Bow of Skerrit may instead attempt a Sunder or Disarm maneuver with this attack, although these are resolved as normal (opposed attack rolls), although size modifiers are not applied. If the Bow of Skerrit can already make Sunder or Disarm attempts with a bow, he gains a +4 bonus on the opposed roll. The Bow of Skerrit must have line of sight to his target to use this ability.
Archery Focus (Ex): At 4th level, a Bow of Skerrit's focus on archery gives a greater benefit. While wielding any bow, he gets a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls and his ranged incraments are increased by 20 feet.
Hunter’s Swiftness(Ex): Centaurs are known for their strength, their martial abilities, and above all else, their speed. At 5th level, a Bow of Skerrit gains an additional Move action on each of his turns. He may forgo this move action for an additional five-foot step if desired.
Design notes: The +2 Ranger casting at each level was selected mainly because Centaur rangers always lag behind their humanoid companions due to their racial Hit Dice and their Level Adjustment. In a game without LA Buyoff, a Centaur Ranger 9/Bow of Skerrit 5 would be a 20th level character with the casting ability of a 19th level Ranger. Since Ranger casting is not very strong, even in a game with LA Buyoff, the resulting 21st level Ranger casting would not be a problem. Likewise, the bonus skill points at levels 2 and 4 are meant to offset the 2+ Int modifier skill points on the racial HD and the complete loss from the Level Adjustment.
The extra move action at 5th level seems incredibly powerful, but it is far harder to abuse extra move actions than it is to abuse extra standard or swift actions.
The prestige class was built around archery being a popular combat style among centaurs, and a Bow of Skerrit is just a little bit better at it than their kin. It also exemplified other aspects of their preferred lifestyle, being more at home in the wilderness than humanoid races and also keeping with the centaur’s hunting traditions.
