The isolation that some vieras feel leads them to live a life of isolation amid the wild places of the world. Such beastmasters stalk the wild like shadows, creating close bonds with the wild itself instead of seeking the solace and aid of companions. While ill at ease within cities and other urban areas, they are adept at using the terrain to tactical advantage; they dart through brambles and rough terrain with uncommon grace and use the land itself to lock down enemies.
The wild shadow is an archetype of the beastmaster class, available only to viera beastmasters.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The Wild Shadow mainly focuses on STR/DEX for martial combat and WIS for his class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Wild Empathy, Animal Focus. 3rd – Teamwork Feats. 4th – Track. 8th – Second Animal Focus. 9th – Quarry. 10th – Beast Shape. 13th – Third Animal Focus. 15th – Improved Quarry. 17th – Master of the Pack.
Wild at Heart (Ex)
At 1st level, a wild shadow adds only 1/2 her class level when making wild empathy checks while in urban areas, and adds only 1/4 her class level to follow or identify tracks in such areas. In non-urban settings, she is considered two levels higher when determining the bonuses for such checks.
This ability alters the track and wild empathy class features.
Favored Enemy (Ex)
At 1st level, a wild shadow selects a creature subtype from the favored enemies table. She gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against creatures of her selected type. Likewise, she gets a +2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against them. A wild shadow may make Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify these creatures.
At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the wild shadow may select an additional favored enemy. In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +2.
If the wild shadow chooses humanoids or outsiders as a favored enemy, she must also choose an associated subtype, as indicated on the table below. (Note that there are other types of humanoid to choose from—those called out specifically on the table below are merely the most common.) If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favored enemy, the wild shadow’s bonuses do not stack; she simply uses whichever bonus is higher.
This ability replaces animal focus.
Table: Favored Enemies
| Type (Subtype) |
|---|
| Aberration |
| Animal |
| Construct |
| Dragon |
| Fey |
| Humanoid (subtype) |
| Magical beast |
| Monstrous humanoid |
| Ooze |
| Outsider (subtype) |
| Plant |
| Undead |
| Vermin |
Favored Terrain (Ex)
At 3rd level, a wild shadow may select a type of terrain from Table: Wild Shadow Favored Terrains. The wild shadow gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when she is in this terrain. A wild shadow traveling through her favored terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though she may leave a trail if she so chooses).
At 8th level and every five levels thereafter, the wild shadow may select an additional favored terrain. In addition, at each such interval, the skill bonus and initiative bonus in any one favored terrain (including the one just selected, if so desired), increases by +2.
If a specific terrain falls into more than one category of favored terrain, the wild shadow’s bonuses do not stack; she simply uses whichever bonus is higher.
Table: Favored Terrains
| Favored Terrains |
|---|
| Cold (ice, glaciers, snow, and tundra) |
| Desert (sand and wastelands) |
| Forest (coniferous and deciduous) |
| Jungle |
| Mountain (including hills) |
| Plains |
| Planes (pick one, other than Material Plane) |
| Swamp |
| Underground (caves and dungeons) |
| Urban (buildings, streets, and sewers) |
| Water (above and below the surface) |
This ability replaces teamwork feats.
Unfettered Step (Ex)
At 7th level, a wild shadow’s woodland stride class feature functions in any difficult terrain within any of her favored terrains, even in areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion.
This ability replaces second animal focus.
Harrying Attack (Ex)
At 10th level, a wild shadow can use her knowledge of terrain to make shrewd attacks in combat. Such attacks can make foes fumble or cause them to become entangled within areas of the wild shadow’s favored terrain. As a standard action, the wild shadow denotes one target within line of sight and within one of her favored terrains as her harried prey. Once the foe is so designated, every time the wild shadow hits this harried prey with a melee or ranged weapon attack (either manufactured or natural), that creature is entangled for 1 round. A wild shadow can have no more than one harried prey at a time and that creature must correspond to one of her favored enemy types. She can dismiss this effect at any time as a free action, but she cannot select a new harried prey for 24 hours. If the wild shadow sees proof that her harried prey is dead, she can select a new harried prey after waiting 1 hour.
This ability replaces beast shape.
Wild Stalker (Ex)
At 13th level, a wild shadow learns to better use natural surroundings to obscure her position in combat. Whenever a wild shadow is within one of her favored terrains and a feature of that terrain grants her cover, the bonuses to AC and Reflex saves for that cover improve by 1. Additionally, while she is within one of her favored terrains, if she gains concealment or total concealment, the miss chance of either type of concealment improves by 10%. Furthermore, at 16th level and 19th level, the bonuses granted by cover increase by 1 and the miss chance increases by another 10% (maximum +3 and +30% respectively at 20th level).
This ability replaces third animal focus and master of the pack.
Master of Terrain (Ex)
At 15th level, a wild shadow can use her harrying attack against creatures other than her favored enemy or she can spend a standard action to designate up to two of her favored enemies as her harried prey instead.
This ability replaces improved quarry.
