PRIMORDIAL KILLER "Everyone talks about killing like it's wrong, or unnecessary." A Primordial Killer is a warrior or perhaps just a murderer. But instead of a trained soldier or mercenary, he is a feral beast. To qualify for taking this class you must be sentient but uncivilized. Any Creature Type may take this class, but it must have Racial Hit Dice (or the Neo-Animal Template), an Int higher than 2, a (primarily) carnivorous diet, and cannot have a civilization that has advanced beyond the Stone Age. Animals that have been Awakened also qualify.
MAKING A PRIMORDIAL KILLER You are a melee fighting monster unless you have Racial Abilities that allow you to do other things. You will want to concentrate on this because it will be how your character will be getting food. You will need to bring down a lot of game to feed yourself, and incidentally keep you from considering eating the weaker members of the party.
Abilities: Primordial Killers will want a High Con and Strength. Most will be serious toe to toe melee fighters as opposed to sneaky hunters, but if their Dex is high enough they can play that role. A high Wis to avoid ambushes helps, as well as a decent Cha to intimidate opponents.
Races: The Primordial Killer class is most popular among awakened dinosaurs that were carnivorous. It is sometimes seen in Magical Beasts or Dragons, but usually Awakened Animals gravitate towards it.
Alignment: Primordial Killers tend to be Chaotic Neutral, Neutral, or Neutral Evil. Theoretically they can be any alignment but Good or Lawful Primordial Killers are virtually unknown.
Starting Gold: As Monk.
Starting Age: As Barbarian
Class Skills The Primordial Killer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skills Per Day at 1st Level : (4 + int)x4
Skills Per Day at Each Additional Level : 4 + int
Hit Dice: d10
[b] BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities[/b]
1. +1 +2 +0 +0 Natural Weapon Mastery, Not Just An Animal, Transitioning
2. +2 +3 +0 +0 Natural Defense
3. +3 +3 +1 +1 Natural Born Killer
4. +4 +4 +1 +1
5. +5 +4 +1 +1 Primordial Feat
6. +6 +5 +2 +2 Improved Natural Defense
7. +7 +5 +2 +2 Toughened Hide
8. +8 +6 +2 +2
9. +9 +6 +3 +3 Primordial Feat
10.+10 +7 +3 +3
11.+11 +7 +3 +3 Battle Scars
12.+12 +8 +4 +4
13.+13 +8 +4 +4 Primordial Feat
14.+14 +9 +4 +4
15.+15 +9 +5 +5 Finishing Blow
16.+16 +10 +5 +5
17.+17 +10 +5 +5 Primordial Feat
18.+18 +11 +6 +6
19.+19 +11 +6 +6
20.+20 +12 +6 +6 Primordial Slayer
[b] Maneuvers Known Maneuvers Readied Stances Known[/b]
1. 3 3 1
2. 4 3 1
3. 5 3 1
4. 5 4 2
5. 6 4 2
6. 6 4 2
7. 7 4 2
8. 7 4 2
9. 8 4 2
10. 8 5 3
11. 9 5 3
12. 9 5 3
13. 10 5 3
14. 10 5 3
15. 11 6 3
16. 11 6 4
17. 12 6 4
18. 12 6 4
19. 13 6 4
20. 13 7 4
Weapon Proficiencies: Primordial Killers are proficient with their Natural Weapons. They are not proficient with Armor or Shields.
Maneuvers: Pretty much identical to the text listed for Warblade on page 21 of the Tome of Battle. Except instead of several Disciplines to choose from, your available Maneuvers will depend on your Natural Weapons and physical form.
Maneuvers Readied: Identical to text on Warblade on page 21 of the Tome of Battle
Stances Known: Identical to text for Warblade on page 22 of the Tome of Battle.
Natural Weapon Mastery (Ex): You may gain Feats that require Fighter Levels such as Weapon Specialization if you are getting them for your Natural Weapons. You are considered to be a Fighter 2 levels lower than your Primordial Killer level for purposes of qualifying for these feats.
Not Just An Animal (Ex): You gain an Insight Bonus to one of your Saving Throws equal to your Wisdom Modifier. If your Con is Higher than your Dex this goes on your Fortitude Saves. If your Dex is higher than your Con this goes on your Reflex Saves.
Transitioning (Ex): Upon taking your first level as a Primordial Killer you may "exchange" your Racial Hit Dice for levels of Primordial Killer. You may exchange a number of Racial Hit Dice equal to your Constitution Modifier for levels in Primordial Killer at 1st level. Whenever you gain enough experience to gain a new level in Primordial Killer you may exchange 3 more Racial Hit Dice for levels of Primordial Killer until they have all been converted. If you have no Racial Hit Dice this ability does nothing for you.
Natural Defense (Ex): You gain a defensive ability depending on your stats. If your Constitution is higher than your Dexterity you gain Uncanny Toughness (Ex: 3 times per day you can reroll a result of '1' on
a Fortitude Saving Throw). If your Dexterity is higher than your Constitution you gain Uncanny Dodge (see PHB page 50).
Natural Born Killer (Ex): You gain an Insight Bonus to your Critical confirmation rolls with your natural weapons equal to your Wisdom Bonus.
Primordial Feat (Ex): At 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th levels the Primordial Killer gets a Bonus Feat from the following list if it meets the prerequisites: Ability Focus, Acrobatic, Adaptable Flanker, Adroit Flyby Attack, Agile, Alertness, Awesome Blow, Brachiation, Brutal Strike, Cleave, Close-Quarters Fighting, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Combat Tactician, Cometary Collision, Controlled Respiration, Crush, Cunning Evasion, Deadly Poison, Deep Denizen, Defensive Strike, Defensive Sweep, Deft Opportunist, Deft Strike, Desert Dweller, Diehard, Distracting Attack, Dodge, Dust Cloud, Earth's Embrace, Elusive Target, Endurance, Expert Tactician, Extended Reach, Extra Item Space, Eyes In The Back of Your Head, Faster Healing, Flay, Fling Enemy, Flyby Attack, Frightful Presence, Gape of the Serpent, Giantbane, Grass Trekker, Great Cleave, Great Flyby Attack, Greater Multigrab, Greater Mighty Roar, Greater Powerful Charge, Greater Resiliency, Great Fortitude, Hear the Unseen, Hibernate, Hover, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical, Improved Flight, Improved Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Improved Manouverability, Improved Multiattack, Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack, Improved Overrun, Improved Scent, Improved Snatch, Improved Swimming, Improved Toughness, Improved Web, Intimidating Strike, Involuntary Rage, Large and in Charge, Leap Attack, Leap of the Heavens, Lightning Reflexes, Melee Evasion, Mighty Are Fallen, Mighty Leaping, Mighty Roar, Mobility, Multiattack, Multigrab, Multisnatch, Multitasking, Overwhelming Assault, Pack Feint, Pack Tactics, Peak Hopper, Poison Immunity, Poison Resistance, Power Attack, Power Climb, Power Critical, Power Dive, Powerful Charge, Prehensile Tail, Pushback, Rapid Assault, Reckless Charge, Rend, Rending Constriction, Roll With It, Run, Scramble, Second Wind, Sense Weakness, Shocktrooper, Snatch, Stamp, Stealthy, Sudden Recovery, Swamp Stalker, Swarmfighting, Tail Sweep Knockdown, Thick Skinned, Thunderclap, Track, Tree Friend, Uncanny Scent, Vexing Flanker, Vicious Wound, Virulent Poison, Vital Recovery, Weapon Finesse, Whirlwind Tail Sweep, Wingover, Wingstorm, Winter's Child.
You may choose the following Feats as well despite not being the correct Type, as long as you meet the other prerequisites: Improved Rapidstrike, Improved Speed, Rapidstrike, Shockwave, Snatch and Swallow, Tail Constrict.
Improved Natural Defense (Ex): If you have Uncanny Toughness you now have Improved Uncanny Toughness (Ex: You may reroll any Fortitude Save 3 times per day). If you have uncanny Dodge you now have Improved Uncanny Dodge (see PHB page 50).
Toughened Hide (Ex): Your Natural Armor Bonus increases by +4.
Battle Scars(Ex): You gain Damage Reduction 2/-, or if you already have DR x/- it increases by 2.
Finishing Blow (Ex): You gain a +4 Circumstance Bonus on Attack and Damage rolls against Dazed, Helpless, Paralyzed, or Stunned opponents.
Primordial Slayer (Ex): Choose 1 Maneuver of 5th level or lower. It is always considered Readied, regardless of how often it is used.
PLAYING A PRIMORDIAL KILLER Other beings are food or opponents. There are some whom you have learned are useful in other ways, but they are difficult to decipher. You keep them around or travel with them out of curiosity, but if the need for food arises and none is available, curiosity will take a back seat to hunger. Your new feelings often frustrate and enrage you because you don't understand them, leading many to believe that you are a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. This helps keep many of them at bay while you process new ideas slowly enough that you simply don't lash out in some sort of atavistic response.
Religion: Primordial Killers may or may not worship Gods. Many are quite obsessed with their own abilities and do not like the idea of being reminded daily that here is something more powerful than them. Those that do ally themselves with Gods tend towards Deities of Death, Hunting, Destruction, or War. Many will gravitate towards Nature Deities that emphasize the darker aspects of nature, or that emphasize being at the top of the food chain.
Other Classes: Primordial Killers prefer other classes that are warriors or hunters. As long as they aren't obsessed with some sort of Code. For example Barbarians, Fighters, Scouts and Rangers are acceptable. Paladins, Samurai, and Knights are not. They also tend to distrust and dislike spellcasters of any sort, along with stealthy classes like Rogues whom they think of as troublemakers.
Combat: Combat varies a lot for members of this class and depends greatly on their physiology. Carnivores whose attack is primarily a single Bite attack will want to go with finding ways to make that single attack more powerful and/or increasing their abilities to use Attacks of Opportunity. Carnivores with multiple Secondary attacks may want to improve their chances to hit with them, and the ability to use them more often. Creatures like Squids and Octopi that are natural Grapplers will be focusing on that.
Advancement: Advancement in this class depends a lot on what fighting style you'll be using (i.e. what your body allows for). Primordial Killers tend to single mindedly devote themselves to being better at murdering opponents and fighting potential rivals in brute contests of physical strength and power (or speed if they're built for that). Some do advance beyond that narrow mindset, but they are few and far between.
PRIMORDIAL KILLERS IN THE WORLD "The Raptors are back in town. Best we stay locked up tonight Luke. We don't need their kind of trouble." Primordial Killers interact with the world as they always have (i.e. by killing and eating anything smaller than themselves). It takes a while after awakening for most animals to become used to seeing things in terms other than the predator/prey/potential danger relationship. Eventually some may be able to relate to other beings unlike themselves as friends but it takes time and effort. It also helps if they remain well fed, and know that killing you isn't a possibility for them.
Daily Life: You are little better than a feral animal. While far more intelligent you have little to occupy your time beyond survival, or testing yourself against a worthy opponent. Some of the larger carnivores with this class regularly fight Giants or younger Dragons in order to prove themselves.
Notables:
Organizations: Druids bring in Primordial Killers as mercenaries sometimes (even Druids need help when opposed by armies), but most other forms of government don't understand their mindset well enough to work with them properly.
NPC Reaction People are terrified of Primordial Killers. All they see are monsters. Some militaries or governments may want to occasionally hire a brute such as you, but since money has little concept or value to you, it's difficult at best. Your tendency to see other races in terms of prey if they're smaller than you doesn't help either.
PRIMORDIAL KILLER IN THE GAME This class will make Awakened Animals or Magical Beasts with Racial Hit dice quite a bit more dangerous than they already are, but their inherent limitations mean that isn't much of a problem.
Adaptation: Primordial Killers are best for dark or horrific campaigns. They can be used for other styles, but work best in grim settings.
Encounters: PC's will tend to encounter Primordial killers in places far from civilization. Awakened animals rarely have anyone or anything to relate to other than a few Druids, and many go mad in their isolation. Some just enjoy killing a little too much. And when they wonder too close to settlements, the end up acting as they always have, inevitable leading to confrontation.
EPIC PRIMORDIAL KILLER Hit Die: d10
Skills Points at Each Level : 4 + int
Maneuvers The Primordial Killers Initiator Level is equal to her Class Level. The number of Maneuvers readied does not change after 20th Level, nor do you learn additional Maneuvers (except via Feats).
Bonus Feats: The Epic Primordial Killer gains a Bonus Feat every 2 levels higher than 20th