The Hunter in Darkness
Zam stepped into the shadows, emerging from behind his prey and sinking a dagger into his spine. He cleaned the blood from his blade, and knew that his patron would be pleased tonight.
Zam, Warlock of The Hunter in Darkness
Warlocks who enjoy the thrill of a hunt will find a kindred spirit in The Hunter in Darkness, an entity that sees all creatures as prey and feeds off of their fear. It prefers intelligent prey over mere beasts, as their fear tastes so much sweeter. Hunters who display impressive prowess for hunting pique its interest. The Hunter in Darkness often bestows its power on such individuals to spread fear further than the Hunter can by itself.
Though the Hunter isn’t mindless, it cares only for the thrill of the hunt and the spreading of fear. It cares not what warlocks do with the power it grants beyond that. Your connection with the Hunter can sometimes cause changes in your worldview. You might view every creature you meet as either predator or prey, or you might face problems with a “kill or be killed” attitude. Despite this, you most likely have a sense of respect for your prey, recognizing that arrogance can lead even the most skilled hunters into a trap they never escape.
Building a Warlock of The Hunter in Darkness
Warlocks who serve the Hunter in Darkness will be gifted with powers that allow them to excel at hunting down their prey, inspiring fear in their foes, and becoming one with darkness.
Savage Hunter allows you to force nearby allies of any creature you kill to make a Wisdom saving throw, or be frightened from you for one round.
Step into Shadow grants you the ability to travel from one shadow to another to strike from the darkness, with limited uses.
Strike from the Dark makes you immune to the frightened condition and allows you to impose that condition on enemies you strike with a weapon attack while in darkness.
Avatar of Darkness is an enhanced version of your Savage Hunter ability, causing creatures to be frightened for a full minute, but can only be used once per day.
The Hunter in Darkness also alters your pact boons. For those who swear a Pact of the Chain, your familiar is transformed into a wolf made of shadow; those who swear a Pact of the Blade may choose a longbow or shortbow as their pact weapon; and those who swear a Pact of the Tome will find their tome expanded to include detailed information of how to track creatures. These abilities allow you to serve as a terror on the battlefield, striking from the distance with shadow or bow, or appearing beside enemies from the shadows. The ability to inspire fear when you defeat a creature means that you should be strategic in your targets, aiming to land the final blow against any creatures your allies have wounded already.
As with all classes, any race is suitable for playing a warlock sworn to The Hunter, there are certain races that mesh particularly well with their capabilities. The Dhampir ability, Dark Thirst, would work incredibly well with your Step into Shadow ability, allowing you to sneak up on an unsuspecting foe and sink your fangs into them. The Superior Darkvision of the Purified Drow would make you an even more dangerous foe in the darkness, and their ability to cast Suggestion innately would allow you to get out of a tight spot where your other more combat-focused abilities might not.
Roleplaying Tips
Players who choose to create a Warlock sworn to The Hunter in Darkness should be sure to establish a reason for why they would ally themselves with an adventuring party, and avoid the oft-maligned “lone wolf” personality that this subclass could easily fall into. While your character will be primarily motivated by the thrill of the hunt, it may be helpful to decide in advance what led you to seek out a pact with The Hunter, as opposed to one of The Great Old Ones or The Fiend. It could be that you have an enemy that has proven particularly difficult to track down. Keep in mind, despite this subclass’s emphasis on darkness, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you or your patron must be evil-aligned. You could be a hunter who uses their powers to give poachers a taste of their own medicine, or who has dedicated themselves to protecting their home town from marauding bandits. When roleplaying, try to resist the urge to treat everyone as either predator or prey, or you may soon find yourself short on allies, and surrounded by enemies. When choosing a background, trophy hunter or forest dweller are both great options, but with your magical powers, you could just as likely have been an acolyte. Another promising possibility is darkling, which aligns nicely with your patron’s relationship to darkness. Whatever your background, consider asking yourself what brought you to seek out the aid of an adventuring party, whether it be for love, greed, or a common enemy, and use that to inspire your roleplaying.
How to Access this Content
The Hunter in Darkness was created by our partners at Kobold Press, and it is one of the many subclasses available to subscribers, along with others like the Soulspy or the College of Entropy, as well as races such as the Shade or Spindrift Dwarf. Build your own Vampire Slayer and tell us about it in the comments below or on any of our social channels. Join us on on Discord, Reddit or Facebook to meet other members of the community and take your game to the next level, or follow us on Twitter @shardtabletop for regular updates.
