Skipper (3.5e Class)

Author: Ganteka Future (talk) Date Created: 21 August 2021 Status: v 1.3 Editing: Clarity edits only please

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A mobile, supernatural combatant that teleports around quickly, even in the middle of moving. 20 0 Moderate Poor Good Good Other Full

Skipper

The skipper is a mobile, supernatural combatant, often scrappy and wiry. When they move, they can vanish and reappear a short distance away, instantaneously. They strike quickly and make themselves tricky to strike back. With a variety of skipper talents, they are a diverse group. How an individual skipper gets their powers is to be determined between the player and DM.

Making a Skipper

Abilities: Skippers rely on having decent physical ability scores and one moderately decent mental ability score that they focus in for their training.

Starting Gold: 5d4×10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Table: The Skipper

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Prime Technique, Skip, Skipper Focus
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Decisive Strike +1d6, Evasion
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Skipper Talent
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Nimble +1, Skip Action
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Decisive Strike +2d6, Uncanny Dodge
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Skipper Talent
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Nimble +2
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+6	Decisive Strike +3d6
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+6	Skipper Talent
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+7	Nimble +3
11th	+8/+3	+3	+7	+7	Decisive Strike +4d6
12th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+8	Skipper Talent
13th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+8	Nimble +4
14th	+10/+5	+4	+9	+9	Decisive Strike +5d6
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+9	+9	Skipper Talent
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+10	Nimble +5
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+10	Decisive Strike +6d6
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+11	Skipper Talent
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+11	Nimble +6
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+12	Skip Epiphany
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any two) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex). Class Features All of the following are class features of the skipper. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The skipper is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. Skippers are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. Skipper Focus: Skippers choose which mental ability to focus on as their key mental ability for her skipper abilities. A skipper chooses one of the following. Intelligence-Based: Gain all Knowledge skills as class skills. Gain 1 bonus skill point per skipper level to invest in any Craft skill. Wisdom-Based: Gain Autohypnosis as a class skill. Gain 1 bonus skill point per skipper level to invest in any Profession skill. Charisma-Based: Gain Use Magic Device as a class skill. Gain 1 bonus skill point per skipper level to invest in any Perform skill. Prime Technique: At 1st level, a skipper chooses one of the following as the basis for her combat technique. Empyrean Essence (Ex): She gains a monk's Unarmed Strike, treating her skipper level for her monk level when determining the damage of her unarmed strike. If she has levels in monk, her levels stack for determining her effective level for this feature. Additionally, she gains an extra 2 hit points per skipper level. Fluid Finesse (Ex): She gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. Additionally, she may choose one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (such as daggers). She may add her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the skipper from adding her Strength modifier to the damage roll, she does not add the substitute ability modifier. This chosen weapon type can be retrained by spending 1 hour retraining with a new weapon. Solid Strength (Ex): She gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat. Additionally, she gains a +2 bonus on combat tricks and combat maneuvers made with that weapon (such as making a trip attempt) and to resist such attempts (such as opposing a disarmed). Skip (Su): A skipper skips squares of distance. At 1st level a skipper can teleport 15 feet per round. This amount can be split among many skips, but is used in 5-foot increments. At each level after 1st, the skipper's limit increases by 5 feet per round. ​A skipper uses skip as a free action as part of a move action made to move, a charge, run action or a withdraw action. Using skip counts as 5 feet of movement. The distance of the skip is deducted from her available skip for the round and not from the skipper’s normal movement. If the action used alongside skip requires moving in a straight line, the skip must also be done in a straight line in the same direction. A skipper may even skip multiple times per action, as long as she does not exceed her limit of feet she can skip for the round. When a skipper skips, she vanishes and reappears at the new location, so long as she has line of sight and line of effect to the space she wishes to move into. Starting a skip provokes an attack of opportunity, much like moving out of a threatened square normally does. She may use the Tumble skill to avoid provoking an attack of opportunity, but unless she is able to move at full speed while tumbling, each 5-foot square she skips counts as 10 feet of movement for the purpose of her limit of skip per round. If she attempts to skip herself too far, or into an occupied or solid space, the ability fails and she moves nowhere, wasting her action. She may only take up to her maximum carrying load with her and may not skip while grappled unless she succeeds on an opposed grapple check to do so. In some cases, she cannot skip if she is connected or tethered to something she cannot move with (such as being immobilized to the floor with a tanglefoot bag or holding onto the lead of a horse). If she is forced to move outside her turn, she can skip, but the skip movement counts against her skip movement for her next turn. She may only move in the direction of the forced movement. If she skips as part of being bull rushed, she can only skip after her opponent stops moving with her. Effects and conditions that slow the skipper's movement which are applied to her (such as a slow spell) also slow down her skip usage as appropriate. Environmental effects and conditions do not slow down her skip. Decisive Strike (Su): At 2nd level, by spending 5 feet of skip right before making a melee attack or ranged attack out to 30 feet, she may empower the damage of her attack, so long as she has skip remaining to use that round. She may spend 5 feet of skip to add +1d6 damage to an attack. At 5th skipper level and every three levels thereafter, this extra damage increases by +1d6. This damage is the same type of damage as the attack. Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, if the skipper makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if she is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless skipper does not gain the benefit of evasion. If a skipper already has evasion from a different class, she automatically gains improved evasion instead. Skipper Talent: At 3rd level and every three skipper levels thereafter (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th), the skipper gains a skipper talent she meets the prerequisites for, chosen from the list below. Nimble (Ex): At 4th level, the skipper gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC and a +1 bonus to Initiative while wearing light or no armor. Anything that causes her to lose her Dexterity bonus to AC also causes her to lose this dodge bonus. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2nd level (to a maximum of +6 at 19th level). Skip Action (Su): At 4th level, a skipper can perform some actions by spending some of her skip for the round. When she would otherwise be able to do so, she may spend 10 feet of skip in place of the action to do the following as part of another move action: draw or sheathe a weapon, open or close a door, mount a horse or dismount, pick up an unattended item, ready or loose a shield, retrieve a stored item or store an item. These actions provoke attacks of opportunity as normal. Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 5th level, a skipper retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a skipper already has uncanny dodge from a different class, she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead. Skip Epiphany (Su): The 20th level skipper doubles the amount of skip feet she possesses. Additionally, once per day as a non-action usable outside of her turn, when struck by an effect that would reduce her hit points to 0 or below, she may instead negate the damage she would have taken (but not any other effect) and skip forward in time 1d4+1 rounds. If the space she had occupied is no longer free, she appears in the nearest available space. Skipper Talents Big Skip (Su): As a full-round action consuming all her skip for the round, the skipper can replicate the effects of teleport. At 13th level, she may replicate the effects of greater teleport instead. At 17th level, she may replicate the effects of interplanetary teleport instead. Unlike the spells, bringing along another creature counts as an additional use of this ability for each additional creature brought. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + her skipper focus ability modifier. She must be at least 9th level to select this skipper talent. Bonus Feat: A skipper gains one of the feats from the list as a bonus feat. She must still meet the prerequisites for these bonus feats. This skipper talent may be selected multiple times, each time choosing a different bonus feat: Combat Reflexes, Dash, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Skill Focus (any skipper class skill). Bring Along Skip (Su): When a skipper with this talent begins skipping, she may move an adjacent willing creature with her. When she ends her skip, she leaves that creature in a safe unoccupied square adjacent to her. She may continue her movement as normal, even potentially moving other creatures with her skip. Bypassing Skip (Su): When skipping, she only needs either line of sight or line of effect for her skip (instead of both). Dodging Skip (Su): When a melee attack is made against the skipper that fails to hit, she may take an immediate action to skip away, though her skip feet cost is doubled for this movement. Extra Skip (Su): The skipper gains 20 feet of extra skip per round. Fast Movement (Ex): The skipper gains an enhancement bonus to her speed as a monk while wearing light or no armor and carrying less than a heavy load. Focused Decisive Strike (Su): When making a decisive strike, the skipper may add her skipper focus ability modifier to the damage. Additionally, the range at which she can make a decisive strike increases by 30 feet. Free Directional Skip (Su): Whenever a skipper uses her skip class feature as part of forced movement, or as part of an action that requires her to move in a straight line, she may skip in any direction of her choice. Full-Attack Skip (Su): When taking a Full Attack, the skipper is no longer limited to only taking a 5-foot step as her only movement. She may spend skip to move after each attack she makes in this manner. Any space she makes an attack from counts as a space she occupies until the end of her full attack, such as for the purposes of flanking. She must have either a minimum base attack bonus of +6 or Two Weapon Fighting to take this skipper talent. Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability works like evasion, except that while the skipper still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless skipper does not gain the benefit of improved evasion. She must have Evasion to take this skipper talent. Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): The skipper can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack her by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has skipper levels. If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character. She must have Uncanny Dodge to take this skipper talent. Judder Skip (Su): As a swift action, a skipper can spend 30 feet of skip for the round to count as being in two squares at once, flickering rapidly back and forth between both spaces. Upon activation, she judders herself into an unoccupied space adjacent to her starting space. Any targeted effect on her has a 50% of failing (similar to the blink spell) unless it targets both instances of her. She acts as if in both squares, but is still limited to the same number of actions. Movement is split between her instances how she chooses. At the start of her next turn when the effect ends, she chooses which space to occupy. Rewind (Su): As a move action, the skipper may return to the position she was in at the start of her turn the previous round, regardless of range, line of sight or line of effect, though the space must still be unoccupied. This ability uses 30 feet of skip. By expending an additional 30 feet of skip for each earlier round, she may rewind to that previous round's location. Note: It is advisable to place tokens on any maps used to note these positions. Ride Along Teleportation (Su): A skipper with this talent can transport herself alongside another creature that uses a teleportation spell or effect within 30 feet of her as an immediate action. If the user is unwilling, the skipper must first succeed at a skipper level check (1d20 + her skipper level + skipper focus ability modifier) opposed to a DC of 10 + caster level of the effect + the user's main casting ability modifier if any. If the user is willing, or the skipper succeeds at her check, she travels along in a relative position to the teleporter, arriving in a relative position at their destination. The skipper may then spend any amount of skip feet as a free action usable outside of her turn to reposition herself by the amount of skip feet spent. If the teleporter was unwilling she may also spend her skip feet in the same manner to move them off course, potentially into danger. Additionally, she may make a special check to identify [Teleportation] and similar effects, in place of Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft. She adds her Intelligence modifier and her skipper class level for these checks. Riding Skipper (Su): While mounted or controlling a personal vehicle, the skipper can take her mount or vehicle with her as she skips so long as she has no other passengers or riders. Unusually large mounts or vehicles may be deemed too large to skip with her. Skip Swap (Su): The skipper gains the ability to swap positions with an adjacent willing creature by using some of her skip as a move action. The amount of skip used is equal to her space plus the adjacent creature's space. Example: If she is Medium and the willing adjacent creature is Large, she uses 15 feet of skip. Skipping Withdraw (Su): After making a full attack, the skipper can immediately use any remaining skip she has for the round to move, but her skip feet costs double for this movement. Subvert Anchor (Su): As a standard action, the skipper can attempt to subvert a dimensional anchor or similar effect on herself or an area she is included in. She must first succeed at a skipper level check (1d20 + her skipper level + skipper focus ability modifier) opposed to a DC of 10 + caster level of the effect + user's main casting ability modifier if any. If she succeeds, the effect is negated for her (removing the dimensional anchor from herself or allowing her to freely skip within the area). Regardless of success or failure, she is left fatigued for 1 round. Favored Class Bonuses Note: This section applies to Pathfinder compliant games. Table: Skipper Favored Class Bonuses Race Bonus SRD Races Dwarf Add +1/4 to the attack roll on Decisive Strikes made against giants and creatures of your racial Hatred ability. Elf Gain +1/2 of 5 feet of additional skip per round. Gnome Gain +1/6 of a new Skipper Talent. Half-Elf Add a +1/2 bonus on a skill of your choice from your Skipper Focus. Half-Orc Gain +1/6 of a die of Decisive Strike. Halfling Gain +1/4 bonus on Initiative while wearing light or no armor. Human Gain +1/6 of a new Skipper Talent. Other Races ATRuns Reduce the penalty for not being proficient with one weapon by 1. When the non-proficiency penalty for a weapon becomes 0 because of this ability, the skipper is treated as having the appropriate weapon proficiency feat for that weapon. Candothist Add a +1/2 bonus on Bluff checks to feint and Escape Artist checks. Malaquian Gain +1/6 of a new Skipper Talent. Naiad Gain +1/2 of 5 feet of additional skip per round. Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Base Classes