Ruathars are kinda wacky and scream of someone making a class that everyone in their D&D party could qualify for otherwise they couldn't justify giving them all this stuff. The best way to take advantage of all these features is to spec into this if you have a gish build like a wizard/fighter type deal that way you can take advantage of everything this short prestige class has to offer.

Role: Utility

Characteristics: A trusted defender of the elves with special abilities to match

Source: Races of the Wild

Game Rule Information

The Ruathar has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Whatever your casting stat is, Dexterity and Constitution for added survivability

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Ruathar's class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (any)(Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually)(Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Wilderness Lore (Wis).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Ruathar.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Ruathar is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with, however you get Martial Weapon Proficiency as a bonus feat. You can choose the longsword, rapier, longbow (including composite longbow), or shortbow (including composite shortbow). Other than that, you gain no proficiency with any type of weapon, armor, or shield.

Spells: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other class feature a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a ruathar, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Word of Friendship Sp: You learn a short magical phrase that identifies you as a ruathar. While anyone can learn to mouth the words of the phrase, only ruathars are taught the magical key that makes the phrase more than just a few words in Elven. This is a sonic, language-dependent effect and is equivalent to a 1st-level spell. The word of friendship does not influence the hearer's mind in any way, but all elves know that only ruathars are taught it. Elves addressed in such a fashion generally begin with an attitude of friendly or helpful toward you, unless you are obviously engaged in an evil act.

Gift of Elves: During the ruathar ceremony, you are traditionally presented with a gift of elven magic to aid you in your travels. This gift takes the form of any one of the following items: boots of elvenkind, cloak of elvenkind, elven chain, a +1 rapier, a +1 longsword, or a +1 composite longbow (Strength bonus up to +4, as appropriate for you). The elves provide whatever gift they deem most useful to you. If the gift is lost or destroyed, you do not receive another one. While you are free to give away or sell the gift, good manners dictate that the gift of the elves should be kept and treasured.

Low-Light Vision Ex: At 2nd level, you gain low-light vision. You can see twice as far as a human in conditions of dim illumination. If you already have low-light vision, you gain improved low-light vision, and you can now see four times as far as a human in conditions of dim illumination.

Elfwise Ex: At 2nd level, you gain the uncanny visual acuity and senses of the elves. You gain a +2 bonus on Search, Spot, and Listen checks. (These bonuses stack with an elf's racial bonuses.)

Star Blessing Su: At 3rd level, you gain a +1 sacred bonus on attack rolls and saving throws while under the night sky (above ground and outside during nighttime).

Arvandor's Grace Ex: When you reach 3rd level, the love of the elven folk actually changes you, instilling in you a glimmer of elven agelessness. Your racial life span and the lower limit of each of your age categories increase by 50%. If this change places you in a younger age category than you formerly occupied, you retain any ability score bonuses and penalties you previously gained for aging—your aging effectively stalls until you cross a threshold into an age category that's new to you. For example, a human normally reaches middle age at 35, old age at 53, and venerable age at 70, and his maximum age is 2d20 years beyond that. A 3rd-level human ruathar reaches middle age at 52, old age at 79, venerable age at 105, and has a maximum age of 3d20 years beyond that. If a 40-year-old human became a 3rd-level ruathar, his age category would revert to adult. He would retain the —1 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution he took when he previously entered middle age at age 35, as well as the +1 bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma he previously received. He wouldn't age further until age 79, when he would receive the bonuses and penalties for old age. Even elf ruathars can receive Arvandor's grace; such characters are astonishingly long-lived.