Requirements

Skills: Intuit Direction 4 ranks , Knowledge (nature) 8 ranks , Wilderness Lore 13 ranks

Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Wilderness Lore)

Spells: Ability to cast Entangle, Plant Growth, and Command Plants.

Patron: Silvanus or any forest deity

Special: The character must have made peaceful contact with a treant. The character must also be proficient with the maul.

Summary

Guardians of pristine wilderness and defenders of the ancient trees, forest masters are the living embodiments of sentient nature. They walk the shadows under the woods and destroy those who would lay waster to the wild lands. Where druids hold all aspects of nature dear - wind and weather, animal and plant, meadows and mountains - the forest masters consider the forests more ancient than the coming of animals or humans the most sacred spots in the world.

Druids most often become forest masters, but it is not unheard of for rangers or clerics of nature deities to leave their kinships behind and follow this path. A few multiclassed barbarians become forest masters although they rarely have the dedication to the plant aspect of nature to embrace this worldview.

Forest masters often work alone but are more capable of working as part of a group. Many times, adventurers have spoken with what they thought was a young, small treant, when they are actually speaking with a very powerful forest master. There are no rivalries between groups of forest masters, although individuals may disagree on enacting the will of their patron.

Role: Spell Tank

Characteristics: Verdant guardians of the forest with powerful plant abilities and powerful mauls.

Source: Faiths and Pantheons

Game Rule Information

The Forest Master has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Wisdom for casting, Strength for enforcing forest justice with your maul.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Forest Master's class skills are Concentration (Con), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Wilderness Lore (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Forest Master.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Forest Master is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Spellcasting: At each indicated forest master level, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (such as an improved chance of turning or rebuking undead). If the character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a forest master, the player must decide to which class to add each forest master level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Tree Brother Sp: The forest master may assume tree shape once per day.

Nature Sense Ex: The forest master can identify plants and animals with perfect accuracy. He can determine whether water is safe to drink or dangerous.

Forest Dominion Su: At 2nd level, the forest master gains the ability to rebuke or command plants as an evil cleric can rebuke or command undead. His effective level for this ability is his class level, and he may use it a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. If he already has this ability because he is a cleric with the Plant domain, these levels stack with his cleric levels and vice versa.

Great Mallet Su: Beginning at 2nd level, a forest master begins to awaken magical abilities within the wood and metal that make up his maul. Any maul used by a forest master is treated as if it were a +2 maul with either the frost or shock property (the forest master decides each round whether the weapon's extra damage is cold or electricity). If the weapon has additional abilities (such as defending), these abilities still apply, and if the weapon has an enhancement bonus better than +2 the higher of the two bonuses is used. The maul does not gain these abilities if it is not wielded by the forest master.

At 6th-level, the forest master's maul acts as a +2 icy burst or +2 shocking burst weapon, with the forest master deciding each round what effect the weapon has.

At 9th level, the forest master's maul acts as a +3 mighty cleaving weapon in addition to its other properties (including its icy burst or shocking burst ability).

Natural Armor Ex: At 3rd level, the forest master's skin changes into a tough, barklike hide, granting him natural armor +3. This bonus increases to +5 at 5th level and +7 at 7th level.

Oak Strength Ex: Beginning at 4th level, the forest master gains a +2 bonus to Strength and the ability to make slam attacks. A Small creature's slam attack deals 1d4 points of damage, one from a Medium-size creature deals 1d6 points of damage, and a Large forest master's slam attack deals 1d8 points of damage. Slam attacks are natural weapon attacks and do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender. A forest master can select Improved Critical (slam), Weapon Focus (slam), and (if a fighter of 4th level or higher) Weapon Specialization (slam).

Upon gaining this ability, the forest master's hair takes on a green, leafy appearance.

Spruce Growth Su: At 5th level, once per day the forest master can temporarily increase his size and strength as if using a righteous might spell. If the forest master's new size is Large, his reach increases to 10 feet.

Oakheart Ex: Upon reaching 7th level, a forest master's body becomes a thing of wood and leaf rather than meat and bone. His type changes to plant. As such, he is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. He is not subject to critical hits or sneak attacks. However, the forest master becomes vulnerable to fire, and suffers double damage from fire attacks if he fails a Reflex saving throw, or half damage if he succeeds.

Deep Roots Su: Beginning at 8th level, once per day the forest master may sink roots into the ground in any natural surface place that can support at least some vegetation. While rooted, the forest master gains fast healing 5, but has an effective Dexterity score of 1 and may not move from the spot in which he stands. The forest master can withdraw his roots and end the healing as a free action.

Forest Longevity Ex: At 8th level, the forest master is magically sustained by his continuing transformation and gains incredible longevity. He no longer suffers ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties he may have already suffered remain in place. Bonuses still accrue. When the character reaches venerable age, his maximum age is determined in the normal manner but the final result is then multiplied by two.

Forest Might Ex: At 10th level, the primordial forest infuses the forest master with power. He gains a +2 bonus to Strength, a +2 bonus to Constitution, and he takes only half damage from piercing weapons. He gains fast healing 1 (which does not add to the fast healing 5 he gains when using his deep roots ability) whenever standing on fertile soil but cannot heal fire damage with this ability.

Table 1-1: Forest Master Progression

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Tree brother, nature sense	+1 level of divine spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Forest dominion, Great mallet	+1 level of divine spellcasting class
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	ENatural armor +3	+1 level of divine spellcasting class
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Oak strength	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Spruce growth, natural armor +5	+1 level of divine spellcasting class
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Great mallet (+2 burst)	+1 level of divine spellcasting class
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Oakheart, natural armor +7	+1 level of divine spellcasting class
8th	+6	+6	+2	+6	Deep roots, forest longevity	—
9th	+6	+6	+3	+6	Great mallet (+3 mighty cleaving)	+1 level of divine spellcasting class
10th	+7	+7	+3	+7	Forest might	+1 level of divine spellcasting class