The Scout Class: A highly versatile class excelling in mobility, precision, and skirmish damage, perfect for players who enjoy hit-and-run tactics and battlefield control.
Insectoid Warlord[1]: A melee juggernaut leveraging multiweapon attacks and psionics to deliver devastating damage while staying mobile.
King of the Wild[2]: A primal predator with natural weapons, pounce, and dire ape summons, ideal for guerilla combat and dominating the battlefield.
Master Hunter[3]: A ranged powerhouse wielding a massive greatbow for unparalleled damage at extreme distances.
Eagle-Eyed Skirmisher[4]: A flexible and stealthy combatant, adept at both melee and ranged combat, with an emphasis on mobility and tactical ambushes.
The Swarm[5]: A unique changeling build that transforms into swarms, making it nearly invincible to conventional attacks while dealing consistent area damage.
Immense durability and resistance to non-area damage while in swarm form, combined with strong skirmish damage.
Limited to melee range when in swarm form, reducing effectiveness against enemies that rely on mobility or flight.
Insectoid Warlord
This build capitalizes on the Thri-Kreen’s extra arms and enhanced mobility, enabling the character to unleash devastating melee attacks while skirmishing effectively. With 9 attacks per round backed by significant psionic versatility, this warrior becomes a whirling dervish of destruction.
Unparalleled melee damage output with 27d6+ damage per round using multiweapon attacks.
Reliant on positioning and mobility to maximize skirmish damage, making it vulnerable to battlefield control tactics.
Utilize Sidestep Charge and Dimension Step to outmaneuver foes and maintain optimal positioning for your multiattack flurries.
King of the Wild
Embodying primal might, this anthropomorphic ape wields natural weapons, summons dire apes, and channels the Tarrasque’s essence for incredible resilience and ferocity. Its ability to pounce and full attack with skirmish damage makes it a terror in both melee and guerrilla tactics.
Combines powerful natural attacks with pounce, ensuring devastating first strikes and unparalleled combat mobility.
Limited ranged combat options can leave the character at a disadvantage against aerial or distant foes.
Use the Dire Ape summons and animal companions strategically to disrupt enemy formations while charging key targets.
Master Hunter
This build revolves around dealing massive ranged damage with a Huge-sized composite greatbow, leveraging Skirmish and Greater Manyshot to decimate foes. Its ability to “power attack” with a bow makes it one of the deadliest ranged attackers in the game.
Enormous ranged damage potential, with 4d8 damage per arrow before bonuses and the ability to hit multiple targets per round.
Vulnerable to close-range combat due to limited melee capabilities and low Charisma affecting interactions.
Use the massive range of the greatbow to pick off enemies before they can close the distance, and rely on Flawless Stride to evade counterattacks.
Eagle-Eyed Skirmisher
A master of guerrilla warfare, this build uses Skirmish damage to dominate both ranged and melee combat. Thanks to feats like Greater Manyshot and Shot on the Run, it seamlessly blends mobility with relentless offense.
Incredible versatility as both a ranged and melee combatant, coupled with unmatched scouting and stealth capabilities.
Relies heavily on movement for damage output, making it susceptible to immobilization or difficult terrain.
Leverage Hide in Plain Sight and Trapfinding to set up ambushes and secure tactical advantages in combat.
The Swarm
A changeling urban scout that transforms into swarms, this build excels at both stealth and survival. Its swarm form makes it nearly invincible against conventional attacks, while dealing consistent area damage over time.
Immense durability and resistance to non-area damage while in swarm form, combined with strong skirmish damage.
Limited to melee range when in swarm form, reducing effectiveness against enemies that rely on mobility or flight.
Use Morphic Weapon and Swarm Shape creatively to adapt to situations, such as infiltrating small spaces or overwhelming multiple foes simultaneously.
FAQ
What makes the Scout class unique in D&D 3.5?
The Scout excels in mobility and precision, using the Skirmish ability to gain bonus damage and AC by moving during combat. This class is perfect for players who want to combine speed, stealth, and tactical damage-dealing.
Yes, the Insectoid Warlord[1]’s multiweapon attacks and skirmish damage allow it to deal with multiple foes effectively, especially when combined with its psionic powers for battlefield control.
How does the King of the Wild[2] Scout compare to other melee-focused builds?
The King of the Wild[2] combines raw power with exceptional mobility through pounce and natural attacks, making it a strong contender against other melee builds. Its ability to summon allies and channel the essence of the Tarrasque adds unique versatility.
While primarily a ranged combatant, the Master Hunter[3] can hold its own in melee thanks to its strong Strength and access to powerful weapons. However, its full potential lies in exploiting its long-range and high-damage capabilities.
What are the main challenges of playing The Swarm[5] Scout?
The Swarm[5]’s melee range in swarm form can be a limitation, especially against mobile or flying enemies. However, its near-invulnerability to conventional attacks and strong skirmish damage make it a resilient and unique choice for creative players.
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Writer, Editor, GM, Technologist – Andrew’s been playing TTRPGs since as far back as he can recall… at least sometime in the nineties… or was it the early 2000s?
As the Gorilla was slaughtering the troops, the commander, a tall thri-kreen jumped into action, it’s four shortswords in hand, landing nine strikes in but a few seconds, forcing the beast to fall back.
–“Leave them alone. If you want an opponent, you have one right here beast.”
The gorilla roared and charged at the Thri-Kreen with force, who sidestepped it’s charge and started unleashing a true flurry of strikes.
The titanic battle continued for a long time, and as the city’s scouts watched from a safe distance, they relayed the information to their commander that they would need reinforcement against that second group.
Race
Thri-Kreen
Class
2/Scout 6/Psychic Warrior 2/Elocater 10(2 LA Buyback)
Ability Scores
Str 16/Dex 20/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 14/Cha 6
Skills
Concentration 8
Equipment
Four Shortswords, two shortbows, a chainshirt.
Goal
Having four arms and the ability to take two 5′ steps in one round lets you skirmish in melee for 9 attacks per round with improved multiattack. With the shortswords, we are looking at 27d6 of damage each round before any bonuses. Yeah, your damage is competitive alright. Add to that all your Thri-Kreen goodies and your Psionic powers and you are a highly versatile, and strong opponent capable of tackling several types of enemies with few problems.
The dark army, still pushing forward, was cut in two by the scouts’ expertise, and the largest part, stalled in place by them, was unable to give directions to the cut off part who, lost, started drifting off course.
Taken apart one by one by the wildlife, they soon were reduced from a hundred to a few dozen.
As they rested near a huge tree, trying to make heads or tails of their situations, a blood curdling scream came from the woods. The trees bouncing the sound through the space as they came to alert, a massive gorilla with a spiked carapace pounced at them, landing heavily on one of the soldiers with a sickening crunch of bone and gurgle of blood. It turned to the rest, its jaw riddled with jagged teeth, the gaping maw opening toward the rest of them as it grabbed the downed man and tore him in two with it’s two massive arms.
-“Leave this land, it is MINE!” Screamed the gorilla to the complete surprise of the soldiers.
Race
Anthropomorphic Ape
Class
Ape 2/Scout 5/Animal Lord 5/Beastmaster 2/Waker of the Beast 5/Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian 1
You are monke. You can pounce at people, move from tree to tree at your normal speed, have a gorilla companion, can summon Dire Apes, and as you revere the greatest beast of them all, the Tarrasque, you take some of it’s traits. You become larger, stronger, and you gain a carapace not unlike its own. With pounce, you can charge and full attack+skirmish, and since you use natural weapons, your attacks are quite numerous indeed.
As the two brothers were slowly making their way back to the city, they circled around the dark army in the woods with the help of the elder brother’s divination spells.
As they let their horses rest near a pond in the woods at the foot of a hill, they noticed gri-gris in the trees and totems made from humanoid remains stacked together.
-“Are you sure it’s such a good idea to rest here?” Asked the younger brother with a raised eyebrow as they both were examining one of the totems.
A sudden bone crunching thump, then the following pained scream of his horse being impaled by an arrow as tall as the horse itself was all the answer they needed.
Race
Half-Ogre
Class
Scout 7/Highland Stalker 10/Peerless Archer 3(2 LA Buyback)
Ability Scores
Str 20/Dex 16/Con 16/Int 8/Wis 10/Cha 4
Skills
Craft(Bowmaking) 10, Listen 8, Spot 8, Survival 8
Equipment
A shortbow at first, eventually a Huge sized Dragonbone Greatbow with alchemical gold arrows. Oh, and a Greatclub and a Chainshirt.
Flaws
Vulnerable, Pathetic(Cha)
Goal
You can use a huge sized composite greatbow with gold arrows to deal 4d8 damage per arrow before any bonus, can “power attack” your shots, and can use Greater Manyshot in conjunction with Skirmisher to deal a completely ridiculous amount of damage at everything in sight.
The dark army made its way slowly into the woods. Their goal was simple: by using the vast forest as cover, they would be able to get the drop on the fortified city and attack it with them unable to defend.
They didn’t count on the skills of the four siblings working together to foil the plans of their leader.
As the arrows pierced the soldiers from left and right, the soldiers panicked, incapable of seeing from where their foes were shooting. It was a long road to the city, and the city’s scouts were experts at guerilla warfare.
Skirmish lets you get bonus damage and AC whenever you move 10ft or more in a round. Normally this would kill a Full Attack action, but between Lion Tribe Warrior and Greater Manyshot+Shot on the Run, these restrictions are essentially non-existent. You are an excellent switch hitter, extremely capable both in ranged and melee, and your skill list and massive skill points pool, mixed with Trapfinder, make your class one of the best at what it advertises itself as (scouting).
The woman with the white coat turned to look at her sister, who was definitely out of place in the city. She smirked, city wolf and forest wolf the two of them from entirely different parts of the world.
-“I know that it’s a terrible idea if that’s what you’re asking.” She replied as she continued walking the crowded street.
Her sister caught up, giving a small hum as she came up to her sister’s side.
-“Then why are we going to ask them in this case?”
–“Because, dear sister, the swarm is the most well informed entity in the realm. They know everything that goes on, and if our enemy has spies or cults in this city, they will know about it. Heck, they likely already know we are going to see them.”
In an alley, a swarm of flies disappeared in the sewers, the buzzing of the wings sounding a lot like a cackle at the words of the two sisters.
Race
Changeling
Class
Scout 5/Warshaper 5/Master of Flies 10
Ability Scores
Str 15/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 12/Wis 10/Cha 10
Skills
Escape Artist 5/Knowledge(Nature) 8
Equipment
Shortbow and two shortswords, a chainshirt.
Goal
Woohoo, an urban scout! You can change forms to become unnoticed in a crowd, and are a decent melee and ranged combatant, but your true strength is in your ability to transform into swarms, making you damn near unkillable with your Evasion. As a swarm, only area effect damage deal you any substantial damage, and with your immense reflex save, and evasion, you already laugh at those. In turn, your damage in swarm form is going to be substantial mixed with your morphic weapon+swarm attack+Skirmish.
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