The Cunning Striker (Rogue Archetype)
Patience is deadly. Waiting for the right moment, the favorable wind or the perfect shadow to strike from can decide a battle before it begins. The cunning striker controls his luck to unleash it at the crucial moment.
The cunning striker is an archetype of the rogue class.
Critical Exploits
At 2nd level, the cunning striker gains the ability to save critical hits for later use. When a cunning striker successfully confirms a critical hit, he may decide to do normal damage and gain one point of cunning instead. Cunning points must be used within a number of hours equal to half the cunning striker’s level or are lost. He may store one point at 2nd level, one additional point at 6th level, and every 6 levels thereafter, for a maximum of 4 stored at 18th level.
At 2nd level, the cunning striker selects one ability from the list of critical exploits below. He may use this ability by spending one point of cunning. He selects additional exploits at 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, for a maximum of 6 exploits at 20th level. Adding the effects of an exploit requires no extra action when used.
Critical Skills: The cunning striker expends one cunning point in order to add half his level to the result of a single skill check. He must expend the cunning point before making the roll.
Hedged Attack: Before making a d20 roll, the cunning striker expends one cunning point in order to roll twice and pick the better result.
Instant Gratification: The cunning striker expends one cunning point in order to automatically confirm a critical hit after successfully attacking a target. He chooses to do this after the attack hits the enemy with critical threat.
Stifle the Enemy: When an adjacent enemy confirms a critical hit, the cunning striker can expend one cunning point to negate the confirmation and make the attack a normal successful attack instead.
Teeth Grinding Swing: By expending one cunning point, the cunning striker deals maximum damage on with his attack. The cunning striker must decide to use this exploit before making the attack roll. If the attack misses, the point of cunning is still expended. The cunning striker may not maximize a critical hit with teeth grinding swing.
Touch Attack: The cunning striker expends one cunning point in order to make a single non-touch attack as a touch attack.
This ability replaces rogue talents.
Cunning Criticals
At 3rd level, the cunning striker gains a +1 bonus to confirm critical hits. He gains an additional +1 bonus at 8th level, and every 5 levels after that, for a maximum of +4 at 18th level.
This ability replaces trap sense.
