Prestige Class Spotlight 17: Halfling Opportunist
(art by PALE0PUNK on DeviantArt)
It’s an unfortunate but well-known stereotype that halflings are associated with rogueish, underhanded activities. As much as we love Bilbo Baggins, he did set the precedent by being hired as a (reluctant and professionally unskilled) burglar. It didn’t help that players that could only see ancestry/class combinations where ability bonuses meshed with the class dominated the game for a while, creating the assumption that not only did halflings make the best rogues, but the adventuring ones must of course all be shifty and sneaky regardless of class.
That being said, it was admittedly difficult to pull off a melee combat character as a halfling or other small ancestry due to the tendency for many small ancestries to have a strength penalty. That and weapon damage dice rules were not kind to smallfolk. It’s not surprising that such small ancestries would instead opt for either a caster build or the rogue, with those armloads of d6’s overcoming the question of size.
Let it not be said that the halfling rogue is bad, however. It just comes with some baggage.
Realistically speaking though, while Pathfinder has plenty of alternatives to the rogue that can make up for the lack of big damage die weapons in all sorts of ways, Sometimes the best strategy when you’re the little guy really is to be as underhanded as possible, and better yet, use the might of their enemies, especially big strong ones, against them.
Enter the halfling opportunist. Like the name suggests, these individuals are keenly aware how small and weak they are, so they are always thinking of how to use their enemy’s own power against them. Maybe a giant ogre brute’s club is perfect for getting a boost up to a higher elevation. Maybe they duck an incoming fireball and let it blow open a door for them, or any number of such tricks.
Some might even assume that these bold maneuvers are in part influenced by the fabled halfling luck, and maybe they are to an extent, but deep in their core, these halflings know that they must make their own luck, and trust that their boldness will keep them one step ahead of those that would stop them.
As you might imagine, this prestige class requires a bit of cooperation between player and GM, but it can be worth it if both are creative and accommodating.
The base prerequisites for this class include training in stealth and perception, defensive combat training, and of course being a halfling. Many are rogues, but honestly with such loose prerequisites, nearly any class and build can work here. The one exception might be full casters that actively do not want to be anywhere near foes and therefore would struggle with turning their power against them. However, even that can be gotten around with the right spell.
The core and most iconic ability of this class is their ability to use a foe’s power against them, or at least to aid their own actions. The way this works, the opportunist can immediately react to an action the foe makes that requires a d20 roll by performing a combat maneuver, which can use different ability scores other than strength depending on the counteraction they are trying to do. If successful, the hero performs a maneuver that inhibits the foe’s action and bolsters their own immediate action as a result. In the “use the ogre’s club to leap higher” example, the opportunist rolls to try and latch onto the club long enough to be launched by the follow-through. If successful, this debuffs this debuffs the triggering attack roll, which might make it miss. Regardless of whether the attack connected or not, however, a successful maneuver still means they at least held on and then leapt free, their acrobatic jump buffed by the momentum of the swing.
Whether they are a professional rogue themselves or not, the perceptive nature of these sneaky heroes means they have a knack for noticing nearby traps, even when not actively searching. Later on, the distance they can notice such details increases.
Constantly reading cues, these halflings are especially good at using the aid of others to their own benefit, including when they use their wiles to trick foes into aiding them as mentioned previously.
Whether it’s their bold impulses or just a greater connection to luck, these halflings are seemingly even luckier than others of their kind.
Even those that are not rogues benefit from noticing and taking advantage of gaps in the enemy defenses to perform sneak attacks, albeit at a lesser proficiency than an actual rogue or stacking with actual rogue training.
When it comes to groups of people, there are general assumptions about who is allowed to be in certain places, and these sneaks have a knack for blending in, acting as though they belong in a place without being in disguise at all. Are they an intruder, or they a maid that is currently out of uniform? Are they sneaking into a cult, or have they always been there, shame on you for not remembering Brother Emmanuel the Small all this time?
Finally, the opportunistic nature of these halflings is so great that they can take advantage of even the slightest gaps in a foe’s guard, dealing vital damage on any attack of opportunity.
This prestige class only have 5 levels, but what it offers is a clever system of getting free buffed actions out of the opponent’s maneuvers, but it does require careful thought and a clear idea of the scenario to use effectively. The fact that this ability is based of the bonus from aid another and then they get an ability that buffs the bonus from any aid they receive, including from their enemies, is a stroke of brilliance. No matter what class you go with, this can pair nicely with an agile character that fights smarter, not harder.
As it stands, this prestige class is halfling-only. Normally I’m all for breaking such ancestry limitations, as I can easily see a kobold or goblin engaging in the same sorts of acts of daring. However, the opportunist references the halfling luck ability, so a bit of homebrew modification is required, perhaps focusing on a different defensive ability instead, depending on ancestry in question.
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