Matador

Matadors are expert hunters. They capture beasts and monstrosities from the depths of the wilds, take them to cities, and sell them for combat, or to circuses, or as disturbing defenders for fortresses. They are also masters at fighting such monsters in arenas, well knowing how to hit, hurt, and infuriate their prey in a spectacular manner. In addition, matadors are skilled at training these creatures, and are gifted circus hucksters and entertainers, even during the cruelest arena spectacles.

For this reason, matadors often live on the fringes of society: they are brutal, unfriendly, and violent, equally despised by hunters, gladiators, and gamekeepers. It is said that the most skilled matadors come from Penumbria, where they are accustomed to a lethal and horrifying fauna, compared to which wolves, bears, and catsnakes are cute little critters.

Following the tracks of monsters and ferocious beasts, setting traps, capturing their prey live, transporting and training them, then using them in fairs, fights to the death, bullfights, and hunting shows: this is how matadors live.

The Matador Table

Class Features
As a Matador, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per matador level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per matador level after 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Choose one from herbalism kit, navigator’s kit, poisoner’s kit, and a musical instrument
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

Equipment
You begin the game with 150 silver which you can spend on your knave's starting weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. You can only purchase shoddy quality equipment.

Level 1

Familiar Terrain
When making an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to a natural terrain, you gain a knack die if using a skill you’re proficient in. While traveling in a natural terrain, you gain the following benefits:

• Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
• Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
• Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling, you remain alert to danger. Your passive Perception increases by 2.
• If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
• When you Hunt and Gather, you find twice as much Supply as you normally would.
• While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

Guide
While traveling, when you would have a failure or critical failure for a Scout journey activity, you succeed instead, and you can Scout while engaged in any other journey activity.

Healing Salves
Once between long rests you can spend an hour to collect natural ingredients and concoct an ointment that speeds healing. This salve is potent for 24 hours and has a number of uses equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. As an action, you can use the salve to restore 1d4 hit points to a creature within reach.

Studied Adversary
You have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even communicating with your enemies.

Choose a type of adversary: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively,
you can select two humanoid heritages (such as morgants and sylvans) as studied adversaries.

You have advantage on Survival checks to track your studied adversaries, as well as on ability checks to recall information about them. You also learn to communicate with basic words in a language of your choice that is spoken by your studied adversaries, if they speak one at all.

During a long rest, you can replace a current studied adversary with a new one.

Level 2

Accuracy Bonus
When you make a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to gain an attack bonus or damage bonus as shown on the Accuracy Bonus table.

Between long rests, you have a number of uses equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

Table: Accuracy Bonus

Accuracy Reserve
If you have not moved since the beginning of your last turn, you gain a +1 bonus to weapon attack rolls until the end of your turn. You lose this bonus if you move.

Farshot Stance
By arching your back and stretching your arms to their fullest extent, you make your ranged weaponry travel further than usual.

You use a bonus action to activate this stance. When you use a weapon to make a ranged attack, increase its normal range by 20 feet and long range by 50 feet. This stance remains active until you are knocked unconscious, stunned, activate a different stance, begin a short rest, or choose to end it on your turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Hunter's Target
You can use your bonus action to focus your attention on a specific enemy. Choose a creature you can see within 90 feet to mark as your quarry. For 1 hour, you are focused on this creature. You gain a +1 bonus to weapon attack rolls against the creature, and your weapon attacks against it deal an extra 1d6 damage. In addition,
you have advantage on Perception and Survival checks you make to find it. If the creature drops to 0 hit points before the hour ends, you can use a bonus action to mark a new quarry.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Survivalist
When traveling you may undertake two journey activities instead of one. Both activities must be from the following list: Befriend Animal, Harvest, Hunt and Gather, Scout.

Level 3

Eye of the Matador
You gain the ability to focus your efforts on killing a single prey. As a bonus action, you can choose a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. For 1 minute, you gain the following bonuses against the chosen creature:

• You add your proficiency bonus to damage.
• Your weapon attacks against the creature score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.
• You add your Wisdom modifier to your AC against attacks made by the creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Master of Performance
You gain proficiency in Animal Handling and Performance. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those proficiencies.

Warning Strike
When an opponent opens themself up to a reflexive strike you can deliver a blow that shakes them to their core and forces them to hesitate.

When a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach, you can use your
reaction to make a melee weapon attack and on a hit its Speed is reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Level 4

Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Fearsome Mysticism
Your uncanny abilities and single-minded focus can be unnerving to the uninitiated. You gain a knack die on Intimidation checks against any creature that is neither proficient in Arcana nor casts spells.

Build Shelter
You can spend a day (8 hours) building a basic shelter that protects up to 8 people from the elements and reduces the likelihood of attack from monsters and
bandits. The shelter counts as a haven. It lasts for as long as it is needed but falls apart permanently after being left for a month unattended.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Level 5

Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Gaze of Conviction
You lock eyes with an opponent with a fury so potent that it cannot be ignored.

You use a bonus action to stare down a creature you can see within 30 feet, and if it can see you it makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature is compelled to attack you. On its turn the creature moves towards you and makes as many attacks against you as it can.

The effects of this maneuver end when you attack a different creature or the creature is unable to attack you.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Swift Feet
You can use your bonus action to move with greater agility. For 1 minute, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. You can choose to end this effect early to either increase your Speed by 30 feet until the end of your turn or gain advantage on a weapon attack.

Level 6

Adversarial Focus
You gain an additional studied adversary, and you gain a +1 bonus on weapon attack rolls made against your studied adversaries.

Game Hunting
You have advantage on any check made to locate or catch local game animals in the wild and gain the following features:

• You have proficiency with nets, and being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls with a net.
• You can use a 30-foot length of rope or strong vine as a lasso and try to grapple a creature within 20 feet of you. As long as a creature is grappled by your lasso, it is also restrained. The lasso has AC 13 and 7 hit points. It is vulnerable to slashing damage and resistant to bludgeoning damage. If the lasso drops to 0 hit points, it is destroyed.
• When you use the Attack action and attack with a dual-wielding weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a net or use a lasso you are holding.

Relentless Pursuit
Once you have successfully picked up the tracks of a creature, you are able to follow those tracks without any need for further checks for a period of up to 7 days.