The galaxy can be such an unfriendly place, and Bughunters are what some diplomats call a “necessary evil”. Most Bughunters are cloned or robotic; their work is so dangerous that the hazard pay on a single mission alone would make an ordinary person a millionaire. Clones and robots generally have no legal rights; they don't even have to be paid. Their job is to do or die out on the fringes of civilized space.

Select this advanced class if you want your character to live the “on-the-edge” life-style of a professional alien exterminator.

The fastest path into the Bughunter advanced class is from the Strong hero basic class, though other paths are certainly possible.

To qualify to become a Bughunter, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +4.

Skills: Knowledge (Military) 3 ranks.

Feats: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Advanced Firearms Proficiency.

The following information pertains to the Bughunter advanced class.

Hit Die: 1d10

Action Points: 6 + one-half character level, rounded down, every time the Bughunter attains a new level in this class.

The Bughunter's class skills are as follows.

Climb (Str), Demolitions (Int), Drive (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Pilot (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Treat Injury (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

The following features pertain to the Bughunter advanced class.

At 1st level, a Bughunter gains the Weapon Focus class feature, providing the benefit of the feat with the same name. The Bughunter chooses a specific weapon. She can also choose unarmed strike or grapple. The Bughunter must be proficient with the weapon. The Bughunter gains a +1 bonus on all attack rolls made using the selected weapon.

At 2nd level, a Bughunter gains a +2 competence bonus on initiative checks.

At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Bughunter gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Bughunter must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.

Advanced Combat Martial Arts, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium), Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Brawl, Burst Fire, Cleave, Combat Martial Arts, Combat Reflexes, Double Tap, Endurance, Exotic Firearms Proficiency, Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency, Far Shot, Great Cleave, Improved Brawl, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Shot on the Run, Strafe, Zero-G Training.

At 4th level, the Bughunter gains weapon specialization with a specific melee or ranged weapon that she also has applied the Weapon Focus feat or class feature to. She gains a +2 bonus on damage rolls with the weapon.

At 5th level, the Bughunter draws on her past experiences with alien creatures to fuel her fire against those she faces now. The Bughunter gains a +2 competence bonus on Listen, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against alien creatures of a specific type. She also gains a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. At 8th level, this bonus increases to +4. The Bughunter may choose any alien race or alien creature she has encountered so far, designating that as the alien being she both knows the most about and most hates. (To gain anything out of this ability, a player should try to select something that his character is reasonably certain will show up again in the campaign.)

At 7th level, a Bughunter gains greater weapon specialization with the weapon she selected at 4th level. This ability increases the bonus on damage rolls to +4 when using the selected weapon.

At 10th level, a Bughunter using a weapon on autofire imposes a –5 penalty on creatures' Reflex saves to avoid taking damage (effectively increasing the DC from 15 to 20).