The Verge-Tracer

Plays like: the Ranger — a frontier hunter, half martial, half single-discipline caster.

The Verge-Tracer is a frontier scout and hunter who has made a life of walking the thinning edge of the world — the storm-wracked border country and stone wastes where reality goes soft near the Hollow. Half warrior, half channel for a single Order discipline, they track what should not be tracked and strike what should not be found. Where full casters wield the Orders as a calling, the Verge-Tracer wields one discipline as a tool, sharpened alongside bow and blade.

“The Waste doesn’t hide its dangers from me. I’ve learned to read the wind the storm leaves behind, and the wind always tells the truth before the thing that made it does.” — Kessa Windmark, Warden of the Verge Watch

Quick Build: High Dexterity, then Wisdom. Choose the Explorer background, a longbow or two shortswords, medium armor, and either the Current or the Weight as your Reaching.

Hit Die: d10 | Primary Ability: Dexterity (Wisdom secondary) Saving Throws: Dexterity, Wisdom Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: Herbalism kit, navigator’s tools, one artisan’s or gaming set Skills: Choose 3 — Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival Starting Equipment: Medium armor (scale mail or hide), a martial melee weapon, a longbow with 20 arrows or two shortswords, an explorer’s pack, herbalism kit, navigator’s tools, and a focus stone (uncut) if your chosen Reaching allows casting.

LEVEL TABLE

Level	Prof. Bonus	Features	Quarry Dice	Max Working Tier
1	+2	Quarry, Choose Reaching (Current or Weight), Fighting Style	2	—
2	+2	Verge Sense (casting unlocked), Deft Explorer	2	T1
3	+2	Path chosen, Path feature	3	T1
4	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3	T1
5	+3	Extra Attack	3	T2
6	+3	Path feature	4	T2
7	+3	Uncanny Tracker	4	T2
8	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	T2
9	+4	Evasion	4	T3
10	+4	Path feature	5	T3
11	+4	Relentless Quarry	5	T3
12	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5	T3
13	+5	Roving	5	T4
14	+5	Path feature	6	T4
15	+5	Verge-Sight	6	T4
16	+5	Ability Score Improvement	6	T4
17	+6	Ghost-Step of the Verge	6	T4
18	+6	Deep Reaching	7	T4
19	+6	Ability Score Improvement	7	T4
20	+6	Apex Hunter	8	T4

CLASS FEATURES

Fighting Style (1st). Choose Archery, Defense, Dueling, or Two-Weapon Fighting.

Quarry (1st). As a bonus action, mark one creature you can see within 60 feet as your Quarry (only one at a time until Relentless Quarry). While it’s marked: you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track it, and you always know its direction and distance while it’s on the same plane as you. You have a number of Quarry Dice (d8s) per the table, regained on a short or long rest. When you hit your Quarry with a weapon attack, you may spend one Quarry Die to add its damage and trigger one Quarry Strike of your choice:

• Pinning Shot — the target’s speed becomes 0 until the end of its next turn.
• Called Shot — the target has disadvantage on its next attack roll before your next turn.
• Breaking Strike — the target loses any Strain-clearing benefit of its next short rest.
• Driving Blow — push the target 10 feet, or knock it prone if it’s within 5 feet.

Choose Reaching (1st). Choose the Current (cyan, storm-country) or the Weight (blue, stone-country). Your eyes flash this color when you Reach. You gain no Working access until Verge Sense.

Verge Sense (2nd). You may now cast Order Workings of your chosen discipline up to your Max Working Tier, drawing Strain to do so (clears on a short rest; hitting 75% of your Strain Capacity inflicts 1 exhaustion; hitting cap forces Overchannel or a stop, exactly as for full Order casters). Your Strain Capacity equals half your Verge-Tracer level (round up) plus your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). Casting above Tier 1 requires your focus stone.

Deft Explorer (2nd). Gain expertise in Survival or Perception (your proficiency bonus is doubled for checks with the chosen skill; if you aren’t proficient in it, gain proficiency first), learn one language, and you and up to five allies never suffer the effects of nonmagical difficult terrain while traveling.

Extra Attack (5th). Attack twice when you take the Attack action.

Uncanny Tracker (7th). Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks involving your current Quarry; your Quarry cannot benefit from being unseen against you while marked.

Evasion (9th). On a Dexterity save for half damage, you take none on a success and half on a failure.

Relentless Quarry (11th). You may mark a second creature as Quarry simultaneously, and once per turn you may trigger a Quarry Strike without spending a Quarry Die (still requires a hit).

Roving (13th). The border country has worn you into something that fits it. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet, and you gain climb and swim speeds equal to your walking speed.

Verge-Sight (15th). You see the faint taint the Hollow leaves on flesh and stone within 30 feet, even through illusion or invisibility granted by Hollow-casting, and you have advantage on saves against being frightened.

Ghost-Step of the Verge (17th). The Waste taught you how to leave nothing behind for it to read. You and any companions within 30 feet of you cannot be tracked except by magical means, and your group has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made while traveling. The wind that follows you tells no one anything.

Deep Reaching (18th). Your Strain Capacity increases by your Wisdom modifier again, and once per long rest you may cast a Tier 4 Working of your discipline without spending Strain.

Apex Hunter (20th, capstone). Once per turn when you reduce your Quarry to 0 HP, regain one expended Quarry Die. While you have at least one Quarry Die remaining, you have advantage on all attack rolls against your Quarry, and your speed increases by 10 feet.

THE FOUR PATHS

Path of the Stormseeker (Current-leaning)

The hunter who moves like the weather they channel — fast, sudden, gone before the thunder catches up.

• 3rd — Storm-Quick: When you mark a Quarry, your speed increases by 10 feet until the start of your next turn, and you gain advantage on your first initiative check of each combat.
• 6th — Chain Lightning Strike: Spend a Quarry Die for a Quarry Strike that also deals 1d8 lightning damage to one creature within 5 feet of your target.
• 10th — Eye of the Storm: Resistance to lightning and thunder damage; nonmagical difficult terrain from weather never slows you.
• 14th — Tempest’s Judgment: Once per long rest (or by spending 3 Quarry Dice), make a single weapon attack against your Quarry that, on a hit, deals an extra 4d8 lightning damage and forces a Dexterity save or the target is stunned until the end of your next turn.

Path of the Stonetreader (Weight-leaning)

The hunter who becomes as immovable and patient as the stone-country they walk, wearing down prey like erosion wears down cliffs.

• 3rd — Stone-Set Stance: Advantage on saves and checks made to avoid being moved, knocked prone, or forced to move against your will; nonmagical difficult terrain from earth and rubble never slows you.
• 6th — Weighted Strike: Spend a Quarry Die for a Quarry Strike that also forces a Strength save or the target is knocked prone and its speed becomes 0 until the end of its next turn.
• 10th — Bedrock Endurance: Resistance to bludgeoning damage; you gain temporary HP equal to your Wisdom modifier (min 1) whenever you finish a short rest.
• 14th — Mountain’s Verdict: Once per long rest (or by spending 3 Quarry Dice), your next weapon hit against your Quarry deals an extra 4d10 damage and creates a 10-foot radius of difficult terrain centered on the target.

Path of the Bondwarden

The hunter who does not walk the verge country alone — who found something else living out where the world goes thin, and made a pact of trust with it that outlasts any oath sworn indoors.

• 3rd — Verge-Bonded Beast: You are bonded to a beast of the border country — a storm-hawk, a waste-hound, a cliff cat, whatever shape the verge offered you. It uses the stat block below, acts on your turn, and moves and takes its action as you direct (no action required); directing it to make its attack requires your bonus action. If your beast dies, the bond is not broken — but calling a new companion out of the verge, or calling the same one back, is a matter of days of quiet downtime spent in the border country, not a purse of coin. The verge does not sell its creatures. It introduces them.

VERGE-BONDED BEAST AC 13 + your proficiency bonus · HP 5 × your Verge-Tracer level · Speed 40 ft. (or a climb or fly speed of 40 ft., chosen at bonding, per its shape) Attack: melee, your proficiency bonus + 3 to hit, one target; Hit: 1d6 + your proficiency bonus damage (piercing or slashing, per its shape). Saves & skills: it adds your proficiency bonus to Dexterity and Wisdom saves, and to Perception and Stealth checks. It shares your initiative and acts on your turn.

• 6th — Shared Quarry: Your beast knows what you hunt as surely as you do. It gains every benefit of your Quarry mark — advantage to track the Quarry, and it always knows the Quarry’s direction and distance while you do. In addition, while your beast can see your Quarry, you can trigger Quarry Strikes on the beast’s hits against the Quarry as if they were your own.
• 10th — Coordinated Strike: When you hit your Quarry with a weapon attack on your turn, your beast may immediately make its attack against the same target as part of the same bonus action that commanded it. If both attacks hit the same creature in a turn, the second hit deals an extra 1d6 damage.
• 14th — Discipline-Touched: The verge has soaked into your companion the way it soaked into you, and your Reaching’s color now flickers in its eyes when it strikes. Choose one, per your Reaching:
  • Current: the beast’s speed increases by 10 feet, it gains resistance to lightning damage, and once per turn its attack deals an extra 1d8 lightning damage.
  • Weight: the beast’s AC increases by 1, it gains resistance to bludgeoning damage, and once per turn a creature it hits must succeed on a Strength save or be knocked prone.

Path of the Warden of the Verge

The hunter who patrols the seam itself, tracking down Hollow-touched things that leak through — and paying the price of standing too near.

• 3rd — Hollow-Ward: Resistance to psychic damage; advantage on saves against being frightened or against effects originating from Hollow-touched creatures.
• 6th — Mark the Unmaking: Your Quarry Strikes deal an extra 1d8 damage (of your Reaching’s type) against Hollow-touched or Unraveling creatures.
• 10th — Unshaken: You cannot be frightened while your Quarry is within sight, and you cannot be surprised by a Hollow-touched creature.
• 14th — Verge Sentinel: As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet uses a Hollow-cast effect, you may spend a Quarry Die to grant yourself and each ally within 30 feet advantage on the save against it (or, if it allows no save, resistance to its damage).