Ladder: Survivor

Regardless of how you have lived or where you were raised, you have always found a kinship with nature. You find salvation where others find death. While others starve, you prosper. No matter the environment, from bitter cold to scorching heat, you know the secrets to best stay alive. You can identify which foods will kill you or which animals will attack you. This is not knowledge gleaned from books but practical experience you may have earned the hard way. You may embark on weekend expeditions in the wilderness or elect to spend your entire life isolated from industry and population. You refuse to depend on technology. If the world were to fall into ruin, you would still survive. In your spare time, you prepare yourself for the next day.

Key Abilities. Constitution, Wisdom

Hunter

Beginning when you choose this ladder at 1st level, you can use Wisdom in place of Dexterity for attack and damage rolls and when setting save DCs with ranged attacks. You can use Constitution in place of Dexterity when determining your modifier to AC.

Select either Constitution or Wisdom as your primary survivor ability. (Wisdom)

Natural Equilibrium

At 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature except for your primary survivor ability, which has a maximum value of 22.

• Wisdom +1

Additionally, you can also use an action and make a DC 15 Constitution ability check to reduce your exhaustion level by 1. Each time you attempt this save, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a long rest and have a chance to eat and drink something, the DC resets to 15.

Additionally, you also have proficiency in Wisdom (Survival) or Wisdom (Animal Handling) (Animal Handling).

Tough it Out

At 8th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature except for your primary survivor ability, which has a maximum value of 22.

• Wisdom +1

Additionally, you can also increase your exhaustion level by 1 and select one of the bonuses below. Once you use one of the following abilities, you cannot use that same one again until you finish a long rest (though you can select the others, each time increasing your exhaustion level).

• Hit Points. As an action, you gain temporary hit points equal to your primary survivor modifier + your level.
• Critical Hit. As part of an Attack action, you can turn a hit into a critical hit and inflict additional damage equal to twice your level.
• AC Bonus. As an action, you gain a +1 bonus to AC for 1 minute (10 rounds).
• Combat. As an action, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls for 1 minute (10 rounds).

Dead Man Walking

At 12th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature except for your primary survivor ability, which has a maximum value of 22.

• Wisdom +1

Additionally, you can be reduced to less than 0 hit points (counted as being negative hit points) but remain conscious and standing at the cost of your minimum exhaustion level. If you already have levels of exhaustion, they increase accordingly. Though you can remove additional levels, the minimum cannot be removed until your hit points are raised back above 0.

• If your hit points are reduced to 0 hit points but more than -10, your minimum exhaustion level is 1
• Between -11 and -20 hit points, your minimum exhaustion level is 2.
• Between -21 and -30 hit points, your minimum exhaustion level is 3.
• Between -31 and -40 hit points, your minimum exhaustion level is 4.
• Between -41 and -50 hit points, your minimum exhaustion level is 5.

You can voluntarily fall unconscious and not compound exhaustion levels; additionally, after –50 hit points, your minimum exhaustion level increases to 6, and you die.

Elite

At 16th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature except for your primary survivor ability, which has a maximum value of 22.

• Intelligence +1

Additionally, you automatically pass Wisdom (Survival) checks with a DC of 20 or less unless you have disadvantage on the check.

Unnatural Survival

At 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature except for your primary survivor ability, which has a maximum value of 22.

• Intelligence +1

Additionally, when you finish a long rest and ingest some food and drink, you reduce your exhaustion level by 2.

Ladder Gains

The survivor gains the following additional benefits at 5th, 11th, and 17th level.

• 5th Level. You have resistance to cold damage.
• 11th Level. You gain a +1 bonus to AC.
• 17th Level. You have resistance to fire damage.