Load Bearer
Created by Xiph

"The greatest workout known to man - shopping with his wife and daughter on a Saturday."

Many are the group of adventurers who have hired on porters to carry their loot. Numerous also are the ones who have purchased carts and horses. However, a horse and cart can't go everywhere, and a porter can only carry so much. There are some who have taken matters into their own hands and have trained simply to be able to carry huge loads. They are the Load Bearers.

Load Bearers (Lb) are a class apart. Fighting, adventuring, fame, fortune - these are minor things to the Load Bearer. What they cherish above all is their ability to do their job well. And they do their job well indeed.

Hit Die: d12

Requirements:
To qualify to become a Load Bearer, a character must fulfill the following criteria:
Special: Must have traveled, on foot, for at least a month while carrying a heavy load.

Class Skills:
The Load Bearer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Jump (Str), Ride (Dex), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
-------------------------------------------
  1   +0  +2   +0   +0  Strong Back  
  2   +1  +3   +0   +0  Hydrodynamic Load
  3   +2  +3   +1   +1  Improved Packing 
  4   +3  +4   +1   +1  Compact Strength +1 
  5   +3  +4   +1   +1  Extreme Load
  6   +4  +5   +2   +2  Superior Packing
  7   +5  +5   +2   +2  Buoyant Load 
  8   +6  +6   +2   +2  Compact Strength +2
  9   +6  +6   +3   +3  Perfect Packing
  10  +7  +7   +3   +3  Effortless Load 

Class Features: All of the following are class features for the Load Bearer prestige class:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Load Bearer neither gains nor loses any proficiencies. Being a beast of burden neither lends itself nor takes away from his fighting ability.

Strong Back (Ex): A Load Bearer gains an effective +1 bonus to Strength for each level of Load Bearer he has. This bonus is used only for determining carrying capacity.

Hydrodynamic Load (Ex): Your load check penalty on swim checks is halved.

Improved Packing (Ex): Due to his large amount of experience filling backpacks and the like, a Load Bearer can effectively increase the volume of any type of storage to 1.5 times normal. Note that this does not apply to the dimensions of the container, if any single item wouldn't fit inside, this ability does not allow it to. The Load Bearer can prepare a pack for other characters, however, if they remove an item from it, they need the Load Bearer's assistance in repacking it, unless they remove enough material from it to reduce it below the normally allowed volume.

Compact Strength (Ex): At level 4, and again at level 8, the Load Bearer gains one effective size category. This bonus is used only for determining carrying capacity.

Extreme Load (Ex): The Load Bearer gains a new level of load, "extreme." Extreme load ranges from the characters maximum heavy load, up to four time the characters maximum light load. Extreme load is penalized as follows:
Max Dex: +0, Check Penalty: -9, Movement: 5 ft. slower than normal heavy load rate.
In addition, the strain of carrying an extreme load causes 1d6 points of subdual damage per hour, this damage cannot be healed until the load is put down for at least an hour. While damaged in this way, the character is considered fatigued.

Superior Packing (Ex): As Improved Packing except it increases allowed volume to double normal.

Buoyant Load (Ex): As Hydrodynamic Load except penalties are reduced to one quarter normal.

Perfect Packing (Ex): As Improved Packing except it increases allowed volume to triple normal.

Effortless Load (Ex): The penalties for carrying loads are reduced to one load lighter. Extreme counts as heavy, heavy counts as medium, medium counts as light.