Ranger
Jump to: Description, Skills, Spells, Terrain, Expertise.
Outdoorsmen, hunters, masters of woodcraft, rangers are the guardians of the wild. In addition to having excellent fighting skills, many are also wielders of some powerful magic. Some rangers have been known to imitate the ferociousness of beasts, fashion mystical staves, and be able to camouflage beyond detection. Their ability to ambush opponents makes them deadly foes. Rumors say they most commonly practice in the forest west of Galadon, north of Arkham, south of Tir-Talath, and in the Emerald Forest.
While rangers most commonly roam the forests and woodlands, rangers thrive in a variety of environments, both harsh and mild. The forests, plains, marshes, deserts, mountains, caves, and seas are all the domain of the ranger, although each calls one home above all the rest.
Rangers also boast a variety of expertise; rugged survivalist, the well- traveled explorer, the cunning hunter, the fierce savage, the wild beastmaster, and the mystical animist.
The prime stat of a Ranger is Strength though humans and half-breeds can choose their prime stat, and some of their abilities are: Fashion Staff, Ambush, Camouflage, Herbs, Bark Skin, Butcher, and Creep.
Rangers generally become more comfortable with their skills as they spend more and more time within the wilderness, away from cities.
Cloud Giants, Humans, Elves, Wood-Elves, Half-Elves, Half-Drows, Frost Giants, Centaurs, Felar, and Saurians make versatile rangers. Storm Giants, Fire Giants, Dark-Elves, Arials, Gnomes, and Svirfneblin can also become rangers with certain restrictions.
See also: EXPERTISE HOMETERRAIN PLAINSRUNNER MARSHDWELLER FORESTER BEDOUIN CAVERNDWELLER MARINER MOUNTAINEER SURVIVALIST SAVAGE BEASTMASTER HUNTER ANIMIST EXPLORER
Skills Top
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Note: Skills gained only by rangers of a certain home terrain or expertise are noted as such.
Spells Top
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Note: Spells gained only by rangers of a certain home terrain or expertise are noted as such.
Terrain Top
The Theran landscape is not strictly limited to forests and woodlands. The land varies in mood and climate as diverse as its inhabitants. Similarly, rangers are not merely coarse woodsmen, but also encompass endurant plainsmen, rugged mountaineers, and dusty bedouins, among others.
Rangers are still generally well-traveled, and their crafty wilderness skills are not limited to their home terrain, but when on familiar territory, their resourcefulness is highly enhanced.
Not all races will feel at home in all terrains. The following chart illustrates which terrain rangers of a given race can select.
| Forest | Plains | Mountain | Mariner (Water) |
Bedouin (Desert) |
Marsh (Swamp) |
Cavern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Half-Elf | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Half-Drow | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Elf | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Dark-Elf | X | X | |||||
| Wood-Elf | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Storm | X | ||||||
| Cloud | X | X | X | ||||
| Fire | X | X | |||||
| Arial | X | X | X | ||||
| Felar | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Gnome | X | X | |||||
| Svirfnebli | X | X | |||||
| Frost | X | X | X | ||||
| Centaur | X | X | X | X | |||
| Saurian | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Forester
What the forester lacks in novelty, he more than makes up for in stability. Forests and woodlands blanket the Theran landscape in expanses far greater than any other terrain. While a forester lacks the unique abilities learned by rangers who hail from exotic locations, he also is capable of surviving and thriving admist the trees in a way no other ranger can.
A forester, it is said, is a true traditionalist in ranger lore. A forester who also has an expertise in survivalism can operate entirely as rangers have for generations before the emergence of the many specialists now known to roam the Theran wilds.
Plainsrunner
Striding along the grasslands, meadows, fields, and hills of Thera are the ever-endurant plainsrunners. Hailing from either tribes of wild bushmen, or small agricultural communities, these rangers appreciate the majesty of a landscape others might dismiss as bland.
While plainsrunners sometimes feel slightly amiss in dense or harsh environments, the skills they have gained from a lifetime of thriving in wide open space should not be underestimated. Accustomed to running long distances, these rangers rarely suffer from exhaustion, and are extremely quick to recover when they do. The herbs they can locate in their home territory are quite potent, and can be located more frequently than those in less fertile terrains. It is also rumored that the longstriding plainsrunner is excellent at charging attacks.
Plainsrunners lose the following abilties: snare.
Plainsrunners gain the following abilties: bramble pit, pursuit, plainsrunner.
Bedouin
Nomadic tribes of the desert hinge their very survival on knowledge of the land. Thus it is no wonder that the bedouins that emerged from the arid regions are so frequently identified as rangers.
A bedouin will find areas of dense foliage slightly bewildering, and lacks knowledge of certain abilities that require a familiarity with excessive foliage or natural features. They do naturally thrive in hot and dry environments, performing feats in a barren landscape that other rangers find impossible. A bedouin can endure sweltering heats that would exhaust one from a cooler environment, and being accustomed to wandering through sandstorms, blinding dirt and dusts will rarely harm their squinting, furrowed gaze.
Bedouin lose the following abilities: bearcharge, snare, charge, entangle.
Bedouin gain the following abilties: whirling simoon, sandswirl, stash, endure heat, dervish dance.
Mountaineer
High on the rugged mountaintops and across the expanses of Theran's frigid tundra exist a breed of ranger hailed to be the most rugged of all. The mountaineers thrive in cold climates and on rugged land, learned in the secrets of these environments.
While a mountaineer finds himself less comfortable in areas of warmth or dense foliage, his enemies shudder to face him on his own turf. These rangers stride effortlessly along inclines steep enough to make others collapse in exhaustion, and brush off freezing attacks with ease. They locate herbs in these climates that are overlooked by others as common scrub, and his imbued weapons are said to carry the spirit of arctic fury within. Rumors are whispered of warcries so mighty, that rockslides are triggered from the mountaintops, and mountainmen can gain impressive momentum when they emulate the mighty kodiaks of the north.
Mountaineers lose the following abilities: scrolls, protection heat cold, bark skin, backrake.
Mountaineers gain the following abilties: endure cold, boreal wind, sure footing.
Caverndweller
The caverndweller is perhaps the most isolated of rangers, lurking in the subterranean depths. While legends speak of the underground world looming larger than all other landscapes combined, few who dwell there make their way to the surface.
What caverndwelling rangers lack in versatility, they more than make up for in lethal cunning, especially when encountered in caverns, darkness, or cramped and enclosed spaces. Their ambushes are lethally alarming in caverns as they dive from the ceiling, crippling their foes. Accustomed to a world of darkness, they can see exceedingly well in the dark. Even blindness rarely slows these rangers when they are in their element, as they are rumored to 'see' by sound in the manner of bats when surrounded by walls on all sides.
Caverndwellers lose the following abilities: call lightning, control weather, entangle.
Caverndwellers gain the following abilties: cavernfall, deafening howl, rebounding strike, shadowstride, smokescreen, sure footing.
Marshdweller
Hailing from the moors, wetlands, jungles, and everglades, the marshdweller knows well the perils and secrets within a dense and sodden landscape. From the savage yuan-ti hunters of Mal'trakis to the saurians of Ysigrath, the ancient methods of the swamplurker have slowly found their way to the more well- traveled races of Thera.
While a marshdweller finds himself a bit out of his element when traversing dry or barren land, he thrives in jungles and swamps, as well as any land saturated with heavy precipitation. They lurk and creep through their home terrain with ease, and are resourceful in the use of mud and toxins native there.
Marshdwellers lose the following abilities: scrolls, charge, bearcharge, find water.
Marshdwellers gain the following abilties: swarm of leeches, bloodletting, draw breath, pursuit, scourge of mosquitoes, swampmire.
Mariner
Only the strong and cunning can survive the hoary seas and the unpredictable waterways of Thera. From master harpooners to mysterious island natives, the mariner is a force to be reckoned with when encountered where the tides ebb and flow.
While mariners sometimes have a hard time getting their landlegs and find particular discomfort in dense inland landscapes, they brush off deluges of water that would leave others gasping for breath. They are adept at camouflaging themselves well enough to creep along with drifting flotsam, and are supremely strong swimmers, finding boats unnecessary for water travel. They can also locate useful herbs at sea, and instead of spears, fashion impressive harpoons, with which they are quite skilled.
Mariners lose the following abilities: charge, snare, pathfinding.
Mariners gain the following abilties: netcasting, navigation, harpoon, stormcalling, draw breath.
Expertise Top
The ranger is more than simply a wilderness warrior. Cunning and resourceful, rangers are those who have learned the provincial yet age-old techniques that have kept the people alive in harsh environments for ages. These techniques are not universal, however, and many have been honed in small village or tribal communities far isolated from each other.
Too numerous are these skills for one ranger to learn them all, but rather, every ranger has a select expertise as part of his background and training, though certain races are not suited for some as depicted in the following chart.
| Savage | Hunter | Animist | Beastmaster | Explorer | Survivalist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Half-Elf | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Half-Drow | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Elf | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Dark-Elf | X | X | X | |||
| Wood-Elf | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Storm | X | X | ||||
| Cloud | X | X | X | X | ||
| Fire | X | X | X | |||
| Arial | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Felar | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Gnome | X | X | X | |||
| Svirfnebli | X | X | ||||
| Frost | X | X | X | X | ||
| Centaur | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Saurian | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Animist
While rangers are most frequently known as wilderness warriors, there are a select few that focus on nature magic. Known as animists, these rangers are distinct from druids in that the mystical feats they perform are not communed from the spheres but rather cast from the fringes of the terrestrial realm itself. The belief held by all rangers that spirits inhabit all of nature is taken to an extreme by the animist, who calls upon these spirits to work a witchery that is both respected and feared by those who confront him.
With their focus upon magic, animists sacrifice much of the combative abilites learned by other rangers. Being very attuned to life forces, they are adept in meditation techniques, and sensitive to any spiritual energy that is present in the wilderness.
Animism is folk magic developed collectively by the traditions of empaths, vivimancers, spiritualists, and druids. As such, evil individuals are unable to practice animism, as the nature spirits are too often unwilling to come to the aid of one with selfishly destructive tendancies.
Animists lose the following abilities: backrake, bearcharge, third attack, shield cleave, charge, serpent strike.
Animists gain the following abilties: animism, call messenger, gust of wind, primordial vengeance, speak with spirits, spirit allies, spirit guardian, spirit howl, symbiosis, trance, zephyr, cloud of wasps, ancestral spirit.
Beastmaster
It is said that some feel closer to animals than to their sentient bipedal brethren. Legends of wildmen raised by beasts or those who keep fierce animal companions have proven to be true, with some of these individuals emerging into the ranger guild as beastmasters.
Beastmasters are a fierce lot, possessing a more feral spirit than any of their other ranger counterparts. With minds too wild for scholarly study, they are less proficient than other rangers with nature magic, and are often even illiterate. They are, however, exceedingly capable when it comes to the control and emulation of beasts of all kinds.
Beastmasters lose the following abilities: scrolls, haggle, pen, control weather, call lightning.
Beastmasters gain the following abilties: bear kinship, predators stance, serpent kinship, cloud of wasps, wolf kinship.
Explorer
The most civilized expertise in the guild of rangers is quite possibly the expertise of the explorer. These rangers are focused on learning skills that allow them to survive long journeys and quests, both through the wilderness as well as in dungeons and ruins, and even allowing for time spent in civilization.
Sacrificing some of their more 'wild' and mystical abilities, the explorer instead possesses skills that allows him to be the most well-traveled and diverse of rangers. Though still most proficient on home turf, the explorer is able to thrive in a variety of environments in a way other rangers can't.
Explorers lose the following abilities: backrake, call lightning, control weather.
Explorers gain the following abilties: avoidance, resilience, scatter, tend wounds, wanderlust, watchful eye.
Hunter
While many envision the archtypal ranger as wielding bow and arrow, in truth this is rarely the case. While tribal hunters use ranged techniques to take down prey, few are able to modify these skills to be practical in a life of adventure.
The hunters of the guild of rangers, however, have learned to do just that. While sacrificing much of their knowledge of melee combat and magic, they invest their time in the study of ranged attacks. Fixating on the use of the bow and arrow, they are able to deliver an array of devastating attacks from a distance, and are fully learned in methods in the observation and stalking of prey. Hunters can use their skills of observation to land particularly stinging blows with their serpentstrikes, often causing nasty affects on their foes.
Hunters lose the following abilities: axe, shield cleave, dual wield, backrake, entangle.
Hunters gain the following abilties: fashion bow, aerial shot, aimed shot, archery, bait, flaming arrow, observe, poison arrow, precision, rapid shot, stalker of the wilds, timed attack.
Savage
Savages are incredibly self-reliant warriors of the wild. These barbarians attack with incredible ferocity, striking enemies with abandon even while wearing little more than a loincloth.
These savage intents do come at the price of defensive capabilities and finesse, and the savage mind has difficulty grasping much in the way of magic. These rangers also fight best when wearing little or nothing at all, the freedom and sight of the naked savage enough to make almost any enemy fumble in disbelief when confronted. The more ferocious Savages favor natural materials and shun metal clothing and weaponry. Savages are highly proficient at almost all of the traditional ranger's offensive skills, and can scream out particularly effective warcries.
Savages lose the following abilities: scrolls, meditation, shield block, barkskin, control weather.
Savage gain the following abilities: brutal rush, mace, protection from metals, improvise weapon, savage blow, staunch, smear mud, warpaint.
Survivalist
What the survivalist lacks in novelty, he more than makes up for in stability. Survivalists have a broad expertise that extends to a wide breadth of abilities, including substantial offensive abilities, defensive abilities, and nature magic.
The survivalist, it is said, is a true traditionalist in ranger lore. A survivalist who also hails from the forests can operate entirely as rangers have for generations before the emergence of the many specialists now known to roam the Theran wilds.
Survivalists do not lose any base ranger abilities.
Survivalists do not gain any additional abilities.