WARRIOR-RANGER Class Description: Rangers are protectors of the wilderness and those who travel through it. They are hunters and woodsmen who live not only by their sword but by their quick wits and strength of will, and their unique range of abilities make them particularly good at tracking, woodcraft, and spying. A Ranger boasts the courage and strength of a Warrior combined with the cunning, stealth, and self-reliance of a Rogue as well as a Druid's devotion, magical aptitude, and affinity for the outdoors. By temperament and choice, Rangers are loners, often preferring the company of animals to that of people. Without question, a Ranger is one with nature, sworn to protect the inhabitants of the wilderness and preserve the integrity of the land. Rangers use the Paladin/Ranger advancement table and have eight-sided hit dice, but they also gain an eight-sided hit die at 10th level and they gain two hit points per level after 10th (rather than the usual 3 hit points per level for a Warrior). Most Rangers also gain an additional hit die at 1st level (see Superior Conditioning, under Special Benefits). Rangers use warrior THAC0 and saving throws, though their multiple attack progression is slightly slower than other Warriors (see Special Hindrances). They begin play with 4 weapon and 3 non-weapon proficiency slots and gain one additional slot in each every 3 levels. Rangers must be of good alignment, though they may be lawful, neutral, or chaotic good. Rangers must have scores of at least 13 in Strength and Dexterity and 14 in Wisdom and Constitution. Rangers can be human, half-elven, half-orcish, elven, tiefling, or aasimar. Weapons & Armor: Rangers can wear any armor they wish, though heavy armor will interfere with a Ranger's roguish stealth abilities. Rangers can become proficient in any weapon they wish as they advance in level, but at first level all Rangers must spend their four weapon proficiency slots to learn the use of: a bow or crossbow, a dagger or knife, a spear or axe, and a sword. The Ranger can choose specifically which item from each category he or she wishes to learn, but at least one of each must be selected. Special Benefits: Rangers combine elements of several classes and gain an unusual array of class abilities: Animal Empathy: Rangers are adept at dealing with trained and untamed creatures, having a limited degree of Animal Empathy. If a Ranger carefully approaches or tends to any natural animal (including giant-sized animals), he or she can try to modify the animal's reactions. When dealing with domestic or non-hostile animals, a Ranger can approach an animal and befriend it automatically. He or she can easily discern the qualities of a creature (e.g., spotting the best horse in the corral or seeing that the runt of the litter actually has great promise). When dealing with a wild animal or an animal trained to fight, the animal is entitled to a save vs. rods with a -1 penalty for every three levels of the Ranger (rounding up). If the animal saves, it resists the Ranger's overtures of friendship and behaves normally. If it fails, however, its reaction can be shifted by one step in the direction chosen by the Ranger (note that it is possible to use this ability to make an animal more agitated and prone to attack, though it is usually used to pacify a hostile animal). In order to use Animal Empathy, a Ranger must be at least 10' from any other humanoid creatures and the animal(s) to be affected must be able to see and hear the Ranger. The soothing effects of Animal Empathy begin at once, but the Ranger must continue calmly speaking and gesturing to the animals for 5-10 (1d6+4) rounds, -1 round for every three levels of the Ranger (rounding up, minimum of 1 round) in order to make the reaction adjustment permanent; otherwise, the affected animals will revert to their previous reaction as soon as the Ranger stops soothing them. If any creature take offensive action against an animal while a Ranger is using this ability, the effects of Animal Empathy are immediately and permanently disrupted. If a Ranger has selected an animal type as a Species Enemy, he or she can never influence the reactions of an animal of that type. Unintelligent and highly intelligent animal types cannot be affected; an animal must have intelligence from Animal to Low (1-7) in order to be susceptible to Animal Empathy. Followers: At 10th level, a Ranger begins to attract a body of 2d6 Followers. These may be normal humans or demi-humans, they may be animals native to the Ranger's Primary Terrain, they may be exotic mounts, or virtually anything else. Precisely how these Followers come to seek out the Ranger and offer their services varies, though they will not all suddenly show up together and may not even particularly like one another, but they come to serve the Ranger out of respect for his or her skills and devotion to the protection of the wilderness and travelers therein. The DM will determine the details of the Followers that a Ranger will attract and how and why they come to serve. Missile Mastery: Unlike other Warriors, a Ranger's multiple attacks gained with increased level apply as a multiplier to the rate of fire of any missile weapons in which he or she is proficient. In addition, a Ranger can choose to specialize in any bow or crossbow at a cost of one slot per level of specialization; however, since all slots are filled at 1st level, this cannot be undertaken until a Ranger gains his or her first additional weapon proficiency slot at 3rd level. Rangers are highly skilled in skirmishing situations wherein they must use missiles on the move. Thus, a Ranger can move up to one-half his or her normal rate and still fire his or her full normal amount of missiles, or a Ranger can choose to move at full speed (though not running or charging) and take one-half his or her normal allotment of missile attacks. In either case, a Ranger suffers no penalty for moving and firing in the same round. Finally, Rangers are also exceptionally skilled at dodging missile fire from others, especially using natural terrain to cover and conceal them from missile fire. As a result, a Ranger can attempt a save vs. breath weapon to dodge or deflect any and all missile weapons hurled or fired at him or her. This works best if a Ranger is unarmored and has complete freedom of movement, but it can be attempted regardless of armor worn (shields do not interfere with this). If a Ranger wearing armor attempts to dodge or deflect missiles using Missile Mastery, his or her saving throw is penalized by 1 for every point of AC provided by his or her base AC type (e.g., chain mail and shield, providing AC 4 (5 not counting the shield), would apply a -5 penalty to saves to dodge missiles). The penalty is halved (round up) if the Ranger is wearing magical armor or elven chain (or eliminated entirely if wearing magical elven chain). No save is allowed to dodge or deflect missiles that automatically hit (e.g., magic missile, flame arrow), but other magical missiles can be dodged normally, including magical arrows, daggers, and the like as well as spells such as spiritual hammer and Melf's acid arrow. Pathfinding: Rangers are very skilled at leading others through the wilderness. A Ranger's trail sense reduces the chance of his or her party getting hopelessly lost by 10%. If in his or her Primary Terrain (see below), this reduction is increased to 20%. Rangers are also able to observe subtle changes in terrain, enabling him or her to recognize natural hazards, enabling the Ranger and his or her companions to avoid them. Typical hazards affected by this ability include quicksand, sinkholes, slippery slopes, and thin ice, though not man-made hazards, such as pit traps, deadfalls, snares, or unstable bridges, nor does it provide any special talent for anticipating encounters with hostile animals or other creatures. The chance to recognize such hazards is 10% per level, up to a maximum of 90%, with this roll made by the DM. A Ranger must be at least 10 yards ahead of his or her party in order to use this ability. Rangers' sense for the outdoors also enables them to find the easiest trail through rough terrain, increasing their party's movement rate when traveling overland. Referring to Table 74: Terrain Costs for Overland Movement on page 125 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, terrain costs for clear farmland and plains are unchanged, but terrain movement costs from 2 to 4 are decreased by one and movement costs greater than 5 are decreased by 2. Primary Terrain: Rangers must choose a single type of terrain in which to be especially knowledgeable, being a master of all of the hidden secrets and natural mysteries of that terrain. The majority of Rangers choose Forest as their Primary Terrain, but other possibilities include: Aquatic, Arctic, Desert, Hill, Jungle, Mountain, Plains, or Swamp. A drow elf, half-drow, or half-orc Ranger also has the option of taking Underdark as their primary terrain. While in their Primary Terrain, Rangers gain a +4 bonus to any non-weapon proficiencies involving their environment (e.g., Tracking, Animal Lore, Weather Sense, Direction Sense, Hunting); this bonus also applies when dealing with creatures native to that terrain type if they are found in other terrain. A Ranger gains free proficiency in Survival in his or her Primary Terrain. In addition, a Ranger's stealth is greatly enhanced when in his or her Primary Terrain; his or her Hide in Shadows and Move Silently abilities gain a +20 bonus, and any creature attempting to track the Ranger there does so at only half the normal chance of success. Priestly Powers: As noted, Rangers can select non-weapon proficiencies from the Priest list without penalty. In addition, a Ranger who reaches 8th level or above gains the use of a limited ability to cast priest spells, as noted on the table below. A Ranger may only cast spells from the Animal, Nature, Plant, Travelers, and Weather spheres, though they can also cast any unique spells granted by their particular deity, even if such spells do not fall within their allowed spheres. Note that bonus spells for high Wisdom do not apply for a Ranger. Ranger Casting Priest Spell Levels Level Level 1 2 3 8 1 1 - - 9 2 2 - - 10 3 2 1 - 11 4 2 2 - 12 5 2 2 1 13 6 3 2 1 14 7 3 2 2 15 8 3 3 2 16 9 3 3 3 Rangers do not gain additional spell ability beyond 16th level, nor do they gain the ability to use priest spell scrolls or other magical items limited to priests. Roguish Repertoire: As noted, Rangers can select non-weapon proficiencies from the Rogue list without penalty. In addition, they are both stealthy and very alert, gaining a +1 bonus to surprise others and a +1 bonus to avoid being surprised if in a rural or wilderness setting. This bonus does not apply in an urban or underground setting but is doubled in the Ranger's Primary Terrain, and their bonus to surprise others also does not apply if the Ranger is wearing armor heavier than studded leather or elven chain. In addition to these general abilities, Rangers gain the following thieving abilities: Climb Walls, Detect Noise, Escape Bonds, Hide in Shadows, and Move Silently. These thieving abilities are subject to the normal bonuses and penalties for ability scores, race, and armor worn. A Ranger's Climb Walls, Hide in Shadows, and Move Silently abilities are halved if attempted in an urban, indoor, subterranean, or other non-wilderness setting. At first level, these scores start at the standard base levels with no additions, and each score increases by 5 at each level after first. Rangers never gain more thieving abilities. Species Enemy: In their role as protectors of the wilderness, Rangers must learn how to deal with common threats that reside there. At every level of experience, a Ranger can select a Species Enemy that is native to his or her Primary Terrain (the DM can provide a list of such creatures). When fighting a Species Enemy, the Ranger gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, or Armor Class; this bonus can be shifted from round to round. Note that a Ranger can select the same creature as his or her Species Enemy more than once, and bonuses are cumulative, up to a maximum of +4 (the bonus can be applied in total to attacks, damage, or Armor Class or can be split among them). In addition, when the Ranger is fighting such creatures in his or her Primary Terrain, this bonus applies to attack rolls, damage rolls, and Armor Class. Each Species Enemy must be a specific creature type (e.g., frost giants), rather than a general category of creatures (e.g., giants). However, there is some crossover of benefit in that any related creature allows a Ranger to use half his or her normal Species Enemy bonus (rounding down). Example: A 1st level Ranger selects hill giants as his or her Species Enemy, gaining a +1 bonus against them but gains no bonus against other giants. At a later level, the Ranger again selects hill giants, improving his or her bonus to +2 vs. hill giants, halved to +1 against all giants. It should be noted that a Ranger's obvious displeasure and manifest hatred when dealing with a Species Enemy results in a -4 penalty to reaction rolls with creatures of that type, who may have heard of the Ranger's lethal reputation when battling their kin. Whenever the species enemy is encountered, the Ranger must always attack that creature type in preference to other potential targets. Superior Conditioning: Because of their rigorous training and excellent physical condition, Rangers gain a base movement rate of 15 when afoot. In addition, because of the long hours of highly strenuous wilderness training that a Ranger must endure in training for his or her profession, a Ranger gains two eight-sided hit dice at 1st level, with a Constitution bonus (if any) applied to both die rolls. They also heal naturally at double the normal rate, regaining 1 hit point per day even if not resting and no medical care is available, plus an additional 1d4 points of natural healing for every full week of rest. Because of their Superior Conditioning and indomitable will to survive, a Ranger does not become unconscious upon falling to negative hit points. He or she cannot attack or cast spells but can still move, bind his or her wounds, or seek further healing. A Ranger can remain active at a negative hit point total equal to his or her hit points at 1st level. If a Ranger is dropped below this level, he or she will perish. Tracking: All Rangers gain free Tracking proficiency without the normal -6 penalty. In addition, Rangers gain a +1 bonus to their Tracking score for every three levels of experience (rounding down). In addition to being able to simply locate and follow tracks, a successful proficiency check enables a Ranger to identify the tracks in question and gain additional information about the creature(s) being tracked, depending on the die roll on the Tracking proficiency check: Roll Information Gained 1-2 General type of creature (e.g., dragon, bear) and direction of travel 3-4 Specific type of creature (e.g., black dragon, brown bear) 5-6 Approximate number of creatures 7 Approximate size and/or age of creatures 8 Pace of travel 9 How recently the trail was made 10+ Special conditions of creatures (e.g., wounded or healthy, whether they were mounted) Note that all 'lower-level' information is gained as well; i.e., a roll of 7 will also include information gained for rolls of 1 through 6. In addition, the type of information gained will always be at least equal in value to the Ranger's level; e.g., a 5th level ranger will always learn specific type of creature, direction of travel, and approximate number with a successful Tracking check. Conversely, Rangers are also adept at covering their tracks, and if they move at half their normal speed they can apply a -5 penalty to the Tracking rolls of any pursuers. This ability can be extended to cover the tracks of one companion for every level of the Ranger after 1st. Each creature in the party beyond this number reduces the Tracking penalty by one; hence, a 1st level Ranger traveling with 6 companions would be unable to cover their tracks at all. This ability must be used on all members of a given traveling group or none, save that the Ranger can always cover his or her own tracks. This bonus is cumulative with the bonus gained for the Ranger's Primary Terrain. Special Hindrances: As noted, Rangers are loners. They can never retain henchmen or hirelings of any sort until they reach 8th level, and even then they may attract only half the normal number of followers allowed for their Charisma (rounding down). As they are loners by nature and since they prefer to avoid concentrating in large groups (thereby allowing diffusion of the forces of good to more areas of the boundless wilderness), no more than three Rangers can adventure together at any time. Rangers also recognize the value of being able to move quickly and not being overly burdened down with material possessions. As a result, while a Ranger can retain any amount of treasure in terms of total value, all of a Ranger's possessions (including weapons and armor) must be in an easily portable form, no more than they can carry. Excess treasure (and some portion of all treasure gained, the amount determined by the Ranger) should be donated to any worthy institution chosen by the Ranger. This could be to his or her church, a mass distribution to the peasants of an economically depressed area, or virtually anything else, but it may not be given to another PC or henchman. A Ranger can build or purchase a home or stronghold if desired, but he or she will not automatically attract mercenaries or followers to staff it (other than the followers attracted at 10th level); note that no hirelings can be retained to guard or staff such a place if the Ranger is not at least 8th level. Rangers have restrictions on the weapons that they can learn at 1st level, having to select from a fairly limited list. Since all of their weapon proficiency slots are spent at 1st level, they cannot spend slots on other proficiencies or specialization until they advance in level. As noted for Missile Mastery, a Ranger can specialize in any bow or crossbow at a cost of one slot per level of specialization. A Ranger can also elect to specialize in any other weapon that he or she wishes, but doing so requires him or her to spend two weapon proficiency slots per level of specialization. Thus, a Ranger wishing to become specialized in Dagger or Broadsword, for example, must wait until at least 6th level, when he or she will have gained two proficiency slots beyond those possessed at the start. Also, a Ranger can never specialize in more than one weapon. In addition to these restrictions on learning the use of weapons, a Ranger gains multiple attacks more slowly than other fighters: Level Attacks Per Round 1-7 1/1 8-14 3/2 15+ 2/1 Rangers are not specifically limited in the armor that they may wear, but many of their abilities will not work at full effect if they are wearing heavy armor. Also, given their restriction of owning only as much as they can carry, many Rangers are disinclined toward wearing heavy armor. In addition to these restrictions, Rangers must always retain their good alignment. If a Ranger ever intentionally commits an evil act, he or she will lose his or her Ranger status and become a normal Fighter of the same level (losing any excess experience points); Ranger status can never be regained. If a Ranger involuntarily commits an evil act, or is forced by circumstance to commit an act that results in evil, he or she is unable to earn further experience points until this evil has been cleansed from the Ranger's spirit. This can be accomplished by correcting the wrongs that resulted from his or her action, taking revenge upon the person who forced him or her to commit the act, or releasing those oppressed by the evil so released. A Ranger instinctively knows what he or she must do to regain his or her status. Bonus Proficiencies: Survival (home terrain), Tracking Preferred Proficiencies: Alertness, Awareness, Animal Noise, Bowyer/Fletcher, Camouflage, Cartography, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Gaming, Hunting, Jumping, Looting, Monster Lore, Navigation, Riding (Land-based), Set Snares, Sign Language, Signalling, Survival, Tightrope Walking, Torture, Tracking, Trail Marking, Trail Signs, Trailing, Ventriloquism, Voice Mimicry