WARRIOR-RANGER KIT

Mariner

Description:  Though most Rangers live and work on land, the Mariner makes his 
or her home at sea.  Whether sailing the ocean in a mighty galleon or riding a 
river's currents in a handmade raft, the Mariner finds the world's waters an 
endless source of wonder.  A sailor and adventurer, the Mariner has an extensive 
understanding of weather patterns at sea and the behavior or marine animals, 
specializing in combat both on and under the water.  A Mariner's domain 
encompasses all types of Aquatic environments, including oceans, lakes, ponds, 
and rivers, as well as coastlines, beaches, and small islands.  Though they 
prefer to remain at or near the sea, Mariners will occasionally find themselves 
drawn inland for extended period.  It is in aquatic settings, however, that 
Mariners are most at home, guarding the sea lanes and preserving the natural 
beauty and integrity of the waters that give life to all.

Mariners share the usual racial restrictions of Rangers, save that of all elves 
only moon elves will become Mariners, and in addition some tieflings are known 
to take on this role.  In addition to standard Ranger ability score 
requirements, Mariners must have a minimum Intelligence score of 12.

Weapons & Armor:  Mariners will wear only leather armor, if they wear any armor 
at all.  They may use shields.  At 1st level, a Mariner must become proficient 
in:  a crossbow or firearm, a knife (any), a polearm (awl pike, military fork) 
or spear (any), and one of the following nautical weapons:  chain, club 
(belaying pin), dart, gaff/hook, net, or sword (cutlass).

Special Benefits:  Mariners gain an array of abilities and variations of 
standard Ranger abilities, most of which deal with the sea and the creatures 
that dwell therein.

Animal Empathy:  As a standard Ranger, but a Mariner can affect only aquatic 
creatures.  In addition, a Mariner can influence the reactions of any aquatic or 
amphibious creature, whether native to fresh or salt water (including swamps and 
marshes of all types), even magical or unnatural creatures and intelligent 
aquatic races.

Once per week, a Mariner can use his or her Animal Empathy with sea creatures to 
call a parliament of fishes by spending one turn in silent meditation near or 
within a body of water that contains fish or other aquatic creatures.  at the 
end of this time, the Mariner must roll his or her level or below on 1d20 in 
order for the call to be heard.  If the roll is successful, then for every level 
of experience of the Mariner he or she will attract either 1d10 normal-size 
fish, crustaceans, amphibians or similar aquatic creatures or else one hit die 
per level of larger aquatic creatures (of any type native to the body of water, 
from mermen and lizard men to giant squid, whales, dragon turtles, or black or 
bronze dragons).  There is a 50% chance of either.

Once the aquatic creatures appear, the Mariner may make a single request of 
them, offering in return something of value to the Mariner.  A reaction roll 
should be made (the Mariner may use his or her animal empathy power to influence 
this), with a positive or negative modifier of up to 2 if the offering is 
something of significant value or is relatively worthless.  If the reaction 
result is Friendly, the creatures called will perform the requested service for 
the Mariner to the best of their ability.  If the reaction is Indifferent, they 
will consider the request but will indicate that an additional offering is 
needed.  If the reaction is Cautious or worse, the request by the Mariner will 
be refused and the summoned creatures will depart.

Followers:  As a standard Ranger, though all followers will be drawn from an 
Aquatic environment.  Elven and half-elven followers are 80% likely to be of 
aquatic elf ancestry.

Missile Mastery:  As a standard Ranger, but a Mariner can select proficiency in 
a crossbow, firearm, or a knife (any type that can be hurled) at normal cost, 
but not a bow.  In addition, a Mariner attempting to dodge or deflect missiles 
when not on board ship or in an aquatic environment suffers a -4 penalty to his 
or her saving throw.

Priestly Powers:  As a standard Ranger, but Mariners also gain access to the 
Elemental (Water) sphere.  However, a Mariner's spells from other spheres (save 
for Weather) function only in aquatic environments (including swamps and 
marshes) or with respect to aquatic or amphibious creatures or boats and ships.

Roguish Repertoire:  As a standard Ranger, save that they do not gain the Hide 
in Shadows skill at all and their Climb Walls and Move Silently thieving 
abilities are halved in effectiveness if used anywhere other than on board a 
ship or in an aquatic environment.

Sea Legs:  Mariners have a fine sense of balance, developed from years of 
working on pitching decks and shimmying up masts and yardarms.  Under normal 
circumstances, the Mariner will never slip or fall when negotiating narrow, 
unsteady, or precarious footing.  If forced to make a Dexterity check or saving 
throw to maintain his or her balance, the Mariner gains a +2 bonus.  This allows 
them to keep their bearings even on the wildly pitching deck of a ship in stormy 
seas.  In fact, Mariners never suffer a penalty to initiative when fighting in 
aquatic or waterborne settings, though this does not allow them to use non-
thrusting weapons effectively underwater.  When fighting aboard a ship or in 
aquatic settings against foes who are not themselves aquatic creatures or 
skilled maritime combatants, they gain a -2 initiative bonus and a +1 bonus to 
hit and on Armor Class.

Sea Sense:  Because of their knowledge of and intuition about prevailing winds, 
currents, and other general aquatic conditions, Mariners can improve the overall 
speed of a vessel they are sailing by 5% per level of experience (maximum of 
50%).  This affects only large-scale movement (i.e., daily movement allowance) 
and does not directly affect small-scale (i.e., combat) movement.  Mariners also 
have the unique ability to track waterborne craft and aquatic creatures.  This 
is not so much a reading of physical signs as an intuitive deduction of the 
probable course and destination of the quarry, allowing the Mariner to use the 
standard Tracking proficiency check rules (with a +1 bonus for every three 
levels of the Mariner, rounding down) in an aquatic setting.  Mariners also gain 
a +1 bonus to their Weather Sense, Seamanship, and Navigation proficiencies for 
every three levels of experience when on board ship; these bonuses do not apply 
on land.

Mariners can also sense the presence of land (including islands and reefs that 
break the surface of the water), including direction and distance, within 10 
miles per level of experience.  If the Mariner has ever been to that land 
before, he or she has a 10% chance per level of identifying the land mass 
precisely.

In addition to the above, Mariners are intimately familiar with the infinite 
variety of the denizens of the deep and gain the benefit of the Animal Lore and 
Monster Lore proficiencies automatically, but only where aquatic and amphibious 
creatures are concerned.  They have similar expertise at identifying ships and 
their flags, in essence gaining the Heraldry proficiency with respect to aquatic 
and shipborne creatures.

Species Enemy:  As a standard Ranger, but a Mariner can select sailors or 
pirates from particular nations or cultures or any aquatic or amphibious 
creature as a Species Enemy.

Superior Conditioning:  As a standard Ranger.

Water Skill:  Mariners are exceptionally skilled at virtually all seaborne 
tasks.  Due to rigorous training and a natural affinity for the water, Mariners 
are able to swim 50% faster than normal for a character with the Swimming 
proficiency, and they can also hold their breath 50% longer than normal.  A 
Mariner who falls into the water while heavily encumbered can always (unless 
unconscious, held, or otherwise restrained) get free of such encumbrance without 
danger of drowning.  Mariners can also swim (or paddle small craft) in almost 
perfect silence (treat as a Move Silently skill roll at double the normal chance 
of success), applying a -2 penalty to surprise rolls versus other creatures in 
waterborne situations.

Special Hindrances:  Mariners live, breathe, and love the sea, and their studies 
are focused toward improving their abilities to manage and master the perils of 
the deep.  As a result, they spend little time on some of the skills that are 
traditionally associated with land-dwelling Rangers, such as Tracking and 
Pathfinding.  In addition, though they have a great deal of skill in operating 
in aquatic environments they do not gain the benefit of a Primary Terrain as 
such.  In addition to the complete loss of these abilities, many of a Mariner's 
typical Ranger abilities are modified somewhat or adapted to their predilection 
for the sea.

Mariners must come from a Maritime background, though they may combine this with 
Urban or Wilderness if desired.  It should be noted that land-dwelling NPCs tend 
to regard all sailors as rather unsavory characters, and a Mariner will suffer a 
-2 reaction penalty when dealing with such NPCs, who can easily spot the Mariner 
as a man of the sea unless he or she is magically disguised.  Mariners also have 
a very strong emotional attachment to the sea.  If he or she must remain away 
from large bodies of water for more days than he or she has points of Wisdom, he 
or she will suffer a -2 penalty to morale (if an NPC), saves vs. mind-affecting 
attacks, and ability checks and will suffer -1 on rolls to hit in combat.

Bonus Proficiencies:  Seamanship, Swimming
Required Proficiencies:  Navigation, Weather Sense
Preferred Proficiencies:  Artillerist (naval), Boat Building, Boating, 
Carpentry, Cartography, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Endurance, Engineer-
Shipwright, Excellent Vision, Fishing, Jumping, Navigation, Riding (Sea-based), 
Rope Use, Seamstress/Tailor, Signaling, Survival (ocean surface), Tightrope 
Walking, Tumbling
Forbidden Proficiencies:  all Rural and Subterranean proficiencies