RANGER ------ Rangers are a last remnants of a once great civilization which fell long ago. Once, they were the high guardians of peace in the realm, the knights of a bright "Camelot". Now, Rangers live on the borderlands of civilization, their linneage all but forgotten...except by them. They quietly guard settlers on the borderlands from hostile humanoids and the like and are sometimes employed as guides or scouts through dangerous wilderness territory. * HIT POINTS: D6+1 + CON bonus per level. 3pts/level after 9th level. * Attacks and Saves as a Fighter. * Only light armor(leather typically), no shield * Can use any weapon but are most well known for the 2 techno-magic 'death wands' they wear in leather belt holsters around their waist. These 'wands' are made of an unbreakable metal, about 8 inches long, and have handles with carved wooden grips. When employed, they create a terrible sound like thunder and belch forth black smoke from the ends, killing or seriously injuring whatever they are pointed at. Each 'wand' can each shoot 6 times before having to be reloaded(takes 1 round per wand). Each shot does 2D6 damage to all creatures regardless of size. AC(this also includes creatures whose AC is not the result of armor/armored skin) is treated as two full steps worse(see R2 - Weapons and Armor for details) for to-hit rolls. These wands can hit creatures normally only hit by magic weapons. Range is as a shortbow. These weapons can be used during melee, unlike other ranged weapons, and they DO count as melee weapons when attacking 'Normal Men'. Several small cylinders are contained in pouches on the belt. These cylinders hold 6 'force bullets' each. When a wand needs to be reloaded, a fresh cylinder is taken from the belt and exchanged for the empty cylinder in the wand. The cylinders naturally recharge within 1 turn if placed back in one of the belt pouches. If an empty cylinder is not replaced in the belt within 3 turns, it will take an entire day to recharge once it is finally placed in the belt pouch. A belt will contain 2D6 cylinders. Rangers will typically be armed with 2 six-guns(at 4th level), hand axe, dagger, short sword, and composite shortbow(if below 4th level). * Can fight Florentine-style with small weapons - hand axes, daggers, and the like. * +1 to hit with missile weapons, treat long range as medium, Rangers can shoot on the run. Rangers are skilled bowyers and fletchers. * At 4th level Rangers are able to construct their twin sixguns and the ammunition, and recharging belt pouches for them, the making of which being a secret that Rangers are willing to die for. This construction typically will take several weeks of time. Rangers also gain a +4 to Saving Throws vs Fear spells/effects. * At 6th level a Ranger can sense invisible/out of phase creatures nearby and can fight effectively when blindfolded or in the dark. * At 8th level Rangers are immune to magical fear effects. They also get 2 attacks/round, so can fire both sixguns each round. * At 9th level, the Ranger may take an apprentice to train. * At 13th level, the Ranger adds a D6 to each damage roll. * Languages: Begin with Common, Elven, Ent, Hobgoblin, Ork, Gnoll, and Giant. * Rangers learn to mimic the sounds of animals they have a familiarity with. They also gain a +4 to Animal Reaction rolls. * Animal Handling: Rangers are experts at riding and at training mounts of any type. They can also train most any other animal which can be trained - wolves, bears, wildcats, birds, foxes, raccoons, ferrets, lizards, elephants, etc. With any mount, the Ranger will have a telempathic bond(while both are on the same plane) and the creature will be utterly loyal while in the service of the Ranger. * Rangers are skilled in Wilderness Survival, Herbalism, and Animal Lore of animals common to their environment. They also learn the spoor and habits of unusual animals and monsters(see table below). * Direction Sense: +2 to rolls to avoid becoming lost. * Hear noise on a 1(D6), 1-2 at lvl 7. * A Ranger moves through difficult terrain(on foot) as if it were one class better. * Passive ability to Detect Pits and Snares(2 in 6 chance). And only 1 in 6 chance to spring pit traps and snares when passing over them (instead of the usual 1-2). * Rangers have a 1-5(D6) chance to detect areas of high radiation before getting close enough to be affected. * A Ranger is surprised on a 1(D6) and surprises on a roll of 1-3 when moving normally. Outdoors a ranger can usually only be surprised by another ranger, barbarian, druid, or elf. * Rangers are difficult to track outdoors. Only a ranger, elf, druid, or barbarian can do so. There is a 1 in 6 chance with +1 for every 3 levels the tracker has above the Ranger he is tracking. * Rangers move about a lot and travel light. As such they do not build strongholds/castles, or retain bodies of men at arms, though they can have a stable dwelling. In addition to personal weapons and armor, a ranger will only keep enough treasure to pay for modest expenses, the rest being given to the needy or another worthy cause. Ranger Skills Which Increase With Level ---------------------------------------- At level 1 = 1-2(D6) level 7 = 1-4 level 13 = 1-11(D12) level 4 = 1-3 level 10 = 1-5 * Tracking over difficult terrain/under adverse conditions/indoors * Hide outdoors in natural surroundings/in "plain sight" * Hunter's Step: No chance of being heard if this roll succeeds. If the roll is failed, make a Hear Noise check for any creatures in the area to see if the ranger was heard. * Animal Lore (identify tracks and know behaviors/habits of UNcommon or RARE animals and monsters)