THE RANGER

Rangers are a sub-class of fighter who are adept at woodcraft, tracking, scouting, and infiltration and spying. 

All rangers must be of Good alignment, although they can be Lawful, Chaotic, or Neutral otherwise. 

A ranger must have Strength of not less than 13, Intelligence of not less than 13, Wisdom of not less than 14, and a 14 or greater Constitution. 

If the ranger has ability scores of greater than 15 in Strength, Intelligence and Wisdom, he or she gains the benefit of adding 10% to experience points awarded by the referee.

Unlike other fighter-types, rangers have eight-sided hit dice (d8) but at first level they get two, rather than but one, hit dice. It should also be noted that rangers get 11 hit dice rather than the 9 of other fighter-types.

• Prime Requisite. Strength, Intelligence and Wisdom (16+ adds a 10% experience bonus)

• Minimum Ability Scores.  Strength (13), Intelligence (13), Wisdom (14), Constitution (14)

• Hit Dice. d8 (starting with 2d8); Maximum 11d8 (10th)

• Alignment. Any Good alignment

• Player Character Races. Human (U), Half-elf (base 6th)

• Armor. Any

• Shield. Any

• Initial Weapon Proficiencies. 3

• Non-proficiency Penalty. -2

• Added Weapon Proficiencies. 1 per 3 levels above the 1st (4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th, etc.)

• Weapons Allowed. Any

• Use of Poison. ? (per DM)

MULTIPLE MELEE ATTACKS PER ROUND

[See the Fighter.]

RANGER ABILITIES

In addition to considerable prowess as fighters, rangers have druidic and magical spell capabilities when they attain high level; thus, they are very formidable opponents, for they have other abilities and benefits as well:

1. When fighting humanoid-type creatures of the “giant class”, listed hereafter, rangers add 1 hit point for each level of experience they have attained to the points of damage scored when they hit in melee combat. 

   • Giant class creatures are: Bugbears, Ettins, Giants, Gnolls, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Kobolds, Ogres, Ogre Magi, Orcs, and Trolls. 

   • Example. A 5th level ranger hits a bugbear in melee combat, and the damage done to the opponent will be according to the ranger’s weapon type, modified by Strength, and +5 (for his or her experience level) because the opponent is a bugbear—a “giant class” humanoid.

2. Rangers surprise (q.v.) opponents 50% of the time (d6, score 1 through 3) and are themselves surprised only 16⅔% of the time (d6, score 1).

3. Tracking is possible both outdoors and underground in dungeons and like settings. [See Tracking, below.]

4. At 8th level, rangers gain limited druidic spell ability, and additional spells are added through 17th level.

5. At 9th level rangers gain limited magic-user spell ability, as with druidic spell ability. Rangers cannot read druid or magic-user spells from magic scrolls in any event.

6. At 10th level (Ranger Lord), rangers are able to employ all non-written magic items which pertain to clairaudience, clairvoyance, ESP, and telepathy.

TRACKING

Tracking is principally used in outdoor situations, although there are conditions underground ("indoors") which will enable a ranger to track a creature.

OUTDOOR TRACKING

The base chance to successfully track outdoors is 10% per level of the ranger, plus an additional 10% — for example, 20% for a 1st-level ranger or 70% for a 6th-level ranger. The base chance can rise as high as 110% (for a ranger of 10th level or higher), but can never exceed that figure. Note that, even in such a case, the adjusted chance can drop below 100% if negative modifiers are taken into account. An adjusted chance of greater than 100% is treated as 100%; that is, the trail can be followed for as long as the current conditions (terrain, number of creatures being tracked, etc.) apply.

If intelligent efforts are made to hide the trail, consider the terrain modifier to be of the next lower category (e.g., down from +20% to +10%). If the terrain modifier was already of the -50% category, then tracking is impossible.

INDOOR TRACKING

Base chance is the same as that for outdoor tracking.

If intelligent efforts are made to hide the trail, including passing through a secret door, consider the surface condition modifier to be of the next lower category. If the surface condition modifier was already of the -50% category, then tracking is impossible.

Special Note. Tracking indoors is impossible if the ranger desiring to do so has never observed some distinguishing feature about the tracks of the creature to be tracked, or if the ranger does not observe the quarry making the trail and then follow the tracks within a reasonable period of time (typically 10-30 minutes) thereafter. In all cases, the DM must use common sense as to whether or not it will be possible to follow a creature by tracking. For instance, creatures which leave obvious trails can almost always be tracked — worms, slimes, jellies, and the like are obvious examples of this. Conversely, creatures which do not normally leave any sign of passage are almost always impossible to track — flying creatures, ghosts, wraiths, and spiders, for example. However, since tracking is a combination of visual, audial, and olfactory abilities, tracking might sometimes be possible by unusual means — the disturbance of things left by a flying creature's passage, the sound of its passage, the trail of odor left, and so forth.

LIGHT CONDITIONS AFFECTING TRACKING

All tracking is assumed to be done under conditions of good illumination — daylight or the equivalent (a continual light spell, for instance). The movement rate of a ranger while tracking is somewhat slowed even under optimum conditions; in even poorer conditions (of light, or of the quality of the trail, or both), the ranger's movement rate may be reduced drastically.

IDENTIFICATION OF TRACKS

Whether tracking outdoors or indoors (underground), a ranger may be able to identify what sort of creature(s) made a trail, what direction the quarry was going in, how many creatures were in the group being tracked, and how fast they were travel-ing. When the trail is outdoors, the ranger may also be able to determine the approximate time of passage — that is, how much time has elapsed since the tracks were made.

Identification of tracks can only occur if the attempt to track is successful. The chance for successful identification is the same as for tracking, with a second dice roll required to determine success. Identification abilities gained by level are cumulative; ie., a 4th-level ranger has the abilities of a 3rd-level ranger, in addition to the skills gained at 4th level. For the purpose of this determination "woodland creatures" are those which are able to be encountered in faerie or sylvan settings or wilderness forests, as per the encounter tables [...].

FOLLOWERS OR CREATURES

Also at 10th level, each ranger attracts a body of 2-24 followers. Note that these henchmen once lost, can never be replaced, although mercenaries can be hired, of course. 

1. Roll 2d12 to find the number of followers (or creatures attracted to service).

• • When the number is generated, adjust the following percentile dice rolls as follows:

2. When the number of rolls the ranger player character is entitled to is discovered, and the adjustment necessary noted, determine the followers/creatures using the tables below. All scores over 70 are special, and the ranger is able to attract one follower/creature group only from each category, as noted.

• • Add all creatures of any sort to find total followers, demi-humans included.

• • If any addition or subtraction falls within a category no longer permissible, or if a subtraction results in a score under 01, roll again.

RANGER STRICTURES

The following restrictions and strictures apply to rangers:

1. Any change to non-Good alignment immediately strips the ranger of all benefits, and the character becomes a fighter, with eight-sided hit dice, ever after, and can never regain ranger status.

2. Rangers may not hire men-at-arms, servants, aides, or henchmen until they attain 8th or higher level.

3. No more than three rangers may ever operate together at any time.

4. Rangers may own only those goods and treasure which they can carry on their person and/or place upon their mount; all excess must be donated to a worthy communal or institutional cause (but never to another player character).

Although rangers do not attract a body of mercenaries to serve them—when, and if, rangers construct strongholds, they conform to the fighter class in other respects.