OSR Ranger for Crown & Valor

The OSR Ranger is not Aragorn, but neither is he not-Aragorn. I picture him more like an 18th and 19th (and 20th) century mountain man on the American frontier: self-sufficient and beset by wanderlust. 

The chassis of the class is the Hobbit class. You can see it with the hide and sneak abilities and with the ranged attack bonus. 

As a nod to the 1e Ranger, this ranger gets two hit dice at level 1. He then matches the fighting-man into Name levels, and caps out on hit dice a little sooner. 

On that I added the animal empathy and some ad hoc magic. I’m really not sure about the magic, and I’m not sure if I will ever have enough playtest experience to know whether it’s good, too strong, too weak, or off brand. Share your opinions and suggestions in the comments or via email. 

Here’s the .doc file

The Ranger

Rangers are rustics and wild men who live at the border of the Realms of Men. They are self-sufficient, and live off the fat of the land. Some prefer the forest, some the mountains, and some the desert, but the Ranger never prefers the city or the mythic Underworld. 

Oftentimes, the Ranger follows the druidic faith because of his reverence for this good earth beneath his feet and for the animals and plants which dwell upon it. 

Rangers crave solitude. Their brothers are the animals. The forest is their cathedral. Their hymns are the wind.  They are naturally suited to adventure due to their self-reliance and comfort in the Wilderlands. Sometimes, they will find a home as a scout or spy for an army or befriend some Elves.

Rangers rely on their physical, mental, and spiritual fortitude and on their wits. A character must have at least a score of 13 in both Wisdom and Constitution in order to be a Ranger. A character with a 16 or more in either score gets +20% to his XP. 

The Ranger’s Class Abilities: 

Arms & Armor: A Ranger may wear any nonmetal armor and carry a nonmetal shield. He may use the following weapons: Any sword except for those particular magic swords reserved for the fighting-man, any axe, any curved bow, dagger, oil, sling, staff and spear.

Attack and Save: The Ranger uses the same attack progression and Save tables as the fighting-man.

Keening Skill: Rangers are adept at ranged attacks. They get +1 to hit with any such attack. 

Hiding and Sneaking: Rangers are adept at camouflage and stealth. They gain a +1 to any sneaking attempt on a d6. They hide in plain sight outdoors on a 1-5 on d6 and indoors on a 1-3 on d6. Magical light, such as a Magic-User’s Light spell, will spoil these hiding attempts.

Ambush: In cloistered wood, swamp, or other suitable virgin environs, rangers can be nearly invisible and can move almost silently, surprising a known enemy on a 1-3 on d6. If he is with rangers and elves only, the ambush fgoes off on a 1-4. In a similar space, any party with a ranger will only br surprised on a 1 on d6 insead of the normal 1-2.

Swift Overland Travel: a ranger in leather armor or lighter  receives an additional movement point per day. 

Tracking: A ranger can throw a Wisdom check on d20 to track prey. A rull must be made each day, It is modified by conditions, time passed, and number of the prey.

Animal Friendship: When a ranger is first created, choose a terrain type. The ranger gets a +2 to reaction rolls with animals native to that terrain type and a +1 to reactions to unnatural animals (but not man types, giants etc.)

Forge Lore: Starting at level 5, the ranger can produce curative potions of a similar kind as the cleric, but as a cleric two levels lower. At level 9, he may make any weapon or armor he can use as well as wondrous items of a type useful in the terrain he inhabits. 

Limitations: A ranger can never own more than six magic itams. He may only own what he can lift off the ground while at full health. He may use horses or beasts of burden, but cannot retain wealth. 

In order to build a stronghold, he must Squander money along the way and then use that Squander total as if it were money for his stronghold.