Greenwood Ranger (Character Kit)

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==Greenwood Ranger==
Description: The rarest and certainly the most unusual ranger, the Greenwood Ranger, or Limbant, combines characteristics of both humans and plants. The Greenwood Ranger begins life as a normal human, but through resolute appeals to the gods, he gradually acquires plant-like qualities that enhance his relationship with the vegetable kingdom and endow him with remarkable powers.
A Greenwood Ranger resembles a normal human covered from head to toe with a layer of thick brown bark, similar to that of an oak tree. The bark on the back of his head and the backs of his hands and arms is tinged with green; the green bark enables him to absorb nutrients directly from the sunlight (see the Special Benefits section below). He has no body hair, no teeth, and his tapering fingers and toes look like gnarled branches. Tangles of short roots grow from his feet and ankles.
Aside from these physical differences, the Greenwood Ranger moves, speaks, and behaves much like an ordinary human. As his human qualities are dominant, he has a +2 bonus when saving against hold plant, charm plant, and similar plant-related spells. Otherwise, the Greenwood Ranger makes saving throws, attack rolls, and ability checks as a normal human ranger.
Becoming a Greenwood Ranger: A ranger must make the commitment to become a Greenwood Ranger at 1st level, even though the Greenwood Ranger's special abilities are not acquired until 4th level. From 1st through 3rd level, he is considered to be a latent Greenwood Ranger. A latent Greenwood Ranger operates as the standard ranger described in the Player's Handbook, though following the Secondary Skill, Weapon Proficiency, and Nonweapon Proficiency restrictions described below (and receiving the indicated Bonus Proficiencies). He may wear any armor allowed a normal ranger. He does not have any of the Greenwood Ranger's special benefits or hindrances at this time.
During this latency period, the ranger must spend a minimum of three hours per week in silent prayer, petitioning the gods to transform him into a Greenwood Ranger. It isn't necessary for the player to keep track of the hours spent in prayer; presumably, the character will set aside enough spare time to meet this requirement. The gods may tolerate an occasional lapse—for instance, the ranger may be too sick to pray in a particular week—but the ranger is otherwise expected to keep up with his prayers. If the ranger intentionally neglects his prayers on a regular basis (as determined by the DM), the gods will inform the ranger in a dream that he's no longer eligible to become a Greenwood Ranger. The ranger is forced to abandon the kit, and may not take another.
When the latent Greenwood Ranger reaches 4th level, the gods give him a simple task to complete, involving the protection or support of plant life. Typical tasks include assisting a treant, replanting an area of forest devastated by fire, and teaching a primitive tribe how to grow and harvest their own crops. A latent Greenwood Ranger who fails to complete this task within a month must spend an additional 1–4 months praying, at which time the gods will grant a new task.
A latent Greenwood Ranger who completes the task then locates an isolated area of forest or jungle, lies on the ground, and covers himself with leaves and branches. He then falls asleep for a full day. If disturbed before 24 hours elapse, the transformation is interrupted; the ranger may try again at another time. Otherwise, upon awaking, the ranger will have transformed into a Greenwood Ranger. Once transformed, the Greenwood Ranger cannot abandon this kit, although actions that would normally cost a ranger his class result in the loss of spell use and other penalties determined by the DM.
Requirements: A Greenwood Ranger must be human. Otherwise, the ability requirements are the same as those for a normal ranger.
Primary Terrain: Required: Forest or Jungle.
Role: Because he must sacrifice a portion of his humanity to become a Greenwood Ranger, a human drawn to this kit usually has only a tenuous link with formal society. He is an outsider, with few close friendships or family ties, capable of walking away from the civilized world without regret. Orphans, social outcasts, and eccentric personalities are good candidates to become Greenwood Rangers.
Greenwood Rangers live deep in the forest or jungle, far from urban centers. Most people tend to shun Greenwood Rangers, repulsed by their appearance or fearful of their strange powers. But their distrust is unwarranted. Greenwood Rangers are gentle-natured, thoughtful souls to whom all life is precious. A Greenwood Ranger will mourn the loss of a favorite shade tree as much as the passing of a human companion. To the Greenwood Ranger, the wilderness is a glorious, sacred place. If necessary, he will risk his life to preserve it.
In most cases, a Greenwood Ranger will align with any adventuring party who shares his affinity for nature, providing he agrees with their cause. A Greenwood Ranger tends to keep to himself, offering his opinion only when asked and deferring to the party's leader in most situations.
Secondary Skills: Bowyer/Fletcher, Farmer, Forester, Woodworker/Carpenter.
Weapon Proficiencies: A Greenwood Ranger's weapon proficiencies are limited to the following choices: axe (any), bow (any), crossbow (any), dagger, knife, quarterstaff, sling, spear, long sword, short sword.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
* Bonus: Herbalism.
* Required: Agriculture.
* Recommended: Carpentry, Endurance, Foraging*, Swimming, Trail Marking*, Weather Sense.
* Barred: Armorer, Blacksmithing, Fire-building, Engineering, Leatherworking, Mining, Mountaineering, Navigation*, Riding (Land-based and Airborne), Seamanship, Spelunking*, Stonemasonry, Weaponsmithing.
Armor/Equipment: A Greenwood Ranger can't wear armor. However, his bark-like skin provides comparable protection. At 4th level, the Greenwood Ranger's skin gives him an Armor Class of 5. For every level thereafter, the AC increases by 1; an 8th level Greenwood Ranger, for example, has an AC of 1. At 15th level, the Greenwood Ranger reaches his maximum AC of -6.
Normally, Greenwood Rangers don't wear clothing aside from a cloth loincloth or simple smock. Thanks to their tough feet, shoes are unnecessary. Some Greenwood Rangers are fond of decorative pins made of gems or colorful minerals. Greenwood Rangers wear such pins by attaching them directly to their skin.
Species Enemy: Any.
Followers: A Greenwood Ranger will have at least one treant follower at some point career.
Special Benefits:
Speak with Plants: The Greenwood Ranger can speak with plants at will. This ability is similar to the 4th level priest spell, except it requires neither components nor a casting time.
Photosynthesis: Unlike a normal human, the Greenwood Ranger has no need to drink or eat. He receives nourishment directly from the sun. So long as he is exposed to sunlight at least an hour per day, he stays healthy. He suffers 1-2 points of damage every day he goes without exposure to the sun. Overcast days are sufficient to nourish a Greenwood Ranger.
A Greenwood Ranger satisfies his thirst by dipping his feet in any pool or puddle of fresh water for 10 minutes every other day. Exposure to a light rain or soaking his feet in a bucket will also suffice. If he goes without water for 48 hours, he begins to suffer damage at the rate of 1-2 points per day.
Buoyancy: A Greenwood Ranger requires oxygen like any other human and is subject to drowning and suffocation. However, because the Greenwood Ranger's woody skin makes him naturally buoyant, he can't drown unless he's physically held underwater.
Rooting: Upon reaching 8th level, a Greenwood Ranger can accelerate healing by rooting. He may attempt this once per week. To use this ability, the Greenwood Ranger must bury his feet in the earth (not sand or snow; the soil must be capable of supporting plant life) up to his ankles. He must stand stationary and silent for 1–4 hours, taking no other actions during that time. If interrupted, the rooting fails; he may try again the following week. If uninterrupted, tiny roots sprout from his feet and bury themselves into the ground, absorbing healing nutrients from the soil. At the end of the rooting period, the roots withdraw, and the Greenwood Ranger has recovered 3-12 (3d4) points of damage.
Limbing: Under certain circumstances, a Greenwood Ranger can grow an extra limb. The limb grows from the center of the Greenwood Ranger's chest and functions as a normal arm.
Only Greenwood Rangers of 10th level or higher can attempt limbing. A Greenwood Ranger may make an attempt once a month by lying on the ground and covering himself with leaves, branches, and earth. For the next 24 hours, he enters into a state of suspended animation, similar to that caused by a temporal stasis spell. If the Greenwood Ranger is disturbed during this time, the enchantment is broken and limbing will not occur. The Greenwood Ranger can try again the following month.
If the Greenwood Ranger is undisturbed, he awakens in 24 hours with a new limb extending from his chest. The new limb may be useful to the Greenwood Ranger in several ways:
* The Greenwood Ranger can wield three weapons at the same time. Attacks made with the third weapon suffer a -2 penalty. The Greenwood Ranger's reaction adjustment (based on his Dexterity) modifies this penalty, although it can't result in a positive modifier. The Greenwood Ranger gains only two additional attacks per round, regardless of the number of attacks he's normally allowed. Therefore, a Greenwood Ranger able to attack 3/2 with one weapon (once in the first round, twice in the second) can attack 7/2 when using three weapons (three times in the first round, four times in the second).
* The Greenwood Ranger with a third limb receives a +3 bonus when punching, wrestling, or overbearing.
* A Greenwood Ranger with a third limb can swim at 150% of his normal swimming speed. He receives a +20% modifier to all climbing attempts.
* The extra limb helps the Greenwood Ranger perform ordinary activities more efficiently. For instance, he can carry three buckets of water at the same time or wash dishes in half the normal time.
* The third limb improves the Greenwood Ranger's performance when using certain nonweapon proficiencies involving the hands. For example, when using the juggling proficiency to catch items, he makes an attack roll vs. AC 2 instead of AC 0. When using the weaving proficiency, he can create three square yards of material per day instead of two. The DM determines the extent of the improvement depending on the particular proficiency and the attempted task.
The Greenwood Ranger's new limb withers and falls off in 1–4 days. A Greenwood Ranger can't have more than one extra limb at a time.
Special Hindrances:
Stiff Limbs: The Greenwood Ranger has a -5% penalty when trying to move silently. He gets no Dexterity bonus to his armor class.
Vulnerability to Fire: If an opponent attempts any normal or magical fire-based attack against a Greenwood Ranger, he qualifies for a +4 bonus to his attack roll and a +1/die bonus to his damage roll. The Greenwood Ranger suffers a -4 penalty to all saving throws involving fire-based attacks. Any fire-based attacks that hit inflict +1 hit point per die of damage.
Vulnerability to Extreme Climates: Though his skin provides protection in most environments, the Greenwood Ranger risks damage from prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures. After any full day spent in a climate where the temperature is below freezing, or averages 100 degrees or more, a Greenwood Ranger must make a Constitution check. Failure results in the loss of 1-4 hit points.
Limited Magic: A Greenwood Ranger can only learn and cast spells from the plant sphere. He uses the ranger's normal spell progression (given in Table 5 in Chapter 1).
Reaction Penalty: Because of his bizarre appearance, the Greenwood Ranger suffers a -3 reaction adjustment penalty when encountering any NPCs, with the exception of learned nobles, sages, and other high level characters of good or neutral alignment. Such worldly characters aren't intimidated by his appearance.
Category:Character Kit
Category:Character Kit CRH