Ranger

Shadow is a specialization available to **Rogue** characters.

**Restrictions:** None. This specialization is available to new players so long as the training is explained in their backstory. It may also be earned through roleplay.

## History

For as long as memory can stretch, life has struggled against an inhospitable wilderness, with entire towns erecting walls to keep out the harsh savagery just at their doorstep. Rangers are the silly individuals who had the bright idea to live out there, foregoing traditional civilization to heed the call of the wild.

Typically, rangers have been surrounded by wilderness for their entire lives, cultivating their tracking and hunting skills as a necessity for survival rather than a pleasant pastime. These are the hardened souls that harness the drastic environment around them and wield it as a personal advantage, familiarizing themselves with the layout of their woodlands and the zephyrs of the season. Even their proximity to wildlife is seen as an opportunity, bringing feral animals under their sway for continued survival.

However, these companions are by no means pets, nor even necessarily domestic; a careless ranger is just as tasty as any other person lost in the woods. Rather than tricks or sorcery, an intense bond of mutual respect keeps a ranger and their companion together. Fostering such a relationship requires significant time and effort, yet patience comes naturally to those who have weathered the elements and lived on for so long.

## Combat Skills

Note: The only in-game skills for Rangers was Summoning animal companions, so all of these abilities are the results of our own extrapolations.

### Novice

* **Summon Companion:** While a ranger’s companion is still a wild animal, they retain loyalty to the one who befriended them and will defend the ranger at all costs, fighting beside them when pressed.
* **Exploit Terrain:** Rangers are masters of the wilderness, and as such they know how to use the terrain around them, gaining a tactical advantage over enemies in the process.

### Intermediate

* **Natural Hazards:** Though often utilized for survival, rangers are no strangers to making and setting traps. When cornered, they can utilize natural elements such as deadfall, vines, snow drifts, and more to incapacitate their enemies.
* **Fleet-Footed:** A lifetime of surviving in the wilderness has given the ranger an almost preternatural ability to determine the fastest path, allowing them to outmaneuver any threats.

### Expert

* **Go For the Throat:** Rangers who have formed a strong bond with their animal companion can often mount a coordinated and lethal attack, striking simultaneously alongside their companion.
* **Camouflage:** Few can spot a ranger who does not wish to be seen, and the skilled ranger can even mask their scent and the sound of their movements to further throw any adversaries off the trail.

### Master

* **Nightshade Oil:** As master survivalists, rangers are well-versed in the use of nature’s most dangerous plants. When time is scarce and the ranger wishes to cripple a foe, they can apply a trace amount of oil to their blade or arrow--enough to incapacitate, but not to kill. The law of nature will take care of the rest.
* **Tireless Hunter:** It is a rare few who escape a ranger once they’ve set their sights on them. Expert trackers and skilled at covering a great distances in a short time, rangers will seek out their prey until they flush them out.

## Non-Combat Skills

As masters of the wilderness, rangers are skilled at Stealth, Traps, Natural Lore and Wilderness Survival. Put them in the confines of civilization, however, and these skills are largely useless.