Ranger

> Yer ever met one of those Scoia'tael? Or those so called Woodsmen? Heh, consider yourself lucky. Grim folk those are, hiding their faces under cloaks, always wary about some unseen' foe jumping them from behind a tree. Pretty capable some of them are, I tell ya' that. Seen some of those men use bows in ways even those trained soldiers from Temeria dream about. In my humble opinion, those weirdos are beterrer with ye' than against ye', just don't get caught up in their wilderness shenanigans.
>
> A man on the road, Neverwitcher

Pavko Gale, Illustration by: Lorenzo Mastroianni

### Aliases

Outcasts, Misfits, Woodsmen, Woodrunners, Vagabonds, Shrewds

### Roles

Trapuser, Ranged combatant, Melee combatant

## Statistics

### Profession Skills

Any 3 combat skills, Athletics, Wilderness Survival, Trap Crafting, Riding, First Aid, Tactics, Awareness.

### Weapons & Armor

All simple- and martial weapons, light armor and medium armor.

## Available for

### Races

Any

A Ranger is a person that lives outside of regular society, living off of the land either in solidarity or in small groups. Many Scioa'tael fall under this umbrella, usually not by choice. For the homebrew TTRPG profession, see Ranger (TTRPG).

## About

Rangers are similar to Men At Arms, though they learned how to fight in the wilderness rather than in armies or cities. Elves and Dwarves that have come to hide from human influence in the wild are often Rangers, although they never call themselves such. Using traps and the terrain to their advantage are common tactics employed by them.

Some humans also learn fighting this way, adapting gurellia tactics and prefer using bows and ranged weapons over the idea of fighting in a fullplate.

### Defining Trait: Forged in the Wild

Rangers live most of their life in the Wild, their abilities forged by it. Rangers roll a *Forged in the Wild* check whenever light- or thick vegetation would slow them down. Upon success they are not slowed down by light vegetation and only halfway slowed down by thick vegetation. Resting in light- and medium armor does not create a penality, upon a successful check. Additionally, Rangers can use their *Forged in the Wild* skill in place of wilderness survival as well as when gutting animals (but not monsters).

## Ranger Packs

During the backstory generation, Rangers can declare themselves packmen/packwomen. This allows to select allegiance to one of the existing groups, known as packs, that roam the north.

### Guardians of the Forest

The Guardians, also known as the Foresters, are a group of volunteers who have as their mission "to hunt down and eradicate non-humans". They enjoy nothing more than bragging about killing elves, spriggans, and dryads. They hunt and kill any Followers of the Trail they find and are at odds with the Order of the White Rose.

### Followers of the Trail

Also known as the Trailblazers, this group of Rangers seek to work with the Elder Races rather than eradicate them. Due to the hostility the North shows towards non-humans, they usually avoid cities and villages and usually deal with Druids or small villages that sympathize with their ideals. They see the Order of the White Rose and the Foresters as their sworn enemies.

### The Grey Guard

The Grey Guard are a anti-government group, living outside of society with the goal to destroy it. Often shamed as 'the bookworms' or 'manifestoheads' due entire philosophy being based on a manifesto written by an enigmatic figure only known as "The Grey Eminence". The name Grey Guard stems from their unwillingness to obey any monarch or ruler (not showing colors). They hate any organization in service to the monarchs (like the White Rose), dislike the bloodthirst of the Foresters and do not care about the idealistic worldviews of the Trailblazers.

## Guidelines

Being a Ranger is not easy. They live on their own, on the very edge of society, or away from it entirely.

### Basics

Rangers are inspired by Tolkien's idea of the Dunedain Rangers, like Aragorn. The archetype made its way into Szapkowski's writing primarily on the side of the Scioa'tael, but many brigants and those that defend nature and druids would also fall under the idea of a Ranger.

Hiding their faces under hoods, wearing traveling cloaks, looking more like merceneries or vagrants, using bows to lay ambushes an use traps to their benefit - that is the basic class fantasy of the Ranger.

### Regarding other professions

The ranger encompasses the very idea of a self-made survivor, a lone wolf, one that can endure nature and not just survive but thrive. Most professions that chain themselves to some kind of rigid ruling system or impose their own order over the natural one are likely not very respected by them (such as Nobles, Men At Arms).

### Morality

Rangers in general are free spirits, either by choice or due to circumstances. While this does not mean they cannot follow a code it usually boils down to them following the rules they decide to make their own, not to blindly obey rules a monarch has set.

### Suggested playstyles

Rangers can be melee fighters, excell as ranged sharpshooters, can use traps, use medicinal herbs, be mediators between the wilds and society or avoid society as a whole. Bombs are also useful aids, alchemy is a valid choice for rangers. The worst place for a ranger to be in is a city, even though it technically still counts as 'natural'.

### Rangers in the World

The North has a stable population of Rangers. In Mahakam Rangers are often Giantslayers, part of the Volunteer army. Rangers exist in the South, especially among the Aen Laore. Hakland and Zangvebar have strips of land where no one lives permanently, the perfect hunting ground for rangers. Ofir with its jungles and deserts can have Rangers as well, adapted to their surroundings. Wosejin people have Rangers as part of their tribal structure, they are not outsiders in their society.