AcJvaccedPlayer's Handbook 2 n d Edition Rules Supplement

TheComplete

Ranger'sHandbook

by Rick Swan

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized useof the material contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc.

Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English languageproducts of TSR, Inc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy

and hobby trade by regional distributors.

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, WORLD OF GREYHAWK, DRAGONLANCE, FORGOTTENREALMS, and MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

DUNGEON MASTER, DM, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

Printed in the U.S.A.

©1993 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TSR, Inc.POB 756Lake Geneva,WI 53147U.S.A.

TSR Ltd.120 Church End,Cherry HintonCambridge CB1 3LBUnited Kingdom

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Table of Contents

Introduction 4Overview 4How to Use This Handbook 6Before We Get Started 6

Chapter 1:Character Creation 7Ranger Requirements 7Level Advancement 8Spell Use 9Armor and Weapons 9Thief Abilities 10

Primary Terrain 12

Chapter 2:Ranger Abilities 14Tracking 14Hide in Shadows 17Move Silently 18Species Enemy 18Animal Empathy 21

Nature Lore 24Survival 25Strongholds 26

Chapter 3:Followers 27Gaining Followers 27General Behavior of Followers 35Training Animal Followers 37Parting Company 42Humans and Demihumans 43

Notes on Falconry 44

Giant Killer 56Greenwood Ranger 59Guardian 62Justifier 63Mountain Man 65Pathfinder 67Sea Ranger 69Seeker 71Stalker 73Warden 75

Abandoning Kits 77Creating New Kits 78Demi-Rangers 78Dual-Classed Rangers 79Multi-Classed Rangers 79

Chapter 5:Proficiencies 80Compiled Proficiencies 80Clarifications and Modifications ...80New Proficiencies 82

Chapter 6:Magic 87New Spells 87New Magical Items 92

Chapter 7:Equipment 94Clothing 94Transport 95Miscellaneous Equipment 95Weapons 98

Chapter 4:Ranger Kits 45Acquiring Kits 45DM Decisions 45Kit Subsections 45List of Kits 47

Beastmaster 47Explorer 49Falconer 51Feralan 52Forest Runner 55

Chapter 8:Role-Playing 101Demographics 101Becoming a Ranger 102Common Traits: the

Classic Ranger 103Daily Life 104

The Ranger's Personality 108Experience Ill

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Table of Contents

Chapter 9:Rangers and Religion 113Aspects of Faith 113Types of Faith 113Expressions of Faith 114Rangers and Druids 115Rangers and Clerics 116

Chapter 10:Forgatherings 118Attending a Forgathering 118Types, Sites, and Dates 118Physical Layout 120Activities and Events 121

Appendix: AD&D 1st Edition Ranger 122Ranger Kit Record Sheet 124Ranger Character Record Sheets 125

TABLES

1: Class Qualifications 72: Pregenerated Ability Scores 73: Experience Levels 84: Level Improvements 95: Spell Progression 96: The Ranger's Armor 107: Ranger Attacks Per Round 108: Base Thief Abilities 109: Racial Adjustments 11

10: Dexterity Adjustments 1111: Armor Adjustments 1112: Kit Adjustments 1113: Optional Armor Adjustments 1114: Random Primary Terrain 1315: Terrain Tracking Modifiers 1516: Illumination Modifiers 1517: Special Tracking Modifiers 1518: Movement While Tracking 1519: Identification Check Results 1720: Arctic Species Enemy 2021: Aquatic Species Enemy 2022: Desert Species Enemy 2023: Forest Species Enemy 2024: Jungle Species Enemy 2025: Hill Species Enemy 2026: Mountain Species Enemy 2127: Plains Species Enemy 2128: Swamp Species Enemy 2129: Underdark Species Enemy 21

30: Animal Attitudes 2331: Animal Empathy Modifier 2332: Nature Lore ' 2533: Arctic Followers 3134: Aquatic Followers 3135: Desert Followers 3236: Forest Followers 3237: Hill Followers 3238: Jungle Followers 3239: Mountain Followers 3340: Plains Followers 3341: Swamp Followers 3442: Underdark Followers 3443: Human/Demihuman Followers 3444: Follower Training Ratings 4245: Feralan Spell Progression 5546: Justifier Spell Progression 6547: Crude Weaponsmithing (Mountain Man) ...6648: Mountain Man Spell Progression 6749: Terrain Costs for Pathfinders 6850: Parliament of Fishes Results 7151: Seeker Spell Progression 7252: Sacred Animals 7353: Demi-Rangers 7954: Demi-Ranger Spell Progression

and Dexterity Modifiers 7955: Nonweapon Proficiencies 8156: Ranger Spells 9157: Clothing, Transport, and Misc.

Equipment 9958: Weapons 10059: Ranger Experience Ill60: Optional Individual Experience Awards....Ill61: Experience Levels (1st Edition) 12262: Attacks Per Round (1st Edition) 12263: Underground Tracking Chances 12264: Outdoor Tracking Modifiers 12365: Spell Progression (1st Edition) 12366: Giant Class Creatures 123

CREDITSDesign: Rick Swan

Editing: Elizabeth DanforthBlack and White Art: Terry Dykstra

Color Art: Julie Bell, Clyde Caldwell,Fred Fields, Keith Parkinson

Icon Art: Tony DiterlizziTypography: Nancy J- Kerkstra

Special thanks to Bear Peters

Table of Contents • 3

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The ranger is one of the most popular characterclasses in the AD&D® game. A woodsman andtracker, as well as a dangerous fighter, he com-bines good combat skills with a few extra abilitiesthat give him many options and decisions duringplay- He boasts the courage and strength of a war-rior and the stealth and self-reliance of a thief. Hecombines the druid's affinity for the outdoorswith the devotion and magical aptitude of a priest.He's a hunter, a tracker, and a survivalist. By tem-perament and by choice, he's a loner, often prefer-ring the company of animals to people. Withoutquestion, he's one with nature, sworn to protectthe inhabitants of the wilderness and preserve theintegrity of the land.

The ranger's origins can be traced to the timewhen isolated human settlements were firstfounded in areas of unclaimed wilderness, or inareas occupied only by savage humanoid tribes.Those who were at first hunters, trappers, andguides were turned by the necessities of survivalinto canny wilderness warriors; and ultimatelyinto the principle protectors of the scattered settle-ments of humans and demihumans, which had tofend off countless humanoid raids.

Few in number, but effective far beyond thepower of local militias or the occasional militarypatrol of a ruling lord, the rangers have kept aprotective watch on the forward frontier of humanexpansion. There are seldom more than one ortwo to be found in any place, but somehow, as agroup, they manage to cover huge areas of thefrontier. Where the tide of expansion has beenturned back, they are the last to fight a desperaterear guard action against encroaching hordes ofevil humanoids.

In more civilized areas, it is common for kingsand wealthy nobles to annex large tracts of forestsfor personal use. Some are maintained as privategame preserves, others are harvested for the valu-able timber. As a king's wilderness holdings grow,so does the need to protect them. But suitable can-didates are hard to come by. Often, from amonglocal woodsmen and hunters, able-bodied andtrustworthy retainers are recruited as forest jus-tices or wardens. Skilled in the management ofland, wilderness survival, and natural lore, theforest justices are charged with guarding the

king's holdings, preserving his game from poach-ers and his subjects from outlaws and brigands.

In other places, the local authorities have eitherlost control or become tyrannical. Perhaps thelocal order has broken down and the land is over-run by bandits or robbers. Perhaps a bad ruler hastaken over and driven the peasantry beyond allpossible tolerance. At such time a hero may arise,striding out of the wilderness, setting right thewrongs, returning a just overlord to power, andthen disappearing back into wild and unknownlands. Such is the stuff of legends. Such is thelegacy of the ranger.

OverviewThe ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®

2nd Edition Player's Handbook and DUNGEONMASTER™ Guide contain all the basic informationyou need to create and play ranger characters. Butfor players wanting to go a bit deeper, The Com-plete Ranger's Handbook provides a wealth of detailthat expands on that basic information, addingmore options and rules to make your rangerscome alive like never before.

For instance, we'll examine the ranger's talentsfor tracking, animal empathy, and nature lore,suggesting methods for using these abilities inways you might not have considered. If you'vewondered what a ranger does with his followersor exactly how he acquires them, you'll find theanswers here. If you're tired of playing ordinaryrangers, there's more than a dozen new characterkits for your perusal, including the Giant Killer,the Pathfinder, and the Stalker. There are alsoplenty of new spells, proficiencies, and equipmentto expand your ranger's horizons. Use what youlike and ignore what you don't.

Though much of this material will be of interestto the Dungeon Master, particularly the clarifica-tion of old concepts and the introduction of newrules, The Complete Ranger's Handbook is a supple-ment to the Player's Handbook. Every word isintended for the players. Note, however, that all ofmaterial is optional, and none may be incorpo-rated into a campaign without the express permis-sion of the DM. These caveats aside, feel free toturn the page and enjoy.

Introduction

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How to Use This HandbookIf you're a casual player, or have only a passing

interest in the ranger character, begin by lookingover the table of contents and noting any topicsthat catch your eye. Read the most appealing sec-tions, skim over the rest, and consult with yourDM about any new ideas you'd like to try. Later,you can read the entire book at your leisure, orkeep it on the shelf as a reference, along with theprevious handbooks in this series (including TheComplete Fighter's Handbook, The Complete Priest'sHandbook, The Complete Wizard's Handbook, TheComplete Thief's Handbook, The Complete PsiouicsHandbook, and The Complete Bard's Handbook).

Players who take their rangers seriously areadvised to read the entire book. You'll discover ahost of new ideas and character options, expandedtables, and tips for fine-tuning your role-playingtechniques. As mentioned, all of the rules in thisbook must be cleared with the DM before you canuse them in a game.

Players of all persuasions should take a look atthe new ranger character sheets located in theback of the book. The sheets have been custom-designed to record virtually every detail about aranger character, and also feature a number ofhelpful notes to minimize the amount of timespent referring to the rulebooks. And speaking ofthe rulebooks, we've also compiled all of the keyrules from the DUNGEON MASTER™ Guide andPlayer's Handbook relevant to rangers; you'll findmost of them in the first three chapters. We've alsomade every effort to elaborate on the most inter-esting concepts from the DMG and PH.

Before We Get Started......here are a few more points to keep in mind:

First Edition RulesThe ranger has undergone several changes since

the publication of the 1st Edition AD&D! rules.For that reason, those using the 1st Edition rulesmay find the ranger character described in thesepages all but unrecognizable. Our suggestions: (1)take the plunge into the 2nd Edition rules, andbecome familiar with the 2nd Edition DUNGEONMASTER Guide and Player's Handbook before con-sidering the ideas in this handbook, or (2) ignorethe chapter references in this book, as they all referto the 2nd Edition rulebooks. Find the relevantmaterial by consulting the indexes or contentspages of the original books, then carefully adaptthe handbook rules of your choice to the style ofyour campaign. For reference, a summary of the1st Edition ranger rules can be found in theAppendix of this book on page 122.

ProficienciesThe ideas in this book lean heavily on the con-

cepts of weapon and nonweapon proficienciesintroduced in Chapter 5 of the 2nd Edition Player'sHandbook. If you haven't been using proficienciesin your campaign, we suggest you review therules before proceeding with this book. (And ifyou're not using the proficiency rules, you oughtto reconsider—they're not that hard, and theymake the game a lot more fun!).

A Note About PronounsFor convenience and clarity, masculine pro-

nouns are used throughout this book. This in noway implies favoritism towards the male gender;in fact, males and females are equally representedin the ranger population. In all cases, read he as heor she, and his as his and her.

Introduction

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