Ranger¶
A Ranger belongs to the trail: a capable weapon user whose magic, perception, fieldcraft, and animal bonds all become more useful the farther the road gets from a town wall.
| Calling feature | Ranger |
|---|---|
| Aptitudes | Grace, Resolve |
| Casting aptitude | Resolve |
| Magic | all foundations, Ranger's Wheel |
| Guild | the Verderers — the Trails |
| Natural strengths | ranged arms, perception, tracking, survival, fitness |
Building the character¶
Grace keeps the Ranger mobile and defended. Resolve drives the calling's green workings. Finesse remains important for precise weapon work, especially bows; Insight supports Awareness and field decisions; Vigor sustains long hunts.
Choose an actual combat plan first. An archer needs Marksmanship, ammunition habits, Awareness, and room to fire. A shield-and-weapon Ranger needs the relevant weapon, shield, armor, and enough Guard to remain in reach.
Strong supporting choices include:
- Conditioning and Evasion;
- Awareness and Survival;
- Field Medicine for skinning, tending, and remedy recovery;
- Stalking and Stealth for a hunter who approaches unseen;
- Channeling, Ranger's Wheel, and Lesser Breath at a pace the mana pool can support.
The live TRAIN sheet is authoritative. The Ranger's profile is not a midpoint automatically averaged from two other class tables.
The field loop¶
Rangers make several ordinary hunt actions work together:
TRACK
HIDE
FIRE WOLF
SKIN WOLF
SEARCH WOLF
FORAGE
TRACK reads who crossed the ground and where they went. SKIN must happen before a corpse is searched away. Survival and Field Medicine shape the trophy; terrain and season shape what FORAGE can find.
These verbs are open to every calling, but the Ranger's aptitudes, training profile, guild, and circle support the whole loop at once.
Ranger's Wheel¶
The dedicated circle includes concealment, weather-hardiness, greenfinding, peltwise handling, oakflesh, moon and sun attacks, field cleansing, animal bonds, and other trail magic. Lesser Breath adds shared wards and spirit-guided utility.
SPELLS lists the implemented catalogue. Codes are addresses, not a rank-and-mana equation. Train toward the function you want and check the printed requirement before spending points.
The Verderers¶
The lodge outside Emberford teaches the Trails. Lessons use waymarks, blaze cutting, sign calls, and field work. Trails ranks strengthen Survival-led actions, and deep standing opens privileges associated with the lodge and its animals.
Use GUILD for dues, rank, and the current lesson; BLAZE works the practice post. Guild progress is earned through its own tasks rather than ordinary Training purchases.
Fighting rhythm¶
Range is an advantage only while it exists. Start in READY, use PRESS when the shot is controlled, and shift toward BRACE if an enemy closes or recovery leaves you exposed. Carry enough ammunition, keep encumbrance in check, and have a plan for a room that is no longer yours alone.
Common mistakes¶
- Training every field skill before the primary attack is dependable.
- Searching a kill before skinning it.
- Assuming bows ignore posture, ammunition, hands, or room position.
- Learning many workings while neglecting Channeling.
- Treating a bonded animal as disposable scenery rather than a managed companion.