Warhammer Quest - Ranger Warrior

The following is a home-made profession for _Warhammer Quest_, inspired by the "Ranger" character in _Talisman_, created for a local player who is rather fond of a woodsy type. (Of course, what exactly he's doing in a /dungeon/ is up for grabs. ;) ) In terms of skills, the Ranger is very closely related to the Thief, in that he can be handy around traps and in using abilities based upon stealth, though for entirely different reasons. At this writing, this profession is not playtested, though most of its abilities are simply picked here and there from other professions (official or otherwise) which /have/ been playtested extensively.

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Warhammer Quest
The Ranger

by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock - 30 JUL 1995

The wilderness is a place full of dangers, but for those who know its ways, it also presents a way of life far more free than the strictures of city dwelling. The Wood Elves, of course, live within the forests of Loren, but there are also those among mankind who have chosen to call it home.

Rangers are among these, so-called because of their travelling nature, few of them having any place that could really be called home. They are quite familiar with travel across the forests of the Old World, and with methods of survival despite hazards, whether natural, artificial, or magical.

As a part of a group of Warriors venturing into the dungeons under the Worlds' Edge Mountains, a Ranger would certainly be out of his element. However, he is still quite proficient with the bow, and his finely-honed skills of stealth can be quite handy -- in addition to his assistance as a guide during the hazardous journeys back to Settlements between adventures.

-*- RANGER STATISTICS -*-

Wounds	1D6+6
Move	4
Weapon Skill	4
Ballistic Skill	4+
Strength	3
Toughness	3
Initiative	5
Attacks	1

Equipment: Black Arrow.
Weapon: Sword and Bow, causing 1D6+3 Wounds each.
Armour: None.
Pinning: Breaks from pinning on a roll of 3+.

Special Rules
Any time a Trap event is encountered, roll 1D6. On a roll of 6+, the Ranger spots the trap in time and warns the affected Warrior so that he is unaffected. The Ranger is an expert at tracking and methods of evasion. When a random Monster Event is rolled, roll 1D6. On a roll of 4+, the Ranger may choose to help the Warriors evade the Event entirely.

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT FOE	2	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	5

-*- THE BLACK ARROW -*-

This finely-crafted arrow is not magical, yet it is destined to one day be used to fell a mighty Monster. When used with a bow, it will automatically strike its target, inflicting 3D6 Wounds. Use once, then discard.

-*- RANGER ADVANCED PROFILES -*-

Battle Level 2

Wounds: 2D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 4/4+
Strength/Dice: 3/1
Toughness: 3
Initiative: 5
Attacks: 1
Luck: 1
Will: 3
SKILLS: 1
Pinning: 3+

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	5

Battle Level 3

Wounds: 2D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 4/3+
Strength/Dice: 4/1
Toughness: 3
Initiative: 6
Attacks: 1
Luck: 2
Will: 4
SKILLS: 1
Pinning: 3+

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	5

Battle Level 4

Wounds: 3D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 4/3+
Strength/Dice: 4/1
Toughness: 4
Initiative: 6
Attacks: 1
Luck: 2
Will: 4
SKILLS: 2
Pinning: 3+

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	5

Battle Level 5

Wounds: 3D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 5/3+
Strength/Dice: 4/2
Toughness: 4
Initiative: 7
Attacks: 2
Luck: 2
Will: 4
SKILLS: 2
Pinning: 2+

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4

Battle Level 6

Wounds: 4D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 5/2+
Strength/Dice: 4/2
Toughness: 4
Initiative: 7
Attacks: 2
Luck: 3
Will: 4
SKILLS: 3
Pinning: 2+

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4

Battle Level 7

Wounds: 4D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 5/2+
Strength/Dice: 4/2
Toughness: 4
Initiative: 8
Attacks: 2
Luck: 3
Will: 4
SKILLS: 3
Pinning: 2+

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4

Battle Level 8

Wounds: 5D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 6/2+
Strength/Dice: 4/2
Toughness: 4
Initiative: 8
Attacks: 3
Luck: 3
Will: 4
SKILLS: 4
Pinning: A

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4

Battle Level 9

Wounds: 5D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 6/1+
Strength/Dice: 4/3
Toughness: 4
Initiative: 8
Attacks: 3
Luck: 3
Will: 5
SKILLS: 5
Pinning: A

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4

Battle Level 10

Wounds: 6D6+6
Wpn./Bal. Skill: 6/1+
Strength/Dice: 4/3
Toughness: 4
Initiative: 8
Attacks: 3
Luck: 4
Will: 5
SKILLS: 6
Pinning: A

ENEMY'S WS	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
TO HIT	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4

-*- RANGER'S SKILLS -*-

The Ranger has the following skills available to him as he goes up his Battle- Levels. To determine which specific skill he learns when given the opportunity roll 2D6.

2	SURESHOT Taking careful aim, you ease the bow string back and let an arrow fly straight towards its target. This skill allows you to re-roll any one of your Warrior's missile attacks which has missed. This skill may be used once per turn.
3	CRAFTSMAN Having been on expeditions into the wilderness that took you far from civilization, you have learned to fashion tools and implements from readily- available materials in the most crude of conditions. For intellectual Initiative tests involving construction, the Ranger gains an additional +1 to his roll. Furthermore, he need not buy arrows for his bow when adventuring. He will be able to fashion plenty of arrows to last him for the adventure, and can even fashion a replacement bow if need be. However, these items do not look polished enough in appearance to fetch any price in a Settlement.
4	HERBLORE You rub the foul-smelling salve into your companion's wound, reassuring him that even if the concoction does sting it is doing him good. This skill allows your Warrior to try to heal himself or a wounded companion. Roll 1D6 on the following table. 1 The wounded Warrior reacts badly to the salve and takes another 1D6 Wounds. 2-3 Nothing happens. 4-5 The salve works and the wounded Warrior regains 1D6 Wounds. 6 The treatment is even better than expected and the wounded Warrior regains 2D6 Wounds. This skill may be used once per turn.
5	AMBUSH You catch the sound of approaching footsteps, and quickly slide into the shadows, readying your bow to take down the approaching foe. If Monsters enter a room that your Warrior is already in (i.e., an Event card drawn as a result of a roll of 1 in the Power Phase) and if there are no other Monsters already in the dungeon section, your Warrior has time to hide (the model may be removed from the board) and may reappear after the Monster models have been placed. He may immediately gain a free attack before anyone else can act (with the exception of spellcasters), before going on to the normal Warriors' Phase. This ability does not apply when encountering monsters lying in wait in a room the Warriors have just entered.
6	RAPID FIRE Your arms almost a blur, you release arrow after arrow into the enemy ranks. This skill gives your Warrior +1 Attacks per turn with a missile weapon.
7	HUNTING While beasts are plentiful in the wilderness, you are so skilled that you can even track down enough game near Settlements to provide for yourself without spending much of your day doing so. The Ranger is able to find means to support himself during a stay at a Settlement by spending a small portion of his day hunting in the countryside, not having to pay daily Living Expenses, whether he's inside the Settlement or biding his time outside. On a roll of 1 on 1D6 per day, he can manage to cover the other Warriors' expenses for the day as well.
8	POWER SHOT Your forearms strain as you pull back the tightened bow string, using all your strength against the increased pull of the weapon. This skill allows your Warrior to fire his bow with increased power, adding +2 Wounds to the damage inflicted.
9	EVADE Nimbly stepping to one side, you dodge the incoming axe, flinching slightly as the razor-sharp blade whistles past your ear and buries itself in the table next to you. This skill gives your Warrior the ability to dodge incoming blows by stepping to one side. If a Monster successfully hits your Warrior, roll 1D6. On a score of 1, 2, 3 or 4 he hits your Warrior as normal. On a score of a 5 or 6 your Warrior can evade the blow by stepping into any empty adjacent square. If there are no squares free he must take the blow as normal.
10	FOREST-WALKER Brushing aside the undergrowth, you find an almost invisible deer track leading straight to the next village and cutting a good seven days off the journey. This skill allows your Warrior to find almost hidden short cuts in the trek between dungeons. When travelling to a Settlement, this skill allows your Warrior to reduce the journey time by one week. In addition, on the journey he finds enough herbs to make 1D6 healing potions. Each potion restores a number of Wounds equal to your Warriors' Battle-level.
11	TRAPPER You hold up your hand, halting the Barbarian before he blunders into the deadly trap. Examining the trigger, you pull out your tools and get to work. Perhaps this device could be used to your favor.... When a trap is encountered, it may be detected in time now on a roll of 5 or more, regardless of which Warrior would have encountered the trap. Furthermore, your Warrior may attempt to jury-rig the trap in such a way so that it may present a problem to any Monsters who waylay the Warriors while in this room. On a roll of 1 on 1D6, the attempt fails, and your Warrior sets off (and is targeted by) the trap. On a roll of 2 or 3, the trap is disabled harmlessly. On a roll of 4 or more, the trap will go off whenever a Monster Event occurs in this room, targeting a random monster if applicable.
12	PINION The arrow whistles through the air and slams into your opponent, pinning him to the wall like a stuck pig. This skill allows your Warrior to trade in multiple attacks for one single, carefully aimed shot. If the target is successfully hit, and is standing directly in front of, or adjacent to, a wall, roll an extra 1D6 after rolling damage. If the score is 4 or less, the shot simply causes normal damage. On a 5+, the shot causes normal damage and pins the target to the wall. The target may do nothing for the rest of this turn as it struggles to free itself.

-*- ADDITIONAL RULES -*-

* The Ranger is restricted to the same weapon and armor selections as the Elf, although he cannot (of course) use items solely restricted to Elves.

* The Ranger knows the lay of the land like the back of his hand, and need never fear getting lost as the result of a Hazard during a journey, and he can help the other Warriors to quickly seek shelter in a storm, or to find ways of quickly traversing the snow. For any Hazard that indicates that the Warriors are lost, that they must randomly pick which way to go, or which involve storms may be treated as an "Uneventful Week". (On the Hazards table in the Roleplay Book, this would include Hazards #21, #34, #36, #41, #42, #45, #52, #53 and #66.)

* If the Warriors should adventure in a "wooded" area, the Ranger may move through wooded areas at full speed, ignoring any movement penalty (save for a complete obstruction of movement). (By default, this would normally indicate half movement.)

* The Ranger has a complete knowledge of normal beasts, plant life, herbs, and survival in the wilderness. In a moderated role-play session, this should be taken into consideration, if it is applicable. Likewise, for a pre-generated adventure where the Ranger's ability to "evade" monster Events isn't applicable, his keen ability at tracking should at least provide him with a means of finding out something about enemy movements (if the other Warriors haven't disturbed the dust by fighting about in the same room, that is, before he can get a look).

* Rangers are reasonably knowledgeable, whether properly educated or self- taught. If you are using Greywolf's House Rules for Intelligence (randomly rolled), the Ranger will have at least an Intelligence of 2 by default -- If you end up with a result of 1 despite a re-roll, treat it as a 2 instead. Otherwise, there are no modifiers.

-*- ALTERNATE RACES -*-

Aside from human Rangers, there are others who could be counted among their number -- the Wood Elves of Loren. However, this can largely be covered by the existing Elf character, and an "Elf Ranger" is eventually scheduled for release. For those not content with waiting, however, try the following modifications:

WOOD ELF SCOUT:
The Wood Elf Scout has the same abilities as the Ranger, but may visit the Elf Quarter, may use any and all items usable by the Elf, and automatically escapes pinning. However, Elves generally do not utilize traps, so the Wood Elf Scout does not have any special ability to avoid traps, and any roll of the "Trapper" Skill should be re-rolled. Also, being slightly slighter in build, the Wood Elf Scout starts with -1 to Starting Wounds.

-*- REPRESENTING YOUR WARRIOR -*-

The "Ranger" miniature from _Talisman_ would be perfect for representing the Ranger. Otherwise, there are a number of miniatures produced by Citadel and other companies that would be ideal for a Ranger once painted in a scheme dominated by "natural" colors (such as greens and browns).

-*- ROLE-PLAYING TIPS -*-

The Ranger could represent one of a wide range of character archetypes, from the environmentally-sensitive type who gives lectures on respecting nature to the practical survivalist to the hardy woodsman who appreciates a good mug of ale and a good laugh. While he sneaks about, however, the temptation should be avoided to simply turn this into yet another sort of rogue or thief. Rangers, while not necessarily paladins in terms of morals, should still have some degree of upright standing as heroes. While they may use their stealth to spy on the enemy, to use it simply out of sheer cowardice or an excuse to take advantage of fellow Warriors would be misguided.

Generally, a Ranger is pretty good with the sword (or at least he has a pretty good head start), and respectable with the bow as well, but his real strength in terms of role-playing is his different look on life and the Warhammer World.

-*- DISCLAIMERS AND SUCH -*-

_Warhammer Quest_, _Talisman_, the _Old World_ and _Games Workshop_ are trademarks of Games Workshop, Ltd., and their use here does not constitute a legal challenge to that status. This article is copyright by T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock (me =) ), though it may be freely distributed so long as no alterations are made and no fees are charged for its use.

If you'd like to contact me for whatever reason, you can write to me at:

Jordan Peacock
1610 Parker
Cedar Falls, IA 50613

-*- HAPPY QUESTING! -*-