How to: Ranger Abilities

How to: Ranger Abilities

This post will detail my way of converting ranger's class abilities from D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder.

Favored Enemy [7.5/level]

Each ranger has at least one type of a favored enemy. The types are: aberration, animal, construct, deathless, dragon, fey, fungus, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, outsider, plant, undead, vermin. Should the ranger choose humanoid or outsider, they must also specify the subtype - elf, human, halfling, dwarf, goblinoid, etc. for humanoid, or air, water, fire, earth, evil, lawful, good, chaotic, etc. for outsider. The ranger gets +1 per level of this ability on all attack and damage rolls they make in combat with these creatures, and also on all defense and resistance rolls  whenever they attempt to harm the ranger. This bonus also applies to Observation, Perception, Shadowing, and Tracking rolls.

However, if the ranger ever avoids or flees a combat with hostile entity of the chosen type, they stop benefitting from this bonus until they rectify the situation.

Statistics: Higher Purpose (Slay Favored Enemy; Cosmic, Allows multiple levels, +50%) [7.5/level]. Note: While some campaigns already allow more than one level of Higher Purpose even without Cosmic, this gives it a fair, consistent price and allows it to stack with any similar Higher Purpose.

Track: This is just the Tracking skill.

Swift Tracker: The Tracking skill doesn't say anything about reducing speed, so this ability doesn't need a conversion.

Hunter's Bond [8]

The ranger is constantly accompanied by an animal built on 50% of the ranger's point total. The animal companion is not a supernatural minion - it has no obligation to obey all commands of its master and will run away or even attack if treated badly.

Statistics: Ally (Animal Companion; Built on 50%; Constantly) [8]. Notes: This is a very mutable ability. Consider increasing or decreasing the point total of the ally or, perhaps, making it not a mundane animal, but a supernatural totemic animal (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies, pp. 5-11 for examples).

Wild Empathy: This is just Animal Empathy [5] (p. B40) with no power modifier.

Favored Terrain [7/level]

The ranger can choose a particular terrain type. Terrain types are: Arctic, Desert, Island/Beach, Jungle, Mountain, Plains, Swampland, Urban, and Woodlands. Aquatic rangers may choose any of Bank, Deep Ocean Vent, Fresh-Water Lake, Open Ocean, Reef, River/Stream, Salt-Water Sea, and Tropical Lagoon. While in this terrain, they gain a +1 bonus per level to Camouflage, Fishing, Hiking, Observation, Naturalist, Navigation (Land), Stealth, Survival, and Tracking. Replace Survival with Urban Survival, Naturalist with Streetwise, and Fishing with Shadowing, if the ranger chose the urban terrain. In addition, the ranger gains +1/level to Per rolls to keep track of a specific quarry he has already spotted using other skills.

Statistics: Custom Talent (Medium; Camouflage, Fishing, Hiking, Observation, Naturalist, Navigation (Land), Stealth, Survival, Tracking; Accessibility, Only in the chosen terrain, -30%) [7/level]

Ranger Spellcasting: See Druidic Spellcasting.

Woodland Stride [4]

The ranger may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) without suffering Move or DX penalties, taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect her.

Statistics: Terrain Adaptation (Undergrowth; Nature, -20%) [4].

Quarry: I think that the bonus to Per rolls to keep track of a specific quarry while in the favored terrain already covers this despite having quite different mechanical effects.