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This document provides suggestions and insights into how to translate the ideas of the
Ranger class from the source material into Path nder Fate Accelerated.
"For those who relish the thrill of the hunt,
Sample Iconics
there are only predators and prey.
Be they scouts, trackers, or bounty hunters,
Garak, Pailey, Yuler
rangers share much in common: unique
mastery of specialized weapons, skill at stalking Starting Archetype Sets
even the most elusive game, and the expertise Commando
to defeat a wide range of quarries. Rangers are
Combative +3, Primal +1
deft skirmishers, either in melee or at range.
Survivalist
Knowledgeable, patient, and skilled hunters,
these rangers hound man, beast, and monster
Combative +2, Primal +2
alike; while some track man-eating creatures to Stalker
protect the frontier, others pursue more Combative +1, Roguish +2, Primal +1
cunning game—even fugitives among their Feral
own people."
Focused +1, Primal +3
Archetype Considerations
Four Archetypes are of potential interest Strikers
to a ranger, but an individual ranger might The source material o ers rangers as
only have bonuses in two of them. Primal e ective melee and ranged combatants.
covers the "wildlands survivor" facet,
Rangers are often stereotyped as using
Combatives covers the "warrior" facet,
bows and arrows, and in later editions of
Roguish covers the "skilled and canny"
the game due to the in uence of a certain
facet, and Focused covers the "alert and
popular book character dual-wielding
t" facet.
rangers became a thing. But in actuality, a
Primal is the most essential Archetype of given ranger might prefer sword and
the four for a ranger. All rangers should board, two-handed weapons, thrown
have at least Primal +1. However, gaining weapons, or whatever.
Primal +3 or higher is something that can
Skill-monger
be deferred until some major milestones
Rangers are skilled, particularly in
have passed, or avoided altogether for a
wilderness settings. They excel at
ranger who is not a spell caster.
tracking, sneaking around, and surviving
Combatives is the next most essential
in the wilderness, and are also capable
Archetype for many but not all rangers.
hunters.
Rangers that are top-tier warriors who also
Support / Utility
happen to have a wilderness slant to them
will generally go heavy Combatives with a In addition to being respectable front
splash of Primal, for instance. line combatants, rangers eventually gain
some nature magic spells.
Roguish is also a solid Archetype to base
a ranger character on, such as the Stalker Pet
set of Starting Archetypes demonstrates. Some rangers get an animal companion.
Super cially, some people might assume
that Roguish is synonymous with "thief", Diverging From Source Material
but that is not the case. Roguish The source materials' conception of the
encompasses a broad range of skills, and ranger has changed over the years, with
o ers a lot to a ranger that is not entirely each new edition of the rules presenting a
anchored in being competent in wilderness di erent take.
settings.
The underlying elements of the "ranger"
So called "urban rangers", bounty concept have generally included a
hunters, thief-catchers, some scouts and martially competent, skilled character
skirmishers, and the like are all examples heavily focused on wildnerness
of roguish rangers. adventuring. Secondary ability to cast
Focused is a secondary Archetype for nature related spells is also usually a
rangers. Rangers are generally de ned by thing as well.
their skill more than their innate However, you shouldn't feel obligated to
superiority, and going too heavy into adhere to source material; you are free to
Focused can dillute this theme, pulling a be creative. Assign your Approach and
character towards other character Archetype bonuses, and de ne your
concepts. Focused +1 is a good splash for character's Aspects and Stunts to best
practically any kind of ranger, but creeping realize your "ranger" concept.
up higher on a starting character will tend
to make the character seem less like a
ranger and more like a barbarian or some
other concept altogether.
Most starting rangers looking to match the source material should consider the
Commando set of Starting Archetypes, while starting rangers who prefer to accentuate
their wilderness abilities and ramp up into spellcasting should consider the Survivalist set
of Starting Archetypes. Rangers that want to be capable in both urban and wilderness
settings should consider the Stalker set of Starting Archetypes.
And of course, you are free to twiddle the dials to whatever permutation you like; for
instance Combative +1, Primal +3 or Combative +1, Roguish +1, Primal +2, or even
Combative +1, Roguish +1, Focused +1, Primal +1 are all equally valid.
Going a little further a eld, the Feral set of Starting Archetypes o ers an extreme
variation on the ranger concept. A character going that route would have to rely heavily
on Aspects, Approaches, and Stunt choices to anchor the character in the ranger concept
instead of something more like a druid or similar nature-based full caster. Pailey is an
example of such a verge character; she's somewhere between druid and ranger, but her
Stunts pull the character concept closer towards ranger.
4. Does my ranger have an emnity with A large design space falls within the
one or more types of opponents or are label of "ranger"; have fun with it.
they equally capable against any type of
foe?
Spellcaster or Not?
If you want your ranger to be a spellcaster you need to decide how deeply you are
going to invest in Primal. If you want to start as a full spell caster, you'll need Primal +3,
which won't leave much room to incorporate other facets into the character.
If you want to play a character who has some wilderness tricks and perhaps a few extra-
normal or minor spell-like abilities you can go with Primal +2.
Otherwise, Primal +1 is where you'll want to turn the dial.
And if you don't want your ranger to be a spellcaster it opens up possibilities for other
special abilities, such as animal companions, fancy ghting styles, and favored terrain
and foes.
Preferred Environment or All-Terrain?
Some rangers specialize in a speci c kind of terrain, such as the mountains, or the
forest, and hone their skills in their chosen environment to extreme mastery. Other
rangers are comfortable in any clime and place, possibly even in cities and other bastions
of civilization.
Answering this question will lead you to settle on the disposition of Primal and Roguish
for your ranger. And obviously, if you are going "full wilderness" you shouldn't assign any
+'s to Roguish.
If your ranger does have a favored terrain, it is also more likely that they might have an
animal companion from that terrain.
For instance, if a de ning feature of your ranger is that you are a skilled archer or a
dual-wielder at a minimum you'll likely want a decent Combatives bonus and at least one
relevant Stunt to anchor that concept.
Alternately, if you are not taking Combatives at all but you want to be a weapon
specialist of some kind you'll de nitely need to allocate a Stunt slot to allowing a di erent
Archetype to be used in place of Combatives in certain scenarios, such as "when armed
appropriately".
Yuler is a skilled tracker and a deadly accurate archer. Swift and stealthy, he makes
every arrow count and rarely misses. And almost nothing avoids his notice.
Foe Bane : Because I have a favored enemy Race, when I succesfully attack a target
of that Race I in ict +2 shifts of extra stress. Additionally, if my attack results in a
tie I may use the boost to in ict a single point of stress on the defender,
immediately, as a free action.
Hunting Archer : Because I am a master archer and hunter, I may use Primal
instead of Combative to attack with any kind of bow and arrow.
Pass Without Trace : Because of my mastery of the natural world, I gain +1 when I
am Sneakily Primal while in the wildlands, I am unobstructed by undergrowth,
and if I take a full move I may move three zones instead of two. Finally, tracking
me in wildland areas is very di cult; those attempting it must overcome a
di culty equal to my ((Sneaky + Primal) * 2).
Swamp Fighter : Because I am so adept at ghting within swampy areas and using
my environment e ectively, I may add Primal as a bonus when I am Combative
in swamps and marshlands.
Urban Jungle : Because I have mastered the art of fading away, blending in, and
avoiding notice even in urban areas among people, I can use Primal instead of
Roguish to create advantage and overcome when attempting to avoid being
noticed in civilized areas (Primal is already usable for this in rural, wildland
areas).
Weapon Mastery (-3) : Because I have spent many years mastering a type of
weapon, I gain +1 to Combatives when I attack, defend, create advantage, or
overcome while using any weapon of that type.
Durable Survivor
Many rangers are unusually resilient survivors, capable of living through incredible
trauma and harsh conditions.
Immune To Mind-A ecting : Because I am immune to mind-a ecting abilities, I am
una ected by any malign e ect that relies on mental coersion or disorientation.
Living O The Land : Because I am adept at surviving o of what nature o ers me,
I am always able to nd enough food and water to keep myself and a couple of
other people or animals healthy while in wildlands and rural areas (i.e. above
ground and not near a city or town). Additionally if I've had at least half a day to
become familiar with the terrain in a speci c area of wilderness I gain +1 on all
actions while being Primal. How large the area of wilderness might be is left to
the GM's discretion, but it should be at least ve square miles.
Primal Reduction : Because I am signi cantly more rugged, robust, and survivable
due to my deep connection with primal forces, I reduce by one (1) all physical
stress in icted on me, and I reduce by two (2) all environmental stress in icted
on me.
Rogue's Re exes : Because I have great re exes and am able to evade harm better
than most people, I may use Roguish to defend against any kind of indirect or
surprise attack and to avoid harm by getting out of the way of it. Narratively this
can take many forms, such as rolling out of the way, ducking behind cover,
'seeing it coming' and somehow interupting the attack, or by some other means
justi ed by the narrative.
This Stunt requires Roguish +2 to use.
NOTE: Roguish +3 and higher already allows a character to do this. This Stunt is for
characters who have Roguish +2 and are willing to allocate a Stunt to gain this ability.
Warrior's Mettle : Because I have trained extensively and am made of sterner stu
than most people, I may use Combatives to defend against ranged attacks and
targeted magic by de ecting such attacks with a precise ick or parry of my
weapon, or with my armor or a shield, or by some other means justi ed by the
narrative.
This Stunt requires Combative +2 to use.
NOTE: Combative +3 and higher already allows a character to do this. This Stunt is for
characters who have Combative +2 and are willing to allocate a Stunt to gain this ability.
Uncanny Animystic
Some rangers are deeply in touch with the natural world, and have uncanny abilities
that are more than mundane.
Danger Sense : Because I am unusually alert and perceptive I gain +3 while Quickly
Focused to notice things that are dangerous, fast moving, or pose an imminent
threat to my safety.
Natural Weapons : Because I have natural weapons and am skilled in their use, I
may use Focused instead of Combative when my natural weapons are relevant.
In situations where it matters I can choose to be treated as attacking
barehanded or attacking with a weapon, whichever bene ts me more in the
situation. Finally, though I can be inconvenienced and my natural weapons can
be fouled or restrained, being disarmed is generally o the table for me.
Pass Without Trace : Because of my mastery of the natural world, I gain +1 when I
am Sneakily Primal while in the wildlands, I am unobstructed by undergrowth,
and if I take a full move I may move three zones instead of two. Finally, tracking
me in wildland areas is very di cult; those attempting it must overcome a
di culty equal to my ((Sneaky + Primal) * 2).
Companions
Rangers often have animal companions; see the Stunt options document for details
on how to incorporate companions into your character using Stunts.
Animal Companion (-3) : Because [describe the reason you have an animal
companion] , I have attracted a powerful animal companion that chooses to aid
me.
Animal Companion
Two (2) Aspects
Good At : Spread +4 around one to four skill-like abilities
Bad At : Spread -4 around one to four skill-like abilities
Stress [1][2][3]
Mild (2)
Moderate (4)