Anyway, here's a system neutral ranger:
- Whenever you go someplace new, its name appears in the dark souls map font. If there is no name, you get to name it, and the gm must retroactively justify the name. (So if the name is valley of gold, perhaps the inhabitants wear lots of gold, or perhaps the valley is simply full of golden flowers.)
- You can speak to places as if they were people. They can answer questions about destroyed landmarks, people who used to live here, and the events of yesterday.
- Forests, old manors, sewer systems: places, like people, have desires. You can learn these by asking. If you fulfill a place's desire, it becomes friendly to you: you never get lost, and always have the home turf advantage.
- In every place, there is a keystone: a person or object holding everything together. (Removing it causes famine, collapse, etc.) You know where to find it. If it's missing, you can give up your character to become a keystone.
[note: there's enough abilities to spread into ABCD templates, but they're not so potent that they can't all fit on a single class in a level-less system]
[also note: this still falls into the third major pitfall of ranger classes, where having 2+ rangers in the party is completely redundant]
[also also note: the personification of places is an abstraction of a ranger's skill at navigating, tracking, and knowing things others don't. No genius loci or nature spirits are required in-setting for these abilities to function]
Here's some locations with the extra bits this class suggests you should have:
- Ono Woods. Wants: The last two bears in the forest to fall in love. Keystone: Not the tallest, but the widest oak. If it's felled, no one will be able to hunt here ever again.
- New Laguarat. Wants: A messiah elected into office. Keystone: The real estate bubble.
- Station 16. Wants: The destruction of the late doctor's research reports. Keystone: The backup generator, which runs life support.
YEAH!!! That's the way to do it!! Oh this is so clean and elegant....
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