A web enhancement for d12 Monthly, Issue 23 (Cities & Towns).
Sometimes articles get cut from the final issue for a number of reasons, so I have decided to include them as bonus web content. Enjoy!
This is a retake on the ranger from Old School Essentials (OSE), but may be adapted to any edition or hack.
Instead of creating a whole new class, I have simply changed some of the rangers traits and abilities to suit a more urban environment.
Rangers often act as a buffer between civilization and nature, protecting people travelling through the dangerous wilderness.
But sometimes this means being a part of a settlement, and protecting nature from the folks within a settlement.
Instead of living in the wild, an urban ranger looks after animals and vegetation, making sure the settlement works with nature and not against it.
In villages and smaller towns, urban rangers are usually seen in a positive light, helping farmers and herders get the best from their crops and animals.
In large towns and cities however, they are often seen as rebels or agitators, causing more problems than they solve, and hindering trade and business in general.
Urban Ranger
The Urban Ranger uses the regular Ranger class as a base, with the following changes:
Urban Setting
The following traits only work within urban settings:
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- Foraging & Hunting
- Pursuit
- Stealth
- Tracking (also along roads)
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Limited Possessions: an urban ranger will donate excess wealth to local causes in their settlement.
Followers for an urban ranger, after they reach 10th level, will most likely be locals who the ranger has helped over the years, and animals who live within the settlement.
Urban Rangers Spell List
The urban ranger pulls spells from both druid and wizard spell lists.
1st Level
1. Animal Friendship
2. Charm Person
3. Detect Danger
4. Faerie Fire
5. Invisibility to Animals
6. Locate Plant and Animal*
7. Predict Weather
8. Speak with Animals
* Locate Plant and Animal will only work within an urban setting.
2nd Level
1. Barkskin
2. Create Water
3. Cure Light Wounds
4. Heat Metal
5. Obscuring Mist
6. Produce Flame
7. Slow Poison
8. Warp Wood
3rd Level
1. Clairvoyance
2. Hold Animal
3. Hold Person
4. Infravision
5. Protection from Poison
6. Water Breathing
Over to You
Can you see yourself playing an urban ranger? Let me know in the comments below.
While You’re Here…
Since 2021 I have been publishing d12 Monthly, a monthly zine, which has a ton of articles for any edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
Printed copies are available in my store. The PDF is available on DriveThruRPG and you can get both, plus support my work, via my Patreon.
I will also be releasing some more products in the near future.
Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or my contact page any time.