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84 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
84 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
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-----=====Earth's Dreamlands=====-----
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(313)558-5024 {14.4} - (313)558-5517
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A BBS for text file junkies
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RPGNet GM File Archive Site
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By: Kihe Blackeagle
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Working Notes for "Range Guides" (cf. movie _Deathsport 3000_ (?), starring
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David Carradine) (written for 1st ed. AD&D, including particularly _Unearthed
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Arcana_, _Oriental Adventures_, and related _Dragon_ articles updating and
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expanding the Ranger class):
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The world of the Range Guide is a world shattered by years of horrendous
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"modern" warfare, and is inhabited by a number of nasty mutant monster types
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and many even nastier humans/humanoids. Remnants of technology still exist, and
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can be used to ease life's burdens to some degree, but the ultimate skills of
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the Range Guide do not rely on any single item produced by technology (although
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some special skills *may* be possible, based upon the campaign setting).
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Settings which I believe to be compatible with this class, within the
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commercially-produced AD&D modules, include Arduin, DarkSun, HollowWorld,
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SpellJammer, and the area of Old Aurim and the Crystal Sea on the continent of
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Taladas. Some regions of the Known World described in the Voyages of the
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Princess Ark (name?) are also near-perfect.
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Range Guides are predominantly female rangers with psionic "wild talents".
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[This will be approximated for 1st ed.; 2nd ed. folk may be able to adapt
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entries from _The Psionics Handbook_] The rarely-seen highly skilled males of
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this class/profession tend to be truly exceptional human beings. All known
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RangeGuides to this point have been "pure" humans.
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Minimum Ability Scores: as for Ranger. Additionally, the character must qualify
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for psionics "immediately" (i.e. using scores as modified for age of 12 to 14
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Earth years). No known RangeGuides have ever been multi-class, although a few
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rare individuals are believed to be dual-class
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RangeGuides may be approximated at the present time by the following: using the
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Ranger class as a base, remove "Giant-Class" damage bonuses. Replace the
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"followers gained" tables to reflect a magic-poor environment. Home region is a
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form of desert or dry savannah; adjust required non-weapon proficiencies and
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bonuses / penalties accordingly. RangeGuides may choose slings instead of bows
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when determining weapon proficiencies, and will choose bastard or two-handed
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swords before any other long-blade. RangeGuides often specialize in either
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knife (both melee and thrown) or bastard sword. RangeGuides tend to be horse-
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riders, and many are legendary in their skills when breeding and training
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horses. At least one non-weapon skill chosen should be useful in leading /
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guiding / guarding caravans.
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RangeGuides gain an unarmed combat mode that can be approximated using
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_Oriental Adventures_ method for martial style. This should be derived from the
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examples given for judo, adding the "Whistler" as a special weapon. Whistler-
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swords are formed out of very rare volcanic glass, and may be treated for most
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purposes as the equivalent of a bastard sword. (Technological enhancements
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applied to a Whistler make it un-chippable, and -- when used by one trained in
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its secrets -- the equivalent of a +3 magic blade for all purposes.) Whistler-
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swords are really quite rare... (When using the 1st ed. _Space Marines_
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materials as a source of technological weapons, "Whistler" swords may be
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treated as vibro-blades in skilled RangeGuide hands, monoedge weapons
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otherwise.)
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Normal psionic abilities should be weighted heavily toward empathy, object
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reading, animal telepathy, mind over body, levitation, or molecular
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manipulation. Many of the best known RangeGuides also use cell adjustment or
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some other form of psychic healing. Reduce all range determinations by 50%
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under normal conditions (save vs. death when imprisoned / tortured to double
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*normal* standard range). Reduce number of attack modes by 50%; improve the
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effectiveness of defense modes by 50%.
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RangeGuides seldom gain the complete range of spells available to "true"
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Rangers. If INT plus WIS is less than 32, reduce the number of spells available
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at any given level by one-half, rounding DOWN (1/2 of 1 rounds to zero!).
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RangeGuides of exceptional intelligence may *use* technology-based devices as
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the equal of a "mad" gnome one-half their current level (see _DragonLance
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Adventures_ for more detail). RangeGuides will never willingly create new
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technical items. (If using Arduin rules, convert the ability to that of a
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Techno 1/3 current RangeGuide level.)
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(Like I said "above", these are the *working notes*. Commentary appreciated,
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esp. from anyone else who remembers this movie!).
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* Origin: Blackeagle's Wizard's Den via EZPoint (1:124/6224.4003)
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