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Orzel
2007-03-10, 03:18 AM
Spellcasting alternate: Ranger items.

An experienced ranger has learned enough about the wilderness that she can quickly create useful items form natural materials gathered from nature. At the 4th level, a ranger can create and maintain a number of items equal to ½ her ranger levels plus her wisdom modifier if any.

Each day, a ranger may spend 1 hour gathering materials from the area. A ranger cannot craft new ranger items if she doesn’t spend an hour on gathering materials.

Because of the maintenance required, most people will not buy ranger items or ranger item service unless the item would be used immediately after purchase. Ranger items degrate in a week if not tend to by a ranger. Ranger items are sold rarely over 1/10 of the their normal selling price.

Rangers never risk poisoning themselve with handling poisons they created. A ranger's caster level is one-half his ranger level when creating scrolls and potions as ranger items. A ranger need not to decipher scrolls created by herself nor do they need the spell in their spell list to activate a scroll they create as a ranger iteml. A ranger still needs the appropriate ability score (Intelligence for wizard spells or Wisdom for divine spells) to activate a scroll they create as a ranger item.

At the 4th level and every 2 levels thereafter, a ranger can learn to create one ranger item. If a ranger item has multiple choices, a ranger can only learn one of the choice. A ranger can learn another ranger item from another ranger with a successful Survival Check (DC 15+ the item’s level) in a process that takes 12 hours.

A ranger can learn and create 1st level items at level 4, 2nd level items at level 8, 3rd level items at level 11, and 4th level items at level 14.

1st level Ranger Items:

A torch and tindertwig
A 2-pound bag of caltrops
2 oars
20 sling bullets
20 arrows
1 bolas
1 javelin
1 shortspear
1 throwing axe
1 potion of any 0th level druid spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)
1 scroll of any 1st level ranger spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)

2nd level Ranger Items:

1 flask of acid
1 vial of antitoxin
1 shortbow
1 light wooden shield
1 suit of leather armor
1 suit of hide armor
1 potion of any 1st level druid spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)
1 scroll of any 2nd level ranger spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)

3rd level Ranger Items:

1 climber’s kit
20 masterwork sling bullets
20 masterwork arrows
1 masterwork club
1 masterwork light wooden shield
1 masterwork suit of leather armor
1 masterwork suit of hide armor
1 dose of black adder venom, small centipede poison, or drow poison (the poison must be chosen when the item learned)
1 scroll of any 0th level wizard spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)
1 potion of any 2nd level druid spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)
1 scroll of any 3rd level ranger spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)


4th level Ranger Items:

1 rowboat and 2 oars
1 masterwork shortbow
1 masterwork bolas
1 masterwork javelin
1 masterwork shortspear
1 masterwork throwing axe
1 dose of Ranger’s poison (Injury DC 10+1/2 ranger levels, Initial and secondary damage 2d6 Dex )
1 scroll of any 1st level wizard spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)
1 potion of any 3rd level druid spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)
1 scroll of any 4th level ranger spell (the spell must be chosen when the item learned)

PEACH

Moofaa
2007-03-10, 11:01 AM
"If a ranger does not spend 1 hour crafting items, one quarter of her existing ranger items are destroyed for lack of maintenance."

So if a ranger spends an hour making a torch, he has to spend an hour every day making sure it stays useable? Not sure if that makes sense for all the items listed, I mean, a club is a club and stays a club pretty much forever. I had a favorite stick when I was a kid playing in the woods outside my house, used it for years when I wanted to hit things. Only 'care' it got was being kept in the garage to keep it from rotting.

edit: I like the premise though, im working on a non-spellcasting version of the ranger for my world, and this has given me some ideas. So nice idea.

Orzel
2007-03-10, 01:04 PM
"If a ranger does not spend 1 hour crafting items, one quarter of her existing ranger items are destroyed for lack of maintenance."

So if a ranger spends an hour making a torch, he has to spend an hour every day making sure it stays useable? Not sure if that makes sense for all the items listed, I mean, a club is a club and stays a club pretty much forever. I had a favorite stick when I was a kid playing in the woods outside my house, used it for years when I wanted to hit things. Only 'care' it got was being kept in the garage to keep it from rotting.

edit: I like the premise though, im working on a non-spellcasting version of the ranger for my world, and this has given me some ideas. So nice idea.

That clause was to keep the sale of ranger items to make a profit at a minimum. Since ranger items degrade fast, a ranger most work to keep his natural items from rotting or falling apart. Sure a big stick carved into a club needs little care but some sticks and rocks shaped into caltrops and the poison drying up in the squirrel stomach might need some.


Does anyone else have tips on other items that work make good ranger items?

JackofAllBlades
2007-03-11, 01:31 PM
Clubs could be made from simply carved wood,a torch is a piece of cloth wetted with oil tied to wood which could be made very easily so i think you should either remove them from the list or enchance them somehow.(Like longer burning time for torches)I think if not metal caltrops could be made with a little imagination(thorns of some plants would make excellent caltrops)

And to prevent ranger items from sale, you could add a moral code which states rangers can not use the items for self-profit.(The maintance looks harsh to me)

And feel free to state your thoughts about my tips.I will be happy if i somehow helped.

Orzel
2007-03-11, 02:04 PM
What if I replaced clubs with crowbars and a torch with a torch and tindertwig?

Moral codes are for lawful classes and classes that hold something as sacred. Rangers love nature but have nothing against harming it. Also rangers areoften seen as the loner class so they wouldn't care about what other rangers do.

What if I removed the maintenance time and say ranger items degrate in a week in the hands of a nonranger. Ranger items are sold at 1/10 of the their normal selling price.

Items added:
1st: a shortspear, a throwing axe, 2 oars.
2nd: 10 sling bullets, bolas, a shortbow, a light wooden shield
3rd: a masterwork club, a suit of leather armor
4rd: a rowboat and 2 oars.

JackofAllBlades
2007-03-11, 04:56 PM
What if I removed the maintenance time and say ranger items degrate in a week in the hands of a nonranger. Ranger items are sold at 1/10 of the their normal selling price

This part goes fine for me.

Additions to the list are also good with one exception:The crowbar.
Crowbar is a fully metal object which requires metalworking skills to make,its materials are not easily obtainable for many people(actually you have to mine or smelt for metal) And i think it doesnt get well with the nature concept ranger class have.

Again that`s just me.
Glad if i could help in any way.

Orzel
2007-03-12, 08:45 AM
True. Crowbars are too metallic


I made a feat for it.


Bane Ranger Item
Prerequisites

Wis 13, 3 or more favored enemies, any weapon or ammunition known as a ranger item, Summon Monster 1 scroll as a ranger item.

Benefit
You may give a weapon or ammunition created as a ranger item the bane enhancement (thus, its enhancement bonus is increased by +2 and it deals +2d6 points of damage) to a designated creature. The creature type is chosen at the item's creation and must be one of you favored enemies. Bane weapons and ammunition created as ranger items count as 2 ranger items to your limt of ranger items maintained per day.

mabriss lethe
2007-03-13, 02:38 AM
I worked out a homebrew class quite a while back that worked out in a similar way to this.

The Scrounger in a nutshell:

The scrounger (as I called the class) Was a ton of fun to play. The class wasn't limited to using items found in nature. If the scrounger could find it, chances are, there was some way a scrounger could use it. Teeth, twigs, scraps of metal,flakes of stone, whatever. The character had to make a search check to find raw materials. The result of the search check minus the original DC was the number of "scrounger points" worth of raw junk he found. The scrounger then invested these points to make simple items. A scrounger-made item could later be broken down into components worth half the original point value. As the character gained levels, he grew more proficient at scrounging, required less parts to make things, stuff like that. scrounged equipment was virtually worthless, rarely netting more than a tenth the item's base cost. In anyone else's hands (including another scrounger's) these items were considered of poor quality, inflicting a 1- penalty on whatever use it was designed for. In its maker's hands, it functioned normally. Later on, the scrounger could make "masterwork" items.

One of these days I might dig up the full class and pass it on. as I said, it was a great deal of fun.