Ranger
Contents
Rangers in Arthos
"Have you ever been stalked by blink dogs for so long you started to loathe the silence? Have you ever been so cold your fingers ceased to form a fist? Of course not. Don't ever whinge to me about your long marches, commander. You sleep in a tent and eat from a silver platter. These soldiers pamper you until the day they get to stand in a row and twattle each other with sticks. Decadence. There's no better word for it."
- —Ranger Frania Huska to Prince Tarka Borrin II, Commander of Lethia's 1st Infantry Division
Practice
Rangers are those few who shed the shackles of modernity in order to live on the frontiers of Arthos. They are, in a word, self-sufficient. In this environment, Rangers become experts in archery, foraging, tracking and hunting prey. Like fighters they train in the martial disciplines yet their approaches could not be more different. Rangers fight for survival and tend to interpret their opponents for the desperate, unpredictable creatures of instinct they are. It's for that reason that fighting against a ranger can be unsettling. Where they may lack in rehearsed fighting technique, they make up for in commitment of action.
Wild Spirit
Rangers may also teach themselves magic by channeling the heartbeat. Unlike druids, this power does not come naturally and must be learned through a prolonged reliance on instinct. Some rangers like to call this state the "wild spirit" and in moderation, the power it provides can help them thrive within their range. Taken too far, the wild spirit can warp a ranger's mind permanently. Some speculate that ferals are the result of this loss of control.
Guides
Rangers looking to make some coin have a very marketable skill at their disposal. Using their acquired survivability and knowledge of their preferred environment, guide rangers escort wayward travelers through dangerous terrain. More often than not they are making money in order to buy supplies for their camp, however some rangers are known to act as guides out of a sense of charity.
Bounty Hunters
Rangers who reenter society may find it difficult to find gainful employment. Their nomadic nature makes holding down traditional jobs problematic at best. It's for this reason that rangers make up the bulk of the bounty hunter profession: those hired to locate, capture, and if necessary kill, dangerous criminals, fugitives, and monsters. The ranger's ability to track individuals and deduce their movements makes them ideal for the job. A diviner may be able to find a target and a fighter may be able to best them in combat but it's in the ranger where these talents coalesce.
Adventurers
The life of an adventurer isn't substantially different from that of a ranger. Trailblazing through treacherous lands and sleeping under the stars is already their bread and butter. Where it deviates is the introduction of companionship and group dynamics. The ranger skillset is undoubtedly applicable to typical adventurer work but the ranger will likely have to learn how to fight as a unit, or at least with non-rangers.
