The Expanded Spell-less Ranger
The Expanded Spell-less Ranger is an epic fantasy supplement for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game written by Marc Radle and published by Open Design.
By The Warden
Learn more about The Expanded Spell-less Ranger here
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You know and I know all the characters mentioned in D&D as the basis for the ranger class never used spells. Perhaps they had an affinity for elves and shared a bond with druids, but they were martial characters trained in the ways of nature, skilled archers, and fierce warriors in their own right. This volume of the New Paths series from Open Design provides an alternate version of the ranger known as the spell-less ranger.
CONTENT
As much as I like the idea behind it, I have to admit I’m not keen on the name at all. Highlighting what it doesn’t do isn’t exactly the greatest way of promoting someone (otherwise you could be known as the non-mechanical bookworm instead of the avid reader). Yet when you look over what’s been used to substitute spellcasting in this alternate ranger, there isn’t anything original enough to make a stronger name work.
There are four main alternatives provided for this new ranger: Stealth Attacks allowing the ranger to sneak up on a target who’s one of their favored enemies or on their favored terrain and gain bonus damage as a rogue; Ranger Talents similar to rogue talents to create a multitude of rangers across the board; increased Heal abilities within any favored terrain; and Fast Movement on the ranger’s favored terrains. In short, nothing new and inspiring.
There are also two new archetypes (the dual-style ranger and the companion-bound ranger), new feats, and a ranger character sheet including an incredibly helpful favored enemy and favored terrain cheat sheet keeping track of which terrain/enemy gains which bonus.
OVERALL
What’s provided does work, don’t get me wrong, and there’s no reason why the spell-less ranger cannot function in any Pathfinder game as a regular ranger. But at $3.95 US, this PDF is a bit overpriced for the few differences it provides. Of the 15 pages in this book, only a third is original material. If the price seems fair to you and you’re a hardcore ranger fan, you’ll definitely find a use and appreciation for this product.
RATINGS
Publication Quality: 6 out of 10
There are some minor layout issues found in this small product, such as spacing and indent errors, and the background image tends to make some of the text in the corner difficult to read. And with such a small page count and minimal artwork (cover notwithstanding), coming in at 5Mb seems a bit high for the final result.
Mechanics: 5 out of 10
What’s presented works, but only because most of the alternative options have been taken from other classes. Nothing remarkably impressive here, just handy.
Value Add: 5 out of 10
If I’m looking to play a ranger in a later game, I might consider this version because I’m not one for playing spellcasters. But I’m not looking to jump through hoops to give the spell-less ranger a run over the spell-full ranger.
Overall: 5 out of 10
A valid product, but seems more appropriate as an article in Kobold Quarterly than a separate product.
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