Sturmgard: Ranger Class

To my knowledge there was never a published ranger class until the 1st edition of AD&D. Sure, there were some attempts at a ranger class in Dragon, but they all seemed based on Aragorn from Tolkien. I wonder what such a ranger class would look like in Original D&D? Some thoughts below:

RANGER

A ranger is a human who follows the teachings of the elves and the druids, learning the wilderness stealth, woodcraft, and tracking abilities of the elves while paying homage to the beliefs of the Druids. Although they revere the teachings of the Neutral Druids, Rangers are of Good alignment and must remain so or else they are forever cast out from their order, unable to cast spells or increase in experience ever after. A difficult quest set by the druids is the only way to regain lost status, along with a reversion of alignment back to Good.

REQUIREMENTS: In order to become a ranger, a character must have a Strength and Constitution of no less than 13. Strength and Wisdom are the prerequisites of this class. If a ranger does not have a Wisdom of 9 or higher he or she may not cast Druid spells at higher levels. A ranger never gains bonus experience points from having high ability scores.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: A ranger is able to Move Silently and Hide in Shadows in outdoor settings as a Thief of the same level. This allows the ranger to attack with surprise or shoot from a distance unseen as a sniper in the woods. Unlike the backstab ability of Thieves, this only nets them a surprise round of attacks at +2 to hit. Furthermore, a ranger can track creatures moving through the wilderness with great skill. A ranger has a 3 in 6 chance at levels 1-7, 4 in 6 chance at levels 8-14, and 5 in 6 chance at level 15+. Success allows the ranger to follow tracks for one watch period (4 hours) without having to check again until weather conditions change or the creature tries to hide his or her trail. Rangers can do +1 damage to humanoids and giants per Hit Die they possess, up to Name Level (max +9 damage). This bonus applies to kobolds, goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls, lizardmen, troglodytes, bugbears, ogres, trolls, and giants of all sorts. Finally, at 8th level the ranger gains the ability to cast a limited number of druid spells as a caster of half his actual level (an 8th level ranger can cast a druid spell as a 4th level druid). A ranger begins the game knowing the Elven language as well as the secret languages of Druids and his alignment tongue.

Rangers have a d8 Hit Die, can wear only leather armor or chain mail armor, and are limited to using any sword, spear, short bow, long bow, crossbow, hand axe, dagger, and club. Rangers may use shields. Their code and beliefs forbid them from using flaming oil or poison in combat.

I envision rangers as protectors of the forest, defenders of the Good creatures of the woods, and liaisons with the elves in the deep woods who accept rangers as trusted friends while they are more distant to humans in general. I see rangers as advance scouts in times of war, border guardians in times of peace, and would readily join any group seeking to eliminate some evil that threatens civilization or areas of Good demi-humans in the wilderness. Rangers should be able to come from any climate, from northern tundras to tropical rainforests.

A fallen ranger is essentially stuck at whatever level they attained before turning from Good and cannot cast Druid spells (although they retain all their former abilities). I can see such fallen rangers as outcasts attacking strangers in the woods and possibly seeking former associates to beg forgiveness or try and atone for their misdeeds. Altogether a very interesting facet of the class.

A Name Level Ranger (Ranger Lord) does not build a castle as a Fighter would, but may start a ranger conclave in the wilderness, a refuge for travelers in the wilds and a place to train new rangers. A Ranger Lord breaks from his own conclave (usually on good terms) and starts a new conclave, typically in a wild region that needs taming. Such new conclaves are meant to reduce the threat of Evil in a region so that travelers are kept safe. A ranger will thus clear a 5-mile hex of land as his own and patrol all the hexes adjacent to his conclave, usually near a road, river, or other stretch of land generally traveled by Good folk. A conclave is usually housed in a wooden lodge or adobe dwelling, possibly camouflaged, but definitely guarded by wild animals friendly to the ranger conclave.

Ranger Druid spells begin at 8th level and increase in number and power until the ranger reaches 16th level. The ranger selects his spells as a druid and is required to carry a holy symbol.

8th   - 1 first level
9th   - 2 first level
10th - 2 first level ,1 second level

11th - 3 first level, 2 second level
12th - 3 first level, 2 second level, 1 third level
13th - 4 first level, 3 second level, 2 third level
14th - 4 first level, 4 second level, 3 third level
15th - 4 first level, 4 second level, 4 third level

16th level + no more spells per day are gained, remains 4 first level, 4 second level, 4 third level