The Averni Ranger Class for ACKS

The second class that I am attempting to convert to ACKS for my Averoigne campaign is the Holmesian Ranger. Although, the impetus for the original was my own interpretation of the missile combat rules in Holmes (which implied random targets), ACKS still has one hold-over from the Holmes rules. No one can fire into melee without a special proficiency. Therefore, that is where I began constructing what I call the Averni Ranger (thus named to add a bit of color and to differentiate it from the plethora of other rangers that exist):

The Averni Ranger for ACKS

Prime Requisite: STR and DEX
Requirements: Must be Averni or have an approved backstory for a non-Averni
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 14
Averoigne has large swaths of land that are wilderness creeping into the lands of civilization. Therefore, there is a long warrior tradition within Averni culture that learns the ways of the wilderness in order to protect civilization from the wilderness.

Averni Rangers may wear chain-type armor or lighter, use all missile weapons and one-handed weapons and have the fighting styles weapon and shield as well as two weapons. They also have three Thieving Skills: Hide in Shadow, Move Silently and Backstab. HS and MS require leather or lighter armor to use.

In addition they have the following Custom Powers:

• Accuracy: Averni Rangers are trained marksmen. That are at a +1 to attack rolls with all missile weapons.
• Precise Shot: as trained marksmen, Averni Rangers can fire into melee at a -4 to the roll. This stacks with the Proficiency Precise Shooting to reduce the penalty to hit.
• Sniper: if an Averni Ranger can attack from ambush or is eligible to use backstab, they can do so using a ranged weapon at up to short range. [This is the Proficiency Sniping used as a Custom Power].

Averni Rangers fight and save as Fighters and use the Hideout rules to build a Stronghold at 9th level.

Averni Ranger Proficiency List: Alertness, Animal Husbandry, Blind Fighting, Climbing, Combat Trickery (disarm, incapacitate, knock down), Eavesdropping, Endurance, Fighting Style, Land Surveying, Mapping, Mountaineering, Naturalism, Navigation, Passing Without Trace, Precise Shooting, Riding, Running, Skirmishing, Survival, Swashbuckling, Tracking, Trapping, Wakefulness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus

XP progression looks like this:

• Level 2: 2,150
• Level 3: 4,300
• Level 4: 8,600
• Level 5: 17,200
• Level 6: 34,400
• Level 7: 68,800
• Level 8: 137,600
• Level 9: 275,200
• Level 10: 279,200
• Level 11: 399,200
• Level 12: 519,200
• Level 13: 639,200
• Level 14: 759,200

Holmes & Cook: Rangers

Yesterday, J.B. of B/X Blackrazor reacted to my recasting of the Holmesian Thief in context of Bilbo Baggins by reminding me of his previous post, How Bilbo Baggins Ruined Everything. In his latest post, he is Hating on Rangers. Therefore, I though it apropos to propose the optional Ranger class for a Holmes & Cook amalgam.

Please note: I am not trying to start some kind of war of words with J.B. who actually makes some very compelling arguments (if a little crude at times). He tends to be a B/X partisan and as such I greatly sympathize with him because I, too, feel it is one of the best versions of the game; however, I also greatly enjoy tinkering. And this whole thought experiment is exactly about that — framing a tinkering project within the confines of Holmes and Cook. Therefore, I am merely sending some gentle ribbing J.B.'s way…

The Holmesian Ranger

Rangers are specialized fighting-men who concentrate on missile combat. They are hunters, scouts, skirmishers and/or outriders. They become expert marksmen at the expense of other kinds of combat. As such, they may only use Missile Weapons or Thrown Weapons. This specialization, however, allows rangers to have the following advantages in missile combat:

• Unlike other classes, rangers do not need to fire in volleys. When firing into a group, they need not randomly determine their target. Rather, they can shoot at a specific target.
• As a result, they are able to fire into melee where friendlies are involved and not risk shooting one of their own party.

They are also better at tracking and at spotting things in an outdoor environment than other classes. They begin with a chance of 2 in 6 and increase this in the same progression as a Thief (aka Burglar) has with hear noise.

Like other fighting-men, rangers may wear any kind of armor; however, wearing heavy armor negates their targeting abilities (they may only fire in volleys).

They use the same XP progression and saving throws as other fighting-men.

Question: I am curious if there is any opinion out there as to whether or not to have a Dex requirement of 13 or to allow certain demi-humans to be rangers (personally, I am considering elves and halflings, but not dwarves).