The Dark Ranger

From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki

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Latest revision as of 02:36, 18 July 2025

The Dark Ranger

by Lucus of OES

Roleplaying a Dark Ranger is an extremely satisfying and enjoyable profession. There are so many possibilities, and things you can branch off into to make it incredibly complex, or you can just keep it simple. I will discuss a myriad of ways by which you can accomplish this; of course, I don't know everything, so please feel free to improvise on what is given here.

Philosophy:

Vengeance - This is where you are infuriated by what man has done to nature, pillaging its minerals, clear cutting its forests and what not. Whomever you see doing any activities harmful to nature, you reprimand, and if they do not comply, you use force. This type of character is not truly evil, he only seeks to protect the forest. Try to give a reason on why you would do so.

True Evil - This type of character set is one who truly worships the forest death gods, or perhaps Entropy and Oblivion, they seek to harness all living things to their will, and use the forest to accomplish this. They will slay when they are threatened or when it suits their motives.

Outcast - A person using this philosophy is an outcast of society, for some reason or another (devise one). He/she seeks safe haven in the woods, or the desert, and is rather cowardly (for the most part). This character will not stay to fight in most confrontations. They steal and loot, and sometimes kill, to procure their needs.

Background:

This is rather vital, as it will most likely determine how your character speaks and acts. Here is an example:

"Terrance was the son of a poor cobbler; his mother had died when he had been born. Toiling ceaselessly day and night to pay for his son's and his own food, the father was never around much. Being lonely, Terrance, at the age of 3 now, wandered into the forest which bordered their small property. He was amazed and delighted at the sounds and the sights, taking everything in with a sense of wonder... he even found that the seemingly dangerous creatures were friendly to one such as himself. After returning from his little adventure late at night, just before his father returned from work, he vowed that he would learn of the forest ways.

"Day after day, month after month, year after year, he resided within it and learned many things. Then one day, four days after his 16th life day, his father caught a dreadful virus. There was nothing Terrance could do, they had not the gold to afford a skilled healer. The next night his father passed away, and Terrance sadly buried him in the custom of the forest. Not even two days after the death, the town money lenders and merchants came to him, saying that his father had owed them a great deal of money for absurd things. Terrance knew this to be false, as the same people had been trying to get a hold of their meager holdings for years, as they wanted to develop the land into more merchant shops. He refused them the land, seeing as it was in his family, and that he would die before he saw his dear forest ever harmed. The merchants went away grumbling, muttering curses, and Terrance went to bed, thinking nothing of it.

"Early the next morning, there was banging on his door. He groggily got out of bed to answer and found three burly mercenaries staring at him, with the merchants behind them. Seeing what was happening, Terrance shoved through them, and ran out into the forest, all the while hearing their mocking laughter behind him. He suddenly felt an uncontrollable rage sweep through him, knowing what they had done was wrong, and that they were just greedy, conniving scum.

"Hefting his staff, he concentrated on the rhythm of the forest, the coolness of the shadow, and on calling all animals to come to his aid. His concentration was rewarded; one by one, a wolf or a bear appeared in front of him. After a veritable hoard had gathered, Terrance told them of the people in the village and what they planned to do. the animals were enraged, and put themselves immediately under his control. Marching steadily to the village, Terrance grimly looked onward. A blood lust overcame him and his animals, he could see nothing but swirling bodies and blood, and could not hear anything but screaming. Finally, after what seemed like a millennium, all was quiet, not a sound anywhere, except the usual forest noises. Smiling to himself, he wiped off his blood soaked staff in the grass, and left the empty village to return to his home, the only place that mattered now, the wood, and his creatures."

Specialties:

Does your character dress only a certain way, use only wooden weapon, tame only certain types of pets? There are many things which you can do to make him/her unique, these are just a few possibilities.

Skills:

Ranger- Warrior Style

100 Strength

100 Dexterity

25 Intelligence

Anatomy

Animal Lore

Animal Taming

Swordsmanship/Fencing/Mace Fighting/ Archery [Choose One]

Tactics

Tracking

Optional: Wrestling, Magery, Veterinary, Healing, Herding, Hiding

Ranger- Mage Style

100 Strength

25 Dexterity

100 Intelligence

Evaluating Intelligence

Animal Lore

Animal Taming

Meditation

Resisting Magic

Tracking

Optional: Wrestling, Magery, Veterinary, Hiding, Stealth, Herding