The Player's Guide to Rangers and Rogues is titled as a core sourcebook for revised 3rd edition fantasy roleplaying. The funny thing is that no where on the front does it indicate that this is a Scarred Lands campaign book, but rather, on the back in the left hand corner.
The book provides options for both classes but draws heavily upon the Scarred Lands setting and provides examples through history and organizations native to that setting. For example, how these classes interact and effect a campaign world. For non-Scarred Lands players, while the information can be useful for home brews in terms of example and tone, it will not be useful to others.
The history of the rangers involves some titan offering them power and making them druid guardians, and the information on the vigils is great, it's not something I'm going to be able to use in my Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk Games. Those settings are too large to have a centralized myth from which all rangers spring. I'm also a little at a loss as to why the rogue's history is more or less a history of how the laws have evolved. There is some discussion on how best to overcome those laws legally, but it too is heavily stepped in the setting.
Because I also run a Scarred Lands campaign, I don't mind the details and information. I find it useful that when they list the various guilds, including thieves, beggars and assassins, that they include preferred skills and feats. This makes it easier to model your own NPCs to follow in those footsteps. Some of the guilds are fairly generic in nature, even though they are specific. The Cult of Ancients for example, worships Belsameth and are a 'fairly typical assassin's cult, fanatically devoted to a god...” while the separation of the traditionalist, gives you “the Society”, an ultra smooth and professional guild. In some ways, it reminds me of Green Ronin's Assassin's Master Class book with its religious fanatics battling the professionals. Others like the Association of Exploration can easily be fleshed out with other books like AEG's Explorer's Society.
Chapters Three and Six are more appropriate for all campaigns, but still have a Scarred Lands feel and examples. Chapter Three, To Endure the Wilds, gives those who have the Survival Skill more examples and uses. Want to leave a false trail? Survive an avalanche or extend your rations with no ill effects? Than this section is for you. Chapter Six, Tricks of the Trade, provides solid rules and ideas for making contacts and more examples of how skills and feats should be allocated for different paths a rogue can take like burglar, cutthroat and swashbuckler. Some sample NPCs of each type would've been appropriate and with the white space on page 3, 7, 17, 33, 49, 65, 75, 76, 83, 84, 87, 90, 93, 96, 99, 102, 106, 112, 115, 119, and 120, there is room enough for many stat blocks.
The mechanical meat of the book is in the appendix. I was a little disappointed with the feats as there are too many of the dreaded +2 to two skills (burglar, dashing, infiltrator, spy, and trap springer). While a new type of feat was included, such as Charming, where you get a number of bonus skill points equal to the stat bonus, in this case Charisma, that can only be applied to Charisma, it should've been a template feat. I don't need one for each stat. (Brawny, Charming, Clever, Learned, Quick, Sturdy).
My favorite part of this section has to be the new rogue special abilities. Higher level rogues get to pick a special ability at 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th levels and now they have more options like dirty fighting, where they can pick from several subabilities once per day to search mastery, where they 'find something interesting on a roll of 20'. This allows the GM to put little extras into the game and perhaps lead the campaign in different directions.
Now those looking for PrCs will want to flip to the back of the book. I was pleased to note that they covered the core prestige classes and how they fit into the Scarred Lands setting before going into the new ones. Now for me, the Vigilant from Relics & Rituals, is the quintessential Ranger for this setting. It's not updated to 3.5 here. Instead, we get Vigilant Arcanist, spellcasting rangers with a touch of arcane magic alongside Vigil Stalkers. These individuals are the super spies and information gatherers even as the Vigilant is the ultimate ranger.
Some other standards are covered. What would a book of rogues be without a bounty hunter or a trapmaster? I find the section most useful when it is unique, such as with the blood seas pirate. Much like the anointed knight from the BoED or the warrior of darkness from the BoVD, these individuals use alchemy to augment themselves. For example, they can brew one for greater insight and gain a free feat or gain the might of Kadum for a +2 bonus t other strength scores. The section includes enough material that there should be something for any player of a ranger or rogue looking for either a traditional role or a campaign specific one.
The book ends with new equipment, magic items and spells. It's a shallow chapter with no new weapon or weapon types, odd since there are many famous rangers via Vesh in the setting who surely would've had a high powered item or two. The spells are listed in straight alphabetical order with no master listing. These are combat oriented spells like bramble blade where every hit is considered a potential critical or fiery vengeance, where the caster channels fire from close burning matter and arches it towards his enemies.
The art is solid. Layout is standard two column. White Space and what I'd consider wasted pages, a little high. For example, each section, like previous books, starts with a full page with the illustration for the cover with the non-covered individual grayed out. Just like in Dungeon Magazine, I don't need to see the cover more than once. Page count on this one has dropped from 144 and $24.95 to 128 and $21.95, average price.
Overall the Player's Guide to Rangers and Rogues offers options to any campaign. Those that will gain the most out of it are those playing in the Scarred Lands, in the Ghelspad portion.
I'm also glad you enjoyed two of my three Prestige entries. Blood Sea Pirate, Brother of the Crimson Temple, and Trapmaster. (Guess they decided to drop the gnome part of the name.)
