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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MDSnowman" data-source="post: 2010938" data-attributes="member: 6255">The Scarred Lands Guide to Rangers and Rogues is a 128 page sof cover sourcebook. The cover depicts one angry looking fellow, a ranger (and I'm betting Kinthas Ardante, the Silverblade, Vigil of Vesh), and a halfling wielding a hand crossbow (while I'm not sure I think this may be Vohro Nobi, Halfing Revolutionary). The book begins with the obligatory Introduction chapter where once again SSS is trying to sell us on the idea that the category Science Fantasy belongs along side gothic horror, and High and Low Fantasy. We are then also treated to another sampling of ideas for a one-class campaign. I've stated my opinion on these kinds of chapters before they might as well post in bold letters across each page "keep turning the page"Fortunatly that's the only part of this book that irked me.Book I: RangersChapter 1: We're treated to the history of rangers in the scarred lands. It starts off pretty standard, but it also has a few running themes throughout it, such as a ranger's self reliant attitude but their need for close relationship and society's distaste for loners but their need for their trailblazing, that make it a good read.An interesting note: This chapter addresses something that has bothered me for a while. Rangers with spells... I was never able to rationalize it, but here rangers know spells because they were handed down to them by the ancient druids they served... making them, in ancient days, the Titan-Worshipping equivlant to a paladin. Of course those days are behind the majority of rangers, this chapter really made me respect rangers a bit more (also be on the look out for the intruiging "true history of the Veshian Vigils" side bar, you'll be glad you did ^_~ )Chapter 2: This chapter deals with organizations made up largely of rangers throughout the scarred lands. A great deal of space is devoted to the famous Veshian Vigils... having read alot about them in Secrets and Socities I was tempted to skip over this part, but I read it and discovered feats for each Vigil (as they each police their own corner of the world) and in some cases insight into the realtions between various vigils. I apperciate the extra information this section gave me, even though I've already read so much about the Veshian Vigils.The next section of this chapter deals largely with ranger organizations elsewhere in the world and this bunch is definetly unquie.Brotherhood of the Crimson Temple- Worshippers of the Snake Titaness Mormo who serve as defenders of a horrid temple built upon the ground where she died.Hornsaw Sentiels- Pyschopathic warriors bent on protecting the tainted Hornsaw Forest, even from those who want to help it.Kelder Brotherhood- Foes of the Calastian forces, largely active in the Wartorn lands of Burok Torn and Durrover.King's Foresters- King Virduk's wardens keeping his wife's personal forest free of titanspawn, while some (working for the king's Vizier) are looking for what made the queen want the forest so badly.Order of the Black Thorn- Special warriors in service of Chardun, vicious killers hunting down the Slaver's foes.Society of the Manacle- Professional Bounty Hunters, born in the Charduni Empire, but have spread beyond those rather unfriendly origins.Ukrudan Wanderers- Desert Dwellers who wear no armor, but excell in surviving in horrible conditions.They also give rangers groups from the land of Termana as well, The Bear men, who avoid women at all costs, The Motley, Foes of the Carnival of Shadows, and the Paekuri Fellowship, Gnomish rangersChapter 3: Here we have something of a chapter I would have skipped over without reading if I wasn't going to write a review (btw I should really thank you folks for that sometime). The ranger's usefulness, not to mention role as a wilderness master, gets a huge boost due to this chapter. The first part of this chapter describes the use of special techniquies to gain advantages in the wild, how to fall from great heights with minimal injury, creating false trails, using rock dust to blend into rocky backgrounds, diging a burrow in a sandstorm and streaching out your food rations, all with a simple Survival Check (a skill I'm loving more and more). None of these rules strike me as unbalanced, and they all seem to fit the concept of Rangers as wilderness warriors perfectly.The remainder of the chapter is filled with enviormental hazards.... now normally I don't enjoy these things, but I found the hazards detailed here truly inspiring. How does this pretain to rangers? Well rangers get Survival Checks to detect these things from a distance. Included are also tell tale signs of these things, so you as a GM can say more than "yep it's dangerous over there".Book II: RoguesChapter 4: How do you write a chapter describing a history of Rogues? Well they take the approach of detailing it as a history of law, because as the quote at the start of the chapter makes clear, nothing is more fun than breaking the spirit of the law and then having to make them apologize to you when the letter of it is with you.  The various systems of law are presented in chronological form by a member of the Asuras Family... a group I've come to think are the biggest thieves of all.This is driven home by a notes section at the end of each law system entry detailing how best to "bend" the law.Chapter 5: This is an extensive chapter detailing Thieves Guilds, Merchant Organizations, and other shadowy organizations throughout the campaign setting. There are simply too many to list, but I never found them getting repetitive or anything like that. All these groups are useful and I can see them all getting use within a game.Chapter 6: Oh look a chapter called tricks of the trade, outside of a potential lawsuit with Mongoose, I liked this chapter. It starts out with a new concept, contacts. In a nutshell a contact is someone you know who likes you enough to help you out. But Contacts don't come easy... they cost points (but you get 1d4 +1d4 for every +1 charisma bonus every level), their cost depends on their level and for even more points they can become friends and will go above and beyond for you. Now I originally thought this was a bad Idea as it limited Role Playing, but then they specifically tell you outside of 1st level the aqquisition of Contacts should be achieved through Role Playing and the use of points only keeping you from heading out and trying to make friends with a 25th level wizard at level 1.Next we get a few sample contact concepts, and they all represent a good sampling of the kids of people a PC rogue would know and be able to call in favors for.The chapter rounds out with something Rogues desperately need. Archtypes of rogues with favored skills and feats for each kind. It's not a character concept, not a prestige class, just a way to make your rogue (and the rogues in you campaign) less generic.The Appendix I: Ahhh Feats... lots of feats. They give us a boat load of feats that give you a +2 in 2 related skills. That along with three reprintings from The Guide to Fighters and Barbarians are the low part of the book. But they also introudce two types of feats, 6 of them give a small bonus of skill points based on one ability score (one for each ability score), and Terrain feats. These feats, Ranger only, give a bonus to two skills while used in the terrain and an extra bonus within that terrain. For example Plainsman gives a bonus to survival and hide checks on the plains and free use of the far shot feat in that terrain as well. This appendix ends with new special abilities for high level rogues to take. My favorite of course being dirty fighting, with a picture of a very pleased looking woman standing over a chump in armor clutching his groin.Appendix II: Because d20 Law Demands it... PRESTIGE CLASSES. I will score them on a 1-10 point scale and add a sentance or so describing them.Black Thorn Ranger (7)- A cross between a Blackguard and a Ranger, serving Chardun.Blood Sea Pirate (7)- A mariner twisted by the taint of the blood sea.Bounty Hunter (9)- A hunter, specializing in human prey, subdual damage and the expert use of manacles. A really fun class.Brother of the Crimson Temple (8)- Mormo worshipper, gains poison blood, and a decreasingly human form, plus snake animal companions.Goreguard (5)- Overweight power house pit fighters... of course the picture depicts a thin person... and the perform requirement is pretty steep (11 ranks?!?)Huntsman (10)- A friend of the wolves, takes on the characteristics and on the night of the full moon can enter a blinding rage and control entire wolf packs.Master of the Scaled (7)- The quintessetinal Roguish rogue, complete with a small degree of magical know-how and an ability to talk his way out of trouble.Oaken Shadow (7)- Another organization protecting the Gangus? Well this bunch are technically outlawed by their own kind and specialize in striking thier targets from the distance in the shadows.Trapmaster (6)- Gnomes... they have traps... but wait... their favored enemy bonuses go toward their traps? Interesting indeed.Vigilant Arcanist (8)- Because the Vigils weren't tough enough now they have an arm specialized in being almost as rough and tumble as their ranger brethern and able to toss spells about.Vigil Stalker (9)- Veshian spys... so secret that even most of the vigilants dont know they exist.Average Score? 7.5... An impressive collection hampered by a couple of duds.Appendix III: The first section of this chapter details mundane thief tools[Rant] Unlike the old TSR Thief book this section isn't filled with an army of thief tools bent of getting tiny bonuses and filling equipment lists. There are only three of these items and none of them are unbalanced. [/rant]Next we get a collection of magic items, mostly aimed at rogues. Then a listing of spells, all aimed (strangely enough) on rangers. Evertthing here is good, some are downright fun and my new apperciation of Ranger magic grows.Final Verdict: This is by far the best of the Scarred Lands player's guides that I've seen yet (note: My copy of Clerics & Druids is in the mail). Outside of some editing errors I find myself awed by the usefulness of this book. In a scarred lands game you'll find yourself making great use of this book. If the Cleric and Druid book is this good I'll buy Paladins and Monks when it comes out without a second thought.</blockquote>

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