Test Page 6

The Zodiac
		Geomancy					Maneuvers
Level	Special	Flux Die	Stress Limit	Max Gift Grade	Suites	Gifts Known	Max Maneuver Grade	Schools	Maneuvers Known
1	Combat Style, Shift	d2	2	Small	1	2	Basic	1	2
2	Morph	d2	3	Small	1	3	Basic	1	3
3		d3	3	Small	1	4	Basic	1	4
4	Morph	d3	4	Small	1	5	Basic	1	5
5		d3	4	Modest	2	6	Lesser	1	6
6	Morph	d3	5	Modest	2	6	Lesser	1	6
7		d4	5	Modest	2	7	Lesser	1	7
8	Morph	d4	6	Modest	2	8	Lesser	1	8
9		d4	6	Modest	2	9	Lesser	2	9
10	Zodiac Talent	d4	7	Modest	2	10	Lesser	2	10
11		d6	7	Modest	3	11	Lesser	2	11
12	Zodiac Talent	d6	8	Fair	3	11	Expert	2	11
13		d6	8	Fair	3	12	Expert	2	12
14	Zodiac Talent	d6	9	Fair	3	13	Expert	2	13
15		d8	9	Fair	3	14	Expert	2	14
16	Zodiac Talent	d8	10	Fair	3	15	Expert	2	15
17		d8	10	Fair	4	16	Expert	2	16
18	Zodiac Talent	d8	11	Fair	4	16	Expert	2	16
19		d10	11	Generous	4	17	Greater	2	17
20	Zodiac Talent	d10	12	Generous	4	18	Greater	2	18

 

Zodiac

Zara, iconic zodiac

"The energy within reflects the energy without: manipulate one, manipulate the other."

Among those who first investigated the mysteries of the Natural world were those who felt the movement of the elements within their souls. The first tribe of spoken so affected were attuned strongly to the moons, and when the moons waxed in power, at their strongest, some members of their tribe underwent a transformation into great wolves, retaining almost none of their memory and acting purely on instinct. When dawn came, they reverted back to their natural states, with little memory of what had passed.

The legend of these creatures - these "werewolves" - was passed down through history, and other stories similar became known: in instances of extreme elemental flux, where one element dominated all others, some people would seemingly spontaneously transform into great beasts. As knowledge of the elements - and Nature itself - grew, some investigated these strange happenings, and eventually a conclusion was reached. In some instances, those whose souls were reincarnated experienced a particularly strong "bath" of elemental energy on their return journey to the prime. These souls, marked by Gaia, would then - and forevermore - be intimately tied to that element, their soul echoing the ebb and flow of that element's presence in the prime.

As time passed, while some of these souls remained pure, others were exposed to other elemental energies on their eternal cycle between the prime and the Soulfont, mixing into unusual combinations and resulting in new "weres," as they were generically known. These individuals learned that while their response to a particular element's stimulus was reduced, they were much more able to control the power: at first only retaining memories of their actions, but - with further mental discipline - able to actually control it, and a very select few, to command it, voluntarily undergoing their transformation even when their elements were waning.

These touched individuals determined that extreme mental and physical control were necessary to understand and exploit their abilities to the fullest. Already somewhat attuned to Nature, they turned to shamans and callers to assist them in learning to calm the storm in their souls and listen to the song of the elements, but they also turned to martial masters, seeking teachers who would instill in them the discipline they needed to take full command of their faculties and unlock the power of controlling their transformations.

Those first individuals who learned to truly and completely harness the power within their souls learned that the form they took was not fixed: while the elemental powers influenced them, they did not control them, and with sufficient clarity of mind and soundness of body, they could transform themselves into any number of creatures. To demonstrate this, many of the first crop of this new breed of warrior took on forms resembling the constellations, and thus was their order named: the zodiac.

Today, this unusual effect on souls is relatively well-understood, and enclaves dot the worlds of Trinity that will take in those ancient souls who have been touched by Gaia in this fashion, to teach them to overcome, control, and harness their inner beast - as they have so many times before.

Game Rule Information

Rangers have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Nature.

Force Resistances: DI 5 + level, VI 5 + level.

Abilities: Depending upon their combat style, rangers can make good use of a physical attribute. As a geomancer, rangers also rely heavily upon Wisdom.

Hit Die: d10.

Class Skills: The ranger's class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Giftcraft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Notice (Per), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Per), Spot (Per), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Ethos: Any.

Starting Age: Simple.

Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: None.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the ranger.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Rangers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Ranger: Combat Styles
Class	Availability
Archer
Defender
Einhander
Executioner
Falconer
Karateka
Lancer
Unfettered
Warlord

Combat Style: At first level, the ranger chooses a particular combat style.

• Archer: Any ranger can select this style. A ranger's max aim tokens equals one-half his ranger level + 3 (rounded down), and gains bonus aim tokens based on his Dexterity.
• Einhander: Any ranger can select this style. A ranger can have a number of maneuvers readied equal to the amount on the class table, above.
• Executioner: Any ranger can select this style. But don't do that right now, we don't know how they work yet.
• Falconer: Any ranger can select this style. A ranger can have a number of maneuvers readied equal to the amount on the class table, above.
• Lancer: Any ranger can select this style. A ranger can have a number of maneuvers readied equal to the amount on the class table, above.
• Unfettered: Any ranger can select this style. But don't do that right now, we don't know how they work yet.

Design Notes

You know what I don't like? Rangers who cast spells. Never have, never will. So the ranger needs to go, but to replace it, we need a Nature adept.

Hence, I'm reviving the zodiac.

This class is intended to do two things: first, fill in grid (Nature adept); and second, bring the metamorph back as a viable concept, albeit in a different form. The original metamorph was an attempt at making a class fully devoted to shapeshifting, or something akin to it. We... really can't reasonably do that in t20, as our grid (currently) doesn't allow for "force-aligned but non-casting" classes, which is what the metamorph would require.

Oh, and this fluff means that lycanthropy in Trinity is not transmittable via bite. It's literally a potential side-effect of reincarnation.