Review: The Rangers

[August]

Nope, but it is the best you are going to get.

Honestly, it works like this. The shadow vessel at the Battle of the Line was mentioned in some of the source material I was using. Beyond that, it is literally a matter of the reader deciding it does not fit with their ideal of B5 to discount it.

Maybe it was a time echo. Maybe it was a Technomage black ship mistakenly seen at a distance. It could have been anything.

-August

 

[lastbesthope]

Maybe there was an actual Shadow ship there, not an exho. Consider if you will:

There were actual Shadow fighters towing the fusion bomb towards B4. So either some Shadows got woken up by their allies or some were awake anyway.

So, when the allies (or the Shadows) see this big honking, wipe this puny race off the face of the Universe type war going on. they'd take an interest. I mean they didn't even have to do anything to start it. So maybe they or their allies saw this and decided it was worth observing at the least and perhaps seeing if they might be able to help it along or fan the flames to more than one race.

Just a possibility that occurred to me just now.

LBH

 

[crizh]

I suspect the first thing the shadows would do upon re-awakening, would be to check up on the race that wiped the floor with them the last time around.

If you could engineer a war between them and the next most threatening power in the Galaxy the next step would be much easier to accomplish....

Bear in mind that it was Psi Corps that represented the real threat to the shadows and that it was the Earth-Minbari war that left Psi Corps exposed to shadow infiltration...

 

[EricRoss]

Problem with the book:
The Tuzanor map has a key with numbers, but the numbers do not actually appear anywhere on the map. :\

try page 134 of the Minbari Federation Factbook. it has a map with the numbers and location key.

 

[EricRoss]

And I must say that I love this book. Great work August !
I especially like the ISA Ranger core class and PrCs in the book. The fact that the ISA Ranger can be used in any era to represent an individual that has trained to be a ranger from a relitively young age, like a Minbari that is taking this as their first heroic class at the start of play, is cool. I have a PC that I made that I would love to play when I get an opportunity:

Mazik (Moon Shields clan)
Level 1 Minbari ISA Ranger
Hit Points: 9 Initiative: 4 Speed: 30 DV: 13 DR: 2
Attacks: Melee: +2 (+4 with Denn’bok), Ranged: +3
Abilities: Str: 13, Dex: 14, Con: 12, Int: 14, Wis: 12, Cha: 12
Saves: Fort: 3, Ref: 3, Will: 3
Skills: Balance (3), Bluff (2), Climb (2), Computer Use (3), Concentration (2), Diplomacy (2), Drive (3), Escape Artist (3), Gather Information (2), Hide (3), Intimidate (5), Jump (5), Knowledge (Anla’shok) (3), Listen (2), Move Silently (5), Pilot (3), Profession (Anla’shok) (2), Search (3), Sense Motive (3), Sleight of Hand (3), Spot (2), Swim (2), Technical (Space Travel) (3), Tumble (5).
Weapons: melee, grenade, pistol, Ventar, Denn’bok.
Feats & SQ: Great Fortitude, Warrior Caste (Denn’bok), Weapon Focus (Denn’bok), Garb of Honour, Code of the Anla’sok-Veshii, Improved Unarmed Strike.

Equipment: Denn’Bok (1d6/1d6; crit 20/x2), Anla’shok robes (DR 2).

Money: 900 cr

Background: Mazik was born on Minbar in the city of Yedor. He was raised with the values of the Moon Shields clan, but unlike many of his clanmates, he decided to dedicate his life to the Anla’shok. He was accepted for training and was taken to Tuzanor for training. He recently graduated from his training and stands ready for his first assignment.

 

[crizh]

Anla’shok robes (DR 1).

I think you'll find that figure is from the original prestige class description.

Check the Rangers book and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised....

 

[qstor]

Actually, the Shadow vessel present at the battle of the line is, though I did not want to specifically have to spell this out so that GMs can do with it what they wish, is a time echo from the same timeline that saw shadow fighters dragging a bomb to Babylon 4. In that time, the stronger, more aware shadows were already stretching their legs and taking an interest in the galaxy (just as Delenn said in the episode with the same references).

The reference was added to the Rangers book as an interesting anecdote only and an adventure hook for Gamesmasters. Just ignore it if it does not fit with your paradyme. Ultimately, that advice is true of anything you might read in ANY book.

-August

Thanks for the answers August, wish I had a chance to talk to you about this more at Winter Fantasy. Good stuff all around..

Mike

 

[EricRoss]

Anla’shok robes (DR 1).

I think you'll find that figure is from the original prestige class description.

Check the Rangers book and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised....

indeed. that I missed

 

[Satai Delenn]

Great Book August .Loved having more info on The City of Sorrows and the history of the rangers.