WFRP 4th Core Book- Ranger Class Careers

The Ranger Class is full of Careers that are more at home in the great outdoors. They range the wide Empire for work, either selling wares, finding people, or making deliveries. Rangers feature a great mix of social and combat Skills and Talents, and will add a lot to any party. They’re also a great source of inspiration for NPCs and villains for your game. Having an enemy that can track and follow the party will make for a scary villain that’s always just a step behind them (or one step ahead!)

Bounty Hunter

(Dwarf, Halfling, High Elf, Human, Wood Elf) Who wouldn’t want to play a bounty hunter in a role playing game? Going out on the search for those ducking the law and getting to crack some skulls on the way? Sign me up (in game of course)! Even the rulebook itself says that this is the perfect Career for beginners with a balance of combat and social skills to make sure the player is always able to contribute. With WS, T, and Agi as starting Characteristics, their physical stats are great, combined with Skills like Bribery, Charm, and Intuition, they certainly aren’t wrong. Later they gain access to a unique set of Skills and Talents including Athletics, Swim, Lore (Law), Relentless, Strike to Stun, Careful Strike, Fearless (Bounties). I particularly love the last one, a Master Bounty Hunter (Tier 3) is not afraid of who they are chasing and will dog them until they have them in their hands. With Melee (Basic) as their income Skill, bounty hunters are no slouches in combat. They can even be tailored to focus on melee, range, or excel at both! Beginning at Silver 1, their Status is relatively high and increases to a generous Gold 1 at Bounty Hunter General. If you want to play a jack-of-all-trades character, bounty hunter is where it’s at. On the GM side, no party is safe from a relentless bounty hunter that might be tracking one or more members of the party and their bevy of Skills and Talents allow them to take on an entire party of characters alone! Lastly, for great inspiration on playing a bounty hunter, I heartily recommend the Brunner the Bounty Hunter series of novels by C.L. Werner from the Black Library.

Coachman

Coachman (Dwarf, Halfling, Human) Oh boy, there’s a lot to say about coachmen. We’ve seen two on the Network: first, the bombastic Bruno from A Grim Podcast of Perilous Adventure, and the playful Penny from our playthrough of Feast of Blood (played by JB and Dani, respectively). These two are a great example of how differently the same Career can be played. While Bruno is a bumbling buffoon who is terrible at actually driving a coach and just wants to eat pies and shoot his blunderbus, Penny is a competent and skilled driver who is happy to take people where they need to go. While we haven’t seen a lot of Penny, their differences are clear, even though they’re both coachmen! The Advances you can take with coachmen are interesting, as they have access to BS, T, and WP to begin, they gain Agi at the second tier (coachman) which they need for their income Skill, Drive. Other notable Skills and Talents include: Perception, Animal Care, Ride (Horse), Lore (Local), Leadership, Seasoned Traveller, Gunner, and Fearless (Outlaws). I find it well-thought-out that they don’t have access to Navigation until the second tier. At first I thought this was odd, but it actually makes sense as they don’t need to know their way around too well as they’re always following roads anyway! Their status is actually quite good, as they have a well-respected job. Starting at Silver 1, moving up to Silver 5 as a Route Master at Tier 4. Coachmen NPCs usually get the short end of the stick as brief encounters, dying to whatever horrors lurk in the forests of the Empire, or they’re just there with no personality at all. Adding something to a coachman NPC, even if it’s just a small quirk or accent can really go a long way in bringing them, and your game world, to life. 

Entertainer

Entertainer (Dwarf, Halfling, High Elf, Human, Wood Elf) Pleasing crowds to make a crown, entertainers can be found in any corner of the Empire. From the Imperial Palace in Altdorf to the seediest taverns in backwater villages, there are always minstrels, troupes, and storytellers to pass the time. Playing an entertainer grants many Fellowship-based Skills, as befits their starting Characteristics: Agi, Dex, and Fel (later they have WS, BS, and T). Naturally Entertain (Any) is their income Skill, but it’s their Talents where they really shine. Attractive, Suave, Blather, Master of Disguise, Perfect Pitch, and Etiquette (Any) make for an impressive set of social Talents to help the party immensely. While they aren’t as useful in combat, they still have a bevy of Skills to help in other situations like: Athletics, Sleight of Hand, Ranged (Throwing), Animal Care, Animal Training, Language (Any), and Leadership. Their status begins at a lowly Brass 3 busker, but through time and practice, they can rise to a Troupe Leader and Gold 1! An obnoxious, recurring entertainer NPC would be a fun distraction for a party traveling the roads of the Empire, but maybe they aren’t coincidental meetings… 

Flagellant

Flagellant (Human) Flagellants are one of my favorite archetypes in the Old World. Raging penitents that flog themselves for their sins and the sins of others have such a visceral look and feel that they stand apart as wholly “Warhammer.” As a Career, they are a powerful melee fighter, so much so that Melee (Flail) is their income Skill! They also start with WS, S, and T as their Characteristics to advance and later gain WP, I, and Fel. Their Status is the lowest there is at Brass 0 and never increasing! They don’t care though, a Flagellant wants nothing but to purge the world of Chaos and repent before the ende of days. They do this with Skills such as Dodge, Endurance, Intuition, Perception, and Entertain (Speeches), as well as Talents like Berserk Charge, Frency, Hardy, Flagellant, Furious Assault, and Battle Rage. A PC Flagellant adds muscle and some unpredictability to a party. The others might need to learn how to curtail some of their more… unsavory habits while in civilized parts of the Empire. NPC flagellants can be a window to the world for inexperienced Players, or a dangerous enemy if a group of flagellants led by a Prophet of Doom thinks they could be agents of Chaos. 

Messenger

Messenger (Dwarf, Halfling, High Elf, Human, Wood Elf) Don’t kill the messenger! Messengers are good at one thing: running. Well, to be fair they’re good at riding horses (or ponies) later on. But really, whatever gets their missive where it’s going the fastest. Messengers are tasked with taking deliveries securely to where they need to go. Their initial starting Characteristics make perfect sense here with T, I, and Agi (WS, WP, and Fel later). Their Status holds strong, starting at Brass 3, increasing up to Silver 5 as their deliveries and clients get more and more important and expensive. Their income Skill is Endurance, which I find a little odd, I think it should be Athletics, but I digress. Other notable Skills include: Navigation, Gossip, Lore (Local), Ride (Horse), Bribery, and Intimidate. Their Talents are quite focused on their ability to get places quickly like Flee!, Fleet Footed, Sprinter, Crack the Whip, Relentless, and Very Resilient. Messenger PCs will likely be in the best physical shape of the party and useful in and out of combat with these Skills and Talents. NPC messengers will likely not be BBEGs, but lower-level grunts that would be incredible sources of information leading the party to the next part of their adventures. 

Pedlar

The pedlar is a typical fantasy trope, but to play one in an RPG is pretty unique to WFRP. Selling goods around the Old World is a dangerous, but exciting career. Pedlars start with T, Dex, and WP as Characteristics they can advance from the beginning, which is a little odd, as Haggle is their income Skill. They do get Fel later in Tier 2 (Pedlar) and then I, and Int. They have plenty of Skills to help them make some Karls on their good though including: Entertain (Storytelling), Gossip, Intuition, Evaluate, Trade (Tinker), and Language (Any). Their Talents are an interesting bunch like Rover, Tinker, Dealmaker, Strong Back, Numismatics, Sturdy, and Well-Prepared. While a pedlar isn’t a natural for combat, they should be able to talk their way out of trouble, or just Flee! NPC pedlars can help a party if they’re a little stuck in their adventure, passing on gossip or clues to where they need to go next. Or just sell them some neat stuff.

Road Warden

Road Wardens often get a bad rap for the few that will abuse their position as patrollers of the roadways in the Empire. Most are trying to make a living helping people though, and will defend the roadways with their lives. To do this well they are a more combat-focused Career in this Class and have access to BS, S, and I at Tier 1 (Toll Keeper). They later gain WS, Int, and Fel, making them good at a lot of things. Their Status begins at a respectable Brass 5 and can increase up to Gold 1 as a Tier 4 Road Captain. Their Skills are mostly combat-oriented, other than Perception as their income Skill, like Melee (Basic), Ranged (Crossbow), Ride (Horse), Athletics, Leadership, Ranged (Blackpowder), and Navigation. Their Talents really make the Career with Coolheaded, Embezzle, Marksman, Roughrider, Seasoned Traveler, Fearless (Outlaws), Combat Aware, and Commanding Presence. A road warden PC brings a good balance of Skills and Talents to the table, but will need a good reason to abandon their post to go adventuring. A crooked road warden, or even a troop of them, make for excellent antagonists that can really cause trouble for a party, even if it’s just collecting more taxes than expressly necessary or extorting travelers to keep them safe from ‘bandits.’

Witch Hunter

Witch Hunters. What’s more Warhammer than Witch Hunters? Everyone fears and respects them for their power and gravitas, not to mention their penchant for calling ‘Witch!’ even when there isn’t enough evidence. Lucky, the resident totally not a witch on GPoPA is understandably terrified of witch hunters, and the fact that one of his party mates and friends is on her way to become one! Witch Hunter is a stellar combat Career that dabbles with social abilities as well, focusing on getting information out of people. Their status starts at a high Silver 1 and can increase to Gold 1 if they survive to Tier 4 (Witchfinder General). Witch Hunters lead a deadly life though, and must back up their claims with Skills like Lore (Torture), Perception, Ranged (Any), Cool, Dodge, Leadership, Lore (Chaos, Law, Local, Politics, and Witches), and their income Skill: Intimidate. Their Talents are equally harrowing like: Menacing, Resolute, Dual Wielder, Seasoned Traveler, Shadow, Fearless (Witches), Relentless, and Pure Soul. Their Characteristics make the same case, starting with WS, T, and WP, adding BS, Int, and Fel as they advance through their Career. PC witch hunters can help their party in many ways, including using their clout to everyone’s advantage. Squeezing the locals for information comes as naturally to a witch hunter as breathing. Witch Hunters also make some of the best antagonists in WFRP, especially if the party includes any magic users. Creating a unique retinue for an enemy witch hunter can be real fun, making characters of various Sigmar worshipping careers that can spell real trouble for adventurers that might have seen too much.

Up Next

Next time is the penultimate Class, the Riverfolk, those that make their living on the waterways of the Empire and beyond. Until then, make sure to check out our Patreon at patreon.com/professionalcasual for all kinds of awesome content. Also, if you’re looking for any of the books I’ve mentioned throughout the article, head over to beardeddragongames.online/shop or if you’re in our Discord, tag Anthony with anything you need!