Re: [DL] Need idea for Texas Ranger NPC

[Janne Matti Oskari Vuorenmaa <jvuorenm@cc.hut.fi>]

Players, Shoo!

This is marshal material.












> I need som inputs/Ideas for an Texas Ranger.
> Is there any ideas out there for special abilities, equipment, anything? he
> could use?

If the ranger is there because of the harrowed, and he doesn't care about
the rest of the posse, he might want to do it quickly and cleanly.

I usually want the rangers appear as efficient people who know what
they're doing, and in a situation like yours, I'd probably make the posse
meet with the ranger in a saloon or tavern, share a campfire or something
like that, in friendly terms. During this meet, the ranger would tell them
that he's a ranger (after letting the players see, that he's an ok fellow)
and ask the harrowed to join them (without any threats or hints of threats
-- the ranger does know that if he starts threatening the posse, he's
going to get it).

 If the harrowed declines, the ranger would try to persuade, but not very
much, and then drop it ("No? Are you sure? Well..  no prob.. I just
thought that you might be a good partner to have. But suit yourself.")

After that, their roads part, and the ranger is out to get them. A good
rifle with damage of 5f8, 4d10 or 5d10 (or more.. but that would attract
too much attention in the first phase) with lengthened barrel and a scope.

A few skills for hiding and such.

A decent deftness and shootin' rifle (at least 4d8 or more),
marksmanship-skill and all the time he needs. He would know, that the best
way to get the harrowed would be to shoot him in the head, and the safest
way to do it would be from afar. Hence the equipment. A good place to hide
a couple of hundred yards away, and sniping to the head of the harrowed
during broad daylight.

If he misses, no problem - he was probably not seen, unless the posse does
well with their cognition checks. If he was not seen, he can try again. If
he was seen, he can run and hide -- remember, he has hundreds of yards of
distance, the posse is unlikely to hit him that far (not to mention
recoqnize) and if they start running at him recklessly, they're easy
pickings.

If the ranger fails, he runs away and tries again.

This is a very deadly technique, and the ranger can actually succeed.
Remember that he's not out to get the whole posse, just the harrowed, and
thus is unlikely to shoot anyone else except for self-defence, and even
then the harrowed is the target number one.

Do not make it impossible for the characters to get the sniper ranger, but
do not make it easy. In a city or town he can easily hide, in the
wilderness he has his good horse readied just for escaping. When they get
him, they'll recoqnize him as the ranger, and realize that "shoot or
recruit" is not just lip service (and probably hate themselves for not
realizing it earlier).

This is a tricky scene. If run badly, the players will end up hating you.-
If run well, they'll love you.



---Hulkin' Finn