Followers for rangers	Rangers' followers tables	Humans, Table I	-	-
Demi-humans, Table II	Animals, Table III	Mounts, Table IV	Creatures, Table V	Special Creatures, Table VI
AD&D	-	-	-	Dragon magazine

A ranger has the potential to attract a
diverse group of followers, certainly more
varied than the followers prescribed for any
other character class. The official method of
determining followers for upper-level rangers,
outlined on pp. 16-17 of the Dungeon
Masters Guide, was sufficient when it was
written -- but it actually contains a possibility
of some contradictory outcomes, and is
somewhat outdated since the inclusion of
new monsters in the game rules. This article
is an attempt to devise a more logical and
more comprehensive method for determining
followers for all would-be woodsmen.

Followers for rangers
Rangers at 10th level now attract 5-20
followers (3d6 + 2) instead of the old 2-24.
This was changed so that the minimum
number of followers for a ranger could be
increased, assuring him of a small band of
faithful followers. A Ranger Lord is a powerful
character, and he should attract a modicum
of power in the form of followers.
Under the old system, a ranger who attracted
only two followers would get a high
die roll modification for determining what
those followers were, yet there was nothing
to prevent them both from ending up as 1stlevel
fighters; it is hard to imagine a ranger
lord with only two followers of this sort.

Under the new system, the ranger gets a
higher minimum number of followers, but
the maximum has been reduced to compensate
for this. The bonuses and penalties for
having too few or too many followers also
have been tempered to reflect this new
situation.

When the number of followers has been
generated, adjust the following percentile
dice rolls as follows:
 

3d6+2 result	Modify d% as follows:
5	+ 15% to each roll
6	+ 10% to first roll
7-8	+ 5% to first roll
9-11	no adjustment
12-14	-5% from first roll
15-17	-10% from each roll
18-20	-20% from each roll

Elves and half-elves are likely to have
more nonhuman followers than a human
ranger. To reflect this, all percentile dice
rolls for the followers of elven rangers are
modified by + 10%, and dice rolls for halfelven
rangers are given a + 5% bonus.
These modifiers, cumulative with those
given in the table above, help to ensure that
few dwarves would serve an elf or a half-elf
?a situation that would suit all races concerned.

If any addition or subtraction falls within
a category no longer permissible, or if any
subtraction results in a number less than 01,
roll again.

When the number of rolls the ranger
character is entitled to has been determined,
and any adjustments necessary noted, determine
the followers or creatures using the
following tables. All scores over 70 are
special, and the ranger is able to attract
only one group of followers or creatures
from each of these categories. Add together
all creatures of any sort to find the total
number of followers, including humans,
demi-humans, etc.

Use the following table to determine
which of the six followers tables each die roll
is made on
 

Dice	Result
01-50	Humans, Table I
51-70	Demi-humans, Table II
71-80	Animals, Table III
81-90	Mounts, Table IV
91-95	Creatures, Table V
96-00	Special Creatures, Table VI

Rangers' followers tables
A major overhaul was performed on the
6 tables used for determining followers for
rangers. The main failing of the original
tables was that they were all listed in alphabetical
order -- a system that can actually
penalize a ranger who is entitled to a die
roll bonus, and benefit one who is supposed
to be penalized. Under the old system, a
ranger who attracted only two followers
would be entitled to a bonus of + 25% on
all subsequent dice rolls. This would give
the ranger an excellent chance of making it
onto the coveted special creature tables, and
the possibility of gaining a storm giant or a
copper dragon. Unfortunately, once the
ranger made it onto the special creatures
table, the mandatory + 25% bonus to all
die rolls would already place the ranger well
beyond the range of the giant or the dragon.
Conversely, low rolls on the demi-humans
table will produce dwarves and elves, while
very high rolls will get halflings. I may be
somewhat prejudiced, but it seems to me
that an elven fighter/magic-user/thief is
more valuable than a halfling fighter/thief.

The listings on these tables have been
rearranged in order of strength. Hit dice
was the basic factor used in the calculations,
although several other factors, such as
intelligence, special abilities, and so on were
also considered. The tables have also been
updated and expanded to cover a wider
range of possibilities. Using these new
tables will go a long way toward giving
rangers more diversity. Until now, most
rangers were regarded as protectors of the
forest; given these revisions, they can be
better known as lords of the jungle, guardians
of the tundra, or whatever title one's
imagination can devise.

Humans, Table I
On the original table, a ranger with a few
followers was unlikely to receive a cleric,
while one with many followers could not get
a magic-user. Also, no matter what type of
character one rolls up, there was nothing
preventing it from ending up as a 1st- or
2nd-level character. The new table eliminates
the need for a second die roll to determine
level, which is now factored into the
table. The new table is arranged so that low
die rolls will get low-level characters, and
higher die rolls will get higher-level characters,
but never beyond those limits set in the
Dungeon Masters Guide. This table now
makes sense of the bonuses and the penalties,
and allows a wider range of numbers,
at nearly the same percentages, for gaining
any character type. Illusionists have also
been added to this table.

Humans, Table I

Dice	Character class and level
01-10	fighter 1
11-15	cleric 1
16-21	druid 1
22-25	ranger 1
26-27	illusionist 1
28-30	magic-user 1
31-38	fighter 2
39-42	cleric 2
43-47	druid 2
48-50	ranger 2
51	illusionist 2
52-53	magic-user 2
54-61	fighter 3
62-65	cleric 3
66-70	druid 3
71-72	ranger 3
73	magic-user 3
74-79	fighter 4
80-82	cleric 4
83-87	druid 4
88-92	fighter 5
93-96	druid 5
97-00	fighter 6

For more variety, the DM might, at his
option, allow a 10% chance that each
fighter rolled up is actually a member of one
of the new official or unofficial subclasses ?
i.e., archers, barbarians, sentinel, etc. Any
restrictions on these classes would still apply;
for example, a sentinel (see
DRAGON® issue #89) could not serve a
chaotic good ranger.

Demi-humans, Table II
This table was more difficult to revise
because it covered a much wider range of
possibilities. I was forced to retain the second
die roll to determine level, but I was
also able to expand the number of character
types and arrange them in a more progressive
fashion. Although this table is still
arbitrary, it does allow for a greater variety
of character types while retaining approximately
the same racial percentages.

Characters with 2 classes have been
given the chance to be 2nd level, but those
with 3 classes are still restricted to 1st
level. This was done to retain parity between
those character types with multiple
classes and the pure fighters. When rolling
up any demi-human fighters, there are
always two or three gained, with a maximum
of 10 experience levels (two 5th-level
elf fighters). Those character types with two
classes could now total up to 4 experience
levels, which seems a little more equitable.

Demi-humans, Table II

Dice	Race, class, level range
01-04	Hobbit: fighter 1-3
05-08	Gnome fighter 1-3
09-16	Dwarf fighter 1-4
17-26	Elf fighter 2-5
27-29	Half-elf druid 2-4
30-34	Hobbit fighter/thief 1-2
35-39	Dwarf fighter/thief 1-2
40-42	Elf fighter/thief 1-2
43-44	Half-elf fighter/thief 1-2
45-47	Half-elf cleric/fighter 1-2
48-50	Half-elf cleric/ranger 1-2
51-53	Gnome fighter/illusionist 1-2
54-56	Elf fighter/magic-user 1-2
57-59	Half-elf cleric/magic-user 1-2
60-61	Gnome illusionist/thief 1-2
62-64	Elf magic-user/thief 1-2
65-66	Half-elf magic-user thief 1-2
67-69	2 hobbit fighters, each 1-3
70-72	2 gnome fighters, each 1-3
73-79	2 dwarf fighters, each 1-4
80-87	2 elf fighters, each 2-5
88-90	Elf ftr/m-u/thief 1
91-92	Half-elf cler/ftr/m-u 1
93-94	Half-elf ftr/m-u/thief 1
95-97	3 hobbit ftrs, each 1-3
98-00	3 gnome ftrs, each 1-3

At the DM's option, allow a small chance
that a demi-human fighter is of an official
or unofficial subclass, as noted in Table I. 

All followers with the professed class of
thief are always neutral good in alignment.

Animals, Table III
(one roll only on this table)

This table, and the three remaining tables,
posed problems of an entirely different
nature. Humans and demi-humans can be
found in almost any climate, but one is not
going to find many polar bears in the tropics,
even in fantasy games! After much
thought on the subject, I took my cue from <the>
Monster Manual II and decided to create
three subtables for each of the main climatic
zones: arctic, temperate, and tropical. It is
up to the DM to decide which climatic
subtable will be used. Some of the subtables
could overlap in certain regions, but common
sense should prevail in any situation.

The animals on these tables had to meet
several requirements. All had to be native
to the Prime Material Plane, have at least 2
hit dice; be of good or neutral alignment,
and be at least semi-intelligent. The first
requirement for 2 HD was to ensure that
the ranger could get animals that would be
of real help in combat. Intelligence was
restricted to semi-intelligent and above so
that the ranger could get animals that were
easy to train. The only animal on this table
that is not at least semi-intelligent is the
cheetah, but I feel that its animal intelligence
rating is in error. Several of the animals
added to these subtables are part of an
effort to overcome certain public prejudices;
for example, wolves are not inherently evil
creatures, and they would make fiercely
loyal pets.

Of course, if a roll indicates the presence
of an animal that should not exist in that
particular area of a campaign, then the roll
should be disregarded and a new roll made.

IIIa. Arctic

Dice	Animals
01-08	badger, giant
09-16	lion, mountain
17-21	cooshee
22-36	bear, black
37-41	eagle, giant
42-46	hoar foxes (2)
47-51	lynxes, giant (2)
52-66	wolves* (2-4)
67-74	lion*
75-82	bear, brown*
83-90	tiger*
91-95	owls, giant (2)
96-00	bear, northern

-

IIIb. Temperate

Dice	Animal(s)
01-09	badger, giant
10-18	lion, mountain
19-24	cooshee
25-37	bear, black
38-41	elfin cat
42-47	eagle, giant
48-61	wolves* (2-4)
62-70	lion*
71-79	bear, brown*
80-88	tiger*
89-94	blink dogs (2)
95-00	owls, giant (2)

-

IIIc. Tropical

Dice	Animal(s)
01-06	cheetah
07-16	lion, mountain
17-26	leopard
27-32	cooshee
33-42	gorilla bear
43-52	jaguar
53-66	wolves* (2-4)
67-76	lion*
77-86	tiger*
87-90	banderlogs (2)
91-96	owls, giant (2)
97-00	apes, gorilla (2)

Animals marked with an asterisk are the normal version of that animal (wolf, lion, brown
bear, tiger) 90% of the time, and the prehistoric version (dire wolf, spotted lion, cave bear,
smilodon) 10% of the time.

Mounts, Table IV
(one roll only on this table)

This table permits the ranger to acquire
an impressive mount or useful assistants.
Buffaloes, rhinoceri, and several types
of elephants were added to the subtables in
an attempt to break out of the mind-set that
so many people have. Ranger lords should
be given the opportunity to sit astride an
elephant and ride around striking awe into
the tropical locals. This will certainly make
for more variety, though it will cause additional
problems with feeding and housing
such beasts. Centaurs are unwilling
mounts, wemics will not allow themselves to
be ridden, and only a very small creature
could ride a hybsil (if the latter would permit
it), yet these creatures fit this table, as
they make useful scouts.

A high dice roll will gain the ranger a
flying mount. Some might balk at the notion
of giving a ranger a griffon; however, it
is assumed that any ranger who receives a
griffon will have enough brains not to stable
it next to his favorite horse.

As above, if a roll indicates the presence
of a creature that should not exist in the
current campaign area, the roll should be
disregarded and a new roll made.

IVa. Arctic

Dice	Mounts (s)
01-10	oliphant
11-25	mastodon
26-40	mammoth
41-55	rhinoceros, woolly
56-70	hippogriff
71-80	pegasus
81-00	griffon

-

IVb. Temperate

Dice	Mount(s)
01-06	hybsils (2-4)
07-12	centaurs (1-3)
13-21	buffalo (bison)
22-25	wemics (1-2)
26-37	rhinoceros
38-43	oliphant
44-55	mastodon
56-70	hippogriff
71-80	pegasus
81-00	griffon

-

IVc. Tropical

Dice	Mount(s)
01-07	hybsils (2-4)
08-16	buffalo
17-26	rhinoceros
27-37	elephant
38-44	oliphant
45-55	loxodont
56-70	hippogriff
71-80	pegasus
81-00	griffon

Creatures, Table V
(one roll only on this table)
This table began simply enough and
progressed well, until I discovered only 2
entries for the arctic subtable. Eventually,
this was expanded to four entries with the
inclusion of the aarakocra and the swanmay.
Any ranger receiving an aarakocra had best
understand the limits of their relationship;
the aarakocra will make an excellent scout
and a loyal companion, but it will be extremely
reluctant to venture indoors and
could never be persuaded to go down in a
dungeon. The swanmay carries the possibility
of becoming a romantic consort for a
male ranger and a lively companion to a
female one. By using d4 + 3 to determine
the swanmay's ranger level, we keep her
from being too powerful by assuring that
she has not yet gained any spell capabilities.
The swanmay will also be very reluctant to
venture beyond the natural world into
cities.
-
Va. Arctic

Dice	Creature(s)
01-20	pixies (1-4)
21-60	brownies (1-2)
61-80	aarakocra
81-00	swanmay*

* -- Use d4 + 3 to determine the ranger level of the swanmay.
-
Vb. Temperate

Dice	Creatures(s)
01-07	pixies (1-4)
08-16	atomies (2-5)
17-25	brownies (1-2)
26-32	grigs (1-2)
33-46	leprechauns (1-2)
47-55	buckawns (1-4)
56-64	sprites (2-4)
65-71	aarakocra
72-78	pseudo-dragon
79-93	satyr
94-00	swanmay*

* -- Use d4 + 3 to determine the ranger level of the swanmay.
-
Vc. Tropical

Dice	Creature(s)
01-12	pixies (1-4)
13-33	atomies (2-5)
34-55	brownies (1-2)
56-67	grigs (1-2)
68-88	buckawns (1-4)
89-00	aarakocra

Special Creatures, Table VI
(one roll only on this table)
This table also caused some difficulties. I
wanted to expand it because any ranger
lucky enough to get a roll on this table
should get something special. Two more
types of giants and the earth dragon have
been added. Some trouble was encountered
with the copper dragon, which can only be
found in the tropics, so I went up one step
to the bronze dragon -- only to learn that it
cannot be found in the arctic. Next in line
was the silver dragon; it can be found anywhere,
but is a bit too powerful. In the end,
I decided to use a different dragon for each
climatic zone. I also altered the method for
determining the age of any dragon received,
giving it a better chance of being older. This
was done because a ranger who gets a
dragon should get a dragon; a small, young,
copper dragon with 14 hp is little more than
a big lizard with a very limited life span.

VIa. Arctic

Dice	Creature(s)
01-10	weretigers (1-2)
11-32	giant, stone
33-44	werebears (1-2)
45-56	dragon, earth*
57-68	treants (2-5)
69-78	giant, firbolg
79-88	dragon, silver*
89-00	giant, storm

* --  Roll percentile dice to determine dragon's age as follows: 
01-10, young; 11-45, subadult;
46-80, young adult; 81-00, adult.

VIb. Temperate

Dice	Creature(s)
01-12	weretigers (1-2)
13-30	giant, stone
31-42	werebears (1-2)
43-54	dragon, earth*
55-66	ents (2-5)
67-78	giant, firbolg
79-90	dragon, bronze
91-00	giant, storm

* --  Roll percentile dice to determine dragon's age as follows: 
01-10, young; 11-45, subadult;
46-80, young adult; 81-00, adult.

VIc. Tropical

Dice	Creature(s)
01-12	weretigers (1-2)
13-32	giant, stone
33-50	dragon, earth*
51-68	ents (2-5)
69-88	dragon, copper*
89-00	giant, storm

* --  Roll percentile dice to determine dragon's age as follows: 
01-10, young; 11-45, subadult;
46-80, young adult; 81-00, adult.