Wanderer

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Overview & Creation

“Most of our kindred have long ago departed, and we too are only tarrying here for a while, ere we return over the Great Sea.”   You see the wonders of living in Middle-earth, even where the Shadow is deepest. Every corner of the land holds a promise of untold secrets, and this is why you have decided that any dell, cave and river vale can be your home, albeit briefly. For when morning comes, another horizon will show your new destination.   Some Wanderers have purpose in their journeying: they might be traders, hunters, Rangers or on some errand that brings them far from the lands of their birth. Others were driven from their homes by Orcs or Dragons, and must now roam Middle-earth and dream of reclaiming what was once theirs.   Still others have fallen under the spell of the Road, and will find their restless feet always itching to carry them off on another adventure.   Play a Wanderer if you want to…   • Explore the wide world of Middle-earth.   • Hunt down and destroy the servants of the Shadow, no matter where they hide.   • Guide a company of adventurers through the perils of the Wild.  

Shadow Weakness

Wandering-madness

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Class Features

Known Lands

Long years spent roaming over the land have given you vast amounts of knowledge about some of the regions of Middle-earth. You know the terrain of such lands like the backs of your hands and your lore can seem almost unnatural to any companions travelling with you. At 1st level, choose 3 regions + a number of regions equal to your Wisdom modifier from the Middle-earth maps. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to a land you know, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill you are proficient in.   When you are travelling in one of your Known Lands you gain the following benefits:   • If any part of a journey passes through a land you know, the DC of your personal Event tests are lowered by 2.   • If the entire journey passes through lands you know, and you act as Guide, you lower the Peril Rating of the Journey by 2.   • You have advantage when making Wisdom saving throws against Corruption caused by Blighted lands you know.   • You cannot become lost under normal circumstances.   • You know at least one place in each Known Land where you can safely take a long rest: a settlement where you have friends, perhaps, or a hidden cabin in the woods or simply a dry and defensible cavern or secret glade.   • You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) ability checks and can move stealthily at a normal pace.   • While tracking other creatures, you automatically learn their exact number, their sizes and how recently they passed through the area.   At both 6th and 10th level you choose an additional number of Known Lands equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier, with a minimum of 1. With the Loremaster’s permission, you can save these Known Lands until you start exploring new areas – once chosen, they cannot be changed.  

Ways of the Wild

You have a great deal of experience from travelling through the wilderness and surviving the various dangers that the wild constantly offers.   At 1st level, you have advantage on all Wisdom (Survival) ability checks when tracking others through the wilderness. If you act as a company’s Guide on a journey, you are considered to be assuming all vacant travelling roles (you are considered to ‘fill in’ as the company’s Hunter, Scout and Look-out at the same time, if no other companion is already covering that role).   At 6th level, your time in the Wild has taught you that only those that strike fast and hard live to fight another day. When fighting in the wilderness, your first round of attacks in every combat has advantage.   At 14th level, you can no longer be ambushed and cannot be surprised in the wilderness.  

Fighting Style

Starting at 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your speciality. Choose one of the following options. You cannot choose a Fighting Style more than once, even if you later get to choose again.  

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.  

Defense

While you are wearing armour, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.  

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.  

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.  

Natural Watchfulness

Also at 2nd level, whether travelling, exploring or even resting, you have learned to constantly pay attention to the sights and sounds of the world about you. When in the wilderness, your proficiency bonus for Perception is doubled, if you are proficient in Perception.  

Wanderer Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype you strive to emulate. Choose from the Hunter or the Shadow-bane (both detailed at the end of the class description). Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th and 15th level.  

Rumour of the Earth

Also starting at 3rd level, when you stretch yourself upon the ground with your ear pressed against the turf you can decipher the sounds of the earth. You can hear it groan when the enemy treads upon it, or echo the distant gallop of horses, or sing in tune with the rushing of tumbling waters.   Between each long rest, you may make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) ability check. On a success, the Loremaster must give you a useful piece of information about a quarry you are hunting or a place you are seeking. If you get 25 or higher as a result, the information gleaned may very well seem near-miraculous to others.  

Character Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, or you can take a Cultural or Open Virtue. As normal, you cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.  

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.  

Poison Resistance

At 8th level your long exposure to the poisons and venoms of the creatures of the wilderness (and the arrows of certain Orcs!) have partially inured you to them. You gain resistance to all poison damage.  

Trackless Steps

Starting at 9th level, you cease leaving any signs of your passage through the Wild. You can no longer be tracked by any normal means through the wilderness. Additionally, you can cover the tracks of a number of companions equal to your Wisdom modifier, with a minimum of 1.  

Hide in Plain Sight

Starting at 10th level, you can spend one minute creating camouflage for yourself. You generally need a traveller’s cloak and access to mud, dirt, plants and other naturally occurring materials to assist in your camouflage. Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try to hide by pressing yourself up against a solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) ability checks as long as you remain there without moving or taking actions. Once you move or take an action or a reaction, you must camouflage yourself again to gain this benefit.  

Unflagging

Beginning at 13th level, your long journeys through the Wild have toughened you against the weariness of travel. Your exhaustion penalties are always 2 levels less than your present exhaustion level. In other words, you suffer a -1 to ability checks and attack rolls only when you’ve reached 3 levels of exhaustion.  

Vanish

Starting at 14th level, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn.  

Blight Ward

At 17th level, your deep connection to the wilderness shields you from the Shadow’s corruption. You reduce the number of Shadow points you gain from Blighted areas by 1 per day.  

Secrets on the Wind

At 18th level, the natural world holds no more secrets from you and the wind whispers all it has heard in your ears. Once per long rest you may make a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) ability check to learn news from far away of friends or foes. On a successful roll, you learn the following about whoever you seek news of: exactly where they are, which direction they are headed (if any), and their general state of being (drinking merrily, wounded and anxious, tired, or similar).  

Deadly Foe

At 20th level, your long fight against the terrors that roam the Wild have made you fell and terrible in battle. You no longer roll damage dice for successful attacks; they automatically inflict the maximum amount on the die.

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Starting Equipment

Equipment You start with the following extra equipment, in addition to equipment granted by your Standard of Living.   Poor: A leather corslet, a simple weapon, and a short bow or a great bow with a quiver of 20 arrows.   Frugal or Martial: Hide armour, a martial weapon, a shield, and a short bow or a great bow with a quiver of 20 arrows.   Rich or Prosperous: Corslet of mail, a martial weapon, a shield, and a short bow or a great bow with a quiver of 20 arrows.

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Subclass Options

Suddenly the great bow of Lórien sang. Shrill went the arrow from the elven-string. Frodo looked up. Almost above him the winged shape swerved. There was a harsh croaking scream, as it fell out of the air, vanishing down in the gloom of the eastern shore. The sky was clean again.   The wanderer in Middle-earth has two expressions: the Hunter of Beasts and the Hunter of Shadows. In these dark days, only those wanderers who can defend themselves against evil foes survive in the Wild.  

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Hunter of Beasts

You can track your quarry across many miles, and bring it down with a well-placed arrow or swift blow. Some folk in Middle-earth rely on hunters for both sustenance and protection; the Woodmen of Mirkwood, for example, are kept safe from Spiders and other horrors by the arrows of their Hunters. Others, like the Elves, hunt for sport, or for the joy of the chase – or hunt two-legged prey, trespassers and despoilers of the wood.  

Tracker

Beginning at 3rd level, you double your proficiency bonus when making Wisdom (Survival) ability tests to track a creature. Furthermore, you may substitute Survival for Investigation when making deductions based on tracks, spoors and other physical traces.  

Swift Shot

Beginning at 7th level, if you have a ranged weapon to hand, you may make a bonus ranged attack before initiative is rolled. This applies even if you are surprised.  

Master Hunter

At 11th level, choose one of the following abilities. At 15th level, choose another. You may not choose the same ability twice.  

Run to Ground

If you spend a day stalking a foe before attacking, that foe gains 1 level of exhaustion. If you spend three days,the foe gains another level of exhaustion (+2 total). If you spend a week, the foe suffers a third additional level of exhaustion (+3 total). This is in addition to any exhaustion levels otherwise accrued by the foe. Volley You can use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 10 feet of a point you can see that are within your weapon’s range. You must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and you must make a separate attack roll for each target. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this ability again. Hunter’s Blessing Regain a Hit Die (up to your maximum) when you bring down (kill or incapacitate) a creature you’ve been hunting. Once you’ve used this ability, you cannot regain a Hit Die in this manner again until you’ve finished a long rest.  

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Hunter of Shadows

The lonely souls who choose this archetype forever hunt the servants of the Enemy, wherever they may hide. There is no respite for such Wanderers and little hope of final victory, yet they fight on, regardless.  

Foe of the Enemy

Beginning at 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, all of your attacks made against servants of the Enemy inflict +2 damage. Such servants are Orcs, Goblins, Spiders, Trolls, many Evil Men and any other creature that willingly serves the Lord of Mordor. In addition, you gain proficiency in the Shadow-lore skill.  

Revenge

Beginning at 7th level, whenever a servant of the Enemy successfully attacks you, you automatically get to make a single attack against them in return.  

Shadow Killer

At 11th level, choose one of the following features:  

Bane

Once per turn, when you hit a servant of the Enemy with an attack, you may deal an extra d8 radiant damage. Furthermore, if you use a flaming torch against undead or other evil spirits, your attacks deal 1d12 radiant damage instead of the normal damage for a torch.  

Whirlwind Attack

You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.  

Defense Against the Shadow

At 15th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.  

Stand Against the Tide

When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack against another creature (other than itself) of your choice.  

Unbreakable Will

You cannot be intimidated or frightened in any way and are totally immune to all supernatural sources of fear.  

Uncanny Dodge

When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.

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