Welcome to the sixth post in a series of Design Diaries for Rangers of a Broken World by the creator Leon Richardson:
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“Survival” just screams “mountains”, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s another function of living in Western Canada, but I knew pretty early that I needed a mountain survivalist.
A friend once took a group including me, out of shape though I was, on a mountain climbing trip in the Rockies. It was so difficult! Even though I have pretty good leg strength and long limbs, my lack of stamina stopped me from making it to the top. I have first-hand knowledge how challenging mountains can be!
I still got to enjoy a wonderful view even if I didn’t make the peak. The forest of friendly trees spread out in front of me, the shadows of clouds over the world, the glitter of distant streams.
To be honest, I’m not sure how I made the link between the view from the mountainside and my passion for demon stories. It might be that the thinning air and lightheadedness reminded me of spiritual experiences, of contact with otherworldly powers. Maybe it’s because the unforgiving mountain and the unforgiving demons both require the utmost focus from a challenger, and I thought that was appealing.
It should be noted that I love stories about demons and devils. My friends tease me about it, but this theme shows up in a lot of my work because I just find them fascinating. This class grew and shifted as the game did, letting players create a unique Lesser Daemon familiar. It’s turned out to be a class that lets players express themselves creatively, which is a joy to watch.
Agrippina, by the way, was the mother of the Roman emperor Nero. Said to be a schemer’s schemer, a true mastermind! And if you want to show your own cleverness to a world of demons and trickery, maybe Arcanist is the class for you!