Code Runner (Ranger Archetype)
(art by Tatiana Vetrova on Artstation)
While magic can provide discreet ways to get a message across, there always seem to be limitations in that regard, not to mention ways to intercept even those messages.
Sometimes, you just need a good old-fashioned courier, one that is discreet and capable in order to get a message across.
We’ve actually covered an archetype like this in the past, the so-called “Impervious Messenger” bards, who use magic to memorize and protect information so they can share it with the recipient later.
The code runner comes from Ultimate Intrigue as well, and serves much the same function albeit more mundanely, using mnemonic exercises to memorize the message perfectly so that they need not carry around written messages that could be stolen, and are resistant to methods used to try and extract that information from their heads.
These are the cross-country information runners that might serve armies on the move, or the silent couriers in the night making sure an important missive gets to where it needs to go, no matter what likes in wait to intercept.
Whether they have some inborn gift, or years of training in that regard, these rangers learn the art of memorizing the written or spoken word, able to memorize it so perfectly that even if they do not understand it, they can replicate the memorized text or words perfectly later, that is until they need to memorize a new such message.
They also boast a strong resistance to divination magic, helping to protect their location and their minds from being discovered and intruded upon by magic.
A fairly simple archetype, code runners shave off a few things, most notably hunter’s bond, but the reward is being able to absorb and replicate information, which can prove quite useful in non-combat scenarios. For the combat side of things, you’re going to want to lean into the favored enemies/terrains and your combat style to make up the difference left by a lack of bond, as well as spells that do the same, favoring control and buffing to shore up your weaknesses. Beyond that, pick the style and build that suits you.
Interestingly, while the most thematic use for these rangers is carrying messages, that’s hardly the only thing they can use their incredible memory for. Indeed, being able to take an hour to memorize text or a message can also be used for espionage, allowing a spy to take detailed information back to their leaders without having incriminating contraband on their person.
Traveling through the wild, the party stumbles on a recently deceased body riddled with poisoned arrows. While he does have some useful gear on him and could be properly laid to rest, curious spellcasters that ask questions of his spirit discover he died trying to get a warning to a nearby city. If they fail to discover this message, the messenger relates it to them himself when he rises later as a trailgaunt.
Though they are self-serving and craven creatures, the Dark Lord relies on the boggards in the marshes bordering his domain to keep him abreast of any intruders. The limited magic of the boggards does mean that they rely on couriers to keep in contact with him, however, which a sly group of heroes can take advantage of by intercepting them.
Roshan the courier has worked that job over several lifetimes, the samsaran finding special delight in helping others keep in contact. However, in a flash of insight, he has suddenly realized that his previous self was murdered over a particular message, and worse still, he remembers the contents.
