Foresters Warriors of the Wildlands

Foresters are characters who make their livelihoods in the wilds. They are the hunters and trappers, game wardens, guides, scouts, rangers, etc. of the campaign world.

Yeomen naturally suit this character class. They grow up in a rural setting and could easily spend a good deal of their youth gaining experience in the wilder regions of the countryside. Also, tradition and history cast such types in Forester roles.

Serfs also fit into the Forester class. If we want to be historically accurate, feudal peasants were not particularly free to roam around. It is also historically a fact that poaching was one way that many an enterprising peasant lad helped fill his poor family’s soup pot. Also peasants were often employed as dog-handlers, game-drivers and so on by their feudal lords, who had a voracious passion for the hunt.

Townsmen are far less likely to make effective Foresters. They spend their youth in an urban setting and have early life experiences far removed from those dwelling in the countryside. Depending on the nature of the fantasy world he is depicting, the Gamemaster may have to rule on the eligibility of town-born characters for Forester vocations.

As a general rule, characters who are portraying Nobles are unlikely to opt for a Forester vocation simply because it is a commoner’s proper calling and beneath their station. However, junior offspring of very minor knights might choose such a calling, especially if driven to it by harsh circumstances. The members of the nobility are, after all, passionate hunters and there is always the tradition of Robin Hood to fall back on.

These are merely guidelines for basic qualifications for the Forester vocation. Gamemasters preferring extreme realism and a traditional rendering of a feudal world might easily restrict membership in the Forester class. A character’s background has a significant impact on his youthful experience and the likelihood of his following such a vocation. At the same time, it should be emphasised that Gamemasters are always free to set their own standards for membership, based on the nature of their fantasy worlds and the cultures in it.