Shadowdweller
Explorer
The ranger represents the woodsman / huntsman / survivalist archetype to me. As just about everyone has said. Characters such as Aragorn, of course. But also Robin Hood or his merry men, Orion from Lord Dunsany's "The Queen of Elfland's Daughter", Jack from the movie Legend, Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games, and a vast number of others. Also native American and other indigenous hunters across the world. I think they should be:
* Tough
* Skilled at fighting and capable of inflicting high amounts of damage
* Stealthy and skilled at ambushes
* Possess keen senses
* Mobile
* Lightly armored
* Superlative trackers - possibly even able to discern details others cannot from tracks.
* Adept at dealing with environmental hazards and obstacles.
I've never cared for the two-wielding thing, it just doesn't fit the archetype in my mind. I'm not particularly attached to the favored enemy thing either, but I don't despise it. Weapons that should probably be associated with rangers would be bows, axes, and spears. I've no real problem with the 5e incarnation of the class, though there are many examples of the archetype in fiction that simply do not use magic. I've long thought that a set of limited-use "tricks" that work like spells would be ideal for a ranger (and rogue) class. Representing particular feats that require extra preparation, special tools, and/or concentration. And causing effects that would be too powerful to be allowed all the time (like most skills are). These could be quasi-magical in nature...but ideally just pushing the bounds of what could be done without magic. For example, they could be used to increase damage for a sort of focused strike, find and prepare an application of poison, craft and set traps, create climbing equipment that grants auto-success on athletics (climbing) checks for a very limited time, prepare healing poultices, give extra details and/or combat bonuses against an enemy based on its tracks, camouflage one's party.
* Tough
* Skilled at fighting and capable of inflicting high amounts of damage
* Stealthy and skilled at ambushes
* Possess keen senses
* Mobile
* Lightly armored
* Superlative trackers - possibly even able to discern details others cannot from tracks.
* Adept at dealing with environmental hazards and obstacles.
I've never cared for the two-wielding thing, it just doesn't fit the archetype in my mind. I'm not particularly attached to the favored enemy thing either, but I don't despise it. Weapons that should probably be associated with rangers would be bows, axes, and spears. I've no real problem with the 5e incarnation of the class, though there are many examples of the archetype in fiction that simply do not use magic. I've long thought that a set of limited-use "tricks" that work like spells would be ideal for a ranger (and rogue) class. Representing particular feats that require extra preparation, special tools, and/or concentration. And causing effects that would be too powerful to be allowed all the time (like most skills are). These could be quasi-magical in nature...but ideally just pushing the bounds of what could be done without magic. For example, they could be used to increase damage for a sort of focused strike, find and prepare an application of poison, craft and set traps, create climbing equipment that grants auto-success on athletics (climbing) checks for a very limited time, prepare healing poultices, give extra details and/or combat bonuses against an enemy based on its tracks, camouflage one's party.
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