D&D General What is the Ranger to you?

[Garthanos]

My first exposure to a D&D Ranger was in 1e... this is a 4e rendering of the concept
it has a few house ruled elements like fighters not being gimped out of skills without those i would probably be multiclassing at minimum to get a trained skill. (a couple of the practices are also custom)

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Ana AD&D Ranger, level 6
Human, Fighter
Build: Brawling Fighter
Fighter: Fighter Talents
Fighter Talents: Brawler Style
Human Power Selection: Bonus At-Will Power
Background: Forest Warden (Forest Warden Benefit)


FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 19, Con 13, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.


STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.




AC: 21 Fort: 22 Reflex: 17 Will: 15
HP: 63 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 15


TRAINED SKILLS
Nature +10, Athletics +12, Intimidate +7, Heal +9, Diplomacy +7, Stealth +11


UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +6, Arcana +3, Bluff +2, Dungeoneering +4, Endurance +4, History +3, Insight +4, Perception +7, Religion +3, Streetwise +2, Thievery +6


FEATS
Human: Toughness
Level 1: Alertness
Level 2: Martial Artistry
Level 4: Ruthless Efficiency
Level 6: Giant Killer


POWERS
Bonus At-Will Power: Footwork Lure
Fighter at-will 1: Slash and Pummel
Fighter at-will 1: Grappling Strike
Fighter encounter 1: Spinning Sweep
Fighter daily 1: Brute Strike
Fighter utility 2: Boundless Endurance
Fighter encounter 3: Sweeping Blow
Fighter daily 5: Rain of Steel
Fighter utility 6: Battle Awareness


ITEMS
Scale Armor, Adventurer's Kit, Warded Campsite, Tracker's Eye, Trained Preparedness, Travel Sense, Fortify Beast, Bringing In The Herd, Survivor's Preparation, Long-Distance Runner, Khopesh
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I am missing them I would so cut ranger before Warlord for instance

IMO it ain’t dnd without the Ranger. I’d cut the Cleric before I’d cut the Ranger.

 

[Shadowdweller]

But it in terms of what about Aragorn can be used to helps define a class, it’s a person who can listen to the rumble of the earth and learn the movements of creatures miles away, be deadly with an array of weapons, know some secrets of the Wise, but not in depth, and who stalks the boundaries between the wild and civilization to protect both and keep a watchful eye for the agents of The Enemy.

In DnD, a lot of that translates to nature based spellcasting. Because you could make it some kind of non spell based magic, but that presents needless complexity. In a game that already has Druids, it’s simpler and gets to the same goal to just use spellcasting and write up a handful of unique spells.

Yeah. And it should be noted that Aragorn is hardly the only example of a woodsman-type hero in Tolkien's work. The rangers that he's lord of in the north spend all their time beating back monsters in the wilderness to protect civilization. As do many other ranger-type figures in the Silmarillion and expanded work - Beren, Barahir, Faramir, etc. None of them raise undead armies.

 

[Garthanos]

Ranger was a race in Tolkien
I guess they did used to make classes out of races in OE

 

[Garthanos]

None of them raise undead armies.

None of them cast anything approaching a D&D spell ...
Spells were a poor patch job for having no skill system

Faramir is a Nobleman leading armies I do not know how
he fought at a personal level but I bet it wouldn't have
been using magic missile or fire ball and a shield spell.

 

[Shadowdweller]

None of them cast anything approaching a D&D spell ...
Spells were a poor patch job for having no skill system

Beren does IIRC. Been a while though, I could be mistaken. I actually don't think you'd be able to tell whether the rangers were using magic or not - since comparatively little is written about them firsthand, aside from Aragorn. I also don't think Tolkien intended the term "ranger" to be linked to race. It comes across to me personally more as how the nomadic Dunedain are perceived amongst the more settled populations they protect.

https://middle-earth.xenite.org/of-thegns-and-kings-and-rangers-and-things/
(Not my work)

 

[Garthanos]

It comes across to me personally more as how the nomadic Dunedain are perceived amongst the more settled populations they protect.

It wasnt their personal race name it was a race name given them by others ... I do not see the difference honestly. If it was in more D&D style they would be a kind of half elf.

Beren was a human nobleman again who was outlawed in the Silmarillion his Luthien his elfen lady did a sleep spell. Has some in common.

Or were you referring to Beorn was rather a Werebear again a race.

 

[Garthanos]

Basically one could build every single Gypsy like they were identical or treat them like people with actual classes. And a culture which gives them access to some cool bits.

 

[Garthanos]

Add animal tongues as a learnable language (you just added some Tolkien support) Why only let rangers or druids have it in a spell with all that baggage implied, when Dwarves could do it and certain noble families? Honestly spells never felt they did the trick.

 

[CapnZapp]

This thread is chalk full of examples of why the class as it’s own thing appeals to people.

I don't disagree.

However, I note that list is chalk full of examples of things that simply don't cut it as unique class abilities: some are skill proficiencies, some are what 5E calls background or weapon style, some are spells there's no reason a druid can't cast, some can be implemented through multiclassing...

That is, there's far too much dreaming about literary characters here, and way too little hard design discussion:

What does the class actually need to be unique?

What does the class need to be powerful (=competitive relative to other classes)?

Asking players to compromise just to be good at "ranging" doesn't cut it. The class needs its own thing, and it needs to be a thing that's useful to the gameplay first, and useful to model some role model from film or literature only a distant second.