Enevhar Aldarion
Hero
The characters in the Ranger's Apprentice YA book series:
en.wikipedia.org
D&D 5E Fictional examples of Rangers
Paul Farquhar
Legend
With his oath and his armour, I'm pretty sure this guy is a paladin.
Horwath
Legend
This is the Way!
ZeshinX
Adventurer
I've always viewed Rangers as guerilla-style warriors, using "dirty" tactics and harrying their opponents. Their affinity for terrain and wildcraft existed mostly to serve that need, that approach to fighting (know the terrain and use that knowledge against the enemy), rather than any particular faithful devotion to nature itself. They have a vested interest in protecting said nature, since to them, it's another tool or weapon, no more or less critical than the bow and/or sword they carry...and it's home to them.
The rangers of Gondor (as depicted in the Lord of the Rings films) are a good example of that. They're far less effective once it becomes a stand-up brawl (since their lower numbers can't exactly support that type of more "proper military" engagement). Rangers can be effective combatants in such a brawl given sufficient numbers, but that's not utilizing them to their best effect, since their training implies that guerilla-style, ambush type of warfare and large numbers typically works against that.
This is why I'm not a fan of rangers in 5e...they lean too much into the spellcasting/druidic elements and not remotely enough into their (what I view as their primary facet) martial nature. I always felt their spellcasting should have been part of an archetype, not core to the class, and should have been more utilitarian in scope (Entangle, Fog Cloud, effects that deal with terrain and manipulating it) rather than enhancing their combat output (Hunter's Mark and the like).
There's plenty of interpretations of the class, each as perfectly valid as the next. I do find the 5e Ranger misses the mark, as the base class plays into pillars that are not particularly interesting (exploration is the most hand-waved...it's enough to have a Ranger present than to play it out in dull minutae) and, more or less, forces the interpretation of a druidic/spellcasting warrior on to it. I'd rather the spellcasting be shunted into an archetype that supports that vision of the ranger, an archetype that supports the guerilla tactics, etc. The base class should be the platform from which the various interpretations spring. The 5e Ranger only kinda/sorta does it. Some of the revisions started to address that, but they gave up too soon.
The rangers of Gondor (as depicted in the Lord of the Rings films) are a good example of that. They're far less effective once it becomes a stand-up brawl (since their lower numbers can't exactly support that type of more "proper military" engagement). Rangers can be effective combatants in such a brawl given sufficient numbers, but that's not utilizing them to their best effect, since their training implies that guerilla-style, ambush type of warfare and large numbers typically works against that.
This is why I'm not a fan of rangers in 5e...they lean too much into the spellcasting/druidic elements and not remotely enough into their (what I view as their primary facet) martial nature. I always felt their spellcasting should have been part of an archetype, not core to the class, and should have been more utilitarian in scope (Entangle, Fog Cloud, effects that deal with terrain and manipulating it) rather than enhancing their combat output (Hunter's Mark and the like).
There's plenty of interpretations of the class, each as perfectly valid as the next. I do find the 5e Ranger misses the mark, as the base class plays into pillars that are not particularly interesting (exploration is the most hand-waved...it's enough to have a Ranger present than to play it out in dull minutae) and, more or less, forces the interpretation of a druidic/spellcasting warrior on to it. I'd rather the spellcasting be shunted into an archetype that supports that vision of the ranger, an archetype that supports the guerilla tactics, etc. The base class should be the platform from which the various interpretations spring. The 5e Ranger only kinda/sorta does it. Some of the revisions started to address that, but they gave up too soon.
I want a Mandalorian satnav.
MoonSong
Rules-lawyering drama queen but not a munchkin
Does real people whose exploits are most likely than not fictional count? Because in that case I would like to nominate Bear Grills and all of the survivalist imitators of Les Stroud -whose exploits are most likely the real deal-. That is always how I picture rangers, getting resources out of thin air, finding their way without maps and compasses, surviving and thriving in the wild...
Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
The idea of protecting nature feels kind of anachronistic to me. At least the way I see D&D, it is civilization that is under threat from nature, not vice-versa; or it is at least that is the prevailing perception. A ranger isn’t someone who protects nature, it’s someone who knows how to survive nature, and protects people from it. A scout who goes beyond the fragile safety of the city walls to preemptively drive back the monsters of the wild, or to forge or maintain trade routes that would otherwise be overtaken by nature. Fictional examples include the rangers of the Night’s Watch from A Song of Ice and Fire, the Scouting Corps from Attack on Titan, and Faramir’s rangers in Lord of the Rings.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
Hmmm...
Prince Humperdinck (perhaps more clearly in the book)
Maybe Angua from Discworld (at home in the wild, skilled tracker)
Ramsay Bolton (rangers don't have to be good-aligned anymore)
Daryl Dixon (tracks, lives off the land, has an animal companion, fights both ranged and dual-wielding, even has a favored enemy)
Slanter from the Wishsong of Shannara (skilled tracker, also bonus points for being a gnome)
Prince Humperdinck (perhaps more clearly in the book)
Maybe Angua from Discworld (at home in the wild, skilled tracker)
Ramsay Bolton (rangers don't have to be good-aligned anymore)
Daryl Dixon (tracks, lives off the land, has an animal companion, fights both ranged and dual-wielding, even has a favored enemy)
Slanter from the Wishsong of Shannara (skilled tracker, also bonus points for being a gnome)
You call this a ranger discussion?
Okay. Let me start problems.
Many examples of ranger people give are either not rangers or are fighter/ranger multiclasses that are more fighter than ranger.
The reason is that few settings are high enough in level or high enough in magic to need rangers. Rangers deal with the border of civilization and the wilderness or chaos. In D&D, that's often monsters, monstrosities, and intelligent magical beings which require magic or magic items to handle or deal with safely.
In editions that let fighters track, a fighter with tracking can suffice for a true ranger in many settings. Especially if the only enemy are humanoids.
Robin Hood isn't a ranger.
Okay. Let me start problems.
Many examples of ranger people give are either not rangers or are fighter/ranger multiclasses that are more fighter than ranger.
The reason is that few settings are high enough in level or high enough in magic to need rangers. Rangers deal with the border of civilization and the wilderness or chaos. In D&D, that's often monsters, monstrosities, and intelligent magical beings which require magic or magic items to handle or deal with safely.
In editions that let fighters track, a fighter with tracking can suffice for a true ranger in many settings. Especially if the only enemy are humanoids.
Robin Hood isn't a ranger.
LuisCarlos17f
Legend
Forest Ranger - TV Tropes
No, we aren't talking about the kind fellow at the national park who wears the snazzy uniform (but there's more of a connection than you might think - see below). We are talking about the forest-dwelling recluse who serves as a self-appointed …
tvtropes.org
Similar Threads
