D&D 5E Fictional examples of Rangers

[Shiroiken]

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.

This is a very interesting aspect of it, and I believe something that's changed over time. Originally the ranger was a survivalist, with Aragon being the prime example (and template) of the class. When published in 1E, it had druidic and magic using abilities which were supposed to represent their ability to survive. IIRC, even in 2E the fully druidic nature of the ranger was fairly minimized. I think it was in 3E (or possibly late 2E) where the ranger started moving closer to the druid side of the fence, protecting nature rather than just surviving in it. By 4E it was fully in the nature camp, even though it completely removed spellcasting (incorporating those ideas with powers). Now the idea of rangers being protective of nature is the standard trope, with their survival origin lost.

 

[Charlaquin]

This is a very interesting aspect of it, and I believe something that's changed over time. Originally the ranger was a survivalist, with Aragon being the prime example (and template) of the class. When published in 1E, it had druidic and magic using abilities which were supposed to represent their ability to survive. IIRC, even in 2E the fully druidic nature of the ranger was fairly minimized. I think it was in 3E (or possibly late 2E) where the ranger started moving closer to the druid side of the fence, protecting nature rather than just surviving in it. By 4E it was fully in the nature camp, even though it completely removed spellcasting (incorporating those ideas with powers). Now the idea of rangers being protective of nature is the standard trope, with their survival origin lost.

It has been an interesting evolution, to be sure. I don’t really see druids protecting nature either, personally. Again, the idea that nature needs protecting is a fairly modern one. In my book, druids worship nature (or nature gods, or nature spirits... to a commoner from settled society, they all look like the same thing). They’re viewed as kooky and potentially dangerous for treating something as wild and unpredictable as nature with religious reverence. You might play a druid with the angle of being the enlightened madman who realizes what he threat humanity poses to nature and does indeed seek to protect it, but that’s not generally their angle.

 

[Wishbone]

I think the term Ranger originally comes from light infantry fielded by the brittish for recon and special operations in the 18th century, This continues through today with Ranger special operations forces in the US Army. I believe the term itself came from a man named "Ranger" that led the first "Ranger's company" . I think Tolkein took that term out of history and then Gygax took Tolkein's ranger and made it into a class. As such the original Ranger post dates the middle age era D&D is generally formed around. In that respect the original idea would refer to a fighter/musketeer.

Most likely older. Wikipedia's entry on park ranger (Park ranger - Wikipedia) puts in 13th-14th century. The term makes an appearance in Edmund Spenser's Shepheardes Calender in 1579. Tolkien would have at least known the Spenser references, possibly more.

The term Ranger is attested from 16th century in sense of ‘man (often mounted) who polices a range (area for hunting). In England they were royal appointments under William the Conquerors Forest Law.

The Oxford English Dictionary has the oldest known use of the Middle English word raunǧer as "a forester, gamekeeper" as far back as 1327.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Now the idea of rangers being protective of nature is the standard trope, with their survival origin lost.

Is it? The 5e fluff is about carrying on an eternal vigil in the wilderness to keep civilization safe from monstrous evils, and wilderness survivalist is roughly how I've always seen them played.

 

[Imaculata]

 

[Charlaquin]

If I ever made my own D&D-clone, I’d call the ranger stand-in a Yeoman. It has similar woodsman/survivalist connotations, without the same D&D-specific baggage about favored enemies and animal companions and dual-wielding that “ranger” has.

For similar reasons, I’d also call the Paladin the Knight and Fighter the Man at Arms (is there a good gender-neutral equivalent to that, by the way? Armsman kind of works but still has the masculine suffix, and Person At Arms sounds clunky and awkward)

 

[Dire Bare]

All this discussion of racial changes has made me long for the good old days of Ranger debates. So here we go.

While the D&D Ranger has become it's own thing I think many players still enjoy some amount of emulation when rolling up a character. I want to play someone like blank is something I here often from new players, and sometimes from veteran players too. But the Ranger's identity problems are well documented. So when a new player says they want to play a Ranger I often respond with "A Ranger like whom?".

So I thought some of you might want to join me in a discussion.

To start with I'll tackle the OG Strider. While Aragorn can summon armies of the undead and scry over his kingdom with a palantir he first spent about 40 years wandering the wilds of Middle Earth becoming it's foremost expert on tracking and the the "hardiest of living Men". This was a guy who could put his ear to the ground and tell you where a host was riding on horseback and then ignore that sound to listen to quiter and much further away party of orcs traveling on foot. That's wicked Rangering.

Another example from fantasy novels I like is Perrin Aybara from the Wheel of Time. While you might be tempted to think of Perrin as a Barbarian n account of him once killing a couple of whitecloaks while in a fit of rage, his powerset by the end of the novels is mostly defined by his affinity with wolves and his ability o speak with them, and more importantly his ability to travel into and out of the world of dreams at will. This is as close to a dead ringer for a Horizon Walker's Ethereal Step, Distant Strike, and Spectral Defense as I've ever seen.

So who are your archetypal Rangers? and how do they go about Rangering?

I hate it when I do this, but I feel compelled . . . . . Well, actually . . . Aragorn doesn't summon ghostly hordes (at least not in the D&D sense), but rather makes an alliance with an army of spirits. It was a Charisma-check, not a class ability. And his scrying is all due to the powerful magic item his DM regretted letting him have, the palantir didn't represent anything particularly rangery about Strider.

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.

Yeah, the protectors-of-nature theme is something the ranger evolved into quite early in D&D, and seemed very strong in 3E and 4E. But the D&D ranger IS Aragorn, and Aragorn was someone who ranged the wilderness in order to protect what remains of civilization. Works pretty well in a points-of-light setting, I think!

 

[Dire Bare]

Was doing some digging around on modern uses of the word ranger . . . . and I'm coming up with two broad uses.

The word originally seems to refer to someone who patrols, or ranges, over an area in a protective capacity . . . but not protecting citizens from the dangers of nature, but rather protecting a hunting area from the citizens for the elite. This concept evolves into today's park rangers, who patrol nature reserves to protect them from folks who would otherwise despoil them. Park rangers also, of course, have the mandate to protect visitors, tourists, from the dangers of the wild, or from their own lack of survival skills . . .

There is also the military ranger . . . military units that patrol, or range, over the landscape as scouts and guides. This meaning seems to have evolved into rangers-as-commandos . . . highly skilled, mobile troops who insert themselves into a landscape for all sorts of missions, including scouting, guiding, ambushing, assassination . . .

Tolkien's ranger, the basis for the D&D class, seems to evolve the word a bit further into solitary soldiers who roam the wilderness dealing with threats to citizens . . . monsters, orcs, servants of the Dark One . . . There's also the elven connection . . . Aragorn and the Rangers of the North were close allies to the House of Elrond and received training there . . .

Rangers aren't survivalists . . . but certainly employ wilderness survival skills in the course of their jobs. They aren't protectors of nature, not really, although modern park rangers might just view that as legitimate aspects of their jobs, and certainly have a reverence and love of nature. They have no connection to druids (IRL) or other "primal" or nature-serving specialists.

Fictional characters who have an affinity for nature, for animals . . . might fit into a very broad D&D ranger concept, but not into the classic D&D ranger concept. Most of the examples listed in this thread past Aragorn the Strider . . . . nah, not seeing it.

One thing I find humorous about the evolution of D&D's ranger . . . words pretty synonymous with ranger, including warden and forester, have been used to create ranger-like classes in the game to co-exist alongside the ranger for some reason . . .

 

[Weiley31]

Gerald of Rivia

I get what your saying, but technically he's a Blood Hunter. But maybe he's multi classed?

 

[Weiley31]

This is the Way!

This is the Way.