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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6193062" data-attributes="member: 6696971">This was my thought as well.  The contrived scenario is picture perfect for a Ranger and he should unequivocally have the greatest odds of successfully resolving such a conflict (locate and infiltrate the dragon's lair with help from lizardmen proxy).  To be fair, 3.x does provide a Ranger some means of successfully facilitating the resolution of this conflict.  Assume the Ranger took the (very narrow group of antagonists) Favored Enemy Reptilian at 1st (or 5th/10th) level.  By 10th level (we're assuming an 11th level Wizard), he would have + 6 (or 4/2) to Bluff, Listen & Spot (Perception in 4e), Sense Motive (Insight in 4e), and Survival (one portion of Nature in 4e) and + 6 (or 4/2) to hit and weapon damage vs the lizardmen.  He moves swiftly while tracking, has an animal companion, can cast (probably, contingent upon Wisdom) two 1st level Druid spells and one 2nd level Druid spell.  I'm also assuming he would know their language (given they are his favored enemy).  If his favored enemy is Dragon (there being no lizardmen tribe as proxy  to further the effort), then those bonuses would apply to the dragon.  If a Skill Challenge system was bolted onto 3.x, he would be top notch in resolving the challenge of locating the lair (via lizardmen tribe or just interacting with the "dragon" tag of the effort).  This is, of course, assuming that the conflict plays into the Ranger's Favored Enemies.  If that is off the grid then forget about it.However, in 3.x orthodoxy, task resolution is interpreted in a process-simulation, binary manner.  As such, working outside of the task resolution mechanics (eg leveraging spells as fiat/narrative imposition) is still superior.  Its debatable if a level 11 Ranger could devastate an entire lizard-folk tribe.  Perhaps with Manyshot (Twin Strike +), great use of move actions for stealth, skulking/hit-and-run (Obscuring Mist, Camouflage, Entangle, Hawkeye, One With the Land, Solid Fog, etc) it would be well within reach.  I could certainly see it.  He could keep hunting them, snaring them, and forcing an answer from then until one of them gives up the goods.  But with 3.x task resolution, straight finesse (eg Divination) is not nearly as assured as the Wizard's means (hence the problem...as this should be the Ranger's sweet spot).  It suffers from the same issue as the "cool martial combat stunt" being resolved by a complex check, each step with its ow respective pass/fail out, creating an algorithmic test that fails at a hefty clip...with an outcome punitive enough to drown out the reward aspect of risk/reward.The safely navigating the trap-laden chimney/vertical tunnel (with resources not too terribly diminished and without alerting guardians/dragon) and slaying the dragon is really not even on the table for the Ranger.</blockquote>

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