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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 584013" data-attributes="member: 4937">Well, if you throw in that I don't think that Aragorn said that (it certainly doesn't sound right that Aragorn should belittle his role as heir of Gondor), and that Aragorn is just as much of a Paladin as a 'Ranger', I don't know exactly what you are going to get or where you are going.As someone who has read Tolkein's LotR 17 times, I have to tell you that I still don't know what a 'Ranger' is like in Tolkein's books.And using Aragorn as an example just completely muddles the issue.  For instance, in Aragorn's back ground we know that he spent several decades as a Knight in both Gondor and Rohan, excelling in both places with the lance and sword and in the martial skills of both countries, which would presumably include horsemanship.  We have no instance of Aragorn using a bow or even owning one, however hard it may be to believe that someone who had skill as a hunter did not use one.  But maybe he meant that he was good at setting snares for small animals?  We know that Aragorn had some skill in herbology, and a very great ammount of skill as a healer (he had studied under Elrond).  One of the most critical scenes in understanding Aragorn is when he journeys about the city of Minas Tirith after the battle of the Pelannor fields tending the sick and wounded.  Certainly Aragorn seems to have the appropriately kingly abiltiy to 'Lay on Hands'.  However, we see no similar abilities manifested in say Faramir or any other ranger, so they are probably unique to him.  Aragorn also is well versed in other kinds of knowledge and lore and no mere untutored fighter.  This seems to be true of all the Rangers we get to meet, that they possess high medieval knightly virtues of courtliness and learning.   In analysis, Aragorn's primary 'class' is not 'Ranger' but 'King', and he may have a few levels of the prestige class 'High King' as well.   How that translates to D&D I can't even begin to speculate.</blockquote>

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