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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 5919448" data-attributes="member: 87792">Right. There's been a ranger class in every edition of the AD&D strand and it's been different in every edition. 1e: Aragorn. With the serial numbers filed off and not even filed off very well. Rangers gained the ability to use crystal balls because Aragorn could use a Palantir. 2e: A fighter variant, specialising in wilderness work and designed to soak up high stats rather than someone getting that stat roll putting it all into Str, Dex, and Con for an ultimate fighter. Also using two weapon fighting to differentiate them from fighters. Finally the ranger gains a bonus to damage against 'giants' - which includes anything from kobolds through orcs to real giants. This is multiplied up by the benefits of two weapon fighting (2e's strongest combat style) for a complete monster killer. <a href="http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD3e:Ranger" target="_blank">3.0:</a> A nerfed fighter - two weapon with more skills and the ability to track. 3.0 rangers sucked. They gained two weak combat feats (two weapon fighting not being great without bonus damage in 3.X) as long as they only wore light armour and minor bonuses from their favoured enemy. They were also front-loaded and therefore used for one level dips. Bad, bad class. <a href="http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ranger" target="_blank">3.5:</a> A bounty hunter specialising in specific targets. Better skill points, tracking, a doubled favoured enemy bonus to make it worthwhile. And a choice between two weapons and archery. You couldn't run from them - they could track you with a bonus. You couldn't outrun them - they had endurance and high fort and ref saves.  4e PHB: A skirmishing warrior - either very similar to the 2e version (seriously high damage but poor AC) or able to turn the air black with arrows rather than fighting with two weapons. Decent although not outstanding skills, including a nature focus. And like the 2e ranger arguably the highest damage class in the game. A thematic conversion from a 2e ranger to a 4e one (or vise-versa) would work very well. 4e Essentials: A wilderness warrior with class based bonusses to outdoor skills that benefits the whole party - and the same choice in fighting styles that the 3.5 and 4e phb rangers had between two weapons and a bow. Much cleaner to play than the PHB ranger (I meant 4e but I'll put one up against any edition) and more strongly focussed thematically. Probably the one I'd recommend taking forward.</blockquote>

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