Spell-less Ranger confirmed by Mearls

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I guess I'm in a minority here - I've played in a dozen or more 3.x campaigns that included Rangers. In only one of those games, did one said Ranger ever bother to cast a spell. And that one was always Entangle.

The only ranger spell I'd consider casting is Longstrider... and if I could get that as a feat or magic items, I'd jump on it.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The only ranger spell I'd consider casting is Longstrider... and if I could get that as a feat or magic items, I'd jump on it.

Boots of Striding and Springing, or one level of Barbarian? Latter is not the same as a feat, and you also get stupid stuff like Rage, which might not be what you want. (You could use the PHB 2 Rage variant, which would make it effectively "go away" for a RangerX/Barbarian1 )

 

[Cadfan]

Barkskin isn't so bad if you don't have an amulet of natural armor. Longstrider is usually good. And Alarm, while boring, isn't terrible. Also, Cure Light Wounds is nice.

But overall, yeah, lame.

 

[Drammattex]

Thank God! (and Mearls)

It bugs the hell out of me to have rangers suddenly "cast" Entangle. Suddenly these hunters/trackers/woodland warriors somehow inherit magical powers? Huh?!

Always despised it. Glad it's gone.

 

[Jinete]

Barkskin isn't so bad if you don't have an amulet of natural armor. Longstrider is usually good. And Alarm, while boring, isn't terrible. Also, Cure Light Wounds is nice.

But overall, yeah, lame.

I don't mean to be snarky, but have any of you guys actually played a ranger? Hearing someone say that ranger spells are lame really seems strange.

 

[Steely Dan]

It bugs the hell out of me to have rangers suddenly "cast" Entangle. Suddenly these hunters/trackers/woodland warriors somehow inherit magical powers? Huh?!

Always despised it. Glad it's gone.

Yep, I agree, I like rangers to be smelly, Green Beret types.

 

[Steely Dan]

I don't mean to be snarky, but have any of you guys actually played a ranger?

That's the whole point, it seems that people like myself; who have had a lot of experience with the ranger class, through every edition, yes, their spell-casting is often superfluous, especially at higher levels.

 

[Jinete]

That's the whole point, it seems that people like myself; who have had a lot of experience with the ranger class, through every edition, yes, their spell-casting is often superfluous, especially at higher levels.

Although I've played the ranger only up to lvl. 13. I did so over a course of a year and a half, one session per week. I soon found out that during combat it's much more useful to do a full attack than cast a standard action spell.

However, arrow mind, lightfoot, burrow, bears endurance, arrow storm, tremorsense, listening lorecall, swift haste, barkskin, the primal series- all great spells, and some of them saved my character from certain death more than once.

Shooting and moving without provoking AoO's, blindsight and tremorsense, burrowing, +5 unnamed bonus to initiative, spot, listen, jump, climb, swim etc. are useful at all levels.

 

[Jhaelen]

I guess I'm in a minority here - I've played in a dozen or more 3.x campaigns that included Rangers. In only one of those games, did one said Ranger ever bother to cast a spell. And that one was always Entangle.

The ranger player in my group also doesn't want to be bothered with ranger spells. He always simply casts a a spell with a 24 hours duration that improves his tracking skill.

As a DM I've used ranger spells to good effect, though. There's an absolutely brilliant one, that grants the ranger the senses of any selected animal.

However, I have to admit a spell-less ranger better fits my idea of the ranger archetype. I wouldn't mind a couple of supernatural abilities but they shouldn't be 'spells'.

 

[Steely Dan]

However, I have to admit a spell-less ranger better fits my idea of the ranger archetype. I wouldn't mind a couple of supernatural abilities but they shouldn't be 'spells'.

Well, as all classes get per day, per encounter and at will powers, I'm sure the ranger will have many juicy tricks up his bum.