D&D 5E The Dual Wielding Ranger: How Aragorn, Drizzt, and Dual-Wielding Led to the Ranger's Loss of Identity

[Helldritch]

Although I agree mostly with @auburn2 with the chronological aspect of the "Drizzt" through the edition. The real culprit for the dex based dual weilding ranger is... The Unearthed Arcana!

When that book got out, all of a sudden, driw rangers started to appear out of nowhere. And no Drizzt novels were not out yet. The fact is that with the UA, it was now possible to play
1) A good drow, easily identified as good because it was a ranger.
2) A dual weilding character that was not subject to the usual limitations of the normal rule (which sucked hard at that time).
3) A novelty of playing a usually evil race. Before the UA, it was usually on a case by case basis, but when it appeared in the UA, many DMs in my area went with the line:" If it is in the UA, it must be OK..."

So in my area, the drow ranger was out way before Drizzt entered the scene. ( And to be a bit more precise, it a majority of the 20 or so DM that I was in contact with with had at least one drow ranger in one of their groups...)

I can easily imagine that this phenomenon was not unique to my area. TSR must have been aware at some point that drow rangers were a thing at many tables. Only the old grognards of that time (those older than 18...) or those that were playing with them had some reservations about the UA. Almost all the rest ( in my area, at least) jumped to the full acceptance of UA and thus had the drow ranger. Even I had one, but I allowed it on a strict case by case. Justice I did allow a duergard but on a case by case.

So I sincerely believe that the UA I to blame for the turning of the ranger from a strength based class to a dexterity based one.

 

[auburn2]

So in my area, the drow ranger was out way before Drizzt entered the scene. ( And to be a bit more precise, it a majority of the 20 or so DM that I was in contact with with had at least one drow ranger in one of their groups...)

You need to have an 18 strength to be a Drow Ranger in UA, and this is really hard for an elf to get. Unless you just handwaved that.

We had a lot of good Drow Clerics, Magic-users, and thieves but not a lot of Rangers. We had a few fighters too. The thieves and clerics were awesome dual wielders and easily the most powerful characters of their type.

Maybe you are right though.

 

[Helldritch]

You need to have an 18 strength to be a Drow Ranger in UA, and this is really hard for an elf to get. Unless you just handwaved that.

We had a lot of good Drow Clerics, Magic-users, and thieves but not a lot of Rangers. We had a few fighters too. The thieves and clerics were awesome dual wielders and easily the most powerful characters of their type.

Maybe you are right though.

Remember that a lot of people used the UA method to roll. 9d6 to have an 18 st was a sure way to get it. Never forget that method. Ever...

 

[Voadam]

My decade plus AD&D campaign that started just after UA came out and was open to most everything (dragon magazine antipaladin showed up at one point as a PC as did a short-lived winged elf who was one-shotted by the New Master) had two drow PCs, one was a NE cleric magic-user and one was a CG ranger double specialized in short swords for the dual wielding.

I do not think that I would have ruled that scimitars counted as easily wielded weapons similar to the short swords, daggers, and maces that drow traditionally used though, I conceptually considered them closer to curved longswords.

I might have had a house rule of roll randomly using your choice of stat generation, but if you want to play a specific race/class you can get the minimums to do so. That would explain the 18 strength drow ranger stats easily.

Funnily enough the ranger lost the 18 strength to one of those 1e DMG appendix attribute altering pools, and later became a CN fighter after betraying a cleric of his patron nature god to turn to the dark side with most of the rest of his party (the NE drow, and two CE assassins at that point).

 

[auburn2]

Remember that a lot of people used the UA method to roll. 9d6 to have an 18 st was a sure way to get it. Never forget that method. Ever...

Ah I do remeber it.

18 is still uncommon even with that method, but 1 in a party would probably have it. RAW, was that method available to elves or was it humans only?

Edit: as mentioned above in the 9d6 method you are garunteed the minimum score, so a Drow Ranger would have AUTOMATICALLY had an 18 strength. In retrospect, this not only makes a Drow Ranger possible, it makes it really dumb to pick another race and risk lower than an 18.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

We should not be designing medieval fantasy rangers based on industrial era or later rangers.

D&D is NOT medieval.

 

[Minigiant]

D&D is NOT medieval.

D&D is also not Steam Age, Sci Fi, or Modern by default.

The inspiration for the ranger is primarily of times when swords and polearms are the primary weapons. So the fighting styles of Buzz Lightyear orUS Rangers don't matter as D&D rangers by default lack firearms.

Also D&D is not generic fantasy. Aragorn and his rangers did not train to fight zombies, minotaurs, giants, dragons, or drow. Nor did they have access to muh magic which could be added to their repertoire.

Rangers in D&D in 5e has Archery, Two-Weapon Fighting, (Druidic, Thrown) and Dueling because D&D fans believe wilderness warriors would not use Great Weapons, Shields,or Unarmed strikes.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

D&D is also not Steam Age, Sci Fi, or Modern by default.

No, it's not any age by default.

The inspiration for the ranger is primarily of times when swords and polearms are the primary weapons.

You said it yourself. The inspiration for the D&D ranger - THE ONLY INSPIRATION - is Aragorn in Lord of the Rings.

That doesn't make it a good inspiration, something that is a good fit for D&D rules, or what D&D players are looking for when they see the word Ranger in the PHB.

So the fighting styles of Buzz Lightyear orUS Rangers don't matter as D&D rangers by default lack firearms./

The use of the word Ranger in Space Ranger (there are now out of print but excellent children's stories by Isaac Asimov called Lucky Starr - Space Ranger on which Buzz Lightyear is based) is in the sense of a traveling lawman - also see Texas Ranger, Lone Ranger. It has nothing to do with what kind of weapons are used. He is Woody, but in space.

Rangers in D&D in 5e has Archery, Two-Weapon Fighting, (Druidic, Thrown) and Dueling because D&D fans believe wilderness warriors would not use Great Weapons, Shields,or Unarmed strikes.

You have the power to look inside people's heads and find out what they believe do you? And what you see is completely irrational? And not supported by the rules - rangers have always been able to use shields. Aragorn sometimes uses a shield in the books - and never ever duel wields.

 

[Minigiant]

No, it's not any age by default.

Yes. But...

The use of the word Ranger in Space Ranger (there are now out of print but excellent children's stories by Isaac Asimov called Lucky Starr - Space Ranger on which Buzz Lightyear is based) is in the sense of a traveling lawman - also see Texas Ranger, Lone Ranger. It has nothing to do with what kind of weapons are used.

many of the items, technology, and knowledge of those Rangers are not available in D&D.

AND

Ths rangers do not fight the foes D&D rangers fight nor deal with the wilderness D&D deal with.

How many orcs, green dragons, or fairy domains for Space Rangers and Texas Rangers deal with?

You said it yourself. The inspiration for the D&D ranger - THE ONLY INSPIRATION - is Aragorn in Lord of the Rings.

That doesn't make it a good inspiration, something that is a good fit for D&D rules, or what D&D players are looking for when they see the word Ranger in the PHB.

Aragorn is not a bad inspiration. He also not a bad one.
The key problem is adaption. Aragorn would different if he were in FR or Greyhawk. D&D fans fans mostly agree on archery, thrown weapons, and TWF being common fighting styles when converted.

Everything else is a fight.

You have the power to look inside people's heads and find out what they believe do you? And what you see is completely irrational? And not supported by the rules - rangers have always been able to use shields. Aragorn sometimes uses a shield in the books.

No need to be a ranger and use mind reading magic items if fans post about it all the time.
Oh and there is a difference between being proficient with a weapon of armor and actually using it.

Paladins technically can use light armor but very few do. Rangers can equip shield but the idea of rangers preferring shield died in 2e.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yes. But...

One thing it's not even close to is "medieval". Gygax was heavily influenced by Conan and the like, which is basically bronze age. Waterdeep is Renaissance, Eberron is 1920s, etc.

many of the items, technology, and knowledge of those Rangers are not available in D&D.

I would think the last thing anyone associates with "ranger" is "technology".

AND

Ths rangers do not fight the foes D&D rangers fight nor deal with the wilderness D&D deal with.

That's the point. The D&D ranger does not cover the "traveling lawman" archetype, and a lot of players think it SHOULD. The Lord of the Rings is far from current now (last movie was 18 years ago, before many current players where born), many players do not think "Aragorn" when they see "Ranger", whatever the original inspiration was.

How many orcs, green dragons, or fairy domains for Space Rangers and Texas Rangers deal with?

I'm pretty sure Space Rangers have to deal with far more exotic creatures.

Another space ranger with his animal companion.

And another. I'm starting to think space is the most popular ranger favoured terrain.

D&D fans fans mostly agree on archery, thrown weapons, and TWF being common fighting styles when converted.

Made up facts are made up. D&D players do not agree on anything much. Archery is mostly down to false etymology, TWF is just Drizzt (D&D's second most famous ranger favours a two handed sword or a mace), and I don't know what kind of thin air you are pulling "thrown weapons" from.