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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DMZ2112" data-source="post: 6296597" data-attributes="member: 78752">In my opinion the druid's niche -- what makes it a defensible class -- isn't divine spellcasting or wilderness lore, but rather its shapeshifting ability.In partial agreement with your assessment of the situation, I don't necessarily think druids should not be divine casters, or that they should not have wilderness lore, because those abilities work well in tandem, but what makes the druid worth keeping around is that they shapeshift, not that they have significant overlap with the cleric and the ranger.I don't object to the idea of a class that brings ranged combat superiority to the table and allows the traditional fighter to focus more specifically on melee superiority.But I think that in most editions, a specialized ranged-weapon fighter is going to be a better ranged combatant than a ranger, and for that matter a specialized two-weapon fighter is going to be a better two-weapon combatant than a ranger.  In most editions, the ranger does not bring combat superiority to the table.He likewise does not bring stealth superiority to the table, or divine spellcasting superiority to the table.  Ultimately, what makes the ranger unique is wilderness lore and an animal companion -- and I feel pretty strongly that these are things that could be/should be available to any class that wants wilderness flavor.</blockquote>