The Ranger: What is his shtick?

[Andor]

Rangers need healing.

The idea that a person would willfully go miles away from civilization for long periods of time repeatedly without a way to heal himself is LUDICROUS and ABSURD.

This is true of course. It's well know that historically the trappers/cowboys/pilgrims/hunters/bushmen/boyscouts went nowhere without their [-]spellbooks[/-] ... [-]healing potions[/-] ... [-]healing wands[/-] ... attending [-]clerics[/-] ... [-] doctors[/-] ... [-]paramedics[/-] ...
What was the discussion again?

 

[Minigiant]

This is true of course. It's well know that historically the trappers/cowboys/pilgrims/hunters/bushmen/boyscouts went nowhere without their [-]spellbooks[/-] ... [-]healing potions[/-] ... [-]healing wands[/-] ... attending [-]clerics[/-] ... [-] doctors[/-] ... [-]paramedics[/-] ...
What was the discussion again?

Where is the ability to rub herbs and dirt on wounds, make special teas and soups, and suck out venom?

 

[grimslade]

While Tolkien trivia is fascinating and the origins of the ranger class are important, we should avail ourselves of a new edition to bring about a clarified and resolute ranger class.
Inspiration should be the Dunedain, Hawkeye or the Deer Hunter, Chingachook, Davey Crocket, Sharpe, and Katniss Everdeen.
Actually Katniss is a good example, not the best fighter but deadly in surprise, uses the environment as defense and offense, can track and find deadly and beneficial wildlife. Good with a bow, decent with traps, can help others use the environment and best of all a survivor.
The ranger is the winner of the Hunger Games.

 

[Andor]

Where is the ability to rub herbs and dirt on wounds, make special teas and soups, and suck out venom?

*shrug* That depends on the first aid/mundane healing rules.

In reality first aid skills and herb lore tended to be pretty good amoung people without modern medicine. Sadly we here in the west had a notable period of sucktacular medical skill during that awkward period where doctors had rejected mysticism and before they actually had developed sound scientific medical practices ... or discovered the values of hygine. Fortunately that only lasted 3 or 4 centuries. *facepalm*

Now one of the nigh universal criticisms of 4e was the overly powerful non-magical healing rules, so you can bet that there will be some reigning in of that. However as long as they don't start bringing in 'realistic' rules for lingering infections and peritonits and tetanus... a wound in the wilderness will not be an automatic death sentence.

As far as rangers and magical healing go... Sure it would make sense, if magical healing were available, for wilderness loving types to learn some of it. However the metaphysical rules of the world may not make it that easy. That's for WotC (and GMs everywhere) to decide. If not, then rangers will probably pack along first-aid kits and healing potions just like hikers today bring bandages and antiseptics.

 

[Minigiant]

Now one of the nigh universal criticisms of 4e was the overly powerful non-magical healing rules, so you can bet that there will be some reigning in of that. However as long as they don't start bringing in 'realistic' rules for lingering infections and peritonits and tetanus... a wound in the wilderness will not be an automatic death sentence.

As far as rangers and magical healing go... Sure it would make sense, if magical healing were available, for wilderness loving types to learn some of it. However the metaphysical rules of the world may not make it that easy. That's for WotC (and GMs everywhere) to decide. If not, then rangers will probably pack along first-aid kits and healing potions just like hikers today bring bandages and antiseptics.

First aid and potion making have stunk in 4 editions now. Maybe the 5th time is a charm.

But requiring regular trips to town will ruin the city-hating, log cabin, almost-mythical, grumpy forest hermit angle.

Gonna miss my Noir detective entrances into town.

 

[Andor]

First aid and potion making have stunk in 4 editions now. Maybe the 5th time is a charm.

But requiring regular trips to town will ruin the city-hating, log cabin, almost-mythical, grumpy forest hermit angle.

Gonna miss my Noir detective entrances into town.

Who is requiring it? Beaver trappers would stay out for a year or two at a time. Hermits would live in a cave for 20 years. Your character can do the exact same thing.

Unless of course, an orc sticks a spear in his spleen. Something few hermits had to put up with. Does returning to town every few weeks looking like a pin cushion and sitting at the bar while someone pulls the arrows out of your back really ruin the 'tough guy' image for you?

In any edition of D&D to date any non-mortal wound (I.E: Not to 0 or below) will heal up without medical attention over the course of days or weeks. You just get a scar to tell stories about.

"Oh this? Yeah an orc hit me in the back with an axe about 2 months back. Big brute of a guy jumped screaming off a cliff and got me while I was stalking a stag. I had to kill him with nothing but an arrow and his own bootlaces. Cleric? For a scratch like that? Naw. I just rolled in the dust to stop the bleeding and kept hunting. You shoulda seen that stag."

 

[Minigiant]

Who is requiring it? Beaver trappers would stay out for a year or two at a time. Hermits would live in a cave for 20 years. Your character can do the exact same thing.

Unless of course, an orc sticks a spear in his spleen. Something few hermits had to put up with. Does returning to town every few weeks looking like a pin cushion and sitting at the bar while someone pulls the arrows out of your back really ruin the 'tough guy' image for you?

In any edition of D&D to date any non-mortal wound (I.E: Not to 0 or below) will heal up without medical attention over the course of days or weeks. You just get a scar to tell stories about.

"Oh this? Yeah an orc hit me in the back with an axe about 2 months back. Big brute of a guy jumped screaming off a cliff and got me while I was stalking a stag. I had to kill him with nothing but an arrow and his own bootlaces. Cleric? For a scratch like that? Naw. I just rolled in the dust to stop the bleeding and kept hunting. You shoulda seen that stag."

Natural healing without a lookout or someone else to do first aid in ¾ editions was pretty bad. Very bad. You had to find a safe spot to rest and not get up for days or even weeks. 4E gave you nightly cure alls but it followed the edition trends of having everything else rangery as "mother may I" DM fiat with its bare bones skill system.

 

[Girochen]

Okay, this is really an easy question. The Ranger's schtick was to be a Jack of All Trades. He was a fighter-sort of, rogue-sort of, druid-sort of. He can do so many things depending on how you play him. He can fight as a dodge fighter, he can range with archery, he can have a companion that fights with or for him. He can heal and perform first aid. He can sneak around and scout and find traps. He can wield two weapons, swords or daggers. He is a lot of things, but none of them quite as good as the basic class. He is a utility character able to fill and assist in many roles.

I think one of the problems with the advances in D&D is they often leave behind stuff that is good. In Basic D&D and then AD&D the Ranger was a choice that meant specific things. The Paladin meant specific things as well. These two are crossover classes. You may recall the whole multiclass thing in AD&D. You chose two classes and they went up at the same time when you got experience you halved it and placed it in both classes. And there were restrictions based on what you were doing. You could not wear heavy armor and use rogue skills. So certain classes filled some of that for the gimped humans who could not multiclass. But now they are staples. Removing iconic classes from D&D would be a problem. IMHO it would be wrong. But I guess there is a question of where is the line to be drawn. I won't get into that, but let me just add another thought for you.

There are only two classes in D&D really. All the rest are subs of those two. They are fighter and caster. The rogue is a fighter that uses stealth and treachery as well as having developed some thievery abilities. The cleric is simply a caster that sources his spells in divine instead of arcane like the wizard. Personally, I like the starting point classes. Though there were some of the 4E classes I didn't care for as a class and some of the 3.5 prestige classes that I thought were kind of over specialized. But the class list should harken back to AD&D and Basic D&D. If there are some new classes that we cannot live without, then we can add them later. But again, pack most of them into the first book. No more of this twenty basic rulebooks.

Anyway, my two cents.
Girochen /|\

 

[Steely_Dan]

The Ranger's schtick was to be a Jack of All Trades.

Bard.

 

[DracoDruid]

"Oh this? Yeah an orc hit me in the back with an axe about 2 months back. Big brute of a guy jumped screaming off a cliff and got me while I was stalking a stag. I had to kill him with nothing but an arrow and his own bootlaces. Cleric? For a scratch like that? Naw. I just rolled in the dust to stop the bleeding and kept hunting. You shoulda seen that stag."

Sorry but this made me laugh so much I simply HAD to quote it!
Thank you [MENTION=1879]Andor[/MENTION].

Okay but seriously, I know that two-weapon fighting was there since (A)D&D, but seriously, who hunts with two longswords?!

I think we all agree that the ranger should be the exploration master.
Detecting and protecting from natural hazards, preventing from getting lost, being able to properly nurture a ragtag group of adventurers marching through unknown wilderness, etc.
I really think, that going out into the wilderness unprepared (aka without a ranger or similar capable character) needs to be as dangerous as any random monster you might meet on top of this.
Finding shelter, fresh water, food, that's not that easy. Go out and try it yourself!

If the ranger really needs to have some combat "specialty" it really should be ranged combat. Either throwing or shooting, or both.

Oh. And Favored Enemy is pretty dump too, as it is. I have no real fix at hand, but it really should be changed to something else (maybe similar, but other than 3.5/PF does).


Have a nice day.