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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Chris_Nightwing" data-source="post: 5892919" data-attributes="member: 882">The Ranger has always been my favourite class, despite that it's so difficult to pin down. I am disappointed that so many people are willing to throw it under the theme/background bus! We still have classes, so don't give up on the Ranger! Otherwise you may as well have a classless system with sneak attacks governed by the stealth skill and spellcasting by arcana (this has appeal, but it's not D&D).The key things for a Ranger, in my opinion, are the wilderness schtick and versatility.I think that Rangers differ from Fighters in two key areas. First, I see the Fighter as combat-trained for combat's sake, whereas the Ranger can hold his own in a fight because his weapon skills have other uses in survival and exploration. Second, the fighter inevitably specialises, because in the military (or party) it is efficient to do so, but the Ranger has to be versatile, able to switch between bow and blade as the situation demands.Differences between the Rogue and Ranger are more subtle. The Rogue is more at home in an urban environment and fights dirty against other humanoids. The Ranger knows the wild and fights non-humanoids. Dungeons are strange environments in which both can contribute - I see the Rogue better with locks and mechanics, the Ranger better at spotting danger and hazards.Mechanically.. controversial perhaps.. but I think sneak attack should only work on humanoids - I don't think Rogues should be these insane DPS monkeys. I think that Rangers should just fight better against wild and unusual creatures (the bonus damage against Large creatures mentioned earlier isn't bad). I think dungeons need to include more 'natural' hazards such as good old-fashioned moulds, plants, rocks falling and so on (obviously unless it's a custom-built thieves guild underwarren). I would love for Rangers to be able to switch between fighting styles quickly and easily (if stances survive, I could see ways to implement this nicely) - mobile in combat to deal killing blows and apply more interesting effects to creatures instead of just DPS. Overall, they do have a place in a class-based game, it's just a matter of emphasising their niche.</blockquote>

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