James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
Mind you, while we do heavily associate the Ranger with woodcraft, their skill set can work in other environments as well, such as urban, underground, or yes, in a dungeon. But the Ranger is more than just an explorer (that's more the Rogue's hat), he's a warrior with a different approach. He's an individualist and a free thinker that may just be more at home on the fringes (or far reaches) of society. Maybe he's a trailblazer, exploring new lands so that they can one day be settled.
Maybe he's a guerilla freedom fighter, opposed to an unlawful regime, hiding out in the jungle or the forest, plotting his next move.
Maybe he does have a deep spiritual connection with the land and the primal spirits of nature, that empower him with a bit of magic that allows him to do things others would find impossible.
But for some reason, we have a hard time packing all these elements into one class. It might actually be easier to define what a Ranger isn't than define what they are, if we're ever going to narrow down what elements deserve to be a class in of themselves, and what ones can be relegated to other classes.
For example, Rogues and Rangers can be scouts, skirmishers, lightly armored, dual wielding, archers.
Barbarians and Rangers learn to survive in harsh conditions, and are at home in less civilized regions of the world.
Druids and Rangers are masters of woodcraft, and have deep ties to the primal forces of the world.
Fighters and Rangers are masters of differing styles of combat and weapons. They are both highly trained and disciplined.
So what can we safely let these classes do, and what needs to be unique to the Ranger? Or can we dispense with the Ranger? Or is he meant to be some strange sort of hybrid of all of these classes at once (which is basically where we are today).
Maybe he's a guerilla freedom fighter, opposed to an unlawful regime, hiding out in the jungle or the forest, plotting his next move.
Maybe he does have a deep spiritual connection with the land and the primal spirits of nature, that empower him with a bit of magic that allows him to do things others would find impossible.
But for some reason, we have a hard time packing all these elements into one class. It might actually be easier to define what a Ranger isn't than define what they are, if we're ever going to narrow down what elements deserve to be a class in of themselves, and what ones can be relegated to other classes.
For example, Rogues and Rangers can be scouts, skirmishers, lightly armored, dual wielding, archers.
Barbarians and Rangers learn to survive in harsh conditions, and are at home in less civilized regions of the world.
Druids and Rangers are masters of woodcraft, and have deep ties to the primal forces of the world.
Fighters and Rangers are masters of differing styles of combat and weapons. They are both highly trained and disciplined.
So what can we safely let these classes do, and what needs to be unique to the Ranger? Or can we dispense with the Ranger? Or is he meant to be some strange sort of hybrid of all of these classes at once (which is basically where we are today).