doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
And that’s totally fair. But given the evolution of D&D’s design since then, it would seem to me that demand for rangers to be spellcasters in modern editions has more to do with reproducing the 1e ranger than it does reproducing Aragorn.
I think that’s a big part of the ranger’s identity crisis. It has gotten too caught up in trying to imitate past versions of itself that it has lost sight of the archetype it ostensibly represents.
I disagree entirely. I only ever played 1e long after playing 2e, 3.5, and various non dnd related games, and didn't find anything about it particularly enjoyable.
LOTR, on the other hand, was an immense formative factor in my development. I read it before puberty had hit full swing. It helped shape my outlook on life.
DnD Aragorn should have spells because DnD is more directly and profoundly magical than Middle Earth. In DnD, the ultimate bond with nature is represented by the Druid (which is where I'd look to model Gandalf, were I inclined to do so), which is a spellcaster. Therefor natural magic is done via spells. Therefor Aragorn would have spells in DnD.
Because the Ranger isn't just a woodsman, no matter what nonsense they put in the phb this time around.