Would blending rangers and barbarians fix what is wrong with barbarians?

[Vanye]

That doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer a higher AC, tho.
-The Gneech

Go for a breastplate, then. You'll still be moving at 30ft (presumably, since you're currently a large creature), and will get the extra point of AC...

(whether the armor values make the medium armors worth it is another discussion entirely )

 

[Ace]

While I've played in such, I've never used it universally. In our most recent campaigns, it's been "roll, and it sucks to be you if you roll low."

Drifting a bit

I cheat on HP rolls when I play and just set them a little high. I am open about this and my local DM's don't complain as I am fair about it

If a GM insists on rolling them in front of him for the "fun randomness" B.S. I won't play with him or her.


Random anything provides stupid results -- great so the party dwarf tank has less HP than the Goblin Rogue -- good show that ....

Now there are times stupid results can be fun -- in combat mostly or when failure could make the game more interesting but otherwise I avoid them -- YMMV

anyway I don't see any reason to blend the barbarian and ranger myself-- I'd tweak the classes a bit and alter some falvor stuff but they are just fine separate and as is IMO.

 

[Hypersmurf]

For some reason EGG never liked Thieves who could fight decently...

This is the EGG who wrote the Gord the Rogue novels you're talking about, right?

-Hyp.

 

[Tonguez]

Tarzan can read just fine. In fact, he learned to read before he could speak English from the baby and adult books his parents had brought with them. His first encounters with the English that found him was through the signs he put up warning them off and via writing once contact was made. Also, Tarzan was a pulp hero and was probably capable of any problem put infront of him including mundane tasks.

I'm sorry, pet peeve of mine as an ERB fan.

As I said Tarzan 'fits the description' of Barbarian much better than Conan - its not a perfect fit just a better one.

Also as a DnD character Tarzan had 18 (at least) in every ability score so he was able to pick up literacy as a crossclass skill. However it should be remembered that what Tarzan was reading and writing was not 'english' but rather his own unique language which he invented himself (Jungle Tales of Tarzan gives details iirc) anyway that sounds like he had a major Linguistic talent (which would be a Feat in DnD)

Nonetheless ERB throughout the stories talks about how Tarzan was easily bored with mundane 'civilised life' and how he'd much rather be out in the jungle than licked beneath the veneer of civility that was easily dropped once he was away and how his animal instinct would take over. He was able to rage 'like the surly bull apes amongst whom he was raised' and he must have had at least HD12 to overcome the many injuries he endured from battles with Bogani, Crocodiles et al

Yes I too am an ERB fan

 

[Klaus]

[threadjack]

There's a different and, IMO, more accurate assessment of Conan from Level 1 through to Level 20 here.

[/threadjack]

That is precisely the site I was mentioning.

I was off by a level or so, as King Conan is statted as Barbarian 11/Rogue 3/Fighter 6.

 

[pawsplay]

That is precisely the site I was mentioning.

I was off by a level or so, as King Conan is statted as Barbarian 11/Rogue 3/Fighter 6.

That was actually the site that sold me on D&D 3e. I had been pointedly ignoring it, bedgrudgingly admitting that many of the refinements sounded nice. Then I saw that site. Just seeing fast movement listed, and the feats, told me something was different. And the way he was leveled seemed quite convincing; not only could the new edition support multiclassing, it even had the versatility to stat out experienced literary characters! I was sold, and the very next week went out and bought the core books and started looking for a game.

 

[S'mon]

This is the EGG who wrote the Gord the Rogue novels you're talking about, right?

-Hyp.

LOL Clearly Thief-Acrobats are a different kettle of fish!

 

[I'm A Banana]

So why can't barbarians be Lawful? You just described something far more lawful than chaotic, and - in fact - it rather well describes what some samurai were doing / attempting when in combat.

I'm all for looser alignment restrictions, but I can see why they were implemented. Blame it On The Archetype.

First thing to consider is that the rage's flavor is about succumbing to emotional vigor and fury, an adrenaline pump that pushes your body up and outward. It's not full-fledged insanity, but it's making use of something deeper and more visceral, something uncontrolled and primal, and thus Chaotic. It's drunken stumbling, which, while you may become erratic and violent, you're not likely to aim at someone with deadly force if they're still your friend.

Second thing is that the archetype demands a sort of freewheeling disregard for the proper and right way of the regimented armies. You don't "fit in" you're "different" you don't have a social station or role, you're an outsider amongst the civilized folk. This all screams Chaotic -- Lawful people would do their best to fit in when abroad and not cause much disorganization in dealing with them. The babrbarian archetype in D&D doesn't fit in, and likes it.

All this can be changed -- they're just flavor, after all -- but there is a good reason why it was this way to begin with.

 

[Klaus]

I think a Lawful Barbarian that follows a very spartan (as in "without amenities", not "This Is SPARTA!!!!") lifestyle and that pursues a divinely-inspired trance-like fighting style mimics a dervish (not the PrClass) quite well.

I've also used the Barbarian to mimic a lycanthropic PC. When he "rages", he changes into hybrid form. During the 3 nights of the fulll moon, he's an NPC and rages all night long, with no memory of what happened.

Hmm...

 

[wildstarsreach]

The word barbarian has been misinterpreted. The Persians were barbarians to the Greeks. How many anecdotal examples could be shown that barbarians are literate, just not in the cultural moors of the society that the individual is visiting. Humans as a general rule would be barbarians in elven society. There is more to a cultural barbarian that the class. I never agreed with the class.

Now, I would merge or agree with the merge of the barbarian to the ranger class. Like the martial advantages of ranged or two weapon fighting, give an option of the barbaric fighter. Also give a cultural basis that would give some skills or assets from an urban ranger to the more barbaric style. A native american indian would tend to be barbaric in nature but would tend to be a range attacker. Also two weapon fighting with a tomahawk and knife could be common.

A psion has 6 distinct subtypes that work, the ranger could have a similar set of packages.