D&D General Should ranger get a companion as its 'signature' feature?

[CreamCloud0]

Pretty much any 'outdoorsman / wild man' trope?

Pretty much any dude who is good at the touching of grass is also depicted as Friend to All Non-Tasty Animals. Tarzan, Davy Crocket, Mogli-- all Disney Princesses who can't sing as well.

those aren't exacly characters i'd ever call rangers, and there are as many rangers who don't have companions as those who do.

 

[Staffan]

It's... pretty common. To the point this comment confused me.

People mock this trope as 'Pokemon', but animal sidekicks and companions are a tale as old a mankind.

Wolverine. Zeb Macahan. Aragorn. Robin Hood. Kraven. Crocodile Dundee. Katniss Everdeen. These are all characters that, at least in certain interpretations of them, are at least partially rangers, without having animal sidekicks.

I'm not saying wilderness folks can't have animal companions, but it's hardly a defining trait.

 

[Marandahir]

It's... pretty common. To the point this comment confused me.

People mock this trope as 'Pokemon', but animal sidekicks and companions are a tale as old a mankind.

It's a very common tale, but it's not the predominant Ranger story. It's maybe 1/3 of Ranger stories…

 

[CreamCloud0]

there are more themes and things to be done with a companion class than those that can be done using the ranger, making the ranger THE companion class is a shackle to the concept.

 

[Minigiant]

Part of me thinks that the same way we see the road with mechanical traps we should see the Ranger with outdoor hazards and obstacles.

The issue is that there are very few natural and supernatural wild traps and obstacles in D&D to even use. And most DMs do not know how to create them

The same way a rogue might be taking picks to an arrow trap control panel a Ranger of might have been thought to be using salves and knowledge to placate an animate tree, charm a flame cat, or divert a rockalanche.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

No. All ranges do not have animal companions.

The Rangers signature ability should be earth, social, and life science

Zoology botany geology meteorology sociology etc

A Ranger is a man who studies the earth to aid them in defending people from the wilderness and/or to protect nature.

Now, I like this.

I think I'm going to borrow it. I've been mulling the idea of a campaign where druids are the bad guys and their goal is to 'restore balance' ie let nature run wild. It starts small - villages being beset upon by wild forest animals who no longer fear humans (I live near Gatlinburg TN, where bears on the streets of a highly visited/overfull town is a common thing) but as you dig deeper, the higher end cult is working to awaken the Tarrasque - like in the Godzilla movie where the eco terrorists were awakening all the Titans to destroy humanity.

 

[Blue]

Responding to the original post, before my thoughts get swayed by the 10 pages of replies.

I think "Fighting Pet Owner", be it an animal companion, undead henchman, steel defender, holy mount, dragon mama, or whatever, should be a unified mechanic to be used by multiple classes.

So I don't think that should be owned by the ranger. Should the ranger have access to it? Sure. But, if it's not a signature of the ranger, I don't think all rangers should be required to take it. Many archetypes of the outdoorsman don't have such a companion. And some, like the Beastmaster (book or film, even though they are very different) have multiples, not all of who are combat-focused.

 

[Marandahir]

Now, I like this.

I think I'm going to borrow it. I've been mulling the idea of a campaign where druids are the bad guys and their goal is to 'restore balance' ie let nature run wild. It starts small - villages being beset upon by wild forest animals who no longer fear humans (I live near Gatlinburg TN, where bears on the streets of a highly visited/overfull town is a common thing) but as you dig deeper, the higher end cult is working to awaken the Tarrasque - like in the Godzilla movie where the eco terrorists were awakening all the Titans to destroy humanity.

This is the fundamental conflict between Rangers and Druids. Druids are Green-centered, and just as likely to be Green-Red or Green-Black as they are to be Green-White or Green-Blue. Rangers are fundamentally Green-White, even leaning White-Blue at times.

 

[CreamCloud0]

This is the fundamental conflict between Rangers and Druids. Druids are Green-centered, and just as likely to be Green-Red or Green-Black as they are to be Green-White or Green-Blue. Rangers are fundamentally Green-White, even leaning White-Blue at times.

translation for someone who doesn't speak MtG colour-alignment jargon please?

 

[Clint_L]

Yeah ngl I hate this push towards everything being a 'spirit' of some sort. I don't want a 'bestial spirit'. I want a pet wolf, which has a name and a backstory, and if it dies that actually means something.

This has been the overwhelming reaction from my D&D Club, as well.