D&D General What is a Ranger? A miserable pile of secrets! (+)

[Minigiant]

I’m well aware of your stance on the necessity of high magic in D&D, and I simply disagree. There’s not much point in you and I discussing rangers or halflings.

Summoning dust and brambles isn't high magic in D&D. Mid level rangers could do that since 3e as half casters.

 

[Kinematics]

I didn't want to reply to stuff that would just be repeating my own points, but I was going to admit that the Legolas option was a bit iffy. With the above discussion, I agree to drop him entirely from the ranger list.

 

[Charlaquin]

Summoning dust and brambles isn't high magic in D&D. Mid level rangers could do that since 3e as half casters.

Yes, and what I want from a ranger is a non-caster.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Yes, and what I want from a ranger is a non-caster.

There's no full non-casters in 5e. At best/worst you'll be getting at least three caster subclasses.

 

[Undrave]

But why would I want to play a fighter if I can play the way more interesting Fighter-on-Wild-Steroids? The martial Ranger just ends up making the Fighter seem pretty boring.

That’s the Fighter’s problem, not the Ranger’s.

Correct, yet it is still a problem lol

This is why, if they're not gonna give us the Warlord, the Warlord should just absorb the Fighter and steal his name. If people want to play a dumb 'I whack it with my stick!' class, they can play a Barbarian.

 

[Minigiant]

Yes, and what I want from a ranger is a non-caster.

What are your opinions of high level ranger class features?

Because many classic ranger (calling animals, spelling to animals/plants, communing with spirits/fey, quick camo), Dar (see through animals) or Aragorn stuff (healing, divination) is spell-casting.

That's before getting into dealing natural disasters, magical weather, eldritch storms, and planar environments.

Because Poison Oak is not a level 15 obstacle. An Endless Plummet (Level Up p121) or Fey Glade (Level Up p123) are.

The question becomes:

Can a non-casting ranger disable or withstand a natural obstacle created by magical beings or features that might naturally occur there?

 

[Charlaquin]

There's no full non-casters in 5e. At best/worst you'll be getting at least three caster subclasses.

I’ll accept casting subclasses, as long as there’s a non-casting option.

 

[Smackpixi]

Did no one mention Rambo as a Ranger archetype? Especially as John Rambo in First Blood, by the second movie he’s clearly taken at least a one level Barbarian dip for a couple rages and unarmored defense, but overall lots of Rangerness there. Aside from the machine guns, I’d like to emulate that as a Ranger.

 

[Undrave]

Pets are absolutely huge to attracting people to the class and to how a lot of people, especially outside TT RPGs, see this archetype. Unlike most D&D archetypes, this archetype does exist in the greater culture.

Are they absolutely essential? No. It's toss-up between them and Stealth, I'd say, but they're far more important than Magic (which is actively antithetical to the general archetype of Ranger) or Aragorn (who originated the concept, but doesn't really act very Ranger-y).

Augh... but pets in DnD ALWAYS suck >< do we HAVE to include them?

 

[James Gasik]

Did no one mention Rambo as a Ranger archetype? Especially as John Rambo in First Blood, by the second movie he’s clearly taken at least a one level Barbarian dip for a couple rages and unarmored defense, but overall lots of Rangerness there. Aside from the machine guns, I’d like to emulate that as a Ranger.

Yes, Rambo certainly fits the "no armor, survival expert, ranged ranger" bill. Also with CQC training. But that opens the doors to basically any commando character (well maybe not John Matrix). Is Solid Snake a Ranger? Are Navy Seals Rangers?

The Ranger has, from the very beginning, had a touch of spirituality and mysticism. You see this in their spellcasting from issue 2 of The Strategic Review. Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar makes a point of it as well.

Personally, I rather like Lone Wolf as a Ranger, even if the Kai Lords are part Monk/Jedi.