(3.P) What is an Urban Ranger? Just a Bum?

[Duncan_Ruadrik]

Awhile back, I read on the Paizo forums, someone say that... "an Urban Ranger is just a fancy way of saying someone who finds their dinner in a dumpster."

I can see an Urban Ranger as a vagabond, a traveler and wanderer of various nations and peoples. I suppose the PF Favored Community ability would constitute said wanderers favorite haunts and cities they had found during their travels.

Beyond this rather narrow perspective though, I have difficulties deciding what, exactly, an Urban Ranger is. Not all urban rangers are vagabonds, bums, wanderers, or homeless travelers.

What do YOU think an Urban Ranger is, when he isn't being a hero? what kind of fluff and background makes an Urban Ranger?

Help me out, expand my perceptions of what an Urban Ranger IS.
Thanks!

[Novawurmson]

I think bounty hunter, honestly; the base ranger knows every rock, every tree, every stream...the urban ranger knows every scummy hangout, every back alley, every rooftop.

Rorschach would be pretty close to my idea of an Urban Ranger.

[OracleofWuffing]

I remember Masters of the Wild having an Urban Ranger substitution dealy, I don't know if there was a more recent thing printed to override it.

The Player’s Handbook describes rangers as forest denizens who can use the natural camouflage of the woods to advantage. Soveliss, girded in his tree-trunk-brown studded leather, is ready at a moment’s notice to disappear among the trees. This is a fine lifestyle for the majority of rangers, but some prefer to stalk foes through other terrain. The urban ranger is the king of the streets, capable of tracking a foe through a marketplace or across a castle parapet.
[...]
An urban ranger who wants to adopt a prestige class might consider the watch detective, the foe hunter, or the bloodhound (see Chapter 5).

:smallconfused: Kinda odd, though, 'cause all those Prestige Classes require Track, and those variant rules trade that away, so you'd have to burn a feat.

Fluff-Wise, Watch Detective is about figuring out puzzles, apprehending criminals rather than killing them, and knowing how the criminal mind works to take advantage of his targets. Foe Hunters are, well, they're kind of the the people at the bar that have an ignorant rage at a certain race- I mean, it's basically a class focused around buffing your Favored Enemy. Bloodhounds are like... Friendly Bounty Hunters? They're not so much focused on the knowledge area that Watch Detectives are, but track down their targets relentlessly.

So, yeah, two-thirds Detective and one third Revenge-seeker. More or less, a Bard without artistic talent?

[Fax Celestis]

Detective. Vigilante. Watchman. Animal Control specialist. Veterinarian. Environmental Regulations enforcer. SWAT member.

Yes, some of these can be represented by other classes as well, but urban ranger will fit the bill.

[gkathellar]

My default image for an Urban Ranger is a private investigator. Someone who is extremely comfortable with the city, its powers and its intricacies.

[dspeyer]

Vimes had city eyes. He"d watched coppers develop them. A trainee copper who glanced once at a street was just learning, and if he didn"t learn quicker he"d become highly experienced at dying. One who"d been on the streets for a while paid attention, took in details, noted shadows, saw background and foreground and the people who were trying not to be in either. Angua looked at streets like that. She worked at it.

The long-term coppers, like even Nobby when he was on a good day, glanced once at a street and that was enough, because they"d seen everything.


I always saw the urban ranger class as having been designed to play Sam Vimes.

[Ravens_cry]

Eh, the typical PC is a "rich, violent hobo", so calling an Urban Ranger a "bum" is no insult.

[Orzel]

An urban ranger is part PI, part Forensics expert and part Travel Guide writer. He knows where everything is found, how to get there, and who knows the former if he doesn't.

A ranger is basically warrior who is also an expert of his chosen environment.

The default ranger chooses the natural world. The urban ranger chooses the developed world. And the planar choses the other worlds.

I used to know a guy who could be called a low level unnamed ranger. That guy could find almost anything. Too bad he was evil.

[Psyren]

I think bounty hunter, honestly; the base ranger knows every rock, every tree, every stream...the urban ranger knows every scummy hangout, every back alley, every rooftop.

Rorschach would be pretty close to my idea of an Urban Ranger.

I was just coming in here to suggest this, including the Rorschach archetype. It fits like a glove.

[00dlez]

Umm, no one's said it yet...

Batman.

Skillful, combat-oriented, knows his enemies... I suppose Alfred can double as an animal companion.

[Fax Celestis]

Umm, no one's said it yet...

Batman.

Skillful, combat-oriented, knows his enemies... I suppose Alfred can double as an animal companion.

I did say vigilante.

[Snowbluff]

Well you see a ranger is a master of his element, specializing in hunting and trapping his enemies. Using knowledge and tactics to prey upon his enemies from any range. Sooooo....and URBAN ranger would be like Bruce Willis in Die Hard! I mean, c'mon... A car is like a 14d12 damage when used as a projectile ;-)

[Treblain]

Well you see a ranger is a master of his element, specializing in hunting and trapping his enemies. Using knowledge and tactics to prey upon his enemies from any range. Sooooo....and URBAN ranger would be like Bruce Willis in Die Hard! I mean, c'mon... A car is like a 14d12 damage when used as a projectile ;-)

If you cast Hunter's Eye, could you apply sneak attack damage to a projectile car?

[Snowbluff]

If you cast Hunter's Eye, could you apply sneak attack damage to a projectile car?

Only if you use a toll booth to launch it into the air!

[Zale]

If you cast Hunter's Eye, could you apply sneak attack damage to a projectile car?


"Bob, where do these mysterious flying cars keep coming from!?"

*Bone Crunching Noises*

"BOB!?!?"

[paddyfool]

Agreed on Rorschach and Vimes, although both would also likely have a bit of barbarian in them as well.

[Telonius]

Taking the other angle on it, an Urban Ranger could be a criminal. Mafia enforcer, professional bank-robber, local gang leader, anarchist. Favored organization: city watch, rival gang, disliked race. There's a lot on the skill list that would help out, and Hide in Plain Sight is an obvious tie-in (though it does come pretty late, at 17).

[gourdcaptain]

Taking the other angle on it, an Urban Ranger could be a criminal. Mafia enforcer, professional bank-robber, local gang leader, anarchist. Favored organization: city watch, rival gang, disliked race. There's a lot on the skill list that would help out, and Hide in Plain Sight is an obvious tie-in (though it does come pretty late, at 17).

I'm actually playing my Mafia Enforcer in a PF game now using a PF APG Urban Ranger. Although that was more to get in a skillmonkey who could disarm traps and had an animal companion (for the Mounted Combat combat style feats) as well as full BAB.

[Othniel Edden]

Could also be a street rat like Mission from KoTOR.

[MukkTB]

There's been a joke around forever that player characters are violent psychopathic hobos. This joke rests on two things. PCs often don't own homes. And some PCs don't treat NPCs as real people.

Yes NPCs aren't real people. But stay with me. We should all know who the insane person is when one imaginary person doesn't accept another imaginary person as being a real person.

The class can be fluffed as a hobo, as a criminal, as a watchman like Vimes or a watchman like Rorschach (who is a hobo btw), as a dogcatcher or a pest control guy. The Urban Ranger could be any skilled person who lives in a city and doesn't rely on book smarts so much as experience and is physically active.

[Mantarni]

There's been a joke around forever that player characters are violent psychopathic hobos.
This sounds so wrong even as I type it, but now I want to try playing a ranger with every stereotype and cliche I can think of. You are horrible people for making me think of this. :smalltongue:

Animal companion: rottweiler
Points in Craft(improvised furniture), mid Survival, mid Gather Information, max Hide, high Spot, penalty in Diplomacy and max out Knowledge(arcana) and Spellcraft because he somehow has incredibly detailed, specific knowledge and a Mages' College [arch]masters degree
Improved unarmed strike?
Where the hell did he get a ring of wishing/genies lamp/monkey paw and why has he not used it??
This Flaw (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Conspiracist_%283.5e_Flaw%29) (bonus points if he's actually right and nobody else is smart enough to see it)

I'm probably missing a ton of stereotypes.