Ranger Vs. Wbde!

[Snowbluff]

Wild Shape Ranger vs warblade round 1: which one of these classes at level 20 is more versatile ? round 2: which one of these classes is a better damage dealer? round 3: which class is easier for a beginner to play? When will these WB vs. x threads end?

[The Underlord]

1. probably the ranger
2. warblade
3. warblade
4. never

[FMArthur]

Is Wild Shape the only Ranger ACF allowed? The class has a million variations.

Anyway...
The Ranger is loads more versatile just using the default chassis because of its solid utility spell list (that jumps to being phenominal if Sword of the Arcane Order is taken). It also has a smattering of useful combat spells (most in Spell Compendium, few if any in PH) but they're not as good as maneuvers. With Wild Shape there are many more things a Ranger can do that a Warblade can't.
I think that Warblade outdoes Ranger in damage. Even when you pull out Mystic Ranger + Sword of the Arcane Order and make the Ranger a better offensive threat overall, I don't think it has damage over the Warblade without specific tricks. The Venomfire spell + WSing to a fleshraker dinosaur could rival a Warblade regular damage, but Warblade can be doing things like stacking charge damage multipliers to use with two-handed weaponry while also using high damage maneuvers. Basically neither has trouble killing things within reach using HP damage, and either one could be killed by the other in one turn if left defenseless.
The Warblade is easier to play by leaps and bounds. Optimizing a Ranger is one of the more complex character-building exercises the system has to offer since their toys are scattered throughout a really wide range of sourcebooks and they can suck hard if left unoptimized.

The Ranger is stronger overall at 20th level. It can participate in a much wider variety of challenges than straight-up melee combat, and it is capable of keeping pace in those battles when it has any of Wild Shape, Mystic Ranger or Sword of the Arcane Order after certain levels. If it has all three it exceeds the Warblade in battle.

[Snowbluff]

Umm... I'm going say we'll allow PrCs for both, and ACFs for Ranger (you lose access to a few due to WS anyway), but you have to have to compare it to similar options for the other class. It'd probably work better if we stick to straight up WB20 to Ranger20.

I am personal fan of the Fleshraker as well. Too bad you adopt the Fleshraker's con for the poison DC.

I have played both, and I found the Wildshape Ranger a lot more difficult to work with, even after working as a Druidzilla. Probably I was going for a Terrifyingly Complicated build. (Read: Ranger/Revenant Blade with abberation wildshapes and a bunch o' tentacles + Gloves of Man).

[FMArthur]

Umm... I'm going say we'll allow PrCs for both, and ACFs for Ranger (you lose access to a few due to WS anyway), but you have to have to compare it to similar options for the other class. It'd probably work better if we stick to straight up WB20 to Ranger20.That's sort of the thing: Ranger has tons of powerful, compatible alternate options, and a Warblade just doesn't. There are no comparable Warblade customization options to those. WB's just got what he has in ToB plus the melee feats elsewhere, while the Ranger class was specifically expanded in nearly every book. The Warblade stands on its own because of its thankfully high quality design straight out of the box, but constructing a Ranger gives tons more options to work with if you can find them.

[Harry]

Wild Shape Ranger vs warblade round 1: which one of these classes at level 20 is more versatile ? round 2: which one of these classes is a better damage dealer? round 3: which class is easier for a beginner to play? When will these WB vs. x threads end?

Round 1 goes to the ranger and if prestige classes are allowed he can go planar Shepard round 2 goes to the warblade round 3 goes to the warblade that's part of the reason they are less versatile and warblade vs x threads are better then wizard vs x threads at least :smallsmile:

[Snowbluff]

Round 1 goes to the ranger and if prestige classes are allowed he can go planar Shepard round 2 goes to the warblade round 3 goes to the warblade that's part of the reason they are less versatile and warblade vs x threads are better then wizard vs x threads at least :smallsmile:

Hmm... yes, quite. planar Shepard brings up a good point.

Yes, you're right about the X vs Y threads. We're going to be running out of T3 melee to do it with soon... I am thinking about doing a metathread about "Duskblade vs Warblade" vs "Totemist vs. Warblade" vs "WS Ranger vs. Warblade".