How does a Ranger... Range?

[pallyn00b]

Hello everyone!
Ok, so I play in a Pathfinder game. We are level 6 now and our party is as follows:
Cleric (healyhealy):smallredface:, Rogue (sneakysneaky):smallwink:, Fighter (smashysmashy):smallfurious:, Bard (buffybuffy):smallbiggrin:, NPC Sorceror (magicymagicy):smallsigh:, and a Ranger (...y...y):smalleek:.

Basically the ranger just runs around impulsively attacking, or not attacking, sometimes stealing, mostly getting caught, and occasionally causing buildings to collapse - on the party.
I would like to help her be a better ranger, but having never played one myself, I have no idea where to begin!
What are rangers supposed to do?

[eggs]

They're supposed to be those guys who sniff the dirt and then announce how many wildebeests have walked over that patch of ground in the last 5 years, and all the wildebeests' moods and food allergies.

Attacking, not attacking, and sometimes making things fall down sounds close enough. This guy's probably nailing it. :smalltongue:

[Urpriest]

The sometimes stealing, mostly getting caught thing is evidence that this player doesn't really get how RPGs are supposed to work: you're not just playing to accumulate stuff, you're playing a character. Talk a bit to her about what her character's personality is and then go from there. Try to draw her to some sort of rudimentary backstory/motivation/etc. Doesn't have to be sophisticated, but enough to get the point across that acting out of character is basically pointless.

The not being effective thing, let's investigate that. First, which combat style did your Ranger choose? Both have certain things that can boost them (Swift Hunter builds work for both, for example), but they still have rather different support and tactics.

[Beowulf DW]

I know that Rangers can do a lot of things, but I have know idea what they can do well. I've always thought of them like this: Rangers are to Druids as Paladins are to Clerics. I don't know if that helps, or if that's even right, but there you go.

Perhaps Rangers are meant to be jacks-of-all-trades? Fill in the gaps as they appear. Pick up the slack when everything goes to pot.

[Gnaeus]

I've always thought of them like this: Rangers are to Druids as Paladins are to Clerics.

If by that you mean, a Cleric or Druid can do anything a Paladin or Ranger can do, except better and a lot more things besides, you pretty much got it.

[Darth Stabber]

If by that you mean, a Cleric or Druid can do anything a Paladin or Ranger can do, except better and a lot more things besides, you pretty much got it.

About right.

That being said there are some decent Ranger ACFs (most of which make them even more of crappy druid) that put them ahead of paladin (and they are probably better than paladin without them too).

[Beowulf DW]

About right.

That being said there are some decent Ranger ACFs (most of which make them even more of crappy druid) that put them ahead of paladin (and they are probably better than paladin without them too).

I didn't know there were ACFs in Pathfinder.:smallconfused:

[Darth Stabber]

I didn't know there were ACFs in Pathfinder.:smallconfused:

woops, missed the pathfinder part. I need to pay better attention.

[deuxhero]

Luckily the one boost martial characters got (between a lot of undeeded nerfs) in Pathfinder was support for archery. Deadly Aim and Clustered Shots being the most obvious. With a dip in Cleric (alreddy a pretty decent choice for a lot of characters) and two feats you can replace the dexterity to hit with Wisdom to hit (Meaning your dex needs a max of 13). 3 levels in Zen Archer monk give a lot of goodies to any archer as well as giving Wisdom to attack.

Also handbooks

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/community-creations/treatmonks-lab/test2/treantmonk-s-guide-to-rangers
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=11JBYSqZhVxgKCPjYJBhH13k73j6fUoeFnVCKwutC42 M


I didn't know there were ACFs in Pathfinder.:smallconfused:

There are, they are called Archetypes.

[Gnaeus]

About right.

That being said there are some decent Ranger ACFs (most of which make them even more of crappy druid) that put them ahead of paladin (and they are probably better than paladin without them too).

Even in 3.5, thats debatable. Yes, Ranger gets SotAO and wildshape, but paladin gets Battle Blessing and Devotion Feats that make use of those otherwise lame turn attempts.

And in Pathfinder, of course, Paladins get a lot of nice toys.

[Beowulf DW]

Luckily the one boost martial characters got (between a lot of undeeded nerfs) in Pathfinder was support for archery. Deadly Aim and Clustered Shots being the most obvious. With a dip in Cleric (alreddy a pretty decent choice for a lot of characters) and two feats you can replace the dexterity to hit with Wisdom to hit (Meaning your dex needs a max of 13). 3 levels in Zen Archer monk give a lot of goodies to any archer as well as giving Wisdom to attack.

Also handbooks

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/community-creations/treatmonks-lab/test2/treantmonk-s-guide-to-rangers
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=11JBYSqZhVxgKCPjYJBhH13k73j6fUoeFnVCKwutC42 M



There are, they are called Archetypes.

Archetypes strike me as more extensive than the 3.5 ACFs. Same chassis, different...I'm too tired to properly complete this metaphor, but you get the idea.

[deuxhero]

Actually, a few archetypes do change your chassis, mostly in terms of skill points.

[Beowulf DW]

Actually, a few archetypes do change your chassis, mostly in terms of skill points.

I know. But I was very, very tired, and my metaphors failed. Similes weren't doing so well either.

[ericgrau]

"Range" refers to handling nature. Survival checks are the biggest part of that, though knowledges, stealth and other skills play a part too. So basically, it's skills. And nature related spells that make it easier to get along in the wild. Without skills and spells rangers are basically fighters with much fewer feats, less HP and lighter armor, so it's very important that she uses her skills and spells. Read the rules for these.

Often the usefulness of those things depends mostly on the DM too. If the DM is throwing monster fight after monster fight at the PCs with little regard for the woods then rangers come out terribly underpowered. Then you have to figure out what you can still use (monster knowledges, sometimes tracking the plot macguffin) and find alternatives: combat ranger spells instead of nature ranger spells, which are all pretty much outside of core.

[Chronos]

Some examples of rangers that might serve as inspiration: Natty Bumppo (hero of Last of the Mohicans), Simo Hayak (Finnish WWII sniper), Bear Grylls (of Man vs. Wild), possibly Legolas (Lord of the Rings), possibly Robin Hood.

Aragorn was the original inspiration for the class, but he's always struck me as more of a paladin than a ranger.

[Greenish]

Simo Hayak (Finnish WWII sniper)The love child of Salma Hayek and Simo Häyhä?

[Chronos]

OK, I could edit that, but that'd just look silly now that you've quoted it. Yeah, Häyhä.

[Callista]

A ranger is a set of class skills. You can do a lot with that set of skills, a lot of different character concepts.

Things that are true of all rangers (barring variants and atypical builds):
--They have the skills to survive in the wilderness.
--They have good combat ability, but are not professional soldiers.
--They have enough of a connection to nature or to a deity to be capable of minor magic.
--They have, for some reason, specialized in combat against one or more specific types of opponents.
--They are good at hunting--not just animals, but sentient beings too.

The archetypal ranger is, of course, Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. Aragorn and the other Rangers are (among other things) people who patrol the wilderness in order to keep civilized lands safe from orcs. Aragorn himself is a healer as well as a competent warrior. His role in the story is that of a guide and protector for a party traveling through dangerous wilderness.

You can do lots of other things with a Ranger, though. One of the most common types is a bounty hunter--someone who can track down fugitives and bring them back dead-or-alive. A bounty hunter may work for money or as part of a police or military force.

An Evil ranger would make a good assassin for hire in cases where the target is aware they are in danger and on the run. Such an assassin would be an implacable opponent, following you relentlessly until you became weak and exhausted from traveling through hostile wilderness and he could easily make the kill. Evil rangers may even see nature as something to be dominated, and take joy in killing, especially if their prey has provided an entertaining chase.

Other Rangers may be border guards who patrol the edges of a country or town to keep it safe from attackers. They can also be attached to military units to scout out wilderness locations so that an army can pass through safely, or be sent behind enemy lines to keep tabs on the opposing army.

Rangers may also be simple hermits who live in the wilderness by choice or because they have been driven out of civilization. Their skills in fighting come from simply surviving in a harsh environment.

If this player hasn't got a proper background or a good personality, then he's probably playing D&D a a strategy simulation rather than a cooperative storytelling game. If you can get the player to tell you who his character is and what his motivations are, you might get a little more role-playing out of him.

[Corlindale]

Rangers are fighters, first and foremost. They're full BAB classes, and they get a ton of free combat feats.

Archer rangers and two-weapon fighters are the classic choices, though other styles were introduced in the APG. Both can be quite powerful in Pathfinder, though archery perhaps to the greatest extent (because it's easier to get off full attacks). How you fight as a ranger will depend greatly on your chosen combat style - so without knowing what the ranger in your group chose, it's hard to give specifics.

Favored Enemy provides a nice damage boost too - Ranger players should always work with the GM to ensure their choices will be applicable in the given campaign. Once you get the Instant Enemy spell at level 10, every significant foe can be a favored enemy. Favored enemy synergises well with anything that gives you lots of attacks (and incidentally, that's precisely archery and two-weapon fighting).

Beyond combat a ranger is a very skilled character, lots of skill points and a good skill list. Tailormade for being the scout or the tracker.