so yeah i have a ranger build on amia of a PnP ranger i had in 3.5 and 4.0, and i don't like it, I've try like three different builds to get the style i wanted from the ranger class but when it come down to it, i just am not a fan of the animal companion, which is a big part of the ranger class. so i just might as well go fighter with the class, the only thing i'll miss is the animal empathy. here the issue, i like the idea of the ranger, "Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures"

so could i still act as though I'm a ranger?

my new build I'm thinking is something like a fighter/sd/wm and rp wise would be the same, all I'm missing would be the animal companion and divine spells (all suck by the way cept blade thirst IMO). now i know there's examples of other class's being mimic even though there not class at all, a soulknife comes to mind, but what about mimicking a class that already available, saying I'm a ranger though i have none of the lvl in the class, yet being respected as such? would that be and issue? also if anyone might know some lore here that would help me like a title i could go by that would mean something like a ranger, or friend to nature instead, might save me some hassle - thanks

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Alastrine -The Sword Mage
Ambrosius -The Cursed Crusader
Cáedere -The Emissary of Velsharoon
Lance Elliot Honestfellow The 3rd -The Scoundrel
Serwin of The Bloodfire Clan -The Bloodfire Dwarf
Solace -The Tainted Ranger
Weir- The Archer Hireling

I think that's a good idea...but I'm not the local ranger expert

There's no reason why not, but a non-ranger would never be able to approach the level of skill (winderness survival and so on) that an actual ranger has, I don't think.

Much like a rogue taking "use magic device" points might be able to mimic wizardly magic and use simple spells with the help of items, but would never be able to approach the skill level of an actual wizard.

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Born to a [wealth level] family, you spent your early years doing [early activity] in [town type]. Your father was [father status], while your mother was [mother status]. You left your homeland at the age of [chosen age], seeking [reason for leaving].

Three different builds is nowhere near exhausting the possibilities. Make a request for a 3.5e Ranger build in the Builds thread - that's what it's there for.

I'd tell you the answer to the "Ranger without Ranger levels" question, but I don't want to deprive Tormak of his fun.

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"Where's my pony?"
"I'm sorry, baby, I had to feed that pony to a dragon."
"Oh. Whose horse is this?"
"It's a Warhorse, baby."
"Whose Warhorse is this?"
"Zed's"
"Who's Zed?"
"Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

I could view a problem with the 'ideal build in question'. But, I'm curious, since this has been brought up. What of Rogues claiming to be Rangers? Seeing as I have a character who has been 'seen fit' by a Ranger character, she has accepted that it 'might' be her... 'Calling,' so to speak.

A character who acts as a Ranger and uses snipe-range as a focus of attack (Using a longbow) and is an Elf, while not exactly an 'Animal Expert,' missing AE skill points and the companion, but isn't afraid of - or harmful to - them. Mind, she never uses anything -but- the bow, for some odd reason (T'least, it's odd ICly, in comparison to... Almost everyone else).

You can be a Ranger without Ranger Levels, you just don't get the benefits, so to speak.

Earylduil, my main, is just that. Very natural/wilderness oriented character, etc. It's all a matter of noting, however, you won't get the class features. Why that's the case is up to you.

The same goes for anything, really. You -can- be absolutely anything, even without the class; however you need to recognize (IC and OOC) that you don't get the benefits out of the class without taking it. Clerics without Cleric levels, for example, can't cast spells; however that doesn't stop them from presenting themselves, acting, and otherwise being a rather priestly individual even if they're a Fighter30.

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Mostly Retired

Just call yourself a Wayfarer or something.

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To err is human; to forgive divine, but VENGEANCE IS MINE!

i kind of did request some help with a ranger in the request thread a couple of times if i remember, even did a thread wining a bit about 3.0 rangers, but beside that lol, i'm just trying to get the build that feels right for the character, i have the rp for the character done inside out, specially since i play him twice in Pnp (4th edition being much better version for ranger imo) but i find the issue is just is the ranger lvl's, i like the rp of it but the ranger class doesn't coincide with how i feel a ranger should be, it may just be me, but that's why i'm asking before doing anything



lol by the way, three builds are pushing it a bit, ranger has the hardest time i think multiclass i feel, a nearly pure ranger is the only real way to go with the class, which is fine, if you like animal companions, i have build this character 3 time an amia alone, each over lvl 10 b4 i stop, this last version going pure ranger is at 14. i don't like em, so this is the rebuild i think might work out to make me like it



-edit- thanks to everyone so far as well for the help. won won, using your logic seems the most useful to me, but this is the slight confusion, if i get ask, lets say by another ranger my name in the grove, i can say i'm a ranger of the grove and it wouldn't be a lie as long as i'm really playing the roll, i just don't want it to become an IC issue of me fibbing about who i am and then getting into PvP over it
basically i can rp reason i can't cast divine and why i have no animal companion, and there shouldn't be issue

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Alastrine -The Sword Mage
Ambrosius -The Cursed Crusader
Cáedere -The Emissary of Velsharoon
Lance Elliot Honestfellow The 3rd -The Scoundrel
Serwin of The Bloodfire Clan -The Bloodfire Dwarf
Solace -The Tainted Ranger
Weir- The Archer Hireling

Level 10 is by no means indicative of level 30, if it were then nobody would play Wizards. At least try a BoE build before deciding that the Class is useless and only about the Companion.

If you're absolutely intent on HiPS then go into a test module and try out 20Ra/4F/6SD... dropping the SD levels for more Ranger will do a lot more damage than a WM, you could even go Ra21/F4/WM5 if you can find the Feats - Bane + Increased Multiplier would be pretty juicy (not sure if there's enough Feats though.

I built a pwnsauce Yuan-ti Ranger in NWN2 so I agree there's some big differences... but this isn't NWN2 or PnP.

_________________
"Where's my pony?"
"I'm sorry, baby, I had to feed that pony to a dragon."
"Oh. Whose horse is this?"
"It's a Warhorse, baby."
"Whose Warhorse is this?"
"Zed's"
"Who's Zed?"
"Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

Ranger, Druid, Paladin, Dwarven Defender, Monk, Red Dragon Disciple, Pale Master, Harper, Cleric and Blackguard are all classes which have an RP obligation towards certain political, philosophical, moral and religious beliefs. The Alignment restricted ones are going to influence personality traits, while some of them just mean you have a schoolboy obsession with trees/dragons/undead, and others mean you have a divine cause to serve.

It's when people take levels in those classes for feats/stats/skilldumps and don't include those factors in the RP that you get called a munchkin.

If you do the reverse, then provided you don't do anything silly like claim to be a Pale Master when you plainly have two fully fleshed arms or claim to be a Paladin when you keep running away from things in panic, no-one's going to mind. Even if you do, then people will probably just treat your character as a loveably deluded clown.
More seriously you could have a character with zero Paladin levels who was exactly as much of a stick-up-the-arse blah blah blah Lawful Good oaths and duty blah blah blah honour and duty blah blah blah save a kitten duty blah blah blah as Pally30, but referred to him or herself as a sworn vassal of Torm, for example, and that'd probably be more interesting that most, since you'd get mileage out of being so close to Pallyhood but never having made it.



In this specific case, Ranger is also a job description as well as a class title, so you can use the word and it's fine. I would probably shy away from using it to introduce yourself and say 'protector', just to save having to explain a zillion times over that you've trained in more purely martial fields.

Any Imperial Guardsman can claim they've been trained as a Jungle fighter but only Catachans can truely kick arse at it.


Translating to DnD terms: Most melee classes can imitate a Ranger but they can never truely kick arse at it.

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Plays:

"I'll think of something once Amia:EE drops."

oh i have use many test modules too lol, so many failed attempts, i had start doing something, forget one little skillpoint and a whole build could get thrashed, romp and stomp 2 is me test mod of choice lol. but thanks to all for the comment i think i can go ahead a do it from what I've seen here, this can be locked

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Alastrine -The Sword Mage
Ambrosius -The Cursed Crusader
Cáedere -The Emissary of Velsharoon
Lance Elliot Honestfellow The 3rd -The Scoundrel
Serwin of The Bloodfire Clan -The Bloodfire Dwarf
Solace -The Tainted Ranger
Weir- The Archer Hireling