Ranger (character class)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A ranger is a type of warrior appearing in fantasy fiction and role-playing games.
Rangers are usually associated with the wisdom of nature. Rangers tend to be wise, cunning, and perceptive in addition to being skilled woodsmen. Many are skilled in stealth, wilderness survival, and tracking. Archery and swordplay are common to rangers, though there are many instances where rangers use a variety of weapons, skills, and sometimes magic or have a resistance to magic.
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[edit] Ranger in Dungeons and Dragons
In Dungeons & Dragons, rangers typically worship a nature god or goddess, and they take a role similar to druids by protecting nature and slaying foul creatures. Rangers gain attack bonuses against certain creatures through the choosing of a "Favored Enemy" such as giants, dragons or undead. In addition, rangers have access to divine magic and an animal companion to aid them in battle.
Typically, rangers are inclined to solitude, particularly from commoners, as in the The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Rangers tend to prefer the company of fellow rangers, and they are extensively trained. However, good rangers will often act as the guardians of others - whether appreciated or not - by repelling "evil" forces and protecting the weak.
The most famous fictional rangers are Drizzt Do'Urden and Hank in the Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon.
[edit] Ranger in Final Fantasy
Rangers have appeared as in various Final Fantasy games, including the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI. Rangers have also appeared in one form or another in other Final Fantasy games often called Archer or Hunter. In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Hunter is an upgraded class of the basic class, Archer.
[edit] Rangers in Guild Wars
Rangers in Guild Wars are sleek looking individuals who primarily use bows, but are allowed to use any of the game's other weapon classes such as swords, war hammers , axes, spears, staves, and daggers. The head gear of rangers is a mask shielding the face(similar to the appearance of "Old West" robbers). Rangers can summon nature spirits, set traps, command beasts, use a variety of combat "stances" to evade attacks or run faster, and use powerful marksmanship skills. The ranger class worships Melandru, the Goddess of Earth and Nature. Rangers don armor that has basic defense in the midlevel(higher than caster classes, lower than warriors) and the highest elemental defense in the game.
[edit] Rangers in Phantasy Star Online
Rangers in Phantasy Star Online are "range" characters, and thus deviate from the standard by sporting poor mental abilities in favor of speed and accuracy. In addition to handguns and machine guns, rangers make up the only class in the game that's able to use rifles and shotguns. They are meant as backup for melee characters, stunning enemies from a distance so that teammates may move in.
[edit] Rangers in Fire Emblem
The first Rangers in the Fire Emblem series began as mounted riders in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stone. They wielded swords and bows. In Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the main character Ike was a "Ranger". He is the only character with the class "Ranger" and wields swords.
[edit] Rangers in Heroes of Might and Magic
The rangers in "Heroes of Might and Magic, as usual, were a ranged class (their special class ability was a slight bonus to their ranged skills.) However, they were notable for not having any connection to nature, only to pathfinding, and for being an advanced class of either the barbarian or the thief (neither of which normally become rangers.)
[edit] Ranger archetype
Rangers tend to be skilled warriors with dark personalities. Often rangers are veterans of wars, or have lived in the woods their entire lives. They tend to be rather stoic, accepting what fate throws at them rather than rage against it. In many stories or games where elves exist, elves are (or would be) the best rangers due to their natural way of life.
Rangers tend to be poor soldiers due to not often dealing with people. Their perception and cunning are better suited as a front-line leader (Lieutenant - Captain) or as a solo fighter against a small number (1-3) of fighters at a time.
Rangers skills in books and games can include and are not limited to:
- Skilled with the bow, usually because they use them so often, for the hunting of wild animals. It has been noted that this might also be a play on their seclusion: they would rather be far away from things rather than close.
- They tend to be well versed in other forms of combat however, most notably dual-wielding short swords or long knives, an addition that was added to the Ranger archetype in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, possibly because of the popularity of the character Drizzt Do'Urden. In Dungeons and Dragons 3.0, rangers get a free feat for dual-wielding weapons. This has been changed in 3.5 to make it an option instead.
- Stealth
- Detecting or laying traps
- Taming, calming or charming animals
- Tracking and leaving no trail to be tracked
- Knowledge of herbs for medical and poisonous uses
- The art of healing (magical or medical) due to their self reliance
- Land and nature related magic and enchantments or the ability to recognize them or resistance to them
- In some definitions, rangers may have some understanding of the divine arts, though not as great an understanding as that of a druid. Rangers' connection to druids is often compared to that of clerics and paladins; the one being a magic-user, the other more of a martial artist, but both still sharing mutual interests.
Rangers in many books tend to have a wide range of skills not usually used in games due to maintaining a balanced system of play.
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Notable Final Fantasy character classes
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Black Mage • White Mage • Red Mage • Summoner • Blue Mage • Thief • Warrior • Dragoon • Monk • Ranger |
