NWN: Character - Ranger

The Ranger gets the same Attack Charts, HPs, and saving charts as the Fighter. In lighter armor (or no armor), they receive the feats of Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting for free. They get a good boost to skill points to spend initially and at each level (8 more at 1st and 2 more per level) over the fighter, plus an Animal Companion (at level 6), Trackless Step, Divine Spellcasting (starting as early as level 4), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (at level 9), and Favored Enemies (one to start and one at every 5th level thereafter). What the Ranger doesn’t get is the feats. On the surface, it would appear that you are trading away all those bonus feats (11) for fewer in return and the restriction to having to wear light armor, but since the Ranger starts off fast, can cast spells, and has a much better skill set, there is a lot more going for the class than first realized. However, if you don’t plan on taking advantage of dual wielding, you are left with Trackless Step, a modest companion, favored enemies, and weak spellcasting. Beyond that, though, don’t sell short the use of skills as an aid to a role. Without Hide, Move Silently, Search, Listen and the other skills that will be new to NWN, the role of a deadly, silent fighter would be impossible. Skills can be very impacting on the success of characters that want to make scouting and stealth a part of their personality, an important task that is well filled by the Ranger.

Those facts alone make a Ranger worth playing and that doesn’t even address what spells can further boost the Ranger's capabilities. Utilitarian for the most part, the spells the Ranger gets can still impact the success of a group so that they are more than afterthoughts once a Ranger starts attaining them. Grease, entangle, cure light wounds, and summon creature I can all be well used as 1st level spells while cat's grace, hold animal, better summons and cures, and other spells come in the later levels.

NWN may have removed many of the outdoor skills, but what the Ranger gains in return should more than adequately keep the class in balance. Lets look at some specifics to the class.

• Alignment Restrictions: None
• Hit Die per Level: d10 (1-10)
• Armor Proficiencies: Light and Medium Armor plus Shields
• Weapon Proficiencies: All Simple and Martial Weapons
• Saving Throws: Fortitude (primary), Reflex & Will (secondary)
• Skill Points Per Level: 4+Int Modifier (x4 at 1st character level)
• Class Skills: Animal Empathy, Concentration, Heal, Hide, Listen, Lore, Move Silently, Parry, Search, Set Trap
• Class Features: Favored Enemies (at 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th), Trackless Step, Ambidexterity & Two-Weapon Fighting (if in light armor), Divine Spellcasting (at 4th), Animal Companion (at 6th), Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (at 9th)
• Class Packages: Default, Giant-Killer, Marksman, Stalker, Warden

HPs, weaponry, saves are all equal to the Fighter, while Armor is kept lighter to take advantage of special feat properties. Skills are good and skill points equally good. Overall, a lot of good give and take there.

Class Packages: For the player who lacks a little knowledge on the game or seeing a package they like the sound of, there are a few here that offer good possibilities. Default Rangers will be outdoorsman with two weapons and bows. Giant Killers are brave Rangers who seek out those of that ilk with a deadly axe as their favored weapon. The Marksman is an Archer especially skilled in wilderness settings. Stalkers are stealthly warriors who have a special desire to destroy goblinoids. The Warden is a combat oriented Ranger who uses bow and sword to serve their cause.

Skills: With good skill points gained, the Ranger has many options available to them. Hide and Move Silently mesh well with the Ranger who stays true to light or no armor wearing. Listen and Search help the Ranger notice that which is often overlooked or stalking. Parry can help a Ranger hold out against a superior opponent until help arrives. Animal Empathy is suited for calming the wild beast. Concentration protects against spell failure in heavy combat and against taunting opponents. Set Trap gives an opportunity to devise a means to hinder those unwelcome. Lore is there for those who want to know more and suited for campaigns with heavy role-play. A cross-class skill worth mentioning at this stage is Discipline which is the determining factor against Disarm, Knockdown, Sap, and Called Shot attacks.

Feats: Since the Ranger gets only the standard feats (at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th) that all classes get, careful selection of ones that they do get is important. Most Rangers will probably pursue those feats that strengthen their ability to fight and/or survive in combat. Weapon Focus (+1 to attack roll on a selected weapon), Power Attack (-5 attack, +5 damage and requires 13+ Str), Cleave (extra attack if a killing blow is delivered - requires Power Attack to take), Improved Critical (at level 8+, doubles critical threat range for a selected weapon) are some to consider for melee combat while ranged specialist will want to consider Point Blank Shot (no -4 attack penalty for using a ranged weapon in melee, plus +1 to attack & damage within 15' range) and Rapid Shot (and extra ranged attack per round at the cost of all attacks being at -2 attack roll; requires Point Blank Shot & 13+ Dex) instead of Power Attack and Cleave. Knockdown (and the improved version) has no requirements and looks to be a very useful ability in against foes who lack Discipline. Toughness is like getting +2 to Con as it grants +1 HPs/level so I think this one is worth considering. Dodge (requires 13+ Dex) gives a +1 boost to AC against a primary foe. There are other feats worth thinking about, but with few available, the Ranger will want to select wisely and those that fit the imagined role that the player intends to follow.

Special Features: Favored Enemy is often overlooked for its quality when considering Rangers. It grants a +1 bonus to Damage, Listen, Spot, and Taunt against a selected class of creatures (Aberrations, Animals, Beasts, Constructs, Dragons, Dwarves, Elementals, Elves, Fey, Giants, Gnome, Goblinoids, Half Elves, Halflings, Half orcs, Humans, Magical Beasts, Monstrous Humanoids, Orcs, Outsiders, Reptilian Humanoids, Shapechangers, Undead, Vermin). As can be seen, the list offers some very good groups of creatures that this bonus will be effective against. Not only that, it increases in power by +1 for each 5th level (thus +2 at 5th, +3 at 10th, +4 at 15th, and a whopping +5 at 20th). Trackless Step is a nice +4 boost to Hide and Move Silently in wilderness areas. Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting are likely to be used by even the Archery favoring Ranger as they are free and give greater effectiveness in melee. The Divine Spellcasting list isn't very impressive nor is the spell progression chart all that good, but within it are a few spells that can be a great boost to the Ranger. The Animal Companion, while not nearly as good as the Druids because they are only half the Ranger Level, are still useful and skilled followers that add an extra dimension to the character.

Attributes: The Ranger has a few option open to them, depending on how they want to play. Dexterity is fairly important for its relationship to AC, ranged attack, and many skills. Strength is important for melee and even ranged damage (when using composite bows), not to mention encumbrance. Constitution gives the Ranger a better chance to survive. Wisdom is keyed to spellcasting. Intelligence is important for skill points. Here are some ideas on how to design some Rangers:

• Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha Character Concept
• 14 14 14 12 14 10 Balanced
• 14 16 14 12 12 8 Archer
• 15 14 14 14 12 8 Hunter
• 12 14 12 14 14 12 Nature's Guardian
• 14 14 14 14 12 10 Skilled Outdoorsman
• 14 17 12 13 10 8 Dexterity Master

There are quiet a few different ways to design a Ranger within the 30 point buy system. Those should give the undecided or advise seeking player something to think on.

Race: The selection of race offers some interesting possibilities. Humans get that bonus feat and bonus skill points. Half-elves have racial bonuses (like darkvision, bonuses to search & listen, resistances) that work well with Ranger. Elves get plenty of goodies at the cost of Constitution. Half-Orcs suffer on Intelligence and Charisma, but get +2 to Strength that makes for an interesting possibility for the melee oriented Ranger. Dwarves only lose Charisma while expanding the Ranger's effectiveness and hardiness. Even the Halfling (with the bonus to Dexterity) and the Gnome (with the bonus to Constitution) have size advantages and other features that make them very viable as Rangers, but be warned that each has restrictions on weapon use.

Multi-class: The Ranger is fairly front loaded, like the Paladin - though not as severely, so there is some advantages to multi-classing them. Their spell progression isn't great and beyond that, their only feature after level 15 is the 5th preferred enemy and the preferred enemy boosting to +5. Not that this is insignificant, but for the multi-classer, losing that level 20 ability opens up 5 full levels to play with. Four levels of fighter would fit in there nicely (giving 3 bonus feats and weapon specialization) as well as one level of Rogue (more skills and skill points, along with some nifty little abilities like sneak attack), but that will cause some anguish with XP penalty. Still, even 5 levels of Fighter or 5 levels of Rogue for races that wouldn't get XP penalties (human, half-elf, (fighter) dwarf, (rogue) halfling) would be tempting. Barbarian might also be very good there, too, as the light armor fits well with them and they have a lot of interesting abilities like rage early on (this would work best with Human, Half-Elf, or Half-Orc). Sorcerer (Human or Half-Elf) and Wizard (Elf, Human, or Half-Elf) can add a little more oomph to the Ranger, as well. Clerics and Druids can work well with Ranger, but as primary classes more so than as secondary. Bard offers a lot, too. Only Monk, though not impossible, doesn't quite fit as well into the multi-class mold with the Ranger, but that's not entirely true if the Ranger goes with more Wisdom. A Ranger/Monk with a solid Wisdom score could excel.

Conclusion: I have no idea why some people would think this class so weak in NWN. It is a very viable, well thought-out, balanced class that will prove to be much more effective than its nay-sayers expect. It multi-classes well and even stands strong on its own. It may not necessarily be as flexible as its more touted counterpart, the Fighter, nor as brutal as the Barbarian, but its combination of Stealth and Steel or Shot will make them formitable, indeed.

A Closer Look at Some Specifics:
Animal Companions: The following is the list of animal companions and their features (when level is listed, it refers to the half the Ranger's level):
Animal Description Feats Skills Special
Badger The badger is a small, fast and furry animal that makes a great companion. Although it is of small size, it can be very ferocious. When the master reaches level 5 it is capable of sending itself into a rage, giving it higher strength and dexterity for a limited duration. Toughness Listen, Spot Rage 1x/day (at 5th), 2x/day (at 10th), 3x/day (at 15th), 5x/day (at 20th)
Brown Bear This massive carnivore is a powerful ally with many hit points and deadly attacks. - Listen -
Dire Boar The dire boar is a strong ally and as the Ranger gains levels it receives the Ferocity ability, giving it a bonus to attack and damage rolls. - Listen, Spot Ferocity 1x/day (at 5th), 2x/day (at 10th), 3x/day (at 15th), 5x/day (at 20th)
Dire Wolf The dire boar is a strong ally and as the Ranger gains levels it receives the Ferocity ability, giving it a bonus to attack and damage rolls. - Listen, Spot -
Giant Spider Only the most bold of Rangers take the giant spider as a companion, but those who do are rewarded with a sly and deadly ally. - Spot Mild poison attack (at 1st), Moderate Poison (at 10th), Deadly Poison (at 20th); Web 1x/day (at 5th), 2x/day (at 10th), 5x/day (at 20th)
Hawk The hawk is a silent and stealthy animal companion, able to remain hidden when others are easily detected, making it the perfect scout. It is also capable of disarming opponents. Dodge, Mobility Listen, Spot, Search, Hide, Move Silently Gains Disarm feat (at 5th)
Panther Silent and deadly, the panther is capable of disappearing and reappearing where the enemy least expects it. - Hide, Move Silently Invisibility 1x/day (at 5th), 2x/day (at 10th), 3x/day (at 15th), 5x/day (at 20th)
Wolf Wolves are fond of packs and wolf companions will bond quickly with the Ranger. The wolf is a master of stealth and deception, and as it grows in power it can eventually use its mournful howl to frighten opponents. - Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Spot Fear Howl 1x/day (at 5th), 2x/day (at 10th), 3x/day (at 15th), 5x/day (at 20th)

Spells Castable per Day by Level:
Ranger level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
4th Level 0 
5th Level 0 
6th Level 1 
7th Level 1 
8th Level 1 0 
9th Level 1 0 
10th Level 1 1 
11th Level 1 1 0 
12th Level 1 1 1 
13th Level 1 1 1 
14th Level 2 1 1 0
15th Level 2 1 1 1
16th Level 2 2 1 1
17th Level 2 2 2 1
18th Level 3 2 2 1
19th Level 3 3 3 2
20th Level 3 3 3 3

Spells: Rangers must choose their spells at the start of each day/rest period and don't have the Cleric's ability to spontaneously cast healing spells. Spell levels with a 0 entry are only castable if the Ranger has a Wisdom bonus spell to that spell level (a 12 Wisdom, for example, grants a bonus 1st level spell and a 14 Wisdom grants both a 1st level and a 2nd level spell). Spell progression is pretty slow, as can be seen.

• 0-level spells: None
  Comments: A Ranger cannot cast 0-level spells.
• 1st-level spells: Cure Light Wounds, Entangle, Grease, Resist Elements, Summon Creature I, Ultravision
  Comments: Cure Light Wounds allows for some healing. Entangle and Grease should prove to be well suited for bothering foes in combat or aiding with escape. Resist Elements offers a healthy 20/- damage reduction against elemental forces. Summon Creature I offers a long lasting summoned companion to aid the Ranger. Ultravision is improved darkvision and very handy to the races that lack darkvision to begin with.
• 2nd-level spells: Cat's Grace, Hold Animal, Protection from Elements, Sleep, Summon Creature II
  Comments: Cat's Grace (1d4+1 to Dexterity) last 1 hour per level is one worth looking at initially. Hold Animal is good against normal creatures. Sleep helps with lower level types. Protection from Elements is a very good boost of 30/- damage reduction against elemental based attacks. Summon II offers a boost to the strength of the summoned companion.
• 3rd-level spells: Aid, Cure Moderate Wounds, Invisibility Purge, Neutralize Poison, Remove Disease, Summon Creature III
  Comments: Some usefuls spells here, but not that quite jump out as being particularly important.
• 4th-level spells: Cure Serious Wounds, Freedom of Movement, Polymorph Self, Summon Creature IV
  Comments: Polymorph Self jumps out from this list of skills.