Posted by A ranger on October 11, 2000 at 02:05:23:
In Reply to: I'm thinking about creating a Ranger. What is the best race and why? I would apperciate your thoughts. posted by Newbie Ranger. on October 10, 2000 at 09:40:54:
Lets see here. Felar ranger: High dex and constitution but low strength. One malidict and you will usually lose your weapon (even the ranger staff). Investing in some plus str gear is a plus, but getting +8 or higher gear is difficult without some amount of searching (i.e. boneshatter is -8 dex and str I think near the higher ranks). Felar claws and healing from staff are good if not a rager. With wilderness familiarity, you would do well against a non bashing opponent. The size matter comes into play here as it did with elves. Although your backrake is good because of size and claws. Half elf ranger: please shoot me with a vun weapon and watch me die. Good enough stats I guess, but quiet movement and such overlap with the racial abilities, as does infravision. Size problem as well. Human ranger: A good choice. As you can see Malaglen made this work well, and his ambushes were high enough to unspeak every time (I'm guessing). Good strength as well and dex, and can dodge pretty well. No vun which is always good too. Cloud ranger: A very good choice if you think you can put some time into the character. I have played two cloud giant rangers in two different cabals and I can say they are the best. The size factor itself makes you naturally a good bearcharger since you are usually at least one size above the others in your range. That is my view.
Elf ranger: the auto sneak is basically useless unless you think you are going to spend a lot of time outside the woods. Anyone who has played a ranger correctly will collaberate this. The high dex and int is a good plus if you are not willing to put in some little extra time into your character. Those people who say that the iron vun is not exploited enough has obviously never run into any of my characters because I have weapons for each vun usually on me. Another problem, your ability to bearcharge. Bearcharge mainly figured on the size of the charger versus the size of the chargee. It then calculates (all speculation) the damage done by how successful the bearcharge was. Equal sized bearcharges are worth crap, basically lagging them about 1 to 1 and a half rounds (being in the forest when you bearcharge adds a bonus I think).
So bear charge is basically a bad bash for you. So keeping people around is going to be difficult (unless you are sylvan that is).
(sorry don't like half elf rangers)
Add in the ability to make yourself another size larger than normal humans makes your bearcharge very very effective (to be honest, the most effective bash I have seen in the game). I have bearcharged reduced gnomes and did damage I thought should never be able to be done with a bashing attack (shiver) and they could never get one command in in 12 rounds.
The cost is a big deterant, being close to fire giant anti paladins and storm giant paladins. Giant resistance is a bonus, and so it the double protection from cold (skill protection that works with the racial protection). Herbs heals plague, so that is not a problem. The whole time I played my rangers, if I got plagued, it was healed the first time I
herbed. Scourge is another one all together, but this is offset by your pathfind ability which takes at most, 1 move per room. Hell my ranger was wanted and manacled and ran from Galadon to Modan without losing half of his movement! The mental thing is a problem, but there are items out there that solve that as well.
All in all, if you think you are going to spent some serious time and do not care that much about practicing skills a little, be a Cloud giant. Because my cloud giants usually had perfected skills in almost every skill by the time he/she was 51st without much problems.