D&D 1E Ye Olde Ranger of Editions Past (1E-4E)

Just a small remark: the 3.0 Ranger did have a pet, starting at 4th level. If wasn't written then explicitly in the class progression chart, but it could be obtained by casting the Animal Friendship spell.

 

[discosoc]

Hmm... You have a picture of Tanis first thing on your ranger post, but I'm 99% positive he was a fighter.

 

[Lanefan]

Dual wielding has been a feature of the ranger since 1e. If I remember correctly, hidden in the ranger's class description is a note that the ranger can wield and attack with a weapon in their main-hand and off-hand, reducing the penalty for their main hand by two and their off hand by four. Which I think is the same benefit they get in 2e.

Actually any character can dual-wield in 1e - we've always had the to-hit penalties vary based on one's Dex score (higher Dex = less penalty) but I can't remember what the RAW says. As 1e Rangers were very unlikely to have decent Dex (remember, they needed good stats in all of Str-Int-Wis-Con just to get into the class) a dual-wielding 1e Ranger would be a very rare sight.

2e, and the emergence of Drizzt, changed all that...sadly.

Lanefan

 

[WayneLigon]

Not sure why we even need a separate class for this. Everything they do should be handled by Fighters or Rogues or maybe Druids, with a background choice to get skills and maybe a feat if you want the animal empathy/companion abilities.

 

[Panartias]

First of all, thanks to the OP for the very interesting overview!

To me, all the guides how to build a good ranger missed an important point:

Tracking is the ranger’s signature ability: He gets bonuses on it while every other class receives penalties on it.

Together with his stealth, knowledge of terrain/nature, perhaps an animal companion like a wolf or hawk this makes him the ultimate survivor and scout. And a good scout is very valuable to any party. The game is named Dungeons and Dragons, but both should be used very sparingly as highlights IMO. So the party is very often out in the wilderness, where the ranger rules! Being able to evade (or surprise) the random encounters and not getting lost is important. Sadly this is a part of the game that is skipped over very often and the ranger’s contribution is measured by his combat prowess alone.

Now can this be achieved by a combination of fighter/rogue/druid + feats and background – probably yes, but that would be true for most classes.

Anyway I like the ranger and think it deserves more love.

Not sure if 5th ed took the exclusive tracking feature from the ranger and made it easily available for everyone – this would be almost like taking the thieving abilities away from the rogue.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Anyone can make a Wis(Survival) check, a ranger probably just has proficiency in it.