User:Mettalian/Roleplaying Ideas

Ranger

(Wilderness Dweller-type Roleplaying)

The Ranger. The seminal wilderness dweller. An archetype of the fantasy genre that can be seen everywhere from Dungeons and Dragons to Lord of the Rings. With bow and blade, the ranger is a supreme force on the battlefield, and outside of combat, his/her knowledge of tracking, hunting, and surviving is unrivalled. So nock an arrow and set a course for the forest, your home is now amongst the birds and beasts.

A ranger can be of any race, though Bosmer and Dunmer are never bad choces if you can't decide. Bosmer are especially good choices due to their Beast Tongue greater power and +10 to Alchemy and Marksman, but again, these are merely suggestions and an Imperial, Argonian, Altmer etc. ranger is just as viable an option. Some sklls that might be useful are Marksman, Alchemy, Restoration, Light Armour, Blade, Sneak and Acrobatics. Play around to find the best skills for your ranger.

A ranger, if you go by the Dungeons and Dragons standard, is a warden, who protects a way of life, an ideology, or perhaps something more substantive, such as a forest or animal. While generally rangers are protectors of the forest, they need not be. For instance, if you wanted to be a ranger who protected the cycle of life and death, you could do that, and you could bring that to his actions by killing necromancers and liches who would reject the grasp of fate.

Rangers are supreme hunters and trackers, and should know their way around the forest. Therefore, it would be a good idea to learn about the plants and animals of Cyrodiil, and more importantly, what their respective meats/fronds/seeds/leaves/what-have-you do alchemically. Alchemy is a good tool to have, as potions and poisons are just as helpful to a ranger as they are to a rogue, and since rangers are supposed to be masters of the natural world, it's important that these elixirs are hand made and not bought from a store. Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a Command Creature spell (if you're a Bosmer you have one already), as animal companions are an integral part of the ranger myth.

Whether or not you live in the forest sleeping in camps and roadside inns is up to you. If you'd prefer to live in the city and use your skills as a ranger purely for adventuring, there is nothing wrong with that. While a class can be a lifestyle, a lifestyle can also be seperate from a class, so don't relegate yourself to sleeping in a cave if you feel your character would prefer an inn or home in a city. That being said, part of the attraction of being a ranger is the independence from civilisation and being self sufficient. It's always fun to play the outcast.

In terms of Armour, Fur Armour (minus the helm) looks quite ranger-inspired and is available early on, as is leather. Of course, your armour type will eventually become too weak against your stronger enemies, but there's nothing stoppng you from enchanting your armour to try and both keep the rugged look, and help protect you better, at least for a while. Combat will be something that you should play with but, ideally, the ranger in combat looks something like this:

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Aramir the Ranger is making his way through the forest, seeking ne'er-do-wells, when he sees a bandit camp in the distance. He moves to an advantageous position and lets his arrows fly, his sneak multiplier helping to rack up a kill or two. As the remaining bandits draw nearer, he unsheathes his sword and performs a deadly dance of whirring steel until the only sound is his own heavy breathing as he silently congratulates himself on his victory.

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Remember, the ranger is ultimately what you make him, and while there are some things that you have to have to be a ranger, you can toy and play around with everything you do, as all of these suggestions are just that: suggestions. So go to the forest, attune yourself to its rhythm and its ways, and protect your ideology, whatever that may be.