What are the uses of rangers?

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I've always found the Ranger class particularly weak in computer role-playing games (CRPGs). There is just never sufficient outdoors activity to make their wilderness skills useful. And I've found ToEE to be no exception to this generalisation.

Now, perhaps this is just me, so perhaps a ranger-expert out there could enlighten me. What is the point of taking a ranger in the party, as opposed to a barbarian (who is a better fighter) or a druid (who is a better caster)?

 

Rangers get the Survival skill which allows you to avoid random encouters. It also prevents you from being caught flat-footed if you decide to take the random encounter rather then aviod it.

 

They fit the ground between the barbarian and the druid. Posessing dual weapon feats or specalising in ranged weapons and a few self-boosting spells always comes in handy. However Rangers won't be your tank, your cleric or your rogue. They're often your 5th character since they try to fill the roles of two classes.

 

The only use I've found for my Ranger so far is as a Tracker. The Druid can do just about anything a Ranger can short fulfilling an attacker's role, and the Druid compensates by powerful summons.

Missile weapons are close to useless in this game, sadly, unless they're in the hands of your enemies.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I accept the point about the survival/track skill, but Barbarian covers than too, and Barbarian makes a better front line fighter.

Hmm... I'm not sure I'd agree with this. I rely on missile weapons heavily in my game, using web or entangle to hold the enemy at distance, while my archer picks them off. As these spells last practically for ever, the importance though is just having a good attack bonus, rather than ManyShot or RapidShot (although I have those too), just to save wasting +1 arrows.

As an archer, this is the prime use I have for my Ranger. However, I've been wondering whether Fighter would have made a better choice.

 

Then we employ similar tactics.
Some advise though - just be sure you've got heavy fighting hands to account for come some situations.

 

Plus, rangers are cool.

 

1. they get more feats than paladin/monk/barbarian but less than fighter (feats are one of the few things that mesure how good you are in battle)
2. they get evasion (one of the three classes in the whole game system)
3. they have more class skills than any other warrior class (skills are important, if you think not your going to have rough time)
4. they can use any cure scrolls (no need for use magic device or fear that they fail using them)
5. they bring along more "fighting force" to the party with animal companion and only druid can do this additional to ranger. (best used for geting flanking bonuses (flanking = more killing))
6. two strong saves, only monk has more/better saves
7. its favorite enemies are like fighters weapon specialization, except if you pick a good ones it is better (+4 damage against humans is realy nice, specialy as it affects your social test too)
8. survival skill can keep you alive thus keeping you out of unbeatable encounters (facing 12x undead gnolls and not having a cleric can be lethal even for a mid lvl team)

there you have some real groundings for picking ranger in your group.

 

I haven't tried using Ranger as lots of his skills can be compensated by a druid. Though druids are not as good as rangers when talking about survival feat and tracking, nevertheless, they can be as good as rangers during fights plus their summons are much powerful.

 

Rangers aren't ohh and ahh. BUT i have NEVER finished a D&D game without one. They are just über cool charachters. Pluss the two weapon fighting. They are also the best in terms of roleplaying as they have a feel to them,but you can do what ever you want with them without losing that feel(except bg)

And another reason for me has always your friendly neighborhood Drizzt Do'Urden

 

For an interesting ranger-related build, try Ftr4/Rgr6. Basically, you use the four Fighter levels for Weapon Spec, and gain 6 Ranger levels to get Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting even if you don't meet the feat pre-requisites.