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Hello. I was just popping in to ask a quick question about the Ranger's Prayers, and where the power comes from. Now, when I pray to cure light wounds, I generally say something like, "Nature's healing grace be upon you..." or just "Nature heal!" if I am in battle/dangerous area.

Am I right in saying that the power of the ranger comes from nature?

Now, assuming that I am right in saying it comes from nature. When a ranger is given a God to follow. For example... Helm... or Tyr... does she/he/it pray to the God for the power, therefore having to follow the "blahblah's follower's pray at blahblah time for their prayers" rule?

Or does the ranger still take their praying power from nature?

Just curious, as soon I might have to change my RP for it.

-Thanks!

Hmm... It is all your choice, actually... But I would still RP taking the praying power from Nature. The character is a ranger after all.*grins* Hope this helped a teensy bit.

-Me

I would have to agree. You are a ranger first. And rangers draw all there needs and powers from nature. I mean, I guess you could pray to the diety, but *I* would RP as still praying to nature...

Hmm..tricky subject. Straight from the PHB:

"Druids cast divine spells much the same way clerics do, though they get their spells from the power of nature, not from Gods.
PHB"

What I interpet this to be, and its just me someone else can see it differently, is that nature ('as an entity') is much like the weave. It can be used, tapped and manipulated without being worshipped. Should nature be seen as a Diety and worshipped by it self? Eh thats up to you. I like to imagine the "Natural Weave" as the life force that surrounds everything. Every thing from plants to animals, to even the bare desert terrain surrounds it, much like the Gaia theory, and regardless of which aspect you worship ( the portfolios of the differant Gods in the House of Nature), It is free and open to all, even to the athiests. Now certain Gods do also give their Followers, especially ones of import and high measures of faith (clergy, HP, and the varying specialty classes) select spells that they can use that add on to their standard spell and skill sets. So religion is something that is not neccesary to be a Ranger or Druid, and its totally up to your preferance as a player.


So when you thank and bless nature, you are not wrong, thats just one of the little quirks that makes a character fun and a pleasure to RP with.

One can pray to the Guardian Gods in general?

Or perhaps to, e.g., Helm, "Hail the Vigilant One... watch over my woods..."

I personally have always thought of prayers from anyone, be it druid, ranger, paladin, cleric etc come from the Gods that they worship. In the Forgotten Realms especially. I see it as certain Gods watching over certain creatures. A ranger who does not follow any particular God or Goddess does receive their spells from Nature, but more than likely it is a God or Goddess hearing their prayer and granting them the power. Remember, Gods and Goddesses embody that which they stand for. So those powers of Nature i.e. Mielikki, Silvanus, Chauntea etc. are part of Nature themselves, therefore spells granted by Nature are gained from deities themselves. Forgotten Realms has always concentrated on the pantheon of Gods and where they, and their followers get their powers. As I said, tis just my opinion from a long time of playing in the Realms.

I actually tend to lean towards Dargeth's angle, that the ranger draws on his spell power from Nature, nature in turn being given it's life energy from the various gods and goddesses who steward nature. To draw on nature's energy is to, in fact draw the energy from these dieties, whether they are your patron diety or not, or whether you even have a patron.

My ranger, for example, has Torm has his patron diety. I believe some of his prayers, which are clerical in nature, eg, cures, resistances, etc. are given by Torm, as these are within Torm's spheres, while powers exclusively of the sphere of nature (eg, entangle, passplant, etc.) are given to him by the power of nature.

This is a reasonable RP, in my thoughts, since Forgotten Realms is a polytheistic society, where people worship and offer prayers to multiple gods. As a ranger, Kregor also venerates Mielikki after his patron Torm, thus credits those abilities given him by nature to Her.