Forgotten Kingdoms Forums

I've been wanting to open this discussion for quite some time. How do players of rangers feel about visits to the cities of FK? I'll start off with my opinion. This is not IC ranger policy but my own thoughts as a player of a ranger. However, after the thread has run its course, I may take some of the thoughts presented here by those who choose to participate and use them IC, if allowed.

Rangers should not completely shun cities, particularly at the lower levels. Shops are needed for supplies and repairs. Knowing a little about other characters is important as well. Alliances are often formed while in a city. It is a good thing for rangers to know some of the people who travel the wilds and those introductions are often made in a city. Characters requiring the services of a ranger frequently request that the ranger meet them in a city. Many adventuring groups gather in a city before setting out.

With all of that said, I do not think it is a good idea for rangers to make cities their home. Nor do I think it is right for a ranger to spend more time in cities than in the wilds. Most cities have a wilderness area close enough to serve as a home to rangers. Rather than hang out in Waterdeep, why not plant yourself in Ardeep and only enter the city for supplies? If groups form, meet them at the gates just prior to venturing forth. An occasional trip to the square can be warranted to catch up on news and events, but staying there for any real length of time would not be warranted. The excuse of "that's where all the players are" is not valid in my opinion. If players move the center of their rp, others will follow. Maybe not en masse, but in smaller groups here and there.

I see quite a few druid characters balancing this issue nicely. Perhaps a few of them would be willing to post here and offer suggestions/opinions.

I look forward to reading a constructive discourse on this topic and thank you in advance for your opinions.

Yeah I agree. On behalf a my druid, you'll be hard pressed to find him in a city, if only to find him in a glade with in. As far a supplies, components mostly he will usually send a ranger to go retrieve find him something. But it is a “needle in a hay stack” to find a ranger, let alone anyone in the wilderness, areas included. And you'll never see hime parked in the MS.

As far as my ranger, like yours, the occational supply/spell component. and once in a blue moon a visit to the MS for a very short time. A bards tale or a quick glance around at most. Funny thing is, he is my fist PC and I've be playing on and off siince the mud was first posted on Mudconnector, yet only a few non-“treehugers” know his name. But that is why because of how I play him.

I am not saying your rangers at any livil should not visit or do quests with in the cities but like how Janon hinted at, instead of sitting in the MS, hang out at the entrance to ardeep. Think of it as an MS of the wilds. this may prove the catalist of a popular trend and others will start camping at other sites and cities, Silverymoon, Shadowdale and even ZK.

I completely agree with you on this one, Janon.

While I try to stay away from the cities as much as possible, I must admit I am guilty of loitering in a city every so often. I love to RP in the wilderness with others, but find the lack of people willing very discouraging. Even more so when I'm on a city dwelling alt and find rangers and druids casually lounging in the MS. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was always under the impression that since a ranger/druid's home is in the wilds they found cities stiffling and uncomfortable.

I also agree with you that the excuse of "that's where all the players are" is not valid. If the city dwelling rangers/druids would move back out to the wilderness then they would find an abundance of people to meet and RP with.

I know I have more opinions of the subject but my mind has just drawn a complete blank.

Sywen Nahlandra.

As a druidess of Chauntea.. Cities are unbalancing. They are an afront to nature and should not exist! Yet.... I am still forced to go into the city to see the shrine of the mother. I go there occassionally to trade (buy/sell) Or in seek of some people. And yes.. it amazes me how often I will find the one I seek in the smack dab center of Waterdeep =P

What's a forest?

I tend to agree with Janon. My druid normally stays in or around Ardeep when she is not off rescuing a ranger or another druid or a friend who is in need.

She will venture to the city normally when she needs to sell some things or when she needs to repair her armor. I have found I don't need to have her enter the city for food and if I could avoid the others I would.

I know it is up the the person playing the character to really decide what they should travel to the city for. Though I have seen many that have taken up to camping out there. The only thing I can really say is to think why you go into the city and how long you have been there. Come visit Ardeep I know that alot of rangers and druids tend to hang out there as well as non woodfolk.

As a druid of Chauntea, I spend most of my time in the wilds or around villages and farming communities, venturing into the cities only for necessary trade, repairs, and similar. Whenever possible, however, I will take care of these necessities in the smaller villages or ranger/druid areas. If I do decide to stay for a while when trade takes me into the city, I seek areas more in tune with nature and the natural balance, not just the groves.

Just another thing I can point out, as well as coming into the city for repairs/selling/buying, my druidess of Chauntea goes into the city for the bank, often. Banks are nice. I keep to Warrior's Way Waterdeep Way and High Street, since it's the most easy city path, just some straight lines.

Danica

If my ranger is to aid any of the newer ones on the mud she must go to the city and 'park' in MS, most new ones don't know much about the game, so when they need help they go to the square, which is where my ranger goes to find someone who needs help, and she has helped a few wizards from just that situation. As bad as it seems that is what I will continue to do until told I can no longer do so.

While Jadom generally avoids going farther from Waterdeep than Daggerford I do have a Ranger character and I admit that since I've started using him again I spend probably too much time in the city. I'm probably not cut out for a Ranger, since as anyone who knows Jadom knows, my RP is geared toward people

However, I do spend a lot of time mucking about in Ardeep as well, but as mentioned above, you don't run into people very often in the wilds, so it is easy to gravitate to the cities.

In FR terms though, if you think about it, Daggerford is a LONG way away from Waterdeep.

Hello... I was ready this post - and I agree with everything mentioned, by the way, which is why I try to make some effort to leave Waterdeep... it has become easier now that my character is stronger, but at the beginning, it was quite neccessary to stay in/around Waterdeep. Now I try to balance it out, but occasionally I might stay longer than many think right...

Now... this topic made me think. Rangers are meant to protect nature... I understand that. Is there such thing as a "city ranger" though? Someone who tries to work within a city to make sure that the city is safe, and that it does not interfere with the outside nature? It just occured that rangers are often on the outside criticising in... is it ICly feasible to have a ranger that supports the city, as a way to "localise" the damage to nature, in an area where it can then be lessened...

Does anyone know what I am on about... or is this all complete rubbish... I thought it sounded okay in my head... but... well... I might not have put it across very well.

Any thoughts?

I've heard historically of rangers being hired to protect towns and encampments in the wilds, but to be honest I've never heard of rangers protecting a city by staying in it predominately. A city is civilization, it has its own agents from the lowly peasant to the intrepid officials and constables. Rangers can be both a civilizing force and a protector off the wild, but I can't see a ranger being used to patrol a bustling city scape. Of course thats my own opinion, I could be wrong.

In Dragon Magazine a few issues ago, they did an article on an Urban Druid. It was a modified class which translated wilderness skills into urban equivilants.

Presumably you could do the same for the Ranger class, however, as with the Urban Druid, that is a modified class and is not the original Ranger or Druid.

Unless/until we add an Urban guild for rangers and druids in FK, they will have to remain linked to the wilds and not to cities.

Tyr

My thoughts on the "urbanised ranger" are that, well, wouldn't they be a bit like city guards, ergo fighters or paladins? I could be wrong, as I am known to be occasionally just a thought, though.

Unearthed Arcana (not to be confused with Arcana Unearthed) has an urban ranger and a wilderness rogue. They also have a new feat called city tracking.

Rangers commonly dont always live in the wilds, but live in a small village bordering the wilds or such. Cities though would be a bit too much I would think for a ranger, in my opinion, but it really depends upon the person's RP, and perhaps the city, I know a city or two that are some of the largest in the kingdoms and cater very well to rangers. Now, of course there are rangers who dwell inside cities im sure, the same as just about every park and glade in Waterdeep (I mean in FR, not necessarrily FK) has a circle of druids that preside over it. Nature isnt always a forest, it could be plains, hills, even a cellar with a natural stream in it.

As a Ranger myself I feel that the time should be spent more in the wild than in the cities. My Ranger gets nervous after a certain amount of time (not much time) within the city walls. Usually its the bank or an urgent meeting that gets him through the gates. But even then, the city (such as Waterdeep) have an enclosed forest for us Rangers to go to.

My take on a Ranger is that, like most player character classes, it cannot be put into a single box.

In general the Ranger is singly catagorized as a warrior of nature, while this is essence is true, I think there is enough room in the Forgotten Realmz millieu to allow for a broad spectrum of Ranger-based PCs, in much the way I would run PnP campaigns in the golden days of RPG.

A ranger is a warrior who depends on skills of survival, tracking, general hardiness in a non-civilized setting. But this does not mean he has to shun civilization, nor solely base his motives on the protection of the woodlands. and for a ranger PC *not* to do so should not be automatically construed as bad Role Playing.....

To whit:

The Complete Book of Rangers (AD&D 2nd edition) Lists the "Stalker" variant of the Ranger class. This subclass of ranger is "equally comfortable in the wilderness and in an urban setting." They are "The scouts, the elite intelligence gatherers."

In 1E AD&D, before the advent of kits and even before such Unearthed Arcana classes as Berzerkers and Barbarians, the Ranger was typically the class used to build a Norseman-type PC, emphasizing the class' abilities at tracking, hunting and guerilla-style fighting; not a shunning of cities, which while not Romanesque by any means, were still urban centers even in the North. It could be in fact argued that the original Ranger's combat bonus against giants (not left up to the player's pick until 2E) was inspired by the tales of the Norseman and the many giant-class creatures that were their monsters.

in the world of Tolkein, Aragorn, a Ranger, seemed equally comfortable at using his guile inside the walls of a town or city, or deep within caverns, as he did in the wilds.

You get the picture.....

Conversely, one who is considered a "civilized" warrior, such as a Paladin, would by an all-encompassing stereotype, seem out of place in the wilds, but what of Elven Cavaliers (or even Elven Paladins, in 3E)? Would they not be as sylvan as their other class counterparts?

In short, I think the demeanor and comfort of a Ranger in certain settings can be as variant as their alignment (ie, an entire spectrum, as long as it's Good). In D&D mechanics, and even -- as I have observed so far -- quite well duplicated in the MUD, there is a wide enough selection of skills, feats, and proficiencies to allow any player to build a character to be just how they envision. It would be an injustice to expect every Ranger to behave like a warrior-druid... just as much as it would be to expect every Ranger to be like Drizzt Do'Urden (no, we don't all want to dual wield!)

I know it's an old subject, but just want to add my stupid note...
The current Chosen of Mielikki is Lady Jeryth Phaulkon of Waterdeep. Yes you read correctly, of Waterdeep. She's a noble of Waterdeep, rummored to be one of the Masked Lord. So if one such as Mielikki's chosen is a noble from Waterdeep, surely she can't see it so bad if one spends some times in city when needs be...