~Lord Nevtar

If you choose to follow the path of Ranger, you need to realize that 1- It may take a while for you to be ambushing very well and 2- Your training may be difficult and complicated during you career. Hopefully my guide can help you decide how you would like to train your Ranger.

STEP I: Race Selection

For a Ranger, I would suggest picking one of these races.

Half-Elves: Since Half-Elves received the best of both the Elves and the Humans, I personally believe Half-Elves to be a good choice because of their agility and quickness, which can save you from many an untimely death. Half Elves have a +10 bonus in reflex and a +5 in dexterity and charisma. However, they have a –5 in discipline.

Humans: Since Humans are fairly scholarly and strong they tend to be a popular choice for Rangers. They also have the advantage of not having any negative stats, and most stats grow at a steady rate aside from aura and discipline. Humans receive a +5 in strength, intelligence and logic.

STEP II: Roll Placement

Although Rangers are able to train in many things and many paths, I strongly suggest that you follow the one I list below. It is somewhat complex.

1. Wisdom: 90 or up. (This is including the bonus.) This determines TD (Target Defense) which will become increasingly more important as you age. It’s more important because as a Ranger, wisdom predicts the amount of mana you receive.
2. Aura: 90 or up. This determines how many SP’s (Spirit Points) you have. It also helps with TP’s (Training Points).
3. Discipline: 80 or up. This is a big decider of your TP’s as well, and doesn’t rise particularly quickly.
4. Strength: 80 or up. Swinging a blade as a Ranger will be your main form of attack, and strength decides your AS (Attack Strength). It also helps with how much you can carry, your RT (Round Time), and climbing, which is important later on.
5. Dexterity: 55 or up. This stat helps determine your fleet-footedness and doesn’t rise quickly. It also helps with manuever-based attacks.
6. Reflex: 55 or up. This determines your DS (Defensive Strength) and also how quick you are on your feet.
7. Logic: 55 or up. This stat determines how much field experience you will obtain.
8. Intelligence: 50 or up. This stat determines how much experience you will soak up at a node. It will rises relatively quickly as a Human and decently for a Half-Elf.
9. Charisma: 45 or up. This stat determines your charm. Not vital at all for a Ranger, unless you want to trade and barter a ton at merchants. It will rise at a steady pace.
10. Constitution: 45 or up. This stat determines your physical well-being and how many HP’s (Hit Points) you will gain per training. It will rise at very quickly with a Ranger.

Section III: Training

As a Ranger, it is a good idea to consider secondary skills for training in later on.

Armor Use: Train whenever you have the spare points until you reach a bonus of +120, or 30 trains. That way you can use brigadine armor, which has an 8% casting hindrance, with no added RT (Round Time). It might be a good idea to consider training to hauberk (bonus of +180) for the added CvA (cast versus armor) bonus as well as the damage absorbed.

Shield Use: Train in this 1x (1 time) per level. This will help you defend yourself and it adds to your defense against elemental spells.

Edged Weapons Use: Train in this 2x per level. This will help you advance early on and it is the biggest factor in your AS. Do not ever stop doing this.

Climbing/Swimming: Train in this after you have completed your armor training. Try to have a +50 bonus in each (10 trains) by level 25 or so. You should have about a +120 bonus by level 50 in climbing.

Stalking and Hiding: Train in this 2x per level. This helps you…stalk and hide. Hiding is essential for good ambushing earlier on, and later on you can stalk your spell-casting friends, let them do the dirty work, then kill the critter without getting touched (like that?)

Perception: So many people have different views on perception it’s hard to say. I’d train 1x per level until about a +90 (20 trains) or +120 (30 trains), although it’s not so important that you can’t skip this some to train elsewhere.

Spell Research: Train 1x per level except level 0. It’s up to you which spells you’d like to train in, I chose Minor Elemental until 103, then up to 618 on the Ranger circle, then up to 120, then up to 625, then went to WoF on 150.

Ambushing: Train 1x in this per level. This skills increases the chance of critting a critter in a certain spot. Ambushing from hiding enhances the chance of crit occurring. Ambushing will be the major way that you hunt most of your life.

Mana Sharing: Train in this 1x per level except level 0 until you have a +102 bonus (24 ranks) in it. This helps when you’re reluctant to give out spells, casting massies, sending for other spells, and important for Rangers (considered "hunting batteries" by some) while hunting with spell-casters.

Physical Training: Train in this 1x per level until your health has maxed out. This skills increases HP’s (Health Points) and also the rate in which your health goes up.

Level 0: Make trips to all the stores in the Town you are born in. This your quickest level.

Level 1-3: Fight rats and kobolds. This is boring but it gives you a taste of things to come.

Level 3-6: Pick either CoL or Voln, I’d suggest CoL. You should hunt on the Miner’s Road and goblins. If you find that you are having trouble here, you should continue with rats.

Level 6-9: Fight manticores and thraks. They don’t have a very good treasure stock, but have a nice generation rate.

Level 9-12: Fight silverback orcs and cold guardians in Icemule. I loved hunting here, it was a quick fry and very easy.

Level 12-15: Try Krolvin mercernaries and warriors in River’s Rest. The town is great, plus the critters almost always have a good generation rate.

Level 15-20: Try the Abbey in Icemule. It has a very nice generation rate and puma hides are worth a pretty silver. You might need a bud to help you spell up.

Level 20+: By this time you must have an idea of what to do. Feel free to broaden your horizons, because there are so many paths and options that one can follow in the Lands.

Part VI: Life in the Lands

I’m not some grumpy old Legend that deems it necessary to teach every youngster what he or she is doing wrong, but there are some things that you should take into account before you go and waggle your tongue about anything.

Just a few basic rules on etiquitte. Please don’t yell, pick up items that don’t belong to you, scroll (repeat a command over and over), poach (attack critters that don’t belong to you), and best of all please tip any person that helps you out with something, whether it be locksmithing, healing, rezzing, or even just spelling you up unless they ask otherwise.

Author’s Note: For all the Rangers out there, please enjoy my guide. I wrote it because I know how difficult it is for us to decide which path to take in training and just life in the Lands in general. If you see me around, feel free to comment on my guide (whispering of course), or if you would like to do it more quickly, please e-mail me at Sperk65417@aol.com.

[ Up ]