Neverwinter Nights – Ranger Character Guide (walkthrough)

Neverwinter Nights - Ranger Character Guide


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Neverwinter Nights Ranger Character Guide v1.0 (14-Nov-2003)

by Michael "Cironir" Vondung, cironir@furcadia.com

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0.0 TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 1.0 PREFACE

     An overview of the Ranger class and its pros and cons in NWN.

         1.1 Why play a Ranger?

         1.2 Ranger Types


 2,0 RACES

     A discussion of the various classes from a Ranger's point of view.


 3.0 ABILITY SCORES

     Which attributes are important for Rangers, and which can be neglected?

         3.1 Starting and Final Attributes


 4.0 SKILLS

     Rangers do not have many skill points, so spend the few wisely.

         4.1 Recommended Skills

         4.2 So-and-So Skills

         4.3 Almost Useless Skills


 5.0 FEATS

     The right choice of feats shapes and forms your Ranger character.

         5.1 Feats that Rangers get automatically

         5.2 General Feats

         5.3 Type-specfic Feats


 6.0 MULTICLASSING

     A few levels from another class might improve your Ranger, if you insist.

         6,1 Notes on Multiclassing

         6.2 Multiclassing Combinations


 7.0 ANIMAL COMPANIONS

     In this section you meet the Ranger's faithful pets.

         7.1 Thoughts on Animal Companions

         7.2 Introduction of the Animal Companions

         7.3 Which Animal Companion to Pick?


 8.0 SPELLS

     Here you learn everything about the Ranger's magical abilities.

         8.1 Thoughts on Ranger Spells

         8.2 Spell Slots and Memorizing

         8.3 Ranger Spells in Detail


 9.0 EQUIPMENT

     Brief discussion of what to wear and look for.

         9.1 Stuff for Archers

         9.2 Stuff for Assassins

         9.3 Stuff for Battle Rangers


10.0 STRATEGY

     Helpful advice and additional information for playing a Ranger.

        10.1 Tips for Rangers

        10.2 Information on Dual-Wielding


11.0 MISCELANEOUS

     Everything else that needs to be said or didn't fit anywhere else.

        11.1 Copyright Notice

        11.2 Credits and Thanks

        11,3 Revision History

        11.4 Ranger Guide Locations


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1.0 PREFACE

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Occasionally NWN players voice the opinion that Rangers are amongst the worst

classes, and that dual-weapon fighting is far worse than the weapon/shield

style, and thus the Ranger's free feats are not an actual advantage. The

purpose of this Guide is to introduce the reader to all aspects of the Ranger

character and make suggestions on how to play a Ranger efficiently. Even though

there are plenty of references to the Official Campaign (the module that ships

with the stock game), most of what is said here applies to player-created

modules as well. The author has put an effort into verifying the accuracy of

the provided information. As always with Guides, there can be no guarantee that

everything said in this document is correct or the best possible approach. It

is hoped that this Ranger Guide will provide answers to common questions, and

rouse some interest in this often overlooked class.


I apologise for the penetrant use of British spelling throughout this guide. :)

My thanks goes to the authors of the excellent Rogue and Monk Character Guides

at GameFAQs, whose base structure was the example for this document.


If you have comments, corrections or questions, feel free to contact me via e-

mail at cironir@furcadia.com. As time permits, this guide will be updated with

current information and additional material.


1.1 WHY PLAY A RANGER?

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Rangers are a versatile class. Now, what exactly does "versatile" mean? In case

of NWN this means that Rangers are flexible characters that can deal

competently with a wide range of situations that they are confronted with. They

do not possess the arsenal of spells that Clerics or Druids feature, and they

do not get as many feats as Fighters, but with their favoured enemies, an

Animal Companion and their unique combination of class skills, they make

welcome additions to all parties, and are equally attractive to the dedicated

solo-hunter. Below is a list of pro and cons of Rangers:


Pros:


- Rangers get an Animal Companion.

- Rangers have a d10 hit die, like Fighters.

- Rangers receive feats for two-weapon fighting for free.

- Rangers get four circles of spells.

- Rangers can cast spells with armour on.

- Rangers are proficient with martial weapons.

- Rangers can choose favoured enemies.


Cons:


- Rangers do not get weapon specialization.

- Rangers' two-weapon fighting feats work only with light armour.

- Rangers do not get their Animal Companion before level 6.

- Rangers' Animal Companions are weaker than those of Druids.

- Rangers get only a few useful spells.

- Rangers get their spells relatively late (1st level at level 6),


1.2 RANGER TYPES

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As with all characters, you can "customize" your Ranger's focus and shape her

or him in a way to fit your playing style or the role that you have in mind for

your character. This section of the Ranger Guide introduces the three "base

types" of Rangers:


ASSASSIN

Disciplined, experienced killer, cold and always focused on his prey, the

Assassin rarely misses his mark. Unlike a Rogue, he can face crowds as well as

individual targets, and thanks to the Ranger's d10 hit die, he has sufficient

hit points to go toe to toe with even strong opponents. The dexterous combat

artist usually wields two sharp blades, but doesn't hesitate to switch to a

shield and weapon combination, and even carries a longbow for situations where

he prefers to hang back. Flexibility is the key to success, as is his keen

knowledge of weapons, armour and foes. He actively uses the terrain, that he

evaluates in mere moments, to his advantage and never runs unprepared into

unfamiliar situations. Never does he wear anything heavier than light armour,

mortally afraid of losing his best advantages: speed and quickness. This is the

Ranger type that this guide recommends, and that the author views as ultimate

Ranger. Humans are the best choice for an Assassin.


ARCHER

Equipped with a mighty long bow, the light-armoured Archer is a silent hunter,

roaming the woods, ready to pluck arrows into any enemy that might cross his

narrow path. Many players, even those not familiar with DnD, associate this

type of character with Rangers. As you'll see later, bows are not actually the

best and certainly not the only way to play a Ranger. Archers are solid

characters, plenty of fun and quite a force solo or in multiplayer. They are

arguably the second best bow-users after a multi classed Fighter/Rogue. Elves

make great Archers because of their racial DEX bonus.


BATTLE RANGER

This Ranger type prefers heavy armour and a heavy-hitting weapon. He does not

care about stealth or strategy (and wouldn't be good at it due to the skill

penalties from the heavy armour), he focuses on killing an opponent fast and

without much talk. Dead enemies don't hurt you, after all. In many ways, this

is your typical fanatic, out to kill the creatures he loathes mercilessly.

While this Ranger type is efficient and can be lots of fun, a Fighter or even a

crazed Cleric might be a better choice for this kind of character. However, the

Animal Companion (that can be healed without spells, unlike a summoned pet)

makes this a unique build. Dwarves make good Battle Rangers.


OTHER TYPES

There are other character builds for Rangers that are not covered in the

current version of this Ranger guide. An example would be a Zookeeper that uses

a shield/weapon combination and relies on an Animal Companion and "picked up"

wildlife animals.


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2.0 RACES

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In NWN, not all races are equally suited for the various classes. In this

section, we'll look at the alternatives and try to find out which races work

well with the Ranger class.


HUMANS

They are the average, common inhabitants of the realm. They don't sport any

sweeping advantages, but don't suffer any significant penalties either. Their

benefits are an extra skill point per level (four at creation), allowing the

player to pick up an additional skill. They also receive a bonus feat when the

character is born. Humans are probably the best class for the Assassin type of

Rangers. All Rangers get the martial weapons proficiency feat (which includes

rapiers and longbows), so this advantage usually typical of elves is countered.

Assassin Rangers, who fight close up with opponents, require the additional

feat that humans get to pick up the knockdown feats later on.


ELF

Elves are dexterous and resistant to mind affecting spells, yet fragile when it

comes to physical attacks. They make ideal archers as they can start with high

dexterity. If Rangers didn't get martial weapon profiency as class bonus, elves

would be the perfect choice for even the Assassin type. However, they still do

make the best archers, by far. So, if you are going to play a ranged Ranger

(oh, the wit!), then you should be an elf.


DWARF

Interestingly enough, Dwarves are not only a viable option for the Battle

Ranger, but the arguably best choice -- thanks to their hardiness and the STR

bonus. The Charisma blow is not necessarily a problem (none if you aren't going

to play the Official Campaign). They are not suited for Archer or Assassin

builds. But if you play a Battle Ranger, you'll love the plenty of useful

racial bonuses that Dwarves offer: resistance against poison, various spells, a

+4 AC bonus against Giants, and more. Only consider them if you are interested

in a Battle Ranger


HALF-ELF

A hybrid of humans and elves, these handsome fellows offer some advantages of

their elven relatives, without suffering their disadvantages. But since they do

not get the human benefits (extra skill point and feat), they are only an

average choice for a Ranger. Unless you wish to roleplay an half-elf, you

should go with a human or an elf.


GNOME

Gnomes are small, sturdy creatures with a talent for the arcane arts. Although

the +2 CON racial bonus is welcome for all Ranger types, the -2 STR penalty is

a clear drawback. More importantly, Gnomes are small-sized creatures, which

means that medium weapons (such as rapiers) are large weapons to them and must

be wielded with two hands, and large weapons (such as longbows) cannot be used

by small-sized creatures at all. Although a Kukri/dagger combination would be

quite interesting to play, Gnomes just make better Wizards than Rangers.


HALFLING

Halflings are the traditional rogues of the realm (not necessarily the best

choice in all cases, but old habits die hard). The bonus to Move Silently

benefits a Ranger as well as the DEX bonus, however, like Gnomes, Halflings are

small-sized creatures. The concerns about weapon size in regard to the size of

Gnomes (see above) apply to Halflings as well. With some imagination I could

see a PvP oriented, enchanted Kukri/dagger wielding Assassin-Ranger, but

really, a Rogue is probably the better choice here.


HALF-ORC

Much of what was said about the Dwarf applies to the Half-Orc as well. The INT

and CHA penalty means that your ugly Half-Orc would not only be incredibly

uncharming, but he'd also be just a bit brighter than a rock. In NWN terms this

means that you'd sacrifice a skill, which is not a great idea -- there are

already not enough skill points for enough flexibility. Half-Orcs make much

better Fighters and Barbarians.


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3.0 ABILITY SCORES

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The distribution of the ability/stat points at character creation determines

the future of your character. The importance of carefully planning your

character before you start playing her or him can't be stressed enough. If you

blunder here, you'll suffer disadvantages later on, and there's not much you

can do about it at that point. In this section, we are going to look at the

significance of the various attributes for Rangers.


STRENGTH (STR)

Your strength determines how much weight you can carry, how much extra damage

your weapons do and is the base for your attack rolls. That said, there's an

exception: The attack roll for ranged weapon is based on DEX, and if you get

the Weapon Finesse feat *and* use a "finessable" weapon (we'll cover this in

detail later), strength has no impact on your attack roll whatsoever. For

Battle Rangers, STR is the most important attribute. You want at least 16 here

when you create the character, and pump all five extra attribute points into

STR. Archers and Assassins can neglect STR, but only to some degree. Assassins,

who usually use two blades and occasionally fall back on a longbow variant,

should go with a 14 here. The off-hand weapon gets a STR bonus of 0.5, so 12

STR would give you no bonus at all, and 14 gives you +1. In addition, the

requirement for the Cleave feat is 13, so you don't have any choice anyway. Get

14 STR if you play an Assassin. Archers need to make up their mind what's more

important to them: accuracy or an added bonus. The choice here is between 10

and 14, so 12 might be the happy medium.


DEXTERITY (DEX)

Dexterity is important for reflex saves, accuracy of ranged weapons, and the

attack roll if you are a finesse fighter (which you are, if you play an

Assassin). It's also important if you wear light armour (you will, as Archer

and Assassin). Several of your skills are DEX-based also. Now, if you are a

heavy-armour wearing Battle Ranger, you can neglect dexterity. 12 DEX is what

you want, and then ignore it for the rest of the game. Your reflex saves will

be lower, so take that into account when you buy equipment. Archers and

Assassins need DEX. No, not only need, but without the hint of a doubt MUST

have DEX. Start an Assassin with 16 DEX, and consider an 18 if you are an elven

Archer (which you probably should be) and can squeeze it in. Assassins don't

really need more than 16 here, and can't afford it anyway. Archers and

Assassins both put all of their additional five attribute points into DEX.


CONSTITUTION (CON)

Constitution does two things for you: It gives you hitpoints and it is the base

for the calculation of your fortitude saving throws. Every character desires

high CON, but obviously not all can squeeze enough points into it. Archers

should start their character with 12 CON and leave it there (you can consider a

10 here, but I don't recommend it), and Battle Rangers and Assassins want a 14

here. Dwarven Battle Rangers should get a CON of 16. Assassins are happy with

14, however.


INTELLIGENCE (INT)

Skill points are important, but not crucial. So, you can afford to be of

average intelligence. I know, it's a bit awkward to play a not overly bright

character, and it can really conflict with roleplaying aspects, but regardless

of the Ranger type you play, an INT of 10 is sufficient. I wouldn't go lower,

however. Just put 10 points here and be happy with it.


WISDOM (WIS)

Ranger spells are of divine nature and thus based on WIS. The saving throw that

is rolled against mind-affecting spells is based on this very attribute. And

who doesn't find it incredibly annoying to be dazed? You need 11 WIS to be able

to cast any of your spells (the first level) and +1 for every additional level.

Rangers have four spell levels, so what you want here is 14. If you think you

can go with less, play a Barbarian or Fighter. Your spells are not great, far

from it, but if you don't care about them at all, you miss the point of playing

a Ranger. So, put 14 here and leave it at that. More points would give you

additional spell slots (plus better will saves), but it's not needed or

recommended. We'll get back to this in the Spells section.


CHARISMA (CHA)

One of the other class guides said, "You don't need Charisma if you can kill

people.". This is more bluntly expressed than I'd put it, but it's accurate. If

it helps you to justify the very low 8 in CHA, just imagine that your Ranger

character is an outdoors person. She or he doesn't interact often with other

civilized and communicative individuals, so her or his social skills are poorly

developed. One thing, however: The Official Campaign makes heavy use of the

Persuade skill, and that one is based on CHA: The good news is that you don't

*need* to persuade anyone to win the game, and there are, at this point in

time, extremely few player-created modules where Persuade has an impact at all.

Furthermore, you won't have enough points to get the Persuade skill, which, to

make it worse, isn't even a class skill for Rangers. So forget about being

charming and just be deadly, mhmm?


3.1 STARTING AND FINAL ATTRIBUTES

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Here's a summary of the explanations above, broken down into the three Ranger

types that this guide introduces.


ASSASSIN (HUMAN)

Creation: 14 STR, 16 DEX, 14 CON, 14 WIS, 10 INT, 8 CHA

At Lvl20: 14 STR, 21 DEX, 14 CON, 14 WIS, 10 INT, 8 CHA (unmodified)


ARCHER (ELVEN)

Creation: 14 STR, 18 DEX, 12 CON, 14 WIS, 10 INT, 8 CHA

At Lvl20: 12 STR, 23 DEX, 12 CON, 14 WIS, 10 INT, 8 CHA (unmodified)


BATTLE RANGER (DWARF)

Creation: 16 STR, 12 DEX, 16 CON, 14 WIS, 10 INT, 8 CHA

At Lvl20: 21 STR, 12 DEX, 16 CON, 14 WIS, 10 INT, 8 CHA (unmodified)


If you are tempted to go with lower WIS, you might be happier with a Fighter

than with a Ranger. You aren't going to get a lot of spells, but they do help

and give you more options. If you absolutely do not wish to use any of the

Ranger spells, a 10 WIS will be sufficient. Assassins would put the spare

points into STR or DEX, Archers into CON or STR, and Battle Rangers into STR.

But try to stick to the Ranger theme, it's a roleplaying game after all. Plus,

casting the long-lasting Cat's Grace (a Ranger spell) gives you 1-4 DEX.


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4.0 SKILLS

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Rangers with an INT of 10 get 16 skill points at character creation, and 4

skill points per level up. Humans get an extra four points at creation and one

extra point at level up. If you follow my recommendations, you can choose four

or five skills. This is fairly average, but at least you do better than Clerics

who get to pick two or three skills (unless they dump points in INT). In this

section of the guide, we are going to look at the available skills and discuss

if, and to what degree, they are suited for our Ranger builds. We'll start with

the set of skills that are recommended for Rangers.


4,1 RECOMMENDED SKILLS

----------------------


DISCIPLINE (STR)

Ironically enough, the first skill I recommend for Battle Rangers and Assassins

is not a class skill. I do wish this was a class skill, but we'll have to live

with it being a 2-points-for-1 type of skill. Why get Discipline? Simple:

Because it's highly annoying and sometimes deadly to get knocked down by

opponents. Nobody wants to lie helplessly in the dirt while a foe is happily

sticking sharp blades into their body, and getting bashed with a blunt weapon

isn't any more pleasant. Though you will never have more than a mediocre skill

level in Discipline, it will still help, especially since you get a small bonus

from STR. Archers can skip this.


HIDE (DEX) / MOVE SILENTLY (DEX)

I'm discussing these two skills together as there is no point in getting either

one without the other. Archers and Assassins (especially the latter) often

depend on being in the right position when they launch an attack, and there are

situations when it is necessary to get to a specific foe before its friends

swarm you. Enemy mages are good examples for such "must knock out first"

enemies. High dexterity of the aforementioned types directly benefits the

character's ability to move around undetected, and get out of tough situations

(or in the middle of them). Battle Rangers, who wear heavy armour, can skip

these two skills. Everyone else: get them.


HEALING (WIS)

This skill has been discussed to death on various message boards and in other

guides. I'll make it quick and simple say: It's a must-have skill. Okay, now

you ask, "Why?". Okay, the deal is this: In the Official Campaign, you can

easily rest almost whenever you want, and if you need to be cured from poison

or diseases, you can use the Stone of Recall to get back to the temple.

However, it's still fairly annoying, costs some gold, and it's a bit of a game-

stopper when you are on a roll. Healing kits drop frequently and are cheaper

than heal potions. Your decent WIS attribute benefits your Healing skill, so

you do heal quite a few HPs. Another aspect is that in many NWN persistent

worlds (PWs) and multiplayer adventures, the resting frequency is limited

and/or there are no Stone of Recalls. All in all, there's no good reason not to

get Healing. What are you waiting for?


SET TRAPS (DEX)

Are you surprised to see this skill listed here? Rangers are, besides Rogues,

the only other class that have Set Traps as a class skill. Granted, in the

Official Campaign, there is no real need for this skill (amazing how many

skills are not very needed in the OC, isn't it?), but it's a lot of fun and

gives you an alternate option to soften up (or blast into eternity) crowds. It

requires strategy and a bit of testing before you get the routine down, but if

you're like me and interested in a versatile playstyle, Set Traps is a welcome

addition to your character. As a Ranger, you'll find traps fairly often. Unlike

Rogues, you cannot easily disable and "recycle" traps laid by the game or other

players. Battle Rangers can skip this skill if they insist, but for Archers and

Assassins it is almost a must. All right, not a must, but why would you want to

skip a perfectly cool and almost unique skill?


4.2 SO-AND-SO SKILLS

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ANIMAL EMPATHY (CHA)

I'm sure you have wondered why this skill is not listed in the recommended

section. The reason for this is that Animal Empathy isn't overly useful. You

are not a zookeeper (leave that profession to Druids), and if you ever need

reinforcement, you can call your Animal Companion and summon an additional

helper. For roleplaying purposes, this skill is definitely worth looking into,

and I would even go so far to mildly recommend it for Archers. Battle Rangers

and Assassins most certainly don't need it. In fact, for Assassins it's even a

hindrance to have any "helpers" if you want to move around unnoticed. Hard to

do if your pets attract hordes of hostile critters, isn't it? Plus, and this

should crush most of your hopes, this skill is based on Charisma. And you have

the charisma of a loaf of bread, remember? I'll say, though, that it is more

useful if you play in Persistant Worlds that have large wilderness (or other)

areas with many animals. In such places you can simply "pick up" an animal

helper whenever you need one.


LORE (INT)

Every NPC vendor will be happy to identify your mysterious loot for a small fee

of 100 gold. Lore is a "nice skill", and that's it. It helps to be able to

identify objects "on the fly", especially if your strength is low (it's not

likely to be) and you play without a Stone of Recall or rejoice in dungeon

crawls. However, you don't have the skill points for it (unless you are a

Battle Ranger) and if you run out of room, just use magic bags of holding. Lore

is an option for Battle Rangers that have spare skill points.


SPOT (WIS)

This skills helps you to "spot" hidden creatures, and -- to some degree -- look

behind closed doors. It's nifty and useful in modules where creatures tend to

go invisible on you, or for adventures where the DM is awfully creative to your

disadvantage. In the Official Campaign, this skill is utterly useless. Not a

bad skill, but not really necessary, either. You get a bonus from WIS if you

take it.


OPEN LOCKS (DEX)

Rangers are not Rogues, even though they have some aspects in common (both can

set traps, both often rely on their ability to move unseen in the shadows).

Archers and Assassins have very high DEX (and can cast Cat's Grace to further

increase it), so even though Open Locks is not a class skill, it is an

acceptable choice -- thanks to the DEX bonus. Then again, many locks can be

bashed open.


DISARM TRAPS (DEX)

While you can place traps competently, disarming them is not a class skill. Of

course, that doesn't make much sense, since in order to build a trap, you need

the same knowledge that's required to make them unusable. Alas, I didn't make

the rules. If you decide to get this skill anyway, you get a bonus from your

high DEX (if you are an Assassin or an Archer) and can expect to be able to

disable most floor traps that you encounter (examine them first!). Traps on

doors and containers can be a different issue, however. Note that you'll need

Search for Disarm Traps to make much sense, and you are slowly running out of

skill points.


SEARCH (INT)

If you want to find traps on your own, to either avoid or disarm them, you need

this skill to find them. It is actually a class skill (surprise, surprise), but

INT based, and your Ranger just isn't going to be the brightest adventurer in

the woods, so you get no bonus here. If you are going to pick up Disarm Traps,

this skill is worth considering, otherwise don't bother.


4.3 ALMOST USELSS SKILLS

------------------------

All skills that are not listed above, Simple, eh? Actually, I don't really like

the word "useless", because there are also situations or original character

builds where unusual skills can have a use and even be the focus of a

character's life. Average Persuade can be helpful on the Official Campaign,

Spellcraft might be useful for the passive bonus to saving throws against

spells, Parry might improve your defence, but drags battles into length and

just isn't overly helpful. But all in all, the skills that fall in this

category are "special interest" choices -- and if you go with them, I assume

that you know what you do.


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5.0 FEATS

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Miloš Vučić

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