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I was thinking about Rangers as a character class. Somewhere along the line, I think it was D&D that came up with it, Rangers were able to cast spells. Every game I've seen with rangers since then has spells. I was wondering if anyone knew the rationale for that.

I know that Palladium RPG had no spells for Rangers but that was the only one I know of.

Probably because Arigorn knew some elvin magic.

All things Dnd were stolen

In original D&D there wasn't a ranger that was added afterwards when druid and palladin were added. And I think Legolas was more the inspiration for the ranger, although Aragorn would work too, but the ranger was depicted as an archer more than a swordsman. But thats just my opinion.

Mainly I say Aragorn because he was Stryder, of the Dúnedain rangers of the North lands. There was also Rangers of Ithilien, from the south lands of Gondor, like Faramir.

Paladin was a fighter-type class that could cast cleric spells. Ranger can cast wizard/sorcerer spells, and both came in at the same time. The inspiration for Ranger magic may have been simple game balance.

Onimaster wrote:Probably because Arigorn knew some elvin magic.

All things Dnd were stolen

I think Gygax stated at some point that the entire basis for D&D was Middle-Earth.

Donovan Thynedar wrote:Paladin was a fighter-type class that could cast cleric spells. Ranger can cast wizard/sorcerer spells, and both came in at the same time. The inspiration for Ranger magic may have been simple game balance.

Right, in D&D fighter\cleric became palladin, monk\cleric or magic user became druid, and fighter\magic user became ranger. Wow, just thinking back to the original classes makes me yearn for THAC0... well ok maybe not...

Atrum Draconus wrote:In original D&D there wasn't a ranger that was added afterwards when druid and palladin were added. And I think Legolas was more the inspiration for the ranger, although Aragorn would work too, but the ranger was depicted as an archer more than a swordsman. But thats just my opinion.

I admittedly didn't join the ranks of D&D until after the advent of Advanced. Ranger I think first debuted (sp?) in Dragon Magazine. And was added into the revised version of Dungeons and Dragons as an Expert Class. You had to be some level Figter first and be of good alignment. So, we think the magic part was elfy. Makes sense. I was just trying to look for the idea behind it without reverse engineering it.

Donovan Thynedar wrote:Paladin was a fighter-type class that could cast cleric spells. Ranger can cast wizard/sorcerer spells, and both came in at the same time. The inspiration for Ranger magic may have been simple game balance.

I remember fondly the time when there was such a vast separation of the magic types. Now everything gets so muddled.

marduk wrote: I think Gygax stated at some point that the entire basis for D&D was Middle-Earth.

If it comes down to it, don't almost all modern fantasy books games and such have some roots in Tolkien's work?

For sure. D&D is just a straight theft. HA!

no not all. Most but not all. In fact many stealform D&D and AD&D which ganked from Tolkien.
There were/are a few that are all their own, most notable was a game called Powers and Perils. TOTALY unique but not popular or well supported so it was dropped. Avalon Hill made it if i remember, ill have to look at my set. VERY complex system though.

Dragon Quest was rather unique as I remember it. Chivalry and Sorcery was more based off of mythology, but was CRAZY complex.

Iron Crown Enterprises put out a system that was also very much its own, but has to be the MOST complex I have ever seen. It was called Role master but most players called it RULES MASTER and with good cause. I once made a PC for a gaming group I played with and it took me 2 Saturday session of about 5 hours each night. They had a skill for everything. Hell we used to joke when somone went to pee that they had to see if they made their roll first.


The best table top game system I've played can be found here: http://www.tai-gear.com , but it starts out as a generic system. It has the SMOOTHEST combat system ive played, and im old. Its called Eternal Soldier.

Hope that helps

And Tolkien was brought to Christ from C.S. Lewis.

CopyCATS the lot of them

uhm..no:

As already given above, Tolkien's devout faith was significant in the conversion of C. S. Lewis from atheism to Christianity, although Tolkien was greatly disappointed that Lewis chose to return to Anglicanism,[20] rather than becoming a Catholic like himself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien

Chris,

I think Brian has you there.