Ranger Archive
Thread: The combat skills Rangers NEED to have
1) Pistoleer's currently get a +20 defensive bonus to all state attacks (Ie defense vs stun, blind etc) I believe Ranger should get about a +5 defensive ability to all state attacks. This should stack with the Pistoleers and whoever else gets those bonuses and won't be in any way unbalancing!
2) There are skill enhancements floating around that give +1 up to +3 counter attack bonuses. This is a skill that I believe SHOULD BE INNATE to the ranger skill set! I would love to see a +5 upto a +30 counter attack bonus to all kinds of attacks....I don't know how powerful these bonuses are especially since skill enhancements haven't worked until todays patch but I feel the devs could make those decisions. This would be a unique skill set because I don't believe any other profession has this, and it would be keeping with our support role tradition and also it make sense with the whole Antarian Ranger tradition.
3) We need a blow dart and a bow and arrow added to our traps line.....there primary funtion is to inflict state changes in the things we are attacking....INCLUDING other players....they would do minimal damage but would not have to be equipped like a weapon....This is extremely important that they can be used just like traps so that they don't become actual weapons. A dizzy state would be fitting for the blow dart and maybe intimidate for the bow?
Well those are my suggestions let the pile on begin!
I'll go along with the state defensive bonuses; that is a good idea.
Lot's of people are talking about this bow and arrow deal, and I just have to disagree. We're shooting "frickin" lasers at things -why in the world would someone want to use a bow, and how effective could it possibly be compared to a laser? I would however like to see some kind of a dart gun, maybe to launch phenacines and lacephines (sp?) with.
Ewoks used bows and arrows against Storm Troopers ..hehe...
i would love to have a nice bow and some blow darts ....be great to have a poison dart too ...
IMHO, just let us use traps on anything. players and humanoids. Don't just limit us to animals. being a covert master ranger for a few months, traps are my least used skill.
But oh well, judging by what I'm hearing from players able to get in the game, I'm a useless Ranger/Creature handler now. 
Since i am a Ranger i want to see some changes and ill give my opinion on what i would like to see.
First of all Rangers ARE a Combat Class, But just not in this game but they should be. Rangers are like snipers except they do it solo. They camp they hunt and they know how to kill easily, What i say should be done is as follows-
--Rangers should be able to aim at any part of the person meaning that they can shoot their normal fire and focus all of those shots onto the Health/Action/Mind pools but with a 1/3 Reduction to speed, This could be a skill.
--Rangers should be able to have a skill that allows them to see farther, a name such as "Spotting" dont get this confused with Tracking rangers would have to make Bunoculars for each use of this skill allowing them to see great distances to spot their prey.
--Rangers should be able to have a sort of Counter Attack against someone who shoots them in the back so if they get shot they imediatly turn and fire.
--This one is a bit to my liking, Rangers should have a Lock-On Feature wich is like tabbing except it accually locks your cursor and movement onto your foe, Kind of like Auto-Following.
More to come when im not so tired.
like a trap, that doesnt initiate combat
EG, a poison dart, does poison damage and causes DOT without going into combat with the animal (ANIMAL)
downside = VERY hard to make (to stop overusing and being able to take down anything using 30958994 of these)
Blow darts? nah, no range realistically. IRL, only small game is hunted with these, and probably most are not poison darts as you think of them.
Bow and arrows, that is a good idea. First shot, silent... does not initiate combat. We can make the bow out of native materials we buy/gather as Novice Rangers... and as we progress we get maybe2 other arrows, for a total of 3, with the best arrow, a poison type (and we have to make the poison or have it made for us) at Master Level. Ist arrow is just damage, 2d bleeds, 3d poisons.
Other attacks... no. Rangers can choose melee or ranged, then pick their weapon. Let the weapons class determine their combat skills. Point - a fellow Ranger was only this morning bitching that the targets were shooting before he could get into melee range, while I, a pistoleer, had no problems engaging targets at a distance.
We are a combat support profession, let our combat skills come from our chosen weapons, not the Ranger line.
JB
Although I think the blowdart is a good idea, in practicality, it is done at near point blank ranges.
As for traps affecting humans, we are masters of the wild. yeah, it would be effective, but I think it goes against our primary function.
I think that defensive perks versus animals is great! I would love to see more defense bonuses added to the class. After all, after hunting chubas night and day, I think that as an observant ranger, I would know how they hit, where they hit and how to avoid being hit by an animal.
Humans are another story. Unless I am a bounty hunter trained in the art of killiing humans, then I should not have any innate ability to defend myself from those attacks
I am a firm supporter of the bow idea. Yes we shoot lasers, but in real life, hunters that use bows do so for the sport and satisfaction of being more connected to the animal. Anyone can launch a TOW missile and disintigrate an animal (the army's instruction manuals are written at a 7th grade level) but it takes finesse and strategy to hunt an animal with a bow. I would like the bow to be able to be fitted with custom tips/ traps. But only effect animals. The bows with normal (maybe poison) can be used PVP.
my 2 credits
But as Rangers in SWG we hunt as it is our profession. Not a hobby. If you give any ranger the choice of killing an animal in 10 seconds with a laser or 10 minutes with a bow and arrow, we'll take the laser just about every time. Unless a ranger bow was better than other elite weapons, who'd ever use it? I still like the idea of rangers being able to craft poison into existing weaponsmith craftables. Posion pistols, gaffi sticksand vibrolances, for example,already exist in the game and Rangers use poison from novice scout so it is reasonable. An idea that is both practical and reasonable (IMO) is far more likely to come to fruition than the more speculative, which is how I view the bow and arrow idea.
AgonThalia wrote:
I am a firm supporter of the bow idea. Yes we shoot lasers, but in real life, hunters that use bows do so for the sport and satisfaction of being more connected to the animal.
That is true, I would much rather take down an animal quickly and efficiently to support my semi-lucrative career and if a bow is too weak to do any sufficient damage, then it doesnt make sense to "shoot bow...critter bleeds....shoot pistol.....oops, bleeding stopped, re-shoot bow.....oh crap, he's coming for me.....switch to pistol....." That kind of tactic is sure to make some critter munch on my bones. I think that tactic would only really work if the bleed/ poison/ effect was VERY effective.
Here is a possible scenario.
I am hunting solo on Dantooine....I spy a single seething bol, grazing away....I take out my high-tech compound bow, load an arrow (which has a bleed as a base ability and a poison that I crafted to the tip). I kneel, aim and fire. In real life when most animals are hit with an arrow they run away. Therefore the secondary effect is "warning shot" or a "crippling" effect that is included in the skill with the bleed. The bol bolts bleeding and crippled. All the while the poison has left him (blind, dizzy, tranquilized, intimidated) I chase after the critter, switch to my pistol and finish him off.
Thats what I see the Ranger Bow as. I am of two minds whether they should work on NPC's since we are not trained to kill humans.
Thanks for making me think a little bit more...
A bit of realism.. Perhaps if the primitive (but still useful) bow and arrow skills were used... the following benefits could be gained:
* Harder for creatures to break conceal/cover; bows and arrows are for the most part quite stealthy
* Easier realistically to enable a Ranger to harvest all three resources.. asseveral laser shots may do more damage to the hide, bone, meat, etc. as they are randomly spaced across the creatures body.
Note: Givebow and arrow usagea few drawbacks .. perhaps limited ammo, soft damage, inability to use in a prone position
* Provides those Rangers that want a more "sporting Hunter" feel to get what they want; those that would rather not use primitive technology (an oxymoron if I've ever seen one), would not force Rangers to utilize these weapons.
Heck.. why not?
Tevoo Rerio
I like the idea of the defensive bunuses in combat. The state defense is neat, and I would like it, but not entirely effective. How often do you get a state put on you? Personally I prefer the counter attack bunus. It's more effective since it can be used for all attacks on you, and more unique as far as other professions are concerned. It also totally fits with the Ranger profession, being a combat support roll, and being alert to our surroundings. Maybe it can be a professive thing like terrain negotiation, at novice you get +10 counter attack and then maybe +5 for each level oftracking and another +10 at master.
As far as bow or blow darts, I really like the ideas in NRaas's State of the Proffesion, with the trap launcher. I also really like the idea of making custom traps, where we can combine our existing traps to make one that has multiple effects. This could also be staggered. At novice we can combine 2, at say trapping 2 we can combine 3, and at trapping 4 we can combine 4.