Ranger defensive lore

[osma]

There are 2 complaints that i hear from rangers; that rangers are paper tanks that cannot survive close combat for very long (rangers often take races with low con, we dont get much con from levels, and if i remember, we get less defensive skills/maxes then light army), and that wilderness tactics/animal lore do not slide properly, leading to little damage at higher levels.

One suggestion to solving both problems is to combine them. Tactics involve both offensively attacking an enemy while avoiding their attacks. KNowing about an enemy allows you to exploit their weaknesses both in defence, and in avoiding their attacks. So add either a special (much like what goes off already) that allows rangers to avoid attacks from animals, and avoid attacks while in wilderness areas. This would allow rangers to fight the mobs that they specilize in killing: animals. Further, it is reasonable: knowing how an animal likes to attack will let you read it's movements and know when it is about to swing. Knowing your terrain and such will allow you to duck around a tree or jump over a tangle of bushes, tripping your enemy or making them miss you. Fighting an animal in heavy forest should let a higher level ranger laugh at the bear as it's slow swings constantly miss the nimble ranger.

(P.S: an alternate idea is that i hear shadowdancers, who supposidly are also very light offtanks, have some sort of mastery that lets them avoid hits by ducking into shadows. Giving rangers a mastery which lets them duck around a tree and avoid a hit sounds like it would be effective as well, and making it a mastery would restrict it to experenced rangers, rather then people who just have lots of exp to spend.)

[solarin]

I would have to agree with osma on most of his points, the duck behind a tree while a bear slashes at your head seems natrual for a ranger also in the nightstalkers sub I would like to see that maybe evolve to be able to snap off two shots by running and sniping behind trees to avoid the target, ofc that wouldn't work in open areas seeing there is no place to hide effectively in those regions. Seems to me that most mobs have a higher dex than most all players.

[yoz]

rangers dont need to be more defensive. If hitpoints are a problem, you are doing it wrong.

To keep balance, why not take the +skill bonuses away when in forest and give them a better chance of avoiding hits ":D"

[odovacar]

(P.S: an alternate idea is that i hear shadowdancers, who supposidly are also very light offtanks, have some sort of mastery that lets them avoid hits by ducking into shadows. Giving rangers a mastery which lets them duck around a tree and avoid a hit sounds like it would be effective as well, and making it a mastery would restrict it to experenced rangers, rather then people who just have lots of exp to spend.)

That's a racial feat, not a guild feat. AFAIK, there is no shadowdancer-specific dodge skill/mastery. Or maybe I have never had such mastery to a high enough level or noticed it kick in (I really should highlite more).