Ranger
the Archer Warrior
by Charis

Class: Paladin, Barbarian, Necromancer
Tag: RNG

Introduction

In D1, the Archer was a Warrior with high specialty in bow, daggers allowed but no shield, high AC preferred, FWall as an answer to folks crowding him, and a love for scouting and recon. Stealth was sometimes used, and Harpoon was one of his titles.

The Ranger is expert with bow, but not averse to hand-to-hand combat with daggers. He'll not be seen with a shield. From times of old, Rangers have also been known to use magic support to confuse and pound their enemies.

Items

Armor
Any up to Splint Mail, Light Plate/Chaos, and any with "Ease."

Shields
None (exception: Umbral Disk)

Weapons
Bows, Crossbows, Harpoons, and Dagger class weapons.

When is dagger combat used? When there is no room to maneuver, or vs specific foes too tough or fast to use the bow effectively.

The use of Harpoons as the sole javelin class weapon dates back to a legendary defense to a siege, in which a division of ranger held off a Blunderbore invasion thanks to a stockpile of Harpoon weapons (The Battle of Blunderthroe). It's also the title for defeating Diablo on NM difficulty. Hell title: Phoenix, Normal: Stingray.

Enchantments
Light radius is a tricky matter for the ranger. With his bow (the most common mode) he prefers to see very well and uses +l.r. In a more furtive hand-to-hand mode, -l.r. (Goblin Toe, Duskdeep, etc.) are nice, avoiding +l.r. then if possible.

Uniques
No restrictions, but favorite ones include...

- Goblin Toe: Stealth AND Crushing Blow, what more could you want?
- Umbral Disk: is allowed due to very low blocking, blinding opponents and the stealth-like name. It's small size complements the nimble dagger.
- Swordback Hold: a special trophy for those who kill Diablo using Harpoons! It may be wielded only when using Harpoon as a weapon. The open wounds nature and distinctive style are eye-catching.

Skills

All non-melee skills, plus melee skills that stun, poison, or hit multiple adjacent enemies. The preferred skills focus is on mind-effecting and artillery spells.

Paladin
Hammerdin style, Blessed Hammer and Concentration are good Fanaticism for speed and Conviction to hit are preferred. The Ranger is less 'party oriented' than a typical Paladin, and the sharing of auras plays less of a role in his decisions. He often scouts or goes off by himself. For hand to hand, Sacrifice or Zeal, not Charge or Veng.

Barbarian
Grim Ward rules, and many warcries are helpful. Dual wield of daggers is ok, as is frenzy. Stun is the other combat choice. Not Leap Attack, Whirlwind or the others. For Bar's only, short swords are an option to daggers to get benefit from Sword Mastery. Dual throw is allowed, although it would only be of use with Harpoons.

Necromancer
Of the three, the least common, but the one who most loves to play mind games with his foes. Only distantly related to most necromancers, he'll never use a golem (with the possible exception of during corpse recovery, and not recast). He may revive other archer class foes. Given there is no Summon Skeletal Archer skill, Skeletal Mages are allowed. Dim Vision, Confuse, and similar curses are a great boon. Bone Armor, Spear and Spirit are allowed, but not walls (they don't allow arrows to penetrate).

End Comments

Dual class with other variants is allowed when they are compatible. Be sure to maintain the artillery nature, avoidance of larger wpns and shield. For bow-toting sorceress, see the Moor.

A subclass is the Harpoon Ranger. He uses all forms of javelins, and forsakes both dagger and bow. His efforts are a living memorial to the Battle of Blunderthroe. Fist of Heavens is more common, as is conviction, concentration. Once they defeat Diablo with Harpoons (specifically) they may use spiked shields (incl. Swordback Hold) and unlike others, may wear heavy armor - Defiance is even an option. (If Bar, Shout, Spear mastery, Throwing Mastery, and now Bash. Leap Attack is allowed, but not Whirlwind. For Nec, Fire and Iron golems are allowed, no Clay or Blood, and spear wielding revives)

There is LARGE latitude here with the different skills, much more than in D1. You could see anything from a Skel Mage pumping artillery legion, to a standard Hammerdin, to a Harpoon-LA Bar!