THE FANTASY RANGER - historical origin and most effective weapons | FANTASY RE-ARMED
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- Опубликовано: 21 май 2024
- An in-depth look at the RANGER in medieval fantasy such as in dungeons and dragons, lord of the rings, and game of thrones, their historical origin and the best weapons that suit their role and combat style.
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Given your definition would Witchers (More specifically those from the Wolf School) be considered in part Rangers? When you realise that most of the tasks they do is hunt and eliminate threats within the wilderness they are in a way policing and protecting forests, plains, hillsides etc even if instead of being supported by Lords & Kings directly they instead are compensated by the people as a whole through use of bounties.
If you want to make a Witcher In Dnd start with a monster hunter Ranger and then go from there, take magic initiat and V-human (because that’s exactly what they have become) splash some fighter and welcome to the world ;)
Witchers are more like paid hunters than rangers, they don’t protect any land other than their own
I had the same thought. The biggest difference in gear however might be that witchers don't carry bows as far as I recall in the books, games or show (maybe a crossbow in the games), but they make up for it with signs, so they might be better considered a spellsword who focuses on ranger/hunter jobs?
tulok's witcher build actually has mostly ranger in it
@@StarShadowPrimal A Ranger in DnD DOES have spells after a certain lvl ...cleric ones usualy related to nature sphere,and as at specific lvl tiers can add some type of enemy as a personal type that he has a beef with so he gets bonus when fighting them , so around 20 lvl he would have like 4 diferent types. So for a Witcher i would say a ranger who has probably chosen as enemies from undead, aberations, giantkind, gryphons, dragonkind or demonkind.The spells he later gets are his signs and he can be the kind that hasn't trained on missile weapons but only on mellee specificaly , swords and he could be 1 handed if he so chooses though he then loose the major bonus of ranger class for dual wielding
Ranger: nature will provide" *checks under berry bush and pulls out grilled cheese sandwitch*
Whole roasted turkeys hidden inside trash cans. **Video game logic.**
I'll trade you my Strawberry Shortcake I pulled from a Dead Lambs Liver.
Wacky
@@Xylospring that ain’t worth my canned soup I took from a rats ass
@@Xylospring ill trade that shortcake for the cinnamon ribbon candy i found in this mole hole. Deal?
Aragorn: "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."
Shad Baggins: "But is that really the best option for bodyguard duty?"
Gimli: and my ax
Shad: but wouldn't you prefer a weapon with more reach
@@goldencalf13 Legolas: and my bow
Shad: do you unstring it for storage; what's the poundage?
@@henrypaleveda7760 and please tell me you figured out to attach it to your back
Am I really getting the best service for my gold piece? Dwarves literally work for alcohol, and elves will come along just to show they can outdo dwarves.
Ok but What about the spear, or dragon or SPEAR DRAGONS ? 🤔
I modded skyrim to make it more punishing, and I ended up with a ranger build. I role-played a deliveryboy/merchant at low levels because I couldn't kill many things, so that meant light armor for lots of traveling. Then I used a bow and a sword for fighting, and naturally relied on stealth when I could so that I could avoid combat or get pot shots. I had both a bow and a sword because I figured shooting them is preferable to getting close when I have the option, but the sword was for that case where I was attacked and didn't have the option to shoot from afar. I guess that's a ranger build, isn't it? Except I hadn't realized that was what I was doing.
Did exactly the same thing, except instead of sword i used an axe since it would be better to get wood with it (RP wise at least)
I always say I'm gonna be a different build but I always do the same thing
Weirdly enough, I don't have much interest in bows for desktop Skyrim, but it almost immediately became my favorite in VR Skyrim. It's a shame they made it a separate copy of the game - it's not only greedy, but the VR version has fallen behind in patches. The bow is quite satisfying in it, though.
Its a very common route most players end up taking because stealth is somewhat OP. It got memed at some point i remember, everyone turning into a stealth archer.
Another point in favor of the dual-wielding ranger, is that this implies the ranger has a backup to his weapon, which seems like a good idea you if run the risk of damaging your primary weapon purely on terrain.
Yeah, I had the same thought, a second falchion would be very practical if you were out in the wilderness for long periods using it as a tool for getting through brush.
"Guy who is good at camping" is an underrated member of the party. In a real life adventure that would probably be the leader of any wilderness expedition.
Hungry, exhausted knights, paladins and wizards are useless when you get to the fight. After starwing a couple of weeks without food, getting lost in the way several times, getting ambushed by local minions… the croup is dead and useless without good ranger!
You have to know how to hunt, how to make a shelter. How to make a campaign fire (so that nobody sees the smoke at long distance, how to find water that is good to drink, find a way Through the wildernes with the easiest route possible, knows how to cross streams and swamps… i can not see how any croup could survive without one or two of rangers!
And if you didn't have that member in your party, you'd probably have a guide. Who'd be a guy who is good at camping.
If anything it seems like a more logical party than the standard one would be: wilderness fighter, druid, wilderness rogue, and a Wizard with wilderness survival/navigation specialty.
The big issue with rangers is that he's actually *so* useful that if the wilderness parts were properly simulated, you wouldn't be able to have a party without one.
My last game I ran had a druid, he was the leader for sure.
@@haukionkannel unless the wizard can fabricate his own food and water... magically.
The fact that he calls his property the “Shadlands.” Gets a thumbs up 👍
I really hope shad hasnt googled his own name without the "iversity".
@@erricro3198 do you mean the rapper or the hentai porn nazi lol.
Speaking as a longtime Ranger main, the class does generally feel underpowered, but I've always considered that to be the expected cost of versatility. Need stealth? Ain't perfect, but I can do it. Need damage output? Ain't perfect, but I can do it. Need this, that, or the other? Ain't perfect, but I can do it. It's the kind of class that can solo an entire campaign with a bit of luck, some decent planning and a metric ton of caution.
After loving playing a Gloomstalker in BG3, I made a Gloomstalker for a Tabletop Character and I am useful in almost every situation. I absolutely love it. I'm not lead, but I'm support in most encounters be it with the Rogue, the Barbarian, or healing when the Cleric goes down.
Ranger was my first DnD character, and you described my experience perfectly. Outside of a few scenarios I was supporting other people in their specializations. If someone slipped past our barbarian & tried to attack our wizard they had to go through me first. If the rogue needed help scouting I was there to help. If the cleric needed to keep his spell slots ready for something I could heal. I could even help the wizard cc stuff if need be. I learned to tailor my playstyle thanks to other ranger mains, and their experiences. My DM even threw me a bone & added some exploration elements. It wasn't much, but I was happy when that stuff came up.
Overall I feel like the ranger is their to fill in the blanks depending on the situation, and if there isn't a hole to fill no one is going to complain about the consistent dps a ranger can provide. Definitely not the best class, but it can function just fine.
It is useful to note that the swords Aragorn used in the books would not have been a longsword, as Tolkien wasn't taking inspiration from Late medieval warfare but rather from Early medieval/Late antiquity legends. Anduril wasn't a longsword in the books, rather it was a much shorter sword (I think used in conjunction with a shield). Peter Jackson may have mistaken it for a longsword or he might have chosen a longsword as an artistic choice.
All the armor and weapons in the movies were moved to late medieval era as an artistic choice, it was intended to be more dramatic. And I think the reason Anduril was turned into a longsword is because of dramatic two-handed poses.
"Vert" is a french word that means "green"
When William the Conqueror said "protect the vert and venison", he refered to the trees "vert" and deer "venison", which were two very important ressources in early medieval period.
The "rangers" job at the time was to prevent any unautorised woodcutting and poaching in the forests of his domain
And to put out forest fires... often by clearing away dried brush
You took the words from my ... ah ... fingertips? Modern French would pronounce the vowel as in English f*ai*r or w*a*res and leave the t unspoken. But I seem to remember from the great Machicolations Dissent that medieval French (particularly in the north, where William the Conqueror would have picked up his language) sounded quite different. Anyone still got the specifics of that at hand?
the word should was spell like that so that they could rhyme with could and would
seems like a similar thing, where they just made the word specifically for that to sound cool
I thought so to, but for a different reason. When he said "vert" I thought it sounded similar to the word "verdant" which I understand is associated with the green of plants.
Heaven forbid the peasantry tries to feed themselves.
I love how the main takeaways from this are:
1. Drizzt Do'Urden was right, and
2. Machetes, made to cut through underbrush, are great at cutting through underbrush.
And fingers.
Technically Drizzt wielded scimitars not falchions. I believe they're pretty similar though.
@@TonkarzOfSolSystem Scimitars are narrower in distance from spine to edge, but otherwise quite similar.
And this is why you don't hear of many people with the surname "underbrush"
Spent some time in Panama, where everybody from 10 up carried a machete. Saw some really vicious wounds inflicted by them.
I did a little research and the Knight's yeoman from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales seems like an interesting template for a fantasy ranger. He's described as wearing a green coat and hood as well as a bracer. His weapons were a bow with peacock feathered arrows, a sword (not specified but I assume an arming sowrd), and a dagger. He also carried a buckler and a hunting horn too.
That’s cool!
I'd say Faramir and the Ithilien Rangers are more accurate to what you described than Aragorn and the Dunedain. Ithilien is a wild area by the time in which the events of LOTR take place, and it's been abandoned by Gondor as a place to live in, but they still police it and patrol it to avoid the orcs overrunning it completely, and they are a separate branch of the army, appointed by Denethor to do this task in the wild
The rangers in The Lord of the rings are led by Aragorn himself, they keep the roads safe from bandits and monsters as well as protect the borders of Bree and the Shire. They are the last remnants of the north Kingdom of Arnor, the sister country to Gondor.
Ithilien Rangers?
@@SinfulGentile no the rangers, Destiny is referring to, are the Dúnedain Rangers, or Rangers of the North. The North, referring to Arnor as Destiny mentioned. The Ithilien Rangers on the other hand, reside in Ithilien which is the easternmost region of Gondor and the closest region to Mordor.
@@SinfulGentile Ithilien is a province of Gondor that had more or less fallen under enemy control when Minas Ithil was captured by the Witch King. The rangers there acted as force recon and harassment against the forces of Mordor being drawn up from Umbar, Harad and Khand toward the Black Gate.
At one point the Rangers of the North would have served a similar function, but since the destruction of Arnor and Angmar the enemy had no organized presence in the north and so the role of the Dunedain changed to one of a long watchfulness over the ruins of their fallen kingdom and what little remained of civilization in the North.
You know it makes sense that in any fantasy world with wild monsters regularly about, that a job like this would be needed for any relatively safe travel to occur.
As stated, the Dúnedain Rangers were the remnants of the North Kingdom of Arnor. As the heir to their line of kings, Aragorn is their leader, or chieftain (the films don't really convey, mostly for the sake of brevity). The kingdom was in a long war with enemies who were fighting under Sauron (they were led by the Witch-king of Angmar, the leader of the Ringwraiths). Long story short, the opposing sides basically destroyed each other. Since they no longer had a kingdom to rule, the Dúnedain who survived continued to protect what remained of their former territory from any other enemies who tried to invade it.
According to Oxford references “Venison” applied to all royal livestock, not just deer, and “vert” was the tree and shrubbery that fed and sheltered that livestock.
So is that where the word "verdant" originated?
@@TakesakaJinn that would make sense. Verd is rooted in Latin for the word green, so something verdant is a healthy growing thing, because it’s green. That’s what I would guess
This adds another layer of lore to lil uzi vert's name
So it's just Old English for "flora and fauna"
@@mindofthelion712 haha, yeah it would seem so
I feel the part of them possibly using a composite bow over a longbow would be a neat feature, really. It could be one of those "Hey, you see his bow? That guy's a ranger" kind of things. An exclusive 'ranger' looking thing about them. A badge that instantly shows that this person is a ranger in your world.
So in the book series Ranges apprentice. While fully trained Rangers use Longbows the apprentice's use recurve. Their other weapons are a throwing knife, and Seax Knife.
I was one of those rare kids that always wanted to be the ranger. I was obsessed with the outdoors, and the idea of being self sufficient in the wild, especially in an age when it seemed those skills had all but disappeared from humanity, was really appealing to me. I don't think I ever played another character class in any medieval fantasy setting.
same here!
As an adult, Ranger first. Druid second. Sometimes, considered multi classing 🌿🌲🌳
One of my favorite implementations of rangers in fantasy was the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. The rangers are a sort of secretive law enforcement / special military unit. Rangers are assigned to a fief which is theirs to protect and police with the King's authority behind them. In times of peace they track and hunt down outlaws, bandits, monsters or beasts, and can be sort of detectives when trouble stirs. And in times of war they serve as elite scouts, spies, and saboteurs. One of the main characters in the series became famous for leading a cavalry company through difficult terrain to attack an enemy army from an unprotected flank.
The writer gives lots of great details about their equipment, training, and tactics which is great for any detail-loving nerd like myself. They use longbows, though young apprentice rangers use a shorter recurve bow until they develop the strength to use a longbow, and they carry a set of 2 knives (inspired by the seax), one small and one heavy, and they travel around with a special breed of small, rugged, and smart horses whose unassuming appearance can often be deceiving. Great series, one of my favorites as a kid/teen and one I plan to revisit many times as an adult.
I was sad to see this amazing series was not referenced when talking about rangers
@@joshualimore7115 looking for that reference was the whole point of me clicking. No point watching the rest of the vid now.
High,Middle,Low Justice
That series was incredible at making the ranger a real job and not just "guy who lives in the woods" like so many other fictions. Such a good depiction of them. Absolute gold.
Actively listening to it on Audible. Amazing series, Have the first 10 physically, as well as the 3 prequels, and first 2 of second series, and I think the first 5 of Brother band Chronicles. Amazing series. really wish Shad had made a reference to it.
Another historical analogue for the Ranger archetype would be the Jaegers from the late/High medieval to early modern Germanies. Hunters and gamekeepers who also had a military and law enforcement role, they often acted almost as bounty hunters and were commonly used as elite scouts by armies.
fyi: "Jäger" is the German word for hunter and a more generic term, afaik also in historic context. Professional hunters with additional responsabilities (like the mentioned law enforcement) had specific titles, which differ depending on time and region. Btw, forest/wood and hunting management were different positions until early modern times, which can make it a pain to differentiate the historic titles now.
@@Gargboss Thanks. Always good to get more info. My knowledge of them is more from early modern mentions, but I knew they were around before that.
And the Rogers Rangers formed in 1757 during the French and Indian War.
They were a light infantry force, tasked with reconnaissance and special operations.
Major Robert Rogers even wrote out the "28 Rules of Ranging"
THAT'S WHY HE'S CALLED EREN JAEGAR! I had no idea
@@ScoptOriginal Ihr seid das Essen und wir sind die Jaeger -- roughly translates to "You are the prey and we are the hunters"
38:50 Alternatively I would suggest that the ideal duel wielding set up for the fantasy ranger would be a falchion/messer as primary and that handy belt knife as a secondary. Shad already had it tucked in a convenient spot and if he keeps his left hand on it while cutting, it's is out of the way. He can use the falchion/messer to react to a threat that jumps out at him and draw the knife as a back up.
I would also think a hand axe would also be a viable secondary weapon for the offhand. As Shad himself said an axe is better at splitting wood and felling larger trees. So taking in to consideration the the weight of carrying multiple weapons. The Falchion/Messer with a Hand axe in the offhand make a lot of sense as well.
Yeah, I think two falchions/messers would be too unwieldy. A knife or even a dagger in the off-hand would be better, as they can be used to parry attacks, stabbing opponents if you break past their defenses (knock the opponent's blade away with your falchion and step in to deliver a stabbing blow with the dagger), as well as be a really good survival tool (used when gutting and skinning wild creatures, cooking, eating, etc etc).
Just in general if youre expecting to rough it in the woods youre probably already carrying a knife and a beltaxe(not necessarily on your belt could be on your pack) so its probably wielding whichever you pulled with your larger blade
Don't want to be carrying too much. As a ranger, you'll be carrying a lot of food, water, hunting equipment, and tools to build shelters.
More weight > more exhaustion > slower moving > vulnerable when ambushed on the move.
@@timwekenborg3947 I'd choose a larger, thicker knife for that. You can very easily split wood and do heavy chopping with an 8-12" long knife that's a 1/4" thick at the spine. Generally you'd choose a longer one if you were going to be splitting thicker logs. Such a knife has incredible utility, and if it did have a guard you could fight with it as well.
If all you have is a small blade, you can use it to cut a wedge into a small hardwood log and then use that to split other logs. I would basically never choose a hand axe over anything else.
Currently studying Japanese history from way back into the Warring States Era, and I was actually surprised to learn that they also had ranger roles within their government. To my memory, they sit below the daimyo/landlords of the time, and were given the task of guarding the security of the lands without dispatching the actual military force (they also patrol forests).
It is genuinely fascinating how similar societal functions echo even in very different cultures. I guess it kinda shows no matter where you come from, you have similar needs and priorities.
Every culture needs people to patrol in rough country and forests. Because if you don't patrol those lands, inevitably somebody or something will set up shop in those lands and become a problem. Could be bandits or hostile tribes, could be dangerous animals, could just be poachers depleting that land of valuable resources needed for the survival and economy of the nearby settlements. Nowadays there's so many humans around, we've pretty much eliminated most of the frontiers, the larger more dangerous animals have been reduced, and it's not particularly practical for criminal elements to hide within the few more wild places that exist (although there are the various squatters, and illicit plants being grown). Now instead we just have search and rescue people in case recreational hikers get lost or hurt.
In Scandinavia we had a version of the ranger named "ferdamann" which means "travelling man". Ferdamenn (plural) would be people who were skilled at tracking, survival, combat, and such. They would often be hired to escort people through dangerous areas like swamps and mountains, or to track down criminals or missing people/animals. Though they worked as guards or other combat focused roles, their work would most usually be to guide people through nature.
As a swede I have never heard of this.
@@littleDainolf I'm saying Scandinavia because I'm from Norway and generalizing it. I love medieval history and such cross culture. I think it would be called something different in Sweden though, as "ferdamann" is the Norwegian term.
Hyggelig å møte deg btw :)
@@littleDainolf Can second this. Also can't remember hearing about a similar role in Swedish history. Possible that this was a Norwegian thing.
@@Rommel12 Possible... I just assumed it was a Scandinavian thing as all Scandinavian countries used to be pretty similar in their ways...
@@thorsteinnorman7133 Ferdemann in modern Swedish would spell "Färdman" and translate the same way: "a travelling man".
The problem is that this is a historical thing, and it takes a bit tradition to make that stick in language culture so that it's used in modern times.
There are similar roles in Swedish history, but they are often called different things like "Jägare" or "Fjärdingsman". I think this is due to the german states influence on Swedish and Danish language, during the middle ages. And then the french and following English influence. To me it seems that Norway has retained a lot of it's old wording and expressions.
For example "Innmark" and "utmark" means the same in Sweden, but we don't use it for some reason. We use "Mark" for "Innmark" and then describe "Utmark" for what it is, like the forest, the swamp, the mountains e.tc. Same type of customs and laws, but with just a slight difference in how we think about it, resulting in different wording.
So when we hear "Ferdemann" it does'nt connect with anything. Even tho it might be as much a Swedish thing as a Norwegian thing. An historian would probably know, and as much as i'm interested in history, i am no historian.
"Vert and venison" just means "plants and animals." Vert, means green, or in other words the green trees and shrubs. Venison at that time was more general than just deer, and referred to any game animal.
The Norman-French word 'vert' also led to the English job title of verderer, the person who manages the royal forests so that the king can freely and productively hunt there. It's about working the woodlands to ensure the land can support a good number of primary game animals (usually deer and boar) as well as protecting game from predators such as lynxes, bears and wolves (which weren't driven to extinction in Britain until, I think, the 16th century), and especially from poachers. If you want to know how dangerous it must have been to counter poachers in the frequent years when the crops failed or when livestock were struck down by contagion, go ask the people who do that job today in national parks in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ayyy I knew this one. Back pat.
"Deer" used to be the English word for all animals. That's still the case in Dutch where the word for animals is "dieren".
So are we saying historical rangers were an important part of V&V?
I'll see myself out.
AKA meat and veg! 👍
I'm thinking that the offhand weapon would be a big knife rather than a second falcion, a Bowie maybe. Something to fill other roles like bushcraft. A second falcion would be exclusively for combat so is an inefficient use of valuable weight carrying capacity.
Yah youre probably going with a big knife or maybe a beltaxe if its not your primary weapon it should serve multiple purposes
Maybe even an eating knife or balls knife
8-12" blade, 1/4" at the spine, if it's made of decent enough steel and that's all you have in the woods, you can live a very happy and healthy life for a long time out there. You could fight with it too, although you'd probably want to use it to make a pointed stick if you knew a battle was coming your way.
I would suggest a kukri. An axe dagger. It is more effective than a machette to chop hard and large wood. Which are mandatory for overnight camp fire.
@shashankdevineni6969 Kukri might be better for heavy chopping but not overly so and it is worse for smaller, more delicate bushcrafting. I think that trade-off, for a multifunctional tool, puts a more standard knife shape ahead. The belly of the kukri isn't very conducive to that kind of work and the blade notch is rather detrimental. Being able to choke up on the handle and use the very bottom of the edge is very useful for whittling tasks.
I've always been really impressed with the Rangers Apprentice book series. It's an absolute live action gold mine waiting to be exploited. That series is the sole reason I got into traditional archery. But it flushes out a lot of details really well, down to the rangers having to snare rabbits for food while on extended missions. They use a heavy long knife, like a giant bowie knife but based off the viking seax knife as their melee weapon and use it with great utility.
The later books went downhill pretty roughly though
Flanagan said for a Rangers Apprentice Q&A that The small Seax/throwing knife has an 7in-8in blade used mainly as a utility knife and the larger heavy Seax is described as having a blade a little under 20in with a small cross-guard for protection (like many machetes). Both having extremely practical real world size, profiles and applications.
Alright, love when I get to nerd out on Lord of the Rings. The Dunedain rangers are the remnants of the Kingdom of Arnor, those with Numenorean blood. Their role as rangers is generally peacekeepers. They help to keep the more dangerous regions safe enough for Free people to not be harassed by Evil on the roads or in their major settlements in Eriador. There is a large number of them present keeping the Shire as peaceful as it is. They are lead by the closest kin to the King of the Numenoreans, in this case Aragorn. They know how to deal with orcs, goblins and the like pretty easily. Pathfinding and swift wilderness travel is a skill that they hone too. The rangers are also knowledgeable on the more rare Evil creatures like wraiths and trolls. So they are more self nominated protectors due to their lineage. I hope the wall of text was insightful.
God damn, Tolkien. Such a juggernaut of world building, I'm barely a speck of dust by comparison.
@@jocosesonata Worldbuilding Middle Earth was Tolkien's lifelong passion project. When someone that skilled spends that much time on something, it's going to be impressive.
I've always wondered why Saruman could do the scouring of the shire. Before it was protected in part by the Rangers (and ignorance of the greater world) but when they went to Mordor, Aragorn called the Rangers to him. So Saruman could enter the shire unchecked and unnoticed
nice one
Is it just me or is that starting to sound like a witcher
Agree with everything in the video, and also had a thought of my own that I was surprised to not see mentioned: What about a short spear, along the lines of a boar spear? Certainly isn't useful for cutting scrub, but when hiking it could double as a walking stick. I think the additional reach and stopping power of a spear could be very useful when fighting larger monsters.
And for killing boar if need be. I fully agree with having a spear. It's light enough that you could hold it in your off hand whilst hacking your way through underbrush with your falchion.
A weapon Shad covered some time ago, the Goedendag, would be a good option too. It's basically a staff-spear hybrid.
Even a full-length spear would be appropriate, given that you don't have to put it on your back. Trying to sneak around with a full-length spear while trying to use a longbow might be a pain, but many rangers and mountain men had buried caches of food and weaponry exactly for this purpose. Or you could just put another nail-catch on the spear, and swap it out for the bow when the need arises. Now, those iconic spatial storages would be _ideal_ for a spear.
Woah! I had a similar notion for a ranger character that's been evolving in my head for years. I had in mind a preference for short shafted pole arms, in particular the partisan. Great minds think alike!
It is actually a good idea but I feel it would be an inconvenience since the Ranger already has a long piece of wood. Especially if he uses long bow. So carrying both of them at the same time would be inconvenient and hanging one of them on the back would cause problems as shad showed while walking through the bushes .
When Shad mentions how kings would enforce people to not hunt deer on their lands, anyone else think of the line from Mel Brook's Robin Hood: Men in Tights "He deered to kill a kings dare."
(Sighs) Dared to kill a Kings deer
@@stingywingy1607 IKR? It ain't exactly the Mississippi...
RIP Roger Rees (1944-2015), the poor man's Alan Rickman.
Also...
King John: "You brought a wild boar."
Robin of Loxley: "No, that's a wild pig. HE's a wild bore!"
@@stingywingy1607 think it’s a joke
@@LeMeowAu no that's the next line
The ranger is the personification of "never be caught with your pants down". Jack of all trades master of not dying.
You gotta shit, though. How's he gonna do that?
@@walangchahangyelingden8252 Sometimes good men are killed in the privy by lesser men. Nothing to do about it, cept to wrap up business quickly.
@@ivocorte1580 Tactical dumps when?
When you're a solo player, you don't get the luxury of specialization.
@@walangchahangyelingden8252 Just wear a short skirt or a kilt, easier to take a dumb with.
Ranger is my favourite class in D&D. They're multifunctional in that they're a solid front line fighter but also capable as a support class and backup caster.
THIS. 1000% this. Absolutely same.
"I'm a fighter, spellcaster, and part rogue who wouldn't want to play me!"
Also great at stealth
I always had rangers in my parties. Somebody always wants to play the ranger. Rangers are so useful to any decent campaign.
For the longest time I've had my stories ranger use a Longbow and Machete and was worried that there were better options, this really eases my stress over it
Watching someone skilled with a machete is something to behold. I’ve seen Belizean field hands cut through 5” diameter tress like they’re cutting pool noodles.
Id like to mention that John Flanagan clearly defined a ranger as you did here, in his Ranger's Apprentice series. Per how you describe them, his is an excellent, nearly perfect example of your explanation.
Aha! Another Flanagan fan!
And yeah, good point!
Good books. Those were some awsome characters.
Good books, unrealistic archery expectations.
@@DH-xw6jp oh, for sure. Expectations of ability in fantasy should never be taken literally. Thats why its fantasy. But as shad mentioned both game of thrones and lord of the rings, I felt it prudent to also provide another view that focuses a bit more on the rangers. After all, legolas also had an unrealistically perfect skill with his bow.
Such a good series, though some things seem a bit silly since I know more about swords now. I don't recall the archery being to unrealistic thought it has been a bit since I read them.
I always loved being a ranger. Though mine used a crossbow and carried a woodaxe. For primarily the reasons you mentioned Shad.
Legends speak of a ranger who walked so far and wide, he eventually learned how to roundhouse-kick his way through tangled woodland, no tools required
Also worth considering that Faramir and his men in Gondor were rangers, too. Tolkien used the term to describe more of a militaristic role of a wandering scout and guerrilla warrior. The rangers of the north guarded the Shire against creatures of the Shadow, while Faramir's men guarded the still-settled areas of Gondor by ambushing the forces of Mordor moving through Ithilien. And as for the machete, it would depend heavily on what kind of woods you're working with. Ithilien was implied to be more like the idyllic primeval forest, so it makes sense that Faramir's company wore green/brown/gray for camouflage due to the lack of brush for cover, and also explains their thing for longbows (Tolkien specified those were man-high, and Dunedain aren't short). Eriador where Aragorn's men patrolled was probably a lot more full of scrub brush, but they were probably too concerned with leaving trails to hack through it with machetes. Aragorn and his kin were actively hunted by the evil creatures of the world.
Tolkien said that the rangers of Ithilien were a brother order to the knights of Minas Tirith. They were In the T.A. year 2901 after orcs and uruks raided Ithilien for about hundred years or so at this point. Few survive being rangers for a couple of years. Dunedain of the north were form after the fall of Fornost in T.A. year 1974, to protect the north from trolls, orcs, wild men of dunland, goblins, and whatever came down from Angmar. Also rangers in the use spears for melee, long bows for range. rangers of Ithilien use swords, large belt knifes, for melee and long bows for range.
Well Shad, your conclusion actually exists:
There is a Filipino martial art called Kombatan (which I practised for a while) which is based on dual wielding Machete (or sticks) and swinging with continues motions where you keep the momentum going to help you, and a lot of how it was developed was based the double usefulness of both being practical for combat but also to cut yourself thru the thick wilds of the Philippines.
So yeah, Machete, good for that and has been developed and practised in parts of the world for the double duty of combat and travel that a ranger needs.
I know this is probably not why it was called that, but "Kombatan" sounds like its taken straight from a fighting game. And duel wielding Machete sounds like something you'd find there as well.
How interesting! I've never heard of Kombatan before, then I researched it and found that it's practically Arnis. I remember learning Arnis in college and I can see how you can replace the arnis with machetes, although one could likely cut themselves if not careful.
@Joe Becker maybe. But arnis and eskirma don't sound anywhere near as cool as Kombatan.
Not to mention how useful a machete in general as a tool
"on dual wielding Machete (or sticks)"
Literally never heard of Kombatan, but that sounds exactly like eskrima. And looking up Kombatan, it is indeed an Eskrima/Arnis offshoot. Part of the brilliance of eskrima is that you can find a stick or some sort of blunt object almost everywhere and learning how to fight ambidextrously as a basis can allow you to then substitute with other weapons. And a knife is quite common. So aren't machetes. And, hell, I've never met someone that's gotten hit with full striking force with a decent stick and say it didn't hurt like hell.
This is the reason why if you ever go to the Philippines, never, never, never ever should you ever get in a fight. With ANYONE. (I'm not saying this because I expect anyone reading this to start or pick fights for some bizarre reason. But say someone is drunk and aggressive. Whatever you do, de-escalate and get away from them.) Because, statistically speaking, you're much more likely to run into a very competent and/or dangerous fighter than just about any other place on the planet. And many, many Filipinos carry a knife just for utility purposes that can easily be utilized on you.
There's a saying I saw once from an instructor that I love to emphasize this point: *_"Karate, Judo, and Taijiquan are all well and good, but I can guarantee you someone doing eskrima killed someone somewhere in Visayas today."_*
I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the depth of thought, detail, and passion you put into this, sir.
The best DND campaign I ever played was as a group of mercenaries fighting on the periphery of a war. Effectively we were chaotic good/neutral bandits. But I played as the Ranger and it was instrumental to the game and was incredibly fun.
I’m super exited for this one, always loved the Ranger archetype.
according to oxford:
"In a forest, vert referred to the trees and shrubs which bore green leaves and thus provided food and shelter for livestock; venison referred originally to all livestock, not just deer."
See, this is why Frodo took a gardener with him, to get through all of that foliage.
These are always so amazing. Thank you very much for putting in all of this effort, I'm always jealous of your opportunity (in a good way) and very grateful to witness it.
You didn’t mention the most literal sense of the fantasy ranger: The Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
“The royal archers practice until they can hit the target. The King’s Rangers practice until they never miss.”
I loved those books as a kid.
That description reminds me of descriptions I’ve heard of Jack Hays training the Texas Rangers to regularly strike a head sized target from horseback with a revolver… not an easy task in the 1840s.
OMG!! I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO READ THESE BOOKS! 😍🤩😍🤩
@@johndoeanon445 I would've thought that he'd mention it cuz he is also Australian.
Was a time when by royal decree in England, every village had archery ranges and it was mandatory to train when feasible.
When Shad comes to the conclusion that Drizzt dual weilding curved swords is actually optimal and it blows my mind.
The fact that he barely considers the buckler astonishes me
Drizzt did WAY too much weapon-blocking. Only magical blades would survive that kind of abuse.
@@captainmaim yup which he has now. He originally had Drow metal blades which are infused with tiny bits of magical energy.
I know I'm a bit late on this but anyway.
First of all, absolutely great vid, love the deep dive into an all around classic rpg class.
Couple of things I'd like to add on the weaponry though, firstly I completely agree on the machete but would properly go with a cutlass as the historical equivalent.
Secondly dismissing the axe for bushwhacking is fine, but I would still consider a hatchet essential for a ranger, not only for gathering wood to set up camp, but also as a hammering tool and a throwing weapon in situation where a bow is not feasible.
Otherwise love the loadout you are rocking in the vid and wanted to thank you for inspiring me to pick up archery with a classic longbow as well as signing up for my first class in medievil sword fighting.
Keep up the good work.
I've always Loved the Ranger the most. Mages, Thieves, and Warriors have been my order of Favorite Classic Fantasy Classes. Rangers always seemed the most relatable and realistic Fighters and occupations to me. If you do cutting of any type for a living, then you know that large swords would be absolute shit. Axes work like Machetes.
I get people busting on ranger but tbh it's really one of the best multiclass classes there are, the other classes makeup for ranger's weakness while adding really useful traits that increase survivability, maneuverability, & very useful spells like Hunter's Mark to other classes.
Rangers are very versatile in a party. If the party is doing just a hack and slash dungeon crawl that's 99% combat, I can see why they might fall out of favor, and people might gravitate more to the rogue and fighter. But in pretty much all of the campaigns I've played, with a mix of gameplay involved, the ranger in the party usually gets to play a starring role in a lot of non-combat encounters, while also holding their own in a fight. As a DM, I always like to see somebody choose ranger, and I make sure to give them lots of moments to shine in my campaigns.
Just speculating, but id assume vert (from the vert and venison phrase) would be referencing plant life, probably trees in particular. Vert is french for green, which is often a descriptor for plants (ie greenery). My guess is this would be preventing unauthorized logging in the king/noble's forest.
Big timber was a strategic resource back in the day. Took 50 years or more for a log big enough for a ship’s keel or a main beam of a building.
Vert also means a green forest.
Or they had skateboarding ramps back then, and the fey folk of the forest were throwing sick ollies and 900s in the medieval X Games.
Fairly well put; according to Oxford Vert refers to trees and shrubs, anything green which provides food and/or shelter for livestock and Venison applies to ALL livestock/food animals, not just deer.
Vert is literally the word for 'green' in modern French. So, when they say 'Vert and venison', they're just poetically saying 'Plants and animals'.
Given the historical context of this coming after 1066 (William the Conquerer's...conquest...), this could also count as an early example of English beginning to "become French" (as much as 'French' as a concept existed at that time.)
Imagine leveling up 20 levels, yours fighter friend and paladin friend have both slain dragons solo, the monk ripped the arm off of 1 giant and used it to beat 3 more to death. The Druid can control weather and the very formation of the earth, the barbarian was shot from the stratosphere by a ancient living sun elemental, and broke through the crust of the earth from the impact, then walked it off, and the cleric can literally summon gods. You can add your wisdom bonus to damage rolls against your favored enemies. You may also have a pet snake .
Definitely sounds like the team Hawkeye.
Definitely sounds like a good pick for a character 🤣🤣🤣.
Yes, I can see why it is useless for D&D.
Class balance in a nutshell...
Eh if I get a pet snake, I call that an absolute win.
But you can hit a target twice anywhere on the map with a longbow practically and need to roll under a 9 to miss it! Combat in 5E feels so boring as a ranger
Whenever i play a ranger it tends to get used by the group is as an outdoor rogue and guide
Amazing piece of work. Bravo. Great stuff!
awesome content bro- I've always loved the medieval period and fantasy, kinda wish sometimes I was in that era...but anyways amazing content really enjoy watching and learning
Shad Fact: Science attempted to extract antibodies from Shad's blood, but no needle could pierce his skin.
Wacky
Shad goes to the clinic and the nurses have to put bandaids on their equipment when he heads home.
Shad assimilated the power of Oz's pancake batter Mega Man-style during the Hobbit breakfast.
I don’t know if it’s been addressed, but your “nail catch” is functionally identical to a cavalry carbine ring used since the advent of firearms up until horses were phased out. The main difference is that the “nail” is affixed to the harness and the weapon has a bar with a ring on it. Very secure even if running or crossing overland.
Also could be used as a sight if placed right.
Hardly, IMHO. Tugging on a sight which has been precisely aligned on a firearm seems like a rather bad idea to me.
@@ujiltromm7358 I don't know if I understood what you meant to say, but if I did, said ring isn't the sight of the weapon, it's generally affixed to the side - also, as it's from the time of wheelock pistols, no sight is really needed, they would be shooting them from point blank, to have a chance at armor piercing. Sometimes with the muzzle touching the opponent
@@riograndedosulball248 he was replying to David
I've been playing 5e for the last couple of years now, my experience is that rangers work fine in small teams where their 'jack of all trades/master of none' feature can be an advantage but they struggle to be useful to a large team when there is always someone else who can do something better than they can. Most teams would probably benefit more from another front-line fighter with good AC and HP than someone who specialises in range combat. That said, in the right campaign the tracking/survival skills can sometimes be useful.
Yeah I agree when there’s maybe 4 people they work well my ranger was the tanker and the man to heal the healer
Ranger is definitely in a weird spot. They're the definitive "solo" character archetype, which means they need to do everything and cover every role on their own. However, such versatility means they don't do anything well, they're just "okay" at everything, and as such they can't comfortably fit into a certain role in any party because someone could just do it better.
Speaking from my own experience with 5e, I find the real issue with the Ranger is that their tracking and survival skills are a bit too hyperspecialized. While a bard with expertise in persuade or deception will be an asset in nearly any social encounter and a rogue with mastery of their thieves tools will be nearly vital in most dungeons the ranger will really only get to shine when they are traveling through a favored terrain or hunting a favored enemy. While these abilities are flavorful it means most rangers rarely if ever get to shine with the most iconic feature of their class.
I have a High Elf Sage Ranger with Deft Explorer instead of Favored Terrain and currently at lvl 1 she knows 8 languages!
She also has decent all around stats and if I can find a group to play with she will be quite effective and the multi-languages thing is helpful outside of combat.
Additionally, she is planning on Drakewarden Subclass and that is so awesome having a pet Dragon companion!!!
In John Flanagans novels Rangers mostly use shortswords as it is the most versatile weapon that they can also throw and use bow as a secondary-ranged option. The main thing for them is the tracking/survival, but especially stealth in the wilderness. its their core ability - to move in the wilderness u n n o t i c e d and q u i e t - to scout and p e r c e p t huge areas with their eyes not focused on one place but on all surroundings.
The clearing large areas with a machete doesn't really fit with that unnoticed part.
Speaking of Rangers, you really should do a review of Ranger's Apprentice when you have time.
Great books
@@norsehick4564 Name checks out
I was scrolling down to look for this answer! I'm sure Halt and Will would have some things to say about this.
@@MrJameson900 yeah it’s a pretty good series plus it’s the kind of thing he reviews! It’s got an Australian author, it’s set in medieval times, so it’s perfect lol. It’d also be pretty interesting because he’s writing (or has written, not sure if he’s done with those) some books and he could maybe compare the two or something.
I’ve been waiting for the review ever since I found this channel lol
Vert means “green” in French. It probably means protecting plant life, like keeping people from cutting down too many trees.
Also, a number of historical hunting swords were falchions, presumably used to deliver a coup de grace to an animal already injured by an arrow, bolt, spear, or bullet.
I was coming to post this as well. Vert is also used in heraldry, so it would probably have been understood in period.
Good to know
Especially considering William the conqueror's heritage
@@grbdevnull5611 I was also coming to say this too! :D The "flora and fauna" is the same idea.
Always a worthy goal...
That conclusion on dual-wielding falchions/messers was amazing. Probably because of DnD, I was having the ranger I'm presently writing dual-wield anelaces (thinking knives might be more manageable than swords for adventuring). But now, I'm thinking I'll tweak that!
I live in Europe (Italy) but I'm not an expert in historical weapons at all (I'm just an enthusiast). I followed you, Skallagrim and other youtubers for many years and I learned a lot about those. The fact that I jumped on your same conclusions, even before the video started, means that you're really good at teaching people about history and historical weapons, even in a fantasy setting. Chapeau, mate. Or should I say "bravo"?
I am always reminded of when the word ranger comes up of my favorite book series called "The Ranger's Apprentice".
I love those books. They’re very well written. Can’t wait for the new one this November :)
Rangers apprentice is also my favorite book series!
I am reading the first book right now because of this comment 😂😂, its looking good so far.
@@bricktop9486 I am always willing to find those who find halt and Will's adventures entertaining.
@@dr.bright1050 I've finished the series, its been emotional.
Dual wielding Falchon ranger with favoured enemy: plants
"We didn't hire you to kill anything, we hired you to clearcut the path"
Lol! That is funnier because machete in many south-american countries is a direct descendant of italian and spanish falchions
I was planning to have a ranger character in my next series so this video proved very educational and helpful! Thank you!
Saw you on Friday Night Tights last week and love your channel, especially this one about the origins of the historical rangers and fantasy ranger.
One aspect of the ranger that I like is the manhunter aspect. Which comes through with their favored enemy trait. And it doesn't completely fall out of the realm of "one of the King's Men" that foresters are in. I think it is completely reasonable for a lord of the land to hire basically a hunter of men when criminals are on the loose.
Sounds like someone needs the services of a bounty hunter.
*Boba Fett steps through dimensional portal*
Actually the funny thing is, one of the ancient weapons of the Mandalorians is the beskad, which is basically a machete.
Hunters have for a very long time used traps catch large game. One of these is a fall grave. Just a hole where the geography forces travellers to take one narrow path. ^^ It's a really ancient method.
Dual wielding machetes... that takes me back.
I was a groundskeeper at college. One of my jobs was cutting down invasive bamboo patches that grew on the hills, cluttering up the roads and blocking scarce natural light. Of course, it was a chance to draw blades and have some fun, so I went out with two machetes instead of one (used to tell the quartermaster it was so I wouldn't need to come back halfway through the day because the machete got dull) and dual-wielded may way through acres of bamboo at a time.
Took me an hour or two to do what the other workers managed in a day's work lol, left arm, right arm, slash slash, chop chop lol.
I used to do the same, but I took a mattock with me too. Bamboo propagates underground. If you want it gone, you have to dig those roots out.
The Dunedain were organised by Aragorn (and his ancestors before him) with the assistance of his lieutenants - they were also (for what it's worth) full on Numemorian knights - you can go further think of the paladin's healing abilities - then read LoTR - Aragorn would have a great claim on also being a paladin in D&D.
I’ve always used the ranger as a “Fill in whatever role is needed” class, and I’ve had a lot of fun doing it because there is always a class that can do what a ranger does, but never a party that has every role filled, and since the ranger can do basically most of what every other class can, it lets you step in to fill in the gaps; it can heal, it can take and deal damage, use magic, kill tough enemies with sneak attacks, basically anything anyone else can do, just a bit weaker; everyone hates on the ranger until they realize that the rest of the party is all squishy mages, magic weak brawlers, or doesn’t have a healer, and you can do that role well enough to keep everyone else alive; it definitely has its own abilities that are actually pretty strong, but in my opinion the ranger’s greatest weakness is it’s biggest strength: it’s a master of none, but no class comes even close to its versatility, and just how much people underestimate it makes it shockingly capable, and in a game about role playing and storytelling, rangers are a very cool addition and are usually very fun characters.
Also, I feel that a Langeseax might or old Germanic War Knife might be a better comparison to a modern Machete than a falchion, just in terms of intended use, since they are made as tools that are meant to also used as weapons; perhaps a small axe like a bearded axe or a shepherd’s axe
to me the flexibility is what makes playing ranger fun. i have to stay on my toes and consider what roles the party needs. its a very tactical role with many options and being a good ranger isnt about having high stats or good rolls, its about what you as the player can do
There’s one thing your Ranger ensemble is missing, Shad: A long, forest-green leather duster.
Ranger had always been my favorite fantasy class specifically because of how awesome Aragorn was and how badass he looked in that green duster of his.
It’s also missing a broad brimmed hat. And maybe a silver star on the lapel.
Nah he needs a green and grey spotted cloak (Ranger's Apprentice all the way)
@@aedenwright1994 Ewgh, UPC coloring
@@aedenwright1994 Hell yes, fantastic series.
@Dreymon Green
I like to picture the Ranger's coat as something like their utility belt, with lots of internal storage pockets and lining.
Shad, a certain children's book series called "The Ranger's Apprentice" addresses a lot of the concerns you mention in it. Also it gives a very good view of rangers as both military and law enforcement.
Yes..... another John Flanagan fan!!!
The series covers so much about training and skills used by rangers, I actually use it for reference in developing my d&d ranger characters
Man, Ranger’s Apprentice was amazing. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought of it :D
@@Matt-do3cv fan is a little strong considering his entire setting is just a carbon copy of Europe and European history with a few small fantasy additions that fade away over time, but his characters and writing style are cool. Don't get me wrong the novels are great, it's just that their setting isn't the most original thing ever. I mean some of the countries literally have the same names they do in reality.
Man, I used to read that series, until I realized that a single "adult book" is like 4 times the length while 3/4ths the price.
I love that we are discussing the functionality of the practical approach to a fantasy adventure.
D&D 3.5e is when rangers started to become more useful due to the free feats for either dual wielding or archery, which let you focus your normal feats on other things. This is especially good in Pathfinder where every class gains a normal feat every other level. It's also good for more advanced, higher level multiclass builds of various sorts, from ones adding in sneak attack (since rangers can be great at stealth and have high attack bonus) to Arcane Archer builds.
If you like Rangers then this is a great series for you, Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. I never cared much for rangers until I read this series, now I love them.
I've been trying to remember the name of that series, really loved it. Thank you!
hell yes, one of the best series I read as a child
"Don't worry Horace, people see what they expect to see, and nobody expects to see a pair of legs laying in the middle of the forest with not ba]ody attached." Ranger's Apprentice out of context.
@@cheshire4856 “Oh it’s a case of they think that I’ll think that they’ll do A, so they’ll do B because I wouldn’t think they’d think of that but then because I might think I know what they’re thinking they’ll do A after all because I wouldn’t think they’d think that way”
I was about to say this. Ya I'm on the last book on the royal ranger. Whenever I think of rangers I think of these badass MOFOs
Speaking as a ranger(parks and d&d) I feel you left out the one other specialty that we come with. Knowledge.
Rangers spend time studying their foes in the wilderness and learn how to specifically take them down.
In this case Witchers are the perfect example with their large collected knowledge of how to hunt monsters by using resources gathered in nature.
When it comes to tabletop roleplaying games, the character class is only as great as the GM. If your GM avoids storytelling beats that maximize the efficiency of your character class, then your character will never get that moment to shine.
Excellent experimentation and analysis! I always thought the dual wielding in D&D was chosen as the result of rangers being seen as the most dexterous class. Seemed thematically consistent
It slightly post-dates the medieval period, but the "pioneer sword" was quite common for explorers and woodsmen (as well as military forces operating in less populated areas) for precisely the same reasons that you concluded here. A short, sturdy single-edged blade that was excellent for clearing brush and hunting, and also useful in combat. Falchions tended to be a bit thinner in the blade, and pioneers swords were a good compromise that added a bit more strength and durability over the combat-oriented falchion. An argument could be made that the pioneers sword is a stepping stone from the swords of the medieval period to many modern day machetes.
Agreed. It's a matter of form over function. Fantasy rangers tend to be glamorous, so long swords and longbows. But reality would be like the Willam the Conqueror version. Vert & Venison, so 'vert' being the greenery. Which is really the role, ie a forester/game keeper. Combat would likely be secondary and dealing with the occasional poacher. Primary role would be keeping trails clear, and probably culling. On the practicalities, it's also looking at healthy, managed woodland vs unmanaged. If Shad had more game on his land, they'd help clear it by eating low branches and undergrowth. It's one of those modern issues as well where some people have a perception that 'wilding' is natural. But that also means woodlands get choked by brush, which then increases the fire risk. Which is a problem the US has been experiencing as it doesn't really have foresters any more.
u got it totally backward just look ww1 austrian pioneer swords thick straight paralel edged blade with symmetric point no vines in the alps just pines and these clearly werent for chopping them, but impressing wildlife with thick hide and vivid fighting spirit (that would snap a thin shrub blade struck into their body in half) bursting out from among them... unless its angry squirrels snarling from the branches above, in that case chopping down the whole damn pine is completely justified ofc...
@@user-yr5nv2gv7m If you were addressing my comment, I was more speaking to the pioneer swords used here in the US, where underbrush is quite common, and if you'll notice I did specifically mention hunting as one of their primary purposes as well.
@@danhaas9730 ah cool then i cant find any image of one on google so i cant argue
@@brolohalflemming7042 Well out in the western state, most forest in the eastern half use managed burns to control undergrown and clear dead wood, also most managed forests are really just tree farms for paper mills, and wild life habitat.
I love the idea of examining classic character classes, looking at their historical inspirations and how they can be incorporated realistically in fiction and what to equip them with. Hope to see more of these.
Same.
Shad PLEASE.
Something even that needs to be talked about is how all of the classes are actually supposed to be warfighters/adventurers, and how aesthetically and strategically wizards in particular are thought of very wrong.
In truth they would function like officers/com units and would and should dress not in robes and crazy stuff but more like RECCE units. Light and mobile, with webgear to hold spell components and such. Holsters for wands and a haversack buttpack.
Having flowy nonsense and top hats would be completely antithetical to what they are actually doing and functionally, they would dress similar to rogues if there is such a thing.
We like that black leather look that would keep you agile. That would be what a proper wizard would also dress like in an adventuring team.
@@okitomikira5531 So the robes would be "dress" uniform, not fatigues, yeah makes scents as you want to impress the Boss when you try to get funding for project X, don't you?
Considering that I'd actually expect the dual wielding to be a machete and some other tool-weapon like an axe in the off-hand, mainly for blocking. Because why carry two of the same item?
Hit the nail on the head on why 3.5 will always be my preferred rules setting. the sheer amount of modulation is what gives it so much fun. I have friends that have just gotten into D&D and they are sold on 5th edition because it's easier but to make it easier they took out alot of the ability to customize and mix and match and build. Yeah it meant there were more mechanics and more reading involved and to many it seems daunting, it did to me when I first started playing in college but after a few games in and having several books it became soooo much easier to just grab from here and there and make what I want to make. For a story teller the versatility really makes it so you can make anything with 3.5 from a high fantasy to a low fantasy game to a modern apocalyptic survival game to a sci fi game. I've even played in sky pirates like games using 3.5 rules sets and there were even mutant games and anime shonen games made using the 3.5 rules system. You can't say that about 4.0 or 5.0. the simplicity of the newer versions hobble the potential for expansion. People will be quick to point out critical role, but critical role literally is backed by wizards and has material even printed by wizards. It's also a game that isn't tailored like a normal game but rather it's tailored to be watched and enjoyed by a viewer so it's going to be different because of these things. If you haven't played using 3.5 the amount of material yes is daunting but pick the source books and go from there and I'm sure it'll end up becoming your preferred rules system. Did I forget to mention there is a Cthulhu Mech game that was built using the 3.5 system as it's base? yeah, I'm gona choose 3.5 every time.
I got my start in 3.5, but 5th makes for quicker play, which means more play gets done in a session, which means more fun. That said, I never pass up an opportunity to play some Pathfinder at conventions and such.
Awesome video!
It suddenly make sense to me now as to why in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, messer and fachions are categorized under the term "hunting swords".
I would argue that traveling is the best part. Exploring the world and meeting new people are at least as important as holding one's own in a fight. One might even find unlikely allies for those fights that would otherwise spell doom for the overeager combatant.
True but you can explore the world and meet new people as any class and a bard would certainly be better at getting them to fight for you.
@@joelsasmad Pathfinding Is something well overlooked. The LOTR is a prefect example Show casing that Pathfinding is a Rangers greatest strength. As in LOTR they cut through vast amounts of wild lands pretty much leaving the roads completely. Sure you could travel from place to place via road but, in many fantasy settings the world is in some sort of turmoil making roads unsafe and while traveling through the wilds poses new risks A ambush on the road is a guarantee. In the books they have several parts of them still getting ambushed pretty much every time they set foot on the main road. Rangers are also or at least in most cases the most perceptive class ( magical traps and such things probably not going to out class a wizard but, defiantly better than most). They will be the first ones to know of a imminent ambush and a extra turn to get ready is far better than a arrow flying strait for you face. That's right there is no combat music just the sound of whistling arrows flying at you. So hope you brought that +5 armor cause your gonna need it without a ranger.
As someone who mained a Ranger in the past, this video is really appreciated!!
I played d&d for nearly 30 years, from 2nd edition to our own modified 3.5 style. But it was over twenty years until I had my first player make a Bard. It was a significant day. Thats the class I never saw. Love to see a practicality test for Bards for you to evaluate.
The dual-wielding makes even more sense because your weapons are also your tools. If you somehow damage the blade of one sword when you're 3/4 of the way to your destination, you can just switch to the other one instead of having to go find wherever the hell a blacksmith is in your area.
I feel like it would also be common for a ranger to carry a sling for taking small game without risking arrow breakage or overpenetration. The cord for the sling could be used for a snare in a pinch as well.
Slings can be quick made just by pulling up grass/ weed roots and making a twist rope to sling launch clumps of dirt. Bags of lose sand/ dirt makes nice stun projectiles to knock the wind out of game, or just for pissing off your siblings/ cousins. Before Play Station it is what my grand dad taught us children to play with. Just country boys having fun.
As for duo wielding, practice comes from clearing under brush with two machete, or using a hand axe as a hook for cut & pull.
German style saber are nice under brush clearers also.
Slings convenient as frick. Very light, and you can just pick up ammo off the ground.
@randomrpg do you have anything specific supporting the notion of people using slings as snares? From my understanding of both it seems a dubious choice, but I'm super-interested in learning how wrong I am!
Or just keep a few blunt-headed arrows in your quiver. I dye my blunts a different color to avoid unfortunate mistakes. :)
i think they used blunt arrows for small game. but slings have been around forever, it makes sense too
Enjoyed this video a lot
When Shad held both the blades at 40:15 I instantly had a flashback to Zuko from avatar wielding his broad swords
A recurve bow (Hun, Mongol or Hungarian) would indeed work better during travel and in the wilderness. It would also show that it's the ranger's most important tool, hence they took the time to make a composite recurve.
unless you are Elven or half Elven then you will want a true Elven bow to show that the others are underpowered toys in comparison to it.
"I bet this machete can cut brush easier than a katana."
After establishing contact with Japan, Portugal began using the term "katana"(catana) as an umbrella term for more "choppy" swords, and as late as about 20 years ago, machetes were still commonly refered to as "catanas".
I think exposure to the Internet and japanese media made it so more people make the distinction now-a-days.
"The katana, typically acquired through trade, was used by the Ainu people in a machete-like fashion rather than a weapon as it was originally intended to be." - Wikipedia, albeit accompanied with [citation needed]
Shad, great video, just one minor point on the best melee weapons. A messer is much more likely to survive being used as a machete than a falchion. Typical sword hilt construction doesn't deal well with shock when compared to a knife hilt with scales on a full tang. The messer is also easier to repair and make work if the hilt does fail, as you can bind the scales back onto the tang, where you're just SOL if your sword hilt fails.
this turned into a hardcore landscaping discussion real fast
I'm a target archer and a bow hunter, I would 100% opt for a smaller bow. I would mention however that composite bows are much more expensive to produce. For game and unarmored humans you don't need a war bow a 60lb shortbow would be sufficient for most things.
Considering the noise involved, an 80lbs composite short bow would like be too noisy to hunt deer with. I have no practical experience, but have read that the optimum kill range for a traditional bow against a deer is within 25 yards and that a bow that makes noise can spook the deer into crouching or even bolting before thw arrow reaches them.
A recurve bow could work too, its energy transfer is efficient, it's quite compact and easy to draw. However, some power would be sacrificed due to not being able to pull the string as far back as other bows, which might be an advantage when hunting smaller game as too powerful a shot would knock the target to gosh knows where.
@@lucas6620 I hunt deer with a 50lb recurve. Always take at least one every year
Would a 60lb shortbow make an owlbear give a hoot?
As a hard suit fighter in the sca I can tell you that 50 lbs pull arrows can literally be punched out of the air... Not sure how much of a difference 60 lbs would make but I know I don't want to even try against 80+ lbs
I feel like the concept of a ranger is also firmly tied to the idea of acting as a guide or explorer. If your job is just to wander around killing things, then you're just a monster hunter/witcher/murder hobo.
Yeah a ranger.
With TV Tropes "Van Helsing hate crime" troupe you can have it all...
I’d have to disagree, given that Lord of The Rings is generally considered one if not the standard for fantasy archetypes and the Dunedain Rangers are specifically described as “ hunters - but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy, for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.” So if anything, the concept of monster hunter/ Witcher/ murder hobo was taken from the original fantasy concept of the ranger.
I suppose it comes down to things the ranger would do most of the time, vs things he'd occasionally do, because he's the local expert in the wilderness, geography, survival etc.
i.e. the best person for the job.
I would expect the primary job of rangers to be something like patrolling the wilderness, making sure there are no new threats, poachers, bandit hideouts, monsters, or whatever. Because that's something that should be done regularly, to be proactive rather than wait to be surprised by a threat.
However, when someone needs a guide, they'd seek the local ranger. When you need explorers for an expedition into the unknown, you'd also recruit experienced rangers for the job. However, that's not something that happens all the time, so for the ranger it would be a one-off job, not his primary task.
One possible scenario would be where the ranger finds a bandit hideout, reports to a local lord, then guides the army to the hideout. So, he ends up temporarily being a guide for the army.
I'd disagree. I think that the ranger should be linked with the type of mythological characters who you could describe as a "Ranger." Heracles is the most obvious. Yes, he could arguably fit as a Barbarian or a Paladin but his massive focus on exploration and one of his primary weapons being a bow makes him seem more ranger-y. There also are other mythological figures who would make sense as Rangers like Rama, Odysseus, Conall Cernach, Rostam, Robin Hood, etc. They all would make more sense as Rangers or at least multiclassed into Ranger. And all of them are the type who do "wander around killing things."
The issue with the Ranger in a game like D&D is that the Ranger is a jack-of-all-trades which tends to not be a strong character in a team based game and moreso someone who even in stories runs solo (since their concept is built around versatility, they make really good character types for solo games where you don't need to worry about other players). Note how basically every example I gave is someone who either is the main character of their myth or is a side character who gets upgraded to main character at some point. The Ranger is simply so versatile in the skillset that they only really work as a central protagonist. Especially if you go by D&D where they need to have a specific enemy and terrain common enough in the adventure for them or they lose effectiveness.
I feel like the Chinese dao could work pretty well (Maybe depending a little of which style though). Might not suit a fantasy setting as well as some others though, since fantasy tend to lean towards european styled weapons.
Great. What a great conclusion on the role of a ranger. ❤
I want to see shad try to use that loadout, in a made up quest, that his friends design. This would really show if his loadout is actually effective for an adventure. Also it would probably be hilarious.
I know this is all focused on forest rangers and stuff because of historical accuracy, but in D&D (5e at least) Rangers can choose from a variety of “favored terrains,” such as forests, tundras, and even deserts. I would imagine your loadout is going to change drastically for each of those locales. Or maybe not.
I'd imagine that in non forest areas, Rangers would use either a large sword or spear for their melee wapon.
I imagine a machete would see much less use in deserts, and somewhat less in tundra's....
Yep, Shad talked about the bow being an encumbrance in a forest, I agree. But in the desert or tundra, you would have no such problems
Not necessarily. In open fields like deserts or tundra, a bow is ideal. Nothing stopping you. But, if you are a ranger, you'll likely be able to traverse the terrain a lot quicker than those your tracking. And Esspecially in a desert, setting up an ambush where you essentially bury yourself under the easily diggable snow or sand, only to emerge when the group passes over you and quickly cut them down. Alternatively, wait until they settle down for the night, and then attack them, as the chill of desert and tundra night's makes rousing yourselves to defend particularly difficult.
In mountainous terrain a spear would work pretty well, as manoeuvring past the spear is difficult, but the good ald "lets drop a big rock on them" is obviously pretty damn effective.
I think pole arms in general would be a great pick since they can be used as walking sticks and have a great 1 v more matchup which is extremely important for law enforcement
Will Treaty (Ranger's Apprentice) and Drizzt Do'Urden (especially once the series gets moving) are both typical ranger type characters in the style explored here. Great vid!
Absolutely love this.
Would recommend ranger's apprentice very realistic medieval setting, great characters 10/10 love the series
I was literally thinking about that. when he started talking about the kings having rangers all i could think of was halt's shenanigans.
Man I read all those books in junior high
Some of the bow stuff is not so realistic, but it is realistic enough to appreciate the story.
@@neoaliphant better kilometers and meters than miles and yards.
I liked them well enough when i was little but now that im older i actually realize they were not as awesome as i thought. The world is basically just a weird version of the real one. Countries are just renamed a bit but you can clearly tell what is England, Scotland, France, Scandinavia, etc. Horace is a bit of a Mary Sue. The first book was very fantasy-y in terms of having monsters and magic, the second one less so and the ones after that just kinda dropped that entirely, if i remember correctly. Theyre not _bad_ books, just not as good as i remembered.