Thrill of the Hunt: The Ranger's Handbook
So you guys are the ones who want to learn to hunt, eh? Well, let me tell ya it's gonna be a long trip, and not all of you are gonna make it! The ones that do are gonna learn to hit so hard, they'll scare themselves! After all, the best defense IS a killer offense! But none of you're gonna learn any of that before I toughen your hides up! Don't worry; when I'm done with you, you'll be among the best the world has ever seen at what you do! Still interested? I thought so. Now, as I was saying...
Right now, there are a whole bunch of other classes in this game (especially Strikers), so every class needs to have a niche they can fill in order to be a worthy choice. Allow me to elaborate on what makes Rangers worthy picks:
Rangers hit very hard - When it comes to single-target damage, you are the master of your domain. To boot, Rangers don't have to choose between a high consistent offense and the ability to conjure up huge amounts of damage on a moment's notice: you get lots of both. If you like nothing more than laying the smack down on your opponent, this is your class.
Rangers are self-reliant - Another cool aspect about Rangers is that they have offensive and defensive features that don't require allies to assist them. As long as you're not knee-deep in enemies like a Defender would usually be, you can pretty much take care of yourself, which is a nice skill to have.
Rangers are always on the offensive - Rangers have one of the greatest power selections geared toward breaking the mold in terms of when you can attack and why. If you like to constantly roll your d20 to attack your opponent again and again (even on their turns), you're in the right place.
This Handbook will use the following system for ratings:
Red - Garbage, or completely overshadowed by another option.
Purple - Situationally useful, but overall pretty meh.
Black - OK. You could do worse than pick this.
Blue - Good stuff. You probably want this.
Sky Blue - You want this. Period.
Gold - Why haven't you taken this yet? A defining choice for a build, or even the whole class.
AP - Arcane Power
AV - Adventurer's Vault
AV 2 - Adventurer's Vault 2
BoVD - Book of Vile Darkness
D XXX - Dragon Magazine, issue XXX
DMA 2009 - Dragon Magazine Annual 2009
DN XXX - Dungeon Magazine, issue XXX
DP - Divine Power
DSCS - Dark Sun Campaign Setting
DSG - Dungeon Survival Guide
EPG - Eberron Player's Guide
FRPG - Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
HoS - Heroes of Shadow
HotEC - Heroes of the Elemental Chaos
HotFK - Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms
HotFL - Heroes of the Fallen Lands
HotFw - Heroes of the Feywild
MM - Monster Manual
MM 2 - Monster Manual 2
MME - Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium
MOTP - Manual of the Planes
MP - Martial Power
MP 2 - Martial Power 2
NCS - Neverwinter Campaign Setting
PHB - Player's Handbook
PHB 2 - Player's Handbook 2
PHB 3 - Player's Handbook 3
PHR: DB - Player's Handbook Races: Dragonborn
PHR: TF - Player's Handbook Races: Tieflings
PHH 1 - Player's Handbook Heroes: Series 1
PHH 2 - Player's Handbook Heroes: Series 2
PrP - Primal Power
PsP - Psionic Power
SAC - Seekers of the Ashen Crown Adventure Module
Everyone posting
NOTE: This is a general advice Handbook, and as such may come off as addressing the topic of Ranger building a bit broadly. If you want information on specific builds, the Ranger's Build Handbook might have what you're looking for. If you're looking for advice on the Essentials Ranger builds (the Hunter and the Scout), I recommend thespaceinvader's Hunter's Handbook or my Scout's Handbook, respectively.
A skilled ranger can glance at the mud on your boots and tell where you last camped. -Firebrand Ranger, Invasion
So you guys are the ones who want to learn to hunt, eh? Well, let me tell ya it's gonna be a long trip, and not all of you are gonna make it! The ones that do are gonna learn to hit so hard, they'll scare themselves! After all, the best defense IS a killer offense! But none of you're gonna learn any of that before I toughen your hides up! Don't worry; when I'm done with you, you'll be among the best the world has ever seen at what you do! Still interested? I thought so. Now, as I was saying...
Selling Points: Why You Would Want To Play A Ranger
Right now, there are a whole bunch of other classes in this game (especially Strikers), so every class needs to have a niche they can fill in order to be a worthy choice. Allow me to elaborate on what makes Rangers worthy picks:
Rangers hit very hard - When it comes to single-target damage, you are the master of your domain. To boot, Rangers don't have to choose between a high consistent offense and the ability to conjure up huge amounts of damage on a moment's notice: you get lots of both. If you like nothing more than laying the smack down on your opponent, this is your class.
Rangers are self-reliant - Another cool aspect about Rangers is that they have offensive and defensive features that don't require allies to assist them. As long as you're not knee-deep in enemies like a Defender would usually be, you can pretty much take care of yourself, which is a nice skill to have.
Rangers are always on the offensive - Rangers have one of the greatest power selections geared toward breaking the mold in terms of when you can attack and why. If you like to constantly roll your d20 to attack your opponent again and again (even on their turns), you're in the right place.
This Handbook will use the following system for ratings:
Red - Garbage, or completely overshadowed by another option.
Purple - Situationally useful, but overall pretty meh.
Black - OK. You could do worse than pick this.
Blue - Good stuff. You probably want this.
Sky Blue - You want this. Period.
Gold - Why haven't you taken this yet? A defining choice for a build, or even the whole class.
This Handbook covers the following sources:
AP - Arcane Power
AV - Adventurer's Vault
AV 2 - Adventurer's Vault 2
BoVD - Book of Vile Darkness
D XXX - Dragon Magazine, issue XXX
DMA 2009 - Dragon Magazine Annual 2009
DN XXX - Dungeon Magazine, issue XXX
DP - Divine Power
DSCS - Dark Sun Campaign Setting
DSG - Dungeon Survival Guide
EPG - Eberron Player's Guide
FRPG - Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
HoS - Heroes of Shadow
HotEC - Heroes of the Elemental Chaos
HotFK - Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms
HotFL - Heroes of the Fallen Lands
HotFw - Heroes of the Feywild
MM - Monster Manual
MM 2 - Monster Manual 2
MME - Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium
MOTP - Manual of the Planes
MP - Martial Power
MP 2 - Martial Power 2
NCS - Neverwinter Campaign Setting
PHB - Player's Handbook
PHB 2 - Player's Handbook 2
PHB 3 - Player's Handbook 3
PHR: DB - Player's Handbook Races: Dragonborn
PHR: TF - Player's Handbook Races: Tieflings
PHH 1 - Player's Handbook Heroes: Series 1
PHH 2 - Player's Handbook Heroes: Series 2
PrP - Primal Power
PsP - Psionic Power
SAC - Seekers of the Ashen Crown Adventure Module
Glossary
AP - Action point.
BBEG - Big bad evil guy.
Burst/Nova/Spike Damage - Generally understood to mean the highest amount of damage a character can inflict in the space of a single round. Usually, calculations for this allow 1 round of setup before the actual damage.
CA - Combat advantage.
DPR - Damage per round, which is generally meant to mean the character's expected damage value using At-Will powers against a standard enemy of the same level (eloquently described by Adslahnit as the Official CharOp Inanimate Block of TofuTM).
ED - Epic destiny.
HP - Hit points.
HQ - Hunter's Quarry.
LX - Level X.
MAD - Multiple attribute dependency, which is defined as needing 3 or more ability scores for a given build.
MBA - Melee basic attack.
MC - Multiclass or multiclassing.
NAD - Non-AC defense.
OA - Opportunity attack.
PP - Paragon path.
RBA - Ranged basic attack.
SAD - Single attribute dependency, which is defined as a build that really only needs 1 ability score.
THP - Temporary hit points.
AP - Action point.
BBEG - Big bad evil guy.
Burst/Nova/Spike Damage - Generally understood to mean the highest amount of damage a character can inflict in the space of a single round. Usually, calculations for this allow 1 round of setup before the actual damage.
CA - Combat advantage.
DPR - Damage per round, which is generally meant to mean the character's expected damage value using At-Will powers against a standard enemy of the same level (eloquently described by Adslahnit as the Official CharOp Inanimate Block of TofuTM).
ED - Epic destiny.
HP - Hit points.
HQ - Hunter's Quarry.
LX - Level X.
MAD - Multiple attribute dependency, which is defined as needing 3 or more ability scores for a given build.
MBA - Melee basic attack.
MC - Multiclass or multiclassing.
NAD - Non-AC defense.
OA - Opportunity attack.
PP - Paragon path.
RBA - Ranged basic attack.
SAD - Single attribute dependency, which is defined as a build that really only needs 1 ability score.
THP - Temporary hit points.
References
Damage Inc - An Exercise in Brutality, by MC-DrowBane:
Damage Inc Adapted, by MC-DrowBane:
Identity of a Hero: A Guide to Themes, by Lord_Ventnor:
Improved Initiative v. Quick Draw v. Danger Sense, by various posters:
Melee Weapon Damage Output, by WWAD:
November Errata Mini Item Guide, by Outshined:
Point-Blank Beastmastery, by Adslahnit:
Ranger/Doomguard Marauder/Demigod, by NTRPG:
Ranger/Pit Fighter/Demigod, by me:
Ranger/Pathfinder/Demigod, by Shadow_Fox_Deepwood_Arche:
Shoot to Thrill, by me:
Slash & Dash, by me:
The Frozen Bolt, by Gelarshie:
The Hurricane, by me:
The Lightning Ranger, by SongNSilence:
The New Bleeder, by VanTrellen:
The Ranger Handbook, by GeorgeFHarris:
The Steady Sanguine Crossbowman, by Leemo:
The Time Bomb, by me:
The Trailblazer, by me:
Ziana's Archer, by Ziana:
Damage Inc - An Exercise in Brutality, by MC-DrowBane:
Damage Inc Adapted, by MC-DrowBane:
Identity of a Hero: A Guide to Themes, by Lord_Ventnor:
Improved Initiative v. Quick Draw v. Danger Sense, by various posters:
Melee Weapon Damage Output, by WWAD:
November Errata Mini Item Guide, by Outshined:
Point-Blank Beastmastery, by Adslahnit:
Ranger/Doomguard Marauder/Demigod, by NTRPG:
Ranger/Pit Fighter/Demigod, by me:
Ranger/Pathfinder/Demigod, by Shadow_Fox_Deepwood_Arche:
Shoot to Thrill, by me:
Slash & Dash, by me:
The Frozen Bolt, by Gelarshie:
The Hurricane, by me:
The Lightning Ranger, by SongNSilence:
The New Bleeder, by VanTrellen:
The Ranger Handbook, by GeorgeFHarris:
The Steady Sanguine Crossbowman, by Leemo:
The Time Bomb, by me:
The Trailblazer, by me:
Ziana's Archer, by Ziana:
Props to:
Everyone posting
NOTE: This is a general advice Handbook, and as such may come off as addressing the topic of Ranger building a bit broadly. If you want information on specific builds, the Ranger's Build Handbook might have what you're looking for. If you're looking for advice on the Essentials Ranger builds (the Hunter and the Scout), I recommend thespaceinvader's Hunter's Handbook or my Scout's Handbook, respectively.