Neverwinter Nights - Ranger Creation Guide Version 1.0 by Greg "Xenoku" Bilello, August 17, 2002 GameFAQs Message Board Name: Xenoku Status: (32) Legend ------------------------------ ------------------------------ This FAQ is property of myself, Greg Bilello. This FAQ should be distributed freely at all times. If you would like this FAQ on your website, E-Mail or Instant Message me, and I will most likely allow it. However, full credit must be given to myself. Do not alter any part of this FAQ, even if it is a mistake. Do not publish this work as your own. Blah, Blah, you know the deal. Copyright (c) 2002 by Greg Bilello ------------------------------ ------------------------------ Version History: ---------------- Version 1.0 - First release, probably a couple errors, more updates to come. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ Introduction. Neverwinter Nights is a really good game. With that being said I feel I can move on. Never in my life have I played a game with more replay value than this game. I've been playing it since it came out more than a month ago, and I'm not bored yet (which is good, I usually get bored of games really quick). Anyway, I'm pretty sure your familiar with the game if your reading this, so I don't think I need to go into any more detail about it. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ Contents - I. Ranger Introduction/Developing your Ranger II. Ranger Advantages/Disadvantages III. Ranger Spells IV. Ranger Feats V. Conclusion ------------------------------ ------------------------------ I. Ranger Introduction Bioware Writes the following about Rangers in the Instruction Manual: Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy - a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietyly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast. - Hit Die: d10 - Proficiencies: All simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields - Skill Points (+4 at 1st level): 4 + Int Modifier ------------------------------ Basically the above describes Rangers perfectly. They are very good fighters (not quite as good as a pure fighter), they have Racial Enemies, an Animal Companion, and can cast some 1st - 4th level druid spells. Rangers are my favorite class, simply because of their Versatility. If you make a fighter, he's going to do one thing for you... fight. However, Rangers can do much more than just fight. Sure you can make them as hard-core fighting machines, but you can also develop them as more of a rogue type character, with spot and hide skills; as well as multi-class with a Druid or Cleric for a tough spell caster. Also, the Ranger is probably one of the easiest classes to play as in the single player game. You'll usually have four members in your party (You, Henchman, Animal Companion, and Summon Creature), which makes the game easy for newcomers. What Abilities are Important for Rangers? ----------------------------------------- Strength: Definately one of the most important, if not the most important, ability to a Ranger. Regardless of how you develop your Ranger, he's going to have to engage in some melee combat, and therefore Strength is Important. Dexterity: Very Important if you plan to create an Archer-Ranger. It's also important if you don't. Dexterity is important to add a nice bonus to your AC if your using light or medium armor, but if your making a Platemail wearing, Greatsword carrying, Ranger you don't need to put as many points into Dex as you otherwise would have to. Constitution: Also Very Important to a Ranger. Constitution determins your Hit Points and thus is important to all characters, but mostly to melee fighters as they are the ones who are going to take a beating up close. Intelligence: Not Important at all, Just pump this up to 10 so you don't talk like an idiot, and get a little skill point bonus. Wisdom: Important to cast ranger spells. A Wisdom of 10 + Spell Level is required to cast all Ranger Spells. So if you want to cast 3st level spells, you need a Wisdom of 13. Since Rangers only have four spell levels, you don't need to go any higher than 14 for Wisdom. Charisma: Like Int, this isn't really important for a Ranger. Just pump it up to 10 so people don't hate you when you talk to them. What Races make good Rangers? ----------------------------- Human: Probably the best race. Gains more feats than any other race, which helps out alot. Plus, they don't get points taken off of any abilities. Half-Elf: Second best class in my opinion. Half-Elves, like humans, don't get points taken off of any skills, and they're immune to sleep and have some resistances to enchantments. But your sacrificing that for an extra feat if you pick Human. Elf: Not a bad class. The +2 to Dex is a welcome addition, but the -2 to Con is not. Pick this if you want to be more of a Rogue-type Ranger. Halfling: Not that great, +2 to Dex is good, but -2 to Str is not. And they can't use large weapons. Gnome: Gnomes are magic users, not fighters. Still I bet it would be interesting to be one as a Ranger, they get +2 to Con, and a -2 to Str, and like Halflings, they can't use large weapons. Half-Orc: Like Elves, these are not bad to be. +2 to Str is great, but -2 to Int and Cha is not good, since you probably will only have a maximum of 10 points in both of those abilities, you'll end up with 8 in both so you'll talk like an idiot, which is not fun. Plus, Half-Orcs are really ugly... What should my Abilities look like when I create my Ranger? ----------------------------------------------------------- Personally I like this build to start out with: Strength: 16 Dexterity: 12 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 10 With this you have a good attack bonus, a decent dexterity and constitution bonus, and you can cast all Ranger Spells. Additionally you will recieve on attribute point to add to what you want every four levels. I recommend putting two points into strength, two into constitution, and one into dexterity. Thus, you will end up with the following stats: Strength: 18 Dexterity: 13 Constitution: 16 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 10 This is how I like to build up my Ranger. I like them almost like fighters. Others might chose to add more points dexterity, but I like to wear heavy armor, so the AC bonus isn't really needed when I play. If you were to add the points to dex, you should probably add them like this: Strength: 16 Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 15 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 10 Of course, you could add all 5 points into Dex, but I feel throw one into Con, for a little Hit Point Bonus. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ II. Ranger Advantages/Disadvantes Ranger Advantages: ------------------ - Versatile: Can be almost everything from Strong Fighters to Sneaky Rogues - Gains Trackless Step feat for free at 1st level - Get Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats for free at 1st level - Gains Improved Two-Weapon Fighting for free at 9th levle - d10 roll for hit points, the same as regular fighters - May chose a Racial Enemy at 1st level and again every 5 levels - Gains an Animal Companion at 6th level - Can use some 1st - 4th level Druid Spells - multiclasses well with Rogues, Fighters, Druids, and Paldins Ranger Disadvantes: ------------------- - Not as combat oriented as a Fighter, Barbarian, or Paladin - Not as Versatile as Rogues - Spells aren't that great ------------------------------ ------------------------------ III. Ranger Spells Rangers have access to some, not all, 1st - 4th level Druid spells. While most are not really important, some are very good and should be used alot. The following table shows how many Spells a Ranger gets at a given level. Ranger Spells per Day: lvl Base Spells Per Day 1 2 3 4 1 - - - - 2 - - - - 3 - - - - 4 0 - - - 5 0 - - - 6 1 - - - 7 1 - - - 8 1 0 - - 9 1 0 - - 10 1 1 - - 11 1 1 0 - 12 1 1 1 - 13 1 1 1 0 14 2 1 1 0 15 2 1 1 1 16 2 2 1 1 17 2 2 2 1 18 3 2 2 1 19 3 3 3 2 20 3 3 3 3 Rangers gain 1st level spells at level 6, 2nd level spells at level 10, 3rd level spells at level 12, and 4th level spells at level 15. The following are all Ranger spells and their uses: 1st Level Ranger Spells: ------------------------ Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 points of damage + 1/Ranger Level - Great at healing yourself at low levels when you've run out of potions Entangle: Trap enemies with clinging vegetation. - Enemies that are entangled can still act, but can not move. This spell with stop enemies from ganging up on you. I've never really used it, as the graphics lower my framerates (initiate laughter now), but I guess it could come in handy. Grease: Slows or knocks down enemies. - I've honestly never used this spell, but I guess it could make dealing with large groups of enemies easier by slowing them down. Summon Creature I: Summons a dire badger. - The Summon Creature Spells are the best Ranger spells. While a Dire Badger isn't really that powerful, it does add a fourth member to your party, which can help you from being overwhelmed by enemies. 2nd Level Ranger Spells: ------------------------ Cat's Grace: The target creature's Dexterity is increased by 1d4 + 1. - Great spell to cast for a nice Dex bonus. Use before boss fights for a nice AC bonus. Hold Animal: Target animal is paralyzed. - Not that great, as animals aren't really that tough and you can usually kill them without using it. If your going to use it, save it for Dire Wolves and Dire Bears, as they are the hardest animals you will fight. Protection from Elements: 30/- damage resitance against all elemental forms of damage. - Very good when you know your going to fight some elemental monsters. Most normal enemies, however, do not have elemental attributes, so save this for when you need it. Resist Elements: 20/- damage resistance against all elemental forms of damage. - Don't use this, Protection from Elements is better. Use that. Sleep: Causes 2d4 HD of creatures to fall asleep: - Not bad, but I've never really used it. Note that if a creature is asleep, and you attack it, it will wake up. Summon Creature II: Summons a dire boar. - The Dire Boar is a much better fighter than the Dire Badger, so get rid of Summon Creature I and start using this. 3nd Level Ranger Spells: ------------------------ Aid: Target receives +1 bonus to attacks and saving thows vs. fear; +1d8 hit points. - Great spell to use. Unfortunately in my first play through the game I found a magical item that casts Aid on my character 3 times a day, so I never bothered to use the spell. Still its very good to use before big boss fights. Cure Moderate Wounds: Heal 2d8 points of damage + 1/Ranger Level - Good Spell to heal yourself in the heat of combat, or when enemies are nearby. Otherwise, just rest. Invisibility Purge: Removes all invisibility from nearby creatures. - There aren't alot of monsters that are invisible, so this spell won't be used alot. But when their are invisible monsters, it's a lifesaver. Neutralize Poison: Target cured, if poisoned. - Poison sucks, use this to cure it. Any questions? Remove Disease: All diseases removed from target. - Diseases suck, use this to cure them. Any questions? Summon Creature III: Summons a dire wolf. - Dire Wolves are strong as hell, use them as your new fourth party member. 4th level Ranger Spells: ------------------------ Cure Serious Wounds: Heals 3d8 points of damage +1/Ranger Level - Again, use this to heal yourself if you need it. Freedom of Movement: Target becomes immune to paralysis. - Being paralyzed sucks, use this to cure it. Any questions? Polymorph Self: Caster is able to turn himself into a pixie, troll, umber hulk, giant spider, or zombie. - Not as good as it sounds. By the time you get this, you'll be stronger than all of these creatures. Still, Umber Hulks and Trolls are probably the strongest so use them if you want to have fun. Summon Creature IV: Summons a Dire Spider. - I like the Dire Wolf the best, so I didn't use this much. I think Dire Wolves are stronger, strength and Hit Point wise, as well. There you have it, all Ranger Spells and their uses. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ IV. Ranger Feats Rangers have access to some of the best feats in the game. They also gain many good feats for free at certain levels. Rangers excel in fighting with two weapons, and thus gain two-weapon fighting feats for free. The following feats are gained by being a Ranger: Trackless Step -------------- Gained: 1st level Use: Automatic Bonuses: The ranger gains a +4 competence bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks when in outdoor areas. Favored Enemy ------------- Rangers study their enemies and develop a keen understanding of the weakness of various creatures. Gained: 1st level and every five levels thereafter. Use: Automatic Bonuses: Rangers gain a +1 bonus to Listen, Spot, and Taunt checks against their favored enemy, as well as a +1 bonus to any physical damage applied to the enemy. These bonuses improve by +1 every five levels. Ranger Favored Enemy Groups: Aberration Half-elf Animal Half-orc Beast Halfling Construct Human Dragon Monstrous humanoid Elemental Orc Fey Reptilian humanoid Giant Magical beast Dwarf Outsider Elf Shapechanger Gnome Undead Goblinoid Vermin Ambidexterity ------------- Gained: 1st level Use: Automaticly when two weapons are equipped Bonuses: When two-weapon fighting, this feat reduces the penalty of the off-hand weapon by 4. Two Weapon Fighting ------------------- Gained: 1st level Use: The ambidexterity feat further reduces the attack penalty for the second weapon by 4 (-4/-4). Best results are achieved if the off-hand weapon is light, further reducing the penalty for both the primary and off-hand by 2 (-2/-2). Bonuses: A character with this feat reduces the penalties suffered when using a weapon in each hand. The normal penalty of -6 to the primary hand and -10 to the off-hand becomes -4 fro the primary hand and -8 for the off-hand. Animal Companion ---------------- Gained: 6th level Use: Once per day, until killed or unsummoned Bonuses: Animal companions may be changed with each new ranger class level. Animal Companion List: Dire Badger Wolf Dire Boar Raven Brown Bear Panther Dire Spider Dire Wolf Improved Two Weapon Fighting ---------------------------- Gained: 9th level Use: Automaticly when two weapon are equipped Bonuses: The character with this feat is able to get a second off-hand attack (at a penalty of -5 to the attack roll). ------------------------------ Choosing a Favored Enemy can be tricky. You may want to jump and pick Dragon right away, and that's not a bad idea, but keep in mind you don't fight many dragons in the game. Your probably better off picking an enemy you fight everywhere. Don't go picking Orcs or Goblinoids either, they're easy enough and you don't even need the bonuses. The following are some good choices: Undead: This includes all Skeletons, Zombies, Mummies, etc. You always seem to be fighting undead, and they can sometimes give you some trouble. I usually always pick this. Humans: Many people don't realize, that your really fighting Humans alot in the game. This bonus will help out whenever your fighting Humans, which is very common. Giants: Giants can be tough, especially when your fighting more than one. This makes it a bit easier. Dragons: They're not common, but when you do fight them, your gonna need all the help you can get. Elementals: Elementals can get tough if your not careful. This is always a good pick. ------------------------------ The right Animal Companion can also be tough to pick. From my experiences, I like an Animal Companion that can hold its own in a fight. One with enough HP so I'm not resting every 5 seconds. My favorite Animal Companion is the Dire Wolf. They're quick and strong and once you get to higher levels they start dealing pretty good damage. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ V. Conclusion There you have it, a short look at the world of Rangers. For more info, contact me and ask me a question, and i'll try to answer it. Contact Information ------------------- You can reach me by the following means: Email - Basinpup@hotmail.com AIM - Basinpup If you see an error in this FAQ (there probably are some) please Email me, telling me the problem, and I will fix it, and thank you in the next update. All suggestions are welcome. Special Thanks -------------- - Bioware, Infogrames, Atari, and Wizards of the Coast for making this awesome game. - Johnny Babs for letting me play online with someone I actually know. - Matt, my brother, for lending me the $10 bucks I needed to buy this game. - GameFAQs and CJayC for allowing me to post this here. - All Neverwinter Nights Players out there. The Newest Version of this FAQ can always be found at http://www.gamefaqs.com, the best site on the internet for Codes, Cheats, FAQs, and Walkthroughs. The Ranger Description, Spell Descriptions, and Ranger Spell Chart are all property of Bioware and were copied from the Neverwinter Nights Manual. I am not trying to pawn them off as my own, I acknowledge that they are not mine. Peace, I'm outa here...