Make Ranger HiPS normal HiPS

[GholaMan]

I know this might seem like a strange suggestion to most people but if you ever play a ranger in the UD on this server it is just sad because even though most of the area's would be considered wilderness or outdoors you cannot actually HiPS and run about like a ranger should. Most of the areas that you can go to on the surface are outdoors as well so this wouldn't even be much of a buff for surface rangers either. Anyone who has a ranger on the surface would you please confirm or deny the ability to HiPS in city's such as beregost, nashkel, baldurs gate, roaringshore. As i am pretty sure you can as those areas's are considered outdoor tiles even though they are clearly cities. So really giving ranger's normal HiPS isn't really that much of a buff.

[c2k]

Rangers are fine as is. Perhaps UD areas are what need to be re-evaluated.

[Rinzler]

area's would be considered wilderness or outdoors you cannot actually HiPS and run about like a ranger should

Not to mention it's essentially pitch black.

[Thaelis]

I agree that in principle it should not work in urban areas like BG city and conversely it should work in natural caverns (assuming there is some form of vegetation to provide concealment).

On the other hand, it seems they made Ranger HiPS work that way not for balance purposes but because the game engine only differentiates between Indoor/Outdoor rather than Natural/Unnatural? So, you would have to set Caverns as being Outdoor, which might mess something else up, such as allowing Call Lightning to be cast underground?

Darkness only provides concealment if your opponent cannot see in the dark (which 99% of creatures in the UD can btw).

[Touri]

https://wiki.bgtscc.net/index.php?title=Cavestalker

Hello GholaMan,

perhaps you have a look at this prestige class. It should do well with a ranger build.

Kind regards

Touri

[GholaMan]

To reply to you ck2 there isnt a way to turn UD area's into outdoor area's as far as i am aware. It has been tried in the past and doesn't work. Also people shouldn't be forced to take a prestige class just to be able to access the ability's by all rights they already should have. You pay for those abilities in levels and time it takes to get them. By all rights ranger HiPS is SUPPOSED to work in outdoor area's, natural cave systems would be considered an outdoor area that rangers should be able to HiPS in.

[Steve]

Cavestalker was introduced so that Rangers could use their abilities in the Underdark. And, you only need to take a 3 level investment for it to apply.

[Blackman D]

To reply to you ck2 there isnt a way to turn UD area's into outdoor area's as far as i am aware.

there is and all those open as hell UD maps are outdoor maps, they are simply flagged as underground, but cavestalker is what you need to get around that problem because a ranger is a surface class

[GholaMan]

Cavestalker was introduced so that Rangers could use their abilities in the Underdark. And, you only need to take a 3 level investment for it to apply.

I am curious as to why you think that having rangers in the UD be forced to take a PRC just so that they abilities they already have that are supposed to work already is acceptable?

there is and all those open as hell UD maps are outdoor maps, they are simply flagged as underground, but cavestalker is what you need to get around that problem because a ranger is a surface class

Ranger is not a surface class, not in lore or server policy, there are rangers among every race and diety.

[Thaelis]

Cavestalker was introduced so that Rangers could use their abilities in the Underdark. And, you only need to take a 3 level investment for it to apply.

I am curious as to why you think that having rangers in the UD be forced to take a PRC just so that they abilities they already have that are supposed to work already is acceptable?

there is and all those open as hell UD maps are outdoor maps, they are simply flagged as underground, but cavestalker is what you need to get around that problem because a ranger is a surface class

Ranger is not a surface class, not in lore or server policy, there are rangers among every race and diety.

I agree, in part, with Ghola.

I don't like the fact that Underdark characters are forced to take Cavestalker just to be able to do what their class is already meant to be able to do.

On the other hand, as a Surface Ranger I am fine with my HiPS not working in the Underdark, despite the fact I am weak as a kitten without it; it is a completely alien environment to a Surfacer.

Conversely, I will always have the advantage over a Cavestalker on the Surface, since none of their class abilities will work here.

[Blackman D]

ill rephrase it

ranger abilities work in the environment in which they are typically found, which is the surface outdoor natural areas - even on the surface if a ranger goes underground their hips does not work, they are limited to fields, forests, etc

cavestalker... caves... aka underground places

[izzul]

make cavestalker a base class and not PRC for UD races?

[c2k]

Perhaps grant the Underdark Affinity feat to only those races that are bound to the Underdark? Any race that could choose surface or UD would not get it.

[Tanlaus]

Perhaps grant the Underdark Affinity feat to only those races that are bound to the Underdark? Any race that could choose surface or UD would not get it.

Actually this seems like a great idea.

I’ve been thinking for awhile that perhaps there needs to be a UD ranger kit, but just giving the core UD races (drow, half drow, duregar, deep gnome) the UD Affinity feat solves that. If they have ranger or Druid they can fully process in those classes. If not it doesn’t matter.

On a side note it also leaves Cavestalker for other races to augment their progression, and just as a prc itself Cavestalker has some interesting unique abilities.

[ARHicks00]

https://wiki.bgtscc.net/index.php?title=Cavestalker

Hello GholaMan,

perhaps you have a look at this prestige class. It should do well with a ranger build.

Kind regards

Touri

Except not everyone plays a drow