Why can't my RANGER have a pet like the DRUID, they can in D&D.?.?

[Fecel]

So what I want to know is why can Turbine not give the Ranger the ability like the Druid to have a animal companion. It could be a wolf like the Druid or a ferret that can pick locks or anything...... I do not care it just makes me sad that my "all about the wilds" Ranger can not find an animal friend. I do not know if I am alone in all of this or if a DEV can answer this. I do not see this being something to make the ranger OP or anything. But please someone or all give me your thoughts on this.

[Visty]

i think not having an animal companion is the payoff for not having to chose between the twf and the archery line of feats and instead rangers just get both

[PsychoBlonde]

i think not having an animal companion is the payoff for not having to chose between the twf and the archery line of feats and instead rangers just get both

That and the whole "pet" thing started when the Artificer class was created. I'd like them to bring more pets online, sure, but it's not always that straightforward.

Paladins "should" get a warhorse, too.

[Fecel]

I agree with all these thing and I think this would help with the power balance in game as it stands but this would then go into my idea of a PvP wilderness area that could be really cool cause I think PvP needs some depth. But I do think with the new enhancements that the lines between ranged and melee ranger can be draw or blurred to the players wants, I just do not find this an issue. but look at who dominates PvP (Monks, and Wiz/spelly types IMO) but hey this is all just my opinion.

[Uska]

Actually in dnd they get one that is half-strength of a druids and have to choose two-weapon or archery which we get both of here rather have that than a even gimper pet then that of druids.

[Fecel]

Actually in dnd they get one that is half-strength of a druids and have to choose two-weapon or archery which we get both of here rather have that than a even gimper pet then that of druids.

I do not know about you but I like my druid pets in quests so far but have yet to bring them up to 20 yet but hey my highest is at 12 now and still my wolf buddy still slays them and I also buff him on the ship before we go into quests and that also helps a bit.

[Fecel]

And just so it is known there are lots of thing in game that are just a bit off from PnP D&D. so I do not think with the way the game plays that the Ranger having a pet like that of the Druid who grows with you would be such a bad thing.

[Uska]

I do not know about you but I like my druid pets in quests so far but have yet to bring them up to 20 yet but hey my highest is at 12 now and still my wolf buddy still slays them and I also buff him on the ship before we go into quests and that also helps a bit.

But imagine how gimpy a half-strength version would be and in higher level quests I see pets of druids and arties dropping like flies. By the way are you playing on elite or hard or lower?

[Uska]

And just so it is known there are lots of thing in game that are just a bit off from PnP D&D. so I do not think with the way the game plays that the Ranger having a pet like that of the Druid who grows with you would be such a bad thing.

So what do you want to give up for your half-strength pet archery or two-weapon fighting?

[Fecel]

But imagine how gimpy a half-strength version would be and in higher level quests I see pets of druids and arties dropping like flies. By the way are you playing on elite or hard or lower?

I try and always start on Elite and also try and have my augment summons as well as the ship buffs help. but I also run Hard, really I only run Normal if it is XP farming or no opener since i am a prem player.

So what do you want to give up for your half-strength pet archery or two-weapon fighting?

Like I said there are many things in DDO that are a bit different so I do not think we should have to give up anything for this, and for pally's Warhorses make them provide the pally with higher speed and maybe a small buff to attacks/damage or maybe help the Pally be a better Tank allow him/her to take more of a thrashing.. just a thought.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Rgrs should have their animal companions.

Pallies should have their war horse (and Holy Avengers/ holy swords should be in the game and work for Pallies like they are supposed to.

Wiz/Sor should have familiars.

Clrs should have domain powers for free. (some argument can be made that domain powers exist in DDO, but so far they cost feats and AP which they should not.)

Gnomes.

Epic spells

Missing Spells.

No one should prefer a Khopesh......



Did I miss anything?

[Memnir]

Why can't my RANGER have a pet like the DRUID, they can in D&D.?

Because at the game's launch in 06, the Companion AI didn't exist.
As compensation, as stated by the Devs at the time, they gave Rangers both the TWF and Archery feats for free - instead of making the Ranger choose one over the other as is the case in pen and paper D&D.


I'd be fine with Rangers getting the pet, so long as they'd be corrected to have to choose one line of weapon style as well. Personally, I think that having the TWF and archery feats is worth far more then an AI pet with spotty AI.

[TGOskar]

I'm on the wagon of giving Rangers their animal companion, and I don't really mind losing the benefits of both TWF and Archery. I only ask that Ranger Animal Companions are in parity with those of the Druid's.

The Ranger was the first character to have a bonafide animal companion straight from 1st Edition. AD&D muddled that, but 3rd Edition mostly returned it; however, it also gave the animal companion to the Druid, a thing it never had from its inception. The animal companion was supposed to be as strong as the Ranger, and thus it's only noticeable that it retains some of that strength. I could work with a Ranger having an animal companion three levels lower than the Druid, as while it'll be somewhat weaker than that of the Druid, the Ranger can compensate with its own combat style (and perhaps a tree that buffs the Animal Companion). Half-strength won't really work, and the Ranger could use some support (it's much better now than before, but boy was it a headache to build an effective one during the time Wounding/Puncturing was nerfed and now), so somewhere between level and level -3 would be fair. The Druid is already more powerful than the Ranger because of its spells and Wild Shape: Archery is better now, but the most effective method of being an Archer is for 20 seconds every minute or so (aka, during the Manyshot cooldown), because afterwards you need to shift to a melee weapon. An AC could help you draw off the heat of your shots, letting you use your arrows better. A TWFer, on the other hand, could have its AC always set up flanking opportunities. A Druid can hardly do any of the two suggestions.

As for Paladins and their warhorses...don't get me wrong, Paladin is my favorite class ever, but I'm not that desperate for a mount as I'm eager to have the Ranger's AC, if only because there's no mechanism to mount it, can't take it in dungeons and it'd be useful only on wilderness areas. Something along the lines of Divine Spirit (Dungeonscape, replaces your mount) would be awesome as it'd bring more buffing power to Paladins, but it's not something I request with insistence (unlike, say, more feats for Paladins who suffer from the worst feat starvation ever; note that Rangers get loads of bonus feats or else they'd suffer the same fate as Pallies). If the devs could solve the Pally mount predicament and give them for free to all Paladins, well...don't look a gift-horse in the mouth. But, I'd feel insulted if Pallies get their mounts before Rangers get their Animal Companions (or before they get more feats other than the two non-free bonus feats they get in replacement for ditching the entire Faith line).

[voxson5]

Rgrs should have their animal companions.

Pallies should have their war horse (and Holy Avengers/ holy swords should be in the game and work for Pallies like they are supposed to.

Wiz/Sor should have familiars.

Clrs should have domain powers for free. (some argument can be made that domain powers exist in DDO, but so far they cost feats and AP which they should not.)

Gnomes.

Epic spells

Missing Spells.

No one should prefer a Khopesh......



Did I miss anything?

Pole arms
Monkey Grip
Goblins
Umberhulks
Githyanki
Githzerai
Slaad
Decent Death Knights
Banshee
Carrion Crawlers
More interesting undead models (Undead Sorjak is so cool, and so under-utilised)
Astral Deva
Ankheg
Basilisk
Actually this page pretty much sums it up
Travel and interaction with the Outer Planes
Pscionists
Player Housing
Player Holds
An endgame not consisting of low level encounters with bloated hp

And so much more.


I would love Tyranthraxus to make a cameo

[Vellrad]

Ranger's pet is half of their class level.

Would you really prefer HD10 (or HD14 if you count epic levels) pet over extra feats?

Even if you'd have it for free, would you summon CR10/14 wolf in epics, knowing that when it dies, you loose HP and mana?

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Pole arms
Monkey Grip
Goblins
Umberhulks
Githyanki
Githzerai
Slaad
Decent Death Knights
Banshee
Carrion Crawlers
More interesting undead models (Undead Sorjak is so cool, and so under-utilised)
Astral Deva
Ankheg
Basilisk
Actually this page pretty much sums it up
Travel and interaction with the Outer Planes
Pscionists
Player Housing
Player Holds
An endgame not consisting of low level encounters with bloated hp

And so much more.


I would love Tyranthraxus to make a cameo

I mostly agree.

[Fecel]

Pole arms
Monkey Grip
Goblins
Umberhulks
Githyanki
Githzerai
Slaad
Decent Death Knights
Banshee
Carrion Crawlers
More interesting undead models (Undead Sorjak is so cool, and so under-utilised)
Astral Deva
Ankheg
Basilisk
Actually this page pretty much sums it up
Travel and interaction with the Outer Planes
Pscionists
Player Housing
Player Holds
An endgame not consisting of low level encounters with bloated hp

And so much more.


I would love Tyranthraxus to make a cameo

I would LOVE to see a Terask or a Giant Turtle dragon with a city on it's back where we had to run a quest but I am not trying to nit-pick , I really think for the game and the way the GAME plays that the Ranger having a Companion on par with the Druids would not break anything if anything it could be something for them to make the game more even with all the classes, I know that I wouldn't want it to be exactly how D&D played it since not a lot of the way things played out in PnP will work for the DDO realm.

I understand there are thing that other classes have had left out but when you place a Monk or a Wiz in a line with a Ranger in DDO people will want the Wiz or Monk first and I am not saying the ranger isn't worth playing they are in fact my favorite class of the game and I have at least three of them at all times in my list of toons. I am just saying that this would give the Ranger a bit of a needed boost. and to make it just like the Druids would be something that I do not think would be that hard or use this to expand both classes and make a different companion and implement them both on Druid and Ranger giving some needed growth to the companions of these classes I do not knopw about arti's since most of my PnP time was spent in the FR but if they could also do this with the Arti then I think this would help out these classes a bit.

And if it where to happen make the classes spend some points in the enhancements to make their pets grow with them to make the playable at high or even Epic levels. I understand this is a lot to ask but hey this is OUR game and we should have a voice in it I think.

[Qhualor]

Because at the game's launch in 06, the Companion AI didn't exist.
As compensation, as stated by the Devs at the time, they gave Rangers both the TWF and Archery feats for free - instead of making the Ranger choose one over the other as is the case in pen and paper D&D.


I'd be fine with Rangers getting the pet, so long as they'd be corrected to have to choose one line of weapon style as well. Personally, I think that having the TWF and archery feats is worth far more then an AI pet with spotty AI.

In today's game, a ranger can be argued that they are comparable in DPS to an artificer or druid even with TWF and archery feats for free. Rangers fall behind them because ranger spells are mostly useless. Allowing rangers to have a pet would actually make the class better and more attractive as ranger pet summons totally suck even with druid past life and augment summoning. Even with pets that more or less follow D&D rules, a ranger pet would probably be on the same level as an artificers dog or druids wolf.

The thing with rangers and having both archery feats and TWF line for free is that a ranger can invest in both, but never excel at either one. They can excel at one of them and be mediocre in the other.

[Fecel]

In today's game, a ranger can be argued that they are comparable in DPS to an artificer or druid even with TWF and archery feats for free. Rangers fall behind them because ranger spells are mostly useless. Allowing rangers to have a pet would actually make the class better and more attractive as ranger pet summons totally suck even with druid past life and augment summoning. Even with pets that more or less follow D&D rules, a ranger pet would probably be on the same level as an artificers dog or druids wolf.

The thing with rangers and having both archery feats and TWF line for free is that a ranger can invest in both, but never excel at either one. They can excel at one of them and be mediocre in the other.

Thank You this is kind of my point here I think that doing this would bring life to this game as a whole instead of just having one class overshadowed i would find a way to use the pet with an Archer or a TWF and use my pet for enjoyment as a Ranger or to help with peoples RP groups I have to admit this might look like a tall order but I think that it could be done without to much trouble.

[Lonnbeimnech]

I do not know about you but I like my druid pets in quests so far but have yet to bring them up to 20 yet but hey my highest is at 12 now and still my wolf buddy still slays them and I also buff him on the ship before we go into quests and that also helps a bit.

They get 2 inventory slots, so try to fit on fort, exceptional fort, resist (the saving throw kind), good luck, greater parry. ya know, all the stuff you need at higher levels so you don't get 1 shot. It can't be done.