| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| archmagestar |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 02:10:04
Hello all. Can somebody out there please tell me why Drizzt has never cast a ranger spell? He is surley high enough level to cast many. |
| 29 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Askeladd |
Posted - 17 Sep 2013 : 23:02:48
He did use a few spells in the first books |
| Barastir |
Posted - 13 Sep 2013 : 18:37:51
quote:
Originally posted by Dreamstalker
1e AD&D rangers had access to both druid and mage spells.
I know it, my question was if a 10th level could already cast those spells. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 13 Sep 2013 : 14:23:46
damn, MrHedgehog, you beat me to it. I was about to say "yeah, he has SOME ranger, but doesn't he have fighter, maybe barbarian, maybe some prestige classes like whirling dervish, etc...." |
| Barastir |
Posted - 13 Sep 2013 : 12:35:31
In 2e Heroes' Lorebook, Drizzt stats say:
"Priest spells (3/3/3): Drizzt is a follower of Mielikki. Spells
that he prefers or that he most often finds it necessary to carry
include:
1st) animal friendship, entangle, pass without trace;
2nd) charm person or mammal, speak with animals, warp wood;
3rd) hold animals, snare, spike growth."
In 1e Hall of Heroes he is a 10th level ranger, and I've seen no spells available. |
| MrHedgehog |
Posted - 13 Sep 2013 : 08:18:38
He has a wisdom of 17 in Heroes Lorebook.
Perhaps Ranger spells are effects rather than explicitly magic. Perhaps you can use ranger magic only if you learn how regardless of your skill. (Maybe he doesn't "pray" for spells. Does he know he can like we do? He does not know himself as well as we can being omniscient and all...)
In third edition he has 5 ranger levels. On a chart I looked up online (rather than getting a book out of storage) it said 5th level rangers get 0 spells. The author may not reference his abilities when crafting a story. The realms in the novels are a real world with a working system not a set of game mechanics. We play the Dungeons and Dragons game...but the realms are a world like any other for the characters.
EDIT: In the 3e campaign setting Drizzy can cast "Detect animal or plant". He may use this power without it being said in the story. The author may not think he has this power but since he was given stats this was stuck in? |
| Dreamstalker |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 16:40:07
1e AD&D rangers had access to both druid and mage spells. They also had the strange hit die progression that started at 2d8 and went to 11d8. Fighters and Paladins went from 1d10 to 9d10 if I remember correctly.
The Crystal Shard was released in 1988, just a year before AD&D 2ed, but well after Unearthed Arcana introduced elvish rangers and drow as playable characters. At the time, Drizt's dual wielding was more of a drow thing than a ranger thing. The development of 2ed rangers being dual wielders seems to be an outgrowth of how dual wielding worked and a need to distinguish rangers from fighters and paladins. It was a nice synergy that a new famous ranger was showing the world dual wielding right before it became a standardized rule. |
| Barastir |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 12:54:46
The first Drizzt books were written in 1e times, or just after 2e was released, and he has some 1e ranger abilities (like his hatred/bonus against "giant-class" creatures, which he used against many giants and other creatures, like ogres, trolls and even a barghest). I don't recall if 1e rangers had spellcasting abilities, though.  |
| BEAST |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 05:02:44
Drizzt can still use lower-level innate drow magical abilities, such as faerie fire or globes of darkness.
But he lost levitation early on. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 03:58:27
No, I can‘t recall Drizzt casting spells. I‘m inclined to agree with above posts which state
1) Drizzt‘s drow racial abilities may be inaccessible after enough time (a trilogy or soL outside the Underdark, and
2) Drizzt is a character in a novel, technically unconstrained by D&D game rules
Perhaps he does use ranger magic but the fiction describes these actions holistically rather than in spellcasting terms ... this seems in tune with a ranger‘s outlook. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 03:27:00
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Actually, I do believe Drizzt did cast faerie fire several times in the original trilogy. Usually on opponents in combat, to make them a bit easier to see and to hit.
How about non-innate drow magical ability spells? |
| archmagestar |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 02:33:16
I like Firestorm's idea of ranger spells not being cast in a normal manner of casting and that the just are. I also like the idea of Drizzt being more of a fighter and rouge then leveling up as a ranger. This seems to make the most sense to me, for Drizzt was trained as a fighter for many years. So it is quite possible that he can only cast the 0 level spells. Thanks for the feedback! |
| archmagestar |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 02:32:04
I like Firestorm's idea of ranger spells not being cast in a normal manner of casting and that the just are. I also like the idea of Drizzt being more of a fighter and rouge then leveling up as a ranger. This seems to make the most sense to me, for Drizzt was trained as a fighter for many years. So it is quite possible that he can only cast the 0 level spells. Thanks for the feedback! |
| Diffan |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 01:52:44
quote:
Originally posted by The Arcanamach
[quote]
Perhaps Drizzt is a variant ranger that doesn't cast spells (see Unearthed Arcana). Of course, my source is 3.x not 4e so my info could be outdated.
In v3.5 I'd make allow him a spell-less variant (Unearthed Arcana is a good choice). In 4E Rangers don't cast spells so by that measure, it wasn't a problem. |
| BEAST |
Posted - 12 Sep 2013 : 00:03:42
Maybe Drizzt just still holds a major grudge against the mage Masoj Hun'ett, who enslaved Guenhwyvar and tried to kill him in Menzoberranzan, so Drizzt avoids all magelike behaviors, altogether.
Intentionally delving into ranger divine spells would also entail exploring religion in more detail, and Drizzt has never been too keen on that. His reluctance to explore his faith any further is probably preventing him from learning, or at least from practicing, any divine spells that he might've picked up along the way. |
| Dreamstalker |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 23:28:16
One thing to keep in mind is that the primary inspiration for the D&D ranger class are the rangers of Middle Earth, specifically Aragorn. Which in turn is inspired by the English ranger tradition of frontier soldiers with different skill sets than the standard infantry. Beyond this inspiration, the ranger class is meant to encompass a variety of such similar concepts in history, myth and legend. Drizzt himself is one of the possible inspirations for how the class evolved being a rather early character in D&D history. Historically, rangers were soldiers assigned to a range of land so they tended to be skilled in all sort of survival techniques and were often given specialized martial training. Imagine groups such as the Texas Rangers, Colonial-era British troops specialized for the American frontiers, later era scout and infiltration military groups sent into to hard to live areas. The other historical and older usage of the word ranger basically meant wanderer or nomad.
So while Drizzt is a ranger, the minor magic using and general widely talented version of the ranger class from AD&D onward is not always the perfect fit. Just the closest thing to what RA Salvatore was creating. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 21:11:47
quote:
His wisdom stat is to low, he doesn't even cast the usual drow spells due to how long he has been in the sunlight supposedly.
Drizzt has a Wisdom 17, how is that low?  That's high enough to cast 7th-level divine spells.
Perhaps Drizzt is a variant ranger that doesn't cast spells (see Unearthed Arcana). Of course, my source is 3.x not 4e so my info could be outdated. |
| silverwolfer |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 20:55:03
no silly he is a hipster, he was a good drow before it was cool |
| BEAST |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 20:45:17
Is Drizzt a "poser"? Does he just call himself a ranger because he thinks it sounds kewl?
"Oh, yeah . . . I'm also a ranger. See this nifty forest green cloak? That's a ranger cloak." |
| silverwolfer |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 20:16:41
I think instead of the term natural, you may want to use well in this case, "swift", which is more it takes no outer action or thought, and just happens, but only happens so much. |
| Firestorm |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 19:23:40
Mostly because some Ranger spells do not need to be portrayed as spells?
Just natural abilities which have been honed over time?
Drizzt is a ranger, but only a minor one compared to the rest of his abilities. Most of his levels would be in fighter or Rogue. He learned up as a ranger after the fact and did not get as deeply enmeshed in it as true rangers.
look at some of the low level Ranger spells. Camouflage(+10 hide in the wilds), Hunter's Mercy(chance for crit strike with arrows), Surefoot(Balance +10), Branch to brach (+ 10 to climb and movement in trees), Easy trail(tracking), one with the land (+2 on nature skill checks), Calm Animal, Detect animal or plant, Delay poison, speak with animals/Charm animal(he did it with the seal in Passage to dawn)
Most of the ranger "Spells" come across as natural |
| Thauranil |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 14:42:57
Actually he did once cast a admittedly botched summoning spell to summon Errtu in the Crystal Shard and even in Homeland a lot of people mentioned that he had a lot of magical potential. So I think the main reason is that he wants to stay true to the legacy of his father from whom he learnt how to truly master his blades. |
| The Red Walker |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 13:18:54
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Because he's a character from a novel would be my guess.
-- George Krashos
Bingo!
And with him picking up a new high level magic item or two every trilogy, who needs spells?   |
| Barastir |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 11:46:05
I think there is another topic mentioning this, somewhere here in CK. In fact, Drizzt used to cast his drow spells (darkness, faerie fire and levitation) until he lost these powers, or most of them. I don't recall seeing him cast his ranger spells, though, probably because of Bob's writing style. As for him being a ranger, he is a quite nice one when he is in Icewind Dale, specially in The Crystal Shard but also in other books. |
| Diffan |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 08:29:34
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Because he's a character from a novel would be my guess.
-- George Krashos
Yep, pretty much this. As its said, they can write it anyway they want. |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 04:24:45
Because he's a character from a novel would be my guess.
-- George Krashos
|
| archmagestar |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 03:56:10
I did not realize that wisdom affected your casting of ranger class spells.
Drizzt is always wandering the woods, tundra, mountains, wherever he may be I have always found him to refernce how much more at ease he feels when around nature. That is ideal representation of a Ranger yes? |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 03:51:02
Actually, I do believe Drizzt did cast faerie fire several times in the original trilogy. Usually on opponents in combat, to make them a bit easier to see and to hit. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 03:08:44
quote:
Originally posted by silverwolfer
His wisdom stat is to low, he doesn't even cast the usual drow spells due to how long he has been in the sunlight supposedly.
This and 99% of the time he doesn't act like a ranger at all. |
| silverwolfer |
Posted - 11 Sep 2013 : 02:50:28
His wisdom stat is to low, he doesn't even cast the usual drow spells due to how long he has been in the sunlight supposedly. |
