Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to train a ranger that doubles disarm and lockpicking while leveling? Even if it's suboptimal (obviously it is) I'm still hoping there's a way to do it.

In my head I'm thinking archery, or maybe sword/board but it's been over 2 years since I dealt with GS mechanics so I was hoping for someone to point me in the right direction before I dive in again.

Thanks, that's basically all I wanted, is that yeah it's not going to be impossible.

I'll have a read on some ranger stuff and take a stab at a training plan in a bit.

An open archer does seem to be quite viable. My open archer seems to have a lot more leeway in training than I was expecting for a semi.

-- Robert

Well just to give an idea on my sword/board ranger. he has been up through minos with the following:

2x edge,
1x armor,(have been adding as i get the chance so I can get into chain)
1x shield
1x cm
1x ambush
1x hiding(been adding a bit more as I go here too.)
1x spells(up to 640 then 120, then 600s for life. I skipped the first rank just to free up MTP)
1x harnass power
1x PF(i have added as i can for stamina reasons for sunfist)
1x survival
1x first aid
50ranks each of swimming and climbing(I 1x, got to 50 ranks and stopped.)
about 1/3 in summoning lore(i think I am about 30 ranks as of 81 trains)
1x perception
1x dodge

For what you want to do, you can drop down harness power to .5 and not get lores and pick up AS and MIU pretty easy. i guess if you drop dodge and add a large shield you could use that to fill in your trading and any other misc skills you want. Should be doable.

Anyway, i know I'm not playing with optimal stats or skill build. It is functional to use so far. Good luck and keep in mind, you really have to try hard to screw up a ranger

Pup's Player

I am curious why your focus on magic item use and arcane symbols so early? They are useful but you can also easily do without. The same can be said of spirit mana control.

In the grand scheme of things until you are over 100 ranks in ranger spells they are more beneficial then having 130, which is just a convenience, and 140 which is only very situationally useful.

<<<Crossbows are based on the STR stat where bows are based on the dex stat right?>>>

Well not exactly, no. Crossbows and bows both use DEX as your primary Attack stat (from which your AS is derived). Your speed is affected by STR on both bows and crossbows; bows for your fire time, and crossbows for your cocking time.

Bows are generally considered superior, for a couple reasons. One, a longbow has nearly the DF of a crossbow (better against chain), and can fire much faster with high strength. You can also use the CMAN Multi-fire if you choose (but most don't).

Crossbows, however, have a couple advantages worth considering. One, if you kneel you get a flat +30 AS which is nothing to sneeze at. You also get high AvD scores and that great DF I mentioned. Also...you get a low up-front roundtime (2 seconds, 3 if you're aiming). But that all comes at the price of having a 5 second minimum cocking time (for a heavy crossbow).

I have an open ranged crossbow-toting bard that does very well, and that's the perfect choice for her. But my ranger is a stealth archer who alternates between a short bow (for speed) and a long bow (for power). When you can crit eyes reliably, the type of bow doesn't matter much, so I go for the speed. On creatures that don't crit, I go for the DF of the longbow. I should mention she's a halfling, so even with max strength she doesn't shoot as fast as most other rangers. That's why she's a sniper.

If you're going to snipe from hiding as a combat tactic, you'll need the CM Shadow Mastery. Okay, you could get by without it...but you don't want to. Trust me on this. But if you are an open archer, you really don't need CMANs at all. You'll probably want some for defense down the road, but in the short term you can completely ignore it, if you choose.

For what you're trying to do, however, open ranged would be fine. It's a very powerful build with low TP demands. Being open, you can pick either bow or crossbow, depending on your preference. Archery isn't all grins and giggles, however, since you have to deal with AMMO. It cannot be overstated what a royal pain dealing with ammo is. Chances are you'll want to master fletching so you can make your own arrows or bolts, and that alone is a significant (and boring) investment in time. Even after mastering, making arrows is time consuming, detail oriented and dull (not to mention expensive, if you want the good stuff).

So choose wisely. :)

~ Heathyr and friends

thanks for in the info. I did do a little with bows and it was pain, to ambush with a bow you aim? what's the command, aim right eye right bow? show's how clueless I am.