Geek-A-Long 2020: Ranger

No one knows the wilderness like a Ranger. They are the people who keep the small towns and villages safe from monsters that hid in the wilderness.

The stereotypical Ranger is an unkempt person who only comes to town to trade raw meat for fresh steel. There are other types of Rangers though: Bowmen, Beast Masters, Urban Bounty Hunters, Monster Slayers, and inter-dimensional Horizon Walkers. The most well-known Ranger is probably Aragorn from Lord Of The Rings (Legolas is a Fighter, don’t @ me). The best known one in Dungeons in Dragons, however, is Drizzt Do’Urden. He’s so well known that my auto correct knew how to spell his last name. Drizzt wields two magic scimitars, Twinkle and IcingDeath, which he uses to cut down his enemies. He and his magical panther Guenhwyvar are champions for good and have been the focus of a large number of Forgotten Realms books.

SIDE NOTE: Drizzt is a Drow, which are problematic as hell and I encourage you to read about fantasy racism HERE, HERE, and HERE. POCGamer is a great resource as well.

The Ranger class is a staple of what people think of as Dungeons & Dragons. At its heart, a Ranger is a Fighter with levels of Druid, who can wear metal armor. In ye olden Advanced D&D from the days of yore, they were a subtype of Fighter, and I think the most recent version of Ranger feels like it doesn’t quite fit into the rules well. It is trying to be extremely specialized and is built out of bits of previous editions that don’t exactly fit anymore.

My skepticism aside, Rangers can be a ton of fun to play and are very popular. In fact, the second most common race/class combination on DnD Beyond is an Elven Ranger. They are a blast for a few levels before you dip into cross-classing. Personally, I love playing Rangers in one shot games. Sometimes you just need to be a Halfling that shoots a bow and rides on the back of her enormous Dire Corgi. Optimizing your character doesn’t always mean you have the highest numbers, sometimes it means having a pet giant sloth the size of a polar bear for optimal fun.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Ranger pattern here. Instructions and charts for both knit and crochet are listed in the pattern. When you’re finished making it, don’t forget to Instagram your squares at us @lattesandllamasyarn with the hashtag #geekalong! Want to hang out with other people making the blanket? You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.

~Megan-Anne

Don’t worry, when we get to the Fighter Class, I will explain in graphic detail why my ex-husband, Legolas, is indeed a Fighter and not a Ranger.

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