Armor Pref. and Ritual Question - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Armor Pref. and Ritual Question

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
elcapitan
Jul 19, 2009 2:39:44 Hello,

I am just starting out in 4.0 and a player character (Ranger) posed the following questions:

1) Can a Ranger take a feat that allows them to wear any type of armor or are they restricted to just the armor types that are listed in their class description?

2) The same player character also asked if it would be possible for a Ranger to formally train in Arcana, which then allow the Ranger to cast rituals? i.e., ritual spells.

Again, any help with these questions would be fantastic. Thank you.
#2
dalzig
Jul 19, 2009 2:44:30 1. There are armor proficiency feats available [PH1 193]. A ranger can take enough feats to wear plate armor, but they must take Chainmail proficiency, then Scale proficiency, and finally Plate proficiency.

2. In order for a Ranger to master and cast rituals, they must be trained in either Arcana or Religion and take the Ritual Casting feat. To train in Arcana or Religion, they can either take the feat Skill Training or take a multiclass feat that trains them in one.
#3
Mad_Jack
Jul 19, 2009 2:48:52 Yes and yes.

1. Anybody can take the Armor Proficiency feats. In fact, two-weapon rangers who aren't keeping their Dex up for reasons other than AC often go with heavier armor.

2. This would require two feats - Skill Training: Arcana and Ritual Caster. (Although there may be other ways for the ranger to acquire training in Arcana...) If the ranger doesn't plan to take a multiclass feat, they might consider just multiclassing into wizard to get the Arcana training, since the multiclass feat does give other benefits.
#4
Duskweaver
Jul 19, 2009 2:50:43
2) The same player character also asked if it would be possible for a Ranger to formally train in Arcana, which then allow the Ranger to cast rituals? i.e., ritual spells.

If the ranger has both Intelligence and Wisdom of at least 13, the best solution is to take the Learned Spellcaster feat from Arcane Power. You get training in your choice of Arcana, Nature or Religion, plus the wizard's Ritual Casting class feature, both for just a single feat.
#5
slobo777a
Jul 19, 2009 2:56:48
1) Can a Ranger take a feat that allows them to wear any type of armor or are they restricted to just the armor types that are listed in their class description?

Yes they can take the feats. However, the Ranger will lose the dex bonus to AC whilst wearing heavy armour, there is no way round that (and it would be unbalancing to make an exception). This rule replaces the old "max dex bonus" from v3. I've seen a v4 player with a Wizard get very excited about the new armour rules until they actually built an armoured Wizard and found out the AC was not in fact much better.
#6
elcapitan
Jul 19, 2009 10:14:46 Hi Everyone,

I want to thank everyone for answering my question. I still am trying to learn and, at the same time, effectively DM the new 4.0 rules. This forum is really helpfull.

Have a great week.
#7
daidojitaidoru
Jul 19, 2009 10:58:10
If the ranger has both Intelligence and Wisdom of at least 13, the best solution is to take the Learned Spellcaster feat from Arcane Power. You get training in your choice of Arcana, Nature or Religion, plus the wizard's Ritual Casting class feature, both for just a single feat.

The Bardic Ritualist Feat also gets you the Ritual Caster and Arcana, but the prereqs are 13 Int 13 Cha. Which might be better depending on your race.
#8
Duskweaver
Jul 20, 2009 8:06:48
The Bardic Ritualist Feat also gets you the Ritual Caster and Arcana, but the prereqs are 13 Int 13 Cha. Which might be better depending on your race.

But the character in question is a ranger, so Wis is probably going to be more useful to him than Cha.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 elcapitan Jul 19, 2009 2:39:44	Hello, I am just starting out in 4.0 and a player character (Ranger) posed the following questions: 1) Can a Ranger take a feat that allows them to wear any type of armor or are they restricted to just the armor types that are listed in their class description? 2) The same player character also asked if it would be possible for a Ranger to formally train in Arcana, which then allow the Ranger to cast rituals? i.e., ritual spells. Again, any help with these questions would be fantastic. Thank you.
#2 dalzig Jul 19, 2009 2:44:30	1. There are armor proficiency feats available [PH1 193]. A ranger can take enough feats to wear plate armor, but they must take Chainmail proficiency, then Scale proficiency, and finally Plate proficiency. 2. In order for a Ranger to master and cast rituals, they must be trained in either Arcana or Religion and take the Ritual Casting feat. To train in Arcana or Religion, they can either take the feat Skill Training or take a multiclass feat that trains them in one.
#3 Mad_Jack Jul 19, 2009 2:48:52	Yes and yes. 1. Anybody can take the Armor Proficiency feats. In fact, two-weapon rangers who aren't keeping their Dex up for reasons other than AC often go with heavier armor. 2. This would require two feats - Skill Training: Arcana and Ritual Caster. (Although there may be other ways for the ranger to acquire training in Arcana...) If the ranger doesn't plan to take a multiclass feat, they might consider just multiclassing into wizard to get the Arcana training, since the multiclass feat does give other benefits.
#4 Duskweaver Jul 19, 2009 2:50:43	2) The same player character also asked if it would be possible for a Ranger to formally train in Arcana, which then allow the Ranger to cast rituals? i.e., ritual spells. If the ranger has both Intelligence and Wisdom of at least 13, the best solution is to take the Learned Spellcaster feat from Arcane Power. You get training in your choice of Arcana, Nature or Religion, plus the wizard's Ritual Casting class feature, both for just a single feat.
#5 slobo777a Jul 19, 2009 2:56:48	1) Can a Ranger take a feat that allows them to wear any type of armor or are they restricted to just the armor types that are listed in their class description? Yes they can take the feats. However, the Ranger will lose the dex bonus to AC whilst wearing heavy armour, there is no way round that (and it would be unbalancing to make an exception). This rule replaces the old "max dex bonus" from v3. I've seen a v4 player with a Wizard get very excited about the new armour rules until they actually built an armoured Wizard and found out the AC was not in fact much better.
#6 elcapitan Jul 19, 2009 10:14:46	Hi Everyone, I want to thank everyone for answering my question. I still am trying to learn and, at the same time, effectively DM the new 4.0 rules. This forum is really helpfull. Have a great week.
#7 daidojitaidoru Jul 19, 2009 10:58:10	If the ranger has both Intelligence and Wisdom of at least 13, the best solution is to take the Learned Spellcaster feat from Arcane Power. You get training in your choice of Arcana, Nature or Religion, plus the wizard's Ritual Casting class feature, both for just a single feat. The Bardic Ritualist Feat also gets you the Ritual Caster and Arcana, but the prereqs are 13 Int 13 Cha. Which might be better depending on your race.
#8 Duskweaver Jul 20, 2009 8:06:48	The Bardic Ritualist Feat also gets you the Ritual Caster and Arcana, but the prereqs are 13 Int 13 Cha. Which might be better depending on your race. But the character in question is a ranger, so Wis is probably going to be more useful to him than Cha.