Ranger - Revision history

Darth l33t: /* Mid-game */ more notes on switching to the Longbow

2026-06-14T22:16:52Z

‎Mid-game: more notes on switching to the Longbow

Darth l33t: /* Strategy */ preliminaty 5.0.0 update

2026-06-12T14:30:50Z

‎Strategy: preliminaty 5.0.0 update

Umbire the Phantom: /* UnNetHack */ not true now, if it ever was

2026-05-23T09:40:04Z

‎UnNetHack: not true now, if it ever was

Umbire the Phantom: /* Starting equipment */ fix comment

2026-05-23T06:46:09Z

‎Starting equipment: fix comment

Umbire the Phantom: /* Variants */ link to incoming subpage, starting pet

2026-05-23T06:42:54Z

‎Variants: link to incoming subpage, starting pet

Umbire the Phantom: some copyedit

2026-04-19T22:07:46Z

some copyedit

Umbire the Phantom: /* Attributes */ missed this during the initial table-ification, just as well really

2026-01-14T22:28:37Z

‎Attributes: missed this during the initial table-ification, just as well really

Tomsod: /* Attributes */ hp/pw

2025-12-22T05:56:20Z

‎Attributes: hp/pw

Umbire the Phantom: copyedit

2025-10-28T04:00:45Z

copyedit

Show changes

Umbire the Phantom: other upcoming

2025-08-08T06:14:13Z

other upcoming

@@ Line 155: / Line 155: @@
 While Rangers can deal a ton of damage from firing arrows or bolts at point-blank range, a melee weapon is still very useful to have: Rangers may consider [[spear]]s, [[trident]]s and [[crysknives]], or else obtain an adequate [[artifact]] like [[Magicbane]] or [[Frost Brand]] as a [[sacrifice gift]]. Rangers cannot two-weapon, and though they can reach Skilled in [[axe]]s and [[polearm]]s, most Rangers are highly unlikely to be utilizing [[two-handed]] weapons for long periods, so they can safely use a [[shield]] to complement their (cross)bow. The various flavors of [[wooden shield]] are the lightest shields and also have the lowest [[spellcasting]] penalties for more magically-inclined Ranger builds, while the [[shield of reflection]] provides a useful property and frees up the [[amulet]] slot for choices such as {{of|amulet|ESP|or=1|life saving}} (though the former can also be superseded by the quest artifact).
-The Ranger quest is quite tough, with fast-moving centaurs that are likely to have dangerous [[wand]]s as [[offensive item]]s, and the chance of a [[wand of death]] may warrant the hero having a source of [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]]; [[crowning]] can safeguard against HP damage (but not inventory damage) from elemental wands. Poisoned projectiles are a Ranger's most efficient way of fighting back at long range, and they can reserve their melee weapon for resistant or less dire threats such as [[scorpion]]s or [[giant bat]]s. [[Scorpius]] has incredibly weak AC for a quest nemesis, but his [[sting attack]] can cause [[sickness]], making it vital to have a blessed [[unicorn horn]] and/or more reliable cures on hand. A savvy Ranger can awaken and/or damage Scorpius at a distance and then either camp the up [[stair]] or position themselves far enough from it to prevent him escaping, before finishing him off quickly with a volley of enchanted arrows.
+The Ranger quest is quite tough, with fast-moving centaurs that are likely to have dangerous [[wand]]s as [[offensive item]]s, and the chance of a [[wand of death]] may warrant the hero having a source of [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]]; [[crowning]] can safeguard against HP damage (but not inventory damage) from elemental wands. Poisoned projectiles are a Ranger's most efficient way of fighting back at long range, and they can reserve their melee weapon for resistant or less dire threats such as [[scorpion]]s or [[giant bat]]s. [[Scorpius]] has incredibly weak AC for a quest nemesis, but his [[sting attack]] can cause [[sickness]], making it vital to have a blessed [[unicorn horn]] and/or more reliable cures on hand. The [[tree]]s on the first two levels might yield a supply of [[eucalyptus leaves]] that can be used for this purpose. A savvy Ranger can awaken and/or damage Scorpius at a distance and then either camp the up [[stair]] or position themselves far enough from it to prevent him escaping, before finishing him off quickly with a volley of enchanted arrows.
-[[The Longbow of Diana]] is a priority target for a human Ranger, as its [[multishot]] bonus covers for their lack of a racial one, and extrinsic [[telepathy]] easily supplants [[infravision]]. For other races, the Longbow is unlikely to replace their starting launcher; a gnomish Ranger in particular would have to train the bow skill from scratch, at the cost of six [[skill]] slots. The Longbow is not a reliable source of reflection, as the Ranger will lose the property if they switch to a melee weapon, or if the artifact is [[covetous|stolen]] by the [[Wizard of Yendor|Wizard]]. The ability to create arrows by invoking the artifact can be of situational use, but a Ranger with maximum luck that has their arrows enchanted and blessed will rarely need any more; the telepathy from carrying it is still quite useful for detecting targets and shooting them down at a comfortable distance.
+[[The Longbow of Diana]] is a priority target for a human Ranger who still relies on arrows, as its [[multishot]] bonus covers for their lack of a racial one, and extrinsic [[telepathy]] easily supplants [[infravision]]. An elf or orc should also consider switching, as the +1 multishot can replace their racial bonus and allow them to reach five missiles per move with a greater variety of arrows. A gnomish Ranger would have to train the bow skill from scratch, at the cost of six [[skill]] slots, which is unlikely to be worth the effort. The Longbow is not a reliable source of reflection, as the Ranger will lose the property if they switch to a melee weapon, or if the artifact is [[covetous|stolen]] by the [[Wizard of Yendor|Wizard]]. The ability to create arrows by invoking the artifact can be of situational use, but a Ranger with maximum luck that has their arrows enchanted and blessed will rarely need any more; the telepathy from carrying it is still quite useful for detecting targets and shooting them down at a comfortable distance.
 ===Spellcasting===

@@ Line 130: / Line 130: @@
 A Ranger has many options during character creation, with difficult tradeoffs for each one:
-* Humans have the best [[HP]] growth of the available starting races, and are the only one that can reach the maximum damage bonus for [[strength]] without [[gauntlets of power]]. This becomes useful around the mid-game if the hero plans to switch to [[dart]]s or otherwise finds it cumbersome to swap back and forth between melee weapon and [[launcher]]. On the downside, human Rangers have no racial multishot bonus, and the lack of infravision hurts their ranged combat capabilities until they gain extrinsic [[telepathy]].
+* Humans have the best [[HP]] growth of the available starting races, and are the only one that can reach the maximum damage bonus for [[strength]] without [[gauntlets of power]]. This becomes useful around the mid-game if the hero plans to switch to [[dart]]s or otherwise finds it cumbersome to swap back and forth between melee weapon and [[launcher]]. On the downside, human Rangers have no racial multishot bonus and will do less damage at range until they acquire the Longbow of Diana, which supplants the racial bonus. Their lack of infravision hurts their ranged combat capabilities in dark areas until they gain extrinsic [[telepathy]], which the Longbow also provides.
 * Gnomes are the only race to enjoy a relatively peaceful [[Gnomish Mines]], and Rangers in general will want to tackle the Mines early to find armor and claim the [[luckstone]] for more reliable ranged combat, making this is a strong advantage. However, the starting crossbow imposes a multishot penalty unless a gnomish hero has 16 strength, which a gnomish Ranger is not guaranteed to start with&mdash;pushing [[boulder]]s in [[Sokoban]] and engaging in melee combat when it's safe to do so should eventually make up the deficit. The [[Gnome (monster class)|gnomes]] in the Mines and the [[Centaur (monster class)|centaurs]] on the Quest should supply all the bolts needed for the rest of the game, whereas orcs and elves will often need to ration their arrows.
-* Orcs have the lowest-damage missiles and lose their racial multishot bonus if they switch to better ones. Orcish starting food is also generally inferior, sometimes necessitating dives for more food quicker than other Rangers; the starting tripe rations are probably best used for training [[apport]] instead of consumption, although pets and a ranged game often do not mesh well. On the other hand, they can obtain pre-poisoned orcish arrows from hostile orcs, which can inflict [[instadeath]] on threatening monsters, and [[poison resistance]] ensures they do not fear [[poison]] themselves, e.g. when [[untrapping]] [[dart trap]]s and [[arrow trap]]s for their missiles or having poisoned arrows shot back at them.
+* Orcs have the lowest-damage missiles and lose their racial multishot bonus if they switch to better ones. Orcish starting food is also generally inferior, sometimes necessitating dives for more food quicker than other Rangers; the starting tripe rations are probably best used for training [[apport]] instead of consumption, although pets and a ranged game often do not mesh well. On the other hand, their racial bonus applies to the pre-poisoned orcish arrows carried by orcish monsters, which can inflict [[instadeath]] on hit, and [[poison resistance]] ensures they do not fear [[poison]] themselves, e.g. when [[untrapping]] [[dart trap]]s for their missiles or having poisoned arrows shot back at them.
-* Elves have the best starting missiles when accounting for the racial damage bonus, and enjoy a total +2 to-hit bonus when firing them. Elven arrows are also immune to being rusted or corroded by [[acidic]] monsters and [[rust monster]]s in the early game, although [[gelatinous cube]]s can eat them. However, since elven monsters are always peaceful for elven heroes, they rarely generate in groups, making elven arrows difficult to replace. An elven Ranger can immediately turn their elven dagger into [[Sting]] by naming it, and their starting lembas wafers alone will last thousands of turns, letting them play more slowly and methodically than other races. Elven disadvantages mostly show in the late game, when they will need gauntlets of power to reach maximum strength and [[carrying capacity]] (which in turn gives a -2 to-hit penalty when used with bows), and lower [[constitution]] penalizes HP and its regeneration.
+* Elves have the best starting missiles when accounting for the racial damage bonus, and enjoy a total +2 to-hit bonus when firing them. Elven arrows are also immune to being rusted or corroded by [[acidic]] monsters and [[rust monster]]s in the early game, although [[gelatinous cube]]s can eat them. However, since elven monsters are always peaceful for elven heroes, they rarely generate in groups, making elven arrows difficult to replace. An elven Ranger can immediately turn their elven dagger into [[Sting]] by naming it, and their starting lembas wafers alone will last thousands of turns, letting them play more slowly and methodically than other races. Elven disadvantages mostly show in the late game, when they will need [[gauntlets of power]] to reach maximum strength and [[carrying capacity]] (which in turn gives a -2 to-hit penalty when used with bows), and lower [[constitution]] penalizes HP and its regeneration.
 * In terms of alignment, a neutral hero is more likely than a chaotic one to receive a useful [[sacrifice gift]] immediately, though an elf can force [[Stormbringer]] as their first gift by naming Sting and [[Orcrist]] beforehand&mdash;while they are not likely to quickly receive a second gift with three artifacts generated, Stormbringer can prove more than sufficient enough. Chaotic heroes also have the usual advantage of a more merciful [[mysterious force]].
 ===Early game===
@@ Line 148: / Line 146: @@
 ===Skill slot management===
-Rangers may find themselves short on [[skill slot]]s: A starting Ranger will likely want to advance [[skill]] with their starting bow, then advance skill in daggers and their melee weapon of choice, and may want to subsequently advance skills in any of spellcasting, [[dart]]s and/or [[shuriken]]. To save skill slots, be sure you are committing to use of a particular weapon before investing time and skill points in it.
+Rangers may find themselves short on [[skill slot]]s: A starting Ranger will likely want to advance [[skill]] with their starting bow, then advance skill in daggers and their melee weapon of choice, and may want to subsequently advance skills in any of spellcasting, [[dart]]s and/or [[shuriken]]. To save skill slots, be sure you are committing to use of a particular weapon before investing time and skill points in it. A [[scroll of amnesia]] can deallocate unneeded skills and free up their slots for more useful ones, although it may also hit skills and spells you wanted to keep.
-Darts may be worth switching to as the primary ranged weapon: they are as lightweight and plentiful as arrows and can be thrown without a launcher, and their benefits from high [[strength]] offset their low base damage; at 18 strength, thrown darts are on par with elven arrows, and deal roughly +4 more damage with 25 strength from [[gauntlets of power]]. The primary downsides are foregoing racial multishot bonuses and the inability to inflict [[silver]] damage (as with [[silver arrow]]s), as well as a higher spellcasting penalty from any worn gauntlets of power.
+Darts may be worth switching to as the primary ranged weapon: they are as lightweight and plentiful as arrows and can be thrown without a launcher, and their benefits from high [[strength]] offset their low base damage; at 18 strength, thrown darts are on par with elven arrows, and deal roughly +4 more damage with 25 strength from [[gauntlets of power]]. As they don't require a launcher, you can also swap seamlessly between melee and ranged combat without having to spend moves switching weapons. The primary downsides are foregoing racial multishot bonuses and the inability to inflict [[silver]] damage (as with [[silver arrow]]s), as well as a higher spellcasting penalty from any worn gauntlets of power.
 ===Mid-game===
 A Ranger in the mid-game should have their projectiles and melee weapon narrowed down, since [[scrolls of enchant weapon]] are likely to be at a premium for both enchanting projectiles and erosion-proofing them&mdash;enchanting a bow only increases the to-hit of projectiles fired from it, and is usually unnecessary due to the impact of high luck and arrow enchantment. A solid cache of arrows or bolts can usually be obtained from the [[Centaur (monster class)|centaurs]] and [[arrow trap]]s on the Ranger quest home level alone, and [[magic marker]]s and [[wands of polymorph]] may be worth seeking or [[polypiling]] for to write additional scrolls of enchant weapon. Be careful not to shoot valuable projectiles into [[moat]]s!
-While Rangers can deal a ton of damage from firing arrows or bolts at point-blank range, a melee weapon is still very useful to have: Rangers may consider [[spear]]s, [[trident]]s and [[crysknives]], or else obtain an adequate [[artifact]] like [[Magicbane]] or [[Frost Brand]] as a [[sacrifice gift]]. Rangers cannot two-weapon, and though they can reach Skilled in [[axe]]s and [[polearm]]s, most Rangers are highly unlikely to be utilizing [[two-handed]] weapons for long periods, so they can safely use a [[shield]] to complement their (cross)bow. The [[small shield]] is the lightest shield and also has the lowest [[spellcasting]] penalty for more magically-inclined Ranger builds, while the [[shield of reflection]] provides a useful property and frees up the [[amulet]] slot for choices such as {{of|amulet|ESP|or=1|life saving}} (though the former can also be superseded by the quest artifact).
+While Rangers can deal a ton of damage from firing arrows or bolts at point-blank range, a melee weapon is still very useful to have: Rangers may consider [[spear]]s, [[trident]]s and [[crysknives]], or else obtain an adequate [[artifact]] like [[Magicbane]] or [[Frost Brand]] as a [[sacrifice gift]]. Rangers cannot two-weapon, and though they can reach Skilled in [[axe]]s and [[polearm]]s, most Rangers are highly unlikely to be utilizing [[two-handed]] weapons for long periods, so they can safely use a [[shield]] to complement their (cross)bow. The various flavors of [[wooden shield]] are the lightest shields and also have the lowest [[spellcasting]] penalties for more magically-inclined Ranger builds, while the [[shield of reflection]] provides a useful property and frees up the [[amulet]] slot for choices such as {{of|amulet|ESP|or=1|life saving}} (though the former can also be superseded by the quest artifact).
-The Ranger quest is quite tough for the reward offered, with fast-moving centaurs that are likely to have dangerous [[wand]]s as [[offensive item]]s, and the chance of a [[wand of death]] may warrant the hero having a source of [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]]; [[crowning]] can safeguard against HP damage (but not inventory damage) from elemental wands. Poisoned projectiles are a Ranger's most efficient way of fighting back at long range, and they can reserve their melee weapon for resistant or less dire threats such as [[scorpion]]s or [[giant bat]]s. [[Scorpius]] has incredibly weak AC for a quest nemesis, but his [[sting attack]] can cause [[sickness]], making it vital to have a blessed [[unicorn horn]] and/or more reliable cures on hand. A savvy Ranger can awaken and/or damage Scorpius at a distance and then either camp the up [[stair]] or position themselves far enough from it to prevent him escaping, before finishing him off quickly with a volley of enchanted arrows.
+The Ranger quest is quite tough, with fast-moving centaurs that are likely to have dangerous [[wand]]s as [[offensive item]]s, and the chance of a [[wand of death]] may warrant the hero having a source of [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]]; [[crowning]] can safeguard against HP damage (but not inventory damage) from elemental wands. Poisoned projectiles are a Ranger's most efficient way of fighting back at long range, and they can reserve their melee weapon for resistant or less dire threats such as [[scorpion]]s or [[giant bat]]s. [[Scorpius]] has incredibly weak AC for a quest nemesis, but his [[sting attack]] can cause [[sickness]], making it vital to have a blessed [[unicorn horn]] and/or more reliable cures on hand. A savvy Ranger can awaken and/or damage Scorpius at a distance and then either camp the up [[stair]] or position themselves far enough from it to prevent him escaping, before finishing him off quickly with a volley of enchanted arrows.
-[[The Longbow of Diana]] is a passable artifact, but an underwhelming reward for getting through the entire quest: it must be wielded to grant reflection, which may end up redundant in a Ranger's build, and non-human Rangers will not get a multishot bonus from it&mdash;gnomish Rangers will have to train the bow skill from scratch to make any effective use of it on offense. The ability to create arrows by invoking the artifact can be of situational use, but a Ranger with maximum luck that has their arrows enchanted and blessed will rarely need any more; the telepathy from carrying it is still quite useful for detecting targets and shooting them down at a comfortable distance.
+[[The Longbow of Diana]] is a priority target for a human Ranger, as its [[multishot]] bonus covers for their lack of a racial one, and extrinsic [[telepathy]] easily supplants [[infravision]]. For other races, the Longbow is unlikely to replace their starting launcher; a gnomish Ranger in particular would have to train the bow skill from scratch, at the cost of six [[skill]] slots. The Longbow is not a reliable source of reflection, as the Ranger will lose the property if they switch to a melee weapon, or if the artifact is [[covetous|stolen]] by the [[Wizard of Yendor|Wizard]]. The ability to create arrows by invoking the artifact can be of situational use, but a Ranger with maximum luck that has their arrows enchanted and blessed will rarely need any more; the telepathy from carrying it is still quite useful for detecting targets and shooting them down at a comfortable distance.
 ===Spellcasting===

@@ Line 200: / Line 200: @@
 ===UnNetHack===
 {{main|Ranger/UnNetHack}}
-In [[UnNetHack]], Rangers are capped at Skilled in [[spear]]s.
+In [[UnNetHack]], Rangers have a {{frac|4}} chance of starting with a pet [[wolf]] and a {{frac|12}} chance of starting with a pet [[winter wolf cub]]&mdash;these chances are raised to {{frac|3|4}} and {{frac|4}} respectively if the player sets the option to always start with exotic pets.
 ===SlashTHEM===

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 | +2 [[cloak of displacement]]
 | +2 [[cloak of displacement]]
-| +2 [[elven cloak]]{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|211|nethack=3.6.7|name="elfcloak"|comment=comment on line 200: <tt>the weaker cloak for elven rangers is intentional--they shoot better</tt>}}
+| +2 [[elven cloak]]{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|211|nethack=3.6.7|name="elfcloak"|comment=comment on line 200: "the weaker cloak for elven rangers is intentional--they shoot better"}}
 | +2 [[cloak of displacement]]
 |-

@@ Line 199: / Line 199: @@
 ===UnNetHack===
-In [[UnNetHack]], Rangers are restricted to skilled in [[spear]].
+{{main|Ranger/UnNetHack}}
 ===SlashTHEM===

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 |}
-Chaotic Rangers have a {{frac|100}} chance of each starting stack of ammo being [[poisoned]].{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1090|nethack=3.6.7|comment=non-chaotic heroes never start with poisoned weapons}}
+Chaotic Rangers have a {{frac|100}} chance of each starting stack of ammo being [[Poisoned weapon|poisoned]].{{refsrc|src/u_init.c|1090|nethack=3.6.7|comment=non-chaotic heroes never start with poisoned weapons}}
 Rangers start with knowledge of any applicable racial equipment.
@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 ==Quest==
 {{main|Ranger quest}}
-The Ranger's quest sees them fighting [[Scorpius]] for [[The Longbow of Diana]], an artifact bow. The Longbow of Diana grants [[telepathy]] while carried, and while wielded it grants [[reflection]] and applies a +1d5 [[to-hit]] bonus to fired arrows. [[Invoking]] The Longbow of Diana creates arrows with the same [[beatitude]] as the bow and places them in the hero's [[inventory]], with a small chance of producing [[poisoned]] arrows.
+The Ranger's quest sees them fighting [[Scorpius]] for [[The Longbow of Diana]], an artifact bow. The Longbow of Diana grants [[telepathy]] while carried, and while wielded it grants [[reflection]] and applies a +1d5 [[to-hit]] bonus to fired arrows. [[Invoking]] The Longbow of Diana creates arrows with the same [[beatitude]] as the bow and places them in the hero's [[inventory]], with a small chance of producing poisoned arrows.
 ==Strategy==
@@ Line 132: / Line 132: @@
 * Humans have the best [[HP]] growth of the available starting races, and are the only one that can reach the maximum damage bonus for [[strength]] without [[gauntlets of power]]. This becomes useful around the mid-game if the hero plans to switch to [[dart]]s or otherwise finds it cumbersome to swap back and forth between melee weapon and [[launcher]]. On the downside, human Rangers have no racial multishot bonus, and the lack of infravision hurts their ranged combat capabilities until they gain extrinsic [[telepathy]].
 * Gnomes are the only race to enjoy a relatively peaceful [[Gnomish Mines]], and Rangers in general will want to tackle the Mines early to find armor and claim the [[luckstone]] for more reliable ranged combat, making this is a strong advantage. However, the starting crossbow imposes a multishot penalty unless a gnomish hero has 16 strength, which a gnomish Ranger is not guaranteed to start with&mdash;pushing [[boulder]]s in [[Sokoban]] and engaging in melee combat when it's safe to do so should eventually make up the deficit. The [[Gnome (monster class)|gnomes]] in the Mines and the [[Centaur (monster class)|centaurs]] on the Quest should supply all the bolts needed for the rest of the game, whereas orcs and elves will often need to ration their arrows.
-* Orcs have the lowest-damage missiles and lose their racial multishot bonus if they switch to better ones. Orcish starting food is also generally inferior, forcing them to dive for food more quickly than other Rangers; the starting tripe rations are probably best used for training [[apport]] rather than consumption, although pets and a ranged game often do not mesh well. On the other hand, they can obtain pre-poisoned orcish arrows from hostile orcs, which can inflict [[instadeath]] on threatening monsters, and poison resistance is also a general early-game boon, e.g when [[untrap]]ping [[dart trap]]s for their missiles.
+* Orcs have the lowest-damage missiles and lose their racial multishot bonus if they switch to better ones. Orcish starting food is also generally inferior, sometimes necessitating dives for more food quicker than other Rangers; the starting tripe rations are probably best used for training [[apport]] instead of consumption, although pets and a ranged game often do not mesh well. On the other hand, they can obtain pre-poisoned orcish arrows from hostile orcs, which can inflict [[instadeath]] on threatening monsters, and [[poison resistance]] ensures they do not fear [[poison]] themselves, e.g. when [[untrapping]] [[dart trap]]s and [[arrow trap]]s for their missiles or having poisoned arrows shot back at them.
 * Elves have the best starting missiles when accounting for the racial damage bonus, and enjoy a total +2 to-hit bonus when firing them. Elven arrows are also immune to being rusted or corroded by [[acidic]] monsters and [[rust monster]]s in the early game, although [[gelatinous cube]]s can eat them. However, since elven monsters are always peaceful for elven heroes, they rarely generate in groups, making elven arrows difficult to replace. An elven Ranger can immediately turn their elven dagger into [[Sting]] by naming it, and their starting lembas wafers alone will last thousands of turns, letting them play more slowly and methodically than other races. Elven disadvantages mostly show in the late game, when they will need gauntlets of power to reach maximum strength and [[carrying capacity]] (which in turn gives a -2 to-hit penalty when used with bows), and lower [[constitution]] penalizes HP and its regeneration.
 * In terms of alignment, a neutral hero is more likely than a chaotic one to receive a useful [[sacrifice gift]] immediately, though an elf can force [[Stormbringer]] as their first gift by naming Sting and [[Orcrist]] beforehand&mdash;while they are not likely to quickly receive a second gift with three artifacts generated, Stormbringer can prove more than sufficient enough. Chaotic heroes also have the usual advantage of a more merciful [[mysterious force]].
@@ Line 143: / Line 143: @@
 Regardless of starting race and strategy, it is wise to amass and hold on to a small stack of elven arrows to deal with acidic and rust-inducing monsters during the early game and mid-game; more regular arrows can also be acquired by [[untrapping]] [[arrow trap]]s. Though the Gnomish Mines will only be relatively safe for gnomish Rangers (who can still use a pet to secure equipment), the resident gnomes and [[Dwarf (monster attribute)|dwarves]] will have plenty of ranged weapons and armor for other races that they are hostile to, and [[Mines' End]] has a guaranteed luckstone&mdash;the dark floors of the Mines can make ranged combat more difficult, especially for heroes without [[infravision]].
-It may similarly be worth [[poison]]ing your arrows by dipping them in a [[potion of sickness]]: poisoned projectiles deal +d6 damage with a {{frac|10}} chance of instantly killing monsters without poison resistance; however, this will gradually create a separate stack of arrows as the poison wears off, making arrow management slightly more tedious. The unpoisoned arrows should be reserved for poison-resistant targets, and when either most of the arrows lose their poison or you are preparing to enchant your arrows further, you can use another potion of sickness to re-poison them and [[adjust]] the stacks to merge them. Obtaining potions of sickness is not necessarily difficult&mdash;in particular performing [[alchemy]] with two potion types that lack a recipe will produce potions of sickness {{frac|4}} of the time, and [[potions of booze]] and {{! of|see invisible}} can be [[cancelled]] to make [[fruit juice]] that can then be mixed with a potion of sickness to produce more of the latter.
+It may similarly be worth poisoning your arrows by [[dipping]] them in a [[potion of sickness]]: poisoned projectiles deal +d6 damage with a {{frac|10}} chance of instantly killing monsters without poison resistance; however, this will gradually create a separate stack of arrows as the poison wears off, making arrow management slightly more tedious. The unpoisoned arrows should be reserved for poison-resistant targets, and when either most of the arrows lose their poison or you are preparing to enchant your arrows further, you can use another potion of sickness to re-poison them and [[adjust]] the stacks to merge them. Obtaining potions of sickness is not difficult in theory&mdash;in particular performing [[alchemy]] with two potion types that lack a recipe will produce potions of sickness {{frac|4}} of the time, and [[potions of booze]] and {{! of|see invisible}} can be [[cancelled]] to make [[fruit juice]] that can then be mixed with a potion of sickness to produce more of the latter.
 For armor, Rangers are highly unlikely to cast spells in the early game, so any non-cumbersome [[metallic]] armor is fine. The starting [[cloak of displacement]] for humans, gnomes and orcs is a great aid in maintaining firing distance: many monsters lack a ranged attack outside of picking up projectiles or wands, and they are more easily shot down while attacking your displaced image. Additionally, Rangers using any projectiles other than daggers can take advantage of [[multishot]] as well, dealing up to 2.5 times more damage on average from firing up to 4 missiles at once. [[Levitation]] is not very compatible with a Ranger's preferred style of combat&mdash;a levitating hero can only fire one missile and will be briefly immobilized while they [[hurtle]] in the opposite direction of their shot, making it highly impractical to maintain distance this way.
@@ Line 157: / Line 157: @@
 While Rangers can deal a ton of damage from firing arrows or bolts at point-blank range, a melee weapon is still very useful to have: Rangers may consider [[spear]]s, [[trident]]s and [[crysknives]], or else obtain an adequate [[artifact]] like [[Magicbane]] or [[Frost Brand]] as a [[sacrifice gift]]. Rangers cannot two-weapon, and though they can reach Skilled in [[axe]]s and [[polearm]]s, most Rangers are highly unlikely to be utilizing [[two-handed]] weapons for long periods, so they can safely use a [[shield]] to complement their (cross)bow. The [[small shield]] is the lightest shield and also has the lowest [[spellcasting]] penalty for more magically-inclined Ranger builds, while the [[shield of reflection]] provides a useful property and frees up the [[amulet]] slot for choices such as {{of|amulet|ESP|or=1|life saving}} (though the former can also be superseded by the quest artifact).
-The Ranger quest is quite tough for the reward offered, with fast-moving centaurs that are likely to have dangerous [[wand]]s as [[offensive item]]s, and the chance of a [[wand of death]] may warrant the hero having a source of [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]]; [[crowning]] can safeguard against HP damage (but not inventory damage) from elemental wands. Poisoned projectiles are a Ranger's most efficient way of fighting back at long range, and they can reserve their melee weapon for less dire threats such as [[scorpion]]s or [[giant bat]]s. [[Scorpius]] has incredibly weak AC for a quest nemesis, but his [[sting attack]] can cause [[sickness]] with his sting, making it vital to have a blessed [[unicorn horn]] and/or more reliable cures on hand. A savvy Ranger can awaken and/or damage Scorpius at a distance and then either camp the up [[stair]] or position themselves far enough from it to prevent him escaping, before finishing him off quickly with a volley of enchanted arrows.
+The Ranger quest is quite tough for the reward offered, with fast-moving centaurs that are likely to have dangerous [[wand]]s as [[offensive item]]s, and the chance of a [[wand of death]] may warrant the hero having a source of [[reflection]] or [[magic resistance]]; [[crowning]] can safeguard against HP damage (but not inventory damage) from elemental wands. Poisoned projectiles are a Ranger's most efficient way of fighting back at long range, and they can reserve their melee weapon for resistant or less dire threats such as [[scorpion]]s or [[giant bat]]s. [[Scorpius]] has incredibly weak AC for a quest nemesis, but his [[sting attack]] can cause [[sickness]], making it vital to have a blessed [[unicorn horn]] and/or more reliable cures on hand. A savvy Ranger can awaken and/or damage Scorpius at a distance and then either camp the up [[stair]] or position themselves far enough from it to prevent him escaping, before finishing him off quickly with a volley of enchanted arrows.
 [[The Longbow of Diana]] is a passable artifact, but an underwhelming reward for getting through the entire quest: it must be wielded to grant reflection, which may end up redundant in a Ranger's build, and non-human Rangers will not get a multishot bonus from it&mdash;gnomish Rangers will have to train the bow skill from scratch to make any effective use of it on offense. The ability to create arrows by invoking the artifact can be of situational use, but a Ranger with maximum luck that has their arrows enchanted and blessed will rarely need any more; the telepathy from carrying it is still quite useful for detecting targets and shooting them down at a comfortable distance.

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 The means and standard deviations were calculated via simulation, whose source code can be found on [[Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code|the role article's talk page]], and assumes that all given roles are played as humans&mdash;non-human races will have different attribute means as a result of different attribute maximums.
-Human Rangers start with 15 [[HP]] and 2 [[Pw]]; orcs get 14 HP and 2 Pw, while elves and gnomes have 14 HP and 3 Pw.
+Human Rangers start with 15 [[HP]] and 2 [[Pw]]. Orcish Rangers start with 14 HP and 2 Pw. Elven and gnomish Rangers start with 14 HP and 3 Pw.
 ==Skills==

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:56, 22 December 2025
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	The means and standard deviations were calculated via simulation, whose source code can be found on [[Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code\|the role article's talk page]], and assumes that all given roles are played as humans—non-human races will have different attribute means as a result of different attribute maximums.		The means and standard deviations were calculated via simulation, whose source code can be found on [[Talk:Role#Initial attribute simulation code\|the role article's talk page]], and assumes that all given roles are played as humans—non-human races will have different attribute means as a result of different attribute maximums.
		+
		+	Human Rangers start with 15 [[HP]] and 2 [[Pw]]; orcs get 14 HP and 2 Pw, while elves and gnomes have 14 HP and 3 Pw.

	==Skills==		==Skills==

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 * In terms of alignment, a neutral hero is more likely than a chaotic one to receive a useful [[sacrifice gift]] immediately, though an elf can force [[Stormbringer]] as their first gift by naming Sting and [[Orcrist]] beforehand&mdash;while they are not likely to quickly receive a second gift with three artifacts generated, Stormbringer can prove more than sufficient enough. Chaotic heroes also have the usual advantage of a more merciful [[mysterious force]].
-{{upcoming|3.7.0|Per {{commit|d87cadaf}}, artifact gifts are rebalanced such that more powerful ones require sacrifices of stronger monsters, making it difficult or impossible to obtain strong, endgame-quality artifacts until the mid-game&mdash;At the same time, weaker artifacts are more likely or guaranteed to be given with a useful positive enchantment. This also means it is no longer possible for elven characters to force Stormbringer to be their first gift. Consult the [[artifact]] article for more details.}}
+{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|Per {{commit|d87cadaf}}, artifact gifts are rebalanced such that more powerful ones require sacrifices of stronger monsters, making it more difficult to obtain strong endgame-quality artifacts until the mid-game, while weaker artifacts are more likely or guaranteed to be given with a useful positive enchantment. Consult the [[artifact]] article for more details.}}
 ===Early game===