So my players are gonna head into the Underdark soonish. And one of players is playing a Ranger UA. I’ve discussed previously that the Rangers ability to never get lost are situational but I can tell he’s gonna be disappointed if his rangery antics are needed in the Underdark for no reason other than “DMs law” any suggestions for narrative reasons?
I can always do the whole “you’ve never been in the Underdark so.” But idk,
Would "never get lost" just mean the ranger knows how to backtrack the way they came? It can be a totally new place dan they can be surprised by the things they encounter and they still don't know what is around the next corner, but they can know which way they came from.
The Underdark is mostly wilderness but some areas are civilized, so Natural Explorer won't help all the time.
Many Natural Explorer abilities apply only when traveling for one or more hours, including the part about preventing the party from getting lost, so it won't apply to dungeon crawly portions of the adventure.
And, when going into unexplored territory, preventing getting lost means if they are following directions they don't get off track, or it means they can backtrack successfully. It doesn't mean they know where they are going or what's around the next bend unless they have some kind of intel.
What are you worried exactly the player will try to do?
Would "never get lost" just mean the ranger knows how to backtrack the way they came?
This.
The ranger doesn't necessarily know where they are or how to navigate somewhere, just how to get back to where they were before.
If the Ranger has never been to Blingdingstone then their navigation skills will be zero use in finding their way. However, when trying multiple paths, the Ranger will always be able to say with confidence, "No, not that way, we tried that path before and it led to a dead end."
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So my players are gonna head into the Underdark soonish. And one of players is playing a Ranger UA. I’ve discussed previously that the Rangers ability to never get lost are situational but I can tell he’s gonna be disappointed if his rangery antics are needed in the Underdark for no reason other than “DMs law” any suggestions for narrative reasons?
I can always do the whole “you’ve never been in the Underdark so.” But idk,
Would "never get lost" just mean the ranger knows how to backtrack the way they came? It can be a totally new place dan they can be surprised by the things they encounter and they still don't know what is around the next corner, but they can know which way they came from.
The Underdark is mostly wilderness but some areas are civilized, so Natural Explorer won't help all the time.
Many Natural Explorer abilities apply only when traveling for one or more hours, including the part about preventing the party from getting lost, so it won't apply to dungeon crawly portions of the adventure.
And, when going into unexplored territory, preventing getting lost means if they are following directions they don't get off track, or it means they can backtrack successfully. It doesn't mean they know where they are going or what's around the next bend unless they have some kind of intel.
What are you worried exactly the player will try to do?
Well I guess worried that he’ll technically know where they “Are” at all times. I guess I could just say it enables you to find your way back.
Yeah, and even then, if you try to back track the environment may have changed. Tunnels collapse, sink holes open, ropers move in, etc.
This.
The ranger doesn't necessarily know where they are or how to navigate somewhere, just how to get back to where they were before.
If the Ranger has never been to Blingdingstone then their navigation skills will be zero use in finding their way. However, when trying multiple paths, the Ranger will always be able to say with confidence, "No, not that way, we tried that path before and it led to a dead end."