Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus75
I see what you're getting at with a Fighter Link, but Link himself just seems much more Rangerish in nature to me. He is an explorer, he communicates and interacts with animals all the time, he is a very skilled and dexterous individual in all his incarnations (Fighters get only 3 trained skills while Rangers get 5)...
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I'd argue that "he's an explorer" is very much independent of class, though some classes are certainly more mobile than others. Communicating and interacting with animals is perfectly within the purview of the Nature skill, which I consider a must-have. Of the 17 D&D 4E skills, this is how I feel about Link's potential skills:
Must Have: Athletics, Dungeoneering, Nature
Nice to Have: Acrobatics, Endurance, Perception
Open to Interpretation:
It's really hard to tell how insightful a silent protagonist, especially when he tends to be constantly advised by characters who are genuinely insightful (Zelda, some of his companions, etc.). This one's really open to how the player views Link. Personally, I'd take it if he had spare skill slots, which isn't terribly likely. |
Insight,
Yes, several games have stealth portions. I'd argue these portions are there because Link isn't innately stealthy, and must rely on his wits and (more often) his equipment to get past. Shooting a Gerudo with an arrow isn't stealthy. Personally, I wouldn't take it, but I can see where people would. |
Stealth
It's a small list, but unfortunately, it's one that the Fighter is lacking in. Still, I wouldn't go with Ranger, for reasons I'll go into in a sec.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus75
I'd say there is definitely enough to form an argument for Link's projectile skills.(A)
For example, one of the bosses in Oracle of Ages has to be defeated with the Seed Shooter without looking at them. Puzzles in the same game involve Link shooting switches by bouncing seeds off sometimes several walls.(B) He can hit moving targets while Epona is galloping at full speed. I believe one of the mini games in Twilight Princess involves shooting balloons while white water rafting. (C)The strongest weapon in Link's Awakening is the boomerang.(D) I think shooting multiple targets during the middle of Attacks on the Run are well within Link's skill range.(E)
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(A) Oh definitely! I'd put Dexterity at his second or third best ability score, make sure his class has proficiency with the Longbow, and probably drop a few feats (and a few powers) into ranged attacks. I just wouldn't make that the focus of his combat skills.
(B) Aaaaand here's the problem with statting Link: I'd argue this is an example of one specific item and/or one specific Link, and not really a good choice for an iconic Link. The Seed Shooter only appears in the Oracle games, and all slingshots in both previous and succesive games don't have this ability. Besides that, it's probably an affect of the special seeds (which would be magic items) than Link's ability, though Dexterity is obviously involved. All-in-all, I'd say this is more the item than the Link.
(C) Yes, but Link can also miss moving targets at full speed.
Link is extremely capable as a marksman, I'm not doubting that. But being able to hit targets with amazing accuracy, again IMO, doesn't necessarily make him a better archer than a swordsman. Link can also unseat multiple moblins from their mounts while riding Epona, joust with the moblin chieftain and knock him off a bridge, and... really, do we need to go over all the amazing fights Link wins primarily with a sword? He's an amazing archer, but he's also an amazing swordsman. He's just all-around amazing, enough that dedicating his class (and therefore his combat style) to archery seems too narrow, IMO.
(D) The Boomerang is your reward for Link's Awakenings requisite extremely long trade of chains. It's clearly a ridiculously powerful magic item, and I don't think you can claim that as a sign of Link's archery skills. He gets numerous boomerangs later, and they tend to be on the weaker side, more often stunning enemies than killing them. It's like arguing Link should focus on two-handed swords because the Biggoron Sword is the strongest weapon in several games.
(E) On horseback? Definitely. On foot? In some games. Interestingly, Skyward Sword revamps the bow a bit. Link is ridiculously accurate (the camera zooms in when he aims), but the tradeoff is that Link can't really move much at all when using the bow. It's the only game where I consistently used the slingshot after getting the bow.
I'd say Attack on the Run could definitely work for Link, but, I don't think enough so to justify an entire archery-focused class.
Really, the hard thing about statting Link is that he's a Jack of All Trades, Master of All. Link is dexterous and can travel and explore with ease, but he also wears chainmail and a heavy shield. He's a master swordsman, but also a master archer, and extremely skilled with a number of weapons and gadgets. In some games, he's capable of casting magic, with no noticeable effect on his durability. He's not a good example of a PC, especially in D&D 4E, where characters tend to be specialized to encourage teamwork. The reason why Bard is so popular a choice is because they are jacks of all trades, even if they'd have to be a pretty high level to be as accomplished as Link at any one. Heck, you could make a compelling argument that Artificer would be an excellent choice, since it would represent Link's reliance on gadgets in his adventures. (...that could actually be fun to build...)
My point is, since it's pretty much impossible to build Link in a system that actively discourages a character who excels at everything, you need to narrow the focus of the build down. And for every fan of the series, that focus is going to be different, because we all see different things in the games and the characters that we love. If that's his mounted archery for you, then that's excellent. For me, it's a kid with a sword and a shield, heading into dungeons to try and defeat evil. And while I hate the skill list, Fighter is a much better fit for this than Ranger, IMHO.
...sorry, my fangirl is showing.