Rangers noticing things in the distance

[RRiplash]

I think it would be appropriate for rangers to be able to see pickable plants that are 'near'.  Maybe not at first, but an experienced ranger should be able to notice a plant that is out of the ordinary off in the distance.

To the east is Scrub Forest.
[Far]
Nothing.
[Near]
A small tree-like plant grows here.

east

Scrub Forest [NESW]
   Akin to the sparser plains here at the southern edge of the Grey
Forest, the land here is primarily a dusty hardscrabble, where small
thickets of varied plantlife have taken root.  Brown grasses are broken up
by whipleaf and loreshi shrubs and stemwoods, with an occasional cynipri
tree or numut vine as well.  Here and there, an agafari or baobab tree
springs up, widely spaced between the denser groves. 
   The white stones of the North Road are visible to the south.
A low maar tree grows here, a thick green vine entwined in its boughs.

[mansa]

Rangers + scavangers + maybe others

[Majikal]

Or incorporated to be a check vs scan skill.

[spawnloser]

Go outside.  Look across the street and down three blocks.  Can you tell what kind of flowers that person has growing in front of their house from where you are right now?  No.

Rangers being able to do just that?  No.

[Qzzrbl]

Go outside.  Look across the street and down three blocks.  Can you tell what kind of flowers that person has growing in front of their house from where you are right now?  No.

Rangers being able to do just that?  No.

Go out into the desert.... And survive for a month with nothing but the clothes on your back and a longbow and arrows. Also, navigate through a sandstorm that essentially no other being on the planet can see through because the sand is so impossibly thick.

Just because you can't do it doesn't mean a ranger shouldn't be able to.

[Bushranger]

Go outside.  Look across the street and down three blocks.  Can you tell what kind of flowers that person has growing in front of their house from where you are right now?  No.

Rangers being able to do just that?  No.

Probably not because across the street and down three blocks would be east, north, north, north and we all know you can't look diagonally.

[Jingo]

Rangers and those with rangery skills should totally be allowed to know if there is a herd of bahamet immediatly northeast of his position.

[Synthesis]

Rangers and those with rangery skills at least one functional eyeball should totally be allowed to know if there is a herd of bahamet immediately northeast of his position.

[Ramblingman]

Rooms are much larger (outdoors) than people assume they are. If I can see that there are flowers almost a mile away to the west, I should be able to see into someone's open pack a few inches from me.

The idea opens a very large back of worms in perception oriented skills.

[Eloran]

I should be able to see into someone's open pack a few inches from me.

Hi.

Skill Peek                                                      (Equipment)

   This skill will allow you to look at a person's equipment list and what
they are carrying (in their inventory, which is listed as being 'in their
pack'), without them noticing. Failure will result in your peeking being
noticed.  You may also attempt to peek into items a person is wearing or
carrying.

Syntax:
   peek <character name>
   peek <character name>'s <item>

Examples:
   > peek azroen

   > peek krrx's backpack

Note:
   Anyone can use the peek command if your victim is rendered helpless.
Note that you can still fail, and produce echoes to the room even if they
are helpless.

See also:
   skill steal

[Ramblingman]

I know there is a peek skill.

I meant, if as a ranger I had that great of eyes I should be able to notice things up close better as well... as in peeking.

The point I was making is that "skill enhancement" threads can eventually forked into alot of cross-leveling of skills.

[Eloran]

I meant, if as a ranger I had that great of eyes I should be able to notice things up close better as well... as in peeking.

It can be written off as having trained your eyesight to know the intricacies of foliage throughout Zalanthas, as opposed to the different type of training it takes to get a close look in a mark's pack (i.e. edging up close without them noticing/peeling back the top flap of the pack).

I think that there's more that goes into peeking in one's pack than just having really great vision.

Just saying.

[Yam]

Unless you have x-ray vision.

[Rhyden]

Rangers already have an advantage when finding plants and any good outdoorsy character will know where and how to find them. That said, some herbs are too small to be seen from adjacent rooms. Like Ramblingman said, most outdoor rooms are very large, however, some larger trees can already be seen several rooms away.

[Ammut]

Rangers need x-ray vision as a skill.  I don't see how one could get by without it in the desert.  

Seriously though, I think noticing plants from a distance would be sweet.  If you've picked bimbal three or four times you know what the plant looks like and its coloring.  I can spot a pine tree from quite a distance away irl, but in the case of fruit trees I may not be able to distinguish an apple from a pear.  Perhaps making the plant in the distance appear as, "A stout plant is here, wavering in the wind," or, "A tall, thin plant towers over other shrubs."

</stoned rambling>

[SmashedTregil]

Hell. Just make it look "Some kind of a plant is here" is enough in my opinion.

[Synthesis]

Some plants you can already see at a distance, so the code is obviously in place.

The ones you can't? Well, maybe they're just too inconspicuous.

As far as it being a ranger skill? Bah, rangers already have plenty of goodies.

[Potaje]

Aye, I agree and Physicians, also maybe say a ranger physician would see them at an earlier stage...

[Fathi]

Some plants you can already see at a distance, so the code is obviously in place.

The ones you can't? Well, maybe they're just too inconspicuous.

As far as it being a ranger skill? Bah, rangers already have plenty of goodies.

I think it's based on the size of the plant. Which makes sense.

I wouldn't be against making more plants visible depending on the terrain. A small plant that may be inconspicuous in the scrub may be a lot more obvious in the Salt Flats or the plains near Storm, for example.