A friend of mine is joining our group and he typically plays a Elf Ranger in D&D, so I wanted to see what a good Star Wars equivalent might be.

I don't know too much about D&D, but from what I can tell a Rodian Hired Gun Marauder seems like it might be somewhat comparable. Am I on the right track maybe?

Falleen Bounty Hunter/Survivalist maybe?

Commando: Sharpshooter or Spy: Scout from AoR would be good fits, especially the Scout. As far as races, any high-Agility race would be mechanically similar, but you might be better off just asking him what he wants to play.

Is he looking for a wilderness guide? Or the archer? Or the dual wielding swordsman? The ranger could be all 3 in D&D. If he wants spellcasting (high level ranger), grab Force and Destiny, and go Seeker. If he wants to be all of them, I would recommend the Bounty Hunter: Survivalist (Wilderness) or Assassin (Ranged and Melee). If he leans more towards wilderness, go Explorer: Big Game Hunter (Ranged & Wilderness) or Scout (Wilderness). Hired Gun: Marauder is good for straight melee, no wilderness build.

It depends on why he likes that particular race/class combo. I'm gonna focus on Ranger first:

If he likes being a melee combat monster, Hired Gun (Marauder) would do that well, although he'll probably find that to be a bit more Fight/Barbarian like than Ranger.

The non-Force career that best exemplifies the core of the Ranger class is clearly the Explorer, and a Big Game Hunter/Scout would work great, I would think. Alternatively, he could go with the Soldier career and use Trailblazer/Sharpshooter, if he prefers a ranged Ranger.

If he really likes Ranger for the animal buddy, he could branch into Beast Rider from the Ace. He has to find an animal buddy himself, but it helps him use it well. Alternatively, if he wants to be a magical hunter with an animal friend, then go Seeker (the F&D Explorer-equivalent), and take Pathfinder and Hunter.

So a couple of different ways to do it, depending on what aspects of "Ranger" he wants likes best. And nothing says he can't do all of them, eventually!

As for species, once again it depends on why he likes elves. Is it because they're graceful and pretty? Twi'lek, Falleen, and Pantoran could all be good species for that. Is it because they're connected to nature? Wookiee, maybe Ithorian. Is it because they're mystical and in tune with supernatural forces? Maybe Mirialan, Kel Dor, or Togruta.

My personal choice on the best way to do this would be Mirialan or Togruta Explorer (Scout/Big Game Hunter), with an eventual grab of Force-Sensitive Emergent and then Pathfinder. But that's just me, and I'm very biased towards both Mirialans and Togruta. And Force-Sensitive people in general .

EDIT: *Sigh* As always, my verbosity gets me pre-empted by other people saying the exact same thing but in fewer words...

Seeker Pathfinder + Hunter is basically a D&D Ranger Jedi. You get the animal companion, and a fully speced out Hunter has the most potent ranged attack in the game (because mere mortals don't get to add force dice to their roll)

It's also a really solid Force sensitive class to play if you're going for a character who doesn't have any actual Jedi training and doesn't have any interest in overtly using force powers or lightsabers. You're just uncannily good with a rifle and have a deep bond with an animal from what the casual observer can see.

The Trailblazer in the Solider book is pretty rangery too at least for the wilderness skills.

Chiss Big Game Hunter and/or Survivalist. Add Force Sensitive Exile or Emergent for magic.

First time I saw Chiss, I decided they were Star Wars elves. (And ugnaughts must be Star Wars dwarves.)

As with a few posters above I always felt the Force and Destiny Seeker is the Ranger class of this game. A bit of magic, an animal companion, lots of wilderness skills and good ranged attack. I'd want to know a bit more about what he likes about Elves before suggesting a race though as there's no obvious parallel, and also to know if he cares about the roleplay aspect more or less than the mechanical benefits, as those are likely to give different answers.

I played an Elf Ranger in D&D, and now play a Seeker in Star Wars, because that kind of thing is my kind of thing.

In Star Wars there really isn't any particular race that hits all the elven earmarks. Your sophisticated and arrogant types are core worlders, mostly humans. Your most nature loving species are Ithorians and such.

Check out the Sathari from the Chronicles of the Gatekeeper . Playable species featured in that campaign.

It fits the bill if you are looking for an exotic looking hunter with high agility.

Also, Chiss are like space Drow.

Energy Bow weapon profile is in forged in battle soldier supplement book. Also has pathfinder spec tree:)

It all depends on the reasons why he likes elf rangers... It could be wookiee bountyhunter: survivalist if it is the nature and wilderness aspect, a rodian smuggler: thief if it is the cloak and dagger aspect, it could be a Twi'lek whatever if it is about looking handsome. It could be a lot of other things for a lot of other reasons, be it crunch or fluff .

Maybe he'd even like something totally different in Star Wars. What feels iconic and fun for you in dnd can be very different from what feels just right in Star Wars!

Most of the people I know who like the elf/ranger like to emulate this guy

So marauder/pathfinder/scout may be your best bet if that's what you're going for.

You guys are awesome! Thanks for the suggestions. I'm just going to have him read this thread and decide what is closest to what he's looking for. Thanks all!

I'd suggest pantoran or mirilian for the flavor of "elf" if you want the pretty graceful swordsman with a tough of mysticism, i'd suggest a pantoran (Endless vigil) with the makashi duelist spec (mystic career, force and destiny core book), of course their going to need a light saber to take advantage of makashi. You might want to add hunter on top of that for a ranged attack.

Lots of great suggestions here, one I haven't heard is Pathfinder Ataru Striker, add in the Misdirect power and your extremely nimble, sneaky, have a pet and are vicious in combat with both Saber and Bow.

My two credits advice is to avoid a FaD career for a person coming into FFG Star Wars from something like D&D. I've seen it a few times where someone whose never played in this system before starts as a Force User and they tend to be overwhelmed. They don't have enough of a grasp on the system and can't properly wrap their head around Force Dice, Force Ratings, how the powers and talents work in relation to them.

Remember, they are already going to be learning a dice pool based narrative system. One the encourages putting the narrative above the mechanics, having rolls only when they are important to the story, and not looting everything.

My two credits advice is to avoid a FaD career for a person coming into FFG Star Wars from something like D&D. I've seen it a few times where someone whose never played in this system before starts as a Force User and they tend to be overwhelmed. They don't have enough of a grasp on the system and can't properly wrap their head around Force Dice, Force Ratings, how the powers and talents work in relation to them.

Remember, they are already going to be learning a dice pool based narrative system. One the encourages putting the narrative above the mechanics, having rolls only when they are important to the story, and not looting everything.

I disagree, especially given what he's likely wanting to build. A Force using career is optimal for him. I haven't even started actually playing yet, and already have a decent grasp on the system and Force usage. Heck, I'm starting with F&D . Then again, I love all things Jedi.