smootrk said:
A Dwarven Lumberjack is a character concept I am trying to work out for an upcoming game. I have a few ideas for building the character like being mostly Fighter with either some Ranger levels or possibly some druid levels thrown.
"The stout dwarf stood, feet firmly rooted to the ground. He spit onto his hands, rubbed them together and took up his axe. He gazed then at the brigands, and said, 'You want to know what I have in my pack? Why don't you come closer then, and have a look.'"
Reading Dwarf, Fighter and Ranger caused me to think about the Dwarven Defender prestige class. Ftr 4 / Rng 3 is a great way to get into it. DD might seem like an odd choice for a lumberjack, but I can see a dwarf who had chopped down many a tree, to adapt a kind of "stand and deliver" fighting style. He might get cut down himself, but once those roots are planted he'll never be moved.
The key is that the 3rd level of Ranger gives you Endurance (prereq for a DD) which is just as useful, in this case, as the one feat a straight fighter gets from levels 5-7. So you trade 3 hit points (on average) for a better skill list and all those lovely skill points.
Now this build would work much better for an adventurer who had started out as a Lumberjack rather than any attempt to build by 20th level "the greatest lumberjack who ever lived." You won't get an "animal companion" with this build, but that doesn't preclude you from showing up in the campaign on day one with a regular animal you've trained. I've never played a character with an animal companion; seems like it could be a hassle to try to keep them alive, and still get use from them, for anyone other than a straight druid.
DD has Spot and Listen for class skills which is nice. You won't be able to crank Survival up very high, but then again, I'm not sure you have to for this character concept. You're a competent woodsman, can keep yourself and one or two others alive in the wild, but you're not meant to be some super tracking huntsmen or scout. You'll also actually be able to get some use out of your fighter level skill points with Climb, Handle Animal, and maybe even Craft: Siege Weapons.
If you plan to eventually end up in real armor, then your choice of Ranger combat style will be pretty much irrelevant. Two-Weapon Fighting could be interesting given your automatic proficiency in Dwarven Urgosh (the favored tool of the Dwarven lumberjack, one end for chopping down trees and the other to defend yourself should a bear or boar come charging at you). I have a personal preference against bow using dwarves, which makes getting Rapid Shot less useful. You could spend a feat on Rapid Reload to use it with a light crossbow, or, and much better, spend a feat on Quick Draw and use it with thrown weapons like hand axes. I'd probably go for TWF and then wear heavy armor anyway <shrug>
For feats you need to Dodge and Toughness (blech) in addition to Endurance to get into the DD. The Improved Sunder idea is definately cool. I normally stay away from Weapon Focus and Specialization, but it does seem appropriate thematically for this character.
1 R1: Weapon Focus
2 F1: Power Attack
3 F2: Dodge, Improved Sunder
4 R2:
5 F3:
6 F4: Toughness, Weapon Specialization
7 R3: Endurance
Oh, and surely it goes without saying (but typing is okay) that your Favored Enemy type is
Plant 
Had not thought of that. Maybe even try to fold in some Bard levels, eh?
