Alt Ranger

[RandyWalker]

Base Attack Bonus: as per PHB ranger

Saves: As per PHB Ranger

Skills: As per PHB Ranger

Favored Enemy: At the onset of combat, a ranger may make a Wilderness Lore check versus 12 + one creature's challenge rating (minimum 1). If he succeeds, he gets +1 to attack rolls made against that type of creature for the remainder of combat. A ranger may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier plus three. The ranger gets +1 to his check if he has encountered that creature earlier in the day. At 5th level, this ability increases to +2, at 10 level to +3, at 15th level to +4 and at 20th level to +5.

Tracking: A ranger gains this feat for free.

Favored Combat Style: At 1st level, a Ranger gains one ability from list A. At 3th level, one from list B, and at 5th level, one from list C. These abilities are as per the feats of the same name (virtual feats).

A:
Ambidexterity, Point Blank Shot, Dodge
B:
Two-Weapon Fighting, Precise Shot, Mobility
C:
Quick Draw, Rapid Shot, Lighting Reflexes.

Natural Healing: At 8th level, once per day, when casting a cure spell, a ranger may make a Wilderness Lore check vs the DC of his cure spell. If he succeeds, he finds enough local vegetation to cure half as much more damage.

Spells: Starting at 4th level, a Ranger has the ability to cast a small number of divine spells starting at first level. To cast a spell, the Ranger must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level. A Ranger's bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a Difficulty Class of 10 + spell level + Wisdom modifier. When a Ranger gets 0 spells of a given level, such as 0 1st-level spells at 4th level, the Ranger gets only bonus spells. A Ranger without a bonus spell for that level cannot yet cast a spell of that level. A Ranger has access to any spell on the Ranger's spells list and can freely choose which to prepare. A Ranger prepares and casts spells just as a cleric does (though a Ranger cannot use spontaneous casting to lose a spell and cast a cure or inflict spell in its place).
Through third level, a Ranger has no caster level. Starting at 4th level, a Ranger's caster level is one-half his class level.
Spells Per Day:
__| 1 2 3 4
01| - - - -
02| - - - -
03| - - - -
04| 0 - - -
05| 0 - - -
06| 1 - - -
07| 1 0 - -
08| 1 0 - -
09| 1 1 - -
10| 1 1 0 -
11| 2 1 0 -
12| 2 1 1 -
13| 2 1 1 0
14| 2 2 1 0
15| 2 2 1 1
16| 3 2 2 1
17| 3 3 2 1
18| 3 3 2 2
19| 3 3 3 2
20| 4 3 3 3

Ranger's Spell List:
1 - Alarm, Animal Friendship, Delay Poison, Detect Animals or Plants, Detect Snares and Pits, Entangle, Expeditious Retreat, Magic Fang, Pass without Trace, Read Magic, Resist Elements, Speak with Animals, Summon Nature's Ally I.
2 - Animal Messenger, Barkskin, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Chaos/Evil/Good/Law, Hold Animal, Protection from Elements, Sleep, Snare, Speak with Plants, Summon Nature's Ally II.
3 - Control Plants, Cure Moderate Wounds, Diminish Plants, Greater Magic Fang, Neutralize Poison, Plant Growth, Remove Disease, Summon Nature's Ally III, Tree Shape, Water Walk.
4 - Commune with Nature, Cure Serious Wounds, Freedom of Movement, Nondetection, Polymorph Self, Summon Nature's Ally IV, Tree Stride, Wall of Thorns, Wind Wall.

 

[Ravellion]

You should switch Precise shot and point blank shot IMHO... the one still is a prerequisite of the other.

Rav

 

[RandyWalker]

duh....

change made

Thanks for pointing that out

 

[Artimus]

10 points for Arch Mage!



Wonderful Arch Mage. Just Wonderful. This is the varient Ranger that I've been looking for. It makes me want to play it agian.

 

[wallshot]

nicely done. as an avid ranger, i will run this past my dm to see what he thinks...when im no longer the DM

 

[Ruvion]

Nice~

 

[Lord Vangarel]

Very nice.

I reworked the ranger a while back but was never entirely happy with what I achieved, yours is closer to the mark.

The only change I would make is why Toughness at 1st level? I think I would replace it with Tracking.

 

[RandyWalker]

The only change I would make is why Toughness at 1st level? I think I would replace it with Tracking.

The reason I included Toughness is because I believe rangers are a little tougher, though not so much as to warrant giving them a bigger hit die.

Don't forget that you can take Tracking with a feat that every character gains every three levels.

 

[niko718]

Never did like the favorite enemy ability

As you can see from the title of this post, I am not a big fan of the favorite enemy ability. I prefer the favorite prey ability and the favorite terrain...where both offer bonuses to skills within a terrain or against a specific enemy. For example, a ranger with a fevorite prey of orcs, would get bonuses to bluff, intimidate, wilderness lore, and sense motive. This is to indicate that the ranger is familiar with the enemy and has a better chance of tracking and the bluff, intimidate, and sense motive bonus come in handy when in combat if one uses the alternative uses to these skills according the the sword and fists.

If you want a better description to this, you can check the Warder (a Ranger PrC) in my signature...and also includes the favorite terrain ability as well.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Nice work, Archmage. I am an avid fan of rangers, and I have used a couple different alt.rangers so far. Here are my suggestions.

Favored Enemy: I would make the number of times per day either 1 or 3 plus wisdom bonus (if any). That way there is a differance between rangers who have no wisdom bonus and those who do. I favor 3 plus wisdom bonus. That means any ranger can use his primary ability at least 3 times per day, and it emulates nicely the turn undead ability. You could even create a feat that increases the number of times per day the ranger can use this ability, similar to the extra turning feat.

Also, I would keep the progression the same as in the PHB. IOW, +2 at 5th level, +3 at 10th level, +4 at 15th level, and +5 at 20th level. This is my favorite part of your alt. ranger. I may consider playtesting it in my game.

Toughness: I would scrap this. Keep the free Track feat at first level. This is the other staple of the class.

Favored Combat Style: I think 6 bonus combat feats is too many. If you want to keep this ability, I suggest letting them get 1A at first level and the rest at every other level so the progression is 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, & 11. Also, switch Quick Draw and Two Weapon Fighting in style #1.

My suggestion is to scrap the favored combat style and keep the virtual Ambidexterity and TWF and allow the player the option of foregoing these for one and only one feat. This is what I do in my game and it is working well. Also, consider giving the ranger a free skill focus (allow Alertness as one of the choices) three or four times throughout their career (the number and at which level is up to you). This is a good way to allow the ranger to excel even more with his skills, which is what rangers should do, without intruding into the fighter's territory of bonus combat feats.

Spirited Stride: Scrap this. This is the fast movement ability. Leave it to the barbarians and monks.

Woodland Stride: Scrap this, too. Rangers are not druids.

Natural Healing: Scrap this. 12th level rangers already have access to cure light and cure moderate wounds. Perhaps add Goodberry or Cure Minor Wounds to the first level spell list for some added healing ability. They might also purchase some healing salve (50gp, cures 1d8 hit points). This is found in Tome & Blood.

Spring Attack: Yep, scrap this one as well. Let the ranger get it normally if he wants it.

Spells: They should remain divine because wisdom determines max spell level and DCs. This meshes well with your favored enemy number of uses per day being based on the wisdom bonus. Perhaps add Goodberry to the first level spell list, as suggested earlier. I also suggest using Monte Cook's The Ranger Revisited's spell progression chart. Essentially it gives access to the higher level spells a level early (7, 10, and 13).