• The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!

Alt Ranger

RandyWalker

Explorer
By all means!

Help yourself to this ranger.

I don't like to consider this a dead thread... Everything could always use improvement...


~Archmage
 

log in or register to remove this ad

JDRay

First Post
So long as we're on the subject of Rangers...

So long as we're on the subject of Rangers, can someone please throw stones at the idea of letting Rangers spontaneously cast spells? It seems to fit with the flavor of the class better to me. Their spell list is limited enough as it is, and the progression of spells per day is slow, so I don't think letting them spontaneously cast would overbalance the game.

Any naysayers?

JD
 

War Golem

First Post
Archmage_2001 said:
I don't like to consider this a dead thread... Everything could always use improvement...

~Archmage


Hi Archmage,

A couple questions about this ranger version. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get a PC to run it, so I'm going to put one in my campaign as an evil NPC. In planning it out in my head, a couple questions came up:

1 - Favored Enemy. Ok, say the evil Ranger 10 is battling the group of PCs, who are a mix of 8th level humans and elves. The CR for each of the PCs is 8, but they are humans and elves, whose base racial CR is 1. Which CR to use for the Favored Enemy check? What if one of the PCs has her hireling along, a 2nd level elf? Can the NPC Ranger make his Favored Enemy check against the 2nd level elf (CR 2), and then use the bonus against all the PC elves (each CR 8) for that combat?

My inclination is to use the creature's base racial CR.

2 - Natural Healing. Shouldn't this increase (perhaps significantly) the casting time of the spell? Suppose, for instance, the Ranger is Teleported to a wilderness area he is unfamilair with, directly into combat, and during that combat, he wishes to cast a healing spell. Does he get the Natural Healing bonus? Realistically, you'd have to think no... but I'm a little bothered about this limitation on the ability.

Thanks.
 

RandyWalker

Explorer
War Golem said:



Hi Archmage,

A couple questions about this ranger version. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get a PC to run it, so I'm going to put one in my campaign as an evil NPC. In planning it out in my head, a couple questions came up:


Great! Sounds good to me. I'll do my best to answer.

1 - Favored Enemy. Ok, say the evil Ranger 10 is battling the group of PCs, who are a mix of 8th level humans and elves. The CR for each of the PCs is 8, but they are humans and elves, whose base racial CR is 1. Which CR to use for the Favored Enemy check? What if one of the PCs has her hireling along, a 2nd level elf? Can the NPC Ranger make his Favored Enemy check against the 2nd level elf (CR 2), and then use the bonus against all the PC elves (each CR 8) for that combat?

My inclination is to use the creature's base racial CR.

I say, that, for the elves, he makes a check against the highest elf CR. He then gets the bonus against all elves in this session of combat. He can also, if he has enough uses left, roll against the highest human CR and get a bonus to humans in the same combat.

2 - Natural Healing. Shouldn't this increase (perhaps significantly) the casting time of the spell? Suppose, for instance, the Ranger is Teleported to a wilderness area he is unfamilair with, directly into combat, and during that combat, he wishes to cast a healing spell. Does he get the Natural Healing bonus? Realistically, you'd have to think no... but I'm a little bothered about this limitation on the ability.

Natural Healing used in conjunction with a healing spell (only way it can be used) is a full round action. If the healing spell takes more than one round to complete, applying Natural Healing doesn't take any additional time. Natural Healing must be declared before the Ranger begins to cast the spell that he wishes to amplify with Natural Healing.


No problem.
 

RandyWalker

Explorer
Well, it's been a long time, but I was particularly proud of this alt.ranger.

After all that's changed in the game, how should this class be updated? Should it be updated at all? What does it need?

Post feedback :)
 

Afrodyte

Explorer
As we already discussed, the 3.5 ranger is a different creature altogether. The main thing is that it has been powered up considerably, gaining more skill points, more class abilities, and more potent class features. However, it does have only a d8 HD.

Rather than try to make your ranger into the 3.5 ranger, I'll just say what I think would be some things you may wish to consider.

First of all, Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore are no longer skills in 3.5. They have been combined into a skill called Survival that deals with a character's ability to live off the land and what not. This is an important change, and I think it should be included if you revise this class.

Second, depending on what your vision of the ranger is, you can take the rest of what I say with a grain of salt. I prefer a more skill-oriented wilderness survivor as opposed to a warrior who knows his way around the woods. IMO, I think the ranger can be developed into its own unique flavor by emphasizing the skills as opposed to combat (which brings it closer to the figher, or better yet, the barbarian) or nature magic (which brings it closer to the druid or nature clerics). For what it's worth, I do not see the ranger as a fighter/druid hybrid or a fighter/nature cleric hybrid. I think it would ideally be closer to the rogue in that it distinguishes itself through skills, but unlike the rogue in that it fills a particular niche and has different abilities. Rather, I prefer the structure of the rogue class, but with class abilities more suited to the ranger.

Now, as for what I think it needs:

Bigger boost in non-combat abilities to emphasize the expertise in living in the wild. Might I suggest bonus non-combat feats such as: Alertness, Athletic (+2 to Climb and Swim checks), Endurance, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Run, Self-Sufficient (+2 to Heal and Survival checks), Skill focus, Stealthy (+2 to Hide and Move Silently checks), Toughness, and Track? Also, the Skill Mastery ability from the rogue class seems like it would fit the ranger too.

The 3.5 ranger has an ability called Wild Empathy. It replaces the Animal Empathy skill. The PHB essentially makes it a skill check using your level as the ranks added to your Charisma modifier, but there is room for improvement. Perhaps a synergy bonus for Knowledge (nature)? What about modifying the roll based on Wisdom for determining the attitude of an animal, and Charisma for influencing the attitude?

Natural Healing has great potential. However, I think basing it off Knowledge (nature) and Profession (herbalist) may be a better option than Wilderness Lore/Survival. Maybe use one as the base and the other as a synergy bonus?

I've always wondered why rangers never had a favored terrain, and how things would work if they did have it. A level-based bonus to skills like Hide, Knowledge (nature), Move Silently, and Survival is a good start.

As for combat options, I'd simply allow them to be bonus feats. Virtual feats just make things more complicated. My suggestion would be to limit bonus feats to things that your average hunter or scout would use, not what Rambo has. You could make it easier to get combat abilities, but not overpower or outstrip the fighter in combat abilities for any one style. You could expand the bonus feat list I have above to include a few combat feats such as: Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot), Quick Draw, and Weapon Focus.

I also think some sort of ability related to camouflage could be neat too.
 

Remove ads

Top