Talk to me about beastmaster rangers

[Felon]

I'd really love to have the chance to use this mini I have of the elf ranger bard with the falcon on his arm. I don't have martial power though, so I figured I'd ask the pros: is it worth the effort?

The character builder tells me that choosing a raptor will mean my beast damage is a piddling d6 when it could be rocking hard as a d12. Granted, the eagle can fly, but that's a pretty situational advantage to trade off for consistent damage output. But like I said, I don't have the whole picture.

Anyone care to tell me how well bast mastery compares to the other styles, and if a raptor offers solid advantages?

 

[keterys]

Well, if you're planning on playing an archer, then the eagle is probably as good a choice as any other, as you're primarily going to use the animal for utility and as a blocker.

 

[Felon]

Well, if you're planning on playing an archer, then the eagle is probably as good a choice as any other, as you're primarily going to use the animal for utility and as a blocker.

Don't at least some of the beast attack powers work in conjunction with ranged weapons? You shoot an arrow at one guy, the eagle swoops in and attacks another?

 

[Mentat55]

The raptor's attack bonus is level + 5, and damage is 1d6 + Dex; at 1st level, this works out to +6 attack, 1d6+4 damage (avg 7.5). Most companions would be +5 attack, 1d8+3 damage (avg 8.5). The bear would be +3 attack, 1d12+3 damage (avg 9.5). So yes, you are down some damage, but you're much more accurate than the bear, and a bit more accurate than most. The raptor is also the most mobile of the companions, has a fly speed (which allows it to attack almost anywhere), and has a decent AC and Reflex defense.

One big advantage of the raptor -- you can Hunter Quarry the enemy closest to your companion, instead of you. Combined with archery, you can really target those back rank opponents. If you take a mix of ranged attacks and powers with a range of Melee beast 1, it'll probably work pretty well.

EDIT: Unfortunately, I don't see any powers that are both beast and ranged. And many beast powers use the companion's Str modifier for damage, instead of Dex. So perhaps the raptor is kind of weak. But I think the Hunter's Quarry advantage is still big.

 

[kerbarian]

There's a beastmaster archer ranger in our campaign, and the build works well. His companion is a wolf, and it never attacks other than an occasional opportunity attack, but it makes a great blocker, flanker (for others in the party), and lets him be more flexible about his quarry targets. The wolf isn't a huge factor in fights, but I'd say it's more of a benefit than the archery or two-weapon styles would provide for an archer.

One option you'd have with a raptor would be to have it hover over the head of a ranged enemy. That way, there's nowhere the enemy can shift to avoid an opportunity attack.

I'm not sure what level this character will be, but one nice combo for an archer with a beast companion is the Sharpshooter paragon path with the Beast Protector feat. Whenever someone makes a melee attack against your beast, it provokes an opportunity attack from you, and Sharpshooter lets you make that opportunity attack with your bow from across the battlefield.

 

[The Little Raven]

Don't at least some of the beast attack powers work in conjunction with ranged weapons? You shoot an arrow at one guy, the eagle swoops in and attacks another?

Nope. It's my one problem with the Beastmaster build. All powers that involve you and your beast attacking are melee.

 

[Felon]

I'm not sure what level this character will be, but one nice combo for an archer with a beast companion is the Sharpshooter paragon path with the Beast Protector feat. Whenever someone makes a melee attack against your beast, it provokes an opportunity attack from you, and Sharpshooter lets you make that opportunity attack with your bow from across the battlefield.

That's cool and all, but I thought path (like most) required you to have picked the relevant style, which in this case is archery.

 

[Felon]

Nope. It's my one problem with the Beastmaster build. All powers that involve you and your beast attacking are melee.

So, the mini is just kind of a tease. Oh well. It can still be a bard with familiar, or an eagle shaman, or maybe a druid pet.

 

[kerbarian]

That's cool and all, but I thought path (like most) required you to have picked the relevant style, which in this case is archery.

That's true for most of the PHB1 paths, but not for the ones in Martial Power (except for a few that require beast mastery). That always annoyed me about the ranger PP's in PHB1, because, except for allowing PP access, the archery style is actually the worst option for an archer ranger -- I consider both two-weapon and beast mastery to be more useful for an archer.

 

[jasonbostwick]

Most of the PPs require a specific class feature, but not Sharpshooter, making it excellent for a Beastmaster Archer.