all about rangers

[Pickaxe]

Pickaxe and Patryn both look at my char stats again please...

I "have" a breastplate because we found it in loot (hense its in possessions). My gear, read "things I'm wearing", is a piece of studded leather. Which I probably will continue to use until I can afford a mithril chain shirt, and maybe cele armor later.

Well, actually you *could* wear the breastplate at first level, since it doesn't affect any of your ranger abilities (though it does impact sneaking skills and movement). Might work if you expect to be in melee a lot for this one level.

You could also consider a mithral breastplate down the road, since it counts as light armor and would accommodate your high Dex. However, you may be raising your Dex even higher to the point where it is +6 or more by the time you can afford such an item.

--Axe

 

[Drowbane]

Edit: Actually, if your DM allows the splatbooks, I believe the feat Natural Bond would help you even more. Adding +4 to your effective druid level for your animal companion would mean that at [ranger level / 2]+4, you'd qualify for a dire lion at 12th-level.

Natural Bond gives +3, yo

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

There is a 0 level psionic spell that allows you to create an arrow that lasts for three rounds. While our DM did not allow psionics , he did allow it as a cantrip, and then allowed it to be used in a use-activated wonderous item. Two big ifs to get past your DM, but its cheap unlimited arrows at a low level.

 

[Pickaxe]

You should carefully read the description of the Ride skill, and the Mounted Combat section of the SRD. Basically if you're riding your companion, it goes like this:

Step 1: Make a guide with knees Ride check, DC5. If you succeed, you can control your mount with your knees, freeing up both hands to use in combat. If you fail, you have to use one hand to control your mount, so you're only one-handed for combat. (This check will probably be automatic for you with a good dex score.)

Step 2: Decide if you want to have your mount attack this round. If no, act as normal. If yes, go to step 3.

Step 3: Make a Ride check, DC 10, to fight with warhorse. If successful, both you and your mount can attack. If you fail, only your mount can attack.

If you aren't riding your companion, then you need to use the Handle Animal rules to determine whether it can attack or not.

Warhorses are not included in the animal companion list, only light and heavy horses. Does this impact the use of such animal companions in mounted combat? Specifically, the description for non-warhorses says they cannot fight with a rider, and the Ride skill says that such horses require a DC 20 check to control in combat. Does this apply to animal companions? Is it overcome by their tricks?

--Axe

 

[Len]

My DM let me take a warhorse as a companion. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be allowed or not. It doesn't explicitly list warhorse, but it would be strange to allow a war mount for halflings (riding dog) but not for humans.

If you have a normal horse, you can train it for combat riding (see the Handle Animal skill), and then you can ride and fight with it like a warhorse. However it will still have the lower stats of a normal horse. (The attack bonus especially is much lower.)

 

[PrinceZane]

I just still can't figure out what's up with the DM. I'm gonna talk to him again tomorrow night (game night) and try to get a straight answer or reasoning or something. I mean, he was talking about making some SSpecies chars and going nuts and stuff, then next week he says pure core. I dunno if he has plans for us in some upcoming dungeon or what, but it's kinda crap. I like to know what/when/why/how my char does things, not throw something together at the last minute like everyone else (save 1) in our party. (Which by the way, might be the reason that me and him are the only ones to have the same char from start to char reset. Well, in the 2 years we've played he's died once, me 0. GO ME!)

 

[PrinceZane]

Been a little bit since I updated this. I've got the DM to approve books and such, yay. So, I've started researching my ranger a bit. After reading from the DMG about the Quiver of Ehlonna, it says "Once the owner has filled it the quiver can produce any item she wishes, as if from a regular scabbard or quiver."

Now I'm assuming that means any item that was put in the quiver (similar to Hav's Handysack where whatever you want in the sack is always on top), but maybe its better than I thought and you could put 60 regular arrows in, and pull 60 silver arrows from it? What's the verdict here? Am I right, or did I just get alot happier?

Also, I don't remember if this got replied to earlier or not (I don't recall reading about it), but do the items in the QoE HAVE to be arrows/jav/bow sized, or could you fill up the entire thing w/ arrows (i.e. put arrows in the jav/bow slots) and it not mess up any of the magical properties and such?

Although the Belt of Hidden Pouches from Races of the Wild is kind of neat, that's the only item I saw in there that I'd be remotely interested in (i.e. I didn't see the quiver Shadowdweller mentioned, maybe I overlooked it if someone can point it out?)

As soon as I get my Complete books back I'm gonna try to draw up a 20 level progression for you guys to look at, could be a day, could be 2 weeks, don't know when the guy I let borrow them will be through with em.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Now I'm assuming that means any item that was put in the quiver (similar to Hav's Handysack where whatever you want in the sack is always on top)

This is the way it works. Your alternate interpretation is, frankly, preposterous.

Also, I don't remember if this got replied to earlier or not (I don't recall reading about it), but do the items in the QoE HAVE to be arrows/jav/bow sized, or could you fill up the entire thing w/ arrows (i.e. put arrows in the jav/bow slots) and it not mess up any of the magical properties and such?

You cannot put arrows in the other slots from the description. As a DM I might allow it, but extremely reduced (i.e. perhaps 20 arrows total in all the other slots combined.) You are, after all, trying to fill a bow-shaped compartment with arrows. They aren't the right size at all.

 

[Zimbel]

Quiver

Been a little bit since I updated this. I've got the DM to approve books and such, yay. So, I've started researching my ranger a bit. After reading from the DMG about the Quiver of Ehlonna, it says "Once the owner has filled it the quiver can produce any item she wishes, as if from a regular scabbard or quiver."

Now I'm assuming that means any item that was put in the quiver (similar to Hav's Handysack where whatever you want in the sack is always on top), but maybe its better than I thought and you could put 60 regular arrows in, and pull 60 silver arrows from it? What's the verdict here? Am I right, or did I just get alot happier?

Your "happy" version describes what sounds like a neat basis for a minor artifact, not a minor varient of a Handy Haversack.

Also, I don't remember if this got replied to earlier or not (I don't recall reading about it), but do the items in the QoE HAVE to be arrows/jav/bow sized, or could you fill up the entire thing w/ arrows (i.e. put arrows in the jav/bow slots) and it not mess up any of the magical properties and such?

I'd talk to your DM. Were I DMing, I'd say "no". Assuming that your PC had a way of having such an item specially made for him/her, I would be happy to remove one or more of the other areas (like the javelin one) and expand the arrow area for little/no additional cost.

 

[Rackhir]

This might be closer to what you want ultimately. From WotC's web site

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/fr/lonedrowstats

Quiver of Anariel:Quivers of Anariel appear to be typical arrow containers capable of holding a score of arrows. However, the quivers automatically replenish themselves with standard or magical arrows, such that they are always full. Some quivers also create arrows made of special materials, such as adamantine, cold iron, or alchemical silver.

Once an arrow it taken from the quiver, it must be used within 1 round or it vanishes.

Moderate conjuration; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, magic weapon, minor creation; Price 28,000 gp (standard arrows), 29,000 gp (masterwork arrows), 32,000 gp (+1 arrows), 44,000 gp (+2 arrows), 64,000 gp (+3 arrows), 92,000 gp (+4 arrows), 128,000 gp (+5 arrows); Add an additional +6,000 gp for adamantine arrows, +4,005 gp for cold iron arrows, or +200 gp for alchemical silver arrows; Weight 1 lb.

As far as storing bundles of arrows in the other slots, I really don't see why you couldn't. It seems needlessly pedantic to insist that they have to be whatever the slot is for especially given that the SRD says "The first and smallest one can contain up to sixty objects of the same general size and shape as an arrow. The second slightly longer compartment holds up to eighteen objects of the same general size and shape as a javelin. The third and longest portion of the case contains as many as six objects of the same general size and shape as a bow (spears, staffs, or the like)." So it does say "Objects of the same general size and shape as a".

I might require you to bundle the arrows together though. I could never understand why a quiver for archers would have slots for Javelins anyway.