Mercule
Adventurer
Ranger REG said:
I don't see nothing wrong with a class having a good BAB and an average HD. You may think that it would be more appealing when it comes to the other classes that have medium HD, especially a druid, but I think both classes will be distinctive enough and balanced with the rest.
My main issue with this really is that I envision Rangers being slightly hardier than Fighters. Not necessarily enough to get a higher hit die, but a lower hit die is right out. Given my druthers, I'd give the Ranger the same hit die as a Fighter and find some way to encourage them to have a higher Con.
It has everything to do with D&D ranger class, especially when it was inherited during the 2nd edition. Only this time around, the 3.5e ranger give you option, you can decide to stick with the "classic" ranger or go with a more "archer" ranger archetype.
Besides, I doubt ranger fans would like to acquire TWF as a "normal feat" but rather as a "bonus feat."
Personal peeve, here.
D&D classes do not define archetypes. They serve as tools to build them. The class should _always_ flow from the archetype, not the other way around.
2E is not the "classic" Ranger, even in D&D terms. the SR or 1E Ranger are "classic". Neither have any special affinity for TWF. The 2E Ranger was some mutant child of the 1E Ranger. The most unfortunately thing about it is that it apparently wasn't born sterile.
Besides, I doubt Ranger fans want TWF as a class ability.

This "Combat Paths" sounds more like Talent Trees from d20 Modern. Personally, it is okay, depending how it is alloted by level. I hope that you are not restricted to choosing one combat path. I like a mixture of melee and ranged attack repertoire.
I don't own d20 Modern, so all I have there is a bit of hearsay.
The Talent Trees don't sound too bad. I don't know if it's a mechanic that's appropriate to the other trappings of D&D (there is a difference between Modern and D&D).
One of my objections to the "Combat Paths" is that it does sound like you're locked into one path. If not, I'll be a bit more receptive to the idea. I don't think the Paths should be limited to Combat, though. Nor do I think TWF should be an option -- maybe if the list of options was large, but it shouldn't figure prominently.
I'm not sure what you're getting at. I mean personally, some fighting style are effective in wilderness situations, especially when one takes advantage of the terrain.
True, which is way the Ranger is often associated with the bow. TWF isn't especially related to wilderness. Mostly, I think what makes Rangers effective fighters in the wilderness is 1) they are smart enough to hide, find higher ground, and keep their distance; and 2) they've learned to withstand hardships that would claim others and that let's them take more damage than anyone has a right to endure.
Really, I think it comes down to whether you want a Ranger decended from the 1E or the 2E class. They are similar, but they seem to have different origins. Myself, I never allowed the 2E Ranger, I just carried over what I was doing in 1E: the 1E Ranger with the Thief's Move Silent and Hide in Shadows. I also banned the 3E Ranger on sight, but 1E doesn't work nearly as well with 3E as it did with 2E, so I couldn't just drop in the 1E Ranger. Even if I were to use the 3.5 Ranger, I'd ban the TWF combat path.