Favored Enemy - How does the Ranger know?

[gamerprinter]

This is the key - if we assume the Ranger adopts an especially bizarre fighting style only against his favoured enemy, then he needs to know who they are to combat them effectively. But, if we take the extreme "their heart is in their leg" example, wouldn't using that style against a human make the Ranger less effective, rather than just normally effective?

A ranger is in fact less effective against non-favored enemies, they don't get a +2 hit against them. That is less effective than against favored enemies which they do get a +2 hit. I would argue that non-ranger normal effective is the same thing as "less effective" (at least to a ranger.)

Since all other non-ranger characters have the same normal effective combat, it is in fact less effective - just ask a ranger.

 

[billd91]

Further, there is no rule that states that he automatically identifies creatures, and there IS a rule stating he gets a bonus to monster knowledge checks against his favored enemies. This seems to suggest that he still needs to make these checks to identify the monsters.

That's my take on it as well. And when you consider that the ranger gets his bonus on perception, knowledge, and sense motive, he's got some good tools to see through any attempts at disguise. It's not foolproof, no.

I also think a ranger should get his bonuses against any favored enemy even if he doesn't identify as such. Its nature has not changed. It still behaves or acts like its nature in subtle ways at the very least that the ranger should be able to automatically exploit.

 

[Winterthorn]

This is easier than we think!

The OP question is a good one but it is less of a problem than people suggest when one thinks about it.

Basically, players do not know the actual AC of the targets their PCs are attacking. Although they often learn a close approximation.

It is up to the GM to declare a hit or not and let the players guess what is going on:

Situation A: PC ranger with elves as FE fights an elf disguised as a human. GM adds the FE bonus to the players hit result by saying "you hit" on a borderline roll + modifiers. Based upon the player's calculations, the player may realize something is up if he/she was sure their ranger PC should have missed... ("I shouldn't have hit, but I did! It's an *elf*!!")

Situation B: PC ranger with elves as FE fights a human disguised as an elf. The GM does not add the FE bonus to the players hit result by saying "you missed" on a borderline roll + modifiers. Based upon the player's calculations, the player may realize something is up if he/she was sure their ranger PC should have hit! ("I should have hit, but I didn't! It's *not* an elf!!")

In A the player didn't apply the FE bonus, the GM secretly did it for him/her.

In B the player applied the FE bonus (most likely), and the GM secretly subtracted it.

Again, this is in the GM's hands since actual AC to hit is not player knowledge -- it is up to the GM to remember the ranger PC's FE bonuses -- although most players will probably remind their GM now and then. When the ranger player looks into the math of their roll verses the result announced by the GM, they'll clue in that somethings not what it seems -- and thus the FE bonus has been applied when it was supposed to. No problem!